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using a human voice, and commanding the one standing by me, whom he also named Gabriel, to interpret for me the riddles of the revelation. It is also possible to infer from what has been said, that the one who commanded is the Lord. ιζʹ. "And he came, it says, and stood beside where I was standing." Immediately, he says, having been commanded, he arrived, and stood near me. "And when he came, I was amazed, and I fall upon my face." These things are sufficient to refute the arrogance of Eunomius, who boasts that he knows the very essence of God. For if so great a prophet could not bear the sight of angels, and this sight measured to the capacity of the one seeing, what is more impious or abominable than those who pride themselves on knowing the very essence of God? but let us return to the subject at hand. "And he said 81.1449 to me: Understand, son of man; for the vision is yet for the end of time." Do not think, he says, that these things will reach their end in the present; for these things will happen after a great number of years. For when the appointed time is fulfilled, then each of these things will receive its end. ιηʹ, ιθʹ. "And while he was speaking with me, I fell upon my face to the ground, and he touched me, and set me on my feet. And he said: Behold, I am making known to you the things that will be at the last of the wrath for the sons of your people; for it remains yet for the end of time." Having seen me, he says, fallen from fear, he first set me upright, then he encourages me, making known that for this reason he had come, in order that he might reveal to me, who was longing for it, the things to come, and what sort of things would again befall my people on account of the wrath of God. Then, wishing to take away the fear that lay upon me, he indicated that these things would happen after a time; and he interpreted for me each of the things I had seen, having said: κʹ. "This ram, which you saw, the one having the horns, is the king of the Medes and Persians." For since Darius the Mede immediately took over the Chaldean, or rather Assyrian, kingdom, and then Cyrus the Persian transferred the kingdom to the Persians, who was both Mede and Persian on account of the intermingling of the races; he necessarily placed the Medes before the Persians, and says that "the ram is the king of the Medes and Persians." For both kingdoms were ruled also by the last Darius, called son of Arsames, whom Alexander the Macedonian overthrew. καʹ. "And the he-goat, he says, of the goats is the king of the Greeks; and the great horn, which was between his eyes, is the first king." He means Alexander. κβʹ. "And that it was broken, and four horns stood up under it, four kings will arise from his nation, and not in his strength." For after his death, he says, his kingdom will be divided into four kingdoms; but even being four who rule, they will not be able to accomplish what he accomplished, and they will be seen to be much inferior to his strength. κγʹ. "And at the last, he says, of their kingdom, when their sins are filled up." When, he says, they drive to the extreme of impiety, and transgress beyond the measures of my long-suffering. "A king will arise, shameless in countenance, and understanding riddles. (κδʹ.) And his strength shall be mighty, and not by his own strength." Through these things he alludes to the cunning of Antiochus, and in addition to the cunning, the power which he possessed. Then teaching 81.1452 how he will do these things, clearly with God permitting, he necessarily added: "And not by his own strength." And to the Assyrian God says through Isaiah the prophet: "Shall the axe boast itself without him who hews with it? Or shall the saw magnify itself without him who draws it?" So also here, he says, that Antiochus will dare these things, not as being powerful, but with God permitting. "And wonderfully, he says, he will destroy, and he will prosper, and he will act, and he will destroy the mighty, and the holy people. (κεʹ.) And the yoke of his collar will prosper." Meaning, nothing will stand in his way, but whatever he wishes, these things he will do. Concerning such things the blessed David advises, saying: "Do not be envious of the one who prospers in his way, of the man who practices iniquity." It happens

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ἀνθρωπείᾳ χρωμένου φωνῇ, καὶ κελεύσαντος τὸν παρεστῶτά μοι, ὃν καὶ Γαβριὴλ ὠνόμασεν, ἑρμηνεῦ σαί μοι τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως τὰ αἰνίγματα. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων τεκμήρασθαι, ὅτι ὁ κελεύσας ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐστί. ιζʹ. "Καὶ ἦλθε, φησὶ, καὶ ἔστη ἐχόμενα τῆς στάσεώς μου." Παραυτίκα, φησὶ, προσταχθεὶς ἀφίκετο, καὶ πλησίον μου ἔστη. "Καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐλθεῖν αὐτὸν ἐθαμβήθην, καὶ πίπτω ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν μου." Ἱκανὰ ταῦτα τὸν Εὐνομίου τῦφον ἐλέγξαι, ὃς αὐτὴν εἰδέναι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν ἀλαζονεύεται. Εἰ γὰρ ἀγγέλων τὴν θεωρίαν, καὶ ταύτην μετρουμένην τῇ τοῦ θεωροῦντος δυνάμει, ὁ τοσοῦτος προφήτης οὐκ ἤνεγκε, τί δυσσεβέστερον ἢ βδελυττότερον τῶν αὐτὴν εἰδέναι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν σεμνυνομένων; ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον ἐπανέλθωμεν. "Καὶ εἶπε 81.1449 πρός με· Σύνες, υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου· ἔτι γὰρ εἰς καιροῦ πέρας καὶ ὅρασις." Μὴ νομίσῃς, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ταῦτα πέρας λαμβάνειν· μετὰ πολὺν γὰρ ἐτῶν ἀριθμὸν ταῦτα γενήσεται. Πληρουμένου γὰρ τοῦ ὡρισμένου καιροῦ, τότε πέρας τούτων ἕκαστον λήψεται. ιηʹ, ιθʹ. "Καὶ ἐν τῷ λαλεῖν αὐτὸν μετ' ἐμοῦ πίπτω ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν μου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἥψατό μου, καὶ ἔστησέ με ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας μου. Καὶ εἶπεν· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ γνωρίζω σοι τὰ ἐσόμενα ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῆς ὀργῆς τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ λαοῦ σου· ἔτι γὰρ εἰς καιροῦ πέρας μένει." Θεασάμενός με, φησὶν, ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους καταπεσόντα πρῶτον ἀνώρθωσέ με, ἔπειτα ψυχ αγωγεῖ γνωρίζων, ὡς τούτου χάριν ἀφίκετο, ἵνα μοι τὰ ἐσόμενα προμηνύσῃ ποθοῦντι, καὶ ὁποῖα διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πάλιν ὀργὴν καταλήψεταί μου τὸν λαόν. Ἔπειτα τὸ ἐπικείμενόν μοι δέος ἀφελέσθαι βουλόμενος, ἐμήνυσεν ὅτι μετὰ χρόνον ταῦτα γενή σεται· ἡρμήνευσε δέ μοι καὶ ὧν ἐθεασάμην ἕκα στον, εἰρηκώς· κʹ. "Οὗτος ὁ κριὸς, ὃν εἶδες, ὁ ἔχων τὰ κέρατα, βασιλεὺς Μήδων καὶ Περσῶν." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εὐθὺς τὴν Χαλδαϊκὴν, εἴτ' οὖν Ἀσσυρίων, βασιλείαν ∆α ρεῖος ὁ Μῆδος παρέλαβε, καὶ τότε Κῦρος ὁ Πέρσης μετατέθεικεν εἰς Πέρσας τὴν βασιλείαν, ὃς καὶ Μῆδος ἦν καὶ Πέρσης διὰ τὴν τῶν γενῶν ἐπιμιξίαν· ἀναγκαίως Περσῶν τοὺς Μήδους προτέθεικεν, καί φησιν, ὅτι "ὁ κριὸς βασιλεύς ἐστι Μήδων καὶ Περσῶν." Ἄμφω γὰρ καὶ ὁ τελευταῖος ∆αρεῖος ὁ Ἀρσάμου προσαγορευόμενος, ὃν ὁ Μακεδὼν Ἀλέξανδρος κατέλυσε, διεῖπε τὰς βασιλείας. καʹ. "Καὶ ὁ τράγος, φησὶ, τῶν αἰγῶν βασιλεὺς Ἑλλήνων· καὶ τὸ κέρας τὸ μέγα, ὃ ἦν ἀναμέσον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ πρῶ τος." Λέγει δὲ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον. κβʹ. "Καὶ ὅτι συνετρίβη, καὶ ἔστη τέσσαρα κέ ρατα ὑποκάτωθεν αὐτοῦ, τέσσαρες βασιλεῖς ἀνα στήσονται ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔθνους αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτοῦ." Μετὰ γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν ἐκείνου τε λευτὴν, ἡ ἐκείνου βασιλεία εἰς τέσσαρας διαιρεθή σεται βασιλείας· ἀλλὰ καὶ τέτταρες ὄντες οἱ βασι λεύοντες οὐ δυνήσονται κατορθοῦν; ἃ ἐκεῖνος κατώρθου, ἐλάττους δὲ πολλῷ τῆς ἐκείνου ῥώμης ὀφθήσονται. κγʹ. "Καὶ ἐπ' ἐσχάτου δὲ, φησὶ, τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῶν, πληρουμένων τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν." Ὅταν, φησὶν, εἰς ἄκρον ἀσεβείας ἐλάσωσι, καὶ πέρα τῶν μέτρων τῆς ἐμῆς μακροθυμίας παρανομήσωσιν. "Ἀναστήσεται βασιλεὺς ἀναιδὴς προσώπῳ, καὶ συνιῶν προβλήματα. (κδʹ.) Καὶ κραταιὰ ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὑτοῦ." Τὴν πανουρ γίαν τοῦ Ἀντιόχου διὰ τούτων αἰνίττεται, καὶ πρὸς τῇ πανουργίᾳ, ἣν ἐκέκτητο δύναμιν. Εἶτα διδάσκων 81.1452 ὡς ταῦτα ποιήσει, τοῦ Θεοῦ δηλονότι συγχωροῦντος, ἀναγκαίως ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτοῦ." Καὶ τῷ Ἀσσυρίῳ δέ φησιν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦπροφήτου· "Μὴ δοξασθήσεται ἀξίνη ἄνευ τοῦ κό πτοντος ἐν αὐτῇ; ἢ ὑψωθήσεται πρίων ἄνευ τοῦ ἕλκοντος αὐτόν;" Οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, φησὶν, ὅτι ταῦτα τολμήσει ὁ Ἀντίοχος, οὐχ ὡς δυνατὸς, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ συγχωροῦντος. "Καὶ θαυμαστὰ, φησὶ, διαφθερεῖ, καὶ κατευθυ νεῖ, καὶ ποιήσει, καὶ διαφθερεῖ ἰσχυροὺς, καὶ λαὸν ἅγιον. (κεʹ.) Καὶ ὁ ζυγὸς τοῦ κλοιοῦ αὐτοῦ κατευθυ νεῖ." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐδὲν αὐτῷ ἐμποδὼν ἔσται, ἀλλ' ὅσα ἂν θελήσῃ ταῦτα ποιήσει. Περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ὁ μακάριος παραινεῖ ∆αβὶδ, λέγων· "Μὴ παραζή λου ἐν τῷ κατευοδουμένῳ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ αὑτοῦ, ἐν ἀν θρώπῳ ποιοῦντι παρανομίαν." Συμβαίνει