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In Barlaam martyrem

HOMILY 17. On the martyr Barlaam.

Formerly, the deaths of the saints were adorned with lamentations and tears; Joseph wept bitterly for Jacob when he died, and the Jews mourned the death of Moses not a little; with many tears they also honored Samuel; but now we leap for joy at the deaths of the holy ones. For the nature of sorrowful things has been changed after the cross. No longer do we escort the deaths of the saints with dirges, but with inspired dances we dance upon their tombs. For to the righteous, death is sleep. Or rather, it is a departure to a better life. Hence martyrs leap for joy while being slain. For the desire for a more blessed life renders the pain of slaughter dead. The martyr does not look at the dangers, but at the crowns; he does not shudder at the blows, but counts the prizes; he does not see the executioners scourging him below, but imagines the angels praising him from above; he does not consider the temporary nature of the dangers, but the eternal nature of the rewards. And even now among us they reap a brilliant pledge, applauded with inspired praises from all, and drawing countless crowds from their tombs. This is what has been accomplished today for the noble Barlaam. For the martyr's trumpet of war has sounded, and, as you see, has gathered the hoplites of piety. The fallen athlete of Christ was proclaimed, and he has uplifted the theater of the Church. And as the Master of the faithful said: He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live; the noble Barlaam has died, and he assembles festivals; he has been consumed by the tomb, and he calls us to a feast. Now is the time for us to cry out: Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this age? Today our invincible teacher of piety is a rustic, 31.485 whom the tyrant dragged as easily-captured prey, but after the trial knew him to be an invincible hoplite; at whom he laughed as he spoke haltingly, but shuddered when he displayed angelic valor. For his character was not barbarous like the instrument of his tongue, nor was his reasoning seen to limp along with his syllables; but he was a second Paul, speaking with Paul: Though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge. The scourging executioners grew numb, but the martyr was found to be more vigorous; the hands of those who tore his flesh grew weak, but the reasoning of the one being torn was not bent. The scourges loosened the harmonies of his sinews, but the tone of his faith was tightened more precisely. His sides, being dug into, were consumed, but the philosophy of his mind flourished. The greater part of his flesh had been put to death, but he flourished as if he had not yet begun the contests. For when the love of piety takes possession of the soul, every form of conflict is laughable to it, and all who tear it for the sake of the beloved one delight it rather than strike it. The longing of the apostles bears witness to me, once making the scourges from the Jews pleasant for them. For they departed, it says, rejoicing from the presence of the council, that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Such also is the hoplite we praise today; considering the punishments a joy, thinking he was being struck by roses with the scourges; shunning the tortures of impiety as arrows, and reckoning the judge's wrath as a shadow of smoke; laughing at the savage battalions of guards; dancing at the dangers as if for crowns; rejoicing in the blows as in honors; leaping for joy at the more violent punishments as at more brilliant prizes; spitting on swords

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In Barlaam martyrem

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΖʹ. Εἰς Βαρλαὰμ μάρτυρα.

