Homilies on Joshua — Homily 10
Latin source: Origen, In Iesu Nave homiliae (Rufinus's Latin translation), from the public-domain critical text of W. A. Baehrens, GCS 30 = Origenes Werke VII (Leipzig, 1921); cross-checked against Migne PG 12. This English translation is released into the public domain.On the deceit of the Gibeonites.
[§1] "In my Father's house are many mansions," says the Word of God. But the resurrection of the dead too will not have an equal glory for those who rise, but "there is one flesh of birds, another of cattle, and another indeed of fish. And there are heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies; but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another glory of the stars. Star differs from star in glory; so also is the resurrection of the dead." Many, therefore, are the differences marked out among those who come to salvation. Hence even now I judge those Gibeonites, whose story has been read aloud, to be a certain small portion of those who are to be saved—yet in such a way that they are not saved without the branding of some mark. For you see how they are condemned to become "hewers of wood" or "carriers of water" for the service of the people and the ministry of "the altar of God," since indeed "with deceit and cunning" they came to the sons of Israel, clothed in "old rags and shoes" and carrying "food of stale bread." These, then, "come to Jesus" with all their old, worn-out things, and beg of him only this, that they may be saved. In their figure it seems to me that something of this sort is shown. There are certain people in the Church who indeed believe and have faith in God and consent to all the divine precepts, and who are also religious toward the servants of God and desire to serve them, and who are furthermore quite prompt and ready for the adornment of the church or its ministry, but in their own acts and manner of life they are quite unclean and entangled in vices, not at all "putting off the old man with his deeds," but wrapped up in old vices and unclean things, just as those men too were covered with "old rags and shoes"—so that, apart from believing in God and appearing devoted toward the servants of God or the worship of the church, they apply no correction or renewal to their morals. To these, then, Jesus our Lord grants salvation indeed, but in some way that very salvation of theirs does not escape the mark of ill repute. A similar figure concerning these people is also described in the little book which is called The Shepherd. For he says that there is a certain tree, which is called an elm, which bears no fruit, yet it supports a vine, which bears very much fruit; and from the fact that it is a prop to the vine, which, leaning on its strength, is able either to produce or to preserve very much fruit, even the elm, which is unfruitful, appears necessary and useful for this very reason, that it serves the fruit-bearing vine. Understand something of the same sort also in the Gibeonites, who indeed did not "put off the old man with his deeds," yet minister to the saints and serve them and expend some usefulness, and by a certain order of this kind receive salvation from Jesus with the interposition of an oath. For my own part, I would not wish to obtain salvation in the order of the Gibeonites, nor to be numbered among the "hewers of wood" or "carriers of water," but to receive an inheritance among the Israelites and to obtain a portion of the land of promise.[§2] It must certainly be observed that heretics who do not receive the Old Testament are accustomed, when reading this passage, to make a slander, and they say: See how Jesus the son of Nave had no humanity in him, in that, while granting salvation to men who had come to him as suppliants, he inflicted upon them the mark of ill repute and the yoke of servitude. If a soul less instructed in the divine Scriptures hears these things, it can at once be weakened and endangered, so that it flees from the catholic faith; for they do not understand these men's deceptions. For Jesus held a fitting judgment toward them according to the measure of their faith. But moreover "Rahab the harlot," who believed with whole faith together with "all her house" and received the Israelite spies with fullest devotion, was received wholly into the fellowship and society of the people, and it is written of her that "she was joined to the sons of Israel unto this present day." But those men, who loved the fellowship of the Israelite nation not so much as, terrified by fear of their own destruction, they "came to Jesus with cunning and fraud"—how could they earn liberty of life and fellowship of the kingdom by servile deceits? In short, do you wish to know that a condition worthy of the baseness of their mind was dispensed toward them by Jesus? They themselves say, "we have heard how great things the Lord did" for you through the Red Sea and in the desert. And though they said these things and confessed that they had heard and knew of the divine wonders, yet they did nothing worthy of faith, nothing worthy of admiration of such great powers. And therefore Jesus, seeing their narrow and meager resolve in faith, preserves a most just moderation toward them, so that they might earn salvation, though they had brought but little faith, yet would not receive the highest degree of the kingdom or of liberty, because their faith was ennobled by no addition of works, since the Apostle James declares that "faith without works is held to be dead."
[§3] Nevertheless it must be known, so far as we are taught by the shadowing forth of figures of this kind, that if there are any such among us, whose faith has only this much, that they come to the church and bow their head to the priests, render services, honor the servants of God, and also contribute something to the adornment of the altar or the church, yet do not apply zeal to cultivate their morals as well, to amend their acts, to put off their vices, to cultivate chastity, to soften their anger, to restrain their avarice, to check their rapacity, to remove evil-speaking and foolish talk or scurrilities and the poisons of detraction from their mouth: let those who are such, who are unwilling to amend themselves but persevere in these things even to their last old age, know that a part and lot with the Gibeonites is to be allotted them by the Lord Jesus. But rather we beseech you, brethren, we who exercise the embassy of the word of God, that, while we still have the power of amending, we may make the effort and hasten, casting off the old filth and the "old rags" of vices, to be joined and associated to Israelite liberty. But do you wish to see how great the liberty of the Israelites is? In the law it is enjoined that it not be permitted for a "Hebrew boy," if perchance he has fallen into servitude, to serve more than "six years," but the law commands that "in the seventh year" he be dismissed "free." So great is the care for liberty among them. And if indeed we recall this to spiritual understanding, even if you too are a "Hebrew boy" who has fallen into servitude—for he is a boy who through the pliancy of his soul has fallen into servitude; and what sort of servitude, the Scripture says: "he who sins is a slave of sin"; into this servitude a manly and perfect soul does not fall, but a boyish and pliant one—therefore even if you are a "Hebrew boy," that is, already faithful and having obtained baptism in the church, and after this have fallen into the servitude of sin, let a servitude of "six years" suffice for you; "in the seventh year" take care that you do not serve, but hasten back to your liberty. The number seven signifies the law of the commandments; but the number six holds the figure of this world. As long, therefore, as "you savor the things that are of this world" and are exercised in them and "think according to the flesh," it is necessary that you "serve sin." But when you have come to the number seven, that is, to the knowledge of the law, then seek your liberty and return to your paternal nobility; lest, if you remain in your evils and persevere in your sins, with the mark fixed in your ear, as one who does not hear the words of God admonishing you and recalling you to your former liberty, you be a "slave of sin" forever. Then next I ask of you, would you willingly wish to be made a slave in this world from being a father of a household and a noble man? Doubtless you refuse, since indeed we see very many even from a servile condition hastening to liberty and, as far as they can, desiring even to become rich and to cover the cheapness of their inborn low birth with honors sought from every quarter. If, therefore, in this life no one wishes to be a slave, but as far as it can be done desires both to be free and rich and noble, so that he may not only suffice for himself but also bestow upon others, shall we in those eternal things that are to be changed by no end indifferently endure servitude, and does it seem a small matter to us if we are reckoned among the "hewers of wood and carriers of water"? Therefore for this reason, "while it is day, let us work" what is good, and let us give effort to our amendment, so that from our acts and manner of life and morals we may deserve to be ennobled and become worthy to receive "the spirit of adoption," so that we may rather be held among "the sons of God," through his only and true Son Jesus Christ our Lord, "to whom is glory and dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen."