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inexperienced in wickedness. Do we love the child? Let us rejoice with her in her passing, because she has crossed over the salty and bitter sea of life, and has been anchored in the waveless harbors, and has become superior to this violent and harsh surge, of which you have now tasted. Let us conquer the stings of nature with reason. Let us consider this trial a time of martyrdom. Does nature command us to grieve? Let reason give thanks, and let it follow its commands. Does the memory of the maiden sting? Let us set against it the memory of the one who made her. Let us say: The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; as it seemed good to the Lord, so it came to pass; blessed be the name of the Lord for ever. The one who uttered these things sent off a chorus of ten children to death at the same time, and he did not send them one by one to their tombs, nor after they had been sick for a time, so that the suffering, being contemplated over time, might make the pain duller, but suddenly he heard of the death of all of them, and a death that was strange and unexpected. For while feasting and reclining on a couch they were utterly destroyed, when the house collapsed upon them. What in life has been more grievous than that spectacle? What tragedy has received such misfortunes? For consider how bitter and pitiful it was to then dig into the house which had become a mound of earth, and to search for the bodies of the children, and to find one lying with his cup, another with his hand stretched out to the table, and to see one's eyes gouged out, another's legs broken, another's hands cut off, another's brain smashed. Seeing all these things, that noble father uttered nothing grievous, but continued to praise the Creator, and to give thanks for all things; The Lord, he says, gave, the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord for ever. The blessed patriarch Abraham had one son, and this in his old age, and after many promises, after many years had passed; but when it was time to see him as a bridegroom, then the God of all commanded him to sacrifice him and to offer him as a burnt offering. And he did not object, nor did he resent the request, but he ran rejoicing, and the length of the journey wearied him, and he wished to offer the sacrifice immediately. Indeed, having reached the place of the sacrifice, he immediately built the altar and arranged the wood; he bound the boy, and stretched out his fatherly right hand against his most beloved. And let no one say that God prevented the slaughter there, but let him examine Abraham's readiness. But someone might perhaps say, that God commanded it there, and for this reason Abraham obeyed. But here too God has taken. For what if he did not say, "Give me your only-begotten daughter, whom you loved"? but we know that he himself has taken her; for in his hand is the soul of all living things. And the blessed David also. You will take away their breath and they will fail; you will send forth your spirit and they will be created, and you will renew the face of the earth. Let us believe, therefore, that we too have offered the child as a sacrifice to God; for if we reason thus, we shall be deemed worthy of the bosom of Abraham, and in the present life the Lord will give us another gift in place of the one he has taken. For indeed the much-renowned Hannah, having borne Samuel through prayer, then having offered him to God, became the mother of other sons, according to the blessing of the priest. By bearing this suffering nobly, therefore, we shall obtain many good things; for we shall have God be merciful, and in the present life we shall enjoy his providence, and in the future we shall receive those ineffable rewards, and we shall see the daughter whom we have sent forth wearing a crown, and in the present life we shall reap renown from all, and we shall be a model of philosophy for those who wish to be helped. These things

