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having struck, cast down the foreigner, and having hurried and taken away his sword, and having cut off his head with it, thus he brought it to the king, and put an end to the war. And through him the king also found salvation, and all his army breathed again. And one could see wonderful and strange things: the armed man brought down by the unarmed, and the one experienced in warfare by one who knew nothing more than shepherding. For what reason and why? Because the one had the alliance from above fighting alongside him, but the other, being bereft of it, came under his hands. It is therefore a high and strange thing not even to receive the desire that arises in us, but to drive it away and extinguish it; but if this is not possible, let us at least wrestle, and always hold it down; for if we come away wrestling, we have conquered. For it is not here as it is with athletes; for there, if you do not throw your opponent down, you have not won; but here, if you are not thrown down, you have won and have thrown him down; and rightly so. For there, both are striving for victory, and if the one is thrown down, the other is crowned; but here it is not so, but the devil strives for our defeat; when, therefore, I take this from him, for which he strives, I have conquered. For he does not hasten to throw us down, but to be thrown down with us; and his victory is not in being crowned, but in perishing together with us. But even if you should be struck many times, do not withdraw even so; for it belongs to those who do not fight not to be wounded; but for those who advance against the enemy with great spirit, it is possible sometimes even to be struck. And no one would reproach a soldier whom he saw returning with a wound from battle; for it is a disgrace to throw away one's weapons and get outside the range of the enemy. As long as someone stands fighting, even if he is struck, even if he retreats for a short time, no one is so ungracious, nor so inexperienced in warfare, as ever to accuse him. For when someone does not wish to wrong himself, another will never have power over him. For indeed, weapons and machines from the outside often did not have the power to take down the strong cities, but the betrayal of one or two of those dwelling within handed them over to the enemies without a struggle. If, therefore, none of the thoughts within betrays you, even if the evil one brings ten thousand siege engines, he will bring them in vain. For what could we say about the mother of the Maccabees, that noble woman? Was she not a woman? Did she not give seven children to the choir of the saints? Did she not see them bear witness? Did she not stand by each one of them as they bore witness? For as they were being tortured, she received the blow; for she was a mother. Consider how she anointed them, how she presented seven temples to God. The tyrant stood by, and being defeated by one woman, he withdrew. He besieged with weapons, and she prevailed by her zeal; he lit a furnace, and she kindled that of the spirit even more; he moved an army, and she took refuge with the angels. She saw the tyrant below, and she thought of the one reigning above; she saw the tortures below, and she numbered the rewards above; she saw the present punishment, and she thought of the immortality to come. But what of Esau? Was he not greater than Jacob? Was he not the firstborn? Was he not beloved by his father? But having betrayed himself through sin, he both falls from his birthright and is condemned to serve the younger 63.814. For the Lord said, it says, to Rebecca through the priest: Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall be separated from your bowels, and one people shall overcome the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger. See the prophecy clearly revealing to her all things that were to come. For the children, leaping and stirring in the womb, were already proclaiming all things with accuracy. And so the woman learned not only that she would bear two children, but also that they would be extended into nations, and that the younger would rule over the elder. And when the time of birth drew near, the firstborn came out, it says, reddish, hairy like a hide; and after this his brother came out, and his hand had taken hold of his heel, and she called his name Jacob; as if already even from

