Übersetzung ausblenden
The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret (CCEL)

Chapter XVIII. The Unlawful Translation of Eusebius, Bishop of Nicomedia.

The Arian party did not desist from their evil machinations. They had only signed the confession of faith for the purpose of disguising themselves in sheeps’-skins, while they were acting the part of wolves. The holy Alexander, of Byzantium, for the city was not yet called Constantinople, who by his prayer had pierced Arius to the heart, had, at the period to which we are referring, been translated to a better life. Eusebius, the propagator of impiety, little regarding the definition which, only a short time previously, he with the other bishops had agreed upon, without delay quitted Nicomedia and seized upon the see of Constantinople, in direct violation of that canon ¹ which prohibits bishops and presbyters from being translated from one city to another. But that those who carry their infatuation so far as to deny the divinity of the only-begotten Son of God, should likewise violate the other laws, cannot excite surprise. Nor was this the first occasion P. 56 that he made this innovation; for, having been originally entrusted with the see of Berytus, he leapt from thence to Nicomedia. Whence he was expelled by the synod, on account of his manifest impiety, as was likewise Theognis, bishop of Nicæa. This is related a second time in the letters of the emperor Constantine; and I shall here insert the close of the letter which he wrote to the Nicomedians.

Edition ausblenden
ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΥΡΟΥ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ ΤΟΜΟΣ ΠΡΩΤΟΣ

ιηʹ.

Περὶ Ἑλένης τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου μητρὸς καὶ τῆς τοῦ τιμίου ξύλου τοῦ σταυροῦ εὑρέσεως καὶ τῆς περὶ τὴν οἰκο δομίαν τοῦ θείου ναοῦ σπουδῆς.

Τούτοις τοῖς γράμμασιν οὐκ ἄλλος τις διηκόνησεν ἀλλ´ αὐτὴ τοῦ βασιλέως ἡ μήτηρ, ἡ καλλίπαις ἐκείνη καὶ παρὰ πάντων ᾀδομένη τῶν εὐσεβῶν, ἡ τὸν μέγαν τοῦτον φωστῆρα τεκοῦσα καὶ τὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας αὐτῷ προσενεγκοῦσα τροφήν, αὕτη τῶν τῆς ὁδοιπορίας πόνων ἀνασχομένη καὶ τοῦ γήρως οὐ λογισαμένη τὰ πάθη· πρὸ γὰρ ὀλίγου τῆς τελευτῆς τὴν ἀποδημίαν ταύτην ἐστείλατο, ὀγδοηκοντοῦτις δὲ τὸ τέρμα τοῦ βίου κατείληφεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ χωρίον εἶδεν ἐκεῖνο τὸ τῆς κοινῆς σωτηρίας τὰ πάθη δεξάμενον, εὐθὺς μὲν τὸν μυσαρὸν ἐκεῖνον νεὼν καταλυθῆναι καὶ τὸν χοῦν ἐκφορηθῆναι προσέταξε. Δήλου δὲ τοῦ κεκρυμμένου τάφου γεγενημένου, ὤφθησαν τρεῖς παρὰ τὸ μνῆμα τὸ δεσποτικὸν κατακεχωσμένοι σταυροί. Καὶ ὅτι μὲν εἷς ἐκ τούτων ὁ τοῦ δεσπότου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐτύγχανεν ὤν, οἱ δ´ ἕτεροι τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ προσηλωθέντων λῃστῶν, ἀναμφισβητήτως ἐπίστευον ἅπαντες· ἠγνόουν δὲ ὅμως τὸν τῷ δεσποτικῷ πελάσαντα σώματι καὶ τοῦ τιμίου αἵματος τὴν λιβάδα δεξάμενον. Ἀλλ´ ὁ σοφώτατος ἐκεῖνος καὶ θεῖος ὄντως Μακάριος ὁ τῆς πόλεως πρόεδρος τοιῷδε πόρῳ τὴν ἀπορίαν διέλυσε. Γυναικὶ γὰρ περιφανεῖ, νόσῳ κατεχομένῃ μακρᾷ, ἕκαστον τῶν σταυρῶν ἐκείνων μετὰ προσευχῆς σπουδαίας προσενεγκὼν ἔγνω τοῦ σωτηρίου σταυροῦ τὴν δύναμιν. Παραυτίκα γὰρ οὗτος τῷ γυναίῳ πελάσας τὴν χαλεπὴν ἐκείνην ἐξήλασε νόσον καὶ τὴν ἄνθρωπον ἀπέφηνεν ὑγιᾶ.

Οὕτω δὴ τοῦ βασιλέως ἡ μήτηρ μαθοῦσα τὸ ποθούμενον, τῶν μὲν ἥλων τὰ μὲν εἰς τὸ βασιλικὸν ἐνέβαλε κράνος, τῆς τοῦ παιδὸς κεφαλῆς προμηθουμένη, ἵνα τὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἀποκρούηται βέλη· τὰ δὲ τῷ τοῦ ἵππου ἀνέμιξε χαλινῷ, καὶ ἀσφάλειαν μηχανωμένη τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ παλοῦ μοῖραν μέν τινα τοῖς βασιλείοις ἀπένειμε, τῷ δὲ λοιπῷ θήκην ἐξ ὕλης ἀργύρου ποιησαμένη τῷ τῆς πόλεως δέδωκεν ἐπισκόπῳ, φυλάττειν παρεγγυήσασα ταῖς ἔπειτα γενεαῖς τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας μνημόσυνα. Πάντοθεν δὲ δὴ παντοδαπῆς ὕλης τεχνίτας ἀγείρασα τοὺς μεγίστους ἐκείνους καὶ λαμπροτάτους νεὼς ἐδομήσατο. Τὸ δὲ τούτων κάλλος καὶ μέγεθος ἐκφράσαι περιττὸν ἄγαν ὑπείληφα, πάντων ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν τῶν φιλοθέων ἐκεῖσε θεόντων καὶ θεωμένων τῶν ἔργων τὴν πολυτέλειαν.

Πεποίηκε δὲ καὶ ἕτερον μνήμης ἄξιον ἡ πανεύφημος ἐκείνη καὶ ἀξιάγαστος βασιλίς. Τὰς γὰρ διὰ βίου τὴν παρθενίαν ἀσκούσας συναγείρασα πάσας καὶ ἐπὶ στιβάδων πολλῶν κατακλίνασα, αὐτὴ θεραπαινίδος ἔργον ἐπλήρου, διακονοῦσα καὶ ὄψα παρατιθεῖσα καὶ κύλικας ὀρέγουσα καὶ οἰνοχοοῦσα καὶ πρόχουν ἐπὶ λέβητος φέρουσα καὶ ὕδωρ ταῖς ἐκείνων χερσὶν ἐπιχέουσα. Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια δράσασα ἐπανῆλθε μὲν πρὸς τὸν παῖδα, μετ´ εὐθυμίας δὲ εἰς τὸν ἕτερον μετέστη βίον, πλεῖστα τῷ παιδὶ περὶ τῆς εὐσεβοῦς πολιτείας ἐντειλαμένη καὶ ταῖς ἐξιτηρίοις αὐτὸν ἐπικλύσασα εὐλογίαις. Ἐκείνη μὲν οὖν καὶ μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τιμῆς τετύχηκεν ὁποίας τυχεῖν ἐχρῆν τὴν οὕτως ἐπιμελῶς καὶ θερμῶς τὸν τῶν ὅλων τεθεραπευκυῖαν θεόν.