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January, 2006 |
Augustine and the Prophet Hannah |
Ancient Christian Commentary: 1 Samuel 2:1-10 |
Posted by Brian Beers at 1/10/2006 11:33:00 PM (1 comment left so far) |
In his writing on Hannahâs Song in 1 Samuel 2 Augustine confirmed the value of this series. Contemporary commentaries are filled with catalogues of controversies. Ancient writers came to the Scriptures one on one and shared their wonder and excitement. Over the years controversies have grown over their insights and now they are all but forgotten. In the final verse of her song, Hannah says, âThe adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed.â (1 Samuel 2:10). These words were spoken some 40 years before |
Augustine wrote, Surely, anyone who is appropriately moved by the events whose fulfillment has already begin, even in this earthly pilgrimage, must listen to these words and observe and recognize that through this woman (whose very name, Hannah, means âGodâs graceâ), there speaks by the spirit of prophecy, the Christian religion itself, the City of God itself, whose king and founder is Christ. There speaks, in fact, the grace of God itself, from which the proud are estranged so that they fall, with which the humble are filled so that they rise up, which was in fact the chief theme that rang out in her hymn of praise. Now it may be that someone will be ready to say that the woman didnât utter a prophecy but merely praised God in an outburst of exultation for the son who was granted in answer to her prayer. If so, what is the meaning of this passage, âHe has made weak the bow of the mighty ones, and the weak have girded themselves with strength. Those who were full of bread have been reduced to want, and the hungry have passed over the earth. Because the barren woman has given birth to seven, while she who has many children has become weak.â Had Hannah herself really born seven children, although she was barren? She had only one son when she spoke these words; and even afterwards she did not give birth to seven, or to six, which would have made Samuel the seventh. She had in fact three male and two female children. And then observe her concluding words, spoken among that people at a time when no one had yet been king over them: âHe gives strength to our kings and will exalt the horn of his anointed.â How is it that she said this if she was not uttering a prophecy?â
Compare Augustineâs enthusiasm to Much scholarly discussion has centered around Hannahâs use of the terms âkingâ and âanointedâ (Hb. melek and mešîah?) in her prayer. Many scholars judge these words to be anachronistic, since
Augustineâs delight and his direct evaluations of Hannahâs prayer are superior to Hannah voices the divine promise of strength to the coming "king"--initially David, who will found a dynasty with messianic implications ("king" is used in a messianic sense in, e.g., Ps 2:6; Isa 32:1; Jer 23:5; Ezek 37:22, 24; Hos 3:5; Zech 9:9). The king--the "anointed" one--will rule by virtue of God's command and will therefore belong to him body and soul. The king will be "his" (v. 10; 2 Sam 22:51).
Both of these commentaries provide meager value to the student of Scripture. Expositorâs doesnât even pick up on the presence of the Messiah in Hannahâs prayer. Therefore, let the
Augustineâs direct application of Hannah prophecy to the church is problematic. Jesus is the Messiah, but speaking of Jesus is not the same as speaking of the church. We can apply Hannahâs song to him not the church. We can disagree with Augustine. Bergen, on the other hand, gave us little to interact with. The detached posture of this and other current commentaries cultivates arrogance. By not committing to any of his four options, We need to continue considering the implications of Hannahâs prophetic utterance. If there is value in studying the Scriptures, we must come to know and cherish the Scriptures. This requires that we continue beyond a list of possible interpretations. We must observe the Scriptures as Augustine did, noticing the relationships between passages. Expositorâs includes a list of passages in which âkingâ is used messianically without direct reference to the Messiah. Better would have been to discuss the divine promise of a messiah. Where can we find out more about this promised Messiah? What did Hannah know about the Messiah? [1] |