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of Epiphanes, in whose time the Maccabees, being zealous, took charge of affairs, is about three hundred and seventy-two years. Besides, which of these has been called Holy of holies? Judas, or Jonathan, Simon, or he who came after them? And indeed, neither Abraham the patriarch, nor Moses the lawgiver, nor Elijah the greatest of the prophets, was ever called Holy of holies. Therefore, both the time and the titles clearly prefigured for us the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom having believed, and awaiting his second coming, let us beseech to obtain his loving-kindness in the day of judgment; may it be that we all attain this, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen. 81.1488

VOLUME 10. CHAPTER 10. 1. "In the third year of Cyrus, the king of the Persians, a word

was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar." It seems to some that the time is mistaken, and that the one who originally wrote the book put the third year instead of the first; and the proof of this is from what the blessed Daniel said, right after the beginning of the prophecy: "And Daniel continued even unto the one year of king Cyrus." For if the prophet, he says, lasted only until the first year of Cyrus's reign, how does he see the revelation in the third year? But I think that the former phrase does not signify a specific time, nor does it limit the life of the blessed Daniel to the first year of Cyrus's reign. For he did not say, "Until the first year of king Cyrus," but "unto one year." But he wishes, as it seems to me, to teach those who read the prophetic writing, that he indeed lasted until Cyrus, the king of the Persians, who, having declared free those of the captive Jews who wished it, ordered them to return to their native land and to rebuild the divine temple. And the holy angel, speaking with Daniel shortly after, clearly teaches us this; for he says: "And it happened in the first year of Cyrus, I stood for strength and power;" instead of: As soon as Cyrus became king, I was continually occupied with everything, so as to deliver the people from captivity. And at the end of the book: Cyrus the Persian, it says, took over the kingdom, and Daniel was a companion of the king, and glorious above all his friends; so that the number of the third year is shown from every side. "In the third year, therefore, of Cyrus's reign, the word was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. And the word is true, and the power great, and understanding was given to him in the vision." And he fittingly calls it a word and a vision; for he both saw holy angels, and heard them speaking, and learned precisely the things that were to be. And he says the word is true, so that all may receive what is to be said without hesitation. 2, 3. "In those days, I Daniel was mourning for three weeks of days. I ate no desirable 81.1489 bread, and neither meat nor wine entered my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with ointment, until three weeks of days." It is necessary to seek the reason for the mourning; for the prophecy teaches it unclearly. For in the first place, there was no occasion for despondency; for the king was both gentle and philanthropic, and honoring of divine things, and held the friendship of Daniel in high esteem, and the whole people enjoyed much peace because of the king's gentleness; rather, if one were willing to pay attention to the prophecy of the blessed Jeremiah, and to the history of the Chronicles, and to the writing of Ezra, he will find that Cyrus in the first year of his reign, commanded all the Jews who wished to return to their native land and rebuild the divine temple, so that from every side

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Ἐπιφανοῦς, ἐφ' οὗ οἱ Μακκαβαΐοι ζηλώσαντες ἀντελάβοντο τῶν πραγμάτων, περὶ τὰ τριακόσια καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ δύο ἐστὶν ἔτη. Ἄλλως τε δὲ, τίς τούτων Ἅγιος ἁγίων κέκληται; Ἰούδας, ἢ Ἰωνάθαν, Σιμὼν, ἢ ὁ μετὰ τούτους; Καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατριάρχης, οὐδὲ Μωσῆς ὁ νομοθέτης, οὐδὲ Ἠλίας ὁ μέγιστος τῶν προφητῶν, Ἅγιος τῶν ἁγίων προσηγορεύθη πώποτε. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ὁ χρόνος, καὶ αἱ προσηγορίαι τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ σαφῶς ἡμῖν προεσήμαναν παρουσίαν, εἰς ὃν πεπιστευκότες, καὶ τὴν δευτέραν αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν προσμένοντες, τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ διαγνώσεως τυχεῖν ἱκετεύσωμεν· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πα τρὶ δόξα, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 81.1488

ΤΟΜΟΣ Ιʹ. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ιʹ. αʹ. "Ἐν ἔτει τρίτῳ Κύρου, τοῦ βασιλέως Περσῶν, λόγος

