Theodoret of Cyrus — Commentary on Scripture

Daniel 10:2

We must seek the source of his grief.… Although the king permitted all who wanted their freedom and permission to return [to their homeland and rebuild the temple], most had built homes in Babylon and were held back by their bond to these houses and, thinking lightly of the chance to return, preferred a foreign land to their own. Only the lovers of godliness and guardians of the ancestral laws despised their possessions in Babylon and preferred their desolate homeland and its kingdom. Then the following fact also wrought a great pain for blessed Daniel: when he saw the trustworthiness of the divine promise and the kindness and benevolence of the king—and the stubborn and ungovernable nature of the people—he was very despondent in his soul, and he spent his time grieving.… He spent three weeks fasting.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:2-3

Daniel 10:3

Daniel paid no attention to his body in these days either by anointing the outside or [by taking] food within. Quite well and usefully he has added the descriptor desirable not to meat but to bread. For bread is the most necessary food of all; the wealthy enjoy meat, but the poor as well as the rich enjoy bread. Therefore, he called it “the desirable bread,” on the grounds that is a most common food and most desired of all food.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:2-3

Daniel 10:4

On the fourteenth day of the first month at evening the divine law commanded them to celebrate the Passover, but blessed Daniel maintained his fast until the twenty-fourth day.… Daniel did not celebrate the Passover in obedience to the law, which expressly commands Israel to celebrate the three feast days in the place which the Lord God chose. Those Jews who dared to celebrate these festivals in a foreign land would have been transgressing this command.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:4

Daniel 10:6

He says, “And his body was like Tharseis” instead of “it resembled purified gold brought from Tharseis,” for refined gold was brought to Solomon from there. “And his face was like the appearance of lightning.” He says that a radiance resembling light shone from his face. “And his eyes were like lamps of fire and his arms and legs like the sight of burnished bronze and the sound of his words like the sound of a crowd.” He says that he has eyes emitting fire and arms resembling the finest bronze. You would think that he had heard a multitude speaking.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:5-6

Daniel 10:7

But perhaps someone would say, “Why then did they flee, if they did not see the vision?” Most likely this fact is what filled them all the more with dread, for since they saw no one and yet heard a great voice, they likely all ran away in fright. Then he calls their astonishment not only cowardice but also the inability to see. These events resemble the things that happened to Paul on the road near Damascus. There he too saw a light that flashed around him. His companions saw nothing but only heard a voice. And then his companions likewise fled from the divine prophet when they heard only the voice, while he remained there alone.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:7

Daniel 10:13

He does not simply say “prince of the Persians” but “prince of the kingdom of the Persians.” He means to say “the one entrusted to rule over the very king of the Persians.”

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:13-14

Daniel 10:13

MOSES TEACHES US THESE THINGS MORE DISTINCTLY: “For when the Most High allotted the nations, as he scattered the sons of Adam, he appointed the boundaries of the nations according to the numbers of the angels.” And in the holy Gospels our Lord says to the apostles, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, because their angels daily see the face of my Father in heaven.” … We learn then from these passages that each of the angels is entrusted with our care, to guard and protect us and to ward off the wicked demon’s plots, but the archangels are entrusted with authority over the nations.… And blessed Daniel agrees with them, for he also speaks of the prince of the kingdom of the Persians [and] … the prince of the Greeks, and [he] calls the prince of Israel Michael.Why then [does] the prince of the Persian kingdom seem to oppose the advocate of God’s people? After all, it is clear to everyone that the nature of the angels is better than the passions by which we are gripped, and their nature is full of holiness. The fact that they unquestionably obey the wishes of God can be…

MOSES TEACHES US THESE THINGS MORE DISTINCTLY: “For when the Most High allotted the nations, as he scattered the sons of Adam, he appointed the boundaries of the nations according to the numbers of the angels.” And in the holy Gospels our Lord says to the apostles, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, because their angels daily see the face of my Father in heaven.” … We learn then from these passages that each of the angels is entrusted with our care, to guard and protect us and to ward off the wicked demon’s plots, but the archangels are entrusted with authority over the nations.… And blessed Daniel agrees with them, for he also speaks of the prince of the kingdom of the Persians [and] … the prince of the Greeks, and [he] calls the prince of Israel Michael.Why then [does] the prince of the Persian kingdom seem to oppose the advocate of God’s people? After all, it is clear to everyone that the nature of the angels is better than the passions by which we are gripped, and their nature is full of holiness. The fact that they unquestionably obey the wishes of God can be learned throughout Scripture. How then does the prince of the kingdom of the Persians seem to oppose the care of the Israelites?… For the prince of the Persians and the prince of Greeks, that is, those who have been entrusted with the protection and care of these nations, inasmuch as they are fondly disposed toward those in their care and see the transgression of Israel, were displeased to see the Israelites enjoying more consideration. They did not know the mystery that had been hidden in God, who made all things. After the incarnation of our Savior, as Paul says, “The manifold wisdom of God was made known to the rulers and authorities through the church.” Therefore, since they did not know this mystery and they saw God’s great providence for Israel, those who had been entrusted with the care for the other nations were displeased to see that after the law, the prophets and such teaching and care, the Israelites behaved worse and were inflamed by more evil than the nations who were shepherded by them.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:13

Daniel 10:13

This means “I spent all these days persuading him how the Israelites were justifiably worthy of this attention. And Michael, one of the chief princes, joined in advocating with me.”

