On Heraclius returning from Africa

To the emperor Heraclius, having returned from Africa and become emperor, and against the emperor Phocas

and become emperor, and against the emperor Phocas}1 A word is not strong enough to describe you, since the Word of God himself has placed you, set above these fleeting words; but I see many praising, O master, armed horsemen, beast-slayers well-aimed, by whom an all-wise mind is not characterized and a divine character is not adorned; but it is fitting for us to praise the divinely-inspired wisdom of your soul's movements. Having somehow received this as a full suit of armor from on high, you guard your mind with the divinely-inspired Scriptures; for pursuing them with memory and speed, you delight in being winged towards God through them. You always pursue all anger like untamed beasts from a day-long watch, you wish for evil-doing to be hunted down, through which the common race of this sojourning is hunted by treacherous scandals; by your nature, most mighty one, even the wild beasts are often taught to be tamed; The Medes and barbarians are images of these, who, having often boiled with savage manner, were extinguished by your gentle word. And a horse is with you, running swiftly, your reasoning, moving everywhere, both filling the earth and bearing up to heaven; and you draw bows from a philanthropic inclination, always sending forth your honey-dripping words, by which each man is sweetly wounded. You do these things and you compel time, whenever affairs with so many entanglements flood the earth like torrents. But there is hope that the cares of the present difficulties will be stopped everywhere by you; for if the commonwealth has often been destroyed, having fallen by the inattentiveness of its rulers, so now the commonwealth will be saved by God through the pious good deeds of its ruler. For even before, seeing us afflicted, when the bitter wounds of the tyrant, gaining pasture, fastened upon our limbs, you had the opportunity to remain without toils, as you were not by nature the cause of these evils; but you held back no less, O master, from those entangled in countless misfortunes, by which each was savagely bitten by the ruling beast of affairs; and having gladly run to so many toils, you alone despised your own blood, wishing to snatch everyone from bloodshed; for you did not tremble at the long passage of the sea, nor were you then drawn back to pity for your mother; but a certain love for God, burning you, possessed you to extinguish the storm, by which the commonwealth was coming to destruction. But you were not disappointed in such great hope, but like the faithful Phinehas in spirit, you had a faith that was a slayer of slaughters. For since you freed us from the tyrannical harm and have us as servants from God, the terrible shedding of blood, from which the stream of evils was born, has ceased. Having the memory of these things always, most mighty one, and having cast your hopes upward to God, you will see the same God again quickly as the savior of your hope a second time. For He himself will open for us the gates to peace everywhere by your endeavors, showing her enthroned with your power. For formerly, I think, she was chastely hidden, blushing to see the bastard murders. But, O giver of good gifts, of those things not leading to fleeting affairs, but bringing into a lasting substance, accept these small things and teach greater ones. For He who bestows on you breadth of heart, so that you suffice for all, in no way being constrained, will show how to steer also the present affairs out of the storm to the calm which you possess, so that, henceforth deprived of anxiety, impressing the beauty of your soul as in an icon on our own hearts, we may record an indelible grace, showing what a blessed flower was hidden by the tangles of thorns.

In Heraclium ex Africa redeuntem

Πρὸς Ἡράκλειον τὸν βασιλέα ἐπανελθόντα ἀπὸ Ἀφρικῆς καὶ βασιλεύσαντα καὶ κατὰ Φωκᾶ βασιλέωσ

