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On the Glory of Martyrdom

Pseudo-Cyprian

Section 29

About this work

Author: Pseudo-Cyprian

29. He said this who suffered, and who suffered

‹ Section 28 Section 30 ›

for

this

cause

,

that

he

might

imitate

the

Lord

;

and

assuredly

he

wished

us

also

to

suffer

for

this

cause

,

that

through

him

we

might

imitate

Christ

.

If

thou

art

righteous

,

and

believest

in

God

,

why

fearest

thou

to

shed

thy

blood

for

Him

whom

thou

knowest

to

have

so

often

suffered

for

thee

?

In

Isaiah

He

was

sawn

asunder

,

in

Abel

He

was

slain

,

in

Isaac

He

was

offered

up

,

in

Joseph

He

was

sold

into

slavery

,

in

man

He

was

crucified

.

And

I

say

nothing

of

other

matters

,

such

as

neither

my

discourse

is

able

to

tell

nor

my

mind

to

bear

.

My

consciousness

is

overcome

by

the

example

of

His

humility

;

and

when

it

considers

what

things

befell

when

He

suffered

,

it

marvels

that

He

should

suffer

on

whose

behalf

all

things

quaked

.

The

day

fled

into

the

night

;

the

light

gave

up

all

things

into

darkness

;

and

,

its

mass

being

inclined

backwards

and

forwards

,

the

whole

earth

was

jarred

,

and

burst

open

;

the

dead

were

disturbed

,

the

graves

were

laid

bare

,

and

as

the

tombs

gaped

open

into

the

rent

of

the

earth

,

bodies

returning

to

the

light

were

restored

;

the

world

trembled

at

the

flowing

of

His

blood

;

and

the

veil

which

hung

from

the

opening

of

the

temple

was

rent

,

and

all

the

temple

uttered

a

groan

.

For

which

cause

it

is

a

great

matter

to

imitate

Him

who

,

in

dying

,

convicted

the

world

.

Therefore

when

,

after

the

example

of

the

Lord’s

passion

,

and

after

all

the

testimony

of

Christ

,

you

lay

down

your

life

,

and

fear

not

to

shed

your

blood

,

everything

must

absolutely

give

way

to

martyrdom

.

Inestimable

is

the

glory

of

martyrdom

,

infinite

its

measure

,

immaculate

its

victory

,

invaluable

its

title

,

immense

its

triumph

;

because

he

who

is

presented

to

Him

with

the

special

glory

of

a

confessor

,

is

adorned

with

the

kindred

blood

of

Christ

.

Notes

32
Or, “Manes.”