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your sheep. For when the former ones were cast out (to whom a certain prophet says: "O shepherds of Israel; do shepherds feed themselves? Do not shepherds feed the sheep?" to whom the Savior said: "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof"), in place of these, gentile shepherds were appointed. Here he clearly presents a change of the law, and of the priesthood according to it, with those of Levi 2648 no longer ministering. For their silver was rejected. Therefore those from the gentiles have become both plowmen and vinedressers. For since those who have believed are called chosen land in many places of Scripture, and a vineyard, and a garden; he speaks accordingly of plowmen and vinedressers. Therefore they do not seize the honor for themselves, but are rather called by God. And the shepherds according to the law were also called husbandmen of the vineyard, concerning whom the Savior says: What will the Lord of the vineyard do to the wicked husbandmen? Therefore to those in place of these the prophet says: But you shall be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. Who but the vinedressers of the Church, who will also devour the strength of the gentiles? or according to Aquila, the wealth. For no food is so suitable for the shepherds of the Church as the strength of the gentiles being saved through them. These would be those who have demonstrated strength through endurance in their testimony for the truth. But also in wealth, he says, you will be admired. We will understand the wealth of the gentiles from what Paul writes to the Corinthians: "I thank my God through Jesus Christ, that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge, as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift." But some say the strength of the gentiles is the honors from the most powerful, who would be those called from the gentiles, or that the word from you will prevail over the power of the gentiles, or over those illustrious among them, or those who have practiced worldly wisdom. For having prevailed over these, they were glorified. For the boast of teachers is those who were saved through their mystagogy; and such as these will inherit the land, having prevailed over all, but not of Judea alone, like those who long ago received their inheritance from Jesus son of Nave, who was a type of the true Jesus, who made the second and better inheritance, about which he says in the Psalms: "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession," which he distributed to his own disciples, sending some to one place and some to another, rejoicing in him, and wearing gladness as a kind of crown, not having their reward in temporary things, but in eternally abiding goods. But these things will be, he says, because I love righteousness, but I hate the plunder from injustice of the evil demons who long ago plundered human souls. Therefore not to Jews alone, but to all, I poured out my grace. But instead of "to the just," all the others have translated "in truth." So their labor will not be in vain; but in truth it will also be kept for them. 2649 But some say the cause is that those shepherds, before they were driven out, delighted in greed, who being unjustly rich, as the prophet says: "Treasuring up for themselves impiety and misery, they pass them on to others." For Solomon said that wealth unjustly gathered will be vomited up. And concerning this system David also says: "Surely he is disquieted in vain. He heaps up riches, and knows not who shall gather them." And in another way, the labor of the Jewish teachers was given to those from the gentiles, according to: "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." With whom I will also make an eternal covenant, not the commandments of Moses, but the mystery of the new covenant; or the unending hope. Then he says: And their seed shall be known among the gentiles; not the physical seed, in which the Jews boast, but the rational seed of the Church, which is known to all, as it has its increase from God. For seed befits either the teaching or the disciples

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πρόβατά σου. Τῶν γὰρ προτέρων ἐκβεβλημένων (πρὸς οὕς τις λέγει προφήτης· "Ὦ ποιμένες Ἰσραήλ· μὴ βόσκουσιν οἱ ποιμένες ἑαυτούς; οὐχὶ τὰ πρόβατα βόσκουσιν οἱ ποιμένες;" πρὸς οὓς ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτήρ· "Ἀρθήσεται ἀφ' ὑμῶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ δοθήσεται ἔθνει ποιοῦντι τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς"), ἀντὶ τούτων ἐθνικοὶ ποιμένες κατέστησαν. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ σαφῶς τοῦ νόμου μετάθεσιν, καὶ τῆς κατ' αὐτὸν ἱερωσύνης παρίστησι, μηκέτι τῶν ἐκ Λευῒ 2648 λειτουργούντων. Ἦν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἀδόκιμον τὸ ἀργύριον. Οἱ τοίνυν ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ ἀροτῆρες γεγόνασι, καὶ ἀμπελουργοί. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐκλεκτὴ γῆ κέκληνται πλεισταχοῦ τῆς Γραφῆς οἱ πιστεύσαντες, καὶ ἀμπελὼν, καὶ κῆπος· ἀναλόγως ἀροτῆράς φησι, καὶ ἀμπελουργούς. Οὐκοῦν οὐκ αὐτοῖς ἁρπάζουσι τὴν τιμὴν, κέκληνται δὲ μᾶλλον παρὰ Θεοῦ. Καὶ οἱ κατὰ νόμον δὲ ποιμένες ἀμπελῶνος ἐκλήθησαν γεωργοὶ, περὶ ὧν φησιν ὁ Σωτήρ· Τί ποιήσει ὁ Κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος τοῖς κακοῖς γεωργοῖς; Τοῖς οὖν ἀντὶ τούτων ὁ προφήτης φησίν· Ὑμεῖς δὲ ἱερεῖς Κυρίου, κληθήσεσθε λειτουργοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Τίνες ἀλλ' οἱ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀμπελουργοὶ, οἳ καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν κατέδονται τῶν ἐθνῶν; ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, τὴν εὐπορίαν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ τοιοῦτο βρῶμα τοῖς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ποιμέσι κατάλληλον, ὡς ἡ ἰσχὺς τῶν δι' αὐτῶν σωζομένων ἐθνῶν. Οὗτοι δ' ἂν εἶεν οἱ τὴν ἰσχὺν διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἐν τῇ ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας ἐπιδειξάμενοι μαρτυρίᾳ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ, φησὶ, θαυμασθήσεσθε. Τὸν δὲ τῶν ἐθνῶν πλοῦτον, ἀφ' ὧν ὁ Παῦλος γράφει Κορινθίοις, νοήσομεν· "Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι ἐν παντὶ ἐπλουτίσθητε ἐν αὐτῷ, ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ, καὶ πάσῃ γνώσει, καθὼς τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐβεβαιώθη ἐν ὑμῖν, ὥς τε μὴ ὑστερεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς ἐν μηδενὶ χαρίσματι." Τινὲς δὲ ἰσχὺν ἐθνῶν, τὰς ἐκ τῶν δυνατωτάτων τιμὰς λέγουσιν, οἵπερ ἂν εἶεν ἐξ ἐθνῶν κεκλημένοι, ἢ ὅτι ὁ παρ' ὑμῶν ἐπικρατήσει λόγος τῆς δυνάμεως τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἢ τῶν παρ' ἐκείνοις λαμπρῶν, ἢ τῶν κοσμικὴν ἠσκημένων σοφίαν. Τούτων γὰρ κατισχύσαντες ἐδοξάσθησαν. Καύχημα γὰρ διδασκάλων οἱ διὰ τῆς αὐτῶν σωθέντες μυσταγωγίας· οἱ δὲ τοιοῦτοι κληρονομήσουσι τὴν γῆν, πάντων ἐπικρατήσαντες, ἀλλ' οὐ μόνης Ἰουδαίας, κατὰ τοὺς πάλαι κληροδοτηθέντας ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ Ναυὴ, ὃς τύπος ἦν τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Ἰησοῦ, τοῦ τὴν δευτέραν καὶ κρείττω πεποιημένου κληροδοσίαν, περὶ ἧς φησιν ἐν Ψαλμοῖς· "Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς," ἣν διένειμε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς, ἄλλους ἀλλαχοῦ διαπέμψας χαίροντας ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ ὥσπερ τινὰ στέφανον περικειμένους τὴν εὐφροσύνην, οὐκ ἐν προσκαίροις ἔχοντας τὴν ἀντιμισθίαν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀεὶ διαμένουσιν ἀγαθοῖς. Ἔσται δὲ ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἐπειδὴ δικαιοσύνην μὲν ἀγαπῶ, μισῶ δὲ τὰ ἐξ ἀδικίας ἁρπάγματα τῶν πονηρῶν δαιμόνων τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας πάλαι διαρπαζόντων ψυχάς. Ὅθεν οὐκ Ἰουδαίοις μόνοις, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι, τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ χάριν ἐξέχεον. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ δικαίοις, ἐν ἀληθείᾳ πάντες ἑρμήνευσαν οἱ λοιποί. Ὥς τε οὐ διαψευσθήσεται αὐτῶν ὁ μόχθος· ἀλλ' ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ αὐτοῖς φυλαχθήσεται. 2649 Τινὲς δέ φασιν αἰτίαν εἶναι τούτους πρὶν ἀπεληλάσθαι ποιμένας πλεονεξίᾳ χαίροντας, οἵπερ ἀδίκως πλουτοῦντες, καθά φησιν ὁ προφήτης· "Θησαυρίζοντες ἑαυτοῖς ἀσέβειαν, καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν, εἰς ἑτέρους αὐτὰ παραπέμπουσιν." Ἔφη γοῦν ὁ Σολομῶν, ὅτι πλοῦτος ἀδίκως συναγόμενος ἐξεμεθήσεται. Περὶ οὗ συστήματος καὶ ὁ ∆αβίδ φησιν· "Πλὴν μάτην ταράσσεται. Θησαυρίζει, καὶ οὐκ οἶδεν τίνι συνάξει αὐτά." Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐδόθη τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν διδασκάλων ὁ μόχθος, κατὰ τό· "Ἀρθήσεται ἀφ' ὑμῶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ δοθήσεται ἔθνει ποιοῦντι τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς." Οἷς καὶ διαθήκην αἰώνιον διαθήσομαι, οὐ τὰ Μωσέως ἐντάλματα, τὸ δὲ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης μυστήριον· ἢ τὴν ἐλπίδα τὴν ἀτελεύτητον. Εἶτά φησι· Καὶ γνωσθήσεται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν· οὐ τὸ σωματικὸν, ἐφ' ᾧπερ αὐχοῦσιν Ἰουδαῖοι, ἀλλὰ τὸ λογικὸν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ὃ παντὶ γνώριμον, ὡς ὑπὸ Θεοῦ τὴν αὔξησιν ἔχει. Σπέρμα γὰρ ἢ τὴν διδασκαλίαν, ἢ τοὺς μαθητὰς προσήκει