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In ascensionem domini nostri Jesu Christi

On the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ; spoken in the martyrium of Romanesia, where the bodies of martyrs, lying under the ground near the relics of heretics, were brought up, and above, separately

were buried.

50.441 a'. And when we celebrated the memory of the cross, outside the city the feast

we celebrated, and now when we celebrate the Ascension of the Crucified One, this bright and radiant day, we again celebrate the feast outside the city. We do this, not wishing to dishonor the city, but hastening to honor the martyrs. For so that these saints might not accuse us and say: We were not 50.442 worthy to see one day of our Master celebrated in our tents; so that these saints might not accuse us and say: Because we poured out our blood for him, and were deemed worthy for our heads to be cut off; but we were not deemed worthy to see the day of his feast celebrated in our dwellings. For these reasons, leaving the city, we have run to the feet of these saints, through the present day, also apologizing to them for the time past.

For if even before this it was necessary to run to these noble athletes of piety, when they lay under the 50.443 ground; much more now is it necessary to do this, when the pearls are by themselves, when the sheep have been delivered from the wolves, when the living have departed from the dead. For to them, even before this, there was no harm from the communion in burial. For those whose spirits are in the heavens, their bodies were not harmed at all by the proximity; those whose soul is in the hand of God, their relics suffered nothing from their location. To them, therefore, there was no harm, not even before this. But our people suffered no small injury from the places, running to the relics of the martyrs, but with doubt and hesitation making their prayers because the tombs of the saints were unknown, and where the true treasures lay. And the same thing happened, as if flocks of clean sheep, hastening to enjoy the streams, should come to the pure springs, but with some filth and stench falling in from nearby, should be driven back again. Thus also it happened with this flock. The people would go to the pure springs of the martyrs, but perceiving a heretical stench rising up from nearby, they were driven back again. Therefore, being aware of this, this wise shepherd and common teacher, who arranges all things for the building up of the Church, this fervent lover and zealot of the martyrs, did not endure to overlook this injury for long. But what does he do? Behold the wisdom. The turbid and foul-smelling streams he buried and shut off below, but the pure springs of the martyrs he established in a pure place. And consider how much philanthropy he showed toward the departed, and honor toward the martyrs, and care toward the people.

Toward the departed he showed philanthropy, by not moving their bones, but leaving them to remain in their place; toward the martyrs honor, by delivering them from the wicked neighborhood; and toward the people care, by not letting them make their prayers with hesitation. For these reasons we have brought you here, so that the assembly might be more cheerful, so that the spectacle might be more brilliant, with not only men, but also martyrs being gathered; not only martyrs, but also

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In ascensionem domini nostri Jesu Christi

Εἰς τὴν ἀνάληψιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐλέχθη δὲ ἐν τῷ μαρτυρίῳ τῆς Ῥωμανησίας, ἔνθα μαρτύρων σώματα, ὑπὸ τὸ ἔδαφος κείμενα ἐγγὺς λειψάνων αἱρετικῶν, ἀνηνέχθησαν, καὶ ἄνω κατ' ἰδίαν

ἐτάφησαν.

50.441 αʹ. Καὶ ὅτε τοῦ σταυροῦ μνείαν ἐπετελοῦμεν, ἔξω τῆς πόλεως τὴν ἑορτὴν

ἐπετελέσαμεν, καὶ νῦν ὅτε τοῦ σταυρωθέντος τὴν ἀνάληψιν ἄγομεν τὴν φαιδρὰν ταύτην καὶ ἐξαστράπτουσαν ἡμέραν, ἔξω τῆς πόλεως πάλιν τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελοῦμεν. Ποιοῦμεν δὲ τοῦτο, οὐχὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀτιμάσαι βουλόμενοι, ἀλλὰ τιμῆσαι τοὺς μάρτυρας σπεύδοντες. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ ἐγκαλῶσιν ἡμῖν οἱ ἅγιοι οὗτοι, καὶ λέγωσιν· ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἦμεν 50.442 ἄξιοι μίαν ἡμέραν τοῦ ∆εσπότου ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς ἡμετέραις σκηναῖς ἐπιτελουμένην ἰδεῖν· ἵνα μὴ ἐγκαλέσωσιν ἡμῖν οἱ ἅγιοι οὗτοι καὶ λέγωσιν· ὅτι τὸ μὲν αἷμα ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἐξεχέαμεν, καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἡμῶν ἀποτμηθῆναι κατηξιώθημεν· τὴν δὲ ἡμέραν τῆς ἑορτῆς αὐτοῦ οὐ κατηξιώθημεν ἰδεῖν ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις καταγωγίοις τελουμένην· διὰ ταῦτα τὴν πόλιν ἀφέντες, πρὸς τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἁγίων τούτων ἐδράμομεν, διὰ τῆς παρούσης ἡμέρας, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ χρόνου τοῦ παρελθόντος ἀπολογούμενοι πρὸς αὐτούς.

Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πρὸ τούτου ἔδει πρὸς τοὺς γενναίους τούτους τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀθλητὰς τρέχειν, ὅτε ὑπὸ τὸ 50.443 ἔδαφος ἔκειντο· πολλῷ μᾶλλον νῦν τοῦτο ποιεῖν χρὴ, ὅτε καθ' ἑαυτοὺς οἱ μαργαρῖται, ὅτε ἀπηλλάγη τῶν λύκων τὰ πρόβατα, ὅτε ἀπέστησαν τῶν νεκρῶν οἱ ζῶντες. Αὐτοῖς μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ πρὸ τούτου βλάβη τις ἦν ἀπὸ τῆς κοινωνίας τῆς κατὰ τὴν ταφήν· ὧν γὰρ τὰ πνεύματα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, οὐδὲν τὰ σώματα ἐβλάπτετο ἀπὸ τῆς γειτνιάσεως· ὧν ἡ ψυχὴ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐδὲν τὰ λείψανα ἀπὸ τῆς θέσεως ἔπασχεν. Αὐτοῖς μὲν οὖν οὐδεμία βλάβη ἦν, οὐδὲ πρὸ τούτου· ὁ δὲ λαὸς ἡμῖν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ζημίαν ὑπέμεινεν ἀπὸ τῶν τόπων, τρέχων μὲν πρὸς τὰ λείψανα τῶν μαρτύρων, μετὰ δὲ ἀμφιβολίας καὶ διακρίσεως ποιούμενος τὰς εὐχὰς διὰ τὸ ἀγνοεῖσθαι τὰς θήκας τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ ποῦ κεῖνται οἱ θησαυροὶ οἱ ἀληθινοί. Καὶ ταυτὸν ἐγίνετο, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ ποίμνια προβάτων καθαρῶν ἀπολαῦσαι ῥείθρων ἐπειγόμενα ἔρχοιτο μὲν ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τὰς καθαρὰς, βρώμου δέ ποθεν ἐγγύθεν καὶ δυσωδίας ἐμπεσούσης ἀναχαιτίζοιτο πάλιν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ποίμνης ταύτης συνέβαινεν. Ἐβάδιζε μὲν ὁ λαὸς πρὸς τὰς καθαρὰς τῶν μαρτύρων πηγάς· αἰσθανόμενος δὲ δυσωδίας αἱρετικῆς ἐγγύθεν ἀνιούσης, ἀνεχαιτίζετο πάλιν. Ὅπερ οὖν συνειδὼς ὁ σοφὸς οὗτος ποιμὴν καὶ κοινὸς διδάσκαλος, ὁ πάντα πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας οἰκονομῶν, οὐκ ἠνέσχετο μέχρι πολλοῦ ταύτην τὴν ζημίαν περιιδεῖν οὗτος ὁ θερμὸς ἐραστὴς καὶ ζηλωτὴς τῶν μαρτύρων. Ἀλλὰ τί ποιεῖ; Θεάσασθε τὴν σοφίαν· τὰ μὲν θολερὰ καὶ δυσώδη ῥεύματα κατέχωσε καὶ ἀπέφραξε κάτω, τὰς δὲ καθαρὰς τῶν μαρτύρων πηγὰς ἐν καθαρῷ χωρίῳ κατέστησε. Καὶ σκοπεῖτε ὅσην καὶ περὶ τοὺς κατοιχομένους τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἐπεδείξατο, καὶ περὶ τοὺς μάρτυρας τὴν τιμὴν, καὶ περὶ τὸν λαὸν τὴν κηδεμονίαν.

Περὶ μὲν τοὺς κατοιχομένους φιλανθρωπίαν ἐπεδείξατο, μὴ κινήσας αὐτῶν τὰ ὀστᾶ, ἀλλ' ἀφεὶς ἐπὶ τοῦ τόπου μένειν· περὶ δὲ τοὺς μάρτυρας τιμὴν, ἀπαλλάξας αὐτοὺς τοῦ πονηροῦ γειτονήματος· περὶ δὲ τὸν λαὸν κηδεμονίαν, οὐκ ἀφεὶς αὐτοὺς μετὰ διακρίσεως ποιεῖσθαι τὰς εὐχάς. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα ὑμᾶς ἐνταῦθα ἠγάγομεν, ἵνα φαιδρότερος ὁ σύλλογος γένηται, ἵνα λαμπρότερον τὸ θέατρον, οὐχὶ ἀνθρώπων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μαρτύρων συλλεγομένων· οὐχὶ μαρτύρων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