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having crafted with colors in a sort of speaking book, he clearly narrated the contests of the martyr, and adorned the temple like a shining meadow; for a silent picture on a wall knows how to speak, and to benefit greatly; 46.740 and the one who sets the mosaic tiles made the trodden floor worthy of history. And having thus feasted his sight on the perceptible works of art, he desires then to approach the reliquary itself; believing the contact to be a sanctification and a blessing. And if someone should be allowed to take the dust lying on the surface of his resting place, the soil is received as a gift, and the earth is treasured as a keepsake.

For to touch the relic itself, if ever some good fortune should grant the opportunity, how greatly longed for it is, and the gift of the highest prayer, those who have experienced it know, and have been filled with such desire. For those who see it kiss it as a living and flourishing body, bringing it near to their eyes, their mouth, their ears, to all their senses, then pouring out a tear of piety and of passion, as to a whole and visible martyr they offer the supplication to intercede, beseeching him as a bodyguard of God, invoking him as one who receives gifts when he wishes. From all these things, pious people, learn that *Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints*. For the body of all men is one and the same, having its composition from one substance; but the one having simply died is cast aside as any ordinary thing; but the one graced with the suffering of martyrdom is so lovely and sought after, as the preceding account has taught. Therefore let us believe in the invisible from the visible, from experience in the world in the promise of things to come. For many who put the belly, and vainglory, and the rabble here before all else, consider the future as nothing; they think that all things are concluded with the end of life. But he who thinks thus, learn the great things from the small, understand the archetypes from the shadows. Which of kings is honored with such honor? which of those who have appeared pre-eminent among men is glorified by such a memorial? which of the generals who have taken walled cities, and enslaved countless nations, is so celebrated, as this soldier, this poor man, this new recruit, whom Paul armed, whom angels anointed for the contest, and whom, having conquered, Christ crowned? But rather, since I have come near in my discourse to the contests of the martyr, come, let us leave aside the common things, and let us make the exceptional account of the saint; for to each his own is dear. The homeland, then, of the noble man, is the land towards the rising sun; for he also is noble like Job from the rising of the sun, and sharing a homeland with him, he was not left behind in the imitation of his character. But now he is a common martyr for the whole inhabited world, a citizen of the world under the sun; and having been taken from there for the military 46.741 rolls, thus with his own company he crossed over to our land, since the winter rest for the soldiers was decreed here by the rulers. And when a war was suddenly stirred up, not from a barbarian raid, but from a Satanic law, and a God-fighting decree (for every Christian was persecuted by the impious letter, and was led to death); then indeed, then this thrice-blessed one, being known for piety, and carrying the faith in Christ everywhere, almost having written the confession on his forehead, was no longer a new recruit in courage, nor inexperienced in war and battle; but noble in soul, having made his stand strong against the dangers, not shrinking, not cowering, not putting forward a word without boldness. For when that wicked tribunal sat, both the governor and the tribune having come together to the same place, like Herod once and Pilate, they brought the servant of the crucified one to a trial similar to his Master's. "And say," he says, "whence this insolence and audacity being in you, you insult the imperial law, and do not submit

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βιβλίῳ τινὶ γλωττο φόρῳ διὰ χρωμάτων τεχνουργησάμενος, σαφῶς δι ηγόρευσε τοὺς ἀγῶνας τοῦ μάρτυρος, καὶ ὡς λειμῶνα λαμπρὸν τὸν νεὼν κατηγλάϊσεν· οἶδε γὰρ καὶ γραφὴ σιωπῶσα ἐν τοίχῳ λαλεῖν, καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελεῖν· 46.740 καὶ ὁ τῶν ψηφίδων συνθέτης, ἱστορίας ἄξιον ἐποίησε τὸ πατούμενον ἔδαφος. Καὶ τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς οὕτω φιλοτεχνήμασιν ἐνευπα θήσας τὴν ὄψιν, ἐπιθυμεῖ λοιπὸν καὶ αὐτῇ πλησιάσαι τῇ θήκῃ· ἁγιασμὸν καὶ εὐλογίαν τὴν ἐπαφὴν εἶναι πιστεύων. Εἰ δὲ καὶ κόνιν τις δοίη φέρειν τὴν ἐπι κειμένην τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως, δῶρον ὁ χοῦς λαμβάνεται, καὶ ὡς κειμήλιον ἡ γῆ θησαυρίζεται.

