they opened their mouth against me, like a lion tearing and roaring. my bones were scattered.” We remember, if indeed we remember the sacred letters; for I remember them being spoken in the 21st Psalm. Therefore the savior has descended to save; has he descended there, proclaimed by the prophets, or not? But here he was proclaimed by the prophets, but elsewhere he descends not through prophets? And Moses proclaims him coming to the race of men, so that it is well said by our Lord and Savior: “If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” And Christ has come into this life and Christ is proclaimed as coming into this life. But if Moses prophesies him here, do you not want him to have descended there also, to prophesy that Christ would come? What then? Moses yes, but the succeeding prophets no? Samuel no? What is strange about doctors going down to those who are sick? And what is strange that the chief physician should also go down to those who are sick? Those were many physicians, but my Lord and Savior is the chief physician; for he himself heals the inward desire, which cannot be cured by others; she who “could not be healed by any” of the physicians, Jesus Christ heals her. Do not be afraid, do not be amazed; Jesus has been in Hades, and the prophets before him, and they proclaim the coming of Christ. 7 Then I also wish to say something else from the scripture itself. Samuel ascends, and what does the woman say to Saul she has seen? She does not say she has seen a man; she was terrified of him whom she saw. Whom does she see? “I saw gods,” she says, “gods ascending from the earth.” And perhaps Samuel did not ascend alone then to prophesy to Saul; but it is likely, just as here “with the holy you will be holy, and with the innocent man you will be innocent, and with the elect you will be elect,” and there are here gatherings of saints with saints, but not of saints with sinners, and if ever, the gathering of the saints is with sinners for the purpose of saving the sinners also, so perhaps as Samuel was ascending, either holy souls of other prophets or angels were ascending with the spirits. Perhaps you will ask if angels were over their spirits? The prophet says: “The angel who spoke in me”; and all things are filled with those needing salvation and “all are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation.” Why are you afraid to say that every place has need of Jesus Christ? He who has need of Christ has need of the prophets; for he does not have need of Christ, but not have need of those who prepare for Christ's presence and coming. And John, of whom there was no one greater among those born of women according to the testimony of our Savior who said: “Among those born of women there is no one greater than John the Baptist,” do not be afraid to say that he descended into Hades proclaiming my Lord, that he might foretell that he would come down. For this reason, when he was in prison and knew the departure that was at hand for him, he sent two of his disciples and inquired, not: “Are you the one who is to come?” (for he knew), but: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?” He saw his glory, he spoke many things about his wondrousness, he was the first to bear witness to him: “He who comes after me has become before me,” he saw his glory, “glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” After seeing such great things about Christ, he hesitates to believe, he doubts and does not say: Tell him: Are you the Christ? For now some, not understanding what has been said, say: John, so great a man, did not know Christ, but the Holy Spirit departed from him. And he knew this one, to whom he bore witness before his birth and at whom he leaped, when Mary also came to him, as his mother bore witness to him, saying: “For behold, as the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy

ἤνοιξαν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν, ὡς λέων ἁρπάζων καὶ ὠρυόμενος. διεσκορ πίσθησαν τὰ ὀστᾶ μου». μεμνήμεθα, εἴγε μεμνήμεθα τῶν ἱερῶν γραμμάτων· μέμνημαι γὰρ αὐτῶν εἰρημένων εἰς τὸν καʹ Ψαλμόν. οὐκοῦν ὁ σωτὴρ κατελήλυθεν σώσων· κατελήλυθεν ἐκεῖ προκηρυχθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν ἢ οὔ; ἀλλ' ἐνθάδε μὲν προεκηρύχθη ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν, ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ κατέρχεται οὐ διὰ προφητῶν; καὶ Μωσῆς αὐτὸν κηρύσσει ἐπιδημήσοντα τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὥστε λέ γεσθαι καλῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν· «εἰ ἐπιστεύετε Μωσεῖ, ἐπιστεύετε ἂν ἐμοί· περὶ γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψεν. εἰ δὲ τοῖς ἐκείνου γράμμασιν οὐ πιστεύετε, πῶς τοῖς ἐμοῖς ῥήμασι πιστεύ σητε;» καὶ ἐπιδεδήμηκεν τούτῳ τῷ βίῳ Χριστὸς καὶ προκηρύσσεται Χριστὸς ἐπιδημῶν τούτῳ τῷ βίῳ. εἰ δὲ Μωσῆς προφητεύει αὐτὸν ἐνθάδε, οὐ θέλεις αὐτὸν κἀκεῖ καταβεβηκέναι, ἵνα προφητεύσῃ Χριστὸν ἐλεύσεσθαι; τί δέ; Μωσῆς μέν, οἱ δὲ ἑξῆς προφῆται οὐχί; Σαμουὴλ δὲ οὐχί; τί ἄτοπόν ἐστι τοὺς ἰατροὺς καταβαίνειν πρὸς τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας; τί δὲ ἄτοπόν ἐστιν ἵνα καὶ ὁ ἀρχίατρος καταβῇ πρὸς τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας; ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἰατροὶ ἦσαν πολλοί, ὁ δὲ κύ ριός μου καὶ σωτὴρ ἀρχίατρός ἐστι· καὶ γὰρ τὴν ἔνδον ἐπιθυμίαν, ἣ οὐ δύναται ὑπὸ ἄλλων θεραπευθῆναι, αὐτὸς θεραπεύει· ἥτις «οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ὑπ' οὐδενὸς θεραπευθῆναι» τῶν ἰατρῶν, Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς αὐτὴν θεραπεύει. μὴ φοβοῦ, μὴ θαμβοῦ· Ἰησοῦς εἰς ᾅδου γέγονεν, καὶ οἱ προφῆται πρὸ αὐτοῦ, καὶ προκηρύσσουσι τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν. 7 Εἶτα καὶ ἄλλο τι θέλω εἰπεῖν ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς γραφῆς. Σα μουὴλ ἀναβαίνει, καὶ τί τῷ Σαοὺλ λέγει ἑωρακέναι ἡ γυνή; οὐ λέγει ἑωρακέναι ἄνθρωπον· ἔπτηξεν τοῦτον ὃν εἶδεν. τίνα ὁρᾷ; «θεοὺς ἐγώ» φησιν «εἶδον, θεοὺς ἀναβαίνοντας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς». καὶ τάχα Σαμουὴλ οὐ μόνος ἀναβέβηκεν καὶ τότε προφητεύσων τῷ Σαούλ· ἀλλ' εἰκός, ὥσπερ ἐνταῦθα «μετὰ ὁσίου ὁσιωθήσῃ, καὶ μετὰ ἀνδρὸς ἀθῴου ἀθῷος ἔσῃ, καὶ μετὰ ἐκλεκτοῦ ἐκλεκτὸς ἔσῃ», καὶ εἰσὶν ἐν ταῦθα διατριβαὶ ἁγίων μετὰ ἁγίων, οὐχὶ δὲ ἁγίων μετὰ ἁμαρτωλῶν, καὶ εἰ ἄρα ποτέ, ἐστὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἡ διατριβὴ μετὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς σῶσαι, οὕτω τάχα καὶ ἀναβαίνοντι τῷ Σαμουὴλ συναναβεβήκασιν ἤτοι ἅγιαι ψυχαὶ ἄλλων προφητῶν ἢ ἄγγελοι ἦσαν μετὰ τῶν πνευμάτων συναναβεβηκότες. τάχα ζη τήσεις εἰ ἄγγελοι ἦσαν ἐπὶ τῶν πνευμάτων αὐτῶν; ὁ προφήτης λέγει· «ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοί»· καὶ πάντα πληροῦται τῶν δεο μένων σωτηρίας καὶ «πάντες εἰσὶ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακο νίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν». τί φοβῇ εἰπεῖν ὅτι πᾶς τόπος χρῄζει Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ; χρῄζει τῶν προ φητῶν ὁ χρῄζων Χριστοῦ· οὐδὲ γὰρ Χριστοῦ μὲν χρῄζει, τῶν δὲ εὐτρεπιζόντων Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν καὶ ἐπιδημίαν οὐ χρῄζει. καὶ Ἰωάννης, οὗ μείζων ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν οὐδεὶς ἦν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μαρτυρίαν λέγοντος· «μείζων ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ οὐδείς ἐστιν», μὴ φοβοῦ λέγειν ὅτι εἰς ᾅδου καταβέβηκε προκηρύσσων μου τὸν κύριον, ἵνα προείπῃ αὐτὸν κατε λευσόμενον. διὰ τοῦτο, ὅτε ἦν ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ καὶ ᾔδει τὴν ἔξοδον τὴν ἐπικειμένην αὐτῷ, πέμψας δύο τῶν μαθητῶν ἐπυνθάνετο, οὐχί· «σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος;» (ᾔδει γάρ), ἀλλά· «σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ἢ ἄλλον προσδοκῶμεν;» εἶδεν αὐτοῦ τὴν δόξαν, ἐλάλησεν πολλὰ περὶ τῆς θαυμασιότητος αὐτοῦ, ἐμαρτύρησεν αὐτῷ πρῶτος· «ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν», εἶδεν αὐτοῦ τὴν δόξαν, «δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρὸς πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας». τηλι καῦτα ἰδὼν περὶ Χριστοῦ ὀκνεῖ πιστεῦσαι, ἀμφιβάλλει καὶ οὐ λέγει· εἴπατε αὐτῷ· σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστός; νῦν μὴ νοήσαντες γάρ τινες τὰ εἰρημένα λέγουσιν· Ἰωάννης ὁ τηλικοῦτος οὐκ ᾔδει Χριστόν, ἀλλ' ἀπέστη ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. καὶ ᾔδει τοῦτον, ᾧ ἐμαρ τύρησεν πρὸ γενέσεως καὶ ἐφ' ᾧ ἐσκίρτησεν, ἡνίκα ἦλθεν καὶ ἡ Μαρία πρὸς αὐτόν, ὡς ἐμαρτύρησεν αὐτῷ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ λέγουσα· «ἰδοὺ γάρ, ὡς ἐγένετο ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ ἀσπασμοῦ σου εἰς τὰ ὦτά μου, ἐσκίρτησεν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει τὸ βρέφος ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