Exposition on the Seven Visions of the Apocalypse

4. The Door in Heaven and the Vision of the Throne

After these things I saw a door opened in heaven.

By the door is understood Christ, who says: I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved. It is said to be an open door; because to all who desire to come to him, however much they may be weighed down by many crimes, he does not disdain to open the door of his mercy, as he himself says in the Gospel: Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened; and I will refresh you. By heaven, moreover, the Church is signified. But if everyone who enters through the door into the sheepfold, that is, into the holy Church, shall be saved: the reprobate, of whom innumerable multitudes are contained within the holy Church, by what entrance did they enter? Let us ask the Lord about this; for he says: He who enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up another way, that man is a thief and a robber.

Whoever therefore refuses to keep what they promised in baptism, has not entered by the door into the sheepfold, but has climbed up another way.

And the first voice which I heard, as it were of a trumpet speaking with me, saying. We may take the first voice to be the Old Testament: but it seems better to me that by the first voice we understand John the Baptist, of whom it is written: And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest; for you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people, unto the remission of their sins. And John himself also calls himself a voice, saying: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as Isaiah the prophet said (from). And because his preaching spread abroad on every side, the voice of his preaching is said to be like a trumpet.

But let us hear what that voice says: Come up here, and I will show you the things which must come to pass hereafter

that is, forsake earthly things, and raise your mind to heavenly things. Otherwise: John the evangelist bears in this passage the character of those who through John the Baptist believed in Christ, and there were many at that time who thought John was the Christ: but John was urging his hearers to lift their minds upward, when he said that he was not the Christ, but another who was to come after him, saying: I am not the Christ: but there comes one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire; and again: He must increase, but I must decrease. But he also admonished his own disciples to climb upward, when he taught them clearly by manifest reasoning that he himself was to be forsaken, and Christ was to be followed.

Then follows: And I will show you the things which must come to pass hereafter; as if he said: If you lift up your heart

that is, if you follow Christ by faith, you will easily be able to know, even by his own teaching, the things which I teach and which are to come. And immediately I was in the spirit; that is, when I began to believe in Christ, from carnal I was made spiritual. And behold a throne was set in heaven, and one sitting upon it. By heaven, as we said above, the Church is signified: the throne, moreover, set in heaven signifies the hearts of the saints dwelling in the Church. But he who was seen sitting upon the throne is God, who dwells and sits in the hearts of his saints, as the Apostle says: For the temple of God is holy, which you are. And he who sat was like in appearance to a jasper stone, and a sardius.

Jasper is of a green color, but sardius is red: therefore by the greenness of the jasper is signified the divinity of our Savior; and by the redness of the sardius his humanity is signified. Our Savior, therefore, contains in himself both the greenness of the jasper; because according to his divinity he is in every way equal to the Father; and the redness of the sardius; because according to his humanity he exists as perfect man, as it is written: Perfect God, perfect man, subsisting of a rational soul and human flesh (Symbol under the name of Athanasius).

And there was a rainbow round about the throne, like a vision of emerald.

We read in Genesis that God said to Noah: I will set my bow in the clouds of heaven, and I will remember my everlasting covenant, which is between God and every living soul. By the bow, therefore, which appears as a sign of God's clemency to men dwelling upon the earth, the mercy of God is not unfittingly understood. The rainbow, that is, the bow, therefore surrounded the throne of God, that is, the Church; because His mercy, encompassing us, protects and governs us, and defends us from invisible enemies: for in Him, as the Apostle says, we live, and move, and have our being. This bow is said to have had the likeness of an emerald, which is of an exceedingly pleasing greenness: whereas the jasper, of which we spoke above, is of a green color, like the emerald.

But its greenness is dull, while the greenness of the emerald is clear and bright, whose beauty draws the eyes of beholders to wonder at it.

By the greenness of the jasper, therefore, as we have said, is understood the divinity of our Savior, which is obscure and covered as it were by certain clouds; because no mind can comprehend the divinity of our Redeemer as it truly is; and the more highly the mind raises itself to search it out, the greater darkness is set before it. But by the greenness of the emerald, which is clear, the mercy of the Lord is rightly signified; for the mercy of the Lord is so clear that no man possessing a sound mind can fail to know it. For who can be ignorant of the immense mercy of God, which He has shown, and daily shows, toward mankind, although it cannot be fully expressed in words?

And this also, that the greenness of this stone sharpens dull eyes to sight, if it is gazed upon, may fittingly apply to the mercy of God: for when we lie in sins, and our crimes weigh us down, we have the eyes of the mind dulled. But when we consider the mercy of God, how He has brought back to salvation through repentance harlots and robbers, and men weighed down by every kind of crime, and even His own persecutors, we are restored to the hope of pardon. And because we were already held fast in the pit of perdition, beholding the mercy of the Lord, and presuming upon it, we flee to Him whom we had offended, that by His mercy we may be delivered from everlasting death. Beholding this mercy of God, and unable to express it in words, the Psalmist called God Himself his mercy, saying: My God, my mercy.

And round about the throne were four and twenty seats; and upon the thrones four and twenty elders sitting, clothed round about in white garments, and on their heads were crowns of gold. The four and twenty elders in this book sometimes signify the Fathers of the Old Testament, sometimes those of the New, sometimes both together; but in this place they denote the Fathers of the Old Testament, who are said to have sat upon four and twenty seats; for when we sit, we rest from labor. By the four and twenty seats, therefore, are signified the books of the Old Testament. Upon the four and twenty thrones, then, the four and twenty elders were seen sitting; because the Fathers of the Old Testament rested, as it were, from the labors and cares of this age in the reading and meditation of the divine books. But we must inquire, since the throne signifies the Church, why these seats are said to be arranged around the throne.

Surely because whatever householder desires his house to be safe from robbers and enemies surrounds it with a wall, or a hedge, or a fence. Likewise the Church is fortified against heretics and against pagans, who wish to overthrow the faith of Christ within her, by the books of the Old Testament; because when she proves that the things she holds were foretold long before the coming of Christ, she drives far from herself the darts of enemies desiring to overturn the faith of Christ. These elders are said to have been clothed round about in white garments, and on their heads crowns of gold: by the white garments is signified purity of life, and by the golden crowns, good works. And out of the throne (that is, out of the Church) proceed lightnings, and voices, and thunders.

By the lightnings are signified the miracles which God works through His saints; by the voices, preaching; and by the thunders, the terror of the fire of Gehenna; because holy preachers, when they cannot recall by love of the heavenly homeland those whom they cannot draw away from vice, set before them the eternal torments prepared for the wicked; that those whom they cannot win by gentleness, they may at least restrain from vice by terrors. And seven lamps burning before the throne. What the seven lamps are, he himself explains, when he says: Which are the seven spirits of God. By the seven spirits of God we ought to understand the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, which the prophet Isaiah declares rested upon the Lord, saying: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and godliness: and he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord.

These seven lamps, therefore, that is, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, are said to burn before the throne, that is, before the sight of His Church; because, placed in the night of this age without the light of these virtues, we cannot walk the paths of life to the heavenly homeland. And that he says Christ received these seven gifts from the Holy Spirit pertains to the mystery of His humanity; for according to His divinity He could in no way be increased, without which nothing could exist.

But it may be asked why the prophet, when he was saying that these seven gifts would descend upon Christ, began from the greater and, descending, came to the lesser. But this will not seem to have been done without reason, if it is carefully examined. For because our Lord Jesus Christ deigned to descend to the earth and become man from that heavenly blessedness in which He was in all things equal to the Father, and willed to be made lower than the angels, whom He Himself had created; not unfittingly did He receive these seven gifts in descending; because He fulfilled the Father's will by descending and humbling Himself even unto death, as the Apostle says: He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. But we, who are lifted up to heavenly things from the very pit of perdition, begin from the lesser, that by growing we may arrive at the greater.

Now let us briefly say, as the Lord shall grant, how these seven gifts descended upon Christ. The spirit of wisdom rested upon the man Christ, when the Son of God, according to His divinity—who is called the Wisdom of the Father—descended into Him.

The spirit of understanding rested upon Him, when He was enriched with all virtues, as it is written in the Gospel: Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace before God and men.

After understanding follows counsel.

Counsel is so called from "consulting"; for if any danger threatens us, we seek counsel from a wise man as to how we may escape the danger. Likewise, when we desire to rise to some dignity of this world, we seek counsel as to how we may attain that which we desire. Christ, then, is our counselor, who gives counsel as to how we may escape eternal dangers; and the counsel He gives, He Himself accomplishes, when He delivers us from eternal dangers. Likewise He gives counsel as to how we may attain the inheritance of paradise, and He Himself leads us to those very joys. Thus the spirit of counsel descended in the man Christ, when He received from the Holy Spirit the teaching of the Gospel, in which consists the counsel of all men desiring to be saved.

The spirit also of fortitude rested upon Christ, when He appeared strong among men to overthrow the ancient enemy.

Of this His fortitude He Himself said in the Gospel: When a strong man armed keepeth his court, those things which he possesseth are in peace: but if a stronger than he come upon him, and overcome him, he will take away all his armor wherein he trusted, and will distribute his spoils.

After fortitude follows knowledge.

Among men there are many kinds of knowledge; for there are diverse kinds of knowledge of diverse arts. There is knowledge in letters, there is knowledge in worldly laws, there is knowledge in increasing temporal goods, there is also knowledge in guarding against dangers; there are also many who by subtlety of sense foresee certain future things. But these kinds of knowledge are possessed sometimes by the good, sometimes by the wicked: but the knowledge which descended upon Christ none but the good can possess. This knowledge was so great that no mind could comprehend it: For in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

It seems to me, therefore, that by the spirit of knowledge we ought to understand a certain deed of His; for our Savior, foreseeing that if He avoided the approach of sinful men, many wicked men would fall into the pit of despair, willed to conform Himself to sinners by fellowship of the body, eating and drinking with them, not refusing even the touch of harlots: who also, at the very beginning of his confession, promised paradise to the thief, that He might give to all sinners desiring to be saved the hope of pardon. But the Pharisees, not having the spirit of knowledge, reproached Him because He ate with publicans and sinners. But He, possessing the spirit of knowledge, said to them: They that are well have no need of a physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the just, but sinners to repentance.

Concerning the spirit of godliness it is not necessary for us to say anything.

For what is so godly as He who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; and, though He could have been delivered from death by His own power, allowed Himself, for the salvation of mankind, to be seized, and bound, and spat upon, and struck with blows, and scourged, and crucified?

The spirit of the fear of the Lord, which is placed last, pertains to the Passion; not that He was compelled by fear to die for the salvation of mankind: but we ought to understand "fear" as meaning obedience, of which He Himself says: I came not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me, the Father. For we also say that a son who is in all things obedient to his earthly father fears his father, though that obedience is not of fear but of love. Of this fear the Psalmist says: The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring for ever and ever; yet it is not fear, but the love of God, that will endure for ever and ever.

Now let it be briefly said how these seven gifts of the Holy Spirit apply to each of the faithful.

And because we, who through the guilt of the first transgression lay in the snare of perdition, are brought back to the things above by the mercy of God from the lower things, that is, we begin from the fear of God, that by advancing we may grow to the higher things, that is, to wisdom. And by the same steps by which Christ descended to us, humbling Himself, and accomplished our salvation by dying, by the same steps we too ought to ascend to Him; namely, by doing His commandments, which are contained in the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The spirit of the fear of the Lord, therefore, rests upon each sinner, when, considering his sins, and fearing the just judgment of God, and the punishments of eternal fire prepared for the wicked, he is turned to repentance and tears, and begins bitterly to weep for what he did with delight.

The spirit of godliness rests upon any sinner, when, hearing Scripture saying: As water quencheth fire, so almsgiving quencheth sin; and the Lord saying: Give alms, and behold all things are clean unto you, he begins to feed the needy, clothe the naked, and to practice the other works of godliness; that by showing mercy to others he may render propitious to himself the God whom he had offended by sinning. Whence also the prophet Daniel took care to admonish a most impious king to redeem his sins by alms and by mercies to the poor.

From godliness one ascends to the spirit of knowledge; for although someone may seem to possess knowledge, he is foolish if he lives wickedly.

For what is more foolish than to cast the fear of God from the mind, to be a slave to vices, and to hasten with headlong course to destruction? If, then, it is foolishness to be a slave to vices, and the best knowledge is to forsake vices, and to be converted to God with the whole mind; whoever, through the spirit of fear, begins to bewail his sins, and through the spirit of godliness strives to be merciful toward the needy, that by showing mercy to others he may make God merciful to himself, it is necessary that he possess, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of knowledge.

For whoever desires to be converted to God must needs forsake vices: and whoever desires to forsake vices must needs learn, through the teaching of the divine Scriptures or through the preaching of holy men, what are the kinds of vices, how they ensnare men, and by what means they may be extinguished; and also what are the deceptions of demons, and how one must fight against them: this, then, is to possess the spirit of knowledge.

And because Solomon says that he who adds knowledge, adds also labor; from knowledge one ascends to the spirit of fortitude. For just as any fighter does not fight against him whom he holds in chains, but rather against him who wishes to resist him: so also the devil does not do battle against him whom he holds bound in the chains of sins; but rather against him who ceases to sin, and returns to God with his whole mind. Whoever therefore deserves through penitence and works of piety to be freed from the chains of the devil, and desires to wage war against him through the spirit of knowledge, must needs receive from the Holy Spirit the gift of fortitude; equipped with which, he may be able both to extinguish utterly the inner enemies, that is, the vices, and to overcome the outer ones, namely men, through patience, and to repel from himself all the darts of demons with the shield of faith.

From fortitude one ascends to counsel: but the counsel of our salvation consists in the precepts of the Gospel.

Whoever, therefore, has been able through the spirit of fortitude to extinguish vices in himself, must needs pass on to searching out the commandments of the Gospel and storing them up in his heart; where he will find counsel as to how he may be able to ascend to the summit of perfection.

And because the commandments of the Gospel cannot be kept without the virtues, one ascends from the spirit of counsel to understanding, in which the whole perfection of the virtues consists. Now the faithful receive the gift of understanding from the Holy Spirit when they deserve to be enriched with all the virtues; for he possesses true understanding who is illumined by faith, cleansed by chastity, adorned by patience, fortified by humility, resplendent with charity, and made complete by the other virtues.

And because one ascends to the summit of perfection through the exercise of the virtues, wisdom is set before understanding, in which the whole of perfection consists. Of this perfection the Lord says in the Gospel: If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.

For there are many who try to ascend suddenly to the summit of perfection: but because they do not ascend by the steps of the virtues, they easily fall. For what does it profit to leave one's substance behind, if one does not cast out from one's mind anger, hatred, drunkenness, envy, pride, vainglory, and the other vices which kill the soul? For it profits nothing to climb a tree to escape a lion, if one carries a serpent in one's bosom, by whose venom one may perish. Nor does the Lord say that he is perfect who has merely given up his substance; but he who has both given up his substance and followed him. Now we follow him when we imitate him.

To this summit of perfection, then, he ascends by the fitting step who, having first renounced vices, ascends through the active life, which is perfected by the virtues, to the contemplative life, in which he is joined to Christ alone, who is the wisdom of the Father and the Son of God, and is made a citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem.

Now let us briefly show how the ascent of the faithful corresponds, through the seven steps of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to the descent of Christ. The last step of Christ's descent is the fear of God, by which we said his passion and death were signified, and this is the first step of the ascent of those converting to God. Now the death of the Lord corresponds fittingly to those who through the spirit of the fear of the Lord weep over their sins; because in the death of the Lord consists the remission of all sins: nor could there be perfect remission of sins if he had not died for us.

The sixth step of Christ's descent is piety, and the second of the ascent of the penitent.

Now the piety of the faithful corresponds with the piety of the Lord; because he showed his mercy to those who were wretched in soul, freeing them by his death from eternal death, and these show mercy to those who are wretched in body, bestowing on them the necessities of the body, to whom he himself will say in the judgment: What you did to one of the least of mine, you did to me.

The fifth step of Christ's descent is knowledge, and the third of the ascent of the faithful.

Now the spirit of knowledge given to the faithful corresponds with the spirit of knowledge granted to Christ as man; because he, in order to save sinners, did not disdain to conform himself to them: and these, in order to escape their sins, flee for refuge through the spirit of knowledge to him who has power to forgive sins.

The fourth step of Christ's descent is fortitude, and likewise the fourth step of the ascent of the faithful.

Now the fortitude of the faithful corresponds to the fortitude of Christ; because it is by that same fortitude that these overcome the devil, by which Christ also conquered—namely by Christ's fortitude, not their own; as he himself says: Without me you can do nothing. The third step of Christ's descent is the spirit of counsel, and the fifth of the ascent of the faithful. Now the counsel of the faithful is joined to the counsel of Christ, when they betake themselves to keeping the precepts of the Gospel, in which the perfect counsel of all the saints consists. The second step of Christ's descent is understanding, and the sixth of the ascent of the faithful. Now the understanding of the faithful corresponds to the understanding of Christ, when his saints deserve to receive from him the same virtues which he himself received from his Spirit.

The first step of Christ's descent is wisdom, and the seventh of the ascent of the faithful

because Christ is the wisdom of the Father, and from him all wisdom arises. The saints, therefore, who are joined to the Lord through the exercise of the virtues, receive from him wisdom, in which consists the sum of all goodness. To them he himself speaks through Solomon, saying: If anyone loves wisdom, let him turn to me, and he shall find her: and having found her, he is blessed if he holds her fast. There follows: And in the sight of the throne, as it were a sea of glass, like unto crystal. We read that in the temple of Solomon there was a bronze sea, in which the priests washed before they approached the altar to offer sacrifices (2 Chron. 4:6): but the brightness of bronze is quickly clouded over by a certain blackness. By the bronze sea, therefore, the law of Moses is signified, which darkens with the blackness of the letter the brightness of spiritual understanding.

And just as bronze, if it is worn with a file, has its brightness laid open; so too spiritual understanding, which is darkened by the surface of the letter in the Law, is made manifest through the grace of God if it is diligently examined by faithful men. In this sea, then, the priests washed; because through sacrifices and through certain legal observances, certain sins of the old people were blotted out. By the glassy sea, then, and crystal, not unfittingly is understood the New Testament. In this sea, moreover, we find three things: sea, glass, and crystal: by the sea, then, history is designated, by the glass moral understanding, and by the crystal spiritual understanding. By glass, then, from which mirrors are made, not incongruously is moral understanding received; because just as a man can detect in a mirror whatever ugliness he bears in his face, so moral understanding lays open whatever is vicious in the souls of men.

By crystal, moreover, which is brighter than all gems, and which is wont often to emit flames of brightness, and even fire, from itself, spiritual understanding is expressed, which sheds light on whatever is obscure in the divine Scriptures, illumines the minds of spiritual persons with the flames of its senses, and even kindles some to the love of God and the love of the heavenly homeland. And in the midst of the throne and round about the throne, four living creatures full of eyes before and behind. This cannot stand according to history; for so small a number could not occupy both the circuit and the middle of the throne: but it must be understood spiritually. The four living creatures, then, signify not only the four evangelists, but also all the doctors of the Church who follow their teaching. Now the four living creatures stand round about the throne; because the doctors of the Church defend the people entrusted to them, with as much power as they can, from both visible and invisible enemies.

They stand in the midst of the throne

because they do not cease to admonish each one so that they may progress in virtues and in all good works. These four living creatures, then, are seen to have had eyes before and behind, because the holy preachers look upon both future things and past things. They have eyes before, because while they behold the day of judgment, the damnation of the wicked, and the glory of the just, they show their hearers what they ought to avoid and what to seek after. They have eyes behind, because while they consider the life of the fathers who went before, they themselves also progress in imitating them, and set before their hearers the life and teaching of those fathers, that they too may progress in imitation of them. And the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature had a face as it were of a man, and the fourth living creature was like an eagle flying.

Not all authors have expounded the figures of the four living creatures in the same way; but it has been handed down to us from the ancients that by the lion we should understand Mark, by the calf Luke, by the man Matthew, by the flying eagle John; because Mark begins from the desert, Luke from the priesthood of the Jews, Matthew from man, that is, from the generation of Christ, and John from the divinity of Christ.

Some, however, following another order, think that by the lion Matthew was designated, by the calf Mark, by the man Luke, and by the eagle John. For by the lion, which is king of the beasts, they say Matthew was designated for this reason, that he narrated that Christ according to his human nature descended from royal stock: he also says that at the time of his birth a star appeared, which showed him to be King of heaven and earth, of angels and of men: he also led the Magi, as it were to a King of the world, from the East to worship him: but he also says that the king of the earth, that is, Herod, was troubled at the time of his birth, together with all his ministers; because just as any king of small power, if he learns that another king of great power is coming against him to invade his kingdom, trembles and is troubled: so also, when Christ came in the flesh, who was to be King of the world, Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; for the gifts also which he narrates that the Magi offered to Christ show him to be King, God, and Lord of all creatures.

Mark, they say, was signified by the calf on account of the simplicity of his speech: Luke by the man

because he pursued the generation of Christ according to his humanity more fully than the others; for from him we learn how he was announced by the angel, how he was born, how he was laid in the manger, how he was circumcised, how he was presented in the temple, how he grew by degrees to mature age. That John was designated by the eagle, there is no one who denies. And the four living creatures, each of them had six wings apiece; and round about and within they are full of eyes. By the number six, which is perfect, the perfection of the saints is designated, to which no one is able to rise except through the teaching of the Gospel: for the Law brought nothing to perfection. Now if you join together the six wings of the four living creatures, you will find twenty-four.

It seems to me, then, that this has the same signification as the twenty-four seats, which we said signified the twenty-four books of the Old Testament. Now seats, since they always cling to the earth, bend somewhat toward the earth those who rest upon them: but wings, to which they are joined, lift them up to the heights. The books of the Old Testament, then, were seats to the ancient fathers; because, understanding them according to the letter, they were by no means able to raise themselves up perfectly to their spiritual understanding: but these seats have been turned into wings for the fathers of the New Testament; because, understanding the books of the Old Testament spiritually, they are daily lifted up to heavenly things through their teaching.

But because this number

that is, twenty-four, is often found in this book, it has seemed good that we say a few things about the mysteries of this number. For the parts of this number are: one, two, three, four, six, eight, twelve.

The one, which is placed first, signifies the one God: the two that follow indicate the two Testaments: the three pertain to the Trinity: after the three, not unfittingly four follow

because through the teaching of the four Gospels the faith of the holy Trinity has been made manifest to us: after the four, six follow, which is the perfect number; because without the teaching of the Gospel no one could ascend to the summit of perfection; for the Law, as the Apostle says, brought no one to perfection: after the six, eight follow, because there are eight virtues which do battle against the vices, without whose exercise no one is able to ascend to the height of perfection: after the eight, twelve follow; because through the teaching of the apostles we come to faith, which is the mother of all the virtues.

The four living creatures, then, are said to be full of eyes round about and within.

By "round about" we ought to understand the whole body; for Ezekiel, when speaking of these living creatures, says that their whole body was full of eyes. The saints therefore have eyes behind, when, hearing the threat of the Lord who says: No one putting his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God, they labor with all their strength lest they slip back into the evils which they remember having once done: although they do not cease to set these before the eyes of the mind for the keeping of their humility. They have eyes before them, when, hearing the voice of the Lord saying: Blessed is that servant, whom, when the Lord comes, he shall find watching, they do not cease to do whatever good they can, that at the hour of their death, when the Lord comes, they may be found ready.

They have eyes on the left, when they repel all the temptations of demons from their minds with the shield of faith: they have eyes on the right, when they carefully take heed lest they be puffed up on account of good works. Or they have eyes both on the right and on the left, when neither prosperity can lift them up nor adversity cast them down. They have eyes below, when by extinguishing they trample down carnal desires: they have eyes above, when with the whole desire of the mind they long for the heavenly homeland: they have eyes within, while they guard their hearts from base thoughts.

And they had no rest day and night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.

Because the rest of the reprobate is the present life; tribulation follows them, which has no end: but the just are troubled in this world, that they may possess eternal rest, as Paul the apostle says: Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. Otherwise: the saints have no rest, because they do not cease from the praises of God and from prayers, as the Lord says: We ought always to pray, and not to faint; and Paul the apostle speaks, saying: Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks. But we must inquire how we can pray without ceasing.

For there are many who, though assiduous in prayers, in psalmody, in the celebration of masses, and who bestow many alms, are nevertheless puffed up with pride, burn with the heats of avarice, and gather money by whatever art they can; to such a degree that they even pursue the poor themselves, of whom they ought to have pity, with certain schemes, so as to increase their own wealth from their small substance, saying that they do this lawfully, though this is not the law of God, but a trick of the devil. But even in monasteries many are found who are devoted to vigils, to psalms, to prayers, and to the celebration of masses, and yet are very often and easily inflamed with wrath: some indeed are given over to drunkenness and gluttony: some also carry hatred in their heart for a long time: some in the good works which they seem to do, seek the favors and praises of men: some are weighed down by envy, some by detractions, or other vices. And what more?

All the sanctity which they claim in words they disfigure and dishonor by unworthy conduct.

To demonstrate the blindness of such people, I will set forth a certain likeness.

A certain man was held fixed in mud up to his neck; and when he saw someone passing by, stretching out his hand, he cried out, saying: Have mercy on me, and draw me out of this mud. And when the other stretched out his hand to draw him out, this man plunged into the mud the hand which he had stretched out. And when the one who had come to draw him out wished to withdraw, this man again begged to be pulled out. And when the other stretched out his hand a second time to pull him out, this man, as before, plunged his hand under the mud. And when he did this repeatedly, the other, angered, said: Why do you ask to be pulled out, when you wish to persist in your peril? And since you love your own destruction, keep what you have chosen.

Likewise these men beseech God assiduously to be drawn out of their vices; and yet they embrace those very vices so that they can in no way be torn from them. Let us therefore set before our eyes two men: one learned, assiduously praying, singing psalms, celebrating masses: and yet subject to certain vices: the other indeed unlearned, unlettered, but faithful, fearing and loving God, loving his neighbor, patient, humble: which of these seems to you to have kept the sentence of the Apostle, in which he says: Pray without ceasing; the one who prays assiduously, and is subject to certain vices; or the one who does not know how to pray, and yet is clean from vices, and devoted to good works? It is clear to all that the innocence and good works of the latter are heard by God rather than the words of the former, whose life is defiled by certain vices. He therefore prays without ceasing who at fitting times beseeches God with mind and tongue, and is assiduous in good works.

When he sleeps, or is occupied with any of the works necessary to human life, his works shine forth in the sight of God, and they themselves are his intercessors before God, as the angel says to Cornelius: Your prayers and your alms have been remembered in the sight of God.

But let us hear what the four living creatures say without ceasing: Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come. By calling God holy three times, they show forth the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. But in that they say: The Lord God Almighty, passing from plurality to singularity, they show that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are of one dominion, one deity, one omnipotence. But we must ask, if the four living creatures signify not only the four evangelists, but also all the doctors of the Church, why they are said to invoke the Holy Trinity unceasingly, since the saints of God are sometimes occupied in prayers, sometimes in reading, sometimes in preaching, or in various necessities.

The holy preachers, therefore, while they hold the faith of the Holy Trinity in mind and profess it with the mouth, while they fulfill the works of faith, while they preach that same faith and the works of faith to whomever they can, while also in prayers and in thanksgivings they entreat and praise him who is the Trinity and one God, while, according to the Apostle, whether they eat or drink, they do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, they invoke the Holy Trinity unceasingly. But as to what follows: Who was, and who is, and who is to come; this has already been said above.

when those living creatures gave glory and honor and blessing to him who sat upon the throne, who lives forever and ever; the twenty-four elders fell down before him who sat on the throne, and worshiped him who lives forever and ever.

In this place, by the four living creatures the four books of the Gospels are signified: by the twenty-four elders, the Fathers of the New Testament can be understood. The four living creatures, then, give glory and honor and blessing to him who sits upon the throne, who lives forever and ever; because the doctrine of the Gospel is read and preached throughout the whole world; through which glory and honor and blessing are given to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. At the voice, then, of the four living creatures, the twenty-four elders fell down before him who sat on the throne, and worshiped him who lives forever and ever; because the saints of God established throughout the whole world, hearing the doctrine of the Gospel, humble themselves in the sight of God, that they may live with him forever and ever. And they cast their crowns before the throne, saying.

We have said above that by crowns good works were signified: the saints therefore cast their crowns before the throne, while whatever good they do, they attribute to God, not to themselves, according to the precept of the Apostle: He who glories, let him glory in the Lord. But let us hear what they say: Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. Above it said that the four living creatures gave glory and honor and blessing to God: but here the twenty-four elders say that God has received glory and honor and power, exchanging power for blessing. But what can anyone give to God, or what can God receive from anyone, since he himself created all things; and without him nothing can exist, and he says in the Gospel: Without me you can do nothing? For if the saints can do nothing without God, what can they give to him?

Therefore, since the nature of men is such that they can have nothing good of themselves, unless they receive it from him who is the fount of good, God gives to his saints that with which they may repay him. For God has promised the kingdom of heaven to his saints, yet only if they give for it the price of good works: and because the elect do not have this price except as they receive it from him, he himself gives the price, with which they may buy from him eternal life. The saints, then, give glory to God when whatever good they do, they do with that intent, that God may be glorified through them, as he himself says in the Gospel: Let them see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. For John also says that Peter glorified God by his death. They give honor, when in all that they do, they seek the honor of God, not their own.

Above, blessing is placed in the third position, but here power: and because the saints, while they do great things, are blessed by men, power fits well with blessing. But how much the saints detest the praises of men for the great works which they do, the book of the Acts of the Apostles shows us. For Peter and John, when they had healed the lame man, and the eyes of all were fixed upon them, as if they had done this by their own power, Peter, avoiding the praises of their eyes, said to them: Men, brethren, why do you look upon us, as if by our own power or piety we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has raised up his Son Jesus. And in what follows: In whose name this man stands before you whole.

Likewise Paul and Barnabas, when they had healed a sick man at Lystra, and the people wished to sacrifice to them, tore their garments, saying: Men, why do you do these things? We also are men, like unto you. We can also understand this of Christ, who, according to his humanity, is manifestly shown to have received both glory, and honor, and power.

There follows: For thou hast created all things, and for thy will they were, and were created.

If this is to be understood in the same sense as that: Who made the things that are to be; then all creatures were in the power and will of God before they were created: but they were created at the time which God appointed. May he himself, then, who created all things out of nothing, deign to create in us a clean heart, who lives and reigns forever and ever, amen.

Not unfittingly, after the form of the Church has been described, the opening of the book is set forth, by which the opening of the divine Scriptures is signified

because after the Church was founded among the nations by the holy apostles and other preachers, the books of the Old and New Testament were expounded by the holy doctors according to the apostolic faith.

5. The Sealed Book and the Lamb Found Worthy

And I saw in the right hand of him who sat upon the throne a book written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Concerning the right hand and the seals which the Lord gave, we shall speak in what follows: but the book written within and on the back signifies not only the Old Testament, but also the New, which is written within according to allegory, on the back according to history. This book, then, contains in itself the Old and New Testament; because the spiritual understanding in the Old Testament is nothing other than the New Testament. And I saw a strong angel, proclaiming with a loud voice. The strong angel signifies the Fathers of the Old Testament, who preached with a loud voice; because they foretold that Christ was to come for the redemption of the human race. Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

The question of the angel signifies the desire of the saints; for the saints desired to see Christ in the flesh, and to hear his words; since they knew that all the mysteries of the Old Testament were to be revealed by him, as he himself said to his disciples: Amen I say to you, that many prophets and kings desired to see the things which you see, and have not seen them; and to hear the things which you hear, and have not heard them. And no one was found worthy, neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth, to open the book, nor to loose the seals thereof. For no angel dwelling in heaven, no righteous man abiding on earth, nor even any of those who had paid the debt of death, ever appeared in the world, who could redeem the human race from the power of the devil, which redemption is the opening of the Old Testament.

I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, nor to see it.

John in this place bears the persona of those of whom we have just spoken, that is, of the Fathers of the Old Testament; for the saints wept much, because there was no one to make manifest to them the mysteries of the Scriptures hidden from them, and there was no one to snatch the lost human race from the power of the devil. But we must inquire why he says that this book could be seen by no one, when above he said that he saw it in the right hand of him who sat upon the throne. For the ancient Fathers, whose type John holds in this place, saw the book of the Old Testament, and did not see it: they saw it according to the letter, and did not see it according to spiritual understanding.

one of the elders said to me: Weep not.

The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. It seems to me that the elder has the same signification as John, and likewise as the strong angel; for he signifies the Fathers of the Old Testament. For the strong angel asks who might be worthy to open the book: John weeps, because no one was worthy to open the book: but the elder says that through the Lion, that is, through Christ, the book was to be opened. By the strong angel, therefore, are designated those who, desiring the coming of Christ, asked at what time he would come: John signifies those who wept, because it was so long delayed: but the elder designates the prophets, who said in what manner and at what time he would come. By the Lion of the tribe of Judah, therefore, Christ is understood, who arose from the tribe of Judah and the lineage of David.

He is called a lion on account of his strength; because he conquered the devil, and snatched his elect from his power. Therefore the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, conquered the devil; that he might open the book and its seven seals; because the book could not be opened unless the devil were first conquered, which victory was the opening of the Old Testament ti. How he opened the seven seals, we shall say in what follows.

I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a lamb standing as if slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. By the throne and the four living creatures and the elders is designated the one Church with all its orders: but the Lamb was seen not slain, but as though slain; because he tasted death in passing through, and rising again a little later, dies now no more, death shall no longer have dominion over him: and he was seen to have seven horns and seven eyes. What the seven eyes are, he himself explains when he adds: Which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. By horns, however, kingdoms are often designated.

It seems to me, therefore, that the horns have one signification, and the eyes another; for by the seven horns are designated all the elect, who are called the kingdom of God, whose whole multitude we have above divided into seven parts. To the first horn, then, belong the elect who were before the flood: to the second, those who were after the flood up to the Law: to the third, those who were under the Law: to the fourth, the prophets: to the fifth, those of the Jews who believed in Christ: to the sixth, the gentile people: to the seventh, those who are to be born at the end of the world, and who fight against Antichrist.

he came, and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. Above we said that by him who sat upon the throne Christ was designated: but because he himself said, I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and he who sees me, sees also the Father; in this place he who sits upon the throne designates the Father: but the right hand of the Father is the Son: the Lamb, however, designates the man whom Christ assumed. The Lamb, therefore, received the book from the right hand of him who sat upon the throne; because the man Christ received from his own divinity the power to unlock the sacraments of the divine Scriptures.

when he had opened the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints. We must inquire how the book could be opened before the unsealing of the seals. But this is to be understood spiritually. For the prophets foretold the coming of Christ, his passion and his resurrection, sometimes through certain figures, sometimes in open words: and the patriarchs also prefigured all these things in their deeds. But Christ, when he was born of the Virgin, when he suffered, and rose again, and ascended into heaven, opened the book of the Old Testament; because what was signified there he fulfilled in deed: and afterward those things which were obscure in the Old Testament he opened, in the New, to the teachers of the Church through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This opening is the unsealing of the seals.

What follows, that the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, pertains to these same teachers of the Church; for as often as they recall to memory the nativity, passion, and resurrection of the Lord, and recollect in whatever ways these things were prefigured by the holy fathers and foretold by the prophets: as often as they do not cease to investigate those things which are set obscurely in the Gospel, so often is the sealed book opened to them. They fall down before the Lamb, when, considering through meditation on the divine Scriptures the immense clemency of God, they humble themselves in the sight of their creator: and the more they cast themselves down through humility, the more they burn into love of him; because the humility which is done in the sight of God nourishes the love of God.

By the harps, which the living creatures and elders are said to have, the mortification of the flesh is designated, as the Apostle says: Mortify your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, and the rest. The golden vials, however, are the hearts of the saints, filled with spiritual wisdom, which are said to have been full of odours. What the odours are, he himself explains, when he adds: Which are the prayers of the saints. And that these odours may ascend to God, the psalmist prays, when he says: Let my prayer be directed as incense in your sight.

they sang a new canticle, saying.

The new people sing a new canticle: the new canticle is the canticle of the Gospel. You are worthy, O Lord God, to receive the book, and to open the seals thereof. This which he says pertains to his humanity; for according to his divinity he could receive nothing, since he always possessed all things. But why he was worthy to receive the book and to loose its seals, he makes manifest by adding: For you were slain, and have redeemed us to God in your blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. Here he shows that the Church was gathered from all nations; for there were certain heretics who denied this.

have made us to our God a kingdom and priests, and they shall reign upon the earth.

If the saints of God are the kingdom of God, how are they said to reign upon the earth, that is, upon the holy Church?

The saints of God, therefore, are the kingdom of God

because God reigns in them: and they are kings; because they know how to rule themselves and others excellently: who are also called priests; because, being daily kindled by the fire of charity, they are accustomed to offer themselves to God through compunction of heart and tears, as the Psalmist says: A sacrifice to God is a troubled spirit. Or they are called priests of God, because they are members of the high Priest, of whom the Psalmist says: You are a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech.

I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the elders, and the four living creatures: and the number of them was thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb, that was slain, to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing they conspire together in unison.

By the throne, and the four living creatures, and the elders, the whole Church together with her teachers is designated: the angels, however, who were seen to encircle the throne, that is, the Church, are the angels who are appointed by God for the guardianship of the Church, as Paul the apostle says, speaking thus: Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation? By their very great number is designated the innumerable multitude who are said to bless the Lamb with a loud voice; because whatever offices the angels are appointed to fulfill, they never cease from the praises of God: and just as this book consists wholly in the number seven, the prophet indeed says that the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit rested upon Christ; so also seven blessings are set down in this place, by which the angels are said to praise God unceasingly.

every creature, which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard all saying, to him that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb. By the creature which was in heaven, the angels: by that which was on the earth, men: by that which was under the earth, those who had already paid the debt of death, are designated. But when he says: And such as are in the sea, we ought to understand the waters of the sea: and by the sea, the place in which the waters are contained. But when he adds: And all that are in them; we may understand the fish that dwell in the waters. But if by every creature which is on the earth we may understand all men; how do all men praise God, since pagans and Jews are rather to be called blasphemers of God than praisers?

We also find certain wicked persons who are called Christians, who, although they seem to praise God, do not praise God

because, as Scripture says: Praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner. And if by every creature that is on the earth we ought to understand all the souls whose bodies rest in the earth; how are those who are tormented in hell to be believed to praise God? But by every creature which is on the earth, and which is under the earth, we ought to understand only the elect: who both on earth do not cease to praise God in works and words, and, set with the Lord in the heavens, never cease from his praises. By the sea, however, we may understand the Church; by the waters of the sea, the multitude of the faithful; by the fish that dwell in the waters, the teachers of the Church.

There follows the blessing, by which the faithful are said to bless God unceasingly: Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be to our God for ever and ever; for the elect bless God unceasingly, when they join deeds to words.

the four living creatures said: Amen.

Amen is the confirmation of a saying: the four living creatures, therefore, say Amen, when the holy preachers unceasingly desire that their hearers may progress more and more in good works. And the twenty-four elders fell down and adored. The twenty-four elders in this place have the same signification as the four living creatures: the elders, therefore, fall down and adore, when the holy preachers, the more they see their hearers to have advanced in good works, humble themselves the more in the sight of God, as Scripture says: The greater you are, humble yourself in all things, and you shall find grace before God. There follows the opening of the seals, which is to be believed to pertain to nothing else than the opening of the divine Scriptures.

For the things which are said to have been done under the opening of the seals pertain to the opening of the Old and New Testament: and just as the whole body of the elect consists of seven parts, so also there are seven seals, corresponding each to its own part, for showing what things are set obscurely in the divine Scriptures, or what the deeds of the holy fathers signify. The opening, therefore, of the first seal pertains to what was done before the flood: the second seal to the patriarchs: the third to those who were under the Law: the fourth to the prophets: the remaining three openings pertain to the New Testament. The fifth opening pertains to the martyrs: the sixth to the casting down of the Jews and the calling of the gentiles: the seventh pertains to the coming of Christ: and why the coming of the Lord is placed in the seventh position, we shall say in what follows.

But we must inquire why, through the vision of the four horsemen, the opening of the Old Testament is figured; for a horseman, on the part of the horse, is known to be irrational: but on the part of the rider, rational. Similarly certain legal precepts, on the part of the letter, are shown to be irrational: but on the part of the allegory, exceedingly rational.

6. The First Seal and the Age Before the Flood

— And I saw when the Lamb had opened one of the seven seals.

The opening of the first seal, as has been said above, pertains to those things which were done before the flood. The Lamb therefore opened the first seal when, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, he made clear to the doctors of the Church how those things which were done before the flood should be spiritually understood. And that we may more fully make manifest what the opening of the seals is, let us say a few things concerning the opening of each seal. It is written in Genesis that God had planted a paradise of delight, in which he placed the man whom he had formed: which is described as planted with diverse trees. By the paradise, then, the Church is signified: by the trees of paradise, however, the doctors of the Church are designated.

And just as the trees of paradise furnished food of fruits to the first men, so also the doctors of the Church cease not to furnish the food of divine words to the souls of the faithful established in the Church. Concerning the tree of life, however, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we have spoken above. But the fountain which went forth from the midst of paradise signified the Gospel, which arises in the midst of holy Church, and which from thence was divided into four heads; because the doctrine of the Gospel is divided into four books, and goes round all the boundaries of the earth.

For Adam also prefigured Christ, and Eve the Church: and just as Eve was made from the side of the sleeping man, so also the Church was fashioned from the side of Christ hanging on the cross; because she was redeemed by his blood and cleansed from filth. Two sons were born to Adam, Cain and Abel: Cain signified the people of the Jews; Abel, however, signified Christ. Cain offered gifts to the Lord from the fruits of the earth; because the people of the Jews, who were earthly, offered earthly gifts, that is, first-fruits, tithes, sacrifices, and the rest which were commanded in the Law: Abel, however, offered from the firstlings of his flock, and from their fat. The firstlings of the flock are the apostles, whom the Church first brought forth, and from whom the Church was born: the fat, however, is the faith of the apostles.

Abel therefore offered from the firstlings of his flock, and from their fat

because Christ offered to God the Father the apostles whom he had chosen from the world, and their faith. Cain, led by envy, because the Lord had had regard to Abel and to his gifts, slew him: likewise also the Jews, seeing the signs which Christ wrought by his own power and that of the Father, slew him who was their brother according to the flesh. God cursed Cain, because he had slain Abel his brother: and said to him that he would be a wanderer and a fugitive upon the earth. Likewise also the Jews were cursed not only by God but by themselves, when they said concerning Christ: His blood be upon us, and upon our children. And they are wanderers and fugitives upon the earth; because, having no fixed seat of their own, they wander through all nations. Let it suffice, then, to have said thus much concerning the opening of the first seal.

I heard one of the four living creatures saying: Come, and see.

The first living creature has the same signification as the second, the third, and the fourth; for they signify the doctors of the Church. But in saying, "Come and see," he calls us to spiritual understanding, as if he said: Come, not with steps of the body, but with steps of the mind; and understand spiritually those things which in the first age you have read as done historically. And behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went forth conquering, that he might conquer. The white horse designates the just who were before the flood, who are called white on account of their innocence. The rider of the horse, however, is the Lord, who presides eternally over his saints.

By the bow, moreover, which sends its arrows and wounds from afar, the vengeance of the Lord may be designated; by which he both condemned the first men for the fault of disobedience, and punished Cain sevenfold for the guilt of fratricide. By the crown likewise, just as by the white horse, the just who were before the flood are designated. He went forth conquering, that he might conquer, when he decreed that the whole multitude of the reprobate should be blotted out by the waters of the flood.

when he had opened the second seal.

The opening of the second seal pertains to the building of the ark, and to the just who were before the Law. To show, then, the opening of the second seal, let us speak a few things concerning these matters.

It is written in Genesis that God said to Noah: Make thee an ark of smoothed wood: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without with bitumen, and thus shalt thou make it. The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. The ark figured the Church: Noah, the builder of the ark, figured Christ the builder of the Church. This ark is described as having been made of smoothed wood: by the smoothed wood, which both kept off the waters and preserved life to all the animals placed within it, the doctors of the Church are designated, who by their teaching and their writings keep off the waters of diverse errors from entrance into the Church, and by their teaching and examples preserve the life of those who are within the Church: which are said to be smoothed, that is, cleansed from all roughness of vices.

By the little rooms, moreover, which were commanded to be made in the ark, the diverse orders in the Church are designated; for one, in the married state, another in continence, another in the monastic life, another in the priestly order, while they strive to serve God, dwell as it were in diverse little chambers. By the bitumen, however, with which it is said to have been smeared, the divine Scripture is designated. The boards, then, of which the ark was made, which we have said signified the doctors of the Church, were smeared with bitumen within and without; because the doctors of the Church are smeared within by the wisdom and teaching of the divine Scriptures, and without by works of virtue.

The length of the ark, moreover, is described as having been three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

By the length of the ark, then, faith is figured; by the breadth, charity; by the height, hope. The length of the ark, then, extends to three hundred cubits; because our faith consists in the confession of the holy Trinity: and the hundred is a perfect number. In three hundred cubits, then, our faith is prefigured; because the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit have equal perfection, as it is written: Such as the Father is, such is the Son, such is the Holy Spirit (Athanasian Creed). Its breadth, likewise, is spread out to fifty cubits; because faith works through love. But not unfittingly is charity figured by fifty cubits of breadth; for seven times seven makes forty-nine: to which number, if you add one, you find fifty. The love of neighbor, then, is not unfittingly comprehended in the number seven; because it cannot be perfected without the seven virtues.

But in seven times seven, each of the faithful extends his love of neighbor, while in whatever ways necessities or adversities may befall his neighbors, in those same ways he himself stands ready to come to their aid: for example, while he ministers what is necessary to the hungry, the naked, the stranger, the needy, the one lying in prison: while he consoles the sorrowful, while he tempers the angry man with a word, while he pacifies one who bears hatred in his heart, and brings those at variance back to peace: while he provokes to repentance one who lies in sins: while he strives to draw to eternal life whomsoever he can: and, to speak briefly, in whatever ways he wishes to be helped wholesomely by another, in those same ways he himself is ready to help whomsoever he can. But if to seven times seven you add one, it makes fifty: likewise also to the love of neighbor, if you add the love of the one God, the whole charity is made entire and perfect in you.

