THE KING'S MIRROR 365 



(, keepingDif the bishop is unable to defend it with his 

 own rod of punishment. The bishop shall have his rod 

 of punishment in his mouth, and he shall smite with 

 words but not with hands like the king. And the bishop 

 shall strike his blow in the following manner: if any one 

 attempt to dishonor the sacred hall that is in his care, 

 he shall refuse him the table which is placed in this holy 

 house and the holy sustenance which is taken from this 

 table. But when King Solomon deprived Abiathar the 

 bishop of the episcopal office and dignity, he said t ha. t. 

 Abiathar's own guilt deprived him and not he( Since he 

 had decreed that David should forfeit his throne before 

 God had ordered it, and had chosen another king to 

 replace David, while he was still living, it was right to 

 deprive him of the episcopal office, seeing that he wanted 

 to rob David of the royal office. {Saul's guilt, on the 

 other hand, when he had slain the bishop Ahimelech 

 and all the priests in the city of Nob, was a grievous 

 burden, because he had done this without just cause. 

 But even if King Solomon should have killed the bishop 

 Abiathar, he would have been without guilt; for the 

 bishop had deprived the house of God of the lord whom 

 God Himself had appointed keeper of the holy judg- 

 ment seat. The bishop Abiathar had no right either to 

 appoint or to remove any one, as was later made evident; 

 for David chose the one whom he wished to be king in 

 his stead, and the choice which Abiathar had made was 

 of no effect. Abiathar the bishop obtained the episcopal 

 office through the will of David who appointed him to 

 it. Now you are to understand that there is this differ- 

 ence between the business of a king and the duties of a 



