Destination Maccabees

Chapter III


Maccabees


But when Eleazar replied thus eloquently to the exhortations of the tyrants, the guards around him dragged him roughly to the torturing place.

And first they unclothed the old man, who was adorned with the beauty of his holiness.

Then binding his arms on either side they scourged him, a herald standing and shouting out over against him, 'Obey the orders of the king!'

But the great-souled and noble man,an Eleazar in very truth, was no more moved in his mind than if he were being tormented in a dream; yea, the old man keeping his eyes steadfastly raised to heaven suffered his flesh to be torn by scourges till he was bathed in blood and his sides became a mass of wounds; and even when he fell to the ground because his body could no longer support the pain he still kept his Reason erect and inflexible.

With his foot then one of the cruel guards as he fell kicked him savagely in the side to make him get up.

But he endured the anguish, and despised the compulsion, and bore up under the torments, and like a brave athlete taking punishment, the old man outwore his tormentors.

The sweat stood on his brow, and he drew his breath in hard gsaps, till his nobility of soul extorted the admiration of the tormentors themsleves.

Hereupon, partly in pity for his old age, partly in sympathy for their friend, partly in admiration of his courage, some of the courtiers of the king went up to him and said:

'Why, O Eleazar, dost thou destroy thyself in this misery? We will bring thee of the seethed meats, but do thou feign only to partake of this swine's flesh, and so save thyself.'

And Eleazar, as if their consel did but add to his tortures, cried loudly. 'No. May we sons of Abraham never have so evil a thought as with faint heart to counterfeit a part unseemly to us.

Contrary to Reason, indeed, were it for us, after living unto the truth till old age, and guarding in lawful guise the repute of so living, now to change and become in our own persons a pattern to the young of impiety, to the end that we should encourage them to eat unclean meat.

Shame were it if we should live on a littlelonger, during that little being mocked of all men for cowardice, and while despised by the tyrant as unmanly should fail to defend the Divine Law unto the death.

Therefore, O sons of Abraham, do ye die nobly for righteousness' sake; but as for you, O minions of the tyrant, why pause ye in your work?'

So they, seeing him thus triumphant over the tortures and unmoved even by the pity of his executioners, dragged him to the fire.

There they cast him on it, burning him with cruelly cuning devices, and they poured broth of evil odour into his nostrils.

But when the fire already reached his bones and he was about to give up the ghost, e lifted up his eyes to God and said:

'Thou, O God, knowest that though I might save myself I am dying by fiery torments for the Law. Be merciful unto thy people, and let our punishment be a satisfaction in their behalf. Make my blood their purification and take my soul to ransom their souls.'

I love blackberries


I was in Maine a few weeks back and we picked so many wild blueberries and made crumb muffins, pies, and had blue stained lips.




so much is given to us freely if we will just be open to truth and focus on it

Well I have always been thankful for that which I have, but the human is always 'looking for more' so to speak. It just seemed so hard to remain focussed on what has been provided without considering that 'one more thing' that would help or make something else better, you know? I think I understand the whole concept better now and it has only served to deepen my thankfulness and has helped change my focus immensely. Who knew you could learn so much from a blackberry bush! hehehe

Maccabees con't


And with these words the holy man nobly yielded up his spirit under the torture, and for the sake of the Law held out by his Reason even against the torments unto death.

Beyond question, then, the Inspired Reason is master over the passions; for if his passions or sufferings had prevailed over his Reason we should have credited them with this evidence of their superior power.

But now his Reason having conquered his passions, we properly attribute to it the power of commanding them.

And it is right that we should admit that the mastery lies with Reason, in cases at least where it conquers pains that come from outside ourselves; for it were ridiculous to deny it.

And my proof covers not only the superiority of Reason to pains, but it superiority to pleasures also; neither does it surrender to them.

End of Chapter III

And luckily the thorns are small eh!

LOL Alot smaller than some on this board! hehehe

Didn't want to start a different thread so I sent you a pm. Not really interested in alot of woo woo replies like a thread would get.

I am just enjoying the heck out of your Mac. posts. Thank you for taking the time!

Chapter IV

Maccabees

For the Reason of our father Eleazar, like a fine steersman steering the ship of sanctity on the sea of the passions, though buffeted by the threats of the tyrant and swept by the swelling waves of the torture, never shifted for one moment the helm of sanctity until he sailed into the have of victory over death.

No city besieged with many and cunning engines ever defended itself so well as did the holy man when his sacred soul was attacked with scourge and rack and flame, and he moved them who were laying siege to his soul through his Reason that was the shield of sanctity.

For our father Eleazar, setting his mind firm as a beetling sea-cliff, broke the mad onset of the surges of the passions.

O priest worthy of thy priesthood, thou didst not defile thy holy teeth, nor didst thou befoul with unclean meat thy belly that had room only for piety and purity.

O confessor of the Law and philosopher of the Divine life! Such should thode be whose office is to serve the Law and defend it with their own blood and honourable sweat in the face of sufferings to the death.

Thou, O father, didst fortify our fidelity to the Law through thy steadfastness unto glory; and having spoken in honour of holiness thou didst not belie thy speech, and didst confirm they words of divine philosophy by thy deeds, O aged man that wast more forceful than the tortures.

O reverand elder that wast tenser-strung than the flame, thou great king over the passions, Eleazar.

For as our father Aaron, armed with the censer, ran through the massed congregaton against the fiery angel and overcame him, so the son of Aaron, Eleazar, being consumed by the melting heat of the fire, remained unshaken in his Reason.

And yet most wonderful of all,he, being an old man, with the sinews of his body unstrung and his muscles relaxed and his nerves weakened, grew a young man again in the spirit of his Reason and with Isaac-like Reason turned the hydra-headed torture to impotence.

O blessed age, O reverand grey head, O life faithful to the Law and perfected by the seal of death!

Assuredly, then, if an old man despised the torments unto death for righteousness' sake it must be admitted that the Inspired Reason is able to guide the passions.

But some perhaps may answer that not all men are masters of the passions because not all men have their Reason enlightened.

But as many as with their whole hearts make righteousness their first thought, these alone are able to master the weakness of the flesh, believing that unto God they die not, as our patriarchs, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, died not, but that they live unto God.

sent the email.

Have an appt. but hope to be on tonight to read some more!!! (if you post that is) heheheheh

Perhaps the words will resonate deeper now...