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Chosroes, having bought off the present occasion with flatteries, surrendered Sittas to Comentiolus. On the second day, the general, having tortured this man in the sight of the soldiery, handed him over to the fire, and having burned Sittas to a cinder in the flames, exacted from him the penalty for his sins. 4.15.17 Domitianus therefore labored in a manner befitting a priest for the recovery of the city as much as was possible, and he handed over to the general Comentiolus the Romans who had conspired with the barbarians for the 4.15.18 capture of the city. When these men, therefore, had paid a worthy penalty for what they had done against their fatherland, the priest, inaugurating the festival of the city's salvation and having established a festival for the victorious martyrs, standing upon the high bema of the church, chanting a new song of victory to Christ, spoke these words to the ears of the assembled people. 4.16.1 "Not only in wars and clashes and battles does David sound the trumpets, but also on the solemn day of a feast he sounds the trumpet to the God over all. For it is fitting for God to be praised also with instruments of war; for he is acclaimed as commander-in-chief of the battle-line, mighty and powerful in wars. And from where his good pleasure comes, praise must surely also proceed. 4.16.2 Come, let us also sound the intelligible trumpets, with our minds, I say, not with horns, as was legislated for the Jews; for we were not commanded to honor God with the limbs of irrational creatures on account of the denseness of their 4.16.3 minds. Let us therefore establish a festival not [extending] only to the horns of the altar, but up to the heavenly hierarchy of God himself, of which he who sits at the right hand of the Majesty both is and is named high priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek. 4.16.4 For truly he has shown strength with his arm, humbling the mountains of insolence, casting down the mighty from their thrones, and again proclaiming over Babylonia the great deeds of the Spirit. 4.16.5 For lions are enslaved, and serpents are choked, and Bel and Mithras are subjugated, and fire is softened, not able to tyrannize over the clothing of martyrs, though 4.16.6 abundantly sprinkled with naphtha and pitch. Again the right hand of the Lord has shown strength, condemning Chaldean arrogance, writing the prophecy not on a wall, but in heaven. And Babylonian scepters are divided, and an insolent throne is cast down, and a drunken kingdom is brought low, and again 4.16.7 what is humbled is honored, and what is conquered is made strong. Again it is possible to see the city, barren because of the war, rejoicing like a mother because of her fine children. Let no one put on unworthy attire for this 4.16.8 royal festival. Let us all be clothed in white by the purity of our life, so that we do not put an adornment on the soul unworthy of the feast and appear unworthy of partaking, and consequently be condemned for our failure; 4.16. Be renewed, be renewed, O city of exultation; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. These things the Holy Spirit says to me, and I embrace the promise, and the present glory has become greater than the former brightness. 4.16.10 For you in former and older times possessed peoples of martyrs, surging from your 4.16.11 flanks over every path and highway. More glorious for you than the capture is the recovery; for what deceit stole, fear has now given back, and what the villainy of a barbarian king wickedly plundered, a most glorious 4.16.12 subjugation now well repays. This man, sent as a servant to you, O martyrs, brought forward, seeking to choose as allies those whom, in opposition to God, he did not formerly honor, having been taught piety by his failure, since Pharaoh of old also, being scourged or admonished, endured to worship God. 4.16.13 This the Babylonian tyrant and foreigner dedicates to you, martyrs, the fugitive from his own kingdom, who is now obedient to the Romans instead of an enemy; so much

