Homily on Judges 3 - Origen

Homily on Judges (Ch. 6) by Origen (3)

I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”  And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.  Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground (Judges 6: 37-40)

First test:

Fleece symbolizes the “people of Israel”

Dew symbolizes the “word of God descended from heaven” which is the ”First Advent of Christ”

Dryness symbolizes the Gentiles

Second test:
Fleece symbolizes the Gentiles
Dew symbolizes the “word of God from descended heaven” meaning the ”First Advent of Christ”
Dryness symbolizes the “people of Israel”

Gentiles possess within themselves the divine dew, are poured over with the dew of Moses, and are moistened with the writings of the prophets. They also grow verdant with the evangelical and apostolic moisture.

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Ann, Dively Lauro Elizabeth. Homilies on Judges by Origen (The Fathers of the Church ; v. 119). Catholic University of America Press, 2010

Homily on Judges - Origen