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for the rich, it sinks their souls, but when it is alienated from its possessors for distribution to the needy, then it becomes their own. And it follows from not being pruned, nor dug, that thorns come up, as on fallow ground. Our Savior said that those who are caught up in the cares of life are the ground that brings forth thorns, which receives the fruit of the word, but chokes it with the thorns. Therefore, in the uncultivated soul, the multitude of cares is great. For this reason he says: Thorns will come up on it, as on fallow ground. 5.148 Observe that above he said: I waited for it to make grapes, but it made thorns; but here he added, And they will come up. For the word indicates a certain magnitude of wickedness and its widespread diffusion through the coming up of the thorns. Then, because the shoots of the vine are wicked, the rain is taken away from it, since it did not use the help from him as it ought. So too, when we do not use for good the opportunities given to us by God, the help from heaven is taken away from us. But if Israel is a vineyard, it remains uncultivated because it does not give its due fruits to the Master, but first beat and stoned and killed the servants who were sent, and later laid hands on the very Son of the Master to murder him. And all these wicked and unjust deeds are called thorns; because they are the shoots of a cursed earth, the clouds rightly receive commandments not to rain upon the vineyard that brings forth such things. Who then are the clouds, and what is the rain? From the natural science concerning clouds, let us try to come to an understanding of what has been said. The cloud, then, is thick air, formed from the moist exhalation from the earth; then, having been raised up by the winds, when it has received from them a considerable accumulation and the weight from the moisture sown in it becomes sufficient, it then releases drops to the earth. And this is the nature of rains, having their beginning from the earth, and through the air being brought back to the earth. Such also were the Prophets, sprung indeed from our common nature, but through purity of soul exalted by the power of the Spirit and instilling drops of fruitful words into good and fruit-bearing souls. Such was Moses, saying: Let my speech be awaited as the rain; and again: As the rain upon the grass and as the snow upon the herb. These heavenly powers, therefore, receive a command not to rain upon the thorn-bearing vineyard, the one that crowned my Master with its own thorns. For this reason there is now a silence of the word of God in that synagogue, and there is no longer a prophet, nor a ruler, nor a leader, but a terrible and cloudless sky, the ancient curse being confirmed upon it, that And the heaven that is over your head shall be brass, and the earth that is under you shall be iron; and again: The Lord shall make the rain of your land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon you, until you are destroyed. For there are no longer the spiritual clouds, and no longer a prophet, the command of the Lord being kept firm. And even if the clouds are said to rain, it is no less the Lord who rains. For there is not (says the Prophet) one who rains like you. And again it is said from the person of God: And I will rain upon one city, and upon another city I will not rain; one part shall be rained upon, and the part on which I will not rain shall be withered, the good God ordaining that the portion of the worse not be rained upon, in order that the shoots of wickedness in it might be withered. He clearly set forth the intention of the word, that he calls Israel a vineyard, concerning which he threatened that the things promised and foretold would come to pass. 5.149 And a man of Judah, a beloved new plant. The name of Jacob was divided into Israel and Judah, first in the time of David, after the death of Saul, the people having been divided between the son of Saul and David, and later in the time of Rehoboam, when Jeroboam

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τοῖς πλουτοῦσι, βυθίζει αὐτῶν τὰς ψυχὰς, ἀλλοτριουμένη δὲ τῶν ἐχόντων εἰς τὴν τῶν δεομένων μετάδοσιν, τότε αὐτῶν οἰκεία γίνεται. Ἀκολουθεῖ δὲ τῷ μὴ τέμνεσθαι, μηδὲ σκάπτεσθαι, τὸ ἀναβαίνειν, ὡς εἰς χέρσον, ἄκανθαν. Τοὺς ἐνεχομένους ταῖς τοῦ βίου μερίμναις ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν ἔφησεν εἶναι γῆν ἀκάνθας ἐκφύουσαν, δεχομένην μὲν τὸν τοῦ λόγου καρπὸν, συμπνί γουσαν δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκανθῶν. Εἰς οὖν τὴν ἀγεώργητον ψυ χὴν πολὺ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν μεριμνῶν. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἀναβήσονται εἰς αὐτὸν, ὡς εἰς χέρσον, ἄκανθαι. 5.148 Τήρει δὲ ὅτι ἄνω μὲν εἶπεν· Ἔμεινα τοῦ ποιῆσαι σταφυλὴν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀκάνθας· ἐνταῦθα δὲ προσέθηκε τὸ Καὶ ἀναβήσονται. Μέγεθος γάρ τι τῆς κακίας καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ πολὺ χύσιν ὁ λόγος ἐμφαίνει διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀκανθῶν ἀναβά σεως. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ πονηρὰ τῆς ἀμπέλου τὰ βλαστήματα, αἴρεται αὐτῆς ὁ ὑετός, ἐπειδήπερ οὐκ εἰς δέον ἐχρήσατο τῇ παρ' αὐτοῦ βοηθείᾳ. Ὥστε καὶ ἡμεῖς ὅταν ταῖς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δεδομέναις ἡμῖν ἀφορμαῖς μὴ εἰς ἀγαθὸν κεχρημένοι ὦμεν, ἀφαιρεῖται ἡμῶν ἡ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ βοήθεια. Εἰ δὲ ἀμ πελὼν ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, ἀγεώργητος μένει διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀποδιδόναι τοὺς ἐπιβάλλοντας αὐτῷ καρποὺς τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, ἀλλὰ πρό τερον μὲν τοὺς ἀπεσταλμένους δούλους δεῖραι καὶ λιθοβο λῆσαι καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὰς χεῖρας εἰς φόνον ἐπιβαλεῖν. Αὐταὶ δὲ πᾶσαι αἱ πονηραὶ καὶ ἄδικοι πράξεις ἄκανθαί εἰσιν ὠνομασμέναι· διὰ τὸ γῆς κατηραμένης εἶναι βλαστήματα, εἰκότως ἐντολὰς λαμβάνουσιν αἱ νεφέλαι τοῦ μὴ βρέχειν ἐπὶ τὸν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐκφέροντα ἀμπελῶνα. Τίνες οὖν αἱ νεφέλαι, καὶ τίς ὁ ὄμβρος; Ἐκ τῆς περὶ νεφῶν φυσιολογίας πειραθῶμεν εἰς ἔννοιαν τῶν εἰ ρημένων ἐλθεῖν. Ἔστι τοίνυν ἡ νεφέλη ἀὴρ παχὺς, ἐκ τῆς ὑγρᾶς κατὰ γῆν ἀναθυμιάσεως συνιστάμενος· εἶτα μετεω ρισθεὶς τοῖς ἀνέμοις, ὅταν λάβῃ παρ' αὐτῶν ἀξιόλογον ἄθροισμα καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἐνεσπαρμένης αὐτῷ νοτίδος βάρος ἱκανὸν ἐγγένηται, τότε σταγόνας εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀφίησι. Καὶ αὕτη τῶν ὄμβρων ἡ φύσις, ἀπὸ γῆς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐχόντων, καὶ δι' ἀέρος πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν φερομένων. Τοιοῦτοι ἦσαν καὶ οἱ Προφῆται, ἐκ μὲν τῆς κοινῆς φύσεως ὡρμημένοι, διὰ δὲ καθαρότητα ψυχῆς τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ Πνεύμα τος ὑπερυψούμενοι καὶ λόγων γονίμων σταγόνας ταῖς ψυχαῖς ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς καὶ καρποφόροις ἐνστάζοντες. Τοιοῦτος ἦν Μω ϋσῆς, λέγων· Προσδοκάσθω ὡς ὑετὸς τὸ ἀπόφθεγμά μου· καὶ πάλιν· Ὡς ὄμβρος ἐπ' ἄγρωστιν καὶ ὡσεὶ νιφετὸς ἐπὶ χόρτον. Αὗται οὖν αἱ οὐράνιοι δυνάμεις ἐντολὴν λαμβάνουσι τοῦ μὴ βρέχειν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀκανθοφόρον ἀμπελῶνα, τὸν ταῖς ἀκάνθαις ταῖς οἰκείαις στεφανώσαντά μου τὸν ∆εσπότην. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο νῦν σιωπή ἐστι παρὰ τῇ συναγωγῇ ἐκείνῃ λόγου Θεοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι προφήτης, οὐδὲ ἄρχων, οὔτε ἡγούμενος, ἀλλ' αἰθρία δεινὴ καὶ ἀνέφελος, τῆς πάλαι κατάρας ἐπ' αὐτῆς βεβαιουμένης, ὅτι Καὶ ἔσται σοι ὁ οὐρανὸς ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς σου χαλκοῦς, καὶ ἡ γῆ ὑποκάτω σου σιδηρᾶ· καὶ πάλιν· ∆ῴη ὁ Κύριος τὸν ὑετὸν τῆς γῆς σου κονιορτὸν καὶ χοῦς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβήσεται ἐπὶ σέ, ἕως ἂν ἐκτρίψῃ σε. Οὐκέτι γὰρ αἱ νεφέλαι αἱ πνευματικαί, καὶ οὐκέτι προφή της, τῆς ἐντολῆς τοῦ Κυρίου βεβαίας φυλαττομένης. Κἂν αἱ νεφέλαι δὲ βρέχειν λέγωνται, οὐδὲν ἧττον ὁ Κύριός ἐστιν ὁ βρέχων. Οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ (φησὶν ὁ Προφήτης) ὑετίζων ὥσπερ σύ. Καὶ πάλιν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ εἴρηται· Καὶ βρέξω ἐπὶ πόλιν μίαν, ἐπὶ δὲ πόλιν μίαν οὐ βρέξω· μερὶς μία βραχήσεται καὶ μερὶς, ἐφ' ἣν οὐ βρέξω, ξηρανθήσεται, οἰκονομοῦντος τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν μερίδα τῶν χειρόνων μὴ βραχῆναι, ὑπὲρ τοῦ ξηρανθῆναι ἐν αὐτῇ τὰ τῆς πονηρίας βλαστήματα. Σαφῶς παρέστησε τὸ βούλημα τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι ἀμπελῶνα τὸν Ἰσραὴλ λέγει, περὶ ὃν γενήσεσθαι τὰ ἐπαγγελθέντα καὶ προειρημένα ἠπείληται. 5.149 Καὶ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Ἰούδα, νεόφυτον ἠγαπημένον. ∆ιῃρέθη ἡ προσηγορία τοῦ Ἰακὼβ εἰς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδαν, πρότερον μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ, μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ Σαοὺλ, μερισθέντος τοῦ λαοῦ εἰς τὸν υἱὸν Σαοὺλ καὶ τὸν ∆αβίδ, ὕστερον δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ῥοβοὰμ, ὅτε Ἱεροβοὰμ