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being called. History has also made this clear, saying: "The lintel as an entablature, upon the thickness of both 80.689 pillars." He also made a bronze basin, which because of its size he called a sea. For it had the shape of a hemisphere, ten cubits in diameter. And the circumference was thirty-three cubits, since its thickness measured a span. For when the two spans, I mean the one from here and the one from there, are measured with the diameter, eleven cubits are found. And these, when tripled, make thirty-three. Twelve oxen supported this, three facing each wind. And the rim of the basin was inclined outwards, imitating the leaves of a lily. The book of Chronicles called the Mechonoth "basins." But Josephus said the Mechonoth were stands, and the basins were lavers set upon the stands. And in these they washed the sacrifices, and their entrails, and the feet. For the book of Chronicles taught this clearly: "For the washing, it says, in them the parts of the burnt offerings, and to rinse them in them. And the sea for the priests to wash in it." And the bases of the basins, which he called Mechonoth, he said were made square, having wheels underneath like the wheels of a chariot. And these had impressions of hands on top, bearing a circular crown, on which the basin was placed. And he called the heaters "thermastris," in which we are accustomed to heat water. And he also made ten golden lampstands, which he placed in the temple before the face of the Dabir, that is, of the Holy of holies. QUES. 25. How is this to be understood, "Solomon brought in the holy things of David his father, and all the holy things of Solomon?" He calls "holy things" those dedicated to God, and the first-fruits of the wars that were offered; for instance, Joshua son of Nun consecrated Jericho, dedicating all the gold and silver to God. Therefore he calls "holy things" those set apart for the God of all. QUES. 26. What does he call the house of the forest of Lebanon? He built a very large house in the royal palace, the 80.692 antechamber of the court of justice. Its length was one hundred cubits, and its width fifty. And it had one hundred and thirty-five cedar pillars. I think, therefore, it was called the house of the forest of Lebanon because it had a multitude of cedar columns, imitating the grove of Lebanon. And again he called the gateway Ailam; whose length was equal to the width of the house; for its length was fifty cubits, and its width thirty. That this house was connected to the court of justice, history teaches. "And the Ailam of the thrones, where he will judge there. The Ailam of the judgment seat, and their house, in which he will sit there," and what follows. And that he used hewn stones for these buildings, the following teaches. "For all these things, it says, were of costly, hewn stones, measured from within, and from the foundations to the eaves." That he calls the Dabir the Holy of holies, we learn more clearly from the history. For the writer, having said that when the building was finished he gathered the people to celebrate the festival of dedication, added: "And the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the Dabir of the house, into the Holy of holies, under the wings of the Cherubim." QUES. 27. How is this to be understood, "What you spoke in your name, and with your hands have fulfilled, as it is this day?" Through the tongue we utter words; and through the hands we work. Using these words in a human way, therefore, he has said, "You have brought to fulfillment what you said." For having promised my father, and your servant, both to appoint a king from him and through him to build your temple, you have shown the truth of your words. For having an incomprehensible nature, and being contained neither by the visible heaven, nor by the higher one, you have prepared for yourself a man-made temple, not being circumscribed in it, but in it making your own appearance. For this he said, that the

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προσαγο ρευόμενον. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία δεδήλωκεν, εἰποῦσα· "Ἐπίθεμα τὸ μέλαθρον, ἐπ' ἀμφοτέρων 80.689 τῶν στύλων τῷ πάχει." Ἐποίησε δὲ καὶ λουτῆρα χαλκοῦν, ὃν διὰ τὸ μέγεθος ἐκάλεσε θάλασσαν. Εἶχε μὲν γὰρ εἶδος ἡμισφαιρίου δέκα πήχεων τὴν διάμε τρον. Τρεῖς δὲ καὶ τριάκοντα πήχεις εἶχεν ὁ κύκλος· ἐπειδὴ σπιθαμῆς εἶχε μέτρον τὸ πάχος. Τῶν γὰρ δύο σπιθαμῶν, τῆς ἐντεῦθέν φημι, καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν, τῇ διαμέτρῳ συμμετρουμένων, ἕνδεκα πήχεις εὑρί σκονται. Τριπλασιαζόμενοι δὲ οὗτοι ποιοῦσι τρεῖς καὶ τριάκοντα. Ταύτην ἔφερον δυοκαίδεκα μόσχοι, ἀνὰ τρεῖς πρὸς ἕκαστον ἄνεμον ἀποβλέποντες. Τοῦ δὲ λουτῆρος τὸ χεῖλος ἐπικλινὲς εἰς τὸ ἔξω ἦν, τοῦ κρί νου τὰ φύλλα μιμούμενον. Τὰς δὲ μεχωνὼθ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἡ βίβλος λουτῆρας ὠνόμασεν. Ὁ δὲ Ἰώσηπος τὰς μεχωνὼθ βάσεις εἶπε, τοὺς δὲ χυτρογαύλους λουτῆρας ἐπικειμένους ταῖς βάσε σιν. Ἐν δὲ τούτοις ἔπλυνον τὰ ἱερεῖα, καὶ τὰ τούτων ἐντὸς, καὶ τοὺς πόδας. Τοῦτο γὰρ σαφῶς ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων βίβλος ἐδίδαξε· "Τοῦ πλύνειν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἔργα τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων, καὶ ἐπικλύζειν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἡ θάλασσα εἰς τὸ νί πτεσθαι τοὺς ἱερεῖς ἐν αὐτῇ." Τὰς δὲ τῶν λουτή ρων βάσεις, ἃς μεχωνὼθ προσηγόρευσε, τετραγώ νους εἶπε κατεσκευάσθαι, τροχοὺς ἐχούσας ὑπο κειμένους ἁρματιαίοις ἐοικότας τροχοῖς. Εἶχον δὲ αὗται ἄνω χειρῶν ἐκτυπώματα, στεφανοειδῆ φέροντα κύκλον, ᾧ ὁ λουτὴρ ἐπετίθετο. Θερμαστρεῖς δὲ κέκληκε τοὺς θερμαντῆρας, ἐν οἷς τὸ ὕδωρ θερμαίνειν εἰώθαμεν. Κατεσκεύασε δὲ καὶ δέκα λυχνίας χρυσᾶς, ἃς ἐν τῷ ναῷ τέθεικε κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ ∆αβεὶρ, τουτέστι τοῦ Ἁγίου τῶν ἁγίων. ΕΡΩΤ. ΚΕʹ. Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, Εἰσήνεγκε Σολομὼν τὰ ἅγια ∆αβὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἅγια Σολομῶντος;" Ἅγια κέκληκε τὰ τῷ Θεῷ ἀνατεθέντα, καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῶν πολέμων ἀκροθίνια προσενεχθέντα· οἷον ἀνεθεμάτισεν Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ τὸν Ἱεριχὼ, πάντα τὸν χρυσὸν καὶ τὸν ἄργυρον ἀνέθηκε τῷ Θεῷ. Ἅγια τοίνυν κέκληκε τὰ ἀφορισθέντα τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ. ΕΡΩΤ. Κʹ. Τίνα καλεῖ οἶκον δρυμοῦ τοῦ Λιβάνου; Μέγιστον ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ᾠκοδόμησεν οἶκον, τοῦ 80.692 δικαστηρίου πρόδομον. Τούτου ἑκατὸν πήχεων ἦν τὸ μῆκος, πεντήκοντα δὲ τὸ εὖρος. Εἶχε δὲ στύλους κε δρίνους πέντε καὶ τριάκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν. Οἶμαι τοί νυν αὐτὸν κληθῆναι οἶκον δρυμοῦ τοῦ Λιβάνου, ἐπειδὴ πλῆθος εἶχε κιόνων κεδρίνων, μιμουμένων τοῦ Λιβάνου τὸ ἄλσος. Αἰλὰμ δὲ πάλιν τὸ προπύ λαιον ὠνόμασεν· οὗ τὸ μῆκος ἰσόμετρον ἦν τῷ πλά τει τοῦ οἴκου· πεντήκοντα γὰρ πήχεων τὸ μῆκος, τριάκοντα δὲ τὸ εὖρος. Ὅτι δὲ τῷ δικαστηρίῳ συν ήρμοστο οὗτος ὁ οἶκος, ἱστορία διδάσκει. "Καὶ τὸ Αἰλὰμ τῶν θρόνων, οὗ κρινεῖ ἐκεῖ. Αἰλὰμ τοῦ κριτηρίου, καὶ ὁ οἶκος αὐτῶν, ἐν ᾧ καθήσεται ἐκεῖ," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ὅτι δὲ εἰς τάσδε τὰς οἰκοδομίας τοῖς τμητοῖς ἐχρήσατο λίθοις, τὰ ἑξῆς διδάσκει. "Ταῦ τα γὰρ πάντα, φησὶν, ἐκ λίθων τιμίων κεκο λαμμένων, ἐκ διαστήματος ἔσωθεν, καὶ ἐκ τῶν θεμελίων ἕως τῶν γεισῶν." Ὅτι δὲ ∆αβεὶρ τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων καλεῖ, σαφέστερον ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας μανθάνομεν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ ὁ συγγραφεὺς, ὅτι τῆς οἰ κοδομῆς τέλος λαβούσης συνήγαγε τὸν λαὸν, ὥστε τῶν ἐγκαινίων ἐπιτελέσαι τὴν ἑορτὴν, ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ ἐκφέρουσιν οἱ ἱερεῖς τὴν κιβωτὸν δια θήκης Κυρίου εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς, εἰς τὸ ∆αβεὶρ τοῦ οἴκου, εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυ γας τῶν Χερουβείμ." ΕΡΩΤ. ΚΖʹ. Πῶς νοητέον, "Ἃ ἐλάλησας ἐν τῷ ὀνόμα τί σου, καὶ ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου ἐπλήρωσας, ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη;" ∆ιὰ τῆς γλώσσης λόγους προφέρομεν· διὰ δὲ τῶν χειρῶν ἐργαζόμεθα. Ἀνθρωπίνως τοίνυν τοῖς λόγοις χρησάμενος εἴρηκεν, ὅτι "Οἷς εἶπας τὸ πέρας ἐπέθηκας." Ἐπαγγειλάμενος γὰρ τῷ ἐμῷ πατρὶ, σῷ δὲ θεράποντι, καὶ βασιλέα χειροτονήσειν τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ, καὶ δι' αὐτὸν τὸν σὸν οἰκοδομήσειν ναὸν, ἔδειξας τῶν σῶν λόγων ἀλήθειαν. Φύσιν γὰρ ἀπε ρίληπτον ἔχων, καὶ μήτε τῷ ὁρωμένῳ, μήτε τῷ ὑπερτέρῳ χειρούμενος οὐρανῷ, χειροποίητον ναὸν σαυτῷ κατεσκεύασας, οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ περιγραφόμενος, ἀλλ' ἐν τούτῳ τὴν οἰκείαν ποιούμενος ἐπιφάνειαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη, τοῦ εἶναι τοὺς