75

of God, and his sons, were called upon the tribe of Levi." And he also taught that Zadok the high priest was a descendant of Eleazar, and Abimelech of Ithamar; and that since more were found who traced their lineage from Eleazar, he assigned two portions in the priestly courses to these, and one to those from Ithamar; "For David also divided them," it says, "the sons of Eleazar as leaders according to the houses of their fathers, and he divided them by lots." Of these priestly courses blessed Luke also makes mention at the very beginning of his Gospel. For he said that Zacharias was of the course of Abijah; and the book before us has taught that this Abijah had received the seventh lot. But as for Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the leaders of the singers, some have said that they were not called prophets of God, but of David, since they received the hymns from him and sang with instruments. But I think that they too shared in the prophetic gift. For this is what history also teaches; "For David the king," it says, "and the commanders of the army, set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, harps, and cymbals." And a little later: "The sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph the prophet, under the direction of the king." And again for Jeduthun, "The sons of Jeduthun were under the direction of their father Jeduthun, prophesying with lyres to give thanks and praise to the Lord." And after a short space: "All these 80.816 were sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. All these were under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the house of God, under the direction of the king, and Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman." And he also designated the descendants of the great Moses as guardians of the sacred treasures. In these were stored both the first-fruits from the wars and the gifts offered to God. "For whatever," it says, "David the king consecrated, and the heads of the fathers' houses, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the commanders of the army, which they took from the wars and from the spoil, and he consecrated from them so as not to delay the building of the house of the Lord, and for all the holy things of God, whatever Samuel the seer, and Saul son of Kish, and Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah, and everyone who consecrated anything, was in the charge of Shelomith and his brothers." Let no one think there is a discrepancy, in that in the Books of Kings Benaiah is said to be commander of the court, and the king's nephew, but here a priest. For they have the same name; but this one was from the priestly, and not from the royal tribe. But David's exhortation which he made to his son is admirable. "For know," he said, "the God of your fathers, and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing soul, for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts." Forced servitude, he says, he does not accept; but he praises the willing, and loves perfect eagerness. "If you seek him, he will be found by you, and if you forsake him, he will forsake you forever." A promise of the Gospel: "For seek," he says, "and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you." - "See now that he has chosen you," he says, "instead of me to build a house for him as a sanctuary; be strong and do it." He preferred you, he says, to me; I wished to build, and he entrusted the work to you. Therefore, fulfill what has been commanded with all eagerness. Then as he was young and ignorant of both the measurements and the form of the building, he gave him a drawing. "For David," it says, "gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the temple, and of its houses, and of its treasuries, and of its upper rooms, and of its inner chambers, and of the house of the mercy seat." And teaching that it was not human reasoning that designed these things, but the grace of the Spirit, he added: "And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit with him, and of the courts of the house of the Lord, and of all 80.817 the surrounding chambers for the treasuries of the house of the Lord."

75

τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐκλήθησαν ἐπὶ τῆς φυλῆς Λευΐ." Ἐδίδαξε δὲ καὶ ὡς Σαδοὺκ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς τοῦ Ἐλεάζαρ ἀπόγονος ἦν, ὁ δὲ Ἀβιμέλεχ τοῦ Ἰθάμαρ·καὶ ὅτι πλειόνων εὑρεθέντων ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἐλεάζαρ καταγόντων τὸ γένος, δύο μοίρας ἐν ταῖς ἐφημερίαις ἀπένειμε τούτοις, μίαν δὲ τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰθάμαρ· "∆ιεῖλε γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὺς, φησὶ, ∆αβὶδ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἐλεάζαρ ἄρχοντας κατ' οἴκους πατριῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ διεῖλεν αὐτοὺς ἐν κλήροις." Τούτων τῶν ἐφ ημεριῶν καὶ ὁ μακάριος μέμνηται Λουκᾶς ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἀρχῇ. Ἔφη γὰρ εἶναι τὸν Ζαχαρίαν ἐξ ἐφημερίας Ἀβιᾶ· τοῦτον δὲ τὸν Ἀβιᾶν ἕβδομον εἰληχέναι κλῆρον ἡ προκειμένη βίβλος ἐδίδαξε. Τὸν δὲ Ἀσὰφ, καὶ Αἰμὰν, καὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ τῶν ψαλτῳδῶν τοὺς ἄρχοντας, τινὲς μὲν ἔφασαν οὐ τοῦ Θεοῦ κε κλῆσθαι προφήτας, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ, ἐπειδὴ παρ' αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὕμνους λαμβάνοντες ᾖδον ἐν τοῖς ὀργά νοις. Ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι καὶ αὐτοὺς προφητικοῦ μετει ληχέναι χαρίσματος. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδά σκει· "Ἔστησε γὰρ, φησὶ, ∆αβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῆς δυνάμεως, εἰς τὰ ἔργα τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἀσὰφ, Αἰμὰν καὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ, τοὺς προφητεύοντας ἐν κινύραις, καὶ νάβλαις, καὶ κυμβάλοις." Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· "Υἱοὶ Ἀσὰφ ἐχόμενοι Ἀσὰφ τοῦ προφήτου, ἐχόμενοι τοῦ βασιλέως." Καὶ πάλιν τῷ Ἰδιθοὺμ, "Οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ ἐχόμενοι τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν Ἰδιθοὺμ ἐν κινύραις τοῦ προφητεύοντος ἐξομολόγησιν καὶ αἴ νεσιν τῷ Κυρίῳ." Καὶ μετὰ βραχέα· "Πάντες οὗ 80.816 τοι υἱοὶ τοῦ Αἰμὰν τοῦ ὁρῶντος τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐν λόγοις Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψῶσαι κέρας. Καὶ ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Αἰμὰν υἱοὺς τέσσαρας καὶ δέκα, καὶ θυγατέρας τρεῖς. Πάντες οὗτοι μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν ὑμνοῦν τες ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου ἐν κυμβάλοις, καὶ ἐν νάβλαις, καὶ κινύραις, εἰς τὴν δουλείαν οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐχό μενοι τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ Ἀσὰφ, καὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ, καὶ Αἰμάν." Καὶ Μωσέως δὲ τοῦ μεγάλου τοὺς ἀπο γόνους τῶν ἱερῶν θησαυρῶν ἀπέφηνε φύλακας. Ἀπέκειντο δὲ ἐν τούτοις, καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῶν πολέμων ἀκροθίνια, καὶ τὰ δῶρα τὰ προσφερόμενα τῷ Θεῷ. "Ὅσα γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡγίασε ∆αβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν πατριῶν, χιλίαρχοι, καὶ ἑκατόνταρχοι, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῆς δυνάμεως, ἃ ἔλαβον ἐκ τῶν πο λέμων, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων, καὶ ἡγίασεν ἀπ' αὐ τῶν τοῦ μὴ καθυστερῆσαι τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων ἁγίων τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅσα ἡγίασε Σαμουὴλ ὁ ὁρῶν, καὶ Σαοὺλ ὁ τοῦ Κὶς, καὶ Ἀβεννὴρ ὁ τοῦ Νὴρ, καὶ Ἰωὰβ ὁ τοῦ Σαρουΐα, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἁγιάζων διὰ χειρὸς Σαλωμὴθ, καὶ τῶν ἀδελ φῶν αὐτοῦ." Μηδεὶς δὲ νομιζέτω διαφωνίαν εἶναι, τῷ τὸν Βανέαν ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις αὐλάρχην εἰρῆ σθαι, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀδελφιδοῦν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἱερέα. Ὁμώνυμοι γάρ εἰσιν· ἀλλ' οὗτος μὲν ἐκ τῆς ἱε ρατικῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἐκ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἦν φυλῆς. Ἀξιάγαστος δὲ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἡ παραίνεσις, ἣν πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν ἐποιήσατο. "Γνῶθι γὰρ, ἔφη, τὸν Θεὸν τῶν πα τέρων σου, καὶ δούλευε αὐτῷ ἐν καρδίᾳ τελείᾳ καὶ ψυχῇ θελούσῃ, ὅτι πάσας καρδίας ἐξετάζει Κύριος, καὶ πᾶν ἐνθύμημα διανοιῶν γινώσκει." Τὴν ἀναγ καστὴν, φησὶ, δουλείαν οὐκ ἀποδέχεται· τὴν δὲ ἐθε λούσιον ἐπαινεῖ, καὶ τὴν τελείαν ἀγαπᾷ προθυμίαν. "Ἐὰν ζητήσῃς αὐτὸν, εὑρεθήσεταί σοι, καὶ ἂν ἐγκαταλείψῃς αὐτὸν, ἐγκαταλείψῃ σε εἰς τέλος." Εὐαγγελικὴ ὑπόσχεσις· "Ζητεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ εὑρήσετε· κρούετε καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν." -"Ἴδε τοίνυν ὅτι προείλετό σε, φησὶν, ἐμοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι αὐτῷ οἶκον εἰς ἁγίασμα· ἀνδρίζου καὶ ποίει." Προέκρινέ σε, φησὶν, ἐμοῦ· ἐγὼ ἠβουλήθην οἰκοδο μῆσαι, καὶ σοὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐπέτρεψε. Σὺν πάσῃ τοι γαροῦν προθυμίᾳ τὸ κελευσθὲν ἀποπλήρωσον. Εἶτα ὡς νέῳ, καὶ ἀγνοοῦντι καὶ τὰ μέτρα καὶ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς οἰκοδομίας, σκαριφεύσας ἔδωκεν. "Ἔδωκε γὰρ, φησὶ, ∆αβὶδ Σολομῶντι τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ τὸ παράδειγμα τοῦ ναοῦ, καὶ τῶν οἴκων αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῶν ἀποθηκῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῶν ὑπερῴων, καὶ τῶν ταμιείων αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐσωτέρων, καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου." Καὶ διδάσκων, ὡς οὐ λογισμὸς ἀνθρώπινος ταῦτα δι έγραψεν, ἀλλ' ἡ χάρις τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ τὸ παράδειγμα πάντων ὧν ἦν ἐν πνεύματι μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῶν αὐλῶν οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ πάντων 80.817 παστοφορίων τῶν κύκλῳ, τῶν εἰς τὰς ἀποθήκας οἴ κου Κυρίου."