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seeking whom he may devour; but he was defeated by the courage of the martyr; for he had cast off the venom of sin; therefore he did not devour him; for this reason he feared neither the lion, nor the wrath of the beasts.

4. Do you wish me to tell another ancient story, where there was a just man and beasts,

Remember the flood in the time of Noah and the ark; for then too a just man was together with beasts; but Noah entered a man, and came out a man; but Julian entered a man, and came out an angel; that one entered from the earth, and came out to the earth again; this one entered from the earth into a sack, and from the sack departed to heaven. The sea received him, not to kill him, but to crown him, and after the crown it gave back to us this holy ark, the body of the martyr; this we possess until the present day, being a treasure of countless good things. For God has shared the martyrs with us, having taken their souls Himself, He has given their bodies to us, 50.672 so that we may have a perpetual reminder of virtue in their holy bones. For if someone sees the blood-stained weapons of a combatant, a shield, and spear, and breastplate, even if he is the most sluggish of all, he is at once roused, and becomes more ardent, and leaps forth to the war, having received from the sight of the weapons an exhortation to attempt the same deeds; we, seeing not weapons, but the very body of the saint who was deemed worthy to be bloodied for the confession of Christ, even if we are the most cowardly of all, how shall we not have great zeal, as if this sight were a fire falling into our mind, and calling us to the same contest?

For this reason God has entrusted the bodies of the saints to us until the time of the resurrection, so that we might have a subject of the greatest philosophy. But let the praises of the martyr not be diminished by the weakness of our tongue, but let them await God the judge. He who crowns them, He will also praise them; for their praise is not from men, but from God; for we have said these things not to show the martyr as more glorious, but to make you more zealous. But let us, leaving the encomiums, turn the entire discourse to you; or rather, it is not possible to leave the encomiums of martyrs, when one speaks in church about what is profitable. But pay attention; for I wish to cut out a wicked and ancient custom today, so that we not only come to the martyrs, but also imitate the martyrs. For the honor of martyrs is not only to come to them, but even before this to emulate their courage. Therefore it is necessary first to speak of the wicked custom; for when the disease is unknown it is not easy to apply a remedy; for this reason I first uncover the wound, and then I apply the medicine. What then is the wicked custom? Some of those gathered here today (for may it never befall me to pass such a judgment on the whole Church) because of a certain sloth and carelessness, tomorrow deserting us, leap away to Daphne, pouring out tomorrow what we have gathered today, and tearing down what we have built. Therefore, so that their presence here may not become fruitless, having discussed these matters a little we will end the discourse. Why do you hurry to the suburb of the city, tell me? Behold the suburb of the Jerusalem above; behold a spiritual Daphne; there are springs of water, here are springs of martyrs; there are cypresses, fruitless trees, here are relics of saints and roots planted below, and stretching their branches up to heaven. Do you wish to see the fruit of these branches too? Open for us the eyes of faith, and I will immediately show you the nature of wondrous fruits. For the fruit of these branches is not of summer fruits, and orchard fruits, nor anything else of these things that spoil and perish, but of bodies

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ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ· ἀλλ' ἡττήθη τῇ ἀνδρείᾳ τοῦ μάρτυρος· ἀπέθετο γὰρ τὸν ἰὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας· διόπερ οὐ κατέπιε τοῦτον· διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔδεισεν οὔτε λέοντα, οὔτε τὸν θυμὸν τῶν θηρίων.

δʹ. Βούλεσθε καὶ ἄλλο τι εἴπω παλαιὸν διήγημα, ἔνθα δίκαιος καὶ θηρία,

Ἀναμνήσθητε τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ τοῦ ἐπὶ Νῶε καὶ τῆς κιβωτοῦ· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τότε δί καιος ὁμοῦ καὶ θηρία· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Νῶε εἰσῆλθεν ἄν θρωπος, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἄνθρωπος· Ἰουλιανὸς δὲ εἰσῆλθε μὲν ἄνθρωπος, ἐξῆλθε δὲ ἄγγελος· ἐκεῖνος εἰσῆλθεν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν εἰς τὴν γῆν πάλιν· οὗτος εἰσῆλθεν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς εἰς σάκκον, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ σάκκου εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀπῄει. Ἔλαβεν αὐτὸν τὸ πέλαγος, οὐχ ἵνα ἀποκτείνῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα στεφανώσῃ, καὶ μετὰ τὸν στέφανον ἀπέδωκεν ἡμῖν τὴν ἁγίαν ταύτην κιβωτὸν τὸ σῶμα τοῦ μάρτυρος· ταύτην κατέχομεν μέχρι τῆς παρούσης ἡμέρας μυρίων οὖσαν ἀγαθῶν θησαυρόν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐμερίσατο ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς μάρτυρας, τὰς ψυχὰς λαβὼν αὐτὸς, τὰ σώματά πως ἡμῖν ἔδω 50.672 κεν, ἵνα ἔχωμεν ὑπόμνησιν ἀρετῆς διηνεκῶς τὰ ἅγια τούτων ὀστέα. Εἰ γὰρ ὅπλα τις ἀγωνιστοῦ βλέπων ᾑμαγμένα, ἀσπίδα, καὶ δόρυ, καὶ θώρακα, κἂν ἁπάντων νωθρότατος ᾖ, εὐθέως ἐξάλλεται, καὶ θερμό τερος γίνεται, καὶ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ἐκπηδᾷ, ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως τῶν ὅπλων λαβὼν παράκλησιν πρὸς τὸ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιχειρῆσαι πράγμασιν· ἡμεῖς οὐχ ὅπλα ὁρῶν τες, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἁγίου τὸ καταξιωθὲν αἱ μαχθῆναι διὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν ὁμολογίαν, κἂν ἁπάν των ὦμεν δειλότεροι, πῶς οὐ πολλὴν ἕξομεν προθυ μίαν, ὥσπερ τινὸς πυρὸς τῆς ὄψεως ταύτης εἰς τὴν διάνοιαν ἡμῶν ἐμπιπτούσης, καὶ πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν ἀγῶνα καλούσης ἡμᾶς;

