New Christian Bible Study

The Bible

 

Ezekiel 1

Study

1 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ τριακοστῷ ἔτει ἐν τῷ τετάρτῳ μηνὶ πέμπτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς καὶ ἐγὼ ἤμην ἐν μέσῳ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ χοβαρ καὶ ἠνοίχθησαν οἱ οὐρανοί καὶ εἶδον ὁράσεις θεοῦ

2 πέμπτῃ τοῦ μηνός τοῦτο τὸ ἔτος τὸ πέμπτον τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τοῦ βασιλέως ιωακιμ

3 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρὸς ιεζεκιηλ υἱὸν βουζι τὸν ἱερέα ἐν γῇ χαλδαίων ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ χοβαρ καὶ ἐγένετο ἐπ' ἐμὲ χεὶρ κυρίου

4 καὶ εἶδον καὶ ἰδοὺ πνεῦμα ἐξαῖρον ἤρχετο ἀπὸ βορρᾶ καὶ νεφέλη μεγάλη ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ φέγγος κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ πῦρ ἐξαστράπτον καὶ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ αὐτοῦ ὡς ὅρασις ἠλέκτρου ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ φέγγος ἐν αὐτῷ

5 καὶ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ ὡς ὁμοίωμα τεσσάρων ζῴων καὶ αὕτη ἡ ὅρασις αὐτῶν ὁμοίωμα ἀνθρώπου ἐπ' αὐτοῖς

6 καὶ τέσσαρα πρόσωπα τῷ ἑνί καὶ τέσσαρες πτέρυγες τῷ ἑνί

7 καὶ τὰ σκέλη αὐτῶν ὀρθά καὶ πτερωτοὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν καὶ σπινθῆρες ὡς ἐξαστράπτων χαλκός καὶ ἐλαφραὶ αἱ πτέρυγες αὐτῶν

8 καὶ χεὶρ ἀνθρώπου ὑποκάτωθεν τῶν πτερύγων αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὰ τέσσαρα μέρη αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν τῶν τεσσάρων

9 οὐκ ἐπεστρέφοντο ἐν τῷ βαδίζειν αὐτά ἕκαστον κατέναντι τοῦ προσώπου αὐτῶν ἐπορεύοντο

10 καὶ ὁμοίωσις τῶν προσώπων αὐτῶν πρόσωπον ἀνθρώπου καὶ πρόσωπον λέοντος ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῖς τέσσαρσιν καὶ πρόσωπον μόσχου ἐξ ἀριστερῶν τοῖς τέσσαρσιν καὶ πρόσωπον ἀετοῦ τοῖς τέσσαρσιν

11 καὶ αἱ πτέρυγες αὐτῶν ἐκτεταμέναι ἄνωθεν τοῖς τέσσαρσιν ἑκατέρῳ δύο συνεζευγμέναι πρὸς ἀλλήλας καὶ δύο ἐπεκάλυπτον ἐπάνω τοῦ σώματος αὐτῶν

12 καὶ ἑκάτερον κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπορεύετο οὗ ἂν ἦν τὸ πνεῦμα πορευόμενον ἐπορεύοντο καὶ οὐκ ἐπέστρεφον

13 καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ζῴων ὅρασις ὡς ἀνθράκων πυρὸς καιομένων ὡς ὄψις λαμπάδων συστρεφομένων ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ζῴων καὶ φέγγος τοῦ πυρός καὶ ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐξεπορεύετο ἀστραπή

15 καὶ εἶδον καὶ ἰδοὺ τροχὸς εἷς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐχόμενος τῶν ζῴων τοῖς τέσσαρσιν

16 καὶ τὸ εἶδος τῶν τροχῶν ὡς εἶδος θαρσις καὶ ὁμοίωμα ἓν τοῖς τέσσαρσιν καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτῶν ἦν καθὼς ἂν εἴη τροχὸς ἐν τροχῷ

17 ἐπὶ τὰ τέσσαρα μέρη αὐτῶν ἐπορεύοντο οὐκ ἐπέστρεφον ἐν τῷ πορεύεσθαι αὐτὰ

18 οὐδ' οἱ νῶτοι αὐτῶν καὶ ὕψος ἦν αὐτοῖς καὶ εἶδον αὐτά καὶ οἱ νῶτοι αὐτῶν πλήρεις ὀφθαλμῶν κυκλόθεν τοῖς τέσσαρσιν

19 καὶ ἐν τῷ πορεύεσθαι τὰ ζῷα ἐπορεύοντο οἱ τροχοὶ ἐχόμενοι αὐτῶν καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐξαίρειν τὰ ζῷα ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐξῄροντο οἱ τροχοί

