The Holy Prophet Ezekiel

Life

The son of a priest, from the city of Sarir. Led into captivity in Babylon together with King Jeconiah and many other Israelites, Ezekiel, while living in captivity, prophesied for twenty-seven years. He was a contemporary of the Prophet Jeremiah. And while Jeremiah taught and prophesied in Jerusalem, Ezekiel taught and prophesied in Babylon. The prophecies of Jeremiah were made known in Babylon, and the prophecies of Ezekiel were made known in Jerusalem. And both of these holy men confirmed the prophecies of one another. And both were persecuted and tormented by the faithless Jewish people. Terrible and unheard-of visions did holy Ezekiel behold. By the River Chebar he saw the heavens opened, a cloud, and fire and brightness, and four living creatures like molten copper. One creature had the face of a man, the second the face of a lion, the third the face of a calf, and the fourth the face of an eagle. The face of a man signified the Lord incarnate as man, the face of a lion His Divinity, the face of a calf His sacrifice, and the face of an eagle His Resurrection and Ascension. On another occasion he was shown an image of the resurrection of the dead. Namely, the prophet saw a valley full of dry dead men's bones, and when the Spirit of God descended upon them, all the dead came to life and rose to their feet. He also beheld the most terrible destruction of Jerusalem, when the wrath of God cut down all save those who had previously been marked with the Greek sign called Tau, and that sign is like our letter T, which is in turn the sign of the cross. Jewish malice did not spare even this holy man. Embittered at him for his rebuking them, the Jews bound him to the tails of horses and tore him asunder. He was buried in the same tomb as Shem, the son of Noah.

From the Hymn of Praise

The vision of Ezekiel, by the will of God:Wide, so wide, an endless field,Full, so full of dead men's bones,And a voice from heaven came to holy Ezekiel: