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miracles, nor if another Antiochus more harsh than you threatens us. But there is one safety, the keeping of the commandment, and that the law, by which we have been fortified, not be broken. And one glory, to despise all glory in such circumstances. And one wealth, the things hoped for; and nothing is terrible, except to fear something before God. With these thoughts we have been drawn up for battle, and thus we have been armed; your speech is to such youths as these, This world is indeed pleasant, and our ancestral land, and friends, and kinsmen, and comrades, and this temple of great and renowned name, and ancestral festivals, and mysteries, and all those things in which we seem to differ from others. Yet not more pleasant than God, and the dangers for the sake of the good; do not think this. For we have another world, much higher and more enduring than the things that are seen; and a fatherland, the Jerusalem above, which no Antiochus will besiege, nor expect to subdue, the strong and indestructible. And kinship, the inspiration, and those born according to virtue. And friends, prophets, and patriarchs, from whom we have the model of piety. And comrades, those who share our danger today, and are contemporary in endurance. And instead of a temple, a more magnificent heaven, and for a festival, the choir of angels; and one great mystery, and the greatest, and hidden from the many, God, to whom the mysteries here also look.

ςʹ. "Cease therefore promising us small things, and things worthy of nothing. For we will not be honored by dishonorable things, nor will we gain things that are detrimental; we will not traffic so 35.921 wretchedly. Cease also your threats, or we will threaten in return, to expose your weakness, and in addition to this our own torments; we too have a fire, with which we punish our persecutors. Do you think your struggle is against nations and cities, and the most unmanly of kings, of whom some will prevail, and others perhaps will be defeated? For their danger is not about such things. You are arrayed against the law of God, against tablets inscribed by God, against ancestral customs honored both by reason and time, against seven brothers bound together by one soul, who will pillory you with seven trophies; to conquer them is no great thing, but to be defeated by them is exceedingly shameful. We are their offspring and disciples, whom a pillar of fire and cloud guided, for whom the sea was parted, and a river stood still, and the sun was checked, and bread was rained down, and the stretching out of hands routed myriads, striking them down through prayers; by whom wild beasts were overcome, and fire did not touch, and kings departed, marveling at their nobility. Let us say something of those familiar to you as well; We are initiates of Eleazar, whose courage you have known. A father has contended before us, his sons will contend after; the priest has departed, the victims will follow; you threaten many things, we are prepared for more. What will you do to us, you arrogant one, with your threats? What shall we suffer? Nothing is stronger than those who are ready to suffer all things. O executioners, why do you delay? Why do you shrink back? Why do you wait for the "kind" command? Where are the swords? Where are the bonds? I demand speed. Let the fire be kindled higher, the beasts more savage, the racks more elaborate; let everything be kingly and more magnificent. I am the firstborn, consecrate me first; I am the last, shall the order be changed? let one of the middle ones also be among the first, that we may be honored with equal share. But do you hesitate? Do you perhaps expect something of the opposite? Again and many times we will say the same thing: We will not eat abominable things, we will not give in. You will sooner revere our ways than we will yield to yours. The sum of the matter: Either invent newer torments, or know that the present ones are despised." 35.924

Ζʹ. These things they said to the tyrant. But the things they urged on one another, and the things they presented to see, how beautiful and sacred, and more pleasant than any other sight or sound to those who love God! I myself, therefore, am filled with pleasure remembering them, and in my thought I am with them as they contend, and I am adorned by the narrative. They embraced one another, they clung to each other, it was a festival, as if over contests already completed; "Let us go, brothers, to the dangers," they cried, "let us go, let us hurry, while the

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θαύματα, οὐδ' ἂν ἡμῖν ἄλλος Ἀντίοχος ἀπειλῇ σου χαλεπώτερος. Μία δὲ ἀσφάλεια, τῆς ἐντολῆς ἡ τήρησις, καὶ τὸ μὴ ῥαγῆναι τὸν νόμον, ᾧ τετειχίσμεθα. Μία δὲ δόξα, τὸ δόξης ἁπάσης ὑπεριδεῖν ἐπὶ τηλικούτοις. Εἷς δὲ πλοῦτος, τὰ ἐλπιζόμενα· φοβερὸν δὲ οὐδὲν, ἢ τὸ φοβηθῆναί τι πρὸ Θεοῦ. Μετὰ τούτων παρατετάγμε θα τῶν λογισμῶν, καὶ οὕτως ὡπλίσμεθα· πρὸς τοιού τους σοι νεανίας ὁ λόγος, Ἡδὺ μὲν καὶ ὁ κόσμος οὗ τος, καὶ τὸ πατρῷον ἔδαφος, καὶ φίλοι, καὶ συγγε νεῖς, καὶ ἡλικιῶται, καὶ ὁ ναὸς οὗτος τὸ μέγα καὶ πε ριβόητον ὄνομα, καὶ πανηγύρεις πατρικαὶ, καὶ μυστήρια, καὶ πάντα οἷς ἡμεῖς τῶν ἄλλων διαφέρειν δοκοῦμεν. Οὔπω δὲ ἡδίω Θεοῦ, καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κα λοῦ κινδύνων· μὴ τοῦτο νομίσῃς. Κόσμος τε γὰρ ἄλλος ἡμῖν, πολὺ τῶν ὁρωμένων ὑψηλότερός τε καὶ μονιμώτερος· πατρίς τε ἡ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἣν οὐδεὶς Ἀντίοχος πολιορκήσει, οὐδὲ προσδοκήσει παραστήσεσθαι, ἡ καρτερὰ καὶ ἀνάλωτος. Συγγένεια δὲ, ἡ ἔμπνευσις, καὶ οἱ κατ' ἀρετὴν γεννηθέντες. Φίλοι δὲ, προφῆται, καὶ πατριάρχαι, παρ' ὧν ἡμῖν καὶ ὁ τύπος τῆς εὐσεβείας. Ἡλικιῶται δὲ, οἱ σήμερον ἡμῖν συγκινδυνεύοντες, καὶ τὴν καρτερίαν ὁμόχρονοι. Ναοῦ δὲ, οὐρανὸς μεγαλοπρεπέστερος, πανήγυρις δὲ, ἀγγέλων χοροστασία· καὶ μυστήριον ἓν μέ γα, καὶ μέγιστον, καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀπόκρυφον, ὁ Θεὸς, πρὸς ὃν βλέπει καὶ τὰ τῇδε μυστήρια.

