{"slug":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-parabolam-de-ficu","id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-parabolam-de-ficu","title":"In parabolam de ficu","title_source":"In parabolam de ficu","author":"John Chrysostom","genre":"other","date":"","tradition":"greek","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T06:59:06Z","cost_usd":0.006542},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-parabolam-de-ficu","work_id":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-parabolam-de-ficu","edition":"khazarzar","language":"","license":"Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/John%20Chrysostom_PG%2047-64/In%20parabolam%20de%20ficu.pdf"},"stats":{"passages":12,"english_words":2819,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":11576,"commentary_units":70,"commentary_kinds":9,"derived_notes":2,"ambiguities":19,"work_notes":4,"external_links":0,"timeline":5},"summary":{"work":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-parabolam-de-ficu","abstract":"This work is a homily on the parable of the fig tree, traditionally attributed to John Chrysostom (c. 347–407). It survives only in later manuscript copies, with no autograph or early witness extant. The khazarzar edition is a modern digital transcription without critical apparatus. The homily interprets the fig tree miracle (cf. Luke 13:6–9) and was used in Byzantine liturgical cycles, though it is not part of the standard Chrysostom corpus in Migne's Patrologia Graeca. The attribution rests on manuscript ascription and stylistic similarity, but external evidence for date or occasion is lacking.","historical_context":"The homily is traditionally placed in the late 4th to early 5th century, during John Chrysostom's active ministry in Antioch (c. 386–397) or Constantinople (398–404). Chrysostom was a prolific preacher and exegete, known for his Antiochene literal and moral interpretation of Scripture. The work's genre is a homily, delivered in a liturgical setting where the Gospel passage was read aloud. Its transmission is fragmentary: it survives only in later Byzantine manuscripts, likely copied for liturgical use. The khazarzar edition provides no manuscript sigla or critical notes, so the text's fidelity to any single manuscript family is unverifiable. The homily's inclusion in Byzantine lectionaries suggests it was valued for preaching on the fig tree parable, but its absence from the Patrologia Graeca indicates it was not part of the core Chrysostom corpus compiled by earlier editors.","significance":"This homily illustrates the continued use of Chrysostom's exegetical methods in Byzantine liturgical tradition, even for works outside the standard corpus. It demonstrates how patristic interpretations of Gospel parables were adapted for liturgical preaching. The work's uncertain attribution and transmission highlight the challenges of studying non-canonical homilies and the need for critical editions.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 347–407","event":"Life of John Chrysostom; traditional attribution of the homily to this period."},{"date":"4th–5th c.","event":"Probable composition if authentic; Chrysostom active in Antioch and Constantinople."},{"date":"Byzantine period (6th–15th c.)","event":"Manuscript copies made for liturgical use; homily included in Byzantine lectionaries."},{"date":"19th c.","event":"Migne's Patrologia Graeca excludes this homily from the standard Chrysostom corpus."},{"date":"21st c.","event":"Khazarzar produces a modern digital transcription without critical apparatus."}],"relations":[{"work":"Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew","relation":"Similar exegetical style and rhetorical devices; also by Chrysostom.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Patrologia Graeca","relation":"This homily is not included in the standard Chrysostom corpus.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Luke 13:6–9","relation":"Biblical text that the homily interprets (parable of the fig tree).","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Mark 11:12–14","relation":"Parallel Gospel account of the fig tree miracle, possibly referenced.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The attribution to John Chrysostom is traditional but unconfirmed by external evidence.","The date of composition is unknown; the work may be a later Byzantine imitation.","The khazarzar edition lacks critical apparatus, so the text's manuscript basis is unverifiable.","No autograph or early witness survives; the work is known only from later copies."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000412,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:59:05Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Patrologia Graeca text (khazarzar mirror)","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/John%20Chrysostom_PG%2047-64/In%20parabolam%20de%20ficu.pdf"}],"checks":{"work":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-parabolam-de-ficu","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":12,"translated":12,"commentary_passages":12,"commentary_units":70,"english_words":2819,"source_letters":11574,"commentary_kinds":9},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The text survives only in later manuscript copies; no autograph or early witness is extant. The edition by khazarzar is a modern digital transcription, not a critical edition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The work is traditionally attributed to John Chrysostom (c. 347–407), but no external evidence confirms the date or occasion. The attribution rests on manuscript ascription and stylistic similarity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This homily on the fig tree parable (cf. Luke 13:6–9) was used in Byzantine liturgical cycles, though it is not part of the standard Chrysostom corpus in Migne's Patrologia Graeca.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The khazarzar edition provides no apparatus criticus or manuscript sigla. Readers cannot verify the text's fidelity to any single manuscript or family.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: other in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 12 narrative."},{"kind":"caution","severity":"caution","text":"1 passage(s) are fragmentary in the source; the English bridges each break and says so in the note."},{"kind":"scripture","severity":"info","text":"1 scriptural phrase match(es) noted: John 1:1."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: khazarzar — Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":12},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"Εἰς τὴν παραβολὴν περὶ συκῆς, ὁμιλία.\n\nαʹ. Ὀφθαλμὸς μὲν ὁρῶν ἢ δένδρον ἀνθοφόρον, ἢ πηγὴν ὑδροτόκον, ὑπ' αὐτῆς τῆς θέας ἕλκεται, καὶ τὸν τῆς καρδίας νοῦν μεταστρέφει ἐκεῖ. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀκούων διὰ λόγων πράξεις καὶ ἱστορίας, πρὸς ἐκείνας τὴν διάνοιαν ἀνατείνει, ὡς εἶναι τὸν τοιοῦτον τῷ μὲν σώματι ἐν τῷδε τῷ τόπῳ, τῇ δὲ διανοίᾳ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ τόπῳ, ἔνθα ὁ λόγος τῆς ἱστορίας διαστρέφει τὸ πρᾶγμα. Τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ἐμοὶ συμβέβηκεν, ἀγαπητοί. Ἀκούσας γὰρ τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ διηγουμένου τὰ ἐν Βηθανίᾳ κατὰ τὴν συκῆν γεγονότα πράγματα, ὧδε μέν εἰμι τῷ σώματι· τῇ δὲ διανοίᾳ ἐμαυτὸν εἶναι ἐκεῖ φαντάζομαι· καὶ οἴομαι νῦν ἀκολουθεῖν τῷ Δεσπότῃ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ ὁρᾷν τὴν συκῆν πρὸ μὲν τοῦ Δεσποτικοῦ προστάγματος ἀνθηρὰν καὶ κατάκομον, μετὰ δὲ τὸ Κυριακὸν πρόσταγμα στυγερὰν καὶ κατάξηρον. Πρωΐας γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπανάγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἐπείνασε. Καὶ ἰδὼν συκῆν, ἦλθεν ἐπ' αὐτὴν, καὶ οὐδὲν εὗρεν ἐν αὐτῇ εἰ μὴ φύλλα μόνον· καὶ λέγει αὐτῇ· Μηκέτι ἐκ σοῦ καρπὸς γένηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· καὶ εὐθέως ἐξηράνθη. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἀρτίως ἡμῖν ὑπανεγνώσθη. Ἐκπλήττει με τὸ θαῦμα· μεμέρισταί μου ἡ διάνοια. Ὅταν γὰρ βουληθῶ τὸ πρᾶγμα τῆς ἱστορίας διηγήσασθαι, εὐθέως μετὰ τῆς ἱστορίας τὰ θαύματα πρὸς αὐτὰ ἐπισπᾶται. Καὶ ὥσπερ ὁπόταν ἴδῃ τις στάμνον χρυσῆν ἔχουσαν ἔνδοθεν λίθους τιμίους, φέροντας ἐν ἑαυτοῖς γεγραμμένα μυστήρια, θέλει μὲν ὁρᾷν τὴν στάμνον διὰ τὴν τοῦ εἴδους στιλβότητα, ἀνθέλκεται δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἔνδοθεν λίθων· σπεύδει γὰρ καὶ τὸ τῶν λίθων περιαθρῆσαι κάλλος, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γεγραμμένα μυστήρια γνῶναι·","english":"Homily on the Parable of the Fig Tree.\n\n1. An eye that sees either a flowering tree or a water-bearing spring is drawn by the very sight, and turns the mind of the heart there. Likewise, the hearer, through words of deeds and histories, directs his thought toward them, so that such a person is in body in this place, but in thought in that place where the account of the history turns the matter. Something of this sort has happened to me, beloved. For having heard the evangelist narrating the events that took place in Bethany concerning the fig tree, I am here in body, but I imagine myself to be there in thought; and I think I am now following the Master Jesus, and seeing the fig tree, before the Lord's command flourishing and luxuriant, but after the Lord's command gloomy and withered. For early in the morning, it says, as Jesus was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree, he came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves only; and he says to it: \"Let no fruit ever come from you again,\" and immediately it withered. For this was just read to us. The miracle astonishes me; my mind is divided. For when I wish to narrate the matter of the history, immediately the miracles along with the history draw me toward them. And just as when one sees a golden jar having within it precious stones bearing mysteries inscribed on themselves, he wishes to see the jar because of the brilliance of its form, but is drawn away by the stones within; for he hastens to examine the beauty of the stones as well, and to know the mysteries inscribed on it.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἰς τὴν παραβολὴν περὶ συκῆς, ὁμιλία.","severity":"info","text":"The title identifies the work as a homily on the parable of the fig tree, establishing its exegetical genre.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὀφθαλμὸς μὲν ὁρῶν ἢ δένδρον ἀνθοφόρον, ἢ πηγὴν ὑδροτόκον","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom uses a visual analogy to describe how the mind is drawn to the subject of discourse, a common rhetorical device in his homilies.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Πρωΐας γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπανάγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἐπείνασε. Καὶ ἰδὼν συκῆν, ἦλθεν ἐπ' αὐτὴν, καὶ οὐδὲν εὗρεν ἐν αὐτῇ εἰ μὴ φύλλα μόνον· καὶ λέγει αὐτῇ· Μηκέτι","severity":"info","text":"This passage paraphrases the Gospel narrative of the fig tree miracle, likely from Mark 11:12-14 or a similar tradition, though the exact source is not cited.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Βηθανίᾳ","severity":"info","text":"Bethany is a village near Jerusalem, mentioned in the Gospels as the setting for the fig tree incident, providing geographical context for the homily.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Τοῦτο γὰρ ἀρτίως ἡμῖν ὑπανεγνώσθη.","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom indicates the passage was just read aloud in the liturgical setting, showing the homily's immediate connection to the day's scripture reading.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"στάμνον χρυσῆν ἔχουσαν ἔνδοθεν λίθους τιμίους","severity":"info","text":"The image of a golden jar with precious stones bearing mysteries parallels Chrysostom's method of drawing spiritual meaning from the literal narrative, a common patristic exegetical technique.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact Gospel source of the fig tree narrative is not specified; it may be from Mark or another synoptic tradition.","The phrase 'περὶ συκῆς' could refer to a specific parable or a miracle story; Chrysostom treats it as a historical event with symbolic meaning."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"ὡσαύτως κἀγὼ ὁρῶν μὲν τὴν τοῦ γράμματος ἱστορίαν λαμπρὰν καὶ περικαλλῆ τυγχάνουσαν, ἐκεῖ κατέχομαι τὸν νοῦν· ἀνθέλκομαι δὲ πάλιν ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος θεωρίας, μείζονά μοι τῆς ἱστορίας ἐπαγγελλομένης δεικνύειν τὰ θαύματα. Πρωΐας γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπανάγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἐπείνασεν. Ὢ ἀνεκφράστου καὶ ἀνεκδιηγήτου μυστηρίου! Ἐπείνασεν ὁ τρέφων πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην· ἐπείνασεν ὁ ἐκ πέντε ἄρτων πεντάκις χιλίους εἰς κόρον ἐκθρέψας· ἐπείνασεν ὁ ἐκ πηλοῦ ζῶντας ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐργασάμενος· ἐπείνασεν ὁ ἐπὶ τῶν κυμάτων τῆς θαλάσσης περιπατήσας, καὶ τοὺς πόδας εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ μὴ βάψας· ἐπείνασεν ὁ ἐννοίᾳ μόνῃ τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς οἶνον μετατρέψας· ἐπείνασεν ὁ ψυχὰς ἐκ τῶν σκηνωμάτων ἐκσπάσας, καὶ πάλιν αὐτὰς εἰσοικίσας λόγῳ. Καὶ πῶς λέγει ὁ Ἡσαΐας, Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ αἰώνιος οὐ πεινάσει, οὐδὲ κοπιάσει; Χριστὸς δὲ ὅτι Θεὸς παντί που δῆλον τῷ πιστεύοντι τῇ Γραφῇ λεγούσῃ· Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος. Πῶς οὖν ἐπείνασεν ὁ Θεός; Ἐπείνασεν ἡ τοῦ δούλου μορφή· διέθρεψε δὲ πεντακισχιλίους ἡ ἐν αὐτῷ τοῦ Δεσπότου βουλή. Ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν συκῆν ὁ ὁρώμενος ἄνθρωπος· ἦν δὲ πανταχοῦ ἡ ἐν αὐτῷ νοουμένη θεότης. Εἶδε τὴν συκῆν ἄκαρπον ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἐξήρανε ταύτην λόγῳ ὡς Θεός. Εἶπε, Μηκέτι ἐκ σοῦ καρπὸς γένηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· καὶ τὸ ἔργον ἠκολούθησε τῷ ῥήματι· καὶ εὐθὺς ἡ συκῆ ἐξηράνθη. Τὸ ῥῆμα ἀνθρώπινον, τὸ δὲ ἔργον θεϊκόν. Ἀλλὰ πολυζήτητος ἡμῖν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἡ θεωρία ἡ κατὰ τὴν συκῆν, παρὰ πολλοῖς μὲν ἑρμηνευθεῖσα, ὡς ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ, οὐκ ἠκριβωμένως·","english":"Likewise, when I see the bright and exceedingly beautiful narrative of the letter, I hold my mind there; but I am drawn back again by the contemplation of the spirit, which promises to show me wonders greater than the narrative. For early in the morning, it says, as Jesus was returning to the city, he became hungry. O ineffable and indescribable mystery! He who feeds the whole world became hungry; he who fed five thousand to satiety from five loaves became hungry; he who fashioned living eyes from clay became hungry; he who walked upon the waves of the sea without wetting his feet became hungry; he who by thought alone turned water into wine became hungry; he who drew souls out of their bodies and again lodged them in by a word became hungry. And how does Isaiah say, \"The eternal God will not hunger nor grow weary\"? But that Christ is God is clear to everyone who believes the Scripture which says, \"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.\" How then did God become hungry? The form of the servant became hungry; but the will of the Master within him fed the five thousand. The visible man came to the fig tree; but the divinity conceived in him was everywhere. As a man he saw the fig tree barren; as God he dried it up by a word. He said, \"Let no fruit ever come from you again\"; and the deed followed the word, and immediately the fig tree withered. The word was human, but the deed divine. But the contemplation concerning the fig tree is much disputed among us, beloved, having been interpreted by many, as it seems to me, not accurately.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"τοῦ γράμματος ἱστορίαν ... τοῦ πνεύματος θεωρίας","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom contrasts the literal narrative (ἱστορία) with spiritual contemplation (θεωρία), a standard Antiochene hermeneutic distinction.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom quotes John 1:1 to assert Christ's divinity, linking the paradox of hunger to the incarnation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ αἰώνιος οὐ πεινάσει","severity":"info","text":"A paraphrase of Isaiah (cf. LXX Isa 40:28? not exact) to contrast the eternal God with Christ's human hunger.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"πεντάκις χιλίους","severity":"info","text":"Alludes to the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1-14), a miracle Chrysostom uses to heighten the paradox of Christ's hunger.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Πρωΐας γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπανάγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom introduces the narrative cue from the parable (cf. Mark 11:12-14? not exact), framing the exclamation that follows.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"πολυζήτητος ... ἡ θεωρία","severity":"caution","text":"Chrysostom notes the fig tree interpretation is disputed and often inaccurate, signaling his corrective intent.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact scriptural source for the fig tree narrative is not specified; Chrysostom may be paraphrasing or conflating Gospel accounts.","The Isaiah quotation is not verbatim from the LXX; its precise reference is uncertain."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"scripture","severity":"info","ref":"John 1:1","text":"The English carries the scriptural phrase “in the beginning was the word”, which matches John 1:1. The match is on the English draft; check the Coptic before quoting the verse."}]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"πλὴν τὰς τῶν προλαβόντων ὑμῖν λέξω λύσεις, καὶ τὰς ἡμῖν πεπονημένας προσκομίσομεν ἀριστείας. Δύσληπτος γὰρ ὁ ἐν τῇ ἱστορίᾳ τοῦ γράμματος κείμενος νοῦς, πολλῷ τῷ βάθει κεκρυμμένην ἔχων τὴν τοῦ μυστηρίου στιλβότητα.\n\nΤί γὰρ τὸ ἀναγκαῖον ἦν τῷ λόγῳ ξηραίνεσθαι τὴν συκῆν, καὶ μὴ λόγῳ ταύτην καρποφορεῖν; Ὁ γὰρ ῥήματι ξηράνας αὐτὴν ἠδύνατο καὶ ῥήματι εὔκαρπον αὐτὴν ποιῆσαι. Τί δὲ καὶ ἥμαρτεν ἡ συκῆ, εἴποι τις ἂν, ὁπότε οὐκ ἦν αὐτῆς ὁ καιρὸς, Μάρκου τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ λέγοντος χειμῶνα εἶναι κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρόν; Καὶ εἰ μή τί ἐστι μυστήριον ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον ἐν αὐτῇ τελούμενον, εὑρεθήσεται ὁ Κύριος κατὰ μὲν ἕνα τρόπον ἐπαινετὸς, κατὰ δὲ ἕτερον μεμπτέος· ἐπαινετὸς μὲν γὰρ, ὅτι λόγῳ αὐτὴν ἐξήρανε· μεμπτέος δὲ, ὅτι ἀδίκως αὐτὴν κατηράσατο. Ἀλλὰ δεῖ νοεῖν τοῦ λοιποῦ, ἀγαπητοὶ, τίνος ἔφερεν εἰκόνα ἡ συκῆ· οὐ γὰρ ἦν τι ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ γενόμενον πρᾶγμα, ὃ οὐκ εἶχε μυστήριον. Ὅλως οὐδὲν ἦν παρ' αὐτοῦ γινόμενον ἔργον, ὃ μὴ σφόδρα ὠφέλιμον· οὐδὲν ὃ μὴ ἐβόα τὴν ἀλήθειαν· οὐδὲν ὃ μὴ πρὸς τὴν τῶν οὐρανίων παραδοχὴν ἐκίνει τὸν νοῦν. Ταύτην τὴν συκῆν οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἑρμηνέων εἰρήκασι τῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγῇ παρεικασμένην εἶναι, ἐφ' ἢν ἦλθε, φησὶν, ὁ Κύριος, ζητῶν ἐν αὐτῇ καρπὸν πίστεως· καὶ οὐχ εὗρεν, εἰ μὴ μόνον λόγοις προφητῶν καὶ νόμου καθάπερ φύλλοις κομῶσαν· διὸ καὶ ἐξήρανε, λέγων· Μηκέτι ἐκ σοῦ καρπὸς γένηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.","english":"Nevertheless, I will set forth for you the solutions of those who have preceded us, and I will present the labored achievements of our own. For the sense lying in the narrative of the letter is difficult to grasp, having the brilliance of the mystery hidden in great depth.\n\nFor what necessity was there in the account for the fig tree to be dried up, and not to bear fruit by a word? For he who dried it up by a word could also have made it fruitful by a word. And what sin did the fig tree commit, someone might say, since it was not its season, Mark the Evangelist saying that it was winter at that time? And if there is not some mystery beyond human comprehension being accomplished in it, the Lord will be found praiseworthy in one respect and blameworthy in another: praiseworthy, indeed, because he dried it up by a word; blameworthy, because he unjustly cursed it. But from now on, beloved, we must understand what image the fig tree bore; for there was nothing done by Christ that did not have a mystery. There was absolutely no work done by him that was not exceedingly beneficial; nothing that did not proclaim the truth; nothing that did not move the mind toward the reception of heavenly things. This fig tree, most of the interpreters have said, is likened to the synagogue of the Jews, to which, it is said, the Lord came, seeking in it the fruit of faith; and he found none, except that it was flourishing only with the words of the prophets and the law, as if with leaves; therefore he dried it up, saying, \"Let no fruit ever come from you again.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Δύσληπτος γὰρ ὁ ἐν τῇ ἱστορίᾳ τοῦ γράμματος κείμενος νοῦς","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom acknowledges the difficulty of the literal sense, which conceals a deeper mystery. This frames the allegorical reading that follows.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Μάρκου τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ λέγοντος χειμῶνα εἶναι κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρόν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom references Mark 11:13, which notes it was not the season for figs, to highlight the fig tree's apparent innocence.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Ταύτην τὴν συκῆν οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἑρμηνέων εἰρήκασι τῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγῇ παρεικασμένην εἶναι","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom reports that many interpreters before him identified the fig tree as a symbol of the Jewish synagogue, a common patristic allegory.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"πλὴν τὰς τῶν προλαβόντων ὑμῖν λέξω λύσεις, καὶ τὰς ἡμῖν πεπονημένας προσκομίσομεν ἀριστείας","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom announces a two-part structure: first reviewing earlier interpretations, then presenting his own labored exegesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"εἰ μή τί ἐστι μυστήριον ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον ἐν αὐτῇ τελούμενον","severity":"caution","text":"Chrysostom warns that without a mystery beyond human comprehension, the Lord would appear blameworthy for cursing the fig tree unjustly.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is clear; no significant ambiguities in this passage."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"Ἐγὼ δὲ τῇ ἑρμηνείᾳ ταύτῃ πειρῶμαι ἀντιλέγειν, ἀγαπητοί· οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἔχει ἡ ἀκρίβεια τοῦ νοήματος. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν κατηράσατο ὁ Κύριος, λέγων, Εὐλογεῖτε, καὶ μὴ καταρᾶσθε; πῶς δὲ καὶ τὴν συναγωγὴν κατηράσατο ἂν καὶ ἐξήρανεν ὁ λέγων, Οὐκ ἦλθεν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀπολέσαι, ἀλλὰ ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός; Εἰ δέ τις ἔτι ἀντιλέγει καὶ φιλονεικεῖ, λέγων, τῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγῇ παρεικασμένην εἶναι τὴν συκῆν ἀκριβῶς, λεγέτω πῶς ἡ ἀπὸ ῥιζῶν ξηρανθεῖσα συναγωγὴ τοιοῦτον ἔγκαρπον κλάδον ἐβλάστησε, τὸν γλυκύτατον Παῦλον. Πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ ἄλλους ἐπιστρέψαντας ἔγνωμεν ἐκ τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγῆς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ Στέφανος ὁ λιθασθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐξ ἐκείνης τῆς συναγωγῆς ἐτύγχανε, καὶ Ἀκύλας καὶ Πρίσκιλλα καὶ πολλοὶ ἄλλοι, ὧν τὸν κατάλογον νῦν τῶν ὀνομάτων διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν λέξεων παραιτούμεθα λέγειν. Ὅτι δὲ οὐ παντελῶς ἀπώσατο ὁ Θεὸς τὸν λαὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, μαρτυρείτω μοι Παῦλος λέγων· Λέγω οὖν, Μὴ παντελῶς ἀπώσατο Κύριος τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ; Μὴ γένοιτο· καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ Ἰσραηλίτης εἰμὶ, ἐκ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ, φυλῆς Βενιαμίν. Οὐκ ἀπώσατο Κύριος τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ σωτηρίαν τῷ λαῷ ἐκείνῳ ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐπαγγέλλεται ἐν τῷ λέγειν· Ὅταν δὲ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ, τότε πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐχθρὸν γεγόνασιν Ἰουδαῖοι τοῦ Θεοῦ, δι' ἡμᾶς γεγόνασιν, ἵνα τῇ ἐκείνων ἀπειθείᾳ ἡμεῖς ἐλεηθῶμεν, ὡς μαρτυρεῖ μοι Παῦλος λέγων, Κατὰ μὲν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἐχθροὶ δι' ἡμᾶς· κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκλογὴν ἀγαπητοὶ, διὰ τοὺς πατέρας· ἀμεταμέλητα γὰρ τὰ χαρίσματα καὶ ἡ κλῆσις ἁγία.","english":"I, however, attempt to argue against this interpretation, beloved; for the precision of the meaning is not thus. For how would the Lord have cursed, saying, \"Bless, and do not curse\"? And how would he who says, \"The Son of Man did not come to destroy, but to seek and to save the lost,\" have cursed the synagogue and dried it up? But if someone still argues and contends, saying that the fig tree is precisely likened to the synagogue of the Jews, let him say how the synagogue, dried up from the roots, sprouted such a fruitful branch, the most sweet Paul. And we know many others who converted from the synagogue of the Jews; for Stephen, stoned by the Jews, was from that synagogue, and Aquila and Priscilla and many others, whose list of names we now forgo stating due to the multitude of words. But that God did not utterly reject the people of the Jews, let Paul bear witness for me, saying: \"Do I say then, Did the Lord utterly reject his people? Far from it; for I myself am an Israelite, from the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. The Lord did not reject his people.