Translation done by ChatGPT. I have yet to edit it.
An Elucidation of the First Chapter of the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ
The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ which God gave to him (Rev 1:1) is so called because the Father revealed it to the Son, the Son to the angel, the angel to John, and John to the faithful—those who are the servants of God, not with a servile fear (timor servilis), but with a filial service (servitus filialis). Indeed, the Son, considered as God, possesses all things from the Father, and therefore also the power and wisdom by which He reveals; yet considered as man, He likewise received this revelation. Thus the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ is the revelation made to Christ, according to the assumed human nature, by the Father—or rather by the whole most blessed Trinity, whose works are undivided. For at the very first instant of the Incarnation, the full knowledge of all things past, present, and future was infused into the soul of Christ. Hence in John 5 it is said: “The Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself does,” and again, “I do nothing of myself, but as the Father has taught me, so I speak.”
Or, the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ may be understood as that which the Lord Jesus revealed through an angel to John, and through John to the whole Church. And which God gave to Him—that is, to the Son—to show to His servants what must soon take place. This revelation contains and foretells the tribulations of the Church which the faithful were soon to suffer. These future events are not said to be necessary by an absolute necessity, since in themselves they are contingent and are fulfilled through the great sin of the wicked; but they are necessary in the manner in which scandals must come (cf. Matt 18:7), that is, by a conditional and hypothetical necessity of consequence, not of the consequent. For since they are foreseen by God and preordained by His wisdom for the profit of the elect, they cannot fail to occur with respect to divine providence; yet God’s providence does not impose necessity on mutable things nor does it take away human freedom.
They must happen soon, that is, in this final age of the world. John saw this mission of the saints concerning which he says in his first Epistle, “It is the last hour” (1 John 2:18). Or it is said “soon” because from the time of the Apostles these tribulations began. Or again, because the present time, compared with the future world, is but a moment, as James says: “Behold, the Judge is standing at the door” (James 5:9). Moreover, it is fitting that these things happen soon, because it is expedient that the elect be exercised in present tribulations, purified from vices, disposed to grace, and freed from future punishments. Tribulation also gives understanding and makes the future beatitude more ardently desired; indeed, it brings about contempt for the world.
John had not yet written the Gospel when he wrote this book. Hence in his Gospel he later testifies: “He who saw it has borne witness, and his testimony is true” (John 19:35); and in his first Epistle he says: “What we have seen with our eyes, what our hands have touched concerning the Word of life, we announce to you” (1 John 1:1). But how can he now say “whatsoever he saw,” when at the end of his Gospel he protests that Jesus did many other things which are not written in that book? The answer is that he did not write everything he preached. The statement “whatsoever” is to be understood of the kinds of things, not of each individual thing; that is, he narrated something of every kind. In this sense the Psalmist says, “I will declare all your wonders” (Ps 9:2), and Ecclesiasticus: “Did not God make the saints to recount all His wonderful works?” (Sir 17:8).
Nevertheless it is also said in this same book: “He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,” that is, Jesus Christ, sending His angel, made known through him what must soon take place to His servant John. Here the humility of John is commended, who calls himself a servant of Christ rather than an apostle. This interpretation agrees with what is said later: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you in the churches” (Rev 22:16).
Rev 1:2 Who bore witness to the word of God, that is, to the Only-Begotten of the eternal Father, in whom, the Word, Saint John taught that there are two natures and one hypostasis or person, saying: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word became flesh” (John 1:1, 14). Or again, he bore witness to the word of God, that is, he declared the words of God contained in the Scriptures to be true—not only by speaking or writing, but also by his most holy way of life, by performing glorious miracles, by exposing himself to martyrdom, and by enduring exile. And he also bore witness to the testimony of Jesus Christ, that is, he testified concerning Christ all that he saw, since that testimony was the proclamation of Christ’s works and passion and of the other things that took place in His life after the Resurrection up to the Ascension and the sending of His Spirit.
Rev 1:3 Next John shows how fruitful his doctrine is and with what attention it must be received: Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and who keep what is written in it. Blessed now with the blessedness of the way and of hope—by merit, not yet with the blessedness of the homeland by reward—is he who reads, instructing others, or by studying himself; and he who hears, learning or attending, or receiving with the ears of the mind, that is, by obedience, the words of this prophecy, namely of this prophetic book, which is full of visions and frequently introduces the words of the prophets; and who keeps them, that is, retains them in memory, fulfills them effectively, and patiently endures the things written in it—namely, what in this prophecy is taught, commanded, and foretold. For this book contains most salutary teachings, serious precepts, and future adversities. Therefore the words “he who reads, hears, and keeps” are to be understood together, for it does not suffice to read or hear unless what is read or heard is also kept. Hence the Savior says: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28), and James says: “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Nevertheless, since not all know how to read, it is sufficient to hear and observe—provided that “to read and to hear” are understood of an interior, attentive, charitable reading and hearing. As the Apostle says, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3). Either, of themselves, are sufficient, since the third is virtually included in them.
