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he says, a pious death than a lawless life. 81.1345 ϛϛʹ. "And now, he says, behold I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which shall speak a blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be destroyed, and their houses shall be plundered, because there is no other God who is able to deliver in this way." And in reality he learned this from experience; for having destroyed the sanctuaries of many so-called gods, and plundered their treasuries, torn down altars, and slaughtered their priests, he received no experience of any divine beneficence; but when he unleashed his rage against those dedicated to God, he saw both the infinite power of God and His ineffable long-suffering; for He kept His own servants unharmed, but did not for the time exact punishment for his madness, but when he persisted in his impiety, He punished him moderately after a short time, and then when he repented, He deemed him worthy of His loving-kindness. ϛζʹ. "Then, however, he says, the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon, and advanced them, and deemed them worthy to be rulers over all the Jews in his kingdom." The Master takes such great care of those who have been zealous to serve Him. And rightly did these holy youths cry out that "There is no shame for those who trust in you." Therefore, let us too acquire this hope, preferring the Creator and Governor of all creation together; and let these blessed youths be for us an example of benefit, an archetype of piety, guides to God, and of the things granted by God to the worthy; may it be that we all attain these things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

VOLUME 4. ϛηʹ. "Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages, that

dwell in all the earth, peace be multiplied to you." I think it is of prime importance, first to go through the subject of this letter and the 81.1348 reason for it, and then to make the interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar, having gained mastery over all of Asia, and having brought Egypt under his power, and having subdued the Ethiopians near Egypt, treated his subjects very cruelly and harshly, and was driven to such arrogance as to think himself greater and more powerful not only than the so-called gods, but also than the truly existing God. And about this insatiable pride of his, not only does the divine Daniel teach, but also the most divine prophet Isaiah, or rather, the God of all himself speaking thus through the prophet: "Woe to the Assyrians, the rod of my anger and my wrath is in their hands; I will send my wrath upon a lawless nation, and I will command my people to take spoils and plunder, and to trample down the cities, and to turn them into dust." What he says is something like this: The Assyrians are worthy of lamentations, being workers of countless evils; but nevertheless I will use them as ministers for the punishments against sinners, and I will bring them like a chastising rod upon the lawless; not only upon other men, but also upon my so-called people. I will bring it, because of his great impiety and lawlessness, and I will destroy their cities through these men, and I will prepare the spoils in the cities to become theirs. I, therefore, using the Assyrian as a sort of executioner, exact justice through him upon those who transgress the law. "But he, it says, did not think so, nor did his soul reason so; but his mind will alter, and to destroy not a few nations. And if they should say to him: You alone are ruler, he will also say: Did I not take the country above Babylon, and Calneh, where the tower was built, and did I not take Arabia, and Damascus, and Samaria? In the manner of these, and all the countries

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φησὶν, εὐσεβῆ θάνατον παρανόμου ζωῆς. 81.1345 ϛϛʹ. "Καὶ νῦν, φησὶν, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐκτίθημι δό γματα, ὅπως πᾶς λαὸς, φυλὴ, γλῶσσα, ἢ ἂν εἴπῃ βλασφημίαν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ Σιδρὰχ, Μισὰχ, καὶ Ἀβδε ναγὼ, εἰς ἀπώλειαν ἔσονται, καὶ οἱ οἶκοι αὐτῶν διαρπαγήσονται, καθότι οὐκ ἔστι Θεὸς ἕτερος, ὃς δυνήσεται ῥύσασθαι οὕτως." Καὶ τῷ ὄντι τῇ πείρᾳ τοῦτο μεμάθηκεν· πολλῶν γὰρ καλουμένων θεῶν τὰ τεμένη καταλύσας, καὶ τὰ ταμεῖα συλήσας, βωμοὺς ἀνασπάσας, καὶ τοὺς ἱερωμένους αὐτῶν κατασφάξας, οὐδεμιᾶς θείας εὐεργεσίας ἐδέξατο πεῖραν· κατὰ δὲ τῶν τῷ Θεῷ ἀνακειμένων τῇ λύττῃ χρησάμενος, εἶδε τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν ἄπειρον δύναμιν, καὶ τὴν μακροθυμίαν τὴν ἄῤῥητον· τοὺς μὲν γὰρ οἰκείους θεράποντας ἀκραιφνεῖς διεφύλαξεν, αὐτὸν δὲ τέως δίκας τῆς μανίας οὐκ εἰσεπράξατο, ἐπιμείναντα δὲ τῇ δυσσεβείᾳ μετὰ βραχὺ μετρίως ἐκόλασεν, εἶτα μετανοίᾳ χρησάμενον φιλανθρωπίας ἠξίωσεν. ϛζʹ. "Τότε δὲ ὅμως κατεύθυνε, φησὶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν Σιδρὰχ, Μισὰχ, καὶ Ἀβδεναγὼ, ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ ηὔξησεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἠξίωσεν αὐ τοὺς ἡγεῖσθαι πάντων τῶν Ἰουδαίων τῶν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ." Τοσαύτην ὁ ∆εσπότης τῶν θεραπεύειν αὐτὸν ἐσπουδακότων ποιεῖται προμήθειαν. Καὶ εἰκότως ἐβόων οἱ ἅγιοι παῖδες οὗτοι, ὅτι "Οὐκ ἔστιν αἰσχύνη τοῖς πεποιθόσιν ἐπὶ σοί." Καὶ ἡμεῖς τοίνυν ταύτην κτησώμεθα τὴν ἐλπίδα, πάσης ὁμοῦ προτιμῶντες τῆς κτίσεως τὸν Ποιητήν τε καὶ Κυβερνήτην· καὶ γενέσθωσαν ἡμῖν οἱ μακάριοι οὗτοι παῖδες ὠφελείας παράδειγμα, εὐσεβείας ἀρχέ τυπον, ποδηγοὶ πρὸς Θεὸν, καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς ἀξίοις χορηγούμενα· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπι τυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΤΟΜΟΣ ∆ʹ. ϛηʹ. "Ναβουχοδονόσορ ὁ βασιλεὺς πᾶσι τοῖς λαοῖς, φυλαῖς, γλώσσαις, τοῖς

οἰκοῦσιν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ, εἰρήνη ὑμῖν πληθυνθείη." Προὔργου νομίζω, πρό τερον τὴν ὑπόθεσιν τῆσδε τῆς ἐπιστολῆς καὶ τὴν 81.1348 αἰτίαν διεξελθεῖν, εἶθ' οὕτως τὴν ἑρμηνείαν ποιήσα σθαι. Ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ τῆς Ἀσίας ἁπάσης κεκρατηκὼς, καὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον δὲ ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ποιησάμε νος, καὶ Αἰθίοπας τοὺς πρὸς Αἴγυπτον χειρωσάμενος, ὠμῶς μὲν λίαν καὶ ἀπηνῶς ἐχρήσατο τοῖς ὑπηκόοις, εἰς τοσαύτην δὲ ἤλασεν ἀλαζονείαν, ὡς νομίζειν οὐ μόνον τῶν καλουμένων θεῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὄντως Θεοῦ μείζων εἶναι καὶ δυνατώτερος. Τοῦτον δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀπληστότατον τῦφον, οὐ μόνον ὁ θεσπέ σιος διδάσκει ∆ανιὴλ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ θειότατος Ἡσαΐας ὁ προφήτης, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου φθεγγόμενος οὕτως· "Οὐαὶ Ἀσσυρίοις, ἡ ῥάβδος τοῦ θυμοῦ μου καὶ ὀργῆς μού ἐστιν ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν· τὴν ὀργήν μου εἰς ἔθνος ἄνομον ἀποστελῶ, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ λαῷ συντάξω ποιῆσαι σκῦλα καὶ προνομὴν, καὶ καταπατεῖν τὰς πόλεις, καὶ θεῖναι αὐτὰς εἰς κονιορτόν." Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Θρήνων μέν εἰσιν ἄξιοι Ἀσσύριοι, μυρίων ὄντες ἐργάται κακῶν· ἀλλ' ὅμως τούτοις διακόνοις εἰς τὰς κατὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν χρήσομαι τιμωρίας, καὶ οἷόν τινα ῥάβδον κολαστικὴν τούτους τοῖς παρανομοῦσιν ἐπάξω· οὐ τοῖς ἄλλοις δὲ μόνον ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ προσαγορευομένῳ μου λαῷ. Ἐπάξω δὲ, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν αὐτοῦ ἀσέβειαν, καὶ παρανομίαν, καὶ τάς τε πόλεις αὐτῶν διὰ τούτων καθελῶ, καὶ τὰ ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι σκῦλα τούτων γενέ σθαι παρασκευάσω. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, οἷόν τινι δημίῳ τῷ Ἀσσυρίῳ χρώμενος, δίκας δι' αὐτοῦ τοὺς παρα νομοῦντας εἰσπράττομαι. "Αὐτὸς δὲ, φησὶν, οὐχ οὕτως ἐνεθυμήθη, καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ οὐχ οὕτως λελόγισται· ἀλλὰ ἀπαλλάξει ὁ νοῦς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι ἔθνη οὐκ ὀλίγα. Καὶ ἐὰν εἴπωσιν αὐτῷ· Σὺ μόνος εἶ ἄρχων, καὶ ἐρεῖ· Οὐκ ἔλαβον τὴν χώραν τὴν ἐπάνω Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ Χαλάνην, οὗ πύργος ᾠκο δομήθη, καὶ ἔλαβον Ἀραβίαν, καὶ ∆αμασκὸν, καὶ Σαμάρειαν; Ὃν τρόπον ταύτας, καὶ πάσας τὰς χώρας