Alcuin of York — Commentary on Scripture

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

After these things the sixth angel also sounded the trumpet: and I heard the voice of one of the horns of the golden altar, which is before the eyes of God, saying to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet: Loose the four angels, who are bound in the great river Euphrates. The altar is the Church, and it is golden because it is illuminated by heavenly wisdom. Note also that the altar is before the eyes of God because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just. [Ps. 33:16] The horns of the altar are holy preachers, and by this one horn we understand the leader of preachers, that is Christ. He tells the sixth angel sounding the trumpet, that is, he proclaims to the Church, to loose the four angels, because he has granted it the power to bind and loose in heaven and on earth, according to this: Whatsoever thou shalt bind, etc. [Matt. 16:19] In the four angels we recognize the entire body of the reprobates, which consists of evil spirits and wicked men, of course separate in nature, but united in iniquity. Indeed the number four is frequently used to signify totality, whence it is said that in…

After these things the sixth angel also sounded the trumpet: and I heard the voice of one of the horns of the golden altar, which is before the eyes of God, saying to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet: Loose the four angels, who are bound in the great river Euphrates. The altar is the Church, and it is golden because it is illuminated by heavenly wisdom. Note also that the altar is before the eyes of God because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just. [Ps. 33:16] The horns of the altar are holy preachers, and by this one horn we understand the leader of preachers, that is Christ. He tells the sixth angel sounding the trumpet, that is, he proclaims to the Church, to loose the four angels, because he has granted it the power to bind and loose in heaven and on earth, according to this: Whatsoever thou shalt bind, etc. [Matt. 16:19] In the four angels we recognize the entire body of the reprobates, which consists of evil spirits and wicked men, of course separate in nature, but united in iniquity. Indeed the number four is frequently used to signify totality, whence it is said that in the end of the world the elect will be taken from the four winds of the sky by angels. [Matt. 24:31 and Mark 13:27] By the Euphrates, which is often mentioned with a negative meaning, is represented the worldly kingdom’s power, hostile to Christ and the Church; and the old enemy is said to be bound in this power with his body because he is not permitted to do as much harm as he wants. So let us take Loose the four angels who are bound in the great river Euphrates as if the Church were told, “Loose both men in angels, and angels in men, and bear in mind how much you ought to endure the hardships of persecution with equanimity, since your enemies are not able to inflict them on you except by your own judgment, which is in your Head, which proclaims for you and in you, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.” [Matt. 28:18]

Revelation 9:15

And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year: for to kill the third part of men. The loosing of these angels represents the beginning of the last persecution. He says prepared, because the Devil is always waiting for the good's failure. By an hour, a day, a month, and a year we understand by metalepsis four times, namely three years and six months, during which that persecution will rage. The third part of men of which it is said that it will be killed consists of superiors and inferiors, that is of persuaders and persuaded, because the dead will kill the dead.

Revelation 9:16

And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

And the number of the army of horsemen was twenty thousand times ten thousand. I heard the number of them. This number refers specifically to preachers of errors, but in such a way that the seduced people are also understood in the seducers. We see that this number coming against the number of the elect is both double and multiplied by two thousand; for it is said about the elect, The chariot of God is ten thousands, [Variant of Ps. 67:18] and about these people, twenty thousand times ten thousand. It is double, then, because it consists of evil spirits and reprobate men. There remains therefore for the twofold evil to be fought against by the onefold good.

Revelation 9:17-18

And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

And thus I saw the horses in the vision: and they that sat on them, had breastplates of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone. These horses, that is preachers of errors, in whom the seduced people are also understood, have demons as riders, not to guide them, but to make them fall headlong. By the name of breastplates are symbolized the torments of the wicked, hard and impossible to get rid of with any prayer. By of hyacinth we should understand “of smoke,” for out of fire comes smoke. The very color of hyacinth also indicates this, as it has the appearance of air. And the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions. The heads of the horses are initiators of errors, who are both strong at crushing the weak and full of bad smells; whence it is rightly said after that, and from their mouths proceeded fire, and smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues was slain the third part of men, by the fire and by the smoke and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. This is because bad people's preaching prepares eternal torments for its followers, and these torments are metapho…

And thus I saw the horses in the vision: and they that sat on them, had breastplates of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone. These horses, that is preachers of errors, in whom the seduced people are also understood, have demons as riders, not to guide them, but to make them fall headlong. By the name of breastplates are symbolized the torments of the wicked, hard and impossible to get rid of with any prayer. By of hyacinth we should understand “of smoke,” for out of fire comes smoke. The very color of hyacinth also indicates this, as it has the appearance of air. And the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions. The heads of the horses are initiators of errors, who are both strong at crushing the weak and full of bad smells; whence it is rightly said after that, and from their mouths proceeded fire, and smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues was slain the third part of men, by the fire and by the smoke and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. This is because bad people's preaching prepares eternal torments for its followers, and these torments are metaphorically symbolized by this preaching, the effect being represented by the cause.

Revelation 9:19-21

For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

The power of the horses is in their mouths, and in their tails. By the mouth is represented the knowledge of teachers, and by the tail, which should be placed behind, temporal power. So their power is in their mouths and tails because their way of preaching is to persuade people of wrong things; but as they are sustained by temporal powers, they are exalted through the things that are behind. For their tails are like to serpents, and have heads: and with them they hurt. Here, inversely, wicked teachers are represented by the tails, and secular power by the heads. It is fitting to say that bad preachers are like serpents, because it is with the voice of the one whose hiss Eve was allured by that they advise bad things. Since it is with the support of powerful people that they violently bring many people to do forbidden things, it is right to say that they have heads, which, according to another translation, are called dragons' heads. Then, in order to show that the Gentiles also belong to this body, he said after that, And the rest of the men, who are not, and did not do penance from…

The power of the horses is in their mouths, and in their tails. By the mouth is represented the knowledge of teachers, and by the tail, which should be placed behind, temporal power. So their power is in their mouths and tails because their way of preaching is to persuade people of wrong things; but as they are sustained by temporal powers, they are exalted through the things that are behind. For their tails are like to serpents, and have heads: and with them they hurt. Here, inversely, wicked teachers are represented by the tails, and secular power by the heads. It is fitting to say that bad preachers are like serpents, because it is with the voice of the one whose hiss Eve was allured by that they advise bad things. Since it is with the support of powerful people that they violently bring many people to do forbidden things, it is right to say that they have heads, which, according to another translation, are called dragons' heads. Then, in order to show that the Gentiles also belong to this body, he said after that, And the rest of the men, who are not, and did not do penance from the works of their hands, that they should not adore devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: and did not do penance from their murders, nor from their fornication, nor from their thefts, as if he were saying, “People of this kind also seem to belong to the aforementioned number.” Whereas throughout the other prophecies we find a great many things that correspond to our Mediator symbolized by earthly things and few by heavenly things, in this prophecy John has quite often represented his coming by an angel. To what end, if not to show that this prophecy is richer than others? Whence it is now said:

Revelation 10:1

And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

And I heard another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. It is right for him to be called an angel, because he appeared to men as the new messenger of eternal life, about whom we read, angel of great counsel; and to be called strong, because it is demonstrated that he overcame the aerial powers when he died, whence this: the Lord mighty in battle. [Ps. 23:8] When he says another, it does not mean that he is actually talking about something different, but it is the habit of recapitulation: he saw another angel because he repeated another vision. The angel appeared clothed with a cloud because it was clothed in the flesh that the Lord was seen among men, and his descent from heaven was precisely his adoption of the flesh. And a rainbow was on his head. The head of Christ, as the apostle says, is the divinity itself. [1 Cor. 11:3] By the rainbow is symbolized the reconciliation of the world that was achieved by the plan of the Word incarnate; its mystery was explained earlier. Note also that, having described the last struggle, and passing over the seventh seal, wit…

And I heard another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. It is right for him to be called an angel, because he appeared to men as the new messenger of eternal life, about whom we read, angel of great counsel; and to be called strong, because it is demonstrated that he overcame the aerial powers when he died, whence this: the Lord mighty in battle. [Ps. 23:8] When he says another, it does not mean that he is actually talking about something different, but it is the habit of recapitulation: he saw another angel because he repeated another vision. The angel appeared clothed with a cloud because it was clothed in the flesh that the Lord was seen among men, and his descent from heaven was precisely his adoption of the flesh. And a rainbow was on his head. The head of Christ, as the apostle says, is the divinity itself. [1 Cor. 11:3] By the rainbow is symbolized the reconciliation of the world that was achieved by the plan of the Word incarnate; its mystery was explained earlier. Note also that, having described the last struggle, and passing over the seventh seal, with which both the end of the consummation and the Lord's coming are expected to take place, he comes back to the beginning of Christ's incarnation, which has just been spoken about, and describes his preaching. Once this narration is finished, he comes back to the things he had left aside for a while. Let us however remember that when he has brought this narration to its end, the end needs to be joined to the broken order; for the passage where it is said, in the following, The second woe is past, [Rev. 11:14] implicitly refers to the one where, in the end of the previous book, we spoke of the destruction of the wicked horses and Gentiles. Note also that he behaves in an unusual manner in this narration, and delimits both narrations not with one end, but with two, because he distinguishes the interrupted order and the recapitulation separately, as will become apparent a bit later. And his face was as the sun. The angel's face is Christ's incarnation, by means of which he became known to mortals, and concerning which the Psalmist says, Shew us thy face, and we shall be saved. [Ps. 79:4] This face is not compared to the sun because of its brightness, in which it is incomparably greater than the sun, but because, like the sun, it had a rising in being born, a setting in dying, and again a rising in being resurrected; whence Solomon, The sun riseth, and goeth down, etc. [Eccles. 1:5] The face may also be understood to mean the saints. And his foot as a pillar of fire. The angel's feet are the preachers, thanks to whom God's wisdom incarnate has, so to speak, walked through the whole world. It is fitting for them to be compared to a pillar and to fire because they both bear the Church's edifice, which is laid upon them, and, kindled by the Holy Spirit, set the hearts of their listeners on fire to the love of God by their preaching.

Revelation 10:2

And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,

And he had in his hand a little book open. The angel's hand is the working of our salvation, that is Christ's incarnation. The little book open is the declared grace of the New Testament. Note also that if the angel's face had not shone first, he would not be holding the little book open in his hand, because it is in his plan that the whole sum of the Scriptures was revealed. And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth. In this sentence, a distinction is shown between preachers and between times: those who are, as it were, the right foot, are the stronger ones who are neither lifted up by success nor thrown down by adversity, and say, The darkness thereof, and the light thereof are alike. [Ps. 138:12] These are set upon the sea, that is, to endure the persecutions of the wicked. As for the left foot, it is those of lesser strength: as they are sent in time of peace, it is as if they were set upon the solidity of the earth. For just as a king sends his stronger men to face the enemy, so does Christ.

Revelation 10:3-4

And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

And he cried with a loud voice as when a lion roareth. Just as the lion's cry inspires beasts with fear, so does Christ inspire beastlike men with fear by threatening through the holy preachers, according to this: The lion roareth, who will not fear? [Variant of Amos 3:8] And when he had cried, the seven thunders spoke their voices. The seven thunders signify the same thing as the lion's voice, namely the preaching of the Word, as in The voice of thy thunder in a wheel. [Ps. 76:19] Note also that the seven thunders are said to have spoken after the lion's voice because the sevenfold Spirit also taught the apostles to preach what the Lord taught, whence they are called the sons of thunder. [Mark 3:17] They spoke their voices because the holy doctrine does not receive the fables of the Jews or the rubbish of philosophers into its dogmas. However, a very complicated question arises for us in what is said after that: And I was about to write the things which the seven thunders spoke: and I heard a voice from heaven, saying: Seal up the things which the seven thunders have spoken; and wri…

And he cried with a loud voice as when a lion roareth. Just as the lion's cry inspires beasts with fear, so does Christ inspire beastlike men with fear by threatening through the holy preachers, according to this: The lion roareth, who will not fear? [Variant of Amos 3:8] And when he had cried, the seven thunders spoke their voices. The seven thunders signify the same thing as the lion's voice, namely the preaching of the Word, as in The voice of thy thunder in a wheel. [Ps. 76:19] Note also that the seven thunders are said to have spoken after the lion's voice because the sevenfold Spirit also taught the apostles to preach what the Lord taught, whence they are called the sons of thunder. [Mark 3:17] They spoke their voices because the holy doctrine does not receive the fables of the Jews or the rubbish of philosophers into its dogmas. However, a very complicated question arises for us in what is said after that: And I was about to write the things which the seven thunders spoke: and I heard a voice from heaven, saying: Seal up the things which the seven thunders have spoken; and write them not. If the holy preaching had not been written, how would it have come to us? It seems therefore that we should understand in this place only a specific kind of writing; for one should know that the reason why we shut something under seal is in order that it should not be open to all, but that it may be loosed in due time for those we trust; whereas what we write openly, we bring to the knowledge of all. Therefore we are ordered not to divulge the mysteries of God's words to everyone indiscriminately, but to supply them with measure and as though from under a seal, according to how able we see people are to receive them; and we are ordered to give milk to drink to some people, and solid food to others. [Ref. to 1 Cor. 3:1-2] The divine mysteries are also shut under a protective seal in order that they should not be disclosed to people who were not going to believe in them at all, because when they do not accept them, they start laughing at them.

