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like a vine you brought out of Egypt, and granting every ease along the way, you planted it in the land of the Canaanites. 11, 12. "Her shadow covered the mountains, and her climbing tendrils the cedars of God. She stretched out her branches to the sea, and her shoots to the rivers." Having tropologically named the people a vine, he continued in the trope; and he calls mountains the strength of the neighboring nations; and the shadow covering these, the dominion of Israel imposed upon them; and the cedars of God, the high rulers who have received the right to rule from God; and the climbing tendrils covering the cedars, the Israelite kingdom which had become more illustrious than these. This we have learned happened both in the time of the blessed David and in the time of Solomon. For the [great] David received tribute 80.1516 not only from the Philistines, and Idumeans, and Ammonites, and Moabites, but also from both groups of Syrians; and to Solomon also ran the queen of the Ethiopians; thus he became much-talked-of among all. And the branches of the vine, he says, are the multitude of the people; and the shoots, the proselytes, those who came from the nations and received divine knowledge. And through all these things he showed the former good estate of the people. 13. "Why have you broken down its hedge, and all who pass by the way pluck its fruit?" Why indeed have you stripped it of your providence, and made it easy prey for those who wish to do wrong? He has called the hedge security. For what a hedge is to a vineyard, this is the providence of God to those deemed worthy of it. "And those passing by the way," the enemies. For just as travelers pluck without fear from the unfenced and unguarded vine, and take away its fruit; so he who is stripped of divine care becomes easy prey for those who wish to do wrong. 14. "The boar from the forest has ravaged it; and a solitary wild beast has devoured it." Through these words he showed the various attacks of the Assyrians. For Shalmaneser and Sennacherib sacked the other cities; but Nebuchadnezzar, having besieged Jerusalem, enslaved those who escaped death. And since he called Israel a vine, he fittingly named its enemy a wild boar; and this beast is especially harmful to vines. And he calls it a solitary wild beast, the boar that lives by itself, which is fiercer than the others, inasmuch as it shuns communion with them. Since, therefore, Nebuchadnezzar was also more beastly than the other kings, he fittingly named him a solitary wild beast. 15, 10. "O God of hosts, return now, and look down from heaven, and see; and visit this vine. And restore it, which your right hand has planted." I beseech you, therefore, mighty Lord, to see from above the outrage against the vine, and to deem its suffering worthy of healing. For your own providence gave its former good estate. And he calls the right hand Providence. "And upon the Son of man, whom you made strong for yourself." Here he teaches of the springing forth from there of the Lord Christ. For he beseeches that the vine be deemed worthy of care, on account of the temple to be taken from it, which he clearly called the Son of man. Thus also the Lord 80.1517 in the holy Gospels, although being God and man at the same time, calls himself Son of man, taking the designation from his visible nature. Therefore the prophetic word teaches those who have become captives to beseech the God of all to show some forbearance for the vine on account of the saving root that springs from there. For thus also the Lord names himself, saying: "I am the true vine, you are the branches, and my Father is the vinedresser." For as man, he is a vine; but as God, also a husbandman, sowing good seed in his field. For since he sprang from this vine, which had become useless, and offered thorns instead of clusters of grapes to the husbandman, he himself is the true

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καθάπερ ἄμπελον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μεταγαγὼν, καὶ πᾶσαν κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν δωρησάμενος εὐκολίαν, ἐν τῇ τῶν Χαναναίων αὐτὸν κατεφύ τευσας γῇ. ιαʹ, ιβʹ. "Ἐκάλυψεν ὄρη ἡ σκιὰ αὐτῆς, καὶ αἱ ἀναδενδράδες αὐτῆς τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐξέτεινε τὰ κλήματα αὐτῆς ἕως θαλάσσης· καὶ ἕως ποταμῶν τὰς παραφυάδας αὐτῆς." Ἄμπελον τροπικῶς τὸν λαὸν ὀνομάσας, ἐπέμεινε τῇ τροπῇ· καὶ ὄρη μὲν καλεῖ τὴν τῶν ὁμόρων ἐθνῶν ἰσχύν· σκιὰν δὲ ταῦτα καλύπτουσαν τὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ δυναστείαν τούτοις ἐπιτεθεῖσαν· κέδρους δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς ὑψηλοὺς ἄρχοντας, τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἄρχειν εἰληχότας· ἀναδενδράδας δὲ τὰς κέδρους συγκαλυπτούσας, τὴν Ἰσραηλιτικὴν βασιλείαν περιφανεστέραν τούτων γεγενημένην. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αβὶδ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Σολομῶντος, μεμαθήκαμεν γεγενῆσθαι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ [μέγας] ∆αβὶδ οὐ μόνον παρὰ τῶν Ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ Ἰδουμαίων, καὶ Ἀμμανιτῶν, καὶ Μωαβιτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ Σύρων ἑκατέρων, δασμὸν 80.1516 ἐκομίζετο· πρὸς δὲ τὸν Σολομῶντα καὶ ἡ Αἰθιό πων ἔδραμε βασιλίς· οὕτω παρὰ πᾶσιν ἐγένετο πολυθρύλλητος. Κλήματα δὲ τῆς ἀμπέλου, τοῦ λαοῦ λέγει τὸ πλῆθος· παραφυάδας δὲ, τοὺς προσηλύτους, τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν προσεληλυθότας, καὶ τὴν θείαν ὑποδεξαμένους ἐπίγνωσιν. ∆ιὰ πάντων δὲ τὴν προ τέραν εὐκληρίαν ἐδήλωσε τοῦ λαοῦ. ιγʹ. "Ἱνατί καθεῖλες τὸν φραγμὸν αὐτῆς, καὶ τρυγῶσιν αὐτὴν πάντες οἱ παραπορευόμενοι τὴν ὁδόν;" Τί δήποτε τῆς σῆς αὐτὴν προνοίας ἐγύ μνωσας, καὶ πεποίηκας τοῖς ἀδικεῖν βουλομένοις εὐ χείρωτον; Φραγμὸν δὲ τὴν ἀσφάλειαν κέκληκεν. Ὃ γάρ ἐστιν ἀμπελῶνι φραγμὸς, τοῦτο ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοια τοῖς αὐτῆς ἠξιωμένοις. "Παραπο ρευομένους δὲ ὁδὸν," τοὺς πολεμίους. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ ὁδοιπόροι τὴν ἄφρακτον καὶ ἀφύλακτον ἄμπελον τρυγῶσιν ἀδεῶς, καὶ τὸν αὐτῆς ἀφαιροῦνται καρπόν· οὕτως ὁ τῆς θείας γεγυμνωμένος Κηδεμονίας τοῖς ἀδικεῖν ἐθέλουσιν εὐχείρωτος γίνεται. ιδʹ. "Ἐλυμήνατο αὐτὴν ὗς ἐκ δρυμοῦ· καὶ μο νιὸς ἄγριος κατενεμήσατο αὐτήν." Τὰς διαφόρους τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐφόδους διὰ τούτων ἐδήλωσε. Σαλμα νασὰρ γὰρ καὶ Σεναχηρεὶμ τὰς ἄλλας ἐξεπόρθησαν πόλεις· ὁ δὲ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ πο λιορκήσας, τοὺς τὸν θάνατον διαφυγόντας ἐξηνδρα ποδίσατο. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἄμπελον τὸν Ἰσραὴλ προσηγόρευσεν, εἰκότως ὗν ἄγριον ὠνόμασε τὸν τούτου πολέμιον· διαφερόντως δὲ τόδε τὸ θηρίον ἀμπέλων ἐπίβουλον. Μονιὸν δὲ ἄγριον καλεῖ, τὸν καθ' ἑαυτὸν διάγοντα σῦν, ὃς τῶν ἄλλων ἐστὶν ἀγριώτερος, ἅτε δὴ καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς κοινω νίαν ἀποστρεφόμενος. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν καὶ ὁ Ναβου χοδονόσορ τῶν ἄλλων βασιλέων θηριωδέστερος ἦν, εἰκότως αὐτὸν ὠνόμασε μονιὸν ἄγριον. ιεʹ, ιʹ. "Ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, ἐπίστρεψον δὴ, καὶ ἐπίβλεψον ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἴδε· καὶ ἐπίσκεψαι τὴν ἄμπελον ταύτην. Καὶ κατάρτισαι αὐτὴν, ἣν ἐφύτευσεν ἡ δεξιά σου." Ἱκετεύω σε τοίνυν τὸν δυνατὸν ∆εσπότην, ἰδεῖν ἄνωθεν τῆς ἀμπέλου τὴν λώβην, καὶ θεραπείας ἀξιῶσαι τὸ πάθος. Ἡ σὴ γὰρ αὐτὴ πρόνοια τὴν προτέραν ἔδωκεν εὐκληρίαν. ∆εξιὰν δὲ καλεῖ τὴν Πρόνοιαν. "Καὶ ἐπὶ Υἱὸν ἀν θρώπου, ὃν ἐκραταίωσας ἑαυτῷ." Ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἐκεῖθεν βλάστησιν τοῦ ∆εσπότου διδάσκει Χριστοῦ. Ἱκετεύει γὰρ ἐπιμελείας ἀξιωθῆναι τὴν ἄμπελον, διὰ τὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς ληφθησόμενον ναὸν, ὃν Υἱὸν ἀν θρώπου σαφῶς προσηγόρευσεν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Κύριος 80.1517 ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις, καίτοι Θεὸς ὢν ὁμοῦ καὶ ἄνθρωπος, Υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζει, ἀπὸ τῆς ὁρωμένης φύσεως τὴν προσηγορίαν τιθείς. ∆ι δάσκει τοίνυν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος, τοὺς δορυαλώτους γεγενημένους ἱκετεῦσαι τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν, φειδώ τινα τῆς ἀμπέλου ποιήσασθαι διὰ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν φυο μένην σωτήριον ῥίζαν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἑαυτὸν καὶ ὁ Κύριος ὀνομάζει λέγων· "Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινὴ, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλήματα, καὶ ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός ἐστιν." Ὡς γὰρ ἄνθρωπος, ἄμπελός ἐστιν· ὡς δὲ Θεὸς, καὶ γεωργὸς, σπείρων σπέρμα καλὸν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὑτοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκ ταύτης ἐβλάστησε τῆς ἀμπέλου, τῆς ἀχρήστου γεγενη μένης, καὶ ἀκάνθας ἀντὶ βοτρύων τῷ γεωργῷ προσ ενεγκούσης, αὐτὸς ἀληθινὴ