St. Gregory Thaumaturgus: Life and Works

WE UNDERSTAND that "the human being" [1.10¹] is the rational; "the lion," the irascible; "the young cow," the passionately desiring; "the eagle," the conscience over the others, ² which Paul calls "spirit of the human being." ³ The one seated is the Father; the wind [1.4], the Holy Spirit; the cloud, the Son.⁴ "Out of the north" means from the introductory, leading to the greater things; "brightness," on account of being illuminated;⁵ "fire," because of the instruction; the "flashing with fire," since from the gaps come the chastisements. The purified part of the soul is called "electrum," which must mean that "the likeness of the human being" [1.5] is presupposed. But every rational nature is "winged" [1.6-7] with spiritual wings.⁶ But they are bound closely together with each other by what is common and through likemindedness. The "human hand underneath" [1.8] is so-called

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