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with punishments. When therefore he had emptied his entire former quiver, and saw the champion-athlete spurning worldly enticements, and reckoning all glory and earthly luxury as a flower of the grass, easily perishable and quick to wither, and abhorring his exhortations and bewitchments as the venom of a serpent and poisons to be avoided, he immediately turned to the other kind of temptations. And seeing that she likewise scorned his threats, filled with wrath, as having missed his mark, he spoke out to her. What then do you want, little girl? To sacrifice to the gods, or to be consumed by bitter punishments? To him the martyr, with a steadfast character and a bold demeanor, in a few words confessed her pious faith resoundingly, and denounced the folly and impiety of the godless tyrants. What did she say? I, she said, am ready to sacrifice to my Lord Jesus Christ, who made the heaven and the earth, and the sea, and all that is in them. But as for your gods, the prophet rightly mocked them: They have a mouth, and they will not speak; they have eyes, and they will not see; they have ears, and they will not hear; they have noses, and they will not smell; they have hands, and they will not feel; they will have feet, and they will not walk; they will not make a sound in their throat. May those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them. For just as the venerable name of God is falsely applied to them by you, so they are devoid and bereft of life-giving power. 11. At this the all-abominable and most audacious governor, being astounded, with boiling rage orders the martyr, having been stripped naked, to have her flesh mercilessly torn with ox-sinews, and to have the wounds inflicted on her wiped with haircloth rags and cloths, so that her whole body was dyed with blood. Oh, the august and sacred confession of yours, O victorious martyr of Christ, Barbara, which through the Holy Spirit you confessed before all without fear and without shrinking, and declared as theology in the hearing of men, and of angels who were watching your contest, and of demons who were fighting against you unseen along with the visible adversaries; which the Lord wrote down in heaven, and confessed before His own archetypal and divine Father, and 96.797 again with zeal will both confess and proclaim! Oh, your most noble endurance and fortitude; by which you utterly astounded the devil and his apostate demons, but moved the holy angels to wonder and praise; by which you dissolved the error of the idols like a spider's web, and strengthened and confirmed the true faith! 12. Seeing, therefore, the unchangeable and steadfast nature of the saint, the judge orders her to be thrown into prison for the time being, until he might consider with what more bitter torments he might assail her. But in the middle of that night, a most brilliant light shone around her, in which the Lord of glory appeared, comforting her pain and deep sorrow by His appearance, and with exhorting words encouraging her for the contests to come: ‘Take courage,’ He said, ‘Barbara, for there will be the greatest joy in heaven and on earth over your contest. Do not fear the threats of the tyrant, nor be afraid. For I am with you, and I will deliver you from all the wounds inflicted upon you.’ And immediately the wounds on her body became invisible. And having said these things, the Lord of the heavens returned again to heaven. And the true martyr and servant of Christ rejoiced greatly, and was filled with cheerfulness, and joy, and exultation at the exhortation of Christ. And indeed with good reason, O thrice-blessed maiden, did you rejoice! for the source of gladness, is alone true joy and delight

