rather his own arrogance. For which he is disciplined by the Lord, being subjected to a rotting of the foot; and He gives him a sign that he will not die in this state. Behold, I am bringing back the shadow of the steps which the sun has gone down, the ten steps of your father's house." For they say that Ahaz, by some device in his house, constructed certain steps that acted like a clock and measured the course of the sun. Then, therefore, God, as a pledge of what was said (for He added to him another fifteen years of life), makes the sun's shadow go backward, since Hezekiah also was returning from the sunset of his life to a second beginning of life; for which reason God gives the sign of the sun, and not another. Therefore, according to Hippolytus, that 362 day becomes one of thirty-two hours; for the sun, having run down the ten steps, ran back up the same ones again, then following its own course came to the west, having run down the twelve again. And so says Hippolytus, but the patriarch of Antioch, Eustathius, says that that day became one of twenty-two hours; for he seems to say that the sun's reversal happened in the twinkling of an eye, not indeed in ten hours. Thus therefore that day became one of 24 hours, in which Joshua the son of Nun made the sun stand still at the very meridian for the space of a whole day; for it went up in six hours, and likewise again to the middle of the sky. But know, beloved, that neither did the sun previously stand still, nor did the miracle happen concerning the sun alone but concerning the first heaven itself; for when its forward motion was prevented by the divine command, it was entirely necessary for the sun, which moves with it, also to stand still. And be persuaded by the great Maximus, in his works to Thalassius, who discusses this verbatim as follows. And God miraculously checked the unhindered course of the sun and moon, making the ever-moving nature of the universe stand still. And the God of all works these wonders, 363 so that from this He might show clearly that neither limit nor necessity is imposed on the stars, as many have thought, seeing them always moving in the same way. He therefore makes them stand still, demonstrating the authority He has over all things, and again allows them to move according to the law imposed on them from the beginning." Therefore Merodach, the king of Babylon, sends to Hezekiah both because of his illness and because of the miracle concerning the sun. But he, putting all other things aside, showed his wealth to the ambassadors. For which reason these things also were spoken to him by Isaiah the prophet: Behold, the days are coming, and all that is in your house will be taken and will go to Babylon. And your sons, whom you will beget, will be eunuchs in the house of the king of Babylon." And by sons he means the three young men along with the prophet Daniel; for these were descendants of Hezekiah. For scripture is accustomed to name descendants "sons," just as it also calls David the father of Hezekiah; for Hezekiah was not the son of David, but certainly his descendant. Merodach, however, as was said above, sent to Hezekiah on account of the miracle concerning the sun; for the divine Dionysius the Areopagite says that its reversal was so 364 exceedingly wondrous as to astonish the Babylonians beyond measure and to make them subject to Hezekiah as to one equal to God. And after Hezekiah, Manasseh his son reigns. He, along with his other evils, also worshipped the whole host of heaven, that is, the stars, and he practiced divination, that is, through words he observed future events, although some others say that divination is the drawing and bringing down of demons through certain incantations; for which reason *kledon* is etymologically derived by them from *klo*, that is, *kalo* [I call]. And Manasseh also practiced augury in addition to the other things, that is, he observed the flights of birds and from there was guessing at the future. And this is what the poet Homer said: "But come now, let us ask some seer or priest or

