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they hastened, even though the king had not commanded it, to bring the water. And passing through the middle of the enemy's army, they drew the water and returned with speed, none of the foreigners attempting to attack them. For they feared the excess of their boldness. But the all-excellent king did not endure to partake of that longed-for water; but with a pious reasoning he mastered his desire; for he called it the blood of those who brought it; since, preferring the service of the king to their own safety, they recklessly cut through the phalanx of the enemy, and were miraculously saved. Wherefore he offered it as a libation to the God who had saved him; to such philosophy his training had led him. QUESTION 44. How should one understand, "This one was renowned among the three, more glorious than the two, and he was their captain, but he did not attain to the three?" Of the three he praised both their strength and their courage. But Abishai he said was better than the two, but less than the first. For that one, when arrayed for battle, slew nine hundred, but this one six hundred. But first of the three, not in deed, but in rank. And this must be known, that Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was the king's nephew; for he called him a descendant of Jesse, the son of Jehoiada the son of Jesse. And having many times mentioned his valor, he added that "He was more glorious than the three, but he did not attain to the three." For though he was inferior in strength to the three, he was glorious, as having been entrusted with the king's guard; for he says, David appointed him over his guard. QUESTION 45. Why, when David numbered, did the people receive the punishment? The people paid the penalty for their own transgression. For having abandoned the pious king, they joined in arms with an impious tyrant and a parricidal child, who was murdering his pious father and prophet, who had received the appointment to the kingdom from the God of all. And their accusation is increased by the fact that Saul, though condemned and stripped of divine grace, they did not abandon until he met the end of his life, and this when David had been anointed by a prophet; but the one who had been the cause of countless good things for them, and had broken the insolence of the foreigners, and had delivered Amalek to utter destruction, and had both subdued and enslaved the Idumeans, and Moabites, and Ammonites, and both Syrians, and compelled them to pay tribute, and had enjoyed prophetic grace, they not only abandoned, but even arrayed themselves against him, and did the deeds of enemies, and cooperated with a murderous, impious, and lawless child. For these things, therefore, the just Judge exacted penalties from them, and he exacted them through David, since it was him they had wronged. And this the history also teaches: "And the anger of God was again kindled against Israel." It did not say, Against David, but, "Against Israel." Therefore, the numbering that took place was a pretext for the punishment; "For he incited," it says, "David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah." But he was not commanded by words; for if he had been, when he was being called to account for the numbering, he would have said, You yourself commanded that they be numbered. But this he did not say; but he confessed that he had sinned. Therefore, he did not command by a word to number Israel, but he allowed David to use this reasoning. For the Lord and God, being merciful, stands in the way of reasonings that are not going to be beneficial. For indeed, when he planned to build the divine temple, it was declared through the prophet Nathan that he should not plan any such thing, but should reserve the care of the building for his son. And that this reasoning came to him not from an active impulse, but from permission, the book of Chronicles has taught more clearly. It says thus: "And Satan stood up against Israel, and incited David to number Israel." And it did not say, Satan stood up against David, but, "against Israel." Satan the adversary, or apostate, the Hebrew tongue calls him. Since, therefore, he was opposed to the divine

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ἐσπούδασαν, καὶ μὴ προστετα χότος τοῦ βασιλέως, κομίσαι τὸ ὕδωρ. Καὶ μέσην διελθόντες τῶν πολεμίων τὴν στρατιὰν, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἀνιμήσαντο, καὶ κατατάχος ἀνέστρεψαν, οὐδενὸς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων προσβαλεῖν ἐπιχειρήσαντος. Ἔδεισαν γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν τῆς εὐτολμίας ὑπερβολήν. Ἀλλ' ὁ πάντα ἄριστος βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἠνέσχετο τοῦ ὕδατος ἐκείνου τοῦ ποθουμένου μεταλαχεῖν· ἀλλ' εὐσεβεῖ λογισμῷ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐκράτησεν· αἷμα γὰρ αὐτὸ τῶν κο μισάντων ὠνόμασεν· ἐπειδὴ τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν θερα πείαν τῆς οἰκείας προτιμήσαντες σωτηρίας ῥιψοκιν δύνως διέκοψαν τῶν πολεμίων τὴν φάλαγγα, καὶ παραδόξως ἐσώθησαν. Ὅθεν αὐτὸ σπονδὴν προσεκό μισε τῷ σεσωκότι Θεῷ· εἰς τοσαύτην αὐτὸν ἡ παι δεία φιλοσοφίαν ἤγαγεν. ΕΡΩΤ. Μ∆ʹ. Πῶς νοητέον, "Οὗτος ἦν ὀνομαστὸς ἐν τοῖς τρι σὶν, ἔνδοξος ὑπὲρ τοὺς δύο, καὶ ἦν αὐτοῖς εἰς ἄρχοντα, καὶ ἕως τῶν τριῶν οὐκ ἤρχετο;" Τῶν τριῶν καὶ τὴν ῥώμην καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐπ ῄνεσε. Τὸν δὲ Ἀβεσσὰ τῶν δύο μὲν εἴρηκε κρείττονα, τοῦ πρώτου δὲ ἥττονα. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἐννακοσίους ἀνῄρει παραταττόμενος, ἑξακοσίους δὲ οὗτος. Πρῶτος δὲ τῶν τριῶν, οὐ κατὰ τὸ ἔργον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχήν. Ἰστέον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς Βανέας υἱὸς Ἰοδαὲ ἀδελφιδοῦς ἦν τοῦ βασιλέως· ἔκγονον γὰρ 80.660 αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσε τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ, υἱὸν δὲ τοῦ Ἰοδαὲ υἱοῦ Ἰεσσαί. Καὶ τούτου δὲ τὴν ἀνδραγαθίαν πολλάκις εἰπὼν, προστέθεικεν, ὅτι "Ὑπὲρ τοὺς τρεῖς ἔνδοξος ἦν, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τρεῖς οὐκ ἤρχετο." Τῆς γὰρ τῶν τριῶν λειπόμενος ῥώμης, ἔνδοξος ἦν, ὡς τὴν φυλα κὴν τοῦ βασιλέως πεπιστευμένος· κατέστησε γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶ, ∆αβὶδ ἐπὶ τὴν φυλακήν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΕʹ. Τί δήποτε τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἀριθμήσαντος, ὁ λαὸς τὴν τιμωρίαν ἀνεδέξατο; Οἰκείας παρανομίας δίκας ἔτισεν ὁ λαός. Καταλιπὼν γὰρ τὸν εὐσεβῆ βασιλέα, τυράννῳ δυσ σεβεῖ καὶ πατραλοίᾳ παιδὶ συνεστράτευσε, φονῶντι κατὰ πατρὸς εὐσεβοῦς καὶ προφήτου, καὶ παρὰ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ τῆς βασιλείας δεξαμένου τὴν χειρο τονίαν. Αὔξει δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν κατηγορίαν, τὸ τὸν μὲν Σαοὺλ καταψηφισθέντα, καὶ τῆς θείας χάριτος γυμνωθέντα, μὴ καταλιπεῖν ἕως τοῦ βίου τὸ τέρμα κατέλαβε, καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ὑπὸ προφήτου χρι σθέντος· τὸν δὲ μυρίων αὐτοῖς ἀγαθῶν γενόμενον πρόξενον, καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καταλύσαντα θρά σος, καὶ τὸν μὲν Ἀμαλὴκ παραδόντα πανωλεθρίᾳ, Ἰδουμαίους δὲ, καὶ Μωαβίτας, καὶ Ἀμμανίτας, καὶ Σύρους ἑκατέρους καὶ χειρωσάμενον καὶ δουλω σάμενον, καὶ φέρειν ἀναγκάσαντα φόρους, καὶ προ φητικῆς ἀπολαύσαντα χάριτος, μὴ μόνον καταλιπεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντιπαρατάξασθαι, καὶ δρᾶσαι τὰ πολε μίων, καὶ συμπρᾶξαι μιαιφόνῳ καὶ δυσσεβεῖ καὶ παρανόμῳ παιδί. Τούτων οὖν αὐτοὺς ὁ δίκαιος κρι τὴς εἰσεπράξατο δίκας, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ εἰσεπρά ξατο, ἐπειδήπερ αὐτὸν ἠδίκησαν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει· "Καὶ προσέθετο ὀργὴ Θεοῦ, τοῦ θυμωθῆναι ἐν Ἰσραήλ." Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐν ∆αβὶδ, ἀλλ', "Ἐν Ἰσραήλ." Τοιγάρτοι πρόφασις ἦν τῆς τιμωρίας ὁ γενόμενος ἀριθμός· "Ἐπέσεισε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν ∆αβὶδ εἰς αὐτοὺς, λέγων, Πορεύθητι, ἀρίθμησον τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν." Ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ λόγωνἐκελεύσθη· ἦ γὰρ ἂν, εὐθύνας τῆς ἀριθμήσεως εἰσ 80.661 πραττόμενος εἶπεν, ὡς Αὐτὸς ἐκέλευσας ἀριθμη θῆναι. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἔφη· πεπλημμεληκέναι δὲ ὡμολόγησεν. Οὐ τοίνυν λόγῳ προσέταξε τὸν Ἰσ ραὴλ ἀριθμῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἐνδέδωκε τούτῳ χρήσασθαι τῷ λογισμῷ τὸν ∆αβίδ. Ἵλεως γὰρ ὢν ὁ ∆εσπότης καὶ Θεὸς, ἐμποδὼν γίνεται τοῖς συνοίσειν οὐ μέλ λουσι λογισμοῖς. Καὶ γὰρ βουλευσαμένῳ τὸν θεῖον οἰκοδομῆσαι νεὼν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ναθὰν δεδήλωκε μηδὲν τοιοῦτον βουλεύσασθαι, ἀλλὰ τῷ παιδὶ τὴν τῆς οἰκοδομῆς φυλάξαι φροντίδα. Ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἐξ ἐνερ γείας, ἀλλ' ἐκ συγχωρήσεως ὁ τοιοῦτος αὐτῷ γέ γονε λογισμὸς, σαφέστερον ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομέ νων ἐδίδαξε βίβλος. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως· "Καὶ ἀνέστη Σατᾶν ἐπὶ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐπέσεισε τὸν ∆αβὶδ, τοῦ ἀριθμῆσαι τὸν Ἰσραήλ." Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἀνέστη Σατᾶν ἐπὶ ∆αβὶδ, ἀλλ', "ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ." Σατᾶν δὲ τὸν ἀντικείμενον, ἢ ἀποστάτην, ἡ Ἑβραίων γλῶττα καλεῖ. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἐναντίος ταῖς θείαις ἐπαγ