Book 3
Concerning Nebuchadnezzar and concerning Daniel when he was thrown to the lions
Chapter 21
1. And so Daniel, when he knew what was written, having reflected on the plot which came upon him, did not fear it nor was terrified, but was readily holding himself to be handed over as food for beasts rather than to obey the prescription of the king. And he had a pattern of what happened to the three youths, when they did not wish to bow to the king’s image, and they were preserved from the furnace
of fire.
2. And then he, coming into his house, opened the windows in the upper chambers opposite Jerusalem and three times a day knelt upon his knees and praised and confessed before his God just as he did before.1
1 Daniel 6:10
Hippolytus argues for martyrdom
Chapter 22
1. And so it is needful to see the piety of the blessed Daniel, how he did not2 even pretend to be devoted to the royal affairs but rather adhering in prayer each day he rendered the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God.
2. But someone will perhaps say, “And so what of it? Was he not able to pray by heart to God at day, but at night as he wished, devote to prayer secretly in the house so that he might not be endangered?” He was able but he did not want to.
3. For if he did this the governors and satraps would have to say, “How does he fear God when he fears the decree of the king and what is commanded by him he obeys?” And they would3 bring against him some blame or4 censure of faithlessness. For this is a work of hypocrisy, not of fear and faith to God.
4. And on account of this he did not give a pretext of slander to those who opposed him, for whatever one is subject to, by this he is also enslaved.
2 Lit: if he even pretended
3 Lit: Were about to
4 Lit: and
Chapter 23
1. For those who believe in God ought not to feign nor fear what is ordered of them by authorities, lest they otherwise do some evil. If on account of faith to God they are compelled to do some other thing, they would gladly die rather than to do what is commanded by them.
2. For when the apostle said to be subject to all who are in authority5, he does not speak concerning this, that we, deny our faith and deny what is prescribed by God, and that we do these things which men command, instead the apostle said that we should fear the authorities and not do evil1, so that we are not punished by them as evildoers.
3. And on account of this he says, “He is a servant of God, an avenger upon those who practice evil. What? Do you wish to not fear authority?2 He does good and you will have approval from him. But if you do evil be afraid. For he does not bear the sword in vain.”3 So that according to this he said to be subject, to live holily and piously in the present life, having before your eyes the danger of the sword.
4. And so the apostles, being hindered by the chiefs and scribes, were not prevented from speaking the word, and obeyed God rather than men, and on account of this, having vexed the authorities, they, “set them in public prison. But at night an angel led them out and said, ‘Go speak the words of this life.’”4
5 Romans 13:1
1 Lit: to not do evil
2 Or: do you not wish to fear authority?
3 Romans 13:4
4 Acts 5:18-20
Chapter 24
1. And so in this way Daniel also was hindered from prayer and he did not submit to the decree of the king, so that he may not place the glory of God under the glory of men.
2. For if on account of God someone dies, he ought to rejoice, having found in this eternal life.
3. And so it is necessary for those who, with purity, labor and live with fear in this world, to not give a pretext to those who seek a pretext, so that in this they would rather be disgraced. In which way then also the governors sought to find pretext against Daniel and they did not find it, because he was faithful.
4. But if some people constrain us to not revere God, nor entreat him and threaten death to us, it is more happy to die than to do what is commanded by them, “for what can separate us from the love of God? Persecution or difficulty or oppression or hunger or danger or sword?”1
5. And on account of this the blessed Daniel feared God more and handed himself over to death and he was preserved from the lions by the angel.
6. For if he revered the decree and kept quiet during the thirty days, his faith to God would never be pure, for no one is able to serve two lords.
7. For the cunning of the devil is always like this, to oppress and persecute and to maltreat saints, so that they may not lift up holy hands while praying to God, seeing that the prayer of the saints furnishes peace to the world but punishment to the wicked.
8. Just as Moses also when he lifted up hands in the desert, Israel prevailed, but whenever he set them down, Amalek prevailed.2
9. Just as this happens even now and is fulfilled among us. For whenever we cease praying the adversary prevails against us, but whenever we adhere to prayer, the power and authority of the evil one is abolished.
1 Romans 8:35
2 Exodus 17:11
Daniel is accused by the satraps
Chapter 25
1. And so in this way even at that time the adversary3 operated in the governors and satraps, so that through them he might accomplish his own will and cast the blessed Daniel into the den of lions.
2. And whom they watched closely and seeing him pray three times a day, came forth saying to the king, “‘O king Darius, have you not appointed an edict that any man who should ask from any god and man a petition for thirty days except from you O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?’ He said, ‘The word is true and the decree of the Medes and the Persians shall not pass away.’”1
3. They said to him, “‘Behold, Daniel, who is from the sons of the captivity of Judah, does not obey your decree and three times a day he asks from his God his petitions.’ Then, the king when he heard the matter, was greatly grieved over it and he fought concerning Daniel in order to release him.”2
4. For having known their machinations and that they hated Daniel because he was at that time wiser and more reputable than all of them and that they devised this plot against him, wanting to hand him over to beasts through a trap3. Therefore the king4 questioned the satraps and asked whether he could
be able to preserve him from danger.
5. But it was so that he may not be rescued by man, and his deliverance5 not be considered to be by the favor of the king, but rather that the work of God may be shown to be accomplished in him. And so it was already evening and the king was conversing on his behalf with the satraps when they spoke saying, “Know, O king, that for the Medes and Persians, the decree of every edict6 and statute which the king
has set, may not be changed7,”8 in this word they wanted to shame the king, lest the decree which had been marked out by him, may not be certain9 and the rest of the things which were set out by him may be considered to be invalid.
3 Lit: he
1 Daniel 6:12
2 Daniel 6:13-14
3 Or: deceit
4 Lit: he
5 Lit: it
6 Lit: limit
7 Lit: it is necessary not to change
8 Daniel 6:15
9 Lit: sure, steady
Chapter 26
1. And so why1 did the satraps accuse only Daniel? For always the three boys were also with him praying. For if they did not obey the prescription of Nebuchadnezzar, much more would they not obey the decree of Darius.
2. But this is the reason. For since then in the times of Nebuchadnezzar while Daniel was present, the Chaldeans accused no other except the three boys alone, their testimony was not forgotten2. In this way now in the times of Darius they accused only Daniel. For the call to martyrdom was his.
3. For a man does not forsake God on account of3 time, so that in time4 he may be glorified. As the prophet says, “He who made his worlds, he shall call each one of them by name.”5
.
1 Lit: And so on account of what kind of petition
1 Lit: And so on account of what kind of petition
2 Lit: was stored up
3 Lit: through, in the course of
4 Lit: through them
5 Isaiah 40:26
IChapter 27
1. Then accordingly, Darius, not being able to further contradict the satraps, said for Daniel to be brought and they cast him into the den of lions.
2. And the king, answering said to him, “Your God whom you serve perpetually, he himself will rescue you6” urging him to be of good cheer. “For since, even though I wish to help, I am not able even though I am king, but God whom you serve will rescue you7,”8 in order to show that what is impossible for men is possible with God.9
3. “And they brought a stone and set at the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his signet ring,”10 that the matter may not be changed regarding Daniel.
4. And this was a malicious deed, for the satraps were cautious, lest secretly the king command Daniel to be drawn out of the den and so they thought fit to seal the stone.
5. In which manner also the chiefs of the Pharisees did to the Savior having sealed the stone with a guard.1
6 Lit: take you out
7 Lit: take you out
8 Daniel 6:16
9 Luke 18:27
10 Daniel 6:17
1 Matthew 27:66
Chapter 28
1. Accordingly after this happened, “The king departed to his house and he went to bed without supper and food was not brought to him and sleep left him.”2
2. How much did the righteous man do, who feared God, so that the king was so grieved over him to not take sustenance!
3. And the satraps made merry all night, thinking that they were taking a prize from Daniel, but the king being sleepless all night bewailed that such a man was unrighteously destroyed, and so he was cautious lest on account of him he himself also be endangered.
4. For the events which happened to Nebuchadnezzar and what happened to Belshazzar did not escape his notice, the former was banished from his kingdom, the latter on account of drinking from the holy vessels was killed that same night.
