1.121.3:

Καὶ μέχρι τούτου προφητεύων διατείνει Ἱερεμίας, προφητεύουσι δὲ καὶ Βουζὶ καὶ Οὐρίας ὁ υἱὸς Σαμαίου καὶ Ἀμβακοὺμ σὺν αὐτῷ, καὶ τέλος ἔχει τὰ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν βασιλέων.

1.121.3:

Jeremias continued as a prophet into his reign [i.e., Sedekias'], together with Buzi, Urias, the son of Samaeas, and Ambakum [= Buzi (Ezek 1.3), Uriah the son of Shemaiah (Jer 26.20), Habbakuk]. This was the end of the Hebrew kings.

1.122.4:

Προφητεύουσι δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ Σεδεκίου ἔτι Ἱερεμίας καὶ Ἀμβακούμ, ἐν δὲ τῷ πέμπτῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι προφητεύει Ἰεζεκιήλ, μεθ' ὃν Ναοὺμ ὁ προφήτης, ἔπειτα Δανιήλ, πάλιν αὖ μετὰ τοῦτον προφητεύουσιν Ἀγγαῖος καὶ Ζαχαρίας ἐπὶ Δαρείου τοῦ πρώτου ἔτη δύο, μεθ' ὃν ὁ ἐν τοῖς δώδεκα Ἄγγελος.

1.122.4:

Jeremias and Ambukum continued to prophesy under Sedekias, and in the fifth year of his reign Iezekiel [= Ezekiel] was prophesying in Babylon. After him came the prophet Nahum, then Daniel, and again after him, Angaeus [= Haggai] and Zacharias [= Zechariah] prophesied for two years under Darius I, and after him, one of the twelve, the Herald [= Malachi].

3.11.8:

Neque autem plura numero quam haec sunt neque rursus pauciora capit esse Euangelia. Quoniam enim quattuor regiones mundi sunt in quo sumus et quattuor principales spiritus et disseminata est Ecclesia super omnem terram, columna autem et firmamentum Ecclesiae est Euangelium et Spiritus uitae, consequens est quattuor habere eam columnas undique flantes incorruptibilitatem et uiuificantes homines. Ex quibus manifestum est quoniam qui est omnium Artifex Verbum, qui sedit super Cherubim et continet omnia, declaratus hominibus, dedit nobis quadriforme Euangelium quod uno Spiritu continetur. Quemadmodum et Dauid postulans eius aduentum ait: Qui sedes super Cherubim, appare. [Ps 79.2] Et enim Cherubim quadriformia, et formae ipsorum imagines sunt dispositionis Filii Dei: primum enim animal, inquit, simile leoni [Rev 4.7], efficabile eius et principale et regale significans; secundum uero simile uitulo [ibid.], sacrificalem et sacerdotalem ordinationem significans; tertium uero habens faciem quasi humanam [ibid.], eum qui est secundum hominem aduentum eius manifeste describens; quartum uero simile aquilae uolanti [ibid.], Spiritus in Ecclesiam aduolantis gratiam manifestans. Et Euangelia igitur his consonantia, in quibus insidet Christus Iesus. Aliud enim illum quae est a Patre principalem et efficabilem et gloriosam generationem eius enarrat, dicens sic: In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum [Jn 1.1]; et: Omnia per ipsum facta sunt, et sine ipso factum est nihil [Jn. 1.3]. Propter hoc et omni fiducia plenum est. Euangelium istud: talis est enim persona eius. Id uero quod est secundum Lucam, quoniam quidem sacerdotalis characteris est, a Zacharia sacerdote sacrificante Deo inchoauit. Iam enim saginatus parabatur uitulus, qui pro inuentione minoris filii inciperet mactari. Matthaeus uero eam quae est secundum hominem generationem eius enarrat: Liber, dicens, generationis Iesu Christi, filii Dauid, filii Abraham [Mt 1.1]; et iterum: Christi autem generatio sic erat [Mt 1.18]. Humanae formae igitur Euangelium hoc: propter hoc et per totum Euangelium humiliter sentiens et mitis homo seruatus est. Marcus uero a prophetico Spiritu ex alto adueniente hominibus initium fecit: Initium, dicens, Euangelii, quemadmodum scriptum est in Esaia propheta [Mk 1.1-2], uolatilem et pennatam imaginem Euangelii monstrans; propter hoc et compendiosam et praecurrentem adnuntiationem fecit: propheticus enim character est hic. Et ipsum autem Verbum Dei illis quidem qui ante Moysen fuerunt patriarchis secundum diuinitatem et gloriam colloquebatur; his vero qui in lege, sacerdotalem et ministerialem actum praebebat; post deinde nobis homo factus, munus caelestis Spiritus in omnem misit terram, protegens nos alis suis. Qualis igitur dispositio Filii Dei, talis et animalium forma; et qualis animalium forma, talis et character Euangelii. Quadriformia enim animalia, et quadriforme Euangelium, et quadriformis dispositio Domini. Et propter hoc quattuor data sunt testamenta humano generi: unum quidem ante cataclysmum sub Adam; secundum uero post cataclysmum sub Noe; tertium uero legislatio sub Moyse; quartum uero quod renouat hominem et recapitulat in se omnia, quod est per Euangelium, eleuans et pennigerans homines in caeleste regnum.

