blunted the heat of the fire, and cut off its burning power, that hymn being proved true by the miracle: The voice of the Lord dividing the flame of fire. The fire inside was lulled to a quiet sleep, while the holy children danced, as if enjoying that promise, which God through the prophet Isaiah promises to every soul full of piety and faith, that, "Though you walk," He says, "through fire, I am with you, and the flame shall not burn you." And one could see the promise proceeding through deeds. For the fire did not touch the limbs of the saints; it did not burn the eyes, which looked rightly toward piety, and through the good order of things seen recognized the world-maker; it did not harm the ears that were filled with the divine law; it did not approach the mouth, nor did it touch the lips, being put to shame by their hymn-singing and hymn-writing tongues. Each of the saints' limbs had its own protection; the hands, the ecstasy of prayers, and the sharing of alms; the chests, the power of piety dwelling in them; the belly and the parts below the belly, the practice of chastity; the feet, the course of virtue. And why must one spend time speaking of each detail? For the fire did not even dare to touch the hairs, because their turbans were covered more with piety; and it spared even their clothing for the sake of the saints' modesty. What then? For these reasons God orders the fire to take hold of the Chaldeans, and so that they, thinking it magic that the fire's power was obscured, might not dim the glory of the martyrs and slander the miracle of the truth, for this reason those inside remained quiet, but the fire outside consumed the Chaldeans, so that it might surely persuade those watching that in the case of the saints it did not ignore its own nature, but honored piety; just as the lions in the den did with Daniel. Thus from there they truly formed an angelic choir, and the thrice-blessed children hymned God, and gathered all creation, both the super-cosmic, 56.598 and that seen by the eyes, into one choir of praise. 3. But it is necessary not to leave that unexamined either, for what reason they did not declare all creation alike, but set forth the work of creation part by part. It would have been sufficient, at least for the truth, to say: Bless God, all you works of the Lord; but since this great theater of piety was being assembled in the land of the impious, the Babylonians had to be taught what are the things made, and who is the maker of all things. And they begin from angels, and end with men. Angels were considered gods; and among the Greeks it is fabled that, "These whom we worship as gods," it says, "are angels of the great God." For so that the foolish might be taught that angels are not of those who are worshipped, but of those who worship, for this reason they cry out: Bless the Lord, you angels of the Lord. The sun and moon and all the choir of the stars were worshipped. For this reason they include these as well in the worship of hymns. "Bless," it says, "sun, and moon; bless, stars of heaven, the Lord." Then after these, "Every rain and dew, the Lord." What then does, "Every rain and dew, and all spirits," mean? It would be good to consider. Often droughts and unseasonable violences of winds occur; and the inventors of falsehood, always delighting in vanity, are accustomed to ascribe all disorder to some matter and evil, not knowing that nothing is without a master, nor has come into being in vain, but that God directs all these things, both for the instruction of men and for the avoidance of impiety. For the good order of the things made is accustomed to proclaim the Creator, but disorder demands the worship of creatures. For if rain or winds were something divine and venerable, they would not be disordered; for the divine does not admit of disorder. For this reason they say: "Every rain, and dew, and all spirits, the Lord." Rains and winds were also worshipped, the one as nurturers, the others as cultivators of the earth's fruits; and the was worshipped

ἤμβλυνε τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν θερμότητα, καὶ τὴν καυστικὴν αὐτοῦ ἐνέργειαν περιέκοψεν, ἐπαληθευούσης τῷ θαύματι τῆς ὑμνῳδίας ἐκείνης· Φωνὴ Κυρίου διακόπτοντος φλόγα πυρός. Κεκοίμιστο μὲν τὸ πῦρ ἔνδον ἠρεμοῦν, οἱ δὲ ἅγιοι παῖδες ἐχόρευον, μονονουχὶ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐκείνης ἀπολαύοντες, ἣν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου ὁ Θεὸς Ἡσαΐου ἐπαγγέλλεται πάσῃ ψυχῇ εὐσεβείας γεμούσῃ καὶ πίστεως, ὅτι Κἂν διαβαίνῃς, φησὶ, διὰ πυρὸς, μετὰ σοῦ εἰμι, καὶ φλὸξ οὐ κατακαύσει σε. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν δι' ἔργων προχωροῦσαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἥψατο τῶν μελῶν τῶν ἁγίων τὸ πῦρ· οὐκ ἔφλεξεν ὀφθαλμοὺς, τοὺς ὀρθῶς βλέποντας πρὸς εὐσέβειαν, καὶ διὰ τῆς εὐκοσμίας τῶν ὁρωμένων τὸν κοσμοποιὸν ἐπιγνόντας· οὐκ ἠδίκησεν ἀκοὰς τὰς θείου νόμου πεπληρωμένας· οὐ προσῆλθε τῷ στόματι, οὐδὲ τῶν χειλέων ἥψατο, τὰς ὑμνῳδοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ ὑμνογράφους γλώσσας δυσωπούμενον. Ἕκαστον τῶν ἁγίων μέλος εἶχε τὸ ἑαυτοῦ φυλακτήριον· αἱ χεῖρες τὴν τῶν εὐχῶν ἔκστασιν, καὶ τὴν τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης μετάδοσιν· τὰ στήθη τὴν ἐνοικοῦσαν αὐτοῖς δύναμιν τῆς εὐσεβείας· κοιλία καὶ τὰ ὑπογάστρια μέλη τὴν τῆς σωφροσύνης ἄσκησιν· οἱ πόδες τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς δρόμον. Καὶ τί δεῖ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον λέγοντα διατρίβειν; Οὐδὲ γὰρ τριχῶν κατετόλμησε τὸ πῦρ, διὰ τὸ μᾶλλον αὐτὰς εὐσεβείᾳ κεκαλύφθαι τιάρας· ἐφείσατο δὲ ἄρα καὶ τῆς ἐσθῆτος διὰ τὴν τῶν ἁγίων εὐσχημοσύνην. Τί οὖν; Ἐπὶ τούτοις παρακελεύεται ὁ Θεὸς τῶν Χαλδαίων ἐπιλαβέσθαι τὸ πῦρ, καὶ ἵνα μὴ μαγείαν νομίσαντες ἀμαυροῦσθαι τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν ἐνέργειαν, ἀμβλύνωσι τὴν δόξαν τῶν μαρτύρων, καὶ συκοφαντήσωσι τὸ θαῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, διὰ τοῦτο οἱ μὲν ἔνδον ἠρέμουν, τὸ δὲ πῦρ ἔξω τοὺς Χαλδαίους προσενέμετο, ἵνα ἀσφαλῶς πείσῃ τοὺς ὁρῶντας, ὅτι ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων οὐ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φύσιν ἠγνόησεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἐτίμησεν· ὥσπερ οἱ λέοντες ἐπὶ τοῦ λάκκου τὸν ∆ανιήλ. Οὕτως ἐντεῦθεν ἀγγελικὴν χορείαν ἀληθῶς συνεστήσαντο, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὕμνουν οἱ τρισμακάριοι παῖδες, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν, τήν τε ὑπερκόσμιον, 56.598 καὶ τὴν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς θεωρουμένην, εἰς ἕνα χορὸν ὑμνῳδίας συνήγαγον. γʹ. Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ μηδ' ἐκεῖνο παραλιπεῖν ἀνεξέταστον, τίνος ἕνεκεν μὴ πᾶσαν ὁμοίως ἐμήνυσαν τὴν κτίσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ μέρος ἐξέθεντο τὴν δημιουργίαν. Ἤρκει γοῦν εἰπεῖν ὅσον εἰς ἀλήθειαν· Εὐλογεῖτε, πάντα τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου, τὸν Θεόν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐν χώρᾳ τῶν ἀσεβῶν τὸ μέγα τοῦτο θέατρον τῆς εὐσεβείας συνεκροτεῖτο, ἔδει παιδευθῆναι τοὺς Βαβυλωνίους, τίνα μέν εἰσι τὰ ποιήματα, τίς δὲ ὁ ποιητὴς τῶν ἁπάντων. Καὶ ἄρχονται μὲν ἀπὸ ἀγγέλων, καταλήγουσι δὲ εἰς ἀνθρώπους. Ἐνομίσθησαν ἄγγελοι θεοί· καὶ παρ' Ἕλλησι μυθεύεται, ὅτι Τούτους, φησὶν, οὓς προσκυνοῦμεν θεοὺς, ἄγγελοί εἰσι τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ. Ἵνα γὰρ παιδευθῶσιν οἱ ἄφρονες, ὅτι οὐ τῶν προσκυνουμένων, ἀλλὰ τῶν προσκυνούντων εἰσὶν οἱ ἄγγελοι, διὰ τοῦτο βοῶσιν· Εὐλογεῖτε, ἄγγελοι Κυρίου, τὸν Κύριον. Προσεκυνήθη ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη καὶ πᾶς ὁ τῶν ἀστέρων χορός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τούτους παραλαμβάνουσιν εἰς τὴν τῶν ὕμνων προσκύνησιν. Εὐλογεῖτε, φησὶν, ἥλιος, καὶ σελήνη· εὐλογεῖτε, ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, τὸν Κύριον. Εἶτα μετὰ ταῦτα, Πᾶς ὄμβρος καὶ δρόσος τὸν Κύριον. Τί οὖν βούλεται τὸ, Πᾶς ὄμβρος καὶ δρόσος, καὶ πάντα τὰ πνεύματα, καλὸν ἂν εἴη σκοπῆσαι. Γίνονται πολλάκις ἀνομβρίαι καὶ πνευμάτων βίαι ἄκαιροι· φιλοῦσι δὲ ἀεὶ οἱ τοῦ ψεύδους εὑρέται, καὶ τῇ ματαιότητι χαίροντες, ὕλῃ τινὶ καὶ κακίᾳ ἀταξίας πάντα ἐπιγράφειν, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀδέσποτον, οὐδὲ ματαίως γεγενημένον, ἀλλ' ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα οἰκονομεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ πρὸς παιδείαν ἀνθρώπων καὶ πρὸς ἀποφυγὴν ἀσεβείας. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ εὐταξία τῶν ποιημάτων τὸν ∆ημιουργὸν εἴωθε κηρύττειν, ἡ δὲ ἀταξία τὴν προσκύνησιν τῶν κτισμάτων ἀπαιτεῖ. Εἰ γὰρ ἦν θεῖόν τι καὶ σεβάσμιον ὁ ὄμβρος, ἢ τὰ πνεύματα, οὐκ ἂν ἠτάκτουν· τὸ γὰρ θεῖον ἀταξίαν οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγουσι· Πᾶς ὄμβρος, καὶ δρόσος, καὶ πάντα τὰ πνεύματα τὸν Κύριον. Προσεκυνήθησαν καὶ ὄμβροι, καὶ ἄνεμοι, οἱ μὲν ὡς τροφεῖς, οἱ δὲ ὡς γεωργοὶ τῆς γῆς τῶν καρπῶν· προσεκυνήθη δὲ ἡ