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He did not provide servile food, but commanded them to enjoy the royal table. And after a short while he teaches their own self-control and philosophy, not acting out of ambition, but having set forth a teaching of benefit for those choosing to be benefited. And it is possible to see the modesty of his mind; for having said above that the king commanded young men to be chosen from the royal seed, shining in beauty and excelling in stature, and having placed here the names of the persons, he simply mentioned the tribe of Judah, and hid the kinship with royalty. 7. "And the chief eunuch gave them names: to Daniel, Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, Shadrach; and to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego." And this too has been considered by some a right of mastery; for when buying slaves they change their names, so that also by the change of name they might recognize their servitude. And this is what the chief eunuch also did here, and taking away the Hebrew names, he imposed Chaldean ones, since the king had also commanded the young men to learn the language of the Chaldeans. 8. "And Daniel resolved in his heart that he would not be defiled at the king's table, and with the wine of his drinking, and he asked the chief eunuch that he might not be defiled." For those who love God do not seek the God over all in a place, but wherever they may arrive they offer the same worship to him, and being in misfortunes they likewise worship their own Creator. But here it is possible to find a great excess of wonder; for children raised among the Jews, and having learned the local worship of God, then inhabiting a foreign land, and forced to be slaves, being very young in age, being compelled to live under other laws, they are zealous to keep the piety of their fathers; and since they saw the Babylonians polluting the foods with the invocations of idols, and defiling the house with libations, having despised their visible safety, and having trodden upon the pleasure of the royal banquet, they beseech the chief eunuch to grant this to them, who were refusing to partake of the royal foods. 81.1277 9. "And God gave Daniel favor and compassion before the chief eunuch." For divine providence follows their resolves, and as soon as they chose the things of God, they enjoyed divine assistance. It is possible to find this having happened also in the case of Joseph; "For," it says, "the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man, and He poured out mercy and favor upon him before the keeper of the prison." We are taught therefore from this, that God has never left neglected any of those who have believed in him. Wherefore another prophet also cries out: "Ask the generations that were before you, who trusted in the Lord, and was put to shame?" 10. "And the chief eunuch said to Daniel: I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink, lest he see your faces downcast compared to the youths of your own age, and you endanger my head to the king." The fear of the chief eunuch was not unreasonable; for he was a man who had not tasted spiritual grace, and considering human things in a human way, and believing that bodies could be nourished and flourish only from the richness of the foods, he feared that, with some being richly fed and these living ascetically, some difference might appear in their faces, and that he might suffer the ultimate punishment from the king who had commanded the opposite. But when the blessed Daniel saw him being afraid, he transfers the request to Amelasar, whom the chief eunuch had appointed as steward over him and Hananiah, and Azariah, and Mishael, and says: 12, 13. "Test now your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables, and let us eat, and let us drink water. And let our appearances be seen before you, and the appearances of the youths who eat at the king's table; and as you shall see, deal with your servants." Not

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δουλοπρεπῆ παρεῖχε τροφὴν, ἀλλὰ τῆς βασιλικῆς αὐτοὺς τραπέζης ἀπολαύειν ἐκέλευσε. Μετὰ βραχέα δὲ τὴν σφῶν αὐτῶν ἐγκράτειαν καὶ φιλοσοφίαν διδάσκει, οὐ φιλο τιμίᾳ χρώμενος, ἀλλ' ὠφελείας διδασκαλίαν τοῖς ὠφελεῖσθαι προαιρουμένοις προτεθεικώς. Ἔστι δὲ αὐτοῦ ἰδεῖν καὶ τὸ μέτριον τοῦ φρονήματος· εἰρηκὼς γὰρ ἄνω, ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ τῆς βασιλείας σπέρματος προσέταξεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκλεγῆναι νεανίας, κάλλει λάμποντας, καὶ μεγέθει διαπρέποντας, καὶ τεθεικὼς ἐνταῦθα τὰ τῶν προσώπων ὀνόματα, τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς ἁπλῶς ἐμνημόνευσε, καὶ τὴν τῆς βασιλείας συγ γένειαν ἔκρυψε. ζʹ. "Καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτοῖς ὁ ἀρχιευνοῦχος ὀνόματα· τῷ ∆ανιὴλ Βαλτάσαρ, καὶ τῷ Ἀνανίᾳ Σιδρὰχ, καὶ τῷ Μισαὴλ Μισὰχ, καὶ τῷ Ἀζαρίᾳ Ἀβδεναγώ." Καὶτοῦτο δὲ παρά τισι δεσποτείας νενόμισται δίκαιον· ὠνούμενοι γὰρ οἰκέτας τὰς προσηγορίας ἀμείβουσιν, ἵνα καὶ τῇ τῆς προσηγορίας ἐναλλαγῇ τὴν δουλείαν γνωρίζωσι. Καὶ τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ ἀρχιευνοῦχος ἐποίησε, καὶ τὰς Ἑβραϊκὰς ἀφελὼν προσηγορίας, Χαλδαϊκὰς ἐπιτέθεικεν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὴν Χαλδαίων γλῶσσαν μαθεῖν τοὺς νεανίας ὁ βασιλεὺς παρενηγ γύησε. ηʹ. "Καὶ ἔθετο ∆ανιὴλ ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὑτοῦ, τοῦ μὴ ἀλισγηθῆναι ἐν τῇ τραπέζῃ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἐν τῷ οἴνῳ τοῦ πότου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἠξίωσε τὸν ἀρχιευνοῦχον, ὅπως μὴ ἀλισγηθῇ." Οἱ γὰρ φιλό θεοι οὐκ ἐν τόπῳ ζητοῦσι τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸν, ἀλλ' ἔνθα ἂν ἀφίκωνται τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτῷ θεραπείαν προσ φέρουσι, καὶ ἐν κακοπραγίαις ὄντες ὡσαύτως τὸν οἰκεῖον προσκυνοῦσι ∆ημιουργόν. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ πολ λὴν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν θαύματος ὑπερβολήν· παῖδες γὰρ παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις τεθραμμένοι, καὶ τὴν τοπικὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρείαν μεμαθηκότες, εἶτα τὴν ξένην οἰκοῦν τες, καὶ δουλεύειν ἠναγκασμένοι νέαν ἄγοντες κομιδῇ τὴν ἡλικίαν, ὑπὸ νόμοις ἑτέροις ἀναγκαζόμενοι ζῇν, τὴν πατρῴαν εὐσέβειαν φυλάττειν σπουδάζουσι· καὶ ἐπειδὴ τοὺς Βαβυλωνίους ἑώρων ταῖς μὲν τῶν εἰδώ λων ἐπικλήσεσι τὰ ὄψα μολύναντας, σπονδαῖς δὲ τὸν οἶκον μιαίνοντας, τῆς ὁρωμένης καταφρονήσαντες σωτηρίας, καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς πανδαισίας τὴν ἡδονὴν πατήσαντες, τὸν ἀρχιευνοῦχον ἱκετεύουσι παραχω ρῆσαι σφίσιν αὐτοῖς τῶν βασιλικῶν σιτίων παραι τουμένοις μεταλαβεῖν. 81.1277 θʹ. "Καὶ ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ∆ανιὴλ εἰς ἔλεον καὶ οἰκτιρμὸν ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρχιευνούχου." Ἀκολου θεῖ γὰρ ταῖς γνώμαις ἡ θεία κηδεμονία, καὶ ἅμα τὰ θεῖα προείλοντο, καὶ τῆς θείας ἐπικουρίας ἀπήλαυ σαν. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ γεγενημένον ἔστιν εὑρεῖν· "Ἦν γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος μετὰ Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ ἦν ἀνὴρ ἐπιτυγχάνων, καὶ κατέχεεν αὐτῷ ἔλεον, καὶ χάριν ἐναντίον τοῦ δεσμοφύλακος." ∆ιδασκόμεθα τοίνυν κἀντεῦθεν, ὡς οὐδένα τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πεπι στευκότων ἀτημέλητόν πώς ποτε καταλέλοιπεν ὁ Θεός. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἕτερος προφήτης βοᾷ· "Ἐρωτήσατε γενεὰς τὰς γενομένας προτέρας ὑμῶν, τίς ἐνεπίστευσε Κυρίῳ, καὶ κατῃσχύνθη;" ιʹ. "Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἀρχιευνοῦχος τῷ ∆ανιήλ· Φοβοῦ μαι ἐγὼ τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν βασιλέα, τὸν ἐκτάξαν τα τὴν βρῶσιν καὶ τὴν πόσιν ὑμῶν, μή ποτε ἴδῃ τὰ πρόσωπα ὑμῶν σκυθρωπὰ παρὰ τὰ παιδά ρια τὰ συνήλικα ὑμῶν, καὶ καταδικάσητε τὴν κεφαλήν μου τῷ βασιλεῖ." Οὐκ ἄλογον τοῦ ἀρχι ευνούχου τὸ δέος· ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ἦν πνευματικῆς χάριτος οὐ γεγευμένος, ἀνθρωπίνως δὲ σκοπῶν τὰ ἀνθρώπεια, καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ μόνης δύνασθαι τῆς τῶν ἐδεσμάτων πολυτελείας τρέφεσθαί τε καὶ ἀνθεῖν τὰ σώματα, δέδοικε μὴ τῶν μὲν πολυτελῶς τρεφομένων, τούτων δὲ ἀσκητικῶς βιοτευόντων, δια φορά τις ἐν τοῖς προσώποις φανῇ, καὶ τιμωρίαν ἐσχάτην ὑπομείνῃ παρὰ τοῦ τἀναντία προστεταχό τος βασιλέως. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτον εἶδε δειμαίνοντα ὁ μακάριος ∆ανιὴλ, μεταφέρει πρὸς τὸν Ἀμελάσαρ τὴν παράκλησιν, ὃν κατέστησεν ὁ ἀρχιευνοῦχος κη δεμόνα αὐτοῦ τε καὶ Ἀνανία, καὶ Ἀζαρία, καὶ Μισαὴλ, καί φησι· ιβʹ, ιγʹ. "Πείρασον δὴ τοὺς παῖδάς σου ἡμέρας δέκα, καὶ δότωσαν ἡμῖν ἀπὸ τῶν σπερμάτων, καὶ φαγώμεθα, καὶ ὕδωρ πιώμεθα. Καὶ ὀφθήτωσαν ἐν ώπιόν σου αἱ ἰδέαι ἡμῶν, καὶ αἱ ἰδέαι τῶν παιδαρίων τῶν ἐσθιόντων τὴν τράπεζαν τοῦ βασιλέως· καὶ καθὼς ἐὰν ἴδῃς, ποίησον μετὰ τῶν παίδων σου." Οὐ