Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
This chapter is the preface to the two that follow: for the Prophet does nothing other than set forth in general the vision which the Angel explains to him in detail in chapters XI and XII: so Maldonatus. Daniel therefore, mourning and fasting on account of the interrupted building of the temple, sees a wondrously radiant Angel, from whom he hears, verse 12, that his prayers have been heard, and is told, verse 13, of the battle of the angel of the Jews with the angel of the Persians and Greeks.
Vulgate Text: Daniel 10:1-21
1. In the third year of Cyrus king of the Persians, a word was revealed to Daniel surnamed Belteshazzar, and the word was true, and great warfare: and he understood the word: for there is need of understanding in the vision. 2. In those days I Daniel mourned for the space of three weeks. 3. I ate no desirable bread, and neither flesh nor wine entered my mouth, nor was I anointed with ointment: until the days of three weeks were accomplished. 4. And on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, I was by the great river, which is the Tigris. 5. And I lifted up my eyes and looked: and behold a man clothed in linen, and his loins were girded with the finest gold: 6. and his body was like chrysolite, and his face was like the appearance of lightning, and his eyes like a burning lamp: and his arms, and all downward even to the feet, like the appearance of glowing bronze, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. 7. And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men who were with me did not see it: but an exceeding great terror fell upon them, and they fled into hiding. 8. And I, being left alone, saw this great vision: and there remained no strength in me, and my appearance was changed within me, and I grew faint, and retained no strength. 9. And I heard the voice of his words: and hearing I lay on my face stunned, and my face was upon the ground. 10. And behold a hand touched me, and lifted me up upon my knees, and upon the joints of my hands. 11. And he said to me: Daniel, man of desires, understand the words which I speak to you, and stand upright: for I am now sent to you. And when he had said this word to me, I stood trembling. 12. And he said to me: Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to afflict yourself in the sight of your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia resisted me for twenty-one days: and behold Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I remained there beside the king of Persia. 14. But I have come to teach you what shall befall your people in the last days, for as yet the vision is for days to come. 15. And when he was speaking to me such words, I cast my face down to the ground and was silent. 16. And behold as it were the likeness of the son of man touched my lips: and opening my mouth I spoke and said to him who stood before me: My lord, in your vision my joints are loosened, and no strength remains in me. 17. And how shall the servant of my lord be able to speak with my lord? For no strength remains in me, and even my breath is stopped. 18. Then again he touched me one having the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, 19. and said: Fear not, O man of desires: peace be to you: take courage, and be strong. And when he had spoken to me, I recovered, and said: Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me. 20. And he said: Do you know why I have come to you? And now I shall return to fight against the prince of the Persians. When I was going forth, the prince of the Greeks appeared coming. 21. But I will declare to you what is set down in the scripture of truth: and no one is my helper in all these things, except Michael your prince.
Verse 1: In the third year of Cyrus
In the first year of his monarchy, having overthrown Babylon, Cyrus had freed the Jews from it and sent them away to Judea: in the second year of Cyrus, the Jews after their return began to rebuild the temple; but immediately the neighboring nations hindered it, Ezra 4:4. Understanding this, Daniel mourned and prayed to God that He would remove these obstacles. Whence God presents him with these visions, by which He satisfies his prayers. The Hebrews report that Cyrus reigned only three years as monarch, whence Daniel also ends the kingdom of Cyrus in the third year.
AND THE WORD WAS TRUE.
The vision which I saw was true, not fictitious, not illusory. Again, this vision was not a dream, nor shown in sleep, as the preceding ones in chapters 7 and 8 had been, which I did not truly see, but in sleep seemed to myself to see them: but this one I saw while awake and in reality, as is clear from verse 7. Moreover this vision, that is the thing seen, or the thing beheld, was the august appearance of the angel, which he describes in verse 5, with his host, that is with the angels subject to him.
AND A GREAT HOST.
In Hebrew it is צבא tsaba, which some take for צבי tsebi, that is 'pleasure,' meaning: From this great vision, joy and pleasure came upon me. But this is contradicted by the fact that in verse 8, Daniel says he was not delighted but terrified by this vision. Secondly, Maldonatus explains it thus, meaning: This vision seemed to me very strong, that is, vehement, terrible, and dreadful. Thirdly and genuinely, tsaba means 'host' or 'army,' meaning: A military force or great army was the object of my vision; for I partly saw, and partly heard from the Angel, armies of angels with their princes fighting among themselves. For although one angel appeared to Daniel, nevertheless there is no doubt that he, being a prince, had his own followers and his own forces, and the word 'their' sufficiently hints at this; for this was the voice of a multitude, as is said in verse 6. For in this chapter the battles of angels are narrated, while in the next chapter the battles of men.
Verse 2: I mourned
Because he saw many Jews preferring servitude to freedom and choosing to remain in Chaldea rather than return to their homeland, says Theodoret. Secondly and genuinely: 'I mourned,' because on account of the sins of the people the city of Jerusalem was desolate, and the construction of the temple granted by Cyrus was being impeded by the enemies and tricks of the Jews, nor could I approach Cyrus about this matter and obtain a new edict for continuing the construction; because Cyrus had set out for the Scythian war, in which he also perished this same year: and Cambyses his son, who was administering the kingdom in Cyrus's absence, did not love the Jews, as is clear from Ezra 4:6 and 7.
Daniel therefore mourns and weeps here for three weeks for the salvation of the people, which as a man of desires he uniquely longed for. For as St. Augustine says, City of God XX, chapter 17: 'The holier one is, and the more full of holy desire, the more abundant is his weeping in prayer.' Therefore while he prays, Daniel weeps, because his heart, as if melted, he pours out to God through his eyes and tears, and as it were does violence to God, and moves the bowels of His mercy. For the prayers of the devout, armed with tears and fasting, are violent.
There is a hysterologia here; for verses 2 and 3 should be placed before verse 1: for that vision of verse 1 occurred after Daniel's fast, and is explained in verse 4 and following.
Verse 3: PLEASANT BREAD
That is, I did not eat delicate, royal, white bread, but common, dark, coarse bread. So St. Jerome. St. Chrysostom notes, homily 3 On the Incomprehensible Nature of God, that Daniel through abstinence merited that celebrated vision and the revelation of the angel, which is narrated in this chapter and the next: since through fasting, he says, his mind had become lighter and more spiritual.
NEITHER FLESH NOR WINE ENTERED MY MOUTH.
