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On the Glory of Martyrdom

Pseudo-Cyprian

Section 20

About this work

Author: Pseudo-Cyprian

20. A horrible place, of which the name is

‹ Section 19 Section 21 ›

Gehenna

,

with

an

awful

murmuring

and

groaning

of

souls

bewailing

,

and

with

flames

belching

forth

through

the

horrid

darkness

of

thick

night

,

is

always

breathing

out

the

raging

fires

of

a

smoking

furnace

,

while

the

confined

mass

of

flames

is

restrained

or

relaxed

for

the

various

purposes

of

punishment

.

Then

there

are

very

many

degrees

of

its

violence

,

as

it

gathers

into

itself

whatever

tortures

the

consuming

fire

of

the

heat

emitted

can

supply

.

Those

by

whom

the

voice

of

the

Lord

has

been

rejected

,

and

His

control

contemned

,

it

punishes

with

different

dooms

;

and

in

proportion

to

the

different

degree

of

deserving

of

the

forfeited

salvation

it

applies

its

power

,

while

a

portion

assigns

its

due

distinction

to

crime

.

And

some

,

for

example

,

are

bowed

down

by

an

intolerable

load

,

some

are

hurried

by

a

merciless

force

over

the

abrupt

descent

of

a

precipitous

path

,

and

the

heavy

weight

of

clanking

chains

bends

over

them

its

bondage

.

Some

there

are

,

also

,

whom

a

wheel

is

closely

turning

,

and

an

unwearied

dizziness

tormenting

;

and

others

whom

,

bound

to

one

another

with

tenacious

closeness

,

body

clinging

to

body

compresses

:

so

that

both

fire

is

devouring

,

and

the

load

of

iron

is

weighing

down

,

and

the

uproar

of

many

is

torturing

.