Глава 6

Darius, having reigned, says the Prophet, Daniel 6:1. Set in his kingdom a hundred and twenty princes, so that they may be throughout his entire kingdom. Daniel 6:2. Above them there are three officials, and from them there was only one Daniel, so that the princes would give their word to them, so that the king would not be cold. Truly nothing can eclipse piety; whether it is in a slave or a captive, it pours out its rays everywhere, nothing can greatly darken its luminosity, but its brilliance is like lightning. And this can be seen in many other cases, especially in what happened to blessed Daniel, who, having become a slave and captive, living on a foreign side, dealing with barbarians, was famous under Nebuchadnezzar, because he was honored by this most terrible king, distinguished himself under Belshazzar, and was equally famous under Darius. The succession of kings did not change the honor given to him. The glory of the kings was extinguished by death, and his luminosity was the same for everyone. And those who accept the kingdom, or some other superior power, usually rely least of all on those who were very close to their predecessors. But Daniel acquired the same power of attorney from everyone, enjoyed equal honor, and was entrusted with the same power, just as now under Darius he became one of the three officials. Officials, as I think, are what we call “hiparchs”, and princes are the rulers of the people. And blessed Daniel, being one of the officials, surpassed, as it is said, both the officials and the princes - the rulers of the people, in their mutual comparison, comparison and testing. Then the Prophet sets out the reason for this superiority. It is said: Dan.6:3. As if the spirit was abundant in him: that is, he received much greater and more abundant grace from God. And from this we know that those who are entrusted with civil authorities, although they do not have piety, are given from God the gift of wisdom for governing those under them. And blessed Daniel made this clear, saying: “for the spirit abounded in him,” that is, he received grace corresponding to piety. And seeing this, he says, Make him king over your entire kingdom. Realizing that he was a God-loving man and receiving help from above, he left him to rule the entire kingdom. But the greatness of the honor aroused envy. Daniel 6:4. The officials and princes are seeking guilt against Daniel. from the kingdom, or, as is read in some lists, from the side of the kingdom, that is, they used all measures, wanting to find him to have sinned against the laws of the kingdom, or, which is the same, intending to accuse him of the so-called lese majeste. But they were deceived in their intention. For it is said: All guilt and temptation and sin did not come upon him, for he was faithful to him. And blessed Daniel had this testimony about himself, not only from those who loved him, but also from those who were plotting against him; because, maintaining piety before God, he served the kings very diligently, so that those who plotted thousands of intrigues did not find that he had sinned in anything against the laws of the kingdom. It is said, “Officials: We will not find guilt on Daniel except in the laws of his God.” Knowing the severity of his piety, they lay out the pits of wickedness in this. Dan.6:6. The officials and princes presented themselves to the king and decided to him: Give to the king, live forever. (7). “Everyone who is in your kingdom, the governors and those who have the countries, the princes and the princes, has convened to establish a royal rule and strengthen the border, as if anyone asks a petition from any god or man, until thirty days, unless it is from you, the king will be thrown into the ditch.” Dan.6:8. Now, for the king, set a limit and lay down a scripture, so that the commandment of the Medes and Persians will not change, and no one will transgress it. Daniel 6:9. Then King Darius ordered the commandment to be written down. The most vile thing is envy; she forced them to be ungodly, inspired them to issue an evil commandment that forbade anyone, even if they wanted, to offer prayers to God; because they not only forbid themselves to do this, but also everyone else living in the kingdom. And so that malicious intent does not become obvious, they add a prohibition, for thirty days, to ask for anything or take anything, even from a person, and to declare one’s needs during all these days only to the king. And these people, whose minds were betrayed by envy, did not understand that the king cannot supply those who ask with everything, cannot give health, nor life, nor the ability to become fathers of children, nor an abundance of rain, nor everything else that we get by asking God. Thus, having destroyed reason, they attribute to the king what belongs to God, and they convince the most foolish king, with their sentence, to seal and confirm what was unsolicited and evil. But blessed Daniel, not caring in the least about these wicked legalized ones, immediately, as it is said, Daniel 6:10. He went into his house: the doors were opened for him in his upper room opposite Jerusalem, and three times a day he bowed his knees, praying and confessing to God, as he had done before. Look how many testimonies of the piety and courage of blessed Daniel this word will give. For, firstly, he says: “When Daniel knew that the commandment had been obeyed, he went into his house,” that is, having learned the established law and completely neglected it, he continues to act directly