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De engastrimytho contra Origenem

A TREATISE OF SAINT EUSTATHIUS, ARCHBISHOP OF ANTIOCH, AGAINST ORIGEN, ON THE SUBJECT OF THE VENTRILOQUIST

1.1 I always admire the conspicuous zeal of your divinely-inspired life, O most distinguished herald of orthodoxy, Eutropius; 1.2 and being in many ways astounded at the mark of your piety, I have marveled not least and especially at this particular point, that you wish to ascertain clearly what my opinion might be concerning the ventriloquist who is mentioned in the first book of Kings; for you say you are not pleased with what Origen has published on this subject. Indeed, I know well that there are not a few others who find fault with what he hastily determined, but many are stung in their souls, being vexed in no small measure; 1.3 yet at times some are led astray by what he wrote, being more easily won over by his preconceived vainglory, and paying attention more to names than, as is proper, to the facts. 1.4 Therefore, so that I may not seem to be introducing a forensic contest on my own account, I think it not inappropriate to join his entire exposition together with this present dictation, and through both to make the matter clear, so that some might not think that we who have been led to hold a certain opinion are acting as sycophants, nor again that the opinions of each are disputed; 1.5 for it is possible from a side-by-side comparison to examine how each side's opinion stands, and for the lovers of learning to choose the better opinion from both. 1.6 For neither is a racehorse judged to be proven if it runs fleet-footed by itself, not even if being very light it displays movements as if winged, nor again any athlete who can run very swiftly in the stadium, nor anyone else, neither one who wrestles nimbly, nor one who competes very fiercely in the pancration or boxing, or who flays the air with empty shadow-boxing; 1.7 but it is fitting for combatants to stand against their opponents in the same arena, so that the superiority of one or the other may be discerned. Therefore, Origen's views must be set forth first, and in its own order one must endeavor to examine the contrary view to them.

2.1 Come then, let us consider the letter of the history itself as far as is possible;

it is from some such point as this that we must begin. When Saul was presiding excellently over the populous nation, he removed, it says, all the ventriloquists and those so-called wizards, as being most hostile pests lurking within. 2.2 But when, having turned to the worse, he was bitterly driven by the sinful demon, he went back again to the phantoms of their divination, building up what he had destroyed a little 20before, and by this proving himself a transgressor20. 2.3 For when the surrounding foreigners with one accord and eagerness proclaimed the beginning of war, they gathered together in great numbers as much as possible and drew up their phalanxes in opposition, and baring their weapons they went out robustly to battle. But the wretched Saul was afraid, seeing with his own eyes the fortified rampart of the camp, and to put it briefly, he was "dismayed," being astounded, as the divine scripture declares. 2.4 After this, it says, he inquired of the Lord, longing to know, that is, what was to be done; but the Lord did not answer him at all because of the excess of his iniquities, neither "in dreams" nor "by the Urim" nor "by the prophets," but indeed the divinity gave no oracle at all to him, who had done lawless things. 2.5 What then does he do after this, being stripped of the highest assistance? Instead of propitiating Him more with frequent prayer and steadfast worship, leaping away to the contrary he increases the practices of apostasy, and commanded his servants to seek a woman who was a ventriloquist, that he might go to her

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De engastrimytho contra Origenem

ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΕΥΣΤΑΘΙΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΕΙΑΣ ΚΑΤΑ ΩΡΙΓΕΝΟΥΣ ∆ΙΑΓΝΩΣΤΙΚΟΣ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΤΗΣ ΕΓΓΑΣΤΡΙΜΥΘΟΥ ΘΕΩΡΗΜΑ}

1.1 Ἀεὶ μὲν ἄγαμαι τὸν ἀξιοφανῆ τῆς ἐνθέου πολιτείας σου ζῆλον, ὦ

διαπρεπέστατε τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας ἱεροκήρυξ Εὐτρόπιε· τὸ δὲ τῆς εὐσεβείας σου γνώρισμα πολλαχῶς ἐκπληττόμενος, οὐχ ἥκιστα καὶ περὶ τόδε μάλιστα τεθαύμακα τὸ μέρος, ὅτι σαφῶς ἀκριβῶσαι βούλῃ πῶς ἂν ἔχοιμι γνώμης ἕνεκα τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου τῆς ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορουμένης· 1.2 οὐ γὰρ ἀρέσκεσθαι φὴς οἷς ἐξέδωκεν Ὠριγένης εἰς τήνδε τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλ' ἔγωγε καὶ ἄλλους εὗ οἶδ' ὅτι μεμφομένους οὐκ ὀλίγους ἐφ' οἷς ὡρίσατο προχείρως, ἀλλὰ συχνοὶ μέν εἰσιν οἱ δακνόμενοι τὰς ψυχάς, ἀσχάλλοντες οὐ μετρίως· 1.3 ἔσθ' ὅτε δέ τινες οἷς ἔγραψεν ἐκεῖνος ὑπάγονται, τῇ προλαβούσῃ δοξοκοπίᾳ ῥᾷον ἀνατιθέμενοι, καὶ τοῖς ὀνόμασι μᾶλλον, ἀλλ' οὐ τοῖς πράγμασι προσέχοντες ὡς δέον. 1.4 ἵν' οὖν μὴ δόξαιμι κατ' ἐμαυτὸν ἀγῶνα δικανικὸν εἰσάγειν, οὐκ ἀνοίκειον ἡγοῦμαι πᾶσαν μὲν ὁμοῦ συζεῦξαι τὴν ἐξήγησιν αὐτοῦ τῇδε τοῦ γράμματος ὑπαγορίᾳ, δι' ἑκατέρου δὲ τρανῶσαι τὸ σαφές, ὡς ἂν μήτε τινὲς οἴοιντο συκοφαντεῖν ἡμᾶς τοὺς ὁπωσδήποτε δοξάσαι προαχθέντας, μήτ' αὖ πάλιν ἀμφηρίστους εἶναι τὰς δόξας ἑκατέρων· 1.5 οἷόν τε γὰρ ἐκ τῆς παραλλήλου συγκρίσεως ἀντεξετάζειν μὲν ὅπως ἔχῃ δόξης ἑκάτερα τὰ μέρη, τὴν ἀμείνονα δὲ γνώμην ἐξ ἀμφοῖν αἱρεῖσθαι τοὺς φιλολόγους. 1.6 οὔτε γοῦν ἵππος ἀγωνιστὴς εἷναι κρίνεται δόκιμος, ἑαυτῷ τρέχων εὐσκελῶς, οὐδ' εἰ σφόδρα κοῦφος ὢν ὥσπερ ὑποπτέρους ἐπιδείκνυται κινήσεις, οὔτ' αὖ τις ἀθλητῶν ὠκύτατα τρέχειν ἐν σταδίῳ δυνάμενος οὔτε ἄλλος οὐδείς, οὔτε παλαίων ὑγρῶς, οὔτε τραχύτατα παγκρατιάζων ἢ πυγμαχῶν, ἢ τὸν ἀέρα δέρων ἐωροκοπίαις ὑποκένοις· 1.7 ἀλλὰ συσταδὸν ἁρμόττει τὰ μαχόμενα τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀντιστατεῖν, ἵν' ἐξ ἑνὸς ὁποτέρου διαγινώσκηται τὸ προὖχον. ὥστε τὰ μὲν Ὠριγένεια προτακτέον ἐν πρώτοις, ἰδίᾳ δὲ τάξει καὶ τὸν ἀντιπίπτοντα νοῦν ἐκείνοις ἐξετάσαι σπουδαστέον.

2.1 Φέρε γοῦν αὐτὸ τὸ τῆς ἱστορίας γράμμα θεωρήσωμεν ὡς οἷόν τε κατὰ τὸ

ἐφικτόν· ἐνθένδε ποθὲν ἀρκτέον. ὁπηνίκα μὲν ὁ Σαοὺλ ἄριστα προΐστατο τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ πολυανδρίας, ἐξῆρε πάντας τοὺς ἐγγαστριμύθους, ἔφη, καὶ τοὺς οὕτω καλουμένους ὀνόματι γνώστας, ἅτε δὴ λυμεῶνας ἐμφωλεύοντας ἐχθίστους. 2.2 ἐπειδὴ δὲ τραπεὶς ἐπὶ τὰ χείριστα πρὸς τοῦ ἀλιτηρίου πικρῶς ἠλαύνετο δαίμονος, ᾤχετο πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ φάσματα τῆς μαντείας αὐτῶν, οἰκοδομῶν μὲν ὅσα κατέλυσεν ὀλίγῳ 20πρόσθεν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ καὶ διὰ τούτου παραβάτην20 ἐλέγχων. 2.3 ὡς γὰρ οἱ πέριξ ἀλλογενεῖς ὁμοθύμῳ σπουδῇ πολέμου γένεσιν ἀνεκήρυττον, ἀθροισθέντες μὲν ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα παμπληθεὶ τὰς φάλαγγας ἀντιπαρέταττον, ὅπλα δὲ γυμνώσαντες εἰς μάχην ἐξῄεσαν εὐρώστως. ὁ μέντοιγε σχέτλιος ἔδεισε Σαούλ, αὐτὸ τὸ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἐπιτείχισμα πεφραγμένον ἰδὼν αὐτοψεί, καὶ τὸ σύμπαν εἰπεῖν «ἐξέστη» καταπλαγείς, ὡς ἡ θεία διαγορεύει γραφή. 2.4 μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο, φησίν, ἠρώτα διὰ τοῦ κυρίου, γνῶναι δηλαδὴ τὰ πρακτέα γλιχόμενος· ὁ δὲ κύριος οὐκ ἀπεκρίνατο τὸ παράπαν αὐτῷ διὰ τὰς τῆς ἀδικίας ὑπερβολάς, οὔτε «ἐν ἐνυπνίοις» οὔτε «ἐν δήλοις» οὔτε «ἐν τοῖς προφήταις», ἀλλὰ μὴν ἐκείνῳ γε τὸ θεῖον οὐκ ἐχρημάτιζεν οὐδαμῶς, ἀθέμιτα δράσαντι. 2.5 τί δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα πράττει, τῆς ἀνωτάτω γυμνωθεὶς ἐπικουρίας; ἀντὶ τοῦ μᾶλλον ἐξιλεώσασθαι συχνοτέρᾳ δεήσει καὶ καρτερᾷ ψυχολατρείᾳ, τοὐναντίον ἀποπηδήσας αὔξει μὲν τὰ τῆς ἀποστασίας ἐπιτηδεύματα, τοῖς δὲ παισὶν αὐτοῦ προσέταττεν γυναῖκα ζητήσειν ἐγγαστρίμυθον, ἵνα ἀφίκοιτο πρὸς αὐτὴν