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to save sinners in the world, of whom I am the first." And he names himself the first of sinners, but calls himself the last of the saints; so also these blessed ones exhort themselves as the last to hymn the Lord, and to exalt him forever. Then they narrate the wonder: "For he has delivered us from Hades, and saved us from the hand of death." For we were despaired of by human votes. "And he has delivered us from the midst of the burning flame; and from the midst of the fire he has delivered us. (πθʹ.) Therefore give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is forever." For what is better, what is more good than he who has shown such mercy in our affairs? And having displayed such virtue, they say they have obtained salvation by mercy. Then, since they mentioned only the sons of Israel above, they also call those among the nations who are pious, and who have been zealous to serve God. ϛʹ. "Bless, all you who worship the Lord, the God of gods, hymn and give thanks, for his mercy is for all ages, and for the age of ages." And striving to show the infinity of his goodness, and being overcome, they often repeat the name of the ages. Such was this hymn of these saints that it astonished even the beastly and harsh king, made him rise from his royal thrones, and caused him to run to them, and he sees four instead of three dancing in the furnace. 81.1344 "And he says to his nobles: Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? ( ϛβʹ.) And behold, I see four men unbound, and walking in the midst of the fire, and there is no harm in them, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of God." O the ineffable long-suffering! Rightly did the holy children cry out: "For his mercy is for all ages, and for the age of ages." For behold, even this one who used such cruelty and pride, and tried to usurp divine worship and to punish the divine servants cruelly and beastially, He leads to piety, and shows him His own wonder-working, and makes manifest to him the angel sent for the aid of the saints. And he astonishes him, first by the number, showing four instead of three; then by the loosening of the bonds; for he saw them unbound instead of bound; then by their safety; "For there is no harm," he says, "in them." Wherefore, astonished, and having cast down his pride, he approaches; ϛγʹ. "And he says: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the most high God, come out and come here. And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the midst of the fire." The foolish one has learned, he who said: "What god is there who will deliver you from my hands?" that there is a God having ineffable power, commanding the fire to show a contrary quality to the saints. For the God whom he did not acknowledge, he knew that He is God, and the most high God. And when the saints came out, all the satraps, and governors, and generals marveled, seeing the bodies of the saints preserved unharmed, and that the very hairs had received no sensation from that flame; not only the hairs, but also their clothing, and their sandals remained intact, so that they were even free from the smell of the fire. Then Nebuchadnezzar, having seen these things, praises and says: ϛεʹ. "Blessed is the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel, and delivered his servants, because they trusted in him, and changed the king's word, and gave up their bodies, that they might not serve, nor worship any other god, but their own God." Always the foolish one, perceiving the power of God by experience, gives the wonders over to forgetfulness. This he also did in the case of the most divine Daniel; for having risen he worshipped him, and ordered that a meal offering and incense be brought to him. And now likewise having seen the salvation of these saints, he hymns God, and marvels at the men, because they changed the king's word, and preferred,

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κόσμον ἁμαρτωλοὺς σῶσαι, ὧν πρῶτός εἰμι ἐγώ." Καὶ τῶν μὲν ἁμαρτωλῶν πρῶτον ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει, τῶν δὲ ἁγίων ἔσχατον ἀποκαλεῖ· οὕτω καὶ οἱ μακάριοι οὗτοι ἐσχάτους ἑαυτοὺς παρακελεύονται ὑμνεῖν τὸν Κύ ριον, καὶ ὑπερυψοῦν αὐτὸν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Εἶτα διηγοῦνται τὸ θαῦμα· "Ὅτι ἐῤῥύσατο ἡμᾶς ἐξ ᾅδου, καὶ ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς ἐκ χειρὸς θανάτου." Ἀν θρωπίναις γὰρ ἀπηγορεύθημεν ψήφοις. "Καὶ ἐῤῥύσατο ἡμᾶς ἐκ μέσου καιομένης φλο γός· καὶ ἐκ μέσου πυρὸς ἐῤῥύσατο ἡμᾶς. (πθʹ.) Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τοίνυν τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅτι χρηστὸς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ." Τί γὰρ χρηστότερον, τί δὲ ἀγαθώτερον τοῦ τοσούτῳ ἐν τοῖς καθ' ἡμᾶς χρησαμένου ἐλέῳ; Καὶ τοσαύτην ἀρετὴν ἐπιδειξά μενοι, ἐλέῳ φασὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τετυχηκέναι. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ μόνων τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἐμνημόνευσαν ἄνω, καλοῦσι καὶ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐσεβοῦντας, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν θεραπεύειν ἐσπουδακότας. ϛʹ. "Εὐλογεῖτε, πάντες οἱ σεβόμενοι τὸν Κύριον, τὸν Θεὸν τῶν θεῶν, ὑμνεῖτε καὶ ἐξομολογεῖσθε, ὅτι εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τῶν αἰώνων." Καὶ τὸ ἄπειρον αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀγαθότητος δεῖξαι φιλονεικοῦντες, καὶ ἡττώμενοι, πολλάκις τὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἀναστρέφουσιν ὄνομα. Τοιοῦ τος τῶν ἁγίων τούτων ὁ ὕμνος οὗτος καὶ τὸν θηριώδη καὶ ἀπηνῆ βασιλέα ἐκπλήξας, τῶν μὲν βασιλικῶν ἐξανέστησε θρόνων, δραμεῖν δὲ παρ' αὐτοὺς παρ εσκεύασε, καὶ θεωρεῖ τέτταρας ἀντὶ τριῶν ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ χορεύοντας. 81.1344 "Καὶ λέγει τοῖς μεγιστᾶσιν αὐτοῦ· Οὐχὶ ἄνδρας τρεῖς ἐβάλομεν εἰς μέσον τοῦ πυρὸς πεπεδημένους; ( ϛβʹ.) Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ θεωρῶ ἄνδρας τέσσαρας λελυ μένους, καὶ περιπατοῦντας ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ πυρὸς, καὶ διαφθορὰ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἡ ὅρασις τοῦ τε τάρτου ὁμοία υἱῷ Θεοῦ." Ὢ τῆς ἀῤῥήτου μακρο θυμίας! Εἰκότως ἐβόων οἱ ἅγιοι παῖδες· "Ὅτι εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τῶν αἰώνων." Ἰδοὺ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτον ὠμότητι τοσαύ τῃ καὶ τύφῳ χρησάμενον, καὶ τὸ θεῖον σέβας ἁρπά σαι καὶ τοὺς θείους θεράποντας ὠμῶς καὶ θηριω δῶς κολάσαι πειραθέντα, πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν ποδ ηγεῖ, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν αὐτῷ θαυματουργίαν ὑποδεί κνυσι, καὶ τὸν ἀποσταλέντα εἰς ἐπικουρίαν τῶν ἁγίων ἄγγελον ἐμφανῆ αὐτῷ ποιεῖ. Καὶ ἐκπλήττει μὲν αὐτὸν, πρῶτον τῷ ἀριθμῷ, ἀντὶ τριῶν τέσσαρας ὑποδείξας· ἔπειτα τῇ λύσει τῶν δεσμῶν· λελυμένους γὰρ ἀντὶ δεδεμένων ἑώρα· ἔπειτα τῇ σωτηρίᾳ· "∆ιαφθορὰ γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς." Ὅθεν ἐκπλαγεὶς, καὶ καταλύσας τὸν τῦφον, προσέρ χεται· ϛγʹ. "Καί φησι· Σιδρὰχ, Μισὰχ, καὶ Ἀβδεναγὼ, οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ἐξέλθετε καὶ δεῦτε. Καὶ ἐξῆλθον Σιδρὰχ, Μισὰχ καὶ Ἀβδεναγὼ ἐκ μέσου τοῦ πυρός." Μεμάθηκεν ὁ μάταιος, ὁ λέγων· "Τίς ἐστι Θεὸς, ὃς ῥύσεται ὑμᾶς ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν μου;" ὅτι ἔστι Θεὸς ἄῤῥητον ἔχων δύναμιν, τῷ πυρὶ κε λεύων ἐναντίαν ἐπιδείξασθαι τοῖς ἁγίοις ποιότητα. Ὃν γὰρ Θεὸν ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἐνόμιζεν, ἔγνω ὅτι ἔστι Θεὸς, καὶ ὕψιστος Θεός. Ἐξελθόντων δὲ τῶν ἁγίων, θαυμάζουσι μὲν ἅπαντες σατράπαι, καὶ τοπάρχαι, καὶ στρατηγοὶ, θεωροῦντες ἀκήρατα διατηρηθέντα τῶν ἁγίων τὰ σώματα, καὶ τὰς τρίχας αὐτὰς οὐδε μίαν αἴσθησιν ἐκ τῆς φλογὸς δεξαμένας ἐκείνης· οὐ τὰς τρίχας δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ἐσθῆτα, καὶ τὰ ὑποδήματα ἀκέραια μείναντα, ὡς καὶ αὐτῆς ἀπηλλάχθαι τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς ὀσμῆς. Εἶτα ὑμνεῖ ταῦτα θεασάμενος ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, καὶ λέγει· ϛεʹ. "Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Σιδρὰχ, Μισὰχ, καὶ Ἀβδεναγὼ, ὃς ἀπέστειλε τὸν ἄγγελον αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἐῤ ῥύσατο τοὺς παῖδας αὑτοῦ, ὅτι ἐπεποίθεισαν ἐπ' αὐτῷ, καὶ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ βασιλέως ἠλλοίωσαν, καὶ παρέδωκαν τὰ σώματα αὑτῶν, ὅπως μὴ λατρεύ σωσι, μηδὲ προσκυνήσωσι παντὶ θεῷ ἑτέρῳ, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ αὑτῶν." Ἀεὶ τῇ πείρᾳ παραλαμβάνων ὁ μάταιος τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, λήθῃ τὰ θαύματα παραδίδωσι. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ θειοτάτου πεποίηκε ∆ανιήλ· ἀναστὰς γὰρ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ, καὶ μα ναὰ καὶ εὐωδίαν προσενεχθῆναι αὐτῷ παρενεγγύησε. Καὶ νῦν δὲ ὡσαύτως θεασάμενος τῶν ἁγίων τούτων τὴν σωτηρίαν, ὑμνεῖ τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ θαυμάζει τοὺς ἄνδρας, ὅτι ἠλλοίωσαν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ προετίμησαν,