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thus they called him. Solomon, however, the much-celebrated, who was deemed worthy of so many gifts from God, and who held the neighboring kings as subjects, and imposed tribute on those from the Euphrates to the Nile, forgot the divine gifts. For having become most licentious, he consorted with very many women; He was not content with native women, but against the law he also took foreign women. First the daughter of Pharaoh, then Moabite, and Syrian, and Edomite, and Amorite women, from whom God forbade intermarriages to be made, lest the love for these women should compel servitude to their gods. For this is what he also 80.701 endured. For he built a high place for Chemosh the idol of Moab, and for Molech the idol of the sons of Ammon, and for Astarte the abomination of the Sidonians. "And so he did for all his foreign wives. She burned incense and sacrificed to their idols." But the other interpreters said, "They burned incense and they sacrificed." But the meaning is clear, that he built the sanctuaries for them, and they served the idols. But not even so was he free from accusation. "For," it says, "Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not walk after the Lord, as David his father did. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this matter, that he should not go after other gods at all, and to keep and do what the Lord had commanded him. His heart was not perfect with the Lord according to the heart of David his father." And for the intensification of the accusation, mention was made of the divine revelation which had happened twice. For not through another prophet, it says, did he show him what must be done; but he himself forbade him above all the worship of the falsely named gods; then he also commanded him to keep the other laws. But since through licentiousness he turned aside to impiety, and his lust became the occasion of the worship of idols, he stripped him of his own care. "For I will surely tear," he said, "the kingdom from your hand, and will give it to your servant." Then he shows his immeasurable goodness: "Nevertheless in your days I will not do these things, for David your father's sake; from the hand of your son I will take it." For you have your father as a help; but he is deprived of his father's help. "Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom. One scepter I will give to your son, for the sake of David my servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen." I will add, he says, Benjamin to the tribe of Judah. And he very fittingly joined the two tribes; for the tribe of Judah had the royal family, and the tribe of Benjamin had the divine temple. For the lot of Jerusalem belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. From this point he speaks of the enemies who rose up against Solomon, that as long as he enjoyed the divine providence, he lived in peace and tranquility, having all subject to him, and bringing very much tribute. But when he was stripped of this, he became an easy prey to his enemies. 80.704 QUEST. 37. Whom does he mean by Satan? The apostate, the one who resists, the one who opposes. That he left two tribes for the Davidic kingdom, the following verses show. For Ahijah the prophet, the Shilonite, having divided his garment into twelve parts, commanded Jeroboam to take ten. Then he solves the riddle: "Behold, I will tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I will give you the ten scepters, and two scepters I will give to him for the sake of David my servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem the city, which I have chosen for myself out of all the tribes of Israel, because he has forsaken me, and has served Astarte the abomination of the Sidonians, and Chemosh the idol of Moab, and Milcom the offence of the sons of Ammon." From these things it is clear that he himself also served the idols. QUEST. 38. What is it, "That the will of David my servant may continue all the days before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself, to place my name there?" From the beginning, he says, foreseeing the virtue of David, I chose him, and was well pleased in

