Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 3,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (earthquake, clouds, wind, dew, rain, meteorits): Text and notes (Cambridge, 1940)

552 Zeus Ombru

tos

same number of prayers. Then on to the shrine of the marty
Timotheos, which contained also the relics of the martyr Maior and
the confessor Thea. Once more they offered the same number of
prayers and genuflexions. After which they returned to the &ty>
with three prayers and three genuflexions on the way. But here
a hitch occurred. They found the city-gates closed against them W
the jealous heathen, and a two hours' wait ensued. Thereupon God,
beholding their patience, in his mercy stirred up a strong south
wind. The sky clouded over, lightnings and thunders began ai
sundown, and so heavy a rain fell that it looked more like hail'
Sundry Greeks, beholding these marvels, believed and opened the
gates. They joined the Christians, shouting: 1 Christ alone is God--'
He alone has conquered.' The saint had them into the H° ^
Church, where he baptised 78 men, 35 women, and 14 children
whom 5 were girls. That night and the next day rain fell in sU
abundance that all men feared the collapse of houses, most of wn ^
were of crude brick. 'Our Lord Jesus Christ'—we read1—-<SP ,
from the 8th to the 10th of Audynaios (January 3—5) in rainnv
and on the nth his followers celebrated the Epiphany with h}'1^0
and thanksgivings. Indeed, the same year witnessed the accessi0
of another 105 to their numbers. ^

The sequel is too long to quote in detail. But it appears
Porphyrios was vexed with the ungodly conduct of the idola e
for at Gaza they still dealt in divinatory dreams, especially at
Marneion2. So he wrote a letter of protest to Ioannes Chrysost
Bishop of Constantinople, who informed Eutropios the Chanibe' ^
who in turn brought his influence to bear upon Arkadios-
upshot was an edict that the temples of Gaza be closed an^
traffic in divination stopped. Hilarios, an imperial comrnis
was sent to Gaza to carry out this decision. He did close
temples in general and overthrew their idols. But, in retU jflUe.
a substantial bribe, he allowed the traffic of Manias to con ^
Porphyrios then went in person to visit Ioannes the metrop ^
of Kaisareia in Palestine; and together they repaired to ^
where the anchorite Prokopios informed them that Chrysost° ^
not a persotia grata at court and commended them to A
Chamberlain of the Empress Eudoxia. The two Bishops ^^ly
Constantinople on 7 January 401. Eudoxia received them fav°

1 Id. ib. 11 irrol-qaev Sk fjpixw o Kiipios i)fi(ov 'Iijaods Xpurrbs airavarois ^ paralle '
AvSvvaiov fiixpi- rVs SeKartis. k.t.X. The naive phraseology would be bar
6 Kiipios rjixCiv is, of course, the Christian rendering of Mama (supra p- 55°r

2 Id. ib. 26 in yap ixpwdritov h T&fti, [ioKio-to, to Ka\oip,evov Mapveiov.