248

faith toward God and piety and justice and courage. And in Alexandria something of this sort also happened. A certain very pious bishop had nearby a certain philosopher called Evagrius, who had been his companion in the schools, but a Hellene in religion, whom the bishop, wishing to convert from idolatry to the faith of Christ, continually summoned and conversed with. But since he was not persuaded but was even strongly displeased, it is said that on one occasion he said to the bishop, "Truly, my lord 1.673 bishop, this among all things displeases me, what you Christians say, that there is a consummation of the world and a resurrection of bodies and a recompense for deeds done in life, and that he who has mercy on a poor man lends to God and will receive a hundredfold with eternal life." And when the bishop affirmed that there was no falsehood or mockery in the dogmas of the Christians, Evagrius departed, having much debate within himself. But after some time, with God cooperating with the bishop's teaching, the philosopher believed and was baptized. He immediately gave the bishop three hundred pounds of gold (for he was very rich) and said, "Receive these, O bishop, and having distributed them to the poor, make for me a note in your own hand that I shall receive them from God." And when the bishop had received these eagerly and made the note, all of it was distributed by him to the poor. So the philosopher, having lived on for some years in piety and great virtues, as he was dying, instructed his children to place the note in his hand and to bury him thus. And when this was done, after the third day the philosopher appeared to the bishop in a dream, saying, "Come to my tomb, O bishop, and take your note; for I have received the debt a hundredfold, and I have no claim against you, but for your complete assurance I have signed it below in my own hand." And when the bishop in the morning had sent for the philosopher's sons, and learned from them that the note was buried with him, he went with the clergy of the city, and opening the tomb 1.674 they found the philosopher sitting and holding out his hand with the note. But when the clergy tried to take the note, he gave it to no one.

But when the bishop stretched out his hand, he immediately gave him the note and fell back again. Which, when he had opened it in the presence of all, he found newly underwritten by the philosopher's hand thus: "I, Evagrius the philosopher, to you, the most holy bishop, my lord Synesius, greetings. Know, father, that I have received the debt a hundredfold, and I have no claim against you concerning this." Therefore, when all who heard were greatly astonished, and for a long time cried out "Lord, have mercy," the bishop ordered the philosopher's note to be kept in the sacristy. In the 27th year, on the 15th of the month of August, there was a great earthquake, so that many houses and churches and baths and especially the walls of the Golden Gate fell. And many died. This earthquake was worldwide, so that almost the whole inhabited world was shaken, and the sea receded two miles, and many ships were lost in the retreat of the water. And in Arabia and Palestine and Mesopotamia and Antioch many cities and villages were thrown down, and multitudes of people and animals were caught, and a large part of Nicomedia also fell, and the earthquake prevailed for 40 days. And the commemoration of this earthquake is held every year in the Campus with a procession of the people.

In the 28th year, in the month of July, during the synaxis on the mountain there was 1.675 a great earthquake. And on the 19th there were dreadful thunder and lightning and a great southwest wind, so that the cross standing inside the Golden Gate fell. In the 29th year the Jews and Samaritans rioted in Caesarea of Palestine, and many

248

θεὸν πίστιν καὶ εὐλάβειαν καὶ δικαιοσύ νην καὶ ἀνδρίαν. Καὶ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ δὲ ἐγένετό τι τοιοῦτον. ἐπίσκοπός τις εὐλαβὴς πάνυ πλησίον ἔχων τινὰ φιλόσοφον Εὐάγριον καλούμενον, ἑταῖρον μὲν αὐτοῦ γενόμενον ἐν τοῖς παιδευτηρίοις, Ἕλληνα δὲ τὴν θρησκείαν, ὃν ὁ ἐπίσκοπος μεταθεῖναι βουλόμενος ἐκ τῆς εἰδωλομανίας πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ πίστιν συνεχῶς προσεκαλεῖτο καὶ διελέγετο. τοῦ δὲ μὴ πειθομένου ἀλλὰ καὶ σφοδρῶς δυσχε ραίνοντος, εἰπεῖν λέγεται ἐν μιᾷ πρὸς τὸν ἐπίσκοπον "ὄντως, κύριε 1.673 ἐπίσκοπε, καὶ τοῦτο μετὰ πάντων ἀπαρέσκει μοι, ὃ λέγετε οἱ Χριστιανοί, ὅτι συντέλεια τοῦ κόσμου γίνεται καὶ τῶν σωμάτων ἀνάστασις καὶ ἀνταπόδοσις τῶν βεβιωμένων, καὶ ὅτι ὁ ἐλεῶν πτω χὸν θεῷ δανείζει καὶ ἑκατονταπλασίονα μετὰ ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἀπο λήψεται." καὶ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου διαβεβαιουμένου μηδὲν ψεῦδος ἢ χλεύην ἐν τοῖς τῶν Χριστιανῶν εἶναι δόγμασιν, ἀνεχώρησεν Εὐά γριος πολλὴν ἔχων συζήτησιν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. μετὰ δέ τινα χρόνον, θεοῦ συνεργοῦντος τῇ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου διδασκαλίᾳ, πιστεύσας ὁ φιλόσοφος ἐβαπτίσθη· ὃς αὐτίκα παρασχὼν τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ χρυ σίου λίτρας τριακοσίας (ἦν γὰρ πλούσιος σφόδρα) λέγει "δέξαι ταῦτα, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, καὶ διαδοὺς πτωχοῖς ποίησόν μοι ἰδιόχειρον ὅτι λήψομαι αὐτὰ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ." τοῦ δὲ ταῦτα δεξαμένου προθύμως καὶ τὸ γράμμα ποιήσαντος, διεδόθη παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῖς πένησι πάντα. ἐπιζήσας οὖν χρόνους τινὰς ὁ φιλόσοφος ἐν εὐσε βείᾳ καὶ ἀρεταῖς μεγάλαις, παρήγγειλε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ τέκνοις τελευ τῶν ἐνθεῖναι τὸν χάρτην ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ οὕτω ταφῆναι. καὶ τούτου γενομένου, μετὰ τρίτην ἡμέραν ἐπιφαίνεται κατ' ὄναρ ὁ φιλόσοφος τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ λέγων "ἐλθὲ εἰς τὸν τάφον μου, ὦ ἐπί σκοπε, καὶ λάβε τὸ ἰδιόχειρόν σου· ἀπέλαβον γὰρ τὸ χρέος ἑκα τονταπλάσιον, καὶ οὐδένα ἔχω λόγον πρός σε, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τελείαν πληροφορίαν σου ἰδιοχείρως ἐν αὐτῷ καθυπέγραψα." τοῦ δὲ ἐπισκόπου πρωῒ μεταστειλαμένου τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ φιλοσόφου, καὶ μαθόντος παρ' αὐτῶν ὡς συνετάφη αὐτῷ τὸ ἰδιόχειρον, ἀπέρχε ται μετὰ τῶν κληρικῶν τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἀνοίξαντες τὸν τάφον 1.674 εὑρίσκουσι τὸν φιλόσοφον καθήμενον καὶ τὴν χεῖρα μετὰ τοῦ γράμματος προτείνοντα. τῶν δὲ κληρικῶν πειρωμένων λαβεῖν τὸν χάρτην οὐδενὶ τοῦτον ἔδωκε.

