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they did not sow, and they did not wait for rain, they did not expect the sun’s warm rays, they did not await the time of harvest, they did not sharpen a sickle, nor did they reap, they did not bind sheaves and carry them, nor did they bring them to the threshing floor and labor, nor did they thresh, nor did they winnow, 48.1079 nor did they knead flour, nor did they bake and make loaves, but none of these things at all; but they ate bread not tilled by hands, an improvised table was set before them, in their freedom from passion they imitated the angels; nature forgot its own weakness. And after so many benefactions they said to Aaron: Give us gods who will go before us; for this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him; and they did great violence to Aaron. He, seeing that they were hard-hearted and uncircumcised, says to them: Take off your golden ornaments, and cast them into the fire, and if something comes up, this is a god. And the calf came up. Here bring to me the ungrateful heretic, the parasite Jew who says, that God begot, and endured an emission. O corrupt, miserable, and wretched one, do you suppose these things of God? But we do not, may it not be so, but that the Father begot the Son, alone from alone, God from God, perfect from perfect; for these are the thoughts of Christians. Since, then, you seem to meddle with things above, if you think you know your own things, tell me: How, when the golden ornaments were cast into the fire, did the calf come up? A coppersmith did not work it, there was no smelter; how did the calf come up, do you dare say? If you do not know the things below, how do you meddle with the things above? He who does not understand his own affairs, how does he meddle in those of others? And they bring forward for us the evangelical voice of the Son himself saying to his disciples: I am the vine, you are the branches, my Father is the vinedresser. Do you see, he says, that he worked the Son? For if a vinedresser does not work a vine, it cannot be useful. And they think that they are saying something great and virtuous. But attend to me, I beseech you.

I have spoken to the ungrateful Jews; let me speak also to the shameless heretics: Can you tell me, ungrateful and shameless heretic, that the vinedresser is not nourished from the vine? With your own weapon I subdue you. Just as therefore there is a vinedresser working a vine, so also the Father worked his own Son. Let us see then, who is nourished by whom, the vine by the vinedresser, or the vinedresser by the vine. According to you, the Father has his being from the Son; for there is no vinedresser not nourished from his own works. What then? Does the Son nourish the Father? No, may it not be so; for this is the utmost folly. It is better to say, just as a vinedresser rejoices in the vine, so also the Father rejoices in the Son; for he did not say, My Father who worked me; but, My Father the vinedresser; for he rejoiced in the Son. Did you not hear him saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, when he stood in the streams of the Jordan? Did he say, This is my Son, whom I created, or whom I made? But he said: In whom I am well pleased. Do you perhaps reject the voice? And again he says: I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but that of the Father who sent me. To whom was he saying this? Certainly to the Jews; since they said to him: This is the carpenter's son, and they regarded him as an adversary of God, for this reason he said, I have come down from heaven. And since they called him an adversary of God, for this reason he said to them, I have not come to do my own will, but that of the Father who sent me. Since they seemed to honor the Father, but denied him, for this reason he condescended to their weakness; since how could he who is everywhere, who fills all things, be sent? Do you see then that it was for the sake of the Jews he said, I have come down from heaven. Did he perhaps say it for his own sake? 48.1080 Do you have no defense? But they also bring forward for us another testimony of the Apostle, saying: One God the Father, from whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things. You say that there is no other God besides the Father; and I say to you, that there is no other Lord besides the

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κατεβάλοντο, καὶ ὄμβρον οὐκ ἀνέμειναν, ἡλίου θερμὰς ἀκτῖνας οὐ προσεδόκησαν, καιρὸν θερισμοῦ οὐ προσεδέξαντο, δρεπάνην οὐκ ἠκόνησαν, οὔτε ἐθέρισαν, οὐκ ἔδησαν στάχυας καὶ ἐβάστασαν, οὔτε ἤνεγκαν εἰς ἅλωνα καὶ ἐμόχθησαν, οὔτε ἠλόησαν, οὔτε ἐκάθαραν, 48.1079 οὔτε ἐφύρασαν ἄλευρα, οὔτε ὤπτησαν καὶ ἐποίησαν ἄρτους, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῶν τοιούτων οὐδέν· ἀλλὰ ἄρτον ἀχειρογεώργητον ἔτρωγαν, αὐτοσχεδία τράπεζα παρετίθετο αὐτοῖς, τῇ ἀπαθείᾳ τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἐμιμοῦντο· ἡ φύσις τῆς οἰκείας ἀσθενείας ἐπελάθετο. Καὶ μετὰ τοσαύτας εὐεργεσίας ἔλεγον τῷ Ἀαρών· ∆ὸς ἡμῖν θεοὺς, οἵτινες προπορεύσονται ἡμῶν· Μωϋσῆς γὰρ οὗτος, ὅστις ἐξήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου, οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί γεγένηται αὐτῷ· καὶ ἐποίησαν βίαν μεγάλην τῷ Ἀαρών. Ἐκεῖνος ἰδὼν ὅτι σκληροκάρδιοι ἦσαν καὶ ἀπερίτμητοι, λέγει αὐτοῖς· Περιέλετε τὰ χρυσάφια ὑμῶν, καὶ βάλετε ἐν πυρὶ, καὶ εἴ τι ἀναβῇ, τοῦτο θεός. Καὶ ἀνέβη τὸ βουκέφαλον. Ἐνταῦθά μοι τὸν αἱρετικὸν τὸν ἀγνώμονα, τὸν παράσιτον Ἰουδαῖον τὸν λέγοντα, ὅτι ἐγέννησε Θεὸς, καὶ ῥεῦσιν ὑπέμεινεν. Ἐφθαρμένε, ἄθλιε καὶ ταλαίπωρε, ταῦτα ἐπὶ Θεοῦ ὑπολαμβάνεις; Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς οὐχ οὕτω, μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐγέννησε Πατὴρ Υἱὸν, μόνος μόνον, Θεὸς Θεὸν, τέλειος τέλειον· ταῦτα γὰρ φρονήματα Χριστιανῶν. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν δοκεῖς τὰ ἄνω περιεργάζεσθαι, τὰ σαυτοῦ, εἰ δοκεῖς εἰδέναι, εἰπέ μοι· Πῶς, βληθέντων τῶν χρυσαφίων εἰς τὴν πυρὰν, ἀνέβη τὸ βουκέφαλον; Χαλκοτύπος οὐκ εἰργάσατο, χωνευτὴς οὐκ ἦν· πῶς, ἀνέβη τὸ βουκέφαλον, τολμᾷς εἰπεῖν; Εἰ τὰ κάτω οὐκ οἶδας, πῶς τὰ ἄνω περιεργάζῃ; ὁ τὰ ἴδια μὴ ἐπιστάμενος, πῶς τὰ ἀλλότρια περιεργάζῃ; Καὶ παράγουσιν ἡμῖν εὐαγγελικὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Υἱοῦ λέγοντος τοῖς μαθηταῖς· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος, ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὰ κλήματα, ὁ Πατήρ μου γεωργός ἐστιν. Ὁρᾷς, φησὶν, ὅτι εἰργάσατο τὸν Υἱόν; ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἐργάσηται γεωργὸς ἄμπελον, οὐ δύναται χρήσιμος εἶναι. Καὶ νομίζουσιν, ὅτι μέγα τι καὶ ἐνάρετον λέγουσιν. Ἀλλὰ συντείνατέ μοι ἑαυτοὺς, παρακαλῶ.

