10

of the voice of God saying to them, “behold, I am with you all the days,” and they see clearly the divinity of the one speaking having been shown to be greater than death. For this reason, fear of disobedience also entered them, from which they proceeded to meet dangers, having received the pledges of the life after death from the teacher, and they went forth boldly on the circuit of all the nations, confirming the promises of their teacher by their deeds . . . . . . . 9 Therefore, since he once declared that repentance in his name must be preached to all the nations, if the deed did not follow the word, let not the things concerning his revival from the dead be believed, but if even still now the things of the prophecy proceed to their deed and his word is seen by eyes, living and active throughout the whole world, it is time not to disbelieve the one who sent forth the word. For of whom the power is seen living and active, it is every necessity to confess much sooner that this one lives and that this one accomplishes the life of God, whose living works are shown to be in accord with his words. Indeed, his words went through every ear of all kinds of nations, being changed and translated into every kind of language, both Greek and barbarian, so that his teaching, having become renowned to all the nations, brought to conversion and repentance countless multitudes of those formerly living sinfully and irreverently in polytheistic error and idolatry. But he commands them to preach not first forgiveness then repentance, but first repentance then forgiveness. For to those who first showed a genuine repentance of evils, saving grace granted the forgiveness of their deeds, for whom he also underwent death, giving himself as a ransom and a substitute for those about to be saved through him. So then his disciples, being men unskilled in words and entirely common, poor and insignificant in appearance, taking courage in the power of the one seen after death and manifestly dwelling with them, starting from the city of Jerusalem according to his commands so that it might be inexcusable for the disbelieving Jews, went forth to all the nations and did the things that were commanded, preaching repentance to all and a release from the soul's former transgressions . . . . . 10 . . . . . the knowledge of and friendship with God, which he procured for his disciples, and the soul's tranquility and the calm and stability of reason, calling this the way. 11 Therefore, when the rulers of the Jewish nation, both high priests and teachers of the law, were gathered together in Jerusalem, he, while spending time in the temple itself, foretold in a veiled manner through the parable the things about to be dared by them against him and the destruction that would seize them for their audacity, in this way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The parable is akin to that in the prophet Isaiah, with whom it goes this way: “A vineyard came to be for my beloved on a horn in a rich place, and I put a fence around it and trenched it and planted it and built a tower in its midst and dug a winepress and waited for it to make grapes, but it made thorns.” But the one in the prophet slandered the vineyard, which he also interpreted who it was, saying: “For the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah is a beloved new plant; I waited for it to make judgment, but it made iniquity, and not righteousness but a cry.” But the parable of the savior is spoken in a similar way to that of the prophet, so that it might be recognized and observed by those present and hearing; yet it has not been spoken about the vineyard, since the prophet had already spoken the prophecy about this. But what had been kept silent by the prophet, he himself puts in the parable, I mean the things concerning the husbandmen of the vineyard. And these were the elders of the people and the chief priests, rulers and teachers. who indeed also to the whole multitude

10

θεοῦ φωνῆς λεγούσης αὐτοῖς «ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας», ὁρῶσι δὲ ἐναργῶς τὴν τοῦ λαλοῦντος θεότητα κρείττονα θανάτου φανεῖσαν. διὸ καὶ δέος αὐτοῖς τῆς παρακοῆς εἰσῄει, ἔνθεν ὁμόσε τοῖς κινδύνοις ἐχώρουν, τῆς μετὰ θάνατον ζωῆς παρὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου λαβόντες τὰ ἐχέγγυα, προῆλθόν τε εὐθαρσῶς ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἁπάντων ἐθνῶν περίοδον, τοῦ σφῶν διδασκάλου τὰς ὑποσχέσεις ἔργοις πιστούμενοι . . . . . . . 9 ἅπαξ οὖν ἀποφηναμένου δεῖν κηρυχθῆναι ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ μετάνοιαν ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, εἰ μὴ τοὖργον ἐπηκολούθηκε τῷ λόγῳ, μηδὲ τὰ τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναβιώσεως αὐτοῦ πιστευέσθω, εἰ δὲ εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν τὰ τῆς προρρήσεως εἰς ἔργον χωρεῖ ὅ τε λόγος αὐτοῦ ζῶν καὶ ἐνεργῶν καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρᾶται, ὥρα μηδὲ τῷ τὸν λόγον προεμένῳ ἀπιστεῖν. οὗ γὰρ ἡ δύναμις ζῶσα καὶ ἐνεργὴς ὁρᾶται, τοῦτον ἀνάγκη πᾶσα πολὺ πρότερον ὁμολογεῖν ζῆν καὶ θεοῦ ζωὴν τοῦτον ἐκτελεῖν, οὗ ζῶντα τὰ ἔργα σύμφωνα ταῖς φωναῖς ἀποδείκνυται. πᾶσαν γοῦν ἀκοὴν παντοίων ἐθνῶν οἱ αὐτοῦ λόγοι διῆλθον, μεταβαλλόμενοι καὶ μεθερμηνευόμενοι εἰς παντοίαν γλώτταν Ἑλληνικήν τε καὶ βάρβαρον, ὡς ἐξάκουστον αὐτοῦ τὴν διδασκαλίαν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι γενομένην εἰς ἐπιστροφὴν καὶ μετάνοιαν ἀγαγεῖν μυρία πλήθη τῶν πρότερον ἐν πολυθέῳ πλάνῃ καὶ εἰδωλολατρείᾳ πλημμελῶς καὶ ἀσέμνως βιούντων. οὐ πρότερον δὲ ἄφεσιν εἶτα μετάνοιαν, ἀλλὰ μετάνοιαν πρῶτον εἶτα τὴν ἄφεσιν κηρύττειν παρακελεύεται. τοῖς γὰρ γνησίαν πρότερον κακῶν μετάνοιαν ἐνδειξαμένοις ἡ σωτήριος χάρις τὴν συγχώρησιν τῶν πεπραγμένων ἐδωρήσατο, δι' οὓς καὶ τὸν θάνατον ἀνεδέξατο, λύτρον ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδοὺς καὶ ἀντίψυχον τῶν μελλόντων δι' αὐτοῦ σωθήσεσθαι. οὕτω δῆτα οἱ αὐτοῦ μαθηταί, ἄνδρες ἄπειροι λόγων ὄντες καὶ πάμπαν ἰδιῶται πένητές τε καὶ εὐτελεῖς τὸ σχῆμα, τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ μετὰ θάνατον θεωρουμένου καὶ ἐμφανῶς αὐτοῖς συναυλιζομένου ἐπιθαρσήσαντες ἀπὸ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ πόλεως ἀρξάμενοι κατὰ τὰς αὐτοῦ παρακελεύσεις ἵνα ἀναπολόγητα εἴη τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἀπιστήσασιν ἐπὶ πάντα προῆλθον τὰ ἔθνη καὶ τὰ προστεταγμένα ἐποίουν, κηρύττοντες μετάνοιαν τοῖς πᾶσι καὶ λύσιν τῶν πρότερον τῆς ψυχῆς ἀμπλακημάτων . . . . . 10 . . . . . τὴν πρὸς θεὸν γνῶσίν τε καὶ φιλίαν, ἣν τοῖς αὐτοῦ προὐξένει μαθηταῖς, τήν τε τῆς ψυχῆς ἀταραξίαν καὶ λογισμοῦ τὸ γαληνὸν καὶ εὐσταθὲς τοῦτον ἀποκαλῶν τὸν τρόπον. 11 συνηγμένων μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους ἀρχιερέων τε καὶ νομοδιδασκάλων, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἱερῷ ποιούμενος τὰς διατριβὰς τὰ μέλλοντα αὐτοῖς κατ' αὐτοῦ τολμᾶσθαι καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ τόλμῃ καταληψόμενον αὐτοὺς ὄλεθρον ἐπεσκιασμένως τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον διὰ τῆς παραβολῆς προηγόρευσεν . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ἔστι δὲ ἡ παραβολὴ συγγενὴς τῇ παρὰ τῷ προφήτῃ Ἡσαΐᾳ, παρ' ᾧ τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον· «ἀμπελὼν ἐγενήθη τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ἐν κέρατι ἐν τόπῳ πίονι καὶ φραγμὸν περιέθηκα καὶ ἐχαράκωσα καὶ ἐφύτευσα καὶ πύργον ἐν μέσῳ αὐτοῦ ᾠκοδόμησα καὶ προλήνιον ὤρυξα καὶ ἔμεινα τοῦ ποιῆσαι σταφυλήν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀκάνθας». ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν παρὰ τῷ προφήτῃ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα διαβέβληκεν, ὃν καὶ ἡρμήνευσε τίς ποτε ἦν, εἰπών· «ὁ γὰρ ἀμπελὼν κυρίου Σαβαὼθ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Ἰούδα νεόφυτον ἠγαπημένον· ἔμεινα τοῦ ποιῆσαι κρίσιν, ἐποίησεν δὲ ἀνομίαν καὶ οὐ δικαιοσύνην ἀλλὰ κραυγήν». ἡ δὲ τοῦ σωτῆρος παραβολὴ εἴρηται μὲν ὁμοίως ἐκείνῃ τῇ τοῦ προφήτου, ὡς ἂν γνωρισθείη καὶ θεωρηθείη τοῖς παροῦσι καὶ ἀκροωμένοις· οὐ μὴν περὶ τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος λέλεκται, ἐπειδὴ ὁ προφήτης τὴν περὶ τούτου πρόρρησιν προλαβὼν εἰρήκει. ἅπερ δὲ τῷ προφήτῃ σεσιώπητο, ταῦτα αὐτὸς ἐν τῇ παραβολῇ τίθησιν, λέγω δὲ τὰ περὶ τῶν γεωργῶν τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος. οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς ἄρχοντές τε καὶ διδάσκαλοι. οἳ δὴ καὶ τῷ ὅλῳ πλήθει