164

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. Therefore he was in the world; and by that light those deemed worthy of the life with God were enlightened. But afterward he also came to his own; and as many as received him, to them he gave power to become children of God. So great a power was present in the light of the living as to make those who received it children of God; which David, knowing, had through prayer to be well-pleasing before God in the light of the living.

TO THE END, DESTROY NOT, FOR DAVID FOR AN INSCRIPTION ON A PILLAR, WHEN HE FLED FROM THE FACE OF SAUL INTO THE CAVE. 56.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for my soul trusts in you. Just as from history it was shown that David was a second time among the foreigners in Gath, among whom, while staying, he is recorded to have spoken the 55th psalm; so he appears to have come to the cave twice; once, when, feigning madness, he escapes the hands of Achish and the foreigners in Gath; and from there he is saved into the cave of Adullam, where all his brothers, and all his father's house go down to him. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and every soul in anguish gathered to him; and he was their leader. And they were about four hundred men; and a second time, when Saul returned from behind the foreigners, and it was reported to him, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of Gaddi"; and he took with him three thousand chosen men from Israel, and went to seek David and his men before Ailein. And he came to the flocks of the sheep that were on the way. And there was a cave there, and Saul entered to relieve himself; and David and his men were sitting in the inner parts of the cave. And David's men said to him, "Behold, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, to deliver your enemy into your hands, and you shall do to him as is good in your eyes." And David arose and secretly cut off the corner of Saul's robe. And it came to pass after this, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off the corner of his robe. And David said to his men, "Far be it from me, by the Lord, if I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to lay my hand upon him; for this is the Lord's Anointed." And David persuaded his men with words, and did not allow them to rise up and kill Saul. It must be investigated, therefore, at what times David wrote the present inscription, and in which cave he was staying; whether in 23.504 the cave of Adullam, or in the cave of Engaddi. But since two psalms are said by him in the cave, the one at hand being an inscription, and the 141st inscribed, A prayer of understanding for David in the cave; one might reasonably ask if they were spoken at the same time, and if, being in the cave, he composed both. It seems to me, then, moved by the words found in each, that the inscription at hand was spoken in the cave of Adullam, but the one in the 141st, a prayer, in the cave of Engaddi, when, as Saul was relieving himself, he was found hiding inside the cave. Thus it appeared to me, being moved by the words found in each. The 141st appears to have been spoken while David was in great distress and agony; for he says in it: With my voice I cried to the Lord; with my voice I made my supplication to God. I will pour out my prayer before him; I will declare my affliction before him. When my spirit failed from me, then you knew my paths. In this way, in which I walked, they hid

164

κόσμῳ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω. Οὐκοῦν ἦν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ· κἀκείνῳ τῷ φωτὶ οἱ τῆς παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ζωῆς καταξιούμενοι ἐφωτίζοντο. Ὕστερον δὲ καὶ εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθεν· ὅσοι τε ἐδέξαντο αὐτὸν ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα Θεοῦ γενέσθαι. Τοσαύτη δύναμις παρῆν τῷ φωτὶ τῶν ζώντων, ὡς τέκνα Θεοῦ ἀπεργάζεσθαι τοὺς καταδεχομένους αὐτό· ὅπερ εἰδὼς ὁ ∆αυῒδ δι' εὐχῆς εἶχε τοῦ εὐαρεστῆσαι ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν φωτὶ ζώντων.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ, ΜΗ ∆ΙΑΦΘΕΙΡΗΣ, ΤΩ ∆ΑΥΙ∆ ΕΙΣ ΣΤΗΛΟΓΡΑΦΙΑΝ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΑΥΤΟΝ ΑΠΟ∆Ι∆ΡΑΣΚΕΙΝ ΑΠΟ ΠΡΟΣΩΠΟΥ ΣΑΟΥΛ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΣΤΗΛΑΙΟΝ. Νςʹ.

Ἐλέησόν με, ὁ Θεὸς, ἐλέησόν με, ὅτι ἐπὶ σοὶ πέποιθεν ἡ ψυχή μου. Ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας ἐδείκνυτο δεύτερον γινόμενος ὁ ∆αυῒδ παρὰ τοῖς ἐν Γὲθ ἀλλοφύλοις, παρ' οἷς διατρίβων τὸν νεʹ ἀναγέγραπται ψαλμὸν εἰρηκώς· οὕτω δὶς φαίνεται ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ ἐληλυθώς· ἅπαξ μὲν, ὅτε, μανίαν προσποιηθεὶς, τὰς χεῖρας τοῦ Ἀγχοῦς καὶ τῶν ἐν Γὲθ ἀλλοφύλων διαφεύγει· κἀκεῖθεν διασώζεται εἰς τὸ σπήλαιον τὸ Ὀδολλὰμ, ἔνθα πάντες οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ καταβαίνουσι πρὸς αὐτόν. Συνήγοντό τε παρ' αὐτῷ πᾶς ἐν ἀνάγκῃ ὢν, καὶ πᾶς ὑπόχρεως, καὶ πᾶσα κατώδυνος ψυχή· καὶ ἦν ἐπ' αὐτῶν ἡγούμενος. Ἦσαν δὲ ὡς τετρακόσιοι ἄνδρες· δεύτερον δὲ, ὅτε ἀνέστρεψεν ὁ Σαοὺλ ἀπὸ ὄπισθεν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἀπηγγέλη αὐτῷ, ὅτι Ἰδοὺ ∆αυῒδ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῇ Γαδδί· καὶ ἔλαβε μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τρεῖς χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν ἐκλεκτῶν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐπορεύθη ζητῶν τὸν ∆αυῒδ καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον Αἰλείν. Καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς τὰς ἀγέλας τῶν ποιμνίων τὰς ἐπὶ γῆς ὁδοῦ. Καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ σπήλαιον, καὶ εἰσῆλθε Σαοὺλ παρασκευάσασθαι· καὶ ∆αυῒδ καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες αὐτοῦ ἐσώτεροι τοῦ σπηλαίου ἐκάθηντο. Καὶ εἶπαν οἱ ἄνδρες ∆αυῒδ πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἰδοὺ ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, ἣν εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς σὲ, παραδοῦναι τὸν ἐχθρόν σου εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου, καὶ ποιήσεις αὐτῷ ὡς ἀγαθὸν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς σου. Καὶ ἀνέστη ∆αυῒδ καὶ ἀφεῖλε τὸ πτερύγιον τῆς διπλοΐδος Σαοὺλ λαθραίως. Καὶ ἐγενήθη μετὰ ταῦτα, καὶ ἐπάταξε καρδία ∆αυῒδ αὐτὸν, ὅτι ἀφεῖλε τὸ πτερύγιον τῆς διπλοΐδος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ εἶπε ∆αυῒδ πρὸς τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτοῦ· Μηδαμῶς μοι παρὰ Κυρίου, εἰ ποιήσω τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο τῷ κυρίῳ μου τῷ χριστῷ Κυρίου, ἐπενεγκεῖν χεῖρά μου ἐπ' αὐτόν· ὅτι Χριστὸς Κυρίου ἐστὶν οὗτος. Καὶ ἔπεισε ∆αυῒδ τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτοῦ ἐν λόγοις, καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν αὐτοὺς ἀναστάντας θανατῶσαι τὸν Σαούλ. Ζητητέον οὖν κατὰ ποίους χρόνους τὴν προκειμένην στηλογραφίαν ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἀνέγραψε, καὶ ἐν ποίῳ σπηλαίῳ διατρίβων· πότερον ἐν 23.504 τῷ σπηλαίῳ τῷ Ὀδολλὰμ, ἢ ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τῷ Ἐνγαδδί. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπειδὴ δύο εἴρηνται ψαλμοὶ αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ, ὁ μὲν προκείμενος στηλογραφία τυγχάνων, ὁ δὲ ρμαʹ ἐπιγεγραμμένος, Συνέσεως τῷ ∆αυῒδ ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ προσευχή· ζητήσαι ἄν τις εὐλόγως εἰ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν εἴρηνται χρόνον, καὶ εἰ ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τυγχάνων ἀμφοτέρους συνέταξεν. ∆οκεῖ τοίνυν ἐμοὶ, κινουμένῳ ἐκ τῶν ἐν ἑκατέρῳ φερομένων λόγων, ἡ μὲν μετὰ χεῖρας στηλογραφία ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τῷ Ὀδολλὰμ εἰρῆσθαι, ἡ δὲ ἐν τῷ ρμαʹ, προσευχὴ, ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τῷ Ἐνγαδδὶ, ὅτε, τοῦ Σαοὺλ παρασκευαζομένου, ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ ἔνδον κρυπτόμενος εὕρηται. Οὕτω δέ μοι παρέστη κινηθέντι ἐκ τῶν παρ' ἑκατέρῳ φερομένων λόγων. Ὁ μὲν ρμαʹ φαίνεται εἰρημένος ἐν πολλῇ συνοχῇ καὶ ἀγῶνι τυγχάνοντι τῷ ∆αυΐδ· φησὶ γοῦν ἐν αὐτῷ· Φωνῇ μου πρὸς Κύριον ἐκέκραξα· φωνῇ μου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐδεήθην. Ἐκχεῶ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὴν δέησίν μου· τὴν θλίψιν μου ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἀπαγγελῶ. Ἐν τῷ ἐκλείπειν ἐξ ἐμοῦ τὸ πνεῦμά μου, καὶ σὺ ἐγίνωσκες τὰς τρίβους μου. Ἐν ὁδῷ ταύτῃ, ᾗ ἐπορευόμην, ἔκρυψαν