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let us not destroy our life in this way, since by the law of nature we are certainly compelled to depart from these bodies a little later anyway. Exhorting them with these and similar words, he lifted up the drooping hands, he strengthened the feeble knees, he brought back the fugitives, he cast out cowardice, he drove away anxiety, he instilled courage, instead of cowards he made them eager, instead of gazelles and deer he made them lions breathing much strength, he assembled the army of Christ, he transferred the shame that was among us to the heads of the enemies. The devil, therefore, seeing that a sudden change had occurred, and that those who yesterday and the day before feared and trembled before him were now mocking and defying him, stripping for the dangers, leaping upon the instruments of torture, and knowing the cause, leaving all others, he then breathed all his rage against that one, moving all his power and fury against this blessed head. And what does he do? Observe the malice. He did not lead him to tortures, he did not cut off his head; for past time had taught him that all these things were done randomly and in vain. For not only did he not check the zeal of the believers, but he also intensified it more, and made it greater and more fervent.

I have spread hot coals, he says, but they ran as if to roses; I kindled a fire, but they threw themselves into it as if into springs of cold water; I have carded their sides, and cut deep furrows, and brought down streams of blood, but they, as if flowing all over with gold, were thus adorned; I have thrown them from cliffs, and drowned them in the sea, but they were not as those descending into the deep, but as those ascending to heaven itself, so they were leaping, and exulting, and as if dancing in a sacred procession, and playing in a green meadow, so each one seized upon the punishments, not as punishments, but receiving them as spring flowers, and being crowned, and with the excess of their own zeal they anticipated my punishments. What then should be done, he says? Shall I cut off this man's head? But what he prays for, this happens, and the disciples receive a greater exhortation through his deeds; for he exhorted them that the death of martyrs is not death, but a life having no end, and especially that one must endure all things for its sake, and that one must despise death. If, therefore, I cut off his head, and he nobly bears what has happened, he will teach them more clearly through his deeds that one must so despise death, and he will raise up their spirits more, and having died, will inspire in them greater zeal. For this reason he cut out his tongue, so that deprived of the voice which the disciples of the martyr enjoyed, and having fallen from his counsel, and being destitute of his exhortation 50.610 they might become more cowardly, and return to their former anxiety, having no one to anoint them, nor to arouse and arm them.

3. And observe for me the malice. Herod indeed cut off the head

of John; but this one, not the head, but the tongue only. Why so? Because of much malice and cruelty. If I cut off his head, he says, and he dies, he will depart not seeing the destruction of his own brothers; but I wish to set him up as a witness of the falls and the misfortune of his own soldiers, so that he may be strangled by the pain of seeing them fall, but being unable to extend a hand, and not being able to advise them in those things as he did before, his voice having been cut out along with his tongue. But He who catches the wise in their craftiness turned this sophism back on his own head, and not only did He not deprive them of counsel, but He even made them enjoy greater exhortation, and partake of more spiritual teaching. For when this prevailed, he is called

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μὴ τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ καταλύσωμεν τὴν ζωὴν, τῷ νόμῳ τῆς φύσεως πάντως ἀναγκαζόμενοι μικρὸν γοῦν ὕστερον τῶν σωμάτων ἀποστησόμεθα τούτων. Ταῦτα δὴ καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἐοικότα παραινῶν ἀνώρθωσε τὰς παρειμένας χεῖρας, ἐστήριξε τὰ παραλελυμένα γόνατα, τοὺς φυγάδας ἐπανήγαγε, τὴν δειλίαν ἐξέβαλε, τὴν ἀγωνίαν ἀπήλασε, θάρσος ἐνέθηκεν, ἀντὶ δειλῶν προθύμους ἐποίησεν, ἀντὶ δορκάδων καὶ ἐλάφων λέοντας ἀπειργάσατο πολλῆς πνέοντας τῆς ἰσχύος, συνεκρότησε τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ στρατόπεδον, τὴν αἰσχύνην τὴν παρ' ἡμῖν εἰς τὰς τῶν πολεμίων μετήνεγκε κεφαλάς. Ἰδὼν τοίνυν ὁ διάβολος ἀθρόαν μεταβολὴν γεγενημένην, καὶ τοὺς χθὲς καὶ πρῴην δεδοικότας αὐτὸν καὶ τρέμοντας, νῦν καταγελῶντας αὐτοῦ καὶ κατατολμῶντας, ἐπαποδυομένους τοῖς κινδύνοις, ἐπιπηδῶντας τοῖς κολαστηρίοις, καὶ γνοὺς τὸν αἴτιον, πάντας ἀφεὶς, κατ' ἐκείνου λοιπὸν ἔπνευσεν ὅλος, πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μανίαν κατὰ τῆς μακαρίας ταύτης κινῶν κεφαλῆς. Καὶ τί ποιεῖ; Σκοπεῖτε τὴν κακουργίαν. Οὐκ ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ βασάνους, οὐκ ἀπέτεμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφαλήν· ἐδίδαξε γὰρ αὐτὸν ὁ παρελθὼν χρόνος, ὅτι πάντα ταῦτα εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην ἐγίνετο. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον οὐκ ἐνέκοψε τῶν πεπιστευκότων τὴν προθυμίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπέτεινε πλέον, καὶ μείζω καὶ θερμοτέραν αὐτὴν ἐποίησεν.

