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having chosen, he appointed these men as leaders and rulers; and through them he set forth a general decree, that the worship of Christ was to cease, and that sacrifices were to be offered to idols, and that those who spoke against it were to be put to death without mercy by all kinds of tortures. From this, every age and rank, both male and female, was mercilessly mowed down like grass of those choosing to keep the faith of Christ inviolate and unassailable until death. 7. At that very time, therefore, when the impious Maximian was reigning and Marcian was governing, there was a certain toparch, it is said, named Dioscorus, exceedingly wealthy, but mad for the worship of lifeless idols. This man had an only-begotten daughter, Bar 96.792 bara by name, pre-eminent in the grace of her beauty, and shining with the modesty of her character. Having built a high tower, therefore, he shut the maiden up there, so that she might not be seen by men, because of the blossoming and dazzling appearance and splendor of her beauty. Dwelling there, therefore, finding quiet away from the outside disturbances, she stirred up godly reasonings, and she cultivated and nourished these; for solitude is known to become the mother of both subtle and most brilliant thoughts. And on the one hand, she loathed the error and worship of idols, as leading down to the pit of Hades, but on the other hand, the true faith of the Christians, and the revered confession of the holy and consubstantial Trinity, as leading up to the heavens, she cherished and accepted; and the teachings about the immortality of the soul, about the kingdom of heaven and the enjoyment of incorruptible things, about Gehenna and the unending torment there, in addition to these, she also pictured in her mind and unfolded the unstable and uncertain course of the temporary affairs of this world; and she always imagined the lamp-bearing virgins, who are joined to the incorruptible bridegroom Christ in the heavenly bridal chamber, and who revel in the ineffable blessedness within. And she yearned, and desired, and prayed to be deemed worthy of that all-blessed portion and inexpressible joy and unspeakable glory. 8. While the soul of the chaste and pure virgin was thus engrossed in such contemplations, her father came to her. And as many nobles were instructing him, and considering her union and connection in marital discourse to be of great importance, he urged her to consent to this. But she, spitting out such words as nonsense and troublesome, staring sternly with anger at her father, completely rejected this soul-harming advice, having charged him to bring no more mention of such a matter to her. For the virgin considered it ridiculous and full of all absurdity if, having once and for all dedicated and joined herself to the heavenly and immortal bridegroom, she should yield to those who, like worms, are mired in the muddy bogs of Hellenic filth. Therefore, her father, who was at that time building a bath-house with great haste, having ordered the artisans to construct two light-giving windows on the south side, went away to a certain country. But Barbara, the servant and bride of the Trinity, having inspected the work of the building, compelled the workmen to fit three windows into the structure. And the beautiful virgin, returning and going back to her own tower, saw the lifeless and senseless idols to which her father offered worship, and indeed, being filled with the Holy Spirit and taking up a divine and fiery zeal, she spat into their dishonored faces, saying opportunely the psalm of the prophet David, 'May those who make you become like you, and all who trust in you.' O truly blessed and God- 96.793 loving soul! O maiden boiling with faith,

