Homilies on Joshua 10.1–12.3

“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places,” says the Word of God. And the resurrection of the dead too will not give equal glory to those who rise; but “one is the flesh of birds, another of cattle, another of fish; and there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one 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 differences, then, are indicated among those who come to salvation. Hence I think that these Gibeonites too, whose history has been read, are a certain small portion of those who are to be saved, yet in such a way that they are not saved without being branded with some mark of disgrace. For you see that they are condemned to the service of the people and to the ministry of the altar of God, because they approached the sons of Israel with guile and cunning, dressed in old rags and shoes and carrying a provision of old bread. These, then, come to Jesus with all their oldness and ask of him only this, that they may be saved. In their figure something like this seems to me to be shown. There are some in the church who believe indeed and have faith in God and assent to all the divine precepts; who are also devout toward the servants of God and desire to serve them, and are quite ready and prepared for the adornment of the church or its service; but in their own acts and conduct they are wrapped in obscenities and vices, by no means putting off the old man with his deeds, but wrapped in their old vices and obscenities as if covered with old rags and shoes. Apart from believing in God and seeming devoted to the servants of God or to the worship of the church, they apply no amendment or renewal to their habits. To these, then, Jesus our Lord grants salvation indeed, but in a way their very salvation does not escape the brand of disgrace. A similar figure of these is also described in the little book called the Shepherd. For it says that there is a certain tree called the elm, which bears no fruit, yet carries the vine, which bears much fruit; and because it is a support to the vine, which, leaning on its strength, can bear or keep a great deal of fruit, the elm too, though fruitless, seems necessary and useful by the very fact that it serves the fruitful vine. Understand something of this kind also in the Gibeonites, who have not put off the old man with his deeds, yet minister to the saints and serve them and render some service, and in such a rank receive salvation from Jesus with an oath interposed. I would not wish to obtain salvation in the rank of the Gibeonites, nor to be numbered among the hewers of wood or the carriers of water, but to take an inheritance among the Israelites and receive a portion of the land of promise.

It must indeed be noted that heretics, those who do not receive the Old Testament, are accustomed to bring false charges when they read this passage, and they say: See how Jesus son of Nun had no humanity, in that, while granting salvation to men who had come to him as suppliants, he inflicted on them a mark of disgrace and the yoke of servitude. If a soul little instructed in the divine Scriptures hears this, it can at once be weakened and endangered, so as to flee from the catholic faith. For such souls do not understand their deceptions. For Jesus, looking at the measure of their faith, kept a fitting judgment toward them. Rahab the harlot, moreover, who believed with whole faith together with all her house and received the Israelite spies with the fullest devotion, was received wholly into the fellowship and society of the people, and it is written of her that she was added to the sons of Israel until this day. But these men, who did not so much love fellowship with the Israelite nation as, terrified by fear of their own destruction, approach Jesus with cunning and fraud — how could they earn freedom of life and fellowship in the kingdom by servile tricks? Indeed, do you want to know that the condition assigned to them by Jesus was worthy of the baseness of their minds? They themselves say: “We have heard how great things the Lord did for you at the Red Sea and in the desert.” And though they said this, and confessed that they had heard and knew of the divine wonders, yet they did nothing worthy of faith, nothing worthy of their admiration for such great mighty works. And therefore Jesus, seeing their narrow and slight purpose in faith, keeps a most just measure toward them, so that those who had brought some faith, however little, should obtain salvation, yet should not receive the summit of the kingdom or of freedom, because their faith was ennobled by no addition of works; for the apostle James declares that faith without works is to be held dead.

