Hearing this, he immediately declared a fast, and three days later the Lord revealed to him about Blessed Porphyrios; he wrote an epistle to the aforementioned Monk Prailius, Bishop of Jerusalem, asking him to send to him the blessed Porphyrius for the sake of a certain question from the Scriptures, which he was to resolve; for the blessed one was able to absolve from the Holy Spirit everything that seemed difficult in the divine Scriptures. The God-loving Prailius, believing in the epistle of Blessed John, dismissed him, enjoining him not to remain longer than seven days. 13. Blessed Porphyrios, hearing about the contents of the epistle of the most Monk John, was at first troubled, and then said: "The will of the Lord be done." And he called me in the evening, and said to me, "Brother Mark, let us go and worship the holy places and the precious cross."

It will take a long time before we bow down again. And I said: Why do you speak thus, father? And he answered: Last night I saw the Saviour, saying to me thus: Return the pledge which I have left with you, for I wish to unite you with a wife, though not noble, but good-natured; Take her and adorn her, so that she may forget her former poverty; If she is not noble, my own sister is not alien to me either. But beware, having a wife, and taking care of the house, to gather by iniquity, or by force, or by iniquity, for thou shalt provoke me to anger, and grieved her; for she also turns away from these things. But you have only a good willingness, and everything will be granted to you from where you do not expect. This was explained to me by the Lord Christ last night, and I am afraid that, wishing to atone for my sins, I would atone for many other sins. But it is impossible to contradict God's will. 14. When he had said this, he departed, and I with him, and having bowed down before the holy places and the precious cross, [13] after praying and weeping for a long time, he placed the precious and life-giving cross in the golden ark, and locking it up, he went out; going to the blessed bishop Prailius, he handed him the keys, and having accepted the prayer, entrusted to God, he went out. When we came home, we began to prepare for the journey: having hired three animals and taken parting words, we went out; and the parting words were everything that was in the house. There were five of us on the way – the blessed one himself, me, two drivers and another young altar boy named Baroch, whom the blessed one had not long found abandoned in the street in extreme danger, took with him and, having spent much on him, with the help of God made him healthy. From that time on, he remained with him, serving with me. What happened to the pious Varoha I will tell you later. Traveling that day, the next day we came to Caesarea, and the news of our arrival spread throughout the city, for the blessed one was known as a beggar. We went to the hospice there. 15. Blessed Archbishop John, hearing of this, immediately came to us, and after embracing each other and praying, they sat for a while. And the archbishop said to him: "Arise, brother, for the Lord's sake, and eat with me, so that we may quickly rise to the vigil of the Holy Resurrection." We came on Saturday evening. Blessed Porphyrius asked him to give him an evening for the sake of the difficulty of the journey; He said that [14] after the first sleep he would get up for vigil. When the archbishop did not listen, the blessed one got up and went with him, taking me also (we left Varoha in the hospice near the clothes), and at the invitation of the archbishop we had supper. After a long conversation about spiritual things and having slept a little, we arose for vigil. 16. That night Blessed John sent to the people of Gaza and said to them: "Be ready for the exodus: today you will receive your priest, the man whom the Lord has indicated." And when morning came, they seized the blessed one and ordained him bishop of Gaza. He wept a lot and could not get enough of tears, for he said that he was not worthy of such a holy thing. Comforted with difficulty by the people of Gaza and the Christians there, he calmed down. And having celebrated the Holy Liturgy of the Resurrection, we again returned to partake with the archbishop. 17. He ordered us to leave as soon as possible, and after another day there, we set off; we spent the night in Diospolis 12 and, having spent the night, came to Gaza late in the evening, after great labor and sorrow. The cause of the sorrow was this: Near Gaza there are villages along the way, who are partakers of idolatry. Their inhabitants purposely covered the whole way with thorns and sticks, so that no one could pass, poured dung on him and smoked other stench, so that we were suffocated by the bad smell and were in danger of losing our sight. Having barely escaped, we entered the city at about three o'clock in the morning. The blessed one met this difficulty through demonic delusion; but he was not grieved, for he believed that the wiles of the devil came from the fact that he wanted to turn the righteous away from entering. 18. We went to the diocese 13, which had been built by the above-mentioned bishop Irinion, together with the holy church called Irene. It is said that it bears this name for two reasons: the inhabitants of Gaza say that when the city was taken by Alexander the Great, it was by some sign that the war ceased here, and therefore the place was called Irini (i.e., peace); Blessed Irinion, finding that this place was venerated by the inhabitants of Gaza, built a church on it. And it has remained under this name to this day, either by what has been said above, or by the name of the builder. There we went to the little diocese he had built. 19. In this year there was a lack of dope, and all the inhabitants of the city attributed this circumstance to the arrival of the blessed one, saying that "it was announced to us by the Marne 14 that the author of the calamity for the city is Porphyry." And since God continued not to give rain in the first month, which they called Dios 15, and in the second, [16] called Epileos 16, they were still more depressed. The idolaters gathered in the temple of the Marne, offered many sacrifices and offered many prayers for this. They said that the Marne was the lord of the rains: they said that the Marne was Zeus. And when they continued to sing hymns for seven days and went out of the city, to a place called the place of prayer, then, having achieved nothing, they returned to their business in despair. Under such circumstances, the assembled Christians, men, wives and children, two hundred and eighty in number, besought the Monk Porphyrios to go out with them to prayer and to ask for rains, for there was already a famine, especially since the lack of rain was attributed to the arrival of the blessed. 20. The monk obeyed and, declaring a fast, ordered that in the evening all should gather in the holy church in order to make a vigil there; During the whole night we made thirty prayers with the same number of genuflections, in addition to singing and reading. At the onset of morning, taking the image of the venerable cross, at its presentation, we went out with singing to the ancient church located in the west of the city, which, as they say, was founded by the most holy and blessed Asklipa 17 bishop, who endured many persecutions for the Orthodox faith, whose life [17] and deeds are recorded in the paradise of delight. Arriving at the said church, and there we made the same number of prayers, and, leaving there, we went to the martyrium 18 of the glorious Martyr Timothy 19, where rest the other remains of the Martyress Maiura and the Confessor's Fairy; and there, having performed as many prayers and genuflections, we returned to the city, having performed three prayers and three genuflections. Finding ourselves near the city, we found it locked up (it was nine o'clock); The idolaters, wishing to scatter the people, did so so that we would not serve the Litiya. And when we remained two hours before the gate, and no one opened the door, God, seeing the patience of the people, the weeping and the unspeakable tears, especially of the venerable man, having mercy, as in the time of the great Elijah the prophet, raised the wind from the south, the sky was covered with clouds, and at sunset there began lightning and thunder, and a great rain poured down, so that it was possible to think that these were not drops, but hail falling from heaven. We almost did not feel it from great joy, for we embraced each other. 21. Some of the Greeks, seeing the colicky miracles God performed for us, having believed, opened the gates and mingled with us, exclaiming: Christ is one [18] God, he alone has conquered. They came with us to the holy church, from where the blessed one dismissed them in peace, sealing them with the seal of Christ. There were 127 of them, including 88 men, 35 women, 14 children, including five virgins. And we, having made the final thanksgiving, departed each with joy and peace. And so much rain poured down that night and the next day, that everyone was afraid that the houses would collapse, because most of them were made of unbaked bricks. And our Lord Jesus Christ rained from the eighth day of the month of Abduney to the tenth. They have the month of January, according to Roman; their months precede the Roman months by five days. On the eleventh day we celebrated the day of Theophany 20 of the Lord Jesus Christ, joyfully singing and thanking for all that his love for mankind had done to us. In this year 127 were added to the flock of Christ, and 105 more. The idolaters did not cease to plot against the blessed one and the rest of the Christians; for when they got the archon Greek, they urged him either with money or with their godless religion to offend Christians, and because of this came this blessed one an extraordinary sorrow, and he unceasingly prayed night and day to God, the lover of mankind, that he would turn them from error to his own truth. 22. Since I have mentioned the blessed [19] Baroch above, I will tell the rest of him, for he possessed zeal for God like no other, and therefore suffered much evil from idolaters. Once, when he went to collect the church tax 21 in one not far from the city (and the one who was to be collected was an idolater), when they began to demand a collection, and he wanted to delay and postpone the payment, but the pious Barocha did not agree, as a result of this there arose a dispute between them, and the impious farmer summoned several villagers like him, and they began to beat the blessed Barocha with sticks; then, lifting him up half-dead, they threw him outside the village into a deserted place, where he lay speechless and motionless. On the next day, out of God's love for mankind, the deacon Cornelius passed through this place with two other Christians, and finding the God-loving Varoha and recognizing him, he raised him up and carried him into the city. 23. When the idolaters saw him being carried away, they thought that he was dead, they turned into a rage, believing that it was criminal to bring a dead man into the city, and pulling him from the shoulders of those who were carrying him, they began to beat the God-loving Cornelius the deacon and two Christians, and, tying a rope to the foot of the blessed Barocha, they dragged him away. At this time some of the brethren informed the blessed bishop of this, and he, [20] being troubled, summoned me and three other brethren who were with him, and said to them: "Be of good cheer, brethren, and flee, now is the time of martyrdom." When we ran to the place where we had bound the blessed one, crowds came running, and some mocked the most holy bishop, while others, seeing his patience, that he was not angry at the mockery, but, on the contrary, exhorted everyone not to defile or insult the obsequious body, they went over to our side and began to argue with each other to the point of being struck. We, seeing great confusion, lifted up the God-loving Varoha and went off to the holy church. 24. When they saw that he was still breathing, they began to heal him, and an intense prayer was made for him evening and night, for all the brethren had gathered. And the venerable bishop did not cease to weep and pray to God for him, for he knew what zeal he had for God. When God saw the tears of the venerable priest and the entreaties of the people (he was considered the second Phinehas 22 against the idolaters), He hastened His mercy on him, and that night He opened his eyes, and he began to speak and ask for a drink. I, sitting beside him, immediately ran to inform the blessed bishop, and in great joy I forgot to give him a drink: and the same thing happened to me as to the handmaiden in the time of the blessed Apostle Peter (Acts 12:14), when, hearing the voice of St. [21] Peter, she did not open the door to him for joy, but, leaving him, first informed those who were in the house; The same thing happened to me. The blessed bishop, hearing this, was not overcome by spiritual agitation, but remained, abiding in prayer. And we, having praised his firmness and steadfastness, left him and departed, me and the God-loving Cornelius the deacon, who sat with me at the time of Blessed Baroch. When the most venerable bishop had finished his prayers and all the service, he sat down with us and asked the pious Barocha how he had suffered at first, and he told us everything. 25. When we were deliberating about what should be done, morning came, and behold, the defender of the city 23 with the two irinarchs 24 and the two nobles 25 Timothy and Epiphanius and many others, came and began to shout and make a noise, saying: "Why did you bring a dead man into the city, despite the fact that this is forbidden by the laws of your fathers? and at the same time they insulted the blessed bishop. We, hearing the noise, went out, and when they saw us, they began to beat me and the God-loving Cornelius the deacon. When we began to call witnesses from among the people, the most venerable bishop [22] stopped our mouths, asking and exhorting them not to be so recklessly angry. The godless, however, the more they asked of them, the more they were possessed and insulted the monk man. And as the noise continued, the God-loving Barocha became animated and filled with zeal for God: he arose, seized a stick and began to beat those who were caught, and continued, chasing them to the sanctuary of the Marne; our new Sampson returned with a great victory, and he himself slew a thousand foreigners. From that time on, the idolaters feared him, not being able to hear his name. A little time later, I and the God-loving Varoha were vouchsafed ordination to the deaconate, and I, being very unworthy, received this gift worthily and righteously. 26. Our father Porphyry, who is among the saints, seeing the iniquities committed daily by idolaters, decided to send me to Byzantium to ask the kings to destroy the pagan temples: they were still active in Gaza, especially the so-called sanctuary of the Marne. And having composed an epistle to the most holy and most reverend bishop of Constantinople, whose glory and praise are mentioned by all, he sent me: after twenty days we arrived, and I, having given the epistle to the blessed John 26, acquainted him orally with everything. The latter, hearing this, immediately informed [23] Eutropius 27 the cuvicular 28, who had great power with the emperor Arcadius, and read to him the epistle of the blessed bishop, asking him to help the epistle; Having received the promise, he went away and said to me, "Be at peace, child; I trust in the Lord Christ, because He usually shows His mercy. I did not cease to remind him daily, and he sent and insisted before Eutropius. At the end of seven days, a divine decree was promulgated that the temples of the city of Gaza should be shut up and not functioning, and this command was given to one Hilary, the suvadiuv of the magister 29. 27. Three days later I left Byzantium, and ten days later I arrived in the city of Gaza, seven days ahead of Hilary. I found the Monk Porphyrios unwell, but as soon as I conveyed to him the answer of His Beatitude John, Archbishop of Constantinople, and read it, he, rejoicing, recovered, freed from fever. He said that he had received illness as a result of great sorrow from idolaters. Seven days later, the said Hilary arrived, together with two commentaries of 30 consuls and much help from Azotus 31 and Ascalon, and [24] all the public authorities. Immediately he captured three nobles,32 and having received satisfaction from them, he presented them with a royal charter, commanding that the temples of the city of Gaza should be locked up on pain of the death of the first of that city, and having overthrown all the idols in them, he locked them up. He left the sanctuary of the Marne to operate secretly, taking a very large sum of money for it. And the idolaters began again, as usual, to commit iniquity. 28. And it happened that another miracle took place, the spread of which led many to the knowledge of the truth. God, being gracious, knows how to turn the human race to His intellectual light under various pretexts.

The torments that befell the wife were unspeakable, since the pains pushed the fetus every hour; the torments were even more intense because the first day was followed by a second, as well as a third, which was even more painful than the second. The sufferings [25] lasted for seven days, and the illness constantly intensified. And the doctors wanted to perform a ventricular section on her, but seeing the loss of her strength, they refused her. Her parents and husband Iros, being worshippers of demons, sacrificed for her every day, brought spellcasters and healers, believing that they would help her, but to no avail. 29. She had a believing nurse, who, in great sorrow, prayed for her in prayer houses. One day, when she was praying with tears in church, at about the ninth hour, Porphyrios, who was among the saints, entered there, and I with him, and saw a grieving old woman, who was praying to God with tears; He stopped and asked her why. She, seeing him, fell down at his feet, begging him to pray to Christ for her. When the saint learned the reason from his wife, he himself shed tears (he was extremely compassionate) and said to the nurse: "I hear about this family, that they worship idols and can hardly be saved; but all things are possible with God, and He takes advantage of the opportunity to save those who are perishing." Go now and gather all your relatives, parents, and husband, and say to them, 'Since there is an excellent physician here who can cure her, if he helps her to avoid a little danger, what will you give him?' At any rate, they will promise you a great deal. Tell them this: if he cures her, give me your word that [26] you will not betray him and will not go to another. Make them all raise their hands to heaven and give their word that they will fulfill all that they have promised. And when they have done this, say to the woman in labor in front of everyone, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, heals you. Believe in Him, and you will live." 30. The old woman, hearing the words of the blessed bishop and accepting from him a commission to God, ran into the house and, finding everyone weeping, and her wife in extreme danger, she besought her parents and husband not to be faint-hearted; She said that "an excellent doctor has sent me to you to give me your word that if he cures her, you will not give him up." When my parents and husband heard this, they said, "If he wishes to take all our possessions, we will not hesitate, if only we may see our daughter alive," and the nurse said, "Lift up your hands to heaven and give me your word that you will not refuse the doctor." And they willingly and with tears lifted up their hands, saying that all that was ours would belong to him all the time of our lives. For what consolation will we have if she dies? She was the only one and of a beautiful character like no other wife. The nurse, hearing this, said in a loud voice before all: "The great priest Porphyrius says: Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, heals you; believe in Him and you will live. Immediately, the wife, screaming loudly, gave birth to a living child. [27] 31. Everyone who was there exclaimed in amazement: "Great is the Christian God, great is Priest Porphyrios." On the following day the wife's parents, and the husband and all the relatives and friends, having come to Blessed Porphyrios, fell at his feet, asking for the seal of Christ.

