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formerly bearing good fruits, from its drunken violence against Christ remains still fruitless, not being a mother city, not a temple, not having a holy of holies, not a priesthood, not a kingdom; but they serve foreign laws, having fallen from freedom. But the formerly waterless Church of the gentiles, both desolate and 55.671 wandering, is now full of good things, and fills the hungry, and has established the divine commonwealth. For this is a city for habitation, in which is both spiritual food and heavenly bread. He turned rivers into a desert, and water-springs into thirsty ground, a fruitful land into saltness, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it. And this can be seen happening continually among the gentiles who have believed. For in all the Churches throughout the world, with the sacred assembly leading, the whole people hymns the benefactor, recounting the wonders of the divine love for humanity. And those who have obtained salvation hymn him, seeing the strange change. For those who were formerly watered by many prophetic rivers, and offered ripe fruit to God, now do not enjoy even a little moisture, but have become completely desolate of their former watering on account of their own wickedness. He turned a desert into pools of water, and a waterless land into water-springs. But the gentiles, formerly desolate and not having even a small drop, are inundated with the waters of teaching, receiving the spiritual streams beyond their need. Behold, then, how the things concerning the Church are set forth in harmony with Isaiah. For he too says: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the thirsty land springs of water. And there he made the hungry to dwell, and they established cities for habitation. For those formerly wasting away with famine, and in want of spiritual food, he settled by those rivers, and established the pious commonwealth. And they sowed fields, and planted vineyards, and made fruit of the increase. For the heavenly seed, always handed down from the apostles in succession, is sown in the souls of the life of repentance, concerning which the Savior says: A sower went out to sow his seed; and some fell among the thorns, and some on the rock, and some by the wayside, and some on the good and noble ground. And vineyards are also planted, the Churches everywhere on earth, according to, I planted you, a fruitful vine, wholly true; and, A vineyard came to be for my beloved on a horn, in a fertile place. For the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth is the house of Israel, and a man of Judah, a beloved new plant. For just as through these he indicated the synagogue of the Jews, so now the Church of the gentiles. And that the gentiles have produced the fruit of righteousness, the Savior says: The kingdom of God shall be taken from the former people, and shall be given to a nation producing its fruit. And he blessed them, and they were multiplied exceedingly; and their cattle he did not diminish.

5. The prophet has said these things figuratively. And the Lord also used such parables, and sometimes he called the apostles reapers, and sometimes himself a sower and a husbandman, and good ground those who obediently receive the seeds of the word. And the Apostle also says: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase; and again: You are God's husbandry, you are God's building. And so the apostles sowed the saving proclamations, and planted the spiritual paradises for God, and they brought the ripe fruit of righteousness to God. And all those after them entrusted with the teaching, continue to do this same thing. For he who sows in blessings, will also reap in blessings, according to the divine apostle; and he calls cattle those who are pastured by them, whom he himself increased, having supplied the power of miracle-working. And the blessed Luke is a witness in the Acts, saying: And the Lord added to the

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οἰστικὴ πρό τερον οὖσα καρπῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἐκ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν παροι νίας ἄκαρπος ἔτι διατελεῖ, οὐ μητρόπολις οὖσα, οὐχ ἱερὸν, οὐχ ἅγια ἁγίων ἔχουσα, οὐχ ἱερωσύνην, οὐ βασιλείαν· ἐθνικοῖς δὲ δουλεύουσι νόμοις ἐκπεσόντες ἐλευθερίας. Ἡ δὲ πρὶν ἄνυδρος ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησία, ἔρημός τε καὶ 55.671 πλανωμένη, πλήρης νῦν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τοὺς πεινῶντας πληροῖ, καὶ συνεστήσατο τὴν ἔνθεον πολιτείαν. Αὕτη γὰρ πόλις κατοικεσίας, ἐν ᾗ καὶ λογικὴ τροφὴ καὶ ἄρτος οὐράνιος. Ἔθετο ποταμοὺς εἰς ἔρημον, καὶ διεξόδους ὑδάτων εἰς δίψαν, γῆν καρποφόρον εἰς ἅλμην, ἀπὸ κακίας τῶν κατοικούντων ἐν αὐτῇ. Καὶ τοῦτο παρὰ τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἐθνῶν διηνεκῶς γινόμενον ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Ἐν ἁπάσαις γὰρ ταῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην Ἐκκλησίαις, τοῦ ἱεροῦ καθηγουμένου συλλόγου, ἅπας ὁ λαὸς τὸν εὐεργέτην ὑμνεῖ, τῆς θείας φιλανθρωπίας τὰς θαυ ματουργίας διεξιών. Ὑμνοῦσι δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ τῆς σωτηρίας τετυχηκότες, τὴν ξένην ὁρῶντες μεταβολήν. Οἱ γὰρ πά λαι πολλοῖς ἀρδόμενοι προφητικοῖς ποταμοῖς, καὶ καρ πὸν ὥριμον προσφέροντες τῷ Θεῷ, νῦν οὐδὲ νοτίδος μι κρᾶς ἀπολαύουσιν, ἀλλ' ἔρημοι παντελῶς διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν πονηρίαν τῆς προτέρας ἀρδείας γεγένηνται. Ἔθετο ἔρημον εἰς λίμνας ὑδάτων, καὶ γῆν ἄνυδρον εἰς διε ξόδους ὑδάτων. Τὰ δὲ πάλαι ἔρημα ἔθνη καὶ οὐδὲ βραχεῖαν ἐσχηκότα λιβάδα, τοῖς τῆς διδασκαλίας ὕδασι περι κλύζεται, ὑπὲρ τὴν χρείαν τὰ λογικὰ δεχόμενα ῥεύματα. Ἰδοὺ τοίνυν πῶς τὰ περὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας συμφώνως τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ ἐκτίθεται. Φησὶ γὰρ κἀκεῖνος· Θήσω τὴν ἔρημον εἰς ἕλη, καὶ διψῶσαν γῆν εἰς ὑδραγωγούς. Καὶ κατῴκισεν ἐκεῖ πεινῶντας, καὶ συνεστήσαντο πόλεις κατοικεσίας. Τοὺς γὰρ πάλαι λιμῷ τηκομένους, καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς τροφῆς ἐνδεεῖς, ἐν ἐκείνοις κατῴκισε τοῖς ποταμοῖς, καὶ τὴν εὐσεβῆ συνεστήσατο πολιτείαν. Καὶ ἔσπειραν ἀγροὺς, καὶ ἐφύτευσαν ἀμπελῶνας, καὶ ἐποίησαν καρπὸν γεννήματος. Ὁ γὰρ οὐράνιος σπό ρος ἐκ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐκ διαδοχῆς ἀεὶ παραδιδόμενος ἐν ταῖς τοῦ μετανοίας βίου ψυχαῖς κατασπείρεται, περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ Σωτήρ· Ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι τὸν σπόρον αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἃ μὲν ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας, ἃ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, ἃ δὲ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν, ἃ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν καλὴν καὶ ἀγαθὴν γῆν. Φυτεύονται δὲ καὶ ἀμπε λῶνες, αἱ πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς Ἐκκλησίαι, κατὰ τὸ, Ἐγώ σε ἐφύτευσα, ἄμπελον καρποφόρον, πᾶσαν ἀληθι νήν· καὶ, Ἄμπελος ἐγενήθη τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ἐν κέρατι, ἐν τόπῳ πίονι. Ὁ γὰρ ἀμπελὼν Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ ἐστι, καὶ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Ἰούδα, νεόφυτον ἠγαπημένον. Ὡς γὰρ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐδήλου διὰ τούτων συναγωγὴν, οὕτω νῦν τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίαν. Ὅτι δὲ καρπὸν δικαιοσύνης ἐποίησαν τὰ ἔθνη, φησὶν ὁ Σωτήρ· Ἀρθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκ τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ, καὶ δοθήσεται ἔθνει ποιοῦντι τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς. Καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐπληθύν θησαν σφόδρα· καὶ τὰ κτήνη αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐσμίκρυνε.

εʹ. Ταῦτα τροπικῶς εἴρηκεν ὁ προφήτης. Καὶ ὁ Κύριος δὲ παραβολαῖς τοιαύταις ἐχρήσατο, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐκάλεσε θεριστὰς, ποτὲ δὲ ἑαυτὸν σπορέα καὶ γεωργὸν, καὶ γῆν καλὴν τοὺς εὐπειθῶς δεχομένους τοῦ λόγου τὰ σπέρματα. Καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος δέ φησιν· Ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσα, Ἀπολλῶς ἐπότισεν, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ηὔξανε· καὶ πάλιν· Θεοῦ γεώργιόν ἐστε, Θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐστε. Καὶ ἔσπειραν τοίνυν οἱ ἀπόστολοι τὰ σωτήρια κηρύ γματα, καὶ τοὺς λογικοὺς τῷ Θεῷ κατεφύτευσαν παρα δείσους, καὶ τὸν ὥριμον τῆς δικαιοσύνης καρπὸν τῷ Θεῷ προσεκόμισαν. Καὶ ἅπαντες δὲ οἱ μετ' ἐκείνους τὴν διδα σκαλίαν πεπιστευμένοι, ταὐτὸ τοῦτο δρῶντες διατελοῦ σιν. Ὁ γὰρ σπείρων ἐπ' εὐλογίαις, ἐπ' εὐλογίαις καὶ θερίσει, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον· κτήνη δὲ καλεῖ τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτῶν νεμομένους, οὓς αὐτὸς ηὔξησε, τῆς θαυμα τουργίας χορηγήσας τὴν δύναμιν. Καὶ μάρτυς ὁ μακά ριος Λουκᾶς ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι λέγων· Ὁ δὲ Κύριος προσ ετίθει τοὺς