Homilies on Joshua — Homily 25
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 that were given to the Levites and their allotments.
[§1] All the sons of Israel received their allotments in the land, but for the Levites God alone suffices as their inheritance. Yet since the Levites receive "tithes" and "firstfruits" of the produce from the sons of Israel by God's command, it was fitting that they should also receive tithes, so to speak, from the land and from the dwelling-places; for this is what it means to have received "tithes from all." And therefore "the chief men who were among the sons of Levi, coming to Eleazar the priest and to Jesus the son of Nave, and to the leaders of the tribes of the sons of Israel in Shiloh in the land of Canaan, said": "The Lord commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, and their suburbs for our animals." It was fitting that a lot should also be cast for the "suburbs" and for the "cities," lest by chance the division carried out among the Levites should seem to be made indiscriminately and by mere accident. Therefore, just as the distribution of the lot, which was made among the sons of Israel, had a reason by which one man was held worthy of the first lot, and another of the second — concerning which, as far as we were able, we have already treated before, and also concerning those who, through Moses, receive beyond the Jordan, and from Jesus in the land of promise —, where the first lot fell to Benjamin and afterward to the rest, among whom Dan was last: so must there also be some reason in the priestly and Levitical allotment, that to some the first lot, to others the second, and to others indeed the third is drawn, by which these or those places are assigned to each one. Now the "sons of Levi" are said to be "Gershon and Kohath and Merari," and it is shown that Kohath held first place in honor, because the "sons of Kohath" were "Amram," "Moses and Aaron and Miriam." Therefore from Kohath was produced that part of the people which is priestly, which is Aaron and his sons; but Moses is to be reckoned either in the priestly order, or, if there can be anything even beyond the priestly, there; and there is another account concerning his sons. But the "rest" of the "sons of Kohath," who are from "Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel," held their place according to their order in the tribe of Levi. Then after these, after Kohath, "Gershon" among the sons of Levi receives his portion in the third place, but "Merari" the very last of all. Now this is the distinction of the first order and the second and the third or fourth, which we first of all observed in Numbers. For after the twelve tribes had been arranged to keep watch "around the ark of the Lord's covenant" through the four parts of the earth, and three tribes were stationed "on the east," three "on the southwest" or "on the south," three "toward the sea," which is to the west, and three "to the north," which is the region of the Bear — there also these men are assigned through the four parts of the earth in the same order. And "on the east," where was the tribe of "Judah," which was first among the rest, "Aaron and his sons are placed"; but the "sons of Kohath who remained" are appointed "to lift" upon their shoulders the ark of the Lord's covenant and "to sound the trumpets," so that "when the first trumpet had sounded, those who were on the east should move their camp; but when the second had sounded, those who were on the south should rise up, at the third those from the west, at the fourth those from the north." You see how great an order and how great a consequence of things is preserved in the holy Scriptures, how nothing is done except by measure and reason and order. Look more diligently, and in all Scripture you will find these things thus ordered. But if it is difficult for you to lead the wakeful eye of your heart through all the books, at least in this passage attend more diligently to what is related.[§2] "The first lot," it says, "came out for Kohath, and it fell to the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were among the Levites." Whose was it fitting that "the first lot should come out"? To whom ought primacy to be given, if not to Aaron, the first high priest, first in life, in merits, first in honors and virtue? Is it now at last certain to you that this lot is not a matter of chance, but that a supernal power is present governing it according to the judgment of divine providence? Where, then, does this just lot assign the first dwelling-places "to the sons of Aaron"? "In the tribe," it says, "of Judah, in the tribe of Simeon, and in the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities by lot." You see how to chosen men, in chosen tribes, dwelling-places are dispensed. But who were those who ought to receive the second lot? "The sons," it says, "of Kohath who remained" after the sons of Aaron. And which "tribes" do these receive? "In the tribe," it says, "of Ephraim and in the tribe of Dan and in the half-tribe of Manasseh, ten cities by lot." But who are the third? "The sons of Gershon." And in which tribes do they draw their lots? "In Issachar," it says, "and Asher and Naphtali and in the half-tribe of Manasseh which is in Bashan, twelve cities." But who are the last among the Levites? "The sons," it says, "of Merari." Let us see in which tribes these last ones receive their portion. "From the tribe," it says, "of Reuben beyond the Jordan, and Gad, who was with him beyond the Jordan, and from the tribe of Zebulun, who himself also is last among the sons of Leah, they receive by lot twelve cities."