Concerning this passage Bede (or Berengaudus) says: “Many read or hear the commandments of God, but nothing profits them. For either their mind is given over to acquiring earthly goods, or it is stirred by lust, or it judges its neighbor, or it grows proud against its superior, or it imagines itself to be powerful or great in the future, or it is distracted by other most vain things. Others read and hear the divine Scriptures so that they may be considered wise and distinguished among men and may flourish in worldly prosperity, not so as to correct their reprobate life.”
Why, then, is he who reads, hears, and keeps the words of this book called blessed? Because the time is near—that is, the time of the particular judgment of each person and also of the universal judgment; the time also of eternal retribution. Hence, considering the eternity of the future life, the Apostle says: “Our present light affliction works for us an eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor 4:17).
Rev 1:4 John writes to the seven churches that are in Asia. For when John wrote these things, there were in Asia seven particular and principal churches—that is, seven congregations of the faithful in seven cities of Asia Minor, whose metropolis was Ephesus. These churches and cities are named later. Through these seven churches, however, all the churches are signified, because universality is commonly denoted by the number seven, since all time is encompassed by seven days, and all time unfolds in a seven-day cycle. It also signifies the sevenfold grace of the Holy Spirit by which the Church is filled. Finally, all the churches are one Catholic Church, which is expressed through the seven churches because of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit by which, enlightened, she shines forth in the world.
“Grace to you and peace.”
Grace, taken in its proper sense, is the supernatural habit infused into the mind by creation, making it a spiritual participation in the form of God and rendering the soul capable of meriting eternal life. Whoever is in the state of salvation possesses this grace. Yet, just as charity is perfected, so too is this grace brought to perfection. Therefore, to those who do not yet have grace, the Apostle wishes that grace may be given; to those who already possess it, he desires that it may be perfected. Nevertheless, in this place “grace” can also be understood more broadly as every spiritual gift that contributes to salvation. Peace, on the other hand, is the tranquility of the mind and its rest in God, which especially befits a Christian. Thus Christ greeted His disciples with the words, “Peace be with you,” and when He was about to ascend into heaven and was now near His Passion, He said to them: “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you” (Luke 24; John 14; John 20). Moreover, He prescribed this very form of greeting to them: “Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house’” (Luke 10:5). How desirable, divine, and blessed it is to possess peace He shows when He says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt 5:9). Therefore the Apostle exhorts: “Let the peace of Christ exult in your hearts” (Col 3:15). Let us admit into our souls no disturbance, no restlessness of vice, no bitterness of spirit, but let us rest with a tranquil mind in God. Thus grace, which disposes us to true inward spiritual peace, and peace, which follows after it, are given, bestowed, and preserved for you by Him who is, who was, and who is to come—that is, by God the eternal Father. Although His eternity is in itself unextended, immutable, and wholly simple, yet it is designated through differences of time because it embraces and contains all time and stands over every time, and we can understand it only from time and through time. This “throne” signifies not so much a physical seat as the very authority and majesty of the One who is said to exist and rest in Himself. It should also be noted in passing that grace and peace are not given by God and His angels in the same manner: by God they are given effectively and principally; by the angels, by way of intercession and instrumentality, for they pray for us and offer our petitions to God (cf. Tob 12; Acts 10). Thus God the Father now is immutably, and before all things He was, and He is to come to the Church militant and triumphant by inhabiting her through charity, grace, and glory, and by manifesting Himself to His elect and performing new and wondrous works, not by changing place. Hence Christ says: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him” (John 14). He will come also as the rewarder of all the elect and the glorifier of bodies. Although, according to this meaning, to be, to have been, and to be about to come belong to each divine Person, yet in this place they are especially appropriated to the Father because of what follows; for it is said: “Whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.” For the three Persons have one essence and one power, and therefore their action “outside” is undivided. Moreover, Christ, according to His humanity and as Mediator, is the meritorious, instrumental, and secondary cause of grace and peace, since His humanity is the proper, conjoined, living, and immediate instrument of the divinity, that is, of the Word.
“And from the seven spirits who are before His throne.”
