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God allowed them to be in so many evils. And what is this? To test them by fire, he says, and to choose them, and to make them white until the time of the end. For on this account, he says, God permitted it, so that he might purify them, and show the approved among them. Then, describing the power of that king, he says: And he shall do according to his will, and he shall be exalted and shall be magnified; and speaking of his blasphemous purpose, he added that, Against the God of gods he will speak monstrous things, and he will prosper until the wrath is accomplished; showing that not by his own purpose, but on account of the wrath of God against the Jews, he thus prevailed. And Daniel, having said through many other things how many evils he will work against Egypt and Palestine, how he will return, and at whose calling, and by what compelling cause, then speaks of the change of the times, and that the Jews, having passed through all these things, will obtain some help, an angel having been sent to their aid. For at that time, he says, Michael shall arise, the great prince, who stands over the sons of your people, and there shall be a time of affliction, such as has not been since a nation was made on the earth, even to that time, and at that time all the people who are found written in the book shall be saved, that is, those who are worthy of salvation.

8. But the matter in question has not yet been demonstrated to us. And what is this? That he also appointed times for them in these evils, just as in that case it was four hundred years, and after that, seventy. Let us see, therefore, if he appoints any time here. Where, then, can this be found? In the things that are about to be said after these. For since he heard of the many and great evils—the conflagration, the overthrow of the state, the captivity of his own people—he then desired to learn their end, and if there would be any change from these misfortunes. And asking, he said thus: Lord, what are the last of these things? And he said: Go, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed, hinting at the obscurity of what was said, until the time of the end. Then he also states the reason for the permission of the evils, Until the many are chosen and made white and tested by fire, and the lawless shall commit lawlessness, and all the ungodly shall understand, and the discerning shall understand. Then, foretelling the time how long these terrible things will last, he says: From the time of the change of the continual sacrifice. The daily sacrifice was called the "endelechismos"; for "endeleches" is that which is frequent and continuous. For it was the custom of the Jews to sacrifice to God both in the evening and at dawn each day; for this reason that sacrifice was called "endelechismos." Since, then, Antiochus came and abolished this custom and changed it, the angel says that From the time of the change of the continual sacrifice, that is, from the abolishment of this sacrifice, one thousand two hundred and ninety days, which is three and a half years and a little more. Then, showing that there will be a cessation and deliverance from these evils, he added: Blessed is he who waits and comes to one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days; adding forty-five to the one thousand two hundred and ninety. For since it happened that the battle took place in a month and a half, in this the clear victory occurred, and the complete deliverance from the impending evils; and by saying, Blessed is he who has endured unto one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days, he indicated the deliverance. And he did not simply say, "he who arrives," but "He who waits and arrives." For since many of the ungodly saw the change, he does not simply bless them, but those who testified in the times of evils, and did not betray their piety, and then obtained relief. For this reason he did not simply say, "He who arrives," but "He who waits and arrives." What then could be clearer than this? Do you see how the prophet, with all accuracy, foretold not only to the years and months, but even to a single day, both the captivity and the release from captivity?

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αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τοσούτοις γενέσθαι κακοῖς. Τίς δέ ἐστιν αὕτη; Τοῦ πυρῶσαι, φησὶν, αὐτοὺς καὶ τοῦ ἐκλέξασθαι, καὶ τοῦ ἐκλευκᾶναι ἕως καιροῦ πέρατος. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα γὰρ, φησὶ, συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς, ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἐκκαθᾶραι, καὶ δεῖξαι τοὺς δοκίμους τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς. Εἶτα διηγούμενος τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ ἐκεί48.895 νου, φησί· Καὶ ποιήσει κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὑψωθήσεται καὶ μεγαλυνθήσεται· καὶ τὴν βλάσφημον αὐτοῦ γνώμην λέγων, προσέθηκεν, ὅτι Ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν τῶν θεῶν λαλήσει ὑπέρογκα, καὶ κατευθυνεῖ μέχρι τοῦ συντελεσθῆναι τὴν ὀργήν· δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας γνώμης, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν κατὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων οὕτως ἐκεῖνος ἐκράτει. Εἰπὼν δὲ δι' ἑτέρων πλειόνων ὁ ∆ανιὴλ, ὅσα κακὰ ἐργάσεται τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὴν Παλαιστίνην, πῶς ἐπανήξει, καὶ τίνος καλοῦντος, καὶ ποίας αἰτίας καταναγκαζούσης, λέγει λοιπὸν, καὶ τὴν τῶν καιρῶν μεταβολὴν, καὶ ὅτι διελθόντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι διὰ τούτων ἁπάντων, τεύξονταί τινος ἀντιλήψεως, ἀγγέλου πεμφθέντος εἰς τὴν αὐτῶν βοήθειαν. Ἐντῷ καιρῷ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ, φησὶν, ἀναστήσεται Μιχαὴλ, ὁ ἄρχων ὁ μέγας, ὁ ἐφεστηκὼς ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ λαοῦ σου, καὶ ἔσται καιρὸς θλίψεως, οἷος οὐ γέγονεν ἀφ' οὗ γεγένηται ἔθνος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἕως τοῦ καιροῦ ἐκείνου, καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ σωθήσεται ὁ λαὸς πᾶς ὁ εὑρεθεὶς γεγραμμένος ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ, τουτέστιν, οἱ σωτηρίας ὄντες ἄξιοι.

ηʹ. Ἀλλὰ τὸ ζητούμενον οὔπω καὶ νῦν ἀποδέδεικται ἡμῖν. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Ὅτι καὶ χρόνους ὥρισεν αὐτοῖς ἐν τοῖς κακοῖς τούτοις, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ τετρακόσια ἔτη, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἑβδομήκοντα. Ἴδωμεν τοίνυν καὶ ἐνταῦθα, εἴ τινα χρόνον ὁρίζει. Ποῦ δὴ τοῦτο ἔστιν εὑρεῖν; Ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα λεχθήσεσθαι μέλλουσιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὰ πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα ἤκουσε κακὰ, τὸν ἐμπρησμὸν, τῆς πολιτείας τὴν ἀνατροπὴν, τὴν τῶν οἰκείων αἰχμαλωσίαν, ἐπεθύμει λοιπὸν τὸ τέλος αὐτῶν μαθεῖν, καὶ εἴ τις ἔσται τῶν συμφορῶν τούτων μεταβολή. Καὶ ἐρωτῶν ἔλεγεν οὕτως· Κύριε, τί τὰ ἔσχατα τούτων; Καὶ εἶπε· ∆εῦρο ∆ανιὴλ, ὅτι ἐμπεφραγμένοι καὶ ἐσφραγισμένοι οἱ λόγοι τὸ ἀσαφὲς τῶν εἰρημένων αἰνιττόμενος ἕως καιροῦ πέρατος. Εἶτα καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν φησὶ τῆς συγχωρήσεως τῶν κακῶν, Ἕως ἂν ἐκλεγῶσι καὶ λευκανθῶσι καὶ πυρωθῶσιν οἱ πολλοὶ, καὶ ἀνομήσωσιν ἄνομοι, καὶ συνήσωσι πάντες οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, καὶ οἱ νοήμονες συνήσωσιν. Εἶτα τὸν καιρὸν προλέγων, ὅσον μέλλει κατέχειν ταῦτα τὰ δεινὰ, φησίν· Ἀπὸ καιροῦ παραλλάξεως ἐνδελεχισμοῦ. Ἐνδελεχισμὸς ἐκαλεῖτο ἡ καθημερινὴ θυσία· τὸ γὰρ ἐνδελεχὲς τὸ πυκνόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ συνεχές. Τοῖς γὰρ Ἰουδαίοις ἔθος ἦν καὶ ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν τῷ Θεῷ θύειν· διὸ τὴν θυσίαν ἐκείνην ἐνδελεχισμὸν ἐκάλει. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐλθὼν ὁ Ἀντίοχος τοῦτο τὸ ἔθος κατέλυσε, καὶ περιήλλαξεν αὐτὸ, φησὶν ὁ ἄγγελος, ὅτι Ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς ἀλλάξεως τοῦ ἐνδελεχισμοῦ, τουτέστιν, ἀπὸ τῆς καταλύσεως τῆς θυσίας ταύτης, ἡμέραι χίλιαι διακόσιαι ἐνενήκοντα, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἔτη τρία καὶ ἥμισυ καὶ μικρόν τι πρός. Εἶτα δηλῶν ὅτι κατάλυσις ἔσται τῶν κακῶν τούτων καὶ ἀπαλλαγὴ, ἐπήγαγε· Μακάριος ὁ ὑπομένων καὶ φθάσας εἰς ἡμέρας χιλίας τριακοσίας τριάκοντα πέντε· ταῖς χιλίαις διακοσίαις ἐνενήκοντα, τεσσαρακονταπέντε προσθείς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν μηνὶ καὶ ἡμίσει μηνὸς συνέβη γενέσθαι τὴν συμβολὴν, ἐν ταύτῃ ἡ νίκη ἡ καθαρὰ γέγονε, καὶ ἡ παντελὴς τῶν ἐπικειμένων κακῶν ἀπαλλαγή· εἰπὼν δὲ, ὅτι Μακάριος ὁ ὑπομείνας εἰς ἡμέρας χιλίας τριακοσίας τρια48.896 κονταπέντε, τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν ἐδήλωσε. Καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, ὁ φθάσας, ἀλλ' Ὁ ὑπομένων καὶ φθάσας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀσεβούντων εἶδον τὴν μεταβολὴν, οὐκ ἐκείνους μακαρίζει ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς τῶν κακῶν μαρτυρήσαντας, καὶ μὴ προδόντας τὴν εὐσέβειαν, εἶτα τυχόντας τῆς ἀνέσεως. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Ὁ φθάσας, ἀλλ' Ὁ ὑπομείνας καὶ φθάσας. Ἆρα τί τούτου σαφέστερον γένοιτ' ἄν; Ὁρᾷς πῶς οὐ μόνον μέχρις ἐνιαυτῶν καὶ μηνῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕως ἡμέρας μιᾶς, μετ' ἀκριβείας ἁπάσης καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν καὶ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας προανεφώνησεν ὁ προφήτης;