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I was stoned, from the Jews I received forty lashes less one.” After the imprisonments and the blows on the back or on the loins; 23.664 “You have set men over our heads.” And you will understand this, seeing during the times of persecutions the godless and impious men treading upon and exalting themselves over the athletes of piety, while the others are humbled and their faces are downcast at the blasphemies and boasts of the godless. Indeed, often they have even struck them on the cheek, smiting with blows the heads of the athletes of God. But all these things, say the martyrs of God, you have brought upon us, O God. For if you had not willed it, no such thing would have been dared against us; but because you permitted it, these things happened. Therefore they say to him: “You brought us into the snare.” For you were the one who made us captives, and permitted these things to happen. And you laid afflictions on our back. For these things would not have been dared against us, if you had protected us, covering us with your own hand. And you also set godless men over our heads. And indeed, in addition to these things, we have come to the last extremities of evil, some enduring death by fire, others by water. For the sword and the torments by the sword, and the other deaths which the majority of us have endured, were considered as nothing in comparison with the worse things. Therefore we have been silent about those things; but since, among terrible things, nothing is considered worse than death by fire and by water, we say that we have endured these very things. For some of us were delivered to be submerged in the sea and in rivers; and others underwent the punishment by fire. Through so many things, therefore, you have tested us, O God, and through all these you have refined us, as silver is refined. But having brought all these things upon us, you yourself again brought us out to a place of refreshment. For it was not in our power to endure and escape so many things, but in yours, the great Savior; for as you brought us into the snare, so also you brought us out to a place of refreshment. Since you did not allow our troubles to be permanent, nor did you prolong the affliction indefinitely, nor did you permit men to tread upon our heads for a long time; but neither being in the fire did we remain in it, nor being cast into the water were we swallowed up; and this we passed through; wherefore it is said: “We went through fire, and we passed through the depth of the waters;” wherefore also, “through water,” is said. And indeed, having trained us in all these things and having received the proof of our patience and of our endurance, you brought us out to a place of refreshment; or according to Symmachus, “into a wide place.” And this was fulfilled in various ways; for while the body of the pious is one, and some have suffered these things, others have endured punishment, others have been tested only by the loss of their possessions, and others have been trained through flight and withdrawal from their own homes, the end of all things did not long delay in coming as a happy one for all. For the martyrs of God, being perfected through death, found true refreshment, so as to be able to say: “Return, my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you; for he has delivered my soul from death,” and what follows. 23.665 For these things would be akin to those who say in the present passage: “Who has set my soul in life, and has not allowed my feet to be moved;” and again: “And you brought us out to a place of refreshment. But those who were preserved in this life and saw the conflagration of the persecution extinguished, being established in radiant peace, obtained refreshment, and arrived at a calm harbor, and enjoyed the gladness after the persecution. And you will understand how it is said here: “You have set men over our heads,” by comparing what is said in another place: “And now he has lifted up my head above my enemies. I have gone round and have sacrificed in his tabernacle a sacrifice of shouting.” For just as during the times of persecutions God raises up

