Mysteries of the Bible: the Witch from Endor - remnantnewspaper.com
The fact that pagan religions, along with poems, myths, and stories from all times, contain such episodes should not surprise us. There is no more important and controversial theme than this. If the explorations of the geography of our world or outer space are among the most interesting subjects, the exploration of the unseen realm of God, angels and spirits is much more spectacular and attractive. At the same time, I will not deny that in our era the unseen dimension of existence seems to be, at least sometimes, completely forgotten. But this happens only for a short time: as soon as someone capable of telling beautiful stories or formulating metaphysical questions that reopen the old discussion about the “place” where our dead go speaks up, most people become extremely curious. This explains the success of some dubious books, such as the bestseller Life after Life (1975) by Raymond Moody or the French anthology Les Corps à prodiges (The Wonder Bodies – 1977), in which the miracles of Saint Padre Pio are presented alongside shamanic, trans-corporeal experiences, and many other types of “paranormal” phenomena. All these only confirm the diagnosis of some Catholic authors like Martin Anton Delrio (1551–1608) or Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936), who warn that when people lose their supernatural faith, it is replaced by superstitions.
Associated with black magic and witchcraft, the invocation of the souls of the deceased in any form—especially with the aim of foretelling the future—is condemned with the utmost severity in the Old Law.
Necromancy in Holy Scripture
On the other hand, we must not ignore the fact that certain religious experiences, some even officially recognized by ecclesiastical authorities, may seem like simple superstitions although they are, in fact, true mystical experiences. Both encounters with souls from Purgatory and the personal testimonies of saints such as John Bosco and Padre Pio should make us ponder and invite us to prudence. However, when we find episodes of necromancy even in the sacred texts of the Judeo-Christian Tradition, it is clear that the issue is quite serious.
Associated with black magic and witchcraft, the invocation of the souls of the deceased in any form—especially with the aim of foretelling the future—is condemned with the utmost severity in the Old Law. The Catholic Encyclopedia states briefly and clearly the following:
“The Mosaic Law forbids necromancy (Leviticus 19:31; 20:6), declares that to seek the truth from the dead is abhorred by God (Deuteronomy 18:11, 12), and even makes it punishable by death (Leviticus 20:27; cf. 1 Samuel 28:9).”
The biblical episode in which an act of necromancy is mentioned also reflects these well-known prohibitions, as it is stated at the outset that King “Saul had put away all the magicians and soothsayers out of the land” (1 Samuel 28:3). Contained in chapter 28 of the First Book of Kings (also called 1 Samuel), the mentioned chapter recounts how King Saul turns to a witch (i.e., a pythoness) known for her ability to summon the spirits of the deceased. This action, carried out against the prohibition of necromancy which he himself had imposed with great severity, appears—simultaneously—deviant and deviant. The biblical text shows us that he dared to commit such an abominable act because, frightened by the war preparations of the Philistines, he turned to God––who did not answer him. The silence of Heaven was due to Saul’s disobedience, who had not fulfilled His commandments. Thus, he decides to find out on his own, without God, what his fate would be. Instead of repentance, he chose to commit other sins, which would lead almost immediately to his destruction.
Until the divine verdict is fulfilled, he therefore turns to the witch of Endor. She will act as a medium, as Saul does not directly see (at least in the beginning) the spirit of Samuel. From the moment of his appearance, their dialogue seems to have been unmediated:
“And the woman said to Saul: I saw gods ascending out of the earth. And he said to her: What form is he of? And she said: An old man cometh up, and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul understood that it was Samuel, and he bowed himself with his face to the ground, and adored. And Samuel said to Saul: Why hast thou disturbed my rest, that I should be brought up? And Saul said, I am in great distress: for the Philistines fight against me, and God is departed from me, and would not hear me, neither by the hand of prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest shew me what I shall do” (1 Samuel 28:13-15).
Although the necromantic ritual is not described, scholars of the history of religions have suggested such practices from the Hittite and Canaanite environments. Whatever the case may be, one thing is certain: we are in the territory of extreme sins and practices that are utterly forbidden by God. The Holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church have discussed the entire episode in detail. The number of interpretations is considerable. A Parisian theologian from the 12th century, Pierre le Mangeur, summarized the most significant ones:
“Regarding this evocation, some say that an evil spirit appeared in the guise of Samuel, or even that his fantastic image (that is, the one raised by the devil) appeared there, the one that was called ‘Samuel.’ Others say that, by the will of God, it is indeed the soul of Samuel, covered with a body, that appeared; but for others, it is a body that was revived and received the life of a spirit, while the soul of Samuel remained in its place of rest.”[i]
The interpretations concern both the nature of the appearance and how it occurred. However, what interests me in this article is the first aspect: its real nature. In this regard, the first point we note is the unanimous acceptance of the extraordinary fact: indeed, something out of the ordinary is recounted in the First Book of Samuel. Then, the two major lines of interpretation assume, on one hand, the real appearance of Samuel’s spirit, and on the other, a demonic manifestation—all, however, with God’s permission.
Specifically, something—or someone—that was or seemed to be the prophet Samuel manifested in Saul’s presence.
