Prophetic grace still builds; the flaming sword blocked paradise
And this too must be added to the argument: if it was Samuel, and when he went out the Holy Spirit stood away from him, and prophecy stood away from him, then the apostle who says is not true: “Now I prophesy in part, and I know in part; but when the perfect comes, then what is in part will be abolished.” Therefore the perfect is after this life. And if Isaiah prophesied anything, he prophesied in part with all boldness; and David has been witnessed here unto the perfect of prophecy. Therefore Samuel did not cast away the prophetic grace.
And that he did not cast it away—he used it thus, as those who speak in tongues, so that one might say: “My spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful”? And yet the one who speaks in a tongue does not build the church; for Paul says that the one who prophesies builds the church, saying in those very words: “But the one who prophesies builds a church.” But if “the one who prophesies builds a church,” and he had prophetic grace—for he had not lost it, not having sinned; for only the one loses prophetic grace who after prophesying has done things unworthy of the Holy Spirit, so that it leaves him and flees from his ruling part—which David also feared then after the sin, and said, “And do not take your Holy Spirit from me”—if therefore the Holy Spirit prophesies, and Samuel was a prophet, and “the one who prophesies builds a church,” whom does he build? Does he prophesy into heaven? To whom—to angels, who have no need? “It is not those who have need, but those who are badly off.” Some need his prophecy; for prophetic grace is not idle, and none of the gifts in the Holy One is idle. Therefore of the prophetic grace the souls of those who sleep (if I may also say so) had need. But here Israel had need of the prophet; and the one who sleeps, released from life, also had need of the prophets, so that again the prophets might proclaim Christ’s sojourn to him.
Besides, before my Lord Jesus Christ’s sojourn it was impossible for anyone to pass through where the tree of life is; impossible to pass the things appointed to guard the way of the tree of life: “He placed the cherubim and the flaming sword that turns to guard the way of the tree of life.” Who could make a way? Who could make anyone pass the flaming sword? Just as no one could make a way through the sea except the one of the fiery pillar, the pillar of light from God; just as no one could make a way through the Jordan except Jesus— of whom that Jesus was a type of the true God—so through the flaming sword Samuel could not pass, nor Abraham. For this reason Abraham also is seen by the one being punished, and the rich man, being in torments, lifting his eyes sees—even if from afar, yet he sees—and Lazarus in the bosom. Therefore patriarchs and prophets and all were waiting for my Lord Jesus Christ’s sojourn, so that he might open the way. “I am the way; I am the door.”
There is a way to the tree of life, so that you may become one who passes through fire—“a flame will not burn you”: of what fire? “He placed the cherubim and the flaming sword that turns to guard the way of the tree of life.” So for this reason those blessed ones were waiting there, doing an economy and unable to be where the tree of life is, where God’s paradise is, where God is farmer, where the blessed and elect and holy ones of God come to be.
Greek
Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ προσθετέον τῷ λόγῳ ὅτι εἰ Σαμουὴλ ἦν, καὶ ἐξελθόντος ἀπέστη ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ ἀπέστη ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ ἡ προφητεία, οὐκ ἄρα ἀληθεύει ὁ λέγων ἀπόστολος· «ἄρτι προφητεύω ἐκ μέρους, καὶ ἐκ μέρους γινώσκω· ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τότε τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται. οὐκοῦν τὸ τέλειον μετὰ τὸν βίον ἐστίν. καὶ εἴ τι ἐπροφήτευσεν Ἡσαΐας, ἐκ μέρους προεφήτευσεν μετὰ πάσης παρρησίας· μεμαρτύρηται δὲ τὰ ἐνθάδε ὁ Δαβὶδ ἐπὶ τὸ τέλειον τῆς προφητείας. οὐκ ἀπέβαλεν οὖν τὴν χάριν τὴν προφητικὴν Σαμουήλ.
ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἀπέβαλεν, οὕτως αὐτῇ ἐχρῆτο, ὡς οἱ γλώσσαις λαλοῦντες, ὥστε ἂν εἰπεῖν· «τὸ πνεῦμά μου προσεύχεται, ὁ δὲ νοῦς μου ἄκαρπός ἐστιν«; καίτοι ἐκκλησίαν οὐκ οἰκοδομεῖ ὀ γλώσσῃ λαλῶν· καὶ γὰρ λέγει ὁ Παῦλος ὅτι ἐκκλησίαν οἰκοδομεῖ ὁ προφητεύων, αὐταῖς λέξεσι λέγων· «ὁ δὲ προφη- τεύων ἐκκλησίαν οἰκοδομεῖ. εἰ δὲ «ὁ προφητεύων ἐκκλησίαν οἰκοδομεῖ«, εἶκεν δὲ χάριν προφητικήν οὐ γὰρ ἀπολωλέχει αὐτὴν μὴ ἁμαρτήσας· μόνος γὰρ ἀπόλλυσι χάριν προφητικήν, ὃς μετὰ τὸ προφητεῦσαι πεποίηκεν ἀνάξια τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου, ὥστ’ ἐγκα- ταλιπεῖν αὐτὸν καὶ φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ αὐτοῦ· ὅπερ ἐφοβεῖτο τότε μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ ὁ Δαβίδ, καὶ ἔλεγεν· «καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιόν σου μὴ ἀντανέλῃς ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ«), εἰ τοίνυν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον προφητεύει, καὶ Σαμουὴλ προφήτης ἦν, «ὁ δὲ προφητεύων ἐκκλησίαν οἰκοδομεῖ«, τίνα οἰκοδομεῖ; εἰς οὐρανὸν προφητεύει; τίνι; ἀγγέλοις, τοῖς μὴ χρείαν ἔχουσιν; «οὐ χρείαν ἒχουσιν] οἱ ἀλλ’ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες. δέονταί τινες τῆς προφητείας αὐτοῦ· οὐ γὰρ ἀργεῖ χάρις προφητική, οὐδὲν χάρισμα ἀγρεῖ τῶν έν τῷ ἁγίῳ. τῆς οὖν χάριτος τῆς προφητικῆς αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν κοιμωμένων (ἳνα καὶ εἴπω) ἐδέοντο. ἀλλ’ ἐνθάδε μὲν χρείαν εἶχεν τοῦ προφήτου Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ὁ κοιμώμενος δέ, ὁ ἀπηλλαγμένος τοῦ βίου, χρείαν εἶχεν τῶν προφητῶν, ἵνα πάλιν οἱ προφῆται αὐτῷ κηρύξωσιν τὴν Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίαν. ἄλλως τε καὶ πρὸ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου μου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίας ἀδύνατον ἦν τινα παρελθεῖν ὅπου τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς, ἀδύνατον ἦν παρελθεῖν τὰ τεταγμένα φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς· «ἔταξεν τὰ Χερουβὶμ καὶ τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν τὴν στρεφομένην φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς. τίς ἠδύνατο ὁδοποιῆσαι; τίς ἠδύνατο τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν ποιῆσαι διελθεῖν τινα; ὥσπερ θάλασσαν οὐκ ἦν οὐδενὸς ὁδοποιῆσαι ἢ τοῦ καὶ τοῦ στύλου τοῦ πυρίνου, τοῦ στύλου τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὥσπερ τὸν Ἰορδάνην οὐκ ἦν οὐδενὸς ὁδοποιῆσαι ἢ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ τύπος ἦν ἐκεῖνος ὁ Ἰησοῦς)· οὕτω διὰ τῆς φλογίνης ῥομφαίας Σαμουὴλ οὐκ ἠδύνατο διελθεῖν, οὐκ Ἀβραάμ. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ Ἀβραὰμ βλέπεται ὑπὸ τοῦ κολαζομένου, | | καὶ ὑπάρχων ἐν βασάνοις ὁ πλούσιος ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὁρᾷ , εἰ καὶ ἀπὸ μακρόθεν , ἄλλ’ ὁρᾷ, καὶ τὸν Λάζαρον ἐν τοῖς κόλποις . περιέμενον οὖν τὴν τοῦ κυρίου μου Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιόημίαν καὶ πα- τριáρχαι καὶ προφῆται καὶ πάντες, ἵν ουττος τὴν ὁδὸν a̓νοίξῃ. ψώ εἰμι ἡ ὁόόςς, Πrώ έͅμι ὴ θύραa.
ὁδός ἐστιν ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ςωῆς, ἕνα γένηται Ἀν όιΜῃς όιà πυρός, φλὸξ οὐ κατακαύσει σε: ποίου δ πυρός; Α)ταξεν τὰ Χερουβὶμ καὶ. τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν τὴν στρε- φομένην φυλάσσειν τὴν όδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωής« ’ ὥστε όιὰ τοῦτο περιέμενον οἱ μακáριοι ἐκεῖ, οἐκονομίαν Ι ποιοῦντες καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι ὅπου τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς, ὅπου ό παρáδεισος ό τοῦ θεοῦ, οοπου θεὸς rεωργός, ὸ́που οἱ μακάριοι καὶ ἐκλεκτοὶ καὶ ἅγιοι θεοῦ Πνώθαι.
About this text
Origen, Homily on 1 Samuel 28 (the medium). Original English Translation from the Greek (Klostermann).
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.