Complexiones In Epistollis Apostolorum

8.—III, 3. Knowing this first, that in the last days there will come mockers with mockery. He warns them that there will appear in the last times those who say, Where is Christ the Lord, who was promised to come quickly? Behold, so many ages have passed, and we know that nothing of the kind has come to pass. Setting forth the example of the flood, that just as the swelling water filled those airy heavens, and the world then perished from its proper tempering, so on the day of judgment those same heavens are again to be destroyed by fire, as it is read: by these things proving absolutely that all things which were foretold are to be fulfilled without any doubt.

9.—III, 10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief, and the rest. He says that the day of the Lord comes suddenly, like a thief, when the heavens rush forth with a great impulse of swiftness, when the elements of the world are to be dissolved by the heat of fire; but when all these things perish, and the whole fabric is changed in a terrible manner, of what sort ought the faithful then to be, that they may not be able to incur so great a devastation? For since new heavens and a new earth have been promised, in which the promised righteousness dwells, there is no doubt that what we now see can be dissolved. Wherefore let them not believe that the delay of time is in any way hateful to them, but let them judge that the causes of their salvation are being advanced, when they understand that they are being endured so that they may be converted.

10.—III, 15. As also our most beloved brother Paul, and what follows. He praises his brother and fellow apostle, saying, guard the truest faith, as the apostle Paul writes to you, according to the wisdom which was given to him, to search out deep heights and to reveal hidden things; yet unlearned and unstable men turn these, as also the other scriptures, to their own destruction, according to their own will. But he warns those to whom he seemed to be writing, lest, deceived by the error of perverse men, they be seen to be overturned from the stability of their faith; but rather let them advance in understanding and in the grace of the Lord Christ, that they may ever be increased by good merits.

THE EPISTLE OF ST. JOHN TO THE PARTHIANS.

1.—I, 1. That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes. He makes most certain faith for his preachings, when he says that he reports concerning the Lord Christ not merely things heard, but things seen; yet confirming that he saw those things which, according to his Gospel, in no way began in time, but remained continually in eternity: saying that God is the truest light, and if anyone would prefer to come to the knowledge of him, he ought to dwell in the clarity of conscience; since it cannot happen that anyone, as long as he is placed in dark depravity, be filled with his holy light.

2.—I, 8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. Lest anyone should think that man is without sin—man whom he had always commanded to walk in the light of the heart—he says that it is a lie that anyone cannot sin in some part; but rather that man is to be approved who is known to confess his sins to the Lord, so that the Lord, forgiving us our offenses, may render us cleansed by his own mercy. For if we reckon ourselves blameless, we have made him a liar who said, God has shut up all things under sin, that he may have mercy upon all. He says also that when they have sinned through the frailty of the flesh, they should at once return to the satisfaction of the Lord Christ, who continually intercedes with the Father for us. For whoever says that he abides in him ought so to direct his steps, as he himself is known to have walked.

3.—II, 7. I write not a new commandment to you, but an old commandment, which you have had from the beginning.

As far as the divine Scriptures are concerned, he says that he is not preaching new things, because they are known to have been foretold long ago in the Law; but in this respect the commandment is recognized to be new, because those things which were forewarned are now seen to be fulfilled: the darkness of sins has indeed passed away, and the manifestation of light has come through the Lord Christ; and therefore no one ought to hate his brother, for whom he knows that Christ laid down his own soul. He says that he wrote to the elders, the younger men, the children, and the orphans, so that they ought to rejoice in a common charity; since it is established that their sins have been forgiven them on account of the faith they have received; and then because they have conquered the malignant devil, because they have known God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

4.—II, 15. Do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world, and the rest. He commands that the world be in no way desired, since it is proved to be always opposed to the divine wills; and therefore he who loves the heavenly Father has not loved the darkness of this world: for the vices of the flesh and spiritual virtue are far separated; and to make them more cautious, he says that it is the last hour: since through deceitful brothers and heretical depravities the wickedness of Antichrist comes forth. Yet he says that they went out from the congregation of the saints, because they were not worthy to remain with the faithful; he also proves that they are liars who say that Jesus is not the Lord Christ, since he who denies the Son has surely also denied the Father.

5.—II, 24. What you have heard from the beginning, let it remain in you, and the rest. He says that they ought to remain in the faith they have received, so that they themselves may also remain in the love of the Father and the Son, in order that they may obtain his promises, that is, the rewards of eternal life. For this reason one must remain in him, so that at his coming he may not find us strangers. For since he has granted us to be called his sons, it is utterly impious that we should be made strangers to his ordinances. We must therefore act in such a way that when he appears, we may behold him, as he is, with the fullest gift.

6.—III, 4. Everyone who commits sin also commits iniquity, because sin is iniquity. He embraces this with many arguments and with diligent proof, saying that we ought not to be opposed to Christ the Lord, if we wish to have a portion with him. For since he is spotless and most righteous, anyone who is wrapped up in the wickedness of perversity wholly separates himself from him. For the Son of God came into the world for this reason, that he might dissolve the ancient sin by an undeserved death; and for this reason no one ought to hate his brother, lest he incur the detestable example of Cain, who through envy of good works slew his own brother with an impious death.

7.—III, 14. Whoever does not love his brother remains in death, and the rest. He declares that whoever does not love his brother is a murderer; and whoever is a murderer cannot have the life of the blessed. For if anyone sees his brother in need and shuts up his compassion from him, he himself cannot obtain mercy from the Lord. For it is established that a brother is to be loved not with the tongue alone but in deed. But if our heart consents to his precepts and commandments, whatever we ask of God we receive without hesitation. Moreover, the Lord remains in us in this way, if we carry out his precepts with a faithful mind.

8.—IV, 1. Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are from God. He says that false prophets are by no means to be believed, but he asserts that those to whom faith must be given are to be tested. For he who confesses that Christ is the Word made flesh is a true preacher; but he who dissolves him by heretical depravity is truly Antichrist, since he wishes to destroy that from which the salvation of the world is known to have come. For since God is love, him whom no one has seen we truly love when we embrace our brothers with mutual affection. Indeed, his love appeared in us when he sent his only-begotten Son into this world, that he might snatch us from the snare of death and bestow the gifts of eternal salvation.

9.—IV, 14. And we have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent his Son to be the savior of the world. Rather often he commends love of God and of neighbor with a most sweet revelation, saying that he has known that God the Father sent his Son, so that he might save the world from its dangers and miseries; and therefore whoever remains in love remains in God, because love is God; for thus we can have confidence before him, if we imitate him with zeal for love. But in order to give this matter the greatest confidence, he does not assert that fear is in love, especially since God first loved us, so that we ought to love him; but if anyone, harboring hatred for his brother whom he sees, has said that he can love God, whom he does not see, he has altogether lied; since it stands evident that the commandment is that whoever loves God also loves his neighbor.

10.—V, 1. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and the rest. Whoever believes that Jesus is God has been born of God the Father, this one is without doubt faithful; and whoever loves the begetter also loves him who was born of him, Christ. But we love him in this way, when we do his commandments, which do not seem burdensome to just minds; but rather they conquer the world, when they believe in him who created the world. To this matter three mysteries bear witness on earth: water, blood, and spirit, which are read as fulfilled in the passion of the Lord; but in heaven the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God.

11.—V, 9. If we accept the testimony of man, the testimony of God is greater. If we are accustomed to accept the testimonies of men, credence ought to be given to the Father's declaration, who with many listening professed in unchangeable speech that his Son is the Lord Christ. For whoever does not believe his testimony—which it is impious to say—judges him who spoke the truth to be a liar; for since we have perpetual salvation in the Lord Christ, whoever is unwilling to believe him is shown to have stripped himself of the gift of salvation.

12.—V, 13. These things I have written to you, that you may know that you have eternal life, and the rest. In order to strengthen the understanding of believers with the root of faith made firm, he says that if their will has remained in the preaching they have received, whatever they wish to ask of the Lord for their salvation will be granted to them without doubt. He also admonishes them that they ought to pray for their brethren, who nevertheless do not commit grave sins unto death; but for those who defile themselves with wicked impiety and persist in the iniquity of despair, he says in no way that supplication should be made; but lest anyone should raise complaint concerning the light of understanding, he says that the Son of God came into this world and has furnished us with the understanding of truth, admonishing them not to be mocked any further by the lies of idols.

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF THE SAME AUTHOR.

1.—I, 1. John the elder to the elect lady and her children, and what follows. John the elder, since he was advanced in age, writes to the elect lady, the Church, and to her children, whom he had begotten at the sacred font: he says that he loves these with the zeal of charity, not only them, but also all the faithful who have known the will of the Lord, which endures forever: desiring that grace, mercy, and peace be granted to them from God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ in truth.

2.—I, 4. I rejoiced greatly, because I found some of your children walking in the truth. He says that he rejoiced exceedingly, because he found the children of the holy Church, to whom he seemed to be writing, walking in the truth; just as the commandment is known to have been received from the Father: namely, that they should believe in his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. But he admonishes the congregation of the faithful to unite themselves in mutual charity; for whoever does not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh to save the human race is shown in every way to be Antichrist: for he who remains in the most upright doctrine will rejoice in the blessing of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; and therefore he testifies that false prophets should neither be greeted nor received; because all who join themselves to them in any fellowship share in their crimes.

He says indeed that he had wished to write many things to them, but since he was planning to come to them, he reserves for his own presence the things that were to be said to them, again concluding his Epistle with the close of salutation.

THE THIRD EPISTLE OF THE SAME AUTHOR.

1.—I, 1. The elder to Gaius the most beloved, whom I love in truth, and the rest. Since in the preceding Epistle he set down his name and joined "elder," here he said only "elder," because who this elder is he made clear above. He writes therefore to Gaius, whom he rightly loved with the bond of sonship, praising him and stirring up his purpose in good action.

2.—I, 3. I rejoiced greatly at the coming of the brethren testifying to the truth. He says that he rejoiced because, when the brethren came, he learned of his commendable conduct; for truly it is the joy of a good father when he has learned of the praiseworthy discipline of his sons: praising him because he bestowed the studies of love upon the brethren, and especially upon strangers; and he urges him to send such things ahead to the Lord, so that he himself may follow more securely; for since they received no comforts of life from unbelievers, it was fitting that they be helped by the faithful; on whose behalf he says that he wrote to a certain Diotrephes, who seemed to exercise primacy among them; but he says that he was not heard because of his utterly wicked will: whom he does not hold up to be imitated, since the good rather than the evil are to be followed.

He praises Demetrius, to whom he renders a good testimony together with the truth itself; but the remaining things that had to be said he reserves for his own presence, concluding his Epistle with a most dear greeting.

THE EPISTLE OF ST. JUDE.

1.—I, 1. Jude, servant of Jesus Christ, but brother of James in God the Father, and the following. When he says servant of Christ, and brother of James, he separates himself from Judas the traitor, whom the hearing of all rightly detests. He writes therefore to those beloved in God the Father and in Jesus Christ, called and preserved; desiring for them that they be filled with the mercy, peace, and love of the Lord.

2.—I, 3. Most beloved, making all diligence to write to you. He says that he had a commendable zeal to write to the faithful concerning the common salvation, lest they should have believed false preachers; whom nevertheless he testifies were known to the Lord in predestination, who, transferring divine grace into heretical wantonness, presume to deny our Lord Jesus Christ: admonishing them that he once freed the people of Israel from the land of Egypt; but those who believed least, he consumed by the indignation of his justice; but the angels who chose to lose the glory of their native dignity, he reserves for his judgment, bound in dark chains.

He also brings in Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring cities, which gravely sinned by loving the obscene vices of the flesh, as consumed by the fire of eternal example, saying that the danger of destruction always hangs over those who blaspheme the majesty, to such an extent that even the archangel Michael, disputing with the devil over the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a judgment of blasphemy; then the devil, upon hearing the name of the Lord, departed.

3.—I, 10. But these, whoever indeed were ignorant, blaspheme, and the rest. Having set forth examples of evil and good angels, he returns to those who presume to disparage the Lord Christ, saying that they blaspheme the divinity which they do not know; but what they know naturally, that is, carnally, like brute animals, in these things they entangle themselves in the mire of perversity, proclaiming that they are in the way of Cain, and that they are engaged in the error of Balaam's idol, and are found in the contradictions of Korah, whom the vastest gaping of the earth swallowed up, and he defines their wickedness with a manifold brevity of statements; concerning whom Enoch is given as an example, who, the seventh from Adam, prophesied that such men would perish in the Lord's judgment.

4.—I, 17. But you, most beloved, be mindful of the words which have been foretold. He says that they ought to be mindful of the things which they also heard from the other apostles, that in the last times deceivers would come, walking wickedly in their own desires: these are sensual men, not having the divine Spirit. But he says that those who have been filled by the most truthful preaching ought to remain with one another and to make progress in the Holy Spirit, who is known to have been given to them for their advancement; so that they may convict certain ones who have been judged, rescue certain ones from the burning of eternal fire, have compassion on some who are wandering, and cleanse consciences that have been stained, yet in such a way that they shun their sins, which deserve execration, so that at the judgment of the Lord they may receive the reward of their labor with generous piety, to whom is honor, power, brightness, and authority before all ages, both now and for all ages of ages.

THE EPISTLE OF ST. JAMES TO THE DISPERSED

1.—I, 1. James, servant of Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the dispersion, greeting. The apostle James writes to the twelve tribes of Israel who were dwelling in the dispersion, according to that threat of the Lord which says, and I will scatter you among all the nations; for consolation was owed to those in particular who seemed most to be afflicted.

2.—I, 2. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations. He says that joy is rather to be esteemed when the temptation of diabolical perversity pursues us, because from it is born the patience of a good mind, which God the Lord deigns to crown. Then, like a good physician, he prescribes a saving remedy, that if anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask it rather from him who bestows free gifts. But in those very petitions he says one must not waver, because he cannot receive who is known to ask with a doubting mind. Then he admonishes the perversities of men, that the humble man should rejoice in the blessedness conferred upon him; but the rich man ought to rejoice when he recognizes that he has been humbled, since we see that the riches of this world can pass away like a flowering form. He returns again to the things he had begun, calling him blessed who endures temptation with equanimity, since in that judgment of the Lord a crown of life is shown to have been set for him.

3.—I, 13. Let no man, when he is tempted, say that he is tempted by God, and the rest. He declares that God is not the tempter of evils, but that each one can be tempted by his own desires: for desire, when it has been conceived, brings forth sin; but sin, when it has been completed, generates death: and lest human frailty should attribute any good to its own strength, he states that every good gift and every perfect gift can descend from above, from the Father of lights: by whom, through holy baptism, he says that we are born again freely, not by merits, so that we may be the beginning of a new creation. He also admonishes that we should be swift to hear, but slow either to speak or to anger: since human anger cannot fulfill divine justice; and therefore, casting away malice and uncleannesses, we ought to receive the word in meekness, which can save us in that resurrection.

4.—I, 22. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only. He admonishes us that we ought not to be hearers of the law only, but rather doers: for if anyone is only a hearer of the law, he becomes like one who looks at himself in a mirror, and when he has gone away, forgetful of himself, he is deluded by his own imagination; but he who fulfills the law of liberty in deeds, and has persevered in the same fixed will, will be held blessed by his own working. But if any of the religious should be wordy with excessive forwardness, his religion becomes altogether vain; for that conversation is praiseworthy before God, if we are not inclined to talkativeness, but are most earnestly prepared to do his commandments.

5.—II, 1. My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ in respect of persons. He says that the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ is not to be weighed by respect of persons, so that the rich man is held in honor and the poor man in contempt: because it is altogether unjust to judge a man not by his merits, but by the quantity of his substance. For since God has chosen the poor in this world, whom he made apostles, it is without doubt a sacrilege to go against his judgments; then, since the rich are harmful through the presumption of their wealth, it is impious to despise the poor, who are proven to assume nothing of the kind; especially since it is read, You shall love your neighbor as yourself; and therefore if anyone has observed the whole law, and is taught to offend in one commandment of charity, he is made guilty of the whole law.

He adds likewise that judgment will be made strict in the case of him who showed mercy to no one; for when mercy is shown, it exults without doubt over judgment.

6.—II, 14. What will it profit, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? He says that faith without good works cannot save a person: for if someone asks for alms and is told, "God will give to you," this is indeed said faithfully, but the Lord's commands are by no means fulfilled, since he himself commanded, Give to everyone who asks of you (Luke 6:30). But that faith without works is dead he confirms by the example of the demons; and again he teaches that Abraham's faith was perfect when he offered his son to be sacrificed on the sacred altars; he also sets forth the likeness of Rahab the harlot, who is shown to be justified not by faith only but by works: proving in all things that a person is justified by works, and cannot be saved by faith alone.

7.—III, 1. Be not many of you masters, my brothers, and the rest. He forbids many from becoming masters, since by the forwardness of the tongue offense is very often taught; for if anyone does not stumble in word, this one is seen to be perfect, and to have his own body subdued and tamed; for just as we control horses with bridles and ships with rudders, and set great forests ablaze with a little fire, so too our tongue is indeed a small member, but it spreads itself with great exultation; for whereas all beasts can be tamed, the tongue alone, being unrestrained, cannot be tamed; since through it we bless God, and through it we blaspheme man, who is known to have been made in his image and likeness. He also draws most apt comparisons, showing that while all things preserve the order of their nature, the tongue alone cannot remain within the rules of discipline; and therefore whoever is wise should show his conduct in gentleness and moderate wisdom.

8.—III, 14. But if you have bitter zeal, and contentions in your hearts. It does not befit perfect men to have bitter zeal, since such things are shown to have been conceived not from above but by diabolical fraud; for where there is zeal and contention, there is inconstancy and every evil work, which the divine authority condemns. But he extols saving wisdom with manifold praise, which is granted by inspiration from above, saying that it sows in peace and is contained in the hearts of the faithful; but wars and strifes he declares to be born of concupiscence, from which the human race is known to be afflicted. Hence it also arises that those who ask wrongly by no means obtain the rewards of good things, since whoever is a friend of the world is an enemy of God. Let us therefore be subject to Christ, lest we be justly handed over to the devil, so that he who takes us captive may flee from us, and he who sets us free may draw near; for if our countenance is changed in affliction, and our joy is turned into mourning, then the Lord exalts us, if he knows that we have been cast down before him.

9.—IV, 2. Do not speak evil of one another, and the rest. Here he teaches that whoever speaks evil of his brother speaks evil of the law, and sets himself up as a righteous judge, when there is one Lord, the lawgiver and judge. He also rebukes those who rashly undertake to do some thing, placing in their own will what is established to be against the will of the Lord: these, he says, do not know what may happen when the day comes upon them; for often they give up the ghost, who stretch out their pride with wicked arrogance. Therefore he says that the rich of this world must weep, because the things in which they seem to presume are certainly destined to perish once consumed: teaching that it is a most grievous evil to store up treasures in the last times, when, with the judgment of the Lord near, the fruit of good works ought already to be sought out; charging the Jews with having killed the just one, who is known to have come to them to be saved.

10.—V, 7. Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord, and the rest. He admonishes the faithful that they ought to be patient until the coming of the Lord; since even the farmers of this world receive the morning fruit and the evening fruit according to the condition of the season. He also says that the judge is not to be endured any longer, when he affirms that he stands before the very gates of the world; persuading them to take up the example of patience from the prophets, who long ages before determined to endure awaiting the coming of the Lord.

The example of Job, a most holy man, is also given, who by enduring his sufferings laudably conquered, and by the Lord's help overcame the devil's deceits; for under a pious prince no one perishes, except one who has scorned to hope for his own deliverance.

11.—V, 12. Before all things, my brethren, do not swear, and the rest. After all his admonitions he gives the faithful a saving rule, saying that there must be no swearing at all, but that a Christian ought to say that what is, is, and that what is not, is not; for if anyone is weighed down by another's injury, or shaken by bodily weakness, he says that a presbyter should be summoned, who by faithful prayer and the anointing of holy oil, granted to him, may save the one who appears afflicted; promising also that sins will be forgiven to those who have been visited by one another's prayer; but the assiduous prayer of the righteous man, he says, prevails greatly before the sight of the Lord. Finally he adds the example of Elijah, who both shut the heavens by his word, and again opened them when he prayed: concluding in sum, that whoever has freed a brother from error, by the zeal of charity has loosed the bonds of his own sins.

THE COMPLEXIONES OF M. AURELIUS CASSIODORUS ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES AND THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN.

PROLOGUE.

Luke, one of the evangelists, who wrote down the Lord's teaching with heavenly truth, also set forth the Acts of the Apostles in faithful narration, so that the deeds of the blessed might accord in harmonious grace with the Lord's precepts. This work we have comprised in seventy-two chapters, believing that each several passage should be annotated for its own abbreviation, so that truly the sacred Acts of the Apostles, as the evangelist Luke himself testifies, might be enclosed in the same number as that of those who were chosen. For it was fitting that that order should have the quantity of a balance, by which it is proved to be dedicated to heavenly justice. To these Acts we have perhaps fittingly joined the Apocalypse of blessed John, because it describes the heavenly kingdom in wondrous narration, since such dwelling shall be granted to such men. This we have taken care to divide into thirty-three chapters of the age of the Lord Christ, where both the thirty signify the high summit of the heavens, and the adorable perfection of the holy Trinity is joined.

It is a difficult task to wish to touch upon obscure sayings too briefly, when the things we wish to explain ought to be set forth at greater length; but since Tychonius the Donatist expounded this book subtly and diligently, by the providence of God, who makes an antidote for our salvation out of poisons, on account of the necessity of the brevity I have proposed, certain senses of a new and perverse doctrine are known to be passed over, so that we may seem not so much to satisfy our reader as to introduce him; since without damage to his understanding he finds in that author what the orthodox and diligent reader seeks.

THE COMPLEXIONES OF THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

1.—I, 1. The first treatise I made concerning all things, O Theophilus, which Jesus began to do and to teach, and the rest. With the discourse of the Gospel completed, which Luke records that the Lord delivered after his resurrection, he also testifies that, writing to Theophilus, he gathered together the Acts of the Apostles, so that the undoubted perfection of the Christian faith might appear by the most certain testimonies: saying first that Jesus Christ, about to ascend to the Father, commanded his disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, so that although they had been baptized, they might be filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

2.—I, 6. Therefore those who had assembled were asking him, and the rest. He says that the Lord Christ was asked by those who had assembled whether at the present time the restoration of the Israelite kingdom would take place, which he promised would come; but it is evident that the fixing of that time was withheld rather for our benefit; yet it was rather proclaimed to them that on the fiftieth day they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit, so that throughout the whole earth they might bear witness to the mighty works of perfect faith.

3.—I, 9. And when he had said these things, while they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud received him from their eyes, and the rest. Among those words which he spoke above, he testifies that the Lord ascended suddenly to the heavens while the apostles were looking on; and lest anyone should believe that such a miracle was shown by a phantasmal illusion, he says that angels of God stood by them, saying: Why do you marvel at these things? So too for judging, when it is evident that he was taken up from your midst. Then he says that the apostles returned from the Mount of Olives, where these things took place, to Jerusalem, and entered the upper room, where the eleven were dwelling together in one place, whose names he gives. But they persevered in their prayers with the holy women, and with Mary the mother of the Lord, and his brethren, lest he who seemed to have been taken up should depart from them.

4.—I, 15. And in those days Peter rising up in the midst of the brethren said, and the rest. Then blessed Peter, recalling the example of the hundred and eighth psalm (verse 8), said in the midst of the brethren who were about a hundred and twenty: It is necessary for us, with the traitor Judas removed, to take thought for a twelfth disciple, so that that perfect number might be completed. Then, setting Joseph and Matthias in the midst, after prayer had been made they cast lots, and the choice fell upon Matthias, and he was counted as the twelfth apostle.

5.—II, 1. When the days of Pentecost were being fulfilled, they were all together in one place, and the rest. Therefore, when the fifty days had been completed, as the Lord Christ had promised them, suddenly there was made a violent sound from heaven, with the Holy Spirit coming, and upon all those sitting in that same house a heavenly fire appeared above their head, and the tongues of diverse nations were distributed; and when this report had spread abroad, men of diverse nations who had gathered at Jerusalem came, and they marveled that they, though they were Galileans, spoke in the tongues of the nations the mighty works of God. Some, considering this event reasonably, rightly judged that it had been bestowed by divine gift; but others, mocking foolishly, attributed it rather to the vice of drunkenness.

6.—II, 14. But Peter standing with the eleven lifted up his voice and spoke to them, and the rest. But blessed Peter, standing with the eleven apostles, while all were marveling, spoke with a loud voice, saying that at the third hour of the day they had not been drunk with new wine, as some supposed, but rather had been filled by the favor of the Holy Spirit. This he also confirmed by the example of the prophet Joel, so as to preach to them that the knowledge made manifest was to be attributed not to drunkenness but truly to divine mercy. Then he reproved the wickedness of the Jews, who preferred to crucify Christ the Lord, whom God raised from the dead after the laws of hell were loosed; which is also confirmed by the example of the fifteenth psalm.