\" But indeed, he also promises salvation to that people in the last days, in saying: \"When the fullness of the nations enters, then all Israel will be saved.\" For even if the Jews have become enemies of God, they have become so for our sake, so that by their disobedience we might be pitied, as Paul bears witness for me, saying: \"According to the Gospel, enemies for our sake; according to election, beloved, on account of the fathers; for the gifts and the holy calling are irrevocable.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Εὐλογεῖτε, καὶ μὴ καταρᾶσθε","severity":"info","text":"A dominical saying, likely from Matthew 5:44 or a parallel tradition, urging blessing over cursing. Chrysostom uses it to argue against the idea that Christ cursed the fig tree.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Οὐκ ἦλθεν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀπολέσαι, ἀλλὰ ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός","severity":"info","text":"A paraphrase of Luke 19:10 or a similar saying, emphasizing Christ's salvific mission. Chrysostom cites it to counter the interpretation that Christ destroyed the synagogue.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"συναγωγή","severity":"info","text":"Here 'synagogue' refers to the Jewish community or institution, not a building. Chrysostom argues that the fig tree cannot represent the synagogue because the synagogue produced Paul and other converts.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Παῦλον","severity":"info","text":"Paul, a former Pharisee and persecutor of Christians, became the foremost apostle to the Gentiles. Chrysostom cites him as a 'fruitful branch' from the synagogue, proving God did not utterly reject the Jews.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὅταν δὲ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ, τότε πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται","severity":"info","text":"An eschatological promise of Israel's salvation, possibly from a lost apocryphon or a paraphrase of Romans 11:25-26. Chrysostom uses it to argue that God's rejection of the Jews is not final.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀκύλας καὶ Πρίσκιλλα","severity":"info","text":"Aquila and Priscilla were Jewish Christians, co-workers of Paul (Acts 18:2-3, Romans 16:3). Chrysostom lists them as examples of converts from the synagogue, supporting his argument against the fig tree-synagogue allegory.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The precise source of the dominical saying 'Bless, and do not curse' is uncertain; it may be a paraphrase of Matthew 5:44 or a free citation.","The eschatological promise 'When the fullness of the nations enters, then all Israel will be saved' is not a direct biblical quotation; its origin is unclear, possibly from a lost Jewish Christian source or a paraphrase of Paul."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"Ζητητέος τοίνυν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ὁ περὶ τῆς συκῆς λόγος, τίνος ἔφερεν εἰκόνα. Ἀλλ' ἐὰν σὺ, ὁ Ἀδὰμ, μνησθῇς, ὅτε ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐγυμνώθης, ποίου δένδρου φύλλα λαβὼν καὶ συῤῥάψας ἑαυτῷ περιβόλαιον ὕφανας, ὄψει πῶς δικαίως ταύτην ἐξήρανεν· ἢ γὰρ οὐχὶ φύλλα συκῆς λαβὼν τὴν σεαυτοῦ αἰσχύνην ἐκάλυπτες; Ἦλθεν οὖν ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ τὴν ἔτι ἐν σοὶ ἀνθοῦσαν συκῆν τὸ τῆς αἰσχύνης κάλυμμα τῷ λόγῳ ἐξήρανεν· ἦρέ σου τὴν πενίαν, καὶ δέδωκέ σοι τὸν πλοῦτον· ἦρέ σου τὰ τῆς αἰσχύνης καλύμματα, καὶ δέδωκέ σοι χιονοφεγγῆ στολὴν, ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος ὑφανθεῖσαν· ἐξήρανε τὰ φύλλα τῆς συκῆς, καὶ ἀπέδωκέ σοι τὰ σῦλα τῆς ψυχῆς. Ποῖα σῦλα; Ἃ ὄφις ἐσυλαγώγησεν ἐν σοὶ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, τὴν ἰσάγγελον ζωὴν, τὴν τοῦ παραδείσου τρυφὴν, τὴν τῆς ἀφθαρσίας στολήν.\n\nβʹ. Ἀλλ' ἐπανέλθωμεν ἐπὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον. Πρωῒ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπανελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἐπείνασε. Πρωῒ, μετὰ τὸ τὴν νύκτα τῆς πλάνης παραδραμεῖν, καὶ τὸν ὄρθρον Χριστὸν τὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως φέγγος αὐγάσαι τῷ κόσμῳ· ὄρθρος γὰρ ὁ","english":"The account concerning the fig tree, therefore, beloved, must be investigated, as to what it bore as an image. But if you, Adam, remember, when you were stripped naked in paradise, what tree's leaves you took and, stitching them together, wove a covering for yourself, you will see how justly He dried it up. For did you not take fig leaves to cover your own shame? Christ came, then, and dried up by His word the fig tree still blooming in you, the covering of shame. He took away your poverty and gave you wealth; He took away the coverings of your shame and gave you a snow-white robe, woven from water and Spirit; He dried up the leaves of the fig tree and gave back to you the plunder of the soul. What plunder? That which the serpent plundered from you in paradise: the angelic life, the delight of paradise, the robe of incorruption.\n\n2. But let us return to the main point. \"For early in the morning,\" it says, \"Jesus, returning to the city, became hungry.\" Early in the morning, after the night of error had passed, and the dawn—Christ—had shone the light of the resurrection upon the world; for dawn is","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"συκῆς","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom here interprets the fig tree as a symbol of Adam's postlapsarian shame, linking the Gospel cursing of the fig tree to the Eden narrative. This allegorical reading is distinctive and not found in earlier patristic exegesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"φύλλα συκῆς","severity":"info","text":"The reference to Adam covering his shame with fig leaves alludes to Genesis 3:7, though the specific detail of fig leaves is not in the biblical text but appears in Jewish and early Christian tradition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"σῦλα","severity":"info","text":"The Greek word σῦλα (plunder) is a pun on σῦκον (fig), playing on the homophony. Chrysostom exploits this to contrast the fig tree's leaves (shame) with the spiritual 'plunder' restored by Christ.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"βʹ. Ἀλλ' ἐπανέλθωμεν","severity":"info","text":"The numeral βʹ marks a new section, a common homiletic device. Chrysostom signals a return to the Gospel narrative after the allegorical digression on Adam.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"text","lemma":"πρωῒ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom interprets 'early in the morning' (πρωῒ) as a symbol of the resurrection, reading the temporal marker as an allegory for the dawn of salvation after the 'night of error'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"συῤῥάψας","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text has a typographical anomaly: συῤῥάψας (with a misplaced diacritic) should be συρράψας. The meaning 'stitching together' is clear, but the form is corrupt in the source edition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The precise referent of 'the plunder of the soul' is ambiguous: it may denote the original state of grace or specific gifts lost in the Fall. Chrysostom lists three items but does not clarify their distinctiveness."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"Χριστὸς, καθάπερ φησὶν ὁ προφήτης· Ὡς ὄρθρον ἕτοιμον εὑρήσομεν αὐτόν. Πρωῒ ἐπανάγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Πρωῒ, μετὰ τὸ τὸν σκοτεινόμορφον θάνατον τῷ φωτὶ τῆς δόξης Χριστοῦ ἀφανισθῆναι, καὶ τὰς χρυσοῦς ἀκτῖνας τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιον ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἐσκοτισμένων ἀνθρώπων καρδίαις ἐλλάμψαι· πρωῒ, μετὰ τὸ τὰς θερμὰς ἀκτῖνας τῆς θεότητος ἐκπετάσαι, καὶ τὰς νενεκρωμένας ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου ψυχὰς ἐκθερμᾶναι· Οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ ὃς ἀποκρυβήσεται τῆς θέρμης αὐτοῦ. Τῇ γὰρ ψυχροτάτῃ ἁμαρτίᾳ ὁ διάβολος τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων καρδίας ἐνέκρωσεν. Ὅθεν ὁ προφήτης ἐπεύχεται λέγων· Πύρωσον τοὺς νεφρούς μου, καὶ τὴν καρδίαν μου. Κρυμῷ γὰρ ἀσεβείας πᾶσα ἡ ἀνθρωπότης ἐδέδετο. Διὸ πάντες οἱ προφῆται ὁμοθυμαδὸν ηὔχοντο πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν λέγοντες· Ἐπίστρεψον, Κύριε, τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἡμῶν, ὡς χειμάῤῥους ἐν τῷ νότῳ· τουτέστιν, ὥσπερ νότος θερμὸς ἐπιπνεύσας τὰ παγωθέντα ὕδατα εἰς τὴν προτέραν φύσιν τοῦ ὕδατος ἐπανάγει, ὡσαύτως καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ τοῦ διαβόλου νεκρωθέντας, ὡς νότος θερμὸς ἐπιπνεύσας, ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχαίαν φύσιν τῆς ἀφθαρσίας ἀνακαινίζει.","english":"Christ, just as the prophet says: \"We will find him ready as the morning.\" Jesus returning early. Early, after the dark-formed death was obliterated by the light of Christ's glory, and the golden rays of the sun of justice shone in the hearts of darkened men; early, after the warm rays of divinity spread out and warmed the souls deadened by the devil. For there is no one who will hide from his warmth. For the devil deadened the hearts of men with the coldest sin. Hence the prophet prays, saying: \"Fire my kidneys and my heart.\" For all humanity was bound by the frost of impiety. Therefore all the prophets prayed unanimously to God, saying: \"Turn back, Lord, our captivity, like winter torrents in the south wind\"; that is, just as a warm south wind, blowing, brings frozen waters back to their former nature of water, so also does it renew us, who were deadened by the sin of the devil, to the ancient nature of incorruption, as a warm south wind blowing.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὡς ὄρθρον ἕτοιμον εὑρήσομεν αὐτόν","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'We will find him ready as the morning' is not a direct biblical quotation but likely an allusion to Psalm 46:6 (LXX) or similar prophetic language about the dawn.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Πύρωσον τοὺς νεφρούς μου, καὶ τὴν καρδίαν μου","severity":"info","text":"'Fire my kidneys and my heart' echoes Psalm 26:2 (LXX) or similar petitions for divine purification, though the exact phrasing is not verbatim from the Septuagint.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐπίστρεψον, Κύριε, τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἡμῶν, ὡς χειμάῤῥους ἐν τῷ νότῳ","severity":"info","text":"The prayer 'Turn back, Lord, our captivity, like winter torrents in the south wind' is not a direct biblical verse but a composite allusion to prophetic calls for restoration, possibly influenced by Hosea or Joel.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"νότος","severity":"info","text":"The south wind (νότος) in ancient Mediterranean thought was warm and associated with thawing and renewal, contrasting with the cold north wind; Chrysostom uses this natural metaphor to illustrate spiritual revival.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"σκοτεινόμορφον θάνατον","severity":"info","text":"'Dark-formed death' personifies death as a shadowy entity, a rhetorical device common in Chrysostom's homilies to emphasize the transformative power of Christ's light.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"πρωῒ","severity":"info","text":"The repetition of 'early' (πρωῒ) structures the passage as a temporal and theological progression: first the obliteration of death, then the warming of souls, mirroring the dawn metaphor.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact biblical sources for the three quoted phrases are unclear; they may be paraphrases or conflations of Septuagint passages rather than direct citations.","The phrase 'ὡς χειμάῤῥους ἐν τῷ νότῳ' is textually uncertain; the manuscript may have a variant reading."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"Ταύτην τὴν θερμὴν ἐπίπνευσιν τοῦ νότου καὶ ἡ νύμφη Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησία ἐν τοῖς Ἄσμασι τῶν ᾀσμάτων ἐπικαλεῖται λέγουσα· Ἐξεγείρου, βοῤῥᾶ, καὶ ἐξέρχου, νότε· διάπνευσον κῆπόν μου, καὶ ῥευσάτωσαν ἀρώματα. Πρωῒ, φησὶν, ἐπανάγων. Καλὸν τὸ, Ἐπανάγων, ἵνα σημάνῃ, ὅτι τὸν ἐκ τοῦ παραδείσου ἐκπεσόντα Ἀδὰμ πάλιν ἐλθὼν ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν τόπον ἐπανάγει. Πρωῒ ἐπανάγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν, ἐπείνασε. Πόλιν νῦν ἀκούσας, μὴ κάτω περιβλέπου, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀνάβλεπε, πρὸς τὸν οὐράνιον χῶρον· καὶ γὰρ Τὸ πολίτευμα ἡμῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει. Πρωῒ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐπανάγων ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν, ἐπείνασεν, οὐ τὴν τροφὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ τὴν ζωὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων· Ἐμὸν γάρ ἐστι βρῶμα, ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Πατρός μου· ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν εἰς ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος· Ὁ γὰρ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν, καθὼς εἶπεν αὐτὸς, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Πρωῒ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐπανάγων ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν, ἐπείνασεν, καὶ ἰδὼν συκῆν, ἦλθεν ἐπ' αὐτήν. Εἰ γὰρ παρέδραμε τὴν συκῆν, εἶχεν ἂν ἐν τῇ συκῇ τὴν καλιὰν αὐτοῦ ὁ ὄφις ἀθάνατον· ἀλλ' ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν συκῆν, καὶ ταύτην ἐξήρανεν. Ὑπὸ τοιαύτην συκῆν τὸν Ναθαναὴλ ὄντα εἶδεν ὁ Κύριος· Πρὸ τοῦ γάρ σε Φίλιππον φωνῆσαι ὄντα ὑπὸ τὴν συκῆν, εἶδόν σε. Ταύτην τὴν συκῆν προορῶν ὁ προφήτης μέλλουσαν ἄκαρπον γενέσθαι, ἔλεγεν· Ἀναβήσομαι εἰς λαὸν παροικίας μου, διότι συκῆ οὐ καρποφορήσει. Ἐπὶ τοιαύτην συκῆν ἀνέβη ὁ Ζακχαῖος ἰδεῖν τὸν Ἰησοῦν· πρὸς ὃν ἔλεγε· Σπεύσας κατάβηθι. [Ἐκεῖ ὁ ὄφις καμπύλα περιπλέκεται, ἐκεῖ ἐνόσσευσεν, ἐκεῖ κέκρυπται.","english":"This warm breath of the south wind the Bride of Christ, the Church, invokes in the Song of Songs, saying: \"Awake, north wind, and come forth, south wind; blow through my garden, and let the spices flow.\" \"Early,\" he says, \"returning.\" The word \"returning\" is good, to signify that our Lord, coming again to the same place, leads back Adam, who had fallen from paradise. Jesus, returning early to the city, was hungry. Now when you hear \"city,\" do not look below, but look up to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the celestial place; for our citizenship is in the heavens. Jesus, returning early to the city, was hungry—not for the food of men, but for the life of men: \"For it is my food to do the will of my Father; that they may believe in the one whom he sent.\" For he who believes in him, as he himself said, shall never die. Jesus, returning early to the city, was hungry, and seeing a fig tree, he came to it. For if he had passed by the fig tree, the serpent would have had his nest in the fig tree immortal; but he came to the fig tree and dried it up. The Lord saw Nathanael under such a fig tree: \"Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.\" The prophet, foreseeing that this fig tree would become barren, said: \"I will go up to the people of my sojourn, because the fig tree will not bear fruit.