15.
But if anyone, harshly emulating greater gifts and blessing rich witnesses and father-witnesses who shall beget hundredfold children and receive hundredfold fields and houses, asks whether those, beyond the poor witnesses in life, shall have their intelligible possession multiplied — say to him that, as those who endured tortures and pains showed their virtue in witness brighter than the unexamined in these, so those who, besides loving body and loving life, cut and rent asunder so many worldly bonds — using great love toward God, truly taking up the living Word of God, operative, 'sharper than every two-edged sword' — could, cutting so many bonds and furnishing themselves wings as an eagle, return 'unto the house of their ruler.' Worthy, then — as to the unexamined in tortures and pains first place is yielded to those who in joint-wrenching racks and varied torments and fire displayed endurance — so the word suggests we poor, though we bear witness, yield first place to you, who through love in Christ toward God trample deceptive glory, hunted by many, and so great possession, and affection for children.
Greek (GCS)
XV. Ἐὰν δὲ τις ἀσπερεὶ ζηλῶν χαρίσματα τὰ μείζονα καὶ μα- καρίζων πλουσίους μάρτυρας καὶ πατέρας μάρτυρας ἕκατονταπλασίονα" γεννήσοντας τέχνα καὶ ἑκατονταπλασίονας ἀγροὶς καὶ οἰκίας ληψφο- μένους ζητῇ, εἰ εὐλόγως ἐχεῖνοι παρὰ | τοὺς ἐν βίῳ πένητας μάρτυ- gas πολυπλασιαζομένην ἕξουσι τὴν ἐν νοητοῖς κτῆσιν, λεκτέον πρὸς αὐτὸν ὅτι, ὥσπερ οἱ βασάνους καὶ πόνους ὑπομείν αντες τῶν μὴ ἐν τούτοις ἐξητασμένων λαμπροτέραν ἐπεδείξαντο τὴν ἐν τῷ μαρτυρίῳ ἀρετὴν, οὕτως οἱ πρὸς τῷ φιλοσωματεῖν καὶ φιλοζωεῖν καὶ τοὺς τοσούτους χοσμικοὺς δεσμοὺς διακόψαντες καὶ διαῤῥήξαντες μεγάλῃ) τῇ πρὸς τὸν ϑεὸν ἀγάπῃ χρησάμενοι καὶ ἀληϑῶς ἀνειληφότες τὸν ζῶντα τοῦ ϑεοῦ λόγο» καὶ ἐνεργῆ καὶ τομώτερον «ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαι- ραν δίστομον" δεδύνηνται τοὺς τοσούτους διακόψαντες δεσμοὺς καὶ κατασχευάσαντες ἑαυτοῖς πτέρυγας ὥσπερ ἀετὸς ἐπιστρέψαι »εἰς τὸν οἶχον τοῦ προεστηκότος". ἑαυτῶν. ἄξιον οὖν ὥσπερ τοῖς μὴ ἐξετασϑεῖσιν ἐν βασάτοις καὶ πόνοις παραχωρεῖν πρωτείων πρὸς τοὺς ἐν ἀρϑρεμβό- λοις καὶ ποιχίλοις στρεβλωτηρίοις καὶ πιρὶ ἐνεπιδειξαμένους τὴν ὑπομονὴν, οὕτως καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς πένησι, κἂν μαρτυρήσωμεν, ὁ λόγος ὑποβάλλει ἐξίστασϑαι πρωτείων ὑμῖν τοῖς διὰ τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ πρὸς ϑεὸν ἀγάπην πατοῦσι τὴν ἀπατηλὴν δόξαν καὶ τῶν πολλῶν καϑικχ- νουμένην καὶ τὴν τοσαύτην κτῆσιν καὶ τὴν πρὸς τέχνα φιλοστοργίαν». ΧΥ͂Ι. Ἅμα ὁὲ καὶ τήρει τὸ σεμνὸν τῆς γραφῆς πολυπλασιασμὸν καὶ ἑχατονταπλασιασμὸν ὑπισχνουμένης ἀδελφῶν καὶ τέκνων καὶ γονέων καὶ ἀγρῶν καὶ οἰκιῶν" οὐ συγκατηρίϑμηται δὲ τούτοις γυνή. οὐ γὰρ εἴρηται. πᾶς ὅστις ἀφῆκεν ἀδελφοὺς ἢ ἀδελφὰς ἢ γονεῖς ἢ τέχνα ἢ ἀγροὺς ἢ οἰκίας ἢ γυναῖχα ἕνεχεν τοῦ ὀνόματός μου, πολλα- πλασίονα λήψεται" „ev γὰρ τῇ ἀναστάσει τῶν νεχρῶν οὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε γαμίσχονται, ἀλλ᾽ εἰσὶν αἷς οἱ ἄγγελοι οἱ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς."