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some to seek where among the prophets it is said: “They shall look upon him whom they pierced,” as it is found nowhere in the published texts of the Old Testament. 4.256 He plausibly believes the lamentation to be for a beloved one and the grief for a firstborn on the part of those who killed the Lord, since grievous things came upon them for having killed Jesus, who was the firstborn and beloved Son. 4.257 It has often been observed that “beloved” signifies two things, both the one worthy of being loved and the Only-begotten Son. And both apply to Jesus Christ, being the Son of love, that is, of God, about whom it is written: “God is love,” but also only-begotten, for he is the only Son, only-begotten from the Father, and from the holy virgin Mary. 4.258 Zach. XII, 11-14: On that day the lamentation in Jerusalem will be great, like the lamentation for a pomegranate grove being cut down in a plain, and the land shall mourn, tribe by tribe, each tribe by itself and their women by themselves; the tribe of the house of David by itself and their women by themselves; the tribe of the house of Nathan by itself and their women by themselves; the tribe of the house of Levi by itself and their women by themselves; the tribe of Shimei by itself and their women by themselves; all the remaining tribes, each tribe by itself and their women by themselves. 4.259 The trees named allegorically in scripture, being possessed of free will, at one time bear good fruit by choice, and at another time, poisonous and harmful fruit. Indeed, the Israelite people, planted by God as “a fruitful vine, all true,” has become “a vine of bitterness turned wild,” so as to have become worthy of being cut down, since it produced “a grape of gall and a cluster of bitterness,” according to what is written: “Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 4.260 Just as, then, the vine that bears good fruit changed to bearing the worst fruits, so also the pomegranate plants, having become wicked from being good, underwent lamentation upon being cut down, as the present text shows. Indeed, it is said of cultivated plants bearing edible fruit in the Song of Songs by Christ the bridegroom: “I went down to look at the growth of the valley, to see if the vine had blossomed, if the pomegranates had budded.” 4.261 For having gone down into the trial of life, called a torrent according to the spiritual sense, he saw the vine and the pomegranates having the beginning of fruitfulness, which is signified by the blossom. After the blossoming, when the perfect fruit was shown, the bride of the Word, the Church adorned for him as a bride, had a desire to be filled with the drink which the bridegroom provides. Therefore she says to him: “You will make me drink of spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranates.” The juice of the pomegranates not only quenches thirst, but also, being offered as a help, it improves the one who partakes. 4.262 The fruit of this plant, lying under the rind, being densely packed rhythmically and harmoniously, has a great and ordered composition, so that the bridegroom says to his partner: “Your cheek is like a piece of a pomegranate, O bride,” there being shown in you the red of modesty and the fruit under the rind having great order and composition. 4.263 The trees thus interpreted, having turned aside through their own negligence, are cut down, with “the axe laid to their root,” similarly to the vines not bearing praiseworthy and beneficial fruit, as the Savior said: “Every branch that does not abide in me is cut off and thrown into the fire.” 4.264 And the lamentation for the pomegranate grove will not be great elsewhere than in a plain when it is cut down. This loss having occurred, the tribes of the land will mourn with wailing and lamentation over the change to wickedness of the pomegranate plants. 4.265 The lamentation must be understood homonymously, with the trees undergoing it by being cut from their own roots, while the tribes of the land mourn in another way, bringing their hands against their breasts with a blow. 4.266 The word commands this to be done, when they have been separated

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τινας ζητεῖν ποῦ τῶν προφητῶν εἴρηται τό· «Ὄψονται εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν», οὐδαμοῦ τῶν δημοσιευομένων τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης εὑρισκομένου. 4.256 Πιθανῶς πιστ̣εύει ἐπ' ἀγαπητῷ τὸν κοπετὸν καὶ ἐπὶ πρωτοτόκῳ τὴν ὀδύνην εἶναι τῶν κυριοκτονησάντων, ἐπείπερ ἐπῆλθεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἀνιαρὰ ἀποκτείνασι τὸν Ἰησοῦν, πρωτότοκον Υἱὸν ὄντα καὶ ἀγαπητόν. 4.257 Τεθεώρηται πολλάκις ὡς δύο σημαίνει τὸ ἀγαπητός, τόν τε ἄξιον τοῦ ἀγαπᾶσθαι καὶ τὸν Μονογενῆ Υἱόν. Ὑπάρχει δὲ καὶ ἀμφότερα Ἰησοῦ τῷ Χριστῷ, Υἱῷ ἀγάπης ὄντι, δηλαδὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ, περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· «Ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν», ἀλλὰ καὶ μονογενεῖ, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς γὰρ μόνος Υἱὸς μονογενής ἐστιν καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου Μαρίας. 4.258 Zach. XII, 11-14: Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ μεγαλυνθήσεται ὁ κοπετὸς ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ ὡς κοπετὸς ῥοῶνος ἐν πεδίῳ ἐκκοπτομένου, καὶ κόψεται ἡ γῆ κατὰ φυλὰς φυλάς, φυλὴ καθ' ἑαυτὴν καὶ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καθ' ἑαυτάς, φυλὴ οἴκου ∆αυὶδ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καθ' ἑαυτάς, φυλὴ οἴκου Νάθαν καθ' ἑαυτὴν καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καθ' ἑαυτάς, φυλὴ οἴκου Λευὶ καθ' ἑαυτὴν καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καθ' ἑαυτάς, φυλὴ τοῦ Συμεὼν καθ' ἑαυτὴν καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καθ' ἑαυτάς, πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ αἱ ὑπολελειμμέναι φυλὴ καθ' ἑαυτὴν καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καθ' ἑαυτάς. 4.259 Τὰ κατ' ἀλληγορίαν δένδρα ὀνομαζόμενα ἐν τῇ γραφῇ αὐτεξούσια ὄντα, ὁτὲ μὲν ἀγαθὸν καρπὸν φέρει προαιρετικῶς, ὁτὲ δὲ δηλητήριον καὶ βλαβερόν. Ἀμέλει γοῦν ὁ Ἰσραηλιτικὸς λαός, φυτευθεὶς ὑπὸ Θεοῦ «ἄμπελος καρποφόρος πᾶσα ἀληθινή, στραφεὶς ἄμπελος πικρίας» γέγονεν, ὡς λοιπὸν ἐκκοπῆς ἄξιος γεγονέναι, ἐπείπερ «σταφυλὴν χολῆς καὶ βότρυν πικρίας» ἤγαγεν, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· «Πᾶν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καλὸν καρπὸν ἐκκόπτεται καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται.» 4.260 Ὥσπερ τοίνυν ἡ καλῶν καρπῶν οἰστικὴ ἄμπελος μετέβαλεν εἰς τὸ χειρίστους καρποὺς φέρειν, οὕτως τὰ τῆς ῥοιᾶς φυτὰ ἐξ ἀγαθῶν πονηρὰ γεγενημένα κοπετὸν ὑπέστησαν ἐκκοπτόμενα, ὡς ἡ παροῦσα λέξις φανεροῖ. Λέγεται γοῦν περὶ φυτῶν ἡμέρων καρπὸν ἐδώδιμον φερόντων ἐν τῷ Ἄισματι τῶν Ἀισμάτων ὑπὸ τοῦ νυμφίου Χριστοῦ· «Κατέβην ἰδεῖν ἐν γενήματι τοῦ χειμάρρου, ἰδεῖν εἰ ἤνθησεν ἡ ἄμπελος, εἰ ἤνθησαν αἱ ῥοιαί.» 4.261 Καταβὰς γὰρ εἰς τὸν πειρασμὸν τοῦ βίου, χείμαρρον κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν ὀνομαζόμενον, εἶδεν τὴν ἄμπελον καὶ τὰς ῥοιὰς ἀρχὴν καρποφορίας ἐχούσας, ἣ διὰ τοῦ ἄνθους σημαίνεται. Μετὰ τὴν ἄνθην, τελείου καρποῦ ἀποδειχθέντος, πόθον ἔσχεν ἡ τοῦ Λόγου νύμφη, ἡ νυμφοστοληθεῖσα αὐτῷ Ἐκκλησία, ἐμφορηθῆναι οὗ παρέχει ὁ νυμφίος πώματος. ∆ιό φησιν αὐτῷ· «Ποτιεῖς με ἀπὸ οἴνου τοῦ μυρεψικοῦ, ἀπὸ νάματος ῥοῶν μου.» Τὸ τῶν ῥοῶν νᾶμα οὐ μόνον δίψος θεραπεύει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς βοήθημα προσφερόμενον βελτιοῖ τὸν μεταλαμβάνοντα. 4.262 Ὁ καρπὸς τούτου τοῦ φυτοῦ, ὑπὸ τὸ λέπος κείμενος, πολλὴν σύνθεσιν τεταγμένην ἔχει εὐρύθμως καὶ κατὰ ἁρμονίαν πεπυκνωμένος, ὡς τὸν νυμφίον φάναι πρὸς τὴν σύνοικον· «Ὡς λέπυρον ῥόας μῆλόν σου, νύμφη», ἐμφαινομένου ἐν σοὶ τοῦ ἐξ αἰδοῦς ἐρυθροῦ καὶ τοῦ ὑπὸ τὸ λέπος καρποῦ πολλὴν τάξιν καὶ σύνθεσιν ἔχοντος. 4.263 Τὰ οὕτως ἑρμηνευθέντα δένδρα τραπέντα ῥᾳθυμίᾳ τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἐκκόπτεται, κειμένης «τῆς ἀξίνης πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν αὐτῶν», παραπλησίως ταῖς ἀμπέλοις ταῖς καρπὸν μὴ φερούσαις ἐπαινετόν τε καὶ ὠφέλιμον, ὡς τὸν Σωτῆρα εἰπεῖν· «Πᾶν κλῆμα μὴ μένον ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐκκόπτεται καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται.» 4.264 Οὐκ ἀλλαχόθι δὲ μεγαλυνθήσεται ὁ κοπετὸς τοῦ ῥοῶνος ἢ ἐν πεδίῳ ἐκκοπτομένου. Ὑπάρξαντος τούτου τοῦ ἐπιζημίου, κόψονται αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς μετὰ θρήνου καὶ ὀλοφυρμοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ εἰς κακίαν μεταβολῇ τῶν ῥοΐνων φυτῶν. 4.265 Ὁμωνύμως δὲ λημπτέον τὸν κοπετόν, ὑφισταμένων αὐτὸν τῶν δένδρων ἐκτμηθέντων τῶν ἰδίων ῥιζῶν, τῶν φυλῶν τῆς γῆς ἑτέρως κοπτομένων, κατὰ τοῦ στήθους τὰς χεῖρας μετὰ πληγῆς φερουσῶν. 4.266 Πράττεσθαι τοῦτο προστάττει ὁ λόγος, ἀποσχοινισθεισῶν