In Praise of the Holy Martyrs

Name: In Praise of the Holy Martyrs
Author: Hesychius of Jerusalem

In sanctos martyres

Hesychius of Jerusalem (fl. c. 412–450 AD) · PG 93

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Contents4 passages

1Enter the Spirit's garden and gather all virtues
2Fasting, prayer, and almsgiving need one another
3Each virtue needs its companion
4Pursue all virtues together

Author

Hesychius of Jerusalem (fl. c. 412–450 AD) — A presbyter and teacher at Jerusalem who died after 450. He wrote short, careful notes and sermons on many books of Scripture.

All works by Hesychius of Jerusalem

About this text

A short sermon urging hearers to gather every virtue, not one, since fasting needs prayer, prayer needs almsgiving, and faith needs love.

This homily is attributed to Hesychius of Jerusalem (fl. c. 412–450), a priest and preacher known for his biblical commentaries and festal addresses. The text as it survives is a fragment, and the attribution is not certain, but it fits the kind of encomium on martyrs that Hesychius was known to deliver. It is addressed to a congregation as brothers and fathers, and its purpose is to urge them toward a complete life of virtue rather than a partial one.

The speaker calls the hearers into the Spirit's garden and tells them to gather not one virtue but all of them, because virtues depend on one another like stones in a tower or steps in a ladder. He argues that each virtue is incomplete without another: fasting needs prayer, prayer needs almsgiving, almsgiving needs faith, gentleness needs humility, and faith needs love.

A reader will meet Cornelius, whose prayers and alms were remembered before God, and will hear words from Jesus and from an angel speaking to Cornelius, as well as from an unnamed scriptural speaker. The key terms are virtue, fasting, prayer, almsgiving, faith, gentleness, humility, love, crown, and kingdom of heaven.

Printed text used

Translated from PG 93 (Greek)

This work has passed this project's source check. 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.

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Enter the Spirit's garden and gather all virtues§1

The preacher opens his encomium by calling the congregation to enter the Spirit's garden and gather every virtue, not just one.

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1So then, brothers and fathers, enter the Spirit's many-flowered garden and eagerly gather the virtues from it—not one, but many; or rather, not many, but all of them. For virtue needs virtue, just as wing needs wing, wheel needs wheel, step needs step, oar needs oar, and rudder needs rudder. If you do not join stone to stone, the tower will not rise to a height. In the same way, if we do not set commandment upon commandment, we will not reach heaven; if you do not join commandment to commandment, the course is incomplete.

Greek · §1

The Greek is on each section page: §1

Fasting, prayer, and almsgiving need one another§2

The preacher is showing that each virtue is powerless without another, beginning with fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.

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2And how can we lay hold of the crown? Fasting is good, but without prayer it does not trample on demons. For he says, “This kind does not go out except by fasting and prayer” (Mark 9:29). Prayer is good too, but without almsgiving it cannot go up to heaven. You have heard the angel saying to Cornelius, “Your prayers and your almsgiving have gone up for a memorial before God” (Acts 10:4). So almsgiving carried prayer up to heaven.

Greek · §2

The Greek is on each section page: §2

Each virtue needs its companion§3

The preacher continues his chain of paired virtues, now showing that almsgiving needs faith, gentleness needs humility, and faith needs love.

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3Almsgiving, then, is wonderful, but without faith it does not work redemption from sins. For he says, "By almsgiving and faith sins are cleansed." Gentleness is something to be zealous for, but without humility it cannot produce a royal character. For the Lord says, "Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart" (Matthew 11:29). Faith is good, since even the smallest measure of it can move mountains, but without love it is vain and superfluous. For he says, "Even if I have faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:2).

Greek · §3

The Greek is on each section page: §3

Pursue all virtues together§4

The preacher is closing his address to the congregation, urging them to pursue all the virtues he has just discussed so that they may be counted worthy of the kingdom of heaven.

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4So then, beloved, let us be eager to pursue these virtues, so that we may be counted worthy of the kingdom of heaven. Do not be zealous about faith, beloved, yet more sluggish about zeal itself; do not be hardworking about the Scriptures, yet unphilosophical about your character. For you must be rich in good works, in word, in wisdom, in self-control, in righteousness, in courage, in piety, in prudence, and in holiness. For just as wickedness punishes those who pursue it even before hell, so virtue makes those who work at it feast in delight even before the kingdom.

Greek · §4

The Greek is on each section page: §4

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