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we truly judged this city to be a great city when it was under the scepters of my father. But among other things, it was unfortunate because of the presence of many impious people. For Armenians had divided this city, and the so-called Bogomils, about whom and whose heresy we shall speak later in due course, and indeed also the most godless Paulicians, who are an offshoot of the Manichaean heresy, originating from a Paul and a John, as their name suggests, who, having drawn the unmixed impiety of Manes, have transmitted it to their successors. 14.8.4 Therefore I wished to run over the dogma of the Manichaeans and to unfold it concisely and to apply myself further to the refutation of these most godless dogmas. But at the same time knowing that the heresy of the Manichaeans is ridiculous to all, and at the same time hastening on with the history, I omit the refutations against them. And besides, I know not only those of our court, but even Porphyry himself, who raged against us, pushed the nonsensical dogma of the Manichaeans into great absurdity in several chapters, having most scientifically examined the matter of the two principles, even if his monarchy forces readers to conclude in the Platonic henad or the One. For we honor a monarchy which does not circumscribe a single person. Nor do we accept the One of Plato; this thing that is unutterable among the Greeks and a secret among the Chaldaeans; for they attach to it many other principles, both in the world and beyond the world. 14.8.5 But these very people from Manes and Paul and John of Callinice, being rather wild in their opinions and savage and ready to risk their lives to the point of bloodshed, that wonderful man among emperors, John Tzimiskes, conquered them in war, and enslaving them from Asia, he transported them from there, from the lands of the Chalybes and the Armenians, to Thrace. And he compelled them to settle around Philippopolis, at once removing them from the most fortified cities and fortresses which they tyrannically held, and at the same time stationing them as very secure guards against those Scythian raids, which the regions of Thrace rather frequently suffered at the hands of barbarians; for crossing the passes of the Haemus, they would overrun the plains below it. 14.8.6 This Haemus is a very long mountain, lying on a line parallel to the Rhodope. The mountain begins from the Euxine Sea and, passing a little by the cataracts, extends as far as the Illyrian lands themselves; and I think that, being cut by the Adriatic sea, it resumes again on the opposite continent and ends at the Hercynian forests themselves. And on both sides of its streams many and very wealthy nations dwell, the Dacians and the Thracians being to the north, and the Thracians themselves and Macedonians to the south. Crossing this Haemus, the nomad Scythians from ancient times, before the spear of Alexius and his many struggles brought them to utter destruction, used to harm the Roman empire with their whole army, and especially the nearer cities, chief among which sat the long-famous Philippopolis. 14.8.7 And John Tzimiskes, making those of the Manichaean heresy, our adversaries, into allies at least in arms, set up forces worthy of battle against these nomad Scythians; and from then on the cities breathed again from the numerous raids. The Manichaeans, however, being by nature free and unsubmissive, did what was customary for them and returned to their own nature. For all of Philippopolis, with few exceptions, being Manichaeans, they tyrannized over the Christians there and plundered their property, caring little or not at all for those sent by the emperor. They increased, therefore, and all the areas around Philippopolis were heretical. And another salty river of the Armenians flowed in among them, and another from the muddiest springs

