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ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΥΡΟΥ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ ΤΟΜΟΣ ΠΡΩΤΟΣ

ιςʹ.

Περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Βάρσου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Ἐδέσσης καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ ἐξορισθέντων κληρικῶν.

Βάρσην δέ, οὗ καὶ νῦν πολὺ τὸ κλέος οὐκ ἐν Ἐδέσσῃ μόνον ἣν ἴθυνε καὶ ταῖς ταύτης πλησιοχώροις πόλεσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν Φοινίκῃ καὶ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ Θηβαΐδι (ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα διελήλυθε τὰ ἔθνη διὰ τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς περιφερόμενος λαμπηδόνα), πρῶτον μὲν αὐτὸν ὁ Βάλης Ἄραδον οἰκεῖν τὴν νῆσον προσέταξεν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔγνω μυρία πάντοθεν πρὸς αὐτὸν συρρέοντα πλήθη (ἀποστολικῆς γὰρ χάριτος ἀνάπλεως ὢν λόγῳ τὰς νόσους ἐξήλαυνεν), εἰς Ὀξύρυγχον αὐτὸν τὴν Αἰγυπτίαν ἐξέπεμψε πόλιν. Ὡς δὲ κἀκεῖ τὸ τούτου κλέος συνήγειρεν ἅπαντας, εἰς φρούριον ἔσχατον τοῖς ἐκεῖ γειτονεῦον βαρβάροις (Φηνὼ δὲ τούτῳ ὄνομα) ὁ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἄξιος ἀπήχθη πρεσβύτης. Ἐν δὲ τῇ Ἀράδῳ φασὶ τὴν ἐκείνου μέχρι καὶ τήμερον μεμενηκέναι κλίνην, πλείστης ἀξιουμένην τιμῆς. Πολλοὶ γὰρ τῶν ἀρρωστούντων ἐπ´ ἐκείνης κατακλινόμενοι τὴν ὑγείαν διὰ τῆς πίστεως δρέπονται.

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The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret (CCEL)

Chapter XXIX. Of the piety of Count Terentius.

Terentius , an excellent general, distinguished for his piety, had set up trophies of victory and returned from Armenia. On being ordered by Valens to choose a boon, he mentioned one which it was becoming in a man nurtured in piety to choose, for he asked not gold nor yet silver, not land, not dignity, not a house, but that one church might be granted to them that were risking their all for the Apostolic doctrine. Valens received the petition, but on becoming acquainted with its contents he tore it up in a rage, and bade Terentius beg some other boon. The count, however, picked up the pieces of his petition, and said, “I have my reward, sir, and I will not ask another. The Judge of all things is Judge of my intention.”