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when they are about to journey to a fatherland far away, having sold their house, they often send the money ahead; so it also happened in their case. Since they were about to journey to heaven, their property was sent ahead, their very enemies serving as their escort. For not only is money given in the way of alms transferred to heaven; but also whatever those who wage war against the faith and persecute those living in piety seize, this too is stored up as treasure there. For that this is no less than that, hear what Paul says: And you accepted the plundering of your property with joy, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession in heaven. The martyrs, therefore, were in the prison, and the whole city flocked there; although great fears and threats and dangers were hanging over anyone who approached, and spoke, and had conversation with them. But the fear of God pushed all those things aside, and because of them many then became martyrs for their fellowship, despising the present life, and as many ran together, continuous psalm-singing 50.575 was performed, sacred all-night vigils, gatherings full of spiritual teaching, and with the church being closed, the prison then became a church. For not only those entering from outside, but also those who were staying inside received the greatest teaching of virtue and temperance from the endurance and faith of these saints. Hearing these things, the emperor was all the more pained, and wishing to trip them up, and to weaken that zeal, he sent certain foul men and sorcerers for the plot; who, sitting with them often, if ever they could get them alone, advising as if from their own accord and not as if sent by the emperor, urged them to abandon piety and desert to impiety. For not only will you thus escape the impending danger, but you will also attain greater and better honor from the government, thus appeasing the emperor’s wrath. Do you not see others of your comrades having done this very thing? But they said, 'For this very reason, indeed, we shall stand bravely, so that we may offer ourselves as victims for their falls.' We have a philanthropic Master; He knows how, having accepted one sacrifice, to be reconciled with the whole world. And just as the three young men said: 'For there is not at this time prince, or prophet, or leader, or burnt offering, or sacrifice, or a place to bring burnt offerings before you, and to find mercy, but let us be accepted with a contrite soul and a spirit of humility;' so also the martyrs, seeing the altars being torn down, the churches being closed, the priests being driven out, all the faithful being put to flight, were eager to offer themselves to the Master in place of all; and having left the military ranks, they hastened to mingle themselves with the angelic choirs. For even if we do not die now, he says, we shall in any case die a little later, and we will suffer this very thing; it is better to die for the king of the angels, than for a man who commits such impieties; it is better to lay down our arms for the fatherland above, than for the one below that is trampled underfoot.

Here, even if someone dies, he will receive nothing from the emperor worthy of his zeal. For what will a man then bestow on one who has died? Often, indeed, not even being deemed worthy of burial, he will be laid out for the mouths of dogs. But if we die for the King of the angels, we shall receive our bodies back with greater glory, we shall return with much splendor, and we shall carry off rewards and crowns much greater than our labors. Let us take up, therefore, spiritual arms; there is no need of darts and bows, no need of any other perceptible weapon; the tongue is sufficient for us for all things, he says. For the mouths of the saints are a quiver, bearing continuous and repeated blows to the head of the devil.

