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But when I, he says, came to you to teach you beforehand the things that were going to happen to your people after no long time, Michael remained contending with the prince of the kingdom of the Persians. And he did not simply say the prince of the Per 81.1500 sians, but "the prince of the kingdom of the Persians," meaning, the one entrusted to rule even the king of the Persians himself. 15. "And while he was speaking with me according to these words, I set my face to the ground, and I was dumbstruck." For upon hearing that even the first of the angels oppose the care being shown to the people, being filled again with despondency, I stood bowed down, and unable to look up. 16, 17. "And behold, as the likeness of a Son of man touched my lips, and I spoke, and I said to the one standing before me: Lord, in your appearance my inwards were turned within me, and behold I have no strength. And how will your servant, Lord, be able to speak with this my Lord? And I grew weak, and from now on no strength will remain in me, and no breath was left in me." Seeing me, he says, again full of anguish, touching my lips as with a human hand, he instilled in me the power of speech, and I said to him, that even the mere sight of you has made me devoid of all strength, filled my soul with turmoil and confusion, and stripped my reason of its former composure. For I received such weakness from fear, that I could not even breathe the air as usual; how then will I be able, either to understand the things said by you, or to give back a fitting reply? But let no one suppose that the one who appeared was the Master himself, because Daniel addresses him as Lord. For this one himself at the end of the vision: "Raising," he says, "his hands to heaven, he swore by the living Lord," readily acknowledging his servitude. Therefore he calls him Lord, not as God, but assigning him the appropriate honor. For we too, when speaking with the more honored of men, are accustomed to use this title, just as also the blessed Abraham, seeing the angels as men, and speaking to them as men: "I pray, Lord," he said, "if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant." And the blessed Rebecca to the servant of the blessed Abraham: "Drink," she says, "my lord, and I will draw water for your camels." Therefore here too the word Lord does not signify the God of all; and we will know this more clearly from the end, but for now let us stick to the sequence. 18, 19. "And again," he says, "he touched me like a vision of a man, and strengthened me, and said to me: Do not be afraid, man of desires, peace to you, be strong, and have courage." Meaning: Do not be distressed at all; for I did not come for your harm, but to make known to you, 81.1501 the things you desired to learn; therefore casting off fear, be strong, and have courage. And the deed followed the word. 20, 21. "And while he was speaking," he says, "with me, I was strengthened, and I said: Let my Lord speak, because you have strengthened me. And he said: Do you know why I came to you? And now I will return to fight with the prince of the Persians; and I was going forth, and the prince of the Greeks was coming. But I will announce to you what is ordained in the Scripture of truth, and there is no one who holds with me concerning these things, except Michael your prince." For why, he says, do I speak of one or two, the prince of the Persians, or of the Greeks? For none of the heavenly powers wishes for your people to obtain any good, evidently because of their great lawlessness, except Michael alone, who was entrusted with your care. The word "to fight," he has put in place of "to debate," and "to persuade," wishing to show both that one's just indignation against the people, and his own goodwill toward the people. It is likely that the one speaking is the holy Gabriel; for he had already interpreted the other revelations for him.

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ἐμοῦ δὲ, φησὶν, ἀφ ικομένου πρὸς σὲ ἐπὶ τῷ σε προδιδάξαι τὰ μετ' οὐ πολὺν χρόνον συμβησόμενα τῷ λαῷ σου, ἐπέμει νεν ὁ Μιχαὴλ τῷ ἄρχοντι βασιλείας Περσῶν διαλεγόμενος. Καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπε τῷ ἄρχοντι Περ 81.1500 σῶν, ἀλλὰ "τῷ ἄρχοντι βασιλείας Περσῶν," ἀντὶ τοῦ, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως Περσῶν ἄρχειν πε πιστευμένῳ. ιεʹ. "Καὶ ἐν τῷ λαλῆσαι αὐτὸν μετ' ἐμοῦ κατὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους, ἔδωκα τὸ πρόσωπόν μου εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ κατενύγην." Ἀκούσας γὰρ, ὅτι καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων οἱ πρῶτοι δυσχεραίνουσι τὴν γινομένην εἰς τὸν λαὸν κηδεμονίαν, ἀθυμίας πάλιν ἀναπλη σθεὶς συγκεκυφὼς εἱστήκειν, καὶ ἀναβλέπειν οὐ δυνάμενος. ιʹ, ιζʹ. "Καὶ ἰδοὺ ὡς ὁμοίωσις Υἱοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἥψατο τῶν χειλέων μου, καὶ ἐλάλησα, καὶ εἶπον πρὸς τὸν ἑστῶτα ἐναντίον μου· Κύριε, ἐν τῇ ὁρά σει σου ἐστράφη τὰ ἐντός μου ἐν ἐμοὶ, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἔχω ἰσχύν. Καὶ πῶς δυνήσεται, Κύριε, ὁ παῖς σου λαλῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ Κυρίου μου τούτου; Καὶ ἐγὼ ἠσθένησα, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν οὐ στήσεται ἐν ἐμοὶ ἰσχὺς, καὶ πνοὴ οὐχ ὑπελείφθη ἐν ἐμοί." Θεα σάμενός με, φησὶ, πάλιν ἀγωνίας ἀνάπλεων, οἷόν τινι ἀνθρωπείᾳ χειρὶ τῶν χειλέων μου ἁψάμενος, ἐντέθεικέ μοι διαλέξεως δύναμιν, καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ, ὅτι Καὶ μόνη σου ἡ θεωρία δυνάμεως μὲν ἁπάσης ἔρημόν με κατέστησε, θορύβου τε καὶ ταραχῆς τὴν ψυχὴν ἀνέπλησε, καὶ τῆς προτέρας εὐταξίας τὸν λογισμὸν ἐγύμνωσεν. Τοσαύτην γὰρ ἀσθένειαν ἐκ τοῦ δέους ἐδεξάμην, ὡς μηδὲ συνήθως ἀναπνεῖν δύνασθαι τὸν ἀέρα· πῶς οὖν δυνήσομαι, ἢ συνιέναι τῶν ὑπὸ σοῦ λεγομένων, ἢ ἀπόκρισιν τὴν ἁρμότ τουσαν ἀντιδοῦναι; Μηδεὶς δὲ νομιζέτω, τὸν ὀφθέντα αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν ∆εσπότην, ἐπειδὴ Κύριον αὐτὸν ὁ ∆ανιὴλ προσαγορεύει. Οὗτος γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ τέλει τῆς ὀπτασίας· "Ἀνατείνας, φησὶν, εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν τὰς χεῖρας αὑτοῦ, ὤμοσεν ἐν τῷ ζῶντι Κυρίῳ," τὴν δουλείαν εὐγνωμόνως ὁμολογῶν. Κύριον τοίνυν αὐτὸν ἀποκαλεῖ, οὐχ ὡς Θεὸν, ἀλλὰ τιμὴν ἀπο νέμων τὴν προσήκουσαν. Καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς τοῖς ἐντι μοτέροις τῶν ἀνθρώπων διαλεγόμενοι, τούτῳ κεχρῆ σθαι εἰώθαμεν τῷ προσρήματι, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἀβραὰμ τοὺς ἀγγέλους ὡς ἄνδρας θεασάμενος, καὶ ὡς ἀνδράσι διαλεγόμενος· "∆έομαι, Κύριε, εἶπεν, εἰ ἄρα ηὗρον χάριν ἐναντίον σου, μὴ παρέλθῃς τὸν παῖδά σου." Καὶ ἡ μακαρία Ῥεβέκκα τῷ οἰκέτῃ τοῦ μακαρίου Ἀβραάμ· "Πίε, φησὶ, κύριε, καὶ ταῖς καμήλοις σου ὑδρεύσομαι." Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ Κύριος οὐ τὸν τῶν ὅλων σημαίνει Θεόν· καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον ἐκ τοῦ τέλους γνωρισόμεθα, τέως δὲ τῆς ἀκολουθίας ἐχώμεθα. ιηʹ, ιθʹ. "Καὶ προσέθετο, φησὶ, καὶ ἥψατό μου ὡς ὅρασις ἀνθρώπου, καὶ ἐνίσχυσέ με, καὶ εἶπέ μοι· Μὴ φοβοῦ, ἀνὴρ ἐπιθυμιῶν, εἰρήνη σοι, ἀνδρίζου, καὶ ἴσχυε." Ἀντὶ τοῦ· Μηδὲν ἀγωνιάσῃς· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ λύμῃ σου παρεγενόμην, ἀλλ' ὥστε γνωρίσαι σοι, 81.1501 ἃ μαθεῖν ἐπεθύμησας· τὸ δέος τοίνυν ἀποῤῥίψας ἀν δρίζου, καὶ ἴσχυε. Καὶ τῷ λόγῳ τὸ ἔργον ἐπηκο λούθησε. κʹ, καʹ. "Καὶ ἐν τῷ λαλῆσαι, φησὶν, αὐτὸν μετ' ἐμοῦ, ἐνίσχυσα, καὶ εἶπον· Λαλείτω ὁ Κύριός μου, ὅτι ἐνίσχυσάς με. Καὶ εἶπεν· Εἰ οἶδας τί ἦλθον πρὸς σέ; Καὶ νῦν ἐπιστρέψω τοῦ πολεμῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος Περσῶν· καὶ ἐγὼ ἐξεπορευόμην, καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἤρχετο. Ἀλλ' ἢ ἀναγγελῶ σοι τὸ τεταγμένον ἐν Γραφῇ ἀληθείας, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν εἷς ἀντεχόμενος μετ' ἐμοῦ περὶ τούτων, ἀλλ' ἢ Μιχαὴλ ὁ ἄρχων ὑμῶν." Τί δήποτε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἕνα ἢ δύο λέγω, τόν τε Περσῶν ἄρχοντα, ἢ τῶν Ἑλ λήνων; Οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῶν ἐπουρανίων δυνάμεων βού λεταί τινος ἀγαθοῦ τὸν ὑμέτερον τυχεῖν λαὸν, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν δηλονότι παρανομίαν, ἢ μόνος Μιχαὴλ, ὃς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἐνεχειρίσθη κηδεμονίαν. Τὸ δὲ πολεμῆσαι, ἀντὶ τοῦ, διαλεχθῆναι, καὶ πεῖσαι τέθεικεν, δεῖξαι βουλόμενος τήν τε ἐκείνου δικαίαν κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ ἀγανάκτησιν, καὶ τὴν αὑτοῦ περὶ τὸν λαὸν εὔνοιαν. Εἰκὸς δὲ τὸν διαλεγόμενον εἶναι τὸν ἅγιον Γαβριήλ· οὗτος γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ ἤδη τὰς ἄλλας ἀποκαλύψεις ἡρμήνευσε.