John of Damascus, Homily on the Withered Fig Tree

and of contemplation; they saw the nakedness of their own body; they desired the pleasant things of life; they were introduced to the simple and possessionless life; they sewed fig leaves for themselves, and made themselves loincloths; they sought out many reasonings, and found the harsh and anxious, and painful life. For in the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread. Cursed is the ground in your works, thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and to the ground you shall depart. You have had an earthly mind, to the earth shall be your return. You were compared to senseless beasts; for you did not understand being in honor. You were in God, and you did not know fruit-bearing virtue; but you preferred the enjoyment of earthly things; having loved the life of irrational beings. You are earth, and to earth you shall depart. You will inherit death after the manner of irrational beings. From this he is also clothed in tunics of skin. For being in body between life and mortality, having been previously in a paradise of delight, and moving about in a royal chamber, he later acquired a mortal and thick body, able to endure toils. Truly rough are the fig leaves of our nature, the uneven wickedness of our nature. To this fig tree, that is, the nature of humanity, the Savior came hungering, and seeking from it the sweetest fruit, that is, the virtue most sweet to God, through which salvation is added. But he found no fruit, but only leaves, the harshest and most wicked sin, and the evils growing from it. Therefore indeed he declares to it, that No longer shall fruit come from you. For salvation is not from men; virtue is not from human power. I will work salvation, bestowing the resurrection through my passion, and I grant the deliverance from the harshest life. Which indeed he also has done. 4. Then having made the parable through deed, he entered into the temple, to visit his paternal house, and he finds the evil husbandmen, the chief priests, who indeed sat on the seat of Moses, but showed themselves to be wolves, who outwardly are clothed in sheep's raiment, who are likened to a fruitless fig tree, who do not have the sweetest fruit, but the roughness of leaves. For see the roughness of their words. By what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this 96.584 authority; Do you see the fruitlessness of soul and of unbelief? Instead of which they ought to have said: Well done, good teacher, for you raised Lazarus, dead for four days; for you taught the lame to walk swiftly; for you bestowed the power of sight on the blind; for you healed the broken, and drove out every disease, and every infirmity; for you cast out demons; for you teach the way of salvation; By what authority, they say, do you do these things? O ungrateful ones! And if he should say to you: Do you believe? if indeed, not believing John, you went out to him like the stream of a river, and confessing your sins you were seemingly baptized, and you did not believe, if I too should say to you, would you believe? O wicked and faithless generation! You are the wicked husbandmen, who devour the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth. Which of the prophets did you not kill? The Father sent to you my servants the prophets, demanding the fruit of the vineyard. A vineyard I transplanted from Egypt through Moses, which I planted in a fertile land, casting out nations, and I gave it as an inheritance by the line of inheritance; whose roots I planted by law and the word of prophets, and it filled the land; whose branches reached to the sea, and its offshoots filled the rivers of the nations. But you broke down its hedge, the help from the law, and the demons who travel the path of life gather its fruit unguarded; A boar from the wood, the robber has ravaged it, and a solitary wild beast has fed upon it. Of this one, beautifully planted, fruitful and true, the fruit by my servants the prophets

