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23. And the Cherubim lifted up their wings, and the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain, which was opposite the city. These things, it says, having been said thus, the Cherubim departed from the city, bearing the glory of God riding upon them; and it stood upon the mountain opposite Jerusalem; and this is the mountain called the Mount of Olives, from whence also the ascension according to the flesh of our Savior took place; reasonably therefore also then appearing in human form, and having shown the two natures in one person, and having hinted at the divine nature through the fire, and having revealed the human nature through the electrum, having pronounced the sentence against Jerusalem, he goes to this mountain, and from there he makes the ascent to the heavens; for after the cross, and the death, having again pronounced the sentence against Jerusalem, that there will not be left a stone upon a stone that will not be thrown down, he ascended to that mountain 81.904 with the disciples, being carried by intelligent and invisible powers he was taken up into the heavens. Therefore a type of things to come are also the things shown to the prophet; and having seen these things thus, he says: 24. A Spirit took me up, and brought me to the land of the Chaldeans in a vision by the Spirit of God. For not in reality, he says, bodily, was I now transported to Judea, now to the land of the Chaldeans, but by a vision, that is, in an apparition; and by the Spirit of God, instead of, through the energy of God my mind being enlightened, and receiving prophetic eyes, I beheld each of these things. And making this clearer, he added: And I went up from the vision, which I saw. (25.) And I spoke to the captivity all the words of the Lord, which he showed me. I returned to myself, he says, the spiritual vision having come to an end; and those things I no longer saw, but only the elders who were present, to whom I also recounted each of the things which I saw and which I heard; but it is now time to say that evangelical voice, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." For sufficiently has what was said taught us this; for while many were sitting in the same place, only the prophet enjoyed that spiritual vision. Let us also strive and beseech to obtain this purity, so that having been freed from all defilement, we may continuously bear the memory of God in our soul in the present life, and be deemed worthy to see him with boldness in the day of his appearing. To him belongs glory forever and ever. Amen.

VOLUME 4. CHAPTER 12. 1, 2. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, in the midst

of a provoking house you dwell; who have eyes to see, and see not, and have ears to hear, and hear not, because it is a provoking house. The word has shown the inclination of the soul towards both; "For they have," it says, "eyes to see, and see not, and have ears to 81.905 hear, and hear not." And teaching that these passions did not come to them from nature, he added, "Because it is a provoking house." And Symmachus interpreted 'provoking' as 'contentious,' that is, quarrelsome, disobedient and unwilling to hear. And the Master foretold these things to the prophet, being about to command him to make the prophecy through deeds, and as if apologizing, that because of the hardness and disobedience of the people he is compelled to command such things. 3. And you, son of man, make for yourself baggage for captivity, and go into captivity by day

