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dialect. And interpreting *phares* as division, the prophet, for this is what the word signifies when translated into the Greek tongue, said that his kingdom would be divided by God among the Persians and the Medes. So Daniel read what was written on the wall in this way, and made such a combination of those syllables, that is, the interpretation; and grief seized the king. And after a little while the prophecy of the prophet came to pass, when Cyrus, the king of the Persians, marched against him, by whom Babylon was taken and Belshazzar was killed in the capture. And there are those who say that on that night, on which he saw the ankle bone writing, both the city was captured and he was killed. After the capture of Babylon, the prophet Daniel was brought by Darius the Mede, who was also named Cyaxares and was the maternal uncle of Cyrus, being the son 1.189 of Astyages who reigned over the Medes, to Media and was deemed worthy of all honor. Being in this state, he was envied by the preeminent men among the Medes, and they devised a way by which they hoped to destroy him. For seeing him praying to God three times a day, they approached Cyaxares, who was also Darius, asking him to establish a law that for thirty days no one should be praying to the gods nor petitioning the king himself, and that anyone not observing the law should be cast into the lions’ den. But he, being ignorant of the plot being contrived by them against Daniel, had put forth a decree ordaining the aforementioned things. So the others remained quiet according to the decree, but Daniel according to his custom prayed to God. And the satraps denounced him to the king, and according to the law demanded that he be cast into the lions’ den. And when the prophet was cast in there, the king, having sealed the stone over the mouth, departed. And in anguish and distress he passed the night sleeplessly; for he hoped that Daniel would not be harmed by the beasts, knowing that the holy spirit of God was in him, but nevertheless, being afraid, he was tormented lest some evil should befall him, not fully knowing, as a barbarian, the power of God. And as soon as day dawned, he came to the den and called Daniel; and he answered. And the king immediately commanded the prophet to be drawn up, and seeing him untouched and safe, he was astonished. But his accusers saying that the lions were sated with food and for this reason had not touched Daniel, the king, hating them for their wickedness, and understanding the plot against the prophet and their deceit, 1.190 commanded that abundant food be set before the beasts, and when they were already sated, he ordered the prophet’s accusers to be cast into the den of the beasts, saying, "so that we may know if the lions will not touch them on account of their satiety." And when those wicked men were immediately torn apart, it became clear to all that some divine power had preserved Daniel, having muzzled the beasts. Therefore the king also magnified the God of the prophet, and held him in greater honor. So these things happened later; but in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar the prophet saw a dream. And the vision was as follows. Four beasts seemed to come up from the sea, of which the first had the form of a lioness and wings like an eagle, which was also lifted up from the earth and stood on human feet, and a human heart was given to it. So the sea signified human life, which is stormy and undergoes very many and continuous changes and reversals, and the beast, the lioness, represented the kingdom of the Assyrians, and the being lifted up from the earth signified the cessation of that rule and the removal of its power. and the standing on human feet hinted that it would become equal to its subjects, and the giving to it of a human heart, that it was taught through experience to think human thoughts and not to imagine anything beyond human nature out of arrogance; for the wings which on the beast 1.191 had grown against nature signified the arrogance of those kings and the

