Homilies on Joshua — Homily 13
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.Concerning the cities of Lachish and Libnah and Hebron, which the children of Israel captured.
[§1] "All these things happened to them figuratively, and they were written for our sake, upon whom the ends of the ages have come" — when the man who "is a Jew outwardly" and who has "circumcision made manifest in the flesh" reads this, not knowing what it is to be "inwardly a Jew in the circumcision of the heart," he thinks it to be nothing else than wars described, and the destruction of enemies, and the Israelites conquering under Jesus as their leader and plundering the kingdoms of the nations. But the one who is "a Jew inwardly," that is, the Christian, who follows Jesus not so much as the son of Nave but as the Son of God, understands all these things to be mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and says that even now my Lord Jesus Christ wages war against the opposing powers and casts them out of the cities which they possessed — that is, out of our souls — and kills the kings who reigned in our souls, "that sin may no longer reign in us," so that, after he has slain the king of sin out of the city of our soul, our soul may become the city of God and God may reign in it, and it may be said to us that "behold, the kingdom of God is within you." This work, therefore, which the heretics accuse of cruelty, is a work of the highest mercy — that the Lord Jesus should now in truth accomplish through each and every soul of believers what was first foreshadowed by the son of Nave through each and every city: so that those cities which were possessed by evil and utterly wicked kings "according to the prince of the power of the air of this world, the spirit that now works in the children of unbelief" — these having been expelled and slain — he may deign to make them "the dwelling place of God" and "the temple of the Holy Spirit," so that "the members which had served" under the wicked king "iniquity unto uncleanness may now serve righteousness unto sanctification." Thus, therefore, understand that Jesus slew the king of Jericho and the king of Ai and the king of Libnah and the king of Lachish and the king of Hebron, so that all these cities, which before under the most wicked kings observed the law of sin, may now conduct themselves under the laws of God.[§2] But also concerning the interpretations of the names themselves, if we examine more carefully and diligently, the significance of the names will be found capable of being applied now to the understanding of the evil kingdom, now also to the understanding of the good. For instance, Libnah is interpreted as "whiteness." But whiteness is understood in diverse ways; for there is the whiteness of leprosy, and there is also the whiteness of light. It is possible, therefore, even by the interpretation of the name itself to indicate the differences of the two conditions: so that Libnah had the whiteness of leprosy under the evil kings, and this having been destroyed and overthrown, when Libnah came into the kingdom of Israel, it received the whiteness of light — because whiteness is set down in the Scriptures both as praiseworthy and as blameworthy. And again, Lachish is interpreted as "a way" (or journey). But a way is regarded in the Scriptures both as praiseworthy and as blameworthy. This is not difficult to prove, as it says in the Psalms: "and the way of the ungodly shall perish"; and elsewhere on the contrary: "make straight ways for your feet." It can therefore be understood also here that the city of Lachish was first "the way of the ungodly"; and this having been destroyed and overthrown, afterward, when the Israelites reigned, it was brought "to the straight way." And similarly also Hebron, which they say is interpreted as "conjunction" or "marriage." But the conjunction of our soul was first with an evil man and a most wicked husband, the devil; and he having been destroyed and extinguished, the soul "was freed from the law" of the former and most wicked husband and was joined to a good and lawful husband, that one of whom the Apostle Paul says: "I have determined to present you as a chaste virgin to one husband, to Christ." Thus, therefore, even the understanding of the names themselves accords with this twofold condition of each city.
[§3] I think that in this way it is better to understand the Israelite wars, and that in this way Jesus is better thought to do battle and to destroy cities and overthrow kingdoms. For thus also that saying will appear more religious and more merciful, which says that he so overthrew and laid waste each and every city "that nothing was left in them that breathed, nor anyone who was saved, nor anyone who escaped." For would that the Lord might so cast out and extinguish all former evils from the souls that believe in him and that he claims for his kingdom, and from my own soul, that no sense of malice in me may any longer "breathe," that no affection of anger, no affection of any evil desire may be saved in me, that no evil word may remain that "escapes" from my mouth. For thus, with Jesus as my leader, purged from all former evils, I shall be able to be made among the cities of the children of Israel, of which it is written: "the cities of Judah shall be built and they shall dwell in them." For indeed even now Jesus destroys and "builds" the soul of each one of us; and just as we were saying then, when we were discussing Jeremiah, that he had received "words in" his "mouth," by which he might "overthrow" and "build," "root out" and "plant," so also now in these things which we have in hand I think it is to be understood — not according to the heretics or according to the Jews; but as it was there said to Jeremiah: "behold, I have set you this day over the nations and the kingdoms, to root out and to overthrow and to bring to destruction, and after these things to build and to plant" — so also concerning these things which are written as done through Jesus it is to be believed, or rather concerning these things which through our Lord Jesus are even now being done in us. For the first work of the Word of God is to root out the preceding evils, the "thorns and thistles" of the vices. For while these roots hold the seized earth in their grip, it cannot receive the good and holy seeds.
[§4] Necessary, therefore, and first is this work of the Word of God, to "root out" the plants of sin and to "pluck up every plant which the heavenly Father has not planted" and to consume it with fire. Now the second work is to "plant." What is it that God "plants"? Moses says that "God planted a paradise." But even now "God plants" and daily "plants" in the souls of believers. For in the soul from which he has cut out anger, he "plants" gentleness, and from which he has cut out pride, he "plants" humility; from which he roots out wantonness, he "plants" chastity; from which he uproots ignorance, he implants knowledge. Does not such a planting, which "God plants," seem to you to ought to be greater than that of insensible and earthly trees? Likewise, in the first place, it is the work of the Word of God to destroy the diabolical buildings which it has constructed in the human soul. For that one built up towers of pride in each one of us and walls of haughtiness; these the word of God overthrows and undermines, so that deservedly, according to the Apostle, we may become "God's tillage and God's building, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole framework of the building grows into a temple of God in the Spirit," and so at last we may deserve to be made in the inheritance of the holy land in the Israelite portion, with all our enemies extinguished and slain, so that "there is not left of them any that breathes in us," but the Spirit of Christ alone may breathe in us, through works and words and spiritual understanding, according to the teaching of Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is power and dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen!