Ezekiel 1 · The Lantern

Ezekiel’s Vision by the River Kebar

And it was in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth of the month, and I was in the midst of the exile by the river Chebar: the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

It was not enough for one heaven to be opened; a greater number was opened, so that the angels descended not from one, but from all the heavens on those who were to be saved.

The Prophet Ezekiel was led captive with Joachin king of Judah to Babylon, and he prophesied there to those who were captives with him, to those repenting that they had willingly handed over the prophecy of Jeremiah to enemies, and yet saw the city Jerusalem to stand, which he had predicted would fall.

The custom of prophetic speech is to first describe the person, time, and place, and afterward begin to speak the mysteries of prophecy, so that in order to demonstrate the truth more solidly, it first fixes the root of the history, and then brings forth the fruits of the spirit through signs and allegories.

On the fifth of the month — it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin —

the word of the LORD surely came to Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was on him there.

If you want to understand that this word is said about the Savior, do not hold back. The allegory has its own meaning as well, in this way: the Word of God comes to us as he who was born of the virgin, that is, man; as the Word who lives always in the Father.

(Verse 3) The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chebar. And to Daniel and Ezekiel, who were in Babylon by the rivers, the mysteries of things to come are revealed upon the waters, indeed in the purest waters, so that the power of baptism may be shown.

"And the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the son of Buzi, the priest." The hand or arm of the Lord is called the Son, because through Him all things were made.

The Four Living Creatures

And I looked, and see: a storm wind coming from the north, a great cloud and fire taking hold of itself, and brightness around it; and from its midst, like the gleam of electrum from the midst of the fire.

When you have been purified by the sweeping wind, to the extent that it has swept away every evil from you and everything of evil character in your soul, then you will begin to benefit from the great cloud that envelopes the sweeping wind.

But this fire burned in one place and shone in another. For it is added: "And splendor was round about it." For while persecution was being carried out in Judea, the holy preaching of the apostles was scattered throughout the whole world, as they themselves say: "The word of God had been sent to you, but since you have judged yourselves unworthy, behold, we go to the Gentiles."…

Ezekiel is describing the judgment: "As I looked, a stormwind came from the North, a huge cloud with flashing fire, enveloped in brightness; from the midst of which, the midst of the fire, something gleamed like electrum." First, as to the disturbance of natural powers shown by the stormwind; second, as to the conflagration of fires shown by the flashing fire; third, as to the…

And from its midst, the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

And each had four faces, and each of them had four wings.

And their legs were straight legs, and the sole of their feet like the sole of a calf hoof, and they sparkled like the gleam of burnished bronze.

And the hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and the four of them had their faces and their wings.

Their wings were joined each to the next; they did not turn as they went; each went straight ahead.

And the likeness of their faces: the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right for the four of them, and the face of an ox on the left for the four of them, and the face of an eagle for the four of them.

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, t…

It appears to me that those who have taken the lion to point to Matthew, the man to Mark, the ox to Luke and the eagle to John have made a more reasonable application of the figures than those who have assigned the man to Matthew, the eagle to Mark and the lion to John.

There is a wondrous conformity between the Old and New Testaments, not only in the content of their meanings, but also in the fourfold structure of their parts.

So were their faces. And their wings were spread upward; each had two joined to another, and two covering their bodies.

(Verse 11) And their faces and wings were stretched out from above, with two wings of each joined together and two covering their bodies. And above we have said that the Gospels and the seasons are joined together, and all rational creatures, and the four virtues, so that whoever lacks one lacks all.

He shows by these things not that everything is to be understood by divine power but that some things are clear to them and others are unknown, and they do not go beyond the limit set down for them.

It had been said: "And their faces and their wings were stretched out above," and immediately what we have brought forward was added, that "two wings of each were joined." Here it is openly understood that they were both stretched out above and joined, while two covered their bodies. But what are the wings of the animals called except pinions?

And each went straight ahead; wherever the spirit was to go, they went; they did not turn as they went.

And the likeness of the living creatures: their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches. It was moving among the living creatures; and the fire had brightness, and out of the fire went lightning.

And the living creatures ran and returned, like the appearance of a flash.

The Four Wheels

And I looked at the living creatures, and see: one wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, for each of its four faces.

The wheels that lie beneath it signify the various periods of time in which all the component members of the world are constantly being whirled forward. Furthermore, feet have been given to these members that they may not always stand still but move on. All their limbs are studded with eyes because the works of God are to be contemplated with ever careful observation.

And so, I recognize more clearly what I read: For the wheel runs within the wheel and is not hindered (Ezek. 1:16-17). For he passes his life without any offense in any passion, and even within these things the wheel runs. The Law runs within grace, and obedience to the Law is within the course of divine mercy: for the more it turns, the more it is proven.

But what does the wheel signify except sacred Scripture, which turns from every side toward the minds of its hearers, and is held back from the way of its preaching by no corner of error? It turns from every side because amid adversity and prosperity it proceeds rightly and humbly.

The appearance of the wheels and their work was like the gleam of beryl, and the four of them had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as if a wheel were within a wheel.

If you consider the way in which the universe moves in different and contrary ways, whether you think it is in error or whether you think it is of a different nature from us, you see the meaning of "a wheel within a wheel." But as far as all that is concerned, the God of the whole universe directs everything and makes everything to move where he wills, in Christ Jesus, to whom…

Rightly are the sacred utterances said to be similar to the vision of the sea, because in them there are great volumes of sentences, heaps of meanings. Nor is it undeservedly that Sacred Scripture is said to be similar to the sea, because the sentences of speech are confirmed in it through the sacrament of baptism.

Ezechiel beheld within figures resembling four living creatures, and later there appeared a wheel within another. Then the Prophet says that "the appearance of the wheels and the work of them was like the appearance of the sea," and that it was "as it were a wheel in the midst of a wheel." According to Gregory, the "two wheels" having "four faces" point to Scripture which has t…

On their four sides they went as they went; they did not turn as they went.

And their rims — they had height, and they had dread; and the rims of the four of them were full of eyes all around.

Three, however, are indicated both in the animals and in the wheels, when they stood, when they walked, when they were lifted up, which both the animals and the wheels did in common. For neither could animals that were standing walk on wheels, nor could animals walking on the ground lift themselves on wheels, but of those actions, one was rest, one was motion, and elevation.

It hath been said by God that their [four] sides were "living animals" [which] were "full of eyes as they turned round." And by this word He hath taught us that the whole of the spiritual nature can see, and that all of it can hear, and that all of it can perceive, and that all of it can think, and that all of it can understand, and that all of it can desire with the desire of…

Those who are over others are to be warned that through prudence they should attain watchful eyes within and round about and strive to become living creatures of heaven. For the living creatures of heaven are described as full of eyes round about and within.

And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted from the earth, the wheels were lifted.

Wherever the spirit was to go, they went — there the spirit was to go; and the wheels were lifted alongside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted from the earth, the wheels were lifted alongside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

The Divine Glory

And a likeness was over the heads of the living creature: an expanse, like the gleam of awesome ice, stretched over their heads above.

And under the expanse their wings were straight, each toward the next; each had two covering, and each had two covering their bodies.

And I heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, as they went — a sound of tumult, like the sound of a camp. When they stood, they let down their wings.

And there was a sound from above the expanse that was over their heads; when they stood, they let down their wings.

And above the expanse that was over their heads, like the appearance of sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne; and on the likeness of the throne, a likeness like the appearance of a man upon it above.

And I saw like the gleam of electrum, like the appearance of fire with a housing around it, from the appearance of his waist and upward; and from the appearance of his waist and downward I saw like the appearance of fire, and it had brightness around it.