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and He has spoken of the confirmation of good order, so that, remembering the benefits, he might serve the benefactor. And He promised to provide for the people: "For I will appoint, He says, a place for my people Israel, and I will plant him, and he will dwell by himself." For, living according to the divine law, he was separated from the other nations. But the following explains, "The son of iniquity shall not add to humble him": "as from the beginning, He says, and from the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel." For since in the time of the judges, they were sometimes enslaved to the Ammanites and Moabites, and sometimes to the Midianites and foreigners, He promised to preserve their kingdom intact, and to deliver them from these frequent changes. Then He promised that He would build for them the rational, and divine, and saving temple. "For the Lord, He says, will announce to you that He will build a house for Himself. And that He Himself also built the flesh from the holy Virgin, and called it a temple, the evangelist John taught us, having included in the writing of the holy Gospels the question of the Jews and the response of the Lord Christ. For when the Jews said, "What sign do you show us that you do these things?" the Lord replied and said, "Destroy this temple, and in three 80.617 days I will raise it up." But when the Jews supposed that these things were said about the inanimate temple, the evangelist added, "But He was speaking about the temple of His body. And when He was raised from the dead, His disciples knew that Jesus had said this, and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had said." And the divine Apostle also called the assembly of the faithful the house of God. "For Christ, he says, as a son over His house, whose house we are." These things the prophet foretold: "And the Lord will announce to you, that He will build a house for Himself." But concerning the temple made with hands, He spoke thus: "And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, and you sleep with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, who shall be from your loins; and I will prepare his kingdom. This one will build a house for My name." Having said these things about Solomon, he mixes into the prophecy things concerning the Lord Christ: "For I will establish, He said, his throne forever; and I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son." And that these things were said about the Lord Christ, the divine Apostle is a witness, saying thus in the Epistle to the Hebrews: "For to which of His angels did He ever say, 'You are my Son, today I have begotten you'?" and again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son'?" Then he teaches how much providence his ancestors according to the flesh, even when transgressing, enjoy on account of this son: "For when they sin, He says, I will reprove and discipline them; but I will not remove My mercy from them, as I removed it from those from whom I removed it." And He has put, "with the afflictions of the sons of men," instead of, "with punishments through men"; since both touch and human slaughter are through hands. And the following things, in turn, are hardly fitting for the kings of Israel; but their truth is shown only in the Lord Christ. "For his house, He says, shall be made sure, and his kingdom forever before Me, and his throne shall be established forever." But Solomon did not even have the long life of other men, nor did he reach the old age of his father; and all his descendants met a common end. Therefore, one of two things is necessary: either to apply these things to the Lord 80.620 Christ, or to say that the prophecy of the God of all is false; but this is impious and unholy. Therefore, it is necessary, even if the Jews are unwilling, to accept the other alternative. Having heard these things, the king praised the greatly-bountiful Lord; and first he confessed his own lowliness: "Who am I, my Lord, O Lord, and what is my father's house, that you have loved me so much?" And the word declares the greatness of the gifts. Then, teaching the omnipotence of the Lord, he added: "And these small things have been made small before you, my Lord,

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καὶ εὐνομίας βεβαίωσιν εἴρηκεν, ἵνα τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν μεμνημένος θεραπεύῃ τὸν εὐεργέτην. Ὑπέσχετο δὲ καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ προμηθεῖσθαι· "Θήσομαι γὰρ, φησὶ, τόπον τῷ λαῷ μου Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ καταφυτεύσω αὐτὸν, καὶ κατασκηνώσει καθ' ἑαυτόν." Κατὰ τὸν θεῖον γὰρ πολιτευόμενος νόμον, τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν ἐκε χώριστο. Τὸ δὲ, "Οὐ προσθήσει υἱὸς ἀδικίας τοῦ ταπεινῶσαι αὐτὸν," τὰ ἑξῆς ἑρμηνεύει· "καθὼς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, φησὶ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμερῶν ὧν ἔταξα κριτὰς ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν μου Ἰσραήλ." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν κριτῶν, ποτὲ μὲν Ἀμμανίταις καὶ Μωαβίταις, ποτὲ δὲ Μαδιηνίταις καὶ ἀλλοφύλοις ἐδούλευσαν, ὑπέσχετο αὐτοῖς ἀκεραίαν σώζειν τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ τῶν συχνῶν τούτων ἀπαλλάξειν μετα βολῶν. Εἶτα τὸν λογικὸν, καὶ θεῖον, καὶ σωτήριον αὐτοῖς οἰκοδομήσειν ναὸν ἐπηγγείλατο. "Καὶ ἀπαγ γελεῖ σοι γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος, ὅτι οἰκοδομήσει οἶκον ἑαυτῷ. Ὅτι δὲ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου σάρκα καὶ αὐτὸς ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ αὐτὴν ναὸν προσηγό ρευσεν, ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἡμᾶς Ἰωάννης ἐδίδαξε, τὴν Ἰουδαίων ἐρώτησιν καὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ τὴν ἀπόκρισιν τῇ συγγραφῇ τῶν ἱερῶν Εὐαγγελίων ἐντεθεικώς. Τῶν γὰρ Ἰουδαίων εἰρηκότων· "Τί ση μεῖον δεικνύεις ἡμῖν ὅτι ταῦτα ποιεῖς;" ὑπολαβὼν ὁ Κύριος ἔφη· "Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρι 80.617 σὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν." Τοπασάντων δὲ τῶν Ἰουδαίων περὶ τοῦ ἀψύχου ταῦτα εἰρῆσθαι ναοῦ, ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐπήγαγεν· "Αὐτὸς δὲ ἔλεγε περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὑτοῦ. Καὶ ὅτε ἠγέρθη ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ἔγνωσαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τοῦτο εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν τῇ Γραφῇ, καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ᾧ εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς." Ὁ δὲ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος καὶ τῶν πιστῶν τὸν σύλλογον οἶκον Θεοῦ προσηγόρευσε. "Χριστὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, ὡς υἱὸς ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, οὗ ὁ οἶκός ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς." Ταῦτα προηγόρευσεν ὁ προφήτης· "Καὶ ἀπαγγελεῖ σοι Κύριος, ὅτι οἶκον οἰκοδομήσει ἑαυτῷ." Περὶ δὲ τοῦ χειροποιήτου νεὼ οὕτως ἔφη· "Καὶ ἔσται ὡς ἂν πληρωθῶσιν αἱ ἡμέραι σου, καὶ κοιμηθῇς μετὰ τῶν πατέρων σου, καὶ ἀναστήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου μετὰ σέ· ὃς ἔσται ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας σου· καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ. Οὗτος οἰκοδομήσει οἶκον τῷ ὀνόματί μου." Ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ Σολομῶντος εἰπὼν ἀναμίγνυσι τῇ προῤῥήσει τὰ περὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ· "Ἀνορθώσω γὰρ, ἔφη, τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ ἕως εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· καὶ ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πα τέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱόν." Ὅτι δὲ ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου ἐῤῥέθη Χριστοῦ, μάρτυς ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, οὕτως εἰπὼν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους Ἐπιστολῇ· "Τίνι γάρ ποτε τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ εἶπεν, Υἱός μου εἶ σὺ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε;" καὶ πάλιν, "Ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱόν;" Εἶτα διδάσκει πόσης διὰ τοῦτον τὸν υἱὸν οἱ κατὰ σάρκα πρόγονοι, καὶ παρανομοῦντες, ἀπολαύουσι προμηθείας· "Ἁμαρτάνοντας γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐλέγξω μὲν καὶ παι δεύσω· τὸν δὲ ἔλεόν μου οὐκ ἀποστήσω ἀπ' αὐτῶν, καθὼς ἀπέστησα ἀφ' ὧν ἀπέστησα." Τὸ δὲ, "Ἐν ἁφαῖς υἱῶν ἀνθρώπων," ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ταῖς δι' ἀνθρώπων παιδείαις, τέθεικεν· ἐπειδὴ διὰ χει ρῶν καὶ ἡ ἁφὴ, καὶ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη σφαγή. Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ πάλιν ἥκιστα μὲν τοῖς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ βασιλεῦσιν ἁρμόττει· ἐπὶ δὲ μόνου τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ τὸ ἀληθὲς αὐτῶν δείκνυται. "Πιστωθήσεται γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ ἕως αἰῶνος ἐνώπιόν μου, καὶ ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ ἔσται ἀνωρθωμένος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα." Ὁ δὲ Σολομὼν οὐδὲ τὸ μακρόβιον τῶν ἄλλων ἔσχεν ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ εἰς τὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἔφθασε γῆρας· καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τού του δὲ ἅπαντας κοινὸν διεδέξατο τέλος. ∆υοῖν τοί νυν θάτερον ἀνάγκη· ἢ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ ταῦτα ἁρμό 80.620 σαι Χριστῷ, ἢ ψευδῆ φάναι τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τὴν πρόῤῥησιν· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο δυσσεβὲς καὶ ἀνόσιον. Ἀνάγκη τοίνυν, κἂν μὴ θέλωσιν Ἰουδαῖοι, τὸ ἕτερον δέξασθαι. Τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ βασιλεὺς, τὸν μεγα λόδωρον ὕμνησε Κύριον· καὶ πρῶτον ὡμολόγησε τὴν οἰκείαν εὐτέλειαν· "Τίς εἰμι ἐγὼ, Κύριέ μου, Κύριε, καὶ τίς ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός μου, ὅτι ἠγά πησάς με ἕως τούτου;" ∆ηλοῖ δὲ ὁ λόγος τῶν δω ρεῶν τὸ μέγεθος. Εἶτα τὸ παντοδύναμον τοῦ ∆εσπότου διδάσκων ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ κατεσμίκρυνται σμικρὰ ταῦτα ἐνώπιόν σου, Κύριέ μου,