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a testimony has been spoken. But instead of, for those who will be changed, Symmachus translated, for the flowers, and Aquila, for the lilies; the word comparing the once temporary and short-lived prosperity of the Jewish nation to flowers and lilies. Indeed, the Prophet sends up a supplication to the Word of God who has long watched over and supervised Israel, and calling upon him says: Shepherd of Israel, attend; and thus he entreats, reminding him of his ancient oversight. For attend, he says, to your flock and your sheep, you who once shepherded them. For if at another time you undertook the pastoral care of men, and you led your people who came to be among men, remember these very things; and do not overlook those whom you deemed worthy of so much providence. Attend, therefore, he says, and understand what your flock has suffered, and how a boar from the thicket has ravaged them, and a wild beast has devoured it, and how it has been set on fire and dug up by the rebuke of your face. But the Prophet teaches these things in the Holy Spirit to the Jewish nation, anticipating the times and events to study and to report; so that when what was prophesied should come and proceed through deeds, they might readily receive the knowledge of the supplication to God. And who is the one who shepherds Israel, he himself presents, who said: I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me; and again: I am the good shepherd, and I lay down my life for the sheep. He was also the one leading Joseph like a sheep, either the tribe, or naming the whole Jewish nation metaphorically from the one tribe of Joseph; or rather even the man himself, the forefather of the tribe. Since he was with him when he was conspired against by his brothers, and sold to the Ishmaelites, and brought down to Egypt, and serving Potiphar, and turning away from the licentious mistress, and as he was also confined to prison. In all these things, at any rate, the writing of Moses indicates, saying: And the Lord was with Joseph. Wherefore it seems to me that Theodotion translated more accurately, saying: Who guides Joseph like a sheep. And thus you might say that Israel himself, the first to be called by this name, was also shepherded. And this was Jacob, the son of Isaac. Since he too, going down alone to Mesopotamia with hope in God, found as his shepherd the very Word of God who was with him, who made his appearances to him. Therefore, the word, opportunely entreating God, does not wish to remember the multitude 23.956 of the impious; but he makes mention of one or two of the God-loving men of old, beseeching that those born from them might obtain mercy through the virtue and piety of their forefathers. And this same one who was once the shepherd of holy men, was also he who is borne upon the cherubim. And what cherubim, if not those seen by Ezekiel, of which Moses was commanded to make images and symbols of gold above the ark? And Ezekiel remembers the cherubim, speaking in this manner: And I looked, and behold, upon the firmament that was over the head of the cherubim there was as it were a sapphire stone, a likeness of a throne upon it. And after other things he says: And the glory of the Lord went out from the porch of the house, and went up upon the cherubim; and the cherubim lifted up their wings, and were lifted up from the earth before me as they went out, and the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the gate of the house that was opposite, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. Do you see how in these things the chariot of God is described, concerning which it has been said in another place, The chariot of God is ten thousandfold, thousands of prosperous ones? And the chariot was cherubim, as a likeness of a throne over a head, and upon this the glory of the Lord. And what was the glory of the Lord at the beginning of the

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μαρτυρία εἴρηται. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων, ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνθῶν, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, ὑπὲρ τῶν κρίνων, ἡρμήνευσαν· ἄνθεσι καὶ κρίνοις τὴν πρόσκαιρον βραχὺν γενομένην ποτὲ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους εὐπραγίαν παραβάλλοντος τοῦ λόγου. Ἀναπέμπει δῆτα ὁ Προφήτης ἱκετηρίαν πρὸς τὸν πάλαι ἐφορῶντα καὶ ἐπισκοποῦντα τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον, καὶ τοῦτον ἀνακαλούμενός φησιν· Ὁ ποιμαίνων τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, πρόσχες· οὕτω δὲ δυσωπεῖ ὑπομιμνήσκων τῆς πάλαι αὐτοῦ ἐπισκοπῆς. Τοῖς γὰρ σοῖς, φησὶ, θρέμμασι καὶ τοῖς σοῖς προβάτοις πρόσχες, ὁ ποτὲ ποιμάνας αὐτά. Εἰ γὰρ καί ποτε ἄλλοτε τὴν ποιμαντικὴν ὑπέμεινας ἀνθρώπων φροντίδα, ὡδήγησάς τε τὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποις γενόμενόν σου λαὸν, τούτων αὐτῶν μνήσθητι· καὶ μὴ παρίδῃς οὓς τοσαύτης ἠξίωσας προνοίας. Πρόσχες οὖν, φησὶ, καὶ κατανόησον ὁποῖα πέπονθεν ἡ σὴ ποίμνη, καὶ ὡς ἐλυμήνατο αὐτοὺς ὗς ἐκ δρυμοῦ, καὶ μονιὸς ἄγριος κατενεμήσατο αὐτὴν, καὶ ὡς γέγονεν ἐμπεπυρισμένη πυρὶ καὶ ἀνεσκαμμένη ἀπὸ ἐπιτιμήσεως τοῦ προσώπου σου. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ταῦτα ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ ὁ Προφήτης τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος, μελετᾷν καὶ ἀπαγγέλλειν προλαβὼν τοὺς χρόνους καὶ τὰ πράγματα· ἵν' ἐπειδὰν ἐπιστῇ καὶ δι' ἔργων χωρήσῃ τὰ προπεφητευμένα, δέχοιεν ἐξ ἑτοίμου τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἱκετηρίας τὴν γνῶσιν. Τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ποιμαίνων τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, αὐτὸς παρίστησιν ὁ εἰπών· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς, καὶ γινώσκω τὰ ἐμὰ, καὶ γινώσκουσί με τὰ ἐμά· καὶ αὖθις· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς, καὶ τὴν ψυχήν μου τίθημι ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων. Αὐτὸς δὲ ἦν καὶ ὁ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ὡσεὶ πρόβατον ὁδηγῶν ἤτοι τὴν φυλὴν, ἢ τὸ πᾶν Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος μεταφορικῶς ἀπὸ μιᾶς ὀνομάζων φυλῆς τῆς τοῦ Ἰωσήφ· ἢ καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτὸν τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν τῆς φυλῆς προπάτορα. Ἐπειδὴ συνῆν αὐτῷ ἐπιβουλευομένῳ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, καὶ πιπρασκομένῳ τοῖς Ἰσμαηλίταις, καὶ εἰς Αἴγυπτον καταγομένῳ, καὶ τῷ Πετεφρῇ δουλεύοντι, τήν τε ἀκόλαστον δέσποιναν ἀποστρεφομένῳ, ὡς εἰς δεσμωτήριόν τε καθειργμένῳ. Ἐν πᾶσι γοῦν τούτοις ἐπισημαίνεται ἡ Μωϋσέως γραφὴ λέγουσα· Καὶ ἦν Κύριος μετὰ Ἰωσήφ. Ὅθεν μοι δοκεῖ κυριώτερον ἡρμηνευκέναι ὁ Θεοδοτίων φήσας· Ὁ καθοδηγῶν ὡσεὶ πρόβατον τὸν Ἰωσήφ. Οὕτω δ' ἂν εἴποις καὶ πεποιμάνθαι αὐτὸν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τὸν πρῶτον χρηματίσαντα ταύτῃ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ. Ἦν δὲ οὗτος Ἰακὼβ, ὁ παῖς τοῦ Ἰσαάκ.Ἐπεὶ κἀκεῖνος μόνος εἰς τὴν μέσην τῶν ποταμῶν καταβὰς μετὰ τῆς εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἐλπίδος, αὐτὸν εὕρατο ποιμένα τὸν συνόντα αὐτῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον, τὸν τὰς ἐπιφανείας αὐτῷ πεποιημένον. Εὐκαίρως οὖν δυσωπῶν ὁ λόγος τὸν Θεὸν, οὐ βούλεται μὲν τοῦ πλήθους 23.956 τῶν ἀσεβῶν μνημονεύειν· ἑνὸς δὲ καὶ δευτέρου τῶν πάλαι θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν μνήμην ποιεῖται, διὰ τῆς τῶν προπατόρων ἀρετῆς καὶ θεοσεβείας τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν γενομένους ἐλέου τυχεῖν ποτνιώμενος. Ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς οὗτος ὁ τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν ποτε γενόμενος ποιμὴν, καὶ τοῖς χερουβὶμ ἐποχούμενος ἦν. Ποίοις δὲ χερουβὶμ ἢ τοῖς παρὰ τῷ Ἐζεκιὴλ τεθεωρημένοις, ὧν εἰκόνας καὶ σύμβολα Μωϋσῆς διὰ χρυσοῦ ὑπεράνω τῆς κιβωτοῦ κελευσθεὶς ἐποίει; Μέμνηται δὲ τῶν χερουβὶμ ὁ Ἐζεκιὴλ, τοῦτον λέγων τὸν τρόπον· Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπάνω τοῦ στερεώματος τοῦ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς τοῦ χερουβὶμ ὡς λίθος σαπφείρου ὁμοίωμα θρόνου ἐπ' αὐτῷ. Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερά φησι· Καὶ ἐξῆλθε δόξα Κυρίου ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰθρίου τοῦ οἴκου, καὶ ἐπέβη ἐπὶ τὰ χερουβίμ· καὶ ἀνέλαβε τὰ χερουβὶμ τὰς πτέρυγας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐμετεωρίσθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐνώπιον ἐμοῦ ἐν τῷ ἐξελθεῖν αὐτὰ, καὶ οἱ τροχοὶ ἐχόμενοι αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἔστησαν ἐπὶ τὰ πρόθυρα τῆς πύλης τοῦ οἴκου τῆς ἀπέναντι, καὶ δόξα Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἦν ἐπ' αὐτῶν ὑπεράνω. Ὁρᾷς ὅπως ἐν τούτοις τὸ ἅρμα τοῦ Θεοῦ διαγράφεται, περὶ οὗ λέλεκται ἐν ἑτέρῳ, Τὸ ἅρμα τοῦ Θεοῦ μυριοπλάσιον χιλιάδες εὐθηνούντων; Χερουβὶμ δὲ ἦν τὸ ἅρμα, ὡς ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς θρόνου ὁμοίωμα, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ δόξα Κυρίου. Τίς δὲ ἡ δόξα Κυρίου ἦν κατ' ἀρχὰς τῆς