to the vanquished and those captured by the devil to those captured in denial, what then are these things? "you too were captured just as we were, and you were reckoned among us." But if anyone who has a great and glorious hope in God is defeated by cowardice or by torments brought upon him, he will hear: "your glory has gone down to Hades, your great gladness; they will spread decay under you, and your covering is the worm." And if anyone has shone many times in the churches like "the morning star," appearing to them as his good works shone "before men," and after this, while striving in the great contest, has lost the crown of such a throne, he will hear: "How the morning star, that rises early, has fallen from heaven! He was crushed to the earth." And this will be said to him, likened to the devil through denial: "you will be cast on the mountains as a detested corpse with many dead who have been pierced with swords, going down to Hades. In the way that a garment stained with blood will not be clean, so you too will not be clean." For how will he be clean who is stained with blood and murder by the abominable fault of denial and defiled with so great an evil? Now let us show that we have heard the saying: "He who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me," let us take heed, lest any hesitation should arise in us about whether to deny or to confess; so that the word of Elijah may not be said to us, which is as follows: "How long will you limp on both your knees? If the Lord is God, go after him." 19 It is likely that we will be reproached by our neighbors and mocked by those surrounding us and shaking their heads at us as at foolish people. But when these things happen, let us say to God: "You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, a mockery and a laughingstock to those around us. You have made us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples. All day long my disgrace is before me, and the shame of my face has covered me, from the voice of the one who reproaches and reviles, from the face of the enemy and the persecutor." And blessed it is, when all these things happen, to say to God the voice of the prophet, uttered with boldness: "All these things have come upon us. And we have not forgotten you, and we have not done wrong in your covenant. And our heart has not turned back." 20 Let us remember that while we are in this life and considering the ways outside this life, we say to God: "you have turned our paths from your way." Now is the time to remember. that this place where we are humbled is a place of affliction for the soul; so that in prayer we may say: "for you have humbled us in a place of affliction, and the shadow of death has covered us." And let us say with confidence: "If we have forgotten the name of our God, and if we have stretched out our hands to a foreign god, will not God search these things out?" 21 Let us strive to take up perfectly not only the martyrdom in public but also that in secret, so that we too may declare in an apostolic manner: "For this is our boast, the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity of God" "we have conducted ourselves in the world." And let us join the prophetic word to the apostolic one: "for he knows the secrets of the heart" of us, and especially if we are led away to death; when we shall say what is said to God by martyrs alone: "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we were regarded as sheep for slaughter." And if ever from the mindset "of the flesh" the fear of the judges who threaten us with death is suggested to us, then let us say to them the words from Proverbs: "My son, fear the Lord, and you will be strong; but besides him, fear no other." 22 And this too is useful for the matters at hand. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes: "I praised all the dead more than the living, as many as are alive until now." But who that is dead would be so reasonably praised as one who of his own choice the death for

