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approaching the dead? 8.30 For these things are of the utmost folly and ignorance. For indeed in Athens, as Antiochus has written in his ninth history, up on the acropolis is the tomb of Cecrops, beside the Polias herself; and in Larissa of Thessaly, again, he says that Acrisius was buried in the temple of Athena; and in Miletus, Leander has said that Cleomachus lies in the Didymeum; and Zenon of Myndus said that Lycophron was buried in the temple of Artemis in Magnesia; and they relate that the altar of Apollo in Telmissus is the monument of Telmissus the seer. But nevertheless, neither did those who buried them at that time suppose they were defiling the altars, nor did those who later sacrificed believe they were partaking of pollution from there. But you alone conjecture 8.31 this, while the ancients supposed none of these things. For indeed Homer too shows in his verses Achilles son of Peleus, the Aeacid, son of Thetis, descended from Zeus according to you, embracing the dead body of Patroclus, and when the Myrmidons brought it to the pyre, carrying the head, then extinguishing the pyre and collecting the bones and placing these in a golden bowl and carrying them inside to his own tent. 8.32 And Thucydides recounts the honor of those who died in the Peloponnesian War, and how each one claimed the discovered bodies of their relatives for burial, and how great an honor they contrived for those who were least found, by making coffins of cypress-wood, and all in common, some leading them, others following and accompanying, and preparing a very great tomb for those consumed by birds or dogs or jackals. Thus they also honored the dead of those who fought at Marathon. 8.33 And that they also offered libations to the dead, you too know, you who dare to do these things by night against the laws; and Homer bears witness, showing the son of Laertes, following the instructions of Circe, both digging the trench and performing the libations and recounting these things to Alcinous; for he says "I, drawing my sharp sword from my thigh, dug a pit, a cubit this way and that; and around it I poured a libation to all the dead, first with milk and honey, then with sweet wine, and third with water; and on it I sprinkled white barley, and I beseeched much the powerless heads of the dead, that when I came to Ithaca, I would sacrifice a barren heifer, the best there is, in my halls, and would fill the pyre with good things, and for Teiresias alone, apart, I would sacrifice an all-black ram, which is preeminent among our sheep. And when with vows and prayers I had supplicated the tribes of the dead, I took the sheep and cut their throats over the pit; and the dark blood flowed; and the souls of the dead who have died gathered from Erebus. 8.34 Then he explains how the crowd of souls ran together and hastened to partake of the libations. And why do I mention the poet? For Aristocles the Peripatetic said that Lycon the Pythagorean stated that Aristotle son of Nicomachus was accustomed to offer such a sacrifice to his deceased wife as the Athenians offered to Demeter. But we, O men, offer neither sacrifices nor indeed libations to the martyrs, but we honor them as divine and God-beloved men. For so they loved the one who made and saved them, that they considered slaughter for His sake worthy of love. But if you think they are insensible of what happens and 8.35 do not enjoy some divine and truly thrice-blessed lot, let Pindar the lyric poet cast out this opinion of yours, saying thus: "And the souls... of the pious, dwelling in the heavens, sing with melodies to the great Blessed One in hymns." 8.36 If heaven is the dwelling-place of those who have lived piously, the martyrs have this lot; for none is more pious than these; and Empedocles of Acragas says thus: "And at the last they become seers and hymn-writers and physicians and leaders for earth-dwelling men; whence they spring up as gods, greatest in honors." 8.37 If he said that seers and physicians are deemed worthy of so much 8.37 honor, what might one say about those who showed such great courage for piety, for whom the deed is not only courage, but also

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τῶν τεθνεώτων 8.30 πελάζοντα; ἀνοίας γὰρ ταῦτα καὶ ἀμαθίας ἐσχάτης. Καὶ γὰρ Ἀθήνησιν, ὡς Ἀντίοχος ἐν τῇ ἐνάτῃ γέγραφεν ἱστορίᾳ, ἄνω γε ἐν τῇ ἀκροπόλει Κέκροπός ἐστι τάφος παρὰ τὴν Πολιοῦχον αὐτήν· καὶ ἐν Λαρίσσῃ τῇ γε Θετταλικῇ πάλιν ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς τὸν Ἀκρίσιον τεθάφθαι φησίν· ἐν δὲ Μιλήτῳ τὸν Κλεό- μαχον ἐν τῷ ∆ιδύμῳ κεῖσθαι εἴρηκε Λέανδρος· τὴν δὲ Λυκο φρόνην ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος ἐν Μαγνησίᾳ ταφῆναι Ζήνων ὁ Μύνδιος ἔφη· τὸν ἐν Τελμισσῷ δὲ βωμὸν τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος μνῆμα εἶναι Τελμισσέως τοῦ μάντεως ἱστοροῦσιν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὔτε οἱ τηνικάδε θάψαντες μιαίνειν ὑπέλαβον τοὺς βωμούς, οὔτε οἱ ὕστε ρον θύοντες ἄγους ἐκεῖθεν μεταλαγχάνειν ἐνόμιζον. Τοπάζετε 8.31 δὲ τοῦτο μόνοι ὑμεῖς, οἱ δὲ παλαιοὶ τούτων οὐδὲν ὑπελάμβανον. Καὶ γὰρ δὴ καὶ Ὅμηρος δείκνυσιν ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσι τὸν Ἀχιλλέατὸν Πηλέως, τὸν Αἰακίδην, τὸν ἐκ Θέτιδος, τὸν ἐκ ∆ιὸς καθ' ὑμᾶς, περιπτυσσόμενον νεκρὸν τοῦ Πατρόκλου τὸ σῶμα, καὶ ἡνίκα τοῦτο τῇ πυρᾷ προσέφερον οἱ Μυρμιδόνες, τὴν κεφαλὴν φέροντα, εἶτα τὴν πυρὰν κατασβεννύντα καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ γε ξυλλέ γοντα καὶ ταῦτα ἐν χρυσῇ φιάλῃ τιθέντα καὶ ἔνδον εἰς τὴν σκη 8.32 νὴν κομίζοντα τὴν αὑτοῦ. Καὶ ὁ Θουκυδίδης τῶν ἐν τῷ Πελοπον νησιακῷ πολέμῳ τετελευτηκότων διηγεῖται τὸ γέρας, καὶ ὅπως μὲν τὰ εὑρεθέντα σώματα τῶν προσηκόντων ἕκαστος ἠξίου ταφῆς, ἡλίκην δὲ τοῖς ἥκιστα εὑρεθεῖσιν ἐμηχανῶντο τιμήν, κυπαρισσίνας μὲν κατασκευάζοντες λάρνακας, κοινῇ δὲ πάντες, οἱ μὲν ἡγού μενοι τούτων, οἱ δὲ ἑπόμενοι καὶ παρεπόμενοι, καὶ τάφον κατασ κευάζοντες μέγιστον τοῖς ὑπὸ οἰωνῶν ἢ κυνῶν ἢ θώων δαπανη θεῖσιν. Οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἐν Μαραθῶνι παραταξαμένων τοὺς τετελευτηκότας ἐτίμησαν. 8.33 Ὅτι δὲ καὶ χοὰς τοῖς τεθνεῶσι προσέφερον, ἴστε μὲν καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ νύκτωρ ταύτας παρὰ τοὺς νόμους τολμῶντες· μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ Ὅμηρος τὸν Λαέρτου δεικνὺς κατά γε τὰς ὑποθημοσύνας τῆς Κίρκης καὶ τὸν βόθρον ὀρύξαντα καὶ τὰς χοὰς ἐπιτετελεκότα καὶ ταῦτά γε διηγούμενον τῷ Ἀλκινόῳ· ἐγὼ γάρ φησιν ἄορ ὀξὺ ἐρυσσάμενος παρὰ μηροῦ βόθρον ὄρυξ' ὅσσον τε πυγούσιον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα· ἀμφ' αὐτῷ δὲ χοὴν χεόμην πᾶσιν νεκύεσσι, πρῶτα μελικρήτῳ, μετέπειτα δὲ ἡδέι οἴνῳ, τὸ τρίτον αὖθ' ὕδατι· ἐπὶ δ' ἄλφιτα λευκὰ πάλυνα, πολλὰ δὲ γουνούμην νεκύων ἀμενηνὰ κάρηνα, ἐλθὼν εἰς Ἰθάκην στεῖραν βοῦν, ἥ τις ἀρίστη, ῥέξειν ἐν μεγάροισι πυρήν τ' ἐμπλησέμεν ἐσθλῶν, Τειρεσίῃ δ' ἀπάνευθεν ὄιν ἱερευσέμεν οἴῳ παμμέλαν', ὃς μήλοισι μεταπρέπει ἡμετέροισιν. Τοὺς δ' ἐπεὶ εὐχωλῇσι λιτῇσί τε, ἔθνεα νεκρῶν, ἐλλισάμην, τὰ δὲ μῆλα λαβὼν ἀπεδειροτόμησα ἐς βόθρον· ῥέε δ' αἷμα κελαινεφές· αἱ δ' ἀγέροντο ψυχαὶ ὑπὲξ Ἐρέβευς νεκύων κατατεθνηώτων. 8.34 Εἶτα ἐξηγεῖται, ὅπως ὁ τῶν ψυχῶν ξυνέθεεν ὅμιλος καὶ μετα λαβεῖν ἠπείγετο τῶν χοῶν. Καὶ τί λέγω τὸν ποιητήν; Ἀριστο κλῆς γὰρ ὁ Περιπατητικὸς Λύκωνα φάναι τὸν Πυθαγορικὸν ἔφη, ὡς Ἀριστοτέλης ὁ Νικομάχου θυσίαν τετελευτηκυίᾳ τῇ γυναικὶ τοιαύτην εἰώθει προσφέρειν, ὁποίαν Ἀθηναῖοι τῇ ∆ήμητρι. Ἡμεῖς δέ, ὦ ἄνδρες, οὔτε θυσίας, οὔτε μὴν χοὰς τοῖς μάρτυσιν ἀπονέ μομεν, ἀλλ' ὡς θείους καὶ θεοφιλεῖς γεραίρομεν ἄνδρας. Οὕτω γὰρ τοῦ πεποιηκότος καὶ σεσωκότος ἠράσθησαν, ὡς τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ σφαγὴν ὑπολαβεῖν ἀξιέραστον. Εἰ δὲ ἀναισθήτως αὐτοὺς ἔχειν τῶν γινομένων νομίζετε καὶ 8.35 μὴ θείας τινὸς καὶ τρισολβίας ὄντως λήξεως ἀπολαῦσαι, Πίνδα ρος ὁ λυρικὸς ταύτην ὑμῶν ἐκβαλέτω τὴν δόξαν, λέγων ὡδί· ψυχαὶ δ' ... εὐσεβῶν, ἐν οὐρανοῖς ναίουσαι, μολπαῖς μάκαρα μέγαν ἀείδουσ' ἐν ὕμνοις. 8.36 Εἰ δὲ τῶν εὐσεβῶς βεβιωκότων οὐρανὸς ἐνδιαίτημα, ταύτην ἔχουσι τὴν λῆξιν οἱ μάρτυρες· τούτων γὰρ οὐδὲν εὐσεβέστερον· καὶ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς δὲ ὁ Ἀκραγαντῖνος οὕτω φησίν· εἰς δὲ τέλος μάντεις τε καὶ ὑμνοπόλοι καὶ ἰητροὶ καὶ πρόμοι ἀνθρώποισιν ἐπιχθονίοισι πέλονται· ἔνθεν ἀναβλαστοῦσι θεοὶ τιμῇσι φέριστοι. 8.37 Εἰ δὲ μάντεις καὶ ἰατροὺς τοσαύτης ἔφησεν ἐκεῖνος ἀξιοῦσθαι 8.37 τιμῆς, τί ἂν εἴποι τις περὶ τῶν τοσαύτην ἐπιδειξαμένων ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ἀνδρείαν, οἷς τοὖργον οὐ μόνον ἀνδρείαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