Commentaria in Judices
16. AND HE DIVIDED THE THREE HUNDRED MEN INTO THREE PARTS (as into three battle-lines, that he might surround the Madianites with three companies), AND GAVE THEM TRUMPETS IN THEIR HANDS, AND EMPTY PITCHERS, AND LAMPS WITHIN THE PITCHERS.—The word lampades, in Hebrew lappidim, signifies in general a shining flame, in whatever thing or material it is. The Chaldee renders, beguvaca, that is, kindled or fired. Whence it is not likely that these lamps were our common ones, which burn and are fed with oil; for those, enclosed in pitchers, would have been put out when the pitchers were clashed, but, as Arias says, they were wooden torches of pine, cypress, cedar or a like oily and fat tree, which could receive fire, foster it, and keep it longer, to be excited and increased rather than put out by the wind resisting; especially if besides they were smeared and anointed with pitch, wax, oil, bitumen, etc. And so all things here prepared for terror struck the Madianites, because the unexpected and nocturnal multitude of three hundred trumpets sounding to battle; the crash of the pitchers, each of which dashed his own against his comrade’s pitcher, and thence the sudden flashes round about of the lamps, that is, the flames of the torches or firebrands, pursuing the enemy. By a like stratagem Hannibal, besieged by Q. Fabius Maximus near Casilinum, eluded him and escaped: for to the horns of two thousand oxen he tied lighted torches, and so goading them drove them into the mountains beset by the Romans, “and the very fear,” says Livy, Decade 3, book II, “of the flame shining from the head, and the heat now reaching to the quick and the roots of the horns, drove the oxen on as if goaded by fury, by which sudden scattering, no otherwise than if woods and mountains had been set on fire, all the shrubs around were burning, and the restlessness of their heads, stirring up the flame, gave the appearance of men running about in all directions. Those who had been posted to occupy the passes of the defile, when they saw on the mountain tops and above them some fires, thinking themselves surrounded, left the post: where a huge flame flashed out as if seeking the safest road over the top ridges of the mountains, then they fell in with some oxen straying from their herds: and at first, when they saw them from afar, they stood astonished at the marvel, as of beasts breathing flames, then when the human trick appeared, thinking it really an ambush, with great and loud uproar they betook themselves to flight, and ran into the light-armed troops of the enemy.”
Like to this are the things which Julius Frontinus recounts, book II On Stratagems, chap. 4: “The Spaniards,” he says, “against Hamilcar placed in the front line oxen yoked to wagons, and the wagons, full of pitch and tallow and sulphur, they set on fire at the signal of battle, and then, the oxen being driven against the enemy, they broke the consternated line.
“The Phalisci and Tarquinienses, with several of their men dressed in the garb of priests and carrying torches and snakes in furious fashion, threw the Roman line into confusion. The Veientes and Fidenates did the same with torches snatched up.
“Atheas, king of the Scythians, when about to fight against the larger army of the Triballi, ordered the herds of asses and oxen to be brought up to the rear of the enemy’s line by women and boys and all the unwarlike crowd, and to carry upright spears: then he spread a rumour, as though aid were coming to him from the farther Scythians, by which assertion he turned the enemy.”
The same, book III, chap. 8: “Cyrus,” he says, “king of the Persians, Croesus being shut up in Sardis, where the steep mountain afforded no approach, raised to the walls masts, levelling the height of the ridge, on which he had set up armed figures of men in Persian dress, and by night moved them up to the mountain. Then at first light he assailed the walls from the other side; when, the sun rising, those figures of armed men shone back in their garb; the townsmen, believing the city taken from behind, and for this fled in disorder, yielded victory to the enemy.”
The same, book II, chap. 5: “Alexander the Macedonian,” he says, “when the enemy had fortified a camp on a higher defile, drawing off part of the forces, bade those he left behind to kindle fires as usual, and give the appearance of the whole army: he himself, leading his force round by pathless regions, attacked the enemy from higher ground and drove him off.”
