A word of praise to the holy forty martyrs, pronounced in their church

The sermon “A word of praise to the holy forty martyrs, delivered in their church” was delivered by St. Gregory of Nyssa on March 9, 379 in Caesarea Cappadocia. *The title of the work in Greek is Εἰς τοὺς τεσσαράκοντα μάρτυρας. Λόϒος ἐϒκωμιαστικός. *The title of the work in Latin is Encomium 2 in XL martyres. Roman warriors, by virtue of domestic law and ancient custom, which the descendants accepted from their ancestors and preserve even to this day, at the beginning of this month, having put on all their weapons and marched out into a field quite open and level, where they can spread out horse racing and conduct military exercises and train with weapons in all kinds of fighting, they celebrate together the beginning of the new year and spend this day as a significant one. I, commemorating the martyrs, which I announced to you on the previous day, today, to the surprise of everyone who is able to see, through remembrance, I present forty armed soldiers of Christ, surpassing in exploits all valor, the decoration of the church, the joy of nations and the glory of God who gave them the strength. It is quite wonderful and very useful to nourish young men and strengthen husbands with stories of virtue. Hearing is the most useful type of sense and no less capable of serving for learning; for through the ears he clearly introduces the teaching into the soul, and what matters is whether the good or the bad hear the stories. They say that as they are, such are the ideas in thoughts necessarily, and reflection and constant contemplation with the mind leads a person to the desire to do what he thinks about: therefore, prepare for me a calm and attentive ear, so that the blessed martyrs may be honored with dignity and through the memory of them you may learn what is pious and God-loving. I face double labor and fear, lest I humiliate the subject of my words with the weakness of my presentation. Will anyone reflect on the greatness of the very subject of this conversation - it exceeds all eloquence. Will we turn our thoughts to the one who, even before us, crowned these saints with his wisdom - (will find) that this is a man at whom the whole universe marvels, the exact rule of enlightenment, both Christian and external, the beauty of wisdom, the example of bishops dangerous for comparison, a teacher who teaches according to deed and word; a man who has an indisputable good reputation among all people, with the exception perhaps of those from whom even Christ does not escape blasphemy. Just as no one contradicts the fact that the sun shines and warms, so no one denies that the Great Basil was not adorned with all the splendor of virtue. And so, tall! the praiser of the high, the holy servant of the saints, with his inherent strength fulfilled the duty of praise to these valiant men. But I should not remain silent because the one who preceded me majestically announced their wondrous deeds; for my goal now is not rivalry with the speaker, but concern for the benefit of you, listeners: everyone, of course, uses as much as he can of the best that the richer provide him. And so forty warriors, by occupation they served in the ranks of the army of the Roman king, but by faith they were Christians and pious by reverence for God. When the then ruler, being one of the polytheists, after the demons had instilled in him this cruel advice, issued a new law and order to persecute Christians and ordered all his subjects to make sacrificial incense to the demons, and to condemn those who did not do this to death, subjecting them to all kinds of bodily torture before their death: then the blessed ones turned the cruelty of the tyrant and the God-hating law into a reason for revealing their Valor, separating from the other soldiers and forming a chosen and Christ-loving militia, led by the power of the Spirit, clearly opposed these vile instructions and all in agreement, as if with one mouth, confessed our faith, saying that they care little about this temporary life and provide and hand over their bodies for various types of torment. An even more cruel executor of the cruel law, having recognized the firmness of the saints, hastened to invent a punishment equivalent to their readiness (to suffer), inventing a new and unusual threat for undaunted souls. If I threaten them with a sword, he said, then this fear is small enough to terrify them, and they will not bow in any way; for these are men familiar with weapons from childhood and accustomed to carrying a sword; if I add other torments, they will endure them valiantly, having experienced wounds and blows; and fire is not terrible for people as steadfast as these. Therefore, it is necessary to invent a punishment that would have the power to produce excruciating pain and would be long-lasting and lasting. What did this crafty inventor of evil so carefully invent against the saints? After much care, he found torment in the open air, which both time and country conveniently presented to him; time - it was winter, and place - Armenia - a country, as you know, adjacent to us and very cold, not providing its inhabitants with warmth even during the summer, but barely warming enough to ripen grain plants; the grapevine is not even known to them, and whoever has traveled not far has not seen (their) grape