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are sick with respect to one another, but it is also possible for it to follow the thought of what has been previously stated; for since he is about to prophesy the desolation of the country and the destruction of the men, he rightly calls wretched those who do not foresee the future, but have given themselves over entirely to injustices and covetousness, so as to seize the houses of their neighbors, and to appropriate the lands of the adjacent farmers, whom the divine spirit declares wretched, teaching that they are truly pitiable and miserable, because not taking nature into account, they had no satiety of their greed. Then he also threatens the destruction not of the houses only, but also of the land itself, as it would no longer receive the blessing from God, but would come under a curse so, that it would bear nothing worthy of the labors spent on it in agriculture. For where he says ten yoke of oxen work, it will produce one jar, and he who sows six artabas, will produce three measures. And very consistently having spoken about the vineyard, that "instead of grapes it will produce thorns," "and not righteousness but a cry," and "instead of judgment, lawlessness" he enumerates. what are the "thorns" and what is the "cry" and what is the "lawlessness," teaching that these are their covetousness and their injustices, and this: that ten yoke of oxen would produce no more than one jar, would have the greatest consistency with the song delivered against the vineyard. And in general, the saying that it will produce one jar from a great sowing and from ten yoke of oxen. he hinted at certain few among them who would be found worthy of salvation, about whom a great many things were also revealed through what came before. 1.35 And these were parts of the "thorns," which "the vineyard" is said "to have produced instead of grapes." And it is likely that even after the audacity against our savior, when they ought to have mourned "on account of the wrath" about to "overtake" them, they were occupied with "drunken bouts" and "debaucheries," and other luxury. Therefore they are called wretched by the word, as being insensible of the evils that would presently overtake them. But having a clearer meaning, what is set before us does not permit them to dwell on it, because of hastening to the examination of more obscure matters; nevertheless, the word seems to have convicted those who were revealed for what they did, and to threaten that famine and death, and war and captivity would come upon them, all of which indeed befell the generation that existed at the time of our savior. For expressly all these things befell them under Vespasian and Hadrian, emperors of the Romans, but in a spiritual sense, having been deprived of the rational bread of life, even until now they hunger in their souls for lack of heavenly nourishment according to the scripture that says about them: "they will return at evening and will hunger like a dog and will go around the city," and having "denied" "the author of life" they have fallen into the death of the soul. Moreover, having turned away from the redeemer of the captivity of souls, who came "to preach release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind," they were delivered to the spiritual enemies, and remained in the captivity of their souls. But instead of: and the plundered shall be fed like bulls, Symmachus says and lambs shall graze according to their leading away, and sojourners shall eat the desolate places of the lawless. which were also fulfilled literally; for when the rulers of the people, leading like a herd of bulls, were led into exile and were plundered in a foreign land, certain sojourners came and certain settlers took possession of their desolate lands. This was also shown through the preceding things, in which it was said: "strangers devour your land in your presence, and it is desolate, overthrown by foreign peoples." 1.36 And these things follow what was said before; for having heard many teaching words of the savior, and of his apostles after him, they bore no fruit for their benefit; but persisting in unbelief and in their absurdities, they made additions to their sins, second upon first and third

