Father’s hand; Endor narrative begins (1 Samuel 28)
who has given to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch from my Father’s hand?’ And most wise Peter somehow perhaps has cheated the athletes of the piety unto Christ, having written thus: ‘So that even suffering under others according to his will, let them set aside their souls to a faithful Creator.’ And if Satan forces a soul set aside to God, leading and carrying wherever he should choose according to times, how would the one standing before the saints be understood faithful, having taken as it were each one’s spirit as a deposit? These things then are nonsense, and a terrible stroke, to think according to truth that a prophet’s voice was dragged down by cold charms of a most foul little woman from the places allotted to her.
Palladius: What then would the word of the contemplations be? for I think one must not even so much as say such shameful things, even if catching them in bare thoughts.
Cyril: Setting beside the sacred Letter itself, we will then make clear the things coming unto mind, holding everywhere tightly of what is fitting. And it holds thus: ‘And Samuel died, and all Israel beat him, and they bury him in Arimathea, in his city; and Saul lifted out the ventriloquists, and the knowers from the land. And the foreigners gather, and come and encamp into Shunem. And Saul gathers every man of Israel, and they encamp into Gilboa. And Saul saw the foreigners’ camp, and feared, and his heart was astonished very much. And Saul asked through the Lord, and the Lord did not answer him in the dreams, and in the clear things, and in the prophets. And Saul said to his servants: Seek for me a ventriloquist woman, and I will go toward her, and seek in her. And his servants said toward him: Behold a ventriloquist woman in Endor. And Saul covered himself; and put around other garments, and goes himself and two men with him, and they come toward the woman by night, and he said to her: Divine then for me in the ventriloquist, and lead up for me whomsoever I should say to you. And the woman said to him: Behold you know as many as Saul did how he wiped out the ventriloquists, and the knowers from the land, and why do you snare my soul, to put it to death? And Saul swore to her, saying: The Lord lives, if injustice will meet you in this word. And the woman said to Saul: Whom shall I lead up for you? And he said: Lead up Samuel for me. And the woman saw Samuel, and cried out with a great voice. And the woman said toward Saul: Why have you out-reasoned me? and you are Saul. And the king said to her: Do not fear; say whom you have seen. And the woman said to him: I have seen gods going up from the earth. And he said to her: What have you known? And she said to him: A man upright going up from the earth, and this one wrapped in a double-cloak. And Saul knew that this is Samuel, and bowed upon his face upon the
Greek
μου ὃς ἔδωκέ μοι, πάντων μείζων ἐστὶ, καὶ οὐδεὶς δύναται ἁρπάζειν ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ Πατρός μου;» Πεφενάκικε δὲ τάχα που τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν εὐσεβείας τοὺς ἀθλητὰς, γεγραφὼς ὡδὶ καὶ ὁ σοφώτατος Πέτρος· «Ὥστε καὶ ὑπὸ ἄλλων πάσχοντες κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, πιστῷ Κτίστῃ παρατιθέσθωσαν τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν.» Εἰ δὲ τῷ Θεῷ παρατεθεῖσαν ψυχὴν βιάζεται ὁ Σατανᾶς, ἄγων τε καὶ φέρων οἵπερ ἂν ἕλοιτο κατὰ καιροὺς, πῶς ἂν νοοῖτο πιστὸς ὁ τῶν ἁγίων προεστηκὼς, καὶ οἱονεὶ παρακαταθήκην τὸ ἑκάστου πνεῦμα λαβών; Λῆρος οὖν ἄρα ταυτὶ, καὶ ἀποπληξία δεινὴ, τὸ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν οἴεσθαι τὴν προφήτου φωνὴν ψυχραῖς ἐπῳδαῖς γυναίου μυσαρωτάτου τῶν ἐκνεμηθέντων αὐτῇ καθελκῦσαι τόπων.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Τίς οὖν ἂν γένοιτο τῶν θεωρημάτων ὁ λόγος; χρῆναι γὰρ οἶμαι τὰ οὕτως αἰσχρὰ μηδ' ὅσον εἰπεῖν, κἂν γοῦν ἐν ψιλαῖς ἐννοίαις ἑλεῖν.
{ΚΥΡ.} Αὐτὸ παραθέντες τὸ Γράμμα τὸ ἱερὸν, τὰ εἰς νοῦν ἰόντα τότε σαφῆ καταστήσομεν, πανταχῆ τοῦ πρέποντος ἀπρὶξ ἡμμένοι. Ἔχει δὲ οὕτω· «Καὶ Σαμουὴλ ἀπέθανε, καὶ ἐκόψαντο αὐτὸν πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ θάπτουσιν αὐτὸν ἐν Ἀρμαθαΐμ, ἐν πόλει αὐτοῦ· καὶ Σαοὺλ περιεῖλε τοὺς ἐγγαστριμύθους, καὶ τοὺς γνώστας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. Καὶ συναθροίζονται οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι, καὶ ἔρχονται καὶ παρεμβάλλουσιν εἰς Σωνάμ. Καὶ συναθροίζει Σαοὺλ πάντα ἄνδρα Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ παρεμβάλλουσιν εἰς Γελβουέ. Καὶ εἶδε Σαοὺλ τὴν παρεμβολὴν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἐφοβήθη, καὶ ἐξέστη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ σφόδρα. Καὶ ἐπηρώτησε Σαοὺλ διὰ Κυρίου, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἐνυπνίοις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς δήλοις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις. Καὶ εἶπε Σαοὺλ τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ· Ζητήσατέ μοι γυναῖκα ἐγγαστρίμυθον, καὶ πορεύσομαι πρὸς αὐτὴν, καὶ ζητήσω ἐν αὐτῇ. Καὶ εἶπον οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἰδοὺ γυνὴ ἐγγαστρίμυθος ἐν Ἀενδώρ. Καὶ συνεκαλύψατο Σαούλ· καὶ περιεβάλετο ἱμάτια ἕτερα, καὶ πορεύεται αὐτὸς καὶ δύο ἄνδρες μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔρχονται πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα νυκτὸς, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Μάντευσαι δή μοι ἐν τῷ ἐγγαστριμύθῳ, καὶ ἀνάγαγέ μοι ὃν ἐὰν εἴπω σοι. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἡ γυνή· Ἰδοὺ δὴ σὺ οἶδας ὅσα ἐποίησε Σαοὺλ ὡς ἐξωλόθρευσε τοὺς ἐγγαστριμύθους, καὶ τοὺς γνώστας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἱνατί σὺ παγιδεύεις τὴν ψυχήν μου, θανατῶσαι αὐτήν; Καὶ ὤμοσεν αὐτῇ Σαοὺλ, λέγων· Ζῇ Κύριος, εἰ ἀπαντήσεταί σοι ἀδικία ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ. Καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ τῷ Σαούλ· Τίνα ἀναγάγω σοι; Καὶ εἶπε· Τὸν Σαμουὴλ ἀνάγαγέ μοι. Καὶ εἶδεν ἡ γυνὴ τὸν Σαμουὴλ, καὶ ἀνεβόησε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ. Καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ πρὸς Σαούλ· Ἱνατί παρελογίσω με; καὶ σὺ εἶ Σαούλ. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ βασιλεύς· Μὴ φοβοῦ, εἶπον τίνα ἑώρακας. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἡ γυνή· Θεοὺς ἑώρακα ἀναβαίνοντας ἐκ τῆς γῆς. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Τί ἔγνως; Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἄνδρα ὄρθιον ἀναβαίνοντα ἐκ τῆς γῆς, καὶ οὗτος διπλοΐδα ἀναβεβλημένος. Καὶ ἔγνω Σαοὺλ, ὅτι οὗτος Σαμουὴλ, καὶ ἔκυψεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 6 of a seventeen-book dialogue — not the whole work.
English follows Migne PG 68 (Aubert reprint). The PDF and a cleaned text of the same print were checked against each other. This page is Book 6 of seventeen. This is a reading translation for study, not a new critical edition of the Greek.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Migne PG 68 De adoratione Book 5 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 6)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 6)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.