Gennadius testifies that Saint Maximus was likewise the author of this homily. In agreement with him are the codices of Sankt Gallen, of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme 90 and 99, the Ambrosian C 97, the Verona 75, the Vatican 1269, the Reichenau XIX, the Regensburg codex of St. Emmeram, the Laurentian x (Plut. XIV), and the metropolitan Milanese marked F 53. In some of these the inscription of the homily is: «On the birthday of St. Cyprian»; in the rest: «Concerning the birthday of St. Cyprian»; unless you except one, codex 90 of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, which has: «Here begins concerning the birthday of St. Cyprian.» For of this same Saint Maximus there are several orations on Saint Cyprian to be edited among the sermons. But at this point we have reserved special mention of the codex of the imperial archive of the Milanese basilica;
for we can never sufficiently render thanks to the canon Antonio Francesco Frisi, who not only supplied testimonies from the Milanese codices, but also drew out from that aforementioned very ancient codex (for it bears the marks of the ninth century) a distinguished fragment of this homily, and communicated it to us. Nor is it fair to be silent that the beginning of a fragment of this kind is found in the Vatican codex 1269 and in Santa Croce in Gerusalemme 99. Gymnicus published the same homily (p. 241) with the title: «The first homily on the birthday of the divine Cyprian, bishop and martyr»; and Galesinius (p. 162), Cumdius (vol. IV, p. 774), Raynaud (p. 285), and Margarin in the Bibliotheca Maxima (vol. VI, p. 39). Wherefore it must be thought to have been rashly included among the works of Saint Ambrose in the Paris edition of 1569 and the Roman
of 1570. Saint Cyprian's festival, as is known to all, we celebrate today, and, as they say, we prepare the birthday of his martyrdom from the vintage that is now at hand; therefore our vows and those of the world coincide. The world rejoices in the abundance of vintages; we are glad in the passion of the saints; which passion indeed is to be compared to vintages; for just as by the pressing of grapes wine is poured out, so also by the martyrdom of the saints, in the stead of wine, blood is poured out; save that the grape furnishes temporal fruits, the passion eternal ones. Rightly therefore is martyrdom compared to vintages, for it has its own inebriation, it has its own chalice; of which the prophet David says: «Thy chalice which inebriates, how goodly it is!» (Ps. 22 [23]).
And the Lord Himself, set at the outcome of His passion, says: «Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me» (Matt. 26). And again the prophet: «I will take the chalice of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord» (Ps. 115 [116]). Rightly, I say, is the chalice compared to martyrdom; for just as when a chalice is drunk, every noxious humour is boiled off by the warmth of the wine, so also when the cup of martyrdom is drained, all the dregs of the sinner are tempered by the glory of the passion. Martyrdom therefore is a certain saving wine, which furnishes gladness to the heart, warmth to faith, purity to the soul. Wine plainly is that spiritual grape which hung upon the wood for the salvation of all.
For just as the cluster that is to yield wine is first suspended in a vineyard by a certain art of nature, so Christ, who was to bring forth the spiritual wine of martyrdom on the cross, is fitted there by a certain providence of the Godhead. He is plainly that cluster which those two spies—that is, Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh—carried on their own shoulders upon a pole to the children of Israel (Num. 13); which deed even then prefigured the coming of the Lord and Saviour. For the cluster suspended on a pole is shown to be Christ hung upon the cross; and the two carrying the grape upon a pole represented two peoples: the Christian, to be sure, and the Jew; and, as is the custom of those who carry, one going before, the other following after;
so the people of the Jews is designated as the former, that of the Christians as the second. And just as the one going before does not see what he carries, and, ever keeping it behind him, despises it by a certain turning of his back; while he who follows ever beholds it with his eyes, ever guards it with his gaze, ever possesses it by the nearness of his body; so, then, are the Jewish and the Christian people. For the Jew is first, carries Christ in the Law and knows Him not, and, placing Him behind, despises Him by a certain turning of the back; whence the prophet says: «Let their eyes be darkened that they see not; and bow down their back always» (Ps. 68 [69]). But the Christian, the following people, ever beholds Christ with his eyes, ever guards Him with his gaze, and embraces Him by a certain nearness of steps;
and by however much that people leaves Him behind by its crooked path, by so much does this one, by a straight course, hasten to attain Him. Therefore, brethren, let us follow the footsteps of that most blessed martyr Cyprian, who by a straight track followed Christ, and, with the grapes ripening, attained to the palm of martyrdom. Moreover, the time of the vintage was at hand. For because he suffered at this vintage-time, we, as it were from a vintage, have gathered sweet and varied fruits from his passion. For he has enriched us, and refreshes us with the new wine of his martyrdom. For there is a new wine which refreshes and inebriates the Christian; but that inebriation makes him rather more sober. For he who is inebriated with heavenly grace is made sober from the burden of sins.
For filled with this new wine the holy apostles, as Scripture says (Acts 2), were speaking the mighty works of God in foreign tongues. In which deed they seemed at once both drunk and sober. For they were thought drunk, because in them a speech other than natural resounded; sober they were, because according to custom they were praising the Lord with devotion of mind. And this indeed happened not by any elation or loss of control, that holy men should speak in a foreign tongue; but it was done by the providence of the Godhead, that, since one speech does not suffice to magnify God, the devotion of the mind might be unloosed through many tongues. We have been made glad, therefore, because from the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth we have received the fruit of refreshment.
But the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth, as the prophet says (Isa. 5:7), is Israel; and that house we are; for according to faith we are Israelites. Whence the Apostle says: «They who are of faith, these are the sons of Abraham» (Gal. 3). Since therefore we are Israel, we are the vineyard of the Lord. Let us diligently see to it that from the shoot of our work there be born not the grape of sweetness, but of gall, and that it be not said to us what was said to the Jews through the prophet: «I waited that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth thorns» (Isa. 5). How hard a condition, that the possession which ought to have brought forth to its lord the fruits of sweetness should have pricked him with the sharpness of thorns! This is, that whereas the Jews ought to have received the Saviour with all the devotion of faith, they crowned Him with the passion of thorns.
Which crown indeed was as great an injury of reproach to the Jews as it was in the Lord a crown of virtues. Therefore the Jews prick the Lord while they crown Him, they prick Him while they crucify Him. Whence Holy Scripture says: «They shall look on Him whom they pierced» (Zech. 12:10; John 19:37). Therefore, brethren, see that it be not said to you also: «I waited that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth thorns.» That is, lest the thorns which the Jews with bloody hands imposed on the Lord, we should lay upon Him with our wicked feelings, and prick Him not with the sharpness of the senses, but with the depravity of our works. Of which the Saviour makes mention in the Gospel, saying that the sown seed fell among thorns, and grew, and choked what had sprung up (Luke 8). And what the thorns are He Himself goes on to explain.
He says assuredly that they are worldly cares, which, when they grow in a man's heart, choke in him the Saviour's commandments. For who was ever anxious about the world that could be well anxious about Christ? Who, while he provides for the gains of his own house, could provide for the profit of the Church? Whence the Apostle says: «He who is without a wife is anxious about the things of God, how he may please God; but he who is with a wife is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife» (1 Cor. 7). Therefore, brethren, see that your vineyard bring not forth thorns instead of grapes; that your vineyard yield not vinegar instead of wine. For whoever gathers the vintage and does not bestow it on the poor, he gathers vinegar, not wine.
Whoever stores up the harvests and does not minister to the needy, he has laid up not the fruit of nourishment, but has gathered the thistles of avarice. For to this end Scripture says of our earth: «Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you» (Gen. 3:18). Therefore, brethren, if you wish that your crop bring forth for you not thorns and thistles, but yield the most abundant fruits that you desire, refresh with all the effort of your mind the hunger of the needy from the fruits of your harvest;
and that your vintage bring forth for you not vinegar, but the fairest wine, quench with the liquor of wine the burning thirst of the poor, that you may not, together with the wicked rich man of the Gospel set in torments, suffer the anguish of hunger and thirst, but may be found worthy, together with Lazarus the beggar and the blessed Tobias, giver of alms, to rejoice in everlasting felicity; by the bounty of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is honour and glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.