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of the Babylonian? 8.28 You ought to have been taught from what went before that the great signs have come about not so much for your glory, but for my glory, so that the nations also might be taught my majesty, which again you scorned and were lifted up, not giving thanks, but without me you received and showed to the ambassadors the wealth which you acquired from me; therefore from this you shall learn that after these things, in the time of your successors, I will give over all your wealth for plunder and captivity to the Babylonians, because you have again neglected our glory, preferring yourself to me; But since you have always been virtuous and pious, none of these things will happen in your time. When Hezekiah heard these things and understood and was humbled, as one righteous and obedient to God, he gave thanks and said to Isaiah: "Good is the word of the Lord which he has spoken; let there indeed be peace in my days." 8.29 That all things came to pass according to the word of the prophet is clear, as Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian, having sacked Jerusalem, took everything to Babylon, and having selected young men from the royal family, those around Daniel, and Hananiah and Azariah and Mishael, and having cut off from them their natural generative members, he appointed them for his own service; for it is the custom for the king to be served by such ones; for they also lived with him; for neither the marriage of one of them is mentioned in the divine Scripture, nor a child, nor was anything of the sort heard concerning them, but also tradition and custom according to the prophecy depict them in images as beardless and smooth. 8.30 That among these also many wonders and marvels and revelations and prophecies and much benefit came about among the Babylonians and Medes and Persians, you are not ignorant, O wonderful Peter, so that their kings honored them greatly and issued decrees of godliness to their own peoples concerning the God of all, that He is God of gods and Lord of lords, and they commanded that those who speak blasphemy against Him be punished. 8.31 Thus God, ever ordering affairs through his own people, instructs all the nations, glorifying them when they do right, but punishing them when they sin and sending them into captivity, by both means teaching the nations His own beneficence and majesty, so that they too might partake of godliness, being trained for the faith that was to be revealed through our Lord Jesus Christ. For not one tittle of Scripture nor one iota was written inopportunely, but all things were written usefully and for the common and varied benefit of men. Therefore I entreat you, O Christ-lover, and through you those who read this writing of ours, to read the divine Scripture continually and to reap the profit from it, which is able to benefit every man in matters divine and human. And may we attain the divine blessings and promises through the prayers of our teachers and of your brotherhood, O all-Christ-loving one. Of a Christian, on the song of Hezekiah and on the turning back of the sun 9.t DISCOURSE 9 On the course of the stars 9.1 The circle of the twelve months being higher, and below this that of the sun, and below this in turn that of the moon. The divine Scripture signifies this through the construction of the lampstand, through the three and three circular branches proceeding from both of its sides, one runs ahead of the other. And each day the circle of the twelve months runs ahead of the sun by one degree, so that the sun is found to traverse one month in thirty days, and thus to complete the year in twelve months, falling behind, as has been said, by one degree each day. 9.2 The circle of the sun runs ahead of the circle of the moon by twelve degrees each day, so that the moon is found to complete the whole circle in thirty days by falling behind, that is, one month. But if one should wish to understand it conversely, the circle of the moon falls behind that of the sun each

