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accusation. QUESTION 48. For whom did Ahaz command the altar to be built in the divine temple? I do not think he had it constructed for the God of all, but for one of the falsely-named gods. For the book of Chronicles hints at this. For it says thus: "And Ahaz continued to apostatize from the Lord, and king Ahaz said, I will seek the gods of Damascus who smite me; and he said, that the gods of the king of Syria strengthen them. Therefore I will sacrifice to them, and they will help me. And they became a stumbling block to him, and to all Israel." And the things that 80.781 follow also declare this: "And Ahaz removed the vessels of the house of the Lord, and cut them up, and shut the doors of the house of the Lord, and made for himself an altar in every corner of Jerusalem." These and things consistent with these he did. And the book of Kings itself also signifies this. "For, it says, king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria; and he saw the altar in Damascus, and king Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest its measure, and its likeness, and its pattern, according to all its workmanship." At once, then, he also moved the bronze altar, which Solomon had constructed; and he placed the newly-made one in its place. But that the *mekonoth* were also bases, the following teaches. "For, it says, king Ahaz cut off the borders of the *mekonoth*, and removed the laver from them." And he dared another impiety. For he moved the door of the palace inside the divine temple, making the passage through the sacred courts. And this the history teaches us, that Adrammelech the Ethiopian dwelt in Egypt. But the others interpreted Manaa as gifts. QUESTION 49. What is, "From the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city?" In every place, he says, he built altars to demons, and not only in cities and villages, but also in the towers along the road, in which a few are accustomed to keep watch. Here he called the high places the precincts of the idols. "For, he says, they built for themselves high places in all their cities; and the children of Israel set up for themselves pillars and groves, on every high hill, and under every leafy tree; and they burned incense there in the high places, just as the nations which the Lord removed from their presence." But I think the agreement with the nations is called "associates," and those who originated from them, and taught the laws of impiety. For the following hints at this: "And they made associates, and began to provoke the Lord, and served idols, about which the Lord said to them, You shall not do this thing." But everywhere the others interpret *alsos* as Ashtaroth. And this indicates Astarte, 80.784 that is, Aphrodite. And the phrase, "They made an ephod and teraphim;" the ephod in imitation of the priestly garment, but the teraphim were fitting for divinatory prophecies. But lest anyone should offer as a defense for Israel that the division of the kingdom and their being far from Jerusalem became the cause of their impiety, he necessarily demonstrated the impiety of the tribe of Judah. For he spoke thus: "And Judah himself also did not keep the commandments of the Lord his God, but walked in the ordinances of all Israel which they had made, and they rejected the Lord from among them." And this passage also teaches that the book of Kings was composed at a later time from the things written by the prophets at each particular time. "For, it says, Israel was carried away from its land to the Assyrians until this day." And the one who composed the history has said this many times. He also taught about those now called Samaritans, both whence they were relocated, and how they were compelled to keep the Mosaic law. For being devoured by wild beasts, they supplicated that one of the Israelite priests be sent to them, so that he, by teaching them the law of the God of the land, might free them from the impending plague. For they supposed the maker of all to be a local god. But nevertheless also

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κατηγορίαν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΗʹ. Τίνι τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐπέταξεν ὁ Ἄχαζ οἰκο δομηθῆναι ἐν τῷ θείῳ νεῷ; Οὐκ οἶμαι αὐτὸ τῷ τῶν ὅλων κατεσκευακέναι Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ τινὶ τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων αἰνίττεται βίβλος. Λέγει δὲ οὕ τως· "Καὶ προσέθηκεν Ἄχαζ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἄχαζ, Ζητήσω τοὺς θεοὺς ∆αμασκοῦ τοὺς τύπτοντάς με· καὶ εἶπεν, ὅτι Θεοὶ βασιλέως Συρίας κατισχύουσιν αὐτούς. Τοί νυν θύσω αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἀντιλήψονταί μου. Καὶ ἐγένοντο αὐτῷ αὐτοὶ εἰς σκῶλον, καὶ παντὶ Ἰσραήλ." Καὶ τὰ 80.781 ἑξῆς δὲ τοῦτο δηλοῖ· "Καὶ ἀπέστησεν Ἄχαζ τὰ σκεύη οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ κατέκοψεν αὐτὰ, καὶ ἀπέκλεισε τὰς θύρας οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἑαυτῷ θυσιαστή ριον ἐν πάσῃ γωνίᾳ Ἱερουσαλήμ." Ταῦτα καὶ τού τοις ἀκόλουθα διεπράττετο. Καὶ αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν βίβλος τοῦτο σημαίνει. "Ἐπορεύθη γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἄχαζ ἐπὶ συνάντησιν τῷ Θε γλαθφαλασὰρ βασιλεῖ Ἀσσυρίων εἰς ∆αμασκόν· καὶ εἶδε τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ ἐν ∆αμασκῷ, καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἄχαζ πρὸς Οὐρίαν τὸν ἱερέα τὸ μέτρον, καὶ τὴν ὁμοίωσιν, καὶ τὸν ῥυθμὸν αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν ποίησιν αὐτοῦ." Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ τὸ χαλκοῦν θυσιαστήριον, ὃ Σολομὼν κατεσκευάκει, μετ έθηκε· τὸ δὲ νεοποίητον ἐν τῷ ἐκείνου ἔθηκε τόπῳ. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ αἱ μεχωνὼθ βάσεις ἦσαν, τὰ ἑξῆς δι δάσκει. "Συνέκοψε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἄχαζ τὰ συγκλείσματα τῶν μεχωνὼθ, καὶ μετῆρεν ἀπ' αὐτῶν τὸν λουτῆρα." Ἐτόλμησε δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν ἀσέβειαν. Τῶν γὰρ βασιλείων τὴν θύραν ἔνδον ἐν τῷ θείῳ ναῷ μετέθηκε, τὴν δίοδον διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν περιβόλων ποιούμενος. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἡμᾶς ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει, ὡς Ἀδραμέλεχ ὁ Αἰθίοψ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ κατῴκει. Μα ναὰ δὲ δῶρα ἡρμήνευσαν οἱ λοιποί. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΘʹ. Τί ἐστιν, "Ἀπὸ πύργου φυλασσόντων, ἕως πό λεως ὀχυρᾶς;" Ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, φησὶ, βωμοὺς τοῖς δαίμοσιν ᾠκο δόμησε, καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐν πόλεσι καὶ κώμαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν πύργοις, ἐν οἷς ὀλίγοι τι νὲς εἰώθασι φρουρεῖν. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὰ ὑψηλὰ τὰ τε μένη τῶν εἰδώλων ἐκάλεσεν. "Ὠκοδόμησαν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἑαυτοῖς ὑψηλὰ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσιν αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐστήλωσαν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ στήλας καὶ ἄλση, ἐν παντὶ βουνῷ ὑψηλῷ, καὶ ὑποκάτω παντὸς ξύλου ἀλσώδους· καὶ ἐθυμίων ἐκεῖ ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς, καθὼς τὰ ἔθνη ἃ ἀπῴκισε Κύριος ἐκ προσώπου αὐ τῶν." Κοινωνοὺς δὲ οἶμαι εἰρῆσθαι τὴν πρὸς τὰ ἔθνη συμφωνίαν, καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἐκείνων ὁρμωμένους, καὶ διδάξαντας τῆς ἀσεβείας τοὺς νόμους. Τοῦτο γὰρ αἰνίττεται τὰ ἑξῆς· "Καὶ ἐποίησαν κοινωνοὺς, καὶ ἤρξαντο παροργίσαι Κύριον, καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τοῖς εἰδώλοις, οἷς εἶπε Κύριος αὐτοῖς, Οὐ ποιήσετε τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο." Πανταχοῦ δὲ ἄλσος οἱ λοιποὶ Ἀστα ρὼθ ἑρμηνεύουσι. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ τοῦτο τὴν Ἀστάρτην, 80.784 ἤγουν τὴν Ἀφροδίτην. Τὸ δὲ "Ἐποίησαν ἐφοὺδ καὶ θεραφίμ·" τὸ μὲν ἐφοὺδ κατὰ μίμησιν τοῦ ἱερα τικοῦ ἐνδύματος, τὸ δὲ θεραφὶμ ταῖς μαντικαῖς ἦν ἁρ μόττον προῤῥήσεσιν. Ἵνα δὲ μή τις εἰς ἀπολογίαν προφέρῃ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, τὸ τῆς ἀσεβείας αἰτίαν γε νέσθαι τὴν τῆς βασιλείας διαίρεσιν, καὶ τὸ πόῤῥω τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων διάγειν, ἀναγκαίως τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς ἀπέδειξε τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· "Καί γε καὶ Ἰούδας καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἐφύλαξε τὰς ἐντολὰς Κυ ρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἐπορεύθη ἐν τοῖς δικαιώ μασι παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ οἷς ἐποίησαν, καὶ ἀπώσαντο τὸν Κύριον ἐξ αὐτῶν." Ὅτι δὲ χρόνῳ ὕστερον τῶν Βασιλειῶν συνεγράφη ἡ βίβλος ἐκ τῶν ὑπὸ τῶν προ φητῶν καθ' ἕκαστον συγγραφέντων καιρὸν, καὶ τόδε τὸ χωρίον διδάσκει. "Ἀπῳκίσθη γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ εἰς Ἀσυρίους ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης." Καὶ τοῦτο πολλάκις εἴρηκεν ὁ τὴν ἱστορίαν συγγεγραφώς. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ καὶ τὰ κατὰ τοὺς νῦν καλουμένους Σαμαρείτας, ὅθεν τε μετῳκίσθη σαν, καὶ ὅπως τὸν Μωσαϊκὸν φυλάττειν ἠναγκάσθη σαν νόμον. Ὑπὸ γὰρ τῶν θηρίων ἀναλισκόμενοι, ἱκέτευσαν ἕνα τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν αὐτοῖς ἱερέων ἀπο σταλῆναι, ἵνα οὗτος ἐκπαιδεύων αὐτοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς γῆς τὸν νόμον, τῆς ἐπικειμένης λώβης ἐλευθε ρώσῃ. Ἐτόπαζον γὰρ μερικὸν εἶναι τῶν ὅλων τὸν ποιητήν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