The Allegorical Trees and Vines
Each tribe is distinct in itself, and so are their women; the tribe of Simeon is distinct in itself, and so are their women; all the remaining tribes are distinct in themselves, and so are their women.
The trees named allegorically in the Scripture act of their own accord, sometimes bearing good fruit by choice, and sometimes poison and harm. For instance, the Israelite people, having been planted by God as a 'true all-fruitful vine,' have turned into a vine of bitterness, becoming worthy of being cut down, since they have brought forth 'clusters of gall and bitter grapes,' according to what is written: 'Every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire' (Matt 3:10).
Just as the vine of good fruits turned to bearing hand-held fruits, so the plants of the streams, having become evil from good, suffered the hardship of being cut down, as the present word shows. It is said regarding plants bearing edible fruit in the Song of Songs by the Bridegroom Christ: 'I will go down to the garden of the spring, to see if the vine has blossomed, if the streams have blossomed' (Song 2:15).
Having descended into the trial of life, called a winter torrent, he saw the vine and the streams having the beginning of fruitfulness, which is signified by the blossom. After the blossoms, the perfect fruit having been shown, the bride of the Word, the Church wedded to Him, had desire to be filled with what the Bridegroom provides. Therefore she says to Him: 'Give me to drink from the fragrant wine, from the water flowing from my spring' (Song 2:5). The water of the flowing spring heals not only thirst, but also, as a help being offered, improves the one receiving it.
The fruit of this plant, lying under the skin, has a great composition arranged broadly and thickened in harmony, as if to say to the Bridegroom: 'As a skin of a pomegranate, O bride' (Song 4:16), showing in you the redness of modesty and the great order and composition of the fruit under the skin.
The trees thus interpreted are cut down through their own negligence, with 'the axe at their roots' (Matt 3:10), similarly to the vines not bearing fruit.
Every branch not remaining in me is cut off and thrown into fire
Greek
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 140 τῶν γυναικῶν τῶν ἀνδρῶν· ἀσυμπαθὲς γὰρ ἦν, καὶ μὴ αἰσθομένων τοῦ κατέχοντος δεινοῦ, τὸ συνευνάζεσθαι τοὺς συμβιοῦντας ἐπὶ δια̣δοχῇ τέκνων ἐπηρτημένης ἀπειλῆς, ὅτε προσευχῆς ο῾̣ καιρὸς ὑπάρχει. Καὶ χωρὶς δὲ ἐπικειμένου χόλου εἵργει τὰς συνόδους τὰς ἀνδρῶν πρὸς γυναῖκας ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς τῶν προσευχῶν ὁ χριστοφόρος Ἀπόστολος, γράφων τοῖς ἐν συζυγίαις τότε μάλιστα ἀνέχειν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ μίξεων γαμηλίων ὅτε εὔχεσθαι καὶ παρακαλεῖν Θεὸν δεῖ, λέγων· «Ἀποστερεῖτε ἀλλήλους πρὸς καιρόν», τῆς συνήθους εὐνῆς δηλονότι, «ἵνα σχολάσητε τῇ προσευχῇ.» Εἰ τοίνυν τοῦτο πράττεται ἁγνείας ἕνεκα καὶ ἐν ὥρᾳ ὅτε μηδὲν ἐπίκειται φοβερόν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον σπουδαζέσθω ἡ ἁγνεία κινδύνου ἐπικειμένου. 4.267 Πεφρόντισται γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας διδασκαλίᾳ. Αὐτίκα γοῦν πολεμικῶς ἐπικειμένων τῶν ἐθνῶν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ τῷ διαρπάσαι καὶ αἰχμαλωτίσαι, παρακελεύετα̣ι ὁ θεῖος λόγος ἀσιτίᾳ καὶ σωφροσύνῃ σχολάσαι τοὺς ὑποκειμένους τῇ ἐφόδῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, φήσας· «Ἁγιάσατε νηστείαν, κηρύξατε θεραπείαν», καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· «Ἐξελθάτω νυμφίος ἐκ τοῦ κοιτῶνος αὐτοῦ καὶ νύμφη ἐκ τοῦ παστοῦ αὐτῆς. Ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς κρηπῖδος τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου κλαύσονται οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ ἐροῦσιν· Φεῖσαι, Κύριε, τοῦ λαοῦ σου καὶ μὴ δῷς τὴν κληρονομίαν σου εἰς ὄνειδος τοῦ κατάρξαι αὐτῶν ἔθνη, μήποτε εἴπωσι τὰ ἔθνη· Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν;» 4.268 Καὶ ὅρα ὡς ἀπᾷδον ἦν καὶ ἀνάρμοστον ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κοιτῶνι καὶ παστῷ διατρίβειν τοὺς συνοικοῦντας ἀνιαρῶν προσδοκωμένων, τῶν ἱερέων ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς κρηπῖδος τοῦ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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