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De martyribus et adversus Arianos

SERMON 35.

To the martyrs, and against the Arians.

A. What can be said that is as great as what is present for the eyes to see? What word is equal to the good things that appear? Behold, before our eyes is the incredible spectacle, which we often prayed to see, but the longed-for thing was better than our prayer. Again here are the honors of martyrs, which for a long time before this had been neglected; again, gatherings of the priests of God; again, choirs and spiritual festivals. The populous assembly is eager to celebrate, not to fight with arms. O the wonder! Weapons are thrown from hands, the battle line is broken, the war is neglected. No longer are the voices of those shouting war-cries heard; but instead of these, festivals and gladness and peaceful delights dance around the whole city; which was long ago the mother of martyrs, but for a long time in between, had become deprived of the honor for her children. But now she has all things and abounds, as the Apostle says. Well done, O martyrs; this contest is also yours; you have conquered the great war, I know it well. These achievements are also from your toils alone. You have raised the trophy for peace. You have drawn the priests of God to yourselves. You have set the dancers of the Holy Spirit over this assembly. Oh what a great loss they have suffered, whose lifetime did not last until this present spectacle, so that having had their fill of gloomy things, they might have enjoyed the good things of peace!

B. The deceit of heresy has departed and vanished, like some mist, scattered by the Holy Spirit; and the clear sky of peace has shone through, and in it the stars of the city appear, glittering in the bright light of truth, not allotted to night and darkness, but all appearing by day, having shone forth with the true light of righteousness. And since, as the Apostle says, the night is far spent, or rather, has vanished altogether, and everything is brightened by the light of day, the beasts that roam by night flee, and are driven to the woods and caves; and heretical bats flee screeching, their eyes blinded by the light of truth, and plunge into the holes of the rocks, 36.260 clinging headfirst to one another. Through this day the companies of revellers and drunkards have ceased. Robbers, and burglars, and thieves, and whatever other work of the night there is, has been hidden, now that the light of peace has dawned. But while that night was darkening all things with the gloom of deceit, what sort of things were being done? Worthy of forgetfulness and deep silence, so that the present grace might not be defiled by the memory of more unpleasant things. For how could one speak of the evils of that time? And how could one be silent? What suffering from tragedy is like this? What myth fashions such calamities? What poet of dramas has cried out such suffering on stage? The calamity is beyond words; the sufferings beyond the power of those who narrate them.

C. The assembly was the devil's base of operations. Here he established his camp for himself, and set up his own shield-bearers in it. Here was the army of falsehood, the champions of deceit, the expedition of demons, the legions of unclean spirits; and if I must also speak of names from outside, from here the

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De martyribus et adversus Arianos

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΛΕʹ.

Εἰς τοὺς μάρτυρας, καὶ κατὰ Ἀρειανῶν.

Α. Τί τοσοῦτον ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅσον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς πάρεστι βλέπειν; Τίς δὲ λόγος τῶν φαινομένων ἀγαθῶν ἰσοστάσιος; Ἰδοὺ πρόκειται τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν τὸ ἀπιστούμενον θέαμα, ὃ καὶ ἰδεῖν μὲν πολλάκις ηὐξάμεθα, κρεῖττον δὲ ἦν ἢ κατ' εὐχὴν τὸ ποθούμενον. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα μαρτύρων τιμαὶ, πολὺν ἤδη τὸν πρὸ τούτου χρόνον ἀμεληθεῖσαι· πάλιν ἱερέων Θεοῦ συνδρομαί· πάλιν χοροστασίαι καὶ πανηγύρεις πνευματικαί. Ὁ σύλλογος πολυάνθρωπος ἑορτάζειν, οὐχ ὁπλομαχεῖν προθυμούμενος. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος· ἔῤῥιπται τῶν χειρῶν τὰ ὅπλα, λέλυται ἡ παράταξις, ἀμελεῖται ὁ πόλεμος. Οὐκ ἔτι αἱ φωναὶ τῶν ἀλαλα ζόντων ἀκούονται· ἀντὶ δὲ τούτων ἑορταὶ, καὶ εὐφρο σύναι, καὶ εἰρηνικαὶ θυμηδίαι τὴν πόλιν πᾶσαν πε ριχορεύουσι· τὴν πάλαι μὲν οὖσαν τῶν μαρτύρων μητέρα, πολὺν δὲ τὸν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ χρόνον, ἄμοιρον γενομένην τῆς ἐπὶ τοῖς τέκνοις τιμῆς. Ἀλλὰ νῦν ἀπέχει πάντα καὶ περισσεύει, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπό στολος. Εὖγε, ὦ μάρτυρες· ὑμέτερος καὶ οὗτος ὁ ἆθλος· ὑμεῖς νενικήκατε τὸν πολὺν πόλεμον, εὖ οἶδα. Μόνα καὶ ταῦτα τῶν ὑμετέρων ἱδρώτων τὰ κατ ορθώματα. Ὑμεῖς ἠγείρατε τῇ εἰρήνῃ τὸ τρόπαιον. Ὑμεῖς τοὺς ἱερέας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐφ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐφειλκύσα σθε. Ὑμεῖς τοὺς χορευτὰς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τῷ συλλόγῳ τούτῳ προεστήσασθε. Ὢ πόσην πεπόνθασι τὴν ζημίαν, οἷς ὁ χρόνος τῆς ζωῆς μέχρι τοῦ νῦν οὐ διήρκεσε θεάματος, ἵνα τῶν σκυθρωπῶν εἰς κόρον ἐλθόντες, τῶν ἀγαθῶν τῆς εἰρήνης ἀπελαύσειεν!

