§6Ταῦτα μὲν οὐν δηλοῖ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ψευδῆ τὰ καὶ ὅτι Σαμουήλ ἐστιν ὁ ἀναβεβηκώς·
These things, then, show that those things are not false, and that it is Samuel who has come up.
τί οὖν ποιεῖ ἐγγαστρίμυθος ἐνθάδε;
What then is the medium doing here?
τί ποιεῖ ἐγγαστρίμυθς περὶ τὴν ἀναγωγὴν τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ δικαίου;
What is the medium doing in connection with the raising of the soul of the righteous man?
ἐκεῖνος ἔφυγεν ὁ τὸν πρῶτον λόγον εἰπών ἵνα γὰρ] μὴ ἀγῶνα ἔχειν δοκῇ κατὰ τοσαῦτα ἄλλα τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόπον ζητούμενα) καὶ λέγει· οὐκ ἔστι Σαμουήλ, | | ψεύδεται τὸ δαιμόνιον, ἐπεὶ οὐ δύναται ψεύδεσθαι ἡ γραφή. τὰ δὲ ῥήματα τῆς γραφῆς ἐστιν] οὐκ ἐ)στιν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ δαιμονίου αὐτοῦ], ἀλλ’ ἐκ προσώπου αὐτῆς· »καὶ εἶδεν ἡ τὸν τὸν Σαμουήλ«, »εἶπεν Σαοὺλ«. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . τὰ λελαλημένα ἀπὸ τοῦ Σαμουήλ.
He fled, the one who spoke the first argument (for [he did so] lest he seem to have a contest against so many other things investigated in this passage), and he says: 'It is not Samuel, the demon is lying, since the Scripture cannot lie.' But the words of the Scripture are not from the persona of the demon itself, but from its own persona: 'and the woman saw Samuel', 'Saul said'... the things spoken by Samuel.
πῶς οὖν λυόμενα τὰ τῆς ἐγγαστριμύθου φανεῖται τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόπον;
How then will the matters concerning the medium and the things in this passage appear resolved?
πυνθάνομαι τοῦ προειρηκότος τὰ πρότερα Σαμουὴλ ἐν ᾅδου; καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς) καὶ ἀποκρινάσθω πρὸς τὸ ἐπηρωτημένον· τίς μείζων, Σαμουὴλ ἢ Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός;
I inquire of the one who spoke the former things ('Is Samuel in Hades?' etc.), and let him answer the question: Who is greater, Samuel or Jesus the Christ?
τίς μείζων, οἱ προφῆται ἢ Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός;
Who is greater, the prophets or Jesus the Christ?
τίς μείζων, Ἀβραὰμ ἢ Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός;
Who is greater, Abraham or Jesus the Christ?
ἐνθάδε μὲν οὐ τολμήσει τις τῶν ἅπαξ φθασάντων τὸν κύριον εἰδέναι Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν προκηρυχθέντα εἶναι] εἰπεῖν ὅτι μείζων οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Χριστὸς τῶν προφητῶν.
On this point, no one among those who have once attained to knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed beforehand by the prophets, will dare to say that Christ is not greater than the prophets.
ὅταν οὖν ὁμολογήσῃς ὅτι Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς μείζων ἐστίν, Χριστὸς έν ᾅδου, ἢ οὐ γέγονεν ἐκεῖ;
When, therefore, you confess that Jesus Christ is greater—was Christ in Hades, or did he not go there?
οὐκ ἐ)στιν ἀληθὲς τὸ εἰρημένον ἐν Ψαλμοῖς, ἑρμηνευθὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν αὐτῶν περὶ τοῦ τὸν σωτῆρα εἰς ᾅδου καταβεβηκέναι;
Is not that which was said in the Psalms and interpreted by the Apostles in their Acts concerning the Savior's descent into Hades true?
γέγραπται ὅτι ἐπ’ αὐτὸν φέρεται τὸ έν πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ Ψαλμῷ· »ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδου, οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν«. εἶτα Ἰησοῦς μὲν Χριστὸς ἐν ᾅδου. φοβῇ δὲ εἰπεῖν ὅτι ναὶ καὶ ἐκεῖ προφητεῦσαι καταβαίνει καὶ ἔρχεσθαι πρὸς τὰς ψυχὰς τὰς ἑτέρας;
For it is written that what is in the fifteenth Psalm refers to him: 'For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will you give your holy one to see corruption.' Then, while Jesus Christ was indeed in Hades, do you fear to say that, yes, he also descended to prophesy there and to come to the other souls?
εἶτα μετὰ τοῦτο ἐὰν ἀποκρίνηται ὅτι Χριστὸς εἰς ᾅδου καταβέβηκεν, ἐρῶ· Χριστὸς εἰς ᾅδου καταβέβηκεν τί ποιήσων;
Then after this, if he answers that Christ descended into Hades, I will say: Christ descended into Hades to do what?
