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they were ashamed, but when through disobedience the passions were stirred in them, they thought 96.804 it was unseemly, unless fig leaves covered their nakedness; so also this virgin, having returned to that state of sin before the transgression, put off shame along with the other passions. But nevertheless, lest the defiled, seeing her most holy body paraded about uncovered, should seem to mock, gazing up to heaven she said: “Lord God, who covers the heaven with clouds, cover my body that has been stripped naked for Your sake, that it may not be seen by these impious ones. And when she had said these things, the Lord sent an angel and covered her with a white robe; and she was led about like a bride adorned and beautified, from her father's house to the prepared bridal chamber, being led around and escorted and parading, crowned with the martyr's diadem, and with the athletic marks for Christ's sake, and glorified in the purple of her blood, and shining more than any display of pearls, and emeralds and hyacinths, and precious stones, woven with gold. O, the wonder! The impassioned, and pleasure-loving, shameless and very impudent, stood around the martyrs contending for Christ completely naked, in order that, as they thought, they might triumph over them, and at the same time, feast their licentious sight with passion. But Christ, having clothed His own athlete all over with a robe of grace, walled off the sight from the shameful, and licentious, and abominable, and showed their design to be fruitless, and made them fail of their expectation. 17. And having led her through all that surrounding country, they brought her to a certain village, where they also found the governor. The governor therefore, being at a loss what to do next, for every device of his was proved to be unaccomplished and useless, and he was falling from his hopes, passed a sentence against the much-contending martyr, that she should undergo the final punishment of beheading. Then her father, filled with much anger, and satanic zeal, and having conceived within him the devil who was a murderer from the beginning, in order that he might seem to offer perfect worship to the idols and abominations served by him, or rather to the spirits and demons of wickedness working through them, drawing his sword, took her up to the mountain, desiring and yearning to be the murderer with his own hand. But the beautiful and perfect dove, joyfully receiving the slaughter for Christ's sake, turned to prayer and supplication. For she was hastening to the prize of the high calling, and was hurrying to the sublime ascent to heaven. And nothing prevents us from hearing the words of the martyr's prayer, that through them we may sanctify our hearing. “Without beginning, unmade crown of martyrs, Lord Jesus Christ, who stretched out the heaven, and founded the earth; who shut up the abysses, and walled in the sea; who commanded the rain-bearing clouds to rain upon the evil and the good; who 96.805 walked upon the sea as upon dry land, and did not wet His feet; who rebuked the wind and the sea, and changed them to a calm; for all things obey, my Lord Jesus Christ, Your command, because they are Your creations; Grant me, Lord, this petition, and give grace to Your servant, that whoever remembers me in Your holy name, and makes a memorial of the days of my martyrdom, Lord, may You not remember their sins on the day of judgment, but be merciful to them. For You know, Lord, that we are flesh and blood, the work of Your undefiled hands.” And when she had sent up the Amen, she prayed again, saying: “Lord God of hosts, creator of every breath and flesh, who healed every

