Scholia in Apocalypsem

28 (After I had learned, he says, that the root of David, the victorious lion from the tribe of Judah, had taken the book in order to unseal it) I saw in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and the elders a lamb standing as if slain. After the resurrection and ascension, the lamb was seen no longer slain but as if slain, and still standing, that is, no longer subject to change. Since it is in a new state, it now has seven horns, possessing a holy and blessed kingdom, for the seven is a symbol of this. In addition to the seven horns, it also has seven eyes, which are none other than the seven spirits of God that go forth upon the earth overseeing the deeds of men; this agrees with the saying, "The seven eyes of the Lord look upon the whole earth." It has been said somewhere, "Let my prayer be directed as incense before you; the censers full of these incenses are the governing principles of those who genuinely pray to Christ." You will also say that the lyres represent their harmoniously and melodiously attuned power by which they understand and love Christ. And what do they say by singing the new song except "You are worthy, O Lord Savior, to receive the book" and so forth? These things clearly refer to the one who was crucified, led like a sheep to the slaughter; from the blood that flowed from such a slaughter, honor is given for the sake of those who have been saved. And since he was not crucified for a part or for one nation of men, he purchased with his blood from every tribe of Israel and from every language of men.

Furthermore, one may take the difference between people and nation in different ways, asserting that some were taken from the people, being pure and wise men, while others were purchased from the nation, from the more vulgar and common. The previous hypothesis is confirmed by the present text regarding the number of the twenty-four elders; for they themselves confessed that they were purchased and chosen from among men. We, therefore, who read these things and have learned that the incense is the prayers of the saints, and that spiritual sacrifices and good deeds are acceptable to God, see that from the advent of Christ, incense is offered everywhere in the name of the Lord and a pure sacrifice; for his name is great among the nations, through the teaching of Christ, as the prophet says. From the scriptures it is possible to find that, just as the body of God, there are certain energies, such as the serving hands, the overseeing eyes, the ears appointed for prayers, and the feet of God's providence that drive away, for those dwelling on earth. Since, therefore, he is about to speak of the great wrath of God, it is not the accidental passion that is named, called the wrath of God, existing outside of him, but rather assigned for the need of those who require it, to whom they are delivered, as unworthy of God, so that they may yearn for God whom they have despised when they come under the authority of the worse. And the wrath of God is the devil. For in the second book of Kings it is said, "And he set the wrath of the Lord to be kindled against Israel, and he sent to David, saying, 'Go and number Israel and Judah.'" And the wrath of God that was sent to David does not say "speaking," but "saying.

Therefore, beside God himself, who is said to have spoken many things to the saints, there is another, his wrath, which speaks these things and commands one to commit a sin for which punishment from God follows the one who obeys such spoken wrath—and how does the one who punishes for sins and punishes justly incite to sin, so that after persuading to sin, it punishes justly? For it will punish unjustly, since it is the cause of the sin for the one who has sinned. But, as has been said, I think the devil is the wrath of God, by persuading to sin, wishing to take the sinner captive through sinning. For in the first book of Chronicles, recounting the same cause concerning David, it says thus: "And the devil stood up in Israel and incited David to number Israel." For it used the term "incited" both in the second book of Kings and in the first book of Chronicles, in one place for the wrath of the Lord, in the other for the devil. And if "incited" is the cause of sinning, and the devil is the cause of sinning, then the devil is named by both appellations, both by the common one and by the one hidden from the many, which names him the wrath of the Lord, according to the Great Ode and elsewhere saying, "I sent my wrath, and it devoured them like stubble," and so on; for everything sent by someone is other than the one who sends it. Who, then, would be the wrath sent against the Egyptians, or, as we taught in the first book of Chronicles, the devil?

If, then, sinners are said to be delivered over to the wrath of God, one must understand them to be delivered over to the devil, as Paul delivered the Corinthian and those whom he handed over to Satan so that they might be taught not to blaspheme. We also have angels overseeing and helping us when we do well, and a universal judgment takes place before all of them, as it says: "Arise, for it says, be judged before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice; hear, hills, the judgment of the Lord." And in these things the Word of God seems to be commanded to be judged with the powers entrusted with human affairs, so that one might be able to show whether, on account of someone's negligence and omission of what was incumbent upon him on behalf of men, he has fallen into sin or guilt. We will understand this by using an example, say, the judgment of a people with their bishops, and the judgment of sons with their father, and the judgment of learners with their teacher, when sometimes the people will show that the cause of their sins came from the bishops, and sometimes the bishop, having shown that he has done everything on his part and omitted nothing of what is incumbent upon a zealous ruler, will prove the people guilty of the charges. Think the same also concerning sons who blame their upbringing by their fathers, and while defending themselves, show that the fathers were the cause of such faults; and likewise, on the contrary, when fathers defend themselves as having omitted nothing in the upbringing of their sons according to the Word of God, and the sons are convicted of having fallen into sins through their own negligence.

It is not far from these things to understand also concerning disciples and teachers. When grievous things are about to be brought, some servant angel of God calls out to those entrusted with the burdensome tasks, not to apply them for the time being until the servants of God receive a seal upon their foreheads. This same command is given in other words in the prophet Ezekiel: "Cut and do not spare, but where the sign is, do not approach." Perhaps, then, since those who are punished suffer this through their own sins, some mark indicating the righteousness present in them is placed upon the forehead of the righteous, that is, upon their frankness in virtue, who, having obtained the sign in question, confessing gratitude to the giver, say: "The light of your face was marked upon us, O Lord," and again: "I gave to those who fear a sign to flee from the face of the bow." It must be inquired whether it is possible, from the fleshly Israel, while John was still alive in this life, for there to be so many thousands of virgin men. Since, then, the literal narrative brings much that is impossible, and the things in the book, which is holy, must be true, it is necessary to interpret the matters at hand according to spiritual sequence. For it is fitting that the true Israel, which has no guile, be divided into tribes; if, then, we say that this Israel has such a multitude of virgin men, we say nothing impossible, for all who have come to Christ, both Jews and Greeks, fill up this intelligible nation.

And since the Hebrews in this way have great harmony and concord, turning about themselves in being formed with one mind and one purpose, such a number and equal divisions of it are subject. Therefore the number is square, having been multiplied equally and isosceles from 12. For twelve times twelve is 144. And the square shape bears the symbol of stable position. Going on, he says these are 144 thousand virgins; and if you take these as the bodily tribes spoken of in Israel, where would you find virgins, where 12 thousand virginities per tribe? But we find this in the Church, virginity being zealously pursued, the Word teaching it, not by command nor to cast a noose on the hearers, but voluntary, in cheerfulness and exultation, as it is written. These therefore are those who were not defiled with women, as it is said, for they are virgins; and no falsehood was found in their mouth. These white robes can signify their pure intentions and actions. In addition to the white robes with which they are clothed, they hold palms in their hands, a symbol of the victory with which they have conquered the world. These are those coming from the great tribulation, through martyrdom and confession evidently, and the other trials which the wicked men and demons bring upon the disciples of Jesus for Christ's sake, having whitened and washed the robes they wear with the blood of the lamb sacrificed for them. And so that we humans might understand the unceasing nature of their service, the time among us, divided into day and night, was named.

Consider whether the washed and whitened robes of those who have ascended from great tribulation can be their bodies, already contemplated as having risen incorruptible and spiritual. God, having judged, inflicts plagues upon sinners, but has left some men untouched by these plagues, and those still persisting in their works and those who have never tasted the plagues twice have been left behind, so that they may have a place for repentance, so that they no longer worship the golden demons and the images constructed from other material. It is revealed that some worship the golden demons and the silver, bronze, and wooden ones; so that demons are understood as the spirits that attend the lifeless forms. Golden and the rest, not perceiving through sight or hearing nor walking, the perceptible images. For they have a mouth and do not speak, and so forth, as it is written in the Psalms. That the great words, when clarified, are thunders to the righteous, and the prophet perhaps indicates this by saying, "a voice like thunder in the wheel"; for you will seek the wheel there, and seeing the wheel turning, you will see thunder there. And examining also the matters concerning the sons of thunder, James and John, whom Jesus called Boanerges, which means sons of thunder, you will find them fittingly called sons of thunder because of the loudness of their thoughts and doctrines. For I heard (he says) seven thunders, and I was about to write what the seven thunders spoke, and it was said to me, "Do not write what the seven thunders spoke." So do you understand from these that such thunders spoke words capable of being written and not being written?

And that the holy John heard an articulate voice through such a voice. But perhaps the seven thunders that spoke to John, if you attend to the scripture, you will find what they are: one thunder, Sophia; another thunder, Synesis; third thunder, Boule; fourth thunder, Ichys; Gnosis, fifth thunder; Eusebeia, sixth; seventh thunder, Phobos. If I hear these thunders speaking, I am unable to write, for not even the world itself could contain the books written from the voice of the holy thunders speaking in Christ Jesus, to whom is glory for the ages. Amen. And your wrath came, and the time of the dead according to the time of the consummation, when all are revealed before the tribunal of Christ to receive each according to what they have lived. The wrath of God is constituted, which each has stored up for himself on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; at which time also the reward of the prophets and saints and those who fear the name of God will be given. So three orders of those who will receive reward are indicated: prophets, saints, and others who fear the name of God. And see whether the

Those who are being led into reverence are signified by fearing the name of God, while those who already fear him and not merely his name are signified by the appellation of the saints: for "fear the Lord, you his saints," because there is no deficiency for those who fear him. And it is likely that among the forms of these saints you will find the prophets; for a saint is more than a prophet, since a prophet of God must also be a saint, but the converse does not hold: many who are saints do not prophesy. See whether the dragon, having fought with the angels and been distressed, cast down from heaven, dragged with him in his fall a third of the stars, which stars, being divine powers, likely revolted with him and were brought down with the dragon; as Isaiah says, "How did the morning star fall from heaven?