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and providing unclear answers to those who inquire, so that by the ambiguity of the oracles it might prepare beforehand a defense for its failure and falsehood? Where is the spring thought to produce prophetic water? Is not all of it nonsense and foolish talk, which misled the wretched peoples to error? 9.13.3 Worship God, whose faithful servants have been deemed worthy of so much grace, not acting by their own authority, but according to the gift given to them, doing good to their fellow servants. And these things after their departure from here and the separation from the body. Know from the servants the magnificence of the Lord; glorify the true God over all, to whom worship is due, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 10.τ.1 Of Asterius, bishop of Amasea, an encomium on the holy martyrs 10.1.1 It is possible, as it seems, to be benefited in the greatest things even by the most hostile and irreconcilable enemies; and this is shown both by the other experience of life and by what is now being celebrated. For if the devil had not persecuted Christians and waged war against the church, we would not have had martyrs; and if there were no martyrs, our life would become gloomy and without festival. For what is equivalent to these festivals? What is so solemn and beautiful as to see a whole city with all its people going forth from the town, and occupying a holy place to celebrate the pure mysteries of the truest piety? 10.1.2 And true piety is to worship God and to honor those who for His sake steadfastly bore sufferings and arrayed themselves for the final danger of death, of whom the leaders and champions are those who have led us today; men immortal because of a noble death, living forever because they despised life, having exchanged their blood for the kingdom and shown the treacherous flesh to be a benefactor of the soul. 10.1.3 Thus when a good will, like a charioteer, presides over a man, and yokes to itself all impulses and movements, and attentively stretches out reasonings like reins, goading sluggishness and checking immoderate sharpness, it is not possible for the course of life to become disorderly or dangerous. 10.2.1 We have, then, the martyrs of Christ not only as teachers of a good way of life, but also as accusers of sin. But how might a martyr become an accuser? Listen. If he conquered the flame of fire by endurance, how do you not subdue fornication by self-control? If the martyr did not spare the wealth and property which he was leaving, why do you not despise a little silver for the sake of righteousness? If the martyr did not prefer his family to God, but was separated from wife, children, and dearest friends, how do you not chastise your affection, and on account of persons perhaps having a bond of intimacy with you, you leap over justice and disregard the fear of God? If the martyr put off his body for God, how do you yourself not despise one little tunic for the covering of the naked? 10.2.2 These things, when compared with each other, reprove our perversity. Therefore, let us either revere the saints as teachers or fear them as accusers, and let us show our own life to be in keeping with those who are honored; and let us too be so persuaded by God, as the saints obeyed the commandments and firmly hoped for the promises. 10.3.1 For a very good teacher of courage and endurance is the hope of intelligible goods, which, like a trustworthy pledge and a secure earnest, lying in our thoughts, exhorts us to look on every danger without terror and to bear it nobly in trial; and this happens consequently. For by nature we men are somehow allotted to grow soft and listless towards labors that have no reward, but on the contrary, to take hold vigorously of those for which prizes and honors are the end. 10.3.2 Therefore all martyrs

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καὶ ἀσαφεῖς τοῖς πυνθανομένοις τὰς ἀποκρίσεις παρέχουσα, ἵνα τῇ τῶν λογίων ἀμφιβολίᾳ τῆς ἀποτυχίας καὶ τοῦ ψεύδους ἀπολογίαν προευτρεπίσηται; Ποῦ πηγὴ μαντικὸν ὕδωρ νομιζομένη γεννᾶν; Οὐ πάντα λῆρος καὶ φλήναφος, ἃ πρὸς τὴν πλάνην ἐδημαγώγει τοὺς ἀθλίους λαούς; 9.13.3 Προσκυνήσατε Θεόν, οὗ δοῦλοι πιστοὶ τοσαύτης ἠξιώθησαν χάριτος, οὐκ αὐτεξουσίως ἐνερ γοῦντες, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν δοθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς δωρεὰν εὐεργοῦντες τοὺς ὁμο δούλους. Καὶ ταῦτα μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἄφιξιν καὶ τὸν τοῦ σώματος χωρισμόν. Γνωρίσατε ἐκ τῶν οἰκέτων τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου μεγαλοπρέπειαν· δοξάσατε τὸν ἀληθῶς ἐπὶ πάντων Θεόν, ᾧ πρέπει ἡ προσκύνησις, νῦν καὶ ἀεί, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 10.τ.1 Ἀστερίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀμασείας ἐγκώμιον εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους μάρτυρας 10.1.1 Ἔστιν, ὡς ἔοικεν, καὶ παρὰ τῶν σφόδρα δυσμενῶν καὶ ἀδιαλλάκτων ἐχθρῶν ὠφεληθῆναι τὰ μέγιστα· καὶ τοῦτο δείκνυσιν ἥ τε ἄλλη τοῦ βίου πεῖρα καὶ τὰ ἀρτίως τελούμενα. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ἐδίωξεν χριστιανοὺς ὁ διάβολος καὶ τὸν κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἤρατο πόλεμον, οὐκ ἂν εἴχομεν μάρτυρας· μαρτύρων δὲ μὴ ὄντων σκυθρωπὸς ἡμῶν ὁ βίος ἐγίνετο καὶ ἀνέορτος. Τί γὰρ ἀντάξιον τούτων τῶν πανηγύρεων; Τί δὲ οὕτως σεμνὸν καὶ πάγκαλον ὡς τὸ πόλιν ὅλην ἰδεῖν παγγενῆ ἐκφοιτῶσαν τοῦ ἄστεος, ἱερὸν δὲ τόπον καταλαμβάνουσαν εὐσεβείας ἀληθεστάτης τελεῖν καθαρὰ μυστήρια; 10.1.2 Εὐσέβεια δὲ ἀληθὴς Θεὸν προσκυνεῖν τε καὶ τιμᾶν τοὺς δι' ἐκεῖνον πάθη καρτερῶς ἐνεγκόντας καὶ παραταξαμένους πρὸς τὸν ἔσχατον τοῦ θανάτου κίνδυνον, ὧν κορυφαῖοι καὶ πρωτοστάται τυγχάνουσι οἱ σήμερον ἡμᾶς δημαγωγήσαντες· ἄνδρες διὰ καλὸν θάνατον ἀθάνατοι, διὰ τὸ καταφρονῆσαι ζωῆς ζῶντες ἀεί, τοῦ αἵματος τὴν βασιλείαν ἀλλαξάμενοι καὶ τὴν ἐπίβουλον σάρκα εὐεργέτην τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποφήναντες. 10.1.3 Οὕτως προαίρεσις ἀγαθὴ ὅταν ἡνιόχου δίκην ἐφεστῶσα ᾖ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ὑποζεύξῃ δὲ αὑτῇ τὰς ὁρμὰς πάσας καὶ τὰ κινήματα καὶ προσεχόντως ὡς ἡνίας διατείνῃ τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀργίαν νύττουσα καὶ ὀξύτητα ἄμετρον ἀναστέλλουσα, οὐχ οἷόν τε ἄτακτον ἢ ἐπικίνδυνον γενέσθαι τοῦ βίου τὸν δρόμον. 10.2.1 Ἔχομεν τοίνυν τοὺς μάρτυρας τοῦ Χριστοῦ οὐ διδασκάλους μόνον ἀγαθῆς πολιτείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατηγόρους τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Πῶς δ' ἂν γένοιτο μάρτυς κατήγορος, ἄκουσον. Εἰ ἐκεῖνος ἐνίκησε φλόγα πυρὸς τῇ καρτερίᾳ, σὺ πῶς πορνείαν οὐ δαμάζεις τῇ σωφροσύνῃ; Εἰ ὁ μάρτυς οὐκ ἠλέησε πλοῦτον ὃν ἠφίει καὶ χρήματα, διὰ τί σὺ ὀλίγου οὐ καταφρονεῖς ἀργυρίου ὑπὲρ δικαιοσύνης; Εἰ ὁ μάρτυς γένος Θεοῦ οὐ προετίμησεν, ἀλλ' ἀπεζεύχθη γυναικός, παίδων, φιλτάτων, πῶς σὺ οὐ κολάζεις τὴν προσπάθειαν, διὰ δὲ πρόσωπα τυχὸν σχέσιν πρός σε οἰκειότητος ἔχοντα ὑπερ πηδᾷς τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν φόβον παραλογίζῃ; Εἰ ὁ μάρτυς τὸ σῶμα διὰ Θεὸν ἐξεδύσατο, πῶς αὐτὸς ἑνὸς οὐ καταφρονεῖς χιτωνίσκου εἰς σκέπην γυμνοῦ; 10.2.2 Ταῦτα ἀλλήλοις ἀντεξεταζόμενα τὴν ἡμετέραν δυστροπίαν ἐλέγχει. Ἢ τοίνυν ὡς διδασκάλους τοὺς ἁγίους αἰδεσθῶμεν ἢ ὡς κατηγόρους φοβηθῶμεν, δείξωμεν δὲ τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον τοῖς τιμωμένοις ἀκόλουθον· πεισθῶμεν δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς οὕτως Θεῷ, ὡς οἱ ἅγιοι ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ἐπειθάρχησαν καὶ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας βεβαίως ἤλπισαν. 10.3.1 Ἀγαθὴ γὰρ σφόδρα διδάσκαλος ἀνδρείας καὶ καρτερίας ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τῶν νοητῶν ἐλπίς, ἥτις ὡς ἐνέχυρον ἀξιόπιστον καὶ ἀρραβὼν ἀσφαλὴς ἐγκειμένη τοῖς λογισμοῖς πάντα παρακελεύεται κίνδυνον ὁρᾶν ἀκαταπλήκτως καὶ φέρειν ἐν τῇ πείρᾳ γενναίως· καὶ τοῦτο ἀκολούθως συμβαίνει. Φύσει γάρ πως ἐλάχομεν ἄνθρωποι μαλακίζεσθαι μὲν καὶ χαυνοῦσθαι πρὸς τοὺς ἀγεράστους τῶν πόνων, ἐρρωμένως δὲ τοὐναντίον ἐκείνων ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι ὧν ἆθλα καὶ τιμαὶ τέλος εἰσίν. 10.3.2 ∆ιὸ πάντες μάρτυρες