Hymns and homilies (selections)

1. I heard Death and Satan, as they disputed, which was the more powerful, among men. R., To Thee be glory, Son of the Shepherd of All, Who deliveredst His flock from the secret wolves that devoured it, the Evil One and Death!—2. Death showed his power, that he conquers all; Satan showed his guile, that he makes all to sin.—3. Death, To thee, O Evil One, none hearkens save he that wills: to me he that wills and he that wills not, even to me they come.—4. Satan, Thine, O Death, is but the force of tyranny: mine are snares and nets of subtlety.—5. D., Hear, O Evil One, that who so is subtle breaks off thy yoke: but none is there that is able to escape my yoke.—6. S., Thou, Death, on him that is sick provest thy might: but I over them that are whole, am exceeding powerful.—7. D., The Evil One prevails not over all those that revile him: but for me he that has cursed me and he that curses me, come into my hands.—8. S., Thou, Death, from God, hast gotten thy might: I alone by none am I helped, when I lead men to sin.—9. D., Thou, O Evil-One, like a weakling: while like a king I exercise my dominion.—10. S., Thou art a fool, O Death, not to know how great am I: who suffice to capture free will, the sovereign power.—11. D., Thou, O Evil One, like a thief, lo! thou goest round: I like a lion break in pieces and fear not.—12. S., To thee, O Death, none does service or worship: to me kings do service of sacrifice as to God.—13. D., On Death there are many that call, as on a kind Power: on thee, O Evil One, none has called or calls.—14. S., Markest thou not this, O Death, how many there are: who in sundry fashions call on me and make oblation?—15. D. Hated is thy name, O Satan, nor canst thou clear it: thy name every one curses, hide thy reproach.—16. S., Thine ear, O Death, has waxed dull, that thou hearest not: how against thee all men groan, conceal thyself.—17. D., My face is shown to the world, for I am guileless: not like thee who without guile canst not abide.—18. S., Thou hast not in aught surpassed me for it is true: that thou art hateful as I to the sons of men.—19. D., Of me all men are afraid as of a lord: but as for thee they hate thee as the Evil One.—20. S., For thee, O Death, they hate thy name, and also thy work: my name they hate but my delights they greatly love.—21. D., To bitterness of teeth is turned, this thy sweetness: penitence of soul cleaves ever unto thy lusts.—22. S., Sheol is hated because in her is no repentance: a pit that swallows and closes on all movements.—23. D., Sheol is a gulf wherein whoso falls shall rise again: sin is hated because it cuts off the hope of man.—24. S., Though I mislike penitents, I give place for repentance: thou cuttest off hope from the sinner who dies in his sin.—25. D., It was of thee that at first his hope was cut off: for he whom thou hast not caused to sin dies happily.—26. Blessed is He who raised against each other those cursed servants: that we might see them as they have seen us and mocked at us.—27. This that we have seen of them is a pledge, my brethren: of what we shall see of them hereafter when we rise again.

1. Come, let us hear how they contend for victory: the guilty ones who never have conquered, nor will conquer.—2. Death said unto the Evil One, In the end the victory is mine: for Death is master of the close, as a conqueror.—3. Satan, This were to be Death indeed, wert thou able: to bring to death a living man, by means of lusts.—4. D., Lo! I who behold the dead, both good and bad: the righteous who despise thee, O Evil One, me they despise not.—5. S., This dying of the body, is sleep for a time: think not, O Death, that thou art Death, who art as a shadow.—6. D., Thee, O Evil One, the just have conquered, yea will conquer: but these that have conquered thee, lo! I conquer.—7. S., Even this that thou bringest to death the just, is not of thyself: because of Adam whom I conquered, they drink this cup.—8. D., Lo! Sheol is full of the men of Sodom, and the Assyrians: and the giants who were in the flood, who is like me?—9. S., These, O Death, all of them, by me were slain: I am he that caused them to sin so that they perished.—10. D., Joseph who conquered thee I conquered, O Satan: in the chamber he conquered thee but I conquered, and cast him into the tomb.—11. S., Moses who conquered thee, O Death, by sprinkling of blood: he conquered thee in Egypt, but at the rock, who conquered him?—12. D., Elijah who feared thee not, O Satan: fled before Jezebel's face, because he feared me.—13. S., Aaron who withstood thee, O Death, with smoke of incense: to him I gave earrings of gold: and he fashioned a calf.—14. D., Thou wentest down to contend with Job, and he conquered thee and came up: but I, after he had conquered thee, then conquered him.—15. S., David who by his sackcloth stayed that pestilence: him on the house-top I conquered, who had conquered Goliath.—16. D., Jehu who destroyed the house of Baal, the temple of the Evil One: was unable to destroy Sheol, the stronghold of my realm.—17. S., Solomon who snatched from thy mouth, a child by his judgment: him in his old age I made a builder of idol-altars.—18. D., Samuel who in respect of gold scorned thee, O Satan: him I conquered, the conqueror, who conquered bribes.—19. S., Samson who in respect of the lion's whelp, scorned thee, O Death: through Delilah, frail vessel, I yoked him to the mill.—20. D., Josiah from his childhood despised thee, Evil One: but me not even in his old age, could he withstand.—21. S., Hezekiah withstood thee, Death, when he overcame the bound of life: I misled him and he neglected the miracle, and showed his treasures.—22. D., John who conquered thee, Evil One, and absolved and baptized: I extinguished that torch, which had disclosed thee.—23. S., Simon overcame thee, when he brought to life that blessed woman: in a woman he overcame thee and by a woman I overcame him and made him deny.—24. S., Apostles and prophets with one voice, curse thee, O Death: "Where is the victory of Death, and the sting of Sheol?"—25. Thy Lord in Sheol thou hast shut up, O cursed servant: God hates thee and also man, hold then thy peace.—26. S., It was the will of Him who gives life to all, that shut him in Sheol: it was thou that called Him to this, when thou madest Adam sin.—27. O comrade of Nabal who in the wilderness reproached his lord: abhorred be thy mouth which said to Him, "Fall down and worship me!"

1. Hear, O Freedom, the dispute of two servants: how they are convicted by each other, that they are powerless.—2. R., To Thee be glory by Whose humiliation Adam was exalted: and by Whose death he was raised, and regained Eden!—3. If then the Evil One overcome thee, great is the shame: Death his comrade has convicted him, as being weak.—4. And if again Death subdue thee, lo! what reproach: for the Evil One his comrade derides him, as but a shadow.—5. Their dispute is for thee a mirror, wherein thou mayest see: that they both are but as chaff, before thy breath.—6. Yea and Prophets and Apostles, in their promises: assure thee that they like flowers, shall fade at the rising.—7. S., Thou, Death, art he whom they hate, the quick and dead: for every combination thou dissolvest, and destroyest.—8. D., It is not open death that kills, O Satan: thy death which is secret kills the sons of men.—9. S., My name is not hateful as thine, for the angel: showed himself in Satan's likeness to Balaam on the way.—10. D., How fit is this thy name, O Satan: who hast erred and made unwary Adam err, from the way!—11. S., Wander not like one ignorant, and lose thy cause: dispute, O Death, if thou are competent, for replying.—12.D., I know that thou art wily, O Satan: so that thou out of sand canst twist a snare.—13. S., Thy disputing, Death, is ended: for he who is worsted: when his words fail and are ended, begins to rail.—14. D., Among all I am conqueror, and by thee am I worsted? Let Adam persuade thee whom I have overcome, O Satan!—15. S., I am he who bound Adam, and cast him before thee: the mighty man whom my wiles had bound, thou didst come and subdue.—16. D., I am he who have been crowned anew, with a diadem in the world: for Adam, chief of the mighty, I hold captive in Sheol.—17. S., I killed him by secret death, even Adam when he sinned: thou, Death, hast slain one that was dead, killed by me.—18. D., In thy desire to conquer, Evil One, thou hast made thyself hated: for thou art Death as well as Satan, and this seems a little thing to thee.—19. S., Thou hast then been silenced, Death, as a weakling: for neither in words nor in deeds, hast thou strength to stand.—20. D., It is for thy evil thou conquerest, O Evil One, if thou discernest: thy crown is wholly of shame, if thou perceivest.—21. I shall be defeated and thou shalt be cursed, O Satan: it is well for me to be ignorant, and not mischievous.—22. Blessed be the Just One who divided them, though they were quite of one mind: Blessed be the Good One who made us of one mind, when we were divided.—23. I will overcome the Evil One through Thy forgiveness, O All-Merciful: and I shall overcome death through Thy Resurrection, O All-Life-giver!

1. Lo! the Evil One reproached Death, and was in turn reproached: from each and to each and against each, were their taunts.—2. R., To Thee be glory, Son of the Lord of All, Who diedst for all: for He was raised to give life to all, in the day of His Coming!—3. S., Jonah who conquered thee, and returned back from Sheol, became my advocate in asking, why sinners were spared?—4. D., Slander not, O Evil One, the son of Amittai: he showed a face of anger, that they might praise thee more.—5. S., Quite powerless is all thy persuasion, O tyrant Death: for there pleases me nothing, of all thou hast said.—6. D., For when was the word of truth pleasing to thee? A gulf is between thee and truthfulness, O lying one.—7. I am righteous all my days, with nought to repent: I am he that rescues from thee the sons of men.—8. S., Proclaim thy repentance, Death, thou art well come: lo! Saul also among the prophets, great cause of scorn.—9. If thou, Death, be justified, then for myself: I cut not off hope, likewise, of repentance.—10. D., No idol with my Lord have I made, O hater of thy Lord! lo! thou by dead idols, slayest the living.—11. S., That thou, Death, art half of me, I know, and I half of thee: if half of me repents, it repents, but I marvel.—12. D., Thy partner am I in share, but not in sin: mine are the slain and thine the slayers, whom thou madest sin.—13. S., My craftiness weeps for itself, when I dispute with thee: my wiles mourn over me, when I meet thee.—14. D., Workers of witchcraft and soothsayers, with all their offences: the fire that thou kindledst in the world, in Sheol I have quenched.—15. S., Thou penitent who strainest out gnats, and swallowest the just: the chaste shall rend thee, who cry, from within thy belly.—16. D., It is the treasure-house where I keep all the righteous: their resurrection threatens ill to thee, who didst persecute them.—17. S., The greedy one who carries all creatures, in his bowels: lo! he casts up to me that I am robbed, of my possessions.—18. D., Before the stroke lament not, for it has not yet reached thee: the day will come when thou shalt cry out, and I shall hear and rejoice.—19. The fire will come that shall strip off thee thy very skin: as by the potsherd thou didst strip the skin of Job.—20. D., The savour of sloth begins, as if to hover on me; it is then a dream that I ceased, for a short space.—21. It was not that words failed me, and therefore I was silent: it is for the time I grieve, that has passed idly.—22. The hurt done by thy speech is very great: would I had not heard it! For my whole mind is intent upon my work.—23. This humankind that is lost, was undone by wandering thought: slothfulness, with negligence, brought it under yoke.—24. The madness of desire bid for wealth, and bought it: contention with boastfulness, were the sureties.—25. With persistence for strength, I wage my war: and if I neglect but a little, my sway is naught.—26. By continual dropping, I clean the rocks: for continual dropping can dissolve even a mountain.—27. Habit even over nature, becomes master: it trains and leads even lions, as beasts of burden.—28. Habit, repose, and increase, with persistence; by these is freedom conquered, though stubborn above all.—29. If its will be firmly set, it breaks the fetters; but if lax, a fragile net, can capture it.—30. If so be that Freedom shouts, we are scattered: but if she be silent we gather together, to mock at her.—31. Let us cease from much speaking, lest it lead to much sloth: with one mind let us assail the wall, and lo! it is broken down.—32. S., Go thou and see to diseases, and I to snares: for to me sins and to thee pestilences, are great solace.—33. And even though I have paused, I have not paused from my cares: for my will at no time rests, but is ready.