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unchangeable and inalienable. O truly blessed eyes of yours, deemed worthy to see the Lord of glory, upon whom the Cherubim in heaven and the many-eyed orders dare not gaze! O all-blessed ears, that have received the echo of the words of God! O admirable and thrice-blessed soul, whom He who rules over things in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and is the God of all consolation, comforted with the exhortations of His own mouth! You, even while in the flesh, the bride of Christ, have received the pledge of the kingdom of heaven, as a manifestation of your whole dowry. For this reason you have regarded and considered the experience of painful things as the arrows of infants, or the bites of fleas; but charmed by the love of Him who appeared, and strengthened in your soul, you said, 'Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or distress? or famine? or persecution? or scourges? or perils? For I am persuaded that neither life, nor death, nor angel, nor things present, nor things to come, nor any other creature, will be able to separate me from the love of Christ.' 13. When morning came, therefore, the martyr was led to the tribunal, the ruler having commanded this. And seeing her bruises invisible, and her body whole and intact, not having the slightest tear, the madman, he says, and frantic one, “See how the gods claim you, and love you, because they have also healed your wounds.” But the martyr, laughing at his madness and stupefaction and frenzy, answered: “Your gods are like you, deaf and blind, and senseless, 96.800 and motionless, unable to help themselves, and how could they heal me, who destroys their people-deceiving vanity? But He who healed me is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, whom you are not worthy to see with your profane eyes and hardened soul.” But when the all-abominable one was kindled with rage at these words like a wild beast, he commands her sides to be vigorously scraped, and torches of fire to be brought to the wounds, and to be struck on the head with a hammer as upon an anvil. But she, gazing into heaven, said: “You know, O Lord, knower of hearts, that longing for you I have come to you; do not abandon me until the end.” And so the noble martyr of Christ bore this torment nobly, having gone beyond not only feminine weakness and cowardice, but also human nature. For how could she have endured so many outrages, and bitter, and painful punishments, had she not transcended the body of humiliation, by the power of the Spirit which invisibly strengthened and fortified her. 14. But not even when these things were happening did the servant and advocate of the devil have his fill of madness; but he turned his mind, the fount of wickedness, to another kind of torment, having seated within him the author, and begetter, and inventive dragon of all evil, the murderer of men and hater of mankind from the beginning. Therefore, he says, the governor ordered the breasts of the martyr to be cut off with a sword. And while these were being cut off, the lamb of Christ, looking up to heaven, said: Cast me not away from your presence, O Lord, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. And so the martyr received this wound with endurance and thanksgiving. Is there stored for you, O all-wicked demon, in the depth of your soul another invention of wickedness more grievous than this? Has another form of torment more painful to the female nature been conceived by you, or is it left? Has your mind not grown weary of devising tortures against the martyr? Add, if you please, others also; for you will find adamant, or rather a soul unbreakable, and firmer than adamant itself, a well-wrought anvil to bear the blows of your hammers; It is hard for you to

