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of the promise, at the very participation of the good things he prophesies to them the present terrible things, saying: I call heaven and earth to witness against you; placing as a counterweight to the apathy resulting from prosperity the punishment from the threat; so also this one holds them in fear. For this reason Zechariah also dwells more on these things, and says the same things more clearly. For nothing is so useless as human nature for prosperity and ease. While I was still speaking, he says, in prayer, the angel Gabriel came, the one familiar to him, flying; and he held me at about the hour of the evening sacrifice. Either so that he might not be amazed by the sight, or so that he might understand the things being said. For since it was not possible to say these things clearly because of the others, he fittingly touches him. And he made me understand, he says, and spoke with me, and said: Daniel, I have now come out to instruct you with understanding. At the beginning of your prayer the word went forth; and I have come to tell you, because you are a man of desires. And consider the word, and understand the vision. Understand, he says, the things being said. For when someone asks for some things, but hears other things, he needs much prayer. And it shall return and be built, plaza and moat. Some say the wall, which Agrippa made. And the times will be emptied out. And after the sixty-two weeks, anointing shall be destroyed, and there is no judgment in it, and he shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the ruler; and they will be cut off as in a flood, and until the end of a decreed war by desolations And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week. See how strikingly the evils (suppl. he recounts). Or even half of the week, he will stop incense. and sacrifice, and libation; and upon the sanctuary the abomination of desolation, and until the end of time it will be fulfilled upon the desolation. See how he ended the discourse with sorrowful things, and said the good things obscurely; for this is it: He will confirm a covenant with many for one week; but the sorrowful things, continuously and many times. And the abomination of desolation. that is, of Hadrian. Zechariah says these things more clearly; but he also says the good things for those who were left behind. Perhaps also after Egypt he acted for so many years, and they were not destroyed; but now you no longer expect these things. See also the other things. He does not tread upon the Jews (l. a Jew), just as also before 56.241 of the city. But who at all spoke of a return? No one.

CHAPTER 10. In the third year of Cyrus king of the Persians a word was revealed to Daniel, whose

name was called Belteshazzar. And the word is true; and great power and understanding was given to him in the vision. In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no choice bread, and meat and wine did not enter my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with ointment until three weeks of days. For what reason does he mourn again? For if in the first year of Cyrus he went up, for what reason does he mourn? and all the days, likely one? again he hears nothing concerning those things for which he prays. It seems to me that he prays that these terrible things might be loosed. But God nothing of the sort; and he says it more clearly. Rather, he prays that all might go up. Even if the terrible things were great, and he wished to forsake his homeland. Thus he says it more clearly, and more accurately. See indeed Daniel everywhere not simply obtaining the visions, but with fastings. When it was necessary to learn the dream, fasting preceded. When Gabriel appeared, again fasting and ashes and sackcloth. When this one appears, also fasting and prayer. But see also this one almost making a defense to him. And on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, I was beside the great river, that is the Tigris. And I lifted my eyes, and I saw; and behold, a man

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τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, παρ' αὐτὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν μετάληψιν προφητεύει αὐτοῖς παρόντα τὰ δεινὰ, λέγων· ∆ιαμαρτύρομαι ὑμῖν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν· ἀντίῤῥοπον τῇ διὰ τὴν εὐπραγίαν ἀπαθείᾳ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀπειλῆς τιμωρίαν τιθείς· οὕτω καὶ οὗτος κατέχει αὐτοὺς ἐν φόβῳ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Ζαχαρίας τὸ πλέον ἐν τούτοις διατρίβει, καὶ σαφέ στερον τὰ αὐτὰ λέγει. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ὡς ἀνθρω πίνη φύσις πρὸς εὐπραγίαν καὶ ἄνεσιν ἄχρηστον. Ἔτι ἐμοῦ λαλοῦντος, φησὶ, ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ, ἦλ θεν ὁ ἄγγελος Γαβριὴλ, ὁ συνήθης αὐτῷ, πετώμε νος· καὶ κατέσχε με ὡσεὶ ὥραν θυσίας ἑσπερι νῆς. Ἢ ὥστε μὴ ἔκπληκτον γενέσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως, ἢ ὥστε νοῆσαι τὰ λεγόμενα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἦν αὐτὰ σαφῶς εἰπεῖν διὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς, εἰκότως ἅπτεται. Καὶ συνέτισέ με, φησὶ, καὶ ἐλάλησε μετ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ εἶ πεν· ∆ανιὴλ, νῦν ἐξῆλθον συμβιβάσαι σε σύν εσιν. Ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς δεήσεώς σου ἐξῆλθεν ὁ λό γος· καὶ ἐγὼ ἦλθον τοῦ ἀναγγεῖλαί σοι, ὅτι ἀνὴρ ἐπιθυμιῶν εἶ σύ. Καὶ ἐννοήθητι ἐν τῷ ῥήματι, καὶ σύνες ἐν τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ. Νόησον, φησὶ, τὰ λεγό μενα. Ὅταν γάρ τις ὑπὲρ ἑτέρων μὲν ἀξιοῖ, ἕτερα δὲ ἀκούῃ, πολλῆς δεῖται τῆς προσευχῆς. Καὶ ἐπι τρέψει καὶ οἰκοδομηθήσεται πλατεῖα καὶ περί τειχος. Τινὲς τὸ τεῖχος, ὅπερ Ἀγρίππας ἐποίησε, φασίν. Καὶ ἐκκενωθήσονται οἱ καιροί. Καὶ μετὰ τὰς ἑβδομάδας τὰς ἑξήκοντα δύο ἐξολοθρευθή σεται χρίσμα, καὶ κρίμα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον διαφθερεῖ σὺν τῷ ἡγου μένῳ· καὶ ἐκκοπήσονται ὡς ἐν κατακλυσμῷ, καὶ ἕως τέλους πολέμου συντετμημένου ἀφανισμοῖς Καὶ δυναμώσει διαθήκην πολλοῖς ἑβδομὰς μία. Ὅρα πῶς πληκτικῶς τὰ κακά (suppl. διηγεῖται). Ἢ καὶ ἥμισυ τῆς ἑβδομάδος, καταπαύσει θυμίαμα. καὶ θυσία, καὶ σπονδή· καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως, καὶ ἕως συντελείας καιροῦ συν τελεσθήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν ἐρήμωσιν. Ὅρα πῶς ἐν τοῖς λυπηροῖς τὸν λόγον κατέπαυσε, καὶ τὰ μὲν χρηστὰ ἀσαφῶς εἶπεν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι· ∆υναμώσει πολλοῖς διαθήκην ἑβδομὰς μία· τὰ δὲ λυπηρὰ, συνεχῶς καὶ πολλάκις. Καὶ τὸ βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως. τουτέστι, τὸ Ἀδριανοῦ. Ταῦτα σαφέστερον ὁ Ζαχα ρίας λέγει· λέγει δὲ ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὰ χρηστὰ διὰ τοὺς ἐναπομείναντας. Τάχα καὶ μετὰ Αἴγυπτον τοσαῦτα ἔτη ἐποίησε, καὶ οὐ διεφθάρησαν· νῦν δὲ οὐκ έτι προσδοκᾷς ταῦτα. Ὅρα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα. Οὐκ ἐπι βαίνει Ἰουδαίοις (l. Ἰουδαῖος), καθάπερ καὶ πρό 56.241 τερον τῆς πόλεως. Τίς δὲ ὅλως περὶ ἐπανόδου εἶπεν; Οὐδείς.

ΚΕΦΑL. Ιʹ. Ἐν ἔτει τρίτῳ τοῦ βασιλέως Περσῶν Κύρου λόγος ἀπεκαλύφθη τῷ ∆ανιὴλ, οὗ

τὸ ὄνομα ἐπ εκλήθη Βαλτάσαρ. Καὶ ἀληθινὸς ὁ λόγος· καὶ δύναμις μεγάλη καὶ σύνεσις ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ. Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἐγὼ ∆ανιὴλ ἤμην πενθῶν τρεῖς ἑβδομάδας. Ἄρτον ἐπιθυμιῶν οὐκ ἔφαγον, καὶ κρέα καὶ οἶνος οὐκ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸ στόμα μου, καὶ ἄλειμμα οὐκ ἠλειψάμην ἕως τριῶν ἑβδομάδων ἡμερῶν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν πάλιν πεν θεῖ; Εἰ γὰρ τὸ πρῶτον ἔτος Κύρου ἀνέβη, τίνος ἕνεκεν πενθεῖ; καὶ πάσας ἡμέρας, εἰκὸς μίαν; πάλιν οὐδὲν ἀκούει, ὑπὲρ ὧν εὔχεται. Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ὅτι εὔχεται ὥστε λυθῆναι τὰ δεινὰ ταῦτα. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ὁ Θεός· καὶ λέγει σαφέστερον αὐτό. Μᾶλλον δὲ ὥστε πάντας ἀνελθεῖν εὔχεται. Εἰ καὶ μεγάλα τὰ δεινὰ, καὶ ἐβούλετο ἀποβαλεῖν τὴν πατρίδα. Οὕτως δὲ σα φέστερον αὐτὸ λέγει, καὶ ἀκριβέστερον. Ὅρα δὴ παν ταχοῦ τὸν ∆ανιὴλ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐπιτυγχάνοντα τῶν ὄψεων, ἀλλὰ μετὰ νηστειῶν. Ὅτε ἔδει τὸ ὄναρ μα θεῖν, νηστεία προηγήσατο. Ὅτε Γαβριὴλ ἐφάνη, νη στεία πάλιν καὶ σποδὸς καὶ σάκκος. Ὅτε οὗτος φαί νεται, καὶ νηστεία καὶ εὐχή. Ἀλλ' ὅρα καὶ τοῦτον ἀπολογούμενον αὐτῷ σχεδόν. Καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ εἰκοστῇ καὶ τετάρτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ πρώτου, ἐγὼ ἤμην ἐχόμενος τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου, οὗτός ἐστι Τίγρις. Καὶ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, καὶ εἶδον· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