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the Elamite. These things happened twice. For Ahijah, while Solomon was still alive and Jeroboam was his servant, tore his garment. Wherefore Jeroboam, with good hope, fled to Egypt. But Shemaiah the Elamite, after the death of Solomon and the return of Jeroboam, did this very same thing, reminding him of the divine prophecy, so that he might learn that the kingdom was a gift from God, and adorn his authority with divine laws. But the wretched and thrice-miserable man, having received the power from God, attempted to hold it by human and impious devices. For reasoning that the law of sacrifices compels everyone to run to the metropolis, and that by going up they would be persuaded to join the others and come under the Davidic kingdom, he constructed two golden calves and set them up at the borders of the kingdom; in order that those running away from that one, and not being vexed by approaching it, might gladly accept not running to the metropolis. And the border of the kingdom of the ten tribes on the south was Bethel; and on the north, Dan. But the stupefied man should have understood that the one who gave the kingdom was able to strengthen it. And he drove out the priests and the Levites who were dwelling in the ten tribes, and he ordained any chance persons as priests 80.709 of the calves. This alone he did according to reason; for it was not right for the priests of God to serve those who are not gods. QUES. 43. If Jeroboam made the feast of Judah in Bethel, how did the writer say, "In the feast which he devised from his own heart;" They are accustomed according to the law to celebrate the feast of tabernacles on the fifteenth day of the seventh month; but this man celebrated the festival of the calves on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. But not even thus did the philanthropic Lord overlook him as he went astray. For he sent a prophet, commanding him to say nothing to that man, but to bring the sentence to the inanimate altar; "O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: behold, a son is born to the house of David, Josiah is his name, and he will sacrifice upon you the priests of the high places, and those who sacrifice upon you; and he will burn the bones of men upon you." Then he gives a sign through a wonder, showing the truth of what was said; "For behold," he said, "the altar will be broken, and the fat that is upon it will be poured out." But that all-wicked one, when he should have been astonished at the prophet's wonder and feared the one who sent him, stretched out his hand and ordered the prophet to be seized; but the hand remained, having the shape of its extension, its muscles and sinews having been paralyzed. And the fate of the altar did not strike him with terror, but that of his hand distressed him greatly. And being exceedingly foolish, he besought the prophet to ask for him from the one who had sent him, not for the forgiveness of his transgression, but for the healing of his withered hand. And the prophet showed his gentleness, and God his philanthropy. For this one asked, and God gave the healing. But the prophet, having been deceived, fell into grievous troubles; for the king, having asked him to share his table, did not persuade him. For he said that the one who had sent him had commanded him not to partake of food or drink in that land. But another prophet, whom some consider a false prophet, having deceived him with words, persuaded him to partake of food. But I have supposed that the other was also a prophet of God; and that he used false words toward the man of God, not in order to harm him, but so that he himself might partake of the blessing. For the history teaches this. For it did not simply say that a prophet and an old man dwelt in Bethel, but "and another prophet, an old man, dwelt in Bethel." And it shows that he was a prophet, and not a false 80.712 prophet, that God foretold through him to the man of God the suffering that would come, and in addition to this, that he believed the things prophesied concerning Josiah, and commanded his sons, so that when he died he might be buried with that man's body. This one, having heard from his sons who were relating the things that had happened concerning the altar of the calves, first returned

