8

they struggled. For the stadium was opened, and the time was calling to the wrestling matches; and the manner of the contests was as follows. They came to a city called Hierapolis, and from there they truly ran up to the holy city by such a device. A river flowed beside that road on which they were returning, and having escaped the notice of the soldiers who were breakfasting and drunk; but some say that they also took their father as an accomplice to deceive the soldiers, and I am persuaded; for perhaps he did these things for this reason, that he might be able to lay up in advance for himself at least some small defense on the day of judgment through this betrayal, for cooperating, and helping, and making easier the course to martyrdom; so having taken him as an accomplice, and through him being able to elude the soldiers, they entered the middle of the river, and gave themselves up to those currents. A mother entered with two daughters—let mothers and virgins hear, and let the latter so obey their mothers, and the former so educate their daughters, so love their children; so the mother entered in the middle, holding her daughters on either side, she who had a husband in the middle of the unwed, and marriage was in the middle of virginity, and Christ was in their midst. Therefore, just as the root of a tree having two shoots standing on either side, so also that blessed woman then, having the virgins on either side of her, was entering, and she released them into the waters, and thus they were drowned; or rather they were not drowned, but were baptized a new and extraordinary baptism. And if you wish to learn that what then happened was clearly a baptism, hear how Christ calls his own death a baptism.

For speaking to the sons of Zebedee, he says, You shall indeed drink my cup, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you shall be baptized. What baptism was Christ baptized with after the baptism of John, other than death and the cross? Just as James, therefore, was not crucified, but having his head taken off by a sword was baptized with the baptism of Christ, so also these women, although not crucified, but perfected through water, were baptized with the baptism of Christ; and their mother baptized them. What are you saying? A woman baptizes? 50.639 Yes, women baptize such baptisms, just as she then both baptized and became a priestess; for she offered rational sacrifices, and her ordination was her own choice; and the wonderful thing is that, in sacrificing, she needed no altar, nor wood, nor fire, nor sword; for the river became all things: altar, and wood, and sword, and fire, and sacrifice, and baptism, a baptism much clearer than this baptism. For concerning this one, Paul says: We have been united with him in the likeness of his death; but concerning the baptism of the martyrs he no longer speaks of the likeness of his death, but that we are conformed to his death. The mother, therefore, was leading in her daughters, not as about to lead them into a river, but as if leading them by the hand into the sacred bridal chambers; she led them in, holding them on either side and saying: Behold, I and the children whom God has given me; you gave them to me, to you I entrust them, what is mine and myself. And so the woman’s martyrdom became twofold, or rather threefold; for through herself she bore witness once, and through her two daughters she bore witness twice; and just as when she was about to release herself, she needed much endurance, so also when she was drawing her children with her. she needed as much endurance again, or rather much more; for women are not accustomed to feel as much pain when they themselves are about to die, as when their daughters suffer this. So that she bore witness more greatly through her daughters, and stripped off for herself the tyranny of nature, and stood against the flame of birth-pangs, and against the unbearable turmoil of her bowels, and against the uproar of the womb. For if one who sees a single daughter dying considers life unlivable, this one her

8

ἠγωνίζοντο. Καὶ γὰρ ἠνεῴγει τὸ στάδιον, καὶ ὁ καιρὸς ἐκάλει πρὸς τὰ παλαίσματα· ὁ δὲ τῶν ἀγώνων τρόπος τοιόσδε ἐγένετο. Ἦλθον εἰς πόλιν Ἱεράπολιν καλουμένην, κἀκεῖθεν ἀληθῶς εἰς τὴν ἱερὰν πόλιν ἀνέδραμον διὰ τοιαύτης μηχανῆς. Ποταμὸς παρέῤῥει τὴν ὁδὸν ἐκείνην, καθ' ἣν ἐπανῄεσαν, καὶ λαθοῦσαι τοὺς στρατιώτας ἀριστοποιουμένους καὶ μεθύοντας· τινὲς δέ φασιν, ὅτι καὶ τὸν πατέρα λαβοῦσαι συνεργὸν πρὸς τὸ τοὺς στρατιώτας ἀπατῆσαι, καὶ πείθομαι· τάχα γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα ἔπραξεν, ἵνα τινὰ ἀπολογίαν μικρὰν γοῦν διὰ τῆς προδοσίας ταύτης δυνηθῇ προαποθέσθαι ἑαυτῷ εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς κρίσεως, τὸ συμπρᾶξαι, καὶ βοηθῆσαι, καὶ εὐκολώτερον ποιῆσαι τὸν ἐπὶ τὸ μαρτύριον δρόμον· λαβοῦσαι τοίνυν αὐτὸν συνεργὸν, καὶ δι' ἐκείνου δυνηθεῖσαι παρακρούσασθαι τοὺς στρατιώτας, εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν μέσον, καὶ ἀφῆκαν ἑαυτὰς κατὰ τῶν ῥευμάτων ἐκείνων. Εἰσῆλθε μήτηρ μετὰ δύο θυγατέρων ἀκουέτωσαν καὶ μητέρες καὶ παρθένοι, καὶ αἱ μὲν οὕτω πειθέσθωσαν μητράσιν, αἱ δὲ οὕτω παιδευέτωσαν θυγατέρας, οὕτω φιλείτωσαν τὰ παιδία· εἰσῆλθε τοίνυν μέση ἡ μήτηρ, ἑκατέρωθεν κατέχουσα τὰς θυγατέρας, ἡ τὸν ἄνδρα ἔχουσα μέσον τῶν ἀπειρογάμων, καὶ ἦν τῆς παρθενίας μέσος ὁ γάμος, καὶ μέσος αὐτῶν ὁ Χριστός. Καθάπερ οὖν ῥίζα δένδρου δύο βλαστοὺς ἔχουσα ἑκατέρωθεν ἑστῶτας, οὕτω καὶ ἡ μακαρία τότε ἐκείνη ἑκατέρωθεν αὐτῆς ἔχουσα τὰς παρθένους εἰσῄει, καὶ κατὰ τῶν ὑδάτων αὐτὰς ἠφίει, καὶ ἀπεπνίγοντο οὕτω· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἀπεπνίγοντο, ἀλλ' ἐβαπτίζοντο βάπτισμα καινὸν καὶ παράδοξον. Καὶ εἰ βούλει μαθεῖν, ὅτι βάπτισμα ἦν σαφὲς τὸ τότε γενόμενον, ἄκουσον πῶς ὁ Χριστὸς τὸν θάνατον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ βάπτισμα καλεῖ.

