Selecta in Ezechielem

 of Jesus the Savior God having gone forth. If then they might hear, or be terrified. Similar to this doubtful expression is the one in Jeremiah: Perha

 of Israel. But neither are they slow of speech for their tongue, that is, their speech, does not have weight and a certain elegance but they are lig

 He sat in their midst. But when he is about to see the glory of the Lord, he rises up and goes out into the plain, with only the breadth of the plain

 the iniquities of the house of Israel. And who took up the iniquities of the sons of Israel, being two in number, both that against God and that again

 But it is not proper for God to effect these things. For thus also the teacher of the Hebrews explained the passage: I will honor those who honor me,

 those who have emulated the mere practical are said to be glens but those who are humbler in soul than all are called ravines. And your precincts sha

 someone might say, the temple-keepers under 13.789 the priests and the house of Israel those from the 12 tribes and those who fear the Lord are fore

 to him, so that he became worthy even of being laid up in the Holy of Holies in the tent of testimony. That there is a vision for all the multitude. F

 his observance. And when they are not capable of giving counsel, nor do they preside to consider what is necessary for the common good, it must be sai

 written for the evil ones, and to have transferred the sacred weekly cycle from the holy things to the idols, so that they might receive a kind of sta

 Theodotion have placed alongside, preserving, as I think, the Hebrew word for I do not think that among the Greeks the word 'kasto' means to have a w

 the houses are built. The meaning of the present text is this: These men, he says, say, seeing the city newly built after the previous captivity, that

 he answers them through the prophet, as they are in need of repentance, saying: Repent and turn away, and so forth. Land, which if it sins. It is the

 they will enter, it is said. These bring out sons and daughters. This must be read as a question: If Noah and Daniel and Job will not suffice for thos

 Incense. Incense and oil is the prayer sent up to God from the mind with knowledge, in which God delights. And you spread your legs to everyone passin

 is of the vine, so also we, if we follow as the natural impulses draw us in our earliest years, are eating unripe grapes. Of the same. The unripe grap

 by his most wicked doctrines laying waste the land and those who dwell in it. These lions, therefore, are a symbol of the kings of Jerusalem in a tang

 to those before us I mean those outside the flesh. For besides having its own historical account, such as that which occurred among us men, it also h

 The Egyptians must be punished from the first to the last. All who inhabit Egypt, or rather, who are, will be punished in it.

He sat in their midst. But when he is about to see the glory of the Lord, he rises up and goes out into the plain, with only the breadth of the plain being encompassed by the sight of the glory of the Lord, which the prophet was about to see. Go in, and shut yourself up in the midst of your house. Since it is not possible for one who is still in the body to be disposed to spend his time having gone out and standing; for bodily need calls him, even after the divine contemplations, to enter again into the body and, as it were, to suffer the things of one who is shut up; for this reason it is said, after he has seen the glory standing, and after he has been set upon his feet by the spirit, "Go in, shut yourself up in the midst of your house." Behold, bonds are laid upon you. And what other bonds could be laid upon the prophet than the bodily necessities, in which are the things that bind us; so that we cannot entirely escape them and go out from them? Because of these things our tongue is bound by God to the throat; so that the word concerning the greater and most mystical things is not in us to impart to those who provoke the Divine and do not receive refuting words. Nevertheless, it must be observed that where sins are more numerous, the prophet is commanded not even to rebuke any more through the words: And you shall not be to them a man who reproves, because it is a provoking house; nor is he always commanded to be silent and not to rebuke, but to do this also at the proper time because it was said: And when I speak to you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord; and he who hears, let him hear, and he who disobeys, let him disobey. CH. 4. Take for yourself a brick. I think that the brick that is taken is each of those who, before they believed, resembled a brick in their mind. By the same. A brick here I think is said to be the soul of the uneducated and foolish man, on which is drawn by the prophet and by the one who is able to teach spiritual things and to show better things, the city of Jerusalem, and the mysteries in it, and the account of the city of God and of those who have been citizens in it. And the siege-works of the city would be the doctrines that fortify the words concerning it; and the ramparts, the constructive proofs. Perhaps also rational contemplation itself, of which the invincible man must have knowledge, is signified by: And you shall cast a palisade against it; and the angelic guard by: And you shall place camps against it; and the battering rams around Jerusalem, are the words that beat back the opposing words. But since it is also possible to sin even after so many things, perhaps the words that touch the one who has sinned and punish him are called an iron pan, just as someone according to the prophet is an iron wall because of not falling away from the most excellent state. And the phrase, You shall prepare your face, that is, you shall strain the vision of your soul upon the city in order to build it upon the brick, which will be the enclosure of the city. For you will shut it in, impressing it and imprisoning it in the soul of the listener who is clothed in a body. And all this is a sign that lies in those who are naturally gifted in generation and are called sons of Israel. Perhaps also in those who have been taught the things of godliness, but do not live worthily of the holy teachings, the city of Jerusalem drawn on the brick is a representation, being besieged and constrained by enemies, who have ramparts and are building a palisade against it, and have set up their camps against it and countless battering rams, in order to wound it. And for this reason an iron pan is placed as an iron wall, because the prophet is not such as they are, between him and the besieged city. And the prophet's face has been prepared against the city on the brick which is in confinement, shut up by the proof of the prophetic words. And all this is also a sign to the sons of Israel, that they should not become such. And you, take for yourself a pan. It is likely that the punishments are an iron pan; or also according to the history, that the barbarian roasted the sons of the kingdom. And you shall take the

