The Bible 4 Maccabees Chapter 7
4 Maccabees 7
Μακκαβαίων Δ´
1 Ωσπερ γὰρ ἄριστος κυβερνήτης ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἐλεαζάρου λογισμὸς πηδαλιουχῶν τὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας ναῦν ἐν τῷ τῶν παθῶν πελάγει
The reasoning of our father Eleazar, like a first-rate pilot, steering the vessel of piety in the sea of passions,
2 καὶ καταικιζόμενος ταῖς τοῦ τυράννου ἀπειλαῖς καὶ καταντλούμενος ταῖς τῶν βασάνων τρικυμίαις,
and flouted by the threats of the tyrant, and overwhelmed with the breakers of torture,
3 κατ' οὐδένα τρόπον μετέτρεψε τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας οἴακας, ἕως οὗ ἔπλευσεν ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς ἀθανάτου νίκης λιμένα.
in no way shifted the rudder of piety till it sailed into the harbour of victory over death.
4 οὐχ οὕτως πόλις πολλοῖς καὶ ποικίλοις μηχανήμασιν ἀντέσχε ποτὲ πολιορκουμένη, ὡς ὁ πανάγιος Ἐλεάζαρος· τὴν ἱερὰν ψυχὴν αἰκισμοῖς τε καὶ στρέβλαις πυρπολούμενος ἐνίκησε τοὺς πολιορκοῦντας διὰ τὸν ὑπερασπίζοντα τῆς εὐσεβείας λογισμόν.
Not so has ever a city, when besieged, held out against many and various machines, as did that holy man, when his pious soul was tried with the fiery trial of tortures and rackings, move his besiegers through the religious reasoning that shielded him.
5 ὥσπερ γὰρ πρόκρημνον ἄκραν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διάνοιαν ὁ πατὴρ Ἐλεάζαρος ἐκτείνας, περιέκλασεν τοὺς ἐπιμαινομένους τῶν παθῶν κλύδωνας.
For father Eleazar, projecting his disposition, broke the raging waves of the passions as with a jutting promontory.
6 ὦ ἄξιε τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἱερεῦ, οὐκ ἐμίανας τοὺς ἱεροὺς ὀδόντας οὐδὲ τὴν θεοσέβειαν καὶ καθαρισμὸν νόμιμον χωρήσασαν γαστέρα ἐκοινώνησας μιαροφαγίᾳ.
O priest worthy of the priesthood! you did not pollute your sacred teeth; nor make your appetite, which had always embraced the clean and lawful, a partaker of profanity.
7 ᾦ σύμφωνε νόμου καὶ φιλόσοφε θείου βίου.
O harmonizer with the law, and sage devoted to a divine life!
8 τοιούτους δὴ δεῖ εἶναι τοὺς ἱερουργοῦντας τὸν νόμον ἰδίῳ αἵματι καὶ γενναίῳ ἱδρῶτι τοῖς μέχρι θανάτου πάθεσιν ὑπερασπίζοντας.
Of such a character ought those to be who perform the duties of the law at the risk of their own blood, and defend it with generous sweat by sufferings even to death.
9 σὺ πάτερ, τὴν εὐνομίαν ἡμῶν διὰ τῶν ὑπομονῶν εἰς δόξαν ἐκύρωσας καὶ τὴν ἁγιστείαν σεμνολογήσας οὐ κατέλυσας καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπιστοποίησας τοὺς τῆς θείας φιλοσοφίας λόγους,
You, father, have gloriously established our right government by your endurance; and making of much account our service past, prevented its destruction, and, by your deeds, have made credible the words of philosophy.
10 ὦ βασάνων βιαιότερε γέρον, καὶ πυρὸς εὐτονώτερε πρεσβῦτα, καὶ παθῶν μέγιστε βασιλεῦ Ἐλεάζαρε.
O aged man of more power than tortures, elder more vigorous than fire, greatest king over the passions, Eleazar!
11 ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ Ἀαρὼν τῷ θυμιατηρίῳ καθωπλισμένος διὰ τοῦ ἐθνοπλήθους ἐπιτρέχων τὸν ἐμπυριστὴν ἐνίκησεν ἄγγελον,
For as father Aaron, armed with a censer, hastening through the consuming fire, vanquished the flame-bearing angel,
12 οὕτως ὁ Ἀαρωνίδης Ἐλεάζαρος διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς ὑπερτηκόμενος οὐ μετετράπη τὸν λογισμόν.
so, Eleazar, the descendant of Aaron, wasted away by the fire, did not give up his reasoning.
13 καίτοι τὸ θαυμασιώτατον, γέρων ὤν, λελυμένων μὲν ἤδη τῶν τοῦ σώματος τόνων, περικεχαλασμένων δὲ τῶν σαρκῶν, κεκμηκότων δὲ καὶ τῶν νεύρων, ἀνενέασε
And, what is most wonderful, though an old man, though the labours of his body were now spent, and his fibres were relaxed, and his sinews worn out, he recovered youth.
14 τῷ πνεύματι διὰ τοῦ λογισμοῦ καὶ τῷ ἰσακίῳ λογισμῷ τὴν πολυκέφαλον στρέβλαν ἠκύρωσεν.
By the spirit of reasoning, and the reasoning of Isaac, he rendered powerless the many-headed instrument.
15 ὦ μακαρίου γήρως καὶ σεμνῆς πολιᾶς καὶ βίου νομίμου, ὃν πιστὴ θανάτου σφραγὶς ἐτελείωσεν.
O blessed old age, and reverend hoar head, and life obedient to the law, which the faithful seal of death perfected.
16 εἰ δέ τοίνυν γέρων ἀνὴρ τῶν μέχρι θανάτου βασάνων περιεφρόνησε δι' εὐσέβειαν, ὁμολογουμένως ἡγεμών ἐστι τῶν παθῶν ὁ εὐσεβὴς λογισμός.
If, then, an old man, through religion, despised tortures even to death, confessedly religious reasoning is ruler of the passions.
17 Ἴσως δ' ἂν εἴποιέν τινες· τῶν παθῶν οὐ πάντες περικρατοῦσιν, ὅτι οὐδὲ πάντες φρόνιμον ἔχουσι τὸν λογισμόν.
But perhaps some might say, It is not all who conquer passions, as all do not possess wise reasoning.
18 ἀλλ' ὅσοι εὐσεβείας προνοοῦσιν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας, οὗτοι μόνοι δύνανται κρατεῖν τῶν τῆς σαρκὸς παθῶν,
But they who have meditated upon religion with their whole heart, these alone can master the passions of the flesh;
19 πιστεύοντες, ὅτι Θεῷ οὐκ ἀποθνήσκουσιν, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ οἱ πατριάρχαι ἡμῶν Ἁβραάμ, Ἰσαάκ, Ἰακώβ, ἀλλὰ ζῶσι τῷ Θεῷ.
they who believe that to God they die not; for, as our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, they live to God.
20 οὐδὲν οὖν ἐναντιοῦται τὸ φαίνεσθαί τινας παθοκρατεῖσθαι διὰ τὸν ἀσθενῆ λογισμόν.
This circumstance, then, is by no means an objection, that some who have weak reasoning, are governed by their passions:
21 ἐπεὶ τίς πρὸς ὅλον τὸν τῆς φιλοσοφίας κανόνα εὐσεβῶς φιλοσοφῶν
since what person, walking religiously by the whole rule of philosophy, and believing in God,
22 καὶ πεπιστευκὼς Θεῷ καὶ εἰδὼς ὅτι τὸ διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν πάντα πόνον ὑπομένειν μακάριόν ἐστιν, οὐκ ἂν περικρατήσειεν τῶν παθῶν διὰ τὴν θεοσέβειαν;
and knowing that it is a blessed thing to endure all kinds of hardships for virtue, would not, for the sake of religion, master his passion?
23 μόνος γὰρ ὁ σοφὸς καὶ σώφρων ἀνδρεῖός ἐστι τῶν παθῶν κύριος.
For the wise and brave man only is lord over his passions.
Greek: the Septuagint as the Orthodox Media Network published it (Mount Athos); 2 Maccabees and the Prayer of Manasseh from Brenton's edition (1851). English: Brenton's translation (1851), its spelling updated by Michael Paul Johnson; public domain. About these texts.