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to accomplish with us? But behold, this unexpected thing has happened, and we have received our father back, and we reap a greater pleasure, in that we have now received him back beyond our expectation. For all these things, then, let us give thanks to the benevolent God, and let us admire his power and his benevolence, and his wisdom and the care he has shown for the city. For the devil attempted to sink it completely through the audacious deeds; but God has adorned the city, the priest, and the emperor through this calamity, and has rendered them all more illustrious. For the city has gained renown, because when such a danger befell it, passing by all those in power, those clothed in great wealth, those having great influence with the emperor, it took refuge in the Church and the priest of God, and with great faith hung itself on the hope from above. At any rate, after the departure of our common father, when many were alarming those who were in prison, and saying that "The emperor does not relent in his anger, 49.212 but is even more enraged, and is planning the entire demolition of the city," and spreading many other rumors beyond these, those who were then in bonds became no more cowardly from this report, but when we said that "These things are false and are the works of the devil's sorcery, wishing to cast down your spirits," they said to us, "We have no need of exhortation through words; for we know to whose authority we have fled for refuge, and on what hope we have suspended ourselves; we have fastened our salvation to the sacred anchor; we have not entrusted it to a man, but to the almighty God. Therefore, we are confident that the end will certainly be good; for it is not possible, it is not possible for this hope ever to be put to shame." Instead of how many crowns, instead of how many eulogies, will this suffice for the city? How much of God's favor will it draw down, even in its remaining affairs? For it is not, it is not the mark of an ordinary soul, in the onset of temptations, to be sober, and to look to God, and having laughed at all human things, to have gaped for that alliance. So the city thus gained renown; and the priest, in turn, no less than the city; for he gave his own life for all, and though there were many hindrances—the winter, his age, the feast, and not least his sister being at her last breath—he rose superior to all hindrances, and did not say to himself: "What is this? The only sister left to us, who bears the yoke of Christ with me, and has lived with me for so long, is now at her last breath; and shall we leave her and depart, and not see her expiring and uttering her last words? But she herself prayed every day that we would close her eyes and mouth and shroud her, and take care of all the other things for the tomb; but now, like someone desolate and unprotected, she will obtain none of these things from her brother, from whom she most desired to receive them, but giving up her soul, will she not see him who is more longed for by her than all others? And than how many deaths will this not be more grievous to her? For even if he had been far away, should he not have run and done and suffered all things, in order to grant her this favor? But now, being near, shall I abandon her, and leaving her, shall I depart? And how will she bear the days after this?" But none of these things did he not only not say, but he did not even 49.213 think of them, but preferring the fear of God to all kinship, he knew this well, that just as storms make the pilot, and dangers the general, so also temptation makes the priest to be manifest. "All," he says, "both Jews and Greeks, are looking intently at us; let us not put their hopes concerning us to shame, nor overlook so great a shipwreck, but entrusting all our affairs to God, let us give up our very soul." And consider the magnanimity of the priest, and the benevolence of God; all the things he disregarded, all these he enjoyed, so that also

