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ABOUT this time the head of John the Baptist, which Herodias
had asked of Herod the tetrarch, was removed to Constantinople. It
is l said that it was discovered by some monks of the Macedonian
heresy, who originally dwelt at Constantinople, and afterwards fixed
their abode in Cilicia. Mardonius, the first eunuch of the palace,
made known this discovery at court, during the preceding reign; and
Valens commanded that the relic should be removed to Constantinople.
The officers appointed to carry it thither, placed it in a public
chariot, and proceeded with it as far as Pantichium, a district in
the territory of Chalcedon. Here the mules of the chariot suddenly
stopped; and neither the application of the lash, nor the threats of
the hostlers, could induce them to advance further. So extraordinary
an event was considered by all, and even by the emperor himself, to be
of God; and the holy head was therefore deposited at Cosilaos, a
village in the neighborhood, which belonged to Mardonius. Soon
after, the Emperor Theodosius, impelled by an impulse from God, or
from the prophet, repaired to the village. He determined upon
removing the remains of the Baptist, and it is said met with no
opposition, except from a holy virgin, Matrona, who had been the
servant and guardian of the relic. He laid aside all authority and
force, and after many entreaties, extorted a reluctant consent from
her to remove the head; for she bore in mind what had occurred at the
period when Valens commanded its removal. The emperor placed it,
with the box in which it was encased, in his purple robe, and conveyed
it to a place called Hebdomos, in the suburbs of Constantinople,
where he erected a spacious and magnificent temple. The woman who had
been appointed to the charge of the relic could not be persuaded by the
emperor to renounce her religious sentiments, although he had recourse
to entreaty and promises; for she was, it appears, of the Macedonian
heresy. A presbyter of the same tendency, named Vincent, who also
took charge of the coffin of the prophet, and performed the sacerdotal
functions over it, followed the religious opinions of the emperor, and
entered into communion with the Catholic Church. He had taken an
oath, as the Macedonians affirm, never to swerve from their
doctrines; but he afterwards openly declared that, if the Baptist
would follow the emperor, he also would enter into communion with him
and be separated. He was a Persian, and had left his country in
company with a relative named Addas, during the reign of
Constantius, in order to avoid the persecution which the Christians
were then suffering in Persia. On his arrival in the Roman
territories, he was placed in the ranks of the clergy, and advanced to
the office of presbyter. Addas married and rendered great service to
the Church. He left a son named Auxentius, who was noted for his
very faithful piety, his zeal for his friends, the moderation of his
life, his love of letters, and the greatness of his attainments in
pagan and ecclesiastical literature. He was modest and retiring in
deportment, although admitted to familiarity with the emperor and the
courtiers, and possessed of a very illustrious appointment. His
memory is still revered by the monks and zealous men, who were all
acquainted with him. The woman who had been entrusted with the relic
remained during the rest of her life at Cosilaos. She was greatly
distinguished by her piety and wisdom, and instructed many holy
virgins; and I have been assured that many still survive who reflect
the honorable character which was the result of training under
Matrona.
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