Wolves
See opposite: Sheep, Lambs.
The metaphor of the wolf, to designate predatory and wicked men, is the negative counterpart to that of the sheep, used for the good. The Lord Jesus teaches that these Wolves disguise themselves as sheep to better catch their prey.
In "The Gospel as Revealed to Me"
- The world will assail you ever more, the number of Wolves growing Against Me, the Shepherd, and Against my flock. I want to put in your hands the weapons needed to defend the Doctrine and my flock. What suffices for the flock does not suffice for you, little shepherds… Consider that where there is an idolatrous shepherd, the sheep perish poisoned or attacked by the Wolves.[2]
- Beware of false prophets and those who teach error. They come to you like lambs but are ravenous Wolves. They come to you under the guise of holiness and mock God. They say they love the truth and feed on lies. Study them before following them.[3]
- Keep the wolf far from the Heart. Wolves are wicked men who incite you by seducing you to evil Actions by the order of Satan, and it is Satan himself who incites you to sin to tear you apart. Be vigilant. You, shepherds, you know the habits of the wolf. He is cunning as much as the sheep are simple and innocent. He approaches softly after having observed the flock’s habits from above, he stealthily comes among the bushes and, to avoid attracting attention, he remains motionless like a stone… Thus does Satan…[4]
- I send you out as sheep among Wolves.[5]
- You are in part Wolves, in part wild goats. But none of you, despite the lamb’s skin you wear to pass yourselves off as lambs, is a true lamb. Under the soft white fleece, you all have the fierce colors, the pointed horns, the fangs and claws of the goat or the wild beast, and you want to remain so, for you like to be so, and you dream of ferocity and Revolt.[6]
In other sources
Wolves do exist in Israel. According to a Natura 2000 site (link unavailable): they are the subspecies Canis lupus arabs, which occupies the entire Arabian Peninsula. Smaller than European wolves, they have a morphology adapted to very hot regions and hunt at night.
They currently occupy mainly the south of the Golan (Gaulanitide), a region crossed by many watercourses feeding the Jordan. Many wild animals live there: jackal, wolf, hyena, fox, mongoose. The Golan is even the region in the world with the highest density of Wolves per km² (about a hundred). They have also been observed in northern Israel, notably in Galilee.