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Life of St Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza
Mark the Deacon, tr. Hill, 1913
Chapter 26
But the saint Porphyry, seeing the unlawful things that were done daily by the idolaters, taketh counsel with himself to send me unto Byzantium to ask the Emperors that the temples of the idols be destroyed. For they still gave oracles in Gaza, especially that which was called the Marneion. And having indited letters to the most saintly and holy John, who was at that time bishop of Constantinople,1 whose glory and praise is remembered of all men, he sent me away in a ship, and after twenty days we arrived, and having delivered the letters to the blessed John I explained unto him the whole matter by word of mouth. And straightway, when he had heard it, he declared it unto Eutropius the chamberlain,2 who at that time prevailed greatly with the Emperor Arcadius. And when he had read unto him the letter of the blessed bishop and asked of him to be favourable unto that which was written therein, he took his leave of him and came forth, and saith unto me: ‘Have patience, my child; for I hope in our Master Christ that he will show mercy unto us as he is wont.’
Notes
- John, who was at that time bishop of Constantinople. Saint John Chrysostom was consecrated February 26, 398. On July 27 of the same year Eutropius quarrelled with him, and carried a law depriving the churches of the right of asylum. Mark’s visit therefore falls between February 26 and July 27, 398. According to Theodoret (Hist. Eccl. v. 29), John showed special zeal against heathen temples in Phoenicia, procuring decrees from the Emperor and subscriptions to the campaign from wealthy and pious ladies.
- Eutropius the chamberlain. The eunuch Flavius Eutropius, praepositus sacri cubiculi and patricius, who was in 399 consul (the first of his kind to attain this dignity) with Manlius Theodorus. He was in the same year deposed by the party of Gainas and beheaded at Chalcedon. Zosimus (v. 12. 1) says that he ruled the weak Arcadius as if he were a beast of the field (καθάπερ βοσκήματος).