«of tribulation or persecution» being scandalized after seeming to have received the holy teachings with joy and being scandalized because they do not have a root but believe for a time, he says according to Matthew: «But he who was sown on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived, and when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he is scandalized;» but according to Mark: «These are the ones sown on rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, and they have no root in themselves, but are short-lived; then when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they are scandalized;» but according to Luke: «And those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away;» but teaching about those who bear fruit well, it says: «But he who was sown on the good ground, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty,» or: «And <these> are <the ones> sown on the good ground, who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold,» or: «But that in the good ground, these are they who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it fast, and bring forth fruit with patience.» According to the apostle, therefore, since «you are God's field, God's building,» «field» in the good ground, but «building» on the rock. As «God's building» let us stand unshaken against the storm, and as «God's field» let us neither care for the evil one, nor for «tribulation or persecution» that happens «because of the word,» nor for the care of this age or the deceitfulness of riches or «the pleasures of life,» but scorning all these things, let us take up the carefree spirit of wisdom and hasten toward the wealth that has no deceit, and let us press on to, if I may so name them, the pleasures «of the paradise of delight,» considering at each of our toils that «our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.» 50 And let us know this also, that what was said about Abel, who was killed by the murderer and unjust Cain, applies to all whose blood was unjustly shed. For let us consider that «the voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground» is said also about each of the martyrs, whose blood's voice cries to God from the ground. And perhaps just as we were bought with the «precious blood» of Jesus, Jesus having received «the name that is above every name,» so some will be bought by the «precious blood» of the martyrs, they themselves also being exalted more than they would have been exalted had they become righteous but not martyred; for it is reasonable that death in martyrdom is especially called an exaltation, as is clear from: «If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself.» Let us therefore also glorify God by exalting him by our own death, since the one who martyrs «by his death will glorify God;» which we have also learned from John who said: This he said, signifying by what death he would glorify God.» 51 These things have been dictated by me to you as far as possible, as I was able, which I pray may be useful to you for the present contest. But if you especially, as ones worthy now to see more of the mysteries of God, comprehending things greater and richer and more effective for the present purpose, should despise these as childish and cheap, I too would pray for such a thing concerning you. For the goal set before you is not that your affairs be accomplished through us, but that they be accomplished somehow. And may it indeed be accomplished through more divine and more intelligent words and wisdom of God, surpassing all human nature.

«θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ» σκανδαλιζομένους μετὰ τὸ ἐν χαρᾷ δοκεῖν παρει ληφέναι τὰ ἅγια μαθήματα καὶ σκανδαλιζομένους τῷ μὴ ἔχειν αὐτοὺς ῥίζαν ἀλλὰ πρὸς καιρὸν πιστεύειν φησὶ κατὰ μὲν τὸν Ματθαῖον· «ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπαρεὶς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ εὐθέως μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνων αὐτόν· οὐκ ἔχει δὲ ῥίζαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιρός ἐστι, γενομένης δὲ θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ διὰ τὸν λόγον εὐθὺς σκανδαλίζεται·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν Μάρκον· «οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπειρόμενοι, οἳ ὅταν ἀκούσωσι τὸν λόγον εὐθέως μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνουσι, καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσι ῥίζαν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιροί εἰσιν, ἐπὰν γενομένης θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ διὰ τὸν λόγον εὐθέως σκανδαλίζωνται·» κατὰ δὲ τὸν Λουκᾶν· «οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, οἳ ὅταν ἀκούσωσι μετὰ χαρᾶς δέχονται τὸν λόγον, καὶ οὗτοι ῥίζαν οὐκ ἔχουσιν, οἳ πρὸς καιρὸν πιστεύουσι καὶ ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ ἀφίστανται·» περὶ δὲ τῶν καλῶς καρποφορούντων διδάσκουσα λέγει· «ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν καλὴν γῆν σπαρεὶς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ συνιεὶς, ὃς δὴ καρποφορεῖ καὶ ποιεῖ ὁ μὲν ἑκατὸν, ὁ δὲ ἑξήκοντα, ὁ δὲ τριάκοντα,» ἤ· «καὶ <ἐκεῖνοί> εἰσιν <οἱ> ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν σπαρέντες, οἵτινες ἀκούουσι τὸν λόγον καὶ ἀποδέχονται καὶ καρποφοροῦσιν ἐν τριάκοντα καὶ ἐν ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἐν ἑκατὸν,» ἤ· «τὸ δὲ εἰς τὴν καλὴν γῆν, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἵτινες ἐν καρδίᾳ καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον κατέχουσι καὶ καρποφοροῦσιν ἐν ὑπομονῇ.» κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον οὖν ἐπεὶ «θεοῦ γεώργιον, θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐστε,» «γεώργιον» μὲν ἐν τῇ ἀγαθῇ γῇ, «οἰκοδομὴ» δὲ ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ· ὡς «οἰκοδομὴ θεοῦ» στῶμεν ἄσειστοι πρὸς τὸν χειμῶνα καὶ ὡς «θεοῦ γεώργιον» μηδὲ τοῦ πονηροῦ φροντίζωμεν μήτε «θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ» τῶν «διὰ τὸν λόγον» γινομένων μήτε τῆς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου μερίμνης ἢ τῆς ἀπάτης τοῦ πλούτου ἢ «τῶν τοῦ βίου ἡδονῶν,» ἀλλὰ πάντων τούτων καταφρονοῦντες τὸ ἀμέριμνον τῆς σοφίας πνεῦμα ἀναλάβωμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν μηδαμῶς ἔχοντα ἀπάτην πλοῦτον σπεύδωμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς, ἵν' οὕτως ὀνομάσω, ἡδονὰς «τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς» ἐπειγώμεθα, καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν ἐπιπόνων λογιζόμενοι ὅτι «τὸ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν καθ' ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης κατεργάζεται ἡμῖν, σκοπούντων ἡμῶν οὐ τὰ βλεπόμενα ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα.» 50 Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ γινώσκωμεν, ὅτι τὸ εἰρημένον περὶ τοῦ Ἄβελ ἀναιρεθέντος ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρωποκτόνου καὶ ἀδίκου Κάϊν ἐφαρμόζει πᾶσιν, ὧν ἀδίκως ἐξεχύθη τὸ αἷμα. τὸ γάρ· «φωνὴ αἵματος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου βοᾷ πρός με ἐκ τῆς γῆς» νομίσωμεν λέγεσθαι καὶ περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν μαρτύρων, ὧν ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ αἵματος βοᾷ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. τάχα δὲ καὶ ὥσπερ «τιμίῳ αἵματι» τῷ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἠγοράσθημεν, Ἰησοῦ λαβόντος «τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα,» οὕτως τῷ «τιμίῳ αἵματι» τῶν μαρτύρων ἀγορασθήσονταί τινες, καὶ αὐτῶν πλέον ὑψουμένων παρ' ὃ ὑψώθησαν ἂν δίκαιοι μὲν γενόμενοι μὴ μαρτυρήσαντες δέ· λόγον γὰρ ἔχει τὸ ἰδίως τὸν ἐν μαρτυρίῳ θάνατον ὕψωσιν καλεῖσθαι, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ· «ἐὰν ὑψωθῶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς, πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν.» δοξάσωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑψώσαντες τῷ ἑαυτῶν θανάτῳ τὸν θεὸν, ἐπείπερ ὁ μαρτυρῶν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ «θανάτῳ δοξάσει τὸν θεόν·» ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸ ἀπὸ Ἰωάννου μεμαθήκαμεν εἰπόντος· ταῦτα δὲ εἶπε σημαίνων ποίῳ θανάτῳ δοξάσει τὸν θεόν.» 51 Ταῦτά μοι κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν, ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν, πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὑπηγόρευται, ἅπερ εὔχομαι ὑμῖν γενέσθαι πρὸς τὸν παρόντα ἀγῶνα χρήσιμα. εἰ δ' ὑμεῖς μάλιστα νῦν ὡς ἄξιοι πλείονα βλέπειν τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ μυστηρίων μείζονα καὶ πλουσιώτερα καταλαμβάνοντες καὶ πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον ἀνυσιμώτερα τούτων ὡς παιδικῶν καὶ εὐτελῶν καταφρονήσετε, κἀγὼ ἂν τὸ τοιοῦτον περὶ ὑμῶν εὐξαίμην. πρόκειται γὰρ ὑμῖν οὐ τὸ δι' ἡμῶν ἀνυσθῆναι τὰ καθ' ὑμᾶς ἀλλὰ τὸ ὅπως ποτὲ ἀνυσθῆναι. καὶ εἴθε γε ἀνυσθείη διὰ θειοτέρων καὶ συνετωτέρων καὶ ὑπερεχόντων πᾶσαν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν λόγων καὶ σοφίας θεοῦ.