Bede : And he had two wives, etc. Anna, whose name means 'grace,' represents the Church: Phenenna, whose name means 'conversion,' demonstrates the synagogue. And fittingly Anna is first, and Phenenna second; because the first times of the world had holy ones, who, living lives similar to ours without the ceremonies of legal sacrifices, sabbaths, new moons, circumcision, and various purifications, pleased God through the righteousness of faith alone, hoping to be saved by Christ's grace alone, from the time his incarnation was shown to the patriarchs. Thus finally, the conversion of the Synagogue from Egypt to the Lord is celebrated. — Commentary on Samuel Bede : And Phenenna had children, etc. The synagogue, ever since she was betrothed to the Lord, has never ceased to generate spiritual children for him through teaching. Gentilitas, however, although it never ceased to be subject to his grace in some, albeit few, could not generate for him children who live spiritually through preaching; because she neither deserved to receive his testament openly, nor the prophecies, nor the oracles of angels. — Commentary on Samuel Cyprian : That the church which before had been barren should have more children from among the Gentiles than what the synagogue had had before. Isaiah said, "Rejoice, O barren one, that barest not; break forth and shout, who has not been in labor, for the deserted one will have more children than she who has a husband.…" So also, to Abraham, when his first son was born of a bondwoman, Sarah remained long barren, but later, in her old age, bore him her promised son Isaac, who was a type of the Christ. Jacob also took two wives: the elder, Leah, with weak eyes, was a type of the synagogue; the younger and beautiful Rachel, a type of the church, who also remained long barren and afterwards brought forth Joseph, who also was himself a type of Christ. And in 1 Kings [Samuel] it is said that Elkanah has two wives: Peninnah, with her sons; and Hannah, barren, from whom is born not according to the order of generation but according to the mercy and promise of God, when she had prayed in the temple; and Samuel, being born, was a type of Christ. Again in 1 Kings [Samuel]: "The barren has born seven; and she who had many children has grown weak." — Treatise XII. Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 1.20 Gregory the Dialogist : 8. What is expressed by Peninnah, except the Synagogue? And what is figured by Hannah, except the holy Church? For the children of Peninnah are reported to have existed: because when our Redeemer appeared in the flesh, through the Law which He had given, through the prophets whom He had sent, He found children brought forth in the faith of the synagogue. But Hannah had no children, because the holy Church, then new and recently joined to her heavenly spouse, was not yet giving birth through preaching. Hence also it is said to her in the voice of the same spouse in the Canticle: Our sister is little, and has no breasts (Song of Songs 8:8). Or certainly she is said not to have had children not because of inequality of age, but through the barrenness of sterility. What therefore is the sterility of Hannah, except the hardness of Judea? For she who could not convert the hard hearts of the Jews to faith in the Redeemer was indeed barren. But it should be noted that Peninnah, who is said to have given birth first, is named the second wife. For indeed the synagogue first brought forth children in the faith, but nevertheless she was lesser in dignity than the holy Church. Therefore she was the second wife, not in time of marital union, but in inequality of prerogative. There follows: (Verse 3) And that man went up from his city on appointed days, to worship and sacrifice to the Lord God of hosts in Shiloh. — Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 1, Chapter 1 Gregory the Dialogist : (Moral Exposition) Hence he is described as having two wives, because he is joined to the active life through the fruitfulness of good works and to the contemplative life through the love of inner delight. Therefore Peninnah is said to have had children, but Anna is said to have had no children. For what are the children of the active life, except the fruits of good works? And what does it mean that Anna has no children, except that the untrained contemplation does not quickly obtain those joys of inner contemplation which it has already begun to love? Indeed, the joys of inner vision are the children of the contemplative life. But the mind that begins to contemplate eternal things arrives at receiving those joys with all the more difficulty, the more it fails to attend to their beauty. Who then is able to rejoice in the glory of a beauty that he does not see? But the mind that newly raises itself up in the contemplation of eternal goods rises to them all the more slowly, the more it does not quickly lay aside the familiar darkness of its humanity, because while it is unable to cast away worldly cares from itself, it carries dust in its eyes, as it were, by which it cannot see what it desires to see. Therefore the dust must first be cast out from the eye, then the eye must be restored. Dust is indeed cast out when all phantasms of bodily things are removed from the mind's attention, and the eye is restored when by the practice of continual meditation that same attention of the mind is raised up to eternal things. When this has learned through long custom to dwell in heavenly things, by that same length of custom it obtains the purity by which, while it more clearly beholds eternal things, it may more fully exult in their glory. Therefore Anna is said to have had no children, so that not only the imperfection of the beginner may be indicated, but also the loftiness of the contemplative life. For it is set upon a great height of merits, which cannot easily be had in the joy of its fruitfulness. Hence it is that Jacob desires to have Rachel as his wife (Gen. 29:18ff.), but nevertheless Leah is first given to him, so that in order to obtain her beauty the number of seven years must be doubled in service to his father-in-law, because the lover of the contemplative life desires to attain this quickly in the abundance of eternal joy, but nevertheless the Spirit, the giver of all gifts, does not quickly grant it to him, lest he despise what he has obtained as something cheap, if ease presents it to him according to his wish; but may he enjoy it all the more sweetly and guard it all the more carefully, the more difficultly he has earned it. Wherefore it also follows: (Verse 3.) And that man went up on the appointed days to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. — Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 1, Chapter 2 Origen of Alexandria : Thus, therefore, I think it more worthy to interpret the marriages of old men, thus beautifully do I regard the marriages of the patriarchs entered into in their last and now-failing age, thus I reckon their necessary begetting of sons is to be counted. For to such marriages and to offspring of this kind, not the young so much as the old are suited. For the more a man is wearied in the flesh, the more he will be robust in the virtue of the soul and more fit for the embraces of wisdom. So too that just man in the Scriptures, Elkanah, is reported to have had two wives at once, of whom one was called Peninnah, the other Hannah, that is, 'conversion' and 'grace.' And first indeed he is said to have received sons from Peninnah, that is, from conversion, and afterward from Hannah, who is grace. For Scripture figuratively designates the progress of the saints through marriages. Hence you too can, if you wish, become the husband of marriages of this kind, and, for example, if you gladly practice hospitality, you will seem to have taken this as your wife. If to her you add care for the poor, you will seem to have obtained a second wife. And if you join to yourself patience and gentleness and the other virtues, you will seem to have taken as many wives as the virtues in which you rejoice. Hence, then, it is that Scripture records that some of the Patriarchs had several wives at once, others took other wives when the former had died; so that this may be figuratively indicated, that certain men can exercise several virtues at once, while others do not begin those that follow before they have brought the former to perfection. — HOMILIES ON Genesis 11.2 Origen of Alexandria : This praiseworthy man of two wives, then—first of all let us see whence he is: "Of Mount Ephraim," it says. Therefore the righteous man is not of the valleys, nor of the plains, nor of any lower places, nor even of the hills. Of the mountain, it says, he is. Of what mountain? Of Mount Ephraim, which is interpreted 'fruitfulness.' Therefore he is of a fruitful mountain, and his place is fruitful. See also the Scripture, what praise it speaks to the mountains: "God," it says, "is the God of the mountains, and not of the valleys." But the name too of this righteous man is Elkanah, which is interpreted 'possession of God.' It is certain that he of whom it was said that he was one man is a possession of God and not a possession of demons. For him whom demons possess is not one, but many: as the demons themselves also answered concerning him whom they possessed, that Legion is his name. But Elkanah is one, who is a possession of God, who also has for his fatherland Mount Ephraim, the fruitful mountain. This man, then, so praiseworthy, had two wives. The name of the one Hannah, and the name of the second Peninnah. But he had sons of the second, Peninnah: the former wife was barren, she who was also the nobler. Similar things you will find also in Genesis. For divine Scripture is akin to itself. You will find there that the first wife of Abraham, Sarah, was the nobler, but the second, the Egyptian Hagar, was ignoble; and that Abraham became a father of the ignoble one before he did of the noble one. But afterward he becomes a father also of the noble spouse. So then now too Elkanah here, who is a possession of God, first becomes a father of the second wife, since indeed God had shut up the womb of Sarah. But after the many childbearings of Peninnah, the womb of Hannah too is opened by prayers and entreaties, and she too becomes the mother of a son, whom she offered to God. What then these things contain in themselves of the sacrament, let us see. Peninnah is interpreted 'conversion,' but Hannah is interpreted 'grace.' Each one of us, therefore, who wishes to be made a possession of God, let him join to himself these two wives, and celebrate his nuptials with them. Let him join to himself first her who is the nobler and more well-born, grace. This is joined to us first through faith, as the Apostle also says: "By grace ye are saved, through faith." But let him be joined secondly to Peninnah, that is, to conversion: because after the grace of belief there comes the amendment of morals and the conversion of life. But although this is the order of the nuptials, another order of procreation comes about. For Peninnah first bears us sons, because we bring forth the first fruits from conversion, and we procreate the first germinations of righteousness from our acts and works. For the first work of righteousness is to be converted from sins: because unless we first are converted and turn aside from evil, we shall be able neither to be made fathers of Hannah, nor to beget sons from grace. Let us see, then, now the differences of each. Peninnah has sons, but such as do not attend upon God. For the sons of conversion cannot be such as to attend and cleave to God. Nor yet are they empty and wholly alien from the things of God. For they receive portions of the divine sacrifices, and eat of the victims of God. Each one of us, therefore, first is converted from sin, and out of conversion begets works of righteousness. But afterward, Hannah being roused up in us through zeal and emulation of the good, pours forth a prayer to God, that she too may beget sons. What sons, then, does Hannah, who is grace, beget? Such as sit beside God. "For grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." This, then, is the son of grace, who is free for God and for the word of God. But do you wish me to show you a more evident form of this kind of understanding even in the Gospels—a form which in the Law indeed is adumbrated through wives, but in the Gospels is already described as present through sisters? See Martha and Mary: of whom Martha indeed is troubled, and is busy about much ministry, and fulfills the works of conversion, and through these begets, as it were, sons of conversion. But Mary, intent at the feet of the Word of God, is said to have chosen the best part, and through these is understood to procreate, as it were, the germinations of grace. So then now too Hannah begets a son. What son? Samuel, it says, who attends upon God, of whom it is said in the Psalms: "Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name." But Jeremiah too says: "If Moses and Samuel should stand before me, I will not let them go." If, then, so great and such a one is the son of grace, let us too hasten indeed to the nuptials of Hannah, but let us act patiently, so that first sons may be born to us from conversion, so that first we may please in good works, and then afterward may procreate a son also from grace and the gift of the Spirit. And what kind of son? Such as is this son, Samuel, it says, who is interpreted 'There God himself.' You see what kind of sons grace begets? For thus it is written of those who have obtained the grace of the Spirit, the Apostle saying: "But if a prophet enter, or an unlearned, or an ignorant man, into your assembly, he is discerned by all, and the hidden things also of his heart are made manifest: and then, falling on his face, he will worship God, saying that God is indeed in you." This, then, is what Samuel is interpreted, 'There God himself.' For where the grace of the Spirit is, there God himself is said to be. But this kind of son cannot be born to us unless first the sons of Peninnah go before; for unless the works of conversion go before, we do not merit the grace of the Spirit, nor can we from it beget the gift of the Spirit. — HOMILIES ON 1 SAMUEL 1.5