A Martyress On Equality

Ὡς δὲ πολλάκις ἐρωτωμένη, πολλάκις τὴν αὐτὴν ἠφίει φωνὴν, δούλην ἑαυτὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγουσα, καὶ κατηρᾶτο τοῖς πρὸς τὴν ἄρνησιν προκαλουμένοις· τότε δὴ ὁ κριτὴς τῆς ἀδικίας οὐ μόνον τὰ κτήματα, ὦν ἀδίκως καὶ παρὰ τοὺς νόμους ἀφῄρητο, ἀπεστέρησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ζωὴν αὐτὴν προσεζημίωσεν ὡς ἐνόμιζε, πυρὶ παραδοὺς αὐτήν. Ἡ δὲ πρὸς οὐδὲν οὕτω τὼν κατὰ τὸν βίον τερπνῶν ἠπειγμένως ἔδραμεν, ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν φλὸγα ἦλθεν ἐκείνην, προσώπῳ καὶ σχὴματι, καὶ οἰς ἐφθεγγετο, καὶ τῇ ἐπανθούσῃ φαιδρότητι, τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ περιχαρὲς ἐμφαίνουσα· παρακαλοῦσα τὰς παρεστηκυίας τῶν γυναικῶν, μὴ καταμαλακίζεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας πόνους, μηδὲ τὴν τῆς φύσεως ἀσθένειαν προφασίζεσθαι. Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φυράματος, λέγουσα, τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐσμὲν. Κατ’ εἰκόνα Θεοῦ γεγόναμεν, ὡς καὶ οὖτοι. Ἀρετῆς δεκτικὸν τὸ θῆλυ ὁμοτίμως τῷ ἄῥῥενι παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος γέγονε. Καὶ τί γὰρ ἤ συγγενεῖς τοῖς ἀνδράσι διά πάντων ἐσμέν; Οὐ γὰρ σὰρξ μόνον ἐλήφθη πρὸς γυναικὸς κατασκευὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὀστοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων. Ὥστε τὸ στεῥῥὸν, καὶ εὔτονον, καὶ ὑπομονητικὸν, ἐξ ἴσου τοῖς ἀνδράσι καὶ παρ’ ἡμῶν ὀφείλεται τῷ Δεσπότῃ. Ταῦτα εἰποῦσα, πρὸς τὴν πυρὰν ἢλατο· ἡ δὲ περισχοῦσα τῆς ἀγίας τὸ σῶμα, ὥσπερ τις θάλαμος φωτεινὸς, τὴν μὲν ψυχὴν ἐπὶ τὴν οὐρνιον χώραν   Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Εἰς Την Μαρτῦρα Ἰουλίτταν

And as often as she was asked, so she replied with the same answer, 'I am a handmaid of Christ,' and she cursed those who offered a denial; then the unrighteous judge not only stripped of her substantial property, which was in contravention of the law, but besides that he thought to punish her by giving her life to the flames. But she who did not delight in the things of life made haste to come to the flames, and with face and garments and words blooming in the firelight and her soul shining with joy, she addressed the women standing nearby, saying, 'Do not let your piety be softened by suffering, nor seek excuses in a weak nature. We are fashioned from the same thing as men are. We, as they are, are made in the image of God. The female, being made from the same material, is as capable of virtue.  For are we not of the same kind in everything as man? Not from flesh alone was woman formed, but bone from bone. Thus from us, as from the male, constancy, strength and endurance is required by the Lord.' Having said these things, she leaped onto the pyre and with the flames surrounding the body of the blessed one, like a bright chamber, her soul passed to the heavenly realm. Saint Basil of Caesarea, from A Homily on the Martyr Julitta