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to foretell the subjugation, and to write to the captives in Babylon, both to build houses, and to plant vineyards; as the decree of the seventy years was unfailing. Therefore it was necessary not only for Jeremiah to say and write these things in Judea, but also for those in captivity to learn these things through the prophets among them; yet the prophet sees the utter destruction that would befall Jerusalem. For this is what is meant by, "A sweeping wind came from the north," or, as Symmachus said, "a stormy one;" and the violence of the wind signifies the attack of the Babylonian; and the "greatest cloud," the deluge of spears, and of javelins, and of all kinds of darts; and the "flashing fire," not only the terror brought on, but also the destruction of the city that happened through fire; and the "brightness round about," the glory of God made manifest through the punishment. For since they did not profit from His good works, nor did they wish to perceive the benefactor from them, through punishment they receive the full knowledge; for which reason they also cry out; "After my captivity I repented." -"And in its midst, like the appearance of electrum in the midst of the fire, and a brightness in it." Up to this point, therefore, he has declared to us the whole revelation together; from here he proceeds to the explanation part by part. 5. And in the midst as a likeness of four living creatures. A rational living being is called both man and angel; but the one is a mortal rational being, the other an immortal rational being. But who could clearly interpret the revelation, when the prophet himself grew weary in the narration? For he did not simply say that he had seen four living creatures, nor yet a likeness of living creatures, but "as a likeness of four living creatures;" so that it is clear that the divine prophets did not see the very natures of the invisible beings, but certain resemblances and representations shown by the great Giver for each need; he therefore tells us also the forms of the living creatures that appeared to him. For this, he says, is their appearance, a likeness of a man in them. ( 6.) And four faces to the one, and four wings to the one. And their legs were straight, and their feet were winged, and sparks like flashing bronze, and their wings were light. And a man's hand from under their wings on their four sides. The form of the beings that appeared, he says, was upright, 81.825 and like a man; and each was four-faced, and four-winged, and he said they had hands equal in number to their wings, and that their feet were full of wings. And by the number of the faces, and of the wings, of the powers bearing the divine form, he indicates the ever-present oversight of the all-king God. The winged nature signifies the swiftness of their nature; and the sparks resembling the most brilliant bronze signify the brightness and purity of their mind; and the hands hidden under the wings, the unseen and manifold activity. To these he adds: 9. They did not turn when they went, each went straight forward. For a man, traveling to the northern part, and then wishing to cross over to the southern, must necessarily turn, having been allotted one face; but for those whose faces are equal in number to the four regions of the world, there is no south, but a face watches everything everywhere, and goes wherever it wishes, and needs no turning. 10. And the likeness, he says, of their faces, a face of a man, and a face of a lion, on the right for the four, and a face of an eagle for the four, and a face of a calf on the left for the four; these were their faces. But let no one suppose that the invisible powers have the images of beasts and irrational animals; for it hints at other things through these; through the lion, royalty; for the animal is royal; through the calf, the priesthood; for one calf was offered on behalf of the high priest; through the eagle, prophecy; for the animal is high-flying, and very sharp-sighted; and such is prophecy, having a lofty contemplation,