ἐκαθέσθη ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Ὅτε δὲ αὐ τὸς μέλλει βλέπειν τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου, ἀνίσταται καὶ ἐξέρχεται εἰς τὸ πεδίον, συλλαμβανομένου μόνου τοῦ πλάτους τοῦ πεδίου τῇ ὄψει τῆς δόξης Κυρίου, ἢν ἔμελλεν ὁρᾷν ὁ προφήτης. Εἴσελθε, καὶ ἐγκλείσθητι ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ οἴκου σου. Ἐπεὶ οὐχ οἷόν τέ ἐστι διακεῖσθαι προσδιατρί βοντα ἐξεληλυθέναι καὶ ἑστηκέναι τὸν ἔτι ὄντα ἐν τῷ σώματι· καλεῖ γὰρ ἡ σωματικὴ χρεία πρὸς τὸ καὶ μετὰ τὰς θείας θεωρίας πάλιν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸ σῶμα καὶ οἱονεὶ τὰ τοῦ κεκλεισμένου πάσχειν· διὰ τοῦτο λέγεται μετὰ τὸ ἑωρακέναι αὐτὸν ἑστηκυῖαν τὴν δό ξαν, καὶ μετὰ τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐστηρίχθαι ἐπὶ τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, τὸ, Εἴσελθε, ἐγκλείσθητι ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ οἴκου σου. Ἰδοὺ δίδονται ἐπὶ σὲ δεσμοί. Καὶ τίνες ἂν ἄλλοι εἶεν οἱ δεδομένοι ἐπὶ τὸν προφήτην δεσμοὶ ἢ αἱ σω ματικαὶ ἀνάγκαι, ἐν αἷς εἰσιν οἱ δεσμεύοντες ἡμᾶς· ὡς μὴ δύνασθαι πάντη ἐκφυγεῖν αὐτὰς καὶ ἐξελθεῖν ἀπ' αὐτῶν; ∆ιὰ ταύτας συνδεῖται ἡ γλῶσσα ἡμῶν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὸν λάρυγγα· ὥστε μὴ τὸν περὶ τῶν πλειόνων λόγον καὶ μυστικώτατον ἐν ἡμῖν εἶναι μετα διδόναι τοῖς παραπικραίνουσι τὸ Θεῖον καὶ μὴ χωροῦσι λόγους ἐλεγκτικούς. Πλὴν παρατηρητέον, ὅτι ἔνθα πλείονά ἐστι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, κελεύεται ὁ προφήτης μηδὲ ἐλέγχειν ἔτι διὰ τοῦ· Καὶ οὐκ ἔσῃ αὐτοῖς εἰς ἄνδρα ἐλέγχοντα, διότι οἶκος παραπικραίνων ἐστί· οὔτε δὲ ἀεὶ κελεύεται σιωπᾷν καὶ μὴ ἐλέγχειν, ἀλλ' ἐν καιρῷ καὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖν διὰ τὸ εἰρῆσθαι· Καὶ ἐν τῷ λαλεῖν με πρὸς σὲ ἀνοίξω τὸ στόμα σου, καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Καὶ ἀκούων ἀκουέτω, καὶ ὁ ἀπειθῶν ἀπειθείτω. ΚΕΦ. ∆ʹ. Λάβε σεαυτῷ πλίνθον. Οἶμαι τὴν λαμβανομένην πλίνθον ἕκαστον εἶναι τῶν πρὸ τοῦ πεπιστευκέναι, πλίνθῳ τὴν διάνοιαν ἐοικότων. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Πλίνθον ἐνταῦθα νομίζω λέγεσθαι τὴν τοῦ ἀπαιδεύτου καὶ ἀνοήτου ψυχὴν, ἐν ᾗ διαγράφεται ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου καὶ τοῦ δυναμένου διδάσκειν τὰ πνευματικὰ καὶ τὰ κρείττονα παραδεικνύναι, πόλις Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ μυστήρια, καὶ ὁ λόγος τῆς πόλεως τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐμπολιτευσαμένων αὐτῇ. Περιοχὴ δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἂν εἴη δόγματα ὀχυ ροῦντα τοὺς λόγους τοὺς περὶ αὐτήν· προμαχῶνες δὲ αἱ κατασκευαστικαὶ ἀποδείξεις. Τάχα δὲ καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἡ λογικὴ θεωρία, ἧς ἐν γνώσει δεῖ εἶναι τὸν ἀκαταμάχητον, σημαίνεται ἐκ τοῦ· Καὶ περιβαλεῖς ἐν αὐτῇ χάρακα· ἡ δὲ ἀγγελικὴ φρουρὰ ἐκ τοῦ· Καὶ δώσεις ἐν αὐτῇ παρεμβολάς· αἱ δὲ βελοστά σεις αἱ κύκλῳ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, οἱ ἀποκρουόμενοι λό 13.780 γοι τοὺς ἐναντίους λόγους εἰσί. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ δυνατόν ἐστι καὶ ἁμαρτεῖν μετὰ τοσαῦτα, τάχα οἱ ἁπτόμενοι τοῦ ἡμαρτηκότος λόγοι καὶ κολάζοντες αὐτὸν σιδη ροῦν λέγονται τήγανον, ὥσπερ τις κατὰ τὸν προφή την ἐστὶ τοῖχος σιδηροῦς διὰ τὸ μὴ μεταπίπτειν ἀπὸ τῆς καλλίστης ἕξεως. Τὸ δὲ, Ἑτοιμάσεις τὸ πρόσ ωπόν σου, τουτέστι συντενεῖς τὸ διορατικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς σου ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν εἰς τὸ οἰκοδομῆσαι αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τῆς πλίνθου, ἣ τῆς πόλεως ἔσται συγκλεισμός. Συγκλείσεις γὰρ αὐτὴν, ἐντυπῶν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐγκαθ ειργνύων τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ ἀκροατοῦ σῶμα περικειμένου. Τοῦτο δὲ πᾶν σημεῖόν τι ἔγκειται τοῖς ἐν γενέσει εὐ φυέσι καὶ καλουμένοις υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ. Τάχα δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς διδαχθεῖσι μὲν τὰ τῆς θεοσεβείας, μὴ βιοῦσι δὲ ἀξίως τῶν ἁγίων μαθημάτων, λόγος ἐστὶν ἡ ἐπὶ τῆς πλίνθου διαγεγραμμένη πόλις Ἱερουσαλὴμ περιεχο μένη καὶ συνεχομένη ὑπὸ πολεμίων, προμαχῶνας ἐχόντων καὶ χαρακούντων αὐτὴν, τάς τε παρεμβολὰς αὐτῶν ἐπιστησάντων αὐτῇ καὶ μυρίας ὅσας βελοστά σεις, ἵνα αὐτὴν τιτρώσκωσι. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τήγανον σιδηροῦν τίθεται ὡς τοῖχος σιδηροῦς, τῷ μὴ εἶναι τὸν προφήτην τοιοῦτον, ὁποῖοί εἰσιν ἐκεῖνοι ἀναμέσον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς περιεχομένης πόλεως. Παρεσκεύασται δὲ τὸ τοῦ προφήτου πρόσωπον ἐπὶ τὴν ἐν τῇ πλίνθῳ πόλιν οὖσαν ἐν συγκλεισμῷ συγκεκλεισμένην ὑπὸ τῆς ἀποδείξεως τῶν προφητικῶν λόγων. Καὶ τοῦτο πᾶν σημεῖόν ἐστι καὶ αὐτὸ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, ἵνα μὴ τοιοῦτοι γίνωνται. Καὶ σὺ λάβε σεαυτῷ τήγανον. Εἰκὸς τὰς κολά σεις εἶναι τήγανον σιδηροῦν· ἢ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἱστο ρίαν, ὅτι ἀπετηγάνισε τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς βασιλείας ὁ βάρ βαρος. Καὶ λήψῃ τὰς