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κγʹ. Καὶ ἐξῆραν τὰ Χερουβὶμ τὰς πτέρυγας αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ τροχοὶ ἐχόμενοι αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ δόξα Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπ' αὐτὰ ὑπεράνω αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἀνέβη ἡ δόξα Κυρίου ἐκ μέσης τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἔστη ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους, ὃ ἦν ἀπέναντι τῆς πόλεως. Τούτων, φησὶν, οὕτως εἰρημένων, ἀπέστη ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τὰ Χερουβὶμ, φέροντα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δόξαν ἐποχουμένην· ἔστη δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους κατέναντι Ἱε ρουσαλήμ· ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ὄρος τὸ τῶν Ἐλαιῶν καλούμενον, ὅθεν καὶ ἡ κατὰ σάρκα τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀνάληψις ἐγένετο· εἰκότως τοίνυν καὶ τηνι καῦτα ἐν ἀνθρωπείῳ φανεὶς σχήματι, καὶ τὰς δύο φύσεις ἑνὶ δείξας προσώπῳ, καὶ τὴν μὲν θείαν διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς αἰνιξάμενος, διὰ τοῦ ἠλέκτρου δὲ τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν παραδηλώσας, κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν ψῆφον ἐξενεγκὼν εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦτο χωρεῖ, κἀκεῖ θεν ποιεῖται τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδον· καὶ γὰρ μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν, καὶ τὸν θάνατον, τὴν κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ψῆφον πάλιν ἐξενεγκὼν, ὅτι οὐ μὴ μείνῃ λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον ὃς οὐ μὴ καταλυθῇ, εἰς τὸ ὄρος ἐκεῖνο 81.904 μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν ἀνελθὼν, ὑπὸ νοερῶν καὶ ἀορά των φερόμενος δυνάμεων εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀνελή φθη. Τύπος τοίνυν τῶν ἐσομένων καὶ τὰ τῷ προφήτῃ δειχθέντα· οὕτω δὲ ταῦτα θεασάμενος, φησίν· κδʹ. Πνεῦμα ἀνέλαβέ με, καὶ ἤγαγέ με εἰς γῆν Χαλδαίων ἐν ὁράσει ἐν Πνεύματι Θεοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν, φησὶ, σωματικῶς, νῦν μὲν εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, νῦν δὲ εἰς γῆν Χαλδαίων μετεφερόμην, ἀλλ' ὁράσει, τουτέστιν ἐν ὀπτασίᾳ· καὶ ἐν Πνεύ ματι Θεοῦ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ∆ιὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνεργείας τὴν διάνοιαν φωτιζόμενος, καὶ προφητικοὺς δεχόμε νος ὀφθαλμοὺς, τούτων ἕκαστον ἐθεώρουν. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον ποιῶν ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ ἀνέβην ἀπὸ τῆς ὁράσεως, ἧς εἶδον. (κεʹ.) Καὶ ἐλάλησα πρὸς τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν πάντας τοὺς λόγους τοῦ Κυρίου, οὓς ἔδειξέ μοι. Εἰς ἐμαυτὸν, φησὶν, ἐπανῆλθον, τῆς πνευματικῆς θεωρίας τέλος λαβούσης· καὶ ἐκεῖνα μὲν οὐκέτι ἑώρων, μόνους δὲ τοὺς συμπαρόντας πρεσβυτέρους, οἷς καὶ διηγησάμην ἕκαστον, ὧν τε εἶδον, ὧν τε ἀκήκοα· ἀλλὰ καιρὸς νῦν εἰπεῖν τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν ἐκείνην φωνὴν, "Μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὄψονται." Ἱκανῶς γὰρ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα ἐδίδαξε· πολλῶν γὰρ κατὰ ταυτὸν καθ ημένων, μόνος ὁ προφήτης τῆς πνευματικῆς ἐκείνης ἀπήλαυσε θεωρίας. Ταύτης τυχεῖν τῆς καθαρότητος καὶ ἡμεῖς σπουδάσωμέν τε καὶ ἱκετεύσωμεν, ἵνα πάσης λύμης ἀπαλλαγέντες, ἐνδελεχῶς μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος βίου τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν μνήμην ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ περιφέρωμεν, μετὰ παῤῥησίας δὲ αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν ἀξιω θῶμεν ἐν τῇ τῆς ἐπιφανείας ἡμέρᾳ. Αὐτῷ πρέπει ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΤΟΜΟΣ ∆ʹ. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΒʹ. αʹ, βʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με, λέ γων· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, ἐν μέσῳ

οἴκου παραπικραί νοντος σὺ κατοικεῖς· οἳ ἔχουσιν ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ βλέπειν, καὶ οὐ βλέπουσι, καὶ τὰ ὦτα ἔχουσι τοῦ ἀκούειν, καὶ οὐκ ἀκούουσι, διότι οἶκος παρα πικραίνων ἐστί. Τὴν ἐπ' ἄμφω τῆς ψυχῆς ῥοπὴν ὁ λόγος ἐδήλωσεν· "Ἔχουσι γὰρ, φησὶν, ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ βλέπειν, καὶ οὐ βλέπουσι, καὶ ὦτα ἔχουσι τοῦ 81.905 ἀκούειν, καὶ οὐκ ἀκούουσι." Καὶ διδάσκων ὡς οὐκ ἐκ φύσεως αὐτοῖς τὰ πάθη ταῦτα γέγονεν, ἐπήγαγε, "∆ιότι οἶκος παραπικραίνων ἐστί." Τὸ δὲ παραπι κραίνων ὁ Σύμμαχος προσεριστὴς ἡρμήνευσε, τουτ έστι φιλόνεικος, ἀπειθὴς καὶ ἀνήκοος. Ταῦτα δὲ τῷ προφήτῃ προεῖπεν ὁ ∆εσπότης, μέλλων αὐτὸν προστάττειν τὴν διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ποιήσασθαι προφητείαν, καὶ οἱονεὶ ἀπολογούμενος, ὅτι διὰ τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ σκληρότητα καὶ ἀπείθειαν τοιαῦτα ἐπιτάτ τειν ἀναγκάζεται. γʹ. Καὶ σὺ, υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, ποίησον σεαυτῷ σκεύη αἰχμαλωσίας, καὶ αἰχμαλωτεύθητι ἡμέ ρας