5. Accordingly, “Then he arose at first light3 and came to the den of lions in haste, and having called in a strong voice said, ‘Daniel, slave of the living God, your God whom you serve perpetually, was he able to take you out4 from the mouth of the lions?’”5
6. And so why, having been disturbed6, did the king cry this word, except that he had heard what happened to the boys, who were not willing to obey the prescription of the king, and were preserved from the furnace of fire?...7 The same happened to him, but he feared God and despised1 the decree of the Medes and Persians.
2 Daniel 6:18
3 Lit: early in the light
4 Lit: if he was able
5 Daniel 6:19-20
6 Or: moved
7 Lacuna
1 Or: set at naught
Chapter 29
1. “And Daniel said to the king, ‘My God sent his angel and he shut the mouth of the lions and they did not harm me because before him uprightness was found in me and before you, O king, I have not committed transgressions.’”2
2. What great trust he has3 to God rather than to men! For men despair and are handed over to death4, but God does not abandon his slaves. On account of this the Psalmist teaches saying, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to hope in the Lord than to hope in rulers.”5
3. Then accordingly when the angel appeared in the den, the wild beasts were tamed and the lions, wagging their tails at him, rejoiced as being subjected by a new6 Adam. They, licking the holy feet of Daniel, rolled around to taste the soles of his feet and they longed to accompany him7.
4. For if we believe that, after Paul was condemned to beasts and that a lion was set upon him, it reclined at his feet and licked him all around, how do we not also believe what happened to Daniel, which even Darius himself described to all, having dispatched it through scribes? And in the books of the Persians and Medes it is read up to today that these things really occurred, so that not only the Hebrews nor only the Babylonians, but also the Medes and the Persians and all the nations who live under heaven, having heard the things which happened, they themselves feared God.
5. And then, as Darius heard the voice of Daniel, he was amazed and marveled and commanded the stone to be rolled away and he saw Daniel sitting in the midst of the lions and he was stroking the hair of their heads with his own hands. And then, having invited everyone, he exhibited to them the marvelous spectacle, beasts which were tamed by a man and who were comforted by his hands.
6. Accordingly after taking Daniel up “from the den, no destruction was found in him at all because he trusted in his God.”1
2 Daniel 6:21-22
3 Lit: he does to have
4 Lit: and hand over to death
5 Psalm 118:8-9
6 Or: young
7 Lit: to be under him
1 Daniel 6:23
Chapter 30
1. Then, “the king spoke and they brought the men who accused Daniel and they themselves and their sons and their wives were cast into the den of lions, and they did not reach the bottom of the den before the lions mastered them, and they ground all their bones.”2
2. And so they who have trusted in a human king and in wealth, they themselves dug a trench, and they fell in it for their destruction.
3. And then this judgment happened to the three boys, who though being in the furnace of fire were not mastered, but the fire passed through to the outside and consumed the Chaldeans,
4. For the eyes of God righteously assigns worthy judgment to men.
5. As also befell Haman, who wished to annihilate on one day Mordecai and his race, and having readied fifty cubit gallows for Mordecai3, Haman4 himself with all his household were hanged on it.
6. Now they who accused Daniel and handed him over as food for beasts, they themselves were destroyed by lions.
2 Daniel 6:24
3 Lit: him
4 Lit: he
Chapter 31
1. Then Darius wrote to all peoples, tribes and tongues, to those who dwell in all the earth, declaring peace to all and then through what was published by his decree, compelled them to worship God just as it says, “The decree which was set from my face in every realm of my kingdom that all should tremble and fear before the face of the God of Daniel because he himself is the living God, who endures forever
and his kingdom shall not be destroyed and his dominion is forever. He assists and rescues and works wonders and signs in heaven and on the earth, who took Daniel from the mouth1 of the lions.”2
2. You see, today Babylon is the world, the satraps are its authorities, Darius is their king, the den is Hades, the lions are punishing angels.
3. And so imitate the blessed Daniel who did not fear the satraps and do not obey a human decree, so that after being cast into the den of lions you may be guarded by the angel, and you may tame beasts, and you may be worshipped by them as a slave of God and no destruction may be found in you, but being alive you may be brought up from the den and may be found as a sharer of the resurrection and you may rule over your enemies and you may always give thanks to the living God.
4. For to him be glory and might unto the endless age of ages. Amen.
1 Lit: hand
2 Daniel 6:26-27
theprophecycenter.com
website creation by Smart Enhance© llc. | theprophecycenter.com | © 2021 tpc