6

Have you read the fearful threat of the Lord? that Whoever denies me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven? For what reason do you advise me to contrive these things? In order that I might gain what for myself from such a craft? so that I may gain a few days? But I will suffer the loss of a whole age. So that I may flee the pains of the flesh? But I will not see the good things of the righteous. It is clear madness to be destroyed by a craft, to procure for oneself eternal punishment with villainy and deceit. But I also advise you. If you think evil, learn piety; but if you are playing the hypocrite for the occasion, Putting away falsehood, speak the truth. Say: That Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. For every tongue will utter this voice, when At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. All men are mortal, but few are martyrs. Let us not wait to become dead, but let us pass from life to life. Why do you await a natural death? It is fruitless, unprofitable, common to beasts and men. For one who has come into life through birth is either consumed by time, or dissolved by disease, or destroyed by the more violent necessities of circumstances. Since, therefore, it is necessary to die in any case, let us procure life for ourselves through death. Make voluntary that which is compelled. Do not spare a life whose deprivation is necessary. And yet even if earthly things had a similar permanence, it would be necessary to be eager to exchange them for heavenly things; but if they are also short-lived, and so lacking in worth, it is a terrible madness by devotion to these things to fall away from the blessings laid up in our hopes. Having said these things, and having traced the sign of the cross for himself, he went toward the blow, his color not changing at all, nor altering anything of the brightness of his face. For he was disposed not as one about to meet an executioner, but as one about to entrust himself to the hands of angels who, taking him up immediately, newly slain, would transfer him to the blessed life, just like Lazarus. Who will describe the shout of that crowd? What thunder from the clouds sent forth such a sound to the earth as was then sent up from below to heaven? This is the stadium of that crowned victor. This day looked upon that wonderful spectacle, which time has not obscured, nor custom dissolved; which the excess of subsequent events has not overcome. For just as we always behold the sun and always marvel, so too do we always have a fresh memory of that man. For the righteous will be in everlasting remembrance, both among those on earth, as long as the earth exists, and in the heavens, and with the righteous judge; to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

6

ἀνέγνωτε τὴν φοβε ρὰν ἀπειλὴν τοῦ Κυρίου; ὅτι Ὃς ἂν ἀρνήσηταί με ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀρνήσομαι κἀγὼ αὐτὸν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Πατρός μου, τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς; Ἀντὶ τίνος δέ με καὶ ταῦτα σοφίζεσθαι συμ βουλεύετε; Ἵνα τι ἐμαυτῷ ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης καταπρά ξωμαι τέχνης; ἵνα μικρὰς ἡμέρας κερδήσω; Ἀλλ' αἰῶνα ὅλον ζημιωθήσομαι. Ἵνα φύγω τῆς σαρκὸς τὰ ἐπίπονα; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ὄψομαι τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῶν δι καίων. Μανία σαφὴς μετὰ τέχνης ἀπόλλυσθαι, μετὰ πανουργίας καὶ δόλου τὴν αἰωνίαν κόλασιν ἑαυτῷ πραγματεύεσθαι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑμῖν συμβουλεύω. Εἰ μὲν κακῶς φρονεῖτε, μεταμάθετε τὴν εὐσέβειαν· εἰ δὲ καθυποκρίνεσθε τὸν καιρὸν, Ἀποθέμενοι τὸ ψεῦδος, λαλεῖτε ἀλήθειαν. Εἴπατε· Ὅτι Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ Πατρός. Ταύτην γὰρ τὴν φωνὴν πᾶσα ἀφήσει γλῶσσα, ὅταν Ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ, ἐπουρανίων, καὶ ἐπιγείων, καὶ καταχθονίων. Θνητοὶ πάντες ἄνθρωποι, μάρτυρες δὲ ὀλίγοι. Μὴ ἀναμείνωμεν γε νέσθαι νεκροὶ, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ ζωῆς εἰς ζωὴν μεταβῶμεν. Τί τὸν αὐτόματον ἐκδέχεσθε θάνατον; Ἄκαρπός ἐστιν, ἀκερδὴς, κοινὸς κτηνῶν καὶ ἀνθρώπων. Τὸν γὰρ διὰ γενέσεως εἰς τὸν βίον ἐλθόντα ἢ χρόνος ἀνάλωσεν, ἢ νόσος διέλυσεν, ἢ βιαιότεραι συμπτωμάτων ἀνάγκαι διέφθειραν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν δεῖ πάντως ἀποθανεῖν, τὴν ζωὴν ἑαυτοῖς διὰ τοῦ θανάτου πραγματευσώμεθα. Ἑκούσιον ποιήσατε τὸ κατηναγκα-σμένον. Μὴ φείδεσθε ζωῆς, ἧς ἀναγκαία ἡ στέρησις. Καίτοι εἰ καὶ τὸ διαρκὲς ὅμοιον εἶχε τὰ γήϊνα, σπουδάζειν ἐχρῆν διαμείβειν αὐτὰ πρὸς τὰ οὐράνια· εἰ δὲ καὶ ὀλιγοχρόνια, καὶ τῇ ἀξίᾳ τοσοῦτον ἀπολειπόμενα, παραπληξία δεινὴ τῇ περὶ ταῦτα σπουδῇ τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἀποκειμένων μακαρισμῶν ἐκπίπτειν. Ταῦτα εἰπὼν, καὶ ἑαυτῷ τὸν τύπον τοῦ σταυροῦ περιγράψας, ἐχώρει πρὸς τὴν πληγὴν, οὐδὲν παρατρέψας τοῦ χρώματος, οὐδ' ἀλλοιώσας τι τῆς τοῦ προσώπου φαιδρότητος. ∆ιέκειτο γὰρ οὐχ ὡς δημίῳ ἐντεύξεσθαι μέλλων, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀγγέλων χερσὶν ἑαυτὸν παραθήσεσθαι οὓς, εὐθὺς αὐτὸν νεοσφαγῆ παραλαβόντας πρὸς τὴν μακαρίαν ζωὴν μεταθήσειν ὥσπερ τὸν Λάζαρον. Τίς ἐκείνου τοῦ δήμου τὴν βοὴν διηγήσεται; Ποία βροντὴ τοσοῦτον ἐκ νεφῶν ἦχον ἐπαφῆκε τῇ γῇ, ὅσος ἐκ τῶν κάτω τότε πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἀνεδόθη; Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ στάδιον 31.508 ἐκείνου τοῦ στεφανίτου. Αὕτη ἐπεῖδεν ἡ ἡμέρα τὸ θαυμαστὸν ἐκεῖνο θέαμα, ὃ οὐκ ἠμαύρωσεν ὁ χρόνος, οὐδὲ ἐξέλυσεν ἡ συνήθεια· οὐκ ἐνίκησεν ἡ τῶν ἐπιγινομένων ὑπερβολή. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸν ἥλιον ἀεὶ καθορῶντες, ἀεὶ θαυμάζομεν· οὕτω καὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐκείνου ἀεὶ νεαρὰν τὴν μνήμην ἔχομεν. Εἰς μνημόσυνον γὰρ αἰώνιον ἔσται δίκαιος, καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς, ἕως ἐστὶν ἡ γῆ, καὶ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ παρὰ τῷ δικαίῳ κριτῇ· ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.