BY THE SAME: ENCOMIUM ON THE FORTY MARTYRS, PRONOUNCED IN THE MARTYRION
A Roman soldiers, according to ancestral law and ancient custom—which they received from their forefathers and have preserved until the present time—at the beginning of the current month put on their armor and proceed to a field sufficiently level and flat, where it is possible for them to extend the running of horses, to drill in military matters, and to practice every form of armed exercise; at the same time, they make a commemoration of the year and celebrate the day with splendor. I, however, by celebrating the memory of the martyrs—which I proclaimed to you on the previous day—having armed through this memory the forty soldiers of Christ, who surpassed all readiness in their struggles, set them forth today as a marvel to those able to see: the ornament of the Church, the joy of the peoples, and the glory of God who strengthened them. It is indeed an excellent and highly beneficial thing for the young to be nourished by narrations of virtue and great deeds, and for men to be brought to maturity. Hearing is the most opportune of the senses, and no less instructive than sight. For it brings teaching into the soul through the ears clearly; and it is no small danger whether the narrations happen to be good or base. For as those things are spoken, it is inevitable that such images are produced in the imagination; and thought and the continuous contemplation of the mind inflame a man with the desire to do the things which he grasps in his thought. Therefore, I desire you to facilitate my words with calmness and stillness, so that the blessed martyrs may be honored as befits them, and you may be trained through this memory in piety and the love of God. B C But for me, a double struggle remains, and a fear lest I debase the subject matter through the frailty of my exposition. For if one considers the greatness and majesty of the matter at hand, it is so great that, beyond all speech...
it carries off the victory; whether one looks to him who, before us, crowned the saints with his own wisdom—a man whose miracle is shared by the whole world, an exact standard of Christian education and of that which is handed down from outside, an image of philosophy, a model and balance of bishops, a teacher of works and words in harmony, possessing among all men an undisputed reputation, except perhaps among those for whom not even Christ escapes blasphemy. For just as no one denies that the sun gives light and heat, so no one will deny that the great Basil is adorned with every beauty of virtue. He, then, the sublime praiser of sublime things and the holy venerator of the holy, fulfilled the debt owed to the renowned victors according to the ability he possessed. Yet it is not right for me to be silent on that account, because he previously proclaimed the admirable deeds of the martyrs in a magnificent way; for our purpose at present is not to compete with him who has already spoken, but to ensure the benefit of you, the listeners; and everyone truly receives benefit as they are able, when it is supplied by those who are more opulent.
B The forty soldiers, for their part, were enlisted for the duties and way of life of the Roman emperor, but they were Christians in faith and pious in religion. But since he who held the empire at that time—being one of those who worshipped many gods, and having that bitter counsel and decree suggested to him by demons—harried the Christians with a new law and edict, commanding all subjects either to offer incense to the demons or, if they refused to do so, to be condemned to death, and before their death to endure many outrages upon their whole bodies; then, indeed, the blessed ones, seizing this as an opportunity to display their fortitude against the tyrannical cruelty and the law hateful to God, and detaching themselves from the other soldiers, constituting an excellent and Christ-loving cohort which campaigned with the power of the Spirit, openly stood against the detestable decree. And all in concert, as if from one mouth, proclaimed our faith, saying that they cared little for this mortal and fleeting life, and that they would willingly expose their bodies to various types of torments.
