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In the same year a comet star appeared in the east, which had rays sending out light downwards, which they said was a bearded star; and it had a ray looking towards the west. In the same year the Blue faction was dominant, in all the cities causing disturbances and many murders. And the evil of disorder came from Antioch. And not only did they slaughter the Greens they met, but also those hiding at home, with the magistrates not being able to exact punishment. These things were done for up to six years of Justin. In the 3rd year Justin, having made peace with Kavadh, the king of the Persians, was eager to set matters of the faith straight. In the 4th year Dyrrachium suffered from a divine wrath, and Corinth of Hellas; which the emperor greatly renewed and benevolently endowed. In the 5th year Tzathos, the king of the Lazoi, having defected from the kingdom of the Persians, came to Justin in Byzantium, and asked to become a Christian and to be proclaimed king of the Lazoi by him. which he did with joy, and proclaimed him a son, and gave him a noble Roman wife, whom he took away to his own country with joy, and he received many gifts. But when Kavadh learned of this, he declared to Justin that "while there is friendship and peace between us, you are doing the things of an enemy and are taking in those who are under the authority of the 1.639 Persians." But the emperor declared back to him, "We have not taken in anyone subject to your kingdom. But Tzathos came to us to be delivered from abominable Hellenism and from impious sacrifices and from the deceit of demons, and to become a Christian, and to know the true God. Having baptized him, we sent him away to his own country." From then on, therefore, there was enmity again between the Romans and the Persians. In this year also the things concerning Saint Arethas took place in the city of Negra at the hands of the Homerites, and the war of Elesbaas, the king of the Ethiopians, against the Homerites, and his victory. In the 6th year Kavadh, the king of the Persians, slaughtered the Manichaeans in his territory. But Justin, sending sacred edicts everywhere, ordered that those causing disorder be put to death and their property be confiscated, and he pacified the demes after punishing many. And he crowned Theodora his wife Augusta, since Euphemia had already died. And Secundus he made consul, patrician, and general of the east on account of the Persians and the raids of the Saracens, who made a great persecution against the Manichaeans and punished many. In the 7th year Anazarbus, the second metropolis of Cilicia, fell from a most terrible earthquake. In the same year Edessa was inundated, a great and famous city, by the water of the river Skirtos that runs through its middle, which, having flooded like a sea, submerged the houses, dragging them down with their inhabitants. And there is a story that 1.640 this has also happened at another time. And after the waters subsided, a stone slab was found on the bank of the river, inscribed with hieroglyphic letters thus: "The river Skirtos will leap evil leaps for the citizens." And the emperor Justin provided many things for the renewal of both cities. In the same year a certain woman from Cilicia appeared, of gigantic birth, surpassing every full-grown man in height by one cubit, and exceedingly broad. And wandering through the cities she would take one follis per workshop. Then also a star appeared in the sky above the bronze gate of the palace, shining for 20 days and nights. And there was also a most terrible earthquake, by which in Constantinople in various places, but in Antioch an unspeakable disaster was foretold. For on the fourth of the month of October the preludes of the wrath of God came upon it through conflagrations and earthquakes, which conflagration occurred in the middle of the city, and lasted for 6 days. And many houses were burned, and many people died, and no one knew from where the fire was kindled; for so great was the wrath of God that came upon it that almost the entire city fell and became a tomb for its inhabitants.