Tοῦ δὲ ἐπισκόπου τὴν χεῖρα ἁπλώσαντος παραχρῆμα τὸν χάρτην ἐπιδοὺς ἀνέπεσε πάλιν· ὅνπερ ἀνοίξας ἐπὶ πάντων, εὗρε νεωστὶ ὑπογεγραμμένον τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ φιλοσόφου οὕτως "ἐγὼ Εὐάγριος φιλόσοφος σοὶ τῷ ὁσιωτάτῳ ἐπι σκόπῳ κυρίῳ μου Συνεσίῳ χαίρειν. ἴσθι, πάτερ, ὡς ἔλαβον τὸ χρέος ἑκατονταπλάσιον, καὶ οὐδένα πρός σε λόγον ἔχω περὶ τού του." πάντων οὖν τῶν ἀκουσάντων καταπλαγέντων σφόδρα, καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ κραζόντων τὸ κύριε ἐλέησον, ἐκέλευσεν ὁ ἐπίσκοπος τὸ τοῦ φιλοσόφου ἰδιόχειρον τηρεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ σκευοφυλακίῳ. Τῷ κζʹ ἔτει, μηνὶ Αὐγούστῳ ιεʹ, γέγονε σεισμὸς μέγας, ὡς πεσεῖν πολλοὺς οἴκους καὶ ἐκκλησίας καὶ λοετρὰ καὶ τὰ τείχη μά λιστα τῆς χρυσῆς πόρτης· καὶ πολλοὶ ἀπέθανον. οὗτος ὁ σεισμὸς παγκόσμιος γέγονεν, ὥστε πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην σχεδὸν πτωθῆ ναι, καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ἀναρριχάναι μίλια δύο, καὶ πολλὰ πλοῖα ἀπολέσθαι ἐν τῇ τοῦ ὕδατος ἀναχαιτίσει. καὶ ἐν μὲν τῇ Ἀραβίᾳ καὶ Παλαιστίνῃ καὶ Μεσοποταμίᾳ καὶ Ἀντιοχείᾳ κατεπτώθησαν πόλεις πολλαὶ καὶ κῶμαι, καὶ συνελήφθησαν ἀνθρώπων πλήθη καὶ ἀλόγων, πέπτωκε δὲ καὶ τῆς Νικομηδείας μέρος πολύ, καὶ ἐπε κράτησεν ὁ σεισμὸς ἡμέρας μʹ. γίνεται δὲ ἡ μνήμη τοῦ σεισμοῦ τούτου κατ' ἔτος ἐν τῷ Κάμπῳ λιτανεύοντος τοῦ λαοῦ.

Τῷ κηʹ ἔτει, μηνὶ Ἰουλίῳ, ἐν τῇ συνάξει τοῦ ὄρους γέγονε 1.675 σεισμὸς μέγας. καὶ τῇ ιθʹ ἐγένοντο βρονταὶ καὶ ἀστραπαὶ φοβε ραὶ καὶ ἄνεμος λὶψ μέγας, ὡς πεσεῖν τὸν σταυρὸν τὸν ἱστάμενον ἔσωθεν τῆς χρυσῆς πόρτης. Τῷ κθʹ ἔτει ἐστασίασαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Σαμαρεῖται ἐν Και σαρείᾳ τῆς Παλαιστίνης, καὶ πολλοὺς