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νοσοῦσιν κατ' ἄλληλα, δύναται δὲ καὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ ἕπεσθαι τῶν προαποδεδομένων· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μέλλει θεσπίζειν ἐρημίαν τῆς χώρας καὶ ἀπώλειαν τῶν ἀνδρῶν, εἰκότως ταλανίζει τοὺς μὴ προορῶντας τὸ μέλλον, ὅλους δὲ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδεδωκότας ἀδικίαις καὶ πλεονεξίαις, ὡς τῶν μὲν πέλας τοὺς οἴκους ἁρπάζειν, τῶν δὲ ἀγρογειτόνων τὰς χώρας ἰδιοποιεῖσθαι, οὓς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ θεῖον ταλανίζει οἰκτροὺς ἀληθῶς καὶ ἀθλίους εἶναι διδάσκον, ὅτι μὴ τὴν φύσιν ἐν νῷ λαβόντες κόρον οὐκ εἶχον τῆς ἀπληστίας. εἶτα καὶ ἀφανισμὸν ἀπειλεῖ οὐ τῶν οἴκων μόνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς χώρας αὐτῆς, ὡς μηκέτ' εὐλογίας τῆς παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τευξομένης, ὑπὸ κατάραν δὲ γενησομένης οὕτως, ὡς μηδὲν ἄξιον φέρειν τῶν κατὰ γεωργίαν εἰς αὐτὴν πονουμένων. οὗ γάρ φησιν ἐργῶνται δέκα ζεύγη βοῶν, ποιήσει κεράμιον ἕν, καὶ ὁ σπείρων ἀρτάβας ἕξ, ποιήσει μέτρα τρία. σφόδρα δὲ ἀκολούθως εἰπὼν περὶ τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος, ὡς «ἀντὶ σταφυλῶν ἀκάνθας ποιήσει», «καὶ οὐ δικαιοσύνην ἀλλὰ κραυγήν», καὶ «ἀντὶ κρίσεως ἀνομίαν» καταλέγει. τίνες αἱ «ἄκανθαι» καὶ τίς ἡ «κραυγὴ» καὶ τίς ἡ «ἀνομία», τὰς πλεονεξίας αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς ἀδικίας αὐτῶν, ταύτας εἶναι διδάσκων καὶ τό· ζεύγη δέκα βοῶν πλέον ἑνὸς κεραμίου μὴ ποιήσειν, πλείστην ἔχοι ἀκολουθίαν πρὸς τὴν ἀποδοθεῖσαν κατὰ τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος ᾠδήν. ὅλως δὲ τὸ λέγεσθαι ποιήσειν κεράμιον ἓν ἀπὸ πληθοσπόρου καὶ ἀπὸ ζευγῶν βοῶν δέκα. σπανίους τινὰς τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς εὑρεθησομένους σωτηρίας ἀξίους ᾐνίττετο, περὶ ὧν πλεῖστα ὅσα καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἐδηλοῦτο. 1.35 Καὶ ταῦτα μέρη τῶν «ἀκανθῶν» ὑπῆρχεν, ὧν «ἀντὶ σταφυλῆς ὁ ἀμπελὼν» λέγεται «πεποιηκέναι». εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τόλμαν, ὅτ' ἐχρῆν αὐτοὺς πενθεῖν «διὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν» αὐτοὺς καταλήψεσθαι «ὀργήν», «κραιπάλαις» καὶ «οἰνοφλυγίαις», καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ τρυφῇ σχολάζειν. διὸ ταλανίζονται ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου, ὡς ἀνεπαισθήτως ἔχοντες τῶν ὅσῳ οὔπω καταληψομένων αὐτοὺς κακῶν. γυμνοτέραν δ' ἔχοντες τὴν διάνοιαν τὰ προκείμενα ἐνδιατρίβειν αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἐπιτρέπει διὰ τὸ σπεύδειν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἀσαφεστέρων ἐξέτασιν· ὅμως δ' οὖν ἔοικεν ὁ λόγος τοὺς δηλωθέντας ἐφ' οἷς ἔπραττον ἐλέγξας λιμὸν αὐτοῖς ἐλεύσεσθαι καὶ θάνατον πόλεμόν τε καὶ αἰχμαλωσίαν ἀπειλεῖν, ἃ δὴ πάντα μετῆλθε τὴν γενεὰν τὴν κατὰ τοὺς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν χρόνους γενομένην. ῥητῶς τε γὰρ μετῆλθεν αὐτοῖς ταῦτα πάντα ἐπὶ Οὐεσπασιανοῦ καὶ Ἀδριανοῦ Ῥωμαίων αὐτοκρατόρων, κατὰ δὲ διάνοιαν στερηθέντων τοῦ λογικοῦ ἄρτου τῆς ζωῆς, εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν ἐνδείᾳ τροφῆς ἐπουρανίου τὰς ψυχὰς λιμώττουσιν κατὰ τὴν φάσκουσαν περὶ αὐτῶν γραφήν· «ἐπιστρέψουσιν εἰς ἑσπέραν καὶ λιμώξουσιν ὡς κύων καὶ κυκλώσουσιν πόλιν», καὶ «τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς» «ἀρνησάμενοι» τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς θανάτῳ περιπεπτώκασιν. ἔτι μὴν τὸν λυτρωτὴν τῆς τῶν ψυχῶν αἰχμαλωσίας ἀποστραφέντες τὸν ἐλθόντα «κηρύξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν», τοῖς νοητοῖς πολεμίοις παρεδόθησαν, καὶ τῇ τῶν ψυχῶν ἐναπέμειναν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· καὶ βοσκηθήσονται οἱ διηρπασμένοι ὡς ταῦροι, ὁ Σύμμαχος καὶ νεμηθήσονταί φησιν ἀμνοὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀπαγωγὴν αὐτῶν, τὰ δὲ ἔρημα τῶν παρανόμων πάροικοι φάγονται. ἃ καὶ πρὸς λέξιν ἐπληροῦτο· τῶν γὰρ ἀρχόντων τοῦ λαοῦ δίκην ταύρων ἀγέλης ἡγουμένων εἰς μετοικίαν ἀχθέντων καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλλοδαπῆς διαρπασθέντων τὰς ἐρήμους αὐτῶν χώρας πάροικοί τινες ἐπελθόντες καὶ μέτοικοί τινες ἀπολαβόντες κατέσχον. ὃ δὴ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἐδηλοῦτο, ἐν οἷς εἴρητο· «τὴν χώραν ὑμῶν ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν ἀλλότριοι κατεσθίουσιν αὐτήν, καὶ ἠρήμωται κατεστραμμένη ὑπὸ λαῶν ἀλλοτρίων». 1.36 Καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς προλεχθεῖσιν ἕπεται· πολλῶν γὰρ ἐπακούσαντες διδασκαλικῶν λόγων τοῦ σωτῆρος, τῶν τε μετ' αὐτὸν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲν μὲν πρὸς ὠφελείας ἐκαρποῦντο· τῇ δ' ἀπιστίᾳ ἐπιμένοντες καὶ τοῖς ἀτοπήμασιν, προσθήκας ἐποιοῦντο τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων δεύτερα ἐπὶ πρώτοις καὶ τρίτα