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Ἐκκλησιαστικὴ ἱστορία

Ζ Περὶ τῶν κατὰ Φοινίκην Αἰγυπτίων.

[8.7.1] Ἴσμεν γοῦν τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν διαλάμψαντας ἐν Παλαιστίνηι, ἴσμεν δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐν Τύρωι τῆς Φοινίκης· οὓς τίς ἰδὼν οὐ κατεπλάγη τὰς ἀναρίθμους μάστιγας καὶ τὰς ἐν τούτοις τῶν ὡς ἀληθῶς παραδόξων τῆς θεοσεβείας ἀθλητῶν ἐνστάσεις τόν τε παραχρῆμα μετὰ τὰς μάστιγας ἐν θηρσὶν ἀνθρωποβόροις ἀγῶνα καὶ τὰς ἐν τούτωι παρδάλεων καὶ διαφόρων ἄρκτων συῶν τε ἀγρίων καὶ πυρὶ καὶ σιδήρωι κεκαυτηριασμένων βοῶν προσβολὰς καὶ τὰς πρὸς ἕκαστον τῶν θηρίων θαυμασίους τῶν γενναίων ὑπομονάς; [8.7.2] οἷς γιγνομένοις καὶ αὐτοὶ παρῆμεν, ὁπηνίκα τοῦ μαρτυρουμένου σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, αὐτοῦ δὴ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὴν θείαν δύναμιν ἐπιπαροῦσαν ἐναργῶς τε αὑτὴν τοῖς μάρτυσιν ἐπιδεικνῦσαν ἱστορήσαμεν, τῶν ἀνθρωποβόρων ἐπὶ πλείονα χρόνον μὴ προσψαύειν μηδὲ πλησιάζειν τοῖς τῶν θεοφιλῶν σώμασιν ἐπιτολμώντων, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μὲν τοὺς ἄλλους, ὅσοι δήπουθεν ἔξωθεν ἐρεθισμοῖς παρώρμων αὐτά, φερομένων, μόνων δὲ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀθλητῶν, γυμνῶν ἑστώτων καὶ ταῖς χερσὶν κατασειόντων ἐπί τε σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐπισπωμένων τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐκελεύετο πράττειν, μηδ' ὅλως ἐφαπτομένων, ἀλλ' ἔσθ' ὅπηι μὲν καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ὁρμώντων, οἷα δὲ πρός τινος θειοτέρας δυνάμεως ἀνακρουομένων καὶ αὖ πάλιν εἰς τοὐπίσω χωρούντων· [8.7.3] ὃ καὶ εἰς μακρὸν γινόμενον θαῦμα παρεῖχεν οὐ σμικρὸν τοῖς θεωμένοις, ὥστε ἤδη διὰ τὸ ἄπρακτον τοῦ πρώτου δεύτερον καὶ τρίτον προσαφίεσθαι ἑνὶ καὶ τῶι αὐτῶι μάρτυρι θηρίον. [8.7.4] καταπλαγῆναι δ' ἦν τὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀπτόητον τῶν ἱερῶν ἐκείνων καρτερίαν καὶ τὴν ἐν σώμασι νέοις βεβηκυῖαν καὶ ἀδιάτρεπτον ἔνστασιν. ἑώρας γοῦν ἡλικίαν οὐδ' ὅλων ἐτῶν εἴκοσι δίχα δεσμῶν ἑστῶτος νέου καὶ τὰς μὲν χεῖρας ἐφαπλοῦντος εἰς σταυροῦ τύπον, ἀκαταπλήκτωι δὲ καὶ ἀτρεμεῖ διανοίαι ταῖς πρὸς τὸ θεῖον σχολαίτατα τεταμένου λιταῖς μηδ' ὅλως τε μεθισταμένου μηδ' ἀποκλίνοντός ποι τοῦ ἔνθα εἱστήκει τόπου, ἄρκτων καὶ παρδάλεων θυμοῦ καὶ θανάτου πνεόντων σχεδὸν αὐτῆς καθαπτομένων αὐτοῦ τῆς σαρκός, ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως θείαι καὶ ἀπορρήτωι δυνάμει μόνον οὐχὶ φραττομένων τὸ στόμα καὶ αὖθις παλινδρομούντων εἰς τοὐπίσω. καὶ οὗτος μέν τις τοιοῦτος ἦν· [8.7.5] πάλιν δ' ἂν ἑτέρους εἶδες πέντε γὰρ οἱ πάντες ἐτύγχανον ἠγριωμένωι ταύρωι παραβληθέντας, ὃς τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους τῶν ἔξωθεν προσιόντων τοῖς κέρασιν εἰς τὸν ἀέρα ῥίπτων διεσπάραττεν, ἡμιθνῆτας αἴρεσθαι καταλιπών, ἐπὶ μόνους δὲ θυμῶι καὶ ἀπειλῆι τοὺς ἱεροὺς ὁρμῶν μάρτυρας οὐδὲ πλησιάζειν αὐτοῖς οἷός τε ἦν, κυρίττων δὲ τοῖς ποσὶν καὶ τοῖς κέρασιν τῆιδε κἀκεῖσε χρώμενος καὶ διὰ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν καυτήρων ἐρεθισμοὺς θυμοῦ καὶ ἀπειλῆς πνέων εἰς τοὐπίσω πρὸς τῆς ἱερᾶς ἀνθείλκετο προνοίας, ὡς μηδὲ τούτου μηδὲν μηδαμῶς αὐτοὺς ἀδικήσαντος ἕτερα ἄττα αὐτοῖς ἐπαφίεσθαι θηρία. [8.7.6] τέλος δ' οὖν μετὰ τὰς δεινὰς καὶ ποικίλας τούτων προσβολὰς ξίφει κατασφαγέντες οἱ πάντες ἀντὶ γῆς καὶ τάφων τοῖς θαλαττίοις παραδίδονται κύμασιν.

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The Church History of Eusebius

Chapter VII.--The Egyptians in Phoenicia.

1. Those of them that were conspicuous in Palestine we know, as also those that were at Tyre in Phoenicia. ¹ Who that saw them was not astonished at the numberless stripes, and at the firmness which these truly wonderful athletes of religion exhibited under them? and at their contest, immediately after the scourging, with bloodthirsty wild beasts, as they were cast before leopards and different kinds of bears and wild boars and bulls goaded with fire and red-hot iron? and at the marvelous endurance of these noble men in the face of all sorts of wild beasts?

2. We were present ourselves when these things occurred, and have put on record the divine power of our martyred Saviour Jesus Christ, which was present and manifested itself mightily in the martyrs. For a long time the man-devouring beasts did not dare to touch or draw near the bodies of those dear to God, but rushed upon the others who from the outside irritated and urged them on. And they would not in the least touch the holy athletes, as they stood alone and naked and shook their hands at them to draw them toward themselves,--for they were commanded to do this. But whenever they rushed at them, they were restrained as if by some divine power and retreated again.

3. This continued for a long time, and occasioned no little wonder to the spectators. And as the first wild beast did nothing, a second and a third were let loose against one and the same martyr.

4. One could not but be astonished at the invincible firmness of these holy men, and the enduring and immovable constancy of those whose bodies were young. You could have seen a youth not twenty years of age standing unbound and stretching out his hands in the form of a cross, with unterrified and untrembling mind, engaged earnestly in prayer to God, and not in the least going back or retreating from the place where he stood, while bears and leopards, breathing rage and death, almost touched his flesh. And yet their mouths were restrained, I know not how, by a divine and incomprehensible power, and they ran back again to their place. Such an one was he.

5. Again you might have seen others, for they were five in all, cast before a wild bull, who tossed into the air with his horns those who approached from the outside, and mangled them, leaving them to be token up half dead; but when he rushed with rage and threatening upon the holy martyrs, who were standing alone, he was unable to come near them; but though he stamped with his feet, and pushed in all directions with his horns, and breathed rage and threatening on account of the irritation of the burning irons, he was, nevertheless, held back by the sacred Providence. And as he in nowise harmed them, they let loose other wild beasts upon them.

6. Finally, after these terrible and various attacks upon them, they were all slain with the sword; and instead of being buried in the earth they were committed to the waves of the sea.