Our Lord is good and loves humankind, so the creator and ruler desires all to be saved and to know the truth^[1] and does not seek the death of the wicked but that they should turn and live.^[2] Indeed, for that reason he died for our salvation. So truly he [the king] acts like a fool; being enslaved to arrogance, he derives no benefit from the divine remedy, but like the one who lives with illness, he rejects the cure from those who practice medicine. Thus, the awful disease tends to grow day by day. Such a man is this boastful king, who the God of all bestowed on him kindness without bounds, applying the cure for countless transgressions and acts of impiety. So also God revealed that the bringing of peace is fragile and passing, as he held aloft the ones made captive by war and who bore by compulsion the yoke of slavery. They shined splendidly and steadfastly and were admired for the wisdom of their prophecy. And thereby the God of all was indeed confessed to be the true God. But after a short time, the king came back into his true nature, just as a dog returns to his vomit.^[3]

It is the higher ranks that stand in the greater peril, and those who occupy the loftier position are the more sudden in their fall. The princes are assembled to worship the statue in order that through their princes the nations also might be attracted to error. For those who possess riches and power are all the more easily overthrown because of their apprehension of being bereft of them. But after the magistrates are led astray, the subject populace perishes through the evil example of their superiors.

The enemy prepares the theater, and the king himself collects the spectators and prepares the lists; a theater too, not of chance persons or of some private individuals but of all those who were honorable and in authority, so that their testimony may be worthy of credit with the multitude. They had come summoned for one thing; but they all departed having beheld another thing. They came in order to worship the image; and they departed, having derided the image and struck with wonder at the power of God through the signs that had taken place with respect to these young men.

See how the struggles are so difficult, how irresistible is the snare, how deep the valley, and a precipice on either hand. But be not afraid. By whatever means the enemy increases his machinations, so much the more does he make evident the courage of the young men. For this reason is there this symphony of so many musicians; for this reason the burning furnace; in order that both pleasure and fear might attack the souls of those gathered. . . . Thus was fear as well as pleasure present; the one entering to assault the soul by way of the ears, the other by the eyes. But the noble character of these youths was not by any such means to be conquered.

And we know that once we have been persuaded by Jesus to abandon idols and the atheism of worshiping many gods, the enemy cannot persuade us to commit idolatry, though he tries to force us. That is why he empowers those over whom he has authority to do such things. . . .

It is not just of old that Nebuchadnezzar’s image of gold was set up or only then that he threatened Ananias, Azarias and Misael that he would throw them into the burning fiery furnace unless they worshiped it. Even now Nebuchadnezzar says the same thing to us, the true Hebrews in exile from our homeland. But as for us, let us imitate those holy men so that we may experience the heavenly dew that quenches every fire that arises in us and cools our governing mind.

When in Babylon an image had been made,

And everyone against his will worshiped

the lifeless things as though it were alive,

Then, as Scripture tells, three youths,

Having received in their hearts divine

guidance, did not leave the straight path,

For they considered the madness of many as

a path that leads astray.

And so the steadfast young men did not follow it.

But, advancing on the straight road, always

toward the truth,

They mocked the trickery of the Persians,

Or rather, the sainted boys mourned and lamented,

For a righteous person does not rejoice over

the destruction of another but with groans prays:

Hasten, Merciful One; and in compassion come quickly

To our aid, since you are able to do what you will. KONTAKION

Consider along with me the wickedness of those who were their accusers, and how maliciously and bitterly they brought the accusation! . . . They did not merely mention the nation, but they also bring to mind their [the Jews’] honorable positions, that they may inflame the wrath of the king. It is almost as if they had said, These slaves, these captives, who are without a city, you have made rulers over us. But they show contempt for such an honor and treat insolently the one who has given them this honor! They go on then to say, The Jews whom you have set over the province of Babylon do not obey or serve your gods. The accusation becomes their greatest praise; and the crimes imputed, their encomium; a testimony that is unassailable as it is brought forward by their enemies.