The height of the ark, however, was raised to thirty cubits

because he possesses a useful hope who, from the faith of the holy Trinity as it has been handed down to us by the apostles, and by other teachings, departs neither in work nor in belief. For he who claims for himself a hope of possessing eternal life without right faith, without doubt deceives himself; because without faith it is impossible to please God. The height of the ark, then, arose from the great length and breadth, and was completed above in a single cubit; because charity, which is born of faith, extends itself in great breadth over care for one's neighbors. But it is completed above in a cubit; because all the hope and desire of the faithful tends toward the vision of the one God.

That Noah, at the command of the Lord, brought into the ark, of all living creatures clean and unclean, males and females, signifies that the evil and the good would be brought into the Church. But of the clean, seven and seven, and of the unclean, two and two, male and female, entered into the ark; for by the clean animals the elect are designated, by the unclean the reprobate. The clean animals, then, are set in the number seven; because those alone are elect who, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, are not estranged from the operation of the gifts of that same Holy Spirit: the reprobate, however, are set in the number two; because they consist in the Church only in body and soul, but in mind are outside the Church.

It is written also in what follows: That Noah, opening the window of the ark which he had made, sent forth a raven, which went out and did not return, until the waters were dried up upon the earth. By the raven, a most black bird, the Jews, darkened by unbelief, are designated. Noah, then, sent forth the raven from the ark; because our Lord Jesus Christ separated the people of the Jews from the fellowship of holy Church. After the raven he sent forth the dove, which, not finding where her foot might rest, returned to him into the ark. A second time he sent forth the dove from the ark, which came to him at evening, bearing an olive branch with green leaves in her mouth. A third time he sent forth the dove, which returned no more to him. By the dove the Holy Spirit is often figured, because he descended upon the Lord in the form of a dove.

But we must inquire what the threefold sending forth of the dove and the twofold return signify.

The three sendings forth signify three ages: the first before the Law, the second under the Law, the third under grace. In this place, moreover, Noah designates God, and the ark the heavenly dwelling place of God. Noah first sent the dove out from the ark; because God almighty gave the grace of the Holy Spirit to the holy men who were before the Law: and they who had no Law fulfilled, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the divine precepts which were given afterward. But the dove found not where her foot might rest; because not only the other nations, but the Jews themselves, placed in Egypt, so far abandoned the worship of God, that at the time when Moses was born, scarcely anyone was found in whom the Holy Spirit deigned to dwell: and in a certain manner the grace of the Holy Spirit returned to him from whom it had been sent, when it forsook sinful men.

Secondly Noah sent forth the dove from the ark

because God gave the grace of the Holy Spirit to men keeping the Law with a pure heart. The evening, moreover, at which the dove returned to Noah, designates the time at which Christ was born. Of this time the Lord says in the Gospel: The Law and the prophets were until John; because after the Gospel began to be preached, circumcision and many legal observances profited nothing. As long as the observance of the Law pleased God, so long the grace of the Holy Spirit accompanied men keeping the Law: and just as the dove returned to Noah at evening, so also the grace of the Holy Spirit, forsaking the unbelieving Jews, in a certain manner returned to him by whom it had been sent. By the olive branch, moreover, we can understand or take the Law: by the green leaves, those who were made safe through the Law.

The dove, then, bore the olive branch with green leaves in her mouth, when the grace of the Holy Spirit, in a certain manner, offered to God those whom it had saved through the Law.

A third time Noah sent forth the dove from the ark, when he gave the grace of the Holy Spirit to those keeping the faith of the Gospel. Which returned no more to him

because the faith of the Gospel will remain with the elect until, when the Lord comes to judgment, the elect who will be found in this world shall be caught up before the Lord into the air, and so shall be ever with the Lord.

But to demonstrate more openly the opening of the second seal, let us say a few things concerning the three patriarchs.

It is written in Genesis, that God tempted Abraham, and said to him: Take thy son whom thou lovest, Isaac, and go into the land of vision, and there thou shalt offer him for a holocaust upon one of the mountains which I will shew thee. And Abraham, rising in the night, saddled his ass, taking with him two young men, and Isaac his son. Abraham designates Christ according to His divinity: Isaac, however, designates the man whom Christ assumed: by the ass indeed the apostles are designated. Abraham therefore rose in the night; because the Son of God, the world being placed in the darkness of ignorance, deigned to be born of the Virgin Mary: he saddled his ass, when he delivered to his apostles the commandments of the Gospel: by the two young men indeed the two precepts of charity are designated.

He took with him two young men; because he delivered the two precepts of charity to his disciples more closely and more frequently: he also took his son, because he delivered up the man whom he had assumed to die for the human race, as He Himself said in the Gospel to His disciples: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the Son of man. For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and scourged, and spit upon: and after they have scourged him, they will put him to death, and the third day he shall rise again.

And on the third day, lifting up his eyes, he saw the place afar off.

The three days designate three decades of years, thrice-doubled months, in which span of time Christ is said to have conversed in the world. The place indeed signified Jerusalem, in which Christ suffered. But why did he say he saw the place afar off, when Christ preached daily in the temple? Because although the Jews were near in body, yet through unbelief they had withdrawn far from Him.

And Abraham said to his servants: Wait here with the ass: I and the boy will go with speed as far as yonder, and after we have worshipped, will return to you. Likewise also Christ commanded His disciples to wait, until, rising, He should return to them, when He said: All you shall be scandalized in me this night, but after I shall be risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. And when He was apprehended, He said to the Jews: If therefore you seek me, let these go their way.

Abraham therefore took the wood for the holocaust, and laid it upon Isaac his son: he himself carried in his hands fire and a sword.

We said above that by wood our sins were designated: Isaac therefore carried the wood; because Christ bore our sins in His body upon the wood; that we, dead to sins, might live to justice. By the hands of Abraham the power of our Lord Jesus Christ is understood; for it was in His power to die, and not to die, if He willed, as He Himself says: I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it up again. By the fire, moreover, the passion is understood; by the sword, His death.

When he had come to the place, he built an altar, and laid the wood in order upon it.

And when he had bound Isaac his son, he laid him on the altar upon the pile of wood. By the altar the cross is understood: the Son of God therefore built the cross, on which the man whom He had assumed might be sacrificed; for it was done by His own permission. Upon the altar indeed He laid the wood, and upon the wood He laid Isaac His son, bound; for that which we wish to smother, we place under ourselves, that it may be smothered by our weight, and perish: likewise our Redeemer, hanging on the cross, placed the wood, that is, our sins, beneath Himself; that by His weight and power they might be smothered and blotted out. The bonds of Isaac, moreover, designated the affliction of the Lord upon the cross.

But the things which the angel spoke to Abraham do not pertain to this exposition.

Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw a ram sticking fast by the horns amongst the briers, which he took and offered a holocaust for his son. The ram signified Christ: by the two horns the two precepts of charity are designated: by the briers, the Jews. Christ therefore was caught by the horns among the briers; because, loving the Jews as brothers, and knowing that the calling of the Gentiles would be the ruin of the Jews, He was unwilling to deliver the faith of the Gospel to the Gentiles first, but, sending His disciples to preach, He commanded them, saying: Go ye not into the way of the Gentiles, and into the city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And to the Canaanite woman He said: I was not sent but to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel; and again: It is not good to take the bread of the children, and to cast it to the dogs.

Abraham, however, drew the ram out from the briers, and offered it as a holocaust for his son

because the Father separated the Son, and the Son Himself separated Himself, from the love of the impious Jews, and offered as a holocaust the man He had assumed, for the salvation of the human race.

Concerning the same Isaac it is written that he had two sons, Esau and Jacob.

Esau was a hunter, and a husbandman: Jacob, however, a plain man, dwelt in tents. By Esau the Hebrew people is designated, by Jacob the people of the Gentiles. Isaac, however, the father of both, held the type of the Lord, who made both peoples His sons—the one through the Law, the other through faith. Esau was a husbandman; because the people of the Jews served God for earthly advantages. For it was not said to them: If you shall be poor in spirit, if meek, if peacemakers, if merciful, if you shall endure persecutions for my name; blessed shall you be, and your reward shall be abundant in heaven: but it was said to them: If you keep my commandments, and observe my judgments, I will give you rains in their seasons, and the earth shall bring forth its increase, and the trees shall be filled with fruit, and other things which pertain to the delights of the age.

Esau was also a hunter

because by the shedding of the blood of rams, goats, and calves he was accustomed to appease God: Jacob, however, plain, dwelt in tents; because the elect from among the Gentiles strove to please God by faith alone and good will. By the tents, moreover, we may understand either the diverse Churches, into which the one Catholic Church is divided throughout the whole world, or the diverse orders.

Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his hunting: but Rebecca loved Jacob.

Isaac, as we have said, holds in this place the type of the Lord: by Rebecca, however, we may understand the foreknowledge of God. Isaac therefore loved Esau, because he ate of his hunting; because God loved the people of the Jews, in that He was appeased by their constant offerings: but the mother loved Jacob, because God, knowing that the people of the Gentiles would be much better than the people of the Jews, loved him much more through the grace of His foreknowledge.

When Esau tarried in hunting, that he might bring food to his father of wild animals, so that he might be blessed by him, the mother brought Jacob forward to receive the blessing

because, since the people of the Jews were devoted to legal observances, and came more slowly to receive the faith of Christ, the mother, grace, offered the people of the Gentiles to God to receive the blessing which was owed to the Jews, because they had received the faith of Christ with eagerness. How, moreover, the people of the Gentiles themselves merited this gift of blessing, the works of Jacob attest by signification, which are described as having been done in order to receive the blessing.

Rebecca therefore said to her son Jacob: Bring me two good kids from the flock, that I may make of them meats for thy father, such as he gladly eateth; and he shall bless thee before the Lord, before he die. He went, and brought, and gave them to his mother. She dressed meats, as she knew his father liked, and put upon Jacob the garments of Esau, which she had at home with her, and put the skins of the kids about his hands, and covered the bare of his neck, and gave him the savoury meat, and delivered the bread that she had baked. By the two kids we may understand the confession of the sins of the Gentile people, and penance. Jacob therefore offered two good kids to his mother; because through confession of sins and penance, which is the way for those going to the faith, the Gentile people hastened to receive that same faith.

These kids are said to have been good

because the penitence of a sinner, with renunciation of vice, is very acceptable to God, as our Lord Himself says in the Gospel: There shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than upon ninety-nine just, who need not penance; meaning by the one sinner the people of the Gentiles, by the ninety-nine just the Jews. They are called just for this reason, because through observance of the Law they falsely thought themselves just; for the Lord speaks to these very just ones, saying: Woe to you who justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts. They are placed in an imperfect number, because the Law brought nothing to perfection.

By the delectable meats, moreover, which were prepared for Isaac to eat from the two kids, we ought to understand the works of penance. Of these meats John the Baptist speaks, saying: Bring forth fruits worthy of penance. By the very good garments, moreover, which Esau, that is, the Jews, had left at home, we may take the best precepts of the Law, such as this: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and thy neighbour as thyself; and many other things, without which no one can be just. These are the very good garments, which the Jews had left at home, that is, in the Old Testament, because they were unwilling to observe them: clothed and adorned with these, the Gentile people went to God the Father with the meats of good works. With the meats, moreover, he also brought bread.

By bread the word of God is often designated, because he fittingly goes to God the Father with the meats of good works, who also does not cease to admonish whomsoever else he can to do good works.

But this also must be asked by us, why the mother covered the bare hands and neck of Jacob with the skins of the kids.

For when the skin is drawn off from the kid, the flesh appears; from which delectable meats can be made: likewise, when vices are drawn off from each sinner, the good things of nature appear together with reason, which, if cooked down with faith, delectable meats are prepared for God from the good of nature. By the neck, then, since pride often appears in the neck, we may understand elation of mind: by the hands, indeed, works are designated. Each faithful one therefore surrounds his neck with the skins of kids, when, to lay down elation of mind, and for the safeguarding of his humility, he does not cease to recall past sins before the eyes of his mind. He surrounds his hands, when, lest he be exalted in good works, he often brings back past sins before the eyes of his mind.

After Isaac had eaten, Jacob offered him wine also.

If by the food the works of the active life are designated, we may understand by the wine, which estranges the minds of men, the contemplative life, which renders the minds of certain elect insensible to the love of the world. Food and drink having been taken, therefore, Isaac blessed Jacob; because they receive from God the blessing of the heavenly fatherland, who strive to please Him by good works even to the end of their life.

The same Jacob, moreover, when he fled from Esau his brother, came to a certain place: and when he had put a stone under his head, he slept there; and he saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth, and the top thereof touching heaven, and the Lord leaning upon the ladder, and the angels of God also ascending and descending by it. By the stone Christ is understood; for our foundation is Christ, of whom the Apostle says: For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus. We place our head upon the stone, therefore, if we build our wall upon Christ out of good works.

The vision of the ladder agrees with this sense; for the two larger beams of the ladder, which are on either side, and are raised up from the lower parts to the higher, designate the two precepts of charity. But through the rungs which are inserted crosswise on either side into those two beams, the remaining virtues are designated. And just as the two beams cannot hold together without the rungs, nor the rungs without the two beams: so also charity cannot exist without the other virtues, nor the other virtues without charity. And just as the various rungs, unless they are inserted into the two larger beams on either side, cannot provide an ascent for men: so also the other virtues, unless they arise from the love of God and the love of neighbor, cannot provide an ascent for those wishing to go to heaven, as the Apostle John says: For he who does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see?

And just as the ladder was seen to touch the earth on one side, and heaven on the other: so also charity is joined to neighbors from the lower part, but to God from the higher. Whence also the angels of God were shown ascending and descending by it; because the saints of God, who are designated by the angels, are sometimes lifted up to the heights by the love of God through the grace of contemplation, and sometimes brought back down by love and care for their neighbors. But he saw the Lord leaning upon the ladder; because whoever strives through the path of virtues to ascend to the Lord, after they have finished the course of their journey, find the Lord, the author of all good things and the bestower of rewards, with whom they will rejoice without end.

Now when the same Jacob was returning from Mesopotamia of Syria, and had come to the Jordan, having sent across all that belonged to him, he remained alone. And behold, a man wrestled with him until morning. And when he saw that he could not overcome him, he touched the sinew of his thigh, and it immediately withered, and he said to him: Let me go, for now the dawn has risen. But he answered: I will not let you go, unless you bless me. And he said to him: By what name are you called? He answered him: Jacob. But he said: You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name. By Jacob in this place any sinner and penitent is designated. But the fact that the angel wrestled with Jacob in the figure of the Lord, and Jacob with the angel, signifies what the Lord says in the Gospel: The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent bear it away. But who are the violent, if not sinners and penitents?

Who, when they see themselves guilty of eternal death for their crimes, knock at the door of paradise with prayers so long, until the entrance of the heavenly kingdom is opened to them. Jacob therefore wrestles with the Lord when any sinner, fearing greatly the punishments of eternal fire, persists so long in prayers, until divine mercy comes to his aid, as the following makes clear.

Who when he saw that he could not overcome him, touched the sinew of his thigh, and it immediately withered.

And because lust arises from the thigh, by the sinew of the thigh carnal pleasures can be understood. Therefore the Lord touched the sinew of the thigh of the sinner, when he extinguished all carnal desires, from which sins arise; because it cannot happen that we abstain from sins, so long as we lie dissolved in carnal pleasures. The angel therefore said to him—namely, the one who was wrestling with him in the person of the Lord: Let me go, for now the dawn has risen; as if he had said: Cease now weeping for fear of the eternal fire; because now, the vices being extinguished, the tranquility has returned which had plunged you into the pit of perdition.

And because it is not enough to forsake evil, unless we also strive to do good, there follows: And Jacob said: I will not let you go, unless you bless me—that is, I will not cease from prayers, unless you enrich me with virtues; so that I who until now have lived according to the flesh, may from now on live according to the spirit. And he said to him: What is your name? He answered him, Jacob; and he said to him: You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name, that is: You shall no longer be called the supplanter of vices, but you shall be called a man seeing God: and you who before wept, lest you be plunged into hell, will now weep, because for some time you are kept far from the vision of almighty God, saying with the Psalmist: Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged!

The same Jacob also, after the wrestling which he carried on with the angel, is said to have limped on one foot; but he who limps rests his whole weight upon the sound foot, touching the ground lightly with the other. Therefore the two feet designate two kinds of nourishment; for there are nourishments of the body, and there are also nourishments of the soul. The nourishments of the body are food, drink, clothing; but the nourishments of the soul are the word of God, good works. Therefore every faithful person, if with one foot he touches the earth lightly, rests his whole weight upon the other; because he uses the things of the world only for sustaining the necessities of the body, as the Apostle says: But having food and clothing, let us be content with these. But in those things which pertain to the salvation of the soul, he leans with his whole weight; lest at any time he stray from the way of God, which is the salvation of the soul.

Concerning the opening of the second seal we have said a few things out of many; now let us follow the order.

There follows: I heard the second living creature saying: Come and see

that is, understand spiritually the things you have known to have been done by the patriarchs. And behold, a red horse: and he who sat upon it, it was given to him to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. And a great sword was given to him. By the red horse are designated the just, who were from the flood until the Law. And because the red color approaches somewhat near to the golden color, as if you were to mix blood-color with gold; not unfittingly are the holy men who lived before the Law compared to this color; because they were both distinguished by wisdom, which is figured by gold, and were steadfast in persecutions and adversities, which is figured by blood. But the rider of this horse is the Lord, who dwells in his saints. To this rider it was given that he should take peace from the earth.

If peace is good, being from God, how was it taken from the earth?

But there is a good peace, and there is an evil peace. The sons of God had an evil peace with the sons of men before the flood, when they took their daughters, and gave their own to them; and therefore they were destroyed together with them by the waters of the flood. But the Lord also commanded the children of Israel not to make a covenant with the Canaanites, nor take their daughters, nor give their own to them. For the Psalmist speaks of good and evil peace, saying: With the elect you shall be elect, and with the perverse you shall be perverted. This peace, then, God took from the earth, when he separated the just from the impious in mind, not in body. And that they should kill one another.

From those from whom peace has been taken, it follows that one is killed by another; for often the just kill the unjust, and the unjust kill the just, as Aram the brother of Abraham, according to the tradition of the Jews, died in the fire of the Chaldeans, because he refused to worship fire: as Abraham killed four kings with their armies for their impieties: as the sons of Jacob who killed all the Shechemites for the violation of their sister. By the great sword, moreover, we can understand the waters of the flood, by which the whole world was destroyed. We can also understand by the great sword the destruction of the five cities, whose inhabitants perished by fire and brimstone, and their land, which was plunged into the abyss together with them.

And when he had opened the third seal.

The opening of the third seal pertains to the Law and to those who were under the Law. Therefore, to demonstrate the opening of the third seal, it has seemed good that we should say a few things about Moses, and about those things in the Law which seem to be irrational. It is written in Exodus that when Moses was born, he was hidden for three months by his parents; but afterward his mother made him a little basket of bulrushes, and daubed it with bitumen and pitch, and having placed the infant within, set it among the reeds at the bank of the river. Moses prefigured Christ: and by the three months during which Moses was hidden, three ages are designated: one before the flood; the second after the flood until Moses; the third from Moses until the coming of the Lord. In these three ages the coming of Christ in the flesh lay hidden from men; yet it was foretold by the perfect.

By the basket of bulrushes the blessed Virgin Mary is designated: the mother, therefore, prepared a basket of bulrushes in which Moses was to be placed; because the Wisdom of God, which is the Son of God, chose the blessed and glorious Mary, ever virgin, in whose undefiled womb He would form the man to whom He would be joined by unity of person. By the bitumen, which cannot be dissolved by waters, we can understand the virginity of blessed Mary, which could be violated by no carnal heat: by the pitch, moreover, which is the guardian of wine, we may understand humility, the guardian of the other virtues. Of which she herself speaks, saying: Because he has regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. By the river, the world is signified: by the reeds among which Moses was placed, the Jews are designated; for in what follows he is read to have been found in the papyrus-basket by Pharaoh's daughter.

The reeds here have the same signification as the papyrus; for reeds are wont to wound the hands of those who handle them, and of old books were made from papyrus.

By the reeds, therefore, the Jews are designated, who slew the prophets—namely, the spiritual physicians who desired to heal their wounds. The same are also designated by the papyrus, in that they gloried in the Scriptures handed down to them by God, which they read but did not keep. Pharaoh's daughter, indeed, prefigured the people from the nations belonging to the devil. Pharaoh's daughter, then, took Moses up from the papyrus-basket; because the Church, receiving the faith of Christ from the Gentiles, took away that same Christ from the Jews who were unwilling to believe. Afterward, when this same Moses was feeding the sheep of Jethro his kinsman, the Lord appeared to him in the flame of fire out of a bush, and he saw that the bush burned and was not consumed.

We may understand by the bush, which sent forth flames from itself and was not consumed, the blessed Virgin Mary, who brought forth the Son of God from her womb and did not lose her virginity: but on account of what follows, I judge that by the bush Christ Himself is to be understood, according as He is man. The flame of the bush, indeed, prefigured His divinity. The bush, therefore, burned and was not consumed; because the Son of God, assuming man, just as His divinity was not changed into humanity so as to lose what it was; so too His humanity, burning through His divinity, was not so consumed by the divinity as to lose its humanity: but out of the two substances, humanity and deity, one Christ remained and remains, as it is written: perfect God, perfect man, subsisting of a rational soul and human flesh.

And the Lord spoke to Moses from the midst of the flame of the bush: Do not come near hither; put off the shoes from your feet; for the place on which you stand is holy ground. Seeing I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. But come, I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. And after a few words: And Moses said to the Lord: Who, that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? And in what follows he speaks to the Lord concerning the children of Israel, saying: They will not hear my voice, but will say: The Lord has not appeared to you; and again: I beseech you, Lord, send whom you will send.

These words show that Moses obeyed the commands of the Lord unwillingly, that he should bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt: but we must inquire why so great a man executed the Lord's command unwillingly. But we ought to understand this stubbornness of his spiritually; for the Apostle says: Now all these things happened to them in figure: and they are written for our correction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. By Moses, therefore, in this place the apostles are designated; for at the beginning of the evangelical preaching the apostles, knowing that the election of the Gentiles was the rejection of the Jews, were unwilling to hand over the doctrine of the Gospel to the Gentiles, that they might be rescued from the power of the devil. Whence also the Lord, in the vision of the four-footed beasts and creeping things, rebuked Peter for despising the Gentiles, saying: What God has cleansed, do not call common.

To this sense, therefore, pertains that which the Lord said to Moses: Do not come near hither, put off the shoes from your feet; for the place on which you stand is holy ground—as if the Lord had said to some one of the great apostles: Although you raise the dead, although you heal the sick by the shadow of your body; yet dare not in anything compare yourself to me: because the great things you do are not from you, but I work through you. Now shoes protect the feet, lest they touch the ground: by the ground the Gentiles are designated. Put off, he says, the shoe from your feet; that is, remove hatred and contempt of the Gentiles from your heart. For the place on which you stand is holy ground: that is, the world in which you dwell has been redeemed by my blood.

And in what follows the Lord said to Moses: What is that which you hold in your hand?

And he said: A rod. He said to him: Cast it upon the ground. When he had cast it down, it was turned into a serpent, so that Moses fled from it, and the Lord said to him: Take hold of its tail; and when he had taken hold of it, it was turned back into a rod. By the rod the Jews are designated. Moses held the rod in his hand, because the apostles held the people of the Jews in their hearts through love, and labored with all their strength that they might bring them to salvation through the doctrine of their preaching. Moses cast the rod from his hand, because the apostles, seeing that the Jews were in no way willing to believe in Christ, cast the love of them from their hearts. By the serpent the devil is designated.

The rod, therefore, was turned into a serpent

because the Jews, made worse by the preaching of the apostles—who before were called the people of God—became sons and members of the devil. Moses fled, because the apostles, having left the Jews, passed over to the Gentiles. By the tail, moreover, which is the end of the body, the Jews who are to be born at the end of the world are designated. Moses, therefore, took hold of the serpent's tail, and it was turned into a rod; because the holy preachers will, in a certain manner, lay hold of the Jews at the end of the world; when through their teaching they shall be converted to the faith of Christ, and from sons of the devil shall be made sons of God.

For also that which is told, that at the Lord's bidding Moses put his hand into his bosom, and drew it out leprous, and put it in again, and it was made whole; has the same signification: for by the hand of Moses the Jews are designated. Moses put his hand into his bosom; because the Apostles, desiring the salvation of the Jews, did not cease to preach to them the doctrine of the faith. Moses drew back his hand and found it leprous; because the Jews, made much worse by the preaching of the apostles, fell into the worst leprosy of unbelief and blasphemies. Moses again put his hand into his bosom, and drew it out whole; because the holy preachers, at the end of the world, will receive the Jews into their bosom, when they preach to them the faith of Christ, and bring them back to the health which they had lost. In what follows it is also written, that when Moses was returning into Egypt, the Lord met him, and wished to kill him.

Immediately Zipporah took a very sharp stone, and circumcised the flesh of the foreskin of her son, and touched his feet, and said: A spouse of blood are you to me. And He let him go, after she had said, A spouse of blood are you to me, on account of the circumcision. If the Lord wished to kill Moses, why did He not do what He wished, since the Psalmist says: Whatsoever the Lord willed, He has done? But "will" is often put for a threat: the Lord, therefore, threatened Moses with death, because he was carrying an uncircumcised son, as He speaks to Abraham, saying: Every soul among you that shall not be circumcised shall perish from among its peoples. But passing over these things, let us return to the spiritual understanding.

Moses in this place designates those who believed from among the Gentiles; for at the beginning of the faith the apostles and the other preachers, considering the weakness of the Gentiles receiving the faith of Christ, were unwilling to hand over to them at first the more austere precepts of Christ; lest, perchance, being terrified, they should not dare to approach the reception of the faith of Christ. That this is so the apostle Paul shows, who speaks by letter to those who had believed from the Gentiles, saying: As to little ones in Christ, I gave you milk to drink, and not meat; for you were not yet able, nor indeed are you able even now; for you are still carnal. But the apostles also charged those who had believed in Christ at Antioch, saying: It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no burden beyond these necessary things: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication.

The Lord, therefore, threatened Moses with death

because he delayed to circumcise the flesh of the foreskin of his son: because to those believing from the Gentiles, since they were lukewarm in charity, the Lord threatened death; when He set before them the precepts of His Gospel, where it is written: Narrow and strait is the way that leads to life; and few there are who go by it. Wide and spacious is the way that leads to death; and many there are who go by it; and again: He who does not carry his cross and follow me is not worthy of me; and many other things which are found in the Gospel and in the apostolic sayings concerning the cutting away of vices. By the stone Christ is understood, and by the sharpness of the stone the hard precepts of the Gospel.

Zipporah, therefore, took a very sharp stone, and circumcised the flesh of the foreskin of her son

because the Church, seeing that her children could in no way attain to perfect salvation unless she uprooted all carnal desires from their bodies, took up the more austere precepts of the Gospel, and cut away from the bodies of her children all the nourishments of vices. In the feet, moreover, is the end of the body: Zipporah, therefore, after the circumcision, touched the feet of her son; because he receives salutary circumcision who perseveres, even to the end of life, in the good which he has begun. But after Zipporah touched the feet of her son, she no longer calls him son, but spouse: and the spouse of the Church is Christ. But she herself also is called His spouse, as John the Baptist says: He who has the bride is the bridegroom. Whom also she calls a spouse of blood; because she has been redeemed by the blood of Christ.

The children of the Church, therefore, after the circumcision of vices, and at the completion of life in good works, are no longer called children, but spouses

because those are joined in heaven, by the union of members, to him who is called, and is, the spouse of the Church on earth.

And since we cannot recall all the things that were done through Moses in Egypt, let us set down a few of the things done by the Israelite people after their departure from Egypt. The children of Israel, then, to escape Pharaoh and the Egyptians, passed through the midst of the dry sea, and the waters were to them as a wall on the right hand and on the left. Likewise also the people of the Gentiles, to escape the devil and all his satellites, passed through the water of baptism. And they who before were sons of the devil, being reborn of water and the Holy Spirit—which was designated by the pillar of fire—were made sons of God. The water of the sea, therefore, saved the children of Israel, but killed Pharaoh with all his satellites; because the water of baptism saves the image of God, and extinguishes the sins to which he had been enslaved: but the devil is extinguished for each one who faithfully renounces him with all his pomps.

And the waters which were to them as a wall on the right hand and on the left designated our faith, which we receive in baptism, which is our wall, defending us on either side both from invisible enemies and from visible ones.

After the crossing of the Red Sea they came to Marah, where they found bitter waters, which they could not drink.

And the Lord showed Moses a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, they were turned into sweetness. By the bitter waters is designated the law of Moses: by the tree, however, we ought to understand the passion of Christ, since it was accomplished on the wood of the cross. The people therefore who went out from Egypt found bitter waters; because they received the Law, which they could not fulfil: but when the Gentiles came to the faith of Christ, the bitterness of the Law was turned into sweetness through the passion and resurrection of Christ, because it was understood by them spiritually, not carnally.

That also which they found at Elim, twelve fountains, and encamped beside the waters, has the same signification; for by the waters of the twelve fountains is designated the doctrine of the New Testament, which flowed forth from twelve fountains, that is, from the twelve apostles, through the whole world: by the seventy palm trees, however, is designated the Old Testament, because through the interpretation of the Seventy interpreters it came to the knowledge of the Gentiles. Nevertheless, setting aside dispute, let us say a few things about those matters in the Law which seem irrational. The Lord commanded the sons of Israel: You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk; and again: You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together; and you shall not wear a garment woven of wool and linen together. For what sin does anyone commit if he boils a kid in its mother's milk? Or what wrong does a farmer do if he cuts the earth with the plow using oxen and asses together?

Or what offense does anyone give if he wears a garment woven of wool and linen?

But all these things must be understood spiritually; for by the kid every sinner is designated: our mother, moreover, was our first parents, from whom we were all begotten: the mother's milk, indeed, is the vices which proceeded from original sin; for unless there had been original sin, there would be no vice. Of this maternal milk the Psalmist speaks, saying: Behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bring me forth. The kid, therefore, is boiled in its mother's milk when any sinner is burned by the fire of vices even to the day of his death. The Lord therefore commanded that a kid should not be boiled in its mother's milk, that is, that the sinner should not be allowed to remain in sins until the day of his death: but before the day of his death he should be called back to the doing of good works, lest he perish.

You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together.

By the ox we may understand the apostles and other preachers: by the ass, the people of the Jews. We plow, indeed, when according to the tradition of the saints we exercise ourselves in good works. Whoever, therefore, strives to observe at once both the teaching of the apostles and the traditions of the Jews plows with an ox and an ass together. From which teaching the apostle Paul sought to recall the Galatians, when he said: O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you not to obey the truth? For I say to you, that if you be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. We can also understand by the ox any wise preacher, and by the ass a foolish one. It is commanded, therefore, that plowing not be done with an ox and an ass together, that is, that the foolish not be joined to the wise in the office of preaching.

As for what is said: You shall not wear a garment woven of wool and linen, we may understand it according to the sense above; for by wool, which is the garment of sheep, we may understand the teaching of the apostles: by linen, however, which arises from the earth, we may understand the teaching of the Jews. We put on the garment, then, when we clothe ourselves with good works: but he is clothed in a garment woven of wool and linen together who wishes to observe, along with the traditions of the apostles, also the traditions of the Jews. The Lord also commanded Moses that if anyone cleansed of leprosy should come to the priest, he should offer to the priest two sparrows.

Of these, the priest, sacrificing one, was to let its blood run down into living waters, and dipping the living sparrow into the waters in which he had let the blood of the sacrificed sparrow run down, he was to sprinkle the leper seven times with cedar wood, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and then he would be duly cleansed. By the priest Christ is understood: the two sparrows are understood as the teachers of the two Testaments: by the living waters are designated the precepts of the Gospel, of which the Lord says in the Gospel: He who believes in me, as the Scripture says, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. He calls them living waters, because they bestow eternal life on those who do them. By the sacrificed sparrow, therefore, as we have said, are designated the teachers of the Jews, namely the priests, scribes, and Pharisees. The blood, however, which gave life to the sparrow, is the spiritual understanding which lay hidden in the observances of the Jews.

And just as a sparrow without blood becomes dead, so also many of the observances of the Jews, if spiritual understanding had been lacking, would seem vain. After, therefore, the blood of the sparrow appeared, and ran down into the living waters, the sparrow died; because after the spiritual understanding, which lay hidden in the observances of the Jews, was made manifest through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, certain legal observances profited nothing: but also those themselves who, for the sake of keeping the Law, spurned the faith of Christ, died as to the soul. The blood of the sparrow, therefore, is mixed with the living waters; because all Scripture which pertains to the New Testament is filled with the examples of the Old Testament spiritually understood. By the cedar wood, moreover, the Father is designated, by the hyssop the Son: by the scarlet wool, which has the brightness of fire, the Holy Spirit is designated.

With these three he who wished to be duly cleansed was sprinkled

because no one can be cleansed of the leprosy of sins through the water of baptism, except under the invocation of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. But if by these three the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are designated, why is a fourth, the living sparrow, joined to them? For by the living sparrow, we have said, the preachers of the New Testament are designated. The priest, therefore, joined the living sparrow to the cedar wood, the scarlet, and the hyssop; because our Lord Jesus Christ, in the invocation of his own name, and of the Father and of the Holy Spirit, joins the ministry of priests, and cleanses us of our sins—we who are designated by the leper—through their invocation and through the water of baptism.

This sparrow is commanded to be dipped into the living waters; because he who teaches others ought to be learned in the divine Scriptures: for if a blind man attempts to lead a blind man, both fall into the pit. The leper is commanded to be sprinkled seven times, because the cleansing of no one can be perfect without the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. For who can be saved without the fear of God, without piety, and the other virtues? But when each one is taught by the preachers of the faith how he ought to live according to the commandments of God, he is sprinkled seven times with living water. After the cleansing of the leper, moreover, the living sparrow was allowed to fly away into the field; because holy preachers, after the office of their preaching is fulfilled, deserve to fly away into the field of the heavenly homeland.

In another place also it is written that the Lord commanded Moses that the sons of Israel should offer to the priest the scapegoat, and the priest should place his hands upon its head, and should confess over it the sins of the sons of Israel, and should send it away by a man made ready, into the desert; that it might carry the sins of the sons of Israel into the desert. But the man who led the scapegoat into the desert was not permitted to enter the camp unless he first washed his garments. The priest, therefore, has the same signification as the scapegoat; for both signify our Lord Jesus Christ. The priest, therefore, confessed the sins of the sons of Israel over the scapegoat; because the Son of God placed the sins of the human race upon the man whom he assumed, that he himself might die for them. By the desert, moreover, whose dwelling all the delicate shrink from in horror, the cross is designated, exceedingly horrible to all the guilty.

The man made ready, therefore, led the scapegoat into the desert

because the Jews, who had been foreknown for the perpetrating of this crime, crucified our Lord Jesus Christ. But to him who had led the scapegoat into the desert it was commanded that he should first wash his garments, and so enter into the camp; because the Jews, the slayers of Christ, could not enter the camp of the Church unless they were first washed with the water of baptism. And in Deuteronomy Moses commanded the sons of Israel, saying: If you pass through a field, and find a bird sitting upon her young; do not take the bird with her young, but let the bird fly away into the field, and keep the young that you have caught; that you may live a long time in the land which the Lord your God shall give you. Could the release of the little bird increase anyone's days? No, but it must be understood spiritually.

By the bird every holy soul is designated: by her young, good works are understood. For just as a bird gathers her young under her wings, to warm and nourish them; so every holy soul stores its works within the secret places of the heart, and by ever increasing them, multiplies and nourishes them, that from them it may receive the fullest reward. We find, then, the bird with her young, when we love and embrace some righteous man for his good works. We let the bird fly away into the field, when we rejoice that the one we loved has ascended through death to the heavenly kingdoms: but we keep her young caught, if we retain his good works in mind, and progress in imitation of them. And in this we acquire for ourselves length of life, which is given only to those established in heavenly blessedness. Concerning the opening of the third seal we have said a few things out of many; now let us pursue the order.

I heard the third animal saying: Come and see; that is, understand spiritually the Scripture of the Law.

And behold a black horse, and he who sat upon it had a balance in his hand. By the black horse we can understand the teachers of the Law; for the blackness of the horse designates either the obscurity of the Law which they taught, or its hardness. For Moses too had a veil over his face, because the splendor of his countenance, that is, the spiritual understanding in the Law, could not be seen by bleary eyes. The rider of the horse, however, is the Lord: the balance, moreover, shows the equity of legal judgment, as is that: A soul for a soul, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a foot for a foot, and whatever wound anyone inflicts, he is compelled to suffer the same. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four animals saying.

By the voice which was made in the midst of the four animals, the voice of the Church can be understood, imploring the mercy of the Lord. A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny, and see that you hurt not the wine and the oil. Great are the things it has uttered, and very obscure. By the wheat, from which the best bread is made, we can understand the divine Scripture, which is the bread of souls: the two measures of wheat, indeed, designate the two Testaments, into which the divine Scripture is divided. From these two measures of wheat the holy fathers have prepared for us a great abundance of food, expounding it in manifold ways: the penny, however, designates the Lord. The two measures of wheat, therefore, are joined to the penny; because whatever holy Scripture speaks pertains to the omnipotence, greatness, goodness, and severity of the one God; for whatever good we do toward our neighbors is of him, not of us.

By the roughness of the barley, however, the works of the saints are designated: which indeed seem rough by their labor, but hope makes them sweet, as the Lord says: For my yoke is sweet, and my burden light. There are, moreover, three measures of barley: not unfittingly, therefore, by the number six, which is perfect, the works of the saints are designated, because the perfection of the saints grows from good works. The three measures of barley, therefore, are joined to the penny; because whatever good the elect do in this world, whatever adversity they suffer, they do and suffer for the love of the one omnipotent God.

Otherwise: by the horse are designated those who were made safe through the Law; by its rider, the giver of the Law himself; and by the balance, the equity of his judgment. It follows that by the two pounds of wheat and the three double pounds of barley we should understand the Old Testament; by the two pounds of wheat, then, are designated the two precepts of charity, which are specially commended in the Law and the prophets, as the Lord says in the Gospel: On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the prophets. And by the three double pounds of barley we can understand the Old Testament, because it is divided by the Hebrews into three parts: the Prophets, the Law, and the Hagiographa. Nor unfittingly is the Old Testament designated by barley, which has a rough husk, on account of the harshness, namely, of the legal precepts.

For just as barley contains within the roughness of its husk a kernel from which bread is made, so too within the letter of the Old Testament a spiritual understanding is contained, from which the teachers of the Church make the bread of spiritual doctrine, which profits for the nourishment of the faithful; for the apostle Paul writes that the Law brought no one to perfection—namely, none of those who understand and practice it carnally; but those who understand and practice it spiritually, it undoubtedly raises to the summit of perfection. Therefore the three pounds of barley are doubled, so that they may arrive at the number six, which is perfect; since the Old Testament is understood by the teachers of the Church first historically, then spiritually, and its spiritual understanding is fulfilled by works. By the denarius, moreover, eternal life is designated, as the Lord teaches in the Gospel.

The Church, therefore, prays to the Lord and says: a double pound of wheat for a denarius, and three double pounds of barley for a denarius—that is, deign to bestow the denarius of eternal life upon those who according to the teaching of the Law and the Prophets kept the two precepts of charity, namely the fathers of the Old Testament; and likewise upon those who understand and practice the Old Testament spiritually, that is, the faithful of the Church. By the harshness of the wine we can understand the active life, and by the richness of the oil the contemplative life. What he says, then: “Do not harm the wine and the oil,” is as if he said: Do not harm those who have striven to serve you by works of the active or of the contemplative life, when you come to judgment. There follows: And when he had opened the fourth seal.

The opening of the fourth seal pertains to the prophets, who foretold the coming of Christ, his passion and resurrection, and the calling of the Gentiles, both in open speech and through various figures. Our Savior, therefore, opened the fourth seal when he gave the teachers of the Church understanding of the prophets. But concerning the sayings of the prophets there is no need for us to say anything, since they have already been expounded by those same teachers. And since not only what was written by the prophets, but also what was done by them, has a spiritual meaning, let us say a few things about what was done through David, Elijah, and Elisha.

It is written in the book of Kings that when David wished to go forth to battle against the Philistine, he said to Saul: Your servant used to feed his father’s flock, and a lion or a bear would come and take a ram out of the midst of the flock, and I would pursue and strike them, and rescue it from their mouth. And they would rise up against me, and I would seize them by the chin, and would choke and kill them; for I killed both the lion and the bear, your servant. David signifies Christ; by the lion and the bear are designated the persecutors of the Church: by the lion, emperors and the other princes of the earth; by the bear are designated the Jews, who persecuted the Church of God; by the ram, moreover, are designated the martyrs.

The lion and the bear, then, came and took the ram from the midst of the flock

because the persecutors carried off certain of the faithful from the Church, and killed them for the name of Christ. And just as David pursued and struck the lion and the bear, and rescued the ram from their mouth, so also our Redeemer pursued certain of the persecutors, when he inflicted upon them in this present age the punishment they deserved, as first upon Herod, and again a second and a third, and many others. He struck them, indeed, when he condemned them to eternal death; he rescued the ram from their mouth, because he freed the faithful people from being torn apart by them. And again they rose up against David, because in the times of the persecutors, while some were punished, others rose up against Christ, that they might utterly extinguish his name and worship. But David seized them by the chin, and choked and killed them.

By the chin, which is next to the mouth, are designated the blasphemies of the Jews and pagans. Christ seized the chin of the persecutors, and choked and killed them, when, the emperors having come to believe in Christ, all the worship and error of the Gentiles was so choked that no persecutor dared open his mouth to blaspheme Christ; and all were extinguished, the Gentiles believing in Christ.

The same David, moreover, when he went to war against the Philistine, took his staff with him, which he always held in his hands, and chose for himself five very smooth stones from the brook, and put them into the shepherd’s bag that he had with him, and took his sling in his hand, and went forth against the Philistine. By the staff, by which a man is supported, the apostles are designated, who sustained Christ, as it were, when they completed the work for which he had come into the world, as the apostle Paul says: For we are God’s helpers. By his bag, moreover, is designated his humanity; by the five stones, the five books of Moses, which he put into the bag, because he gave to the man he had assumed the knowledge of the five books; by his sling we can understand his tongue.

David’s advance against the Philistine can be understood allegorically in two ways; for our Savior went forth against the Philistine when he was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit, to be tempted by the devil, and to conquer the devil. David put five stones into his bag, but with one he laid Goliath low; because our Savior possessed the knowledge of the five books equally, but from one, that is Deuteronomy, he took the three testimonies by which he overcame the three temptations of the devil. And just as David cast the stone with his sling and killed Goliath, so also our Lord Jesus Christ, with the tongue of Holy Scripture, brought forth testimonies and overcame the devil. Otherwise: David went forth to battle against the Philistine; likewise Christ, in order to conquer the devil, hastened to his passion. David struck Goliath down with a stone; likewise Christ destroyed the devil by his death.

And since David had no sword in his hand, he took the Philistine’s own sword, and killed him with his own sword, and cut off his head. The devil’s sword is death: for by the envy of the devil death entered into the world (Wisdom 2:24). This is the sword by which he killed first the first man, then the human race, until it should be redeemed by Christ. We fall under this sword when we sin; but Christ did not have this sword, because he had committed no sin, nor was guile found in his mouth (1 Peter 2:22). Nor was he liable to original sin, because he was not born of the intercourse of a man, which cannot be without sin. Christ, therefore, who did not owe death by debt, borrowed death from the devil, who was its author, and through it killed that same prince of death. By the head of the Philistine, moreover, the human race is designated in this passage.

David cut off the head of the Philistine, because Christ separated the multitude of the elect from the body of the devil.

He carried it into Jerusalem, because he placed the multitude of the elect in the heavenly blessedness which is called Jerusalem. Concerning Elijah and Elisha, although their deeds are full of spiritual meanings, let us bring forward only those which have been recorded by the Lord in the Gospel. For when the Lord had come into Nazareth, his fellow citizens said to him: How great things we have heard done in Capernaum, do here also in your own country. And he said to them: Amen, I say to you, that there were many widows in the days of Elijah in Israel, when heaven was shut up, and to none of them was Elijah sent, save to Zarephath of Sidon, to a widow woman. And there were many lepers in Israel in the days of Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, save Naaman the Syrian.

It is written in the book of Kings that when Ahab king of Israel began to persecute Elijah, by the Lord’s command he went away into the desert, and sat by the brook Cherith; and ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. Elijah prefigured Christ; and by the brook Cherith we ought to understand the Law. Cherith is interpreted “falsehood,” not that the Law is falsehood; for wise men are accustomed to set before their hearers parables, so that what they wish to say may be more plainly understood, and they introduce beasts and birds speaking. If you attend only to the words of the parables, you will see that it is falsehood; but if to the sense, you will find it truth. Likewise certain legal precepts, if you attend only to the letter, will seem useless to you; but if to the spiritual understanding, a great truth shines forth to you in the letter.

Certain legal precepts, then, are falsehood to the Jews

because they understand them carnally; but to us they are truth, because we take care to understand them spiritually. By the ravens, moreover, are designated the priests of the Jews, dark with the veil of their hearts; by the meat, the daily sacrifice that was offered morning and evening. The bread, moreover, signifies the loaves of proposition, which were continually set in the presence of the Lord; and he drank from the brook, because Christ took delight in the legal observances. But after many days the brook dried up, because when Christ came in the flesh and preached the Gospel, legal observance ceased, and from that time it profited nothing, as the Lord says: The Law and the prophets were until John. And again he says to Israel through the prophet: Offer sacrifice to me no more in vain. Incense is an abomination to me; your new moons and sabbaths I will not bear; your assemblies are wicked.

And the Lord said to Elijah: Go into Sarepta of the Sidonians, and dwell there; for I have commanded a widow woman there to feed thee. And he arose and went to Sarepta. Elijah went to Sarepta; because Christ, forsaking the faithless Jews, passed over through his apostles to the Gentiles: now Sarepta is interpreted "set on fire," or "the straitness of bread"; for the Gentiles, who were the city of the devil, and who are designated by Sarepta, were kindled by the fire of vices. Of this fire Scripture says: All you that kindle a fire, walk girded with the flames in the light of your fire, and in the flames which you have kindled for yourselves. For they are girded with flames who are burned everywhere by the fire of vices, who are also called the straitness of bread; because no preacher had ever come to them to impart to them the food of the word of God. And when he had come to the gate of the city, a widow woman appeared to him, gathering sticks.