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ἀναλλοίωτός τε καὶ ἀναφαίρετος. Ὢ μακαρίων σου ὡς ἀληθῶς ὀμμάτων, τὸν τῆς δόξης Κύριον ἰδεῖν ἠξιωμένων, ᾧ ἀτενίσαι οὐ τολμῶσιν ἐν οὐρανῷ τὰ Χερουβὶμ, καὶ τὰ πολυόμματα τάγματα! Ὢ πανολβίων ὤτων, τῶν ἠχὴν τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥημάτων εἰσδεδεγμένων! ὢ ψυχῆς ἀξιαγάστου καὶ τρισευδαίμονος, ἣν προτροπαῖς οἰκείου παρεμυθήσατο στόματος, ὁ οὐρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων, καὶ καταχθονίων δεσπόζων, καὶ Θεὸς πάσης παρακλήσεως! Σὺ καὶ ἐν σαρκὶ οὖσα, τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ νύμφη, ὡς τῆς ὅλης σου προικὸς ἐμφάνειαν δέδεξαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τῶν μὲν ἀλγεινῶν τὴν πεῖραν, ὡς νηπίων βέλη, ἣ ψύλλων δηγμοὺς ἥγησαι καὶ λελόγισαι· τῷ δὲ τοῦ φανέντος ἔρωτι θελχθεῖσα, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν στεῤῥωθεῖσα, Τίς με, ἔλεγες, χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ; θλῖψις; ἢ στενοχωρία; ἢ λιμός; ἢ διωγμός; ἢ μάστιγες; ἢ κίνδυνοι; πέπεισμαι γὰρ, ὡς οὐ ζωὴ, οὐ θάνατος, οὐκ ἄγγελος, οὐκ ἐνεστῶτα, οὐ μέλλοντα, οὔτε τις κτίσις ἑτέρα, τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ με ἀγάπης χωρίσαι δυνήσεται. ιγʹ. Πρωΐας οὖν γενομένης, ἤχθη πρὸς τὸ βῆμα ἡ μάρτυς, τοῦ ἄρχοντος τοῦτο προστάξαντος. Καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτῆς τοὺς μώλωπας ἀφανεῖς, καὶ τὸ σῶμα ὁλόκληρον καὶ ἀκέραιον, μήτε τὸ τυχὸν ἔχον σπάραγμα, ὁ φρενοβλαβὴς, φησὶ, καὶ φρενόληπτος, «Ἴδες πῶς οἱ θεοὶ ἀντιποιοῦνται, καὶ ἀγαπῶσίν σε, ὅτι καὶ τὰς πληγάς σου ἰάσαντο.» Ἡ δὲ μάρτυς τῆς ἐκείνου καταγελάσασα παραφροσύνης καὶ ἐμβροντησίας, καὶ παραπληξίας ἀνταπεκρίνατο· «Οἱ μὲν σοὶ θεοὶ ὅμοιοί σού εἰσι, κωφοὶ καὶ τυφλοὶ, καὶ ἀναίσθητοι, 96.800 καὶ ἀκίνητοι, ἑαυτοῖς βοηθῆσαι οὐ δυνάμενοι, καὶ πῶς ἐμὲ θεραπεύειν ἠδύναντο, τὴν αὐτῶν ἀφανίζουσαν λαοπλανῆ ματαιότητα; Ὁ δὲ ἐμὲ θεραπεύσας, Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, ὃν σὺ βεβήλοις ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ πεπωρωμένῃ ψυχῇ ἰδεῖν οὐ πέφυκας ἄξιος. Ὡς δὲ θηρίον τούτοις ἐξαφθεὶς τῷ θυμῷ τοῖς ῥήμασιν ὁ παμμίαρος, κελεύει τὰς πλευρὰς αὐτῆς εὐτόνως ξέεσθαι, καὶ λαμπάδας πυρὸς ταῖς πληγαῖς προσφέρεσθαι, καὶ σφύρᾳ κατὰ τῆς κεφαλῆς ὡς ἐπὶ ἄκμονος τύπτεσθαι. Ἡ δὲ ἀτενίσασα εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, εἶπεν· «Σὺ γινώσκεις, καρδιογνῶστα Κύριε, ὅτι ποθοῦσά σέ σοι προσελήλυθα, μή με ἐγκαταλείπῃς ἕως τέλους.» Καὶ ταύτην οὖν τὴν βάσανον ἡ γενναία τοῦ Χριστοῦ μάρτυς γενναίως ὑπήνεγκεν, οὐ τῆς θηλυκῆς ἀσθενείας καὶ ἀνανδρίας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως ἔξω γεγονυῖα. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν τοσαύτας αἰκίας, καὶ πικρὰς, καὶ ὀδυνηρὰς τιμωρίας ἐκαρτέρησεν, μὴ ὑπερβᾶσα τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως, τῇ ἀοράτως αὐτὴν νευρούσῃ, καὶ ἐνισχυούσῃ δυνάμει τοῦ Πνεύματος. ιδʹ. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τούτων γιγνομένων, κόρον τῆς μανίας ἔλαβεν ὁ τοῦ διαβόλου ὑπηρέτης τε καὶ συνήγορος· ἐφ' ἕτερον δὲ βασανιστηρίων εἶδος τὴν τῆς πονηρίας πηγαίαν διάνοιαν ἔτρεπτεν, ἔνδον ἐγκαθήμενον ἔχων τὸν τῆς πάσης κακίας ἀρχηγὸν, καὶ γεννήτορα, καὶ εὑρήμονα δράκοντα, τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀνθρωποκτόνον καὶ μισάνθρωπον. Ἐκέλευσεν οὖν, φησὶν, ὁ ἡγεμὼν ξίφει ἐκκοπῆναι τοὺς μαστοὺς τῆς μάρτυρος. Ἐκκοπτομένων δὲ τούτων, ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀμνὰς εἰς οὐρανὸν ἔλεγεν ἀναβλέψασα Μὴ ἀποῤῥίψῃς με ἀπὸ προσώπου σου, Κύριε, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμά σου τὸ ἅγιον μὴ ἀντανέλῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Καὶ ταύτην οὖν τὴν πληγὴν ἡ μάρτυς καρτερικῶς καὶ εὐχαρίστως ἐδέξατο. Ἆρά σοι παμπόνηρε δαῖμον, ἑτέρα μοχθηρίας ἐπίνοια ταύτης χαλεπωτέρα ἐν τῷ βάθει τῆς ψυχῆς τεταμίευται; ἆρά σοι ἕτερον αἰκισμῶν εἶδος ὀδυνηρότερον τῇ γυναικείᾳ φύσει ὑπείληπται, ἢ ὑπολέλειπται; οὐκ ἀπέκαμέν σου ὁ νοῦς τὰ κατὰ τῆς μάρτυρος ἐξευρίσκων βασανιστήρια; Πρόσθες, εἰ δοκεῖ σοι, καὶ ἕτερα· εὑρήσεις γὰρ ἀδάμαντα, μᾶλλον δὲ ψυχὴν ἀῤῥαγῆ, καὶ αὐτοῦ στεῤῥοτέραν ἀδάμαντος, ἐπανήλατον ἄκμονα τῶν σῶν σφυρῶν ἐπιφέρειν τὰ κρούσματα· Σκληρόν σοι πρὸς