berry; do not ask them for a bunch of grapes, as we do for what grows in India; the sower plows the earth during winter and the snow covers the harvest; the winds tear off the reaper's clothes if he does not fight their power, wrapping himself tightly in clothes: they have almost no spring and autumn, which are carried away by their thin neighbor winter, under his power. And so in this country and in this month (the torturer), having stripped the clothes of the saints, placed them completely naked in the open air, conceiving for the disciples of piety an execution opposite to the Babylonian cave of the king of Assyria. But there is nothing similar, but in relation to the severity of pain, between burning fire and numbing and freezing cold: the first in its action is like a sword, causing quick death; the latter, causing equivalent pain, at the same time slows down the death for a long time. In general, the most lasting sufferings are those that come from cold; such as, after four days, intermittent fever, cancer, carbuncle and other diseases, which, according to doctors, are produced in bodies by cold matter; Thus, colder and fatter people are more lethargic and have a body less capable of activity. The same applies to relatively dumb animals: the hotter of them are fast and easily mobile when the need is urgent; of the opposite property - slow and, as it were, bound by clumsiness; so the horse is fast and is excited by the whistle before the blow of the whip; The donkey opposite is lazy, barely forced by a stick to continue the journey. The leopard is alive and flies quickly through the forests with its warm and dry body; the bear, on the contrary, is slow, having denser body parts. I have presented this information from nature to you not without a purpose, but so that you understand the patience of these men by paying attention to the image of their torment. Winter makes navigable rivers pedestrian and turns the flowing coda into solid stone; the cold tears apart the rocks when it penetrates into the depths; and in bodies of the opposite property it produces an equally harmful effect, turning liquid into stone and dissolving solid. Thus wine, when frozen, takes the form of the barrel containing it, and liquid oil hardens into the shape of its vessel; glass and tiles are destroyed when exposed to moisture. Animals leading a life in the mountains and in the open air, some die (from the cold), while others forget their wildness due to excessive cold: deer and wild goats seek shelter in sheltered places; at this time they are not even afraid of dogs, they do not run away from those who approach them, because greater evil always drives out the fear of lesser dangers; the birds then look for homes near people and remain under the same roof with them. People dig the sea and cut the water with the tools of stone cutters; those living nearby do not communicate with each other. Such a time became a weapon for the tyrant against the martyrs. For, as it seems, the great and concordant order of the blessed had to undergo a new kind of torment so that, before the multitude of other martyrs, they could receive the incomparable glory of piety. And so they stood, shivering from the cold; their members were frozen, but their way of thinking was adamant; they stood, presenting a spectacle of feat for angels, people and demons. The angels waited for the detachment (from the body) of souls, so that, having received them, they would lead them to their appointed place; people waited with intense attention for the end (of their feat), testing the strength of the nature common to all - are we able to overcome such great torment out of fear and hope for the future? The demons watched what was happening with special attention, strongly wanting to see the fall of the fighters and the cowardly evasion of danger; but their hope was put to shame by the strengthening God... They saw (the martyrs) mutilation of members, each of their own and all of each other: one lay with a leg or fingers collapsing from the cold; In the other person lying down, the natural warmth of the body was already ready to cool completely. As strong winds, sweeping over a tree-covered area and shaking the tops of the trees, cast them down to the ground by the roots: so the system of the blessed was thrown down by the winter cold - the noble plants of paradise, the adornment of the human race, the roots of our growth, the soldiers of Paul, the spearmen of Christ, the destroyers of altars, the builders of churches, destined to fight against the barbarians and completed the feat against the common enemy of humanity. Death for them was not inevitable or inescapable, a necessity; preserving life for them was very convenient and in their power, if they only wanted to cowardly take advantage of what they had in mind. Nearby there was a bathhouse, which with special thought was built in the vicinity of the place of torment. Her door was open and standing near her invited (to enter); for the tyrant, and the insidious inventor of persecution and all kinds of intrigues, offered those who were frozen a close bait to crime and advised them to strive for healing themselves, just as his father advised the primeval ones to eat from the tree. They then showed their courage even more, knowing that patience only withstands temptation when it abstains from