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the Holy Spirit said that Samuel had come up, but it was narrating the words of the ventriloquist, as she thought and seemed to boast, buoying up the ruler with obscure illusions; for it would not have contradicted itself and all the other scriptures. 25.8 But not only do these sayings refute these things, but still another noteworthy witness, the prophet Isaiah, casts his vote for these things; on the one hand forbidding such abominations, on the other, he sings most rightly, exhorting his subjects: "and if they say to you: 'Seek the ventriloquists, and those who speak from the earth, the babblers who speak from the belly, should not a nation seek its God?'" 25.9 Then what does he add after this? "Why," he said, "do they seek the dead concerning the living? For he gave a law for help, that they might not speak according to this word, concerning which there are no gifts to give." 25.10 By a clear sacred voice he renounced the race of ventriloquists; and if he declared such a council to be babblers, he has shown without dispute that no one of these ever says anything true at all, but with empty falsehood they fashion the 20deceit, and with stale babbling they deceive the20 ignorant. 25.11 Whence he accordingly mocked those who inquire of the dead concerning the living; for being entirely dead and maimed themselves, the babblers pretend to serve the voices of the dead. But the prophet testified, crying out that an unbroken law is laid down concerning these things, so that they might not be led astray by stale frivolities according to those who utter them; 25.12 for the highest observance of the law, I think, has been established to call upon help from heaven, and not to glean assistance from earthly things, looking to the very things under the earth.

26.1 But Origen, who thought he had interpreted all the scriptures, does not pretend

to know these testimonies, nor does he present them as he ought, but he brings in those which make no difference at all to the question, and he passes over those that are by nature appropriate; for he seems to do this either foolishly out of ignorance, or to contrive it daringly out of malice. 26.2 But also, as if speaking ambiguously, having said, "What then does a ventriloquist do here? What does a ventriloquist do concerning the bringing up of the soul of the righteous man?", he evasively escaped for want of an argument, attributing to another that which he himself did; and attributing the whole matter to the scripture itself, he asserts that Samuel was brought up, but he no longer dares to repeat the question, "Who brought him up?" 26.3 And I think that even afterwards, being continually refuted by those who think most rightly, again defending himself in a second explanation, he said that the part of the ventriloquist was preserved; then he also says that "it is written that the ventriloquist brought someone up," and "that it is recorded that Saul spoke to Samuel"; 26.4 And having tautologically repeated such things often with much nonsense, he adds again: "But it does not say," he says, "if he came up willingly; for you do not have it written," he said, "if the ventriloquist brought him up; otherwise, let someone refute me by reading the scripture." 26.5 Therefore, being refuted face to face, he plainly denied what he had previously opined out of foolishness; for there he determined that scripture itself said, rather than the woman, "Whom shall I bring up for you?"; but here, being clearly caught, he was eager to escape the charge by forgetfulness. 26.6 Thus everywhere he sets forth plainly opinions that conflict with himself, 20just as indeed here20 he was caught contradicting his own knowledge, having hurried to escape the incriminating judgment. Since, therefore, being unwillingly dragged, he confessed that the woman did not bring up the soul of the prophet, let him say who brought it up (for he remained immovably determined that it alone had been brought up). 26.7 At any rate, the pythoness was alone, and Saul, who was asking her to bring up the prophet. But he could not be the agent of the deed; for he would not have needed the ventriloquist, coming to her by night. And if the deed was done, what was done must not be attributed to anyone else. So it is necessary to say one of two things, either

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πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἔφασκεν ἀναβεβηκέναι τὸν Σαμουήλ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου διηγεῖτο λόγους, ὡς ᾤετο καὶ τῷ δοκεῖν ἐκόμπαζεν ἐκείνη, φαντασιοκοπίαις ἀναπτεροῦσα τὸν δυνάστην ἀδήλοις· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἑαυτῷ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἁπάσαις ἐμάχετό πω γραφαῖς. 25.8 ἀλλ' οὐχὶ μόνον αὗται ταῦτα διελέγχουσιν αἱ ῥήσεις, ἀλλ' ἔτι γε τούτοις ἐπιψηφίζεται καὶ μάρτυς ἄλλος ἀξιοφανής, ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας· πῇ μὲν ἀπαγορεύων τὰ τοιάδε μύση, πῇ δὲ παραινῶν ὀρθότατα τοῖς ὑπηκόοις αὐτῷ κελαδεῖ· «καὶ ἐὰν εἴπωσι πρὸς ὑμᾶς· ζητήσατε τοὺς ἐγγαστριμύθους, καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς φωνοῦντας, τοὺς κενολογοῦντας οἳ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας φωνοῦσιν, οὐχὶ ἔθνος πρὸς θεόν;» 25.9 εἶτα τί μετὰ ταῦτα προσθεὶς ἐπιφέρει; «τί ἐκζητοῦσιν» ἔφη «περὶ τῶν ζώντων τοὺς νεκρούς; νόμον γὰρ εἰς βοήθειαν ἔδωκεν, ἵνα εἴπωσιν οὐχ ὡς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, περὶ οὗ οὐκ ἔστι δῶρα δοῦναι». 25.10 προδήλῳ μὲν ἱεροφωνίᾳ τὸ τῶν ἐγγαστριμύθων ἀπεκήρυξε γένος· εἰ δὲ κενολόγον ἀπέφηνε τὸ τοιοῦτο συνέδριον, ἀναμφιλόγως ἀπέδειξεν ὅτι τούτων οὐδὲν οὐδεὶς οὐδεπώποτε λέγει τὸ παράπαν ἀληθές, ἀλλὰ ψευδηγορίᾳ μὲν ὑποκένῳ πλάττουσι τὴν 20ἀπάτην, ἑώλῳ δὲ κενολογίᾳ φενακίζουσι τοὺς20 ἀμαθεῖς. 25.11 ὅθεν ἀκολούθως ἐπέσκωπτεν ἐκείνους ὅσοι περὶ τῶν ζώντων ἐρωτῶσι τοὺς νεκρούς· αὐτοὶ γὰρ ὅλοι νεκροὶ καὶ πηροὶ τυγχάνοντες οἱ κενολόγοι τὰς τῶν νεκρῶν ὑποτυποῦνται διακονεῖσθαι φωνάς. ὁ δὲ προφήτης ἐπεμαρτύρετο βοῶν ὅτι νόμος ἀρραγὴς ἔκκειται περὶ τούτων, ἵνα μὴ κατὰ τοὺς ἀποφθεγγομένους ὑπαχθῶσι κουφολογίαις ἑώλοις· 25.12 ἀκροτάτη γάρ, οἶμαι, φυλακὴ νόμου καθέστηκεν οὐρανόθεν ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὴν βοήθειαν, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐκ τῶν γηΐνων ἐρανίζεσθαι τὴν ἐπικουρίαν εἰς αὐτὰ τὰ καταχθόνια βλέποντας.

26.1 Ἀλλ' ὁ πάσας ἑρμηνεῦσαι τὰς γραφὰς οἰηθεὶς Ὠριγένης οὐ προσποιεῖται

ταύτας εἰδέναι τὰς μαρτυρίας, οὐδὲ τίθησιν αὐτὰς ὡς δέον, ἀλλ' ἐπεισκυκλεῖ μὲν ἐκείνας ὅσαι μηδὲν ἐν μηδενὶ τῷ ζητήματι διαφέρουσιν, ὑπερβαίνει δὲ τὰς αὐτῇ φύσει προσηκούσας· ἤτοι γὰρ ἀμαθίᾳ τοῦτο πράττειν ἔοικεν ἀφρόνως, ἢ κακοθελίᾳ πραγματεύεσθαι τολμηρῶς. 26.2 ἀλλὰ καὶ καθάπερ ἐπαμφοτερίζων εἰρηκὼς ὅτι «τί οὖν ποιεῖ ἐγγαστρίμυθος ἐνθάδε; τί ποιεῖ ἐγγαστρίμυθος περὶ τὴν ἀναγωγὴν τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ δικαίου;», λόγου μὲν ἀπορίᾳ μετεώρως ἀπέφυγεν, ἄλλῳ τοῦτο ἐπιγράφων ὅπερ ἔδρασεν αὐτός· αὐτῇ δὲ τῇ γραφῇ τὸ πᾶν ἀναθείς, ἰσχυρίζεται μὲν ἀνῆχθαι τὸν Σαμουήλ, οὐκέτι δὲ τολμᾷ δευτερῶσαι τὸ «τίς ἀνήγαγε αὐτόν.» 26.3 οἶμαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ μετέπειτα διελεγχόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ὀρθότατα φρονούντων ἀεί, δευτέρᾳ πάλιν ἀπολογούμενος ἐξηγήσει, τετηρῆσθαι μὲν ἔφη τὸν τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου τόπον· εἶτα λέγει καὶ ὅτι μὲν «ἡ ἐγγαστρίμυθός τινα ἀνήγαγε γέγραπται», καὶ «ὅτι Σαοὺλ εἶπεν τῷ Σαμουὴλ ἀναγέγραπται»· 26.4 φλυαρίᾳ δὲ πολλῇ τοιαῦτα συχνά τινα ταυτολογήσας, ἐπιφέρει πάλιν· «οὐκ εἴρηκεν δὲ» φησὶν «εἰ ἑκουσίως ἀναβέβηκεν· οὐ γὰρ ἔχεις» ἔφη «κείμενον εἰ ἀνήγαγεν αὐτὸν ἡ ἐγγαστρίμυθος· ἐπεὶ ἐλεγξάτω μέ τις ἀναγνοὺς τὴν γραφήν». 26.5 οὐκοῦν ἀντιπροσώπως ἐλεγχόμενος ἠρνήσατο λευκῶς ἅπερ ἀβουλίᾳ πρόσθεν ἐδόξασεν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ αὐτὴν ὡρίσατο τὴν γραφὴν εἰρηκέναι μᾶλλον, ἀλλ' οὐ τὴν γυναῖκα, τὸ «τίνα ἀναγάγω σοι;»· δεῦρο δὲ καταφανῶς ἁλισκόμενος ἐκφυγεῖν ἐσπούδασε λήθῃ τὴ αἰτίαν. 26.6 οὕτως ἑκασταχοῦ μαχομένας ἑαυτῷ δόξας 20ἐκτίθεται γυμνώς, ὥσπερ οὖν ἀμέλει κἀνταῦθα20 γνωσιμαχήσας ἑάλω, τὴν ἐγκληματικὴν ἀποδρᾶναι δίκην ἐπειχθείς. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἄκων ἑλκόμενος ὡμολόγησεν ὡς οὐκ ἀνήγαγεν ἡ γυνὴ τὴν τοῦ προφήτου ψυχήν, εἰπάτω τίς ὁ ταύτην ἀναγαγών (ἐνέμεινε γὰρ ἀμεταστάτως ἀνῆχθαι μόνον αὐτὴν ὁρισάμενος). 26.7 αὐτὴ γοῦν ἡ πυθόμαντις ἐτύγχανε μόνη, καὶ Σαοὺλ ὁ δεόμενος ἐκείνης ἀνάξαι τὸν προφήτην. ἀλλ' οὗτος μὲν οὐκ ἂν εἴη γε τοῦ δράματος αὐτουργός· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐδεῖτο τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου νύκτωρ ἀφικνούμενος ὡς αὐτήν. εἰ δὲ γέγονεν ἡ πρᾶξις, οὐχ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ τὸ δραθὲν ἐπιγραπτέον. ὥστε δυοῖν ἀνάγκη θάτερον ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ἢ