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and fall; for this is what he is zealous for above all, to trip up rather than to inflict pain on the saints.

What then is the contrivance? Having commanded him to extend his hand palm up over the altar, they placed coals and incense in his hand, so that if he should feel pain and turn his hand over, they might reckon the act as a sacrifice and a transgression for him. Do you see how malicious the devil is? But see how He who catches the wise in their craftiness made his contrivances void, 50.679 and prepared the intensity of the plot and the variety of the malice to become an addition and an increase of greater glory for the martyr. For when the adversary, having committed countless evils, then departs defeated, the athlete of piety becomes more glorious; which also was happening here. For the blessed Barlaam remained, keeping his hand unbending and unshaken, as if he had one made of iron. And yet if his hand had been turned over, not even so would it have been a charge against the martyr.

3. Here, all of you, pay close attention to me, so that you may learn that even if

his right hand had turned over, what happened would not have been a defeat. Why is that? Because just as we judge in the case of those whose sides are being scraped, or who are being tortured in some other way, so also must we judge here. For if they give in and sacrifice, the charge becomes one of their weakness, because unable to bear the pains they sacrificed. But if, having endured the tortures, they feel pain at what they suffer, but do not betray their piety, no one blames them for these pains, but for this reason we approve of them the more, and admire them, because even though in pain they endured, and did not deny.

And here, then, if the blessed Barlaam, unable to bear the burning, had promised to sacrifice, he would have been defeated; but if, while he did not give in, his hand had turned over, this is not a charge against the will of the martyr. For this would have happened not because his will was weak, but because of the nature of the nerves according to their own tension, and the hand of the saint bending against his will, because of the fire. For just as we do not blame those whose sides are scraped, because their flesh is torn; or rather, to bring the example closer; just as no one would blame those who have a fever and convulsions when their hands are bent; for what happens is not from their weakness, but from the inflammation of the disease consuming the moisture and then unnaturally contracting the sequence of the nerves; so also no one would have blamed this saint if his hand had turned over. For if a fever is accustomed to contract and contort the limbs even against the will of the sufferer, how much more would coals placed on the right hand have done this, even if the martyr did not give in. But nevertheless, they did not do so, so that you might learn from the abundance of evidence that the grace of God was present, anointing the athlete and correcting the defect of nature. Nor did nature suffer its own consequences in this, but as if forged from adamant that hand remained, so unshaken did it remain. Who at that time, seeing this, would not have marvelled? Who would not have shuddered? Angels peered down from above, archangels were watching. The spectacle was glorious, and truly transcending human nature. For who would not have desired to see a man contending, and not suffering the things of men? The same man becoming altar, and victim, and priest? Therefore a double smoke ascended, one from the burning incense, the other from the melting flesh. And this smoke was sweeter than that one, and this fragrance better than that one. 50.680

And the same thing happened as in the case of the bush; for just as that bush was burning, and was not consumed, so also here the right hand was burning, but the soul was not consumed; the body was being spent, but the faith was not being used up; the flesh was failing, but the zeal was not failing; and the coals, having pierced through the middle of the hand

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κα τάπτωσιν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν αὐτῷ τὸ σπουδαζόμενον ἐπὶ πάντων ὑποσκελίζειν μᾶλλον ἢ ὀδυνᾷν τοὺς ἁγίους.

Τί τοίνυν ἐστὶ τὸ μηχάνημα; Τὴν χεῖρα κελεύσαντες ὑπτίαν ἐκτεῖναι ὑπεράνω τοῦ βωμοῦ, ἐπέθηκαν ἄν θρακας καὶ λιβανωτὸν τῇ χειρὶ, ἵνα ἐὰν ἀλγήσῃ, καὶ περιτρέψῃ τὴν χεῖρα, θυσίαν αὐτῷ καὶ παράβασιν τὸ πρᾶγμα λογίσωνται. Εἶδες πῶς κακοῦργος ὁ διάβολος, Ἀλλ' ὅρα πῶς ὁ δρασσόμενος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν τῇ παν ουργίᾳ αὐτῶν ἄκυρα ἐποίησεν αὐτοῦ τὰ μηχανήματα, 50.679 καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἐπιτεταμένον καὶ τὸ τῆς κακ ουργίας ποικίλον προσθήκην καὶ πλεονασμὸν πλείο νος δόξης παρεσκεύασε γενέσθαι τῷ μάρτυρι. Ὅταν γὰρ μυρία κακουργήσας ὁ ἀνταγωνιστὴς, εἶτα ἡττηθεὶς ἀπέλθῃ, τότε λαμπρότερος γίνεται τῆς εὐσεβείας ὁ ἀθλητής· ὅπερ καὶ ἐνταῦθα συνέβαινεν. Ἔμενε γὰρ ὁ μακάριος Βαρλαὰμ ἀκλινῆ καὶ ἀπερίτρεπτον τηρῶν τὴν χεῖρα, καθάπερ ἀπὸ σιδήρου συγκειμένην ἔχων· καίτοι εἰ παρετράπη ἡ χεὶρ, οὐδ' οὕτως ἦν ἔγ κλημα τοῦ μάρτυρος.

γʹ. Ἐνταῦθά μοι μετὰ ἀκριβείας προσέχετε πάντες, ἵνα μάθητε, ὅτι εἰ καὶ

περιετράπη ἡ δεξιὰ, οὐκ ἦν ἧττα τὸ γενόμενον· τί δήποτε; Ὅτι καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν τὰς πλευρὰς καταξαινομένων ἢ καὶ ἑτέρως πως βα σανιζομένων κρίνομεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα δικάζειν χρή. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἐνδῶσι καὶ θύσωσι, τὸ ἔγκλημα τῆς ἀσθενείας αὐτῶν γίνεται, ὅτι τὰς ὀδύνας οὐκ ἐνεγκόν τες ἔθυσαν· ἂν δὲ ἐγκαρτερήσαντες ταῖς βασάνοις ἀλ γήσωσι μὲν ἐφ' οἷς πάσχωσι, μὴ προδῶσι δὲ τὴν εὐ σέβειαν, οὐδεὶς αὐτοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλγηδόνων αἰτιᾶται τούτων, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο μειζόνως αὐτοὺς ἀποδεχόμεθα, καὶ θαυμάζομεν, ὅτι καὶ ὀδυνηθέντες ὑπέμειναν, καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσαντο.

Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν, εἰ μὲν οὐκ ἐνεγ κὼν ὁ μακάριος Βαρλαὰμ τὸ καίεσθαι ὑπέσχετο θύειν, ἡττήθη· εἰ δὲ αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐνδιδόντος περιετράπη ἡ χεὶρ, οὐκ ἔστιν ἔγκλημα τοῦτο τῆς γνώμης τοῦ μάρ τυρος· οὐ γὰρ τῆς προαιρέσεως ἀσθενούσης, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν νεύρων φύσεως κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον τόνον, καὶ ἄκοντος τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ ἁγίου καμπτομένης, ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦτο συνέβαινεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῖς ξαινομέ νοις τὰς πλευρὰς οὐκ ἐγκαλοῦμεν, ὅτι διασχίζεται αὐτῶν ἡ σάρξ· μᾶλλον δὲ ἵνα ἐγγύτερον ἀγάγω τὸ παράδειγμα· ὥσπερ τοῖς πυρέττουσι καὶ σπωμένοις οὐδεὶς ἂν μέμφοιτο καμπτομένων αὐτοῖς τῶν χειρῶν· οὐ γὰρ τῆς ἐκείνων βλακείας ἐστὶ τὸ γινόμενον, ἀλλὰ τῆς φλογὸς τοῦ νοσήματος τὴν νοτίδα ἀναλισκούσης καὶ συνελκούσης παρὰ φύσιν λοιπὸν τῶν νεύρων τὴν ἀκολουθίαν· οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸν ἅγιον τοῦτον ἄν τις ἐμέμψατο τῆς χειρὸς περιτραπείσης. Εἰ γὰρ πυρετὸς καὶ ἄκοντος τοῦ κάμνοντος συνέλκειν τὰ μέλη πέφυκε καὶ διαστρέφειν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἄνθρακες ἐπικείμενοι δεξιᾷ, καὶ μὴ ἐνδόντος τοῦ μάρτυρος τοῦτο ἂν εἰργάσαντο. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ εἰργάσαντο, ἵνα ἐκ περιουσίας μάθῃς, ὅτι Θεοῦ χάρις ἦν ἡ συμπαροῦσα καὶ ἀλείφουσα τὸν ἀθλητὴν, καὶ τὸ τῆς φύσεως ἐλάτ τωμα διορθουμένη· οὔτε αὐτὴ τὰ ἑαυτῆς ἔπαθε κατὰ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐξ ἀδάμαντος πεπηγυῖα ἡ χεὶρ ἐκείνη, οὕτως ἀπερίτρεπτος ἔμενεν. Τίς τότε ὁρῶν οὐκ ἂν ἐθαύμασε; τίς οὐκ ἂν ἔφριξε; ∆ιέκυπτον ἄνωθεν ἄγ γελοι, ἐθεώρουν ἀρχάγγελοι· λαμπρὸν ἦν τὸ θέατρον, καὶ ὑπερβαῖνον ὄντως τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἐπεθύμησεν ἰδεῖν ἄνθρωπον ἀγωνιζόμενον, καὶ οὐ πάσχοντα τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων; τὸν αὐτὸν θυσιαστή ριον, καὶ ἱερεῖον, καὶ ἱερέα γινόμενον; ∆ιὸ καὶ διπλοῦς ὁ καπνὸς ἀνῄει, ὁ μὲν τοῦ λιβανωτοῦ ἁπτομένου, ὁ δὲ τῆς σαρκὸς τηκομένης· καὶ ἦν ὁ καπνὸς οὗτος ἐκεί νου προσηνέστερος, αὕτη δὲ ἡ εὐωδία ἐκείνης βελ 50.680 τίων.

Καὶ ταυτὸ συνέβαινεν ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου· καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκείνη ἡ βάτος ἐκαίετο, καὶ οὐ κατεκαίετο, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐκαίετο μὲν ἡ δεξιὰ, οὐ κατεφλέγετο δὲ ἡ ψυχή· ἐδαπανᾶτο τὸ σῶμα, καὶ οὐκ ἀνηλοῦτο ἡ πίστις· ἀπηγόρευεν ἡ σὰρξ, καὶ οὐκ ἀπηγόρευεν ἡ προθυμία· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄνθρακες τὸ μέ σον τῆς χειρὸς διατρήσαντες