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easy. For he says, "Zambri acquired the mountain of Semeron from Semmer its master for two talents of silver, and he built on the mountain, and he called the name of the mountain which he built after the name of Semmer, the master of the mountain of Somoron." Therefore, from Semmer the mountain was named Somoron, and from the mountain the city Samaria. Samaria is what is now called Sebaste. In it was the kingdom of the ten tribes. When the ten tribes were enslaved, and that land became desolate, the kings of the Assyrians transferred some people from the eastern parts to those cities. These were named Samaritans from Samaria. Having said these things about Zambri, he moved on to Judah; and he admired Jehoshaphat in other things, and said that he had done what was right in the sight of the Lord. But he blamed him for not stopping the worship in the high places, and also for embracing kinship with Ahab. The book of Chronicles taught these things more clearly. For which reason the one who wrote the history also referred us to it. QUES. 49. How should this be understood: "Are not these things written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Judah?" And from this it is clear that all things which happened at that time were written down; and from those books, this author on the one hand, and those who wrote the Chronicles 80.724 on the other, took the starting points of the history. QUES. 50. Whom does he mean by Baal? As Josephus said, this was a god of the Tyrians; and Astarte of the Sidonians. For he taught this also in the previous writings concerning Solomon, that he built a shrine to Astarte, the abomination of the Sidonians. To her they also dedicated the groves they planted; Astarte is the one called Aphrodite among the Greeks. QUES. 51. Does it not seem bold, what was said concerning Elijah, "If there will be dew or rain upon the earth in these years, except by my mouth?" It is bold to entertain such thoughts against spiritual men. For he was a prophet, and the chief of prophets, and was burning with divine zeal. And he said these things as the divine Spirit was at work. Whence also it came to pass. QUES. 52. How did he, being holy and living according to the law, eat the food brought to him by the ravens? The Lawgiver himself offered this to him by means of the ravens. For He himself commanded him to dwell at the brook Cherith, promising to send him food by means of ravens, and He fulfilled the promise. For the ravens brought bread in the morning, and meat in the evening. But through these things the Lawgiver teaches us that he had established such laws on account of the weakness of the Jews, which at times he himself commanded to be transgressed; for on the Sabbath he commanded Joshua the prophet, and Eleazar the high priest, and the priests and Levites with him, and all the people, to circle Jericho seven times; and now for the great Elijah to receive the food brought to him by the ravens; and at other times he did not blame those who had transgressed such laws. For Samson, on account of drunkenness and lust, was stripped of divine grace; but when he ate the honeycomb, which bees had made in a dead lion, he received no accusation. 80.725 QUES. 53. For what reason did he command him to go to a foreign widow; And this again teaches the reasons for such laws. For if he had known the mindset of the Jews to be steadfast and their faith firm, he would not have commanded them to flee intermingling with foreigners; but on the contrary he would have commanded them to live with them, and to preach piety to them. For the reason for the law also teaches this. For having said, "You shall not give your daughters to the sons of foreigners, nor their daughters to your sons," he added, "Lest their sons make your daughters commit fornication, and their daughters your sons, after the Lord your God." But as for the prophet, since he was able to be a benefactor, not only did he not forbid him, but he even commanded him to go. And I think that also wishing to show

