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of him. And at the end of their kingdom, when their sins are filled up, a king shall arise, shameless in countenance, and understanding problems. And his strength shall be mighty, but not by his own strength; and he will destroy marvelously, and will act, and will destroy the mighty, and the holy people. And the yoke of his chain shall prosper. Deceit is in his hand, and in his heart he will be magnified, and by deceit he will destroy many, and he will stand for the destruction of many, and he will crush them like eggs in his hand. And the vision of the evening, and of the morning that was spoken, is true. And you, seal up the vision, because it will be for many days. And he said, it says, Make this man understand the vision, Gabriel. See the commands of angels and archangels. Is another power perhaps greater? And he came, it says, and I was terrified. And he stood beside my place. And when he came, I was terrified. Where then are those who speak evil of the angels? 56.236 He did not do anything from himself. Do you see that they too are arranged in many orders and formations? In the first, He approached, it says, and I asked. Here, no longer. And I heard one holy one speaking. And another asked, either being ignorant, so that this one might learn. And he answered, it says. And at the end of the kingdom, when their sins are filled up, a king will arise, shameless in countenance. See how he shows them that they themselves are the cause. For this reason he does not reveal the words, lest they remain in willing evil; for if, when none of these things had been said, they remained, how much more so, when they were revealed; and so that you may learn that the Spirit has strength everywhere, and that God foreknows all things, and that knowing they would sin, he brought them up. And see, since he said years, it seemed a short time, he breaks it down into a number of days, so that he might frighten by the quantity, counting not only days, but nights as well. And he dwells on the tragedy concerning Antiochus, so that he might frighten them even this way. And not by his own strength. That is, that God was able to hinder him, but permitted it on account of their sins, and not simply when they were sinning, but when their sins were filled up. Is there then some measure? For not yet, it says, were the sins of the Amorites filled up. And see, there is not yet then a burning, but killings by slaughter. For since there were to be some who were good, and leaders of the fathers, the punishments also became less. But these things are said, so that they, not being lifted up by the victories under Zerubbabel, might become indolent. And see how he does not place anything glorious here after the events concerning Antiochus, but only speaks of a release from the terrible things, and the time that passed. What then? Did he not foretell this captivity? Yes, very enigmatically; which is why Christ also said: When you see the abomination of desolation, let the one who reads understand. They will come, he says, not as one who foretold. And some indeed say that it was with good reason these things were not foretold; for this captivity did not have time to take hold. For I will give, he says, the wicked for his burial, and the rich for his death. And you, seal this vision, because it will be for many days. That is, guard it, preserve it, so that it may not be corrupted by the long time. See God everywhere sparing them. They went down to Egypt, they became wicked; he did not depart, he led them into the desert. They persisted in wickedness; he did not depart, he brought them into the land of promise. He brought them up again under Antiochus; again they remained the same. Under Christ, again the same; and not even then did he depart, but always cares for them. And just as natural things would not depart, the things of nature belonging to us, whatever may happen; so neither does God; or rather, it is possible for those things to depart, but for him not at all to cease providing and caring. For even if a woman, he says, should forget to have mercy on the offspring of her womb, yet I will not forget you. For just as she does not look to the virtue of the children, but fulfills a law of nature; so, and much more, God always cares, never departs, always shows the same measure. And I, Daniel, fell asleep, and was sick for days; and I arose, and 56.237 was doing the king's business; and

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αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῶν, πληρουμένων τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν, ἀναστήσεται βασιλεὺς ἀναιδὴς προσώπῳ, καὶ συνιὼν προβλήματα. Καὶ κραταιὰ ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτοῦ· καὶ θαυμαστὰ διαφθερεῖ, καὶ ποιήσει, καὶ διαφθερεῖ ἰσχυροὺς, καὶ λαὸν ἅγιον. Καὶ ὁ ζυγὸς τοῦ κλοιοῦ αὐτοῦ κατευθυνεῖ. ∆όλος ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν καρ δίᾳ αὐτοῦ μεγαλυνθήσεται, καὶ δόλῳ διαφθερεῖ πολλοὺς, καὶ ἐπὶ ἀπωλείᾳ πολλῶν στήσεται, καὶ ὡς ὠὰ ἐν χειρὶ συντρίψει αὐτούς. Καὶ ἡ ὅρασις τῆς ἑσπέρας, καὶ τῆς πρωΐας τῆς ῥηθείσης, ἀλη θής ἐστιν. Καὶ σὺ σφράγισαι τὴν ὅρασιν, ὅτι εἰς ἡμέρας πολλὰς ἔσται. Καὶ εἶπε, φησὶ, Γνώρισον ἐκείνῳ τὴν ὅρασιν, Γαβριήl. Ὅρα ἐπιτάγματα ἀγ γέλων καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων. Μείζων ἴσως δύναμις ἑτέρα; Καὶ ἦλθε, φησὶ, καὶ ἐθαμβήθην. Καὶ ἔστη ἐχό μενα τῆς στάσεώς μου. Καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐλθεῖν αὐτὸν, ἐθαμβήθην. Τοῦ (l. ποῦ) τοίνυν οἱ τοὺς ἀγγέλους κα 56.236 κῶς λέγοντες; Οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ τι ἐποίησεν. Ὁρᾷς καὶ αὐτοὺς εἰς τάξεις πολλὰς καὶ διατυπώσεις τετα γμένους; Ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ, Προσῆλθε, φησὶ, καὶ ἠρώτησα. Ἐνταῦθα οὐκέτι. Καὶ ἤκουσα ἑνὸς ἁγίου λαλοῦντος. Καὶ ἕτερος ἠρώτησεν, ἤτοι ἀγνοῶν, ἵνα οὗτος μάθῃ. Καὶ ἀπεκρίνατο, φησί. Καὶ ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῆς βασιλείας, πληρουμένων τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν, ἀναστήσεται βασιλεὺς ἀναιδὴς προσώπῳ. Ὅρα πῶς δείκνυσιν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ αἴτιοι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐ φανεροῖ τοὺς λόγους, ἵνα μὴ ἐθελοκακήσαντες μένωσιν· εἰ γὰρ, μηδενὸς τούτων εἰρημένων, ἔμενον, πολλῷ μᾶλλον, φανερωθέντων· καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι πανταχοῦ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἰσχὺν ἔχει, καὶ ὅτι πάντα πρόοιδεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ὅτι εἰδὼς ἁμαρτή σοντας ἀνήγαγε. Καὶ ὅρα, ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν ἐνιαυτοὺς, ὀλίγος χρόνος ἐφαίνετο, εἰς ἡμερῶν ἀναλύει ἀριθμὸν, ἵνα τῷ πλήθει φοβήσῃ, οὐχ ἡμέρας, ἀλλὰ καὶ νύκτας ἀριθμῶν. Καὶ ἐνδιατρίβει τῇ τραγῳδίᾳ τῇ κατὰ Ἀν τίοχον, ἵνα κἂν οὕτω φοβήσῃ. Καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτοῦ. Τουτέστιν, ὅτι ἠδύνατο ὁ Θεὸς κωλῦσαι αὐ τὸν, ἀλλ' ἐπέτρεψε διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἁμαρτόντων, ἀλλ' ἡνίκα ἐπληρώθησαν. Ἆρα μέτρον τί ἐστιν; Οὔπω γὰρ ἂν ἐπεπλήρωντο, φησὶ, αἱ ἁμαρτίαι τῶν Ἀμοῤῥαίων. Καὶ ὅρα, οὔπω λοιπὸν ἐμπρησμὸς, ἀλλὰ σφαγῶν ἀναιρέσεις. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλόν τινες εἶναι οἱ καλοὶ, καὶ προϊστάμενοι τῶν πατέρων, καὶ τὰ τῆς τιμωρίας ἐλάττω γέγονε. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγεται, ἵνα μὴ ταῖς νίκαις ταῖς ἐπὶ Ζορωβάβελ ἐπαρθέντες, ῥᾴθυμοι γίνωνται. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς οὐ τίθησι λαμπρά τινα ἐνταῦθα μετὰ τὰ κατὰ Ἀντίοχον, ἀλλὰ μόνον λύσιν τῶν δεινῶν λέγει, καὶ τὸν κατασχόντα καιρόν. Τί οὖν; ταύτην οὐ προεῖπε τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν; Ναὶ, σφόδρα αἰνιγματωδῶς· διὸ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς εἶπεν· Ὅταν ἴδητε τὸ βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως, ὁ ἀναγινώσκων νοείτω. Ἐλεύσονται, φησὶ, οὐχ ὡς προειπόντος. Καί τινες μὲν λέγουσιν, ὅτι εἰκότως ταῦτα οὐ προεῤῥήθη· οὐ γὰρ εἶχε χρόνον ἡ αἰχμα λωσία αὕτη λαβεῖν. ∆ώσω γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ τοὺς πο νηροὺς ἀντὶ τῆς ταφῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς πλου σίους ἀντὶ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ. Καὶ σὺ σφράγισαι τὴν ὅρασιν ταύτην, ὅτι εἰς ἡμέρας πολλὰς ἔσται. Τουτέστι, φύλαξον, διατήρησον, ἵνα μὴ τῷ μακρῷ χρόνῳ διαφθαρῇ. Ὅρα πανταχοῦ τὸν Θεὸν φειδόμενον αὐτῶν. Κατῆλθον εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ἐγένοντο φαῦλοι· οὐκ ἀπέστη, ἤγαγεν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον. Ἐπέμειναν τῇ κακίᾳ· οὐκ ἀπέστη, εἰσήγαγεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγ γελίας. Ἀνήγαγε πάλιν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ Ἀντιόχου· πάλιν οἱ αὐτοὶ ἔμενον. Ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πάλιν οἱ αὐτοί· καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀπέστη, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ κήδεται. Καὶ καθάπερ τὰ φυσικὰ οὐκ ἂν ἀποσταίη, τὰ φύσεως προσόντα ἡμῖν, ὅπερ ἂν γένηται· οὕτως οὐδὲ Θεός· μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκεῖνα δυνατὸν ἀποστῆναι, αὐτὸν δὲ οὐδαμῶς προ νοοῦντα, καὶ κηδόμενον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐπιλάθοιτο, φησὶ, γυνὴ τοῦ ἐλεῆσαι τὰ ἔκγονα τῆς κοιλίας αὐτῆς, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐπιλήσομαί σου. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκείνη οὐ πρὸς τὴν ἀρετὴν ὁρᾷ τῶν παίδων, ἀλλὰ φύσεως νόμον πληροῖ· οὕτω, καὶ πολλῷ μᾶλλον, ὁ Θεὸς ἀεὶ κήδεται, οὐδέποτε ἀφίσταται, ἀεὶ τὸ αὐτὸ μέτρον ἐπιδείκνυται. Καὶ ἐγὼ ∆ανιὴλ ἐκοιμήθην, καὶ ἐμαλακίσθην ἡμέρας· καὶ ἀνέστην, καὶ 56.237 ἐποίουν τὰ ἔργα τοῦ βασιλέως· καὶ