The Gibeonites and Salvation

'In domo Patris mei mansiones multae sunt'  Dicit Verbum Dei. Sed et resurrectio mortuorum non habebit aequalem resurgentium gloriam, sed alia caro volucrum, alia pecorum, alia vero piscium: et corpora coelestia, et corpora terrestia, sed alia quidem coelestium gloria, alia vero terrestrium. Alia gloria solis, alia gloria lunae, alia gloria stellarum. Stella ab stella differt in gloria, ita et resurrectio mortuorum. Multae ergo eorum qui ad salutem veniunt differentiae designantur. Unde et nunc Gabaonitas istos, quorum historia recitata est, arbitror part unculam quamdam esse eorum, qui salvandi sunt, ita tamen ut non absque alicujus notae inustione slaventur. Vides namque quomodo ligni caesores, vel aquae gestatores fiant et condemnentur ad obsequium populi, et aharis Dei ministerium, quoniam quidem cum dolo et caliditate accesserunt ad filios Israel, pannis calceamentisque veteribus induti, et cibum vetusti panis ferentes. Isti ergo veniunt ad jesum cum omnibus vetustatibus suis, et orant ab eo hoc tantum ut salventur. In quorum figura tale mihi aliquid videtur ostendi. Sunt quidam in Ecclesia credentes quidem et habentes fidem in Deum, et acquiescentes omnibus divinis praeceptis: quique etiam erga servos Dei religisoi sunt, et servire cupiunt, sed et ad ornatum Ecclesiae, vel ministerium satis prompti paratique sunt, in actibus vero suis et conversatione propria, obscenditatibus et vitiis involuti, nec omnino depontes veterem hominem cum actibus suis, sed involuti vetustis vitiis et obscenditatibus suis, sicut et isti pannis et calceamentis veteribus obtecti, praeter hoc quod in Deum credunt, et erga servos Dei vel Ecclesiae cultum videntur esse devoti, nihil adhibent emendationis vel innovationis in moribus. Istis ergo Jesus Dominus noster salutem quidem concedit, sed quodammodo salus ipsa eorum notam non evadit infamiae. Origenes, Homilia X In Librum Jesu Nave, Interprete Rufino Aquileiense Source: Migne PG 12.879c-880b

'In the house of my father there are many mansions' 1 Says the Word of God. But even the resurrection of the dead will not exhibit an equal glory of those who rise, but there is one flesh of birds, another of cattle, another again of fish; there are celestial bodies and there are terrestrial bodies, but the glory of the celestial is one thing and that of terrestrial things another; there is a glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another glory of the stars; star and star differs in glory, and so it is with the resurrection of the dead. 2 Thus are the many differences of those who come to salvation depicted, whence even now I think that the Gibeonites, whose history has been told, are a certain small part of those who will be saved, but in such a way that they are not saved without the branding of some sort of mark. For you see how they are condemned to be 'hewers of wood' or 'bearers of water' for the service of the people and for the ministry of the altar of God, because they indeed approached the sons of Israel with deceit and cunning, 'clothed in old garments and shoes' and 'carrying for food old bread'. So these folk come to Joshua with all their old things and beg him that they might be saved. 3 Something such as this seems to me to be shown in their figure. There are in the church certain folk who believe in God, have faith in God, and accede to all the Divine commands. Furthermore they are conscientious toward the servants of God and desire to serve them, and are fully ready and prepared for the furnishing of the Church or for ministry. But in their actions and their conduct, they are wrapped up in vices, not wholly 'putting away the old man with his acts,' 4 but they are enveloped in ancient vices and offensive faults, just as those folk were covered with old garments and shoes. Apart from the fact they they believe in God and seem to be conscientious towards the servants of God, or the worship of the Church, they make no effort to correct or be renewed in their habits. For these, then, our Lord Jesus allows a certain salvation, but their salvation, in a certain measure, does not escape a note of infamy. Origen, from Homily 10 on the Book of Joshua, Translated by Rufinus of Aquileia 1 Jn 14.2 2 1 Cor 15.39-41 3 Joshua 9 4 Ephes 4.22