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the common notions and those sown by the creator, having a beautiful house, when, erring from the truth, they introduce things alien to divine teaching from external deceit, as it were, joining a worse house to a beautiful house. And so much for the discourse about the house. 5.153 But since the Saint is not only God's building, but also God's field, as the blessed Paul says, and the same soul is founded as a house, and rooted as a plant (For he says, "rooted and grounded in love"), let us now discuss the joining concerning the field, which those who do wickedly and mistakenly become liable to the impending condemnation. Therefore, let us examine together whatever has been said about farming, as it is akin to the preceding matters. There is, then, a fine planting, that according to Solomon, who says, "I planted a vineyard for myself, I made gardens and parks for myself, and I planted in them every kind of fruit tree." But there is a certain planting, which the heavenly Father did not plant, which is also uprooted according to the threat of the Lord. And this planting has its vine from the plant of Sodom, and its branch from Gomorrah, and it cultivates a grape of gall, and bears a cluster of bitterness for its owners; "Their wine is the fury of dragons, and the incurable fury of asps." He, therefore, who has planted his own governing principle with all spiritual fruitfulness, and has imposed the things from the evil farmer upon those things naturally rooted in it by the Creator for the display of the fruits of righteousness, this is the one who is pronounced wretched by the word because of the forbidden joining of field to field. For this reason it also threatens him with barrenness, as one who will not produce displays of fruits corresponding to the teaching concerning him. For where ten yoke of oxen work, it will produce one jar. The literal text speaks of the local custom of those in Phoenicia plowing the vineyard with oxen; but the meaning points to the waverers and those who touch upon contrary doctrines and join them to one another; whose souls are fruitless. 5.154 Woe to those who rise early in the morning and pursue strong drink, who stay up late; for wine will burn them up. For with lyre and harp and tambourine and flute they drink wine; but they do not look upon the works of the Lord, and they do not perceive the works of His hands. This present part of the prophecy contains the explanation of the apostolic word; for there he says, "Drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God;" but here, "Woe to those who rise early in the morning and pursue strong drink." For "sikera" is the customary Hebrew name for any drink able to cause drunkenness. Those, therefore, who right at the beginning of the day, according to the Proverb, give their eyes to the cups and the bowls, and look around for where drinking parties are happening, frequenting wine-shops and taverns, and taking one another to drinking parties, and consuming all the soul's care on the thought of such things. These are lamented by the Prophet. Who give themselves no time for the contemplation of the wonders of God, nor do they give their eyes leisure to look up to heaven and the beauties in it, so that from their arrangement they might perceive the author of creation; but also adorning their own banquet with varied tapestries and floral curtains, they display a certain excessive zeal and care in the preparation of drinking cups, devising coolers and rhytons and bowls and ivy-cups, and mixing bowls and such names and shapes for the preparation of drunkenness, so that the variety of vessels might steal away their satiety, and the changing and switching of the drinking cups might afford them sufficient pastime for drinking. Then toasting one another and setting up a contest over drinking, what excess of shame do they leave behind? The defeated, the victorious, all

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τὰς κοινὰς ἐννοίας καὶ ἐνεσπαρ μένοις ὑπὸ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ, καλὴν ἔχοντες οἰκίαν, ὅταν σφαλλόμενοι τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλότρια τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας ἐκ τῆς ἔξωθεν ἀπάτης ἐπεισάγωσιν, οἷον οἰκίᾳ καλῇ συν άπτουσιν οἰκίαν τὴν χείρονα. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τὸν περὶ τῆς οἰκίας λόγον. 5.153 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ Ἅγιος οὐ μόνον Θεοῦ ἐστιν οἰκοδομὴ, ἀλλὰ καὶ Θεοῦ γεώργιον, ὡς ὁ μακάριος Παῦλός φησι, καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ ψυχὴ τεθεμελίωται ὡς οἰκία, καὶ ἐῤῥίζωται ὡς φυτόν (Ἐν ἀγάπῃ γὰρ (φησὶν) ἐῤῥιζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιω μένοι) φέρε καὶ περὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν ἀγρὸν προσεγγισμοῦ διαλάβωμεν, ὃν οἱ φαύλως ποιοῦντες καὶ ἐσφαλμένως, τῇ ἐγκειμένῃ κατακρίσει ὑπόδικοι γίνονται. Ὅσα οὖν περὶ γεωργίας εἴρηται, ὡς συγγενῆ τοῖς προκειμένοις, συνεξε τάσωμεν. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν ἀστεία φυτεία, ἡ κατὰ τὸν Σολο μῶντα, λέγοντα. Ἐφύτευσά μοι ἀμπελῶνα, ἐποίησά μοι κή πους καὶ παραδείσους, καὶ ἐφύτευσα ἐν αὐτοῖς ξύλον πᾶν καρποῦ. Ἔστι δέ τις φυτεία, ἣν οὐκ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ οὐράνιος Πατὴρ, ἥτις καὶ ἐκριζοῦται κατὰ, τὴν ἀπειλὴν τοῦ Κυρίου. Αὕτη δὲ ἡ φυτεία ἐκ φυτοῦ Σοδόμων τὴν ἄμπελον ἔχει, καὶ τὴν κληματίδα ἐκ Γομόῤῥας, καὶ σταφυλὴν χολῆς γεωργεῖ, καὶ βότρυν πικρίας φέρει τοῖς κεκτημένοις· Θυμὸς δρακόντων ὁ οἶνος αὐτῶν, καὶ θυμὸς ἀσπίδων ἀνίατος. Ὁ οὖν καταφυτεύσας τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἡγεμονικὸν πάσῃ καρποφο ρίᾳ πνευματικῇ, καὶ τοῖς ἐκ φύσεως ἐῤῥιζωθεῖσιν αὐτῷ πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν καρπῶν δικαιοσύνης παρὰ τοῦ Κτίσαντος ἐπιβα λὼν τὰ ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ γεωργοῦ, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ διὰ τὸν ἀπηγορευμένον προσεγγισμὸν ἀγροῦ πρὸς ἀγρὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου ταλανιζόμενος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀπειλεῖ αὐτῷ τὴν ἀφορίαν, ὡς μὴ ἐξοίσοντος ἀναλογοῦντα τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ τῇ περὶ αὐτὸν τὰ τῶν καρπῶν ἐπιδείγματα. Οὗ γὰρ ἐργῶνται δέκα ζεύγη βοῶν, ποιήσει κεράμιον ἕν. Ἡ μὲν λέξις τὴν ἐγχώριον συνήθειαν λέγει τῶν κατὰ τὴν Φοινίκην διὰ βοῶν ἀροτριώντων τὴν ἄμπελον· ὁ δὲ λόγος ἐνδείκνυται περὶ τῶν ἐπαμφοτεριστῶν καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων δογμάτων ἐφαπτομέ νων καὶ συναπτόντων πρὸς ἄλληλα· ὧν ἄκαρποί εἰσιν αἱ ψυχαί. 5.154 Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐγειρόμενοι τὸ πρωῒ καὶ τὸ σίκερα διώ κοντες, οἱ μένοντες τὸ ὀψέ· ὁ γὰρ οἶνος αὐτοὺς συγκαύσει. Μετὰ γὰρ κιθάρας καὶ ψαλτηρίου καὶ τυμπάνων καὶ αὐλῶν τὸν οἶνον πίνουσι· τὰ δὲ ἔργα Κυρίου οὐκ ἐμβλέ πουσι, καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ οὐ κατανοοῦσι. Τῆς ἀποστολικῆς λέξεως τὴν ἐξήγησιν τὸ παρὸν τοῦτο μέ ρος τῆς προφητείας περιέχει· ἐκεῖ μὲν γάρ φησι· Μέθυσοι βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν· ἐνταῦθα δέ· Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐγειρόμενοι τὸ πρωῒ καὶ τὸ σίκερα διώκοντες. Σίκερα γὰρ πᾶν τὸ δυνάμενον μέθην ἐμποιῆσαι πόμα, τοῖς Ἑβραίοις ὀνομάζειν σύνηθες. Οἱ οὖν εὐθὺς ἀρχομένης τῆς ἡμέρας, κατὰ τὴν Παροιμίαν, ἐπὶ τὰ ποτήρια καὶ τὰς φιάλας δι δόντες ἑαυτῶν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ περισκοποῦντες ποῦ πότοι γίνονται, οἰνοπωλεῖα καὶ καπηλεῖα περιαθροῦντες, καὶ ἀλλήλους ἐπὶ τὰ συμπόσια παραλαμβάνοντες, καὶ πᾶσαν τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν μέριμναν περὶ τὴν τῶν τοιούτων φροντίδα καταναλίσκοντες. Οὗτοι ὑπὸ τοῦ Προφήτου καταθρη νοῦνται. Οἳ καιρὸν μὲν οὐδένα ἑαυτοῖς πρὸς τὴν τῶν θαυμασίων τοῦ Θεοῦ κατανόησιν παρέχουσιν, οὐδὲ διδόασι σχολὴν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀνανεῦσαι πρὸς οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ κάλλη, ὥστε ἐκ τῆς τούτων διακοσμήσεως τὸν γενεσιουργὸν ἐν νοεῖν· ἀλλὰ καὶ κοσμοῦντες ἑαυτῶν τὸ συμπόσιον τάπησι ποικίλοις καὶ ἀνθινοῖς παραπετάσμασι, περιττὴν δέ τινα σπουδὴν καὶ ἐπιμέλειαν εἰς τὴν τῶν ἐκπωμάτων παρασκευὴν ἐπιδείκνυνται, ψυκτῆρας καὶ ῥυτὰ καὶ φιάλας καὶ κισσύ βιον, καὶ κρατῆρας καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ὀνόματά τε καὶ σχή ματα τῇ παρασκευῇ τῆς μέθης ἐπινοοῦντες, ὡς ἂν τὸ τῶν ἀγγείων διάφορον τὸν κόρον αὐτοῖς ὑποκλέπτοι, καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐκπωμάτων ὑπαλλαγὴ καὶ μετάβασις ἱκανὴν αὐτοῖς εἰς τὸ πίνειν διατριβὴν ἐμποιῇ. Εἶτα ἀντιπροπίνοντες ἀλλήλοις καὶ εἰς τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πίνειν ἅμιλλαν καθιστάντες, τίνα ὑπερ βολὴν εἰς αἰσχύνην καταλείπουσιν; Οἱ ἡττώμενοι, οἱ νι κῶντες, πάντες