Chapter 144
1 “And now,” he says, “I will declare truth to you.” Could the truth, then, declare anything else besides the truth? Truth was the one who appeared to Daniel, and he declared truth; he again, appearing as truth in the world, taught truth. O blessed disciples, taught truth by Christ!
2 He says, then, to him: “Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be rich with great riches beyond all; and when he has prevailed by his riches, he shall rise up against all the kingdoms of the Greeks. And a mighty king shall arise, and shall rule over a great dominion and do according to his will; and as his kingdom arises, it shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven.”
3 Now these things we have already recounted above, when we were making our discourse concerning the four beasts; but since the Scripture now relates all these things again in detail, of necessity we too must make the discourse a second time, lest we leave the Scripture idle and undemonstrated.
4 “Three more kings,” he says, “shall arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be rich with great riches.” It has come to pass. For after Cyrus arose Darius, then Artaxerxes, then Xerxes. These three became kings; the Scripture has been fulfilled.
5 “And the fourth shall be rich with great riches.” Who is this but Darius, who, having reigned and become glorious, grew rich and rose up against all the kingdoms of the Greeks?
6 Against him rose up Alexander the Macedonian, who was the son of Philip, and he overthrew his kingdom; and after he had subjected the Persians, his kingdom was divided toward the four winds of heaven. For Alexander, as he was dying, divided his kingdom into four principalities.