ςʹ. «Παῦσαι τοίνυν ὑπισχνούμενος ἡμῖν τὰ μικρὰ, καὶ τοῦ μηδενὸς ἄξια. Οὐ γὰρ τιμησόμεθα τοῖς ἀτίμοις, οὐδὲ κερδανοῦμεν ἐπιζήμια· οὐχ οὕτως 35.921 ἀθλίως ἐμπορευσόμεθα. Παῦσαι καὶ ἀπειλῶν, ἢ ἀνταπειλήσομεν, ἐλέγξειν σου τὴν ἀσθένειαν, καὶ πρὸς τούτῳ τὰ ἡμέτερα κολαστήρια· ἔχομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς πῦρ, ᾧ τοὺς διώκτας κολάζομεν. Οἴει πρὸς ἔθνη καὶ πόλεις εἶναί σοι τὸν ἀγῶνα, καὶ βασι λέων τοὺς ἀνανδροτάτους, ὧν οἱ μὲν κρατήσουσιν, οἱ δὲ ἴσως ἡττηθήσονται; οὐδὲ γὰρ περὶ τηλικούτων αὐτοῖς ὁ κίνδυνος. Πρὸς νόμον Θεοῦ παρατάσσῃ, πρὸς πλάκας θεοχαράκτους, πρὸς πάτρια καὶ λόγῳ καὶ χρόνῳ τετιμημένα, πρὸς ἀδελφοὺς ἑπτὰ μιᾷ ψυχῇ συνδεδεμένους, ἑπτὰ τροπαίοις σε στηλιτεύσοντας· ὧν κρατῆσαι μὲν οὐ μέγα, ἡττηθῆναι δὲ καὶ λίαν αἰσχρόν. Ἐκείνων ἐσμὲν καὶ γένος καὶ μαθηταὶ, οὓς στύλος πυρὸς καὶ νεφέλης ὡδήγει, οἷς θάλασσα διίστατο, καὶ ποταμὸς ἵστατο, καὶ ἥλιος ἀν εκόπτετο, καὶ ἄρτος ὕετο, καὶ χειρῶν ἔκτασις ἐτρο ποῦτο μυριάδας, δι' εὐχῶν βάλλουσα· ὧν θῆρες ἡττῶντο, καὶ πῦρ οὐχ ἥπτετο, καὶ βασιλεῖς ἀπῄεσαν, τὸ γενναῖον θαυμάζοντες. Εἴπωμέν τι καὶ τῶν σοὶ γνωρίμων· Ἐλεαζάρου μύσται ἡμεῖς, οὗ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἔγνως. Προηγωνίσατο πατὴρ, ἐπαγωνιοῦνται παῖδες· ἀπῆλθεν ὁ ἱερεὺς, ἐπακολου θήσει τὰ θύματα· πολλὰ δεδίττῃ, πρὸς πλείω παρ εσκευάσμεθα. Τί καὶ δράσεις ἡμᾶς, ὑπερήφανε, ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς; τί καὶ πεισόμεθα; Οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον τῶν πάντα παθεῖν ἑτοίμων. Ὦ δήμιοι, τί μέλ λετε; τί δὲ ἀναδύεσθε; τί τὸ πρόσταγμα τὸ χρηστὸν ἀναμένετε; Ποῦ τὰ ξίφη; ποῦ τὰ δεσμά; ζητῶ τὸ τάχος. Πλεῖον ἀναπτέσθω τὸ πῦρ, οἱ θῆρες ἐνεργέστεροι, αἱ στρέβλαι περιεργότεραι· πάντα ἔστω βασιλικὰ καὶ πολυτελέστερα. Ἐγὼ πρωτότοκός εἰμι, πρῶτόν με καθιέρωσον· ἐγὼ τελευταῖος, ἡ τάξις ἐναμειφθήτω; ἔστω τις καὶ τῶν μέσων ἐν πρώτοις, ἵνα τιμηθῶμεν ἰσομοιρίᾳ. Φείδῃ δέ; προσδοκᾷς τι τυχὸν καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων; Πάλιν καὶ πολλάκις ἐροῦμεν τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον· Οὐ μιαροφαγήσομεν, οὐκ ἐνδώσομεν. Θᾶττον σὺ σεβασθήσῃ τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἢ τοῖς σοῖς ἡμεῖς εἴξωμεν. Κεφάλαιον τοῦ λόγου· Ἢ καινότερα ἐπινόησον κολαστήρια, ἢ τὰ παρόντα ἴσθι καταφρονούμενα.» 35.924

Ζʹ. Ταῦτα μὲν πρὸς τὸν τύραννον. Ἃ δὲ ἀλλήλοις διεκελεύοντο, ἃ δὲ παρεῖχον ὁρᾷν, ὡς καλά τε καὶ ἱερὰ, καὶ παντὸς ἄλλου θεάματος καὶ ἀκούσματος ἡδίω τοῖς φιλοθέοις! Ἔγωγ' οὖν αὐτὸς ἡδονῆς ἐμπίμ πλαμαι μνημονεύων, καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν ἀθλούντων εἰμὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ, καὶ τῷ διηγήματι καλλωπίζομαι. Περιέβαλλον ἀλλήλους, περιεπτύσσοντο, πανήγυ ρις ἦν, ὡς ἐπ' ἄθλοις τετελεσμένοις· «Ἴωμεν, ἀδελφοὶ, πρὸς τοὺς κινδύνους, ἐβόων, ἴωμεν, ἐπειγώμεθα, ἕως ζέει καθ' ἡμῶν ὁ