Wherefore, the more cruel executor and administrator of the cruel law, having understood the mind of the C saints, strove to apply punishments equal to their eagerness and readiness, and to terrify their intrepid and fearless spirits with a new and unusual method of striking fear. If I threaten them with the sword, he says, they will be little moved, nor will they yield, for they are men who have lived in arms from childhood and are accustomed to bearing iron. If I inflict other types of torments upon them, they will endure them nobly, inasmuch as they have long experience of stripes and wounds. Nor is fire a cause of fear to those who are as hardened in spirit as these men are. For this reason, a punishment must be devised which will produce the most grievous torment, D and which—
A can endure for a sufficiently long time. What counsel, therefore, did this inventor and craftsman of evils take against the saints? Looking about anxiously, he found, as it were, an airy punishment, which the season and the region provided him. The season, indeed, was winter; the place, Armenia, a border province, as you know, which is harsh in winter, not even providing a temperate summer season for its inhabitants, but being warmed only so much as to nourish the grain—yet the vine is unknown among them, and he who has not traveled far does not know a cluster of grapes; such a man asks about a grape just as we do about things that grow among the Indians. There, while snow is still on the ground, the plowman cuts the earth, and a snowfall greets the harvest; and as for the harvester, the winds strip him of his clothes unless he binds himself very tightly with his garments and struggles against the violence of the blasts. Autumn and spring are almost non-existent there, as if dissipated by their evil neighbor, the violence of winter. B In that region, then, at the start of the month, he stripped the saints of all their clothing and set them under the open sky with their bodies totally bare, with a punishment contrary to that employed by the king of the Assyrians when he afflicted the disciples of piety with his Babylonian furnace. Burning fire and cold, which binds and wastes away, are not comparable in the pain they cause; for fire is akin to the sword, quickly bringing about death, but cold, while having an equal power to produce pain, protracts the end. For, in general, all those maladies that are caused by cold are more enduring, such as quartan fevers, cancer, carbuncles, and other things of that genus which the sons of physicians declare to be produced in bodies by cold matter. Thus those who are colder and more obese are also slower and more sluggish, having a body not particularly apt for use. This can also be observed in animals devoid of reason: for the warmer ones are quicker and more fit for urgent necessity; those, however, that consist of a contrary complexion are slow and, as it were, bound by torpor. Thus the horse is swift, accustomed to being stirred to a run by the sound of the whip; the donkey is slow, and can scarcely be urged along its path with cudgels. The leopard is swift, bounding over C the meadows with a dry and warm body; the bear, on the contrary, being composed of thicker limbs, is slow. I have not put these things before you from nature’s inner sanctum without reason, but so that you might understand what kind of punishment those noble combatants underwent. Winter makes navigable rivers passable on foot, and causes water that is accustomed to flow to harden into the consistency of stone; indeed, it dissolves rocks when it has penetrated to their depths, and acts in like manner upon contrary bodies—for it turns the soft into stone, and dissolves the hard. Thus, when wine freezes, it takes the form of the jar in which it is contained, and liquid oil stands solid, conformed to the shape of the vessel; glass and pottery, moreover, are broken by the moisture. Even animals that live on the mountains and in the open either perish or, because of the magnitude of the evil, forget their natural ferocity; for stags and gazelles huddle in their pens, neither fearing dogs D nor escaping those who approach. For the greater danger always puts to flight the fear of lesser ones.
A Birds, meanwhile, dwell with men and remain under their roofs. But men dig the sea and strike the water with stone-cutting tools, and those near to one another cannot intermingle. Such a season provided weapons for the tyrant against the martyrs. For it was fitting, as it seems, that this blessed cohort should struggle with a new kind of punishment, so that they might gain a singular and extraordinary glory beyond many other martyrs. They stood, therefore, trembling, and their limbs were freezing, but with minds unmoved and imperturbable they exhibited a spectacle to angels, men, and demons... Angels awaited the separation of souls from bodies, that they might take them up to their own allotted place. Men, however, awaited the end, putting to the test the strength and power of human nature: whether, because of fear and hope for the future, it might be superior to such great and intense tortures. But demons paid close attention to what was happening, longing to see the downfall of the athletes and their cowardly abandonment of the perils. But their hope was confounded, because of Him who strengthened the martyrs from within. For each one beheld his own mutilations, and all beheld those of the others. One lay there with feet or toes falling away; another lay with his innate warmth now completely chilled and extinguished. But just as the most violent winds, when they blow over a place suitable for them, then shake the tops of the trees and uproot them and cast them to the ground; even so were the band of the blessed ones brought low by this winter: the noble plants of Paradise, the ornament of the human race, the roots of our germination, the soldiers of Paul, the guards of Christ, the destroyers of altars, the builders of the churches, those who enrolled themselves to fight against the barbarians, and who finished the struggle against the common enemy of all mankind. B Furthermore, they were in no way constrained by the unavoidable necessity of death, but salvation was in their power, if they had allowed themselves to be softened. For a bath was situated not far away, which had been placed deliberately near the place of punishment; the door stood open, and those standing around were beckoning. For the tyrant, the sower and author of persecution and various iniquity, had installed the bait of transgression near to those who were already stiffening with cold, persuading them to hasten of their own accord to recovery and healing, imitating, of course, his own father, who fraudulently induced the first parents to taste the forbidden tree. But they sharpened their fortitude all the more, not ignorant that endurance performs a proving only C when one abstains from the use and convenience of that thing which lies within one's own power: which it has been recorded that the divine Daniel did in earlier times. For when he was advised to partake of rich and sumptuous foods and drinks, out of hatred and detestation for things sacrificed to idols, he chose a diet of seeds. D
He flourished and thrived while fasting, and without food he appeared more supple and corpulent than those who lived in luxury; for it belongs to God to grant such gifts to His faithful servants beyond their hope.
