it is thus: 'Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.' And following these things, the Lord teaches us that no one comes to the contest of martyrdom without providence. For it is said: 'Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father who is in heaven. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Therefore everyone who will confess me before men, I also will confess him before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven.' And the words in Luke are equivalent to these: 'But I say these things to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. But I say to you: everyone who confesses me before men, the Son of Man also will confess him before the angels of God; but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.' And in another place: 'For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.' And Mark wrote something similar to this: 'For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.' Those who destroy us, therefore, kill the life of the body; for such is the meaning of: 'do not be afraid of those who kill the body,' spoken in the very same words by Matthew and Luke. And after they have killed the body, even if they wish, they are not able to kill the soul; nor do they have anything 'more that they can do.' For how is it possible for a soul to be destroyed which has been made alive by confession itself? since he who exhorts us to martyrdom in Isaiah and his servant bears witness to it, where it is written: 'Be my witnesses, and I am a witness, says the Lord God, and the servant whom I have chosen.' And observe this, that not to servants of Jesus but to his 'friends' is this command given: 'do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have nothing more that they can do.' Therefore, we must fear 'him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.' For he alone 'after he has killed' has 'authority to cast into Gehenna.' And he will indeed cast in those who were afraid of those who kill the body and those who did not fear 'him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna' and 'him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into Gehenna.' If indeed 'the hairs of the head are numbered' for anyone, then clearly also for those who are beheaded for the sake of Jesus, we will confess in the Son of God and of men and not before gods; so that he who was confessed may repay us, having confessed us before his God and Father and having himself confessed in heaven the one who confessed him on earth. 35 But who, considering such things, would not exclaim that apostolic saying: 'For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.' For how is the confession before the Father not much greater than the confession before men? And how is the confession in heaven of the one who was confessed not exceedingly superior to the confession on earth, by which the martyrs confess the Son of God

οὕτως ἔχει· «μὴ φο βηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεννόντων τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμέ νων ἀποκτεῖναι· φοβήθητε δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν δυνάμενον <καὶ> ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ». καὶ ἑξῆς τούτοις διδάσκει ἡμᾶς ὁ κύριος, ὡς οὐκ ἄνευ προνοίας ἔρχεταί τις ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἀγῶνα. λέγεται γάρ· «οὐχὶ δύο στρουθία ἀσσαρίου πωλεῖται; καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ πεσεῖται εἰς τὴν γῆν ἄνευ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ὑμῶν δὲ αἱ τρίχες τῆς κεφαλῆς πᾶσαι ἠριθμημέναι εἰσί. μὴ οὖν φο βεῖσθε· πολλῶν στρουθίων διαφέρετε ὑμεῖς. πᾶς οὖν ὅστις ὁμολο γήσει ἐν ἐμοὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμολογήσω κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς· ὅστις δ' ἂν ἀπαρνήσηταί με ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀπαρνήσομαι αὐτὸν κἀγὼ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς». ἰσοδυναμεῖ δὲ τούτοις τὰ παρὰ τῷ Λουκᾷ· «ταῦτα δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν τοῖς φίλοις μου, μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεννόντων τὸ σῶμα καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μὴ ἐχόντων περισσό τερόν τι ποιῆσαι. ὑποδείξω δὲ ὑμῖν τίνα φοβηθῆτε· φοβήθητε τὸν μετὰ τὸ ἀποκτεῖναι ἔχοντα ἐξουσίαν ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς γέενναν. ναὶ λέγω ὑμῖν, τοῦτον φοβήθητε. οὐχὶ πέντε στρουθία δύο ἀσσαρίων πωλεῖται; καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιλελησμένον ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ. ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ τρίχες τῆς κεφαλῆς ὑμῶν πᾶσαι ἠρίθμηνται. μὴ οὖν φοβη θῆτε· πολλῶν στρουθίων διαφέρετε. λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν· πᾶς ὃς ἂν ὁμο λογήσῃ ἐν ἐμοὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώ που ὁμολογήσει ἐν αὐτῷ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀγγέλων τοῦ θεοῦ· ὁ δὲ ἀρνησάμενός με ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπαρνηθήσεται ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀγγέλων τοῦ θεοῦ.» καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ τόπῳ· «ὃς γὰρ ἂν αἰσχυνθῇ με καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους, τοῦτον ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπαισχυνθήσεται, ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων.» τούτῳ δὲ παραπλήσιον καὶ ὁ Μάρκος τοιοῦτον ἀνέγραψεν· «ὃς γὰρ ἂν ἐπαισχυνθῇ με καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ τῇ μοιχαλίδι καὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ, καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπαισχυνθήσεται αὐτὸν, ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ πατρὸς μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν ἁγίων.» οἱ ἀναιροῦντες οὖν ἡμᾶς σώματος ζωὴν ἀποκτέννουσι· τοιοῦτον γάρ ἐστι τό· «μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεννόντων τὸ σῶμα», αὐταῖς λέξεσιν ὑπὸ Ματθαίου καὶ Λουκᾶ εἰρημένον. καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἀπο κτεῖναί γε τὸ σῶμα, κἂν θέλωσιν, οὐ δύνανται τὴν ψυχὴν ἀποκτεῖ ναι· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἔχουσι «περισσότερόν τι ποιῆσαι». πῶς γὰρ δυνατὸν ἀναιρεθῆναι ψυχὴν ὑπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ὁμολογίας ζωοποιηθεῖσαν; ἀντι μαρτυροῦντος αὐτῇ τοῦ προτρεπομένου ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὸ μαρτύριον ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ καὶ τοῦ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ, ἔνθα γέγραπται· «γένεσθέ μοι μάρ τυρες, κἀγὼ μάρτυς, λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς, καὶ ὁ παῖς ὃν ἐξελεξάμην.» καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τήρει, ὅτι οὐ δούλοις τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἀλλὰ «φίλοις» αὐτοῦ δέδοται ἐντολὴ ἥδε· «μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεννόντων τὸ σῶμα καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μὴ ἐχόντων περισσότερόν τι ποιῆσαι.» φοβητέον τοίνυν «τὸν δυνάμενον καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ.» οὗτος γὰρ μόνος «μετὰ τὸ ἀποκτεῖναι» ἔχει «ἐξουσίαν ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς γέενναν.» καὶ ἐμβαλεῖ γε τοὺς φοβηθέντας ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεννόντων τὸ σῶμα καὶ τοὺς μὴ φοβηθέντας τὸν δυνάμενον καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ» καὶ «τὸν μετὰ τὸ ἀποκτεῖναι ἔχοντα ἐξου σίαν ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς γέενναν». εἴ τινος δὲ ἄλλου «τῆς κεφαλῆς αἱ τρίχες ἠριθμημέναι εἰσὶ», κἀκείνοις δηλονότι τοῖς διὰ τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀποτεμνο μένοις, ὁμολογήσομεν ἐν τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ οὐ θεῶν ἔμπροσθεν· ἵν' ἡμᾶς ἀμείψηται ὁ ὁμολογηθεὶς, ὁμολογήσας ἡμᾶς ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ὁμολογήσας τὸν ὁμολο γήσαντα αὐτὸν ἐπὶ γῆς αὐτὸς ἐν οὐρανοῖς. 35 Τίς δ' ἂν λογισάμενος τὰ τοιαῦτα οὐκ ἐπιφθέγξεται τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνο· «ὅτι οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι εἰς ἡμᾶς.» πῶς γὰρ οὐ πολλῷ μείζων ὁμολογίας τῆς ἔμπροσθεν ἀνθρώπων ἡ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρὸς ὁμολογία; πῶς δ' οὐ καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ὑπερέχουσα τῆς ἐπὶ γῆς ὁμολο γίας, ἣν οἱ μάρτυρες ὁμολογοῦσι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἡ ἐν οὐρανοῖς τοῦ ὁμολογηθέντος