33.
Not only images of gold and silver must we refuse, but every creature besides the Creator: sun and moon and stars, and Bel the Babylonians' idol, and the dragon — which Daniel refused, though commanded by the king to worship. 'I worship nothing,' he said, 'but the Lord my God.' And Job's word: 'If seeing the sun shining, or the moon full, my heart secretly rejoiced, and I kissed my hand to them' — reckoning star-worship as denial. So we: though the persecutor point to sun, moon, host of heaven, or Bel, or dragon, or emperor's image — we worship the Lord alone.
Greek (GCS)
ψυχούσης ἡμῶν τὸ ἡγεμονι- κὸν, τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἐχείνους μιμησώμεϑα, μή ποτε καὶ νῦν ὁ Auav ϑέλῃ τοὺς Μαρδοχαίους ὑμᾶς προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ, ἀλλ᾽ ὑμεῖς εἴπατε" οὐ ϑήσω (δόξαν ἀνθρώπων ὑπεράνω δόξης ϑεοῦ" Ἰσραήλ. τὸν Βὴλ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ ϑεοῦ | χαταστρέψωμεν καὶ τὸν δράκοντα μετὰ τοῦ 4α- νιὴλ ἀποχτείνωμεν, ἵνα στόμασι λεόντων πλησιάζοντες μηδὲν an’ αὐ- τῶν παϑεῖν δυνηϑῶμεν μόνων τῶν αἰτίων ἡμῖν τοῦ παρόντος ἀγῶ- νος καταβρωϑησομένων ὑπὸ τῶν ἡμᾶς μὴ δυναμένων καταπιεῖν λεόν- τῶν. κρατῶμεν ὅτι ἐν τοῖς ἀνδραγαϑήμασι τοῦ Ἰὼβ εἴρηται καὶ τό" ,ἐπιϑεὶς τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ στόματί μου ἐφίλησα, καὶ τοῦτό μοι ἄρα ἀνομία ἡ μεγίστη Aoyısdein‘“ εἰχὸς δὲ ὅτε ἐπιτάξουσιν ἡμῶν τὴν χεῖρα ἐπιϑεῖναι τῷ στόματι καὶ φιλῆσαι.