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by barrenness; this is interpreted as a thought. Therefore, their thoughts, called plains because of their multitude, will mourn when their impiety is revealed as unprofitable. The vine of Sebama will also mourn. For each nation has a vine. For their vine is from the vine of Sodom. And he killed their vine with hail, says Moses concerning the Egyptians. There is also a vine that the Lord planted. For I will sing, he says, to my beloved a song of the beloved for the vineyard. And the Lord says that the vineyard of the kingdom, taken from those who do not produce fruits, is given to a nation that produces its fruits, signifying the law and the prophets, according to which they did not live, the meanings of which are given to the nations who produce fruits through their way of life. This vine is the word of truth; but that of the Egyptians is of falsehood, given to them for cultivation by the world-ruler of this darkness; and that of Sodom is of an impure life and deeds, which the evil one hired them to cultivate. From which the Scribes and Pharisees, having taken the seeds, were cut off from Him who says, "I am the true vine," having the branch of Gomorrah. Therefore they also cultivate a grape of gall and a cluster of bitterness. And their wine is the venom of dragons and the incurable venom of asps. The vine of Sebama (which is interpreted as "conversion") signifies a word fashioned for piety. For they fashion an upright life, leading many into their own perversion, seeming to do and advise good things. Their doctrines and life, a vine of Sebama having nothing genuine, cultivated by Moabites, which produces its own many offspring, is said to 2117 swallow the nations, the untrained, by its dialectical power, through which it conquers by swallowing. Against those who swallow, the word says to trample upon such words. For the study of this does not allow you leisure to be joined to Jazer, which is interpreted as strength, which, being spiritual, one will not receive unless he tramples the vines of Sebama, forgetting his own desolation, and he leaves it, dwelling in better places. Then he says: The messengers were abandoned. For a false apostle is abandoned by God. By whom he says not to be deceived, as if they had strength in their affairs. For they are without help from God, as not having crossed the sea and fleeing temptations. For such is the saying, "I have come into the depths of the sea." For the athlete goes against these, not yielding himself to gentile doctrines, wishing to profit from persecutions through the pleasures of the flesh. For this reason, I will weep, he says, with the weeping of Jazer, with which the mighty according to God weep, groaning over their sojourning in this life, and longing and fainting for the courts of the Lord; and lest perhaps, as strength is lamented when it withers from disease, so also the vine of Sebama, having withered and being about to be given over to fire. Then he says to the Moabitess that Heshbon and Elealeh cast down her trees. And Heshbon is interpreted, thoughts; but Elealeh, ascent of God. For the foreign vine, and the plant which the heavenly Father did not plant, is cast down, being heterodox opinions, by right thoughts and by the ascent to God which exalts us through good works. For blessed is he whose help is from you, your ascents are in his heart. After which he says, "Upon your harvest and upon your vintage I will trample," reasonably so; for the grain which he harvests, and the wine which he gathers, are contrary to the bread which strengthens man's heart, and the wine which gladdens man's heart. Therefore it is trampled by God, who prevents it from becoming food or drink to those who are ignorant out of lack of discernment. And gladness and joy will be taken away from the vineyards. For the kingdom of God was taken away from Israel, and was given to a nation producing its fruits. And the illusion of this falsely named knowledge, which instills a joy that is not real into those who are caught, is taken away by God who helps those who are deceived by it. And you might call the winepresses the souls that receive wicked teaching. But the belly of the

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ἀφορίᾳ· τοῦτο δὲ διαλογισμὸς ἑρμηνεύεται. Τούτων οὖν οἱ διαλογισμοὶ, πεδία λεχθέντες διὰ τὸ πλῆθος, πενθήσουσιν ἀνονήτου τῆς αὐτῶν ἀσεβείας φανησομένης. Πενθήσει καὶ ἡ ἄμπελος Σεβαμά. Ἑκάστου γὰρ ἔθνους ἐστί τις ἄμπελος. Ἐκ γὰρ ἀμπέλου Σοδόμων ἡ ἄμπελος αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν ἐν χαλάζῃ τὴν ἄμπελον αὐτῶν, περὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ὁ Μωσῆς. Ἔστι καὶ ἄμπελος ἣν ἐφύτευσε Κύριος. Ἄσω γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ᾆσμα τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ τῷ ἀμπελῶνι. Καὶ τῆς βασιλείας δὲ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα, φησὶν ὁ Κύριος, ἀπὸ τῶν μὴ ποιούντων ἀρθέντα καρποὺς ἔθνει δοθῆναι ποιοῦντι τοὺς ταύτης καρποὺς, δηλῶν τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας, καθ' οὓς οὐκ ἐπολιτεύοντο, ὧν τὰ νοήματα δοθῆναι ἔθνη διὰ πολιτείας ποιοῦντι καρπούς. Αὐτὴ λόγος ἀληθείας ἡ ἄμπελος· ἡ δὲ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τοῦ ψεύδους πρὸς γεωργίαν αὐτοῖς παρὰ τοῦ κοσμοκράτορος δοθεῖσα τοῦ σκότους τούτου· ἡ δὲ Σοδόμων ἀκαθάρτου βίου καὶ πράξεων, ἂς δὴ γεωργεῖν ὁ πονηρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐμισθώσατο. Ἐξ ὧν λαβόντες Γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι τὰ σπέρματα, τοῦ λέγοντος ἐξετμήθησαν, Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινὴ, Γομόῤῥας ἔχοντες κληματίδα. ∆ιὸ καὶ γεωργοῦσι σταφυλὴν χολῆς καὶ βότρυν πικρίας. Ὁ δὲ οἶνος αὐτῶν θυμὸς δρακόντων καὶ ἀσπίδων ἀνίατος. Ἡ σεβαμὰ δὲ ἄμπελος (ἐπιστροφὴ δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται) λόγον ἐσχηματισμένον δηλοῖ πρὸς εὐλάβειαν. Σχηματίζονται γὰρ βίον ὀρθὸν, ὑπαγόμενοι πολλοὺς εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν διαστροφὴν, χρηστὰ πράττειν δοκοῦντες καὶ παραινεῖν. Ὧν τὰ δόγματα καὶ βίος ἄμπελος σεβαμὰ γνήσιον ἔχοντα μηδὲ ἐν ὑπὸ Μωαβιτῶν γεωργουμένη, ἡ τὰ ἴδια πολλὰ ποιοῦσα γεννήματα κατα 2117 πίνειν τὰ ἔθνη λέγεται διαλεκτικῇ δυνάμει τοὺς ἀγυμνάστους, δι' ὧν νικᾷ καταπίνουσα. Πρὸς οὓς καταπίνοντας ὁ λόγος φησὶ τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους καταπατεῖν. Ἡ γὰρ περὶ τούτου σχολὴ σχολάζειν ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἐᾷ [καὶ] συναφθῆναι πρὸς Ἰαζὴρ, τὴν ἑρμηνευομένην ἰσχὺς, ἣν οὖσαν πνευματικὴν οὐχ ὑποδέξεταί τις, ἐὰν μὴ τὰς ἀμπέλους καταπατήσῃ τῆς Σεβαμὰ τῆς ἰδίας ἐρημίας ἐπιλαθόμενος, καταλείπει δὲ ταύτην κρείττοσι χωρίοις ἐνδιαιτώμενος. Εἶτά φησιν· Οἱ ἀπεσταλμένοι ἐγκατελείφθησαν. Ψευδὴς γὰρ ἀπόστολος ὑπὸ Θεοῦ καταλείπεται. Ὑφ' ὧν μὴ ἀπατᾶσθαί φησιν, ὡς ἰσχὺν ἐχόντων τοῖς πράγμασιν. Ἀβοήθητοι γάρ εἰσιν ἐκ Θεοῦ, ὡς μὴ διαβεβηκότες τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τοὺς πειρασμοὺς περιφεύγοντες. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τὸ, "Ἦλθον εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς θαλάσσης." Ὁ γὰρ ἀθλητὴς ὁμόσε τούτοις χωρεῖ, μὴ συγκαθιεὶς ἑαυτὸν δόγμασιν ἐθνικοῖς, διὰ σαρκὸς ἡδονὰς κερδᾶναι θέλων τοὺς διωγμούς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, Κλαύσομαι, φησὶν, ὡς τὸν κλαυθμὸν Ἰαζὴρ, ὃν οἱ κατὰ Θεὸν κλαίουσι δυνατοὶ τὴν τοῦ βίου παροικίαν στενάζοντες, ποθοῦντες δὲ καὶ ἐκλείποντες εἰς τὰς αὐλὰς τοῦ Κυρίου· μήποτε δὲ καὶ ὡς ἰσχὺς κλαίεται μαρανθεῖσα νοσήματι, οὕτω καὶ ἄμπελος Σεβαμὰ μαρανθεῖσά τε καὶ μέλλουσα πυρὶ παραδίδοσθαι. Εἶτά φησι πρὸς τὴν Μωαβῖτιν, ὡς τὰ ταύτης δένδρα κατέβαλεν ἡ Ἐσεβὼν καὶ Ἐλεαλή. Ἑρμηνεύεταιδὲ ἡ μὲν Ἐσεβὼν, λογισμοί· ἡ δὲ Ἐλεαλὴ, Θεοῦ διάβασις. Ἡ γὰρ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀλλοτρία, καὶ ἡ φυτεία, ἢν οὐκ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ Πατὴρ ὁ οὐράνιος, καταβάλλεται, ἑτεροδόξων ὄντα φρονήματα ὑπὸ λογισμῶν ὀρθῶν καὶ τῆς ἀνόδου τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν δι' ἀγαθῶν ἔργων ὑψούσης ἡμᾶς. Μακάριος γὰρ οὗ ἐστιν ἀντίληψις αὐτοῦ παρὰ σοῦ, ἀναβάσεις σου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Μεθ' ἅ φησιν, Ἐπὶ τῷ θερισμῷ σου καὶ τῷ τρυγητῷ σου καταπατήσω, εἰκότως· ὃν γὰρ θερίζει σῖτον, καὶ ὃν τρυγᾷ οἶνον, ἐναντίως ἔχουσι τῷ ἄρτῳ τῷ στηρίζοντι καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου, καὶ οἴνῳ τῷ εὐφραίνοντι καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου. ∆ιὸ πατεῖται παρὰ Θεοῦ τροφὴν ἢ ποτὸν γενέσθαι τοῖς ἐξ ἀδιακρισίας ἀγνοοῦσι κωλύοντος. Καὶ ἀρθήσεται εὐφροσύνη καὶ ἀγαλλίαμα ἐκ τῶν ἀμπέλων. Ἀφῃρέθη γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐδόθη ἔθνει ποιοῦντι τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς. Καὶ ἡ τῆσδε ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως φαντασία τὴν μὴ οὖσαν εὐφροσύνην ἀληθῆ τοῖς ἁλοῦσιν ἐμβάλλουσα, παραιρεῖται παρὰ Θεοῦ βοηθοῦντος τοῖς ἐκ ταύτης ἀπατωμένοις. Εἴποις δ' ἂν ὑπολήνια, τὰς δεχομένας τὴν μοχθηρὰν διδασκαλίαν ψυχάς. Ἡ δὲ κοιλία τοῦ