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Some object to Solomon, for having killed his brother. The lives of men are different. For some practice the highest philosophy, others what is called civic virtue; others direct a kingdom, or a military command. Therefore, it is necessary to examine each one according to the way of life he pursues; for that reason, we should not demand of Solomon prophetic, nor apostolic perfection, but that which is fitting for kings. And he himself knew that Ornias was aspiring to tyranny; for indeed he had tried to seize the kingdom. So he pardoned the former bold deed, and promised he would be considered worthy of safety if he were content to be prudent. But when he asked for his father's concubine, he did not grant the request, as it was a path to tyranny; and devising stability for the kingdom, he ordered him to be put to death. QUESTION 8. Why ever did he kill Joab, who had fled for refuge to God? The law of God prescribed that this be done; for it commanded that the murderer who flees for refuge be put to death. And Shimei himself drew upon himself the sentence of death; for having promised to dwell in the capital city, and having confirmed the promise with an oath, he broke the oath, and dared to travel away, contrary to the agreements. QUESTION 9. For what reason did he strip Abiathar of the high priesthood? He had indeed shared with Ornias in the tyranny. For the words of Solomon also make this clear: "Go, he says, to your field, and to your house, for you are a man deserving death on this day; but I will not put you to death, because you carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord before David my father; and because you were afflicted in all in which my father was afflicted." He was therefore subject, as I said, also to the accusation of tyranny, inasmuch as he had become a collaborator in the audacity of Ornias. Nevertheless, Solomon also became a minister of the divine prophecy. For to Eli, both through the all-praised Samuel, and indeed also through another prophet, God foretold the disgrace of his line. And the history has made this clear, for it speaks thus: "And Solomon cast out 80.676 Abiathar, from being a priest of the Lord, that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he spoke in Shiloh concerning the house of Eli." QUESTION 10. How is this to be understood: "The wisdom of Solomon abounded beyond the understanding of all the sons of the ancients, and beyond all the wise men of Egypt?" The historian wished to show his wisdom by comparison. For this reason he also made indefinite mention of the wise men who lived long ago; and he added the Egyptians, as they seem to be wise beyond all others. For also, as the Greeks relate, both Pherecydes the Syrian, and Pythagoras the Samian, and Anaxagoras of Clazomenae, and Plato the Athenian, travelled to them, hoping to learn from them a more exact theology and natural philosophy. And the divine Scripture, relating the things concerning Moses the lawgiver, said that he was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. All these, he says, Solomon eclipsed, since indeed he had received the gift of wisdom from God; but to the praise of his wisdom he joined an accusation. For he openly transgressed the law set down concerning marriage, which forbade union with foreign women. For he was the first to take as a wife the daughter of Pharaoh. QUESTION 11. What is, "And Ahikam son of Tharak over the levies?" He was the ruler of those who transported the stones and the timbers. And the book of Chronicles called these men bearers of burdens; but people now call them 'shoulder-bearers'. The history, however, shows that the promise of God received its fulfillment. For He promised to give to Israel from the river of Egypt, to the great river Euphrates. "For Solomon was, it says, ruler over all the kings from the river, and to the land of the foreigners, and to the borders of Egypt." QUESTION 12. How is it to be understood, "And the people were burning incense and sacrificing on the high places?" He does not accuse them of idolatry here, but that contrary to the law they were offering sacrifices to God in the high places. For the law commanded to worship in one place. Yet they enjoyed pardon, however, since not yet the divine

