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all the votive offerings, both drinking cups and bowls, and mixing bowls, and the golden table, and the golden censer, and the lampstands made of gold, and simply all the instruments of the divine liturgy. In addition to these things, he also built an altar to Zeus in the temple of God, and filled the whole city with idols, and compelled everyone to sacrifice; and he himself sacrificed a pig on the divine altar, and named the temple for Olympian Zeus. The blessed Daniel foretells all these things; for through the horn he sees Antiochus himself, that "he became great, even to the host of heaven," that is, he used his madness against the God of all, to whom both the people and the temple were dedicated. "And some of the host and of the stars fell to the ground, and he trampled them." For many of the people, having transgressed the law of God, fell from the heavenly ranks, and were trampled by his tyranny, having destroyed themselves. And he called them stars because of the prominence and splendor of their piety. And he also alludes to the promise to Abraham: "For I will make," he says, "your seed as the stars of heaven." For he was not satisfied, he says, with trampling many of those called stars, but also 11. "It was established even to the prince of the host." For with rage and madness he acted against the God and king of this host, that is, of the holy people; and doing these things, he says, he continued, "Until the captain of the host delivers the captivity;" that is, until we receive the turning of the scale from above, and through the appointed archangel our protection, we may obtain salvation. Then the things that would be dared by Antiochus are more clearly foretold. "And on his account," he says, "the sacrifice was disturbed by transgression." For he did not permit the sacrifices according to the law to be offered, but compelled them to be performed in the Hellenic manner. Then he adds: "Because it also came to be, and he was prospered." For meanwhile there was no impediment preventing his rage. 12. "And the holy place," he says, "shall be made desolate, and a sin was given," he says, "upon the sacrifice, and righteousness was cast to the ground, and he acted, and was prospered." For using madness and tyranny, he dared to defile the altar by using an unlawful sacrifice, and he made the divine temple bare of its adornment, and he trampled the laws of righteousness, inflicting unjust 81.1448 murder on the pious, and for a time, he says, "he was prospered" in doing these things. Then, 13. "I heard a certain holy one speaking, and one holy one said to Palmoni who was speaking: For how long will the vision stand, and the sacrifice that was taken away, and the sin of desolation that was given, and the holy place, and the host be trampled?" Palmoni means "a certain one" in the Greek language; and the Syriac language, which is a neighbor to the Hebrew, also testifies to this. Therefore the blessed Daniel says, "I heard a certain holy one asking another holy one." And it is clear that he sees angels conversing and wishing to learn how long is the time of the impiety and transgression that is being dared, and of the desolation of the temple, and of the lawless and abominable sacrifice, and of the oppression of the people. 14. "And he said to him," he says, "Until evening and morning, two thousand and three hundred days, and the holy place shall be cleansed." And he called the beginning of the misfortunes "evening," and the end of the misfortunes "morning"; since grievous things resemble night and darkness. From now, he says, from the beginning of the evils, until the end there is so much time. And these days, being calculated, make the number of six years, and six months, according to the Hebrews' calculation; for the misfortune of the Jews lasted for so long a time. 15. "And it came to pass," he says, "when I, Daniel, saw the vision, I sought understanding." Having seen these things, he says, I wished to understand and to learn accurately the things signified by these riddles. "And behold, there stood before me as an appearance of a man." And I seemed, he says, to see a man. 16. "And I heard the voice of a man between the Ulai, and he called, and said: Gabriel, make that one understand the vision." And I also heard another certain one

61

ἀναθήματα ἅπαντα, ἐκπώματά τε καὶ φιάλας, καὶ κρατῆρας, καὶ τὴν χρυσῆν τράπεζαν, καὶ τὸ χρυ σοῦν θυμιατήριον, καὶ τὰς ἐκ χρυσίου κατεσκευα σμένας λυχνίας, καὶ πάντα ἁπαξαπλῶς τῆς θείας ἱερουργίας τὰ ὄργανα. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ βωμὸν ἐν τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ νεῷ ᾠκοδόμησε τῷ ∆ιῒ, καὶ πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν πόλιν εἰδώλων ἐνέπλησε, καὶ πάντας θύειν ἠνάγκαζεν· αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ χοῖρον ἔθυσεν ἐν τῷ θείῳ βωμῷ, καὶ ∆ιὸς Ὀλυμπίου τὸν νεὼν προσηγόρευσε. Ταῦτα ἅπαντα ὁ μακάριος προδιδάσκει ∆ανιήλ· ὁρᾷ γὰρ διὰ τοῦ κέρατος αὐτὸν τὸν Ἀντίοχον, ὅτι "ἐμεγαλύνθη ἕως τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ," ἀντὶ τοῦ, τῇ μανίᾳ κατ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐχρή σατο, ᾧ καὶ ὁ λεὼς καὶ ὁ νεὼς ἀνέκειτο. "Καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἀπὸ τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀστέρων, καὶ συνεπάτησεν αὐτούς." Πλεῖστοι γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ, τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ παραβάντες νόμον, τῆς τῶν οὐρανίων ἐξέπεσον τάξεως, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς τού του κατεπατήθησαν τυραννίδος, σφᾶς αὐτοὺς κατα λύσαντες. Ἀστέρας δὲ αὐτοὺς ὠνόμασε διὰ τὸ περι φανὲς καὶ λαμπρὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας. Αἰνίττεται δὲ καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ὑπόσχεσιν· "Ποιήσω γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ σπέρμα σου, ὡς τοὺς ἀστέρας τοῦ οὐρανοῦ." Οὐκ ἠρκέσθη γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ συμπατῆσαι πολλοὺς τῶν καλουμένων ἀστέρων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ιαʹ. "Ἕως ἄρχοντος τῆς δυνάμεως ἡδρύνθη." Τῇ γὰρ λύττῃ καὶ μανίᾳ κατ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ βασιλέως ταυτησὶ τῆς δυνάμεως, τουτέστι, τοῦ ἁγίου λαοῦ, ἐχρήσατο· καὶ ταῦτα ποιῶν, φησὶ, διετέλει, "Ἕως οὗ ὁ ἀρχιστράτηγος ῥύσηται τὴν αἰχμαλω σίαν·" ἀντὶ τοῦ, μέχρις ἂν τῆς ἄνωθεν τύχωμεν ῥοπῆς, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἐπιτεταγμένου ἀρχαγγέλου τὴν ἡμετέραν προστασίαν, τύχωμεν σωτηρίας. Εἶτα σαφέστερον τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀντιόχου τολμηθησόμενα προδιδάσκεται. "Καὶ δι' αὐτὸν, φησὶ, θυσία ἐταρά χθη παραπτώματι." Οὐ συνεχώρει γὰρ τὰς κατὰ νόμον θυσίας προσφέρεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τῷ Ἑλληνικῷ τρόπῳ ταύτας ἐπιτελεῖσθαι ἠνάγκαζεν. Εἶτα ἐπ άγει· "Ὅτι καὶ ἐγενήθη, καὶ κατευοδώθη αὐτῷ." Τέως γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐμπόδισμα γέγονε κωλύον αὐτοῦ τὴν λύτταν. ιβʹ. "Καὶ τὸ ἅγιον, φησὶν, ἐρημωθήσεται, καὶ ἐδόθη, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τὴν θυσίαν ἁμαρτία, καὶ ἐῤῥίφη χαμαὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ ἐποίησε, καὶ εὐοδώθη." Μανίᾳ γὰρ καὶ τυραννίδι χρώμενος, μιᾶναι μὲν τετόλ μηκε τὸ θυσιαστήριον παρανόμῳ θυσίᾳ χρησάμενος, ἔρημον δὲ τοῦ κόσμου τὸν θεῖον κατέστησε νεὼν, ἐπάτησε δὲ τῆς δικαιοσύνης τοὺς νόμους, τὸν ἄδικον 81.1448 φόνον τοῖς εὐσεβέσιν ἐπαγαγὼν, καὶ τέως, φησὶν, "εὐωδοῦτο" ταῦτα ποιῶν. Εἶτα, ιγʹ. "Ἤκουσά τινος ἁγίου λαλοῦντος, καὶ εἶπεν εἷς ἅγιος τῷ φελμουνὶ τῷ λαλοῦντι· Ἕως πότε ἡ ὅρασις στήσεται, καὶ ἡ θυσία ἡ ἀρθεῖσα, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία τῆς ἐρημώσεως ἡ δοθεῖσα, καὶ τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ ἡ δύναμις συμπατηθήσεται;" Τὸ φελμουνὶ τὸν τινὰ σημαίνει τῇ Ἑλλάδι φωνῇ· μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τούτοις καὶ ἡ Σύρων φωνὴ γειτνιάζουσα τῇ Ἑβραίᾳ. Φησὶ τοίνυν ὁ μακάριος ∆ανιὴλ, ὅτι "Ἤκουσά τινος ἁγίου ἕτερον ἅγιον ἐρωτῶντος." ∆ῆλον δὲ ὅτι ἀγγέ λους διαλεγομένους ὁρᾷ καὶ βουλομένους μαθεῖν, πόσος ἐστὶν ὁ χρόνος τῆς τολμωμένης ἀσεβείας τε καὶ παρανομίας, τῆς τε τοῦ ναοῦ ἐρημίας, καὶ τῆς ἀθέσμου καὶ βδελυρᾶς θυσίας, καὶ τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ κατα δυναστείας. ιδʹ. "Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, φησίν· Ἕως ἑσπέρας καὶ πρωῒ, ἡμέραι δισχίλιαι καὶ τριακόσιαι, καὶ καθα ρισθήσεται τὸ ἅγιον." Ἑσπέραν δὲ ἐκάλεσε τὴν ἀρ χὴν τῶν συμφορῶν, πρωῒ δὲ τὸ τέλος τῶν συμφορῶν· ἐπειδὴ νυκτὶ καὶ σκότῳ ἐῴκει τὰ λυπηρά. Ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν, φησὶ, τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν κακῶν, ἕως τέλους τόσος τέ ἐστι χρόνος. Ψηφιζόμεναι δὲ αἱ ἡμέραι αὗ ται ποιοῦσιν ἓξ ἐτῶν ἀριθμὸν, καὶ ἓξ μηνῶν, κατὰ τὴν Ἑβραίων ψῆφον· τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἐκράτησε χρό νον τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἡ συμφορά. ιεʹ. "Καὶ ἐγένετο, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ ἰδεῖν με, ἐγὼ ∆ανιὴλ, τὴν ὅρασιν, ἐζήτουν σύνεσιν." Ταῦτα, φησὶ, θεασάμενος, συνεῖναι καὶ μαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς ἐβουλόμην τὰ διὰ τούτων σημαινόμενα τῶν αἰνιγμάτων. "Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔστη ἐνώπιόν μου ὡς ὅρασις ἀνδρός." Καὶ ἐδόκουν, φησὶν, ἄνδρα θεωρεῖν. ιʹ. "Καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ἀνδρὸς ἀναμέσον τοῦ Οὐβὰλ, καὶ ἐκάλεσε, καὶ εἶπε· Γαβριὴλ, συνέτισον ἐκεῖνον τὴν ὅρασιν." Ἤκουσα δὲ καὶ ἑτέρου τινὸς