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he held them, he blasphemed; but when he cast them into the fire, he philosophized. For this reason God permitted everything to happen that the tyrant wished, so that he might show that no one will be able to harm those guarded by him; and what he did in the case of Job, this he also worked here. For there too he allowed the devil to display all his power, and when he had emptied all his arrows, and no manner of plotting was left, then he raised the athlete from the wrestling-ground, so that the victory might be brilliant and undisputed; so indeed he did the same thing here. He wished to raze their city, and He did not prevent it; he wished to take them captive, and He did not hinder it; he wished to bind them, He permitted it; to cast them into the furnace, He allowed it; to light the flame beyond measure, this too He let be; and when nothing was left, but the tyrant had exhausted all his strength, then God showed His power, and the endurance of the young men. Do you see that for this reason God permitted the afflictions until the end, so that He might show to those who plot, both the wisdom of those plotted against, and His own providence? When he learned both these things then, he cried out: You servants of the most high God, come out and come here. But consider for me the magnanimity of the young men; for they neither leaped out before the voice, lest anyone think they feared the fire, nor did they remain inside when called, lest they seem to be ambitious and contentious. When you learned, they say, whose servants we are, when you recognized our Master, then we come out, to be heralds to all present of the power of God. Rather, not only they, but also the enemy with his own voice and by his tongue, and by his letter, proclaimed to all both the resistance of the athletes and the strength of the judge of the contest. And just as heralds proclaim the victorious athletes in the middle of the theater, and state their cities: So-and-so of such-and-such city; so also this one, instead of the city, proclaimed their Master, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, you servants of the most high God, come out and come here. What has happened, that you call them servants of God? Were they not your servants? But they overthrew my kingdom, he says, they trampled upon my pride, they showed by their works their true Master. If they were servants of men, the fire would not have feared them, the flame would not have given way; for creation does not know to revere and honor the servants of men. For this reason again, he says, Blessed is the God of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. But consider for me how he first proclaims the judge of the contest: Blessed is the God who sent his angel and delivered his servants. This is of the power of God; speak also of the virtue of the athletes: Because they trusted in him, and they altered the king's word, and delivered up their bodies, that they might not serve foreign gods. What then could be equal to such virtue? Before this, when they said, We do not serve your gods, he burned more fiercely than the furnace; but now, since they taught him this through their deeds, not only was he not angered, but he also praised and marveled that they had disobeyed him. So great a good is virtue, that it has even its enemies as admirers and praisers. They conten- 49.89 ded and won, and the defeated one gave thanks, that the sight of the flame did not frighten them, but hope in the Master encouraged them, and he calls the God of the world from the three young men, not circumscribing his dominion, but because the three young men were worthy of the world, for this reason he praises those who despised him, and having passed over so many tyrants and kings and satraps who obeyed him, he marveled at three captives and slaves who had laughed at his tyranny. For they did not do these things out of contentiousness, but out of wisdom, nor out of desperation, but out of piety; not puffed up with arrogance, but inflamed with zeal. For it is a great good to hope in

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αὐτῶν ἐκράτησεν, ἐβλασφήμει· ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐνέβαλεν εἰς τὸ πῦρ, ἐφιλοσόφει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Θεὸς συνεχώρησε πάντα γενέσθαι, ὅσα ὁ τύραννος ἠθέλησεν, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ φυλαττομένους οὐδεὶς παραβλάψαι δυνήσεται· καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἐποίησε, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα εἰργάσατο. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἀφῆκε τὸν διάβολον πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν ἐπιδείξασθαι, καὶ ὅτε ἐκένωσε τὰ βέλη πάντα, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπιβουλῆς ὑπελέλειπτο τρόπος, τότε ἀνεβίβασεν ἐκ τοῦ σκάμματος τὸν ἀθλητὴν, ἵνα λαμπρὰ καὶ ἀναμφισβήτητος ἡ νίκη γένηται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐποίησεν. Ἐβουλήθη τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν κατασκάψαι, καὶ οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν· ἐβουλήθη λαβεῖν αἰχμαλώτους, καὶ οὐκ ἐνεπόδισεν· ἐβουλήθη δῆσαι, συνεχώρησεν· εἰς τὴν κάμινον ἐμβαλεῖν, ἐπέτρεψεν· ἀνάψαι τὴν φλόγα πέρα τοῦ μέτρου, καὶ τοῦτο ἀφῆκε· καὶ ὅτε οὐδὲν ὑπελέλειπτο λοιπὸν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ἐκένωσεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἰσχὺν ὁ τύραννος, τότε ἔδειξε τὴν αὐτοῦ δύναμιν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τὴν τῶν παίδων ὑπομονήν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς μέχρι τέλους τὰς θλίψεις, ἵνα δείξῃ τοῖς ἐπιβουλεύουσι καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐπιβουλευομένων φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ πρόνοιαν; Ἅπερ ἀμφότερα κἀκεῖνος τότε μαθὼν ἐβόα· Οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ἐξέλθετε καὶ δεῦτε. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει τῶν παίδων μεγαλοψυχίαν· οὔτε γὰρ πρὸ τῆς φωνῆς ἐξεπήδησαν, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃ τις αὐτοὺς πεφοβῆσθαι τὸ πῦρ, οὔτε κληθέντες ἔνδον ἔμειναν, ἵνα μὴ φιλότιμοί τινες εἶναι καὶ φιλόνεικοι δόξωσιν. Ὅτε ἔμαθες, φασὶ, τίνος ἐσμὲν δοῦλοι, ὅτε τὸν ∆εσπότην ἡμῶν ἐπέγνως, τότε ἐξερχόμεθα, κήρυκες ἐσόμενοι τοῖς παροῦσιν ἅπασι τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως. Μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ αὐτοὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ πολέμιος οἰκείᾳ φωνῇ καὶ διὰ τῆς γλώττης, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς πᾶσιν ἀνεκήρυττε, καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀθλητῶν ἔνστασιν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀγωνοθέτου ἰσχύν. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ κήρυκες τοὺς ἀθλητὰς νικῶντας ἀναγορεύουσιν ἐν μέσῳ τῷ θεάτρῳ, καὶ τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν λέγουσιν· Ὁ δεῖνα τῆσδε τῆς πόλεως· οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ἀντὶ τῆς πόλεως τὸν ∆εσπότην αὐτῶν ἀνεκήρυττε, Σεδρὰχ, Μισὰχ, Ἀβδεναγὼ, οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ἐξέλθετε καὶ δεῦτε. Τί γέγονεν, ὅτι δούλους αὐτοὺς καλεῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ; οὐχὶ σοὶ ἦσαν δοῦλοι; Ἀλλὰ κατέλυσάν μου τὴν βασιλείαν, φησὶ, κατεπάτησάν μου τὸν τῦφον, ἔδειξαν διὰ τῶν ἔργων τὸν ἀληθῆ ∆εσπότην αὐτῶν. Εἰ ἀνθρώπων ἦσαν δοῦλοι, οὐκ ἂν αὐτοὺς ἐφοβήθη τὸ πῦρ, οὐκ ἂν παρεχώρησεν ἡ φλόξ· ἀνθρώπων γὰρ δούλους ἡ κτίσις οὐκ οἶδεν αἰδεῖσθαι καὶ τιμᾷν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάλιν, φησὶν, Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Σεδρὰχ, Μισὰχ, Ἀβδεναγώ. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει πῶς πρῶτον ἀνακηρύττει τὸν ἀγωνοθέτην· Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς ὃς ἀπέστειλε τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξείλετο τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ Θεοῦ· εἰπὲ καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν τῶν ἀθλητῶν· Ὅτι ἐπεποίθεισαν ἐπ' αὐτῷ, καὶ ἠλλοίωσαν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ παρέδωκαν τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν, ὅπως μὴ λατρεύσωσι θεοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις. Ἆρα τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἀρετῆς ἴσον; Πρὸ τούτου, ὅτε εἶπον, Τοῖς θεοῖς σου οὐ λατρεύομεν, τῆς καμίνου χαλεπώτερον ἐξεκάη· νῦν δὲ ἐπειδὴ διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν τοῦτο ἐπαίδευσαν, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἠγανάκτησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπῄνεσε καὶ ἐθαύμασεν, ὅτι αὐτοῦ παρήκουσαν. Τοσοῦτον ἀρετὴ καλὸν, ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς πολεμίους ἔχει θαυμαστὰς καὶ ἐπαινέτας. Ἐκεῖνοι ἠγωνί 49.89 σαντο καὶ ἐνίκησαν, καὶ ὁ ἡττηθεὶς εὐχαρίστησεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐφόβησεν αὐτοὺς ἡ τῆς φλογὸς ὄψις, ἀλλὰ παρεκάλεσεν αὐτοὺς ἡ εἰς τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐλπὶς, καὶ τὸν τῆς οἰκουμένης Θεὸν ἀπὸ τῶν τριῶν παίδων καλεῖ, οὐχὶ περικλείων αὐτοῦ τὴν δεσποτείαν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀντάξιοι ἦσαν οἱ παῖδες οἱ τρεῖς, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπαινεῖ τοὺς καταφρονήσαντας αὐτοῦ, καὶ τυράννους τοσούτους καὶ βασιλεῖς καὶ ὑπάρχους παραδραμὼν τοὺς πεισθέντας αὐτῷ, τρεῖς αἰχμαλώτους καὶ δούλους τοὺς καταγελάσαντας αὐτοῦ τῆς τυραννίδος ἐθαύμασεν. Οὐ γὰρ φιλονεικοῦντες, ἀλλὰ φιλοσοφοῦντες ταῦτα ἔπραξαν, οὐδὲ δι' ἀπόνοιαν, ἀλλὰ δι' εὐσέβειαν· οὐκ ἀλαζονείᾳ φυσηθέντες, ἀλλὰ ζήλῳ πυρωθέντες. Καὶ γὰρ μέγα ἀγαθὸν ἐλπίσαι εἰς