A and how he fares regarding warmth towards you, confident in every way that it will result in his good. Do not, therefore, prove such hopes to be false, nor cast down the glory that is looked for. Do not wish, O Father, to hear “Father, Father” while ascending, and “Ascend, ascend” as a refrain, only to be seen after your ascent as if you were one impaled for some crime; and perhaps also to hear from those among us who are more fervent: “Friend, come down; you are no longer a man of the earth, but ethereal and heavenly”; or to speak more truly, “if you will, a man of God.” Nothing of the others remains for you if you live worthily of the ascent; but they remain below, while you, because you have determined to approach God along with the ranks that attend upon God, fare well in your lot, as one worthy of the portion above. B 80. But enough of this; for what need is there to prolong the meditation? Dismiss the crowd, and indeed in peace, for the time being scattered to their own homes, yet with the certainty that they will gather again to the light around you, if those virtues shine forth in you. For the ascetic life is as a juice that wishes no one to be torn away and separated from itself, but rather brings the good into one and unites them in itself, gathering them together like whey curdled into a mass, as many as are distinguished by a good life like milk and possess a whiteness in purity that is free from all shadow; but if anything is wheyish and not nourishing, it allows it to flow away and slip where it is naturally intended to go.
ORATION ON ST. ALPHEUS AND HIS COMPANION MARTYRS
C The same author’s account of the martyrdom of the three holy triple-victor brothers, Alpheus, Zosimus, and Alexander, the Kalytenoi, and their fellow-martyr Mark.
1. It is a reasonable custom that follows those who are traveling, that when they finish their journey they encounter men worthy of being seen and heard, with whom they either had no previous acquaintance or only an imperfect one, and that they prudently inquire from those they meet whether they might find who those people worthy of good history once were; and thus they learn, and inscribe such people on the tablets of their mindful soul, and pass them on to those who are ignorant of them, for their knowledge, if ever the occasion should arise. And this is also a sign of a soul that is studious of knowledge and virtue, since in this way not only are things worthy of admiration investigated, but also a vigorous and accurate account of them is communicated to those who are inclined to listen to such things.
2. And so, even we, having finished the path of life, which is both multi-faceted and winding, and having encountered not a few people, some of whom we have admired, while others we do not hold in admiration—and having deemed the former worthy of a fitting account, as we were able, while leaving the others to silence, without, however, having attacked them with reproaches (for we boast in God, as we have not D [a sting]
and are generally inclined to blessing. We have arrived here too, where a great and most beautiful lodging-place for us on this life’s journey has been allotted—to the men of God, whom we could neither see while they were alive nor at close range (for they have stood before God for a long time now), but history has transmitted their memory to our ears, if not clearly.
B 3. Since it was necessary to learn about such men in an orderly way—whence they were born, from whom, and what kind of struggle they endured for God (they are the brothers Alexander, Alpheus, and Zosimus, martyrs who are called the Calyteni)—we took care to learn about them from those who wrote about them; I do not mean from men—for how would that be possible?—but from books of the life-giving writings. And having searched first, and never having learned in what way these saints, who were not Europeans, came to be held in such great esteem in Thessalonica (for a splendid temple worthy of note has been built for them, and the house of the metropolis venerates it), I conjectured that certain emigrants from Asia, to whom such saints were local, had once settled in this brilliant city and had established the honorable name of those athletes of Christ here so that it might serve as a token of consolation, so that it would seem that they were not strangers and newcomers from the eastern homeland, but that they had inhabited this city from of old and could boast of the same martyrs of God as their own masters.
C 4. And so, in this way, I established for myself according to probability the reason for these things, and I called blessed those men who brought this venerable remembrance to us. Then, having unrolled the sacred scrolls in which the names and deeds of these saints of God are inscribed, in one of them I found a description that was indeed true, but at the same time obscure and overly succinct; after I inspected a second, I found details that were clearer and more lengthy; and when I approached a third, I found everything necessary for understanding the matter. Therefore now, having plucked that spiritual seed from there, and having furrowed the soul’s plowland as if it were a three-fold field, I come, lo! sowing, to speak evangelically, my seed, just as the heavenly Farmer instructed me in this art, having placed within me the D seed-bearing words for bringing forth fruits.
