The cross of light appears over Jerusalem
Cyril is addressing the emperor Constantius directly, contrasting the wonders of his reign with those under his father Constantine.
But in your time, most pious master king, you surpass your ancestors' piety with still greater reverence toward the divine, and the wonders come no longer from earth but from the heavens. The trophy of victory over death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the only Son of God—I mean the blessed cross—was seen in Jerusalem, flashing with gleams of light. For during these holy days of holy Pentecost, on the Nones of May, around the third hour, a huge cross made of light appeared in the sky, stretched above holy Golgotha as far as the holy Mount of Olives. It did not appear to one and a second only, but was shown most clearly to the whole multitude of the city. Nor did it pass quickly by as one might suppose in a fleeting vision, but for many hours it was seen with the eyes above the earth, and its flashing gleams surpassed the rays of the sun—for the sun would have been overcome and hidden by them, had the cross not offered beams stronger than the sun to those who saw it. So the whole multitude of the city at once ran together into the holy church, seized with fear of the heavenly vision together with joy—young and old, men and women, people of every age, even young women shut up in their rooms, locals and strangers, Christians and pagans visiting from elsewhere alike. With one accord, as from a single mouth, they all sang hymns to Christ Jesus our Lord, the only Son of God, the wonderworker, having learned by deed and experience that the most pious teaching of Christians rests not in persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration
Greek
Ἐπὶ δὲ σοῦ, δέσποτα πανευσεβέστατε βασιλεῦ, προγονικὴν εὐσέβειαν
μείζονι τῇ πρὸς τὸ θεῖον εὐλαβείᾳ νικῶντος, οὐκ ἀπὸ γῆς λοιπόν, ἀλλ' ἐξ οὐρανῶν τὰ θαυματουργήματα· καὶ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ κατὰ τῆς τοῦ θανάτου νικῆς τρόπαιον, ὁ μακάριος λέγω σταυρός, φωτὸς μαρμαρυγαῖς ἀπαστράπτων ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ὤφθη. 4 Ἐν γὰρ ταῖς ἁγίαις ἡμέραις ταύταις τῆς ἁγίας πεντηκοστῆς, νόνναις μαΐαις, περὶ τρίτην ὥραν, παμμεγέθης ὁ σταυρός, ἐκ φωτὸς κατεσκευασμένος, ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὑπεράνω τοῦ ἁγίου Γολγοθᾶ μέχρι τοῦ ἁγίου Ὄρους τῶν ἐλαιῶν ἐκτεταμένος ἐφαίνετο· οὐχ ἑνὶ καὶ δευτέρῳ μόνον φανείς, ἀλλὰ παντὶ τῷ τῆς πόλεως πλήθει φανερώτατα δειχθείς· οὐδ' ὡς ἄν τις νομίσειεν ὀξέως κατὰ φαντασίαν παραδραμών, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ πλείοσιν ὥραις ὑπὲρ γῆν ὀφθαλμοφανῶς θεωρούμενος, καὶ ταῖς ἀπαστραπτούσαις μαρμαρυγαῖς τὰς ἡλιακὰς ἀκτῖνας νικήσας (ἦ γὰρ ἂν ὑπ' αὐτῶν νικώμενος ἐκαλύπτετο, εἰ μὴ δυνατωτέρας ἡλίου τοῖς ὁρῶσι παρεῖχε τὰς λαμπηδόνας)· ὡς ἅπαν μὲν ἀθρόως ἐξαυτῆς εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκκλησίαν συνδραμεῖν τῆς πόλεως τὸ πλῆθος, τῷ τῆς θεοπτίας φόβῳ μετ' εὐφροσύνης κατασχεθέν, νέων ἅμα καὶ πρεσβύτων ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν, καὶ πάσης ἡλικίας καὶ μέχρις αὐτῶν ἤδη τῶν κατ' οἴκους θαλαμευομένων κορῶν, ἐντοπίων τε καὶ ξένων, χριστιανῶν τε ἅμα καὶ τῶν ἀλλαχόθεν ἐπιδημούντων ἐθνικῶν· ὁμοθυμαδὸν δὲ πάντων ὡς ἐξ ἑνὸς στόματος Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν, τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν θαυματοποιὸν ἀνυμνούντων, ἔργῳ τε καὶ πείρᾳ παραλαβόντων· ὅτι χριστιανῶν τὸ δόγμα τὸ πανευσεβὲς οὐκ ἐν πειθοῖς σοφίας ἐστι λόγοις, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀποδείξει