Joshua 17

But first of all, consider the meaning of the mystery, which anyone who observes it carefully will find in the Scriptures: that in the going out of the children of Israel from Egypt there were forty-two stations; and again, the coming of our Lord and Savior into this world is traced through forty-two generations. For thus the Evangelist Matthew recounts, saying: "From Abraham until David the king, fourteen generations, and from David until the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon until Christ fourteen generations." These forty-two stations of the generations, then, which Christ made in descending into the Egypt of this world, make up by the very same number the forty-two stations of those who go up from Egypt. And Moses set it down well and observantly, saying: "The children of Israel went up with their power." And what is their power, if not Christ himself, who is the power of God? He therefore who goes up, goes up together with him who came down to us from thence, so that he might arrive there whence that one descended not by necessity but by condescension, that the saying might be true which was spoken, that "he who descended is himself also the one who ascended." Therefore in forty-two stations the children of Israel arrive at the beginning of the taking of their inheritance. And the beginning of taking the inheritance was where Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh receive the land of Gilead. And so the number of Christ's descent through forty-two fathers according to the flesh, as though descending to us through forty-two stations, matches the ascent of the children of Israel through just as many stations up to the beginning of the promised inheritance.

After Ham had been cursed through his one son, [Noah] blessed Shem and Japheth and said, "May God increase Japheth and may he dwell in the tent of Shem, and let Canaan be their slave." Japheth increased and became powerful in his inheritance in the north and in the west. And God dwelt in the tent of Abraham, the descendent of Shem, and Canaan became their slave when in the days of Joshua son of Nun, the Israelites destroyed the dwelling-places of [Canaan] and pressed their leaders into bondage.

The "Canaanites" are said, for the third time, to be among the sons of Ephraim. But let us observe what is the order of these statements in each case, that is, what the first statement contains, which says that the Canaanites were with the sons of Ephraim, and what the second and the third contain. For if we observe more carefully how the Canaanites are said to be with the sons of Ephraim for the third time, then, by the Lord's help, we shall be able to investigate the order of the statements — what is reported to have been done from this in the first, what in the second, what in the third — and I think we shall not be unbelieving that these things were truly written not merely that the narrative of the deeds should be handed down to us by itself, but that they were filled with divine mysteries worthy of God. First, then, it was said that: "Ephraim did not destroy the Canaanite who dwelt in Gazer; but the Canaanite dwelt in Ephraim until this present day, and he was made a servant under tribute, until Pharaoh king of Egypt came up and took the city and burned it with fire, and slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites and those who dwelt in Gazer; and Pharaoh gave it as a dowry to his daughter." Second: "and it came to pass," it says, "when the sons of Israel had grown strong, that they made the Canaanites subject, but by extermination they did not exterminate them." Third, when the men of the tribe of Ephraim "contradicted Jesus," wishing, according to their multitude — because they were many and strong — to receive also a greater portion of the inheritance, and they are commanded to "go up into the forest" and make more room for themselves; and, that they might be able to occupy wider spaces, they are commanded to "exterminate the Canaanite."

Let us see, then, now, what this threefold narrative concerning the Canaanites means. First, the "Canaanite" is indeed with us and is "under tribute," yet he is not obedient to us nor a "servant." Second, he is made even a "servant" and obedient. Let us here take the Canaanite as our flesh, or the things that belong to the flesh. This is first with us, that is, it is joined to the soul, but it is not obedient to it, except only that it "pays tribute," that is, it does indeed furnish the service of doing or moving something, "yet it lusts against the spirit" and is not obedient to the soul, but yields to its own desires. But if we have now made some progress, the flesh "is made" for us a "servant" and obedient, and submitting to the will of the soul; and this is the second progress of the soul, when it has made the flesh both obey it and serve it. The third, however, is that which is perfect. For if we now come to the perfect, the "Canaanite" is said to be "exterminated" by us and handed over to death. But how this is fulfilled in our flesh, hear the Apostle saying: "mortify your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness," and the rest that follows. And again he says: "but they who are Christ's have crucified their flesh with its vices and lusts." So then, thirdly, that is, when we come to perfection and "mortify our members" and "carry about the death of Christ in our body," the "Canaanite" is said to be "exterminated" by us.