\" Zacchaeus climbed such a fig tree to see Jesus; to him he said: \"Hurry, come down.\" There the serpent coils in curves, there it has nested, there it is hidden.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐξεγείρου, βοῤῥᾶ, καὶ ἐξέρχου, νότε· διάπνευσον κῆπόν μου, καὶ ῥευσάτωσαν ἀρώματα","severity":"info","text":"A paraphrase of Song 4:16 LXX, where the beloved calls for the north and south winds to perfume the garden. Chrysostom adapts the verse to invoke the Church as bride.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐπανάγων","severity":"info","text":"The Greek participle 'epanagōn' (returning) is glossed by Chrysostom as signifying Christ's leading back (epanagei) of Adam to paradise, a typological reading of the verb.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Πρὸ τοῦ γάρ σε Φίλιππον φωνῆσαι ὄντα ὑπὸ τὴν συκῆν, εἶδόν σε","severity":"info","text":"Allusion to John 1:48, where Jesus tells Nathanael he saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him. Chrysostom uses this to identify the fig tree as a symbol of hidden sin.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀναβήσομαι εἰς λαὸν παροικίας μου, διότι συκῆ οὐ καρποφορήσει","severity":"info","text":"A loose citation of Hosea 9:10 LXX, where the prophet laments that the fig tree (Israel) will not bear fruit. Chrysostom applies it to the barren fig tree of the parable.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"συκῆν","severity":"info","text":"The fig tree in early Christian exegesis often symbolizes Israel or the synagogue, and its barrenness represents spiritual infertility. Chrysostom here associates it with the serpent's nest, i.e., sin.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Πρωῒ ... ἐπανάγων ... ἐπείνασε","severity":"info","text":"The repeated phrase 'early, returning, was hungry' structures the passage as a threefold exegesis: first of the city (heavenly Jerusalem), then of hunger (for faith), then of the fig tree (sin eradicated).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text conflates the fig tree of the parable with the fig tree under which Nathanael sat (John 1:48) and the barren fig tree of Hosea 9:10, but Chrysostom treats them as a single symbolic tree."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"Σπεύσας κατάβηθι.] Χαριέντως δὲ ὁ εὐαγγε λιστὴς εἶπε συκομορέαν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ζακχαίου, ἵνα σημάνῃ ὅτι ἡ πλατεῖα καὶ εὐρύχωρος ὁδὸς συμπέπλεκται τῇ μωρίᾳ, ὅθεν τίκτεται ὁ κάκιστος μόρος. Ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν συκῆν ὁ Κύριος.\n\nΑὕτη ἡ συκῆ εἰκόνα ἔφερε τῆς πλατείας καὶ εὐρυχώρου ὁδοῦ· πλατύφυλλον γάρ ἐστι τὸ φυτὸν τῆς συκῆς, καὶ κνησμώδης ἐστὶν ἡ ἁμαρτία, διὰ τῆς πλατείας καὶ εὐρυχώρου ὁδοῦ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν. Γλυκύτατός ἐστιν ὁ καρπὸς τῆς συκῆς· γλυκεῖά ἐστιν ἡ ἡδονὴ, εἰς ὄλισθον ἁμαρτίας τοὺς προσεγγίζοντας αὐτῇ καταῤῥηγνῦσα. Φεῦγε αὐτῆς τὴν γεῦσιν, ὦ ἀγαπητέ· γλυκεῖα γάρ ἐστιν ἐν τῇ γεύσει, πικρὰ δὲ μετὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν. Μέλι γὰρ ἀποστάζει ἀπὸ χειλέων γυναικὸς πόρνης, καὶ πρὸς καιρὸν λιπαίνει τὸν φάρυγγα· ὕστερον δὲ πικρότερον χολῆς εὑρήσεις, καὶ ἠκονημένον μᾶλλον διστόμου μαχαίρας. Πόρνη ἐστὶν ἡ ἡδονὴ, γλυκέα σοι προσομιλεῖ τὰς ἀρχὰς, λαθραίως παρεμβάλλουσα ἐν τῇ ὁμιλίᾳ τὸ πικρὸν τοῦ θανάτου. Τοιοῦτος ἦν καὶ ὁ ὄφις, γλυκὺς ἐν τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ πικρὸς ἐν τῷ δόλῳ· γλυκὺ μὲν τὸ βρῶμα, πικρὸν δὲ τὸ πτῶμα. Φεῦγε οὖν, ἀγαπητὲ, τὴν πόρνην, τὴν γλυκεῖάν σοι ὁμιλοῦσαν, καὶ πικρὰ τραύματα ἐμφέρουσαν· φεῦγε τὴν ἡδονὴν ὡς Ἠλίας τὴν Ἰεζάβελ. Ἦλθε τοίνυν ὁ Κύριοςἀπὸ οὐρανῶν· ἐπείνασεν τὴν ζωὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων","english":"Make haste, come down.\" The evangelist elegantly said sycomore in the case of Zacchaeus, to signify that the broad and spacious road is intertwined with folly, from which the worst folly is born. The Lord came to the fig tree.\n\nThis fig tree bore the image of the broad and spacious road; for the fig tree's leaf is broad, and sin is itchy, leading through the broad and spacious road to destruction. The fruit of the fig tree is very sweet; pleasure is sweet, casting those who approach it into the slippery slope of sin. Flee its taste, beloved; for it is sweet in taste, but bitter after the deed. For honey drips from the lips of a harlot woman, and for a time it greases the throat; later you will find it more bitter than gall, and sharper than a double-edged sword. Pleasure is a harlot, speaking sweetly to you at the start, secretly inserting in the conversation the bitterness of death. Such also was the serpent, sweet in speech, and bitter in deceit; sweet the morsel, bitter the fall. Flee therefore, beloved, the harlot, who speaks sweetly to you and inflicts bitter wounds; flee pleasure as Elijah fled Jezebel. So the Lord came from the heavens; he hungered for the life of men.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"συκομορέαν","severity":"info","text":"The Greek term συκομορέαν (sycomore) is used here for the fig tree, distinct from συκῆ (common fig). Chrysostom exploits the broad leaf of the sycomore to symbolize the broad road of sin.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν συκῆν ὁ Κύριος","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'The Lord came to the fig tree' alludes to the Gospel narrative of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), where Zacchaeus climbs a sycomore fig tree to see Jesus. Chrysostom interprets this as Christ confronting sin.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἠλίας τὴν Ἰεζάβελ","severity":"info","text":"The reference to Elijah fleeing Jezebel recalls 1 Kings 19:1-3, where Jezebel threatens Elijah's life. Chrysostom uses this as a model for fleeing from pleasure, which he personifies as a harlot.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Φεῦγε οὖν, ἀγαπητὲ, τὴν πόρνην","severity":"info","text":"This passage employs a repeated exhortation 'Flee' (Φεῦγε) to structure the moral warning, first against the taste of the fig, then against the harlot (pleasure), mirroring the homiletic style of Chrysostom.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"γλυκύτατός ἐστιν ὁ καρπὸς τῆς συκῆς","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's allegory of the fig tree as sin and pleasure influenced later Byzantine and Western exegesis, where the fig often symbolizes temptation and the sweetness of vice.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἦλθε τοίνυν ὁ Κύριος ἀπὸ οὐρανῶν· ἐπείνασεν τὴν ζωὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων","severity":"caution","text":"The final sentence abruptly shifts from moral allegory to Christ's descent and hunger for human life. The transition is rhetorically abrupt; the text may be a composite or excerpted from a longer homily.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ἐπείνασεν τὴν ζωὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων' is ambiguous: it could mean Christ hungered for the salvation of human life or for the living substance of humans. The reading taken is 'hungered for the life of men' in a salvific sense."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":9,"ref":"p9","source":"εὕρασθαι· εὗρε τὴν πλατεῖαν καὶ εὐρύχωρον ὁδὸν τοῦ βίου τούτου ἑστῶσαν· ἦλθεν ἐπ' αὐτὴν, καὶ εὑρίσκει αὐτὴν φύλλοις κομῶσαν, τουτέστι, δόγμασιν ἁμαρτίας ἀνθοῦσαν, μὴ ἔχουσαν δὲ αὐτὴν καρπὸν ἔτι θανάτου. Διὰ τί; Ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἦν καιρός· τοῦτο γὰρ προσέθηκεν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής· Οὐκ εἶχε, φησὶ, καρπόν· οὐ γὰρ ἦν καιρός. Πῶς γὰρ ἠδύνατο ἔτι θάνατον καρποφορῆσαι. Ἰησοῦ παραγενομένου, καὶ ἀνάστασιν τῷ κόσμῳ κηρύττοντος; Οὐκ ἔτι ἦν αὐτῆς καιρὸς καρποφορεῖν θάνατον· Ἐβασίλευσε γὰρ ὁ θάνατος ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι Μωϋσέως. τουτέστι, τοῦ νόμου. Οἶδε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ Γραφὴ τὸν νόμον λέγειν Μωϋσέα, ὡς ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ· Ἔχουσιν Μωϋσέα καὶ τοὺς προφήτας. Εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς αὐτὴν, Οὐ περαιτέρω καὶ Μηκέτι ἐκ σοῦ καρπὸς γένηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· τουτέστι, Πρὸ τῆς ἐμῆς παρουσίας ἐκαρποφόρησας θάνατον· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ παραγέγονα, αὕτη ἡ ἀνάστασις. Ἐμοῦ παραγενομένου Μηκέτι ἐκ σου καρπὸς γένηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Καὶ εὐθέως ἐξηράνθη ἡ συκῆ· καὶ ἐπληρώθη τὸ γεγραμμένον, Κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος. Ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον; ποῦ σου, ᾅδη, τὸ νῖκος; Εἰπὼν γὰρ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς χειμῶνα εἶναι κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἐν ᾧ ἡ συκῆ τοῖς φύλλοις ἐκόμα, ᾐνίξατο ὅτι ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐκόμα, διὰ τὸ εἶναι τὸν διάβολον χειμῶνα ἐπικείμενον πάσῃ τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι. Πρὸ γὰρ τῆς τοῦ εἰρηνάρχου παρουσίας, ποικίλοις πνεύμασιν ἐκλονεῖτο τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος, πρὸς εἰδωλολατρείας καὶ αἱμοχυσίας καὶ κώμους καὶ λαγνείας ἐλαυνόμενον·","english":"found the broad and spacious road of this life standing; he came upon it, and finds it luxuriant with leaves, that is, blooming with the doctrines of sin, but not yet having the fruit of death. Why? Because it was not the season; for the evangelist added this: It had no fruit, he says, for it was not the season. For how could it still bear the fruit of death, with Jesus present and proclaiming resurrection to the world? It was no longer the season for it to bear the fruit of death; for death reigned from Adam until Moses, that is, the law. For Scripture, he says, knows how to call the law Moses, as in the Gospel: They have Moses and the prophets. The Lord said to her, No further, and Let no fruit come from you for eternity; that is, Before my coming you bore the fruit of death; behold, I have arrived, this is the resurrection. With me present, let no fruit come from you for eternity. And immediately the fig tree withered; and what was written was fulfilled: Death was swallowed up in victory. Where is your sting, O death? Where is your victory, O Hades? For when the evangelist said that it was winter at that time when the fig tree was luxuriant with leaves, he intimated that sin was luxuriant, because the devil was a winter pressing upon all humanity. For before the coming of the peacemaker, the human race was shaken by various winds, driven toward idolatries, bloodshed, revelries, and lusts.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"εὕρασθαι· εὗρε τὴν πλατεῖαν καὶ εὐρύχωρον ὁδὸν","severity":"info","text":"The Greek text begins with 'εὕρασθαι· εὗρε', likely a scribal or editorial conflation; the sense is that Christ found the broad road standing, continuing the allegory of the fig tree as the way of sin.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἔχουσιν Μωϋσέα καὶ τοὺς προφήτας","severity":"info","text":"This phrase echoes Matthew 22:23 or a similar Gospel passage where Jesus refers to Moses and the prophets as authorities; Chrysostom uses it to equate Moses with the law.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος","severity":"info","text":"This phrase alludes to 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 (LXX: 'κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος') or a liturgical echo; Chrysostom applies it to the withering of the fig tree as a symbol of death's defeat.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον; ποῦ σου, ᾅδη, τὸ νῖκος;","severity":"info","text":"This rhetorical question adapts 1 Corinthians 15:55 ('ποῦ σου τὸ κέντρον;') and possibly the Easter kontakion; Chrysostom uses it to celebrate Christ's victory over death.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"εἰρηνάρχου","severity":"info","text":"'εἰρηνάρχου' (peacemaker) is a title for Christ, contrasting with the devil as 'winter'; it reflects Chrysostom's typology of Christ as the one who brings peace and ends the reign of sin and death.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Διὰ τί; ... Πῶς γὰρ ...","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom uses a rhetorical question-and-answer structure to explain why the fig tree had no fruit: because Jesus' presence makes the season of death impossible, linking the allegory to salvation history.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The opening 'εὕρασθαι· εὗρε' may be a textual corruption or a conflation of two readings; the translation follows the sense of 'found'.","The phrase 'ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι Μωϋσέως' could be interpreted as a period from Adam to Moses or as a reference to the law (Moses) as a boundary; Chrysostom equates Moses with the law."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":10,"ref":"p10","source":"ἐλθὼν δὲ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ κόσμου, κατέστειλε τὰς τῶν ἐναντίων πνευμάτων σπιλάδας ταραττούσας τὴν τοῦ βίου τούτου τῶν παθῶν ἁλμυροφόρον θάλασσαν, καὶ τὰ ἀφροφόρα τῶν ἡδονῶν κατέσβεσε κύματα. Καὶ ξηράνας τὴν συκῆν, ἐφύτευσε τὴν τοῦ σταυροῦ πίστιν ἀνθοῦσαν, καὶ ζωὴν πᾶσιν ἀστράπτουσαν· οὗ σταυροῦ αἱ μὲν ῥίζαι εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐτέθησαν, οἱ δὲ κλάδοι εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνετάθησαν· οὗ τὰ φύλλα ἀγήρατα, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἀμάραντον, καὶ ὁ καρπὸς ἀθάνατος· οὗ καὶ ὁ Δαυῒδ μέμνηται ξύλου, λέγων· Καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων, ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ φύλλον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀποῤῥυήσεται. Τούτου τοῦ ξύλου μέμνηται καὶ ἡ Σοφία, λέγουσα· Ξύλον ζωῆς ἐστι πᾶσι τοῖς ἀντεχομένοις αὐτῆς. Τοῦτο τὸ ξύλον προφητικῷ ὀφθαλμῷ θεωρήσας Ἱερεμίας, ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων μέλλον κατὰ Χριστοῦ πελεκᾶσθαι, εἰς πρόσωπον τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀπεφθέγξατο, λέγων αὐτοῖς· Δεῦτε, καὶ ἐμβάλωμεν ξύλον εἰς τὸν ἄρτον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκτρίψωμεν αὐτὸν ἐκ γῆς ζώντων. Ξύλον ὁ σταυρὸς, ἄρτος τὸ σῶμα Χριστοῦ. Λαβὼν γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ἄρτον, εἶπε· Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου, τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κλώμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν.","english":"Then our Lord Jesus Christ, the peace of the world, came and calmed the reefs of the opposing spirits that were troubling the salt-bearing sea of the passions of this life, and quenched the foam-bearing waves of pleasures. And having dried up the fig tree, he planted the faith of the cross, which blooms and flashes life to all. The roots of this cross were placed in the earth, but its branches were stretched up to the heavens. Its leaves are ageless, its flower unfading, and its fruit immortal. David also mentions this tree, saying: \"And it shall be like the tree planted by the outlets of the waters, which will give its fruit in its season, and its leaf will not fall off.\" Wisdom also mentions this tree, saying: \"It is a tree of life to all who hold fast to it.\" Jeremiah, having seen this tree with a prophetic eye, and knowing that it was about to be hewn by the Jews against Christ, spoke to the face of the Jews, saying to them: \"Come, let us put wood into his bread, and let us grind him out of the land of the living.\" The wood is the cross, the bread is the body of Christ. For the Lord, taking bread, said: \"This is my body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"σπιλάδας","severity":"info","text":"The term 'σπιλάδας' (reefs) metaphorically describes the hidden dangers posed by opposing spirits, a nautical image common in Chrysostom's rhetoric.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων","severity":"info","text":"This is a paraphrase of Psalm 1:3 (LXX), though the exact wording differs; Chrysostom adapts the verse to his allegory of the cross as a life-giving tree.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ξύλον ζωῆς ἐστι πᾶσι τοῖς ἀντεχομένοις αὐτῆς","severity":"info","text":"This echoes Proverbs 3:18 (LXX) or a sapiential tradition, identifying the cross as the tree of life for those who cling to it.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Δεῦτε, καὶ ἐμβάλωμεν ξύλον εἰς τὸν ἄρτον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκτρίψωμεν αὐτὸν ἐκ γῆς ζώντων","severity":"info","text":"This is a free citation of Jeremiah 11:19 (LXX), reinterpreted as a prophecy of the cross (wood) and the Eucharist (bread).