an eagle to return "to the house of their ruler." It is right, therefore, just as those not examined in tortures and pains yield the first place to those who have demonstrated endurance in dislocations and various instruments of torture and fire, so also for us the poor, even if we bear witness, reason suggests that we should yield the first place to you who for the sake of love for God in Christ trample upon deceptive glory, both that which reaches the many and so great a possession and the affection for children. 16 At the same time also observe the solemnity of scripture promising a manifold and a hundredfold return of brothers and children and parents and fields and houses; but a wife is not numbered among these. For it is not said: everyone who has left brothers or sisters or parents or children or fields or houses or wife for my name's sake, will receive manifold more; "for in the resurrection of the dead they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven." 17 What Joshua therefore said to the people when he established them in the holy land, these things scripture might say to us now. The passage is as follows: "Now fear the Lord and serve him in uprightness and in righteousness." And it will say to us who are being persuaded to idolatry what follows: "Put away the foreign gods, which your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord." At the beginning, therefore, when you were about to be catechized. it might reasonably have been said to you: "But if it does not seem good to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your fathers that were beyond the river or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell." And your catechist would have said to you: "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, for he is holy." But now there is no place for these things to be said to you; for then you said: "Far be it from us to forsake the Lord, so as to serve other gods. The Lord our God, he is God, who brought us and our fathers out of Egypt, and preserved us in all the way in which we walked" but also in the covenants concerning piety long ago you answered your catechists this: "We too will serve the Lord; for he is our God." If, therefore, the one who breaks covenants with men is a truce-breaker and alien to salvation, what must be said about those who through denial annul the covenants they made with God and return to Satan, whom they renounced when they were baptized? For to such a one must be said the words spoken by Eli to his sons: "If a man sinning sins against a man, they will also pray for him; but if he sins against the Lord, who will pray for him?" 18 A great spectacle is assembled for you who are contending and being called to martyrdom; as if we were to say this happens for some reputed paradoxical athletes †contending together for the sight of the contest of countless multitudes. And you will say no less than Paul, when you contend: "We have become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men." The whole world, therefore, and all the angels, on the right and on the left, and all men, both those from God's portion and those from the rest, will hear us contending the contest for Christianity. And either the angels in heaven will rejoice over us, and "the rivers will clap their hands together, and the mountains will rejoice," "and all the trees of the field will clap their branches;" or, which may it not be, the powers below who rejoice in evil will also rejoice. And it is not at all strange to see from the things written by Isaiah the things that will be said by those in Hades to those who have been conquered and have fallen from the heavenly witness, so that we may yet shudder at the impiety in denial. For I think such things will be said to the one who denies: "Hades below was embittered on meeting you; all the giants who ruled the earth were stirred up for you, who raised from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All will answer and say to you". But what will the conquered powers say

