83

Taking Antiochus, who was surnamed Epiphanes, as a hostage, they guarded him in Rome. And the first book of Maccabees teaches us this; for the author, having spoken about those who received Alexander's kingdom, added: "And there came out of them a sinful root, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the king, who had been a hostage in Rome." The one who spoke with Daniel, signifying this beforehand, said: "But his reproach shall return to him." To this he adds: 19. "And he will turn his face to prevail over his own land." Having done these things in the islands, he says, he will return to his own kingdom. "And he shall be weakened, and shall fall, and shall not be found. (20.) And there shall stand up out of his root a plant of the kingdom, and passing over to his prepared place." He means Antiochus Epiphanes, who, having escaped from Rome, succeeded his brother Seleucus. For Seleucus, called Philopator, succeeded Antiochus the Great, being his son; and when Seleucus died, Antiochus Epiphanes took over the kingdom. Concerning this one he says: "And there shall stand up out of his root a plant of the kingdom, and passing over to his prepared place;" that is, imitating the dynasty of his father, 81.1516 and being capable of holding the kingdom prepared by him. To make this clear, he added: "And achieving the glory of a kingdom;" instead of, using his great activity. "And in those days they will be crushed, and not by face-to-face encounters, nor in wars." For he will be able, he says, by his fame alone, without battle and without bloodshed, to strike terror into all, and to subject them to himself. 21. "And he shall stand in his prepared place." And he will use, he says, such great power, as to gain control, even without a fight, of the kingdom passed down to him from his father. "He was despised, and the glory of the kingdom was not given to him." And yet, he says, he was not held in honor, being a king, but seemed a contemptible person while being held under guard in Rome. "And he shall return in prosperity, and will take control of the kingdom by deceits." But nevertheless, he says, although he was greatly despised, he will come with great abundance and very great power, and will take control of the kingdom with deceit as his helper, using trickery rather. And this the blessed Daniel also saw in the second vision, and he heard the holy Gabriel saying: "Deceit is in his hand, and in his heart he shall be magnified; and he shall corrupt many, and he shall stand for the destruction of many." And here likewise: "For he will take control," he says, "of the kingdom by deceits." 22. "And the arms of the one who floods shall be flooded from before him, and shall be crushed." And again here he hinted at the kingdom of the Egyptians, that even those who are greatly powerful, and who destroy those who resist them like a flood, and make them disappear and vanish, even these will be flooded by him, and will be crushed, and not these alone, but, "And also the leader of the covenant." 23. "And from their alliances with him he will work deceit." Here he signifies the revolt that happened against Onias the high priest by Jesus, also called Jason, and by Onias, that is, Menelaus; for of these, first Jason, running to Antiochus, cast out his own brother from the high priesthood; but Menelaus, having been sent to bring gifts and gold to Antiochus, transferred the high priesthood to himself in turn, and drove out Jason. From this, terrible and grievous calamities befell the nation of the Jews, The blessed Daniel, being taught these things beforehand, hears that "The arms of the one who floods shall be flooded from him." He means Ptolemy Philometor; for this man succeeded Ptolemy Epiphanes. To this he added: "And also the leader of the covenant." For he means the pious high priest, the brother of Jason, and teaches beforehand that he will make him also cease from being high priest. Then he teaches the manner: "And from their alliances with him he will work deceit." 81.1517 For he will use, he says, as ministers those who pride themselves on being of the same race, and with deceit as a helper