Note here that Daniel in his fast made a selection of foods, and abstained from meat and wine: why then do the Innovators criticize this selection? Especially since the early Christians employed it, and used xerophagy, that is, dry foods, as Tertullian, Cyprian, Basil, and others attest. And they did this for a threefold reason: first, for penance: for just as drink, because it is liquid and subtle and penetrating to one's inmost parts, more intimately affects and refreshes each part of the body, so to abstain from drink and liquids and to eat dry foods is a greater penance than to eat liquids and abstain from dry foods. Thus thirst afflicts a man more than hunger; and consequently it is easier for the hungry to abstain from food than for the thirsty to abstain from drink. Secondly, for chastity: for foods
for dry foods dry out the body and consume venereal moisture. Thirdly, for wisdom, study, and prayer; for he who abstains from liquids lacks the vapors and fumes which cloud, darken, and dull the head, reason, and judgment. Hence the old saying: 'A dry soul is the wisest.' Here applies that saying of St. Bernard, sermon 4 On Lent: 'Fasting merits the grace of prayer,' namely that one may pray in a way pleasing to God, and thus obtain what is sought, in which consists the whole power and success of prayer. St. Chrysostom, oration 1 Against the Jews, thinks that Daniel here abstained from absolutely all flesh and food, and therefore did not eat the Passover lamb, which was nevertheless commanded by the law: for these things occurred on the 24th day of the first month (as is clear from verses 3 and 4), when the Passover was to be eaten. This opinion is true: because the Jews in Babylon did not celebrate the Passover; for it was to be celebrated at Jerusalem, according to the law of Deuteronomy, chapter 16, verse 6.
NOR WAS I ANOINTED WITH OINTMENT.
The Orientals used ointments and baths, but those fasting and doing penance abstained from these as from luxuries: hence Christ admonishes the Jews that when they fast, they should anoint their head, lest they appear to men to be fasting, Matthew 6:16. Thus Mary Magdalene anointed Christ at the banquet, Luke 7:46. See the origin of this anointing in Pliny, book 13.
Verse 4: The Tigris
The Tigris is so called from the wild tiger, because it imitates its swiftness in its flow. So some say. But Quintus Curtius, and Pliny, book VI, chapter 7, assert that Tigris is a word of the Medes and means 'arrow'; because the river Tigris in its course seems nearly to equal the swiftness of an arrow.
Verse 5: Behold, a man
One angel in the form of a man. Note, first, Theodoret, the Carthusian, and Pererius observe that this angel was the same one who appeared to Daniel in chapters 8 and 9, namely Gabriel.
But St. Gregory, book XVII Moralia, chapter 8, and Cassian, Conferences VIII, chapter 13, suspect that this angel had a special care for the Hebrews who were captive in Babylon. Antonius Fernandius, vision XXVI, section 1, notes three angels appointed by God for the guardianship of the Hebrews: the first, Michael, who was their guardian insofar as they were the people and Church of God — for Michael was formerly, and still is, the president of this. The second, a special angel who guarded the Hebrews as they were a certain nation, like others scattered throughout the world: for it is the common opinion of all that one angel presides over each kingdom. The third, Gabriel, to whom God had entrusted special care of the captive Hebrews. And fittingly he is called Gabriel, that is, 'the strength of God' or 'God is strong'; and he appeared not in the form of a winged youth, as on other occasions, but as a strong man: because his vision was directed to having Daniel recognize the virtue and strength of God, of which God Himself was to produce outstanding proofs in the liberation of His people through the Maccabees, according to Psalm 67: 'God is wonderful in His Saints; He Himself will give virtue and strength to His people.'
For which note: This angel has a new and wonderfully august form, because he comes to announce the victories of the Maccabees, and the glory and majesty which through those wars the people of God was to attain. Moreover these wars and victories of the Maccabees were a type and figure of the wars and victories which Christians were to win over idolaters and other unbelievers persecuting the Church. Hence St. John, Revelation 1:13, saw Christ in a similar form and attire as was this figure of Daniel, who predicted to him the wars and triumphs of patience of His own Christians.
Moreover, although John's vision was different from Daniel's, yet in many respects the one was very similar to the other, as is clear from these parallels between them:
From the Apocalypse: 1. John turns and sees one like the Son of Man. 2. Clothed with a long garment. 3. Girt about the breasts with a golden girdle. 4. His eyes as a flame of fire. 5. His feet like fine brass as in a burning furnace. 6. His voice as the voice of many waters. 7. His face as the sun shining in its power. 8. John falls as one dead. 9. A right hand is placed upon him, and he is wonderfully strengthened.
From Daniel: 1. Daniel lifts his eyes, and behold a man. 2. Clothed in linen, or byssus. 3. His loins girded with fine gold. 4. His eyes as a burning lamp. 5. His arms and the parts below down to his feet, like the appearance of burnished bronze. 6. The sound of his words as the sound of a multitude. 7. His face as the appearance of lightning. 8. Daniel is struck down, and his face cleaves to the ground. 9. He is touched by a hand and raised upon his knees and upon the joints of his hands.
See more in Alcazar on Apocalypse 1:18, note 17, page 244 and following.
Hence note secondly: The linen garment signifies the purity and innocence of the angels; also the priesthood and religion of the Maccabees. Thirdly, the labors and hardships by which they were, as it were, carded and proven like linen: for the Angel predicted these things in chapter 11, and therefore represents the same by his attire. Moreover this linen garment was exceedingly thin
and fine, as are the precious Cambrai cloths (which was the byssus of the ancients): for Daniel through this garment looked into the angel's very body and saw it to be like a chrysolite.
Note thirdly: The angel's girdle was of fine gold, in Hebrew ophaz, of which I spoke on Jeremiah 10:9. He was therefore girded, as it were ready, prepared, and armed for war; for he announces in the following chapter the wars in which he himself was to assist the Maccabees and other faithful. On the other hand, those who were soft, unarmed, and idle were called 'ungirded' among the ancients. Hence the proverb: 'Let not the girded one boast as the ungirded,' that is: Let not a leader or soldier sing a victory song before the victory, and as the Chaldean clearly translates: Let not the prepared man who goes down to battle (for this is the 'girded') praise himself like the man who conquers and comes up from it: for the latter, when the war is finished, puts down his arms and ungirds himself. This the king of Israel uses against the proud and insolent Benhadad, king of Syria, 3 Kings 20:11.
Moreover the golden girdle is a symbol of charity: for this is what made the angel prompt and ready, and impelled him to fight for the people of God: it had girded him, as it were, with a military belt. Mystically it signifies that charity binds and embraces the other virtues, as a girdle does garments, and is preeminent over them as the crown and bond of all. Secondly, the golden girdle signifies the charity of God, which girds the loins, that is, all concupiscence, delight, and love, and draws them toward God. Again it mystically signifies that men who are girded about with this charity of God, who bridle the love and concupiscence of the flesh and the world, are worthy of the companionship, conversation, and consolation of angels. Thirdly, the girdle is the perpetual, stable, and always recurring custody of oneself and others, says Dionysius, chapter 15 of the Celestial Hierarchy. Fourthly, the golden girdle signifies the royal priesthood of the Maccabees, who fought most bravely against Antiochus, and of Christians, who will fight most bravely against the Antichrist, as soldiers of God and of Christ. For a golden belt was formerly the insignia of kings: and the Maccabees were not only priests, but also princes and kings. Such also, mystically, are all Christians, girded with the gold of charity as with an unconquered sword: for these, as I said, this angel represents.
Thus 'St. Stephen had charity for his weapons, and through it conquered everywhere. Through charity of God he did not yield to the raging Jews: through charity of neighbor he interceded for those stoning him: sustained by the power of charity, he conquered Saul who was cruelly raging: and he who had a persecutor on earth, merited to have a companion in heaven,' says St. Fulgentius, sermon On St. Stephen.
Fourthly, his body was like a chrysolite, that is, a golden stone: for this gem shines through with a golden color, and with such a burning one that gold compared to it seems to whiten, says Pliny, book 37, chapter 9. Hence under the name of chrysolite, topazes and hyacinths are sometimes included, which also have a golden color. Anselmus Boetius, the distinguished jeweler of Emperor Rudolph II, book II On Gems, chapter 65: 'The chrysolite,' he says, 'is of a solar nature, whose appearance it represents by its golden color.' Hence on the chrysolite in the Rational of the high priest was engraved Ephraim, as being the golden, that is, the royal tribe of the kingdom of Israel. The chrysolite therefore here signifies the surpassing, celestial, and spiritual nature of the angels, which is preeminent over other creatures, as the sun over the stars, gold over metals.
Moreover, although Alcazar on Apocalypse 21:20 thinks the chrysolite has no other than a golden color, it is more truly the case that it has a golden color mixed with sea-blue; for in Hebrew it is called thursis, that is, 'of the sea.' Hence Isidore: 'The chrysolite,' he says, 'is similar to gold with a likeness to the color of the sea': for since in it the golden color is not opaque but translucent, it is therefore as it were glassy and sea-like, and thus represents the heavenly Jerusalem, of which St. John says, Apocalypse 21:18: 'The city itself was pure gold, like clear glass'; and verse 21: 'The street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.' Wherefore many think the chrysolite is that which is commonly called by jewelers 'chrysolica,' whose color is a diluted green, and which is usually smoothed and polished with many facets so that when activated it gleams. But in chrysolica the golden color scarcely appears. Add that a green color is not sea-like. Wherefore Anselmus Boetius in the place cited: 'The chrysolite,' he says, 'has a golden color and resembles water tinged with rhubarb or saffron. Oriental ones gleam like the purest gold: European ones are soft like crystal with a golden color, with more or less blackness. Among these, some have little yellowness, so that unless they were distinguished from crystals by their blackness, they could not be told apart from them.' The translucent and sea-like chrysolite therefore befits Gabriel, who had come to transmit his light and to illuminate Daniel.
Pliny, book 37, chapter 9, asserts that the best chrysolite is 'that which in comparison forces gold to whiten with a certain silvery aspect.' Thus Gabriel communicates to Daniel gold, that is wisdom, whitened with silver, that is, with a sonorous, pure, and sincere speech. Wherefore Hugh of St. Victor, and from him Pererius and Fernandius, vision 26: 'The chrysolite,' he says, 'gleams like gold, and sends forth from itself burning sparks; wherefore by this stone are signified
those who understand the divine Scripture, and what they understand, they demonstrate to others by work and word; and as it were cast forth from themselves sparks of good work and speech, by which others are illuminated and kindled.'
Moreover Boetius, Rueus, and other jewelers attribute these virtues to the chrysolite: It is effective, they say, against asthma and tightness of the chest, and against pusillanimity, melancholy, troubles, and nocturnal fears, as Rueus, Cardan, and from him Boetius, chapter 66, write from their own experience. Abulensis adds, on Exodus 28:20, that it is effective against demons; because, that is, it is effective against melancholy, through which demons are accustomed to vex and tempt men. The chrysolite therefore here signifies Gabriel, who drives away from the Maccabees and Christians the fear of Antiochus, and of the Antichrist and demons, and encourages and strengthens them to bravely overcome all hardships through the love of God. In the Maccabees and Christians, moreover, it signifies their unconquered constancy and virtue shining in so many adversities. For the chrysolite is of such a nature that 'light conceals it, darkness reveals it. For this is the peculiarity in it, that at night it is fiery, by day pallid,' say Solinus the Polyhistor, chapter 33, Isidore, and Abulensis. Thus Pliny writes of the chrysolamp, book 37, chapter 10: 'The chrysolamp is born in Ethiopia, of a pallid color by day, fiery by night.' Wherefore the chrysolite denotes penitents (for it is of a sea-like color: hence it represents the tears of penitents) as well as the patient, who burning with the love of Christ generously overcome all adversities and shine like gold in a furnace. Hence in Apocalypse 21:20, the chrysolite denotes St. Matthew the apostle and evangelist, who by his penance and Gospel illuminated like a fiery torch the night of this age and of the Church: thus here to the Maccabees and the faithful in persecution, it signifies the immortal glory and heavenly honor which they attain by their endurance and fortitude.
Hear Mattathias in 1 Maccabees 2:64: 'You therefore, my sons, take courage, and act manfully in the law, for in it you shall be glorious'; and 1 Maccabees 5:63: 'The men of Judah were greatly magnified in the sight of all Israel and of all the nations.' Maldonatus takes the chrysolite to mean crystal, which is of a celestial and whitish color. But the Hebrew תרשים tharsis properly signifies not crystal, but chrysolite.
Fifthly, Gabriel had a flashing face.
This signifies, first, the glory of the angels which gleams with the splendor of divine knowledge. Secondly, their zeal, terror, and wrath against the impious and the enemies of God. The same thing is signified in the Maccabees and other faithful soldiers of God, who like lightning flashed in the darkness of idolatry and sins, and with their zeal blasted and struck down the enemies of the faith. Finally, lightning denotes the glory of the resurrection, which in chapter 12, Gabriel proposes and promises to the Maccabees and faithful who fight manfully for God: for the bodies of Christ and the Saints in the resurrection will gleam like lightning. Whence also of the angel who announced and represented the resurrection of Christ, it is said
Matthew 28:3: 'And his appearance was like lightning.' So also here Gabriel flashed with his face, that is, says Theodoret, an illuminating and gleaming splendor emanated from his face; for just as it is the nature of lightning to sparkle, so from the face of Gabriel thus illuminated, rays flashed out in every direction. These three things the angel represents by his lightning-like face, but especially the second. For lightning is a symbol of a fierce and swift war, and of fierce and ardent warriors; for lightning is joined with thunder, and from it flame, as it were, erupts. Hear Pliny, book II, chapter 43: 'If wind or vapor struggles in a cloud, thunder is produced; if it erupts burning, thunderbolts; if it strives in a longer tract, sheet lightning; by the latter the cloud is split, by the former it is burst through.' In the same place, chapter 54: 'It is certain that sheet lightning is seen before thunder is heard (although they occur simultaneously). Nor is this surprising, since light is swifter than sound.' Again, the thunderbolt levels everything; and Jupiter, says Virgil, Georgics I, 'shattered mountains with his thunderbolt.' Hence the three-pronged thunderbolts, and the thundering battle-lines and eagles. Just as the poet said: 'The two thunderbolts of war, the Scipios,' namely Gnaeus and Publius Scipio: so were 'the two thunderbolts of war of Mattathias,' namely Judas and Jonathan, sons of Mattathias. So also John and James were called by Christ Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder — that is, thundering and lightning-striking. For this reason angels are most fittingly depicted as lightning and with bodies of lightning: for nothing represents them to us as aptly as lightning.
Sixthly, the eyes of Gabriel were like a burning lamp.
The Hebrew and the Septuagint have 'like torches of fire.' These signify the clarity of the angelic intellect, both natural and beatific, namely the light of glory, from which arises the supreme love and enjoyment of God beheld. In the Maccabees, moreover, these eyes signify prudence, industry, and vigilance, which are of the greatest value in wars; for a commander of war should be more clever than strong, says Vegetius. But flashing eyes possess and indicate both, namely both the cleverness and the fierceness of fighting and striking down enemies.
Thus we read in the Life of St. Frances, the Roman widow (chapter 4), who lived in Rome with wonderful holiness, and ended her angelic life with a similar death in the year of the Lord 1440, and was enrolled in the catalogue of Saints by our Holy Father Pope Paul V, that she continually saw her angel, as a most elegant youth with keen eyes, and a face always looking up to heaven, and hands crossed upon his breast in the form of a cross (hence the angel is painted in such a figure in her image), with a face so brilliant that she could scarcely gaze upon it, so that in its light she would walk through the house at night without a candle, recite the Divine Office, and perform her other exercises. If she was suffering from illness, or being beaten by demons, or struck by terrible specters, or as it were being tempted by an angel of light, the Angel would give her a sign by moving his hair and scattering from it a great light, from which she received wonderful consolation, illumination, and strength, so that the demons departed in confusion.
But if she had sinned by word, deed, or thought, the angel would withdraw himself and disappear; whence she, being penitent, would search out the fault, and having recognized it, would wash it away with tears, and so the angel would again show her his presence. Wherefore this angel was, first, as it were her tutor, directing her in all her actions. Secondly, he was for her like a shield for repelling all temptations and scruples, by which being once gravely tormented during prayer, she looked upon the angel extending a joyful and serene countenance, and thereby in reality saying that those suggestions of the devil were light and of no importance; so that her mind was immediately so calmed that she felt no anxiety thereafter. Thirdly, he was her companion in prayer and of every spiritual taste and consolation: wherefore conversing with the angel, she perceived such sweetness from his heavenly voice that all human voice and music seemed harsh and discordant to her, and she would say with the Bride: 'Let your voice sound in my ears; for your voice is sweet, and your face comely.' Fourthly, this angel wonderfully breathed a spirit into her: whence meditating on this angelic form, she would speak with incredible efficacy about all the virtues, especially about the innocence and purity with which she perceived the angel excelled beyond men. Later, when she founded a Religious Order, she had a superior Angel from the fourth order, gleaming with greater splendor, as is recorded in chapter 16 of her Life. Hence St. Basil exhorts virgins to conduct themselves decorously in their rooms, in bed, at table, etc., because they have an angel as a most watchful observer.
Verse 7: An exceeding great terror fell upon them
Because although they did not see the angel, they nevertheless sensed his voice and noise, or certainly a wonderful and seemingly flashing light. A similar thing happened to the companions of St. Paul when he himself saw Christ, Acts 22:9. The reason why Daniel alone saw the angel and not his companions was not an 'invisibility' with which the angel struck his companions, as he struck the Sodomites, Genesis 19:11; but that angels in an assumed body, just as the blessed in their glorified bodies, have the visible appearances of their body in their power, and cause the body to emit its appearance at will into the eye of one person, for example Daniel, and not into those of others standing by him, whereby it happens that one alone sees him and not the other bystanders. So teach the Scholastics in distinction 48 and following.
Verse 8: I GREW FAINT
I grew faint: for formerly in the Old Law, which was a law of fear and terror, God through His angel presented Himself as majestic and terrible to men, even to Saints and Prophets, as I said on Deuteronomy 4:33. He does otherwise in the New Law, which is a law of love. Mystically, 'I grew faint'; because, as St. Gregory says, book III Dialogues, chapter 24: 'The flesh cannot grasp the things of the spirit, and therefore when the human mind is led beyond itself to see, it is necessary that this vessel of flesh, which cannot bear the weight of a talent, be weakened.' Again, when the human mind ascends toward God, it beholds His strength, and is thereby, as it were, absorbed and melted by desire for Him.
Verse 10: And upon the joints
In Hebrew, upon the palms of the hands, that is: The angel raised me up as I was collapsing, and made me lean upon my knees and hands so that I might rise. Note here: Good angels first terrify, then console their own, and strengthen them, and thus gradually and step by step lead them from earthly to heavenly things. Hence St. Gregory, book 22 Moralia, chapter 14 (or according to another edition, chapter 22), teaches that Daniel here first prostrated, secondly raised up, thirdly trembling, 'makes known in his own person to us the entire order of our progress. For we hear the words of God while lying on the ground, when, placed in sins and joined to earthly pollution, we learn spiritual precepts by the voice of the Saints. At which precepts we are raised, as it were, upon our knees and upon the joints of our hands, because withdrawing from earthly contagions, we as it were already lift our belly from the lowest things. But at last, raised indeed by the Divine voice, yet trembling, we stand by, because perfectly lifted from earthly desires, the more fully we know the words of God, the more we fear.' He adds shortly after: 'Where fittingly the divine voice adds: Fear not; because the more we recognize what we should fear, the more is poured into us from God through interior grace what we should love, so that fear may pass into charity.'
Seventhly, the arms signify the strength of action which is in the angels; the legs and feet signify the swiftness of motion. So St. Dionysius above. Moreover these were of 'burnished bronze,' or whitened, that is, as the Hebrew has it, 'polished and cleansed,' and therefore gleaming, as the Septuagint translates, on account of the strength which the angels perpetually sharpen and in which they yield to no one, but can suddenly break and crush all things. In the Maccabees and the faithful, moreover, these signify both the splendor of strength and of arms, and how great a slaughter they would make with them. For the Maccabees rushed upon their enemies most fiercely, as if they had arms and legs of bronze. I said more about burnished bronze in Ezekiel 1, at the end of the chapter.
Eighthly, the sound of his words was a sound as of a multitude, that is, great and confused, meaning: You would have seemed, hearing that Angel, to be hearing a great crowd of men conversing among themselves; such was his voice as the voice of a multitude usually is: and like the murmuring of waters; for to this is the voice of God and of the angels usually compared, as is clear from Ezekiel 1:24; Apocalypse 1:15, and elsewhere. The first reason was that this angel was not alone, but came accompanied by many angels of his order, for he was a prince. The second, because this great voice signified the abundance of knowledge and the power of teaching and illuminating which angels possess. So Theodoret. In the Maccabees this voice signified their armies and phalanxes.
Verse 11: STAND UPRIGHT
Stand upright, as you were standing before the vision, in which you were struck down and collapsed.