Χοσρόης καὶ τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν κολακείαις ἀποπριάμενος ἔκδοτον Κομεντιόλῳ Σίτταν καθίστησιν. δευτέρᾳ δ' ἡμέρᾳ ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐπ' ὄψεσι τοῦ ὁπλιτικοῦ αἰκισάμενος τοῦτον τῷ πυρὶ παρεδίδου κατανθρακεύσας τε ταῖς φλοξὶ δίκην τῶν ἡμαρτημένων τὸν Σίτταν 4.15.17 εἰσέπραττεν. ὁ μὲν οὖν ∆ομετιανὸς ἱεροπρεπῶς ἐς τὰ περὶ τὴν ἀνάληψιν τοῦ ἄστεος διεπονεῖτο ὡς ἐνῆν ἐς τὰ μάλιστα, τούς τε συνομοσαμένους τοῖς βαρβάροις ῾Ρωμαίους ἐς τὴν 4.15.18 τοῦ ἄστεος ἅλωσιν Κομεντιόλῳ παρεδίδου τῷ στρατηγῷ. τούτων τοίνυν ἀξίας ὑποσχομένων δίκας τῶν κατὰ τῆς πατρίδος διαπεπραγμένων αὐτοῖς, ὁ ἱερεὺς τῆς σωτηρίας τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐγκαινίζων τῆς πόλεως πανήγυρίν τε τοῖς καλλινίκοις συστησάμενος μάρτυσιν ἐπὶ τῶν βημάτων τῶν ὑψηλῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας γενόμενος, παιωνίζων ᾆσμα καινὸν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐπινίκιον τοῖς ὠσὶ τοῦ κατεκκλησιασθέντος λαοῦ τάδε που διηγόρευεν. 4.16.1 "Οὐκ ἐν πολέμοις μόνον καὶ συμπλοκαῖς καὶ ἐκτάξεσι ταῖς σάλπιγξιν ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἀλαλάζει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν εὐσήμῳ ἡμέρᾳ ἑορτῆς τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων σαλπίζει θεῷ. πρέπει γὰρ καὶ πολεμικοῖς ὀργάνοις ὑμνεῖσθαι θεόν· ἀρχιστράτηγος γὰρ οὗτος ἐκτάξεως κραταιός τε καὶ δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμοις πρεσβεύεται. καὶ ἐξ ὧν ἡ εὐδόκησις πέφυκεν, ἔδει που πάντως προελθεῖν 4.16.2 καὶ τὴν αἴνεσιν. δεῦτε, καὶ ἡμεῖς ταῖς νοηταῖς ἀλαλάξωμεν σάλπιγξιν, ταῖς διανοίαις φημί, οὐ κερατίναις, ὡς ᾿Ιουδαίοις νενομοθέτηται· οὐ γὰρ ἀλόγων μέλεσι διὰ τὸ παχὺ τῆς 4.16.3 διανοίας γεραίρειν ἡμεῖς θεὸν προσετάχθημεν. συστησώμεθα γοῦν ἑορτὴν μὴ ἕως τῶν κεράτων τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου καὶ μόνον [διήκουσαν], ἀλλὰ μέχρι τῆς ἄνω ἱεραρχίας αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἧς ἀρχιερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ ὁ ἐκ δεξιῶν τῆς μεγαλωσύνης καθήμενος καὶ ἔστι καὶ ὀνομάζεται. 4.16.4 τῷ ὄντι γὰρ ἐν βραχίονι κράτος ἐποίησεν, ὄρη ταπεινώσας φρυάγματος, καθελὼν ἀπὸ θρόνων δυνάστας, καὶ πάλιν στηλιτεύων ἐπὶ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ πνεύματος. 4.16.5 δουλαγωγοῦνται γὰρ λέοντες, καὶ δράκοντες ἀποπνίγονται, καὶ Βὴλ καὶ Μίθρας ἀνδραποδίζονται, καὶ μαλθακεύεται πῦρ μήτε μαρτύρων ἐσθῆτος τυραννῆσαι δυνάμενον, ὑπὸ 4.16.6 νάφθας καὶ πίττης ἀφθόνως καταρδευόμενον. πάλιν δεξιὰ κυρίου ἐποίησε δύναμιν ἐπάρσεως καταδιαιτῶσα Χαλδαϊκῆς, οὐκ ἐν τοίχῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν οὐρανῷ τὴν προαγόρευσιν γράφουσα. καὶ διαιρεῖται Βαβυλώνια σκῆπτρα, καὶ ὑβριστὴς καταβάλλεται θρόνος, καὶ πάροινος βασιλεία συστέλλεται, καὶ τιμᾶται 4.16.7 πάλιν τὸ ταπεινούμενον, καὶ κρατύνεται τὸ νικώμενον. πάλιν τὴν στεῖραν πόλιν διὰ τὸν πόλεμον ὡς μητέρα δι' εὐτεκνίαν εὐφραινομένην ἔστι θεάσασθαι. μηδεὶς ἀμπεχέσθω τῆς βασι4.16.8 λικῆς ταύτης πανηγύρεως ἀναξίαν ἐσθῆτα. πάντες τῇ καθαρότητι τοῦ βίου λευχειμονήσωμεν, ἵνα μὴ ἀναξίως τῆς εὐωχίας τῇ ψυχῇ περιβαλόντες στόλισμα ἀνάξιοι φανῶμεν τῆς μεταλήψεως καὶ τὰ ἀκόλουθα κατακριθῶμεν τῆς ἀποτεύξεως· 4.16. ἐγκαινίζου, ἐγκαινίζου, πόλις ἀγαλλιάσεως· ἥκει γάρ σου τὸ φῶς, καὶ ἡ δόξα κυρίου ἐπί σε ἀνατέταλκεν. τάδε μοι λέγει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἀσπάζομαι, καὶ ἡ νῦν ὑπὲρ τὴν προτέραν φαιδρότητα δόξα καθέστηκεν. 4.16.10 σὺ γὰρ δήμους μαρτύρων ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν καὶ πρεσβυτέροις χρόνοις ἐκέκτησο πᾶσαν ἀτραπὸν καὶ λεωφόρον τῶν σῶν 4.16.11 λαγόνων ἐπικυμαίνοντας. ἐπιφανεστέρα σοι τῆς ἁλώσεως ἡ ἀνάζευξις· ἣν γὰρ ἔκλεψε δόλος, νῦν φόβος ἀπέδοτο, καὶ ἣν βασιλέως βαρβάρου πανουργία κακῶς ἀπεσύλησεν, νῦν 4.16.12 ἐπιφανεστάτη δουλαγωγία καλῶς ἀντιδίδωσιν. ταύτην οἰκέτης ἐσταλμένος ὑμῖν, ὦ μάρτυρες, προσηγάγετο συμμάχους ἑλέσθαι θηρώμενος, οὓς ἀντιθέως τὸ πρότερον οὐκ ἐπρέσβευεν, ἐξ ἀποτεύξεως διδαχθεὶς τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ἐπεὶ καὶ Φαραὼ ὁ πάλαι μαστιζόμενος ἢ νουθετούμενος θεὸν σέβειν ἠνείχετο. 4.16.13 ταύτην ὑμῖν ἀνατίθησιν, μάρτυρες, Βαβυλώνιος τύραννός τε καὶ ἔπηλυς, ὁ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείας δραπέτης, ὁ νῦν ῾Ρωμαίοις ἀντὶ πολεμίου πειθήνιος· τοσαῦτα