83

Ἀντίοχον τὸν ἐπικληθέντα Ἐπιφανῆ ὅμηρα λαβόντες ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ ἐφρούρουν. Καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ἡ πρώτη τῶν Μακκαβαίων διδάσκει· εἰρηκὼς γὰρ ὁ συγγραφεὺς περὶ τῶν τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρου δεξαμένων βασιλείαν, ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἀπ' αὐτῶν ῥίζα ἁμαρτωλὸς, Ἀντίοχος ὁ Ἐπιφανὴς, υἱὸς Ἀντιόχουτοῦ βασιλέως, ὃς ἦν ὅμηρα ἐν Ῥώμῃ. Τοῦτο προ σημαίνων τῷ ∆ανιὴλ ὁ προσδιαλεγόμενος αὐτῷ ἔφη· "Πλὴν ὁ ὀνειδισμὸς αὐτοῦ ἐπιστρέψει αὐτῷ." Τούτοις ἐπάγει· ιθʹ. "Καὶ ἐπιστρέψει τὸ πρόσωπον αὑτοῦ, εἰς τὸ κατισχύσαι τῆς γῆς αὑτοῦ." Ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἐν ταῖς νήσοις διαπραξάμενος, εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανήξει βα σιλείαν. "Καὶ ἀσθενήσει, καὶ πεσεῖται, καὶ οὐχ εὑρεθή σεται. (κʹ.) Καὶ ἀναστήσεται ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης αὐτοῦ φυτὸν βασιλείας, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν αὐτοῦ παραβιβάζων." Ἀντίοχον λέγει τὸν Ἐπιφανῆ, ὃς ἀποδρὰς ἀπὸ τῆς Ῥώμης, Σέλευκον τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὑ τοῦ διεδέξατο. Ἀντίοχον γὰρ τὸν μέγαν Σέλευκος ὁ καλούμενος Φιλοπάτωρ διεδέξατο, υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ὤν· τοῦ δὲ Σελεύκου τελευτήσαντος, Ἀντίοχος ὁ Ἐπιφανὴς παραλαμβάνει τὴν βασιλείαν. Περὶ τούτου φησίν· "Ἀναστήσεται ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης αὐτοῦ φυτὸν βασιλείας, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν αὐτοῦ παραβιβά ζων·" τουτέστι, τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς δυναστείαν μιμού 81.1516 μενος, καὶ ἱκανὸς ὢν τὴν ἑτοιμασθεῖσαν ὑπ' ἐκείνου κατασχεῖν βασιλείαν. Τοῦτο παραδηλῶν ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ πράσσων δόξαν βασιλείας·" ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὑπερ άγαν τῷ δραστηρίῳ χρώμενος. "Καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέ ραις ἐκείναις συντριβήσονται, καὶ οὐκ ἐν προσ ώποις, οὐδὲ ἐν πολέμοις." Ἱκανὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔσται καὶ μόνῃ τῇ φήμῃ ἀμαχητὶ καὶ ἀναιμωτὶ καταπλῆξαι πάντας, καὶ ἑαυτῷ ὑποτάξαι. καʹ. "Καὶ στήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν αὐτοῦ." Τοσαύτῃ δὲ, φησὶ, χρήσεται δυναστείᾳ, ὡς καὶ ἄνευ συμπλοκῆς κρατῆσαι τῆς πατρόθεν εἰς αὐτὸν παρα πεμφθείσης βασιλείας. "Ἐξουδενώθη, καὶ οὐκ ἐδόθη ἐπ' αὐτὸν δόξα βασιλείας." Καὶ μὴν, φη σὶν, οὐκ ἦν ἐπίδοξος, βασιλεὺς ὢν, ἀλλ' εὐτελής τις ἐδόκει ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ φρουρούμενος. "Καὶ ἐπανήξει ἐπ' εὐθηνίᾳ, καὶ κατισχύσει βασιλείας ἐν ὀλισθή μασι." Ἀλλ' ὅμως, φησὶ, καὶ λίαν ὢν ἐξουθενη μένος, μετὰ πολλῆς ἥξει περιουσίας καὶ πλείστης δυνάμεως, καὶ κρατήσει τῆς βασιλείας δόλῳ συνεργῷ, καὶ ἐξαπάτῃ μᾶλλον χρώμενος. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ ὀπτασίᾳ ὁ μακάριος ἐθεάσατο ∆ανιὴλ, καὶ ἤκουσε τοῦ ἁγίου Γαβριὴλ, λέγοντος· "∆όλος ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ μεγαλυνθή σεται· καὶ διαφθερεῖ πολλοὺς, καὶ ἐπὶ ἀπωλείᾳ πολ λῶν στήσεται. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὡσαύτως· "Κατισχύσει γὰρ, φησὶ, βασιλείας ἐν ὀλισθήμασι." κβʹ. "Καὶ βραχίονες τοῦ κατακλύζοντος κατακλυ σθήσονται ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ συντριβήσονται." Πάλιν δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὴν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ᾐνίξατο βασι λείαν, ὅτι κἀκεῖνοι οἱ τὰ μεγάλα δυνάμενοι, καὶ δί κην κατακλυσμοῦ τοὺς ἀνθισταμένους διαφθείροντες, καὶ ἀφανεῖς καὶ φρούδους ἀποφαίνοντες, καὶ οὗτοι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατακλυσθήσονται, καὶ συντριβήσονται, οὐχ οὗτοι δὲ μόνοι, ἀλλὰ, "Καί γε ἡγούμενος διαθήκης." κγʹ. "Καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν συμμίξεων πρὸς αὐτὸν ποιήσει δόλον." Ἐνταῦθα προσημαίνει τὴν γενομέ νην ἐπανάστασιν Ὀνίᾳ τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ καὶ Ἰάσωνος, καὶ Ὀνίου τοῦ Μενελάου· τούτων γὰρ πρότερον μὲν ὁ Ἰάσων, πρὸς τὸν Ἀντίοχον δραμὼν, τὸν οἰκεῖον ἀδελφὸν τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἐξέβαλεν· ὁ δὲ Μενέλαος, δῶρα καὶ χρυσίον ἀποσταλεὶς κομίσαι τῷ Ἀντιόχῳ, εἰς ἑαυτὸν πάλιν τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην μεταθεὶς, ἐξήλασε τὸν Ἰάσωνα. Ἐντεῦθεν αἱ δειναὶ καὶ χαλεπαὶ συμφοραὶ τὸ Ἰουδαίων κατέλαβον ἔθνος, Ταῦτα ὁ μακάριος προδιδασκόμενος ∆ανιὴλ, ἀκούει, ὅτι "Βραχίονες τοῦ κατακλύζοντος κατακλυσθήσονται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ." Λέγει δὲ Πτολεμαῖον τὸν Φιλομήτορα· οὗτος γὰρ Πτολεμαῖον τὸν Ἐπιφανῆ διεδέξατο. Τού τοις ἐπήγαγε· "Καί γε ἡγούμενος διαθήκης." Λέ γει γὰρ τὸν ἀρχιερέα τὸν εὐσεβῆ, τὸν τοῦ Ἰάσωνος ἀδελφὸν, καὶ προδιδάσκει, ὅτι κἀκεῖνον τοῦ ἀρχ ιερατεύειν παύσει. Εἶτα διδάσκει τὸν τρόπον· "Καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν συμμίξεων πρὸς αὐτὸν ποιήσει δόλον." 81.1517 Χρήσεται γὰρ, φησὶ, διακόνοις τοῖς τὸ αὐτὸ γένος ἔχειν σεμνυνομένοις, καὶ δόλῳ συνεργῷ