7.—II, 29. Men and brethren, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David, and the rest. And since the apostle Peter had made mention of David, who was held among the Jews as a venerable prophet, taking from him the occasion of his preaching, he nevertheless proves that he was dead and says that his tomb is among them, whereas he himself prophesied that the flesh of Christ the Lord would in no way be subject to corruption; whom God raised from the dead, and he received the promises of the Father in fullest truth, showing that the gift which was seen had been bestowed by him; for that he was Lord David proved by the example of the hundred and ninth psalm. By this preaching he testifies that three thousand men, pricked in heart and baptized, were converted.

8.—II, 42. And they were persevering in the doctrine of the apostles, and the rest. When those who had been converted persevered most devoutly in the doctrine they had received, and the apostles quite often displayed great miracles, the fear of the Lord and the faithful people increased daily; and there was great concord among the believers, so that each one sold his own property, and whatever was necessary for a brother was surely provided; they had great devotion also for assembling at the temple; they took their food too in simplicity of heart with thanksgiving; on account of this the Lord in his favor always increased their number. But Peter and John, when they went up to the temple for prayer, made the man lame from his mother's womb walk with sturdy steps by taking him by the hand: seeing this, the people were filled with inestimable wonder, and their eagerness to see them grew more and more with ever greater devotion.

9.—III, 12. But Peter, seeing this, answered the people, and the rest. The apostle Peter, seeing the zeal of faith stirred up in the peoples, says that in such deeds he is not to be looked to, but that the Lord Christ is to be glorified, whom they themselves decreed to crucify; charging them with the other things they did in the Lord's passion, he says that he himself performed such things as are shown to exceed human powers; exhorting them to be converted to him before the time of judgment, so that they may deserve pardon for their error: for he is to be obeyed in all things, which he confirmed by the testimony of Moses: for he was promised in the seed of Abraham, who can save each one from his own wickedness.

10.—IV, 1. But while they were speaking these words to the people [in the Vulgate we do not have "these words"], and what follows. The rulers and priests, or the other leading men of the Jews, seeing that about five thousand men had believed the apostles, decreed that they should be sent into prison, lest the whole multitude believe them. On the next day, a council having been held, they questioned those brought before them, by what power or in what name they had been able to perform such miracles. The apostle Peter, as was his custom, declared in a clear voice that this miracle had been done in the name of Christ; who is the cornerstone, as is read in Psalm 117, whom the Jews indeed thought should be crucified, but God raised him from the dead.

Then, marveling at the confidence of those whom they did not know to be learned in letters, and recognizing also that they had been with Christ, they were moved by truth itself, and they resolved that they should no longer preach in the name of Jesus Christ.

11.—IV, 19. But Peter and John answered and said, and the rest. And so Peter and John answered the priests and the whole council, that they ought to obey the Lord's commands rather than human terrors; and they, released from the council by the people's steadfast reason, whom they had appeased by such a deed, coming to their own, reported what had happened to them; then, giving glory to God, they said with a loud voice what is written in the second psalm, Why did the nations rage (Ps. II, 1), and the rest: proving also that in the city of Jerusalem those things which were written came to pass according to the counsels, asking that a greater grace of preaching and of virtues be granted to them: and by that prayer, filled with the Holy Spirit, they preached the word of the Lord with unceasing power. But of all the believers there was one heart and one soul; so that none of them was pressed by any want, but having, they gave gratefully what would benefit all in common.

12.—IV, 36. But Joseph, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles, and the rest. Here examples of the faithful and of the deceitful are now given: for Joseph, who was surnamed Barnabas, because he offered the whole price, departed unharmed; but Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, who defrauded the price of the sold estate, cursed in the sight of all, gave up their wretched souls; and they themselves carried out the man, whose wife, lifeless, they afterward bore. By which deed fear grew in all, and faith, and the preaching of the apostles was continually increased; but none of the adversaries dared to join themselves to them, since favor of the people toward them kept growing, when the sick were healed by the word of the apostles, and those passing by by the shadow of Peter: which they did, with the faith of not only the people of his city but also of neighboring cities growing.

13.—V, 17. But the chief priest rose up, and all who were with him, and the rest. When such things were known, the chief priest and the rest of the heresy of the Sadducees were filled with great zeal, and they thrust the detained apostles into the public prison, with guards posted: whom the angel of the Lord, opening the doors, led out, and commanded that they teach the peoples in the temple in the customary manner.

The rulers and priests, ignorant of this, sent them the next day to the public prison; finding the prison carefully guarded, they nevertheless found none of those whom they had shut in the day before; but when others informed them, they recognized that those whom they were seeking were preaching the mighty works of the Lord to the people in the temple. Then the magistrate, going to the synagogue, led them to the council without any violence, and again they attempted to forbid them their customary preaching. Then Peter and the apostles, having received confidence, boldly proclaimed the word of the Lord: whence those men, greatly enraged, were secretly plotting with hidden snares to kill them, since the people were in fear.

14.—V, 34. But a certain Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, rose and said. Him also the apostle Paul praises; by his public speech he persuaded them that the persecution of the apostles must cease, saying: If their preaching is from men, by the example of Theudas and Judas the Galilean, it will without doubt be brought to nothing; but if it is from God, it can by no means be dispersed by any power. Then they had the apostles beaten and let them go, warning them not to involve themselves further in such preachings; but they preached the word to the Gentiles more steadfastly.

Meanwhile a murmur arose among the Greeks, because their widows were being treated with contemptible neglect in the daily ministry; for this reason seven chosen men were appointed, who were made deacons, so that they might administer such matters in a well-ordered manner; but the apostles were to devote themselves to preaching alone; and this honor was consecrated upon them even by the imposition of hands: and the multitude of the priests at that time hastened to obey the Lord.

15.—VI, 7. A great multitude of priests also obeyed the faith, and the rest. One therefore of those who had been chosen for the distribution of the tables, by name Stephen, was performing great signs and wonders in the power of the Lord Christ; and because no one of the unbelievers could withstand his preaching, false witnesses were brought against him, who said that he had spoken words of blasphemy against God and Moses; and setting him in the council, they wished to inquire into such sayings. Then he, seizing the occasion, having set forth the truth, recounted the order of the Old Testament which pertained to the Lord Savior.

16.—VII, 54. But when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart and gnashed their teeth. The unbelievers, unable to bear Stephen's preaching, hastened to his destruction with consenting will. He, with his eyes lifted up to heaven, saw the Son standing at the right hand of the Father; and when he had spoken this in pure truth, the crowd of madmen made a rush at him, and having cast him out of the camp, they overwhelmed him with stones; but Stephen, as he was dying, prayed rather for them, that such a crime might not be laid to the charge of his persecutors. In this killing Paul also consented; and a great persecution was made by him against the Church which was established at Jerusalem; for when Stephen's body had been buried with pious lamentation, the aforementioned Paul devastated the Church of God with as much zeal as he was afterward to defend it with affection. But Philip the deacon, the second of the seven, going down into the city of Samaria, preached the word of the Lord earnestly, and worked many miracles among the people who desired them in the power of Christ, on account of which it was filled with great joy.

17.—VIII, 9. But a certain man named Simon, who had previously been a magician in the city, and the rest. When many were believing, Simon the magician, thoroughly well known to the diabolical spirits, seeing such great miracles, himself also eagerly sought to be baptized without delay; but when Samaria devoutly received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands by the apostles Peter and John, he offered them money so that they too might grant that by his laying on of hands as well the grace of the Holy Spirit might be bestowed: Peter rebuked him with fitting censure, saying that he had no part with the faithful, since he believed the Holy Spirit was to be obtained with money; convicted by such a rebuff, he kept asking with his lips that prayer be made for him, which he did not have in his heart. But the apostles by no means ceased to preach the word of the Lord throughout many towns of Samaria.

18.—VIII, 26. But the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, and the rest. Philip is also admonished by the angel to go to the road by which the eunuch of Queen Candace was about to pass. Returning from Jerusalem, which he had come to worship out of the devotion of his mind, he was sitting in his chariot, reading that passage of the prophet Isaiah where it says: Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer, so he did not open his mouth (Isa. LIII, 7), and the rest. Then Philip said to him: Do you think you understand what you are reading?

But the eunuch made him mount the chariot and reveal to him the secrets of the Scriptures; receiving these with a faithful mind, he caught sight of water along the way, and, inflamed with the ardor of his mind, he at once asked to be baptized; this done, the Holy Spirit fell upon the eunuch, and Philip disappeared by a sudden translation; and he was found in Azotus, spreading the word of the Lord with his customary preaching.

19.—IX, 1. But Saul, still breathing threats and slaughters against the disciples of the Lord, and the rest. For Paul, still intending to harm the faithful of the Lord, asked a letter from the chief of the priests, so that if he found any preachers of Christ in Jerusalem, he might bring them bound: this was without doubt rather his own undoing, for on that very journey the Lord also said: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Terrified by this word, he fell to the ground on his face, and, deprived of sight, he entered Damascus led by others' hands: in that city was the disciple Ananias, to whom it was reported that he should go to Paul and by the laying on of hands restore his sight; but Ananias, mindful of former things, answered the Lord that Paul was a persecutor of the Church, so that he had recently, having received authority from the rulers, bound the faithful of the Lord in chains: to him divine mercy answered that he had been made a vessel of election, whom he had previously known to be filled with wicked iniquity.

20.—IX, 17. And Ananias went and entered the house, and laid his hand upon him, and said: Ananias, entering in to Paul, by the imposition of his hand cleansed his eyes, the scales falling away; and he, baptized in the name of Christ, was refreshed also by the taking of food, since he had been worn out by a three-day fast. Then, looked upon by heavenly mercy, growing strong in the Christian doctrine, he was preaching the word of the Lord in the synagogues, happily changed. But after some days, plots of the Jews were also armed against him; and he, placed by the disciples in a basket and secretly let down from the wall by a rope, came all the way to Jerusalem; and he, presented to the apostles by Barnabas, reported to them the things that had befallen him by the gift of the Lord. Then, joined to them in most dear fellowship, he preached together with them the Lord Christ, whom he had formerly judged to be persecuted; whence the unbelievers were hastening to deliver him to death, but the apostles by holy arrangement decreed that he should be sent away to Tarsus. But all Judea and Samaria, having peace, were growing in the glory of the Lord.

21.—IX, 32. And it came to pass that Peter, while he was passing through all parts, came down to the saints who dwelt at Lydda, and the rest. When Peter had come to Lydda, he found there a paralytic named Aeneas, who had lain in a bed for eight years, to whom he said: The Lord Jesus Christ heals you (verse 34); and he was cured at once. When this miracle was seen, all were converted to God, all who dwelt at Lydda and at Saron. Dorcas also, a woman devoted to almsgiving and holy works, dwelling in Joppa, was deprived of life. A message was sent to Peter, that coming there he might show forth the mighty works of God: the crowd of the poor, to whom Dorcas used to provide clothing, entreated him that she might be restored to them as the mother of the poor. Then Peter, bending his knees, prayed, saying: Arise in the name of Jesus Christ; and he restored her alive to the people who had been summoned. For this reason very many believed in the power of the Lord; whence it came about that Peter stayed for many days with a certain Simon, a tanner.

22.—X, 1. Now there was a certain man in Caesarea named Cornelius, and the rest. Cornelius, a Gentile living in Caesarea, devoted to almsgiving and prayers, saw in a vision an angel of God saying to him: Your prayers and alms have come into the sight of the Lord; send to Joppa for Peter, who is lodging in the house of Simon the tanner, that he may come to you quickly to be saved. But when Peter was in the aforesaid house, around the sixth hour of the day, when he was hungry and wished to eat, a trance of mind fell upon him; and he saw a vessel, like a white linen sheet, in which were all four-footed beasts, and creeping things, and birds, let down from heaven; and a voice came to him: Rise, Peter, kill and eat; and a little later: What God has purified, do not call unclean; this was done three times, and the vessel was taken up into the heavens. For it signified that the nations of the whole world would believe in the Lord Christ.

23.—X, 17. And while Peter was pondering within himself what the vision he had seen might be, and the rest. When Peter, amazed, was thinking about the above-mentioned vision, the Holy Spirit said to him: Behold, men have come seeking you, whom Cornelius has sent; rise and go with them, for it is by my command that they have been directed to seek you. When Peter had gone down to them without hesitation, they explained to him in order the reason why they had been sent; and having received them into lodging, on the next day he hastened with them to Cornelius. When Cornelius saw him, he fell at his feet and worshipped him; Peter, preserving humility, forbade this to be done; and he asked him, although he had already been admonished, for what reason he had summoned him. Cornelius reported to him what the angel had made known to him while he prayed, waiting that from him together with the others he might hear what could pertain to the salvation of all.

