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milk and honey.” But nevertheless, having enjoyed every care, the vineyard has remained fruitless; for it brought forth thorns to the vinedresser instead of grapes, and with such a crown it garlanded the master's head, and again, as a useless vineyard, it brought him vinegar. Having made this writing, he makes the very ones who are responsible judges, and says: 3And now, man of Judah and you who dwell in Jerusalem, judge between me and my vineyard. 4What shall I do to my vineyard that I have not yet done to it? Because I waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns. The same master has also done this in the holy gospels; for having presented the parable of the vineyard to the Jews, he made them masters of the verdict. For he added: “What then will the lord of the vineyard do to those tenants?” Not only do the questions resemble each other, but also the very meaning of the sayings. For here he says: “What shall I do to my vineyard that I have not done to it?” But in the gospels: “How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing. Behold, your house is left to you desolate.” Here also he brought forth this verdict from the Jews: 5Now therefore I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be for plundering, and I will break down its wall, and it shall be for trampling down, 6and I will let my vineyard go, and it will not be pruned nor hoed, and thorns shall come up in it as in fallow land, and I will command the clouds not to rain upon it. For since, having exercised every kind of providence for it, I saw it useless and fruitless, I will henceforth strip it of all care and it will be available to those who wish to trample and devour it; no longer will I apply rational cultivation to it, but I will allow it to become fallow and filled with thorns; no longer will it receive the streams of prophetic irrigation. For he calls the prophets clouds, as drawing the prophetic rain from the spiritual sea. Then he interprets what was said tropologically: 7For the vineyard |104 a| of the Lord of Sabaoth is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah is a beloved new plant. He subjected all the tribes to the accusation; for he calls all those from him the house of Jacob. But the tribe of Judah, as having the blessing of the promise and being adorned with the temple, he named a beloved new plant. Then he makes clear the grape and the thorns: I waited for it to produce judgment, but it produced lawlessness; and not righteousness, but a cry. From this it is possible to discern clearly, that having raged against the savior they were stripped of divine grace; for through the cry he indicated that madness. The history of the holy gospels also teaches that for the most part they cried out, at one time saying, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him,” and at another, “His blood be on us and on our children.” And the prophet laments their other injustice: 8Woe to those who join house to house and bring field near to field, so that they may take something from their neighbor. This is characteristic of those who are sick with greed; for they cannot endure to have their fill of wealth. Not only does the prophet lament them but he also shames them with what is brought on: Will you dwell alone upon the earth? For this must be read not as a statement but as a question. Symmachus has made this meaning clearer for us: “Will you then be settled alone in the land?” If you wish to join neighboring things to your own, will you continue doing this forever? What then? he says, will you become the sole masters of all the earth? And what profit will you reap from this? He also instills fear in them by pointing to the judge: 9For these things, he says, have been heard in the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Nothing that happens escapes his notice; for his eyes look upon the inhabited world. And he threatens them with complete desolation: For if many houses come to be, great and beautiful ones shall be for desolation, and there shall be no one dwelling in them. 10For where

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γάλα καὶ μέλι». Ἀλλ' ὅμως πάσης ἀπολαύσας τῆς ἐπιμελείας ὁ ἀμπελὼν μεμένηκεν ἄκαρπος· ἀκάνθας γὰρ ἀντὶ σταφυλῆς τῷ φυτουργῷ προσήνεγκε καὶ τοιούτῳ στεφάνῳ τὴν δεσποτικὴν ἐταινίωσε κεφαλὴν καὶ ὄξος πάλιν ὡς ἄχρηστος αὐτῷ προσεκόμισεν ἀμπελών. Ταύτην ποιησάμενος τὴν γραφὴν αὐτοὺς ποιεῖται τοὺς ὑπευθύνους κριτὰς καί φησιν· 3Καὶ νῦν, ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, κρίνατε ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ἀμπελῶνός μου. 4Τί ποιήσω τῷ ἀμπελῶνί μου ἔτι καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησα αὐτῷ; ∆ιότι ἔμεινα ἵνα ποιήσῃ σταφυλήν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀκάνθας. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς εὐαγγελίοις ὁ αὐτὸς δεσπότης πεποίηκεν· τὴν γὰρ τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος παραβολὴν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις προσενεγκὼν αὐτοὺς κυρίους τῆς ψήφου κατέστησεν. Ἐπήγαγε γάρ· «Τί οὖν ποιήσει ὁ κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος τοῖς γεωργοῖς ἐκείνοις;» Οὐ μόνον δὲ αἱ ἐρωτήσεις ἀλλήλαις ἐοίκασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ τῶν ῥητῶν ἡ διάνοια. Ἐνταῦθα γὰρ λέγει· «Τί ποιήσω τῷ ἀμπελῶνί μου καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησα αὐτῷ;» Ἐν δὲ τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις· «Ποσάκις ἠθέλησα ἐπισυναγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα σου ὃν τρόπον ὄρνις ἐπισυνάγει τὰ νοσσία ἑαυτῆς ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἠθελήσατε· ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος.» Ταύτην κἀνταῦθα κα τὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐξήνεγκε τὴν ψῆφ ον · 5Νῦν οὖν ἀναγγελῶ ὑμῖν τί ἐγὼ ποιήσω τῷ ἀμπελῶνί μου· ἀφελῶ τὸν φραγμὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔσται εἰς διαρπαγήν, καὶ καθελῶ τὸν τοῖχον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔσται εἰς κατα πάτημα, 6καὶ ἀνήσω τὸν ἀμπελῶνά μου καὶ οὐ μὴ τμηθῇ οὐδὲ μὴ σκαφῇ καὶ ἀναβήσεται εἰς αὐτὸν ὡς εἰς χέρσον ἄκανθα, καὶ ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντελοῦμαι τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὑετόν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ παντοδαπὴν αὐτοῦ ποιησά μενος πρόνοιαν ἄχρηστον εἶδον καὶ ἄκαρπον, πάσης λοιπὸν αὐτὸν προμηθείας γυμνώσω καὶ τοῖς πατεῖν καὶ κατεσθίειν βουλομένοις γενήσεται πρόχειρος· οὐκέτι δὲ αὐτῷ τὴν λογικὴν γεωργίαν προσοίσω, ἀλλὰ χερσούμενον καὶ ἀκανθῶν πληρούμενον περιόψομαι· οὐκέτι τῆς προφη τικῆς ἀρδείας τὰ νάματα δέξεται. Νεφέλας γὰρ τοὺς προφήτας καλεῖ ὡς ἐκ τῆς πνευματικῆς θαλάττης τὸν προφητικὸν ἕλκοντας ὑετόν. Εἶτα ἑρμηνεύει τὰ τροπικῶς εἰρημένα· 7Ὁ γὰρ ἀμπελὼν |104 a| κυρίου Σαβαὼθ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ ἐστι, καὶ ἄνθρω πος τοῦ Ἰούδα νεόφυτον ἠγαπημένον. Τῇ κατηγορίᾳ πάσας ὑπέβαλε τὰς φυλάς· οἶκον γὰρ Ἰακὼβ πάντας τοὺς ἐξ ἐκείνου καλεῖ. Τὴν δὲ τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλὴν ὡς καὶ τὴν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἔχουσαν εὐλογίαν καὶ τῷ ναῷ κοσμουμένην νεόφυτον ἠγαπημένον ὠνόμασεν. Εἶτα τὴν σταφυλὴν καὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας δήλας ποιεῖ· Ἔμεινα ἵνα ποιήσῃ κρίσιν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀνομίαν καὶ οὐ δικαιοσύνην ἀλλὰ κραυγήν. Ἐντεῦθεν ἔστι διαγνῶναι σαφῶς, ὡς κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος λυττήσαντες τῆς θείας ἐγυμνώθησαν χάριτος· διὰ γὰρ τῆς κραυγῆς τὴν μανίαν ἐκείνην ἐδήλωσεν. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν εὐαγ γελίων ἡ ἱστορία ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἔκραζον ποτὲ μὲν λέγοντες· «Αἶρε αἶρε, σταύρωσον αὐτόν», ποτὲ δέ· «Τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν». Καὶ τὴν ἄλλην δὲ αὐτῶν ἀδικίαν ὁ προφήτης θρηνεῖ· 8Οὐαὶ οἱ συνάπτοντες οἰκίαν πρὸς οἰκίαν καὶ ἀγρὸν πρὸς ἀγρὸν ἐγγίζοντες, ἵνα τοῦ πλησίον ἀφέλωνταί τι. Ἴδιον τοῦτο τὴν πλεονεξίαν νοσούντων· κόρον γὰρ οὐκ ἀνέχονται τοῦ πλούτου λαβεῖν. Οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτοὺς θρηνεῖ ὁ προφήτης ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐπαγομένοις ἐντρέπει· Μὴ οἰκήσετε μόνοι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; Τοῦτο γὰρ οὐ κατὰ ἀπόφασιν ἀλλὰ κατ' ἐρώτησιν ἀναγνωστέον. Ταύτην δὲ τὴν διάνοιαν πεποίηκεν ἡμῖν σαφεστέραν ὁ Σύμμαχος· «Ἆρα κατοικηθήσεσθε μόνοι ὑμεῖς ἐν τῇ γῇ;» Εἰ τὰ πελάζοντα βούλεσθε συνάπτειν τοῖς ὑμετέροις, ἀεὶ τοῦτο διατελέσετε δρῶντες; Τί οὖν; φησι, μόνοι τῆς γῆς ἁπάσης δεσπόται γενήσεσθε; Καὶ ποῖον ἐντεῦθεν καρπώσεσθε κέρδος; Ἐντίθησι δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ δέος ὑποδεικνὺς τὸν κριτήν· 9Ἠκούσθη γάρ φησιν εἰς τὰ ὦτα κυρίου Σαβαὼθ ταῦτα. Οὐδὲν αὐτὸν λανθάνει τῶν γιγνομένων· οἱ γὰρ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπιβλέπουσι τὴν οἰκουμένην. Ἀπειλεῖ δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ παντελῆ ἐρημίαν· Ἐὰν γὰρ γένωνται πολλαὶ οἰκίαι, εἰς ἔρημον ἔσονται μεγάλαι καὶ καλαί, καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται οἱ ἐνοι κοῦντες ἐν αὐταῖς. 10Οὗ γὰρ