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ruling, and we accept the verdict, believing this to be advantageous for us. Whether, therefore, He delivers us, or not, we flee from the worship 81.1324 of your image and your gods. Your battle is against such souls; strive against us in whatever way you wish, you will neither charm us with honors, nor terrify us with threats; for God is to us the most lovely and the most fearful of all. What is loftier than these words? To these it is fitting to apply that apostolic voice: "For we do not know what to pray for as we ought." But the beastly and most frantic tyrant, becoming full of wrath, so as to even show on his face the disturbance of his soul, commanded the furnace to be heated seven times more; and he ordered the holy men to be bound, and so that there would be no delay in the punishment, their clothes and sandals being taken off, he ordered them to be handed over to the pyre with these very things; that is, with their trousers, and tiaras, and leggings. Sarabara are kinds of Persian garments; tiaras are the coverings of the head; and by leggings he means the so-called breeches, or the outer leather garments, or the leather footwear. Thus bound, the holy men were delivered to the fire; and he, for the sake of speed and brevity, thus ordered them to be burned; but divine grace managed another mystery from this. For the nature of the fire, as usual, dissolved the iron bonds placed upon them; but it preserved their highly flammable garments unharmed; and the flame consumed the accusers of the holy men, and the ministers of the impious command, who were standing outside; but it had no power to approach the saints themselves, but turning its back on those inside, it advanced against its own worshippers, as if exacting from them justice on behalf of the servants of the Master. And inside, the heralds of piety enjoyed such security and care, that they walked upon the coals as if on roses. 23. "They were walking," it says, "in the midst of the flame, hymning God, and blessing the Lord." And these things have an emphasis of their supreme philosophy; for they did not ask, it says, for release from the terrible things, but hymned the one who so governed their affairs, and deemed them worthy of this good confession. It is possible to see the old things resembling the new; for indeed the blessed apostles Peter and John, having been tormented by the company of the Pharisees, went out rejoicing, because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus; and the most divine Paul with Silas, after those torments inflicted on them in Philippi by the magistrates, while dwelling in prison, and bound in stocks, at midnight, it says, "praying, they hymned God." Thus also these blessed 81.1325 youths, dancing in the furnace, continued to weave the divine hymn. And first Azarias, becoming a common mouth, and being overwhelmed by the waves of the flame, "Opening," it says, "his mouth in the midst of the fire, said: (26) Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and praiseworthy, and glorified is your name for ever." Who could worthily admire the wisdom of the preface? For not being in prosperity and good fortune, nor with life flowing smoothly, but in such a great furnace he hymned the God of all, and called him the God of the fathers, both showing the modesty of his mind, and proclaiming the virtue of the fathers. For we hymn you, he says, O Master, we who have those fathers of whom you willed to be called God. For you said to your servant Moses: "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;" this name of yours is praiseworthy, and glorified, not at some appointed time or season, but for all ages. 27. "For you are righteous in all that you have done to us." And we hymn you, he says, knowing the justice of your judgment; for having used a right and just decree that we be enslaved, and far from our own

