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follows ventriloquists or enchanters so as to go a whoring after them”; adding what sort of things he will suffer, He declared as He went on; “I will set my face” saying “against that soul, and I will destroy it from among its people.” 11.14 If, then, God, legislating from the beginning, dispatched with stern decrees those who wallow in such incantations or divinations, and threatens grim and dreadful punishments fearsomely against those convicted in judgment, should he not first have accused the one dedicated from his tenderest years to God Himself and a firm guardian of the law concerning these things? 11.15 But would not the one learned in the law from youth and most highly able to make the legal writings precise have investigated the offense, lest by this some should be dragged away into manic divinations, having been miserably plundered by deceit? 11.16 But he neither said nor sought any of these things (for it was not Samuel, but the one who from the beginning contrived such dramas), but in response to these things he answers, putting on the person of the prophet, saying, “Why do you ask me, when the Lord has departed from you and is with your neighbor? And the Lord has done to you as he spoke by my hand.” 11.17 These things, therefore, as an enemy and at the same time one prefiguring vengeance, he introduces and recites the memorials of the accusation.

12.1 But it must be observed how, having passed over the comprehensive accusations themselves, he pretends indeed

to speak more demonstratively by pretense, and having said nothing worthy of foreknowledge, he skillfully repeats those things which Samuel, while still living, foretold would befall Saul, which things he proclaimed beforehand, prophesying as if they had already happened. 12.2 But indeed the one who said to him, “Why do you ask me?” expressly confesses that he had said these things even before; he surely repeats himself, confirming the first things through the latter, under a mournful pretense. 12.3 But Origen, on the contrary, taking up these very words formerly proclaimed by the prophet, defines them verbatim as if they were recent and new prophetic utterances, for this very reason he wishes Samuel to have been brought up, although the Scripture openly refutes him, as indeed he himself agrees in part, topically. 12.4 But what did the phantom add again after this, when it was conversing with the ruler? “The Lord will tear the kingdom from your hand and will give it to your neighbor, to David. Because you did not listen to the voice of the Lord and you did not fulfill the wrath of his anger upon Amalek, because of this word the Lord has done this to you this day, and the Lord will give Israel with you into the hands of foreigners.” 12.5 And if anyone should wish to ascertain the plain truth, let him return to the history of the letter, running back a little before, and unfolding the passage itself, where, having defeated Amalek, he appropriated the best of the spoils and thought he should offer from these things whole burnt offerings as firstfruits. 12.6 But seeking with clearer precision, he would find knowledgeably that Samuel had foretold all these words verbatim at that time; for he said that the Lord had also torn the kingdom from his hand, at which time the ruler, taking hold of the 20edge of the double-cloak,20 tore it in two. 12.7 And besides these things he foretold to him that the kingdom was about to be given to his neighbor who was better than him. And he also prophesied in what way Israel, on account of this, had to be torn asunder and never to return. And having said these things, he confirmed at the same time by his deeds the things that were to be spoken; for not long after, having been sent by a divine decision, he anointed David as king. 12.8 Did, then, the one said to have been brought up by the ventriloquist report anything new, but did he, through deception, fashion as his own the things formerly spoken by Samuel, impersonating him, and with plausible artifice, repeating them, did he pretend to be speaking prophetically? 12.9 But just as mountebanks <and> seers, hastening to go to the doors of the wealthy, secretly track down by much inquiry the things of life that have already passed, and being suspected of speaking extemporaneously of the very things that happened long ago, immediately then

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ἐπακολουθήσῃ τοῖς ἐγγαστριμύθοις ἢ ἐπαοιδοῖς ὥστε ἐκπορνεῦσαι ὀπίσω αὐτῶν»· ὁποῖα καὶ τίνα πείσεται προσθείς, ἐπέφρασε προϊών· «ἐπιστήσω τὸ πρόσωπόν μου» φάμενος «ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκείνην καὶ ἀπολῶ αὐτὴν ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς». 11.14 εἰ οὖν ἀρχῆθεν νομοθετήσας ὁ θεὸς αὐστηροῖς ἀπέστειλε προγράμμασι τοὺς ταῖς τοιαύταις ἐγκαλινδουμένους ἐπαοιδαῖς ἢ μαντείαις, ἀπειλεῖ δὲ σκυθρωπὰ καὶ φρικώδη κολαστήρια κατὰ τῶν ἁλισκομένων ἐπὶ τῇ δίκῃ φοβερῶς, οὐ τὸν ἀνακείμενον ἐξ ἁπαλῶν ὀνύχων αὐτῷ τῷ θεῷ καὶ νομοφύλακα βέβαιον ἔδει περὶ τούτων ἐγκαλέσαι πρῶτον; 11.15 ἀλλ' ὁ νομομαθὴς ἐκ μειρακίου καὶ τὰς νομικὰς ἀκριβῶσαι γραμμὰς ἀκρότατα δυνηθεὶς οὐκ ἂν ἐπεζήτησε τὸ πταῖσμα, μή πῃ ἄρα διὰ τούτου τινὲς εἰς μανικὰς ἐξελκυσθῶσι μαντείας, ἀπάτῃ συληθέντες ἀθλίως; 11.16 ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν οὐδὲν οὔτε εἶπεν οὔτε ἐζήτησεν (οὐ γὰρ ἦν ὁ Σαμουήλ, ἀλλ' ὁ τὰ τοιάδε δράματα τυρεύων ἀνέκαθεν), ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις ἀποκρίνεται, τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ προφήτου ὑποδύς, «ἵνα τί» λέγων «ἐπερωτᾷς με, καὶ κύριος ἀφέστηκεν ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ γέγονεν μετὰ τοῦ πλησίον σου; καὶ πεποίηκέν σοι κύριος καθὰ ἐλάλησεν ἐν χειρί μου». 11.17 ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὡς ἐχθρὸς ἅμα καὶ ἐκδικίαν ὑποτυπούμενος εἰσάγειν ἀναγινώσκει τὰ τῆς κατηγορίας ὑπομνήματα.