20 οὗ ἂν ἦν ἡ νεφέλη ἐκεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ πορεύεσθαι ἐπορεύοντο τὰ ζῷα καὶ οἱ τροχοὶ καὶ ἐξῄροντο σὺν αὐτοῖς διότι πνεῦμα ζωῆς ἦν ἐν τοῖς τροχοῖς

21 ἐν τῷ πορεύεσθαι αὐτὰ ἐπορεύοντο καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑστάναι αὐτὰ εἱστήκεισαν καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐξαίρειν αὐτὰ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐξῄροντο σὺν αὐτοῖς ὅτι πνεῦμα ζωῆς ἦν ἐν τοῖς τροχοῖς

22 καὶ ὁμοίωμα ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς αὐτοῖς τῶν ζῴων ὡσεὶ στερέωμα ὡς ὅρασις κρυστάλλου ἐκτεταμένον ἐπὶ τῶν πτερύγων αὐτῶν ἐπάνωθεν

23 καὶ ὑποκάτω τοῦ στερεώματος αἱ πτέρυγες αὐτῶν ἐκτεταμέναι πτερυσσόμεναι ἑτέρα τῇ ἑτέρᾳ ἑκάστῳ δύο συνεζευγμέναι ἐπικαλύπτουσαι τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν

24 καὶ ἤκουον τὴν φωνὴν τῶν πτερύγων αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ πορεύεσθαι αὐτὰ ὡς φωνὴν ὕδατος πολλοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑστάναι αὐτὰ κατέπαυον αἱ πτέρυγες αὐτῶν

25 καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνὴ ὑπεράνωθεν τοῦ στερεώματος τοῦ ὄντος ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς αὐτῶν

26 ὡς ὅρασις λίθου σαπφείρου ὁμοίωμα θρόνου ἐπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὁμοιώματος τοῦ θρόνου ὁμοίωμα ὡς εἶδος ἀνθρώπου ἄνωθεν

27 καὶ εἶδον ὡς ὄψιν ἠλέκτρου ἀπὸ ὁράσεως ὀσφύος καὶ ἐπάνω καὶ ἀπὸ ὁράσεως ὀσφύος καὶ ἕως κάτω εἶδον ὡς ὅρασιν πυρὸς καὶ τὸ φέγγος αὐτοῦ κύκλῳ

28 ὡς ὅρασις τόξου ὅταν ᾖ ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὑετοῦ οὕτως ἡ στάσις τοῦ φέγγους κυκλόθεν αὕτη ἡ ὅρασις ὁμοιώματος δόξης κυρίου καὶ εἶδον καὶ πίπτω ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν μου καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν λαλοῦντος

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Spiritual Experiences #255

  
/ 6110  
  

255. About the very inward Realm, and about Cherubs

When I was brought into thoughts about how the very inward and innermost angels influence human minds, and was reflecting that they do so in an imperceptible manner, being in the realm of the very beginning points of human thought, consequently in a like realm of mental imagery or depiction, which is imperceptible (such an imperceptibility must be the plane proper to thoughts) - while I was pondering on these matters, then I was given from the mercy of God the Messiah to sense a gentle kind of turning motion overhead, into which I later even seemed to be raised up, or which enfolded my thoughts. At the first sensation, when I was not yet in it, it was like the turning motion of a soft cloud settling down, and it was said that this can be called "the Cherubs," to whom "wheels" are ascribed [Ezekiel 1:9, 10] on account of that turning motion. After this, that field encompassed me, and I experienced a great calmness. The last heaven, in which I had been previously, was below me, and in fact, at my feet and below the feet. There I heard someone speaking, but as if out of the lowest place, complaining that I had been raised up away from them, and that therefore he did not want to live.

When I was later thinking about the very inward realm, which must as yet be called strictly "cherubic" and in which realm I am while writing these things, I am able to understand not only why wheels, but also why four faces, were ascribed to them [Ezekiel 1:10], i.e. "of a lion, of a man, of an eagle" - namely: "that of a lion," because of its strength [extending] into the lower realm, or last heaven, for it holds that in proper order, otherwise it would fall to pieces; "the face of a human," because the very inward person, to which this realm properly relates, is "human" - the kind of thought we have pertains merely to the inward person, which in turn is governed by the very inward realm [see 241:4]); "the face of an eagle," because it rises up high above the realm in which our perception or sense-based understanding lies. "The face of an ox" is omitted, and afterwards by Ezekiel "the face of a cherub" is named in the first place [10:14], because then he understood that it was the cherub to whom three faces were being ascribed. 1747, the 20th day of November (old calendar).

  
/ 6110  
  

Thanks to the Academy of the New Church, and Bryn Athyn College, for the permission to use this translation.

©2024 New Christian Bible Study Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed from newchristianbiblestudy.org