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35

form, nor does he have the irrational form of a man; How then the Son? Fourthly. Then in our case, since we are composite, the form is of the body; but in the case of the simple and incomposite, it is entirely of the substance. But if you say that its being spoken without the article does not indicate the Father, in many places this is shown spoken without the article. And why do I say in many places? For immediately in this very passage, "He did not," it says, "consider it robbery to be equal with God"; and he did not say it with the article, when speaking of God the Father. I wish to add our own points as well, but I am afraid we might overwhelm your minds. For now, remember what has been said for the refutation of those men; for now let us cut out the thorns, and then we will cast the good seed after the thorns have been cut out, and the earth has breathed a little, so that, having put away all the evil from there, it may receive the divine seeds with much virtue. Let us give thanks to God for what has been said; let us ask him to grant safekeeping and preservation of them, so that both we and you may rejoice, and the heretics may be put to shame. Let us exhort him also to open our mouth in what is to follow, so that we may again entrust our own words with the same zeal; let us beseech him, to grant us a life worthy of the faith, so that we may live to his glory, so that his name may not be blasphemed because of us. For woe to you, it says, through whom the name of God is blasphemed. For if when we have a son; and yet what is more legitimate than a son? if then we, having a son, when we are blasphemed on his account, we disown him, we turn away, we do not accept him; how much more will God, having ungrateful slaves, who blaspheme and insult him, not turn away and hate them? And whomsoever God shall hate and turn away from, who will receive? No one, but the devil, but the demons. And whomsoever the demons take, what hope of salvation will he have? what consolation of life? As long as we are in the hand of God, no one can snatch us; for it is strong. But when we fall from that hand and its help, we are lost, we lie ready for all to plunder, for all to trample upon, as a leaning 62.224 wall and a fence that is pushed over. For when the wall is weak, it will be easily mounted by all. For do not think that what I am about to say is spoken only of Jerusalem, but also of every person. And what was said of Jerusalem? Let me sing for my beloved a song of my beloved concerning my vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a horn, in a fertile place. And I put a fence around it and trenched it, and I planted a Sorek vine, and built a tower in its midst, and also dug a winepress in it, and I waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns. And now, men of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done for it? Because I waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns. Now therefore, I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its fence, and it will be for plundering, and I will break down its wall, and it will be for trampling; and I will let my vineyard go, and it shall not be pruned, nor shall it be dug; and thorns shall come up on it, as on fallow land; and I will command the clouds not to rain rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth is the house of Israel, and the man of Judah, his beloved new plant. I waited for it to bring forth judgment; but it brought forth iniquity, and not righteousness, but a cry. This is also said of each soul. For when the man-loving God has fulfilled all that was necessary, and then it produces thorns instead of grapes, he will take away the fence, and break down the wall, and we shall be for plundering. For hear how another prophet also