καὶ θεωρίας· εἶδον ἑαυτῶν τὴν τοῦ σώματος γύμνωσιν· ἐπεπόθησαν τὰ τοῦ βίου τερπνά· ἐπεισήχθησαν τῷ λιτῷ καὶ ἀκτήμονι βίῳ· ἔῤῥαψαν ἑαυτοῖς φύλλα συκῆς, καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς περιζώματα· ἐζήτησαν λογισμοὺς πολλοὺς, καὶ εὗρον τὸν τραχὺν καὶ ἐμμέριμνον, καὶ κατόδυνον βίον. Ἐν ἱδρῶτι γὰρ τοῦ προσώπου σου φαγῇ τὸν ἄρτον σου. Ἐπικατάρατος ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου, ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀνατελεῖ σοι, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ. Φρόνημα γήϊνον ἔσχες, εἰς γῆν ἔσται ἡ ἀποστροφή σου. Παρασυνεβλήθης τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις· οὐ γὰρ συνῆκας ἐν τιμῇ ὤν. Ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ἦς, καὶ ἀρετὴν καρποφόρον οὐκ ἔγνως· ἀλλὰ προέκρινας τὴν τῶν γηΐνων ἀπόλαυσιν· τὸν ἀλόγων ἀγαπήσας βίον. Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ. Τῶν ἀλόγων δίκην κληρονομήσεις τὸν θάνατον. Ἐντεῦθεν καὶ δερματίνους χιτῶνας περιβάλλεται. Μέσον γὰρ ζωῆς καὶ θνητότητος ὢν τῷ σώματι, πρότερον ὢν ἐν παραδείσῳ τρυφῆς, καὶ βασιλικῷ θαλάμῳ ἀναστρεφόμενος, θνητὸν ὕστερον καὶ παχὺ τὸ σῶμα ἐκτήσατο, δυνάμενον ἀνισχεῖν πρὸς τοὺς πόνους. Ὄντως τραχεῖα τὰ φύλλα τῆς συκῆς τῆς ἡμῶν φύσεως, ἡ ἀνώμαλος κακία τῆς ἡμῶν φύσεως. Πρὸς ταύτην τὴν συκῆν, τουτέστι τὴν φύσιν τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος ἦλθεν ὁ Σωτὴρ πεινῶν, καὶ ζητῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς καρπὸν τὸν γλυκύτατον, τουτέστι τὴν γλυκυτάτην Θεῷ ἀρετὴν, δι' ἧς ἡ σωτηρία προσγίνεται. Ἀλλ' οὐχ εὗρε καρπὸν, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνον φύλλα, τὴν τραχυτάτην καὶ μοχθηροτάτην ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ τὰ ἐκ ταύτης φυόμενα κακά. ∆ιὸ δὴ πρὸς ταύτην ἀντιφθέγγεται, ὅτι Οὐκέτι ἐκ σοῦ καρπὸς ἐλεύσεται. Οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἡ σωτηρία· οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνης δυνάμεως ἡ ἀρετή. Ἐγὼ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐργάσομαι, διὰ τοῦ ἐμοῦ πάθους τὴν ἀνάστασιν χαριζόμενος, καὶ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τοῦ τραχυτάτου βίου χαρίζομαι. Ὃ δὴ καὶ πεποίηκεν. δʹ. Εἶτα τὴν δι' ἔργου παραβολὴν ποιησάμενος, εἰσῄει εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, τὸν πατρικὸν οἶκον ἐπισκεψόμενος, καὶ εὑρίσκει τοὺς κακοὺς γεωργοὺς τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς, τοὺς καθίσαντας μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς καθέδρας Μωϋσέως, ἐνδειξαμένους τοὺς λύκους, τοὺς προβάτων ἔξωθεν περικειμένους ἔνδυμα, τοὺς συκῇ ἀκάρπῳ ἀπεικασμένους, τοὺς οὐκ ἔχοντας καρπὸν γλυκύτατον, ἀλλὰ φύλλων τραχύτητα. Ὅρα γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν τῶν λόγων τραχύτητα. Ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖς; καὶ τίς σοι ἔδωκε τὴν ἐξουσίαν 96.584 ταύτην· Ὁρᾷς ἀκαρπίαν ψυχῆς καὶ ἀπιστίας; Ἀνθ' ὧν ἔδει λέγειν· Εὖ, διδάσκαλε ἀγαθὲ, ὅτι Λάζαρον νεκρὸν τετραήμερον ἤγειρας· ὅτι χωλοὺς ὀξὺ βαδίζειν ἐδίδαξας· ὅτι τυφλοῖς τὴν τῆς ὁράσεως ἐδωρήσω δύναμιν· ὅτι ἰάσω τοὺς συντετριμμένους, καὶ πᾶσαν νόσον, καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν ἀπήλασας· ὅτι δαίμονας ἐφυγάδευσας· ὅτι διδάσκεις τὴν τῆς σωτηρίας ὁδόν· Ἐν ποίᾳ, φασὶν, ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖς; Ὦ ἀγνώμονες! Καὶ ἐὰν ὑμῖν εἴπῃ· Πιστεύετε; εἰ μὴ δὲ Ἰωάννην πιστεύσαντες, πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ὥσπερ ῥεῦμα ποτάμιον ἐξεπορεύεσθε, καὶ ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν τὸ δοκεῖν ἐβαπτίζεσθε, καὶ οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατε, κἀγὼ ἐὰν εἴπω ὑμῖν, πιστεύετε; Ὦ γενεὰ πονηρὰ καὶ ἄπιστος! Ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ πονηροὶ γεωργοὶ, οἱ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ κατεσθίοντες. Τίνα τῶν προφητῶν οὐκ ἀπεκτείνατε; Ἀπέστειλεν ὑμῖν ὁ Πατὴρ τοὺς δούλους μου τοὺς προφήτας, ἀπαιτοῦντας τὸν καρπὸν τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος. Ἀμπελῶνα ἐξ Αἰγύπτου διὰ Μωϋσέως μετῆρα, ἣν κατεφύτευσα ἐν γῇ πίονι, ἐκβαλὼν ἔθνη, καὶ ἐν σχοινίῳ κληροδοσίας ἐκληροδότησα· ἧς τὰς ῥίζας κατεφύτευσα νόμῳ καὶ λόγῳ προφητῶν, καὶ ἐπλήρωσε τὴν γῆν· ἧς τὰ κλήματα ἕως θαλάσσης ἔφθασε, καὶ ποταμοὺς ἐθνῶν αἱ παραφυάδες ἐπλήρωσαν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ καθείλατε τὸν φραγμὸν αὐτῆς τὴν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου βοήθειαν, καὶ τρυγῶσιν αὐτὴν ἀφύλακτον οἱ τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ βίου πορευόμενοι δαίμονες· Ὗς ἐκ δρυμοῦ, ὁ λῃστὴς αὐτὴν ἐλυμήνατο, καὶ ἄγριος μονιὸς ταύτην κατενεμήσατο. Ταύτης τῆς καλῆς φυτευθείσης, τῆς καρποφόρου καὶ ἀληθινῆς τὸν καρπὸν ὑπὸ τῶν δούλων μου τῶν προφητῶν