9. 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. O aged man of more power than tortures, elder more vigorous than fire, greatest king over the passions, Eleazar!
11. For as father Aaron, armed with a censer, hastening through the consuming fire, vanquished the flame-bearing angel,
12. so, Eleazar, the descendant of Aaron, wasted away by the fire, did not give up his reasoning.
13. And, what is most wonderful, though an old man, though the labors of his body were now spent, and his fibres were relaxed, and his sinews worn out, he recovered youth.
14. By the spirit of reasoning, and the reasoning of Isaac, he rendered powerless the many-headed instrument.
15. O blessed old age, and reverend hoar head, and life obedient to the law, which the faithful seal of death perfected.
16. If, then, an old man, through religion, despised tortures even to death, confessedly religious reasoning is ruler of the passions.
17. But perhaps some might say, It is not all who conquer passions, as all do not possess wise reasoning.
18. But they who have meditated upon religion with their whole heart, these alone can master the passions of the flesh;
19. they who believe that to God they die not; for, as our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, they live to God.
20. This circumstance, then, is by no means an objection, that some who have weak reasoning, are governed by their passions:
21. since what person, walking religiously by the whole rule of philosophy, and believing in God,
22. 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. For the wise and brave man only is lord over his passions.
24. Whence it is, that even boys, imbued with the philosophy of religious reasoning, have conquered still more bitter tortures: