But the free shall be examined for three years in repentance, both as having acted hypocritically and as having forced their "fellow-slaves" to sacrifice, inasmuch as they disobeyed the apostle, who wishes masters to do the same things for their slaves, refraining from threatening; "knowing," he says, "that both their Master and ours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him." And if we all have one impartial Master, since also "Christ is all and in all, both in barbarians and Scythians, slaves and free," they ought to consider what they have done, they who, wishing to save their own souls, drew our fellow-slaves to idolatry, who themselves could have escaped, if "they had provided them with what is just and equal," as the apostle says again. 8 Concerning those who were handed over and who have fallen, and then afterwards approached the contest and contended. To those who were handed over and have fallen, and who have approached the contest on their own, confessing to be Christians, and have been cast into prison with tortures, it is reasonable to strengthen them with gladness of heart and to have fellowship with them in all things, both in prayers and in the partaking of the body and of the blood and in the exhortation of the word; so that having contended more vigorously, they themselves may also be counted worthy "of the prize of the upward call"; for "seven times," he says, "a righteous man will fall and rise again"; which if even all those who have fallen had done, they would have shown a most perfect and whole-hearted repentance.

9 Concerning those who of their own accord rush into the contest. And to those who as if from sleep rush beside themselves into the contest, being in travail

and about to draw, but having drawn upon themselves the trial of a sea-battle and much surging, or rather, even "kindling for the brethren a coal of sinners," with them also we must have fellowship, inasmuch as they come to this in the name of Christ, even if they do not heed his words, teaching "to pray not to enter into temptation," and again in prayer he says to the Father: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Perhaps they are also ignorant of the frequent withdrawals of our householder and teacher from those wishing to plot against him, and that there was a time when "he did not even walk openly" because of them, and that when the time of his passion drew near, he did not give himself up, but waited until they came against him with swords and clubs; "He says, at any rate, to them: Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize me"; who also "handed him over," he says, "to Pilate." In his likeness, at any rate, those also who walk according to his purpose have suffered, remembering his divine words, by which he strengthens us concerning persecutions, saying: "Take heed to yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you." "They will deliver you up," he said, but not "you will deliver yourselves up"; and "you will be brought," he says, "before governors and kings for my name's sake," but not, "you will bring yourselves." Since he also wants us to move from place to place when persecuted for his name's sake, as we hear him say again: "And when they persecute you in this city, flee to another"; for he does not want us to desert to the shield-bearers and guards of the devil, so that we may not become the cause of more deaths for them, as if forcing them to become more harsh and to accomplish their deadly works, but to wait and to take heed to ourselves, "to watch and to pray, that we may not enter into temptation." Thus Stephen, the first to undertake martyrdom in his footsteps, having been seized in Jerusalem by the lawless and brought into the council, being stoned in the name of Christ, was glorified, beseeching and saying: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them

Οἱ δὲ ἐλεύθεροι ἐν τρισὶν ἔτεσιν ἐξετασθήσονται ἐν μετανοίᾳ, καὶ ὡς ὐποκρινάμενοι καὶ ὡς καταναγκάσαντες τοὺς «ὁμοδούλους» θῦσαι, ἅτε δὴ παρακούσαντες τοῦ ἀποστόλου, τὰ αὐτὰ θέλοντος ποιεῖν τοὺς δεσπότας τοῖς δούλοις, ἀνιέντας τὴν ἀπειλήν· «εἰδότες, φησίν, ὅτι καὶ ἡμῶν καὶ αὐτῶν ὁ κύριός ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ προσωποληψία παρ' αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν». Εἰ δὲ ἕνα κύριον ἔχομεν οἱ πάντες ἀπροσωπόληπτον, ἐπεὶ καὶ «πάντα καὶ ἐν πᾶσίν ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, ἔν τε βαρβάροις καὶ Σκύθαις, δούλοις καὶ ἐλευθέροις», σκοπεῖν ὀφείλουσιν ὃ κατειργάσαντο, θελήσαντες τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτῶν σῶσαι, οἱ τοὺς συνδούλους ἡμῶν ἑλκύσαντες ἐπὶ εἰδωλολατρείαν, δυναμένους καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐκφυγεῖν, εἰ «τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τὴν ἰσότητα ἦσαν αὐτοῖς παρασχόντες», ὡς πάλιν ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει. 8 Περὶ τῶν παραδοθέντων καὶ ἐκπεπτωκότων, εἶθ' οὕτως τε αὐτοῖς προσελθοῦσιν εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα καὶ ἀγωνισαμένοις. Τοῖς δὲ παραδεδομένοις καὶ ἐκπεπτωκόσι, τοῖς τε ἑαυτοῖς προσεληλυθόσιν εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα, ὁμολογοῦσιν εἶναι χριστιανοῖς, ἐμβεβλημένοις τε ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ μετὰ βασάνων, εὔλογόν ἐστιν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει καρδίας συνεπισχύειν καὶ κοινωνεῖν ἐν πᾶσιν, ἔν τε ταῖς προσευχαῖς καὶ τῇ μεταλήψει τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος καὶ τῇ παρακλήσει τοῦ λόγου· ἵνα εὐτονώτερον ἀγωνισάμενοι καταξιωθῶσι καὶ αὐτοὶ «τοῦ βραβείου τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως»· καὶ γὰρ «ἑπτάκις, φησί, πεσεῖται ὁ δίκαιος καὶ ἀναστήσεται»· ὅπερ εἰ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐκπεπτωκότες πεποιήκεσαν, τελειοτάτην καὶ ὁλοκάρδιον μετάνοιαν ἐνεδείξαντο.

9 Περὶ τῶν αὐθαιρέτως ἑαυτοῖς εἰσπηδῶσιν εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα. Καὶ τοῖς δὲ ὡσὰν ἐξ ὕπνου ἑαυτοῖς παραπηδῶσιν εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα, ὠδίνοντα

καὶ μέλλοντα ἑλκύσαι, ἑαυτοῖς δὲ πειρασμὸν ἐπισπασαμένοις θαλαττομαχίας καὶ πολλῆς κυματώσεως, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ «τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς προσεκκαίοντες ἄνθρακα ἁμαρτωλῶν», καὶ αὐτοῖς κοινωνητέον, ἅτε δὴ ἐν ὀνόματι Χριστοῦ παρερχομένοις εἰς τοῦτο, εἰ καὶ μὴ προσέχουσιν αὐτοῦ τοῖς λόγοις, διδάσκοντος «προσεύχεσθαι μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς πειρασμόν», καὶ πάλιν ἐν εὐχῇ λέγει τῷ πατρί· «Καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ». Ἴσως δὲ καὶ ἀγνοοῦσι τὰς πολλάκις γινομένας ἀναχωρήσεις τοῦ οἰκοδεσπότου καὶ διδασκάλου ἡμῶν ἀπὸ τῶν θελόντων ἐπιβουλεύειν, καὶ ὅτι ἔσθ' ὅτε «οὐδὲ παρρησίᾳ περιεπάτει» δι' αὐτούς, καὶ ὅτι καὶ ὅτε ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ πάθους αὐτοῦ προσήγγισεν, οὐχ ἑαυτὸν παρέδωκεν, ἀλλ' ἐδέξατο ἕως ἦλθον ἐπ' αὐτὸν μετὰ μαχαιρῶν καὶ ξύλων· «Λέγει γοῦν πρὸς αὐτούς· Ὡς ἐπὶ λῃστὴν ἐξήλθετε μετὰ μαχαιρῶν καὶ ξύλων συλλαβεῖν με»· οἳ καὶ «παρέδωκαν αὐτόν, φησί, Πιλάτῳ». Καθ' ὁμοιότητα γοῦν αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ κατὰ σκοπὸν αὐτοῦ βαίνοντες πεπόνθασι, μεμνημένοι τῶν θείων αὐτοῦ λόγων, δι' ὧν ἐπιστηρίζων ἡμᾶς περὶ τῶν διωγμῶν, λέγει· «Προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς, παραδώσουσι γὰρ ὑμᾶς εἰς συνέδρια, καὶ ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν μαστιγώσουσιν ὑμᾶς». «Παραδώσουσι» δὲ εἶπεν, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ ἑαυτοὺς παραδώσετε· καὶ «ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνας δέ, φησί, καὶ βασιλεῖς ἀχθήσεσθε διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου», ἀλλ' οὐχί, ἑαυτοὺς ἄξετε. Ἐπεὶ καὶ μεταπηδᾶν ἡμᾶς βούλεται ἀπὸ τόπων εἰς τόπους διωκομένους διὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, ὡς πάλιν ἀκούομεν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· «Καὶ ὅταν διώκωσιν ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ, φεύγετε εἰς τὴν ἑτέραν»· οὐ γὰρ θέλει αὐτομολεῖν ἡμᾶς πρὸς τοὺς τοῦ διαβόλου ὑπασπιστὰς καὶ δορυφόρους, ὅπως μὴ καὶ πλειόνων θανάτων αἴτιοι αὐτοῖς γινώμεθα, ὡσὰν καταναγκάζοντες αὐτοὺς μᾶλλον κατατραχύνεσθαι καὶ τελεσιουργεῖν τὰ θανατηφόρα ἔργα, ἀλλὰ ἐκδέχεσθαι καὶ προσέχειν ἑαυτοῖς, «γρηγορεῖν τε καὶ προσεύχεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ εἰσέλθωμεν εἰς πειρασμόν». Οὕτω Στέφανος πρῶτος κατ' ἴχνος αὐτοῦ μαρτύριον ἀναδεξάμενος, ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις συναρπασθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν παρανόμων καὶ ἀχθεὶς ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ, λιθοβολούμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Χριστοῦ, ἐδοξάσθη παρακαλῶν καὶ λέγων· «Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν