The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius Scholasticus - Coptic ...

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV 229
at the faith of the Christians he retired to his own land. 76 [177] They
say that at his ¢nal breath he indeed was honoured with the sacred
rebirth. 77
29 I will also give a description concerning the disease which struck and
has remained strong and spread over the whole earth in this its 52nd
year, a thing never before reported. For, two years after the city of Antiochus
was captured by the Persians, a pestilent a¥iction took up residence,
in some respects comparable to that related by Thucydides but in
others very di¡erent. It was said, and still is now, to have begun from
Ethiopia. 78 In turn it overran the whole universe, leaving none among
76 For comprehensive discussion of the development of the cult of Sergius, the martyr
shrines and the site of Sergiopolis (Resafa) in general, see Elizabeth Fowden, Plain ch. 3; its
location at the intersection of several long-distance routes was of considerable economic
and strategic signi¢cance, and the devotion of the Ghassanid Arabs to Sergius increased
its importance further. Khusro’s attack on Sergiopolis in 542 is described by Procopius,
Wars ii.20.5^16: Candidus, the city’s bishop, had agreed to ransom the captives from Sura
in 540, but had been unable to provide the money; he now told Khusro to take the treasures
from Sergius’ shrine, but these proved insu⁄cient to satisfy the king so that an army was
sent to capture Sergiopolis; although there were only 200 soldiers inside the city, the Persians
were unable to penetrate the defences and had to abandon the attack when their
water ran out. Discussion of defences in Whitby, ‘Notes’ 102^5, and for the water supply
see also Elizabeth Fowden, Plain 71^3, 94^5.
Evagrius’ account is rather di¡erent, and clearly does not depend on Procopius; the
central point of his story is the vision of the supernatural defenders, a miracle which can be
paralleled from other city-protecting saints, e.g. Demetrius of Thessalonica (Miracula ii.3,
‰222), or Alexander of Drizipera (Theophylact vi.5.6^7).
According to Procopius, Khusro continued his invasion after leaving Sergiopolis, with
the intention of ravaging Palestine, but was persuaded to retire when Belisarius threatened
his line of retreat (Wars ii.21).
77 Khusro’s high regard for the Christian faith is described by John of Ephesus (EH
vi.20; cf. also Sebeos 2); John of Nikiu records that late in life he was baptized at a bath
house (ch. 95.23^5). For Khusro II’s interest in Christianity, see vi.18 with n. 63 below.
78 Bubonic plague ¢rst appeared in the empire in Egypt in autumn 541, and in the following
year spread to the Near East and Constantinople; Evagrius concluded his history in
593/4 (vi.22), the 52nd year from 542. Procopius (Wars ii.22^3) described at length the
impact of the plague, especially at Constantinople, where the enormous problem of the disposal
of corpses attracted his attention, as it did that of John of Ephesus (EH, fragments of
part ii: a summary of John’s information is most readily available in Conrad, ‘Plague’ 144^
7), but Evagrius’ account was based on his own personal experience (see below). The plague
continued to recur for about two centuries, until a ¢nal major attack in 747.
The plague at Athens in 430 BC was described by Thucydides ii.47^54; his account served
as a literary model for Procopius so that resemblances between the a¥ictions, and more