Πρότερον μὲν τῶν ἁγίων οἱ θάνατοι κοπετοῖς ἐκοσμοῦντο καὶ δάκρυσιν· ἔκλαυσε σφοδρῶς Ἰωσὴφ τὸν Ἰακὼβ τεθνεῶτα, ἐκόψαντο καὶ τὴν Μωϋ σέως τελευτὴν οὐ μικρῶς Ἰουδαῖοι· πολλοῖς καὶ τὸν Σαμουὴλ τετιμήκασι δάκρυσι· νῦν δὲ ταῖς τῶν ὁσίων τελευταῖς ἐνσκιρτῶμεν. Ἡ γὰρ τῶν λυπηρῶν μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν μεταβέβληται φύσις. Οὐκέτι θρήνοις τοὺς τῶν ἁγίων δορυφοροῦμεν θανάτους, ἀλλ' ἐνθέοις χορείαις τοῖς ἐκείνων ἐπορχούμεθα τάφοις. Ὕπνος γὰρ τοῖς δικαίοις ὁ θάνατος. Μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸς κρείττονα ζωὴν ἐκδημία. Ἐντεῦθεν σκιρτῶσι σφατ τόμενοι μάρτυρες. Ὁ γὰρ τῆς μακαριωτέρας ζωῆς πόθος τὴν τῆς σφαγῆς ὀδύνην νεκρὰν ἀπεργάζεται. Οὐ βλέπει τοὺς κινδύνους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς στεφάνους ὁ μάρτυς· οὐ φρίττει τὰς πληγὰς, ἀλλ' ἀριθμεῖ τὰ βραβεῖα· οὐχ ὁρᾷ τοὺς κάτω μαστιγοῦντας δημίους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἄνωθεν εὐφημοῦντας ἀγγέλους φαντάζεται· οὐ σκοπεῖ τῶν κινδύνων τὸ πρόσκαιρον, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν ἐπάθλων αἰώνιον. Λαμπρὸν καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν ἤδη τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα καρποῦνται, ταῖς παρὰ πάντων ἐνθέοις εὐφημίαις κροτούμενοι, καὶ μυρίους ἐκ τάφων σαγη νεύοντες δήμους. Τοῦτο δὴ τὸ τῷ γενναίῳ τήμερον Βαρλαὰμ πε πραγμένον. Ἤχησε γὰρ ἡ πολεμικὴ τοῦ μάρτυρος σάλπιγξ, καὶ τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας ὁπλίτας, ὡς ὁρᾶτε, συνήγαγεν. Ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ κείμενος ἀθλητὴς ἐκη ρύχθη, καὶ τὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀνεπτέρωσε θέατρον. Καὶ ὡς ἔλεγε τῶν πιστῶν ὁ ∆εσπότης· Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, κἂν ἀποθάνῃ, ζήσεται· τέθνη κεν ὁ γενναῖος Βαρλαὰμ, καὶ συγκροτεῖ πανηγύρεις· κατανάλωται τάφῳ, καὶ συγκαλεῖ πρὸς ἑστίασιν. Νῦν ἡμῖν ἀναβοῆσαι καιρός· Ποῦ σοφός; ποῦ γραμματεύς; ποῦ συζητητὴς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου; Ἄγροικος ἡμῖν σήμερον ὁ ἀήττητος τῆς εὐσεβείας 31.485 διδάσκαλος, ὂν εἷλκε μὲν τύραννος ὡς εὐάλω τον θήραμα, ἔγνω δὲ μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν ὁπλίτην ἀχείρωτον· ὃν ἐγέλα μὲν παρακεκομμένα φθεγγό μενον, ἔφριξε δὲ ἀγγελικὰ νεανιευόμενον. Οὐ γὰρ συνεβαρβάριζεν ὁ τρόπος τῷ τῆς γλώττης ὀργάνῳ, οὐδὲ ταῖς συλλαβαῖς συγχωλεύων ὁ λογισμὸς ἑω ρᾶτο· ἀλλ' ἦν δεύτερος Παῦλος, μετὰ τοῦ Παύ λου φθεγγόμενος· Εἰ καὶ ἰδιώτης τῷ λόγῳ, ἀλλ' οὐ τῇ γνώσει. Ἐνάρκησαν μαστίζοντες δή μιοι, ἀλλ' ἀκμαιότερος ὁ μάρτυς εὑρίσκετο· αἱ τῶν ξεόντων ἐξενευρίζοντο χεῖρες, ἀλλ' ὁ τοῦ ξεομένου λογισμὸς οὐκ ἐκάμπτετο. Τὰς τῶν νεύρων αἱ μάστι γες ἁρμονίας παρέλυσαν, ἀλλ' ὁ τῆς πίστεως ἀκρι βέστερον ἐπεσφίγγετο τόνος. ∆ιασκαπτόμεναι πλευ ραὶ δεδαπάνηντο, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ φρονήματος ἤνθει φιλοσοφία. Τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ τὸ πλέον νενέκρωτο, ἀλλ' ὡς μήπω τῶν ἀγώνων ἀρξάμενος ἤκμαζεν. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἔρως τὴν ψυχὴν προ κατάσχῃ, ἅπαν αὐτῇ πολέμων καταγέλαστον εἶδος, καὶ πάντες αὐτὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ποθουμένου καταξέοντες τέρπουσι μᾶλλον ἢ πλήττουσι. Μαρτυρεῖ μοι τῶν ἀποστόλων ὁ πόθος, τερπνὰς αὐτοῖς ποτε τὰς παρὰ Ἰουδαίων ἐργαζόμενος μάστιγας. Ἐπορεύοντο γὰρ, φησὶ, χαίροντες ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ συνεδρίου, ὅτι ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ κατηξιώθησαν ἀτιμασθῆναι. Τοιοῦτος καὶ ὁ σήμερον ἡμῖν ὁπλίτης ὑμνούμενος· εὐφροσύνην τὰς κολάσεις ἡγούμενος, ῥόδοις τισὶ βάλλεσθαι νομίζων ταῖς μάστιξι· τὰς τῆς ἀσεβείας αἰκίας δραπετεύων ὡς βέλη, κα πνοῦ σκιὰν τὸν δικαστικὸν θυμὸν λογιζόμενος· τάγματα δορυφόρων ἀπηγριωμένα γελῶν· ὡς ἐπὶ στεφάνοις τοῖς κινδύνοις χορεύων· ταῖς πληγαῖς ὡς τιμαῖς εὐφραινόμενος· ταῖς σφοδροτέραις τιμωρίαις ὡς βραβείοις ἐνσκιρτῶν λαμπροτέροις· ξίφη δια πτύων