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De sanctis martyribus

When the bishop had gone away to celebrate a day of martyrs in the country, the homily was spoken in the city on the martyrs, and concerning compunction and almsgiving.

50.645 1. Yesterday was a day of martyrs, and today also is a day of martyrs; would that we might always celebrate a day of martyrs. For if those who are mad about the theaters, and who gape at the horse races, never get their fill of those shameful spectacles, much more ought we to be insatiable towards the feasts of the saints. There, a diabolical procession; here, a Christian festival. There, demons leap about; here, angels dance. There, the destruction of souls; here, the salvation of all who are gathered. But do those things have some pleasure? But not as much as these things. For what pleasure is it to see horses running rashly and simply? But here you do not see a team of irrational animals, but myriad chariots of martyrs, and God standing upon these chariots, and driving the road to heaven. For that the souls of the saints are the chariot of God, hear the prophet saying: The chariot of God is ten thousandfold, thousands of rejoicing ones. For what He granted to the powers above, this He has bestowed also on our nature. He sits upon the Cherubim, as the psalm also says: He mounted upon the Cherubim, and flew; and again, He who sits upon the Cherubim, and beholds the abysses. This He has given to us again; upon them He sits, in us He dwells. For I will dwell 50.646 and walk among you. They have become a chariot, let us become a temple. Have you seen the kinship of honor? Have you seen how He has made peace between the things above and the things below? Therefore we are in no way separated from the angels, if we are willing. But as I said at the beginning, yesterday was a day of martyrs, and today is a day of martyrs, not of those among us, but of those in the country; or rather, they too are among us. For city and country are distinct from each other in worldly matters, but according to the principle of piety they share and are united. For do not look at their barbarous speech, but at their philosophical mind. For what is the benefit to me of similarity of speech, when matters of opinion are divided? And what harm to me is difference of speech, when matters of faith are joined together? According to this principle, the country is in no way more insignificant than the city; for in the chief of good things they have equality. For this reason our Lord Jesus Christ did not stay only in the cities, and leave the country places empty and desolate, but he went through cities and villages, preaching the gospel and healing every disease and every infirmity. Imitating him, our common shepherd and teacher has left us and run to them; or rather, he has not left us by going to them; for he went to our 50.647 brothers. And just as when the feast of the Maccabees was being celebrated, the whole country poured into the city; so now that the feast of the martyrs there is being held, the whole city ought to move to them. For this is why God planted martyrs not only in cities, but also in the country itself, so that from the occasion of the feasts we might have a necessary pretext for mingling with one another, and more in the country than in the city. For to that which is lacking, God has given more abundant honor; for that part is weaker; on account of

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De sanctis martyribus

Ἀπελθόντος τοῦ ἐπισκόπου μαρτύρων ἡμέραν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ ἐπιτελέσαι, ἐλέχθη ἡ ὁμιλία ἐν τῇ πόλει εἰς μάρτυρας, καὶ περὶ κατανύξεως καὶ

ἐλεημοσύνης.