Verse 12: You set your heart (you applied your mind) THAT YOU MIGHT AFFLICT YOURSELF
Through fasting, prayers, and groans. For 'that you might afflict yourself' is to be referred to 'you set,' meaning: You set your heart to afflict yourself, and through that affliction to obtain understanding by which you might know whether and when those obstacles to the construction of the temple and to the full liberty of the Jews, imposed by enemies, on account of which you mourned and afflicted yourself in verse 2, were to be removed. For behold, I have been sent to you from God, to signify to you that your prayers have been heard; and therefore shortly, as you requested, the temple is to be rebuilt, namely after Cambyses, who will reign only seven years, at the beginning of the reign of Darius Hystaspis, and then many of the Jews from Babylon will flock there. Again, that Artaxerxes in the seventh year of his reign will send Ezra, and in the twentieth year will send Nehemiah, who will bring the remaining Jews from Babylon with them to Jerusalem and rebuild and complete its walls and houses: for Nehemiah will in fact accomplish this. It is probable that Gabriel revealed these things, or a part of them, to Daniel, even though he does not narrate it here, because he hastens to other matters.
Note here again: Through fasting and mortification of the body, and through prayers, the Saints obtained from God understanding, indeed prophecy. Thus St. Thomas by fasting used to obtain the explanation of difficult passages of Sacred Scripture. Hence St. Gregory, book 30 Moralia, chapter 9 (or according to another edition, 18): Daniel, he says, abstained from delicacies so that 'he might receive the taste of wisdom within all the more eagerly, the more strongly he had repressed the savor of the flesh without for the sake of that same wisdom. For if we cut off from the flesh what pleases it, we soon find in the spirit what delights. For when the outward wandering is closed to the soul's intention, an interior retreat is opened. For to the degree that the mind cannot scatter itself outwardly because of discipline, to that degree it can stretch above itself through progress: for a tree is forced to grow upward when it is prevented from spreading through its branches; and when we block the streams of a fountain, we cause the waters to rise to higher levels.' And he thinks these are called by Job the mountain goats, which bear their young on the rocks, chapter 39:1.
BECAUSE OF YOUR WORDS.
Because of your prayers, already heard by God.
Who was this prince of the Persians?
The Jews and heretics respond that it was Cyrus's son Cambyses, hostile to the Jews, or his princes, who were hindering the restoration of the temple with him: for these resisted the Jews and consequently the angel protector of the Jews.
Secondly, Rupert and Cassian, Conferences VIII, 13, think it was an evil angel, that is, a demon: for this one fights with the good angel. Prosper holds the same opinion in On the Half of Time, chapter 15, where he teaches that this battle is the same as the battle of the dragon against Michael, Apocalypse 12:7. For just as to every man from birth a good angel is assigned by God for his guardianship, so likewise an evil angel is assigned to him by Lucifer for temptation: and just as to every kingdom a good angel is assigned by God for its protection, as a president; so likewise an evil angel is assigned as president by Lucifer, to disturb and overthrow the state of the kingdom. The demon therefore assigned as president over the Jews by Lucifer is called here the prince of the Persians, who out of hatred of God greatly resisted the liberation of the Jews from captivity, since they were the people of God. And he did this in four ways: First, by instigating and inducing the Jews to grave crimes, so they would render themselves unworthy of liberation. Secondly, by suggesting to the Jews a love of Babylon on account of its liberty and abundance of goods, and a hatred of Judea as barren and utterly devastated. Thirdly, by persuading Cyrus and Cambyses of what he had once persuaded Pharaoh, in Exodus 1, namely that the Jews were useful to the kingdom and therefore to be retained. Fourthly, by alleging before God the crimes of the Jews, which had not yet been sufficiently avenged and expiated by the captivity. So Rupert, book 9 On the Victory of the Word of God, chapter 6.
But I say that this angel was a good one, who had been appointed by God and given as guardian to the kingdom of the Persians. For thus God appoints an angel over each nation and kingdom, as St. Basil teaches, book 3 Against Eunomius, Clement of Rome, St. Dionysius, Gregory of Nazianzus, and others whom Luis de Molina cites, Part 1, Question 113, at the end, and this is clear here from the angel of the Greeks, who is named in verse 20. And thus the Fathers understand that passage of Deuteronomy 32:8, according to the Septuagint: He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the angels of God. It is confirmed, first, from the fact that he immediately adds: 'Behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to my help'; where, since he calls Michael one of the princes, he implies that he has called some other good angel the prince of the kingdom of the Persians. Secondly, from verse 21, where he says: 'No one is my helper in all these things except Michael your prince': for here he opposes the prince of the Jews to the prince of the Persians, as angel against angel.
This is the opinion of St. Jerome (who, however, also reports the contrary opinion, but as someone else's, not as his own, as is his custom), of Theodoret, of St. Gregory, 17 Moralia chapter 7, of St. Thomas, Part 1 Question 113 article 7, of Lyra, the Carthusian, Pererius, Fernandius, and others.
Verse 13: BUT THE PRINCE OF THE KINGDOM OF THE PERSIANS
But note: for the angel meets an unspoken objection, meaning: You will say to me, O Daniel: If my prayer was heard on the first day, as you said in verse 12, why then did you not come to me immediately? Why did you wait three weeks, as is said in verse 2, that is, 21 days, as is said in this verse? I reply that I was impeded for all those days, because I resisted the prince of the Persians, who with contrary prayers and arguments was attempting to overthrow your requests, if not wholly, certainly in part.
Molina notes, Part 1 Question 108, that the angels of the lowest hierarchy are the guardians of nations and men; namely that the Principalities are guardians of kings and kingdoms — for hence he seems here to be called the prince of the Persians; the Archangels are guardians of provinces; the Angels are guardians of individual men.
HE RESISTED ME.
You will say: Do angels then fight among themselves, and how did the angel prince of the Persians resist Gabriel? Maldonatus responds that these two angelic princes fought with each other before the king of the Persians, namely Cambyses, while each strove to suggest and persuade him of contrary things for his own nation and province. For he says: 'I remained there beside the king of the Persians.' Secondly and more likely, this battle of the angels took place before God: for they approached the very source, namely God, on whom they knew both the mind of the king of the Persians and the liberty and captivity of the Jews depended, and they debated before Him. For although the angels love one another with the greatest charity and are all in concord (for what is said in Job 25:2: 'Who makes peace in His high places'; and chapter 38:37: 'Who can make the harmony of heaven to be silent?' — about the heavens and stars; is far more truly said of the angels: 'For the victory of all is one, namely the supreme will of their Creator above them: which while they always behold, what they cannot obtain, they never will,' says St. Gregory cited above); nevertheless in certain matters in which God has not yet revealed His will, they can will contrary things to each other — not absolutely and efficaciously, but conditionally, if namely it should please God what they desire and wish. And so this battle of theirs is conditional, not absolute: for absolutely both sides, though opposed to each other, resign themselves to the will and judgment of God. So Gregory of Valencia, Part 1, disputation 8, on the fifth Effect of divine governance, Question 6, point 4.
