For the earth brings forth fruit of itself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full grain in the ear.
All Commentaries on Mark 4:28 Go To Mark 4
Tertullian of Carthage
AD 220
First comes the grain, and from the grain arises the shoot, and from the shoot struggles out the shrub: thereafter boughs and leaves gather strength, and the whole that we call a tree expands: then follows the swelling of the germen, and from the germen bursts the flower, and from the flower the fruit opens: that fruit itself, rude for a while, and unshapely, little by little, keeping the straight course of its development, is trained to the mellowness of its flavour.
