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they stood. For this dignity is greater than that. How? Because being Seraphim does not so much show those powers to be great, as standing near the royal throne. For we too consider those of the bodyguards to be more distinguished whom we see driving near the royal chariot. So also of the incorporeal powers, those are more splendid which are near the throne. For this reason also the prophet, omitting to discourse on the dignity of their nature, first discourses to us on the preeminence of their place, knowing that this is the greater adornment and this is the beauty of those natures; for this is the glory and the honor and all security, to be seen around that throne. This can also be seen in the case of the angels; for Christ, wishing to show them to be great, did not say that they are angels, and fall silent; but "that their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven." For just as there it is greater than the angelic dignity to behold the face of the Father, so it is greater than the dignity of the Seraphim to stand around the throne and to have Him in their midst. But this great thing it is also possible for you to receive, if you wish. For indeed He is not only in the midst of the Seraphim, but also of us ourselves, if we wish. "For where two or three," He says, "are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them"; and "The Lord is near to the contrite of heart and saves the humble in spirit." For this reason Paul also cries out: "Set your minds on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God." Do you see how he has placed us with the Seraphim, having brought us near the royal throne? Then he says: "Six wings for the one and six wings for the other." What do these six wings indicate to us? The exalted and sublime and light and swift quality of those natures. For this reason also Gabriel descends winged, not that there are wings on that incorporeal power, but that he came down from the most high places and having left the abodes above has arrived. What then does the number of the wings mean? Here there is no need of our interpretation; for the text itself has explained it, having related to us their use. "For with two," it says, "they covered their faces," as if walling up their sight with a kind of double screen, because of not being able to bear the brilliance leaping forth from that glory. "And with two they covered their feet," because of the same astonishment. For we too are accustomed, when we are seized by some awe, to wrap our body up on all sides. And why do I say the body, when even the soul itself, having experienced this from the supreme manifestation and drawing in its energies, flees to its depths, wrapping itself up on all sides with the body as with some cloak? But let no one, hearing of astonishment and awe, think that some unpleasant anguish comes upon them; for with this astonishment an unbearable pleasure is also mingled. "And with two they flew." And this is a sign of continually aspiring to the things on high and never looking down. "And one cried to another: Holy, holy, holy." And the cry is again a very great proof of wonder for us; for they do not simply sing hymns, but with a strong cry; and not simply with a cry, but they also do this continuously. For the brilliant things of bodies, even if they are brilliant beyond measure, are accustomed to astonish us only then, when we first perceive them with our sight; but when we linger longer in the contemplation of them, we destroy the wonder by familiarity, our eyes having at last grown accustomed to the bodies. For this reason also, seeing a royal image that has just been set up and glistening brightly with its colors, we are astonished; but after one or two days, no longer. And why do I say a royal image, when even in the case of the very rays of the sun