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:13

Daniel 10:17

Let no one think that the one who appeared to Daniel was the Lord because Daniel addressed him as “lord.” For Daniel at the end of the vision said, “He stretched out his hand to the heaven and swore by the living God,” confessing candidly thereby his servitude to the Lord. Daniel called him “lord” not as if he were God, but rather paying him the customary honor. For when we too converse with humans of more honorable rank, we typically use this salutation, just as also blessed Abraham did when he saw the angels appearing as men and conversed with them as with men: “I ask you, my lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.” And blessed Rebecca spoke to the servant of blessed Abraham, “Drink, my lord, and I will give water to your camels.” Accordingly, also this word lord does not altogether indicate God. And we will learn this more clearly from the end, as long as we hold to this train of argument.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:16-17

Daniel 10:18

He meant, “Do not be in distress at all; for I did not come to harm you but to make known to you what you desired to know. Cast off your fear, be brave, and be strong.” And the deed followed word.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:18-19

Daniel 10:21

He says in effect, “Why then do I speak of one or two, the prince of the Persians or that of the Greeks? For none of the heavenly powers wishes your people to obtain anything good, manifestly because of their great lawlessness. Only Michael so desires, who was entrusted with the care of your people.” He used the expression “to wage war” instead of “to argue and persuade,” since he wished to show the just irritation of his opponent at the people and his own good will on their behalf. It is likely that the angel who is doing the debating is the holy Gabriel, for this angel had already interpreted the other dreams for him.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:20-21

Daniel 11:1

[The divine angel says,] As soon as Cyrus came to the throne and the end of captivity had been reached, I took my place until I had secured release and liberation for the people.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:1

Daniel 11:4

He does not spend much time on the ruler of Asia Minor or Macedonia, especially since no grief befell the Jews through them. He mentions only the two through whom the Jews would be tested with grievous misfortunes. These are the king of Egypt and the one entrusted with the rule of the nations that lay to the east. The latter held palaces in both Antioch and Babylon.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:3-4

Daniel 11:4

When, as we have already mentioned, Alexander joined together the whole known world, so to speak, into his kingdom and then suffered the fate common to all humankind, the kingdom was divided into four parts.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:3-4:13

Daniel 11:5

He is talking about Ptolemy Philopator, who was not satisfied with the kingdom of Egypt but who added also Phoenicia, Samaria and Judea. When he says, “one of his princes will grow strong,” he is talking about Scopas, whom also Josephus the Hebrew historian mentions. Scopas was an outstanding general and placed under Ptolemy’s power many of the nations that were outside of the kingdom of Ptolemy. He speaks of this one enigmatically: “And he will rule with much power beyond his authority,” that is, he will rule over many nations beyond the realm that had been allotted to him.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:5

Daniel 11:6

But the marriage will not suffice to bring about an alliance. She will be returned to the one who had given her through those who brought her, along with the things that had been presented by her (for he says, “the one supporting her during those times”). Wealth was what had accomplished the strong and desired marriage.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:6

Daniel 11:6

After Ptolemy Philpator died, his son Ptolemy (surnamed Epiphanes) reigned. That is what he means, “After his years, they will make an alliance.” And he explains how they will make an alliance. By the king of the north he means Antiochus—not Antiochus Epiphanes but Antiochus the Great, who was the father of Antiochus Epiphanes. It was Antiochus the Great who was the contemporary with those Ptolemies.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:6

Daniel 11:13

He will lead again an army greater than the earlier one and will set out against Egypt, and he will do this near the end of his own reign. That is what is meant by the sentence “at the end of the seasons he will make his entrance with great power and with much wealth.” This doubling is a Hebraism; he wished to say that he would make a great entrance. This is the idiom of both the Hebrews and the Arameans, for they are accustomed to say, “entering he entered” and “departing he departed” and “eating he eats,” and so forth. The translators were rather accurate and followed Hebrew usage.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:13

Daniel 11:20-21

He was in fact not glorious, seeming instead to be an insignificant figure, because he was kept under guard in Rome. “And he will return, and he will gain mastery over a kingdom by his cunning.” But, nonetheless, especially since he had been brought down to nothing, he will come with great advantage and a very large army, and he will overpower the kingdom with deceit as its helper, and he will use gross deceit all the more. The blessed Daniel saw this fact also in the second vision, and he heard holy Gabriel saying, “Guile is in his hand, and he will become arrogant in his heart. He will destroy many, and he will prevail as many are destroyed.” Thus, he says here words to the same effect: “He will gain mastery over a kingdom by his cunning.”

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:21

Daniel 11:20-21

He is talking about Antiochus Epiphanes, who on his return from Rome succeeded his brother Seleucus. Seleucus (called Philopator) succeeded Antiochus the Great, since he was his son. When Seleucus died, Antiochus Epiphanes received the throne. He says about the latter, “From his root kingship will sprout, and he will put aside his readiness.” That is to say, he will imitate his father’s power and will be adequate to lay hold of the kingdom readied by his father.

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:20