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In the year Abdellas Ibinalim died, when the tower in which he was imprisoned fell upon him; and Abdellas, while he was emir, inflicted many evils on the Christians under his rule. For he removed the crosses of the churches, and forbade all-night vigils and the learning of their own letters. And those called among them Aruritai, which is translated as Zealots, rose up in revolt in the Palmyrene desert. But the wickedness of those men towards the churches of God was manifest, as that of unbelievers. But the emperor of the Christians, perhaps by the ineffable judgments of God, like the mad Ahab of Israel, inflicted on the orthodox bishops, monks, and laity under his rule, both rulers and ruled, far worse evils than the madness of the Arabs, everywhere denouncing, both in writing and without writing, as useless the intercessions of the holy Virgin and Theotokos and of all the saints, through whom all help flows to us, and burying their holy relics and making them disappear, if he heard of any famous one, dedicated for the health of souls and bodies and, as is the custom, honored by the devout; indeed, death was immediately threatened against such people as impious, and confiscations and exiles and tortures, and the grace-filled relic, like some treasure of its possessors, was taken away, to disappear thereafter. Indeed, the impious emperor perpetrated some such thing also against the most precious relic of the all-praised martyr Euphemia, sinking it together with its reliquary, unable to bear seeing it exude myrrh before all the people and refuting his nonsense against the intercessions of the saints. But God, who keeps the bones of those who please him, according to the scriptures, preserved it unharmed, revealing it again 440 on the island of Lemnos. For through a nocturnal vision He ordered it to be taken up from where it lay and to be guarded. And in the time of Constantine and Irene, the pious emperors, in the 4th indiction, it returned with fitting honor to her shrine, which he, as an enemy of the churches, had desecrated and made into an armory and a dunghill, but they, after cleansing it, consecrated it again, as a refutation of his godlessness, and a demonstration of their piety. This wonderful and noteworthy miracle, 22 years after the death of the lawless one, we have seen together with the most pious emperors and with Tarasios the most holy patriarch, and with them we kissed it, having been deemed worthy, though unworthy, of great grace. On the 10th of the month of November of the same 5th indiction, by the emperor's decree, Niketas the eunuch of Slavic origin was unlawfully consecrated patriarch of Constantinople. And there was a drought, so that not even dew fell from the sky; and the water completely failed in the city. And both the reservoirs and the baths were idle, and not only these but also the spring waters which formerly flowed unceasingly; seeing this, the emperor began to restore the aqueduct of Valentinian, which reached as far as Heracleia and had been destroyed by the Avars, and having selected craftsmen from various places, he brought from Asia and Pontus 1000 builders and 200 plasterers, from Greece and the islands 500 clay-workers, and from Thrace itself 5000 laborers and 200 potters; and he set over them supervising officials and one of the patricians. And so, when the work was completed, the water entered the city. In the same 5th indiction, he appointed generals of like mind with him and agents worthy of his wickedness, Michael Melissenos in the theme of the Anatolics, Michael Lachanodrakon over the Thrakesians, and Manes, eponymous of his wickedness, over the Bucellarians. And who is able to recount their unholy deeds, which we shall write down partially in their proper places? For to write down in detail all their deeds done to gratify the ruler, I do not think 441 that the world itself would contain the books that would be written, to speak more appropriately in the words of the Gospel. Stephen, bishop of Rome, for years

