The Demon's Limited Power
He has naturally fled, and he brings an argument against these things, saying: 'But I,' he says, 'am not able to give such power to a demon, so that he may prophesy concerning Saul and the people of God, and prophesy concerning the kingdoms of David, that he is about to reign.'
Then, someone might say, 'O most foolish of men, you do not grant him to prophesy, yet you permit him to raise up prophets from Hades and to suddenly transfer angelic hosts, which is a greater, more excellent, and more divine thing possessing authority; did anyone then think so weakly or poorly?' But I would most certainly say, having reconsidered, that the demon prophesied nothing, as we also demonstrated further.
If, however, having been judged worthy of prophecy, he did happen to prophesy, it was not necessary to suppose that the demon raised up spirits and souls from Hades; for even Caiaphas, during the conspiracy against Christ, prophesied, having said: 'It is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish' (John 11:50). These things he did not say of himself, just as the most wise John, being a high priest in that year, prophesied.
But here he presents the duality of the Father and the only-begotten Son, one being called the Lord who is being tested, and the other being the beloved Lord and God, in order to show from the duality the one divinity and the true generation of God. If that prophet, promising to show a sign or a wonder, is to answer all things to one who introduces the unlawful idolatry, how much more ought one not to believe a demon promising to transport souls from Hades and spirits of the righteous, even if the power of the sign is working ahead?
But no one would say of the impious that God raised Samuel from the dead to test the unrighteous, desiring that he might write the drama upon the demon's promise and through this appearance deceive some; for it is necessary to guard the holiness of divination from every side, as the Lawgiver established. But is not the cause of augury, the divination of the belly, and the omens of bells considered not secret? Hear how shortly thereafter he again strictly commanded: 'And if you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). There shall not be found among you one purifying his son or his daughter in the fire, one divining, one using omens, one using bells, one using drugs, one being a medium, and one a wonder-seer, inquiring of the dead. For it is an abomination to the Lord, everyone doing these things.'
After this, warning that he also threatens death and destruction to foreigners because of these things, he immediately added: 'Because of these abominations, the Lord will destroy them from you (Deuteronomy 7:3-4).' It appears, therefore, that the divination of the belly is joined together with all the causes of idolatry, just as if, when scraps lying within are subject to fever, they are accustomed to cause stench and destruction by provoking sickness or burning out the exhausted.
If he also named the deceptive visions as wonder-seeing, as many as are recounted through the belly-diviners, he established that nothing is true in them. From here, I think, he again brought forth a darker decision against them in the Levitical law, bringing words to them: 'And man or woman' saying...
Greek
κατέφυγε τετεχνασμένως, ἑτέρωθι πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐπαγαγών· «ἐγὼ δὲ» φησὶν «οὐ δύναμαι διδόναι δαιμονίῳ τηλικαύτην δύναμιν, ἵνα προφητεύῃ περὶ Σαοὺλ καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ προφητεύῃ περὶ βασιλείας ∆αβὶδ ὅτι μέλλει βασιλεύειν». 24.2 εἶτα, φαίη τις ἄν, ὦ ἀνοητότατε ἀνδρῶν, οὐ δίδως μὲν αὐτῷ προφητεύειν, ἐπιτρέπεις δὲ αὐτῷ προφήτας ἀνάγειν ἐξ ᾅδου καὶ ἀγγελικοὺς ἄφνω μεταστέλλεσθαι χορούς, ὅπερ ἐστὶ μεῖζον καὶ προὖχον καὶ θειοτέρας ἐχόμενον ἐξουσίας; ἆρά γέ τις οὕτως ἐνόησεν ἀσθενῶς ἢ πτωχῶς; 20ἀλλὰ μάλιστα μὲν ἔγωγε φαίην ἂν20 ἀνθυπενέγκας ὅτι μηδὲν ἐπροφήτευσεν ὁ δαίμων, ὥς γε καὶ πρόσθεν ἐδείξαμεν· 24.3 εἰ δ' ἄρα καὶ προφητείας 20ἄξια διαλεχθεὶς ἐτύγχανεν, οὐδ' οὕτως ἐχρῆν20 ὑπολαμβάνειν ὅτι πνεύματα καὶ ψυχὰς ὁ δαίμων ἀνήγαγεν ἐξ ᾅδου· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Καϊάφας ἐπὶ τῇ κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ συστάσει προὐφήτευσεν, εἰρηκὼς ὅτι «συμφέρει ἡμῖν ἵνα εἷς ἄνθρωπος ἀποθάνῃ ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ μὴ ὅλον τὸ ἔθνος ἀπόληται». 