τοῖς νενικημένοις καὶ οἱ ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου ἑαλωκότες τοῖς ἐν ἀρνήσει ἑαλωκόσι, τίνα οὖν ταῦτα; «καὶ σὺ ἑάλως ὥσπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἐν ἡμῖν δὲ κατελογίσθης». ἐὰν δὲ καὶ με γάλης τις ἐλπίδος τυγχάνων καὶ ἐνδόξου τῆς ἐν θεῷ ὑπὸ δειλίας ἢ πόνων προσαγομένων ἡττηθῇ ἐν θεῷ, ἀκούσεται· «κατέβη εἰς ᾅδου ἡ δόξα σου, ἡ πολλὴ εὐφροσύνη σου· ὑποκάτω σου στρώσουσι σῆψιν, καὶ τὸ κατακάλυμμά σου σκώληξ.» εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔλαμψέ τις ἐν ταῖς ἐκ κλησίαις πολλάκις ὡς «ὁ ἑωσφόρος» ἐπιφαινόμενος αὐταῖς λαμψάντων αὐτοῦ τῶν καλῶν ἔργων «ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων» καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τὸν μέγαν ἀγῶνα ἀγωνιζόμενος τὸν στέφανον ἀπολώλεκε τοιούτου θρόνου, ἀκούσεται· «πῶς ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὁ ἑωσφόρος ὁ πρωῒ ἀνατέλλων; συνετρίβη ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν.» καὶ τοῦτο δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν λεχθήσεται τῷ διαβόλῳ διὰ τῆς ἀρνήσεως ὡμοιωμένον· «ῥιφήσῃ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν ὡς νεκρὸς ἐβδελυγμένος μετὰ πολλῶν τεθνηκότων ἐκκε κεντημένων μαχαίραις καταβαινόντων εἰς ᾅδου. ὃν τρόπον ἱμάτιον ἐν αἵματι πεφυρμένον οὐκ ἔσται καθαρὸν, οὕτως οὐδὲ σὺ ἔσῃ καθα ρός.» πῶς γὰρ ἔσται καθαρὸς αἵματι καὶ φόνῳ τῷ βδελυκτῷ τῆς ἀρνήσεως πταίσματι μεμιασμένος καὶ ἐμπεφυρμένος τηλικούτῳ κακῷ; νῦν δείξωμεν ὅτι ἠκούσαμεν τοῦ· «ὁ φιλῶν υἱὸν ἢ θυγατέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος», πρόσχωμεν, μή ποτε κἂν δισταγμὸς περὶ τοῦ, πότερόν ποτε ἀρνητέον ἢ ὁμολογητέον, γένηται ἐν ἡμῖν· ἵνα μὴ καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ τοῦ Ἠλίου λεχθῇ λόγος οὕτως ἔχων· «ἕως πότε ὑμεῖς χωλανεῖτε ἐπ' ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς ἰγνύαις; εἰ ἔστι κύριος ὁ θεὸς, πορεύεσθε ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ.» 19 Εἰκὸς δὲ ἡμᾶς καὶ ὀνειδισθήσεσθαι ὑπὸ γειτόνων καὶ μυκτηρισθήσεσθαι ὑπό τινων κυκλούντων ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ὡς ἐπὶ ἀνοήτοις κινούντων ἡμῖν. ἀλλὰ τούτων συμβαινόντων ἡμεῖς λέγωμεν πρὸς θεόν· «ἔθου ἡμᾶς ὄνειδος τοῖς γείτοσιν ἡμῶν, μυκτη ρισμὸν καὶ γέλωτα τοῖς κύκλῳ ἡμῶν. ἔθου ἡμᾶς εἰς παραβολὴν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, κίνησιν κεφαλῆς ἐν τοῖς λαοῖς. ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἡ ἐντροπή μου κατ' ἐναντίον μου ἐστὶ, καὶ ἡ αἰσχύνη τοῦ προσώπου μου ἐκάλυψέ με, ἀπὸ φωνῆς ὀνειδίζοντος καὶ καταλαλοῦντος, ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐχθροῦ καὶ ἐκδιώκοντος.» μακάριον δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις πᾶσι συμβαίνουσι τὴν ἀπὸ παῤῥησίας τοῦ προφήτου ἐπιφερομένην αὐτοῖς φωνὴν εἰπεῖν τῷ θεῷ τήν· «ταῦτα πάντα ἦλθεν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς. καὶ οὐκ ἐπελαθόμεθά σου, καὶ οὐκ ἠδικήσαμεν ἐν τῇ διαθήκῃ σου. καὶ οὐκ ἀπέστη εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν.» 20 Μνημονεύωμεν ὅτι ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ τυγχάνοντες καὶ νοοῦντες τὰς ἔξω τοῦ βίου ὁδοὺς τῷ θεῷ φαμεν τό· «ἐξέκλινας τὰς τρίβους ἡμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ σου.» νῦν καιρὸς ἀναμιμνήσκεσθαι τοῦ. ὅτι τόπος κακώσεώς ἐστι τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ χωρίον τοῦτο, ἐν ᾧ τετα πεινώμεθα· ἵνα εὐχόμενοι λέγωμεν τό· «ὅτι ἐταπείνωσας ἡμᾶς ἐν τόπῳ κακώσεως, καὶ ἐπεκάλυψεν ἡμᾶς σκιὰ θανάτου.» θαῤῥοῦντες δὲ λέ γωμεν καὶ τό· «εἰ ἐπελαθόμεθα τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν, καὶ εἰ διεπετάσαμεν χεῖρας ἡμῶν πρὸς θεὸν ἀλλότριον, οὐχὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐκζη τήσει ταῦτα;» 21 Μὴ τὸ ἐν φανερῷ δὲ μόνον μαρτύριον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐν κρυπτῷ τελείως ἀναλαβεῖν ἀγωνισώμεθα, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀποστολικῶς ἀναφθεγξώμεθα τό· «τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ καύχημα ἡμῶν, τὸ μαρτύ ριον τῆς συνειδήσεως ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἐν ἁγιότητι καὶ εἰλικρινείᾳ θεοῦ» «ἀνεστράφημεν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ.» συνάπτωμεν δὲ τῷ ἀποστολικῷ τὸ προ φητικὸν τό· «αὐτὸς δὲ γινώσκει τὰ κρύφια τῆς καρδίας» ἡμῶν, καὶ μάλιστα, ἐὰν τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ ἀπαγώμεθα· ὅτε φήσομεν τὸ ὑπὸ μό νων μαρτύρων λεγόμενον τῷ θεῷ τό· «ὅτι ἕνεκα σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς.» ἐὰν δέ ποτε ἀπὸ τοῦ φρονήματος «τῆς σαρκὸς» ὑποβάλληται ἡμῖν φόβος τῶν ἀπειλούν των ἡμῖν θάνατον δικαστῶν, τότε εἴπωμεν αὐτοῖς τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν Παροι μιῶν· «υἱὲ, τίμα τὸν κύριον, καὶ ἰσχύσεις· πλὴν δὲ αὐτοῦ μὴ φοβοῦ ἄλλον.» 22 Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ πρὸς τὰ προκείμενά ἐστι χρήσιμον. φησὶν ἐν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ ὁ Σολομῶν· «ἐπῄνεσα ἐγὼ πάντας τοὺς τεθνηκό τας ὑπὲρ τοὺς ζῶντας, ὅσοι αὐτοὶ ζῶσιν ἕως τοῦ νῦν.» τίς δ' ἂν οὕτως εὐλόγως ἐπαινοῖτο τεθνηκὼς ὡς ὁ αὐτοπροαιρέτως τὸν θάνατον ὑπὲρ