On the Ventriloquist

Of Origen, on the first book of Kingdoms. 1 The things that were read are many, and since it is necessary to speak concisely, there are four sections. The passage following the one about Nabal the Carmelite was read. Then after this, the story about David being hidden among the Ziphites and being slandered by them, and that Saul had come, wanting to take David, and having come, he watched for an opportunity, and David came upon Saul and took, while he and those guarding him were sleeping, "the spear and the flask of water," and after this brought a rebuke to those who were entrusted to guard him but had fallen asleep. Then [] next the third story was, that David fled "to <Achish son of> Ammach king of Gath," and how much favor David found with him after his many heroic deeds, to whom he says, "I will make you my chief bodyguard." Following these was the famous story about the ventriloquist and about Samuel, that the ventriloquist seemed to have brought up Samuel and Samuel prophesies to Saul. There being four sections, each of which has no small matters, but also able to occupy those who are able to examine them not for the hours of one assembly but of many, let the bishop propose whichever of the four he wishes, so that we may occupy ourselves with it. Let the matters concerning the ventriloquist, he says, be examined. 2 Some stories do not concern us, but some are necessary for our hope; and I spoke of them as stories, since we have not yet arrived at the matters of the spiritual interpretation, useful to everyone who knows how to interpret spiritually or to hear spiritual interpretations. <Therefore some parts of the story are useful> to all, but some are not to all. For example, the story about Lot and his daughters, if it has anything useful in its spiritual interpretation, God knows and the one to whom he may grant grace to examine those words; but if according to the story, you might ask: for what benefit is the story about Lot and his daughters to me? Similarly what benefit to me is the story of Judah and Tamar and the things concerning her, simply told? Since, however, the story concerning Saul and the ventriloquist touches everyone, the truth according to the word is necessary. For who, having departed from this life, wants to be under the authority of a demon, so that a ventriloquist might bring up not just any one of the believers, but Samuel the prophet? concerning whom God says through Jeremiah: "Even if Moses and Samuel stood before my face, I would not listen even to them," concerning whom the prophet says in the psalms: "Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them, in a pillar of cloud he spoke to them," and elsewhere "if Moses and Samuel should stand and pray" and so forth. Therefore, if so great a man <was> under the earth and the ventriloquist brought him up, does a demon have authority over a prophetic soul? What shall we say? These things are written; are they true or are they not true? To say they are not true encourages unbelief (it will come upon the heads of those who say it), but for them to be true provides us with a question and a great difficulty. 3 And indeed we know some of our brothers who have looked at the scripture and said: I do not believe the ventriloquist. The ventriloquist says she has seen Samuel, she is lying. Samuel was not brought up, Samuel does not speak. But just as there are some false prophets who say: "Thus says the Lord" and "the Lord has not spoken," so also this demon lies, professing to bring up the one commanded by Saul. "For whom shall I bring up?" she says; "Bring up Samuel for me." <And> these things are said by those who claim this story is not true: Samuel in Hades?

De engastrimytho

̓Ωριγένους εἰς τὴν τῶν Βασιλειῶν αʹ. 1 Τὰ ἀναγνωσθέντα πλείονά ἐστιν, καὶ ἐπεὶ χρὴ ἐπιτεμνόμενον εἰπεῖν, δʹ εἰσὶν περικοπαί. ἀνεγνώσθη τὰ ἑξῆς τῶν περὶ Νάβαλ τὸν Καρμήλιον. εἶτα μετὰ τοῦτο ἡ ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τοῦ κεκρύφθαι τὸν ∆αβὶδ παρὰ τοῖς Ζιφαίοις καὶ διαβεβλῆσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπ' αὐτῶν, ἐλη λυθέναι δὲ τὸν Σαοὺλ βουλόμενον λαβεῖν τὸν ∆αβὶδ καὶ ἐληλυθότα ἐπιτηρῆσαι καιρόν, ἐπεληλυθέναι τε τῷ Σαοὺλ τὸν ∆αβὶδ καὶ εἰλη φέναι, κοιμωμένου αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν φρουρούντων αὐτόν, «τὸ δόρυ καὶ τὸν φακὸν τοῦ ὕδατος» καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγχον προσενηνοχέναι τοῖς πεπιστευμένοις μὲν φυλάττειν αὐτόν, ἀποκοιμηθεῖσιν δέ. εἶτα [τὰ] ἑξῆς ἡ ἱστορία ἦν ἡ τρίτη, ὅτι κατέφυγε «πρὸς <Ἀγχοὺς υἱὸν> Ἀμμὰχ βασιλέα Γὲθ» ὁ ∆αβίδ, καὶ ὅσην εὗρε χάριν παρ' αὐτῷ μετὰ τὰ πολλὰ ἀνδραγαθήματα ὁ ∆αβίδ, πρὸς ὃν «ἀρχισωματοφύλακα θήσομαί σε» φησίν. ἑξῆς τούτοις ἦν ἡ ἱστορία ἡ διαβόητος ἡ περὶ τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου καὶ περὶ τοῦ Σαμουήλ, ὅτι ἔδοξεν ἀνενηνοχέναι ἡ ἐγγαστρίμυθος τὸν Σαμουὴλ καὶ ὁ Σαμουὴλ προφητεύει τῷ Σαούλ. τεσσάρων οὐσῶν περικοπῶν, ὧν ἑκάστη πράγματα οὐκ ὀλίγα ἔχει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς δυναμένους ἐξετάζειν δυνάμενα ἀσχολῆσαι ὥρας οὐ μιᾶς συνάξεως ἀλλὰ καὶ πλειόνων, ὁτίποτε βούλεται ὁ ἐπίσκοπος προτεινάτω τῶν τεσσάρων, ἵνα περὶ τοῦτο ἀσχοληθῶμεν. τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου, φησίν, ἐξεταζέσθω. 2 Ἔνιαι μὲν ἱστορίαι οὐχ ἅπτονται ἡμῶν, ἔνιαι δὲ ἀναγκαῖαι πρὸς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἡμῶν· οὕτω δ' εἶπον ἱστορίαι, ἐπεὶ οὐδέπω φθά νομεν ἐπὶ τὰ τῆς ἀναγωγῆς, παντὶ τῷ εἰδότι ἀνάγειν ἢ ἀκούειν ἀναγομένων χρήσιμα. <τῶν οὖν τῆς ἱστορίας τινὰ μὲν χρήσιμα> πᾶσιν, τινὰ δὲ οὐ πᾶσιν. οἷον, ὡς ἐπὶ παραδείγματος, ἡ ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τοῦ Λὼτ καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων αὐτοῦ εἰ μέν τι κατὰ τὴν ἀνα γωγὴν ἔχει χρήσιμον, θεὸς οἶδεν καὶ ᾧ ἂν χαρίσηται τοὺς λόγους ἐκείνους ἐξετάζειν· εἰ δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν, ζητήσαις ἄν· τί γὰρ ὄφελός μοι ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας τῆς περὶ τοῦ Λὼτ καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων αὐτοῦ; ὁμοίως τί ὄφελός μοι ἁπλῶς λεχθεῖσα ἡ ἱστορία τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ τῆς Θάμαρ καὶ τῶν κατ' αὐτήν; ἐπεὶ μέντοιγε ἡ ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τὸν Σαοὺλ καὶ τὴν ἐγγαστρίμυθον πάντων ἅπτεται, ἀναγκαία ἀλή θεια κατὰ τὸν λόγον. τίς γὰρ ἀπαλλαγεὶς τούτου τοῦ βίου θέλει εἶναι ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν δαιμονίου, ἵνα ἐγγαστρίμυθος ἀναγάγῃ οὐ τὸν τυχόντα τῶν πεπιστευκότων, ἀλλὰ Σαμουὴλ τὸν προφήτην; περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου· «οὐδ' ἂν Μωσῆς καὶ Σαμουὴλ πρὸ προσώπου μου, οὐδὲ τούτων εἰσακούσομαι», περὶ οὗ φησιν ἐν ὕμνοις ὁ προφήτης· «Μωσῆς καὶ Ἀαρὼν ἐν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ Σαμουὴλ ἐν τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ· ἐπεκαλοῦντο τὸν κύριον, καὶ αὐτὸς εἰσήκουεν αὐτῶν, ἐν στύλῳ νεφέλης ἐλάλει πρὸς αὐτούς», καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ «ἐὰν στῇ Μωσῆς καὶ Σαμουὴλ καὶ προσεύξων ται» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ἆρ' οὖν, εἰ ὁ τηλικοῦτος ὑπὸ τὴν γῆν <ἦν> καὶ ἀνήγαγεν αὐτὸν ἡ ἐγγαστρίμυθος, ἐξουσίαν ἔχει δαιμόνιον ψυχῆς προ φητικῆς; τί εἴπωμεν; γέγραπται ταῦτα· ἀληθῆ ἐστιν ἢ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθῆ; τὸ μὲν μὴ εἶναι ἀληθῆ λέγειν εἰς ἀπιστίαν προτρέπει (χω ρήσει ἐπὶ κεφαλὰς τῶν λεγόντων), τὸ δὲ εἶναι ἀληθῆ ζήτησιν καὶ ἐπαπόρησιν ἡμῖν παρέχει. 3 Καὶ μὴν γοῦν ἴσμεν τινὰς τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀδελφῶν ἀντι βλέψαντας τῇ γραφῇ καὶ λέγοντας· οὐ πιστεύω τῇ ἐγγαστριμύθῳ. λέγει ἡ ἐγγαστρίμυθος ἑωρακέναι τὸν Σαμουήλ, ψεύδεται. Σαμουὴλ οὐκ ἀνήχθη, Σαμουὴλ οὐ λαλεῖ. ἀλλ' ὥσπερ εἰσί τινες ψευδοπροφῆ ται λέγοντες· «τάδε λέγει κύριος» καὶ «κύριος οὐκ ἐλάλησεν», οὕτως καὶ τὸ δαιμόνιον τοῦτο ψεύδεται, ἐπαγγελλόμενον ἀνάγειν τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ προστασσόμενον. «τίνα γὰρ ἀναγάγω;» φησίν· «Σαμουὴλ ἀνάγαγέ μοι». <καὶ> ταῦτα λέγεται ὑπὸ τῶν φασκόντων τὴν ἱστορίαν ταύτην μὴ εἶναι ἀληθῆ· Σαμουὴλ ἐν ᾅδου;