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Βαβυλωνίου; 8.28 Ἔδει σε ἐκ τῶν προλαβόντων παιδεύεσθαι ὅτι οὐ τοσοῦτον εἰς δόξαν σήν, ἀλλ' εἰς δόξαν ἐμήν, τὰ μεγάλα σημεῖα γεγόνασι, πρὸς τὸ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη παιδεύεσθαι τὴν ἐμὴν μεγαλειότητα, ἧς πάλιν καταφρονῶν ἐπήρθης μὴ εὐχαρι στήσας, ἀλλ' ἄνευ ἐμοῦ δεξάμενος καὶ δείξας τοῖς πρέσβεσιν ὃν παρ' ἐμοῦ ἐκτήσω πλοῦτον· τοιγαροῦν ἀπεντεῦθεν μαθήσῃ ὡς μετὰ ταῦτα, ἐπὶ τῶν σῶν διαδόχων, πάντα τὸν σὸν πλοῦτον εἰς ἁρπαγὴν καὶ αἰχμαλωσίαν παραδώσω τοῖς Βαβυλωνίοις, ὅτι ἠμέλησας πάλιν τῆς ἡμετέρας δόξης σεαυτὸν προτιμήσας ἐμοῦ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀεὶ ἐνάρετος γέγονας καὶ εὐσεβής, ἐπὶ τῶν καιρῶν σου οὐδὲν τούτων συμβήσεται. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ Ἐζεκίας καὶ συνιεὶς καὶ ταπεινωθείς, ὡς δίκαιος καὶ ὑπήκοος Θεῷ, εὐχαριστήσας εἶπε πρὸς Ἠσαΐαν· "Ἀγαθὸς ὁ λόγος Κυρίου, ὃν ἐλάλησε· γενέσθω δὴ εἰρήνη ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις μου." 8.29 Ὅτι δὲ πάντα κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ προφήτου γεγόνασιν, εὔδηλον, ὡς Ναβουχοδονόσορ ὁ Βαβυλώνιος πορθήσας τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα πάντα ἔλαβεν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ γένους δὲ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ ἐκλεξάμενος νεανίσκους τοὺς περὶ ∆ανιήλ, καὶ Ἀνανίαν καὶ Ἀζαρίαν καὶ Μισαήλ, καὶ τὰ γεννητικὰ τῆς φύσεως ἐκτεμὼν ἀπ' αὐτῶν μόρια πρὸς ἰδίαν ὑπηρεσίαν κατέστησεν· ἐκ τοιούτων γὰρ ἔθος ἐστὶν ὑπηρετεῖσθαι τὸν βασιλέα· μετ' αὐτοῦ γὰρ καὶ ἀνεστρέφοντο· οὔτε γὰρ γάμος ἑνὸς ἐξ αὐτῶν φέρεται παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, οὐδὲ τέκνον, οὔτι τῶν τοιούτων ἠκούσθη περὶ αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ παράδοσις καὶ ἡ συνήθεια κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν ἀγενείους καὶ λείους ἐν ταῖς εἰκόσιν ἀναγράφουσιν. 8.30 Ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τούτων πολλὰ θαύματα καὶ παράδοξα καὶ ἀποκαλύψεις καὶ προρρήσεις καὶ πολλὴ ὠφέλεια παρά τε Βαβυλωνίοις καὶ Μήδοις καὶ Πέρσαις γέγονεν, οὐκ ἀγνοεῖς, ὦ θαυμάσιε Πέτρε, ὥστε τοὺς βασιλέας αὐτῶν τιμᾶν αὐτοὺς μεγάλως καὶ ἐκτίθεσθαι δόγματα θεοσεβείας εἰς τοὺς ἰδίους λαοὺς περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων, ὅτι Θεὸς θεῶν ἐστι καὶ Κύριος τῶν κυρίων, καὶ τοὺς λέγοντας βλασφημίαν κατ' αὐτοῦ τιμωρεῖσθαι προσέταξαν. 8.31 Οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἀεὶ οἰκονομῶν τὰ πράγματα διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου λαοῦ παιδεύει πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, δικαιοπραγοῦντας μὲν αὐτοὺς δοξάζων, ἁμαρτάνοντας δὲ κολάζων καὶ αἰχμαλωσίαις παραπέμπων, δι' ἑκατέρου παιδεύων τὰ ἔθνη τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀγαθουργίαν καὶ μεγαλειότητα, ὅπως καὶ αὐτὰ μεταλάβωσι θεοσεβείας, προγυμναζόμενα εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι πίστιν τὴν διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Οὔτε γὰρ μία κεραία τῆς Γραφῆς οὔτε ἰῶτα ἓν ἀκαίρως συνεγράφη, ἀλλὰ πάντα χρησίμως καὶ πρὸς κοινὴν καὶ ποικίλην ὠφέλειαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων συνεγράφησαν. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ, φιλόχριστε, διὰ σοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας ταύτῃ ἡμῶν τῇ γραφῇ συνεχῶς ἀναγινώσκειν τὴν θείαν Γραφὴν καὶ τὸ ἐκ ταύτης κέρδος καρποῦσθαι, ὠφελεῖν δυνάμενον πάντα ἄνθρωπον τὰ θεῖα καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πράγματα. Γένοιτο δὲ ἡμᾶς τῶν θείων εὐλογιῶν καὶ ἐπαγγελιῶν ἐπιτυχεῖν εὐχαῖς τῶν ἡμετέρων διδασκάλων καὶ τῆς σῆς ἀδελφότητος, τὰ πάντα φιλόχριστε. Χριστιανοῦ εἰς τὴν ᾠδὴν Ἐζεκίου καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀναποδισμὸν τοῦ ἡλίου 9.τ ΛΟΓΟΣ Θʹ Περὶ δρόμου ἄστρων 9.1 Ὁ κύκλος τῶν δεκαδύο μηνῶν ἀνώτερος ὑπάρχων, καὶ τούτου κατώτερος ὁ τοῦ ἡλίου, καὶ τούτου πάλιν κατώτερος ὁ τῆς σελήνης. Σημαίνει δὲ τοῦτο ἡ θεία Γραφὴ διὰ τῆς κατασκευῆς τῆς λυχνίας, διὰ τῶν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν μερῶν αὐτῆς τριῶν καὶ τριῶν καλαμίσκων κυκλοειδῶν προϊόντων, εἷς τοῦ ἑνὸς προτρέχει. Καὶ τοῦ μὲν ἡλίου καθ' ἡμέραν ὁ τῶν δώδεκα μηνῶν κύκλος προτρέχει μοῖραν μίαν, ὡς εὑρίσκεσθαι τὸν ἥλιον ἐν τριάκοντα ἡμέραις διατρέχοντα τὸν ἕνα μῆνα, καὶ οὕτως ἐν δώδεκα μησὶν ἀποτελεῖν τὸν ἐνιαυτόν, ὑστεροῦντα, ὡς εἴρηται, καθ' ἡμέραν μοῖραν μίαν. 9.2 Τοῦ δὲ κύκλου τῆς σελήνης ὁ τοῦ ἡλίου προτρέχει μοίρας δώδεκα καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ὡς εὑρίσκεσθαι τὴν σελήνην ἐν τριάκοντα ἡμέραις ὑστεροῦσαν ἀποτελεῖν ὅλον τὸν κύκλον, τουτέστι μῆνα ἕνα. Εἰ δέ τις ἐξ ἀντιστρόφου βουληθείη νοεῖν, τοῦ μὲν ἡλίου ὁ τῆς σελήνης κύκλος ὑστερεῖ καθ'