50.645 αʹ. Χθὲς μαρτύρων ἡμέρα, ἀλλὰ καὶ σήμερον μαρτύρων ἡμέρα· εἴθε καὶ ἀεὶ μαρτύρων ἡμέραν ἐπετελοῦμεν. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ περὶ τὰ θέατρα μεμηνότες, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἵππων ἅμιλλαν κεχηνότες, οὐδέποτε λαμβάνουσι κόρον τῶν ἀτόπων θεαμάτων ἐκείνων, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς ἀκορέστως ἔχειν δεῖ πρὸς τὰς ἑορτὰς τῶν ἁγίων. Ἐκεῖ πομπὴ διαβολικὴ, ἐνταῦθα ἑορτὴ χριστιανική· ἐκεῖ δαίμονες σκιρτῶσιν. ἐνταῦθα ἄγγελοι χορεύουσιν· ἐκεῖ ψυχῶν ἀπώλεια, ἐνταῦθα σωτηρία τῶν συλλεγομένων ἁπάντων. Ἀλλ' ἔχει τινὰ ἡδονὴν ἐκεῖνα; Ἀλλ' οὐ τοσαύτην ὅσην ταῦτα. Ποία γὰρ ἡδονὴ τρέχοντας εἰκῆ καὶ ἁπλῶς ἵππους ἰδεῖν; ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχὶ ἀλόγων ζεῦγος ὁρᾷς, ἀλλὰ μαρτύρων μυρία ἅρματα, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν τοῖς ἅρμασιν ἐφεστῶτα τούτοις, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ὁδὸν ἐλαύνοντα. Ὅτι γὰρ αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἅρμα εἰσὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἄκουσον τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Τὸ ἅρμα τοῦ Θεοῦ μυριοπλάσιον, χιλιάδες εὐθηνούντων. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἐδωρήσατο ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσι, τοῦτο ἐχαρίσατο καὶ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ φύσει. Ἐπὶ τῶν Χερουβὶμ κάθηται, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ ψαλμός φησιν· Ἐπέβη ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβὶμ, καὶ ἐπετάσθη· καὶ πάλιν, Ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβὶμ, καὶ βλέπων ἀβύσσους. Τοῦτο καὶ ἡμῖν πάλιν ἔδωκεν· ἐπ' ἐκείνων κάθηται, ἐν ἡμῖν οἰκεῖ· Ἐνοικήσω γὰρ 50.646 καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσω ἐν ὑμῖν. Ἐκεῖνοι γεγόνασιν ἅρμα, ἡμεῖς γενώμεθα ναός. Εἶδες τῆς τιμῆς τὴν συγγένειαν; εἶδες πῶς εἰρηνοποίησε τὰ ἄνω καὶ τὰ κάτω; ∆ιόπερ οὐδὲν διεστήκαμεν τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἂν θέλωμεν. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔφην ἀρχόμενος, χθὲς μαρτύρων ἡμέρα, καὶ σήμερον μαρτύρων ἡμέρα, οὐχὶ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ· μᾶλλον δὲ κἀκεῖνοι παρ' ἡμῖν. Πόλις μὲν γὰρ καὶ χώρα ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς πράγμασιν ἀλλήλων διεστήκασι, κατὰ δὲ τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας λόγον κοινωνοῦσι καὶ ἥνωνται. Μὴ γάρ μοι τὴν βάρβαρον αὐτῶν φωνὴν ἴδῃς, ἀλλὰ τὴν φιλοσοφοῦσαν αὐτῶν διάνοιαν. Τί γάρ μοι ὄφελος τῆς ὁμοφωνίας, ὅταν τὰ τῆς γνώμης ᾖ διῃρημένα; τί δέ μοι βλάβος τῆς ἑτεροφωνίας, ὅταν τὰ τῆς πίστεως ᾖ συνημμένα; Κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον οὐδὲν οὔτε χώρα πόλεως εὐτελεστέρα· ἐν γὰρ τῷ κεφαλαίῳ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἰσοτιμίαν ἔχουσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς οὐχὶ ταῖς πόλεσι μὲν ἐνδιέτριβε, τὰς δὲ χώρας ἠφίει κενὰς καὶ ἐρήμους, ἀλλὰ διεπορεύετο κατὰ πόλεις καὶ κώμας, κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καὶ θεραπεύων πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν. Τοῦτον καὶ ὁ κοινὸς ἡμῶν ποιμὴν καὶ διδάσκαλος μιμησάμενος, ἀφῆκεν ἡμᾶς καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνους ἔδραμε· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ἡμᾶς πρὸς ἐκείνους ἀπελθών· πρὸς γὰρ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς τοὺς 50.647 ἡμετέρους ἀπῆλθε. Καὶ καθάπερ τῆς ἑορτῆς τῶν Μακκαβαίων ἐπιτελουμένης, πᾶσα ἡ χώρα εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐξεχύθη· οὕτω τῆς ἑορτῆς τῶν ἐκεῖ μαρτύρων ἀγομένης, νῦν τὴν πόλιν ἅπασαν πρὸς ἐκείνους μεταστῆναι ἐχρῆν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐν πόλεσι μόνον κατεφύτευσε μάρτυρας ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς χώρας αὐτῆς, ἵνα ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἑορτῶν ὑποθέσεως πρόφασιν ἔχωμεν ἀναγκαίαν τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐπιμιξίας, καὶ πλείους ἐπὶ τῆς χώρας ἢ ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως. Τῷ γὰρ ὑστεροῦντι τὴν περισσοτέραν τιμὴν ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεός· ἀσθενέστερον γάρ ἐστιν ἐκεῖνο τὸ μέρος· διὰ