The woman has the same signification as the city; for she signifies the Church gathered from the Gentiles: and she was a widow

because she had lost God her husband, through the demands of her sins. And he called her, and said to her: Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. He asked for lesser things, that he might come to greater; for by the little water, which refreshes the thirsting soul, we can understand the will of the hearers; for as water refreshes the tongue of one thirsting, so does the ready mind of hearers refresh the minds of preachers. And as she was going to fetch it, he cried after her, saying: Bring me also, I beseech thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.

That which we do not know is, as it were, behind our back: therefore Elijah cried after the back of the woman, because the holy preachers preached to the Gentiles the God whom they did not know; whence also by the morsel of bread we may understand the beginnings of faith. And because they come fittingly to the faith who take care first to confess their sins, it is rightly added: And the woman said to him: As the Lord thy God liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruse. The cruse was a vessel in which oil was kept. Now we may understand by the meal, reason, and by the oil, works of mercy. The Gentile people, therefore, knowing that they had grievously erred, confessed that there was nothing good in them, except only that they seemed to have a little of reason, and a little of works of mercy.

For the Gentiles had a little reason; because they were partly rational, but for the most part irrational. For what is more irrational than to say to wood or stone: Thou art my god? They had also a little of mercy; because nature itself often impelled them to this, that they should help the wretched. Now by the vessels in which the meal and oil were contained, their hearts are designated. Behold I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. The sticks that are gathered in the city are of no use, except to be burned in the fire. By the sticks, therefore, are designated the errors of the Gentiles, devised by diabolical fraud. The woman was gathering two sticks, because the Gentile people, from the teaching of philosophers and poets, were gathering various errors, for which they would be handed over to perpetual burning. But what does it mean that she says: That we may eat it, and die?

For we eat in order that we may preserve life in the body: but she says she eats in order that she may die; because the teaching of the Gentiles brings death rather than life. To whom Elijah said: Go, and do as thou hast said: but first make for me of the same meal a little hearth cake, and bring it to me; and after make for thyself and thy son. By bread, faith is designated, and by ash, often penance, as blessed Job says to the Lord: Therefore I reprehend myself, and do penance in ashes and dust. Bread, then, is covered with ash, when any unbeliever, coming to the faith, first takes care to weep for the evils which he has done; that he may come more fittingly to receive the faith of Christ, which is given in baptism.

Elijah therefore commanded the woman to make bread of the meal, and bring it to him

because the holy preachers exhorted the Gentiles, that from the good of reason which they had received from God, they should prepare the food of faith for God, and bring it to them; for everyone, coming to baptism, brings faith to the preacher, when at the priest's question how he believes, he makes confession; Elijah ate the bread which he commanded the woman to make, because the table of the preachers is the progress of the sons. Wherefore Elijah commanded the woman to prepare bread first for himself, and afterward for herself and her son; because the conversion of the sinner is first imputed to the preacher: but afterward, once converted, he prepares bread for himself, when, exercising himself in good works, he obtains to become an heir of the heavenly fatherland.

And what Elijah says: The pot of meal shall not waste, nor the cruse of oil be diminished, until the day wherein the Lord will give rain upon the earth; signifies that faith and good works will not fail from the hearts of the elect, until the Lord comes to judgment with all his saints. Likewise also Elisha figured Christ, and Naaman figured the people of the Gentiles. Many lepers were in Israel, and none of them was cleansed, but Naaman the Syrian; because at the coming of Christ in the flesh, both Jews and Gentiles were surrounded by the leprosy of their sins: but while the Jews remained in their iniquity, the Gentiles were cleansed from the leprosy of their sins. Elisha therefore commanded Naaman, saying: Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and thy flesh shall recover health, and thou shalt be clean. He went, and washed in the Jordan seven times, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed of his leprosy.

The water of the Jordan figured baptism, in that Christ was baptized in it.

Naaman was washed in the waters of the Jordan, and cleansed of leprosy; because the people of the Gentiles were purged from the leprosy of their sins by the water of holy baptism. And his sevenfold washing figured the sevenfold Holy Spirit, by whose operation remission of sins is given in baptism; because as the body is visibly cleansed by the waters of baptism, so the soul is invisibly cleansed from all sins by the operation of the Holy Spirit. But Gehazi, who received from Naaman the price of health, and inherited his leprosy, designates those who sell to men the teaching of their preaching: whom the Lord in the Gospel calls not shepherds, but hirelings. Elisha therefore conferred health, and Gehazi received the price; because from those whom divine mercy saves, perverse teachers exact the price of health.

And therefore they become heirs of their leprosy; because, remaining in the evils which these others despised through the grace of God, they acquire for themselves perpetual damnation. Concerning the openings of the four seals, which it is certain pertain to the Old Testament, we have said a few things out of many; that we might show that the opening of the seals is nothing else but the demonstration of spiritual senses in the Old Testament, which has been made to us through Christ. There follows: And behold a pale horse, and he that sat upon him, his name was Death, and Hell followed him. These things which are said of the fourth horseman seem to pertain to Antichrist: but because we have interpreted the three preceding horsemen in a good sense, that they might agree with the openings of the three seals; the rightness of order compels us to understand this one also in a good sense, so that it may agree with the opening of the fourth seal, which we have shown pertains to the prophets.

The pale horse, therefore, signifies the prophets: now paleness comes upon men in various ways; sometimes from fear, sometimes from sickness, sometimes from death overtaking the whole body, and men grow pale in many other ways besides. The prophets, then, who foretold to the sinning people that they would be given over to plunder and the sword and destruction, are not unfittingly said to have had a pale color: but the rider of this horse is the Lord, who dwelt in his prophets. But it seems very hard that he is said to have had the name of death; for he himself is the life of all his elect, as he himself says: I am the life. But if we examine the divine Scriptures diligently, we shall find that our Lord Jesus Christ is also called death.

For as he is the life of all the elect, to whom he daily grants eternal life; so also he can be called the death of the reprobate, whom for their crimes he daily hands over to perpetual death; for he has power to destroy both soul and body in hell. He is said, then, to have had the name of death, because he brought death upon the sinning people of Israel, as he himself plainly shows in the song of Deuteronomy, when he says: A fire is kindled in my wrath, and it shall burn even to the lowest hell: and shall devour the earth with its increase, and shall burn the foundations of the mountains. I will heap evils upon them, and will spend my arrows among them: they shall be consumed with famine, and the birds shall devour them with a most bitter bite. I will send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the fury of creatures trailing upon the ground and creeping. The sword without shall lay them waste, and terror within, and so forth.

This horseman was followed by Hell, because Hell swallowed up all those who despised the threats of the prophets, which they had brought forth to the people from the mouth of the Lord. Whence there follows also: And power was given to him over the four parts of the earth, to kill with sword, with famine, with death, and with the beasts of the earth. By the four parts of the earth, the whole land of Israel is designated. But in what manner they were consumed with sword, and famine, and death, and the beasts of the earth, the books of the Prophets and of Kings plainly show. But we must inquire why the opening of four seals pertains to the Old Testament, and of three to the New. For there are four elements, by which we subsist according to the body; the Old Testament, therefore, is not unfittingly placed in the number four; because the law of Moses promised the Hebrew people nothing else but those things which pertain to the four elements.

But the New Testament is placed in the number three

because in it the faith of the Holy Trinity, without which we cannot be saved, is especially commended. And when he had opened the fifth seal. The opening of the fifth seal, and of the sixth and seventh, as we have already said, pertains to the opening of the New Testament: and although the New Testament is the opening of the Old Testament; yet many things are set down obscurely in it, which it is necessary should be expounded. The Savior, therefore, opened the fifth, sixth, and seventh seals, when the things which he spoke through parables, and which we have treated figuratively, he did, he made manifest to the teachers of the Church. But concerning the exposition of the New Testament there is no need for us to say anything, since it has been wonderfully and manifoldly expounded by the holy fathers.

The opening of the fifth seal, then, pertains to the martyrs: and Christ opened the fifth seal when he made manifest to the teachers of the Church the things which he said through parables and certain figures concerning the persecution of the martyrs, and their glorification. He also opened the fifth seal when he conferred upon them the heavenly glory which he had promised, and glorified them in the world among men. I saw under the altar of God the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.

The altar of God is Christ: the souls of the saints, therefore, rest under the altar

because as the members are subject to the head, and cleave to it, so also the souls of the saints, established in heavenly glory, are subject to Christ the Savior, and are joined to him by the union of members.

they cried out with a great voice, saying: How long, O holy and true Lord, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

Since Scripture commands that evil not be rendered for evil, and the Lord says in the Gospel: Love your enemies, and do good to them that hate you; how is it that the saints, established in the heavens, seek vengeance on their enemies? But we know that the saints of God long for the last day, on which they will receive from the Lord both their bodies and the full reward of their labors.

For the Lord showed this day is to be desired by his disciples, when he foretold the signs of the day of judgment, saying: Now when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And in the Lord's Prayer we constantly ask that thy kingdom come. But because the resurrection and glorification of the saints will take place on the day of judgment, and the day of judgment will be the condemnation of the impious, the saints ask for vengeance on their enemies when they ask that the day of the Lord come; because on that day they will be condemned with everlasting condemnation. But here a question arises, why the saints should desire the day of the Lord, since the prophet says: Woe to them that desire the day of the Lord? For we know that the day of the Lord is the condemnation of the impious, as we have already said.

And what need was there for the prophet to say: Woe to them that desire the day of the Lord!

Since no impious man is found who desires either his own death or the day of the Lord, because he fears being condemned on that day? And since what the prophet said is true, we must investigate its meaning. Indeed, the sins of the impious are their condemnation: therefore whoever desires to lie with a harlot desires his own condemnation; whoever desires to be drunk desires his own condemnation; whoever desires to steal a horse or an ox or something similar desires his own condemnation; whoever desires to inflict some loss on his neighbor desires his own condemnation. Therefore, since the condemnation of the impious will be the day of judgment, whoever desires to commit those crimes for which he will be condemned on the day of judgment, desires the day of the Lord, that is, his own condemnation. And white robes were given to them, each one.

The white robe is the glory of holy souls; the saints of God now possess a single white robe each

because while their bodies rest in the earth, they enjoy only the eternal blessedness of the soul; they will receive double robes then, when after the resurrection the souls together with their bodies will possess without end the glory of the heavenly homeland. And it was said to them that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants and their brethren, who are to be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. The little time is the time until the day of judgment; and it is called little because, in comparison with the time to come, it is very little.

Therefore the saints, who desire that the day of judgment come, in which they may receive both their bodies and the full reward of their labors, are bidden to wait a little time, until the number of their brethren be fulfilled; for the day of judgment will not come until the whole number of the elect is fulfilled. But we must ask why only the souls of those slain for the name of Christ are said to have rested under the altar of God and to have received robes, each one, when all the souls of the elect rest under this altar, and they too possess the same robes. By the souls of the slain, then, we ought to understand not only the martyrs, but also all the souls of the just; because they too are dead to the world, that they might live to God, as the Apostle says: For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

And of himself he says: The world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world; and: All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution; and: We must through many tribulations enter into the kingdom of God (Actor. Xiv, 21). And John also, the author of this book, is described as having drunk of the cup of the Lord, though he rested without being slain by the sword. And when he had opened the sixth seal. The opening of the sixth seal pertains, as we have said, to the casting down of the Jews and to the calling of the Gentiles. And because Christ spoke much through parables concerning the ruin of the Jews and the election of the Gentiles, and also did certain things which signified this; he opened the sixth seal when, through the grace of his inspiration, he disclosed to the teachers of the Church the things which he had said and done under figures. He opened the sixth seal also when he fulfilled in deed what he had foretold.

And there was a great earthquake.

By the earth in this passage the Jews are signified: there was a great earthquake when this people was devastated by the Romans. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair. By the sun the same people of the Jews is signified: the sun therefore became black as sackcloth of hair; because the people of the Jews, who, on account of the knowledge of the one God and the observance of the Law, shone like the sun in the world among the other nations, became hateful to all men on account of their iniquities; for penitents are clothed in sackcloth, to show that they are sinners. The sun therefore had the blackness of sackcloth, because the crimes of the Jews were laid open to all nations. And the moon became as blood. The moon has the same signification as the sun; for it signifies the Synagogue.

The moon therefore appeared to have the appearance of blood

because it became clear to all that the Jews, on account of the shedding of the blood of Christ and of his saints, were destroyed. And the stars fell upon the earth, as a fig tree casteth its green figs, when it is shaken by a great wind. By the stars are signified the chief priests, the scribes and the pharisees: by the fig tree we can understand the land of the Jews: the green figs, the unripe fruits of that same tree, are so called because they fall quickly when the tree is shaken by the wind. The fig tree therefore was shaken by the wind, and cast off its useless fruits from itself; because the land of the Jews was invaded by the Romans, and cast out from itself a useless nation, hateful to God, that it might become a dwelling place for the faithful.

And so the stars fell to the earth in the manner of green figs

because those who, through the teaching of the Law, shone like stars among the people, were shut up in the same punishment as the rest of the multitude. And the heaven departed as a scroll that is rolled up. By heaven the old Testament is signified: but when a scroll is rolled up, its writing is hidden from the eyes of those who look upon it. The scroll therefore was rolled up for the Jews, because they refused to understand the spiritual meaning in the old Testament, which pointed to Christ. And so the heaven departed like a scroll that is rolled up, because the old Testament forsook the Jews, and passed over to the Gentiles. And every mountain and the islands were moved out of their places. And since the land of the Jews is mountainous, we can understand by the mountains those who dwelt in the cities, and by the islands those who dwelt in the plains.

They were moved out of their places

because all were either exterminated or led away into captivity.

the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the tribunes, and the rich men, and the strong men, and every bondman and freeman hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains: and they say to the mountains: Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; because the great day of their wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? By the kings of the earth, princes and tribunes, we can understand those who seemed to rule this nation: by the rich men and the strong men, the bondmen and freemen, the rest of the multitude.

But how they hid themselves in the caves and rocks of the mountains, Josephus clearly relates, who describes the overthrow of Jerusalem For the affliction was so great, that while they were being consumed by long famine, and were afflicted both from without by the enemy, and much more grievously from within by robbers, they hid themselves in wells and sewers and certain hidden places in the earth, desiring to die, that they might end their protracted misery by a swift death. And knowing that they were suffering these things for their own crimes, and that after death they would suffer the punishments of hell, they desired to be crushed and hidden by the mountains under which they were lurking, from the face of God and from the face of his Christ, whom they knew they had gravely offended.

For the Lord also, when he was being led to his passion, foretold that they would suffer this, saying to the women who lamented over him: Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children; for behold, the days are coming when they shall say: Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck! Then shall they begin to say to the mountains: Fall upon us; and to the hills: Cover us. For if in the green wood they do these things, what shall be done in the dry? He calls himself the green wood, and them the dry wood: as if he had said: If in me, who am wood according to my humanity, but green according to my divinity, that is, who am God and man, they do these things; what shall be done in those who are dry wood, that is, who do not have the greenness of faith? It is understood: they shall perish most miserably.

And also the fig tree which the Lord, before his passion, by cursing made withered

because he found no fruit in it; signified those same Jews, whom he condemned with perpetual malediction, because he found in them no fruit of faith.

7. The Four Angels and the Sealing of the 144,000

— After these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth.

Having first set forth the casting down of the Jews, he now begins to narrate how the Church was gathered together from the Gentiles. For by the four angels are signified four kingdoms, namely those of the Assyrians, the Persians, the Macedonians, and the Romans. But since the power of the four kingdoms had passed to the Romans alone, by the four angels only the Romans are understood, who had claimed for themselves the power of the four kingdoms: and by the four corners are signified all the nations contained within the four regions of the world, which the Romans had subjected to themselves. Holding the four winds of the earth, that they should not blow upon the earth, nor upon the sea, nor upon any tree.

By the winds, which stir up the clouds so that, watering the earth, they make its face cheerful and fruitful, is signified the peace desired by all mortals, which both gladdens the minds of men and gives them the power to attend to their own affairs: by the earth and sea all nations are figured: by the trees, those who held the principate among them. The four angels therefore held the four winds, that they should not blow upon the earth; because the Romans, who are signified by the four angels, filling the whole earth with slaughters, and rapine, and the deaths of men, did not allow the human race to be at peace and quiet. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the sign of the living God. The other angel is Christ, of whom it is written: And his name shall be called the Angel of great counsel.

He is the sun, of whom it is written: But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise, and health in his wings. From the rising of the sun Christ ascended, that is, from himself; since he took flesh not from the union of a man, but from himself, who indeed created for himself immaculate flesh out of the flesh of the Virgin. The sign of the living God, moreover, is his divinity: for placed in the flesh, he had the sign of the living God; because he did those works which showed him to be the only Son of God, as he himself says: The works that I do, they bear witness of me. And he cried with a great voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying: Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we seal the servants of our God on their foreheads.

To have cried out is to have made God act; for by his coming he brought it about that the Romans ceased from harassing the human race, and that peace came to be throughout the whole world, as the Psalmist says: In his days shall justice arise, and abundance of peace, until the seeds of faith should be scattered through all nations, and those who were foreordained to eternal life should be sealed with the seal of faith. And I heard the number of them that were signed, a hundred forty-four thousand were signed, of every tribe of the children of Israel. By the hundred forty-four thousand are signified the elect of the present Church; for twelve times twelve make a hundred forty-four. Therefore all who keep the faith of the twelve apostles, and imitate their deeds, stand within this number. But we must ask why they are said to be gathered from every tribe of the children of Israel, when far more have believed from the Gentiles than from the Jews.

But if we attend to the interpretations of the names, we will find all the elect in the names of the twelve tribes; for the names of the twelve tribes pertain to all the elect.

Of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand sealed: of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand sealed: of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand sealed: of the tribe of Aser, twelve thousand sealed: of the tribe of Nephthalim, twelve thousand sealed: of the tribe of Manasses, twelve thousand sealed: of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand sealed: of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand sealed: of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand sealed; of the tribe of Zabulon, twelve thousand sealed: of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand sealed: of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand sealed. Judah is placed first, but Benjamin last: and if we wish to look into the interpretations of the names, we find Judah lower, but Benjamin higher; for he who desires to ascend to God begins from lesser things, that by growing gradually he may arrive at greater things, as the Psalmist says: They shall go from strength to strength.

And because the saints ascend to God by the path of the virtues, he adds: The God of gods shall be seen in Sion. Judah is interpreted "confession." Judah therefore is placed first; because whoever desires to be converted to God after sins must first confess his sins, as the apostle James says: Confess your sins one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be saved, namely that through confession of sins and penance he may render God, whom he had offended, appeased toward himself. And because he who does penance salutarily, and weeps over the evils he has done, causes joy in heaven, he turns the eyes of God's mercy toward himself, as the Lord says: Turn to me, and I will return to you. Reuben is placed second, who is interpreted "son of vision"; because through penance he who before was a son of perdition is made a son of vision.

After Reuben follows Gad, who is interpreted "girded"; because it is necessary that he who repents of having done evil, and asks not to fall back into the same, be armed against all vices, and cut off carnal pleasures from himself: for it cannot be that he abstain from sins who rests in carnal pleasures.

And because he who fights manfully against vices already begins to be blessed; Aser is placed in the order, who is interpreted "blessed." After Aser is placed Nephthalim, who is interpreted "my enlargement." For everyone who knows that he has offended God, and wishes divine mercy to come to his aid, ought himself also to have mercy on whomever he can, and in whatever way he can, as the Lord says: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. For the mind of that man is enlarged on every side who, through the love he owes his neighbors, has mercy on all whom he can. After Nephthalim follows Manasses, who is interpreted "forgetful"; because it is fitting that he who weeps for his sins, who bestows alms on the poor, that his sins may be forgiven, should so abandon those same sins that he may seem to have utterly forgotten them.

And therefore Simeon follows, who is interpreted "hearing"; for he who prays that the evils he has done be forgiven him is heard by God, if he abandons all vices entirely. Then follows Levi, who is interpreted "added" or "assumed"; because he who has already exercised penance for the sins he has done, who has fought against vices and conquered them, who has been merciful toward the needy, and by these works has merited that his sins be forgiven, now secure of pardon, casts away from his mind the fear of eternal fire, and is wholly taken up into the love of God and of the heavenly homeland, and is added to those who are called and are the sons of God. Issachar follows, who is interpreted "reward": but we shall see the interpretation of this name more clearly if we set down what his mother Leah said at his birth; for she says: God hath given me a reward, because I gave my handmaid to my husband. And therefore she called his name Issachar, that is, reward.

Our flesh ought to be our handmaid: our husband is our God.

But we give our handmaid to our husband, if we bind our flesh to the service of God, if we compel it to watch, fast, and abstain, and subdue its pleasures. Issachar therefore was given to Leah as a reward by God; because to those who subdue the flesh, who extinguish vices, that reward is given by God, that they be enriched with virtues.

And therefore after Issachar is placed Zabulon, who is interpreted "dwelling place of strength." But who is strong, save God? Of whom the Psalmist says: The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. And what is the dwelling place of strength, but the dwelling of God? For God dwells in that man in whom faith, patience, chastity, humility, charity, and the other virtues abide. And because through the exercise of the virtues the rewards of merits are increased, Joseph follows next, who is interpreted "increase." Benjamin is placed last, or rather placed higher, who is interpreted "son of the right hand." For the Son is called the right hand of the Father: and the Gospel says that the saints of God shall be placed at the right hand of God. The elect therefore become sons of the right hand, when, withdrawn from this life, they are placed in the heavenly seats; where there is nothing on the left, but all on the right.

Therefore, since we have carried through the interpretations of the names of the twelve tribes to that end, whereby they are placed in the heavenly seats, it is fitting that we transfer what follows to the glorification of holy souls.

After this I saw a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and in the sight of the Lamb ...

And they cried with a loud voice, saying: Salvation to our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb. By the multitude mentioned above, which is comprehended by number, are designated the elect who labor in the Church of God in each age, as we have already said. And because many are called, but few chosen, and in comparison with the reprobate the multitude of the elect is small, not without reason are the elect who in each age labor in the Church of God designated by the number of one hundred forty-four thousand: but in heavenly blessedness, where at each time they are gathered from all nations, tribes, and tongues, so great a multitude of them is made that it can be comprehended by no number.

By the white robes, moreover, the purity of souls is designated: the palms are set as a sign of victory. Palms therefore are possessed in heavenly blessedness not only by the holy martyrs, to whom victory is especially ascribed, but also by all the elect who, placed in this world, fought bravely against visible and invisible enemies. The palms are the rewards of the victory of the saints; who are also said to cry with a loud voice: Salvation to our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb; the saints of God never cease from the praises of God, nor yet is there any labor in praising God; because just as the vision of God is sweet to the saints, so also is the praise of God.

all the angels stood round about the throne, and the elders, and the four living creatures, and they fell before the throne upon their faces, and adored God, saying: Amen, Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honor, and power, and might, be to our God for ever and ever, amen. Above, thousands of thousands of angels are said to praise God round about the throne: but here they are comprehended by no number, but all are said to stand round about the throne. We can understand by the angels above, who are comprehended by number, those who are appointed to various duties in the world: but by those who are set without number, those who dwell with the Lord in the heavens. But here too seven blessings are set down, just as above, to show that in the same way both these bless God, who guard the world by their governance, and also those who dwell with the Lord in the heavens.

one of the elders answered, saying to me: These that are clothed in white robes, who are they, and whence came they?

And I said to him: My lord, thou knowest. He asks in order to teach; for by the elder are understood the teachers of the Church: and by John, the hearers. For the holy preachers make known to their hearers, in whatever ways they can, the glory of holy souls; that they may kindle the minds of their hearers to the love of the heavenly homeland. And he said to me: These are they who came out of great tribulation; and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Here he shows that this pertains not to the elect who labor in this life; but to those who rest with the Lord in the heavenly life. For the saints do not come from great tribulation, but come into the world to endure great tribulations, as Solomon says: Man is born to labor, and the bird to flight.

And the Lord says in the Gospel: Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice's sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And Paul says: Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of heaven; for here is the time of tribulation, there the time of peace. The saints therefore come out of great tribulation, because, withdrawn from this life, where is the time of tribulation, they are placed in eternal rest. Moreover they washed their robes, because, while placed in this life, they cleansed their souls from all the filth of sins: first indeed through baptism, but afterward through penance and tears, and works of mercy, and through other good works. Which robes are also said to have been made white in the blood of the Lamb; because the souls of the elect, which before were wrapped in the blackness of sins, through the redemption of Christ's blood assumed the whiteness of purity.

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. For the saints of God stand in the sight of God, and enjoy his vision without ceasing. Moreover, he calls the heavenly homeland the temple of God, and the service of God, the love of God. For what service is so acceptable to God, as to be loved with the whole heart, and with all strength? And who loves God so ardently, as those who continually gaze upon his face? And he that sitteth upon the throne shall dwell over them. The throne of God are the saints of God, as we have said above. Those, therefore, who are designated by the throne of God, are those who cried Salvation to our God and to the Lamb. Over whom God dwells: and God dwells over his saints, when he illuminates them with his light, surrounds and protects them.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more.

Since the Lord says in the Gospel: Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice; for they shall be filled; why then are the saints of God here said never to hunger? But, as we have said above, we must believe that this pertains not to the elect who dwell in this life: but to those who rejoice with God in heavenly blessedness. For the just, while placed in this life, seeing the injustices of men, hunger and thirst after justice, desiring all men to be just, as they themselves are. They hunger and thirst also that their own justice may increase daily; they hunger and thirst for eternal life. But the souls of the saints shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; because what they hungered for, they have already deserved to receive. And the sun shall not fall upon them, nor any heat.

By the sun we can understand the tribulations which the saints endure from men: by the heat, the temptations of demons, or carnal pleasures. And because the saints, while placed in this life, conquered by enduring the persecutions of wicked men, overcame the temptations of demons, extinguished carnal desires in themselves, being placed in heavenly blessedness, they feel no labor forever.

For the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, shall rule them. God rules his saints, when he so disposes their wills, that they can will nothing except what God wills. And shall lead them to the fountains of the waters of life. The fountain of life is Christ, who says: I am the life. For whatever is without him is dead: but whatever is in him is life. Christ leads his saints to the fountain of life, because he leads them to himself; that they may be one with him. By the waters we can understand these same saints; for he himself indeed is also the fountain of waters, because from him proceeds all the holiness of the elect, as he himself said: Without me you can do nothing.

And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Because the time of weeping was here, the time of laughing shall be in that blessedness, as the Lord says: Blessed are they that mourn now, for they shall be comforted.

8. The Seventh Seal and the Nativity of Christ

when he had opened the seventh seal.

The opening of the seventh seal pertains to the nativity of Christ: but we must inquire why it is placed in the seventh position, not the fifth. It is written in Genesis, that in six days God made all things which took their origin from heaven and earth, but on the seventh he rested; and therefore he called the seventh day the sabbath, that is, rest. But what is our rest, if not Christ? Not unfittingly, therefore, is the nativity of Christ placed at the opening of the seventh seal; because he himself is the rest of all his saints, which is figured by the seventh day.

And because the things that were done at the nativity of Christ possess a spiritual understanding, Christ opened the seventh seal when he made manifest to the teachers of the Church, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, those things which were done by way of signification. There was silence in heaven as it were for half an hour. By the silence is designated the peace which, at the birth of Christ, was made throughout the whole world by Octavian Augustus. But the silence was made for half an hour, because the peace which the Church had among the pagans in the beginning of the faith remained but a short time; for it was interrupted by the emperor Nero, and after Peter and Paul had been slain, he ordered that all Christians be persecuted.

I saw seven angels standing in the sight of God, and there were given to them seven trumpets.

The order of these seven angels is in what follows; for just as a herald is sent before a king or prince, to announce his coming; so also John, because the things designated by the angels were great, wished to make mention of them before coming to their narration.

another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer in his hand: and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which is before the Lord. This angel signifies Christ: he came, moreover, because he appeared in the world through the mystery of the incarnation: by the golden altar the Church is designated. He is said to have stood before the altar; for Christ lay hidden among the unbelievers, who reckoned him a mere man: but he stood among the faithful, who believed him to be true God. He stood therefore before the altar, because he made manifest to the apostles and the rest of the believers, of whom the Church then consisted, that he was God. By the censer, moreover, which he held in his hand, the hearts of the apostles and the rest of the faithful are shown.

It is said to have been golden, because the hearts of the disciples, purified by faith, and gilded by the wisdom which they had learned from Christ. It is said that he held the censer in his hand, because the hearts of the apostles were in the hand of God, as Solomon says: The heart of the king is in the hand of God; whithersoever he wills, he shall incline it. Was, then, the heart of this Solomon in the hand of God, when he worshipped idols? Was the heart of Antiochus or Herod in the hand of God? Were the hearts of the kings who persecuted the saints of God in the hand of God? They were in the hand of the devil, who inclined them to whatever crimes he wished: but the hearts of spiritual kings, that is, of the saints, are in the hand of God; and therefore he will incline them whithersoever he wills.

There follows: And there was given to him much incense.

Much incense is the precepts of the Gospel; for incense is placed in the censer, so that, having taken heat from the fire, it may spread the fragrance of its odor all around: likewise Christ placed the teaching of the Gospel in the hearts of his disciples, who, kindled by the fire of charity, spread the odor of their faith through all nations. Whence it follows: That he should offer of the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar, which is in the sight of God. There are several kinds of prayer; for the faithful pray with words, beseeching God that all their sins may be forgiven them: they also pray by bestowing alms, as the Lord says in the Gospel: Give alms, and behold, all things are clean unto you. And elsewhere it is written: As water extinguishes fire, so alms extinguishes sin.

They also pray by forgiving their neighbors what they have offended in them, as the Lord says in the Gospel: If you forgive men their sins, your heavenly Father also will forgive you your sins. They pray no less also by keeping the precepts of charity, as it is written, that charity covers a multitude of sins. He therefore prays God to good effect who keeps the commandments of God; for it profits us nothing to implore the clemency of God with words, and to provoke it with deeds. Upon the golden altar, therefore, God gave of the prayers of the saints, when he placed upon the hearts of believers the faith, teaching, and deeds of the apostles and the rest of the preachers; so that they might have whence to be instructed and what to imitate.

Whence there follows: And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended from the hand of the angel before God.

By the smoke of the incense is designated not only the prayers of the faithful, but also the fragrance of good works, which unceasingly ascends from the Church before God. This smoke is said to ascend from the hand of the angel: because whatever good the faithful do, they do with God operating, as he himself says: Without me you can do nothing.

the angel took the censer, and filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it upon the earth.

And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake. By fire the Holy Spirit is designated: the angel, that is, Christ, therefore filled the censer, that is, the hearts of the disciples, from the fire of the altar, that is, from the Holy Spirit; when, after his ascension into heaven, on the tenth day, the Holy Spirit having been sent from heaven, he filled the hearts of the disciples, and gave them knowledge of all tongues. And if the Church is designated by the altar, why is the Holy Spirit, before he was given, said to be the fire of the altar, as the same John says: The Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified? But the Holy Spirit, before he was given, was the fire of the altar; because through the grace of remission the Church already possessed him.

For the Lord, before his passion, promised that he would give the Holy Spirit to his disciples; and the same John, having set down the words of Caiaphas saying: It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not, added, saying: But this he spoke not of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation; and not for the nation only, but that he should gather into one the children of God who were scattered. Were, then, those who were to believe in Christ, who scattered throughout all nations served idols, children of God? They were already, then, children of God by predestination; because they were already predestined to eternal life. They were gathered together into one afterward, when through the faith which they received in baptism they were joined to the body of the Church.

The angel therefore cast the fire, which he had placed in the censer, upon the earth; because he poured out, through the mouths of the apostles, the teaching of faith, which he had placed in the hearts of the apostles, through the coming of the Holy Spirit, into the hearts of the Jews, who through unbelief were earth. There were lightnings, voices, and thunders, and an earthquake. By the lightnings are designated the miracles which were wrought through the apostles, by the voices preaching, and by the thunders the threat of eternal fire: by the earthquake, moreover, we can understand the conversion of the Jews; for they were converted to penitence through the preaching of blessed Peter, as the book of the Acts of the Apostles relates: Now when they had heard these things, they were pricked in heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles: Men and brethren, what shall we do? Show us. And it is written afterward, that at this first preaching of Peter three thousand of them believed, and afterward innumerable others.

May the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ deign to pour out this fire

that is, the Holy Spirit, upon us who are earth; that from carnal we may be made spiritual, who lives and reigns for ever and ever, amen.

By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ granting it, we have said a few things about the openings of the seven seals; now let us set forth some things concerning the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels, which follows. By the seven angels are designated the teachers who were sent by God to instruct the people of God, and who shall be sent even to the end. And because the mysteries of the divine Scriptures were disclosed, God inspiring, more clearly to the teachers of the Church than to the rest, the order of reason demanded that after the unsealing of the seals, which signifies the opening of the divine Scriptures, seven angels should be placed, by whom all the teachers of the people of God are designated, who received the knowledge of the divine Scriptures more richly.

And just as we have divided the whole body of the elect into seven parts, so also the seven angels were seen to sound with trumpets: by whom all the teachers of the people of God are designated, although they differ a little from that order. For above, by the poderis, which is the ankle-length tunic, and is placed first among the ornaments of the Lord, as also in what follows, by the first horn of the Lamb, we said that the just who were before the flood were designated: by the golden girdle on the body of Christ, moreover, and by the second horn, the patriarchs and the rest who were before the Law: here, however, by the first angel are designated the teachers who were from the beginning of the world until the Law, by the second the teachers of the Law.

the seven angels prepared themselves to sound the trumpets.

By the sounding of the trumpet preaching is designated; for the holy preachers are always ready for this, that they may gain for God whomever they can, through the teaching of their preaching.

the first angel sounded the trumpet.

By the first angel, as we have already said, the preachers who were before the Law are designated. The first angel therefore sounded the trumpet, because the holy men who were before the Law, although they had no law but the natural one, are to be believed to have persuaded whomever they could of this, that they should fear and love God their creator, and that no one should do to another what he would not wish to suffer himself. And there was hail and fire, mingled with blood, and it was cast upon the earth. The things that appeared to happen while the seven angels sounded the trumpets are to be taken, as it seems to me, in a good sense: just as, on the contrary, the pouring out of the seven bowls of the angels, which follows, is to be taken in a bad sense. By the hail, therefore, which strikes, are designated the words of holy men, which struck the hearts of wicked men by rebuking them.

It is described as having fire and blood mingled: by fire the Holy Spirit is designated, who, dwelling in his saints, was the minister of their words: by blood, moreover, Christ is understood, who was both often foretold by the Fathers, and prefigured by their deeds: but earth signifies the men of the age subjected to sin.

And the third part of the earth was burnt up ...

and all green grass was burnt up. By the third part of the earth we must understand those who were saved through the teaching and examples of good men: who burned and destroyed by the fire of the fear and love of God whatever was wicked in themselves. But the trees signify those who held a position of leadership among them: through whom many were saved by the teaching and examples of good men, as Abimelech through Abraham, and Job's three friends through Job. By the green grass, moreover, which is said to have been wholly burnt, are designated those who were also designated above by the third part of the earth and of the trees that were burnt, that is, the elect, who were at that time; for green grass is kindled with difficulty, but dry grass is quickly consumed. By the green grass, then, the elect are designated, by the dry the reprobate. Of this dry grass the prophet says: Surely the people is grass.

The grass is withered, and the flower has fallen: but the word of the Lord endures for ever; by the green grass, therefore, are designated those who were green in faith, who burned away with the fire of charity whatever was reprobate in themselves.

the second angel sounded the trumpet.

By the second angel are designated Moses and the rest of the teachers of the Law. And behold, as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea. By the great mountain the law of Moses is designated, which is likened to a mountain because of the gravity of its weight; and because of the spiritual understanding which shone forth in the Law, it is said to burn with fire. But the Hebrew people themselves, because of the greatness of their crimes, are designated by the sea. And the third part of the sea became blood, and the third part of the creatures which had life in the sea died, and the third part of the ships perished. Every remission in the Law was made through the shedding and sprinkling of blood; whence Moses also sprinkled the people with blood, saying: This is the blood of the Testament, which God has commanded unto you.

But also Aaron and his sons, that they might be made clean for offering sacrifices to God, the same Moses sprinkled with blood, nor could there be remission without the shedding of blood.

By the third part of the sea, therefore, the elect who were at that time are designated: by blood, indeed, in this place we can understand the remission of sins. The third part of the sea, then, was turned into blood; because the elect who were at that time deserved to be cleansed from their sins through observance of the Law. But the third part of the creature which had life in the sea, and is said to have died, has the same signification as the third part of the sea which was turned into blood. By the sea, however, as we have already said, the multitude of sins is designated: but fish, when withdrawn from the waters, lose their lives.

The elect, then, as long as they are turning about in the waters of their vices, have marine souls

that is, wrapped in the darkness of sins; but when, either through baptism or through penance, they are drawn out of the waters of their vices, they lose, as it were, their former souls, when from evil they are made good, and die to the devil, that they may live to God. The third part of the fish, therefore, gave up their souls, because the elect who were at that time died to sin through the observance of the Law, and began to live to God. By the ships, moreover, which have the waters beneath them and rise above them, the princes of that nation are designated. But the third part which perished designates those who among them were righteous according to the sense we have stated; in that they perished and died to sin, and lived to God. And the third angel sounded the trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, burning as a torch.

The star has the same signification as the angel; for it signifies the prophets: but we must inquire how it is said to have fallen from heaven to earth. The saints ascend, as it were, into heaven, when divine love raises them to the contemplation of heavenly things: they fall to earth, when love of their neighbors draws them down to lowest things; that by their preaching they may bring back sinners to the way of truth; but a torch is kindled that it may drive away the darkness of night. The words of the prophets, then, were torches, because they put to flight the darkness of sins from the minds of men. We can also understand by the fire of the torch the Holy Spirit, by which the prophets, being inflamed, both corrected many from their iniquities, and foretold things that were to come. And it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters.

By the rivers and fountains the twelve tribes with their households are designated: by the third part, indeed, those among them who were foreordained to eternal life are figured. The star fell, therefore, upon the third part of the rivers, because those received the doctrine of the prophets and planted it in their hearts who were predestined to eternal life. And the name of the star is called Wormwood. Wormwood is exceedingly bitter: by wormwood, therefore, the threats of the prophets are designated, which they addressed to the sinning people, foretelling to them that unless they should do penance, they would be given over to their enemies as prey and into captivity; and that if even then they should not repent, they would be condemned to perpetual death. And the third part of the waters became wormwood. Those took upon themselves the bitterness of repentance through the threats of the prophets, who above we said were designated by the third part of the waters, that is, the elect. And many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

For the bitterness of repentance brought death upon those who deserved to be saved; for they died according to that which they had been as evil, and lived according to that which they began to be as good. And the fourth angel sounded the trumpet. The fourth angel signifies Christ and his apostles. And the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day did not shine for a third part, and the night likewise. The sun, moon, and stars pertain to one thing; for by the sun the people of the Jews is designated, by the moon the Synagogue, and by the stars the chief priests and Pharisees. But if we should wish to transfer the darkening of the sun and moon and stars to those who refused to believe in Christ, the order above would be disturbed.

For above we have shown that the burning of the third part of the earth, which is said to have happened at the sound of the trumpet of the first angel; the turning of the third part of the sea into blood, which appeared to happen at the sound of the trumpet of the second angel; and likewise the turning of the third part of the waters into wormwood, which is read to have happened at the sound of the trumpet of the third angel—are to be taken in a good sense, and therefore pertain to the elect. It follows, then, that we should interpret the smiting of the sun and moon and stars in a good sense. By the third part of the sun, then, which was smitten, that is, darkened, those from the people of the Jews who believed in Christ are designated; for they were darkened to the impious Jews, but shone forth in the sight of God.

Likewise also by the third part of the moon and of the stars which was darkened, those from among the rulers of the synagogues and the priests and the Pharisees who believed in Christ are designated; because they too, on account of the true light, that is, Christ, whom they had received, were darkened to those whose mind's eyes the devil had blinded, lest they should believe in Christ; for the brightness of the sun blinds bleary eyes rather than illumines them. We can, indeed, understand by the third part of the day the apostles, and by the third part of the night those who believed from among the gentiles. For the apostles were darkened to those who not only despised their teaching, but even persecuted them everywhere. Concerning this darkening of them the Lord says: But you shall be delivered up by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and they shall put to death some of you. And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake.

And I saw and heard the voice of one eagle flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice: Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth, from the voices of the three angels who are about to sound the trumpet. By heaven in this place the Church is designated: the eagle, indeed, denotes Christ and his apostles. The eagle, therefore, flew through the midst of heaven and cried out; because Christ first through Judea, and his apostles indeed through all the nations, preached the Gospel: they also foretold in many ways the persecutions which the Church was to suffer from adversaries. And therefore he set down three woes, of which the first pertains to the heretics, who strove in many ways to attack the Church of God: the second to the pagans, who persecuted that same Church of God, and slew a very great multitude of the faithful: the third to Antichrist, who at the end of the world will make war upon the people of God.

Nor ought we to think that the three woes pertain to the elect, who endured various calamities from the impious: but rather to those same impious ones, who inflicted those calamities. Whence also he says, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth; for the impious, who seek nothing other than earth, are rightly called inhabitants of the earth: but the righteous, who always desire heavenly things, are rightly called inhabitants of heaven, as the apostle Paul says: But our citizenship is in heaven.

9. The Fifth Trumpet and the Rise of Heresies

the fifth angel sounded the trumpet.

The fifth angel designates the defenders of the orthodox faith of the Church: they sounded the trumpet when they labored in every way for the defense of the faith. And I saw a star fall from heaven to earth. By the star the heresiarchs are designated; because just as stars shine in the sky, so also these, before they fell, shone with doctrine and wisdom in the Church. It fell from heaven to earth, because, cut off from the Church, they were joined to the body of the reprobate, who are designated by the earth. But we must ask why he first placed the heretics, who are designated by the star and the locusts; and afterward the persecutors, who are designated by the armored horsemen, of whom he is going to speak in what follows, at the sounding of the trumpet of the sixth angel.

It is because before the Roman emperors began to persecute the Church of God, heretics had already begun to exist, such as Nicolaus, who arose in the times of the apostles, and many others. And to him was given the key of the pit of the abyss. By the key is designated the free will of the heretics, which they possessed for evil; by the abyss, however, their hearts; and by the pit their mouths are designated. The key of the pit of the abyss, then, was given to the heretics, because God permitted heresies to exist, as the apostle Paul says: There must be heresies, that they who are approved may be made manifest among you.

he opened the pit of the abyss. The star which fell from heaven opened the pit of the abyss; because the heretics opened their mouths to bring forth the evils that lay hidden in their hearts. And there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace.

By smoke the doctrine of the heretics is designated; because just as smoke driven by the wind quickly vanishes, so also the doctrine of the heretics vanished like smoke through the teaching of the holy Fathers; by furnace, moreover, the hearts of the impious are often designated, as the prophet says: Their hearts are like a burning oven (Hosea 7:4). And the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke of the pit. By the sun Christ is often understood, but in this place the members of the same, that is, the holy preachers, are designated; by the air, however, the faithful people who were subject to them. But how were the elect darkened, whom heretical wickedness could not deceive? But they were darkened for those whom the heretics were able to deceive, who are designated in what follows by the locusts; but their brightness could not remain hidden from the rest of the faithful, just as a lamp cannot be hidden under a bushel.

from the smoke there came forth locusts upon the earth.

From the smoke, that is, from the doctrine of those who are called heresiarchs, a great multitude of heretics was generated.

They came forth upon the earth, because, separated from the fellowship of the elect, they were joined to those who are called earth, that is, to unbelievers. And power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. God is often said to have given what he permits; for God permits the impious to act wickedly, so that he may work good out of their evils. By scorpions, moreover, we may understand demons; because just as scorpions, when unforeseen, infect and destroy the bodies of men with their poison, so also demons inject the poisons of evil persuasions into unwary men, and while they draw them to the commission of crimes, they kill their souls, infected with the poison of their malice.

The power of the locusts

that is, of the heretics, is therefore similar to the power of the scorpions, that is, of the demons; because just as the demons always press on in this, that they may deceive whomever they can, so also the heretics labored with all their might, that they might plunge into the pit of their own perdition whomever they could.

it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree. What the grass of the earth signifies, the same does every green thing; for just as above, under the sounding of the trumpet of the first angel, by all the green grass, which is said to be burned, are designated the elect who lived in the earliest times, so also here by the grass of the earth and every green thing the faithful people are designated; by the trees, moreover, the teachers of the Church are designated.

The heretics, therefore, were forbidden to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree

because God did not permit them to deceive those who possessed the greenness of faith, that is, who fulfilled in works the faith which they professed, nor the holy preachers, who were not thorns or thistles, from which neither grapes nor figs are gathered, but rather trees bearing the fruit of good works, by which the faithful people were refreshed. Hence it follows: But only such men as have not the seal of God on their foreheads. What is the seal of God, but charity, of which the same John speaks, saying: God is charity? We may indeed understand by foreheads, which very often show the qualities of minds, the hearts of the reprobate. Those, therefore, were easily deceived by the heretics who did not have the seal of the living God, that is, charity, in their hearts.

it was commanded them that they should not kill them.

What he says, it was commanded them, seems to me to pertain to the demons; for such is the wickedness of demons that, if God had permitted this, as soon as a man committed a mortal crime, they would immediately kill him; but God waits for wicked men, that they may at some time return to him through penance and be saved, or that the just may be tested through them. For the Psalmist also, speaking of the wicked, prayed, saying: Slay them not, lest at any time my people forget. And it is written in the book of Judges, that God let go the Canaanites and the Philistines, that Israel might be tried by them, and might have knowledge of fighting with enemies (Judges 3:1-2). God, therefore, commanded, that is, did not permit that all the heretics, or all the impious, should be exterminated, so that the just might have persons through whom they could be tested, as gold that is tested by fire. Hence it follows: But that they should be tormented five months.

By the five months we can understand the whole time of the present life, which consists of five ages. For the first age is infancy, the second boyhood, the third adolescence, the fourth youth, the fifth old age; although the blessed Gregory, in order to conform the ages of man to the six ages of the world, divided old age into two parts. In these five months, therefore, that is, in the whole time of the present life, not only the heretics, but also all the impious are tormented. For, whether they will or not, when they call to mind death and the punishment that follows death, although they may seem to rejoice over the prosperities of the world, they are yet inwardly tormented, because they know that they are to be tormented eternally for their crimes. On the other hand, the just, although outwardly afflicted in various ways, yet rejoice inwardly in the hope of heavenly glory, to which they believe they will attain.

