Ephrem the Syrian : The angel reported these events, so that Daniel might know that there were not many among the Jews who asked God for their return, nor did the angels approve Daniel's vow, nor was everything you requested, Daniel, accepted by the angels, in order that the freedom of human will not be restricted. — COMMENTARY ON Daniel 10:21 Hippolytus of Rome : But who is Michael, but the angel who is granted to the people, as he says to Moses, "I will not go with you on the way because the people are stiff necked, but my angel will go with you"? [Exodus 33:3] This one stood against Moses in the encampment when he carried the uncircumcised boy [Exodus 4:24-25] to Egypt. For it was not possible for Moses to be the elder and mediator of the law, who also announced the covenant of the fathers, and also to lead the uncircumcised boy, so that he may not be considered by the people as a false prophet and a deceiver. — Commentary on Daniel 4.40.4-5 Jerome : Verse 21. "Nevertheless I will relate to thee what has been set down in the Scripture of truth." That is, this is the order which the words follow. The fulfilment is still in doubt. For even though thou dost beseech the Lord and I present thy prayers to Him, yet the prince of the Persians takes his stand on the opposite side, and is unwilling that thy people be freed from captivity. But because the prince of the Greeks has come, and in the meantime is contending against the prince of the Persians, and also because I have Michael there as my assistant, I shall, during their mutual conflict, report to thee the coming events which God has foretold to me and has bidden me relate to thee. And let no one be disturbed by the question as to why mention is made of the prince of the Greeks or Hellenes rather than of the Macedonians, for Alexander, king of the Macedonians, did not take up arms against the Persians until he had first overthrown Greece and subjected it to his power. "And no one is my helper in all these things except Michael, your prince." He implies, "I am that angel who presents thy prayers to God, and I have no other helper in petitioning God on your behalf except the archangel Michael, to whose charge the Jewish nation has been entrusted. And meanwhile the prince of the Greeks is engaged in a common effort with me at this particular time, contending against the prince of the Persians. We should review our ancient history and consider whether by any chance that was the date of the conquest of the Persians by the Greeks. According to the Vulgate edition (of the Septuagint), this same vision is reckoned as extending to the end of the book, that is, the vision which appeared to Daniel in the third year of Cyrus, King of the Persians. On the other hand, according to the Hebrew original, the ensuing sections are separate from this, and recorded in an inverted order. The causes for this phenomenon we have already mentioned; that is, the matters here recorded are related as having occurred in the first year of the Darius who overthrew Belshazzar, not in the third year of Cyrus. — St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER TEN Theodoret of Cyrus : He says in effect, "Why then do I speak of one or two, the prince of the Persians or that of the Greeks? For none of the heavenly powers wishes your people to obtain anything good, manifestly because of their great lawlessness. Only Michael so desires, who was entrusted with the care of your people." He used the expression "to wage war" instead of "to argue and persuade," since he wished to show the just irritation of his opponent at the people and his own good will on their behalf. It is likely that the angel who is doing the debating is the holy Gabriel, for this angel had already interpreted the other dreams for him. — COMMENTARY ON Daniel 10:20-21