Homily
10.1:
In my father’s house are many mansions,” says the Word
of God. Yet even the resurrection of the dead will not exhibit an equal glory
of those rising again, for “there is one flesh of birds, another of cattle, and
even another of fish. There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the
glory of heavenly things is one thing, that of the earthly, another. One glory
of the sun, another glory of the moon, another glory of the stars. Star differs
from star in glory; thus also, the resurrection of the dead.”
Therefore, many differences of those who come to
salvation are depicted. Whence even now I think those Gibeonites, whose history
has been recited, are a certain small portion of those who must be saved but in
such a manner that they are not saved apart from the branding of some mark. For
you see how they are condemned to become “hew-ers of wood” or “bearers of
water” for the service of the people and for the ministry of the altar of God,
because they indeed approached the sons of Israel with deceit and cunning,
“clothed in old garments and shoes” and “carrying food of aged bread.”
Therefore, these persons come to Jesus with all their aged things and greatly
beg of him that they may be saved.
Something such as this seems to me to be displayed in
their figure. There are in the Church certain ones who believe in God, have
faith in God, and acquiesce in all the divine precepts. Furthermore, they are
conscientious towards the servants of God and desire to serve them, for they
also are fully ready and prepared for the furnishing of the Church or for the
ministry. But, in fact, they are completely disgusting in their actions and
particular habit of life, wrapped up with vices and not wholly “putting away
the old self with its actions.” Indeed they are enveloped in ancient vices and
offensive faults, just as those persons were covered over with old garments and
shoes. Apart from the fact that they believe in God and seem to be
conscientious towards the servants of God or the worship of the Church, they
make no attempt to correct or alter their habits. For those, therefore, our
Lord Jesus certainly permits salvation, but their salvation itself, in a
certain measure, does not escape a note of infamy.
Furthermore, in a little book that is called the Shepherd,
a figure of these things is also described. For it says that there is a certain
tree called an elm that does not produce fruit. Nevertheless, it supports a
vine that produces a large amount of fruit. Since the vine flourishes strong
and produces or preserves very much fruit, even the elm, which is unfruitful,
seems necessary and useful because it serves as a prop for the fruitful vine.
Understand some such thing even in the Gibeonites, who did not indeed lay aside
the old self with its actions. Nevertheless, they wait upon the saints, and
serve, and provide something useful; and, by some such arrangement from Jesus,
they receive salvation when they take an oath
I myself was unwilling to pursue salvation by means of
the arrangement of the Gibeonites and to be numbered among “hewers of wood” or
“carriers of water”; but I wish to seize the inheritance in the midst of the
Israelites and to receive a portion of the land of promise. (Origen, Homilies on Joshua [trans. Barbara
J. Bruce; The Fathers of the Church 105; Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University
of America Press, 2002], 109-11)