and even by the hand of the prophets and in dreams I called to show me what I should do'." Again the scripture did not say otherwise, but that Samuel himself said: “And why have you questioned me? The Lord has departed from you.” Is he speaking the truth or lying when he says these things: “The Lord has departed from you and has become against you and has made another for himself, in the way that he spoke by my hand, and he will tear the kingdom from your hand,” and a demon prophesies about the kingdom of Israel? What does the contrary argument say? You see how great a struggle there is in the word of God, having need of listeners also who are able to hear holy words, great and secret things concerning the departure, with the former things still being questioned and the latter things not being clear, 5 but the argument is still being examined. But I say that both the history and the examination concerning it are necessary, so that we may see what awaits us after the departure. “he has spoken by my hand, and the Lord will tear the kingdom from your hand and will give it to your neighbor David.” But a demon is not able to know of the kingdom of David, which was appointed by the Lord. “Because you did not listen to the voice of the Lord, you did not execute the wrath of his anger on Amalek.” Are these not the words of God? Are they not true? For truly Saul did not do the will of the Lord, but “he spared the king of Amalek alive,” for which Samuel reproached Saul both before his death and at his departure: “And for this reason the Lord has done this thing to you on this day; and the Lord will give Israel indeed into the hand of foreigners.” Is a demon able to prophesy concerning the whole people of God that the Lord is about to hand over Israel? “And indeed the camp of Israel the Lord will hand over into the hand of foreigners. But hasten, Saul; tomorrow both you and your sons will be with me.” And is a demon able to know this, <concerning> a king appointed with prophetic anointing, that tomorrow Saul was to depart this life and his sons with him? “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me.” 6 These things then <show> that what is written is not false and that it is Samuel who has come up; what then is a ventriloquist doing here? What is a ventriloquist doing with the raising up of the soul of a righteous man? That one who stated the first argument fled (so that he might not seem to have a contest against so many other things being sought in this passage) and says: It is not Samuel, the demon is lying, since scripture cannot lie. But the words of the scripture are not from the person of the demon, but from its own person: “And the woman saw Samuel,” “Saul said” ............. .......... the things spoken by Samuel. How then, when the things concerning the ventriloquist are resolved, will the things concerning the passage become clear? I inquire of the one who has said the former things (Samuel in Hades? and so forth) and let him answer what has been asked: Who is greater, Samuel or Jesus Christ? Who is greater, the prophets or Jesus Christ? Who is greater, Abraham or Jesus Christ? Here, no one who has once come to know the Lord Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed beforehand by the prophets, will dare to say that Christ is not greater than the prophets. When therefore you confess that Jesus Christ is greater, was Christ in Hades, or was he not there? Is what was said in the Psalms not true, interpreted by the apostles in their Acts concerning the Savior having descended into Hades? It is written that what is in the fifteenth Psalm refers to him: “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will you let your Holy One see corruption.” Then Jesus Christ was in Hades, but you are afraid to say that yes, he descends there to prophesy and to come to the other souls? Then after this if he answers that Christ has descended into Hades, I will say: Christ has descended into Hades to do what? To conquer or to be conquered by death? And he has come down to those regions not as a slave of those there, but as a master to wrestle, as we said before when explaining the 21st Psalm. “Many calves have surrounded me, fat bulls have beset me;

