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In sanctum Julianum martyrem

ENCOMIUM ON THE HOLY MARTYR JULIAN.

50.665 1. If such are the honors for the martyrs on earth, after their departure from hence, what sort of crowns are woven in heaven for their holy heads? If before 50.666 the resurrection their glory is so great, how great will be their splendor after the resurrection? If they enjoy so much veneration from their fellow-servants, how much good will shall they obtain 50.667 from the Master? If we, who are wicked, know how to honor and be amazed at our fellow-servants who have acted rightly, because they contended for Christ; how much more will our heavenly Father give countless good things to those who have labored for Him? For He is both a great giver and a lover of mankind; but great honors do not await them for this reason alone, but because He is also their debtor.

The martyrs were not slain for us, and yet we run together for their honor. If we, for whom they were not slain, run together, what will Christ not do, for whom they laid down their heads? If He gave so many good things to those to whom He owed nothing, with how many gifts will He not reward those to whom He is a debtor? Before this, He owed nothing to the world; "For all have sinned," says Paul, "and fall short of the glory of God"; rather, He owed us punishment and vengeance; but nevertheless, though owing us punishment and vengeance, He granted eternal life. If, then, He gave a kingdom to those to whom He owed punishment; what will He not give to those to whom He owes eternal life? And with how many honors will He not honor them? If He was crucified for those who hated Him, and poured out His blood, what will He not do for those who poured out their blood for their confession in Him? If He so loved those who turned away and fled from Him, as even to die for them, those who loved Him to the greatest measure (For greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends), with how much good will and reverence will He receive them? The athletes of the secular games, then, both wrestle, and conquer, and are proclaimed, and are crowned in the same arena; but these athletes of piety, not so; but they wrestled in the present age, and are crowned in the age to come; they fought with the devil here and overcame, but are proclaimed there. And so that you may learn that this is true, and that the crowns are not given to them here, but all the rewards await them there, hear Paul saying, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness;" where and when? "which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day." He ran here, he is crowned there; he conquered here, and is proclaimed victor there. You have heard him today also crying out and saying, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and greeted them from afar." For what reason, then, for the secular athletes are the victories and the crowns at the same time, but for the athletes of piety the victories and the crowns are not at the same time, but after so great an interval of time? They have sweated, they have toiled here, they have endured countless wounds, and He does not crown them immediately?

"No," he says; "for the nature of the present life does not admit the greatness of that honor; the present age is perilous and short, that one is infinite, and immortal, and unending." For this reason He has assigned the labors to the short and temporary age, but has stored up the crowns for the ageless and immortal one, so that the burden of the labors 50.668 might be diminished, being dissolved by the shortness of the time, and

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In sanctum Julianum martyrem

ΕΓΚΩΜΙΟΝ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΑΓΙΟΝ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΑ ΙΟΥΛΙΑΝΟΝ.

50.665 αʹ. Εἰ ἐν τῇ γῇ τοιαῦται τοῖς μάρτυσιν αἱ τιμαὶ, μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν ποταποὶ πλέκονται ἐν οὐρα νοῖς οἱ στέφανοι ταῖς ἁγίαις αὐτῶν κεφαλαῖς; εἰ πρὸ 50.666 τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοσαύτη ἡ δόξα, πόση μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἡ λαμπρότης; εἰ παρὰ τῶν συνδούλων τοσαύτης θεραπείας ἀπολαύουσι, πόσης τεύξονται 50.667 παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου τῆς εὐνοίας; εἰ ἡμεῖς οἱ πονηροὶ οἴδαμεν τοὺς κατορθοῦντας τῶν συνδούλων οὕτω τιμᾷν καὶ ἐκπλήττεσθαι, ἐπειδὴ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ ἠγωνίσαντο· πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ Πατὴρ ἡμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος δώσει μυρία ἀγαθὰ τοῖς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πεπονηκόσι; Καὶ γὰρ μεγαλό δωρός ἐστι καὶ φιλάνθρωπος· ἀλλ' οὐ δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο μένουσιν αὐτοὺς μεγάλαι αἱ τιμαὶ, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ὀφει λέτης ἐστὶν αὐτῶν.

