§21.33Στίχ. λγ΄. Ἄνθρωπος ἦν οἰκοδεσπότης, ὅστις ἐφύτευσεν ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ φραγμόν αὐτῷ περιέθηκε, καὶ ὤρυξεν ἐν αὐτῷ ληνὸν, καὶ ᾠκοδόμησε πύργον, καὶ ἐξέδοτο αὐτόν γεωργοῖς, καὶ ἀπεδήμησε, κ. τ. λ.
Verse 33: "There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country," etc.
Ἡ παραβολὴ οἰκοδεσπότην λέγει τὸν Θεὸν καὶ πατέρα, τὸν πολλὴν πρόνοιαν ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἰς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἐπιδειξάμενον. Ἀμπελὼν δὲ ἀπλῶς μὲν ὁ πρῶτος λαὸς, τουτέστιν ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, φυτευθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῇ γῇ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας.
The parable calls God and Father, who showed much providence from the beginning toward the Jews, the "householder." And the "vineyard" is, simply put, the first people, that is, Israel, planted by God in the land of promise.
Φραγμὸς δὲ ὁ νόμος, οὐκ ἐῶν αὐτοὺς μιγῆναι τοῖς ἔθνεσι.
And the "hedge" is the law, not allowing them to mix with the nations.
Ληνός τὸ θυσιαστήριον, ἤτοι ὁ τόπος τῶν σπονδῶν.
The "winepress" is the altar, that is, the place of libations.
Πύργος ἡ Σιὼν, ἢ ὁ οὐρανός.
The "tower" is Zion, or heaven.
Γεωργοὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ οἱ σοφοὶ, καὶ οἱ κατὰ καιροὺς διδάσκαλοι.
The "tenants" are the elders of the people and the wise, and the teachers at various times.
Ἀπεδήμησε δὲ ὁ οἰκοδεσπότης, ὅτε οὐκέτι ἡμέρᾳ ἐν στύλῳ νεφέλης καὶ νυκτὸς αὐτοῖς ἐν στύλῳ πυρὸς ἐπιφαίνεται.
And the householder "went into another country" when He no longer appeared to them by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire.
Ἢ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμία, ἡ μὴ παρὰ πόδας ἀπαιτοῦσα τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τὴν τῶν πταισμάτων τιμωρίαν.
Or it is the forbearance of God, which does not immediately demand from the Jews the punishment for their transgressions.
Ἀπαίτησις δὲ καρπῶν ὁ ἔννομος βίος·
And the "demanding" of fruits is the lawful life.
Καιρὸς αὐτῶν ἡ προφητικὴ ἀπαίτησις·
"Their season" is the prophetic demanding.
Δοῦλοι πρῶτοι καὶ δεύτεροι παθόντες ἄτοπον, οἱ κατὰ διαφόρους καιροὺς ἀποσταλέντες προφῆται, οἷς (15) τὸν μὲν ἕδηραν, ὡς Μιχαίαν, πατάξαντος ἐπὶ σιαγόνα Σεδεκίου· τὸν δὲ ἀπέκτειναν, ὡς Ζαχαρίαν, μεταξὺ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου· τὸν δὲ ἐλιθοβόλησαν, ὡς Ζαριοὺ υἱὸν Ἰωδαὲ τὸν ἱερέα.
The first and second "servants" who suffered outrageous things are the prophets sent at different times, of whom they beat one (as Micaiah, when Zedekiah struck him on the cheek), and they killed another (as Zechariah, between the temple and the altar), and they stoned another (as Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest).
Τάχα δὲ ἀμπελὼν, ἢ (16) ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὰ μυστήρια αὐτοῦ ἐν νόμῳ καὶ προφήταις, καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ φυσιολογίᾳ.
Or perhaps the "vineyard" is the kingdom of God, and His mysteries in the law and the prophets, and in other natural contemplation.
Καρποὶ δὲ ὁ ἐνἀρετος ἐν ἤθεσι βίος.
And "fruits" are the virtuous life in morals.
Φραγμὸς ὁ λογικὸς τόπος, καὶ τὸ γράμμα, ὡς μὴ κατοπτεύοιτο τοῖς ἔξω τὰ κεκρυμμένα μυστήρια.
The "hedge" is the rational realm, and the letter, so that the hidden mysteries might not be spied out by those outside.
Ληνὸς τὸ βάθος τῆς δεχομένης τοὺς καρποὺς τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς, πᾶν ἐπὶ πόλεμον ἐπιβαλλούσῃς.
The "winepress" is the depth of the soul which receives the fruits of the soul, the soul directing everything toward warfare.
Πύργος καὶ διῃρημένος περὶ Θεοῦ λόγος.
The "tower" is also the articulated discourse concerning God.
Ναὸς μὲν ἡ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ θείου ναοῦ (17).
On the one hand, the temple is of the divine temple within it.
Γεωργοὶ οἱ πρῶτοι πιστευθέντες τὰ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ· οἷς ἀποδημεῖ εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ περισπεῖν (18), δοὺς ἀφορμὴν, ἐξ ὧν αὐτὸς ἐφύτευσε, φραγμόν τε ἔθηκεν, ὤρυξεν, ὐκοδόμησε, τοῦ φέρειν καρπόν.
The "tenants" are those who were first entrusted with the oracles of God; to whom He went abroad, giving an occasion, from the things He Himself planted, hedged, dug, and built, to bear fruit.
Καιρὸς καρπῶν, ὃν οἶδεν οἰκοδεσπότης, τάχα οὐχ ὅτι ἐκφύειν φύλλα, ἢ κυπρίζειν, ἢ ὀμφακίζειν, ἢ τρυγᾶσθαι· οἷον οἱ τῆς νηπιότητος, ἢ τῆς συμπληρώσεως τοῦ λόγου, ἢ οἱ τῆς ἐν ἀρετῇ προκοπῆς, ἢ ἀρχῆς· οἱ δὲ τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ χαρᾶς, καὶ εἰρήνης, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν.
The "season of fruits," which the householder knows, is perhaps not that of putting forth leaves, or blossoming, or producing sour grapes, or being harvested; such as those of infancy, or of the completion of the word, or those of progress in virtue, or of the beginning; but those of love, and joy, and peace, and the rest.
Δοῦλοι οἱ προφῆται τὰ πνευματικὰ καρπώματα ἀπαιτοῦντες προσἀγειν ὡς ἱερεῖς τῷ Θεῷ.
The "servants" are the prophets, demanding that they offer spiritual fruits as priests to God.