To Fortunatus: On the exhortation to martyrdom

The essay “To Fortunatus: On the Exhortation to Martyrdom” was written by Sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage or during the persecution of Emperor Decius (250-251) or Emperor Valerian (257-258). The treatise is addressed to Fortunatus, Bishop of Tuccabor, who took part in the Council of Carthage in 256. St. Cyprian, at the request of Fortunatus, compiled a collection of quotations from the Holy Scriptures to support the spirit of Christians in the impending persecution. The work was supposed to warn Christians against idolatry and serving the world, to convince them to remain firmly in faith and virtue, to explain that disasters and persecutions happen for our testing, and to console them by pointing out the faithfulness of the Divine promise regarding rewards and rewards. The introduction outlines the outline of the treatise, consisting of 12 chapters. Chapters 1-5 talk about idols and the true God, about idolatry and God's punishment for it. Idols created by man are not gods; they cannot protect anyone, “for a product cannot be greater than its maker and artist.” One should not revere the elements, which serve man by order of God. There is only one true God to be worshiped. It should be remembered that He “threatens those who sacrifice to idols” and “reluctantly forgives idolaters”: “God is so indignant at idolatry that He ordered the death of even those who advised to sacrifice and serve idols.” Chapters 6-7 say that after the redemption of people by the Blood of Christ, nothing should be placed above Christ, since He did not place anything above us. For our sake, He preferred troubles to blessings, poverty to wealth, death to immortality. A Christian in his suffering must remember about the prepared paradise, the Kingdom of Heaven, eternal life with God. Chapter 8 deals with the need to remain steadfast in faith and virtue to the end in order to achieve the prepared crown. Chapters 9-11 talk about how disasters and persecutions serve to test Christians. It must be remembered that “God has more power to protect than the devil to defeat.” The Lord himself predicted that “the world will hate us and will persecute us.” Chapter 12 talks about the fact that heavenly rewards await the righteous and martyrs: “We have more to receive than what we endure here in suffering itself.” *The title of the work in Latin is Ad Fortunatum: De exhortatione martyrii. Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Since the burden of persecution and oppression falls upon us, and at the end and exhaustion of the world the hostile time of the Antichrist has already begun to approach, you wished, most dear Fortunatus, that in order to prepare and strengthen the minds of the brethren, I would compose exhortations from the Divine Scriptures, with which I would inspire the soldiers of Christ to heavenly and spiritual warfare. It was necessary to satisfy your urgent desire and, as far as possible for our measure, assisted by divine inspiration, to extract from the commandments of the Lord, as it were, weapons and some kind of armor for the brothers who are about to enter into battle. For it is not enough that we stir up the people of God with the trumpet of our voice, it is also necessary to strengthen the faith of the believers and the valor dedicated and devoted to God by divine reading. And what should we especially and primarily try and care about, if not to ensure that the people entrusted to us from above, the army stationed in the heavenly camp, are prepared by constant exercises to repel the arrows and spears of the devil? A warrior who has not first been trained in the field cannot be capable of battle, and one who seeks to receive an ascetic crown in the field will not be crowned with it unless he first thinks about exercising and sharpening his strength. The enemy with whom we are waging war is ancient, the enemy is long-standing. Six thousand years have almost passed since the devil attacked man. Due to the very long history of the exercise, he learned all types of temptations, all the tricks and tricks for defeat. If he finds a soldier of Christ who is unprepared, inexperienced, careless and not watchful with all his heart, he will catch the ignorant, deceive the imprudent, deceive the unskillful. If a warrior who keeps the commandments and clings firmly to Christ stands against him, then he will certainly win, because the Christ he confesses is invincible. In order not to prolong my speech too much and not to bore the listener or reader with a very extensive presentation, I compiled, my dear brother, a list, namely: having proposed a table of contents of subjects that everyone should know and contain, I then added to them special chapters in which I confirmed what was proposed by the importance of Divine Scripture so that it would be clear that I did not send you my treatise, but only delivered the material for the treatise. And everyone can use this to their greatest benefit. For if I had given you already made and ready-made clothing, then this clothing, intended for the use of another, would have been mine and, perhaps, would not have suited his height and physique. Now I have sent you one wave and purple from the Lamb, by whom we have been redeemed and quickened; Having received them, you will make for yourself the clothes you want, and it will be more pleasant for you to wear your own home clothes. Yes, you will also communicate to others what we have sent, so that they too can make for themselves, according to their own will, and, having covered this ancient nakedness, they would all wear the robe of Christ, clothed with the sanctification of heavenly grace. At the same time, most dear brother, it seemed to me useful and salutary to intend in such an urgent exhortation that makes martyrs, to avoid all hindrances and delays from our verbal expressions and to reject all the ambiguities of human speech, and to offer only what God says, that by which Christ convinces his slaves to martyrdom. It is necessary to teach the combatants only the divine commandments as weapons. Let them be the sound of a military trumpet, a signal for those fighting. Let the ear listen to them; let them tune their minds; From them let them borrow mental and physical strength to endure any suffering. Having given the believers the first baptism by the will of God, we will prepare everyone for another baptism, instilling and teaching that this baptism is greater in grace, more sublime in power, and more precious in honor - a baptism that is performed by angels, in which God and His Christ rejoice - a baptism after which no one sins anymore, which completes the progress of our faith and immediately unites those who depart from the world. us with God. In baptism by water the remission of sins is received, in baptism by blood the crown of virtues is received. It is for this that we must ask with special love and desire with all kinds of prayers, so that we, the servants of God, may also be His friends. By admonishing and preparing our brothers, by arming them with the strength of virtue and faith to proclaim the confession of the Lord and to fight persecution and suffering. First of all, it must be said that the idols that man makes for himself are not gods, for the product cannot be greater than its maker and artist, cannot protect anyone and preserve what itself disappears from its churches if it is not protected by man. And the elements, which by order and commandment of God serve man, should not be revered. That idols are not gods and that the elements should not be worshiped instead of gods, this is shown in the psalm: “Idols have a tongue of silver and gold, of the hands of men: they have a mouth, and do not speak; they have eyes, and do not see; they have ears, and do not hear: lower than there is spirit in their mouth. May those who create be like them” (Ps. 135:15–18). Also in the book of the Wisdom of Solomon: “All idols are paganly considered to be gods, which are lower than the eyes for the use of sight, lower than the nostrils for attracting the air, lower than the ears to hear, lower than the fingers of the hands for the touch, and their feet are idle for walking. Man created them, and took the spirit to create them: not a single man can create something like God for himself: but death and this dead man makes the hands of lawless: the best is his idols, as this one will live, but they will never” (Wisdom 15:15-17). And in the book of Exodus: “You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness” (Exodus 20:4). Solomon also talks about the elements: “I have not known a sly man by heeding deeds; but either fire, or spirit, or... air, or the circle of stars, or green water, or the heavenly lights, the builders of the world, the gods, arose to be. And even if they delight in their beauty, these gods have exalted them, so that they will know how many of these the Lord is the best; ...if they are amazed at the power and action, let them understand from them that he who created this is the mightiest” (Wis. 13:1-4). Having rejected idols and explained the meaning of the elements, it is necessary to show that God alone must be revered. The Scripture says that God alone must be revered: “Fear the Lord God and serve him alone” (Deut. 6.13). Also in the book of Exodus: “Let there be no gods for you...except for Me” (Exodus 20.3). And in another place: “You see, you see, for I am, and God does not bear Me; I will kill and make life, I will smite and I will heal, and I will pluck out everything that is not out of my hand" (Deuteronomy 32.39). Also in the Apocalypse: "And I saw another angel soaring in the midst of heaven, having the gospel forever to preach to those who dwell on the earth and to every nation and tongue and tribe and people, saying with a great voice: Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them” (Rev. 14.6–7). Thus, the Lord reminds us in the Gospel of the first and second commandments, saying: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul... and with all your strength. This is your first commandment, and the second is similar to it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk 12.29–31). And again: “Behold, this is the eternal life, that they may know thee the one true God, and whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ” (John 17.3). After this, we should remember how God threatens those who sacrifice to idols. This is how God threatens those who sacrifice to idols. In the book of Exodus: “Whoever sacrifices to God shall be consumed by death, but only to the Lord” (Exodus 22.20). Also in Deuteronomy: “I ate the demon, and not God” (Deut. 32.17). Also in Isaiah: “And having bowed down to those who have made their fingers, the man bowed down, and the man humbled himself, and I will not endure them” (Isaiah 2.8–9). And again: “And to these you poured out drink offerings, and to these you offered sacrifices: for these will I not be angry?” - says the Lord (Isaiah 57.6). In Jeremiah: “Do not go after foreign gods, to serve them and worship them, lest you anger Me in the works of your hands, so as to embitter [disperse] you" (Jer 25.6 ). Also in the Apocalypse: “Whoever worships the beast and his icon and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, and he will drink from the wine of the wrath of God, poured into... into the cups of His wrath, and he will be tormented with fire and a bogeyman before the holy angels and before the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and he who worships has no rest day and night. the beast and his image" (Rev 14.9–11). In addition, it must be shown that God is reluctant to forgive idolaters. God is reluctant to forgive idolaters. In the book of Exodus, Moses asks for the people and fails. “I pray to Thee,” he says, “Lord: men have sinned this great sin and have created for themselves gods of gold. And now even if Thou hast forgiven them their sin, forgive it: and even if Thou hast blotted me out of Thy book, Thou hast written it down. And the Lord spoke to Moses: If anyone sins against Me, I will blot him out of My book” (Exodus 32.31–33). Also, when Jeremiah prayed for the people, the Lord said to him: “Do not pray for these people and do not ask to have mercy on them, and do not pray, come to Me for them, lest I hear you” (Jeremiah 7.16). The Lord said to me: Son of man, if the earth sins, I will feed on sin, and I will stretch out My hand on it and wipe away the grain, and I will cause hunger on it, and I will take away men and animals from it. And if these three men be among her, Noah and Daniel and Job... neither their sons nor their daughters will be saved, but only these alone will be saved” (Eze 14.12–14, 16). The same in the First Book of Kings: “If a man sins, men will pray for him to the Lord; if he sins against the Lord, who will pray for him?” (1 Samuel 2.25) And that God is so indignant at idolatry that he ordered the death of even those who advised making sacrifices and serving idols. God is so indignant at idolatry that he ordered the death of even those who advised making sacrifices and serving idols. In Deuteronomy: “If your brother... or your son, or your daughter, or your wife, even in your bosom, or your friend, equal to your soul, prays to you, saying: “Let us go and serve as another god, ... from the gods of the tongues ... lest thou deign to him, nor listen to him, and let not thine eye spare him, ... hide him below; proclaiming and making known about him, and let your hand be on him first to kill him, and the hands of all people after: and they will stone him and die, because he sought to turn you away from the Lord your God” (Deut. 13.6-10). And again the Lord clearly says that even the city should not be spared if it had completely agreed to idolatry: “If you hear in one of your cities what the Lord God gives you to dwell there, saying: ... let us go, let us serve another god, of whom you do not know, ... by killing and killing all who live in the city with the sword... and set the city on fire... and it will be empty forever and there will be no reward for this; ... may God turn from the fury of His anger, and give you mercy, and have mercy on you, and multiply you, ... if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all His commandments” (Deut. 13:12–13, 15–18). Remembering this strict commandment, Mattathias killed the man who had begun to eat in the church (1 Mac 2.23–24). If these commandments concerning the reverence of God and the contempt of idols were preserved before the coming of Christ, then much more everything related to the reverence of God must be observed after the appearance of Christ, Who taught us not only in words, but also in deeds: after all the bitterness and blasphemy, He suffered and was crucified, in order to teach us by His example to suffer and die. It is in no way excusable for a person not to suffer for himself when He suffered for us: if He suffered for the sins of others, then all the more should everyone suffer for their own sins. And therefore He threatens in the Gospel, saying: “Everyone... who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven; And whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10.32–33). The Apostle Paul says the same thing: “For if we die with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will reign with Him; If we deny, He will deny us” (2 Tim 2.11-12). The same John: “Let everyone deny the Son, neither to have the Father, but confess the Son, [and the Son] to have the Father” (1 John 2.23). Therefore, the Lord exhorts and encourages us to despise death, saying: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; Fear rather than the mighty one, he will destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10.28). And again: “He who loves his life will destroy it; and he who hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternity” (John 12.25). To this we must add that, redeemed and quickened by the blood of Christ, we should not place anything higher than Christ, since He did not place anything higher than us: for our sake He preferred troubles to blessings, poverty to wealth, slavery to dominion, death to immortality; We, on the contrary, in our suffering, may we prefer temporary poverty to the riches and joys of paradise, to temporary slavery to dominion and the eternal kingdom, to death to immortality, to God and Christ to the devil and the Antichrist. That, redeemed and quickened by blood, we should not place anything above Christ, the Lord speaks about this in the Gospel: “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves son or daughter is not worthy of Me more than Me” (Matthew 10.37). And in Deuteronomy it is written: “Speak to your father... and to your mother: I have not seen you... and I have not led away my sons; keep Your words and keep Your covenant” (Deuteronomy 33.9). Also, the Apostle Paul says: “Who will separate us from the love of God [Christ]? Is it tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or trouble, or a sword? As it is written: For for Your sake we are slain all day long: we are counted as sheep of the slaughter; But in all these we prevail for the sake of those we love” (Rom 8.35–37). And again: “Bring yours? bought at a natural price. [with great] glorify [and bear] God in all your bodies” (1 Cor 6.19–20). And again: “Christ died for all, so that those who live do not live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor 5.15). It must also be taught that those who have been snatched from the jaws of the devil and the world should not, having been subjected to troubles and oppression, turn back to the world and thereby lose what they have acquired. Those plucked from the jaws of the devil and worldly snares must not turn back to the world and thereby lose what they have acquired. In the book of Exodus we read that the Jewish people, who represented us in the shadow and image, having been delivered by the protector and avenger God from the gravest slavery of Pharaoh and Egypt, that is, the devil and worldly, treacherous and ungrateful in relation to God, grumble against Moses, noticing the inconveniences of the desert and labor and not understanding the divine benefits of freedom and salvation: he wants to become a slave again Egypt, that is, the world from which they were torn out, whereas all the more should they trust in God and believe, because whoever frees his people from the devil and the world patronizes the liberated. “What have you done for us,” he says, “by bringing us out of Egypt?.. it was better for us to work for the Egyptians than to die in this desert. Moses said to the people: be of good courage, stand, and see the salvation from the Lord that he will do for us today: ... The Lord will fight for you, but you will remain silent” (Ex. 14:11-14). The Lord, warning us against this and teaching us that we should not return again to the devil and the world, which we renounced and got rid of, says in His Gospel: “No one lays his hand on his forehead and in vain turns back, he is ruled in the Kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). And again: “Those who live in the village... may not return back; remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:31–32). And so that no one is deterred from following Christ by either greed for property or pleasing relatives, He adds to this the following: “Whoever does not renounce all ... his possessions cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33). On the contrary, they must stand firm and abide in faith, in virtue, in the accomplishment of heavenly and spiritual grace, so that they can achieve honor and crown. One must stand firm and remain in faith, in virtue, in the accomplishment of heavenly and spiritual grace, so that honor and crown can be achieved. In the book of Chronicles: “The Lord is with you, as He is with Him; ...if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15.2). And in Ezekiel: “The righteousness of the righteous will not deliver him; in the same day he will be deceived (Ezekiel 33.12). The Lord also says in the Gospel: “He who endures... to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10.22). And again: “If you continue in My word, you will be My disciples truly, and you will understand the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8.31–32). Warning us that we must always be ready and, having prepared for the campaign, stand firm, He adds to this the following words: “Let your loins be girded, and your lamps burning; and you are like a man who waits for his Lord when he returns from marriage, so that when he comes and pushes, it will be opened to him. Blessed are the servants, for whom the Lord will find those who are watching” (Luke 12.35–37). The same is true of the blessed Apostle Paul, exhorting us to progress, return and the highest perfection of our faith, saying: “Do you not know that those who are in disgrace all run down, but only one receives honor? So you will, and you will comprehend; ...for they may receive a crown that is corrupted, but we are uncorrupted” (1 Cor 9.24–25). Also: “No one who has been a warrior [to God] obliges himself with the purchases of life, so that the governor may please him; Even if someone suffers, he will not be married, unless he fights lawfully” (2 Tim. 2.4-5). And again: “I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, present your body as a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, ... and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so as to tempt you, what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12.1-2). And again: “We are the children of God; as well as children and heirs; Heirs therefore to God, and heirs to Christ, since we reflect with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom 8.16–17). The same exhortation is contained in the divine sermon of the Apocalypse: “Take hold, O imashi, so that no one may receive your crown” (Rev 3.11). We find an example of how one must be firm and steadfast in the book of Exodus: Moses, in order to gain victory over Amalek, who represented the devil, raised his hands up into the sign and Sacrament of the Cross and defeated the enemy only when, with his hands constantly raised, he remained unremittingly in this sign. “And it came to pass,” it is said, “when Moses lifted up his hand, Israel prevailed; and when he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed... And he took up a stone, put it on it, and sat on it: Aaron and Hor supported his hand, one from here, and the other from there: and Moses’ hand was strengthened until the setting of the sun: and overcame Jesus Amalek and all his people... the Lord spoke to Moses: write this in the books as a keepsake and put it in the ears of Jesus, for by destruction I will destroy the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (Exodus 17.11–14). For disasters and persecutions come to test us. Troubles and persecutions come to test us. In Deuteronomy: “The Lord your God tempts you to lead you away, if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 13.3). And again from Jesus, the son of Sirach: The furnace tests the potted vessels, but the temptation of adversity tests the righteous people (Sir 27.5). Paul testifies to the same thing, saying: “We boast in the hope of the glory of God; not exactly, but we also boast in sorrow, knowing that sorrow produces patience; patience is an art, and hope is an art; But our hope will not be put to shame, for the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5.2–5). And Peter offers the following in his Epistle: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the reluctance in you to be tempted, as if it were alien to you; but as soon as you partake of Christ’s passion, rejoice, for even in the manifestation of His glory you will rejoice and rejoice. If you are reproached in the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the glory... and the power of the Lord's name rests on you; He is blasphemed by him, but glorified by you (1 Pet 4.12–14). And there is no need to be afraid of anger and executions during persecution, because God has more power for protection than the devil for defeat. That one should not be afraid of anger and executions during persecution, because God has more power to protect than the devil to defeat, this is proven by the following words of John in his Epistle: “There is more pain in you than in the world” (1 John 4.4). Also in the Psalm: “The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man does to me” (Ps 117.6)? And again: “These on chariots, and these on horses, we will call in the name of the Lord our God. They fell asleep and fell, but we rose and recovered” (Ps 19.8–9). The Holy Spirit teaches and shows even more strongly that we should not be afraid of the devil’s militia and that if the enemy raises a war against us, then our hope lies primarily in the war itself, in this very skirmish the righteous achieve the reward of a divine home and eternal salvation. The Psalm says: “Even if an army rises up against me, my heart will not fear, even if a brother rises up against me; I trust in Him. I have asked one thing of the Lord, this I will require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life” (Ps 26.3-4). Also in the book of Exodus, the Holy Scripture declares that through oppression we multiply and become stronger. “Because...,” it is said, “I humbled them, and became very much stronger” (Exodus 1.12). The Apocalypse also promises divine protection in our suffering. “Do not be afraid,” it is said, “of anything that you have suffered” (Revelation 2.10). And this protection and security is promised to us by the One who speaks through the prophet Isaiah: “Do not be afraid, for I have delivered you, calling you by your name: You are mine. And even if you walk through water, I am with you, and the rivers will not cover