70

the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren." But it is clear that these were of the priestly race. If they had worshipped idols, the pious king would not have deemed them worthy of pardon. QUESTION 50. What does Topheth signify? In the interpretation of Hebrew names I found the name signifying a fall. This was a place in which they made their children pass through the fire to Molech; and this was the idol of the Ammonites. And history has declared this. "For he defiled," it says, "Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son pass through the fire to Molech." Symmachus and his followers interpreted *pharourim* of the fortress. And how the pious king defiled this, history teaches: "For he filled," it says, "their places with the bones of men." And again: "He sent and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, according to the word of the Lord, which the man of God proclaimed, when Jeroboam stood by the altar in the feast." And that he was not a false prophet who persuaded the man of God to partake of food with him, is easy to learn from this. For it says that the bones of the elder prophet, who dwelt in Bethel, were saved with the bones of the man of God who came from Judah, and who had spoken all the works that Josiah did. QUESTION 57. Why concerning both Hezekiah and Josiah did it say the same things: that there was no one like him before him, and after him arose none like him? It compared neither that one to this one, nor this one to that one, but to the others who were considered pious, to Asa, and to Jehoshaphat, and to Jotham; and having compared both this one and that one, it declared these to be better 80.800. But if one attends to the bare letter, both that one and this one will be found to be superior to David. For concerning both that one and this one it said that "There was no king like him before him." But it is clear that it neither placed Hezekiah before David, nor declared Josiah better than Hezekiah and David; but it compared them to the other pious ones. But if someone supposed that Hezekiah was blamed for having used a high mind, and for having shown the treasures to the Babylonian envoys, he will see that Josiah also was not entirely free from blame. For when Pharaoh Necho campaigned against the Assyrians, he was eager to aid the Assyrians; and as the book of Chronicles taught, Pharaoh said to him: "What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I have not come against you today to make war, but against the place of war, and God has told me to make haste. Beware of the God who is with me, lest he destroy you. And Josiah did not turn his face away; but he strengthened himself to fight him; and Josiah did not listen to the words of Pharaoh Necho from the mouth of the Lord; and he came to fight in the plain of Megiddo. And the archers of Pharaoh shot at King Josiah. And the king said to his servants, Take me away, for I am severely wounded." But Esdras says thus: "And the king of Egypt sent to Josiah, saying, What have I to do with you, king of Judea? I was not sent against you by the Lord God. For my war is upon the Euphrates. And now the Lord is with me, hastening me on; stand aside, and do not oppose the Lord. And Josiah did not turn himself away to his chariot; but he attempted to fight him, not heeding the words of Jeremiah the prophet from the mouth of the Lord; but he set up a war against him in the plain unjustly." Therefore it does not compare them to one another, nor place one above the other. For to think so is extreme folly; but it compared them to the other kings. The divine Jeremiah wrote more extensively about the things concerning Jehoahaz, and Jehoiakim, and Jeconiah, and Zedekiah. And we have interpreted that entire book through divine grace. I therefore consider it superfluous to twice the same

70

οὐκ ἀνέβησαν οἱ ἱερεῖς τῶν ὑψηλῶν πρὸς τὸ θυσιαστή ριον Κυρίου ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, εἰ μὴ ἔφαγον ἄζυμα ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν." ∆ῆλον δὲ, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἱερατικοῦ γένους ὑπῆρχον οὗτοι. Εἰ δὲ τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευσαν, οὐκ ἂν αὐτοὺς ὁ εὐσεβὴς βα σιλεὺς συγγνώμης ἠξίωσεν. ΕΡΩΤ. Νʹ. Τὸ Ταφὲθ τί δηλοῖ; Ἐν τῇ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν ὀνομάτων ἑρμηνείᾳ πτῶ σιν εὗρον σημαῖνον τὸ ὄνομα. Τόπος δὲ ἦν οὗτος, ἐν ᾧ διῆγον ἐν πυρὶ τὰ παιδία τῷ Μελχώλ· Ἀμ μανιτῶν δὲ ἦν τοῦτο τὸ εἴδωλον. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία δεδήλωκεν. "Ἐμίανε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ Ταφὲθ τὸ ἐν φάραγγι υἱοῦ Ἐννὸμ, τοῦ μὴ διάγειν ἄν δρα τὸν υἱὸν αὑτοῦ ἐν πυρὶ τῷ Μελχώλ." Τὸ δὲ φαρουρὶμ τοῦ φρουρίου οἱ περὶ τὸν Σύμμα χον ἡρμήνευσαν. Ὅπως δὲ τοῦτον ἐμίανεν ὁ εὐσεβὴς βασιλεὺς, ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει· "Ἔπλησε γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς τόπους αὐτῶν ὀστέων ἀνθρώπων." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἀπέστειλε καὶ ἔλαβε τὰ ὀστᾶ ἐκ τῶν τάφων, καὶ κατέκαυσεν αὐτὰ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου, ὃ ἐλάλησεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐν τῷ ἑστᾶναι Ἱεροβοὰμ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ." Ὅτι δὲ οὐ ψευδοπροφήτης ἦν ὁ τὸν ἄνθρω πον τοῦ Θεοῦ παραπείσας τροφῆς μεταλαβεῖν παρ' αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν καταμαθεῖν εὐπετές. ∆ιεσώθη γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ ὀστᾶ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου τοῦ προφή του, τοῦ κατοικοῦντος ἐν Βαιθὴλ, μετὰ τῶν ὀστῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἥκοντος ἐξ Ἰούδα, καὶ λελαληκότος πάντα τὰ ἔργα, ἃ ἐποίησεν Ἰωσίας. ΕΡΩΤ. ΝΖʹ. Τί δήποτε καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἐζεκίου, καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσίου, τὰ αὐτὰ ἔφη· ὅτι ὅμοιος αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐγένετο ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ μετ' αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀνέστη ὅμοιος αὐτῷ; Οὔτε ἐκεῖνον τούτῳ συνέκρινεν, οὔτε τοῦτον ἐκείνῳ, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς δόξασιν εὐσεβεῖν, τῷ Ἀσᾷ, καὶ τῷ Ἰωσαφὰτ, καὶ τῷ Ἰωάθαμ· καὶτοῦτον κἀκεῖνον παρεξετάσας, τούτους κρείττους 80.800 ἀπέφηνεν. Ἐὰν δέ τις ψιλῷ προσέχῃ τῷ γράμματι, εὑρεθήσεται κἀκεῖνος καὶ οὗτος τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ὑπερκεί μενος. Καὶ περὶ ἐκείνου γὰρ, καὶ περὶ τούτου ἔφη ὅτι "Ὅμοιος αὐτῷ οὐκ ἐγένετο βασιλεὺς ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ." Ἀλλὰ δῆλον, ὡς οὔτε τὸν Ἐζεκίαν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ προὐτέθεικεν, οὔτε τοῦ Ἐζεκίου τὸν Ἰωσίαν,καὶ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἀπέφηνε κρείττονα· ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐτοὺς εὐσεβέσι συνέκρινεν. Εἰ δέ τις ὑπείληφε μεμφθῆναι τὸν Ἐζεκίαν, ὡς φρονήματι χρησάμενον ὑψηλῷ, καὶ τοῖς Βαβυλωνίου πρεσβευταῖς τοὺς θησαυροὺς ὑποδείξαντα, ὄψεται καὶ τὸν Ἰωσίαν οὐ παντάπασιν αἰτίας ἐλεύθερον. Ἡνίκα γὰρ Φαραὼ Νεχαὼ κατὰ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐστρατεύσατο, ἐπικουρῆσαι τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις ἐσπούδασε· καὶ ὡς ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἐδίδαξε βίβλος, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτὸν Φα ραώ· "Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοὶ, βασιλεῦ Ἰούδα; Οὐκ ἐπὶ σὲ ἥκω σήμερον ποιῆσαι πόλεμον, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦ πολέμου, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς εἶπε τοῦ κατα σπεῦσαί με. Πρόσεχε σὺ ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ μετ' ἐμοῦ, μὴ καταφθείρῃ σε. Καὶ οὐκ ἀπέστρεψεν Ἰω σίας τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ· ἀλλ' ἐκραταιώθη τοῦ πο λεμεῖν αὐτόν· καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσεν Ἰωσίας τῶν λόγων Φαραὼ Νεχαὼ ἐκ στόματος Κυρίου· καὶ ἦλθε τοῦ πολεμεῖν ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ Μαγεδδώ. Καὶ ἐτόξευσαν οἱ τοξόται Φαραὼ ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα Ἰωσίαν. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς παισὶν αὑτοῦ, Ἐξαγάγετέ με, ὅτι ἐπόνεσα σφόδρα." Ὁ δὲ Ἔσδρας οὕτω φησί· "Καὶ διεπέμψατο ὁ βασιλεὺς Αἰγύπτου πρὸς Ἰωσίαν, λέ γων, Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοὶ, βασιλεῦ τῆς Ἰουδαίας; Οὐχὶ πρὸς σὲ ἐξαπέσταλμαι ὑπὸ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐπὶ γὰρ τοῦ Εὐφράτου ὁ πόλεμός μοί ἐστι. Καὶ νῦν Κύριος μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐπισπεύδων ἐστίν· ἀπόστηθι, καὶ μὴ ἐναντιοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ οὐκ ἀπέστρεψεν ἑαυτὸν Ἰωσίας ἐπὶ τὸ ἅρμα αὑτοῦ· ἀλλὰ πολεμεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπεχείρει, οὐ προσέχων ῥήμασιν Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου ἐκ στόματος Κυρίου· ἀλλὰ συνεστή σατο πρὸς αὐτὸν πόλεμον ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ μετὰ ἀδίκου." Οὐ τοίνυν αὐτοὺς ἀλλήλοις συγκρίνει, οὐδὲ ἀλλήλων ὑπερτίθησι. Τὸ γὰρ οὕτω νοεῖν ἀνοίας ἐστὶν ἐσχά της· ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐτοὺς παρεξήτασε βασιλεῦσι. Τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὸν Ἰωαχὶμ, καὶ Ἰωακεὶμ, καὶ Ἰεχνίαν, καὶ Σεδεκίαν, πλατύτερον ὁ θεῖος Ἱερεμίας συνέγραψε. Κἀκείνην δὲ τὴν βίβλον διὰ τῆς θείας χάριτος πᾶσαν ἡρμηνεύσαμεν. Παρέλκον τοίνυν ὑπολαμβάνω δὶς τοὺς αὐτοὺς