Τὸ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ λειψάνου προσάψασθαι, εἴ ποτέ τις ἐπιτυχία τοιαύτη παράσχοι τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ὅπως ἐστὶ πολυπόθητον, καὶ εὐχῆς τῆς ἀνωτάτω τὸ δῶρον, ἴσασιν οἱ πεπειραμένοι, καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιθυμίας ἐμφορηθέντες. Ὡς σῶμα γὰρ αὐτὸ ζῶν καὶ ἀνθοῦν οἱ βλέποντες κατασπάζονται, τοῖς ὀφ θαλμοῖς, τῷ στόματι, ταῖς ἀκοαῖς, πάσαις προσ άγοντες ταῖς αἰσθήσεσιν, εἶτα τὸ τῆς εὐλαβείας καὶ τὸ τοῦ πάθους ἐπιχέοντες δάκρυον, ὡς ὁλοκλήρῳ καὶ φαινομένῳ τῷ μάρτυρι τὴν τοῦ πρεσβεύειν ἱκεσίαν προσάγουσιν, ὡς δορυφόρον τοῦ Θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντες, ὡς λαμβάνοντα τὰς δωρεὰς ὅταν ἐθέλῃ ἐπικαλούμε νοι. Ἐκ τούτων πάντων, ὁ εὐσεβὴς λαὸς, καταμάθετε, ὅτι Τίμιος ἐναντίον Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ. Ἓν μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ σῶμα πάντων ἀνθρώ πων, ἐξ ἑνὸς φυράματος ἔχον τὴν σύστασιν· ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἁπλῶς ἀποθανὸν, ῥίπτεται ὡς τὸ τυχόν· τὸ δὲ τῷ πάθει τοῦ μαρτυρίου χαριτωθὲν, οὕτως ἐστὶν ἐράσμιον καὶ ἀμφισβητήσιμον, ὡς ὁ προλαβὼν λόγος ἐδίδαξεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πιστεύσωμεν ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων τοῖς ἀοράτοις, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ πείρας τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπαγγελίᾳ. Πολλοὶ γὰρ οἱ τὴν γαστέρα, καὶ τὴν κενοδοξίαν, καὶ τὸν ἐνθάδε συρφετὸν πάντων ἐπίπροσθεν ἄγοντες, οὐδὲν ἡγοῦνται τὸ μέλλον· τῷ τέλει δὲ τοῦ βίου συμπεραιοῦσθαι τὰ πάντα νομίζου σιν. Ἀλλ' ὁ φρονῶν οὕτως, ἐκ τῶν μικρῶν τὰ με γάλα κατάμαθε, ἐκ τῶν σκιῶν τὰ ἀρχέτυπα νόησον. Τίς τῶν βασιλέων τοιαύτην τιμᾶται τιμήν; τίς τῶν καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις φανέντων τοιαύτῃ μνήμῃ δοξάζεται; τίς τῶν στρατηγῶν τῶν πόλεις τειχήρεις ἑλόντων, καὶ ἔθνη δουλωσαμένων μυρία, οὕτως ἐστὶν ἀοίδιμος, ὡς ὁ στρατιώτης οὗτος, ὁ πέ νης, ὁ νεόλεκτος, ὃν Παῦλος ὥπλισεν, ὃν ἄγγελοι πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα ἤλειψαν, καὶ νικήσαντα Χριστὸς ἐστεφάνωσεν; Μᾶλλον δὲ ἐπειδὴ ἐγγὺς ἐγενόμην τῷ λόγῳ τῶν ἀγώνων τοῦ μάρτυρος, φέρε, τὰ κοινὰ κα ταλιπόντες, τὸν ἐξαίρετον τοῦ ἁγίου λόγον ποιήσωμεν· φίλον γὰρ ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἴδιον. Πατρὶς τοίνυν τῷ γενναίῳ, ἡ πρὸς ἥλιον ἀνίσχουσα χώρα· εὐγενὴς γὰρ καὶ οὗτος κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ τῶν ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν, καὶ τῆς πατρίδος ἐκείνῳ κοινωνῶν, οὐκ ἀπελείφθη τῆς τοῦ ἤθους μιμήσεως. Νῦν δὲ πάσῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ἐστὶ μάρτυς κοινὸς τῆς ὑφ' ἡλίῳ πολίτης· ληφθεὶς δὲ ἐκεῖθεν πρὸς ὁπλιτικοὺς κατα 46.741 λόγους, οὕτω μετὰ τοῦ ἰδίου τάγματος πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν διέβη χώραν, τῆς χειμερινῆς ἀναπαύσεως τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐνθάδε παρὰ τῶν κρατούντων δια ταχθείσης. Πολέμου δὲ κινηθέντος ἀθρόον, οὐκ ἐξ ἐφόδου βαρβαρικῆς, ἀλλ' ἐκ νόμου Σατανικοῦ, καὶ δόγματος θεομάχου (πᾶς γὰρ Χριστιανὸς ἠλαύνετο τῷ δυσσεβεῖ γράμματι, καὶ πρὸς θάνατον ἤγετο)· τότε δὴ, τότε ὁ τρισμακάριος οὗτος, γνώριμος ὢν ἐπ' εὐ σεβεία, καὶ τὴν πίστιν τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πανταχοῦ περιφέρων, μόνον οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου τὴν ὁμολο γίαν γραψάμενος, οὐκέτι νεόλεκτος ἦν τὴν ἀνδρείαν, οὐδὲ ἄπειρος πολέμου καὶ μάχης· ἀλλὰ γενναῖος τὴν ψυχὴν, ἰσχυρὰν ποιησάμενος πρὸς τοὺς κινδύνους τὴν ἔνστασιν, οὐχ ὑφειμένος, οὐ δειλιῶν, οὐ λόγον ἀπαῤῥησίαστον προβαλλόμενος. Ὡς γὰρ ἐκάθισε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐκεῖνο δικαστήριον, ὅ τε ἡγεμὼν καὶ ὁ τα ξίαρχος εἰς ταὐτὸ συνελθόντες, ὡς Ἡρώδης ποτὲ καὶ Πιλάτος, τὸν δοῦλον τοῦ σταυρωθέντος, εἰς κρίσιν ὁμοίαν τοῦ ∆εσπότου κατέστησαν. «Καὶ λέγε,» φησὶ, «πόθεν σοι θρασύτητος καὶ τόλμης ἐγγινομένης, εἰς τὸν βασιλικὸν ἐξυβρίζεις νόμον, οὐχ ὑποκύπτεις δὲ