you; and even if you pass through the fire, you are not burned, and the flame does not scorch you: for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, who saved you" (Isaiah 43.1-3). He also promises in the Gospel that God's servants will not be deprived of divine help during persecution: "When you are betrayed, do not worry about how or what you will say: it will be given to you in the hour that you will say: “You will not speak, but the Spirit of your Father will speak in you” (Matthew 10.19-20). And again: “Set it on your hearts, not before learning to answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all who resist you will not be able to resist” (Luke 21.14-15). In the Exodus, when Moses hesitated and was afraid to go to the people, God spoke like this: “Who gave a mouth to man? And it is not difficult for God to open the mouth of a person devoted to Him, to breathe into his confessor firmness and courage to speak - not difficult for the One who made the donkey speak before the prophet Balaam, as we read in the book of Numbers (Numbers 22.30). And therefore, during persecution, let no one think about the trouble caused by the devil, but rather, let everyone think about the help given by God; Let human adversity not weaken the mind, but let the divine protection strengthen faith, because everyone, according to the Lord’s promises and the merits of his faith, must receive God’s help as much as he deserves, and there is nothing that the Almighty cannot grant, unless the fragile faith of the recipient changes. And so that no one fears or is embarrassed by the oppression and persecution we endure in this world, it is necessary to prove that it was predicted in advance that the world would hate us and would persecute us; therefore, from the fact that all this happens, only the faithfulness of the divine promise regarding rewards and rewards, then subsequent ones, is revealed, and that nothing new happens to Christians here, since from the very beginning of the world the good have been subjected to troubles, oppressed and killed by the unrighteous. It was previously predicted that the world would hate us and persecute us, and that nothing new would happen to Christians here, since from the very beginning of the world the good were subjected to troubles, the righteous were oppressed and killed by the unrighteous. This is what the Lord proclaims in the Gospel as a warning to us: “If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before you. If we were quicker from the world, the world would love its own; as if you are not from the world, but I chose you from the world, for this reason the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: you are not a slave of your Lord. If you cast me out, you will also be cast out” (John 15.18–20). And again: “The hour will come when everyone who kills you will decide to offer service to God; and they will do this, because they have not known the Father or Me. But these words have spoken unto you, that when the hour come, ye may remember these things, that I have spoken unto you” (John 16.2–4). And again: “Amen, amen, I say to you, that you will weep and wail, and the world will rejoice: but you will be sad, but your sorrow will be turned into joy” (John 16.20). Also: “These words have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace; you will be in a world of sorrow, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world” (John 16.33). And when the disciples asked the Lord about the sign of His coming and the end of the world, He said in response: “Be careful that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying: I am Christ, and they will deceive many. Hear the swearing and hear the swearing; Behold, do not be horrified; It is fitting for all of [these] to be: but not then... death. For language will rise against tongue, and kingdom against kingdom: and there will be plagues and destruction, and cowardice in place. All this began with illness. Then you will be given over... to sorrow and you will be killed: and you will be hated by all tongues for My name's sake. And then many will be tempted, and will betray each other, and will hate each other. And many false prophets will arise and deceive many. And because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many will dry up. He who endures to the end will be saved, and this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached throughout the entire world, as a testimony to all tongues: and then death will come. Whenever you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (those who honor, let them understand): then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let him who is on the roof not come down to take what is in his house; and those in the village, may they not return to take their garments. Woe to those who are idle and milking in thy days. Pray, that your flight may not be in winter, nor on the Sabbath. Then there will be great sorrow, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, lower than the imagin of being. And if these days had not ceased, all flesh would not have been saved: but for the sake of the elect these days will cease. Then if anyone says to you: Here is Christ, or here; have no faith. False Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders, as if to deceive, if possible even the elect” (Matthew 24.4-24). “You are careful; “Behold, first of all I rebuked you” (Mk 13.23). “If they say to you, “Behold, there is a place in the wilderness, do not come out; Behold in treasures, have no faith. Just as lightning comes from the east and appears to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever there is a corpse, the eagles will gather there. Aby, according to the sorrow of those days, the sun will darken, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will move. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven: and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and much glory. And their angels will send out with a great trumpet sound, and His chosen ones will be gathered from the four winds, from the end of the heavens to the end of them” (Matthew 24.26-31). What is happening to Christians today is not new or unexpected: the good, the righteous, who express their devotion to God through an immaculate life and pious fear, always walk the difficult paths of a narrow path, being subjected to persecution, insults, and severe and varied bitterness. So, at the very beginning of the world, the first righteous man - Abel - is killed by his brother, Jacob is expelled, Joseph is sold, meek David is persecuted by King Saul; King Ahab tries to oppress Elijah, who constantly and courageously proclaims the greatness of God; Zechariah, the priest, is killed between the church and the altar, so that he himself becomes a sacrifice where he sacrificed sacrifices to God. Finally, so many martyrdoms of the righteous, often praised! So many examples of faith and valor shown subsequently! Three youths: Ananias, Azariah and Misail, identical in age, agreeable in love, steadfast in faith, unshakable in virtue, strongest in flames and fiery executions, loudly cry out that they serve God alone, they know Him alone, they honor Him alone. They say to King Nebuchadnezzar: “We do not need to answer you about this verb. There is a God... Him we serve, who is able to take us out of the burning furnace and deliver us from your hand, O king. Otherwise, let it be known to you, the king, that we do not serve your God, and we do not bow down to the golden body that you have set up” (Dan 3.16–18). And Daniel, devoted to God and filled with the Holy Spirit, cries out like this: “I worship not an idol... but to the living God who made heaven and earth” (Dan 14.5). Tobiah, being in slavery to a tyrant king, free in thought and spirit, keeps his confession to God and loudly proclaims the power and greatness of the divine, saying: “I in the land of my captivity will confess to Him and say the strength and His greatness is to the tongue of sinners” (Tob 13.6). And what can we say about the seven brothers mentioned in the books of Maccabees (2 Maccabees 7.1), who, being one-uterine and equally valiant, express the fullness of the septenary number by the sacrament of perfect death? In torment, the seven brothers were united as in the divine economy the first seven days, containing seven thousand years, as seven spirits and seven angels standing and conversing before the face of God. In the tabernacle of meeting there was a lamp with seven candles; in the Apocalypse there are seven golden lamps, in Solomon there are seven pillars on which Wisdom created a house; in a similar way, there the sevenfold number of brothers expresses the seven churches, according to what we read in the First Book of Kings: “For barrens have brought forth seven” (1 Samuel 2.5) - and in Isaiah, where seven wives grab hold of one husband, demanding that his name be called upon them (Isaiah 4.1). The Apostle Paul, remembering this significant and apt number, writes to the seven churches, and in the Apocalypse the Lord addresses His divine commands and heavenly commandments to the seven churches and their angels: in the same way, the same number is found there in the seven brothers to express the fullness of legal perfection. The mother, the beginning and the root, is clearly united with the seven children, who, herself the first and only, being founded according to the word of the Lord on stone, then gave birth to seven churches. And it is not without reason that only the mother suffers with her children, for the martyrs, testifying in their suffering that they are the sons of God, have only one father - God, as the Lord teaches in the Gospel, saying: “And do not call your father to earth, for there is one Father, who is not in heaven” (Matthew 23.9). What kind of proclamation of confession did they make? What glorious and great proofs of faith did they present? The hostile king Antiochus, or, better, the Antichrist in the image of Antiochus, wanted to desecrate the glorious and invincible lips of the martyrs in the spirit of confession by touching pork meat, and when, after severe torture with scourges, he could not at all succeed in this, he ordered the frying pans to be heated - they were red-hot and lit; Then the one who first spoke and showed resistance to the king the most by the steadfastness of virtue and faith, the king ordered to be thrown on them and fried, first pulling out and cutting off his tongue, which confessed God. This served to the greater glory of the martyr, because the tongue that confessed the name of God should itself have been the first to appear to God. Then the most severe executions were invented for another, and before tormenting his other members, they tore off the skin and hair from his head, thereby expressing a certain hatred: for since the head of the man is Christ, and the head of Christ is God, then the one who tormented the head of the martyr in the head persecuted God and Christ. But the martyr, faithful in his suffering and hoping to receive the reward of the Resurrection from divine retribution, cried out loudly and said: “You, most wretched one, are destroying us from the present life, but the King of the world who died us, for His own sake of laws, will resurrect us in the Resurrection of the eternal life” (2 Mac 7.9). The third was asked for his tongue, and he immediately presented it, because he had already learned from his brother to despise the penalty of cutting out his tongue. Moreover, he constantly held his hands outstretched for the cutting off, finding great bliss in this type of execution, since he had to imitate the suffering of the Lord with his hands outstretched for execution. And the fourth, with equal valor, imputing the torment to nothing and opposing the heavenly word to the king, thus exclaimed: “It is better for those who are killed by men to have hope from God, but for those who have to be resurrected from Him, you will not have the Resurrection in your life” (2 Mac 7.14). The fifth, in addition to trampling upon the royal torture and various grave torments by the power of faith, inspired by the Divine Spirit to foreknowledge and knowledge of the future, predicted to the king the wrath of God and the vengeance that was soon to follow. “Power,” he says, “having in men this perishable thing, whatever you will, do; do not imagine that our race is forsaken by God: but be patient and see His great power, how it will torment you and your seed” (2 Mac 7.16-17). What a relief this was for the martyr, how great and important the consolation is - not to think about your sufferings. own torment, but to predict the execution of his tormentor! In the sixth, it is necessary to praise not only valor, but also humility: the martyr did not appropriate anything to himself, did not exalt with proud words the honor of his confession, but attributed the persecution he suffered from the king more to his own