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Nebuchadnezzar, a son of God? See this barbarian prophesying from the sight alone. And he approached, and called them: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, you servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here. See. He did not command the furnace to be extinguished, but what? He called them to come out. You have seen a great and paradoxical wonder. What he knew would most render service, this he called out. Nothing is equal to this nobility. For hear God saying: Moses my servant is dead. And Isaac, he says, your servant. In this address the angels rejoice, and the Cherubim, and the Seraphim. And not as some contentious person might do, they waited (i.e. remained within), but immediately they obeyed; and all came together to see the wonder.

CHAPTER 4. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was prosperous in my house, and flourishing upon my

throne, and 56.213 rich among my people. For what reason did he write this so, and did not write: Nebuchadnezzar was prosperous, but as if from his own person? It seems to me that these are the words of Nebuchadnezzar himself. For since he recovered from that delusion, he perhaps set them down in public letters. Daniel, therefore, produces this very composition, so that it might become trustworthy. For he who suffered addresses human nature himself. And see what a great lesson is made against the proud. For from pride he suffered what he suffered, and he shows the cause of his pride from both the end and the beginning; at the end, indeed, saying, That He is able to humble all the proud; but at the beginning and from the outset teaching the cause of his pride. For there he made it clear that he was humbled for this reason; but here, whence this came about, from enjoying great prosperity; just as David also says: For this reason pride has taken hold of them; so also here he sets down many instances of prosperity. In the beginning he says: I was prosperous in my house, and flourishing upon my throne, and rich among my people. For it is not possible for all things to come together at once. It is possible to be prosperous in one's rule, but to be unfortunate in one's house, like Herod; like David; it is possible, again, on the contrary, to be unfortunate among the people, but to suffer no terrible thing from one's house; it is possible to be at peace in the city, but for one's rule to be troubled. But this man had prosperity from every side; nothing was grieving him. Do you see what a great evil security is? For just as with bodies, when the necessary toils and occupations do not occur, they attempt to do some artificial ones, for the exercise of the body; so also God is accustomed to act, so as to take away the vigor. I saw a dream, and it terrified me, and I was troubled on my bed, and the visions of my head disturbed me. And a decree was set forth by me, to bring in before me all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. See how He wishes to restrain him, not by the experience of the events, but by the prediction of what was to happen; and how fearful was the dream? For what reason, then, did his spirit not also now depart from him, nor did he forget the dream, as before? Because Daniel having given sufficient proof before, that is, in the dream before this one, there was no longer any need for a second test to be brought forward. For God accomplishes all things for the sake of need, not for ambition. And otherwise it also becomes a refutation of the magi. For so that they might not say again: Let the king tell the dream, and we will announce its 56.214 interpretation; they are refuted as being unable to do even this itself, not only that. Not

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Ναβουχοδονόσορ, υἱὸν Θεοῦ; Ὅρα τοῦτον προφητεύοντα τὸν βάρβαρον ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως μόνης. Καὶ προσῆλθε, καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτούς· Σεδρὰχ, Μισὰχ, Ἀβδεναγὼ, οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ἐξέλθετε, καὶ δεῦτε. Ὅρα. Οὐκ ἐκέλευσε σβεσθῆναι τὴν κάμινον, ἀλλὰ τί; Ἐκάλεσεν αὐτοὺς ἐξελθεῖν. Εἶδες θαῦμα μέγα καὶ παρά δοξον. Ὃ μάλιστα ᾔδει θεραπεῦσον, τοῦτο ἐκάλεσεν. Οὐδὲν ταύτης τῆς εὐγενείας ἴσον. Ἄκουε γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγοντος· Μωϋσῆς ὁ θεράπων μου τετελεύτηκε. Καὶ Ἰσαὰκ, φησὶ, ὁ δοῦλός σου. Ταύτῃ οἱ ἄγγελοι τῇ προσηγορίᾳ ἀγάλλονται, καὶ τὰ Χερουβὶμ, καὶ τὰ Σεραφίμ. Καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἄν τις φιλόνεικος ποιή σειεν, ἀναπέμειναν (ι. ἐναπέμειναν), ἀλλ' εὐθέως ὑπήκουσαν· καὶ συνῆλθον ἅπαντες ἰδεῖν τὸ θαῦμα.

ΚΕΦΑL. ∆ʹ. Ἐγὼ Ναβουχοδονόσορ εὐθηνῶν ἤμην ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου, καὶ εὐθαλῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ

θρόνου μου, καὶ 56.213 πίων ἐν τῷ λαῷ μου. Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὕτω τοῦτο ἔ γραψεν, καὶ οὐχὶ ἔγραψεν· Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἦν εὐθη νῶν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκ προσώπου ἐκείνου; Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ εἶναι τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀνήνεγκεν ἀπ' ἐκείνης τῆς πλάνης, ἐν δημοσίοις αὐτὰ κατέθετο γράμματα ἴσως. Αὐτὸ οὖν σύνταγμα, ὥστε ἀξιόπιστον γενέσθαι, παράγει ὁ ∆α νιήl. Τῇ γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσει αὐτὸς ὁ πεπονθὼς διαλέγεται. Καὶ θέα μοι πόση παίδευσις γίνεται κατὰ τῶν ὑπερηφάνων. Ἀπὸ γὰρ ὑπερηφανίας πέπονθεν ἅπερ ἔπαθεν, καὶ δείκνυσι τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ὑπερηφα νίας ἀπό τε τοῦ τέλους καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς· ἐν μὲν τῷ τέλει λέγων, Ὅτι πάντας τοὺς ὑπερηφάνους δύναται ταπεινῶσαι· ἐν ἀρχῇ δὲ καὶ ἐκ προοιμίων τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ὑπερηφανίας διδάσκων. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ἐταπεινώθη, ἐδήλωσεν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ πόθεν τοι οῦτο ἐγένετο, ἐκ τοῦ πολλῆς ἀπολαῦσαι εὐπραγίας· ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ λέγει· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκράτησεν αὐ τῶν ἡ ὑπερηφανία· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα πολλὰς τίθησιν εὐπραγίας. Ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ φησιν· Εὐθηνῶν ἤμην ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου, καὶ εὐθαλῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ θρό νου μου, καὶ πίων ἐν τῷ λαῷ μου. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστι πάντα ὁμοῦ συνδραμεῖν. Ἔνεστι κατὰ μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν εὐπραγεῖν, κατὰ δὲ τὴν οἰκίαν δυσπραγεῖν, καθάπερ ὁ Ἡρώδης· καθάπερ ὁ ∆αυΐδ· ἔνεστι πάλιν τοὐναντίον ἐν μὲν τῷ λαῷ δυσπραγεῖν, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς οἰκίας μηδὲν πάσχειν δεινόν· ἔνεστιν ἐν μὲν τῇ πόλει εἰρηνεύειν, τὴν δὲ ἀρχὴν ταράττεσθαι. Ἀλλ' οὗτος πάντοθεν εὐπραγεῖν εἶχεν· οὐδὲν ἦν αὐτὸν λυ ποῦν. Ὁρᾷς πόσον κακὸν ἄδεια; Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων, ὅταν μὴ γίνωνται οἱ κατὰ ἀνάγκην μόχθοι καὶ ἀσχολίαι, ἐπιτηδευτούς τινας ἐπιχειροῦσι ποιεῖν, πρὸς γυμνασίαν τοῦ σώματος· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ποιεῖν εἴωθε, ὥστε τὸ εὔτονον περιελεῖν. Ἐνύπνιον εἶδον, καὶ ἐφοβέρισέν με, καὶ ἐταράχθην ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης μου, καὶ αἱ ὁράσεις τῆς κεφαλῆς μου συνετάραξάν με. Καὶ παρ' ἐμοῦ ἐξετέθη δόγμα, ὥστε εἰσαγαγεῖν ἐνώπιον ἐμοῦ πάντας τοὺς σοφοὺς Βαβυλῶνος, ὅπως τὴν σύγκρισιν τοῦ ἐνυπνίου γνωρίσωσί μοι. Ὅρα πῶς αὐτὸν καταστεῖλαι βούλεται, οὐχὶ τῇ πείρᾳ τῶν πραγμά των, ἀλλὰ τῇ προῤῥήσει τῶν συμβαινομένων· καὶ ὅπως ἦν φοβερὸν τὸ ἐνύπνιον; Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐχὶ καὶ νῦν ἀπέστη αὐτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα, οὐδὲ ἠγνόησε τὸ ἐνύπνιον, καθάπερ καὶ πρότερον; Ὅτι ἱκανὴν πεῖραν δεδωκότος τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ πρότερον, ἤγουν ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου ἐνυπνίῳ, οὐδεμία λοιπὸν χρεία ἦν δευτέραν προσενεχθῆναι δοκιμασίαν. Πάντα γὰρ χρείας ἕνεκεν, οὐ φιλοτιμίας, ὁ Θεὸς πραγματεύεται. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἔλεγχον γίνεται τῶν μάγων. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγωσι πάλιν· Εἰπάτω ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ ἐνύπνιον, καὶ τὴν 56.214 σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγελοῦμεν ἡμεῖς· ἐλέγχον ται μηδὲ τοῦτο αὐτὸ δυνάμενοι, οὐ μόνον ἐκεῖνο. Οὐκ