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they ceased from the work. This impious man also wrote the subversion of the divine gospels; which the great Cyril of Alexandria and other lovers of Christ corrected. And indeed he and those like him slandered every other writing; but their adulterations were cast out by the orthodox. At this time the divine cross was seen in the sky, encircled like light by a luminous crown, from Golgotha to the holy Mount of Olives, brighter than under Constantius; and spontaneously on the cloths of the altars and 1.538 books and other vestments, but also on the garments not only of Christians but also of Jews, the sign of the cross appeared, not only in Jerusalem but also in Antioch and the other cities; and what the Jews and Greeks shamelessly disbelieved, they found on their own garments. and on some they were even black.

But Julian, having fortified himself with prophecies and sacrifices and incantations of demons and deceptions, as Agathias says, marched against the Persians, when he also received an oracle that went thus: "Now we gods have all set out, to carry trophies of victory from the beast of a river. And I, impetuous, battle-stirring Ares, will lead them." And as he was entering Persia, in the house of a certain Christian woman was found a small water-jar standing full of water, which was also suddenly changed into sweet, bubbling wine. Perhaps this was seen as a symbol of the change of affairs for the most pleasant, on account of the tyrant's destruction shortly after. For having marched against the Persians, he was tricked by some deserters into burning his ships. Then, making his way through the desert and uneven lands for a considerable time, with all useful and necessary things having run out, and those with him having suffered much, when the time of battle arrived, as he was going about the camp and giving orders, he was struck by a spear from an unseen hand in the side, so that he groaned aloud. And taking up the blood with his hand, he sprinkled it into the air, saying, "You have conquered, Christ; be satisfied, Nazarene." And thus 1.539 he broke off his foul soul, uttering many blasphemies against his own gods, calling them deceivers and wanderers and liars. His wretched body was carried away to Constantinople, and was placed in a purple, cylindrical sarcophagus, on which he inscribed this elegy: By the silvery Cydnus, from the streams of the Euphrates, from the land of Persia, having moved an army for an uncompleted task, Julian obtained this tomb, both a good king and a mighty spearman. And when Jovian, who reigned after him, while walking behind him, unintentionally stepped on his purple robe while going down a certain steep place, Julian turned and, judging from what had happened, said that he would hold the kingship after him; if only, at least, he were a man. Jovian reigned for 9 months and 15 days. This man was a chiliarch, a most gentle man and an orthodox Christian, who was proclaimed emperor by the whole army in the place where the apostate was slain. He was tall in stature, so that not one of the imperial garments fit him. And after one engagement of the war, peace as if from God was proclaimed in unison by both the Romans and the Persians, and it was fixed for 30 years. But he was declining the kingship, saying that he could not rule a Hellenizing army. To him they all shouted with one voice, "We are Christians, thrice-august Emperor." Whence he sent out laws to all the land 1.540 under the Romans for the protection of the churches of God, and he recalled the Christians in exile, writing also to the holy Athanasius to signify to him in writing the precision of the blameless faith; which being done, he became more firm in orthodoxy. This man, on returning to Antioch, found in the palace many chests filled with the heads of men, and many wells full of dead human bodies; for indeed Julian, having cut open countless pregnant women in their

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τοῦ ἔργου ἐπαύσαντο. οὗτος ὁ δυσσεβὴς καὶ τὴν τῶν θείων εὐαγγελίων ἀνατροπὴν ἔγραψεν· ἣν ὁ μέγας Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ ἄλλοι φιλόχριστοι ἐπηνωρ θώσαντο. καὶ πᾶσαν δὴ ἄλλην γραφὴν αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ ὅμοιοι αὐτοῦ διέβαλον· ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων ἐξεβλήθησαν τὰ τούτων νοθεύματα. Ἐπὶ τούτοις ὤφθη ὁ θεῖος σταυρὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ φωτοει δῶς κυκλούμενος ὑπὸ στεφάνου φωτεινοῦ, ἀπὸ τοῦ Γολγοθᾶ ἕως τοῦ ἁγίου ὄρους τῶν ἐλαιῶν, λαμπρότερος μᾶλλον ἢ ἐπὶ Κων σταντίου· αὐτομάτως δὲ τοῖς ἁπλώμασι τῶν θυσιαστηρίων καὶ 1.538 βίβλοις καὶ ἄλλοις ἐσθήμασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἱματίοις οὐ μόνον Χριστιανῶν ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰουδαίων, ἐπεπόλαζε τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ σταυροῦ, οὐ μόνον ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσι· καὶ ὃν ἀναισχύντως ἠπίστουν Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες, εὕρισκον ἐν τοῖς ἱματίοις αὐτῶν. ἔν τισι δὲ καὶ ἐμελάνιζον.

Ἰουλιανὸς δὲ μαντείαις καὶ θυσίαις καὶ ἐπῳδαῖς δαιμόνων καὶ ἀπάταις φραξάμενος, ὡς φησὶν Ἀγαθίας, κατὰ Περσῶν ἐστρά τευσεν, ὅτε καὶ χρησμὸν ἔλαβεν ἔχοντα οὕτως "νῦν μὲν πάντες ὡρμήθημεν θεοί, νίκης τρόπαια κομίσασθαι παρὰ θηρὶ ποταμῷ. τῶν δὲ ἐγὼ ἡγεμονεύσω θοῦρος πολεμόκλονος Ἄρης." ἐν δὲ τῷ εἰσιέναι αὐτὸν ἐπὶ Περσίδα, ἐν οἰκίᾳ τινὸς γυναικὸς Χριστιανῆς εὑρέθη ὑδρίσκη ὕδατος ἑστῶσα πλήρης, ἥτις καὶ ἀθρόως εἰς οἶνον γλυκὺν βράζοντα μετεβλήθη. ἴσως δὲ τοῦτο σύμβολον ὦπται τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ ἥδιστον τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολῆς διὰ τὴν τοῦ τυράννου μετὰ μικρὸν καταστροφήν. στρατεύσας γὰρ ἐπὶ Πέρσας ἐδελεάσθη ὑπό τινων αὐτομόλων ἐμπρῆσαι τὰς ναῦς. εἶτα δι' ἐρημίας καὶ ἀνωμάλων χωρίων τὴν πορείαν ποιούμενος ἐφ' ἱκανόν, πάντων ἀπολελοιπότων τῶν χρειωδῶν καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων, καὶ πολλὰ ταλαιπωρησάντων τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ, ἐπειδὴ καιρὸς τοῦ πο λέμου ἀφίκετο, περιερχόμενος ἀνὰ τὸ στρατόπεδον καὶ διατασσό μενος ἐπλήγη δόρατι ἀφανῶς εἰς τὰ ὑποχόνδρια, ὥστε ἀνοιμῶξαι αὐτόν. καὶ τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ αἵματος λαβόμενος ἔρραινεν εἰς τὸν ἀέρα, λέγων "νενίκηκας, Χριστέ· κορέσθητι Ναζωραῖε." καὶ οὕτως 1.539 τὴν μιαρὰν αὐτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀπέρρηξε, πολλὰ δυσφημήσας εἰς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ θεούς, ἀπατεῶνας καὶ πλάνους καὶ ψεύστας ἀποκαλῶν. οὗ τὸ δύστηνον σῶμα ἀπεκομίσθη ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει, καὶ ἐτέθη ἐν λάρνακι πορφυρᾷ κυλινδροειδεῖ, ἐν ᾧ ἐπέγραψεν ἐλε γεῖον τόδε· Κύδνῳ ἐπ' ἀργυρόεντι, ἀπ' Εὐφρήταο ῥοάων Περσίδος ἐκ γαίης, ἀτελευτήτῳ ἐπὶ ἔργῳ κινήσας στρατιάν, τόδ' Ἰουλιανὸς λάχε σῆμα, ἀμφότερον βασιλεύς τ' ἀγαθὸς κρατερός τ' αἰχμητής. τοῦ δὲ μετ' αὐτὸν βασιλεύσαντος Ἰοβιανοῦ τὴν ἁλουργίδα ὄπισθεν περιπατοῦντος ἀκουσίως πατήσαντος ἐν τῷ ἐπικλινῆ τινὰ κατιέ ναι τόπον, ἐπιστραφεὶς Ἰουλιανὸς καὶ τὸ συμβὰν κρίνας αὐτὸν μετ' ἐκεῖνον τῆς βασιλείας κρατήσειν ἔφη· εἶθε, κἂν γοῦν ἄν θρωπος. Ἰοβιανὸς ἐβασίλευσε μῆνας θʹ ἡμέρας ιεʹ. οὗτος χιλίαρχος ἦν, ἀνὴρ πραότατος καὶ ὀρθόδοξος Χριστιανός, ὃς ὑπὸ παντὸς τοῦ στρατοῦ βασιλεὺς ἀνηγορεύθη ἐν ᾧ τόπῳ ὁ παραβάτης ἀνῃ ρέθη. ἦν δὲ τὴν ἡλικίαν εὐμήκης, ὥστε μηδὲ ἓν τῶν βασιλικῶν ἱματίων ἁρμόζειν αὐτῷ. μετὰ μίαν δὲ συμβολὴν τοῦ πολέμου εἰρήνη ὡς ἀπὸ θεοῦ συμφώνως ἀνεβοήθη ὑπό τε Ῥωμαίων καὶ Περσῶν, καὶ ὡρίσθη ἔτη λʹ. ὁ δὲ παρῃτεῖτο τὴν βασιλείαν, λέγων μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν ἄρχειν στρατοῦ ἑλληνίσαντος. πρὸς ὃν πάντες ὁμοφώνως ἐβόησαν "Χριστιανοί ἐσμεν, αὐτοκράτωρ τρισαύγουστε." ὅθεν νόμους ἐξέπεμψεν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπὸ Ῥω 1.540 μαίων γῆν εἰς περιποίησιν τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησιῶν, καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἐξορίᾳ Χριστιανοὺς ἀνεκαλέσατο, γράψας καὶ τῷ ἱερῷ Ἀθανασίῳ σημᾶναι αὐτῷ ἐγγράφως τῆς ἀμωμήτου πίστεως τὴν ἀκρίβειαν· οὗ γενομένου βεβαιότερος εἰς ὀρθοδοξίαν γέγονεν. οὗτος ὑποστρέ ψας ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ πολλὰς κιβωτοὺς ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις εὗρε κεφαλῶν ἀνδρῶν πεπληρωμένας, πολλὰ δὲ φρέατα νεκρῶν σωμάτων ἀν θρωπίνων πλήρη· καὶ γὰρ μυρίας μὲν γυναῖκας κατὰ γαστρὸς ἐχούσας ἀνατεμὼν ὁ Ἰουλιανὸς ἐν τοῖς αὐτῶν