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this angel? Was it to astonish the people? And what is the gain? To persuade them no longer to mourn that (f. τῷ) these things are said often; by testifying, he testifies by the power of things to come; or to gain his trust. And the voice was great. So that he was also astonished by this. He is beside himself, and again while he is speaking he is beside himself, perhaps by permission, not from inability; since he said before: Be 56.243 a man. And he stood. Do you see what the sight of an angel is? Do not think what you see is bronze, nor gold. For who would not endure the sight of these things? For light is present everywhere. Since, therefore, I was sent, I indicate this only, he says, do not corrupt the grace. Your words were heard, and I came at your words. For what did he entreat, and what did he ask? And yet you do not say these things to him, nor anything of the sort. Perhaps he wanted to learn the time precisely, and what would come after. And the prince of the kingdom, he says, of the Persians stood opposite me. Is he speaking of the prince of men? Not at all. For elsewhere he says: The prince of the Greeks went out. It seems to me this one is not of the rulers, nor one appointed over a nation, but of the powers above. Then since the other angels were not strong enough to resist him, it is said to this one. They were released, he says; what are you seeking again? And behold Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I left him there with the prince of the king of the Persians. And I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for behold the vision is for days. For what reason did Michael not come before the twenty days? It seems to me, he wishes to show the prophet that he is asking for forbidden things, unlawful and forced, almost doing violence even to the angels. For this reason Michael does not help immediately at the beginning, but later, so that they might learn that those who came after were not worthy to ascend. The angels are wronged. And they left him there, either to persuade or to prevent. And what sort of angel is this, that having heard God grant the grace, would resist? He personifies the matter, I think, just as there [f. ἐπεὶ] it said: Who will go out and deceive Ahab for me? And again: Let me go, and I will wipe them out. God is not hindered, nor does he suffer compulsion, being restrained by the prophet. So also here. And again elsewhere he says: Let me go, for the dawn has broken. And again concerning the angel and the donkey: If I had not regarded your face, he says. So this does not show him resisting God, but only one thing, that they are wronged. Daniel had so much strength. I came down to make you understand what will happen to your people. See how, having left an urgent matter, he makes a defense to the prophet. Again he is beside himself; again he raises him up and says: I am going to fight with the prince of the Persians. And I was going out, and the prince of the Greeks was coming. Perhaps one of those opposing the future events, so as to fight against those in Macedonia. And he is not yet persuaded. Is there war among angels, a battle over men? Yes. For they care for them very much. He was not yet persuaded. As if one might say: I am forced to contend with this one.

CHAPTER XI.

And it came to pass in the first year of Cyrus, I stood for strength and power. And now

I will tell you the truth. 56.244 And then, he says, it is I who saved. For lest someone say: Why then do you fight? what then, if you do not win? Not so, he says. And then I was set over them. For there is not one, he says, who holds with me in these things, but Michael their prince. He says these things to persuade him, that he is not his adversary and enemy, and that he is asking for forbidden things. Not that he needs help. For how could he? It is shown that this one was not of the rulers. Then he tells everything with precision, and says from where the defeats came. Then he speaks of the salvation of his people in the following things and what is approved.

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ὁ ἄγγελος οὗτος; ἆρ' ἵνα ἐκπλήξῃ τὸν δῆμον; καὶ τί τὸ κέρδος; Ἵνα πείσῃ μηκέτι πενθεῖν τὸ (f. τῷ) πολλάκις ταῦτα λέγεσθαι· μαρτυρῶν μαρτυρεῖ δυνάμει τῶν ἐσομένων· ἢ ἵνα πιστώσηται αὐτόν. Καὶ ἡ φωνὴ μεγάλη. Ὥστε καὶ τούτῳ καταπλήξασθαι. Ἐξίσταται, καὶ πάλιν ὁμιλοῦντος ἐξίσταται, συγχωροῦντος ἴσως, οὐκ ἀδυνατοῦντος· ἐπεὶ πρότερον εἶπεν· Ἀν 56.243 δρίζου. Καὶ ἔστη. Εἶδες τί ἐστιν ὄψις ἀγγέλου; Μὴ νομίσῃς χαλκὸν εἶναι τὸ ὁρώμενον, μηδὲ χρυσίον. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἐνέγκοι τούτων τὴν ὄψιν; Πανταχοῦ γὰρ τὸ φῶς κεῖται. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἀπεστάλην, προσημαίνω τοῦτο μόνον, φησὶ, μὴ διαφθείρῃς τὴν χάριν. Ἠκούσθησαν οἱ λόγοι σου, καὶ ἐγὼ ἦλθον ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου. Τί γὰρ παρεκάλει, καὶ τί ἐδεῖτο; Καὶ μὴν οὐχὶ ταῦτα αὐτῷ λέγεις, οὐδὲ τοιοῦτον οὐδέν. Τάχα ἐβούλετο μαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς τὸν χρόνον, καὶ τὸ μετὰ ταῦτα. Καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῆς βασιλείας, φησὶ, Περσῶν εἰστήκει ἐξ ἐναντίας μου. Ἆρα μὴ τὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων λέγων ἄρχοντα; Οὐδαμῶς. Καὶ γὰρ ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει· Ὁ ἄρχων τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐξῆλθεν. Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ οὗτος οὐκ εἶναι τῶν ἀρχόντων, οὐδὲ τῶν ἐπιτεταγμένων ἔθνος, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων. Εἶτα ἐπειδὰν οὐκ ἴσχυον οἱ ἄγγελοι ἄλλοι ἀντιστῆναι αὐτῷ, τούτῳ λέγεται. Ἀπελύθησαν, φησί· τί πάλιν ζητεῖς; Καὶ ἰδοὺ Μιχαὴλ εἷς τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν πρώτων ἦλθε βοηθῆσαί μοι· καὶ αὐτὸν κατέλιπον ἐκεῖ μετὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος βασιλέως Περσῶν. Καὶ ἦλθον συνετίσαι σε ὅσα ἀπαντήσεται τῷ λαῷ σου ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν, ὅτι ἰδοὺ ἡ ὅρασις εἰς ἡμέρας. Τίνος ἕνεκεν πρὸ τῶν εἴκοσι ἡμερῶν οὐκ ἦλθεν ὁ Μιχαήλ; Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, δεῖξαι βούλεται τῷ προφήτῃ, ὅτι κεκωλυμένα πράγματα αἰτεῖ καὶ παράνομα καὶ κατηναγκασμένα, μονονουχὶ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις βίαν ποιῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ Μιχαὴλ εὐθέως ἐν ἀρχῇ βοηθεῖ, ἀλλ' ὕστερον, ἵνα μάθωσιν ὅτι οὐκ ἦσαν ἄξιοι ἀνελθεῖν οἱ μετὰ ταῦτα. Ἀδικοῦνται οἱ ἄγγελοι. Καὶ αὐτὸν ἀφῆκαν ἐκεῖ, ὥστε ἢ πεῖσαι, ἢ κωλῦσαι. Καὶ τίς ἄγγελος τοιοῦτος, ὡς ἀκούσας τοῦ Θεοῦ δόντος τὴν χάριν, ἀντιστῆναι; Σωματοποιεῖ, ὡς οἶμαι, τὸ πρᾶγμα, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ [f. ἐπεὶ] ἔλεγε· Τίς ἐξελεύσεται, καὶ ἀπατήσει μοι τὸν Ἀχαάβ; Καὶ πάλιν· Ἄφες με, καὶ ἐξαλείψω αὐτούς. Οὐ κωλύεται ὁ Θεὸς, οὐδὲ ἀνάγκην πάσχει, κατεχόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ φησι· Ἄφες με, ὅτι ἀνέβη ὁ ὄρθρος. Καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀγγέλου καὶ τῆς ὄνου· Εἰ μὴ πρόσωπόν σου ἔλαβον, φησίν. Οὐκ ἄρα τοῦτο δείκνυσιν αὐτὸν ἀνθιστάμενον τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἓν μόνον, ὅτι ἀδικοῦνται. Τοσαῦτα ἴσχυσεν ὁ ∆ανιήl. Κατῆλθον συνετίσαι σε ὅσα ἀπαντήσεται τῷ λαῷ σου. Ὅρα πῶς ἀναγκαῖον πρᾶγμα ἀφεὶς, ἀπολογεῖται τῷ προφήτῃ. Πάλιν ἐξίσταται· πάλιν αὐτὸν ἀνίστησι, καί φησι· Ἐγὼ πορεύομαι τοῦ πολεμῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος Περσῶν. Καὶ ἐγὼ ἐξεπορευόμην, καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἤρχετο. Ἴσως ἑνὸς τῶν ἐναντιουμένων ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐσομένοις, ὥστε τοῖς κατὰ Μακεδονίαν πολεμῆσαι. Καὶ οὔπω πείθεται. Πόλεμος ἐν ἀγγέλοις ἐστὶ, μάχη περὶ ἀνθρώπων; Ναί. Πάνυ γὰρ αὐτῶν κήδονται. Οὔπω ἐπείσθη. Ὥσπερ ἂν εἴποι τις· Ἀναγκάζομαι τῷδε φιλονεικῆσαι.

ΚΕΦΑL. ΙΑʹ.

Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἔτει πρώτῳ Κύρου, ἐγὼ ἔστην εἰς κράτος καὶ ἰσχύν. Καὶ νῦν

ἀναγγελῶ σοι ἀλήθειαν. 56.244 Καὶ τότε, φησὶ, σώσας ἐγώ εἰμι. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγῃ τις· Τί οὖν πολεμεῖς; τί οὖν, ἂν μὴ νικήσῃς; Οὐχὶ, φησί. Καὶ τότε ἐγὼ αὐτῶν προέστην. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ, φησὶ, εἷς ἀντεχόμενός μοι περὶ τούτων, ἀλλ' ἢ Μιχαὴλ ὁ ἄρχων αὐτῶν. Ταῦτα λέγει ἵνα πείσῃ αὐτὸν, ὅτι οὐ πολέμιός ἐστιν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐχθρὸς, καὶ ὅτι πράγματα αἰτεῖ κεκωλυμένα. Οὐχ ὅτι βοηθῶν δεῖται. Πῶς γάρ; ∆είκνυται ὅτι οὗτος οὐκ ἦν τῶν ἀρχόντων. Εἶτα λέγει πάντα μετὰ ἀκριβείας, καὶ λέγει πόθεν αἱ ἧτται. Εἶτα λέγει τὴν σωτηρίαν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς καὶ τὸ δόκιμον.