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“and not righteousness, but a cry”; wherefore also by removing “his hedge” and taking down “the wall,” he testifies that he will make the vineyard “a wasteland,” and will hand it over to the enemies, who he says will enter “there” “with arrow and bow,” those who have received authority from God, who handed them over not without judgment but quite rightly, in justice, because indeed “all their land” has become “wasteland and thorn.” 7.1.82 For this reason, then, since they made themselves a wasteland and thorn, “they will enter,” he says, “there” “with arrow and bow,” those who have received authority over them. But do not marvel if these things have been rendered obscurely and in riddles. 7.1.83 For the reason for such a management of the word has already been stated before, it being his will to conceal the final destruction of the Jewish nation, so that the scripture might be preserved among them for the betterment and benefit of us Gentiles. 7.1.84 If, then, the prophecies had openly proclaimed destruction for them but good things for the Gentiles, none of the circumcision would have been zealous for them, but as they were contrary and hostile to them, they would have destroyed them, and it would no longer have been possible for us from the Gentiles to use the testimonies of the prophets concerning our savior and concerning ourselves. 7.1.85 But since so many things were to happen to the Jewish nation in the day of Emmanuel, according to the other interpretation, it is said that “the one left” from them will be a rare one, about whom the apostle says: “a remnant has come into being according to the election of grace,” who indeed “shall nourish a young cow and two sheep, and from making much milk he will eat butter and honey.” And such, according to the second rendering, was shown to us to be the whole apostolic choir of the disciples of our savior Jesus Christ. 7.1.86 And just as this “one left” is prophesied to be of such a kind, so also, with the entire land of the Jewish nation and their vineyard having been changed into a wasteland and a thorn and for these reasons handed over to the enemies, conversely, on the other side, it is prophesied that “every mountain that is plowed shall be plowed.” And I think that the church of our savior Jesus Christ is thus alluded to, concerning which he himself also says: “A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.” For I think that the lofty, elevated, and high-flying mountain of the church's way of life is proclaimed through these things. 7.1.87 This, then, he says, “the mountain that is plowed shall be plowed,” so that “fear may not come there,” but also that it will be so transformed from its former desolation and wasteland and thorn, as to become suitable “for the grazing of sheep and the treading of oxen.” 7.1.88 And it is possible to reflect on how the church of Christ, which was formerly a wasteland and a thorn, through his grace has advanced to such a transformation, that it has caused grass and suitable herbage of rational fruitfulness to sprout to such an extent, that even the sheep-like and more simple are able to enjoy it, and those who have advanced to a more perfect state to plow and cultivate it, being called oxen. Just as, therefore, we presented the divine apostle instructing when he said: “Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Or does he say it entirely for our sake? For it was written for our sake, that the one who plows ought to plow in hope and the one who threshes in hope of sharing,” 7.1.89 so the formerly desolate and waste land has been transformed after the coming of Christ, so as to be suitable for appropriate cultivation even by oxen so understood. But observe in what manner under one and the same thought a birth from a virgin is prophesied, and at the same time the word says that the formerly fruitful land, which was before “of a thousand shekels, will become a wasteland and a thorn,” and all their land, because it has become “a thorn and a wasteland,” will be handed over to those “with arrow and bow,” but that “every mountain” will experience the contrary; at least from its former wasteland and thorn

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«καὶ οὐ δικαιοσύνην, ἀλλὰ κραυγήν»· διὸ καὶ ἀφαιρῶν «τὸν φραγμὸν αὐτοῦ» καὶ καθαιρῶν «τὸν τοῖχον», «εἰς χέρσον» καταστήσειν τὸν ἀμπελῶνα μαρτύρεται, καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς παραδώσειν αὐτόν, οὓς «μετὰ βέλους καὶ τοξεύματος» εἰσελεύσεσθαι, φησίν, «ἐκεῖ», τοὺς τὴν ἐξουσίαν εἰληφότας ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦ παραδόντος αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἀκρίτως ἀλλ' εὖ μάλα ἐν δίκῃ, ὅτι δὴ «χέρσος καὶ ἄκανθα» αὐτῶν γέγονεν «πᾶσα ἡ γῆ». 7.1.82 διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν ἐπείπερ εἰς χέρσον καὶ ἄκανθαν αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοὺς κατέστησαν, «εἰσελεύσονται», φησίν, «ἐκεῖ» «μετὰ βέλους καὶ τοξεύματος» οἱ τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν ἐξουσίαν εἰληφότες. μὴ θαύμαζε δ' εἰ καὶ ταῦτα συνεσκιασμένως καὶ δι' αἰνιγμάτων ἀποδέδοται. 7.1.83 λέλεκται γοῦν ἤδη πρότερον ἡ αἰτία τῆς τοιαύτης οἰκονομίας τοῦ λόγου, βουληθέντος ἐπικρύψασθαι τὸν ἔσχατον τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους ὄλεθρον, ὡς ἂν φυλάττοιτο παρ' αὐτοῖς ἡ γραφὴ εἰς ἡμῶν τῶν ἐθνῶν βελτίωσίν τε καὶ ὠφέλειαν. 7.1.84 εἰ γοῦν ἀναφανδὸν αὐτοῖς μὲν ὄλεθρον τοῖς δὲ ἔθνεσιν ἀγαθὰ προεκήρυττον αἱ προφητεῖαι, οὐδεὶς ἂν περὶ αὐτὰς ἐσπούδασεν τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς, ἀλλ' ὡς αὐτοῖς ἐναντίας οὔσας καὶ ἐχθρὰς διέφθειραν ἂν αὐτάς, καὶ οὐκέθ' ἡμῖν τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν παρῆν ταῖς τῶν προφητῶν περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν μαρτυρίαις χρήσασθαι. 7.1.85 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τοσούτων ἐν τῇ τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ ἡμέρᾳ περὶ τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος γενησομένων, κατὰ τὴν ἑτέραν ἑρμηνείαν σπάνιός τις ἔσεσθαι λέγεται «ὁ καταλειφθεὶς» ἐξ αὐτῶν, περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος· «λεῖμμα κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος γέγονεν», ὃς δὴ «θρέψει δάμαλιν βοῶν καὶ δύο πρόβατα, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πλεῖστον ποιεῖν γάλα βούτυρον καὶ μέλι φάγεται». τοιοῦτος δὲ ἡμῖν ἀπεδείχθη κατὰ τὴν δευτέραν ἀπόδοσιν πᾶς ὁ ἀποστολικὸς τῶν μαθητῶν χορὸς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. 7.1.86 ὥσπερ δὲ «ὁ καταλειφθεὶς» οὗτος τοιοῦτος ἔσεσθαι προφητεύεται, οὕτως καὶ τῆς χώρας ἁπάσης τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους τοῦ τε ἀμπελῶνος αὐτῶν εἰς χέρσον καὶ ἄκανθαν μεταβεβλημένου καὶ διὰ ταῦτα τοῖς πολεμίοις παραδεδομένου, ἔμπαλιν ἐκ θατέρου μέρους «πᾶν ὄρος ἀροτριώμενον ἀροτριαθήσεσθαι» προφητεύεται. ἡγοῦμαι δὲ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίαν οὕτως αἰνίττεσθαι, περὶ ἧς καὶ αὐτός φησιν· «οὐ δύναται πόλις κρυβῆναι ἐπάνω ὄρους κειμένη» τὸ γὰρ ἐπηρμένον μετέωρόν τε καὶ ὑψιπετὲς τοῦ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πολιτεύματος ὄρος ἡγοῦμαι διὰ τούτων ἀνηγορεῦσθαι. 7.1.87 τοῦτο δ' οὖν, φησί, «τὸ ὄρος ἀροτριώμενον ἀροτριαθήσεται», ὡς «μὴ ἐπελθεῖν ἐκεῖ φόβον», ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τοσοῦτον αὐτὸ μεταβαλεῖσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς προτέρας ἐρημίας καὶ χέρσου καὶ ἀκάνθης, ὡς ἐπιτήδειον καταστῆναι «εἰς βόσκημα προβάτου καὶ καταπάτημα βοός». 7.1.88 καὶ πάρεστίν γε ἐπιλογίσασθαι, ὅπως ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησία, πάλαι οὖσα χέρσος καὶ ἄκανθα, διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ χάριτος εἰς τοσοῦτον ἤλασεν μεταβολῆς, ὥστε πόαν καὶ βοτάνην εὔθετον τῆς λογικῆς καρποφορίας ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον βλαστῆσαι, ὡς καὶ τοὺς προβατώδεις καὶ ἁπλουστέρους ἀπολαύειν αὐτῆς δύνασθαι, τούς τε ἐν ἕξει τελειοτέρᾳ προβεβηκότας ἀροῦν καὶ γεωργεῖν αὐτήν, βόας προσαγορευομένους. ὥσπερ οὖν τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον παιδεύοντα παρεστήσαμεν ἐν τῷ φάναι· «μὴ τῶν βοῶν μέλει τῷ θεῷ; ἢ δι' ἡμᾶς πάντως λέγει; δι' ἡμᾶς γὰρ ἐγράφη ὅτι ὀφείλει ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἐπ' ἐλπίδι ἀροτριᾶν καὶ ὁ ἀλοῶν ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τοῦ μετέχειν», 7.1.89 οὕτως ἡ πάλαι ἔρημος καὶ χέρσος μεταβέβληκεν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν, ὡς καὶ τοῖς οὕτως νενοημένοις βουσὶν εἰς τὴν κατάλληλον γεωργίαν ἐπιτηδείως ἔχειν. Ἐπίστησον δέ, τίνα τρόπον ὑπὸ μίαν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν διάνοιαν γένεσις ἐκ παρθένου προφητεύεται, καὶ κατὰ τὸ αὐτό φησιν ὁ λόγος τὴν μὲν πάλαι καρποφόρον γῆν, τὸ πρὶν οὖσαν «χιλίων σίκλων, εἰς χέρσον ἔσεσθαι καὶ εἰς ἄκανθαν», πᾶσάν τε τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν διὰ τὸ γενέσθαι εἰς «ἄκανθαν καὶ εἰς χέρσον» παραδοθήσεσθαι τοῖς «μετὰ βέλους καὶ τοξεύματος», τοὐναντίον δὲ πείσεσθαι «πᾶν ὄρος»· ἀπὸ γοῦν τῆς προτέρας χέρσου καὶ ἀκάνθης