Allegorically, Procopius and St. Augustine, serm. 108 On the Time: The soldiers of Gedeon, he says, are the disciples of Christ, who bore before them the torches of miracles and the trumpet of preaching, by which they laid low Madian, that is, paganism and the worship of idols.
Tropologically Rupert: The pitchers, he says, are the fragile and as it were earthen bodies of the martyrs, which, being broken by death, miracles began to shine forth, by which persecutors were put to flight and unbelievers converted to Christ. So nearly St. Ambrose, book I On the Holy Spirit, chap. 16, and fully St. Gregory, book XXX of the Morals, chap. 31, whom hear: “There is designated in the trumpets the cry of the preachers, in the lamps the brightness of miracles, in the pitchers the frailty of bodies. For such did our Leader lead with Him to the battle of preaching, who, despising the safety of bodies, by dying laid low the enemies, and overcame their swords not by arms, not by swords, but by patience. For armed our martyrs came under their Leader to the battle; but with trumpets, with pitchers, with lamps. They sounded with trumpets while they preached; they broke the pitchers while they put their bodies, to be dissolved in their passion, under the swords of enemies; they shone with lamps while after the dissolution of their bodies they glittered with miracles. And soon the enemies were turned to flight; because while they behold the bodies of the dead martyrs glittering with miracles, broken by the light of truth, they believed what they had assailed.”
The same he explains more clearly when he adds: “They sounded therefore with trumpets that the pitchers might be broken; the pitchers were broken that the lamps might appear; the lamps appeared that the enemies might be turned to flight, that is, the martyrs preached until their bodies were dissolved in death; their bodies were dissolved in death that they might glitter with miracles; they glittered with miracles that they might lay low their enemies by the divine light; so that they might in no way resist God lifted up, but subjected might fear Him.” The same verbatim has Bede, and transcribed it from St. Gregory.
Again Origen here, hom. 9, near the end: “See,” he says, “that the elect soldiers of God fight with lamps. For so Christ had armed them, saying: Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands. And again: So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. With such lamps lit, then, it becomes the soldiers of Christ to fight, shining in the light of works and the splendour of deeds. But what are the horn trumpets in which they sound? He who speaks of heavenly things, who discourses of spiritual things, who reveals the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, he sounds the trumpet, he speaks of the trumpet, who speaks of great and greatest things, who opens the knowledge of Christ to human ears. But why is the trumpet also called horn? Because it is said also of the Saint: His horn shall be exalted in glory. Whence also the trumpet of each is called horn, in that he discourses of the manifold knowledge of Christ and the sacraments of His cross, which is designated in the horn. With this trumpet, then, serving and fighting, we conquer the foreigners, and put enemies to flight, even if their multitude be as locusts. For the multitude of demons is compared to locusts, which have no seat either in heaven or on earth. Let then the light of works, the power of knowledge, the preaching of the divine word go before us also in this war.”
17. WHAT YOU SHALL SEE ME DO, DO YOU THE SAME,—evidently these six things, says Serarius: “first, when I sound the trumpet, do you also sound; second, when I cry, To the Lord and to Gedeon, do you also cry; third, when I break my pitcher, do you also break yours; fourth, when I hold the lamp in my left hand, do you also hold; fifth, when I hold the trumpet in my right hand and blow it, hold likewise and blow you also; sixth, when I stand in my place, stand each of you in yours.”
Tropologically, let the Prelate learn here to go before his subjects by example, and by it to teach them more than by word. For examples are stronger than words, and persuade more. For the soldier is ashamed to cease, where he sees the commander labour and strive. So did Christ, of whom Luke, Acts chap. 1, verse 1: “Jesus began to do” first “and” second “to teach”: “Learn of me,” he says himself, “because I am meek and humble of heart,” Matt. chap. 11, verse 29. Whence St. Ephrem, epistle to John the Monk: “Rightly,” he says, “dost thou act, offering thyself an example of good works, and chiefly to the brethren who dwell with thee, according to him who says: From me you shall see, and so you shall do.”