By the seven spirits many interpreters understand the Holy Spirit, because He is sevenfold in His gifts, although in nature He is simple and one. His gifts, which Isaiah lists—“the spirit of wisdom and of understanding,” and so forth (Isa 11)—are the gifts of grace and even of glory. And we pray that spiritual gifts may be bestowed upon us by the power and merit of Christ. They are said to be “before His throne,” that is, in the mind and intelligence of the soul of Christ, whose humanity is called the throne of the Father. Or, by the seven spirits may be understood the holy angels, so that by “seven” the universality of the angels is indicated, just as Raphael says in Tobit: “I am one of the seven who stand before God” (Tob 12:15). Or again, by the seven spirits are especially denoted those seven angelic spirits who presided over the seven Churches of Asia, for some angels preside over individual persons, others over communities. All the angels are “before the throne of God,” that is, they stand ready in the presence of Almighty God to carry out His commands. The throne of God is also called, in one sense, the highest intellectual heaven in which the adorable Trinity dwells.
Rev 1:5 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness.”
That is, truthful in His words, deeds, and promises, so that He can say: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” He gave faithful testimony to the Father when He said: “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world,” and many other sublime things, which are described especially in the Gospel of John. By His very words, too, on the day of judgment He will bear witness against the reprobate and for the elect, according to what is written: “I am judge and witness” (Jer 29). Finally, He testified to the people to the doctrine of the Gospel law, of whom the Father says: “Behold, I have given Him as a witness to the peoples” (Isa 55:4).
“The firstborn of the dead.”
Since countless mortals had died before the coming of Christ, how can He be called the firstborn of the dead? Berengaudus answers that here “firstborn” is taken for “first,” just as we call those in the people “first” who excel others not in age but in honor and dignity. This is true whether by the “dead” we understand those dead in body or those spiritually and salutarily mortified, such as those to whom the Apostle writes: “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3). Christ, therefore, is the firstborn of the dead because He is the first and the Head of all the elect among men. Or again, He is called the firstborn of the dead because He was the first to rise from the dead to immortal life (cf. 1 Cor 15). Those who are read to have been raised before Christ were raised to mortal life and were to die again. Hence the Apostle writes to the Colossians of Christ: “He is the firstborn of all creation and the firstborn of the dead” (Col 1), and similarly to the Hebrews.
“And the prince of the kings of the earth.”
All things are subject to Christ, even according to His assumed human nature. Hence through the power and grace of His Passion, which in a certain way contain all the channels through which the merit of Christ is applied to us, He rules. Moreover, whenever we pray from our whole heart, He washes us from sin in His blood. For our prayers and all our actions are rendered acceptable and efficacious to God because we are joined by faith to Christ our Head. Hence to the Ephesians it is said: “Christ loved the Church and delivered Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her” (Eph 5). Because He loved, He gave Himself. And in the same Gospel He says to the Father: “You have given Him power over all flesh” (John 17). And the Apostle testifies: “At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth” (Phil 2). Of Him Daniel also says: “All peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve Him” (Dan 7). But how is Christ called the prince of the kings of the earth, when so many earthly kings do not obey Him and are even rebellious? The answer is that He has obtained full power over them, and when it pleases Him He will manifest this power in them.
“Who loved us and washed us from our sins in His blood.”
He washed us not because we were worthy, but by the merit of His Passion and by the price of His blood He cleansed us from original and actual sin at the time of His Passion, as to sufficiency, for in Himself He satisfied for all; but as to efficiency and efficacy, He washes us from our sins in the sacraments of Baptism and Penance, which draw their power from the Passion of Christ, just as the other sacraments do, which are like medicinal vessels for immortal life.
Rev 1:6 “And made us a kingdom.”
That is, from men He constituted and built for Himself the Church and made them such that He deigned to dwell and reign in them in this life through grace and in the homeland through glory. Hence in the Gospel the Church is often called the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. He also made us a kingdom because He enrolled us as citizens of the heavenly kingdom, as the Apostle says: “You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph 2). He loved us with eternal and uncreated love as God; with created, gratuitous, and infused love—and even with a natural love—as man, as one who has made us sharers of His nature and brothers. Hence the Apostle exhorts: “Walk in love, as Christ loved us” (Eph 5). How perfectly He loved us He shows when He says: “Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15). If we wish this love to profit us, let us obey His commands.
“And priests.”
This can refer to the priests of the Church, whose office it is to consecrate the Body of the Lord; but in a general sense it refers to all the faithful, who by a certain likeness, property, and acts are called priests—first, because they offer themselves to God and because they mortify their bodies by acts of penance, as the Apostle instructs: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom 12:1); and because by interior compunction they immolate their souls to the Creator, for “a contrite spirit is a sacrifice to God” (Ps 51:19). They also unceasingly offer prayers, praises, and the other exercises of virtue to God. Hence in Ecclesiasticus it is written: “To keep the commandments is a salutary sacrifice,” and in the Psalm: “Offer to God the sacrifice of praise” (Ps 50). Finally, they are members of the supreme and eternal Priest, namely Christ.