12.1 Θεωρητέον δὲ πῶς αὐτὰ τὰ συνεκτικὰ παρεὶς ἐγκλήματα πλάττεται μὲν

ὑποκρίσει δεικτικώτερα φθέγγεσθαι, μηδὲν δὲ προγνώσεως ἄξιον εἰπὼν ἐκεῖνα δευτεροῖ τετεχνασμένως, ὅσα περιὼν ὁ Σαμουὴλ ἔτι προὔλεγε συνενεχθῆναι τῷ Σαούλ, ἅπερ ὡς ἤδη γεγονότα προανεφώνει προφητεύων. 12.2 ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅ γε φήσας αὐτῷ «τί ἐπερωτᾷς με;» διαρρήδην ὁμολογεῖ ταῦτα καὶ πρότερον εἰρηκέναι· ταυτολογεῖ δὲ δή, τὰ πρῶτα διὰ τῶν ἔπειτα βεβαιῶν ἐπὶ προσχήματι γοωδῶς. 12.3 Ὠριγένης δὲ τοὐναντίον αὐτὰ τὰ πάλαι τῷ προφήτῃ προαναφωνηθέντα ῥήματα παραλαβὼν ἐπὶ λέξεως ὡς ἄρτια καὶ καινὰ προφητείας ἀποφθέγματα διορίζεται, διά τοι τοῦτο βούλεται τὸν Σαμουὴλ ἀνῆχθαι, καίτοι τῆς γραφῆς ἄντικρυς ἐλεγχούσης αὐτόν, ὥς γε συνομολογεῖ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν μέρει τοπικῶς. 12.4 ἀλλὰ τί μετὰ ταῦτα προσετίθει πάλιν, ὁπηνίκα τῷ δυνάστῃ διελέγετο, τὸ φάσμα; «διαρρήξει κύριος τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκ χειρός σου καὶ δώσει αὐτὴν τῷ πλησίον σου τῷ ∆αβίδ. διότι οὐκ ἤκουσας τῆς φωνῆς κυρίου καὶ οὐκ ἔπλησας θυμὸν ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ ἐν Ἀμαλήκ, διὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ἐποίησεν κύριος τοῦτό σοι τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ καὶ δώσει κύριος τὸν Ἰσραὴλ μετὰ σοῦ εἰς χεῖρας ἀλλοφύλων». 12.5 εἰ δέ τις ἀκριβῶσαι βούλοιτο τὸ σαφές, ἐπανίτω μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ γράμματος ἱστορίαν ὀλίγῳ πρόσθεν ἀναδραμών, αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ χωρίον ἀναπτύξας, ἔνθα τὸν Ἀμαλὴκ ἡττήσας ἐσφετερίσατο τὰ κράτιστα τῶν σκύλων καὶ τὰς ἐκ τούτων ᾤετο δεῖν ἀναφέρειν ὁλοκαυτώσεις ὡς ἀπαρχάς. 12.6 ἀκριβολογίᾳ δὲ τρανοτέρᾳ ζητῶν ἐπιστημόνως εὑρήσειεν ἂν ὡς ἅπαντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ προεῖπεν ἐπὶ λέξεως ὁ Σαμουήλ· ἔφη γὰρ ὅτι καὶ διέρρηξεν κύριος ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν, ὁπότε καὶ τὸ τοῦ 20διπλοϊδίου πτερύγιον ἐπιλαβόμενος ὁ δυνάστης20 ἐδίχασε. 12.7 προὔλεγε δ' αὐτῷ πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις μὲν ὡς ἤμελλεν ἡ βασιλεία δοθήσεσθαι τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ τῷ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν ἀγαθῷ. προὐφήτευε δὲ καὶ τίνα τρόπον ἔδει τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἕνεκα τούτου διασχισθήσεσθαι καὶ μηκέτι ἐπιστρέψαι. ταῦτα δὲ φήσας ὁμοῦ τοῖς ἔργοις ἐβεβαίου τὰ λεκτέα· μετ' οὐ πολὺ γὰρ ἐκ θείας ἀποσταλεὶς ἐπικρίσεως ἔχρισε βασιλέα τὸν ∆αβίδ. 12.8 ἆρ' οὖν οὐδὲν ἀπήγγελλεν ξένον ὁ διὰ τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου λεγόμενος ἀνῆχθαι, τὰ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαμουὴλ εἰρημένα πρότερον ὡς ἴδια μὲν ἐσχημάτιζε προσωποποιῶν ἀπάτῃ, πιθανῇ δὲ τεχνοποιίᾳ ταυτολογῶν ὑπεκρίνατο δὴ προφητικῶς ὁμιλεῖν. 12.9 ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἀγύρται <καὶ> μάντεις ἐπὶ πλουσίων ἰέναι θύρας ἐπειγόμενοι τὰ μὲν ἤδη παροδεύσαντα τοῦ βίου πράγματα πολυπευστοῦντες ἀνιχνεύουσι λεληθότως, αὐτὰ δὲ τὰ πρὸ πολλοῦ γεγονότα λέγειν αὐτοσχεδίως ὑπονοούμενοι παραχρῆμα μὲν