5. For the three aforementioned great martyrs, the fatherland is Calytus, or according to others, Calyta, and others still wish it to be called Calyto, a village of Antioch—not, however, of the Syrian one, nor of any other of the many that share such a name, but of the one in Pisidia or Phrygogalatia. The race of the Pisidians is bar-barian indeed, yet famous, whom tradition says were formerly called Solymi. This Calyta brought forth these good villagers, citizens fitly enrolled in the city above. And this was the census.
A 6. There lived in that region a certain Marcus, who, although not anointed as a priest, was nevertheless consecrated to God among the laity, and having obtained grace from Him that was apostolic, by which, desiring to have once departed from all that wickedness which makes a citizen hateful to God, he gave himself over to desert places, in which the plants of God not infrequently take root and grow. For he rejoiced in the mountains, in which the divine flocks deign to be nourished, as did the forebears of the Old Testament, Abel and the prophets, David, and the holy baskets of the New Testament and their companions, who, in a rational manner of pasturing, handed down and explained spiritual doctrine, interpreting spiritual things to the carnal, and besides the labors of the body, teaching the divine perfection of souls. Thus he pastured the sheep and lambs of God, those irrational desires that blindly wander and seek fodder as they chance upon it, following after delicate leaps (for those who leap do not arrive at a good end), and furthermore, simple men, and those who desire to be pastured by the grace of God throughout their lives. B 7. But these things are said tropologically, as one might speak of a God-beloved shepherd of sheep. But Marcus, whose life cannot be described in few words, was himself a rational shepherd, a friend of the mountains and zealous for his flock, so that he entirely neglected himself, and while discharging his pastoral office, did not do so for his own advantage, but did all things for the sake of God’s brothers, and thus gained them for God. Therefore, he was not draped in beautiful garments, nor did he care to indulge his flesh; wherefore he left his head to its own devices, to let it grow as it would, as much as it might. Thus, one might see a thicket of white hair flowing down even to his heels. C And in such a density of hair, it is highly probable that not a few small creatures lived. 8. And this growth of his head was, to those of that time, a physical sign of Marcus, which was wonderful even while he lived, and such as to strike the spectators with amazement; and after his death, it was likewise miraculous because it proved efficacious in overthrowing and destroying demons. For having been severed by the order of Magnus and carried into the temple of Venus like first fruits, no sooner was it inside than it even produced a miracle. D For the idols that were there, as if they were endowed with life, fell down and collapsed, and being shattered, they raised up good men from the lowest abyss of infidelity and brought them to God, by which act the devil, the prince of evil, was filled with shame, but God, who is the source of all good, was celebrated with praises. 9. For a certain Nicon, and Neon, and Heliodorus, seeing the shattering of those wicked images, and having understood that it was the divine power that had struck them down, cast them aside, and shattered them, they bade farewell to the principal demon and revolted [against him], and they drew near to God and were sanctified, having departed from the earth through the beheading of the head, which is the root of the man, the heavenly plant, but in paradise they took root forever.
A But these things are for later; as for us, having set aside the matter of the head, we must look upon that which concerns the soul, as it is in every way greater and more admirable. For the man was a treasury of virtues, and from these he was manifest, set forth as a divine school for those willing to learn.
10. For just as God does not desire strength of horse, nor is He pleased with the legs of a man, nor in other such things; so too He does not delight in wealth and excess and the other brilliance of life, but constantly seeks a pure heart, a contrite spirit, and a house thus purged of every stain. And having found what He seeks, He dwells there and walks about, and having filled such an house B of His with all His own wealth and fragrance dear to Him, He indicates by the scent where He abides, and draws to Himself those who are healthy in the scent of their mind; and with the wealth He showers those who come to Him, and adopts them as people of His own word.
