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against the Arabs of Syria as they had risen up against the Black-robed ones and had taken many places in Palestine and Emesa and the coastal region, he prevented him from attacking them with his armies. But he, being angry with Abdela, rushed with the multitude towards inner Persia, whom, being greatly afraid, he summons back with plausible arguments and entreaties and even with the abominable symbols of their rule, I mean, the staff and the sandals of the false prophet Muhammed, asking him to turn aside for a day's journey to him, so that he might render him the thanks befitting a father. But he, being deceived, comes with 100 thousand horsemen, and having joined him, he is killed by his own hands. But the crowds, having been dispersed, departed that same day, having been supplied with countless gifts of honor. And thus the affairs of the empire are settled for Abdela. Ruler of the Arabs, Abdela, for 21 years. Bishop of Rome, Paul, for 7 years. 15. 1. 1. 2. 5. In this year Niketas of Heliopolis was anathematized by the whole church. But the emperor Constantine resettled in Thrace both Syrians and Armenians, whom he brought from Theodosiopolis and Melitene, from whom the heresy of the Paulicians was also spread. Likewise also in the city, its inhabitants having been diminished by the plague, he brought families from the islands and Greece and the lower parts, and made them inhabit the city and populated it densely. At the same time the Bulgars sought treaties on account of the castles that had been built; and when the emperor dishonored their envoy, they came out with an army, and came as far as the Long Wall, having made their advance against the queen city. Therefore, having wrought much destruction and taking captives, they returned unharmed to their own lands. 430 10. 2. 2. 3. In this year no small earthquake occurred in Palestine and Syria on the 9th of the month of March. And Theodore, the patriarch of Antioch, was exiled, having been slandered through the envy of the Arabs, that he frequently reported the affairs of the Arabs to the emperor Constantine by letters; and so the same Salim places him in exile in the land of Moabitis, his own fatherland. And the same Salim ordered that no new churches be built, nor a cross be shown, nor a Christian to dogmatize about the faith with Arabs. And he marched against Romania with 80 thousand men and having come into Cappadocia, he heard that Constantine was arming against him, and being afraid, he returned having accomplished nothing and done no damage; he returned, taking only a few Armenians who had gone over to him. 17. 3. 3. 4. In this year Abdela increased the taxation on Christians, so as to tax all monks and recluses and stylites who were pleasing to God; and he sealed the treasuries of the churches, and brought Jews to sell them, and the freedmen bought them. 18. 4. 4. 5. In this year Constantine took captive the Sklavenias in Macedonia and made the rest subject to him. And at that time some of the Black-robed Persians who were of the magical religion, possessed by the deceit of the devil, having sold their possessions and having ascended naked to the walls, threw themselves down, so as to fly into heaven, as they thought. But those having no worthy inheritance there returned instead to the earth with their limbs shattered, of whom Abdela, through Salim, destroyed the leaders of this error, who were in Beroea and Chalcis, 10 in number. 19. 5. 5. 2. In this year out of envy the Arabs excluded Christians from 431 the public archives for a short time, but being compelled, they again entrusted the same things to them because they themselves were not able to write the accounts. And they marched against Romania and took many captive and having fought Paul the general of the Armeniacs at the Melas river, they killed him along with a multitude of the army, and they led away 42 notable men as prisoners and many heads. But the emperor marched against the

