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I have not ceased saying, that not even a furnace will be able to harm the one who lives with virtue. So great is the philosophy of a soul, becoming higher than all things, both all things good and all things grievous; for neither is it puffed up in the former, nor is it restrained and humbled by the latter, but it remains equal through all things, displaying its own strength and power. For whom did the difficulty of the present time not expose? Those who held the first offices among us, those in power, those clothed in unspeakable wealth, those who had great boldness before the emperor, all having left their houses deserted, took counsel for their own salvation, and every friendship and kinship was then put to the test, and those whom they had long known, in the time of disaster they wished to not know, and prayed to be unknown by them; but the monks, poor men, having nothing more than a cheap garment, who had lived in the country, seeming to be nobodies before, communing with mountains and glens, like some lions, with great and lofty spirit, while all were fearing and cowering, standing in the midst they resolved the terrible situation, not in many days, but in a brief moment of time. And just as the noblest of champions, not by engaging with the enemy, but even just by appearing on the battle line and shouting, turn their adversaries to flight; so indeed these too in one day both came down, and spoke, and resolved the disaster, and went up to their own dwellings. So great is the philosophy brought to men by Christ. And what shall I say about the rich and those in power? when even those who had received the authority to judge, who managed the highest offices, being exhorted by these very monks to give their verdict with pardon, said they were not masters of the outcome; for it was perilous and dangerous not only to insult the emperor, but also to take those who had insulted him and release them without punishment. But these became more masters than all, and by persisting with magnanimity and endurance they prevailed upon them to display that authority which they had not received from the emperor; and they were able, when the guilty parties became known, to persuade the judges not to deliver a condemning verdict, but to defer the outcome to the emperor's decision, and they promised to persuade him absolutely to grant pardon to those who had sinned against him, and they undertook the journey. But the judges, reverencing their philosophy, and being astounded at their lofty spirit, did not permit them to undertake this long journey, but said that if they could only receive their words in letters, they would depart and prevail upon the emperor to release all his anger, which indeed we expect will happen. For as the trial was being discussed, they entered and uttered words of great philosophy, and through letters they entreated 49.175 the emperor, and reminded him of the Judgment, and said they would pledge their own heads if this did not happen. And the judges, having received these words through letters, departed, which will adorn our city more brightly than any crown. And now the emperor will hear what has happened here, and the great city will hear, and the whole world will hear, that such are the monks who inhabit the city of the Antiochenes, so as to display apostolic boldness; and when the letters are now read in the camp, all will admire their magnanimity, all will bless our city, and we shall cast off our evil reputation; and all will know that what happened was not the work of those who inhabit the city, but of foreign and corrupt men, and that the testimony of the monks will be a sufficient proof of the character of the city. Let us not, therefore, be distressed, beloved, but let us expect good hopes. For if their boldness toward men was so strong as to prevent a terrible thing, what will their boldness toward God not accomplish? Let us say these things also to the Greeks, when they dare on behalf of their philosophers to us