νικήσων ἢ νικηθησόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου;
To conquer, or to be conquered by death?
καὶ κατελήλυθεν εἰς τὰ χωρία ἐκεῖνα οὐχ ὡς δοῦλος τῶν ἐκεῖ, ἀλλ’ ὡς δεσπότης παλαίσων, ὡς πρώην ἐλέγομεν ἐξηγούμενοι τὸν κα Ψαλμόν. »περιεκύκληωσάν με μόσχοι πολλοί, ταῦροι πίονες περιέσχον με· ἤνοιξαν ἐπ ἐμὲ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν, ὡς λέων ἁρπάζων καὶ ὠρυόμενος.
And he descended to those places, not as a slave of those there, but as a master to wrestle, as we said earlier in explaining the twenty-first Psalm: 'Many calves have surrounded me, fat bulls have beset me; they opened their mouth against me like a ravening and roaring lion.
διεσκορπίσθησαν τὰ ὀστᾶ μου«. μεμνήμεθα, εἴγε μεμνήμεθα τῶν ἱερῶν γραμμάτων· μέμνημαι γὰρ αὐτῶν εἰρημένων εἰς τὸν κα Ψαλμόν.
My bones were scattered.' We remember, if indeed we remember the holy scriptures; for I remember them being said in the twenty-first Psalm.
οὐκοῦν ὁ σωτὴρ κατελήλυθεν σώσων· κατελήλυθεν ἐκεῖ προκηρυχθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν ἢ οὔ;
Therefore, the Savior descended to save; did he descend there having been proclaimed beforehand by the prophets, or not?
ἀλλ’ ἐνθάδε μὲν προεκηρύχθη ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν, ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ κατέρχεται οὐ διὰ προφητῶν;
Or was he indeed proclaimed beforehand by the prophets here, but does he descend elsewhere not through the prophets?
καὶ Μωσῆς αὐτὸν κηρύσσει ἐπιδημήσοντα τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὥστε λέγεσθαι καλῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν· »εἰ ἐπιστεύετε Μωσεῖ, ἐπιστεύετε ἂν ἐμοί· περὶ γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψεν.
And Moses heralds him as about to visit the race of men, so that it was well said by our Lord and Savior: 'If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.
εἰ δὲ τοῖς ἐκείνου γράμμασιν οὐ πιστεύετε, πῶς τοῖς ἐμοῖς ῥήμασι πιστεύσητε; « καὶ ἐπιδεδήμηκεν τούτῳ τῷ βίῳ Χριστὸς καὶ προκηρύσσεται Χριστὸς ἐπιδημῶν τούτῳ τῷ βίῳ.
But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?' And Christ has visited this life, and Christ is proclaimed beforehand as visiting this life.
εἰ δὲ Μωσῆς προφητεύει αὐτὸν ἐνθάδε, οὐ θέλεις αὐτὸν κἀκεῖ καταβεβηκέναι, ἵνα προφητεύσῃ Χριστὸν ἐλεύσεσθαι;
But if Moses prophesies of him here, do you not wish him also to have descended there, so that he might prophesy that Christ would come?
τί δέ;
What then?
Μωσῆς μέν, οἱ δὲ ἑξῆς προφῆται οὐχί;
Moses indeed, but did the subsequent prophets not?
Σαμουὴλ δὲ οὐχί;
And did Samuel not?
τί ἄτοπόν ἐστι τοὺς ἰατροὺς καταβαίνειν πρὸς τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας;
What is absurd about physicians descending to those who are sick?
τί δὲ ἄτοπόν ἐστιν ἵνα καὶ ὁ ἀρχίατρος καταβῇ πρὸς τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας;
And what is absurd in the chief physician also descending to those who are sick?
ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἰατροὶ ἦσαν πολλοί ὁ δὲ κύριός μου καὶ σωτὴρ ἀρχίατρός ἐστι·
Those indeed were many physicians; but my Lord and Savior is the chief physician.
καὶ γὰρ τὴν | | ἔνδον ἐπιθυμίαν, ἣ οὐ δύναται ὑπὸ ἄλλων θεραπευθῆναι, αὐτὸς θεραπεύει· ἥτις »οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ὑπ’ οὐδενὸς θεραπευθῆναι((τῶν ἰατρῶν, Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς αὐτὴν θεραπεύει.
For even the inner desire, which cannot be healed by others, he himself heals; that which 'could not be healed by any' of the physicians, Christ Jesus heals.
μὴ φοβοῦ, μὴ θαμβοῦ· Ἰησοῦς εἰς ᾅδου γέγονεν, καὶ οἱ προφῆται πρὸ αὐτοῦ, καὶ προκηρύσσουσι τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν.
Do not fear, do not be amazed: Jesus went to Hades, and the prophets before him, and they proclaim beforehand the visit of Christ.