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Τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει ἐφάνη ἀστὴρ ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ κομήτης, ὃς εἶχεν ἀκτῖνας ἐκπεμπούσας ἐπὶ τὰ κάτω αὐγάς, ὃν ἔλεγον πωγω νίαν εἶναι· εἶχε δὲ ἀκτῖνα ὁρῶσαν ἐπὶ δύσιν. τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει ἐδημοκράτει τὸ Βένετον μέρος, ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσι ταραχὰς ἐμποιοῦντες καὶ φόνους πολλούς. ἦλθε δὲ τὸ κακὸν τῆς ἀταξίας ἀπὸ Ἀντιοχείας. καὶ οὐ μόνον τοὺς ἀπαντῶντας πρασίνους ἔσφα ζον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς κατ' οἶκον κρυπτομένους, μὴ δυναμένων τῶν ἀρχόντων ποιῆσαι ἐκδίκησιν. ταῦτα ἐπράττετο ἕως ἓξ ἐνιαυτῶν Ἰουστίνου. Τῷ γʹ ἔτει Ἰουστῖνος μετὰ Καβάδη τοῦ τῶν Περσῶν βασι λέως εἰρήνην ποιήσας τὰ περὶ τῆς πίστεως διορθοῦν ἐσπούδαζε. Τῷ δʹ ἔτει τὸ ∆υρράχιον ὑπὸ θεομηνίας ἔπαθε, καὶ ἡ τῆς Ἑλλάδος Κόρινθος· ἃς μεγάλως ἀνενεώσατο ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἐφι λοτιμήσατο. Τῷ εʹ ἔτει Τζάθος ὁ τῶν Λαζῶν βασιλεὺς ἀποστατήσας τῆς τῶν Περσῶν βασιλείας ἦλθε πρὸς Ἰουστῖνον εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον, καὶ παρεκάλεσε γενέσθαι Χριστιανὸν καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἀναγορευθῆ ναι βασιλέα τῶν Λαζῶν. ὃ καὶ μετὰ χαρᾶς ἐποίησε, καὶ υἱὸν ἀνηγόρευσε, καὶ γυναῖκα εὐγενῆ Ῥωμαίαν δέδωκεν, ἣν καὶ εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν χώραν ἀπεκόμισε μετὰ χαρᾶς, καὶ δῶρα ἔλαβε πολλά. γνοὺς δὲ τοῦτο Καβάδης δηλοῖ Ἰουστίνῳ ὅτι φιλίας καὶ εἰρήνης μεταξὺ ἡμῶν οὔσης τὰ ἐχθρῶν πράττεις καὶ τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῶν 1.639 Περσῶν ὄντας προσλαμβάνῃ. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀντιδηλοῖ αὐτῷ "ἡμεῖς τινὰ τῶν ὑποκειμένων τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου οὐ προσελαβόμεθα. ὁ δὲ Τζάθος προσῆλθεν ἡμῖν ῥυσθῆναι τοῦ μυσαροῦ ἑλληνισμοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν θυσιῶν καὶ τῆς τῶν δαιμόνων πλάνης, καὶ γενέ σθαι Χριστιανός, καὶ τὸν ἀληθῆ ἐπιγνῶναι θεόν. τοῦτον ἡμεῖς βαπτίσαντες ἀπελύσαμεν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν χώραν." ἔκτοτε λοιπὸν πάλιν γέγονε ἔχθρα μεταξὺ Ῥωμαίων καὶ Περσῶν. τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἅγιον Ἀρέθαν ἐν Νεγρᾷ τῇ πόλει ἐπράχθη ὑπὸ τῶν Ὁμηριτῶν, καὶ ὁ πόλεμος Ἐλεσβαὰν τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Αἰθιόπων πρὸς τοὺς Ὁμηρίτας, καὶ ἡ νίκη αὐτοῦ. Τῷ ʹ ἔτει Καβάδης ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν ἐνορίαν αὐτοῦ Μανιχαίους κατέσφαξεν. Ἰουστῖνος δὲ σάκρα πανταχοῦ πέμψας τοὺς ποιοῦντας ἀταξίαν ἀναιρεῖσθαι προσέταξε καὶ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῶν δημεύεσθαι, καὶ τοὺς δημίους εἰρήνευσε πολλοὺς κακώσας. ἔστεψε δὲ Θεοδώραν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ Αὐ γοῦσταν, τῆς Εὐφημίας ἤδη τελευτησάσης. τὸν δὲ Σεκοῦνδον ὕπατον πατρίκιον καὶ στρατηγὸν ἀνατολῆς ἐποίησε διὰ τοὺς Πέρ σας καὶ τὰς τῶν Σαρακηνῶν ἐπιδρομάς, ὃς διωγμὸν μέγαν ἐποιή σατο κατὰ Μανιχαίων καὶ ἐτιμωρήσατο πολλούς. Τῷ ζʹ ἔτει Ἀνάζαρβος μητρόπολις βʹ τῆς Κιλικίας ἐπτώθη ὑπὸ σεισμοῦ φοβερωτάτου. τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει κατεποντίσθη Ἔδεσσα, πόλις μεγάλη καὶ περιβόητος, διὰ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ μέσον αὐτῆς διερχομένου Σκίρτου ποταμοῦ, ὃς πλημμυρήσας δίκην θαλάσσης τοὺς οἴκους σὺν τοῖς οἰκοῦσι σύρων ἐπόντισε. λόγος δέ ἐστιν ὅτι 1.640 καὶ ἄλλοτε τοῦτο γέγονε. μετὰ δὲ τὸ παῦσαι τὰ ὕδατα εὑρέθη πλὰξ λιθίνη ἐν τῇ ὄχθῃ τοῦ ποταμοῦ, γεγραμμένη ἱερογλυφικοῖς γράμμασιν οὕτως "Σκίρτος ποταμὸς σκιρτήσει κακὰ σκιρτήματα πολίταις." πολλὰ δὲ παρέσχεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰουστῖνος εἰς ἀνα νέωσιν ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς πόλεσι. τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει ἐφάνη γυνή τις ἐκ τῆς Κιλικίας γιγαντογενής, ὑπερέχουσα τῇ ἡλικίᾳ πάντα ἄν θρωπον τέλειον πῆχυν ἕνα, καὶ πλατεῖα σφόδρα. γυρεύουσα δὲ τὰς πόλεις ἐλάμβανε κατὰ ἐργαστήριον φόλλιν μίαν. τότε καὶ ἀστὴρ ἐφάνη ἐν οὐρανῷ ἐπάνω τῆς χαλκῆς πύλης τοῦ παλατίου, φαίνων ἐπὶ ἡμέρας καὶ νύκτας κʹ. γέγονε δὲ καὶ σεισμὸς φοβε ρώτατος, ὑφ' οὗ τῇ μὲν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ἐν διαφόροις τόποις, τῇ δὲ Ἀντιοχείᾳ συμφορὰ ἀνεκδιήγητος προεμηνύθη. τῇ γὰρ τετάρτῃ τοῦ Ὀκτωβρίου μηνὸς τὰ προοίμια τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ὀργῆς ἐπῆλθεν αὐτῇ δι' ἐμπρησμῶν καὶ σεισμῶν, ὃς ἐμπρησμὸς μέσον τῆς πόλεως ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐκράτησε ἐπὶ ἡμέρας ʹ. καὶ ἐκάησαν οἶκοι πολλοί, καὶ ἀπέθανον λαοὶ πολλοί, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἔγνω πόθεν τὸ πῦρ ἀνάπτεται· τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπῆλθεν ἐπ' αὐτῇ ὥστε πτωθῆναι σχεδὸν πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν καὶ τάφον τῶν οἰκη τόρων γενέσθαι.