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πλήξας, τὸν ἀλλόφυλον κατέβαλε, καὶ σπεύσας καὶ ἀφελόμενος αὐτοῦ τὸ ξίφος, δι' ἐκείνου τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ τεμὼν, οὕτως ἤνεγκε τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ τέλος τῷ πολέμῳ δέδωκε. Καὶ δι' ἐκείνου καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν σωτηρίαν εὕρετο, καὶ πᾶς ὁ τούτου στρατὸς ἀνέπνευσε. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν θαυμαστὰ καὶ παράδοξα πράγματα· τὸν ὡπλισμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀόπλου κατενηνεγμένον, καὶ τὸν τὰ πολεμικὰ ἔμπειρον ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς ποιμαντικῆς πλέον εἰδότος οὐδέν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν καὶ διὰ τί; Ὅτι ὁ μὲν τὴν ἄνωθεν συμμαχίαν εἶχε συνεφαπτομένην αὐτῷ, ὁ δὲ ταύτης ἔρημος ὢν ὑπὸ ταῖς τούτου χερσὶν ἐγίνετο. Ὑψηλὸν μὲν οὖν ἐστι καὶ παράδοξον τὸ μηδὲ δέχεσθαι τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐγγινομένην ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' ἀποσοβοῦντας σβεννύναι· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο οὐ δυνατὸν, κἂν παλαίωμεν, καὶ διαπαντὸς κατέχομεν· ἂν γὰρ παλαίοντες ἐξέλθωμεν, νενικήκαμεν. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀθλητῶν, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα· ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἂν μὴ καταβάλῃς, οὐκ ἐνίκησας· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἂν μὴ καταβληθῇς, νενίκηκας καὶ κατέβαλες· καὶ εἰκότως. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἀμφότεροι ὑπὲρ νίκης σπουδάζουσι, κἂν ὁ ἕτερος καταβληθῇ, ὁ ἕτερος στεφανοῦται· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ὁ διάβολος ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἥττης σπουδάζει· ὅταν οὖν αὐτὸν ἀφέλωμαι τοῦτο, ὑπὲρ οὗ σπουδάζει, ἐνίκησα. Οὐ γὰρ ὥστε καταβαλεῖν, ἀλλ' ὥστε συγκαταβαλεῖν ἐπείγεται· καὶ ἡ νίκη αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐν τῷ στεφανωθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ συναπολέσθαι ἐστίν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ βληθείης πολλάκις, μηδὲ οὕτως ἀποστῇς· τῶν γὰρ μὴ μαχομένων ἐστὶ τὸ μὴ τιτρώσκεσθαι· τοὺς δὲ πολλῷ τῷ θυμῷ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων χωροῦντας, ἔστι καὶ βληθῆναί ποτε. Καὶ οὐκ ἄν τις στρατιώτην ἰδὼν ἐπανήκοντα μετὰ τραύματος ἀπὸ πολέμου ὀνειδίσειεν· ὄνειδος γὰρ ὅπλα ῥῖψαι καὶ τῶν πολεμίων ἔξω γενέσθαι. Ἕως ἂν ἑστήκῃ τις μαχόμενος, κἂν βάλληται, κἂν ὑποχωρῇ πρὸς βραχὺ, οὐδεὶς οὕτως ἀγνώμων, οὐδὲ τῶν πολεμικῶν ἄπειρος, ὡς ἐγκαλέσαι τούτῳ ποτέ. Ὅταν γάρ τις ἑαυτὸν ἀδικῆσαι μὴ βουληθῇ, ἕτερος τοῦτον οὐκ ἰσχύσει ποτέ. Καὶ γὰρ τὰς ἰσχυρὰς τῶν πόλεων ὅπλα μὲν πολλάκις καὶ μηχανήματα τῶν ἔξωθεν οὐκ ἴσχυσε καθελεῖν, προδοσία δὲ ἑνὸς ἢ δύο τῶν ἔνδον οἰκούντων ἀπονητὶ παρέδωκε τοῖς ἐχθροῖς. Ἂν τοίνυν μηδείς σε τῶν ἔνδον προδοίη λογισμῶν, κἂν μυρία προσάγῃ μηχανήματα ὁ πονηρὸς, προσάξει μάτην. Τί γὰρ ἂν περὶ τῆς τῶν Μακκαβαίων μητρὸς εἴποιμεν τῆς γενναίας ἐκείνης; οὐχὶ γυνὴ ἦν; οὐχὶ ἑπτὰ δέδωκε παῖδας τῷ χορῷ τῶν ἁγίων; οὐκ εἶδεν αὐτοὺς μαρτυρήσαντας; οὐχ εἱστήκει καθ' ἕκαστον αὐτῶν μαρτυροῦσα; βασανιζομένων γὰρ ἐκείνων, αὕτη τὴν πληγὴν ἐδέχετο· μήτηρ γὰρ ἦν. Ἐννόησον πῶς αὐτοὺς ἤλειψε, πῶς ἑπτὰ ναοὺς τῷ Θεῷ παρέστησεν. Εἰστήκει ὁ τύραννος, καὶ ὑπὸ μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἡττώμενος ἀνεχώρει. Ἐκεῖνος ὅπλοις ἐπολιόρκει, καὶ αὕτη τῇ προθυμίᾳ περιεγένετο· ἐκεῖνος κάμινον ἀνῆψε, καὶ αὕτη τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐξέκαιεν· ἐκεῖνος στρατόπεδον ἐκίνει, καὶ αὕτη πρὸς ἀγγέλους μεθωρμίζετο. Ἑώρα κάτω τὸν τύραννον, καὶ ἐνενόει τὸν ἄνω βασιλεύοντα· ἑώρα τὰς κάτω βασάνους, καὶ ἠρίθμει τὰ ἄνω βραβεῖα· ἑώρα τὴν παροῦσαν κόλασιν, καὶ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐνενόει ἀθανασίαν. Τί δὲ ὁ Ἡσαῦ; οὐχὶ μείζων ἦν τοῦ Ἰακώβ; οὐχὶ πρωτότοκος; οὐχὶ ἀγαπητὸς τῷ πατρί; ἀλλὰ προδοὺς ἑαυτὸν διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ τῶν πρωτοτοκίων ἐκπίπτει, καὶ τῷ ἐλάσσονι δουλεύειν 63.814 καταδικάζεται. Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος τῇ Ῥεβέκκα διὰ τοῦ ἱερέως· ∆ύο ἔθνη ἐν τῇ γαστρί σού ἐστι, καὶ δύο λαοὶ ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ σου διασταλήσονται, καὶ λαὸς λαὸν ὑπερέξει, καὶ ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι. Ὅρα πρόῤῥησιν ἅπαντα σαφῶς αὐτῇ μηνύουσαν τὰ μέλλοντα γενέσθαι. Ἁλλόμενοι γὰρ οἱ παῖδες ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ καὶ σκιρτῶντες, ἤδη προεφώνουν ἅπαντα μετὰ ἀκριβείας. Καὶ λοιπὸν ἐμάνθανεν ἡ γυνὴ οὐχ ὅτι μόνον δύο τέξεται παῖδας, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ εἰς ἔθνη οὗτοι ἐκταθήσονται, καὶ ὅτι ὁ ἐλάσσων κυριεύσει τοῦ μείζονος. Καὶ ὅτε λοιπὸν ἤγγισεν ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ τόκου, ἐξῆλθε, φησὶν, ὁ πρωτότοκος πυῤῥάκης, ὡσεὶ δορὰ δασύς· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξῆλθεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ἐπειλημμένη τῆς πτέρνης αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰακώβ· μονονουχὶ ἤδη καὶ ἐκ