4 Maccabees 13:1-3

New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised

Reason’s Sovereignty in the Seven

13 Since, then, the seven brothers despised sufferings even unto death, everyone must concede that devout reason is sovereign over the emotions. ² For if they had been slaves to their emotions and had eaten defiling food, we would say that they had been conquered by these emotions. ³ But in fact it was not so. Instead, by reason, which is praised before God, they prevailed over their emotions.