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they wished. For he would not have said the same thing a second time to those desiring to learn; for they saw the great threat manifested from it. 58.482.20 Therefore he does not accuse them, but also fulfills what was said. And what I have always said, that one must not interpret parables according to the letter, since many absurdities will follow; this he himself, teaching us here, thus explains the parable. For he does not say who the servants are who came forward; but showing that he included them for the sake of a certain sequence, and to shape the image, leaving that part aside, he interprets the urgent and most cohesive matters, and for which the parable was told, showing himself to be judge and lord of all. And answering, he says, he said to them: He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; but the tares, the sons of the evil one; the enemy who sows them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age; the reapers are angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of this age. The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and those who commit iniquity, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. For when he himself is the sower, and gathers from his own field and from his own kingdom, it is clear that the present world is also his. But consider his ineffable love for humanity, and his inclination toward beneficence, and his alienation from punishment. For when he sows, he sows by himself, but when he punishes, it is through others, that is, the angels. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Not because it is only so, but because we know no other star brighter than this one, he uses examples familiar to us. And yet elsewhere he says the harvest is already at hand, as when he says concerning the Samaritans: Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to har 58.483 vest, and again, The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. How then does he say there that the harvest is already at hand, but here that the harvest is to come? According to another meaning. And how, saying elsewhere, One is the sower, and another is the reaper, does he here say he himself is the sower? Because there too he was speaking, not of himself, but distinguishing apostles from prophets, and concerning the Jews and Samaritans. For he himself sowed also through the prophets. And there are times when he calls this very thing both harvest and sowing, naming it one thing and another for different purposes. 2. For when he speaks of the persuasion and obedience of those who listened, he calls the matter a harvest, as having completed the whole; but when he seeks the fruit of the hearing, a sowing; and he calls the end a harvest. And how does he say elsewhere that the righteous are caught up first? For they are caught up first, but when Christ arrives these are delivered to punishment, and then those depart into the kingdom of heaven. For since they must be in heaven, and he himself will come here and judge all men, having given the verdict to these, just as some king rises up with his friends, leading them to that blessed portion. Did you see the punishment is twofold, in being burned up, and in falling from that glory? But for what reason then, after they had departed, does he also speak to them in parables? They became wiser from what was said, so as to also understand. At any rate, he says to them after this, Have you understood all these things? They say to him, Yes, Lord. Thus, along with the other things, the parable also accomplished this, to make them more discerning. What then does he say again? The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and for joy thereof sells all that he has,

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ἠβουλήθησαν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἐκ δευτέρου τὴν αὐτὴν εἶπεν ἐπιθυμοῦσι μαθεῖν· καὶ γὰρ ἑώρων πολλὴν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐμφαινομένην 58.482.20 τὴν ἀπειλήν. ∆ιὸ οὐδὲ ἐγκαλεῖ αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀναπληροῖ τὰ εἰρημένα. Καὶ ὅπερ ἔλεγον ἀεὶ, ὅτι τὰς παραβολὰς οὐ κατὰ τὴν ῥῆσιν ἐπεξιέναι δεῖ, ἐπεὶ πολλὰ τὰ ἄτοπα ἕψεται· τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνταῦθα παιδεύων ἡμᾶς, οὕτως ἐξηγεῖται τὴν παραβολήν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ λέγει, τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ δοῦλοι οἱ προσελθόντες· ἀλλὰ δεικνὺς ὅτι ἀκολουθίας τινὸς ἕνεκεν αὐτοὺς παρείληφε, καὶ τοῦ διαπλάσαι τὴν εἰκόνα, ἐκεῖνο ἀφεὶς τὸ μέρος, τὰ κατεπείγοντα ἑρμηνεύει καὶ συνέχοντα μάλιστα, καὶ δι' ἃ ἡ παραβολὴ εἴρηται, δεικνὺς ἑαυτὸν ὄντα κριτὴν καὶ κύριον τοῦ παντός. Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς, φησὶν, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ὁ σπείρων τὸ καλὸν σπέρμα ἐστὶν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου· ὁ δὲ ἀγρός ἐστιν ὁ κόσμος· τὸ δὲ καλὸν σπέρμα, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοὶ τῆς βασιλείας· τὰ δὲ ζιζάνια, οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ· ὁ δὲ ἐχθρὸς ὁ σπείρων αὐτὰ, ἔστιν ὁ διάβολος· ὁ δὲ θερισμὸς, ἔστιν ἡ συντέλεια τοῦ αἰῶνος· οἱ δὲ θερισταὶ, ἄγγελοί εἰσιν. Ὥσπερ οὖν συλλέγεται τὰ ζιζάνια, καὶ πυρὶ καίεται· οὕτως ἔσται ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. Ἀποστελεῖ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ, καὶ συλλέξουσιν ἐκ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ πάντα τὰ σκάνδαλα καὶ τοὺς ποιοῦντας τὴν ἀνομίαν, καὶ βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός· ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. Τότε οἱ δίκαιοι ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτῶν. Ὅταν γὰρ αὐτὸς ᾖ ὁ σπείρων, καὶ τὸν ἀγρὸν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ἐκ τῆς βασιλείας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ συνάγῃ, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ ὁ παρὼν κόσμος αὐτοῦ ἐστι. Σκόπει δὲ αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν ἄφατον, καὶ τὸ πρὸς εὐεργεσίαν ἐπιῤῥεπὲς, καὶ τὸ πρὸς κόλασιν ἠλλοτριωμένον. Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ σπείρῃ, δι' ἑαυτοῦ σπείρει, ὅταν δὲ κολάζῃ, δι' ἑτέρων, τουτέστι, τῶν ἀγγέλων. Τότε οἱ δίκαιοι ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτῶν. Οὐκ ἐπειδὴ οὕτω μόνον, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τούτου τοῦ ἄστρου φανότερον οὐκ ἴσμεν ἕτερον, τοῖς γνωρίμοις ἡμῖν κέχρηται παραδείγμασι. Καίτοιγε ἀλλαχοῦ φησι τὸν θερισμὸν ἤδη παρεῖναι, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ περὶ τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν· Ἐπάρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ θεάσασθε τὰς χώρας, ὅτι λευκαί εἰσι πρὸς θερι 58.483 σμὸν ἤδη, καὶ πάλιν, Ὁ μὲν θερισμὸς πολὺς, οἱ δὲ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι. Πῶς οὖν ἐκεῖ μὲν ἤδη τὸν θερισμὸν παρεῖναί φησιν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ μέλλειν τὸν θερισμὸν εἶπε; Κατ' ἄλλο σημαινόμενον. Καὶ πῶς ἀλλαχοῦ εἰπὼν, Ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ σπείρων, καὶ ἄλλος ὁ θερίζων, ἐνταῦθα ἑαυτόν φησιν εἶναι τὸν σπείροντα; Ὅτι κἀκεῖ οὐχ ἑαυτῷ, ἀλλὰ προφήταις ἀποστόλους ἀντιδιαστέλλων ἔλεγε, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ Σαμαρειτῶν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτὸς ἔσπειρεν. Ἔστι δὲ ὅπου καὶ θερισμὸν καὶ σπόρον αὐτὸ τοῦτο καλεῖ, πρὸς ἄλλο καὶ ἄλλο αὐτὸ ὀνομάζων. βʹ. Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ τὴν πειθὼ καὶ τὴν ὑπακοὴν τῶν ὑπακουσάντων λέγῃ, θερισμὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα καλεῖ, ὡς τὸ πᾶν ἀπαρτίσας· ὅταν δὲ τὸν καρπὸν ἐπιζητῇ τῆς ἀκροάσεως, σπόρον· καὶ θερισμὸν τὴν συντέλειαν λέγει. Καὶ πῶς ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν, ὅτι πρῶτοι οἱ δίκαιοι ἁρπάζονται; Ἁρπάζονται μὲν γὰρ πρῶτοι, παραγενομένου δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παραδίδονται οὗτοι κολάσει, καὶ τότε εἰς βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν ἀπέρχονται ἐκεῖνοι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν οὐρανῷ δεῖ αὐτοὺς εἶναι, ἐνταῦθα δὲ αὐτὸς ἥξει καὶ κρινεῖ πάντας ἀνθρώπους, δοὺς τὴν ἀπόφασιν τούτοις, καθάπερ τις βασιλεὺς ἀνίσταται μετὰ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ, πρὸς τὴν μακαρίαν ἐκείνην λῆξιν αὐτοὺς ἄγων. Εἶδες διπλῆν τὴν κόλασιν οὖσαν, τῷ τε κατακαίεσθαι, τῷ τε τῆς δόξης ἐκπίπτειν ἐκείνης; Ἀλλὰ τίνος ἕνεκεν λοιπὸν, ἀναχωρησάντων ἐκείνων, καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐν παραβολαῖς λαλεῖ; Σοφώτεροι ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐγένοντο, ὡς καὶ συνιέναι. Ἀμέλει γοῦν λέγει αὐτοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα, Συνήκατε ταῦτα πάντα; Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Ναὶ, Κύριε. Οὕτω μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τοῦτο κατώρθωσεν ἡ παραβολὴ, τὸ διορατικωτέρους αὐτοὺς ποιῆσαι. Τί οὖν φησι πάλιν; Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν θησαυρῷ κεκρυμμένῳ ἐν ἀγρῷ, ὃν εὑρὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔκρυψε, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς αὐτοῦ πωλεῖ πάντα ὅσα ἔχει,