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he discusses the matter of Saul; in which the order of the psalms was not established from the sequence of historical events, but followed those being perfected in virtue according to progress, fittingly adapting each of the things signified in the events to demonstrate the growth in virtue, so that the first and last things might be arranged sequentially according to the principle of virtue and the order might not be enslaved to the material coincidence of events. For this very reason, the encounter in the cave between Saul, who was pursuing to kill, and David, who was avoiding being killed, which occurred before many events, is interpreted after many others. In this, the power to kill was reversed, so that the one being pursued to death stood over the slaughter of the would-be killer, and having the power for vengeance 5.152 against the enemy, he halted his power at the point of having the power, killing his own anger within himself instead of the enemy. The details of the story, then, are surely very clear to all for whom divine things are not studied as a secondary matter. But we shall speak briefly, summarizing in a few words, as far as is possible, the narrative concerning this. There was a certain desert place in Judea, in which David, being pursued, was camped out of helplessness. In this place there was a certain spacious cave, which received those entering it through a single mouth. And while Saul was searching for David and scouring the desert with his whole army, both David himself and those with him fled out of necessity into the cave. And while they were already in the cave, Saul also came inside the mouth after them, in order to attend to one of his needs, unaware of the strategy that had spontaneously arisen against his own safety. So when he was by himself and, having taken off his cloak, laid it somewhere beside him, being clearly visible because of the light from the entrance to those hiding inside in the darkness, it was the opinion of all the others with David to rush upon the enemy and to take vengeance on the one who had come to kill, as if God had delivered the enemy into the hands of those pursued to death. But David forbade them this impulse, judging the attempt against their king to be unlawful. And drawing his sword from its sheath and secretly standing behind Saul, having his attempt against him unwitnessed; for the darkness in the cave, concealing the sight, removed any proof of what was happening; being able, therefore, 5.153 with one blow across the back to drive the whole sword through his heart, he neither touched nor intended to touch Saul's body. But with his sword, he secretly cut off the corner of the cloak, so that afterwards the robe might bear witness to his humanity toward Saul <through> the cutting of the corner, showing his power to have struck his body. Through which it became clear how David had been taught long-suffering, who, having a naked sword in his palm, with the body of his enemy lying subject to his hand, being in a position of power to kill, having conquered both his anger with reason and the power to strike with the fear of God, not only became stronger than his own anger, but also restrained his armor-bearer, who was rushing to kill Saul, with that famous voice, saying to him, "Do not destroy the Lord's anointed." So Saul went out of the cave, knowing nothing of what had happened, and put on the little cloak that had been cut. But David, having come out after him, having ensured his own safety, and having first taken the hillock above the cave, held out the corner in his hand. And this was nothing other than a bloodless trophy against his enemies. And shouting to Saul with a loud voice, he recounted this new and wonderful heroic deed, which the gore of blood did not defile, in which both the hero was victorious and the defeated was saved. For David's heroic deed is not testified to by the fall of the enemy; but in the saving of his opponent from danger the superiority of his power becomes more manifest, by which he had so much 5.154 confidence not in the

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περὶ τοῦ Σαοὺλ διεξέρχεται· ἐν οἷς ἡ τῶν ψαλμῶν τάξις οὐκ ἐκ τῆς ἀκολουθίας τῶν ἱστορικῶν συνέστη πραγμάτων, ἀλλὰ τοῖς κατὰ προκοπὴν δι' ἀρετῆς τελειουμένοις ἐπηκολούθησεν, ἕκαστον τῶν ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι δηλουμένων εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν αὐξήσεως καταλ λήλως ἁρμόσασα, καὶ πρῶτα καὶ τελευταῖα κατὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀρετῆς δι' ἀκολούθου ταχθῆναι καὶ μὴ τῇ ὑλικῇ συντυχίᾳ τῶν πραγμάτων δουλεῦσαι τὴν τάξιν. διά τοι τοῦτο μετὰ πολλὰ ἑρμηνεύεται ἡ πρὸ πολλῶν πραγμάτων γεγενημένη κατὰ τὸ σπήλαιον συνδρομὴ τοῦ τε Σαοὺλ τοῦ πρὸς τὸν φόνον διώκοντος καὶ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ τοῦ τὸν φόνον ἐκκλίνοντος. ἐν ᾧ πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον ἀνεστράφη τοῦ φόνου ἡ ἐξουσία, ὡς τὸν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ διωκόμενον, τοῦτον ἐφεστάναι τῇ τοῦ φονῶντος σφαγῇ, καὶ ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ σχόντα τὴν κατὰ τοῦ πολεμίου 5.152 τιμωρίαν, στῆσαι μέχρι τῆς ἐξουσίας τὴν δύναμιν ἀντὶ τοῦ πολεμίου τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θυμὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀποκτείναντα. Τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς ἱστορίας πᾶσι πρόδηλα πάντως ἐστὶν οἷς οὐκ ἐν παρέργῳ τὰ θεῖα σπουδάζεται. ἐροῦμεν δὲ διὰ βραχέων, ὡς ἂν οἷόν τε ᾖ συντεμόντες ἐν ὀλίγῳ τὸ περὶ τούτου διήγημα. ἔρημός τις ἦν τόπος κατὰ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, ἐν ᾧ διωκόμενος ὁ ∆αβὶδ ὑπὸ ἀμηχανίας ηὐλίζετο. ἐν τούτῳ τι σπήλαιον εὐρύχωρον ἦν, δι' ἑνὸς στομίου τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ καταδυομένους παραδεχόμενον. τοῦ δὲ Σαοὺλ ἀναζητοῦντος τὸν ∆αβὶδ καὶ πανστρατιᾷ διερευνωμένου τὴν ἔρημον, κατα φεύγουσιν ὑπ' ἀνάγκης αὐτός τε ὁ ∆αβὶδ καὶ οἱ μετ' ἐκείνου ὑπὸ τὸ σπήλαιον. ὄντων δὲ ἤδη τούτων ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ, εἴσω γίνεται τοῦ στομίου καὶ ὁ Σαοὺλ μετ' ἐκείνους, ἐφ' ᾧ τε πρός τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων παρασκευάσασθαι, ἀγνοῶν τὴν αὐτομάτως συμβᾶσαν κατὰ τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτοῦ στρατηγίαν. ὡς οὖν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἦν καὶ τὴν διπλοΐδα περιελόμενος παρ' ἑαυτόν που κατέθετο καταφανὴς ὢν διὰ τῆς ἐκ τοῦ στομίου αὐγῆς τοῖς ἔνδον ὑποκρυπτομένοις τῷ ζόφῳ, τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ἦν γνώμη πᾶσιν τοῖς μετὰ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἐπιδραμεῖν τῷ ἐχθρῷ καὶ ἀμύνασθαι τὸν ἐπὶ τὸ φονεῦσαι παραγενόμενον, ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ δεδωκότος τοῖς ἐπὶ θανάτῳ διωκομένοις τὸν ἐχθρὸν ὑποχείριον. ὁ δὲ ∆αβὶδ τούτοις μὲν ἀπεῖπε τὴν ὁρμὴν ἀθέμιτον κρίνας τὴν κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτῶν ἐπιχείρησιν. γυμνώσας δὲ τῆς θήκης τὸ ξίφος καὶ λεληθότως παραστὰς τῷ Σαοὺλ κατόπιν, ἀμάρτυρον ἔχων κατ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐγχείρη σιν· ὁ γὰρ ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ ζόφος ἐπικρύπτων τὴν ὄψιν παρῃρεῖτο τῶν γινομένων τὸν ἔλεγχον· δυνάμενος τοίνυν 5.153 μιᾷ πληγῇ κατὰ τῶν μεταφρένων διὰ τῆς καρδίας ὅλον διελάσαι τὸ ξίφος, τοῦ μὲν σώματος Σαοὺλ οὔτε ἥψατο οὔτε ἐμέλλησεν. ἀποτέμνει δὲ τῷ ξίφει λαθὼν ἐκεῖνον τὸ τῆς δι πλοΐδος πτερύγιον, ὡς ἂν μαρτυρήσειε μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς εἰς τὸν Σαοὺλ φιλανθρωπίας ἡ χλανὶς <διὰ> τῆς τοῦ πτερυγίου τομῆς τῆς κατὰ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ πληγῆς τὴν ἐξουσίαν δεικνύουσα. δι' ἧς ἐγένετο φανερὸν ὅπως ὁ ∆αβὶδ τὴν μακροθυμίαν πεπαίδευτο, ὃς ξίφος ἔχων ἐν τῇ παλάμῃ γυμνόν, ὑποκειμένου τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ πολεμίου σώματος, ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ τοῦ ἀνελεῖν ὑπάρχων, νικήσας καὶ τῷ λογισμῷ τὸν θυμὸν καὶ τῷ θείῳ φόβῳ τὴν τῆς πληγῆς ἐξουσίαν, οὐ μόνον τοῦ ἰδίου θυμοῦ κρείττων ἐγένετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ὑπασπιστὴν πρὸς τὸν τοῦ Σαοὺλ φόνον ὁρμήσαντα κατέστειλεν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἀοιδίμῳ φωνῇ εἰπὼν πρὸς αὐτὸν Μὴ διαφθείρῃς τὸν χριστὸν κυρίου. προέρχεται οὖν ὁ Σαοὺλ ἐκ τοῦ σπηλαίου γινώσκων τῶν γεγονότων οὐδὲν καὶ περικεκομμένον περιβα λὼν ἑαυτῷ τὸ χλανίδιον. ὁ δὲ ∆αβὶδ συνεξελθὼν αὐτῷ κατόπιν μετὰ τῆς καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἀσφαλείας καὶ προκαταλαβὼν τὸ ὑπερκείμενον τοῦ σπηλαίου γεώλοφον, προτείνει τῇ χειρὶ τὸ πτερύγιον. τοῦτο δὲ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἦν ἢ τρόπαιον κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἀναίμακτον. καὶ ἐμβοήσας τῷ Σαοὺλ μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ τὴν καινὴν ταύτην καὶ θαυμαστὴν ἀριστείαν ἐκδιηγεῖται, ἣν λύθρος αἵματος οὐκ ἐμίανεν, ᾗ καὶ ὁ ἀριστεὺς ἐνίκησεν καὶ ὁ ἡττηθεὶς περισῴζεται. οὐ γὰρ τῷ πτώματι τοῦ πολεμίου μαρτυρεῖται τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἡ ἀριστεία· ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ περισώσασθαι τοῦ κινδύνου τὸν ἀντικείμενον φανερωτέρα γίνεται ἡ ὑπεροχὴ τῆς δυνάμεως, ᾧ τοσοῦτον περιῆν τῆς 5.154 πεποιθήσεως μὴ τῇ