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the Master, through the cross he fell from his tyranny. And just as when David had conquered, the army of Israel hurled down the host of the foreigners, so also when our God and Savior destroyed the devil, those who believed in him routed the phalanx of the demons. QUESTION 42. Not yet having inhabited Jerusalem, how did he bring into it the head of the foreigner? For the Jebusites still dwelt in it. But wishing to frighten them, he showed them the head of the great champion. QUESTION 43. How did Saul not recognize David? One of two things must be understood: either that in his corybantic frenzy he did not 80.569 perceive him playing the harp; or that envy incited him to learn exactly where he was from. QUESTION 44. What is a *mandyas*? It is a type of overcoat. I think it is either an Arkadian cloak, or what is called a mantle by many. For when the Seventy said of the one who had announced to Eli the destruction of his sons that he had his garments torn, Aquila said, "a torn *mandyas*." And the king of the Ammonites shaved the beards of those sent to him by the blessed David, and cut off half of their cloaks, up to the fold of their hips. QUESTION 45. What is the meaning of, "He loved him as his loving soul?" Aquila said: "As his own soul." This is also what the divine law commands: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." QUESTION 46. How is it to be understood, "An evil spirit struck Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of his house?" The false prophets, being possessed by the evil spirit, resemble the Corybantes. Saul also endured this, being troubled by the demon. But he used "prophesied" homonymously. For they called the false prophets prophets, and the falsely named gods gods. But the former was stripped of divine grace; David, however, generously enjoyed it; and by playing the psaltery he calmed that demon's madness, but did not stop Saul's envy. And the more he was benefited, the more he hastened to slay him. And having cast his spear at him, and having missed, he knew that the Lord was with him, but continued to wage war. But concerning David the divine Scripture says, "He was prudent in all his ways. And the Lord almighty was with him." Thus he named the all-holy Spirit. For he was deemed worthy of this grace. 80.572 QUESTION 47. Why, while envying David and being extremely hostile to him, did he betroth his daughter to him? The history taught his purpose. For Saul said, it says: "Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the foreigners be upon him." And again: "I will give her to him, and she will be a stumbling block to him, and the hand of the foreigners will be upon him." Therefore, the marriage was for a plot, not a benefit. QUESTION 48. For what reason did he not ask for heads, but for foreskins? Using wicked reasonings, he supposed that he might kill some of his own people and bring their heads; for this reason he ordered foreskins to be brought. For the foreskin indicates the foreigner. And he moved every contrivance, plotting the slaughter of his benefactor; and he neither respected the benefits, nor revered the oaths. For he had sworn to Jonathan that he would not kill him. "For Saul swore," it says, "saying: As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death." QUESTION 49. How are the cenotaphs and the liver of goats to be understood? Aquila translated "cenotaphs" as "images," and "the liver of goats" as "a multitude of garments, and a net of hair;" For since Saul, having sworn, broke his oath, and hurled the spear at David; and he, having dodged the rush of the spear, withdrew to his house; and Michal, knowing her father's plots, advised him to flee; and so she let him down through the window; and she arranged his bed in the form of a sick person, placing on it a multitude of garments, and putting a net of hair under the garments, so as to imitate the head. But some have understood the images to be an icon of David; and this

