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to make for them the one who would preside over the church of the faithful correctly and justly and in a manner most pleasing to God, for which he himself shed his blood, having become what we are and having put on human weakness, so to vote for whomever he himself might reveal, but having established the vote among the three who seem most worthy, thus to entrust the choice of one to the emperor; and whomever he himself might choose, this one to be appointed head of the church, neither was I myself ignorant until now, nor do I think that any of you does not know most clearly. And just as is wont to happen with other sins, that although not ignorant that we are sinning, nevertheless being led by wicked custom, or being deceived by the smoothness of pleasure, we willingly fall into evils and enslave ourselves to base passions, this very thing also happens to us in the selection of bishops. For knowing most clearly how it is unlawful for them to first vote, to entrust the rule of the church to whomever we ourselves might wish, then openly jesting and mocking God, to permit you to invoke grace from above and to vote for this one, whom we ourselves long before have approved not only in words but also in deeds, nevertheless we dare wickedly and foolishly, and this has been done not by me alone many times, but also by those who ruled the Romans before, 3.274 if not by all, at least by most. Therefore concerning them, out of respect for my ancestors, I will say nothing ill, but I would say that I myself am clearly convicted by all my own votes of doing wrong and being ungrateful towards God. Having thus condemned myself and acknowledged my wickedness, nothing, I think, is left, but to propitiate God concerning former things, and for the future to take all forethought and zeal not to fall into the same evils, unless I should wish to be incurably sick and to be willingly blind to things that are good and shine more brightly than the sun. Therefore, with the search for a patriarch now before you, I restore the ancient liberty, not so much to you as to God, to whom it will be a great care to reveal to you the one who will preside well over the church, and afterwards I myself will also vote for one of the three, as is the custom.” Such things the emperor discussed with the bishops. And he commanded them, having come to the same place, to conduct the election of the patriarch in the ancient manner, as they saw fit. On the next day, when they had come to the same place and were considering the matter at hand, the emperor sent again, both reminding them of the things said the day before and exhorting them to show all zeal, as he had made a sufficient defense to God, having completely yielded the choice of the patriarch to them and having shown his intention openly to all men. But they, having confessed many thanks to the emperor 3.275 for his reverence for divine things and his respect for them, and having prayed for a swarm of many good things, then invoking the divine grace of the spirit, they selected three: Philotheos, the bishop of Heraclea, and Macarius of Philadelphia, and Nicholas Cabasilas, who was still a layman, and writing them down they send the names of the chosen to the emperor; and the emperor chose Philotheos rather than the others, and not much later, when all that was customary had been completed, he was appointed patriarch and for a time administered the affairs of the church, being cast out of his office after not long, as will be said a little later, but in a most wonderful way and with fitting reason, and having shown all gentleness and distinction of life and of speech. But Callistus the patriarch, having spent no little time in the monastery of the martyr Mamas, first fled to Galata and for a time was hidden among the Latins, then, by their doing, he arrived in Tenedos to the new emperor and met with much good will, as one who had chosen such great misfortune on his behalf. ληʹ. When the disturbance in the church had ceased and had all order and harmony, Matthew the emperor