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ἔτει Ἀβδελᾶς Ἰβιναλὶμ τέθνηκεν, πτωθέντος ἐπ'αὐτὸν τοῦ πύργου, ἐν ᾧ ἐφρουρεῖτο· ὁ δὲ Ἀβδελᾶς ἀμηρεύων πολλὰ κακὰ τοῖς ὑπὸ τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτοῦ Χριστιανοῖς ἐνεδείξατο. τούς τε γὰρ σταυροὺς τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἀφεῖλεν, καὶ παννυχεύειν ἐκώλυσε καὶ ἐκμανθάνειν τὰ ἑαυτῶν γράμματα. οἱ δὲ λεγόμενοι παρ' αὐτοῖς Ἀρουρῖται, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται ζηλωταί, κατὰ τὴν Παλμυρηνὴν ἐπανέστησαν ἔρημον. ἀλλ' ἐκείνων μὲν ἡ κακία πρὸς τὰς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας ὡς ἀπίστων προφανής. ὁ δὲ Χριστιανῶν βασιλεύων ἀφάτοις θεοῦ κρίμασιν ἴσως, ὡς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ μανιώδης Ἀχαάβ, πολλῷ χείρονα τῆς τῶν Ἀράβων μανίας τοῖς ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ ὀρθοδόξοις ἐπισκόποις καὶ μοναχοῖς καὶ λαϊκοῖς, ἄρχουσί τε καὶ ἀρχομένοις ἐπεδείξατο, πανταχοῦ μὲν τὰς πρεσβείας τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου καὶ θεοτόκου καὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων ἐγγράφως ὡς ἀνωφελεῖς καὶ ἀγράφως ἀποκηρύττων, δι' ὧν ἡμῖν πηγάζει πᾶσα βοήθεια, καὶ τὰ ἅγια λείψανα αὐτῶν κατορύττων καὶ ἀφανῆ ποιῶν, εἴ πού τινος ἐπισήμου ἠκούετο, πρὸς ὑγείαν ψυχῶν καὶ σωμάτων ἀνακείμενον καί, ὡς ἔθος, ὑπὸ τῶν εὐσεβούντων τιμώμενον· αὐτίκα γοῦν θάνατος κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων ὡς ἀσεβούντων ἠπειλεῖτο, δημεύσεις τε καὶ ἐξορίαι καὶ βάσανοι, τὸ δὲ θεοχαρίτωτον λείψανον, οἷά τις θησαυρὸς τῶν ἐχόντων, ἐπαίρετο ἀφανὲς τοῦ λοιποῦ γενόμενον. τοιοῦτον γοῦν τι καὶ εἰς τὸ τιμαλφέστατον λείψανον τῆς πανευφήμου μάρτυρος Εὐφημίας ὁ ἀνόσιος βασιλεὺς διεπράξατο βυθίσας αὐτὸ σὺν τῇ λάρνακι, μὴ φέρων ὁρᾷν μυροδοτοῦσαν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἐλέγχουσαν αὐτοῦ τὰ κατὰ τῶν πρεσβειῶν τῶν ἁγίων ληρήματα. ἀλλ' ὁ θεὸς ὁ φυλάσσων τὰ ὀστᾶ τῶν εὐαρεστούντων αὐτῷ, κατὰ τὰ λόγια, ἀσινὲς τοῦτο διεφύλαξε πάλιν ἀναδείξας αὐτὸ 440 ἐν τῇ Λήμνῳ νήσῳ. διὰ γὰρ νυκτερινῆς ὁράσεως κείμενον ἀρθῆναι προσέταξε καὶ φυλάττεσθαι. ἐπὶ δὲ Κωνσταντίνου καὶ Εἰρήνης τῶν εὐσεβῶν βασιλέων, ἰνδικτιῶνι δʹ, μετὰ τῆς πρεπούσης τιμῆς ἐπανῆλθεν ἐν τῷ τεμένει αὐτῆς, ὃ αὐτὸς μὲν ὡς τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐχθρὸς κοινώσας ἀρμαμέντον καὶ κοπροθέσιον ἐποίησεν, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἀνακαθήραντες τοῦτο πάλιν καθιέρωσαν πρὸς ἔλεγχον μὲν τῆς τούτου ἀθεότητος, ἔνδειξιν δὲ τῆς τούτων θεοσεβείας. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ θαυμαστὸν καὶ ἀξιόγραφον θαῦμα μετὰ χρόνους κβʹ τῆς τοῦ παρανόμου τελευτῆς σὺν τοῖς εὐσεβεστάτοις βασιλεῦσι καὶ Ταρασίῳ τῷ ἁγιωτάτῳ πατριάρχῃ ἡμεῖς τεθεάμεθα καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς κατησπασάμεθα ὡς ἀνάξιοι μεγάλης ἀξιωθέντες χάριτος. τῇ δὲ ιʹ τοῦ Νοεμβρίου μηνὸς τῆς αὐτῆς εʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος ψήφῳ τοῦ βασιλέως χειροτονεῖται Νικήτας ὁ ἀπὸ Σκλάβων εὐνοῦχος ἀθέσμως πατριάρχης Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. καὶ ἐγένετο ἀβροχία, ὥστε μηδὲ δρόσον πεσεῖν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· καὶ ἐξέλιπε παντελῶς τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως. καὶ ἤργησαν τά τε δοχεῖα καὶ τὰ λουτρά, οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ τὰ πηγαῖα νάματα τὰ ἀεννάως ῥέοντα πρότερον· τοῦτο ἰδὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἤρξατο ἀνακαινίζειν τὸν Οὐαλεντινιανοῦ ἀγωγὸν μέχρι Ἡρακλείου χρηματίσαντα καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀβάρων καταστραφέντα, ἐπιλεξάμενος δὲ ἐκ διαφόρων τόπων τεχνίτας ἤγαγεν ἀπὸ μὲν Ἀσίας καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πόντου οἰκοδόμους α καὶ χρίστας σʹ, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς Ἑλλάδος καὶ τῶν νησίων ὀστρακαρίους φʹ, ἐξ αὐτῆς δὲ τῆς Θρᾴκης ὀπέρας ε καὶ κεραμοποιοὺς σʹ· καὶ ἐπέστησεν αὐτοῖς ἄρχοντας ἐργοδιώκτας καὶ ἕνα τῶν πατρικίων. καὶ οὕτω τελεσθέντος τοῦ ἔργου εἰσῆλθε τὸ ὕδωρ ἐν τῇ πόλει. τῇ δ' αὐτῇ εʹ ἰνδικτιῶνι προβάλλεται στρατηγοὺς ὁμόφρονας αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς κακίας αὐτοῦ ἐπαξίους ἐργάτας, Μιχαὴλ μὲν τὸν Μελισσηνὸν ἐν τῷ θέματι τῶν ἀνατολικῶν, καὶ Μιχαὴλ τὸν Λαχανοδράκοντα εἰς Θρᾳκησίους, εἰς δὲ Βουκελλαρίους Μάνην, τὸν τῆς κακίας ἐπώνυμον. καὶ τίς ἱκανὸς διηγεῖσθαι τὰ τούτων ἀνοσιουργήματα, ἃ μερικῶς ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις τόποις συγγράψομεν; πάντα γὰρ κατὰ μέρος συγγράφειν τὰ τούτων ἔργα πρὸς θεραπείαν τοῦ κρατοῦντος γινόμενα οὐδ' αὐτὸν 441 οἶμαι τὸν κόσμον χωρήσειν τὰ γραφόμενα βιβλία, εὐαγγελικῶς εἰπεῖν οἰκειότερον. Ῥώμης ἐπίσκοπος Στέφανος ἔτη