the pleasure granted to our freedom. This is what the wondrous Daniel actually showed in ancient times; for when he was urged to accept plentiful and pleasant food and drink, he, out of contempt and disgust from the sacrifice to idols, preferred the consumption of cereals; with meager food, fasting, he prospered and was healthier in body than those who ate abundantly: for this is the special gift of God, that He gives to faithful servants, in their deprivation, more than one can hope for. However, since envy is mixed with high deeds, the blessed militia was in danger of being defeated, and the fullness of its quarters of ten almost perished; for one of them, exhausted by the cold, alas, at the very end of the victory, left his comrades-in-arms and, through the cunning of the tyrant, retired to the bathhouse; the lover of life regretted the already exhausted flesh, fell away from hope, but did not receive even temporary life itself, dying immediately after the crime. Unhappy Judas among the martyrs, neither a disciple nor enriched, puts a noose on himself. And let no one be surprised at this; for the devil is accustomed to such intrigues against those under his power. He seduces and caresses in various ways in order to subvert; and the one who overthrew immediately tramples and laughs at the one lying down, adds shame to misfortune and rejoices at the shame of the deceived. Therefore, the psalmist called him “enemy” and “local” (Ps. 8, 3), the opposite of names signifying the variability of his character; he is never an ally or friend of people, but only pretends to be a friend when he wants to put on the guise of seduction. But the Helper in our weakness, the Sower of good words and deeds, like Abraham, found himself a sheep for sacrifice from among the hostile: from the blasphemers - a confessor, from the gathering of persecutors - a martyr; for one of the servants of execution under the tyrant, having been rewarded with a vision of angels descending to the martyrs and illuminated by the appearance of holy spirits, as Paul once did when he traveled to Damascus, with the glory of Christ, immediately changed his way of thinking and, taking off his clothes, joined the freezing people and, in a short period of time, uniting everything, became a convert, a confessor, a martyr, having washed himself in the wash of rebirth, in his own blood, but frozen blood, not flowing. A crowned husband, a husband worthy of all praise! Through him I have forty crowned people in the Church of God; through this valiant man the integrity of the martyrs was preserved: for the sake of this convert we do what is perfect; triumph with the perfect number (of saints): the devil experienced a funny and laughter-worthy thing; for by kidnapping the warrior, he lost the persecutor and the executioner. What after this? The blessed ones reached where they were aiming. Then the executioner, unable to patiently endure the victory of the martyrs, entered the war with their dead bodies, ordering the homes of the holy souls to be set on fire, and in one case appeared to be an imitator of wild animals and cruel people; for the former torment the clothes abandoned by the people fleeing from them whom they are pursuing, and the latter burn and destroy the homes of the departed enemies. And which of the martyrs with full right could not say to him: I am no longer afraid of your cruelty, foolish one; while the souls were united with the freezing bodies, I was afraid that the excessiveness of the torment would defeat the courage of the pious: but when this danger has passed, use the remaining dust as you wish: I do not care that you use our bodies; and the more you reveal your furious cruelty, the more you will crown the victory of those who retreated; for strong attacks by opponents serve as direct proof of the courage of those who defeated them. But why long discussions? The bodies of the martyrs were burned and the fire took them; but their ashes and everything left from the fire were divided among the world, and almost the entire earth receives a blessing from these shrines. And I have a piece of this gift, and I placed the bodies of my parents next to the remains of these warriors, so that on the day of resurrection they would rise together with their daring helpers. For I know what power they have: I have seen clear evidence of their boldness before God and I want to talk about one of the miracles performed by their power. In the neighborhood of the village that belongs to me, in which the remains of these blessed ones rest, there is a small town called Ivora. According to the usual Roman law, soldiers were recruited there. One of the warriors arrived in the said village, having been appointed military commander in order to keep his comrades from violence and insults that people of military rank, due to their insolence, usually inflict on the villagers. This warrior had a pain in his leg and he was limping: the illness was long-lasting and difficult to cure. And so, when he was in the church of the martyrs at the resting place of the saints and, praying to God, asked for the intercession of the saints: a certain majestic-looking man appeared to him at night, who, among other things, said to him: “Are you limping, warrior? and do you need to be treated? Let me feel your leg,” and taking it, it was in a dream, he pulled it