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the city was emptied of its inhabitants, as if by some current, the multitude suddenly flowing toward this place. No woman endured to be left out of the spectacle, no man, obscure or distinguished.

The guards left their posts at the houses; the workshops of the merchants were unlocked; and their wares were scattered about the marketplace; and the one guard and security for all things was that everyone had departed in the same way, and not even an evildoer remained in the city. Slaves left the service of their masters; and as many of the people were foreign, and as many were native, were present here before the man. Then even a virgin, daring the gaze of men, and an old man and an invalid, forcing their infirmity, were outside the wall. And already his friends, standing around the blessed one as he was rushing toward the life that comes through death, embraced him, lamenting and kissing him for the last time; and shedding hot tears over him, they begged him not to give himself over to the fire, not to waste his youth, not to leave this sweet sun. But others tried to deceive him with persuasive advice: "With a word only utter the denial, but in your soul keep the faith as you wish. Surely God does not pay attention 31.504 to the tongue, but to the mind of the one speaking. For thus it will be possible for you both to appease the judge and to propitiate God." But he was unbending, and unconquerable, and invulnerable to every assault of temptations. You might compare the unshaken state of his mind to the house of the wise man, which neither the unbearable violence of winds, nor the furious water pouring down from clouds, nor torrents breaking around it, are able to shake, because of its security upon the rock. Such was the man, preserving the foundation of his faith in Christ unshaken. Seeing with his spiritual eyes the devil running about, moving one to tears, and assisting another towards persuasion; to those who were weeping he said the word of the Lord: "Do not weep for me; but weep for those who fight against God, who dare such things against the pious, who through this flame, which they kindle against us, are storing up for themselves the fire of Gehenna. Cease weeping, and breaking my heart. For I am ready not only to die once for the name of the Lord Jesus, but even ten thousand times, if it were possible." And to those advising denial with the tongue, he answered this much: that the tongue, created by Christ, does not endure to utter anything against its creator. For with the heart we believe unto righteousness, and with the mouth we confess unto salvation. For is the military order despaired of for salvation? For is there not one pious centurion? I remember the first centurion who, standing by the cross of Christ, having recognized his power from the miracles, while the audacity of the Jews was still fresh, did not fear their anger, nor did he shrink from proclaiming the truth, but confessed, and did not deny, that truly he was the Son of God. I know also another centurion, who recognized the Lord while still in the flesh, that he is God and king of the powers, and by a command alone is able through the ministering spirits to send help to those in need; whose faith the Lord declared to be greater than all of Israel. And was not Cornelius, being a centurion, deemed worthy of the vision of the angel, and at last obtained salvation through Peter? For his alms and his prayers were heard by God. Of those men I wish to be a disciple.

How then shall I deny my God 31.505, whom I have worshipped from childhood? Will not the heaven above shudder? will not the stars grow dark over me, and will the earth support me at all? Be not deceived; God is not mocked. From our own mouth he judges us, by our words he justifies, and by our words he condemns. Not

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οἰκητόρων ἡ πόλις, ὥσπερ τινὸς ῥεύματος, τοῦ πλήθους ἀθρόως ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦτον μεταῤῥυέντος. Οὐ γυνὴ κατεδέξατο τῆς θέας ἀπολειφθῆναι, οὐκ ἀνὴρ ἀφανὴς ἢ ἐπίση μος.