3.11.8:

It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are. For, since there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds, while the Church is scattered throughout all the world, and the “pillar and ground” of the Church is the Gospel and the spirit of life; it is fitting that she should have four pillars, breathing out immortality on every side, and vivifying men afresh. From which fact, it is evident that the Word, the Artificer of all, He that sitteth upon the cherubim, and contains all things, He who was manifested to men, has given us the Gospel under four aspects, but bound together by one Spirit. As also David says, when entreating His manifestation, “Thou that sittest between the cherubim, shine forth.” For the cherubim, too, were four-faced, and their faces were images of the dispensation of the Son of God. For, [as the Scripture] says, “The first living creature was like a lion,” symbolizing His effectual working, His leadership, and royal power; the second [living creature] was like a calf, signifying [His] sacrificial and sacerdotal order; but “the third had, as it were, the face as of a man,”—an evident description of His advent as a human being; “the fourth was like a flying eagle,” pointing out the gift of the Spirit hovering with His wings over the Church. And therefore the Gospels are in accord with these things, among which Christ Jesus is seated. For that according to John relates His original, effectual, and glorious generation from the Father, thus declaring, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Also, “all things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made.” For this reason, too, is that Gospel full of all confidence, for such is His person. But that according to Luke, taking up [His] priestly character, commenced with Zacharias the priest offering sacrifice to God. For now was made ready the fatted calf, about to be immolated for the finding again of the younger son. Matthew, again, relates His generation as a man, saying, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham;” and also, “The birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise.” This, then, is the Gospel of His humanity; for which reason it is, too, that [the character of] a humble and meek man is kept up through the whole Gospel. Mark, on the other hand, commences with [a reference to] the prophetical spirit coming down from on high to men, saying, “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written in Esaias the prophet,”—pointing to the winged aspect of the Gospel; and on this account he made a compendious and cursory narrative, for such is the prophetical character. And the Word of God Himself used to converse with the ante-Mosaic patriarchs, in accordance with His divinity and glory; but for those under the law he instituted a sacerdotal and liturgical service. Afterwards, being made man for us, He sent the gift of the celestial Spirit over all the earth, protecting us with His wings. Such, then, as was the course followed by the Son of God, so was also the form of the living creatures; and such as was the form of the living creatures, so was also the character of the Gospel. For the living creatures are quadriform, and the Gospel is quadriform, as is also the course followed by the Lord. For this reason were four principal covenants given to the human race: one, prior to the deluge, under Adam; the second, that after the deluge, under Noah; the third, the giving of the law, under Moses; the fourth, that which renovates man, and sums up all things in itself by means of the Gospel, raising and bearing men upon its wings into the heavenly kingdom.

4.20.10f.:

(10) Non igitur manifeste ipsam faciem Dei videbant prophetae, sed dispositiones et mysteria per quae inciperet homo videre Deum. Quemadmodum et Heliae dicebatur: Exies cras et stabis in conspectu Domini, et ecce Dominus transiet, et ecce spiritus magnus et fortis qui dissolvet montes et conteret petras in conspectu Domini, et non in spiritu Dominus; et post spiritum terrae motus, et non in terrae motu Dominus; et post terrae motum ignis, et non in igne Dominus; et post ignem vox aurae tenuis [1 Kgs 19.11-12]. Per haec enim et prophetes valde indignans propter transgressionem populi et propter interfectionem prophetarum edocebatur mitius agere, et secundum hominem adventus Domini significabatur futurus post illam legem quae data est per Moysen mitis et tranquillus, in quo neque calamum quassatum confregit neque linum fumigans exstinxit. Ostendebatur autem et regni ejus mitis et pacifica requietio: post enim spiritum qui conterit montes et post terrae motum et post ignem, tranquilla et pacifica regni ejus adveniunt tempora, in quibus cum omni tranquillitate Spiritus Dei vivificat et auget hominem.

Manifestius autem adhuc et per Ezechielem factum est quoniam ex parte dispositiones Dei, sed non ipsum videbant prophetae proprie Deum. Hic enim Dei cum vidisset visionem, et cherubim et rotas eorum et universae progressionis ejus mysterium cum retulisset, et similitudinem throni cum vidisset super eos, et super thronum similitudinem quasi figuram hominis, et illa quidem quae erant super lumbos ejus quasi figuram electri, quae autem deorsum quasi visionem ignis, et reliquam universam throni visionem manifestans, ne quis putaret eum in his proprie vidisse Deum, intulit: Haec visio similitudinis gloriae Domini.

(11) Igitur si neque Moyses vidit Deum neque Helias neque Ezechiel, qui multa de caelestibus viderunt, quae autem ab his videbantur erant similitudines claritatis Domini et prophetiae futurorum, manifestum est quoniam Pater quidem invisibilis, de quo et Dominus dixit: Deum nemo vidit umquam [Jn. 1.18], Verbum autem ejus, quemadmodum volebat ipse et ad utilitatem videntium, claritatem monstrabat Patris et dispositiones exponebat, quemadmodum et Dominus dixit: Unigenitus Deus, qui est in sinu Patris, ipse enarravit [Jn 1.18]. Et ipse autem interpretator Patris Verbum, utpote dives et multus exsistens, non in una figura neque in uno charactere videbatur videntibus eum, sed secundum dispensationum ejus causas sive efficaciam, sicut in Daniele scriptum est…

4.20.10f.:

10. The prophets, therefore, did not openly behold the actual face of God, but [they saw] the dispensations and the mysteries through which man should afterwards see God. As was also said to Elias: “Thou shalt go forth tomorrow, and stand in the presence of the Lord; and, behold, a wind great and strong, which shall rend the mountains, and break the rocks in pieces before the Lord. And the Lord [was] not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord [was] not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord [was] not in the fire; and after the fire a scarcely audible voice.” For by such means was the prophet—very indignant, because of the transgression of the people and the slaughter of the prophets—both taught to act in a more gentle manner; and the Lord’s advent as a man was pointed out, that it should be subsequent to that law which was given by Moses, mild and tranquil, in which He would neither break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. The mild and peaceful repose of His kingdom was indicated likewise. For, after the wind which rends the mountains, and after the earthquake, and after the fire, come the tranquil and peaceful times of His kingdom, in which the spirit of God does, in the most gentle manner, vivify and increase mankind.

This, too, was made still clearer by Ezekiel, that the prophets saw the dispensations of God in part, but not actually God Himself. For when this man had seen the vision of God, and the cherubim, and their wheels, and when he had recounted the mystery of the whole of that progression, and had beheld the likeness of a throne above them, and upon the throne a likeness as of the figure of a man, and the things which were upon his loins as the figure of amber, and what was below like the sight of fire, and when he set forth all the rest of the vision of the thrones, lest any one might happen to think that in those [visions] he had actually seen God, he added: “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God.”

