The Holy Scripture
Chapter VII
The reasoning of our father Eleazar, like a first-rate pilot, steering the vessel of piety in the sea of passions,
ὥσπερ γὰρ ἄριστος κυβερνήτης ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ελεαζαρου λογισμὸς πηδαλιουχῶν τὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας ναῦν ἐν τῷ τῶν παθῶν πελάγει
and flouted by the threats of the tyrant, and overwhelmed with the breakers of torture,
καὶ καταικιζόμενος ταῖς τοῦ τυράννου ἀπειλαῖς καὶ καταντλούμενος ταῖς τῶν βασάνων τρικυμίαις
in no way shifted the rudder of piety till it sailed into the harbour of victory over death.
κατ᾿ οὐδένα τρόπον ἔτρεψε τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας οἴακας ἕως οὗ ἔπλευσεν ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς ἀθανάτου νίκης λιμένα
Not so has ever a city, when besieged, held out against many and various machines, as did that holy man, when his pious soul was tried with the fiery trial of tortures and rackings, move his besiegers through the religious reasoning that shielded him.
οὐχ οὕτως πόλις πολλοῖς καὶ ποικίλοις μηχανήμασιν ἀντέσχε ποτὲ πολιορκουμένη ὡς ὁ πανάγιος ἐκεῖνος τὴν ἱερὰν ψυχὴν αἰκισμοῖς τε καὶ στρέβλαις πυρπολούμενος ἐνίκησεν τοὺς πολιορκοῦντας διὰ τὸν ὑπερασπίζοντα τῆς εὐσεβείας λογισμόν
For father Eleazar, projecting his disposition, broke the raging waves of the passions as with a jutting promontory.
ὥσπερ γὰρ πρόκρημνον ἄκραν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διάνοιαν ὁ πατὴρ Ελεαζαρ ἐκτείνας περιέκλασεν τοὺς ἐπιμαινομένους τῶν παθῶν κλύδωνας
O priest, worthy of the priesthood! thou didst not pollute thy sacred teeth; nor make thy appetite, which had always embraced the clean and lawful, a partaker of profanity.
ὦ ἄξιε τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἱερεῦ οὐκ ἐμίανας τοὺς ἱεροὺς ὀδόντας οὐδὲ τὴν θεοσέβειαν καὶ καθαρισμὸν χωρήσασαν γαστέρα ἐκοίνωσας μιαροφαγίᾳ
O harmonizer with the law, and sage devoted to a divine life!
ὦ σύμφωνε νόμου καὶ φιλόσοφε θείου βίου
Of such a character ought those to be who perform the duties of the law at the risk of their own blood, and defend it with generous sweat by sufferings even unto death.
τοιούτους δεῖ εἶναι τοὺς δημιουργοῦντας τὸν νόμον ἰδίῳ αἵματι καὶ γενναίῳ ἱδρῶτι τοῖς μέχρι θανάτου πάθεσιν ὑπερασπίζοντας
Thou, father, hast gloriously established our right government by thy endurance; and making of much account our service past, prevented its destruction, and, by thy deeds, hast made credible the words of philosophy.
σύ πάτερ τὴν εὐνομίαν ἡμῶν διὰ τῶν ὑπομονῶν εἰς δόξαν ἐκύρωσας καὶ τὴν ἁγιαστίαν σεμνολογήσας οὐ κατέλυσας καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπιστοποίησας τοὺς τῆς θείας φιλοσοφίας σου λόγους
O aged man of more power than tortures, elder more vigorous than fire, greatest king over the passions, Eleazar!
ὦ βασάνων βιαιότερε γέρων καὶ πυρὸς εὐτονώτερε πρεσβῦτα καὶ παθῶν μέγιστε βασιλεῦ Ελεαζαρ
For as father Aaron, armed with a censer, hastening through the consuming fire, vanquished the flame-bearing angel,
ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ Ααρων τῷ θυμιατηρίῳ καθωπλισμένος διὰ τοῦ ἐθνοπλήθους ἐπιτρέχων τὸν ἐμπυριστὴν ἐνίκησεν ἄγγελον
so Eleazar, the descendant of Aaron, wasted away by the fire, did not give up his reasoning.
οὕτως ὁ Ααρωνίδης Ελεαζαρ διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς ὑπερτηκόμενος οὐ μετετράπη τὸν λογισμόν
And, what is most wonderful, though an old man, though the labours of his body were now spent, and his fibres were relaxed, and his sinews worn out, he recovered youth.
καίτοι τὸ θαυμασιώτατον γέρων ὢν λελυμένων μὲν ἤδη τῶν τοῦ σώματος τόνων περικεχαλασμένων δὲ τῶν σαρκῶν κεκμηκότων δὲ καὶ τῶν νεύρων ἀνενέασεν
By the spirit of reasoning, and the reasoning of Isaac, he rendered powerless the many-headed instrument.
τῷ πνεύματι διὰ τοῦ λογισμοῦ καὶ τῷ Ισακίῳ λογισμῷ τὴν πολυκέφαλον στρέβλαν ἠκύρωσεν
O blessed old age, and reverend hoar head, and life obedient to the law, which the faithful seal of death perfected.
ὦ μακαρίου γήρως καὶ σεμνῆς πολιᾶς καὶ βίου νομίμου ὃν πιστὴ θανάτου σφραγὶς ἐτελείωσεν
If, then, an old man, through religion, despised tortures even unto death, confessedly religious reasoning is ruler of the passions.
εἰ δὴ τοίνυν γέρων ἀνὴρ τῶν μέχρι θανάτου βασάνων περιεφρόνει δι᾿ εὐσέβειαν ὁμολογουμένως ἡγεμών ἐστιν τῶν παθῶν ὁ εὐσεβὴς λογισμός
But perhaps some might say, It is not all who conquer passions, as all do not possess wise reasoning.
ἴσως δ᾿ ἂν εἴποιέν τινες τῶν παθῶν οὐ πάντες περικρατοῦσιν ὅτι οὐδὲ πάντες φρόνιμον ἔχουσιν τὸν λογισμόν
But they who have meditated upon religion with their whole heart, these alone can master the passions of the flesh:
ἀλλ᾿ ὅσοι τῆς εὐσεβείας προνοοῦσιν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας οὗτοι μόνοι δύνανται κρατεῖν τῶν τῆς σαρκὸς παθῶν
they who believe that to God they die not; for, as our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, they live to God.
πιστεύοντες ὅτι θεῷ οὐκ ἀποθνῄσκουσιν ὥσπερ οὐδὲ οἱ πατριάρχαι ἡμῶν Αβρααμ καὶ Ισαακ καὶ Ιακωβ ἀλλὰ ζῶσιν τῷ θεῷ
This circumstance, then, is by no means an objection, that some who have weak reasoning, are governed by their passions:
οὐδὲν οὖν ἐναντιοῦται τὸ φαίνεσθαί τινας παθοκρατεῖσθαι διὰ τὸν ἀσθενῆ λογισμόν
since what person, walking religiously by the whole rule of philosophy, and believing in God,
ἐπεὶ τίς πρὸς ὅλον τὸν τῆς φιλοσοφίας κανόνα φιλοσοφῶν καὶ πεπιστευκὼς θεῷ
and knowing that it is a blessed thing to endure all kinds of hardships for virtue, would not, for the sake of religion, master his passion?
καὶ εἰδὼς ὅτι διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν πάντα πόνον ὑπομένειν μακάριόν ἐστιν οὐκ ἂν περικρατήσειεν τῶν παθῶν διὰ τὴν θεοσέβειαν
For the wise and brave man only is lord over his passions.
μόνος γὰρ ὁ σοφὸς καὶ ἀνδρεῖός ἐστιν τῶν παθῶν κύριος
Whence it is, that even boys, imbued with the philosophy of religious reasoning, have conquered still more bitter tortures:
for when the tyrant was manifestly vanquished in his first attempt, in being unable to force the old man to eat the unclean thing,—