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to be brought forth, anticipating he makes an apology through their ancestors, that not in vain, nor simply does he prefer them to these.

CHAPTER 3.

In the eighteenth year Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image

of gold. Its height was sixty cubits, and its breadth six cubits; he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. And Nebuchadnezzar sent to bring all the satraps, and prefects, and governors, rulers and tyrants, and those in authority, and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image, which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. See the truth of the matter shining forth; and yet who would not be ashamed to reveal this? What are you saying? He who worshipped, who poured out manna as a libation, who so honored God, and admired and was greatly amazed, this man, not even a long time having passed, immediately returns to his former error? Rightly so. For you did not astound him with the signs; but they understood none of these things, but see only one thing, how to deposit the naked truth. For since he had taken the city (for then he took it, and was master of it), he set up the image, perhaps being lifted up into pride. Some say, that he was mindful of that image which was shown to him in his dreams; but others say, that he wished to raise himself to the gods. For the ancients had this desire, to be considered gods, just like the devil. And see the outcome. Having refrained from making himself to be worshipped, he made the image to be worshipped, wishing to accomplish this out of his great abundance, and desiring to astound by the size, and by the bulk of the body, and again by the place. In the place of Dura, he says. Perhaps the plain was flat [lit. supine]. There are Jewish men, whom you have set over the works of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. Those men have not obeyed, O king, your decree, and they do not serve your gods, and they do not worship the golden image which you have set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in a rage and fury said to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. How is it that Daniel does not appear here? It seems to me, that he feared that they might accuse him, or that the king, out of respect, would not compel him, so that he would not have an open accuser. But some say, that it was because he was called Belteshazzar; for this name was that of the idol among them. God therefore ordained that he not be cast into the furnace, so that he would not inscribe the power to the name, and escape. What then of the three youths? For especially they themselves were about to refute the matter. But in the prophecy, how did God not arrange this? The Chaldeans slandered them; for envy does many things. They could not bear seeing the captives ruling over them. But see. Just 56.211 as in the case of Daniel, first they learned his ways and his gentleness, and then they saw the signs; so also here they are brought into the midst, and first God laid bare their purpose; and they, being thus prepared, did not leap into the middle. But know that a man who has despaired of the present life, and bears his end easily, would not shrink from any daring deed, and from being among those who seem exceedingly bold. But yet these men, though despising death, were gentle, not at all being perverted from courage into rashness, nor doing this for ambition. And those three men, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, fell into the midst of the furnace of burning fire, bound. And they walked about in the midst of the flame, hymning God, and blessing the Lord. See, is this not wonderful and strange, to both walk about and to sing hymns, as if in a pool of water? And yet there was nothing hindering there, since God willed it. Such it seems to me is also that

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ἐξενεχθῆ ναι, προλαμβάνων ἀπολογεῖται διὰ τῶν προγόνων αὐτῶν, ὅτι οὐ μάτην, οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς ἐκείνους τούτων προτιμᾷ.

ΚΕΦΑL. Γʹ.

Ἔτους ὀκτωκαιδεκάτου Ναβουχοδονόσορ ὁ βα σιλεὺς ἐποίησεν εἰκόνα

χρυσῆν. Ὕψος αὐτῆς πηχέων ἑξήκοντα, καὶ εὖρος αὐτῆς πηχέων ἕξ· ἔστησεν αὐτὴν ἐν πεδίῳ ∆εηρᾷ ἐν χώρᾳ Βαβυλῶ νος. Καὶ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἀπέστειλε εἰσαγαγεῖν πάντας τοὺς ὑπάτους, καὶ στρατηγοὺς, καὶ το πάρχας, ἡγουμένους καὶ τυράννους, καὶ τοὺς ἐπ' ἐξουσιῶν, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν χωρῶν ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὰ ἐγκαίνια τῆς εἰκόνος, ἧς ἔστησε Ναβουχοδονόσορ ὁ βασιλεύς. Ὅρα τὴν ἀλή θειαν τῶν πραγμάτων λάμπουσαν· καίτοι τίς οὐκ ἂν αἰσχυνθῇ τοῦτο ἀποκαλύψαι; Τί λέγεις; ὁ προσκυνή σας, ὁ μάννα σπείσας, ὁ τὸν Θεὸν οὕτω τιμῶν, καὶ θαυμάσας καὶ ὑπερεκπλαγεὶς, οὗτος, οὐδὲ μακροῦ παρελθόντος χρόνου, εὐθέως ἐπὶ τὴν προτέραν ἐπαν έρχεται πλάνην; Καλῶς γε. Οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸν κατεπλή ξατε τοῖς σημείοις· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ἐνενόησαν, ἀλλ' ἓν μόνον ὁρῶσιν, ὅπως γυμνὴν τὴν ἀλήθειαν παρακατάθωνται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὴν πόλιν εἷλε (τότε γὰρ αὐτὴν εἷλε, καὶ αὐτῆς ἐκράτει), ἔστησε τὴν εἰ κόνα, ἴσως εἰς τῦφον ἀρθείς. Τινές φασιν, ὅτι τῆς εἰκόνος ἐκείνης μεμνημένος τῆς ἐν τοῖς ὀνείροις αὐτῷ δειχθείσης· ἄλλοι δὲ λέγουσιν, ὅτι εἰς θεοὺς ἑαυτὸν ἀναγαγεῖν βουλόμενος. Καὶ γὰρ ταύτην εἶχον ἐπιθυ μίαν οἱ παλαιοὶ, ὥστε νομίζεσθαι θεοὶ, καθάπερ ὁ διάβολος. Καὶ ὅρα τὴν ἔκβασιν. Ἀφεὶς ποιῆσαι ἑαυ τὸν προσκυνεῖσθαι, τὴν εἰκόνα ἐποίησε προσκυνεῖσθαι, ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος τοῦτο κατασκευάσαι βουλό μενος, καὶ τῷ μεγέθει, καὶ τῷ τοῦ σώματος ὄγκῳ καταπλῆξαι θέλων, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου πάλιν. Ἐν τόπῳ ∆εηρᾷ, φησί. Ὕπιον [l. ὕπτιον] ἴσως ἦν τὸ πε δίον. Εἰσὶν ἄνδρες Ἰουδαῖοι, οὓς κατέστησας ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα Βαβυλῶνος, Σεδρὰχ, Μισὰχ, Ἀβδεναγώ. Οἱ ἄνδρες ἐκεῖνοι οὐχ ὑπήκουσαν, βασιλεῦ, τῷ δόγματί σου, καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς σου οὐ λατρεύουσιν, καὶ τῇ εἰκόνι τῇ χρυσῇ ᾗ ἔστησας οὐ προσκυ νοῦσι. Τότε Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἐν θυμῷ καὶ ὀργῇ εἶπεν ἀγαγεῖν τὸν Σεδρὰχ, Μισὰχ καὶ Ἀβδεναγώ. Πῶς ὁ ∆ανιὴλ ἐνταῦθα οὐ φαίνεται; Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, φοβούμενος ἐκείνους μὴ καταγγεῖλαι αὐτὸν, ἢ τὸν βασιλέα αἰδούμενον μὴ ἀναγκάσαι, ὥστε μὴ ἔχειν κατήγορον φανερόν. Τινὲς δέ φασιν, ἐπειδὴ Βαλτάσαρ ἐκαλεῖτο· τὸ δὲ ὄνομα τοῦτο τοῦ εἰδώλου τοῦ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἦν. Ὁ Θεὸς οὖν ᾠκονόμησε μὴ ἐμβληθῆναι εἰς τὴν κάμινον, ὥστε μὴ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τὴν ἰσχὺν ἐπιγράψαι, καὶ διαφυγεῖν. Τί οὖν οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες; Μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ ἔμελλον καὶ αὐτοὶ διελέγχειν τὸ πρᾶγμα. Πλὴν ἐπὶ τῆς προῤῥήσεως πῶς οὐκ ᾠκονό μησε τοῦτο ὁ Θεός; ∆ιέβαλλον αὐτοὺς οἱ Χαλδαῖοι· πολλὰ γὰρ ἡ βασκανία ποιεῖ. Οὐκ ἔφερον τοὺς αἰχμα λώτους κρατοῦντας αὐτῶν ὁρῶντες. Ἀλλ' ὅρα. Καθ 56.211 άπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ, πρότερον ἔμαθον αὐτοῦ τοὺς τρόπους καὶ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν, καὶ τότε τὰ σημεῖα ἑώ ρων· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἄγονται εἰς μέσον, καὶ πρῶτον αὐτῶν τὴν προαίρεσιν ἀπεγύμνωσεν ὁ Θεός· κἀκεῖνοί τε οὕτω παρεσκευασμένοι οὐκ ἐπεπήδησαν εἰς τὸ μέ σον. Ἴστε δὲ ὅτι ἄνθρωπος τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς ἀπ εγνωκὼς, καὶ ῥᾳδίως φέρων τὴν τελευτὴν, οὐδὲν παρ αιτήσαιτο τολμῆσαι, καὶ τῶν σφόδρα δοκούντων τολμηρῶν εἶναι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὗτοι θανάτου ὑπερορῶντες ἐπιεικεῖς ἦσαν, οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνδρείας εἰς θρασύτητα παραβλαβέντες, οὐδὲ φιλοτιμίᾳ τοῦτο ποιοῦντες. Καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες ἐκεῖνοι οἱ τρεῖς, Σεδρὰχ, Μισὰχ, Ἀβδεναγὼ, ἔπεσον εἰς μέσον τῆς καμίνου τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καιομένης, πεπεδημένοι. Καὶ πε ριεπάτουν ἐν μέσῳ τῆς φλογὸς, ὑμνοῦντες τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ εὐλογοῦντες τὸν Κύριον. Ὅρα, οὐ θαυμαστὸν τοῦτο καὶ παράδοξον, τὸ καὶ περιπατεῖν καὶ ὑμνεῖν, καθάπερ ἐν κολυμβήθρᾳ ὑδάτων; Καίτοι οὐδὲν κωλύον ἦν ἐκεῖ, ἐπείπερ Θεὸς ἠβουλήθη. Τοιοῦτον εἶναι ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ κἀκεῖνο