Fragmenta in libros Regum

From the Interpretation of Saint Cyril on the Books of Kings, Book 1. And Samuel took one suckling lamb. Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria. Do you see how he made Christ both mediator and steward of salvation? And how he set the mystery concerning him, like an unbreakable weapon, against the attacks of the foreigners and saved Israel? For he sacrificed a suckling lamb as a type of Christ, even as it was long ago proclaimed through the voice of the prophets: "But I, like an innocent lamb led to be sacrificed, did not know." Observe, moreover, how the power of the sacrifice rendered the Father more ready to bring aid to those who were laboring. For it thundered something great and extraordinary against those on the opposite side; and to those who offered the sacrifice, it gave salvation as a reward, as a type of the mystery concerning Christ. And now set a king over us. {Cyril.} Israel had ceased to be ruled by God through the prophets; and they called a human being as king. By this they also fell away from the commandment; for Solomon was the first to worship the Baalim; then after him Jeroboam set up the heifers. And the Lord said to Samuel: "Hear their voice," etc. {Cyril.} When their affairs were going well and were arranged in the best order, the wretches conceived bitter thoughts against themselves. And shaking off, as it were, the yoke of being ruled under God, they approached the blessed Samuel, saying: "Set a king over us to judge us," and so forth.

Then, when the blessed Samuel proclaimed the king's ordinances to them, terrifying them with many great fears, and sharply turning them away from such rotten and unholy designs, they none the less persisted, saying, "No, but there shall be a kingdom over us." And Saul said to the servant, etc. And what shall we bring? etc. {From Cyril, on Matthew.} Those who have been benefited, that is, those who have partaken of the most pleasant things from chance persons, always naturally wish to repay the returns within their power, and to delight them with equal, or even greater, honors; and they always somehow display the eagerness in these matters as a proof of their gratitude, in whomsoever a good and grateful character exists. And there was one of Saul's servants there. And his name was Doeg. {Cyril.} There was a certain man, an Idumean by race, whose name was Doeg. He was held in aversion among the bodyguards of the blessed David, and he was a herdsman, but a bitter and barbarous man, having no nobility from any source. He used to meet secretly with Saul and report to him his thoughts and all his plans; and from time to time he promised also to betray him. And once, when he saw the blessed David entering the house of God, when he ate the loaves of proposition, and meeting with Abimelech the priest, he reported to Saul that he was with very few men, and that he could easily take him by attacking, and subdue him without difficulty. So Doeg betrayed him by reporting to Saul that he had met with Abimelech in the house of God.

But the Master of all preserved the prophet, and rendered vain the attempt of that perverse man. BOOK II. And it was said to David, "You shall not enter here, because the blind and the lame have opposed you." {Cyril.} So then, the blind and the lame from Jerusalem, that is, from Jebus, opposed the blessed David; and having done this, they perished miserably; for he captured it. At the time of his advent, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, lame and blind, opposed the Savior Christ of all; for they did not know how to walk upright; nor did they receive the divine light into their mind, those who did not accept the faith, especially the Scribes and Pharisees. And David sent messengers, and took it, and entered into it. {Cyril.} Do not be readily disturbed concerning the saints, if they themselves have sometimes been in errors; for it is true that even the most valiant of soldiers, those admired for bodily courage and skill, are sometimes struck while fighting, yet they do not fall. Besides, I think it necessary to add this to what has been said: It has been reserved for the philanthropic Savior Christ alone not to suffer sin; because, being God by nature, he became flesh.

For this reason he himself said about himself, "The ruler of this age comes, and in me he will find nothing." And a little later: "And I say these things concerning the sin of David when he went in to Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah." The account is fitting for all of history; for even if he was weak as a man and was found to have suffered something unexpected, he showed that the transgressions of the saints have a swift correction. And David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." {Cyril, from the commentary on Psalm 50.} Here I marvel at the blessed David... he lamented over the sin. And indeed, the son born to you will die by death. {Cyril, from the commentary on the Psalter, with the text set before us.} "Lord, do not convict me in your anger." And yet, having heard these things from the prophet... rather than being forgiven. And he took the crown of Milcom the king. {Cyril.} He arrayed himself for battle against the sons of Ammon and those who had joined in their folly, I mean those from the land of the Syrians; and he conquered and took them by force; and taking the crown of Milcom, then finding in it a very large and precious stone, he set it in his own crown. And David went up weeping, with his head covered. {Cyril.} Since before the war against Absalom, the sin of the blessed David occurred, I mean the one concerning Uriah, there was rumor throughout, so to speak, the whole land of the Jews, and some not unreasonably held suspicion about him; for they thought he was being punished for his offenses against Uriah.

and that it happened in offense to God, it will be easily captured by those who wish it, and everywhere it is sick with weakness. Scatter the counsel of Ahithophel. {Cyril.} Scatter, he says, the counsel of Ahithophel, O Lord my God. For Ahithophel was deep, bitter, and resourceful, able to find ways for every matter, and in this respect most skilled in strategy. So he feared Ahithophel more than the others, because he always brought forth bitter opinions and knew how to command. And behold, Hushai came to meet him. {Cyril.} He persuades Hushai, one of his own friends, to feign defection from him and to pretend to want to join Absalom, so that he might secretly oppose the counsels of Ahithophel, which indeed happened. And thus Shimei spoke when he cursed him. {Cyril.} Having insulted him and almost hurled bitter words at him like a sling, Shimei departed having suffered nothing from him at that time, although afterward he paid the fitting and harsh penalties. But David endured, and though many urged him on, he considered silence worthy of everything, out of very great and admirable understanding.

He perceived that because he had offended God, he was given over to scourges, and was counted as part of the plague, the reproaches, mockeries, and laughter of certain people. For where there is turning away and abandonment by God, even if it be moderate against someone, there many and bitter things will surely be accustomed to remain. That the Lord told him to curse David. {Cyril.} He mentions this in the 38th Psalm; he says, "You have made me a reproach to the fool." And Ahithophel said to Absalom, etc. {Cyril.} Absalom wished to pursue his fleeing father; and Ahithophel advised this boldly, that it should be done. But Hushai, persuasively turning him away from savagery toward his father, advised not simply to rush straight to this, but rather to prepare a sufficient force and gather a multitude of soldiers, because the blessed David was powerful, experienced in war, and among the most warlike. And the woman took and spread the covering, etc. {Cyril.} Therefore, even when good things happen through men, let us not give thanks to them, but to God who through them has granted what is pleasing. And Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not carried out. {Cyril.} The opinion of Hushai prevailed; and Ahithophel, greatly grieved at this, ended his life with a noose, passing a just sentence against himself. And he wept, and spoke thus, etc. {Cyril.} Absalom made war against the blessed David, and unexpectedly the young man took up the weapons of hostility against his begetter; and he was captured and perished.

Yet the father did not rejoice at his son's death, but mourned him as a son. THIRD BOOK. And King David, advanced in years. {Cyril's.} Having endured unspeakable struggles, having overcome his enemies, and having become unconquerable to those who plotted against him. For he prevailed not only over foreigners, nor did he merely turn back the phalanxes of bloodthirsty barbarians, but also over those who from time to time rose up against him and those who stood in arms with his opponents. And you will give to your servant a heart to hear and to judge your people in righteousness. {Cyril's.} For those who wish to serve God must be wise and knowledgeable of what is beneficial, with their mind roused toward those who make use of them, and desiring to escape the storm of the present life. For just as ships, when they have rudders, are borne straight toward their goal and escape the assaults of the waves, even if the sea sometimes rages against them; but when they have no rudders, they are easily tossed here and there, become drunk with wanderings, and striking against stones and rocks are shattered; so too the soul of a man, when governed by good thoughts, will easily escape the storming Satan, and renders the wickedness of those who plot against it ineffective. But a heart that lacks wisdom endures a grievous shipwreck.

