of martyrdom, but perhaps secretly to ask for something else heavier, so that a more universal benefit, and one reaching to more people, might be accomplished through another cup; which was not yet the will of the Father to happen, who more wisely than the will of the Son and than what the Savior saw, manages things by way and order. But clearly in the Psalms the "cup" of "salvation" is the death of the martyrs. Wherefore to "I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord" is added: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Therefore a "precious death" comes upon us as saints of God and not as unworthy ones, not to die a common, so to speak, and idle death of piety but a certain exceptional one, the one for the sake of Christianity and piety and holiness. 30 Let us be reminded also of what we have sinned, and that it is not possible to receive remission of sins without baptism, and that it is not possible according to the evangelical laws to be baptized again with water and spirit for the remission of sins, and that the baptism of martyrdom is given to us; for so it has been named, as is clear from the addition to "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?" of "or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" and elsewhere it is said: "But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am constrained until it is accomplished." And consider if the baptism of martyrdom, just as that of the Savior has become a purification for the world. It also becomes a healing for many who are purified. For just as those attending the altar according to the law of Moses seemed to minister remission of sins to those through the blood "of goats and bulls," so too the souls "of those who have been beheaded" for the sake of the testimony of Jesus, not in vain attending the altar in heaven, minister remission of sins to those who pray. And at the same time we also know that, just as Jesus the Christ, the high priest, offered himself as a sacrifice, so the priests, of whom he is high priest, offer themselves as a sacrifice; on account of which they are seen at the altar as in their own place. But of the priests those who were unblemished and offering unblemished sacrifices served the divine, but those who were blemished with blemishes, which Moses described in Leviticus, were banished from the altar. And who is the unblemished priest offering an unblemished sacrifice but he who holds fast to the confession and fulfills every number, which the account of martyrdom demands? Concerning which we have spoken before in the passages above. 31 Let us not marvel if so great a blessedness of the martyrs, which will be in deep peace and calm and fair weather, must begin from something considered more gloomy and, so to speak, a wintry state. For first one traveling the narrow and afflicted way in winter will need to show the steering which each of the blessed has acquired, so that after these things may come that which is said in the Song of Songs to the bride who has swum through the winter; for it says, "My beloved answers and says to me: Rise, come away, my companion, my beautiful one, my dove. For behold, the winter has passed, the rain is over and gone." And you still remember that it is not possible to hear "The winter has passed" otherwise, unless you contend strenuously and vigorously through the present winter. And after the winter has passed and the rain is over and gone the flowers will appear; "for those planted in the house of the Lord will flourish in the courts of our God." 32 And this we know, that us who have been persuaded by Jesus to leave idols and polytheistic godlessness, the enemy is not able to persuade to idolatry but he wishes to compel; and for this reason against whom he receives authority he works such things and will make those who are tempted either martyrs or idolaters. And often even now he says: "All these things I will give to you, if you will fall down and worship me." Let us therefore take heed, lest we ever commit idolatry and subject ourselves to demons; for the idols of the nations are demons. What a thing it is for one who has left the good yoke of Christ and the

μαρτυρίου ἄλλο δὲ τάχα βαρύτερον αἰτεῖν λεληθότως, ἵνα καθολικώτερόν τι καὶ ἐπὶ πλείους φθάνον εὐεργέτημα ἀνυσθῇ δι' ἑτέρου ποτηρίου· ὅπερ οὐδέπω ἦν θέλημα τοῦ πατρὸς γενέσθαι, σοφώτερον παρὰ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ παρ' ὃ ἑώρα ὁ σωτὴρ ὁδῷ καὶ τάξει οἰκονομοῦντος τὰ πράγ ματα. σαφῶς δὲ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς τὸ τοῦ «σωτηρίου» «ποτήριον» ὁ τῶν μαρτύρων ἐστὶ θάνατος. διόπερ τῷ· «ποτήριον σωτηρίου λήψομαι καὶ τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου ἐπικαλέσομαι» ἐπιφέρεται τό· «τίμιος ἐναντίον κυ ρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ». «τίμιος» τοίνυν ἡμῖν ἐπέρχεται «θάνατος» ὡς ὁσίοις τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἀναξίοις οὐκ ἐν τῷ κοινὸν, ἵν' οὕτως ὀνομάσω, καὶ ἀργὸν θεοσεβείας θάνατον ἀποθανεῖν ἀλλά τινα ἐξαίρετον, τὸν διὰ χριστιανισμὸν καὶ εὐσέβειαν καὶ ὁσιότητα. 30 Ὑπομνησθῶμεν δὲ καὶ ὧν ἡμαρτήκαμεν, καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτημάτων χωρὶς βαπτίσματος λαβεῖν, καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι δυνατὸν κατὰ τοὺς εὐαγγελικοὺς νόμους αὖθις βαπτίσασθαι ὕδατι καὶ πνεύματι εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτημάτων, καὶ ὅτι βάπτισμα ἡμῖν δίδο ται τὸ τοῦ μαρτυρίου· οὕτω γὰρ ὠνόμασται, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ ἐπι φέρεσθαι μὲν τῷ· «δύνασθε πιεῖν τὸ ποτήριον ὃ ἐγὼ πίνω;» τό· «ἢ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθῆναι;» ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ εἴρηται· «βάπτισμα δὲ ἔχω βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ πῶς συνέχομαι ἕως ὅτου τελεσθῇ.» καὶ ἐπίστησον εἰ τὸ κατὰ τὸ μαρτύριον βάπτισμα, ὥσπερ τὸ τοῦ σωτῆ ρος καθάρσιον γέγονε τῷ κόσμῳ. καὶ αὐτὸ ἐπὶ πολλῶν θεραπείᾳ κα θαιρομένων γίνεται. ὡς γὰρ οἱ τῷ κατὰ τὸν Μωϋσέως νόμον θυσιαστη ρίῳ προσεδρεύοντες διακονεῖν ἐδόκουν δι' αἵματος «τράγων καὶ ταύρων» ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐκείνοις, οὕτως αἱ ψυχαὶ «τῶν πεπελεκισμένων» ἕνεκεν τῆς μαρτυρίας Ἰησοῦ, μὴ μάτην τῷ ἐν οὐρανοῖς θυσιαστηρίῳ παρεδρεύουσαι, διακονοῦσι τοῖς εὐχομένοις ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτημάτων. ἅμα δὲ καὶ γινώσκομεν ὅτι, ὥσπερ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς θυσίαν ἑαυτὸν προσήνεγκεν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς, οὕτως οἱ ἱερεῖς, ὧν ἐστιν ἀρχιερεὺς, θυσίαν ἑαυ τοὺς προσφέρουσι· δι' ἣν ὡς παρὰ οἰκείῳ τόπῳ ὁρῶνται τῷ θυσιασ τηρίῳ. ἀλλὰ τῶν ἱερέων οἱ μὲν ἄμωμοι καὶ ἀμώμους προσφέροντες θυσίας ἐθεράπευον τὸ θεῖον, οἱ δὲ μεμωμημένοι μώμοις, οὓς ἀνέ γραψε Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ Λευϊτικῷ, ἐξωρίζοντο ἀπὸ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου. τίς δὲ ὁ ἄμωμος ἱερεὺς ἄμωμον ἱερεῖον προσφέρων ἢ ὁ κρατῶν τῆς ὁμολογίας καὶ πληρῶν πάντα ἀριθμὸν, ὃν ἀπαιτεῖ ὁ τοῦ μαρτυρίου λόγος; περὶ οὗ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω προειρήκαμεν. 31 Μὴ θαυμάζωμεν δὲ εἰ τὴν τηλικαύτην τῶν μαρτύρων μακαριότητα, ἐσομένην ἐν βαθείᾳ εἰρήνῃ καὶ γαλήνῃ καὶ εὐδίᾳ, δεῖ ἄρξασθαι ἀπό τινος νομιζομένου σκυθρωποτέρου καὶ, ἵν' οὕτως ὀνο μάσω, χειμερινοῦ καταστήματος. πρότερον γὰρ τὴν στενὴν καὶ τε θλιμμένην ὁδεύοντα ἐν χειμῶνι δεήσει ἐπιδείξασθαι ἣν ἐκτήσατο ἕκασ τος τῶν μακαρίων κυβέρνησιν, ἵνα μετὰ ταῦτα γένηται τὸ ἐν τῷ Ἄισματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων πρὸς τὴν τὸν χειμῶνα διανηξαμένην νύμφην λεγόμενον· «ἀποκρίνεται» γάρ φησιν «ἀδελφιδός μου καὶ λέγει μοι· ἀνάστα, ἐλθὲ ἡ πλησίον μου, καλή μου, περιστερά μου. ὅτι ἰδοὺ ὁ χειμὼν παρῆλθεν, ὁ ὑετὸς ἀπῆλθεν, ἐπορεύθη ἑαυτῷ». καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔτι μέμνησθε ὅτι οὐκ ἄλλως ἔστιν ἀκοῦσαι τό· «ὁ χειμὼν παρῆλθεν», ἐὰν μὴ τὸν παρόντα χειμῶνα ἐῤῥωμένως καὶ εὐτόνως ἀγωνίσησθε. μετὰ δὲ τὸ παρελθεῖν τὸν χειμῶνα καὶ τὸν ὑετὸν ἀπελθεῖν καὶ πορευθῆναι ἑαυτῷ τὰ ἄνθη ὀφθήσεται· «πεφυτευμένοι γὰρ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ κυρίου ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐξανθήσουσι.» 32 Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ γινώσκομεν, ὅτι πεισθέντας ἡμᾶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καταλιπεῖν τὰ εἴδωλα καὶ τὴν πολύθεον ἀθεότητα πεῖσαι μὲν ὁ ἐχθρὸς οὐ δύναται πρὸς τὸ εἰδωλολατρεῖν βιάσασθαι δὲ βούλεται· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καθ' ὧν λαμβάνει ἐξουσίαν ἐνεργεῖ τοιαῦτα καὶ ἤτοι μάρτυρας ἢ εἰδωλολάτρας ποιήσει τοὺς πειραζομένους. πολλάκις δὲ καὶ νῦν λέγει· «ταῦτά σοι πάντα δώσω, ἐὰν πεσὼν προσκυνήσῃς μοι.» προσέχωμεν οὖν, μή ποτε εἰδωλολατρήσωμεν καὶ τοῖς δαιμονίοις ἑαυ τοὺς ὑποτάξωμεν· τὰ γὰρ εἴδωλα τῶν ἐθνῶν δαιμόνια. οἷον δέ ἐστι τὸ καταλιπόντα τὸν χρηστὸν Χριστοῦ ζυγὸν καὶ τὸ