Homily on the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste · §6 · Basil of Caesarea

The Forty as inexhaustible intercessors and the mother's noble deed

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Basil is closing the homily by praising the Forty Martyrs as ever-present helpers and telling the story of the mother who placed her still-living son on the cart to the pyre.

What a wonder! They do not fall short in number, nor do they admit any increase. If you divide them into a hundred, they do not leave their proper number; if you gather them into one, they remain forty, just as fire behaves. For fire passes to the one who lights from it, and yet remains whole with the one who has it; so the Forty are all together, and all are present with each one. This is ungrudging beneficence, grace that is not spent, ready help for Christians, a church of martyrs, an army of trophy-bearers, a company of those who glorify God. How much would you have toiled to find even one person to entreat the Lord on your behalf? Here are forty, sending up a harmonious prayer. Where two or three are gathered in the name of the Lord, there He is in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). Where there are forty, who can doubt the presence of God? The one who is afflicted flees for refuge to the Forty; the one who rejoices runs to them—the one, to find release from hardships; the other, to keep his blessings secure. Here a devout woman praying for her children is heard, asking the return of a husband who is away, the salvation of one who is sick. Let your requests be made with the martyrs. Let the young men imitate those of their own age; let fathers pray to be fathers of such children; let mothers learn from the story of a noble mother. The mother of one of those blessed ones, seeing the others already perfected by the cold, while her own son was still breathing because of his strength and endurance of terrible things, and seeing the executioners leaving him behind as one who might change his mind, lifted him with her own hands and placed him on the cart on which the rest were laid and carried to the pyre—a true mother of a martyr. For she shed no ignoble tear, nor uttered anything low or unworthy of the moment, but said, “Go, my child, on the good journey with those of your own age, with your tent-companions. Do not be left behind from the company. Do not appear before the Master second to the others.” Truly a good shoot from a good root. The noble mother showed that she had nourished him with the teachings of devotion more than with milk. And the one so raised was thus sent forth by his devout mother; and the devil went away put to shame. For though he had stirred up all creation against them, he found everything defeated by the men’s virtue—the stormy night, the wintry homeland, the season of the year, the nakedness of their bodies. O holy company! O sacred band! O unbroken shield-wall! O common guardians of the human race! Good sharers of cares, co-workers in supplication, most powerful ambassadors, stars of the world, flowers of the churches. The earth did not hide you, but heaven received you; the gates of paradise were opened to you. A sight worthy of the army of angels, worthy of patriarchs, prophets, and the righteous: men in the very flower of youth, despising life, loving the Lord more than parents, more than children. At the very prime of life, they looked with contempt on this passing life, so that they might glorify God in their members; becoming a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men, they raised up the fallen, confirmed the wavering, and doubled the desire of the devout. All together they raised one trophy for devotion. With one crown of righteousness they were adorned, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