So therefore Gabriel here prayed God on behalf of his Jews, that He would bring them all back from Babylon to their homeland, lest they be infected by the idolatry and vices of the Babylonians, as he saw some were being infected, and would see to the restoration of the city and temple, according to His promises; so that there they might serve God piously, securely, and peacefully: which Daniel had so urgently requested and was continually requesting, when he had heard that the construction of the temple begun in the first year of Cyrus had been interrupted and stopped in the second year of the same on account of enemies. He added that the Jews were the people of God, and a nation chosen and beloved by Him from among all others; from which the Messiah was to be born. He alleged the merits of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, etc., the prayers of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Nehemiah, Joshua, and others then living, especially Daniel. On the contrary, the angel of the Persians prayed that God would leave some Jews in Babylon for the conversion of the Babylonians and Persians, so that they might learn from the Jews the one true God and His worship; and that this was useful for the Jews themselves, inasmuch as they would become better through adversity. So Theodoret and St. Gregory above.
For that saying of Seneca is true, book 3 On Anger, chapter 8: 'You will understand how much habit can do if you see that wild beasts also are tamed by our company, and that no savage beast retains its ferocity if it has endured the companionship of man.' So much do conversation, example, and custom avail, that rightly the angel of the Persians demanded the company of the Jews for his Persians in so fierce a battle. And the Fathers add another reason, namely that the prince of the Persians resisted Gabriel and the Jews out of zeal for justice, because he said the Jews, who had received so many benefits from God and had been so ungrateful by living wickedly, ought still to be more punished and purged.
Note: This battle of Gabriel with the angel of the Persians was carried out not by fighting with swords, nor by blows, but first, by willing contrary things; secondly, by disputing against the antagonist; thirdly, by calling upon and summoning Michael and other angels to the same cause against him; fourthly, by ardently praying to God against the wishes of the other, answering his arguments, and pressing his own.
TWENTY-ONE DAYS.
That is, during the entire time of the three weeks during which Daniel fasted, verse 2. This battle lasted so long, not on account of the angels themselves: for their acts are instantaneous and are completed in an instant; but first, so that in the meantime Daniel might be spurred to pray more for the full liberty of the Jews; secondly, so that the Jews might know the difficulty of this battle and of their liberation.
Morally, if among angels, indeed among the princes of angels, there are disagreements, what wonder that among holy men there occasionally arise dissensions, either of opinions or of wills, with charity preserved on both sides. Thus the dissension that arose between Paul and Barnabas was the reason that the Gospel was preached to more nations, Acts 15:39. Thus St. Paul disagreed with St. Peter, Galatians 2:11. Thus also St. Cyprian with Pope St. Stephen, St. Chrysostom with St. Epiphanius, St. Jerome with St. Augustine: whom nevertheless charity bound and linked together with God and with one another.
AND BEHOLD, MICHAEL, ONE (that is, the first) OF THE CHIEF PRINCES.
For the Hebrews often take a cardinal number for an ordinal, meaning: Michael, the first of the princes, namely of the Archangels. So St. Jerome and Theodoret. Hence by St. Jude in his epistle, and by the Church, Michael is called Archangel; it seems therefore that Michael is the prince of the order of Archangels only. Secondly, others explain it thus: 'one of the princes,' that is, the first in the order of Principalities, which preside over kingdoms: from which it follows that Michael is a prince of the lowest hierarchy only. So St. Thomas, Part 1, Question 113, article 3, and St. Dionysius hints at this in chapter 9 of the Celestial Hierarchy. Giles of Rome in distinction 2, doubt 1, Toledo on Luke chapter 1:26, annotation 45, and Gabriel Vasquez, Part 1, disputation 224, number 14, hold the same, where he says St. Michael is from the Principalities who preside over the whole world.
Thirdly, many now very probably consider Michael to be absolutely the first and prince of all angels whatsoever, both in dignity of nature and of grace and glory. And this is proved, first, because for this reason, in Apocalypse 12:7, Michael is said to have fought with Lucifer and his angels, when he resisted his pride, and most humbly said מי כ אל mi ca el, 'who is like God?' Just as therefore Lucifer is the emperor of the demons, so Michael is the emperor of the angels, for God, and is the first among the Seraphim. Secondly, because the Church calls Michael the Primate of the heavenly host, the guardian of paradise, and under his name celebrates the feast of all the angels. Thirdly, because Michael, as formerly of the Synagogue, so now of the whole Church, is venerated by the faithful as its president and guardian. Hence the Church in the Mass for the Dead calls him the Standard-bearer of Christ. Again, the Church calls him the one appointed to receive souls.
For this reason St. Francis, although he pursued all angels with singular love and devotion, so much so that 'from the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin he would fast for forty days and continually persevere in prayer; nevertheless he was more spiritually devoted to St. Michael the Archangel, because of his office of presenting souls, on account of the fervent zeal he had for the salvation of all those to be saved,' says St. Bonaventure in his Life, chapter 9.
Thus in the year of the Lord 1087, when St. Arnulph, Bishop of Soissons, was dying, his cell trembled, and St. Michael appeared to him with many angelic spirits, promising that he would be his guide to the blessed life. So Lisiardus reports in his Life.
Thus in the year of the Lord 705, St. Michael appeared to St. Wilfrid, Archbishop of York, who was ill, and restored his health, adding that he would return after four years, and then the saint would end his life in peaceful tranquility. So Bede, book 5, History of England, chapter 20.
Thus in the year of the Lord 922, at the death of Sisinandus, Bishop of Compostela, the voice of angels singing was heard: 'Come, chosen one of God, and enter into the joy of your Lord,' says Vasaeus in his Chronicle.
Thus St. Athanasius attests that angels came to meet St. Anthony as he was dying, and defended him against the slanders of the devil.
Thus St. Benedict saw the soul of St. Germanus of Capua being carried to heaven by angels, as St. Gregory attests, book 2, Dialogues, chapter 35. Gregory of Tours teaches that the same happened to the soul of St. Radegund the queen, On the Glory of the Confessors, chapter 106, and Bede teaches the same of the soul of St. Hild the Abbess, book 4, History of England, chapter 23.
Finally, that St. Michael is the prince of all the angels, and therefore the first among the Seraphim, is the opinion of St. Basil in his homily On Angels: 'To you,' he says, 'O Michael, leader of the heavenly spirits, who are set above all other heavenly spirits in dignity and honor, to you, I say, I make supplication.' And Pantaleon the Deacon, in Lipomanus, in his homily On St. Michael: 'He holds the first place,' he says, 'among thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand angels, and most closely and without any stupor (whereas the other angels are stupefied at the majesty of God) Michael sings the thrice-holy and admirable hymn — Michael, who is the greatest and brightest star of the angelic order.' Blessed Lawrence Justinian, sermon On St. Michael, Rupert on Apocalypse chapter 7, Ambrose Catharinus on Hebrews chapter 1, Molina Part 1 Questions 108 and 112, Viegas on Apocalypse chapter 12, Salmeron volume 3 chapter 3, Bellarmine volume 1 Controversy 3 chapter 9, and others hold the same. Hence John Molanus, Doctor of Louvain, book 3 On Pictures and Images, chapter 39: 'Michael,' he says, 'is called Archangel, not because he is of the order of Archangels, but because he is the head and leader of all the Angels.' I will say more about Michael at chapter 12:1.
