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He also taught him of what weight the golden lampstands ought to be, and of what weight the tables. Likewise also the censers, and the fleshhooks, and the libation bowls, and the phials. And he calls *kaphphor* certain gold and silver vessels in which they mixed the fine flour with oil. And having gone through all the other things, he added: "David gave all this in writing from the hand of the Lord to Solomon, according to the understanding which came to him, for the understanding of the workmanship of the pattern." It must be noted that above he said the knowledge was given in spirit; but here, from the hand of the Lord. Therefore the all-holy Spirit is Lord, even if those who fight against the Spirit are unwilling. And with a charge He promised him divine care. "‘For He will not fail you,’ he says, ‘nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work of the house of the Lord.’" For while building he was pious, and enjoyed divine providence; but after the building, having turned aside to impiety, he was bereft of divine care. The history teaches that the temple was also adorned with marbles. "‘For,’ it says, ‘onyx stones, and stones for setting, costly and various stones, and every precious stone, and Parian stones in abundance.’" And having shown how many myriads of talents of gold and silver he had gathered, and bronze and iron surpassing human calculations, he urged the leaders to willingly offer gifts to the Lord God. For he said this: "‘And who is willing to consecrate his service this day to the Lord?’" And seeing the people’s eagerness, he offered a hymn to the bountiful Lord God. "‘For who,’ he says, ‘am I, and who are my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly to you? For all things are yours, and of your own we have given you. For we are sojourners before you, and strangers, as all our fathers were, and our days on the earth are as a shadow.’" Having thus confessed the weakness of human nature, he asked for the possession of piety for both the people and the king. "‘For give him,’ he says, ‘a good heart to do your commandments, and your testimonies, and your statutes.’" Then he exhorts all the people to share in the hymnody, and all to bend the knee together, and to offer worship. Then having offered a hecatomb of a thousand beasts, and having performed other sacrifices, he appointed his son in the presence of the people. And the phrase, "Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father," means, "He sat on the throne given by God." And the end of the former history indicates that Samuel the seer, and Nathan the prophet, and Gad the seer had written books. 80.820

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF CHRONICLES The second book of Chronicles teaches that the tabernacle, which the

great Moses had constructed, stood in Gibeon, but the ark was in the palace, covered by another tent. And Solomon, having sacrificed a hecatomb of a thousand beasts on the Mosaic altar, besought God to receive both wisdom and understanding. And writing to Hiram, he demonstrated his own knowledge of God: "‘For who,’ he says, ‘will be able to build a house for God, since heaven, and the heaven of heavens, cannot contain him? And who am I that I should build him a house, except to burn incense before him?’" I fulfill my own need, he says. For not even the highest heaven is able to contain his nature; but wishing to offer him the worship possible for me, I build a house made with hands. And Hiram, writing back, has shown how much the friendship of the pious benefits. For thus he spoke: "‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth; who has given to king David a wise son, knowing prudence and knowledge, who will build a house for the

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Ἐδίδαξε δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ πόσου σταθμοῦ προσήκει εἶναι τὰς λυχνίας τὰς χρυσᾶς, πόσου δὲ τὰς τραπέζας. Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὰ πυρεῖα, καὶ τὰς κρεάγρας, καὶ τὰ σπονδεῖα, καὶ τὰς φιάλας. Καφ φωρὲ δὲ καλεῖ σκεύη τινὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ, ἐν οἷς ἐφύρων τὴν σεμίδαλιν τῷ ἐλαίῳ. Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πάντα διεξελθὼν, ἐπήγαγε· "Πάντα ἐν γραφῇ ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου ἔδωκε ∆αβὶδ τῷ Σολομῶντι, κατὰ τὴν περιγενηθεῖσαν αὐτῷ σύνεσιν, τοῦ συνιέναι τὴν κατ εργασίαν τοῦ παραδείγματος." Ἐπισημαντέον δὲ, ὡς ἄνω μὲν ἐν πνεύματι δεδόσθαι τὴν γνῶσιν εἴρη κεν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου. Κύριος ἄρα τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα, κἂν μὴ θέλωσιν οἱ τῷ Πνεύματι πολεμοῦντες. Μετὰ διορισμοῦ δὲ τὴν θείαν αὐτῷ κη δεμονίαν ὑπέσχετο. "Οὐκ ἀνήσει γάρ σε, φησὶν, οὐδὲ μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃ, ἕως τοῦ συντελέσαι σε πᾶσαν ἐργασίαν οἴκου Κυρίου." Οἰκοδομῶν γὰρ ηὐσέβει, καὶ τῆς θείας προνοίας ἀπήλαυσε· μετὰ δὲ τὴν οἰκο δομίαν, εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἀποκλίνας, ἔρημος τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας ἐγένετο. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ μαρμάροις ὁ ναὸς ἐπεποίκιλτο, ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. "Λίθους γὰρ, φησὶν, ὄνυχος, καὶ λίθους πληρώσεως, λίθους πολυτελεῖς καὶ ποικίλους, καὶ πάντα λίθον τίμιον, καὶ λίθους Παρίους εἰς πλῆθος." ∆είξας δὲ ὁπόσας μυριάδας ταλάντων χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου συνήγαγε, καὶ χαλκὸν καὶ σί δηρον ὑπερβαίνοντα τοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων λογισμοὺς, προέτρεψε τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἑκόντας προσενεγκεῖν δῶρα τῷ ∆εσπότῃ Θεῷ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη· "Καί τις ἑκου σιάσεται πληρῶσαι τὰς χεῖρας αὑτοῦ σήμερον τῷ Κυρίῳ;" Τὴν δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ θεασάμενος προθυμίαν, ὕμνον τῷ μεγαλοδώρῳ ∆εσπότῃ Θεῷ προσήνεγκε. "Τίς γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰμὶ ἐγὼ, καὶ τίς ὁ λαός μου, ὅτι ἰσχύσαμεν τοῦ ἑκουσιάσασθαί σοι οὕτως, ὅτι σά ἐστι τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἐκ τῶν σῶν δεδώκαμέν σοι. Ὅτι πάροικοί ἐσμεν ἐναντίον σου, καὶ παρεπίδημοι καθὼς πάντες οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἐσμεν, καὶ ὡσεὶ σκιαὶ αἱ ἡμέραι ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Οὕτω τῆς ἀν θρωπίνης φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν ὁμολογήσας, ᾔτησε καὶ τῷ λαῷ, καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῆς εὐσεβείας τὴν κτῆ σιν. "∆ὸς γὰρ αὐτῷ, φησὶ, καρδίαν ἀγαθὴν τοῦ ποιεῖν τὰς ἐντολάς σου, καὶ τὰ μαρτύριά σου, καὶ τὰ προστάγματά σου." Εἶτα πάντα τὸν λαὸν κοι νωνῆσαι τῆς ὑμνῳδίας παρεγγυᾷ, καὶ κοινῇ πάντας κλῖναι τὰ γόνατα, καὶ προσενεγκεῖν τὴν προσκύνησιν. Ἔπειτα χιλιόμβην προσενεγκὼν, καὶ θυσίας ἑτέρας ἐπιτελέσας, τοῦ λαοῦ παρόντος ἐχειροτόνησε τὸν υἱόν. Τὸ δὲ, "Ἐκάθισε Σολομὼν ἐπὶ θρόνου Κυρίου εἰς βασιλέα ἀντὶ ∆αβὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ," ἀντὶ τοῦ, "Εἰς τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ δοθέντα θρόνον ἐκάθισε." ∆ηλοῖ δὲ τῆς προτέρας ἱστορίας τὸ τέλος, ὡς καὶ Σαμουὴλ ὁ ὁρῶν, καὶ Νάθαν δὲ ὁ προφήτης, καὶ Γὰδ ὁ ὁρῶν βίβλους εἶχον συγγεγραμμένας. 80.820

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ∆ΕΥΤΕΡΑΝ ΤΩΝ ΠΑΡΑΛΕΙΠΟΜΕΝΩΝ Ἡ δευτέρα τῶν Παραλειπομένων βίβλος διδά σκει, ὡς ἡ σκηνὴ μὲν, ἣν ὁ

μέγας Μωσῆς κατ εσκεύασεν, ἐν τῇ Γαβαὼν εἱστήκει, ἡ δὲ κιβωτὸς ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις, τῇ ἑτέρᾳ κεκαλυμμένη σκηνῇ. Ὁ δὲ Σολομὼν ἐν τῷ Μωσαϊκῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ χιλιόμβας ἱερατεύσας, ἱκέτευσε τὸν Θεὸν καὶ σοφίας τυχεῖν καὶ συνέσεως. Τῷ δὲ Χειρὰμ ἐπιστέλλων, τὴν οἰ κείαν θεογνωσίαν ἀπέδειξε· "Τίς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἰσχύσει οἰκοδομῆσαι οἶκον τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι ὁ οὐρανὸς, καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οὐχ ὑποίσουσιν αὐτόν; Καὶ τίς εἰμι ἐγὼ ὁ οἰκοδομῶν αὐτῷ οἶκον, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦ θυμιᾷν κατέναντι αὐτοῦ;" Τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ, φησὶ, χρείαν πλη ρῶ. Τὴν αὐτοῦ γὰρ χωρῆσαι φύσιν οὐδὲ ὁ ὑπέρτερος οὐρανὸς δύναται· προσφέρειν δὲ αὐτῷ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐμοὶ βουλόμενος σέβας, χειροποίητον οἶκον οἰκοδομῶ. Ὅσον δὲ ὀνίνησιν ἡ τῶν εὐσεβῶν φιλία, δεδήλωκεν ὁ Χειρὰμ ἀντιγράφων. Οὕτως γὰρ ἔφη· "Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, ὃς ἐποίησε τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν· ὃς ἔδωκε τῷ βασιλεῖ ∆αβὶδ υἱὸν σοφὸν, καὶ εἰδότα φρόνησιν καὶ ἐπιστήμην, ὃς οἰκοδομήσει οἶκον τῷ