Augustine of Hippo : I do not know in what manner these men understand that the Ancient of Days appeared to Daniel, from whom the Son of man, which He deigned to be for our sakes, is understood to have received the kingdom; namely, from Him who says to Him in the Psalms, "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten Thee; ask of me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance;" and who has "put all things under His feet." If, however, both the Father giving the kingdom, and the Son receiving it, appeared to Daniel in bodily form, how can those men say that the Father never appeared to the prophets, and, therefore, that He only ought to be understood to be invisible whom no man has seen, nor can see? For Daniel has told us thus: "I beheld," he says, "till the thrones were set, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened," etc. And a little after, "I saw," he says, "in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Behold the Father giving, and the Son receiving, an eternal kingdom; and both are in the sight of him who prophesies, in a visible form. It is not, therefore, unsuitably believed that God the Father also was wont to appear in that manner to mortals. — ON THE TRINITY 2:18.33 Cosmas Indicopleustes : And he came even to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him—and there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed (Dan. vii, 13, 14). This is one instance more of his saying the same thing both in the image and the vision, namely, that at the coming of the Lord Christ those kingdoms shall pass away and be destroyed, but his kingdom shall be indissoluble and eternal — The Christian Topography, Book 2 Cosmas Indicopleustes : Behold one like unto the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven, and he came even unto the Ancient of days, and he was brought near before him. And there was given unto him dominion and glory and a kingdom, and all the peoples and nations and languages shall serve him. — The Christian Topography, Book 5 Cyril of Jerusalem : What we proclaim is not one single coming of Christ but a second as well, much fairer than the first. For the first presented a demonstration of longsuffering, but the second wears the crown of the kingdom of God. Most things about our Lord Jesus Christ are twofold. His birth is twofold, once of God before the ages, and once of the Virgin in the end of the ages. Twice he comes down, once all unseen like dew on a fleece, and a second time still future and manifest. When first he came, he was swaddled in a manger. When next he comes, he will "clothe himself with light as with a garment." At his first coming "he endured the cross, despising the shame";6 at his second, he comes surrounded with glory and escorted by hosts of angels. We do not therefore simply rest on Christ's first coming, by itself, but let us look forward also to his second.… The Savior comes again, but not to be judged again, for he will pass judgment on those who passed judgment on him, and he who previously kept silence as they judged him now reminds those lawless people who did their outrageous deeds to him on the cross and says, "these things you have done, and I kept silent." He adapted himself when he came then and taught humankind by persuasion, but this time it is they who will be forced to bow to his rule, whether they will or not. — Catechetical Lecture 15:1 Cyril of Jerusalem : He is called Christ, not for any unction from human hands but from the Father's, as having been anointed for eternal high priesthood on behalf of humanity. He is called the dead, not as having gone to "join the majority," like all souls in Hades, but as the one "free among the dead." He is called Son of man, not as it is said of each one of us that we sprang from earth, but in the context of his "coming in the clouds of heaven" to judge both the living and the dead. He is called Lord, not in the catachrestic sense in which the title is given to people, but as possessing lordship by right of nature and forever. He is called Jesus because the name fits him, and he has that appellation in view of the saving medicine he brings. He is called Son, not meaning that God promoted him to that dignity but that he was naturally begotten as Son. — Catechetical Lecture 10:4 Eusebius of Caesarea : For instance, Daniel the prophet, under the influence of the divine Spirit, seeing his kingdom at the end of time, was inspired thus to describe the divine vision in language fitted to human comprehension.… It is clear that these words can refer to no one else than to our Savior, the Word who was in the beginning with God, and who was called the Son of man because of his final appearance in the flesh. — ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 1:2 Hilary of Poitiers : Glance over the whole course of time, and realize in what guise he appeared to Joshua the son of Nun, a prophet bearing his name, or to Isaiah, who relates that he saw him, as the gospel also bears witness, or to Ezekiel, who was admitted even to knowledge of the resurrection, or to Daniel, who confesses the Son of man in the eternal kingdom of the ages, or to all the rest to whom he presented himself in the form of various created beings, for the ways of God and for the works of God, that is to say, to teach us to know God and to profit our eternal state. Why does this method, expressly designed for human salvation, bring about at the present time such an impious attack on his eternal birth? The creation, of which you speak, dates from the commencement of the ages; but his birth is without end and before the ages. Maintain this by all means: we are doing violence to words, if a prophet, or the Lord, or an apostle or any oracle whatever has described by the name of creation the birth of his eternal divinity. In all these manifestations God, who is a consuming fire, is present, as created, in such a manner that he could lay aside the created form by the same power by which he assumed it, being able to destroy again that which had come into existence merely that it might be looked on. — ON THE TRINITY 12:47 Hippolytus of Rome : For as two advents of our Lord and Savior are indicated in the Scriptures, the one being his first advent in the flesh, which took place without honor by reason of his being made nothing, as Isaiah spoke of him previously, saying, "We saw him, and he had no form or beauty." … But his second advent is announced as glorious, when he shall come from heaven with the host of angels and the glory of his Father, as the prophet said, "You shall see the King in glory," and, "I saw one like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven; and he came to the Ancient of Days" … and he was brought to him. And there were given him dominion and honor and glory. — ON THE ANTICHRIST 44 Hippolytus of Rome : And so as many of you all who reverently draw near to God, observe the person who long ago was shown to the people by Moses and was manifested on the mountain and was proclaimed by the prophets and was seen as a man by the blessed Daniel, concerning whom he says, "I was looking into the vision of the night, and behold, one was coming like a son of man with the clouds of heaven, and he reached the Ancient of Days and was brought near to him and to him was given power and honor and the kingdom and all peoples, tribes, and tongues served him. His authority is an eternal authority, which shall not pass away and his kingdom shall not be destroyed." [Daniel 7:13-14] And so he does not speak of another Ancient of Days, but indeed the Lord and God and Master of all, the Father of even Christ himself, who is the Ancient of Days, he who does not grow old under time or days, concerning whom was spoken above, "Thrones were set and the Ancient of Days sat and his clothes were white as snow and the hair of his head was as pure wool. His throne was a flame of fire, its wheels blazing fire. A river of fire gushed from before it. A thousand thousands attended him and myriad myriads stood before him." [Daniel 7:9-10] The Son of Man was brought to him, being borne by a cloud and being carried by archangels, so that he may receive from him every rule and authority and power and kingdom, so that all peoples, tribes, and tongues may serve him. And so that one may not understand that his kingdom, which was given to him by the Father, was temporary or earthly, the prophet says, "His authority is an eternal authority, which shall not pass away and his kingdom shall not be destroyed." [Daniel 7:14] And so the Father, having subjected all things to his own Son, the things in the heavens and the things of the earth and the things under the earth, through all of them he exhibited him as being firstborn in all things, firstborn from God so that the Son of God, being second after the Father, may be displayed, firstborn before angels, so that also he may be shown as Lord of angels, firstborn from a virgin, so that he may be shown as reforming first-formed Adam in himself, firstborn also from the dead so that he himself may be the first fruits of our resurrection. — Commentary on Daniel 4.11.1-5 Hippolytus of Rome : Who was in heaven but the Word unincarnate, who was dispatched to show that he was on earth and was also in heaven? For he was Word, he was Spirit, he was Power. The same took to himself the name common and current among humankind and was called from the beginning the Son of man on account of what he was to be, although he was not yet man, as Daniel testifies when he says, "I saw, and behold, one like the Son of man came on the clouds of heaven." Rightly, then, did he say that he who was in heaven was called from the beginning by this name, the Word of God, as being that from the beginning. — AGAINST NOETUS 4 Jerome : Verses 13, 14. "And behold, there came One with the clouds of heaven like unto the Son of man." He who was described in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar as a rock cut without hands, which also grew to be a large mountain, and which smashed the earthenware, the iron, the bronze, the silver, and the gold is now introduced as the very person of the Son of man, so as to indicate in the case of the Son of God how He took upon Himself human flesh; according to the statement which we read in the Acts of the Apostles: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up towards heaven? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him going into heaven" (Acts 1:11). "...And He arrived unto the Ancient of days, and they brought Him before His presence, and He gave unto Him authority and honor and royal power." All that is said here concerning His being brought before Almighty God and receiving authority and honor and royal power is to be understood in the light of the Apostle's statement: "Who, although He was in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and was found in His condition to be as a man: He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:6-8). And if the sect of the Arians were willing to give heed to all this Scripture with a reverent mind, they would never direct against the Son of God the calumny that He is not on an equality with God. "...And He is the one whom all the peoples, tribes, and language-groups shall serve. His authority is an eternal authority which shall not be removed, and His kingdom shall be one that shall never be destroyed..." Let Porphyry answer the query of whom out of all mankind this language might apply to, or who this person might be who was so powerful as to break and smash to pieces the little horn, whom he interprets to be Antiochus? If he replies that the princes of Antiochus were defeated by Judas Maccabaeus, then he must explain how Judas could be said to come with the clouds of heaven like unto the Son of man, and to be brought unto the Ancient of days, and how it could be said that authority and royal power was bestowed upon him, and that all peoples and tribes and language-groups served him, and that his power is eternal and not terminated by any conclusion. — St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER SEVEN Justin Martyr : But if so great a power is shown to have followed and to be still following the dispensation of His suffering, how great shall that be which shall follow His glorious advent! For He shall come on the clouds as the Son of man, so Daniel foretold, and His angels shall come with Him. — Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter XXXI Justin Martyr : For when Daniel speaks of 'one like unto the Son of man' who received the everlasting kingdom, does he not hint at this very thing? For he declares that, in saying 'like unto the Son of man,' He appeared, and was man, but not of human seed. And the same thing he proclaimed in mystery when he speaks of this stone which was cut out without hands. For the expression 'it was cut out without hands' signified that it is not a work of man, but [a work] of the will of the Father and God of all things, who brought Him forth. — Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter LXXVI Tertullian : He revealed to Daniel himself expressly as "the Son of man, coming in the clouds of heaven" as a judge, as also the Scripture shows. What I have advanced might have been sufficient concerning the designation in the prophecy of the Son of man. But the Scripture offers me further information, even in the interpretation of the Lord himself. The Jews, who looked at him as merely man, were not yet sure that he was God also, as being likewise the Son of God. They rightly enough said that a man could not forgive sins, but God alone. Why did he not, following up their point, answer them, that he had power to remit sins, inasmuch as, when he mentioned the Son of man, he also named a human being? Because he wanted, by help of the very designation Son of man from the book of Daniel, so to induce them to reflect as to show them that he who remitted sins was God and man—that only the Son of man, indeed, in the prophecy of Daniel, who had obtained the power of judging, and thereby, of course, of forgiving sins likewise (for he who judges also absolves); so that, when once that objection of theirs was shattered to pieces by their recollection of Scripture, they might the more easily acknowledge him to be the Son of man himself by his actual forgiveness of sins. — AGAINST MARCION 4.10 Theodoret of Cyrus : The blessed Daniel openly teaches what our Lord says in the Gospels: "You will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with his angels"; and the blessed apostle, "For the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead shall rise immortal. And we who remain alive will be snatched in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." Daniel foretells the second coming of the Savior. He openly calls him the "Son of man" because of that nature that he has assumed. He says that he is "coming on the clouds," as he himself promised, so that he can show his power. He says that he "receives honor, dominion and the kingdom" from the Ancient of Days, although he is a human being. In Psalms 2 blessed David says this about the person of the Lord: "The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession.' " Blessed Daniel states the very same thing: "All peoples, tribes and languages will serve him." And he shows that his reign will be without end: "His power will be an eternal power, which will not pass away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed." So he adds, when he writes down this revelation. — COMMENTARY ON Daniel 7:13-14