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a prophet, having breathed upon him, raised the boy. But the creator, having breathed, created the soul which was not; but the prophet brought back the existing soul to its own body. But what is "breathed into him," others have said "covered him." And he fitted his own sense organs to those of the boy, eyes to eyes, mouth to mouth, hands to hands; so that the dead one might partake of the life of the living one, with the spiritual grace, of course, supplying the life. 80.757 QUESTION 19. What is "to gather arioth?" Others have interpreted these as wild herbs. With these, those who were gathering unknowingly mixed in the wild gourd; but the prophet blunted the effect of the poison, by ordering flour to be thrown into the pot. But it was not the nature of the flour that blunted it, but the grace of the prophet. So also the salt did not change the barrenness of the waters into fertility, but the power of the prophetic spirit. Indeed, the history teaches the possessionless life of the prophets. For their leader now feasted them with wild herbs; and now he set twenty barley loaves before a hundred men, and these brought by others. And he imparted to them so great a blessing, that it both fulfilled the need of the hundred, and after they were satisfied, a sufficient amount was left over. And so great was the power of that poverty, that the king of the Syrians needed that grace, and sent Naaman the general, so that through the prophetic prayer he might be freed from leprosy; and the king of Israel, having read the Syrian's letter, tore his clothes because of the difficulty. But the poor prophet rebuked him; and he instructed that Naaman be sent to him, and he did not endure to see him, as a leper, observing the law, as one living under the law; but he commanded him to wash seven times in the Jordan river. The leprosy was of the body; and this is composed of the four elements; and in seven days the present life is recycled. But the purification of the soul is accomplished according to the number of the holy Trinity. But Naaman at first objected, saying that the rivers of Damascus were better; but having accepted the suggestion of his servants, he departed; and having been freed from the affliction, he came to the prophet. And first he brought him the most valuable gifts; but the prophet preferred the much-desired poverty over all wealth, and he fulfilled the evangelical legislation before the legislation. "For freely," he says, "you have received, freely give." And that wonderful 80.760 man, believing that the very land of Israel was holy, requested to take from it two mule-loads, so that upon it he might offer the customary sacrifices to the Lord God alone. "For your servant," he says, "will no longer make a burnt offering or a sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord. And concerning this matter may the Lord pardon your servant, that when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand; and when he worships in the house of Rimmon, I will worship the Lord God along with him, and may the Lord pardon your servant concerning this matter." "It is necessary for me," he says, "to go in with the king who wishes to worship the falsely-named god. But when I go in, I will worship the true God; beseeching to receive pardon, because I am compelled by royal necessity to go in to the falsely-named god. For this he has declared, saying: "May the Lord pardon your servant concerning this matter." And these words accuse the multitude of the Jews, because although they had the law, and prophets, and priests, and saw miracles and divine signs, they preferred the worship of idols over the worship of God. And it is worthy to admire both the strength of the prophet's grace and the justice of his sentence. For he knew of Gehazi's theft, and he assigned Naaman's leprosy to him. "Was not my heart with you," he says, "when Naaman got down from his chariot to meet you? And now you have taken the silver, and the garments, and you will receive with it