contrary to the law. Then, another clear evidence of his courage was added. For it is said: “the doors are open,” that is, he prayed not secretly, but openly, in the sight of everyone, and not out of curiosity, but out of disdain for the evil law. Attached is another certificate declaring Daniel’s courage, it says: “in his upper room;” not on level ground, but on an elevated place, he brings prayers to God, being visible to everyone, because he stood on a height, and his windows were open. Yes, and he prayed, as it is said, “against Jerusalem;” He did this not only to offend the accusers, but also in compliance with the ancient law. For Solomon, who built the temple of Jerusalem, celebrating the triumph of renewal, when he prayed, calling on God’s grace, and asking that the church be filled with it, added this, in addition to many other things: and it will come to pass that if “thy people are delivered” before their enemies, they will be taken into captivity, captives in a land far away or near. And they will turn their hearts to the land, perhaps settled, and they will pray to You in the lands of their exile, saying: sinners, lawless, untruthful, and they will turn to You, with all their hearts, and with all their souls, in the lands of their enemies, even if you brought them, and they will pray to You along the way of their land, which You gave them to their father, and to the city that You chose, and to church”, “which I have created, Your name. And you will hear from heaven, from Your ready dwelling. And you will be merciful to their iniquities, in the image of You, and according to all they have rejected You, and give them to those who took them captive” (1 Kings 8, 46 - 50). prayer, turning to Jerusalem, and did this not once, but three times a day. And his appearance shows contrition of heart; because, “bending his knees,” he brought confession to God. After all this, those who have become vessels of envy accuse Daniel of breaking the law, read the established law, denounce Daniel, and convict him of a crime. The king grieves when he hears the accusation, and instead of a judge, becoming a defender, he tries to prove Danilov’s innocence. For the Scripture makes this clear when it says: Daniel 6:14. Then the king, having heard this word, was greatly saddened over him, and sought after Daniel to deliver him.” But these evil men, spending their whole lives in evil, recognized the king’s intention. For this is what the words mean: they warned the king, 6 that is, they understood that the king was interceding for Daniel. Then they say to the king: Daniel 6:15. The commandment to the king: as the commandment of Mead and the Persians, every limit and statute that the king establishes shall not be changed for years. You have no power, they say, to violate what you yourself have legitimized; because the laws of the Medes and Persians command that the laws decreed by the first king be carried out. The king, forced by the plausibility of the reasons presented and the multitude of accusers, betrays blessed Daniel to the lions, but wishes for his salvation, saying this: Daniel 6:16. God, you serve Him forever, He will deliver you. Pious speech, and not in agreement with the previous one. If you yourself testify that God has so much power, then how did you legislate that no one pray to God for thirty days? But it seems that Darius, although he was kind, meek in law and more committed to piety, was nevertheless afraid of all rumors, and could very easily be deceived. Otherwise, in governing the kingdom, he would not have allowed his subordinates to lead it, instead of leading them himself. He appears to be very surprised at Daniel. For he says: “God, Him you serve always,” that is, God, for Whom you have despised my laws, and Whom you continually please, will reward you for your piety and deliver you from the disasters that lie ahead for you. Then, trusting in God’s power, and suspecting the malicious intent of the accusers, he blocks the mouth of the ditch with a stone, and attaches a seal with the impression of a ring, so that no harm would be caused to Daniel by the accusers. The king hopes that the God of Daniel will not allow the lions to harm the sacred and holy body of Daniel. Therefore, having done this, Daniel 6:18. The king went home to his house, and lay down without supper, and did not bring food to him, and sleep departed from him. All this testifies to both the philanthropy and timidity of Darius. For it is a sign of love for mankind that he did not want to taste food, did not allow the centuries to sleep, but remained awake and mourning the unjust punishment of Daniel; and a sign of timidity that, with such a disposition towards Daniel, he did not resist the accusers, and did not use royal authority and power to save the one suffering the offense. Spent the night like this Daniel 6:19. King Darius is dawning in the world, that is, around dawn, when there was still darkness, and lamps were needed. For this is expressed by what is said: “in the world.” And with diligence I came to the Levsk ditch. (20). “And when you drew near to the pit,” that is, he was not yet at the pit itself, “you cried out” to Daniel “with a strong voice,” and the king answered and said to Daniel. For, not yet reaching the ditch, the fervor of his disposition towards Daniel was forced to cry out, call on Daniel and ask whether he had taken advantage of God’s help and whether he had overcome the ferocity of the lions. For he says: Daniel, servant of the living God, your God, whom you serve always, is it possible to deliver you from the mouth of the lions? Each of these sayings shows that the king reveres and, out of piety, rejoices over Daniel. For firstly, he calls him a servant, not his own, but God’s; therefore he calls the God of Daniel alive; Moreover, praising piety, he says: “Serve him always,” that is, you were not restrained from this service by coercion, the law. And this: “Is it possible to deliver you from the mouth of the lions? -" Means; Has God been pleased to make you a conqueror of lions? For Darius could not call the God whom he called alive powerless. Daniel, having heard this, answered, saying: Daniel 6:21. The king live forever. The prophet begins his speech with the usual greeting, which has the following meaning: as long as possible, may your life last. For at that time, as we said before, it was the custom of others to call kings eternal in their treaty documents. says Daniel, “he sent His angel, and shut the mouth of the lions, and do no harm to me, for my righteousness was established before Him, and before you, the king, no sin was found in me. God, as a just and truthful ruler of all, having seen, says the Prophet, that I preferred serving Him to the wicked over the laws, and I have never sinned in anything before your kingdom, made me inaccessible to the destructive power of lions, and showed me more likenesses of lions than lions themselves. It is said, “The magistrates rejoiced over him, and the words of Daniel came out of the den.” Darius, rejoicing and filled with joy, as one who knew God’s power and saw the salvation of his beloved Daniel, ordered to immediately take him out of the ditch. Then, seeing that he was alive and well, and had no damage from the lions’ attack on him, he ordered Daniel’s accusers to be thrown before the lions with their sons and wives. And without reaching the bottom of the ditch, it is said, even the lions overcame them, and all their bones were thinned out. And this was a matter of God’s truth and wisdom. So that they would not say that the lions did not touch Daniel because of the abundance of food and satiety, and that out of envy they would not begin to belittle the miracle that had taken place, those cast down testified to the ferocity of the lions; because the lions grabbed them as they were falling into the ditch, and when they had not yet reached the bottom, they caught them in the air and turned them into food for themselves. And therefore, Daniel’s accusers, having accepted a worthy execution, preach to them God’s truthfulness, while their instant destruction by beasts shows God’s wisdom, and confirms to everyone that it was not the satiety of the lions, but Daniel’s love for God that made the Prophet inaccessible to the destructive power of the lions. Seeing this Daniel 6:25. Darius the king wrote to all the people, the tribe, the tongue living in all the earth, recognizing it as an impious act to conceal such a miracle and not to accept all people into the fellowship of piety. Therefore he writes like this: that is, may you enjoy eternal peace. This is similar to the greeting we use; because we also have the custom of writing in letters; rejoice in the Lord. Then the king reports a very soulful and edifying legend. Daniel 6:26. From my presence this commandment was commanded throughout all the land of my kingdom, that they everything “trembles and fears at the presence of the God of Daniel.” I want, says the king, that all the people under my authority worship the God of Daniel, and not just worship simply and no matter what, but worship Him with fear and trembling. He gives a reason for this and says: For He is the living God, and abide forever. He is all-content, does not allow any change in Himself, is always the same, and remains forever. To this Darius adds: And His kingdom will not crumble, and His power will remain to the end. Daniel 6:27. He lifts you up and delivers you. He always abides; His kingdom does not perish, and His dominion has no end, delivering and redeeming those who believe in Him. And he performs signs in heaven and on earth. One can see His miracles performed both in heaven and on earth, in which He shows His power. He showed us this power at the present time, For “deliver,” says the king, “Daniel from the mouth of the lions.” You made him a conqueror of beasts excited by hunger and rage. The king’s message taught the universe this. The end of the tale contains the following: Daniel 6:28. Daniel ruled in the kingdom of Darius, and in the kingdom of Cyrus the Persian, that is, in both kingdoms he continued to be glorious and advantageous in everything. And we, having recognized the power of piety, must choose it, prefer it to everything else, and in no case deviate from it, even if all people suddenly turn against us for piety, firmly relying on its power, willingly accepting any defeat. So the face of the blessed Apostles, when they were attacked, one might say, by the whole universe, remained invincible, and made their enemies submissive. So blessed Daniel, when so many princes and officials were plotting against him, became the victor of the warring parties; and the hostiles, when they thought of defeating him, suffered final destruction. Therefore, having such examples, let us maintain sincere zeal for God in order to always use His help, which may we all be worthy of, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ! With Him be glory to the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever! Amen. These words are not read among the seventy.