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executioners of his punishment and the cause of our feast, they took lodging with the very man they were seeking, neither knowing nor, indeed, being known. For the time being, they kept the reason for their visit a secret, so that, having first been informed by those outside the city who Phocas was and 9.120 where he was staying, they might suddenly fall upon and seize him, as the Jews once did to the Lord in the garden with Judas. But they were unaware that they held their prey within their nets, the dogs the ram, the wolves the lamb; and the kid rested with the leopards, and the lamb grazed with the wolves, and the lions shared their life with the calf. But when, as is wont to happen, the table and familiarity gave them confidence in one another, the martyr inquired of them who they were and for what reason they had come to his city. And they, respecting the man's ready welcome and hospitality, and instructing him to tell no one what was about to be said, make known to him the secret and disclose the drama of the plot, and that they are seeking to take Phocas for punishment; wherefore, in addition to his hospitality, they asked him to grant this kindness as well, and to labor with them in the hunt for the one being sought. The servant of the Lord heard and, receiving the word with an unshaken soul, he neither felt nor uttered anything base or ignoble; nor, shrinking from the danger, did he look to flight, and this though he had every opportunity to do so, since it was not yet clear that he himself was the one sought by them; but he did quite the opposite, choosing rather to act courageously and not to flee. Indeed, he even assented to their request: 'I too,' he says, 'will assist you in the matter at hand. For I know the man and having sought him out I will easily find him; and not in the distant future, but on the morrow I will show him even to you yourselves; only do you rest in this my poor lodging.' Having thus guaranteed his promise to them, he divides himself between two tasks: both the reception of his own murderers and the preparation of his tomb. And having prepared both the grave and the necessities for burial, he approached them the next day, 'I have diligently sought Phocas for you,' he said, 'and the prey is now ready; and, if you please, let him be taken.' And when they said out of extreme joy, 'And where is the man?' 'Not far,' he says, 'but with you; I myself am he; and deal with the matter and fulfill the purpose of your journey and your labor.' The men were struck to the soul and at the 9.122 hearing they were petrified, respecting the salt and the table and their generous host in his poverty. But he still urged them to the bold act of killing him and exhorted them not to hesitate even for a moment, saying that the murder was not from their hand, but the undertaking was from those who had commanded it. He spoke, he persuaded, he suffered, and having been beheaded, he was brought as a sacrifice pleasing to God. A pillar and foundation of the divine churches of the world, from that time until now we have him, O men; and he is a most illustrious martyr, himself holding the first place among the best. This man draws all people in crowds to his lodging; and the public roads are full of those from every country hastening to the place of prayer. Therefore, that magnificent temple, which was allotted to have the sacred body of the martyr, is a relief for the afflicted, a hospital for the sick, a table for the hungry. For Phocas, now that he is dead, feeds more lavishly than Joseph formerly did while living in Egypt. For the one exchanged the grain for silver, but this one gives it as a gift to those in need. Thus tribes of the poor and the wandering run to the isthmus of Sinope as to some common treasury. But there it is so. But if anywhere else also through small relics the martyr has established for himself, as it were, a certain colony of a metropolis, this place too is wondrous and eagerly sought by all Christians, just as this sacred space with us is a lodging for those celebrating a feast. Honorable

