Letter to the Thmuitans

Letter of Phileas

GREEK TEXT OF EUSEBIUS 1 But since we said that Phileas was worthy of much account on account of his external studies, let him come forward as his own witness, both to show who he was, and at the same time to relate the martyrdoms that happened to him in Alexandria more accurately than we, through these words. 2 Since all these examples and models and fine proofs are set for us in the divine and sacred scriptures, the blessed martyrs with us, without hesitating, fixing the eye of the soul purely on the God over all, and taking to mind death for piety's sake, held fast to their calling, having found our Lord Jesus Christ become man for our sake, that He might cut off all sin, and might lay down for us provisions for the entrance into eternal life. For he did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself unto death, even death on a cross. 3 For which reason also, the Christ-bearing martyrs, zealously seeking the greater gifts, endured every hardship and every kind of invented torture not just once, but some even a second time, and every threat, not only in words but also in deeds, eagerly directed against them by the guards, they did not yield in their resolve, because perfect love casts out fear. 4 What words could suffice to recount their virtue and their courage under each torture? For since leave was given to all who wished to abuse them, some beat them with clubs, others with rods, others with scourges, still others with thongs, and others with ropes. 5 And the spectacle of the tortures was varied and contained great malice in it. For some, with their hands tied behind their backs, were suspended on the wooden horse and had every limb stretched with certain instruments; then the torturers, by command, attacked their whole body, not just on their sides as with murderers, but they also punished their stomach, shins, and cheeks with instruments of torture. Others were suspended from the portico by one hand, hanging in a manner more terrible than any pain, with the tension on their joints and limbs. Still others were bound facing the pillars, not with their feet on the ground, but with the weight of their body forcing the ropes upwards with tension. 6 And this they endured not for as long as the governor addressed or was occupied with them, but almost for the whole day. For when he moved on to others, he would leave behind his officers to watch over the first ones, in case anyone overcome by the tortures seemed to give in, and he would command them to apply the bonds unsparingly, and after this, when they were at the point of death, to lay them on the ground and drag them away; 7* for there was not even a particle of concern in them for us, but they thought and acted as if we no longer existed, inventing this second torture on top of the blows of their adversaries. 8 And there were those who, after the tortures, were laid in the stocks, with both feet stretched through four holes, so that of necessity they had to lie on their backs on the wood, being unable to do so because of the fresh wounds they had over their whole body from the blows. Others, thrown to the ground, lay there from the overwhelming assault of the tortures, presenting to those who saw them a spectacle more terrible than the reality, bearing on their bodies the varied and different inventions of the tortures. 9 With things being so, some died in the

Epistula ad Thmuitanos

Epistula Phileae

TEXTUS EUSEBII GRAECUS 1 Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν μαθημάτων ἕνεκα πολλοῦ λόγου ἄξιον γενέσθαι τὸν Φιλέαν ἔφαμεν, αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ παρίτω μάρτυς ἅμα μὲν ἑαυτὸν ὅστις ποτ' ἦν ἐπιδείξων, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ συμβεβηκότα μαρτύρια ἀκριβέστερον μᾶλλον ἢ ἡμεῖς ἱστορήσων διὰ τούτων τῶν λέξεων. 2 Τούτων ἁπάντων ὑποδειγμάτων ἡμῖν καὶ ὑπογραμμῶν καὶ καλῶν γνωρισμάτων ἐν ταῖς θείαις καὶ ἱεραῖς γραφαῖς κειμένων, οὐδὲν μελλήσαντες οἱ μακάριοι σὺν ἡμῖν μάρτυρες, τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ὄμμα πρὸς τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸν καθαρῶς τείναντες καὶ τὸν ἐπ' εὐσεβείᾳ θάνατον ἐν νῷ λαβόντες, ἀπρὶξ τῆς κλήσεως εἴχοντο, τὸν μὲν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν εὑρόντες ἐνανθρωπήσαντα δι' ἡμᾶς ἵνα πᾶσαν μὲν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκκόψῃ, ἐφόδια δὲ τῆς εἰς τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν εἰσόδου ἡμῖν κατάθηται. οὐ γὰρ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε μορφὴν δούλου λαβών, καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἑαυτὸν ἐταπείνωσεν ἕως θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ. 3 δι' ὃ καὶ ζηλώσαντες τὰ μείζονα χαρίσματα οἱ χριστοφόροι μάρτυρες πάντα μὲν πόνον καὶ παντοίας ἐπινοίας αἰκισμῶν οὐκ εἰς ἅπαξ ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ δεύτερόν τινες ὑπέμειναν, πάσας δὲ ἀπειλὰς οὐ λόγοις μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔργοις τῶν δορυφόρων κατ' αὐτῶν φιλοτιμουμένων, οὐκ ἐνεδίδουν τὴν γνώμην διὰ τὸ τὴν τελείαν ἀγάπην ἔξω βάλλειν τὸν φόβον. 4 Ὧν καταλέγειν τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ τὴν ἐφ' ἑκάστῃ βασάνῳ ἀνδρείαν, τίς ἂν ἀρκέσειε λόγος; ἀνέσεως γὰρ οὔσης ἅπασι τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐνυβρίζειν, οἱ μὲν ξύλοις ἔπαιον, ἕτεροι δὲ ῥάβδοις, ἄλλοι δὲ μάστιξιν, ἕτεροι δὲ πάλιν ἱμᾶσιν, ἄλλοι δὲ σχοινίοις. 5 καὶ ἦν ἡ θέα τῶν αἰκισμῶν ἀνηλλαγμένη καὶ πολλὴν τὴν ἐν αὐτῇ κακίαν ἔχουσα. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὀπίσω τὼ χεῖρε δεθέντες περὶ τὸ ξύλον ἐξηρτῶντο καὶ μαγγάνοις τισὶ διετείνοντο πᾶν μέλος· εἶθ' οὕτως διὰ παντὸς τοῦ σώματος ἐπῆγον ἐκ κελεύσεως οἱ βασανισταί, οὐ καθάπερ τοῖς φονεῦσιν ἐπὶ τῶν πλευρῶν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς γαστρὸς καὶ κνημῶν καὶ παρειῶν τοῖς ἀμυντηρίοις ἐκόλαζον. ἕτεροι δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς στοᾶς μιᾶς χειρὸς ἐξηρτημένοι αἰωροῦντο πάσης ἀλγηδόνος δεινοτέραν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἄρθρων καὶ μελῶν τάσιν ἔχοντας. ἄλλοι δὲ πρὸς τοῖς κίοσιν ἀντιπρόσωποι ἐδοῦντο, οὐ βεβηκόσι τοῖς ποσί, τῷ δὲ βάρει τοῦ σώματος βιαζομένων μετὰ τάσεως ἀνελκομένων τῶν δεσμῶν. 6 καὶ τοῦθ' ὑπέμενον οὐκ ἐφ' ὅσον προσδιελέγετο οὐδ' αὐτοῖς ἐσχόλαζεν ὁ ἡγεμὼν ἀλλὰ μονονουχὶ δι' ὅλης τῆς ἡμέρας. ὅτε γὰρ καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέρους μετέβαινε, τοῖς προτέροις κατελίμπανεν ἐφεδρεύειν τοὺς τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ ὑπηρετουμένους εἴ πού τις ἡττηθεὶς τῶν βασάνων ἐνδιδόναι ἐδόκει, ἀφειδῶς δὲ κελεύων καὶ τοῖς δεσμοῖς προσιέναι, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ψυχορραγοῦντας αὐτοὺς κατατιθεμένους εἰς τὴν γῆν ἕλκεσθαι· 7* οὐ γὰρ εἶναι κἂν μέρος φροντίδος αὐτοῖς περὶ ἡμῶν ἀλλ' οὕτω καὶ διανοεῖσθαι καὶ πράττειν ὡς μηκέτ' ὄντων, ταύτην δευτέραν βάσανον ἐπὶ ταῖς πληγαῖς τῶν ὑπεναντίων ἐφευρόντων. 8 ἦσαν δὲ οἱ καὶ μετὰ τοὺς αἰκισμοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου κείμενοι διὰ τῶν τεσσάρων ὀπῶν διατεταμένοι ἄμφω τὼ πόδε ὡς καὶ κατ' ἀνάγκην αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου ὑπτίους εἶναι μὴ δυναμένους διὰ τὸ ἔναυλα τὰ τραύματα ἀπὸ τῶν πληγῶν καθ' ὅλου τοῦ σώματος ἔχειν. ἕτεροι δὲ εἰς τοὔδαφος ῥιφέντες ἔκειντο ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν βασάνων ἀθρόας προσβολῆς δεινοτέραν τὴν ὄψιν τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῖς ὁρῶσι παρέχοντες, ποικίλας καὶ διαφόρους ἐν τοῖς σώμασι φέροντες τῶν βασάνων τὰς ἐπινοίας. 9 τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων οἱ μὲν ἐναπέθνησκον ταῖς