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of visible and invisible enemies being arrayed. 3. Therefore, with such a spectacle of contests set before us, shall we not hasten to the observation of these things, and drink in the encounters, and grips, and holds of both, and gaze upon the victory of our sacred-victor, and crown-bearer? and the hateful demons defeated and put to shame and falling, but the angelic hosts shouting cries of triumph, and with victory applause praising and honoring the glorious victor, and Christ himself as the president of the games, rising from the royal throne, just as for Stephen the protomartyr, and holding out the crowns, and receiving the victorious one streaming with sweat, escorted by angels, and embracing her, and putting her to rest in the heavenly chambers, and bridal-chambers? To those who love spectacles, what is more delightful, or sweeter, or more profitable than such a sight? «For bless, says Basil the holy teacher of the Church, those who have genuinely martyred, so that you may become a martyr by choice, and come forth without blood, and scourges, and tortures.» Is there any other observation or occupation more profitable than this, and bringing more wealth? It seems not to me. But what have I done, O friends? Before we have approached the beginning of the contests, the discourse has urged us toward the end. Come then, calling it back, let us now step upon the vestibules of the martyrdom, and begin the narration part by part. 4. When the all-good, and merciful Word of God had seen His own handiwork—which from the beginning He had made in His own image, and had entrusted with dominion over earthly things—carried out from the delight of paradise by the deceit of the intelligible snake through the sensible one, and henceforth enslaved, and universally subjected not only to corruption, but also led away into manifold errors and passions of dishonor, and so darkened in the eyes of the soul by the gloom of impiety, as to have abandoned the truly existing God, and to have offered worship to wood and stones and senseless matter, and thrust out and cast down by the wicked and apostate demon to the extremity of Hades and impiety, He did not endure the insolence of the avenging tyrant, and the desperate ruin of deluded man. But rather, having taken up His own creation out of pity, the good Shepherd put on the fleece from a virgin 96.788 who had not known marriage, through which, having baited the adversary, and having contended against him on the cross, He has justly cast him out from his tyranny, as one who had unjustly armed death against Him who was inexperienced in sin, on account of which death had been decreed. For He who was altogether without a taste of sin was not subject to the penalties and punishments of death. 5. Therefore, he who unjustly destroyed this one, will be justly destroyed in return, and will be deprived of the wealth which he possessed. For his destruction is the expulsion and fall from power; for the demonic race was created immortal by the Creator. For the Lord also said at the time of His passion: The ruler of this world is coming, and he will find nothing in me; that is, a field for his seeds, or a trace of sin, or a scent, or a shadow. For He committed no sin, to speak prophetically, nor was deceit found in His mouth. Therefore He also said again, Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out, that is, he will fall from his tyranny, and will be removed. Therefore, through His own resurrection, having restored and renewed our lump of clay, He then sends out the holy apostles to all the ends of the inhabited world, announcing the proclamation of salvation to mortals,

