40

And the fire was not deceived, nor did it dare to proceed further than the bonds. The tyrant bound, and the flame loosed, so that you might learn both the cruelty of the barbarian and the obedience of the element. But for what reason did he bind them, when he was about to cast them into the fire? So that the wonder might be greater, so that the sign might be more paradoxical, so that you might not think what was seen was a deception of the eyes. For if that fire were not fire, it would not have consumed the bonds; and, what was much greater, it would not have seized the soldiers sitting outside; but as it was, it demonstrated its power on those outside, and showed its obedience to those inside. But you, consider for me everywhere how the devil, by the very means with which he wars against the servants of God, through these same means destroys his own power, not willingly, but because the wise and resourceful God uses his weapons and his schemes against his own head. And this is what happened here also. For the devil, having then inspired that tyrant, did not permit the heads of the saints to be cut off with a sword, nor to be given to beasts, nor to be punished in any other such way; but to be cast into the fire, so that not even the relics of those saints would remain, their bodies having been made to disappear, and their ashes mixed with the ashes of the brushwood. But God used this very thing for the destruction of impiety, and how, I shall tell you. The fire is considered to be a god among the Persians, and the barbarians who inhabit that country honor it with much worship even to this day. God, therefore, wishing to destroy the foundation of impiety root and branch, permitted this manner of punishment, so that before the eyes of all who worshiped it, he might give the prize of victory to his servants, persuading them by their deeds that the gods of the Greeks fear not only God, but also the servants of God.

4. And consider how the crown of victory is woven from opposite things, and how the enemies themselves become witnesses of the trophy. For King Nebuchadnezzar, it says, sent to gather all the satraps, and generals, and governors, rulers, and potentates, and those in authority, and all the princes of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image; and they were all gathered together. The enemy gathers the theater, and he himself assembles the spectators; he himself sets up the arena, and a theater not of ordinary people, not of any private citizens, but of the honorable and all those in authority, so that the testimony might be trustworthy among the many. They came, having been summoned for one purpose, and they all departed having witnessed other things. They came to worship the image, and having scorned the image, but being astonished at the power of God through the signs that happened to these youths, they departed. And see where this stadium was opened: not in a city, nor in any region, but the open and bare plains received this theater of the world. For in the plain of Deira, outside the city, he set up the image, and the herald came forth and cried: To you it is commanded, O nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, that at whatever time you hear the sound of the trumpet, pipe and lyre, sambuca and psaltery, and symphony, and every kind of music, you fall down and worship the golden image; for to worship the idol was truly to fall; and whoever does not fall down and worship, in that same hour shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace. 49.65 Do you see how difficult the struggles become, and how many are the compulsions of the plot, and how deep the pit, and the precipice on either side? But do not be afraid; for the more the enemy increases his contrivances, the more he shows the courage of the youths. For on this account there is the harmony of so many musical instruments, on this account the burning furnace, so that both pleasure and fear might besiege the souls of those present. Is any one of those present stubborn and unyielding? Let the enchanting melody of the all-harmonious music soften him, he says. But is he superior to this plot? Let it frighten and strike with terror

40

Καὶ οὐκ ἠπατήθη τὸ πῦρ. οὐδὲ ἐνδοτέρω τῶν δεσμῶν προελθεῖν ἐτόλμησεν. Ἔδησεν ὁ τύραννος, καὶ ἔλυσεν ἡ φλὸξ, ἵνα μάθῃς καὶ τοῦ βαρβάρου τὴν ὠμότητα καὶ τοῦ στοιχείου τὴν ὑπακοήν. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ἔδησεν, εἰς πῦρ ἐμβαλεῖν μέλλων; Ἵνα τὸ θαῦμα μεῖζον γένηται, ἵνα παραδοξότερον τὸ σημεῖον, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς ὀφθαλμῶν ἀπάτην εἶναι τὰ ὁρώμενα. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ πῦρ ἦν ἐκεῖνο τὸ πῦρ, οὐκ ἂν τὰ δεσμὰ κατέφαγεν· καὶ ὃ πολλῷ μεῖζον ἦν, οὐκ ἂν τοὺς ἔξωθεν στρατιώτας καθημένους ἥρπασεν· νῦν δὲ, ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἔξω τὴν δύναμιν ἐπεδείξατο, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἔνδον τὴν ὑπακοὴν ἔδειξε. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει πανταχοῦ, πῶς ὁ διάβολος δι' ὧν πολεμεῖ τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ δούλοις, διὰ τούτων τὴν οἰκείαν δύναμιν καθαιρεῖ, οὐχ ἑκὼν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ σοφοῦ καὶ εὐμηχάνου τοῖς ὅπλοις τοῖς ἐκείνου καὶ ταῖς μεθοδείαις κατὰ τῆς ἐκείνου κεχρημένου κεφαλῆς. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα γέγονεν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ διάβολος ἐμπνεύσας τῷ τυράννῳ τότε ἐκείνῳ, οὔτε σιδήρῳ τὰς τῶν ἁγίων ἀποτμηθῆναι κεφαλὰς ἀφῆκεν, οὔτε θηρίοις παραδοθῆναι, οὔτε ἄλλῳ τινὶ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ κολασθῆναι· ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐμβληθῆναι, ἵνα μηδὲ τὰ λείψανα μείνῃ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων, τῶν σωμάτων αὐτοῖς ἀφανισθέντων, καὶ τῆς τέφρας αὐτῶν τῇ τέφρᾳ τῶν κληματίδων ἀναμιγείσης. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς αὐτῷ δὴ τούτῳ πρὸς ἀναίρεσιν τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐχρήσατο, καὶ πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω. Θεὸς παρὰ τοῖς Πέρσαις εἶναι νομίζεται τὸ πῦρ. καὶ τιμῶσιν αὐτὸ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς θεραπείας οἱ βάρβαροι οἱ τὴν χώραν ἐκείνην οἰκοῦντες ἔτι καὶ νῦν. Βουλόμενος τοίνυν ὁ Θεὸς πρόῤῥιζον ἀνελεῖν τῆς ἀσεβείας τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, συνεχώρησεν αὐτῷ τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς κολάσεως ταύτης, ἵνα κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς τῶν θεραπευόντων αὐτὸ πάντων τοῖς αὐτοῦ δούλοις τὰ νικητήρια δῷ, διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν πείσας αὐτοὺς, ὅτι οἱ τῶν Ἑλλήνων θεοὶ οὐχὶ τὸν Θεὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ δούλους δεδοίκασι.

δʹ. Καὶ σκόπει διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων πλεκόμενον τῆς νίκης τὸν στέφανον, καὶ μάρτυρας τοῦ τροπαίου γενομένους αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἐχθρούς. Ἀπέστειλε γὰρ, φησὶ, Ναβουχοδονόσορ ὁ βασιλεὺς συναγαγεῖν πάντας τοὺς ὑπάτους, καὶ στρατηγοὺς, καὶ τοπάρχας, ἡγουμένους, καὶ τυράννους, καὶ τοὺς ἐπ' ἐξουσιῶν, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν χωρῶν ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὰ ἐγκαίνια τῆς εἰκόνος· καὶ συνήχθησαν πάντες. Ὁ ἐχθρὸς συνάγει τὸ θέατρον, καὶ αὐτὸς συγκροτεῖ τοὺς θεατάς· αὐτὸς τὰ σκάμματα τίθησι, καὶ θέατρον οὐ τῶν τυχόντων ἀνθρώπων, οὐκ ἰδιωτῶν τινων, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐντίμων καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν ἀρχαῖς, ἵνα καὶ ἡ μαρτυρία ἀξιόπιστος γένηται παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς. Ἦλθον ἐφ' ἑτέρᾳ κληθέντες ὑποθέσει, καὶ ἕτερα θεασάμενοι πάντες ἀπῆλθον. Ἦλθον προσκυνήσοντες τὴν εἰκόνα, καὶ τῆς μὲν εἰκόνος καταγελάσαντες, ἐκπλαγέντες δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, διὰ τῶν εἰς τοὺς παῖδας τούτους γενομένων σημείων, ἀπῆλθον. Καὶ ὅρα ποῦ τὸ στάδιον ἀνεῴγει τοῦτο· οὐκ ἐν πόλει, οὐδὲ ἐν χώρᾳ τινὶ, ἀλλ' ὕπτια καὶ ψιλὰ πεδία δέχεται τοῦτο τῆς οἰκουμένης τὸ θέατρον. Ἐν γὰρ πεδίῳ ∆εηρᾷ. τῆς πόλεως ἔξω, τὴν εἰκόνα ἔστησε, καὶ ὁ κήρυξ παρελθὼν ἐβόα· Ὑμῖν λέγεται, ἔθνη, φυλαὶ, λαοὶ, γλῶσσαι, ἐν ᾗ ἂν ὥρᾳ ἀκούσητε τῆς φωνῆς τῆς σάλπιγγος σύριγγός τε καὶ κιθάρας, σαμβύκης τε καὶ ψαλτηρίου, καὶ συμφωνίας, καὶ παντὸς γένους μουσικῶν, πεσόντες προσκυνήσατε τῇ εἰκόνι τῇ χρυσῇ ὄντως γὰρ πεσεῖν ἦν τὸ προσκυνῆσαι τὸ εἴδωλον· καὶ ὃς ἐὰν μὴ προσκυνήσῃ πεσὼν, ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐμβληθήσεται εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πορὸς τὴν καιομένην. 49.65 Εἶδες πῶς χαλεπὰ τὰ παλαίσματα γίνεται, καὶ ὅσαι τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς αἱ ἀνάγκαι, καὶ πῶς βαθὺ τὸ βάραθρον, καὶ κρημνὸς ἑκατέρωθεν; Ἀλλὰ μὴ δείσῃς· ὅσῳπερ ἂν αὐξήσῃ τὰ μηχανήματα ὁ ἐχθρὸς, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον δείκνυσι τῶν παίδων τὴν ἀνδρείαν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο συμφωνία μουσικῶν τοσούτων, διὰ τοῦτο ἡ κάμινος ἡ καιομένη, ἵνα καὶ ἡδονὴ καὶ φόβος πολιορκῇ τὰς τῶν παρόντων ψυχάς. Πικρός τίς ἐστι τῶν παρόντων καὶ δυσένδοτος; μαλαττέτω, φησὶν, αὐτὸν γοητεύουσα τῆς παναρμονίου μουσικῆς ἡ μελῳδία. Ἀλλ' ἀνώτερος ταύτης γίνεται τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς; φοβείτω καὶ καταπληττέτω