The Purpose of the Blessing
They were not included among the slaves of the Lord when they were saying, 'Bless, slaves of the Lord, the Lord'; nor, when they were called 'Holy and humble in heart,' were they counted among the holy ones. So what is the purpose of the deposition, 'Bless, Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, the Lord'? But because the wonder was superabundant, because it was against human nature (for having entered the furnace in body, they trod upon it), so that none of the fallen would dare to call them godsecause of the strange wonder, and so that they might worship more justly, rather than the fire consuming those surrounded by the fire, so that those seeing might not suffer such a thing; for this reason they signal their own slavery and confess the worship, saying, 'Bless, Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, the Lord.' And it is said that God did not allow Daniel to continue into the...
Greek
οὐκ ἦσαν τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ Κυρίου συνηριθμημένοι, ὅτε ἔλεγον, Εὐλογεῖτε, δοῦλοι Κυρίου, τὸν Κύριον; ἢ ὅτε, Ὅσιοι καὶ ταπεινοὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, οὐ ἐν τοῖς ὁσίοις ἠριθμημένοι; τί οὖν βούλεται τὸ ἐκ προσ56.600 θήκης, Εὐλογεῖτε, Ἀνανία, Ἀζαρία, Μισαὴλ, τὸν Κύριον; Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ὑπερφυὲς ἦν θαῦμα, ἐπειδὴ παρὰ φύσιν ἀνθρωπίνην (ἐν σώματι γὰρ τὴν κάμινον εἰσελθόντες κατεπάτησαν), ἵνα μή τις τῶν πεπλανημένων διὰ τὸ ξένον τοῦ θαύματος θεοὺς αὐτοὺς προσειπεῖν τολμήσειε, καὶ προσκυνεῖν οὕτω μᾶλλον δικαίως, ἢ τὸ πῦρ, τοὺς τοῦ πυρὸς περιγεγονότας, ἵνα μηδὲν τοιοῦτο πάθωσιν οἱ βλέποντες, διὰ τοῦτο μηνύουσι τὴν ἑαυτῶν δουλείαν, καὶ ὁμολογοῦσι τὴν προσκύνησιν, λέγοντες, Εὐλογεῖτε, Ἀνανία, Ἀζαρία, Μισαὴλ, τὸν Κύριον. Λέγεται δὲ, ὅτι τὸν ∆ανιὴλ ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦτο οὐ συνεχώρησεν εἰς τὸ
About this text
The three young men in the furnace: defying a king, unharmed by fire, singing in the flames.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 65 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.