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ὁρατῶν καὶ ἀοράτων πολεμίων συγκειμένων. γʹ. Τοιαύτης οὖν ἡμῖν ἄθλων θεωρίας προτιθεμένης, οὐκ ἐπισπεύσομεν πρὸς τὴν τούτων ἐπόπτευσιν, καὶ τὰς συμβολὰς, καὶ πλοκὰς, καὶ λαβὰς ἀμφοτέρων κατάρδωμεν, καὶ τὴν νίκην τῆς ἡμετέρας ἱερονίκου, καὶ στεφανίτιδος ἐπαθρήσομεν; καὶ τοὺς μὲν στυγεροὺς δαίμονας ἡττωμένους καὶ καταισχυνομένους καὶ πίπτοντας, τοὺς ἀγγελικοὺς δὲ δήμους ἀλαλαγμοὺς ἐπιφωνοῦντας, καὶ ἐπινικίοις κρότοις τὴν καλλίνικον εὐφημοῦντας καὶ γεραίροντας, καὶ Χριστὸν αὐτὸν ὡς ἀγωνοθέτην, τοῦ βασιλικοῦ θρόνου, καθάπερ ἐπὶ Στεφάνου τοῦ πρωτομάρτυρος, ἐπανιστάμενον, καὶ τοὺς στεφάνους προτείνοντα, καὶ ἱδρῶσι περιῤῥεομένην τὴν νικηφόρον, ὑπ' ἀγγέλων δορυφορουμένην ὑποδεχόμενον, καὶ περιπτυσσόμενον, καὶ τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις θαλάμοις, καὶ νυμφῶσιν ἐνευναίοντα; Τί τοῖς φιλοθεάμοσι τοῦ τοιοῦδε θεάματος τερπνότερον, ἢ ἡδύτερον, ἢ ἐπικερδέστερον; «Μακάρισον γὰρ, φησὶν Βασίλειος ὁ ἱερὸς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας διδάσκαλος, γνησίως μαρτυρήσαντας, ἵνα γένῃ μάρτυς τῇ προαιρέσει, καὶ ἐκβῇς χωρὶς αἵματος, καὶ μαστίγων, καὶ αἰκισμῶν.» Ἆρά ἐστιν τίς ἑτέρα τῆς τοιαύτης ἐποψίας ἢ πραγματείας κερδαλεωτέρα, καὶ τὸν πλοῦτον προσφέρουσα πλείονα; οὔ μοι δοκεῖ. Ἀλλὰ τί πέπονθα, ὦ φίλοι; πρὶν τῇ ἀρχῇ τῶν ἀγώνων προσβάλωμεν, πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος παρώρμησεν. Ἄγε δὴ οὖν, αὐτὸν ἀνακαλεσάμενοι, τῶν προθύρων τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἐπιβῶμεν ἤδη, καὶ τῆς κατὰ μέρος διηγήσεως καταρξώμεθα. δʹ. Τοῦ παναγάθου, καὶ φιλοικτίρμονος Θεοῦ Λόγου τὸ ἴδιον πλαστούργημα, ὅπερ κατ' εἰκόνα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀρχῆθεν πεποίηκεν, καὶ τῶν ἐπιγείων τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἐγκεχείρικεν, ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ νοητοῦ δὲ διὰ τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ ὄφεως ἀπάτης ἐκ τῆς τοῦ παραδείσου τρυφῆς ἐξενηνεγμένον ἑωρακότος, καὶ λοιπὸν δεδουλωμένον, καὶ παγγενεὶ οὐ μόνον τῇ φθορᾷ ὑποβεβλημένον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς πολυσχεδεῖς πλάνας καὶ πάθη ἀτιμίας ὑπηγμένον, καὶ τοσοῦτον τῷ ζόφῳ τῆς ἀσεβείας τοὺς ψυχικοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐσκοτισμένον, ὡς καὶ τὸν ὄντως ὄντα Θεὸν καταλελοιπέναι, ξύλοις δὲ καὶ λίθοις, καὶ ἀναισθήτῳ ὕλῃ τὴν προσκύνησιν προσενηνοχέναι, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ, καὶ ἀποστατικοῦ δαίμονος εἰς ἔσχατον ᾅδου καὶ ἀσεβείας ἐξωσμένον καὶ κατεῤῥιμμένον, οὐκ ἤνεγκεν τὴν τοῦ ἀλάστορος τυράννου ὕβριν, καὶ τοῦ πεπλανημένου ἀνθρώπου ἀπηλπισμένην ἀπώλειαν. Οἴκτῳ δὲ μᾶλλον τοῦ ἰδίου ἀναλαβὼν ποιήματος, ἐξ ἀπειρογάμου νεά 96.788 νιδος τὸ κώδιον ὁ Ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς περιέθετο, δι' οὗ τὸν ἀντίδικον δελεάσας, καὶ τῷ σταυρῷ καταγωνισάμενος, δικαίως τῆς τυραννίδος ἐκβέβληκεν, ὡς ἀδίκως τῷ ἁμαρτίας ἀπείρῳ, καθ' ἣν ὁ θάνατος ὥριστο, τὸν θάνατον ἐφοπλίσαντα. Οὐ γὰρ θανάτου εὐθύναις καὶ ἐπιτιμίοις ὑπέκειτο, ὁ ἁμαρτίας παντάπασιν ἄγευστος. εʹ. Ὁ τοίνυν τοῦτον ἀδίκως ἀνῃρηκὼς, ἐνδίκως ἀνταναιρεθήσεται, καὶ οὗ ἐκέκτητο πλούτου, στερηθήσεται. Ἐκείνου γὰρ ἀναίρεσις, ἡ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἐστὶν ἐκβολὴ καὶ ἔκπτωσις· ἀθάνατον γὰρ τὸ δαιμόνιον φύλον ὑπὸ τοῦ Κτίστου δεδημιούργηται. Καὶ ὁ Κύριος γὰρ παρὰ τὸν τοῦ πάθους καιρὸν ἔφασκεν· Ἔρχεται ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ εὑρήσει οὐδέν· τουτέστι, τῶν ἐκείνου σπερμάτων γεώργιον, ἢ ἁμαρτίας ἴχνος, ἢ ὀσμὴν, ἢ ἀποσκίασμα. Ἁμαρτίαν γὰρ οὐκ ἐποίησεν, προφητικῶς εἰπεῖν, οὐδὲ δόλος εὑρέθη ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ πάλιν ἔλεγεν, Νῦν κρίσις τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἐστίν· νῦν ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἐκβληθήσεται ἔξω, ἤτοι, τῆς τυραννίδος ἐκπεσεῖται, καὶ μεταστήσεται. ∆ιὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τοιγαροῦν ἀναστάσεως τὸ ἡμέτερον ἀνασκευάσας καὶ ἀνανεωσάμενος φύραμα, τοὺς ἱεροὺς λοιπὸν ἀποστόλους κατὰ πάσης ἐκπέμπει τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ πέρατα, τὸ σωτήριον τοῖς βροτοῖς διαγγέλλοντας κήρυγμα,