Gideon And Christmas

Cum his Gedeon ad praelium pergit, eosque non armis, sed tubis, lampadibus, et lagenis armavit. Nam, sicut illic scriptum est, accensas lampades miserunt intra lagunculas, et tubas in dextera, lagenas autem in sinistra tenuerunt, et ad hostes suos cominus venientes cecinerunt tubis, confregerunt lagunculas, lampades apparuerunt, et hinc tubarum sonitu, illinc lampadarum coruseatione territi hostes in fugam versi sunt. Quid hoc est, quod tale bellum per prophetam ad medium adducitur? An indicare nobis propheta studuit quod adventum Redemptoris nostri contra diabolum illa sub Gedone duce pugnae victoria designavit? Talia illic nimirum acta sunt, quae quanto magis usum pugnandi transeunt, tanto amplius a prophetandi mysterio non recedunt. Quis enim unquam cum lagenis et lampadibus ad praelium venit? Quis contra arma veniens, arma deseruit? Ridicula nobis haec profecto fuerant, si terribilia hostibus non fuissent. Sed victoria ista attestante, didicimus ne parva haec quae acta sunt perpendamus. Gedeon itaque ad praelium veniens? Redemptoris nostri signat adventum, de quo scriptum est: Tollite portas, principes, vestras, et elevamini portae aeternales, et introibit rex gloriae. Quis est iste rex gloriae? Dominus fortis et potens, Dominus potens in praelio. Hunc Redemptorem nostrum non solum opere sed etiam nomine prophetavit. Gedeon namque interpretatur circuiens in utero. Dominus enim noster per majestatis potentiam omnia circumplectitur, et tamen per dispensationis gratiam intra uterum Virginis venit. Quid est ergo circuiens in utero, nisi quia omnipotens Deus Christus intra uterum fuit per infirmitatis substantiam, et extra mundum per potentiam majestatis? Madian vero interpretatur de judicio Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis, Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In librum Judicum, Cap V Migne PL 83.383-384

With this company Gideon went to war, men who had no arms but were equipped with trumpets and torches and jars. For, as it is written, burning torches they placed within their jars and trumpets they held in their right hands and jars in their left, and coming near to their enemies they blew their trumpets and broke their jars and their torches appeared, and with this roar of sound and the blazing of the torches the terrified enemy were turned to flight. 1 And then what is this, that such tale of battle is brought to us by the Prophet? 2 Does the Prophet not wish to indicate to us that this victory in battle under the leadership of Gideon is as the advent of the Lord against the devil? Certainly such are the deeds, and the more they pass the common custom of combat, so the more they acquire the mystery of prophecy. For who goes to battle with jars and torches? Who comes against arms lacking arms? Undoubtedly to us these things would be ridiculous if they had not terrified the enemy. But victory being recorded, we learn not to judge these deeds to be slight. Gideon goes to war in such a manner? It signifies the advent of the Lord, concerning which it is written, 'Open your gates, princes, lift up the eternal doors, and the king of glory shall enter. Who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and powerful, the Lord powerful in battle.' 3 And our Redeemer is not only prophesied by the deed but by the name, for Gideon interpreted means 'surrounded in the womb.' For our Lord is surrounded by all power of majesty, however by the dispensation of grace he came into the Virgin's womb. Why is He thus surrounded in the womb unless because in the womb the Divine Christ was in the infirmity of our substance as beyond the world in the power of majesty? And Madian, the place of battle, interpreted is 'concerning judgement'. Saint Isidore of Seville, from Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On the Book of Judges, Chap 5 1 Judg 7.17-21 2 cf Is 9 1-7 3 Ps 23.7-8