24.—X, 34. But Peter, opening his mouth, said, and the rest. Peter said: In truth I have learned that God is not one who shows partiality among persons; but that the man who works righteousness in whatever nation is acceptable to him. Then, continuing with the words of right faith, he preached to them that Jesus Christ is Lord of all things, whom the Jews decreed should be crucified; who, rising from the dead, conversed with his disciples for forty days; and the other things which the order of the Christian faith required.

While he was speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers, and those who had come with Peter rejoiced exceedingly, because they saw such gifts being bestowed even among the Gentiles. Then he ordered them to obtain the grace of baptism in the name of Christ; and when this report spread abroad, the brothers who were in Judaea were filled with the greatest joy. But Peter, setting out for Jerusalem, kept preaching the word of the Lord with continual devotion.

25.—XI, 2. But when he had gone up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision disputed against him. When Peter had gone up to Jerusalem, the faithful Jews disputed with him as to why he had entered in to those who had the foreskin and had eaten with them. But he, by what vision he had been warned and what had been commanded him by the Godhead dwelling within, recounted under the truth. When they heard these things, the whole assembly gave thanks to God, because the Lord Christ had bestowed both life-giving repentance and the gifts of the Holy Spirit even upon the Gentiles.

26.—XI, 19. Therefore those who had been scattered by the tribulation that had occurred, and the rest. Those who had been scattered in Stephen's passion traveled through as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except the Jews alone; yet among them there were some who, when they had entered Antioch, spoke words of preaching to the Gentiles, and a great multitude of the people believed them, and the report of this matter reached even Jerusalem. Barnabas, moreover, was sent by the apostles and approved what had been said concerning them; he rejoiced exceedingly and exhorted many to remain in the purpose they had begun. Barnabas also, hearing that Saul was in Tarsus, went to him; leading him all the way to Antioch, he is known to have preached in the church with him for a whole year, and he is declared to have converted many: there the Christians were first named. In those days, moreover, prophets came who announced the coming famine that occurred under the emperor Claudius; and the disciples are recorded to have sent what they could find to the brothers living in Judea by the hands of Barnabas and Paul.

27.—XII, 1. But at the same time Herod put forth his hand, to afflict certain ones of the Church. Herod the king, with impious presumption, slaughtered James the brother of John, who was preaching the word of the Lord; whence, seeing that he had pleased the Jews, he also sent Peter to prison, assigning to him sixteen soldiers who were to guard him with great diligence, for whom the prayer of the whole Church was being poured out without ceasing; he who, before the day of the appointed judgment, was visited by an angel and is not known to have been freed from the bonds of chains and from the dangers of the guards, so that what was truly being done he thought was happening in a dream; yet he, having returned to himself, knew by manifest truth that the Lord had deigned to free him through his angel. But coming to the house of Mary the mother of John, where a multitude of the faithful was praying for him, he knocked repeatedly at the door and at last entered, and taught them how, when the angel came, he had been released from the bonds of custody: which he commanded to be announced to James and the other brothers.

28.—XII, 18. But when day had come, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers, and what follows. When day had come, a great contention began among the prison guards over how Peter had escaped so many human watches and so many chains. But Herod the king, when Peter was not found, was fiercely angry with the guards, whom he ordered to be brought in; but he himself, going down to Caesarea and Judaea, was appeased by the peoples with great supplication, since he had been angry with them, through the ransom of Blastus his chamberlain: where, clothed in royal garments and seated on the tribunal, he spoke things far too proud against the Lord. The angel of the Lord struck him, because he had not given glory to God, and, teeming with worms, he expired. But the faith of the Lord, when such things were seen, grew everywhere. But Barnabas and Saul, taking with them John, who was surnamed Mark, departing from Jerusalem, set out as far as Antioch, where the blessed congregation of prophets and teachers was seen: to whom the Holy Spirit said that they should by no means hold back Barnabas and Saul, but should permit them to do that for which they appeared to have been chosen: who, coming to Salamis, throughout the whole island as far as Paphos, preached the word that had been entrusted to them by the Lord's condescension. Meanwhile they found a Jewish false prophet by the name of Bariesus, who, before Sergius the proconsul, attempted to oppose them and Paul the prudent, but, checked by the power of the Lord, he prevailed not at all.

29.—XIII, 9. But Saul, who is also Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, said. He carries on what he began above; for while Sergius the proconsul and the prudent Paul were listening, the apostle Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, sharply rebuked Bar-Jesus the false prophet; and to show that this rebuke was given out of love for the Lord, he said to him: You shall be blind, and for a time you shall not see the sun at all: upon whom a dark fog coming over so closed his natural sight that he sought the hands of others, supported by whose aid he might depart. When the display of this miracle was made known, the judges who saw it were converted, believing that the doctrine of the supreme God was truly that which is shown to be proved by such miracles.

30.—XIII, 13. And when Paul and those with him had sailed from Paphos, and the rest. When Paul and Barnabas, with the others who had come together, had sailed from Paphos, they came to Perga of Pamphylia, and passed through: from where John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. But Paul and Barnabas, traveling through Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia: where, having entered the synagogue, they heard the prophets and the law being read. To them the rulers of the synagogue sent, that if anyone among them had a word of exhortation, he should speak, as in other cities they did with the truth entrusted to them.

Then Paul, having made silence with his hand, preached to the peoples the doctrine of Christ the Lord, showing by the testimonies of the prophets the things that were said, so that he might lead them to the fullest faith once the truth had been laid open, testifying to them that Christ the Lord alone is he who justifies the harshness of the law by the gift of his grace; and that they must beware lest, as the Scripture warns, they be unwilling to believe what the very truth is known to admonish them.

31.—XIII, 42. But as they were going out, they asked that on the following sabbath he speak to them the words of God. Therefore, as Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the crowd of the Jews begged them that, when the sabbath came again, they would repeat the words concerning Christ the Lord. But on the following sabbath, when the peoples had gathered most eagerly to hear, certain of the Jews, stirred by great zeal, attempted to contradict. Paul and Barnabas answered them: It was indeed necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; but since you have rejected it, as it was commanded to us, we turn to the Gentiles, etc. At this saying the Gentiles, gratified, received the Christian dogma with a most ready mind. But the contradictors, grieving, stirred up honorable women and the leading men of the city, and drove Barnabas and Paul from their houses. And they, coming to Iconium, converted many to the Lord. And again, through their adversaries, a sedition was stirred up against them, which, with the Lord's help, was so quickly calmed; whence it came about that some thought with the apostles, and others indeed with the Jews.

32.—XIV, 5. But when there had been an attack of the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, and the rest. When the sedition stirred up at Iconium wished to destroy Paul and Barnabas, they fled to Lystra and Derbe, or [or for and] other regions of Lycaonia, and there the whole people was changed over to the Christian religion. At Lystra, however, a certain man lay weak in his feet from his mother's womb, and Paul, looking at him, commanded him in a loud voice before all in the name of Jesus Christ: Rise sound on your feet. When the crowd of Lycaonia had seen this, thinking that they were not men but gods, they hastened to offer them sacrifices of cattle, according to the custom of their fathers. Then Barnabas and Paul, tearing their garments, asserted in every way that they were mortals like them; but that they performed these things by the power of the Lord Christ, who made heaven and earth and all things that are contained within their compass. By this reasoning they were appeased and were scarcely kept back from the immolation they had resolved upon.

33.—XIV, 18. And when they were staying there and teaching, certain men came from Antioch, and the rest. So while Paul and Barnabas were staying at Lystra with great devotion of the citizens, there came certain most wicked Jews, who, persuading the crowds, dragged Paul outside the camp as if dead, after he had been struck with stones. But he, rising up with his disciples, entered the city from which he had been expelled, sound and with unconquered confidence. On the next day, however, he set out with Barnabas as far as Derbe, where, preaching the word, he converted many to the Lord; and from there they returned again to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the minds of the disciples, so that they might stand firmly in the rules handed down to them; appointing presbyters for them, they were preached with fasting, and they left them to the Lord with holy commendation.

34.—XIV, 23. And passing through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia, and the rest. In like manner, preaching through various cities, they are reported to have set out for Antioch: where, having gathered the faithful together, they reported how much the Lord had accomplished for the Gentiles, in that, with the door of faith opened, he had deigned to show them the fullest truth.

But when they were staying there for some time, certain false advisers persuaded the Gentiles who had already believed after receiving the preaching that they could not be saved unless they received circumcision, as the Lord commanded through Moses; and this matter caused dissension among the people. Then it was decided that those who were established at Jerusalem should be consulted on this question, so that the dispute which had arisen might be ended by their agreement; and through the Gentiles, through the cities and individual regions, they recounted how great things the Lord had bestowed upon the Gentiles; from this great joy grew daily among the brethren.

35.—XV, 4. But when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received magnificently by the Church. When Paul and Barnabas with the brethren had come to Jerusalem on account of the question at issue, they were received by the Church with great rejoicing. There again, between the Pharisees who had already believed and the apostles, a dispute arose concerning circumcision. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, taught that the Gentiles were not to be purified by circumcision, but by faith; and James, the bishop who was called the brother of the Lord, followed this up and confirmed it with great reasoning and the testimony of a prophet, saying that Moses was sufficient, since his name is invoked with veneration in the synagogue every Sabbath.

36.—XV, 22. Then it pleased the apostles and the elders and the whole Church to choose men and send them to Antioch. It pleased the apostles and the elders who dwelt at Jerusalem to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas Judas, who is surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, through whom they dispatched a letter of this kind: that they should not believe the law of circumcision to be necessary for them, but should only keep themselves from idols, from fornication, and from blood that has been strangled; and that, persevering in the grace of the Lord, they should be confident that they were well established.

37.—XV, 30. They therefore, being dismissed, went down to Antioch, and the rest. The aforementioned Barnabas and Silas, when they had come to Antioch, delivered the letters to the brethren, the multitude having been gathered together. When these had been read, they rejoiced that the cause of scandal had been removed. Judas also and Silas, since they too were prophets, formed the hearts of all in the same will; and when they had stayed there for some time, they were dismissed by the brethren to return to those by whom they had been sent. But Silas held himself there; Judas alone, however, returned to Jerusalem. Paul therefore and Barnabas were staying at Antioch, teaching the word of the Lord earnestly; but after some days Paul and Barnabas, reminded of their ancestral rights, decreed to revisit those regions in which the word of the Lord had been sown far and wide.

Then, because of John, who is also called Mark, a disagreement arose, and Barnabas took John and sailed to Cyprus; but Paul, taking Silas, set out for Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the Churches, so that they might remain in the traditions of the fathers with strength of mind.

38.—XVI, 1. And when they had passed through these nations, he came to Derbe and Lystra. Paul, when he had gone through the nations named above, came to Derbe and Lystra; and there he found a certain Timothy, a disciple born of a Gentile father. Wishing to take him along with him, he circumcised him in order to cut off subtly the sedition of the Jews. He, when he passed through the cities set before him, handed over to them the Christian teachings, which had been established by the remaining apostles at Jerusalem. When they wished to go to various cities, the Holy Spirit from elsewhere prevented them, and warned them to proceed elsewhere. For when they had come to Troas, Paul saw in a dream a certain Macedonian saying: Crossing over into Macedonia, help us (verse 9); from this they all understood that their journey was divinely ordered by the uprightness of things, and it was necessary for them, rejoicing, to do what the Divinity had deigned to admonish.

39.—XVI, 11. But sailing from Troas, we came with a direct course to Samothrace. So Paul and Silas, when they had sailed from Troas, passing through certain cities, came to Philippi, which is the first city of the district of Macedonia, a colony. There a certain woman, Lydia, a seller of purple, believed in Christ, and she with her whole household obtained the grace of baptism; at her house the apostles, having been asked, spent the night. On another day, as they were going to prayer, a girl having a spirit of divination met them, who by her widely spread soothsaying provided great gain for her masters. While she persistently followed the apostles, Paul commanded the unclean spirit to come out of her, who was held subject to it. Then her masters, for whom her madness was a source of profit, armed the magistrates and the people against Paul to his insult; and having beaten them with rods, they handed them over to the prison guards and bound them in the chains of the prison.

40.—XVI, 25. But at midnight Paul and Silas, praying, were praising the Lord. When Paul and Silas, shut up in custody, were at midnight sounding praises to the Lord, suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; for both the doors were opened and the bonds of all the prisoners were loosed. When the keeper of the prison had learned this, he drew his sword and wished to kill himself; Paul cried out to him in a loud voice that he should not lay hands on himself, since he would find those entrusted to him in that very place; and he, having lit a light, found there all whom he was seeking. Then falling at the feet of the apostles, he begged to be saved; and hearing the word of the Lord, he believed, and is known to have been baptized with his whole household. Leading them to his dwelling and anointing their wounds, he set a table before them and refreshed them; and he rejoiced exceedingly that with his whole household he had obtained the grace of Christ. By that earthquake the magistrates also were disturbed, and they ordered that the apostles be released from custody. Paul answered: Since we are Romans and suffer the bonds of prison though innocent, we cannot go out secretly, unless they themselves come to cast us out, who so unjustly gave the orders.

41.—XVI, 38. But the lictors reported these words to the magistrates, and the rest. When the words of the apostles were heard, the magistrates were thoroughly afraid, because they had said that innocent Romans had been sent into prison, and going to them they begged them to leave their city unharmed. This done, they came to Lydia, and reported to their brothers in order how great were the things the Lord had bestowed on them; and setting out from there, they came to Thessalonica, where entering the synagogue he taught them that according to the holy Scriptures it was necessary for Christ the Lord to suffer for our salvation and to rise again with three days' swiftness; and many of the people and noble women, believing, are shown to have been joined to the apostles in faith; these the Jews, with zeal stirring them up, after rousing seditions, drove out; and they, coming into the synagogue, disputed as was their custom; there their nobles, most diligently searching the divine Scriptures, believed in the Lord Christ in great part.

42.—XVII, 13. But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that the word of God had also been preached in Beroea. When the Thessalonian Jews learned that the apostles were preaching Christ in Beroea, they came there and stirred up the crowds with frequent seditions, saying that those who were confounding the world with a new preaching must be guarded against. Then it seemed good to the brethren to send Paul on to Athens, but to keep Silas and Timothy there for some time. But Paul, coming to Athens, disputed more vehemently throughout the individual places, seeing the city given over to idolatry; and when this report spread abroad, certain of the citizens seized him and led him to the Areopagus, where the assembled gathering of philosophers was; some said he was a seed-sower of words, others a preacher of new demons. Then the prudent men, with Paul set in their midst, desired to hear the doctrine which he was sowing far and wide.

43.—XVII, 22. But Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, said, and the rest. Paul therefore, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, poured out the honey of heavenly philosophy upon those assembled there; taking from this a most beautiful beginning, because among their various idols he found written, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD, so that they might necessarily seek him whom they themselves professed to be unknown to them; preaching in order the Lord Christ, who by his almighty power made heaven and earth, and all things that are in them; convicting them even by the evident examples of their own authors, that since they are the offspring of God, they ought not to worship things made by hands. For when they had heard, among other things, about the resurrection of the dead, many believed, but others thought it was a lie. After these things, going down from Athens, he came to Corinth, where, preaching the Lord Savior to Jews and Greeks, he set forth the doctrines of the Christian religion.

44.—XVIII, 5. But when Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, they urged that the word of Paul, and the rest. When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia to Corinth, where Paul was, Paul was teaching the word of the Lord urgently; but when certain Jews would not listen, shaking out his garments, he said to them: May the blood of Christ the Lord, which has been poured out, be upon you; but I, as it has been commanded me, will go at once to the Gentiles to instruct them. And departing to a certain Titus, he then taught Crispus the ruler of the synagogue, and with his whole household and many others, he received the precepts of the Christian faith.

But one night the Lord said to Paul in a dream: Do not fear the vows of those who contradict you; for I am with you, and I permit no one to overcome you. Strengthened by this warning, he stayed in the same city for a year and six months, teaching with confidence; and because of his new preaching he was brought by the Jews before the tribunal of the proconsul Gallio. But Gallio, saying that questions of the divine law did not pertain to him, had them removed and made to depart; after some days, having said farewell to the brethren, Paul came with Aquila and Priscilla to Ephesus; nor could he stay there longer, though many entreated him, since he was hastening to Jerusalem for the solemnity of Pentecost.

45.—XVIII, 21. And he set out from Ephesus, and Paul went down to Caesarea, and what follows. Departing from there, Paul went down to Caesarea, where he greeted the congregation of the Church; afterward he set out for Antioch, and having lingered there for some time, he traveled through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples, that they might remain in the rules they had received. But Apollos, a Jew, an Alexandrian by birth, a man eloquent and fervent in spirit, came to Ephesus; and there, while he acted with confidence among the Jews in the synagogue, Aquila and Priscilla took him aside, and with the truth laid open they taught him the Scriptures of the Lord more carefully; but when he wished to go to Achaia, they wrote that the devoted people should receive him confidently; from which it came about that he convicted the Jews confidently and more certainly.

46.—XIX, 1. But it came to pass, when Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came, and the rest. Indeed, when Apollos was at Corinth, it happened that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus; where, having found certain disciples, he asked whether, being baptized, they had received the grace of the Holy Spirit. They declared that they were wholly ignorant of this name, but that they had been consecrated in the baptism of John. Baptizing them with the invocation of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit came upon them, so that they were able to prophesy in diverse tongues; and there Paul, remaining for three months, preached concerning Christ the Lord according to his customary manner.

47.—XIX, 9. But when certain were hardened, and did not believe, and the rest. When certain of the Ephesians with obstinate will did not believe, he separated his disciples from them, and daily for two years he discoursed in the school of Tyrannus, performing many miracles, so that his handkerchiefs were laid upon the sick, and they were restored to their former health. But there were seven crafty brothers, sons of the chief of the synagogue, who said to those possessed: I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches, depart quickly; to whom the wicked spirit answered: Jesus indeed I know, and Paul I know, but you, who you are, I do not know. And the possessed fought against them with stubborn contention; which when it had become known, a great multitude of the people believed.

Then those who had been followers of the world's curiosities, bringing their books, judging them to be superfluous, burned them with fire, books which had been purchased for as much as fifty thousand denarii. When these things had thus been done, Paul, sending two into Macedonia, Timothy and Erastus, himself remained in Asia for a time.

48.—XIX, 23. But at that time there arose no small disturbance concerning the way of the Lord, and the rest. In Ephesus a sedition was stirred up in the same manner concerning the Christian religion. There was a certain Demetrius, who made silver shrines in the temple of Diana; this man had been accustomed to provide no small wages for the craftsmen; he, seeing that the rite of the sacred things could be utterly overthrown by Paul's preachings, gravely incited the aforementioned craftsmen against the apostle and his disciples. These, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, companions of Paul, dragged them from the theater, where they were preaching the word of the Lord, to the judges to be heard; but Paul, wishing to enter in to the people, the disciples or friends did not permit (for there was a great confusion of the whole city), lest the fury of the whole people attack him, whom they knew to be the author of the preaching contrary to them.

49.—XIX, 33. Alexander therefore, having asked for silence with his hand, wished to give an account to the people. But Alexander, one of Paul's disciples, having made silence with his hand, wished to give an account to the aroused peoples; and as soon as they recognized him to be a Jew, lest he say anything against Diana, for two hours with a loud voice they declared that great is Diana of the Ephesians. But the scribe, fearing lest such a sedition confound the city, having made silence, persuaded the peoples that, if Demetrius and his craftsmen bring a case against anyone, they should be heard by the appeased judges; but innocent men, who have said nothing against Diana, ought not to come to the danger of death; by which reasoning the sedition that had been undertaken was entirely calmed. Then Paul, having said farewell to the disciples, set out for Macedonia; where, teaching very many, he came to Greece; and thence, traveling through the neighboring regions, with his disciples he came to Troas, where they are known to have stayed seven days.

50.—XX, 7. But on the first day of the week, when they had gathered to break bread, Paul, on the day before he was to set out from Troas, instructing them with a discourse drawn out until the middle of the night, most earnestly and sweetly imbued them: where it happened that one of the young men, overcome by sleep, falling from the upper room, incurred the danger of death; whom Paul, embracing with religious charity, restored sound to those who were present: and he, refreshing himself with bread, preaching to the people until daylight, set out from there for Assos by land [the word for "journey" is perhaps missing in the text]: but his disciples, sailing, as he himself had arranged for them, found Paul in the aforementioned city. From there now together they set out as far as Mytilene, Chios, Samos, and Miletus: for Paul had proposed to pass by Ephesus, so that he might arrive at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.

51.—XX, 17. But sending from Miletus to Ephesus, he called the elders of the Church.

51.—XX, 17. From Miletus the apostle Paul, passing by Ephesus, summoned the bishops of the Church, and there with great charity he unfolded before them with what self-restraint and humility he had conducted himself among them, commending to them above all things the word of the Lord, lest false preachers coming afterward should overturn their hearts and lead them away from the established rules by too dangerous an error. He recounted also that he had been burdensome to no one in expenses, but when he had bestowed on them the affection of a spiritual father, he had fed himself and his other colleagues by his own hands, since it is certain that to give is more blessed than to receive. He said that after making his farewell he would depart and would see their faces no more. When he had said these things, with the whole congregation kneeling he prayed, and the weeping of all broke forth with a loud voice; and embracing his neck, they wept with outpoured devotion, because he had told them that they would see him no more.

52.—XXI, 1. But when it came about that we set sail, having been torn away from them, with a direct course we came to Cos. Thence, after many tears, as if violently torn away, they came to Cos; and having advanced to Rhodes and Patara, passing through Phoenicia and Cyprus, they were brought as far as Tyre. There, having found certain disciples, he stayed with them seven days; these, warned by the power of foreknowledge, were telling Paul not to hasten to go up to Jerusalem, since even a very violent wind was threatening there.

So after prayer was made and farewell said, they came to Ptolemais, and from there to Caesarea; where entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven whom the apostles in earlier time had set over the administration of tables, he had four virgin daughters who prophesied the oracles of the Lord; and while they were staying there, there came from Jerusalem a prophet named Agabus, who, taking Paul's belt and binding his own feet, said that so must the man whose belt it was be bound forthwith by the Jews and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. Then the disciples with the faithful begged that Paul would avoid the dangers that threatened.

53.—XXI, 13. Then Paul answering, said, and the rest. But Paul admonished them as they wept, that they should not seem to afflict themselves over his harsh fate, since he himself was ready for the name of Christ not only to be bound, but even willingly to be killed. To whom the disciples said, since they could not restrain him: the will of the Lord be done. When these had come to Jerusalem, they were gladly received by the brethren. On the next day Paul went to James, reporting to him all things—what great things the divine power had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry; at which they rejoiced exceedingly. And rejoicing with him, they gave thanks to the Lord, but they admonished him that he ought to be solicitous concerning the people of the Jews, since it was evident that he was vehemently suspected by them, because he taught against the law of Moses concerning the abolishing of circumcision.

But they gave counsel that he should take four men from among his own, with whom he entered the synagogue with shaved heads; when the Jews learned this, they believed he would say nothing against the law of Moses. But to those who had believed from among the Gentiles, they say he wrote concerning the things from which they should sufficiently abstain, and that they should persevere in the rules handed down to them.

54.—XXI, 26. Then Paul, having taken the men, purified on the following day, entered the temple with them. But the counsel that had been mentioned above, Paul gladly accepting, having taken four purified brothers and with heads shaved, on another day he boldly entered the synagogue. When he was speaking there, announcing to them the necessary purification, until an offering should be paid to the Lord for their salvation, after seven days the Jews who were from Asia, recognizing Paul, seized him, and having stirred up a sedition, gathered crowds against him, saying that this was the man who persuaded the Gentiles to forsake the law of Moses and circumcision. And when they had decided to kill him, the tribune of the cohort suddenly arrived with soldiers and centurions, who, when the matter was explained, restrained them from their wicked intention. Then the tribune ordered Paul, snatched from the crowds but bound with two chains, to be led to the camp; where the Apostle, bound in chains, asked the tribune that he be permitted to address the people; when this request was granted, having made silence with his hand, he spoke to the crowds in the Hebrew language.

55.—XXII, 1. Men, brothers [Vulgate: brothers and fathers], hear the account I now render to you, and the rest. Paul, running with simplicity of heart, narrates to the peoples in order how he was chosen by the Lord, though he had been a persecutor of the Church; nor did he, with unbroken mind, keep silent about his own crime concerning the blood of Stephen; but he says that he heard from the Lord, whom he cannot oppose, that he was to be sent to preach to the Gentiles. The Jews, hearing him only so far, began to cry out to the tribune with a loud voice that he ought to be taken from the living, since he had persuaded such things to himself.

56.—XXII, 23. But as they were shouting, and throwing off their garments, and the rest. When the Jews were making a sedition and throwing dust into the air, the tribune ordered Paul to be led into the camp; and while they were beating him with scourges, so that they might learn the cause of the stirred-up sedition, Paul said to the centurion standing by: See whether it is lawful for you to scourge a Roman uncondemned. Terrified by which saying, he released him and suspended the imminent torments. But on another day he ordered Paul and the council of the Jews to stand before him, wishing to learn for what cause he had been handed over. Then Paul, regarding the crowds of the Jews, spoke thus.

57.—XXIII, 1. But Paul, looking intently at the council, said, and the rest. When Paul had said at the outset: Men, brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience up to this day, Ananias the chief priest ordered those standing by to strike him on the mouth, as though he were a blasphemer. To him Paul answered with free voice: God will strike you, you whitewashed wall, who sitting in the judge's place command me to be struck contrary to the law. And when they reproached him for having wished to curse the chief priest, he answered that he had not known that he was invested with such an honor. But Paul, knowing that the Pharisees and Sadducees had assembled in that same place, who are divided by differing persuasions, proclaimed in a loud voice that he was a Pharisee, and that on account of the hope and resurrection of the dead, which they themselves also believed, he was enduring a most grievous judgment. At this saying, when a dispute had quickly arisen among them, that assembly was dissolved.

58.—XXIII, 10. And when a great dissension had arisen, the tribune, fearing that Paul would be torn apart. When a great dissension had arisen between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the tribune, fearing that Paul would be torn apart by the Sadducees, ordered him to be brought back to the camp; to whom the Lord said during the night: Be steadfast, Paul, for just as you have testified to me here, so it is necessary for you to preach my name in the Roman city as well. But on the following day forty Jews, having formed a conspiracy, resolved to kill Paul; hearing this, his sister's son reported it to Paul while he was placed in the camp. He asked the guards to bring the young man to the tribune; and when he had told him everything in order, he instructed the young man that no one should know what had been said to him.

59.—XXIII, 23. And having called two centurions, he said. But the tribune, having called two centurions, ordered that they should bring Paul with armed soldiers all the way to Caesarea to the governor Felix, lest perhaps it be believed that he had had him killed by the Jews after accepting money. To him he sent a letter, in which he narrated what had happened truthfully. The soldiers did what had been assigned. Then the aforementioned governor, having read the letter, had Paul kept in custody in Herod's praetorium, until his accusers could come.

60.—XXIV, 1. But after five days the chief priest went down, and the rest. After five days the Jews came to Felix the judge with the orator Tertullus against Paul. Then, when the parties had been set in the middle, Tertullus the orator, presuming on human eloquence, began to attack Paul maliciously: that he wished to confound the quiet Jews throughout the whole world with new preachings; and when he had been seized, they wished so great a crime to be avenged at once according to their own law; and Lysias the tribune, snatching him away, is known to have sent him to his own judgment. The rest of the Jews testified with a harsh-sounding voice that the things which had been said were so.

61.—XXIV, 10. But Paul answered, with the governor nodding to him, saying. After Tertullus the orator had asserted what he wished, having first set forth the things which could pertain to the goodwill of the judge, Paul answered thus: When he had come to Jerusalem according to the custom of his people to adore the Lord, and was about to give alms to his people, he made neither a crowd nor a tumult; but when he was being held by the centurions, he says that he cried out to the people: Concerning the resurrection of the dead, which you also believe, I stand here today to be judged. And he affirms that they cannot prove anything of such a kind as the things which they fashioned against him with an impious will.

Certainly, if they are present, let them say if they remember anything else that was done to the confusion of the city. Felix the judge deferred hearing them until the arrival of the tribune Lysias, ordering the centurion to keep Paul in custody at rest, and not to forbid anyone to minister to him the things that could pertain to his comfort.

62.—XXIV, 21. But after some days Drusilla, the wife of Felix, who was a Jewess. After some days Felix, asked by his wife Drusilla, had Paul brought before her; and while he discoursed at length about the faith of the Lord, and about justice, and chastity, and the future judgment, moved by the truth of his preaching, he said to Paul: Go now, and at an opportune time I will have you brought before me. He called him to himself frequently, believing that, after the manner of worldly business, he could take money from him. Meanwhile, after two years had passed, Felix received Porcius Festus as his successor; but he left Paul in chains because of the favor of the Jews. Then Festus, coming to Caesarea, when both Paul and the Jews who seemed to be persecuting him had been presented before him, sat on the tribunal. But Paul testified that he had harmed no one, wondering why he should suffer the hatred of such great persecution; and therefore he proclaimed that he ought to be sent to Caesar. To whom Festus replied briefly: Since you have appealed to Caesar, you shall go to Caesar (verse 12).

63.—XXV, 13. And when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Beronice came down to Caesarea. But after some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Beronice came to Caesarea to greet Festus; and when they had stayed with him for some time, Festus recounted to King Agrippa in order the things concerning a certain Paul, a Jew, that had been done; and when he was pressed by the wickedness of the Jews, he declared that Paul had appealed to Caesar. Then, when Agrippa wished to see him, Festus promised that he would be heard on another day by all means.

64.—XXV, 23. But on the next day, when Agrippa and Beronice had come with great pomp. On the second day, when Agrippa and Beronice together with Festus, and very many crowds, had entered the audience hall of the city, at Festus's command Paul was brought into the midst, so that what he had reported to the king more privately, he might prove one by one by his own testimony; whom, after the appeal, he therefore reports to have been brought before Agrippa, so that, once the truth of the matter was known, he might be sent to Caesar with an explanation of the case.

65.—XXVI, 1. But Agrippa said to Paul. Then Agrippa gave Paul confidence to speak on his own behalf. He first praised the judge, and from the beginning embraced with complete truth the things that had happened to him: recounting how he had persecuted the Christian people; then, when he was going to Damascus, what things he heard when surrounded by the light of the Lord; and that he immediately, as was necessary, obeyed the Lord's words: hence he declares that he preached to peoples and nations, so that, converted and performing works worthy of repentance, they might find the rewards of eternal life; for this reason the Jews, stirred up, decreed to kill him; snatched from their hands by the help of the Divinity, he testified that up to that time he had preached those things which are read to have been written in the Prophets and the other divine Scriptures.

66.—XXVI, 19. Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. While Paul was speaking the things that have been said, Festus said in disbelief: You are mad, Paul, and much reading confounds your mind. To him Paul, preserving his gravity, responded that he was not mad, but had spoken words of truth and sobriety; for it befits King Agrippa to know such things, since the things that were done openly could have come to his notice: he also affirms that Agrippa believes the prophets. To him Agrippa responded with a pleasant mind, that he wished to make him a Christian quickly. To him Paul, in the zeal of charity, wished that both he himself and the outsiders who were listening might become such as he himself was, except for his chains.

Those who, having dismissed the assembly, spoke among themselves that Paul had done nothing such as to deserve death.

67.—XXVI, 32. But Agrippa said to Festus. Then Festus said to Agrippa: This man could have been released, if he had not appealed to Caesar. Then Paul was handed over to the centurion Julius with guards, to sail for Italy: boarding the ship, on the second day they came to Sidon, where the centurion, treating Paul kindly, permitted him to go to his friends. Thence to Cyprus, thence to Lystra, thence transferred to an Alexandrian ship, sailing across Crete, to Salmone, and from there after some time they had reached Fair Havens (Verse 8). There, when the time for sailing was now complete, Paul said to his companions that it would be better if they could winter in that same place, lest perhaps shipwreck befall them: the centurion, disagreeing with him in his improvident mind, hastened to the port of Phoenix, which was safer by the position of the place.

68.—XXVII, 13. But when the south wind was blowing and they thought they were holding to their purpose. Having left the harbor of Phoenix, thinking they could hold that place as a harbor, suddenly the wind called the north-easter, contrary and very violent, met them. With the sails gathered, the ship began to be carried away over the waves, so that, leaving the island of Gaudos, they lost the skiff, and, binding the ship with ropes, they tried to free it; but as the winds increased they were in such peril that for many days they could not see either the sun or the stars. Then Paul, having recounted the promise of the Lord which he had heard in dreams, encouraged the others, saying that God had granted him, besides the ship, all the men who were traveling with him. But on the fourteenth day, when the storm was still raging, the sailors had decided to flee; Paul said that all could not be saved unless it happened that the sailors remained in the ship. Then the soldiers, having cut the ropes, judged that the skiff was rather to be despised.

69.—XXVII, 33. And when day began to break, Paul asked, and the rest. After the storm, then, which had now lasted ten days, Paul asked them to take food, since of the two hundred and seventy-six men not a hair of their heads was shown to have been diminished; for to invite the others by his own example rather, he broke bread and himself ate. When day had therefore come, catching sight of a certain bay, they made for the nearby shore; but when the ship was broken up by the reefs and waves, the plan was that all should swim out: whence it so came about that, with the ship lost, all came unharmed straightway to the land they desired.

70.—XXVIII, 1. But the barbarians showed us no small kindness, and the rest. When all were now established on the shore, since the greatest cold pressed upon them and they were worn out by much hunger, the barbarian inhabitants of the place provided the nourishment of kindness. But Paul, when he had gathered a multitude of twigs and put them on the fire, a viper which had been found there by chance seized his hand with its bite. And when it hung upon his flesh, the inhabitants of the place first believed him to be a murderer, who after the peril of the sea was thought to have met the outcome of vengeance. But when he was seen to be well, they believed him a god, whom no poisons could harm. Then also, received kindly by a certain Publius, Paul healed his father, who was suffering from fevers and dysentery, by a prayer given.

Therefore, when a crowd of many who were living on that same island had gathered, those afflicted with various illnesses were healed.

71.—XXVIII, 11. And after three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship, and the rest. But after three months, boarding an Alexandrian ship, they came to Syracuse, a city of the Sicilians; thence to Regium, thence to Puteoli (thus), thence already on foot to the Three Taverns; where Paul was gladly received by the brethren, and being brought to Rome he entered it. There, after the third day, when the elders had been summoned into the synagogue, ... the soldier ... in order by the centurions, showing them for what cause they had been brought, that glorious chain by which he had been bound for the cause of Israel's salvation.

72.—XXVIII, 21. But they said to him: We have received neither letters from you, Judea, and the rest. But the Jews answered Paul that neither by letters nor by messenger could they have known the things which he had recently appeared to intimate; but they asked of him rather that they might learn the things which he had preached elsewhere. And when a day had been appointed, when they had come to Paul's lodging, he spoke of the kingdom of the Lord Christ, whom it was established had been promised through Moses and the prophets. But some were agreeing, some not believing; and Paul, rebuking them, cited the example of Isaiah, testifying that the Gentiles would rather receive salvation, which they refused to receive. When this had been said, it came about that the Jews had no small dispute among themselves.

But Paul, remaining for two years in his own hired lodging, continually instructed those who came to him concerning the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ; and although he was bound with iron chains, he nevertheless daily loosed the little bonds of the sins of those who believed.

THE REVELATION OF SAINT JOHN.

1.—I, 1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to make known openly to his servants, and the rest. A kind of prologue is prefixed, so that the dignity of the present book may be briefly indicated: for John the apostle says that a vision concerning the end of the age was shown to him by the Lord Christ; and through whom, and for what reason, it was shown is recorded: so that, with such great truth laid open, the devout man might receive confidence, and the conscience of the faithless might find fear. He is also praised who has preferred to read or keep these things; so that, invited by such promises, the mind of the devout may be stirred up more ardently.

2.—I, 4. John to the seven Churches which are in Asia. Grace to you, and peace, and the rest. John the apostle says that he writes to the seven Churches established in Asia: he greets them, and wishes peace for them, and that grace may come from the Lord Christ, and from the seven angels who are read to stand before the throne of the Lord: just as in the book of Tobit the angel Raphael said: I am one of the seven angels who stand before the throne of the glory of God (Tob. XII). But who this is, the Lord, who is, who was, and who is to come, makes plain by an evident account; declaring that it is the Lord Christ himself, who redeemed us with his precious blood.

He also says what kind he will be at his second coming, and what sort of one men will see him to be when his power has been made manifest: for he confirms by the voice of his own divinity that he himself is the first and the last, and the almighty.