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ποδισμὸν προαγορεῦσαι, γράψαι δὲ τοῖς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι δορυαλώτοις, καὶ οἰκίας οἰκοδομῆσαι, καὶ ἀμπελῶνας φυτεῦσαι· ὡς τῆς τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα ἐτῶν ἀποφάσεως ἀψευδοῦς ὑπαρχούσης. Ἔδει τοίνυν μὴ μόνον ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ τὸν Ἱερεμίαν ταῦτα λέγειν καὶ γράφειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ διὰ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς προφητῶν ταῦτα μανθάνειν· ὁρᾷ μέντοι ὁ προφή της τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων γενησομένην τὴν πανωλε θρίαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὸ, "Πνεῦμα ἐξαῖρον ἤρχετο ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ," ἢ, ὡς Σύμμαχος ἔφη, "καταιγί ζον·" σημαίνει δὲ ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος σφοδρότης τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου τὴν ἔφοδον· ἡ δὲ "μεγίστη νεφέλη," τῶν δοράτων, καὶ τῶν ἀκοντίων, καὶ τῶν παντοδαπῶν βελῶν τὸν κατακλυσμόν· τὸ δὲ "ἐξαστράπτον πῦρ," οὐ μόνον τὸ ἐπαγόμενον δέος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς γενόμενον τῆς πόλεως ἀφανισμόν· τὸ δὲ "φέγγος τὸ κύκλῳ," τὴν ἐπιφαινομένην διὰ τῆς τιμω ρίας τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν οὐκ ἀπώναντο, οὐδὲ συνιδεῖν ἐξ ἐκείνων τὸν εὐεργέ την ἠθέλησαν, διὰ τῆς τιμωρίας εἰσδέχονται τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν· διὸ καὶ βοῶσιν· "Ὕστερον αἰχμαλωσίας μου μετενόησα." -"Καὶ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ αὐτοῦ, ὡς ὅρα σις ἠλέκτρου ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ πυρὸς, καὶ φέγγος ἐν αὐτῷ." Μέχρι μὲν οὖν τούτου τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν ἡμῖν ὁμοῦ πᾶσαν ἐδήλωσεν· ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν κατὰ μέρος ἐξήγησιν ἔρχεται. εʹ. Καὶ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ ὡς ὁμοίωμα τεσσάρων ζώων. Ζῶον καλεῖται λογικὸν, καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν λογικὸν θνητὸν, ὁ δὲ λογικὸν ἀθάνατον. Τίς δ' ἂν δυνηθείη σαφῶς ἑρμηνεῦσαι τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν, αὐτοῦ τοῦ προφήτου περὶ τὴν διήγησιν ἀτονήσαντος; Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἔφη τέσσαρα τεθεᾶσθαι ζῶα, οὔτε μὴν ὁμοίωμα ζώων, ἀλλ' "ὡς ὁμοίωμα τεσσάρων ζώων·" ὡς εἶναι δῆλον, ὅτι οὐκ αὐτὰς ἐθεώρουν τῶν ἀοράτων τὰς φύσεις οἱ θεσπέσιοι προ φῆται, ἀλλ' εἰκάσματά τινα καὶ ἐκτυπώματα εἰς χρείαν ἑκάστην ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγαλοδώρου δεικνύμενα· λέγει τοίνυν ἡμῖν καὶ τῶν ὀφθέντων αὐτῷ ζώων τὰ σχήματα. Αὕτη γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ ὅρασις αὐτῶν, ὁμοίωμα ἀν θρώπου ἐν αὐτοῖς. ( ϛʹ.) Καὶ τέσσαρα πρόσωπα τῷ ἑνὶ, καὶ τέσσαρες πτέρυγες τῷ ἑνί. Καὶ τὰ σκέλη αὐτῶν ὀρθὰ, καὶ πτερωτοὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν, καὶ σπινθῆρες ὡς ἀστράπτων χαλκὸς, καὶ κοῦ φαι αἱ πτέρυγες αὐτῶν. Καὶ χεὶρ ἀνθρώπου ὑπο κάτωθεν τῶν πτερύγων αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὰ τέσσαρα μέρη αὐτῶν. Τὸ μὲν οὖν εἶδος τῶν ὀφθέντων ὄρθιον 81.825 εἶναί φησι, καὶ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐοικός· τετραπρόσωπον δὲ ἕκαστον, καὶ τετραπτέρυγον, ἰσαρίθμους δὲ ταῖς πτέρυξι καὶ χεῖρας ἔχειν ἔφη, πλήρεις δὲ πτερῶν καὶ τοὺς πόδας εἶναι. Παραδηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τῶν τε προσώπων, καὶ τῶν πτερύγων, τῶν τὸ θεῖον σχῆμα φερουσῶν δυνάμεων, τοῦ παμβασιλέως Θεοῦ τὴν πάντοτε διήκουσαν ἐποψίαν. Τὸ δὲ ὑπόπτερον σημαίνει τῆς φύσεως αὐτῶν τὴν ὀξύτητα· οἱ δὲ τῷ λαμπροτάτῳ χαλκῷ ἐοικότες σπινθῆρες, τὴν φαιδρό τητα καὶ τὴν τοῦ φρονήματος σημαίνουσι καθαρό τητα· αἱ δὲ ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας κεκρυμμέναι χεῖρες, τὴν ἀόρατον καὶ ποικίλην ἐνέργειαν. Τούτοις ἐπ άγει· θʹ. Οὐκ ἐπεστρέφοντο ἐν τῷ βαδίζειν αὐτὰ, ἕκαστον κατέναντι τοῦ προσώπου αὑτῶν ἐπο ρεύετο. Ἄνθρωπος μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸ βόρειον μέρος ὁδεύων, εἶτα ἐθέλων ἐπὶ τὸ νότιον μεταβῆναι, ἀναγ καίως ἐπιστρέφεται ἓν πρόσωπον ἔχειν λαχών· οἷς δὲ τὰ πρόσωπα τῶν τεσσάρων τῆς οἰκουμένης κλι μάτων ἰσάριθμα, οὐκ ἔστι νότιον οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ πρόσωπον πάντα ἐφορᾷ, καὶ οὗ ἂν ἐθέ λει βαδίζον, καὶ μεταθέσεως οὐ δεόμενον. ιʹ. Καὶ ὁμοίωσις, φησὶ, τῶν προσώπων αὐ τῶν, πρόσωπον ἀνθρώπου, καὶ πρόσωπον λέον τος, ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῖς τέσσαρσι, καὶ πρόσωπον ἀετοῦ τοῖς τέσσαρσι, καὶ πρόσωπον μόσχου ἐξ ἀριστερῶν τοῖς τέσσαρσι· ταῦτα τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν. Ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς οἰέσθω θηρίων καὶ ζώων ἀλό γων εἰκόνας ἔχειν τὰς ἀοράτους δυνάμεις· ἕτερα γὰρ διὰ τούτων αἰνίττεται· διὰ μὲν τοῦ λέοντος, βασι λείαν· βασιλικὸν γὰρ τὸ ζῶον· διὰ δὲ τοῦ μόσχου, τὴν ἱερωσύνην· ὑπὲρ γὰρ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως εἷς προσεφέρετο μόσχος· διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἀετοῦ, τὴν προφητείαν· ὑψιπετὲς γὰρ τὸ ζῶον, καὶ λίαν ὀξυδερκές· τοιαύτη δὲ ἡ προ φητεία, ὑψηλὴν ἔχουσα τὴν θεωρίαν,