11. Therefore, having found such an inhabitant in Mark, He was well-pleased, and seeing him lift his eyes to the mountains, He was favorable to him and came to his aid; and dwelling within him, He enriched him with good things, and made him fragrant with divine grace. And thus, making him attractive to those who knew the virtues within him, they too, running to him and listening to God speaking through him, and becoming better, ceased not coming frequently and filling Mark’s flock, so that he might shepherd not only the animals of the earth, but also and much more the things of God. C
12. Many, therefore, frequented him for the sake of teaching and living together, among whom also were virgins, women, and children. To these also the saint imparted the guiding principles of divine teachings, as much as they were able to contain, and brought them into that saving harbor, and thus led them safely to God. And would that it were possible to name them also, so that we might be able through their names to sanctify soul and tongue and the remaining body, the first, namely, by memory, the second by speech, and the third by transmission! D But since the history has left their names anonymous, as it did that of the men disciples, so also that of the virgins and children, it is to be wondered at, in the great Mark, how he perceived this, and how he shepherded well these honorable lambs of God and holy ewes and pure sheep, and nurtured them in spiritual infancy; then, when they were sacrificed as a victim to God, he himself also accompanied them, ascending as a sacrifice acceptable to the table of the Most High. But since this is a later matter, those things which preceded such a sacrifice most pleasing to God must be set forth: the order of which is as follows.
13. Diocletian, that many-headed beast, who was only a little inferior to a demon regarding the hatred of Christians—beside him a small head had sprouted, the leader Magnus—what indeed was he not plotting, what was he not saying, what was he not doing against God and the things of God? Being himself also notorious for wickedness, a demon himself, no inferior attendant of that great demon, contending not only with equal step with the most evil one...
A but surpassing him in the intensity of his race toward wickedness.
14. This man, exercising himself in the capturing of Christians because he loved hunting (just as, conversely, Marcus and his followers practiced gentleness, as those who loved the pastoral life), set over this sort of hunt a certain Diomedes, skilled in leading a pack of hounds and most hostile to Christians, so that the servant might be like his wicked master. And how much he served the Magnus in hunting, they knew; but how cunning he was at hunting against God is evident B from the following.
15. He once approached after hunting all kinds of game, and he had around him many men capable of such things, dispersed hither and thither in search of what they desired. They, while hunting there, came upon Marcus teaching, and no sooner did they see him than they were struck with amazement. For it was truly a sight to see, a marvelous spectacle at the time, and to those who followed, an incredible report. They did not marvel so much at the sight of a man worn out by fasts, wasted by hunger, presenting nothing but the shadow of a human, and covered with shaggy hair from head to foot; but they were amazed at the bear lying at his feet, gently licking them, and, since he could not speak, C thus eager to supply the service of speech; and out of fear, they wanted to withdraw from Marcus and the bear. But their amazement held them fast and detained their eyes, or rather, if I may say so, they stood mute, bound by dread and astonishment, until, recovering their senses at the holy man's invitation, they approached him.
16. And then, having questioned him and examined his affairs precisely, and having learned that he was a worshiper of Christ, they turned their wonder and fear into a mad rage against him, especially that wild beast, Diomedes, who immediately reported to the Magnus his "good find," the excellent Marcus, not honoring the bear as a disciple; for having seen that she had been taught by the holy man to be so gentle, and being himself obliged to learn from her what he also should have learned from the teacher, nonetheless, an untamed beast, he raged against the most God-beloved old man. D For it is not possible to assume that the bear, lying at Marcus’s feet, had become so tame without the work of God, so that, seeing her, those around Diomedes might imitate her and respect the man of God.
17. Thus was Marcus reported to the Magnus. And he, having seized this intelligence, sent thirty soldiers, who, having laid hold of him as a sweet prize, presented him to the Magnus, along with his disciples. He, having interrogated him and found that the prefect of the hunt had not lied (for Marcus confessed to the tyrant before the tribunal that he was a Christian, and he was not turned from such a confession by flattery or threats), was immediately lifted up with pride. And he was lacerated with deep scourging, and underwent the experience of the remaining terrible tortures, the angel standing by and strengthening him with invisible powers and toward patience
Afterward, he was cast into prison, yet remained unbroken in spirit, being preserved for new labors.
18. For as if these things which he suffered were not enough, he followed Magnus even to the celebrated Claudiopolis, so that having been transplanted from the land of the Pisidians to those parts, this noble plant of God might also bring forth fruits of salvation for this region. When he arrived there, with the hardship of the journey added to his former labors, he could not be turned to evil; but there he won over most enviable disciples, whom we were just recently mentioning, the famous martyrs of Calytris, who, it seems, had migrated there from Pisidia, whether by reason of relocation, or business, or for any other cause. B
19. They happened to be blacksmiths by trade, living by this for their self-sufficiency, but as for the goodness of their soul, as can be gathered from what followed, they were fervent in their zeal for the good and were among those capable of catching hold of the beginning of goodness and instantly arriving at the end. Such indeed are all those who are naturally inclined toward the good, which is the first and best foundation of virtue; for it is necessary for a spark of good will to be hidden within a person’s soul, even if they were embroiled in evil habits and actions, so that when divine inspiration blows upon it and drives away the life-dampening ashes that obstruct it, the light of truth immediately flashes forth, and coals are kindled, consuming the previous vile matter, the refuse of which makes useless the divine and immaterial thing within man. Having been endowed with this good disposition by nature itself, the Calytenes at first wandered about in error and, drifting upon such a sea, were carried here and there, aimlessly and in vain, wherever the spirit—not the divine one, but the evil one—swept them away. And if they ever touched down upon land, even this was not firm beneath them, but shook their footing, and thus hindered them from standing upright.
20. For it was not possible in those times either to sail without storms or to walk firmly, as the demonic assault was disturbing both sea and land, indeed, the one it was causing to surge and the other it was shaking, and it would not allow the creature of God to remain near Him, but, having seized them, it was striving to cast them down not into a mountain or a sea-surge, but into Tartarus itself. And thus the Calytenes lived until the martyrdom of Mark, rich only in good intent, in a teachable nature, and in a keen-eyed alertness toward the good, and in a praiseworthy purpose, yet otherwise poverty-stricken in perfection, since they found no one to take the lead and thus guide them to it. What were they to do, being as it were in deep, thick darkness, longing to reach the light but having no one to go before them, and, what is more, not even knowing what light is? So that, because of this, one might not inappropriately say of them: “As is the darkness to them, so is the light.”
21. Thus it was with the Calytenes, and…
for the sake of a good opportunity, so that they themselves might become good, and that they might transform what was naturally wise in potentiality into that which is most wise in actuality, there appeared a divinely-sent guide, one leading from darkness to light: the venerable Mark, the excellent shepherd of the great Supreme Shepherd, keen-minded in the simplicity of his disposition regarding divine things, and in his unlearnedness, divinely wise and wise in God. B To him God granted an illuminating knowledge of teaching, and kept him in the pastoral office even unto the very end of his life, so that he might never be deprived of shepherding for the love of God; and through him He gained beloved lambs, whom Mark, having fed them spiritually, offered up as a holy victim, as an odor of sweetness, as an acceptable oblation, as a pleasing and salutary sacrifice for us who are the children of God.
22. Since Mark was showing himself to be a man even beyond his elderly age, and God would not permit him to fail, so that by his zeal both the young and those in their prime might be kindled toward better things, Magnus kept him in reserve for new torments. But before this, he determined to twist the feet of the holy old man with an intolerable weight of shackles, so that he might increase the former labors of his journeying with fresh pains in his feet, and so that he might suffer dreadfully, just as he had while walking a short time before, and now, too, while remaining immobile in prison. C And indeed, that former torment of his steps was much lighter; for iron shoes, bristling with the sharpest nails on the inside, and in that way causing misery to his feet, made his descent into Hades, I believe, something to be desired by the holy man, because of the unbearable bitterness of the pain.
23. Having thus condemned the holy Mark to unbearable bonds, the impious Magnus searched for craftsmen who would forge the desired device; and the Calytenes were quickly found, being men fervent toward wickedness. For evil servants are quick to find evil, and the good man is not as prosperous in that which he desires as is the man of wickedness. For every good thing is difficult to find, and is therefore acquired through labors; but evil is easily found—whence also it is easily obtained.
