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from his own virtue, and from having suffered countless things, he does not yet take courage, but having spread ashes and sackcloth under him, so he prayed. What shall we do, who are insensible? We ought to have imitated this man. For lest anyone say that the other prophets did these things because of poverty; he who most of all was raised to a greatness of dignities, this one is humbled most of all. And he was of the royal seed, and enjoyed so many things. Thus one must mourn one’s own dreadful things, thus spare one’s own members. This is the compassion of the prophets. See how in this he is most admirable. Moses said: If you forgive them, but if not, blot me also out of the book. This one was continually in fastings and tears. Paul was continually in tears, and he dared to face Gehenna itself. None of them has a sense of his own good things; but just as in a body, when the eye is beautiful, it would not have a sense of its beauty, if the feet were rotten and corrupt; so it was then also. For what reason the ashes? It reminded him of his own nature. For what reason the sackcloth? By its roughness it humbles. For what reason the fast? This also reminded him of the things in paradise. This is their custom, to pursue what torments. I am not worthy of the earth, he says, nor of garments, nor of the things according to nature, but of a harsher punishment, he who was clothed in Persian fabrics, who had a Persian tiara. And what does he say? Let us see the confession. And I prayed to the Lord my God. See the love for the Master. My God, he says; He whom he did not dare to beseech, this one he calls his God. While I was still 56.239 speaking, and praying, and confessing my sins, and the sins of my people Israel, and casting my supplication before the Lord my God, for the holy mountain of my God; and while I was still speaking in prayer, behold the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, flying; and he touched me about the time of the evening sacrifice. And he gave me understanding, and spoke with me, and said: Daniel, I have now come forth to give you understanding. At the beginning of your supplication the word went forth; and I have come to tell you, for you are a man greatly beloved. And consider the word, and understand the vision. So that also when the Jews say to us: Why in Isaiah, when Uzziah was afraid concerning the war, and the attack of the two kings, did the prophet go out and give them a sign that would happen after countless years? we ourselves will also say to them: For what reason, when Daniel asked about the return, and desired to hear something about these things, did an angel come out and announce nothing about them, but taught about things that would happen long times after? But just as here he resolves what is sought out of abundance, so also there. For it is the greatest proof of faith that the city will rise again, that it will also be captured again. What then? Does he do this, wishing to grieve the prophet? By no means, but to make them more fearful. And not once, nor twice, but many times. For since the prosperity that was to come was sufficient to puff up their mind, not only with the city being rebuilt, but also being built by barbarian hands, by those barbarian hands that had destroyed it. For Isaiah also says this, showing the omnipotence and resourcefulness of God, how He is able to both do and change all things. Since, therefore, their ancestral things were about to be restored to them, and brilliant and successive victories, which the prophets also proclaim; as for instance Ezekiel, that after years their weapons will be burned up, of those about to be captured; and the others continuously said the same things; so that, not being lifted up by these things, they might become worse than their predecessors, by the fear of the prophecy, and by saying the same things many times (perhaps, by the much-ness), as if placing them under an inescapable necessity of not being destroyed even if they wished it. And for this reason he also made the time unclear; since what need was there for these things to be announced? And see when it is prophesied. At the very time of the return, when their affairs were flourishing and blooming. Just as also Moses, being about to bring them 56.240 into the land

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τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας ἀρετῆς, καὶ τοῦ μυρία παθεῖν, οὐδέπω θαῤῥεῖ, ἀλλὰ τέφραν ὑποστρωσάμενος καὶ σάκκον, οὕτως ἐδεῖτο. Τί ποιήσομεν ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀνάλγητοι; Τοῦτον ἡμᾶς ἐχρῆν μιμεῖσθαι. Ἵνα γὰρ μή τις λέγῃ, ὅτι διὰ πενίαν οἱ λοιποὶ προφῆται ταῦτα ἐποίουν· ὁ μάλιστα πάντων πρὸς ἀξιωμάτων μέγεθος ἀναχθεὶς, οὗτος μάλιστα πάντων ταπεινοῦται. Καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος τῆς βα σιλείας ἦν, καὶ τοσούτων ἀπέλαυσεν. Οὕτω δεῖ πενθεῖν τὰ οἰκεῖα δεινὰ, οὕτω τῶν μελῶν φείδεσθαι τῶν οἰκείων. Τοῦτο συμπάθεια τῶν προφητῶν. Ὅρα ταύτῃ μάλιστα θαυμασιώτερον ὄντα. Μωϋσῆς ἔλεγεν· Εἰ μὲν ἀφῇς αὐτοῖς, ἐπεὶ κἀμὲ ἐξάλειψον ἐκ τῆς βίβλου. Οὗτος ἐν νηστείαις ἦν καὶ δάκρυσι διηνεκῶς. Παῦλος διηνε κῶς ἐν δάκρυσι, καὶ γεέννης αὐτῆς κατετόλμησεν. Οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἔχει τῶν οἰκείων ἀγαθῶν αἴσθησιν· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐν σώματι, τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ καλοῦ τυγχάνοντος, οὐκ ἂν λάβοι τοῦ κάλλους αἴσθησιν, σεσηπότων τῶν ποδῶν καὶ διεφθαρμένων· οὕτω καὶ τότε ἦν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἡ σποδός; Ἀνεμίμνησκεν αὐτὸν τῆς οἰκείας φύσεως. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ὁ σάκκος; Τῇ τραχύτητι ταπει νοῖ. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἡ νηστεία; Καὶ αὕτη τῶν ἐν παρα δείσῳ ἀνεμίμνησκεν. Τοῦτο αὐτοῖς ἔθος ἐστὶ, τὰ βασανίζοντα διώκειν. Οὐδὲ τῆς γῆς ἄξιός εἰμι, φησὶν, οὐδὲ τῶν ἱματίων, οὐδὲ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν πραγμάτων, ἀλλὰ χαλεπωτέρας τιμωρίας, ὁ τὰ Περσικὰ περιβε βλημένος ὑφάσματα, ὁ τιάραν ἔχων Περσικήν. Καὶ τί φησι; Ἴδωμεν τὴν ἐξομολόγησιν. Καὶ προσηυξά μην πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεόν μου. Ὅρα τὸ φίλτρον τὸ περὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην. Τὸν Θεόν μου, φησί· ὃν οὐκ ἐτόλμα ἱκετεύειν, τοῦτον Θεὸν αὐτοῦ καλεῖ. Ἔτι ἐμοῦ 56.239 λαλοῦντος, καὶ προσευχομένου, καὶ ἐξαγορεύοντος τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου, καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ μου Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ῥίπτοντος τὸν ἔλεόν μου ἔναντι Κυ ρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ μου, ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ ἁγίου τοῦ Θεοῦ μου· καὶ ἔτι ἐμοῦ λαλοῦντος ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ Γαβριὴλ, ὃν εἶδον ἐν τῇ ὁράσει ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ, πετώμενος· καὶ ἥψατό μου ὡσεὶ ὥραν θυσίας ἑσπερινῆς. Καὶ συνέτισέ με, καὶ ἐλάλησε μετ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν· ∆ανιὴλ, νῦν ἐξῆλθον, συμ βιβάσαι σε σύνεσιν. Ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς δεήσεώς σου ἐξῆλθεν ὁ λόγος· καὶ ἐγὼ ἦλθον τοῦ ἀναγγεῖλαί σοι, ὅτι ἀνὴρ ἐπιθυμιῶν εἶ σύ. Καὶ ἐννοήθητι ἐν τῷ ῥήματι, καὶ σύνες ἐν τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ. Ὥστε καὶ ὅταν λέγωσιν ἡμῖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· ∆ιὰ τί ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ, τοῦ Ὀζίου περὶ τοῦ πολέμου δεδιότος, καὶ τῆς ἐφόδου τῶν δύο βασιλέων, ὁ προφήτης ἐξελθὼν ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς σημεῖον, μετὰ μυρία ἔτη συμβαῖνον; ἐροῦμεν καὶ αὐτοὶ πρὸς αὐτούς· Τίνος ἕνεκεν τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ ἀξιώ σαντος ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀνόδου, καὶ ἐπιθυμοῦντος ἀκοῦσαί τι περὶ τούτων, ἐξελθὼν ἄγγελος περὶ μὲν τούτων οὐδὲν ἀπήγγειλε, πράγματα δὲ μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις ἐδί δαξεν; Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐνταῦθα ἐκ περιουσίας τὸ ζητούμενον λύει· οὕτω κἀκεῖ. Πίστις γὰρ μεγίστη τοῦ τὴν πόλιν ἀναστήσεσθαι, τὸ καὶ πάλιν αὐτὴν ἁλώσεσθαι. Τί οὖν; λυπῆσαι τὸν προφήτην βουλόμενος, τοῦτο ποιεῖ; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλ' αὐτοὺς φοβερωτέρους ἐργάσασθαι. Καὶ οὐχ ἅπαξ, οὐδὲ δὶς, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ μέλλουσα ἔσεσθαι εὐπραγία ἱκανὴ φυσῆσαι τὴν ἐκεί νων διάνοιαν, οὐ μόνον ἀνορθουμένης τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ χερσὶ βαρβαρικαῖς οἰκοδομουμένης, βαρβα ρικαῖς ἐκείναις ταῖς καθελούσαις αὐτήν. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας φησὶ, δεικνὺς τὸ παντοδύναμον καὶ εὔ πορον τοῦ Θεοῦ, πῶς ἱκανὸς πάντα καὶ ποιῆσαι καὶ μεταβαλεῖν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔμελλεν αὐτοῖς τὰ πάτρια ἀποδοθήσεσθαι, καὶ νῖκαι λαμπραὶ καὶ συνεχεῖς, ἃς καὶ οἱ προφῆται ἀναβοῶσιν· οἷον ὁ μὲν Ἰεζεκιὴλ, ὅτι μετὰ ἔτη τὰ ὅπλα αὐτῶν κατακαυθήσεται τῶν μελ λόντων ἁλώσεσθαι· οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι τὰ αὐτὰ συνεχῶς ἔλε γον· ἵνα μὴ τούτοις ἐπαρθέντες, χείρους τῶν προτέ ρων γένωνται, τῷ φόβῳ τῆς προῤῥήσεως, καὶ τὸ πολ λάκις (φορτε τῷ πολλ.) τὰ αὐτὰ εἰπεῖν, καθάπερ αὐ τοὺς εἰς ἀνάγκην ἄφυκτον καθιστῶν τοῦ μηδὲ βου λομένους διαφθαρῆναι. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν χρόνον ἄδηλον ἐποίει· ἐπεὶ τίς χρεία ταῦτα ἀπαγγελ θῆναι; Καὶ ὅρα πότε προφητεύεται. Παρ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἄνοδον, ἀκμαζόντων αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀνθούντων τῶν πρα γμάτων. Ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ Μωϋσῆς μέλλων αὐτοὺς εἰσ 56.240 άγειν εἰς τὴν γῆν