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He begins with rather somber, but necessary, words such as "I will kill," then after killing "and I will make alive; I will strike, and I will heal" -- "For whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and scourges every son whom he receives" -- first he strikes and after this he heals, "for he causes pain and again restores"; and so here also: "I have set you this day over nations and kingdoms, to root out and to pull down and to destroy and to build and to plant." But first those evil things must be taken away from us; God cannot build in the place of the evil building; "For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? What fellowship has light with darkness?" Wickedness must be uprooted from its foundations, the building of wickedness must be consumed from our soul, so that after these things the words may build <and plant>; for I cannot understand the scriptures otherwise; "Behold, I have given my words into your mouth," what do the words do? "to root out and to pull down and to destroy"; words root out "nations," words pull down "kingdoms," <but not> these bodily and worldly <kingdoms>; understand the things being uprooted by words, the things being pulled down by words, in a manner worthy of words that pull down, in a manner worthy of words that uproot. Is there not then a power in what is said — if God gives it according to "the Lord will give a word to those who preach the gospel with great power" — a power that uproots, if there is any unbelief, any hypocrisy, any wickedness, any intemperance? Is there not a power that pulls down, if somewhere an idol has been built in the heart? so that when that is pulled down, a temple of God may be built, and the glory of God may be found in the temple that has been built, and it may become not a "grove," but a "plantation"—a paradise of God—where the temple of God is, in Christ Jesus; to whom is the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. 2.t On "How have you turned into bitterness, the strange vine?" up to "though you wash yourself with nitre and use much soap, you are stained by your iniquities before me, says the Lord." Homily 2. 2.1 "God did not make death, nor does he delight in the destruction of the living; for he created all things to be, and the generations of the world are wholesome, and there is in them no poison of destruction, nor is the kingdom of Hades on earth," then, passing over a little, I will speak the saying: whence then did death enter? "But by the envy of the devil death entered the world." If then there is anything excellent concerning us, God has made it, but we ourselves have created for ourselves wickedness and sins; for this reason also here the beginning of the reading in the prophet, as if perplexed, spoke to those who have bitterness in their soul, contrary to the sweetness which God fashioned for it: "How have you turned into bitterness, the strange vine?" as if he said: God did not make lameness, but he made all sure-footed, but a cause has arisen for the lame to have been lamed, and God has made all the limbs to be primarily healthy, but some cause has arisen for someone to suffer; in the same way the soul of not only the first man was made "in the image," but of every man, -for "let us make man in our image and likeness" extends to all men,- and just as in Adam that which many understand as the "in the image" is older than what was added to it, when through sin he put on "the image of the earthly," so in all men the "in the image of God" is older than the worse image. "We have borne," being sinners, "the image of the earthly, let us bear," repenting, "the image of the heavenly," but creation was made in the image of the heavenly. The Word therefore here, being perplexed, says rebukingly to the sinners: "How have you turned into bitterness, the strange vine? For I planted you a fruitful vine, all true." It has been said in the preceding, and repeating a few things I will persuade you, that God indeed planted a good vine, the soul of man, but each one, having turned, has become contrary to the will of the creator; "But I planted you a fruitful vine, all,"

