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when Eli should understand that it is God who is calling Samuel, so that Samuel, in announcing thereafter the things from God, might not be suspected of having fabricated the revelation, but might be believed, that God had truly announced a revelation. QUESTION 7. For what reason did Eli pay the penalty for his children, and this after having admonished them as was fitting? The lawlessness of his sons did not require mild remedies, but most severe and harsh ones. It was necessary, therefore, after the first and second admonition, to drive out from the sacred precincts those who persisted in wickedness. For not only were they themselves lawless, but they also became a pattern of lawlessness for others. But since he preferred nature to its Maker, he was stripped of God-given grace. For God declared this to him also through the prophet: "Why then, he says, did you look upon my incense and upon my sacrifice with a shameless eye, and honored your sons above me, to bless for yourselves the first-fruits of every sacrifice of Israel before me? Therefore, thus says the Lord God of Israel: I said, 'Your house, and your father's house, shall walk before me forever.' But now not so, says the Lord, by no means! but those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be despised." And the prophecy seems to strip his family of the high priesthood; but it alludes to the cessation of the entire Judaic priesthood. "For I said, 80.537 he says, 'Your house, and your father's house, shall walk before me forever.'" And this he did not promise to Ithamar, but to Aaron. Therefore, he pronounced against their entire tribe. And what is seen bears witness. For from when the Lord Christ was crucified, their temple was destroyed, the Holy of Holies has become desolate, and they have been deprived of the high priesthood and of prophecy. What follows also indicates this. "For behold, the days are coming, and I will destroy your seed, and the seed of your father's house, and there shall not be an old man in your house. And you will look upon a mighty one among all the good things with which He will bless Israel. And there shall not be an old man all the days in your house." -"And by "a mighty being" he means the God who is. "For I am, he says, the one who is." And Jeremiah, "O existing one, Lord God." He has called the priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek his stronghold. And he has shown this more clearly a little later. "For I will raise up for myself, he said, a faithful priest, who will do all that is in my heart, and that is in my soul; and I will build him a faithful house, and he shall walk before my anointed ones all the days." But these things fit no man, but only our Lord Jesus Christ, who was named our high priest according to his humanity. "For we have, he says, a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus our Lord." And again: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses; but one who has been tempted in all things in like manner, without sin." And the phrase "all the days," is not fitting for mortal men who live for a short time. And he has called the holy apostles and those who succeeded to their teaching "anointed ones". Therefore, the prophecy properly fits Christ the Savior; but according to history, it fits Zadok, who, tracing his lineage from Eleazar, received the high priesthood through Solomon. QUESTION 8. How is "The lamp of God before it was prepared" to be understood? The saying alludes to how immediately after evening, when men had begun to sleep, the Lord God appeared to Samuel. For in the evening they were accustomed to light the holy 80.540 lamp; and around midnight they would add oil. The writer, therefore, wishing to indicate the time, said that the lamp had not yet been prepared. QUESTION 9. Why ever did the God of all appear to Samuel when he was extremely young? For the reproof of the aged high priest, the youth was deemed worthy of the divine appearance. For he was so very young, as not yet to be able to receive the teaching about God. Indeed, Eli, after the third call, understanding that it is God who is cal

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ὅτ' ἂν ὁ μὲν Ἡλεὶ νοήσῃ ὅτι Θεός ἐστιν ὁ καλῶν τὸν Σαμουὴλ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ διαγγέλλων, μὴ ὑποπτευθῇ, ὡς πλασάμενος τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν· ἀλλὰ πιστευθῇ, ὅτι ἀληθῶς ὁ Θεὸς ἀπο κάλυψιν ἀνήγγειλεν. ΕΡΩΤ. Ζʹ. Τίνος χάριν ὁ Ἡλεὶ δίκας ὑπὲρ τῶν παίδων ἔτισε, καὶ ταῦτα παραινέσας αὐτοὺς τὰ προσ ήκοντα; Οὐκ ἠπίων ἐδεῖτο φαρμάκων ἡ τῶν παίδων παρα νομία, ἀλλ' αὐστηροτάτων καὶ δριμυτάτων. Ἔδει τοίνυν μετὰ τὴν πρώτην καὶ δευτέραν παραίνεσιν τῇ πονηρίᾳ προσμείναντας ἐξελάσαι τῶν ἱερῶν περιβόλων. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον αὐτοὶ παρηνόμουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐγίνοντο παρανομίας ἀρχέτυπον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ προτετίμηκε τοῦ πεποιηκότος τὴν φύσιν, τῆς θεοσδότου χάριτος ἐγυμνώθη. Τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου δεδήλωκεν ὁ Θεός· "Ἵνα τί γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπέβλεψας ἐπὶ τὸ θυμίαμά μου, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν θυσίαν μου ἀναιδεῖ ὀφθαλμῷ, καὶ ἐδόξασας τοὺς υἱούς σου ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ, ἐν εὐλογεῖσθαι ἀπαρχὴν πάσης θυσίας Ἰσραὴλ ἔμπροσθέν μου; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· Εἶπον, Ὁ οἶκός σου, καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός σου, διελεύσονται ἐνώπιόν μου ἕως αἰῶνος. Καὶ νῦν οὐχ οὕτω, φησὶ Κύριος, μηδαμῶς ἐμοὶ, ἀλλ' ἢ τοὺς δοξάζοντάς με δοξάσω, καὶ οἱ ἐξουθενοῦντές με ἐξουθενωθή σονται." Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν ἡ πρόῤῥησις τὸ τούτου γένος τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης γυμνοῦν· αἰνίττεται δὲ πά σης τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς ἱερωσύνης τὴν παῦλαν. "Εἶ 80.537 πον γὰρ, φησὶν, Ὁ οἶκός σου, καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός σου, διελεύσονται ἐνώπιόν μου ἕως αἰῶνος." Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ τῷ Ἰθάμαρ ὑπέσχετο, ἀλλὰ τῷ Ἀαρών. Οὐκοῦν κατὰ πάσης αὐτῶν ἀπεφήνατο τῆς φυλῆς. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τὰ ὁρώμενα. Ἐξ οὗ γὰρ ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐσταυ ρώθη Χριστὸς, καθῃρέθη μὲν αὐτῶν ὁ ναὸς, ἔρημα δὲ γεγένηνται τῶν ἁγίων τὰ Ἅγια, καὶ ἀρχιερωσύνης καὶ προφητείας ἐστέρηνται. Τοῦτο δηλοῖ καὶ τὰ ἐπ αγόμενα. "Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, καὶ ἐξολο θρεύσω τὸ σπέρμα σου, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται σου πρεσβύτης ἐν οἴκῳ. Καὶ ἐπιβλέψει κραταίωμα ὂν ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς ἀγαθύνει τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ οὐκ ἔσται πρεσβύ της πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου." -"Κρα ταίωμα δὲ ὂν" τοῦ ὄντος λέγει Θεοῦ. "Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι, φησὶν, ὁ ὤν." Καὶ Ἱερεμίας, "Ὁ ὢν, ∆έσποτα Κύριε." Τούτου κραταίωμα κέκληκε τὴν ἱε ρωσύνην, τὴν κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. Τοῦτο δὲ σαφέστερον μετ' ὀλίγα δεδήλωκεν. "Ἀναστήσω γὰρ, ἔφη, ἐμαυτῷ ἱερέα πιστὸν, ὃς πάντα τὰ ἐν τῇ καρ δίᾳ μου, καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ μου ποιήσει· καὶ οἰκο δομήσω αὐτῷ οἶκον πιστὸν, καὶ διελεύσεται ἐνώπιον τῶν χριστῶν μου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας." Ταῦτα δὲ ἁρμόττει ἀνθρώπων μὲν οὐδενὶ, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, ὃς ἀρχιερεὺς ἡμῶν κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ὠνομάσθη. "Ἔχοντες γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀρχ ιερέα μέγαν διεληλυθότα τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, Ἰησοῦν τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν." Καὶ πάλιν· "Οὐ γὰρ ἔχομεν ἀρχιε ρέα μὴ δυνάμενον συμπαθῆσαι ταῖς ἀσθενείαις ἡμῶν· πεπειρασμένον δὲ κατὰ πάντα καθ' ὁμοιότητα χω ρὶς ἁμαρτίας." Καὶ τὸ "πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας," οὐ προσῆκεν ἀνθρώποις θνητοῖς ὀλίγον βιοτεύουσι χρό νον. Χριστοὺς δὲ αὐτοὺς κέκληκε τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀπο στόλους, καὶ τοὺς τὴν ἐκείνων διαδεξαμένους δι δασκαλίαν. Οὐκοῦν ἡ πρόῤῥησις κυρίως μὲν ἁρμότ τει τῷ Σωτῆρι Χριστῷ· κατὰ δὲ ἱστορίαν τῷ Σα δοὺκ, ὃς ἐκ τοῦ Ἐλεάζαρ κατάγων τὸ γένος, τὴν ἀρχ ιερωσύνην διὰ τοῦ Σολομῶντος ἐδέξατο. ΕΡΩΤ. Ηʹ. Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, "Ὁ λύχνος τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὶν ἢ κατασκευασθῆναι;" Αἰνίττεται ὁ λόγος, ὡς εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν, ἀρξαμένων τῶν ἀνθρώπων καθεύδειν, ἐπεφάνη τῷ Σαμουὴλ ὁ ∆εσπότης Θεός. Ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ γὰρ τὸν ἱε 80.540 ρὸν λύχνον ἅπτειν εἰώθασι· περὶ μέσας δὲ τὰς νύ κτας ἐπέβαλλον ἔλαιον. Τὸν καιρὸν τοίνυν ὁ συγ γραφεὺς δηλῶσαι θελήσας, ἔφη μηδέπω κατασκευα σθῆναι τὸν λύχνον. ΕΡΩΤ. Θʹ. Τί δήποτε κομιδῇ νέῳ ὄντι τῷ Σαμουὴλ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ὤφθη Θεός; Εἰς ἔλεγχον τοῦ γεγηρακότος ἀρχιερέως τὸ μει ράκιον ἠξιώθη τῆς θείας ἐπιφανείας. Οὕτω γὰρ ἦν ἄγαν νέος, ὡς τὴν περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ διδασκαλίαν μηδέπω δύνασθαι δέξασθαι. Αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁ Ἡλεὶ μετὰ τὴν τρίτην κλῆσιν συνεὶς ὡς ὁ Θεός ἐστιν ὁ κα