μᾶλλον τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπόνοιαν. ἐφ' ᾧ συνετίζεται παρὰ κυρίου, σήψει ποδὸς ὑποβληθείς· σημεῖόν τε δίδωσιν αὐτῷ ὡς οὐκ ἀποθανεῖται οὕτως ἔχων. ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ στρέφω τὴν σκιὰν τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν οὓς κατέβη ὁ ἥλιος τοὺς δέκα ἀναβαθμοὺς τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου.» φασὶ γὰρ τὸν Ἄχατζ ἐκ μηχανῆς τινὸς ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ ἀναβαθμοὺς κατασκευάσαι τινὰς οἷον ὡρολογοῦντας καὶ τὸν τοῦ ἡλίου δρόμον ἐκμετροῦντας. τότε λοιπὸν ὁ θεὸς εἰς πίστιν τῶν λεγομένων (προσετίθη γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ ἕτερα ζωῆς ἔτη πεντεκαίδεκα) ἀνόπιν ἰέναι ποιεῖ τὴν τοῦ ἡλίου σκιάν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ Ἐζεκίας ἀπὸ δυσμῶν τοῦ βίου ἐπὶ δευτέραν ἀρχὴν ἐπαλινδρόμει ζωῆς· ἐφ' ᾧ τὸ τοῦ ἡλίου σημεῖον, καὶ οὐχ ἕτερον, δίδωσιν ὁ θεός. γίνεται οὖν ἡ 362 ἡμέρα ἐκείνη κατὰ τὸν Ἱππόλυτον τριάκοντα καὶ δύο ὡρῶν· τοὺς γὰρ δέκα ἀναβαθμοὺς διαδραμὼν ὁ ἥλιος τοὺς αυτοὺς πάλιν ἀνέδραμεν, εἶτα τῇ ἰδίᾳ διατάξει χρησάμενος ἐπὶ δυσμὰς ἦλθε τοὺς δώδεκα πάλιν διαδραμών. καὶ οὕτω μὲν ὁ Ἱππόλυτος, ὁ δὲ πατριάρχης Ἀντιοχείας Εὐστάθιος εἴκοσι καὶ δύο λέγει γενέσθαι τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ὡρῶν· ἐν ῥιπῇ γὰρ ὀφθαλμοῦ λέγειν ἔοικεν, οὐ μὴν ἐν ὥραις δέκα τὸν τοῦ ἡλίου γενέσθαι ἀναποδισμόν. οὕτω μὲν οὖν κδʹ ὡρῶν ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη γέγονε, καθ' ἣν ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ Ἰησοῦς ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ μεσουρανήματι τὸν ἥλιον ἔστησεν ἡμέρας ὅλης διάστημα· διὰ γὰρ ἓξ ἀνῆλθεν ὡρῶν, καὶ δι' ὁμοίων αὖθις μέσον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. γίνωσκε δέ, ἀγαπητέ, ὅτι οὔτε προηγουμένως ἔστη ὁ ἥλιος, οὔτε τὸ θαῦμα περὶ μόνον τὸν ἥλιον γέγονεν ἀλλὰ περὶ αὐτὸν τὸν πρῶτον οὐρανόν· αὐτοῦ γὰρ κωλυθέντος τῆς πρόσω φορᾶς τῷ θείῳ προστάγματι, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα στῆναι καὶ τὸν αὐτῷ συγκινούμενον ἥλιον. καὶ πείθου τῷ μεγάλῳ Μαξίμῳ ἐν τοῖς πρὸς Θαλάσσιον οὕτω κατὰ ῥῆμα διεξιόντι περὶ τούτου. ἡλίου δὲ καὶ σελήνης δρόμον ἀκώλυτον ἐπέσχε παραδόξως ὁ θεός, τὴν ἀεικίνητον τοῦ παντὸς φύσιν στήσας ἀκίνητον. ταῦτα δὲ ὁ τῶν ὅλων θαυματουργεῖ θεός, 363 ἵν' ἐντεῦθεν δείξῃ σαφῶς ὡς οὔτε ὅρος οὔτε ἀνάγκη τοῖς ἄστροις ἐπίκειται, καθάπερ ᾠήθησαν οἱ πολλοί, βλέποντες ὡσαύτως ἀεὶ κινουμένους αὐτούς. ἵστησι λοιπὸν αὐτούς, τὴν ἐπὶ πᾶσι προσοῦσαν αὐτῷ παριστῶν ἐξουσίαν, καὶ φέρεσθαι αὖθις ἐᾷ κατὰ τὸν ἀρχῆθεν αὐτοῖς ἐπιτεθέντα θεσμόν.» Οὐκοῦν ἀποστέλλει πρὸς Ἐζεκίαν Μαροδὰχ ὁ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος τῆς νόσου τε ἕνεκα καὶ τοῦ περὶ τὸν ἥλιον θαύματος. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος τἆλλα πάντα παρεάσας τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ τοῖς πρέσβεσιν ἔδειξεν. ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ τάδε παρὰ Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλαλήθη ἰδοὺ ἔρχονται ἡμέραι, καὶ ληφθήσονται πάντα τὰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου καὶ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἀπελεύσονται. καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου, οὓς γεννήσεις, ἔσονται εὐνοῦχοι ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος.» υἱοὺς δὲ λέγει τοὺς τρεῖς παῖδας σὺν τῷ προφήτῃ ∆ανιήλ· ἀπόγονοι γὰρ οὗτοι τοῦ Ἐζεκίου γεγόνασιν. εἴωθεν οὖν ἡ γραφὴ τοὺς ἀπογόνους ἐπονομάζειν υἱούς, καθὰ δὴ καὶ τὸν ∆αβὶδ πατέρα τοῦ Ἐζεκίου καλεῖ· οὐδὲ γὰρ υἱὸς τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ὁ Ἐζεκίας, ἀλλ' ἀπόγονος πάντως αὐτοῦ. ὁ μέντοι Μαροδάχ, ὡς ἄνωθεν εἴρηται, τοῦ περὶ τὸν ἥλιον χάριν θαύματος πρὸς Ἐζεκίαν ἀπέστειλε· τὸν γὰρ ἀναποδισμὸν αὐτοῦ τοσοῦτον εἶναι λέγει 364 παραδοξότατον ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης θεῖος ∆ιονύσιος, ὥστε καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἐκπλῆξαι τοὺς Βαβυλωνίους καὶ ὡς ἰσοθέῳ τινὶ τῷ Ἐζεκίᾳ καθυποτάξαι αὐτούς. Μετὰ δὲ Ἐζεκίαν κρατεῖ Μανασσῆς ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ. οὗτος σὺν ταῖς λοιπαῖς αὐτοῦ κακίαις προσεκύνησε καὶ πάσῃ τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, τουτέστι τοῖς ἀστράσι, καὶ ἐκληδονίζετο, ἤγουν διὰ λόγων παρετηρεῖτο τὰ ἐκβησόμενα, εἰ καί τινες ἕτεροι κληδόνα λέγουσι τὴν διά τινων ἐπῳδῶν ὁλκὴν τῶν δαιμόνων καὶ καταφοράν· ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ κληδὼν ἐτυμολογεῖται παρ' αὐτοῖς παρὰ τὸ κλῶ τὸ καλῶ. καὶ οἰωνίζετο δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁ Μανασσῆς, ἤγουν τὰς τῶν ὀρνέων πτήσεις παρετηρεῖτο κἀντεῦθεν τοῦ μέλλοντος καταστοχαζόμενος ἦν. καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅπερ ὁ ποιητὴς Ὅμηρος ἔλεγεν ἀλλ' ἄγε δη τινα μάντιν ἐρείομεν ἢ ἱερῆα ἢ