Tried as gold in the furnace
The second, his skin with the hair torn off, cried with his last breath: 'Thou, miscreant, releasest us from this present life; but the King of the world shall raise us, who died for his laws, unto eternal reviving of life.' (2 Maccabees 7:7–9) Avenging spirit, learn that tortures loose the body but bind the tortured unto judgment.
Greek
ν. εὔχαιρον δ᾽ ἂν εἴη καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐν τοιούτοις γενομένους εἰπεῖν τοὺς ἐχείνων λόγους πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς τοῦτον ἔχοντας τὸν τρόπον οὕτως" ,χύριος ὃ ϑεὸς ἐφορᾷ 25 καὶ ταῖς ἀληϑείαις ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν παρακαλεῖται."
XXIV. Τοῦ πρώτου τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον δοχιμασϑέντος, ὡς do- χιμάζεταε χρυσὸς ἐν χωνευτηρίῳ, ὁ δεύτερος ,ἐπὶ τὸν ἐμπαιγμὸν" ἤγετο' οὗ τὸ ,δέρμα σὺν ταῖς ϑριξὶ περισύραντες" οἱ διάκονοι τῆς τυραννικῆς ὁμότητος ἐπὶ μετάνοιαν ἐχάλουν τὸν πεπονϑότα ἐπερῶω-
80 τῶντες, εἰ φάγεται τῶν εἰδωλοϑύτων ,πρὶν τιμωρηϑῆναι τὸ σῶμα
κατὰ μέλος“ αὐτῷ. ὡς δ ἠρνήσατο τὴν, μετάνοιαν, ἐπὶ »τὴν ἑξῆς" ἤχϑη 5 βάσανον" τηρῶν τὴν ἔνστασιν μέχρι τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀ ἀναπνοῆς. μηδαμῶς γὰρ ϑραυσϑεὶς μηδὲ ἐνδοὺς πρὸς τοὺς πόνους ταῦτα εἶπε πρὸς τὸν ἀσεβῆ" ,σὺ μᾶλλον, ἀλάστορ, ἐκ τοῦ παρόντος ἡμᾶς ζῆν ἀπολύεις, ὃ
5 δὲ τοῦ κόσμου βασιλεὺς ἀποθανόντας ἡμᾶς ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτοῦ νόμων εἰς αἰώνιον ἀναβίωσιν ζωῆς ἀναστήσει."
About this text
Written to imprisoned friends: why martyrdom is the highest prayer, and how not to fear it.
English follows Paul Koetschau, Origenes Werke I (GCS, 1899). This is a reading translation for study, not a new critical edition.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Koetschau, Origenes Werke I (GCS 2, 1899) (Greek · Exhortation to Martyrdom)
- Checked print Archive.org OCR of GCS 2 (Greek · Same print)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.