In the year 441 Kyros Panopolites was in serious trouble. He had once been a renowned poet and a successful civic administrator in the Byzantine Empire. With the patronage of the Empress Theodokia, wife of Theodosius II, he had risen to be the City Prefect and the Praetorian Prefect of the East. Thanks to his efforts Constantinople recovered quickly from the catastrophic earthquake of 437 but in his ascent to the top he had made powerful enemies. The eunuch Chrysaphios, a rival civil servant, had poisoned Kyros’s reputation in the eyes of the emperor, who may already have been jealous of his popularity with the citizens of Constantinople. Theodosius accused Kyros of being a pagan, stripped him his offices, and seized his property.
With no further life for him in the secular world, Kyros turned to the Church and was ordained a priest. On the orders of the emperor he was made a bishop and dispatched to the diocese of Koryaion in Phhrygia. This was by no means a promotion — the inhabitants of Koryaion had a reputation for rowdiness. In fact, they had killed there four previous bishops. No doubt Theodosius wished for them to make Kyros their fifth victim.
On Christmas Day 441, Kyros was conducting the church service when the congregation called on him to preach. They had heard the rumours of his being a pagan and wanted to see for themselves whether their new bishop could prove himself to be a true Christian. Kyros stepped into the pulpit and delivered the following sermon:
Brethren, let the birth of God our Saviour Jesus Christ be honoured with silence, because the Word of God was conceived in the holy Virgin through hearing alone. To him be glory for ever. Amen.
This thirty-second oration was greeted with great enthusiasm instead of a lynching. Kyros went on to become a beloved bishop, noted for his kindness to the poor.