Commentary on Daniel
Pseudo-Ephrem
Christ has given to the martyred saints the power to defeat the inhuman plans of the tyrants. He has given to his soldiers all the necessary armor for this war, surrounding them from every side with "the shield of faith," with the armor of love2 and a strong mind. He has provided their ramparts with "the sword of the Spirit," with which they cut off the head of the adversary. He has devastated the foundations of the temples of the idols, crushing the carved images as if they were light powder. He overturns the temples and the altars of the impure sacrifices and the illicit libation offerings, condemning to the fire the hideous dress of their caretakers and driving away the demons of the effigy who have been deceiving them and leading them to Gehenna. Seeing these things, the glorious martyrs, energized from the power of Christ, have conceived a desire more burning than to suffer for the power of his name. With their own hands they have overturned the images, casting down to earth all these monstrosities. And anywhere they found an effigy, they shattered it, throwing it down into the mud for the ultimate shame and derision of those who venerated and adored it. And they said to the…
See also
Enable JavaScript to read the full text and search the library.