Book 1
Concerning Susannah and Daniel
Chapter 21
1. And so after hearing these words, the blessed Susannah was pricked in the heart and girded3 her body, as she she did not want4 to be defiled by the lawless elders.
2. And this occurrence had5 to truly overcome Susannah. For you may now also find this fulfilled in the Church.
3. For when the two peoples6 agree to destroy the lives7 of saints, they observe a fitting day and after rushing into the house of God, while all the people pray and hymn to God there, they, laying hold of them, drag them8 into court9 and arrest them saying, “Come, consent to us and sacrifice to our gods, but if not we will testify against you.” Of those not willing, they, leading them to the platform, charge them as practicing what is contrary to the decree of Caesar and they condemn them to death.
Chapter 22
1. “Then Susannah, having sighed deeply, said ‘I am in dire straits10 for if I would do this now, it is death to me, yet if I would not, I will not escape your hands, but it is better for me11, having not done this, to fall into your hands than to sin before the Lord.’”1
2. Behold, the words of the chaste woman who also heeded God. She says “I am in dire straits,2” for the Church is not only persecuted and oppressed3 by the Jews, but also by the gentiles4 and by those who falsely call themselves Christians, who always, beholding the temperance and tranquility5 of the Church6, use force to destroy her.
3. “And so if,” she says, “I would do this, it is death to me.”7 For to disobey God and to obey men is death and works eternal punishment.
4. “Yet if I would not, I will not escape your hands.”8 And she has said this true word. For those who are brought forward for the sake of the Name of Christ, if they would do what is commanded by men, they die to God, but live to the world; but if they do not do what is commanded, they do not escape the hands of the judges, but being condemned by those same judges, they die.
5. For it is better9 for us, having not done what is commanded by men, to fall into their hands than to sin before the Lord. For this is more profitable: to be put to death unrighteously by men, so that we may live with God, than, consenting to them and, after being ruined by them, to fall into the hands of God.
6. “For on account of this our Lord Jesus Christ also lived and died and rose again, so that he might reign over the living and the dead”10
10 Lit: It is narrow for me on all sides
11 Lit: it is desirable for me1 Susannah 22-23
2 Lit: It is narrow for me on all sides
3 Lit: pressed
4 Lit: nations
5 Lit: chaste and tranquil nature
6 Lit: her
7 Susannah 22
8 Susannah 23
9 Lit: it is desirable for us
10 Romans 14:9
Chapter 23
1. Long ago Susannah in every way1 taught these things to us, foreshadowing2 in herself, the mysteries of the Church from which faith and reverence and chastity of the body are preached in all the earth until now.
2. And so I exhort all those who read this writing3, women and virgins, the small and and the great, holding before your eyes the judgment of God, taking her example, imitate her and, as Susannah was justified by God and was able to be delivered from the second death by the word which was ministered through4 Daniel, so too will you be.
3. For men on the one hand who seek the temperance of Joseph, and, on the other hand, women who seek the purity and faith of Susannah, do not give in to the censure of blasphemy against yourselves, so that you do not credit5 what is said by the two elders as truth. 23.4. For many liars and soul-deceivers6
have crept in, deceiving the pure7 souls of the the saints, who destroy women with persuasive words and drag them on for the sake of their own lust, who upset8 men with heretical sayings, so that their own will9 may be accomplished.
5. On this account the apostle, foreseeing the things which will be, said, “I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by10 his villainy, your thoughts will be destroyed11 from the knowledge which is in Christ.”12
6. I exhort all you saints, be sober-minded, love the truth and take notice of the purity of Susannah, who was not enslaved to the flesh, or to the lust of pleasure, nor was carried away1by the persons2 of the two elders, but fearing God from a whole heart, she chose the temporary death, so that she might escape the second death of fire.
1 Lit: according to all things
2 Lit: foretyping
3 Or: Scripture
4 Lit: in
5 Lit: stand
6 Or: deceivers
7 Or: uncorrupt
8 Or: overturn
9 Lit: will of themselves
10 Lit: in
11 Or: corrupted
12 2 Corinthians 11:3
1 Lit: snatched up
2 Lit: faces
Chapter 24
1. And so, after these things happened, Scripture says, “And Susannah lamented with a great voice, but the two elders cried out against her.”3
2. And so to whom did Susannah cry out but to God, as Isaiah also says, “Then you will cry out and God will hear you, while you are still talking he will say ‘Behold, I am here.’”4
3. “But the two elders cried out against her.”5 For the lawless do not cease crying out against us and saying, “Take such people from the earth. For it is not proper for them to live.”
4. “And after running, one of the elders opened the doors of the garden,”6 exhibiting the broad and wide way, through which they, who are misled to these doors, perish.
