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On the first he said he had seen the vision. 5. "And I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold a man clothed in baddeim, and his loins were girded with gold of Ophaz. And his body was like Tharsis." But Baddeim in the Greek language signifies linen garments. He says, therefore, that he had seen the clothing of the one who appeared to be of fine linen, and the belt of gold of Ophaz, that is, of the most brilliant and purest gold; "but his body was like Tharsis;" that is, it resembled the most refined gold brought from Tharsis; for from there 81.1493 refined gold was brought to Solomon. "And his face, as the appearance of lightning." A light-like splendor, he says, was emitted from his face. "And his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his legs as the sight of gleaming bronze, and the voice of his words as the voice of a multitude." He had, he says, eyes that sent forth fire, and arms resembling the most beautiful bronze; and when you heard him, you would have thought you were hearing a great multitude speaking. 7. "And I Daniel alone saw the vision, and the men that were with me did not see the vision, but a great astonishment fell upon them, and they fled in fear." But perhaps someone might say: And why then did they flee, not having seen the vision? But it is likely that this produced the more fear in them; for seeing no one, and hearing a very great voice, they were reasonably terrified and ran away. And here he calls ecstasy not only cowardice, but also blindness; and these things resemble what happened to the blessed Paul on the road approaching Damascus; for there he himself saw a light that flashed around him; but those with him saw nothing, but only heard the voice. And here, therefore, likewise those with the divine prophet flee, having heard only the voice, but he alone remains. 8. "For I, he says, was left alone, and I saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me, and my glory was turned into corruption, and I retained no strength." For such a dread fell upon me from that sight, that the harmony of my joints was loosed, the color of my body's appearance was changed, and I was made bereft of all strength. 9. "And I heard, he says, the voice of his words, and when I heard I was in a deep sleep on my face, and my face was on the ground." For immediately, he says, upon hearing that very great voice, I fell prostrate; and being unable to look upon the dreadful sight, I put my face to the ground. 10. "And behold a hand touching me, and it raised me upon my knees, and set me upon the palms of my hands." Being thus disposed, he says, I perceived something like a hand touching me, and raising me up; and I, using both my knees and my hands (for fear had undone me), tried to stand up. 11. "And he said to me: Daniel, a man of desires, understand in these words, which I speak to you, and stand in your place, because now 81.1496 I have been sent to you." Pay attention, he says, carefully to what is said by me, and putting aside your fear, listen with understanding to what will be said; for I have been sent to teach you these things; since you have appeared superior to the desires of the body, and have become a lover of divine things, and being affectionately disposed towards the people, you desired to learn what would happen to them. And he calls him not Baltasar, but Daniel; for the one was a Chaldean name, and the other a Hebrew name; and the one was given by the pious, but the other was added by the impious. And Daniel means in the Greek language, judgment of God; so that he is also true to his name, and to proclaim through these events, that God, using right and just judgment, deemed him worthy of prophetic grace, and made clear things that would be many generations later. "And when he spoke the word to me, I stood up trembling." For the word was sufficient to make me stand up, but I did not completely put aside the fear. 12. "And he said to me: Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day, on which you gave your heart to understand and to afflict yourself before the Lord

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πρώτῳ ἔφη τὴν ὀπτασίαν ἑωρακέναι. εʹ, ʹ. "Καὶ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ ἐνδεδυμένος βαδδεὶμ, καὶ ἡ ὀσφὺς αὐτοῦ περιεζωσμένη χρυσίῳ Ὠφάζ. Καὶ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ Θαρσεῖς." Βαδδεὶμ δὲ τῇ Ἑλλάδι φωνῇ τὰ βύσσινα σημαίνεται. Λέγει τοίνυν τὸ μὲν ἔνδυμα τοῦ ὀφθέντος βύσσινον τεθεᾶσθαι, τὴν δὲ ζώνην ἐκ χρυσίου Ὠφὰζ, τουτέστι, χρυσίου λαμπροτάτου καὶ καθαρωτάτου· "τὸ δὲ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ Θαρσεῖς·" ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐῴκει τῷ δοκιμωτάτῳ χρυσίῳ ἐκ Θαρσεῖς φερομένῳ· καὶ γὰρ τῷ Σολομῶντι ἐκεῖθεν τὸ ἄπε 81.1493 φθον ἐκομίζετο χρυσίον. "Καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον δὲ αὐ τοῦ, ὡς εἶδος ἀστραπῆς." Αἴγλη, φησὶ, φωτοειδὴς ἐκ τοῦ προσώπου ἐφέρετο. "Καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ λαμπάδες πυρὸς, καὶ οἱ βραχίονες αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ σκέλη ὡς ὅρασις χαλκοῦ στίλβοντος, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ, ὡς φωνὴ ὄχλου." Εἶχε δὲ, φησὶ, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς πῦρ ἀφιέντας, τοὺς δὲ βραχίονας τῷ καλλίστῳ χαλκῷ ἐοικότας· ἔδοξας δ' ἂν πλήθους ἀκούειν πολλοῦ διαλεγομένου ἀκούων. ζʹ. "Καὶ εἶδον ἐγὼ ∆ανιὴλ μόνος τὴν ὀπτασίαν, καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ μετ' ἐμοῦ οὐκ εἶδον τὴν ὀπτασίαν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἔκστασις μεγάλη ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἔφυγον ἐν φόβῳ." Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἄν τις εἴποι· Καὶ τί δήποτε ἔφυγον, τὴν ὀπτασίαν μὴ θεασάμενοι; Ἀλλ' εἰκὸς τοῦτο πλέον αὐτοῖς ἀπεργάσασθαι τὸ δέος· μηδένα γὰρ θεώμενοι, καὶ φωνῆς μεγίστης ἀκούοντες, εἰκότως ἐκδειματωθέντες ἀπέδρασαν. Ἔκστασιν δὲ ἐνταῦθα καλεῖ οὐ τὴν δειλίαν μόνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀορασίαν· ἔοικε δὲ ταῦτα τοῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου γεγενημένοις κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν πλησιάζουσαν τῇ ∆αμασκῷ· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ αὐ τὸς εἶδε περιαστράψαν αὐτὸν φῶς· οἱ δὲ συνόντες ἐθεάσαντο μὲν οὐδὲν, μόνης δὲ ἤκουσαν τῆς φωνῆς. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν ὡσαύτως φεύγουσιν οἱ συνόν τες τῷ θείῳ προφήτῃ, μόνης ἀκούσαντες τῆς φωνῆς, μένει δὲ μόνος αὐτός. ηʹ. "Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑπελείφθην μόνος, καὶ εἶδον τὴν ὀπτασίαν τὴν μεγάλην ταύτην, καὶ οὐχ ὑπελείφθη ἐν ἐμοὶ ἰσχὺς, καὶ ἡ δόξα μου μετ εστράφη εἰς διαφθορὰν, καὶ οὐκ ἐκράτησα ἰσχύος." Τοσοῦτον γάρ μοι ἐνέπεσε δέος ἀπ' ἐκείνης τῆς θεωρίας, ὡς διαλυθῆναι μὲν τῶν ἄρθρων τὴν ἁρμονίαν, ἀμειφθῆναι δὲ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἐπιφανείας τὸ χρῶμα, πάσης δὲ ἰσχύος ἔρημόν με γενέσθαι. θʹ. "Καὶ ἤκουσα, φησὶ, τὴν φωνὴν τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀκοῦσαί με ἤμην κατανενυγμέ νος ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν μου, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν." Παραυτίκα γὰρ, φησὶ, τῆς μεγίστης ἐκείνης ἀκούσας φωνῆς, ἔπεσα μὲν πρηνής· ἰδεῖν δὲ μὴ δυνάμενος τὴν φρικώδη θεωρίαν, εἰς τὴν γῆν μου τὸ πρόσωπον τέθεικα. ιʹ. "Καὶ ἰδοὺ χεὶρ ἁπτομένη μου, καὶ ἤγειρέ με ἐπὶ τὰ γόνατά μου, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἴχνη τῶν χειρῶν μου ἔστησέ με." Οὕτω, φησὶ, διακείμενος ᾐσθα νόμην οἷόν τινος χειρὸς ἁπτομένης μου, καὶ ἀνορ θούσης· ἐγὼ δὲ τοῖς τε γόνασι καὶ ταῖς χερσὶ χρώμενος (διέλυσέ με γὰρ τὸ δέος), ἐπειρώμην ἀν ίστασθαι. ιαʹ. "Ὁ δὲ εἶπε πρός με· ∆ανιὴλ, ἀνὴρ ἐπι θυμιῶν, σύνες ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις, οἷς ἐγὼ λαλῶ πρὸς σὲ, καὶ στῆθι ἐπὶ τῇ στάσει σου, ὅτι νῦν 81.1496 ἀπεστάλην πρὸς σέ." Πρόσεχε, φησὶν, ἀκριβῶς τοῖς ὑπ' ἐμοῦ λεγομένοις, καὶ τὸ δέος ἀποθέμενος, μετὰ συνέσεως ἄκουε τῶν ῥηθησομένων· ταῦτα γὰρ ἀπ εστάλην διδάξαι σε· ἐπειδὴ τῶν μὲν τοῦ σώματος ἐπιθυμιῶν κρείττων ἐφάνης, ἐραστὴς δὲ ἐγένου τῶν θείων, καὶ φιλοστόργως δὲ περὶ τὸν λαὸν διακεί μενος τὰ τούτῳ συμβησόμενα μαθεῖν ἐπεθύμησας. Καλεῖ δὲ αὐτὸν οὐ Βαλτάσαρ, ἀλλὰ ∆ανιήλ· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἦν Χαλδαίων, τὸ δὲ Ἑβραίων ὄνομα· καὶ τὸ μὲν ὑπὸ εὐσεβῶν ἐτέθη, τὸ δὲ ὑπὸ δυσσεβῶν προσ ετέθη. Σημαίνει δὲ τὸ ∆ανιὴλ τῇ Ἑλλάδι φωνῇ κρίσιν Θεοῦ· ὡς εἶναι αὐτὸν καὶ φερώνυμον, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν κηρύττειν τῶν πραγμάτων, ὡς ὀρθῇ καὶ δικαίᾳ κρίσει χρώμενος ὁ Θεὸς τῆς προφητικῆς αὐ τὸν ἠξίωσε χάριτος, καὶ τὰ πολλαῖς ὕστερον γενεαῖς ἐσόμενα δῆλα πεποίηκε. "Καὶ ἐν τῷ λαλῆσαι αὐτὸν πρός με τὸν λόγον, ἀνέστην ἔντρομος." Ἤρκεσε μὲν γὰρ ὁ λόγος ἀναστῆσαί με, παντελῶς δὲ τὸ δέος οὐκ ἀπεθέμην. ιβʹ. "Καὶ εἶπε πρός με· Μὴ φοβοῦ, ∆ανιὴλ, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης ἡμέρας, ἧς ἔδωκας τὴν καρδίαν σου τοῦ συνιέναι καὶ κακωθῆναι ἐναντίον Κυρίου