THE PROPHET EZEKIEL (JULY 23RD)

Edited by Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West) 

In the sixth century before the birth of Christ, the Holy Prophet Ezekiel lived and prophesied. Born in the city of Sarir, Ezekiel was descended from the tribe of Levi. He was the son of Buzi, a priest, and followed in his father’s priestly footsteps. At the age of twenty-five, Ezekiel was taken captive to Babylon along with King Jechoniah II and many other Jews during the second invasion of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (2 Kings 24:14-16).

While living in captivity by the River Chebar, Ezekiel experienced a divine vision at the age of thirty. This vision revealed the future of the Hebrew nation and all humanity. The prophet beheld a shining cloud with continual flashes of fire, and in the midst of the fire was something gleaming like bronze (Ezekiel 1:4). He saw four living creatures, each with four faces: a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10). Beside each creature was a wheel, and the rim of each wheel was full of eyes (Ezekiel 1:18).

Above the heads of the creatures was a firmament shining like crystal, and above this firmament was the likeness of a throne, appearing like glittering sapphire. Seated on this throne was a human form surrounded by a rainbow (Ezekiel 1:26-28). The Church Fathers, such as St. Irenaeus, interpreted the human form on the sapphire throne as a prefiguration of the Incarnation of the Son of God, born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, who is the living Throne of God. St. Jerome explained that the four creatures symbolized the four Evangelists: a man (St. Matthew), a lion (St. Mark), an ox (St. Luke), and an eagle (St. John) (St. Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel). The wheel full of eyes suggested the sharing of divine light with all the nations.

Overwhelmed by this vision, the prophet fell to the ground in fear, but the voice of God commanded him to rise (Ezekiel 2:1). God called Ezekiel to preach to the nation of Israel, marking the beginning of his prophetic ministry. Ezekiel warned the Israelites in Babylon of the consequences of their unfaithfulness to God (Ezekiel 3:17-21), but also proclaimed hope, foretelling their return from captivity and the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple (Ezekiel 36:24-28).

Traditional Icons of Ezekiel's Visions, Forming Much of Our Ancient Spiritual Cosmology...

Ezekiel's visions included the temple of the Lord, full of glory, and a valley of dry bones brought to life by the Spirit of God (Ezekiel 37:1-14). St. Augustine saw the vision of the temple as a prefiguration of the redemption of humanity and the establishment of the Church through Christ’s saving work (St. Augustine, City of God, Book XX). The shut gate of the sanctuary, through which the Lord would enter, symbolized the Virgin Mary giving birth to Christ while remaining a virgin (Ezekiel 44:1-3). The vision of the dry bones signified the universal resurrection and the new life granted by Christ.

Ezekiel was endowed with the gift of wonderworking. He, like Moses, parted the waters of the River Chebar, allowing the Hebrews to escape the Chaldeans (cf. Exodus 14:21-22). During a famine, he prayed for and received an increase of food for the hungry (cf. 1 Kings 17:14-16).

For his bold denunciation of idolatry practiced by a certain Hebrew prince, Ezekiel was condemned to a brutal death. Bound to wild horses, he was torn to pieces. Pious Hebrews gathered his remains and buried him on Maur Field, in the tomb of Shem and Arphaxad, forefathers of Abraham, near Baghdad. His prophecies are recorded in the Book of Ezekiel, included in the Old Testament.

COLLECT 

O ALMIGHTY God, who didst endow Thy servant Ezekiel with the spirit of prophecy to proclaim Thy message to Thy people: Grant us, we beseech Thee, so to heed the warnings and embrace the promises revealed through him, that we may ever walk in Thy ways and behold Thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

A Contemporary Icon of the Major Visions of St. Ezekiel