The Honor of Martyrs and Introduction to Euphemia

Whether they are being awed by the resting places of the saints, or are acting with prudence toward the altars and the defiled places. The ascetics of that deprivation and those who consider the terror against all things to be virtue thought that the shouts of the demons would be ashamed of the bright power of the martyrs crying out and shouting, and of those calling each one by name as if present, and driving away and chasing the oppressed humans.

Whether one wishes to say that the spirits of the athletes of piety act against the unclean spirits, or that angels attend the holy tombs in honor of those who have rested, it makes no difference; for whatever is said, it is the glory of those who suffered for the love toward Christ. The benefits of the martyrs appear manifest every day, sometimes in different and diverse ways, which free the wanderers from the operations of the satanic. For those who were once seized by madness and held by evils are now seen to be acting with prudence, and we see the boldness of the embassy of the saints testifying to the facts.

And just as unmistakable proofs of the power of our Savior were contained in the midst of the Hebrews—those cleansed of leprosy, those whose sight was healed, the blind, and if any paralytic, having been strengthened in the harmony of his limbs, walked without hindrance—so also now those who carry the cross for the sake of Him who was crucified provide clear proofs by the grace of the Lord, healing the faithful in various and diverse ways like fellow-slaves.

And Paul and Peter—the one having expelled the Python demon (Acts 16:18), the other having raised the lame man at the temple gates (Acts 3:6)—turned Hebrews and Greeks toward obedience to the gospel through practical powers; but the evil assembly of heretics now badly harasses our...

The martyrs are not respected even for the greatness of the miracles. Instead, people call them many-maned, and their tombs and their resting places are named as such, and they cleanse themselves as if rubbing against a contagion, not even mentioning that God-breathed saying praised by every mouth: 'Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints' (Psalm 116:15). Therefore, let us pray to God, and let us entreat the martyrs to revile the Lord in common, so that a spirit of compunction may be given to those acting under the error of heresy, and the division may be loosed like a mediator or a barrier, so that all may come together in brotherly unity in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom belongs the glory forever. Amen.

The discourse of Asterius, Bishop of Amaseia, concerning the holy Euphemia the martyr. First, O men, I had Demosthenes in my hands, the formidable one, and those Demosthenian things where Aeschines strikes bitterly at the memories; having been stained by the word and having thickened the intellect, I was in need of relaxation and a walk, so that the suffering of my soul might be somewhat released. Having come out of the room and having conversed a little with acquaintances in the marketplace, from there I arrived at the temple of God to pray at leisure.

As I happened to do this and was walking one of the covered walkways, I saw a certain painting there and the sight seized me intensely: you would say it was a work of Euphranor or one of those ancients who, having taken up the art of painting, worked great lifelike panels with little effort. Come here, for if you wish for a leisure narrative now, I will describe the painting to you; for we do not have medicines from the children of the Muses that are any less inferior than those of the painters. A certain woman, a holy virgin, having consecrated her chastity to God, they call Euphemia; and when a tyrant was once driving away the pious, she eagerly sought death.