Τοῖς γὰρ τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου παισὶ διαλεγόμενος, Τὸ μὲν ποτήριόν μου πίεσθε, φησὶ, καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα, ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι, βαπτισθήσεσθε. Ποῖον δὲ βάπτισμα ἐβαπτίσθη ὁ Χριστὸς μετὰ τὸ Ἰωάννου βάπτισμα, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὸν σταυρόν; Ὥσπερ οὖν Ἰάκωβος οὐχὶ σταυρωθεὶς, ἀλλὰ μαχαίρᾳ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποθέμενος τὸ βάπτισμα ἐβαπτίσθη τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὕτω καὶ αὗται, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐσταυρώθησαν, ἀλλὰ δι' ὕδατος τελειωθεῖσαι τὸ βάπτισμα ἐβαπτίσθησαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐβάπτισε δὲ αὐτὰς ἡ μήτηρ. Τί λέγεις; γυνὴ βαπτίζει; 50.639 Ναὶ, τὰ τοιαῦτα βαπτίσματα καὶ γυναῖκες βαπτίζουσι, καθάπερ οὖν καὶ ἐκείνη τότε καὶ ἐβάπτισε, καὶ ἱέρεια γέγονε· καὶ γὰρ θύματα προσήγαγε λογικὰ, καὶ χειροτονία αὐτῇ ἡ προαίρεσις γέγονε· καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐδεήθη θυσιαστηρίου θύουσα, οὐδὲ ξύλων, οὐδὲ πυρὸς, οὐδὲ μαχαίρας· πάντα γὰρ ἐγένετο ὁ ποταμὸς, καὶ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ ξύλα, καὶ μάχαιρα, καὶ πῦρ, καὶ θυσία, καὶ βάπτισμα, βάπτισμα πολλῷ τούτου τοῦ βαπτίσματος σαφέστερον. Περὶ μὲν γὰρ τούτου φησὶ Παῦλος· Σύμφυτοι γεγόναμεν τῷ ὁμοιώματι τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ· περὶ δὲ τοῦ βαπτίσματος τῶν μαρτύρων οὐκ ἔτι τῷ ὁμοιώματι τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ λέγει, ἀλλ' ὅτι συμμορφούμεθα τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτοῦ. Εἰσῆγε τοίνυν τὰς θυγατέρας ἡ μήτηρ, οὐχ ὡς εἰς ποταμὸν μέλλουσα εἰσάγειν, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ εἰς τὰς ἱερὰς αὐτὰς παστάδας χειραγωγοῦσα· εἰσῆγεν ἑκατέρωθεν κατέχουσα καὶ λέγουσα· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία, ἃ ἐμοὶ ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεός· σύ μοι αὐτὰ ἔδωκας, σοὶ αὐτὰ παρακατατίθεμαι, τὰ ἐμαυτῆς καὶ ἐμαυτήν. Καὶ οὕτω διπλοῦν ἐγένετο τὸ τῆς γυναικὸς μαρτύριον, μᾶλλον δὲ τριπλοῦν· διὰ μὲν γὰρ ἑαυτῆς ἅπαξ, διὰ δὲ τῶν δύο θυγατέρων δὶς ἐμαρτύρησε· καὶ ὥσπερ ἡνίκα ἑαυτὴν ἀφιέναι ἔμελλε, πολλῆς αὐτῇ τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἔδει, οὕτω καὶ ὅτε τὰ παιδία μεθ' ἑαυτῆς εἷλκεν. ἑτέρας τοσαύτης ἔχρῃζεν ὑπομονῆς, μᾶλλον δὲ πολλῷ πλείονος· οὐ γὰρ οὕτως αἱ γυναῖκες ἀλγεῖν εἰώθασιν, ἐπειδὰν αὐταὶ μέλλωσι τελευτᾷν, ὡς ὅταν αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτῶν τοῦτο πάσχωσιν. Ὥστε μειζόνως διὰ τῶν θυγατέρων ἐμαρτύρησεν αὕτη, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀπεδύσατο τῆς φύσεως τὴν τυραννίδα, καὶ πρὸς τὴν φλόγα τῶν ὠδίνων ἔστη, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀφόρητον τῶν σπλάγχνων ταραχὴν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν τῆς μήτρας θόρυβον. Εἰ γὰρ θυγατέρα μίαν τις ἀποθνήσκουσαν ὁρῶσα ἀβίωτον ἡγεῖται τὸν βίον, αὕτη τὰς