The Fourth Book of Maccabees, Chapter 13ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Δ′ ΙΓ′

εἰ δὲ τοίνυν τῶν μέχρι θανάτου πόνων ὑπερεφρόνησαν οἱ ἑπτὰ ἀδελφοί συνομολογεῖται πανταχόθεν ὅτι αὐτοδέσποτός ἐστιν τῶν παθῶν ὁ εὐσεβὴς λογισμός

If then the seven brothers despised even the pains that reached unto death, it is universally acknowledged that devout reason is sovereign over the passions.

εἰ γὰρ τοῖς πάθεσι δουλωθέντες ἐμιαροφάγησαν ἐλέγομεν ἂν τούτοις αὐτοὺς νενικῆσθαι

For if, having been enslaved by the passions, they had eaten defilement, we would have said that by these passions they had been conquered.

νυνὶ δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἀλλὰ τῷ ἐπαινουμένῳ παρὰ θεῷ λογισμῷ περιεγένοντο τῶν παθῶν

But as it is, matters are not so; rather, by reason commended before God they triumphed over the passions.

ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν παριδεῖν τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τῆς διανοίας ἐπεκράτησαν γὰρ καὶ πάθους καὶ πόνων

It is impossible not to notice the leadership of the mind; for they gained mastery over both passion and pains.

πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν τούτοις τὴν τῆς εὐλογιστίας παθοκράτειαν ὁμολογεῖν οἳ τῶν μὲν διὰ πυρὸς ἀλγηδόνων οὐκ ἐπεστράφησαν

How then can one fail to confess the dominion over passion possessed by their sound reason, when they did not turn back even from pains through fire?

καθάπερ γὰρ προβλῆτες λιμένων πύργοι τὰς τῶν κυμάτων ἀπειλὰς ἀνακόπτοντες γαληνὸν παρέχουσι τοῖς εἰσπλέουσι τὸν ὅρμον

For just as towers standing as breakwaters of harbors check the threats of the waves and provide calm anchorage to those sailing in,

οὕτως ἡ ἑπτάπυργος τῶν νεανίσκων εὐλογιστία τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας ὀχυρώσασα λιμένα τὴν τῶν παθῶν ἐνίκησεν ἀκολασίαν

so the seven-towered reason of the youths, fortifying the harbor of piety, conquered the unbridled force of the passions.

ἱερὸν γὰρ εὐσεβείας στήσαντες χορὸν παρεθάρσυνον ἀλλήλους λέγοντες

For establishing a sacred chorus of piety, they encouraged one another, saying,

ἀδελφικῶς ἀποθάνωμεν ἀδελφοί περὶ τοῦ νόμου μιμησώμεθα τοὺς τρεῖς τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀσσυρίας νεανίσκους οἳ τῆς ἰσοπολίτιδος καμίνου κατεφρόνησαν

Let us die as brothers, brothers, for the sake of the law; let us imitate the three youths in Assyria who despised the equally shared furnace.

μὴ δειλανδρήσωμεν πρὸς τὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐπίδειξιν

Let us not prove cowardly in the demonstration of piety.

καὶ ὁ μέν θάρρει ἀδελφέ ἔλεγεν ὁ δέ εὐγενῶς καρτέρησον

And one said, 'Take courage, brother,' while another said, 'Endure nobly.'

ὁ δὲ καταμνησθεὶς ἔλεγεν μνήσθητε πόθεν ἐστέ ἢ τίνος πατρὸς χειρὶ σφαγιασθῆναι διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ὑπέμεινεν Ισαακ

And another, recalling it, said, 'Remember where you come from, and remember that Isaac submitted to be slaughtered by a father's hand for the sake of piety.'

εἷς δὲ ἕκαστος ἀλλήλους ὁμοῦ πάντες ἐφορῶντες φαιδροὶ καὶ μάλα θαρραλέοι ἑαυτούς ἔλεγον τῷ θεῷ ἀφιερώσωμεν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας τῷ δόντι τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ χρήσωμεν τῇ περὶ τὸν νόμον φυλακῇ τὰ σώματα

And each one, all together looking upon one another, cheerful and exceedingly courageous, said, 'Let us consecrate ourselves to God with our whole heart, to him who gave our souls, and let us use our bodies for the guarding of the law.'

μὴ φοβηθῶμεν τὸν δοκοῦντα ἀποκτέννειν

Let us not fear the one who seems to kill.