hard. When this was done in the night vision, in fact, a sound was heard that happens when a bone is removed from its natural connection and then forcibly set, so that those sleeping with him awoke and the warrior himself immediately woke up and began to walk, as those who are healthy by nature usually walk. I myself saw this miracle, having met with this very man, who announced and divulged to everyone about the good deeds of the martyrs and praised the philanthropy of the (holy) warriors. If anything else should be added to what has been said, I will say something that primarily concerns me. When we intended to celebrate the first celebration with the relics and place the ark in the sanctuary of the church, my mother (she, for the sake of God, collected and established this holiday) ordered me to come to participate in what was happening; but I was far away, I was still young, belonged to the ranks of the laity, and as usually happens in urgent matters, being busy, I foolishly accepted this call with displeasure and even in my soul reproached my mother for not postponing this holiday until another time. However, this call, distracting me from my studies, attracted me here, and I arrived in the village the day before the meeting. And so, at the time when the all-night vigil was being celebrated in the garden, where the relics of the saints were located, in whose honor psalmody was performed, I, who was sleeping nearby in the same room, had such a vision in a dream. It seemed to me as if I wanted to enter the garden where the all-night vigil was being celebrated; while I was near the door, many warriors appeared sitting at the entrance; they all suddenly stood up and, raising their staffs, rushed at me with a threat and did not allow me to enter. I would have received blows if someone who seemed more philanthropic had not begged them. When sleep left me and it occurred to me that I had sinned against the call, I understood what this terrible vision of the warriors was about, I wept with many tears for my folly and shed bitter tears over the very reliquary of the relics, so that God would appear merciful to me, and the holy warriors would grant forgiveness. I said this to convince us that the martyrs today, who have so served our Church and become its adornment, are alive before God, are his spearmen and associates. This Pentecost, from the memory of the forty martyrs, becomes more brilliant and significant; This month is more glorious than other months, and the fierce winter no longer seems difficult to me. I am not complaining about the harshness of the present time; for it, having become a weapon for the persecutor, produced for me this sacred army. And like the mother of the seven Maccabees, because she had a more God-loving than a carnal soul, she did not complain about the cruelty of Antiochus the Syrian tyrant, was not upset by the torment and misfortune of her sons, but accepted loneliness as a blessing and deprivation of children as help; just as Stephen, being stoned, did not consider himself to be struck down, but rather to be revived: so we owe gratitude to the fighters against God for the good consequence - for the fact that they became the culprits of so many benefits for us, although they did so not with the intention of benevolence, but as enemies. For enemies do good without wanting it, sometimes no less than the most sincere friends; the devil brought Job more benefit than harm; the king of Assyria became Daniel's benefactor. Let the three youths confess their gratitude to the cave of Babylon; let the humble Isaiah praise the Jews; Zechariah, slain between the church and the altar, may he give honor to his murderers; John, whose head was cut off, may call Herod his benefactor, and may the Apostles who bound and scourged them, and all the martyrs, love their persecutors; because if they had not opened the field, the fighters would not have been able to show their courage. And so, why should we be more surprised at the men who stand before us for glorification, their multitude, their courage or their unfeigned unanimity? But let us not, first of all, pass over their number insensitively and ungratefully; for he who has so many intercessors will never leave without fulfilling his prayers and petitions, even if he is burdened with many sins. The witness in favor of this thought and hope is God himself in his conversation with Abraham. When He accepted intercession for the Sodomites, He sought not forty, but only ten righteous people in order to spare the city, which was ready for destruction. We, according to the Apostle, having “so much... a cloud of witnesses surrounding us” (Heb. 12:1), we recognize ourselves as blessed, rejoicing in hope, enduring in prayer and communing with the memory of the martyrs; for the forty martyrs are strong defenders from enemies and reliable intercessors in prayer before the Lord. In the hope of them, let the Christian be bold, even though the devil invents temptations against you, and wicked people rebel, and tyrants burn with rage, and the sea rages, and the earth does not bring what it is destined to produce for people, and the sky threatens disasters. For in every need, in every circumstance, their strength is sufficient for him, and he can receive abundant grace from Christ, to whom belongs all glory forever. Amen. You might be interested in: