«My strength and my song is the Lord» and «I can do all things through Christ Jesus our Lord who strengthens me». 28 And what martyrdom is and how much confidence it creates toward God, can also be learned from this. A certain holy one, being ambitious and wanting to repay the good deeds he had received from God, seeks, what he might do for the Lord for all that he has received from him; and he finds nothing else, as it were, of equal weight to the good deeds, that can be given back to God by a well-disposed man, as death in martyrdom. For in the one hundred and fifteenth and tenth psalm the words of the query are written thus: «What shall I render to the Lord for all that he has rendered to me?» but the words of the answer to it, when he had said: what will he who is speaking render to the Lord for all that he has received from him, are spoken thus: «I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord». It is the custom for martyrdom to be called the «cup of salvation», as we have found in the Gospel. For when those who wanted to sit «at the right hand» and «at the left» of Jesus in his kingdom were desiring a greater honor, the Lord says to them: «Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?» calling martyrdom the cup. which is also clear from: «Father, if it is possible, take this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what you will». Nevertheless, we learn that he who drinks that cup which Jesus drank will sit with, reign with, and judge with the King of kings. This, then, is the «cup» of «salvation», which he who takes will call upon «the name of the Lord;» «And whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.» 29 But it is likely that someone, on account of: «Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me,» not having accurately grasped the meaning of the scripture, might think that the Savior, as it were, showed cowardice at the time of the passion; and if he showed cowardice, someone might say, who can be noble forever? But first we shall ask those who suppose these things about the Savior, if he was less than the one who says: «The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defender of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked draw near against me to eat my flesh, my oppressors and my enemies, they themselves stumbled and fell. Though a camp encamp against me, my heart will not be afraid. Though war rise up against me, in this I will hope.» And perhaps these words spoken in the prophet are of none other than the Savior who, because of the light from the Father and the salvation from him, fears no one and because of the defense which God defended for him, is afraid of nothing. And his heart was in no way afraid when the whole camp of Satan was arrayed against him; and his heart, filled with his holy teachings, hoped also in God when war rose up against him. It is not, then, consistent for the same person to say out of cowardice: «Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me,» and to declare out of courage: «Though a camp encamp against me, my heart will not be afraid.» May it not be, then, that something in the passage escapes us, and you will attend to the demonstrative word for the cup spoken by the three. For Matthew wrote that the Lord said: «Father, if it is possible, let *this* cup pass from me,» and Luke: «Father, if you are willing, take *this* cup from me,» and Mark: «Abba, Father, all things are possible for you; take *this* cup from me.» See then if you can, with every martyrdom, which is a departure accomplished under any pretext, being called a cup, say that he who said, «let *this* cup pass from me,» was not refusing the genus of martyrdom (for he would have said: let the cup pass from me), but perhaps this particular species. And consider if it is possible that the Savior, looking at the species, so to speak, of the cups and at what would come to be through each one, and comprehending the differences with some most profound wisdom, was refusing this species of departure of the

«ἰσχύς μου καὶ ὕμνησίς μου ὁ κύριος» καὶ «πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν». 28 Ὁποῖον δ' ἐστὶ τὸ μαρτύριον καὶ πόσην παῤῥησίαν ἐμποιοῦν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἔστι καταμαθεῖν. φιλότιμός τις ὁ ἅγιος ὢν καὶ ἀμείψασθαι θέλων τὰς φθασάσας εἰς αὐτὸν εὐερ γεσίας ἀπὸ θεοῦ ζητεῖ, τί ἂν ποιήσαι τῷ κυρίῳ περὶ πάντων ὧν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ εἴληφε· καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο εὑρίσκει οἱονεὶ ἰσόῤῥοπον ταῖς εὐερ γεσίαις δυνάμενον ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου εὐπροαιρέτου ἀποδοθῆναι θεῷ, ὡς τὴν ἐν μαρτυρίῳ τελευτήν. γέγραπται γὰρ ἐν τῷ ἑκατοστῷ καὶ πέμπ τῳ καὶ δεκάτῳ ψαλμῷ τὰ μὲν τῆς ἐπαπορήσεως οὕτως· «τί ἀνταπο δώσω τῷ κυρίῳ περὶ πάντων ὧν ἀνταπέδωκέ μοι;» τὰ δὲ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀπαντήσεως εἰπόντος· τί ἀνταποδώσει τῷ κυρίῳ περὶ πάντων ὧν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ εἴληφεν ὁ λέγων, οὕτως εἰρημένα· «ποτήριον σωτηρίου λήψομαι καὶ τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου ἐπικαλέσομαι». «ποτήριον δὲ σωτη ρίου» ἔθος ὀνομάζεσθαι τὸ μαρτύριον, ὡς ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ εὕρομεν. ἡνίκα γὰρ μείζονος ὀρέγονται τιμῆς οἱ θέλοντες «ἐκ δεξιῶν» καὶ «ἐξ εὐωνύμων» καθεσθῆναι τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ, φησὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ κύριος· «δύνασθε πιεῖν τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ πίνω;» ποτήριον λέγων τὸ μαρτύριον. ὅπερ ἐστὶ σαφὲς καὶ ἐκ τοῦ· «πάτερ εἰ δυνα τὸν παρένεγκε τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· πλὴν οὐ τί ἐγὼ θέλω ἀλλὰ τί σύ». πλὴν μανθάνομεν ὅτι συγκαθίσει καὶ συμβασιλεύσει καὶ συνδικάσει τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν βασιλευόντων ὁ πιὼν τὸ ποτήριον ἐκεῖνο, ὅπερ ἔπιεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς. τοῦτ' οὖν ἐστι τὸ τοῦ «σωτηρίου» «ποτήριον», ὅπερ ὁ λαβὼν ἐπικαλέσεται «τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου·» «πᾶς δὲ ὃς ἂν ἐπικα λέσηται τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου σωθήσεται.» 29 Ἀλλὰ εἰκός τινα διὰ τό· «πάτερ, εἰ δυνατόν ἐστι, παρελ θέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο» μὴ ἀκριβώσαντα τὸ βούλημα τῆς γραφῆς νομίζειν ὅτι οἱονεὶ καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἐδειλίασε παρὰ τὸν τοῦ πάθους καιρόν· ἐκείνου δὲ δειλιάσαντος, εἴποι τις ἂν, ὅτι τίς γενναῖος εἰς ἀεί; πρῶτον δὲ πευσόμεθα τῶν ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ὑπολαμβανόν των, εἰ ἐλάττων ἦν τοῦ λέγοντος· «κύριος φωτισμός μου καὶ σωτήρ μου, τίνα φοβηθήσομαι; κύριος ὑπερασπιστὴς τῆς ζωῆς μου, ἀπὸ τίνος δειλιάσω; ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν ἐπ' ἐμὲ κακοῦντας τοῦ φαγεῖν τὰς σάρκας μου οἱ θλίβοντές με καὶ οἱ ἐχθροί μου αὐτοὶ ἠσθένησαν καὶ ἔπεσον. ἐὰν παρατάξηται ἐπ' ἐμὲ παρεμβολὴ, οὐ φοβηθήσεται ἡ καρδία μου. ἐὰν ἐπαναστῇ ἐπ' ἐμὲ πόλεμος, ἐν ταύτῃ ἐγὼ ἐλπιῶ.» τάχα δὲ οὐδὲ ἄλλου τινός ἐστι ταῦτα ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ λεγόμενα τὰ ῥήματα ἢ τοῦ σωτῆρος διὰ τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς φωτισμὸν καὶ τὴν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ σω τηρίαν οὐδένα φοβουμένου καὶ διὰ τὸν ὑπερασπισμὸν, ὃν ὑπερήσπι ζεν αὐτοῦ ὁ θεὸς, ἀπὸ μηδενὸς δειλιῶντος. τούτου δὲ καὶ ἡ καρδία οὐδαμῶς ἐφοβεῖτο παρατασσομένης ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὅλης τῆς τοῦ σατανᾶ παρεμβολῆς· ἤλπιζε δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ θεῷ πεπληρωμένη ἱερῶν δογμάτων αὐτοῦ καρδία ἐπανισταμένου αὐτῷ πολέμου. οὐ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τοί νυν ἔστι καὶ κατὰ δειλίαν λέγειν τό· «πάτερ, εἰ δυνατόν ἐστι, παρελ θέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο» καὶ ἀπὸ ἀνδρείας φάσκειν· «ἐὰν παρατάξηται ἐπ' ἐμὲ παρεμβολὴ, οὐ φοβηθήσεται ἡ καρδία μου.» μή ποτ' οὖν λανθάνῃ τι ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, καὶ ἐπιστήσεις τῷ παρὰ τοῖς τρισὶν εἰρημένῳ τῷ δεικτικῷ τοῦ ποτηρίου. ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ματθαῖος ἀνέγραψε λέγοντα τὸν κύριον· «πάτερ, εἰ δυνατόν ἐστι, παρ ελθέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο», ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς· «πάτερ, εἰ βού λει, παρένεγκε τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο ἀπ' ἐμοῦ», ὁ δὲ Μάρκος· «ἀββᾶ ὁ πατὴρ, δυνατά σοι πάντα· παρένεγκε τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο ἀπ' ἐμοῦ». ὅρα τοίνυν εἰ δύνασαι, παντὸς μαρτυρίου τοῦ καθ' ὁποιανοῦν πρόφασιν ἐξόδου ἀποτελουμένου ποτηρίου καλουμένου, φάσκειν ὅτι οὐ τὸ γένος τοῦ μαρτυρίου παρῃτεῖτο ὁ λέγων· «παρελθέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο» (ἔφασκε γὰρ ἄν· παρελθέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον) ἀλλὰ τάχα τὸ εἶδος τόδε. καὶ πρόσχες εἰ δυνατὸν ἐνορῶντα τὸν σωτῆρα τοῖς εἴδεσιν, ἵν' οὕτως ὀνομάσω, τῶν ποτηρίων καὶ τοῖς δι' ἕκαστον γενομέ νοις ἂν, καὶ καταλαμβάνοντα μετά τινος βαθυτάτης σοφίας τὰς διαφορὰς τόδε τὸ εἶδος τῆς ἐξόδου παραιτεῖσθαι τοῦ