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Life of St Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza

Mark the Deacon, tr. Hill, 1913

Chapter 75

Now when the Marneion was wholly burned, and the city was set in order, the blessed bishop took counsel with the holy clergy and the Christ-loving lay-folk, to found a holy church in the place that was burned, as it had been revealed unto him when he was in Constantinople; for which reason also he received the money from the Empress Eudoxia, most beloved of God. Having sent away¹ the governors, therefore, and the Christ-loving lay-folk, he kept with him some of the soldiers, lest there should be any uprising after their departure; yet not only for this cause, but also that they might help in the bringing together of the materials for the building of the said holy church. Some then counselled that it should be built after the fashion of the temple of the idol; for the shape of it was round,² being set about with two porticoes, one within the other; but the midst of it was a dome spread out and stretching up on high; and it had also other things becoming unto idols, and convenient for the abominable and unlawful deeds which were done by the idol-madmen. After this fashion, then, some said that the holy church should be built, but others said the contrary, saying that the very remembrance of the fashion thereof should be destroyed; and they who said this persuaded all men, as speaking well. But the holy bishop said: ‘This also let us leave to the will of God.’ But while yet the place is being made clear, there cometh a servant of the Master of the Offices bringing an imperial letter from Eudoxia, whose memory endureth for ever, and the letter contained greeting and made request for prayers for herself and for the Emperors, her husband and her child. And there was in another paper within the letter the plan of the holy church, shaped like a cross, even as now with God’s help it is to be seen, and it was written in the letter that the holy church should be founded according to the plan. And the saint Porphyry rejoiced when he read and beheld the plan; for he knew that this also came to pass by divine revelation, and remembered the scripture which saith:³ ‘The king’s heart is in the hand of God.’ And the letter said furthermore that precious pillars and marbles were about to be sent.

Notes

Having sent away . . . lay-folk. These Christians who were dismissed were clearly only those who had come up for the time from Maiumas (see c. 65).
the shape of it was round. See references to the literature of this subject in my paper on ‘Some Palestinian Cults’ (Proc. Brit. Acad. vol. v).
Prov. xxi. 1.