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οὕτως ἐκάλεσαν. Σολομὼν μέντοι ὁ πολυθρύλλητος, ὁ τοσούτων παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεῶν ἀξιωθεὶς, καὶ τοὺς βασιλεῖς τοὺς πελά ζοντας ὑποτελεῖς ἐσχηκὼς, καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ Εὐ φράτου μέχρι Νείλου δασμὸν ἐπιθεὶς, τῶν θείων δω ρεῶν ἐπελήσθη. Λαγνίστατος γὰρ γενόμενος, παμ πόλλαις μὲν ὡμίλησε γυναιξίν· Οὐκ ἠρκέσθη δὲ τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸν νόμον καὶ ἀλλοφύλους ἠγάγετο. Πρῶτον μὲν τοῦ Φαραὼ τὴν θυγατέρα, ἔπ ειτα δὲ Μωαβίτιδας, καὶ Σύρας, καὶ Ἰδουμαίας, καὶ Ἀμοῤῥαίας, ἐξ ὧν ἀπηγόρευσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰς ἐπι γαμίας ποιεῖσθαι, ἵνα μὴ ὁ περὶ ταύτας ἔρως δουλεῦ σαι τοῖς τούτων ἀναγκάσῃ θεοῖς. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ οὗτος 80.701 ὑπέμεινε. Ὠκοδόμησε γὰρ ὑψηλὸν τῷ Χαμὼς εἰδώ λῳ Μωὰβ, καὶ τῷ Μελχὼλ εἰδώλῳ υἱῶν Ἀμμὼν, καὶ τῇ Ἀστάρτῃ βδελύγματι Σιδωνίων. "Καὶ οὕτως ἐποίησε πάσαις ταῖς γυναιξὶν αὐτοῦ ταῖς ἀλλοτρίαις. Ἐθυμία καὶ ἔθυε τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν." Οἱ δὲ ἄλ λοι ἑρμηνευταὶ "Ἐθυμίων, εἶπον, καὶ ἔθυον." ∆ῆλος δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὅτι αὐτὸς μὲν ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐ ταῖς τὰ τεμένη, ἐκεῖναι δὲ τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτω τῆς κατηγορίας ἦν ἐλεύθερος. "Ἐποίησε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Σολομὼν τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ὀπίσω Κυρίου, ὡς ∆αβὶδ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ὠργίσθη Κύριος ἐπὶ Σολο μῶντι, ὅτι ἐξέκλινε τὴν καρδίαν ἀπὸ Κυρίου Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ ὀφθέντος αὐτῷ δὶς, καὶ ἐντειλαμένου αὐ τῷ περὶ τοῦ λόγου τούτου, τὸ παράπαν μὴ πορευθῆ ναι ὀπίσω θεῶν ἀλλοτρίων, καὶ φυλάξαι καὶ ποιῆσαι ἃ ἐνετείλατο αὐτῷ Κύριος. Οὐκ ἦν ἡ καρδία αὐ τοῦ τελεία μετὰ Κυρίου κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν ∆αβὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ." Εἰς ἐπίτασιν δὲ κατηγορίας, τῆς θείας ἀποκαλύψεως τῆς δὶς γενομένης ἐμνή σθη. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δι' ἄλλου προφήτου, φησὶ, τὸ πρα κτέον αὐτῷ ὑπέδειξεν· ἀλλ' αὐτὸς αὐτῷ πρὸ πάντων ἀπηγόρευσε τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν τὴν λατρείαν· εἶτα καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους νόμους φυλάττειν ἐκέλευσεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ διὰ τῆς ἀκολασίας εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἀπέκλινε, καὶ γέγονεν ἡ λαγνεία τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων πρόξενος θεραπείας, τῆς οἰκείας κηδεμονίας αὐτὸν ἐγύμνωσεν. "∆ιαῤῥήξω γὰρ, ἔφη, τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκ χειρός σου, καὶ δώσω αὐτὴν τῷ δούλῳ σου." Εἶτα δείκνυσι τὴν ἄμετρον ἀγαθότητα· "Πλὴν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις σου οὐ ποιήσω ταῦτα διὰ ∆αβὶδ τὸν πατέρα σου· ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ υἱοῦ σου λήψομαι αὐτήν." Σὺ μὲν γὰρ ἔχεις ἐπικουροῦντα τὸν πατέρα· ἐκεῖνος δὲ πατρι κῆς βοηθείας γεγύμνωται. "Πλὴν ὅλην τὴν βασιλείαν οὐ μὴ λάβω. Ἓν σκῆπτρον δώσω τῷ υἱῷ σου, διὰ ∆αβὶδ τὸν δοῦλόν μου, καὶ διὰ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τὴν πόλιν ἣν ἐξελεξάμην." Προσθήσω, φησὶ, τὸν Βενιαμὶν τῇ τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλῇ. Μάλα δὲ εἰκότως συνῆψε τὰς δύο φυλάς· τὸ μὲν γὰρ βασιλικὸν γένος εἶχεν ἡ τοῦ Ἰούδα, τὸν δὲ θεῖον ναὸν ἡ τοῦ Βενιαμίν. Τῆς γὰρ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὁ κλῆρος τῆς Βενιαμίτιδος ὑπῆρχε φυ λῆς. Ἐντεῦθεν δὲ λέγει τοὺς ἐπαναστάντας πολε μίους τῷ Σολομῶντι, ὅτι ἕως μὲν τῆς θείας ἀπήλαυε προμηθείας, ἐν εἰρήνῃ καὶ γαλήνῃ διῆγε, πάντας ἔχων ὑποκειμένους, καὶ δασμὸν κομίζοντας ὅτι μάλι στα πλεῖστον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ταύτης ἐγυμνώθη, τοῖς δυσ μενέσιν εὐεπιχείρωτος γέγονεν. 80.704 ΕΡΩΤ. ΛΖʹ. Τίνα λέγει Σατᾶν; Τὸν ἀποστάτην, τὸν ἀνθιστάμενον, τὸν ἐναντιούμε νον. Ὅτι δὲ δύο φυλὰς τῇ ∆αβιδικῇ καταλέλοιπε βα σιλείᾳ, τὰ ἑξῆς δηλοῖ. Ἀχιὰ γὰρ ὁ προφήτης ὁ Σι λωνίτης διελὼν τὴν ἀμπεχόνην εἰς δυοκαίδεκα μόρια, δέκα λαβεῖν προσέταξε τῷ Ἱεροβοάμ. Εἶτα λύει τὸ αἴνιγμα· "Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ῥήξω τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκ χει ρὸς Σολομῶντος, καὶ δώσω σοι τὰ δέκα σκῆπτρα, καὶ δύο σκῆπτρα δώσω αὐτῷ διὰ ∆αβὶδ τὸν δοῦλόν μου, καὶ διὰ Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν πόλιν, ἣν ἐξελεξάμην ἐμαυτῷ ἐκ πασῶν φυλῶν Ἰσραὴλ, ἀνθ' οὗ ἐγκατέλιπέ με, καὶ ἐδούλευσε τῇ Ἀστάρτῃ βδελύγματι Σιδωνίων, καὶ τῷ Χαμὼς εἰδώλῳ Μωὰβ, καὶ τῷ Μελχὸλ προσ οχθίσματι υἱῶν Ἀμμών." Ἐκ τούτων δῆλόν ἐστι, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευσεν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΛΗʹ. Τί ἐστιν, "Ὅπως ἡ θέλησις ∆αβὶδ τοῦ δούλου μου διαμείνῃ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἐνώπιόν μου ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τῇ πόλει ἣν ἐξελεξάμην ἐμαυ τῷ, τοῦ θέσθαι τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐκεῖ;" Ἄνωθεν, φησὶ, προϊδὼν τὴν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἀρετὴν, ἐξ ελεξάμην αὐτὸν, καὶ εὐδόκησα ἐν