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De sanctis Bernice et Prosdoce

TO THE HOLY MARTYRS Bernice and Prosdoce, virgins, and Domnina their mother, an encomiastic homily.

50.629 1. Not yet twenty days have we had since celebrating the memory of the cross, and behold

we celebrate the memory of martyrs. Have you seen how swift is the fruit of Christ's death? for that sheep these heifers were slaughtered; for that lamb these victims, for that sacrifice these offerings; we have not yet had twenty days, and immediately the wood of the cross has sprouted the beautiful shoots of the martyrs; for these are the achievements of that death. See, therefore, the proof of what was then said come to pass today through these very deeds. Then they said, He shattered the gates of bronze, and broke the bars of iron; today this is shown through deeds. For if He had not shattered the gates of bronze, while they were shut women would not have dared to enter so easily; if He had not broken the bar of iron, virgins would not have had the strength to remove it; if He had not rendered the prison useless, the martyrs would not have entered with such fearlessness.

Blessed be God, a woman dares to despise death, a woman who brought death into our life, the ancient weapon of the devil, this has brought down the power of the devil; the weak and easily influenced vessel has become an invincible weapon; women dare to despise death; who would not be astonished? Let the Greeks be ashamed, let the Jews who disbelieve in the resurrection of Christ be covered in shame. For what greater sign of that resurrection do you seek, tell me, than when you see so great a change of things has come to be? Women dare to despise death, a thing that before this was fearsome and terrible even to holy men. Learn, therefore, its former fear, so that seeing its present contempt, you may marvel at God, the cause of the change; learn its former strength, so that learning its present weakness, you may give thanks to Christ who completely enervated it. Nothing was stronger than it before, beloved, and nothing weaker than us; but now there is nothing weaker than it, and nothing stronger than us. Have you seen how excellent the change has become? how God made the strong things weak, and prepared the weak things to be strong, 50.630 showing us His power from both sides? But lest what is said be only an assertion, I bring forth the proof also. And, if you please, let us first show this, how not only sinners feared it before, but also holy men who had great confidence toward God, priding themselves on their achievements, and having pursued every virtue. But I show these things, not that we might condemn the saints, but that we might marvel at the power of God.

From where then is it clear that the mask of death was fearsome before this, and all shuddered at it, and trembled? From the first patriarch. For Abraham the patriarch, the righteous one, the friend of God, who left his country, and house, and relatives, and friends, and despised all present things for the sake of the command of God, so dreaded and feared death, that when he was about to enter Egypt he said these things to his wife: I know that you are a woman of beautiful appearance; it will be then that when the Egyptians see you, they will keep you for themselves, but they will kill me. What then? Say that I am his sister, so that it may be well with me because of you, and

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De sanctis Bernice et Prosdoce

ΕΙΣ ΤΑΣ ΑΓΙΑΣ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΑΣ Βερνίκην καὶ Προσδόκην παρθένους, καὶ ∆ομνίναν τὴν μητέρα αὐτῶν, ὁμιλία ἐγκωμιαστική.

50.629 αʹ. Οὔπω εἴκοσιν ἡμέρας ἔχομεν σταυροῦ μνείαν ἐπιτελέσαντες, καὶ ἰδοὺ

μαρτύρων μνείαν ἐπιτελοῦμεν. Εἶδες πῶς ταχὺς ὁ καρπὸς τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ Χριστοῦ; δι' ἐκεῖνο τὸ πρόβατον αὗται αἱ δαμάλεις ἐσφάγησαν· δι' ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἀμνὸν ταῦτα τὰ θύματα, δι' ἐκείνην τὴν θυσίαν αὗται αἱ προσφοραί· οὔπω εἴκοσιν ἡμέρας ἔχομεν, καὶ εὐθέως τὸ ξύλον ἐβλάστησε τοῦ σταυροῦ τὰ καλὰ τῶν μαρτύρων βλαστήματα· ταῦτα γὰρ ἐκείνου τοῦ θανάτου τὰ κατορθώματα. Ἴδε τοίνυν τὴν ἀπόδειξιν τῶν τότε εἰρημένων δι' αὐτῶν σήμερον ἐκβεβηκυῖαν τῶν ἔργων. Τότε ἔλεγον, Συνέκλασε πύλας χαλκᾶς, καὶ μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συνέθλασε· σήμερον ταῦτα δείκνυται διὰ τῶν ἔργων. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ συνέκλασε τὰς πύλας τὰς χαλκᾶς, οὐκ ἂν κεκλεισμένων αὐτῶν ἐτόλμησαν αἱ γυναῖκες οὕτω ῥᾳδίως εἰσελθεῖν· εἰ μὴ συνέθλασε τὸν μοχλὸν τὸν σιδηροῦν, οὐκ ἂν αἱ παρθένοι ἴσχυσαν αὐτὸν ἀφελέσθαι· εἰ μὴ τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἄχρηστον ἐποίησεν, οὐκ ἂν μετὰ τοσαύτης ἀδείας εἰσῆλθον αἱ μάρτυρες.

Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς, γυνὴ θανάτου κατατολμᾷ, γυνὴ ἡ θάνατον εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσαγαγοῦσα τὴν ἡμετέραν, τὸ παλαιὸν ὅπλον τοῦ διαβόλου, τοῦτο τοῦ διαβόλου κατήνεγκε τὴν ἰσχύν· τὸ σκεῦος τὸ ἀσθενὲς καὶ εὐεπηρέαστον τοῦτο γέγονεν ὅπλον ἀκαταγώνιστον· γυναῖκες θανάτου κατατολμῶσι· τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλαγείη; Αἰσχυνέσθωσαν Ἕλληνες, ἐγκαλυπτέσθωσαν Ἰουδαῖοι οἱ διαπιστοῦντες τῇ ἀναστάσει τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τί γὰρ μεῖζον, εἰπέ μοι, ζητεῖς σημεῖον τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐκείνης, ὅταν ἴδῃς τοσαύτην μετάστασιν πραγμάτων γεγενημένην; Γυναῖκες θανάτου κατατολμῶσι, πράγματος τοῦ καὶ ἀνδράσιν ἁγίοις πρὸ τούτου φοβεροῦ καὶ φρικώδους ὄντος. Μάθε τοίνυν αὐτοῦ τὸν ἔμπροσθεν φόβον, ἵνα ἰδὼν αὐτοῦ τὴν νῦν καταφρόνησιν, θαυμάσῃς τὸν τῆς μεταβολῆς αἴτιον Θεόν· μάθε αὐτοῦ τὴν προτέραν ἰσχὺν, ἵνα μαθὼν αὐτοῦ τὴν νῦν ἀσθένειαν, εὐχαριστήσῃς τῷ τέλεον αὐτὸν ἐκνευρίσαντι Χριστῷ. Οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον ἐκείνου τὸ πρότερον, ἀγαπητὲ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀσθενέστερον ἡμῶν· ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐδέν ἐστιν ἀσθενέστερον ἐκείνου, καὶ οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον ἡμῶν. Εἶδες πῶς ἀρίστη ἡ μετάστασις γέγονε; πῶς τὰ ἰσχυρὰ ἀσθενῆ 50.630 ἐποίησε, καὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ ἰσχυρὰ κατεσκεύασεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἑκατέρωθεν ἡμῖν δεικνὺς αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν; Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ μόνον ἀπόφασις ᾖ τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἐπάγω Καὶ, εἰ δοκεῖ, πρῶτον ἐκεῖνο δείξωμεν, πῶς ἐφοβοῦντο αὐτὸν ἔμπροσθεν οὐχ ἁμαρτωλοὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅγιοι ἄνθρωποι πολλὴν παῤῥησίαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἔχοντες, ἀπὸ κατορθωμάτων κομῶντες, καὶ πᾶσαν ἐπελθόντες ἀρετήν. Ταῦτα δὲ δείκνυμι, οὐχ ἵνα καταγνῶμεν τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλ' ἵνα θαυμάσωμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν.

Πόθεν οὖν δῆλον, ὅτι φοβερὸν τοῦ θανάτου τὸ προσωπεῖον ἦν πρὸ τούτου, καὶ πάντες αὐτὸν ἐπεφρίκεισαν, καὶ ἔτρεμον; Ἀπὸ τοῦ πατριάρχου πρώτου. Ὁ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατριάρχης, ὁ δίκαιος, ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ φίλος, ὁ πατρίδα ἀφεὶς, καὶ οἰκίαν, καὶ συγγενεῖς, καὶ φίλους, καὶ πάντων ὑπεριδὼν τῶν παρόντων διὰ τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὕτως ἐδεδοίκει καὶ ἐφοβεῖτο τὸν θάνατον, ὡς εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον εἰσιέναι μέλλων εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ταῦτα· Γινώσκω ὅτι γυνὴ εὐπρόσωπος εἰ σύ· ἔσται οὖν ὡς ἂν ἴδωσί σε οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, σὲ μὲν περιποιήσονται, ἐμὲ δὲ ἀποκτενοῦσι. Τί οὖν; Εἰπὲ ὅτι ἀδελφὴ αὐτοῦ εἰμι, ἵνα εὖ μοι γένηται διὰ σὲ, καὶ