E02634: John Chrysostom delivers an encomium On the Holy Martyrs during a festival held after Pentecost for a group of martyrs who were burned on an iron ladder/grill. Written in Greek at Antioch (Syria) or Constantinople, 386/407.

John Chrysostom, On the Holy Martyrs (CPG 4365, BHG 1188)

Summary

1. This is a festival for a group of martyrs, which follows less than seven days after Pentecost. The martyrs do not differ from angels, except by name, since both of them are immortal and live in heaven. Their works are the same. If there is something good about the existence of death, it is that it has given us the possibility of martyrdom. God has turned the doom of humanity, caused by the Devil through death, into a blessing. These martyrs resemble a dancing party by their joyful haste towards martyrdom, and a military squadron by the bravery of their perseverance. Their martyrdom resembles a war of two camps fighting one another, as the martyrs enter the contest with their bare bodies, and the tyrants with their weapons. With their hands bound, the martyrs are beaten and skinned from all sides. Next, they are bound on a stake and suffer more torments, and, after that, they are placed on an iron ladder (klimax) and roasted over burning coals.

2. This ladder should remind us of Jacob’s ladder, though here we have martyrs instead of angels. Martyrdom is an exemplar of perseverance for us common people, who are unable to bear even a simple fever. The angels marvel at the blood flowing from the bodies of the martyrs, while the demons are horrified. The martyrdoms of the saints are the natural sequel to the death of Christ. What follows is the even more wondrous condition of the heavenly life prepared by God for those who love him, and no one loves him more than the martyrs. The angels welcome them with admiration, just like people admire foreign athletes when they visit their towns. They venerate God, and are treated by Him as friends, not servants. We must yearn for martyrdom and prepare ourselves for it, by fighting our own passions.

3. The method of achieving this is by looking at the rewards that follow, rather than the suffering involved in, actions like charity, fasting, and vigils. When lying in our beds, we should keep in mind the iron ladder of the martyrs. We should adorn the walls of our heart with the pictures of the saints’ martyrdom, just like people adorn their houses with paintings of flowers.