Aphrahat
Demonstrate Number Five
"On Wars
Again he said to him, "you were with the Cherub who is anointed and
overshadowing."(Ezek 28:14) For "Cherub" means the [Davidic] king who was anointed with
holy anointing-oil, and he "overshadows" all his people as Jeremiah
says in the book of Lamentations ) "The spirit of our nostrils
[is] the anointed one of the Lord."(4:20 This is the one of whom we
read "by his shade we live amid the peoples." For by the shade
of the king they dwelt as he stood at their head. When the crown of
their head fell, they were without shade. If someone says that this
text is about the Anointed One [to come], the let him accept something
I wrote as beyond dispute; let him be persuaded that this text is
about a [human] king. For Jeremiah says on behalf of the people "Woe to us that our crown has fallen."(Lam
5:16) Certainly the
Anointed One has not fallen. For he roase on the third day. The king
of the Jews fell and their kingship is no more.
Ezekiel goes on to say: "The Cherub who overshadows shall destroy
him."{Ezek 28:16) The Cherub who destroys is Nebuchadnezzar [the king of
Babylon] as it is written, He labored against Tyre and no wages
were given to him from Tyre for his work. In place of the work
against Tyre, the land of Egypt was given to him." Why were the
wages of Tyre not given to Nebuchadnezzar? Because their wealth went
into the sea and Nebuchadnezzar did not take it. At that moment the
Cherub who overshadows, who is Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed him. There
were two Cherubs. One was anointed and overshadowing, and one who was
overshadowing but not anointed. For Nebuchadnezzar was not anointed
but only David, Solomon, and the other kings in their dynastic line
were.