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"συκῆν","severity":"info","text":"The fig tree symbolizes the old dispensation or sinful passions, which Christ 'dries up' to plant the cross, a common patristic allegory.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου","severity":"info","text":"This Eucharistic formula (cf. Matthew 26:26) is applied to the cross-bread allegory, linking the passion to the sacrament in Chrysostom's typology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The citation of Psalm 1:3 is not verbatim from the LXX; Chrysostom may be quoting from memory or a variant text.","The source of the Wisdom citation is unclear; it may be a conflation of Proverbs and Wisdom of Solomon."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":11,"ref":"p11","source":"Ἐπὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἰκρίον τοῦ σταυροῦ ἀναβὰς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ ἐκπετάσας, καὶ τὰς ἐν τῷ ἀέρι πετομένας δυνάμεις ἐξελάσας, ἀνεμπόδιστον ἡμῖν τὴν εἰς οὐρανὸν πορείαν ηὐτρέπιζε, καὶ κλίμακα μακρὰν ἡμῖν τὴν πίστιν ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀνατείνας· καὶ τὸ παράδοξον, ἐὰν ἀκούσητε, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἔστη τὸ δένδρον τοῦ σταυροῦ, ἐφηπλώθη ἐν αὐτῷ ἡ ἀληθινὴ ἄμπελος, ἡ λέγουσα, Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή· καὶ ἐγένετο τῷ μὲν διαβόλῳ ἀναδενδρὰς θανατηφόρος, ἡμῖν δὲ ἀναδενδρὰς ζωηφόρος, τὸν καύσωνα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἀναστέλλουσα, καὶ σκιὰν ἀναπαύσεως ἡμῖν δωρουμένη. Ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν αὐτοῦ ὁ καθήμενος λέγει τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σολομῶντος εἰρημένον· Ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ αὐτοῦ ἐπεθύμησα καὶ ἐκάθισα, καὶ γλυκὺς αὐτοῦ ὁ καρπὸς ἐν τῷ λάρυγγί μου. Ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ σκιᾷ θαῤῥήσας ὁ μακάριος Δαυῒδ ἔλεγε· Καὶ ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ τῶν πτερύγων σου ἐλπιῶ. Ἕως πότε; Ἕως οὗ παρέλθῃ ἡ ἀνομία μου. Ὢ θαυμαστοῦ πράγματος καὶ μυστηρίου καινοῦ! Ἡ πηγὴ ἐπὶ δένδρον ἔκειτο, καὶ ὁ σταυρὸς ὑπ' αὐτῆς ἐποτίζετο· νυγεὶς γὰρ λόγχῃ τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ, αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ ἐξέπεμψε· τῷ μὲν αἵματι τὸν σταυρὸν πορφυρίζων, τῷ δὲ ὕδατι ἄρδων αὐτοῦ τὰς ῥίζας, ἵνα ἀθανάτους καρποὺς τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς ἀεὶ ἀναθάλλῃ.","english":"Upon this scaffold of the cross, our Lord Jesus Christ ascended, and stretching out his hands, he drove away the powers flying in the air, preparing for us an unimpeded journey to heaven, and extending for us a long ladder of faith from earth to heaven. And the marvel, if you will hear it, beloved, is that the tree of the cross stood, and upon it was spread the true vine, the one saying, \"I am the true vine.\" And it became for the devil a deadly vine-trellis, but for us a life-giving vine-trellis, checking the burning heat of our sins and granting us the shade of rest. He who sits under its shade speaks the words of Solomon: \"In its shade I desired and sat, and its fruit is sweet in my throat.\" In this shade, the blessed David, taking courage, said: \"And in the shade of your wings I will hope.\" Until when? Until my lawlessness passes away. O what a wondrous thing and a new mystery! The spring lay upon the tree, and the cross was watered by it; for, pierced in his side by a spear, he sent forth blood and water: with the blood dyeing the cross purple, with the water watering its roots, so that it might ever put forth immortal fruits for those who believe.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'I am the true vine' quotes John 15:1, where Christ identifies himself as the true vine, a key Johannine image.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ αὐτοῦ ἐπεθύμησα καὶ ἐκάθισα","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'In its shade I desired and sat' is from Song of Songs 2:3 (LXX), attributed to Solomon, used here to evoke rest under the cross.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ τῶν πτερύγων σου ἐλπιῶ","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'And in the shade of your wings I will hope' echoes Psalm 56:2 (LXX), attributed to David, reinforcing the theme of shelter.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀναδενδρὰς","severity":"info","text":"The term 'ἀναδενδρὰς' (vine-trellis) is rare, used here to contrast the cross as deadly for the devil but life-giving for believers, blending viticulture and soteriology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὢ θαυμαστοῦ πράγματος καὶ μυστηρίου καινοῦ","severity":"info","text":"This exclamation marks a structural shift from scriptural citation to a new mystery: the spring (Christ's side) watering the cross, blending blood and water imagery.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"νυγεὶς γὰρ λόγχῃ τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ","severity":"caution","text":"The piercing of Christ's side with a spear is not a canonical gospel detail; it may derive from apocryphal tradition or harmonization, requiring caution in historical reference.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'τὸν καύσωνα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν' could be read metaphorically as 'burning heat of sins' or literally as 'heatwave of sins'; the translation opts for the metaphorical sense.","The source of the spear-piercing detail is ambiguous; it may be a conflation of John 19:34 (spear) and the synoptic crucifixion accounts."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":12,"ref":"p12","source":"Ὢ δένδρον μακαριστὸν, ὃ βασιλεῖς τιμῶσιν, καὶ ὕπαρχοι σέβονται, ἄνδρες τε καὶ γυναῖκες καὶ πᾶσα φύσις καὶ κτίσις ἀνθρώπων φυλακτήριον κέκτηνται· ὃ δαίμονες φρίττουσι, καὶ ὁ διάβολος τρέμει· ὃ ἄγγελοι ὑμνοῦσι, καὶ οὐρανοὶ εὐλογοῦσιν· Ἐκκλησίαι δὲ σεμνύνουσι τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ σταυρωθέντα Χριστόν! ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνα, τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"O blessed tree, which kings honor and governors revere, which men and women and every nature and creation of men possess as a safeguard; which demons shudder at and the devil trembles; which angels hymn and the heavens bless; and Churches glorify Christ who was crucified upon it! To whom is the glory and the power, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὢ δένδρον μακαριστὸν","severity":"info","text":"The passage is a liturgical acclamation, structured as a series of relative clauses praising the cross as a tree, culminating in a doxology. This rhetorical form is typical of Chrysostom's homiletic conclusions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"φυλακτήριον","severity":"info","text":"φυλακτήριον (phylactery) here means a protective amulet or safeguard, reflecting the cross's apotropaic power in early Christian piety. The term is used metaphorically, not literally.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"δαίμονες φρίττουσι","severity":"info","text":"The motif of demons shuddering at the cross is widespread in patristic literature, e.g., in Athanasius, On the Incarnation. It underscores the cross's victory over evil forces.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος","severity":"info","text":"The doxology echoes New Testament doxological formulas, such as Rom 16:27 and 1 Tim 1:17, and the liturgical phrase 'εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων' (unto the ages of ages) appears in Rev 14:11 LXX and later Christian hymnody.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὢ δένδρον μακαριστὸν","severity":"caution","text":"The opening exclamation 'Ὢ δένδρον' (O blessed tree) might be misread as addressing a literal tree; in context, it is a metaphor for the cross, consistent with Chrysostom's allegorical interpretation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'πᾶσα φύσις καὶ κτίσις ἀνθρώπων' could be read as 'every nature and creation of men' or as a hendiadys meaning 'every created human nature'; the translation follows the more literal reading."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}