24. When, therefore, the smiths were found and were brought, and once the fee had been agreed upon, they were set to the crafting of the shackles. And as they hastened, they were exercising their art—though natural goodness was urging them on—so that they might not break their pledged word nor, by defrauding him, oppose the governor. D For they could not even imagine or suspect the evil machination of that man, nor did they know who Mark was, or who the God of Mark was; for if they had known, perhaps they would not even have begun to forge such bonds, but would have seized the martyrdom all the sooner. And now the furnace had burned completely, and the iron was already glowing with fire. But when it was placed upon the anvil and was soon to be forged into shackles, if their hands had suffered numbness (and in fact they were suffering), that would indeed have seemed worthy of little note. But this must be especially noted: that the molten metal could no longer become iron, but refused to solidify, and as if wanting to run away like liquid water, it flowed and dispersed, and
A gathering itself again as it was in the beginning, and being restored first into black iron, then into the appearance of burning coal through the conflagration; and not even then bearing to be struck by the hammer, but as it were shrinking from such blows, and drawing itself together as if into dust. And thus, dissolving its natural continuity, it would not injure the feet of Marcus, dying in a way for him, and fearing to fasten shackles upon a man running toward the good. And this often happened again and again.
25. A prudent thought, therefore, enters the minds of the blacksmiths regarding these events, that what is coming to pass is a divine thing, and truly a portent, and not without a signification of some great outcome; and this thought, having deepened and taken hold within their soul, and having refined them toward theology, caused them to philosophize, B that these things had not happened without divine power and apart from God. For how is it that the iron, which flows into one mass in the heating, and casts off the dross in the melting, and thus being restored to purity and easily thereafter being compressed and thickened if it is struck into a plate, now becomes limp, so as to flow like water, unless some strange divine nod were attending this singular encounter? And straightway there entered into their mind that the man whom they were preparing to shackle is a man of God, C and for this reason the God of Marcus is standing in the way of the success of their work.
26. For as the report was revived in every way, it could not escape even them that Marcus, inasmuch as he was rejecting and blaming the gods as not true, and was clinging to one God, and witnessing that He was truly God, had been punished with bonds. Whence, being taught such things by the inner teacher, the God who was clearly answering the prayers of the holy Marcus, they acknowledged the widely-celebrated and most faithful Marcus in his persistence for the sake of his beloved Master, whom he himself wished to preach, and for the sake of this approval they honor God, but they detest the tyrant; and being registered for the good understanding, they apply their minds to the holy Marcus.
27. And what were they not about to do, those who from the inner initiate, from that which speaks through the rational nature, had clearly heard the teaching from God Himself? For a voice from heaven resounded even to them, like the ten thousand other God-given pronouncements that have thundered forth, encouraging the Calyteni D to struggle. Obeying this, they throw down the pincers, similar to crabs, and at the same time they cast away the hammers, and they wipe off the soot and filth adhering from their craft; but embracing the light, which is true and ineffable, they enroll themselves to do battle for God; and thus fleeing both the fire of their craft and the eternal fire, they run to the Great One. And first, they reject the wages which they had received from him for shackling Marcus with iron, so that his money might perish with him; then they affirm in a brief speech that they are ready to die for the God whom Marcus preaches, and that they do not wish thereafter
even to live, if they are in danger of associating with the godless, or rather, of being defiled by them. B
28. Immediately, therefore, having been seized, they exchanged tortures for tortures, and these were manifold. Magnus not only employed those to which he was accustomed, and which were no less severe than those he had previously used on these athletes, but also others, newer ones, which the evil-persuading demon suggested to him. For tyrants are usually accustomed, in such matters, to act with ambition and always to devise things that strike terror into those who fall into their hands, and thus to increase the horror in them, making their ferocity a busy concern and changing the mildness innate to man into the ferocity of a beast. But when their punishments had no effect on them, and no speech was efficacious—neither of threats nor of persuasion—the most wicked man devised a torture that was by no means inconsistent for martyrs.
29. For he resolved to take off by way of fire the three Calyteni who lived by the blacksmith’s trade, and to punish them with a kind of similar smelting, so that, through the very thing by which they lived, they might depart from life. Having melted a sufficient amount of lead, and having placed a funnel in the mouth of each of the martyrs, as if they were vessels capable of holding some liquid, he poured that molten metal into them, so that being burned internally, they might straightway breathe out their life. C
30. But this device of Magnus did not attain its full effect, but ended in vain, like a child’s game. For that lead was harmless to them, just like the metaphorical wax of the Psalmist melting in the midst of his belly. It was to the martyrs like a cooling wave flowing down to their very soul. But if one were to say correctly that it had entered their vitals like water, would he not also surely assert that by this lead the fervor of their heart was increased, and that the zeal for the house of God was kindled, which consumed the heart of the ancient Prophet? Indeed, that lead appeared to have been refrigerated by God; it was not seen to have been fused by fire, but was like that which is submerged in the raging waters in the sacred Canticle; for it did not burn in the least, but fell cold into a body that was likewise cold.
