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nor a place to offer fruit before you, and to find mercy. And yet there was much place there, but since the temple was not, they remained without sacrificing. And to others again God says through Zachariah, Have you fasted a fast to me for seventy years? speaking of the years of captivity. How then do you now fast, tell me, when your forefathers neither sacrificed, nor fasted, nor kept festivals? For that they did not celebrate the Passover, is especially clear even from these things. For where there was no sacrifice, there was no feast, since all had to be celebrated in this way. But that we may also provide proof of the matter itself, hear what Daniel says: In those days I Daniel was mourning for three weeks. I ate no desirable bread, and no wine or meat entered my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with ointment during those weeks. And it came to pass on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, I saw the vision. Here pay close attention to me; for from these things it is clear that they did not celebrate the Passover; and how, I will tell you. In the days of unleavened bread it is not lawful for Jews to fast; but this man partook of nothing at all for twenty-one days. And how is it clear, one asks, that the twenty-one days were during the days of unleavened bread? From what he said, that it was the twenty-fourth of the first month. And yet the Passover ends on the twenty-first. For beginning from the fourteenth of the first month, then celebrating for seven days, they come to the twenty-first. But nevertheless even after the Passover had passed he himself remained fasting. For having begun from the third day of the first month, and then having completed twenty-one, he passed the fourteenth, and after that seven and three other days. How then are these men not accursed and defiled, when those holy men observed none of these legal precepts in a foreign land, while they themselves do the opposite out of contentiousness and strife? For if those who said and did these things were lazy and irreverent, perhaps one might have thought that not observing was due to laziness; but if they were lovers of God and pious, and gave their own lives for the things that pleased God, it is clear that they did not fail to keep the law out of laziness, but from being persuaded by the law itself that it is not necessary to keep all these observances outside of Jerusalem. And from this another very great point is also agreed; that the observances of sacrifices and sabbaths and new moons, and all such things, the polity of that time required as a surplus; and neither could their observance contribute anything great towards 48.879 virtue, nor could their neglect make a zealous man wicked. or diminish in any way the philosophy in his soul. These men, at any rate, who by their philosophy displayed on earth a way of life comparable to the angels, performing none of these things, not offering sacrifice, not keeping a feast, not displaying such a fast, so pleased God as to even overcome nature itself, and through the things that happened to them, to draw the whole world to the knowledge of God. For what could be equal to Daniel? What of the three children, who, anticipating the greatest commandment in the Gospels, and the sum of all good things, had already shown it through their deeds? For greater love, he says, has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. But they laid down their lives for God. And they are wonderful not only for this reason, but because they did not do this for any reward. For this reason they said, There is a God in heaven who is able to deliver us; and if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods. The reward is sufficient for us, he says, that we die for God. And they did these things, and displayed such virtue, while observing none of the customary things.

6. And for what reason. one asks, did God command these things, if he did not want them to be done? And if he did want them to be done, for what reason then did he destroy your city? For wanting them to remain, he should have done one of two things, either not to command in one place

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οὐδὲ τόπος τοῦ καρπῶσαι ἐνώπιόν σου, καὶ εὑρεῖν ἔλεος. Καίτοι γε πολὺς ἦν ἐκεῖ τόπος, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ὁ ναὸς οὐκ ἦν, ἔμενον μὴ θύοντες. Καὶ πρὸς ἑτέρους δὲ πάλιν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Ζαχαρίου, Μὴ νηστείαν νενηστεύκατέ μοι ἔτη ἑβδομήκοντα; τὰ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας λέγων. Πῶς οὖν σὺ νῦν νηστεύεις, εἰπέ μοι, τῶν προγόνων τῶν σῶν οὔτε θυσάντων, οὔτε νηστευσάντων, οὔτε ἑορτασάντων; Ὅτι γὰρ οὔτε τὸ πάσχα ἐπετέλουν, μάλιστα μὲν καὶ ἐκ τούτων δῆλον. Ὅπου γὰρ θυσία οὐκ ἦν, οὐδὲ ἑορτὴ ἦν, ἐπειδὴ πάσας οὕτως ἐπιτελεῖσθαι ἔδει. Ἵνα δὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος τὴν ἀπόδειξιν παρασχώμεθα, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ ∆ανιήλ· Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἤμην ἐγὼ ∆ανιὴλ πενθῶν, τρεῖς ἑβδομάδας ἄρτον ἐπιθυμιῶν οὐκ ἔφαγον, καὶ οἶνος καὶ κρέας οὐκ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ στόμα μου, καὶ ἄλειμμα οὐκ ἠλειψάμην ἐν ταῖς ἑβδομάσιν ἐκείναις. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ τετάρτῃ καὶ εἰκάδι ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ πρώτου μηνὸς, εἶδον τὴν ὅρασιν. Ἐνταῦθά μοι μετὰ ἀκριβείας προσέχετε· ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτων δῆλον, ὅτι τὸ πάσχα οὐκ ἐπετέλεσαν· καὶ πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω. Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῶν ἀζύμων νηστεύειν Ἰουδαίοις οὐ θέμις· οὗτος δὲ ἡμέρας εἴκοσι καὶ μίαν οὐδενὸς ὅλως μετέλαβεν. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον, φησὶν, ὅτι αἱ εἴκοσι ἡμέραι καὶ μία κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας τῶν ἀζύμων ἦσαν; Ἐξ ὧν εἶπεν, ὅτι τετάρτῃ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ πρώτου μηνός. Καίτοι γε τὸ πάσχα εἰς μίαν καὶ εἰκάδα τελευτᾷ. Ἀρξάμενοι γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης τοῦ πρώτου μηνὸς, εἶτα ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ ἑορτάσαντες, εἰς τὴν εἰκάδα καὶ πρώτην ἀπαντῶσιν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ παρελθόντος τοῦ πάσχα ἔμεινεν αὐτὸς νηστεύων. Ἀρξάμενος γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς τρίτης ἡμέρας τοῦ πρώτου μηνὸς, εἶτα εἴκοσι καὶ μίαν πληρώσας, τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην παρῆλθεν, καὶ μετ' ἐκείνην ἑπτὰ καὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἑτέρας. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἐναγεῖς οὗτοι καὶ μιαροὶ, τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον τῶν νομίμων φυλαττόντων ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλοτρίας, αὐτοὶ τὰ ἐναντία ποιοῦντες πρὸς φιλονεικίαν καὶ ἔριν; Καὶ γὰρ εἰ μὲν ῥᾴθυμοί τινες ἦσαν καὶ ἀνευλαβεῖς οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες καὶ ποιοῦντες, ἴσως ἄν τις ῥᾳθυμίας ἐνόμισεν εἶναι τὸ μὴ φυλάττειν· εἰ δὲ φιλόθεοι καὶ εὐλαβεῖς, καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τὰς ἑαυτῶν ὑπὲρ τῶν τῷ Θεῷ δοκούντων ἔδωκαν, εὔδηλον ὅτι τὸ μὴ φυλάξαι τὸν νόμον οὐ κατὰ ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐποίουν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ πεπεῖσθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ νόμου, ὅτι τὰς παρατηρήσεις ταύτας ἁπάσας ἕξω τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων φυλάττειν οὐ χρή. Καὶ ἕτερον δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου συνωμολόγηται μέγιστον· ὅτι θυσιῶν παρατηρήσεις καὶ σαββάτων καὶ νουμηνιῶν, καὶ πάντων τῶν τοιούτων, ἐκ περιουσίας ἀπῄτει ἡ τότε πολιτεία· καὶ οὔτε τηρούμενα πρὸς 48.879 ἀρετήν τι μέγα συντελεῖν ἐδύνατο, οὔτε καταλιμπανόμενα φαῦλον ποιῆσαι τὸν σπουδαῖον ἴσχυεν. ἢ μειῶσαί τι τῆς ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ φιλοσοφίας. Οὗτοι γοῦν οἱ τῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐπιδειξάμενοι ἐφαμίλλους πολιτείας ἐπὶ γῆς, οὐδὲν τούτων ἐπιτελοῦντες, οὐ θυσίαν καταβαλόντες, οὐχ ἑορτὴν τηρήσαντες, οὐ νηστείαν τοιαύτην ἐπιδειξάμενοι, οὕτως ἤρεσαν τῷ Θεῷ, ὡς καὶ αὐτῆς περιγενέσθαι τῆς φύσεως, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν διὰ τῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς συμβάντων εἰς θεογνωσίαν ἐπισπάσασθαι. Τί γὰρ ἂν ἴσον γένοιτο τοῦ ∆ανιήλ; τί δὲ τῶν τριῶν παίδων, οἳ τὸ μέγιστον ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις παράγγελμα, καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων κεφάλαιον προλαβόντες, ἤδη διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπεδείξαντο; Μείζονα γὰρ ταύτης, φησὶν, ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὑτοῦ θήσῃ. Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτῶν ἔθηκαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ οὐ διὰ τοῦτο μόνον θαυμαστοὶ, ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐπὶ μισθῷ τινι τοῦτο ἔπραττον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγον, ὅτι Ἔστι Θεὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ δυνατὸς ἐξελέσθαι ἡμᾶς· καὶ ἐὰν μὴ, γνωστὸν ἔστω σοι, βασιλεῦ, ὅτι τοῖς θεοῖς σου οὐ λατρεύομεν. Ἀρκετὸν ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὁ μισθὸς, φησὶν, ὅτι διὰ τὸν Θεὸν ἀποθνήσκομεν. Καὶ ταῦτα ἐποίουν, καὶ τοσαύτην ἀρετὴν ἐπεδείκνυντο, οὐδὲν τῶν νομιζομένων παρατηροῦντες.

ςʹ. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν. φησὶ, ταῦτα ἐπέταξεν ὁ Θεὸς, εἰ μὴ ἐβούλετο γίνεσθαι; Καὶ εἰ ἐβούλετο γίνεσθαι, τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τὴν πόλιν σου κατέλυσε; ∆υοῖν γὰρ θάτερον ἐχρῆν ποιεῖν αὐτὸν, βουλόμενον αὐτὰ μένειν, ἢ μὴ κελεῦσαι ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