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Nothing is stronger than faith in God, and this indeed can be learned from many other sources, and not least from the words of the divine Daniel. For to believe and be confident that he would enjoy divine favor, and that, though not eating with those who ate and lived luxuriously and enjoyed royal splendor, he would appear more comely and more beautiful and greater—what excess of piety does this leave behind? And he mixed his supplication well with persuasion: "For test," he says, "your servants for ten days, 81.1280 and let them give us seeds, and we shall eat, and we shall drink water;" and you be the judge of our faces; and if you should find any harm done to our bodies from such food, you will command what seems good to you, and we will not object. This divine man had such care for the divine laws from childhood, and such faith in the lawgiver; and while he said these things, the other received his supplication. ιδʹ, ιεʹ. "For he hearkened to them," it says, "in this matter, and tested them for ten days. And after the end of the ten days their countenances were seen to be good, and they themselves were stronger in their flesh than the youths who ate from the king's table." For this divine prophet obtained what he wished, and he showed his promises to be true to the one entrusted with their care; for having enjoyed divine grace, they appeared much better than those enjoying the royal table. ι ϛʹ. "And it came to pass that Melzar took away their food, and the wine of their drink, and gave them seeds." And he reaped a double gain; for first, he learned that it is possible for one who fasts to acquire bodily strength and comeliness; then, by taking for himself the food supplied to them, he more eagerly supplied them with the seeds they desired; then, since he had narrated about himself alone, he necessarily also calls his companions in piety into the midst, and says: ιζʹ. "And to these four youths God gave them understanding and prudence in all grammatical wisdom." For it was not, he says, the Chaldeans' education that rendered them intelligent and filled them with all wisdom, but having been deemed worthy of understanding and wisdom and all knowledge from divine grace, they were shown to be better than all. "And Daniel," it says, "had understanding in every vision, and in dreams." For from childhood he saw divine revelations, not only in dream, but also while awake; and he was able to interpret the things revealed to others; for the word 'understood' signifies this. And from this we are taught that the God of all knows no distinction of age, but seeks only piety and the love of God; and if he finds this in a youth, he prefers him to many elders. And one can find him having done the same thing in the case of Joseph, and in the case of Samuel the prophet; for when he was a very young child, He both appeared to him and commanded him to foretell the punishments against the elder, for the accusation of the old man, and as proof of the grace flourishing in the boy. 81.1281 ιηʹ-κʹ. "And after the end of the days, which the king had appointed for bringing them in, the chief eunuch brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among them all none were found like Daniel, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael; and they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and knowledge, about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the enchanters and magicians who were in his kingdom." But Melzar knew the difference in their food, and certainly learned the power of divine grace; but the king perhaps knew none of these things. For how did he learn, when the food was supplied by him in the same way, but was consumed by Melzar? But nevertheless he too received no small benefit, finding them better than all those chosen from other nations, in beauty and size of body, in wisdom and understanding of soul, in the rhythm of their words and in all logical knowledge. But he did not make the comparisons simply, but

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δὲν τῆς εἰς Θεὸν πίστεως ἰσχυρότερον, καὶ δὴ τοῦτο πολλαχόθεν καὶ ἄλλοθεν ἔστι μαθεῖν, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν τοῦ θεσπεσίου ∆ανιὴλ ῥημάτων. Τὸ γὰρ πιστεῦσαί τε καὶ θαῤῥῆσαι, ὡς τῆς θείας ῥοπῆς ἀπολαύσεται, καὶ μὴ ἐσθίων τῶν ἐσθιόντων καὶ τρυφώντων, καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἀπολαυόντων χλιδῆς, εὐπρεπέστερός τε καὶ περικαλλέστερος φανήσεται καὶ μείζων, ποίαν εὐσεβείας ὑπερβολὴν καταλείπει; Καλῶς δὲ καὶ τῷ πιθανῷ τὴν ἱκετείαν ἐκέρασε· "Πείρασον γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς παῖδάς σου ἡμέρας δέκα, 81.1280 καὶ δότωσαν ἡμῖν ἀπὸ τῶν σπερμάτων, καὶ φαγώ μεθα, καὶ ὕδωρ πιώμεθα·" καὶ γενοῦ σὺ τῶν προσ ώπων κριτής· κἂν εὕρῃς βλάβην τινὰ γινομένην τοῖς σώμασιν ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης τροφῆς, τὸ μὲν δοκοῦν σοι κελεύσεις, ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἀντιλέξομεν. Τοσαύτην εἶχε παιδόθεν ὁ θεῖος οὗτος ἀνὴρ, καὶ τῶν θείων νόμων φροντίδα, καὶ πίστιν περὶ τὸν νομοθέτην· καὶ ὁ μὲν ταῦτα ἔλεγεν, ὁ δὲ τὴν ἱκετείαν ἐδέχετο. ιδʹ, ιεʹ. "Καὶ εἰσήκουσε γὰρ αὐτῶν, φησὶν, εἰς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, καὶ ἐπείρασεν αὐτοὺς ἡμέρας δέκα. Καὶ μετὰ τὸ τέλος τῶν δέκα ἡμερῶν ἑωράθησαν αἱ ἰδέαι αὐτῶν ἀγαθαὶ, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἰσχυροὶ ταῖς σαρξὶν ὑπὲρ τὰ παιδάρια τὰ ἐσθίοντα τὴν τράπεζαν τοῦ βασιλέως." Ἔτυχε γὰρ ὧν ἠθέλησεν ὁ θεῖος οὗτος προφήτης, καὶ τὰς ὑποσχέσεις ὑπέδειξεν ἀληθεῖς τῷ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν αὐτῶν ἐγκεχειρισμένῳ· τῆς γὰρ θείας χάριτος ἀπολαύσαντες ὤφθησαν ἀμείνους πολλῷ τῶν τῆς βασιλικῆς ἀπολαυόντων τραπέ ζης. ι ϛʹ. "Καὶ ἐγένετο Ἀμελάσαρ ἀναιρούμενος τὸ δεῖπνον αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸν οἶνον τοῦ πόματος αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐδίδου αὐτοῖς σπέρματα." Καὶ διπλοῦν ἐκαρ πώσατο κέρδος· πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ μεμάθηκεν, ὡς δυνατὸν καὶ νηστείᾳ χρώμενον σωματικὴν ῥώμην καὶ εὐπρέπειαν κτήσασθαι· ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐκεί νοις χορηγουμένην αὐτὸς λαμβάνων τροφὴν, προ θυμότερον αὐτοῖς ἐχορήγει τὰ ποθούμενα σπέρματα· εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μόνου διηγήσατο, ἀναγ καίως καὶ τοὺς κοινωνοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας εἰς μέσον καλεῖ, καί φησι· ιζʹ. "Καὶ τοῖς παιδαρίοις τοῖς τέσσαρσιν ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς σύνεσιν καὶ φρόνησιν ἐν πάσῃ γραμ ματικῇ σοφίᾳ." Οὐ γὰρ ἡ Χαλδαίων, φησὶ, παι δεία συνετοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀπέφηνε, καὶ σοφίας ἁπάσης ἐνέπλησεν, ἀλλ' ἐκ θείας χάριτος καὶ συνέσεως καὶ σοφίας καὶ πάσης ἐπιστήμης ἀξιωθέντες, κρείττους ἁπάντων ἐδείχθησαν. "Καὶ ∆ανιὴλ, φησὶ, συνῆκεν ἐν πάσῃ ὁράσει, καὶ ἐνυπνίοις." Παιδόθεν γὰρ θείας ἀποκαλύψεις ἑώρα, οὐκ ὄναρ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὕπαρ· καὶ ἑρμηνεύειν δὲ ἠδύνατο τὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀποκαλυπτόμενα· τὸ γὰρ συνῆκε τοῦτο παραδηλοῖ. ∆ιδασκόμεθα δὲ κἀντεῦθεν, ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν ἡλικίας διαφορὰν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, ἀλλ' εὐσέβειαν μόνον καὶ φιλοθεΐαν ζητεῖ· κἂν εὕρῃ ταύτην ἐν νέῳ, πολ λῶν τοῦτον προτίθησι πρεσβυτέρων. Τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἔστιν αὐτὸν εὑρεῖν πεποιηκότα, καὶ ἐπὶ Σαμουὴλ τοῦ προφήτου· παιδίῳ γὰρ ὄντι κομιδῇ νέῳ, καὶ ἐπεφάνη, καὶ τὰς κατὰ τοῦ πρε σβύτου τιμωρίας προαγορεύειν ἐκέλευσεν, εἰς κατ ηγορίαν μὲν τοῦ γεγηρακότος, ἀπόδειξιν δὲ τῆς ἐπ ανθούσης τῷ μειρακίῳ χάριτος. 81.1281 ιηʹ-κʹ. "Καὶ μετὰ τὸ τέλος τῶν ἡμερῶν, ὧν εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰσαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς, εἰσήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ὁ ἀρχιευνοῦχος ἐνώπιον Ναβουχοδονόσορ. Καὶ ἐλάλησε μετ' αὐτῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ οὐχ ηὑρέθησαν ἐκ πάντων αὐτῶν ὅμοιοι ∆ανιὴλ, Ἀνανίᾳ, Ἀζαρίᾳ καὶ Μισαήλ· καὶ ἔστησαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως. Καὶ ἐν παντὶ ῥήματι σοφίας καὶ ἐπιστήμης, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐζήτησε παρ' αὐτῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς, ηὗρεν αὐ τοὺς δεκαπλασίονας ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς ἐπαοιδοὺς καὶ μάγους, τοὺς ὄντας ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ." Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Ἀμελάσαρ ᾔδει τὴν τῶν ἐδεσμάτων διαφορὰν, καὶ ἔμαθε πάντως τῆς θείας χάριτος τὴν ἰσχύν· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἴσως ἐγνώκει τούτων οὐδέν. Πῶς γὰρ ἔμαθε, τῆς μὲν τροφῆς ὁμοίως παρ' αὐ τοῦ χορηγουμένης, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ Ἀμελάσαρ ἀναλισκο μένης; Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐ σμικρὰν καὶ οὗτος ὠφέλειαν ἐδέξατο, πάντων αὐτοὺς τῶν ἐξ ἑτέρων ἐθνῶν ἐκλε γέντων ἀμείνους εὑρὼν, κάλλει τε καὶ μεγέθει σώματος, σοφίᾳ τε καὶ συνέσει ψυχῆς, ῥυθμῷ τε λόγων καὶ πάσῃ λογικῇ ἐπιστήμῃ. Τὰς δὲ συγκρίσεις οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐποιήσατο, ἀλλ'