31. Who, then, were those brothers, those athletes who, thirsting for God in a fervent spirit, drank such liquid lead on His behalf? Did they not superabound with the fervor of their soul toward God? Were they not consumed for the faith? Did they not rebuke and mock the tyrant with ten thousand words of refutation? Why then, persisting in the same stubbornness, and raging against the martyrs and fighting against God, does he turn to another way by which he may more quickly rid himself of the company of the martyrs? For he could no longer resist, being unable to match them even in strength. Therefore, taking up the blacksmith’s art from elsewhere as an aid, so that he might execute upon them what they themselves were unable to do to Marcus, he turns [to his task].
be brought, of the kind with which some are fastened to a stake, and he looks for a stone capable of having men affixed to it. 32. God could indeed have brought it about that the nails would not be driven in firmly, but would be plucked out just as the iron intended for Marcus’s bonds had been loosened, or that the stone, hardening, would not yield to the stonemason's blows, but would blunt the holes through which the nails were to penetrate. But, having pity on the martyrs who had already suffered much, and granting them to depart from human life (for they had fought enough, as he judged—from whom an account cannot be demanded), He permitted the nails to be fashioned from iron and the stone to be pierced in the usual manner. As soon as this came to pass, the martyrs are forbidden to live on earth by Magnus; and, being quickly lifted up, they are affixed to the stone just as if to the wood of the cross. B And thus, by being nailed, they imitate, in a certain way, the Savior Christ who for our sake was willingly nailed, while by being affixed to the stone, they show that they are firmly established in the faith of the Lord.
33. Now, the aforementioned Marcus was still living; for Magnus had not had time to visit him, but had turned his whole mind toward his holocausts, the Calyteni, who had been offered to God by him, and who through him had come to know Him, ascending as if by a ladder to the height of knowledge and to the awareness of Him, when he taught them how the iron was extraordinarily loosened. And it was necessary for this to happen for two reasons: namely, so that the holy old man might depart confidently to God, after he had sent ahead to Him such martyrs upon his death, and so that they might not falter from sloth, having heard of Marcus's migration and ascension to God. C
34. Furthermore, Magnus—as if the nailing, as has been said, did not suffice for the torment of the Calyteni (for perhaps he was remorseful that he had not hidden them, but had displayed them as a spectacle so that they might be looked upon by the pious, from which followed admiration for them and shouting against the tyrant)—wished, perhaps like a rabid dog, to devour their flesh quickly. D Because he himself could not do so, he invokes toward the martyrs the fire that consumes all things, bearing it ill that their remains should survive by which the lovers of God might be sanctified. And thus he does away with them, handed over as prey to the fire, because while they were showing reverence to the shackles of Marcus with fire, they had themselves ignited so great a miracle. Thus, therefore, God took up the Calyteni brothers, joined together in one both by nature and by a true faith, on the twenty-eighth day of the month of September.
35. Magnus, having satisfied his anger against them, then, in his haste to take precautions so that others might not likewise act manfully for the sake of God, released Marcus from his cares, though not ceasing from the torments with which he had previously constantly and cruelly tortured him. For he beat him with countless blows, pierced him with spits, and gave orders that his teaching tongue…
be cut out, and he fastened him to a rock with nails, continuing in a relentless succession of most bitter punishments against one who knew how to endure with firmness torments intolerable to others. When, however, he severed his head with a sword, he then brought an end both to his suffering and to his rest A.
