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of the Roman empire. 4. 9. 15. 5. In this year, in the month of January, the 7th indiction, the aforementioned Staurakios subdued the Sklavenoi and celebrated a triumph in the hippodrome. And in the month of May of the same 7th indiction, the empress Irene went forth with her son and a large force into Thrace, carrying with her musical instruments, and she went as far as Beroia, and having ordered it to be rebuilt, she named it Eirenopolis. And she came down as far as Philippopolis with complete security and returned in peace, having also founded Anchialos. And in the same year the ruler of the Arabs, Madi, also known as Muamed, died, and Moses, his son, took power. On the 31st of the month of August of the same 7th indiction, Paul, the pious and most holy patriarch, having fallen ill, left the throne, and going down to the monastery of Floros, he took the monastic habit without the knowledge of the imperial government. But when the empress learned this, she came to him with her son, grieving and crying out against him, saying, "Why did you do this?" And he with much weeping said to her: "Would that I had never sat on the throne of the priesthood, with the church of God being tyrannized and in schism from the other catholic thrones and being anathematized." And she, having summoned both the patricians and the chief men of the senate, sent them to him to hear what was said by him. And he said to them: "Unless an ecumenical council takes place, and the error which is in your midst is corrected, you have no salvation." And they said to him: "And why did you sign at your ordination that you would not venerate icons?" And he said that "for this reason I weep and have taken refuge in repentance, praying to God that he not punish me as a priest for having kept silent until now and for not having preached the truth for fear of your 458 madness." Amidst these things he fell asleep in peace, leaving much grief for both the empire and the pious people of the city. For the man was venerable and merciful beyond measure and worthy of all reverence, and both the state and the imperial government had great faith in him. From then on, therefore, the discussion concerning the holy and venerable icons began to be spoken of and debated openly by all. Ruler of the Arabs, Moses, year 1. Bishop of Constantinople, Tarasios, 21 years. 5. 1. 10. 1. In this year the empress Irene, having gathered all the people into the Magnaura, said to them: "Know, brothers, what Paul the patriarch has done; and if he were living, we would not have allowed him to leave the throne of the priesthood, even if he had put on the monastic habit. But since, as was pleasing to God, he departed from life, let us take thought for a man who is able to shepherd us and to strengthen the church of God with doctrinal words." And all with one mind said that there was no other, if not Tarasios the asekretis. And she said to them: "We too vote for the same man, but he is disobedient. Let him say for what reason he does not accept the vote of the imperial government and of all the people." And he made his defense to the people, saying: "The guardians of our blameless faith of the Christians and zealous ones for the things done for the glory of God, our faithful emperors, taking thought for all things that are for his pleasure and our benefit, and especially of ecclesiastical matters, and now having diligently deliberated and conceived of an archbishop being appointed in this their imperial city, have taken me up into their pious mind, and they ordered me to speak openly what they have decided. But when I declared myself unworthy for this and gave no consent, as I was unable to bear or endure the yoke of the burden, they ordered me to be brought before you, because you also have voted in favor of this decision. And now, O 459 men who fear God and have him always in your hearts, you who are named by the calling of Christ, our true God, Christians I say,

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τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλείᾳ. δʹ. θʹ. ιεʹ. εʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει μηνὶ Ἰαννουαρίῳ, ἰνδικτιῶνος ζʹ, κατέλαβε Σταυράκιος ὁ προρρηθεὶς ἐκ τῶν Σκλαυινῶν καὶ ἐθριάμβευσε τὰ ἐπινίκια ἐπὶ ἱπποδρομίας. τῷ δὲ Μαΐῳ μηνὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ζʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος ἐξῆλθεν ἡ βασίλισσα Εἰρήνη σὺν τῷ υἱῷ αὐτῆς καὶ δυνάμεως πολλῆς ἐπὶ τὴν Θρᾴκην ἐπιφερομένη ὄργανα καὶ μουσικά, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἕως Βεροίας, καὶ ταύτην οἰκοδομηθῆναι κελεύσασα ἐπωνόμασεν αὐτὴν Εἰρηνούπολιν. κατῆλθε δὲ ἕως Φιλιππουπόλεως μετὰ πάσης ἀπαθείας καὶ ὑπέστρεψεν ἐν εἰρήνῃ κτίσασα καὶ τὴν Ἀγχίαλον. τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει καὶ ὁ τῶν Ἀράβων ἀρχηγὸς Μαδί, ὁ καὶ Μουάμεδ, τέθνηκεν, καὶ ἐκράτησε Μωσῆς, ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ. τῇ δὲ λαʹ τοῦ Αὐγούστου μηνὸς τῆς αὐτῆς ζʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος Παῦλος, ὁ ὅσιος καὶ ἁγιώτατος πατριάρχης, ἀσθενήσας κατέλιπε τὸν θρόνον, καὶ κατελθὼν ἐν τῇ μονῇ τῶν Φλώρου ἔλαβε τὸ μοναχικὸν σχῆμα χωρὶς εἰδήσεως τῆς βασιλείας. μαθοῦσα δὲ τοῦτο ἡ βασίλισσα παραγίνεται πρὸς αὐτὸν σὺν τῷ υἱῷ λυπουμένη καὶ καταβοῶσα αὐτοῦ, ὅτι "διὰ τί τοῦτο ἐποίησας;" ὁ δὲ μετὰ θρήνων πολλῶν ἔφη πρὸς αὐτήν· "εἴθοις μηδὲ ποταπὸν ἐκάθισα ἐν τῷ τῆς ἱερωσύνης θρόνῳ, τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ θεοῦ τυραννουμένης καὶ ἐσχισμένης οὔσης ἐκ τῶν λοιπῶν καθολικῶν θρόνων καὶ ἀναθεματιζομένης." ἡ δὲ προσκαλεσαμένη τούς τε πατρικίους καὶ τοὺς τῆς συγκλήτου λογάδας ἀπέστειλε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀκοῦσαι τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα. ὁ δὲ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς· "ἐὰν μὴ σύνοδος οἰκουμενικὴ γένηται, καὶ τὸ σφάλμα τὸ ὂν εἰς τὴν μέσην ὑμῶν διορθωθῇ, οὐκ ἔχετε σωτηρίαν." οἱ δὲ εἶπον αὐτῷ· "καὶ ἵνα τί ὑπέγραψας ἐν τῷ χειροτονεῖσθαί σε τοῦ μὴ προσκυνεῖν εἰκόνας;" ὁ δὲ ἔφη ὅτι "διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ θρηνῶ καὶ πρὸς τὴν μετάνοιαν κατέφυγον δεόμενος τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅπως μὴ ὡς ἱερέα μὲ κολάσῃ σιγήσαντα ἕως τοῦ νῦν καὶ μὴ κηρύξαντα τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῷ φόβῳ τῆς μανίας 458 ὑμῶν." ἐν τούτοις ἐκοιμήθη ἐν εἰρήνῃ καταλιπὼν θρῆνον πολὺν τῇ τε βασιλείᾳ καὶ τοῖς εὐσεβέσιν ἀνθρώποις τῆς πολιτείας. σεβάσμιος γὰρ ἦν ὁ ἀνὴρ καὶ ἐλεήμων ὑπὲρ μέτρον καὶ πάσης αἰδοῦς ἄξιος, καὶ πίστιν πολλὴν ἐκέκτητο ἥ τε πολιτεία καὶ ἡ βασιλεία πρὸς αὐτόν. ἔκτοτε λοιπὸν ἤρξατο λαλεῖσθαι καὶ ἀμφιβάλλεσθαι ὁ περὶ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ σεπτῶν εἰκόνων λόγος παρρησίᾳ ὑπὸ πάντων. Ἀράβων ἀρχηγὸς Μωσῆς ἔτος αʹ. Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπίσκοπος Ταράσιος ἔτη καʹ. εʹ. αʹ. ιʹ. αʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει συναγαγοῦσα ἡ βασίλισσα Εἰρήνη πάντα τὸν λαὸν εἰς τὴν Μαγναῦραν ἔφη πρὸς αὐτούς· "γινώσκετε, ἀδελφοί, τί πεποίηκε Παῦλος ὁ πατριάρχης· καὶ εἰ μὲν ἔζη, οὐκ ἂν κατεδεξάμεθα τοῦτον ἀφῆσαι τὸν τῆς ἱερωσύνης θρόνον, εἰ καὶ μοναδικὸν σχῆμα περιεβάλετο. ἐπεὶ δέ, ὡς τῷ θεῷ ἀρεστὸν ἦν, τοῦ βίου μετέστη, φροντίσωμεν ἄνθρωπον, ὅς τις δύναται ποιμᾶναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιστηρίξαι λόγοις διδασκαλικοῖς." πάντες δὲ ὁμοφρόνως εἶπον μὴ εἶναι ἄλλον, εἰ μὴ Ταράσιον τὸν ἀσηκρήτην. ἡ δὲ ἔφη πρὸς αὐτούς· "καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν αὐτὸν ψηφιζόμεθα, ἀλλ' ἀπειθεῖ. καὶ εἴπῃ δι' ἣν αἰτίαν οὐ δέχεται τὴν ψῆφον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ." ὁ δὲ ἀπελογήσατο τῷ λαῷ λέγων· "οἱ τῆς ἀμωμήτου ἡμῶν πίστεως τῶν Χριστιανῶν φύλακες καὶ ζηλωταὶ τῶν εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ γινομένων πιστοὶ βασιλεῖς ἡμῶν, πάντων τῶν εἰς ἀρέσκειαν αὐτοῦ καὶ συμφέρον ἡμῶν τὴν φροντίδα ποιούμενοι, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν καὶ νῦν ἐπιμελῶς διαμεριμνήσαντες καὶ διανοηθέντες τοῦ ἀρχιερέα προχειρισθῆναι ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ βασιλίδι αὐτῶν πόλει ἐπὶ τὸν εὐσεβῆ αὐτῶν νοῦν με ἀνέλαβον, καὶ φανερῶς μοι τὸ βεβουλευμένον αὐτοῖς ἐξειπεῖν ἐκέλευσαν. ἐμοῦ δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο ἀνάξιον ἑαυτὸν ἀποφηναμένου καὶ μηδεμίαν συγκατάθεσιν ποιησαμένου ὡς τὸν ζυγὸν τοῦ φορτίου μὴ δυναμένου μου βαστάσαι ἢ ὑπενεγκεῖν, ἐκέλευσάν με προαγαγεῖν κατὰ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν, διότι καὶ σύμψηφοι γεγόνατε τῇ βουλῇ ταύτῃ. καὶ νῦν, ὦ 459 ἄνδρες φοβούμενοι τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἔχοντες αὐτὸν ἀεὶ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, οἱ τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ κλήσει, τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ὀνομαζόμενοι, Χριστιανοὶ λέγω,