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He established life, He granted also some comfort. From this comes for us the kindling of love which holds all things together. For God was zealous and took pains, so that the bond of marriage might remain unbreakable. And yet this, he says, became a stumbling block in the beginning. For when the sons of God saw the daughters of the Hebrews [l. of men], that they were beautiful, they took them for themselves. This did not become a stumbling block, but their lack of self-control. He made them beautiful, not so that the daughters might become shameless, but so that each man might love his own. And understanding, he says, in all wisdom; that is, zealous, receptive to all wisdom; to teach them the letters and tongue of the Chaldeans. Moses, therefore, being a commoner, was raised as a king; but these, being of royal lineage, were raised in the rank of the master's slaves. It is well arranged beforehand for them to learn the letters and tongue of the Chaldeans, so that when Daniel is about to converse with the king about those great matters, no one intervening might corrupt anything of what is said. And for what reason does this happen? So that you may learn his philosophy, and see right from the beginning how he is superior to the belly. And yet another might have said, I am a captive, from nowhere do I have the necessary food, God will surely forgive. But not so this one; for he served God not only for some reward and with fear, but also with love, enjoying much care, and the time was not short. For three years they practiced philosophy, for three years they fasted. Do you see the understanding? Where it was necessary to be on guard, he was very exact, and provident, and not simply casting himself forth, but beseeching and praying; but where it did no harm, he did not refuse to learn a barbarian tongue and such wisdom. For indeed the learning was not the crime, but the using. Thus he would best have learned the wisdom that was among his own people; by comparison, again, so that he might learn that there is no other wisdom like that of the Hebrews, so that he might be stronger. 56.196 And yet if it had been unlawful, here too he would have stood and contended. Do you see that from this are his virtues, whence the gluttons, whence those who prefer garlic to manna? From this Daniel, being a philosopher, was revealed. And there were among them of the sons of Judah, Daniel, and Hananiah, and Azariah, and Mishael. And the chief eunuch gave them names: to Daniel, Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, Shadrach; and to Azariah, Abednego [Syr. Abednago]; and to Mishael, Meshach. To Daniel, he says, he gave the name Belteshazzar. And their god was so called, or rather the son of the king was so called. Did he then dare to call the captive so? He certainly would have dared; however it is not the same name, but there is a great difference, just as in the case of Joseph, his father bowed down to him. And what great thing is it for him to be called by this name? Do we not see even now many commoners called by the names of kings? But not in the royal palaces, he says. And for what reason does the change of names take place? See how all things are arranged from every side. He does not see the dream first, until the three years were fulfilled. Do you see that God is arranging things? For what reason, then? So that he might enjoy greater boldness. And yet he would have been more clearly admired, and would have appeared, one might say, if he had seen the dream before the three years. But the decree would not have come against them also, and otherwise Daniel would not have been believed. For this reason, in the small and lesser things the eunuch gets proof of God's favor toward them, so that when they might ask him about greater things, he would not disbelieve and reject it, and so that they might learn to converse well, so that they might enjoy greater boldness. Do you not see this happening with David? how the king disbelieved him when he promised to take on the foreigner, judging matters from his age? See, then, this one learning the reason for the way. Moses and Daniel learned accurately of the barbarians. For lest they seem out of ignorance to prefer their own things to foreign things, for this reason He allows them to partake of those also, so that when you see, or rather hear Moses saying, that there is no wisdom

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κατεσκεύασε τὸν βίον, ἐχαρίσατό τινα καὶ παραμυθίαν. Ἐντεῦθεν ἡμῖν ἀγάπης ἐστὶν ὑπέκκαυμα τῆς τὰ πάντα συνεχούσης. Πολλὰ γὰρ ἐσπούδασεν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἐπρα γματεύσατο, ὥστε τὸν τοῦ γάμου σύνδεσμον ἀῤῥαγῆ μένειν. Καὶ μὴν τοῦτο, φησὶ, γέγονε πρόσκομμα παρὰ τὴν ἀρχήν. Ἰδόντες γὰρ οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν Ἑβραίων [l. ἀνθρώπων], ὅτι καλαί εἰσιν, ἔλαβον ἑαυτοῖς. Οὐχὶ τοῦτο γέγονε πρόσκομμα, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀκρασία ἐκείνων. Καλὰς αὐτὰς ἐποίησεν, οὐχ ἵνα ἀναιδεῖς αἱ θυγατέρες γένωνται, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἕκαστος στέργῃ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ. Καὶ συνιέντας, φησὶν, ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ· τουτέστι, σπουδαίους, δεκτι κοὺς πρὸς πᾶσαν σοφίαν· τοῦ διδάξαι αὐτοὺς γράμ ματα καὶ γλῶσσαν Χαλδαίων. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Μωϋσῆς ἰδιώτης ὢν, ὡς βασιλεὺς ἐτράφη· οὗτοι δὲ ἐκ γένους ὄντες βασιλικοῦ, ἐν τάξει δούλων δεσποτικῶν ἀνετρέ φοντο. Καλῶς προοικονομεῖται αὐτοὺς μαθεῖν γράμ ματα καὶ γλῶσσαν Χαλδαίων, ἵν' ὅταν μέλλῃ τῷ βα σιλεῖ διαλέγεσθαι ∆ανιὴλ περὶ τῶν μεγάλων ἐκείνων, μηδεὶς μεταξὺ παρεμπεσὼν κακουργῇ τι τῶν λεγομέ νων. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν καὶ τοῦτο γίνεται; Ἵνα μάθῃς αὐτοῦ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ ἴδῃς εὐθέως ἐξ ἀρχῆς πῶς κρείττων ἐστὶ γαστρός. Καὶ μὴν ἕτερος εἶπεν ἂν, Αἰχμάλωτός εἰμι, οὐδαμόθεν ἔχω τὴν ἀναγκαίαν τρο φὴν, συγγνώσεται πάντως ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως οὗτος· οὐ γὰρ μισθῷ τινι καὶ φόβῳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγάπῃ ἐδούλευε τῷ Θεῷ, πολλῆς ἀπολαύων ἐπιμε λείας, καὶ ὁ χρόνος οὐ βραχύς. Ἔτη τρία ἐφιλοσό φουν, τὰ τρία ἔτη ἐνήστευον. Ὁρᾷς σύνεσιν; Ἔνθα μὲν ἐχρῆν φυλάξασθαι, σφόδρα ἀκριβὴς, καὶ προνοη τικὸς, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐπιῤῥίπτων ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλ' ἱκε τεύων καὶ δεόμενος· ἔνθα δὲ οὐδὲν ἔβλαπτεν, οὐ παρῃτήσατο μαθεῖν γλῶτταν βαρβαρικὴν καὶ σοφίαν τοιαύτην. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὸ μαθεῖν ἔγκλημα ἦν, ἀλλὰ τὸ χρήσασθαι. Οὕτω μάλιστα ἔμαθεν ἂν τὴν σοφίαν τὴν παρ' ἑαυτῷ· ἀπὸ συγκρίσεως πάλιν, ἵνα μάθῃ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι σοφία ἑτέρα οἵα ἡ Ἑβραίων, ἵνα ἰσχυρό 56.196 τερος εἴη. Καὶ μὴν εἰ καὶ παράνομον ἦν, καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἔστη ἂν καὶ ἠγωνίσατο. Εἶδες ὅτι τούτου αἱ ἀρεταὶ, ὅθεν οἱ γαστρίμαργοι, ὅθεν οἱ σκόρδα προτιμῶντες τοῦ μάννα; Ἐντεῦθεν ὁ ∆ανιὴλ ὢν φιλόσοφος ἐφάνη. Καὶ ἐγένοντο ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰούδα, ∆α νιὴλ, καὶ Ἀνανίας, καὶ Ἀζαρίας, καὶ Μισαήl. Καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτοῖς ὁ ἀρχιευνοῦχος ὀνόματα, τῷ μὲν ∆ανιὴλ Βαλτάσαρ, καὶ τῷ Ἀνανίᾳ Σεδρὰχ, καὶ τῷ Ἀζαρίᾳ Ἀβδεναγὼν [σξρ. Ἀβδεναγὼ], καὶτῷ Μισαὴλ Μισάχ. Τῷ ∆ανιὴλ, φησὶ, Βαλτάσαρ ἐπέθηκεν ὄνομα. Καὶ ὁ θεὸς αὐτῶν οὕτως ἐλέγετο, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ βασιλέως οὕτως ἐλέγετο. Ἐτόλ μησε κἂν οὖν τὸν αἰχμάλωτον οὕτω καλέσαι; Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν ἐτόλμησεν ἄν· πλὴν οὐκ ἔστι τὸ αὐτὸ ὄνομα, ἀλλὰ πολλὴ ἡ διαφορὰ, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ, προσεκύνησεν αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τί μέγα τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο κληθῆναι αὐτόν; οὐχ ὁρῶμεν καὶ νῦν τοῖς τῶν βασιλέων ὀνόμασιν ἰδιώτας καλουμένους πολλούς; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις, φησί. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ἡ τῶν ὀνομάτων μεταβολὴ γίνεται; Ὅρα πάντοθεν οἰκονομούμενα τὰ πράγματα. Οὐ πρῶτον ὁρᾷ τὸ ἐνύπνιον, ἕως τοῦ πληρωθῆναι τὰ τρία ἔτη. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι Θεὸς οἰκονομεῖ; Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν; Ἵνα πλείονος παῤῥησίας ἀπολαύσῃ. Καὶ μὴν σαφέστερον ἐθαυμάσθη ἂν, καὶ ἐφάνη, εἴποι τις ἂν, εἰ πρὸ τῶν τριῶν ἐτῶν εἶδε τὸ ἐνύπνιον. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἦλθε καὶ κατ' αὐτῶν τὸ δόγμα, ἄλλως δὲ οὐδ' ἐπιστεύθη ὁ ∆ανιήl. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐν τοῖς μικροῖς καὶ ἐλάττοσι λαμ βάνει πεῖραν τῆς εὐνοίας τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς περὶ αὐτοὺς ὁ εὐνοῦχος, ἵν' ὅταν ὑπὲρ τῶν μειζόνων ἀξιῶσιν αὐ τὸν, μὴ διαπιστήσας διαπτύῃ, καὶ ἵνα μάθωσι καλῶς διαλέγεσθαι, ἵνα πλείονες παῤῥησίας ἀπολαύσωσιν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ τοῦτο γενόμενον; πῶς διηπίστησεν αὐτῷ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπαγγελλομένῳ ἀλλό φυλον αἱρήσειν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἡλικίας κρίνων τὰ πρά γματα; Ὅρα λοιπὸν τῆς ὁδοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦτον μα θόντα. Τῶν βαρβάρων ἔμαθον ἀκριβῶς Μωϋσῆς καὶ ∆ανιήl. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ ἀγνοίᾳ δοκῶσι προτιμᾷν τὰ οἰκεῖα τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, τούτου χάριν ἀφίησιν αὐτοὺς μετέχειν κἀκείνων, ἵν' ὅταν ἴδῃς, μᾶλλον δ' ἀκούσῃς Μωϋσέως λέγοντος, ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστι σοφία