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μεθ' ἡμῶν ἐπιτελέσαι; Ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ, γέγονε τὸ ἀπροσδόκητον τοῦτο, καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἀπειλήφαμεν, καὶ μείζονα καρπούμεθα τὴν ἡδονὴν, τῷ παρ' ἐλπίδα αὐτὸν ἀπολαβεῖν νῦν. Ὑπὲρ δὴ τούτων ἁπάντων εὐχαριστῶμεν τῷ φιλανθρώπῳ Θεῷ, καὶ θαυμάζωμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, καὶ τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν κηδεμονίαν τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως γεγενημένην. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ διάβολος, καταδῦσαι πᾶσαν αὐτὴν ἐπεχείρησε διὰ τῶν τολμηθέντων· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸν ἱερέα καὶ τὸν βασιλέα διὰ ταύτης ἐκόσμησε τῆς συμφορᾶς, καὶ λαμπροτέρους πάντας ἀπέφηνεν. Ἡ πόλις μὲν γὰρ ηὐδοκίμησεν, ὅτι κινδύνου τοιούτου καταλαβόντος, παραδραμοῦσα πάντας τοὺς ἐν δυναστείαις, τοὺς πλοῦτον πολὺν περιβεβλημένους, τοὺς μεγάλην παρὰ βασιλεῖ δύναμιν ἔχοντας, ἐπὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν καὶ τὸν ἱερέα τοῦ Θεοῦ κατέφυγε, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς πίστεως τῆς ἄνωθεν ἑαυτὴν ἐξεκρέμασεν ἐλπίδος. Πολλῶν γοῦν μετὰ τὴν ἀποδημίαν τοῦ κοινοῦ πατέρος τοὺς τὸ δεσμωτήριον οἰκοῦντας θορυβούντων, καὶ λεγόντων, ὡς Οὐ καθυφίησι τῆς ὀργῆς ὁ βασιλεὺς, 49.212 ἀλλὰ παροξύνεται μειζόνως, καὶ περὶ κατασκαφῆς ὁλοκλήρου τῆς πόλεως βουλεύεται, καὶ ἕτερα πολλῷ πλείονα τούτων θρυλλούντων, οἱ δεδεμένοι τότε οὐδὲν ἐγίνοντο ἐκ τῆς φήμης ταύτης δειλότεροι, ἀλλ' ἡμῶν λεγόντων, ὡς Ψευδῆ ταῦτα καὶ διαβόλου μαγγανείας ἐστὶν ἔργα, βουλομένου καταβαλεῖν ὑμῶν τὰ φρονήματα, Οὐδὲν δεόμεθα τῆς διὰ λόγων παρακλήσεως, πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔλεγον· ἴσμεν γὰρ οὗ τὴν ἀρχὴν κατεφύγομεν, καὶ ποίας ἐλπίδος ἑαυτοὺς ἐξεκρεμάσαμεν· τῆς ἱερᾶς ἀγκύρας τὴν σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν ἐξηρτήσαμεν· οὐκ ἀνθρώπῳ ταύτην ἐνεπιστεύσαμεν, ἀλλὰ τῷ παντοδυνάμῳ Θεῷ. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ θαῤῥοῦμεν χρηστὸν ἔσεσθαι τὸ τέλος πάντως· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστι τὴν ἐλπίδα ταύτην καταισχυνθῆναί ποτε. Τοῦτο ἀντὶ πόσων στεφάνων, ἀντὶ πόσων ἐγκωμίων ἀρκέσει τῇ πόλει; πόσην ἐπισπάσεται τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν εὔνοιαν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς πράγμασιν; Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστι τῆς τυχούσης ψυχῆς, ἐν τῇ τῶν πειρασμῶν ἐπαγωγῇ νήφειν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν βλέπειν, καὶ πάντων καταγελάσασαν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, πρὸς ἐκείνην κεχηνέναι τὴν συμμαχίαν. Ἡ μὲν οὖν πόλις οὕτως εὐδοκίμησεν· ὁ δὲ ἱερεὺς πάλιν οὐχ ἧττον ἤπερ ἡ πόλις· τὴν γὰρ ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ὑπὲρ πάντων ἔδωκε, καὶ πολλῶν ὄντων τῶν κωλυόντων, τοῦ χειμῶνος, τῆς ἡλικίας, τῆς ἑορτῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἔλαττον τῆς ἀδελφῆς πρὸς ἐσχάτας οὔσης ἀναπνοὰς, ἁπάντων ὑψηλότερος ἐγένετο τῶν κωλυμάτων, καὶ οὐκ εἶπε πρὸς ἑαυτόν· Τί τοῦτο; ἡ μόνη περιλειφθεῖσα ἡμῖν ἀδελφὴ, καὶ μετ' ἐμοῦ τὸν ζυγὸν ἕλκουσα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τοσοῦτόν μοι συνοικήσασα χρόνον, πρὸς ἐσχάτας ἐστὶ νῦν ἀναπνοάς· ἡμεῖς δὲ αὐτὴν καταλείψαντες ἀπελευσόμεθα, καὶ οὐκ ὀψόμεθα ἐκπνέουσαν καὶ τὰς τελευταίας ἀφεῖσαν φωνάς; Ἀλλ' αὐτὴ μὲν καθ' ἑκάστην ηὔχετο τὴν ἡμέραν ἡμᾶς καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς καθελεῖν καὶ στόμα συνελεῖν καὶ περιστεῖλαι, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα τὰ πρὸς τὸν τάφον ἐπιμελήσασθαι· νυνὶ δὲ καθάπερ ἔρημός τις καὶ ἀπροστάτευτος οὐδενὸς ἐπιτεύξεται τούτων παρὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, παρ' οὗ μάλιστα ἐπεθύμει τυχεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀφιεῖσα τὴν ψυχὴν, οὐκ ὄψεται τὸν πάντων αὐτῇ ποθεινότερον; καὶ πόσων οὐκ ἔσται θανάτων αὐτῇ τοῦτο βαρύτερον; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ἀφεστήκει, οὐκ ἔδει δραμεῖν καὶ πάντα ποιῆσαι καὶ παθεῖν, ὥστε ταύτην αὐτῇ παρασχεῖν τὴν χάριν; νῦν δὲ πλησίον ὢν ἐγκαταλείψω, καὶ ἀφεὶς ἀπελεύσομαι; καὶ πῶς οἴσει τὰς μετὰ ταῦτα ἡμέρας; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων οὐ μόνον οὐκ εἶπεν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐν 49.213 ενόησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσης συγγενείας τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ προτιμήσας φόβον, ἔγνω τοῦτο καλῶς, ὅτι καθάπερ τὸν κυβερνήτην οἱ χειμῶνες, καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν οἱ κίνδυνοι, οὕτω καὶ τὸν ἱερέα ὁ πειρασμὸς ποιεῖ φαίνεσθαι. Πάντες, φησὶ, πρὸς ἡμᾶς κεχήνασι καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες· μὴ καταισχύνωμεν αὐτῶν τὰς περὶ ἡμῶν ἐλπίδας, μηδὲ τοσοῦτον περιίδωμεν ναυάγιον, ἀλλὰ τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐπιτρέψαντες τῷ Θεῷ πάντα, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτὴν ἐκδῶμεν. Καὶ σκόπει ἱερέως μεγαλοψυχίαν, καὶ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν· ὧν ὑπερεῖδεν ἁπάντων, τούτων ἀπήλαυσεν ἁπάντων, ἵνα καὶ