Origen, Homily on 1 Samuel 1.1
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/332
Context
Origen was an intellectual luminary and influential theologian of the
Church during the first half to middle of the 3rd century. From his voluminous output of
exegeses, treatises, and letters spanning from his early career in Alexandria to his
long leadership of his new Christian school and library at Caesarea, few works survive,
in large part due to the divisive controversy over his thought during the late 4th and
early 5th centuries. His homilies were chiefly delivered during the later part of his
career at Caesarea and transcribed thereafter, including two on I Samuel.
This passage illustrates the practice of extempore preaching. Origen introduces four
discrete episodes from the early life of David, and the presiding bishop—most likely
Theoctistus in Caesarea but possibly Alexander in Jerusalem—choses one for the scholar’s
elaboration.
Text
Τὰ ἀναγνωσθέντα πλείονά ἐστιν, καὶ ἐπεὶ χρὴ ἐπιτεμνόμενον εἰπεῖν, δ’
εἰσὶν περικοπαί. ἀνεγνώσθη τὰ ἑξῆς τῶν περὶ Νάβαλ τὸν Καρμήλιον. εἶτα μετὰ τοῦτο ἡ
ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τοῦ κεκρύφθαι τὸν Δαβὶδ παρὰ τοῖς Ζιφαίοις καὶ διαβεβλῆσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπ’
αὐτῶν, ἐληλυθέναι δὲ τὸν Σαοὺλ βουλόμενον λαβεῖν τὸν Δαβὶδ καὶ ἐληλυθότα ἐπιτηρῆσαι
καιρόν, ἐπεληλυθέναι τε τῷ Σαοὺλ τὸν Δαβὶδ καὶ εἰληφέναι, 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 Δαβίδ,
καὶ ὅσην εὗρε χάριν παρ’ αὐτῷ μετὰ τὰ πολλὰ ἀνδραγαθήματα ὁ Δαβίδ, 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.
1
Textual Note
Ed. Klostermann 1901Translation
What was read is
lengthy, and, since it is necessary to give an abbreviated version, here are the
sections. The order of events concerning Nabal of Carmel was read first; then the story
of David hiding with the Ziphites and being maligned by them; and then (the story) that
Saul came with the desire to seize David and, once he had come, bid his time. But David
snuck up on Saul and, while he and his guards were sleeping, took “the spear and pitcher
of water,” and after that he lectured the ones who were entrusted to guard Saul and yet
were asleep. Then next the third section of the story, that David fled “to Anchous, son
of Ammach, King of Geth,” and that David, after many exploits, found favor with him; and
the King said to him, “I will make you head bodyguard.” Following these events there is
the famous story concerning the medium and Samuel, that the medium had apparently
conjured up Samuel and that Samuel prophesied to Saul. Since there are four pericopes,
each of which has not a few events and which can also, for those able to examine them,
occupy hours not of just one service but of many, let our bishop point out one of the
four in order that we may occupy ourselves with it. Let us examine, he says, the story
of the medium.
2
Translation Note
Adapted from Smith 1998Works Cited
- 1 Origen, Die grieschisch erhaltene Homilie über I Sam. 28, 3-25 (Homily on 1 Kings [1 Samuel]), in Origenes Werke 3, ed. Erich Klostermann, Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten Jahrhunderte 6 (Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs, 1901), 283–94, ch: 1.1, p: 283.
- 2 Origen, Origen: Homilies on Jeremiah, Homily on 1 Kings 28, trans. John Clark Smith, The Fathers of the Church: A New Translation 97 (Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 1998), p: 319.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Origen, Homily on 1 Samuel 1.1,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/332.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Origen, Homily on 1 Samuel 1.1.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/332.About this Entry
Entry Title: Origen, Homily on 1 Samuel 1.1
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Origen, Homily on 1 Samuel 1.1”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Origen, Homily on 1 Samuel 1.1”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife