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Ezekiel is present. He is seated upon those living creatures who have obtained this name from the wisdom that is in them (for Cherubim is interpreted as a multitude of knowledge), or virtue itself is established in those in whom it happens to be found; and it is present in all who have lit for themselves the light of knowledge, in whose hearts God has shone for the illumination of the knowledge of the glory of Christ. Therefore, the choir of the saints calls upon him who is royally seated upon the Cherubim to appear and to shine before those who bear the fruit of virtue and the sons of God's right hand, who have become so through right works and thoughts and words, and those who have unlearned the knowledge of evils along with their practices. For these, having truly received forgetfulness of evils, have come into the remembrance of good things. For Ephraim is interpreted as fruitfulness, Benjamin as son of the right hand, and Manasseh as from forgetfulness. They say, therefore: Since you are a king possessing the greatest power, having stirred it up and aroused it, come, O Lord, to save us; for there is no other way to obtain salvation than for you to come to us to turn us from our sins and our captivity, you who are the Lord of hosts, according to what follows next. 826 Ps 79,5.6 O Lord, universal king, ruling the heavenly hosts, how long will you not shine upon me, who longs to see your face? For you seem to be angry with me, your servant; therefore I beseech you: be reconciled to me your attendant, grant what I have prayed for. For I thirst for it greatly with an irrepressible love. And while you are angry at the prayer which we sent up, having turned to wailing and lamentation, we bring forth such a multitude of tears at mealtime, as to eat the bread of tears and to drink with tears a small and measured drink. 827 Ps 79,6-8 Since the labor and weeping for virtue is nourishing, we eat the very tears of this weeping like bread. But we also drink them in measure. And "In measure" signifies not to weep always and indefinitely. For rest and a cheerful state will succeed the labors for good things, which happen for a reason. To this you will take "Blessed are those who weep now, for they shall laugh"; and "Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy." For those who sow virtue with sweat and tears will have their weeping measured, reaping in joy; for after it they will laugh. You have made us a contradiction to our neighbors. It is said, "Every evil person stirs up contradictions"; and the Savior said he had stretched out his hands to a sinful people, disobedient and contradicting. And these neighbors happen to be enemies to whom they speak against. They mock them, scoffing and reviling their wise words. At least the wise man has received the command to say nothing in the ears of a fool, lest the fool should mock the wise words of the wise man. But they will also mock those who call upon God. But they themselves, calling upon him yet more, say, "Lord God of hosts, restore us now, redeeming our captivity from those who oppress us; and we shall obtain this good thing, if, having shown your face, you will grant us eternal salvation." 828 Ps 79,6-14 For the allegory: the soul is said to dwell in Egypt then, when it lingers in sensible things and the works of the flesh. But God moves it from Egypt, drawing it away from all material things, when he also transplants it from its former, bad planting into better soil. And this is the state according to virtue. And he prepared a way before it—this soul being tropically called a vine—having given a saving law and luminous commandments so that it might journey to the good land; and this is perfect virtue. But if it seems good to you to take spiritual Egypt as the world around the earth in which the soul, striving with sensible and temporary things, has been planted, you might take its transplanting to be its establishment in heavenly and intelligible things,

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̔Ιεζεκιὴλ παρίσταται. ἐφέζεται δὲ τοῖς ητοι ζῴοις ουσι τετευχόσι ταύτης τῆς προσηγορίας ἀπὸ τῆς προσούσης αὐτοῖς σοφίας (πλῆθος γὰρ γνώσεως ἑρμηνεύεται τὰ χερουβίμ), η αὐτῇ τῇ ἀρετῇ ἐφίδρυται ἐν οις αν εὑρίσκηται τυγχάνουσα· ἐνυπάρχει δὲ πᾶσι τοῖς φωτίσασιν ἑαυτοῖς φῶς γνώσεως οις ελαμψεν ὁ θεὸς ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως τῆς δόξης τοῦ Χριστοῦ. τοῦτον ουν τὸν βασιλικῶς ἱδρυμένον ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβὶμ παρακαλεῖ ὁ τῶν ἁγίων χορὸς ἐμφανῆναι καὶ ἐπιλάμψαι ἐναντίον τῶν καρποφορούντων τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ τῶν υἱῶν τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ δεξιῶν εργων καὶ νοημάτων καὶ λόγων γεγενημένων καὶ τῶν ἀπομαθόντων τὴν τῶν κακῶν ειδησιν αμα ταῖς ἐνεργείαις αὐτῶν. ουτοι γὰρ ἀληθῶς λήθην τῶν κακῶν λαβόντες ἐν ὑπομνήσει τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐληλύθασιν. ̓Εφραῒμ γὰρ καρποφορία, Βενιαμὶν δὲ δεξιᾶς υἱός, Μανασσὴς δὲ ἀπὸ λήθης ἑρμηνεύεται. φασὶ τοίνυν· ̓Επεὶ βασιλεὺς ὑπάρχεις δυναστείαν εχων μεγίστην διεγείρας καὶ ἐξεγείρας αὐτήν, ηκε, ω δέσποτα, εἰς τὸ σῶσαι ἡμᾶς· οὐκ αλλως γάρ ἐστι σωτηρίας τυχεῖν η σοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐληλυθότος ἐπιστρέψαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων τυγχάνων κατὰ τὸ ἑξῆς ἐπιφερόμενον. 826 Ps 79,5.6 Ω δέσποτα παμβασιλεῦ, κυριεύων τῶν οὐρανίων στρατευμάτων, εως πότε οὐκ ἐπιλάμπεις μοι ο ποθῶ σου πρόσωπον ἰδεῖν; ὀργιζομένῳ γὰρ εοικας ἐμοὶ τῷ δούλῳ σου· διὸ δέομαί σου· καταλλαγείς μοι τῷ σῷ θεραπόντι, ορεξον τὸ περὶ ου ἐδεήθην. πάνυ γὰρ αὐτοῦ διψῶ ερωτι ἀκατασχέτω. ̓Οργιζομένου δὲ σοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ προσευχῇ, ῃ ἀνεπέμψαμεν εἰς κλαυθμὸν καὶ θρῆνον τραπέντες, τοσοῦτον πλῆθος δακρύων φέρομεν παρὰ τὸν τῆς τροφῆς καιρόν, ὡς αρτον δακρύων ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν μετὰ δακρύων ὀλίγον καὶ μεμετρημένον πότον. 827 Ps 79,6-8 ̓Επεὶ ὁ ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς πόνος καὶ κλαυθμὸς τρόφιμός ἐστιν, αὐτοῦ τούτου τοῦ κλαυθμοῦ τὰ δάκρυα αρτου δίκην ἐσθίομεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ πίνομεν αὐτὰ ἐν μέτρῳ. τὸ δὲ ̓Εν μέτρῳ παρίστησι τὸ μὴ ἀεὶ καὶ ἐπ' απειρον δακρύειν. τοὺς γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν καλῶν πόνους διά τι γινομένους ἀνάπαυσις καὶ ἱλαρὰ κατάστασις διαδέξεται. εἰς τοῦτο λήψῃ τὸ Μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες νῦν, οτι γελάσονται· καὶ τὸ Οἱ σπείροντες ἐν δάκρυσιν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει θεριοῦσιν. οἱ γὰρ σπείροντες μεθ' ἱδρώτων καὶ δακρύων τὴν ἀρετὴν μεμετρημένον εξουσι τὸν κλαυθμόν, ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει θερίζοντες· μετ' αὐτὸν γὰρ γελάσονται. Εθου ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀντιλογίαν τοῖς γείτοσιν ἡμῶν. ειρηται ̓Αντιλογίας ἐγείρει πᾶς κακός· καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ δὲ πρὸς τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα λαὸν ἐκπεπετακέναι τὰς χεῖρας ἀπειθοῦντας καὶ ἀντιλέγοντας ειπεν. ουτοι δὲ οἱ γείτονες ἐχθροὶ τυγχάνουσιν οις ἀντιλέγουσιν. ἐκμυκτηρίζουσιν αὐτοὺς χλευάζοντες καὶ διασύροντες τοὺς συνετοὺς αὐτῶν λόγους. ἐντολὴν γοῦν ὁ σοφὸς ειληφεν εἰς ωτα αφρονος μηδὲν λέγειν, οπως μὴ μυκτηρίσῃ ὁ αφρων τοὺς συνετοὺς τοῦ σοφοῦ λόγους. ἀλλὰ καὶ μυκτηρίσουσι τοὺς θεὸν ἐπιβοωμένους. ̓Αλλά γε αὐτοὶ ετι μᾶλλον παρακαλοῦντές φασι Κύριε ὁ θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων ἐπίστρεψον δή, λυτρούμενος τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἡμῶν ἀπὸ τῶν καταδυναστευόντων· τευξόμεθα δὲ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τούτου, εἰ ἐπιφάνας σου τὸ πρόσωπον αἰώνιον ἡμῖν σωτηρίαν ὀρέξεις. 828 Ps 79,6-14 Πρὸς ἀλληγορίαν· ἡ ψυχὴ τότε τὴν Αιγυπτον οἰκεῖν λέγεται, οταν τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς καὶ τοῖς τῆς σαρκὸς εργοις ἐπιδιατρίβῃ. μεταίρει δὲ αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου θεὸς ἀποσπῶν αὐτὴν τῶν ὑλικῶν ἁπάντων, οτε καὶ μεταφυτεύσει αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τῆς προτέρας φαύλης φυτείας εἰς ἀμείνονα γῆν. αυτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ κατὰ ἀρετὴν εξις. ὡδοποίησε δὲ εμπροσθεν αὐτῆς, ταύτης τῆς ψυχῆς τροπικῶς ἀμπέλου καλουμένης, νόμον σωτήριον καὶ φωτεινὰ προστάγματα δεδωκὼς ἐπὶ τῷ ὁδεῦσαι ἐπὶ τὴν ἀγαθὴν γῆν· αυτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ παντελὴς ἀρετή. Εἰ δέ σοι καλῶς εχειν δοκεῖ Αιγυπτον πνευματικὴν τὸν περὶ γῆν ἐκλαβεῖν κόσμον ἐν ῳ ἡ ψυχὴ προσπαθοῦσα ταῖς αἰσθητοῖς καὶ προσκαίροις πεφύτευται, ἐκλάβοις μεταφύτευσιν τὴν ἐν ἐπουρανίοις καὶ νοητοῖς ιδρυσιν αὐτῆς,