καίγε ἐν χειρὶ τῶν προφητῶν καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐνυπνίοις ἐκάλεσα τοῦ δηλῶσαί μοι τί ποιήσω». πάλιν ἡ γραφὴ οὐκ ἄλλως εἶπεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι αὐτὸς Σαμουὴλ ἔφη· «καὶ ἵνα τί ἐπηρώτησάς με; καὶ κύριος ἀπέστη ἀπὸ σοῦ». ἀληθεύει ἢ ψεύδεται ταῦτα λέγων· «κύριος ἀπέστη ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ ἐγενήθη κατὰ σοῦ καὶ ἐποίησεν ἄλλον αὑτῷ, ὃν τρόπον ἐλάλησεν ἐν χειρί μου, καὶ διαρρήξει τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκ χειρός σου», καὶ δαιμόνιον προφητεύει περὶ βασιλείας Ἰσραηλιτικῆς; τί φησιν ὁ ἐναντίος λόγος; ὁρᾶτε ὅσος ἀγών ἐστιν ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ, χρείαν ἔχων καὶ ἀκροατῶν δυναμένων ἁγίων ἀκούειν λόγων, μεγάλων καὶ ἀπορρήτων τῶν περὶ τῆς ἐξόδου, ἔτι ἐπαπορουμένων τε τῶν προτέρων οὐδὲ τῶν δευτέρων σαφῶν ὄντων, 5 ἀλλ' ὁ λόγος ἔτι ἐξετάζεται. Λέγω δὲ ὅτι ἀναγκαία καὶ ἡ ἱστορία καὶ ἡ ἐξέτασις ἡ περὶ αὐτῆς, ἵνα ἴδωμεν τί ἡμᾶς ἔχει μετὰ τὴν ἔξοδον. «λελάληκεν ἐν χειρί μου, καὶ διαρρήξει κύριος τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκ χειρός σου καὶ δώσει αὐτὴν τῷ πλησίον σου τῷ ∆αβίδ». δαιμόνιον δὲ οὐ δύναται εἰδέναι τὴν βασιλείαν ∆αβὶδ τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου χειρο τονηθεῖσαν. «καθότι οὐκ ἤκουσας τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ κυρίου, οὐκ ἐποίησας ὀργὴν θυμοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐν Ἀμαλήκ». ταῦτα οὐκ ἔστι ῥή ματα θεοῦ; οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθῆ; ἀληθῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἐποίησεν τὸ θέλημα κυρίου Σαούλ, ἀλλὰ «περιεποι<ήσατο> τὸν βασιλέα Ἀμαλὴκ ζῶντα», ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ πρὸ τῆς κοιμήσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐξόδου ὠνείδισεν Σαμουὴλ τῷ Σαούλ· «καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ἐποίησέν σοι κύριος ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ· καὶ δώσει κύριος καίγε τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐν χειρὶ ἀλλοφύλων». περὶ ὅλου λαοῦ θεοῦ δύναται δαιμόνιον προφη τεῦσαι ὅτι κύριος μέλλει παραδιδόναι τὸν Ἰσραήλ; «καίγε τὴν παρεμ βολὴν Ἰσραὴλ παραδώσει κύριος αὐτὴν ἐν χειρὶ ἀλλοφύλων. τάχυνον δὲ Σαούλ· αὔριον καὶ σὺ καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου μετ' ἐμοῦ». καὶ τοῦτο δύνα ται εἰδέναι δαιμόνιον, <περὶ> βασιλέα χειροτονηθέντα μετὰ χρίσματος προφητικοῦ, ὅτι αὔριον ἔμελλεν ἐξελεύσεσθαι ὁ Σαοὺλ τὸν βίον καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτοῦ; «αὔριον σὺ καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου μετ' ἐμοῦ». 6 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν <δηλοῖ> ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ψευδῆ τὰ ἀναγεγραμ μένα καὶ ὅτι Σαμουήλ ἐστιν ὁ ἀναβεβηκώς· τί οὖν ποιεῖ ἐγγαστρί μυθος ἐνθάδε; τί ποιεῖ ἐγγαστρίμυθος περὶ τὴν ἀναγωγὴν τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ δικαίου; ἐκεῖνος ἔφυγεν ὁ τὸν πρῶτον λόγον εἰπών (ἵνα [γὰρ] μὴ ἀγῶνα ἔχειν δοκῇ κατὰ τοσαῦτα ἄλλα τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόπον ζητού μενα) καὶ λέγει· οὐκ ἔστι Σαμουήλ, ψεύδεται τὸ δαιμόνιον, ἐπεὶ οὐ δύναται ψεύδεσθαι ἡ γραφή. τὰ δὲ ῥήματα τῆς γραφῆς [ἐστιν] οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ δαιμονίου [αὐτοῦ], ἀλλ' ἐκ προσώπου αὐτῆς· «καὶ εἶδεν ἡ γυνὴ τὸν Σαμουήλ», «εἶπεν Σαοὺλ» ............. .......... τὰ λελαλημένα ἀπὸ τοῦ Σαμουήλ. πῶς οὖν λυόμενα τὰ τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου φανεῖται τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόπον; πυνθάνομαι τοῦ προειρηκότος τὰ πρότερα (Σαμουὴλ ἐν ᾅδου; καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς) καὶ ἀποκρινάσθω πρὸς τὸ ἐπηρωτημένον· τίς μείζων, Σαμουὴλ ἢ Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός; τίς μείζων, οἱ προφῆται ἢ Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός; τίς μείζων, Ἀβραὰμ ἢ Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός; ἐνθάδε μὲν οὐ τολμήσει τις τῶν ἅπαξ φθασάντων τὸν κύριον εἰδέναι Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν προ φητῶν προκηρυχθέντα [εἶναι] εἰπεῖν ὅτι μείζων οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Χριστὸς τῶν προφητῶν. ὅταν οὖν ὁμολογήσῃς ὅτι Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς μείζων ἐστίν, Χριστὸς ἐν ᾅδου, ἢ οὐ γέγονεν ἐκεῖ; οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθὲς τὸ εἰρημένον ἐν Ψαλμοῖς, ἑρμηνευθὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν αὐτῶν περὶ τοῦ τὸν σωτῆρα εἰς ᾅδου καταβεβηκέναι; γέ γραπται ὅτι ἐπ' αὐτὸν φέρεται τὸ ἐν πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ Ψαλμῷ· «ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδου, οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν». εἶτα Ἰησοῦς μὲν Χριστὸς ἐν ᾅδου, φοβῇ δὲ εἰπεῖν ὅτι ναὶ καὶ ἐκεῖ προφητεῦσαι καταβαίνει καὶ ἔρχεσθαι πρὸς τὰς ψυχὰς τὰς ἑτέρας; εἶτα μετὰ τοῦτο ἐὰν ἀποκρίνηται ὅτι Χριστὸς εἰς ᾅδου καταβέβηκεν, ἐρῶ· Χριστὸς εἰς ᾅδου καταβέβηκεν τί ποιήσων; νικήσων ἢ νικηθησόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου; καὶ κατελήλυθεν εἰς τὰ χωρία ἐκεῖνα οὐχ ὡς δοῦλος τῶν ἐκεῖ, ἀλλ' ὡς δεσπότης πα λαίσων, ὡς πρώην ἐλέγομεν ἐξηγούμενοι τὸν καʹ Ψαλμόν. «περιεκύ κλωσάν με μόσχοι πολλοί, ταῦροι πίονες περιέσχον με·