11. If, then, neither Moses, nor Elias, nor Ezekiel, who had all many celestial visions, did see God; but if what they did see were similitudes of the splendour of the Lord, and prophecies of things to come; it is manifest that the Father is indeed invisible, of whom also the Lord said, “No man hath seen God at any time.” But His Word, as He Himself willed it, and for the benefit of those who beheld, did show the Father’s brightness, and explained His purposes (as also the Lord said: “The only-begotten God, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared [Him];” and He does Himself also interpret the Word of the Father as being rich and great); not in one figure, nor in one character, did He appear to those seeing Him, but according to the reasons and effects aimed at in His dispensations, as it is written in Daniel…

On Ps 79.3:

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 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 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 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.

On Ps 79.3 [Latin from Migne]:

Hic vero ipse qui sanctorum olim virorum pastor fuit, is qui cherubinis vehitur erat. Quibusnam cherubinis, nisi iis qui ab Ezechielo visi sunt, quorum imagines et symbola jussus Moyses supra arcam ex auro posuit? Cherubim autem meminit Ezechiel hoc pacto loquens: Et vidi, et ecce super firmamentum, quod erat super caput cherubim, quasi lapis sapphiri, similitudo throni in ipso. Postea vero ait: Et egressa est gloria Domini a limine domus, et ascendit super cherubim; et assumpserunt cherubim alas suas, et elevata sunt a terra in conspectu meo dum exirent: et rotae haerebant ipsis. Et steterunt ad preliminaria portae domus e regione positae, et gloria Dei Israel erat supra eos.

Viden' quo pacto hic currus Dei describatur de quo alibi dicitur, Currus Dei decem millibus multiplex millia laetantium? Cherubim vero currus erant, ita ut supra caput ipsorum thronorum throni similitudo esset, et supra thronum gloria Domini. Quaenam esset gloria Domini initio libri declaratur, ubi dicitur: Super cherubim quasi species erat lapidis sapphiri, similitudo throni super ipsum: et super similitudinem throni similitudo quasi species hominis desuper. Et vidi quasi formam electri a specie lumborum et desuper; et a specie lumborum usque deorsum, quasi species ignis, et lux ejus in circuitu; adjicitque: Haec visio similitudinis gloriae Domini.

Vides quomodo gloriam Dei in throno sedentem explicans, formam hominis descripserit? Quaenam alia fuerit illa hominis forma, quae non ipse Deus, sed gloria Dei dicta est, quam unigenitum Dei Verbum, quod aliquando gloriam Dei Patris, aliquando speciem hominis propter hominem quem assumpsit, nuncupat; cujus quae ad deitatem spectabant electro, omnis materiae pretiosissimo, simile dicebatur; quae vero a lumbis usque deorsum erant, modo speciei ignis, modo lucis splendori; quia quae in naturae consortium veniunt, homines scilicet in terra constituti, vario modo ejus virtutibus opus habent: nam ii qui luce digna faciunt, illuminante vi indigent; qui vero igne digna perpetrant, comburente et ultrice virtute. Coelestium porro imagines et symbola adornare jussus Moyses, cherubim ex auro confecit: haec vero arcae insidebant, in quorum medio propitiatorium ex auro factum consistebat: eratque propitiatorium in medio cherubim aurigae instar ipsis impositum; ita ut propitiatorium illud ex auro factum, imago et examplar esset ejus qui super cherubim in Ezechiele visus est; quem Verbum esse Dei commonstravimus.

On Ps 76.19:

…διὸ φωνὴν ἔδωκαν αἱ νεφέλαι· ἀλλὰ καὶ Φωνὴ τῆς βροντῆς σου, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ τροχῷ· βροντὴν δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν αἰνίττεται. Ὡς γὰρ φωνὴ βροντῆς οὐράνιος τυγχάνει βοὴ, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀνθρωπίνην ὑπερβάλλουσα δύναμιν, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν κήρυγμα, οὐράνιον τυγχάνον, οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνην περιεῖχεν ἰσχύν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκ θνητῆς βουλῆς ὡρμᾶτο· σὺν θεϊκῇ δὲ δυνάμει τὸν σύμπαντα ἐπλήρου κόσμον. Διὸ καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους αὐτοῦ ὁ Σωτὴρ βοανῆργες ὠνόμαζεν, ὅπερ ἑρμηνεύεται υἱοὶ βροντῆς. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀκολούθως τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται· Φωνὴ τῆς βροντῆς σου ἐν τῷ τροχῷ. Τροχὸν δὲ σημαίνει τὸν σύμπαντα βίον· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἐζεκιὴλ τροχὸς ἐν τροχῷ λέλεκται ὁ σύμπας τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν τροχὸς ὁ κόσμος σφαιροειδὴς ὢν, κυκλοφορητικῶς τε κινούμενος. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ τροχὸς ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶ βίος, ἄπαυστον τὴν στροφὴν ποιούμενος· διὸ καὶ τροχὸς ἐν τῷ τροχῷ εἴρηται. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, Φωνὴ βροντῆς σου ἐν τῷ τροχῷ· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Ἦχος βροντῆς σου ἐν τῷ τροχῷ· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα, Φωνὴ βροντῆς σου ἐν τῷ τροχῷ. Καὶ θέα ὅπως κατὰ πάντας τοὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς τροχὸς ὠνόμασται· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ λέξις βαγελγὲλ περιέχει, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ τροχῷ· οὕτω δὲ ὠνόμασται καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἐζεκιήλ. Ἔνθα γενόμενος, παρασημειώσῃ, ὡς καὶ ἡ θεία Γραφὴ τὸ περιέχον τροχὸς οἶδε. Διὸ σφαιροειδῆ φασιν εἶναι τὸν κόσμον.