∆ιὰ τοῦτο παρακατέθετο ἡμῖν τὰ σώματα τῶν ἁγίων ὁ Θεὸς ἕως τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, ἵνα ἔχωμεν ὑπόθεσιν φιλοσοφίας μεγί στης. Ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν τοῦ μάρτυρος ἔπαινοι μὴ ἐλαττού σθωσαν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τῆς ἡμετέρας γλώττης, ἀλλὰ μενέτωσαν τὸν ἀγωνοθέτην Θεόν. Ὁ στεφανῶν αὐ τοὺς, ἐκεῖνος καὶ ἐπαινέσει· ὁ γὰρ ἔπαινος αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα ἅπερ εἰρήκαμεν, οὐχ ἵνα τὸν μάρτυρα λαμπρότερον δείξωμεν, εἴπομεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὑμᾶς προθυμοτέρους ἐρ γασώμεθα. Ἡμεῖς δὲ, ἀφέντες τὰ ἐγκώμια, πρὸς ὑμᾶς τὸν λόγον τρέψωμεν ἅπαντα· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἔνι ἀφεῖναι ἐγκώμια μαρτύρων, ὅταν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ τις διαλέγηται περὶ τῶν συμφερόντων. Ἀλλὰ προσέχετε· καὶ γὰρ πονηρὸν ἔθος καὶ παλαιὸν βούλομαι ἐκκόψαι σήμερον, ἵνα μὴ μόνον παραγινώμεθα πρὸς τοὺς μάρ τυρας, ἀλλὰ καὶ μιμώμεθα μάρτυρας. Τιμὴ γὰρ μαρτύρων οὐ τὸ παραγενέσθαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τούτου τὸ ζηλῶσαι τὴν ἀνδρείαν αὐτῶν. ∆ιὸ δεῖ πρῶτον εἰπεῖν τὸ πονηρὸν ἔθος· τοῦ γὰρ νο σήματος ἀγνοουμένου οὐδὲ ἰατρείαν προσάγειν ῥᾴ διον· διὰ τοῦτο ἀποκαλύπτω τὸ τραῦμα πρῶτον, καὶ τότε τὸ φάρμακον ἐπιτίθημι. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ πονηρὸν ἔθος; Τινὲς τῶν ἐνταῦθα συλλεγομένων τήμερον (μὴ γάρ μοι γένοιτο πάσης καταγνῶναι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοιαύτην κατάγνωσιν) ὑπὸ ῥᾳθυμίας τινὸς καὶ ἀφε λείας τὴν αὔριον ἡμᾶς ἐγκαταλιμπάνοντες, πρὸς τὴν ∆άφνην ἀποπηδῶσιν, ἅπερ συνελέξαμεν σήμερον, αὔριον ἐκχέοντες, καὶ ἅπερ ᾠκοδομήσαμεν καθαι ροῦντες. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ ἄκαρπος αὐτοῖς γένηται ἡ ἐνταῦ θα παρουσία, ὀλίγα περὶ τούτων διαλεχθέντες κατα παύσομεν τὸν λόγον. Τί σπεύδεις ἐπὶ τὸ προάστειον τῆς πόλεως, εἰπέ μοι; Ἰδοὺ τὸ προάστειον τῆς ἄνω Ἱερουσαλήμ· ἰδοὺ ∆άφνη πνευματική· ἐκεῖ πηγαὶ ὑδάτων, ἐνταῦθα πηγαὶ μαρτύρων· ἐκεῖ κυπάρισσοι, δένδρα ἄκαρπα, ἐνταῦθα λείψανα ἁγίων καὶ ῥίζαι κάτω πεφυτευμέναι, καὶ τοὺς κλάδους εἰς τὸν οὐρα νὸν ἀνατείνουσαι. Βούλει καὶ τῶν κλάδων τούτων τὸν καρπὸν ἰδεῖν; Ἄνοιξον ἡμῖν τοὺς τῆς πίστεως ὀφθαλ μοὺς, καὶ εὐθέως ἐπιδείξω σοι φύσιν καρπῶν θαυμα στῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ὀπωρῶν, καὶ ἀκροδρύων, οὐδὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν φθειρομένων καὶ ἀπολλυμένων τούτων τῶν κλά δων ὁ καρπὸς, ἀλλὰ σωμάτων