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for often even those who live in impiety and transgression prosper, daring extremely lawless things. “Therefore,” he says, “the yoke of his collar will direct,” instead of, all that he commands his subjects, he will force them to fulfill. Then, foretelling his craftiness and treachery: “Deceit,” he says, “is in his hand, and in his heart he will be magnified, and by deceit he will destroy many.” For from the beginning he commanded a gymnasium to be built in Jerusalem, then to partake of swine's flesh; and later he even forced them to sacrifice; and he used prattling words, trying to deceive the pious, and he promised royal gifts, desiring to see all transgressing. For this reason he says: “Deceit is in his hand, and in his heart he will be magnified.” For he considered himself the greatest of all men, “and by deceit he will destroy many,” whom he will be able to deceive. “And upon the destruction of many,” he says, “he will stand.” Instead of, he will make a stand, until he sees many losing their own salvation. But not being satisfied with his madness against men, “And against the prince,” he says, “of princes he will stand.” That is, against the King of kings himself, and the one ruling over rulers, he will use his rage, attempting to defile the temple dedicated to him. And showing the permission given to him against the Jews, “And like eggs,” he says, “in the hand he will crush them.” Thus, he says, with much ease he will do all these things, as if someone should wish to crush eggs in his hand. And here he hints at the indolence of the Jews themselves, and that having neglected divine things they were abandoned by God, and became destitute of providence from above. To these he adds: v. 20. “And the vision of the evening and the morning that was told is true.” Instead of, and the time appointed for the calamities is undoubtedly true. But since there is a long time in between, 81.1453 “And you,” he says, “seal up the vision, for it shall be for many days.” Instead of, Leave it obscure to the many; for to you, as one who desires, I have made these things clear before the events. v. 27. “And I, Daniel,” he says, “lay down, and was sick for days, and I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.” For having learned the evils that would again befall my people, I was so distressed that I fell into sickness; but nevertheless, being in this state, I managed the affairs entrusted to me by the king, with no one knowing the cause of the sickness. He knew how to say with the blessed Paul: “Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?” And this: “To weep with those who weep, and to rejoice with those who rejoice.” And: “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.” Being so disposed, and having this tender affection for his fellow servants, having learned of the calamities that would befall his fellow servants many generations later, he continued to mourn and lament; and this, knowing precisely that he himself would have no experience of them, but would depart from this present life before long. It is fitting that we also have this love for those of our kind and fellow servants, and to think the same thing toward one another, and to imitate the sympathy of the members for one another; since we are called members of one another, and were deemed worthy to be called the body of Christ. To him be the glory for ages of ages. Amen. VOLUME IX. CHAPTER IX. vv. 1, 2. “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; in the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by the books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” 81.1456 And from this it is clear that the kingdom of Darius the Assyrian is one thing, and the kingdom of Cyrus the Persian another; and what has now been read agrees with what was said before. For he did not simply call Darius a Mede, but “of the seed of the Medes;” as

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γὰρ πολ λάκις καὶ τοὺς δυσσεβείᾳ καὶ παρανομίᾳ συζῶντας εὐοδοῦσθαι λίαν παράνομα τολμῶντας. "Ὁ ζυγὸς οὖν, φησὶ, τοῦ κλοιοῦ αὐτοῦ κατευθυνεῖ," ἀντὶ τοῦ, πάντα ἃ ἂν προστάξῃ τοῖς ὑπηκόοις, ἀναγκάσει ταῦτα πληροῦν. Εἶτα τὸ πανοῦργον αὐτοῦ καὶ ὕπουλον προ λέγων· "∆όλος, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ μεγαλυνθήσεται, καὶ δόλῳ διαφθερεῖ πολλούς." Ἐξ ἀρχῆς γὰρ γυμνάσιον ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις οἰκοδομηθῆναι προσέταξεν, εἶτα χοιρείων μετα λαμβάνειν κρεῶν· ὕστερον δὲ καὶ θύειν ἠνάγκαζεν· ἐκέχρητο δὲ καὶ κωτίλοις λόγοις, τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς ἐξ απατῆσαι πειρώμενος, καὶ βασιλικὰς δωρεὰς ὑπ ισχνεῖτο, παρανομοῦντας ἅπαντας ἰδεῖν ἐφιέμενος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· "∆όλος ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ μεγαλυνθήσεται." Μέγιστον γὰρ ἑαυ τὸν πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἡγήσατο, "καὶ δόλῳ διαφθε ρεῖ πολλοὺς," οὓς ἂν ἐξαπατῆσαι ἰσχύσῃ. "Καὶ ἐπὶ ἀπωλείᾳ πολλῶν, φησὶ, σταθήσεται." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐνστάσει χρήσεται, ἕως ἂν ἴδῃ πολλοὺς τὴν οἰ κείαν ἀπολλύντας σωτηρίαν. Μὴ ἀρκούμενος δὲ τῇ κατὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μανίᾳ, "Καὶ ἐπὶ ἄρχοντα, φη σὶν, ἀρχόντων στήσεται." Τουτέστι, κατ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Βασιλέως τῶν βασιλέων, καὶ κυριεύοντος τῶν κυριευόντων, τῇ λύττῃ χρήσεται, μιαίνειν ἐπιχειρῶν τὸν ἀνακείμενον αὐτῷ νεών. Καὶ δεικνὺς τὴν δοθεῖσαν αὑτῷ κατὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συγχώρησιν, "Καὶ ὡς ὠὰ, φησὶν, ἐν χειρὶ συντρίψει αὐτούς." Οὕτω, φησὶ, μετὰ πολλῆς εὐκολίας ταῦτα πάντα ἐργάσεται, ὡς εἴ τις ὠὰ τῇ χειρὶ συντρίψαι θελήσειεν. Αἰνίττεται δὲ ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὴν αὐτῶν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ῥᾳθυμίαν, καὶ ὅτι αὐτοὶ τῶν θείων ἀμελήσαντες κατελείφθησαν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ γυμνοὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν προνοίας ἐγέ νοντο. Τούτοις ἐπιφέρει· κʹ. "Καὶ ἡ ὅρασις τῆς ἑσπέρας καὶ τῆς πρωΐας τῆς ῥηθείσης ἀληθής ἐστιν." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, καὶ ὁ ὡρι σμένος χρόνος ταῖς συμφοραῖς ἀναμφιβόλως ἐστὶν ἀληθής. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολύς ἐστιν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ χρόνος, 81.1453 "Καὶ σὺ σφράγισον, φησὶ, τὴν ὅρασιν, ὅτι εἰς ἡμέρας πολλὰς ἔσται." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἀσαφῆ αὐτὴν τοῖς πολλοῖς κατάλιπε· σοὶ γὰρ ὡς ποθοῦντι ταῦτα δῆλα πρὸ τῶν πραγμάτων πεποίηκα. κζʹ. "Καὶ ἐγὼ, φησὶ, ∆ανιὴλ ἐκοιμήθην, καὶ ἐμα λακίσθην ἡμέρας, καὶ ἀνέστην, καὶ ἐποίουν τὰ ἔργα τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἐθαύμαζον τὴν ὅρασιν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ συνιῶν." Μαθὼν γὰρ τὰ καταληψόμενά μου τὸν λαὸν πάλιν κακὰ, οὕτως ἀνιαρῶς διετέθην, ὡς καὶ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ περιπεσεῖν· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τοῦτον διακεί μενος τὸν τρόπον, ᾠκονόμουν τὰ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγκεχειρισμένα μοι, μηδενὸς γινώσκοντος τὴν τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας αἰτίαν. Οὗτος ᾔδει καὶ μετὰ τοῦ μακα ρίου Παύλου λέγειν· "Τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι;" Καὶ τό· "Κλαίειν μετὰ κλαιόντων, καὶ χαίρειν μετὰ χαιρόντων." Καί· "Εἰ πάσχει ἓν μέλος, συμπάσχει πάντα τὰ μέλη." Οὕτω διακείμενος, καὶ ταύτην ἔχων περὶ τοὺς συνδούλους φιλοστοργίαν, μαθὼν τὰς πολλαῖς ὕστερον γενεαῖς καταληψομένας τοὺς συνδούλους αὐτοῦ συμφορὰς, θρηνῶν καὶ ὀλοφυρόμε νος διετέλει· καὶ ταῦτα εἰδὼς ἀκριβῶς ὡς αὐτὸς πεῖραν τούτων οὐδεμίαν λήψεται, ἀλλὰ τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἀπαλλαγήσεται. Ταύτην προσ ήκει καὶ ἡμᾶς περὶ τοὺς ὁμοφυεῖς τε καὶ ὁμοδούλους τὴν ἀγάπην ἔχειν, καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ εἰς ἀλλήλους φρονεῖν, καὶ τὴν περὶ ἄλληλα τῶν μελῶν μιμεῖσθαι συμπά θειαν· ἐπειδὴ μέλη μὲν ἀλλήλων κεκλήμεθα, σῶμα δὲ ἠξιώθημεν προσαγορευθῆναι Χριστοῦ. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΤΟΜΟΣ Θʹ. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Θʹ. α, βʹ. "Ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ ἔτει ∆αρείου τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἀσ- σουήρου ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος τῶν Μήδων, ὃς ἐβασί λευσεν ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν Χαλδαίων· ἐν ἔτει ἑνὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ, ἐγὼ ∆ανιὴλ συνῆκα ἐν ταῖς βίβλοις τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἐτῶν, ὃς ἐγενήθη λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς Ἱερεμίαν τὸν προφήτην εἰς συμπλήρωσιν ἐρημώσεως Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη." 81.1456 Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον, ὡς ἑτέρα μὲν ἡ ∆αρείου τοῦ Ἀσσουήρου βασιλεία, ἑτέρα δὲ ἡ Κύρου τοῦ Πέρσου· συμφωνεῖ δὲ καὶ τοῖς πρώην εἰρημένοις τὰ νῦν ἀναγνωσθέντα. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς γὰρ Μῆδον τὸν ∆αρεῖον προσηγόρευσεν, ἀλλ' "ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος τῶν Μή δων·" ὡς