καὶ βασιλεύσαντα καὶ κατὰ Φωκᾶ βασιλέωσ}1 Λόγος μὲν ὑμᾶς οὐ κατισχύει

φράσαι, αὐτοῦ τεθεικότος σε τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου, ὑπερτετάχθαι τῶνδε τῶν ῥευστῶν λόγων· ὁρῶ δὲ πολλοὺς ὑμνολογοῦντας, δέσποτα, ἱππεῖς ἐνόπλους, θηρολέτας <κατ>ευστόχους, οἷς πάνσοφος νοῦς οὐ χαρακτηρίζεται καὶ θεῖον ἦθος οὐκ ἐνωραΐζεται· ἡμᾶς δὲ τῶν σῶν ψυχικῶν κινημάτων τὴν ἔνθεον φρόνησιν ὑμνεῖν εὐπρεπές· ἥν πως ἀφ' ὕψους προσλαβὼν πανοπλίαν τὸν νοῦν φυλάττεις ταῖς θεοπνεύστοις Γραφαῖς· μνήμῃ γὰρ αὐτὰς καὶ τάχει θηρώμενος τέρπῃ δι' αὐτῶν πρὸς Θεὸν πτερούμενος. σὺ πᾶσαν ὀργὴν ὡς ἀνημέρους ἀεὶ θῆρας διώκεις ἐκ πανημέρου σκοποῦ, σὺ θηρολετεῖσθαι τὴν κακουργίαν θέλεις, δι' ἧς τὸ κοινὸν τῆς παροικίας γένος ἐκ τῶν ἐπιβούλων σκανδάλων θηρεύεται· τῇ σῇ φύσει, κράτιστε, καὶ τὰ θηρία ἐξημεροῦσθαι πολλάκις διδάσκεται· Μῆδοι δὲ τούτων εἰκόνες καὶ βάρβαροι, οἳ πολλάκις ζέσαντες ἀγρίῳ τρόπῳ τῷ σῷ κατεσβέσθησαν ἡμέρῳ λόγῳ. ἵππος δέ σοι πάρεστιν ὀξέως τρέχων ὁ σὸς λογισμὸς πανταχοῦ κινούμενος, πληρῶν τε τὴν γῆν καὶ πρὸς οὐρανὸν φέρων· καὶ τόξα τείνεις ἐκ φιλανθρώπου ῥοπῆς ἀεὶ προπέμπων τοὺς μελισταγεῖς λόγους, ὑφ' ὧν ἕκαστος ἡδέως τιτρώσκεται. πράττεις δὲ ταῦτα καὶ βιάζῃ τὸν χρόνον, ὅταν τοσαύταις συμπλοκαῖς τὰ πράγματα τὴν γῆν ἐπικλύζωσι ῥευμάτων δίκην. ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἐλπὶς τῶν παρόντων δυσκόλων ἐκ σοῦ πεπαῦσθαι πανταχοῦ τὰς φροντίδας· εἰ γὰρ τὸ κοινὸν πολλάκις διώλετο ταῖς τῶν κρατούντων ἀπροσεξίαις πεσόν, καὶ νῦν τὸ κοινὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ σωθήσεται ταῖς τοῦ κρατοῦντος εὐσεβῶς εὐπραξίαις. καὶ πρὶν γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἠθλιωμένους βλέπων, ἡνίκα τὰ πικρὰ τοῦ τυράννου τραύματα νομὴν λαβόντα τῶν μελῶν καθήπτετο, καιρὸν μὲν εἶχες τοῦ μένειν χωρὶς πόνων, ὡς μὴ πεφυκὼς τῶν κακῶν παραίτιος· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπέσχες οὐδὲν ἧττον, δέσποτα, τῶν εἰς ἀπείρους συμφορὰς πεπλεγμένων, δι' ὧν ἕκαστος ἀγρίως ἐδάκνετο ἐκ τοῦ κρατοῦντος θηρίου τῶν πραγμάτων· καὶ πρὸς τοσούτους ἡδέως δραμὼν πόνους τοῦ σοῦ κατεφρόνησας αἵματος μόνος ἐξ αἱμάτων ἅπαντας ἁρπάσαι θέλων· οὐ γὰρ θαλάττης μακρὸν ἔτρεμες πόρον, οὐδὲ πρὸς οἶκτον μητρὸς ἀνθείλκου τότε· ἔρως δέ τίς σε πρὸς Θεὸν πυρούμενον κατεῖχεν ὥστε τὴν καταιγίδα σβέσαι, δι' ἧς τὸ κοινὸν εἰς ὄλεθρον ἤρχετο. οὐκ ἐσφάλης δὲ τῆς τοσαύτης ἐλπίδος, ἀλλ' ὡς ὁ πιστὸς Φινεὲς τῷ πνεύματι τὴν πίστιν ἔσχες τῶν φόνων φονεύτριαν. ἀφ' οὗ γὰρ ἡμᾶς τῆς τυραννικῆς βλάβης ἐλευθερώσας ἐκ Θεοῦ δούλους ἔχεις, τῶν αἱμάτων ἤργησεν ἡ δεινὴ χύσις, ἐξ ἧς τὸ ῥεῦμα τῶν κακῶν ἐτίκτετο. τούτων ἔχων, κράτιστε, τὴν μνήμην ἀεὶ ἄνω τε ῥίψας πρὸς Θεὸν τὰς ἐλπίδας ὄψει τὸν αὐτὸν ἐν τάχει Θεὸν πάλιν σωτῆρα τῆς σῆς ἐλπίδος τὸ δεύτερον. αὐτὸς γὰρ ἡμῖν τὰς πρὸς εἰρήνην θύρας τοῖς σοῖς ἀνοίξει πανταχοῦ σπουδάσμασιν δεικνὺς ἐκείνην τῷ κράτει σου σύνθρονον. πρώην γάρ, οἶμαι, σωφρόνως ἐκρύπτετο ἐρυθριῶσα τοὺς νόθους βλέπειν φόνους. ἀλλ', ὦ χορηγὲ τῶν καλῶν χαρισμάτων, τῶν μὴ φερόντων εἰς ῥέοντα πράγματα, ἀλλ' εἰς μένουσαν εἰσαγόντων οὐσίαν, δέχου τὰ μικρὰ καὶ δίδασκε μείζονα. ὁ γὰρ πλάτος σοι καρδίας δωρούμενος, ὡς πᾶσιν ἀρκεῖς μηδαμῶς στενούμενος, δείξει κυβερνᾶν καὶ τὰ νῦν ἐκ τῆς ζάλης πρὸς τὴν γαλήνην, ἣν ἔχεις, τὰ πράγματα, ὅπως μερίμνης λοιπὸν ἐστερημένοι τὸ ψυχικόν σου κάλλος ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἐκτυποῦντες καρδίαις ἀνεξάλειπτον ἱστορήσωμεν χάριν δεικνύντες οἷον ἄνθος εὐλογημένον ταῖς τῶν ἀκανθῶν συμπλοκαῖς ἐκρύπτετο.