μέγας γὰρ ψυχῆς ἀγὼν καὶ κίνδυνος ἐν αἰωνίῳ βασάνῳ κείμενος τοῖς παραβᾶσι τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ

For a great contest of soul and a danger lies in eternal torment for those who transgress the commandment of God.

καθοπλισώμεθα τοιγαροῦν τὴν τοῦ θείου λογισμοῦ παθοκρατείαν

Therefore let us arm ourselves with the mastery of the passions that belongs to divine reason.

οὕτω γὰρ θανόντας ἡμᾶς Αβρααμ καὶ Ισαακ καὶ Ιακωβ ὑποδέξονται καὶ πάντες οἱ πατέρες ἐπαινέσουσιν

For if we die in this way, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob will receive us, and all the fathers will praise us.

καὶ ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἀποσπωμένων αὐτῶν ἀδελφῶν ἔλεγον οἱ περιλειπόμενοι μὴ καταισχύνῃς ἡμᾶς ἀδελφέ μηδὲ ψεύσῃ τοὺς προαποθανόντας ἡμῶν ἀδελφούς

And as each one of their brothers was dragged away, those who remained said, 'Do not disgrace us, brother, and do not prove false to the brothers of ours who have died before.'

οὐκ ἀγνοεῖτε δὲ τὰ τῆς ἀδελφότητος φίλτρα ἅπερ ἡ θεία καὶ πάνσοφος πρόνοια διὰ πατέρων τοῖς γεννωμένοις ἐμέρισεν καὶ διὰ τῆς μητρῴας φυτεύσασα γαστρός

And you surely know the bonds of brotherhood which divine and all-wise providence apportioned to those born through their fathers and planted through the mother's womb,

ἐν ᾗ τὸν ἴσον ἀδελφοὶ κατοικήσαντες χρόνον καὶ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ χρόνῳ πλασθέντες καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ αἵματος αὐξηθέντες καὶ διὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ψυχῆς τελεσφορηθέντες

in which brothers, dwelling for the same span of time, fashioned at the same moment, increased from the same blood, and brought to maturity through the same life-principle,

καὶ διὰ τῶν ἴσων ἀποτεχθέντες χρόνων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῶν γαλακτοποτοῦντες πηγῶν ἀφ' ὧν συντρέφονται ἐναγκαλισμάτων φιλάδελφοι ψυχαί

and born at equal seasons and drinking from the same fountains of milk, from which brother-loving souls are nourished by embracing one another,

καὶ αὔξονται σφοδρότερον διὰ συντροφίας καὶ τῆς καθ' ἡμέραν συνηθείας καὶ τῆς ἄλλης παιδείας καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐν νόμῳ θεοῦ ἀσκήσεως

and they grow even stronger through living together, daily companionship, the rest of their education, and our discipline in the law of God.

οὕτως δὴ τοίνυν καθεστηκυίης συμπαθοῦς τῆς φιλαδελφίας οἱ ἑπτὰ ἀδελφοὶ συμπαθέστερον ἔσχον πρὸς ἀλλήλους

Since, then, brotherly love had become so sympathetic, the seven brothers held an even deeper sympathy toward one another.

νόμῳ γὰρ τῷ αὐτῷ παιδευθέντες καὶ τὰς αὐτὰς ἐξασκήσαντες ἀρετὰς καὶ τῷ δικαίῳ συντραφέντες βίῳ μᾶλλον ἑαυτοὺς ἠγάπων

For, having been educated by the same law, practiced in the same virtues, and nurtured in a righteous way of life, they loved one another even more.

ἡ γὰρ ὁμοζηλία τῆς καλοκἀγαθίας ἐπέτεινεν αὐτῶν τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους εὔνοιαν καὶ ὁμόνοιαν

For rivalry in nobility intensified their goodwill and concord toward one another.

σὺν γὰρ τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ ποθεινοτέραν αὑτοῖς κατεσκεύαζον τὴν φιλαδελφίαν

For together with piety they made brotherly love even more desirable to themselves.

ἀλλ' ὅμως καίπερ τῆς φύσεως καὶ τῆς συνηθείας καὶ τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἠθῶν τὰ τῆς ἀδελφότητος αὐτοῖς φίλτρα συναυξόντων ἀνέσχοντο διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς οἱ ὑπολειπόμενοι τοὺς καταικιζομένους ὁρῶντες μέχρι θανάτου βασανιζομένους

But nevertheless, although nature and habit and the patterns of virtue were increasing the charms of brotherhood for them, the brothers who remained endured, for the sake of piety, seeing their brothers tortured and tormented to death.