ἀπεκαλύφθη τῷ ∆ανιὴλ, οὗ τὸ ὄνομα ἐπεκλήθη Βαλτάσαρ." Τισὶ δοκεῖ τὸν χρόνον ἐσφάλθαι, καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐν ἔτει πρώτῳ, τρίτῳ θεῖναι τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὸ βιβλίον γράψαντα· τούτου δὲ τεκμήριον, ἐκ τοῦ τὸν μακάριον εἰπεῖν ∆ανιὴλ, εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς προφητείας· "Καὶ ἐγένετο ∆ανιὴλ ἕως ἔτους ἑνὸς Κύρου τοῦ βασιλέως." Εἰ γὰρ μέχρι τοῦ ἔτους μόνον τοῦ πρώτου τῆς Κύρου βασιλείας διήρκεσε, φησὶν, ὁ προφήτης, πῶς ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ ἔτει τὴν ἀπο κάλυψιν βλέπει; Ἐγὼ δὲ ἡγοῦμαι οὐ ῥητὸν χρόνον τὸ πρότερον σημάναι, οὐδὲ τῷ πρώτῳ ἔτει τῆς Κύρου βασιλείας τὴν τοῦ μακαρίου ∆ανιὴλ περιο ρίσαι ζωήν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἕως πρώτου ἔτους Κύρου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀλλ' "ἕως ἔτους ἑνός." Βού λεται δὲ, ὡς ἐμοί γε δοκεῖ, διδάξαι τοὺς ἐντυγχά νοντας τῇ προφητικῇ συγγραφῇ, ὅτι δὴ καὶ μέχρι Κύρου, τοῦ βασιλέως Περσῶν, διήρκεσεν, ὃς καὶ τῶν δορυαλώτων Ἰουδαίων τοὺς βουλομένους ἐλευθέρους ἀποφήνας, προσέταξεν εἰς τὴν ἐνεγκοῦσαν ἐπαν ελθεῖν, καὶ τὸν θεῖον ἀνεγεῖραι νεών. Τοῦτο δὲ σα φῶς ἡμᾶς διδάσκει καὶ ὁ ἅγιος ἄγγελος τῷ ∆ανιὴλ μετὰ βραχέα διαλεγόμενος· φησὶ γάρ· "Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἔτει πρώτῳ Κύρου, ἔστην εἰς κράτος καὶ ἰσχύν·" ἀντὶ τοῦ· Εὐθὺς τοῦ Κύρου βασιλεύσαντος, πάντα πραγματευόμενος διετέλουν, ὥστε τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τὸν λαὸν ἀπαλλάξαι. Καὶ ἐν τῷ τέλει δὲ τοῦ βιβλίου· Παρέλαβε, φησὶ, Κῦρος ὁ Πέρσης τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ ἦν ∆ανιὴλ συμβιωτὴς τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἔνδοξος ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς φίλους αὐτοῦ· ὥστε πάντοθεν δείκνυσθαι τοῦ τρίτου ἔτους τὸν ἀριθμόν. "Ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ τοίνυν ἔτει τῆς Κύρου βασιλείας, ὁ λόγος ἀπεκαλύφθη τῷ ∆ανιὴλ, οὗ τὸ ὄνομα ἐπεκλήθη Βαλ τάσαρ. Καὶ ἀληθινὸς ὁ λόγος, καὶ δύναμις μεγάλη, καὶ σύνεσις ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ." Εἰκότως δὲ λόγον καὶ ὀπτασίαν καλεῖ· ἐθεάσατο μὲν γὰρ ἁγίους ἀγγέλους, ἤκουσε δὲ αὐτῶν διαλεγομένων καὶ μεμάθηκεν ἀκριβῶς τὰ ἐσόμενα. Λέγει δὲ ἀληθῆ εἶναι τὸν λόγον, ὥστε ἀνενδοιάστως ἅπαντας τὰ ῥηθησόμενα δέξασθαι. βʹ, γʹ. "Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, ἐγὼ ∆ανιὴλ ἤμην πενθῶν τρεῖς ἑβδομάδας ἡμερῶν. Ἄρτον ἐπι 81.1489 θυμιῶν οὐκ ἔφαγον, καὶ κρέας καὶ οἶνος οὐκ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ στόμα μου, καὶ ἄλειμμα οὐκ ἠλειψάμην, ἕως τριῶν ἑβδομάδων ἡμερῶν." Ἀναγκαῖον ζητῆσαι τὴν τοῦ πένθους αἰτίαν· ἀσαφῶς γὰρ αὐτὴν ἡ προφητεία διδάσκει. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ ἐπέκειτό τις ἀθυ μίας ἀφορμή· ὅ τε γὰρ βασιλεὺς ἥμερός τε καὶ φιλάνθρωπος, καὶ τὰ θεῖα τιμῶν, καὶ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ τὴν φιλίαν περὶ πολλοῦ ποιούμενος, καὶ ὅλος ὁ λαὸς εἰρήνης πολλῆς διὰ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπήλαυεν ἠπιότητα· μᾶλλον δὲ, εἴ τις προσέχειν ἐθελήσειε τῇ τε τοῦ μακαρίου Ἱερεμίου προφητείᾳ, καὶ τῇ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἱστορίᾳ, καὶ τῇ τοῦ Ἔσδρα συγγραφῇ, εὑρήσει τὸν Κῦρον ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας, ἅπασι τοῖς βουλομένοις τῶν Ἰουδαίων παρεγγυήσαντα τὴν ἐνεγκοῦσαν καταλαβεῖν, καὶ τὸν θεῖον ἀνεγεῖραι νεὼν, ὥστε πανταχόθεν