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ἑστήκασιν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκείνου τὸ ἀξίωμα μεῖζον. Πῶς; Ὅτι οὐχ οὕτω δείκνυσι τὰς δυνάμεις ἐκείνας μεγάλας οὔσας, τὸ Σεραφὶμ εἶναι, ὡς τὸ ἐγγὺς ἑστάναι τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ βασιλικοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς τῶν δορυφόρων ἐκείνους ἐπισημοτέρους εἶναι νομίζομεν, οὓς ἂν ἴδωμεν ἐγγὺς τοῦ ζεύγους ἐλαύνοντας τοῦ βασιλικοῦ. Οὕτω καὶ τῶν δυνάμεων τῶν ἀσωμάτων ἐκεῖναί εἰσιν λαμπρότεραι, ὅσαιπερ ἂν ὦσιν ἐγγὺς τοῦ θρόνου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἀφεὶς διαλεχθῆναι περὶ τοῦ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῶν ἀξιώματος, πρότερον ἡμῖν διαλέγεται περὶ τῆς τοῦ τόπου προεδρίας, εἰδὼς ὅτι οὗτος μείζων ὁ κόσμος ἐστὶ καὶ τοῦτο τῶν φύσεων ἐκείνων τὸ κάλλος· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ πᾶσα ἀσφάλεια, τὸ κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου ἐκείνου φαίνεσθαι. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἔστιν ἰδεῖν· καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνους βουλόμενος δεῖξαι μεγάλους ὁ Χριστὸς οὐκ εἶπεν ὅτι ἄγγελοί εἰσιν, καὶ ἐσίγησεν· ἀλλ' "ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς". Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ μεῖζόν ἐστι τῆς ἀγγελικῆς ἀξίας τὸ βλέπειν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Πατρός, οὕτω τῆς τῶν Σεραφὶμ ἀξίας μεῖζον τὸ ἑστάναι κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ μέσον ἔχειν αὐτόν. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τὸ μέγα καί σοι δυνατόν ἐστιν, ἂν ἐθέλῃς, λαβεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τῶν Σεραφὶμ μόνον μέσος ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν, ἂν ἐθέλωμεν. "Οὗ γάρ εἰσι δύο ἢ τρεῖς, φησί, συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν"· καὶ "Κύριος ἐγγὺς τοῖς συντετριμμένοις τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ τοὺς ταπεινοὺς τῷ πνεύματι σῴζει". ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος βοᾷ· "Τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖτε, οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καθήμενος." Εἶδες πῶς ἡμᾶς ἔστησε μετὰ τῶν Σεραφίμ, ἐγγὺς ἀγαγὼν τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ βασιλικοῦ; Εἶτά φησιν· "Ἓξ πτέρυγες τῷ ἑνὶ καὶ ἓξ πτέρυγες τῷ ἑνί." Τί ἡμῖν αἱ ἓξ πτέρυγες ἐνδείκνυνται αὗται; Τὸ ὑψηλὸν καὶ μετάρσιον καὶ κοῦφον καὶ ταχὺ τῶν φύσεων ἐκείνων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Γαβριὴλ ὑπόπτερος κάτεισιν, οὐχ ὅτι πτερὰ περὶ τὴν ἀσώματον ἐκείνην δύναμιν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐκ τῶν ὑψηλοτάτων κατῆλθε χωρίων καὶ τὰς ἄνω διατριβὰς ἀφεὶς ἀφῖκται. Τί δαὶ καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς βούλεται τῶν πτερύγων; Ἐνταῦθα οὐ δεῖ τῆς παρ' ἡμῶν ἑρμηνείας· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ὁ λόγος ἐπέλυσεν, τὴν χρείαν ἡμῖν αὐτῶν ἐξηγησάμενος. "Ταῖς γὰρ δυσί, φησίν, ἐκάλυπτον τὰ πρόσωπα" αὐτῶν, ὥσπερ τινὶ διπλῷ διαφράγματι τὰς ὄψεις τειχίζουσαι, διὰ τὸ μὴ φέρειν τὴν ἐκ τῆς δόξης ἐκείνης ἐκπηδῶσαν λαμπηδόνα. "Καὶ ταῖς δυσὶ τοὺς πόδας ἐκάλυπτον", διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔκπληξιν. Εἰώθαμεν γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅταν ὑπό τινος θάμβους κατασχεθῶμεν, πάντοθεν περιστέλλεσθαι τὸ σῶμα. Καὶ τί λέγω τὸ σῶμα, ὅπου γε καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦτο παθοῦσα ἀπὸ τῆς ἄκρας ἐπιφανείας καὶ τὰς ἐνεργείας αὐτῆς συνέλκουσα, πρὸς τὸ βάθος καταφεύγει, καθάπερ τινὶ περιβολαίῳ τῷ σώματι ἑαυτὴν πάντοθεν περιστέλλουσα; Ἀλλὰ μή τις ἔκπληξιν καὶ θάμβος ἀκούων, ἀηδῆ τινα ἀγωνίαν αὐταῖς ἐγγίνεσθαι νομιζέτω· καὶ γὰρ μετὰ τῆς ἐκπλήξεως ταύτης καὶ ἡδονή τις ἀφόρητος κεκραμένη ἐστίν. "Ταῖς δὲ δυσὶν ἐπέταντο." Καὶ τοῦτο σημεῖον τοῦ τῶν ὑψηλῶν ἐφίεσθαι συνεχῶς καὶ μηδέποτε κάτω βλέπειν. "Καὶ ἐκέκραγον ἕτερος πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον· Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος." Καὶ ἡ κραυγὴ πάλιν τοῦ θαύματος ἡμῖν δεῖγμα μέγιστον· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ὑμνοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ κραυγῆς ἰσχυρᾶς· καὶ οὐδὲ μετὰ κραυγῆς ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ διηνεκῶς τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ λαμπρὰ τῶν σωμάτων, κἂν μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ᾖ λαμπρά, τότε ἡμᾶς μόνον ἐκπλήττειν εἴωθεν, ὅταν πρῶτον αὐτῶν ταῖς ὄψεσιν ἀντιλαμβανώμεθα· ἐπειδὰν δὲ πλέον αὐτῶν ἐνδιατρίψωμεν τῇ θεωρίᾳ, τῇ συνηθείᾳ τὸ θαῦμα καταλύομεν, τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἡμῖν ἐμμελετησάντων λοιπὸν τοῖς σώμασιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ εἰκόνα βασιλικὴν ἄρτι μὲν ἀνατεθεῖσαν καὶ φαιδρὸν ἀπὸ τῶν χρωμάτων στίλβουσαν ἰδόντες, ἐκπληττόμεθα· μετὰ δὲ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν ἡμέραν οὐκέτι. Καὶ τί λέγω εἰκόνα βασιλικήν, ὅπου γε καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ἀκτίνων τοῦ ἡλίου