Yet we must know how much we are taught by the foreshadowings of such figures: that if there are any such among us whose faith extends only so far as to come to church and bow their heads, show courtesy to the priests, honor the servants of God, and also contribute something to the adornment of the altar or the church, but who apply no zeal to cultivating their habits too, amending their acts, laying aside their vices, cultivating chastity, softening their anger, restraining their avarice, curbing their rapacity, and do not remove from their mouth evil-speaking and foolish talk or scurrility and the poisons of detraction — let those who are such, who do not wish to amend themselves but persist in these things until extreme old age, know that their part and lot will be assigned by the Lord Jesus with the Gibeonites. But rather we beseech you, brothers, discharging the embassy of the word of God, that while we still have the power to amend, we may take pains and hasten, casting away the ancient filth and old rags of vices, to be joined and united to the freedom of the Israelites. And do you want to see how great is the freedom of the Israelites? It is commanded in the law that a Hebrew boy, if he happens to fall into servitude, may not serve more than six years, but in the seventh year the law orders that he be released free. So great is the care for freedom among them. If we recall this to spiritual understanding: even if you are a Hebrew boy who has fallen into servitude (for he is a boy who falls into servitude through weakness of mind — what servitude? Scripture says, “He who sins is a slave of sin”; into this servitude it is not a manly and perfect mind that falls, but a boyish and weak one) — even, then, if you are a Hebrew boy, that is, one of the faithful who has also received baptism in the church, and after this have fallen into the servitude of sin, let six years’ servitude be enough for you; in the seventh year take care not to serve, but hasten to your freedom. The number seven signifies the law of the commandments, but the number six bears the figure of this world. As long, then, as you savor the things of this world, are busied with them, and think according to the flesh, you must serve sin. But when you come to the number seven, that is, to the knowledge of the law, then seek your freedom and return to your father’s nobility, lest, if you remain in your evils and persist in sins, with a mark fixed in your ear as one who does not hear the words of God admonishing you and calling you back to your former freedom, you become a slave of sin forever. Then I ask you whether you would willingly become a slave in this world, from being a householder and a man of noble birth. You undoubtedly refuse, since we see very many even of servile condition hasten to freedom and desire, as far as they can, even to become rich, and to cover the baseness of their low birth with honors sought from wherever they may. If, then, in this life no one wants to be a slave, but everyone desires as far as possible to be free and rich and noble, so as not only to have enough for himself but also to give to others, shall we tolerate servitude with indifference in those eternal things that are never to be changed, and does it seem a small matter to us to be assigned to the hewers of wood and carriers of water? Therefore, while it is day, let us work what is good and give our effort to our amendment, so that by our acts, our conduct, and our habits we may deserve to be ennobled and be made worthy to receive the spirit of adoption, that we may rather be counted among the sons of God, through his only and true Son Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom is glory and dominion for ages of ages. Amen.

For those who have joined themselves to the sons of Israel, all who were formerly their friends become enemies after their friendship and familiarity with the sons of Israel. The Gibeonites had received a covenant of peace from the sons of Israel; the Jebusite king of Jerusalem, inviting four other kings to join him, sets out to attack them. But the Gibeonites, seeing that five kings had conspired to make war on them, do not trust at all in their own strength and resources, but send to Jesus asking for help. And he, with divine permission, comes to the Gibeonites to bring help. Here wonders from heaven are shown. The Lord rains down hailstones from above and lays waste the army of the five kings who were fighting against Jesus. Then Jesus, seeing the divine right hand fighting with him and everything going forward successfully, raises to heaven a new and wonderful prayer, saying: “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Elom, until they overcome this people. And the sun and the moon stood in their place until the Lord conquered their enemies. And the sun stood in the midst of heaven and did not go on to its setting for the space of one day. There was no day like it before, nor did God so hear a man, for the Lord fought for Israel. And those five kings fled and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.” These things, done according to the history, proclaim to all ages the miracles of divine power, and they need no interpretation from outside, since the light of the deeds shines forth in them. Yet let us seek what spiritual understanding they contain.

When the human soul has joined itself to the Word of God, it must not doubt that it will at once have enemies, and that those whom it had as friends before will be turned into adversaries; and let it expect to suffer this not only from men, but let it know for certain that this threatens it from the contrary powers and the spiritual forces of wickedness as well. And so it happens that he who seeks the friendship of Jesus must know that he will have to bear the enmity of many. Hear the Apostle saying: “All who wish to live devoutly in Christ will suffer persecution.” And Solomon too says something similar: “Son,” he says, “when you come to the service of the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation.” The Gibeonites, then, of whatever sort they may be, are attacked even now because of their friendship with Jesus; and even if they are hewers of wood and carriers of water — that is, even if you are of the lowest merit in the church — yet by the very fact that you belong to Jesus you will be attacked by the five kings. But the Gibeonites are not abandoned or despised by Jesus, nor by the leaders and elders of the Israelites; they bring help to their weakness. Does not that command of the Apostle seem to you to do this in us and to enjoin it, where he says: “Comfort the faint-hearted, support the weak, be patient toward all”? And again: “But you who are stronger, bear the weaknesses of the weak.” In this way, then, Jesus with his leaders and princes is present to those who are attacked by the contrary powers for his name’s sake, and not only gives help in war, but also lengthens the time of day and, prolonging the span of light, drives off the coming of night.