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κολάσεσιν. Ὡς οὖν πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν προτέραν φαρέτραν ἐκένωσεν, καὶ τὴν ἀθληφόρον ἑώρα τὰ κοσμικὰ διαπτύουσαν, θέλγητρα, καὶ πᾶσαν δόξαν, καὶ τρυφὴν ἐπίγειον ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου λογιζομένην εὔφθαρτον καὶ εὐμάραντον, καὶ τὰς τούτου προτροπὰς, καὶ καταγοητεύσεις ὡς ἰὸν ὄφεως βδελυττομένην, καὶ φευκτὰ δηλητήρια, εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὸ ἕτερον εἶδος τῶν πειρασμῶν μετετρέπετο. Καὶ τὰς ἀπειλὰς ὡσαύτως ἰδὼν μυκτηρίζουσαν, θυμοῦ μεμεστωμένος, ὡς τοῦ σκοποῦ διαμαρτὼν, πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀπεφθέγγετο. Τί οὖν θέλεις, κορίον; θύσαι τοῖς θεοῖς, ἢ πικραῖς τιμωρίαις ἀναλωθῆναι; Πρὸς ὃν ἡ μάρτυς, εὐσταθεῖ τῷ ἤθει, καὶ πεπαῤῥησιασμένῳ τῷ παραστήματι, ὀλίγοις ῥήμασι τήν τ' εὐσεβῆ πίστιν ὡμολόγησεν διαπρύσιον, καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀθέων τυράννων ἄνοιαν, καὶ ἀσέβειαν ἐστηλίτευσεν. Τί φράσασα; ἐγὼ, φησὶν, ἑτοίμως ἔχω θύσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ μου Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, τῷ ποιήσαντι τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς. Τοὺς δὲ ὑμετέρους θεοὺς, καλῶς ὁ προφήτης κατεκερτόμησεν· Στόμα ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ λαλήσουσιν· ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ὄψονται· ὦτα ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ἀκούσονται· ῥῖνας ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ὀσφρανθήσονται· χεῖρας ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ ψηλαφήσουσι· πόδας ἔξουσι, καὶ οὐ περιπατήσουσιν· οὐ φωνήσουσιν ἐν τῷ λάρυγγι αὐτῶν. Ὅμοιοι αὐτοῖς γένοιντο οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτὰ, καὶ πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ σεβάσμιον ὄνομα ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ψευδωνύμως ὑφ' ὑμῶν ἐπιτέθειται, τῆς ζωτικῆς ἐνεργείας ἀμοιροῦσί τε καὶ χηρεύονται. ιαʹ. Πρὸς ταῦτα καταπλαγεὶς ὁ παμμίαρος, καὶ ἰταμώτατος ἡγεμὼν, παφλάζοντι τῷ θυμῷ κελεύει γυμνωθεῖσαν τὴν μάρτυρα, βουνεύροις τὰς σάρκας αὑτῆς ἀφειδῶς καταξέεσθαι, καὶ τριχίνοις ῥάκεσι καὶ ὑφάσμασι τὰς ἐπιτεθείσας αὐτῇ πληγὰς ἀποσμήχεσθαι, ὥστε αὐτῆς ὅλον τὸ σῶμα καταβαφῆναι τοῖς αἵμασιν. Βαβαὶ τῆς σεπτῆς, καὶ ἱερᾶς σου, ὢ καλλίνικε τοῦ Χριστοῦ μάρτυς Βαρβάρα ὁμολογίας, ἣν διὰ Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἐπὶ πάντων ἀφόβως, καὶ ἀνυποστόλως ὡμολόγησας, καὶ ἐθεολόγησας εἰς ἐπήκοον ἀνθρώπων, ἀγγέλων τε τῶν τὴν σὴν ἄθλησιν ἐφορώντων, καὶ δαιμόνων τῶν ἀοράτως μετὰ τῶν ὁρατῶν ἀντιπάλων ἀντιστρατευομένων σοι· ἣν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀπεγράψατο Κύριος, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἰδίου ἀρχεφώτου καὶ θεαρχικοῦ Πατρὸς ὡμολόγησε, καὶ 96.797 αὖθις σπουδῇ ὁμολογήσει τε καὶ ἀνακηρύξει! Βαβαί σου τῆς γενναιοτάτης ὑπομονῆς καὶ καρτερίας· δι' ἣν, τὸν μὲν διάβολον καὶ τοὺς ἀποστάτας αὐτοῦ κατέπληξας δαίμονας, τοὺς ἁγίους δὲ ἀγγέλους πρὸς θαῦμα καὶ εὐφημίαν ἐκίνησας· δι' ἣν, τὴν μὲν τῶν εἰδώλων πλάνην ὡς ἀράχνην διέλυσας, τὴν ἀληθῆ δὲ πίστιν ἐκράτυνάς τε καὶ ἐβεβαίωσας! ιβʹ. Ἑωρακὼς οὖν τὸ ἀμετάθετον καὶ καρτερικὸν τῆς ἁγίας ὁ δικάζων, κελεύει τέως ἐν φρουρᾷ ταύτην ἐμβληθῆναι, ἕως ἂν σκέψηται ποίαις αὐτῆς βασάνοις πικροτέραις ἐφάψηται. Ἐν δὲ τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ μέσῃ, φῶς αὐτὴν ὑπέρλαμπρον περιήστραψεν, ἐν ᾧπερ ὁ τῆς δόξης κατεφαίνετο Κύριος, τὸ κατώδυνον αὐτῆς καὶ περίλυπον τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ παραμυθούμενος, καὶ λόγοις προτρεπτικοῖς θαρσοποιῶν πρὸς ἀγῶνας τοὺς μέλλοντας· «Θάρσει, λέγων, Βαρβάρα, ὅτι μεγίστη χαρὰ ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ ἀθλήσει γενήσεται. Τὰς δὲ τοῦ τυράννου ἀπειλὰς μὴ φοβοῦ, μήτε δέδιθι. Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι μετὰ σοῦ, καὶ πασῶν σοι τῶν ἐπιφερομένων πληγῶν ἐκλυτρώσομαι.» Καὶ εὐθέως ἀφανεῖς αἱ πληγαὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτῆς ἐγένοντο σώματος. Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν, εἰς οὐρανοὺς αὖθις ὁ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀναπεφοίτηκε Κύριος. Ἐγεγήθει δὲ μεγάλως, καὶ πλήρης γέγονεν εὐθυμίας, καὶ χαρᾶς, καὶ ἀγαλλιάσεως ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προτροπῇ, ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γνησία μάρτυς τε καὶ θεράπαινα. Καὶ εἰκότως ὄντως ὢ κόρη τρισόλβιε, ἐγέγηθας! ἡ γὰρ τῆς χαρμοσύνης ὑπόθεσις, μόνη ἐστὶν ἀληθὴς εὐφροσύνη, καὶ θυμηδία