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50.708 hedged about, gleaming with their weapons, and illuminating the earth, clouds of arrows are released from all sides, hiding the air with their multitude, rivers of blood flow upon the earth, and everywhere the corpses are many, just as ears of corn in a harvest, so the soldiers fall one after another. Come then, let me lead you from those battles to this one. Here too are two battle lines, that of the martyrs, and that of the tyrants; but the tyrants are fully armed, while the martyrs fight with naked bodies, and the victory belongs to the naked, not to the armed. Who would not be astonished that the one being flogged overcomes the one flogging, the one bound overcomes the unbound, the one being burned overcomes the one burning, the one dying overcomes the one slaying? Do you see how these things are more terrifying than those? For those things, though terrible, happen according to nature; but these things surpass all nature, and all sequence of events, so that you may learn that the victories are of the grace of God. And yet what is more unjust than this battle? What is more lawless than these contests? For in wars both combatants are protected; but here it is not so, but one is naked, while the other is fully armed; in the games, again, both are permitted to raise their hands against each other, but here one is bound, while the other inflicts blows with authority, and as if by some tyranny the judges, having allotted to themselves the role of doing evil, and having assigned to the just martyrs the role of suffering evil, so they engage with the saints, and not even so do they overcome them, but after this unequal battle, they withdraw defeated; and the same thing happens as if someone, having brought a warrior into battle, and having cut off the point of his spear, and stripped off his breastplate, should thus command him to fight with a naked body, and he, being struck and beaten and receiving a thousand wounds from every side, should set up a trophy of victory.

For leading the martyrs naked, and having bound their hands behind their backs and beating and tearing them from all sides, thus they were defeated; but those receiving the wounds set up the trophy against the devil. And just as a diamond when struck does not itself give way, nor is it softened, but shatters the iron that strikes it; so indeed also the souls of the saints, when so many tortures were inflicted, themselves suffered nothing terrible, but, destroying the power of those who beat them, sent them out from the contests shamefully and ridiculously defeated after many and unbearable blows. For they bound them to the wood, and dug into their sides, deepening the furrows, as if plowing the earth, not tearing bodies; and it was possible to see flanks laid open, ribs exposed, chests torn apart, and not even here did those bloodthirsty beasts stop their madness, but taking them down from the wood, they stretched them over coals on an iron gridiron; and it was possible to see again spectacles more bitter than the first, double drops falling from their bodies, some of flowing blood, others of melting flesh; but the saints, as if lying on roses instead of coals, thus watched what was happening with pleasure.

2. But when you hear of an iron ladder, remember the spiritual ladder, which the patriarch Jacob saw stretching from earth to heaven;

by that one angels descended, but by this one martyrs ascend; and upon each the Lord was supported. These saints would not have borne the pains, if they had not been leaning on this. But that angels ascend and descend by that one, and that martyrs also ascend by this one, is surely clear to all. Why is that? Because those are sent for the service of those who are to inherit salvation, but these, like athletes and crown-wearers, having been released from the contests, departed at last to the one who presides over the games.

But let us not simply hear what is said, hearing that coals were placed under their torn bodies, but let us consider what we are like with a fever

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περι50.708 πεφραγμένα, ἀπολάμποντα τοῖς ὅπλοις, καὶ τὴν γῆν καταυγάζοντα, νέφη βελῶν ἀφίεται πανταχόθεν ἀποκρύπτοντα τὸν ἀέρα τῷ πλήθει, ῥύακες αἱμάτων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς φέρονται, καὶ πολλὰ πανταχοῦ τὰ πτώματα καθάπερ ἐν ἀμητῷ ἀσταχύων, οὕτω τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐπαλλήλων καταφερομένων. Φέρε οὖν ἀπ' ἐκείνων ἐπὶ ταύτην ἀγάγω σε τὴν μάχην. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα δύο παρατάξεις, ἡ μὲν τῶν μαρτύρων, ἡ δὲ τῶν τυράννων· ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν τύραννοί εἰσι καθωπλισμένοι, οἱ δὲ μάρτυρες γυμνῷ τῷ σώματι μάχονται, καὶ ἡ νίκη τῶν γυμνῶν, οὐ τῶν καθωπλισμένων γίνεται. Τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλαγείη, ὅτι ὁ μαστιζόμενος περιγίνεται τοῦ μαστίζοντος, ὁ δεδεμένος τοῦ λελυμένου, ὁ κατακαιόμενος τοῦ καίοντος, ὁ ἀποθνήσκων τοῦ ἀναιροῦντος; Εἶδες πῶς ταῦτα ἐκείνων φρικωδέστερα; Ἐκεῖνα μὲν εἰ καὶ φοβερὰ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ φύσιν γίνεται· ταῦτα δὲ πᾶσαν ὑπερβαίνει φύσιν, καὶ πᾶσαν πραγμάτων ἀκολουθίαν, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτός ἐστι τὰ κατορθούμενα. Καίτοι τί τῆς μάχης ταύτης ἀδικώτερον; τί τῶν παλαισμάτων παρανομώτερον; Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς πολέμοις ἀμφότεροι φράττονται οἱ μαχόμενοι· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν γυμνὸς, ὁ δὲ καθώπλισται· ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσι πάλιν ἀμφοτέροις ἔξεστι τὰς χεῖρας ἀνταίρειν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ μὲν δέδεται, ὁ δὲ μετ' ἐξουσίας ἐπάγει τὰς πληγὰς, καὶ καθάπερ ἐκ τυραννίδος τινὸς ἑαυτοῖς μὲν τὸ κακῶς ποιεῖν ἀποκληρώσαντες οἱ δικάζοντες, τοῖς δικαίοις δὲ μάρτυσι τὸ πάσχειν κακῶς ἀπονείμαντες, οὕτω συμπλέκονται τοῖς ἁγίοις, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτῶν περιγίνονται, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὴν ἀνώμαλον ταύτην μάχην ἡττηθέντες ἀναχωροῦσι· καὶ ταυτὸν γίνεται οἷον ἂν εἴ τις πολεμιστὴν ἄνθρωπον εἰς πόλεμον εἰσαγαγὼν, καὶ τοῦ δόρατος τὴν αἰχμὴν ἀποκόψας, καὶ τὸν θώρακα ἀποδύσας, οὕτω κελεύῃ γυμνῷ τῷ σώματι μάχεσθαι, ὁ δὲ πληττόμενος καὶ παιόμενος καὶ πάντοθεν μυρία δεχόμενος τραύματα τρόπαιον στήσειε.