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τανεύοντι, καὶ δεχόμεθα τὴν ψῆφον, ταύτην ἡμῖν συμφέρειν πιστεύοντες. Εἴτε οὖν ῥύεται, εἴτε καὶ μὴ, τῆς εἰκόνος σου καὶ τῶν θεῶν σου φεύγομεν 81.1324 τὴν προσκύνησιν. Πρὸς τοιαύτας σοι ψυχὰς ἡ παρά ταξις· ὃν ἂν ἐθέλῃς τρόπον ἀνταγωνίζου, οὔτε κατα θέλξεις τιμῶν, οὔτε καταπλήξεις ἀπειλῶν· πάντων γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς ἐρασμιώτατός τε καὶ φοβερώτατος. Τί τούτων ὑψηλότερον τῶν ῥημάτων; Τούτοις τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ἐκείνην ἐφαρμόσαι προσήκει φωνήν· "Τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξώμεθα καθ' ὃ δεῖ, οὐκ οἴδαμεν." Ἀλλ' ὁ θηριώδης καὶ μανικώτατος τύραννος, ἔμπλεως θυμοῦ γενόμενος, ὡς καὶ δηλῶσαι τῷ προσώπῳ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ταραχὴν, ἐπιπλεῖστον μὲν ἐκκαυθῆναι τὴν κάμινον παρενεγγύησε· πεδηθῆναι δὲ τοὺς ἁγίους ἄνδρας παρεκελεύσατο, καὶ ὥστε μηδεμίαν γενέσθαι τῆς τιμωρίας ἀναβολὴν, τῆς ἐσθῆτος καὶ τῶν ὑποδημάτων ἀφαιρουμένων, σὺν αὐτοῖς τούτοις τῇ πυρᾷ παραδοθῆναι προσέταξε· τουτέστι, σὺν τοῖς σαραβάροις αὐτῶν, καὶ τιάραις, καὶ περικνημῖσι. Σαράβαρα δέ ἐστι Περσικῶν περι βολαίων εἴδη· τιάραι δὲ τῶν κεφαλῶν τὰ καλύμ ματα· περικνημῖδας δὲ τὰς καλουμένας ἀναξυρίδας λέγει, ἢ τὰς σκυτίνας τὰς ἔξωθεν, ἢ τὰ σκύτινα ὑπο δήματα. Οὕτω πεδηθέντες οἱ ἅγιοι ἄνδρες παρ εδόθησαν τῷ πυρί· καὶ ὁ μὲν τάχους χάριν καὶ συντομίας οὕτως αὐτοὺς κατακαυθῆναι προσέταξεν· ἡ δὲ θεία χάρις ἕτερον ἐντεῦθεν ᾠκονόμει μυστήριον. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐπιβληθέντα αὐτοῖς ἐκ σιδήρου δεσμὰ συνήθως ἡ τοῦ πυρὸς διέλυσε φύσις· εὔπρηστα δὲ ὄντα λίαν τὰ περιβόλαια ἀκήρατα διεφύλαξε· καὶ τοὺς μὲν τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν κατηγόρους, καὶ τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς προστάγματος διακόνους, ἐκτὸς ἑστῶτας ἡ φλὸξ κατηνάλωσεν· αὐτοῖς δὲ τοῖς ἁγίοις προσ πελάζειν οὐκ ἴσχυσεν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἔνδον τὰ νῶτα παρ έχουσα, κατὰ τῶν οἰκείων ἐχώρει προσκυνητῶν, ὥσπερ δίκας αὐτοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν τοῦ ∆εσπότου θερα πόντων εἰσπραττομένη. Τοσαύτης δὲ ἔνδον οἱ τῆς εὐσεβείας κήρυκες ἀδείας καὶ θεραπείας ἀπήλαυον, ὅτι τῶν ἀνθράκων οἷόν τινων ἐπιβαίνοντες ῥό δων. κγʹ. "Περιεπάτουν, φησὶν, ἐν μέσῳ τῆς φλογὸς ὑμνοῦντες τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ εὐλογοῦντες τὸν Κύριον." Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ ἔμφασιν τῆς ἄκρας αὐτῶν ἔχει φιλο σοφίας· οὔτε γὰρ ᾔτουν, φησὶ, τῶν δεινῶν ἀπαλλα γὴν, ἀλλ' ὕμνουν τὸν οὕτω τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς πρυτανεύ σαντα, καὶ τῆς καλῆς ταύτης αὐτοὺς ὁμολογίας ἀξιώσαντα. Ἔστι δὲ ἰδεῖν ἐοικότα τοῖς νέοις τὰ πα λαιά· καὶ γὰρ οἱ μακάριοι ἀπόστολοι Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης, ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν Φαρισαίων αἰκισθέντες συμ μορίας, ἐξῆλθον χαίροντες, ὅτι κατηξιώθησαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος Ἰησοῦ ἀτιμασθῆναι· καὶ ὁ θειότατος δὲ Παῦλος σὺν τῷ Σίλᾳ, μετὰ τὰς αἰκίας ἐκείνας τὰς ἐν Φιλίπποις ὑπὸ τῶν στρατηγῶν αὐτοῖς προσενεχθεί σας, δεσμωτήριον οἰκοῦντες, καὶ ποδοκάκῃ προσ δεδεμένοι, κατὰ τὸ μεσονύκτιον, φησὶ, "Προσευχό μενοι ὕμνουν τὸν Θεόν." Οὕτω καὶ οἱ μακάριοι 81.1325 παῖδες οὗτοι ἐν καμίνῳ χορεύοντες τὸν θεῖον ὕμνον διετέλουν ὑφαίνοντες. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ὁ Ἀζα ρίας στόμα κοινὸν γενόμενος, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς φλο γὸς κυμάτων περικλυζόμενος, "Ἀνοίξας, φησὶ, τὸ στόμα αὑτοῦ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ πυρὸς, εἶπεν· (κ ϛʹ.) Εὐλογητὸς εἶ, Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, καὶ αἰνετὸν, καὶ δεδοξασμένον τὸ ὄνομά σου εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας." Τίς ἂν πρὸς ἀξίαν τοῦ προοιμίου τὴν σοφίαν θαυμάσειεν; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν εὐ ημερίᾳ ὢν καὶ εὐκληρίᾳ, οὐδὲ κατὰ ῥοῦν τοῦ βίου φερομένου, ἀλλ' ἐν καμίνῳ τοσαύτῃ τὸν τῶν ὅλων ὕμνει Θεὸν, καὶ ἐκάλει αὐτὸν τὸν πατέρων Θεὸν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ φρονήματος δεικνὺς μετριότητα, καὶ τῶν πατέρων ἀνακηρύττων τὴν ἀρετήν. Ὑμνοῦμεν γάρ σε, φησὶν, ὦ ∆έσποτα, ἡμεῖς οἱ πατέρας ἔχοντες ἐκείνους, ὧν ἠθέλησας κληθῆναι Θεός. Σὺ γὰρ εἶπας τῷ θεράποντί σου Μωσῇ· "Ἐγὼ ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ·" τοῦτό σου τὸ ὄνομα αἰνετόν ἐστι, καὶ δεδοξασμένον, οὐκ ἐν καιρῷ τινι καὶ χρόνῳ ῥητῷ, ἀλλ' εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας. κζʹ. "Ὅτι δίκαιος εἶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν, οἷς ἐποίησας ἡμῖν." Ὑμνοῦμεν δέ σε, φησὶ, τὸ δίκαιον τῆς σῆς ἐπιστάμενοι κρίσεως· ὀρθῇ γὰρ καὶ δικαίᾳ χρησά μενος ψήφῳ ἐξανδραποδισθῆναι ἡμᾶς, καὶ πόῤῥω τῶν οἰκείων