The blessed one, having marked them and made them catechumens, sent them away in peace, commanding them to attend the holy church, and after a short time, having catechetized them, he baptized the child together with his wife, and gave him the name Porphyrios. Those who were enlightened about the wife were sixty-four in number. 32. The idolaters, as they saw the Christians multiplying, became hardened and did not allow them to hold public offices, but treated them as evil slaves. Blessed Porphyrios, again seeing the great injustice done to the Christians, and unable to bear their insults when he saw them, went to Caesarea to the blessed Archbishop John 33 and asked him with tears to calm him. He said that he was no longer able to endure the lawlessness committed by the people of Gaza. Blessed John, having heard, asked him to be firm and not to abandon the episcopacy. And answering, the most Monk Porphyrios said to him: 33. "I take thee as a witness before the invisible God and our hope, Jesus Christ, the Lord of all creation, and the Holy Spirit, worshipped and life-giving[28], despise not my supplication, that the destruction of innumerable souls may be exacted from us.

But I beseech thee, father, let us go with me to the reigning city to pray to the kings, with the permission of the heavenly King, for the destruction of the pagan temples." Blessed John, answering him, said: "Child, your request is just, but the time is inconvenient: now begins the winter turn." Blessed Porphyrios answered: "If God wills that we should be and convert the people of Gaza, then He can preserve us even during the winter. And Thou, Father, be pleased to dare to His kindness, and our way shall be prosperous," Blessed John said to him: "Let the will of Christ be done." 34. Blessed Porphyrios, having received his promise, wrote to me that I should come to Caesarea as soon as possible and bring with me three books and forty-three nomisms,34 which happened to be left over from the revenues of the Holy Church. And I, having received the letter, and having taken the books and nomisms, immediately departed, and having arrived at Caesarea, I found the most venerable bishops preparing for the voyage, and two days later we set sail on Sunday, the twenty-third day of the month of Peritia, and by the mercy of Christ, having sailed safely, after ten days we arrived at the island of Rhodes. At that time on the island, on the opposite side, there was a monk named Procopius, who is now numbered among the angels. He died five years ago, living a blameless life in fasts and vigils and extreme non-acquisitiveness; He had the gift of prophecy and the power to cast out demons. We, having arrived, as has been said, at Rhodes, and hearing of the asceticisms of the holy man, considered it necessary not to pass by him, but to enjoy his angelic communion, and having asked where he had stayed, we went to him, sailing in a sailing vessel, and having arrived, knocked at the door. He immediately went out and revealed it to us himself, although He had another disciple with him. 35. When he saw the most venerable bishops, he fell on his face and bowed down to them, then, rising, kissed me and the God-loving Eusebius the deacon, whom the venerable Archbishop John took with him; Leading us into the chapel, he stepped back, giving the front seat to the most blessed bishops, and said: "It behooves you priests to occupy the front seat, but I, who am humble and not worthy of ordination, take the back seat."

Then we learned that the most Monk Procopius was a clairvoyant, for not having seen us, and not having heard about us, he knew in spirit that the most blessed John and Porphyrius were bishops, which is why he gave them preference in prayer. Then, after prayer, we sat down and after talking with us about many things that were beneficial to the soul, he asked about the reason for the anxiety.

Blessed Porphyrius told him everything about the inhabitants of Gaza, how fiercely they were devoted to idols, and how many misfortunes the Christians endured from them, and that for this reason they went to ask the kings to overthrow the pagan temples of idols. 36. The hermit who was among the saints, Procopius, hearing and shedding tears, said: "Lord Jesus Christ, turn your servants from the devil's deception to your sanctified faith.

Then he said to the most venerable bishops: Do not be faint-hearted, fathers; for God, who knows your zeal for faith, will make your way well, and will give you all things according to your desire. Here I will advise you what the Lord has revealed to my humility: when you arrive in Byzantium, first of all see the most venerable Bishop John, and together with him make a prayer to God and explain the matter to him; he will advise you himself, what the Lord will reveal to him. For in the palace he cannot speak, because the queen Eudoxia is angry with him. He will entrust you to Amantius, the Empress's Cuvicular 37, a man of godliness and reverence for the beauty of the priest; He will lead you to the queen, and when you enter, she will receive you favorably. Tell her the whole matter and, having said goodbye to her, leave. At the second visit to her, reminding her of the work, tell her that: we hope in Christ, the Son of God: if you strive for the present work, then He will give you a male child. When she hears this, she will rejoice (she is pregnant, and now it is the ninth [31] month of her pregnancy) and will do everything for the fulfillment of your work, with the will of God. 37. But we, having heard the words of the holy man and believing in what had been said, being entrusted to God, went out and, departing on the same day, sailed, and after another nine days arrived in Byzantium; stopping at the hotel, we immediately went to the most reverend Archbishop John. When he learned who we were, he received us with great honor and attention, and asked us for what reason we had endured the hardships of the journey; We told him, and having confessed it, he remembered that we had asked for it in writing before, and when he recognized me, he kissed me favorably. He consoled us not to despair, but to have hope in the mercy of God, and said to us: I have no power to speak with the king, for the queen has angered him with me because I reproached her with regard to the estate, which she, having desired, had stolen. And I do not care or worry about him being angry; they have injured themselves, and not me; and if they harm my body, they are much more beneficial to my soul. However, we will leave this to the mercy of God, and as for your commission, if the Lord wills, tomorrow I will send for the eunuch Amantius, the castrisian of the 39th queen, who has great power with her and is truly a servant of God; I will explain the matter to him, and he will do his best, with God's permission. And we, having said goodbye at this, entrusting ourselves to God, went to our inn. 38. The next day we came to the monk and found from him the cuvicularia Amantius: the monk took care of our case, sent for him and told him about us.

When we entered, and Amantius learned that it was we, of whom he had been spoken, who stood up and saluted the most venerable bishops, bowing his brow to the ground; and they, knowing who he was, embraced and kissed him. And His Holiness Archbishop John instructed them to tell the Kuvicularii orally about his work. The Monk Porphyrios told him everything concerning the idolaters, how they boldly committed iniquity, and how they oppressed Christians. And he, listening, wept, and being filled with zeal for God, said to them: "Do not despair, fathers, the Lord Christ will defend the service to Himself.

Молитесь же вы, а я поговорю с Августой и уповаю на Бога всяческих, что он, по обыкновению, сотворит милость свою. Завтра я введу вас к ней и она сама узнает из уст ваших, чего вы хотите, ибо вы обрящете ее предуведомленною мною. Сказав это и простившись с нами, он ушел, а мы, беседовав с преподобнейшим архиепископом Иоанном о многом духовном, и получив препоручение Богу, удалились. 39. На следующий день прислал за нами [33] кувикулярий Амантий двух деканов 40 приглашая идти во дворец, и мы, встав, поспешно отправились. Мы нашли его ожидавшим нас, и он, взяв двух епископов, ввел к Августе Евдоксии. Увидев их, она приветствовала их первая, сказав: благословите отцы, и они поклонились ей.

Она сидела на золотом ложе и сказала им: простите меня, иереи Христовы, ради належащей мне необходимости утробы, ибо я должна была выйти в прихожую для встречи вашего преподобия. Но, Господа ради, молитесь за меня, чтобы я, по человеколюбию Божию, родила сущее во чреве. Преподобнейшие епископы, удивляясь ее снисхождению, сказали: Благословивый чрево Сарры и Ревекки, и Елисаветы, благословит и оживит сущее во чреве твоем. 40. После того, как они произнесли и другие духовные речи, она сказала им: Я знаю, чего ради вы потрудились; меня предупредил об этом Амантий кастрисий. Если же и вы хотите рассказать мне, то прикажите, отцы. Получив приказание, они рассказали ей все относительно идолопоклонников, как бесстрашно они творят беззакония, как притесняют Христиан, не дозволяя им проходить государственные должности, ни обрабатывать своих полей, с которых платят подати вашей державе.

Царица, выслушав, сказала: Не теряйте мужества, отцы; я надеюсь на [34] Владыку Христа, Сына Божия, что убежду царя сделать подобающее святой вашей вере и отпустить вас отсюда, уврачевав вас; пойдите теперь, отдохните, ибо вы устали, и молитесь, дабы Бог содействовал моему прошению. Сказав это, она приказала принести денег и взяв три пригоршни, дала преподобнейшим епископам, сказав: возьмите пока это на расходы. Епископы же взяв и высказав ей много благословений, ушли. При выходе же много денег роздали стоявшим у дверей деканам, так что при них самих осталось немного. 41. Царица же, когда вошел к ней царь, рассказала ему все относящееся к делу епископов и просила разрушить капища Газы. Царь же, услышав это, был недоволен, сказав: Я знаю, что этот город привержен к идолопоклонству, но он относится благодушно к взносу податей, платя очень много. Если же мы внезапно их испугаем, то они обратятся в бегство, и мы потеряем столь значительный доход. Но, если хочешь, будем теснить их постепенно, отнимая у идолопоклонников должности и другие государственные обязанности, и прикажем чтобы капища их были заперты и не действовали. Ибо власть, соединяемая с внезапностью, тяжка для подчиненных.

Царица, услышав это, весьма опечалилась (она была тепла относительно веры) и ответила царю только следующие слова: Господь поможет рабам своим Христианам, будем ли мы желать или [35] нет. Это рассказал нам благочестивый Амантий кувикулярий. 42. На следующий день Августа послала за нами и приветствовав по обычаю первая преподобных епископов, пригласила сесть. Поговорив много о духовном, она сказала им: я говорила с царем, и он был немного недоволен; но не теряйте мужества. Я, с Божия соизволения, не успокоюсь, пока вы не будете удовлетворены и не уйдете, достигнув вашей цели о Боге. Епископы, услышав это, поклонились. Наш иже во святых Порфирий ободрился и, вспомнив о словах треблаженного Прокопия отшельника, сказал царице: потрудись, Христа ради, и Он, за труд твой дарует тебе сына, который будет жить и царствовать многие годы на твоих глазах и к твоей радости 41. Царица, услышав эти слова, исполнилась радости, лице ее покраснело, и к той красоте, которую она имела, прибавилась новая: видимое обнаруживает невидимое. 43. И она сказала преподобнейшим епископам: Молитесь, отцы, дабы по глаголу вашему, с соизволения Божия, я родила отрока, и если это случится, то я обещаю вам исполнить все, о чем просите. И сделаю, при содействии Христа, другое, о чем

[36] вы не просите. Я выстрою святую церковь в Газе, по самой середине города.