Take up the Gospel and heed its predictions
Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, is closing his letter to the emperor Constantius by urging him to study the Gospel of Matthew and then offering prayers for the emperor's preservation.
Take up that divine book of the Gospel into your hands as you habitually do, and you will find written there the predictive testimonies laid down about this. I urge you, my lord, to give these your closer and more frequent attention, because of the rest of what is written there in sequence—the things proclaimed beforehand by our Savior—which demand much reverent observation, so that you may suffer no harm from any opposing activity.
These first fruits of my words, most God-loving emperor, I offer to you. These are the first voices I utter from Jerusalem, to you who with us are the truest and most pious worshipper of Christ, the only Son of God and our Savior, who accomplished the saving dispensation in Jerusalem according to the divine Scriptures, who trampled death here, who wiped away human sins with his own precious blood, and who granted life and incorruption and spiritual heavenly grace to all who believe.
May the King of all God himself, the provider of every goodness, guard you by his power and grace, adorned with ever more brilliant and greater achievements of piety, increasing your royal offspring, and preserve your whole household through many peaceful cycles of years, as the boast of Christians and for the whole world.
May the God of all things grant you to us, Augustus, most God-loving emperor, strengthened and adorned with every virtue, showing your accustomed benevolence toward the holy churches and the Roman commonwealth, and glorying in ever greater prizes of piety, through many peaceful cycles of years, with your whole household.
Greek
Ἥντινα τοῦ εὐαγγελίου θείαν βίβλον συνηθῶς εἰς χεῖρας ἀναλαβών, τὰς περὶ τούτου κειμένας
προαγγελτικὰς μαρτυρίας ἐγγράφως εὑρήσεις· ὧν μαλιστά σε, δέσποτα, πυκνοτέρᾳ τῇ μελέτῃ προσέχειν παρακαλῶ, διὰ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν κατὰ τὴν αὐτόθι γεγραμμένων ἀκολουθίαν, τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προαναφωνηθέντων, πολλῆς μετ' εὐλαβείας δεομένων τῆς παρατηρήσεως, πρὸς τὸ μηδεμίαν ἐξ ἀντικειμένης ἐνεργείας ὑπομεῖναι τὴν βλάβην. 7 Ταύτας σοὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγων, βασιλεῦ θεοφιλέστατε, προσφέρω τὰς ἀπαρχάς· ταύτας ἐξ Ἱεροσολύμων πρώτας ἀποφθέγγομαι τὰς φωνάς, σοὶ τῷ γνησιωτάτῳ καὶ πανευσεβεῖ μεθ' ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ προσ κυνητῇ, τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, τοῦ τὴν οἰκουομικὴν κατὰ τὰς θείας γραφὰς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις τελέσαντος σωτηρίαν, τοῦ πατήσαντος μὲν ἐνταῦθα τὸν θάνατον, οἰκείοις δὲ τιμίοις αἵμασι τὰς ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτίας ἐξαλείψαντος, ζωὴν δὲ καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ πνευματικὴν ἐπουράνιον χάριν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἅπασιν παρασχόντος. Οὗ τῇ τε δυνάμει καὶ τῇ χάριτί σε φρουρούμενον, λαμπροτέροις τε καὶ μείζοσιν εὐσεβείας ἐμπρέποντα κατορθώμασιν, υἱῶν τε γνησίων βασιλικοῖς ἐναβρυνόμενον βλαστήμασιν, αὐτὸς ὁ παμβασιλεὺς θεός, ὁ πάσης ἀγαθωσύνης πάροχος, πολλαῖς ἐτῶν εἰρηνικαῖς περιόδοις, καύχημα χριστιανῶν καὶ κόσμῳ σύμπαντι φυλάξειε πανέστιον. 8 ἐρρωμένον σε καὶ πάσῃ κεκοσμημένον ἀρετῇ καὶ τὴν συνήθη τῶν τε ἁγίων ἐκκλησιῶν καὶ τῆς ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἐνδεικνύμενον καὶ μείζοσιν εὐσεβείας βραβείοις ἐναβρυνόμενον, πολλαῖς εἰρηνικαῖς ἐτῶν περιόδοις ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς ἡμῖν χαρίσηται πανέστιον, Αὔγουστε βασιλεῦ θεοφιλέστατε.