3.—I, 9. I, John, your brother and partaker in tribulation, and so forth. When he was on the island of Patmos, happily sent into exile by the prince Domitian for the word of the Lord, and on the Lord's day was admonished by a great voice, the apostle says that he heard that he should write the things which he saw, and send them to the seven Churches whose names are read as written. And suddenly turning to the voice of the Lord, he saw seven shining lampstands, and in the midst the Lord Christ, whose appearance he sets forth through mystical figures. For he was clothed in a garment reaching to the feet, which without doubt pertains to the priesthood; he was girded above the breasts with a golden belt, because the integrity of his acts shone forth; but his head and his hairs, which were white, show the Ancient of Days; but his eyes, like a flame of fire, because he penetrates all things by sight, and no one can hide himself from his heat. His feet were like fine brass, because in his preachings he is found most strong and most splendid; his voice as the sound of many waters, because from him flow the streams of wisdom; but concerning the seven stars he himself speaks below.

From his mouth went out a sword sharp on both sides, signifying the sacraments of the New and Old Testament; his face shone like the sun, since whatever he does not look upon grows dark. Terrified by this vision, he testifies that he immediately fell at his feet; to whom the Lord said: Rise, do not be afraid, confirming that he is the first and the last, declaring that he holds the keys of death and of hell. But remember that these and other visions of this kind, which the Lord deigned to reveal to his servants, were formed for a time according to the nature of the circumstances, while the nature of the Godhead remains in its own excellence. Moreover, that very nature of the Godhead, as it is, is not yet proven to have been shown to any living man, which after the resurrection he promises to lay open, as it is, to clean hearts.

4.—I, 19. Write therefore the things which you have seen, and which are, and which must come to pass hereafter. Now in the seven lampstands and seven stars the Lord Christ explains to John the sacraments which he had seen, saying that they are the brightness of the seven Churches; but since there is an innumerable multitude of these things, seven are set down, namely to indicate perfection: whence he admonishes the angel of the Ephesians, that is, the bishop, that it must be written, who indeed could be admonished by writings.

He says indeed that he knows their labors and patience, because he does not wish to admit false preachers, but he contends that they have neglected love, and he admonishes them to return to it once satisfaction has been made; lest their lampstand, which is shown to have been displayed for good works, be removed as if extinguished: praising them because he condemns the deeds of the Nicolaitans, that is, the most shameful fornications, with the same execration as the Lord. But to the conquerors of detestable vices the reward is promised, that they may take food from the tree of life, which is established in the Lord's paradise; whence everyone is spiritually refreshed who is placed in the Lord's kingdom in perpetual blessedness.

5.—II, 8. And to the angel of the church of Smyrna write: this says the first and the last, or the rest. He admonishes that it should be indicated to the angel of Smyrna, that is, the bishop; for that the angel is called the bishop, that passage in the Acts of the Apostles testifies, where, when Peter came and knocked at the doors of the apostles, it was said, it is not Peter, but his angel (IX, 15); saying that the Lord Christ knows, who died once and lives forever, what and how great things they suffered from the unbelieving Jews: whence if he too should prefer to endure to the end, being proved he will receive the crown of eternal life: for he who has conquered the evils of the world will not have the destruction of the second death.

He also says that it must be indicated similarly to the bishop of Pergamum: I know that you indeed kept the rule of patience among certain wickednesses, so that even when Antipas was undergoing martyrdom, you could not be turned aside by any terror; but nevertheless I have known that there are those in your midst who are joined to diabolical wickedness, and therefore run more swiftly to the medicine of repentance, lest, coming in judgment upon the obstinate, I must punish the evil with eternal supplication (Verse 13). But to those who conquer the world, he promises manna and a white stone, which is nevertheless found more precious than all pearls.

6.—II, 18. And to the angel of the Church which is at Thyatira write: These things says the Son of God, and the rest. He says that it must be written to the angel, as has already been said, to the bishop of the Church of Thyatira, that the Lord says these things, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and feet like electrum, so that neither is anything obscure to him for seeing, nor does he suffer any deficiency for preaching. He declares indeed that he knows the good things she has done, and her most excellent love; but among those things he says he is stung by some of her evils with no small offense: for her congregation, which has for the most part committed fornication with the wicked, and wishes to have the name of prophecy, ought rather to be called Jezebel, unless, having been converted, she has been protected; immediately she must be cast into a bed of sickness, and severe vengeance must be taken upon her fornications; so that then all may know of the Church that the Lord repays each one according to the quality of his deeds.

But he warns the rest who are established in the same Church to persevere in the rules of faith they have received, promising to those who conquer that they will rule the nations with a rod of iron, just as he himself said had been granted to him by the Father; and he promises that he will also give such people a glorious resurrection, which he signifies by the mention of the star.

7.—III, 1. And to the angel of the Church which is at Sardis, write: These things says he who has the seven spirits of God, and so on. The Lord Christ, in whom is the sevenfold Holy Spirit, and the seven stars in his hand, that is, universal power, commanded that it be said to the bishop of Sardis: In appearance indeed you are alive, but in works you are dead; and therefore, with repentance intervening, come to your aid, so that the things which have been extinguished in you may revive through the medicine of satisfaction; lest you suffer the coming of dreadful judgment like a thief, and begin to endure in your members the things that are grievous. But since the people of the Church live together with diverse qualities of character, he says that there is a part of the blessed at Sardis which obeys the will of the Lord, and in white garments, that is, in a most pure conscience, they will walk continually with the Lord: therefore they will not be blotted out of the book of life, and their names are remembered before the Father and his angels by a praiseworthy confession.

8.—III, 7. To the angel who is at Philadelphia: These things says the holy and true one, and the rest. The Lord, who is girded with the singular power of opening and closing, says to the bishop of Philadelphia that it must be written: Because you are devoted to me with holy humility, I humble to you the Synagogue, that is, the congregation of Satan, so that it may come to adore the Church, which formerly despised you when pride made you so. He also promises that it is to be guarded in temptations, when the world has been wearied by various calamity; he also urges it in its patience, that he may come quickly, lest another receive his crown; designating how great are the things the Lord will bestow upon his faithful. He also commanded that it be indicated to the bishop of Laodicea that he ought to be either cold or hot, lest as lukewarm he be vomited out of the mouth of the Lord: for since he places confidence in his own strength, he is proved to be more wretched than all the weak. For he says that he stands before the door and knocks with frequent striking, so that when each one has opened the doors of his own heart to him, he may hasten prepared to the Lord's supper; and conquering, he may sit on the throne of his majesty, just as he himself is known to have sat as victor on the throne of his Father.

9.—IV, 1. After these things I saw an open door in heaven; and behold, a voice, and the rest. John, called, ascends to the heavens by contemplation of the mind, and beholds the Lord sitting upon the throne, to which he joins the colors of gems in figurative language. There twenty-four elders, which pertains to indicating the number of fullness, were sitting around the circuit of the throne in white garments; but from the throne of the Lord went forth flashes of lightning, voices, and thunders; before whom were the seven spirits, that is, the angels of God; in the sight of the throne, truly, there appeared as it were a sea of glass, through which the quality of this age is indicated: a sea, because it is stirred by waves; glass, because it is proved fragile. Before the throne, and around the throne, four living creatures were established, which are compared to the four evangelists by a certain likeness, having six wings, on account of the age of the world, which is recognized to be able to be completed by such a number: full of eyes within, it signifies that the deep mysteries of their preaching are, which they were saying as praises to the Lord with continual exultation. But the twenty-four elders, having heard the praise of the Lord, fell on their faces, adoring him who lives for ages of ages, and they too likewise offering praises.

10.—V, 1. And I saw a book in the right hand of God who sits upon the throne, written within and on the back, and the rest. Among these things he saw a book in the right hand of the Father sitting upon the throne, written within and without, because in the law certain things are still hidden, while certain things are known to be manifest. This book was seen to be sealed with seven seals, that is, with the sevenfold Spirit, because the mysteries of the Lord are always kept unknown until the appointed time. Then, when the angel proclaimed but nevertheless found no one worthy who could receive and rule it, John was disturbed by great weeping; but one of the elders indicated to him that Christ was worthy to open the book and to loose its seals; and lifting up his eyes he saw the Lamb as though slain, having fullest power and most complete preaching. This one received the book to be opened, as had been foretold; to whom the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders with their lyres and bowls full of various odors, that is, the quality of good deeds, sang a new song, saying that he was worthy to be consecrated with such honor, who was slain for the salvation of all; who also conferred priesthood generally and promised the kingdoms of heaven to the faithful. The lyres, moreover, signify the integrity of faith and the concord of works; the bowls full of odors, as has been said, the prayers and supplications of the righteous.

11.—V, 11. And I saw, and I heard as it were the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the rest. He also heard the voices of thousands upon thousands of angels, proclaiming the praises of the Lord Christ: that he is worthy to receive glory, power, and riches and honor, namely from the Father, because he suffered; to whom every creature should render devoted obedience. To these the four living creatures answered, Let it be done; and the twenty-four elders, granting them a seat together, fell upon their faces and worshiped. Then, when the book had been received and the Lamb opened the first seal, a white horse was seen, which indicates a most pure life; and the one sitting upon it held a bow, so that by his piercing word he might overcome all adversities. When he had opened the second seal, a red horse was shown, which bore the image of the Lord's shed blood; and to the one sitting upon it was given a great sword, so that he might take away the peace of those subject to him from the earth with great terror, and destroy those opposing him by mutual strife. When the third seal was opened, a black horse went forth, showing, as we think, the power of dominion over the wicked, since the one sitting on it had a balance in his hand, because such are undoubtedly to be judged; to whom the four living creatures said that the wheat and the barley should come to the value of a denarius, but that the oil and the wine should not be harmed.

When the fourth seal was opened, he saw under the altar of God the souls of the martyrs quickly seeking vengeance, to whom consolations of patience were given, having been commanded to wait until the number of their fellow servants should be fulfilled.

12.—VI, 12. And I saw, when he had opened the sixth seal, and behold a great earthquake was made, and the rest. But when the sixth seal was opened, he says allegorically that the earth trembled. The sun was made black, the moon grew red with a bloody eye, and the rest which were foretold to be able to happen at the end of the world. Then the praises of the multitude of angels and the assembly of the saints (that is, thousands, in which number the sum of all the blessed is concluded), holding palms and clothed in white garments, sounded forth: who washed their stoles in the blood of the Lord, and shall rejoice in his sight with everlasting felicity; nor shall they have need any further, who have been filled from the majesty of Christ the Lord.

13.—VIII, 1. And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. But when the seventh seal was removed, the angel came before the tribunal of God bearing a golden censer, in which he offers the supplications of the saints like incense to the sight of the Majesty. Then the first angel sounded the trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were cast upon the earth, so that they burned up a third part of the land. When the second angel sounded the trumpet, a burning mountain was cast into the sea; having become bloody, it destroyed a third part of the living creatures and of the ships which it seemed to contain. But when the third angel had sounded the trumpet, a great star, which is called Absentium, fell from heaven upon a third part of the rivers and of the springs; it made the waters bitterly harsh, so that those who drank from them died. When the fourth angel sounded the trumpet, it came about that a third part of the sun, the moon, and the stars grew dark, and day lost that same part together with the night. Then something like an eagle was seen, which said: Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, who will see such and so great things.

14.—IX, 1. And the fifth angel sounded the trumpet, and I saw a star fall from heaven, and the rest. When the fifth angel sounded the trumpet, the star fell into the depth of the pit, and smoke came forth from it, which darkened the air and the sun; from there came forth locusts like scorpions, and they harmed neither grass nor tree, but only those who did not have the sign of the cross on their foreheads; so that, tormented for five months, as if struck by scorpions, they groaned heavily in their pain. There is also described, with a view to the mystical power of harming, the position of the locusts, which Tychonius set forth in minute and abundant detail: he says that a terrible angel presides over them, whose name is Exterminator. When the sixth angel likewise sounded the trumpet, the four angels who were bound in the river Euphrates were released: these, terrible in horses and weapons, are reported to have killed a third of mankind, who did not repent of their deeds.

15.—X, 1. And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, and the rest. He reports that he saw another angel, most mighty, wrapped in a cloud, whose face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; and having set his right foot on the sea and his left on the land, he cried out with a loud voice: and they answered.............. that he had been warned. And the angel swore that the world would by no means be prolonged any further, but when the seventh angel begins to sound the trumpet, it will be ended: just as it is certain that the servants of God have in every way prophesied. He also, being warned, received the book from the angel, and swallowing it, it was sweet in his mouth, but in his belly it became bitter: because the law of the Lord, when it is chewed, is sweet; when it is devoured in forgetfulness, it becomes bitter. He also received a reed like a rod, by which he appeared to measure the places which the Christian people held; but to leave the other places which the unbelievers would be able to hold—these are those who at the end of the world, for three and a half years, while Antichrist reigns, will rage for the blood of the martyrs. There is also made a commemoration of Enoch and Elijah, that they will lie openly and unburied for three days, until, called suddenly, they are seen to ascend into heaven. Looking upon them, their enemies will be thrown into great terror, and will give glory to God with great admiration.

