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three, nor four, nor five, and ten, but one hundred divided in two. And he did not fear the ruler’s bloodthirstiness, but preferred piety above all. Then, seeing the great Elijah, he fell on his face and said, "Is it you yourself, my lord Elijah?" And what follows also shows his piety. "For it will be," he says, "when I have gone from you, that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a land that I do not know." For these are the words of a man who meditates on divine things and who understands the power of the divine Spirit. Q. 56. Why, when the Law prescribes worship in one place, did Elijah build an altar on Carmel? Because "the law is not laid down for the just," according to the divine Apostle, "but for the lawless and disobedient." For He legislated for Israel to worship in one place because of the fickleness of their mind, so that, not having received permission, they might not also worship the falsely-named gods. But the prophet wished to show the weakness of the people-deceiving demons, and the omnipotence of the God of all; but it was not possible to bring them to the temple in Jerusalem, since the kingdom was divided in two. Therefore he led them up to Carmel, where he spent most of his time. Q. 57. How should this be understood: "How long will you go limping between two different opinions?" They both worshipped God and served idols. Therefore he added, "If the Lord is God, come and let us go after Him. But if Baal is, go after him." Neither does God wish, he says, for the falsely-named gods to be honored, nor do they wish for the true God to be worshipped. But you do both this and that, and you keep a firm loyalty to neither. Q. 58. Why did he command the priests of Baal to choose the fatter bull, and to be the first to perform the sacrifice? The true God is in need of none of these things. Therefore, so that the ministers of falsehood, having been put to shame, might not say that Baal was angry because he had not received the first prize, he yielded the first place to them. 80.732 But when these things had been done, they accomplished nothing; for the idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands; they have ears and will not hear. Mocking them, the prophet said, "Call with a loud voice together, lest perhaps he is occupied with some idle talk; perhaps he is prophesying, or perhaps he is sleeping, and will awake." It is likely, he says, that he is sleeping, or presiding over other things, or is busy with other matters, so that he does not hear one person calling. Therefore it is fitting for all to cry out together, so that the greatness of the shout may drive out the sleep. And the very foolish ones were persuaded by these words, and they let out a common cry, and cut themselves with knives and lances until the shedding of blood. For the avengers of men, being bloodthirsty, delight in the blood of men. For this reason, the priests served them in this manner. And the writer has shown this by saying, "They cut themselves according to their custom." Having thus exposed their deception, both by yielding the first place, and by giving them almost the whole day, until about sunset; for the history has shown this, as "For it came to pass," it says, "at the time of the offering of the sacrifice;" he gathered all the people, and having commanded that stones equal in number to their tribes, not of the ten, but of the twelve, be brought, he built the ruined altar of God; and having laid the wood in order, he placed the sacrificial victim upon it. And having dug a trench around it, he made a container for water. The Hebrew called this a thaala, but Josephus a cistern. And he brought not fire, but water to the wood. For again, having commanded that pitchers equal in number to the tribes be brought, and having filled these with water, he poured it on the sacrifice. And he did this not only once, nor twice, but even three times, again showing the number of the adored Trinity. And using a cry, he besought the God of the fathers to show the difference, and to turn back the deceived people, and to consume the sacrifice with fire sent from God; and before the prayer had yet received its end, the fire came down,