4.20.10f.:

…ideo vocem dederunt nubes; sed etiam, inquit, vox tonitrui tui in rota. Tonitruum hic evangelicam praedicationem subindicat. Sicut enim vox tonitrui caelestis sonitus est, humanamque omnem virtutem exsuperat; sic et evangelica praedicatio, caelestis cum sit, non humana virtute praedita erat. Neque enim ex mortali voluntate prodibat, sed divina potestate totum implebat orbem. Idcirco apostolos suos Servator Boanerges nuncupavit, quod significat filios tonitrui. Hic itaque consequenter ad priora dictum est, Vox tonitrui tui in rota. Rotam dicit, totam vitam significans: nam in Ezechiele tota hominum vita rota in rota dicitur. Rota item est mundus qui sphaerica forma est, atque in circulum movetur. Hic autem rota est hominum vita, quae indesinenti conversione movetur: quae causa est ut rota in rota dicta fuerit. Secundum Aquilam vero, Vox tonitrui tui in rota; secundum Symmachum, Sonitus tonitrui in rota; secundum Theodotionem, Vox tonitrui tui in rota. Et animadvertas velim secundum omnes interpretes, rota, dictum fuisse: quia Hebraeica lectio, Bagelgel, circumfert, id est in rota; sic autem in Ezechiele quoque vocatur. Huc cum deveneris, observes velim divinam Scripturam id quod circumpositum est pro rota habere. Quare mundum ad sphaerae similitudinem constitutum aiunt.

Comm. on Is. 6

ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ‹τὸν ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβὶμ καθήμενον› ‹εἶδεν, ὡς ὅρασιν ἀνθρώπου› «ἀπὸ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕως κάτω πῦρ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ ἕως ὑπὲρ ὅρασιν ἠλέκτρου». δι’ ὧν ἁπάντων μανθάνομεν οὐχ ὁμοίας τὰς ὀπτασίας γεγονέναι τοῖς προλεχθεῖσιν, ἀλλὰ διαφόρους· τῷ μὲν γὰρ Μωσῇ εἴρητο· «οὐ δυνήσῃ ἰδεῖν τὸ πρόσωπόν μου· οὐ γὰρ ἴδῃ ἄνθρωπος τὸ πρόσωπόν μου, καὶ ζήσεται»· τὸ γὰρ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου καὶ ἡ θεότης τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ θνητῇ φύσει οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο καταληπτή. καὶ τῷ Ἰεζεκιὴλ δὲ ἡ τοῦ λόγου δόξα δι’ αἰνιγμάτων ἐθεωρεῖτο· τῷ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ ἐσχηματισμένος ἑωρᾶτο ἐν ἀνθρώπου μορφῇ, ὡς καὶ ‹ὑπὸ τὴν δρῦν› γενέσθαι, καὶ ‹τοὺς πόδας ἀπονίψασθαι› καὶ τραπέζης κοινωνῆσαι. ὁμοίως καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ … οὕτω καὶ Μωσεῖ, οὕτω καὶ Ἰεζεκιήλ, οὐχ ὁμοίως τὰς ὀπτασίας ποιούμενος. ἑώρα δὲ τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν δόξαν ὁ προφήτης ⸢οὐ πάντως σαρκὸς ὀφθαλμοῖς, τοῖς δὲ τῆς διανοίας πεφωτισμένοις ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος· ὡς γὰρ οἱ τοῦ σώματος ὑπὸ τῆς ἔξωθεν χορηγουμένης τοῦ φωτὸς αὐγῆς συνεργοῦνται εἰς τὸ βλέπειν τὰ αἰσθητά, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τὰ τῆς κεκαθαρμένης ψυχῆς ὄμματα ὑπὸ νοεροῦ φωτὸς καταυγαζόμενα τὰ θεῖα κατοπτεύειν δύναται…

Comm. on Is. 6

Ezekiel also "saw a form that had the appearance of a man" "who was seated on the cherubim," and "from his loins and all the way down was fire, and above his loins was the appearance of brightness." Through all these statements we do not learn that the visions were similar to the above description but only that they were dissimilar. For it has been said by Moses: "You shall nto be able to see my face; for a person shall never see my face and live." [Ex 33.20] For the face of God the Word and the divinity of the only-begotten Son of God could never be apprehensible to mortal nature. The glory of the Word was seen by Ezekiel through enigmas. He assumed a certain form before Abraham and was seen in the figure of a man when Abraham was "by the oak" [Gen 18.1] and "washed the feet" [Gen 18.4] and shared a table with the divine stranger. Likewise also in the case of Jacob… Thus it was for Moses, and for Ezekiel too, but the vision God revealed to each was not the same. The prophet assuredly did not see the glory of our Savior with his bodily eyes, but (we may infer from the deeper meaning of the text) with eyes enlightened by the Holy Spirit. For as the eyes of the body are aided in seeing objects of perception by an abundance of external beams of light, so in the same way the eyes of the soul, once cleared by spiritual light, are able to recognize the sights that have been illuminated…

De Virginitate 15. …

(94) Ergo orationibus et obsecrationibus Deum, inuitare debemus, ut quasi bonus auster [Cant 4.16] afflare dignetur uerbique nobis auram caelestis aspiret, quae fructiferas arbores non turbare uento graui, sed leni spiramine flatuque molli consueuit agitare. Vnde scriptum est: Posuit me currus Aminadab [Cant 6.11(12)], eo quod anima nostra dum iungitur corpori, uelut quidam equorum frementium currus rectorem sui quaerit aurigam. Aminadab enim pater Naasson fuit, sicut in Numeris legimus, qui erat princeps populi Iuda, cuius figura refertur ad Christum, qui uerus populi princeps animam iusti uelut currum agitator ascendens uerbi habenis gubernat, ne uiolentiorum equorum furore in abrupta rapiatur.

(95) Sunt enim eius uelut quattuor equi, quattuor affectiones, ira, cupiditas, uoluptas, timor. Quibus furentibus cum coeperit agi, nequaquam se ipsa cognoscit. Corruptibile enim corpus animam grauat [Sap 9.15], et tamquam irrationabilium animalium cursus inuitam rapit, uoluentibus curis uelut quodam impetu proruentem, donec memoratae corporis passiones uerbi uirtute mitescant. Haec uerbi tamquam boni agitatoris est prouidentia, ne illi animae quae in se non est morti obnoxia corpus mortale coniunctum agitationem sui faciat esse difficilem.

