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ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΥΡΟΥ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ ΤΟΜΟΣ ΠΡΩΤΟΣ

ιζʹ.

Περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁμολογητῶν.

Μετὰ μέντοι τὴν ὀλεθρίαν ἐκείνην τῶν χρημάτων διανομὴν ἔν τινι συσσιτίῳ τινὲς τῶν τὸ χρυσίον εἰληφότων κατὰ ταὐτὸν εἱστιῶντο. Τούτων εἷς φιάλην δεξάμενος οὐ πρότερον ἔπιε πρὶν ἢ τὴν σωτήριον ἐπιθεῖναι σφραγίδα. Τινὸς δὲ τῶν συσσίτων ἐπιμεμψαμένου καὶ φήσαντος ἐναντίον εἶναι τοῦτο τῷ πρὸ βραχέως γεγενημένῳ, ἤρετο ἐκεῖνος τί τῶν ὑπ´ αὐτοῦ πεπραγμένων κέκληκεν ἐναντίον. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ βωμοῦ καὶ τοῦ λιβανωτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀρνήσεως τῆς γεγενημένης ἀνέμνησε· ταῦτα γὰρ τῆς Χριστιανικῆς ὁμολογίας ἀντίπαλα. Τούτων ἀκούσαντες τῶν ἑστιωμένων οἱ πλείους ἀνωλόλυξάν τε καὶ ὠλοφύραντο, καὶ πολλὰς τῶν κεφαλῶν ἀποτίλαντες τρίχας ἐξανέστησάν τε τοῦ συμποσίου καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς θέοντες Χριστιανοί τε εἶναι ἐβόων καὶ βασιλικοῖς παρακεκροῦσθαι τεχνάσμασι καὶ παλινῳδίαν ᾄδειν καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀγνοίας συμβᾶσαν ἧτταν ἀναπαλαίειν. Μετὰ τούτων θέοντες τῶν βοῶν κατέλαβον τὰ βασίλεια, τῶν τοῦ τυράννου σοφισμάτων κατηγοροῦντες καὶ πυρὶ παραδοθῆναι παρακαλοῦντες, ἵνα πυρὶ μιανθέντες διὰ πυρὸς ἑτέρου τὴν κάθαρσιν δέξωνται. Ταῦτα καὶ ὅσα τούτοις προσόμοια παρ´ ἐκείνων λεγόμενα ἐξέμηνε τὸν τοῦ ἀλιτηρίου θυμόν. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν αὐτῶν τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀποτμηθῆναι προσέταξεν. Ἀπαγομένων δὲ αὐτῶν ἔξω τοῦ ἄστεως, ἠκολούθει τὸ τῆς πόλεως πλῆθος, ἀγάμενον αὐτοὺς τῆς εὐψυχίας καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας παρρησίαν θαυμάζον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ χωρίον ἐκεῖνο κατέλαβον ἔνθα τοὺς κακούργους κολάζειν εἰώθασιν, ἐλιπάρησε τὸν δήμιον ὁ τῶν ἄλλων πρεσβύτερος, τοῦ πάντων αὐτῶν νεωτάτου πρῶτον τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐκτεμεῖν, ἵνα μὴ τῶν ἄλλων θεασάμενος τὴν σφαγὴν τὴν δειλίαν εἰσδέξηται. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ μὲν ἐπέθηκε τῷ δαπέδῳ τὰ γόνατα, ὁ δὲ τὸ ξίφος ἐγύμνωσεν, ἧκέ τις μηνύων τὴν ἄφεσιν καὶ βοῇ κωλύων πόρρωθεν τὴν ἀναίρεσιν. Τότε ὁ νεώτατος τὴν τῆς σφαγῆς δυσχεράνας ἀπαλλαγήν· «οὐκ ἦν ἄρα» ἔφη, «Ῥωμανὸς ἄξιος μάρτυς κληθῆναι Χριστοῦ». Τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ ὄνομα. Ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν σφαγὴν ὁ κακομήχανος ἐκεῖνος ἐκώλυσε, φθόνῳ βαλλόμενος καὶ τῆς εὐκλείας βασκαίνων τοῖς ἀθληταῖς, οὐκ εἴασε δὲ ὅμως αὐτοὺς τὰς πόλεις οἰκεῖν, ἀλλ´ εἰς τὰς ἐσχατιὰς τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας ἐξέπεμψε.

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The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret (CCEL)

Chapter I. Of the reign and piety of Jovianus

After Julian was slain the generals and prefects met in council and deliberated who ought to succeed to the imperial power and effect both the salvation of the army in the campaign, and the recovery of the fortunes of Rome, now, by the rashness of the deceased Emperor, placed to use the common saying, on the razor edge of peril. ¹ But while the chiefs were in deliberation the troops met together and demanded Jovianus for emperor, though he was neither a general nor in the next highest rank; a man however remarkably distinguished, and for many reasons well known. His stature was great; his soul lofty. In war, and in grave struggles it was his wont to be first. Against impiety he delivered himself courageously with no fear of the tyrant’s power, but with a zeal that ranked him among the martyrs of Christ. So the generals accepted the unanimous vote of the soldiers as a divine election. The brave man was led forward and placed upon a raised platform hastily constructed. The host saluted him with the imperial titles, calling him Augustus and Cæsar. With his usual bluntness, and fearless alike in the presence of the commanding officers and in view of the recent apostasy of the troops, Jovianus admirably said “I am a Christian. I cannot govern men like these. I cannot command Julian’s army trained as it is in vicious discipline. Men like these, stripped of the covering of the providence of God, will fall an easy and ridiculous prey to the foe.” On hearing this the troops shouted with one voice, “Hesitate not, O emperor; think it not a vile thing to command us. You shall reign over Christians P. 108 nurtured in the training of truth; our veterans were taught in the school of Constantine himself; younger men among us were taught by Constantius. This dead man’s empire lasted but a few years, all too few to stamp its brand even on those whom it deceived.” ²