For when in their suffering they became incensed at those creatures that they had thought to be gods, being punished by means of them, they saw and recognized as the true God the one whom they had before refused to know. Therefore the utmost condemnation came upon them.

in order that those people, when they desired food, might lose the least remnant of appetite because of the odious creatures sent to them, while your people, after suffering want a short time, might partake of delicacies.

the latter, having first received them with festal celebrations, afterward afflicted with terrible sufferings those who had already shared the same rights.

Any suffering, but not suffering from those who hate! And any vengeance, but not the vengeance of enemies!

When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned aloud and said: “It is clear to the Lord in his holy knowledge that, though I might have been saved from death, I am enduring terrible sufferings in my body under this beating, but in my soul I am glad to suffer these things because I fear him.”

As a result, the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man’s spirit, for he regarded his sufferings as nothing.

After him they brought forward the sixth. And when he was about to die, he said, “Do not deceive yourself in vain. For we are suffering these things on our own account because of our sins against our own God.

For we are suffering because of our own sins.

For our brothers, after enduring a brief suffering for everlasting life, have fallen under God’s covenant, but you, by the judgment of God, will receive just punishment for your arrogance.

But when his sufferings did not in any way abate, for the judgment of God had justly come upon him, he gave up all hope for himself and wrote to the Jews the following letter, in the form of a supplication. This was its content:

So the murderer and blasphemer, having endured the more intense suffering such as he had inflicted on others, came to the end of his life by a most pitiable fate, among the mountains in a strange land.

for you are the Lord Most High, of great compassion, long-suffering, and very merciful, and you relent at human suffering. O Lord, according to your great goodness you have promised repentance and forgiveness to those who have sinned against you, and in the multitude of your mercies you have appointed repentance for sinners, so that they may be saved.

“Lord, Lord, king of the heavens and sovereign of all creation, holy among the holy ones, the only ruler, almighty, give attention to us who are suffering grievously from an impious and profane man, puffed up in his audacity and power.

see now, O holy King, that because of our many and great sins we are crushed with suffering, subjected to our enemies, and overtaken by helplessness.

All of these, by despising sufferings that bring death, demonstrated that reason controls the passions.

but it teaches us self-control, so that we master all pleasures and desires, and it also trains us in courage, so that we endure any suffering willingly;

Such should be those who are administrators of the law, shielding it with their own blood and noble sweat in sufferings even to death.

and knows that it is blessed to endure any suffering for the sake of virtue would not be able to overcome the passions through godliness?

For we, through this severe suffering and endurance, shall have the prizes of virtue and shall be with God, on whose account we suffer;

“We, most abominable tyrant, are suffering because of our godly training and virtue,

he said, “Tyrant, they are splendid favors that you grant us against your will, because through these noble sufferings you give us an opportunity to show our endurance for the law.”

While being tortured he said, “O contest befitting holiness, in which so many of us brothers have been summoned to an arena of sufferings for the sake of piety and in which we have not been defeated!

Reason’s Sovereignty in the Seven

Since, then, the seven brothers despised sufferings even unto death, everyone must concede that pious reason is sovereign over the passions.

Even now, we ourselves shudder as we hear of the suffering of these young men; they not only saw what was happening, not only heard the direct word of threat, but also bore the sufferings steadfastly, and in agonies of fire at that.

and therefore you ought to endure every suffering for the sake of God.