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of a good king, and a just one, and one who hates evil. 2 Chronicles. -Jehoshaphat said to his people ... and it was the thirteenth day of gathering the spoils, for there were many. Scholion. The divine Apostle says: For whatever was written previously was written for our instruction. Therefore it is necessary for those who follow in the footsteps of the saints, in our Lord God, to be arrayed against the adversaries, and not only with a bold heart, whose end is worthless. Psalm 20. -Lord, in your strength the king will be glad, etc. Scholion. See here too, how the Holy Spirit through the prophet orders those who wish to rule piously and securely, to rely on the power of God, and in all things. Psalm 71. -O God, give your judgment to the king, etc. Scholion. Consider what the spiritual teaching suggests to those who have been entrusted with the scepters by God. From Chrysostom, from the [work] on Constantine the emperor. - Royalty smooths out the roughnesses of things on the earth. Of Saint Irenaeus. -Every just king has a priestly rank. From Philo, from the second book of Questions on Exodus. -Nothing is either more pleasant or more venerable than to serve God, which also surpasses the greatest kingdom. And it seems to me that the first kings were at the same time also high priests, showing by their deeds that it is necessary for those who rule over others to be slaves to those who worship God. TITLE III. -Concerning a king not overly admired. From Philo, from the first book of Questions on Genesis. -No foolish man is a king, even if he has taken up the power of all land and sea; but only the refined and God-loving man, even if he lacks the provisions and resources by which the many strengthen their dynasties. For just as to one inexperienced in steering, or medicine, or music, rudders, and the compounding of drugs, and flutes, and lyres are a superfluous thing, because he is able to use none of these for its natural purpose; but to a pilot, and a physician, and a musician they might be said to fitly apply; so, since there is a certain royal art, and it is the best of arts, the one who is ignorant 96.516 of how to use men must be considered a private citizen; but only the one who knows is a king. From the same. -Youth with absolute power, using unrestrained impulses, becomes an intractable evil. TITLE X. -Concerning the help of God; and that when God helps, every plot and uprising of the enemy is weak, and few prevail over many. Genesis. -And one of those who had escaped came and told Abram that his kinsman Lot had been taken captive. And he numbered his own trained men, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them to Hobah, and brought back all his possessions, and his people. Scholion. Abraham, having acquired God as a champion, with his own household members put the four kings to flight. 2 Chronicles. -Asa cried to the Lord his God, and said: Lord, it is nothing with you to save by many or by few, those who have no strength. Help us, O Lord ..... let not man prevail against you. Scholion. King Asa, having arrayed himself with five hundred and eighty thousand against the Ethiopians, utterly destroyed them all, though they were over a million. TITLE XI. -Concerning baptism, and the prophecy of the divine bath. Of Saint Cyprian the bishop, from the letter to Fidus. -Since even to those who have sinned more grievously, and have sinned against God before grace, forgiveness of sins has been given to them after believing, and no one is prevented from baptism and from grace, how much more ought not the infant to be prevented, which being newly born, has sinned in no way, except that being born carnally according to Adam, it has contracted the contagion of death at its first birth? which for this reason more easily comes to receive the remission of sins, because not its own, but the sins of another are forgiven it. TITLE XII. -Concerning a steadfast and an unsteady man. From the same (Philo) from the questions on Genesis. -For men, changeableness must needs happen because of the uncertainty in external things. Thus indeed, having often chosen friends,