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κατὰ τῆς Συρίας Ἀράβων ὡς ἐπαναστάντων τοῖς Μαυροφόροις καὶ πολλοὺς κατὰ τὴν Παλαιστίνην καὶ Ἔμεσαν καὶ τὴν παραλίαν ἑλόντων, ἐπελθεῖν τε αὐτοῖς μελετῶντα μετὰ τῶν στρατευμάτων ἐκώλυσεν. ὁ δὲ ὀργισθεὶς τῷ Ἀβδελᾷ πρὸς τὴν ἐνδοτέραν Περσικὴν ὥρμησε σὺν τῷ πλήθει, ὃν δειλιάσας σφόδρα μεταστέλλεται αὐτὸν πιθανολογίαις καὶ παρακλήσεσι καὶ αὐτοῖς δὲ τοῖς μυσαροῖς συμβόλοις τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτῶν, φημὶ δὴ τῇ ῥάβδῳ καὶ τοῖς σανδαλίοις τοῦ ψευδοπροφήτου Μουάμεδ, ἐξαιτῶν ὁδὸν ἡμέρας μιᾶς ἐκκλῖναι πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅπως αὐτῷ τὴν πατρὶ πρέπουσαν εὐχαριστίαν ἀπονείμῃ. ὁ δὲ ἀπατηθεὶς παραγίνεται σὺν χιλιάσιν ἱππέων ρʹ, ἑνωθείς τε αὐτῷ κτείνεται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ χερσὶν ἰδίαις. ὁ δὲ ὄχλοι σκεδασθέντες αὐθημερὸν ᾤχοντο φιλοτιμίαις οὐκ εὐαριθμήτοις ἐφοδιασθέντες. καὶ οὕτω τὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῷ Ἀβδελᾷ διευθύνεται. Ἀράβων ἀρχηγὸς Ἀβδελᾶς ἔτη καʹ. Ῥώμης ἐπίσκοπος Παῦλος ἔτη ζʹ. ιεʹ. αʹ. αʹ. βʹ. εʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Νικήτας ὁ Ἡλιουπόλεως ἀνεθεματίσθη ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πάσης. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Κωνσταντῖνος Σύρους τε καὶ Ἀρμενίους, οὓς ἤγαγεν ἀπὸ Θεοδοσιουπόλεως καὶ Μελιτηνῆς, εἰς τὴν Θρᾴκην μετῴκισεν, ἐξ ὧν καὶ ἐπλατύνθη ἡ αἵρεσις τῶν Παυλικιάνων. ὁμοίως καὶ ἐν τῇ πόλει, ὀλιγωθέντων τῶν οἰκητόρων αὐτῆς ἐκ τοῦ θανατικοῦ, ἤνεγκε συμφαμίλους ἐκ τῶν νήσων καὶ Ἑλλάδος καὶ τῶν κατωτικῶν μερῶν, καὶ ἐποίησεν οἰκῆσαι τὴν πόλιν καὶ κατεπύκνωσεν αὐτήν. τῷ δ' αὐτῷ χρόνῳ ἐζήτησαν οἱ Βούλγαροι πάκτα διὰ τὰ κτισθέντα κάστρα· καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀτιμάσαντος τὸν ἀποκρισιάριον αὐτῶν, ἐξῆλθον φωσατικῶς, καὶ ἦλθον ἕως τοῦ Μακροῦ τείχους κατὰ τῆς βασιλίδος πόλεως τὴν ὁρμὴν ποιησάμενοι. πολλὴν οὖν ἅλωσιν ἐργασάμενοι καὶ αἰχμαλωσίαν λαβόντες ὑπέστρεψαν ἀβλαβεῖς εἰς τὰ ἴδια. 430 ιʹ. βʹ. βʹ. γʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει σεισμὸς γέγονε κατὰ τὴν Παλαιστίνην καὶ Συρίαν οὐ μικρὸς μηνὶ Μαρτίῳ θʹ. καὶ ἐξωρίσθη Θεόδωρος, ὁ πατριάρχης Ἀντιοχείας, φθόνῳ τῶν Ἀράβων διαβληθείς, ὅτι συχνῶς τῷ βασιλεῖ Κωνσταντίνῳ δηλοποιεῖ τὰ τῶν Ἀράβων διὰ γραμμάτων· καὶ λοιπὸν ὁ αὐτὸς Σαλὶμ ὑπερόριον τίθησιν εἰς τὴν Μωαβῖτιν χώραν πατρίδα τε αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐπέτρεψεν ὁ αὐτὸς Σαλὶμ μὴ κτίζεσθαι νέας ἐκκλησίας, μηδὲ φανῆναι σταυρόν, μηδὲ δογματίσαι περὶ πίστεως Χριστιανὸν μετὰ Ἀράβων. ἐπεστράτευσε δὲ κατὰ Ῥωμανίας σὺνχιλιάσιν πʹ καὶ ἐλθὼν εἰς τὴν Καππαδοκίαν ἤκουσε Κωνσταντῖνον κατ' αὐτοῦ ὁπλιζόμενον, καὶ φοβηθεὶς ὑπέστρεψεν ἄπρακτος μηδὲν λυμηνάμενος· μόνον δὲ ὀλίγους Ἀρμενίους προσρυέντας αὐτῷ λαβὼν ὑπέστρεψεν. ιζʹ. γʹ. γʹ. δʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Ἀβδελᾶς τὴν φορολογίαν ἐπέτεινε Χριστιανοῖς, ὥστε ἅπαντας μοναχούς τε καὶ ἐγκλείστους καὶ κιονίτας τοὺς τῷ θεῷ εὐαρεστοῦντας φορολογῆσαι· ἐσφράγισε δὲ καὶ τὰ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν κειμηλιαρχεῖα, καὶ ἤνεγκεν Ἑβραίους πρὸς τὸ πωλῆσαι αὐτά, καὶ ἠγόρασαν αὐτὰ οἱ ἀπελεύθεροι. ιηʹ. δʹ. δʹ. εʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Κωνσταντῖνος τὰς κατὰ τὴν Μακεδονίαν Σκλαυινίας ᾐχμαλώτευσε καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ὑποχειρίους ἐποίησεν. Ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ τινὲς ἐκ τῶν Μαυροφόρων Περσῶν τῆς μαγικῆς ὄντες θρησκείας, ἀπάτῃ τοῦ διαβόλου κρατούμενοι, πωλήσαντες τὴν ὕπαρξιν αὐτῶν καὶ γυμνοὶ ἀνελθόντες εἰς τὰ τείχη ἔρριπτον ἑαυτούς, ὥστε πετασθῆναι εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, ὡς ἐνόμιζον. οἱ δὲ μηδὲν ἀξιόλογον τῆς ἐκεῖσε κληρουχίας ἔχοντες πρὸς γῆν ἀνθυπέστρεφον τὰ μέλη συντριβέντες, ὧν τοὺς ἐξάρχοντας τῆς πλάνης Ἀβδελᾶς ἀνεῖλε διὰ τοῦ Σαλὶμ κατὰ τὴν Βέροιαν καὶ Χαλκίδα ὄντας τὸν ἀριθμὸν ιʹ. ιθʹ. εʹ. εʹ. ʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει φθόνῳ τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς ἐκώλυσαν Ἄραβες ἐκ 431 τῶν δημοσίων χαρτοθεσίων πρὸς ὀλίγον χρόνον, αὖθις ἀναγκασθέντες ἐγχειροῦσιν αὐτοῖς τὰ αὐτὰ διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτοὺς γράφειν τοὺς ψήφους. καὶ ἐπεστράτευσαν τὴν Ῥωμανίαν καὶ ᾐχμαλώτευσαν πολλοὺς καὶ Παῦλον τὸν στρατηγὸν τῶν Ἀρμενιάκων πολεμήσαντες εἰς τὸν Μέλαν ἀνεῖλον μετὰ πλήθους στρατοῦ καὶ μβʹ ἐπισήμους ἄνδρας δεσμίους ἤγαγον καὶ κεφαλὰς πολλάς. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐπεστράτευσε τὴν