ἀετὸς ἐπιστρέψαι «εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ προεστηκότος» ἑαυτῶν. ἄξιον οὖν ὥσπερ τοῖς μὴ ἐξετασθεῖσιν ἐν βασάνοις καὶ πόνοις παραχωρεῖν πρωτείων πρὸς τοὺς ἐν ἀρθρεμβό λοις καὶ ποικίλοις στρεβλωτηρίοις καὶ πυρὶ ἐνεπιδειξαμένους τὴν ὑπομονὴν, οὕτως καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς πένησι, κἂν μαρτυρήσωμεν, ὁ λόγος ὑποβάλλει ἐξίστασθαι πρωτείων ὑμῖν τοῖς διὰ τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ πρὸς θεὸν ἀγάπην πατοῦσι τὴν ἀπατηλὴν δόξαν καὶ τῶν πολλῶν καθικ νουμένην καὶ τὴν τοσαύτην κτῆσιν καὶ τὴν πρὸς τέκνα φιλοστοργίαν. 16 Ἅμα δὲ καὶ τήρει τὸ σεμνὸν τῆς γραφῆς πολυπλασιασμὸν καὶ ἑκατονταπλασιασμὸν ὑπισχνουμένης ἀδελφῶν καὶ τέκνων καὶ γονέων καὶ ἀγρῶν καὶ οἰκιῶν· οὐ συγκατηρίθμηται δὲ τούτοις γυνή. οὐ γὰρ εἴρηται· πᾶς ὅστις ἀφῆκεν ἀδελφοὺς ἢ ἀδελφὰς ἢ γονεῖς ἢ τέκνα ἢ ἀγροὺς ἢ οἰκίας ἢ γυναῖκα ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός μου, πολλα πλασίονα λήψεται· «ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀναστάσει τῶν νεκρῶν οὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε γαμίσκονται, ἀλλ' εἰσὶν ὡς οἱ ἄγγελοι οἱ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.» 17 Ὅπερ τοίνυν εἶπεν Ἰησοῦς τῷ λαῷ καθιστὰς αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν ἁγίαν γῆν, ταῦτα καὶ ἡμῖν ἂν λέγοι νῦν ἡ γραφή. ἔχει δὲ οὕτως ἡ λέξις· «νῦν φοβήθητε κύριον καὶ λατρεύσατε αὐτῷ ἐν εὐθύτητι καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ.» ἐρεῖ δὲ ἡμῖν ἀναπειθομένοις εἰδωλολατρεῖν καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς οὕτως ἔχοντα· «περιέλεσθε τοὺς θεοὺς τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους, οἷς ἐλάτρευσαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἐν τῷ πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ λατρεύετε κυρίῳ.» κατ' ἀρχὰς μὲν οὖν ὅτε κατηχεῖσθαι ἐμέλλετε. εὐλόγως ἂν ὑμῖν εἴρητο· «εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀρέσκει ὑμῖν λατρεύειν κυρίῳ, ἐκλέξασθε ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς σήμερον τίνι λατρεύσετε, εἴτε τοῖς θεοῖς τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν τῶν ἐν τῷ πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ εἴτε τοῖς θεοῖς τῶν Ἀμοῤῥαίων, ἐν οἷς ὑμεῖς κατοικεῖτε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.» καὶ ἔλεγεν ἂν ὑμῖν ὁ κατηχῶν· «ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἡ οἰκία μου λατρεύσομεν κυρίῳ, ὅτι ἅγιός ἐστιν.» νῦν δὲ ταῦ τα οὐκ ἔχει χώραν ὑμῖν λέγεσθαι· τότε γὰρ εἴπετε· «μὴ γένοιτο ἡμῖν καταλιπεῖν κύριον, ὥστε λατρεύειν θεοῖς ἑτέροις. κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν αὐτὸς θεός ἐστιν, ὃς ἀνήγαγεν ἡμᾶς καὶ τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν ἐξ Αἰγύπ του, καὶ διεφύλαξεν ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ὁδῷ, ᾗ ἐπορεύθημεν ἐν αὐτῇ» ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς περὶ θεοσεβείας συνθήκαις πάλαι τοῖς κατηχοῦσιν ὑμᾶς ἀπεκρίθητε τόδε· «καὶ ἡμεῖς λατρεύσομεν κυρίῳ· οὗτος γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐστιν.» εἰ τοίνυν ὁ παραβὰς τὰς πρὸς ἀνθρώπους συνθή κας ἄσπονδός τις ἐστὶ καὶ σωτηρίας ἀλλότριος, τί λεκτέον περὶ τῶν διὰ τοῦ ἀρνεῖσθαι ἀθετούντων ἃς ἔθεντο πρὸς θεὸν συνθήκας καὶ παλινδρομούντων ἐπὶ τὸν σατανᾶν, ᾧ βαπτιζόμενοι ἀπετάξαντο; λεκτέον γὰρ πρὸς τὸ τοιοῦτον τοὺς λελαλημένους ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἠλεὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς λόγους· «ἐὰν ἁμαρτάνων ἁμαρτάνῃ ἀνὴρ εἰς ἄνδρα, καὶ προσεύξον ται περὶ αὐτοῦ· ἐὰν δὲ εἰς κύριον ἁμαρτάνῃ, τίς προσεύξεται περὶ αὐτοῦ;» 18 Μέγα θέατρον συγκροτεῖται ἐφ' ὑμῖν ἀγωνιζομένοις καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μαρτύριον καλουμένοις· ὡς εἰ τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐλέγομεν γίνεσθαι ἐπί τινων νομιζομένων παραδόξων ἀγωνιστῶν †συναγωνιζομένων ἐπὶ τὴν θέαν τοῦ ἀγῶνος μυρίων ὅσων. καὶ οὐκ ἔλαττόν γε τοῦ Παύ λου ἐρεῖτε, ὅταν ἀγωνίζησθε· «θέατρον ἐγενήθημεν τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις.» ὅλος οὖν ὁ κόσμος καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι δεξιοὶ καὶ ἀριστεροὶ καὶ πάντες ἄνθρωποι, οἵ τε ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ μερίδος καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν λοιπῶν, ἀκούσονται ἡμῶν ἀγωνιζομένων τὸν περὶ χριστιανισμοῦ ἀγῶνα. καὶ ἤτοι οἱ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἄγγελοι ἐφ' ἡμῖν εὐφρανθήσονται, καὶ «ποταμοὶ κροτήσουσι χειρὶ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ, καὶ τὰ ὄρη ἀγαλλιάσονται», «καὶ πάντα τὰ ξύλα τοῦ πεδίου ἐπικροτήσει τοῖς κλάδοις·» ἢ, ὃ μὴ εἴη, καὶ κάτω δυνάμεις αἱ ἐπιχαιρεσίκακοι εὐφραν θήσονται. οὐδὲν δὲ ἄτοπον ἰδεῖν ἐκ τῶν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ γεγραμμένων τὰ λεχθησόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν ᾅδου τοῖς νενικημένοις καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρα νίου μαρτυρίου καταπεπτωκόσιν, ἵν' ἔτι φρίξωμεν τὴν ἐν τῷ ἀρνεῖσ θαι ἀσέβειαν. λεχθήσεσθαι γὰρ οἶμαι πρὸς τὸν ἀρνησάμενον τοιαῦτα· «ὁ ᾅδης κάτωθεν ἐπικράνθη συναντήσας σοι· συνηγέρθησάν σοι πάντες οἱ γίγαντες οἱ ἄρξαντες τῆς γῆς, οἱ ἐγείραντες ἐκ τῶν θρόνων αὐτῶν πάντας βασιλεῖς ἐθνῶν. πάντες ἀποκριθήσονται καὶ ἐροῦσί σοι». τίνα δὲ ἐροῦσιν αἱ νενικημέναι δυνάμεις