Revelation 10:5-7

And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,

And the angel, whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, and he swore by him that liveth for ever and ever. When the Lord forbids swearing, what does it mean that he himself swears, if not that men are often mistaken in swearing, whereas he, who is the truth, is never mistaken? So, the angel lifting up his hand to heaven was our Redeemer carrying his humanity up to the Father's seat by his own power. His swearing by him that lives for ever and ever means that he shows that he, who is the Father's Word, and his flesh, which indicates the whole man, who consists of flesh and soul, are one person of God and the true God of man; or if it is not this, then certainly he swears by the Father because he attributes him everything. In what is said after that, who created heaven, and the things which are therein; and the earth, and the things which are in it; and the sea, and the things which are therein, he refutes the error of the heretics who are not afraid to claim that some things were made by the good prince and others by the prince of darkness. No…

And the angel, whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, and he swore by him that liveth for ever and ever. When the Lord forbids swearing, what does it mean that he himself swears, if not that men are often mistaken in swearing, whereas he, who is the truth, is never mistaken? So, the angel lifting up his hand to heaven was our Redeemer carrying his humanity up to the Father's seat by his own power. His swearing by him that lives for ever and ever means that he shows that he, who is the Father's Word, and his flesh, which indicates the whole man, who consists of flesh and soul, are one person of God and the true God of man; or if it is not this, then certainly he swears by the Father because he attributes him everything. In what is said after that, who created heaven, and the things which are therein; and the earth, and the things which are in it; and the sea, and the things which are therein, he refutes the error of the heretics who are not afraid to claim that some things were made by the good prince and others by the prince of darkness. Now let us hear what he swore: That time shall be no longer, but in the days of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound the trumpet, the mystery of God shall be finished, as he hath declared by his servants the prophets. The seventh angel and the seventh trumpet are the end of the Church's preaching, with the completion of which the second coming of the Lord is expected to take place. However, if time shall be no longer when holy preaching has come to an end, how can the Psalmist say, Their time shall be forever? [Ps. 80:16] One should know then that for the just, whom the eternity of immortality will receive, no time of changeableness will come after that; whereas the unjust, whom an eternal decline will take possession of, will be as if they were confronted with times of mutability: for, since time declines moment by moment, it is fitting for the decline of the wicked to be called by the name of time. Therefore the Psalmist affirms concerning the unjust what the Lord denies concerning the just. Finally, when he says that the mystery of God shall be finished, it is not meant in the sense of destruction, but in the sense of completion. He says that it was foretold by the prophets because nearly all their focus was on the Lord's first and second coming and the end of the world.

Revelation 10:8

And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

And the voice which I heard again speaking to me, and saying: Go, take the book from the hand of the angel who standeth upon the sea, and upon the earth. The voice that ordered him above to seal the voices of the thunders for those who would not believe them or for little people, is now inviting the holy Church, in its preachers, to the book open. This voice is understood to be a spiritual one with which God instructs the hearts of preachers so that they may understand the manifest truth of the law and the prophets, which is shut, whether in the seven thunders or in the seven seals, for those who are doomed to perish altogether. The steps with which the holy Church goes to the angel are not physical, but spiritual; they are the mental desire by which it is seen to come closer to God. Then since the voice of the angel giving this order is followed by a most ready state of mind on the saints' part, it is rightly said after that:

Revelation 10:9

And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

And I went to the angel, saying unto him, that he should give me the book. Then since the one who invites him to what he promised deceives no one, it is fittingly said after that, And he said to me: Take the book, and eat it up. To eat up the book means to store away understanding of the Scriptures in the recesses of one's heart. One should know indeed that the sacred Scripture is for us a food in its obscure passages, which cannot be swallowed down unless they are chewed by means of explanation, and a drink in its obvious passages, which we easily drink just as they are found, without explanation. This is why, although the holy preachers, in John's person, already understood that the revealed mysteries of the Scriptures were about the Lord, because they still needed explanations as to how they concerned him, it is not said about the book, “Take the book, and drink it,” but eat it up, as if it were said, “Study it as if you were chewing it, and understand it, and then swallow it down.” And it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey. The order is inver…

And I went to the angel, saying unto him, that he should give me the book. Then since the one who invites him to what he promised deceives no one, it is fittingly said after that, And he said to me: Take the book, and eat it up. To eat up the book means to store away understanding of the Scriptures in the recesses of one's heart. One should know indeed that the sacred Scripture is for us a food in its obscure passages, which cannot be swallowed down unless they are chewed by means of explanation, and a drink in its obvious passages, which we easily drink just as they are found, without explanation. This is why, although the holy preachers, in John's person, already understood that the revealed mysteries of the Scriptures were about the Lord, because they still needed explanations as to how they concerned him, it is not said about the book, “Take the book, and drink it,” but eat it up, as if it were said, “Study it as if you were chewing it, and understand it, and then swallow it down.” And it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey. The order is inverted, but it is found in the right order a little below, for there follows:

Revelation 10:10

And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

And I took the book from the hand of the angel, and ate it up: and it was in my mouth, sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. It is right for the mouth, out of which preaching emanates, to represent those who meditate on God's law day and night and say with the Psalmist, How sweet are thy words to my palate! [Ps. 118:103] On the other hand, it is right for the belly, out of which excrements come, to represent fleshly people devoted to earthly pleasures, about whom the elect say, Our belly cleaveth to the earth. [Ps. 43:25] Therefore it is as if food came down through the mouth into the belly, when knowledge of the Scriptures comes through the Church's preachers even to those who live in a fleshly manner. This is why the book, which is sweet in the mouth, becomes bitter in the belly; for what can be more bitter to them than what the Lord commands, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor anything that is his? [Deut. 5:21] Alternatively, the book is sweet in the mouth when eternal joys are promised in it to readers, like The just shall shine as the sun; [Ma…

And I took the book from the hand of the angel, and ate it up: and it was in my mouth, sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. It is right for the mouth, out of which preaching emanates, to represent those who meditate on God's law day and night and say with the Psalmist, How sweet are thy words to my palate! [Ps. 118:103] On the other hand, it is right for the belly, out of which excrements come, to represent fleshly people devoted to earthly pleasures, about whom the elect say, Our belly cleaveth to the earth. [Ps. 43:25] Therefore it is as if food came down through the mouth into the belly, when knowledge of the Scriptures comes through the Church's preachers even to those who live in a fleshly manner. This is why the book, which is sweet in the mouth, becomes bitter in the belly; for what can be more bitter to them than what the Lord commands, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor anything that is his? [Deut. 5:21] Alternatively, the book is sweet in the mouth when eternal joys are promised in it to readers, like The just shall shine as the sun; [Matt. 13:43] but in the belly, that is in the secret of the mind, it is bitter, since one is confronted in it with strict commandments, like Unless you become as this little child, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. [Variant of Matt. 18:3]

Revelation 10:11

And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

And he said to me: Thou must prophesy again to many peoples, and nations, and kings, and tongues. This is said to John specifically, and to preachers generally. They are ordered to prophesy, that is to preach, again, so as to proclaim again by their actions what they preach with their mouths.

Revelation 11:1

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

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod, saying: Arise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar and them that adore therein. He says this in the person of preachers in general. The reed represents metaphorically the divine preaching written by it, and it is called like unto a rod because holy preaching is not pliant but straight. The temple of God is the faithful, to whom it is said, You are the temple of the living God. [2 Cor. 6:16] The altar in the temple is the life of the religious among the people of the faithful, in whom the fire of holy devotion principally and continuously remains without declining. By them that adore therein he means in the temple and the altar, words by which they that adore therein are themselves represented. So, what does it mean to measure the temple and the altar with a reed, if not to bestow the grace of gifts through holy preaching? Which the Church certainly does in Christ, that is in its Head. Note also that he who must measure the temple of God, is told to arise, that is, to rise to high summits of virtues through the practice of work…

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod, saying: Arise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar and them that adore therein. He says this in the person of preachers in general. The reed represents metaphorically the divine preaching written by it, and it is called like unto a rod because holy preaching is not pliant but straight. The temple of God is the faithful, to whom it is said, You are the temple of the living God. [2 Cor. 6:16] The altar in the temple is the life of the religious among the people of the faithful, in whom the fire of holy devotion principally and continuously remains without declining. By them that adore therein he means in the temple and the altar, words by which they that adore therein are themselves represented. So, what does it mean to measure the temple and the altar with a reed, if not to bestow the grace of gifts through holy preaching? Which the Church certainly does in Christ, that is in its Head. Note also that he who must measure the temple of God, is told to arise, that is, to rise to high summits of virtues through the practice of work, so as to become higher than the building he is measuring.