5. For the maidens revealed the straight and narrow door to us, through which they also marched.
3 Susannah 24
4 Isaiah 58:9
5 Susannah 24
6 Susannah 26
Chapter 25
1. And the slaves, after hearing the voice of Susannah, went in. But these elders, having opened the broad doors, did the opposite, cunningly contriving a certain pretext of death against her.
2. “But when the elders said their words the slaves were exceedingly ashamed, because a wicked word was never yet brought against her7.”1
3. When one lives chastely from boyhood, beloved, he forsakes the approval of men, even unto death. For the same happened to Susannah, who from childhood attended precisely to the law of Moses and, having lived chastely and temperately, she made the saying which was spoken through the two elders fruitless.
4. And in this way every believing man or believing woman, if they, fearing God, keep the faith which one has received, they will not sin.
5. But if one ever should say they are a believer, but does deeds of unbelief, such a one receives from God double judgment, even if now they expect to escape notice in this world.
7 Lit: there was never yet a wicked word against her
Chapter 26
1. “And it happened on the next day, as the people came together at the house of her husband Jehoiakim, the two elders came, who were full of designs of lawlessness against Susannah in order to kill her, and they said before the people, ‘Send for Susannah, daughter of Hilkiah, who is the wife of Jehoiakim.’ And they sent for her and she and her parents and her children and all of her relatives entered.”2
2. This is seen even now. For when one of the saints is seized, he is brought to the court, there all people run together to see what will happen to him.3
3. “Susannah was beautiful to see and exceedingly pleasing to the eye.”4 For the beauty that surrounds her, is not the beauty of a harlot’s body, which surrounds a woman in the manner of Jezebel, nor the beauty of the face, which is covered with many kinds of makeup5, but she had the beauty6 of faith and of chastity and of holiness.
4. “The lawless ones commanded her to be unveiled1, for she was covered, in order that her beauty may be fulfilled.”2 Let us consider, beloved, of what evil this action was. For while the apostle said, “A woman ought to have a veil upon her head on account of the angels,”3 these men did the opposite, they commanded that she be unveiled4 in front of the people and at this they were not ashamed.
5. “Standing in the midst of the people they placed their hands upon her head,”5 so that even while touching her they might slake6 the glut of their own lust.
6. “But she, while wailing, looked up to heaven. For her heart was relying on the Lord.”7 For through her tears she attracted the Word from the heavens, who through her tears was destined to awaken the dead Lazarus.8
1 Susannah 27
2 Susannah 28-30
3 Lit: what kind of result will be for him
4 Susannah 31
5 Lit: pigment
6 Lit: beauty has the things of
1 Or: stripped Lit: revealed
2 Susannah 32
3 1 Corinthians 11:10
4 Lit: revealed
5 Susannah 34
6 Lit: complete
7 Susannah 34
8 John 11:43
Chapter 27
1. “The elders said, ‘While we were walking around in the garden alone, she entered with two handmaidens and she closed the doors of the garden and she sent away the handmaidens and a young man came to her, who was hidden and he reclined with her. But we, being in a secluded area9 of the garden, seeing the lawlessness, ran to them. And seeing them having relations with each other10 there we were not able to get a hold of him on account of the fact that he was stronger than us and, having opened the doors, he escaped. But we, having reached her, asked who the young man was, and she did not wish to tell1 us. These things we witnessed.’ And they believed them as elders of the people and judges and they condemned her to die.”2
2. And so it is necessary for us to be steadfast in all matters and not to heed lying words, nor to be easily carried away nor be misled at the persons3 of rulers, knowing that we have to give an account to God. But rather we ought to attain to the truth and seek the exactness of faith, in order that we may be acceptable to God.
3. For long ago the sons of Israel, who carelessly trusted the rulers and did not examine the truth, became guilty of murder, unrighteously condemning Susannah.
4. But she, invoking the advocate from heaven, cried out saying, “Eternal God, who knows the secret things, who sees all things before they are4, you know that they have falsely testified lies against me.”5
5. For as many as call upon him with a pure heart, God listens to them. But as many as call upon him in treachery and hypocrisy, he turns his face from them.
9 Lit: in a corner
10 Lit: having intercourse1 Lit report
2 Susannah 36-4
1 Lit report
2 Susannah 36-41
3 Lit: faces
4 Lit: before their happening
5 Susannah 42-43
Chapter 28
1. Scripture says, “And while she was being carried off to be killed, God raised up the holy spirit of a young boy, who was Daniel by name. And he cried out with a great voice, ‘I am innocent6 of this woman’s blood.’”7
2. And so what is this which has happened, beloved? For we have been informed beforehand. On account of what reason did this assistance8 from the Lord not happen before her condemnation, but rather while she was being led away to be killed? It happened in this way so that the majesty and the power of God may be exhibited.
