it

And it is right that we should admit that the mastery lies with Reason, in cases at least where it conquers pains that come from outside ourselves; for it were ridiculous to deny it.

And it is right that we should admit that the mastery lies with Reason, in cases at least where it conquers pains that come from outside ourselves; for it were ridiculous to deny it.

And it is right that we should admit that the mastery lies with Reason, in cases at least where it conquers pains that come from outside ourselves; for it were ridiculous to deny it.

And my proof covers not only the superiority of Reason to pains, but its superiority to pleasures also; neither does it surrender to them.

O confessor of the Law and philosopher of the Divine life! Such should those be whose office is to serve the Law and defend it with their own blood and honourable sweat in the face of sufferings to the death.

Assuredly, then, if an old man despised the torments unto death for righteousness' sake it must be admitted that the Inspired Reason is able to guide the passions.

For who is there that being a philosopher following righteously the whole rule of philosophy, and having put his trust in God, and knowing that it is a blessed thing to endure all hardness for the sake of virtue, would not conquer his passions for the sake of righteousness?

For when the tyrant found himself notably defeated in his first attempt, and impotent to compel an old man to eat unclean meat, then truly in violent rage he ordered the guards to bring others of the young men of the Hebrews, and if they would eat unclean meat to release them after eating it, but if they refused, to torture them yet more savagely.

And yet consider; supposing some amongst them to have been faint-hearted and cowardly, what sort of language would they have used? would it not have been to this effect?

For we through this our evil entreatment and our endurance of it shall win the prize of virtue; but thou for our cruel murder shalt suffer at the hands of divine justice sufficient torment by fire for ever.'

And on it the noble youth was racked till his bones were out of joint. And as joint after joint gave way, he denounced the tyrant in these words:

And to the tyrant he said, 'O most ruthless of tyrants, doth not it seem to thee that at this moment thou thyself sufferest tortures worse than mine in seeing thy tyranny's arrogant intention overcome by my endurance for righteousness' sake?

Therefore if ye have any engine of torment, apply it to this body of mine; for my soul ye cannot reach, not if ye would.'

And in no wise being able to strangle his spirit they stripped off his skin, taking the points of the fingers with it, and tore in Scythian fashion the scalp from his head, and straightway brought him to the wheel.

Lo, I put out my tongue ready: cut it out, for thou shalt not thereby silence my Reason.

Doth it seem evil to thee that we worship the Creator of all and live according to his virtuous Law?

If therefore the seven brethren despised the tortures even to the death, it is universally proved that the Inspired Reason is supreme lord over the passions.

But in this cam it was not so; on the contrary by their Reason, which was commended in the sight of God, they rose superior to their passions.

And it is impossible to deny the supremacy of the mind; for they won the victory over their passions and their pains. 19 How can we do otherwise than admit right Reason's mastery over passion with these men who shrank not before the agonies of burning?

And one said, 'Brother, be of good cheer,' and another, 'Bear it out nobly'; and another recalling the past, 'Remember of what stock ye are, and at whose fatherly hand Isaac for righteousness' sake yielded himself to be a sacrifice.'

You are not ignorant of the love of brethren, whereof the divine and all-wise Providence has given an inheritance to those who are begotten though their fathers, implanting it in them even through the mother's womb; wherein brethren do dwell the like period, and take their form during the same time, and are nourished from the same blood, and are quickened with the same soul, and are brought into the world after the same space, and they draw milk from the same founts, whereby their fraternal souls are nursed together in arms at the breast; and they are knit yet closer through a common nurture and daily companionship and other education, and through our discipline under the Law of God.

The feeling of brotherly love being thus naturally strong, the seven brethren had their mutual concord made yet stronger. For trained in the same Law, and disciplined in the same virtues, and brought up together in the upright life, they loved one another the more abundantly. Their common zeal for moral beauty and goodness heightened their mutual concord, for in conjunction with their piety it rendered their brotherly love more fervent.

We now shudder when we hear of the suffering of those youths; but they, not only seeing it with their eyes, nor merely hearing the spoken, imminent threat, but actually feeling the pang, endured it through; and that in the torture by fire, than which what greater agony can be found?

We now shudder when we hear of the suffering of those youths; but they, not only seeing it with their eyes, nor merely hearing the spoken, imminent threat, but actually feeling the pang, endured it through; and that in the torture by fire, than which what greater agony can be found?

For sharp and stringent is the power of fire, and swiftly did it bring their bodies to dissolution.

And think it not wonderful if with those men Reason triumphed over the tortures, when even a woman's soul despised a yet greater diversity of pains; for the mother of the seven youths endured the torments inflicted on each several one of her children.

And although she saw the destruction of her seven children and the many and varied forms of their torments, the noble mother willingly surrendered them through faith in God. 20 For she beheld in her own mind, even as it had been cunning advocates in a council-chamber, nature, and parenthood, and mother-love, and her children on the rack, and it was as if she, the mother, having the choice between two votes in the case of her children, one for their death and one to save them alive, thereupon regarded not the saving of her seven sons for a little time, but, as a true daughter of Abraham, called to mind his God-fearing courage.

And although she saw the destruction of her seven children and the many and varied forms of their torments, the noble mother willingly surrendered them through faith in God. 20 For she beheld in her own mind, even as it had been cunning advocates in a council-chamber, nature, and parenthood, and mother-love, and her children on the rack, and it was as if she, the mother, having the choice between two votes in the case of her children, one for their death and one to save them alive, thereupon regarded not the saving of her seven sons for a little time, but, as a true daughter of Abraham, called to mind his God-fearing courage.

For it would be shameful if, while this aged man endured the agony for religion's sake, you that are young men shrank before the pain.

Remember that for the sake of God ye have come into the world, and have enjoyed life, and that therefore ye owe it to God to endure all pain for his sake; for whom also our father Abraham made haste to sacrifice his son Isaac, the ancestor of our nation; and Isaac, seeing his father's hand lifting the knife against him, did not shrink.

And ye also, having the same faith unto God, be not troubled; for it were against Reason that ye, knowing righteousness, should not withstand the pains.'

And had it been lawful for us to paint, as might some artist, the tale of thy piety, would not the spectators have shuddered at the mother of seven sons suffering for righteousness' sake multitudinous tortures even unto death?

And indeed it were fitting to inscribe these words over their resting-place, speaking for a memorial to future generations of our people:

For truly it was a holy war which was fought by them. For on that day virtue, proving them through endurance, set before them the prize of victory in incorruption in everlasting life.

And these men, therefore, having sanctified themselves for God's sake, not only have received this honour, but also the honour that through them the enemy had no more power over our people, and the tyrant suffered punishment, and our country was purified, they having as it were become a ransom for our nation's sin; and through the blood of these righteous men and the propitiation of their death, the divine Providence delivered Israel that before was evil entreated.

They wove for me a crown of truth, and it caused thy branches to bud in me.

For it is not like a withered crown which buddeth not: but thou livest upon my head, and thou hast blossomed upon my head.

And it is not (possible) that he should change it and put it in another place: because he hath no power over it:

And it is not (possible) that he should change it and put it in another place: because he hath no power over it:

And it is not (possible) that he should change it and put it in another place: because he hath no power over it:

And it is not (possible) that he should change it and put it in another place: because he hath no power over it:

For thy seal is known: and thy creatures know it: and thy (heavenly) hosts possess it: and the elect archangels are clad with it.

For thy seal is known: and thy creatures know it: and thy (heavenly) hosts possess it: and the elect archangels are clad with it.

For thy seal is known: and thy creatures know it: and thy (heavenly) hosts possess it: and the elect archangels are clad with it.

Thou hast given us thy fellowship: it was not that thou wast in need of us: but that we are in need of thee:

Let their counsel become thick darkness, and what I have cunningly devised, let it return upon their own heads:

For they have devised a counsel, and it did not succeed:

For it destroys what is foreign, and everything that is bitter:

For thus it was from the beginning and will be to the end, that nothing should be His adversary, and nothing should stand up against Him.

For it flooded and broke up everything and it brought (water) to the Temple:

For it flooded and broke up everything and it brought (water) to the Temple:

And the restrainers of the children of men were not able to restrain it, nor the arts of those whose business it is to restrain waters;

And the restrainers of the children of men were not able to restrain it, nor the arts of those whose business it is to restrain waters;

For it spread over the face of the whole earth, and filled everything: and all the thirsty upon earth were given to drink of it;

For it spread over the face of the whole earth, and filled everything: and all the thirsty upon earth were given to drink of it;

Because He it is that is incorrupt, the fulness of the ages and the Father of them.

For knowledge He hath appointed as its way, He hath widened it and extended it; and brought to all perfection;

For knowledge He hath appointed as its way, He hath widened it and extended it; and brought to all perfection;

And set over it the traces of His light, and I walked therein from the beginning even to the end.

For by Him it was wrought, and He was resting in the Son, and for its salvation He will take hold of everything;

And hatred shall be taken from the earth, and along with jealousy it shall be drowned:

Keep my secret, ye who are kept by it:

Keep my faith, ye who are kept by it.

And my righteousness goeth before them and they shall not be deprived of my name, for it is with them.

An everlasting crown for ever is Truth. Blessed are they who set it on their heads:

A stone of great price is it; and there have been wars on account of the crown.

And righteousness hath taken it and hath given it to you.

And righteousness hath taken it and hath given it to you.

And it became to me for the praise of the Most High, and of God my Father.

My heart was cloven and its flower appeared; and grace sprang up in it: and it brought forth fruit to the Lord,

My heart was cloven and its flower appeared; and grace sprang up in it: and it brought forth fruit to the Lord,

And I was enriched by His bounty, and I forsook the folly which is diffused over the earth; and I stripped it off and cast it from me:

And I was enriched by His bounty, and I forsook the folly which is diffused over the earth; and I stripped it off and cast it from me:

And the Most High hath given it to His words, which are the interpreters of His own beauty, and the repeaters of His praise, and the confessors of His counsel, and the heralds of His thought, and the chasteners of His servants.

And its course knows no limit. Never doth it fail, but it stands sure, and it knows not descent nor the way of it.

And its course knows no limit. Never doth it fail, but it stands sure, and it knows not descent nor the way of it.

And its course knows no limit. Never doth it fail, but it stands sure, and it knows not descent nor the way of it.

And its course knows no limit. Never doth it fail, but it stands sure, and it knows not descent nor the way of it.

For as its work is, so is its end: for it is light and the dawning of thought;

And by it the worlds talk one to the other; and in the Word there were those that were silent;

And from it came love and concord; and they spake one to the other whatever was theirs; and they were penetrated by the Word;

And they knew Him who made them, because they were in concord; for the mouth of the Most High spake to them; and His explanation ran by means of it:

And it hath been made known to His faithful ones, and hath been given without stint to all those that trust in Him. Hallelujah.

He measured the heavens and fixed the stars: and He established the creation and set it up:

And He made the sun for the day that it may be bright, but night brings darkness over the face of the land;

The choking bonds were cut off by her hands: I received the face and the fashion of a new person: and I walked in it and was saved;

And the thought of truth led me on. And I walked after it and did not wander:

Sicknesses removed from my body, and it stood to the Lord by His will. For His kingdom is true.

Nor does it know thee.

Neither does it know thee.

And they supposed of that vain thing that it was something great;

And they too came in likeness of it and became vain; and those have understood who have known and meditated;

A cup of milk was offered to me: and I drank it in the sweetness of the delight of the Lord.

And the Holy Spirit milked Him: because His breasts were full, and it was necessary for Him that His milk should be sufficiently released;

And put it on thy head and be glad; and recline on His rest, and glory shall go before thee,

My heart ran over and was found in my mouth: and it arose upon my lips; and the exultation of the Lord increased on my face, and His praise likewise. Hallelujah.

And that the foundation for everything might be thy rock: and on it thou didst build thy kingdom; and it became the dwelling place of the saints. Hallelujah.

And that the foundation for everything might be thy rock: and on it thou didst build thy kingdom; and it became the dwelling place of the saints. Hallelujah.

Joy is of the saints! and who shall put it on, but they alone?

Grace is of the elect! and who shall receive it except those who trust in it from the beginning?