Theodoret of Cyrus, Questions on the Books of Kings and Chronicles

he says, the hand of the Lord was upon him, and he said: Thus says the Lord. QUES. XIII. How should this be understood: "And there was great indignation against Israel?" The Moabites being utterly destroyed, their king attempted to flee from them. But since the steadfast and noble part of the phalanx did not yield, he offered his firstborn son, whom he had as successor to the kingdom, as a whole burnt offering upon a certain tower. The multitude of the enemies, seeing this, pitied the suffering and lifted the siege. 80.753 QUES. XIV. Concerning whom did the woman say: "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he was a servant of the Lord?" Some say it was Obadiah, the steward of Ahab, who, having hidden the hundred men in two caves, nourished them with bread and water; and that the debt was incurred because of his care for them. It is worthy to marvel at the power of the prophets, that by causing existing things to spring forth, they provide the resources of life. For the great Elijah also made the very small amount of flour and oil to suffice for a very long time; and he who received a double portion of his grace, having commanded the other widow’s very small amount of oil to be put into very many vessels, both paid off the husband’s debt, and nourished her and her children. And from this it is easy to know that even when the people were transgressing and the kings were impious, there were some who were pious. For of these were Obadiah, and the seven thousand who did not bend the knee to Baal; and the wonderful Shunammite, who deemed the prophet worthy of much care. The prophet, rewarding her care, asked if she had a word to speak to the king, or to the commander of the army; and being able to provide her divine assistance, he also wished to deem her worthy of human providence. QUES. XV. What is: "I dwell among my own people?" I rejoice, she says, in tranquility, and I live peaceably, and I cannot bear to have a dispute with anyone. QUES. XVI. How should this be understood: "About this season, according to the time of life, you shall be alive, and have embraced a son?" This the God of all also said to the patriarch Abraham: "At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son." Therefore, through what the prophet has said, it is clear that the Lord of all himself spoke through him. For which reason he also gave the promise declaratively, surpassing the weakness of nature. However, having learned by experience the power of the prophet, even when the child died she hoped he would be resurrected. For having laid him dead on the prophet's bed, and having shut the door, she went and came to the prophet, 80.756 not even telling her husband the reason for her journey. He therefore, not knowing, asked: "Why are you going to him today? It is neither new moon, nor Sabbath." For they were accustomed to keep festival on the Sabbaths and on the new moons. But she said, Peace; I wish, she says, to greet him. But the prophet, seeing her from afar, asked through Gehazi how she was, and her husband, and the child; for this is what is meant by, Is it peace with you? is it peace with your husband? is it peace with the child? instead of, Are you well, are you in good health? But to Gehazi she said, Peace, but taking hold of the prophet's feet, she revealed her suffering. Her tears revealed the pain. And when Gehazi tried to raise her up, the prophet said: "Let her alone, for her soul is in distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me." It is clear, therefore, from this also, that the prophets did not foreknow all things, but only what the divine grace revealed to them. QUES. XVII Why then, when sending Gehazi for the resurrection of the child, did he command him: "If you find anyone on the road, do not bless him; and if anyone blesses you, do not answer him?" He knew him to be ambitious and vainglorious, and that to those he met on the road he would tell the reason for his haste; but vainglory hinders miracle-working. QUES. XVIII. What does this mean, "Elaad upon him?" The other interpreters have said this means "he breathed upon him". For just as the maker of all, having formed the body of Adam, through breathing in breathed the soul into him; so the

φησὶν, ἐπ' αὐτὸν χεὶρ Κυρίου, καὶ εἶπε· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος. ΕΡΩΤ. ΙΓʹ. Πῶς νοητέον· "Καὶ ἐγένετο μετάμελος μέγας Ἰσραήλ;" Τῶν Μωαβιτῶν ἄρδην ἀναιρουμένων, ἐπειράθη μὲν τούτων φυγεῖν ὁ βασιλεύς. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ στεῤ ῥὸν καὶ γενναῖον τῆς φάλαγγος οὐκ ἐνδέδωκε, τὸν πρωτότοκον υἱὸν, ὃν τῆς βασιλείας εἶχε διάδοχον, ἐπί τινος ὡλοκαύτωσε πύργου. Τοῦτο θεασάμενον τῶν πολεμίων τὸ πλῆθος, ᾤκτειρε τὸ πάθος καὶ τὴν πολιορκίαν κατέλυσεν. 80.753 ΕΡΩΤ. Ι∆ʹ. Περὶ τίνος ἔφησεν ἡ γυνή· "Ὁ δοῦλός σου ἀνήρ μου τετελεύτηκε, καὶ σὺ οἶδας, ὅτι δοῦλος ἦν τοῦ Κυρίου;" Τινές φασι τὸν Ἀβδιοῦ εἶναι τὸν οἰκονόμον τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ, ὃς τοὺς ἑκατὸν ἄνδρας ἐν δυσὶ κατα κρύψας σπηλαίοις, διέθρεψεν αὐτοὺς ἄρτῳ καὶ ὕδατι· καὶ τὸ χρέος διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἐπιμέλειαν γε γενῆσθαι. Θαυμάσαι δὲ ἄξιον τῶν προφητῶν τὴν δύ ναμιν, ὅτι τὰ ὄντα πηγάζειν παρασκευάζοντες, παρέχουσι τοῦ βίου τὰς ἀφορμάς. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ μέγας Ἠλίας τὸ βραχύτατον ἄλευρόν τε καὶ ἔλαιον ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐξαρκέσαι πεποίηκε· καὶ ὁ διπλασίαν τὴν ἐκείνου χάριν δεξάμενος, τῆς ἑτέρας χήρας τὸ ὀλί γιστον ἔλαιον παμπόλλοις ἀγγείοις ἐμβληθῆναι κελεύσας, καὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐξέτισε τὸ χρέος, καὶ αὐτὴν καὶ τοὺς παῖδας διέθρεψε. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ῥᾴδιον γνῶναι, ὡς καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ παρανομοῦντος, καὶ δυσσεβούντων τῶν βασιλέων, ἦσάν τινες εὐσεβεῖς. Ἐκ τούτων γὰρ ὁ Ἀβδιοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἑπτακισχίλιοι, οἱ μὴ κάμψαντες γόνυ τῇ Βάαλ· καὶ ἡ θαυμασία Σωμανῖτις, ἣ πολλῆς θεραπείας τὸν προφήτην ἠξίου. Ἧς τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ἀμειβόμενος ὁ προφήτης, ἤρετο εἰ ἔστιν αὐτῇ λόγος λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν βασι λέα, ἢ πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς δυνάμεως· καὶ δυ νάμενος αὐτῇ παρασχεῖν τὴν θείαν ἐπικουρίαν, καὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης αὐτὴν ἀξιῶσαι βούλεται προμη θείας. ΕΡΩΤ. ΙΕʹ. Τί ἐστιν· "Ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐγὼ κατ οικῶ;" Ἀπραγμοσύνῃ, φησὶ, χαίρω, καὶ εἰρηνικῶς διάγω, καὶ πρός τινα ἔχειν ἀμφισβήτησιν οὐκ ἀν έχομαι. ΕΡΩΤ. Ιʹ. Πῶς νοητέον· "Κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον, ὡς ἡ ὥρα αὕτη, ζῶσα σὺ, καὶ συμπεριειλη φυῖα υἱόν;" Τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τὸν πατριάρχην Ἀβραὰμ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἔφη Θεός· "Κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἐλεύσομαι, καὶ ἔσται τῇ Σάῤῥᾳ υἱός." ∆ηλοῖ τοίνυν δι' ὧν εἴρηκεν ὁ προφήτης, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐφθέγγετο δι' αὐτοῦ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Κύριος. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ ἀποφαντικῶς δέδωκε τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ὑπερβαίνουσαν τῆς φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Τῇ πείρᾳ μέντοι μαθοῦσα τοῦ προ φήτου τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ τελευτῆσαν τὸ παιδίον ἤλπι σεν ἀναστήσεσθαι. Ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ γὰρ τοῦτο τοῦ προ φήτου νεκρὸν κατακλίνασα, καὶ τὴν θύραν ἀποκλεί σασα, βαδίζουσα πρὸς τὸν προφήτην ἀφίκετο, 80.756 οὐδὲ τῷ ἀνδρὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἀποδημίας μηνύσασα. Ἐκεῖνος οὖν ἀγνοῶν ἤρετο· "Τί ὅτι σὺ πορεύῃ σήμερον πρὸς αὐτόν; Οὐ νουμηνία, οὐδὲ Σάββα τον." Καὶ ἐν τοῖς Σάββασι, καὶ ἐν ταῖς νουμη νίαις γὰρ ἑορτάζειν εἰώθεισαν. Ἡ δὲ εἶπεν, Εἰρήνη· προσειπεῖν αὐτὸν, φησὶ, βούλομαι. Πόῤῥωθεν δὲ αὐ τὴν ὁ προφήτης ἰδὼν, ἤρετο διὰ τοῦ Γιεζεὶ ὅπως ἔχουσι καὶ αὐτὴ, καὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς, καὶ τὸ παιδά ριον· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ, Εἰρήνη σοί; εἰρήνη τῷ ἀνδρί σου; εἰρήνη τῷ παιδαρίῳ; ἀντὶ τοῦ, Καλῶς διάγετε, ὑγιαίνετε; Ἡ δὲ πρὸς μὲν τὸν Γιεζεὶ εἶπεν, Εἰρήνη, τῶν δὲ τοῦ προφήτου ποδῶν ἐπιλαβομένη, τὸ πάθος ἐμήνυσεν. Ἐδήλου δὲ τὴν ὀδύνην τὰ δά κρυα. Ἀναστῆσαι δὲ αὐτὴν πειρωμένου τοῦ Γιεζεὶ, ὁ προφήτης εἶπεν· "Ἄφες αὐτὴν, ὅτι κατώδυνος ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῆς, καὶ Κύριος ἀπέκρυψεν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἀνήγγειλέ μοι." ∆ῆλον τοίνυν κἀντεῦθεν, ὡς οὐχ ἅπαντα προῄδεισαν οἱ προφῆται, ἀλλ' ἅπερ ἡ θεία χάρις αὐτοῖς ἀπεκάλυπτεν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΙΖʹ Τί δήποτε εἰς τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ παιδὸς ἀπο στείλας τὸν Γιεζεὶ, παρηγγύησεν αὐτῷ· "Ἐὰν εὕρῃς τινὰ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, μὴ εὐλογήσῃς αὐ τόν· καὶ ἐὰν εὐλογήσῃ σέ τις, μὴ ἀποκριθῇς αὐτῷ;" Ἤδει αὐτὸν φιλότιμον καὶ κενόδοξον, καὶ ὅτι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐντυγχάνουσι τοῦ δρόμου τὴν αἰτίαν ἐρεῖ· ἡ δὲ κενοδοξία τὴν θαυματουργίαν κωλύει. ΕΡΩΤ. ΙΗʹ. Τί δηλοῖ τὸ, "Ἐλαὰδ ἐπ' αὐτόν;" Τοῦτο οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταὶ ἐνεφύσησεν εἰρήκα σιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῶν ὅλων ὁ ποιητὴς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ τὸ σῶμα δημιουργήσας, διὰ τοῦ ἐμφυσήματος ἐνεφύ σησε τὴν ψυχήν· οὕτως ὁ