THE DILEMMA of the UNWORTHY PROPHET by JR BASKIN Balaam
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ORIGEN ON BALAAM: THE DILEMMA OF THE UNWORTHY PROPHET BY J. R. BASKIN Balaam, the pagan seer of Numbers 22-24 and 31, created perplexing difficulties for patristic exegetes. His prediction of the star which would rise from Jacob (Num 24:17), widely read as foretelling the Incarnation, secured him a place among the gentile prophets of Christ, and establish- ed him as a founder of the Magi. His biblically recorded misdeeds, however, particularly his part in engineering the Israelite fall into im- morality and idolatry at Baal Peor (Num 25 and 31:16), raised serious questions about his worthiness to deliver God's word. Thus, Christian tradition found in Balaam both villain and prophet. Among the Church Fathers who grappled with this contradictory figure, Origen is of special interest, for in his efforts to understand Balaam he not only discusses the nature of prophecy, but also finds in this inspired miscreant a model of redemption and gentile salvation. New Testament references to Balaam reflect the view of Balaam as villain. Revelations 2:4 recounts Balaam's part in leading the Israelites into idolatry and debauchery: "But I have a few things against you: You have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality." The belief that Balaam had been tempted by the promise of riches becomes a motif in two other New Testament citations. Jude 1:11 declares, "Woe to them! For they walk in the way of Cain, and abandon themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error, and perish in Korah's rebellion;" and 2 Peter 2:15-16 writes, describing the ungodly, "Forsaking the right way they have gone astray: They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing but was rebuked for his transgression; a dumb ass spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's I madness."' In their negative estimations, these New Testament authors, both close to Jewish sources,2 may be echoing early versions of 23 rabbinic teachings about Balaam, for in rabbinic tradition Balaam is portrayed as an unmitigated scoundrel. He becomes emblematic of the wicked nations of the world who have forsaken divine favor and great 3 gifts in pursuit of vice and illicit profit.' But Balaam was also the bearer of a messianic oracle, and early Christianity was required to see him, not only as villain, but as divinely inspired prophet. The discovery in the Hebrew Bible of various proof texts which could show that the prophecies of Scripture had been ful- filled in Jesus Christ was a popular method of interpretation in the early Church.4 Among those verses frequently cited was Numbers 24:17, Balaam's prediction. Early Christian apologists, such as Justin and Clement of Alexandria, anxious to establish the antiquity of the Chris- tian tradition, used such messianic texts eagerly to lend greater authority to their arguments against pagan and Jewish opponents. But many authors, suspicious of Balaam's righteousness, attempted to cite the augury without its author. Thus, Justin cites Numbers 24:17 in his Apology as an Old Testament verification of the Incarnation, but he amalgates Balaam's star prophecy with the root of Jesse prediction of Isaiah, and attributes the whole to that author. Justin also refers to Balaam's prophecy in his Dialogue with Trypho, this time placing it cor- 7 rectly in the Books of Moses, but again without attribution to Balaam. A similar effort to separate the man from his words is found in an ora- tion of Athanasius. In the Incarnation of the Word, the fourth century Father quotes Balaam's prophecy under the name of Moses.8 And when Augustine writes in the City of God that we should not be surprised to hear of foreigners, not of the people of Israel, who have prophesied something about Christ, it seems likely that he too has Balaam in mind: It is not incongruousto belief that even in other nations there may have been men to whom this mysterywas revealed,and were also impelledto proclaim it, whether they were partakers of the same grace or had no experienceof it, but were taught by bad angels, who, as we know, even confessedthe present Christ, whom the Jews did not acknowledge.9 In this passage, where Augustine endorses any true prophecy of Christ, regardless of its origins, he may well be supporting the authenticity of Balaam's predictions, without in any way sanctioning either his character or his standing as a prophet. For as he writes elsewhere of Balaam, the evil man who appears to have been granted the gift of prophecy is not to be esteemed, for even an evil man could have foretold the coming of Christ,'° and further, "If God can make an ass speak .