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having permitted the Jews their great lawlessness, neither punishing them completely did he strip them of his own care; but to those in Judea he had given as it were certain tutors, both Uriah the son of Shemaiah, and Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, a man shining in priesthood and prophecy; and to those taken captive by the spear in the first captivity and led away to Babylon, he sent along with them the blessed Daniel and his companions, Ezekiel, and Hananiah, and Azariah, and Mishael; so that, having precise teachers of the lawful way of life, they might not receive great harm from mixing with the barbarians, but might have archetypes reminding them of their ancestral virtue and philosophy. The God of all makes such provision for sinners, that for the benefit of those others he permitted those who served him benevolently, and were eager to worship him always, to be led away captive, and to endure harsh slavery, and to fall into many dangers, and to journey through life amidst waves and surging seas. For thus also through Hosea the prophet he says, that "I have slain the prophets for your sake by the word of my mouth." Thus, working out the salvation of the world, he permitted the holy apostles to suffer those indescribable passions. Making this provision for the Jews, he also arranged for the blessed Daniel and his companions to arrive in Babylon with them, who, being young 81.1268 and shining in his prime, brought up in the royal court with those God-loving youths, and having from childhood the divine grace flourishing upon him, having become full of all kinds of wisdom and understanding, he both acquired great boldness with the ruler, and having proclaimed the word of piety, he became a source of benefit to him as well; and not to him alone, but also to all his subjects; for what that one learned through his teaching, he passed on to his subjects, having set a law that expressly commanded all his subjects to worship the God proclaimed by him. Therefore, when this divine prophet was led away to Babylon, and for what reason, and of how many good things he became a source, not only to his own people, but also to the Barbarians, we have briefly said; but we shall set forth the power of the prophecy more accurately from the interpretation part by part. Therefore, having called upon the divine grace as a co-worker, let us begin the clarification.

BOOK I. CHAPTER I. 1. "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem, and besieged it." Necessarily, before all other things, he both mentioned the king of that time, and taught us the time, so that we might know clearly the occasion of the first captivity. For in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, also called Eliakim, who reigned after Jehoahaz, and was the father of Jehoahaz, who was also named Jehoiachin and Jeconiah, the first capture of Jerusalem took place. And this very thing, to remember the kings of that time, and the times, shows the prophetic character. For thus it is possible to find the other prophets doing. "For the vision," it says, "which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw in the days of Uzziah, and Jotham, and Ahaz, and Hezekiah, who reigned over Judea." And: "The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign." And Eze 81.1269 kiel, and each of the other prophets, for the most part used this introduction to the prophecy. Therefore this is also sufficient to convict the lawlessness of the Jews, and to teach that the prophet is truly a prophet. 2. "And the Lord gave into his hand Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and

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Ἰουδαίους διὰ τὴν πολλὴν αὐτῶν συγχωρήσας παρανομίαν, οὔτε κολάζων παντελῶς αὐτοὺς τῆς οἰκείας κηδεμονίας ἐγύμνωσεν· ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ οἷόν τινας παιδονόμους ἐδεδώκει, τόν τε Οὐρίαν τὸν Σαμαίου, καὶ Ἱερεμίαν τὸν τοῦ Χελκίου, ἄνδρα ἱερωσύνῃ καὶ προφητείᾳ λάμποντα· τοῖς δὲ κατὰ τὴν πρώτην αἰχμαλωσίαν δορυαλώτοις ἀπαχθεῖσιν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα, τοὺς περὶ τὸν μακάριον ∆ανιὴλ συναπέστειλεν, Ἐζεκιὴλ, καὶ Ἀνανίαν,καὶ Ἀζαρίαν, καὶ Μισαήλ· ἵν' ἔχοντες τῆς νομικῆς πολιτείας ἀκριβεῖς διδασκάλους, μὴ πολλὴν ἐκ τῆς τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπιμιξίας δέξωνται λώβην, ἀλλ' ἔχω σιν ἀρχέτυπα τῆς προγονικῆς αὐτοὺς ἀρετῆς καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἀναμιμνήσκοντα. Τοσαύτην ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ποιεῖται προμήθειαν, ὅτι τοὺς εὐνοϊκῶς αὐτῷ δουλεύοντας, καὶ θεραπεύειν αὐτὸν διαπαντὸς προθυμουμένους, τῆς ἐκείνων ἕνεκεν ὠφε λείας αἰχμαλώτους συνεχώρησεν ἀπαχθῆναι, καὶ δουλείαν χαλεπὴν ὑπομεῖναι, καὶ πολλοῖς κινδύνοις περιπεσεῖν, καὶ διὰ κυμάτων καὶ κλύδωνος ὁδεῦσαι τὸν βίον. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ διὰ Ὠσηὲ τοῦ προφήτου φησὶν, ὅτι "Ἀπέκτεινα δι' ὑμᾶς τοὺς προφήτας ἐν ῥήματι στόματός μου." Οὕτω τὴν τῆς οἰκουμέ νης πραγματευόμενος σωτηρίαν, τοὺς ἁγίους συν εχώρησεν ἀποστόλους ἐκεῖνα παθεῖν τὰ ἀνάγραπτα πάθη. Ταύτην τῶν Ἰουδαίων ποιούμενος πρόνοιαν, καὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸν μακάριον ∆ανιὴλ ᾠκονόμησε σὺν αὐτοῖς τὴν Βαβυλῶνα καταλαβεῖν, ὃς ὡς νέος ὢν 81.1268 καὶ τῇ ὥρᾳ λάμπων, σὺν τοῖς φιλοθέοις ἐκείνοις μειρακίοις ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἀνατραφεὶς, καὶ παιδό θεν τὴν θείαν χάριν ἐσχηκὼς ἐπανθοῦσαν, σοφίας παντοδαπῆς καὶ συνέσεως ἔμπλεως γεγονὼς, πολ λὴν μὲν ἐκτήσατο παρὰ τῷ κρατοῦντι τὴν παῤῥη σίαν, τὸν δὲ τῆς εὐσεβείας κηρύξας λόγον, ὠφελείας κἀκείνῳ γεγένηται πρόξενος· οὐκ ἐκείνῳ δὲ μόνῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπηκόοις· ἃ γὰρ ἔμαθεν ἐκεῖνος διὰ τῆς τούτου διδασκαλίας, εἰς τοὺς ὑπ ηκόους παρέπεμψε, νόμον τεθεικὼς τὸν διαῤῥήδην παρεγγυῶντα ἅπαντας τοὺς ἀρχομένους τὸν ὑπὸ τούτου πρεσβευόμενον προσκυνεῖν Θεόν. Ὅτε μὲν οὖν εἰς τὴν Βαβυλῶνα ὁ θεσπέσιος οὗτος ἀπήχθη προφήτης, καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν, καὶ ὅσων ἀγαθῶν γεγένηται πρόξενος, οὐ τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς Βαρβάροις, συντόμως εἰρήκαμεν· τῆς δὲ προφητείας τὴν δύναμιν ἐκ τῆς κατὰ μέρος ἑρμηνείας ἀκριβέστερον θησόμεθα. Τὴν θείαν τοίνυν χάριν καλέσαντες συνεργὸν σαφηνείας ἀρξώμεθα.

ΤΟΜΟΣ Αʹ. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Αʹ. αʹ. "Ἐν ἔτει τρίτῳ τῆς βασιλείας Ἰωακεὶμ, βασιλέως Ἰούδα,

ἦλθε Ναβουχοδονόσορ, βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος, εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἐπολιόρκει αὐτήν." Ἀναγκαίως πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, καὶ τοῦ τηνι κάδε βασιλέως ἐμνημόνευσε, καὶ τὸν χρόνον ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξεν, ἵνα ἔχωμεν εἰδέναι σαφῶς τὸν τῆς πρώτης αἰχμαλωσίας καιρόν. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ τρίτῳ ἔτει τῆς βα σιλείας Ἰωακεὶμ, τοῦ καὶ Ἐλιακεὶμ, ὃς ἐβασίλευσε μετὰ τὸν Ἰωάχαζ, πατὴρ δὲ ἐγένετο τοῦ Ἰωάχαζ, ὃς καὶ Ἰωακεὶμ καὶ Ἰεχονίας ὠνομάζετο, ἡ πρώτη ἅλωσις τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ἐγένετο. Καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦ το, τῶν τότε βασιλέων μεμνῆσθαι, καὶ τῶν χρόνων, τὸν προφητικὸν ὑποδείκνυσι χαρακτῆρα. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους προφήτας ἔστι ποιοῦντας εὑρεῖν. "Ὅρασις γὰρ, φησὶν, ἣν εἶδεν Ἡσαΐας, υἱὸς Ἀμὼς,ἐν ἡμέραις Ὠζίου, καὶ Ἰωάθαμ, καὶ Ἄχαζ, καὶἘζεκίου, οἳ ἐβασίλευσαν τῆς Ἰουδαίας." Καί· "Ἐγενήθη λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς Ἱερεμίαν ἐν ἡμέραις Ἰωσίου, υἱοῦ Ἀμὼς, βασιλέως Ἰούδα, ἔτουςτρισκαιδεκάτου ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ." Καὶ Ἐζε 81.1269 κιὴλ δὲ, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων προφητῶν ἕκαστος, ὡς τὰ πολλὰ τούτῳ τῷ προοιμίῳ τῆς προφητείας κέχρηται. Ἀπόχρη τοιγαροῦν καὶ τοῦτο τὴν Ἰουδαίων ἐλέγξαι παρανομίαν, καὶ διδάξαι προφήτην τὸν τῷ ὄντι προφήτην. βʹ. "Καὶ ἔδωκε Κύριος ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἰωα κεὶμ, βασιλέα Ἰούδα, καὶ