and left future vengeance to God, teaching that martyrs should be modest, confident in vengeance and not at all vain in it. suffering. “Do not be deceived,” he says, “by vanity: for for our own sake we suffer by sinning against our God... But don’t you imagine that you are innocent and have begun to fight against God” (2 Mac 7.18–19). Wonderful and mother: neither weakness has yet broken her, nor significant loss has shaken her; she looked complacently at the dying children and considered this not execution for them, but glory, thus presenting to God the same glorious martyrdom by the valor of her eyes, as her sons also imagined by the torment and suffering of their members! When, after the execution and killing of six brothers, only one of them remained, then the king, wanting to calm his cruelty and bestiality by seducing at least one, promised him wealth, power and much more; Moreover, he exhorted the mother so that she, together with him, begged her son to be seduced. And she begged, but in a way that was fitting for the mother of martyrs, as it was fitting for one who remembers the law and God, as it was fitting for someone who loved her children, not tenderly, but firmly. She begged her son to confess God, begged her not to lag behind her brothers in praise and glory, recognizing herself as the mother of seven children only when she succeeded in giving birth to seven for God, and not for the world. And therefore, encouraging him, encouraging him and giving birth to a better birth, she said: “Son, have mercy on me, who carried you in the womb for nine months, and fed you with milk for three years, and nursed you, and brought you to this age... I pray to you, child, that you may look at heaven and earth, and all that you see in them, as if from This God created things that do not exist, and so the human race came into being. Fear not this flesh-tearer, but being worthy of your brethren, accept death, that I may receive you in mercy with your brethren” (2 Mac 7.27-29). The mother deserves great praise for her admonition to valor, but even greater for the fear of God and true faith, according to which she did not promise anything to herself or her son on behalf of the six martyrs and, not thinking that the prayer of the brothers would serve to save the one who renounced, advised him to become a better partner in their suffering, so that on the day of judgment he could be found together with his brothers. Then, after the children, the mother also dies, for nothing remains so decent as for the one who gave birth and made martyrs to share in their glory and, having sent them to God, then herself follows them. One should also not remain silent about Eleazar, lest someone decide to take advantage of the evil gift of deceivers when the opportunity arises to receive a note or some other thing that can be used to deceive. The king's officers suggested that Eleazar should taste the meat that was permissible for consumption, but only pretend that he was eating from the offered sacrifices and dishes that were not permissible, and thus deceive the king. But he did not want to agree to such a deception, saying that it was neither in accordance with his years nor with his dignity to pretend to do something with which he could seduce and mislead others, making them think that the ninety-year-old Eleazar, having treacherously abandoned the law of God, had deviated to the customs of foreigners, and that a short continuation of life was not worth it, having offended God, and then being subjected to eternal torment. Then, being tormented for a long time, already at his last breath and dying among scourgings and torture, he - groaning - said: “The Lord, who has holy mind clearly has the power to get rid of death, I suffer cruel diseases on the body, but on the soul is the sweet fear of this suffering for His sake” (2 Mac 6.30). He had truly genuine faith, immaculate and pure valor, when he did not think about King Antiochus, but about the Judge-God and realized that it would not serve him in the least to save him if he mocked a person and deceived him, while God is the Judge of our conscience, Whom alone we must fear, and cannot in any way be mocked or deceived. So, if we have dedicated and given up our lives to God, if we follow our path along the ancient and holy paths of the righteous, on this path we will not shy away from the same tortures, from the same martyrdom, recognizing that our time has more glory in the fact that, while ancient examples can be counted, it is impossible to count the Christian martyrs due to the extraordinary abundance of valor and faith. This is how this is evidenced in the Apocalypse: “By these things we saw, and behold, there were many people, which no one could take out, from every tongue and tribe and people and nations, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and finches in their hands. And he cried out with a great voice, saying: ... to our God and the Lamb who sits on the throne... And one silent answer came from the elders, saying to us: Who are these clothed in white garments, and where did they come from? And he said to him: Lord, you weigh. And I said: these are the ones who came from sorrow... and asked for their garments... in the Blood of the Lamb; For this reason they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His church” (Rev 7.9–10, 13–15). If such a multitude of Christian martyrs is decisively pointed out, then let no one consider it difficult or inconvenient to become a martyr when he sees that the host of martyrs cannot even be listed. In the last part, we need to find out what hope and what reward awaits the righteous after these temporary hardships and suffering, and that with the reward of suffering we can receive more than what we endure here, in the suffering itself. What hope and reward awaits the righteous and martyrs after temporary hardships and suffering - this is revealed and proclaimed by the Holy Spirit through Solomon, saying: “Even in the presence of men, even if they suffer torment, the hope of their immortality is fulfilled: even though they were punished for a little while, they will be great in benevolence, for God has tested them and found them worthy of Himself. Like gold in the crucible, tempt them, and like the fruitfulness of the sacrifice I have received. And during their visitation they will shine, and like sparks will flow along the stem: they judge with their lips and possess people, and the Lord will reign in them forever” (Wis. 3.4-8). Solomon describes vengeance for us and proclaims the repentance of our pursuers and persecutors. “Then,” it is said, “the righteous man will stand boldly in the face of those who insulted him and sweep away his labors. He who sees them will be dismayed with a heavy fear and will be horrified at his glorious salvation, and they will say to themselves repentantly and sighingly in the distress of their spirit: “This same person was once held in laughter and in a parable of reproach. His life is foolish in imputation.” furiously and his death dishonestly. What is his lot in the sons of God and in the saints? For we have gone astray from the path of truth and righteousness, the light has not shone upon us, and the sun has not risen to us: we have filled the paths of the wicked and perished, and walked in impassable deserts, but we have not followed the path of the Lord. What good has pride done to us? And what will you reward us with wealth and magnificence? All of it is like a canopy” (Wisdom 5.1–9). The value of suffering and its reward are shown in Ps. 115:6. “Honorable,” it is said, “before the Lord is the death of His saints.” The sorrow of struggle and the joy of reward is expressed in Psalm 125. “Those who sow,” it is said, “will reap with tears and joy.” Those who walk walk and weep, scattering their seeds: but those who come will come with joy, grasping their hands” (Ps. 126:5-6). And again in Ps. 119:1-2: “Blessed are the blameless ones who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who experience the witness [of martyrdom] of Him; they will seek Him with all their hearts.” Also, the Lord, the avenger of our persecution and the rewarder of suffering, says in the Gospel: “It is blessed to drive away righteousness for the sake of them, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5.10). And again: “You will be blessed when men hate you, and when they separate you and revile you, and carry your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for your reward is great in heaven” (Luke 6.22–23). And again: “Whoever loses his life for My sake, this one will save you” (Luke 9.24). However, the rewards of the divine promise await not only those who have suffered execution and death. Although the faithful were not subjected to suffering itself, if their faith remained pure and unshakable, if a Christian showed by contempt and abandonment of everything that belongs to him that he would follow Christ, then he too will be honored among the martyrs of Christ, who, promising this, Himself says: “There is no one who will leave home, or parents, or brothers, or sisters, or wife, or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, whosoever shall not receive in abundance in this time, and in the age to come eternal life" (Luke 18.29-30). The writer of the Apocalypse says the same thing. “And I saw...,” he said, “the souls of those who were cut to pieces for the testimony of [the name] of Jesus and for the word of God.” Having thus placed in first place those who were cut down, that is, those who were killed, he then added: “And I did not worship the image of the beast ... and did not receive the mark on my foreheads and on my hands.” And after uniting all those seen in one and the same place, he notes: “And came to life and reigned with Christ" (Rev 20.4). He says that everyone lives and reigns with Christ, not only those who were killed, but also those in general who, firmly remaining in their faith and in the fear of God, did not worship the image of the beast and did not fulfill his destructive and sacrilegious commands. And that in the reward of suffering we receive more than what we endure in the suffering itself, this is proven by the blessed Apostle Paul - that Paul who testifies that, being rewarded by God, he was caught up to the third heaven and into paradise, he heard things that are impossible to retell, who boasts of what he saw by faith with the eyes of Jesus Christ, and who with full consciousness of the truth expresses what he learned and what he saw. He says: “The passions of this present time are unworthy of the glory that would be revealed in us” (Rom 8.18). So, who does not try with all his might to achieve such glory as to become a friend of God, to rejoice immediately with Christ and, after earthly torment and torture, to receive divine rewards? If it is glorious for worldly warriors, having defeated the enemy, to return in triumph to the fatherland, then how much more and better is the glory, having defeated the devil, to return in triumph to paradise, to bring the spoils of victory to where Adam the sinner was expelled, having deposed the one who was anciently the cause of exile, to bring the most pleasant gift to God - immaculate faith, valor of mind, unshakable and glorious praise devotion; to accompany Him when He comes to take vengeance on His enemies; to be with Him when He sits to judge; to become a joint heir with Christ; to become equal to the angels; rejoice in the possession of the Heavenly Kingdom with the patriarchs, with the apostles, with the prophets? What persecution can overcome these thoughts? What torment can overcome them? The mind, established on pious reflections, remains strong and steadfast; the spirit, strengthened by reliable and firm faith, stands unshakable against all devilish threats and attacks. During persecution the eyes are closed, but the sky is opened; Antichrist threatens, but Christ protects; death is caused, but immortality follows: the world is taken away from the one killed, but paradise is given to the one restored; Temporary life is extinguished, but eternal life begins. What dignity and what courage - to leave here cheerful, to emerge from oppression and torment glorious, to close for a moment the eyes that looked at people and the world, and immediately open them to the contemplation of God and Christ! And what speed of such a happy transition: you are suddenly delighted to be placed in the Heavenly Kingdom! This is what you should embrace with your mind and thought; you need to think about this day and night. If such a warrior is overtaken by the day of persecution, then valor, ready for battle, cannot be defeated. If the call comes first, then the faith that was ready for martyrdom will not remain unrewarded. Judge God will give the reward without prejudice to time: in times of persecution, belligerence is crowned, in times of peace, conscience is crowned. You might be interested in: