Library › Origen › Exhortation to Martyrdom

Exhortation to Martyrdom

Origen, tr. O’Meara, 1954

4. Part 4: Examples of Martyrdom

Eleazar

The following also serves our purpose. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes: I praised all the dead rather than the living, as many as are living up to now.¹ What dead person could be more deserving of praise than he who of his own choice elected to die for his religion? Such a one was Eleazar,² who, choosing rather a most glorious death than a hateful life, went forward voluntarily to the torment.³ Reasoning in a noble-minded manner worthy of his ninety years and the dignity of his old age and the distinction that had come to him in his grey hair, and his excellent upbringing from childhood, but more so of the ordinances of the holy law made by God, he said: It doth not become our age to dissemble: whereby many young persons might think that Eleazar, at the age of fourscore and ten years, was gone over to the life of the heathens; and so they, through my dissimulation and for a little respite of a brief life, should be deceived, and hereby I should bring a stain and a shame upon my old age. For though for the present time I should be delivered from the punishments of men, yet should I not escape the hand of the Almighty, neither alive nor dead. Wherefore by departing manfully out of this life, I shall show myself worthy of my old age; and I shall leave an example of fortitude to young men—with a ready mind and constancy to suffer an honourable death for the venerable and holy laws?⁴

When you are at the gates of death, or rather, of liberty, I beg of you, especially if you are subjected to torture—and certainly the designs of the opposition do not permit us to expect that you will not suffer—to say words such as these: To the Lord who hath the holy knowledge, it is manifest that, whereas I might be delivered from death, I suffer grievous pains in my body because I am scourged; but in my soul I am well content to suffer these things because I fear Thee.⁵ Thus did Eleazar die, and it can be said of him that he left not only to the young men, but also to most of his nation, his death for an example of noble character and a memorial of fortitude.⁶

The Seven Brothers

The seven brothers, whose story is told in the books of the Machabees,⁷ who were tortured with whips and scourges⁸ by Antiochus, and who remained constant in their religion, can also serve as an admirable example of heroic martyrdom to all who ask themselves if they can allow themselves to be outstripped by mere children. They not only endured tortures in their own persons, but showed also a virile tenacity of faith when they had to look on at the sufferings of their brothers. One of them who, as the Scriptures term him, was their spokesman, said to the tyrant: What wouldst thou ask or learn of us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our fathers.⁹

Need we describe all their sufferings—the frying pans and brazen cauldrons made hot¹⁰ in which they were to be tortured after they had each been subjected to various torments? The one, for example, who is called their spokesman, first had his tongue cut out, and then was scalped in the Scythian fashion. This he endured as others endure the circumcision ordained by the divine law, for he believed that in enduring this he was also carrying out the word of God.¹¹ Antiochus, not satisfied with all this, gave orders to chop off the extremities of his hands and feet, the rest of his brethren and his mother looking on.¹² In this way he meant to punish his brothers and mother by what they were witnessing, and thought he could shake their determination by something presumably so horrible. Antiochus, not satisfied, commanded him whose entire body had been maimed by the tortures he had already inflicted upon him, but who was still breathing, to be brought to the fire of the frying pans and cauldrons and to fry him.¹³ And when because of the savagery of the tyrant, vapour was given forth by the flesh of the most noble champion¹⁴ of faith as he was being roasted, the rest, together with the mother, exhorted one another to die manfully,¹⁵ consoling themselves with the thought that God saw all these things. The conviction that the eye of God¹⁶ was watching over their sufferings was sufficient assurance for their constancy. And the Judge of the champions of faith comforted them, comforted Himself and, so to say, rejoiced with them for struggling against such great sufferings. If we find ourselves in like pains, it would be well for us to say what they said to one another: The Lord God looks upon us and takes pleasure in the truth in us.¹⁷

The first having been proved in this way as gold is proved in the furnace,¹⁸ the second was brought to be made a mockingstock.¹⁹ The servants of the tyrant’s cruelty, having pulled off the skin of his head with the hair,²⁰ called upon the sufferer to change his mind and asked him if he would eat of the meats offered to idols before he were punished throughout the whole body in every limb.²¹ When he refused to change his purpose, he was made to endure the whole series of tortures, but he maintained his constancy to his last breath. Without breaking down in the least or giving in to his sufferings, he said to the impious man: Thou indeed, O most wicked man, destroyest us out of this present life; but the King of the world will raise us up, who die for His laws, in the resurrection of eternal life.²²

The third, too, counting the tortures as nothing and as it were treading them under his feet in his love of God, when he was required, quickly put forth his tongue and courageously stretched out his hands, and said: For the laws of God I abandon these. I hope to receive them again²³ from God in such condition as God certainly will return them to His loyal athletes.

In the same way the fourth was tortured and bore his sufferings, saying: When we are made to die at human hands, it is better to look for hope from God, and to be raised up again by Him²⁴ in a resurrection where the tyrant will not be found. For he will rise not to life but to mockery and everlasting shame.

And then Antiochus had the fifth tortured, who rebuked him, telling him to his face that he was only a mortal man, but without making any impression on his arrogance and his notion that a tyranny of a few days was great power. In the midst of his sufferings he also declared that his people was not abandoned by God, who would presently torment Antiochus and his seed.²⁵

And after him the sixth, being close to death, said: Be not deceived: we willingly suffer these things and give satisfaction for our sins so as to be cleansed in our pains. Then he told the king that he should not think that he would escape unpunished for having attempted to fight against God;²⁶ for he indeed fights against God who fights them that are made divine by the Word.²⁷

Finally Antiochus took the youngest aside, and seeing that he was the brother of them that had made nothing of their terrible sufferings and that he shared their resolution, he resorted to other methods. He thought that he could be won by persuasion and promises on oath to make him a rich and a happy man, if he would turn from the laws of his fathers, ⟨and⟩ to take him for a friend and put him in charge of the king’s affairs. When in his first effort he made no impression on the young man who paid no attention to words which were incompatible with his resolution, he summoned the mother and counselled her to give the boy advice for his safety. But she, acting as though she would try to win over her son to his wishes, mocked the tyrant and gave her son an earnest exhortation to perseverance—so much so that he did not wait for the torture to be inflicted upon him: he anticipated it and challenged the executioners, saying: “Why do you hesitate and delay? We obey the law given by God. We may not obey a commandment that is contrary to the words of God.” Like a king handing down a decision on subjects to be judged, he also gave judgment on the tyrant, condemning him rather than being condemned by him. And he told him that for raising his hand against the children of heaven, he would not escape from the judgment of the almighty God who beholdeth all things.²⁸

Then one could see the mother of so many sons bearing courageously the sufferings and death of her sons, for the hopes she had in God.²⁹ For the dew of piety and breath of holiness did not allow the fire of a mother’s feelings, which inflames many mothers in the presence of most grievous ills, to be kindled within her heart.

I think that in view of our present purpose it was most useful to give here this story from the Scriptures. Thus we can see what piety and the love of God, which is stronger than all other loves, can achieve against the most cruel sufferings and the severest tortures. This love of God does not tolerate the co-existence of human weakness, but drives it away as an enemy alien from the whole soul. And this weakness has become powerless in the case of one who can say, The Lord is my strength and my praise,³⁰ and I can do all things in Him who strengtheneth me, Christ Jesus, Our Lord.³¹

Previous · Contents · Next