[§3] But we have not yet touched upon those things which are more to be observed in these passages; and although we cannot unfold the deeper matters concerning them, at least it will not be irksome to touch briefly on the main points, so that from these each one of the hearers may take occasion to search out a higher and mystical understanding. Since there are four parts of the earth, "Kohath" received his lot first among the sons of Levi "from the eastern part," together with those tribes which themselves also hold the primacy over all. See, then, how all things agree. Among the four parts of the earth it is certain that the eastern region appears the more noble, in which the tribe of Judah, more noble than all the rest, was held; and the "sons of Kohath, the priests" draw the first lot among the first, both in the tribes and in the parts of the earth, together with "Gershon" and "Merari," who were first among the sons of Levi. Thus, then, the three first sons of Levi receive the east. But the "west," where were "Reuben" and "Simeon" and "Gad," is allotted by the second lot to "Kohath from the tribe of Simeon," while "Merari" is allotted first "Reuben." And again "Merari," third in Numbers, received "Zebulun" "from the east," so that justice might be preserved in that lot which is drawn according to God and may direct the minds of believers to contemplate the mysteries of the age to come. After these, of those who were "toward the sea," that is, "Ephraim" and "Benjamin" and "Manasseh," when "Kohath" had received "Benjamin" by the second lot, "the rest" of his family drew "Ephraim" by lot. After this, "Gershon" is allotted those who were "from the half-tribe of Manasseh" which was in the holy land, and again this same "Gershon" is allotted also the other "half-tribe of Manasseh." But because it was fitting that those also who were "in the north" should obtain something of the priestly grace, lest they should seem to be utterly stripped of heavenly gifts, therefore among these, whose order was the last "in the north," that is, "Dan," "Naphtali," "Asher," again "Kohath" — not indeed among the priests, but among "the rest" — received nonetheless the first lot in "Dan," but the second "Gershon" in "Asher," and the third, this same "Gershon," in "Naphtali."
[§4] Who can attain to all these things and comprehend them? Who is even able to remember and observe the very order of the mysteries? But if, according to the letter alone, the very text of the narrative can be explained with difficulty, and the intermingling either of places or of persons which is contained in the history can be unfolded, what shall we say of those sacraments which are described through this, and in which the distributions of the future inheritance are foreshadowed, and through which the division of the holy "land," which "the meek shall receive as their inheritance," will be celebrated? Who could explain the diverse sites of the encampments — how in the resurrection this distribution is to be held for each one of the saints by the priestly or Levitical order, so that, as the Apostle says, in the "resurrection" all things may be done not in confusion, but that "each one may come in his own order, the beginning Christ, then those who are Christ's, who believed at his coming, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father, when he shall have subjected to him every principality and power"? There, without doubt, there will be certain such observances of the camps and priestly distributions and orders and signals of the trumpets; for perhaps, just as God has ordered the stars of heaven and set them in place by certain wondrous and ineffable reckonings, and established some of them at the pole of the north, others in the regions of the east, others indeed in the vault of the south, and others in the west — so I believe that those also who from the resurrection of the dead shall be such, "as the stars of heaven in multitude" and "brightness," coming, that is, from the seed of Abraham, God will order in the kingdom of heaven according to the order of the stars and of the parts of heaven, and will give to some a lot "toward the east," to others "toward the west," to others "toward the south," and, those whom he himself knows, he will station "toward the north," since indeed "many shall come from the east and the west," from the four parts of the earth, "and shall recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven," through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, "to whom is glory and dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen!"