John Chrysostom, Interpretation of Daniel the Prophet

he says, at that time my senses were restored, and I returned to the honor of my kingdom; and my form returned to me; and my tyrants, and my nobles sought me; and I was strengthened in my kingdom, and more abundant majesty was added to me. And they sought me, he says, my nobles, they who had persecuted the one ruling and reigning. But through the command of God. For for this reason a time is set, that you might not think something 56.221 happened by itself. And His kingdom is for generation and generation; and all who dwell on the earth were accounted as nothing. For if I who ruled over all was accounted as nothing, how much more all others. For He who removed one so powerful from the kingdom, how much more the subjects. And He does according to His will in the host of heaven, and in the dwelling place of the earth. The phrase, *They were accounted as nothing*, not that He despises them, God forbid, but that He is powerful, and He leads them as He wills. This, at any rate, the following also reveals: *And He does according to His will in the host of heaven, and in the dwelling place of the earth*. For so be it, you know about the earth; but about heaven, from where do you understand? From the dream. He commanded. How did they obey? From the fire of the furnace. And there is no one who will oppose His hand and say to Him: 'What have you done?' Not only, he says, will he not oppose, but he will not even speak up to words. He himself rules all, he himself is all. At that very time, he says, my senses were restored to me. At that very time; which one? The one spoken by God. From where did they also bring him back to the kingdom? For those who had cast down one so powerful, how did they bring him back when he had become weak? And I came to the honor of my kingdom, and my form returned to me; and my tyrants and my nobles sought me; and I was strengthened in my kingdom, and more abundant majesty was added to me. Do you see how He is able to both establish and depose a kingdom? For it was necessary to be persuaded of these things by the former ones; but since you are ignorant, He deposed it, and again established it. Now therefore I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because all His works are true, and His ways are judgments, and He is able to humble all those who walk in pride. It is not possible to say that He has power, but is unjust; but His justice is also great. And He is able to humble all those who walk in pride. He did not say, 'He humbles,' that He might also show you His long-suffering, and that you might learn that it is not from weakness, but through one He corrects others. Did you see power? Did you see justice? Did you see love for humanity? Did you see these things being said from a barbarian mouth? Who would have so philosophized? Those raised on the prophets uttered nothing of these things in this way, but the opposite. The Lord will not do good, he says, nor will He do evil. And again, *Not in our 56.222 strength have we gotten horns*; And, *Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and in them He Himself has taken pleasure.* And, *What profit is it that we have served Him?* Did you see satanic doctrines in Palestine? Did you see prophetic philosophy in the barbarian land? These are types of the future grace of the Gentiles, that these were to leap ahead of those. Then Belshazzar, being in a drunken state at a symposium, orders the vessels to be brought out, as if priding himself on the victory of his father, or rather, behaving insolently; or because they were spectators of what had happened, so as to destroy the wonder they had concerning God. And this they had from pride, that is, it also happened from drunkenness. Let us guard against drunkenness, beloved. For many absurd things happen because of it. But drunkenness also overcomes great men, for it was in tasting the wine that he ordered this. What the father, having taken out, spared, and he himself, having taken the city, did not dare to bring these things into human service, this one gave them over for use not only to himself, but also to his nobles and concubines and wives.

φησὶ, τῷ καιρῷ αἱ φρένες μου ἐπεστράφησαν, καὶ εἰς τὴν τιμὴν τῆς βασιλείας μου ἦλθον· καὶ ἡ μορφή μου ἐπέστρεψεν ἐπ' ἐμέ· καὶ οἱ τύραννοί μου, καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνές μου ἐζήτησάν με· καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν μου ἐκρα ταιώθην, καὶ μεγαλωσύνη περισσοτέρα προσετέ θη μοι. Καὶ ἐζήτησάν με, φησὶ, οἱ μεγιστᾶνές μου, οἱ κρατοῦντα καὶ βασιλεύοντα διώξαντες. Ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο χρόνος ὁρίζεται, ἵνα μὴ αὐτομάτως νομίσῃς τι 56.221 γενέσθαι. Καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν· καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν γῆν ὡς οὐδὲν ἐλογίσθησαν. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ πάντων κρατῶν ἐγὼ ὡς οὐδὲν ἐλογίσθην, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ πάντες. Ὁ γὰρ τὸν οὕτως ἰσχυρὸν ἀποστήσας τῆς βασιλείας, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἀρχομένους. Καὶ κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐ τοῦ ποιεῖ ἐν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῇ κατοικίᾳ τῆς γῆς. Τὸ, Ὡς οὐδὲν ἐλογίσθησαν, οὐχ ὅτι καταφρονεῖ αὐτῶν, μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἰσχυρός ἐστι, καὶ ὡς βούλεται, αὐτοὺς ἄγει. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ τὸ ἐφ' ἑξῆς δηλοῖ· Καὶ κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ποιεῖ ἐν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῇ κατοικίᾳ τῆς γῆς. Ἔστω μὲν γὰρ, περὶ τῆς γῆς οἶδας· περὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, πόθεν ἐπίστασαι; Ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀνείρατος. Ἐπέταξε. Πῶς ὑπήκουσαν; Ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καμίνου. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἀντι στήσεται τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ· Τί ἐποίη σας; Οὐ μόνον, φησὶ, οὐκ ἐναντιώσεται, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ μέχρι ῥημάτων ἐρεῖ. Πάντων αὐτὸς κρατεῖ, πάντα αὐτός ἐστιν. Αὐτῷ, φησὶ, τῷ καιρῷ αἱ φρένες μου ἐπεστράφησαν ἐπ' ἐμέ. Αὐτῷ· ποίῳ; Τῷ λεχθέντι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πόθεν αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν ἐπανήγαγον; οἱ γὰρ οὕτως ἰσχυρὸν καταβαλόντες, πῶς ἀσθενῆ γενόμενον ἐπανήγαγον; Καὶ εἰς τὴν τιμὴν τῆς βασιλείας μου ἦλθον, καὶ ἡ μορφή μου ἐπέστρεψεν ἐπ' ἐμέ· καὶ οἱ τύραννοί μου καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνές μου ἐζήτουν με· καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν βασι λείαν μου ἐκραταιώθην, καὶ μεγαλωσύνη περισ σοτέρα προσετέθη μοι. Ὁρᾷς πῶς καὶ στῆσαι καὶ καθελεῖν δύναται βασιλείαν; Ἔδει μὲν γὰρ διὰ τῶν προτέρων ταῦτα πεισθῆναι· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀγνοεῖς, καθ εῖλεν αὐτὴν, καὶ πάλιν ἔστησεν. Νῦν οὖν ἐγὼ Να βουχοδονόσορ αἰνῶ καὶ ὑψῶ καὶ δοξάζω τὸν Βασιλέα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ἀληθινὰ, καὶ αἱ τρίβοι αὐτοῦ κρίσεις, καὶ πάντας τοὺς πορευομένους ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ δύναται ταπει νῶσαι. Οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι δύναμιν μὲν ἔχει, ἄδικον δέ· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη μεγάλη. Καὶ πάντας τοὺς πορευομένους ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ δύναται τα πεινῶσαι. Οὐκ εἶπε, ταπεινοῖ, ἵνα σοι καὶ τὴν μακροθυμίαν ἐνδείξηται, καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐ παρὰ ἀσθένειαν, ἀλλὰ δι' ἑνὸς τοὺς ἄλλους σω φρονίζει. Εἶδες δύναμιν; εἶδες δικαιοσύνην; εἶδες φιλανθρωπίαν; εἶδες ἀπὸ στόματος βαρβαρικοῦ ταῦτα λεγόμενα; Τίς ἂν οὕτως ἐφιλοσόφησεν; Οἱ προφήταις ἐντρεφόμενοι οὐδὲν τούτων οὕτως ἐφθέγγοντο, ἀλλὰ τἀναντία. Οὐ μὴ ἀγαθοποιήσῃ Κύριος, φησὶ, οὐδὲ οὐ μὴ κακοποιήσῃ. Καὶ πάλιν, Οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ 56.222 ἡμῶν ἔσχομεν κέρατα· Καὶ, Πᾶς ποιῶν πονηρὸν, καλὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς αὐτὸς ηὐδό κησε. Καὶ, Τί ὄφελος ὅτι ἐδουλεύσαμεν αὐτῷ, Εἶδες ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ δόγματα σατανικά; εἶδες ἐπὶ τῆς βαρβάρου φιλοσοφίαν προφητικήν; Ταῦτα τύποι τῶν ἐθνῶν τῆς μελλούσης ἔσεσθαι χάριτος, ὅτι προ πηδῆσαι εἶχον οὗτοι ἐκείνων. Εἶτα ὁ Βαλτάσαρ ἐν μέθῃ συμποσίου γενομένου κελεύει τὰ σκεύη ἐξ ενεχθῆναι, ὥσπερ φιλοτιμούμενος ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ τοῦ πατρὸς, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐμπαροινῶν· ἢ ἐπειδὴ θεαταὶ τῶν γενομένων ἦσαν ἐκεῖνοι, ὥστε καθελεῖν αὐτῶν τὸ θαῦμα, ὃ περὶ τὸν Θεὸν εἶχον. Καὶ τοῦτο ἐξ ὑπερηφα νίας εἶχον, ἤγουν ἐγίνετο καὶ μέθης. Φυλαττώμεθα μέθην, ἀγαπητοί. Πολλὰ γὰρ ἄτοπα γίνεται ὑπὸ ταύ της. Ἀλλὰ καὶ μεγάλων περιγίνεται ἀνδρῶν ἡ μέθη ἐν γὰρ τῷ γεύσασθαι τοῦ οἴνου ἐκέλευσε τοῦτο. Ἅπερ ὁ πατὴρ ἐκβαλὼν ἐφείσατο, καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν πόλιν ἑλὼν οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν εἰς ἀνθρωπίνην ἐνεγκεῖν διακονίαν ταῦτα, οὗτος οὐχὶ αὐτὸς μόνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεγιστᾶσι καὶ παλλακίσι καὶ παρακοίτοις εἰς χρῆσιν ἐξέδωκεν.