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and it consumed not only the wood and the offering, but also the dust, and the water, and the stones; so that the divine altar might not be defiled by the impious offering sacrifices on it to demons. When this miracle occurred, he ordered the artisans of falsehood to be slain, and then he loosed the pangs of the clouds. QUESTION 59. Why, having such power, was he afraid of Jezebel alone? Because he was not only a prophet, but also a man; 80.733 and besides, the fear was part of the divine economy. For so that the magnitude of his wonder-working might not puff up his mind, grace allowed nature to receive cowardice, so that he might recognize his own weakness. For this reason the Lord also revealed to him that seven thousand had remained free from impiety. And in addition to these things, he taught him that he deigned to govern the human race with gentleness and long-suffering; and that it was easy for him to both send thunderbolts and lightning upon the impious, and to shake the earth, and to make it their impromptu tomb, and to destroy them all utterly with violent winds. For this he said: "And a great and strong wind, splitting the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces, before the Lord; the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind, an earthquake, and the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake, a fire, and the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, a voice of a gentle breeze." And through these he showed that long-suffering and love for mankind alone are dear to God; but each of the others is brought on by the wickedness of men. QUESTION 60. Why, when he was commanded to anoint Hazael, and Jehu, and Elisha, did he anoint only the prophet? If he anointed the prophet, and imparted to him spiritual grace, in this way he also anointed the others. For Elisha, having received the prophetic grace through him, offered the gift to them, and imparted to them the royal grace. QUESTION 61. What is the meaning of: "Naboth blessed God and the king?" The all-abominable Jezebel brought forth the slander. and first she commanded that he be deemed worthy of the customary honor, and preside over the others; then to bring in the slanderers, and to put forward the charge of blasphemy; for she euphemistically put 'blessed' instead of 'blasphemed'. And she ordered a fast to be held, so as to show by this the justice of the murder. QUESTION 62. How did Ahab, having coveted the vineyard, and being vexed that he did not get it, grieve at the death of Naboth? The thrice-wretched man was fickle, and easily swayed this way and that; 80.736 whence also his most wicked 80.736 wife cast him into the abyss of impiety. For history also teaches this: "For Ahab," it says, "was sold for nothing, to do evil in the sight of the Lord, as Jezebel his wife perverted him; and he became abominable after the abominations, according to all that the Amorite did, whom the Lord destroyed from before the sons of Israel." And here by 'the Amorite' he means not the nation, but all the Canaanites. For in the Hebrew tongue an Amorite is also called an inhabitant. But the Lord God, the abyss of goodness, threatened utter destruction because of the bloody murder; but because of the lamentation over the murder, he granted a postponement of the punishment. Forthwith, when the Syrians had gathered many myriads against him, and were boasting, and saying, "Will the dust of Samaria suffice for handfuls for all the people, my foot-soldiers?" and they said these things threatening the ramparts of the siege; the Lord God, sending the prophet, dispelled the fear of the thrice-wretched king, using these words: "Have you seen all this great sound? Behold, I am giving it into your hands, and you shall know that I am the Lord." And very fittingly did he name the noise of the threatening words a 'sound'; for it was quickly dispersed by the divine impulse. QUESTION 63. How should this be understood: "By the young men of the princes of the provinces?" I have no need of a multitude, he says. For with a few young men, inexperienced in war, I will destroy this very large army.

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καὶ κατηνάλωσεν οὐ μόνον τὰ ξύλα καὶ τὸ θῦμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν χοῦν, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ τοὺς λίθους· ὥστε μὴ καθυβρισθῆναι τὸ θεῖον θυσιαστήριον, τῶν δυσσεβῶν ἐν ἐκείνῳ προσφερόντων θυσίας τοῖς δαίμοσι. Τούτου γενομένου τοῦ θαύματος, προσέταξεν ἀναιρεθῆναι τοὺς τοῦ ψεύδους τεχνίτας, καὶ τότε τῶν νεφῶν ἔλυσε τὰς ὠδῖνας. ΕΡΩΤ. ΝΘʹ. Τίνος ἕνεκεν τοσαύτην ἔχων δύναμιν ἐφοβήθη μόνην τὴν Ἰεζάβελ; Ὅτι οὐ μόνον προφήτης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνθρωπος 80.733 ἦν· ἄλλως τε καὶ τῆς θείας ἦν οἰκονομίας τὸ δέος. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ τῆς θαυματουργίας τὸ μέγεθος ἐπάρῃ τὸ φρόνημα, ἐνδέδωκεν ἡ χάρις φύσει τὴν δειλίαν εἰσδέξασθαι, ἵνα ἐπιγνῷ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν. Τούτου χάριν αὐτῷ καὶ μεμήνυκεν ὁ ∆εσπότης, ὅτι χιλιάδες ἑπτὰ διέμειναν τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐλεύθεραι. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἐδίδαξεν αὐτὸν, ὡς ἡμερότητι καὶ μακροθυμίᾳ πρυτανεύειν ἐδοκίμασε τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ γένος· καὶ ὅτι ῥᾴδιον ἦν αὐτῷ, καὶ κεραυνοὺς καὶ σκηπτοὺς ἐπιπέμψαι τοῖς δυσσεβέσι, καὶ κλονῆ σαι τὴν γῆν, καὶ τάφον αὐτοῖς αὐτοσχέδιον ἀποφῆναι, καὶ βιαίοις ἀνέμοις ἄρδην ἅπαντας διολέσαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη· "Καὶ πνεῦμα μέγα κραταιὸν, καὶ διαλύον ὄρη, καὶ συντρίβον πέτρας, ἐνώπιον Κυ ρίου· οὐκ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι Κύριος· καὶ μετὰ τὸ πνεῦμα, συσσεισμὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ συσσεισμῷ Κύριος· καὶ μετὰ τὸν συσσεισμὸν πῦρ, καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ πυρὶ Κύριος· καὶ μετὰ τὸ πῦρ φωνὴ αὔρας λεπτῆς." ∆ιὰ δὲ τούτων ἔδειξεν, ὅτι μακροθυμία καὶ φιλανθρωπία μόνη φίλη Θεῷ· ἕκαστον δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἡ πονηρία τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐφέλκεται. ΕΡΩΤ. Ξʹ. Τί δήποτε τὸν Ἀζαὴλ, καὶ τὸν Ἰοὺ, καὶ τὸν Ἑλισσαῖον χρίσαι προσταχθεὶς, μόνον τὸν προφήτην ἔχρισεν; Εἰ τὸν προφήτην ἔχρισε, καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς αὐτῷ μετέδωκε χάριτος, ταύτῃ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἔχρισε. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἑλισσαῖος, δι' αὐτοῦ τὴν προφη τικὴν δεξάμενος χάριν, προσήνεγκεν ἐκείνοις τὸ χάρισμα, καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς αὐτοῖς μετέδωκε χά ριτος. ΕΡΩΤ. ΞΑʹ. Τί ἐστιν· "Εὐλόγησε Ναβουθαὶ Θεὸν καὶ βασιλέα;" Ἡ παμμίαρος Ἰεζάβελ τὴν συκοφαντίαν ἐξέφηνε. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν τῆς συνήθους ἀξιωθῆναι τιμῆς, καὶ προεδρεῦσαι τῶν ἄλλων· εἶτα τοὺς συκοφάντας εἰσενεγκεῖν, καὶ τὴν τῆς βλασφημίας γραφὴν προθέσθαι· εὐφήμως γὰρ τὸ Εὐλόγησε τέθεικεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐβλασφήμησε. Τὴν δὲ νηστείαν γενέσθαι προσέταξεν, ὥστε ταύτῃ δεῖξαι τοῦ φόνου τὸ δίκαιον. ΕΡΩΤ. ΞΒʹ. Πῶς ὁ Ἀχαὰβ ὀρεχθεὶς τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος, καὶ δυσ χεράνας ὅτι δὴ τοῦτον οὐκ ἔλαβεν, ἤλγησεν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Ναβουθαὶ τελευτῇ; Κοῦφος ἦν ὁ τρισάθλιος, καὶ ῥᾳδίως τῇδε κἀκεῖσε 80.736 μεταφερόμενος· ὅθεν αὐτὸν καὶ τὸ παμπόνηρον 80.736 γύναιον εἰς τὸ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐμβέβληκε βάραθρον. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει· "∆ωρεὰν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπράθη ὁ Ἀχαὰβ, τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, ὡς μετέστησεν αὐτὸν Ἰεζάβελ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐβδελύχθη ὀπίσω τῶν βδελυγμάτων, κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἀμοῤῥαῖος, ὃν ἐξωλόθρευσε Κύριος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ." Τὸν δὲ Ἀμοῤῥαῖον ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὸ ἔθνος λέγει, ἀλλὰ πάντας τοὺς Χαναναίους. Ἀμοῤῥαῖος γὰρ τῇ Ἑβραίων φωνῇ καὶ ὁ κατοικῶν ὀνομάζεται. Ἡ δὲ τῆς ἀγαθότητος ἄβυσσος ὁ ∆εσπό της Θεὸς, διὰ μὲν τὴν μιαιφονίαν τὴν πανωλεθρίαν ἠπείλησε· διὰ δὲ τὸν ἐπὶ τῷ φόνῳ θρῆνον, τὴν τῆς τιμωρίας ἀναβολὴν ἐχαρίσατο. Αὐτίκα γοῦν τῶν Σύρων πολλὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ μυριάδας συνειληχότων, καὶ βρενθυομένων, καὶ λεγόντων, "Εἰ ἐκποιήσει ὁ χοῦς Σαμαρείας ταῖς δραξὶ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ τοῖς πεζοῖς μου;" ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγον ἀπειλοῦντες τῆς πολιορκίας τὰ χώματα· τὸν προφήτην ἀποστείλας ὁ ∆εσπότης Θεὸς, διέλυσε τοῦ τρισαθλίου βασιλέως τὸ δέος, τοῖσδε τοῖς λόγοις χρησάμενος· "Ἑώρα κας πάντα τὸν ἦχον τὸν μέγαν τοῦτον. Ἰδοὺ δίδωμι αὐτὸν ἐγὼ εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου, καὶ γνώσῃ, ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος." Μάλα δὲ ἁρμοδίως ἦχον ὠνόμασε τῶν ἀπειλητικῶν ῥημάτων τὸν ψόφον· διελύθη γὰρ συντόμως τῇ θείᾳ ῥοπῇ. ΕΡΩΤ. ΞΓʹ. Πῶς νοητέον τό· "Ἐν τοῖς παιδαρίοις τῶν ἀρ χόντων τῶν χωρῶν;" Οὐ χρῄζω πλήθους, φησὶν, ἐγώ. Ἐν ὀλίγοις γὰρ μειρακίοις, καὶ πολέμων ἀπείροις, τὴν παμπόλλην ταύτην στρατιὰν διολέσω.