3. Wouldest thou learn that to comprehend
the nature of God is impossible? The Three Children in the
furnace of fire, as they hymn the praises of God, say Blessed art
thou that beholdest the depths, and sittest upon the
Cherubim Song of the Three Children, 32.. Tell me what
is the nature of the Cherubim, and then look upon Him who sitteth upon
them. And yet Ezekiel the Prophet even made a description of
them, as far as was possible, saying that every one has four
faces, one of a man, another of a lion, another of an eagle, and
another of a calf; and that each one had six wings In Ezekiel i. 6–11, the four living creatures have
each four wings, as also in x.
21 according to the
Hebrew. But in the latter passage, according to the Vatican text
of the Septuagint, each has eight wings, as Codd. R. and Casaub.
read here. Cyril seems to have confused the number in Ezekiel
with that in Is. vi.
2: each one
had six wings. By “a wheel of four sides” Cyril
explains Ez. i.
16: a wheel in
the midst of a wheel, as meaning two circles set at right angles to
each other, like the equator and meridian on a globe., and they had eyes on all sides; and that
under each one was a wheel of four sides. Nevertheless though the
Prophet makes the explanation, we cannot yet understand it even as we
read. But if we cannot understand the throne, which he has
described, how shall we be able to comprehend Him who sitteth thereon,
the Invisible and Ineffable God? To scrutinise then the nature of
God is impossible: but it is in our power to send up praises of
His glory for His works that are seen.