What's the Vineyard?

[Brian Newman]

Okay, I know what the Dogs are.  But one of my players asked, "What's the Vineyard?", and I couldn't find anything talking about it in the book.  Is it a reference to a phrase that means something?

[lumpley]

"The vineyard" is from Isaiah. It's a metaphor for Israel, I guess, originally; in Mormonism it's a metaphor for the church. There's a chapter or two in Isaiah all about how the faithful servants cultivate the bitter vines to bring forth good fruit, and the unfaithful servants don't cultivate the good vines and they bring forth bitter fruit.

-Vincent

[Brian Newman]

Ooh, cool.

[Iskander]

Because I can't resist being a smart-aleck: Isiah:5 and Isiah:27 both have references to the Vineyard.

[IMAGinES]

... in Mormonism it's a metaphor for the church. There's a chapter or two in Isaiah all about how the faithful servants cultivate the bitter vines to bring forth good fruit...

Aha. Which is what the Dogs are meant to do.

[foucalt]

I'm pretty sure the bridge between the OT usage Vincent points out (Israel) and the LDS usage (the church) is Christ's use of the term in the New Testament as a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven. Examples:

Matthew 20 starts out
1 FOR the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire alabourers into his vineyard.
2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his avineyard.
3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be bcalled, but few chosen.

Or in Matthew 21
33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his avineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.