16.—XI, 15. And the seventh angel sounded the trumpet, and there were great voices in heaven, and the rest. When the seventh angel sounded the trumpet, he reports that voices of those rejoicing were made in heaven, because at long last the kingdom of God, which was being awaited, had come, and the things which had been promised were fulfilled. But concerning the mother and the Lord Jesus Christ, and concerning the devil's hostility, he touches briefly, joining past things to future things: saying that God ascended to the heavens, but that his mother was to be kept for some time in more secret places, so that he might feed her there for three and a half years; which, as Tychonius reports, is established as having been decreed for a great mystery.

17.—XII, 7. And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels, that they might fight with the dragon. He reports the war of the angel Michael with the dragon, who, hurled down, fell to the earth, so that he would no longer have a place of blessedness; which nevertheless there is no doubt happened at the beginning of the world. There followed a gradation of good things made, when the devil fell, who always envied the good who were already faithful; but he grieves heavily for earth and sea, when they received malice of such great weight. Again a commemoration is made of the mother and of the Lord Christ; that the devil, believing that he was harming the mother, sent forth from his mouth a most vast river, which was thought to swallow her up; but she, received into a most safe place, escaped the poisons of the devil's deceit.

Yet the deviser of evils does not cease to persecute those who are known to be obedient to the Lord's commands.

18.—XIII, 1. And I saw a beast rising from the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. In the figure of Antichrist a great beast is described as rising from the sea, which is formed with diverse members of wild beasts in a terrible imagining. This beast is said to be about to wage war against the saints for three and a half years [perhaps "three and a half." The Vulgate has "42 months"], and it feeds upon their blood and slaughters; and it will speak excessive blasphemies against God; at last the faithless, who will not have the gifts of the Lord, will adore it. Yet this is defined in a general sense, that whoever wishes to take another captive will himself be captive, and will receive the vicissitudes of evils in a worthy recompense: for to this extent the saints suffer evils, but presently, with the Lord granting it, they arrive at their hope.

19.—XIII, 11. And I saw another beast coming up, and it had two horns, and the rest. Another beast is described as rising from the earth in the figure of the devil, that is, of Antichrist—truly a beast that will lay waste many who are unprepared. Then Antichrist will perform many signs of miracles, so as to cause the idol, discovered by sacrilegious falsehood, to be adored with great devotion. Such a savage condition is also imposed on the human race that no one may sell to another or buy from another except the one who has been marked with the name of the beast, that is, with devotion to it. Then the beast's own number is set forth by a certain mode of calculation.

20.—XIV, 1. And I saw, and behold the Lamb standing on Mount Sion, and with him 144,000, and the rest. He says that he saw the Lord Christ standing on Mount Sion, and with him 144,000 of the blessed, who bore the names both of him and of his Father written on their foreheads. These were polluted by no lie, by no fornication of faith; yet this must be understood as applying to all the blessed. These were resounding a new song to the Lord, since it could not be sung by another; then by a wonderful sequence they are praised. He says that he saw another angel, who was evangelizing to various peoples, and that God ought to be feared by the nations, and things worthy of him.........because of his judgment.... of his coming. The second angel following said that Babylon and the faithless had alike fallen; she, filled with the wine of fornication, was sustaining with her lost ones the drunkenness of error.

The third angel also said: If anyone has worshiped the beast and its image, he falls into the wrath of the Lord and incurs it; and there is made a terrible and trembling description of their punishment.

21.—XIV, 13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me: Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, and the rest. It was commanded from heaven that he should write what was being said, declaring that those dead are blessed whose labors have ended with their life. He saw also a white cloud, upon which the Son of Man was sitting: whose various appearance is formed according to the quality of things; for he will come just as he was seen by the apostles going into heaven. He had therefore then on his head a golden crown, the most splendid dignity of his majesty; in his hand a very sharp sickle, by whose command at the end of the age the wicked generation is to be reaped. For when the angel said: The time has come to reap the harvest, which is known already to have dried up, he sent his sickle into the earth, and cut down the impious men with the greatest speed. Likewise the angel sent his sickle into the earth, and cut down his good ones without delay, as men swollen with malice: who, cast into the winepress of God's fury, were soaked with blood for a thousand six hundred stadia: which undoubtedly pertains to a mystical meaning. He also reports that he saw seven angels, having in their power seven plagues, which they will bring by the indignation of the Lord.

In the glassy sea also, mixed with fire, stood the martyrs, who by the Lord's gift won victory over the devil, and they sang a song to God with great exultation.

22.—XV, 5. And after these things I saw, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of martyrdom was opened in heaven. When the temple was opened where the martyrs were, he says that he saw seven angels bearing plagues which they were to bring upon the unbelieving people; and clothed in white garments, and girded with golden belts around their breasts, they received seven bowls in their hands, so that over the earth and in the rivers they might pour out various kinds of afflictions upon those who, despising the voice of the Lord, served idols and perversities. Then with the mouth of the saints the glory of the Lord was sung, because a worthy recompense followed.

23.—XVI, 8. And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and the things that follow. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh angel poured out the bowls which they had received; and the earth was struck with such great afflictions that a voice came forth from the Lord, saying, It is done; and immediately there were voices, and thunders, and such an earthquake as is established never to have occurred since the world began.

Then, I believe, the city of God, founded by faith in the Trinity, and Babylon received what the Divinity had long prepared to bring upon her; all powers and haughty ones withdrew from their own custom before her, when, struck and afflicted by the great hail, the faithless began to blaspheme the Lord, since such was the force of it that it could in no way be endured.

24.—XVII, 1. And there came one of the seven angels having the seven bowls, and the rest. One of the angels who had the seven bowls of plagues promises John that he will show him that harlot Babylon, who is famous throughout the whole world: then, carried in the spirit, he saw the woman sitting upon the beast, adorned with fine linen and purple and gems; in her hand was the cup of abomination and crime; and on her forehead was written: Babylon, mother of fornications and the pollution of the whole earth; and she was even cruelly drunk with the blood of the martyrs, and most full with an abundance of crimes: whence he marveled to see her so deformed in composition, whom all thought to be the mistress of the lands.

25.—XVII, 7. After these things I saw another angel. Why did you marvel? I will tell you, and the things that follow. To John, who marveled, the angel explains what that harlot is whom he had seen sitting upon the beast that had seven heads and ten horns; which some wish to understand as the city of Rome, which sits upon seven hills and holds the world in a singular dominion. Others say it was rather spoken of Babylon, ascribing it by its situation, not to hills, but to most swollen powers: which he says is to be crushed by the peoples over whom she had first seemed to rule. He also reports that the ten kings will have power over the earth: but one of them, who is called Antichrist, is to be reserved for the end of the age, who indeed prepares to arrange war against Christ, but his iniquity, with the Lord conquering, gives way.

26.—XVIII, 1. Afterward I saw another angel descending from heaven, having great power. He saw also another angel descending upon the earth, whose brightness shone throughout the whole world; who said: She has fallen, she has fallen, that most powerful Babylon, because she did not commit fornication by herself alone, but gave examples of perishing to all nations. Another voice also was sent forth, that the assembly of the faithful should quickly depart from her, lest her ruin involve the people who believed in the Lord.

But he says that double things must be repaid to Babylon, which boasted itself with the presumption of pride: then her kings and merchants grievously lament that she has perished in a moment, she who thought she alone possessed the good things of the world.

27.—XVIII, 15. The merchants also of these, who have become rich, will stand far off from her, and the rest. The words of those who grieve and reproach Babylon are still drawn out, because so suddenly she who was most powerful in riches and exalted in power has fallen; so that, casting dust upon their heads, they console themselves with tears spent on what they loved, and turning they say: Rejoice over her, you saints, whom she slaughtered with impious will: because your blood is abundantly avenged from her. After these things the angel took up a great mass and, having thrown it into the sea, said that that great Babylon would fall with such a rush; and that no further marriages would be made in that place, nor would words of those rejoicing be heard in any way: because she was capable of crimes and the pattern of all vices on every side.

28.—XIX, 1. After these things I heard, as it were, the voice of great multitudes in heaven, and the rest. After the things that were said of Babylon were fulfilled, a great rejoicing of the saints, the angels, and all the elders arose in heaven, so that those adoring the Lord with repeated voices, like resounding thunders, sang Alleluia, because he had struck down the pride of the most wicked harlot with deserved vengeance; adding a most sweet hymn, because the Lord Christ has been joined with his bride, that is, the holy Church. Then the angel said to John: Write, for these words are of God, that those who are called to the supper of the Lord are blessed. And when he wished to adore him, he was forbidden, because good angels do not wish themselves to be adored, but God. Then, with eyes lifted up, he saw the Lord Christ sitting upon a white horse; who is described with a most wondrous terror, having a garment sprinkled with blood on account of the testimony of his passion: a sharp sword proceeded from him, because his word is proved strong and most efficacious; having also, for a carnal signification, written upon his thigh: King of kings, Lord of lords.

29.—XIX, 17. And I saw one angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a great voice, saying, and the rest. The angel was heard by the flying things of heaven, that is, by holy men, saying: Come to the supper of the Lord—such as it was fitting should be invited to his banquet. And so that the comparison of the allegory already made might be preserved, he says that the flesh of diverse animals is to be eaten, as it were, of various men who are to be gathered in the Church. The devil was also seen with a great army, coming against the members of the Lord Christ to wage wars; but he was captured with his false prophet Antichrist and plunged into the pool of fire burning grievously. The rest of his companions, who followed the beast, are known to have been slaughtered by the sword of the Lord; and they provided fodder of impiety for all the birds, that is, for the saints. Then an angel descending from heaven, having seized the dragon, who is Satan, sent him bound with a chain into the abyss; and he bound him for a thousand years (which is said figuratively by synecdoche, from a part for the whole, since its end is altogether unknown, which nevertheless by the consent of the Fathers is reckoned from the nativity of the Lord), lest he should confound by free power the nations that were to believe. But at the end of the world he says that he is to be released, when many martyrs and confessors, with Antichrist coming, will spring up.

He also saw the martyrs of God, who by no means received the marks of the devil on their foreheads, calling the first resurrection that in faith by which we are reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, in which the second death has no place. But the priesthood of the faithful concerning Christ remains universally, until the appointed measure of time is fulfilled.

30.—XX, 7. And when the thousand years shall have been finished, Satan shall be loosed from his custody, and the rest. He says that after the thousand years Satan goes out from his custody, where he is now known to be bound (but this too must be understood in part for the whole, since this is known to be unknown to men), to seduce the nations that are dispersed throughout the whole world, so that they may overrun the camp of the saints with impious dominion; these the divine fire presently extinguishes, and plunges the devil, who had stirred them up, into the burning pool, where that cruel beast also with his false prophet Antichrist is reported to have been cast. He also saw a white throne, and the Lord Christ sitting upon it, who in the future resurrection restores to each one his deeds with a worthy recompense. Then, seeing a new heaven and a new earth, he also beheld Jerusalem adorned, as a bride most elegantly decked is wont to be prepared for her husband; and a voice was heard from heaven: Behold the tabernacle which is known to have been promised, where it is given to men to dwell with God; where, all sorrow of need being shut out, eternal joy is known to reign.

31.—XXI, 5. And the one sitting on the throne said: Behold, I make all things new, and the rest. He says that the Lord Christ spoke to him, that he should write down what he had seen and heard, since he himself is the Alpha and, making new things and changing things past, granting water of life to those who thirst; and whoever is faithful to him will possess his inheritance in the place of a son; but the unfaithful are to be sent into the burning pool with a stake, with sulphurous stench congealed, which is most truly called the second death. But one of the angels, who are reported to have held the seven bowls of the plagues, led John to a high mountain, and showed him Jerusalem coming down from heaven, most beautiful in the variety of its wonders, to which the most splendid gleams of gems are compared; and it is described so fully that the diverse beauty of it may be applied to the understanding of the great mystery.

32.—XXI, 19. The first foundation, jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony, and the rest. Still the wondrous beauty of that Jerusalem is described, which is said also in its foundations to have in turn the most precious gems of the saints. This city, in the number of the twelve apostles, is always open in its twelve gates; its street, paved with purest gold, shines, and that which surpasses all ornament, or every value of magnitude, is known to shine not from the light of the sun, but from its own author: where nothing is defiled.