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ἀπὸ σκυθρωποτέρων μὲν φωνῶν, ἀναγκαίων δὲ ἄρχεται οἷον «ἀποκτενῶ», εἶτα ἀποκτείνας «καὶ ζῆν ποιήσω· πατάξω, κἀγὼ ἰάσομαι»-»Ὃν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ κύριος παιδεύει, μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱὸν ὃν παραδέχεται»- πρῶτον πατάσσει καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἰᾶται, «αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀλγεῖν ποιεῖ καὶ πάλιν ἀποκαθίστησιν»· οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἐνθάδε· «Καθέστακά σε σήμερον ἐπὶ ἔθνη καὶ βασιλείας, ἐκριζοῦν καὶ κατασκάπτειν καὶ ἀπολλύειν καὶ ἀνοικοδομεῖν καὶ καταφυτεύειν.» Πλὴν πρῶτόν ἐστιν ἐκεῖνα τὰ φαῦλα ἀφαι ρεθῆναι ἀφ' ἡμῶν· οὐ δύναται εἰς τὸν τόπον τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τῆς φαύλης οἰκοδομεῖν ὁ θεός· «Τίς γὰρ μετοχὴ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἀνομίᾳ; τίς κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος;» ∆εῖ τὴν κακίαν ἐκ βάθρων ἐκριζωθῆναι, δεῖ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τῆς κακίας καταναλωθῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν, ἵνα μετὰ ταῦτα οἱ λόγοι οἰκοδομῶσι <καὶ φυτεύωσιν>· οὐ δύναμαι γὰρ ἄλλως νοῆσαι τὰ γεγραμμένα· «Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα τοὺς λόγους μου εἰς τὸ στόμα σου», τὶ ποιοῦσιν οἱ λόγοι; «ἐκριζοῦν καὶ κατασκάπτειν καὶ ἀπολλύειν»· λόγοι ἐκριζοῦσιν «ἔθνη», λόγοι κατασκάπτουσι «βασιλείας», <ἀλλ' οὐ τὰς βασιλείας> ταύτας τὰς σωματικὰς καὶ κοσμι κάς· ἀξίως λόγων κατασκαπτόντων, ἀξίως λόγων ἐκρι ζούντων νόει τὰ ἐκριζούμενα ὑπὸ λόγων, τὰ κατασκαπτό μενα ὑπὸ λόγων. Ἆρα ἄρτι ἐν τοῖς λεγομένοις οὐκ ἔστι δύναμις, -ἐὰν ὁ θεὸς διδῷ κατὰ τὸ «κύριος δώσει ῥῆμα τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις δυνάμει πολλῇ», -δύναμις ἐκρι ζοῦσα, εἴ τις ἀπιστία, εἴ τις ὑπόκρισις, εἴ τις πονηρία, εἴ τις ἀκολασία; οὐκ ἔστι κατασκάπτουσα, εἴ που εἰδωλεῖον ᾠκοδόμηται εἰς τὴν καρδίαν; ἵνα ἐκείνου κατασκαφέντος οἰκοδομηθῇ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ εὑρεθῇ ἐν τῷ ἀνοικοδομηθέντι ναῷ, καὶ γένηται οὐκ «ἄλσος», ἀλλὰ «φυτεία»-παράδεισος τοῦ θεοῦ, -ὅπου ὁ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· ᾧ ἐστιν ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 2.t Εἰς τὸ «πῶς ἐστράφης εἰς πικρίαν, ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀλλοτρία;» μέχρι τοῦ «ἐὰν ἀποπλύνῃ ἐν νίτρῳ καὶ πληθύνῃς σεαυτῇ πόαν, κεκηλίδωσαι ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις σου ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ, λέγει κύριος». Ὁμιλία βʹ. 2.1 «Ὁ θεὸς θάνατον οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ τέρπεται ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ ζώντων· ἔκτισε γὰρ εἰς τὸ εἶναι τὰ πάντα, καὶ σωτήριοι αἱ γενέσεις τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐταῖς φάρμακον ὀλέθρου, οὐδὲ ᾅδου βασίλειον ἐπὶ γῆς», εἶτα ὀλίγον ὑπερβὰς τὸ ῥητὸν ἐρῶ· πόθεν οὖν θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν; «Φθόνῳ δὲ διαβόλου θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον.» Εἴ τι οὖν ἄριστον περὶ ἡμᾶς, ὁ θεὸς πεποίηκεν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἑαυτοῖς ἐκτίσαμεν τὴν κακίαν καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐνθάδε ἡ ἀρχὴ τοῦ ἀναγνώσματος ἡ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ οἷον ἐπαπορητικῶς ἔλεγεν πρὸς τοὺς πικρότητα ἐσχηκότας ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ἐναντίαν τῇ γλυκύτητι, ἣν ὁ θεὸς κατεσκεύασεν αὐτῇ· «Πῶς ἐστράφης εἰς πικρίαν, ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀλλοτρία;» ὡσεὶ ἔλεγε· χωλότητα οὐκ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεός, ἀλλ' ἀρτίποδας πεποίηκε πάντας, αἰτία δὲ γεγένηται τοῦ χωλανθῆναι τοὺς κεχωλωμένους, καὶ πεποίηκεν ὁ θεὸς τὰ μέλη πάντα προηγουμένως ὑγιαίνοντα, γέγονε δέ τις αἰτία τοῦ παθεῖν τινα· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἡ ψυχὴ οὐ τοῦ πρώτου μόνου γέγονε «κατ' εἰκόνα», ἀλλὰ παντὸς ἀνθρώπου, -τὸ γὰρ «ποιή σωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν ἡμετέραν» φθάνει ἐπὶ πάντας ἀνθρώπους, -καὶ ἔστι πρεσβύτερον ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἐκεῖνο ὃ οἱ πολλοὶ νοοῦσι τὸ «κατ' εἰκόνα» τοῦ προσειλημμένου αὐτῷ, ὅτε ἐφόρεσε διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν «τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ», οὕτως ἐν πᾶσι πρεσ βύτερον τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ τῆς εἰκόνος τῆς χείρονος. «Ἐφορέσαμεν» ἁμαρτωλοὶ ὄντες «τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ, φορέσωμεν» μετανοοῦντες «τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου», πλὴν ἡ κτίσις γέγονεν ἐν εἰκόνι τοῦ ἐπουρανίου. Ἀπορεῖ οὖν ἐνθάδε πρὸς τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐλεγκτικῶς λέγων ὁ λόγος· «Πῶς ἐστράφης εἰς πικρίαν, ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀλλοτρία; ἐγὼ» γὰρ «ἐφύτευσά σε ἄμπελον καρποφό ρον πᾶσαν ἀληθινήν». Ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων λέλεκται, καὶ ἐπαναλαβὼν ὀλίγα πείσω ὑμᾶς, ὅτι θεὸς μὲν καλὴν ἄμπελον ἐφύτευσε τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ψυχήν, ἕκαστος δὲ στραφεὶς γέγονεν ἐναντίος τῷ βουλήματι τοῦ κτίσαντος· «Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐφύτευσά σε ἄμπελον καρποφόρον πᾶσαν»,