We may also understand by the five months the whole time of this world; for the first month is from the origin of the world to the flood, the second from the flood to Moses, the third from Moses to David, the fourth from David to Christ, the fifth from Christ to the consummation of the age. In these five months, then, all the fabricators of errors are tormented, either in the manner we have said above, or because they see their own false inventions overcome by the truth. And their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man. We said above that by scorpions the demons are designated; for just as a scorpion wounds the body with its sting, so that through the wound it may introduce poison, by which it kills the man, so also the devil wounds the mind with anger, or pride, or lust, or some carnal delight, that through this he may pour in the poison of his malice, and kill the soul.

The torment of the locusts, then, is said to be like the torment of the scorpion

because the heretics, imitating their father the devil, wounded the minds of unlearned men with smooth and well-composed words, and pouring in the poison of their error, killed their souls. Indeed, we may understand by the torment the killing of souls.

in those days men shall seek death, and shall not find it: and they shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

This statement pertains to the elect. In those days, that is, in the days in which the grace of the Gospel shines throughout the whole world, men shall seek death. Paul sought death by persecuting the Church of God, and did not find it; because Christ, who is an impenetrable wall, setting himself before him, forcibly brought him back from the death he sought to life, which is himself. There were also many others who sought death, either by persecuting the Church of God, or by practicing other evils; but death fled from them, because through the preaching of the saints they were called back to life. We ourselves have also seen certain men who sought death, and did not find it; and desired to die, and death fled from them.

For we know that there were certain men who, loving the world more than they ought, labored for a long time and in many ways in order to become rich, desiring to live delicately and to fulfill the desires of their flesh; but when they could not attain what they wished, rejecting the false promises of the world, they betook themselves to acquiring heavenly riches, and, as we believe, by persevering in good works, deserved to attain to the possession of them. We have likewise seen certain men leave monasteries and pass over to the world, and give themselves into the service of certain powerful men, that they might obtain, through their patronage, earthly riches and possessions which they could not have by themselves; but when they could not attain what they desired, they left the world and returned to their monasteries, and ended their life in good works. These, therefore, sought death, and did not find it; and desired to die, and death fled from them.

Of such the Lord speaks to the prophet under the figure of Jerusalem, saying: Behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and I will stop it up with a wall, and she shall not find her paths. And she shall follow after her lovers, and shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, and shall not find them (Hosea 2:6-7). Our lovers are carnal desires: we follow our lovers when we labor at this, that we may become possessors of riches, so that we may have the means to fulfill carnal desires. We follow our lovers, and do not overtake them, when, by the mercy of God interposing, we cannot attain to that which we uselessly desire.

the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle.

By horses the holy preachers are often designated, as the prophet Habakkuk speaks in his canticle, saying: Thou didst make a way in the sea for thy horses, in the mud of many waters. God made a way in the sea for his horses, in the mud of many waters, when at the beginning of the faith he bestowed peace on the world; so that his apostles might be able to run throughout all the nations, which are designated by the sea and the mud, and scatter the seeds of the faith. The horses of God, then, were being prepared for battle when the holy preachers were being armed both with word and with virtues, so that they might rescue the human race from the power of the devil.

The locusts, however, are said to be like horses prepared for battle

because just as the holy preachers labored with all their might to snatch as many as they could out of the snares of the devil, so also the heretics were always armed for this, that they might involve in the pit of their damnation as many as they could deceive. And on their heads were, as it were, crowns like gold. Often by gold wisdom is designated, as we have already said above; by the crowns of the locusts worldly wisdom is shown. The crowns of the locusts, therefore, were not gold themselves, but had the likeness of gold; because worldly wisdom, in which the heretics chiefly trusted, was not gold, that is, wisdom, but rather foolishness, as the apostle Paul says: The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.

And their faces were as the faces of men.

Man is a rational animal: by the faces of men we can understand the knowledge of the divine Scriptures, which the heretics were eager to have, that through it they might more easily deceive the simple. The locusts, then, appeared to have the faces of men, but it was a likeness, not the truth; because the heretics indeed seemed to have knowledge of the divine Scriptures, but they were far removed from the truth, because they did not understand it rightly. And they had hair like the hair of women. By hair, which is cut off without any feeling, we can understand the very great multitude of the foolish, who were easily deceived by heretics; because just as hair is cut off without injury, so these were cut off from the Church without any loss. By women, moreover, we can understand the various Churches.

The locusts therefore had hair like the hair of women

because just as the holy Churches of God had their own gatherings, which assembled at fixed times to celebrate the divine offices: so also the heretics had their own mad crowds, who came together in various places, not to celebrate divine mysteries, but diabolical ones. And their teeth were as the teeth of lions. The office of teeth is that whatever they have taken within themselves, they consume it by grinding, and sink it down into the pit of the belly. We can therefore understand by lions and teeth the persecutors of the Church: by lions indeed the princes, and by teeth those who at their command tore apart the saints of God.

The teeth of the heretics therefore were as the teeth of lions

because just as the pagans persecuted the Church of God, and whomever they could, they entangled by terrors and torments into the abyss of perdition; so also the heretics, allying certain powerful men to themselves, persecuted the Church of God, and afflicted many, like teeth, with threats and assaults, and sank them down into the belly of their own malice. And the sound of their wings was as the sound of many horses running to battle. We can understand by wings the words of the heretics; because just as wings lift birds up from the earth, so the heretics were lifted up by their own eloquence: by horses, moreover, preachers are designated, as we have already said above.

The sound of the wings of the locusts, therefore, was as the sound of many horses running to battle

because just as holy preachers sent forth the voices of their preachings, when they went forth to battle against the devil, that they might free the human race from his power: so also the heretics ran about in every direction, scattering false doctrine, that they might deceive whomever they could, and subjugate them to the devil. And they had tails like the tails of scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. The prophet Isaiah says that a prophet teaching a lie is a tail. The heretics, therefore, who because of their knowledge of the divine Scriptures think themselves to be prophets, are not inappropriately likened to the tails of scorpions, because their teaching was false and poisonous; whence they are also said to have had stings in their tails. For by the stings the blasphemies are designated, which they mixed in with the divine Scriptures.

And just as a scorpion would be harmless if it lacked its sting, so also the teaching of the heretics would be good, if they had not defiled it with blasphemies. Their power was to hurt men five months. What the five months are has already been said above. And they had over them as king the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon, and in Latin has the name Exterminans (the Destroyer). It is certain to all that the prince of the heretics is the devil, as the Lord says to Job: For he is king over all the sons of pride; whence he is also called the Destroyer, because he is the destroyer of all goodness.

One woe is past, and behold there come yet two woes more.

And the sixth angel sounded the trumpet. By the sixth angel the martyrs are designated: the sixth angel sounded the trumpet, because the martyrs of Christ offered the doctrine of the faith to unbelievers.

And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before the sight of the Lord, saying to the sixth angel.

By the golden altar, as we have already said above, the Church is designated. The four horns of the altar therefore signify the four evangelists: he says, therefore, that he heard one voice from the four horns of the golden altar; because there is one faith, one doctrine, which the four books of the Gospels teach. What this voice says to the sixth angel, he shows by adding: Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. Let us first say what the four angels are, what the bonds are, what the Euphrates is; and afterward let us examine more carefully why the Gospel commands the sixth angel to loose the four angels.

For just as above (Chapter 7), at the opening of the sixth seal, four angels were seen standing upon the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that they should not blow upon the earth, nor upon any tree: so also here, at the sound of the trumpet of the sixth angel, four angels are said to be bound in the great river Euphrates. These four angels therefore have the same signification as those; for they signify the four kingdoms, namely of the Assyrians, the Persians, the Macedonians, and the Romans. And because the power of the four kingdoms, as we said above, had passed to the Romans, by the four angels in this place the Romans are designated: by the Euphrates, moreover, this world is understood.

What the bonds of the four angels are, he shows above; for it was written above, that John saw an angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying: Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. By the angel who had the seal of the living God we have said that Christ was designated: the bonds of the four angels, therefore, are the words of the Lord—not that the Lord commanded the persecutors to cease from persecution until the seeds of faith should be scattered throughout all nations; but what he did by power is said to have been commanded by words. For the Romans, before the coming of Christ, could by no means be satisfied with slaughters and plunder and the shedding of the blood of the human race.

But when Christ came in the flesh, he bestowed peace upon the world, and the Romans, who could not restrain their hands from the shedding of human blood, were bound by peace, and were restrained from the shedding of blood. The voice, therefore, which proceeded from the four horns of the golden altar, commanded the sixth angel, who had the trumpet, to loose the four angels; because the doctrine of the Gospel commanded this to the preachers of the word of God, that they should not be terrified by any threats, by any terrors of impious men, so as to cease from the office of preaching, as the Lord says in the Gospel: Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. For the emperors of the Romans and the other princes of the earth, when they saw the Christian religion daily increasing, and the worship of idols being emptied out, threatened death to all who worshipped or preached Christ.

The sixth angel, therefore

that is, the martyrs, as it were loosed the four angels, that is, their persecutors, when, on account of unconquerable constancy in evangelizing, they armed themselves to persecute them. Whence it follows also: And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, to kill the third part of men. The four angels were loosed, because impious men, peace having been cast aside, with hands unbound which peace had bound, persecuted the people of God. But what he says: They were prepared, shows the will of impious men; because before the time of persecution came, they were prepared in desire to kill the people of God. Now the third part of men, as has been said above, signifies the elect.

Furthermore, that the four angels are said to have been prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, to kill the third part of men, we can refer to all the impious who have been from the beginning of the world, and shall be until the end. For by the hour is designated the time from the beginning of the world until the flood; by the day, the time from the flood until the Law; by the month, the time under the Law; and by the year, the time under grace. In these four times, therefore, the reprobate always persecute the elect. And the number of the army of horsemen was twenty thousand times ten thousand: I heard the number of them. Those who are designated by the four angels are the same as those designated by the army of horsemen, namely the persecutors of the Church.

The army of the persecutors, moreover, is said to be equestrian

because just as God has his horses, that is, the holy preachers, who carried him through the whole world; so the devil has his horses, that is, all the impious, upon whom he sits, and whom he drives on to perpetrate various crimes. They are said to be twenty thousand times ten thousand; for by a finite number the innumerable multitude of persecutors is expressed. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: and they that sat on them had breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and of brimstone. In this place, by the horses the insane people are designated, and by the riders of the horses the princes of the earth: by the breastplates, moreover, which repel from themselves the blows of swords, the hardness of the hearts of the reprobate is designated, which does not allow the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, to reach their hearts. These breastplates are said to be of fire, of jacinth, and of brimstone.

By fire, plainly, the cruelty of the mind of the persecutors is designated; by jacinth, which has the color of the sky, the honor of deity which they paid to their gods is designated; by brimstone, which stinks, the blasphemies which they uttered against Christ are designated. The persecutors, therefore, are said to have had breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and of brimstone; because partly on account of the unbelief of their minds they had hardened their hearts, so that they not only did not believe in Christ, but even persecuted his servants: partly on account of the defense of false gods, partly on account of the blasphemies which they uttered against Christ, saying that he was a magician and a seducer. And the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions. By the heads of the horses the emperors of the Romans are designated; because they seemed to be the heads of all the persecutors, who also, on account of their insatiable rage, are likened to lions.

And out of their mouths proceeded fire and smoke and brimstone.

By fire the impious decrees of the emperors are designated, by which the people of God were ordered to be killed: by smoke, moreover, the honor of deity, which they ordered to be paid to their gods. And rightly by smoke the falsity of idolatry is designated, because just as smoke vanishes from before the wind, so also the worship of idols perished in the sight of the preaching of the gospel: by brimstone, moreover, as was said above, the blasphemies which they cast against Christ are designated. By these three plagues was the third part of men killed; that is, the multitude of martyrs: namely by the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone, which proceeded out of their mouths.

For fire proceeded out of their mouths, that is, the most impious command, by which they ordered that the holy martyrs of God be killed: and smoke also proceeded, because they commanded that the honor of deity be paid by all men to their gods: and brimstone also proceeded, that is, blasphemies against Christ, commanding that the Christian religion be utterly extinguished from the world. For the power of the horses is in their mouth, and in their tails. Above, the heads of the horses are said to be as of lions: now in the mouth of lions stand the teeth, with which they grind and tear apart everything they have seized. We can therefore understand by teeth the executioners, who, placed in the mouth of the lions, that is, in the power of the persecutors, tormented the bodies of the saints with various tortures at their command.

The persecutors, therefore, had the bodies of the saints in their mouth

that is, in their power, but they did not have their souls, as the Lord says in the Gospel: Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. And therefore the power of the persecutors was only in the mouth; because they had the bodies of the saints in their power, but they did not have their souls: they could kill those whom they could not conquer. By the tails, moreover, the doctrine of the philosophers and poets is designated. For their tails were like unto serpents, having heads, and with them they do hurt. Rightly is the doctrine of the philosophers likened to serpents, because it was full of the poisons of lies. These serpents are said to have heads, because all the errors of the nations had their own authors.

The power of the horses, therefore, was in their tails

because the persecutors of the Church wished, through the doctrine of the philosophers, to overthrow the Christian religion.

the rest of the men, who were not slain by these plagues, neither did penance from the works of their hands, that they should not adore devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: and they did not do penance from their murders, nor from their sorceries, nor from their fornication, nor from their thefts; it is understood: they perished. The third part, therefore, which was killed, was saved, that is, the elect, of whom many were killed for the name of Christ: the rest would most willingly have perished, if necessity had demanded it. But the rest, that is, the pagans, who refused to believe in Christ, and to do penance for their iniquities, perished.

10. The Mighty Angel and the Open Little Book

And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head.

Because he had above narrated the adversities of the Church, which she suffered from heretics and pagans, it remains that he should narrate concerning her prosperity, how she grew amid persecutions. For it is established that the Church grew in persecutions, and the more she was oppressed, the more she was strengthened, and grew: just as we read written of the children of Israel, in figure of this same Church, who the more they were oppressed by the Egyptians, the more they were multiplied. The mighty angel designates our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the Psalmist says: The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. He is said to descend from heaven clothed with a cloud, because our Lord, coming into the world, put on flesh, which is designated by the cloud; that through the assumption of flesh he might conform himself to the men whom he came to redeem.

By the rainbow, moreover, his mercy is designated, as we have said above; but by his head, in this place, his divinity is understood. He had a rainbow on his head, because his divinity, before his incarnation, had assumed such mercy that he did not disdain to become man for the sake of men, and at last to be condemned to a most vile death. And his face was as the sun. Often the Lord is designated by the sun; because the sun surpasses all visible creatures in its splendor and beauty: but what creature could be compared to its Creator? Yet through visible figures invisible things are often shown. In the heart of the elect, therefore, Christ is the sun, whom they never cease to behold through hope, and they believe they will come to gaze upon his beauty. And his feet were as a pillar of fire. By the pillar of fire we may understand the Church; either because she shines fiery with the Holy Spirit, or because she burns unceasingly with love of God and neighbor.

By the two feet, moreover, we ought to understand two peoples. From two feet, therefore, one pillar is made; because from two peoples, namely from the Jews and from the Gentiles, one Church of God is built. We can also understand by the two feet the two Testaments, as we shall show more fully in what follows. Nor does this disagree with the previous sense, in that the Old Testament was given especially to the Jews, and the New especially to the Gentiles. And he had in his hand a little book open. This Book is described above as having been sealed with seven seals; but of its opening, by the Lord's grace, we have said something. The little book open in his hand, therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ is seen to hold; because he himself opened the sense of the divine Scriptures to the teachers of the Church. And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth.

By the right foot, as we have said, the New Testament is designated; by the left, the Old. By the sea, moreover, we may understand the people of the Gentiles, on account of the depth of their ignorance and error; by the earth, which is cultivated so that it may bear fruit, the Jews who were cultivated by the discipline of the Law, and bore fruit, when they fulfilled the legal precepts, although carnally. The Lord set his right foot, therefore, upon the sea, when he delivered the doctrine of the Gospel more specially to the Gentiles than to the Jews, just as Paul speaks to those same Jews, saying: To you it behooved us first to speak the word of God: but because you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. He set his left foot upon the earth, when he delivered the Law especially to the Jews.

But let no one be troubled that he mentioned the later things first, and the former things afterward; for this often occurs in the divine Scriptures. To prove this let us bring forward just one example. In the hundred and fifth psalm

when he had said: The earth opened, and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the congregation of Abiron: and a fire was kindled in their synagogue, a flame burned the sinners; he turns back, and says: And they made a calf in Horeb, and adored the graven image: nor is it unfitting that by the right foot the New Testament, and by the left the Old, be designated; since the Old Testament was the shadow of the New Testament. And he cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth. Christ cried out through the Law, but not as when a lion roars; because in the one house of Israel alone his voice was heard: he cried afterward through the Gospel, as when a lion roars; because his voice thundered into the whole world.

And when he had cried out, the seven thunders uttered their voices.

By the seven thunders we may understand the seven virtues. Christ cried out through the Law, but the seven thunders did not sound: he cried out through the Gospel, and the seven thunders uttered their voices. For to those to whom the Law said: Cursed is he who does not leave his seed in Israel; and to whom, for this reason, it was lawful to have many wives and concubines, the thunder of chastity had not yet sounded. Likewise also those to whom the Law said: An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; and whatever blemish a man inflicts, he shall be compelled to suffer the same; had not yet heard the thunder of patience. And those had not yet perfectly heard the thunder of charity, to whom the Law said: You shall love your friend, and hate your enemy. The same is to be understood of the other virtues.

The seven thunders, therefore, spoke, when through the doctrine of the Gospel the sublimity of the virtues began to be shown.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me: Seal up the things which the seven thunders have spoken, and write them not. The voice from heaven is the voice from the Church: to write, moreover, is to preach; for just as a scribe writes in ink upon a scroll, whereby readers are exercised, so also any teacher writes the words of God, when by preaching he plants them in the hearts of hearers. Why, therefore, it was forbidden by the voice that sounded from heaven that the seven thunders be written, we can find in the Acts of the Apostles, and in the epistles of Paul.

For in the beginning of the faith the holy preachers, seeing the weakness of the Gentiles coming to the faith, did not dare to commit to them the more austere precepts of Christ; lest perhaps, terrified by the harshness of the precepts, they should not dare to approach the reception of the faith of Christ, just as the apostle Paul wrote to his disciples, saying: As unto little ones in Christ, I gave you milk to drink, not meat; for you were not yet able, but neither indeed are you now able; for you are yet carnal. And also the apostles who were at Jerusalem enjoined those who had believed from among the Gentiles, saying: It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, to lay no further burden upon you, than that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

The voice from heaven, therefore, speaks to John, that he should not write the seven thunders

because the apostles, who are designated by heaven, gave command to the first preachers; lest they should compel those newly coming to the faith to ascend suddenly to the loftiness of virtues, until, strengthened in faith, they might then be able to pass over to the working of virtues.

the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth, lifted up his hand, and swore by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that are in it; and the earth, and the things that are in it; and the sea, and the things that are in it; that time shall be no longer: but in the days of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound the trumpet, the mystery of God shall be finished, as he hath declared by his servants the prophets. When we swear, we wish that what we say be firm.

To say, therefore, is for the Lord to have sworn

because it cannot be that what God speaks should come to naught, just as he himself says in the Gospel: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. When, therefore, Christ swore by him that liveth for ever, and by him who made all creatures, he swore by himself: Because all things were made by him, and without him was made nothing. He swore, moreover, not by binding himself with certain words, but by saying those things which were to come. By the seventh angel, moreover, are designated the preachers who shall be at the end of the world, of whom we shall speak in what follows. Christ swore, therefore, that in the days of the seventh angel the mystery of God should be finished, which he declared by his prophets; because he foretold that the end would come then, when the whole number of the elect had been completed.

And the voice which I heard from heaven, again speaking with me, and saying: Go, and take the book from the hand of the angel that standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

He calls this the first voice, when it was said to him from heaven: Seal up the things which the seven thunders have spoken, and write them not. He says, therefore, that he heard the same voice again; because it was the voice of the same Holy Spirit, both this and that. By John in this place we ought to understand all the apostles. The divine voice, therefore, spoke to John, that he should go To the angel, and receive the book from him; because the grace of the Holy Spirit inspired the apostles to leave all things and follow Christ; that they might receive from him the doctrine of the Gospel.

I went To the angel, saying to him that he should give me the book.

The apostles went to Christ, that they might be instructed by him in the doctrine of the divine Scriptures.

And he said to me: Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey. And when I had eaten it, my belly was made bitter. By the mouth, in which flavors are distinguished, we can understand the hearts of the apostles: by the belly, moreover, in which all the filth of the body abides, we ought to understand the memory of sins.

The book, then, while it was being eaten, is said to have been sweet as honey

because divine Scripture, while it is turned over in the mind, and promises eternal life to those who keep the commandments of God, becomes sweet as honey in the heart: but when it leads the mind from the higher things to the lower, that is, from the contemplation of the heavenly homeland to the beholding of one's own sins, and shows the punishments which the wicked are to suffer for their sins, that which had before been sweet in the showing forth of heavenly glory is made bitter in the showing forth of sins. We can also understand this properly of John, who, before he wrote the Gospel, was led into exile at Patmos; but because, on account of his absence, heretics had invaded the Church of God, after his return from exile he was compelled, in order to destroy their blasphemies, to write the Gospel.

The divine voice, therefore, commanded John to go To the angel, and receive the book from him; because the Holy Spirit persuaded John, by this inspiration, to go to Christ, not with steps of the body, but with steps of the mind, to consider the power of his divinity and his equality with the Father, that he might be able to write down a little book concerning his divinity, salutary to all the faithful. John devoured the book, moreover, when he received most fully the knowledge of the Gospel which he afterward wrote. The book, then, while it was being eaten, gave the sweetness of honey to the mouth; because divine Scripture, the more it is ruminated in the heart, the more wholesome sweetness it shows to the mind. We can, moreover, by the belly, in which foods putrefy, understand this mortal flesh.

The book, therefore, which was sweet in the mouth, generated bitterness for the belly

because holy men, the more they are devoted to meditation on the divine Scriptures, and the sweeter their meditation becomes in the mind, the greater bitterness they show to their flesh, afflicting it, namely, with fasts, vigils, abstinence, and the other torments by which the flesh is worn down. And he said to me: Thou must prophesy again to peoples, and nations, and tongues, and many kings. It is foretold to him that he shall return from exile to preach. But since the holy Fathers hand down that after his return from exile he preached only at Ephesus, and in the places adjoining it, and there died, and his body rests; how is he said to have prophesied to peoples, and nations, and tongues, and many kings?

But he prophesied

that is, he preached through his Gospel, which he afterward wrote, to all nations, and tongues, and many kings; because it has been spread through all nations, and in the meditation of it all the peoples of the earth, and many kings, profit.

11. Measuring the Temple and the Two Witnesses

And there was given to me a reed like unto a rod, saying: Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

By the reed with which the ancients used to write is designated the Gospel which was given to him by the Lord, and which he afterward wrote: while by the rod is often understood discipline. The reed, then, which was given to John, had the likeness of a rod, because the discipline of Christians is the Gospel. Whence it is commanded that the temple and the altar and them that worship therein be measured; for by the temple is signified the Church: by the altar, the holy and perfect men who abide in the Church: and by them that worship therein is designated the rest of the multitude, which is instructed by their teaching.

For every preacher measures the temple of God and the altar, and them that worship therein, when he administers to each one the teaching of spiritual grace according to his own capacity; for the wise man is to be taught in one way, the unwise in another: the lettered in one way, the unlettered in another: the pagan in one way, the Christian in another: the heretic in one way, the catholic in another. For the Lord also says in the Gospel, that a certain householder going into a far country called his servants, and delivered to them his goods. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability. There follows: But the court which is without the temple, cast out, and measure it not; because it is given unto the Gentiles. If it was without, how could it be cast out?

By the court, then, the Jews are designated: the Jews therefore were without through unbelief; but John and the rest of the apostles still held them in their hearts through love, as the apostle Paul says: I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites. Whence it is commanded him not to measure it, that is, not to minister to them the words of preaching, as he himself commands in the Gospel, saying: Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. And the Lord speaks to the prophet Ezekiel, saying: Behold, I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, and thou shalt not be as a man that reproves, because it is a provoking house.

And this court is said to be given to the Gentiles

because the Jews, on account of their unbelief, were joined to the pagan Gentiles: or were delivered to the Gentiles, that is, to the Romans, to be destroyed and exterminated by them. And the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. Suddenly he makes a leap to Elias and Enoch, who are to come in the times of Antichrist: and in a fitting order indeed, namely, that he who had set forth the casting down of the Jews under the figure of the court, might tacitly append thereto their restoration; for it is certain that the Jews, at the end of the world, are to return to the faith of Christ through the preaching of Elias and Enoch.

The holy city, therefore

that is, the Church, Antichrist and his ministers shall tread under foot, that is, they shall persecute it, for forty and two months, which make three years and a half.

I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

The Lord calls Elias and Enoch two witnesses, who shall run before his second coming, as John ran before the first. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the Lord of the earth. The olive bears oil, which is afterward placed upon the candlestick, that it may give light to all that are in the house.

By oil in this place we may understand spiritual wisdom; for each man is then an olive, when, resting quietly within himself, he strives through the grace of contemplation to serve God; when he strives to fulfill what the Lord says in the Gospel: Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; that thy alms may be in secret: and thy Father who sees in secret shall reward thee. But he becomes a candlestick when he fulfills what the Lord says in the Gospel: Let them see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. These two saints, then, are now olive trees, when, placed in some spot of the earth where the divine majesty has commanded them to abide, they serve God through the grace of contemplation: they shall become candlesticks when they come to fulfill the office of their preaching, when they shall announce the word of God to all, both the faithful and the reprobate.

Of this candlestick the Lord says in the Gospel: Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that it may give light to all that are in the house. For the lamp is placed upon the candlestick when the office of preaching is entrusted to a holy man, who illumines the good that he preaches with the flames of good works: but the lamp is placed under a bushel when the office of preaching is committed to some reprobate person, who governs the good that he preaches by wicked deeds; so that he gives no light to those who are in the house, as holy Gregory says, because when the life is despised, it follows that the preaching also is contemned. The two olive trees, then, and the two candlesticks are said to stand before the Lord; because, placed on earth, they await that time in which they shall fulfill the office of their preaching, and pay the debt of death, as what follows makes clear.

And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, thus must he be killed.

Because the Holy Spirit speaks through the mouths of the saints, as the Lord says in the Gospel: For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you; not unfittingly are the words of the saints called fire, as the Psalmist says of the Lord: Thy word is tried vehemently, and thy servant hath loved it. Fire, then, shall proceed out of the mouth of these saints, and shall devour their enemies; because their teaching shall so destroy the errors of Antichrist, that to all who possess a sound mind, nothing shall seem to remain of what Antichrist and his ministers shall attempt to assert. And what follows, And if any man will hurt them, thus must he be killed, pertains to the same matter.

These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. We read that Elias by prayer shut heaven, and again opened it: and also that Moses turned the waters into blood. It is not, then, to be thought that Elias will have less power when he comes to fulfill the office of his preaching than he had at the time when he lived among men, but greater. We may also understand spiritually by heaven the Church, and by rain the words of the saints; for heaven is shut to the impious, when God in his judgment allows their hearts to be so hardened that they grant in no way to the word of God access to enter their heart, that they may be saved.

For the prophet Isaiah also shut heaven to the Jews, when it was said to him by the Lord: Blind the heart of this people, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them. Jeremiah also shut heaven to his enemies, when he said to the Lord: Forgive not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thy face. Let them be overthrown before thee: in the time of thy visitation let them perish. Did not Moses have power to shut and open heaven, to whom the Lord said, when the people had sinned: Let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and I may consume them, and make of thee a great nation?

Those saints, then, will shut heaven to some, so that the shower of God's mercy does not descend upon them, namely upon those whom they shall not have been able to call back from the errors of Antichrist: but to others they shall open it, namely to those whom they shall have called back from the errors of Antichrist; and they shall rain a shower upon them, when by their prayers they shall render God propitious to them.

By the waters which are said to be turned into blood are designated peoples: but blood signifies divine vengeance. They shall turn the waters into blood, then, when they shall decree by their judgment that the nations which have departed from the faith of Christ are to be condemned to perpetual death. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the abyss shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. This beast signifies Antichrist. He shall make war against them, when he shall persecute them: and he shall overcome them, not by conquering with words, but by killing. Whence it also follows: And shall kill them, and their bodies shall lie in the streets of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

If we should wish to understand by the great city earthly Jerusalem, on account of what is said, Where also their Lord was crucified, we shall stray from the truth

because that Jerusalem was destroyed to its very foundation, and this one which has been built in its place is said to be situated not in that place, but in another: nor should it be called Sodom and Egypt, since it is inhabited by Christians. And it must also be considered that wherever in this book the great city is mentioned, it signifies Babylon, which is the city of the devil, and consists of all the reprobate. But as to what is said, that their bodies shall be cast forth in the street of the great city, we may understand this simply, that in whatever street belonging to the jurisdiction of some reprobate, they shall lie.

But it seems better to me that, just as we have said that by the great city all the reprobate are to be understood, so also by the street we should understand the hearts of the reprobate: the bodies of the saints, then, shall lie in the street of the great city; because the saints lie in the estimation of those by whom they are reckoned of no account: on the contrary, they stand for the faithful, who behold with the eyes of the heart how great is their virtue and glory. Now the city of the devil is not unfittingly named Sodom and Egypt; because Sodom is interpreted blindness, and Egypt darkness. For who suffers a worse blindness and darkness than the impious, who by headlong steps, that they may be plunged into the sewer of hell, do not cease to hasten in doing evil?

But it is described that in the street of the great city, where the Lord was crucified, the bodies of the saints shall be cast

because, just as Christ was crucified by the members of the devil, so also by those same members these two prophets shall be killed.

they of the peoples, and kindreds, and tongues, and nations, shall see their bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their bodies to be put in graves.

And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the earth. And after three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them: and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon all that saw them.

And they heard a great voice from heaven saying to them: Come up hither.

And they ascended into heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. If this be fulfilled according to the history, it is indeed unknown to men, but all things are known to God. We too, however, can join a spiritual understanding to this history: but it seems rash to wish to adorn with spiritual senses that history which we understand. For we who stand outside a house cannot adorn its interior: but lest we seem to have been wholly silent, let us say a few things. We can understand by the three days and a half three years and a half, during which those two prophets are to preach; and by the tombs we can understand the minds of the reprobate. Of these tombs the Lord speaks, saying: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, because you are like whited sepulchres, which indeed appear outwardly beautiful, but within are full of all uncleanness and of dead men's bones.

So you also outwardly appear just to men, but within you are full of rapine and iniquity.

In the tombs, then, the reprobate will not allow the bodies of the saints to be placed; because they will cast their teaching from their minds. But that after three days and a half the spirit of life from God is said to enter into them, and to stand upon their feet, we can take as the time of the resurrection, which, though not immediately, will nevertheless occur soon after those three times and a half. For they will stand upon their feet when, after the time of the resurrection, how great their power and magnificence is shall be made manifest to all the impious. But great fear will fall upon their enemies when they see them; because on the day of judgment, when they see them and their glory, they will be troubled with horrible fear, saying: These are they whom once we held in derision, and as a byword of reproach.

We fools esteemed their life madness, and their end without honor.

How are they numbered among the sons of God, and their lot is among the saints (Wisdom V, 3)? And because the prophet Malachi speaks in the person of the Lord, saying: Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet, who shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and the rest that follows, we believe that the Jews, through the preaching of Elijah, are to be converted to the faith of Christ, as we have shown above, so far as we were able. We can also understand by the two witnesses the preachers of the two peoples, namely of the Jews and of the Gentiles. They are said to be about to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days; because for the whole time during which the persecution and deception of Antichrist shall rage throughout the whole world, they will strive to bring back to the way of truth as many as they can.

in that hour there was made a great earthquake.

Now he returns to the beginning of the preaching of Elijah and Enoch. An earthquake, as we have already said above, usually signifies a moving of hearts: an earthquake will then occur, when through the preaching of Elijah and Enoch many are converted to penance, many to faith. And the tenth part of the city fell. It does not seem to me a sound sense that by the city, of which a tenth part fell, we should understand the Church; since this discourse looks rather to the city of the devil than to the city of God. He says, therefore, that a tenth part of that city fell here, which above he called the great city, and Sodom and Egypt, and in whose street the bodies of the saints are said to lie unburied for three days and a half.

And because by the number ten the Law is often signified, since the Law was received through the decalogue, we can understand by the tenth part which fell, the Jews, observers of the Law, who, receiving the faith of Christ through the preaching of Elijah, will fall away from the city of the devil and be cut off. And in the earthquake were slain names of men seven thousand: and the rest were cast into fear, and gave glory to the God of heaven. As by the number ten the Law is signified, so also by the number seven the grace of the Gospel is often taken. Behold, a tenth part of the city, which we have shown to consist not of stones but of men, fell; and not ten thousand, but seven thousand, are declared to have died. The number ten, then, was changed into the number seven; because the Jews, rejecting the legal observances, will receive the teaching of the Gospel, which, on account of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, is signified by the number seven.

Seven thousand, therefore, are described as having died

because they will die to the devil, that they may live to God: but the rest who were cast into fear signify the other elect, who, seeing the conversion of the Jews and the divine Scripture fulfilled in them, will grow in the fear and love of God, and will not cease to praise God for their conversion.

The second woe is past, and behold the third woe will come quickly.

The third woe pertains to those evils which the devil is to work through Antichrist, and to the day of judgment. And because above he says that the angel whom he saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth swore by him that liveth for ever and ever; that in the days of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound the trumpet, the mystery of God shall be finished, which he declared by his servants the prophets, he wished to set forth briefly the day of judgment, and then returns to narrate the evils of Antichrist.

If we examine this carefully, we shall see that he did this in an orderly manner; for we know that the holy preachers who are to be born at the end of the world will preach this, that the day of the Lord is near; so that those whom they cannot bring back to the way of truth by exhortations, they may at least provoke to penance by terrors. And because before the persecutions of Antichrist, the day of judgment will begin to be preached, John wished to set down that same day of judgment beforehand, before he came to narrate the persecutions of Antichrist himself.

the seventh angel sounded the trumpet.

By the seventh angel, as we have said, are signified the holy preachers who are to be born at the end of the world.

They will sound the trumpet when they announce the word of God.

And there were great voices in heaven, saying. We can understand by heaven the Church, and by the great voices the words of the saints, who, coming at the advent of the Lord to judgment, will exult, as the Lord says in the Gospel: Look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption is at hand.

The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Was not the kingdom of this world before this that of the Lord and of his Christ? But he called the kingdom of this world men, in whose minds either God reigns, or the devil reigns. God reigns in his saints: the devil reigns in those who are of his party; for he is king over all the children of pride. The kingdom of this world will then become the Lord's and his Christ's, when the devil, together with all whom he has deceived, shall have been plunged into hell: when that shall be fulfilled which the angel spoke to Daniel, saying: And the kingdom, and power, and the greatness of the kingdom, under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints, who shall possess it even for ever and ever.

the twenty-four elders, who sit on their seats in the sight of God, fell upon their faces, and adored God, saying.

By the twenty-four elders in this place we can understand the souls of the saints, who dwell with the Lord in heavenly beatitude: and the seats signify everlasting rest. The twenty-four elders sit in the sight of God on their seats; because the souls of the saints, without bodies, now rest with the Lord in heavenly beatitude. They fell upon their faces and adored; because the saints of God, when they see the most just judgment of God being carried out, and his ineffable power, will cast themselves down through the subjection of humility in the sight of their Creator, knowing that whatever exists is nothing in comparison with him who is God.

We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who art, and who wast, holy, because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead to be judged; and to render reward to thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, little and great; and to destroy them who have corrupted the earth. Christ now, after having assumed man, is of the same holiness as the Father, of the same eternity, of the same power: and he was, even before he assumed man, equal in all things to the Father.

He took to himself, however, his great power when through his passion he conquered the devil: he reigned when he subjected the human race to himself: the nations were angry, because wicked men persecuted the Church of God, that they might extinguish the name of Christ from the world: but the wrath of God will come when the day of judgment shall arrive: the time will come for the dead to be judged, namely, that the dead may be judged. Those dead, that is, who, placed in this life, did not fear to kill their own souls by evil living. And to render reward to thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, little and great. This will then be fulfilled, when on the day of judgment he shall say: Come, ye blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. He calls "little" those who are of lesser merit; "great," those who obtain greater grace before God.

And to destroy them who have corrupted the earth.

He calls the wicked the corrupters of the earth: this will then be fulfilled, when he shall say: Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. But we must inquire what earth the wicked corrupted. They corrupted themselves, indeed, by living evilly, when they nourished their bodies in luxuries and other vices. They corrupted also the "earth" of others, namely of those whom they drew, both by words and by examples, to do evil works. Now he returns to the things he had passed over, that is, to narrate the evils of Antichrist. And that he might come more conveniently to set these forth, he begins from the coming of Christ, and, recalling the evils which the Church suffered from the devil, adds how that same devil is attempting to overturn the same Church through Antichrist.

the temple of God was opened in heaven; and the ark of his testament was seen in his temple.

We can understand by the temple of God the blessed Mary; and by the ark of the testament, Christ, who took flesh from her. The temple of God is not said to be opened because the womb of the blessed virgin Mary was opened in bringing forth the Lord, who was a virgin before the birth, a virgin in the birth, a virgin after the birth: but it is said to be opened because through her our Lord Jesus Christ was made visible to us. We can also understand by the temple the Old Testament; by the ark, the sacraments concerning Christ which are contained in the Old Testament. For when Christ came in the flesh, the Old Testament was opened, and the spiritual understanding which lay hidden in it was revealed to the faithful: And there were lightnings, and voices, and an earthquake, and great hail.

By the lightnings, the miracles which were done by Christ; by the voices, his preaching, is signified. The earthquake signifies a moving of hearts; for many were moved through the preaching of Christ to do penance for their sins: they were moved from unbelief to belief: they were moved from evil to good. And because hail is wont to strike the earth, we can understand by the hail the threats of eternal fire, which are often found in the Gospels; by which the hearts of the wicked are struck, so that they may repent of their iniquities.

12. The Woman Clothed with the Sun and the Red Dragon

a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

This woman designates the Church; for it followed consistently that, after the preaching of Christ, the form of her should be described, whom the preaching of Christ brought forth. We may however understand by heaven in this place this world: by the great sign, the great salvation which the coming and preaching of Christ conferred upon the world: by the sun indeed Christ is designated, as the prophet says: But unto you that fear the name of the Lord shall the sun of righteousness arise, and healing in his wings. And so the woman was clothed with the sun, because the faithful, of whom the Church consists, in baptism put on Christ, as the Apostle says: All ye who have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ. By the moon indeed, which she is seen to have had under her feet, which waxes and wanes, we can understand this world, which the Church tramples underfoot by despising it, that she may more freely stretch toward heavenly things.

But because the moon illuminates the night, it seems better to me that by the moon we understand sacred Scripture, without whose light in the night of this age we are not able to walk in the paths of righteousness. Of this light the Psalmist says: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my paths. The woman therefore was seen to have the moon under her feet; because the Church, fixing the steps of her mind on the precepts of the divine Scriptures, knows how to stretch daily toward heavenly things. She was also seen to have on her head a crown of twelve stars. The head of the Church is Christ, but the twelve stars are the twelve apostles. Nonetheless we can also understand by the head the minds of the faithful. The woman therefore was seen to have on her head a crown of twelve stars; because the doctrine and acts of the Apostles adorn the minds of the faithful, when they strive to imitate them.

And being with child, she cried, travailing in birth, and was pained to be delivered.

Just as an infant in the womb is formed, and receives human shape and breath; so also the Church nourishes all the unbelieving, whom she carries in the womb, by preaching to them for so long, until they receive human form, that is, until they believe in Christ, and receive a spiritual soul, which is given in baptism, when they are made sons of God. Whence she is said also to cry out in pains, and to be tormented that she may bring forth; for the Church cries out by preaching, she cries out also by beseeching God for the salvation of her hearers. But she is tormented that she may bring forth, when she mourns those whom she sees lying in sins, as the apostle Paul speaks to his weak disciples, saying: My little children, of whom I travail in birth again, until Christ be formed in you.

And in the Acts of the Apostles he speaks to the Ephesians, saying: By the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one of you night and day with tears. And the Psalmist speaks of the preachers, saying: Going they went and wept, casting their seeds.

there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems: and his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. This dragon signifies the devil: and such is the red color, as if you were to mix a blood-color with saffron color. Indeed the pale color, that is, the saffron, agrees with the bloody; because blood, when it is poured out, brings on death: and pallor covers the whole body of the dying.

Rightly, therefore, the devil is said to have the color of death; because through his envy death entered into the world: and by the seven heads the reprobate are designated, whom the devil has used for deceiving the human race. The diadems designate his royal power; for he himself is king, as Scripture says, over all the sons of pride. For just as by the seven horns of the Lamb all the elect are designated, whom we have divided into seven parts; so also by the seven heads of the dragon the reprobate are designated, who have opposed them in the way of God. For the first head of the dragon were the reprobate who existed before the flood, whom Scripture calls sons of men; because they were a snare to those who were called sons of God. The second head of the devil were those who were after the flood up to the Law; namely the inventors of idols, and of divers errors, by whom the human race was deceived.

The third head of the devil were those who, after the Law was given to the people of God, persuaded them to worship idols.

The fourth head of the devil were the false prophets, and impious kings, by whom the people of God were so far deceived, that for their iniquities they were led into captivity. The fifth head were the impious Jews, who both slew the Lord, and persecuted his apostles. The sixth head were the persecutors of the Church. But the seventh head of the devil will be Antichrist. What the ten horns signify, however, we shall say in what follows, in the place where the harlot woman is seen sitting upon the scarlet beast. By the tail indeed, which is the end of the body, Antichrist is designated.

The tail of the dragon is seen to have drawn the third part of the stars of heaven

because Antichrist will deceive many of those who were thought to be chosen by men, and who in the Church shine like stars in the sky in knowledge and understanding, and will plunge them into the pit of perdition. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to be delivered; that when she had brought forth, he might devour her son. We can understand by the woman in this place also the blessed Mary, in that she herself is the mother of the Church, because she brought forth him who is the head of the Church; and she is the daughter of the Church, because she is the greatest member of the Church. The dragon therefore stood before the woman, that when she had brought forth, he might devour her son: because at the beginning of the nativity of Christ he wished to kill him through Herod his minister.

He stands also before the woman, that is, the Church, that he may destroy by evil persuasion those whom she brings forth to God through baptism. And she brought forth a male child. Insofar as this pertains to our Lord Jesus Christ, what need was there to say that the woman brought forth a male child, since we all know our Lord Jesus Christ to be male? But insofar as it pertains to the Church, why does it say she brought forth a male, since she daily brings forth sons and daughters of both sexes to God? For the female sex is indeed frail: a woman therefore, who, having taken up strength of mind, overcomes the devil, and by good works strives to please God, is not incongruously called a man; because, although she is a woman in body, yet in virtue of mind she is made equal to good men. The woman therefore brought forth a male; because the members of him whom the blessed Virgin Mary brought forth, the Church brings forth daily.

One male, therefore, is he whom the Virgin Mary brought forth, and whom the Church daily brings forth

because Christ with all his members is one Christ. Who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron. This was said above (at chapter 2). And her son was caught up unto God, and to his throne. This was fulfilled when, on the fortieth day after he rose again, he ascended into heaven. The sons of the Church, that is, the members of Christ, are daily caught up to God and to his throne, when after death they are brought to heavenly things. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her a thousand two hundred and sixty days. He calls Christ the wilderness; for it is called a wilderness, in that it is alone, deserted by its inhabitants: and likewise Christ was deserted by his own, as the Evangelist speaks, saying: He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

And through the prophet the Lord speaks, saying: I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with me.

The woman therefore fled into the wilderness; because the apostles and the other disciples, of whom the Church then consisted, having left the devil, and having left all that they possessed, followed Christ. By the thousand two hundred and sixty days the time in which Christ preached is designated. The woman therefore is fed a thousand two hundred and sixty days; because the apostles and the other disciples, of whom, as we said above, the Church then consisted, were fed for three years and a half with the food of the Gospel by the Lord. And there was a great battle in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon. Because above he briefly comprised the nativity and preaching of Christ, it follows that he should add how through his passion he overcame the devil. Michael, which is interpreted "who is like God," signifies Christ.

The battle was made in heaven

that is, on account of heaven, namely for the salvation of all the elect Michael fought with the dragon; because Christ, by preaching, suffering and dying, fought for the salvation of the human race. The angels of Michael fought, that is, the apostles of Christ fought with the dragon, namely by preaching, by working miracles, and at last by dying for the name of Christ. And the dragon fought and his angels. The dragon and his angels fought against Michael, when the devil and the rest of the multitude of demons stirred up the Jews against Christ, that they might kill him. He fought also against the angels of Michael, when he persecuted the apostles of Christ, both through the Jews and through the pagans, for so long, until he should kill them. And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. Neither the devil nor his ministers prevailed to overcome Christ nor his apostles; because whence they thought to conquer, they were conquered.

For they thought they had conquered Christ by his death, but from his death his name was made illustrious in the world. They prevailed not, therefore, neither was their place found any more in heaven; because through the preaching of the apostles and of the other saints they were expelled from the hearts of the elect, who are designated by heaven. And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, who seduces the whole world: and he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Rightly the devil is called a serpent, either because he deceived the first man through a serpent, or because he destroyed the human race with the poison of his malice. But "devil" is interpreted "falling downward"; for he fell first through pride from heaven: he fell afterward, when he was cast down from the hearts of the elect through Christ, as the present writing shows. But "Satan" is interpreted "adversary"; for he is adversary to God, and to all good men.

Woe to those to whom the devil is a friend!

For the more he is a friend to anyone, the more torments he inflicts upon him; for the friendship of the devil is unhappy. But when it says: Who seduces the whole world, it uses the present tense for the past. For he had seduced the human race, which is designated by the world: but for the greater part he had lost it through Christ. The devil and his angels were cast, therefore, into the earth; because, expelled from the elect, he possessed only the reprobate, who are designated by the earth. And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ. The great voice from heaven is the voice of the angels rejoicing for the salvation of the human race, and praising God, as the Lord says in the Gospel: There is more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents, than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

We can understand by the one sinner the gentile people, and by the ninety-nine just the Jews: who do not attain to the number one hundred

because the Law brought no one to perfection; for much greater joy was made in heaven over the conversion of the gentiles, than over the observances of the Jews. In the casting down of the devil, therefore, was made the salvation of believers: they received also the power of overcoming the devil, by whom before, being conquered, they were held. Nonetheless there was made the kingdom of our God; because in those in whom the devil reigned, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit began to reign: there was made also the power of his Christ, when Christ began to possess those whom the devil had possessed. Because the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accused them before the sight of our God day and night.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.

Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time are thought: so are demons, who are outside, more easily borne than the vices which within continually devastate us. And upon his heads names of blasphemy. The blasphemy of Antichrist will have many names: because in many ways he will blaspheme Christ. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion. By the leopard, which is said to have various colors, the hypocrisy of Antichrist is designated: for since he will be the most wicked of men, he will color himself with various virtues, that he may the more easily deceive whatever fools there be.

But by the bear, which is a most cunning animal, his cunning for deceiving men can be shown.

By the lion, no less, his cruelty for tearing apart the people of God is designated. And the dragon gave him his own power, and great authority. The devil will give Antichrist his own power, which is wholly evil; because he will dwell in him, and through him will work whatever the wickedness of the devil can devise. But since Scripture says: There is no power but from God, how will the devil give Antichrist great power? God will give Antichrist power, but he will so far turn that very power to evil that it will be believed to be wholly diabolical, and indeed will be so. And I saw one of his heads as it were slain to death, and his deadly wound was healed. We have said above that by the seven heads of Antichrist the seven principal vices are designated. By the head, therefore, which was seen not slain, but as it were slain, blasphemy is designated.

We must therefore inquire how blasphemy may be said to be as it were slain.

For in the first times of the Gospel there were many heretics who strove to shake the faith of the Church by their errors: but Almighty God chose the orthodox Fathers, defenders of the Church, from among the sons of that same Church, and filling them with the river of His wisdom, He rooted out from His Church, through their teaching, all heresies; such were Ambrose, Hilary, Jerome, Augustine, Gregory, and many others who also published a very great abundance of books, by which all heresies, both those which had been and those which could be, were destroyed. Blasphemy, therefore, is now as it were slain: because although there are many who conceive many blasphemies in their mind, the evil which they have conceived in mind they dare not utter, lest by the teaching of these Fathers they be shamefully confuted.

This head, therefore, that is, blasphemy, will seem to be dead in the times of Antichrist; but it will be raised again by the devil in Antichrist, whom he will kindle so greatly to blaspheme Christ, that he will surpass all blasphemers in his blasphemies. And all the earth wondered after the beast. By the earth, sinful men are designated. And they worshipped the dragon, because he gave power to the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying: Who is like unto the beast, and who shall be able to fight with it? How will they worship the dragon, that is, the devil, whom they will not see? But those who are designated by the earth will worship Antichrist, and in Antichrist, the devil, saying that none is like Antichrist, nor is there one who can be equaled to his strength. And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies.

There was given

that is, it was permitted by God; that he should speak great things of himself, saying that he is the Son of God, and that he should speak blasphemies of God. And power was given to him to act for forty-two months. It seems difficult that in so very short a time, that is, in three years and a half, he could subject all nations to himself, and bring the human race, except for a few elect, to his worship; for there will be many elect, but very, very few in comparison with the unbelievers. But it can happen that first he subjects all nations to his dominion: and afterward, lifted up in pride, he establishes that he be worshipped as God. For as it seems to me, in the three years and a half only the time of persecution is comprehended, in which both by himself, and by his disciples, and by the display of wondrous signs, he will labor with all his might, that all men may render him the worship of divinity.

But those who are unwilling to gainsay, he will afflict with various and unheard-of torments; that being compelled they may do what they will refuse to do willingly. And he opened his mouth unto blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. For he will open his mouth to blaspheme God, namely the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: he will also blaspheme the name of God, saying that Christ is not God; he will also blaspheme the tabernacle of God, that is, the Church of God, saying that the Christian religion profits the faithful nothing, but brings destruction rather than salvation: he will also blaspheme them that dwell in heaven, that is, the martyrs and the other saints, saying that they can profit no one anything, and that whatever is asserted of them by the faithful is false. And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.

He will make war with the saints, some by flattering, some by terrifying, and at last by inflicting the most terrible torments upon them; that he may lead them into his errors: but it cannot happen that the elect be led into error. But he will overcome them not by conquering, but by killing them. And power was given to him over every tribe, and people, and tongue, and nation: and all that dwell upon the earth worshipped him. This will be fulfilled according to the letter. Many will say, why does God permit such things, that Antichrist should so wickedly deceive the human race?

But there will be two reasons why he will permit such things; for as He Himself says in the Gospel: In those days the charity of many shall grow cold, and iniquity shall abound; for indeed the malice of men will grow to such a degree, and they will so provoke God to wrath by their crimes, that they will be worthy to be subjected to so wicked a man, and to be deceived by him, as Scripture testifies: Who makes a hypocrite to reign because of the perverseness of the people. For God will deliver them, as the Apostle says, unto a reprobate sense; that they may do the things which are not fitting; and to whom nothing will matter, so long as they fulfill whatever evil they have devised; it will happen by the most just permission of God, that being deceived by Antichrist they may perish the more grievously.

God will also permit this to happen for the testing of His elect, that as gold is tested by fire; so also they may be tested and examined in the persecutions of Antichrist, as is written of them in Daniel. Many shall be chosen, and made white, and shall be tried as gold. It follows: Whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb, who was slain from the beginning of the world. The book of life is the predestination of Almighty God: the reprobate are not written in the book of life; because they are not predestined to eternal life. But we must inquire how the Lamb, that is, Christ, may be said to have been slain from the beginning of the world. For that which follows: If any man have ears, let him hear; wherever it is placed in the divine Scriptures, it shows that what has preceded is obscure: for it requires the ears of the heart and of understanding.

The Lamb, therefore, was slain from the beginning of the world

because his death was prefigured from the beginning of the human race in the holy fathers. For it was prefigured in the first man, when, as he slept, Eve was made from his rib: likewise it was prefigured in Abel, who was slain by his brother Cain: it was prefigured also through Isaac, whom his father offered as a holocaust to the Lord: likewise also through Joseph, whom his brothers sold: his death was also prefigured in the various rites of the sacrifices. As often, therefore, as the death of Christ was either prefigured or foretold by the holy fathers, so often, as it were, was the Lamb slain. Although this may also be simply understood, so that it does not say that the Lamb was slain from the beginning of the world, but that the names of the saints were written from the beginning of the world in the book of the Lamb, who was slain for their salvation.

He that shall lead into captivity, shall go into captivity: he that shall kill by the sword, must be killed by the sword. Antichrist, who will lead the Christian people captive from their Creator, will himself be led captive from the present life, and thrust down into hell: and because he will slay the souls of many with the sword of his malice, and slay the bodies of the just with the bodily sword, he himself will be condemned by the sword of everlasting death. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints, that is, the patience and faith of the saints will be proven in the persecutions of Antichrist. And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, having two horns, like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. This beast designates either one of the disciples of Antichrist, worse than the rest, or many, who together are to preach with him.

It was seen to come up from the earth; because it will arise from the company of the reprobate: and it was seen to have two horns like the Lamb's. We have said above that by the seven horns of the Lamb all the elect are designated, whom we have divided into seven parts: and by the fifth horn we said the Jews were designated, who believed in Christ: and by the sixth, the Gentiles, who likewise believed in Christ. This beast, therefore, will have two horns like the Lamb; because it will possess the Jews and the Gentiles by deceiving them. For although many of the Jews will believe in Christ through the preaching of Elijah; yet the greatest part of them will follow Antichrist, as the Lord says in the Gospel: I am come in the name of my Father, and you received me not: another shall come in his own name, and him you will receive.

This beast spoke, then, as a dragon, because its words were diabolical; for the devil, who will speak through Antichrist, will himself speak also through his disciples. And he did all the power of the former beast in his sight. What he says: in his sight, signifies in his name; for Antichrist cannot be present in all the places where he shall have been preached by his followers. For Antichrist will work miracles by diabolical art, and his disciples will also work them: but their miracles will be false and not true, as the Apostle says: Whose coming is according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders. For it is not credible that they can restore to health those whom God had blinded or weakened: but only those whom they themselves have harmed, harming in secret, healing in the open.

But Antichrist himself will display himself to men in such splendor, that he will be believed by the unwise to be God, as the Apostle says: So that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God. And he made the earth, and them that dwell therein, to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he did great signs, so that he made even fire to come down from heaven upon the earth in the sight of men. We read in the book of Job that the devil, by God's permission, made fire come down from heaven, and consumed the sheep and the servants of Job. What therefore he did there by himself, this he will do through Antichrist and his followers in the last time. And he seduced them that dwell on the earth, because of the signs which were given to him to do in the sight of the beast. There is nothing that so seduces the simple as the display of signs.

And therefore the ministers of Antichrist will easily deceive the multitude of fools by the working of signs. Saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image of the beast, which has the wound of the sword, and lived; namely, that Antichrist may be worshipped in images. But as to his having said that the beast had the wound of the sword, and lived, it can happen that by diabolical art Antichrist feigns himself to die and rise again, that by this act he may the more easily deceive men: which Simon Magus is said to have done. And it was given to him to give life to the image of the beast, and that the image of the beast should speak. But we have also heard that certain magicians have done this; for they made it appear, through the art of necromancy, that statues moved and spoke. We can understand this otherwise.

An image has the appearance of a man, but is not a man: likewise Antichrist, on account of the working of powers and signs, will be thought to be God, but this will be utterly false; for it cannot happen that a most impious man should have in himself anything of divinity. They, therefore, who will esteem him God, will make an image of Antichrist: but the ministers of Antichrist will give a spirit to the image of the beast, when they compel those who have believed in Antichrist to blaspheme Christ. And he shall cause that whosoever will not worship the image of the beast, should be killed. The faithful who refuse to worship Antichrist will be worn down with various punishments and killed; for there will be such tribulation, as the Lord said in the Gospel, such as has not been from the beginning, nor shall be, so that the elect may be led into error, if it be possible.

And he shall make all, small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to have a character in their right hand, or in their foreheads. It may be that just as we have the character of Christ, that is, the cross, with which we are signed; so Antichrist may have his own character, with which those who believe in him shall be signed. We can also understand this otherwise. The disciples of Antichrist will be praisers of vices, for they will teach that wine and other riches were created for this reason, that men might use them abundantly and to the full: and that God likewise made the genital members for this purpose, that men might mingle with women, and that it is unlawful for anyone to abstain from intercourse: that all carnal desires ought to be fulfilled. And since they will confirm this abominable doctrine with signs of power, they will easily deceive earthly men, who will be more prone to evil than to good.

Now often works are understood by the hands: therefore they will have the character of Antichrist in the right hand

because they will carry out wicked works in accordance with the teaching of Antichrist: they will have it also on the forehead, by which the mind is often distinguished; because from their evil works it will be discerned how very wicked are the minds they bear. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the character of the name of the beast, or the number of his name. We know that human life cannot subsist unless men at some time either sell or buy; therefore the persecution of Antichrist will rage the more cruelly against the faithful, the more this thing is denied them, without which they cannot live. And the ministers of Antichrist will do this, so that in the time of necessity they may catch those who wish secretly to keep the Christian faith. Here is wisdom.

He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred sixty-six. Concerning this number many have said many things, and have found several names, in whose letters this number is found. Yet whether Antichrist will possess any of these names, they have not been able to foresee: but concerning a matter so uncertain I dare determine nothing. For who knows whether the name that shall be given him by his parents will contain this number?

14. The Lamb on Mount Sion and the New Song

— And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood upon Mount Sion.

If we examine carefully the text of the reading that follows, we shall see that these things which are said of the hundred and forty-four thousand pertain rather to the elect, whose souls exult with the Lord in heavenly beatitude, than to those who labor in this life. The Lamb therefore signifies Christ: Sion is interpreted "watching" or "contemplation": by the mountain of Sion we ought to understand the heavenly fatherland. On the mountain of Sion, therefore, the Lamb was seen, because Christ abides in heavenly beatitude with his saints. And with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father written in their foreheads. In the third vision which precedes this one, a hundred and forty-four thousand chosen from the twelve tribes are said to have been elected and sealed with the sign of faith.

Those hundred and forty-four thousand, therefore, as the exposition of the names of the twelve tribes shows, pertain to the elect who labor in this life: but these hundred and forty-four thousand signify the elect who rejoice with the Lord in heavenly glory, as the text of the present reading plainly indicates. But why is it said that they have only the name of the Father and of the Son written in their foreheads, and it is silent about the Holy Spirit? Because indeed wherever we read of the Father and the Son, we ought to understand the Holy Spirit. We can also understand by "foreheads" the hearts of the saints: therefore they have written on their foreheads the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; because the love of God can never be torn away from their minds, as it was torn away from the hearts of certain angels, who through pride fell from heaven.

And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder.

Often by John the faithful of the present life are signified: by waters, however, peoples are designated. And because from all nations the elect are daily gathered, and set in heavenly beatitude, the saints of God established on earth, who are signified by John, constantly hear the voice of many waters; because they perceive with the ears of the heart the teaching of the saints who abide in the heavens, and imitate their deeds by whatever power they can. Hence this same voice is also said to be as thunder, because it is wont to terrify the hearts of those who hear it; for they are terrified when they consider that they cannot rise to their perfection. And the voice which I heard was as of harpers harping on their harps.

The voice of harpers is very sweet to those who hear it: and what is sweeter to the faithful than the memory of the saints dwelling in heaven; while they ponder in mind how great is their glory, and beseech with supplication that they too may someday attain to it? And they sang as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the elders: and no man could say the song, but the hundred and forty-four thousand, who were purchased from the earth. Here is great obscurity; for it says that the hundred and forty-four thousand were not defiled with women, and are virgins; and that therefore they sing a new song, which no one can say, except those alone: but we know that certain of the apostles and martyrs had wives. Shall those who strove to keep the virginity of the body sing praises to God, and shall these remain mute in the praises of God?

Especially since we know that men of little merit, of either sex, have kept the virginity of the body even unto death, as are infants and children, whom their age does not permit to lose virginity. We have also seen some who, being bound by certain sins, kept bodily virginity unto death, whom we believe must be purged by the purgatorial fire, that they may deserve someday to be reckoned in the number of the just. Shall we dare to prefer such as these to the apostles and martyrs, whom Scripture does not conceal as having had wives; so that these should offer that most sweet song to God, from which Peter and his like would be excluded? For as the vision of God is sweet to the saints, so also is the praise of God: and just as they cannot be sated with the vision of God, so neither can they be satisfied with the praises of God.

And the closer they are, according to the quality of their merits, to the Lord God, the more fervent they are in the praises of God. Who indeed can worthily consider how great a part of glory is taken away from the saints, if they are held to be without part in the praises of God? Nor do we say this in order to detract from virginity, which is a great virtue, and companion of angels; if only they have not defiled it with vice. For who can weigh how great a good it is to possess integrity of body and soul? Therefore, because these things said above about virgins cannot be understood only of those who kept bodily virginity, we must inquire who are the virgins, and who those who will not be able to say the song of virgins. For if we attend carefully to the surface of the reading, we shall find that these things are said not of virgins alone, but of all holy souls.

We said above that by the hundred and forty-four thousand are designated the souls of the saints, who do not cease continually to praise God in heavenly beatitude: but by the throne, and the four living creatures, and the elders before whom they are said to sing the new song, are designated the faithful placed in this life, of whom the Church consists, as we said in the second Vision. Before the throne, therefore, and the four living creatures, and the elders, the hundred and forty-four thousand are said to have sung a new song; for the New Testament is called a new song, as the prophet says: Sing unto the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth. It is called the New Testament, because it precedes another which is called the old; or because it makes new peoples, since from sons of the devil it makes sons of God.

The faithful placed in this life also have their songs, but in those songs there is often a confession of sins, often supplication for sins, often a remembrance of eternal torments: and therefore, singing, they often stir themselves to tears, often are wont to pray in the praises of God, often the minds of the faithful are raised to the hope of the heavenly fatherland: but in that song of the heavenly spirits nothing sad resounds, nothing that disturbs the mind; and the more fully it is poured forth, the more it fills the minds of those singing with joy and gladness. Therefore, just as it is called the New Testament, because the old preceded it: so also that song of the heavenly spirits is called a new song; because there preceded another which is old to those who daily pass over to heavenly beatitude, and it is new, that to which they arrive.

And this song they are said to have sung before the throne of God

that is, in the sight of the throne; for what is in our sight we behold unceasingly. In the sight, therefore, of the faithful, who are signified by the throne and the four living creatures and the elders, the souls of the faithful are said to have sung the new song; because holy men placed on this earth continually behold with the eyes of the mind the glory of the saints dwelling in heaven, and labor with all their strength that they may someday attain to their fellowship.

And no man could say the song, but the hundred and forty-four thousand, who were purchased from the earth

that is, none of those who are signified by the throne and the four living creatures and the elders. For faithful men now placed on earth see, as it were through a glass and in a riddle, the glory of the saints existing in heaven, and that song, because they ardently desire it, they as it were hear it, but cannot say it; because, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what God hath prepared for them that love him. They are said to be purchased from the earth; for indeed they were purchased, while placed on earth, by the precious blood of Christ. But it is better that by "purchase" we understand "assumption"; for they were taken up from the earth, and placed in heavenly beatitude. These are they who are not defiled with women; for they are virgins.

Here again a question arises; for if in that beatitude there are diverse orders, as apostles, martyrs, confessors, and virgins; how can all the souls of the saints be called virgins, and virgins to such a degree that they are said not to have been defiled with women? And if it is true, what the Lord says (indeed it is true, since it cannot be that God should lie: Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart), how could all the souls of the saints, throughout the whole span of the present life, have been clean from the defilement of women? We must inquire, therefore, how this is to be understood; for indeed there were many before baptism who were adulterers and fornicators, but believing in Christ, and doing penance for their sins, and the font of baptism, the gladness of joy; the rest as we have it in the text.

Seeking, whatever was sordid in them was blotted out by the grace of the Holy Spirit through the waters of baptism: who, persevering to the end of life in the good which they promised in that same baptism, when the Lord came to remove them by death from this earthly dwelling, their souls were found virgin, that is, whole, and clean from every corruption of vices. The souls of these, therefore, are rightly called virgins; because all their corruption was blotted out by the waters of baptism, and by good works. There were also many who, after baptism, committed many crimes, but since through penance and tears and mercy, and by other good works, they strove to blot out the evil they had done, and persevered in their good purpose, when the Lord came, their souls were found virgin; because whatever was reprobate in them was purged by the remedies of charity. There were also married persons, who loved God with all their strength, and strove to lead their life in virtues.

The souls of these, therefore, are rightly called virgins

because if they contracted any stains from union with women, it was blotted out by good works. Likewise it is to be understood concerning the other orders.

We can also understand by women the bodies of the saints, and by men their souls

because just as man and woman are called one flesh, so body and soul are one man: and just as the woman is inferior to the man, and therefore it is necessary that she be ruled by the man and bear his dominion; so the body is much inferior to the soul, and therefore it is necessary that it be ruled and tamed by the spirit, and its desires broken. Because the saints strove to do this, they were not defiled with women; because from the conjunction of bodies they drew no filth by which they might too greatly offend God. These follow the Lamb wherever he goes. Whither does he go, who fills all things and is entirely everywhere? But how he goes, the Apostle teaches, saying: On whom he will he has mercy, and whom he will he hardens. Thus God goes by showing mercy to some, and by taking away his mercy from others.

The saints indeed follow, because to whom he grants his mercy, they too grant it; and from whom he withholds it, they too withhold it.

This we cannot understand of the elect placed on earth; for often they show mercy to whom God does not show mercy, as Samuel, who mourned for Saul, whom God had cast away from his face: and sometimes the saints wish to condemn some to whom God shows mercy, as Jonah, who desired that the Ninevites be destroyed, whom God had decreed to save. These were bought from among all men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

In the Law it was commanded that the firstfruits of crops be offered to God: by the firstfruits of crops the elect are designated; for just as from a multitude of fruits small firstfruits were offered to God, so also from a multitude of peoples a small number of the elect is chosen, who are offered to God by the angels in the temple of heavenly glory, as the Lord says in the Gospel: For many are called, but few are chosen. The saints therefore have been taken from among men after the manner of firstfruits, and placed in heavenly blessedness. And in their mouth was found no lie. What is said seems very difficult; for there are indeed certain very grave lies, and there are others which are to be reckoned among light sins, from which in our times I do not know whether anyone could abstain for his whole life, unless he were an infant who does not know how to speak.

It does not seem to me, therefore, that this is said of all lies; but there is a very grievous lie, when we lie about the things we promised in baptism. This lie, then, was not found in the mouth of the saints; because what they promised in baptism they strove to keep until the end of life. And if there were some who after baptism committed many sins, nevertheless in their mouth no lie was found; because through repentance and works of charity they strove to blot out before death the evil they had done: For they are without blemish. And here he shows plainly enough that the things contained in this reading pertain not to the faithful who labor in this life, but to those who rest in the heavenly seats. For who, placed in this life, can be without blemish, since the same John says: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us?

But the souls of the saints are without blemish

because whatever filth they contracted from their dwelling in the world has been blotted out, either through repentance and tears and works of charity, or through scourges, or indeed after death by purgatorial fire. I have said what I have perceived. But if anyone should wish to transfer the text of this reading to the present Church, and should judge that by the hundred forty-four thousand either preachers or other just persons still living in this life are meant; and that by the new song which no one but they alone could say, the Gospel is designated; let him consider that the holy Gospel is often preached not only by the elect, but also by the reprobate, of whom we believe the Lord said in the Gospel: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and cast out many demons in your name, and done many mighty works in your name?

And then I will declare to them: Amen I say to you, I do not know you.

Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity. Of such men the apostle Paul also speaks, saying: There are some who proclaim Christ out of contention, not sincerely, supposing that they add affliction to my bonds. But if anyone should determine that the sequence of this reading pertains to the virgins of the present time, namely to those whom the love of God daily impels toward the keeping of integrity, together with other good works, he seems to me to hold a sound sense in this: but he ought to observe that it cannot fit this sense that by the new song here he should understand the Gospel; but rather the spiritual joy which grows in them from the keeping of virginity. No one, then, can say the new song, but they alone; because no one can prevail to have the joy of virginity, but only those who are accustomed daily to offer it to God, adorned with other good works.

Likewise also he who wishes to apply this sentence to those who, with the palm of virginity, have already deserved to ascend to the heavenly kingdoms, does not depart from the right understanding: but let him know that it does not fit this sense, that by the new song he should understand some song that can be composed by voice, tongue, and lips: but rather the reward of virginity, which they deserve to receive eternally from the Lord. And this song no one, but they alone, can say; because no one receives the reward of virginity, except those who, while placed in the world, strove to keep it with undefiled mind for the love of Christ. Of such the prophet Isaiah speaks, saying: Thus says the Lord to the eunuchs: Those who keep my sabbaths, and choose the things I have willed, and hold fast my covenant, I will give them in my house and within my walls a place, and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name, which shall not perish.

And I saw another angel flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel; that he might preach to those sitting upon the earth, and to every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice. Again he briefly comprehends all things; for just as above, when he wished to narrate the evils of Antichrist, he began from the coming of Christ, and, first narrating the persecutions which the Church suffered from the devil, arrived at Antichrist: so also here, wishing to describe the day of judgment, he begins from the coming of Christ, and, briefly repeating all things under the appearance of three angels, arrives at the day of judgment. This angel, indeed, signifies Christ and his apostles, and the other preachers of Christ. He is said to have had the everlasting Gospel; because the doctrine of the Gospel was given by Christ, the apostles, and the other preachers, that they might preach it to the nations. This Gospel is said to be everlasting, because it grants eternity to all who do it.

It is also said to have been preached to those sitting upon the earth; for the nations to whom the Gospel was preached sought nothing else than the earth, and had placed all their rest upon the earth. Let us hear, however, what this angel preaches. Fear the Lord, and give him honor; for the hour of his judgment has come: and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of waters. He fittingly placed the fear of the Lord first, and afterward honor; for the fear of the Lord impels a man to repentance: and repentance provokes him to do good works. We therefore render honor to God when we do good works, as the Lord himself says: Let them see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. The hour of judgment began from the time when the Gospel began to be preached. Those, therefore, will be severely judged in the day of judgment, who, hearing the word of the Gospel and despising it, refused to receive the faith of Christ.

Likewise also those who indeed received the faith of Christ, but were unwilling to fulfill it in works; for to whom more is entrusted, more shall be required of him. But of those who did not hear the word of God, the Lord says in the Gospel: He who does not believe is already judged. And worship him who made heaven and earth, and the sea and the fountains of waters—that is, leave the deaf, dumb, and blind idols, and worship him who made all things out of nothing. And another angel followed, saying. The other angel signifies the doctors of the Church, who, when the persecutions had ended, governed the Church of God. Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. By Babylon, as we said above, is designated the city of the devil, which consists of all the impious. It had fallen because all the worship of demons had been destroyed through the faith of Christ.

And it is said to have fallen twice

because it had fallen both on the part of the persecutors and on the part of diabolical worship. Which has made all nations drink of the wine of her wrath. The wine of wrath is the errors of the gentiles, by which they provoked God to wrath: but since Babylon is nothing else than all nations, that is, all the reprobate, how did she make all nations drink of the wine of her wrath? Truly, since one taught another, and he a third, and the third a fourth, and thus the diabolical error passed into all men, in every way Babylon made all nations drink of the wine of God's wrath.

a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice: If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand; he too shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed unmixed in the cup of his wrath.

The third angel represents the preachers who will be in the times of the coming Antichrist; for they will preach that no one should worship Antichrist, nor incline the ears of his heart to his most wicked doctrine, nor imitate his works: and if anyone does so, they will testify that he must be condemned to perpetual punishment. By the wine of the wrath of God is designated the final damnation, which will be inflicted upon the impious in the day of judgment: and by unmixed wine we mean pure wine. By the pure wine, therefore, the justice of God is designated, and by the cup we can take the judgment of God. The wine, then, is mixed unmixed in the cup of God; because the final damnation, by which the impious will be condemned, will be mixed with justice in the cup of God, that is, in the judgment of God; because it will be carried out by the most just judgment of God.

The impious, therefore, will drink the wine of the wrath of God, when it will be said to them: Depart, you cursed, into the everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the sight of the holy angels, and in the sight of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torments shall ascend forever and ever. Fire burns, but brimstone emits from itself a most evil stench. They will be tormented bodily with fire, who were unwilling to extinguish in themselves the fire of vices: they will be tormented with the stench of brimstone, to whom the stench of luxury was sweet. They will be tormented in the sight of the holy angels, and in the sight of the Lamb, namely so that they may be tormented in the sight of those, in whose sight, without shame, they did not fear to perpetrate many evils.

And they shall have no rest day or night, who worshiped the beast and its image, and whoever received the mark of its name.

Why does he say that the reprobate have no rest neither in the day nor in the night, since the elect are to possess an eternal day; but the reprobate a perpetual night? But he has spoken after the human manner.

Here is the patience of the saints, who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus: that is, such is the patience of the saints, and it bears such fruit as is shown in what follows. And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me: Write, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. Such, then, is the patience of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, that they may be blessed forever. But what does it mean that he says: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord? For what dead man can die?

Without doubt no dead man can die, unless he first receives his soul again, so that he can die again.

But those are blessed, and those die in the Lord, who die first to the world, afterward to the flesh: who first extinguish in themselves the old man, that is, all wickedness both spiritual and carnal, so that they may say with the Apostle: The world is crucified to me, and I to the world. For those die in the Lord, of whom the Lord says in the Gospel: But he who perseveres to the end, he shall be saved.

Henceforth, says the spirit, let them rest from their labours.

Henceforth, that is, from the time of their death, the saints will rest from their labours. For their works follow them. How do they follow? Did not Cornelius’s works precede him, to whom it was said by the angel: Your prayers and your alms have been remembered in the sight of God? But he used “follow” for “accompany”; for an army that accompanies a king is also said to follow him, even though some go before, others follow, others march to the right or the left. Therefore the works of the saints follow them, because the reward of their works accompanies them forever. We can also understand this spiritually of those who in the times of Antichrist will be killed for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; for blessed indeed will they be, and will die in the Lord, who die for the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, since he has narrated the punishment of those who will believe in Antichrist, and briefly summarized the blessedness of those who will persevere in the faith of Christ even to the end, it follows that he should describe the day of judgment, in which all these things will be fulfilled.

I saw, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sitting like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat upon the cloud: Thrust in thy sickle, and reap; for the hour is come to reap, because the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and cried with a loud voice to him that had the sharp sickle, saying: Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vineyard of the earth, because the grapes thereof are ripe. And the angel thrust in his sharp sickle into the earth, and gathered the vineyard of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. I have set out almost the whole passage, so that its intricacies may be seen more clearly when examined from every side. For each of these angels signifies Christ; and likewise the two sickles have one signification, for they designate that fire by which the whole world is to be destroyed; because just as the world was destroyed the first time by water, so at the end of the ages it will be destroyed by fire. But we must ask why one Christ is figured through two angels, and one destruction through two sickles.

The first angel indeed is seen sitting upon a white cloud and having a golden crown; but the second is said neither to have had a golden crown, nor to have sat upon a white cloud. And the first is said to have cut down the harvest of the earth, but the second the clusters of the vineyard of the earth; yet it is not said where the first placed the harvest of the earth, whereas the second is said to have cast the clusters of the vineyard of the earth into the great winepress of the wrath of God. It seems to me, therefore, that by the harvest of the earth the elect are designated; but by the clusters, from which wine arises that alienates the minds of men, the reprobate are signified. This is the harvest of which the Lord speaks in the Gospel: In the time of harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather into my barns.

For those who are there signified by the wheat are here signified by the harvest; and those who there are signified by the cockle are here figured by the clusters of the vineyard of the earth. And because Christ will appear differently to the just and to the unjust, he is not inappropriately figured through two angels. For the just will see him in the same brightness in which he is beheld by the angels and holy spirits in heavenly beatitude; but the wicked will see him in that appearance in which he was seen by men when placed on earth. Let the wicked be taken away, that he see not the glory of God. Thus he will appear gentle to the just, but terrible to the unjust; whence the first is described as sitting upon a white cloud, and having a golden crown upon his head. For by the white cloud his immaculate body is signified; by the golden crown, the multitude of angels and saints who will accompany him as he comes to judgment is expressed.

Likewise, one destruction is designated through two sickles

because the just will be destroyed in one way, the unjust in another: the destruction of the just should rather be called redemption, as the Lord says: Look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand. It is rightly called redemption, because it frees from temporal evils and leads to eternal joys. But the destruction of the wicked will be grievous here, and more grievous after death; for damnation and perpetual mourning will remain in them. The just, from the hope of eternal reward, will receive death gladly; but the wicked, fearful of perpetual damnation, will be struck with a most sorrowful death.

The other angel who came out of the temple, and cried with a loud voice to him who sat upon the cloud, saying: Thrust in thy sickle, and reap—designates the elect who labor in this earth; and by the temple, out of which he is seen to have come forth, the Church is designated. He cried, therefore, to him who sat upon the cloud, that he should thrust his sickle into the earth and reap; because holy men, seeing the world set in wickedness, and shuddering at its miseries, daily pray that the kingdom of God may come, in which, freed from all distresses, they will receive their own bodies, and rejoice forever with the Lord. Now the dryness of the harvest indicates its ripeness; for just as the harvest grows until it becomes ripe, when it becomes dry, so too the number of the elect will grow until the end of the world, and their ripeness will then be perfected, when their number shall have been completed.

Likewise the fourth angel who came out from the altar, who had power over the fire, has the same signification as the second, who is seen to have come out of the temple; for he too signifies the elect laboring in this life. The altar signifies the Church, as does the temple; but by the fire we can understand the charity which the Holy Spirit nourishes in the hearts of the saints with spiritual kindlings. The saints are said to have power over this fire because they both possess charity, and are possessed by it.

This angel, therefore, cried to the third angel bearing the second sickle, whom we have said signifies Christ, that he should gather the clusters of the vineyard of the earth, by which the wicked are designated; because holy men, seeing the human race daily deceived by demons, seeing also the wicked flourish, and the world always slipping into worse things, pray that the day of judgment may come, in which both the wickedness of demons may perish along with its very authors, and every transgression may come to an end together with the transgressors themselves, and everlasting justice may be brought in, which will be terminated by no end. The vineyard signifies the world, which has begotten and nourished the whole multitude of the wicked; and the pit, which we call hell, is called the pit of the wrath of God because in it the vengeance of God’s wrath will be consummated. And the pit was trodden without the city.

By the treading we can understand the plunging of the wicked into hell; by the city the heavenly Jerusalem is designated, which consists of all the elect. Outside this city, then, the pit will be trodden; because the wicked will be separated from the company of the just, and thrust into hell, as the Lord says in the Gospel: The angels shall go out, and separate the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And blood came out of the pit up to the horses’ bridles, for a thousand six hundred furlongs.

By the blood is designated the punishment of the wicked; by the space of a thousand six hundred furlongs, which the blood coming out of the pit occupied, false Christians are designated: which number, though derived from the number four, nevertheless spreads out preserving that same number on every side, and in no way exceeds its bounds. Likewise false Christians receive in baptism the faith of Christ, which consists in the four books of the Gospel; but leaving the narrow and strait way, which is enclosed within the confines of the number four, which leads to life, they walk by the broad and spacious way of this age, which leads to death. Yet they do not depart from the number four, because although they do not have the works of Christianity, they nevertheless do not lose the name of Christianity.

The blood, then, went out from the pit, and occupied a thousand six hundred furlongs

because that punishment which swallows up demons and all unbelievers will also ensnare false Christians, who were seen to have had the faith, but did not have the works of faith. By the horses the false shepherds of the Church are designated, who take up the office of governance not for love of God, but for love of the world; by the bridles by which horses are ruled, their false doctrine is designated. False shepherds indeed have doctrine on their lips, lest they seem wholly foreign to their office; but following the example of the Pharisees, they say and do not do. And because they can teach nothing other than what the Gospel speaks, and in their preaching they announce to sinners what punishments they will suffer unless they amend; the blood reaches up to the horses’ bridles, because they themselves, since they were unwilling to abandon their vices, will experience the punishments which they threatened sinners with, unless they should be corrected.

15. The Sea of Glass and the Canticle of Moses and the Lamb

And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous: seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. Just as above, before coming to the narration of the seven angels sounding trumpets, he took care to make mention of them, so also here, before coming to the narration of the seven angels having bowls, he makes mention of them, to indicate that great mysteries are contained in the vision of them. But concerning these things, in what follows, we shall speak, as the Lord shall grant.

I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire, and them that had overcome the beast, and his image, and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God, and singing the canticle of Moses the servant of God, and the canticle of the Lamb, saying.

What the sea of glass signifies we have said above, in the second vision (on chapter 4); but there it is said to be as it were of crystal, here mingled with fire; and because crystal is of exceptional clarity, and, having taken fire from the heat of the sun, is wont to emit it, the crystal there has the same signification as the fire here; for they signify the spiritual understanding that is found in the divine Scriptures. The sea of glass, then, is mingled with fire, because the divine Scripture is mingled with spiritual understandings. Upon the sea of glass, then, those who overcame the beast were seen standing; because the saints of God, who are to fight against Antichrist, will fix their steps upon the precepts of the divine Scriptures, and will be able to be moved from their faith by no assault of the winds. By the harps which they had, the mortification of the flesh is designated; by the canticle of Moses, the Old Testament; the canticle of the Lamb shows the New.

They sang, then, the canticle of Moses and the canticle of the Lamb, because the saints will preach both the Old and the New Testament.

Let us hear what this canticle is like. Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty: just and true are thy ways, O King of ages. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and magnify thy name? For thou only art holy; for all nations shall come and adore in thy sight, because thy judgments are made manifest. This canticle agrees with the Old and New Testament; for seven blessings are found there, which can be fitted to the seven parts of which we spoke above (On chap. 5 and 7). For the first blessing is: Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty; which can befit the first time, in which heaven and earth and all creatures were made, which are exceedingly marvellous.

The second is: Just and true are thy ways, O King of ages; which agrees with the second part, in which all creatures that had the breath of life were blotted out by the waters of the flood by the most just judgment of God. The third is: Who shall not fear thee, O Lord? Which agrees with the third part, namely those to whom the Law was given, who kept the Law's commands out of fear rather than love. The fourth is: And magnify thy name; which it is manifest befits the prophets, who magnified the name of God both by preachings and by writings. The fifth is: For thou only art holy; in the fifth part we placed the coming of Christ, in which our Lord, who alone is holy, deigned both to become man for the salvation of the human race, and to suffer and die.

The sixth is: For all nations shall come and adore in thy sight; it is manifest that after the Lord's ascension all nations came to the faith of Christ, whom we placed in the sixth position. The seventh is: For thy judgments are made manifest; which it is manifest pertains to the day of judgment, in which the judgments of God shall be manifested to be just and true. From the condemnation of that judgment may the mercy and holiness of our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ deign to free us, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns God through all ages of ages, amen.

The fifth vision, to the elucidation of whose meaning, the Lord helping, we have now come, agrees for the greatest part with the vision above, of whose understanding, as far as the Lord's grace has deigned to grant, we have already spoken (On chap. 8). For just as there seven angels were seen, to whom seven trumpets were given; so also here seven angels are recorded to have been given seven bowls: and just as at the sound of the trumpet of the first angel great hail struck the earth; so also at the pouring out of the bowl of the first angel men, who are often designated by "earth," are said to have been struck with most grievous sores: and just as at the sound of the trumpet of the second angel a third part of the sea was turned into blood, likewise at the pouring out of the bowl of the second angel the whole sea is described as having been turned into blood.

The rest follow the same meaning: but how these agree with the former, we shall say in what follows. These, then, have the same signification as those; for they signify the preachers who have been from the beginning, and shall be until the end. But they are set down twice for this reason: that, as we showed above, the things that are seen to have been done under the sound of the trumpet of the first, second, third, and fourth angel pertain to the elect.

But the things that are related to have been done under the sound of the trumpet of the fifth, sixth, and seventh angel, to which also three woes are joined, in which are described the persecutions the Church has suffered from heretics and from pagans, and shall suffer from Antichrist at the end of the world, pertain on the one hand to the reprobate, on the other to the elect; because the wicked gain everlasting punishment from the evil which they inflict on the pious, while the just gain everlasting glory for themselves from the evil which they endure. And so all the things described under the pouring out of the bowls of the seven angels pertain to the reprobate; whence also the first are said to have sounded trumpets, by which the army of God was called to battle: but those that follow are related to have poured out bowls full of the wrath of God upon the wicked. After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of testimony was opened in heaven.

It is written in Exodus that Moses made the tabernacle in the desert: afterward, however, when the people were already dwelling in the land of promise, the temple was built by Solomon. By the desert, then, is designated this age: by the tabernacle, which is transferred from place to place, the present Church is designated, which passes daily from the desert of this age to heavenly blessedness, and goes on from strength to strength, that it may see the God of gods in Sion. Whence also the curtains of the tabernacle, which were painted with diverse colors, were covered with skins and haircloth; to show that the mortification of the flesh and humility are the guardianship of the virtues. But what is designated by the land of promise, if not the heavenly homeland, which God promised to those who love him? And what is figured by the temple, which was built of the finest stones, if not the heavenly Jerusalem, which is daily built of living stones?

When, therefore, it says: The temple of the tabernacle was opened; it is as if it said: The temple of the Church was opened: but what else is the temple of the Church, if not the heavenly homeland? In this temple the Psalmist desired to dwell, when he said: One thing have I asked of the Lord, this will I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. This temple, then, was opened through Christ, because access to the heavenly kingdom was thrown open through him to all the faithful. And there came out of the temple seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in clean and white stone, and girt about the breasts with golden girdles. If by the temple the heavenly homeland is designated, and by the seven angels the preachers, how are they said to have come out of the temple? Do the saints then descend from that heavenly homeland to preach?

But the holy preachers come forth, as it were, from the heavenly homeland, when they are sent by him who is the glory of the saints, and from whom all their doctrine proceeds. They are said to have had seven plagues: and above too they were said to have had seven plagues, because in them the wrath of God is consummated. If they had the seven plagues of the wrath of God, how were they made holy? But the saints of God had the seven plagues in their power, not as their own punishment; for the Lord says in the Gospel: In the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit upon twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Now by the seven plagues are designated the seven principal vices, from which all evils arise.

The seven angels, then, were seen to have had seven plagues; because the holy preachers on the day of judgment will have the seven principal vices, that is, all workers of evil, so much in their power that by their judgment they shall be struck with perpetual punishment. But the wrath of God is consummated in the holy preachers, that is, through them; because by their judgment the wrath of God shall be accomplished. We can understand the seven plagues otherwise. Above we divided the whole body of the wicked into seven parts (On chap.

1): the seven plagues, then, are the sins which most fittingly agree with each part; for those shall be judged in one way who were before the flood, and who deceived the people of God by the union with women; in another way those who after the flood invented idolatry and diverse errors, by which the human race was deceived: in another way those who were under the Law, and did not keep the commandments of God: in another way the false prophets, who deceived the people of God: in another way the impious Jews, who slew the Lord, and persecuted his apostles: in another way the persecutors of the Church, who tried to extinguish the faith of Christ: in another way the ministers of Antichrist, who, about to desert Christ, will follow Antichrist. These plagues, then, the saints of God will have in their power; because each will condemn, by their judgment, to perpetual punishment, those who lived in their own times and despised their warnings.

But by the clean and white stone with which the seven angels were seen clothed, Christ is designated, of whom the Apostle says: All you who have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ. And by the golden girdles with which they are recorded to be girt about the breasts, the wisdom of the preachers is intimated: which so encloses the hearts of the saints within itself, that it does not permit them to wander outside it through diverse errors.

And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls, full of the wrath of God who liveth for ever and ever.

Although the four living creatures signify the four evangelists, yet both together and severally they signify Christ: but since brevity does not permit us to say how each one signifies Christ; let us understand Christ by this one living creature. Now the bowls are the hearts of the saints, which are rightly called golden on account of wisdom. One, then, of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls, because Christ filled the hearts of the saints with wisdom. But if they are filled with wisdom, how are they said to be full of the wrath of God? The Lord says in the Gospel concerning the impious Jews: If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin. Did the Jews then not have sin before the coming of Christ?

They were indeed sinners before, but they did not have the sin of unbelief, the sin of blasphemy, whereby they called him Beelzebub, the sin of homicide, whereby they crucified him, and the many other crimes which they drew from his coming. But in the bowl of Christ, in which the life of the world was contained, the Jews, through their own faults, found death. The bowls of the seven angels, then, were full of the wrath of God; because, as far as concerns the reprobate, the preaching of the saints contained in itself the wrath of God; because for having despised their preaching, they incurred the wrath of God. And the temple was filled with smoke from the majesty of God, and from his power. We said above that by the temple the heavenly homeland is designated: but smoke, if it be within a house, darkens the eyes of those looking in from without, so that they cannot perfectly see the things that are done within the house.

The temple of the heavenly homeland, then, is now full of smoke; because the elect, placed in this life, while they lift the eyes of their mind to contemplate heavenly things, are darkened by a certain mist, which they cannot pass through: this darkening he calls smoke. Paul suffered this mist, when he said: We see now through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face. And again: Now I know in part, but then I shall know even as I am known. And it must be noted that the elect suffer this dimming as long as they are placed in this life: but when they pass over to that heavenly blessedness, it shall be plucked away from the eyes of their mind. Whence it follows: And no man could enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. Do the just not enter daily into that heavenly blessedness?

But let us understand this to be said of the entrance of bodies; for indeed in that heavenly blessedness the just do not enter with their bodies, until the seven plagues of the seven angels are completed. Of the seven plagues we spoke above: but the last plague shall be when Antichrist infects the human race with his errors. When, however, the seven plagues are finished, for the examining of which the day of judgment shall come, the saints will receive their bodies, and shall dwell without end with the Lord in the temple of the heavenly homeland. Of this dwelling the Psalmist says: Blessed are they who dwell in thy house, O Lord; they shall praise thee for ever and ever.

16. The Pouring Out of the First Bowls of Wrath

And I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels: Go, and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God upon the earth.

The voice from the temple is the voice of the Lord commanding the preachers, that they announce the word of God not only to the elect, but also to the reprobate; so that these may have whence they might be corrected, and those whence they might be the more damned. But by the earth sinners are designated. The preachers, then, pour out their bowls upon the earth, when they announce the word of God to sinners. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth, and there was made a grievous and very bad wound upon the men who had the character of the beast, and upon them that adored his image. The first Angel designates the preachers who existed before the Law: just as also that one who in the preceding vision was seen to have first sounded the trumpet (At chapter 8). But there, by the third part of the earth which was burned up, the elect are designated: here, however, by those who suffered a grievous and very bad wound, the reprobate are designated.

The angel therefore poured out his vial upon the earth: because the holy men who existed before the Law bestowed words of admonition upon the impious, that they might correct them: but a grievous and very bad wound was made upon them; because, made worse by the preaching of the saints, they scorned the commandments of God; for a grievous and very bad wound is contempt of the commandments of God. But if the grievous and very bad wound pertains only to the reprobate, and only those suffered this who had the character of the beast, we must inquire what the character of the beast is. But if by the character of the beast we should wish to understand pride, because of which the devil fell from heaven, we ought to note that many of the elect had the wound of pride, but were healed by the medicine of humility.

There is, however, another most evil vice, which always excludes from itself the medicine of penitence; for we know that the devil is irrevocable, so that he can in no way be corrected from his iniquities. Therefore whoever is irrevocable does not seek the medicine of penitence, just as the devil also remains a stranger to this medicine. Therefore, those who could not be recalled from their crimes by the teaching of the holy Fathers had the character of the devil, who persists incorrigible and impenitent. But because many in our time labor under this vice, it is necessary that we say something about its magnitude; for there are some so irrevocable that although they know their assertion to be wicked, they can in no way be recalled from it, fearing to be conquered by men; and lest they be convicted, they strive to defend their falsehood by lies and perjuries and burning contentions: and while they fear to be conquered by men, they are conquered by the devil.

The other vices, therefore, are healed by the medicine of penitence: but this alone is the one that excludes from itself this salutary medicine; lest, that is, they should seem to be conquered through confession and penitence. And because they praise their own evil so that they may seem to have conquered, in them is fulfilled that prophetic saying: Woe to you who call evil good, and good evil; putting darkness for light, and light for darkness (Isaiah, 20)! It is said that there is a certain bird which conquers and eats the serpent, but after a little while is killed by its poison: likewise these also rejoice that they have conquered their neighbors, but such a victory is the slayer of their souls. Whoever, therefore, are such, bear the character of the devil. But by the image of the beast we may understand vices; because he himself is the author of all evils.

Therefore whoever serves vices adores the image of the beast; for Paul also says that the belly was the god of false preachers: Whose god, he says, is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame: who mind earthly things (Philippians III, 19). Likewise he also called avarice the servitude of idols (Colossians III, 5). And the second poured out his vial into the sea, and it became as the blood of a dead man, and every living soul died in the sea. This angel signifies the teachers of the Law, just as also that one who in the preceding vision was seen to have sounded the second trumpet (Above, at chapter 8): but there it is said that a third part of the sea was turned into blood, by which we said the elect were designated: here, however, it is read that the whole sea was turned into blood (Genesis IX, 5). The vengeance for criminal sins according to the Law was the shedding of blood.

By the sea, therefore, the transgressors of the Law are designated; which was turned into blood, because they received perpetual vengeance for contempt of the commandments of God. Every living soul died in the sea; because many of those who were in the sea, that is, from the number of the reprobate, who are designated by the sea, and who before the receiving of the Law seemed to be living, that is, just, once the Law was received, it was proven by the transgression of the Law that they had been unjust. There are also many now in the Church, who before they ascend to ecclesiastical or secular honors, seem holy and just: but once they have received honors, while they pervert the gift of God to evil, it becomes clear to all that they were dead and not living. And the third poured out his vial upon the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters, and it became blood.

This angel designates the prophets, and by the rivers and fountains of waters the twelve tribes with their families are designated; for in the preceding vision also we said that the prophets were designated by the third angel sounding the trumpet. But there it is read that a third part of the rivers and fountains was turned into wormwood, by which we said were designated those who, through the teaching of the prophets, took up the bitterness of penitence, and by it deserved to be saved: here, however, in the pouring out of the vial of the third angel, it is read that the rivers and fountains were turned into blood. The angel therefore poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters, when the holy prophets announced the word of God to the impious people: but they, made much worse by the preaching of the saints, not only scorned the commandments of God, but also killed the very ministers of the word of God.

They were turned into blood

because they brought perpetual death upon themselves.

I heard the fourth angel saying: Thou art just, who art, and who wast, holy

because thou hast judged these things; because they shed the blood of the saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink, which is what they deserve. We may understand by the fourth angel the angel of that people, who, seeing that by the just judgment of God the wicked people has been condemned, praises the most just sentence of God almighty. And because they shed the blood of the saints and prophets, they drank blood; because for the temporal death which they inflicted on the just, they received perpetual death. And I heard also the altar saying: O Lord God almighty, true and just are thy judgments.

We may understand by the altar the holy men who existed at that time; who praised the just judgment of God

because he inflicted most just condemnation upon the impious people, as we read that Daniel and the three youths did.

the fourth poured out his vial upon the sun, and it was given to him to afflict men with heat, and with fire.

And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; neither did they do penance, to give him glory. The fourth angel signifies Christ and his apostles, and the other preachers, just as we said the fourth angel signified in the vision above: but there, by the sun, the people of the Jews is designated, and by the third part of the sun and moon and stars, the faithful from that people who believed in Christ.

The fourth angel therefore poured out his vial upon the sun; because Christ and his apostles predicted with open voices that the impious Jews would be destroyed by the Romans. For just as any servant receives a sword from his lord, not that he himself should be slain by it, but that he should slay a guilty man with it: so too the Romans received the pouring out of the vial, in which the wrath of God was contained, not to this end, that they themselves should perish by it, but to pour it out upon the Jews to avenge the blood of Christ; whence it also follows: Because it was given to him to afflict men with heat and with fire. We may understand by heat the siege, and by fire the famine and the sword, by which the Jews were almost all consumed.

It was given therefore to the sun to afflict men with heat and fire; because it was given by God to the Romans that they should kill some of the impious Jews, afflicted with diverse calamities, and uproot others from their land. And men were scorched with great heat. How great was that heat with which the Romans afflicted the Jews, let him who wishes to know read Josephus, and he will find that no nation in all the kingdoms of the earth perished more atrociously (On the Jewish War). And they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues. So impious was the nation of the Jews, that although they knew they were suffering unheard-of evils for their crimes, they not only did not cease from blasphemies against Christ, but even in their afflictions vomited forth much worse blasphemies against God.

Whence it also follows: Neither did they do penance, to give him glory; for they would have given glory to God, if, doing penance for their iniquities, they had believed in Christ, and kept his commandments.

the fifth poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast, and his kingdom became dark: and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven

because of their pains and wounds; and they did not do penance for their works. The fifth angel signifies the orthodox fathers who fought against heretics, just as we said also signified him who in the vision above sounded the fifth trumpet. And just as there the heretics were designated by the locusts, so also here the heretics are designated by the seat of the beast: but the beast signifies the devil. Rightly, therefore, are heretics called the seat of the beast; because the devil dwells in their hearts.

The fifth angel therefore poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; because the holy men, exposing the errors of the heretics, strove to make manifest what punishment awaited them. His kingdom became dark; because to those to whom the teaching of the heretics seemed splendid, it was demonstrated, through the teaching of the holy Fathers, that it was wretched and dark. They gnawed their tongues for pain: because each reproved the errors of each other; for neither did Arius follow Eunomius, or Sabellius, or any of them; nor did they follow him: but each one, wishing to establish his own heresy, reproved the errors of the others. They are also said to have blasphemed God because of their pains and wounds; for the heretics grieved, indeed, because they were always being confuted by catholic men: and their wounds were the errors of each.

But the heretics blasphemed God

because of their pains; because the more they were overcome by catholic men, the more blasphemies they found to refute them; nonetheless their own errors, which they professed, drove them to blaspheme God. They are also said to have been without penance; for you will scarcely find any among the inventors of heresies who did penance for his errors. And the sixth poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates, and dried up its water; that a way might be prepared for the kings from the rising of the sun. This sixth angel has the same signification as that one who was seen to have sounded the sixth trumpet; for he signifies the holy martyrs: and those who are designated there by the horsemen, by whom the third part of men is described as slain, are the same as are designated in this place by the great river Euphrates, namely the persecutors of the Church of God.

The angel therefore poured out his vial upon the river Euphrates; because they predicted to the persecutors themselves, without any trepidation, what condemnation awaited the persecutors of the Church. By the water the persecution itself is designated: he dried up its water; because the holy martyrs persisted so long in the preaching of the word of God, until all persecution came to an end, with some of the persecutors plunged into hell, and some subjecting themselves to the Christian faith. By the kings we may understand the multitude of the gentiles, which flowed to the faith of Christ. Thus, the water having been dried up, a way was prepared for the kings; because, the persecutions having ended, free opportunity was given to all the gentiles to come to the faith of Christ. But how are they said to have come from the rising of the sun, that is, from Christ, who is designated by the sun; since they came not from Christ, but to Christ, leaving the devil behind?

Unless perhaps we should understand by the sun the devil, so that they came from him to Christ: but it is better that we understand by the sun Christ, because of that prophetic saying: But unto you that fear my name, the sun of justice shall arise, and health in his wings (Malachi IV, 2). From the rising of the sun, therefore, that is, from Christ, they come, because they come to him inspired and impelled by him; it is his gift both to will and to accomplish what is good, as he himself said: Without me you can do nothing. From Christ, therefore, come whoever come to Christ; because he himself grants that they should come, and he himself receives those who come.

I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits go forth like frogs; for they are the spirits of devils working signs.

Having described the calling of the Gentiles, how they came to the faith of Christ, he now makes mention of Antichrist, who is to come near the end of the world. The three unclean spirits, moreover, designate the disciples of Antichrist, who are to preach him throughout the whole world; and although they are to be men, they are called unclean spirits and spirits of devils, because devils will dwell in them and speak through their mouths; and they are seen to go forth out of the mouth of Antichrist and out of the mouth of his false prophet, because through their teaching men will be made sons of the devil; and they are also seen to go forth out of the mouth of the dragon, because the devil will speak through the mouth of Antichrist.

Not without reason are they likened to frogs, which are unclean reptiles living in mud; for just as frogs dwell in filthy waters, so too the disciples of Antichrist will easily deceive those who have not feared to be defiled by diverse vices and crimes. For the hoarse and shameful voice of the frogs also signifies their most impious preaching, full of blasphemies. And they shall go forth unto the kings of the whole earth, to gather them together to the battle of the great day of Almighty God. By the kings of the earth are designated not only kings, but also peoples; and the disciples of Antichrist will gather them together to battle for the great day of Almighty God—not that they will dare to fight against God on the day of judgment, by whom they will be so terribly judged, but they will gather them together to battle in order to persecute the Church, so that on the great day of Almighty God they may be condemned to perpetual punishment.

And because, when the persecution of Antichrist is finished, the Lord will soon come to judgment, he adds: Behold, I come as a thief. The day of the Lord, as the Apostle says, will come like a thief in the night; for when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction shall come upon them. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. The wicked, who rest in the pleasures of their flesh as though on the softness of a bed, and who do not wish to foresee the evils that follow, are not inappropriately said to sleep. The Apostle admonishes them, saying: Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. But the just, who take care to foresee the evils that follow, who extinguish carnal desires in themselves, who arm themselves with the weapons of the virtues, that they may be able to fight unceasingly against visible and invisible enemies, are not inappropriately said to watch, and therefore are blessed.

Now the garments of our souls are good works; the keeping of garments is the keeping of God’s commandments. We keep our garments, therefore, if we fulfill by our actions what God has commanded; but he is naked who is a stranger to good works. The wicked will walk naked, when at the day of judgment they are led forth void of good works; and so their shame will be seen, because their crimes will be made manifest both to angels and to men. And he shall gather them together into a place which in Hebrew is called Armageddon. Armageddon is interpreted “mount of assembly,” or “a rising up into former things”; and both interpretations can be fitted to the day of judgment. For it is rightly called a rounded mountain, because the whole world will then be destroyed by balls of flame; and likewise it is rightly called a rising up into former things, because all men will be restored by rising again into their former state. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air.

By this seventh angel are designated the holy preachers who are to come in the times of Antichrist; just as we have said that same angel signified who is read above to have sounded the seventh trumpet (on chapter 9); by the air, moreover, are designated vain men. The angel, therefore, poured out his vial into the air, because the holy preachers will announce to vain and impious men that they are to be condemned to perpetual punishment. And there went out a great voice from the temple, from the throne, saying. The great voice is the voice of the holy preachers; by the temple is understood the Church. The voice went out from the temple, because the voice of holy preaching proceeds from the Church; which is also said to have gone out from the throne, because the Church of God is the throne of God, and He, sitting therein, rests.

What this voice says, he then makes plain by adding: It is done; that is, the end of the world is at hand, in which all things foretold by the Lord and by the saints shall be fulfilled. And there were lightnings and voices and thunders, and there was a great earthquake, such as never was since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, so great. By the lightnings are designated the miracles which God will work through His saints; for we read above that Elijah and Enoch are to work very many signs. By the voices, the preaching of the saints; by the thunders, moreover, is expressed the terror of the eternal fire; while the earthquake often designates a movement of hearts. For some are moved from evil to good, as the Jews who are to believe in Christ; others are moved from good to evil, who are to abandon the faith of Christ and follow the errors of Antichrist. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the Gentiles fell.

The great city is the city of the devil, that is, the whole multitude of the reprobate; by the three parts into which it is divided are designated the Jews who would not believe in Christ, and the pagans, and the false Christians. But what he says—And the cities of the Gentiles fell—seems to me to pertain to the day of judgment. The cities of the Gentiles will then fall, when by that fire which will go before the face of the Lord coming to judgment, all the Gentiles will be destroyed, as the Psalmist says: A fire shall go before him, and shall burn up his enemies round about.

And great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

How is Babylon said to have come in remembrance before God, to whose memory nothing can be added, nothing taken away—in whose sight the past and future stand as does the present? But he has used “remembrance” for “time.” Babylon, therefore, will come in remembrance before God, when that time comes in which He has determined to judge the world and render to each according to his work. Now the wine of the fierceness of God’s wrath is the perpetual punishment; because, judgment having been carried out, all the wicked, together with the devil, the author of iniquity, will be condemned. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. The mountains and islands have the same signification as the cities of the Gentiles, which a little above are said to have fallen; for by islands are designated the Gentiles, and by mountains their princes.

They are said to flee, when they will be destroyed by the fire on the day of judgment.

And a great hail, like a talent, came down from heaven upon men. It is written in the Gospel that a certain householder, going into a far country, gave to one of his servants five talents, to another two, and to another one. But the first and the second, trading with the talents which they had received from their lord, doubled them; but the third dug in the earth and hid his lord’s money. Whatsoever temporal goods, therefore, or whatsoever arts we receive from the Lord, shall be reckoned to us as the receiving of talents.

The just, then, who are designated by the first and second servant, double their talents, when they spend the temporal goods they receive from the Lord in good works, and stir up to good deeds whomsoever they can; but the wicked, who are designated by the third servant, hide their talents in the earth, because out of the temporal goods they have received from the Lord they nourish vices rather than virtues. By the hail, which is formed out of foul water, and crushes and destroys, is designated the vengeance of Almighty God, by which He will crush the wicked and plunge them into hell; which is said to be like a talent, because He will punish each one according to the quality of his own talent, and the more anyone has sinned, the greater the torments he will be forced to endure. But that which follows is very obscure: And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for it was exceeding great. For who will dare to blaspheme God in that so strict and just judgment?

But they are said to blaspheme

because the blasphemies of the reprobate, which they now conceal in their hearts, will be made manifest to all.

17. The Harlot Seated on the Scarlet Beast

— And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying.

Just as above, briefly comprising the day of judgment under the sounding of the trumpet of the seventh angel, he returned to those things which he had passed over, and, describing the holy Church under the figure of the woman clothed with the sun and having the moon under her feet, subjoined the sufferings which she endured from the devil, and those which she is to suffer from Antichrist at the end of the world—so also here, having briefly touched upon the day of judgment under the pouring out of the vial of the seventh angel, he returns to what he had passed over, and, describing the city of the devil under the figure of the harlot woman, makes known in what follows the punishments she is to suffer for her crimes. The angel having the vial designates the holy preachers; but John holds the type of all the faithful.

Whence it is added:

Come, I will show thee the damnation of the great harlot, that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her prostitution. This harlot, in some places, signifies Rome specifically, which at that time was persecuting the Church of God; but in others, generally, she signifies the city of the devil, that is, the whole body of the reprobate. The angel, therefore, showed John the damnation of the great harlot; because the holy preachers show the faithful, both by words and writings, what punishments the wicked suffer for their crimes, so that, terrified by their punishments, they may abstain from sins. She is said to sit upon many waters, because out of the multitude of the Gentiles, who are designated by the waters, the city of the devil is built; with whom the kings of the earth are said to have committed fornication, because they increased rather than destroyed the crimes of Babylon.

And the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her prostitution.

The wine of prostitution consists of the various errors, the various crimes of the impious city; for just as a harlot prostitutes herself to all who wish to fornicate with her, that she may be polluted by their uncleanness, so also all the wicked are subjected to demons, when, obeying their wicked suggestions, they cast themselves down into every crime, as the prophet speaks to Jerusalem, saying: And thou hast made thy body as the earth, and as a way to them that pass over. Now he calls all the reprobate the inhabitants of the earth; drunkenness, moreover, is the malice of Babylon; for just as a drunkard is filled with wine until he becomes estranged from his own mind, so also the reprobate fill themselves with every malice, until, having become estranged from their own mind, they cast off from themselves the fear of God and all goodness, as blessed Job says, that they drink iniquity like water.

And he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

By the wilderness is designated the whole multitude of the wicked, because they have forsaken God, and therefore have been forsaken by God. In the wilderness, then, the harlot woman was found, because the city of the devil consists of a multitude of the wicked. The beast, moreover, as he himself explains in what follows, signifies the devil; and scarlet has the color of blood, and by blood death is often designated. The devil, therefore, is blood-red, because he is the author of death and of all perdition. This beast is said to be full of names of blasphemy, because the devil himself is the author of all blasphemies. But what the seven heads and ten horns are, the angel explains in what follows.

And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold, and precious stone, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. Purple is dyed with blood, and scarlet has the color of blood; and these are royal garments, by which worldly power is designated; and by blood death is often designated. Purple and scarlet, therefore, have the appearance of blood, because worldly power is death-dealing, and brings everlasting peril to those who embrace it more than the heavenly glory. We may also understand by the blood-colored garments the works of the wicked, for which they will be condemned to eternal death. And that which follows—And gilded with gold—by gold is often designated wisdom. The woman, therefore, was gilded with gold, because she possessed the wisdom of this world, which is foolishness with God.

By the gems and pearls is designated worldly eloquence; by the golden cup, which she is said to hold in her hand, is designated the teaching of philosophers and poets, which is said to be full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication, because the teaching of philosophers and poets was full of lies and of all errors devised for the deceiving of the human race.

on her forehead a name was written, Mystery, Babylon the great, mother of fornications and of the abominations of the earth.

By the forehead and face a man is recognized; likewise the wicked also are understood from their works, as Solomon says: A child is understood by his pursuits. By the forehead and face, therefore, the works of the wicked are designated; because from their works it is understood that they are sons of the devil, and citizens of the impious city.

I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

Had Babylon then drunk the blood of the saints? But she was drunk, that is, estranged from all spiritual reason: she was drunk; because the vengeance for the blood of the saints had made her so damnable, and so alien from the mercy of God, that she was not worthy to take counsel in any way for her salvation. And I wondered, when I had seen her, with great wonder. The faithful wonder, when they see the reprobate so estranged from the fear of God that without any trembling they heap up many evils even upon the innocent, and plunge themselves into every wickedness, knowing that God leaves no crime unpunished, unless it be first blotted out by penitence and the other remedies by which sins are healed.

the angel said to me: Why dost thou wonder?

I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has seven heads and ten horns. The beast has the same meaning in this place which we said above the dragon had: for it signifies the devil. But what the seven heads and ten horns are, he himself, as we said, explains in what follows. The beast which thou sawest, was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the abyss, and go into perdition.

The beast

that is, the devil, was before the coming of Christ, possessing the human race; he is not now, that is, he does not possess the human race as before; because through Christ he has been driven out from the hearts of the elect: but he shall ascend out of the abyss; because in the times of Antichrist Satan shall be loosed from his prison, and shall go forth, and shall seduce all nations, as the following passages more fully show: and he shall go into perdition; because with all the reprobate whom he has deceived, and with all his satellites, he shall be condemned to eternal punishment.

they that dwell upon the earth shall wonder, whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, seeing the beast that was, and is not.

We must understand as the dwellers upon the earth those who will be lovers of the earth rather than of God, whom Antichrist will easily deceive. The reprobate therefore shall wonder, whose names are not written in the book of life, that is, who are not predestined to eternal life: seeing the beast, that is, the devil working signs through Antichrist, and worshipping the devil in Antichrist.

here is the meaning, for him who has wisdom: that is, in what follows there is great obscurity, and the mind must be greatly sharpened to understand these things. And let us pray the Lord that he may open this obscurity to us.

The seven heads are seven mountains, upon which the woman sits; and they are seven kings.

Five are fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a short time. We have said above that by the seven heads of the dragon those reprobate ones are designated, through whom the devil deceived the human race, whom we also divided into seven parts, as we did the rest of the multitude of the reprobate. And since this beast of which we speak has the same meaning as we said the dragon had—for they both designate the devil—the seven heads of the beast have the same meaning as we said the seven heads of the dragon had. And these are also called mountains; because those who deceived the rest were higher in their crimes than those who were deceived by them, as it says below concerning Babylon: For her sins have reached unto heaven (below, ch. 18).

They are called also seven kings, in that they gave leadership to the others going to perdition.

Upon these mountains, therefore, the harlot is said to sit; because by these the city of the devil was formed in all its errors and crimes. For as the apostles are said to be the foundations of the Church, so on the other hand the inventors of errors are the foundations of the city of the devil. Of these heads, then, or mountains, or kings, five have fallen, one was, the other had not yet come. The first head of the devil had fallen; because those who lived before the flood, by whom those who were called the sons of God were deceived, had descended into the sewer of hell. Likewise also the second, who lived after the flood up to the Law, were held submerged in the same pit of perdition. The third also had fallen, who persuaded the people of God, to whom the Law was given, to worship idols.

Likewise also the false prophets, who are placed in the fourth position, had already fallen into the ruin of their own perdition

because they were deceivers of the people of God. But the wicked Jews, who killed the Lord and persecuted His apostles, who are placed in the fifth position; at the time when this vision was shown to John, they had already been devastated by the Romans. Five heads of the beast, therefore, called mountains and kings, had already fallen; because all the preceding ones, and the impious Jews who are placed fifth, were already paying the penalties of their perdition. One was; because the pagans, namely those who persecuted the Church of God, who are also placed sixth, were then persecuting the Church of God; for which cause John himself was held banished on the island of Patmos.

The other had not yet come

because Antichrist, who is placed in the seventh position, has not yet come: and when he comes, he must remain a short time; because the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth, and destroy him by the brightness of His coming, as He Himself says in the Gospel: And unless the Lord had shortened those days, that is, the days of the persecution of Antichrist, no flesh should be saved; by "all flesh" designating the elect alone.

the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven; and goes into perdition.

And the beast, that is, the devil, who before the coming of Christ ruled over the human race, and now does not hold it so subject as he did then, this same beast is the eighth. For there are seven parts of all the reprobate, but the eighth part of them is the devil together with the other demons. He is of the seven, because the demons arise out of the fellowship of the reprobate: and as they were the authors of their perdition, so they will be the companions of their torments. Whence it also follows: And he goes into perdition. What follows, up to the place where the angel is seen to descend from heaven, pertains properly to the destruction of the Roman empire.

the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom; but shall receive power as kings one hour after the beast.

Four beasts were shown to Daniel in a vision, by which four kingdoms were figured: but the fourth beast, which was strong and terrible, by which the Romans are designated, is described as having ten horns, by which those kingdoms which destroyed the Roman empire are designated, as St. Jerome explains, following the assertion of certain men (Commentary on chapter 7 of Daniel). The ten horns in this place have the same meaning, therefore, which those are said to have had; for they signify those kingdoms by which the Roman empire was destroyed. For they first took away a part of Asia by themselves; afterward the Saracens subdued the whole. The Vandals claimed Africa for themselves, the Goths Spain, the Lombards Italy, the Burgundians Gaul, the Franks Germany, the Huns Pannonia: and the Alans and Sueves laid waste many places which were subject to their dominion.

These kingdoms, then, at the time when this vision was shown to John, had not yet received power: but they received power as kings for one hour

because the power of each of these nations remained but a short time. They received the kingdom after the beast, because when the kingdom of the devil was destroyed through Christ, * these nations received impious power.

These have one purpose, and shall deliver up their strength and power to the beast.

They had one purpose, that is, one will in evil. They delivered up their strength and power to the beast; because their strength and power were diabolical. These shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them. They fought with the Lamb, who persecuted the Church of God, and killed the people of God: but the Lamb shall overcome them, because we know that these nations, save for a few, have already taken up the yoke of the faith of Christ. Because he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and elect, and faithful. Those who are kings and lords, these same are the elect and faithful.

Christ therefore is King of kings, and Lord of lords

because He is the King and Lord of all the saints: and they that are with him are called, elect and faithful, that is, the saints, who are called to this, that they may remain with him forever, are rightly called elect and faithful. For the reprobate also are called, as the Lord says: Many are called, but few are chosen. But the reprobate are called for this, that they may be without excuse: but the elect, that they may persevere with him forever.

the ten horns which thou sawest on the beast: these shall hate the harlot.

He calls Rome the harlot, which for the defense of false gods, persecuted God its creator. The ten horns hated the harlot, therefore, when the nations designated by the ten horns took up arms to destroy the Roman empire. And shall make her desolate and naked. They made her desolate and naked, when they took away from her all power over the nations. And shall eat her flesh. Since delicacies nourish the flesh, we may understand by "flesh" the riches of all nations. They ate her flesh, when they took the wealth of all nations which was brought to Rome, and turned it to their own uses. And shall burn her utterly with fire. We know that very many cities, villages, and fortresses, which were subject to the Roman empire, were burned by these nations.

For God has put it into their hearts to do what pleases him; to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. God put it into their hearts, that is, He permitted that they do what pleases him, and what was foretold by his prophets and apostles, who foretold that the power of the Roman empire would be destroyed by these nations. But they gave their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled; because according to the permission of the most just God, they followed the promptings of the devil in perpetrating crimes for as long as was needed until the words of God should be fulfilled, that is, until those things which were foretold by God and his saints should be accomplished.

The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

By the waters are designated all the nations which the Romans had subjected to themselves.

the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which has power over all the kings of the earth.

This is manifest; for we know that the Romans at that time ruled over all the kings of the earth. But someone will say: How are the Romans designated by the harlot woman, since in those times, when these nations inflicted various disasters upon the human race, the Romans were Christians? To this we reply, that by the harlot woman are understood not the elect who were of that same nation, and who despised the glory of the world for love of heavenly glory: but the reprobate, whether they were pagan or Christian. Their power, then, was destroyed by those nations who were oppressing the human race with impious dominion.

18. The Fall of Babylon and the Call to Depart from Her

After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great power: and the earth was illuminated by his glory.

What follows pertains generally to the impious city, that is, to all the reprobate. And in order to demonstrate more fully the overthrow of Babylon, he returns to its first ruin, by which it was overthrown through Christ. For this angel signifies Christ, who deigned to descend from heaven to earth, that he might raise men up to heavenly things. He is said to have great power; because he has the same power as the Father; since he is in all things equal to the Father. The earth was illuminated by his glory; because through the teaching of his faith the human race was rescued from the darkness of ignorance and unbelief. And he cried out in a strong voice, saying. The voice of Christ is the doctrine of the Gospel. What this voice cried out, he makes clear by adding: Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.

To have said is for God to have done; for he said Babylon had fallen

because he himself brought it about that she fell: and she is said to have fallen twice, because she fell first, when through the doctrine of the Gospel she lost a very great multitude of the elect, who, cut off from her by faith in Christ, were made citizens of the holy city, that is, of the Church: she will fall a second time, when on the last day she shall be punished with perpetual death, which in this book is called the second death. And it has become a dwelling-place of demons. Did the demons not dwell in Babylon before the coming of Christ? They did indeed dwell there, but their dwelling was unknown: but when the multitude of the elect were converted to the faith, Babylon became a dwelling-place of demons; because those who received the faith of Christ truly recognized that the dwelling of demons had always been in Babylon.

And a stronghold of every unclean spirit, and a stronghold of every unclean and hateful bird.

Those who are demons, they themselves are the unclean spirits and the unclean birds. They are called birds indeed, because they range continually through this air in the manner of winds; and they are called guardians of Babylon for this reason: that just as angels guard the elect of God, lest they sin so grievously as to perish, so also demons watch over the impious, lest at any time they should come to their senses from their iniquities and be saved. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of her wrath, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have been made rich by the power of her delights. What the wine of wrath is, and what the fornication of kings with Babylon is, we have already briefly said above.

By the merchants of the earth we may understand the lovers of the world, who hand their souls over to perdition for the acquisition of money. Of such merchants Jesus the son of Sirach speaks, saying: For this man held his soul for sale; since in his life he cast away his inmost things. He held his soul for sale, who did not fear to hand it over to demons for the acquisition of money: but he calls delights the "power" of Babylon; because just as the elect labor with all their strength to acquire heavenly riches, so also the reprobate press on with all their efforts to heap up perishable riches for themselves. Of such the prophet says: They have labored to act unjustly. And I heard another voice from heaven saying. By heaven in this place the Church is signified: the voice from heaven is the voice of preachers proceeding from the Church. But what does this voice say? Go out of her, my people.

The Lord, through his preachers, urges the elect to go out from Babylon, not in body, but in mind.

How they ought to go out from Babylon he teaches in what follows, saying: And that you be not partakers of her sins; for those go out from Babylon fittingly who make themselves strangers to her evil works, just as the Psalmist speaks of himself, saying: I have not sat in the assembly of vanity, nor will I go in with those who do iniquity.

And receive not of her plagues.

What are the plagues of Babylon, but the vices which kill souls? We can also understand by the plagues of Babylon the punishments which have been prepared for the impious, so that the sense is: If you abstain from the crimes of Babylon, you will be strangers to the punishments which she will suffer forever. For her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Almighty God always beholds the iniquities of Babylon: but when he does not exact vengeance, he seems not to see what he sees. By this, therefore, which he says, he designates that time in which all the impious will be struck with perpetual punishment. Render to her as she has rendered to you.

The elect are commanded to render to Babylon as she has rendered to them, whether

because the saints of God will judge the impious, as the Lord says in the Gospel: In the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit upon twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel: or because they themselves are members of him to whom the power of judging has been given by the Father. The just, therefore, will render to the impious the evils which they suffered from them, when Christ, who is their head, and whose members they are, shall condemn them to perpetual punishment. And double unto her double according to her works. Babylon persecuted the elect of God in a twofold way, when she inflicted many evils upon their bodies and souls.

She herself will receive punishments in a twofold way; because along with souls, bodies will be tortured: and her double punishments will themselves be doubled; because for the temporal and brief punishments with which she afflicted the just, she will receive eternal punishments. In the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. By the cup we may understand the tribulations which the saints suffered from the wicked. As much as she glorified herself and lived in delights, give her that much torment and grief. As much as she glorified herself, that is, raised herself up in pride, and entangled herself in every vice, so much and even greater torments will she receive. Because she says in her heart: I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no grief. Babylon calls herself a queen, as it were, when she exalts herself in the prosperities of this world.

She says she is not a widow; because she trusts she cannot be separated from the temporal goods to which she is joined, and from which she nourishes her luxury. She says she will not see grief; because the impious, although they know that they are to be punished for their crimes, pretend not to see what they see, and cast the memory of death from their mind, lest sad thought disturb the gladness of their heart. Therefore in one day her plagues shall come, death, and mourning, and famine. In the day of judgment perpetual death shall come to her, which in this book is called the second death. Mourning shall come to her, as the Lord says in the Gospel: There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Famine shall come to her, that is, famine for rest; for they will desire to rest from the punishments which they suffer, to which rest they will by no means arrive.

she shall be burned with fire; that is, with eternal fire.

For strong is the Lord who shall judge her. And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication with her and lived in delights, shall weep and lament over her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for fear of her torments, saying: Woe, woe, that great city Babylon, that strong city; for in one hour your judgment has come! What the fornication of kings with Babylon is we have said above: but it is very strange that they are said to stand afar off, since they themselves are to be plunged into the same punishments as the other reprobate, who are signified by Babylon. They will therefore stand afar off in mind and will, not in body; abhorring their own crimes, for which they will be tormented eternally. They will stand afar off through desire, desiring one thing, that is, rest; and suffering another, that is, eternal torments. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; because no one shall buy their merchandise any more.

Since we have said above that by the merchants of the earth the lovers of the world are signified, we can in this place understand by traders those who sell the good which they appear to do. For there are many to whom the knowledge of secular laws has been given, who carry the cases of the poor in courts of judgment: but because they do this not for the love of God, but for the acceptance of rewards, they do not receive a reward from God. Indeed this wretchedness has grown so strong that you will scarcely find anyone among those who have a place with princes who will utter a word to sustain the necessity of a poor neighbor without accepting a reward. We can also understand by the merchants of the earth those who seek praises from men for the good which they do. We can also understand by the same those who sell ecclesiastical ranks, which divine Scripture condemns strongly.

And although many of the bishops seem free from this crime, their ministers are nevertheless often defiled in this matter: but whatever is committed by disciples is reflected back upon the masters. There is also another most wicked crime, which is committed by those who are called archdeacons; for they accept a price from adulterous priests, and by keeping silent they consent to the evil, which they could correct through the authority they have received from the bishops. There are also others among such priests who, fearing to be condemned for their crimes, are more assiduous in the services of the archdeacons than the rest: against whom, if anyone wishes to utter a contrary word, they are defended by them; and they pretend not to know what they know, and they are condemned by that prophetic sentence which says: Woe to you who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness! To you, therefore, I speak, who are such a one: behold, you have sold the soul of a priest to the devil.

For who persuaded the priest to commit fornication, if not the devil? He, then, who persuaded him to fornicate, is the same who persuaded him to give you a price, so that he could perpetrate this crime without fear. Through the hand of the priest, then, the devil gave you the price of the perdition of his own soul. Behold, you have accepted a price, and you have handed over the soul of a brother, redeemed by the blood of Christ, to that same devil from whom it was redeemed. It is written in the Law that if anyone sold a man who was his brother, he should die the death: if, then, he is guilty who sells a man to a man, how much more guilty are you, who have sold a man redeemed by the blood of Christ, not to a man, but, what is more pernicious, to the devil!

Such merchants, therefore, will weep and mourn in hell

because no one shall buy their merchandise any more; for they will lose what they seemed to hold, and will fall into the evil which they neglected to foresee.

Merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stone, and pearl, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and every thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel of precious stone, and of brass, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and odors, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men: and your fruits, the desire of your soul, are departed from you, and all fat and excellent things have perished from you, and the merchants of these things shall find them no more. In all the things that have been enumerated, the avarice and luxury of Babylon is condemned.

For at the judgment the Lord will not say to the reprobate: Depart, cursed, into eternal fire; because you were murderers, proud, fornicators, adulterers; but he will say: I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink; and the rest of the works of mercy, from which avarice draws back the reprobate, lest they be merciful toward the poor. Avarice indeed is the nurse of luxury: and the nourishments of luxury are described in this place, by which she is nourished by avarice. And if we are willing to look carefully, we shall find that everything enumerated in this place to demonstrate the avarice or luxury of Babylon pertains to the five senses of the body.

For there are five senses of the body, that is, sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, which God gave to men and animals; to animals for the preservation of their life only, but to men both for the preservation of life, and so that through them reason might be able to lead the soul entrusted to it along the path of righteousness. The just, therefore, who through these five bodily senses strove to walk according to the uprightness of reason, acquired for themselves the friendship of Almighty God: but the impious, who, perverting the good of reason into evil, forced these bodily senses to serve luxury and the other vices, likewise incurred the wrath of the just judge. If, then, you wish to join with these the things written in what follows, namely, the voice of harpers and musicians, and of those playing the flute and the trumpet, you will find that all the riches of Babylon described here pertain, as we said above, to the five bodily senses.

For gold, and silver, and precious stones, and pearls pertain to sight: fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and the rest, to touch: cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, to smell: wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, and the rest, to taste: the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of those playing the flute, pertain to hearing. The damnation of Babylon, therefore, as this Scripture demonstrates, consists chiefly in riches; because riches are the nourishments of vices, and from them avarice, which may now be called the queen of the world, nourishes luxury, her daughter.

They who were made rich from her shall stand afar off for fear of her torments, weeping and mourning, and saying: Woe, woe, that great city, which was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and gilded with gold, and precious stone, and pearls; for in one hour so great riches have been brought to nought!

That the rich men of Babylon are said to stand afar off must be understood according to the sense given above, which we stated concerning the kings.

every shipmaster, and all who sail upon the lake, and mariners who work at sea, stood afar off, and cried out, seeing the place of her burning, saying: What city is like this great city?

And they cast dust upon their heads, weeping and mourning, and saying: Woe, woe, that great city, in which all who had ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her costliness; for in one hour she has been made desolate! We may understand by this sea, this world; by the shipmasters, wicked princes; and by those who sail from place to place, and the mariners who work at sea, those who exercise diverse offices in the world for the plundering of the poor, and for daily increasing their sins.

These, therefore, shall weep and mourn, seeing the place of Babylon's burning; for they themselves shall be Babylon, and they themselves shall mourn and weep. And they shall see the burnings of Babylon, because by enduring their own burnings they shall see what, while set in their minds upon the world, they neglected to behold, so as to correct themselves. They are also said to have cast dust upon their heads; for often by the head the mind is signified, and by ashes, sins. They shall therefore put ashes upon their heads; because the memory of their sins shall never depart from their minds. Rejoice over her, heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God has judged your judgment on her. We may understand by heaven, the angels; by the apostles, the fathers of the New Testament; and by the prophets, the fathers of the Old Testament. They shall rejoice, therefore, when the whole company of the wicked, together with the demons themselves, the authors of iniquities, shall have been destroyed.

They shall also rejoice, because then all wickedness shall receive its end, and everlasting justice shall be brought in. And a certain mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying: With such violence shall Babylon the great be thrown down, and shall be found no more. This angel signifies Christ, who is said to be mighty; for the human mind cannot comprehend how great is the strength of Christ. By the great millstone is designated the whole multitude of the wicked; and by the sea is meant hell, into which all the wicked shall be plunged. The angel, therefore, cast the millstone into the sea; because our Lord Jesus Christ, on the day of judgment, shall by his just judgment plunge the whole multitude of the wicked into hell.

the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee. This has been mentioned above.

And no craftsman of whatsoever craft shall be found any more in thee, and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee, and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee, and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee. We must inquire why he reckons crafts, and the sound of a millstone, and the light of a candle, and the voice of the bridegroom and bride among the crimes of Babylon; since all these things can be practiced without fault, and human life cannot subsist without them. Therefore all these things must be understood spiritually. We may then understand by crafts the wisdom of this world, which is foolishness with God, which malignant craftsmen and the sons of Babylon learn for this purpose, that they may advance in the wickedness of Babylon; for they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have not known.

Now a millstone crushes and grinds small whatever it receives beneath it: we may therefore understand by the millstone wicked judges. The millstone, then, sends forth its sound, when wicked judges pronounce unjust judgments for the crushing of the innocent. By the light of the candle is designated the glory of this world: of this candle Scripture says: The candle of the wicked shall be put out. For the candle of the wicked is put out, when, withdrawn from this life, they lose their temporal joy, and incur everlasting sorrow. We may likewise understand by the bridegroom the lovers of the world, and by the bride, the earth; because just as love binds bridegroom and bride, so that they become one flesh, so also the love of the world so joins its lovers to the earth, that they become one with it, from which, if it were possible, they would not wish to be separated forever. Such craftsmen, therefore, shall be heard no more in Babylon; because they shall be damned together with her forever.

For thy merchants were the princes of the earth. The Church has her merchants, and Babylon has hers: the merchants of the Church lay up their treasures in heaven, where thieves do not break through nor steal; but the merchants of Babylon lay up their treasures on earth, where thieves break through and steal. And by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. The sorceries of Babylon are the diverse errors by which the human race has been deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who were slain upon the earth. The blood of the saints was found in her, that is, the crime of the imperfection of the saints, just as the Lord says to the wicked Jews, under the understanding of all the reprobate: There shall come upon you, he says, all the righteous blood that has been shed upon the earth.

19. The Alleluias of Heaven and the Marriage of the Lamb

I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude of trumpets in heaven, saying: Alleluia; salvation, and glory, and power be to our God; for true and just are his judgments; for he has judged the great harlot, who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said: Alleluia; and her smoke rises up forever and ever. And the twenty-four elders fell down on their faces, and the four living creatures, and worshipped God who sits upon the throne, saying: Amen, alleluia. And a voice came out from the throne, saying: Give praise to our God, all ye his servants, and ye who fear him, both small and great.

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great trumpet, and as it were, the voice of many waters, and as it were, the voice of mighty thunderings, saying: Alleluia, for the Lord our God omnipotent has reigned; let us be glad, and rejoice, and give glory to him; for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has prepared herself. And it was granted to her that she should array herself in fine linen, shining and white: for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

I have set forth the entire sentence, so that its subtlety, examined from every side, may more easily be traced out. For alleluia is read to have been sung five times by seven voices: the first and second by the voice of many trumpets; the third by the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures; the fourth—from the voice that went out from the throne—not alleluia itself was sung, but its interpretation, that is: Give praise to our God, all ye his saints; for alleluia sounds "praise ye the Lord." The fifth, indeed, was sung once by three voices, that is, by the voice of a great trumpet, and by the voice of many waters, and by the voice of great thunders. The Scripture of this book often shows that the whole multitude of the elect is to be divided into seven parts, if its understanding be more subtly examined.

Thus the just who were before the flood belong to the first part; those who were after the flood, until the Law was given, belong to the second, as we have already often shown; and they had no other law but the natural one, that is, the love of God and of neighbor. For every man knows that he ought to fear, and above all things to love, him by whom he was created, and by whom life and the supports of life are ministered to him; and that he ought to do to no one what he does not wish to suffer from another. This law no one of sound mind is permitted to be ignorant of. By the many trumpets, therefore, are designated the elect who were before the flood, and those who were after the flood up to the time when the Law was given.

They uttered a voice

because by the teaching of their preaching they called back, as many as they could, from their errors: they sang alleluia, because according to the knowledge of the natural law they strove to please God through good works: a second time they said alleluia, because those who lived after the flood, living according to the same law, clung, living justly, to their Creator. But we must ask why, in the second pronouncement of alleluia, it is said that the smoke of Babylon ascended for ever and ever. By smoke, fame may be signified. We know that in the second part Noah and his sons are placed first, in whose times the human race was destroyed by the waters of the flood. Afterward, indeed, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities that adhered to them, were consumed by heavenly fire. The smoke of Babylon, therefore, ascends for ever and ever, because this fame will never depart from the mouth of the faithful. But by the twenty-four elders are designated the fathers who lived under the Law.

To them are joined the four living creatures, by which the New Testament is figured

because in the Old Testament, if it be understood spiritually, the New is contained. They sang alleluia, because, observing the commandments of the Law, they strove to please God by good works. By the throne, moreover, the prophets are designated, in that they were the seat of God, and through them he disposed his judgments. A voice went out from the throne: because holy preaching proceeded from the prophets. They sang praise to God, because they strove to serve him with all their strength. The great trumpet, indeed, signifies Christ: the voice of the trumpet is the preaching of the Gospel; by the voice of many waters, the multitude of the nations confessing Christ is designated; by the voice of great thunders are understood the elect who are to be born at the end of the world: and rightly by thunders, because they will announce the terror of the day of judgment.

Three voices, therefore, sang alleluia once

because they kept, and will keep even to the end, the faith of the Holy Trinity and the teaching of the Gospel, which proceeded from the great trumpet, that is, from Christ. Two parts, then, that is, the first and second, belong to the law which we have said is natural; the two that follow, that is, the third and fourth, to the law which was given through Moses; and the three that remain, that is, the fifth, sixth, and seventh, to the law of the Gospel; so as to indicate that they must remain in the faith of the Holy Trinity to the end of the world. Let us hear, however, what these three parts sing: Alleluia, for the Lord our God Almighty hath reigned; that is, let us praise the Lord, because, the kingdom of the devil our destroyer being destroyed, he himself deigns to reign in us, who is our Lord and Savior.

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath prepared herself.

Let us therefore be glad, let us therefore rejoice, because the mercy of our Creator has deigned so to join his Church—which is ourselves—to himself, as a bride is joined to her bridegroom; so that we may be with him one flesh, as Scripture says: They shall be two in one flesh: which the Apostle taught must be understood of Christ and the Church. His wife hath prepared herself, that is, the Church, which is called the wife of the Lamb, has adorned herself with various virtues. And it was given to her that she should clothe herself in fine linen, shining and white. What the fine linen signifies, he himself explains: For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And he said to me: Write, Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

The dinner of the elect is now, when they are fed in the Church with the banquets of the Gospel; but the supper will be then, when after the resurrection they shall enjoy eternal glory in heavenly beatitude. And because the dinner which is now taking place receives both good and bad, not all are blessed who are seen reclining at it: but those alone are blessed who shall be received at that supper which is to be after the end of the world. And he said to me: These words of God are true. And I fell before his feet to worship him. And he said to me: See thou do it not; I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren who have the testimony of Jesus: worship God.

The redemption of Christ's blood has bestowed this upon the faithful, that they should be made sons of God and companions of the angels; and therefore the angel fears to be worshipped by a man, seeing that above himself he worshipped a man who is God; wherefore he calls himself the fellow servant of John and of the other faithful. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy; and it is most certain that the fathers of the Old Testament, who foretold the coming of Christ, his passion and resurrection, had the spirit of prophecy, whence also they are called prophets. Whoever, therefore, bears testimony to Christ has the spirit of prophecy. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he who sat upon it was called Faithful and True.

We ought by no means to think that this chapter pertains to the coming of Christ in which he is to come to judgment; but rather to the elect who are to be born at the end of the world; for as the end of the world draws near, the Lord will come in his saints, that he may fight through them against Antichrist and his ministers. And as he will be preached by those saints, so his form is described in this place; for by heaven the Church is designated: by the white horse, the man whom the Son of God assumed, upon whom he is also seen to have sat. He is also said to be called Faithful and True. These two names, that is, Faithful and True, have one meaning in this place. Rightly is the Son of God called Faithful, of whom the Psalmist says: Faithful is the Lord in all his words, and holy in all his works.

But True he calls himself in the Gospel, saying: I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

There follows: And in righteousness he doth judge and make war. God will not fight against the impious on the day of judgment with weapons, but they shall be vanquished and crushed by his righteousness; for the Lord will bring all the sins and crimes of the impious before their sight, that they may know themselves condemned by the most just judgment of God. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many diadems. By the eyes of the Lord the Spirit of God is designated, as the author of this book explains in the third vision: The Lamb, he says, had seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent into all the earth. And because flame both burns and gives light, not unfittingly is the Holy Spirit said to be fiery; in that he both illumines the hearts of the faithful and kindles them into the love of God.

And on his head were many diadems.

By the many diadems the multitude of the saints is expressed. Having a name written, which no one knows but himself. Since above it says that he was called Faithful and True, and a little after that his name was called the Word of God; what is it that he says that no one knows his name but himself? The saints of God know indeed the name of Christ, that he is the Son of God, and yet they do not know. For in part they know, and in part they do not know; for among all creatures which beget and are begotten, no son can be coeval with his father, since it is necessary that he who begets should precede, and he who is begotten should follow: but such is not the nature of the Son of God; for just as the Father is without beginning, so also is the Son.

And although we cannot comprehend how this can be, yet in truth we believe and confess that the Son is in all things equal and coeval with the Father. Of this his generation the prophet speaks, saying: Who shall declare his generation? And he was clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called the Word of God. We may understand by the garment the body of Christ; by the blood, however, either our sins, for which he himself died, or that very death which he endured for us.

But because he blotted out by dying the sins of his elect, and by rising again trampled down death itself, as the Apostle Paul says: Christ rising from the dead dieth now no more; death shall no more have dominion over him; it seems better to me that by the garment of Christ we should understand the multitude of the saints, who are his members: and by the drops of blood, with which the garment is read to be sprinkled, the martyrs are designated, who did not hesitate to shed their blood for the love of Christ; and therefore they adorn with their splendor, in that heavenly beatitude, the garment of Christ, which consists of angels and holy men. And the armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. We said above that as Christ will be preached by the saints at the end of the world, so his figure is described in this place.

By heaven, then, in this place, is meant the Church: by the armies which are seen to have proceeded from heaven, following Christ, are understood the saints who are to be born at the end of the world and to fight against Antichrist: by the horses are designated their bodies: by the riders of the horses, their souls. They are seen to have had white horses, because they will show themselves clean and shining, so far as human frailty permits, in the sight of God. What the fine linen is, he explains above: The fine linen, he says, is the righteous deeds of the saints. And he had on his garment and on his thigh written: King of kings, and Lord of lords. By the garment, as we said above, are meant the saints: by the thigh, from which human origin is said to proceed, is designated the man whom Christ assumed.

On his garment, then, he had written that he himself is King of kings

because in the works of the saints it is recognized that he is the true God, who possesses such servants. He has also written on his thigh that he himself is King of kings and Lord of lords; because in the works which, placed in the flesh, he performed, it was known that he is the true Son of God. We may also understand by the thigh the fathers of the Old Testament, from whose stock Christ drew his origin: who both prefigured him, and with open voices foretold that he himself was to be King of kings and Lord of lords. And out of his mouth went a sharp sword.

By the mouth of the Lord we can understand those same preachers, of whom we have spoken, who are to be born at the end of the world, through whose mouth God will speak, as he himself said in the Gospel: For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. And he himself says through the prophet: If thou shalt separate the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth. By the sword, indeed, as we have said above, we ought to understand the divine Scripture, as the apostle Paul says: And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It is called sharp because the divine Scripture is most sharp for cutting away vices. That with it he should smite the nations. Christ will smite the nations with his sword when, through the teaching of his saints, he destroys the errors of foolish men. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and they shall be broken as the potter's vessel.

We have said that by the rod of iron the Gospel was signified; therefore Christ will rule the nations with a rod of iron when, through the teaching of the saints, he converts the Jews also to his faith, and defends the elect from the errors of Antichrist. And they shall be broken as an earthen vessel. As long as anyone lies in sins, he is rightly called an earthen vessel: but when, through penitence and tears, he has been converted to doing good works, the earthen vessel is broken, and out of an earthen vessel a vessel is made solid and firm, and most strong against the blows of the temptations of demons. And he treadeth the winepress of the wine of the fierceness of the wrath of God Almighty. Isaiah, when speaking of the Lord's passion, inserted the Lord saying: I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the nations there is not a man with me.

But there the winepress is understood as the cross of the Lord; here, however, not the cross, but the place of punishments, into which the wicked are to be thrust down, is signified. For the winepress here has the same meaning which we said above the pit had, into which the clusters of the vine of the earth, by which the wicked are signified, are read to have been cast down. And the treading of the winepress itself has the same meaning which we said the treading of the pit had there; for it signifies the final plunging of the wicked into hell. But what the wine of the fierceness of the wrath of God Almighty is, we have said above (On chap. 14). And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice to all the birds that flew through the midst of heaven.

This angel signifies the preachers who are to be at the end of the world: who also were designated a little above by the horsemen: by the sun, indeed, we ought to understand Christ. The angel, therefore, stood in the sun; because the holy preachers will be so grounded in Christ that they cannot be torn away from his faith by any force of persecutions. By the birds, moreover, all the faithful who are to be in that time are signified: they will fly through heaven, because, being placed on earth, they will dwell in mind in the heavenly places. Nonetheless we can also understand by heaven the Church. Through heaven the saints fly: because, having two wings, that is, the two precepts of charity, they fly about on every side, bestowing mercy on some, recalling others from iniquities.

Come, gather yourselves together unto the great supper of God Almighty, that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of tribunes, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of freemen and of bondmen, and of little and of great. Those who are signified by kings and princes, freemen and bondmen, and the rest, are themselves signified by the horses and their riders, namely the princes of the earth, and the peoples who are subject to them. But what else is the supper of God than the extermination of the wicked? The just will eat the flesh of the wicked, when they receive vengeance for the evils which they inflicted upon them. And because the just, seeing the punishment of the wicked, advance in good works, as the Psalmist says: The just shall rejoice when he shall see the revenge: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner.

And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make war with him that sat upon the horse, and with his army.

Here he shows that this does not pertain to the coming of the Lord according to what was said above, but rather to that time in which he is to fight through his saints against Antichrist, as we have already said.

For the beasts, and the kings of the earth, and their armies will be gathered together, to fight against Christ and his saints; when Antichrist and the innumerable multitude of nations who shall be deceived by him rise up to persecute the Church of God; so that they may utterly extinguish the name of Christ from the world.

the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who wrought signs before him, wherewith he seduced them who received the character of the beast, and who adored his image: these two were cast alive into the pool of fire burning with brimstone: and the rest were slain with the sword of him that sitteth upon the horse, which proceedeth out of his mouth: and all the birds were filled with their flesh. The beast and his false prophet will be taken, when that shall be fulfilled which the apostle Paul says: Whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.

If Antichrist is to be killed by the spirit of the mouth of the Lord, how are he and his false prophet to be cast alive into the pool of fire? There is a life of the just, and there is one of the wicked. Of the life of the just the prophet says, because the just man shall live by his faith; but of the wicked widow Paul says, that living she is dead. For the just not incongruously call the life of the wicked death: and likewise the wicked reckon the life of the just as death, as they are to say in the judgment: These are they whom we had sometime in derision, and for a parable of reproach: we fools esteemed their life madness, and their end without honour. Antichrist, therefore, and his false prophet were cast alive into the pool of fire, that is, alive in their malice, namely persevering in it even to the end of their life.

But when it says that the rest were slain by the sword of him that sat upon the horse, it has set down this slaying for confusion; for the saints, whose teaching is signified by the sword of the mouth of the Lord, when Antichrist is slain, will insult the unbelievers, because they esteemed the most impious of men, Antichrist, worse than all men, as immortal, and a god, whom it will be plain was slain by a most wretched death: but they will be confounded and shall waste away in their iniquities. All the birds, therefore, were filled with their flesh; because, Antichrist being overthrown, all the elect will rejoice and exult inexpressibly, because divine mercy has freed them from so evil an enemy, and all who persecuted them will have vanished like smoke.

20. The Binding of the Dragon for a Thousand Years

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand.

Wishing to relate the damnation of the devil, he returns to the coming of Christ. For there are three damnations of the devil: he was first damned, when he was cast down from heavenly blessedness because of his iniquity: his second damnation was that of which the author of this book now begins to speak; when, through the death of Christ, the human race was snatched from his power, and he himself, as the present writing shows, was bound in the abyss: his third damnation will be, when he shall be plunged into hell to be tormented forever with all the wicked. This angel, then, signifies Christ: his descent from heaven is his incarnation. He himself possesses the key of the abyss, that is, of hell; because he withholds from its entrance whom he will, and justly permits whom he will to fall into its damnation. By the great chain, moreover, his power is signified.

And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, and he bound him for a thousand years.

Christ laid hold on the old serpent, that is, the devil, when by his death he destroyed his dominion: by the thousand years we ought to understand the whole time from the coming of Christ to the end of the world. Christ, therefore, bound the devil, not with bodily chains, but with the chains of his immense power; because, expelling him from the hearts of his elect, he keeps him shut out from their deception by his divine power. And he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should no more seduce the nations, till the thousand years should be finished: and after that he must be loosed a little time.

We can understand the binding of the devil in three ways; for we can understand it simply, that he is kept bound in the abyss by the power of God Almighty until the appointed time: we can also understand by the abyss the hearts of the wicked, so that, shut out from the hearts of the elect, he is held constrained and bound within the confines of the hearts of the reprobate: and we can understand it also in this third way. The devil desires nothing else than the deception of men: and while, through the guardianship of God Almighty, who does not cease to guard and defend his elect, he is kept from their deception, his most wicked will is held bound as it were by certain chains.

By the nations, moreover, whom he is not permitted to seduce, we ought to understand only the elect: the little time, in which after the thousand years he is said to be loosed, is the time of Antichrist; for then, the sins of men bringing it about, power will be given to the devil to fight with all his strength against the human race. And I saw seats: and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. Because he has related above by what order divine mercy daily delivers his elect from that most savage enemy the devil, it follows that the glory to which their souls are daily brought should be described; for by the seats the heavenly homeland is signified, and by those sitting upon them the souls of the saints are signified: but that judgment is given to the saints, whose souls rest in heavenly blessedness, we can perceive in this, when at their tombs we see demons expelled from possessed bodies, perjuries often detected, and many miracles wrought.

And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and who had not adored the beast nor his image, nor received his character on their foreheads, or in their hands: and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. By the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus we can understand the martyrs, who were slain at various times: by those, however, who did not adore the beast and his image, I think are to be understood those who are to be slain by Antichrist. These, then, lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years; because, although they were slain in body, yet according to the soul they live with Christ in heavenly blessedness.

But it must be asked how the elect, who are to be born as the end of the world approaches, are said to reign with Christ a thousand years; since the time of a thousand years pertains not to the future time, which is without end, but rather to the present, which will be consummated at the end of the world, and in which the faith of the Gospel, flourishing through the whole world, daily leads the elect to receive eternal life. This I think must be resolved thus. The time from the ascension of Christ to the end of the world, which is signified by the thousand years, has been allotted to all the elect, that in it they may enjoy, without their bodies, heavenly glory with the Lord: and we know that all the elect are members of Christ, and out of many members one body is made; and if one member glories, all the members rejoice together.

The joy, therefore, of the saints who go before will nonetheless be the joy of those who are to be born at the end of the world

because they become one body with them, and will possess in the others what will be lacking to themselves. But the rest of the dead lived not, till the thousand years were finished. The rest, that is, the reprobate, did not live; because after death they are not led to the life which is given to the souls of the saints in the heavens: but they are plunged into hell, which in this book is called the first death. This is the first resurrection. Blessed is he who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power. We must inquire what the first resurrection is; for he would not call it the first resurrection unless there were also a second; nor would he speak of a second death, unless there were also a first.

We rise, then, first through baptism from the death of the soul: but

because he says that those are blessed who have part in the first resurrection, this does not seem to me to be said of baptism; because not all are blessed who seem to rise from the death of the soul through baptism, since some, after baptism, by sinning bring death upon themselves, lying about what they promised in it, and persevering in their evils. There are also some who, after the perpetration of crimes by which they had brought death upon themselves, return to life through penitence and tears and other good works, of whom the Apostle speaks, saying: Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall enlighten thee. But neither can we call this the first resurrection; since it is first through baptism, and second through penitence and tears, that our souls are recalled to life. It is necessary, then, that we investigate what he calls the first resurrection.

There are four lives of the faithful: the first evil, the second good and evil, but to the third and fourth no evil can cling.

The first is before baptism, which is wholly evil: the second after baptism, which can be called both good and evil; for none of the faithful can pass the time of the present life without some sins, as this same John says: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. The third is that which is wholly good, and to which the sequence of this passage pertains, which extends from the passion of Christ to the end of the world, in which the saints, without bodies, enjoy eternal life with the Lord: this too he calls the first resurrection, when he says: This is the first resurrection. The time, therefore, from the passion of Christ to the end of the world is called the first resurrection.

The fourth life of the saints will be after the recovery of their bodies, which will be terminated by no end.

Therefore, since the present life, in comparison with the heavenly life, may rightly be called death, the saints then rise in the first resurrection when, withdrawn from this miserable life, they are placed with the Lord in heavenly beatitude.

And as this is the first resurrection of the saints, so there is also a first death of the impious; when they leave the present life, and are plunged into punishments: but the second death will be the ultimate condemnation, as he explains in what follows. Blessed, therefore, will they be who have part in the first resurrection, and over these the second death has no power; because only those are and will be blessed who deserved to be enrolled in the company of the saints before the end of the world. For many, as the end of the world draws near, the purging fire will burn in purification, but before the judgment, once absolved, they will be received into the assembly of the saints: and over these the second death, that is, the ultimate condemnation, will have no power; because they will now be placed not with the goats on the left, but with the sheep on the right. The priests of the Lord and of Christ sat, and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Under the name of priests he comprehends all the elect; for all the elect are called priests, either

because they are members of the high priest, or because they themselves do not cease to offer themselves to God through good works. And when the thousand years shall be finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go forth, and shall seduce the nations which are upon the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog. What is here called the prison is above called the abyss. But meanwhile a question arises; for above, following the opinion of some, I said that by the abyss the hearts of the impious could be designated, in which the devil, expelled from the hearts of the faithful, is kept bound. If, then, the hearts of the reprobate are designated by the abyss, how is he said to go forth from the abyss, that is, from the hearts of the reprobate, whom he will never forsake? Is he perhaps going to forsake the reprobate, and invade the elect? By no means.

I think, therefore, that the binding of the devil is to be understood according to the letter, that by divine power he is kept bound in some place of the abyss, or certainly in hell, until the day of his release. He will seduce, moreover, the nations which are upon the four corners of the earth; because the most impious teaching of Antichrist will traverse all the nations that are contained within the four regions of the world: and he will seduce no other nations except those which are spiritually called Gog and Magog; for Gog is interpreted "roof," and Magog "from the roof." By Gog, therefore, which is interpreted "roof," are designated those who, covering their malice in their heart, will appear just to men, though in mind they will be reprobate: but Magog, which is interpreted "from the roof," designates those who, bursting forth from the roof of their heart into open miseries, will show themselves impious to all. Such as these, then, the devil will easily deceive through Antichrist.

And shall gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

He will gather them to battle; because he will arm them to persecute the Church of God. And they went up upon the breadth of the earth, and encompassed the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. We have said above that the disciples of Antichrist would be praisers of vices, and would teach all things pertaining to carnal delights. They went up, then, upon the breadth of the earth; because they will enter the vast ways of this world, which lead to death. But the camp of the saints and the beloved city have one signification; for they signify the Church. They will surround, then, the camp of the saints; because they will persecute the Church of God with all their power, so as to utterly extinguish the name of Christ from the world. And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

Fire will come forth from heaven

because, at the Lord's coming to judgment, fire will go before him, which will consume not only the whole host of the impious, but the world itself, as David says in the ninety-sixth psalm: A fire shall go before him, and shall burn up his enemies round about. For the reprobate, although they dwell together with the elect, are "round about"; because just as enemies attack some city in order to capture it, so also the Church is attacked by the reprobate. But also in the forty-ninth psalm the same David speaks, saying: A fire shall burn before him, and a mighty tempest shall be round about him. Some expound this

thus, that after the burning of the elements a rain will fall which will wash away the ashes of the burning: but such an exposition seems to me most absurd; for we know that rain arises from the sea and from the earth, either through mist, or through the drying action of the sun.

And just as water lifts up whatever light things from the bottom to the top; so also the air lifts water, either turned into mist, or reduced by the heat of the sun into the thinnest and almost invisible vapor, up to those places where its consummation is: and there, gathered together, it is first converted into a dense mist, which we call cloud: then, stirred by the wind, the tiniest droplets, mingled together, and made heavy by their mixture, fall down to the earth, and make rain. Behold, the earth, behold the air, behold the sea, and the other elements will be consumed by fire: whence, then, will rain arise, especially since, according to the Apostle, then the creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God? Will not God, who created all things out of nothing, be able to cleanse his creature without the aid of rain; especially since the world itself will be restored to a better and much more beautiful state after the fire?

Or what else are ashes, but clean earth?

For whatever filth the fire consumes, it converts into clean ashes. Will not God be able to restore the clean ashes into a better state along with another earth, so that the rain of washing is not necessary for him?

Let us put it another way: the washings of all filth either the earth drinks up, or they run down into rivers, and with the rivers into the sea. And how will the earth, after it has been tried by fire, drink up its filth again, so as to become filthy again? Or how will it flow down into rivers, and with the rivers into the sea, when the sea will no longer exist, as the following parts of this book seem to declare? But if the sea will be restored to a better state, as will heaven and earth, how will it be polluted by the filth of the earth? But if someone should say that before this renewal it will suffer pollution, and that in its transformation these things must be reduced to nothing; will not God be able, just as in water, so also in earth, to reduce the same filth to nothing, so that it need not flow down into the sea?

By "mighty tempest," then, we can understand the final destruction of the impious, which Wisdom, through Solomon, testifies she will bring upon the impious in the final trial, saying: I also will laugh at your destruction, and will mock, when that which you feared shall come upon you; when sudden calamity shall fall upon you, and destruction, as a tempest, shall be at hand.

And the devil, who seduced them, was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet also are.

This will be fulfilled when the Lord shall say: Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. And they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. From which torment may the mercy of our Redeemer deign to free us, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever and ever, amen.

By the bestowing mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have come to the sixth vision, which is shorter than the others; for in it the general resurrection, the condemnation of the impious, the glorification of the just, are only briefly described. And rightly is the last resurrection placed in the sixth position; because the number six is perfect, and whatever has been promised to the saints will be accomplished in the resurrection. And I saw a great white throne, and one sitting upon it. This throne of God will not be adorned with gold and gems, but with just men; for this is the throne of which the Psalmist speaks: Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a scepter of equity is the scepter of thy kingdom. The throne of God, then, is the whole multitude of angels and saints. From whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was no place found for them.

How heaven and earth flee from the face of him who sits upon the throne, the Psalmist shows, as we have already said above, who says: A fire shall burn before him; and again: A fire shall go before him. Now the earth and heaven will flee, that is, the appearance of earth and heaven; because through fire they will be changed from their form, so that they may be reformed into another, much better and more beautiful. But when he says: There was no place found for them, he does not mean that they lose their former place, but their form. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing in the sight of the throne.

By the dead, great and small, only the reprobate are designated, who on the day of resurrection will stand dead in the sight of God, in that death, namely, which we have said is the first, to be cast, after a short while, into the second death: by the dead great, I think, are designated those who were either greater in crimes, or higher in worldly dignities: by the small, however, are designated those who were subject to them, or certainly those who sinned less. And the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life. Many books pertain to the reprobate; one, which is of life, pertains to the elect. The reprobate possess many books, because they have been rolled into many errors; for the pagans worshipped many gods, and cast themselves down into many errors: likewise the heretics also devised many depraved dogmas, hateful to God: false Christians too are daily involved in many crimes.

Many books, then, the reprobate possess

because in many ways they offend God; but the elect have one book; because they worship one God, confess one catholic faith, are bound together by one bond of charity. But we must inquire what these books are: are books to be made from some visible or invisible material, in which the deeds of individuals are described? The many books, then, are the deeds of the reprobate: many books will be opened, when the crimes of the reprobate will be made manifest to all. But by the book of life we can understand the predestination of God almighty. That in this book the names of the disciples are written the Lord shows in the Gospel, when he says: Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. Of this book the Apostle Paul speaks, saying: Whom he foreknew, he also predestinated; and whom he predestinated, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also glorified.

the dead were judged according to those things which were written in the books, according to their own works.

The dead were judged according to those things which were written in the books; because each will be judged according to their own errors, and according to the quality of their crimes; for heretics will be judged in one way, pagans in another, false Christians in another: but each of them, the worse he shall have been in his own error, the more severely he will be judged.

And the sea gave up its dead, and death and hell gave up the dead that were in them: and judgment was given of every one according to their works.

Now he returns to those things which he had passed over; for first the general resurrection will take place, and afterward judgment will be exercised. That this is so the Lord shows in the Gospel, saying to the disciples: In the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit upon twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. First he set down the regeneration, that is, the resurrection; afterwards he said they would sit to judge the peoples. And in the Gospel of this same John the Lord speaks, saying: The hour comes when all who are in the tombs shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that have done good shall come forth unto the resurrection of life; but they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.

At the command of the Lord, therefore, the dead shall come forth from their tombs

because the bodies of all the dead, made alive again by the receiving back of their souls, shall come out of their sepulchres. But those who have done evil shall come forth unto the resurrection of judgment; because they shall rise for this, that they may be judged in the very bodies in which their souls sinned; so that those whom they had as companions in iniquities, they may have as sharers in torments. This present passage also shows that the resurrection is to be before the judgment; since after the restoring of the dead, whom he says the sea, death, and hell restored, he tells that the wicked are to be judged. But the catholic faith too, which we so often sing, shows this; when it says of the Lord: At whose coming all men have to rise again with their bodies, and are to render an account of their own deeds.

But we must inquire what death, sea, and hell signify.

We know indeed that waters have been consecrated for the washing away of our sins, as the Lord says in the Gospel: Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The sea, then, pertains to the resurrection of the elect; but death and hell pertain to the reprobate. The sea, therefore, in this place signifies baptism. As it were, then, the sea shall give back its dead, when the elect, who received in baptism that cleanness, shall also rise again in it, having no stain of sin. The sea shall give back its dead, because the washing of holy baptism, and the grace of the Holy Spirit, shall present all the elect, at the time of the resurrection, clean and unspotted in the sight of their Creator.

But by death we can understand the bodies of the wicked, which are held dead in the bosom of the earth; and by hell, their souls, in that they are held in the prisons of hell. Hell therefore shall give up its dead; because it shall send back to receive their own bodies the souls devoured by the first death, which it holds. Death also shall give up its dead; because it shall present the bodies which it had reduced to dust, so that by divine power they may be made alive again through the receiving back of their souls.

death and hell were cast into the lake of fire ...

and whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the furnace of fire. Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, that is, souls together with bodies. We may also understand by death the demons, in that they were the authors of death. Death and hell shall be cast into the lake; because the demons, together with the rest of the wicked, shall be plunged into hell.

21. The New Heaven, New Earth, and the Holy City

I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were gone, and the sea is now no more.

Heaven and earth, and the other elements which we now see, shall be consumed by fire, not that they may be utterly destroyed, but that, as we have already said above, they may be renewed by fire into a better state, as the Psalmist indicates, saying: They shall perish, but thou remainest: and they shall all wax old as a garment, and as a vesture thou shalt change them, and they shall be changed. When he says: The first heaven and the first earth are gone, he shows that the appearance of that same heaven and earth shall pass away; for their appearance, not their essence, shall pass, when they shall be changed into a better state. But when he adds: And the sea is now no more, we may understand it according to the letter, that the sea shall be utterly destroyed.

Otherwise: the sea shall no longer be

because it shall lose its own form, like heaven and earth, that it may be renewed into a fairer shape. But I think this is to be understood spiritually; for whatever has been said concerning the renewal of heaven and earth is to be understood both historically, as we have said above, and spiritually. We may, then, understand by heaven the souls of the saints, by earth their bodies. A new heaven shall be made, when the souls of the saints, by the receiving back of their bodies, shall be restored to the nature and form of man. A new earth shall be made, when the bodies of the saints, which before were mortal and corruptible, shall be rendered immortal and incorruptible. Often, too, by the sea the wicked are signified, as the prophet Isaiah says: The wicked are like the raging sea, which cannot rest, and its waves cast up mire and dirt.

The sea therefore shall no longer be

because the whole multitude of the wicked, together with their deceiving demons, being thrust down into hell, shall render the present face of the world clean from their defiled habitation.

I saw the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

The city Jerusalem is the Church built up of all the just: it shall come down from heaven; because, at the Lord's coming to judgment, the whole multitude of the saints shall come with him, as the prophet Isaiah says: The Lord shall come to judgment with the elders of his people, and its princes. And most wise Solomon in the Proverbs: Her husband is noble in the gates, when he sits with the senators of the land. She is said to be prepared and adorned like a bride; because as a bride adorns herself with various jewels and ornaments, that she may please her bridegroom, so the Church too is adorned with various virtues, that she may be able to please her Creator, who is her bridegroom.

I heard a great voice from the throne, saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them; and they shall be his people, and God himself with them shall be their God. We know that by the city Jerusalem and the tabernacle of the Lord the Church is often signified. The city, then, in this place, and the tabernacle, is called the Church; because in it God dwells, as he himself says through the prophet: I will dwell among them, and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.

The souls of all men were created immortal, as the Lord says in the Gospel: Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. For although they die by sin, or by that death which we have called the first and the second, yet they do not die so as to utterly not be; but their evil state is called death. Two times also God has appointed for them, that of the present life, which quickly ends, and that of the future, which cannot be ended; the one he has allotted to weeping and mourning, the other to joy and gladness.

For example, if anyone in this time, which is very short, should wish to weep and mourn for his sins, and by afflicting himself to extinguish carnal desires; in the other time which follows this one, and which is infinite, he would rejoice and exult forever: but if anyone should choose this, to rejoice in the present time, and to fulfill the desires of his flesh, he shall mourn in the future, and be sad forever. Concerning these two times it seems to me that Solomon spoke: A time to weep, and a time to laugh. The time of weeping for the elect is now; the time of laughing shall be then, when that shall be fulfilled which the Lord says in the Gospel: Blessed are they that mourn now, for they shall be comforted. But to sinners he says: Woe unto you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep!

God, therefore, shall wipe away every tear from the eyes of the saints

because after the resurrection nothing sad can happen to the saints, from which tears might arise.

And there shall be no more death.

The first man was made immortal: but by sinning he both lost immortality, and brought death into the world. But after the resurrection there shall be no death; because the very prince of death, the devil, together with all his satellites, shall be held perpetually shut up in hell, and the immortality which the first man lost by sinning shall be restored to the just: and the possibility of sinning, which brought death into the world, shall be taken away from them. Nor mourning. Since above it says that God shall wipe away every tear from the eyes of the saints, what need was there in this place to set down mourning also? But between the shedding of tears and mourning there is some difference; for sadness often draws forth tears, often desire, often gladness too; but mourning always arises from great grief; for mourning is weeping of many days. Paul mourned for those who sinned and did not do penance.

And Solomon speaks, saying: The mourning for the dead is seven days, but the mourning for a fool is all the days of his life.

The Church is now in mourning, in that through the deceptions of demons she daily loses the greatest part of her own; but in that life there shall be no mourning, because through the deceptions of demons she shall be able to lose none of her own. Nor crying out. It is written in Genesis that God said to Abraham: The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has come to me. But the prophet Isaiah explains what the cry of Sodom is, when he speaks of Israel: They have proclaimed their sin as Sodom, and have not hidden it. The proclaiming of sin, then, is called crying out. We can also understand crying out otherwise; for the Psalmist says: In my trouble I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me. And Moses, placed in distress, cried unto the Lord.

Where, therefore, there shall be neither sin to be proclaimed, nor any tribulation, no crying out shall be necessary.

Nor shall there be sorrow. There is sorrow of the body, and there is sorrow of the mind. And these sorrows are so joined, that one cannot be without the other; for sorrow of body afflicts the mind; likewise also sorrow of mind torments the body. In that life, therefore, there shall be no sorrow, where no adversity can happen either to body or to soul. The former things are passed away. These former things have passed away, because they have passed away with the world; for the elect, who reckoned the present life, as we have already said above, among sorrows and afflictions, after the end of the present life have found everlasting joy.

he that sat upon the throne said: Behold, I make all things new. Concerning the renewal of creatures we have said something above. And he said to me: Write, for these words are most faithful and true. But this too has been said above. And he said to me: I am Alpha and Omega. He shows what Alpha and Omega are by adding: The beginning and the end. I will give to him that thirsts of the fountain of the water of life freely. By the fountain of the water of life sacred Scripture is often signified, as the Lord says in the Gospel: He that believes in me, as the Scripture says, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But that we may keep the order, by the fountain of living water we ought to understand the glory of the heavenly country: which fountain, proceeding from the Lord himself, does not cease to satisfy the minds of all the just with its ineffable sweetness.

But how is this glory given freely to the just, for the obtaining of which they endure many adversities, shed many tears, offer countless prayers, bestow many alms, and exercise themselves in other good works? But they receive eternal life freely; because the price of eternal life, which is good works, they receive from him who said: Without me you can do nothing. For it is he himself who gives the price, and he himself who bestows eternal life in return for the price.

He that shall overcome shall possess these things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. He who shall overcome the devil, and overcoming all vices, shall have persevered in good works, shall possess these things, that is, those things which have been said above; namely, that he himself shall drink of the fountain of eternal life, which is everlasting glory.

But for the timid, and unbelieving, and the execrable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars: their part shall be in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Since fear is greatly necessary to men, why did he place fear first among the eight very worst vices? But there are good fears, and there are evil ones.

There is a very best fear, of which the Psalmist says: The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring for ever and ever; there is also the fear of death, greatly necessary, and the fear of eternal fire: there is also the fear of good men, when they are loved by those by whom they are feared: there are also other fears, which sometimes help, sometimes harm; such as the fear of evil men, the fear of judges, the fear of masters: there are other fears, very worst of all, of which I think this is spoken here; for there are some who are often pierced with weeping through fear of punishments: but because they fear the harshness of that way which leads to life, they tremble to abandon their vices and to take up the rigor of a good life: there are also many, to whom God has given knowledge of temporal laws, who, set in judgments, when they see certain persons unjustly oppressed by the more powerful, fearing more the anger of men than the anger of God, allow those whom they could have helped through the teaching they had received, and freed from danger, to fall into great harm by keeping silent: there are others who not only do not help them, but on account of fear of men pronounce a sentence of condemnation against them: there is also the fear which avarice begets, and other quite useless fears, of which it would be long to speak.

Moreover he calls "unbelieving" not only those who do not believe, as are the Jews and pagans; but also those who do not believe in the resurrection. There are also many others who are called Christians, who do not believe in God's justice; for because they love vices, and wish to fulfil the desires of their flesh, they do not believe the threats of the divine Scriptures, so as to think that they will be condemned for these things; for the lustful say that no one will perish in any way for the practice of intercourse; but the drunkards also say that they will in no way be punished for excessive drinking of wine; and likewise the avaricious, the luxurious, and the proud defend their own vices.

I think that those are called "execrable" who execrate the commandments of the divine Scriptures, and the corrections of good men.

We can also understand by "execrable" those who are so shameless that they are not ashamed to commit certain execrable acts in the sight of all; who are often execrated not only by the just, but even by certain unjust persons.

By "murderers" he means not only those who slay certain men, but also those who carry hatred in their hearts, as this same John speaks, saying: Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer.

Fornication follows.

The kinds of fornication are many; for by whatever ways, except with a lawful wife, desire of lust is fulfilled, it is called fornication. Concerning the evil of fornication the apostle Paul speaks, saying: But he who fornicates sins against his own body. He sins against his own body; because he violates and corrupts its integrity, when he by force draws out and pours forth its harmless humors. There is also fornication of thought, of which the Lord speaks, saying: Whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. The Prophet also called Jerusalem a fornicatress, because, forsaking God, she worshipped idols. Likewise we too, by obeying the suggestions of demons, when we subject ourselves to them, are not unsuitably called fornicators.

Sorcerers, moreover, are those who infect the bodies of men with poison, in order to destroy them.

There are also other sorcerers much worse, namely those who sow discords among brothers; for the former kill bodies, the latter souls: and much worse is the death of the soul than of the body.

Idolaters, indeed, are not only those who worship idols; but also all the avaricious, as the apostle Paul shows, who calls avarice the servitude of idols.

But greatly terrible is what follows: And all liars; then he adds: Their part shall be in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death; and the Psalmist says to the Lord: Thou shalt destroy all who speak lies; and elsewhere: Every man is a liar. If therefore every man is a liar, and if God will destroy all who speak lies, and if all liars will have a part in perdition with the other impious, of whom we have spoken thus far; who then can be saved? For we know that no man can pass through this life without at some time lying, unless he be an infant who cannot speak. But we ought not to understand this to be said of all lies, just as neither is that saying about all sinners, which is sung in the thirty-sixth psalm: For sinners shall perish; and in the hundred and forty-fourth psalm: The Lord keeps all who love him, and will destroy all sinners.

If sinners shall perish, and he will destroy all sinners, and we are all sinners according to the saying of this same John: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us: then we shall all perish. But we ought not to understand this to be said of all sinners, but only of those who, casting themselves into grave sins, refuse to do penance for their iniquities. Likewise here too we ought to understand that it is not said of all lies; for there are lies which are reckoned among light sins, from which I think no man can wholly abstain; and there are grave ones, which plunge a man into the condemnation of death.

But because in these times there are many who, without any reverence for Almighty God, lie almost continually, it has pleased us to say something about this vice. But let us first speak of light lies, afterward of the graver ones. Often we lie by estimation, thinking that we see what we do not see; or hear what we do not hear; or know what we do not know. For often, when we look at certain people from afar, our sight deceives us, and we say they are who are not. Often too, in obscure times, when from a distance we see stones or shrubs, we are deceived by that very obscurity, and say they are men, or beasts.

Often we are deceived by forgetfulness, when we forget what we did or saw, or said, and we say we did what we did not do, or did not do what we did; or heard what we did not hear, or did not hear what we heard; or saw what we did not see, or did not see what we saw; or said what we did not say, or did not say what we said. Often too, when we hear what we desire, we say true is what we hear; and often it happens that it is false: and when we hear what we do not wish, we say it is false; although it be true. Often too we lie in jest, so as to raise laughter in hearers. But often we lie from excessive credulity; for when we have heard certain men, whom we deem truthful, telling some plausible things, believing what we hear, when we report it to others, we say it is true, although it be false; and frequently we affirm it with an oath.

There are also many who, partly forgetting the deeds of the Fathers which they have read or heard in the divine Scriptures, when they begin to tell them to others, either mix in some lies, or try to make one narrative out of many; and just as one who mixes tin with gold or silver makes the material useless, so also these, when they strive to make one narrative out of many, render it useless by lying; for it is better to be silent than to relate the deeds of the saints falsely. There are also many learned in the divine letters, who, believing the Jews more than is fitting, take up certain of their most vain fables, and interweave them into their own traditions.

For we know that the Jews strive to pervert to wicked meanings all things which are found concerning Christ in the Old Testament; so that they may extinguish the glory of the name of Christ before whomever they can: and they not only overturn the prophecies concerning Christ, but also insert in other places many most vain and most absurd fables. I marvel, therefore, why the enemies of Christ and of all our religion are believed; or why anything is taken up from them, except only those things which are known to have been approved by the ancient Fathers. For they indeed have the devil as their father, who did not stand in the truth, because he himself is a liar, and the father of it; and whomever the devil possesses, he makes liars.

Often too we lie from fear; for when we fear that some troubles may be brought upon us by the more powerful, we sometimes devise lies, by which we may be freed. But travelers too are wont to invent certain lies, that they may be freed from robbers. Likewise slaves and children are wont to interpolate certain lies, lest they be beaten. There are also many who, placed in foreign places, lie for the sake of poverty or some necessity; that they may acquire food or some other bodily necessities for themselves. Often too we lie out of love and anger, praising beyond measure those whom we love, and blaming beyond what is fitting those with whom we are angry: but these seem to me graver than the former. There are other lies similar to the above, which it would be long to pursue; for into such lies not only the unjust, but also the just often fall. And for this reason it seems to me that the Psalmist said: Every man is a liar.

There is also another kind of lie, which would seem without fault, were it not that Scripture says that every lie is of evil: from which some things will be found in the divine Scriptures. For in Genesis it is written that Pharaoh commanded the midwives of the Hebrews to kill the males, and to preserve the females: but they, fearing God, preserved the males. For which reason, when they were rebuked by Pharaoh, they said that all the Hebrew women had skill in midwifery, and gave birth before they, the midwives, could arrive. Was it not better to preserve the boys by lying, than to commit so many murders by speaking the truth? In Joshua also it is written that he sent two spies to explore Jericho. And they entered the house of a certain harlot named Rahab, who hid them in the inner parts of her house, and when their pursuers came, she said that when the gate was closed, they had fled in the darkness.

And by this lie, freeing them from their pursuers, she herself, with her whole kindred, was freed from the danger of death.

And for this deed she is praised by the blessed apostle Paul in the epistle to the Hebrews; for he says: By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with the unbelieving, having received the spies with peace. In the book of Kings also it is written that David, fleeing from Absalom his son, sent two spies to Jerusalem to explore the acts of that same son of his. When Absalom heard of this, he sent men to seize them: but they, fleeing, entered the house of a certain man, whose wife hid them in a well which she had in the vestibule, placing a covering over it. But when their pursuers came and asked for them, she answered: They passed on, having tasted a little water. Yet by speaking the truth she could have destroyed those whom by lying she preserved.

Thus the stains of such lies are blotted out by the charity from which they proceed

because charity covers a multitude of sins.

Now let us speak of the more serious lies; for there are lies of infidelity, there are also lies of blasphemy, there are others which proceed from hatred, others which envy generates, others which avarice, others which vain glory; the other vices likewise have lies suited to themselves. Indeed the unfaithful, Jews and pagans, have very many lies; for besides denying that Christ came in the flesh, they have many errors by which, being deceived, they perish. There are also lies of blasphemies, by which these same Jews and pagans, and also heretics, blaspheme God and His Church, and all the divine mysteries, in many ways. There are also lies which proceed from hatred; for some, because they bear hatred in their hearts against their neighbors, weave false accusations against them: and those whom they cannot kill with the sword, they cast down by false accusations into great harm, and often even into death.

There are also other lies which envy brings forth; for the envious, when they see certain persons excelling either in worldly dignities, or in wisdom, or in certain skills, do not cease to despise and mock them, and to set themselves above them; so that they themselves may seem more illustrious, to those who believe their lies, than those whom they despise. There are also lies of derision, which properly belong to the envious; for the envious always deride the deeds of their betters, and seek to obscure with their lies the acts of those whom they cannot equal. For there are many who, pretending to be friends of those whom they hate or envy, draw them by their crafty persuasions into committing certain disgraceful acts: and when they have cast them down, as it were into a pit, into some crime, they turn against them and persecute them more fiercely than others; and those who seemed to be friends are proved to have been the worst enemies. Avarice too has its own lies.

For how many there are who, in order to seize the substance of others, contrive many deceits and various machinations, so as to take from others whereby they may satisfy somewhat the insatiable abyss of their avarice! There are also many who, for the sake of receiving rewards, become false witnesses against their neighbors, and by lying either cast them into servitude, or take away their inheritance or substance, and often indeed bring about their death. There are other lies which vain glory begets; for there are many lovers of vain glory who, in order to be considered great and outstanding by men, say that they have done great things which they have not done, or that they can do what they cannot, or that they possess what they do not possess, or that they know what they do not know; so that their lies may raise them to a height to which they cannot climb. And because this vice is held as nothing by some, we know that even in monasteries certain persons are stained by this vice.

For there are many who, after they seem to have left the world, in order to establish themselves as great and renowned among certain simple folk, and among those who were raised in monasteries, say that they were possessors of great riches, boast that they were warriors, hunters, and lie about themselves in many other ways; so that they may be held great by those whom they can deceive with their lies. To you, therefore, I speak, who are such a one: Behold, you who, when placed in the world, could scarcely by your labor throughout the whole year procure simple food sufficient for yourself and all yours, once placed in a monastery, become a possessor of treasures, of estates, and of great riches: and you who could scarcely catch a single little fox, once made a monk, have become a most mighty hunter: and you who feared certain of the lowest of your neighbors, once placed in the monastery, have made yourself a most valiant warrior.

Behold, this was not to have left the world, but to have gained it.

You say that you have killed a man, and you have laid upon yourself the guilt of homicide. The lying tongue has done what the hand did not accomplish. And do you wish me to prove that by lying you have made yourself guilty of homicide? Saul, as we read in the book of Kings, for fear of the Philistines slew himself with his own hand; a certain man came to holy David, and said that he had slain Saul, who was pursuing him: but David, understanding by the spirit of prophecy that he had lied, ordered him to be punished as a murderer, and, laying upon him the guilt of homicide, said: Thy blood be upon thy own head; for thy mouth hath spoken against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed.

We know, moreover, that the rich of this world, coming to conversion, sin gravely if they begin to boast of their riches and power: and if he is guilty who speaks the truth, how much more guilty are you, who lie in almost everything! There are also others who lie almost incessantly, and can scarcely say anything without an admixture of lying. Who, at everything they always hear, invent certain lies: and say that they have seen what they have not seen; and heard what they have not heard; and done what they have not done. And when they are caught by truthful men, they say that no one can speak the truth well who cannot lie well. O fool, how vain is your assertion! Behold, Christ spoke many things well and truthfully, who could never lie, whose footsteps it would have been more fitting for you to follow, as far as your strength allowed. Likewise the apostles and the other preachers taught and wrote many things without any admixture of lying.

And Scripture says that every lie is of evil: if a lie is evil, how can an evil thing be uttered well?

O wretched one, how near to you is the wrath of God Almighty, whom you do not fear to offend continually without cause! For the other vices, although they be contrary to the Lord, nevertheless seem to confer something upon the body. For avarice, although it be in every way hateful to God, nevertheless seems to confer something upon the body; because it gathers riches, from which it may fulfill its desires. Likewise lust also seems to confer something upon the body; because in its fulfillment the pleasure of the flesh is quenched. And drunkenness, although it offends God, fulfills the desires of gluttony. Likewise the other vices are taken up for the fulfilling of the desires of the flesh. There are also certain lies which seem to add something to the body, such as those of avarice, of which we spoke above.

But you gain nothing for the body, and you do not fear to offend God without ceasing.

Behold, your lying would be a light thing, if it happened rarely: but from continual repetition it becomes most grave and unbearable. For just as mud is lighter than lead, but by its accumulation becomes heavier and more dangerous, so that cattle are often drowned in it: so also certain light sins, from their accumulation, become graver than certain others which are reckoned grave. And know that, as He Himself said, God is truth; nothing can be more contrary to truth than a lie. The portion of these, therefore, shall be in the lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. What the second death is, He shows plainly in this place. From the aforesaid vices, then, lest we fall into the second death, may the mercy of our Redeemer deign to free us, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth forever and ever, amen.

And there came one of the seven angels who had the vials, and he spoke with me, saying: Come, and I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb.

Above, in the fifth vision, John says that seven angels having seven vials were shown to him, and that in what follows, one of them showed him the city of the devil and its damnation under the appearance of a harlot woman: likewise here he says that one of these same seven angels showed him the city of God under the figure of Jerusalem. These, then, have each the same signification as those seven; for they signify the preachers who have been, and who will be, even to the end: but John holds the type of the rest of the faithful.

The angel, therefore, promises John that he will show him the city of God

because the holy preachers strive, as far as they are able, to show to the rest of the faithful how great is the blessedness of the just, that they may kindle them to obtain eternal life. He also calls her the bride, the wife of the Lamb. That the Church is rightly called the bride of the Lamb, John the Baptist shows, saying: He that hath the bride is the bridegroom. But that she is also called wife, Scripture shows, saying: For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh.

As it were, then, the Son of God left His Father, when, descending from that heavenly blessedness to the earth, He assumed man, whom He gave for His bride, which is the Church: He left His mother, because, laying aside the mother's affection, He gave over, for His Church, the body which He assumed from her; whom He so united to Himself that He is the head, and she the body. And he took me up to a great and high mountain. This mountain is Christ. Of this mountain the Prophet speaks, saying: And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of the mountains. The mountains, over whose summit the mountain of the house of the Lord is said to be prepared, designate the Fathers of the Old Testament.

Over the summit of these, then, the mountain of the house of the Lord is said to be prepared

because it was foretold by them, and, coming in the flesh, He surpassed them by a wondrous height. Upon this mountain, then, the house of the Lord, that is, the Church, is built; because it is founded upon Christ, as the Apostle Paul says, saying: For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. And he showed me the holy city Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, having the brightness of God. It is to be noted that the last vision of Ezekiel agrees with this vision of John in certain places; therefore it seemed good that we should insert a few things from it into this work. For he says that a mountain was shown to him, upon which was a city, and in it a temple: but mentioning the city only briefly, he spoke much of the structure of the temple.

That temple, then, has the same signification there, as the city has here; for they signify the Church: but by that temple the Church of the present time is designated, while by the city Jerusalem is designated the Church indeed, but such as it will be after the end of the world. But someone will say: How does this description of Jerusalem, that is, of the Church, pertain to future time, since its form of the present time seems to be described in this vision? To this we answer that the Church, as long as it stands in this life, cannot be perfectly known, but is held as it were hidden under a certain veil; since it is not known who is reprobate, or who is elect, or to what end each one shall bring his deeds: but in that life its form shall be manifest to all, for then it shall clearly appear to all who was the wall, who the gates, who the foundations, who the stones of the structure, who the precious stones.

But we must inquire how it is said to descend from heaven, since it daily ascends to the heavenly dwelling, in which it is believed it will remain without end. As long as we ponder in our mind the deeds and merits of the saints, they are ever magnified in our hearts; and the more we consider them, the more their magnificence is raised up for us: but when we lift the eyes of our mind to consider the greatness of God Almighty, the greatness of the saints, compared to the greatness of God, is greatly humbled for us. The saints, then, ascend for us, when we consider their deeds and merits: but they descend, when we lift the eyes of our mind to consider the omnipotence of God. It is also said that she had the brightness of God. She had indeed the brightness of God, not her own.

For often the sun, shining in water, bestows its own brightness upon the water; so that the water strikes back the eyes of those who look upon it, just as the sun does: just as, then, the water has the brightness of the sun, but not of itself, but from the sun: so also the saints have the brightness of God, but not of themselves, but from God, by whom they are illumined.

Its light was like a precious stone, as it were a jasper stone, like crystal.

Behold, he has set down three stones, to whose light he has likened the light of the Church: one without a name, but two he expresses by name. We can therefore understand by the precious stone the Father, by the jasper the Son, and by the crystal the Holy Spirit. The first is without a name, because the Father is from himself; the second and third are expressed by name, because the Son is from the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from both. We can also understand by the precious stone hope, by the jasper faith, and by the crystal charity. But someone may say that in that life faith and hope will not be necessary. For what a man sees, why does he hope for it?

To this we reply that just as a garment which is dyed from some material, after the dyeing, though the material is discarded, retains in itself the most beautiful color; so also in that life, when faith, hope, humility, abstinence, and the other virtues without charity come to their end, the splendor which the saints acquired from the working of them will remain in them without end. And it had a wall great and high. This is the wall of which the prophet says: The city of our strength is Sion; the Savior shall be set therein as a wall and a bulwark. By this wall, therefore, Christ is signified together with all his members; so that by the foundation itself Christ is figured, and by the rest of the structure his members. Having twelve gates.