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ᾐσχύνοντο, ἡνίκα δὲ διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς τὰ πάθη ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐκινήθησαν, ἀσχημονεῖν 96.804 ὑπελάμβανον, εἰ μὴ φύλλα συκῆς ἑαυτὴν τὴν γύμνωσιν περιέστειλαν· οὕτως καὶ ἡ παρθένος αὕτη, εἰς ἐκείνην ἐπανελθοῦσα τὴν πρὸ τῆς παραβάσεως, ἁμαρτίας κατάστασιν, τὴν αἰσχύνην τοῖς λοιποῖς συναπημφιάσατο πάθεσιν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἵνα μὴ οἱ μιαροὶ τὸ πανίερον αὐτῆς ἀπερικάλυπτον περιπολεῦον σῶμα θεώμενοι, καταγελᾷν δόξωσιν, ἀτενίσασα εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶπεν· «Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ περιβάλλων τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐν νεφέλαις, σκέπασόν μου τὸ διὰ σὲ γεγυμνωμένον σῶμα, ἵνα μὴ ὁρᾶται ὑπὸ τῶν ἀσεβῶν τούτων. Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπούσης αὐτῆς, ἀποστείλας ὁ Κύριος ἄγγελον, στολῇ λευκῇ αὐτὴν περιεκάλυψεν· καὶ περιείη καθάπερ νύμφη κεκοσμημένη καὶ κεκαλλωπισμένη, ἐκ τοῦ πατρικοῦ δόμου ἐπὶ τὴν εὐτρεπισμένην νυμφικὴν παστάδα, περιαγομένη τε καὶ δορυφορουμένη καὶ πομπεύουσα, τῷ μαρτυρικῷ κατεστεμμένη τε διαδήματι, καὶ τοῖς ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ ἀθλητικοῖς στίγμασι, καὶ τῇ τοῦ αἵματος πορφυρίδι σεμνυνομένη, καὶ διαπρέπουσα ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μαργαριτῶν, σμαράγδων τε καὶ ὑακίνθων, καὶ πολυτίμων λίθων, χρυσῶν τε ἀποπεπλεγμένων φανότητα. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος! οἱ ἐμπαθεῖς, καὶ φιλήδονοι, ἀναιδεῖς τε καὶ λίαν ἀναίσχυντοι, ὁλογύμνους τὰς διὰ Χριστὸν ἀθλούσας περιΐστανον μάρτυρας, ἵνα ταύτας, ὡς ᾤοντο, θριαμβεύσωσιν, ἅμα δὲ, καὶ τὴν ἀκόλαστον αὐτῶν ὅρασιν ἐμπαθῶς ἑστιάσωσιν. Ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς χάριτος περιβολῇ ὅλην περιστείλας τὴν οἰκείαν ἀθλήτριαν, τὴν θέαν τοῖς αἰσχροῖς, καὶ ἀσελγέσι, καὶ μυσαροῖς διετείχισεν, καὶ ἄπρακτον αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπίνοιαν δέδειχεν, καὶ τῆς προσδοκίας παρέσφηλεν. ιζʹ. Περιαγαγόντες δὲ αὐτὴν πᾶσαν ἐκείνην τὴν περίχωρον, ἤγαγον ἐπί τινα κώμην, ἔνθα καὶ τὸν ἡγεμόνα κατέλαβον. Ἀπορήσας οὖν ὁ ἡγεμὼν τὸ τί πάλιν ποιήσειεν· πᾶσα γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἡ ἐπίνοια ἀνήνυτος καὶ ἀνόνητος ἀπεδείκνυτο, καὶ τῶν ἐλπίδων ἐξέπιπτεν· ἀπόφασιν κατὰ τῆς πολυάθλου μάρτυρος ἐξενήνοχεν, κεφαλικῆς τιμωρίας ὑπομεῖναι περαίωσιν. Τότε ὁ ταύτης πατὴρ θυμοῦ πολλοῦ πλησθεὶς, καὶ ζήλου σατανικοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸν ἐγκυμονήσας τὸν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἀνθρωποκτόνον διάβολον, ἵνα τελείαν δόξῃ λατρείαν προσενέγκαι τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ θεραπευομένοις εἰδώλοις καὶ βδελύγμασιν, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῖς δι' ἐκείνων ἐνεργοῦσι τῆς πονηρίας πνεύμασί τε καὶ δαίμοσι, ξίφος σπασάμενος, ἀνέλαβεν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος, αὐτόχειρ καὶ αὐτουργὸς τῆς μιαιφονίας γενέσθαι ἐπιθυμῶν καὶ ἐφιέμενος. Περιχαρῶς δὲ ἡ καλὴ καὶ τελεία περιστερὰ τὴν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ δεχομένη σφαγὴν, εἰς προσευχὴν καὶ ἱκεσίαν ἐτρέπετο. Ἔσπευδεν γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως, καὶ πρὸς τὴν εἰς οὐρανὸν ἠπείγετο μεταρσίαν ἀνάβασιν. Οὐδὲν δὲ κωλύει αὐτῶν τῆς εὐχῆς τῶν ῥημάτων ἐπακοῦσαι τῆς μάρτυρος, ἵνα δι' αὐτῶν τὴν ἀκοὴν ἁγιάσωμεν. «Ἄναρχε, ἀχειροποίητε μαρτύρων στέφανε, Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστὲ, ὁ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐκτείνας, καὶ τὴν γῆν θεμελιώσας· ὁ τὰς ἀβύσσους συγκλείσας, καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τειχίσας· ὁ προστάξας τὰς ὀμβροτόκους νεφέλας βρέχειν ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθούς· ὁ 96.805 ἐπὶ θαλάσσης περιπατήσας ὡς ἐπ' ἐδάφους, καὶ τοὺς πόδας μὴ βρέξας· ὁ ἐπιτιμήσας τῷ ἀνέμῳ καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ εἰς γαλήνην μεταβαλών· πάντα γὰρ ὑπακούει, Κύριέ μου Ἰησοῦ Χριστὲ, τῷ σῷ προστάγματι, ὅτι ποιήματά σού ἐστιν· Παράσχου μοι, Κύριε, τὴν αἴτησιν ταύτην, καὶ δὸς τῇ δούλῃ σου χάριν, ἵνα ὅστις μνημονεύῃ μου ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου τῷ ἁγίῳ, καὶ ποιῇ τὴν μνήμην τῶν ἡμερῶν τῆς μαρτυρίας μου, Κύριε, μὴ μνησθῇς τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως, ἀλλ' ἵλεως γενοῦ αὐτοῖς. Γινώσκεις γὰρ, Κύριε, ὅτι σὰρξ καὶ αἷμά ἐσμεν, ποίημα τῶν ἀχράντων χειρῶν σου.» Καὶ ἀναπεμψάσης αὐτῆς τὸ, Ἀμὴν, πάλιν προσηύξατο, λέγουσα· «Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς δυνάμεων, ὁ πάσης πνοῆς καὶ σαρκὸς δημιουργὸς, ὁ ἰασάμενος πᾶσαν