Sermo de obitu sanctorum trium puerorum

Cyril Archbishop of Alexandria, Homily on the Death of the Holy Three Children and the All-Wise Daniel. An occasion of times has come, beloved, to bring forward the memory of good martyrs; for this memory imitates the assembly of the heavenly orders, for the intercession and salvation of our souls. Therefore, all of you who know God, today extend your ears here, that you may be deemed worthy of the prize of the martyrs now being spoken of; for it is necessary to praise and admire these men who, before ever beholding the incarnation of Christ, the death of the deathless one, and the resurrection from the dead, and before the bodily presence, became confessors and martyrs of him. Concerning these, the providence of the undefiled Trinity, through the prophecy just read, on account of the royal children of the same tribe, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael; concerning these I wish to expound the conduct, the forensic skill, the alliance, and the perfection of the Church of God, how the goodly branches, the children, performed brave deeds and were perfected, etc. This composition of the good testament I, Cyril, the least bishop of the city of Alexandria, received by the testament of Daniel; and I have written down the symbol and conduct of the holy and blameless children, and their perfection in Christ. And may it be, by the grace of Christ and the intercession of the recently mentioned victorious martyrs, that the Church of Christ flourish and advance, thriving in the fruit of righteousness.

so that fathers and mothers, producing such shoots with temperance and piety, may deem the young men and maidens worthy of such a way of life, and may increase together in such virtue. The holy children are perfected in the month of December on the 17th.