He therefore made us a kingdom for God and His Father—that is, for the glory of the Father, who is the God of Christ according to His humanity and His Father according to His divinity. Hence Christ says: “I ascend to My Father and to My God” (John 20:17). To Him belongs glory, that is, perfect beatitude which is inherent in Him and properly His; or glory means excellence, that is, a manifest and praiseworthy renown. To Him also glory is to be rendered by all. And dominion, for He is the supreme ruler, whose right it is to command all. To Him, therefore, obedience is to be shown. By this word we are taught to give thanks to God from the heart for His benefits and to rejoice wholly in His beatitude. Therefore it follows: Amen, that is, “so be it.”
Rev 1:7 “Behold, He comes with the clouds,” that is, He will come in the clouds to judge, as is testified: “You shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with great power and majesty.” For thus He ascended, and of Him the angels foretold: “As you have seen Him ascend into heaven, so He will come” (Matt 26:64; Acts 1:11). He also comes with the clouds, that is, with the holy angelic spirits, with the apostles and the other perfect preachers, who in the Scriptures are called clouds (Isa 60:8).
“And every eye shall see Him.”
Here a part is put for the whole and a genus for the species: by “every eye” is meant every man, and again by “eye” every human eye. For Christ, since He is God and man, will be seen by both the good and the wicked in His human form with bodily sight (Matt 25). To the elect He will appear sweet and gentle; to the reprobate, however, severe and terrible. And some say that this terror and gentleness will arise not only from the conscience of those who see Him, but also from the very manner of the Judge’s appearing, since He will show Himself to the just with a most serene countenance as an object wholly fitting for their vision, but will present Himself to the reprobate as an object most contrary to them, displaying Himself angry and indignant in a terrifying aspect. Moreover, although the elect who before the judgment already see or will see God beatifically will also in the judgment clearly and happily behold Christ in His divinity, nevertheless those elect who up until the judgment have not yet been judged, or have not yet been made secure concerning their reward, will not see Him during the judgment in His divinity by direct vision (per speciem), but by faith; for faith is not taken away from the elect until they have arrived at the beatific vision.
After John has asserted, “Every eye shall see Him,” he adds concerning the killers of Christ—whose vision of Him will be especially painful, confounding, and penal—“even those who pierced Him,” namely the Jews who procured His crucifixion and the soldiers who carried it out. This testimony is taken from what Christ says through Zechariah: “They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced” (Zech 12). The same is cited elsewhere where Scripture says: “They shall look on Him whom they have pierced” (John 19:37). Hence at the time of His Passion Christ testified to Caiaphas and the Jews: “From now on you shall see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the power of God and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt 26:64).
“And all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over Him,” that is, many from all the tribes, or all those who loved earthly things rather than divine things—of whom Jeremiah speaks: “Those who depart from You shall be written in the earth” (Jer 17:13). These will mourn over Him, that is, they will bewail their malice, blasphemy, and ingratitude toward Christ—not because they will truly grieve over the guilt itself as guilt or as an offense against God, but insofar as it is the cause of their punishment, according to what is written: “Seeing it, they shall be disturbed with terrible fear… groaning in anguish of spirit and saying within themselves in repentance: ‘We fools thought their life madness…’” (Wis 2:4–10). This testimony too is taken from the previously cited prophecy of Zechariah. Christ also recalls it in Matthew when He says: “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn” (Matt 24:30).
“Even so. Amen.”
This doubling indicates that it will indeed happen with the greatest certainty and inevitability; for “Even so” and “Amen” have the same meaning.
Rev 1:8 Then John introduces the words of Christ: “I am the Alpha and the Omega.”
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega the last. By comparing Himself to these letters, or by expressing Himself through them, Christ indicates that He is the first principle and the last end of all things. For the Lord has made all things for Himself, as it is said in Proverbs. Hence, as if explaining what was said before, Christ adds: “the beginning and the end.” He is indeed the effective beginning because He is the efficient cause of creatures, and He is also the objective end and the very beatitude of the elect. Through Isaiah He testifies: “I am the first and I am the last” (Isa 44:6). Therefore to Him let us continually direct ourselves and all that is ours; let us always sincerely aim at Him. We cannot be blessed or rightly ordered unless we remain turned toward Him from whom we came.
“Says the Lord God,” who alone by His proper authority is Lord of all (Acts 10:36). “Who is,” because He possesses true, full, perfect, immense, and immutable being, as He said to Moses: “I am who am; thus you shall say: ‘He who is’ has sent me to you” (Exod 3:14); “and who was,” from eternity; “and who is to come,” to judge all things; “the Almighty,” because in the judgment He will most especially manifest His omnipotence, according to what is said in the Psalm: “The Lord is known by the judgments He executes” (Ps 9:16).
These words can also be understood absolutely of God and of any divine Person, provided that the final clause, “who is to come, the Almighty,” is interpreted in the manner already explained a little above concerning the Father (v. 4).
Rev 1:9 Having first been preceded by a greeting, he now proceeds to the body of the exposition. His disciples he therefore calls brothers and sons, for this great father and Apostle gives an example of humility, so that prelates may remain in humility and regard themselves as though they were one of the flock, according to that saying of Ecclesiasticus: “Have they made you ruler? Be not lifted up; be among them as one of themselves” (Sirach 32:1).
With the title prefixed and the greeting sent, he begins the narrative and touches on the subject matter of this book under a certain common bond: “I, John, your brother.” He is their brother by nature, by religion, and by the regeneration of Baptism. He is also their brother because they are from the same first-created parents according to the flesh, and from the same God according to the soul, according to the word of Malachi: “Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us?” (Mal 2:10). Again, he is their brother because he is the son of the same mother, namely, the Church.
He further calls himself a companion in tribulation, that is, in the persecutions inflicted for Christ, being made conformable to them. For at that time the persecution of Domitian had assaulted the whole Church. He is also their companion in the kingdom, that is, in the reward of the heavenly homeland, according to what is said in Job: “Behold, I am like you, formed from the same clay” (cf. Job 33). For those who are companions in the form of tribulation for Christ will be companions also in the consolation of the heavenly kingdom with Christ (cf. 2 Cor 1:7).
He adds also patience, without which tribulation would not lead to the kingdom, nor would tribulation profit anyone. This patience is in Christ Jesus, that is, according to His will and for His honor, from whom true patience is given. Hence the Psalmist says: “Nevertheless be subject to God, O my soul, for from Him comes my patience” (Ps 62:6), and again: “For You are my patience, O Lord” (Ps 71:5).
“I was on the island called Patmos for the word of God,” that is, for the Only-Begotten, concerning whom the Apostles and Prophets bore witness in divine revelations of the Father; or rather on account of the urgency of preaching, and “for the testimony of Jesus,” that is, for the testimonies by which he daily testified that Jesus is King, Messiah, Creator of all, and Savior. For this cause, indeed, he was sent into exile on Patmos by Domitian.
Rev 1:10 “I was in the Spirit,” that is, in an ecstasy of the mind, being withdrawn from the outward senses and powerfully and supernaturally elevated to divine things, in the manner of the imaginary and intellectual visions of the prophets. The voice of the speaking angel called him to attention, indicating the fitness of the angel for the execution of his office. A similar thing is found in Ezekiel: “I heard behind me a voice of a great commotion” (Ezek 3:12).
But why does he say “behind me” and not rather “within me,” as Zechariah says: “The angel spoke within me” (Zech 1:9)? Berengarius answers: that what is behind us is what we do not yet know. John heard the voice behind him because the mysteries that were then revealed to him he had not yet perfectly understood; for the Apostles themselves advanced in knowledge.
This voice is likened to a trumpet, because just as men are summoned to battle by a trumpet, so by the words of this book the faithful are invited and encouraged to battle against sins, the devil, and the madness of persecutors. Some, however, say that these things were revealed to John by an angel whom he had previously known—at least as to certain principal matters and in a general way. Hence it is also said, “behind me,” for the angel is often placed behind one who is in contemplation, as in Ezekiel.
The words “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” also signify the appropriateness of the time. For the Lord’s Day is, as it were, the summit of contemplation, yet also the day when prelates are drawn back from divine occupations to human responsibilities for the care of their subjects and are recalled to providential governance more than on other days.
Moreover, from the previously mentioned words is gathered the fittingness of this trumpet-like voice. Haymo writes that the voice of the revelation made from above which John hears is rightly compared to a trumpet both on account of place and time. The place is signified when it is said, “I was on the island Patmos,” for a solitary place, removed from human habitation, receives sound more distinctly. The quieter the man is from outward noise, the more apt he is for contemplation and revelation. The time is signified in that it occurred “on the Lord’s day.” For in imaginary visions all things are conveyed through similitudes.
Since this book is about visions, and, according to Albert the Great, a most subtle and learned man, such things are not easily believed, St. John adds many details by which his words are made credible. For this reason Bede also remarks that he notes the person, the place, the time, and the cause of the vision, lest he be thought deceived by a carnal fantasy.
“And I heard behind me a great voice like a trumpet speaking,” that is, an angelic, trumpet-like voice, not perceived by bodily hearing but by inner hearing.
Rev 1:11 “What you see,” that is, what I now reveal to you and what you understand with me showing it to you, “write in a book for the instruction of the faithful and send it to the seven Churches which are in Asia.” Of these Churches, and how through them the universal Church is designated, this has already been explained previously.
That is, send it to the faithful in Ephesus, the metropolis of Lesser Asia; and likewise send it to Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These are the names of the seven cities of Asia whose Churches John governed. I omit the interpretation of these cities and how through them the other Churches are signified, since it does not seem of great importance for the present purpose.
Rev 1:12 “And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me.” In this vision it is shown that Christ is in the midst of the chosen faithful, according to what He says: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20), and again: “Behold, I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world” (Mt 28:20). Therefore it is written in Isaiah: “Rejoice and praise, O habitation of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst” (Isa 12:6).
Rev 1:13 “Clothed in a long garment reaching to the feet.” The seven golden lampstands signify the seven Churches of Asia, and indeed through them all the Churches of Christianity, shining with the sevenfold gift of the Holy Spirit. The Church is called a lampstand by way of likeness, because upon herself she bears the most brilliant light, namely, Christ and His gifts, which are the splendors of the mind—sanctifying grace, virtues, and gifts.
In the garment of the high priest Aaron, says Wisdom: “The whole world was depicted, and the majesty of the Lord was written upon the diadem of his head” (cf. Wis 18:24). By this garment Bede understands the priesthood of Christ, the supreme Priest of the Church, who made the Apostles priests and offered Himself upon the altar of the Cross for us.
Others understand by the long garment the humanity or flesh of Christ, in which He humbled Himself unto death (cf. Phil 2:8) and gave Himself for us as an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor (cf. Eph 5:2). Others understand by it His acts, which are called beatitudes, and His fruits.
This lampstand is also called golden either because of the ardor of charity and the splendor of saving wisdom, or because of the blood of martyrs and the daily persecution, tribulation, and mortification of the faithful. Again, the Church is called a golden lampstand because she is:
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luminous by the knowledge of the Scriptures,
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precious by charity and grace,
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solid by patience,
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ductile by obedience,
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resounding by preaching,
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and persevering by endurance,
as the Apostle says to the Ephesians.
Hence, concerning this garment, the angels questioned Christ as He ascended: “Why is your garment red?” (Isa 63:2). Others understand by the long garment the entire Church persevering until the end of the age, with which Christ is clothed and adorned, since she is His mystical Body. Of this clothing Isaiah says: “With all these you shall be clothed as with an ornament” (Isa 49:18).
Finally, since the long garment is a linen garment, commonly called white, by it may also be understood the purity and stainlessness of Christ.
By this, moreover, unsullied purity is to be understood. “And girded about the breast with a golden girdle.” By this girding of Himself Christ teaches and intimates that the heart must be held in restraint from indiscreet scrutiny of the divine, according to the proverb: “Just as one who eats too much honey, it is not good for him, so he who searches into majesty shall be oppressed by glory” (Prov 25). Likewise it is written in Ecclesiasticus: “Seek not what is higher than yourself, and search not into things stronger than you” (Sir 3:22).
Furthermore, it must be considered that in the Old Testament luxury itself is forbidden, but in the New Testament disordered concupiscence. Hence in Daniel it is read that the Lord appeared “girded about the loins” (Dan 10:5), by which the restraint of the flesh is signified. But here, in the present place of the New Testament, the Lord is said to appear girded at the breasts, by which the restraint of the heart is indicated. The golden girdle, moreover, signifies charity, by which we hold the mind bound to God and restrain it from unlawful things.
According to Bede, the breasts are the two Testaments, while the golden girdle is the choir of the Saints, or the multitude of the faithful, adhering to God in unanimous charity and embracing the Testaments by which they are spiritually nourished, and preserving, as the Apostle teaches, “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3). Therefore the angel appeared girded about the breasts to signify that Christ cherishes the Church united to Himself through the Scriptures of both Testaments. We may also fittingly assert that He is girded with a golden girdle about the breasts because the breast of Christ is most full of charity, richly adorned, and closely united to His faithful.
Rev 1:14 “His head and His hairs were white as white wool and as snow.” The head of Christ is His divinity, or the higher part of His soul, free from all stain of sin, spotless like white wool and snow. By the white brightness of the head there is also shown the antiquity, eternity, and immortality of the majesty of Christ. Hence it is written in Daniel: “The Ancient of Days sat… the hair of His head like clean wool” (Dan 7:9).
By the hairs are signified the faithful spiritually begotten from Christ into the life of grace and the virtues, who are the sheep to be placed at the right hand (cf. Mt 25:33), closely adhering to Christ the Head, imitating His purity and holiness, and being washed by Him and made whiter than snow (cf. Ps 51:9). To these Peter writes in his first canonical Epistle: “According to Him who has called you, the Holy One, and you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Pet 1:15).
Now just as wool is white, soft, and warming, so these are white by purity of heart, soft by docility and meekness, having a heart of flesh (cf. Ezek 11), most apt for the reception of devotion, and warming both their own souls and those of their neighbors by the divine love infused into them. Snow, however, is cold; so likewise they lack the heat of concupiscence and are cold toward the love of this world.
“And His eyes were like a flame of fire.” For the sight of Christ is most clear, most piercing, and most ardent, as the Apostle says: “All things are naked and open to His eyes” (Heb 4:13). The eyes of Christ burn with zeal, whence it follows that the gaze of Christ will be most terrible to the unjust. Thus when the guards of the tomb saw the angel, “whose countenance was like lightning,” they became as dead men (cf. Mt 28:3–4).
The eyes of Christ are also called the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, which were and are in the soul of Christ. Of these it is written: “Upon one stone are seven eyes” (Zech 3:9). For the cornerstone is Christ. These eyes shine and burn in the soul of Christ like a flame. Through the Apostles, preachers, and teachers their office is to enlighten and inflame the hearts of others.
Rev 1:15 “And His feet were like fine brass, as though in a furnace burning.” By this it is given to understand that the end of Christ in this world was through a most bitter Passion, in which even His feet, pierced with nails, were conformed to glowing brass. Haymo and Bede, however, by the feet understand the Christians at the end of the world in the time of Antichrist, who will be the extreme and last, just as the feet are the extremity and the last part of the body. These will be likened to fine brass, which is bronze brought by fire and many purifying processes to the color of gold. Thus they, through the most bitter persecutions, will be exercised and perfected into the full brightness of charity.
Therefore it is added, “as in a furnace burning,” that is, in mighty tribulation. They are likened rather to fine brass than to gold because, although they will be similar to the first saints of the Church in the perfection of virtues, yet their perfection will not shine forth nor become known through miracles as did that of the earlier saints.
Rev 1:16 “And in His right hand seven stars.” These stars are the bishops or pastors of the aforesaid Churches of Asia, who are called stars because they enlighten their subjects and are fixed high and firm in Christ as in the firmament, endowed with great power and influence. Hence it is read in Daniel: “They that instruct many unto justice shall shine as stars for all eternity” (Dan 12:3). And just as a candle is set upon a lampstand, so too is a bishop.
“And from His mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword.” That is, the sentence of just judgment, most severe to the reprobate, and the harsh word, namely: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire” (Mt 25:41). Or this sword is the evangelical doctrine of Christ, cutting away vices, slaying the carnal part, dividing even those bound together in bodily ties. Hence He says: “I did not come to send peace, but a sword” (Mt 10:34), and the Psalmist: “Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O most Mighty One” (Ps 45:4). In Isaiah also Christ, speaking as man, says: “The Lord has made My mouth like a sharp sword” (Isa 49:2).
Moreover, it must be noted that the angel appearing to John in the likeness of Christ represented Christ as priest and judge. For this reason He appeared clothed in the long garment and having white hair, since whiteness and maturity of age fittingly pertain to the priest and the judge. “Woe to the land whose king is a child” (Eccl 10:16), but to the judge the sword clearly belongs.
In the Canticle of Canticles, however, where Christ is described as the Bridegroom, to whom youth belongs, His hair is said to be black (Cant 5:11). Berengarius understands by this sword the Christians who at the end will fight against the errors of Antichrist by preaching.
“And His face was as the sun shining in its power.” For Christ is the light of the world (cf. Jn 8:12), brighter than every creature. Even before the Passion, in the Transfiguration, He was seen “with His face shining as the sun” (cf. Mt 17:2), and with marvelous splendor by John.
Some, however, by the sun understand the Church in the state of her glorification after the general resurrection, when, as Christ testifies, “the just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Mt 13:43). Moreover, when it is said “in its power,” this may refer either to Christ Himself, who shines by His own power, or to the sun, whose illuminating power is most clearly shown at the hour of noon.
And just as from the sun the stars and other heavenly bodies are illuminated, so from Christ, the eternal Sun of justice and wisdom, all the elect are irradiated. “The light of Your countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us” (Ps 4:7).
Rev 1:17 And when I had seen Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. All of this took place in an imaginary vision. It is natural to man, in the sight of such unusual realities, to be weakened, dissolved, and struck with astonishment because of his own frailty, just as Daniel says to the angel: “O my lord, at the sight of your vision my joints were dissolved, and no strength remained in me” (Dan 10:16), and again, “my breath was stopped” (cf. Dan 8:17). Hence the Prophets commonly confess that they fell down when they beheld the wondrous visions of God (cf. Isa 21:3; Ezek 1–2). Likewise, the three Apostles fell to the ground when they beheld Christ transfigured (cf. Mt 17:6).
