E00030: Theophylact Simocatta in his History describes how in 593/4, the Persian king Khosrau II vowed to send offerings to the shrine of *Sergios (soldier and martyr of Rusafa, S00023) at Rusafa/Sergiopolis (north-east Syria) if he had a child with his Christian wife. After the birth of his son, the king sent offerings accompanied by a letter. Written in Greek at Constantinople in the early 7th century.

Theophylact Simocatta, History 5.14

(1.) τρίτῳ δὲ ἔτει καὶ ἠντιβόλει τὸν δραστικώτατον ἐν Περσίδι Σέργιον παῖδα ἐκ τῆς Σειρὲμ δοθῆναι αὐτῷ. μετ’ οὐ πολὺ δὲ τούτου γεγονότος αὐτῷ, δώροις καὶ αὖθις γεραίρει τὸν εὐεργέτην εἰκότως. ἐπιστολὴν δὲ ἐξέπεμψεν Ἑλληνικῇ συμφράσει χρησάμενος. εἶχε δὲ ἡ ἐπιστολὴ ἐπὶ λέξεως οὕτως. (2.) “Τῷ μεγαλομάρτυρι Σεργίῳ Χοσρόης, βασιλεὺς βασιλέων. ἐγὼ Χοσρόης, βασιλεὺς βασιλέων, υἱὸς Χοσρόου, τὰ δῶρα τὰ μετὰ τοῦ δίσκου ἐξέπεμψα οὐκ εἰς θέαν ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ ἵνα ἐκ τῶν λόγων μου τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ πανσέπτου σου ὀνόματος γνωσθῇ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ γνωσθῆναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῶν γενομένων καὶ τὰς πολλὰς χάριτας καὶ εὐεργεσίας ἃς ἔσχον παρὰ σοῦ· εὐτυχία γάρ μοί ἐστιν, ἵνα τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα ἐμφέρηται τοῖς ἱεροῖς σου σκεύεσιν. (3.) ἐν τῷ εἶναί με ἐν τῷ Βεραμαῒς ᾐτησάμην παρὰ σοῦ, ἅγιε, ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ συλλαβεῖν Σειρέμ. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἡ Σειρὲμ Χριστιανή ἐστι κἀγὼ Ἕλλην, ὁ ἡμέτερος νόμος ἄδειαν ἡμῖν οὐ παρέχει Χριστιανὴν ἔχειν γαμετήν. (4.) διὰ οὖν τὴν ἐμὴν πρὸς σὲ εὐγνωμοσύνην διὰ τοῦτο τὸν νόμον παρεῖδον, καὶ ταύτην ἐν γυναιξὶν ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας ἐν γνησιότητι ἔσχον καὶ ἔχω, καὶ οὕτω συνεῖδον νῦν δεηθῆναι τῆς σῆς ἀγαθότητος ἐν γαστρὶ συλλαβεῖν αὐτήν. (5.) καὶ ᾐτησάμην καὶ συνεταξάμην ἵνα, ἐὰν ἐν γαστρὶ συλλάβῃ Σειρέμ, τὸν σταυρὸν τὸν φορούμενον παρ’ αὐτῆς πέμψω τῷ πανσέπτῳ σου οἴκῳ. καὶ τούτου ἕνεκεν κἀγὼ καὶ ἡ Σειρὲμ τὸν σκοπὸν τοῦτον ἔχομεν, ἵνα εἰς μνημόσυνον τοῦ ὀνόματός σου, ἅγιε, τοῦτον τὸν σταυρὸν κρατῶμεν. (6.) καὶ συνείδομεν ἀντ’ αὐτοῦ τὴν τιμὴν αὐτοῦ, μὴ συντείνουσαν περαιτέρω τῶν τετρακισχιλίων τριακοσίων στατήρων μιλιαρισίων, πεντακισχιλίους στατῆρας ἐκπέμψαι. (7.) καὶ ἐξ οὗ τὴν τοιαύτην ἐν ἐμαυτῷ ἔσχον αἴτησιν καὶ ταῦτα διελογισάμην, ἕως οὗ ἐφθάσαμεν εἰς τὸ Ῥησωνχοσρών, δέκα ἡμέραι πλέον οὐ διῆλθον, καὶ σύ, ἅγιε, οὐ διὰ τὸ εἶναί με ἄξιον ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν σὴν ἀγαθότητα, ἐφάνης μοι ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτός, καὶ τρίτον εἶπές μοι ὅτι ἡ Σειρὲμ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχει. (8.) κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ὁράματι τρίτον ἀνταπεκρίθην σοι λέγων, καλῶς, καλῶς. καὶ διὰ τὴν σὴν ἁγιωσύνην καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην, καὶ διὰ τὸ πάνσεπτόν σου ὄνομα, καὶ διὰ τὸ εἶναί σε δοτῆρα τῶν αἰτήσεων, ἐκ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἡ Σειρὲμ τὸ εἰθισμένον ταῖς γυναιξὶν οὐκ εἶδεν. (9.) ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἐδίστασα εἰς τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ τοῖς λόγοις σου ἐπίστευσα, καὶ ὅτι ἅγιος εἶ καὶ ἀληθινὸς δοτὴρ τῶν αἰτήσεων. μετὰ τὸ ταύτην τὰ γυναικεῖα μὴ ὑπομεῖναι, ἐκ τούτου ἔγνων τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ὁράματος καὶ τὴν τῶν παρὰ σοῦ ῥηθέντων ἀλήθειαν. (10.) παραυτὰ οὖν ἔπεμψα τὸν αὐτὸν σταυρὸν καὶ τὴν τούτου τιμὴν ἐν τῷ πανσέπτῳ σου οἴκῳ, κελεύσας ἐκ τῆς τούτου τιμῆς δίσκον ἕνα καὶ ποτήριον ἓν γενέσθαι εἰς λόγον τῶν θείων μυστηρίων, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ σταυρὸν [γενέσθαι καὶ] πηχθῆναι ὀφείλοντα ἐπὶ τῆς τιμίας τραπέζης, καὶ θυμιατήριον, τὰ πάντα χρυσᾶ, καὶ ἀμφίθυρον Οὐννικὸν κεκοσμημένον χρυσίῳ. (11.) τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ μιλιαρίσια εἶναι τοῦ ἁγίου σου οἴκου, ἵνα διὰ τῆς τύχης σου, ἅγιε, εἰς πάντα, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ εἰς τὴν αἴτησιν ταύτην εἰσέλθῃς εἰς βοήθειάν μου καὶ Σειρέμ. καὶ ὃ διὰ τῆς πρεσβείας σου γέγονεν ἡμῖν τῷ ἐλέει τῆς σῆς ἀγαθότητος, καὶ τῷ θελήματί μου καὶ Σειρὲμ εἰς τέλεον προέλθοι, ἵνα κἀγὼ καὶ ἡ Σειρὲμ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ εἰς τὴν σὴν δύναμιν ἐλπίζωμεν καὶ εἰς σὲ ἔτι πιστεύωμεν.” (12.) Ἐς τάχος τοιγαροῦν ὡς τὸ τέμενος ὁ ἀποσταλεὶς ἀφικνεῖται, τὰ δὲ δῶρα τὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἅμα τοῖς γράμμασιν ἐν τῇ ἱερᾷ περιέθετο τραπέζῃ.