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οὐ διέλιπον λέγων, ὅτι τὸν μετὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ζῶντα οὐδὲ κάμινός τι βλάψαι δυνήσεται. Τοσοῦτόν ἐστι φιλοσοφία ψυχῆς πάντων ὑψηλοτέρα γινομένη, καὶ τῶν χρηστῶν καὶ τῶν λυπηρῶν ἁπάντων· οὔτε γὰρ ἐν ἐκείνοις χαυνοῦται, οὔτε ὑπὸ τούτων καταστέλλεται καὶ ταπεινοῦται, ἀλλὰ μένει διὰ πάντων ἴση, τὴν οἰκείαν ἰσχὺν καὶ δύναμιν ἐπιδεικνυμένη. Τίνα γὰρ οὐκ ἤλεγξεν ἡ τοῦ παρόντος καιροῦ δυσκολία; Οἱ τὰ πρῶτα πολιτευσάμενοι παρ' ἡμῖν, οἱ ἐν δυναστείαις ὄντες, οἱ πλοῦτον ἄφατον περιβεβλημένοι, οἱ πολλὴν πρὸς βασιλέα παῤῥησίαν ἔχοντες, τὰς οἰκίας ἀφέντες ἐρήμους ἅπαντες, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἐβουλεύοντο σωτηρίας, καὶ φιλία πᾶσα καὶ συγγένεια τότε ἠλέγχετο, καὶ οὓς πάλαι ᾔδεσαν, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς συμφορᾶς τούτους ἀγνοεῖν ἐβούλοντο, καὶ ἀγνοεῖσθαι παρ' ἐκείνων ηὔχοντο· οἱ δὲ μοναχοὶ, ἄνθρωποι πένητες, ἱματίου πλέον οὐδὲν ἔχοντες εὐτελοῦς, ἐν ἀγροικίᾳ βεβιωκότες, οὐδένες εἶναι δοκοῦντες ἔμπροσθεν, ὄρεσι καὶ νάπαις ὁμιλοῦντες, καθάπερ τινὲς λέοντες, μετὰ μεγάλου καὶ ὑψηλοῦ φρονήματος, πάντων δεδοικότων καὶ κατεπτηχότων, εἰς τὸ μέσον στάντες τὸ δεινὸν ἔλυσαν, οὐκ ἐν πολλαῖς ἡμέραις, ἀλλ' ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ γενναῖοι τῶν ἀριστέων οὐ συμπλακέντες τοῖς ἐναντίοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ φανέντες ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως μόνον, καὶ βοήσαντες τρέπονται τοὺς ἀντιπάλους· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οὗτοι ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ καὶ κατέβησαν, καὶ διελέχθησαν, καὶ τὴν συμφορὰν ἔλυσαν, καὶ πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἀνέβησαν καταγώγια. Τοσοῦτόν ἐστιν ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις εἰσενεχθεῖσα φιλοσοφία. Καὶ τί λέγω περὶ τῶν πλουτούντων καὶ τῶν ἐν δυναστείαις ὄντων; ὅπου καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ δικάζειν λαβόντες ἐξουσίαν, οἱ τὰς ἀνωτάτω διέποντες ἀρχὰς, παρ' αὐτῶν τούτων παρακαλούμενοι τῶν μοναχῶν μετὰ συγγνώμης ποιήσασθαι τὴν ψῆφον, οὐκ ἔφησαν εἶναι κύριοι τοῦ τέλους· σφαλερὸν γὰρ εἶναι καὶ ἐπικίνδυνον οὐχ ὑβρίζειν μόνον εἰς τὸν βασιλέα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ὑβρικότας λαβόντας τιμωρίας ἀφεῖναι χωρίς. Ἀλλ' οὗτοι πάντων ἐγένοντο κυριώτεροι, καὶ τῇ μεγαλοψυχίᾳ καὶ τῇ καρτερίᾳ προσεδρεύοντες ἐδυσώπησαν, ἣν οὐκ ἔλαβον παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐξουσίαν, ταύτην ἐπιδείξασθαι· καὶ ἴσχυσαν, τῶν ὑπευθύνων γενομένων φανερῶν, πεῖσαι τοὺς δικάζοντας μὴ τὴν καταδικάζουσαν ἐξενεγκεῖν ψῆφον, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν βασιλέως γνώμην ἀναβαλέσθαι τὸ τέλος, καὶ ὑπέσχοντο πείσειν ἐκεῖνον πάντως δοῦναι συγγνώμην τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν ἡμαρτηκόσι, καὶ τῆς ἀποδημίας ἥπτοντο. Ἀλλ' οἱ δικάζοντες αἰδεσθέντες αὐτῶν τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ τὸ ὑψηλὸν καταπλαγέντες φρόνημα, οὐ συνεχώρησαν στείλασθαι ταύτην τὴν μακρὰν ὁδὸν, ἀλλ' εἰ φωνὰς αὐτῶν λάβοιεν μόνον ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν, ἀπελεύσεσθαι καὶ βασιλέα δυσωπήσειν ἀφεῖναι τὴν ὀργὴν ἅπασαν, ὃ δὴ καὶ προσδοκῶμεν ἔσεσθαι. Καὶ γὰρ τῆς δίκης λεγομένης, εἰσελθόντες πολλῆς ἐφθέγξαντο φιλοσοφίας ῥήματα, καὶ διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων παρεκά 49.175 λεσαν τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ τῆς κρίσεως ἀνέμνησαν, καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἔφασαν ὑποθήσειν κεφαλὰς, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο γένοιτο. Καὶ ταύτας οἱ δικάζοντες διὰ γραμμάτων λαβόντες τὰς φωνὰς, ἀπῆλθον, ὃ παντὸς στεφάνου λαμπρότερον τὴν ἡμετέραν κοσμήσει πόλιν. Καὶ νῦν τὰ ἐνταῦθα γεγενημένα ἀκούσεται μὲν βασιλεὺς, ἀκούσεται δὲ καὶ ἡ μεγάλη πόλις, ἀκούσεται δὲ πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη, ὅτι τοιοῦτοι τὴν Ἀντιοχέων πόλιν οἰκοῦσι μοναχοὶ, ὡς ἀποστολικὴν ἐπιδείξασθαι παῤῥησίαν· καὶ τῶν γραμμάτων νῦν ἀναγιγνωσκομένων ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ, πάντες αὐτῶν θαυμάσονται τὴν μεγαλοψυχίαν, πάντες τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν μακαριοῦσι, καὶ τὴν πονηρὰν ἀποκρουσόμεθα δόξαν· καὶ εἴσονται πάντες, ὡς τὰ γεγενημένα οὐ τῶν ἐνοικούντων τὴν πόλιν ἦν, ἀλλ' ἀνθρώπων ξένων καὶ διεφθαρμένων, καὶ ὅτι ἱκανὴ τοῦ τῆς πόλεως ἤθους ἀπόδειξις ἡ τῶν μοναχῶν ἔσται μαρτυρία. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀλύωμεν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἀλλὰ χρηστὰς προσδοκῶμεν ἐλπίδας. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους παῤῥησία τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσε κωλῦσαι δεινὸν, ἡ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῶν παῤῥησία τί οὐκ ἐργάσεται; Ταῦτα καὶ πρὸς Ἕλληνας λέγωμεν, ὅταν τολμῶσιν ὑπὲρ φιλοσόφων ἡμῖν