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αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τῶν τοῦ ἐμοῦ πατρὸς σκήπτρων τὴν πόλιν μεγαλόπολιν ὡς ὄντως ἐτεκμηράμεθα. Ἐδυστύχει δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ ἀσεβῶν ἐπιδημίᾳ πολλῶν. Ἀρμένιοί τε γὰρ διενείμαντο τὴν πόλιν ταύτην καὶ οἱ λεγόμενοι Βογόμιλοι, περὶ ὧν ὕστερον καὶ αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς τούτων αἱρέσεως ἐροῦμεν κατὰ καιρόν, καὶ δὴ καὶ οἱ δυσθεώτατοι Παυλικιανοί, τῆς Μανι χαϊκῆς ἀποσπάδαι τυγχάνοντες, ἐκ Παύλου καὶ Ἰωάννου, ὡς καὶ τοὔνομα λέγει, γεγενημένοι, οἳ τῆς ἀσεβείας τοῦ Μάνεντος ἐπισπασάμενοι ἄκρατον τοῖς ἀπ' ἐκείνων μετα δεδώκασιν. 14.8.4 Ἠβουλόμην οὖν τὸ δόγμα τῶν Μανιχαίων ἐπιδραμεῖν καὶ συνεσπειραμένως ἀναπτύξαι προσετισπου δάσαι τε τὴν ἀνατροπὴν τῶν ἀθεωτάτων δογμάτων τούτων. Ἀλλ' ἅμα μὲν εἰδυῖα ὅτι πᾶσίν ἐστι καταγέλαστος ἡ τῶν Μανιχαίων αἵρεσις, ἅμα δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἱστορίαν ἐπισπεύ δουσα παρίημι τοὺς κατὰ τούτων ἐλέγχους. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ οὐ τοὺς τῆς ἡμετέρας αὐλῆς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν οἶδα τὸν καθ' ἡμῶν λελυττηκότα Πορφύριον ἐν πλείοσι κεφα λαίοις εἰς ἀτοπίαν πολλὴν συνωθήσαντα τὸ τῶν Μανιχαίων φλύαρον δόγμα, ἐπιστημονικώτατα περὶ τῶν δύο ἀρχῶν ἐπισκεψάμενον, εἰ καὶ ἡ μοναρχία τούτου εἰς τὴν Πλα τωνικὴν ἑνάδα ἢ καὶ τὸ ἓν τοὺς ἀναγινώσκοντας ἀναγκάζει συνάγειν. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ μοναρχίαν τιμῶμεν, οὐχ ἣ ἓν πρόσω πον περιγράφει. Οὐδὲ τὸ ἓν τὸ τοῦ Πλάτωνος προσηκά μεθα· τουτοῒ τὸ παρ' Ἕλλησιν ἄρρητον καὶ παρὰ Χαλδαίοις ἀπόρρητον· ἐξαρτῶσι γὰρ αὐτοῦ πολλὰς καὶ ἄλλας ἀρχὰς ἐγκοσμίως τε καὶ ὑπερκοσμίως. 14.8.5 Ἀλλὰ τούτους δὴ τοὺς ἀπὸ Μάνεντος καὶ Παύλου καὶ Ἰωάννου, τῶν τῆς Καλλινίκης, ἀγριωτέρους ὄντας τὰς γνώμας καὶ ὠμοὺς καὶ μέχρις αἵματος διακινδυνεύοντας ὁ ἐν βασιλεῦσιν ἐκεῖνος θαυμάσιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Τζιμισκῆς πολέμῳ νικήσας, ἐξανδρα ποδισάμενος ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας, ἐκεῖθεν ἀπὸ τῶν Χαλύβων καὶ τῶν Ἀρμενιακῶν τόπων εἰς τὴν Θρᾴκην μετήνεγκε. Καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν Φιλιππούπολιν αὐλίζεσθαι κατηνάγκασεν, ἅμα μὲν τῶν ἐρυμνοτάτων πόλεων καὶ φρουρίων, ἃ κατεῖχον τυραννιῶντες, ἀπαγαγών, ἅμα δὲ καὶ φύλακας ἐπιστήσας ἀσφαλεστάτους τῶν σκυθικῶν ἐκείνων διεκδρομῶν, ἃς ὑπο σύχνως ὑπὸ βαρβάρων τἀπὶ Θρᾴκης ἐπεπόνθει χωρία· ὑπερ βαίνοντες γὰρ τὰ τέμπη τοῦ Αἵμου τὰς ὑπὸ τοῦτον πεδιάδας κατέτρεχον. 14.8.6 Ὁ δ' Αἷμος οὗτος ὄρος ἐστὶ μακρότατον κατὰ γραμμὴν παράλληλον τῇ Ῥοδόπῃ κείμενον. Ἄρχεται μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ Εὐξείνου Πόντου τὸ ὄρος καὶ μικρὸν παραμεί βων τοὺς καταρράκτας μέχρις αὐτῶν Ἰλλυρικῶν διήκει· οἶμαι δ' ὅτι καὶ διακοπτόμενον τῷ Ἀδριαντικῷ πελάγει, πάλιν εἰς ἀντιπέραν ἤπειρον ἀναλαμβάνει καὶ μέχρις αὐτῶν Ἑρκυνίων δρυμῶν ἀποτελευτᾷ. Ἑκατέρωθεν δὲ τῶν καταρρύτων αὐτοῦ πολλὰ καὶ πλουσιώτατα ἔθνη νέμεται, ∆ακῶν μὲν ὄντων βορειοτέρων καὶ τῶν Θρᾳκῶν, νοτιωτέρων δὲ Θρᾳκῶν τε αὐτῶν καὶ Μακεδόνων. Τοῦτον τὸν Αἷμον δια περῶντες οἱ νομάδες Σκύθαι κατὰ τοὺς ἀνέκαθεν χρόνους, πρὶν ἢ τοῦ Ἀλεξίου τὸ δόρυ καὶ οἱ πολλοὶ ἀγῶνες εἰς πανω λεθρίαν κατήνεγκαν, πανστρατιᾷ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν ἐκάκουν καὶ μάλιστα τὰς ἐγγυτέρους πόλεις, ὧν προὐκά θητο ἡ πάλαι πολυθρύλλητος Φιλιππούπολις. 14.8.7 Ὁ δὲ Τζιμισκῆς Ἰωάννης τοὺς ἐκ τῆς Μανιχαϊκῆς αἱρέσεως ἀντιμάχους ἡμῖν ποιησάμενος συμμάχους κατά γε τὰ ὅπλα ἀξιομάχους δυνάμεις τοῖς νομάσι τούτοις Σκύθαις ἀντέσ τησε· καὶ τὸ ἐντεῦθεν ἀπὸ τῶν πλειόνων καταδρομῶν ἀν έπνευσε τὰ τῶν πόλεων. Οἱ μέντοι Μανιχαῖοι φύσει ὄντες ἐλεύθεροι καὶ ἀνυπότακτοι τὸ εἰωθὸς ἐποίουν καὶ εἰς τὴν φύσιν ἀνέκαμπτον. Πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ Φιλιππούπολις πλὴν ὀλίγων ὄντες Μανιχαῖοι τῶν τε αὐτόθι Χριστιανῶν ἐτυράννουν καὶ τὰ τούτων διήρπαζον, μικρὰ φροντίζοντες ἢ οὐδὲν τῶν ἀποστελλομένων παρὰ βασιλέως. Ηὔξανον τοίνυν καὶ τὰ κύκλῳ Φιλιππουπόλεως πάντα ἦσαν αἱρετικοί. Συνεισέβαλε δὲ καὶ τούτοις ἕτερος ποταμὸς ὁ τῶν Ἀρμενίων ἁλμυρὸς καὶ ἄλλος ἀπὸ τῶν θολερωτάτων πηγῶν