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ἐκλεξάμενος, τούτους καθίστησιν ἡγεμόνας καὶ ἄρχοντας· καὶ δόγμα καθολικῶς δι' ἐκείνων ἐκτίθησιν, τοῦ μὲν Χριστοῦ παύεσθαι τὴν προσκύνησιν, εἰδώλοις δὲ τὰς θυσίας προσφέρεσθαι, καὶ ἀφειδῶς παντοίαις κολάσεσιν ἀναιρεῖσθαι τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας. Ἐντεῦθεν ἡλικία πᾶσα, καὶ ἀξία, ἀῤῥένων τε καὶ θηλύων, χόρτου δίκην ἀσυμπαθῶς κατεθερίζετο τῶν Χριστοῦ τὴν πίστιν μέχρι θανάτου τηρεῖν προαιρουμένων ἄτρωτον, καὶ ἀπαρεγχείρητον. ζʹ. Κατ' ἐκείνου δὴ οὖν καιροῦ, Μαξιμιανοῦ τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς βασιλεύοντος, ἡγεμονεύοντος δὲ Μαρκιανοῦ, ἦν τις τοπάρχης, φησὶν, ὀνόματι ∆ιόσκορος, πλούσιος σφόδρα, ἐμμανὴς δὲ περὶ τὴν τῶν ἀψύχων εἰδώλων προσκύνησιν. Οὗτος μονογενὲς ἔσχε θυγάτριον, Βαρ 96.792 βάραν ὀνόματι, κάλλους ὡραιότητι διαπρέπουσαν, καὶ τρόπου σεμνότητι διαλάμπουσαν. Πύργον οὖν ὑψηλὸν δειμάμενος, ἐκεῖσε τὴν παρθένον κατέκλεισεν, ὥστε μὴ ὁρᾶσθαι αὐτὴν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, διὰ τὴν ἐπανθοῦσαν καὶ ἀπαστράπτουσαν τοῦ κάλλους φανότητα καὶ λαμπρότητα. Αὐτόθι οὖν διαιτωμένη, ἄτερ τῶν ἔξωθεν θορύβων ἀφησυχάσασα, λογισμοὺς ἀνεκίνει θεοσεβεῖς, καὶ τούτους ἐγεώργει, καὶ ἔτρεφεν· οἶδεν γὰρ ἐρημία, ἐννοιῶν ἰσχνῶν, καὶ μεγαλοφυεστάτων μήτηρ καθίστασθαι. Καὶ τὴν μὲν τῶν εἰδώλων πλάνην καὶ λατρείαν, ὡς εἰς ᾅδου πέταυρον κατάγουσαν ἐβδελύττετο, τὴν δ' ἀληθῆ τῶν Χριστιανῶν πίστιν, καὶ τὴν τῆς ἁγίας καὶ ὁμοουσίου Τριάδος σεπτὴν ὁμολογίαν, ὡς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάγουσαν, περιέθαλπε καὶ προσίετο· τούς τε περὶ ἀθανασίας ψυχῆς λόγους, περί τε βασιλείας οὐρανῶν, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀκηράτων ἀπολαύσεως, περί τε γεέννης, καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖσε ἀτελευτήτου κολάσεως, πρὸς τούτοις δὲ, καὶ τὴν τῶν προσκαίρων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου πραγμάτων ἄστατον περιφορὰν καὶ ἀβέβαιον κατὰ νοῦν ἐζωγράφει, καὶ ἀνείλιττεν· καὶ τὰς λαμπαδηφόρους παρθένους, τὰς τῷ ἀφθάρτῳ νυμφίῳ Χριστῷ ἐν τῇ ἐπουρανίου παστάδι συναπτομένας, καὶ τῆς ἔνδον ἀποῤῥήτου κατατρυφώσας μακαριότητος, ἀεὶ ἐφαντάζετο. Καὶ τῆς πανολβίου ἐκείνης μοίρας καὶ χαρμονῆς ἀνεκφράστου, καὶ ἀνεκλαλήτου δόξης, καταξιωθῆναι ἐγλίχετο, καὶ ἐπεθύμει, καὶ ηὔχετο. ηʹ. Ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις οὖν θεωρήμασι τῆς σώφρονος καὶ ἁγνῆς παρθένου τὴν ψυχὴν πυκναζούσης, ἐφίσταται ὁ πατήρ. Ἀναδιδασκόντων δὲ αὐτὸν πολλῶν μεγιστάνων, καὶ περὶ πολλοῦ ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ταύτης συζυγίαν τε, καὶ πρὸς γαμικὴν ὁμιλίαν συνάφειαν, εἰς τοῦτο αὐτὴν ἐπινεῦσαι προυτρέπετο. Ἡ δὲ τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους ὡς λήρους, καὶ ὀχληροὺς διαπτύσασα, μετ' ὀργῆς τῷ γεγεννηκότι ἐμβρίθως ἀτενίσασα, τὴν ψυχοβλαβῆ ταύτην παραίνεσιν παντελῶς ἀποσείεται, μηκέτι μνήμην τοιούτου πράγματος αὐτῇ προσάγειν παρεγγυήσασα. Γελοῖον γὰρ καὶ πάσης ἀτοπίας ἀνάμεστον ἡ παρθένος ἡγήσατο, καθάπαξ ἑαυτὴν τῷ οὐρανίῳ καὶ ἀθανάτῳ νυμφίῳ ἀναθεῖσά τε καὶ συνάψασα, εἰ τοῖς σκωλήκων δίκην ἰλυώδεσι τέλμασιν ἰλυσπωμένων ἑλληνικῷ βορβόρῳ ὑπείξειεν. Ὁ τοίνυν ταύτης πατὴρ βαλανεῖον σπουδῇ πολλῇ τὸ τηνικαῦτα οἰκοδομῶν, ἐπιτάξας τοῖς τεχνίταις κατὰ νότον δύο θυρίδας φωταγωγοὺς κατασκευάσαι, ἀπεδήμησεν εἰς χώραν τινά. Ἡ δὲ τῆς Τριάδος δούλη καὶ νύμφη Βαρβάρα, τὸ ἔργον τῆς οἰκοδομῆς ἐπισκεψαμένη, τρεῖς θυρίδας ἐφαρμόσαι τῷ οἰκοδομήματι τοὺς ἐργάτας ἠνάγκασεν. Ἐπανιοῦσα δὲ, καὶ παλινδρομοῦσα ἐπὶ τὸν ἴδιον πύργον ἡ καλὴ παρθένος, ὁρᾷ τὰ ἄψυχα καὶ ἀναίσθητα εἴδωλα, οἷς τὸ σέβας ὁ πατὴρ προσεκόμιζεν, καὶ δὴ Πνεύματος ἁγίου πλησθεῖσα, καὶ ζῆλον ἀναλαβοῦσα ἔνθεον καὶ ἀνάπυρον, εἰς τὰ ἄτιμα αὐτῶν ἐνέπτυσεν πρόσωπα, τὸ τοῦ προφήτου ∆αβὶδ εὐκαίρως εἰποῦσα μελῴδημα, Ὅμοιοι ὑμῶν γένοιντο οἱ ποιοῦντες ὑμᾶς, καὶ πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες ἐφ' ὑμᾶς. Ὢ μακαρίας ὄντως, καὶ φιλο 96.793 θέου ψυχῆς! Ὢ νεάνιδος πίστει ζεούσης,