Κωνσταντῖνος
Konstantinos, Constantine
Translated by Alex Florez10 Dec 2002Vetting: high12 revisions
Translation
[Constantine,] emperor of [the] Romans,1 son of Leo the Iconoclast from Isauria. A lion grew up to be a multi-colored leopard, a terrible asp and a winged serpent from the offspring of a snake, out of Dan Antichrist. This man, having inherited both his father's kingdom and impiety, taking delight and being at leisure in licentiousness, in the invocation of demons, and in other wicked pursuits, became a remarkable and especially useful instrument of his father and teacher, the Devil. For he ran headlong into so great a senselessness and madness that he instituted upon his people an all-encompassing ordinance, that none of the servants of the Lord should be called entirely holy, but also to spit upon the remains of these men when they were found and not to request their intercession. For they are not efficacious. Then when he established this, the wholly impure man said that no one should call upon the intercession of Mary. For she is not able to help anyone. Moreover, she is not to be called the "Mother of God." Well, taking a purse full of gold and showing it to everyone, he asked, "Is it worth anything?" And with them saying that it was worth much, he emptied the gold and asked again, "Is it worth anything?" And they said [it was worth] nothing. So also, he said, is it with Mary. For the godless man did not think her worthy to be called "mother of god". For while she had Christ in her, she deserved honor. But after she bore this [Christ], she did not surpass other women. Alas, the damned audacity of this Saracen-believing [man] and Jewish-thinking [man]. For he used to honor Aphrodite and offer human sacrifices on the other side of the city, where the Church of Saint Maura [is]. After razing it to the ground and making it a place of murder he called this place Maura, in which place also by night he performed sacrifices and slaughtered children. 2 Souphlamios' little boy who was slain for the sacrifice, bears witness; although he sacrificed this very child in an obscure corner, God made this quite plain.