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Therefore. For just as in the time of Noah, when wickedness had intensified, the flood came; so also now. And just as a sick body, when it turns to luxury, then it perishes; so also the world. For if when there are five righteous men in a city, he spares the city, much more so in the case of the world, when there are even proportionally. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. A stone, he says, fell from a mountain. See when. Not when the golden one, nor the silver one, nor the bronze one, but when the iron one appeared, It fell from a mountain, he says; showing its loftiness, From a mountain, he said. But before the king he showed that it is about human affairs. But the stone fell from a mountain, he says. This shows its voluntary nature, and that it was not forced; for he did not say, it was thrown, but, It fell from the mountain; and the unexpected, and with no one knowing. And it was cut without hands. It alludes to the birth according to the flesh. He is accustomed to speak of both mountain and women, as when he says: From the pit from which you were dug. And in many places he is called a stone because of his stability. But on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder, he says, like the chaff from a summer threshing floor; showing here what cannot stand. And a great wind carried them away, and no place was found for them. For so are kingdoms dissolved as if they had never been. And the stone became a great mountain. The apostolic words filled the whole world. Sometimes, then, the stone is a mountain, sometimes a cornerstone, sometimes a foundation, so that you may learn that he fills all things. For this reason a mountain, because it holds all things together; for this reason a cornerstone, because all things are held together in it. For this reason a foundation, and the root of a vine. For I am the vine, you are the branches. This is the dream, he says, and we will tell its interpretation before the king. You, O king of kings. To you the God of heaven has given a strong and mighty and honorable kingdom in every place, where the sons of men dwell; and he has given the beasts of the field, and the birds of heaven into your hand, and has made you lord of all. When he had shown the strength of God, then with boldness he also proclaims the message to him. And see with how much flattery he introduces the word, and with honor. You, 56.208 O king, he says, of kings. To you the God of heaven has given a strong and mighty and honorable kingdom in every place, where the sons of men dwell; and he has given the beasts of the field, and the birds of heaven into your hand. Not only of kindred men, but also of the wilderness, and of those above your head you are ruler. See how he showed that gift of God which was made in the beginning: And have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heaven; so that you might learn that he himself is the creator of the wilderness also, that he is also the maker of beasts, not only of the tame ones. And in every place, where the sons of men dwell, the God of heaven has given the kingdom to you. He no longer says: There is a God in heaven. See how little by little he introduces the doctrine. First he said, that he dwells there, so that he might not imagine him to be about the earth. But since he accepted that doctrine, again he draws him away, showing this also, that he is the creator of heaven itself, and Master and Lord, not having it as a place, but this being his work. For if he is Lord of heaven, he is able to give you the earth. He himself took heaven, and gave the earth to you. For what he is there, that you are on the earth, above all, ruling all, head of all. And of those on the earth he has given you more, having made you the head, and showing your kingdom to be golden, of pure gold. You are the head of gold. And after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, which is of silver; and a third kingdom, which is of bronze, which shall rule (l. κυριεύσει) over all the earth. For such was that of the Macedonians. And a fourth kingdom, which is strong as iron. For as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things, so shall it break in pieces and subdue all things. And the fourth, he says, is that of the Romans. But he does not say the names. For what reason? or (f. μή) for he would have made the account clearer, so that many might not destroy the books.