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πονηρίας ἀπείρα τον. Ἀγαπῶμεν τὴν παῖδα; συνησθῶμεν αὐτῇ τῆς μεταβά σεως, ὅτι τὴν ἁλμυρὰν καὶ πικρὰν τοῦ βίου διεπέρασε θάλασ σαν, καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἀκυμάντους καθωρμίσθη λιμένας, καὶ τοῦ σφοδροῦ τούτου καὶ χαλεποῦ κλύδωνος, οὗ νῦν ὑμεῖς ἐγεύσα σθε, ὑπερτέρα γεγένηται. Νικήσωμεν λογισμῷ τῆς φύσεως τὰς ἀκίδας. Μαρτυρίου καιρὸν τὸν πειρασμὸν ὑπολάβωμεν. Ἀλγεῖν ἡ φύσις παρακελεύεται; ὁ λογισμὸς χάριν ὁμολογείτω, καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνου νεύμασιν ἀκολουθείτω. Κεντεῖ τῆς κόρης ἡ μνήμη; τὴν τοῦ πεποιηκότος ἀντιτάξωμεν μνήμην. Εἴπω μεν· Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο · ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτως καὶ ἐγένετο· εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας . ∆έκα παίδων χορὸν κατὰ ταὐτὸν τῷ θανάτῳ παρέπεμψεν ὁ ταῦτα φθεγξάμενος, καὶ οὐδὲ καθ' ἕνα προὔπεμψεν εἰς τοὺς τάφους, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ χρόνον νενοσηκότας, ἵνα μελετηθὲν τῷ χρόνῳ τὸ πάθος ἀμβλυτέραν τὴν ὀδύνην ἐργάσηται, ἀλλ' ἐξαπίνης τὴν ἁπάντων ἤκουσε τελευτήν, καὶ τελευτὴν καινὴν καὶ παράδοξον. Ἑστιώμενοι γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ στιβάδος ἀνακείμενοι ἄρδην ἀπώλοντο, τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῖς καταῤῥαγείσης. Τί τοῦ θεάματος ἐκείνου χαλεπώτερον ἐν βίῳ γεγένηται; ποία τραγῳδία τοιαύτας ἐδέξατο συμφοράς; Ἐνθυμήθητι γὰρ ὁπόσον πικρὸν καὶ ἐλεεινὸν χῶμα τὴν οἰκίαν γεγενημένην εἶτα ὀρύττειν, καὶ τὰ σώματα τῶν παίδων ἐρευ νᾶν, καὶ εὑρίσκειν τὸν μὲν μετὰ τῆς κύλικος κείμενον, τὸν δὲ τὴν χεῖρα εἰς τὴν τράπεζαν ἐκτεταμένην ἔχοντα καὶ τοῦ μὲν βλέπειν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξορωρυγμένους, τοῦ δὲ τὰ σκέλη κατεαγότα, ἄλλου δὲ τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτετμημένας, ἑτέρου τὸν ἐγκέφαλον κατεῤῥηγμένον. Ταῦτα πάντα ὁρῶν ὁ γενναῖος ἐκεῖ νος πατήρ, οὐδὲν ἐπαχθὲς ἐφθέγξατο, ἀλλὰ τὸν ποιητὴν ἀνυμνῶν διετέλεσε, καὶ χάριν ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ὁμολογῶν· Ὁ Κύριος , φησίν, ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο· εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας . Ἕνα υἱὸν ἔσχεν ὁ μακάριος Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατριάρχης, καὶ τοῦτον ἐν γήρᾳ, καὶ μετὰ πολλὰς ἐπαγγελίας, πολλῶν ἐτῶν διελθόντων· ἀλλ' ἡνίκα ἔδει λοιπὸν νυμφίον ἰδεῖν, τηνικαῦτα αὐτῷ προσέταξεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ἱερουργῆσαι τοῦτον καὶ θυσίαν προσενεγκεῖν. Καὶ οὐκ ἀντεῖπεν, οὐκ ἐδυσχέρανε τὴν αἴτησιν, ἀλλὰ χαίρων ἔδραμε, καὶ ἀπέκναιεν αὐτὸν τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ μῆκος, καὶ αὐθωρὸν ἐβού λετο τὴν θυσίαν προσενεγκεῖν. Ἀμέλει τὸ τῆς θυσίας χωρίον καταλαβών, εὐθύς τε τὸν βωμὸν ἐδείματο καὶ τὰ ξύλα συνέθη κε· ἐπέδησε μὲν τὸν παῖδα, ἐξέτεινε δὲ κατὰ τοῦ φιλτάτου τὴν πατρικὴν δεξιάν. Καὶ λεγέτω μηδείς, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐκεῖ ἐκώ λυσε τὴν σφαγήν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τὴν προθυμίαν ἐξεταζέτω. Εἴποι δ' ἄν τις ἴσως, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐκεῖ προσέταξε, καὶ διὰ τοῦ το ὑπήκουσεν Ἀβραάμ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ Θεὸς ἔλαβε. Τί γὰρ εἰ μὴ προσεῖπε, ∆ός μοι τὴν θυγατέρα τὴν μονογενῆ, ἣν ἠγάπησας; ἀλλ' ἴσμεν, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἔλαβεν· ἐν γὰρ τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ ψυχὴ πάντων τῶν ζώντων . Καὶ ὁ μακάριος δὲ ∆αυΐδ. Ἀντανελεῖς τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκλείψουσιν· ἐξαποστελεῖς τὸ πνεῦμά σου καὶ κτισθήσονται, καὶ ἀνακαινιεῖς τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς . Πιστεύσωμεν τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς θυσίαν τῷ Θεῷ προσενηνοχέναι τὴν παῖ δα· εἰ γὰρ οὕτως φιλοσοφήσομεν, καὶ τῶν ἀβραμιαίων ἀξιω θησόμεθα κόλπων, κἀν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ δώσει ἡμῖν ὁ Κύριος δῶρον ἕτερον ἀνθ' οὗ ἔλαβε. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ πολυθρύλητος Ἄννα τὸν Σαμουὴλ δι' εὐχῆς γεννήσασα, εἶτα τῷ Θεῷ τοῦτον προσ κομίσασα γέγονεν ἄλλων μήτηρ υἱῶν, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἱερέως εὐλογίαν. Γενναίως τοίνυν τὸ πάθος φέροντες, πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν τευξόμεθα· ἵλεών τε γὰρ τὸν Θεὸν ἕξομεν, καὶ κατὰ τὸν πα ρόντα βίον τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ προμηθείας ἀπολαυσόμεθα, κἀν τῷ μέλλοντι τὰς ἀῤῥήτους ἐκείνας ἀντιδόσεις ἀποληψόμεθα, καὶ ἣν προεπέμψαμεν θυγατέρα, στεφηφοροῦσαν ὀψόμεθα, καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ τὴν παρὰ πάντων εὔκλειαν καρπωσόμεθα, καὶ ἀρχέτυπον φιλοσοφίας τοῖς ὠφελεῖσθαι βουλομένοις ἐσόμεθα. Ταῦτα