earth, and its fruits were assigned to various demons; calling the vine the gift of Dionysus, and the olive that of Athena; and other fruits to others. And this same word of truth, making it secure, says, "Bless the Lord, all that grows on the earth." For He is the Creator and Master of all things that have grown and are growing. Then after this, mountains and hills. Are then the mountains and the hills outside? By no means; but because on the hills the abominations of demons were constructed, and there the idols were worshiped, for this reason it says: "Bless the Lord, mountains and hills." But yet, having mentioned the hills, it also mentions the springs and rivers and sea; for these too were deified; and they called the springs Nymphs, the sea Poseidon, and certain Sirens and Nereids; and that rivers too were worshiped, the things in Egypt bear witness even to this day; they used to sacrifice at the rising of the Nile, not marveling at God for its nature, but serving the water itself as a god. For this reason they call also rivers and springs and sea to the hymnody. Then the birds of the air and the cattle; for neither were these outside of deification; for both the eagle was worshiped, and the hawk; and the wild beasts and the cattle the Egyptians have honored with the name of gods; and the error prevailed to such an extent that they even named cities after the animals they worshiped; and there are mentioned among them cities of Dogs, and of Sheep, and of Wolves, and of Lions. But after all these things, the human race is finally brought forward. "Bless the Lord," it says, "sons of men." The human race is placed last, not according to its worth, but according to its creation. "Bless the Lord, Israel." That which was the chosen race of the men upon the earth, this it then brings forward, and at that time it sets forth many distinctions in the nation, and it brings forward the priests of the Lord as a refutation of the priests of the falsely-named gods. Then it says: "Servants 56.599 of the Lord." Then, lest those who have gone before should seem to be strangers to this chorus, they number them with the living in the presence of God, saying: "Bless the Lord, spirits and souls of the just;" then, "Holy and humble of heart, [bless] the Lord." Why does it mention the holy and humble? To show that "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble," He burned up the arrogant outside the furnace, but preserved the holy and humble in the midst of the fire. Therefore the fire also danced with the saints; for along with all things it too was commanded to hymn the Creator: "Bless the Lord, fire and heat;" so that the Babylonian magi, among whom fire is honored, might be taught that this is not one of the things to be worshiped, but one of the worshipers. But nevertheless, having come to the last point, let us end the discourse. "Bless," it says, "Ananias, Azarias, Misael, the Lord." What was the need, after so many ranks had been enumerated, for them to be added at the end by name? For were they not among the sons of Israel who blessed? Were they not numbered with the servants of the Lord, when they said, "Bless the Lord, servants of the Lord"? Or when [they said], "Holy and humble of heart," were they not numbered among the holy? What then is the meaning of the addition, 56.600 "Bless, Ananias, Azarias, Misael, the Lord"? But because the wonder was supernatural, because it was beyond human nature (for having entered the furnace in the body, they trod it underfoot), lest any of the deluded, on account of the strangeness of the wonder, should dare to call them gods, and to worship thus more rightly, than the fire, those who had overcome the fire, lest those who saw should suffer any such thing, for this reason they declare their own servitude, and confess their worship, saying, "Bless, Ananias, Azarias, Misael, the Lord." And it is said that God for this reason did not permit Daniel to be taken for this testimony. For since he interpreted the king's dream, and was worshiped as a god by the king himself, and was called Baltasar by the name of the god among the Persians, lest it be thought on account of the name given to him of the

γῆ, καὶ οἱ ταύτης καρποὶ διαφόροις δαίμοσι προσεκληρώθησαν· τὴν μὲν ἄμπελον εἰπόντες δῶρον ∆ιονύσου, τὴν δὲ ἐλαίαν τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς· καὶ ἄλλῳ ἄλλοι καρποί. Καὶ τοῦτο ὁ αὐτὸς λόγος τῆς ἀληθείας ἀσφαλιζόμενός φησιν, Εὐλογεῖτε, πάντα τὰ φυόμενα ἐν τῇ γῇ, τὸν Κύριον. Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι πάντων τῶν φυέντων καὶ τῶν φυομένων ∆ημιουργὸς καὶ ∆εσπότης. Εἶτα μετὰ τοῦτο, ὄρη καὶ βουνοί. Ἆρ' οὖν ἐκτός εἰσι τὰ ὄρη καὶ οἱ βουνοί; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐν τοῖς βουνοῖς τὰ τῶν δαιμόνων μιαρὰ κατεσκεύαστο, κἀκεῖ τὰ ἀγάλματα προσεκυνεῖτο, διὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Εὐλογεῖτε, ὄρη καὶ βουνοὶ, τὸν Κύριον. Ἀλλ' ὅμως μνημονεύσας τῶν βουνῶν, μέμνηται καὶ τῶν πηγῶν καὶ ποταμῶν καὶ θαλάσσης· καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐταὶ ἐθεοποιήθησαν· καὶ Νύμφας ἐκάλεσαν τὰς πηγὰς, Ποσειδῶνα τὴν θάλασσαν, Σειρῆνάς τινας καὶ Νηρηΐδας· ὅτι δὲ καὶ ποταμοὶ προσεκυνήθησαν, μαρτυρεῖ τὰ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ μέχρι τῆς δεῦρο· ἔθυον τῇ ἀναβάσει τοῦ Νείλου, οὐ Θεὸν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῇ φύσει θαυμάζοντες, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ ὕδωρ ὡς θεὸν θεραπεύοντες. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ποταμοὺς καὶ πηγὰς καὶ θάλασσαν εἰς τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν καλοῦσιν. Εἶτα τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τὰ κτήνη· οὐδὲ γὰρ ταῦτα θεοποιίας ἐκτός· καὶ γὰρ ἀετὸς προσεκυνεῖτο, καὶ ἱέραξ· καὶ τὰ θηρία καὶ τὰ κτήνη καὶ τῇ τῶν θεῶν προσηγορίᾳ τετιμήκασιν Αἰγύπτιοι· καὶ τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσεν ἡ πλάνη, ὅτι καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν προσκυνουμένων ζώων καὶ τὰς πόλεις ὠνόμασαν· καὶ λέγεται παρ' αὐτοῖς Κυνῶν καὶ Προβάτων καὶ Λύκων καὶ Λεόντων. Ἀλλὰ μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα παράγεται λοιπὸν τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος. Εὐλογεῖτε, φησὶν, υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τὸν Κύριον. Τελευταῖον τάσσεται τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος, οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν δημιουργίαν. Εὐλογεῖτε, Ἰσραὴλ, τὸν Κύριον. Ὅπερ ἦν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀνθρώπων ἐξαίρετον γένος, τοῦτο τοίνυν παράγει, καὶ τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἐν τῷ ἔθνει πολλὰς ἐκτίθεται διαφορὰς, καὶ παράγει τοὺς ἱερέας τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς ἔλεγχον τῶν ἱερέων τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν. Εἶτά φησι· ∆οῦ56.599 λοι Κυρίου. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ δόξωσιν οἱ προελθόντες ταύτης τῆς χορείας ἀλλότριοι εἶναι, μετὰ τῶν ζώντων αὐτοὺς ἀριθμοῦσι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, λέγοντες· Εὐλογεῖτε, πνεύματα καὶ ψυχαὶ τῶν δικαίων, τὸν Κύριον· εἶτα, Ὅσιοι καὶ ταπεινοὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, τὸν Κύριον. ∆ιὰ τί ὁσίων καὶ ταπεινῶν μέμνηται; Ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι Ὁ Θεὸς ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάττεται, τοῖς δὲ ταπεινοῖς χάριν δίδωσι, τοὺς ἀλαζόνας ἔξω τῆς καμίνου κατέφλεγε, τοὺς ὁσίους καὶ ταπεινοὺς ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ πυρὸς διεφύλαξεν. ∆ιὸ καὶ συνεχόρευσε τοῖς ἁγίοις τὸ πῦρ· μετὰ γὰρ πάντων καὶ αὐτὸ ὑμνεῖν προσετάχθη τὸν ∆ημιουργόν· Εὐλογεῖτε, πῦρ καὶ καῦμα, τὸν Κύριον· ἵνα παιδεύωνται οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι μάγοι, παρ' οἷς τιμᾶται τὸ πῦρ, ὅτι τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστι τῶν προσκυνουμένων, ἀλλὰ τῶν προσκυνούντων. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπὶ τὸ τελευταῖον ἐλθόντες καταπαύσωμεν τὸν λόγον. Εὐλογεῖτε, φησὶν, Ἀνανία, Ἀζαρία, Μισαὴλ, τὸν Κύριον. Τίς ἦν χρεία τοσούτων ταγμάτων ἠριθμημένων τῷ τελευταίῳ αὐτοὺς ὀνόματι προστεθῆναι; αὐτοὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἦσαν ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ εὐλογήσαντες; αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἦσαν τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ Κυρίου συνηριθμημένοι, ὅτε ἔλεγον, Εὐλογεῖτε, δοῦλοι Κυρίου, τὸν Κύριον; ἢ ὅτε, Ὅσιοι καὶ ταπεινοὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, οὐ ἐν τοῖς ὁσίοις ἠριθμημένοι; τί οὖν βούλεται τὸ ἐκ προσ56.600 θήκης, Εὐλογεῖτε, Ἀνανία, Ἀζαρία, Μισαὴλ, τὸν Κύριον; Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ὑπερφυὲς ἦν θαῦμα, ἐπειδὴ παρὰ φύσιν ἀνθρωπίνην (ἐν σώματι γὰρ τὴν κάμινον εἰσελθόντες κατεπάτησαν), ἵνα μή τις τῶν πεπλανημένων διὰ τὸ ξένον τοῦ θαύματος θεοὺς αὐτοὺς προσειπεῖν τολμήσειε, καὶ προσκυνεῖν οὕτω μᾶλλον δικαίως, ἢ τὸ πῦρ, τοὺς τοῦ πυρὸς περιγεγονότας, ἵνα μηδὲν τοιοῦτο πάθωσιν οἱ βλέποντες, διὰ τοῦτο μηνύουσι τὴν ἑαυτῶν δουλείαν, καὶ ὁμολογοῦσι τὴν προσκύνησιν, λέγοντες, Εὐλογεῖτε, Ἀνανία, Ἀζαρία, Μισαὴλ, τὸν Κύριον. Λέγεται δὲ, ὅτι τὸν ∆ανιὴλ ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦτο οὐ συνεχώρησεν εἰς τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦτο παραληφθῆναι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ ὄναρ τοῦ βασιλέως ἡρμήνευσε, καὶ ὡς θεὸς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως προσεκυνήθη, καὶ ἐκλήθη Βαλτασὰρ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ παρὰ Πέρσαις, ἵνα μὴ νομισθῇ διὰ τὸ ἐνεγκάμενον αὐτῷ ὄνομα τοῦ