of me.” This John, therefore, who leaped before birth, who said: ‘This is he of whom I said: He who comes after me has come to be before me’ and: ‘He who sent me said to me: Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining, this is the Son of God,’ this one, they say, no longer knew Jesus Christ? For he knew him in the womb. But because of the excess of glory he has done something similar to Peter. What is similar? This one knew something great about Christ. Who am I? ‘Who do people say that I am’? And he said: this and that. But who do you say? ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’; for which he is also called blessed, because ‘flesh and blood has not revealed’ it to him, ‘but the Father who is in heaven’. Since, therefore, he had heard great things about Christ and assumed great things and did not accept the divine cry to him: ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and it will be fulfilled’ and: ‘the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the chief priests and elders, and be killed, and on the third day be raised,’ he says: ‘God forbid it, Lord.’ He knew great things about Christ, he was not willing to accept the more humble thing about him. Consider John to be someone like that. He was in prison, knowing great things about Christ, he saw the heavens opened, he saw the Holy Spirit coming down from heaven upon the Savior and remaining on him; seeing so great a glory, he doubted and perhaps disbelieved, whether one so glorious would also descend as far as Hades and as far as the abyss; for this reason he said: ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?’ 8 I have not digressed nor forgotten the subject at hand, but we wish to establish this, that, if all descended into Hades before Christ, the forerunners of Christ, the prophets of Christ, so also Samuel descended there; for not simply, but as a holy one. Wherever the holy one is, he is holy. Is Christ no longer Christ, because he was once in Hades? Was he no longer the Son of God, because he has been in the place under the earth, ‘so that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow, of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth’? Thus Christ was Christ even being below, <and,> so to speak, being in the place below, <by his> purpose he was above. Thus also the prophets and Samuel, even if they descend where the souls below are, they can be below <on the one hand> in place, but they are not below in purpose. But I ask: † they prophesied the things above the heavens. But I cannot grant to a demon so great a power, that it prophesies concerning Saul [Samuel] and the people of God, and prophesies concerning the kingdom of David that he is about to reign. Those who say these things will know the truths concerning the passage; they will not find how to establish how a holy one would <not> also go to the place of the afflicted for the salvation of the afflicted. Let physicians go to the places of the sick soldiers, and let them enter where the foul smells of their wounds are; medical philanthropy suggests this. Thus the Word has suggested this to the Savior and to the prophets, both to come here and to descend into Hades. 9 And this must be added to the argument that <if> Samuel was a prophet, and upon his departing the Holy Spirit departed from him, and prophecy departed from him, then the apostle does not speak truly when he says: ‘Now I prophesy in part, and I know in part; but when the perfect comes, then that which is in part will be done away’. Therefore, the perfect is after this life. And if Isaiah prophesied anything, he prophesied in part with all boldness; but David has testified to the things here concerning the perfection of prophecy. Samuel, therefore, did not cast away the prophetic gift. And that he did not cast it away, he used it in such a way, as those who speak in tongues, so that one might say: ‘My spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful’? And yet he who speaks in a tongue does not build up the church; for Paul says that he who prophesies builds up the church, saying in these very words: ‘but he who prophesies builds up the church’. And if ‘he who prophesies builds up the church’, he had <and> a prophetic gift (for he had not lost it, not having sinned; for only he loses the prophetic gift, who after prophesying has done unworthy things

μου». οὗτος οὖν ὁ σκιρτήσας πρὸ γενέσεως Ἰωάννης, ὁ εἰπών· «οὗτός ἐστι περὶ οὗ ἐγὼ εἶπον· ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν» καί· «ὁ πέμψας με εἶπέ μοι· ἐφ' ὃν ἂν ἴδῃς τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον καὶ μένον, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ», οὗτος, φασίν, οὐκέτι ᾔδει Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν; ἐν κοιλίᾳ ᾔδει γὰρ αὐτόν. ἀλλὰ δι' ὑπερβολὴν δόξης ὅμοιόν τι τῷ Πέτρῳ πεποίηκεν. τί ὅμοιον; οὗτος μέγα τι ᾔδει περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. τίς εἰμι; «τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι»; ὁ δέ· τόδε καὶ τόδε. σὺ δὲ τί; «σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος»· ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ μακαρίζεται, ὅτι «σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψεν» αὐτῷ, «ἀλλ' ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς». ἐπεὶ οὖν μεγάλα ἤκουσεν περὶ Χριστοῦ καὶ μεγάλα ὑπελάμβανεν καὶ οὐ παρεδέξατο τὴν βοὴν τὴν θείαν τὴν πρὸς αὐτόν· «ἰδοὺ ἀναβαίνομεν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ τε λειωθήσεται» καί· «δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πολλὰ παθεῖν καὶ ἀποδοκιμασθῆναι ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρχιερέων καὶ πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ ἀποκταν θῆναι, καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστῆναι», φησίν· «ἵλεώς σοι, κύριε». μεγάλα ᾔδει περὶ Χριστοῦ, οὐκ ἠθέλησεν παραδέξασθαι τὸ ταπεινό τερον περὶ αὐτοῦ. τοιοῦτόν τινά μοι νόει καὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην. ἐν φυλακῇ ἦν μεγάλα εἰδὼς περὶ Χριστοῦ, εἶδεν οὐρανοὺς ἀνεῳγότας, εἶδεν πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατερχόμενον ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ μένον ἐπ' αὐτόν· ἰδὼν τὴν τηλικαύτην δόξαν ἀμφέβαλλεν καὶ τάχα ἠπίστει, εἰ ὁ οὕτως ἔνδοξος καὶ μέχρις ᾅδου καὶ μέχρι τῆς ἀβύσσου κατελεύσεται· διὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν· «σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ἢ ἄλλον προσδο κῶμεν;» 8 Οὐ παρεξέβην οὐδὲ ἐπελαθόμην τοῦ προκειμένου, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο θέλομεν κατασκευάσαι ὅτι, εἰ πάντες εἰς ᾅδου καταβεβήκασι πρὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πρόδρομοι Χριστοῦ οἱ προφῆται Χριστοῦ, οὕτως καὶ Σαμουὴλ ἐκεῖ καταβέβηκεν· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ὡς ἅγιος. ὅπου ἐὰν ᾖ ὁ ἅγιος, ἔστιν ἅγιος. μήτι Χριστὸς οὐκέτι Χριστός ἐστιν, ἐπεὶ ἐν ᾅδου ποτὲ ἦν; οὐκέτι ἦν υἱὸς θεοῦ, ἐπεὶ ἐν τῷ καταχθονίῳ γεγένηται τόπῳ, «ἵνα πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χρι στοῦ ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων»; οὕτως Χριστὸς Χριστὸς ἦν καὶ κάτω ὤν, <καὶ,> ἵνα οὕτως εἴπω, ἐν τῷ κάτω τόπῳ ὤν, <τῇ> προαιρέσει ἄνω ἦν. οὕτως καὶ οἱ προφῆται καὶ Σαμουήλ, κἂν κατα βῶσιν ὅπου αἱ ψυχαὶ αἱ κάτω, κάτω <μὲν> δύνανται εἶναι τόπῳ, οὐ κάτω δέ εἰσιν τῇ προαιρέσει. πυνθάνομαι δέ· † ἐπροφήτευσαν τὰ ὑπερουράνια. ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ δύναμαι διδόναι δαιμονίῳ τηλικαύτην δύ ναμιν, ὅτι προφητεύει περὶ Σαοὺλ [Σαμουὴλ] καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ προφητεύει περὶ βασιλείας ∆αβὶδ ὅτι μέλλει βασιλεύειν. εἴσονται οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες τὰ τῆς ἀληθείας τῆς κατὰ τὸν τόπον· οὐχ εὑ ρήσουσιν παραστῆσαι πῶς <οὐκ> ἂν καὶ ἅγιος γένοιτο ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας τῶν κακῶς ἐχόντων εἰς τὸν τόπον τῶν κακῶς ἐχόντων. ἰατροὶ γινέ σθωσαν εἰς τοὺς τόπους τῶν καμνόντων στρατιωτῶν, καὶ εἰσίτωσαν ὅπου αἱ δυσωδίαι τῶν τραυμάτων αὐτῶν· τοῦτο ὑποβάλλει ἡ ἰα τρικὴ φιλανθρωπία. οὕτω τοῦτο ὑποβέβληκεν τῷ σωτῆρι ὁ λόγος καὶ τοῖς προφήταις, καὶ ἐνθάδε ἐλθεῖν καὶ εἰς ᾅδου καταβῆναι. 9 Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ προσθετέον τῷ λόγῳ ὅτι <εἰ> Σαμουὴλ προ φήτης ἦν, καὶ ἐξελθόντος ἀπέστη ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ ἀπέστη ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἡ προφητεία, οὐκ ἄρα ἀληθεύει ὁ λέγων ἀπόστολος· «ἄρτι προφητεύω ἐκ μέρους, καὶ ἐκ μέρους γινώσκω· ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τότε τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται». οὐ κοῦν τὸ τέλειον μετὰ τὸν βίον ἐστίν. καὶ εἴ τι ἐπροφήτευσεν Ἡσαΐας, ἐκ μέρους προεφήτευσεν μετὰ πάσης παρρησίας· μεμαρτύρηται δὲ τὰ ἐνθάδε ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἐπὶ τὸ τέλειον τῆς προφητείας. οὐκ ἀπέβαλεν οὖν τὴν χάριν τὴν προφητικὴν Σαμουήλ. ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἀπέβαλεν, οὕτως αὐτῇ ἐχρῆτο, ὡς οἱ γλώσσαις λαλοῦντες, ὥστε ἂν εἰπεῖν· «τὸ πνεῦμά μου προσεύχεται, ὁ δὲ νοῦς μου ἄκαρπός ἐστιν»; καίτοι ἐκκλησίαν οὐκ οἰκοδομεῖ ὁ γλώσσῃ λαλῶν· καὶ γὰρ λέγει ὁ Παῦλος ὅτι ἐκκλη σίαν οἰκοδομεῖ ὁ προφητεύων, αὐταῖς λέξεσι λέγων· «ὁ δὲ προφη τεύων ἐκκλησίαν οἰκοδομεῖ». εἰ δὲ «ὁ προφητεύων ἐκκλησίαν οἰκο δομεῖ», εἶχεν <δὲ> χάριν προφητικήν (οὐ γὰρ ἀπολωλέκει αὐτὴν μὴ ἁμαρτήσας· μόνος γὰρ ἀπόλλυσι χάριν προφητικήν, ὃς μετὰ τὸ προ φητεῦσαι πεποίηκεν ἀνάξια