Greek

Ὢ τοῦ θαύ ματος! Οὔτε ἐλλείπουσι τῷ ἀριθμῷ, οὔτε πλεονα σμὸν ἐπιδέχονται. Ἐὰν εἰς ἑκατὸν αὐτοὺς διέλῃς, τὸν οἰκεῖον ἀριθμὸν οὐκ ἐκβαίνουσιν· ἐὰν εἰς ἓν συν αγάγῃς, τεσσαράκοντα καὶ οὕτω μένουσι, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς φύσιν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνο καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἐξ άπτοντα μεταβαίνει, καὶ ὅλον ἐστὶ παρὰ τῷ ἔχοντι· καὶ οἱ τεσσαράκοντα καὶ πάντες εἰσὶν ὁμοῦ, καὶ πάντες εἰσὶ παρ' ἑκάστῳ. Ἡ ἄφθονος εὐεργεσία, ἡ μὴ δαπανωμένη χάρις· ἑτοίμη βοήθεια Χριστιανοῖς, ἐκκλησία μαρτύρων, στρατὸς τροπαιοφόρων, χορὸς δοξολογούντων. Πόσα ἂν ἔκαμες, ἵνα ἕνα που εὕ ρῃς ὑπὲρ σοῦ δυσωποῦντα τὸν Κύριον; Τεσσαράκοντά εἰσι, σύμφωνον ἀναπέμποντες προσευχήν. Ὅπου δύο ἢ τρεῖς εἰσι συνηγμένοι ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐκεῖ ἐστιν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Ὅπου δὲ τεσσαράκοντα, τίς ἀμφιβάλλει Θεοῦ παρουσίαν; Ὁ θλιβόμενος ἐπὶ τοὺς τεσσαράκοντα καταφεύγει, ὁ εὐφραινόμενος ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἀποτρέχει· ὁ μὲν, ἵνα λύσιν εὕρῃ τῶν δυσχερῶν· ὁ δὲ, ἵνα φυλαχθῇ αὐτῷ τὰ χρηστότερα. Ἐνταῦθα γυνὴ εὐσεβὴς ὑπὲρ τέκνων εὐχομένη καταλαμβάνεται, ἀποδημοῦντι ἀνδρὶ τὴν ἐπάνοδον αἰ τουμένη, ἀῤῥωστοῦντι τὴν σωτηρίαν. Μετὰ μαρτύ ρων γενέσθω τὰ αἰτήματα ὑμῶν. Οἱ νεανίσκοι τοὺς ἡλικιώτας μιμείσθωσαν· οἱ πατέρες, τοιούτων εἶναι παίδων πατέρες εὐχέσθωσαν· αἱ μητέρες, καλῆς μητρὸς διήγημα διδαχθήτωσαν. Μήτηρ ἑνὸς τῶν μακαρίων ἐκείνων, θεασαμένη τοὺς ἄλλους ἤδη τῷ κρύει τελειωθέντας, τὸν δὲ ἑαυτῆς υἱὸν ἔτι ἐμπνέοντα ὑπό τε ῥώμης καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὰ δεινὰ καρτερίας, καταλιμπανόντων αὐτὸν τῶν δημίων ὡς δυ νάμενόν γε μεταβουλεύσασθαι, αὐτὴ ταῖς οἰκείαις χερσὶν ἀραμένη, ἐπέθηκε τῇ ἁμάξῃ, ἐφ' ἧς οἱ λοιποὶ συγκείμενοι πρὸς τὴν πυρὰν ἤγοντο, μάρτυρος ὄντως μήτηρ. Οὐ γὰρ δάκρυον ἀφῆκεν ἀγεννές· οὐδ' ἐφθέγξατο ταπεινόν τι καὶ ἀνάξιον τοῦ καιροῦ· ἀλλ', Ἄπιθι, φησὶν, ὦ παῖ, τὴν ἀγαθὴν πορείαν μετὰ τῶν ἡλικιωτῶν, μετὰ τῶν συσκήνων· μὴ ἀπολειφθῇς τῆς χορείας· μὴ δεύτερος τῶν ἄλλων ἐμφανισθῇς τῷ Δεσπότῃ. Ὄντως ἀγαθῆς ῥίζης ἀγαθὸν βλάστημα. Ἔδειξεν ἡ γενναία μήτηρ, ὅτι δόγμασιν εὐσεβείας ἐξέθρεψεν αὐτὸν μᾶλλον ἢ γάλακτι. Καὶ ὁ μὲν οὕτω τραφεὶς οὕτω προεπ έμφθη παρὰ μητρὸς εὐσεβοῦς· ὁ δὲ διάβολος ἀπῆλθε κατ ησχυμμένος. Ἅπασαν γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς κινήσας τὴν κτίσιν, πάντα εὗρεν ἡττώμενα τῆς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀρε τῆς, νύκτα δυσήνεμον, πατρίδα χειμέριον, τὴν ὥραν τοῦ ἔτους, τῶν σωμάτων τὴν γύμνωσιν. Ὢ χορὸς ἅγιος! ὢ σύνταγμα ἱερόν! ὢ συνασπισμὸς ἀῤ ῥαγής! ὢ κοινοὶ φύλακες τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώ πων! ἀγαθοὶ κοινωνοὶ φροντίδων, δεήσεως συνεργοὶ, πρεσβευταὶ δυνατώτατοι, ἀστέρες τῆς οἰκουμέ νης, ἄνθη τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν. Ὑμᾶς οὐχ ἡ γῆ κατέκρυψεν, ἀλλ' οὐρανὸς ὑπεδέξατο· ἠνοίγησαν ὑμῖν παραδείσου πύλαι. Ἄξιον θέαμα τῇ στρατιᾷ τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἄξιον πατριάρχαις, προφήταις, δικαίοις, ἄνδρες ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἄνθει τῆς νεότητος, τοῦ βίου καταφρονήσαντες, ὑπὲρ γονεῖς, ὑπὲρ τέκνα τὸν Κύριον ἀγαπήσαντες. Αὐτὸ τῆς ἡλικίας ἄγοντες τὸ βιώσιμον, ὑπερεῖδον τῆς προσκαίρου ζωῆς, ἵνα δοξά σωσι τὸν Θεὸν ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἑαυτῶν· θέατρον γενόμενοι τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ ἀγγέλοις, καὶ ἀνθρώποις, τοὺς πεπτωκότας ἤγειραν, τοὺς ἀμφιβόλους ἐβεβαιώ σαντο, τοῖς εὐσεβέσι τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐδιπλασίασαν. Ἒν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἅπαντες ἀναστήσαντες τρόπαιον. ἑνὶ καὶ τῷ στεφάνῳ τῆς δικαιοσύνης κατεκοσμήθησαν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

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About this text

Basil of Caesarea (c. 330–379) delivered this homily to the congregation assembled for the martyrs' feast on the commemoration of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste to honor their witness and move the gathered faithful to imitate their endurance.

Basil argues that honoring martyrs proves love for God and prepares the hearer for imitation. He presents the Forty as one soul in many bodies, soldiers of Christ who confessed boldly under threat, and narrates their trial by freezing in a lake, their mutual encouragement, the desertion of one man for the warm bath, and his replacement by the guard who saw heavenly rewards and confessed Christ. He closes by urging the congregation to seek the Forty as intercessors and models. The reader will meet the Forty, the hostile ruler who condemns them, the deserter, the guard, and the mother who placed her still living son on the cart to the pyre. The speech of the Forty and the speech of the mother are quoted directly, while the tempting words of the ruler are reported indirectly and met by the confession of the Forty.

Here contest means the struggle of martyrdom, crown means the victor reward, confession means public confession of Christian faith, boldness means freedom of speech, company means the united band, and endurance means endurance under suffering. Whole burnt offering means total self offering, while devotion names the devotion for which the martyrs died. Basil uses Septuagint book names and Psalm numbering, so Psalm numbers differ from modern Hebrew numbering, while New Testament citations follow standard modern forms.

No published English used as wording.

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Translated from Migne PG text (Aegean University Digital Patrology, via (Greek)
Also checked Migne PG 31, archive.org scan patrologiae_cursus_completus_gr_vol_031 (Greek machine-read text) (Greek · check (same print; machine-read text compared word by word))

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