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διάλεκτον. τὸ δὲ φαρὲς διαίρεσιν ἑρμηνεύων ὁ προφήτης, τοῦτο γὰρ εἰς Ελληνα φωνὴν ἡ λέξις μεταγομένη δηλοῖ, διαιρεθῆναι τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ ελεγεν εἰς Πέρσας καὶ Μήδους παρὰ θεοῦ. τὰ μὲν ουν ἐν τῷ τοίχῳ γεγραμμένα ουτως ἀνέγνω ὁ ∆ανιήλ, καὶ τοιαύτην τὴν τῶν συλλαβῶν ἐκείνων ἐποιήσατο σύγκρισιν, τὴν ἑρμηνείαν δηλαδή· τὸν δὲ βασιλέα λύπη κατέσχε. καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον ἡ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκβέβηκε πρόρρησις, Κύρου τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλέως ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἐλάσαντος, ὑφ' ου η τε Βαβυλὼν ἐλήφθη καὶ ὁ Βαλτάσαρ ἐν τῇ ἁλώσει ἀνῄρητο. εἰσὶ δ' οι κατὰ τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην, καθ' ην τὸν ἀστράγαλον τὸν γράφοντα ἐθεάσατο, φασὶ καὶ τὴν πόλιν αἱρεθῆναι κἀκεῖνον ἀναιρεθῆναι. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν τῆς Βαβυλῶνος αλωσιν ὁ προφήτης ∆ανιὴλ παρὰ ∆αρείου τοῦ Μήδου, ος καὶ Κυαξάρης ὠνόμαστο καὶ μητράδελφος ην τοῦ Κύρου, υἱὸς ων 1.189 ̓Αστυάγους τοῦ βασιλεύσαντος Μήδων, εἰς Μηδίαν μετήνεκτο καὶ πάσης ἠξιοῦτο τιμῆς. ουτω δ' εχων ἐφθονήθη παρὰ τῶν ἐν Μήδοις ὑπερεχόντων, καὶ μηχανῶνται τρόπον καθ' ον ηλπισαν ἀπολέσαι αὐτόν. ὁρῶντες γὰρ αὐτὸν τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας προσευχόμενον τῷ θεῷ, προσίασι τῷ Κυαξάρῃ τῷ καὶ ∆αρείῳ, ἀξιοῦντες αὐτὸν θεῖναι νόμον ιν' ἐπὶ τριάκοντα ἡμέρας μή τις η τοῖς θεοῖς προσευχόμενος ειη μήτ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως δεόμενος, καὶ τὸν μὴ τὸν νόμον φυλάξαντα εἰς τὸν τῶν λεόντων λάκκον ἐμβάλλεσθαι. ὁ δὲ τὸ κατὰ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ παρ' αὐτῶν τυρευόμενον ἀγνοήσας προυτεθείκει πρόγραμμα τὰ εἰρημένα διαταττόμενον. οἱ μὲν ουν αλλοι ἠρέμουν κατὰ τὸ θέσπισμα, ∆ανιὴλ δὲ κατὰ τὸ εθος αὐτοῦ ηυχετο τῷ θεῷ. καὶ οἱ σατράπαι κατεῖπον αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἀπῄτουν εἰς τὸν λάκκον αὐτὸν τῶν λεόντων ἐμβάλλεσθαι. βληθέντος δ' ἐκεῖ τοῦ προφήτου, τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ στομίου λίθον σφραγίσας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀνεχώρησεν. ἀγωνιῶν δὲ καὶ ἀλγῶν αϋπνος τὴν νύκτα διήγαγεν· ηλπιζε μὲν γὰρ μὴ βλαβήσεσθαι τὸν ∆ανιὴλ ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων, εἰδὼς οτι πνεῦμα αγιον θεοῦ ἐστιν ἐν αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' ομως δειλιῶν ἠγωνία μή τι αὐτῷ συμβαίη κακόν, μὴ πάνυ γινώσκων οια βάρβαρος τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ θεοῦ. αρτι δ' ἡμέρας ἀναλαμψάσης τῷ λάκκῳ ἐπέστη καὶ ἐκάλει τὸν ∆ανιήλ· ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο· καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀνελκυσθῆναι τὸν προφήτην αὐτίκα ἐκέλευσε, καὶ ἀθιγῆ τοῦτον καὶ σῷον βλέπων ἐξίστατο. τῶν δὲ κατειπόντων αὐτοῦ τροφῆς κεκορεσμένους ειναι λεγόντων τοὺς λέοντας καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μὴ θίξαι τοῦ ∆ανιήλ, μισήσας αὐτοὺς τῆς πονηρίας ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ τὸ κατὰ τοῦ προφήτου μηχάνημα καὶ τὸν δόλον ἐκείνων συνείς, 1.190 δαψιλῆ παρατεθῆναι τροφὴν τοῖς θηρίοις προσέταξε, κεκορεσμένων δ' ηδη τοὺς τοῦ προφήτου κατηγόρους εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν θηρῶν ἐμβληθῆναι προσέταξεν, "ινα γνῶμεν" εἰπών "εἰ διὰ κόρον αὐτῶν οἱ λέοντες οὐ προσψαύσουσι." διασπαραχθέντων δ' εὐθὺς τῶν πονηρῶν ἐκείνων ἀνδρῶν δῆλον απασι γέγονεν ὡς θεία τις δύναμις τὸν ∆ανιὴλ συνετήρησε, τοὺς θῆρας φιμώσασα. διὸ καὶ τὸν τοῦ προφήτου θεὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐμεγάλυνε, κἀκεῖνον ἐν τιμῇ πεποίητο πλείονι. Ταῦτα μὲν ουν συμβέβηκεν υστερον· ἐν δὲ τῷ πρώτῳ ετει τῆς βασιλείας Βαλτάσαρ ἐνύπνιον ὁ προφήτης ειδεν. ην δὲ τοιοῦτον τὸ οραμα. τέσσαρα ἐδόκει θηρία ἀνιέναι ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης, ων τὸ πρῶτον λεαίνης ειχε μορφὴν καὶ πτερὰ ὡσεὶ ἀετοῦ, ο καὶ ἐξήρθη ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπὶ ποδῶν ἀνθρώπου ἐστάθη, καὶ καρδία ἀνθρώπου ἐδόθη αὐτῷ. ἡ μὲν ουν θάλασσα τὸν ἀνθρώπινον ἐδήλου βίον τὸν πολυκύμαντον καὶ πλείστας καὶ συνεχεῖς μεταβολὰς δεχόμενον καὶ περιτροπάς, τὸ δὲ θηρίον ἡ λέαινα τὴν τῶν ̓Ασσυρίων βασιλείαν εἰκόνιζε, τὸ δ' ἐξαρθῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς τὴν τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐκείνης ἐδήλου κατάπαυσιν καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τὴν περιαίρεσιν. καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ ποδῶν ἀνθρώπου στῆναι τὸ ισην τοῖς ὑπηκόοις γενήσεσθαι ὑπῃνίττετο, τὸ δὲ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου δοθῆναι αὐτῇ τὸ διὰ τῆς πείρας ἀνθρώπινα φρονεῖν διδαχθῆναι καὶ μή τι τῶν ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν ἐξ ἀλαζονείας φαντάζεσθαι· καὶ τὰ πτερὰ γὰρ α τῷ θηρίῳ 1.191 παρὰ φύσιν προσεπεφύκεσαν τὴν επαρσιν ἐδήλουν τῶν βασιλέων ἐκείνων καὶ τὸ ἐξ