(96) Primo igitur hos veloces motus corporis domitet et nexu rationis infrenet; dein caueat ne dispari motu se uelut equi implicet, ut monum aut improbus decoloret, aut tardus impediat aut turbidus inquietet; fremit enim equus malitiae seseque iactando currum laedit, grauat iugalem. Hunc bonus auriga demulcet et in campum ueritatis immittit, fraudis declinat anfractum. Tutus ad superiora cursus est, periculosus ad inferiora descensus. Inde, quasi emeriti qui bene portauerint iugum uerbi, usque ad domini praesepe ducuntur, in quo non foenum est esca, sed panis qui descendit de caelo [Io 6.33, 50, 51, 58].

(97) Huius currus rotae sunt, de quibus dixit propheta: Et spiritus uitae erat in rotis [Ez 1.20]; eo quod currus animae teres atque rotundus sine ulla offensione uoluatur [Ez 1.17].

De Virginitate 15. ….

(94) Hence we should call upon God by our prayers and pleadings to breathe and blow the gentle breeze of his heavenly Word upon us, like a welcome wind from the south. This wind rarely shakes fruit-bearing trees strongly, but agitates them with a gentle breath and a light breeze; it is written, “The chariot of Aminadab placed me”(Song 6:2), meaning that while our soul is joined to the body it resembles someone seeking a driver and leader for the unruly horses of his chariot. Aminadab, as we read in Numbers, was the father of Naason who was a prince of the people of Judah. This, in figure, refers to Christ who, as the true prince of the people, rules the soul of the just. He mounts and masters the chariot of the Word with a snap of the reins lest by the fury of the violent horses it be hurled down a precipitous incline.

(95) The four affections of the soul (anger, desire, pleasure, and fear) are like four horses that are unmanageable when the chariot begins to move. Similarly the soul, weighed down by its perishable body, hardly knows herself. It is as if brute beasts seized control of a chariot, and its powerless occupant, amid flying fears, is hurled and jolted about until the bodily passions are taken in hand and calmed by the power of the Word. This foresight of the Word is like that of a skilful driver; without it the soul, although not in itself liable to death, can experience difficulties from disturbance in the mortal body conjoined to it.

(96) She masters at once these runaway motions of the body and pulls the reins together by her reason; now she should be careful not to become entangled again by the unequal gait of one of the horses as, for example a good horse can be hurt by a second-rate one, impeded by a slow one, or disquieted by a wild one. For a bad horse snorts and leaps, damaging both the chariot and itself and weighing down upon its yoke-mate. But a good driver will mollify such a horse by placing it in the field of truth so that it turns away from the crooked ways of fraud. The road to the heights is safe, but a descent to the depths is dangerous. And so, like discharged veterans who will have carried the yoke of the Word well, they are brought to the Lord’s stable where not hay, but the bread that comes down from heaven is the food.

(97) It is of the wheels of this chariot that the prophet said, “And the Spirit of life was in the wheels” (Ez 1:20), meaning that the chariot of the soul, smooth and round, rolls along without any offense.

17.

(107) Ergo et tu si munera diuina superfluere in te et redundare cognoueris, tuam metire uirtutem, gratiam deo redde contemplationemque corporis uelut nauis saburram suscipe, ne te in tantis mundi fluctibus iactantiae alicuius aura circumferat. Apis illa sapiens cum aeris motus suspectos habet lapillis saepe sublatis per inania se librat nubila, ne leue alarum remigium praecipitent flabra uentorum. Paulus et Barnabas putauerunt se grauari cum cernerent adorari [Act 14.12ff.]. Et tu caue, uirgo, illius apiculae modo ne alarum tuarum uolatum aura mundi huius extollat.

(108) Habet enim anima uolatus suos. Et ideo dictum est: Qui sunt isti qui sicut nubes uolant et sicut columbae cum pullis suis? [Is 60.8]. Habet ergo anima spiritales uolatus quae breui momento totum percurrit orbem (liberi sunt enim cogitatus prudentium: quanto ad altiora de superioribus umbra se subrigunt, tanto magis sine ullo terrenae molis impedimento [Ez 1.17] feruntur). Itaque adhaerens deo et imaginis in se referens caelestis effigiem [Gen 1.26], ubi cursus suos ab equorum perturbatione placidauerit, in illum aetherium purumque locum plausu spiritalium euecta pennarum, despicit omnia quae in hoc mundo sunt, et aeternis intenta uirtutibus supra mundum labitur. Supra mundum enim iustitia est, supra mundum castitas, supra mundum bonitas, supra mundum sapientia (etsi in hoc mundo sit, supra mundum tamen est).

(109) Supra mundum erat iustitia cum omnia regna mundi et universam eius gloriam diabolus offerret. Supra mundum fuit qui de mundo nihil attigit. Denique ait: Venit huius mundi princeps, et in me, inquit, inueniet nihil [Io 14.30]. Discite ergo in hoc mundo supra mundum esse, etsi corpus geritis, uolitet in uobis ales interior. Supra mundum est ille qui tollit deum in corpore suo.

17.

(107) As for you, be aware that God’s grace abounds in you, to the brim and over. Take stock of your own virtue, thank God for it, and consider any attention paid to your body like the ballast of a ship, so that the wind of any boasting may not set you wallowing amid the heaving waters of the world. Our wise bee, too, meeting treacherous currents of air, will often carry a tiny pebble to be able to move freely through contrary winds. Otherwise the force of the wind would overthrow the fragile motion of its wings. And Paul and Barnabas considered themselves oppressed when they discovered they were being adored. So beware, O virgin, lest secular winds elevate your wings in flight like those of our little bee.

(108) For the soul has its flights, as has been said: Who are these that fly like clouds and like doves with their young (Is 60:8)? You see, the soul has spiritual flights which, in a brief moment, circle the whole globe. For the thoughts of wise people are free and, insofar as they raise themselves to higher and more divine things, they are the more carried along unimpeded by earthly weight. The soul adheres to God and bears in herself a likeness of the divine image. Once she has quieted her chariot from the horses’ tumult and has been carried along by the beating of her spiritual wings into that ethereal and rarefied place, she despises all worldly things. She soars above the world in her regard for eternal virtues; for justice is above the world, goodness is above the world, wisdom is above the world: even when it is found in the world it is above the world, nevertheless.

(109) Justice was above the world when the devil offered all the kingdoms of the world and all its glory. He was above the world who touched nothing concerning the world, who said: The prince of this world is coming, but in me he shall find nothing (Jn 14:30). Learn, therefore, to be above the world even while in this world, and if you bear a body, may your interior wings soar up. He is above the world who bears God in his body.

18. …

(117) Ergo quia uolandi nobis data est copia, excitet unusquisque in se dei gratiam [2 Tim 1.6 (?)], ac posteriora obliuiscens, priora appetens, ad destinata contendat [Phil 3.13f.]. Procul a malitiae oneribus, procul ab aestibus mundi, ne, quod fabulae ferunt, aestu solis cera resoluta Icareos uolatus penna relabente destituat. Nam, licet grauitas dictorum absit, poetico tamen sale declarare uoluerunt prudentium maturitati tutos esse uolatus per saeculum, iuuenilem uero leuitatem obnoxim cupiditatibus mundi, refluentibus pennis, et per obliuia ueritatis meritorum compage resoluta maiore pernicie in terram relabi.

(118) Haud facilis uolatus omnibus; difficilis etiam discordantibus internis animalibus uitae cursus humanae est. At si sibi actus nostri ordo conueniat, uidebit et in nobis Propheta rotam illam unam super terram coniunctam animalibus quattuor [Ez 1.15f.]. Videbit ergo rursus Ezechiel: uidet enim adhuc et uiget et uigebit. Videbit, inquam, rotam in medio rotae super terram sine offensione labentem [Ez 1.25]. Rota enim super terram uita est corporis ad animae aptata uirtutem et ad euangelicum cohaerenti cursu formata praeceptum. Rota autem in medio rotae, ueluti uita intra uitam; quod sanctorum sibi uita non dissonet sed, qualis fuerit superioris aetatis, talis sit et sequentis, uel quod in hac uita corporis uitae uoluatur usus aeternae.

18. …

(117) Because so much flying is expected of us, everyone should stir up in himself God’s grace. Forgetful of things behind and desirous of those ahead, he should eagerly strive after the ultimate ends. Let him exist far from military honours, far from the feverish turmoil of the world, let him exist, lest he collapse like Icarus in the fable when the wax melted in the heat of the sun and the feathers fell off. Although there is no decorum, these writers nevertheless intended to say by their spicy verse that safe flights through the world require the maturity of the prudent. But great disaster comes to that youthful levity which falls back to earth when the feathers have blown off and the whole structure falls apart; that is, when there is compliance with the desires of the world.

(118) The course of human life is not at all an easy flight for everyone, and may be difficult indeed for those who lack internal harmony. But if the structure of our actions is consistent with itself, the prophetic vision of a single wheel joined on the ground to the four animals will be realised in us. Thus Ezechiel will see once more, for he saw even to our time and is honoured and shall be in the future. He will see, I say, a wheel in the centre of a wheel rolling on the ground without hindrance. For the wheel on the ground is the life of the body on earth that has been accommodated to the powers of the soul and that follows a unified course, directed by the command of the Gospel. The wheel in the centre of the wheel is like a life within a life; that is, in holy people one part of life does not clash with another. No, as it has been in an earlier time is it even in these that follow; and the ways of everlasting life already revolve within our present bodily life.

De Spiritu Sancto

XXI. …

(159) Itaque cum habeat consortium regni, quid obstat, quominus spiritum sanctum intellegamus, a quo Eseias missus est? Neque enim Paulo possumus auctore dubitare, cuius sententiam in Actibus apostolorum Lucas evangelista sic probavit, ut scriberet—denique sic habes dicente Paulo—: Bene locutus est spiritus per Eseiam ad patres nostros dicens: Vade ad plebem istam et dic: Aure audietis et non intellegetis, et videntes videbitis et non aspicietis.

XXII. (160) Spiritus ergo est, qui misit Eseiam. Si spiritus misit, spiritus est utique, quem mortuo Ozia rege vidit Eseias, quando dixit: Vidi dominum sedentem supra thronum excelsum et elevatum. Et plena erat domus maiestatis eius, et seraphin stabant in circuitu eius, sex alae uni et sex alae alteri, et duabus velabant faciem eius et duabus velabant pedes eius et duabus volabant. Et clamabant alter ad alterum et dicebant: Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus dominus deus sabaoth, plena est universa terra maiestatis eius. (161) Si stabant seraphin, quomodo volabant? Si volabant, quomodo stabant? Si hoc non possumus conpraehendere, quomodo deum conpraehendere volumus, quem non videmus? (162) Sed sicus 'rotam intra rotam' vidit propheta currentem—quod utique non ad corporalis refertur speciem visionis, sed ad utriusque gratiam testamenti, quia teres vita sanctorum sit et ita sibi concinens, ut superioribus posteriora respondeant—, 'rota igitur intra rotam' est vita sub lege, vita sub gratia, eo quod Iudaea intra ecclesiam sit, lex intra gratiam; nam intra ecclesiam est, qui Iudaeus est in occulto, et circumcisio cordis intra ecclesiae sacramentum est: Notus in Iudaea deus—ergo sicut 'rota intra rotam' currit, similiter alae 'stabant' et alae 'volabant'. (163) Similiter et seraphin duabus alis faciem et duabus alis pedes velabant et duabus volabant; nam hic quoque spiritalis sapientiae sacramentum est: stant tempora, volant tempora, stant praeterita vel futura, et quasi alae seraphin, ita faciem dei vel pedes velant, eo quod in deo, qui nec principium nec finem habet, omnis ab hac cogitatione principii eius et finis cursus temporum feriatur. Stant ergo praeterita vel futura, praesentia volant. Ne quaere principii eius vel finis arcana, quae non sunt; habes praesentia! Sed laudato, non discute! (164) 'Seraphin indefessis vocibus laudant', et tu discutis? Quod utique cum faciunt, ostendunt nobis non aliquando discutiendum deum, sed semper esse laudandum.