For after these things this is to be seen, that "the sons of Joseph" raise a question about the inheritance and demand a greater portion, "saying to Jesus": "why have you given us for an inheritance one portion and one measured plot? But I am a numerous people, and the Lord has blessed me." If, then, we too are a "numerous people" and the "Lord blesses" us, we hear from Jesus: "you are a numerous people, go up into the forest and clear for yourself and prepare a place in the land. And clean out the Perizzites and the Raphain." It is necessary, therefore, for us to "cast out the Perizzites." Now we find that "Perizzites" is interpreted as fructification. But, as we have often already said concerning other names, in this too the interpretation is twofold; for there is a good fructification and a bad fructification, just as it is indicated in the Gospels that: "a good tree produces good fruits, and a bad tree produces bad fruits." We ought, therefore, to expel everything whatever that does not fructify well, and to cut away the fruit of sin and to clean out the fruits of unrighteousness. But "the Raphain also," it says, "expel" — or rather "clean out" — from you. We find that "Raphain" is interpreted as slackened mothers. There is in our soul a certain power which gives birth to the senses and is, as it were, the mother of those senses or understandings which proceed from us, according to what is said in a mystery concerning the soul as though concerning a woman: "but she shall be saved through the bearing of children, if they remain in faith and truth." These mothers, then, that is, this power of the soul, in those in whom it is strong and vigorous and robust, generates senses that are vigorous and powerful and that cannot be overcome by an adversary. In others, indeed, this power is slackened and relaxed, which is shown from the senses, when certain feeble and inept ones are brought forth, containing in themselves no strength. This, then, is signified under the name "Raphain," that we should "clean out" from ourselves mothers of this sort, slackened ones, which give birth to enervated and useless senses. And well did he preserve the propriety of the spiritual understanding; for he did not say that the "Raphain" were to be exterminated, but to be "cleaned out." For it is not commanded that the natural motions of the soul themselves be overturned and exterminated, but "cleaned out," that is, that the filth and impurities which have come upon them through our negligence be purged and driven away, so that the natural vigor of its proper and inborn power may shine forth.

After these things the sons of Ephraim add further and say: "the mountain does not suffice us; and the choice horse and iron belong to the Canaanite who dwells in me." You will never find an Israelite who has a horse, but "the Canaanite has" that "horse, which is deceptive for salvation." The "Canaanite has" also warlike "iron." But what did Jesus answer them? "If you are a numerous people and have strength, you shall not have one portion, because there is a forest for you, and you shall clean it out." You see what is said to us through the spiritual understanding, that we should "clean out the wood" which is in us, and, cutting down the useless and unfruitful trees out of our very selves, make there new-broken fields, which we may always renew and from which we may "take fruit thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." Or does not the word of the Gospel also announce the same thing to us, saying: "behold, now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree, therefore, which does not bear fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire"? These things concerning the cutting down of unfruitful trees Jesus the son of Nave commanded our predecessors; these commandments the Lord Jesus sets down for us in the Gospels; and how is it not true that the shadow went before and the truth followed after?

But what is it that Jesus added: "if you clean out," he says, "the wood, it shall also be yours, when you have exterminated the Canaanite"? We have already said above how the Canaanite, when placed with us, first only "pays tribute," second is made "obedient" and "subject," but third, in the mortification of our members, is said even to be "exterminated." If we understand these things rightly — and the Lord has granted us through his grace to understand them thus — let it be something worth the effort to have brought forth these things from the secret and hidden into the open, and to have come to our recognition of things that were kept covered; and let us endeavor, according to these things which we have said, to subject to ourselves more quickly the Canaanite who is with us and to "make him obedient," and after this even to "exterminate" him; for if we let him go and neglect him, "Pharaoh will come out of Egypt" and will begin to "give our place as a dowry to his daughter" and to "hand us over captive to the law of sin." But far be it from Israelite nobility that an Israelite should serve "Pharaoh's daughter" — one whom "God has already led out of the land of Egypt" — that he should again serve that Pharaoh who was "drowned in the Red Sea." Let us therefore take heed, just as Jesus here also says, that we may prevail against the Canaanites, lest, if perchance they grow strong over us and overpower us, they make Canaanites of us out of Israelites, just as that man too became one whom the enticement of the flesh had overcome, to whom it is said by the prophet: "seed of Canaan and not of Judah, beauty has seduced you." Let it not befall us, then, to hear "seed of Canaan," for: "cursed be the boy Canaan; he shall be a servant to his brothers." But may the Lord grant us that we be sons of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, "heirs according to the promise," and for this "raised up out of the stones," that we may be sons of Abraham, by Christ Jesus our Lord, "to whom is glory and dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen!"