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you restrained, you cast down the audacity of demons; you destroyed the altars of the Greeks; you turned all falsely named worship to ashes; you cast out the tares from the wheat as refuse; and your daily teaching showed the offspring of the Church to be pure.

βʹ. What thanks, then, shall we render to you who have labored so much for us? I remember you, Peter, and I am amazed; I call you to mind, Paul, and being beside myself, I am overcome with tears. For what I should say, or what I should speak, when I contemplate your afflictions, I do not know. How many prisons have you sanctified, how many dungeons have you enlightened? how many cells have you filled with your teachings? how many chains have you made glorious? how many tortures have you endured? how many places have you hallowed with your steps? how many insults have you disregarded? how you have borne Christ? how you have brightened the Churches with your preaching?

Blessed is the instrument of your tongue; your members are mingled with blood for the sake of the Church; unceasingly in all things you imitated Christ. For your sound has gone out into all the earth, and your words to the ends of the world. Christ will preserve unbroken the Church betrothed by you. No one before you, nor after you, has appeared like you. For who, holding the teaching office, has dared to say anything without your tradition? You made all men teachers, you produced all men theologians, you enlightened all who were in darkness. Your patience has conquered our blindness; you who prayed to be anathema yourselves, that you might gain the world.

What then shall we give back to you for all the good things you have given us? Today are the memorials of your contest; today is the festival of your witness for Christ; today all of us, rejoicing, honor your holy relics. Hail, Peter, you who partook of the wood of the cross, and not wishing to be crucified in the upright position in the likeness of the Teacher, as was our Master; but rather head downwards, as making your journey on earth towards heaven. O blessed nails, which pierced those holy members, which are longed for by me, and are for me better than heavenly glory. He who with boldness committed his soul into the hands of the Master, who served the Lord without distraction, and the Church betrothed to him with all readiness, the lover of the Master and good servant to the Lord, fervent in the Spirit, the faithful apostle of the Master of all. But Paul the thrice-blessed was beheaded by the sword, that inexpressible man. What sword passed through that throat, the Lord's instrument, which is admired by heaven and still shuddered at by the earth? what place received your blood, which was seen like milk on the tunic of the one who executed you? which made his barbarian soul sweeter than honey, preparing him to become faithful along with his companions. May that sword be to me instead of a crown. Who for thirty-five years served the Lord with all readiness; and having finished the race for piety, he rested at the age of sixty-eight.

We counter 59.495 our sins with your blessed voices. Rejoice in the Lord always; pray for us without ceasing; fulfill your promises. For you cry out, blessed Peter, speaking thus, that I will endeavor after my departure to make remembrance of you. The blessed Peter, the apostle of Christ, is therefore from Bethsaida of Galilee, where our Lord Jesus Christ worked the most miracles, from which city Philip also came; and the blessed Paul from Tarsus of Cilicia. And both have fallen asleep in the great city of ancient Rome, 59.496 in the month of June, on the twenty-ninth, under Nero

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συνεστείλατε, τῶν δαιμόνων τὰ θράση ὑμεῖς κατεβάλετε· τοὺς βωμοὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ὑμεῖς κατελύσατε· πᾶσαν ψευδώνυμον λατρείαν ὑμεῖς σποδὸν ἐποιήσατε· ἐκ τοῦ σίτου τὰ ζιζάνια ὑμεῖς σκυβαλίσαντες ἐῤῥίψατε· καὶ καθαρὸν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὸ γέννημα ἡ καθημερινὴ ὑμῶν διδασκαλία ἔδειξε.

βʹ. Ποίας οὖν εὐχαριστίας ἀνταποδῶμεν ὑμῖν τοῖς τοσαῦτα κεκοπιακόσι δι'

ἡμᾶς; Μιμνήσκομαί σε, Πέτρε, καὶ ἐκπλήττομαι· ἀναμιμνήσκομαί σε, Παῦλε, καὶ ἐξιστάμενος δάκρυσι συνέχομαι. Τί γὰρ εἴπω, ἢ τί λαλήσω, ἀναθεωρῶν ὑμῶν τὰς θλίψεις, οὐκ οἶδα. Πόσας φυλακὰς ἡγιάσατε, πόσα δεσμωτήρια ἐφωτίσατε; πόσας εἱρκτὰς διδασκαλίαις ὑμῶν ἐνεπλήσατε; πόσας ἁλύσεις ἐλαμπρύνατε; πόσας βασάνους ὑπεμείνατε; πόσους τόπους τοῖς βήμασιν ὑμῶν ἡγιάσατε; πόσας λοιδορίας παρεποιήσασθε; πῶς τὸν Χριστὸν ἐβαστάσατε; πῶς τὰς Ἐκκλησίας ἐφαιδρύνατε τῷ κηρύγματι;

Εὐλογημένον τὸ ὄργανον τῆς γλώττης ὑμῶν· αἵματι συμπεφυρμένα διὰ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν τυγχάνει· ἀνελλιπῶς ἐν πᾶσι τὸν Χριστὸν ὑμεῖς ἐμιμήσασθε. Εἰς πᾶσαν γὰρ τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος ὑμῶν, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα ὑμῶν. Ἀδιάῤῥηκτον τὴν ὑφ' ὑμῶν νυμφευθεῖσαν Ἐκκλησίαν διαφυλάξει ὁ Χριστός. Οὐδεὶς πρὸ ὑμῶν, οὐδὲ μεθ' ὑμᾶς ἐφάνη τοιοῦτος. Τίς γὰρ τὸ διδασκαλικὸν ἐπέχων ἀξίωμα, ἀπετόλμησε λέγειν τι ἄνευ τῆς ὑμῶν παραδόσεως; Πάντας διδασκάλους ὑμεῖς ἀπετελέσατε, πάντας θεολόγους ἀπειργάσασθε, πάντας ἐσκοτισμένους ἐφωτίσατε. Ἐνίκησε τὰς ἡμετέρας πηρώσεις ἡ ὑμετέρα ὑπομονή· οἱ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι αὐτοὶ εὐχόμενοι, ἵνα τὸν κόσμον κερδήσητε.

Τί οὖν ἀνταποδώσομεν ὑμῖν περὶ πάντων, ὧν ἀνταπεδώκατε ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν; Σήμερον ὑμῶν τῆς ἀθλήσεως τὰ μνημόσυνα· σήμερον ἡ πανήγυρις τῆς περὶ Χριστοῦ μαρτυρίας ὑμῶν· σήμερον πάντες ἡμεῖς ἀγαλλόμενοι τιμῶμεν τὰ ἅγια ὑμῶν λείψανα. Χαίροις, Πέτρε, ὁ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ σταυροῦ ἀπολαύσας, καὶ καθ' ὁμοιότητα τοῦ ∆ιδασκάλου σταυρωθῆναι μὴ θελήσας ἐν ὀρθίῳ τῷ σχήματι, καθὼς ὁ ∆εσπότης ἡμῶν· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν, ὡς εἰς οὐρανὸν τὴν πορείαν ἐπὶ γῆς ποιούμενος. Ὢ εὐλογημένοι ἧλοι, οἵτινες τὰ ἅγια ἐκεῖνα μέλη διῆλθον, τὰ ἐμοὶ ποθεινὰ, καὶ κρείττω οὐρανίου δόξης μοι ὄντα. Ὁ μετὰ παῤῥησίας ταῖς χερσὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὴν ψυχὴν παραδοὺς, ὁ δουλεύσας τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀπερισπάστως, καὶ τῇ νυμφευθείσῃ αὐτῷ Ἐκκλησίᾳ μετὰ πάσης προθυμίας, ὁ φιλοδέσποτος καὶ εὐδούλευτος τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὁ ζέων τῷ Πνεύματι, ὁ πιστικὸς τοῦ ∆εσπότου τῶν ὅλων ἀπόστολος. Παῦλος δὲ ὁ τρισμακάριος τὴν κεφαλὴν ξίφει ἀπετμήθη, ὁ ἀνεκδιήγητος ἄνθρωπος. Ποῖον ξίφος διῆλθεν ἐκεῖνον τὸν λάρυγγα, τὸ ∆εσποτικὸν ὄργανον, τὸ ὑπ' οὐρανοῦ θαυμαζόμενον. καὶ ἔτι ὑπὸ γῆς φριττόμενον; ποῖος τόπος τὸ σὸν ἐδέξατο αἷμα, τὸ γαλακτοειδὲς ὁραθὲν ἐν τῷ χιτῶνι τοῦ σε ἀνασκολοπίσαντος; ὅπερ τὴν βάρβαρον αὐτοῦ ψυχὴν ὑπὲρ μέλι γλυκεῖαν, πιστὸν παρεσκεύασε γενέσθαι μετὰ τῶν συνεταίρων. Ἐμοὶ ξίφος ἐκεῖνο γένοιτο ἀντὶ στεφάνου. Ὃς τριακονταπέντε ἐδούλευσε τῷ Κυρίῳ μετὰ πάσης προθυμίας· τελέσας δὲ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας δρόμον, ἀνεπαύσατο ὡς ἐτῶν ἑξήκοντα ὀκτώ.

Ἀντιφθεγγόμεθα 59.495 ἡμῶν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις τὰς μακαρίους ὑμῶν φωνάς. Χαίρετε ἐν Κυρίῳ πάντοτε· ἀδιαλείπτως ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν προσεύχεσθε· τὰς ὑποσχέσεις ὑμῶν ἐκπληρώσατε. Ἀνακράζεις γὰρ, μακάριε Πέτρε, οὕτω φάσκων, ὅτι Σπουδάσω μετὰ τὴν ἐμὴν ἄφιξιν τὴν ὑμετέραν μνήμην ποιεῖσθαι. Ἔστιν οὖν ὁ μακάριος Πέτρος ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀπόστολος ἀπὸ Βηθσαϊδὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, ἔνθα ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τὰς πλείστας θαυματουργίας εἰργάσατο, ἐξ ἧς καὶ ὁ Φίλιππος ὥρμητο πόλεως· ὁ δὲ μακάριος Παῦλος ἀπὸ Ταρσοῦ τῆς Κιλικίας. Κεκοίμηνται δὲ ἀμφότεροι ἐν τῇ μεγαλοπόλει Ῥώμῃ τῇ ἀρχαίᾳ, 59.496 μηνὶ Ἰουνίῳ, εἰκάδι ἐννάτῃ, ἐπὶ Νέρωνος