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the division of the kingdom into four parts that occurred after the death of Alexander; then it was necessary to observe that the fourth beast also had ten horns at the same time, and the little horn uprooted three of those before it; but four, not ten, kings succeeded to the kingdom of Alexander. And leaving aside the other matters to come to the end, it was necessary to understand this also, that he said the kingdom would be given to the saints of the Most High after the destruction of the fourth beast. For this reason also the court sat in judgment; but the saints of the Most High did not receive the kingdom after Antiochus Epiphanes. And even if the blessed Maccabees took some power, it was not for very long. For Judas was general for three years; and Jonathan for nineteen; and Simon for eight; and the others, so that I do not make the account long by going through each one, holding power for some short time, were either extinguished by death, or while living were deprived of their leadership by certain circumstances. Besides, not all of these were saints; for some evil men were also among them; but even if we should suppose them all to be saints, Herod overthrew them and was declared king of all Judaea. How then is what was said by the angel true, that after the overthrow of that horn the kingdom, and the power, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven was given to the saints of the Most High, and his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom? For none of these things fits the Maccabees. For 81.1437 they were not entrusted with a kingdom, but as generals they were victorious, and they quickly met their end. It remains, therefore, to understand the fourth beast as the Roman kingdom. For at its end, the ten kings will rise up at the same time, and the creator and teacher of all evil will appear last, doing and suffering those things which we were taught. And after his overthrow, the coming of our God and Savior will appear, and the judgment of all men will take place, and the books will be opened, the records of what each has lived. "And the body of the beast shall be given to the fire," that is, those who have taken away the power from the soul, and have assigned authority to the body, and have used a carnal mind throughout life. And the just judge will give the kingdom to the saints, crying out: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world;" may it be that we all attain it, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

BOOK VIII. CHAPTER VIII. 1. "In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, a vision appeared

to me; I, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first." Still, he says, while the kingdom of the Chaldeans, or rather the Assyrians, was in power, I saw another revelation after that first one; and the time also indicates that this one is more recent; for he saw the first one in the first year of Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, but this one in the third. And he indicates the time not in vain, but teaching that long before the events took place, he received the foreknowledge of them from the God of all. 2. "And I saw, he says, in the vision, and it came to pass when I saw, that I was in Susa the palace, which is in the country of Elam." Susa was formerly the metropolis of the Persians. Since, therefore, he learns of the overthrow of the Persian kingdom, it is fitting that he seems to see the revelation in that city. "And I saw, he says, in a vision;" instead of, Not while awake, nor during the day did I see these things, but the God of all showed me these things in a dream. 81.1440 "And I was, he says, at the Ulai." By the gate, he says, I seemed to be standing; for thus have some of the interpreters rendered it. 3. "And I lifted up my eyes

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τὴν γεγενημένην μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου τελευτὴν τῆς βασιλείας εἰς τέσσαρα μέρη διαίρεσιν· ἔπειτα δὲ προσέχειν ἔδει, ὅτι καὶ τὸ τέταρτον θηρίον δέκα κατὰ ταὐτὸν κέρατα ἔσχεν, καὶ τὸ μικρὸν κέρας τρεῖς ἐκριζῶσαι τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ· τέσσαρες δὲ, ἀλλ' οὐ δέκα βασιλεῖς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρου βασιλείαν διεδέ ξαντο. Καὶ ἵνα τὰ ἄλλα καταλιπὼν ἐπὶ τὸ τέλος ἔλθω, ἔδει καὶ τοῦτο συνιδεῖν, ὅτι μετὰ τοῦ τετάρτου θη ρίου τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῦ Ὑψίστου τὴν βασιλείαν ἔφη δοθήσεσθαι. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸ κριτήριον ἐκάθισεν· οἱ δὲ ἅγιοι τοῦ Ὑψίστου οὐ μετὰ Ἀντίοχον τὸν Ἐπιφανῆ τὴν βασιλείαν ἐδέξαντο. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἰσχύν τινα ἔλαβον οἱ μακάριοι Μακκαβαῖοι, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἰούδας τρία ἐστρατήγησεν ἔτη· ὁ δὲ Ἰωνάθαν ἐννέα καὶ δέκα· ὁ δὲ Σίμων ὀκτώ· καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι δὲ, ἵνα μὴ καθ' ἕκαστον διεξιὼν, μῆκος ἐργάσωμαι τῷ λόγῳ, ὀλίγον τινὰ κρατοῦντες χρόνον, ἢ τῷ θανάτῳ ἐσβέννυντο, ἢ περιστάσεσί τισι ζῶντες τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἐστέρηντο. Ἄλλως τε δὲ οὔτε πάντες ἅγιοι οὗτοι· ἔνιοι γὰρ καὶ πονηροὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς γεγένηνται· ἵνα δὲ καὶ θῶμεν πάντας αὐτοὺς ἁγίους εἶναι, τούτους Ἡρώδης κατα λύσας ἁπάσης βασιλεὺς ἀνεδείχθη τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Πῶς τοίνυν ἀληθὲς τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου εἰρημένον, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν τοῦ κέρατος ἐκείνου κατάλυσιν ἡ βασι λεία, καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία, καὶ ἡ μεγαλωσύνη τῶν βασιλέων τῶν ὑποκάτω παντὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἐδόθη ἁγίοις Ὑψίστου, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ βασιλεία αἰώνιος; Τούτων γὰρ οὐδὲν ἁρμόττει τοῖς Μακκαβαίοις. Οὔτε 81.1437 γὰρ βασιλείαν ἐπιστεύθησαν, ἀλλὰ στρατηγοῦντες ἐνίκων, καὶ ταχὺ τέλος ἐδέξαντο. Λείπεται τοίνυν τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν βασιλείαν νοεῖν τὸ τέταρτον θηρίον. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ ταύτης τέλει, οἱ μὲν δέκα βασιλεῖς κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἀναστήσονται, ὁ δὲ πάσης πονηρίας δημιουρ γὸς καὶ διδάσκαλος ἔσχατος ἀναφανήσεται, ἐκεῖνα ποιῶν τε καὶ πάσχων, ἃ ἐδιδάχθημεν. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκείνου κατάλυσιν, ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀναφανήσεται παρουσία, καὶ τὸ πάντων ἀνθρώπων γενήσεται κριτήριον, καὶ ἀνοιγήσονται μὲν αἱ βί βλοι, τῶν ἑκάστῳ βεβιωμένων αἱ μνῆμαι. "Παρα δοθήσεται δὲ πυρὶ τὸ τοῦ θηρίου σῶμα," τουτέστιν, οἱ μὲν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀφελόμενοι τὸ κράτος, τῷ δὲ σώ ματι τὴν ἐξουσίαν προσνείμαντες, καὶ σαρκικῷ φρο νήματι διὰ βίου χρησάμενοι. Ἀποδώσει δὲ ὁ δίκαιος κριτὴς τοῖς ἁγίοις τὴν βασιλείαν, βοῶν· "∆εῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν πρὸ καταβολῆς κό σμου·" ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΤΟΜΟΣ Ηʹ. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Ηʹ. αʹ. "Ἐν ἔτει τρίτῳ τῆς βασιλείας Βαλτάσαρ, ὅρασις ὤφθη

πρός με· ἐγὼ ∆ανιὴλ, μετὰ τὴν ὀφθεῖσάν μοι τὴν ἀρχήν." Ἔτι, φησὶ, τῆς τῶν Χαλδαίων, εἴτ' οὖν Ἀσσυρίων κατεχούσης βασιλείας, ἑτέραν ἀποκάλυψιν εἶδον μετ' ἐκείνην τὴν προτέραν· δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ χρόνος τὸ ταύτης νεώτε ρον· τὴν μὲν γὰρ προτέραν εἶδεν ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ ἔτει Βαλτάσαρ, βασιλέως Χαλδαίων, ταύτην δὲ ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ. Σημαίνει δὲ τὸν χρόνον οὐ μάτην, ἀλλὰ διδάσκων, ὡς πρὸ πολλοῦ χρόνου τοῦ γενέσθαι τὰ πράγματα τὴν τούτων πρόγνωσιν παρὰ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐδέξατο. βʹ. "Καὶ εἶδον, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ ὁράσει, καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἰδεῖν με, καὶ ἤμην ἐν Σούσοις τῇ βάρει, ἥ ἐστιν ἐν χώρᾳ Αἰλάμ." Τὰ Σοῦσα μη τρόπολις ἦν πάλαι Περσῶν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τὴν τῆς Περσικῆς βασιλείας μανθάνει κατάλυσιν, ἀναγκαίως ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ πόλει δοκεῖ βλέπειν τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν. "Καὶ εἶδον, φησὶν, ἐν ὁράματι·" ἀντὶ τοῦ, Οὐκ ἐγρηγορὼς, οὐδὲ μεθ' ἡμέραν ταῦτα ἐθεασάμην, ἀλλ' ὄναρ μοι ταῦτα ἔδειξεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός. 81.1440 "Καὶ ἤμην, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τοῦ Οὐβάλ." Παρὰ τὴν πύλην, φησὶν, ἐδόκουν ἑστάναι· οὕτω γὰρ τοῦτό τινες τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν τεθείκασι. γʹ. "Καὶ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου