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Being caught, then, between the divine command and the oaths, he appointed them as ministers of the sacred liturgy. It is not a dishonor to serve God, but even the greatest honor. And the prophecy of Noah had to come to pass. For he said, "Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be to his brethren." And in the Gibeonites the prophecy was fulfilled. XIV What is the meaning of, "Is this not written in the book that was found"? Having taught us the power of the prophet, that by using only a word he prevented the great luminaries from proceeding until he had won a mighty victory, the writer, suspecting that someone might disbelieve the account, said that he had found this in an ancient writing. It is clear, then, from this also, that some other later person composed this book, taking his starting points from another book. And this also prefigures the wonder-working of the Savior; for just as the sun stood still when the prophet was at war, so when our Savior was destroying death by death, the sun held back its rays and filled the world with darkness at midday. 281 XV How should one understand, "It was from the Lord to harden their heart, so that they would meet them in battle against Israel, that they might be utterly destroyed and that no mercy might be shown them that they might be annihilated, in the way that the Lord spoke to Moses"? Concerning the other nations, God legislated to Israel; so that if, while they were besieging the city, those people should send an embassy, and should embrace friendship, they were to accept the embassy and lift the siege and make peace. The text, therefore, teaches us that God, governing all things by weight and measure, permitted them to be drawn up in battle against the people, so that they might be deemed worthy of no mercy, but might be destroyed according to the divine decree. XVI Why does Moses distribute the lots of the land to some, and Jesus to others? This again prefigures the truth. For to those beyond the Jordan Moses divided the land; but to those after the Jordan, Jesus did. And those who received their lots through Moses have the type of the Jews; but those through Jesus, of the believing nations. And since Israel is the firstborn, the firstborn received their lots through Moses, Reuben and Gad and Manasseh. However, these too cross over well-girded before the others. For those from the Jews who believed brought salvation to the nations. Nevertheless, Jebusites and Canaanites and other foreign nations were also left, and lived together with Israel. And it is possible to find the truth of this type. For not all received the word of salvation, but there remained contradicting both Jews and Greeks, 282 dwelling in the same cities and villages as we do; whom one would not be wrong to call Canaanites and Hittites and Jebusites. Worthy of this appellation are also those who revere the abominable dogmas of the heresies. For this very reason the divine apostle also said: "But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him." And again: for he must reign "until he has put all his enemies under his feet." XVII Why ever did Caleb ask for Hebron? Being adorned with piety, he put before all others the city in which the most excellent patriarchs had sojourned and were committed to the tomb. His statement shows that after warring for a period of seven years, they divided the land. For thus said Caleb: "I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and now the Lord has kept me alive, as he said. This is the forty-fifth year since the Lord spoke to Moses." And after the decision of God against the six hundred thousand, they spent thirty-eight years passing through the wilderness; seven, therefore, are what is left for the eighty-five. And this the Master of all also foretold through the most divine Moses: "When the Lord your God brings you into the land which he promised to your fathers, after seven years you shall read this law to all the people." It is fitting to note that he calls Jerusalem Jebus; and this he says

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θείας τοίνυν ἐντολῆς καὶ τῶν ὅρκων μέσος ἀποληφ θείς, ὑπηρέτας αὐτοὺς τῆς ἱερᾶς λειτουργίας ἀπέφηνεν. οὐκ ἀτιμία δὲ τὸ διακονεῖν τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεγίστη τιμή. ἔδει δὲ καὶ τοῦ Νῶε τὴν πρόρ ρησιν πέρας λαβεῖν. ἔφη γάρ, " ἐπικατάρατος Χαναὰν παῖς, οἰκέτης ἔσται τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτοῦ ". ἐν δὲ τοῖς γα βαωνίταις ἡ πρόρρησις τὸ πέρας ἐδέξατο. XIV Τί ἐστι τό, " οὐχὶ αὐτὸ γέγραπται ἐπὶ βιβλίον τὸ εὑρεθέν "; ∆ιδάξας ἡμᾶς ὁ συγγραφεὺς τοῦ προφήτου τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι λόγῳ μόνῳ χρησάμενος προβῆναι τοὺς μεγάλους φωστῆρας κεκώλυκεν, ἕως κατὰ κράτος ἐνίκησεν, ὑπειδόμενος μή τις ἀπιστήσῃ τῷ λόγῳ, ἔφη τοῦτο ἐν τῷ παλαιῷ εὑρηκέναι συγγράμματι. δῆλον τοίνυν κἀντεῦθεν, ὡς ἄλλος τις τῶν μεταγενεστέρων τὴν βίβλον ταύτην συνέγραψε, λαβὼν ἐξ ἑτέρας βίβλου τὰς ἀφορμάς. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ προτυποῖ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος θαυμα τουργίαν· ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῦ προφήτου πολεμοῦντος ὁ ἥλιος ἔστη, οὕτω τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θανάτῳ τὸν θάνατον καταλύοντος, ἐπέσχε τὰς ἀκτῖ νας ὁ ἥλιος καὶ σκότους ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπλήρωσε. 281 XV Πῶς νοητέον τό, " παρὰ Κυρίου ἐγένετο κατισχύσαι τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν, ὥστε συναντᾶν αὐτοὺς εἰς πόλεμον ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ, ἵνα ἐξολοθρευθῶσι καὶ ὅπως μὴ δοθῇ αὐτοῖς ἔλεος τοῦ ἀφανισθῆναι αὐ τούς, ὃν τρόπον εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωϋσῆν "; Περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν ἐνομοθέτησε τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ Θεός· ὥστε εἰ πολιορκούντων αὐτῶν τὴν πόλιν πρεσβεύσαιντο ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ φιλίαν ἀσπάσαιντο δέξασθαι τὴν πρεσβείαν καὶ λῦσαι τὴν πολιορκίαν καὶ σπείσασθαι τὴν εἰρήνην. διδάσκει τοίνυν ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος, ὡς σταθμῷ καὶ μέτρῳ πάντα πρυ τανεύων Θεὸς συνεχώρει τούτοις ἀντιπαρατάττεσθαι τῷ λαῷ, ἵνα μηδε μιᾶς ἀξιωθῶσι φειδοῦς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ὅρον ἀναιρεθῶσιν. XVI ∆ιὰ τί τοῖς μὲν Μωϋσῆς διανέμει τοὺς κλήρους τῆς γῆς, τοῖς δὲ Ἰησοῦς; Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν προτυποῖ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἐπέκεινα τοῦ Ἰορδάνου Μωϋσῆς διεῖλε τὴν γῆν· τοῖς δὲ μετὰ τὸν Ἰορδάνην ὁ Ἰησοῦς. καὶ τῶν μὲν ἰουδαίων ἔχουσι τὸν τύπον οἱ διὰ Μωϋσέως εἰληφότες τοὺς κλή ρους· οἱ δέ γε διὰ Ἰησοῦ, τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἐθνῶν. καὶ ἐπειδὴ πρωτό τοκος ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, οἱ πρωτότοκοι διὰ Μωϋσέως τοὺς κλήρους ἐδέξαντο, Ῥουβὴν καὶ Γὰδ καὶ Μανασσῆς. διαβαίνουσι μέντοι καὶ οὗτοι εὔζωνοι πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων. οἱ γὰρ ἐξ ἰουδαίων πεπιστευκότες τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὴν σω τηρίαν προσήνεγκαν. ὑπελείφθησαν δὲ ὅμως καὶ ἰεβουσαῖοι καὶ χαναναῖοι καὶ ἕτερα ἔθνη τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ συνῴκει τῷ Ἰσραήλ. καὶ τούτου δὲ τοῦ τύπου τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἅπαντες τὸν σωτήριον ἐδέξαντο λόγον, ἀλλ' ἐπέμειναν ἀντιλέγοντες καὶ ἰουδαῖοι καὶ ἕλληνες, 282 τὰς αὐτὰς ἡμῖν καὶ πόλεις καὶ κώμας οἰκοῦντες· οὓς οὐκ ἄν τις ἁμάρτοι χαναναίους καὶ χετταίους καὶ ἰεβουσαίους ὀνομάζων. ταύτης δὲ ἄξιοι τῆς προσηγορίας καὶ οἱ τὰ μυσαρὰ τῶν αἱρέσεων θρησκεύοντες δόγματα. διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος ἔφη· " νῦν δὲ οὔπω ὁρῶ μεν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ὑποτεταγμένα ". καὶ πάλιν· δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν " ἄχρις οὗ θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὑτοῦ ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὑτοῦ ". XVII Τί δήποτε τὴν Χεβρὼν ὁ Χαλὲβ ᾔτησεν; Εὐσεβείᾳ κοσμούμενος πάντων προτέταχε τὴν πόλιν, ἐν ᾗ παρῴκησαν οἱ παντάριστοι πατριάρχαι καὶ ταφῇ παρεδόθησαν. δηλοῖ δὲ ὁ τούτου λόγος, ὡς ἑπταετῆ πολεμήσαντες χρόνον τὴν γῆν διενείμαντο. ἔφη γὰρ οὕτως ὁ Χαλέβ· " τεσσαράκοντα ἐτῶν ἤμην, ὅτε ἀπέσ τειλέ με Μωϋσῆς ὁ παῖς Κυρίου ἐκ Κάδης Βαρνῆ κατασκοπεῦσαι τὴν γῆν, καὶ νῦν διέθρεψέ με Κύ ριος ὃν τρόπον εἶπε. τοῦτο τεσσαρακοστὸν καὶ πέμπτον ἔτος ἀφ' οὗ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωϋ σῆν ". μετὰ δὲ τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἑξακοσίων χιλιάδων ἀπόφασιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τριάκοντα καὶ ὀκτὼ διετέλεσαν ἔτη ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διάγοντες· ἑπτὰ τοίνυν ἐστὶ τὰ λειπόμενα τοῖς πέντε καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα. τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων δεσπότης διὰ τοῦ θειοτάτου προείρηκε Μωυσέως· " ἐὰν εἰσαγάγῃ σε Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου εἰς τὴν γῆν ἣν ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς πατράσι σου, μετὰ ἑπτὰ ἔτη ἀναγνώσῃ τὸν νόμον τοῦτον παντὶ τῷ λαῷ ". ἐπισημήνασθαι δὲ προσή κει, ὡς τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ Ἰεβοῦς ὀνομάζει· καὶ ταύτην λέγει