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to make known the matter to the king, because every great king and ruler does not ask such a matter of an enchanter and a Chaldean. (11.) Because the word which the king asks is difficult; and there is no other who will declare it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with all flesh.” Wherefore it is not possible for it to happen as you think. “Seek human things from us,” they say, “not things contrary to nature; for most of all it is fitting for kings to govern the kingdom justly, and to ask possible things from their subjects; but what you now demand, you demand unjustly; for 81.1289 such knowledge is not of men who are clothed in flesh, but of the incorporeal nature that knows all things precisely. These things, then, were said by the Chaldeans, but the proclamation of Daniel was being prepared. For when they had said, "It is not of men, but of gods, to know these things," the divine Daniel reminds the king of the dream, and interprets it very precisely and clearly; and he teaches the king that such knowledge is not of men, who creep upon the earth, nor indeed of gods who do not exist, but of the God who made all things. But each of these things in its own place will receive its fitting interpretation. 12, 13. "Then," it says, "the king in great fury and anger said to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. And the decree went out, and the wise men were being slain, and they sought to kill Daniel and his friends." The undertaking was tyrannical, but not kingly, obviously unjust, and devoid of justice; for arrogance and pride, having acquired authority, devises destruction for the subjects. But the most divine Daniel, seeing this unjust slaughter, asks Arioch, who was entrusted with this most cruel murder, saying: “O captain of the king, for what reason has this harsh sentence gone out from the face of the king?” For he did not know, as it seems, since he had not been called to the gathering of the wise men of Babylon; for the three years had not yet passed, in which the king of the Babylonians had ordered that they, having been nourished with the king's food, be brought in to him after this specified time. And if before these things he related the account, that they both entered and were chosen before the others, being seen to be better, let no one marvel; for wishing to complete that narrative, he clearly taught all the things that happened at that time; then he finally moves on to another narrative of the things that had happened in the intervening time. For that he was not yet one of those having free access to the king when he gathered the wise men of Babylon, his ignorance of the unjust slaughter testifies; for being ignorant of this reason, he asked Arioch. And when he learned, he takes courage for the conversation with the king, and asks him to grant him a little time for the seeking of the dream, and the finding of its interpretation; then he teaches us the manner of the finding, not being ambitious for himself, but calling us to the same zeal. 17, 18. "For Daniel went," it says, "into his house, and to Hananiah, and to Azariah, and to Mishael, his friends, he made known the matter. And they sought mercies from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends might not perish with the rest of the 81.1292 wise men of Babylon." Truly great is the distance between truth and falsehood; for the workers of falsehood are destitute of divine alliance, and using only human reasonings stripped of piety, they both say and do all things for the deception of men; but the nurslings of truth endure to say or do nothing without help from above; and attaching their own requests to the all-seeing Providence, they stand unshaken, not being agitated, nor being carried here and there, but delivered from the storm of human reasonings. And a witness of this is the divine Daniel, having asked for a little time for the finding of the dream, not having spent the time simply in reasonings, but in

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γνωρίσαι τὸ ῥῆμα τῷ βασιλεῖ, καθότι πᾶς βασιλεὺς μέγας καὶ ἄρχων ῥῆμα τοιοῦτον οὐκ ἐπερωτᾷ ἐπαοιδὸν καὶ Χαλδαῖον. (ιαʹ.) Ὅτι ὁ λόγος, ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπερωτᾷ, βαρύς· καὶ ἕτερος οὐκ ἔστιν, ὃς ἀπαγγελεῖ αὐτὸν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀλλ' ἢ θεοὶ, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ κατοι κία μετὰ πάσης σαρκός." Ὅθεν οὐκ ἐνδέχεται γενέσθαι καθάπερ οἴει. Ἀνθρώπινα, φασὶ, παρ' ἡμῶν ἐπιζήτησον, μὴ τὰ παρὰ τὴν φύσιν· πάντων γὰρ μάλιστα βασιλεῦσιν ἁρμόττει δικαίως τὴν βασι λείαν ἰθύνειν, καὶ τὰ δυνατὰ παρὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων αἰτεῖν· ἃ δὲ νῦν ἀπαιτεῖς, οὐ δικαίως ἀπαιτεῖς· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἀνθρώπων τῶν σάρκα περικειμένων ἡ 81.1289 τοιαύτη γνῶσις, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀσωμάτου φύσεως τῆς ἀκριβῶς ἅπαντα γινωσκούσης. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν παρὰ τῶν Χαλδαίων ἐῤῥέθη, προῳκονομεῖτο δὲ ἡ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ ἀνάῤῥησις. Τούτων γὰρ εἰρηκότων, Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ἢ θεῶν, τὸ ταῦτα γινώσκειν, ὁ θεσπέσιος ∆ανιὴλ ἀναμιμνήσκει μὲν τοῦ ἐνυπνίου τὸν βασιλέα, ἀκριβῶς δὲ λίαν καὶ σαφῶς ἑρμηνεύει· διδάσκει δὲ τὸν βασιλέα, ὅτι ἡ τοιαύτη γνῶσις οὐκ ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶ, τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἑρπόντων, οὔτε μὴν θεῶν τῶν οὐκ ὄντων, ἀλλὰ τοῦ τὰ σύμπαντα πεποιηκότος Θεοῦ. Ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν ἕκαστον ἐν τῷ οἰκείῳ χωρίῳ τὴν ἁρμόττουσαν ἑρμηνείαν δέ ξεται. ιβʹ, ιγʹ. "Τότε, φησὶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν θυμῷ πολλῷ καὶ ὀργῇ εἶπεν ἀπολέσαι πάντας τοὺς σοφοὺς Βα βυλῶνος. Καὶ τὸ δόγμα ἐξῆλθε, καὶ οἱ σοφοὶ ἀπ εκτείνοντο, καὶ ἐζήτησαν τὸν ∆ανιὴλ καὶ τοὺς φίλους αὐτοῦ ἀνελεῖν." Τυραννικὸν, ἀλλ' οὐ βασιλικὸν τὸ ἐγχείρημα, ἄδικον προφανῶς, καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἔρημον· ἀλαζονεία γὰρ καὶ τῦφος προσλαβὼν ἐξ ουσίαν, ὄλεθρον μηχανᾶται τοῖς ὑπηκόοις Ἰουδαίοις. Ἀλλ' ὁ θειότατος ∆ανιὴλ τὴν ἄδικον ταύτην σφαγὴν θεασάμενος, πυνθάνεται τοῦ Ἀριὼχ, ὃς τὸν ὠμότα τον τοῦτον ἐνεχειρίσθη φόνον, λέγων· "Ἄρχων τοῦ βασιλέως, περὶ τίνος ἐξῆλθεν ἡ γνώμη ἡ ἀναιδὴς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ βασιλέως;" Ἠγνόει γὰρ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἅτε μὴ κληθεὶς εἰς τὸν σύλλογον τῶν σοφῶν Βαβυλῶνος· οὐδέπω γὰρ τὰ τρία παρεληλύθει ἔτη, ἐν οἷς αὐτοὺς τῇ βασιλικῇ τραφέντας τροφῇ μετὰ τὸν ῥητὸν τοῦτον χρόνον εἰσαχθῆναι προσέταξεν αὐτῷ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων ὁ βασιλεύς. Εἰ δὲ πρὸ τούτων διηγήσατο τὸν λόγον, ὅτι καὶ εἰσῆλθον, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων προεκρίθησαν ἀμείνους ὀφθέντες, θαυμαζέτω μηδείς· ἐκεῖνο γὰρ τὸ διήγημα συμπερᾶναι βουλη θεὶς, ἅπαντα σαφῶς ἐδίδαξε τὰ τηνικαῦτα συμ βάντα· εἶτα μεταβαίνει λοιπὸν ἐφ' ἕτερον διήγημα τῶν ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ γεγενημένων. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐδέπω τῶν παῤῥησίαν ἐχόντων ἦν πρὸς τὸν βασι λέα, ἡνίκα τοὺς σοφοὺς συνήγαγε Βαβυλῶνος, ἡ τῆς ἀδίκου σφαγῆς ἄγνοια μαρτυρεῖ· ταύτην γὰρ ἀγνοῶν τὴν αἰτίαν τὸν Ἀριὼχ ἠρώτα. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἔμαθε, θαῤῥεῖ μὲν τὴν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα διάλεξιν, ἀξιοῖ δὲ αὐτὸν ὀλίγον αὐτῷ χρόνον ἐνδοῦναι εἰς τὴν τοῦ ἐνυπνίου ζήτησιν, καὶ τῆς ἑρμηνείας τὴν εὕρε σιν· εἶτα διδάσκει ἡμᾶς τὸν τῆς εὑρέσεως τρόπον, οὐκ αὐτὸς φιλοτιμούμενος, ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν ὁμοίαν σπουδὴν ἐκκαλούμενος. ιζʹ, ιηʹ. "Εἰσῆλθε γὰρ, φησὶ, ∆ανιὴλ εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὑτοῦ, καὶ τῷ Ἀνανίᾳ, καὶ τῷ Ἀζαρίᾳ, καὶ τῷ Μισαὴλ, τοῖς φίλοις αὑτοῦ ἐγνώρισε τὸ ῥῆμα. Καὶ οἰκτιρμοὺς ἐζήτουν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μυστηρίου τούτου, ὅπως μὴ ἀπόλωνται ∆ανιὴλ καὶ οἱ φίλοι αὐτοῦ, μετὰ τῶν ἐπιλοίπων 81.1292 σοφῶν Βαβυλῶνος." Ἀληθῶς πολὺ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τοῦ ψεύδους τὸ μέσον· οἱ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ ψεύδους ἐργάται τῆς θείας εἰσὶν ἔρημοι συμμαχίας, καὶ λογισμοῖς μόνοις ἀνθρωπίνοις εὐσεβείας γεγυμνω μένοις χρώμενοι, πάντα καὶ λέγουσι καὶ πράττουσιν εἰς ἀπάτην ἀνθρώπων· οἱ δὲ τρόφιμοι τῆς ἀληθείας λέγειν ἢ πράττειν ἀνέχονται οὐδὲν δίχα τῆς ἄνω θεν βοηθείας· τὰ δὲ σφῶν αὐτῶν αἰτήματα τῆς πάντα ἐφορώσης προμηθείας ἐξάπτοντες, ἱστᾶσιν ἀκίνητοι, μὴ κλονούμενοι, μηδὲ τῇδε κἀκεῖσε περι φερόμενοι, ἀλλὰ τῆς ζάλης τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων λογι σμῶν ἀπηλλαγμένοι. Καὶ τούτου μάρτυς ὁ θεσπέσιος ∆ανιὴλ, ὀλίγον μὲν χρόνον αἰτήσας εἰς τὴν τοῦ ἐνυπνίου εὕρεσιν, οὐκ εἰς λογισμοὺς δὲ ἁπλῶς τὸν καιρὸν δαπανήσας, ἀλλ' εἰς