Conversations on the Prophet Ezekiel

“Conversations on the Prophet Ezekiel” delivered by St. Gregory the Great (Dvoeslov) at the end of 593 - beginning of 594 during the siege of Rome by the Lombards. The conversations were subsequently reworked. The work consists of 2 books. Book 1 (12 conversations) contains an explanation of chapters 1-3 of the prophetic book and 4 verses of the 4th chapter. Book 2 (10 conversations) – chapter 40. These passages of the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel were among the most difficult for the Jews in the Holy Scriptures. It is them that the saint makes the subject of his church-wide conversations. The author identifies 3 levels of interpretation of biblical texts: literal, moral and spiritual. He sometimes also calls the last two “inner meaning,” believing that one can penetrate into it only by first examining the literal narrative. The spiritual meaning of Holy Scripture is comprehended, according to the saint, only through the miracle of the transformation of our mind, performed only by the gracious power of the Lord. St. Gregory shows how the Old Testament images of Ezekiel's prophecies relate to the New Testament and the life of the Church. His thoughts touch on the themes of repentance, Divine justice, priestly service and mystical contemplation. In addition to exegetical material, the work contains a lot of historical information about the situation in Italy during the period of the Lombard invasion. *The title of the work in Latin is Homiliae in Ezechielem Prophetam. Contents Preface from the translator Preface from the translator After the Conversations on the Gospels of the Saints of Our Father Gregory the Dvoeslov, which I translated from Latin into Russian and published in 1860, with the help of God I translated more conversations on the Prophet Ezekiel of the same Saint. On the part of the translator, translation accuracy and clarity are required; and I, for my part, used all my efforts to achieve both goals. But whether I achieved them, I leave it to others to judge. However, I cannot help but draw the attention of the judges to the fact that they are impartial; and if they notice any inaccuracies, they must show how, in their opinion, it would be more correct to grant me the right, or agree with them, or state the accuracy of my translation in the same journal in which any inaccuracies will be noticed (if any are noticed). I would neither listen nor read unsubstantiated reviews - without evidence. As for clarity, it is relative, both in the Latin original and in the Russian translation; because the Saint explained the prophecy of Ezekiel, which, as is known, is darker than all prophecies. I warn readers so that they do not expect an explanation of the entire book of the Prophet Ezekiel. The saint explained only the first three chapters of the Prophet with four verses of the fourth chapter, and chapter forty, without the last two verses. The explanation of the first three chapters constitutes his first book, and the explanation of the fortieth chapter the second.