35

μορφὴν, οὐδὲ ἄλογον ἀνθρώπου ἔχει μορφήν· πῶς οὖν ὁ Υἱός; δʹ. Εἶτα ἐπὶ μὲν ἡμῶν, ἐπειδὴ σύνθετοί ἐσμεν, ἡ μορφὴ τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ ἁπλοῦ καὶ ἀσυνθέτου, πάντως τῆς οὐσίας. Εἰ δὲ τὸ χωρὶς ἄρθρου εἰρῆσθαι λέγεις ὅτι οὐ δείκνυσι τὸν Πατέρα, πολλαχοῦ τοῦτο δείκνυται χωρὶς ἄρθρου εἰρημένον. Καὶ τί λέγω πολλαχοῦ; ἐν γὰρ αὐτῷ εὐθέως τῷ χωρίῳ τούτῳ, Οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν, φησὶν, ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ· καὶ οὐκ εἶπε μετὰ τοῦ ἄρθρου, περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ Πατρὸς λέγων. Βούλομαι καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα προσθεῖναι, ἀλλὰ δέδοικα μὴ καταχώσωμεν ὑμῶν τὰς διανοίας. Τέως δὲ τὰ εἰρημένα μέμνησθε πρὸς ἀνατροπὴν ἐκείνων· τέως τὰς ἀκάνθας ἐκτέμωμεν, καὶ τότε τὸν σπόρον καταβαλοῦμεν τὸν καλὸν μετὰ τὸ τὰς ἀκάνθας ἐκτμηθῆναι, καὶ μικρὸν ἀναπνεῦσαι τὴν γῆν, ἵνα πᾶσαν τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἀποθεμένη κακίαν, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀρετῆς δέχηται τὰ θεῖα σπέρματα. Εὐχαριστήσωμεν ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰρημένων τῷ Θεῷ· ἀξιώσωμεν αὐτὸν δοῦναι φυλακὴν καὶ διατήρησιν αὐτῶν, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ ὑμεῖς εὐφραινώμεθα, καὶ οἱ αἱρετικοὶ καταισχύνωνται. Παρακαλέσωμεν αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς ἡμῖν ἀνοῖξαι στόμα, ὥστε καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς πάλιν σπουδῆς παρακαταθέσθαι· δεηθῶμεν αὐτοῦ, ὥστε καὶ τῆς πίστεως βίον ἄξιον ἡμῖν παρασχεῖν, ἵνα εἰς δόξαν αὐτοῦ ζῶμεν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ βλασφημῆται δι' ἡμᾶς. Οὐαὶ γὰρ ὑμῖν, φησὶ, δι' οὓς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ βλασφημεῖται. Εἰ γὰρ υἱὸν ἔχοντες· καίτοι τί υἱοῦ γνησιώτερον; εἰ υἱὸν τοίνυν ἡμεῖς ἔχοντες, ὅταν δι' αὐτὸν βλασφημώμεθα, ἀποκηρύττομεν αὐτὸν, ἀποστρεφόμεθα, οὐ προσιέμεθα· πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ Θεὸς δούλους ἔχων ἀγνώμονας, βλασφημοῦντας αὐτὸν καὶ ὑβρίζοντας, οὐκ ἀποστραφήσεται καὶ μισήσει; Ὃν δ' ἂν ὁ Θεὸς μισήσῃ καὶ ἀποστραφῇ, τίς προσλήψεται; Οὐδεὶς, ἀλλ' ἢ ὁ διάβολος, ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ δαίμονες. Ὃν δ' ἂν οἱ δαίμονες λάβωσι, ποίαν ἕξει σωτηρίας ἐλπίδα; ποίαν παραμυθίαν ζωῆς; Ἕως ἂν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ ὦμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς ἁρπάζειν δύναται· ἰσχυρὰ γάρ ἐστιν· ὅταν δὲ τῆς χειρὸς ἐκείνης ἐκπέσωμεν καὶ τῆς βοηθείας, ἀπολώλαμεν, πᾶσιν ἕτοιμοι προκείμεθα εἰς ἁρπαγὴν, πᾶσιν εἰς καταπάτημα, ὡς τοῖχος κεκλι 62.224 μένος καὶ φραγμὸς ὠσμένος. Ὅταν γὰρ ᾖ ἀσθενὴς ὁ τοῖχος, εὐεπίβατος ἔσται πᾶσι. Μὴ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἴεσθε τοῦτο λέγεσθαι μόνον, ὃ μέλλω λέγειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ παντὸς ἀνθρώπου. Τί δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐλέγετο; Ἄσω δὴ τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ᾆσμα τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ μου, τῷ ἀμπελῶνί μου. Ἀμπελὼν ἐγενήθη τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ἐν κέρατι, ἐν τόπῳ πίονι. Καὶ φραγμὸν περιέθηκα καὶ ἐχαράκωσα, καὶ ἐφύτευσα ἄμπελον Σωρὴκ, καὶ ᾠκοδόμησα πύργον ἐν μέσῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ προλήνιον ὤρυξα ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἔμεινα τοῦ ποιῆσαι σταφυλὴν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀκάνθας. Καὶ νῦν ἄνθρωποι τοῦ Ἰούδα, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, κρίνατε ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ἀμπελῶνός μου. Τί ἔδει ποιῆσαι τῷ ἀμπελῶνί μου, καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησα αὐτῷ, ∆ιότι ἔμεινα τοῦ ποιῆσαι σταφυλὴν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀκάνθας. Νῦν οὖν ἀναγγελῶ ὑμῖν τί ποιήσω τῷ ἀμπελῶνί μου· ἀφελῶ τὸν φραγμὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσται εἰς διαρπαγὴν, καὶ καθελῶ τὸν τοῖχον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσται εἰς καταπάτημα· καὶ ἀνήσω τὸν ἀμπελῶνά μου, καὶ οὐ μὴ τμηθῇ, οὐδ' οὐ μὴ σκαφῇ· καὶ ἀναβήσονται εἰς αὐτὸν, ὡς εἰς χέρσον, ἄκανθαι· καὶ ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντελοῦμαι τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι εἰς αὐτὸν ὑετόν. Ὁ γὰρ ἀμπελὼν Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ ἐστι, καὶ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Ἰούδα, νεόφυτον ἠγαπημένον. Ἔμεινα ἵνα ποιήσῃ κρίσιν· ἐποίησε δὲ ἀνομίαν, καὶ οὐ δικαιοσύνην, ἀλλὰ κραυγήν. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐφ' ἑκάστης λέγεται ψυχῆς. Ὅταν γὰρ πάντα πληρώσῃ, ἃ ἐχρῆν, ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς, εἶτα ποιήσῃ ἀκάνθας ἀντὶ σταφυλῆς, ἀφελεῖ τὸν φραγμὸν, καὶ καθαιρεῖ τὸν τοῖχον, καὶ ἐσόμεθα εἰς ἁρπαγήν. Ἄκουε γὰρ πῶς καὶ ἕτερος προφήτης