23

his trial? But seek. We too dwelt in captivity, but before Christ came. For what reason did he bend on his knees only three times a day? For what? Is this not wonderful? A man surrounded by so many cares, and not having even a little time to breathe. See also that apostolic word being fulfilled: In every place, he says, lifting up holy hands. And what Christ commanded, this they fulfilled. And having shut, he says, your door, pray to your Father. Then they answered and say before the king: Daniel, who is of the sons of the captivity of Judea, has not submitted to your decree, nor to the ordinance which you have established; and three times a day he makes his requests from his God. Then the king, when he heard the word, was very grieved for him, and struggled concerning Daniel to deliver him; and until sunset he strove to deliver him, and was struggling for him. Then those men watched the king, and say to the king: Know, O king, that the law for the Medes and Persians is that every ordinance and statute which the king shall establish, must not be set aside. Then the king spoke, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the lions’ den. Perhaps some of you say that he was not able to deliver him? Indeed, God was able to make the king more powerful, but he brings the athlete to the contest. He knew the end, he was not ignorant of the outcome. Nor would the king have struggled if he had known that this would be the outcome; but he did not have the strength. Acceptable for his eagerness, pardonable for his struggle. So beloved was Daniel; but envy does not allow one to see even good things, or rather, to see them, but not with the same eyes. Things must not be so lax, they say, nor our laws uncertain. The whole nation is being insulted. They cast him into the den; they place a stone. And the king said to Daniel: Your God, whom you serve continually, he will deliver you. And they brought one stone, and laid it upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his ring, and with the ring of his nobles, so that the matter concerning 56.228 Daniel might not be altered. And the king went to his house, and went to bed without supper, and food was not brought to him, and sleep departed from him. Remember for me the tomb of Christ, where the Jews placed the seals. For if this had not been, they would have said that the thing was done by sorcery. But everywhere the things done by enemies are for our benefit. For in order that it might take away every pretext from them, this happens; and the king sets seals, so that they might not be able to do anything, or to deliver him, and to blame the lions; and they also set them, so that it might not be possible for the king to rescue him, but that the verdict might thus be incorruptible. And he did not dine, it says, the king, nor did he sleep. See how much affection it creates. And what? First, he encouraged him, saying: The God whom you serve continually. Again he gives a just cause, able to raise up his soul. For perhaps he had heard. Then he comes, offering up a hymn. Then the king was very pleased with him; and he commanded Daniel to be brought up out of the den. And Daniel was brought up out of the den, and no harm was found on him, because he believed in his God. And the king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel; and they were cast into the lions' den, they, and their sons, and their wives; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces. For what reason do children and wives perish? What sin did these commit? Perhaps they too shared in the same things. Have you seen the punishment of the wicked? Have you seen the rewards of the just? Be instructed from every side, be edified from every side. You have seen that even if God abandons, he does this for a useful purpose. He overcame fire; he overcame wild beasts. No longer, then, question why there are lions, and leopards, and the other wild beasts? For just as certain executioners by the...

23

αὐτοῦ πεῖραν; Ἀλλὰ ζήτει. Ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ καὶ ἡμεῖς ᾠκοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὸν Χρι στόν. Τίνος δ' ἕνεκεν τρεῖς μόνους καιροὺς τῆς ἡμέρας ἦν κάμπτων ἐπὶ τὰ γόνατα αὐτοῦ; Τί γάρ; τοῦτο οὐ θαυμαστόν; Ἄνθρωπος τοσαύταις κυκλούμενος φρον τίσι, καὶ οὐδὲ μικρὸν ἀναπνεῦσαι ἔχων. Ὅρα δὲ καὶ τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνο πληρούμενον· Ἐν παντὶ τό πῳ, φησὶ, ἐπαίροντες ὁσίους χεῖρας. Καὶ ὅπερ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκέλευσε, τοῦτο ἐπλήρουν. Καὶ κλείσας, φησὶ, τὴν θύραν σου, πρόσευξαι τῷ Πατρί σου. Τότε ἀπεκρίθησαν, καὶ λέγουσιν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως· ∆ανιὴλ, ὁ ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν τῆς αἰχμα λωσίας τῆς Ἰουδαίας, οὐχ ὑπετάγη τῷ δόγματί σου, καὶ περὶ τοῦ ὁρισμοῦ, οὗ ἔταξας· καὶ καιροὺς τρεῖς ἡμέρας αἰτεῖ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτοῦ τὰ αἰτή ματα. Τότε ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὡς τὸ ῥῆμα ἤκουσε, πολὺ ἐλυπήθη ἐπ' αὐτῷ, καὶ περὶ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ ἠγωνί σατο τοῦ ἐξελέσθαι αὐτόν· καὶ ἕως πρὸς δυσμὰς ἡλίου ἠγωνίσατο τοῦ ἐξελέσθαι αὐτὸν, καὶ ἦν ἀγω νιζόμενος περὶ αὐτοῦ. Τότε οἱ ἄνδρες ἐκεῖνοι παρ ετηρήσαντο ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ λέγουσι τῷ βασιλεῖ· Γνῶθι, βασιλεῦ, ὅτι τὸ δόγμα τοῖς Μή δοις καὶ Πέρσαις, τοῦ πάντα ὁρισμὸν καὶ στάσιν, ἣν ἂν ὁ βασιλεὺς στήσῃ, οὐ δεῖ παραγράψαι. Τότε ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπε, καὶ ἤγαγον τὸν ∆ανιὴλ, καὶ ἐνέβαλον αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων. Τάχα τινὲς ὑμῶν λέγουσιν, ὅτι Οὐκ ἴσχυσεν αὐτὸν ἐξελέσθαι; Μάλιστα μὲν ἠδύνατο ὁ Θεὸς ποιῆσαι τὸν βασιλέα δυνατώτερον, ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ τὸ κάμμα ἄγει τὸν ἀθλητήν. Ἤδει τὸ τέλος, οὐκ ἠγνόει τὸ πέρας. Οὐδὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰ τοῦτο ᾔδει τὸ τέλος ἐκβησόμενον, ἠγω νίσατο ἄν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἴσχυσεν. Ἀπόδεκτος τῆς προθυ μίας, συγγνωστὸς τῆς ἀγωνίας. Οὕτω ποθεινὸς ἦν ὁ ∆ανιήλ· ἀλλ' ὁ φθόνος οὐδὲ τὰ καλὰ ἀφίησι βλέπειν, μᾶλλον δὲ βλέπειν μὲν αὐτὰ, οὐ τοῖς αὐτοῖς δὲ ὀφθαλ μοῖς. Οὐ δεῖ, φασὶν, οὕτως ἔκλυτα εἶναι τὰ πράγματα, οὐδὲ ἀβεβαίους τοὺς νόμους τοὺς παρ' ἡμῖν. Τὸ ἔθνος ὅλον ὑβρίζεται. Ἐμβάλλουσιν εἰς τὸν λάκκον· ἐπιτι θέασι λίθον. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ ∆ανιήλ· Ὁ Θεὸς, ᾧ σὺ λατρεύεις ἐνδελεχῶς, αὐτὸς ἐξελεῖταί σε. Καὶ ἤνεγκαν λίθον ἕνα, καὶ ἐπέθηκαν ἐπὶ τὸ στόμα τοῦ λάκκου· καὶ ἐσφραγίσατο ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ δακτυλίῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ δακτυλίῳ τῶν με γιστάνων αὐτοῦ, ὅπως μὴ ἀλλοιωθῇ πρᾶγμα ἐν 56.228 τῷ ∆ανιήl. Καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκοιμήθη ἄδειπνος, καὶ ἐδέσματα οὐκ εἰσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ, καὶ ὁ ὕπνος ἀπέστη ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Ἀναμνήσθητί μοι τοῦ μνημείου τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἔνθα τὰ σήμαντρα ἐπέθηκαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, εἶπαν ἂν, ὅτι κατὰ γοητείαν τὸ πρᾶγμα γέγονεν. Ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν γινόμενα, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐστιν. Ἵνα γὰρ πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς ἀνέλῃ πρόφα σιν, τοῦτο γίνεται· καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τίθησι σημεῖα, ἵνα ἐκείνοις μὴ ἐκγένηταί τι ποιῆσαι, ἢ ἐξελεῖν, καὶ τοὺς λέοντας αἰτιάσασθαι· κἀκεῖνοι δὲ τιθέασιν, ἵνα μὴ ἐξῇ τῷ βασιλεῖ ῥύσασθαι αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' οὕτως ἀδέκαστον γενέσθαι τὴν ψῆφον. Καὶ οὐκ ἐδείπνησε, φησὶ, ὁ βασι λεὺς, οὐδὲ ἐκαθεύδησεν. Ὅρα πόσον ποιεῖ φίλτρον. Καὶ τί; Πρῶτον μὲν παρεθάρσυνεν αὐτὸν λέγων· Ὁ Θεὸς ᾧ σὺ λατρεύεις ἐνδελεχῶς. Πάλιν αἰτίαν τί θησι δικαίαν, δυναμένην αὐτοῦ ἀναστῆσαι τὴν ψυχήν. Καὶ γὰρ ἦν ἴσως ἀκηκοώς. Εἶτα παραγίνεται ὕμνον ἀναφέρων. Τότε ὁ βασιλεὺς πολὺ ἠγαθύνθη ἐπ' αὐτῷ· καὶ τὸν ∆ανιὴλ εἶπεν ἀνενεγκεῖν ἐκ τοῦ λάκκου. Καὶ ἀνηνέχθη ∆ανιὴλ ἐκ τοῦ λάκ κου, καὶ πᾶσα διαφθορὰ οὐχ εὑρέθη ἐν αὐτῷ, ὅτι ἐπίστευσε τῷ Θεῷ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ ἤγαγον τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς διαβάλλοντας τὸν ∆ανιήλ· καὶ εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων ἐνεβλή θησαν αὐτοὶ, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν· καὶ οὐκ ἔφθασαν εἰς τὸ ἔδαφος τοῦ λάκκου, ἕως οὗ ἐκυρίευσαν αὐτῶν οἱ λέοντες, καὶ πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτῶν ἐλέπτυναν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν παῖδες καὶ γυναῖκες ἀπόλλυνται; τί ἥμαρτον οὗτοι; Ἴσως καὶ αὐτοὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐκοινώνουν. Εἶδες τῶν πονηρῶν τὴν τιμωρίαν; εἶδες τῶν δικαίων τὰ ἔπαθλα; Πάντοθεν παιδεύου, πάντοθεν οἰκοδομοῦ. Εἶδες ὅτι κἂν καταλίπῃ Θεὸς, ἐπὶ χρησίμῳ τοῦτο ποιεῖ. Περι εγένετο πυρός· περιεγένετο θηρίων. Μηκέτι λοιπὸν ἐξετάσῃς, διὰ τί λέοντες, καὶ παρδάλεις, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ θηρία; Καθάπερ γὰρ δήμιοί τινες παρὰ τὰς