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CHAPTER 5. Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach, Belshazzar. 1. "Belshazzar the king made a great feast for his lords." This man is the son of Nebuchadnezzar, but he did not succeed him immediately; for Evil-Merodach, being his elder brother, reigned, and this the history of the Kings teaches us, and the blessed prophet Jeremiah, saying thus: "And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fourth day of the month, that Evil-Merodach, king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him 81.1377 out of the house where he was kept, and spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon, and changed his prison garments, and he ate bread continually before him all the days that he lived." This Jehoiachin is also Jeconiah; for Nebuchadnezzar, having slain his father Jehoiakim, also called Eliakim, in whose time the blessed Daniel was taken captive, in Jerusalem, cast him outside the wall, as the divine Scripture teaches. After Nebuchadnezzar, therefore, Evil-Merodach reigned; and after him, Belshazzar. The most divine Daniel omitted the memory of this one, since he was not writing a simple history, but a prophecy; for which reason he did not write down all the things that were done by Nebuchadnezzar, but only those things of which the memory was necessary for edification. Since, therefore, in the time of Belshazzar God also showed a very great miracle, sufficient not only for the people of that time, but also for those who would come later, to instill reverence and fear, and to guide them toward piety, he did not think it right to hide so great a benefit in silence, but considered it a holy duty to record it, and to leave a memorial of instruction for all. Therefore he says: "Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and the wine was before the thousand." That is, being sufficient for the thousand, prepared for so great a number. 2. "And while drinking, he says, Belshazzar, in the taste of the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels, which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem; and the king drank in them, and his lords, and his wives, and his concubines." And through these things the prophet teaches us not only the excess of impiety, but also the harm that came from the immoderation of the wine. "For while drinking, he says, the king commanded in the taste of the wine, to bring the golden and silver vessels." For drunkenness overwhelmed his reason, and intemperance begot madness against God; and the vessels dedicated to the service of God, which Nebuchadnezzar his father had indeed taken, when God gave them over, but honored as he saw fit, and kept free from human use, these this man dared to use as common things; for he not only said it, but he also added the deed to his words. 3. "For they brought, he says, the golden and silver vessels, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple of God in Jerusalem." And he showed well the excess of the absurdity, by mentioning 81.1380 God in connection with the temple, and showing the distinction of the temple, he has added the name of Jerusalem. For these vessels, he says, were not dedicated to any of the supposed gods, who have only a name, but to the God over all, who chose Jerusalem, and filled the temple in it with His own glory. But these untouchable things, dedicated to the God of all, not as one in need, but as one accepting the good will of those who offer, the impious king brought into the midst and drank from them; not only he himself, but also his lords, and his wives, and his concubines drank wine; that is, he made the instruments of divine liturgy instruments of drunkenness, and those filling him with licentiousness

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ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Εʹ. Ναβουχοδονόσορ, Εὐϊλὰδ Μαροδὰχ, Βαλτάσαρ. αʹ. "Βαλτάσαρ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐποίησε δεῖπνον μέγα τοῖς μεγιστᾶσιν αὑτοῦ." Οὗτος υἱὸς μέν ἐστι τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, οὐκ εὐθὺς δὲ αὐτὸν διεδέξατο· ὁ γὰρ Εὐϊλὰδ Μαροδὰχ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ὢν πρεσβύτερος ἐβασίλευσε, καὶ τοῦτο ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἡμᾶς ἱστορία διδάσκει, καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἱερεμίας ὁ προφήτης, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· "Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ τριακοστῷ καὶ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει ἀπῳκισθέντος τοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ βασιλέως Ἰούδα, ἐν τῷ δωδεκάτῳ μηνὶ, καὶ ἐν τῇ τετράδι καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ μηνὸς, ἔλαβεν Εὐϊλὰδ Μαροδὰχ, βα σιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος, ἐν ᾧ ἐνιαυτῷ ἐβασίλευσε, τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωακεὶμ βασιλέως Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐξήγαγεν 81.1377 αὐτὸν ἐξ οἴκου, οὗ ἐφυλάττετο, καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτῷ χρηστὰ, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ τὸν δίφρον ἐπάνω τῶν θρό νων τῶν βασιλέων τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, καὶ ἤλλαξε τὴν στολὴν τῆς φυλακῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἤσθιε διαπαντὸς ἄρτον κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἃς ἔζησεν." Ἰωακεὶμ δὲ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ καὶ Ἰεχωνίας· Ἰωακεὶμ γὰρ τὸν τούτου πατέρα, τὸν καὶ Ἐλιακεὶμ, ἐφ' οὗ ὁ μακάριος ᾐχμαλωτεύθη ∆α νιὴλ, ἐν τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀνελὼν ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, ἔῤῥιψεν ἔξω τοῦ τείχους, ὡς ἡ θεία διδάσκει Γραφή. Μετὰ τὸν Ναβουχοδονόσορ τοίνυν Εὐϊλὰδ Μαροδὰχ βασιλεύει· μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον ὁ Βαλτάσαρ. Καταλέλοιπε δὲ τούτου τὴν μνήμην ὁ θειότατος ∆ανιὴλ, ἐπειδὴ οὐχ ἱστορίαν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ προφητείαν συγγράφει· οὗ χάριν οὐδὲ ἅπαντα τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ γε γενημένα συνέγραψεν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα μόνον, ὧν ἀναγ καία ἦν διὰ τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἡ μνήμη. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Βαλτάσαρ μέγιστον ἔδειξεν ὁ Θεὸς θαῦμα, καὶ ἱκανὸν, οὐ μόνον τοῖς τηνικάδε ἀνθρώ ποις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ὕστερον ποτὲ γενομένοις, εὐλά βειαν ἐνθεῖναι καὶ δέος, καὶ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ποδ ηγῆσαι, οὐκ ᾠήθη δίκαιον τοσαύτην εὐεργεσίαν κατα κρύψαι σιγῇ, ὅσιον δὲ ποιεῖν νενόμικεν ἀνάγραφον αὐτὸ, καὶ πᾶσιν ὑπόμνημα διδασκαλίας καταλιπεῖν. ∆ιό φησιν· "Βαλτάσαρ βασιλεὺς ἐποίησε δεῖπνον μέγα τοῖς μεγιστᾶσιν αὑτοῦ χιλίοις, καὶ ἔναντι τῶν χιλίων ὁ οἶνος." Τουτέστι, τοῖς χιλίοις ἀρκῶν, πρὸς τὸν τοσοῦτον ἀριθμὸν ηὐτρεπισμένος. βʹ. "Πίνων δὲ, φησὶν, ὁ Βαλτάσαρ εἶπεν ἐν τῇ γεύσει τοῦ οἴνου, τοῦ ἐνεγκεῖν τὰ σκεύη τὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ, ἃ ἐξήνεγκε Ναβουχοδονόσορ, ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ· καὶ ἔπινον ἐν αὐτοῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνες αὐτοῦ, καὶ αἱ παράκοιτοι αὐτοῦ, καὶ αἱ παλλακαὶ αὐτοῦ." ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ἡμᾶς διὰ τούτων ὁ προφήτης, οὐ μόνον τὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπερβολὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀμετρίας τοῦ οἴνου γενομένην βλάβην. "Πίνων γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπεν ἐν τῇ γεύσει τοῦ οἴνου, τοῦ ἐνεγκεῖν τὰ σκεύη τὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ τὰ ἀργυρᾶ." Κατ έχωσε γὰρ ἡ μέθη τὸν λογισμὸν, καὶ ἡ ἀκρασία τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μανίαν ἐγέννησε· καὶ τὰ ἀφιερωμένα τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ θεραπείᾳ σκεύη, ἃ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, ἔλαβε μὲν, τοῦ Θεοῦ προδεδωκότος, ἐτίμησε δὲ ὡς ἐνόμισε, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἠλευθέρωσε χρή σεως, τούτοις ὡς κοινοῖς οὗτος ἐτόλμησε χρήσασθαι· οὐ γὰρ εἶπε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἔργον τοῖς λόγοις ἐπέθηκεν. γʹ. "Ἠνέχθησαν γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ σκεύη τὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ τὰ ἀργυρᾶ, ἃ ἐξήνεγκε Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ." Καλῶς δὲ τὴν τῆς ἀτοπίας ἔδειξεν ὑπερβολὴν, πρὸς τῷ ναῷ 81.1380 καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ μνημονεύσας, καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ δὲ δεικνὺς τὸ ἐπίσημον, τὴν τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ προσ ηγορίαν προστέθεικε. Ταῦτα γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ σκεύη οὐ τισὶ τῶν δοκούντων, καὶ ὄνομα μόνον ἐχόντων, ἀνέ κειντο θεῶν, ἀλλ' αὐτῷ τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων Θεῷ, ὃς τήν τε Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐξελέξατο, καὶ τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ νεὼν τῆς οἰκείας ἐπλήρωσε δόξης. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τὰ ἄψαυ στα, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ τῶν ὅλων ἀνακείμενα, οὐχ ὡς δεο μένῳ, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀποδεχομένῳ τῶν προσφερόντων τὸ εὔγνωμον, ὁ δυσσεβὴς βασιλεὺς εἰς μέσον ἐνεγκὼν, ἔπινεν ἐν αὐτοῖς· οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνες αὐτοῦ, καὶ αἱ παράκοιτοι αὐτοῦ, καὶ αἱ παλλακαὶ αὐτοῦ ἔπινον οἶνον· τουτέστι, μέθης ἐποίη σεν ὄργανα τῆς θείας λειτουργίας τὰ ὄργανα, καὶ τὰς τῆς ἀκολασίας αὐτὸν ἐμφορούσας