24.4 ταῦτα μὲν οὐκ εἶπεν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ, καθάπερ ὁ σοφώτατος ἐξέδωκεν Ἰωάννης, ἀρχιερεὺς δὲ τυγχάνων ἐκείνου τοῦ ἔτους ἐπροφήτευσεν. 24.5 εἰ δὲ οὗτος ὁ κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου βουλὰς ἀδίκους ἀράμενος ὅμως οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ προφητεύει, κινούμενος δὲ δήπουθεν ὑφ' ἑτέρου καθ' ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖται τὸν ἔλεγχον, οὐδὲ εἴ τις ἄλλος ἄρα τοιοῦτό τι δρᾷ προσεκτέον ὅτι 20παρὰ τοῦτο θειοτέρας ἐξῆπται δυνάμεως, οὐδὲ20 ἀνασχετέον εἰ λέγοι τις ὅτι μαντείᾳ δαιμονιώδει ψυχὰς ἀνάγειν ἔοικεν ἐξ ᾅδου καὶ στρατιὰς ἀγγέλων οἷα θεός. 24.6 ἐπακουστέον γὰρ οἷα περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἐξαγορεύει προφητῶν ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ θεσπίζων ὁ Μωσῆς, «ἐὰν δὲ ἀναστῇ» φάσκων «ἐν σοὶ προφήτης ἢ ἐνυπνιαζόμενος ἐνύπνιον καὶ δῷ σοι σημεῖον ἢ τέρας, καὶ ἔλθῃ τὸ σημεῖον ἢ τὸ τέρας ὃ ἐλάλησεν πρὸς σὲ λέγων· 24.7 πορευθῶμεν καὶ λατρεύσωμεν θεοῖς ἑτέροις οὓς οὐκ οἴδατε, οὖκ ἀκούσεσθε τῶν λόγων ἐκείνου τοῦ προφήτου» φησὶν «ἢ τοῦ ἐνυπνιαζομένου τὸ ἐνύπνιον ἐκεῖνο· ὅτι πειράζει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν ὑμᾶς, τοῦ ἰδεῖν εἰ ἀγαπᾶτε κύριον τὸν θεὸν ὑμῶν». 24.8 ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα μὲν τὴν δυάδα πατρός τε καὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ παριστῶν, ἄλλον μὲν τὸν ἐκπειράζοντα κύριον ὠνόμαζεν, ἄλλον δὲ παρὰ τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν ἀγαπώμενον κύριόν τε καὶ θεόν, ἵν' ἐκ δυάδος τὴν μίαν ἀποδείξοι θεότητα καὶ τὴν ἀληθῆ θεογονίαν. 24.9 εἰ δ' ὁ προφήτης ἐκεῖνος ὁ τὸ σημεῖον ὑποσχόμενος ἢ τὸ τέρας ὑποδεῖξαι παντάπασιν ἀποκριτέος ἐστὶ τῷ τὴν ἀθέμιτον εἰδωλολατρείαν εἰσηγεῖσθαι, κἂν ἡ τοῦ σημείου δύναμις ἐνεργοῦσα προτρέχῃ, πόσῳ δὴ μᾶλλον οὐ χρὴ δαίμονι πιστεύειν ἐπαγγελλομένῳ ψυχὰς ἐξ ᾅδου μεταπέμπεσθαι καὶ πνεύματα δικαίων; 24.10 ἀλλ' οὐδὲ φαίη τις ἂν ἀσεβῶν ὅτι μαντευομένων ἐκείνων ὁ θεὸς ἀνέστησε τὸν Σαμουὴλ ἐκπειράσαι τὸν ἄδικον ἐθέλων, ἵνα ἐπιγράψῃ τῇ τοῦ δαίμονος ἐπαγγελίᾳ τὸ δρᾶμα καὶ διὰ τῆσδε τῆς προφάσεως ἀπάτῃ φθείρῃ τινάς· ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἐξ ἅπαντος φυλάττεσθαι τὸ τῆς μαντείας ἅγος, ὡς ὁ νομοθέτης ἐθέσπισεν. 24.11 ἀλλ' οὐ μυσερά τις ἡγεῖται τὰ τῆς οἰωνοσκοπίας αἴτια καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου μαντεῖα καὶ σύμβολα κλῃδόνων; ἀκουέτω πῶς ὀλίγῳ πρόσθεν ὑπερβὰς ἐδογμάτισε πάλιν· «ἐὰν δὲ» φησὶν «εἰσέλθῃς εἰς τὴν γῆν ἣν κύριος ὁ θεός σου δίδωσίν σοι, οὐ μαθήσῃ ποιεῖν κατὰ τὰ βδελύγματα τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκείνων. 24.12 οὐχ εὑρεθήσεται ἐν σοὶ περικαθαίρων τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ ἐν πυρί, καὶ μαντευόμενος μαντείαν, καὶ κλῃδονιζόμενος καὶ οἰωνιζόμενος φαρμάκοις ἐπαοιδῶν ἐπαοιδήν, ἐγγαστρίμυθος καὶ τερατοσκόπος, ἐπερωτῶν τοὺς νεκρούς. ἔστι γὰρ βδέλυγμα κυρίῳ πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν ταῦτα». 24.13 μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο μηνύων ὅτι καὶ τοῖς ἀλλογενέσι διὰ ταῦτα θανάτου γένεσιν ἀπειλεῖ καὶ φθοράν, ἐπήγαγεν εὐθέως· «ἕνεκα γὰρ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τούτων κύριος ἐξολοθρεύσει αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ». 24.14 φαίνεται τοίνυν ὡς ἡ μαντεία τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου συνέζευκται μετὰ πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας αἰτιῶν, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ πυρετῷ σκυβάλων ἔνδοθεν ὑποκειμένων, ἐγερτικῶν μὲν ἀρρωστίας, ὑπεκκαυμάτων δὲ μοχθηρῶν, οἰδήσει καὶ φθορᾷ τὴν λυμώδη νόσον ἀποκύειν εἰωθότων. 24.15 εἰ δὲ δὴ καὶ τερατοσκοπίας 20ὠνόμασε τὰς ἀμειδεῖς ὀπτασίας, ὅσαι διὰ τῶν20 ἐγγαστριμύθων ἱστοροῦνται, συνέστησεν ὅτι μηδέν ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ἐν αὐτοῖς· 24.16 ἐντεῦθεν, οἶμαι, πάλιν ἐν τῷ Λευϊτικῷ σκυθρωποτέραν ἀπόφασιν ἐξήνεγκε κατ' αὐτῶν, ἐπαγαγὼν αὐτοῖς ῥήμασιν· «καὶ ἀνὴρ ἢ γυνὴ» φάμενος «<ὃς>
About this text
Eustathius against Origen on the witch of Endor / belly-speaker (1 Samuel 28).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 18 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.