A But since envy is accustomed to cling to great undertakings, there was a danger that this blessed company might be cut short, and we were near to being deprived of the fullness of the fourth decade. For one soldier, at the very moment of victory, succumbed to the impatience of the cold. Woe is me! He abandoned his fellow soldiers and, by the crafty artifice of the tyrant, approached the bath, sparing his flesh, which was already wasting away, for the love of this present life; for he both fell from his hope and did not attain this mortal life, breathing out his soul in the very act of transgression—a wretched Judas among the martyrs, neither a disciple nor wealthy, and yet, like him, dragged toward the noose. And let no one wonder at this. It is the custom of the devil to employ such-like machinations against those whom he subjugates to himself. He deceives and flatters them in various ways so as to cast them down; and once he has cast them down, he immediately tramples upon them, and mocks the one lying there. He exults over the calamity with shame, and in the shame of the one who has been seduced, he finds pleasure. Wherefore the Psalmist also called him an "enemy and avenger" (Ps. VIII, 3), signifying the changeableness of his character through the difference of the names. For that one never becomes a true companion or friend to men; he only feigns friendliness when he wishes to don the mask of deception.
B But the helper of our weakness, and the planter of both good words and deeds, found for Himself, after the example of Abraham, a sheep for a sacrifice from his own household—a confessor from those who were blaspheming, and a martyr from the order of those who were persecutors. For one of the tyrant's executioners, being deemed worthy of a vision of angels coming to the martyrs, and being encompassed by the appearance of the holy spirits—just as Paul was once [by the glory] of Christ when he was journeying to Damascus (Acts IX, 1 sqq.)—he immediately changed his mind and, stripping himself of his garments, mingled with those who were frozen. And in a brief moment of time he became everything: a proselyte, a confessor, a martyr, washing in his own blood the bath of regeneration—with blood, I say, that was dead and not flowing. A man deserving of the crown, a man worthy of all honor; through him the Church of God has forty. Because of this noble one, the band of martyrs is not maimed. Because of this proselyte, we celebrate the festival with a perfect number. And to the devil, a clever thing happened, worthy of laughter; for while he stole a soldier, he C lost a persecutor and an executioner.
What, then, happened after this? Those thrice-blessed ones arrived where they were hastening. But the master of the torture, unable to bear the success of the martyrs, waged war against their dead bodies, commanding that the dwellings of their holy souls be delivered to the fire, in this matter imitating savage beasts and D cruel men, whose nature they ex
Ahibit when they tear to pieces the garments thrown off by those who are being pursued; but the enemies, once they have departed, burn and destroy the houses. And one of the martyrs might justly have said to him: "No longer, O foolish one, do I dread your cruelty. For I was afraid so long as the souls were present and within their frozen bodies, lest the greatness of the tortures might overcome the fortitude of the pious; but now that this fear has passed, use the clay that remains as you wish; even if you consume the flesh, I shall not care. For the more you display your raging cruelty, the more you crown the victory of those who have departed; for the noble attacks of the adversaries become precise proofs of the fortitude of the victors."
BBut why should we dwell on this at length? The bodies were burned, and the fire received them. But that dust and the remains of the furnace were distributed throughout the world, so that almost every province might participate in this blessing. I too have a portion of this sacred gift, and I have placed the bodies of my parents next to the relics of these soldiers, so that at the time of the resurrection they may rise full of hope and confidence along with these powerful protectors. For I know that they have power, and I have seen clear proofs of the confidence they possess before God; and indeed I wish to speak of one thing that is among the marvels of their operation. In the village that belongs to me, where the remains of these thrice-blessed ones rest, there is a small town nearby; Ibora is what they call it. CIn this town, according to the custom of the Romans, when a census of soldiers was being conducted, one of the soldiers came to the aforementioned village, having been appointed by the tribune for the safeguarding of the location, so that he might hold back the outbursts and injuries of his fellow-soldiers, which those serving in the military are wont to inflict upon the country folk with arrogance. Now, this man was afflicted in one of his feet and was lame; and the malady was long-standing and incurable. But after he had been in the martyrium and the place of the rest of the saints, and had poured out prayers to God, and also implored the intercession of the saints, lo, by night a man of venerable appearance appeared to him and, after saying other things, "You are lame, O soldier," he said, "and you are in need of a cure? But give me your foot so that I may touch it." DAnd having taken hold of it in his sleep, he pulled it forcefully. While the nocturnal vision was doing this, such a sound was heard by those who were awake as is wont to occur when a bone is dislodged from its natural joint and then violently restored; so that both those who were sleeping with him and the soldier himself were awakened, and the man immediately stood up and walked soundly and naturally, as he had been accustomed before. I myself saw this miracle, having associated with the soldier himself, who spread this miracle received from the martyrs everywhere and among everyone, and proclaimed and celebrated the kindness of his fellow soldiers.
If, however, I ought to add something that touches me in a particular way, I shall not omit it. For when we were about to celebrate the first feast day for the relics and were intending to bring the urn into the holy church, my mother,
for her life was with God, and she also remarkably adorned every feast day—commanded me to come to participate in the proceedings. But since I was far away, still young, and in the rank of the laity, and, as is wont to happen in urgent matters, occupied with other business, I foolishly took the summons with some annoyance, implicitly blaming my mother for not having postponed the festival to another time, but instead having pulled me away from various occupations and brought me here, even before any meeting had begun. I arrived, therefore, at the village. And since a vigil was being held in the garden, where the relics of the saints were also happening to be honored with psalms, a vision of the following sort appeared to me in a dream while I was sleeping in a nearby room: I thought that I wished to enter the garden where the vigil was actually being performed. When I reached the door, a multitude of soldiers was seen stationed at the entrance; B but all of them suddenly rising up, brandishing rods, and rushing at me threateningly, would not allow me entry. And I would have even received blows, had I not been rescued by the intercession of one who, as it seemed, was more humane than the rest. But when sleep left me, and I came to an accounting of my transgression regarding the summons, I realized what the fearful apparition of the soldiers portended. With many tears I lamented my own foolishness, and I sprinkled the very urn of the relics with bitter tears, so that God might be favorable to me, and the holy soldiers might grant me oblivion for my fault.
These things I have recounted C so that we may be persuaded that the martyrs live, and are God's bodyguards and assessors, who today have benefited and adorned our Church. And this very Lenten season, which holds the memory of the forty martyrs, is more bright and greater, and the month is more illustrious than other months, nor does the harsh winter seem difficult to me anymore, nor do I complain at the inclemency of the present time. For this harsh weather, having provided an occasion for the persecutor, brought this holy band to its end. And just as the mother of the seven Maccabees, because she had a soul that was more a lover of God than a lover of the flesh, neither accused the cruelty of Antiochus the tyrant of Syria, nor did she find the punishments and calamities D of her sons grievous; rather, she accepted the desolation as a benefit and the childlessness as an aid; nor indeed did Stephen, when being stoned, consider himself to be harmed, but rather to be brought to life; so also we owe gratitude to the enemies of God for the successful outcome, since they became the cause of such great goods for us, even if they did not act with the intent of benefiting, but of attacking. For even enemies sometimes confer benefits, though unwillingly; nor did the devil profit Job less than his genuine friends. The king of the Assyrians was a benefactor to Daniel. And let the three youths give thanks to the fiery furnace; and let Isaiah, sawn in two, praise the Hebrews. And let Zechariah, slaughtered between the temple and the altar, honor his murderers; and let John, having his head cut off, proclaim Herod as his benefactor; and let the apostles [honor] those by whom they were bound and scourged; and let all the martyrs [love] those by whom they suffered persecution.
those who persecute them; for if they had not opened the stadium, the athletes would not have demonstrated their fortitude in public. But what indeed should one admire more concerning the praise of those who are set before us as our subject: their multitude, their fortitude, or their sincere and unfalsified concord? A Yet let us not pass over the first number ungratefully. For he who has such great intercessors will never depart empty from prayers and supplication, even if he be exceedingly burdened by sins. Of this concept and hope, God Himself is witness in the conversation with Abraham, when he was supplicating for the Sodomites, and not seeking forty, but ten righteous men for the preservation of a city about to perish.
We, however, according to the Apostle, having such a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, should proclaim ourselves blessed, rejoicing in hope, constant in prayer, and partaking in the memories of the saints. For the forty martyrs are strong champions against our B adversaries, and worthy intercessors for petitioning the common Lord. Protected by their support, let the Christian be confident, even if the devil weaves temptations, and wicked men rise up, and tyrants burn with fury, and the sea rages, and the earth refuses to bring forth what it is accustomed to bring forth for men, and finally the heavens threaten terrors. For their power and efficacy are sufficient for every necessity and circumstance, and they receive rich grace from Christ, to whom all glory is due unto the ages. Amen.
BY THE SAME FUNERAL ORATION FOR HIS OWN BROTHER, THE GREAT BASIL.
C God has imposed a good order upon these our anniversary festivals, which we have already celebrated and celebrate again through a certain ordered succession during these days. The order for us, however, of these spiritual solemnities and assemblies is that which the great Paul also taught, having received the knowledge of such things from above and from heaven. For he says first that the apostles and