In Ezekiel it is written that the temple which was shown to him had three gates, namely the eastern, the southern, and the northern.

And God commanded that the eastern gate should always remain shut, only the Prince entering and going out through it. By the eastern gate is figured the blessed and glorious Virgin Mary, who remained closed before the entrance of the Prince, that is, of Christ, and after his going forth remained closed forever. But the southern gate signifies the Old Testament, and the northern gate the New. Those who are said to come from the southern part signify the Jews; those from the northern part signify the Gentiles. The Jews, therefore, who had the knowledge of God, and to whom the Law had been given from the side of the sun, that is, from the southern part, where the sun burns more fiercely, are not unfittingly said to come to the Church.

They entered through the southern gate

because, recognizing that Christ had been prophesied in the Old Testament in many ways, and prefigured in diverse manners, they drew others by their Scripture to receive faith in Christ. But the Gentiles, forsaking idolatry and renouncing him who said: I will sit in the mount of the covenant, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the Most High, are not unfittingly said to come from the northern part. They entered through the northern gate, because, hearing the doctrine of the Gospel and marveling also at the miracles which were wrought through Christ and his ministers, they hastened to receive faith in Christ. It was also commanded that no one should return by the way through which he had entered, but should go out by the opposite region; namely, that he who entered by the south gate should go out by the north gate, and he who entered by the north gate should go out by the south gate.

The Jews, whom the understanding of the Old Testament led to receive faith in Christ, ought not to return by the part whence they had come

that is, to fulfill the legal observances carnally; but rather to go out by the northern gate, that is, to betake themselves to meditating upon and searching the doctrine of the Gospel, that they might learn to fulfill spiritually what before they had been busy doing carnally. But the Gentiles who entered by the northern gate, that is, who were made children of the Church through the doctrine of the Gospel, ought not to return by the part whence they had come, namely to go back to searching out the errors of the philosophers; but rather, after receiving the faith and the evangelical doctrine, to betake themselves to the southern gate, that is, to searching the doctrine of the Old Testament, that when they found in it Christ foretold in many ways, faith in Christ might be strengthened in them.

But by the twelve gates which Jerusalem is said to have, the twelve apostles and their doctrine are signified.

And in the gates I saw twelve angels.

The twelve angels signify the other preachers, namely the followers of the apostles. They are said to have been in the gates, because, holding unshaken the faith of the apostles and following their doctrine, they strove to draw as many as they could to the faith of Christ. And names written, of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. By the names of the twelve tribes we can understand the fathers of the Old Testament, who did not deviate from faith in the Holy Trinity; we can also understand by the same names the Old Testament itself. The names of the twelve tribes were written on the gates, because the doctrine of the apostles and the other preachers is full of examples from the Old Testament. On the east three gates, and on the north three gates, and on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.

He set down the four quarters of the world, to indicate that almost all the nations, which are contained within the four quarters of the world, have come together to the Church. And he said that he saw three gates against each quarter, that is, in all twelve, to indicate that no one can enter within the Church except through the confession of the Holy Trinity. And because the doctrine of the apostles is nothing else but the Gospel, and the Gospel itself is divided into four books, and the doctrine of each single book consists in the faith of the Holy Trinity, rightly is this city said to have four sides, and on each side three gates, which joined together make twelve. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the apostles and of the Lamb. What the twelve foundations signify, he himself has explained, when he added that on them were written the names of the twelve apostles and of the Lamb.

I have been rebuked by a certain man for saying that Peter was the foundation of the Church, in that place where the Lord says: Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church. If Peter is a foundation of the Church, as are also the other apostles, as the present reading plainly demonstrates, then the Church was built upon him just as upon the others; but if the Church was not built upon Peter, then neither upon the others; therefore this present assertion of John is false, since he says that the twelve apostles are the twelve foundations of the Church. Nor does that saying of the Apostle drive us from our understanding, where he says: For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. For Peter is not one foundation and Christ Jesus another, because Peter is a member of Christ Jesus, as he himself said to his disciples: You in me, and I in you.

For Christ is the foundation of all his apostles, and likewise they themselves are the foundations of those who believed through them. There is, then, one foundation, that is, Christ, by whom all foundations are contained, upon whom also the whole structure of the Church is built. Of this foundation Paul speaks, saying: Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be manifest, for the fire shall try it, of what sort it is. Here he set down six kinds, three precious and three worthless. Often by gold wisdom is signified. He builds gold upon the foundation of Christ, who stores up in his heart the wisdom by which he crushes vices and nourishes virtues, imitating the Psalmist who said: In my heart have I hidden thy words, that I may not sin against thee. By silver, however, the word of preaching is expressed, of which the same Psalmist says: The words of the Lord are pure words, silver tried by fire.

He builds silver upon the foundation of Christ who teaches others the good which he has learned, so as to draw them to do good works: and by precious stones good works are signified. He builds precious stones upon the foundation of Christ who fulfills in works the good which he teaches. There are some who have not words of exhortation with which to instruct others perfectly, but when they exercise themselves in good works, they build precious stones upon the foundation of Christ. Likewise those who know little things, and teach them to others, build silver upon Christ, provided they fulfill in works what they teach. For many build upon Christ, by teaching others, the understanding which they have received; but by evil works they destroy in themselves what they had built. By wood, hay, and stubble, however, the smallest sins are signified. But there is another understanding which excludes us from this sense; for sins are not built upon Christ, but the works of virtues are.

And when we sin, we withdraw from the building which is made upon Christ; and the more gravely we sin, the further we are separated.

But when through penance we return to doing good works, we return to the building which is made upon Christ. We can, then, understand by wood earthly works, when someone attends to earthly work so as to have whereby to live, lest perhaps, compelled by necessity, he be forced to steal. For the Apostle commands that, working with silence, each should eat his own bread; and again: He who will not work, he says, let him not eat ( note: actually). By hay we can understand earthly love, when someone loves wife, children, and brothers out of affection of the flesh. But this also the Apostle commands, that husbands love their wives, wives their husbands, children their parents, parents their children. By stubble, however, we can understand those very persons who, because desire drives them and they cannot contain themselves, take wives.

But this also the Apostle commands, saying: But for fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband (Titus note: actually).

And because such ways of life cannot be without frequent offenses, he says that such are to be saved through fire, that is, through the purgatorial fire. And this will happen, if they abstain from grave sins, and by the giving of alms deserve this, that after death they may be able to be saved through the purgatorial fire are. For just as gold, which becomes soiled from mixture with other things, is purified by fire, so also these are cleansed by fire from the filth which they contracted from worldly deeds, that they may become worthy to be joined to the number of the elect. And he that spoke with me had a golden reed, that he might measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall.

The angel who spoke with John, in this place signifies Christ, who now rules all nations with a rod of iron, as has already been said above; but in the future he will measure with a golden reed the city of God, which shall consist of all nations. We said above that by the rod of iron the discipline of the Gospel is signified; but iron is heavy and very hard. Of the hardness of the iron rod the Lord says in the Gospel: Narrow and strait is the way that leads to life. But this hardness the love of God and the hope of the heavenly homeland makes sweet and light, as he himself again says: For my yoke is sweet, and my burden light. The rod of iron, therefore, will be changed into a light, sweet, and golden reed; because the saints, in return for the hardships which they endured for Christ, shall receive sweetness and everlasting glory.

And he shall measure the city, and its gates, and the wall, when according to the quality of works he shall render to each his reward. But we must ask, since he is said to have measured the city, why he added the gates and the wall, since by the name "city" all these are comprehended. But as past and future teach, by the gates the apostles are signified, by the city the apostolic men, and by the walls the rest of the multitude of the faithful. But what follows will make this more fully manifest. There follows: And the city is set foursquare, and its length is as great as its breadth. By the squareness of the city the perfection of the saints is designated; for a square stone, turn it whichever way you will, will stand upright. And if you carefully examine a square stone, or anything else that can be squared, you will be able to perceive that the perfection of the Church is depicted in it; for it has six faces, eight corners, twelve edges.

The six faces show the perfection of good works, because the number six is a perfect number.

It has eight corners, of which four look toward heaven, four toward the earth. The four corners, then, designate the Gospels, which are doubled, because they especially commend the love of God and of neighbor. Four look toward heaven, to show that God is to be loved above all things; four look toward the earth, to show that neighbors are to be loved as ourselves. The twelve edges show the faith of the twelve apostles. Now from each single corner three edges proceed, to show that from the teaching of Christ, which is the Gospel, which is also divided into four books, the faith of the holy Trinity passed over into the apostles, so that through them it might spread to all nations. We have said all this about the square stone in order to show that by the squareness of the city the perfection of the Church is designated.

And because this city has an equal squareness, its length is said to be as great as its breadth; for by length eternal glory is designated, and by breadth charity. The length of this city, then, is as great as its breadth, because the greater any faithful person, while placed in this life, shall have been in charity, the greater glory he shall possess in the heavenly beatitude: and the smaller his charity, the smaller also shall be his glory. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. The twelve furlongs have the same signification as the twelve gates have; for they signify the apostles. But above it was said that this city has its length and breadth equal; here, however, it is said that its length, breadth, and height are equal.

We can, then, in this passage understand by these three things which he has set down, faith, hope, and charity; so that by length we understand faith, by breadth charity, and by height hope. But how can they be equal, when the Apostle says: But now there remain faith, hope, charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity? For although charity is greater than all the virtues, in that it alone remains for eternity, yet according to a certain measure equality can be ascribed to these three virtues. For the Apostle says that faith works through charity, and faith without works is dead. If it is dead, that in which it is dead is nothing: and if faith works through charity, and it is dead in him who has no works of charity, then faith is as great as the works of charity are.

Likewise hope is as great as faith and charity

because as great as are the works of faith, which is charity, so great also is the hope of glory: for insofar as any faithful person shall have prevailed to enlarge himself through the works of charity, to that extent let him not doubt that the glory of his heavenly homeland grows for him. And he measured the walls thereof, a hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. If we attend to what precedes, this cannot stand according to the letter; for above it is said that he measured the city with twelve thousand furlongs; here, however, it says the walls of the city are measured at a hundred and forty-four cubits; for the space of twelve furlongs is much greater than the space of a hundred and forty-four cubits; and therefore by the greater space we can understand those who are of greater merit.

We have said above that by the twelve furlongs the twelve apostles are designated: martyrs, then, and confessors, and the rest of the perfect men who have followed the teaching of the apostles in all things, and imitated their deeds, in their circuit will be measured; because they will possess the same glory that those possess. But by the walls, which are made of smaller stones, the rest of the multitude of the faithful is designated: who will hold a smaller circuit than those of whom we spoke above; because those who shall be of lesser merit will receive lesser rewards also. Their measure consists in the number twelve, because they have kept the apostolic faith undefiled; for twelve times twelve makes a hundred and forty-four. Now as for its saying that the city and walls were measured by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel, this shows that the angel appeared to him in the likeness of a man. We can understand this in another way.

He says that the measure of a man is the measure of an angel, and that by that measure the city and walls are said to be measured; because the holy men will have equality with the angels, and will be measured by their measure; because they will possess the same glory that those possess, as the Lord says in the Gospel: In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. And the structure of the wall thereof was of jasper stone; but the city itself was pure gold, like unto pure glass. But here also he has made some distinction between the walls and the city. He said that the walls were built of jasper stone, but he said that the city itself was like pure gold and pure glass; for by the greenness of jasper faith is designated: by jasper, then, simple and imperfect men are not unfittingly designated, who are saved by faith, as the prophet says: But the just shall live by his faith.

But the holy and perfect men, who are designated by the city, are not unfittingly likened to pure gold; both

because they have been filled with wisdom, which is often figured by gold, and because they have been proven by various tribulations, as gold is purged by fire. But by the pure glass, which is clearer than all metals, the angels are designated, whom no stain of sin has ever been able to defile. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone. We have said above that by the twelve foundations the twelve apostles are designated: but by the precious stones all the just are designated. The twelve foundations, then, will be adorned with twelve stones; because in that beatitude the apostles and the other preachers will have for their adornment those who believed through them, since they will receive a reward for all of them.

The first foundation, jasper.

Jasper is of a green and pressed color: it signifies the faithful secular men, who, abstaining from vices, although their greenness—that is, their faith—is somewhat darkened by the affairs of the world, yet do not cease to redeem their sins by alms and other works of mercy. Nor is it without reason that such men are placed in the first position: for the apostles, as has already often been noted, fearing to lay upon those from the Gentiles who first believed the more austere precepts of the Lord—lest perhaps, terrified by the harshness of the precepts, they should not dare to approach to receive the faith of Christ—wrote to them: It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no further burden upon you, than that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication.

And in another place Peter, relating the conversion of the Gentiles, says to the Jews: And God, who knows the hearts, gave testimony, giving them the Holy Spirit as also to us, purifying their hearts by faith. Whoever, then, imitates these are contained in the figure of the jasper stone.

The second, sapphire.

The sapphire is of a sky-blue color, like the hyacinth: but it has spots intermixed of the same color, but darker. It seems to me also that by this stone certain secular men are designated, who indeed desire heavenly things, but are still occupied in the affairs of the world, from which occupation they seem to contract certain stains. Because they prefer heavenly things to all cares, they are said to have the color of the sky: and they are placed in the second position because they strive to love God above all things, and their neighbors as themselves.

The third, chalcedony.

Chalcedony has a red color, but a dim one, unless it is thinned by hollowing out: the very hollowing gives it a most beautiful and pleasing color. This too signifies certain secular men, whose great sanctity, before the time of persecution, remained hidden from men: but, thinned by various tribulations at the hands of their persecutors, the splendor of holiness that lay hidden in them became manifest to all: who are not unfittingly placed in the third position, in that, persevering in the confession of the holy Trinity, they merited to attain the palm of martyrdom.

The fourth, emerald.

It is of exceptional beauty and greenness, so much so that it tinges with its greenness the things around it. This signifies the holy preachers, who, both green in faith and illustrious in virtues, scattered the splendor of their faith by preaching in all directions: who are placed in the fourth position because they disseminated the teaching of the Gospel, which is divided into four books, through many places. The fifth, sardonyx. Sardonyx is white, inclining a little toward a red color: it signifies certain simple and innocent men, who by the white stone are designated because of the purity of their life. Because by keeping vigil, fasting, abstaining, and afflicting their bodies in various ways, they impose martyrdoms upon themselves, they seem to have a red color: who are not unfittingly placed in the fifth position; for by the number five the five bodily senses are often designated.

Blessed Gregory also says that by the five bodily senses the knowledge of exterior things is designated: and

because these men strove to impart to others the knowledge of exterior things which they had received, they rightly hold the fifth place in the building of the holy city.

The sixth, sardius.

Sardius is of a tawny color, which, because it seems to incline somewhat toward reddish color, is a little darkened. By the tawny color, then, which approaches the color of gold, are designated the tribulations which the saints endured from their enemies: but the red color designates martyrdom. By the sardius, then, are designated the holy and perfect men who, after the experience of all the virtues, after various persecutions, after the monstrous torments which they endured from their enemies, merited to attain the palm of martyrdom: who are not incongruously placed in the number six, which is perfect; because they both stood forth perfect in the virtues, and adorned that very perfection with martyrdom.

The seventh, chrysolite.

Chrysolite is wholly golden, and wisdom is often designated by gold. By the chrysolite, then, are designated the wise men in the Church, who can rightly be called golden among men because of the brightness of their wisdom: who are fittingly placed in the seventh position, because, filled with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, they turned many away from iniquity by words and examples.

The eighth, beryl.

Beryl is of exceptional clarity, having a sky-blue color mixed in; it signifies men of pure life, and altogether estranged from the affairs of the world: who, lest they should in any way stain the clarity of their life, wished even to be separated from the company of other men: whose clarity was turned to a sky-blue color, because, ever intent on heaven, they are proved to have led an angelic life among men: who are not unfittingly placed in the eighth position; for twice four makes eight. These men, then, fulfilled the number four, because they followed the precept of the Gospel which says: Go, sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me. They doubled the number four, because they persuaded many others to climb with them to the same summit of perfection.

The ninth, topaz.

Topaz is said to be of a bronze and golden color, scattering its radiance all around. Often by gold are designated men proved by the fire of tribulation: and these tribulations are themselves diverse; for sometimes holy men are proved by various temptations which they suffer from demons: sometimes by tribulations which are inflicted upon them by evil men; sometimes by afflictions which they themselves inflict upon themselves: sometimes they are also proved by the scourges of God; and by the exercises of the active life. It seems to me, then, that by the topaz stone are designated those who are first proved by the works of the active life, and afterward pass over to the contemplative. For he ascends by a fitting degree to the contemplative life, who has first been proved by the exercises of the active life; for he who passes suddenly to the height of the contemplative life without the exercises of the active life easily falls.

Now the fact that this stone is said to scatter its rays all around signifies that the men who are designated by it both drew many, by preaching, to the works of the active life, and also led many with them to the height of the contemplative life: who are not incongruously placed in the ninth position; for three times three makes nine. The holy men, then, who, for the love of the holy Trinity, first afflicting themselves in the good works of the active life, drew to their imitation by their exhortations as many as they could; and again, ascending to contemplate the divinity of that same holy Trinity, led many with them—are not unfittingly placed in the ninth position; because the talent which they received from the Lord they not only doubled, but also tripled.

The tenth, chrysoprase.

The chrysoprase is said to be a green stone of golden color: which, because it is placed in the tenth position, we can understand through it certain teachers of the Church, who both taught many while placed in their bodies through their words, and instructed and continue daily to instruct many more through their writings, as were Jerome, Augustine, Gregory, and many others; who may also rightly be called lights of the Church: who are designated by the green and golden color; because they were firm in the greenness of faith, and radiant with wisdom as with gold. By the number ten we can understand the Old Testament, namely on account of the ten commandments of the Law. And because no one can understand the Old Testament without the teaching of the New Testament, since the spiritual understanding in the Old Testament is nothing other than the New Testament; not unfittingly are they placed in the tenth position, because they possessed the fullest knowledge of the Old and the New Testament.

We can also understand the number ten in another way: for the number ten divides and orders and completes all numbers: thus these men also in a certain manner divided the Scriptures, when in expounding them they distributed them into passages and books: they ordered them, when they opened up their obscurities; and they made manifest what right order the things that seemed disordered actually had: and they completed them, when they supplied what seemed to be lacking.

The eleventh, jacinth.

The jacinth, whose kind has given its name to the hyacinth color, is most precious, having the color of a serene sky, like the sapphire: but that one has blemishes, while the beauty of this one is disfigured by no blemishes. Now it signifies holy men estranged from all the filth of sins, dwelling in body on earth but always in heaven in mind; of which sort was the Apostle, who said: "But our citizenship is in heaven". These are not unfittingly placed in the eleventh position; for by ten, as we said above, the knowledge of the divine Scriptures is already designated: but the one which follows ten, so that eleven results, pertains to the contemplation of the one God.

These holy men therefore completed the number ten

because, filled with the knowledge of the divine Scriptures, they led many to eternal life by their preachings: and they completed the number one; because they were assiduous in the contemplation of Almighty God: neither did the urgency of preaching draw them away from contemplation, nor did assiduous contemplation draw them away from preaching; bearing the likeness of angels, who both always fulfill their angelic office, and never become estranged from the contemplation of Almighty God. Of such men it seems to me that the prophet spoke: "The lips of the priest keep knowledge, and they seek the law at his mouth; because he is the angel of the Lord of hosts". Of such a kind was John the Baptist, of whom the Lord said: "This is he of whom it is written: Behold, I send my angel before your face, who shall prepare your way before you".

The twelfth, amethyst.

Often by the number twelve the apostles are designated: but the amethyst is purple; and we know that purple is a royal ornament. By the amethyst, therefore, are designated the apostles and those like them, who were the ornament of God; because they preached him throughout the whole world. Peter was an ornament of God, of whom it is written that he glorified God by his death: likewise the other apostles also were an ornament of God; because by preaching him, by working miracles, by dying for his name, they glorified him. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, one for each: and each of the gates was of a single pearl. This cannot stand according to the letter. If each gate was made of a single pearl, how can it be said that there were twelve pearls for each one?

But it must be understood spiritually, for there are twelve pearls of which each gate is said to consist, that is, one hundred forty-four, by which are designated the successors of the apostles, the teachers of the Church, who followed the faith and doctrine of the apostles, and imitated their deeds: who are signified, on account of the cleanness and eminent sanctity of their life, by the whiteness of pearls. And the streets of the city were pure gold, as it were transparent glass. Above, we said that by pure gold and pure glass were signified perfect men and holy angels: but here by the street of the city are signified the minds of the faithful: and by pure gold and transparent glass is designated the purity of the minds of men, and of angels; because just as no vain thought could ever come into the minds of the angels to stain them, so also after the resurrection no useless thought will ever come to the saints, to defile their minds.

And I saw no temple therein; for the Lord God Almighty is the temple thereof, and the Lamb.

By the temple, in which victims and sacrifices used to be offered, is designated the present Church, in which not carnal but spiritual sacrifices are daily offered to God. For just as there according to the quality of sins the rite of sacrifices was carried out; so also in the Church, according to the measure of faults, there ought to be sacrifices of penitence, sacrifices of prayers, of weeping, of compunction of heart. Of such sacrifices the Prophet speaks, saying: "A sacrifice to God is a troubled spirit"; and again: "Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice". If there is a sacrifice of justice, there is also one of patience, and one of abstinence, and one of humility and of the other virtues. These are the sacrifices which offer a most sweet odor to the Lord, not the flesh of cattle, which were burned on the altar.

John therefore said that he did not see a temple in the holy city

because all these things which we have mentioned will not be necessary in that beatitude: "For God shall wipe away every tear from the eyes of the saints, and death shall be no more, neither mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things have passed away" (above, v. 4). But the Lord shall be its temple, and the Lamb; because the saints shall be in him, and shall dwell in him, as he himself said to his disciples: "As I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you". And the city needs neither sun nor moon to shine in it; for the brightness of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. By the sun is designated the New Testament, by the moon the Old.

Without these two luminaries the Church cannot walk the path of righteousness in the darkness of this world without frequent stumblings: but in that beatitude, where there will be no darkness, no stumbling, nothing uncorrected that could be corrected, the light of the New and Old Testament will not be necessary; for the saints will enjoy without end the light of him who is the author of light, who enlightens every man coming into this world. And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it. By the nations are designated all the elect. But how shall they walk? They shall walk in mind, not in body: not by changing place, but by considering the omnipotence, divinity, and majesty of God.

They shall walk by the light of the Church

because in order to be able to complete this journey, they will be illuminated by that light, which Almighty God is to give to the whole Church: and by the kings of the earth are designated the apostles and other preachers: and he calls glory and honor of the preachers those who believed through them, as the apostle Paul says to his disciples; "For you are our glory in the Lord". They shall bring, therefore, their glory and honor into it; when they present to the Lord those who believed through them. And its gates shall not be shut by day; for there shall be no night there. Above, by the twelve gates, which are said to have been made of twelve pearls, we said the apostles were designated: but here, where they are placed without number, they have another meaning; for they signify the hearts of the faithful, since the faithful, being placed in this life, suffer night, that is, demons and impious men.

Now they close their gates in the night, when against all the temptations of demons they block the entrances of their minds, and drive them away from themselves. They also close their gates in the night, when they fortify their hearts against the malice of wicked men; so that they do not listen to a detracting tongue, nor render evil for evil, or curse for curse, as according to the prophet: "Let them shake their hands from every bribe, and stop their ears, that they may not hear of bloodshed; and shut their eyes, that they may not see evil" (Eccl. Moreover, in that beatitude, where there can be no demon, no reprobate to persuade evil things, who are designated by night, the observance of gates, that is, of watches, will not be necessary; for indeed, even according to the letter, there will be perpetual day there, no night following. And they shall bring the glory of the nations, and honor into it.

Above he said that the kings of the earth, that is, the holy preachers, brought their glory into the holy city: by which glory we said were designated the nations, who believed through them. If, then, the glory of the preachers is the nations, what is the glory of the nations? Unless perhaps we understand this saying according to Solomon, who says: "The glory of old men is their children's children: and the glory of children is their fathers". For the glory of the elders, that is, of the apostles, are the children of their children, that is, the nations who believed through them, and through their sons, that is, their disciples: but the glory of the children shall be their fathers; because the nations shall rejoice, since they have fathers of such merit and such excellence, when they have deserved to be sharers of their glory.

Now as for what he says, "they shall bring," we can refer this To the angels; who on the day of judgment will lead the saints of God to receive the promised rewards, as the Lord says in the Gospel: "The Son of man shall send his angels, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds of heaven, from the utmost bounds of heaven". Nor shall anything defiled enter into it, or that works abomination or falsehood, but they who are written in the book of Life of the Lamb. He calls defiled those who have defiled themselves with various crimes: they work abomination, who do evil; for God abominates nothing except malice, as it is written in the book of Wisdom: "Thou hast mercy upon all, O Lord, and hatest nothing of the things which thou hast made". But one may ask why it is said that falsehood is "done" (worked). For what we do is not falsehood, because what has been done cannot not have been done, so as to be a falsehood.

But he put "done" for "spoken"; for we commit the sin of lying by speaking, not by doing.

We can also understand every sin by "falsehood"; for we know that God is truth, and sin is the deception of souls. Whatever, then, is contrary to truth, and pertains to the deception of souls, although it may seem true, can rightly be called falsehood. And so into that holy city nothing defiled shall enter, nor anything working abomination or falsehood; because on the day of judgment the angels shall go out, and shall separate the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of burning fire. For to those also who have not had the oil of charity in their vessels, the door of the kingdom of heaven shall be shut; and it shall be said to them by the Lord: "Amen I say to you, I know you not".

22. The River of the Water of Life

— And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the midst of its street. To Ezekiel in the last vision a torrent was shown, which went out from the temple and flowed down into the sea, of which he speaks thus: "And the angel led me," he says, "a thousand cubits, and led me through the water up to the ankles. And he led me a thousand cubits, and led me through the water up to the knees. And he led me a thousand cubits, and led me through the water up to the loins. And he led me a thousand cubits, and I could not pass through the torrent; for the waters of the torrent had risen so that it could not be crossed".

By the torrent we ought to understand the divine Scripture, which goes forth from the temple, that is, from the Church, namely from the mouth of the preachers: the angel signifies the Lord: but the prophet holds the type of those who wish to learn the divine Scriptures for this purpose, that they themselves may profit in them, and instruct others through the knowledge of them: and the number one thousand often shows the perfection of some thing. And the first crossing pertains to historical understanding, the second to the moral, the third pertains to the spiritual.

The angel therefore leads the prophet a thousand cubits, when the Lord grants to some faithful one of his the desire of understanding the Scriptures: he leads him through unto the ankles, when he grants him the understanding of history; for whoever desires to search out the moral and spiritual understanding in the divine Scriptures, it is necessary that he first possess the understanding of history: secondly the angel leads the prophet a thousand cubits, when the Lord kindles his faithful one to perceive the moral understanding: through the water unto the knees he leads him across, when he manifests to him the sense of moral science. Thirdly the angel leads the prophet a thousand cubits, when the Lord, after moral understanding, raises up his faithful one through desire to elicit the senses of spiritual understanding. Through the water unto the loins he leads him across, when he opens to him the sense of spiritual science.

Fourthly the angel leads the prophet a thousand cubits, when after understanding of the Scriptures the Lord raises up his faithful one to the contemplation of the divine and heavenly sacraments. And the torrent he could not ford across; because the depth of the divine and heavenly mysteries no one can search out as it truly is: For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, as the Apostle says: But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away; and again: We see now through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face. Considering that he could not cross this torrent, the same Paul said: O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him?

For of him, and by him, and in him are all things: to him be glory for ever, amen. And the prophet Isaiah: Eye hath not seen, O God, besides thee, what things thou hast prepared for them that wait for thee. Behold, the angel led the prophet up to the place appointed beforehand, and did not lead him across; because Almighty God brings his saints even unto the contemplation of the secret and hidden mysteries of his divinity: but by no means does he lead them across; because human frailty cannot perfectly comprehend those inscrutable and divine mysteries. And just as he who has smelled royal foods, and has foretasted their sweetness, desires them more than one who has neither seen them, nor smelled them, nor by tasting perceived what their sweetness might be: so too the saints, who through the grace of contemplation often taste the sweetness of the heavenly homeland, burn much more each day in love of it, than those who, because of the sweetness of the world, do not feel the sweetness of eternal life.

The same prophet says in what follows that he saw trees on either bank of the torrent, whose fruit was for food, and leaves for medicine. The two banks signify the two Testaments: between these two banks the great torrent of the Scriptures, which was published by the holy Fathers, runs down: by the trees, indeed, are designated the doctors of the Church, who are said to have been planted on both banks, that is, in the doctrine of the Old and New Testament; whence, drawing the waters of true knowledge, they beget both fruit and leaves: for by the fruit are designated good works, and by the leaves the words of preaching. Fruit is for food, and leaves are of profit for medicine; because each doctor administers the healing medicine of words to the languishing soul, when he has first fed it with examples of good works.

Behold, Ezekiel said that he saw a torrent going out from the temple: but John says that not a torrent, but a river proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb was shown to him. A torrent is wont to be dried up by the excessive heat of the sun, but a river is dried up by no heat: not unfittingly, therefore, is the divine Scripture expressed by a torrent, which, when the sun comes—that is, the Lord, unto judgment—will be dried up; because after the resurrection the divine Scripture will not be necessary. Furthermore, by the river, which is dried up by no heat of the sun, the perpetual glory of the saints is understood: which is said to proceed from the throne of God and of the Lamb; because from him the river of the glory of the saints will proceed, from whom, while they were placed in the flesh, proceeded the stream of all good things.

This river is said to be bright as crystal: but since mention of this stone is often made in this book, it has pleased us to say a few things about its nature and signification. This stone is clearer than all other stones: it is born, moreover, in the coldest places, from which cold never departs. Because from its lower part it clings somewhat to a rather softer rock, fixing a root in it a little, and growing upward it rises erect, having six angles, and at the top it is sharpened; yet it keeps the same order of six angles up to the summit. It signifies, however, every perfect man: but the rock to which it clings designates Christ: the brightness of the crystal, the purity of the minds of the saints: the six angles show the perfection of good works.

It carries the order of the six angles up to the summit; because the saints strive that they may carry the perfection of good works through to the end of life: but in the upper part it is sharpened at the summit; because all the intention of the saints tends toward him who is one, and in whom they too become one.

This river, therefore, which designates the glory of the saints, is said to have the brightness of crystal; because it will shine upon each of the faithful according to the quality of his works, as the Apostle says: For star differeth from star in glory; so also is the resurrection of the dead. It is said to proceed from the throne of God and of the Lamb; because from him will proceed all the glory of the saints, who is the author of all good things: it is also said to run down in the midst of the street of the city; because it will gladden the hearts of the saints with the perpetual sweetness of delight.

And on either side of the river, the tree of life.

To Ezekiel, on either bank of the torrent, many trees were shown, of which we have spoken above: but here he says that the tree of life occupied both sides of the river. But there, by the many trees, many preachers; here, however, by the one tree of life, the one Christ is designated, who is the life of all the faithful: by the two sides of the river we can understand both angels and men. Both sides of the river, therefore, the tree of life will possess: because Christ will equally possess both angels and holy men. Bearing twelve fruits. The fruit is restored twelve are the apostles, and all who have followed their teaching: the tree of life bears twelve fruits; because in that beatitude Christ will set the whole multitude of the faithful. Yielding its fruit every month. The single months are the ages from the beginning of the world unto its end, of which we have often spoken.

Every month, therefore, it will yield its fruit

because all the elect who were in each age, and shall be even unto the end, he will present to the Father in that beatitude. And the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations. The leaves of the tree are the words of the Gospel, which have furnished healing to many nations. And the sense is: All nations who through the teaching of the Gospel have been made safe from the diseases of their souls, he will establish in heavenly beatitude. And there shall be no curse any more. When he says "every curse," he shows that there are many curses. The first man incurred the curse of death, when he sinned, and from him it passed through unto all men. And Paul says of Christ that he was made a curse for us; because he took upon himself death, which is the curse of the first man, for our salvation. But Cain too was cursed by God for the guilt of homicide.

And to the despisers of the Law Moses says: Cursed is he who does not continue in the words of this book.

Likewise we too, when we sin gravely, condemn ourselves with a most evil curse. Every curse, therefore, shall be no more; because there will be no sin, nor anything that offers occasion for sinning. The curse of the first man also will be blotted out in the resurrection, when immortality shall have been bestowed on all the elect. And the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. If now the saints of God, while placed in this life, are the throne of God, how much more then, when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality? And his servants shall serve him. What is this servitude, by which the servants of God shall serve God? It is namely by loving him, and praising him without end. And they shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads.

How great is the glory and sweetness that will be ministered to the saints, the human mind cannot comprehend, as the apostle Paul says: That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him. But that shall transcend all sweetness and delight, that they shall see God face to face. Now the name of God is the Son of God: the name, then, shall be on the foreheads of the saints; because that very brightness and beauty will show them to be sons of God. And there shall be no night any more. John says elsewhere: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. What darkness, then, will they be able to suffer, by whom God will be assiduously seen? But if we should wish to understand this saying of the demons and the impious, there shall be no night; because the demons, together with all the impious, will be held shut up forever in the sewer of hell.

And they shall not need the light of a lamp, nor the light of the sun.

We said above that by the light of the moon and the light of the sun the Old and New Testament are designated: the lamp, then, has the same signification in this place, which we said above the moon had. Concerning the light of the sun and of the moon, that is, of the Old and New Testament, we have said some things above. This light, then, the saints will not need. Because the Lord God shall enlighten them, and they shall reign for ever and ever. Thus far the seventh vision. What follows pertains to the admonition of John himself and of the rest of the faithful. And he said to me: These words are most faithful and true.

He repeats this twice for this reason, that no one, considering the obscurities of the sayings, and those things which according to the letter seem unreasonable, should become unbelieving; for there were some who, not understanding the divine mysteries contained in this book, wished to cut it off from the catalogue of the divine Scriptures. And the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets sent his angel to show his servants the things which must shortly come to pass; that is, the Lord God who gave the spirit of prophecy to all the holy prophets, he himself sent his angel—that is, the very one who was speaking this—who also showed John all the mysteries contained in this book, to show his servants the things which must shortly come to pass. Since this Scripture pertains not only to the future time, but also to the past, why does he say he was sent by God only to show the things which were to come to pass shortly?

Because, doubtless, past things are easily discerned: but future things, unknown to men, we cannot understand except through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, or through the ministry of angels. Otherwise, whatever we do not know is future to us; because it is going to be that what we do not know shall come to our heart; namely that which God has predestined that we should know; for the knowledge of evil is not predestined to us, but descends from original sin. And behold, I come quickly. This he speaks in the person of Christ, signifying that he is to come quickly to judgment. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. He keeps the words of prophecy, that is, the commandments of God, who fulfills them by doing them, and is assiduous in meditating upon them, fulfilling that saying of the Psalmist: But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.

I John who heard and saw these things, and after I had heard and seen, fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed these things to me, and he said to me: See that you do it not, I am your fellow-servant and of your brethren the prophets, and of them who keep the words of this book. Adore God. Blessed Gregory has sufficiently explained why the angel was unwilling to be adored by John: but we must ask why he repeats what had before been forbidden him. But if we examine the text of this book diligently, we shall see that it was not done in vain; for when the angel had shown him Christ sitting on his throne, and the four living creatures, and the twenty-four elders, John is nowhere said to have wished to adore the angel.

Likewise, when he had shown him how the seven seals were opened by the Lamb, and the things that were done at the sound of the trumpets of the seven angels, and also the things that are read to have been done at the pouring out of the vials of the seven angels, he is nowhere said to have wished to adore the angel. But when the point was reached at which it was shown him by the angel how the bride of Christ, that is the Church, is joined to Christ—namely at that place where it is written: Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath prepared herself: and to her it was granted that she should clothe herself with fine linen, shining and white. For the fine linen, it says, are the righteous deeds of the saints—immediately he wished to adore the angel.

In like manner also in what follows, when the casting down of Antichrist, the binding of the devil in the abyss, and the glory of the resurrection had been shown to him, he by no means wished to adore the angel: but when at the end of this vision it was shown to him how the Church, after the glory of the resurrection, would be joined to Christ to reign with him forever, immediately he wished to adore the angel; for the Church is joined to Christ daily through faith and other good works, which are signified by the fine linen. But she is joined to him after the resurrection far more excellently and nobly, no longer in part, as now; but wholly at once, to abide with him forever, and to reign without end. Therefore John twice wished to adore the angel; because two conjunctions of the Church with Christ were shown to him.

he said to me: Seal not the words of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand. Scripture is sealed to those by whom it is not understood. John therefore is commanded not to seal the words of the prophecy of this book, that is, not to hide its obscurities by silence, but rather by explaining them to make them known to all who wish to know it; because the day of judgment, which is described in this book in various ways, is near, and it is necessary that we behold with the heart the danger that hangs over us, lest, like a thief, it seize and destroy the unwary. But why, according To the angel's precept, did John not wish to make plain the obscurities of this book by expounding and describing them; especially since on account of these same obscurities certain persons fell into error and heresy, saying that Christ after the resurrection would reign carnally in the world for a thousand years with all the saints.

But what he did not do by writing, we believe he did by preaching.

He that hurts, let him hurt still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still. He who says: He that hurts, let him hurt still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still, spoke not by way of command, but by way of threat. For men are wont with this manner of speech to frighten certain subordinates, as teachers who are wont to say to idle boys: Do not read, do not read; but they, understanding this to be a threat, not a prohibition, immediately begin to read. In this way also masters are wont to frighten servants growing sluggish in idleness, that they may complete the more quickly the work enjoined on them.

Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to his works.

The men of this world have the rewards which they owe to those who serve them either in purses, or in barns, or in certain places of the earth: but Christ always has the rewards of his servants with himself; for from him now proceeds all the goodness of the saints, and from him also in the future shall proceed all their glory.

I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Blessed are they who wash their robes, that they may have power over the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. By robes in this place we can understand our souls, and because we sin continually, it is necessary that we continually wash our robes, that is, our souls, by praying, by watching, by fasting, by giving alms. By the tree of life we can understand wisdom, as Solomon says: She is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her; and he that shall retain her is blessed. The saints have power over the tree of life, that is, over wisdom; because whoever possesses wisdom is powerful to root out all vices, to overcome the temptations of demons, and to accomplish all good works, as Solomon says: The patient man is better than the strong; and he that rules his spirit, than he that takes a city.

Such then enter through the gates into the city, namely through that gate of which it is said in the Gospel: I am the door; by me if any man enter, he shall be saved; and he shall go in, and go out, and shall find pastures. We can also refer this to the future time; for by the tree of life Christ is signified, as we have often said already. For as from one stock of a tree many branches proceed; so also from the one Christ proceeds the multitude of the saints. Whoever therefore ceases not to wash their souls with spiritual washings, that is, with good works, shall have power over the tree of life; because, made his members through him, they shall be able to do great things: for as from one trunk of a tree proceeds all the strength of the branches, so also from the one Christ proceeds all the power of the saints. By the gate of the city we can understand the mercy and clemency of God.

This is the gate which shall be opened to the just, and closed to the unjust; because divine mercy will receive the just within the hall of paradise, from which mercy the impious shall be estranged. From this gate the foolish virgins are driven back, who will not have the oil of charity in their vessels.

Whence it follows: Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and unchaste persons, and murderers, and servers of idols, and every one that loves and makes a lie.

By dogs we can understand false preachers, of whom the apostle Paul says: Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision; and the prophet: Dumb dogs not able to bark; and again: Most impudent dogs, they knew not fullness, the shepherds themselves knew no understanding. Of the other vices contained here we have spoken above. All therefore who shall be defiled with these vices shall be driven away from that blessedness, and shall be condemned to eternal punishment.

I Jesus have sent my angel, to testify to you these things in the churches.

I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star. David is the root of his whole lineage; because, as from one root many branches arise, so also from David alone a great progeny sprang forth. Since then David was the root of Christ, in that Christ sprang from his stock, how does Christ say that he himself is the root of David? Christ therefore is both the root and the son of David. He is the root of David; because by David himself he was created, as also other men were: he is the son of David; because he proceeded from his lineage according to the flesh. He also calls himself the morning star.

The morning star, which we call the Lucifer, is rightly said to be Christ

because as it, rising in the morning, scatters its brightness through the whole world, so also Christ, coming into the world, illuminated the whole face of the world: and he is not unfittingly called Lucifer; because, coming into the world, he brought light with him, by which he extinguished the darkness of this world. Of this Lucifer Job speaks, saying: Who brings forth Lucifer in his time. God the Father brought forth Lucifer in his time, when he sent his Son at the appointed time to redeem the human race.

the bridegroom and the bride say: Come.

The bridegroom and the bride, that is, Christ and the Church, daily invite all men through the Scriptures and through preachers to receive the everlasting rewards: And he that hears, let him say: Come. But not only do those hear who understand the divine Scriptures, but also those who know those good things by which they can be saved. Many indeed there are who hear, that is, who have learned the divine commandments: but they do not come, because they neglect to fulfill them in deed. He therefore who hears must needs come: and he who has already begun to come to God by the way of good works must needs draw others also to himself by admonishing them. And let him that thirsts, come; that is, let him who thirsts for eternal life know that he ought to come to it by the way of good works: Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. This has been explained above (At chapter 12).

I testify to every one that hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues written in this book; and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from these things which are written in this book. Since the angel above commands John, saying: Seal not the words of the prophecy of this book; what is the meaning of this, that the same John in this place condemns with a terrible curse those who shall add anything to the text of this book; especially since in this book many things are found which, according to the letter, will seem useless and vain, unless a spiritual understanding is applied to them, by which they may be understood?

But we ought to understand this to be said not of expositors, but of heretics; for an expositor adds nothing and takes nothing away: but either makes manifest by explaining the obscurities of the history, or shows the moral or the spiritual understanding. He curses therefore the heretics, who, in order to confirm their heresy, added certain false things to the divine Scriptures, and took away certain things which seemed contrary to their heresy.

He that gives testimony of these things says: Surely I come quickly: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Christ says: I come quickly, John asks: Come, Lord Jesus; and we ought to entreat the coming of Christ in many ways. For we entreat his coming in the Lord's Prayer, saying daily: Thy kingdom come, that is, the time which is to come after the resurrection, in which all the saints shall reign with Christ without end. We lie in sins; we must, by repenting, weeping, praying, abstaining, giving alms, entreat his coming; that, bestowing his mercy upon us, he may return to us, from whom, provoked by our evils, he had departed. We are placed in the darkness of ignorance; the Lord must be entreated to come, and to illuminate our hearts with the light of his wisdom. We are assailed by invisible enemies; the Lord must be asked to come, and to defend us from them by invisible power.

We suffer visible enemies; the Lord must be implored, that, coming, he may grant us patience and endurance in adversities; that we may not be overcome by evil, but may overcome evil with good. There are other enemies within, and much worse, by whom we are unceasingly warred against, namely avarice, gluttony, lust, envy, anger, hatred, pride, vainglory, swelling of mind, contempt of neighbors, blasphemies, and many others which it would take long to set down. These then are the worst enemies, who proceed from ourselves, and dwell with us, and continually war against us. They also have countless darts of evil thoughts, with which they constantly wound us. If then the interior enemies were lacking, the exterior enemies could do us no harm; for these are the betrayers of our city, and the exterior enemies can in no way take the city of our heart except through them. Let us therefore ask the Lord to come, and utterly to destroy in us these most savage enemies, because unless they are destroyed, we cannot be saved.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Amen. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with us also, and may he give us the arms of the virtues, fortified with which, with himself as leader and standard-bearer, we may be defended both from the interior and from the exterior enemies; that we may deserve to be partakers of eternal life: who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Whoever you are who desires to know the author's name, attend to the first letters of the expositions in the chapters of the seven Visions. The number of the four vowels which are lacking, if you set them down in Greek. Behold, with what brevity I have been able, I have composed this book. But I beseech you, to whom God has given knowledge of letters, and into whose hands this book shall come to be read, that you not cast away the discourses of this book because of the stinking and most rustic manner of expression: but rather imitate that man who, having found a gem in a dunghill, washed it with clear water so long until it came to its former splendor; so also do you wash the filth of my unskillfulness with the water of your wisdom, and adorn the necessary discourses of this book with your fair and well-composed words, so that the usefulness of the book may no longer be cast aside by proud readers on account of its rusticity.

For I know that this my unpolished composition will be spat upon and mocked by many who are puffed up with knowledge of letters. They will also be indignant against me, that I, an unlearned man knowing nothing, should have presumed to forge a volume of Exposition upon a book of such great obscurity. To whom I answer: just as a sprinkling of dung profits barren earth more than any precious metal, so also divine Scripture, set forth in mediocre style, profits unlearned men more than if it were brought forth in philosophical or poetic speech: and let them know that our Lord Jesus Christ delivered the sacraments of his teaching not first to philosophers, but to fishermen, that through fishermen he might come to philosophers. For indeed he who gave the ass sensible words to correct the folly of the prophet, he himself has deigned to grant to me, unworthy and the vilest of all men, understanding of this book in part.

But I, pondering within myself that saying of Solomon: "Wisdom hidden, and treasure unseen—what profit is there in either?", and likewise considering that grave danger threatens me if I should conceal in silence the very small treasure which almighty God has deigned to bestow on me; considering also that I am not fit to teach those things which I understood, since no one could be found who, in the manner of a disciple, would deign to hear the words of my folly; I resolved within myself to pursue, with whatever style I could, this small knowledge which the divine mercy has conferred upon me; lest, hiding my Lord's talent, I be condemned with that servant who went and dug in the earth, and hid his lord's money. And because I am not fit to double my Lord's money, I hand it over to the money-changers; that he himself, coming, may receive what is his with interest.

But you, to whom I have begun to speak, I call a money-changer

because just as a money-changer adorns unformed money with his own inscriptions, so that it may be fit for making gains, so also you, by your wisdom, are able to adorn this money of the Lord, which I entrust to you, with your well-composed words; so that it may become fit for accomplishing the gains of our Lord Jesus Christ: and know that you will receive the best reward from him, if this book—which I think is necessary to the Church of God—through your industry and teaching shall have lost the filth of its diction, and, adorned with your fitting words, shall have become more useful for the edification of readers or hearers. This, however, I do not permit: that the meanings of this book be changed into other meanings; unless perchance—which God forbid—something contrary to truth be found in it: which I decree must be utterly blotted out, or at least changed for the better.