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trembling at the commands of the Master, nor do you worship according to what seems good to the rulers?” For those around Maximian were then the leaders of the empire. Who with a steadfast countenance and an undaunted mind, gave a well-aimed answer to what was said: “I do not know gods (for they do not truly exist); but you are deceived, honoring deceitful demons with the title of God; but for me, God is Christ, the only-begotten Son of God. For the sake of piety, therefore, and of the confession of Him, let the one who wounds cut, let the one who scourges tear, let the one who burns bring the flame, and let the one who is vexed by these words of mine cut out my tongue; for in every limb, the body owes its endurance to the Creator.” The tyrants were defeated by his words; and they did not bear the first assault of the champion, seeing a youth vigorous for suffering, and drawing on death as some sweet drink. And while they paused for a little, at a loss and deliberating what was to be done; one of the soldiers in authority, thinking himself witty, mocking the martyr’s response, said, “So, Theodore, your God has a son? And does He beget with passion, like a man?” “My God,” he said, “did not beget with passion; but I do confess a Son, and I say the generation is befitting of God; do you, O man of childish reasoning and wretched one, not blush nor cover your face when you confess a female deity, and worship her as the mother of twelve children, some demon prolific like the hares or the sows, easily conceiving and giving birth?”

Thus, when the saint had turned the laughter back twofold upon the idolater, the tyrants, feigning a form of humanity, said, “Let a little time for deliberation be given to the madman; perhaps at 46.744 leisure, giving thought to himself, he may change to something better.” For the senseless called sound-mindedness madness; and reverence, ecstasy and delirium; just as when drunkards reproach the sober with their own affliction. But the pious man and soldier of Christ used the given leisure for a manly deed. What deed? It is time for you to receive the story with gladness: To the fabled mother of the gods, there was a temple in the metropolis of Amaseia, which those then in error had built in their vanity somewhere near the banks of the river. This temple the noble man, watching for a favorable moment during the time of the given respite, and for a favoring breeze, set on fire and burned down, giving by his deed the answer to the wicked, which they were certainly awaiting after his deliberation. When the deed quickly became clear to all (for the fire was ignited most visibly in the middle of the city), he did not hide his attempt, nor did he endeavor to escape notice; but he was conspicuous, and indeed very much exulting in his achievement, and rejoicing exceedingly at the confusion of the godless, who were distressed, grieving for the temple and for the idol. And so he was reported to the rulers as having himself committed the arson; and again a tribunal more terrible than the first; as was indeed likely, since so great a provocation had occurred. And they went up to the judicial throne. But Theodore, full of confidence in their midst, having the courage of a ruler in the stance of one being judged, when questioned, cut short the questioning with the swiftness of his confession. But since he was undaunted, and had no regard for any of the threatened terrors, they changed to the opposite manner; and speaking humanely, they tried to entice the just man with promises. “And know,” they say, “that if you should be willing to obediently accept our counsel, we will immediately make you famous from obscure, honored from inglorious; and we promise you the dignity of the high priesthood.” But when he heard of the dignity of the high priesthood, the thrice-blessed one laughed long and said: “I, judging the priests of the idols to be wretched, and as servants of a vain practice, pity them; but the high priests upon

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τρέμων τοῖς τοῦ ∆εσπότου προστάγμασιν, οὐδὲ προσ κυνεῖς κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν τοῖς κρατοῦσιν;» Οἱ γὰρ ἀμφὶ Μαξιμιανὸν τότε τῆς βασιλείας ἡγοῦντο. Ὃς στεῤῥῷ τῷ προσώπῳ καὶ ἀκαταπλήκτῳ τῇ γνώμῃ, εὔστοχον τὴν ἀπόκρισιν τοῖς λεχθεῖσιν ἐπέθηκεν· «Θεοὺς μὲν οὐκ οἶδα (οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰσὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀλή θειαν)· δαίμονας δὲ ὑμεῖς ἀπατεῶνας πλανᾶσθε τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ τιμῶντες προσηγορίᾳ· ἐμοὶ δὲ Θεὸς ὁ Χρι στὸς, ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ μονογενὴς Υἱός. Ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας τοίνυν καὶ τῆς ὁμολογίας τῆς εἰς ἐκεῖνον, καὶ ὁ τιτρώσκων τεμνέτω, καὶ ὁ μαστίζων ξαινέτω, καὶ ὁ καίων προσαγέτω τὴν φλόγα, καὶ ὁ ταῖς φωναῖς μου ταύταις ἀχθόμενος ἐξαιρέτω τὴν γλῶσσαν· καθ' ἕκαστον γὰρ μέλος, τὸ σῶμα τῷ κτίσαντι χρεωστεῖ τὴν ὑπομονήν.» Ἡττήθησαν τῶν λόγων οἱ τύραννοι· καὶ τὴν πρώτην προσβολὴν τοῦ ἀριστέως οὐκ ἤνεγ καν, νεανίσκον βλέποντες πρὸς τὸ πάθος σφριγῶντα, καὶ ὡς ἡδύ τι πόμα τὴν τελευτὴν ἐφελκόμενον. Ὡς δὲ ἐκεῖνοι μικρὸν ἐπεῖχον ἠπορημένοι, καὶ βουλευό μενοι τὸ πρακτέον· εἷς τις τῶν ἐν τέλει στρατιώτης κομψὸς εἶναι οἰόμενος, ἐπιχλευάζων ὁμοῦ τὴν ἀπό κρισιν τὴν τοῦ μάρτυρος, «Ἔστι γὰρ,» ἔφη, «Υἱὸς, ὦ Θεόδωρε, τῷ σῷ Θεῷ; καὶ γεννᾷ ἐκεῖνος, ὡς ἄν θρωπος ἐμπαθῶς;» «Ἐμπαθῶς μὲν ὁ ἐμὸς,» ἔφη, «Θεὸς οὐκ ἐγέννησεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ Υἱὸν ὁμολογῶ, καὶ θεοπρεπῆ λέγω τὴν γέννησιν· σὺ, ὦ νηπιώδη τὸν λογισμὸν καὶ ἄθλιε, οὐκ ἐρυθριᾷς οὐδὲ ἐγκαλύπτῃ καὶ θήλειαν ὁμολογῶν θεὰν, καὶ ὡς μητέρα δώδεκα παίδων τὴν αὐτὴν προσκυνῶν, πολύτοκόν τινα δαί μονα κατὰ τοὺς λαγωοὺς ἢ τὰς ὕας εὐκόλως καὶ ἐγ κυϊσκομένην καὶ ἀποτίκτουσαν;»

Οὕτως δὲ τοῦ ἁγίου διπλοῦν ἀντιστρέψαντος τῷ εἰδωλολάτρῃ τὸν καταγέλωτα, σχῆμα πλασάμενοι φιλανθρωπίας οἱ τύραννοι, «Ὀλίγος,» φασὶ, «πρὸς διάσκεψιν ἐνδοθήτω τῷ μαινομένῳ καιρός· ἴσως κατὰ 46.744 σχολὴν δοὺς ἑαυτῷ γνώμην, μετάθηται πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον.» Μανίαν γὰρ οἱ ἔκφρονες τὴν σωφροσύνην ἐκάλουν· ἔκστασιν δὲ καὶ παραφορὰν, τὴν εὐλάβειαν· ὥσπερ ὅταν οἱ μεθύοντες, τὸ ἴδιον πάθος τοῖς νήφου σιν ὀνειδίζωσιν. Ἀλλ' ὁ εὐσεβὴς ἄνθρωπος καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατιώτης, εἰς ἀνδρικὴν πρᾶξιν τῇ δοθείσῃ σχολῇ κατεχρήσατο. Ποίᾳ ταύτῃ; Καιρὸς ὑμῖν μετ' εὐφροσύνης ὑποδέξασθαι τὸ διήγημα· Τῇ μυθευομένῃ μητρὶ τῶν θεῶν, ναὸς ἦν ἐπὶ τῆς μετροπόλεως Ἀμα σείας, ὃν οἱ τότε πλανώμενοι, αὐτοῦ που περὶ τὰς ὄχθας τοῦ ποταμοῦ τῇ ματαιότητι κατεσκεύασαν. Τοῦτον ὁ γενναῖος, ἐν τῷ τῆς δοθείσης ἀδείας καιρῷ ἐπιτηρήσας εὔκαιρον ὥραν, καὶ αὖραν ἐπίφορον, ἐμπρήσας κατέφλεξεν, ἔργῳ τοῖς ἀλιτηρίοις δοὺς τὴν ἀπόκρισιν, ἣν πάντως ἀνέμενον μετὰ τὴν διάσκεψιν. Ἐπιδήλου δὲ τοῦ πράγματος ταχέως ἅπασι γενομέ νου (καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τῆς πόλεως φανερώτατον ἐξήφθη τὸ πῦρ), οὐκ ἐπεκρύψατο τὴν ἐγχείρησιν, οὐδὲ ἐσπούδασε τὸ λαθεῖν· ἀλλ' ἔνδηλος ἦν, καὶ σφόδρα γε τῷ κατορθώματι γαυριῶν, καὶ ὑπερχαίρων τῇ ταραχῇ τῶν ἀθέων, ἣν ἐταράττοντο, τῷ ναῷ περιαλ γοῦντες καὶ τῷ ξοάνῳ. Καὶ μέντοι κατεμηνύθη τοῖς ἄρχουσιν, ὡς αὐτουργήσας τὸν ἐμπρησμόν· καὶ πάλιν κριτήριον φοβερώτερον τοῦ προτέρου· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ εἰκὸς, ἐπισυμβάντος τηλικούτου τοῦ παροξύναντος. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τὸν δικαστικὸν ἀνέβησαν θρό νον. Θεόδωρος δὲ εὐπαῤῥησίαστος ἐν τοῖς μέσοις ἄρ χοντος θάρσος ἔχων ἐν τῇ στάσει τοῦ κρινομένου ἐρω τώμενος, καὶ τῷ τάχει τῆς ὁμολογίας τὴν ἐρώτησιν ἐπικόπτων. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀκατάπληκτος ἦν, καὶ πρὸς οὐδὲν ἐφείδετο τῶν ἀπειλουμένων δεινῶν, εἰς τοὐναν τίον μετεβλήθησαν τρόπον· καὶ φιλανθρώπως διαλε γόμενοι, ἐπαγγελίαις ὑποσύρειν ἐπειρῶντο τὸν δίκαιον. «Καὶ γίνωσκε,» φασὶν, «ὡς εἰ βουληθείης εὐπειθῶς τὴν συμβουλὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν προσδέξασθαι, εὐθύς σε καταστήσομεν ἐξ ἀφανῶν γνώριμον, ἐξ ἀδόξων ἔντιμον· καί σοι τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἐπαγγελλόμεθα τὴν ἀξίαν.» Ὡς δὲ τοῦ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἀξιώματος ἤκουσεν, ἐγγελάσας μακρὸν ὁ τρισμακάριος εἶπεν· «Ἐγὼ καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας τῶν εἰδώλων ἀθλίους κρίνων, καὶ ὡς ματαίας πράξεως ὑπηρέτας, οἰκτείρω· τοὺς δὲ ἀρχιερέας ἐπὶ