Then the youths alone are led into the midst; in order that from this also the conquest may become even more illustrious, they alone conquering and being proclaimed victors among so vast a multitude. This courage would not have been so surprising if they had acted courageously at the outset, when no one had fallen prostrate. But the greatest and most astonishing fact was that the multitude of those who fell down neither made them frightened nor made them weak. They did not say to themselves such things as many often do, If we were first, and the only persons to worship the image, this would have been a sin; but if we do this with so many persons, who will not make allowance? Who will not think us worthy of defense? But nothing of this sort did they say or think when they beheld the shapes of so many princes. . . . What does the king do at this point? He commands that they should be brought into the midst, so that he may make them scared in every way. But nothing dismayed them, neither the wrath of the king, nor their being left alone in the midst of so many, nor the sight of the fire, nor the sound of the trumpet nor the whole multitude looking wrathfully at them; for deriding all these things, as if they were about to be cast into a cool fountain of water, they entered the furnace uttering that blessed sentence, We will not serve your gods. . . . I have told you this history with good reason that you may learn that whether it is the wrath of a king, or the violence of soldiers, or the envy of enemies, or captivity, or destitution, or fire, or furnace or ten thousand terrors, nothing will work to shame or terrify a righteous person.

Behold the Holy Spirit as it is manifest in the martyrs’ eloquent speech, comforting them and consoling them and encouraging them to disregard death. . . . A person deprived of the Holy Spirit would be frightened and hide in fear, taking precautions against this death. . . . He is terrified as he stands before the blade, panicked at the idea of torment and seeing only the world below. This man is consoled with the life below, as he prefers to have a wife and the love of his children and to see only wealth. This man, who does not possess the power of heaven, readily is lost. Thus, whoever is close to the Word hears the command of the King and Lord of the sky: Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me, and whoever does not give up all of his possessions will not become my disciple.^[1]

But I say all this now, and select all the histories that contain trials and tribulations and the wrath of kings and their evil designs, in order that we may fear nothing except offending God. For then also was there a furnace burning; yet they derided it but feared sin. For they knew that if they were consumed in the fire, they should suffer nothing that was to be dreaded, but if they were guilty of impiety, they should undergo the extremes of misery. It is the greatest punishment to commit sin, though we may remain unpunished; . . . it is the greatest honor and repose to live virtuously, though we may be punished.

When they heard these words, the young people

Laughed at the great vanity of the king.

However, lest he consider himself to be very wise,

The wise youths raised their eyes and said:

O Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,

We have no need to talk this over with them,^[1]

For no one answers you if you say foolish things,

For thus it is written in the Scripture:

‘Do not give reply to a fool that is of similar kind.’^[2]

Therefore, we have chosen to keep silent, and we pray in silence:

‘Hasten, Merciful One, and in compassion come quickly

To our aid, since you are able to do what you will.’ KONTAKION ^[1]

In terms of the honors due to king or emperor, we have a clear ruling to be subject in all obedience, according to the apostle’s command, to magistrates and princes and those in authority,^[1] but this obedience must be within the bounds of Christian discipline. That is, it is proper so long as we keep ourselves free of idolatry. It was for this reason that the familiar example of the three friends occurred before our time. Obedient in other respects to King Nebuchadnezzar, they most firmly refused to honor his image, and by this they proved that to extend the honor proper to a mortal beyond its due limits until it resembles the grandeur of God is idolatry. Daniel, in the same way, subjected himself to Darius in all points and performed his duty as long as it did not imperil his religion. To avoid that, Daniel showed no more fear of the king’s lions than they had shown of the king’s fires.

Let us turn our thoughts to the three boys in the fiery furnace in Babylonia, and listen to what they say when Nebuchadnezzar summons them before him and compels them to worship Bel. What is their answer to Nebuchadnezzar? King, there is no need to defend ourselves. . . . Look at their faith! We believe, it says, that he is able to save us; but if it should be that our sins prevent him, we still believe in him who will not deliver us. We do not believe in this life but in the future life; nor do we believe in him in order to escape burning here but in order to escape passing from this fire into another fire. Go ahead, then, prepare your furnace; this heat, this fire, is our pur-gation. Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob!

Observe that they [the young men] by a special dispensation are ignorant of the future, for if they had foreknown, there would have been nothing wonderful in their doing what they did. For what marvel is it if, when they had a guarantee of safety, they defied all terrors? Then God indeed would have been glorified in that he was able to deliver them from the furnace, but they would not have been wondered at, inasmuch as they would not have cast themselves into dangers. For this reason, he caused them to be ignorant of the future that he might glorify them the more. And as they cautioned the king that he was not to condemn God of weakness though they might be burned, so God accomplished both purposes: manifesting his own power and making even more obvious the zeal of the children. . . . And so they entered into the fire; manifesting all courage and gentleness and doing nothing for reward or for compensation or return. . . . We also have already our compensation, for indeed we have it in that we have been given the full knowledge of him, being made members of Christ.

The reason why I admire those youths and pronounce them blessed and enviable is not because they trampled on the flame and vanquished the force of the fire but because they were bound and cast into the furnace and delivered to the fire for the sake of true doctrine. For this was the whole of their triumph, and the wreath of victory was placed on their brows as soon as they were cast into the furnace. And yet, even before this momentous event, the wreath was woven for them. It was from the moment that they uttered those words as they spoke with such boldness and forthrightness to the king when they were brought into his presence. We have no need to answer you concerning these things. . . . After the utterance of these words, I proclaimed them conquerors; after these words, grasping the prize of victory, they hastened on to the glorious crown of martyrdom, following up the confession that they made through their words with the confession made through their deeds.

Preserve then, my sons, that friendship you have begun with your brothers, for nothing in the world is more beautiful than that. It is indeed a comfort in this life to have one to whom you can open your ear, with whom you can share secrets and to whom you can entrust the secrets of your heart. It is a comfort to have a trusty person by your side who will rejoice with you in prosperity, sympathize in troubles, encourage in persecution. What good friends those Hebrew children were whom the flames of the fiery furnace did not separate from the love of each other!

Examine the divine Scriptures, and scrutinize them as closely as you can and see whether this [killing oneself] was ever done by any of the good and faithful souls, even though they suffered great trials at the hands of those who were trying to drive them to eternal destruction, not to eternal life. . . . I have heard that you said the apostle Paul meant that this was lawful when he said, If I should deliver my body to be burned.^[1] . . . But notice carefully and understand in what sense Scripture says that anyone should deliver his body to be burned: not, certainly, that he should jump into the fire when harassed by a pursuing enemy but that, when a choice is offered him of either doing wrong or suffering wrong, he chooses not to do wrong rather than not to suffer wrong. In this case, he delivers his body not to the power of the slayer, as those three men did who were being forced to adore the golden statue and who were threatened by the one who was forcing them with the furnace of burning fire if they did not do it. They refused to adore the idol, but they did not cast themselves into the fire.

SO they did not nail him but tied him. Then he, placing his hands behind him and being bound to the stake, like a noble ram out of a great flock for an offering, a burnt sacrifice made ready and acceptable to God, looking up to heaven said, O Lord God Almighty, the Father of the beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the knowledge of you, the God of angels and powers and of all creation and of the whole race of the righteous, who live in your presence. . . . When he had offered up the Amen and finished his prayer, the firemen lighted the fire. And, a mighty flame flashing forth, we to whom it was given to see a marvel, yes, we were preserved that we might relate to the rest what happened.

The fire, making the appearance of a vault, like the sail of a vessel filled by the wind, made a wall round about the body of the martyr; and it was there in the midst, not like flesh burning but like [a loaf in the oven or like] gold and silver refined in a furnace. For we perceived such a fragrant smell, as if it were the wafted odor of frankincense or some other precious spice. So at length the lawless men, seeing that his body could not be consumed by the fire, ordered an executioner to go up to him and stab him with a dagger. And when he had done this, there came forth [a dove and] a quantity of blood, so that it extinguished the fire; and all the multitude marveled that there should be so great a difference between the unbelievers and the elect.

Far from serving our Lord for payment, we are motivated by affection and longing, and at the same time we prefer the service of our God to everything. Hence, instead of asking for relief from the troubles unconditionally, we embrace the Lord’s planning and providence; and without knowledge of what will be of benefit, we leave the helm to the pilot, no matter what he wishes, understanding clearly that he is able to free us from the threatened evils. Whether he wishes to do so, we do not know; but we leave it to him, wise governor as he is, and accept his verdict, confident that it is to our benefit. Whether he rescues us or not, therefore, we shun worship of your statue and your gods.

