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being full of joy, since indeed he had known the power of God and had learned of the salvation of the beloved one, he immediately commanded him to be brought up from the pit. Then, seeing him safe and sound, and having suffered no harm from the lions' attack, he commanded Daniel's accusers to be thrown to the lions with their sons and wives. "And they had not reached," it says, "the bottom of the pit, before the lions overpowered them, and crushed all their bones." For this too is the work of divine justice and wisdom. For so that they might not say that the lions abstained from Daniel because of satiety and fullness, and diminish through envy the miracle that had happened, having been thrown in, they bore witness to the lions' ferocity; for the lions seized them as they were being brought down, and taking those being lowered before they had even reached the ground, from the very air they made them their food. Therefore, having paid a worthy penalty, they proclaim the justice of God; and having been so easily consumed by the beasts, they show the wisdom of God, and teach everyone that it was not the lions' satiety, but Daniel's desire for God, that made him superior to the lions' ravages. Having seen these things, 25. "King Darius wrote to all peoples, tribes, and tongues who dwell in all the earth." Considering it unholy to hide such a great miracle, and not to make all people sharers in this piety. He writes, therefore, thus: "Peace be multiplied to you;" that is, may you always enjoy peace. And this resembles the salutation made by us; for we too are accustomed when writing letters to prefix the words: Rejoice in the Lord. 81.1409 Then he narrates the beneficial and profitable narrative. 20. "From my person a decree was set forth in every dominion of my kingdom, that all are to be trembling and fearing before the face of the God of Daniel." I wish, he says, all people who are under my authority to worship the God of Daniel, and not simply and casually, but to offer worship to him with fear and trembling. And he adds the reason, and says: "Because he is the living God, and abiding for the ages." For he is enduring, and accepts no change, and is always the same, and remains for the ages. To these things he adds: "And his kingdom shall not be destroyed, and his dominion is unto the end. (27.) He helps and rescues." And he remains forever, he says, having an indestructible kingdom, and a lordship that accepts no end, but rescuing and redeeming those who have believed in him. "And he works signs in heaven and on earth." And it is possible to see his miracles, both those that happen in heaven and those on earth, through which he shows his own power. This he has shown us also in the present case; "For he rescued," it says, "Daniel from the mouth of the lions," and made him superior to the beasts sharpened by hunger and anger. The letter, therefore, has taught these things to the world. And the end of the narrative contains this, that Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian; that is, in each reign he continued to shine, and to be distinguished in all things. And it is fitting for us, having learned the power of piety, to choose it, and to prefer it to all things, and to yield to no circumstance; but even if all people together should campaign against us for its sake, to receive the attack eagerly, trusting in its power. For thus also the choir of the blessed apostles, being besieged, so to speak, by the entire world, remained unconquered, and made their enemies subject. Thus the blessed Daniel, being plotted against by so many satraps and officials, was shown to be superior to those warring against him; and when the hostile ones thought they had conquered, then they suffered utter destruction. Having, therefore, such examples, let us keep our goodwill toward God sincere, so that we may continually enjoy the aid from him; of which

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γενόμενος, καὶ θυμηδίας ἀνάπλεως, ἅτε δὴ καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν γνοὺς, καὶ τοῦ ἀγαπωμένου τὴν σωτηρίαν μαθὼν, παραυ τίκα αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ λάκκου ἀνενεχθῆναι προσέταξε. Εἶτα θεασάμενος αὐτὸν σῶον καὶ ἐῤῥωμένον, καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἐσχηκότα διαφθορὰν ἐκ τῆς τῶν λεόντων προσβολῆς, τοὺς τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ κατηγόρους προσέταξε τοῖς λέουσι σὺν τοῖς υἱέσι καὶ γυναιξὶ ῥιφῆναι. "Καὶ οὐκ ἔφθασαν, φησὶν, εἰς τὸ ἔδαφος τοῦ λάκκου, ἕως οὗ ἐκυρίευσαν αὐτῶν οἱ λέοντες, καὶ πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτῶν ἐλέπτυναν." Καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ τῆς θείας ἔργον δικαιοσύνης τε καὶ σοφίας. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγωσιν, ὡς διὰ πλησμονὴν καὶ κόρον οἱ λέοντες ἀπείχοντο. τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ, καὶ σμικρύνωσι τῷ φθόνῳ τὸ γενόμενον θαῦμα, ἐμβληθέντες ἐμαρ τύρησαν τῇ τῶν λεόντων ὠμότητι· ἐξήρπαζον γὰρ αὐτοὺς καταφερομένους οἱ λέοντες, καὶ μηδέπω τοὺς χαλωμένους εἰς γῆν ἐφικνουμένους ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀέρος λαμβάνοντες ἐποιοῦντο τροφήν. ∆ίκας μὲν οὖν ἀξίας δεδωκότες τὸ δίκαιον κηρύττουσι τοῦ Θεοῦ· οὕτω δὲ ῥᾷστα καταναλωθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν ὑποδεικνύουσι, καὶ διδάσκουσιν ἅπαντας, ὡς οὐχ ὁ τῶν λεόντων κόρος, ἀλλ' ὁ περὶ τὸν Θεὸν τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ πόθος, τῆς τῶν λεόντων αὐ τὸν λύμης ἀπέφηνε κρείττονα. Ταῦτα θεασάμενος, κεʹ. "∆αρεῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔγραψε πᾶσι τοῖς λαοῖς, φυλαῖς, γλώσσαις, τοῖς οἰκοῦσιν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ." Ἀνόσιον ἡγησάμενος τοσαύτην κρύψαι θαυματουρ γίαν, καὶ μὴ πάντας ἀνθρώπους κοινωνοὺς τῆς εὐ σεβείας λαβεῖν. Γράφει τοίνυν οὕτως· "Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν πληθυνθείη·" τουτέστι, Γένοιτο ὑμᾶς διαπαν τὸς εἰρήνης ἀπολαύειν. Ἔοικε δὲ τοῦτο τῇ παρ' ἡμῶν γινομένῃ προσηγορίᾳ· καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἐπι στέλλοντες προγράφειν εἰώθαμεν τό· Ἐν Κυρίῳ 81.1409 χαίρειν. Εἶτα διηγεῖται τὸ ἐπωφελὲς καὶ ἐπικερδὲς διήγημα. κʹ. "Ἐκ προσώπου μου ἐτέθη δόγμα ἐν πάσῃ ἀρχῇ τῆς βασιλείας μου, εἶναι πάντας τρέμοντας καὶ φοβουμένους ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ ∆ανιήλ." Βούλομαι, φησὶ, πάντας ἀνθρώπους τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν ἐμὴν τελοῦντας ἐξουσίαν, τὸν τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ προσ κυνεῖν Θεὸν, καὶ μὴ ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ δέους καὶ φρίκης προσφέρειν αὐτῷ τὴν προσκύνησιν. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπάγει, καί φησιν· "Ὅτι αὐτός ἐστι Θεὸς ζῶν, καὶ μένων εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας." ∆ιαρκὴς γάρ ἐστι, καὶ τροπὴν οὐδεμίαν δεχόμενος, καὶ ἀεὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχει, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας διαμένει. Τούτοις ἐπάγει· "Καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ οὐ διαφθαρήσεται, καὶ ἡ κυρεία αὐτοῦ ἕως τέλους. (κζʹ.) Ἀντιλαμβά νεται, καὶ ῥύεται." Εἰσαεὶ δὲ, φησὶ, διαμένει, καὶ βασιλείαν ἔχων ἀνώλεθρον, καὶ δεσποτείαν τέλος οὐ δεχομένην, ῥυομένην δὲ καὶ λυτρουμένην τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότας. "Καὶ σημεῖα δὲ ποιεῖ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Ἔστι δὲ ἰδεῖν αὐτοῦ τὰς θαυματουργίας, τάς τε ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ γινομένας, καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, δι' ὧν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δείκνυσι δύ ναμιν. Ταύτην ἡμῖν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ὑπέδει ξεν· "Ἐξείλατο γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν ∆ανιὴλ ἐκ στόματος τῶν λεόντων," καὶ τῶν λιμῷ καὶ θυμῷ τεθηγμένων θηρίων ἀπέφηνε κρείττονα. Ἡ μὲν οὖν ἐπιστολὴ ταῦτα τὴν οἰκουμένην δεδίδαχε. Τὸ δὲ τοῦ διηγήμα τος τέλος περιέχει, ὅτι κατηύθυνε ∆ανιὴλ ἐν τῇ βα σιλείᾳ ∆αρείου καὶ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ Κύρου τοῦ Πέρσου· τουτέστιν, ἐν ἑκατέρᾳ βασιλείᾳ διαλάμπων διετέλεσε, καὶ ἐν πᾶσι διαπρέπων. Ἡμᾶς δὲ προσήκει τῆς εὐ σεβείας μεμαθηκότας τὴν δύναμιν, ταύτην προαι ρεῖσθαι, καὶ πάντων αὐτὴν προτιθέναι, καὶ μηδεμιᾷ περιστάσει παραχωρεῖν· ἀλλὰ κἂν ἅπαντες ἄνθρωποι κατὰ ταὐτὸν καθ' ἡμῶν διὰ ταύτην στρατεύωσι, δέ χεσθαι προθύμως τὴν προσβολὴν τῇ ταύτης δυνάμει θαῤῥοῦντας. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τῶν μακαρίων ἀποστόλων ὁ χορὸς, ἀπὸ πάσης, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, τῆς οἰκουμένης πολιορκούμενος, ἄμαχος μεμένηκε, καὶ τοὺς πολε μίους ὑπηκόους ἐποιήσατο. Οὕτως ὁ μακάριος ∆α νιὴλ, ὑπὸ τοσούτων σατραπῶν καὶ τακτικῶν ἐπιβου λευόμενος, ἀμείνων ἀπεφάνθη τῶν πολεμούντων· καὶ ἡνίκα δὲ οἱ δυσμενεῖς νενικηκέναι ᾠήθησαν, τηνικαῦτα πανωλεθρίαν ὑπέμειναν. Τοιαῦτα τοίνυν ἔχοντες παραδείγματα, εἰλικρινῆ τὴν περὶ τὸν Θεὸν φυλάξωμεν εὔνοιαν, ἵνα τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ ῥοπῆς δι ηνεκῶς ἀπολαύσωμεν· ἧς