Moreover, what a certain learned man has written, that there are two Michaels — one a Seraphim who conquered Lucifer, the other an Archangel who guards the Church — is novel and hitherto unheard of, and asserted without authority as well as without necessity.
HE CAME TO MY HELP.
Michael came to the help of Gabriel, both because he himself was the guardian of the Hebrews, and because Gabriel was defending the better cause: for the 70 years of captivity had already elapsed, after which God had promised He would free the Jews from Babylon. So St. Gregory above.
AND I REMAINED THERE BESIDE THE KING OF THE PERSIANS.
That is, to bend Cyrus, and when Cyrus departed for the Scythian war, to bend his son Cambyses, and make them well-disposed toward the Jews. So Rupert. This angel teaches that he so pleaded the cause of the Jews before God, that he also pleaded the same before the king of the Persians, upon whom, after God, the liberation of the Jews depended. Let us also learn to rely on God in such a way that we nevertheless do not neglect human means and help. This prudence our Holy Father Ignatius taught us, when he admonished that in accomplishing things, one must trust in God as if the whole matter depended on Him alone; and then in execution one must so diligently apply himself to the matter, and seek all human helps, as if the matter were to be accomplished by these alone.
Verse 14: For the vision is yet for many days
That is, very many, meaning: After many years the following vision, which is narrated in the next chapter, is to be fulfilled.
Verse 15: I cast my face down
Not from fear: for the angel had already wiped that away; but from reverence, and from the weakness contracted from the shock of the former vision of the angel, which had been terrible and awe-inspiring.
Verse 16: One like the appearance of a son of man
This seems to have been the same angel whom Daniel had seen and who was speaking with him; for he immediately says to him: 'Lord, in your vision my joints are dissolved'; and: 'Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.' This angel therefore first put on a form and voice so august and splendid that he seemed to be above a man: for struck by it, Daniel grew faint and fell to the ground. Whence
the angel put on another form, namely one more like an ordinary man, and more familiar, and thus having kindly addressed Daniel, he restored him to himself. Add that this angel was a type of Christ as man, and for this reason also he is said to be similar to the son of man.
HE TOUCHED MY LIPS AND OPENED MY MOUTH.
That is: My mouth, which before had been struck dumb with reverence, the angel opened by touching, so that I might speak with him freely, confidently, and readily. Thus the Seraphim touched the lips of Isaiah, chapter 6:7. Daniel therefore speaks and says:
Verse 17: AND HOW SHALL THE SERVANT OF MY LORD BE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH MY LORD?
Daniel calls himself a servant, and the angel lord: for the form was so august and terrible that it struck and utterly overwhelmed Daniel. Hence he adds: 'For no strength remained in me, and even my breath was stopped,' as happens in great terror and consternation. Hence Vatablus explains it thus, meaning: It is all over with me — I have seen an angel. For the Jews formerly thought they would die if they had seen an angel, so terrible did he then appear. Hence Manoah, father of Samson, having seen the angel, said to his wife: 'We shall die, because we have seen the Lord,' Judges 13:22. But Daniel was wiser, and Gabriel had already wiped away or tempered his fear. And so it is more true, as I said, that Gabriel appeared in so brilliant a form and so struck Daniel's eyes, that he almost failed in strength and swooned, and could scarcely breathe. Wherefore the angel, moderating this splendor, said to him: 'Peace be to you,' which although Vatablus explains as meaning: You will be safe, you will not die, no harm will come to you — nevertheless it is more true that the angel wishes him peace, that is, courage, strength, and vigor. For he adds: 'Take courage, and be strong.'
Verse 18: One like the appearance of a man touched me
The angel touched me, appearing in human form, and seen by me as a man. See what was said on verse 16.
Verse 20: Do you know?
Meaning: You do not seem to know why I have come to you, but I will tell you: I came to tell you, first, that your prayers have been heard, regarding the full return of the Hebrews to their homeland. Secondly, what is to befall the Persian people. Thirdly, what will happen at the end of the world; but I will return quickly, so that in the sight of God I may resist the angel of the Persians: for I am by no means secure, for I fear that a graver contest awaits me from the angel of the Greeks, of which verse 20 speaks. Nevertheless, before I depart and return to the battle, I will briefly announce to you things to come: which are set down in the scripture of truth, that is, in the book of the foreknowledge and predestination of God, which is most true and most certain and cannot deceive. 'The scripture of truth' is therefore here called God's decree, because like a writing it is fixed and firm, and is not changed by forgetfulness or time. Moreover these future things are the three things said a little before, which the angel narrates to Daniel in the two following chapters, although St. Jerome thinks other visions are narrated there; but what I said seems more true.
AND NOW I WILL RETURN TO FIGHT (to dispute and contend with arguments) AGAINST THE PRINCE OF THE PERSIANS.
Thus grammarians have their grammatical war, in which they clash with each other not with blows but with words about terms, and contend to the point of hoarseness. Thus philosophers have their scholastic battles, while one defends and another attacks his position. Thus, what is closely similar to this passage, advocates before a judge wage forensic war, while one tries to lead the accused to death, and another tries to snatch him away and defend him. Thus Cicero asserts that he fought with speech and words, book 1 to Atticus, epistle 11: 'I,' he says, 'as long as I had to defend the authority of the senate, fought so fiercely and vehemently that a shout and gathering arose to my greatest praise.' For although Gabriel, in verse 12, had said that God had heard Daniel's prayers and assented to them, nevertheless he feared that the angel of the Persians might overturn them with contrary arguments and prayers, at least in part. He therefore hastens, so that he may debate against him, and having both sides' arguments heard by God, obtain a definitive sentence for Daniel and the Hebrews. Hence the Arabic translates: Now I will return to contend (for contending) with the king of Persia.
WHEN I WAS GOING FORTH, THE PRINCE OF THE GREEKS APPEARED COMING.
Cassian, Conferences VIII, chapter 13, thinks these princes were evil angels; whence he concludes that demons not only clash with good angels, but also disagree and fight among themselves: 'We read,' he says, 'that the prince of the Greeks is likewise called another, who indeed, favoring the nation subject to him, seemed opposed both to the people of Israel and to the Persian nation. From which it is clearly perceived that the discords, conflicts, and rivalries of nations, which they wage among themselves at the instigation of these powers, the opposing powers also wage against each other, and rejoice in the victory of their nations, or are tormented by their diminishment: and for this reason they cannot be in harmony among themselves, while each one on behalf of those over whom he presides continually contends in restless rivalry against the leader of another nation.' But I have already shown that all these princes were good angels, not evil ones; and certainly if they had been evil, they would not have procured the advantage of their nation, as Cassian supposes, but would have sought its destruction. For demons burn with intense hatred of all men.