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βασιλέως χρηστοῦ, καὶ δικαίου, καὶ μισοπονήρου. Παραλειπομ. βʹ. -Εἶπε Ἰωσάφατ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ... καὶ ἐγένετο ἡμέρα τρισκαιδεκάτη ἐκλεγόντων τὰ σκύλα, ὅτι πολλὰ ἦν. Σχόλ. Φησὶν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος· Ὅσα προεγράφη, εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν διδασκαλίαν προεγράφη. ∆ιὸ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι τοῖς τῶν ἁγίων ἐξακολουθοῦσιν ἴχνεσιν, ἐν Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ἡμῶν παρατάττεσθαι τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις, καὶ μὴ μόνον θρασείᾳ καρδίᾳ, ἧς τὸ τέλος ἀδόκιμον. Ψαλμ. κʹ. -Κύριε, ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου εὐφρανθήσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς, κ. τ. ἑ. Σχόλ. Ὅρα κἀνταῦθα, πῶς τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα διὰ τοῦ προφήτου ῥυθμίζει τοὺς εὐσεβῶς καὶ ἀσφαλῶς κρατεῖν ἐθέλοντας, τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμει ἐπερείδεσθαι, καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν. Ψαλμ. οαʹ. -Ὁ Θεὸς, τὸ κρῖμα σου τῷ βασιλεῖ δὸς, κ. τ. ἑ. Σχόλ. Σκόπει τί ὑποτίθεται ἡ πνευματικὴ διδασκαλία τοῖς καὶ τὰ σκῆπτρα θεόθεν ἐγκεχειρισμένοις. Τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου, ἐκ τοῦ εἰς Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν βασιλέα. - Βασιλεία τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς πραγμάτων τὰς τραχύτητας ὁμαλίζει. Τοῦ ἁγίου Εἰρηναίου. -Πᾶς βασιλεὺς δίκαιος ἱερατικὴν ἔχει τάξιν. Φίλωνος, ἐκ τοῦ βʹ τῶν ἐν Ἐξόδῳ Ζητημάτων. -Οὐδὲν οὔτε ἡδεῖον, οὔτε σεμνότερον, ἢ Θεῷ δουλεύειν, ὃ καὶ τὴν μεγίστην βασιλείαν ὑπερβάλλει. Καί μοι δοκοῦσιν οἱ πρῶτοι βασιλεῖς ἅμα καὶ ἀρχιερεῖς γενέσθαι, δηλοῦντες ἔργοις, ὅτι χρὴ τοὺς τῶν ἄλλων δεσπόζοντας δουλεύειν τοῖς λατρεύουσι Θεῷ. ΤΙΤΛ. Γʹ. -Περὶ βασιλέως μὴ λίαν θαυμαζομένου. Φίλωνος, ἐκ τοῦ αʹ τῶν ἐν Γενέσει Ζητημάτων. -Τῶν μὲν ἀφρόνων βασιλεὺς οὐδεὶς, κἂν τὸ πάσης γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης ἀνάψηται κράτος· μόνος δὲ ὁ ἀστεῖος καὶ θεοφιλὴς, κἂν τῶν παρασκευῶν καὶ τῶν χορηγιῶν ἀμοιρῇ, δι' ὧν οἱ πολλοὶ κρατύνονται τὰς δυναστείας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῷ κυβερνητικῆς, ἢ ἰατρικῆς, ἢ μουσικῆς ἀπείρῳ παρέλκον πρᾶγμα, οἴακες, καὶ φαρμάκων σύνθεσις, καὶ αὐλοὶ, καὶ κιθάραι, διότι μηδενὶ τούτων δύναται χρῆσθαι πρὸς ὃ πέφυκε· κυβερνήτῃ, δὲ, καὶ ἰατρῷ καὶ μουσικῷ λέγοιτ' ἂν ἐφαρμόζειν δεόντως· οὕτως, ἐπειδὴ τέχνη τίς ἐστι βασιλικὴ, καὶ τεχνῶν ἀρίστη, τὸν μὲν ἀνεπιστήμονα 96.516 χρήσεως ἀνθρώπων ἰδιώτην νομιστέον· βασιλέα δὲ μόνον τὸν ἐπιστήμονα. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. -Νεότης μετ' ἐξουσίας αὐτοκράτους ὁρμαῖς ἀκαθέκτοις χρωμένη, κακὸν δύσμαχον γίνεται. ΤΙΤΛ. Ιʹ. -Περὶ βοηθείας Θεοῦ· καὶ ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθοῦντος, πᾶσα ἐπιβουλὴ καὶ ἐπανάστασις ἐχθροῦ ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ ὀλίγοι πολλῶν κρατοῦσιν. Γενέσεως. -Παραγενόμενος δέ τις τῶν ἀνασωθέντων, ἀπήγγειλεν Ἀβρὰμ, ὅτι ᾐχμαλώτευται Λὼτ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἠρίθμησε τοὺς ἰδίους οἰκογενεῖς αὐτοῦ τριακοσίους δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ, καὶ κατεδίωξεν αὐτοὺς ἕως Χοβὰλ, καὶ ἀπέστρεψε, καὶ πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν λαόν. Σχόλ. Ἀβραὰμ ὑπέρμαχον τὸν Θεὸν κτησάμενος, μετὰ τῶν ἰδίων οἰκογενῶν τοὺς τέσσαρας βασιλεῖς εἰς φυγὴν ἔτρεψεν. Παραλειπομ. βʹ. -Ἐβόησεν Ἀσὰ πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπε· Κύριε, οὐκ ἔστι παρὰ σοὶ σώζειν ἐν πολλοῖς ἢ ἐν ὀλίγοις, οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν ἰσχύς. Βοήθησον ἡμῖν, Κύριε ..... μὴ κατισχυσάτω μετὰ σοῦ ἄνθρωπος. Σχόλ. Ἀσὰ ὁ βασιλεὺς, μετὰ πεντακοσίων ὀγδοήκοντα χιλιάδων ἀντιπαραταξάμενος τοῖς Αἰθίοψιν, ἄρδην πάντας ἀνεῖλεν ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας χιλιάδας ὄντας. ΤΙΤΛ. ΙΑʹ. -Περὶ βαπτίσματος, καὶ τῆς τοῦ θείου λουτροῦ προφητείας. Τοῦ ἁγίου Κυπριανοῦ ἐπισκόπου, ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Φίδωνα ἐπιστολῆς. -Ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῖς βαρύτερα πεπλημμεληκόσι, καὶ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν πρὸ τῆς χάριτος ἡμαρτηκόσι, μετὰ τὸ πιστεῦσαι ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτοῖς δέδοται, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χάριτος οὐδεὶς κωλύεται, πόσῳ μᾶλλον οὐκ ὀφείλει κωλύεσθαι τὸ παιδίον, ὅπερ νεωστὶ τεχθὲν, οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν, εἰ μὴ ὅτι κατὰ τὸν Ἀδὰμ σαρκικῶς γεννηθὲν, τὸν μιασμὸν τοῦ θανάτου τῇ πρώτῃ γεννήσει ἐπεσπάσατο; ὅπερ εἰς μετάληψιν ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτοῦ, τούτῳ εὐχερέστερον πρόεισιν, ὅτι ἀφίενται αὐτῷ, οὐ τὰ ἴδια, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἀλλότρια ἁμαρτήματα. ΤΙΤΛ. ΙΒʹ. -Περὶ βεβαίου καὶ ἀβεβαίου ἀνδρός. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ (Φίλωνος) ἐκ τῶν ἐν Γενέσει ζητουμένων. -Ἀνθρώποις τὸ εὐμετάβλητον διὰ τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἐκτὸς ἀβεβαιότητα συμβαίνειν ἀνάγκη. Οὕτω γοῦν φίλους ἑλόμενοι πολλάκις,