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ἐκείνου τιμωρίας δήμιοι καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἑορτῆς αἴτιοι παρ' αὐτῷ τῷ ζητουμένῳ κατέλυσαν, οὔτε γινώσκοντες οὔτε μὴν γινωσκόμενοι. Ἐν ἀπορρήτῳ δὲ τέως εἶχον τῆς ἐπιδημίας τὴν πρόφασιν, ἵνα πρότερον ἐκδιδαχθέντες παρὰ τῶν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, τίς ὁ Φωκᾶς καὶ 9.120 ὅπου διάγει, ἀθρόον ἐπιστάντες συλλάβωσιν, ὡς Ἰουδαῖοι ποτε ἐν τῷ κήπῳ μετὰ Ἰούδα τὸν Κύριον. Ἐλελήθεσαν δὲ εἴσω δικτύων τὴν θήραν ἔχοντες, οἱ κύνες τὸν ἀρνειόν, οἱ λύκοι τὸν ἀμνόν, καὶ συνανεπαύετο ταῖς παρδάλεσιν ὁ ἔριφος καὶ τοῖς λύκοις ὁ ἀρνὸς συνεβόσκετο καὶ οἱ λέοντες ἅμα τῷ μόσχῳ κοινὴν ἐποιοῦντο τὴν δίαιταν. Ἐπεὶ δέ, οἷα φιλεῖ γίνεσθαι, τράπεζα καὶ συνήθεια τὸ θαρρεῖν ἀλλήλοις παρέσχον, διεπυνθάνετο παρ' αὐτῶν ὁ μάρτυς τίνες τε εἶεν καὶ τίνος χάριν τὴν αὐτοῦ πόλιν κατέ λαβον. Οἱ δὲ τὴν πρόθυμον δεξίωσιν καὶ φιλοξενίαν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αἰδεσθέντες μηδενί τε τὸ λεχθησόμενον ἐξειπεῖν παραγγείλαντες, γνωρίζουσιν αὐτῷ τὸ ἀπόρρητον καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἐξαγορεύουσι δρᾶμα, καὶ ὅτι Φωκᾶν ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ ζητοῦσι λαβεῖν· ὅθεν πρὸς τῇ φιλοξενίᾳ καὶ ταύτην ἠξίουν χαρίσασθαι τὴν εὐεργεσίαν, καὶ συγκαμεῖν αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν θήραν τοῦ ζητουμένου. Ἤκουσεν ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου θεράπων καὶ ἀτρέπτῳ τῇ ψυχῇ τὸν λόγον δεξάμενος, οὐ ταπεινόν τι καὶ ἀγεννὲς ἔπαθεν ἢ ἐφθέγξατο· οὐδὲ τὸν κίνδυνον ἀποδειλιάσας πρὸς φυγὴν ἔβλεψε, καὶ ταῦτα πολλὴν ἔχων πρὸς τοῦτο τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ὅτι μηδὲ δῆλος ἦν ἔτι αὐτὸς ὢν ὁ παρ' ἐκείνων ἐπιζητούμενος· ἀλλὰ πᾶν τοὐναντίον ἐποίει, ἀνδρίζεσθαι μᾶλλον καὶ οὐχὶ φεύγειν προῃρημένος. Ἀμέλει καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀξίωσιν αὐτῶν ἐπινεύει· Κἀγώ, φησίν, ὑμῖν εἰς τὸ προκείμενον συνεφάψομαι. Γινώσκω γὰρ τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ ῥᾳδίως ἀναζητήσας εὑρήσω· οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν δὲ τοῦτον, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν καὶ αὐτοῖς ὑμῖν ἐπιδείξω· μόνον ὑμεῖς ἐπὶ τῆς πενιχρᾶς μου ταύτης καταγωγῆς ἀναπαύσασθε. Οὕτω βεβαίαν αὐτοῖς ἐγγυησάμενος τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν πράγμασιν ἑαυτὸν καταμερίζει δυσί, τῇ τε δεξιώσει τῶν ἑαυτοῦ φονέων καὶ τῇ ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ τάφου. Εὐτρεπίσας δὲ τό τε ὄρυγμα καὶ τὰ περὶ ταφὴν ἀναγκαῖα, προσελθὼν αὐτοῖς τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ, Ἐπιμελῶς ὑμῖν, ἔφη, τὸν Φωκᾶν ἀνεζήτησα καὶ ἕτοιμον ἤδη τὸ θήραμα· καί, εἰ δοκεῖ, συλληφθήτω. Τῶν δὲ εἰπόντων ἐκ περιχαρείας· Καὶ ποῦ ὁ ἀνήρ; Οὐ πόρρω, φησίν, ἀλλὰ μεθ' ὑμῶν· αὐτὸς δὲ ὑμῖν οὗτος ἐγώ· καὶ χρήσασθε τῷ πράγματι καὶ πληρώσατε τὸν τῆς ὁδοιπορίας καὶ τοῦ πόνου σκοπόν. Ἐπλήγησαν τὰς ψυχὰς οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ πρὸς τὴν 9.122 ἀκοὴν ἀπεπάγησαν τοὺς ἅλας καὶ τὴν τράπεζαν αἰδεσθέντες καὶ τὸν ἐν πενίᾳ φιλότιμον ἑστιάτορα. Ὁ δὲ καὶ ἔτι παρεκάλει πρὸς τὴν τόλμαν τῆς ἀναιρέσεως καὶ μηδὲ πρὸς ὀλίγον διστάζειν ἐπεκελεύετο λέγων ὡς οὐ τῆς ἐκείνων χειρὸς ὁ φόνος, ἀλλὰ τῶν προσταξάντων ἡ ἐπιχείρησις. Εἶπεν, ἔπεισεν, ἔπαθε καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτμηθεὶς ἱερεῖον τῷ Θεῷ κεχαρισμένον προσήχθη. Στύλον καὶ ἔρεισμα τῶν θείων τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκκλησιῶν, ἐξ ἐκείνου μέχρι τοῦ νῦν τοῦτον ἔχομεν, ἄνθρωποι· καὶ μαρτύρων ἐστὶν οὗτος περιφανέστατος ἐν τοῖς ἀρίστοις ἔχων αὐτὸς τὸ πρωτεῖον. Οὗτος ἐφέλκεται πανδημεὶ πάντας πρὸς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ καταγώγιον· καὶ πληρεῖς αἱ λεωφόροι τῶν ἀφ' ἑκάστης χώρας πρὸς τὸν τόπον ἐπειγομένων τῆς προσευχῆς. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν ὁ μεγαλοπρεπὴς ἐκεῖνος ναός, ὃς καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ἔχειν τοῦ μάρτυρος ἐκληρώθη σῶμα, θλιβομένων ἄνεσις, κακου μένων ἰατρεῖον, λιμωττόντων τράπεζα. ∆αψιλέστερον γὰρ τρέφει Φωκᾶς νῦν τελευτήσας ἤπερ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ζῶν Ἰωσὴφ τὸ πρότερον. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ἀργυρίου τὸν σῖτον διήμειβεν, οὗτος δὲ προῖκα τοῖς δεομένοις χαρίζεται. Οὕτω πτωχῶν καὶ ἀλητευόντων φῦλα προστρέχει τῷ τῆς Σινώπης ἰσθμῷ καθάπερ τινὶ κοινῷ ταμιείῳ. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν οὕτως. Εἰ δέ που καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ διὰ μικρῶν λειψάνων οἷον ἀποικίαν τινὰ μητροπόλεως ὁ μάρτυς ἑαυτῷ κατεστήσατο, θαυμαστὸς καὶ οὗτος ὁ τόπος καὶ πᾶσι χριστιανοῖς περισπούδαστος, ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ οὗτος ὁ παρ' ἡμῖν ἱερὸς χωρὸς κατα γώγιον ἑορταζόντων ἐστί. Τίμιος