Philoxenus of Mabbug

In his own words on 1 Samuel

• 1 Samuel 2:13

  Now this is the first lust which conquered the world, and because of it the first transgression of the law took place. It demanded tribute from the priests, who, without right, were taking it away from those who made offerings; it dismissed the sons of Eli from their priesthood. For the lust of the belly is the captain of the host of the left side, and to it are fettered all the hosts of sin.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

• 1 Samuel 3:4

  For Eli was sleeping with his sons inside the temple, and when the Lord desired to speak with the children of men, He forsook the old age which was trained in wisdom and exercised in the affairs of the world, and lusty manhood which had received the cunning of evil things, and came to simplicity and spake with it, and chose converse with it. "The Lord called to Samuel, Samuel, Samuel," twice; and simplicity rose up and ran to old age, and the child knew not who it was that called him; and he ran to give an answer to Eli instead of to God, and he did this three times, because he had not yet had experience of divine revelations. Now when Eli understood that it was the Lord Who had called him, he commanded him to make answer as unto the Lord, and not to run towards him. And old age sent youth to the Lord to learn His will, and cunning had need of simplicity that by means of it it might learn the Divine Will; for Eli entreated Samuel and begged him to reveal to him everything which he had heard from the Lord, and not to hide anything from him. And because he perceived that he himself was unworthy to speak with the Lord, he offered entreaty to the child to reveal to him the Divine mystery; and between Divinity and knowledge simplicity became an interpreter, and childhood received and made answer, and to a child only a few years old, who was unacquainted with the arrangement of the affairs of men, was the knowledge of God revealed. For the Lord dwelleth in the upright, and with the simple ones He speaketh; and He chooseth the sincere, who having learnt the word do not consider that it is their own, but they recognize Him that spake it, and to Him they return gratitude.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 4 -- On Faith: First Discourse on Simplicity

• 1 Samuel 3:8

  Now when Eli understood that it was the Lord Who had called him, he commanded him to make answer as unto the Lord, and not to run towards him; for "Eli understood that the Lord had called the boy." And old age sent youth to the Lord to learn His will, and cunning had need of simplicity that by means of it it might learn the Divine Will; for Eli entreated Samuel and begged him to reveal to him everything which he had heard from the Lord, and not to hide anything from him. And because he perceived that he himself was unworthy to speak with the Lord, he offered entreaty to the child to reveal to him the Divine mystery.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 4 -- On Faith: First Discourse on Simplicity

• 1 Samuel 3:11

  The Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle," because Eli had heard of the iniquity which his sons were doing in the tabernacle, and had rebuked them not. Now the whole accusation of Eli arose because of his negligence, and because his rebuke was not commensurate with the wickedness of his sons: for it is written that he rebuked them, but the rebuke was feeble and ineffectual, and not one which the serious nature of the iniquity demanded. His negligence alone and not his own wickedness, was the sole object of the condemnation of Eli the priest, and although the matter was thus yet God chose youth rather than him, and He made His conversation with childhood and simplicity.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 4 -- On Faith: First Discourse on Simplicity

• 1 Samuel 4:11

  Now this is the first lust which conquered the world, and because of it the first transgression of the law took place. It demanded tribute from the priests, who, without right, were taking it away from those who made offerings; it dismissed the sons of Eli from their priesthood. For the lust of the belly is the captain of the host of the left side, and to it are fettered all the hosts of sin.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

• 1 Samuel 9:24

  Now although this meat is a burden unto the wise and prudent, yet was it given by promise unto Noah, and it was sent unto Elijah in a gift, and Abraham received God and His angels thereby, and Isaac was pleased to pour out blessings upon Jacob thereby, and Samuel offered this gift beforehand to Saul as to a king, and David and all the righteous kings made use of such meat, and it was employed by all the righteous; and they were not blamed therefor, because they were superior to lust. And they did not eat like slaves with lust, but they made use of every thing with authority like free men.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

• 1 Samuel 13:14

  And we might find many things in the Holy Books which make manifest the simplicity and uprightness of heart of this man of God, and that also which was said by the Lord unto Samuel, "I have found a man according to My heart," testified unto the purity of David's heart, and it is well known that simplicity is born of purity of heart.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 4 -- On Faith: First Discourse on Simplicity

• 1 Samuel 17:42

  And it is also the custom of brave warriors when they see feeble men coming against them to fight to despise them, and to have them in contempt, and to laugh at their advance, even as it is written concerning that blasphemous giant whose boast lay in the strength of his body, who, "when he saw David despised him." And if all the contempt which he had in him for David arose from his confidence in his flesh, why shouldst not thou, by the power of the spirit which is in thee, despise and hold in contempt the lust of the belly? For whom doth it usually conquer except infants and young children? For immediately the lust of the belly afflicteth them with its need they begin to cry and to importune their parents, and to ask them for what they want, and they do this because they have not yet attained unto the age in which the power of patient endurance is born of the soul.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

• 1 Samuel 19:5

  And this is also shewn by that which was said by Jonathan to his father, "He hath put himself in thy hands; and he made war and slew the Philistines by the simplicity of David the king."

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 4 -- On Faith: First Discourse on Simplicity

• 1 Samuel 20:1

  And from other things it is easy for us to see the simplicity of the blessed David, who himself also maketh it known when he spake with Jonathan, saying, "There is no wickedness in my heart, and yet thy father hunteth my life to take it."

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 4 -- On Faith: First Discourse on Simplicity

• 1 Samuel 21:13

  For behold David the prophet also in his scheme for delivering his life from death feigned himself to the Philistines to be a madman and without sense, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard after the manner of a man who lacked understanding, that he might save his life from death. And if David feigned himself to be mad, and to be without understanding and discretion that he might not destroy his life in this world, how much more is it meet for thee to abide in thy simplicity, and not to be overcome by the indignation of the scoffers, and not to depart from the goal which is laid down for thee, for the sake of life everlasting?

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 5 -- Second Discourse on Simplicity

• 1 Samuel 24:4

  And again when the men who were with him counselled David to slay Saul, through his simple mind he refrained. That they should counsel him to slay his enemy arose from the cunning and craft of this world, for it is the custom of those who are filled with the cunning of this world to act craftily to remove obstacles from their path; but David in his simplicity and mercy refrained.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 4 -- On Faith: First Discourse on Simplicity