3. And so how is this right? When one wishes to redeem one of his slaves, he is able to redeem him and to save him, whenever he wishes and as he wishes. But when he wishes to seize a slave1, he is allowed to kill him, so that having endured punishments as genuine truth, and after being crowned, God might glorify him.2
4. For after Susannah prayed and was heard, an angel of the Lord was sent as her advocate and became her helper, so that he might destroy those who were against her.
5. Who, after seeing the on-rush3, the blessed Daniel, as he was a prophet and possessed the Spirit of God, cried out saying, “I am innocent4 of this woman’s blood”,5 so that he himself might not also become guilty of murder, in which manner also Pilate did to Christ, who washed his hands with water,
saying “I am innocent6 of this man’s blood.”7.
6 Lit: pure
7 Susannah 45-46
8 ἐπισκοπή
1 Lit: him
2 ἵνα τὰς κολάσεις ὑποµείναντα ὡς γενναῖον ἀθλητὴν στεφανώσας
δοξάσῃ
3 Or: assault
4 Lit: pure
5 Susannah 46
6 Lit: pure
7 Matthew 27:24
Chapter 29
1. But perhaps someone will say that this is said to be unwritten and it is not possible to know if Daniel saw an angel and cried out, “I am innocent of this woman’s blood.”8
2. If you wait a little, O man, Daniel himself will teach you!
3. “For after the people heard the voice and were amazed, Daniel9 answered them, ‘Are you so dull, sons of Israel? Having not examined, nor discovered what is clear, you condemn a daughter of Israel? And now return to the place of judgment, for they have falsely-testified lies against her.’ And the people turned back with haste.”1 But the lawless ones, jeered at Daniel and set him at naught, as just a young boy, not seeing the power of the Word in him, but the people2
considered and said, “Come sit in the midst of us and explain this to us because God has given to you the presbytery.”3
4. He said, “‘Separate them a great distance from one another and I will interrogate them.’ When they were separated, one from the other, and after summoning one elder, he said to him ‘You are decrepit with wicked days; now your sins, which you did formerly, have arrived, you who propound4 unrighteous judgments and condemn the innocent, but free the guilty, though the Lord says, ‘The innocent and righteous you shall not kill.’5 And so now if you you did indeed see her, tell me, under what tree did you see them having relations with one another?’ He said, ‘Under the Mastic tree.’ But Daniel said, ‘You have lied directly upon your own head. For already the angel of God has come, taking the sentence from God to cut you in half.’”6
5. And so Daniel interrogated him and he utterly destroyed him. For when he said, “Already the angel of God has come taking the sentence from God to cut you in half.”7 It is clear that when Susannah prayed to God and was heard, then the angel was sent out to help8 her.
6. In which manner also happened to Tobit and Sarah1. For they, after praying, in the same hour and the same day the entreaty of the two was heard and the angel Raphael was sent out to cure the two.
7. And so in this way Scripture foretold through the prophet Amos to the house of Israel saying, “If the Lord God does a deed2 will he not reveal it first to his slaves the prophets?”3
The vision occurred to Daniel and the Holy Spirit was awakened in him, so that after the examination
which was performed by him occurred the angel slayed them as wicked false-witnesses.
8 Susannah 46
9 Lit: he
1 Susannah 47-49
2 Lit: they
3 Susannah 50
4 Lit: judge
5 Exodus 23:7
6 Susannah 51-55
7 Susannah 55
8 Lit: out helping her
1 Tobit 3:16-17
2 Or: a matter
3 Amos 3:7
Chapter 30
1. But since we have already described in the prelude, that the two elders refer to a model of two peoples, one from the circumcision the other from the gentiles, who also are always becoming plotters against the church, we see the words of Daniel himself and learn that in nothing does Scripture deceive us.
2. For when he said to the first elder, “You are decrepit with wicked days; now your sins which you did formerly, have arrived, you who propound4 unrighteous judgments and condemn the innocent, but free the guilty, though the Lord says ‘The innocent and righteous you shall not kill’5.”6 Daniel7 speaks to one who knows and loves the law.8
3. To the other elder he did not speak in this way, but he said to him, “You seed of Canaan and not of Judah.”9 He points out Canaan recalling him as being such a gentile, having spoken to him as uncircumcised in this way, “‘Has lust deceived you and beauty perverted your heart? You did this thing to the daughters of Israel, and they, fearing you, had relations with you, but the daughter of Judah did not endure your disgrace. And so now if you did indeed see her, tell me, under what tree did you see them having relations with one another?’ And he said ‘Under the oak.’ But Daniel said, ‘You have also lied directly against your own head. For the angel of God is about to cut you in half, so that he may destroy you both.’”1
4 Lit: judge
5 Exodus 23:7
6 Susannah 56
7 Lit. he
8 ὡς νοµοµαθεῖ ἐλάλει καὶ ὡς ἀγαπῶντι τὸν νόµον
9 Susannah 56
1 Susannah 56-59
4
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