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προφήτης ἐμφυσήσας ἀν έστησε τὸ μειράκιον. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν δημιουργὸς ἐμφυ σήσας ἐδημιούργησε τὴν οὐκ οὖσαν ψυχήν· ὁ δέ γε προφήτης τὴν οὖσαν εἰς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἐπανήγαγε σῶμα. Τὸ δὲ ἐνέπνευσεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν, συνεκάλυψεν οἱ ἄλλοι εἰρήκασι. Τὰ δὲ οἰκεῖα αἰσθητήρια τοῖς ἐκείνου προσήρμοσεν, ὀφθαλμοὺς ὀφθαλμοῖς, στόμα στόματι, χεῖρας χερσίν· ἵνα τῆς τοῦ ζῶντος ὁ τε θνεὼς μεταλάβῃ ζωῆς, τῆς πνευματικῆς δηλονότι χάριτος τὴν ζωὴν χορηγούσης. 80.757 ΕΡΩΤ. ΙΘʹ. Τί ἐστι "συλλέξαι ἀριώθ;" Οἱ ἄλλοι ἄγρια λάχανα ταῦτα ἡρμήνευσαν. Τούτοις τὴν τολύπην οἱ συλλέγοντες ἀγνοοῦντες ἀνέμιξαν· ἀλλὰ τοῦ δηλητηρίου τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἤμ βλυνεν ὁ προφήτης, ἄλευρον ἐπιβληθῆναι κελεύσας τῷ λέβητι. Ἤμβλυνε δὲ οὐχ ἡ τοῦ ἀλεύρου φύσις, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ προφήτου χάρις. Οὕτω καὶ τῶν ὑδάτων ἀγονίαν εἰς πολυγονίαν οὐχ οἱ ἅλες μετέβαλον, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ προφητικοῦ πνεύματος δύναμις. Τῶν μέντοι προφητῶν τὸν ἀκτήμονα βίον ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Ὁ γὰρ τούτων πρωτεύων νῦν μὲν ἀγρίοις αὐτοὺς λα χάνοις εἱστίασε· νῦν δὲ κριθίνους εἴκοσιν ἑκατὸν ἀνδράσι παρέθηκε, καὶ τούτους ὑφ' ἑτέρων προσ ενεχθέντας. Τοσαύτης δὲ αὐτοῖς εὐλογίας μετέδωκεν, ὡς καὶ τῶν ἑκατὸν πληρῶσαι τὴν χρείαν, καὶ μετὰ τὸν ἐκείνων κόρον ἱκανοὺς περιττεῦσαι. Τοσαύτη δὲ ἦν τῆς πενίας ἐκείνης ἡ δύναμις, ὡς τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Σύρων ἐκείνης δεηθῆναι τῆς χάριτος, καὶ Νεε μὰν ἀποστεῖλαι τὸν στρατηγὸν, ὥστε αὐτὸν διὰ τῆς προφητικῆς προσευχῆς ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς λέπρας· καὶ ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς Ἰσραὴλ τοῖς τοῦ Σύρου ἐντυ χὼν γράμμασι, δι' ἀφορίαν τὴν ἐσθῆτα διέῤῥηξεν. Ὁ δέ γε προφήτης ὁ πένης αὐτῷ μὲν ἐνεμέσησεν· ἀποσταλῆναι δὲ αὐτῷ τὸν Νεεμὰν παρηγγύησε, καὶ ἰδεῖν μὲν αὐτὸν, ὡς λεπρὸν, οὐκ ἠνέσχετο τὸν νόμον φυλάττων, ὡς ὑπὸ τῷ νόμῳ πολιτευόμενος· ἑπτάκις δὲ λούσασθαι ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ αὐτὸν προσέταξε πο ταμῷ. Σώματος δὲ ἦν ἡ λέπρα· ἐκ δὲ τῶν τεσ σάρων τοῦτο στοιχείων συνέστηκεν· ἐν ἑπτὰ δὲ ἡμέραις ὁ παρὼν βίος ἀνακυκλοῦται. Τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς ἡ κάθαρσις κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῆς ἁγίας ἀποτελεῖται Τριάδος. Ὁ δὲ Νεεμὰν τὸ πρῶτον μὲν ἀντεῖπε, βελ- τίους εἶναι τοὺς ∆αμασκοῦ ποταμοὺς εἰρηκώς· τὴν εἰσήγησιν δὲ τῶν οἰκείων δεξάμενος, ἀπελήλυθε· καὶ τοῦ πάθους ἀπαλλαγεὶς προσελήλυθε τῷ προφήτῃ. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν αὐτῷ τὰ πολύτιμα προσενήνοχε δῶρα· ὁ δὲ προφήτης τὴν πολυπόθητον πενίαν παν τὸς προτετίμηκε πλούτου, καὶ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν νο μοθεσίαν πρὸ τῆς νομοθεσίας πεπλήρωκε. "∆ωρεὰν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐλάβετε, δωρεὰν δότε." Ὁ δὲ θαυμάσιος 80.760 ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ, καὶ αὐτὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν γῆν ἡγιᾶ σθαι πιστεύων, ἠξίωσε δύο γόμους ἡμιονικοὺς ἐκ ταύτης λαβεῖν, ὥστε ἐπὶ ταύτης μόνῳ προσ φέρειν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ Θεῷ τὰς νενομισμένας θυσίας. "Οὐ γὰρ ποιήσει, φησὶν, ὁ δοῦλός σου ὁλοκαύτωμα ἢ θυσίαν θεοῖς ἑτέροις, ἀλλ' ἢ τῷ Κυρίῳ μόνῳ. Καὶ περὶ τοῦ λόγου τούτου ἱλάσεταί μοι Κύριος τῷ δούλῳ σου, καὶ ἐν τῷ εἰσπορεύεσθαι τὸν κύριόν μου εἰς οἶκον Ῥεεμὰν προσκυνῆσαι ἐκεῖ, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐπαναπαύεται ἐπὶ τῆς χειρός μου· καὶ ἐν τῷ προσ κυνεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς οἶκον Ῥεεμὰν, προσκυνήσω ἅμα αὐτῷ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἱλάσεται Κύριος τῷ δούλῳ σου περὶ τοῦ λόγου τούτου." Ἀνάγκη με, φησὶ, συνεισιέναι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸν ψευδώνυμον θεὸν προσ κυνεῖν βουλομένῳ. Ἀλλ' εἰσιὼν ἐγὼ τὸν ἀληθινὸν προσκυνήσω Θεόν· συγγνώμης τυχεῖν ἱκετεύων, ὅτι δὴ διὰ τὴν βασιλικὴν ἀνάγκην εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν ψευδώνυμον θεὸν ἀναγκάζομαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ δεδή λωκεν, εἰρηκώς· "Ἱλάσεταί μοι Κύριος τῷ δούλῳ σου περὶ τοῦ λόγου τούτου." Ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ῥήματα τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς πληθύος κατηγορεῖ, ὅτι καὶ νόμον ἔχοντες, καὶ προφήτας, καὶ ἱερέας, καὶ θαυματουρ γίας καὶ θεοσημίας ὁρῶντες, τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων θε ραπείαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προτετιμήκασι θεραπείας. Ἄξιον δὲ θαυμάσαι τοῦ προφήτου καὶ τῆς χάριτος τὴν ἰσχὺν, καὶ τῆς ψήφου τὸ δίκαιον. Καὶ γὰρ ἔγνω τοῦ Γιεζεὶ τὴν κλοπὴν, καὶ τὴν λέπραν αὐτῷ τοῦ Νεεμὰν ἀπεκλήρωσεν. "Οὐχὶ ἡ καρδία μου, φησὶν, ἦν μετὰ σοῦ, ὅτε κατεπήδησε Νεεμὰν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἅρ ματος αὐτοῦ εἰς συνάντησίν σου; Καὶ νῦν ἔλαβες τὸ ἀργύριον, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ λήψῃ ἐν αὐτῷ