Καὶ γὰρ τοὺς μάρτυρας γυμνοὺς ἄγοντες, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ὀπίσω δήσαντες καὶ πάντοθεν παίοντες καὶ καταξαίνοντες, οὕτως ἡττῶντο· οἱ δὲ τὰ τραύματα δεχόμενοι, τὸ κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου τρόπαιον ἔστησαν. Καὶ καθάπερ ἀδάμας πληττόμενος αὐτὸς μὲν οὐκ ἐνδίδωσιν, οὐδὲ μαλάσσεται, τὸν δὲ παίοντα διαλύει σίδηρον· οὕτω δὴ καὶ αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων, τοσούτων ἐπαγομένων βασάνων, αὐταὶ μὲν οὐδὲν ἔπασχον δεινὸν, τῶν δὲ παιόντων τὴν δύναμιν καταλύουσαι, αἰσχρῶς καὶ καταγελάστως ἡττηθέντας ἐκ τῶν ἀγώνων ἐξέπεμπον μετὰ πολλὰς καὶ ἀφορήτους πληγάς. Καὶ γὰρ προσέδησαν αὐτοὺς τῷ ξύλῳ, καὶ τὰς πλευρὰς διώρυττον, ἐμβαθύνοντες αὔλακας, καθάπερ γῆν ἀροτριῶντες, ἀλλ' οὐ σώματα σχίζοντες· καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν λαγόνας ἀναπεπετασμένας, πλευρὰ ἀνεῳγότα, στήθη διεῤῥηγμένα, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα τῆς μανίας ἔστησαν οἱ αἱμοβόροι θῆρες ἐκεῖνοι, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου καθελόντες ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνθράκων ἐπὶ σιδηρᾶς κλίμακος ἔτεινον· καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν πάλιν πικρότερα τῶν προτέρων θεάματα, διπλᾶς καταφερομένας σταγόνας ἐκ τῶν σωμάτων, τὰς μὲν τοῦ αἵματος ῥέοντος, τὰς δὲ τῶν σαρκῶν τηκομένων· οἱ δὲ ἅγιοι καθάπερ ἐπὶ ῥόδων κείμενοι τῶν ἀνθράκων, οὕτω μεθ' ἡδονῆς τὰ γινόμενα ἐθεώρουν.

βʹ. Σὺ δὲ ἀκούσας κλίμακα σιδηρᾶν, ἀναμνήσθητι κλίμακος νοητῆς, ἣν εἶδεν

ὁ πατριάρχης Ἰακὼβ ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν τεταμένην· δι' ἐκείνης κατέβαινον ἄγγελοι, διὰ ταύτης δὲ ἀναβαίνουσι μάρτυρες· ἑκατέρᾳ δὲ ὁ Κύριος ἐπεστήρικτο. Οὐκ ἂν ἤνεγκαν τὰς ὀδύνας οἱ ἅγιοι οὗτοι, εἰ μὴ ταύτῃ ἐπηρείδοντο. Ἀλλὰ δι' ἐκείνης μὲν ἀναβαίνουσι καὶ καταβαίνουσιν ἄγγελοι, διὰ ταύτης δὲ ὅτι ἀναβαίνουσι καὶ μάρτυρες παντί που δῆλον. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι μὲν πρὸς διακονίαν ἀποστέλλονται τῶν μελλόντων κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν, οὗτοι δὲ καθάπερ ἀθληταὶ καὶ στεφανῖται ἀπαλλαγέντες τῶν ἀγώνων ἀπῆλθον λοιπὸν πρὸς τὸν ἀγωνοθέτην.

Ἀλλὰ γὰρ μὴ ἁπλῶς ἀκούωμεν τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀκούοντες, ὅτι ἄνθρακες ὑπέκειντο καταξανθεῖσι τοῖς σώμασιν, ἀλλ' ἐννοήσωμεν τίνες ἐσμὲν πυρετοῦ