Εἶπον πρὸς τοὺς ἀγνώμονας Ἰουδαίους· ἄφες εἴπω καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀναισχύντους αἱρετικούς· ∆ύνασαί μοι εἰπεῖν, ἀγνῶμον καὶ ἀναίσχυντε αἱρετικὲ, ὅτι ὁ γεωργὸς οὐ τρέφεται ἀπὸ τῆς ἀμπέλου; Ἀπὸ τοῦ ὅπλου σου χειροῦμαί σε. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐστι γεωργὸς ἐργαζόμενος ἄμπελον, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ εἰργάσατο τὸν ἴδιον Υἱόν. Ἴδωμεν οὖν, τίς ἐκ τίνος τρέφεται, ἡ ἄμπελος ἐκ τοῦ γεωργοῦ, ἢ ὁ γεωργὸς ἐκ τῆς ἀμπέλου. Κατὰ σὲ ὁ Πατὴρ ἀπὸ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἔχει τὸ εἶναι· οὐκ ἔνι γὰρ γεωργὸς μὴ τρεφόμενος ἐκ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ. Τί οὖν; ὁ Υἱὸς τρέφει τὸν Πατέρα; Οὐχὶ, μὴ γένοιτο· ταῦτα γὰρ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας. Ἄμεινον λέγειν, ὥσπερ γεωργὸς χαίρει ἐπ' ἀμπέλῳ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ χαίρει ἐπὶ τὸν Υἱόν· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ ἐργασάμενός με· ἀλλ', Ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός· ἔχαιρε γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ Υἱῷ. Οὐκ ἤκουσας αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, ἐν ᾧ ηὐδόκησα, ὅτε ἕστηκεν εἰς τὰ Ἰορδάνια ῥεῖθρα; μὴ εἶπεν, ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου, ὃν ἔκτισα, ἢ ὃν ἐποίησα; ἀλλ' εἶπεν· Ἐν ᾧ ηὐδόκησα. Μὴ καὶ τὴν φωνὴν παραγράφεις; Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Καταβέβηκα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οὐχ ἵνα τὸ ἐμὸν θέλημα ποιήσω, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πέμψαντός με Πατρός. Τίσιν ἔλεγε; Πάντως τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις· ἐπειδὴ ἔλεγον αὐτῷ· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ τέκτονος υἱὸς, καὶ ὡς ἀντιθέῳ αὐτῷ προσεῖχον, διὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν, ὅτι Καταβέβηκα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἀντίθεον αὐτὸν ἔλεγον, διὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι Οὐκ ἦλθον τὸ ἐμὸν θέλημα ποιῆσαι, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πέμψαντός με Πατρός. Ἐπειδὴ ἐδόκουν τὸν Πατέρα τιμᾷν, αὐτὸν δὲ ἠρνοῦντο, διὰ τοῦτο συγκατέβαινε τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ αὐτῶν· ἐπεὶ πῶς ἀπεστάλη ὁ πανταχοῦ ὢν, ὁ πάντα πληρῶν; Ὁρᾷς οὖν ὅτι διὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους εἶπεν, ὅτι Καταβέβηκα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Μήτι δι' ἑαυτὸν εἶπε; 48.1080 Μὴ ἔχεις ἀπολογίαν; Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπάγουσιν ἡμῖν ἄλλην μαρτυρίαν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος· Εἷς Θεὸς ὁ Πατὴρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα. Λέγεις, ὅτι ἄλλος Θεὸς κατὰ τὸν Πατέρα οὐκ ἔστι· κἀγώ σοι λέγω, ὅτι ἄλλος Κύριος κατὰ τὸν