We wish, then, if we can, to show how our Lord Jesus prolonged the light and made the day longer, either for the salvation of men or for the destruction of the contrary powers. When the Saviour came, the end of the world had already arrived. Indeed he himself said: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.” But he held back and checked the day of consummation, and prevented it from arriving. For God the Father, seeing that the salvation of the nations can be accomplished through him alone, says to him: “Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession.” Until, then, the Father’s promise is fulfilled and churches grow from the various nations and the whole fullness of the Gentiles comes in, so that then at last all Israel may be saved, the day is prolonged and its setting delayed; the sun never goes down, but is always rising, while the Sun of righteousness pours the light of truth into the hearts of believers. But when the measure of believers has been filled, and the worse and faded age of the last generation has come, when, as iniquity increases, the love of many grows cold, and very few remain in whom faith is found, then the days will be shortened. In the same way, then, the Lord himself knows, when it is the time of salvation, to prolong the day, and to shorten it when it is the time of tribulation and destruction. But we, while we have the day and the span of light is prolonged for us, let us walk honestly as in the day and do the works of light.

But let us also see what it means that it says there were five kings, and that these fled into caves. We have often said that the battle of Christians is twofold. For the perfect, and for such as Paul was and the Ephesians, as Paul himself says, the struggle was not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. But for the lower ones, those not yet perfect, the battle is still waged against flesh and blood, for those who are still attacked by carnal vices and frailties; and I think this is indicated in this place too. For we said that war was declared on the Gibeonites by the five kings, and we said that their figure is found in those who are imperfect. These, then, are attacked by the five kings. And the five kings indicate the five bodily senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. For through one of these each person must fall into sin. These five senses are compared to those five kings who attack the Gibeonites, that is, carnal men. And that they are said to have fled into caves may perhaps indicate this: that a cave is a place dug deep into the earth. So these senses we spoke of above, when, placed in the body, they have sunk themselves in earthly acts and have done nothing for the work of God but everything for the service of the body, are said to have fled into caves.

We must know, however, that these very kingdoms whose kings are now conquered by Jesus and flee to caves afterwards come into the lot of the saints and are called the portion of the Lord, such as the kingdom of Jerusalem, or of Lachish, or of Hebron. In this I think it is indicated that these five senses too, which we explained above, placed in the body, when they have been conquered by Jesus so that unbelief and incredulity are driven out of them, and when they die to sin by ceasing from the service of sin — the soul will afterwards use these very senses as ministers to work the righteousness of God; and so it happens that in Jerusalem, where formerly a worthless and most wicked king reigned, David strong of hand, or the peaceful Solomon, afterwards reigns. For evil powers sit beside these very bodily senses of men of which we spoke, and solicit them to evil desires and to rendering foul services to the soul. If faith in Christ overcomes these evil powers, and they are hanged on the wood of his cross, so that he triumphs over them too on the wood of his cross, then, when they have been slain and driven from the kingdom, the soul becomes the portion of God; then Jerusalem becomes the kingdom of God, and a temple is built in it for the Lord. Was not he thinking this of himself who said: “For we too were once senseless, unbelieving, going astray, slaves to various desires and pleasures”? For this is nothing other than what is written, that Jerusalem was once under King Adonibezek, and the other cities under other kings.

But meanwhile Jesus killed the enemies, not teaching cruelty by this, as the heretics think, but signifying in what was done the mysteries to come: so that, when he has slain those kings who hold the kingdom of sin within us, we may be able to fulfill what the Apostle said: “As you presented your members to serve iniquity unto iniquity, so now” let us present our members to serve righteousness unto justification. What is it, then, that they blame in this place as cruel? This, they say, which is written: “Put your feet on their necks and kill them.” What if this is found to be not cruelty but humanity and kindness! Would that you too were one to put your feet on serpents and scorpions and on all the power of the enemy, and to trample the dragon and the basilisk, that is, the little king who once reigned in you and held the kingdom of sin in you; so that, when all those have been slain who reigned in you by the work of sin, Christ Jesus our Lord alone may reign in you, to whom is glory and dominion for ages of ages. Amen.

If the things foreshadowed through Moses concerning the tabernacle, the sacrifices, and all that worship are said to be a type and shadow of heavenly things, then undoubtedly the wars waged through Jesus, and the slaughter of kings and enemies, must also be said to be a shadow and type of heavenly things — namely of those wars which our Lord Jesus, with his army and his officers, that is, the peoples of believers and their leaders, wages against the devil and his angels. For he it is who, in Paul and in the Ephesians, fights against principalities and powers and the rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. And see, ungrateful heretic, how wholly the new agrees with the old. To those of old was promised the kingdom of the holy land, a land flowing with milk and honey, a land that was then held by sinners and by most wicked inhabitants and kings. Jesus came into that land with the army of the Lord and the leaders of Israel; he attacks them all, slays them, takes possession, and for the merit of victory receives the kingdoms of those he has conquered. To you, through the Gospels, kingdoms of earth are not promised, but kingdoms of heaven are promised. But these kingdoms are not empty or vacant; they have their inhabitants, sinners and wicked spirits, renegade angels. There dwell those against whom Paul, sounding the apostolic trumpet, exhorts you to battle; and as there Jesus said that you will have war against the Amorites and Perizzites and Hivites and Jebusites, so here too Paul declares to you, saying: “Your struggle will not be against flesh and blood,” that is, we shall not fight as the ancients fought, nor must we wage battles on earth against men, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness. Now surely you understand in what places struggles of this kind must be undertaken by you. Or if understanding is not enough for you unless the places themselves are marked for you in plain words, hear what follows: “Against the spiritual forces,” it says, “of wickedness in the heavenly places.” You have heard who those are whom you must drive out of heaven by war and force, so that you may receive those places of the kingdom of heaven by the lot of inheritance. And does not the Lord too in the Gospel plainly indicate this, when he says: “From the days of John the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent seize it”?

Why, then, O heretic, do you not stop bringing false charges even against our Lord and Saviour, who commands that the kingdom of heaven, which he had promised to those who believe in him, be seized by force? And certainly, if force must be used, it is certain that it must be used against those in possession. For to do violence is to drive out the possessor and seize the possession. Tell me, then: what else is it that you accuse Jesus, the successor of Moses, of having done? And would that we were worthy that the Lord Jesus should open to us the hall of his wisdom and lead us within the treasures of his knowledge, and should deign to unlock more fully and open more perfectly to us the things whose figures we now try, step by step, to behold and examine in part, as through a mirror and in an enigma. You would see how it would become clear to us which of the spiritual enemies who now attack the spiritual Israel was represented by this prince of Makkedah, and that of Lachish, and that of Libnah; or of what vice or error within you, in which the soul is entangled, each of those bears the form whom the people of the Lord killed under the leadership of Jesus — those, namely, who hear his commands and keep his precepts, to whom he gives power to tread on serpents and scorpions and on all the power of the enemy. Let us pray, then, that our feet too may be such, so beautiful, so strong, that they can trample on the necks of enemies, that they can so trample on the head of the serpent that it cannot bite our heel. For he who fights under the leadership of Jesus against the contrary powers must also deserve what is written of the earlier warriors: “And all the people,” it says, “returned safe to Jesus, and none of the sons of Israel muttered with his tongue.” You see, then, that he who serves as a soldier under Jesus must return safe from battle, and must nowhere receive a wound from the fiery darts of the evil one; he must not be polluted in heart, not be stained in thought, not give place to the wounds of the demons through anger, through desire, or through any other deadly blow. And as for the addition that no one muttered with his tongue, this seems to me to show that no one boasted of the victory, no one ascribed his conquest to his own strength; but knowing that Jesus is the one who grants victory, they do not mutter with their tongue. Understanding this well, the Apostle said: “Not I, but the grace of God which is in me.” And I think that the Lord’s command looks to this too, where he says: “When you have done all these things, say: We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we ought to have done.” For in this too he seems in a similar way to forbid boasting over things successfully done.

But Marcion and Valentinus and Basilides and the other heretics with them, because they are unwilling to understand these things in the way worthy of the Holy Spirit, have turned aside from the faith and given themselves over to many impieties, bringing forward another God, the God of the law, the creator and judge of the world, as if he taught a kind of cruelty through these writings, in that they are commanded to trample on the necks of their enemies and to hang on a tree the kings of the land which they invade by violence. Would that my Lord Jesus, the Son of God, would grant me this, and command me to trample with my feet the spirit of sexual immorality, to tread on the necks of the spirit of anger and rage, to tread on the demon of avarice, to tread on boastfulness, to crush with my feet the spirits of pride; and when I have done this, to ascribe the sum of the work done not to myself but to his cross, following Paul, who says that through him the world has been crucified to me, and what we mentioned above, where he says: “Not I, but the grace of God which is in me.” If I am found worthy to do this, I shall be blessed, and what Jesus says to those of old will be said to me too: “Act manfully and be strong; do not fear nor be afraid of them, for the Lord God has delivered all your enemies into your hands.” If we understand these things spiritually and conduct wars of this kind spiritually, and drive all those spiritual forces of wickedness out of the heavenly places, then at last we shall be able also to receive from Jesus, by the lot of inheritance, their places and kingdoms, which are the kingdoms of heaven, by the gift of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom is glory and dominion for ages of ages. Amen.