From the Holy Fathers to Bishop Richard Challoner and the Catholic Encyclopaedia
The discussion on the nature of the appearance at Endor begins early. One of the first commentators is Saint Justin Martyr and Philosopher (c.100–c.165 AD). In a text that has been preserved in its entirety, he invokes the entire episode from 1 Samuel as proof of the post-mortem existence of the soul. He emphasizes that we must learn to prepare ourselves properly for death so that we do not end up like the souls from the Old Testament, who inevitably came under the power of darkness (the Jewish Sheol or the Greek Hades):
“And that the souls survive, I have shown to you from the fact that the soul of Samuel was called up by the witch, as Saul demanded. And it appears also, that all the souls of similar righteous men and prophets fell under the dominion of such powers, as is indeed to be inferred from the very facts in the case of that witch. Hence also God by His Son teaches us for whose sake these things seem to have been done, always to strive earnestly, and at death to pray that our souls may not fall into the hands of any such power. For when Christ was giving up His spirit on the cross, He said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit’ (Luke 23:46), as I have learned also from the memoirs. For He exhorted His disciples to surpass the pharisaic way of living, with the warning, that if they did not, they might be sure they could not be saved; and these words are recorded in the memoirs: ‘Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:20).”[ii]
The idea developed by St. Justin as an argument for conversion to Christianity is remarkable: while those before the incarnation of the divine Logos could not escape the curse resulting from the disobedience of the first humans, Adam and Eve, Christians can do so due to the sacrifice on the cross of the Savior Christ. Justin’s argument is valid only if Samuel’s appearance was real: thus, the one who appeared was indeed the spirit of the prophet. The renowned teacher from Alexandria, Origen (c.185–c.253), will also support Justin’s position.
A great apologist and controversialist of that period, Tertullian (c.155–c.220 AD), believes that magicians like Simon and witches like the pythoness from Endor seem to accomplish such deeds “under cover of a lying wonder.” He then proposes his own interpretation of the episode from 1 Samuel:
“It was no less than this that was anciently permitted to the Pythonic (or ventriloquistic) spirit—even to represent the soul of Samuel, when Saul consulted the dead, after (losing the living) God. God forbid, however, that we should suppose that the soul of any saint, much less of a prophet, can be dragged out of (its resting-place in Hades) by a demon. We know that Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14)—much more into a man of light—and that at last he will show himself to be even God (2 Thessalonians 2:4) and will exhibit great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, he shall deceive the very elect (Matthew 24:24)”.[iii]
In a small treatise where he answers some difficult questions, Saint Augustine is asked “whether, according to the story in the Book of Kings, the woman with the divining spirit really called forth the Prophet Samuel from below.”[iv] After some very interesting explanations, the Doctor of Hippo concludes, following Tertullian, that “we are to understand that an imaginary likeness of Samuel was called forth by a diabolical ritual.” Therefore, it was not the prophet’s spirit itself, but only a likeness of him “produced” by the intervention of the devil. Finally, in a massive treatise titled On the Veneration and Worship in Spirit and Truth, Saint Cyril of Alexandria seeks to reconcile both interpretations: although he personally leans toward the reading that it was a demonic illusion, he does not reject the possibility of the interpretation that says, by the allowance of Divine Providence, Samuel’s soul could have been invoked. Saint Thomas Aquinas will follow the same path, leaving both interpretations to the discretion of the readers without insisting on either (Summa Theologica, II-II, Q. 174, art. 5, reply to Obj. 4).[v]
In the annotated edition of the Douay-Rheims translation of St. Jerome’s Vulgate, Bishop Richard Challoner surprises us with the firmness with which he resolves the dispute in favor of Saint Justin Martyr and Philosopher’s interpretation. Here are his words:
“It is the more common opinion of the holy fathers, and interpreters, that the soul of Samuel appeared indeed: and not, as some have imagined, an evil spirit in his shape. Not that the power of her magic could bring him thither, but that God was pleased for the punishment of Saul, that Samuel himself should denounce unto him the evils that were falling upon him (see Ecclesiasticus-Sirah 46:23).”
We immediately notice that His Excellency is prudent: he does not admit that an act of a magical nature could have such a result, but only that Divine Providence allowed Samuel to tell Saul the outcome of his disobedience to God. In any case, Samuel himself was the one who appeared—regardless of how his invocation occurred.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, in an excellent article dedicated to necromancy, lists three interpretations: the two main ones I have presented above, plus one—supported by Saints Jerome and Theodoret of Cyrus—that the witch, not the devil, deceived Saul with a trick. Then, following the line of Bishop Challoner, the conclusion of the encyclopedia article is clearly stated:
“The (…) interpretation of the reality of Samuel’s apparition is favored both by the details of the narrative and by another Biblical text which convinced Saint Augustine: ‘After this, he [Samuel] slept, and he made known to the king, and showed him the end of his life, and he lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy to blot out the wickedness of the nation’ (Ecclesiasticus-Sirah 46:23).”
Putting aside the issue of the ritual performed by the witch of Endor and its efficacy, based on the interpretations proposed over the centuries, we can extract a few key points. The first refers to the fact presented in chapter 28 of 1 Samuel: yes, something extraordinary (like a close encounter of the third kind, not with an extraterrestrial, but with a soul from the other world) took place. Specifically, something—or someone—that was or seemed to be the prophet Samuel manifested in Saul’s presence. The second important point is related to divine intervention: everything happened with the permission of Divine Providence (although Saul acted like an idolater, substituting God with the power of witchcraft and the manifestation of obscure spirits). Although we cannot exclude the hypothesis of a demonic manifestation, considering the truth of Samuel’s prophecy regarding Saul’s end, we can take seriously—as Bishop Challoner does following St. Justin and Origen—the hypothesis of Samuel’s real manifestation. In other words, the dethroned king might have encountered what can be called a specter or ghost. The first hypothesis, of deception (whether demonic or human), would close the discussion. The second, of the real manifestation of Samuel’s spirit, raises another equally difficult issue: do ghosts exist? While many Christians can easily answer regarding the post-mortem existence of saints and souls in Purgatory, the issue of ghosts has been addressed by great theologians of our Church from a unique perspective, which I will present in a future article.
Mysteries of the Bible: the Witch from Endor