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De sancto hieromartyre Babyla

ON THE HOLY HIEROMARTYR BABYLAS 50.527 1. I, for my part, wished to pay the debt today, which I promised you when I was here before; but 50.528 what can I do? The blessed Babylas, appearing in our midst, has called us to himself, not by uttering a sound, but by turning us back with the 50.529 brilliance of his countenance. Do not, therefore, be displeased at the postponement of the payment; in any case, the more time that passes, the more the interest for you increases. For we will pay down this silver with interest; since the Lord who deposited it has so commanded. Being confident, then, about what has been loaned, as both the principal and the interest remain for you, let us not pass over the profit that has fallen in our way today, but let us revel in the achievements of the blessed Babylas. Now, how he presided over the Church among us, and saved this sacred ship, in storm, and surge, and waves, and how much boldness he showed toward the emperor, and how he laid down his life for the sheep, and received that blessed slaughter; these things, and such as these, we will leave for the older of the teachers and for our common father to speak of. For the elders are able to narrate well for you the more ancient matters; but as much as has happened recently, and in our own time, these things I, a young man, will narrate to you, I mean the things after his death, the things after the martyr's burial, the things when he was dwelling in the suburb. And I know, indeed, that the Greeks will laugh at our promise, if after death and burial we promise to speak of the mighty deeds of one who was buried and dissolved into dust; nevertheless we will not be silent for this reason, but rather for this very reason we will speak all the more, so that by truly showing this paradox, we may turn the laughter back upon their own heads. For of a mere man there could be no achievements after death; but of a martyr there can be many and great ones, not that he might become more glorious—for he has no need of glory from the many—but so that you, the unbeliever, may learn that the death of martyrs is not death, but the beginning of a better life and the prelude to a more spiritual existence, and a removal from lesser things to better ones. For do not see this, that the martyr's body lies bare, bereft of the soul's energy; but consider that another power greater than the soul itself sits beside it, the grace of the Holy Spirit, making a defense to all on behalf of the resurrection, through the wonders it performs. For if God has bestowed on dead bodies, even dissolved into dust, a power greater than all the living, much more will He grant them a life better than the former, and more blessed at the time of the crowns. What then are his achievements? But do not be disturbed if we take our account a little further back. For those who wish to display pictures well, having stood the viewers a little way from the panel, thus they unveil them, making the view clearer for them by the distance. Bear with us, therefore, as we draw our account backwards. For when Julian, who surpassed all in impiety, ascended to the royal throne and took hold of the imperial scepters, immediately he also raised his hands against the God who had made him, and 50.530 was ignorant of his benefactor, and looking up from the earth to heaven he barked like mad dogs, which cry out equally against those who do not feed them and those who do; or rather, even more savage than they

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De sancto hieromartyre Babyla

ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΑΓΙΟΝ ΙΕΡΟΜΑΡΤΥΡΑ ΒΑΒΥΛΑΝ 50.527 αʹ. Ἐγὼ μὲν ἐβουλόμην ἀποδοῦναι τὸ χρέος τήμερον, ὃ πρώην ἐνταῦθα γενόμενος ὑπεσχόμην ὑμῖν· ἀλλὰ 50.528 τί πάθω; Μεταξὺ φανεὶς ὁ μακάριος Βαβύλας, πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἡμᾶς ἐκάλεσεν, οὐ φωνὴν ἀφεὶς, ἀλλὰ τῇ 50.529 λαμπηδόνι τῆς ὄψεως ἐπιστρέψας ἡμᾶς. Μὴ τοίνυν δυσχεράνητε πρὸς τὴν ὑπέρθεσιν τῆς ἀποδόσεως· πάντως ὅσῳ πλείων γίνεται ὁ χρόνος, τοσούτῳ καὶ ὁ τόκος ὑμῖν αὔξεται. Μετὰ γὰρ τόκου τὸ ἀργύριον τοῦτο καταβαλούμεθα· ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ παρακαταθέμενος αὐτὸ ∆εσπότης οὕτως ἐκέλευσε. Θαῤῥοῦντες οὖν ὑπὲρ τῶν δεδανεισμένων, ὡς καὶ τοῦ κεφαλαίου καὶ τῆς ἐργασίας μενόντων ὑμῖν, τὸ παρεμπεσὸν σήμερον κέρδος μὴ παραδράμωμεν, ἀλλὰ κατατρυφήσωμεν τῶν τοῦ μακαρίου Βαβύλα κατορθωμάτων. Ὅπως μὲν οὖν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προέστη τῆς παρ' ἡμῖν, καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην διέσωσε ναῦν, ἐν χειμῶνι, καὶ κλύδωνι, καὶ κύμασι, καὶ ὅσην πρὸς βασιλέα παῤῥησίαν ἐπεδείξατο, καὶ πῶς τὴν ψυχὴν ἔθηκεν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων, καὶ τὴν μακαρίαν ἐκείνην ἐδέξατο σφαγήν· ταῦτα, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις τῶν διδασκάλων καὶ τῷ κοινῷ πατρὶ τῷ ἡμῶν ἀφήσομεν εἰπεῖν. Τὰ γὰρ ἀρχαιότερα τῶν πραγμάτων οἱ γεγηρακότες ὑμῖν δύνανται διηγεῖσθαι καλῶς· ὅσα δὲ νεωστὶ γέγονε, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἡλικίας τῆς ἡμετέρας, ταῦτα ὁ νέος ἐγὼ πρὸς ὑμᾶς διηγήσομαι, τὰ μετὰ τελευτὴν λέγω, τὰ μετὰ τὴν ταφὴν τοῦ μάρτυρος, τὰ ἡνίκα ἐν τῷ προαστείῳ διέτριβε. Καὶ οἶδα μὲν, ὅτι γελάσονται τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ἡμῶν Ἕλληνες, εἰ μετὰ τελευτὴν καὶ ταφὴν τὰ τοῦ ταφέντος καὶ διαλυθέντος εἰς κόνιν ὑπισχνούμεθα λέγειν ἀνδραγαθήματα· οὐ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο σιγήσομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο μάλιστα ἐροῦμεν, ἵνα τὸ παράδοξον τοῦτο δείξαντες ἀληθῶς, τὸν γέλωτα εἰς τὴν ἐκείνων περιτρέψωμεν κεφαλήν. Ἀνθρώπου μὲν γὰρ ἁπλῶς οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο κατορθώματα μετὰ τελευτήν· μάρτυρος δὲ γένοιτ' ἂν πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα, οὐχ ἵνα ἐκεῖνος λαμπρότερος γένηται οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ δεῖ τῆς παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν δόξης, ἀλλ' ἵνα σὺ μάθῃς ὁ ἄπιστος, ὅτι θάνατος μαρτύρων οὐκ ἔστι θάνατος, ἀλλὰ ζωῆς βελτίονος ἀρχὴ καὶ πολιτείας πνευματικωτέρας προοίμια, καὶ μετάστασις ἀπὸ τῶν ἐλαττόνων πρὸς τὰ βελτίω. Μὴ γὰρ δὴ τοῦτο ἴδῃς, ὅτι γυμνὸν τοῦ μάρτυρος τὸ σῶμα πρόκειται τῆς ψυχικῆς ἐνεργείας ἔρημον· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο σκόπει, ὅτι τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῆς ἑτέρα παρακάθηται μείζων αὐτῷ δύναμις, ἡ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος χάρις, πᾶσιν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀπολογουμένη, δι' ὧν θαυματοποιεῖ. Εἰ γὰρ νεκροῖς σώμασι καὶ διαλυθεῖσιν εἰς κόνιν μείζονα τῶν ζώντων ἁπάντων δύναμιν ὁ Θεὸς ἐχαρίσατο, πολλῷ μᾶλλον αὐτοῖς ζωὴν χαριεῖται βελτίω τῆς προτέρας, καὶ μακαριωτέραν κατὰ τὸν τῶν στεφάνων καιρόν. Τίνα οὖν ἐστιν αὐτοῦ τὰ κατορθώματα; Ἀλλὰ μὴ θορυβηθῆτε, ἂν μικρὸν ἀνωτέρω τὸν λόγον ἀγάγωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ τὰς εἰκόνας ἐπιδεῖξαι βουλόμενοι καλῶς, μικρὸν τοῦ πινακίσκου τοὺς θεωμένους ἀποστήσαντες, οὕτως αὐτὰς ἐκκαλύπτουσι, σαφεστέραν τῷ διαστήματι ποιοῦντες τὴν ὄψιν αὐτοῖς. Ἀνάσχεσθε τοίνυν καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τοὐπίσω τὸν λόγον ἀνελκόντων ἡμῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ πάντας ἀσεβείᾳ νικήσας Ἰουλιανὸς ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον τὸν βασιλικὸν, καὶ τῶν σκήπτρων ἐπελάβετο τῶν δεσποτικῶν, εὐθέως καὶ κατὰ τοῦ πεποιηκότος αὐτὸν τὰς χεῖρας ἀντῆρε Θεοῦ, καὶ 50.530 τὸν εὐεργέτην ἠγνόησε, καὶ κάτωθεν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν βλέπων ὑλάκτει κατὰ τοὺς μαινομένους τῶν κυνῶν, οἳ καὶ τῶν μὴ τρεφόντων, καὶ τῶν τρεφόντων ὁμοίως καταβοῶσι· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐκείνων ἀγριωτέραν