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pride, and teaches that the great heaven has the invisible God as its creator. But you, he says, have made 81.1389 your heart higher, not than heaven, but than the God of heaven, the Lord of all creation. For you would not have ordered the vessels of His house to be brought, if you had not been sick with so much pride. "And you and your nobles, and your wives, and your concubines drank wine from them;" that is, you misused for drunkenness and intoxication the vessels dedicated to God. Then, lamenting the excess of impiety, "And the gods, he says, the gold, and silver, and bronze, and iron, and wooden, and stone ones you praised." And persisting in the mockery: "Who do not see, and do not hear, and do not know." And indeed you were able to perceive their powerlessness, both from their material, and from the art applied to it, and in addition to these from the insensibility of their parts; for they are deprived of knowledge, and sight, and hearing, and they did not possess the operation of a single one of the senses, but are only bare images. But not even this persuaded you to perceive what is right, but you continually praise the gods who are unable to help. "But the God, in whose hand is your breath, and all your ways, Him you have not glorified." And well, and very wisely, having placed in parallel both the idols and the God of all things, for the benefit of the hearers, and having shown that those neither see nor hear, he did not add concerning the God of all that He sees, and hears, and knows, but he has set down what is greater than all, that "Your life and your ways are in His hand;" for it is a greater thing than to live to also provide life to others, and to take it away again when He wishes. He showed, therefore, that the idols are deprived of both life and all sensation; but the Lord God of all is the giver of all life, and He both gives and takes this, governing as He wishes. But nevertheless, he says, this One who is such, so great, who has power over life and death, who appoints and deposes kings, this One not only have you not praised, but rather you continue to insult Him with drunken revelry, feasting with the vessels set apart for Him. κδʹ. "Therefore from His presence was sent a part of a hand, and it inscribed this writing." And he did not say, He Himself wrote, but, "A part of a hand was sent from His presence;" that is, He commanded it to be written, and He did not even show you the whole of the one writing, but wishing to expose your pride, He astonished you with fingers alone, and filled you with such fear. Learn then, he says, both the writing itself, and the interpretation of the writing. κεʹ, κʹ. "Now the writing is this: Mene, Tekel, Peres; and this is the interpretation of the matter." 81.1392 And he calls the interpretation σύγκριμα. "Mene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it;" that is, He saw you as unworthy of the kingdom, and He has determined to reveal you stripped of it. κζʹ. "Tekel: it was placed on the scales, and was found wanting." And the prophet taught not only him, but us also through these things, that nothing is unweighed by God, but that both mercy and long-suffering are given to men by a certain measure and weight. Since, therefore, he says, you have overstepped the bounds of loving-kindness, receive the divine sentence. κηʹ. "Peres: your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians." But it is necessary to inquire why God, having disciplined Nebuchadnezzar, restored him again to the kingdom, but this one He immediately deprived of both the kingdom and life. Examining, therefore, we find, first, that Nebuchadnezzar had not seen another pay the penalty for impiety, for which reason the just decree of God deemed him worthy of pardon; but this one, having seen the great punishment of his father, gained nothing from it. Rightly, therefore, the just judge limited the punishment for that one to a specified time, but deemed this one worthy of no pardon. Besides, God, foreseeing all things that are to come, and knowing them as clearly as if they had already happened, foreseeing the repentance of that one, so ordained the things concerning him, but of this one

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τύφον, καὶ διδάσκει, ὡς ὁ μέγιστος οὐρανὸς δημι ουργὸν ἔχει τὸν ἀόρατον Θεόν. Σὺ δὲ, φησὶν, ὑψηλο 81.1389 τέραν ἀπέφηνας τὴν καρδίαν σου, οὐ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, τοῦ Κυρίου πάσης κτί σεως. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν, εἰ μὴ τοσοῦτον τύφον ἐνόση σας, τὰ σκεύη τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ ἐνεχθῆναι προσ έταξας. "Καὶ σὺ καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνές σου, καὶ αἱ παράκοιτοί σου, καὶ αἱ παλλακαί σου ἐπίνετε οἶνον ἐν αὐτοῖς·" τουτέστιν, εἰς οἰνοφλυγίαν καὶ μέθην ἀπεχρήσω τοῖς τῷ Θεῷ ἀνακειμένοις σκεύεσιν. Εἶτα τὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπερβολὴν τραγῳδῶν, "Καὶ τοὺς θεοὺς, φησὶ, τοὺς χρυσοῦς, καὶ ἀργυροῦς, καὶ χαλ κοῦς, καὶ σιδηροῦς, καὶ ξυλίνους, καὶ λιθίνους ᾔ νεσας." Καὶ ἐπιμένων τῇ κωμῳδίᾳ· "Οἳ οὐ βλέ πουσι, καὶ οὐκ ἀκούουσι, καὶ οὐ γινώσκουσι." Καὶ μὴν ἠδύνασαι συνιδεῖν τὸ ἐκείνων ἀδρανὲς, ἔκ τε τῆς ὕλης, καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἐπικειμένης αὐτῇ τέχνης, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἐκ τῆς τῶν μορίων ἀναισθησίας· γνώ σεως γὰρ, καὶ ὄψεως, καὶ ἀκοῆς ἐστέρηνται, καὶ τῶν αἰσθήσεων οὐδὲ τὴν μίαν ἐνέργειαν ἔσχον, ἀλλὰ μόνα γυμνὰ τὰ ἰνδάλματα. Σὲ δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἔπεισε συν ιδεῖν τὸ δέον, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν θεοὺς ὠφελεῖν μὴ δυναμένους αἰνῶν διατελεῖς. "Τὸν δὲ Θεὸν, οὗ ἡ πνοή σου ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοί σου, αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐδόξασας." Καλῶς δὲ, καὶ μάλα σο φῶς ἐκ παραλλήλου τεθεικὼς τά τε εἴδωλα καὶ τὸν τῶν ἁπάντων Θεὸν, διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων ὠφέλειαν, καὶ δείξας ἐκεῖνα μήτε βλέποντα μήτε ἀκούοντα, οὐκ ἐπήγαγε περὶ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ, ὅτι βλέπει, καὶ ἀκούει, καὶ γινώσκει, ἀλλὰ τὸ μεῖζον ἁπάντων τέ θεικεν, ὅτι "Ἡ ζωή σου καὶ αἱ ὁδοί σου ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ·" μεῖζον γάρ ἐστι τοῦ ζῇν τὸ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις παρέχειν ζωὴν, καὶ ἀφαιρεῖσθαι πάλιν αὐτὴν ὅταν θέλῃ. Ἔδειξε τοίνυν, ὅτι τὰ μὲν εἴδωλα καὶ ζωῆς καὶ αἰσθήσεως ἁπάσης ἐστέρηνται· ὁ δὲ τῶν ὅλων ∆εσπότης Θεὸς πάσης τῆς ζωῆς ἐστι χορηγὸς, καὶ ταύτην δίδωσί τε καὶ λαμβάνει, κυβερνῶν ὡς θέλει. Ἀλλ' ὅμως, φησὶ, τοῦτον τὸν τοιοῦτον, τὸν τοσοῦ τον, τὸν τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τελευτῆς ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντα, τὸν βασιλέας χειροτονοῦντα καὶ καταλύοντα, τοῦτον οὐ μόνον οὐχ ὑμνήσας, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐμπαροινῶν διατελεῖς, τοῖς ἀφορισθεῖσιν αὐτῷ σκεύεσιν ἐν τρυφῶν. κδʹ. "∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἀπεστάλη ἀστράγαλος χειρὸς, καὶ τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην ἐνέταξεν." Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Αὐτὸς γέγραφεν, ἀλλ', "Ἀπεστάλη ἐκ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἀστράγαλος χειρός·" τουτέστι, γρα φῆναι προσέταξε, καὶ οὐδὲ ὅλον ἔδειξέ σοι τὸν γρά ψαντα, ἀλλ' ἐξελέγξαι σου τὸν τύφον ἐθελήσας, μόνοις σε δακτύλοις ἐξέπληξε, καὶ τοσούτου δέους ἐνέπλησε. Μάθε δὲ, φησὶ, καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν γραφὴν, καὶ τῆς γραφῆς ἑρμηνείαν. κεʹ, κʹ. "Ἡ μὲν οὖν γραφή ἐστιν αὕτη· Μανὴ, Θεκὲλ, Φαρές· τὸ δὲ σύγκριμα τοῦ ῥήματος τοῦτο." 81.1392 Σύγκριμα δὲ τὴν ἑρμηνείαν καλεῖ. "Μανή· ἐμέ τρησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν βασιλείαν σου, καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν αὐτήν·" τουτέστιν, εἶδέ σε τῆς βασιλείας ἀνάξιον, καὶ ταύτης γυμνὸν ἐδοκίμασεν ἀποφῆναι. κζʹ. "Θεκέλ· ἐστάθη ἐν ζυγῷ, καὶ ηὑρέθη ὑστε ροῦσα." Ἐδίδαξε δὲ οὐκ ἐκεῖνον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμᾶς διὰ τούτων ὁ προφήτης, ὡς οὐδὲν ἀστάθμη τον παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἔλεος καὶ ἡ μακροθυμία μέτρῳ τινὶ καὶ σταθμῷ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις παρέχεται. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν, φησὶ, ὑπερέβης τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τοὺς ὅρους, δέχου τὴν θείαν ἀπόφασιν. κηʹ. "Φαρές· διῃρέθη ἡ βασιλεία σου, καὶ ἐδόθη Μήδοις καὶ Πέρσαις." Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ ζητῆσαι, τί δήποτε τὸν μὲν Ναβουχοδονόσορ παιδεύσας ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς πάλιν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν ἐπανήγαγε, τοῦ τον δὲ παραυτίκα καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἐστέρησε, καὶ τῆς ζωῆς. Σκοποῦντες τοίνυν εὑρίσκομεν, πρῶ τον μὲν, ὅτι Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἕτερον ἀσεβείας τίσαντα δίκας οὐκ ἐθεάσατο, διὸ καὶ συγγνώμης αὐτὸν ἠξίω σεν ἡ δικαία τοῦ Θεοῦ ψῆφος· οὗτος δὲ, τὴν μεγίστην τοῦ πατρὸς θεασάμενος τιμωρίαν, οὐδὲν ἐκεῖθεν ἀπώνατο. Εἰκότως τοίνυν ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς ἐπ' ἐκεί νου μὲν ῥητῷ χρόνῳ τὴν τιμωρίαν περιώρισε, τοῦτον δὲ οὐδεμιᾶς συγγνώμης ἠξίωσεν. Ἄλλως τε καὶ πάντα προορῶν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ ἐσόμενα, καὶ οὕτως αὐτὰ σαφῶς γινώσκων ὡς ἤδη γενόμενα, ἐκείνου μὲν προειδὼς τὴν μεταμέλειαν, οὕτω τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ᾠκονόμησε, τούτου δὲ