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of your God, your words were heard, and I have come because of your words.” From this we learn how much voluntary affliction benefits us. For the blessed Daniel, by afflicting himself with voluntary fasting and seeking the Lord, immediately persuaded Him and obtained what he had desired. For the one who appeared to him also makes this clear: “For from the first,” he says, “day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before the Lord your God, your words were heard;” and of this you have the greatest proof in my presence. “For I have come,” he says, “because of your words;” that is, on account of your words and the supplication you offered. 13. “And the prince,” he says, “of the kingdom of Persia stood in opposition to me for twenty-one days.” On that very first day of your prayer, he says, when your supplication was received, I was sent to you; but for all these days the prince of the kingdom of Persia hindered my arrival to you. “And behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I left him there with the prince of the king of Persia.” The blessed Moses teaches us these things more clearly. “For when,” he says, “the Most High divided the nations, when he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.” And the Lord in the holy Gospels says to the apostles: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for their angels daily see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” And there are many other such things in the divine Scripture. We are taught, therefore, from these things, 81.1497 that to each of the angels is entrusted the care of each one of us, to guard and protect, and to deliver us from the plots of the evil demon; but the archangels were entrusted with the oversight of the nations, as the blessed Moses taught. And the blessed Daniel also agrees with these things; for he himself also speaks of a prince of the kingdom of Persia; and again, after a little, of a prince of the Greeks, and he calls Michael the prince of Israel. Since these things have thus been made clear from here and there, we must inquire why the prince of the Persian kingdom seemed to be opposed to him who was making an appeal on behalf of the people. For that the nature of angels is superior to passions and is full of holiness is surely clear to everyone. And that they follow the divine commands without hesitation, this too can be learned from everywhere. How then did the prince of the kingdom of Persia seem to oppose the care for the Israelites? But if anyone should wish to understand accurately, he will find the meaning of what has been said. For both the prince of the Persians and the prince of the Greeks, that is, those entrusted with their guardianship and care, being necessarily affectionately disposed toward those for whom they had care, and seeing the transgression of Israel, were displeased to see them enjoying greater providence. For they did not know the mystery hidden in God, who created all things. For after the incarnation of our Savior, as the blessed Paul said, the manifold wisdom of God was made known to the principalities and powers through the Church. Therefore, being ignorant of this mystery, and seeing the great providence of God for Israel, those entrusted with the care of the other nations were displeased, seeing them, especially after the law, and the prophets, and such great teaching and care, in a worse state than those shepherded by them, and mired in more evils. This is also what the angel who appeared to the blessed Daniel said: “And the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood in opposition to me for twenty-one days;” that is, for all these days I continued persuading him that these people are justly worthy of this providence; and Michael, being one of the chief princes, also advocated for me. “And I left him,” he says, “there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia.” 14. “And I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for behold, the vision is for many days.” And

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τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, ἠκούσθησαν οἱ λόγοι σου, καὶ ἐγὼ ἦλθον ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου." Ἐντεῦθεν διδασκόμεθα, ὅσον ἡμᾶς ἡ αὐθαίρετος ὀνίνησι κάκωσις. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ μακάριος ∆ανιὴλ κακώσας ἑαυτὸν τῇ αὐθαιρέτῳ νηστείᾳ, καὶ τὸν Κύριον ἐκζητήσας, παραυτίκα πέπεικεν, καὶ ὧν ἐπεπόθησεν ἔτυχεν. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ ὀφθεὶς αὐτῷ δῆλον ποιεῖ· "Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς πρώ της, φησὶν, ἡμέρας, ἧς ἔδωκας τὴν καρδίαν σου συνιέναι καὶ κακωθῆναι ἐναντίον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, ἠκούσθησαν οἱ λόγοι σου·" τεκμήριον δὲ τούτου μέγιστον ἔχεις τὴν ἐμὴν παρουσίαν. "Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἦλθον, φησὶν, ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου·" ἀντὶ τοῦ, ∆ιὰ τοὺς λόγους σου, καὶ ἣν προσενήνοχας δέησιν. ιγʹ. "Καὶ ὁ ἄρχων, φησὶ, βασιλείας Περσῶν εἱ στήκει ἐξ ἐναντίας μου, εἴκοσι καὶ μίαν ἡμέραν." Ἐν αὐτῇ, φησὶ, τῇ πρώτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς προσευχῆς σου δεχθείσης σου τῆς ἱκετείας, ἀπεστάλην πρὸς σέ· πάσας δὲ ταύτας τὰς ἡμέρας διεκώλυσέ μου τὴν πρὸς σὲ ἄφιξιν ὁ τῆς τῶν Περσῶν βασιλείας ἄρχων. "Καὶ ἰδοὺ Μιχαὴλ εἷς τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν πρώτων ἦλθε βοηθῆσαί μοι, καὶ αὐτὸν κατέλιπον ἐκεῖ μετὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος βασιλέως Περσῶν." Ταῦτα σαφέ στερον ἡμᾶς διδάσκει ὁ μακάριος Μωσῆς. "Ὅτε γὰρ, φησὶ, διεμέρισεν ὁ Ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ὡς διέσπει ρεν υἱοὺς Ἀδὰμ, ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων Θεοῦ." Καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐ αγγελίοις φησὶ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις· "Ὁρᾶτε, μὴ κατα φρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων, ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν καθ' ἡμέραν ὁρῶσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Πατρός μου ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς." Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἐν τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ. ∆ιδασκόμεθα τοίνυν ἐκ τούτων, 81.1497 ὡς τῶν ἀγγέλων μὲν ἕκαστος τὴν ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ἐπιμέλειαν ἐγκεχείρισται, εἰς τὸ φρουρεῖν καὶ φυ λάττειν, καὶ τῶν τοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος ἐπιβουλῶν ἀπαλλάττειν· οἱ δὲ ἀρχάγγελοι τὰς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπι στασίας ἐνεπιστεύθησαν, ὡς μακάριος ἐδίδαξε Μωσῆς. Συμφωνεῖ δὲ τούτοις καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆α νιήλ· λέγει γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς βασιλείας Περσῶν ἄρχοντα· καὶ πάλιν μετὰ βραχέα, ἄρχοντα τῶν Ἑλλήνων, καὶ τὸν Μιχαὴλ δὲ ἄρχοντα τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀποκαλεῖ. Τούτων τοίνυν ἐντεῦθέν τε κἀκεῖθεν δήλων γεγενημένων, ζητητέον τί δήποτε ὁ τῆς Περ σικῆς βασιλείας ἄρχων ἐναντιοῦσθαι ἐδόκει τῷ τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ ποιουμένῳ συνηγορίαν. Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ παθῶν ἐστι τῶν ἀγγέλων ἡ φύσις ἀμείνων, καὶ ἁγιωσύνης ἀνάπλεως, παντί που δῆλον. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ τοῖς θείοις νεύμασιν ἀνενδοιάστως ἕπονται, καὶ τοῦτο πανταχόθεν ἔστι καταμαθεῖν. Πῶς τοίνυν τῇ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν κηδεμονίᾳ ἐναντιοῦσθαι ἐδόκει τῆς Περσῶν βασιλείας ὁ ἄρχων; Ἀλλὰ γὰρ εἴ τις ἀκριβῶς κατανοεῖν ἐθελήσειεν, εὑρήσει τῶν εἰρημένων τὸν νοῦν. Ὅ τε γὰρ τῶν Περσῶν ἄρχων, καὶ ὁ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἄρχων, τουτέστιν, οἱ τὴν τούτων φυλα κήν τε καὶ ἐπιμέλειαν ἐγκεχειρισμένοι, ἀναγκαίως, ἅτε δὴ φιλοστόργως περὶ τούτους διακείμενοι, ὧν τὴν κηδεμονίαν εἶχον, καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ δὲ τὴν παρανομίαν ὁρῶντες, ἐδυσχέραινον πλείονος αὐτοὺς βλέποντες ἀπολαύοντας προμηθείας. Οὐ γὰρ ᾔδει σαν τὸ μυστήριον τὸ ἀποκεκρυμμένον ἐν τῷ Θεῷ τῷ πάντα κτίσαντι. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐνανθρώπησιν, ὡς ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Παῦλος, ἐγνωρίσθη ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις, διὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τοῦτο τοίνυν τὸ μυστήριον ἀγνοοῦντες, καὶ τὴν πολλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ περὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ πρόνοιαν ὁρῶντες οἱ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν πεπιστευμένοι, ἐδυσχέ ραινον θεώμενοι μάλιστα μετὰ νόμον, καὶ προφήτας, καὶ τοσαύτην διδασκαλίαν τε καὶ κηδεμονίαν, χεῖρον τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῶν ποιμαινομένων διακειμένους, καὶ πλείοσιν ἐμπεφυρμένους κακοῖς. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ τῷ μακαρίῳ ∆ανιὴλ ὀφθεὶς ἄγγελος ἔλεγε· "Καὶ ὁ ἄρχων βασιλείας Περσῶν εἱστήκει ἐξ ἐναντίας μου εἴκοσι καὶ μίαν ἡμέραν·" ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ταύτας ἁπάσας τὰς ἡμέρας πείθων αὐτὸν διετέλουν, ὡς δικαίως ταύτης οὗτοι ἀξιοῦνται τῆς προμηθείας· συνηγόρει δέ μοι καὶ ὁ Μιχαὴλ εἷς τῶν πρώτων ὑπάρχων ἀρ χόντων. "Καὶ αὐτὸν, φησὶ, κατέλιπον ἐκεῖ μετὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος βασιλείας Περσῶν." ιδʹ. "Καὶ ἦλθον συνετίσαι σε, ὅσα ἀπαντήσει τῷ λαῷ σου ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν, ὅτι ἰδοὺ ἡ ὅρασις εἰς ἡμέρας." Καὶ