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attending as bodyguards, or perhaps maybe choirs of angels and divine powers, or even of prophets and apostles? For the Seraphim are interpreted "the beginning of their mouth." 7.1.10 Such are the prophets and apostles, through whose mouth came the first fruits of the saving proclamation, for which reason they obtained this name; of which the powers of the Holy Spirit, called "wings," conceal the first and last things of the knowledge of the Word of God, as they are ineffable and incomprehensible by nature, but they reveal the middle things of the economy concerning him, because these things alone are knowable to human nature, while the things beyond and the things after these are kept silent in secrets. 7.1.11 Divine and heavenly powers might also be signified by the Seraphim, since in another way the Seraphim are interpreted "burnings," for which reason it is said: "Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire." 7.1.12 And these cry out and shout to one another according to their own power, representing the holiness of the one theologized and, what is most paradoxical of all, theologizing that not only heaven and all that is in heaven happen to be full of his doxology, but also "all the earth" has shared in the same power on account of his prophesied descent from heaven to men, which the discourse going forward prophesies, proclaiming his birth from a virgin and, through this, his doxology spread over all the earth. 7.1.13 "Lord Sabaoth" is interpreted "Lord of hosts." He would be the "commander of the army of the Lord," whom in the 20th and 3rd psalm the divine powers again call "Lord Sabaoth," prophesying his ascent from earth to heaven, through which they say: "Lift up your gates, O you rulers, and be lifted up, you everlasting gates, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory"; indeed the Hebrew here again calls him "Lord Sabaoth." 7.1.14 And since he is "the King of glory," and through his coming all the earth was to be filled with his glory, it is fitting that what was to be has been spoken both in the prophet and in the psalm, in the prophet through "all the earth is full of his glory," and in the psalm through the beginning which says: "The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and all who dwell in it." 7.1.15 These things having been prophesied, the prophet then adds his testimony, that although "all the earth" will be "full of his glory," yet the nation of the Jews will not accept him. Wherefore he says: And the Lord said—that is, the one who was seen, the "Lord Sabaoth"—"Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people? And I said, Behold, it is I; send me. And he said, Go and say to this people, You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them." 7.1.16 Through which he openly prophesies the future contradiction against him by the Jewish people, and how they will see him, but not perceive who he is, and they will hear him speaking and teaching among them, but not understand, neither who it is speaking to them, nor the lessons of the new teaching that he will deliver to them. 7.1.17 And the evangelist John testifies to the results of these words, saying concerning our Savior: "Though he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him, so that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again, He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes and

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δορυφοροῦντα ἢ τάχα ἴσως ἀγγέλων καὶ θείων δυνάμεων χοροί, ἢ καὶ προφητῶν καὶ ἀποστόλων; ἑρμηνεύεται γὰρ τὰ Σεραφὶμ «ἀρχὴ στόματος αὐτῶν». 7.1.10 τοιοῦτοι δὲ οἱ προφῆται καὶ ἀπόστολοι, ὧν διὰ τοῦ στόματος ἡ ἀπαρχὴ γέγονεν τοῦ σωτηρίου κηρύγματος, δι' ὃ ταύτης ἔτυχον τῆς προσηγορίας· ὧν καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος αἱ δυνάμεις, «πτέρυγες» ὠνομασμέναι, τὰ μὲν πρῶτα καὶ τὰ ὕστατα τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου γνώσεως ἐπικρύπτουσιν, ὡς ἄρρητα καὶ ἀκατάληπτα ὄντα τὴν φύσιν, τὰ δὲ μέσα τῆς περὶ αὐτοῦ οἰκονομίας ἐκφαίνουσιν, ὅτι δὴ μόνα γνωστὰ ταῦτα ἀνθρώπων φύσει, τῶν ἐπέκεινα καὶ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐν ἀπορρήτοις σεσιγημένων. 7.1.11 καὶ δυνάμεις δὲ θεῖαι καὶ οὐράνιοι εἶεν ἂν διὰ τῶν Σεραφὶμ δηλούμεναι, καθὸ ἑτέρως τὰ Σεραφὶμ ἑρμηνεύεται «ἐμπρησμοί», δι' ὃ εἴρηται· «ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα, καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα». 7.1.12 κεκράγασιν δὲ οὗτοι καὶ βοῶσιν ἕτερος τῷ ἑτέρῳ κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν δύναμιν, τὴν ἁγιότητα τοῦ θεολογουμένου παριστῶντες καί, τό γε πάντων παραδοξότατον, θεολογοῦντες ὅτι δὴ μὴ μόνον οὐρανὸς καὶ τὰ ἐν οὐρανῷ πάντα πλήρη τυγχάνει τῆς δοξολογίας αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ «πᾶσα ἡ γῆ» τῆς αὐτῆς μετέσχεν δυνάμεως διὰ τὴν ἐξ οὐρανῶν εἰς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ θεσπιζομένην κάθοδον, ἣν προϊὼν ἑξῆς ὁ λόγος προφητεύει, τὴν ἐκ παρθένου γένεσιν καὶ τὴν διὰ ταύτης εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐφαπλωθεῖσαν δοξολογίαν αὐτοῦ κηρύττων. 7.1.13 «Κύριος» δὲ «Σαβαὼθ» ἑρμηνεύεται «κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων». αὐτὸς δ' ἂν εἴη ὁ «ἀρχιστράτηγος δυνάμεως κυρίου», ὃν καὶ ἐν ˉκ καὶ ˉγ ψαλμῷ «κύριον Σαβαὼθ» αἱ θεῖαι πάλιν ἀποκαλοῦσι δυνάμεις, τὴν ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδον αὐτοῦ θεσπίζουσαι δι' ὧν φασιν· «ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης; κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης»· τὸ γοῦν Ἑβραϊκὸν πάλιν ἐνταῦθα «κύριον Σαβαὼθ» αὐτὸν καλεῖ. 7.1.14 καὶ ἐπειδήπερ αὐτός ἐστιν «ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης», διά τε τὴν ἐπιδημίαν αὐτοῦ ἔμελλεν πᾶσα ἡ γῆ πληροῦσθαι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, εἰκότως τὸ μέλλον ἔσεσθαι ἔν τε τῷ προφήτῃ λέλεκται καὶ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ, ἐν μὲν τῷ προφήτῃ διὰ τοῦ «πλήρης πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ», ἐν δὲ τῷ ψαλμῷ διὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς φασκούσης· «τοῦ κυρίου ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς, ἡ οἰκουμένη καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ». 7.1.15 Τούτων τεθεσπισμένων ἑξῆς ὑποβὰς ὁ προφήτης μαρτύρεται, ὅτι δὴ εἰ καὶ «πλήρης» ἔσται «πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ», ἀλλά γε τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος οὐ προσήσεται αὐτόν. διό φησιν· καὶ εἶπεν κύριος αὐτὸς δηλαδὴ ὁ τεθεωρημένος «κύριος Σαβαώθ», «τίνα ἀποστείλω, καὶ τίς πορεύσεται πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον; καὶ εἶπα, ἰδού εἰμι ἐγώ· ἀπόστειλόν με. καὶ εἶπεν, πορεύθητι καὶ εἶπον τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ, ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε, καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε. ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν, μήποτε ἴδωσι τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτῶν καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν ἀκούσωσι, καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν, καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς». 7.1.16 δι' ὧν ἄντικρυς θεσπίζει τὴν ἐσομένην εἰς αὐτὸν ἀντιλογίαν τοῦ Ἰουδαίων λαοῦ, καὶ ὡς ὄψονται μὲν αὐτόν, οὐ μὴν προσέξουσιν τίς εἴη, λέγοντός τε ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ διδάσκοντος ἀκούσονται, οὐ μὴν καὶ συνήσουσιν, οὔθ' ὅστις ὢν αὐτοῖς διαλέξοιτο, οὔθ' ἅπερ αὐτοῖς τῆς καινῆς διδασκαλίας παραδώσει μαθήματα. 7.1.17 μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τοῖς τῶν λόγων ἀποτελέσμασιν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς Ἰωάννης, περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν λέγων· «τοσαῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ σημεῖα πεποιηκότος ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν, ἵνα ὁ λόγος Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου πληρωθῇ ὃν εἶπεν, κύριε τίς ἐπίστευσεν τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν; καὶ ὁ βραχίων κυρίου τίνι ἀπεκαλύφθη; διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἠδύναντο πιστεύειν ὅτι πάλιν εἶπεν Ἡσαΐας, τετύφλωκεν αὐτῶν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ πεπώρωκεν αὐτῶν τὴν καρδίαν, ἵνα μὴ ἴδωσι τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