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of these." He would not have added this if the matter had not seemed disgraceful to the many. For the saints, being lovers of their Master, received the sufferings for their Master's sake with great eagerness and became more cheerful because of them. And one says, "I rejoice in my sufferings," while Luke utters these very same things about the rest of the choir of the apostles. For after the many scourgings, they departed "rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name."

63 Therefore, lest any of the unbelievers should think that the contests were a necessity and a cause of sorrow, he orders the very symbols of the contests to be buried with his body, showing that he greatly embraced and loved them because he was so exceedingly devoted to the love of Christ. And the fetters now lie with his ashes, exhorting all who preside over the churches that, whether it be necessary to be bound, or to be slain, or to suffer anything whatever, to endure all things eagerly and with great pleasure, so as not to betray or disgrace even the smallest part of the freedom entrusted to us.

64 And so that blessed man ended his life, and perhaps someone thinks that we too will end our discourse here; for after the end of life, there are no opportunities for right actions or deeds of valor, just as it is not possible for crowns to be woven for athletes after the contests have passed. But the Greeks reasonably think these things, since they have confined their hope to the present life, but we, for whom the end here becomes the beginning of another, more glorious life, are far from this suspicion and opinion. And that we are right in this we will show more clearly in another discourse, but for now, the achievements of the noble Babylas after his death are sufficient to provide great credibility to our account.

65 For since he struggled for the truth unto death and resisted unto blood, striving against sin, and so as not to abandon the post which the great king had assigned him, he gave up his soul and died more gloriously than any hero, heaven then possessed him, but the earth possessed the body that had served in his heroism, and creation divided the athlete between them. And yet it was possible for him to be translated like Enoch and to be caught up like Elijah, whom he emulated. But God, being a lover of mankind and giving us countless reasons for salvation, has also cut this path for us among the others, leaving the relics of the saints with us for a time, which is sufficient to exhort us to virtue. For after the power of the word, the tombs of the saints hold the second rank for stirring up the souls of those who behold them to an equal zeal; and if anyone stands by such a tomb, he immediately receives a clear perception of this power. For the sight of the coffin, falling upon the soul, both strikes it with awe and arouses it, and causes it to be so disposed as if the one lying there were praying with it and standing by and being seen. Then the one who has experienced this, filled with great eagerness and having become a different person, departs from there.

66 One may well learn how the image of the departed is produced in the souls of the living by the places, if he considers mourners who, as soon as they stand at the tombs of the dead and see, as it were, those lying in the tomb standing there instead of the tomb, so they immediately call upon them from the entrance. And many of those who are unbearably disposed to grief have settled themselves for the whole time at the monuments of the departed, which they would not have done unless they received some consolation from the sight of the places. And why do I say place and tomb? For often just the garment of the departed being seen, and a word coming to mind, has stirred the soul and revived the failing memory. For these reasons God has left us the relics of the saints.

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τούτων." Οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο προσθεὶς εἰ μὴ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐπονείδιστον εἶναι ἐδόκει τοῖς πολλοῖς. Φιλοδέσποτοι γὰρ ὄντες οἱ ἅγιοι τὰ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ∆εσπότου πάθη μετὰ πολλῆς ἐδέχοντο τῆς προθυμίας καὶ φαιδρότεροι τούτοις ἐγίνοντο. Καὶ ὁ μέν φησι· "Χαίρω ἐν τοῖς παθήμασί μου," ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς περὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων χοροῦ τὰ αὐτὰ δὴ ταῦτα φθέγγεται. Μετὰ γὰρ τὰς πολλὰς μάστιγας ἐνεχώρουν "χαίροντες ὅτι κατηξιώθησαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἀτιμασθῆναι."

63 Ἵν' οὖν μή τις τῶν ἀπίστων ἀνάγκην εἶναι νομίσῃ τοὺς ἄθλους καὶ κατηφείας αὐτὰ τῶν ἄθλων τὰ σύμβολα συνταφῆναι κελεύει τῷ σώματι δεικνὺς ὅτι λίαν αὐτὰ ἠσπάζετο καὶ ἐφίλει διὰ τὸ λίαν ἐκκρεμᾶσθαι τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ κεῖνται νῦν μετὰ τῆς τέφρας αἱ πέδαι πᾶσι παραινοῦσαι τοῖς τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν προεστῶσι κἂν δεθῆναι δέῃ, κἂν σφαγῆναι, κἂν ὁτιοῦν παθεῖν πάντα προθύμως καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ὑπομένειν τῆς ἡδονῆς ὥστε τῆς ἐμπιστευθείσης ἡμῖν ἐλευθερίας μηδὲ τὸ τυχὸν προδοῦναι καὶ καταισχῦναι μέρος.

64 Καὶ ὁ μὲν μακάριος ἐκεῖνος οὕτω τὸν βίον κατέλυσε, τάχα δέ τις καὶ ἡμᾶς οἴεται ἐνταῦθα καταλύσειν τὸν λόγον· μετὰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ βίου τελευτὴν οὐκ εἶναι κατορθωμάτων οὐδὲ ἀνδραγαθίας ἀφορμὰς ὥσπερ οὐδὲ τοῖς ἀθληταῖς μετὰ τὸ παρελθεῖν τοὺς ἀγῶνας στεφάνους πλέκεσθαι δυνατόν. Ἀλλ' Ἕλληνες μὲν εἰκότως ταῦτα νομίζουσιν ἐπειδὴ καὶ μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος βίου τὴν ἐλπίδα συνέκλεισαν τὴν αὐτῶν, ἡμεῖς δὲ οἷς ἑτέρας ζωῆς φαιδροτέρας ἀρχὴ ἡ ἐνθάδε γίνεται τελευτὴ ταύτης ἀφεστήκαμεν τῆς ὑπονοίας καὶ δόξης. Καὶ ὅτι δικαίως σαφέστερον μὲν καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ δείξομεν λόγῳ, τέως δὲ καὶ τὰ μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ γενναίου κατορθώματα Βαβυλᾶ ἱκανὰ πίστιν μεγάλην τῷ λόγῳ παρασχεῖν.

65 Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἕως θανάτου περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἠγωνίσατο καὶ μέχρις αἵματος ἀντικατέστη πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν μαχόμενος καὶ ὥστε μὴ ἀφεῖναι τὴν τάξιν ἢν ἔταξεν αὐτὸν ὁ μέγας βασιλεὺς ἀφῆκε τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ παντὸς ἀριστέως λαμπρότερον ἐτελεύτησεν, αὐτὸν μὲν εἶχε λοιπὸν ὁ οὐρανὸς τὸ δὲ σῶμα τὸ πρὸς τὴν ἀριστείαν διακονησάμενον ἡ γῆ καὶ διενείματο ἡ κτίσις τὸν ἀθλητήν. Καίτοι γε ἐνῆν καὶ μετατεθῆναι αὐτὸν κατὰ τὸν Ἐνὼχ καὶ ἁρπαγῆναι κατὰ τὸν Ἠλίαν οὓς ἐζήλωσεν. Ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς φιλάνθρωπος ὢν καὶ μυρίας ἡμῖν τοῦ σώζεσθαι προφάσεις διδοὺς καὶ ταύτην μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων διέτεμεν ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν ἱκανὴν παρακαλέσαι πρὸς ἀρετὴν τὰ τῶν ἁγίων λείψανα παρ' ἡμῖν τέως ἀφείς. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν διὰ τοῦ λόγου δύναμιν δευτέραν ἔχουσι τάξιν οἱ τῶν ἁγίων τάφοι πρὸς τὸ διεγείρειν εἰς τὸν ἴσον ζῆλον τὰς τῶν θεωμένων αὐτοὺς ψυχὰς καὶ εἴ πού τις ἐπιστῇ θήκῃ τοιαύτῃ καὶ τῆς ἐνεργείας εὐθέως ταύτης σαφῆ λαμβάνει τὴν αἴσθησιν. Ἡ γὰρ ὄψις τῆς λάρνακος εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐμπίπτουσα καταπλήττει τε αὐτὴν καὶ διανίστησι καὶ ὡς αὐτοῦ τοῦ κειμένου συνευχομένου καὶ παρεστῶτος καὶ ὁρωμένου οὕτως αὐτὴν διακεῖσθαι ποιεῖ. Εἶτα προθυμίας πολλῆς ὁ τοῦτο παθὼν πληρωθεὶς καὶ ἕτερος ἀνθ' ἑτέρου γενόμενος οὕτως ἐκεῖθεν ἀνέρχεται.

66 Μάθοι δ' ἄν τις καλῶς ὡς ἡ φαντασία τῶν ἀπελθόντων ἀπὸ τῶν τόπων ἐγγίνεται ταῖς τῶν ζώντων ψυχαῖς εἰς νοῦν πενθοῦντας λαβὼν οἳ ἅμα τε τοῖς τῶν τεθνηκότων τάφοις ἐφίστανται καὶ ὥσπερ ἀντὶ τῆς θήκης τοὺς ἐν τῇ θήκῃ κειμένους ἑστῶτας ἰδόντες οὕτως αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν προθύρων εὐθέως ἀνακαλοῦσι. Πολλοὶ δὲ τῶν ἀφορήτως πρὸς τὰ πάθη διατεθέντων παρὰ τοῖς μνήμασι τῶν ἀπελθόντων τὸν ἅπαντα κατῴκισαν ἑαυτοὺς χρόνον οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο ποιήσαντες εἰ μή τινα παραμυθίαν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν τόπων ἐλάμβανον ὄψεως. Καὶ τί λέγω τόπον καὶ τάφον; Καὶ γὰρ ἱμάτιον μόνον πολλάκις τῶν ἀπελθόντων ὀφθὲν καὶ ῥῆμα εἰς διάνοιαν ἐλθὸν διήγειρε τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὴν μνήμην ἀνέστησε διαπίπτουσαν. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα ἡμῖν τὰ λείψανα τῶν ἁγίων ἀφῆκεν ὁ Θεός.