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not as truly being so, but as having been imagined to be so. And wishing to show the sudden change of his prominence, he compared him to the morning star fallen from heaven to the earth. Then he lays bare the arrogance of his thoughts: 13But you said in your mind: I will ascend into heaven, above the stars of heaven I will set my throne, I will sit on a high mountain, on the high mountains toward the north, 14I will ascend above the clouds, I will be like the Most High. The prophecy of Daniel also teaches us these things. For first, having fashioned that immense golden image, he commanded everyone to worship it, usurping divine reverence; then he said to those noble contenders: “What god is there who will deliver you from my hands?” A high mountain is said to be to the north of the Assyrians and Medes, separating from them the Scythian nations, the highest of all the mountains in the inhabited world. Through that, it is likely, he supposed he would dare the ascent into heaven. But not only did he imagine these things, but also the one who taught him these things. And to him the words of arrogance apply as a type, but in truth they apply to the one who truly has fallen from the heavens and has usurped the name of God and has deceived most of humanity. 15But now you shall descend into Hades and to the foundations of the earth. That is: to the very bottom of the earth. 16Those who see you will marvel at you and will say concerning you: This is the man who provokes the earth. The phrase "who provokes the earth," Symmachus translated as "who disturbed the earth," and Aquila as "who shook the earth." The one who shakes kings, 17who made the whole world a desert and destroyed its cities, did not pity those in captivity. For he sacked the cities, ravaged their land, and did not deem those enslaved worthy of mercy. Then he adds that the other kings, sitting at home, received the end of their life, 19but you will be cast out on the mountains like a loathsome corpse, with many dead who have been pierced with a sword, descending into Hades. For there will be no difference between you and the others; for cast out on the ground like the other soldiers, you will be food for birds and beasts. Just as a garment stained with blood 20will not be clean, so you too will not be clean. And he teaches the reason: Because you have destroyed my land and have killed my people, you shall not remain for all time. He speaks to the kingdom itself, not to the king alone. For how was it possible for a man to live forever? But he foretells the dissolution of the kingdom. He calls Israel his people and likewise that land his land. For that land had the divine temple. For the nations that had not yet known him could not properly be called his people. An evil seed, 21prepare your children to be slaughtered for the sins of your father, so that they may not rise up and inherit the land and fill the land with wars. He says these things to Nebuchadnezzar himself; for those who succeeded to his kingdom were overthrown by the Medes and Persians. The prophecy of the most divine Daniel also teaches us these things; for when Belshazzar raved against the sacred vessels, this writing appeared on the wall: “Tekel, Phares, Mane,” then the divinely inspired Daniel, interpreting, said: “Your kingdom will be given to the Medes and Persians.” 22And I will rise up against them, says the Lord of Sabaoth, and I will destroy their name and remnant and seed, says the Lord. That is: I will decree their complete destruction. Then again he foretells the desolation of Babylon; 23For it shall be, he says, for nothing, and I will make it a pit of mire for destruction. That is: it will not be freed from the calamities brought upon it. For it will be likened to those who have fallen into a pit of mire and have not been able to be pulled out. However, one can see the truth of the prophecy even according to the letter; for a canal of the Euphrates cuts through its middle, and from this, irrigation is brought to all the surrounding country; of those who farm, therefore

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τοῦτο ἀληθῶς ὄντα ἀλλ' ὡς τοῦτο εἶναι φαντασθέντα. Καὶ δεῖξαι βουληθεὶς τὴν ἀθρόαν τῆς περιφα νείας μεταβολήν, ἀπείκασεν ἑωσφόρῳ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς τὴν γῆν πεσόντι. Εἶτα γυμνοῖ τὸν τῦφον τῶν λογισμῶν· 13Σὺ δὲ εἶπας ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ σου· Εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβήςομαι, ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου, καθιῶ ἐν ὄρει ὑψηλῷ ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλὰ τὰ πρὸς βορρᾶν, 14ἀνα βήσομαι ἐπάνω τῶν νεφελῶν, ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ ὑψίστῳ. Ταῦτα ἡμᾶς καὶ ἡ προφητεία διδάσκει τοῦ ∆ανιήλ. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα ἐκείνην τὴν παμμεγέθη τὴν χρυσῆν τεκτηνάμενος προσκυνεῖν αὐτὴν ἐκέλευσεν ἅπαντας, τὸ θεῖον σέβας ἁρπάζων· εἶτα τοῖς γενναίοις ἐκείνοις ἔλεγεν ἀθληταῖς· «Τίς ἐστι θεὸς ὃς ῥύσεται ὑμᾶς ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν μου;» Ὄρος δὲ ὑψηλὸν εἶναι λέγεται βορρᾶθεν Ἀσσυρίων καὶ Μήδων ἀπὸ τούτων τὰ Σκυθικὰ διορίζον ἔθνη, πάντων τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ὀρῶν ὑψηλότατον. ∆ι' ἐκείνου πάντως ὑπέλαβεν ὡς εἰκὸς τῆς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνόδου κατατολμήσειν. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐχ οὗτος μόνος ἐφαντάσθη ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τοῦτον ταῦτα διδάξας. Καὶ τούτῳ μὲν κατὰ τύπον ἁρμόττει τῆς ἀλαζονείας τὰ ῥήματα, κατ' ἀλήθειαν δὲ τῷ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀληθῶς ἐκπεπτωκότι καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ προσηγορίαν ἁρπάσαντι καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοὺς πλείστους ἐξαπατήσαντι. 15Νῦν δὲ εἰς ᾅδου καταβήσῃ καὶ εἰς τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς. Ἀντὶ τοῦ· εἰς αὐτὸν τῆς γῆς τὸν πυθμένα. 16Οἱ ἰδόντες σε θαυμάσονται ἐπὶ σοὶ καὶ ἐροῦσι περὶ ςοῦ· Οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ παροξύνων τὴν γῆν. Τό· παρ οξύνων τὴν γῆν, ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος «ὁ ταράξας τὴν γῆν» ἡρμήνευσεν, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας «ὁ κλονήσας τὴν γῆν». Ὁ σείων βασιλεῖς, 17ὁ θεὶς τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην ἔρημον καὶ τὰς πόλεις αὐτῆς καθελὼν τοὺς ἐν ἐπαγωγῇ οὐκ ἠλέησεν. Τὰς μὲν γὰρ πόλεις ἐξεπόρθησε, τὴν δὲ τούτων ἐδῄωσε γῆν, τοὺς δὲ ἀνδραποδισθέντας φειδοῦς οὐκ ἠξίωσεν. Εἶτα προστίθησιν ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι βασιλεῖς οἴκοι καθήμενοι τοῦ βίου τὸ τέλος ἐδέξ αντο , 19σὺ δὲ ῥιφήσῃ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν ὡς νεκρὸς ἐβδελυγμένος μετὰ πολλῶν τεθνηκότων ἐκ<κε>κεντημένων μαχαίρᾳ, καταβαινόντων εἰς ᾅδου. Οὐδεμία γὰρ ἔσται σοῦ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων διαφορά· παρα πλησίως γὰρ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁπλίταις ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐρριμμένος οἰωνοῖς καὶ θηρίοις βορὰ ἔσῃ. Ὃν τρόπον ἱμάτιον ἐν αἵματι πεφυρμένον 20οὐκ ἔσται καθαρόν, οὕτως οὐδὲ σὺ ἔσῃ καθαρός. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν διδά σκει· ∆ιότι τὴν γῆν μου ἀπώλεσας καὶ τὸν λαόν μου ἀπέκ τεινας, οὐ μὴ μείνῃς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον. Πρὸς αὐτὴν λέγει τὴν βασιλείαν, οὐ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα μόνον. Πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα εἰς αἰῶνα βιῶναι; Ἀλλὰ τὴν τῆς βασιλείας προλέγει κατάλυσιν. Λαὸν δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ὀνομάζει καὶ τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ ὡσαύτως τὴν ἐκείνου γῆν. Ἐκείνη γὰρ εἶχε τὸν θεῖον νεών. Τὰ γὰρ μηδέπω αὐτὸν ἔθνη ἐπεγνωκότα οὐκ ἂν αὐτοῦ κυρίως κληθείη λαός. Σπέρμα πονηρόν, 21ἑτοίμασον τὰ τέκνα σου σφαγῆναι ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις τοῦ πατρός σου, ἵνα μὴ ἀναστῶσι καὶ κληρονομήσωσι τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐμπλήσωσι τὴν γῆν πολέμων. Ταῦτα πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν Ναβουχοδονόσορ λέγει· οἱ γὰρ τὴν ἐκείνου διαδεξάμενοι βασιλείαν ὑπὸ Μήδων καὶ Περσῶν κατελύθησαν. ∆ιδάσκει ταῦτα ἡμᾶς καὶ ἡ τοῦ θειοτάτου ∆ανιὴλ προφητεία· τοῦ γὰρ Βαλτάσαρ κατὰ τῶν ἱερῶν μανέντος σκευῶν ἡ γραφὴ αὕτη ἐφάνη ἐν τῷ τοίχῳ· «θεκὲλ φαρὲς μανή», εἶτα ἑρμηνεύων ὁ θεσπέσιος ∆ανιὴλ ἔφη· «∆οθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία σου Μήδοις καὶ Πέρσαις.» 22Καὶ ἐπαναστήσομαι αὐτοῖς, λέγει κύριος Σαβαώθ, καὶ ἀπολῶ αὐτῶν ὄνομα καὶ κατάλειμμα καὶ σπέρμα, λέγει κύριος. Τουτέστιν· ὄλεθρον αὐτῶν καταψηφιοῦμαι παντελῆ. Εἶτα πάλιν προλέγει τῆς Βαβυλῶνος τὴν ἐρημίαν· 23Ἔσται γάρ φησιν εἰς οὐθέν, καὶ θήσω αὐτὴν πηλοῦ βάρα θρον εἰς ἀπώλειαν. Ἀντὶ τοῦ· τῶν ἐπιφερομένων οὐκ ἀπαλλαγήσεται συμφορῶν. Ἀπεικασθήσεται γὰρ τοῖς εἰς πηλοῦ βάραθρον ἐμπεπτωκόσι καὶ ἀνασπασθῆναι μὴ δυνηθεῖσιν. Ἔστι μέντοι ἰδεῖν καὶ κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν τὴν τῆς προφητείας ἀλήθειαν· τοῦ γὰρ Εὐφράτου διῶρυξ μέσην αὐτὴν διατέμνει, ἐκ δὲ ταύτης ἡ ἀρδεία πάσῃ τῇ περὶ αὐτὴν προσφέρεται χώρᾳ· τῶν γεωργούντων τοίνυν