1

Encomium in sanctos martyres

Encomium on the holy martyrs by our father among the saints, John Chrysostom.

The contest of the martyrs is terrible, but the memory of the pious is immortal, fearful is the death of the saints but "the crown is unfading" for the brave, the stadium of the athletes is sword-bearing but the prize of Christ is crown-bearing. Swords and fire and water are the contests of the combatants, but heaven and paradise and the kingdom of God are the prizes of the victors. On earth they struggled, being tortured, but in heaven they were armed, being crowned. Below they endured the insults and above they treasured up the honors. They did not fight back against the swords when warred upon, but they endured, "being strengthened in the faith"; for their battle was not about earthly things. The causes of the war were not about corruptible money, not about empty wealth, but about the kingdom of heaven, about the "paradise of delight," about incorruptible life. The contest was for God, the struggle for faith, the victory for confession, so that they might not fall away from their covenants but that they might remain pious.

And the war was glorious and the battle heavenly, the battle-line divine and the encampment angelic, so that they might be glorified with God, so that they might receive their ancient honor, so that they might always remain in Christ, so that they might have a life without pain. For this reason they also contended with great joy, not bearing swords but preaching the word, not sending forth bows and arrows but proclaiming the confession of Christ, not "putting on" weapons but "being armored" with the faith. For swords were sharpened against the bodies of the martyrs, but the word, sharper than the sword, rendered the edge of the slaughter more blunt. For they did not feel the pain, being spurred on by desire; for the desire of confession lightened the pain of the body and its weakness. And the things said by us are not worthy of their contest; for to the righteous "praise is not from men but from God," according to the apostle. Therefore let us send up glory to God who crowns the martyrs, for to him is due glory now, and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

1

Encomium in sanctos martyres

Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου ἐγκώμιον εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους μάρτυρας.

Φρικτὸς ὁ τῶν μαρτύρων ἀγὼν ἀλλ' ἀθάνατος ἡ μνήμη τῶν εὐσεβῶν,

φοβερὸς ὁ θάνατος τῶν ἁγίων ἀλλ' «ἀμάραντος ὁ στέφανος» τῶν ἀνδρείων, ξιφηφόρον τὸ στάδιον τῶν ἀθλητῶν ἀλλὰ στεφανηφόρον τὸ βραβεῖον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ξίφη καὶ πῦρ καὶ ὕδωρ τὰ ἆθλα τῶν παλαιστῶν, ἀλλ' οὐρανὸς καὶ παράδεισος καὶ βασιλεία θεοῦ τὰ βραβεῖα τῶν νικητῶν. Ἐπὶ γῆς ἠγωνίζοντο βασανιζόμενοι, ἐν οὐρανῷ δὲ ὡπλίζοντο στεφανούμενοι. Κάτω τὰς ὕβρεις ὑπέμενον καὶ ἄνω τὰς τιμὰς ἐθησαύριζον. Οὐκ ἀντεμάχοντο τοῖς ξίφεσι πολεμούμενοι, ἀλλ' ὑπέμενον «τῇ πίστει ἐνδυναμούμενοι»· οὐ γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῖς ἡ μάχη περὶ γηΐνων πραγμάτων. Οὐ περὶ χρημάτων φθαρτῶν, οὐ περὶ πλούτου κενοῦ τὰ αἴτια τοῦ πολέμου, ἀλλὰ περὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν, περὶ «παραδείσου τρυφῆς», περὶ ἀφθάρτου ζωῆς. Περὶ θεοῦ ὁ ἀγών, περὶ πίστεως ἡ πάλη, περὶ ὁμολογίας ἡ νίκη, ἵνα μὴ ἐκπέσωσι τῶν συνθηκῶν ἀλλ' ἵνα μείνωσιν εὐσεβεῖς.

Καὶ ἦν ὁ πόλεμος ἔνδοξος καὶ ἡ μάχη οὐράνιος, θεία ἡ παράταξις καὶ ἀγγελικὴ ἡ στρατοπέδευσις ὅπως συνδοξασθῶσι θεῷ, ὅπως ἀπολάβωσι τὴν ἀρχαίαν τιμήν, ὅπως ἀεὶ διαμείνωσιν ἐν Χριστῷ, ὅπως ἔχωσιν ἀνώδυνον ζωήν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἠγωνίζοντο περιχαρῶς, οὐ ξίφη βαστάζοντες ἀλλὰ τὸν λόγον κηρύττοντες, οὐ τόξα καὶ βέλη ἐκπέμποντες ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁμολογίαν ἐξαγγέλλοντες, οὐχ ὅπλα «ἐνδυόμενοι» ἀλλὰ τὴν πίστιν «θωρακιζόμενοι». Ἠκονᾶτο μὲν γὰρ ξίφη κατὰ τοῦ σώματος τῶν μαρτύρων, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ξίφους ὀξύτερος ὁ λόγος ἀμβλυτέραν τὴν ἀκμὴν τῆς σφαγῆς ἀπειργάζετο. Οὐ γὰρ ᾐσθάνοντο τοῦ πόνου ὑπὸ τοῦ πόθου κεντούμενοι· ὁ γὰρ πόθος τῆς ὁμολογίας ἐκούφιζεν τὸν πόνον τοῦ σώματος καὶ τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Καὶ οὐκ ἄξια μὲν τῆς ἐκείνων ἀθλήσεως τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν λεχθέντα· τοῖς γὰρ δικαίοις «ὁ ἔπαινος οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ», κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον. Θεῷ οὖν δόξαν ἀναπέμψωμεν τῷ τοὺς μάρτυρας στεφανοῦντι, ὅτι αὐτῷ πρέπει δόξα νῦν, καὶ ἀεί, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.