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he built many divine churches within the palace, in the name of Elijah the prophet and of the martyr Clement and of Christ the savior and of the apostle Peter and of the archistrategos, the beauty of which poetic grandiloquence would be unable to represent. And he erected many things in the palaces, as one might say, palaces of palaces; but it is not necessary to enumerate these. A work of this emperor is also the so-called house, the Magnaura, and the other called the New; which he constructed from such a purpose. For not wishing to spend public funds for his own needs, he built such houses, and assigned to them sufficient revenues from agriculture, from which the royal 2.241 banquet for himself and for those invited by him each year was always to have an abundant and just provision. He built also the palaces at Pege, and beautified those at the Herion, cleaning out also the cistern that had been filled with earth, which Heraclius the emperor had filled in and made into a garden of plants and vegetables. which he also did to those within the palace, both the one before the Magnaura and the one between the triclinium of Justinian and the Lausiac. For the aforesaid emperor Heraclius, having learned from Stephen the philosopher, who had investigated his nativity, that he must die from water, made the fillings of the cisterns, as has been said. Therefore, having cleaned out the palaces at the Herion he restored them to their original form, and instead of a garden, he made a reservoir of abundant and clear water. And he built in the forum a most beautiful church in the name of the Theotokos, so that the merchants might have it as a house of prayer, whenever they were delayed in their business. And having repaired and beautified the church of Saint Phocas in the Stenos, he made it a dwelling for monks, assigning sufficient revenues for the sustenance of those practicing asceticism in it. He also restored the great church of the archistrategos at Sosthenion, which had already fallen into ruin, and brought it to its present beauty. And he deemed many of the Jews worthy of divine baptism by promises of gifts and by payments 2.242 and by exchanges of presents. And the nation of the Bulgarians, being newly established in the worship of God, he confirmed in the faith by sending devout monks and priests adorned with virtue. And making a treaty with the Rhos, he was the cause of their partaking in saving baptism, an archbishop also having been sent to them. But it is worthy to narrate also the miracle that happened by the hand of the archbishop who was sent there. For being still held by superstition, both the ruler himself and his magnates and the whole nation, inquiring about both their former religion and the faith of the Christians, they summon the archbishop who had just come to them; whom the ruler asked what things were proclaimed by him and were to be taught to them. And when he presented the holy book of the divine gospel, and narrated some of the miracles wrought by God during his sojourn in human form, "Unless we, the multitude of the Rhos," he said, "see something similar, and especially what you say happened in the furnace of the three children, we will not easily believe you." But he, having believed the unerring word of the one who said that whatever you ask in my name, you will receive, and he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater works than these he will do, said to them, "Although it is not lawful to tempt the Lord God, nevertheless if you have decided from your soul to approach God, ask for 2.243 whatever you wish, and God will certainly do this because of your faith, even though we are least and unworthy." They immediately asked for the book of the divine gospel to be thrown into the fire kindled by them, and if it were kept unharmed, they too would approach the God proclaimed by him. These things were therefore agreed, and of the priest toward God the hands and the

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πολλοὺς θείους ναοὺς ἐντὸς τοῦ παλατίου ἐδομήσατο, εἰς ὄνομα Ἠλίου τοῦ προφήτου καὶ τοῦ μάρτυρος Κλήμεντος καὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Πέτρου καὶ τοῦ ἀρχιστρατήγου, ὧν τὴν ὡραιότητα παραστήσασθαι ποιη τικὴ ἂν ἠτόνησε μεγαληγορία. Πολλὰ δὲ κἀν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἀνέστησεν, ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι, βασιλείων βασίλεια· ταῦτα δὲ ἀριθμεῖσθαι οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον. ἔργον δὲ τούτου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ὁ λεγόμενος οἶκος τὰ Μάγγανα καὶ ὁ ἕτερος ὁ νέος καλούμενος· οὓς ἀπὸ τοιαύτης κατεσκεύασε προαι ρέσεως. μὴ βουλόμενος γὰρ τὰ δημόσια πράγματα εἰς οἰκείας καταναλίσκειν χρείας τοὺς τοιούτους ἀνῳκοδόμησεν οἴκους, καὶ προσόδους ἐκ γεωργίας ἀπέταξεν αὐτοῖς ἱκανάς, ἀφ' ὧν ἡ βασι 2.241 λικὴ πανδαισία αὐτοῦ τε καὶ τῶν ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κεκλη μένων ἄφθονον καὶ δικαίαν τὴν χορηγίαν ἔμελλεν ἔχειν ἀεί. ἐδο μήσατο δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐν Πηγαῖς παλάτια, καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς Ἠρίοις ἐκαλ λωπίσατο, ἀνακαθάρας καὶ τὴν ἀπογεωθεῖσαν κινστέρναν, ἣν Ἡράκλειος ὁ βασιλεὺς προσχώσας παράδεισον φυτῶν καὶ λαχάνων εἰργάσατο. ὅπερ ἐποίησε καὶ ἐν ταῖς οὔσαις ἐντὸς τοῦ παλατίου, τῇ τε πρὸ τῆς Μαγναύρας καὶ τῇ μεταξὺ Ἰουστινιανοῦ τοῦ τρι κλινίου καὶ τοῦ Λαυσιακοῦ. ὁ γὰρ εἰρημένος βασιλεὺς Ἡράκλειος παρὰ Στεφάνου τοῦ φιλοσόφου μαθών, τὴν γένεσιν αὐτοῦ πολυ πραγμονήσαντος, ὡς ἐξ ὕδατος αὐτὸν δεῖ τελευτᾶν, τὰς τῶν κιν στερνῶν, ὡς εἴρηται, προσχώσεις εἰργάσατο. τὰ ἐν τοῖς Ἠρίοις οὖν ἀποκαθάρας βασίλεια εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον σχῆμα ἀνήγαγε, καὶ ἀντὶ παραδείσου δοχεῖον ἀπειργάσατο ὕδατος ἀφθόνου καὶ διει δοῦς. ἐδείματο δὲ κἀν τῷ φόρῳ ναὸν περικαλλέστατον ἐπ' ὀνό ματι τῆς θεοτόκου, ὡς ἂν ἔχοιεν αὐτὸν οἱ πραγματευόμενοι οἶκον προσευχῆς, ὁπότε ταῖς πραγματείαις ἐμβραδύνωσι. καὶ τὸν τοῦ ἁγίου Φωκᾶ δὲ ναὸν ἐν τῷ Στενῷ ἐπισκευάσας καὶ καλλωπίσας οἰκητήριον μοναχῶν ἀπετέλεσε, τάξας προσόδους ἱκανὰς εἰς διάρ κειαν τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀσκουμένων. ἀνεκαίνισε δὲ καὶ τὸν μέγαν τοῦ ἀρχιστρατήγου ναὸν τὸν ἐν τῷ Σωσθενίῳ ἤδη προκαταπεσόντα, καὶ εἰς τὸ φαινόμενον κάλλος μετήγαγε. Πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων δωρεῶν ἐπαγγελίαις καὶ δόσεσι 2.242 καὶ δώρων ἀνταλλαγαῖς τοῦ θείου κατηξίωσε βαπτίσματος. καὶ τὸ τῶν Βουλγάρων δὲ γένος ἀρτιπαγὲς ὂν πρὸς θεοσέβειαν μοναχῶν ἀποστολῇ εὐλαβῶν καὶ ἱερέων ἀρετῇ κεκοσμημένων ἐβεβαίωσε πρὸς τὴν πίστιν. καὶ τοῖς Ῥὼς δὲ συμβάσεις θέμενος ἐν μετοχῇ γενέ σθαι τοῦ σωτηρίου βαπτίσματος αἴτιος γέγονε, πεμφθέντος αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀρχιερέως. ἀλλ' ἄξιον διηγήσασθαι καὶ τὸ γεγονὸς θαῦμα παρὰ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως τοῦ πεμφθέντος ἐκεῖσε. ἔτι γὰρ τῇ δεισιδαι μονίᾳ κατεχόμενος αὐτός τε ὁ ἄρχων καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνες αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἅπαν ἔθνος, κατασκοπούμενοι περί τε τῆς πρῴην αὐτῶν θρη σκείας καὶ τῆς τῶν Χριστιανῶν πίστεως, εἰσκαλοῦσι τὸν ἄρτι πρὸς αὐτοὺς φοιτήσαντα ἀρχιερέα· ὃν ὁ ἄρχων ἐπηρώτα τίνα τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ καταγγελλόμενα καὶ αὐτοῖς διδάσκεσθαι μέλλοντα. τοῦ δὲ τὴν ἱερὰν τοῦ θείου εὐαγγελίου προτείναντος βίβλον, καί τινα θαύματα ἐξηγουμένου τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ἐπιδη μίᾳ τερατουργηθέντων, "εἰ μή τι τῶν ὁμοίων τὸ πλῆθος" ἔφη "τῶν Ῥὼς καὶ ἡμεῖς θεασόμεθα, καὶ μάλιστα ὁποῖον λέγεις ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ τῶν τριῶν παίδων γενέσθαι, οὐκ ἄν σοι ῥᾳδίως πιστεύ σωμεν." ὁ δὲ τῷ ἀψευδεῖ πιστεύσας λόγῳ τοῦ εἰπόντος ὅτι ὃ ἂν αἰτήσητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου, λήψεσθε, καὶ ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ κἀκεῖνος ποιήσει, καὶ μείζονα τούτων ποιήσει, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτοὺς "εἰ καὶ μὴ ἔξεστιν ἐκπειράζειν κύριον τὸν θεόν, ὅμως εἰ ἐκ ψυχῆς διεγνώκατε προσελθεῖν τῷ θεῷ, αἰτήσασθε 2.243 ὅπερ βούλεσθε, καὶ ποιήσει τοῦτο πάντως διὰ τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν ὁ θεός, κἂν ἡμεῖς ἐσμὲν ἐλάχιστοι καὶ ἀνάξιοι." οἱ δ' εὐθέως ᾐτήσαντο τὴν τοῦ θείου εὐαγγελίου πυκτίδα ἐν τῇ παρ' αὐτῶν ἀναφθείσῃ ῥιφῆναι πυρκαϊᾷ, καὶ εἰ ἀβλαβὴς αὕτη τηρηθείη, προσελθεῖν καὶ αὐτοὺς τῷ παρ' αὐτοῦ κηρυσσομένῳ θεῷ. ἔδοξε δὴ ταῦτα, καὶ τοῦ ἱερέως πρὸς θεὸν τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τοὺς