Ἐξέλειπον τὰς φυλακὰς τῶν οἴκων οἱ φύλακες· ἄκλειστα μὲν ἦν τῶν ἐμπόρων τὰ ἐργαστήρια· διέῤ ῥιπτο δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν τὰ ὤνια· μία δὲ πάντων φυλακὴ καὶ ἀσφάλεια, τὸ πάντας ὁμοίως ὑπεξελθεῖν, καὶ μηδὲ κακοῦργον ἐναπομεῖναι τῇ πόλει. Κατέλει πον δοῦλοι δεσποτῶν θεραπείας· καὶ ὅσον ξένον τοῦ δήμου, καὶ ὅσον ἐγχώριον, ὧδε παρῆν πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα. Τότε καὶ παρθένος ὄψεως ἀῤῥένων κατατολ μήσασα, καὶ πρεσβύτης καὶ ἄῤῥωστος τὴν ἀσθένειαν βιασάμενοι, ἔξω τοῦ τείχους ἦσαν. Ἤδη δὲ ὁρμῶντα πρὸς τὴν διὰ τοῦ θανάτου ζωὴν τὸν μακάριον περι στάντες οἱ ἐπιτήδειοι, περιεπτύσσοντο, ποτνιώμενοι καὶ τὰ τελευταῖα κατασπαζόμενοι· καὶ θερμὸν ἐπ' αὐτῷ δάκρυον ἀφιέντες, ἱκέτευον μὴ παραδοῦναι ἑαυτὸν τῷ πυρὶ, μὴ παραναλῶσαι ἑαυτοῦ τὴν νεό τητα, μὴ καταλιπεῖν τὸν γλυκὺν τοῦτον ἥλιον. Ἄλλοι δὲ συμβουλαῖς πιθαναῖς ἐπειρῶντο παραλογίζεσθαι· Ῥήματι μόνῳ εἰπὲ τὴν ἄρνησιν, ψυχῇ δὲ ἔχε τὴν πίστιν ὡς ἂν ἐθέλῃς. Πάντως οὐχὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ προσ 31.504 έχει Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ τῇ διανοίᾳ τοῦ φθεγγομένου. Οὕτω γὰρ ὑπάρξει σοι καὶ τὸν κριτὴν ἐκμειλίξασθαι, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐξιλεώσασθαι. Ὁ δὲ ἄκαμπτος ἦν, καὶ ἀδάμαστος, καὶ πάσῃ προσβολῇ πειρατηρίων ἄτρωτος. Εἰκάσαις ἂν αὐτοῦ τῆς διανοίας τὸ ἄσειστον τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ φρονίμου, ἣν οὔτε ἀνέμων ἀφόρητοι βίαι, οὔτε λάβρον ὕδωρ ἐκ νεφῶν καταῤῥηγνύμενον, οὔτε χαράδραι περιῤῥη γνύμεναι, διὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ἀσφάλειαν, διασα λεῦσαι δύνανται. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ ἀνὴρ, ἀσάλευτον τὸ στερέωμα τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως διασώζων. Βλέπων τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς περιτρέχοντα τὸν διάβολον, καὶ τὸν μὲν κινοῦντα πρὸς δάκρυον, τῷ δὲ συνεργοῦντα πρὸς πιθανότητα· τοῖς μὲν κλαίουσιν εἶπε τὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ῥῆμα· Μὴ κλαίετε ἐπ' ἐμοί· ἀλλὰ κλαύσατε ἐπὶ τοὺς θεομάχους, τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα τολμῶντας κατὰ τῶν εὐσεβούντων, τοὺς διὰ τῆς φλογὸς ταύτης, ἣν καθ' ἡμῶν καίουσιν, ἑαυτοῖς τῆς γεέννης τὸ πῦρ θησαυρίζοντας. Παύ σασθε κλαίοντες, καὶ συνθρύπτοντές μου τὴν καρ δίαν. Ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐ μόνον ἅπαξ ἀποθανεῖν ἑτοίμως ἔχω ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μυριάκις, ἐὰν οἷόν τε ᾖ. Τοῖς δὲ τὴν διὰ τῆς γλώσσης ἄρνησιν συμβουλεύουσι τοσοῦτον ἀπεκρί νατο, ὅτι οὐκ ἀνέχεται ἡ γλῶσσα κτισθεῖσα παρὰ Χριστοῦ φθέγξασθαί τι κατὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος. Καρδία γὰρ πιστεύομεν εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολο γοῦμεν εἰς σωτηρίαν. Μὴ γὰρ ἀπεγνωσμένον ἐστὶ πρὸς σωτηρίαν τὸ στρατιωτικὸν τάγμα; μὴ γὰρ οὐ δεὶς ἑκατόνταρχος εὐσεβής; Μέμνημαι τοῦ πρώ του ἑκατοντάρχου, ὃς, παρεστὼς τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐκ τῶν θαυμάτων τὴν δύναμιν ἐπι γνοὺς, ἔτι θερμοῦ τοῦ τολμήματος ὄντος τῶν Ἰου δαίων, οὐκ ἐφοβήθη τὸν θυμὸν αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ μὴν ὑπεστάλη ἀναγγεῖλαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἀλλ' ὡμολόγησε, καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσατο, ὅτι ἀληθῶς Θεοῦ Υἱὸς ἦν. Οἶδα καὶ ἄλλον ἑκατόνταρχον, ἐν σαρκὶ ἔτι τὸν Κύριον ἐπιγνόντα, ὅτι Θεός ἐστι καὶ βασιλεὺς τῶν δυνάμεων, καὶ προστάγματι μόνῳ διὰ τῶν λειτουργικῶν πνευ μάτων ἱκανὸς ἐξαποστέλλειν τὰς βοηθείας τοῖς δεομένοις· οὗ καὶ τὴν πίστιν ὁ Κύριος μείζονα εἶναι παντὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπεφήνατο. Κορνήλιος δὲ οὐχ, ἑκατόνταρχος ὢν, τῆς ὀπτασίας ἠξιώθη τῆς τοῦ ἀγ γέλου, καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον διὰ τοῦ Πέτρου τῆς σωτη ρίας ἔτυχεν; Αἱ γὰρ ἐλεημοσύναι αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ δεή σεις εἰσηκούσθησαν παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Ἐκείνων εἶναι βούλομαι μαθητής.

Πῶς οὖν ἀρνήσομαι τὸν Θεόν 31.505 μου, ὃν ἐκ παιδὸς προσεκύνησα; Οὐχὶ δὲ φρίξει ὁ οὐρανὸς ἄνωθεν; οὐ συσκοτάσει δὲ ἐπ' ἐμοὶ τὰ ἄστρα, ἡ γῆ δέ με ὑποστήσεται ὅλως; Μὴ πλανᾶ σθε· Θεὸς οὐ μυκτηρίζεται. Ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ἡμᾶς τοῦ ἡμετέρου κρίνει, ἐκ τῶν λόγων δικαιοῖ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων καταδικάζει. Οὐκ