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∆εσπότην, διὰ σταυροῦ τῆς τυραννίδος ἐξέπεσε. Καὶ ὥσπερ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ νενικηκότος, ἡ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ στρατιὰ τὸ τῶν ἀλλοφύ λων κατηκόντισε στίφος, οὕτω τοῦ ἡμετέρου Θεοῦ, καὶ Σωτῆρος τὸν διάβολον καταλύσαντος, οἱ πε πιστευκότες εἰς αὐτὸν τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων ἐτρέψαντο φάλαγγα ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΒʹ. Μηδέπω τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκήσας, πῶς εἰσ εκόμισεν εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου κε φαλήν; Οἱ Ἰεβουσαῖοι μὲν ἔτι κατῴκουν αὐτήν. ∆εδίττε σθαι δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐθελήσας, ἐπέδειξεν αὐτοῖς τοῦ μεγάλου ἀριστέως τὴν κεφαλήν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΓʹ. Πῶς ἠγνόησεν ὁ Σαοὺλ τὸν ∆αβίδ; ∆υοῖν θάτερον νοητέον· ἢ ὅτι κορυβαντιῶν οὐκ 80.569 ᾐσθάνετο τῇ κινύρᾳ χρωμένου· ἢ ὅτι ὁ φθόνος αὐτὸν παρεκίνησεν ἀκριβῶς μανθάνειν ὅθεν ἐστίν. ΕΡΩΤ. Μ∆ʹ. Τί ἐστι μανδύας; Εἶδός ἐστιν ἐφεστρίδος. Οἶμαι δὲ ἢ ἀρκαδίκιν εἶναι, ἢ τὸ παρὰ πολλῶν μαντίον ὀνομαζόμε νον. Καὶ γὰρ τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα εἰρηκότων περὶ τοῦ μεμηνυκότος τῷ Ἡλεὶ τῶν υἱῶν τὴν ἀναίρεσιν, ὅτι διεῤῥηγμένα τὰ ἱμάτια εἶχεν, ὁ Ἀκύλας ἔφη "μαν δύαν διεῤῥηγμένον." Καὶ τῶν Ἀμμανιτῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀποσταλέντων παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αβὶδ τοὺς πώγωνας ἐξύρισε, καὶ τῶν μανδυῶν ἀφεῖλε τὸ ἥμισυ, ἕως τῆς ἀναβολῆς τῶν ἰσχίων αὐτῶν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΕʹ. Τί ἐστιν, "Ἠγάπησεν αὐτὸν ψυχὴν ἀγαπῶν τος αὐτόν; Ὁ Ἀκύλας ἔφη· "Κατὰ τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ." Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεῖος νόμος παρεγγυᾷ· "Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου, ὡς σεαυτόν." ΕΡΩΤ. Μ ϛʹ. Πῶς νοητέον τὸ, "Πνεῦμα πονηρὸν ἔπαισε τὸν Σαοὺλ, καὶ προεφήτευσεν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ οἴκου αὑτοῦ;" Οἱ ψευδοπροφῆται ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ πνεύματος ἐνεργούμενοι τοῖς Κορυβαντιῶσιν ἐοίκασι. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Σαοὺλ ὑπέμεινεν ὑπὸ τοῦ δαίμονος ἐνοχλούμενος. Τὸ δὲ προεφήτευσεν ὁμωνύμως τέθεικεν. Καὶ γὰρ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας προφήτας ὠνόμαζον, καὶ θεοὺς τοὺς ψευδωνύμους θεούς. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν τῆς θείας χάριτος ἐγυμνώθη· ὁ δὲ ∆αβὶδ ταύτης φιλοτίμως ἀπήλαυε· καὶ ψάλλων τὴν μὲν τοῦ δαίμονος ἐκείνου μανίαν ἐπράϋνε, τὸν δὲ τοῦ Σαοὺλ οὐκ ἔπαυε φθόνον. Ὅσῳ δὲ πλέον εὐηργέτητο, τοσούτῳ πλέον κατασφάττειν ἠπείγετο. Καὶ τὴν αἰχμὴν ἀφεὶς κατ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ διαμαρτὼν, ἔγνω μὲν ὅτι Κύριος ἦν μετ' αὐτοῦ, διετέλει δὲ πολεμῶν. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἡ θεία λέγει Γραφὴ, ὅτι "Ἦν συνιὼν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὑτοῦ. Καὶ Κύριος παν τοκράτωρ μετ' αὐτοῦ. Οὕτω δὲ τὸ πανάγιον ὠνό μασε Πνεῦμα. Ταύτης γὰρ ἦν ἠξιωμένος τῆς χά ριτος. 80.572 ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΖʹ. Τί δήποτε καὶ φθονῶν τῷ ∆αβὶδ, καὶ λίαν αὐτῷ ἐχθραίνων, τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτῷ κατηγ γύησεν; Ἐδίδαξεν ἡ ἱστορία τὸν ἐκείνου σκοπόν. Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶ, Σαούλ· "Μὴ ἔστω ἡ χείρ μου ἐπ' αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ἔστω ἐν αὐτῷ ἡ χεὶρ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων." Καὶ πάλιν· "∆ώσω αὐτὴν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἔσται αὐτῷ εἰς σκάν δαλον, καὶ ἔσται ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἡ χεὶρ τῶν ἀλλοφύ λων." Τοιγαροῦν ἐπιβουλῆς ἦν, οὐκ εὐεργε σίας ὁ γάμος. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΗʹ. Τίνος χάριν οὐ κεφαλὰς, ἀλλ' ἀκροβυστίας ᾔτησεν; Πονηροῖς χρησάμενος λογισμοῖς, ἐτόπασεν ὅτι τῶν ὁμοφύλων τινὰς ἀνελὼν, οἴσει τούτων τὰς κε φαλάς· τούτου χάριν ἀκροβυστίας κομισθῆναι προσ έταξεν. Ἡ γὰρ ἀκροβυστία δηλοῖ τὸ ἀλλόφυλον. Πάντα δὲ πόρον ἐκίνει, τὴν τοῦ εὐεργέτου καττύων σφαγήν· καὶ οὔτε τὰς εὐεργεσίας ᾐδεῖτο, οὔτε τοὺς ὅρκους ηὐλαβεῖτο. Καὶ γὰρ τῷ Ἰωνάθαν ὀμωμόκει, ὅτι δὴ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀποκτενεῖ. "Ὤμοσε γὰρ, φησὶ, Σαοὺλ λέγων· Ζῇ Κύριος, εἰ ἀποθανεῖται." ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΘʹ. Πῶς νοητέον τὰ κενοτάφια, καὶ τὸ ἧπαρ τῶν αἰγῶν. Ὁ Ἀκύλας τὰ κενοτάφια "μορφώματα" ἡρμήνευσε, καὶ τὸ ἧπαρ τῶν αἰγῶν, "ἱματίων πλῆθος, καὶ στρογγύλωμα τριχῶν·" Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὀμωμοκὼς ὁ Σαοὺλ παρέβη τὸν ὅρκον, καὶ τὴν αἰχ μὴν τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἐπαφῆκεν· ἐκκλίνας δὲ ἐκεῖνος τὴν τοῦ δόρατος ῥύμην εἰς οἰκίαν ἀνεχώρησεν· γνοῦσα δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡ Μελχὼλ τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς, τούτῳ μὲν συνεβούλευσεν ἀποδράσαι· καὶ δὴ καὶ καθῆκεν αὐ τὸν διὰ τῆς φωταγωγοῦ· αὐτοῦ δὲ τὴν κλίνην εἰς ἀῤῥωστοῦντος ἐσχημάτισε τύπον, ἱματίων μὲν πλῆθος ἐπιβαλοῦσα, στρογγύλωμα δὲ τριχῶν ὑπο θεῖσα τοῖς ἱματίοις, ὥστε μιμεῖσθαι τὴν κεφαλήν. Τινὲς δὲ μορφώματα τοῦ ∆αβὶδ νενοήκασι τὴν εἰκόνα· καὶ ταύτην