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λοιπόν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ Νῶε, τῆς κακίας ἐπιταθείσης, γέγονεν ὁ κατακλυσμός· οὕτω καὶ νῦν. Καὶ καθάπερ σῶμα κάμνον, ὅταν πρὸς τρυφὴν ἔλθῃ, τότε ἀπόλλυται· οὕτω καὶ ὁ κόσμος. Εἰ γὰρ ὅταν ὦσι πέντε δίκαιοι ἐν πόλει, φείδεται τῆς πόλεως, πολλῷ μᾶλλον καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ κόσμου, ὅταν ὦσι καὶ κατὰ ἀναλογίαν. Καὶ ὁ λίθος ὁ πατάξας τὴν εἰκόνα ἐγενήθη εἰς ὄρος μέγα, καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. Λίθος, φησὶν, ἔπεσεν ἐξ ὄρους. Ὅρα πότε. Οὐχ ἡνίκα ἡ χρυσῆ, οὐδὲ ἡ ἀργυρᾶ, οὐδὲ ἡ χαλκῆ, ἀλλὰ ἡνίκα ὁ σίδηρος ἐφάνη, Ἔπεσεν ἀπὸ ὄρους, φησί· τὸ ὑψη λὸν ἐμφαίνων, Ἀπὸ ὄρους, εἶπεν. Ἀλλ' ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βασιλέως ἔδειξεν, ὅτι περὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων ἐστίν. Ὁ δὲ λίθος ἀπὸ ὄρους ἔπεσε, φησί. Τὸ ἑκούσιον δείκνυσι, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἀναγκασθείς· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ἐῤῥίφη, ἀλλ', Ἔπεσεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους· καὶ τὸ ἀπροσδόκητον, καὶ μηδενὸς εἰδότος. Καὶ ἐτμήθη ἄνευ χειρῶν. Τὴν κατὰ σάρκα γέννησιν αἰνίττεται. Εἶδεν ὄρος λέγειν καὶ γυναῖκας, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Ἐκ τοῦ βοθύνου οὗ ὠρύχθητε. Καὶ πολλαχοῦ δὲ λίθος λέγεται διὰ τὸ ἑδραῖον. Ἐφ' ὃ δ' ἂν πέσῃ, λικμήσει αὐτὸν, φησὶ, ὥσπερ κονιορτὸν ἀπὸ ἅλωνος θερινῆς· τὸ ἀνυπόστατον ἐνταῦθα δη λῶν. Καὶ ἐξῆρεν αὐτὰ πλῆθος τοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ τόπος οὐχ εὑρέθη αὐτοῖς. Οὕτω γὰρ λύονται αἱ βα σιλεῖαι ὡς μηδὲ γενόμεναι. Καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ λίθος εἰς ὅρος μέγα. Τὰ ἀποστολικὰ ῥήματα τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπλήρωσεν ἅπασαν. Ποτὲ μὲν οὖν ὄρος ὁ λίθος, ποτὲ δὲ ἀκρογωνιαῖος, ποτὲ δὲ θεμέλιος, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τὰ πάντα πληροῖ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὄρος, ὅτι τὰ πάντα συνέχει· διὰ τοῦτο ἀκρογωνιαῖος, ὅτι τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συν έστηκε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο θεμέλιος, καὶ ῥίζα ἀμπέλου. Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλήματα. Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἐνύπνιον, φησὶ, καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ ἐροῦ μεν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως. Σὺ βασιλεὺς βασι λέων. Σοὶ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ βασιλείαν ἰσχυρὰν καὶ κραταιὰν καὶ ἔντιμον ἔδωκεν ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ὅπου κατοικοῦσιν οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· θηρία τε ἀγροῦ, καὶ πετεινὰ οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν ἐν τῇ χειρί σου, καὶ κατέστησέν σε κύριον πάντων. Ὅτε ἐπ εδείξατο τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἰσχὺν, τότε μετὰ παῤῥησίας αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα κηρύττει. Καὶ ὅρα μετὰ κολα κείας ὅσης ἐνίησι τὸν λόγον, καὶ μετὰ τιμῆς. Σὺ 56.208 βασιλεὺς, φησὶ, βασιλέων. Σοὶ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ βασιλείαν ἰσχυρὰν καὶ κραταιὰν καὶ ἔντιμον ἔδω κεν ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ὅπου κατοικοῦσιν οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· θηρία τε ἀγροῦ, καὶ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐ ρανοῦ ἔδωκεν ἐν τῇ χειρί σου. Οὐ τῶν συγγενῶν ἀνθρώπων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἐρήμου, καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἄρχεις. Ὅρα πῶς ἐνεδείξατο τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δωρεὰν ἐκείνην τὴν ἐν ἀρχῇ γενομένην· Καὶ ἄρχετε τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι καὶ τῆς ἐρήμου δημιουργὸς αὐτὸς, ὅτι καὶ θηρίων ποιητὴς, οὐχὶ τῶν ἡμέρων μό νον. Καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ὅπου κατοικοῦσιν οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, σοὶ ἔδωκε τὴν βασιλείαν ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Οὐκέτι φησί· Ἔστι Θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ. Ὅρα πῶς κατὰ μικρὸν εἰσάγει τὸ δόγμα. Πρῶτον εἶπεν, ὅτι ἐκεῖ οἰκεῖ, ἵνα μὴ περὶ τὴν γῆν αὐτὸν φαντασθῇ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐδέξατο τὸ δόγμα ἐκεῖνο, πάλιν αὐτὸν ἀφίστησι, καὶ τοῦτο δεικνὺς, ὅτι δημιουργός ἐστιν αὐτοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ∆εσπότης καὶ Κύριος, οὐχὶ τόπον αὐτὸν ἔχων, ἀλλ' ἔργον αὐτοῦ τοῦτο. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ Κύριος, δύναται δοῦναί σοι τὴν γῆν. Αὐτὸς ἔλαβε τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ σοὶ τὴν γῆν ἔδω κεν. Ὅπερ γάρ ἐστιν ἐκεῖνος ἐκεῖ, τοῦτο σὺ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πάντων ἀνώτερος, πάντων ἄρχων, πάντων κε φαλή. Καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς σοι πλέον ἔδωκεν, κεφα λήν σε ποιήσας, καὶ χρυσῆν δείξας σου τὴν βασιλείαν, χρυσίου καθαροῦ. Σὺ εἶ ἡ κεφαλὴ ἡ χρυσῆ. Καὶ ὀπίσω σου ἀναστήσεται βασιλεία ἑτέρα ἥττων σου, ἥ ἐστιν ἄργυρος· καὶ βασιλεία τρίτη, ἥ ἐστιν ὁ χαλκὸς, ἣ κυριεύει (l. κυριεύσει) πάσης τῆς γῆς. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ Μακεδόνων ἐγένετο. Καὶ βασιλεία τετάρτη, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἰσχυρὰ ὡς ὁ σίδηρος. Ὃν τρόπον γὰρ λεπτύνει ὁ σίδηρος καὶ δαμάζει πάντα, οὕτω πάντα λεπτυνεῖ καὶ δαμάσει. Καὶ τετάρτη, φησὶν, ἡ Ῥωμαίων. Οὐ λέγει δὲ τὰ ὀνόματα. Τίνος ἕνεκεν; ἢ (f. μή) γὰρ ἂν σαφέστερον τὸν λόγον ἐποίησεν, ὥστε μὴ πολλοὺς ἀφανίσαι τὰ βιβλία.