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τρεῖς, οὐδὲ τέσσαρας, οὐδὲ πέντε, καὶ δέκα, ἀλλ' ἑκατὸν διχῆ διελών. Καὶ οὐκ ἔδεισε τῆς κρατούσης μιαιφονίαν, ἀλλὰ πάντων προετίμησε τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Ἔπειτα δὲ τὸν μέγαν Ἠλίαν ἰδὼν, ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν· "Εἰ σὺ εἶ αὐτὸς, κύριέ μου Ἠλίας;" Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ δείκνυσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐσέβειαν. "Ἔσται γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτε ἀπέλθω ἀπὸ σοῦ, καὶ Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἄρῃ σε εἰς γῆν ἣν οὐκ οἶδα." Ἀνδρὸς γὰρ ταῦτα μελετῶντος τὰ θεῖα, καὶ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ἐπισταμένου τὴν δύναμιν. ΕΡΩΤ. Νʹ. Τί δήποτε, τοῦ νόμου διαγορεύοντος ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ λατρεύειν, ὁ Ἠλίας ἐν τῷ Καρμήλῳ θυσιαστή ριον ᾠκοδόμησεν; Ὅτι "Τῷ δικαίῳ νόμος οὐ κεῖται," κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον, "ἀνόμοις δὲ καὶ ἀνυποτάκτοις." Καὶ γὰρ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ διὰ τὴν εὐκολίαν τῆς γνώμης ἐν ἑνὶ χωρίῳ λατρεύειν ἐνομοθέτησε, ἵνα μὴ λαβόντες ἄδειαν προσκυνήσωσι καὶ τοῖς ψευδωνύμοις θεοῖς. Ὁ δὲ προφήτης δεῖξαι ἠβουλήθη τῶν μὲν λαοπλάνων δαιμόνων τὸ ἀσθενὲς, τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τὸ παντοδύναμον· ἀγαγεῖν δὲ αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν ἐν Ἱεροσο λύμοις ναὸν οὐχ οἷόν τε ἦν, διχῆ τῆς βασιλείας διῃρημένης. Ὅθεν αὐτοὺς ἀνήγαγεν εἰς τὸν Κάρμη λον, ἔνθα τὰς πλείους ἐποιεῖτο διατριβάς. ΕΡΩΤ. ΝΖʹ. Πῶς νοητέον· "Ἕως πότε χωλανεῖτε ἐπ' ἀμφο τέραις ταῖς ἰγνύαις ὑμῶν;" Καὶ τὸν Θεὸν προσεκύνουν, καὶ τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευον. Ὅθεν ἐπήγαγεν· "Εἰ ἔστι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, δεῦτε καὶ πορευθῶμεν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ. Εἰ δὲ ὁ Βάαλ ἐστὶν, πορεύεσθε ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ." Οὔτε ὁ Θεὸς βούλεται, φησὶ, τιμᾶσθαι τοὺς ψευδωνύμους θεοὺς, οὔτε αὐτοὶ τὸν ἀληθινὸν προσκυνεῖσθαι Θεόν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ ταῦτα κἀκεῖνα ποιεῖτε, καὶ οὐδετέρῳ φυλάτ τετε βεβαίαν τὴν εὔνοιαν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΝΗʹ. Τίνος ἕνεκα τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τοῦ Βάαλ τὸν πίονα βοῦν ἐκ λέξασθαι, καὶ πρώτοις ἐπιτελέσαι τὴν θυσίαν προσέταξεν; Ὁ ὄντως Θεὸς οὐδενὸς τούτων ἐνδεής ἐστιν. Ἵνα τοίνυν καταισχυνθέντες οἱ τοῦ ψεύδους ὑπηρέται μὴ εἴπωσι χαλεπαίνειν τὸν Βάαλ, ὡς μὴ τὸ πρῶτον δεξάμενον γέρας, τῶν πρωτείων αὐτοῖς παρεχώρη 80.732 σεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τούτων γεγενημένων οὐδὲν ἐπέ ραινον· τὰ γὰρ εἴδωλα τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον, ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὦτα ἔχουσι καὶ οὐκ ἀκούσονται· ἐπικερτομῶν αὐτοῖς ἔλεγεν ὁ προ φήτης· "Ἐπικαλεῖσθε ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἅμα, μή ποτε ἀδολεσχία τις αὐτῷ ἐστι· μήποτε χρηματίζει αὐτὸς, ἢ μήποτε καθεύδει, καὶ ἐξαναστήσεται." Εἰκὸς αὐτὸν, φησὶ, καθεύδειν, ἢ ἕτερά τινα πρυτα νεύειν, ἢ περὶ ἄλλα σχολάζειν, ὅθεν ἑνὸς οὐκ ἐπαΐῃ καλοῦντος. Προσήκει τοίνυν κοινῇ πάντας βοῆσαι, ἵνα τὸ μέγα τῆς βοῆς ἐξελάσῃ τὸν ὕπνον. Ὑπήχθη σαν δὲ τοῖς λόγοις οἱ λίαν ἀνόητοι, καὶ κοινὴν ἀφῆκαν βοὴν, καὶ κατετέμνοντο ἐν μαχαίραις καὶ σειρομάσταις ἑαυτοὺς ἕως ἐκχύσεως αἵματος. Μιαι φόνοι γὰρ ὄντες οἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀλάστορες τοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων αἵμασιν ἐπιτέρπονται. Οὗ δὴ χάριν τοῦτον αὐτοὺς τὸν τρόπον οἱ ἱερεῖς ἐθεράπευον. Καὶ τοῦτο δεδήλωκεν ὁ συγγραφεὺς εἰρηκὼς, "Κατετέ μνοντο κατὰ τὸν ἐθισμὸν αὐτῶν." Τούτων οὕτως τὴν ἀπάτην γυμνώσας, καὶ τῷ τῶν πρωτείων παρα χωρῆσαι, καὶ τῷ πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς σχεδὸν τὴν ἡμέραν ἐνδοῦναι, περὶ αὐτὰς τὰς ἡλίου δυσμάς· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ ἱστορία δεδήλωκεν· ὡς "Ἐγένετο γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀναβῆναι τὴν θυσίαν·" συνήθροισε μὲν ἅπαντα τὸν λαὸν, ἰσαρίθμους δὲ τῶν φυλῶν αὐτῶν, οὐ τῶν δέκα, ἀλλὰ τῶν δυοκαίδεκα λίθους κομισθῆναι κελεύσας, τὸ κατεσκαμμένον τοῦ Θεοῦ θυσιαστήριον ᾠκοδόμησε· καὶ τὰ ξύλα συντεθεικὼς, τὸ ἱερεῖον ἐπέθηκεν. Ἐν κύκλῳ δὲ διορύξας, δοχεῖον ἐποίησεν ὕδατος. Τοῦτο ὁ μὲν Ἑβραῖος θααλὰ προσηγόρευ σεν, ὁ δὲ Ἰώσηπος δεξαμενήν. Προσ ήνεγκε δὲ οὐ πῦρ, ἀλλ' ὕδωρ τοῖς ξύλοις. Ἰσαρίθμους γὰρ πάλιν τῶν φυλῶν ἀμφορέας ἐνεχθῆναι κελεύ σας, καὶ τούτους ὕδατος ἐμπλήσας, ἐπέχεεν τῇ θυσίᾳ. Οὐχὶ ἅπαξ δὲ μόνον, οὐδὲ δὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τρὶς τοῦτο πεποίηκε, τῆς προσκυνουμένης πάλιν Τριάδος ἐμφαίνων τὸν ἀριθμόν. Βοῇ δὲ χρησάμενος ἱκέτευσε τὸν τῶν πατέρων Θεὸν δεῖξαι τὸ διάφορον, καὶ τὸν ἐξαπατημένον ἐπιστρέψαι λαὸν, καὶ θεοσδό τῳ πυρὶ τὴν θυσίαν ὁλοκαυτῶσαι· καὶ τῆς εὐχῆς μηδέπω δεξαμένης τὸ πέρας, κατηνέχθη τὸ πῦρ,