Βʹ. Οἴχεται μὲν, καὶ ἠφάνισται ἡ τῆς αἱρέσεως ἀπάτη, οἷόν τις ὁμίχλη, ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος σκεδασθεῖσα· καθαρὰ δὲ διέλαμψεν ἡ τῆς εἰρήνης αἰθρία, καὶ διαφαίνονται κατ' αὐτὴν οἱ τοῦ ἄστεως ἐν λαμπρῷ τῆς ἀληθείας φωτὶ μαρμαρύσσοντες ἀστέ ρες, οὐχὶ νυκτὶ ἀποκεκληρωμένοι καὶ σκότῳ, ἀλλ' ἡμεροφανεῖς οἱ πάντες, τῷ ἀληθινῷ φωτὶ τῆς δικαιο σύνης ἀναλάμψαντες. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ, καθά φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ἡ νὺξ προέκοψε, μᾶλλον δὲ, τὸ παρά παν ἠφάνισται, τῷ δὲ φωτὶ τῆς ἡμέρας ἅπαν καταφαιδρύνεται, φεύγει μὲν τὰ νυκτονόμα τῶν θηρίων, καὶ συνελαύνονται πρὸς τοὺς δρυμοὺς καὶ τὰς σπήλυγγας· φεύγουσι δὲ νυκτερίδες αἱρετικαὶ τρύζουσαι, καὶ πρὸς τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας φῶς ἀμβλυώ πτουσαι, καὶ εἰς τὰς τρώγλας τῶν πετρῶν κα 36.260 ταδύονται, ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν ἀλλήλων ἐχόμεναι. Πέπαυται διὰ τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης τὰ τῶν κωμαστῶν καὶ τῶν μεθυόντων συντάγματα. Λωποδύται, καὶ τοιχωρύχοι, καὶ κλέπται, καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο τῆς νυκτὸς ἔργον ἐστὶ, τοῦ φωτὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ἐπανατείλαντος, κέκρυπται. Ἕως δὲ ἦν ἡ νὺξ ἐκείνη τῷ τῆς ἀπάτης γνόφῳ τὰ πάντα κατασκοτίζουσα, οἷα ἦν τὰ πραττόμενα; Λήθης ἄξια καὶ βαθείας σιγῆς, ὡς ἂν μὴ μνήμῃ τῶν ἀηδεστέ ρων, ἡ παροῦσα χάρις καταμολύνοιτο. Πῶς γὰρ ἄν τις εἴποι τὰ κατ' αὐτῆς κακά; πῶς δὲ ἄν τις καὶ σιωπήσειε· τί πάθος ἐκ τραγῳδίας τοιοῦτον; τίς μῦθος συμφορὰς ἀναπλάσσων; τίς ποιητὴς δραμά των τοιοῦτον ἐπὶ σκηνῆς πάθος ἐβόησεν; Ὑπὲρ λό γον ἡ συμφορά· ὑπὲρ τὴν δύναμιν τῶν διηγουμένων τὰ πάθη.

Γʹ. Ὁρμητήριον ἦν τοῦ διαβόλου ὁ χορός. Ἐνταῦθα τὸ στρατόπεδον ἑαυτῷ κατεστήσατο, καὶ τοὺς ἰδίους ὑπασπιστὰς ἐν αὐτῷ καθιδρύσατο. Ἐν ταῦθα ὁ στρατὸς τοῦ ψεύδους, οἱ τῆς ἀπάτης πρό μαχοι, ἡ τῶν δαιμόνων ἐκστρατεία, αἱ λεγεῶνες τῶν ἀκαθάρτων πνευμάτων· εἰ δὲ χρὴ καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν ὀνομάτων εἰπεῖν, ἐντεῦθεν ὁ