E04334: Procopius of Caesarea, in his On Buildings, reports that the emperor Justinian (r. 527-565) rebuilt, in larger and more splendid form, the ruinous church of the *Apostles (S00084) in Constantinople. During the rebuilding, wooden coffins with the bodies of *Andrew (the Apostle, S00288), *Luke (the Evangelist, S00442) and *Timothy (the disciple of Paul the Apostle, S00466) were discovered, identified by inscriptions; these were solemnly reburied in marked graves. Written in Greek at Constantinople, in the 550s.

Procopius of Caesarea, On Buildings, 1.4.9-10, 1.4.17-24

9. Μετὰ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἅπαντας ὑπερφυῶς σέβων ἐποίει τοιάδε. ἦν τις ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἐκ παλαιοῦ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις νεὼς ἅπασι μήκει τε χρόνου κατασεισθεὶς ἤδη καὶ πρὸς τὸ μηκέτι ἑστήξειν γεγονὼς ὕποπτος. 10 τοῦτον περιελὼν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ὅλον οὐχ ὅσον ἀνανεώσασθαι διὰ σπουδῆς ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεγέθους καὶ κάλλους πέρι ἀξιώτερον καταστήσασθαι.

'9. Afterwards, as showing very special honour to all the Apostles together, he did as follows. There was in Byzantium from ancient times a church (neōs) dedicated to all the Apostles; but having by now been shaken by the passage of time, it had fallen under the suspicion that it would not continue to stand. This the Emperor Justinian pulled down entirely, and he was at pains not simply to restore it, but to make it more worthy both in size and in beauty.'

Procopius then gives a detailed description of the rebuilt church (§§ 10-16), before recounting the story of the recovery of the bodies of saints Andrew, Luke and Timothy:

17. ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτῷ τὸ ἁγίστευμα τοῦτο ἐξείργαστο, καταφανεῖς οἱ ἀπόστολοι πεποίηνται πᾶσιν ὡς γεγήθασί τε τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως τιμῇ καὶ κατακόρως ἐναβρύνονται. σώματα γοῦν τῶν ἀποστόλων Ἀνδρέου τε καὶ Λουκᾶ καὶ Τιμοθέου ἄδηλά τε καὶ ὅλως κρυφαῖα τὰ πρότερα ὄντα τηνικάδε πᾶσιν ἔνδηλα γέγονεν, οὐκ ἁπαξιούντων, οἶμαι, τὴν βασιλέως πίστιν, ἀλλ’ ἐπιχωρούντων αὐτῷ διαρρήδην ὁρῶντί τε αὐτοὺς καὶ προσιόντι καὶ ἁπτομένῳ τῆς ἐνθένδε ὠφελείας τε καὶ περὶ τὸν βίον ἀσφαλείας ἀπόνασθαι. ἐγνώσθη δὲ ὧδε. Κωνστάντιος μὲν βασιλεὺς τοῦτον δὴ τὸν νεὼν ἔς τε τὴν τιμὴν καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐδείματο, τὰς θῆκας γενέσθαι αὑτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς ἐς τὸ ἔπειτα βασιλεύσουσιν ἐνταῦθα τάξας, οὐκ ἀνδράσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναιξὶν οὐδέν τι ἧσσον· ὅπερ καὶ διασώζεται ἐς τόνδε τὸν χρόνον· οὗ δὴ καὶ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ πατρὸς τὸν νεκρὸν ἔθετο. ἀποστόλων δὲ σώματα ἐνταῦθα εἶναι ὡς ἥκιστά πη ἐπεσημήνατο, οὐδέ τις ἐνταῦθα ἐφαίνετο χῶρος σώμασιν ἁγίοις ἀνεῖσθαι δοκῶν. ἀλλὰ νῦν Ἰουστινιανοῦ βασιλέως ἀνοικοδομουμένου τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦτο, οἱ μὲν λιθουργοὶ τὸ ἔδαφος διώρυσσον ὅλον, τοῦ μή τι ἄκοσμον τῇδε λελεῖφθαι· θῆκας δὲ ξυλίνας ἐνταῦθά πη ἀπημελημένας τεθέανται τρεῖς, γράμμασιν ἐγκειμένοις σφίσι δηλούσας, ὡς Ἀνδρέου τε καὶ Λουκᾶ καὶ Τιμοθέου τῶν ἀποστόλων σώματα εἶεν· ἅπερ ἀσμενέστατα βασιλεύς τε αὐτὸς καὶ Χριστιανοὶ ξύμπαντες εἶδον, πομπήν τε αὐτοῖς καὶ πανήγυριν ἐπιτετελεκότες, τῇ τε περὶ αὐτοὺς τιμῇ ἐξοσιωσάμενοι τὰ εἰωθότα καὶ περιστείλαντες τὰς θῆκας αὖθις τῇ γῇ ἔκρυψαν, οὐκ ἄσημον οὐδὲ ἀγείτονα λιπόντες τὸν χῶρον, ἀλλὰ σώμασιν ἀποστόλων ἀνειμένον καταστησάμενοι ξὺν εὐσεβείᾳ. εὔδηλον δὲ ὡς ἀμειβόμενοι, ὅπερ μοι εἴρηται, οἱ ἀπόστολοι οἶδε τὴν ἐς αὐτοὺς βασιλέως τιμῆς πεφήνασι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τα νῦν. βασιλέως γὰρ εὐσεβοῦντος οὐδὲ ἀποφοιτᾷ τῶν ἀνθρωπείων τὰ θεῖα πραγμάτων ἀλλ’ ἐπιμίγνυσθαί τε καὶ ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν τῇ ἐς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὁμιλίᾳ φιλεῖ.

'17. And at the time when this shrine (hagisteuma) was completed by him, the Apostles made it manifest to all men how they delight in the honour shown them by the Emperor and glory in it exceedingly. At any rate the bodies of the Apostles Andrew and Luke and Timothy, which previously had been invisible and altogether concealed, became at that time visible to all men, signifying, I believe, that they did not reject the faith of the Emperor, but expressly permitted him to see them and approach them and touch them, that he might thereby enjoy their assistance and the safety of his life. This was made known in the following way. The Emperor Constantius had built this church in honour of the Apostles and in their name, decreeing that tombs for himself and for all future Emperors should be placed there, and not for the rulers alone, but for their consorts as well; and this custom is preserved to the present day. Here also he laid the body of his father Constantine. But neither did he give any intimation whatever that the bodies of the Apostles were there, nor did any place appear there which seemed to be given over to the bodies of the holy men. But when the Emperor Justinian was rebuilding this shrine, the workmen dug up the whole soil so that nothing unseemly should be left there; and they saw three wooden coffins lying there neglected, which revealed by inscriptions upon them that they contained the bodies of the Apostles Andrew and Luke and Timothy. And the Emperor himself and all the Christians saw these with the greatest joy, and having arranged a procession in their honour and a festival, and having performed the customary holy rites over them and having put the coffins in order, they laid them once more in the ground, not leaving the place unmarked or solitary, but piously ordaining that it be dedicated to the bodies of the Apostles. And it is plain, as I have said, that it was in requital for this honour which the Emperor showed them, that these Apostles appeared to men on this occasion. For when the Emperor is pious, divinity walks not afar from human affairs, but is wont to mingle with men and to take delight in associating with them.'

Text: Haury 1913. Translation: Dewing 1940.