Ἄνθρακας ὑπεστόρεσα, φησὶν, οἱ δὲ ὡς ἐπὶ ῥόδα ἔτρεχον· πῦρ ἀνῆψα, οἱ δὲ ὡς εἰς πηγὰς ὑδάτων ψυχρῶν ἑαυτοὺς ἔῤῥιψαν· κατέξανα τὰς πλευρὰς, καὶ βαθείας ἀνέτεμον αὔλακας, καὶ κατήγαγον ῥύακας αἱμάτων, οἱ δὲ ὡς χρυσίῳ πάντοθεν περιῤῥεόμενοι, οὕτως ἐκαλλωπίζοντο· τοῖς κρημνοῖς ἔῤῥιψα, καὶ εἰς πέλαγος κατεπόντισα, οἱ δὲ οὐχ ὡς εἰς βυθὸν καταβαίνοντες, ἀλλ' ὡς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀναβαίνοντες τὸν οὐρανὸν, οὕτω διέκειντο σκιρτῶντες, καὶ ἀγαλλόμενοι, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν ἱερᾷ πομπῇ χορεύοντες, καὶ ἐν λειμῶνι παίζοντες χλοερῷ, οὕτω τὰς τιμωρίας ἕκαστος ἥρπαζον, οὐχ ὡς τιμωρίας, ἀλλ' ὡς ἄνθη λαμβάνοντες ἐαρινὰ, καὶ στεφανούμενοι, καὶ τῇ τῆς οἰκείας προθυμίας ὑπερβολῇ τὰς ἐμὰς προέφθανον τιμωρίας. Τί τοίνυν ἂν εἴη πρακτέον, φησίν; Ἀποτέμω τούτου τὴν κεφαλήν; Ἀλλ' ὅπερ εὔχεται, τοῦτο γίνεται, καὶ μείζονα λαμβάνουσιν οἱ μαθηταὶ τὴν διὰ τῶν ἔργων παραίνεσιν· καὶ γὰρ παρῄνεσεν, ὅτι μαρτύρων θάνατος οὐκ ἔστι θάνατος, ἀλλὰ ζωὴ πέρας οὐκ ἔχουσα, καὶ μάλιστά γε ὑπὲρ ταύτης πάντα ὑπομένειν χρὴ, καὶ ὅτι δεῖ καταφρονεῖν τελευτῆς. Ἂν τοίνυν ἀποτέμω τὴν κεφαλὴν, καὶ γενναίως ἐνέγκῃ τὸ συμβὰν, διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοὺς παιδεύσει σαφέστερον, ὅτι οὕτω θανάτου δεῖ καταφρονεῖν, καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτῶν ἀνορθώσει τὰ φρονήματα, καὶ πλείονα αὐτοῖς ἐμπνεύσει τελευτήσας τὴν προθυμίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὴν γλῶτταν ἀπέτεμεν, ἵνα ἀποστερηθέντες τῆς φωνῆς, ἧς ἀπήλαυον οἱ τοῦ μάρτυρος μαθηταὶ, καὶ τῆς συμβουλῆς ἐκπεσόντες, καὶ τῆς παραινέσεως ἐρη 50.610 μωθέντες, δειλότεροι γένωνται, καὶ πρὸς τὴν προτέραν ἀγωνίαν ἐπανέλθωσιν, οὐκ ἔχοντες τὸν ἐπαλείφοντα, οὐδὲ τὸν διεγείροντα καὶ καθοπλίζοντα.

γʹ. Καὶ σκόπει μοι τὴν κακουργίαν. Ἡρώδης μὲν ἀπέτεμε τὴν κεφαλὴν

Ἰωάννου· οὗτος δὲ οὐχὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν, ἀλλὰ τὴν γλῶτταν μόνην. Τί δήποτε; ∆ιὰ πολλὴν κακουργίαν καὶ σκαιότητα. Ἂν ἀποτέμω τὴν κεφαλὴν, φησὶ, καὶ ἀποθάνῃ, ἀπελεύσεται οὐχ ὁρῶν τὴν ἀπώλειαν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφῶν· ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτὸν βούλομαι στῆσαι μάρτυρα τῶν πτωμάτων καὶ τῆς συμφορᾶς τῶν οἰκείων στρατιωτῶν, ἵν', ὑπὸ τῆς ὀδύνης ἄγχηται καταπίπτοντας μὲν ὁρῶν, χεῖρα δὲ ὀρέγειν μὴ δυνάμενος, καὶ τὸ συμβουλεῦσαι ταῦτα ἅπερ καὶ πρότερον οὐκ ἔχων, τῆς φωνῆς μετὰ τῆς γλώττης ἐκκοπείσης. Ἀλλ' ὁ δρασσόμενος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν, τὸ σόφισμα τοῦτο εἰς τὴν ἐκείνου περιέτρεψε κεφαλὴν, καὶ οὐ μόνον συμβουλῆς οὐκ ἀπεστέρησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλείονος αὐτοὺς ἐποίησεν ἀπολαῦσαι παραινέσεως, καὶ πνευματικωτέρας μετασχεῖν διδασκαλίας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐκράτησε, καλεῖται