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ἀποδημεῖν εἰς πατρίδα μακρὰν ἀφεστηκυῖαν, τὴν οἰκίαν ἐξαργυρίσαντες πολλάκις προπέμπουσιν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπ' ἐκείνων συνέβαινεν. Ἐπειδὴ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔμελλον ἀποδημεῖν, προεπέμπετο αὐτῶν ἡ οὐσία, αὐτῶν τῶν ἐχθρῶν πρὸς τὴν παραπομπὴν διακονουμένων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μόνον τὰ κατὰ λόγον ἐλεημοσύνης διδόμενα χρήματα πρὸς οὐρανὸν μετατίθενται· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅπερ ἂν ἁρπάζωσιν οἱ τὴν πίστιν πολεμοῦντες καὶ διώκοντες τοὺς ἐν εὐσεβείᾳ ζῶντας, καὶ ταῦτα ἐκεῖ θησαυρίζεται. Ὅτι γὰρ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔλαττον ἐκείνου, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· Καὶ τὴν ἁρπαγὴν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ὑμῶν μετὰ χαρᾶς προσεδέξασθε, προσδοκῶντες ἔχειν κρείττονα ὕπαρξιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ μένουσαν. Ἦσαν τοίνυν οἱ μάρτυρες ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ πόλις ἐκεῖ συνέῤῥει· καίτοι γε φόβων καὶ ἀπειλῶν καὶ κινδύνων ἐπικρεμαμένων μεγάλων, εἴ τις προσέλθοι, καὶ διαλεχθείη καὶ κοινωνήσειεν αὐτοῖς λόγων. Ἀλλ' ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος πάντα ἐκεῖνα παρώσατο, καὶ δι' ἐκείνους πολλοὶ τότε ἐγίγνοντο μάρτυρες ὑπὲρ τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς συνουσίας τῆς παρούσης καταφρονοῦντες ζωῆς, καὶ συντρεχόντων πολλῶν ψαλμῳδίαι συνεχεῖς 50.575 τελοῦντο, παννυχίδες ἱεραὶ, συνουσίαι διδασκαλίας γέμουσαι πνευματικῆς, καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀποκλεισθείσης τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἐκκλησία λοιπὸν ἐγίνετο. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον οἱ ἔξωθεν εἰσιόντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἔνδον διατρίβοντες, μεγίστην διδασκαλίαν ἀρετῆς καὶ σωφροσύνης παρὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῆς πίστεως τῶν ἁγίων τούτων ἐδέχοντο. Ταῦτα ἀκούων ὁ βασιλεὺς ὠδυνᾶτο πλέον, καὶ βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς ὑποσκελίσαι, καὶ τῆς προθυμίας ἐκλῦσαι ἐκείνης, καθῆκεν ἀνθρώπους μιαρούς τινας καὶ γόητας πρὸς τὴν ἐπιβουλήν· οἳ συγκαθήμενοι πολλάκις, εἴ ποτε αὐτῶν ἐπιλάβοιντο μόνων, ὡς οἴκοθεν συμβουλεύοντες, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως πεμφθέντες παρῄνουν ἀποστῆναι μὲν τῆς εὐσεβείας, αὐτομολῆσαι δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον τὸν ἐπικείμενον οὕτω διακρούσεσθε κίνδυνον· ἀλλὰ καὶ τιμῆς πλείονος καὶ κρείττονος ἐπιλήψεσθε τῆς ἀρχῆς, τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν ὀργὴν οὕτω καταλύσαντες. Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε καὶ ἑτέρους τῶν συντεταγμένων ὑμῖν τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο πεποιηκότας; Οἱ δὲ, καὶ δι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο ἡμεῖς, φασὶ, στησόμεθα γενναίως, ἵνα ὥσπερ θύματα ἑαυτοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν πτωμάτων ἐκείνων προσαγάγωμεν. Φιλάνθρωπον ἔχομεν ∆εσπότην· οἶδε καὶ μίαν θυσίαν δεξάμενος, πάσῃ καταλλαγῆναι τῇ οἰκουμένῃ. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες ἔλεγον· ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ ἄρχων, καὶ προφήτης, καὶ ἡγούμενος, οὔτε ὁλοκαύτωσις, οὔτε θυσία, οὔτε τόπος τοῦ καρπῶσαι ἐνώπιόν σου, καὶ εὑρεῖν ἔλεος, ἀλλ' ἐν ψυχῇ συντετριμμένῃ καὶ πνεύματι ταπεινώσεως προσδεχθείημεν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ μάρτυρες τὰ θυσιαστήρια κατασκαπτόμενα βλέποντες, τὰς ἐκκλησίας ἀποκλειομένας, τοὺς ἱερεῖς ἐλαυνομένους, πάντας τοὺς πιστοὺς φυγαδευομένους, ἐσπούδαζον ἑαυτοὺς ἀντὶ πάντων τῷ ∆εσπότῃ προσαγαγεῖν· καὶ καταλιπόντες τάγματα στρατιωτικὰ, ἔσπευδον ἑαυτοὺς ἀναμίξαι χοροῖς ἀγγελικοῖς. Κἂν γὰρ μὴ νῦν ἀποθάνωμεν, φησὶν, ἀποθανούμεθα πάντως γοῦν μικρὸν ὕστερον, καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ πεισόμεθα· βέλτιον ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν ἀγγέλων ἀποθανεῖν, ἢ ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπου τοιαῦτα ἀσεβοῦντος· βέλτιον ὑπὲρ τῆς ἄνω πατρίδος θέσθαι τὰ ὅπλα, ἢ ὑπὲρ τῆς κάτω καὶ πατουμένης.

Ἐνταῦθα κἂν ἀποθάνῃ τις, οὐδὲν παρὰ βασιλέως λήψεται τῆς προθυμίας ἐπάξιον. Τί γὰρ τῷ τελευτήσαντι χαριεῖται λοιπὸν ἄνθρωπος; Πολλάκις μὲν οὖν οὐδὲ ταφῆς ἀξιωθεὶς, τοῖς τῶν κυνῶν προκείσεται στόμασιν. Ἂν δὲ ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀποθάνωμεν τῶν ἀγγέλων, μετὰ πλείονος τῆς δόξης τὰ σώματα ἀποληψόμεθα, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς λαμπρότητος ἐπανήξομεν, καὶ πολλῷ μείζους τῶν πόνων τὰς ἀμοιβὰς καὶ τοὺς στεφάνους κομιούμεθα. Λάβωμεν τοίνυν ὅπλα πνευματικά· οὐ χρεία βελῶν καὶ τόξων, οὐ χρεία ἄλλου τινὸς αἰσθητοῦ ὅπλου· ἀρκεῖ πρὸς πάντα ἡμῖν ἡ γλῶττα, φησί. Καὶ γάρ ἐστι βελοθήκη τῶν ἁγίων τὰ στόματα, συνεχεῖς καὶ ἐπαλλήλους φέροντα τῇ τοῦ διαβόλου κεφαλῇ τὰς πληγάς.