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time. At once, then, having set foot in Jerusalem, the angel appeared to David, holding a naked sword, so that he might ask for pardon. And the king's own words are also worthy of admiration: "Behold, for," he says, "I have sinned, and I, the shepherd, have done wickedly, but these, the flock, what have they done? let your hand be upon me, and upon my father's house." Not knowing the cause, he called what had happened his own sin; and he supplicated that a just sentence be brought upon him and his house, using the words of a true shepherd, and imitating his own Son and Lord, who laid down his soul for the sheep. And the good Lord, accepting the supplication, commanded an altar to be built in that place where the divine mercy had stayed the punishment. It is superfluous to interpret the phrase, "The Lord repented." For we have often spoken of its meaning, and that it signifies a change in the divine plan. Immediately, therefore, the king ran and asked Ornan the Jebusite to sell him the threshing floor. And when that one promised to give freely both the threshing floor, and the oxen, and the wood of the plows, so that on it he might build the altar, and sacrifice these, and with the wood offer the fire, the king said it was just not to offer gifts to God from what belonged to others, but from his own. Having learned these things from him, his son Solomon exhorts, saying, "Honor the Lord from your just labors, and offer to him the firstfruits from your fruits of righteousness." Fulfilling these things, the king, having purchased it, built the altar, and offered the sacrifice, and propitiated God. And it should be known that in that place the wise Solomon built the temple. For history also teaches this: "For Solomon added," it says, "to the altar 80.667668 in the end, because it was small at first;" after these things concerning Ornan, or Adonijah (for he had two names), the historian wrote: how he plotted tyranny; and how he held a splendid banquet, having as chief guests of the banquet the general Joab, and Abiathar the priest. And he held the feast beside a certain spring, gushing forth before the city, by which a royal paradise flourished. For so Josephus said, and Symmachus also interpreted the spring Ain. And the Syrian also calls it Aina. 80.668

ON THE THIRD BOOK OF KINGS. QUESTION 1. Some suppose that Nathan was grieved, as not having been invited to

the feast; and for this reason, he prepared Bathsheba to report what had happened to the king. ANSWER. They have held this suspicion very foolishly. For the prophet, knowing the decree of God; (for through him He had revealed to the king, "You shall not build a house for me to dwell in it; but behold, a son is born to you, he shall be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about. Solomon shall be his name; and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name;") the prophet, knowing these things, and seeing Ornan seizing the kingdom contrary to the divine will, reminded the king of the divine prophecy through Bathsheba; then, entering in, he confirmed her words. QUES. 2. Whom does he call Gihon, Gihon is indeed the name of the Nile; for it is one of the four 80.669 rivers. And God himself clearly taught this through Jeremiah, saying: "And now what have you to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the water of Gihon?" And they also named Siloam Gihon; either calling it so ironically, as it is very small; or because it also comes forth from unseen channels, just like the Nile. And Zadok the high priest, and Nathan the prophet were commanded to anoint Solomon. The high priest is placed before the prophet, of the

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χρόνος. Αὐτίκα γοῦν τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπιβὰς ὤφθη ὁ ἄγγελος τῷ ∆α βὶδ, τὴν ῥομφαίαν ἔχων γυμνὴν, ἵνα τὴν συγγνώμην αἰτήσῃ. Ἀξιάγαστα δὲ καὶ αὐτὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τὰ ῥήματα· "Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγὼ ἥμαρτον, καὶ ἐγὼ ὁ ποιμὴν ἐκακοποίησα, καὶ οὗτοι τὸ ποίμνιον τί ἐποίησαν; γενέσθω ἡ χείρ σου ἐν ἐμοὶ, καὶ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ πατρός μου." Ἀγνοῶν τὴν αἰτίαν, οἰ κείαν ἁμαρτίαν τὸ γεγενημένον ἐκάλεσε· καὶ αὐτῷ καὶ τῷ γένει δικαίαν ἐπενεχθῆναι ψῆφον ἱκέτευσε, λόγοις χρησάμενος ποιμένος ἀληθινοῦ, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ Κύριον μιμησάμενος, ὃς τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ ἔθηκεν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων. ∆εξάμενος δὲ τὴν ἱκε τείαν ὁ ἀγαθὸς Κύριος, ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ χωρίῳ θυσια στήριον οἰκοδομηθῆναι προσέταξεν, ἐν ᾧ τὴν τιμω ρίαν ὁ θεῖος ἐκώλυσεν ἔλεος. Τὸ δὲ, "Μετεμελήθη Κύριος," περιττὸν ἑρμηνεύειν. Πολλάκις γὰρ αὐ τοῦ εἰρήκαμεν τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ ὅτι τὴν τῆς οἰκονο μίας σημαίνει μεταβολήν. Παραυτίκα τοίνυν ὁ βα σιλεὺς δραμὼν ᾔτησεν Ὀρνίαν τὸν Ἰεβουσαῖον ἀποδόσθαι τὴν ἅλω. Ἐκείνου δὲ προῖκα δώ σειν ὑποσχομένου καὶ τὴν ἅλω, καὶ τοὺς βοῦς, καὶ τῶν ἀρότρων τὰ ξύλα, ἵνα ἐν ἐκείνῃ μὲν δομήσηται τὸν βωμὸν, τούτους δὲ ἱερεύσῃ, τοῖς δὲ ξύλοις προσ ενέγκῃ τὸ πῦρ, δίκαιον εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς, μὴ ἐξ ἀλλοτρίων τῷ Θεῷ δῶρα προσφέρειν, ἀλλ' ἐξ οἰ κείων. Ταῦτα παρ' αὐτοῦ μεμαθηκὼς ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Σολομὼν, παραινεῖ λέγων, "Τίμα τὸν Κύριον ἀπὸ σῶν δικαίων πόνων, καὶ ἀπάρχου αὐτῷ ἀπὸ σῶν καρ πῶν δικαιοσύνης." Ταῦτα πληρῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς, πριάμενος τὸν βωμὸν ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ τὴν θυσίαν προσήνεγκε, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἱλεώσατο. Ἰστέον δὲ ὡς ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ χωρίῳ τὸν νεὼν ᾠκοδόμησεν ὁ σοφὸς Σολομών. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει· "Προσ έθηκε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Σολομὼν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον 80.667668 ἐπ' ἐσχάτων, ὅτι μικρὸν ἦν ἐν πρώτοις·" μετὰ ταῦτα τὰ κατὰ Ὀρνίαν, ἢ Ἀδωνίαν (διώνυμος γὰρ ἦν), ὁ ἱστοριογράφος συνέγραψεν· ὅπως μὲν ἐμελέτησε τυραννίδα· ὅπως δὲ συμπόσιον λαμπρὸν ἐπετέλεσε, πρωτοκλίτους ἔχων τοῦ συμποσίου τὸν στρατηγὸν Ἰωὰβ, καὶ Ἀβιάθαρ τὸν ἱερέα. Ἐτέλεσε δὲ τὸ συσσίτιον παρά τινα πηγὴν, πρὸ τοῦ ἄστεως ἀναβλύζουσαν, παρ' ἣν βασιλικὸς ἐτεθήλει παράδεισος. Οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Ἰώσηπος ἔφη, καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος δὲ τὴν Ἀῒν πηγὴν ἡρμήνευσεν. Ἀϊνὰ δὲ αὐτὴν καὶ ὁ Σύρος καλεῖ. 80.668

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΤΡΙΤΗΝ ΤΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΩΝ. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Αʹ. Τινὲς ὑπολαμβάνουσιν ἀλγῆσαι τὸν Νάθαν, ὡς μὴ κληθέντα εἰς

τὸ συσσίτιον· καὶ τού του χάριν παρασκευάσαι τὴν Βερσαβεὲ τὰ γεγενημένα μηνῦσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἀνοήτως ἄγαν τήνδε τὴν ὑποψίαν ἐσχήκασιν. Ὁ γὰρ προφήτης, τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ψῆφον εἰδώς· (δι' αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἐδήλωσε τῷ βασιλεῖ, "Οὐ σὺ οἰκοδομήσεις οἶκον τοῦ κατοικῆσαί με ἐν αὐτῷ· ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ υἱὸς τί κτεταί σοι, οὗτος ἔσται ἀνὴρ ἀναπαύσεως, καὶ ἀνα παύσω αὐτὸν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ κυ κλόθεν. Σολομὼν ὄνομα αὐτῷ· καὶ εἰρήνην καὶ ἡσυ χίαν δώσω ἐπὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ. Οὗ τος οἰκοδομήσει οἶκον τῷ ὀνόματί μου·") ταῦτα εἰ δὼς ὁ προφήτης, καὶ θεασάμενος τὸν Ὀρνίαν παρὰ τὴν θείαν βουλὴν τὴν βασιλείαν ἁρπάσαντα, ἀν έμνησε διὰ τῆς Βερσαβεὲ τὸν βασιλέα τῆς θείας προῤ ῥήσεως· εἶτα εἰσελθὼν τοὺς ἐκείνης ἐβεβαίωσε λό γους. ΕΡΩΤ. Βʹ. Τὸν Γηὼν τίνα καλεῖ, Γηὼν μὲν ὁ Νεῖλος ὠνόμασται· εἷς γὰρ τῶν πο 80.669 ταμῶν ἐστι τῶν τεσσάρων. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς αὐ τὸς ὁ Θεὸς διὰ Ἰερεμίου ἐδίδαξεν εἰπών· "Καὶ νῦν τί σοὶ καὶ τῇ ὁδῷ Αἰγύπτου, τοῦ πιεῖν ὕδωρ Γηών;" Ἐπωνόμασαν δὲ καὶ τὸν Σιλοὰμ Γηών· ἢ ὡς ἄγαν μικρὸν εἰρωνικῶς οὕτω καλέσαντες· ἢ ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ ἀφανῶν ἔξεισιν ὑπονόμων, ὥσπερ ὁ Νεῖλος. Χρίσαι δὲ τὸν Σολομῶντα προσετάχθησαν Σαδὼκ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς, καὶ Νάθαν ὁ προφήτης. Προτέτακται τοῦ προφήτου μὲν ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς, τοῦ