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Σολομῶντί τινες, ὡς ἀποκτείναντι τὸν ἀδελφόν. ∆ιάφοροι τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ βίοι. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἄκραν φιλοσοφίαν ἀσκοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ τὴν καλουμένην πολιτικὴν ἀρετήν· ἄλλοι βασιλείαν, ἢ στρατηγίαν ἰθύνουσι. Χρὴ τοίνυν ἕκαστον ἐξετάζειν πρὸς τὴν πολιτείαν ἣν μέτεισι· τοιγάρτοι τὸν Σολομῶντα οὐ προφητικὴν ἀπαιτητέον, οὐδὲ ἀποστολικὴν τελειότη τα, ἀλλὰ τὴν βασιλεῦσιν ἁρμόττουσαν. Ἤδει δὲ αὐτὸς τὸν Ὀρνίαν ἐφιέμενον τυραννίδος· καὶ γὰρ ἐπειράθη τὴν βασιλείαν ἁρπάσαι. Τῷ μὲν οὖν προ τέρῳ συνέγνω τολμήματι, καὶ σωτηρίας ἀξιώσειν ὑπέσχετο σωφρονεῖν ἀνεχόμενον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ᾔτησε τὴν σύνευνον τοῦ πατρὸς, οὐκ ἔδωκε μὲν τὴν αἴτησιν τυραννίδος οὖσαν ὁδόν· τῇ βασιλείᾳ δὲ τὸ ἀστασίαστον μηχανώμενος, ἀναιρεθῆναι προσ έταξεν. ΕΡΩΤ. Ηʹ. Τί δήποτε τὸν Ἰωὰβ τῷ Θεῷ προσπεφευγότα κατέκτεινε; Ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμος τοῦτο γενέσθαι διηγόρευσεν· τὸν προσφεύγοντα γὰρ ἀνδροφόνον ἀναιρεῖσθαι προσ έταξεν. Ὁ δὲ Σεμεεὶ αὐτὸς ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν εἵλκυσε τοῦ θανάτου τὴν ψῆφον· τὴν γὰρ μητρόπολιν οἰκεῖν ὑποσχόμενος, καὶ ὅρκῳ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν κρατύνας, παρέβη τὸν ὅρκον, καὶ παρὰ τὰς συνθήκας ἐκδημῆσαι τετόλμηκεν. ΕΡΩΤ. Θʹ. Τίνος χάριν τὸν Ἀβιάθαρ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἐγύμνωσεν; Ἐκοινώνησε μὲν τῷ Ὀρνίᾳ τῆς τυραννίδος. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ καὶ τοῦ Σολομῶντος τὰ ῥήματα· "Ἀπό τρεχε γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τὸν ἀγρόν σου, καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου, ὅτι ἀνὴρ θανάτου σὺ εἶ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ· καὶ οὐ θανατώσω σε, ὅτι ἦρας τὴν κιβωτὸν τῆς διαθήκης Κυρίου ἐνώπιον ∆αβὶδ τοῦ πατρός μου· καὶ ὅτι ἐκακουχήθης ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς ἐκακουχήθη ὁ πατήρ μου." Ὑπέκειτο μὲν οὖν, ὡς ἔφην, καὶ τῇ κατηγορίᾳ τῆς τυραννίδος, ἅτε δὴ συνεργὸς γεγε νημένος τῆς τοῦ Ὀρνία θρασύτητος. Πλὴν ὁ Σολο μὼν καὶ τῆς θείας προῤῥήσεως γέγονεν ὑπουργός. Τῷ γὰρ Ἡλεὶ, καὶ διὰ τοῦ πανευφήμου Σαμουὴλ, καὶ μέντοι καὶ δι' ἄλλου προφήτου, προηγόρευσεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ γένους τὴν ἀτιμίαν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστο ρία δεδήλωκεν λέγει γὰρ οὕτως· "Καὶ ἐξέβαλε 80.676 Σολομὼν τὸν Ἀβιάθαρ, τοῦ μὴ εἶναι εἰς ἱερέα Κυρίου τοῦ πληρωθῆναι τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου, ὃ ἐλάλησεν ἐν Σηλὼμ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἡλεί." ΕΡΩΤ. Ιʹ. Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, "Ἐπλήθυνεν ἡ σοφία Σολο μῶντος ὑπὲρ τὴν φρόνησιν πάντων τῶν υἱῶν ἀρχαίων, καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντας φρονίμους Αἰγύ πτου;" Ἐκ παραλλήλου δεῖξαι αὐτοῦ τὴν σοφίαν ὁ ἱστο ριογράφος ἠθέλησεν. Τούτου χάριν καὶ τῶν πάλαι γεγενημένων σοφῶν ἀορίστως ἐμνήσθη· καὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους προστέθεικεν, ὡς δοκοῦντας παρὰ πάντας εἶναι σοφούς. Καὶ γὰρ, ὡς Ἕλληνες ἱστοροῦσι, καὶ Φερεκύδης ὁ Σύρος, καὶ Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, καὶ Ἀναξαγόρας ὁ Κλαζομένιος, καὶ Πλάτων ὁ Ἀθηναῖος, πρὸς τούτους ἐξεδήμησαν, καὶ θεολογίαν καὶ φυσιολογίαν ἀκριβεστέραν μαθήσε σθαι παρὰ τούτων ἐλπίσαντες. Καὶ ἡ θεία δὲ Γραφὴ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Μωσῆν ἱστοροῦσα τὸν νομοθέτην ἔφη, ὅτι ἐπαιδεύθη ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ Αἰγυπτίων. Τού τους, φησὶν, ἅπαντας ὁ Σολομὼν ἀπέκρυψεν, ἅτε δὴ θεόθεν τῆς σοφίας τὸ δῶρον δεξάμενος· τῷ δὲ τῆς σοφίας ἐπαίνῳ συνῆψε κατηγορίαν. Τὸν γὰρ περὶ τοῦ γάμου κείμενον ἄντικρυς νόμον παρέβη, ὃς ταῖς ἀλλοφύλοις ἐκώλυε συνάπτεσθαι γυναιξίν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ πρῶτος ἔλαβε γυναῖκα τοῦ Φαραὼ τὴν θυγατέρα. ΕΡΩΤ. ΙΑʹ. Τί ἐστι, "Καὶ Ἀχικὰμ υἱὸς Θαρὰκ ἐπὶ τὰς ἄρσεις;" Ἄρχων ἦν τῶν μετακομιζόντων τοὺς λίθους καὶ τὰ ξύλα. Τούτους δὲ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἡ βί βλος νωτοφόρους ἐκάλεσεν· ὠμοφόρους δὲ αὐτοὺς οἱ νῦν ὀνομάζουσιν. Ἡ μέντοι ἱστορία δηλοῖ, ὡς πέρας ἔλαβεν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπόσχεσις. Ἐπηγγείλατο γὰρ δώσειν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ Αἰγύπτου, ἕως τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου Εὐφράτου. "Ἦν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄρχων ὁ Σολομὼν ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς βασιλεῦ σιν ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ, καὶ ἕως γῆς ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἕως ὁρίων Αἰγύπτου." ΕΡΩΤ. ΙΒʹ. Πῶς νοητέον, "Καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἦν θυμιῶντες καὶ θύοντες ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοτάτοις;" Οὐκ εἰδωλολατρείαν αὐτῶν ἐνταῦθα κατηγορεῖ, ἀλλ' ὅτι παρὰ τὸν νόμον ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοτάτοις χωρίοις τῷ Θεῷ θυσίας προσέφερον. Ὁ γὰρ νόμος ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ λατρεύειν προσέταξεν. Συγγνώμης δὲ ὅμως ἀπήλαυον, ἐπειδήπερ οὐδέπω ὁ θεῖος