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undertaking the same course as her, to be deemed worthy of the same boldness as her, and to stand near her on that day through the prayers of the holy woman herself, and of her children, and of Eleazar, the great and noble old man who completes their chorus, and who showed an adamantine soul in terrible things. And we will be able, with their holy prayers, if we also contribute everything from ourselves, before the wars and the terrible things, in the time of peace, mastering the passions within us, cutting off the unruly impulses of the flesh, disciplining and enslaving the body. For thus, if we live in peace, we shall have the glorious crowns of our exercises; and if it seems good to the philanthropic God for us to accomplish the same struggle, we will come prepared for the wrestling matches, and we will obtain the heavenly goods; of which may it be that we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, honor and power for ever and ever. Amen.

ON THE HOLY MACCABEES

Homily 3. And seeing that praise for their deeds is owed to the martyrs, and seeing the crowd pressed for space 50.626 I hesitate. Therefore, if you please, let us for 50.627 the present postpone the teaching, and let us be eager to imitate the intensity of the martyrs. Therefore let Eleazar the elder first come into our midst, the beginning of the contests, the foundation of the martyrdom, the door of the wrestling pits, the leader of courage, the forerunner of endurance, the youthful grey hair, the protomartyr of the Old Covenant, the image of Peter the chief of the apostles; the enemy grew weary of flattering and scourging, and the one being punished did not cease from speaking out; the old man stood trembling from old age, while the tyrant sat breathing threats and murder, and the one who was trembling departed vigorous, while the one who was vigorous departed vanquished; grey hair stood being torn to pieces, while youth, growing savage, judged with authority, and the victory belonged to the grey hair. Oh, what a new manner of trophies! One old man, being beaten, routed an entire army shooting arrows together. The wonder of the old man's contests does not permit me to move on to the courage of the youths; but still we must go on to them, having forced ourselves past him; for with them also the trophies against the tyrant are glorious; for youth was not going to appear less daring than grey hair. So seven youths in a row, excelling, were crowned, having run from one womb into one battle line. If you please, I am stopping the discourse, you strong dancers of strong martyrs. But, as I was saying, seven youths in a row, excelling, were crowned, having run from one womb into one battle line, adorned with one brotherhood of offspring and of character, one after another entering the contests. Now I must recall that evangelic voice for you, O noble ones: Blessed, it says, is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which you have sucked. And since I have mentioned breasts and womb, it is time for me also to go on to the mother of the champions, who died many times in one body; 50.628 or rather, the one who was slaughtered many times, and did not suffer pain even once; the one who was at once unwounded and much-wounded. The first of her children being dragged to death did not trouble her, so much as the second, not yet having taken up the contests, terrified her; again, the death of the second did not grieve her, so much as the life of the third child, whose end was unknown, frightened her; small to her were both the third and the fourth

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αὐτὸν αὐτῇ δρόμον ἀράμενοι τῆς αὐτῆς αὐτῇ καταξιωθῆναι παῤῥησίας, καὶ ἐγγὺς αὐτῆς στῆναι κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην εὐχαῖς αὐτῆς τῆς ἁγίας, καὶ τῶν αὐτῆς παίδων, καὶ τοῦ τὸν χορὸν αὐτῶν συμπληροῦντος Ἐλεαζάρου τοῦ μεγάλου καὶ γενναίου γέροντος καὶ ψυχὴν ἀδαμάντινον ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς ἐνδειξαμένου. ∆υνησόμεθα δὲ ἂν μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων αὐτῶν εὐχῶν καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν πάντα εἰσφέρωμεν, πρὸ τῶν πολέμων καὶ τῶν δεινῶν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς εἰρήνης τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν κρατοῦντες παθῶν, τὰ ἄτακτα τῆς σαρκὸς περικόπτοντες σκιρτήματα, ὑπωπιάζοντες καὶ δουλαγωγοῦντες τὸ σῶμα. Οὕτω γὰρ ἄν τε ἐν εἰρήνῃ διάγωμεν, λαμπροὺς ἕξομεν τῶν γυμνασίων τοὺς στεφάνους· ἄν τε τὸν αὐτὸν ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα ἀνύσαι δοκῇ τῷ φιλανθρώπῳ Θεῷ, παρεσκευασμένοι πρὸς τὰ παλαίσματα ἥξομεν, καὶ τῶν οὐρανίων ἐπιτευξόμεθα ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΑΓΙΟΥΣ ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΟΥΣ

Ὁμιλία γʹ. Καὶ τοῖς μάρτυσιν ὁρῶν τὴν τῶν ἔργων εὐφημίαν ὀφειλομένην, καὶ τὸ πλῆθος στενοχωρούμενον βλέπων 50.626 ὀκνῶ. Οὐκοῦν, εἰ δοκεῖ, τὴν διδασκαλίαν πρὸς 50.627 τὸ παρὸν ὑπερθώμεθα, μιμεῖσθαι δὲ σπουδάζωμεν τῶν μαρτύρων τὸν τόνον. Οὐκοῦν πρῶτος ἡμῖν Ἐλεάζαρος ὁ πρεσβύτης εἰς μέσον ἡκέτω, ἡ τῶν ἀγώνων ἀρχὴ, ὁ τῆς μαρτυρίας θεμέλιος, τῶν σκαμμάτων ἡ θύρα, τῆς ἀνδρείας ὁ ἀρχηγὸς, τῆς καρτερίας ὁ πρόδρομος, ἡ νεάζουσα πολιὰ, ὁ τῆς Παλαιᾶς πρωτόμαρτυς, ἡ Πέτρου τοῦ κορυφαίου τῶν ἀποστόλων εἰκών· ἔκαμε κολακεύων καὶ μαστιγῶν ὁ πολέμιος, καὶ οὐκ ἐπαύσατο ῥητορεύων ὁ κολαζόμενος· εἱστήκει τρέμων ὁ πρεσβύτης ὑπὸ τοῦ γήρως, ἐκάθητο δὲ ἀπειλῆς καὶ φόνου πνέων ὁ τύραννος, καὶ ὁ μὲν τρέμων ἀπῆλθεν ἀκμάζων, ὁ δὲ σφριγῶν ἀπῆλθε νενικημένος· εἱστήκει πολιὰ καταξαινομένη, ἐδίκαζε δὲ νεότης μετὰ αὐθεντίας ἀγριουμένη, καὶ τῇ πολιᾷ τὰ τῆς νίκης ἐγίνετο. Ὢ τρόπου νικητηρίων καινοῦ· ὅλην ὁμοῦ τοξεύουσαν στρατιὰν τυπτόμενος εἷς ἐτρέψατο γέρων. Οὐκ ἐᾷ με πρὸς τὴν τῶν νέων ἀνδρείαν τῶν τοῦ γέροντος ἄθλων μεταβαίνειν τὸ θαῦμα· πορευτέον δ' οὖν ὅμως ἡμῖν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τοῦτον βιασαμένους· λαμπρὰ γὰρ καὶ παρ' ἐκείνοις κατὰ τοῦ τυράννου τὰ τρόπαια· οὐ γὰρ ἔμελλε πολιᾶς νεότης ἀτολμηροτέρα φανεῖσθαι. Ἑπτὰ γοῦν ἐφεξῆς ἀριστεύοντες ἐστεφάνωντο νέοι ἐκ μιᾶς γαστρὸς εἰς μίαν δραμόντες παράταξιν. Εἰ δοκεῖ, καταπαύω τὸν λόγον, ἰσχυρῶν μαρτύρων ἰσχυροὶ χορευταί. Ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἔλεγον, ἑπτὰ ἐφεξῆς ἀριστεύοντες ἐστεφάνωντο νέοι ἐκ μιᾶς γαστρὸς εἰς μίαν δραμόντες παράταξιν, μιᾷ γόνων ἀδελφότητι καὶ τρόπῳ κεκοσμημένοι, ἄλλος ἐπ' ἄλλῳ τοῖς ἀγῶσιν ἐμβάλλων. Νῦν μοι τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἐκείνης ἐφ' ὑμῖν, ὦ γενναῖοι, μνημονευτέον φωνῆς· Μακαρία, φησὶν, ἡ κοιλία ἡ βαστάσασα ὑμᾶς, καὶ μαστοὶ, οὓς ἐθηλάσατε. Ἐπεὶ δὲ μαστῶν καὶ κοιλίας ἐμνήσθην, ὥρα μοι καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀριστέων διαβαίνειν μητέρα τὴν ἐν ἑνὶ σώματι πολλάκις ἀποθανοῦσαν· 50.628 μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν πολλάκις σφαγεῖσαν, καὶ μηδὲ ἅπαξ ἀλγήσασαν· τὴν ἄτρωτον ὁμοῦ καὶ πολύτρωτον. Οὐκ ἐτάραττεν αὐτὴν ὁ πρῶτος ἑλκόμενος εἰς θάνατον τῶν παίδων, ὡς ὁ δεύτερος μηδέπω τῶν ἀγώνων ἁψάμενος ἐπτόει· οὐκ ἐλύπει τοῦ δευτέρου πάλιν ἡ τελευτὴ, ὡς ἡ τοῦ τρίτου παιδὸς ἐφόβει ζωὴ τὸ πέρας ἀγνοούμενον ἔχουσα· μικρὸς ἦν αὐτῇ καὶ τρίτος καὶ τέταρτος