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Ἐλαμίτην. ∆ὶς ταῦτα γεγένηται. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἀχιὰ ζῶντος ἔτι τοῦ Σολομῶντος, καὶ τοῦ Ἱεροβοὰμ δου λεύοντος, τὴν ἀμπεχόνην διέῤῥηξεν. Ὅθεν μετὰ χρηστῆς ἐλπίδος Ἱεροβοὰμ εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἔφυγε. Σαμαίας δὲ ὁ Ἐλαμίτης μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σολομῶντος τελευτὴν, καὶ τοῦ Ἱεροβοὰμ τὴν ἐπάνοδον, ταυτὸ τοῦτο πεποίηκεν, ἀναμιμνήσκων αὐτὸν τῆς θείας προῤῥήσεως, ὥστε μαθεῖν θεόσδοτον εἶναι τὴν βα σιλείαν, καὶ τοῖς θείοις νόμοις κατακοσμῆσαι τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Ἀλλὰ ὁ δείλαιος καὶ τρισάθλιος, θεόθεν τὴν δυναστείαν λαβὼν, ἀνθρωπίναις αὐτὴν καὶ δυσσεβέσιν ἔχειν ἐπεχείρησε μηχαναῖς. Λογισάμενος γὰρ, ὡς ὁ τῶν θυσιῶν νόμος δραμεῖν ἅπαντας εἰς τὴν μητρόπολιν ἀναγκάζει, ἀνιόντες δὲ συναφθῆ ναι τοῖς ἄλλοις πεισθήσονται, καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν ∆αβι δικὴν βασιλείαν γενήσονται, δύο δαμάλεις χρυσᾶς κατεσκεύασε, καὶ τοῖς ὁρίοις τῆς βασιλείας ἐπέστη σεν· ἵν' οἱ μὲν πρὸς ἐκείνην ἀποτρέχοντες, καὶ διὰ τοῦ πελάζειν μὴ δυσχεραίνοντες, ἀσπαστῶς δέ ξοιντο τὸ μὴ τρέχειν εἰς τὴν μητρόπολιν. Ὅριον δὲ τῆς τῶν δέκα φυλῶν βασιλείας ἀπὸ νότου μὲν, ἡ Βαιθήλ· ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ δὲ, ἡ ∆άν. Ἔδει δὲ συνιδεῖν τὸν ἐμβρόντητον, ὡς ὁ δωρησάμενος τὴν βασιλείαν ἱκα νὸς ταύτην κρατῦναι. Ἐξήλασε δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας καὶ τοὺς Λευΐτας, τοὺς ἐν ταῖς δέκα φυλαῖς οἰ κοῦντας, καὶ τῶν δαμάλεων τοὺς τυχόντας ἱερέας 80.709 ἐχειροτόνησε. Τοῦτο μόνον κατὰ λόγον πεποιηκώς· οὐ γὰρ ἔδει τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς ἱερέας τοῖς οὐκ οὖσι λα τρεύειν θεοῖς. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΓʹ. Εἰ τὴν ἑορτὴν τοῦ Ἰούδα ἐποίησεν Ἱεροβοὰμ ἐν Βαιθὴλ, πῶς ἔφη ὁ συγγραφεὺς, "Ἐν τῇ ἑορτῆ ἣν ἐπλάσατο ἀπὸ καρδίας αὑτοῦ·" Τῇ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ ἑβδόμου μηνὸς ἐπιτε λεῖν εἰώθασι κατὰ τὸν νόμον τῆς σκηνοπηγίας τὴν ἑορτήν· οὗτος δὲ τῇ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ ὀγδόου μη νὸς τῶν δαμάλεων ἐπετέλεσε τὴν πανήγυριν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως παρεῖδεν αὐτὸν πλανώμενον ὁ φιλάνθρω πος Κύριος. Ἀπέστειλε γὰρ προφήτην, ἐντειλάμενος αὐτῷ, μηδὲν μὲν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εἰπεῖν, τῷ ἀψύχῳ δὲ θυσιαστηρίῳ προσενεγκεῖν τὴν ἀπόφασιν· "Θυσια στήριον, θυσιαστήριον, τάδε λέγει Κύριος· ἰδοὺ υἱὸς τίκτεται τῷ οἴκῳ ∆αβὶδ, Ἰωσίας ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καὶ θύσει ἐπὶ σὲ τοὺς ἱερέας τῶν ὑψηλῶν, καὶ τοὺς θύοντας ἐπὶ σέ· καὶ ὀστᾶ ἀνθρώπων κατακαύσει ἐπὶ σέ." Εἶτα δίδωσι πέρας τῇ θαυματουργίᾳ, δει κνὺς τῶν εἰρημένων τὸ ἀψευδές· "Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, ἔφη, ῥαγήσεται τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ ἐκχυθήσεται ἡ πιότης ἡ οὖσα ἐπ' αὐτῷ." Ἀλλ' ὁ παμπόνηρος ἐκεῖ νος, δέον ἐκπλαγῆναι τοῦ προφήτου τὸ θαῦμα, καὶ δεῖσαι τὸν πεπομφότα, ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα συλλη φθῆναι τὸν προφήτην προσέταξεν· ἀλλ' ἔμεινε τὸ τῆς ἐκτάσεως ἔχουσα σχῆμα ἡ χεὶρ, τῶν μυῶν καὶ τῶν νεύρων διαλυθέντων. Καὶ τοῦ μὲν βωμοῦ τὸ πάθος αὐτὸν οὐ κατέπληξε· τὸ δὲ τῆς χειρὸς ἄγαν ἠνίασε. Λίαν δὲ ἠλίθιος ὢν, προφήτην ἱκέτευσεν αἰτῆσαι αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ πεπομφότος, οὐ τῆς παρα νομίας τὴν ἄφεσιν, ἀλλὰ τῆς χειρὸς τῆς ξηρανθεί σης τὴν ἴασιν. Ἔδειξε δὲ καὶ ὁ προφήτης τὸ ἥμερον, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τὸ φιλάνθρωπον. Καὶ οὗτος γὰρ ᾔτησε· καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ἴασιν ἔδωκεν. Ὁ δέ γε προφήτης φενακισθεὶς ἀνιαροῖς περιέπεσεν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ βασι λεὺς αὐτὸν κοινωνῆσαί οἱ τραπέζης ἀξιώσας οὐκ ἔπεισεν. Ἔφη γὰρ τὸν πεπομφότα προστεταχέναι, μὴ τροφῆς, μὴ ποτοῦ μεταλαβεῖν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ γῇ. Ἄλλος δέ τις προφήτης, ὅν τινες ψευδοπροφήτην νομίζουσι, λόγοις αὐτὸν ἐξαπατήσας μεταλαβεῖν σι τίων ἀνέπεισεν. Ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ μὲν καὶ τὸν ἄλλον προφήτην ὑπείληφα· ψευδέσι δὲ χρήσασθαι λόγοις πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐχ ἵνα τοῦτον βλάψῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα αὐτὸς μεταλάβῃ τῆς εὐλογίας. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, ὅτι προφήτης καὶ πρεσβύτης κατῴκει ἐν Βαιθήλ· ἀλλὰ "καὶ προφήτης ἄλλος πρεσβύτης κατῴκει ἐν Βαιθήλ." ∆ηλοῖ δὲ προφήτην ὄντα, καὶ οὐ ψευδο 80.712 προφήτην, τὸ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν δι' αὐτοῦ προειπεῖν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἐσόμενον πάθος, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις τὸ πιστεῦσαι τοῖς περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσίου προῤ ῥηθεῖσι, καὶ τοῖς υἱέσιν ἐντείλασθαι, ὥστε αὐτὸν τελευτήσαντα ἐκείνου τῷ σώματι συνθάψαι. Οὗ τος τῶν υἱέων ἀκούσας διηγουμένων τὰ περὶ τὸν τῶν δαμάλεων γεγενημένα βωμὸν, πρῶτον μὲν ἐπ έστρεψε