His Orders to the Governors and to Bishop Macarius for a Church

Immediately after the events I have recorded, the emperor sent out orders that breathed a truly devout spirit. At the same time he granted generous supplies of money, and commanded that a house of prayer worthy of the worship of God be built near the Savior’s tomb on a scale of rich and royal grandeur. He had in fact kept this aim in view for some time, and had foreseen, as if with the help of a higher understanding, what was to happen afterward. So he instructed the governors of the eastern provinces to see the work through to completion by abundant and unsparing spending, on a scale of noble and generous magnificence. He also sent the following letter to the bishop who presided at that time over the church at Jerusalem. In it he plainly affirmed the saving teaching of the faith, writing in these words. [a]