John too fell down through humility, and because, having seen the majesty of Christ, he more deeply considered his own littleness. From this fall it is also made known that the more clearly a person beholds, while still on the way, the sublimity of the Divinity, the more he perceives how greatly he falls short of comprehending Him, and that he cannot fix the gaze of his mind upon the divine brightness as it is in itself. And thus he humbles himself more profoundly and prostrates himself with deeper reverence before the Most High.
“And He placed His right hand upon me, saying…” Thus He appeared to John in the imaginary vision. By this it is to be understood that spiritually He was consoling him, strengthening him, and raising him up. “Do not fear” — because of the fear inspired by My majesty and by the unfamiliar sight. In this manner it was said to Ezekiel: “Son of man, stand upon your feet,” and “the Spirit entered into me” (Ezek 2:1–2, 8). And Jeremiah says: “The Lord stretched forth His hand and touched my mouth” (Jer 1:9). Daniel too testifies that the likeness of a hand was sent to him which strengthened him (cf. Dan 10).
“I am the First and the Last,” in the sense already expressed: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” Any divine Person may be called the First and the Last, and all three together are one First and one Last, because in that most blessed Trinity nothing is prior or posterior, and the three Persons themselves are one first principle and one ultimate end of all things, just as they are one God, one Creator, one nature.
Rev 1:18 “And I am living” — with divine and uncreated life, and also with created human life; “and I was dead” according to the assumed nature; “and behold, I am alive for ever and ever.” For Christ, rising from the dead, dies now no more (cf. Rom 6). As though He were saying: Since I am such and so great, you ought to rejoice with Me as with a most beloved Lord, for whom you suffered in My Passion, and not to fear.
From these words all are refuted who have falsely claimed that Christ is a mere creature; for then He would not be the First.
“And I have the keys of death and of hell.” He who has the key of a house allows whom he wills to enter and excludes whom he wills. Christ therefore declares that He has the keys of death and of hell, because whom He wills He mercifully delivers or preserves from the death of sin and the pains of hell, and whom He wills He justly leaves and condemns. Thus the keys are the judicial power, virtue, and wisdom of Christ. If, however, hell is taken to mean the place where the holy fathers were detained, then Christ did indeed bring some forth from hell at the Resurrection. Hence He says in Hosea: “O death, I will be your death; O hell, I will be your bite” (Hos 13). And in Wisdom: “You, O Lord, have power over life and death” (Wis 16:13). And elsewhere it is written: “The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to hell and brings back” (1 Sam 2:6).
This aforesaid power Christ also communicated proportionally to His Church, when, breathing upon the Apostles the Holy Spirit, He said: “Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose you shall retain, they are retained” (Jn 20:22–23).
Moreover, in Malachi not only is the bishop called priest, but even angel: “The lips of the priest keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth, for he is the angel of the Lord of hosts” (Mal 2). Indeed, according to Dionysius the Areopagite, the highest rank of a lower order has a special affinity with the lowest rank of the higher order, and sometimes the name of one is transferred to the other. Therefore, since “angel” properly names a heavenly spirit, bishops—who are appointed and ordained by God to announce His will and commandments—are rightly called angels.
Rev 1:19 “Scribe therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which now are shown to you, and the works which you have seen Me do while conversing among men on earth, and the things which are,” that is, what is now being done in the Church, what the faithful daily suffer, “and the things which must shortly come to pass after these present things,” namely those which, in the course of time, will happen among the Christian people, especially the tribulations of the just in the time of Antichrist, from then until the end of the age.
Rev 1:20 “Write likewise and explain the mystery of the seven stars,” that is, the sacred secret or mystery which they signify, where one thing is seen and another understood, “which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands.” But what these stars signify, the angel reveals: “The seven stars are the angels,” that is, they represent the seven bishops or prelates of the seven Churches of Asia, according to what has been previously explained. And just as those seven Churches signify all Churches, so these seven angels or prelates signify all the prelates or pontiffs of the Churches universally. For since “angel” means messenger, bishops, who are appointed by God to announce His will, are rightly called angels.
“And the seven lampstands are the seven Churches,” according to the sense and reasoning already given. For prelates are supported by the resources of their subjects just as lamps are supported by the lampstand.
Now this entire book is filled with obscurities and metaphorical expressions; but some things are explained by the angel so that through them an entrance may be given to us into the understanding of the others. These others, however, are not explained in order that the studious may be given occasion for holy exercise and may continually implore the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and so that what is sacred may not be given to dogs—namely, so that the mysteries of the Church may not be exposed to the unworthy. For “it is good to conceal the secret of a king” (Tob 12:7).
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