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ἐλιθάσθην, ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων τεσσαράκοντα παρὰ μίαν ἔλαβον.» Μετὰ δὲ τὰς εἱρκτὰς καὶ τὰς κατὰ τῶν νώτων ἢ κατὰ τῶν ὀσφύων 23.664 πληγάς· «Ἐπεβίβασας ἀνθρώπους ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἡμῶν.» Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ νοήσεις, ὁρῶν κατὰ τοὺς τῶν διωγμῶν καιροὺς ἐπεμβαίνοντας τοὺς ἀθέους καὶ ἀσεβεῖς ἄνδρας καὶ κατεπαιρομένους τῶν τῆς θεοσεβείας ἀθλητῶν, τοὺς δὲ ταπεινουμένους καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα συνεσταλμένους ἐπὶ ταῖς τῶν ἀθέων βλασφημίαις τε καὶ μεγαλαυχίαις. Ἤδη δὲ πολλάκις καὶ κατὰ κόρης ἔτυψαν παίοντες πληγαῖς τὰς τῶν ἀθλητῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κεφαλάς. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα, φασὶν οἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ μάρτυρες, σὺ ἡμῖν ἐπήγαγες, ὁ Θεός. Μὴ γάρ σου βουλομένου, οὐκ ἄν τι τοιοῦτον καθ' ἡμῶν ἐτολμᾶτο· συγχωροῦντος δέ σου, ταῦτ' ἐγίνετο. ∆ιό φασι πρὸς αὐτόν· «Εἰσήγαγες ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν παγίδα.» Σὺ γὰρ ἦσθα ὁ κατακλείστους ἡμᾶς ποιῶν, συγχωρῶν δὲ ταῦτα γίνεσθαι. Καὶ σὺ ἔθου θλίψεις ἐπὶ τὸν νῶτον ἡμῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ταῦτα καθ' ἡμῶν ἐτολμᾶτο, εἰ τῇ σαυτοῦ χειρὶ σκεπάσας ἐφύλαττες. Σὺ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀθέους ἀνθρώπους ἐπεβίβασας ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἡμῶν. Ἤδη δὲ πρὸς τούτοις εἰς ἔσχατα κακῶν ἤλθομεν, οἱ μὲν τὸν διὰ πυρὸς ὑπομείναντες θάνατον, οἱ δὲ τὸν δι' ὕδατος. Σίδηρος μὲν γὰρ καὶ αἱ διὰ σιδήρου κολάσεις, οἵ τε ἄλλοι θάνατοι, οὓς οἱ πλείους ἡμῶν ὑπομεμενήκασι, τὸ μηθὲν ἐνομίσθησαν παραθέσει τῶν χειρόνων. ∆ιὸ ἐκεῖνα μὲν σεσιωπήκαμεν· ἐπεὶ δὲ, ὡς ἐν δεινοῖς, οὐδὲν χεῖρον τοῦ διὰ πυρὸς θανάτου καὶ τοῦ δι' ὕδατος νενόμισται, ταῦτα δὲ αὐτά φαμεν ὑπομεμενηκέναι. Τινὲς μὲν γὰρ ἡμῶν ὑποβρύχιοι θαλάττῃ καὶ ποταμοῖς παρεδόθησαν· οἱ δὲ τὴν διὰ πυρὸς τιμωρίαν ὑπέστησαν. ∆ιὰ τοσούτων οὖν ἐδοκίμασας ἡμᾶς, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ διὰ τούτων ἁπάντων ἐπύρωσας ἡμᾶς, ὡς πυροῦται τὸ ἀργύριον. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ἐπαγαγὼν ἡμῖν, πάλιν σὺ αὐτὸς ἐξήγαγες ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀναψυχήν. Οὐ γὰρ ἡμῶν ἦν τὸ ὑπομεῖναι καὶ διαφυγεῖν τὰ τοσαῦτα, ἀλλὰ σοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου Σωτῆρος· ὡς γὰρ εἰσήγαγες εἰς τὴν παγίδα, οὕτω καὶ ἐξήγαγες εἰς ἀναψυχήν. Ἐπειδὴ μὴ παράμονα εἴασας ἡμῶν τὰ σκυθρωπὰ, μηδὲ εἰς ἄπειρον παρέτεινας τὴν θλίψιν, μηδὲ εἰς μακρὸν χρόνον συνεχώρησας ἐπιβῆναι ἀνθρώπους ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἡμῶν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ πυρὶ γενόμενοι ἐνυπεμείναμεν, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι ἐμβληθέντες κατεπόθημεν· καὶ τοῦτο δὲ διήλθομεν· διὸ λέλεκται· «∆ιήλθομεν διὰ πυρὸς, καὶ τὸν βυθὸν τῶν ὑδάτων διεξήλθομεν·» διὸ καὶ, «δι' ὕδατος,» εἴρηται. Καὶ δὴ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἅπασιν ἐγγυμνάσας ἡμᾶς καὶ τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς καρτερίας τὴν δοκιμὴν λαβὼν ἐξήγαγες ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀναψυχήν· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, «εἰς εὐρυχωρίαν.» Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἐπληροῦτο διαφόρως· ἑνὸς γὰρ ὄντος τοῦ τῶν θεοσεβῶν σώματος, καὶ τῶν μὲν τάδε πεπονθότων, τῶν δὲ ὑπομεινάντων τιμωρίαν, τῶν δὲ τῇ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ζημίᾳ μόνῃ δοκιμασθέντων, τῶν δὲ διὰ φυγῆς καὶ τῆς τῶν οἰκείων ἀναχωρήσεως ἐγγυμνασθέντων, οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν τὸ πάντων τέλος τοῖς πᾶσιν αἴσιον ἀπήντα. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ μάρτυρες διὰ τοῦ θανάτου τελειωθέντες, τὴν ἀληθῶς ἀναψυχὴν εὕραντο, ὡς δύνασθαι φάναι· «Ἐπίστρεψον, ἡ ψυχή μου, εἰς τὴν ἀνάπαυσίν σου, ὅτι Κύριος εὐηργέτησέ σε· ὅτι ἐξείλατο τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ θανάτου,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 23.665 Ἀδελφὰ γὰρ ἂν εἴη ταῦτα τῶν διὰ τῶν μετὰ χεῖρας φασκόντων· «Τοῦ θεμένου τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ζωὴν, καὶ μὴ δόντος εἰς σάλον τοὺς πόδας μου·» καὶ πάλιν· «Καὶ ἐξήγαγες ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀναψυχήν. Οἱ δὲ ἐν τῷ βίῳ πεφυλαγμένοι καὶ τὴν τοῦ διωγμοῦ πυρκαϊὰν ἀποσβεσθεῖσαν τεθεαμένοι, ἐν εἰρήνῃ φαιδρᾷ καταστάντες, τῆς ἀναψυχῆς ἔτυχον, καὶ εἰς εὔδιον λιμένα καταντήσαντες, καὶ τῆς μετὰ τοῦ διωγμοῦ εὐφροσύνης ἀπολαύσαντες. Νοήσεις δὲ ὅπως εἴρηται ἐνταῦθα τό· «Ἐπεβίβασας ἀνθρώπους ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἡμῶν,» παραθεὶς τὸ ἐν ἑτέρῳ εἰρημένον· «Καὶ νῦν ὕψωσε κεφαλήν μου ἐπὶ ἐχθρούς μου. Ἐκύκλωσα καὶ ἔθυσα ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ σου θυσίαν ἀλαλαγμοῦ.» Ὥσπερ γὰρ κατὰ τοὺς τῶν διωγμῶν καιροὺς ἐπανίστησιν ὁ Θεὸς