'(1.) In the third year [AD 593/4] he [Khosrau II] entreated Sergios, the most efficacious one in Persia, that a child by Seirem [Khosrau’s Christian wife, Shirin] might be granted to him. Shortly afterwards, this happened for him, and once again he naturally honoured his benefactor with gifts. Using the Greek language he dispatched a letter; and the letter was as follows, word for word:
(2.) "To the great martyr Sergios, Chosroes, king of kings. I, Chosroes, king of kings, son of Chosroes, have dispatched the gifts accompanying the paten not for the sight of men, nor so that the greatness of your most holy name be known from my words, but in order that the truth of the events be known and the many favours and benefactions which I had from you. For it is good fortune for me that my name should be carried on your holy vessels. (3.) During the time when I was in Berthamais [the region of Beth Aramaye in Lower Mesopotamia], I petitioned from you, o Holy One, to come to my aid and that Seirem conceive in her womb. And since Seirem is a Christian and I a Hellene [= pagan], our law does not grant us freedom to have a Christian wife. (4.) So, on account of my gratitude to you, for this reason I disregarded the law and I held and hold her from day to day among my wives as legitimate, and thus I resolved now to beseech your goodness that she conceive in her womb. (5.) And I petitioned and ordained that, if Seirem should conceive in her womb, I would send to your most revered house the cross that she wears. And with regard to this, both I and Seirem have the intention to keep this cross in remembrance of your name, o Holy One. (6.) And we resolved instead of it to send five thousand pieces of silver as equivalent of its value, although this does not exceed four thousand three hundred pieces. (7.) And from the time when I had the said petition in my mind and made these calculations, until the time we came to Resonchosron [a Persian palace near the Diyala river], not ten more days had passed, and you, o Holy One, not because I am worthy, but because of your goodness, you appeared to me in a dream and thrice declared that Seirem had conceived in her womb. (8.) And in the same dream, I thrice answered to you and said, “Very well, very well”. And because of your holiness and charity, and because of your most revered name, because you are the granter of petitions, from that day Seirem did not know what is customary for women [i.e. her periods ceased]. (9.) I was in no doubt of this, but trusted in your words, and believed that you are holy and a true granter of petitions. Once she did not experience womanly ways, from that I recognised the power of the vision and the truth of the things you had said. (10.) So straightway I sent the same cross and its value to your most revered house, giving orders that from its value one paten and one chalice should be made for the sake of the divine mysteries, but also that a cross had to be made and fixed upon the honoured altar, and a censer, all of them golden, and a Hunnic curtain [ἀμφίθυρον] adorned with gold. (11.) And the remaining silver pieces should belong to your house, so that by your fortune, o Holy One, you may come to the assistance of me and Seirem in all things, but especially in this petition. And what has come to us through your intercession by the mercy of your goodness, may it also advance to completion at the wish of myself and Seirem, so that both I and Seirem and everyone in the world may have hope in your power and still trust in you.”
(12.) Accordingly, the emissary quickly came to the shrine and placed the king’s gifts along with his message on the holy altar.'

Text: de Boor and Wirth 1972. Translation: Whitby and Whitby 1986, modified.