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using words," and stitching together countless plots against the servants of God, he is taught through the purity flashing from all sides that these things are not dared because God overlooks them, but because He permits them through His ineffable economy. And lest anyone should suppose that God, being good, wishes to defend the saints but is unable, he also sees "the throne made of flame, and the wheels likewise having the nature of fire, and a river of fire drawing the throne, and thousands of thousands ministering, and myriads of myriads standing by." And through these things he is taught the power of God, and through those things His incorruptibility and blamelessness; and through His ancientness, His eternity and wisdom and gentleness. To these he adds: "The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened;" that is, He judged it to be time for judgment, and He unfolded the memory of the things done by each. For he calls memories "books." And if anyone thinks that these things allude to the Lord's promise, which He gave to the apostles, saying: "Twelve thrones will be set, and you will sit and judge the twelve tribes of Israel," this is not unlikely; for the promise of the Truth is without falsehood. 11. "I looked," he says, "then because of the sound of the great words which that horn was speaking, I kept looking until the beast was slain, and destroyed, and its body was given to be burned with fire." For because of the madness of that horn, he says, when the judgment took place, the fourth kingdom was also destroyed, "and the body of the beast was given to be burned with fire." It is fitting to note that it does not simply say the beast was given to be burned with fire, but he said, "its body." For since through the beast he alludes to the whole kingdom, and in the kingdom some are nurtured in piety, while others are workers of evil, and we are accustomed to call some spiritual and others carnal, obeying the divine Scripture, he fittingly did not say the beast was given to be burned with fire, but the body of the beast, that is, the grosser and carnal ones, who have had no spiritual thoughts. 12. "And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, and a blessedness of life was given to them for 81.1425 a season and a time." For, he says, the dominion of the other beasts had already ceased, even though they had consumed a period of many years in their rule; for a clear time was appointed for each to reign. And when these things, he says, had thus happened, and the other kingdoms had already ceased before, those of the fourth kingdom who were worthy of punishment were handed over to the fire. 13, 14. "I saw," he says, "in a vision of the night, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of man was coming, and he came to the Ancient of days, and was brought before him. And to him was given the honor, and the dominion and the kingdom; and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him; and his authority is an everlasting authority, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed." Truly one might say in season to the Jews what the prophet said to them long ago: "You have a harlot's brow, you have been shameless to all." For what is clearer than these words? For in reality the Prophet proclaimed these things more evangelically and apostolically than prophetically and enigmatically. For what the Lord says in the Gospels: "You will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with his angels;" and the blessed Paul: "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord;" this the blessed Daniel clearly taught us, prophesying the second coming of the Savior, clearly calling him Son of man, because of the nature which he assumed; coming on the clouds, according to his own promise, to show his authority; receiving honor, and dominion, and the kingdom from the Ancient of days, as a man. This

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χρώμενον λόγοις," τοῖς τε τοῦ Θεοῦ θεράπουσι μυρίας καττύον ἐπιβουλὰς, διδάσκε ται διὰ τῆς πανταχόθεν ἀστραπτούσης καθαρότητος, ὡς οὐ παρορῶντος τοῦ Θεοῦ ταῦτα τολμᾶται, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἄῤῥητον συγχωροῦντος οἰκονομίαν. Καὶ ἵνα μή τις πάλιν ὑπολάβῃ βούλεσθαι μὲν τὸν Θεὸν, ἅτε δὴ ἀγαθὸν ὄντα, τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐπαμύνειν, μὴ δύ νασθαι δὲ, ὁρᾷ καὶ "τὸν θρόνον ἐκ φλογὸς κατ εσκευασμένον, καὶ τοὺς τροχοὺς ὡσαύτως πυρὸς ἔχοντας φύσιν, καὶ ποταμὸν πυρὸς τὸν θρόνον ἕλ κοντα, καὶ χιλίας μὲν χιλιάδας λειτουργούσας, μυ ρίας δὲ μυριάδας παρεστώσας." Καὶ διὰ τούτων μὲν τὸ δυνατὸν διδάσκεται τοῦ Θεοῦ, δι' ἐκείνων δὲ τὸ ἀκήρατόν τε καὶ ἄμωμον· διὰ δὲ τῆς παλαιότητος τὸ αἰώνιόν τε καὶ σοφὸν, καὶ ἥμερον. Τούτοις ἐπάγει· "Κριτήριον ἐκάθισε, καὶ βίβλοι ἠνεῴχθησαν·" ἀντὶ τοῦ, Κρίσεως λοιπὸν ἐδοκίμασεν εἶναι καιρὸν, καὶ ἀνέπτυξε τῶν ἑκάστῳ πεπραγμένων τὴν μνήμην. Βίβλους γὰρ τὰς μνήμας καλεῖ. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ὑπόσχεσιν ἡγεῖται ταῦτα αἰνίττεσθαι, ἣν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἔδωκε· "Τεθήσονται, λέγων, δέκα καὶ δύο θρόνοι, καὶ καθεσθέντες κρινεῖτε τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ," οὐδὲν ἀπεικός· ἀψευδὴς γὰρ ἡ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπαγγελία. ιαʹ. "Ἐθεώρουν, φησὶ, τότε ἀπὸ φωνῆς τῶν λό γων τῶν μεγάλων, ὧν τὸ κέρας ἐκεῖνο ἐλάλει, θεω ρῶν ἤμην ἕως ἀνῃρέθη τὸ θηρίον, καὶ ἀπώλετο, καὶ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἐδόθη εἰς κατάκαυσιν πυρός." ∆ιὰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ κέρατος ἐκείνου μανίαν, τοῦ κριτη ρίου, φησὶ, γενομένου, κατελύθη καὶ ἡ τετάρτη βασιλεία, "καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ θηρίου ἐδόθη εἰς κατά καυσιν πυρός." Προσήκει δὲ ἐπισημήνασθαι, ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἐδόθη τὸ θηρίον εἰς καῦσιν πυρὸς, ἀλλὰ, "τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ," εἶπεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ διὰ τοῦ θη ρίου πᾶσαν τὴν βασιλείαν αἰνίττεται, ἐν δὲ τῇ βασιλείᾳ οἱ μὲν εἰσὶν εὐσεβείας τρόφιμοι, οἱ δὲ κακίας ἐργά ται, καὶ τοὺς μὲν πνευματικοὺς, τοὺς δὲ σαρκικοὺς προσαγορεύειν εἰώθαμεν, τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ πειθόμενοι, εἰκότως οὐκ εἶπε τὸ θηρίον δοθῆναι εἰς καῦσιν πυρὸς, ἀλλὰ τοῦ θηρίου τὸ σῶμα, τουτέστι, τοὺς παχυτέ ρους, καὶ σαρκικοὺς, καὶ πνευματικὸν πεφρονηκό τας οὐδέν. ιβʹ. "Καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν δὲ θηρίων μετεστάθη ἡ ἀρχὴ, καὶ μακαριότης ζωῆς ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἕως 81.1425 καιροῦ καὶ καιροῦ." Τῶν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄλλων θη ρίων ἤδη ἐπέπαυτο ἡ ἀρχὴ, εἰ καὶ πολλῶν ἐτῶν περί οδον ἐν τῷ κρατεῖν καταναλωσάντων· φανερὸς γὰρ ἑκάστῳ εἰς τὸ βασιλεύειν ὡρίσθη καιρός. Τούτων δὲ, φησὶν, οὕτω γινομένων, καὶ τῶν μὲν ἄλλων βασι λειῶν ἤδη πρότερον παυσαμένων, τῶν δὲ τῆς τετάρ της βασιλείας τιμωρίας ἀξίων τῷ πυρὶ παραδοθέν των. ιγʹ, ιδʹ. "Ἐθεώρουν, φησὶν, ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτὸς, καὶ ἰδοὺ μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὡς Υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενος ἦν, καὶ ἕως τοῦ Παλαιοῦ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἔφθασε, καὶ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ προσηνέχθη. Καὶ αὐτῷ ἐδόθη ἡ τιμὴ, καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ ἡ βασι λεία· καὶ πάντες οἱ λαοὶ, φυλαὶ, γλῶσσαι, αὐτῷ δουλεύσουσιν· καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ ἐξουσία αἰώ νιος, ἥτις οὐ παρελεύσεται, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ οὐ διαφθαρήσεται." Ἀληθῶς εἰς καιρὸν εἴποι τις ἂν πρὸς Ἰουδαίους, ἃ πάλαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγεν· "Ὄψις πόρνης ἐγένετό σοι, ἀπηναισχύντη σας πρὸς πάντας." Τί γὰρ τούτων σαφέστερον τῶν λόγων; εὐαγγελικῶς γὰρ τῷ ὄντι μᾶλλον καὶ ἀπο στολικῶς, ἢ προφητικῶς καὶ αἰνιγματωδῶς, ταῦτα ὁ Προφήτης ἐκήρυξεν. Ὅπερ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις λέγει. "Ὄψεσθε τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀν- θρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὑτοῦ·" καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦ λος· "Ὅτι ὁ Κύριος ἐν κελεύσματι, ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχ αγγέλου, καὶ ἐν σάλπιγγι Θεοῦ καταβήσεται ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐγερθήσονται ἄφθαρτοι, καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ παραλειπόμενοι ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα, καὶ οὕτω πάντοτε σὺν Κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα·" τοῦτο σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξεν ὁ μακάριος ∆ανιὴλ, τὴν δευτέραν Σωτῆρος ἐπιφάνειαν προθεσπίζων, Υἱὸν μὲν ἀν θρώπου σαφῶς ἀποκαλῶν, δι' ἣν ἀνέλαβε φύσιν· ἐρχόμενον δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν, κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ὑπόσχεσιν, ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν ἐξουσίαν· λαμβάνοντα δὲ τὴν τιμὴν, καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν παρὰ τοῦ Παλαιοῦ τῶν ἡμερῶν, ὡς ἄνθρωπον. Τοῦτο