The fire exploded outward. . . . See how even the fire appears intelligent, as if it recognized and punished the guilty. For it did not touch the servants of God, but it consumed the unbelieving and impious Chaldeans. ^[1] THE RESCUE OF THE VIRTUOUS IS NO ILLUSION. ISHO‘DAD OF MERV: The flames killed because the slanderers, being carried away by their joy, approached the furnace to observe the burning of their [victims], but through divine intervention they were consumed by the heat of the furnace. So also, in order that the king and the Babylonians might not think that because of a hallucination or illusion those youths made the fire harmless, God caused many of those who had gathered around the furnace to be consumed while the youths felt just like the king in his bedroom. ^[1]

It happens that one may witness merit and virtue made manifest even in captivity. For Jeremiah was not less happy in captivity, nor was Daniel, nor Esdras, nor were Anania and Azaria and Misael less happy than if they had not fallen into captivity. They entered into captivity in such a way that they brought to their people both present consolations in captivity and the hope of escaping it. It falls to the one who has been perfected to sustain nature’s common lot with courageous spirit, to bring it to better things and not to give way before those experiences that most people consider fearful and frightening. Instead, like a brave soldier, one must withstand onslaughts of the most severe calamities and undergo conflicts; like a pilot of foresight, he must steer his ship in the storm, and as he meets the mounting waves, he must avoid shipwreck by plowing through such waters rather than by turning away from them. . . . He is not weak in regard to wrongs done to his own or anxious about the burial of his body, for he knows that heaven is its due. . . . The one who is perfected is such that he wished to do good to all people and desires that no evil befall anyone; but if something happens beyond his wish, he loses nothing of his own happiness.

Nebuchadnezzar, having ordered the three men to be cast into fire, saw a fourth when he looked into the furnace and said, I see the fourth as the Son of God. He was impious and yet saw apparitions, visions and dreams. Thus, we cannot infer with absolute certainty that the one who has seen visions and dreams and apparitions is truly impious. To be sure, for the devout person, the truth gushes up natural and pure in his mind, and not by way of dreams.

It is manifest [in Scripture] that the Father is indeed invisible, of whom also the Lord said, No one has seen God at any time.^[1] But his Word, as he willed it and for the benefit of those who saw, did show the Father’s brightness and explained his will. . . . He appeared to those who saw him not in one figure or in one character but according to the reasons and purposes that he wanted to achieve, as we see written in Daniel. He was seen with those who were around Ananias, Azarias and Misael as present with them in the furnace of fire, in the burning, and preserving them from [the effects of] fire: And the appearance of the fourth, it is said, was like the Son of God. At another time [he is represented as] a stone cut out of the mountain without hands^[2] and as destroying all temporal kingdoms . . . and as himself filling all the earth. Then too he is the same being beheld as the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven and drawing near to the Ancient of Days.^[3]

Tell me, Nebuchadnezzar, when did you see the Son of God, that you should confess that this is the Son of God? And who stirred your heart, that you should utter such a phrase? And with what eyes were you able to look into this light? And why was this manifest to you alone and to none of the satraps around you? Thus it is written, The heart of a king is in the hand of God, and of God is here, whereby the Word stirred his heart, so that he might recognize him in the furnace and glorify him. And this idea of ours is not without good ground . . . the Scripture showed beforehand that the Gentiles would recognize him incarnate, whom, while not incarnate, Nebuchadnezzar saw and recognized of old in the furnace and acknowledged to be the Son of God.

As for the fourth man, which he asserts to be like the son of God . . . I do not know how an ungodly king could have merited a vision of the Son of God. For that reason . . . we are to think of angels here, who after all are very frequently called gods as well as sons of God. So much for the story itself. But as for its typical significance, this angel of the Son of God foreshadows our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into the furnace of hell, in which the souls of both sinners and of the righteous are imprisoned, in order that he might without suffering any scorching by fire or injury to his person deliver those who were held imprisoned by chains of death.