John Chrysostom, On Isaiah

towards the end he interpreted the whole thing. For the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth is the house of Israel. For my discourse is not about plants, he says, nor about lifeless earth, nor about stones and walls, but about your people. Therefore he also added: And a man of Judah a beloved plant; since it had something more than the ten tribes, and the temple was nearby, and the rest of the worship, and it flourished more than the others, and the tribe was more royal and more powerful. And he said "beloved," again rebuking them, because they had become such towards their ardent lover. For such is the law of those who love, not to hide the excess of their own love even in their very accusations. From this we learn another thing that is not small. What is this? When and what things in the Scriptures one ought to allegorize; and that we ourselves are not masters of these laws, but it is necessary, by following the very thought of Scripture, thus to use the method of allegory. What I am saying is this. The Scripture has now spoken of a vineyard, a hedge, a winepress; it did not leave the hearer free to apply the things said to whatever matters or persons he wished, but going on, it interpreted itself, saying: For the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth is the house of Israel. And Ezekiel, in turn, calling a great eagle with great wings that entered Lebanon and plucked off the top of the cedar, he too does not leave the interpretation of the allegory to the opinion of the hearers, but he himself says who he means by the eagle, and who by the cedar. And this one, going on again, brings up a certain strong river, he says, against Judea, so that the hearer would not be permitted to apply what was said to whatever person he wishes according to his own opinion, he also named this king, whom he called a river. And everywhere in Scripture this is the law, that when it allegorizes, it also gives the interpretation of the allegory, so that the unrestrained desire of those wishing to allegorize may not simply and randomly wander and be carried everywhere. And why do you wonder, if the prophets? The writer of Proverbs also does so. For having said: "Let a hind of friendship, and a foal of graces converse with you; and let the fountain of water be yours alone," he interpreted why he said these things: that it was about a lawful and free wife, turning one away from touching a prostitute and a strange woman. So also he said here who he meant the vineyard to be. Then since he told of their accusations, he told of the punishments; again towards the end he offers the defense, saying: I waited that it should bring forth judgment, but it brought forth iniquity; and not righteousness, but a cry. Justly, he says, I demand satisfaction. For I waited, "that it should bring forth judgment," that is, righteousness; but they demonstrated the opposite: lawlessness and injustice and a cry. Here by "cry" he means covetousness, unjust anger, irrational wrath, fights, contentions. Woe to those who join house to house and bring field near to field, that they may take something from their neighbor. Having said that it produced a "cry," that is, covetousness, plunderings, he also states the kind of injustice filled with much malice. And again he begins with lamentations, indicating the magnitude of the sins and showing those who are incurably sick.

5.4 And one might see these things being dared even now by those who use their wealth badly, who contrive proximities not for security, but for a plot against their neighbors, like a fire proceeding along a path, so consuming all their neighbors. Will you dwell alone upon the earth? For these things were heard in the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. He shows, therefore, that they labor for no profit and at random and in vain. For since chastisements and punishments are not accustomed to lead such people away as much as learning precisely that they will not enjoy their plunder, he brings this threat upon them, saying that they will indeed toil and suffer and will reap sin, but they will fall short of the enjoyment. For the sleepless eye, he says, is not at rest concerning the things that are happening. But the phrase "It was heard" now, not as then of the matters

πρὸς τῷ τέλει τὸ πᾶν ἡρμήνευσεν. Ὁ γὰρ ἀμπελὼν Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ ἐστιν. Οὐ γὰρ περὶ φυτῶν ὁ λόγος μοι, φησίν, οὐδὲ περὶ γῆς ἀψύχου, οὐδὲ περὶ λίθων καὶ τοίχων, ἀλλὰ περὶ δήμου τοῦ ὑμετέρου. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Ἰούδα νεόφυτον ἠγαπημένον· ἐπειδὴ πλέον τι εἶχε τῶν δέκα φυλῶν καὶ ὁ ναὸς αὐτόθι πλησίον ἦν καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ θεραπεία καὶ τῶν ἄλλων μᾶλλον ἤνθει καὶ βασιλικωτέρα ἦν ἡ φυλὴ καὶ δυνατωτέρα. Ἠγαπημένον δὲ εἶπε, πάλιν αὐτῶν καθαπτόμενος, ὅτι περὶ τὸν σφοδρὸν ἐραστὴν τοιοῦτοι γεγόνασι. Τοιοῦτος γὰρ τῶν φιλούντων ὁ νόμος, μηδὲ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἐγκλήμασι κρύπτειν τῆς οἰκείας ἀγάπης τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Ἐντεῦθεν οὐ μικρὸν καὶ ἕτερον μανθάνομεν. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Τὸ πότε καὶ τίνα ἀλληγορεῖν χρὴ τῶν Γραφῶν· καὶ ὡς οὔκ ἐσμεν κύριοι τῶν νόμων τούτων αὐτοί, ἀλλὰ δεῖ αὐτῇ τῇ διανοίᾳ τῆς Γραφῆς ἑπομένους, οὕτω τῷ τῆς ἀλληγορίας κεχρῆσθαι τρόπῳ. Ὃ δὲ λέγω, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. Εἶπεν ἀμπελῶνα νῦν ἡ Γραφή, φραγμόν, προλήνιον· οὐκ ἀφῆκε κύριον γενέσθαι τὸν ἀκροατὴν ἁρμόσαι τὰ εἰρημένα οἷς ἐβούλετο πράγμασιν ἢ προσώποις, ἀλλὰ προϊοῦσα ἑαυτὴν ἡρμήνευσεν, εἰποῦσα· Ὁ γὰρ ἀμπελὼν Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ ἐστι. Καὶ ὁ Ἰεζεκιὴλ δὲ πάλινἀετὸν καλῶν μέγαν καὶ μεγαλοπτέρυγον εἰσιόντα εἰς τὸν Λίβανον καὶ ἀποκνίζοντα τὸ ἄκρον τῆς κέδρου, οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνος ἀφίησιν ἐπὶ τῇ γνώμῃ τῶν ἀκροατῶν κεῖσθαι τῆς ἀλληγορίας τὴν ἑρμηνείαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς λέγει, τίνα μὲν τὸν ἀετόν φησι, τίνα δὲ τὴν κέδρον. Καὶ οὗτος δὲ πάλιν προϊών, ποταμόν τινα σφοδρὸν ἀνάγει, λέγων, ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, ἵνα μὴ ἐξῇ τῷ ἀκούοντι κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν γνώμην ἁρμόζειν τὸ εἰρημένον προσώπῳ ᾧ βούλεται, εἶπε καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τοῦτον, ὃν ποταμὸν ἐκάλεσε. Καὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς Γραφῆς οὗτος ὁ νόμος, ἐπειδὰν ἀλληγορῇ, λέγειν καὶ τῆς ἀλληγορίας τὴν ἑρμηνείαν, ὥστε μὴ ἁπλῶς, μηδὲ ὡς ἔτυχε τὴν ἀκόλαστον ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν ἀλληγορεῖν βουλομένων πλανᾶσθαι καὶ πανταχοῦ φέρεσθαι. Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις, εἰ οἱ προφῆται; Καὶ ὁ Παροιμιαστὴς δὲ οὕτω ποιεῖ. Εἰπὼν γάρ· Ἔλαφος φιλίας, καὶ πῶλος χαρίτων ὁμιλείτω σοι· καὶ ἡ πηγὴ τοῦ ὕδατος ἔστω σοι μόνῳ. ἡρμήνευσε τίνος ἕνεκεν ταῦτα ἔλεγεν ὅτι περὶ γυναικὸς ἐννόμου καὶ ἐλευθέρας, ἀποτρέπων πόρνης καὶ ἀλλοτρίας ἅπτεσθαι. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ οὗτος ἐνταῦθα εἶπε τίνα ἔφησε τὸν ἀμπελῶνα εἶναι· Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν αὐτῶν τὰ ἐγκλήματα, εἶπε τὰς τιμωρίας· πάλιν πρὸς τῷ τέλει τὴν ἀπολογίαν τίθησι λέγων· Ἔμεινα, ἵνα ποιήσῃ κρίσιν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀνομίαν καὶ οὐ δικαιοσύνην, ἀλλὰ κραυγήν. Ὅτι δικαίως, φησίν, ἀπαιτῶ δίκην. Ἀνέμεινα γάρ, Ἵνα ποιήσῃ κρίσιν, τουτέστι, δικαιοσύνην· αὐτοὶ δὲ τὰ ἐναντία ἐπεδείξαντο ἀνομίαν <καὶ> ἀδικίαν καὶ κραυγήν. Κραυγὴν ἐνταῦθα τὴν πλεονεξίαν λέγει, τὸν ἄδικον θυμόν, τὴν ὀργὴν τὴν ἀλόγιστον, τὰς μάχας, τὰς φιλονεικίας. Οὐαὶ οἱ συνάπτοντες οἰκίαν πρὸς οἰκίαν καὶ ἀγρὸν πρὸς ἀγρὸν ἐγγίζοντες, ἵνα τοῦ πλησίον ἀφέλωνταί τι. Εἰπὼν ὅτι κραυγὴν ἐποίησε, τουτέστι πλεονεξίαν, ἁρπαγάς, λέγει καὶ τὸ εἶδος τῆς ἀδικίας πολλῆς ἐμπεπλησμένον τῆς κακουργίας. Καὶ πάλιν ἀπὸ θρήνων ἄρχεται, τὸ μέγεθος τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐνδεικνύμενος καὶ τοὺς τὰ ἀνίατα νοσοῦντας ἐμφαίνων.

5.4 Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ νῦν τολμώμενα ἴδοι τις ἂν παρὰ τῶν κακῶς τῷ πλούτῳ κεχρημένων, οἳ τὰς γειτνιάσεις ἐπινοοῦσιν οὐκ εἰς ἀσφάλειαν, ἀλλ' εἰς ἐπιβουλὴν τῶν πλησίον, καθάπερ πῦρ ὁδῷ βαδίζον, οὕτω τοὺς ἐκ γειτόνων πάντας ἐπινεμόμενοι. Μὴ οἰκήσετε μόνοι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; Ἠκούσθη γὰρ εἰς τὰ ὦτα Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ ταῦτα. ∆είκνυσιν τοίνυν ἀνόνητα κάμνοντας καὶ εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐχ οὕτως αἱ κολάσεις καὶ αἱ τιμωρίαι τοὺς τοιούτους ἀπάγειν εἰώθασιν, ὡς τὸ μαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς ὅτι οὐκ ἀπολαύσονται τῆς ἁρπαγῆς, ταύτην αὐτοῖς ἐπάγει τὴν ἀπειλήν, λέγων ὅτι καμοῦνται μὲν καὶ ταλαιπωρήσουσι καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καρπώσονται, τῆς δὲ ἀπολαύσεως ἐκπεσοῦνται. Οὐκ ἐφησυχάζει γάρ, φησί, τοῖς γινομένοις ὁ ἀκοίμητος ὀφθαλμός. Τὸ δέ Ἠκούσθη νῦν, οὐχ ὡς τότε τῶν πραγμάτων