Ergo dominus sabaoth et spiritus sanctus est, nisi forte displicet impiis doctor, quem Christus 'elegit': aut 'dominum virtutum' negare possunt spiritum sanctum, qui donet quas voluerit ipse virtutes?

De Spiritu Sancto

159. Since, then, He has a share in the kingdom, what hinders us from understanding that it was the Holy Spirit by Whom Isaiah was sent? For on the authority of Paul we cannot doubt, whose judgment the Evangelist Luke so much approved in the Acts of the Apostles as to write as follows in Paul's words: "Well spake the Holy Spirit through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying: Go to this people and say, Ye shall hear with the ear and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive."

160. It is, then, the Spirit Who sent Isaiah. If the Spirit sent him, it is certainly the Spirit Whom, after Uzziah's death, Isaiah saw, when he said: "I saw the Lord of Sabaoth sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the house was full of His majesty. And the Seraphim stood round about Him, each one had six wings, and with two they were covering His face, and with two they were covering His feet, and with two they were flying; and they cried out one to the other, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Sabaoth, the whole earth is full of His majesty." 161. If the Seraphim were standing, how were they flying? If they were flying, how were they standing? If we cannot understand this, how is it that we want to understand God, Whom we have not seen? 162. But as the prophet saw a wheel running within a wheel (which certainly does not refer to any appearance to the bodily sight, but to the grace of each Testament; for the life of the saints is polished, and so consistent with itself that later portions agree with the former). The wheel, then, within a wheel is life under the Law, life undergrace; inasmuch as Jews are within the Church, the Law is included in grace. For he is within the Church who is a Jew secretly; and circumcision of the heart is a sacrament within the Church. But that Jewry is within the Church of which it is written: "In Jewry is God known;" therefore as wheel runs within wheel, so in like manner the wings were still, and the wings were flying. 163. In like manner, too, the Seraphim were veiling His face with two wings, and with two were veiling His feet, and with two were flying. For here also is a mystery of spiritual wisdom. Seasons stand, seasons fly; the past stand, the future are flying, and like the wings of the Seraphim, so they veil the face or the feet of God; inasmuch as in God, Who has neither beginning nor end, the whole course of times and seasons, from this knowledge of its beginning and its end, is at rest. So, then, times past and future stand, the present fly. Ask not after the secrets of His beginning or His end, for there is neither. You have the present, but you must praise Him, not question. 164. The Seraphim with unwearied voices praise, and do you question? And certainly when they do this they show us that we must not sometimes question about God, but always praise Him.

Therefore the Holy Spirit is also the Lord of Sabaoth. Unless perchance the Teacher Whom Christ chose pleases not the impious, or they can deny that the Holy Spirit is the Lord of powers, Who gives whatever powers He Himself wills.

Exp. Ps. 118 4.

(27) Uiam, inquit, mandatorum tuorum cucurri, cum dilatasti cor meum [Ps 118.32]; neque enim poterat uiam currere, si cor eius coartaretur angustiis. denique currentibus uiam domini ait apostolus: dilatamini et uos et nolite iugum ducere cum infidelibus [2 Cor 6.13-14] et de se ait: os nostrum patet ad uos, o Corinthii, cor nostrum dilatatum est [2 Cor 6.11]. ideo et de Salomone dicitur: latitudo cordis eius sicut harena maris [3 Kgdms 4.25 (29)]. et uide distantiam: uia sit angustior, cor latius, ut patris et filii et spiritus sancti sustineat mansionem, ne ueniat uerbum dei et pulset et uidens cordis eius angustias dedignetur habitare. denique sapientia in exitu canitur, in plateis autem cum fiducia agit [Prov. 1.20]. plateae latae sunt; non igitur in uiis, sed in cordis latitudine sapientia decantatur. in hoc igitur campo interioris hominis, non in angustiis mentis currendum nobis est, ut conprehendamus; scriptum est enim: sic currite, ut omnes conprehendatis [1 Cor 9.24]. denique conprehendit, qui ita cucurrit, ut diceret: cursum consumaui [2 Tim 4.7]; cucurrit enim ut bonus equus.

(28) Siquidem habet equos suos Christus, de quibus dicit propheta: inmisisti in mare equos tuos turbantes aquas multas [Hab 3.15], eo quod gentium populos, qui mouentur ut aquae multae et excitantur ut fluctus aquarum, euangelizando commouerint apostoli, ut adsurgentes a terrenis idolorum caeremoniis in Christum crederent. et supra ait: ascendisti in equos tuos, equitatus tuus sanitas [Hab 3.8]. o bonorum equorum duodecaiugum mirabile, quibus frena pacis, habenae sunt caritatis! constricti inter se concordiae uinculis et iugo fidei subiecti, quattuor rotis euangelii mysterium totius orbis finibus inuehentes, bonum aurigam portantes dei uerbum, cuius flagello fugatae sunt inlecebrae saeculares, exterminatus mundi istius princeps, iustorum cursus impletus est. o rationabilium equorum grande certamen, o mirandum mysterium! rota intra rotam currebat et non inpediebatur, nouum testamentum in ueteri testamento; intra illud currebat per quod adnuntiabatur. in quattuor partes ibant rotae et non reuertebantur retrorsum, quia spiritus uitae erat in his qui currebant in quattuor partes totius mundi, et sine offensione currebant, quia bona uita equorum quadrabat. currebant igitur equi, quia non dormiebat qui ascenderat equos.

(29) Animarum igitur nostrarum auriga Iesus, qui nos quoque uult ascendere equos nostros, hoc est nostra corpora, sed uigilare semper, ne dicatur nobis: dormitauerunt qui ascenderunt equos [Ps 75.7]. transeundum est hoc mare inpigre. uix transitur a uigilantibus; si quis autem dormierit, transire non poterit, sed demergetur ut Aegyptius, cuius et anima et corpus interiit; equum enim et ascensorem proiecit in mare [Ex 15.1], qui non sequebantur legem, sed persequebantur.

De Abraham 2.8

(53) qua causa cum dies octo conplerentur ex Mariae virginis partu, tulerunt dominum nostrum Iesum in Hierusalem, ut offerrent domino secundum legem et ut darent hostiam par turturum aut duos pullos columbarum, eo quod in columba spiritalis gratia sit, in turture incorruptae generationis natura uel inmaculati corporis castimonia. merito ergo ad sacrificium sumi iubentur post arietem turtur et columba, ut uerbo adhaerere intellegas incorruptam castimoniam et spiritalem gratiam. et hoc ipso quidem quod aues posuit intellegere possumus caelestium meritorum uolatus. sunt enim uolucres caeli, quae ueniant et habitent in ramis eius arboris, quae de grano sinapis surrexerit, cui regnum conparatur caelorum. et Ezechihel [Ez 1.15] apertos sibi caelos dicit et uidisse inter alia etiam rotam unam super terram coniunctam animalibus quattuor. et infra audiebam inquit uocem alarum eorum, sicut uocem aquarum multarum et sicut uocem idonei et cum irent, ut uox uerbi, sicut uocem castrorum [Ez 1.24].

(54) Unde quidam ad libros philosophiae diriuarunt eo quod ipsum caelum uolucris simile sit. denique Plato currum uolucrem dixit esse caelum ex eo quod propheta dixerat: cum irent animalia, ibant et rotae coniunctae illis, et cum eleuarent se animalia a terra, eleuabantur rotae [Ez 1.21]. sed propheta non caelum ipsum auem dixit, sed aues esse in caelo. denique et Dauid ait: caeli enarrant gloriam dei [Ps 18.2], hoc est potestates caelestes uel, cum spectatur pulchrum elementum, praedicatur operator. animam autem describit propheta, cuius sunt motus quattuor uelut equi, λογιστικὸν θυμικὸν ἐπιθυμητικὸν διορατικόν. haec animalia quattuor, id est homo λογικόν, leo θυμικόν, uitulus ἐπιθυμητικόν, aquila διορατικόν. ideo ratio praemissa est, ut reliqua rationem sequantur. ideo cum homine a dextris est leo, id est: cum ratione commotio a dextris est. ista animalia quando eleuantur, eleuantur etiam rotae. rotae autem uita est super terram, qua uiuimus. si animae nostrae motus quattuor eleuantur, eleuatur et uita nostra. ideoque addidit: quoniam spiritus inquit uitae erat in rotis [Ez 1.20]. anima ergo magis currus est, quae ait in Canticis canticorum: posuisti me currus Aminadab [Cant 6.11], hoc est dei nostri. non ergo philosophiae traditioni descriptio concurrit prophetica. denique uocem alarum audisse se dicit propheta. istae alae uirtutes sunt, quae maximo et duplici plausu prudentiae fortitudinis temperantiae iustitiae suauem decorem, uitae cantilenam resultant. Plato autem dulces quosdam sonitus siderum mutuauit sphaerae caelestis generari conuersione, famam magis et pompam quam ueritatem secutus. nam licet Origenes quoque noster, hoc est ecclesiastico uir officio deditus, planetarum stellarum quandam inenarrabilem motu armoniam esse suauissimi illius soni caelestis adserat, tamen etiam ipsum plurimum indulgere philosophorum traditioni pleraque eius scripta testantur. quod eo scripsi, ut et ab aruspicinae et a philosophiae traditioni sacrificii istius interpretationem secernerem. uelint alii doctrinam probare suam, ego iuxta apostolum timidus malo quam doctus uideri, qui ait: uidete ne quis uos depraedetur per philosophiam et inanem seductionem secundum traditionem hominum, secundum elementum huius mundi et non secundum Christum [Col 2.8].

[Christman, partial translation] …But the prophet did not say that heaven itself is a bird. Rather, he said that there are birds in heaven. And David said, The heavens are telling the glory of God. This refers either to the heavenly powers or to the way God is proclaimed to be the creator when the beautiful element is seen. Moreover, the prophet describes the soul which has four emotions which are likewise horses: λογιστικόν, θυμικόν, ἐπιθυμητικόν, and διορατικόν. These are the four living creatures, that is, the man is λογικόν, the lion θυμικόν, the ox ἐπιθυμητικόν, and the eagle διορατικόν. Reason has been set in front so that the rest may follow.

Et hoc perempto iussit quartum uinciri ad rotam, ut eius uertigine membris omnibus solueretur. at ille cum torqueretur inmaniter 'dissoluis' inquit 'corporis membra, sed adiungis gratiam passioni nec eripis solacium morti.' est enim uox tonitrui in rota, quia in bono et inoffenso uitae istius cursu caeleste resultat oraculum, sicut in Iohanne et in Iacobo tonitrui filiis resultabat. itaque illud quod legi nunc manifestius recognosco, quia rota intra rotam currit nec impeditur [Ez 1.16f.]. teres enim uita sine ulla offensione in quauis passione uersatur et intra haec quoque rota currit. currit lex intra gratiam et obseruantia legis intra diuinae curriculum misericordiae est: nam quo magis uoluitur, plus probatur. 'potius est hic ab impiis aduersa tolerare, ut ibi a domino consolationem inuenire possimus.' et iste consummans cursum suum abrupit spiritum animamque uictor effudit.

And when he had been killed, the tyrant ordered the fourth brother bound to the wheel so that all his limbs might be undone by its rotation. But amid his horrible torments the brother said, "You are putting asunder my bodily members, but you are adding grace to my suffering and not snatching away the consolation from my death." For his is a voice of thunder on the wheel, because heaven's prophecy reverberates in the good and blameless course of such a life, just as it reverberated in the case of John and James, the sons of thunder. Accordingly, I now understand more plainly what I have read, that one wheel runs within another and is not impeded. For a life lived without any offense is a rounded life, whatever the sufferings in which it is lived, and even within such it runs like a wheel. The law runs within grace, and the keeping of the law lies within the course of God's mercy; the more it rolls, the more it gains approval. "It is better to suffer adversities from the ungodly here, so that we may be able to find consolation from the Lord there." And fulfilling his course, he gave up the spirit and poured forth his soul in victory.