And it pleased before the Lord, etc. {Cyril's.} And it pleased, he says, before the Lord because Solomon asked for this thing; he was praised not moderately, and was deemed worthy of the gift. For the Lord of all, being bountiful, assented to him; for God readily grants to those who ask rightly. For truly an exceptional gift from God is wisdom and understanding; even the nature of the angels and the blessed multitude of the higher and heavenly spirits are adorned with such splendid gifts. For what other possession of the soul could there be besides this? Is it gold and silver? But this is nothing to us, because they are both temporary and perishable and entirely easily discarded, and have no power to benefit the human soul. So then, a possession truly precious and desirable for the human soul is wisdom and knowledge, that is, concerning God. And what you did not ask I have given you, and wealth, etc. {Cyril's.} Teaching us what we ought to ask for, and what to receive as an additional portion; for when one has rightly asked for wisdom, after giving this, he has added all the rest. Since he himself is the one who said in the Gospels: Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. That your eyes be opened to this house. {Cyril's.} And let your eyes, he says, and your ears be opened. But if the divine Scripture mentions parts or members when speaking to us about God, it must be known that it speaks to us from what we know and are by nature; for it was not otherwise possible for us to understand matters concerning God.

The cause, then, and true pretext for speaking about God in bodily terms to us is the divinely inspired Scripture, and the poverty of mind and tongue in us; for the things concerning him are utterly unspeakable. And it was not possible for those who are in tangible and gross bodies to be able to understand any of the necessary things, unless, receiving their own limbs in the order of examples, we might thus with difficulty ascend to slender notions concerning God. And the queen of Sheba, etc. {Cyril's, from the homily on Luke.} A barbarian woman, whom long distances kept away, overcame hesitation, not to collect money, but to hear the wisdom of Solomon, speaking proverbs and riddles, and depicting the beauties and faults of human characters. Then Solomon built a high place for the idol Chemosh of Moab. {Cyril's.} And what could be more grievous than such outlandish transgressions, to assign the dignity of honor and love due to the one and naturally divine God to the hordes of demons, or rather to fashion stones and wood, and to build temples for these? And the Lord was angry with Solomon, etc. {Cyril's.} What then was the command given to him and to all men under the law, not to intermarry with foreigners? For he said, "You shall not give your daughter to his son, and you shall not take his daughter for your son. For he will turn your son away from me, and he will go and serve other gods." Having, therefore, forgotten this command, he entangled himself with the daughters of the foreigners.

Since, then, he says, you did not carry out the given command with any regard, but slipped into apostasy and worshipped the gods of the foreigners, and knowing that creation is my handmaid, you transferred to her the honor and glory that are most fitting to me alone, I will tear apart your kingdom and give it to your servant, so that you may learn from the very event what you have done. For Solomon, though exceedingly wise, being overcome by desires for women, all but tore apart the kingdom of God, as far as the power of his undertakings went, by kindling for idols the honor and glory most fitting to him alone. And so, quite reasonably, God threatened to tear apart his kingdom, repaying him with like for like, according to what is written in the prophet Ezekiel: As you have done, so it will be to you; your requital will be requited upon your head. And the king deliberated and went and made two heifers. {Cyril} Jeroboam became a harbinger of destruction for the people of Israel, showing that they chose the kingdom of men and departed from being ruled by God through the prophets. For behold, Jeroboam provoked me, the Master, by innovating heifers and investing them with my dignity. And again: Jeroboam devised the heifers in the beginning and ordered the customary rites to be performed for them, the wretch kindling for his own inventions the glory befitting God, so that he might hold the kingdom securely, but he deprives, as it were, of his own

God [Exod. God]. And Naboth had one vineyard. {Cyril.} Isaiah suggests to us that the vineyard is to be understood as Israel. But those who ruled over it, of whom Ahab is a type, desired to possess it, yet they could not persuade him to betray to them the choice vineyard of his father, so that they might transform it into a garden of vegetables, teaching the precepts of human doctrines and watering it with turbid subversion. Then what did the God-detested Jezebel do—that is, the Synagogue of the Jews, who joined in the griefs of the rulers? She craftily dealt with the righteous Naboth—that is, the one who comes. For Emmanuel is destroyed, being falsely accused. God of the mountains, God of Israel. {Cyril.} For they thought that those from Israel had conquered, supposing that God was able to save only on the mountains or even on the hills; "we have been defeated, then," they say, "because God of the mountains is God of Israel; but if it should happen that we join battle on bare plains, we will certainly prevail, since the God of Israel is powerless in the valleys." These are charges of Greek insanity and a terrible loose talk of those who do not know the true and natural God. Therefore the all-powerful God was indignant against the foreigners, and quite reasonably, because even when conquering Israel, as I said, they attributed the thanksgivings to their own gods, babbling and thinking they had overcome God himself. And he finds another man and says, "Strike me." {Cyril.} Do you hear how the one who refused to strike the prophet was pitifully destroyed, falling prey to a terrible beast? And yet how is it not true to say that the fruit of reverence was not daring to strike a holy man and prophet?

But disobedience has become a charge that is hard to escape in the word of the Lord. Thus, doing something contrary to what seems good to God, or not doing what is commanded by him without delay, is a charge that is hard to escape. Therefore, it is necessary for us to complete without hesitation or procrastination whatever would please God. To do something other than this, or even to choose to think otherwise, incurs a charge of contempt; for such persons have come to know almost nothing but to rebuke, as if God sometimes does not deliberate correctly. BOOK IV. "And now you have taken the silver," etc. {Cyril.} This also Christ says in the holy Gospels: "Do not carry a purse or a wallet or sandals, and greet no one on the road." For one must proceed to the work with a direct impulse, and not even return a blessing when blessed; for turning aside to others is a loss of zeal, and it is not right to waste the time suitable for proclamations on unnecessary matters, nor to grant the favor of useless delay to friendships. "And they inherited Samaria." {Cyril.} So these, then, who took the land of the Samaritans by lot and settled it, have perhaps also become fathers of children; and they have inclined toward the customs of the Jews, having dreaded the attacks of lions. From them came Sarasar and Arbeseser, who is also named king, because he was then the leader of those resettled in Samaria.

from the Persians. Hezekiah son of Ahaz, king of Judah, reigned. {Cyril.} He advanced in glory and strength to such a point that he overpowered the nations dwelling near Judaea and even imposed many tributes. And after a little: Then he suffered something human; for from excessive luxury and overcome by the preeminence of his renown, he in a way thought highly and, seized by the disease of arrogance, even rose up against the divine law itself. For he thought it necessary to crown himself with the glories of the divine priesthood. He attempted to enter the divine temple and himself to offer incense to God and to fulfill lawfully the customary rites. Because of this cause he was immediately struck with leprosy and was utterly dishonored; for according to the law, one seized by the affliction of leprosy is polluted. Where is the God of Hamath? etc. That they delivered Samaria from my hand? {Cyril.} For perhaps the barbarian thought, having both the arrogance and the tongue, that the master of earth and heaven and the creator and Lord of all is one of the falsely named gods; it is customary for those who do not know God sometimes to mock the hope of the saints and to dare to say that they would not be rescued by God. But he was not ignorant that the falsely named gods are the work of human hands; but the one who is by nature and truly God was made by no one, but rather he himself brought into existence things that once were not. So Samaria was captured, God withholding his assistance.

And, as I said before, even if none of the so-called gods among the Greeks saved his own, this is nothing compared to God, who is truly and by nature great. For they, by human craft, obtained at least only to be seen, while He has authority over all things, being Lord of the powers. He tore his garments. {Cyril.} Do you see how, neglecting his own concerns, he is grieved for God and seeks vengeance? He tore, it says, his garments, and put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the Lord. And what was the occasion for rending his clothes? It was a custom among the Jews to do this at blasphemies against God, which is also recorded in the Gospels as having been done by Caiaphas. I cut down the size of his cedar. {Cyril.} His, whose? Of Lebanon, that is, of Judaea. And the height of the cedar signifies the kingdom among them. For the boasts of Hezekiah's reign were about to be raised to a height. And I will place, it says, my hooks in your nostrils, and a bridle on your lips. {Cyril.} So that you may not dare to utter such things. Yet, even if he did not share in the fate of the multitude for the said reason, for which also Pharaoh was kept as a spectator while the rest of the Egyptians were punished, nevertheless he found his own sons to be his murderers, while on his own land.

And I will shield this city for my own sake. {Cyril.} For this is fitting for God. Therefore I will do these things for my own sake, but not because those being helped are worthy. And an angel of the Lord went out and struck down in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand. {Cyril.} And the war is dissolved, and the threats flee along with the dangers; so that from this the inhabitants of Jerusalem, rejoicing greatly at the help from God, say: You have turned my lamentation into joy for me. Observe the reversal of events; understand precisely what he says: You have turned my lamentation into joy for me. Great was the lamentation because of the multitude of the attackers; great has become the joy because of the multitude of the fallen.