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15.9.1 So let the affairs of this monster be thus; but I wished to describe the whole heresy of the Bogomils; but shame prevents me, as the beautiful Sappho somewhere says, because I, the writer, am a woman and the most honored of the purple and the first offspring of Alexios, and the things that come to the ears of many are worthy of silence. I want to write, so that I may present the fullness of the Bogomil heresy; but so that I may not pollute my own tongue, I omit these things. But I refer those wishing to learn the entire heresy of the Bogomils to the book so-called the «Dogmatic Panoply,» composed by order of my father. For a certain monk called Zigabenos, known to the empress and my maternal grandmother and to all of the priestly order, who had reached the pinnacle of grammar and was not unpracticed in rhetoric, and who knew dogma as no one else, this man the emperor summoned and ordered him to set forth all the heresies, each one separately, and for each to write down the refutations of the holy fathers, and indeed the heresy of the Bogomils themselves, just as that impious Basil had expounded it. This book the emperor named «Dogmatic Panoply»; to this day the books are so called. 15.9.2 But let the account now return to the condemnation of Basil. For the emperor, having summoned the disciples and fellow initiates of Basil from all over the world, and especially the so-called twelve disciples, tested their opinion as well; and they were plainly disciples of Basil. For the evil had penetrated deeply even into the greatest houses, and the dreadful thing had touched a great multitude. He therefore decreed once and for all a burning for the renegades, both for the leader and for his chorus. For when the detected Bogomils were gathered, and some were professing their heresy, while others denied it completely and strongly resisted their accusers and reviled the Bogomil heresy, since the emperor could not readily believe them, lest perhaps a Christian might be mixed in with the Bogomils as a Bogomil, or a Bogomil escape as a Christian, he devised a new method by which the true Christians would be revealed. 15.9.3 He was therefore seated on the imperial throne on the next day. And many were then present from the senate, the holy synod, and of the Nazirites themselves, as many as were notable, the chosen men. And when all who were accused of the Bogomil heresy had been brought together into their midst, the emperor again ordered each one to be questioned. And while some confessed to be Bogomils and strongly clung to their heresy, others denied it completely, calling themselves Christians, and though convicted by others, they would not submit at all, knitting his brows at them he said: "Today it is necessary for two pyres to be lit, and in one of them a cross to be fixed in the ground itself, and then a choice to be given to all, so that those who wish today to die for the faith of the Christians, being separated from the others, may go to the pyre of the cross, while those who cling to the Bogomil heresy will be thrown into the other. For it is better for them to die being Christians than to live and be persecuted as Bogomils and to strike the consciences of the many. Go then, you also [and we], wherever you wish, let each one proceed." 15.9.4 So having declared these things to the Bogomils, the emperor dismissed them in pretense. Immediately therefore, taking them, they went away, and a great crowd stood by, flocking from all directions. And pyres were then lit seven times hotter according to the psalmist in the place so-called the Tzykanisterion. The fire went up to the heavens; the cross stood at one pyre; a choice was given to the guilty, to go wherever each might wish, as they were about to be burned

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15.9.1 Τὰ μὲν οὖν τοῦ τέρατος τούτου ταύτῃ ἐχέτω· ἠβουλόμην δὲ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν τῶν Βογομίλων διηγήσασθαι αἵρεσιν· ἀλλά με κωλύει καὶ αἰδώς, ὥς πού φησιν ἡ καλὴ Σαπφώ, ὅτι συγγραφεὺς ἔγωγε γυνὴ καὶ τῆς πορφύρας τὸ τιμιώτατον καὶ τῶν Ἀλεξίου πρώτιστον βλάστημα τά τε εἰς ἀκοὴν πολλῶν ἐρχόμενα σιγῆς ἄξια. Βούλομαι μὲν γράφειν, ἵνα τὸ πλῆρες τῆς τῶν Βογομίλων παραστήσω αἱρέσεως· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ τὴν γλῶτταν μολύνω τὴν ἐμαυτῆς, παρίημι ταῦτα. Παραπέμπω δὲ τοὺς βουλομένους τὴν ὅλην αἵρεσιν τῶν Βογομίλων διαγνῶναι εἰς τὸ οὕτω καλού μενον βιβλίον «∆ογματικὴν πανοπλίαν» ἐξ ἐπιταγῆς τοὐμοῦ πατρὸς συντεθεῖσαν. Καὶ γὰρ μοναχόν τινα Ζυγα βηνὸν καλούμενον, γνωστὸν μὲν τῇ δεσποίνῃ καὶ πρὸς μητρὸς ἐμῇ μάμμῃ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς τοῦ ἱερατικοῦ καταλόγου, γραμματικῆς δὲ εἰς ἄκρον ἐληλακότα καὶ ῥητορικῆς οὐκ ἀμελέτητον ὄντα καὶ τὸ δόγμα ὡς οὐκ ἄλλος τις ἐπιστάμε νον, τοῦτον ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ μεταπεμψάμενος ἐπέταξεν ἁπάσας τὰς αἱρέσεις ἐκθέσθαι ἑκάστην ἰδίᾳ καὶ ἐφ' ἑ κάστῃ τὰς τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων ἀνατροπὰς ἐγγράψασθαι καὶ αὐτῶν δὴ τῶν Βογομίλων τὴν αἵρεσιν, καθὼς ὁ ἀσεβὴς ἐκεῖνος Βασίλειος ὑφηγήσατο. Ταύτην τὴν βίβλον «∆ογ ματικὴν πανοπλίαν» ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ὠνόμασε· μέχρι τοῦ νῦν οὕτω προσαγορεύεται τὰ βιβλία. 15.9.2 Ὁ δὲ λόγος αὖθις πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Βασιλείου καθαίρεσιν ἀνατρεχέτω. Ὁ γὰρ αὐτοκράτωρ τοὺς ἁπανταχοῦ γῆς μαθητὰς καὶ συμμύστας τοῦ Βασιλείου μεταπεμψάμενος, καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς δώδεκα λεγομένους μαθητάς, ἀπεπειρᾶτο καὶ τούτων τῆς γνώμης· καὶ ἦσαν ἄντικρυς μαθηταὶ Βασιλείου. Καὶ γὰρ ἐνεβάθυνε τὸ κακὸν καὶ εἰς οἰκίας μεγίστας καὶ πολλοῦ πλήθους ἥψατο τὸ δεινόν. Καθάπαξ οὖν κατεψηφίσατο πυρκαϊὰν τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, τοῦ τε κορυφαίου καὶ τοῦ χοροῦ. Ἀθροιζομένων γὰρ τῶν φωραθέντων Βογομίλων καὶ τῶν μὲν τῆς σφῶν ἀντιποιουμένων αἱρέσεως, τῶν δ' ἀπαρνου μένων παντάπασι καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐλέγχοντας ἰσχυρῶς ἀνθ ισταμένων καὶ τὴν βογομιλικὴν διαπτυόντων αἵρεσιν, ἐπεὶ ἑτοίμως ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ τούτοις πιστεύειν οὐκ εἶχεν, ἵνα μή τις πολλάκις Χριστιανὸς τοῖς Βογομίλοις ὡς Βογόμιλος ἀναμιγνύηται ἢ Βογόμιλος ὡς Χριστιανὸς διαδράσῃ, καινόν τινα τρόπον ἐπινοεῖται, δι' οὗ οἱ ὄντως Χριστιανοὶ ἀπο φανθήσονται. 15.9.3 Ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ τοίνυν τῇ μετ' αὐ τὴν καθῆστο θρόνου. Πολλοὶ δὲ τηνικαῦτα παρῆσαν τῆς τε συγκλήτου καὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς συνόδου καὶ τῶν Ναζιραίων αὐτῶν, ὁπόσοι λόγου μετεῖχον, λογάδες. Πάντων δὲ τῶν τὴν βογομιλικὴν ἐγκαλουμένων αἵρεσιν ἐς τὸ μέσον ὁμοῦ παραχθέντων, ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ αὖθις ἐπερωτᾶσθαι ἕκαστον ἐκέλευσεν. Ὡς δὲ οἱ μὲν ὡμολόγουν Βογόμιλοι εἶναι καὶ τῆς σφῶν ἰσχυρῶς ἀντεποιοῦντο αἱρέσεως, οἱ δὲ παντάπασιν ἀνένευον Χριστιανοὺς ἑαυτοὺς ὀνομάζοντες καὶ παρ' ἄλ λων ἐλεγχόμενοι οὐδαμῶς κατετίθεντο, ἐπιτοξεύσας αὐτοῖς τὰς ὀφρῦς ἔφη· «Χρὴ τὴν σήμερον δύο καμίνους ἀναφθῆναι, θατέρᾳ δὲ τούτων σταυρὸν ἐμπαγῆναι αὐτῇ γῇ, εἶτα αἵρεσιν δοθῆναι πᾶσιν, ἵν' ὁποῖοι τῇ τῶν Χρισ τιανῶν πίστει ἐπαποθανεῖν τὴν σήμερον βούλοιντο, ἀποκριθέντες τῶν ἄλλων τῇ τοῦ σταυροῦ καμίνῳ προσχω ρήσωσιν, οἱ δὲ τῆς βογομιλικῆς αἱρέσεως ἀντεχόμενοι πρὸς θατέραν ἐμβληθήσονται. Βέλτιον γὰρ Χριστιανοὺς αὐτοὺς ὄντας ἀποθανεῖν ἢ ζῶντας ὡς Βογομίλους διώ κεσθαι καὶ τὰς τῶν πολλῶν τύπτειν συνειδήσεις. Ἄπιτε γοῦν καὶ ὑμεῖς [καὶ ἡμεῖς], ὅπη βουλητόν, ἕκαστος χωρείτω». 15.9.4 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν πρὸς τοὺς Βογομίλους ἀποφηνάμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν σχήματι ἀπέλυσεν. Εὐθὺς οὖν παραλαβόντες τούτους ἀπῄεσαν καὶ πλῆθος παρειστή κει πολὺ συρρεόντων ἑκασταχοῦ. Κάμινοι δὲ τηνικαῦτα ἑπταπλασίως κατὰ τὸν μελῳδὸν ἀνήπτοντο εἰς τὸ οὑτωσί πως καλούμενον Τζυκανιστήριν. Τὸ πῦρ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνῄει· ὁ σταυρὸς ἐπὶ θατέρᾳ ἵστατο· αἵρεσις τοῖς ἐνόχοις ἐδίδοτο, ὅπη ποτ' ἂν βουλητὸν ἑκάστῳ, χωρεῖν, ὡς καυθη σομένων