1
Τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἀντιρητορεύσαντα ταῖς τοῦ τυράννου παρηγορίαις, παραστάντες οἱ δορυφόροι πικρῶς ἔσυραν ἐπὶ τὰ βασανιστήρια τὸν Ἐλεάζαρον.
When Eleazar had in this manner answered the exhortations of the tyrant, the spearbearers came up, and rudely haled Eleazar to the instruments of torture.
2
Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν περιέδυσαν τὸν γηραιὸν ἐκκεκοσμημένον περὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν εὐσχημοσύνην.
And first, they stripped the old man, adorned as he was with the comeliness of piety.
3
Ἔπειτα περιαγκωνίσαντες ἑκατέρωθεν, μάστιξιν κατῇκιζον·
Then tying back his arms and hands, they disdainfully used him with stripes;
4
πείσθητι ταῖς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐντολαῖς, ἑτέρωθεν κήρυκος ἐπιβοῶντος.
a herald opposite crying out, Obey the commands of the king.
5
Ὁ δὲ μεγαλόφρων καὶ εὐγενὴς ὡς ἀληθῶς Ἐλεάζαρος, ὥσπερ ἐν ὀνείρω βασανιζόμενος κατʼ οὐδένα τρόπον μετετρέπετο.
But Eleazar, the high-minded and truly noble, as one tortured in a dream, regarded it not at all.
6
Ἀλλὰ ὑψηλοὺς ἀνατείνας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, ἀπεξαίνετο ταῖς μάστιξιν τὰς σάρκας ὁ γέρων, καὶ κατεῤῥεῖτο τῷ αἵματι,
But raising his eyes on high to heaven, the old man’s flesh was stripped off by the scourges, and his blood streamed down, and his sides were pierced through.
7
καὶ τὰ πλευρὰ κατετιτρώσκετο, καὶ πίπτων εἰς τὸ ἔδαφος, ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ φέρειν τὸ σῶμα τὰς ἀλγηδόνας, ὀρθὸν εἶχεν καὶ ἀκλινῆ τὸν λογισμόν.
And falling upon the ground, from his body having no power to support the pains, he yet kept his reasoning upright and unbending.
8
Λὰξ γέ τοι τῶν πικρῶν τις δορυφόρων, εἰς τοὺς κενεῶνας ἐναλλόμενος ἔτυπτεν, ὅπως ἐξανίσταιτο πίπτων.
Then one of the harsh spearbearers leaped upon his belly as he was falling, to force him upright.
9
Ὁ δὲ ὑπέμενεν τοὺς πόνους, καὶ περιεφρόνει τῆς ἀνάγκης, καὶ διεκαρτέρει τοὺς αἰκισμοὺς,
But he endured the pains, and despised the cruelty, and persevered through the indignities;
10
καὶ καθάπερ γενναῖος ἀθλητὴς τυπτόμενος ἐνίκα τοὺς βασανίζοντας ὁ γέρων.
and like a noble athlete, the old man, when struck, vanquished his torturers.
11
Ἱδρῶν γέ τοι τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ ἐπασθμαίνων σφοδρῶς, καὶ ὑπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν βασανιζόντων ἐθαυμάζετο ἐπὶ τῇ εὐτυχίᾳ.
His countenance sweating, and he panting for breath, he was admired by the very torturers for his courage.
12
Ὅθεν τὰ μὲν ἐλεοῦντες τὰ τοῦ γήρως αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ ἐν συμπαθείᾳ τῆς συνηθείας ὄντες,
Wherefore, partly in pity for his old age,
13
τὰ δὲ ἐν θαυμαστῷ τῆς καρτερίας προσιόντες αὐτῷ τινὲς τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως ἔλεγον,
partly from the sympathy of acquaintance, and partly in admiration of his endurance, some of the attendants of the king said,
14
τί τοῖς κακοῖς τούτοις σεαντὸν ἀλογίστως ἀπολλεῖς,
Why do you unreasonably destroy yourself, O Eleazar, with these miseries?
15
Ἐλεάζαρ; ἡμεῖς μὲν τῶν ἡψημένων βρωμάτων παραθήσομεν· σὺ δὲ ὑποκρινόμενος τῶν ὑείων ἀπογεύσασθαι, σώθητι.
We will bring you some meat cooked by yourself, and do you save yourself by pretending that you have eaten swine’s flesh.
16
Καὶ ὁ Ἐλεάζαρος, ὥσπερ πικρότερον διὰ τῆς συμβουλίας αἰκισθεὶς, ἀνεβόησεν,
And Eleazar, as though the advice more painfully tortured him, cried out,
17
μὴ οὕτως κακῶς φρονήσαιμεν οἱ Ἁβραὰμ παῖδες, ὥστε μαλακοψυχήσαντας ἀπρεπὲς ἡμῖν δρᾶμα ὑποκρίνασθαι.
Let not us who are children of Abraham be so evil advised as by giving way to make use of an unbecoming pretense;
18
Καὶ γὰρ ἀλόγιστον, εἰ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ζήσαντες τὸν μέχρι γήρως βίον, καὶ τὴν ἐπʼ αὐτῶν δόξαν νομίμως φυλάσσοντες, νῦν μεταβαλοίμεθα,
for it were irrational, if having lived up to old age in all truth, and having scrupulously guarded our character for it, we should now turn back,
19
καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν ἡμεῖς γενοίμεθα τοῖς νέοις ἀσεβείας τύπος, ἵνα παράδειγμα γενώμεθα τῆς μιεροφαγίας.
and ourselves should become a pattern of impiety to the young, as being an example of pollution eating.
20
Αἰσχρὸν γὰρ εἰ ἐπιβιώσωμεν ἀλίγον χρόνον,
It would be disgraceful if we should live on some short time, and that scorned by all men for cowardice,
21
καὶ τοῦτον καταγελώμενοι πρὸς ἁπάντων ἐπὶ δειλίᾳ· καὶ ὑπὸ μὲν τοῦ τυράννου καταφρονηθῶμεν ὡς ἄνανδροι, τὸν δὲ θεῖον ἡμῶν νόμον μέχρι θανάτου μὴ προασπίσαιμεν.
and be condemned by the tyrant for unmanliness, by not contending to the death for our divine law.
22
Πρὸς ταῦτα ὑμεῖς μὲν, ὦ Ἁβραὰμ παῖδες, εὐγενῶς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας τελευτᾶτε.
Wherefore do you, O children of Abraham, die nobly for your religion.
23
Οἱ δὲ τοῦ τυράννου δορυφόροι, τί μέλλετε;
Ye spearbearers of the tyrant, why do ye linger?
24
Πρὸς τὰς ἀνάγκας οὕτως μεγαλοφρονοῦντα αὐτὸν ἰδόντες καὶ μηδὲ πρὸς τὸν οἰκτιρμὸν αὐτῶν μεταβαλλόμενον, ἐπὶ πῦρ αὐτὸν ἤγαγον.
Beholding him so high-minded against misery, and not changing at their pity, they led him to the fire:
25
Ἔνθα διὰ κακοτέχνων ὀργάνων καταφλέγοντες αὐτὸν ὑπερέπτοσαν, καὶ δυσώδεις χυλοὺς εἰς τοὺς μυκτῆρας αὐτοῦ κατέχεον.
then with their wickedly contrived instruments they burned him on the fire, and poured stinking fluids down into his nostrils.
26
Ὁ δὲ μέχρι τῶν ὀστέων ἤδη κατακεκαυμένος καὶ μέλλων λιποθυμεῖν, ἀνέτεινεν τὰ ὄμματα πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ εἶπεν, σὺ οἶσθα, Θεὲ, παρόν μοι σώζεσθαι,
And he being at length burned down to the bones, and about to expire, raised his eyes toward God, and said,
27
βασάνοις καυστικαῖς ἀποθνήσκω διὰ τὸν νόμον.
Thou knowest, O God, that when I might have been saved, I am slain for the sake of the law by tortures of fire.
28
Ἵλεως γενοῦ τῷ ἔθνει σου, ἀρκεσθεὶς τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ περὶ αὐτῶν δίκῃ.
Be merciful to thy people, and be satisfied with the punishment of me on their account.
29
Καθάρσιον αὐτῶν ποίησον τὸ ἐμὸν αἷμα, καὶ ἀντίψυχον αὐτῶν λαβὲ τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχήν.
Let my blood be a purification for them, and take my life in recompense for theirs.
30
Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ὁ ἱερὸς ἀνὴρ εὐγενῶς ταῖς βασάνοις ἐναπέθανεν, καὶ μέχρι τῶν τοῦ θανάτου βασάνων ἀντέστη τῷ λσγισμῷ διὰ τὸν νόμον.
Thus speaking, the holy man departed, noble in his torments, and even to the agonies of death resisted in his reasoning for the sake of the law.
31
Ὁμολογουμένως οἶν δεσπότης ἐστὶν τῶν παθῶν ὁ εὐσεβὴς λογισμός.
Confessedly, therefore, religious reasoning is master of the passions.
32
Εἰ γὰρ τὰ πάθη τοῦ λογισμοῦ κεκρατήκει, τούτοις ἂν ἀπεδόμην τὴν τῆς ἐπικρατείας μαρτυρίαν.
For had the passions been superior to reasoning, I would have given them the witness of this mastery.
33
Νυνὶ δὲ τοῦ λογισμοῦ τὰ πάθη νικήσαντος, αὐτῷ προσηκόντως τὴν τῆς ἡγεμονίας προσνέμομεν ἐξουσίαν.
But now, since reasoning conquered the passions, we befittingly award it the authority of first place.
34
Καὶ δίκαιόν ἐστιν ὁμολογεῖν ἡμᾶς, τὸ κράτος εἶναι τοῦ λογισμοῦ, ὅπου γε καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἀλγηδόνων ἐπικρατεῖ.
And it is but fair that we should allow, that the power belongs to reasoning, since it masters external miseries.
35
Ἐπεὶ καὶ γελοῖον· καὶ οὐ μόνον τῶν ἀλγηδόνων ἐπιδείκνυμι κεκρατηκέναι τὸν λογισμὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἡδονῶν κρατεῖν, μηδὲ αὐταῖς ὑπείκειν.
Ridiculous would it be were it not so; and I prove that reasoning has not only mastered pains, but that it is also superior to the pleasures, and withstands them.