This angel of the Greeks therefore the angel of Daniel regarded with suspicion, and feared lest he might favor the angel of the Persians against himself and the Hebrews, or lest as a third party he might throw some javelin by which to delay or divert the liberation of the Hebrews: for this reason he hastens his return to the battle. This is confirmed from the fact that he immediately adds: 'No one is my helper except Michael your prince': therefore the angel of the Greeks was not his helper. Hence also the Royal Bible and other editions read thus: For when I was going forth, the prince of the Greeks appeared. Where 'for' gives the reason for the preceding words, meaning: I am returning immediately; for behold, I see a new antagonist coming against me, namely
the prince of the Greeks. Hence also Vatablus translates: But the prince of Greece came, as I was going forth.
Why the prince of the Greeks, that is, of the Macedonians, came, and what he did or requested from God, is uncertain. There is no doubt that he pleaded the cause of the Greeks entrusted to him; and therefore it is likely that he requested that some Hebrews be sent to Greece, or be mingled with the Greeks existing in Persia and at the royal court, and be detained there, so that they might gradually imbue the Greeks with the knowledge and worship of the one God; and thus he partly resisted Gabriel, who was urging that all return to Judea, lest among the nations they turn aside to idols and the vices of the pagans.
Secondly, St. Jerome thinks that this angel of the Greeks resisted the angel of the Persians, accused their tyranny and sins, and petitioned that with the Persians cast down from empire, the kingdom of Alexander and the Macedonians might succeed: which indeed happened, as is clear from the following chapter. But this happened after much time, namely after two hundred years: hence it does not seem that the angel was praying and soliciting for this at this time. But it may be replied that the angel was unaware of God's decree about so many years to be given to the kingdom of the Persians; or if he knew it, he thought it was not absolute but conditional: for even the angel of Daniel, in the following chapter verse 2, counts only three kings of the Persians who are to reign in Persia. Perhaps therefore this angel, from these and other arguments, thought the end of the Persian kingdom was at hand, and petitioned that it be transferred to the Greeks and the time be accelerated, and therefore that the Hebrews not be dismissed, so that they might benefit the Greeks who were soon to reign, as I said in the first response.
Thirdly, St. Gregory, 17 Moralia chapter 7, thinks the angel of the Greeks resisted the Hebrews because the Hebrews had previously committed some offense against the Greeks and injured them. This is a mere conjecture: for Scripture indicates nothing of the sort.
Fourthly, Maldonatus considers that the angel of the Greeks, equally with all the others except Michael, impeded the liberty of the Jews because their sins had not yet been expiated: and especially that after the angel of the Persians, the angel of the Greeks did this, because he knew that the kingdom of the Persians was to be transferred to the Greeks, and therefore did not want the Jews to return from there to their homeland, so that the plunder of the Greeks would be greater, and for this reason he came to the aid of the angel of the Persians. But who would believe this of a good angel, whose role is to protect the faithful, and not to favor tyranny?
Note: God willed this battle of the angels to take place, so that men might know how great a providence and care each angel bears for his own nation. See here therefore how Gabriel and the angels bravely assist their own people, and give victory in battles.
Elesbaan, king of the Ethiopians, about to fight with the tyrant Dunaan of the Homerites, when his camp was suffering from hunger and was hard pressed by the enemy, having made supplication and received holy communion, with tears invoked the Lord's help. And He heard them; and immediately a certain voice was heard from heaven, which said: Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel. And so the Ethiopians, confident, when they had come down from the ships and engaged the enemy hand to hand, routed them and killed them all, and even the king himself was bound in chains. See Baronius, under the year of Christ 523, from the Acts of Arethas the martyr.
In the year of the Lord 601, which is counted as the fifth of the Frankish kings Theodebert and Theuderic, brothers, a civil war broke out between them and Clothar, son of King Chilperic and indeed heir of Guntram, and with great slaughter on both sides, the victory finally went to Theodebert and Theuderic, with Clothar fleeing. In which battle, says Aimoin, On the Deeds of the Franks, book 3, chapters 87 and 88, an angel of the Lord was seen standing and holding an unsheathed sword.
Liutprand reports, book 2, History, chapter 14, that Wenceslaus, king of Bohemia, went to meet the Duke of Carinthia on the borders, who was ravaging the borders of his kingdom, and offered him single combat to spare the slaughter of many. When they came to blows, angels appeared who, protecting Wenceslaus, supplied him with weapons. Seeing this, the Duke begged pardon, and having obtained it, departed.
The kingdom of the Congo was explored by Portuguese fleets in the year of the Lord 1484. And when the king had given his name to Christ together with many of his people, he miraculously won a victory over certain rebels, having brought the banner of the cross into battle. The name of this king was John. When he died, his elder son Alfonso followed his father's faith, while the younger was entirely opposed: wherefore they came into a contest for acquiring the kingdom. Countless numbers who did not yet worship Christ followed the younger son, and assembled the greatest forces against the other, who was supported by few soldiers. They finally came to battle: scarcely had the fight begun when the enemies of Christ immediately took to flight, seized by a sudden panic. The captured leader of the hostile army openly confessed that he had seen in battle a great company of soldiers mounted on horses, bearing crosses and shining with such a light that it dazzled everyone's eyes, and terrified by fear of it, he and his men had committed themselves to flight. So Jerome Osorio, book 3, History.
At one time the demon inflicted upon the Blessed Abbot Moses such a vehement assault of fornication that he could no longer remain quiet in his cell. He therefore went to the holy Abbot Isidore, and with great sadness of heart narrated the violence of this most fierce attack. And when Abbot Isidore, bringing forth testimonies from the Holy Scriptures, consoled him and asked him to return to his cell, and he could not be induced to do so, then Abbot Isidore led him to the upper part of his small dwelling and said to him: 'Look toward the West, and see.' And he saw toward that region of the world an innumerable multitude of demons violently agitated with fury and, as it were, preparing for battle.
that more are with us than with them, as Elisha the prophet said, and as St. John says: For greater is He who is in us than he who is in this world. Having heard these things, strengthened in the Lord, Abbot Moses returned to his cell, giving thanks and glorifying the power and goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ. So his Life has it in the Lives of the Fathers. Our author d'Aurout reviews more in the Catechism, chapter On Angels.
prepared to rush into battle in squadrons and fight. Abbot Isidore said to him again: 'Look toward the East.' And when he cast his eyes more attentively in that direction, he saw an innumerable throng of holy angels and a host of heavenly powers shining brighter than the light of the sun. Then Abbot Isidore said to him: 'Behold, those whom you saw in the West are the very ones who also attack the Saints of God. But those you beheld toward the East are the ones whom the Lord God of hosts sends to the aid of His servants. Know therefore
In the scripture of truth.
What this is, I said at verse 20, at the beginning.