36. Thus they, that is, Marcus and the Calyteni—joined in a venerable and holy brotherhood—migrated from the earth to God in Claudiopolis. But the rest of the company of Marcus, that flock most dear to him, Nikon, Neon, and Heliodorus—whose flesh Marcus, being himself nailed fast, had also fixed with him in the fear of God—and likewise the virgins and children, of whom we have spoken previously, not long after assaulted the Phrygian Phrormelion, and struck all the inhabitants with wonder, and having suffered for Christ, they were gathered by God in that same place where Marcus and the Calyteni were. Also the disciples, whom the great hunters had captured together with Marcus from the beginning, as we mentioned above, and whom the executioners had released from this life in various ways, as the history records, in places separated from one another—as the narrative says—in which they ended their life, were brought together into one in the eternal and everlasting Trinity, in the one and only God; and thus living together and rejoicing together and conversing about our salvation, which may we attain by the mercy of God, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. B
The same Eustathius of Thessalonica concerning the same holy Calyteni, a sequence which is sung in the evening and in the morning, since that which the most blessed Chumnos had composed was no longer to be found after the taking of the city. C
Strophe upon this: Hope of the world. 1. Servants of the divine Trinity, thrice-blessed race, united closely in one by fortitude, by faith, and by the strongest bond of nature, join together also for our assistance, generously delivering us from every kind of temptation that life brings.
Responsorium upon this: Having fulfilled the dispensation toward us. 2. He who governs our affairs most excellently by a creative and omnipotent wisdom, having cleansed us from earthly stains, clothes us in celestial light, radiant like the sun. And behold, He grants us a serene day, by which darkness is put to flight. D
Third hymn, upon this: The spiritual adamant. 3. Let us faithfully sing with melody the martyrs of the truth—Alexander, Alpheus, and Zosimus—whom, as they contended for Christ, the angels admired, men heralded, and God in the highest crowned, as they had spurned all earthly things. For they pursued only things celestial, and therefore with their whole soul’s appetite and desire they panted after Christ God, the savior of our souls.
4. The endurance, O Master, of those who have contended
for thee we celebrate, joining their memory in our praises, whose manly firmness neither fear softened, nor the trial of torment, nor all the malice of Magnus, compelling them to die. For they were made strong by divine power, running through death to the life which remains for those who fear thee, the only God and savior of our souls. A
5. You three martyrs, fixed upon stones, suck the Davidic honey from the rock, harvesting the sweetness that is from God. For having endured the fire that consumed you, you were caught up to heaven as upon a chariot of fire, imitating the transition of Elijah; and every oppression of your torments gave you divine delights. For thus the Savior rewards those who suffer for his sake, the only God and Savior of our souls. B
*Another sticheron, tone 2, [on] "Thou didst rise on the third day, O Christ."*
6. The merciless judge subjects you, who believe in Christ, to most grievous torments, but he could not at all weaken your resolve, as you were arrayed toward better things. Knowing your mouth to be full of hymns to God, the tyrant, having placed a crucible around it for the smiths, pours into it lead melted in a fierce fire, but he was unable to stop the hymns. C
7. The fire provided indeed for the life of Christ’s brother-martyrs, serving this corruptible life; but in the martyrdom it was found most beneficial, transferring them to the incorruptible. A sweet splendor shone upon you there, as it did upon those who had fled the dark mist of error. Illuminate us therefore, all of you, O trophy-bearers, and banish the gloom of sorrow. D
*Ode [1], tone 4, [on] "He who crossed the sea as if it were dry land."*
8. Take note: what is more beautiful or delightful than for brothers to dwell together? For as the King of all, he gave the renowned athletes and brothers a dwelling place in Eden. There is indeed a natural genuineness and concord that arises from fraternity; but those who are joined also by their struggle have obtained a supernatural good. The supreme King, one in the Trinity, having found the noble triad of athletes—Alpheus, Zosimus, and Alexander—enrolled them as his own soldiers. Traversing the sea of this life, the conduct of a tempestuous existence, grant that I may not be submerged in its waves, O Mother of God and sovereign Savior. D
*Ode 3: "Of the celestial arch."*
9. Established upon an immovable rock, the firm martyrs, having been grounded by their faith in the Lord, underwent the penalty of their labors, fixed with nails to the stone; but now they free us from our pains. These martyrs of God owe debts of gratitude to holy Mark, whose flock they were chosen to be, for when they were assigned to break his chains for his dire punishment, they themselves were bound by the love of God.
10. The violence of Magnus insanely desired to imprison the wondrous Mark, having bound him in iron; but as this became fiercely inflamed for the triad of brothers, God [called] them to the struggle
Having not left the divine heaven, the Lord inhabited thee, and having Himself become flesh from the earth, He raised us up. Glory to thee, O immaculate Virgin, by whom we have been lifted up.