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αὐτοῖς ποιῆσαι τὸν ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως καὶ ὡς μάλιστα θεῷ κεχαρισμένως προστησόμενον τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῶν πιστῶν, ὑπὲρ ἧς αὐτὸς ἐξέχεε τὸ αἷμα, γενόμενος ὅπερ ἡμεῖς καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀσθένειαν ἐνδεδυμένος, οὕτως ἐπιψηφίζεσθαι, ὃν ἂν αὐτὸς ἀποκαλύπτῃ, περιστήσαντας δὲ ἐν τρισὶ τοῖς μάλιστα δοκοῦσιν ἀξιόχρεω τὴν ψῆφον, οὕτως ἐπιτρέπειν βασιλεῖ τὴν αἵρεσιν ἑνός· ὃν δ' ἂν αὐτὸς ἕλοιτο, τοῦτον ἀποδείκνυσθαι προστάτην τῆς ἐκκλησίας, οὔτ' αὐτὸς ἠγνόουν ἄχρι νῦν, οὔτ' ὑμῶν οἴομαι οὐδένα μὴ σαφέστατα εἰδέναι. οἷα δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἁμαρτημάτων φιλεῖ συμβαίνειν, ὅτι καίτοι μὴ ἀγνοοῦντες, ὅτι ἁμαρτάνομεν, ὅμως ὑπὸ πονηρᾶς ἀγόμενοι συνηθείας, ἢ τῷ λείῳ τῆς ἡδονῆς ἐξαπατώμενοι, περιπίπτομεν ἑκουσίως τοῖς κακοῖς καὶ τοῖς φαύλοις πάθεσι καταδουλοῦμεν ἑαυτοὺς, τοῦτ' αὐτὸ καὶ κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἀρχιερέων ἐπιλογὴν ἡμῖν συμβαίνει. σαφέστατα γὰρ εἰδότες, ὡς ἀθέμιτον αὐτοὺς πρότερον ἐπιψηφισαμένους, ὃν ἂν ἐθέλωμεν αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐγχειρίζειν, ἔπειτα βωμολοχοῦντας ἄντικρυς καὶ κατειρωνευομένους τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐπιτρέπειν ὑμῖν τὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπικαλεῖσθαι χάριν καὶ τοῦτον ἐπιψηφίζεσθαι, ὃν αὐτοὶ πολλῷ πρότερον οὐ λόγοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πράγμασιν ἐπεψηφισάμεθα αὐτοῖς, ὅμως τολμῶμεν κακῶς καὶ ἀνοήτως, καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐμοὶ μόνον εἴργασται πολλάκις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς πρότερον Ῥωμαίων βεβα 3.274 σιλευκόσιν, εἰ μὴ πᾶσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς γε πλείοσι. περὶ μὲν οὖν ἐκείνων φαῦλον αἰδοῖ τῶν προγόνων οὐδὲν ἐρῶ, ἐμαυτὸν δ' ἁπάσαις ψήφοις ταῖς παρ' ἐμαυτοῦ ἀδικοῦντα καὶ ἀγνωμονοῦντα περὶ τὸν θεὸν φαίην ἂν ἁλίσκεσθαι σαφῶς. οὕτω δ' ἐμαυτοῦ κατεψηφισμένον καὶ συνεγνωκότα τὴν κακίαν, οὐδὲν, οἶμαι, λείπεται, ἢ περὶ μὲν τῶν προτέρων ἐξιλάσκεσθαι θεὸν, τοῦ λοιποῦ δὲ πρόνοιαν ποιεῖσθαι πᾶσαν καὶ σπουδὴν, μὴ τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπεσεῖν κακοῖς, εἰ μὴ βουλοίμην ἀνίατα νοσεῖν καὶ τυφλώττειν ἑκοντὶ πρὸς τὰ καὶ λαμπρότερον ἡλίου λάμποντα καλά. τοιγαροῦν ὑμῖν ζητήσεως περὶ πατριάρχου προκειμένης νῦν, τὴν ἀρχαίαν ἐλευθερίαν ἀποδίδωμι, οὐχ ὑμῖν μᾶλλον, ἢ τῷ θεῷ, ᾧ μελήσει μάλα τὸν καλῶς τῆς ἐκκλησίας προστησόμενον ὑμῖν ἀποκαλύπτειν, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἕνα τῶν τριῶν ἐπιψηφιοῦμαι, ὥσπερ ἔθος.» τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσι διειλέχθη. καὶ ἐκέλευεν ἐν ταὐτῷ γενομένους, ὅπη ἂν δοκῇ, τὸν ἀρχαῖον τρόπον τὴν πατριάρχου ποιεῖσθαι ἐκλογήν. εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ ἐκείνων γενομένων ἐν ταὐτῷ καὶ περὶ τοῦ προκειμένου σκεπτομένων, αὖθις ὁ βασιλεὺς πέμψας, τῶν τε τῇ προτεραίᾳ εἰρημένων ἀνεμίμνησκε καὶ παρῄνει πᾶσαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι σπουδὴν, ὡς αὐτοῦ καὶ πρὸς θεὸν ἀρκοῦσαν πεποιημένου τὴν ἀπολογίαν, παντάπασιν αὐτοῖς τῆς αἱρέσεως τῆς πατριάρχου παρακεχωρηκότος καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐπιδεδειγμένου τὴν γνώμην φανερῶς. ἐκεῖνοι δὲ πολλὰς ὁμολογήσαντες χάριτας τῷ βα 3.275 σιλεῖ τῆς περὶ τὰ θεῖα εὐλαβείας καὶ τῆς περὶ αὐτοὺς αἰδοῦς, καὶ ἐπευξάμενοι ἀγαθῶν πολλῶν ἐσμὸν, ἔπειτα τὴν θείαν χάριν ἐπικαλεσάμενοι τοῦ πνεύματος, ἐπελέξαντο τρεῖς, Φιλόθεόν τε τὸν τῆς Ἡρακλείας ἀρχιερέα, καὶ τὸν Φιλαδελφείας Μακάριον, καὶ Νικόλαον τὸν Καβάσιλαν, ὄντα ἔτι ἰδιώτην, καὶ γράψαντες πέμπουσι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν ᾑρημένων· βασιλεὺς δὲ εἵλετο τῶν ἄλλων μᾶλλον τὸν Φιλόθεον, καὶ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον πάντων, ὅσα νενόμισται, τετελεσμένων, πατριάρχης ἀπεδείκνυτο καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν πράγματα χρόνον μέν τινα διῴκησεν, ἐκβληθεὶς τῆς ἀρχῆς μετ' οὐ πολὺ, ὥσπερ ὕστερον εἰρήσεται ὀλίγῳ, μάλιστα δὲ θαυμασίως καὶ σὺν λόγῳ τῷ προσήκοντι, καὶ πᾶσαν ἐπιδεδειγμένος ἐπιείκειαν καὶ βίου περιφάνειαν καὶ λόγου. Κάλλιστος δὲ ὁ πατριάρχης χρόνον οὐκ ὀλίγον τῇ μάρτυρος τοῦ Μάμαντος μονῇ ἐνδιατρίψας, πρῶτα μὲν διεδίδρασκεν εἰς Γαλατᾶν καὶ χρόνον τινὰ ἐκρύπτετο ἐν τοῖς Λατίνοις, ἔπειτα, αὐτῶν πραττόντων, εἰς Τένεδον ἀφῖκτο πρὸς τὸν νέον βασιλέα καὶ πολλῆς ἐτύγχανε τῆς εὐμενείας, οἷα δὴ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου τὴν τοσαύτην κακοπραγίαν ᾑρημένος. ληʹ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ κατὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν θόρυβος ἐπέπαυτο καὶ πᾶσαν εἶχε τάξιν καὶ εὐαρμοστίαν, Ματθαῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς