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having proposed some questions, he took experience as a teacher of the truth, and found them not simply superior, but existing as ten times better; and for a time he learned that the Jews were wiser than all other nations. Having said these things, he added 21. "And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king." He did not add this simply, but because he wished to make clear the time of the whole prophecy. For this reason he both taught us the beginning of the prophecy, and added the end, so that by counting the years of the kings in between, we might learn the entire time of the prophecy. In addition to these things, he teaches us that he also saw Cyrus, who granted release from the captivity, and enjoyed consolation in the present life, seeing the freedom of his kinsmen; for in the first year of his reign Cyrus commanded those Jews who wished to return to Judea, and he raised up the divine temple, having been taught the prophecy of Isaiah the prophet by the blessed Daniel himself; for he cried out explicitly: "Saying to Jerusalem, You shall be built; and to the cities of Judah, You shall be inhabited; who says to Cyrus to be prudent, and to do all my will." -"Thus says the Lord to my anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him, and cities shall not be shut; for I will go before your face, and I will level mountains; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and I will shatter 81.1284 the bars of iron, I will open to you dark, hidden, unseen treasures." Having learned these things, Cyrus granted to those of the Jews who wished it, the return to their native land; and the book of Chronicles teaches us the time. "For in the first year," it says, "of Cyrus, the king of the Persians, after the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah was fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, the king of the Persians, and Cyrus made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom in words of writing, saying: Thus says Cyrus the king of the Persians: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea; whoever is among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up." For this reason, the blessed Daniel, teaching the time of the prophecy, placed in the writings of the Jews this: "Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king." And we, having given the hearer rest here, let us praise the good Master, who smites and heals, scourges and cures, using both punishment and philanthropy; to him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

VOLUME 2. CHAPTER 2. 1. "In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar

he dreamed a dream, and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him." From this we learn that immediately and at once upon beginning his reign he marched against Judea in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, and commanded him to pay tribute, and taking captives he led them away to the land of the Assyrians. Jeremiah the prophet also testifies to the times, saying thus: "The word that came to Jeremiah the prophet, concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon." We find then 81.1285 here that, when the third year of his reign was being fulfilled for Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar, having become king, undertook the campaign against the Jews; and at the beginning of the fourth year, the prophet Jeremiah, offering exhortation to the people, said that this was the first year for king Nebuchadnezzar. And the blessed Daniel

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ἐρωτήσεις τινὰς προσ αγαγὼν, τὴν πεῖραν ἔλαβε τῆς ἀληθείας διδάσκα λον, καὶ ηὗρεν αὐτοὺς οὐχ ἁπλῶς ὑπερκειμένους, ἀλλὰ δέκα μοίραις ἀμείνους ὑπάρχοντας· καὶ τέως μεμάθηκεν, ὅτι τῶν ἄλλων πάντων ἐθνῶν Ἰουδαῖοι σοφώτεροι. Ταῦτα εἰρηκὼς ἐπήγαγε καʹ. "Καὶ ἐγένετο ∆ανιὴλ ἕως ἔτους ἑνὸς Κύρου τοῦ βασιλέως." Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ τοῦτο προστέθεικεν, ἀλλὰ τῆς προφητείας ἁπάσης τὸν χρόνον δῆλον ποιῆ σαι θελήσας. Τούτου χάριν καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἡμᾶς τῆς προφητείας ἐδίδαξε, καὶ τὸ τέλος προστέθεικεν, ἵνα τῶν μεταξὺ βασιλέων ἀριθμοῦντες τὰ ἔτη, μάθω μεν ἅπαντα τῆς προφητείας τὸν χρόνον. Πρὸς δὲ τού τοις ἡμᾶς διδάσκει, ὅτι καὶ τὸν ποιησάμενον τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τὴν ἄφεσιν ἐθεάσατο Κῦρον, καὶ τῷ παρόντι βίῳ παραψυχῆς ἀπήλαυσε τὴν τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἐλευθερίαν ἰδών· ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ τῷ πρώτῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας ἐπανελθεῖν ὁ Κῦρος εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν τοὺς βουλομένους Ἰουδαίους προσέταξε, καὶ τὸν θεῖον ἀνήγειρε νεὼν, παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ μακαρίου ∆ανιὴλ τὴν Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου πρόῤῥησιν διδαχθείς· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ διαῤῥήδην ἐβόα· "Λέγων Ἱερου σαλὴμ, Οἰκοδομηθήσῃ· καὶ ταῖς πόλεσι τῆς Ἰου δαίας, Κατοικισθήσεσθε· ὁ λέγων Κύρῳ φρονεῖν, καὶ πάντα τὰ θελήματά μου ποιήσειν." -"Τάδε λέγει Κύριος τῷ χριστῷ μου Κύρῳ, οὗ ἐκράτησα τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ, ὑπακοῦσαι ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ἔθνη, καὶ πόλεις οὐ συγκλεισθήσονται· ἐγὼ γὰρ προ πορεύσομαι πρὸ προσώπου σου, καὶ ὄρη ὁμαλιῶ· πύλας χαλκᾶς συντρίψω, καὶ μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συν 81.1284 θλάσω, θησαυροὺς σκοτεινοὺς ἀποκρύφους ἀορά τους ἀνοίξω σοι." Ταῦτα μαθὼν ὁ Κῦρος τοῖς βου λομένοις τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴν εἰς τὴν ἐνεγκοῦσαν ἐπ άνοδον ἐχαρίσατο· καὶ ἡ βίβλος δὲ τῶν Παραλειπο μένων τὸν χρόνον ἡμᾶς διδάσκει. "Ἔτους γὰρ, φησὶ, πρώτου Κύρου, τοῦ βασιλέως Περσῶν, μετὰ τὸ πλη ρωθῆναι ῥῆμα Κυρίου διὰ στόματος Ἱερεμίου, ἐξήγειρε Κύριος τὸ πνεῦμα Κύρου, τοῦ βασιλέως Περσῶν, καὶ παρήγγειλε Κῦρος κηρύξαι ἐν πάσῃ τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὑτοῦ ἐν λόγοις Γραφῆς, λέγων· Τάδε λέγει Κῦρος ὁ βασιλεὺς Περσῶν· Πάσας τὰς βασι λείας τῆς γῆς ἔδωκέ μοι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ οὐρα νοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατό μοι οἰκοδομῆσαι αὐτῷ οἶκον ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τῇ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ· τίς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐκ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ; Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἔσται μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀναβήτω." Τούτου χάριν καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆ανιὴλ τὸν τῆς προφητείας διδάσκων χρόνον, ἐν τέθεικε τοῖς Ἰουδαίων συγγράμμασι τό· "Ἐγένετο ∆ανιὴλ ἕως ἔτους ἑνὸς Κύρου τοῦ βασιλέως." Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἀκροατὴν διαναπαύσαντες, τὸν ἀγαθὸν ∆εσπότην ὑμνήσωμεν, τὸν πατάσσοντα καὶ ἰώμενον, μαστιγοῦντα καὶ ἰατρεύοντα, τιμωρίᾳ καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ χρώμενον· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΤΟΜΟΣ Βʹ. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Βʹ. αʹ. "Ἐν τῷ ἔτει τῷ δευτέρῳ τῆς βασιλείας Να βουχοδονόσορ

ἐνυπνιάσθη ἐνύπνιον, καὶ ἐξέστη τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ ὕπνος αὐτοῦ ἀπεγένετο ἀπ' αὐτοῦ." Ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὡς εὐθὺς καὶ παρα χρῆμα τῆς βασιλείας ἀρξάμενος ἐπεστράτευσε τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας Ἰωακεὶμ, καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐκέλευσε φέρειν δασμὸν, τοὺς δὲ λαβὼν αἰχμαλώτους εἰς τὴν τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἀπήγαγε χώραν. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ Ἱερεμίας ὁ προφήτης τοῖς χρόνοις, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· "Ὁ λόγος ὁ γενόμενος ἐπὶ Ἱερεμίαν τὸν προφήτην, ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν λαὸν Ἰούδα, ἐν τῷ ἔτει τῷ τετάρτῳ Ἰωακεὶμ υἱοῦ Ἰωσίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα, οὗτος ἐνιαυτὸς πρῶτος τῷ Ναβου χοδονόσορ, βασιλεῖ Βαβυλῶνος." Εὑρίσκομεν τοίνυν 81.1285 ἐνταῦθα, ὡς τοῦ τρίτου ἔτους τῆς βασιλείας πληρου μένου τῷ Ἰωακεὶμ βασιλεύσας ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ τὴν κατὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων στρατείαν ἐποιήσατο· ἐν ἀρχῇ δὲ τοῦ τετάρτου ἔτους ὁ προφήτης Ἱερεμίας παραίνεσιν τῷ λαῷ προσφέρων, ἔφη πρῶτον εἶναι τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν τῷ βασιλεῖ Ναβουχοδονόσορ. Καὶ ὁ μακάριος δὲ ∆ανιὴλ