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it should turn out to the contrary, then one must believe that nothing contrary has happened, but that all things are consistent. They escaped the edge of the sword. I think he is speaking again about the three youths. They were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put to flight the armies of aliens. Here he alludes to the events of the return from Babylon. Out of weakness, he says; that is, out of captivity. When Jewish affairs were already despaired of, when they differed in nothing from dead bones, then the events of the return happened for them. For who would have hoped that they would return from Babylon, and not only return, but also become strong, and put to flight the armies of aliens? But nothing of the sort has happened to us, he says. But these things are types of the things to come. Women received their dead by resurrection. Here he speaks of the events concerning the prophets, Elisha, Elijah; for these raised the dead. But others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection. But we have not obtained a resurrection. But I can also show those, he says, who were beheaded, and who did not accept it, so that they might obtain a better resurrection. For why, tell me, when it was possible to live, did they not wish it? Was it not then because they expected a better life? And those who raised others, themselves chose to die, so as to obtain a better resurrection, not such a one as the children of the women. Here it seems to me that he alludes to John, and to James; for beheading is called torture. It was possible for them to see the sun, it was possible for them not to rebuke, and yet they chose to die, and those who raised others, themselves chose to die so that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others experienced mockings and scourgings, and moreover bonds and imprisonment, they were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted. 3. He ends with these things, with the more familiar. For these things especially bring consolation, when the grief is from the same cause; since even if you speak more vehemently, but it is not produced from the same cause, you have accomplished nothing. For this reason he concluded the discourse on this, speaking of bonds, imprisonments, scourgings, stonings, alluding to the events concerning Stephen, the events concerning Zacharias; wherefore he added, They died by the slaughter of the sword. What do you say? Some escaped the edge of the sword, but others died by the slaughter of the sword? what is this? which do you praise, which do you admire? this one, or that one? Yes, he says, both this one and that one; this one, because it is familiar to you, and that one, because faith prevailed even unto death itself, and it is a type of the things to come. For the wonders of faith are two, that it both accomplishes great things, and suffers great things, and that it considers suffering as nothing. And you cannot say, he says, that they were certain sinners and nobodies; for even if you weigh the whole 63.188 world against them, I find that they pull down the balance, and are more precious. For this reason he also said, Of whom the world was not worthy. What then were they to receive here, of whom nothing in the world was worthy? Here he raises up their minds, teaching them not to be nailed to present things, but to think of things greater than all those in the present life, if indeed the whole world is not worthy of them. What then do you want to receive here? For it is an insult, if you receive your reward here. Let us not then think worldly things, nor seek our recompense here, nor be so poor; for if the whole world is not worthy of them, why do you seek a part of it? And rightly so; for they are friends of God. And by world here he means perhaps the multitude, or the creation itself; for Scripture knows how to say both. If all creation with its men, he says, should stand, they will not yet appear to be of equal worth to these; and rightly so. For just as ten thousand measures of chaff and grass would not be of equal worth to ten pearls; so neither were they; For one who does the will of the Lord is better than ten thousand transgressors; by ten thousand he does not mean many, but an infinite multitude. Consider how great the righteous man is. Jesus the son of Nave said: Let the sun stand still at Gabaon, and the moon at the valley of Elom, and it was so. Let all the world come, then, rather

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ἐναντίον ἐκβαίνῃ, τότε δεῖ πιστεύειν ὅτι οὐδὲν ἐναντίον γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἀκόλουθα. Ἔφυγον στόματα μαχαίρας. Περὶ τῶν τριῶν πάλιν οἶμαι παίδων λέγειν αὐτόν. Ἐνεδυναμώθησαν ἀπὸ ἀσθενείας, ἐγενήθησαν ἰσχυροὶ ἐν πολέμῳ, παρεμβολὰς ἔκλιναν ἀλλοτρίων. Τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐνταῦθα αἰνίττεται. Ἀπὸ ἀσθενείας, φησί· τουτέστιν, ἀπὸ αἰχμαλωσίας. Ὅτε ἤδη ἀπέγνωστο τὰ Ἰουδαϊκὰ, ὅτε ὀστῶν νεκρῶν οὐδὲν διενηνόχεσαν, τότε αὐτοῖς γέγονε τὰ τῆς ἐπανόδου. Τίς γὰρ ἂν ἤλπισεν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπανήκειν αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐκ ἐπανήκειν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἰσχυροὺς γενήσεσθαι, καὶ κλῖναι παρεμβολὰς ἀλλοτρίων; Ἀλλ' ἡμῖν οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον συνέβη, φησίν. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τύποι τῶν μελλόντων εἰσίν. Ἔλαβον γυναῖκες ἐξ ἀναστάσεως τοὺς νεκροὺς αὐτῶν. Τὰ κατὰ τοὺς προφήτας ἐνταῦθα λέγει, τὸν Ἐλισσαῖον, τὸν Ἠλίαν· νεκροὺς γὰρ ἀνέστησαν οὗτοι. Ἄλλοι δὲ ἐτυμπανίσθησαν, οὐ προσδεξάμενοι τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν, ἵνα κρείττονος ἀναστάσεως τύχωσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡμεῖς ἀναστάσεως ἐτύχομεν. Ἀλλ' ἔχω δεῖξαι καὶ ἐκείνους, φησὶν, ἀποτμηθέντας, καὶ μὴ δεξαμένους, ἵνα κρείττονος ἀναστάσεως τύχωσι. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, παρὸν ζῆσαι, οὐκ ἠβουλήθησαν; οὐκ ἄρα ὅτι κρείττονα προσεδόκων ζωήν; Καὶ οἱ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀναστήσαντες, αὐτοὶ εἵλοντο ἀποθανεῖν, ὥστε κρείττονος ἀναστάσεως τυχεῖν, οὐ τοιαύτης, οἵας τὰ παιδία τῶν γυναικῶν. Ἐνταῦθά μοι δοκεῖ καὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην αἰνίττεσθαι, καὶ τὸν Ἰάκωβον· ἀποτυμπανισμὸς γὰρ λέγεται ὁ ἀποκεφαλισμός. Ἐξῆν αὐτοῖς ὁρᾷν τὸν ἥλιον, ἐξῆν αὐτοῖς μὴ ἐλέγξαι, καὶ ὅμως εἵλοντο ἀποθανεῖν, καὶ οἱ ἀναστήσαντες ἄλλους, αὐτοὶ εἵλοντο ἀποθανεῖν ἵνα κρείττονος ἀναστάσεως τύχωσιν. Ἕτεροι δὲ ἐμπαιγμῶν καὶ μαστίγων πεῖραν ἔλαβον, ἔτι δὲ δεσμῶν καὶ φυλακῆς, ἐλιθάσθησαν, ἐπρίσθησαν, ἐπειράσθησαν. γʹ. Ἐν τούτοις τελευτᾷ, ἐν τοῖς οἰκειοτέροις. Μάλιστα γὰρ ταῦτα φέρει τὴν παράκλησιν, ὅταν τῆς αὐτῆς ὑποθέσεως ἡ λύπη ᾖ· ἐπεὶ κἂν σφοδρότερον εἴπῃς, μὴ ᾖ δὲ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ὑποθέσεως τεχθεῖσα, οὐδὲν ἐποίησας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰς τοῦτο τὸν λόγον συνέκλεισε, δεσμὰ λέγων, φυλακὰς, μάστιγας, λιθασμοὺς, τὰ κατὰ τὸν Στέφανον, τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ζαχαρίαν αἰνιττόμενος· διὸ ἐπήγαγεν, Ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας ἀπέθανον. Τί λέγεις; οἱ μὲν ἔφυγον στόματα μαχαίρας, οἱ δὲ ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας ἀπέθανον; τί ἐστι τοῦτο; ποῖον ἐπαινεῖς, ποῖον θαυμάζεις; τοῦτο, ἢ ἐκεῖνο; Ναὶ, φησὶ, καὶ τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο· τοῦτο μὲν, ὅτι ὑμῖν οἰκεῖον, ἐκεῖνο δὲ, ὅτι καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν τελευτὴν ἴσχυσεν ἡ πίστις, καὶ τύπος τῶν μελλόντων ἐστί. ∆ύο γάρ ἐστι τὰ θαύματα τῆς πίστεως, ὅτι καὶ ἀνύει μεγάλα, καὶ πάσχει μεγάλα, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἡγεῖται πάσχειν. Καὶ οὐκ ἔχεις εἰπεῖν, φησὶν, ὅτι ἁρματωλοί τινες ἦσαν καὶ οὐδαμινοί· κἂν γὰρ τὸν κόσμον ἀντιστήσῃς 63.188 ὅλον, ἐκείνους εὑρίσκω καθέλκοντας τὸν ζυγὸν, καὶ τιμιωτέρους ὄντας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ οὕτως εἶπεν Ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος. Τί τοίνυν ἔμελλον ἐνταῦθα ἀπολαμβάνειν, ὧν οὐδὲν τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν ἄξιον; Ἐνταῦθα αὐτῶν διανίστησι τὴν διάνοιαν, παιδεύων μὴ προσηλοῦσθαι τοῖς παροῦσιν, ἀλλὰ πάντων μείζω φρονεῖν τῶν ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ, εἴ γε ὁ πᾶς κόσμος οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῶν ἄξιος. Τί τοίνυν βούλει ἐνταῦθα λαβεῖν; ὕβρις γάρ ἐστιν, ἐὰν ἐνταῦθα λάβῃς τὸν μισθόν. Μὴ τοίνυν κοσμικὰ φρονῶμεν, μηδὲ ἐνταῦθα ζητῶμεν τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν, μηδὲ οὕτως ὦμεν πένητες· εἰ γὰρ ὁ πᾶς κόσμος οὐκ ἄξιος αὐτῶν, τί τὸ μέρος ἐπιζητεῖς; Καὶ εἰκότως· φίλοι γάρ εἰσι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Κόσμον δὲ ἐνταῦθα ἄρα τὸ πλῆθός φησιν, ἢ τὴν κτίσιν αὐτήν· ἀμφότερα γὰρ οἶδε λέγειν ἡ Γραφή. Εἰ πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις μετὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, φησὶ, στῇ τῶν αὐτῆς, οὐδέπω ἀντάξιοι φανοῦνται τούτων· καὶ εἰκότως. Ὥσπερ γὰρ μυρίοι σταθμοὶ ἀχύρου καὶ χόρτου δέκα μαργαριτῶν οὐκ ἂν εἶεν ἀντάξιοι· οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνοι· Κρείσσων γὰρ εἷς ποιῶν θέλημα Κυρίου, ἢ μυρίοι παράνομοι· μυρίους οὐχὶ τοὺς πολλοὺς λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὸ πλῆθος τὸ ἄπειρον. Ἐννόησον ὅσον ἐστὶν ὁ δίκαιος. Εἶπεν Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ· Στήτω ὁ ἥλιος κατὰ Γαβαὼν, καὶ ἡ σελήνη κατὰ φάραγγα Ἐλὼμ, καὶ ἐγένετο. Ἡκέτω τοίνυν πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη, μᾶλλον