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is shown by the book, where it is said: Above the cherubim there was as a vision of a sapphire stone, a likeness of a throne upon it; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man above it. And I saw as the appearance of electrum from the vision of the loins and upward; and from the vision of the loins and downward, as a vision of fire, and a brightness around him; and he adds: This is the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. Do you see how the Word, interpreting the glory of God borne upon the throne, described the form of a man? What could this form of a man be, which is called not God himself, but the glory of God, but the only-begotten Word of God; whom he sometimes names the glory of God the Father, and sometimes the form of a man because of the man he assumed? of whom the things of his theology were compared to electrum, the most precious of all matter, but the things from the loins and downward, in one way to a vision of fire, in another to the brightness of light; since those who partake of his generation, and the men on earth, are in need of his different powers; those who have done things worthy of light need the illuminating energy, while those who have done things worthy of fire need the caustic and punishing power. And Moses, having been commanded to make images and symbols of the heavenly things, fashioned the cherubim from gold; and these were placed upon the ark, having in the middle the mercy seat made of gold; and the mercy seat was in the middle of the cherubim, placed upon them like a charioteer; so that the mercy seat made of gold was an image and type of that which was seen in the prophet Ezekiel above the cherubim; which we demonstrate to be the Word of God. Wherefore the divine Apostle calls him a mercy seat, saying: Whom God put forward as a mercy seat through faith in his blood. And these things, typically made by Moses out of gold, I mean the cherubim and the mercy seat, went before the people in the desert in front of Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. For in the journey of the 12 tribes, three tribes camped in front of the ark: Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun; and likewise three tribes followed the ark: Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh, following behind the cherubim. Therefore it is said here: Appear, you who 23.957 are seated upon the cherubim, before Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh. Therefore, according to Aquila it is said: You who are seated on the cherubim, appear before the face of Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh. For you, he says, who go before the face and in the presence of Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh, appear. And in these things the Prophet invokes the Word of God, making the invocation from things known to the people; but not from the divine vision, which was seen by the Prophet Ezekiel. And he entreats the one who is invoked through the prayer: For if you endured, he says, at a certain time to go before men, and to lead the aforesaid tribes, now also appear to these same who are tempest-tossed and perishing; and you yourself, who then also shepherded and led the people, stir up your dominion, and come to save us. And in these things he supplicates that he make his arrival to men and again take back those who have turned away and have fallen, and again make them turn to him. Therefore he says: O God, restore us and show your face, and we shall be saved. Lord, the God of hosts, how long will you be angry at the prayer of your servants? The one called at present Lord and God of hosts, he was that one who shepherds the true Israel, and who led Joseph like a sheep, and who is seated upon the cherubim; and going before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. And he is called Lord and God of hosts, as in other places he is chief captain of the host of the Lord and Angel of great counsel. Therefore, appearing to Joshua, the successor of Moses, in the form of a man, he confessed who he was, saying: I am the chief captain of the host of the Lord.

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βίβλου δηλοῦται, ἔνθα εἴρηται· Ὑπεράνω τῶν χερουβὶμ ὡς ὅρασις ἦν λίθου σαπφείρου, ὁμοίωμα θρόνου ἐπ' αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὁμοιώματος τοῦ θρόνου ὁμοίωμα ὡς εἶδος ἀνθρώπου ἄνωθεν. Καὶ εἶδον ὡς ὄψιν ἠλέκτρου ἀπὸ ὁράσεως ὀσφύος ἕως ἄνω· καὶ ἀπὸ ὁράσεως ὀσφύος ἕως κάτω, ὡς ὅρασις πυρὸς, καὶ φέγγος αὐτοῦ κύκλῳ· καὶ ἐπιλέγει· Αὕτη ἡ ὅρασις ὁμοιώματος δόξης Κυρίου. Ὁρᾷς ὅπως ὁ λόγος τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου ὀχουμένην δόξαν Θεοῦ διερμηνεύων εἶδος ἀνθρώπου διέγραψε; Τί δ' ἂν γένοιτο τοῦτο τὸ εἶδος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὅπερ οὐκ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ δόξα τοῦ Θεοῦ εἴρηται, ἢ ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος· ὃν ποτὲ μὲν δόξαν Θεοῦ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὀνομάζει, ποτὲ δὲ εἶδος ἀνθρώπου δι' ὃν ἀνείληφεν ἄνθρωπον; οὗ τὰ μὲν τῆς θεολογίας ἠλέκτρῳ τῷ πάσης ὕλης τιμαλφεστέρῳ παρεικάζετο, τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ ὀσφύος καὶ κάτω, πὴ μὲν ὁράσει πυρὸς, πὴ δὲ φωτὸς φέγγει· ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἐκ γενέσεως μέτοχα, καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ γῆς ἄνθρωποι διαφόρων αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως ἐπιδέονται· οἱ μὲν φωτὸς ἄξια πράξαντες τῆς φωτιστικῆς ἐνεργείας, οἱ δὲ τὰ πυρὸς ἄξια τῆς καυστικῆς καὶ τιμωροῦ δυνάμεως. Τῶν δ' οὐρανίων εἰκόνας καὶ σύμβολα κατασκευάσαι Μωϋσῆς κελευσθεὶς, τὰ χερουβὶμ ἀπὸ χρυσοῦ κατεσκεύασεν· ἐπέκειτό τε ταῦτα τῇ κιβωτῷ, μέσον ἔχοντα τὸ ἱλαστήριον ἐκ χρυσοῦ πεποιημένον· καὶ ἦν τὸ ἱλαστήριον μέσον τῶν χερουβὶμ ἡνιόχου δίκην ἐπικείμενον αὐτοῖς· ὥστ' εἶναι εἰκόνα καὶ τύπον τὸ ἀπὸ χρυσοῦ πεποιημένον ἱλαστήριον τοῦ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ Ἐζεκιὴλ ὑπὲρ τὰ χερουβὶμ ὀφθέντος· ὃν ἀποδείκνυμεν εἶναι τὸν Λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅθεν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἱλαστήριον αὐτὸν καλεῖ λέγων· Ὃν προέθετο ὁ Θεὸς ἱλαστήριον διὰ πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι. Ταῦτα δὲ τυπικῶς παρὰ Μωϋσεῖ διὰ χρυσοῦ πεποιημένα, λέγω δὲ τὰ χερουβὶμ καὶ τὸ ἱλαστήριον, προηγεῖτο τοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ λαοῦ κατὰ πρόσωπον Ἐφραῒμ καὶ Βενιαμὶν καὶ Μανασσῆ. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ πορείᾳ τῶν ιβʹ φυλῶν ἔμπροσθεν μὲν τῆς κιβωτοῦ παρενέβαλον φυλαὶ τρεῖς, Ἰούδα, καὶ Ἰσάχαρ, καὶ Ζαβουλών· εἵποντο δὲ τῇ κιβωτῷ ὁμοίως φυλαὶ τρεῖς, Ἐφραῒμ, καὶ Βενιαμὶν, καὶ Μανασσῆ, κατὰ νώτου ἀκολουθοῦσαι τοῖς χερουβίμ. ∆ιὸ λέλεκται ἐνταῦθα· Ἐμφάνηθι καθ 23.957 ήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβὶμ ἐναντίον Ἐφραῒμ, καὶ Βενιαμὶν, καὶ Μανασσῆ. ∆ιὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν εἴρηται· Καθήμενε τοῖς χερουβὶμ, ἐπιφάνηθι εἰς πρόσωπον Ἐφραῒμ, καὶ Βενιαμὶν, καὶ Μανασσῆ. Σὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ εἰς πρόσωπον καὶ ἐνώπιον Ἐφραῒμ, καὶ Βενιαμὶν, καὶ Μανασσῆ προπορευόμενος ἐμφάνηθι. Ἀνακαλεῖται δὲ ἐν τούτοις τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον ὁ Προφήτης ἀπὸ τῶν γνωριζομένων τῷ λαῷ τὴν ἐπίκλησιν ποιούμενος· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς θεοπτίας, τῆς τῷ Προφήτῃ Ἐζεκιὴλ τεθεαμένης. ∆υσωπεῖ δὲ τὸν παρακαλούμενον διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς· Εἰ γὰρ ὑπέμεινας, φησὶ, καιρῷ τινι προοδεῦσαι ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τῶν προλεχθεισῶν ἡγήσασθαι φυλῶν, καὶ νῦν τοῖς αὐτοῖς χειμαζομένοις καὶ ἀπολλυμένοις ἐμφάνηθι· καὶ σύ γε αὐτὸς, ὁ καὶ τότε ποιμάνας καὶ προηγησάμενος τοῦ λαοῦ, ἐξέγειρον τὴν δυναστείαν σου, καὶ ἐλθὲ εἰς τὸ σῶσαι ἡμᾶς. Ἱκετεύει τε ἐν τούτοις τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ ἄφιξιν ποιήσασθαι καὶ τοὺς ἀποστραφέντας καὶ ἐν ἀποπτώσει γενομένους πάλιν ἀναλαβεῖν, πάλιν καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἐπιστρέψαι ποιῆσαι. ∆ιὸ λέγει· Ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπίστρεψον ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐπίφανον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ σωθησόμεθα. Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, ἕως πότε ὀργίζῃ ἐπὶ τὴν προσευχὴν τῶν δούλων σοῦ; Ὁ λεγόμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος Κύριος καὶ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, αὐτὸς ἦν ἐκεῖνος ὁ ποιμαίνων τὸν ἀληθινὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ὁδηγήσας ὡσεὶ πρόβατον τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβίμ· προοδεύων τε ἐναντίον Ἐφραῒμ καὶ Βενιαμὶν καὶ Μανασσῆ. Κύριος δὲ καὶ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων εἴρηται, ὡς ἐν ἑτέροις ἀρχιστράτηγος δυνάμεως Κυρίου καὶ μεγάλης βουλῆς Ἄγγελος. Τῷ μὲν οὖν διαδόχῳ Μωϋσέως Ἰησοῦ, ἐν σχήματι ἀνδρὸς φανεὶς, ἑαυτὸν ὡμολόγει ὅστις ἦν λέγων· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἀρχιστράτηγος δυνάμεως Κυρίου.