Basil of Caesarea, On Gordius Martyr

For the eye had no leisure to look at anything else than Gordius, nor did any ear endure to hear anything else than 31.500 his words. And an indistinct murmur, like a breeze, passing through the whole theatre, echoed beyond the hippodrome. But when silence was signified to the people by the heralds, the flutes fell silent, and the many-stringed instruments were hushed; Gordius was heard, Gordius was watched. And immediately he was seized and brought before the governor who was sitting somewhere there, and presiding over the contest. For a time, then, he inquired with a gentle and mild voice who he was and from where. But when he stated his country, his family, the nature of the rank he held, the reason for his flight, his return, I am here, to show in deed both my contempt for your commands, and my faith in God, in whom I have hoped; for I have heard, he says, that you surpass many in cruelty; therefore I have chosen this opportune moment for myself to fulfill my desire. With these words, having inflamed the governor's anger like a fire, he aroused the man's entire fury against himself. And, Call, he says, the executioners. Where are the leaded whips? Where are the scourges? Let him be stretched on the wheel, let him be twisted on the rack, let the instruments of torture be brought; let the beasts, the fire, the sword, the cross, the pit be made ready.

But what does the wretch gain, he says, by dying only once? Indeed, what a loss I suffer, Gordius said, interrupting, in not being able to die many times for Christ! But he, in addition to his natural cruelty, was still more harsh, looking at the man's rank, considering the youthful loftiness of his spirit a personal affront. And the more he saw his heart undaunted, the more savage he became, and he was more eager to overcome the man's resistance by the invention of pains. And he was doing these things. But he, looking to God, fortified his own soul from the holy Psalms, saying: The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do to me; and this: I will not fear evil, for you are with me; and whatever was akin to these, exhorting to courage, he had been taught from the divine oracles; who was so far from yielding to the threats and cowering, that he even called down the terrible things upon himself. What are you waiting for? he says; why are you standing still? Let my body be carded, let my limbs be twisted; let me be tortured as you wish. Do not begrudge me my blessed hope. For the more you intensify the terrors, the greater the reward you procure for me. These are our exchanges with the Master. 31.501 In place of the bruises that rise on the body, a luminous garment will blossom for us in the resurrection; in place of dishonor, crowns; in place of a prison, paradise; in place of condemnation with criminals, a life with angels. Sow much in me that I may reap manifold. But when they could not overcome him with terrors, and the matter was at an impasse, they changed their approach and flattered him. For such is the method of the devil; he terrifies the cowardly, he softens the brave. Such also were the devices of the evildoer then. For when he saw him not yielding to threats, he tried to overcome him with deceits and baits. And he promised gifts, and was giving some, and he guaranteed that others would come from the emperor, prominence in the army, sources of money, everything whatever he might want. But when he failed in the attempt (for having heard the promises, the blessed one laughed at his foolishness, if he thought he would give anything worthy in exchange for the kingdom of heaven), then indeed he was unbearable in his anger, and he unsheathed his sword, and he had the executioner stand by, and committing murder with both hand and tongue, he condemned the blessed one to death. And the whole theatre moved to this place; and as many of the inhabitants as were left, having poured out before the wall, watched that great and agonizing spectacle, a marvel both to angels and to all creation, painful to the devil, and terrible to demons. was emptied of

γὰρ ἐσχόλαζεν ὀφθαλμὸς ἄλλο τι βλέπειν ἢ Γόρδιον, οὔτε τις ἀκοὴ ἄλλο τι ἠνείχετο ἀκούειν ἢ 31.500 τὰ ἐκείνου ῥήματα. Καὶ θροῦς τις ἄσημος, οἷον αὔρα, διὰ παντὸς τοῦ θεάτρου διεξιὼν, τὸν ἱππό δρομον ὑπερήχει. Ἐπεὶ δὲ διὰ τῶν κηρύκων σιωπὴ τῷ δήμῳ ὑπεσημάνθη, ἐκοιμήθησαν μὲν αὐλοὶ, κατεσιγάσθησαν δὲ ὄργανα πολυαρμόνια· ἠκούετο Γόρδιος, ἐθεωρεῖτο Γόρδιος. Καὶ εὐθὺς ἀνάρπαστος ἦν πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα αὐτοῦ που καθήμενον, καὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα διατιθέντα. Τέως μὲν οὖν πραείᾳ καὶ ἡμέ ρῳ φωνῇ τίς καὶ πόθεν εἴη διεπυνθάνετο. Ὡς δὲ εἶπε τὴν πατρίδα, τὸ γένος, τὸ εἶδος τοῦ ἀξιώμα τος ἐν ᾧ ἦν, τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς φυγῆς, τὴν ἐπάνοδον, ὅτι Πάρειμι, ἔργῳ καὶ τὴν τῶν ὑμετέρων προστα γμάτων καταφρόνησιν, καὶ τὴν εἰς Θεὸν, ἐφ' ὃν ἤλ πισα, πίστιν ἐπιδειξόμενος· καὶ γὰρ ἤκουσά σε, φησὶ, πολλῶν διαφέρειν τῇ ἀγριότητι· ὡς οὖν ἐπι τήδειόν μοι τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον εἰς τὸ πληρωθῆναί μου τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐξελεξάμην. Τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις τὸν θυμὸν τοῦ ἄρχοντος ὡς πῦρ ἀναφλέξας, ὅλην ἤγειρεν ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὴν μανίαν. Καὶ, Κάλει, φησὶ, δημίους. Ποῦ δὲ αἱ μολυβίδες; ποῦ δὲ αἱ μάστιγες; Ἐπὶ τροχοῦ κατατεινέσθω, ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύ λου στρεβλούσθω, φερέσθω τὰ κολαστήρια· τὰ θη ρία, τὸ πῦρ, τὸ ξίφος, ὁ σταυρὸς, ὁ βόθρος εὐτρεπι ζέσθω.

Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οἷα κερδαίνει, φησὶν, ἅπαξ μόνον ἀποθνήσκων ὁ ἀλιτήριος; Οἷα μὲν οὖν ζη μιοῦμαι, ὑποφθάσας εἶπεν ὁ Γόρδιος, μὴ δυνάμενος ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ πολλάκις ἀποθανεῖν! Ὁ δὲ, πρὸς τῇ ἐκ φύσεως ἀγριότητι, ἔτι χαλεπώτερος ἦν πρὸς τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀποβλέπων, οἰκείαν ἀτιμίαν ἡγούμενος τὸ νεανικὸν τῆς διανοίας ἀνάστημα. Καὶ ὅσῳ μᾶλλον ἑώρα τὴν καρδίαν ἀπτόητον, τοσούτῳ μειζόνως ἐξηγριοῦτο, καὶ φιλονεικότερος ἦν νικῆσαι τὴν ἔνστασιν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ τῶν ἀλγεινῶν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ταῦτα. Ὁ δὲ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀποβλέπων, ἐκ τῶν ἱερῶν Ψαλμῶν κατεπῇδεν ἑαυτοῦ τῇ ψυχῇ, λέγων· Κύριος ἐμοὶ βοηθὸς, καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσομαι τί ποιή σει μοι ἄνθρωπος· καὶ τό· Οὐ φοβηθήσομαι κακὰ, ὅτι σὺ μετ' ἐμοῦ εἶ· καὶ ὅσα συγγενῆ τούτοις, πρὸς ἀνδρίαν παρακαλοῦντα, ἐκ τῶν θείων λογίων δεδιδαγμένος ἦν· ὅς γε τοσοῦτον ἀπεῖχεν εἶξαι τοῖς ἀπειλουμένοις καὶ ὑποπτῆξαι, ὥστε καὶ προεκα λεῖτο ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν τὰ δεινά. Τί μέλλετε; φησί· τί ἑστήκατε; Ξαινέσθω σῶμα, στρεβλούσθω μέλη· βασανιζέσθω ὡς ἂν ἐθέλητε. Μή μοι βασκήνητε τῆς μακαρίας ἐλπίδος. Ὅσῳ γὰρ ἂν ἐπιτείνητε τὰ δεινὰ, τοσούτῳ μείζονά μοι τὴν ἀντίδοσιν προξενεῖτε. Συν αλλάγματα ἡμῖν ἐστι ταῦτα πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην. 31.501 Ἀντὶ τῶν μωλώπων, τῶν ἐπανισταμένων τῷ σώ ματι, φωτεινὸν ἔνδυμα ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει ἐπαν θήσει· ἀντὶ τῆς ἀτιμίας στέφανοι, ἀντὶ δεσμωτη ρίου παράδεισος, ἀντὶ τῆς μετὰ τῶν κακούργων καταδίκης ἡ μετ' ἀγγέλων διαγωγή. Σπείρατε πολλὰ ἐν ἐμοὶ ἵνα θερίσω πολλαπλασίονα. Ὡς δὲ τοῖς φο βεροῖς ἑλεῖν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἠδύναντο, καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀμήχανον ἦν, μεταβαλόντες ἐθώπευον. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τοῦ διαβόλου μεθοδεία· τὸν δειλὸν ἐκπλήσσει, τὸν ἀνδρεῖον μαλάσσει. Ὁποῖα ἦν καὶ τὰ τότε τεχνά σματα τοῦ κακούργου. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδεν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐνδιδόντα ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς, ἀπάταις αὐτὸν καὶ δε λεάσμασι περιελθεῖν ἐπειρᾶτο. Καὶ δωρεὰς καθ υπισχνεῖτο, τὰς δὲ ἐδίδου, καὶ ἄλλας παρὰ βασιλέως ἥξειν διηγγυᾶτο, τὴν ἐν στρατείᾳ περιφάνειαν, χρη μάτων πόρους, πᾶν ὅ τι ἂν βούλοιτο. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπετύγχανε τῆς πείρας (ἀκούσας γὰρ τῶν ὑποσχέσεων ὁ μακάριος, κατεγέλασεν αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀνοίας, εἴ τι νομίζοι βασιλείας οὐρανῶν ἀντ άξιον δώσειν), τότε δὴ ἀφόρητος ἦν τῷ θυμῷ, καὶ ξίφος ἐγύμνου, καὶ τὸν δήμιον παρεστήσατο, καὶ χειρὶ καὶ γλώσσῃ μιαιφονῶν θανάτῳ κατεδίκαζε τὸν μακάριον. Μετέβαινε δὲ πᾶν τὸ θέατρον ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦτον· καὶ ὅσον λειπόμενον ἦν τῶν οἰκητόρων, ἐκχυθὲν πρὸ τοῦ τείχους, ἑώρα τὸ μέγα ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἐναγώνιον θέαμα, τὸ θαυμαστὸν καὶ ἀγγέλοις καὶ πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει, ὀδυνηρὸν τῷ διαβόλῳ, καὶ φρ βερὸν δαίμοσιν. Ἐκενώθη τῶν