Joshua — Chapter 5

Lapide: \"Make thee knives of stone and circumcise again\" — literal cause: abundance of flint in Arabia Petrea; allegorical cause (Origen, Theodoretus, Rupertus): the stone knives are type of Christ who is the spiritual Rock, who spiritually circumcises not the flesh from foreskin but the mind from vices. S. Justinus: \"Our second circumcision is performed with sharp stones, namely Christ and the Apostles, who circumcise the vices of the heart.\"

Lapide: Why circumcision was omitted in the desert — true reason (S. Thomas, Abulensis, Masius, Serarius): because of the constant and uncertain movement of the camp; whoever was circumcised could not march or fight for days; when the cloud moved, all had to follow at once, so circumcision would have endangered lives.

Lapide: \"Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you\" — Galgala = rolling away of foreskin and of Egypt's reproach; Galgala also connected etymologically to Golgotha (gulgolta = skull, round form). The reproach = the taunt of the Egyptians that God had led Israel to death in the wilderness.

Lapide: First Passover in the Promised Land — allegorically: Joshua celebrating Passover in the holy land represents Jesus Christ instituting the new Passover, the Eucharist, at the Last Supper. Joshua (Josue = Jesus) prefigures the true Jesus in this act.

Lapide: The manna ceased as soon as they ate the fruits of the land. Tropologically (S. Bernardus, Ep. 3 ad Fulconem): \"As fire and water cannot be together, so spiritual and carnal delights do not tolerate each other in the same soul. Where Christ senses the belching of one feasting amid cups, He deigns not to offer His wines, sweeter than honey.\" S. Hieronymus: \"It is difficult, nay impossible, for one to enjoy present and future goods at once.\"

Lapide: Joshua sees in the field of Jericho a man standing opposite him with a drawn sword. He is an angel in the form of a man (gebir). Several Fathers hold this was the Archangel Michael, prince of Israel (Dan. 10). Abulensis: perhaps Gabriel. Suarez: the guardian angel of the army of the faithful.

Lapide: \"I am prince of the host of the Lord\" — Michael, who presides over the Church both triumphant in heaven and militant on earth; the same angel who preceded the Hebrews in the cloud through the desert. The drawn sword signifies God's power ready to destroy the walls of Jericho and subdue all the Canaanites.

Lapide: \"Remove thy shoe from thy foot\" — the same command given to Moses at the burning bush; possibly the same angel in both cases. God requires not only interior but also exterior worship and ceremony.