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εὐπετές. Ἐκτήσατο γὰρ, φησὶ, Ζαμβρῆ τὸ ὄρος τῶν Σεμερῶν παρὰ Σεμ μὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου αὐτοῦ δύο ταλάντων ἀργυρίου, καὶ ᾠκοδόμησε τὸ ὄρος, καὶ ἐπεκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐ τοῦ τοῦ ὄρους, οὗ ᾠκοδόμησεν, ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Σεμμὴρ τοῦ κυρίου τοῦ ὄρους Σομόρων." Τοιγαρ οῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ Σεμμὴρ τὸ ὄρος ὠνομάσθη Σομόρων, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ὄρους ἡ πόλις Σαμάρεια. Σαμάρεια δέ ἐστιν ἡ νῦν Σεβαστὴ προσαγορευομένη. Ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ ἦν τῶν δέκα φυλῶν τὰ βασίλεια. Ἐξανδραπο δισθεισῶν δὲ τῶν δέκα φυλῶν, καὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης ἐρήμου γεγενημένης, μετέστησάν τινας ἐκ τῶν ἑῴων μερῶν εἰς ἐκείνας τὰς πόλεις τῶν Ἀσσυρίων οἱ βα σιλεῖς, Οὗτοι δὲ ἐκ τῆς Σαμαρείας ὠνομάσθησαν Σα μαρεῖται. Ταῦτα περὶ Ζαμβρῆ εἰρηκὼς, ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν μετέβη· καὶ τεθαύμακε μὲν τὸν Ἰωσαφὰτ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις, καὶ ἔφη αὐτὸν τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον Κυ ρίου πεποιηκέναι. Ἐμέμψατο δὲ, ὡς τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς λατρείαν μὴ παύσαντα· ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ τὴν συγγένειαν ἀσπασάμενον. Ταῦτα δὲ σαφέστερον ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων βίβλος ἐδίδαξεν. Οὗ δὴ χά ριν καὶ ὁ τὴν ἱστορίαν συγγεγραφὼς εἰς ἐκείνην ἡμᾶς παρέπεμψεν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΜΘʹ. Πῶς νοητέον· "Οὐκ ἰδοὺ ταῦτα γέγραπται ἐπὶ βιβλίου Λόγων τῶν ἡμερῶν τῶν βασιλέων Ἰούδα;" Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον, ὡς ἅπαντα συνεγράφη τὰ τηνικαῦτα γενόμενα· καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνων τῶν βιβλίων, τὰς μὲν οὗτος ὁ συγγραφεὺς, τὰς δὲ οἱ τὰς Παραλει 80.724 πομένας συγγεγραφότες, ἔλαβον τῆς ἱστορίας τὰς ἀφορμάς. ΕΡΩΤ. Νʹ. Τίνα δὲ λέγει τὸν Βαάλ; Ὡς Ἰώσηπος ἔφη, Τυρίων ἦν οὗτος θεός· ἡ δὲ Ἀστάρτη Σιδωνίων. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρόσ θεν ἐδίδαξε τὰ περὶ τοῦ Σολομῶντος συγγρά φων, ὅτι τέμενος ᾠκοδόμησε τῇ Ἀστάρτῃ βδε λύγματι Σιδωνίων. Ταύτῃ καὶ τὰ ἄλση φυτεύοντες ἀνετίθεσαν· Ἀστάρτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ παρ' Ἕλλησιν Ἀφροδίτη προσαγορευομένη. ΕΡΩΤ. ΝΑʹ. Οὐ δοκεῖ τολμηρὸν εἶναι τὸ περὶ τοῦ Ἠλιοῦ ῥηθὲν, "Εἰ ἔσται τὰ ἔτη ταῦτα δρόσος ἢ ὑετὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου;" Τολμηρόν ἐστι τὸ κατὰ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀνδρῶν τοιούτους εἰσδέχεσθαι λογισμούς. Προφήτης γὰρ ἦν, καὶ προφητῶν κορυφαῖος, καὶ τῷ θείῳ πυρπολού μενος ζήλῳ. Καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος ἐνερ γοῦντος εἴρηκεν. Ὅθεν καὶ τὸ πέρας εἴληφεν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΝΒʹ. Πῶς ὁ ἅγιος ὢν, καὶ κατὰ νόμον πολιτευόμενος, ἤσθιε τὴν διὰ τῶν κοράκων αὐτῷ κομιζομένην τροφήν; Αὐτὸς ὁ νομοθέτης ταύτην αὐτῷ διὰ τῶν κορά κων προσέφερεν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ προσέταξεν ἐν τῷ χειμάῤῥῳ διάγειν τῷ χόῤῥαν, ὑποσχό μενος πέμψειν αὐτῷ διὰ κοράκων τροφὴν, καὶ πε πλήρωκε τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν. Προσέφερον γὰρ οἱ κόρακες ἄρτους μὲν ἕωθεν, δείλης δὲ κρέα. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ διὰ τούτων ἡμᾶς ὁ νομοθέτης, ὡς τῆς Ἰουδαίων ἀσθε νείας ἕνεκα τοὺς τοιούτους ἐτεθείκει νόμους, οὓς ποτὲ μὲν αὐτὸς παραβῆναι προσέταττεν· ἐν σαβ βάτῳ γὰρ ἑπτάκις κυκλῶσαι τὴν Ἱεριχὼ, καὶ Ἰησοῦν τὸν προφήτην, καὶ Ἐλεάζαρ τὸν ἀρχιερέα, καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ ἱερέας καὶ Λευΐτας ἐκέλευσε, καὶ ἅπαντα τὸν λαόν· καὶ νῦν τὸν μέγαν Ἠλίαν δέχε σθαι τὴν διὰ τῶν κοράκων κομιζομένην αὐτῷ τρο φήν· ποτὲ δὲ τοὺς τοιούτους παραβεβηκόσι νόμους οὐκ ἐπεμέμψατο. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Σαμψὼν διὰ μὲν τὴν μέθην, καὶ τὴν λαγνείαν, τῆς θείας ἐγυμνώθη χά ριτος· φαγὼν δὲ τὸ κηρίον τοῦ μέλιτος, ὃ ἐν νε κρῷ λέοντι ἐξύφηναν μέλισσαι, κατηγορίαν οὐδεμίαν ἐδέξατο. 80.725 ΕΡΩΤ. ΝΓʹ. Τίνος χάριν πρὸς χήραν ἀλλόφυλον ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν· Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν τῶν τοιούτων νόμων τὰς αἰτίας διδάσκει. Εἰ γὰρ ᾔδει στεῤῥὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὸ φρό νημα, καὶ τὴν πίστιν ἑδραίαν, οὐκ ἂν αὐτοῖς φυγεῖν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐπιμιξίαν προσέταξεν· ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἐκέλευσεν ἂν αὐτοῖς συνδιάγειν, καὶ κηρύττειν αὐτοῖς τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ διδάσκει καὶ ἡ τοῦ νόμου αἰτία. Εἰρηκὼς γάρ· "Οὐ δώσεις τὰς θυγατέρας σου τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτῶν τοῖς υἱοῖς σου," ἐπήγαγεν· "Ἵνα μὴ ἐκπορνεύσωσιν οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν τὰς θυγατέρας ὑμῶν, καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες αὐ τῶν τοὺς υἱοὺς ὑμῶν, ὄπισθεν Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν." Τὸν δέ γε προφήτην, ὡς εὐεργετῆσαι δυνά μενον, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσέταξεν ἀπελθεῖν. Οἶμαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ δεῖξαι βουλόμενος