Dear Kate,
I suppose that saints metaphorically cultivating/watering the garden or
vineyard of the Church are fairly common, beginning with the four rivers of
paradise as a figure of the four Evangelists watering the four parts of the
world.
For a saint plowing and sowing the seed of the Gospel I can offer the
portrait of St. Anthony in Aldhelm's _De virginitate_, XXVIII (PL 89,126):
Anthonius coelestis aratri stivarius et evangelici sermonis sator, a
quo primitus per Aegyptum fertilis coenobiorum seges et fecunda con-
versationis occa granigeris germinavit spicis, unde postmodo Memphy-
tica tellus, quam Nilus reciprocis fecundat fluentis, millenos anima-
rum manipulos in fructiferis Ecclesiae novalibus pullulantes protulit,
quos angelici messores (cum figura mundi in ictu et atomo evanuerit,
et enormia creaturarum elementa in melius commutata claruerint) se-
questratis loliorum fasciculis in inexhausta coelestis regni horrea
catervatim advectabunt, nonne propter egregiam animae pudicitiam
ineffabili virtutum gratia praeditus, usque supremos terrarum cardi-
nes rumore clarus percrebuit, quod plenius de ejus virtute miraculo-
rum Athanasius, Alexandrinus antistes, simplo volumine patefecit,
Evagrio in Latinum transferente
I have not read but can refer you to G. J. M. Bartelink, "Les oxymores
'desertum civitas' et 'desertum floribus vernans'", in _Studia Monastica_
15 (1973), p.7-13
If you want to include Dante, there is Bonaventura's praise of Dominic in
Paradiso 14,70ss.:
Domenico fu detto; e io ne parlo
si\ come de l'agricola che Christo
elesse a l'orto suo per aiutarlo.
See also vv.86s. the Church as "la vigna" and the Pope as "il vignaio";
v.95s. true faith as "lo seme"; and finally, vv.97ss.:
Poi, con dottrina e con volere insieme,
con l'officio appostolico si mosse
quasi torrente ch'alta vena preme;
e ne li sterpi eretici percosse
l'impeto suo, piu\ vivamente quivi
dove le resistenze eran piu\ grosse.
Di lui si fecer poi diversi rivi
onde l'orto cattolico si riga,
si\ che i suoi arbuscelli stan piu\ vivi.
For a discussion of this imagery, including a parallel in Guittone d'Arezzo
("agricola a nostro Signore, / non terra ma core coltando") and Latin
precedents, see Manfred Bambeck, "Domenico agricola in Par. 12,71 und bei
Guittone von Arezzo", in id., _Go"ttliche Komo"die und Exegese_, Berlin &
New York: de Gruyter, 1975, p.164-169
Kind regards,
Otfried
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