Fruitless Trees

Τὴν ἄκαρπον Ἰουδαίων θεωρῶν ὁ Ἰωάννης προαίρεσιν, δένρδοις αὐτοὺς ἀκάρποις παρείκασε, πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν αὐτῶν κεῖσθαι τὴν ἀξίνην ἀποφηνάμενος, τὴν ὀξεῖαν καὶ σύντομον τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου διαίρεσιν, ὑφ' ἧς πᾶν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν, ἐκκόπτεται,οὐκ ὁρύσσεται. Ἡ γὰρ φυὴ τῶν ῥιζῶν, ὁ νόμος δηλαδὴ, καταλείπεται, ἐφ' ἢν ὁ νέος λαὸς ἐγκεντρίζεται. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΞΔ' , Εὐλαμπιῳ

Perceiving the fruitlessness of the Jews John the Baptist compared them to fruitless trees, proclaiming that the axe had been laid to the root, which is the sharp and cutting division of the Gospel, by which every tree not producing good fruit is cut down, not dug up, for the roots, which is clearly the law, from which growth may come, is left behind, on to which a new people will be grafted. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 64, To Eulampius