Homilies on Joshua — Homily 14
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 "Jabin king of Hazor" and on the other kings who gathered together against Israel.
[§1] These same scriptures, before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, when that Israel which is according to the flesh read them, understood in them nothing other than wars and the shedding of blood; and by this their spirits were whetted to excessive ferocity, and they were forever fed on wars and seditions. But afterward, when the presence of my Lord Jesus Christ poured the calm light of knowledge into human hearts — since indeed, according to the Apostle, He Himself is "our peace" — He teaches us peace from this very reading about wars. For peace is restored to the soul if its enemies, its sins and vices, are driven out from it. And therefore, according to the tradition of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we read these things, we too are indeed armed and roused to battle, but against those enemies who "proceed from our heart," namely "evil thoughts, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies," and the rest of the adversaries of our soul like these; concerning whom we strive, according to what this scripture reports, if it can be done, "to leave no one who may be saved, nor who may draw breath." For if we gain the mastery over these enemies, we shall fittingly gain the mastery also over the "powers of the air," and we shall drive them out of their kingdom, which they had established within us above the seats of the vices. In the earlier readings the king of Jerusalem had gathered with himself four other kings against Jesus and against the sons of Israel; but now no longer does one gather four or five, but see how great a multitude one gathers: "But when," it says, "Jabin king of Hazor heard, he sent to Jobab king of the Amorites and to the king of Simeon and to the king of Azeph and to the kings who were around great Sidon, and through the mountain regions and in the Arabah, which is over against Chinneroth, and to the plains and in En-dor, and to the Canaanites who were in the coastlands toward the east, and to the Amorites who were of the coast, and to the Hittites and to the Perizzites and to the Jebusites who were in the mountain regions, and the Hivites who were beneath the desert of Mizpah. And they went forth, they and their kings with them, like the sand of the sea in multitude, and horses and chariots exceedingly many. And all these kings assembled and came together into one at the water of Merom to fight against Israel. But the Lord said to Jesus: Do not be afraid before their face, for tomorrow at this hour I will deliver them up wounded before the face of Israel. You shall hamstring their horses, and their chariots you shall burn with fire. And Jesus came, and all the people of warriors with him, upon them at the water of Merom, and suddenly he rushed upon them on the mountain. And the Lord delivered them into the hands of Israel, and striking them down they pursued them as far as great Sidon and as far as Misrephoth at the water and as far as the plains of Mizpah toward the east. And they slaughtered them, until there remained none of them who might escape. And Jesus did to them as the Lord had commanded him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire. And Jesus turned back at that same time and seized Hazor and slew its king with the sword." You see how great swarms of contrary powers and of the most wicked demons are stirred up against Jesus and the army of Israel. All these demons, before the coming of our Lord and Savior, possessing human souls at quiet and secure, reigned in their minds and bodies. But when the grace and mercy of our Savior God appeared upon the earth, teaching us to live piously and holily in this world and separated from all contagion of sin, so that each soul might recover its own freedom and the "image of God" in which it was created "from the beginning" — for this cause wars and battles arise from those wicked old possessors of them. And if the first are crushed, many more rise up afterward and come together into one and conspire for evil, they who are ever at odds with the good. And if they are conquered a second time, again a third time other, more worthless powers will rise up. And perhaps, the more the people of God is increased and grows much and is multiplied, the more of them conspire to make war.[§2] But let us attempt, as God may grant, to examine each of the kings of the hostile army one by one, and, according to the significations of the names of each, to contemplate also the work which each performs in wickedness. First of all, he who is also named as the author of this war, gathering the rest and inviting them to the conspiracy of crime, is named "Jabin," who was "king of Hazor." For he it is who is said also to have summoned the rest. Now "Jabin" is interpreted as sense or prudence. Who then is this sense or prudence, if not that one whom the prophet Isaiah calls the "great mind"? For he says: "And I will bring upon the great mind the prince of the Assyrians, who said: By my own strength I will act, and by the wisdom of my mind I will remove the boundaries of the nations, and I will plunder their strength." This, then, is he who there indeed is called the "great mind," the king of the Assyrians, but here Jabin, sense or prudence. For indeed the "serpent" is written to have been in paradise "more prudent than all the beasts which were upon the earth." But the "steward of iniquity" too is said to have done "prudently" the things which he did. This "Jabin," therefore, is "king of Hazor." Now Hazor is interpreted as a court. All the earth, then, is the court of this king, who holds the principate of the whole earth as of a single court — who is the devil. But do you wish to see that the earth is his court? In the Gospels it is written that the strong man sleeps secure in his court, until there comes one stronger, who both "binds him" and "carries off what he possesses." The king of the court, then, is the "prince of this world"; this one "sends to Jobab"; for he it is who sends to all the nations and invites them to battle. He "sends" also "to the king of Merom." "Jobab" indeed is interpreted as enmities, but "Merom" as bitternesses. The devil, then, sends to another hostile power — of the apostate angels, without doubt — which power is king of bitternesses; by whose authorship, that is, and agency all the bitternesses and harshnesses that are inflicted on wretched mortals in this world come about. And these are the diverse kinds of sin. For nothing can be more bitter than sin, even though certain sins seem sweet at first, just as Solomon writes: "but in the end," he says, "you will find it more bitter than gall" — that which at the beginning seemed sweet — "and sharper than the edge of a sword." But the nature of righteousness is contrary; at the beginnings it seems more bitter, but in the end it is found sweeter than honey, when it has brought forth the fruit of virtue. The devil, therefore, "sent to Jobab," the enemy, the king of bitterness. But he "sends" also "to the king of Simeon," which is interpreted as a hearing. But the hearing seems to be twofold. Sometimes indeed it is when God hears a man, according to which also Simeon, one of the patriarchs, received his name, since indeed "God had heard" the prayer of his mother. But there is also called a hearing that by which someone hears the command of the devil. For the devil is wont to say: "If falling down you will adore me, I will give you all these things." But you, if you follow Jesus, say to him: "I will adore the Lord my God, and Him alone will I serve." But those who are of his party hear him, just as now this Simeon also did; hearing him, he came to the battle against Jesus. But he "sends" also "to the king of Ziph." Now "Ziph" is interpreted: how it flows! — as with the speech of one marveling; because truly it is a thing to marvel at, how all things which are of this world, carnal things, flow away, and how fluid and fleeting are the things which among faithless men are reckoned as abiding and perpetual. But he who considers the reason of things and beholds the goods of this life, as they are supposed to be, how they are ever changed and pass away, this one says: how it flows! But the devil calls against the sons of Israel also those who are around "great Sidon." I indeed, since I have several times lingered in the regions of Sidon, have never found that there are two Sidons, one great and another small, as far as pertains to the earthly place. But if I return to the interpretation of the name, which signifies a huntress or hunters, I see that of the adversary powers, among which there are many differences, some are hunters in small things and some hunters in great things; that is, some deceive souls through small sins, others through great ones. For example, when a soul is deceived in the pleasures of the age and the delights of the flesh, it must be said to be caught in a small thing; but when it either denies providence or worships demons as though God, this must be reckoned to have been deceived in a great thing. And therefore now he "sends to great Sidon," those who assemble as though to a great hunt against the sons of Israel. He "sends" also "to the mountain regions." By the "mountain regions" is to be understood every sense "that exalts itself and rises up against the knowledge of God." He "sends" also "into the Arabah." Now "Arabah" is interpreted as ambushes. He invites, therefore, the ambushing powers, which deceive human souls not by force nor by open assaults, but by unforeseen ambushes and cunning ones — such perhaps as those of whom the prophet says: "He lies in wait in secret, like a lion in his den; he lies in wait, that he may seize the poor man." But if anyone is such as Paul is, he says confidently: "For we are not ignorant of his devices." He "sends" also to "Chinneroth." Now "Chinneroth" is interpreted as though lamps; not lamps, but as though lamps. For a lamp is one thing, as though a lamp is another. John "was a burning lamp," because he was an "angel of light." But that one is as though a lamp "who transfigures himself into an angel of light." And if you wish to know still more evidently the differences of the lamps and the as-though-lamps which are "in Chinneroth," hear the Savior saying to his disciples: "Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning." There are, then, of those who teach the catholic faith in the church and illumine the people of God with the word of truth, "burning lamps." But these who teach heretical doctrines out of the testimonies of Holy Scripture by false assertions, in that they read the scriptures, seem to kindle lamps: but because they use false assertions, they are not lamps, but as though lamps. He "sent" also "to the plains." For it was necessary that he should call into his fellowship also those who are in the "plains" and are wise in lowly and earthly things. He "sent" also "into En-dor," which is interpreted as conversion. And conversion is understood in two ways. For there is a conversion by which someone is converted to God or is turned by God to good things. But there is also another conversion by which "king Jabin," that is, the devil, converts souls to himself, just as we have expounded above concerning Simeon; of what sort is to be reckoned also that conversion which had befallen the Galatians, concerning which the Apostle says: "You were running well; who has hindered you," that is, turned you back from the good course and the straight road? He "sends" also "to those who were in the coastland places," to the neighbors of the waves, the Canaanites, who are interpreted as though "agitated," that is, who ever in their motions and surges keep all things stirred up, and "to the coastal Amorites." "Amorites" are interpreted as "growing bitter," who are like those of whom we discoursed above. Such, therefore, is the catalogue of the whole soldiery of the invisible enemies, who are gathered together through king Jabin, that they may make war upon us who follow Jesus our leader and Savior. But what does the Lord say? "Do not be afraid," he says, "before their face, for tomorrow at this hour I will deliver them into your hands." I see that today we cannot crush them all nor slay them all, but "tomorrow" they will be destroyed, that is, after the consummation of this age. For then every contrary power will be destroyed, and then it will be utterly conquered, when you shall see it said "to those who are on the left": "Go into the eternal fire, which God prepared for the devil and his angels." For then we also, if we conquer and are able to gain the mastery following Jesus our leader, shall receive the kingdom which the Father has prepared for his holy ones and for those who have "fulfilled" his commandments and "his ordinances," through our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, "to whom is glory and dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen!"