Οὐκ ἐσφάγησαν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν οἱ μάρτυρες, καὶ ὅμως συντρέχομεν εἰς τὴν ἐκείνων τι μήν. Εἰ δὲ ἡμεῖς, ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐκ ἐσφάγησαν, συντρέ χομεν, ὁ Χριστὸς, ὑπὲρ οὗ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀπέθεντο, τί οὐ ποιήσει; εἰ οἷς μηδὲν ὤφειλε, τοσαῦτα ἔδωκεν ἀγαθὰ, τούτους, οἷς ὀφειλέτης ἐστὶ, πόσαις οὐκ ἀμεί ψεται δωρεαῖς; Οὐδὲν ὤφειλε πρὸ τούτου τῇ οἰκου μένῃ· Πάντες γὰρ ἥμαρτον, φησὶ Παῦλος, καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ· μᾶλλον δὲ ὤφειλε κόλασιν καὶ τιμωρίαν· ἀλλ' ὅμως κόλασιν ἡμῖν ὀφείλων καὶ τιμωρίαν, ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἐχαρίσατο. Εἰ τοίνυν οἷς κόλασιν ὤφειλε, τούτοις βασιλείαν ἔδωκεν· οἷς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ὀφείλει, τί οὐ δώσει; καὶ πόσαις αὐτοὺς οὐ τιμήσει τιμαῖς; εἰ ὑπὲρ τῶν μισούντων αὐτὸν ἐσταυ ρώθη, καὶ τὸ αἷμα ἐξέχεεν, ὑπὲρ τῶν τὸ αἷμα ἐκ χεάντων διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ὁμολογίαν, τί οὐκ ἐργάσεται; εἰ τοὺς ἀποστρεφομένους καὶ ἀπο πηδῶντας οὕτως ἠγάπησεν, ὡς καὶ ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, τοὺς ἀγαπήσαντας αὐτὸν μέτρῳ μεγίστῳ (Μείζονα γὰρ ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ), πόσῃ δέξεται εὐνοίᾳ καὶ θεραπείᾳ; Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀθληταὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἀγώνων ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ σκάμματι καὶ πα λαίουσι, καὶ νικῶσι, καὶ ἀνακηρύττονται, καὶ στε φανοῦνται· οὗτοι δὲ οἱ ἀθληταὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας οὐχ οὕτως· ἀλλ' ἐπάλαισαν μὲν ἐν τῷ παρόντι αἰῶνι, στεφανοῦνται δὲ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ μέλλοντι· ἐπύκτευσαν ἐνταῦθα τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ περιεγένοντο, ἀνακηρύττον ται δὲ ἐκεῖ. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε, ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, καὶ οὐκ ἐνταῦθα αὐτοῖς οἱ στέφανοι δίδονται, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ πᾶσαι αὐτοὺς ἀναμένουσιν αἱ δωρεαὶ, ἀκούσατε τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος, Τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἠγώνι σμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα· λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος· ποῦ καὶ πότε; Ὃν ἀποδώσει μοι Κύριος ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὁ δίκαιος κριτής. Ἐνταῦθα ἔδραμεν, ἐκεῖ στεφανοῦται· ἐνταῦθα ἐνίκησε, κἀκεῖ ἀναγορεύ εται. Ἠκούσατε αὐτοῦ καὶ σήμερον βοῶντος καὶ λέγοντος, Κατὰ πίστιν ἀπέθανον οὗτοι πάντες, μὴ κομισάμενοι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ἀλλὰ πόῤῥωθεν αὐ τὰς ἰδόντες, καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τοῖς μὲν ἀθληταῖς τοῖς ἔξωθεν ὁμοῦ καὶ αἱ νῖκαι, καὶ οἱ στέφανοι, τοῖς δὲ ἀθληταῖς τῆς εὐσεβείας οὐχ ὁμοῦ καὶ αἱ νῖκαι, καὶ οἱ στέφανοι, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τοσοῦτον τὸ διάστημα τοῦ χρόνου; Ἵδρωσαν, ἐπόνεσαν ἐνταῦθα, μυρία ὑπέμειναν τραύματα, καὶ οὐκ εὐθέως αὐτοὺς στεφανοῖ;

Οὐχὶ, φησίν· οὐ γὰρ δέχεται ἡ φύσις τοῦ παρόντος βίου τὸ μεγέθος ἐκείνης τῆς τιμῆς· ἐπί κηρος ὁ παρὼν αἰών ἐστι καὶ βραχὺς, ἄπειρος ἐκεῖνος, καὶ ἀθάνατος, καὶ ἀτελεύτητος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τοὺς μὲν πόνους συνεκλήρωσε τῷ βρα χεῖ καὶ προσκαίρῳ αἰῶνι, τοὺς δὲ στεφάνους ἐτα μιεύσατο τῷ ἀγήρῳ καὶ ἀθανάτῳ, ἵνα καὶ τῶν πόνων 50.668 τὸ φορτικὸν ὑποτέμνηται, τῇ ὀλιγότητι τοῦ χρόνου συγκαταλυόμενον, καὶ