Cyril of Alexandria, Sermon on the Death of the Three Holy Children

Sermo de obitu sanctorum trium puerorum OF CYRIL ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, A SERMON ON THE

DEATH OF THE HOLY THREE CHILDREN AND OF THE ALL-WISE DANIEL.

An occasion of the times has presented itself, beloved, to bring forth the memory of good martyrs; for this memory imitates the festival of the heavenly orders, for the intercession and salvation of our souls; as many of you, therefore, as acknowledge God, today incline your ears here, that you may be deemed worthy of the prize of the martyrs just mentioned; for it is right to praise and admire these who had not yet seen the incarnation of Christ, and the death of the immortal one, and the resurrection from the dead, and before his coming in the flesh, became his confessors and martyrs; concerning these things the providence of the immaculate Trinity through the prophecy just read, on account of the children of royal lineage, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael; concerning these things I wish to explain to the Church of God their way of life and advocating knowledge and alliance and consummation, how the good branches, the children, having acted bravely were perfected, etc.

This composition of the good testament, I, Cyril, the least bishop of the city of the Alexandrians, came upon in the testament of Daniel; and I wrote the symbol and way of life of the holy and blameless children, and their consummation in Christ. May it come to pass by the grace of Christ, and the intercession of the gloriously triumphant martyrs just mentioned, that the Church of Christ flourish and advance, abounding in the fruit of righteousness; so that fathers and mothers, sprouting such plants with temperance and piety, the young men and maidens may be deemed worthy of such a way of life, and may grow together in such virtue. And the holy children are perfected on the seventeenth of the month of December.

Sermo de obitu sanctorum trium puerorum ΚΥΡΙΛΛΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΙΑΣ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ

ΤΕΛΕΥΤΗΝ ΤΩΝ ΑΓΙΩΝ ΤΡΙΩΝ ΠΑΙ∆ΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΝΣΟΦΟΥ ∆ΑΝΙΗΛ.

Πρόφασις καιρῶν παρέστη, ἀγαπητοὶ, μαρτύρων ἀγαθῶν ἐνέγκαι μνήμην· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ μνήμη μιμεῖται τὴν πανήγυριν τῶν οὐρανίων ταγμάτων, ἐπὶ πρεσβείαν καὶ σωτηρίαν τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν· ὅσοι οὖν τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιγινώσκετε, σήμερον ἐνταῦθα τὰς ἀκοὰς ὑμῶν προτείνατε, ὅπως ἀξιωθῆτε τοῦ βραβείου τῶν ἀρτίως λεγομένων μαρτύρων· τούτους γὰρ ἐπαινεῖσθαι καὶ θαυμάζειν χρὴ τοὺς μήπω θεασαμένους ἐνανθρώπησιν Χριστοῦ, καὶ θάνατον ἀθανάτου, καὶ ἀνάστασιν ἐκ νεκρῶν, καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐνσάρκου παρουσίας, ὁμολογητὰς καὶ μάρτυρας αὐτοῦ γεγονότας· περὶ τούτων ἡ πρόνοια τῆς ἀχράντου Τριάδος διὰ τῆς ἀρτίως ἀναγνωσθείσης προφητείας, ἕνεκεν τῶν βασιλικῶν ὁμοφύλων παίδων, Ἀνανίου, Ἀζαρίου, καὶ Μισαήλ· περὶ τούτων βούλομαι τὴν πολιτείαν καὶ συνηγορικὴν ἐπιστήμην καὶ συμμαχίαν καὶ τελείωσιν ἐξηγήσασθαι τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν, τὸ πῶς ἀνδραγαθήσαντες ἐτελειώσθησαν οἱ καλοὶ κλάδοι παῖδες, κ.τ.λ.

Ταύτην τὴν κατασκευὴν τῆς διαθήκης τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐγὼ Κύριλλος ἐλάχιστος ἐπίσκοπος τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων πόλεως, ἔτυχον τῇ διαθήκῃ τοῦ ∆ανιήλ· συνεγραψάμην δὲ ὁσίων καὶ ἀμωμήτων παίδων σύμβολον καὶ πολιτείαν, καὶ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν τελείωσιν. Γένοιτο δὲ τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριτι, καὶ πρεσβείᾳ τῶν ἀρτίως μνημονευθέντων καλλινίκων μαρτύρων, θάλλειν καὶ προκόπτειν τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν εὐθηνοῦσαν ἐν καρπῷ δικαιοσύνης· ὅπως οἱ πατέρες καὶ αἱ μητέρες τοιαῦτα βλαστάνοντες φυτεύματα μετὰ σωφροσύνης καὶ εὐσεβείας, οἱ νεανίσκοι καὶ παρθένοι τοιαύτης πολιτείας ἀξιῶνται, τοιαύτης ἀρετῆς συναυξάνωσι. Τελειοῦνται δὲ οἱ ἅγιοι παῖδες μηνὶ δεκεμβρίῳ ιζʹ.