Revelation 11:2

But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

But the court, which is without the temple, cast out, and measure it not: because it is given unto the Gentiles. He says The court which is without, cast out with the same way of speaking as when we order to cast someone out if someone knocks at the door and we do not want to let them in. What then do we understand the court to mean but the Jews, heretics and Gentiles? It is said to be given unto the Gentiles because they all pass into the number of the incredulous nations. And the holy city they shall tread under foot two and forty months. The holy city is the temple and the altar, that is the heavenly Jerusalem, which is being built like a city. What does it mean, then, for the Church of the saints to be trodden underfoot by those who are without, if not to be persecuted with words and torments? Two and forty months signify a time and times, and half a time, [Rev. 12:14] that is the time of the Antichrist, yet also the whole time of this life because of its seven ages and the seven days that constitute its cycle; for six times seven make forty-two. This is also what was signified b…

But the court, which is without the temple, cast out, and measure it not: because it is given unto the Gentiles. He says The court which is without, cast out with the same way of speaking as when we order to cast someone out if someone knocks at the door and we do not want to let them in. What then do we understand the court to mean but the Jews, heretics and Gentiles? It is said to be given unto the Gentiles because they all pass into the number of the incredulous nations. And the holy city they shall tread under foot two and forty months. The holy city is the temple and the altar, that is the heavenly Jerusalem, which is being built like a city. What does it mean, then, for the Church of the saints to be trodden underfoot by those who are without, if not to be persecuted with words and torments? Two and forty months signify a time and times, and half a time, [Rev. 12:14] that is the time of the Antichrist, yet also the whole time of this life because of its seven ages and the seven days that constitute its cycle; for six times seven make forty-two. This is also what was signified by the fact that the children of Israel entered the Land of Promise at the forty-second mansion. [Num. 33:1-49]

Revelation 11:3

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

And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. Martyr Victorinus understands the two witnesses to be Elijah and Jeremiah, for he says that we nowhere read Jeremiah's death; but others interpret it better in thinking that they are Elijah and Enoch. Let us for our part understand a genus in the species; that is, by the two witnesses let us understand the Church; and a thousand two hundred forty days are not only the cycle of the time of the Antichrist, but also that of previous times. It is appropriate for the Church to be represented by two witnesses, because of the two Testaments, the two peoples, the two commandments of love, and the two kinds of martyrdom. By sackcloth we understand confession of humility or the saints' brightness despised by the wicked.

Revelation 11:4

These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks, that stand in the sight of the Lord of the earth. The Church, whether in those two men or in all preachers in general, is represented by the olive tree because of the unction of the Holy Spirit, and by candlesticks because of the light of faith and work. While there is one olive tree and one candlestick made up of two peoples, they are called two olive trees and two candlesticks because of the two Testaments. They stand in the sight of the Lord because they stick to their Creator through inner contemplation. Hence Elijah, whom this is taken to refer to specifically, says, The Lord liveth, in whose sight I stand. [1 Kings 17:1] With another interpretation, this may refer to Elijah and Enoch specifically, who, taken away from human eyes, stick to God in secret.

Revelation 11:5

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

And if any man will hurt them, fire shall come out of their mouths, and shall devour their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, in this manner must he be slain. What is symbolized by fire but holy preaching kindled by the firebrands of the Holy Spirit? It is not surprising if preaching makes the wicked die, since the apostles says, We are the good odour of Christ unto God in them that perish, etc. [2 Cor. 2:15] Alternatively, fire coming out of the mouths of the witnesses kills their enemies because the Church strikes those who persevere in evil with the lightning of anathema. Alternatively again, we may understand by the whole a part which is burned so as to be changed for the better. So out of the Church comes a fire of brightness by which the wicked are changed for the better.

Revelation 11:6

These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy. What do we understand by heaven but the same thing as by the two witnesses, namely the holy preachers of the Church? When they shut heaven that it rain not, it is indubitably themselves that they shut. They shut themselves not so that they do not rain at all, but that they do not rain upon an earth that is thorny and very close to malediction. The limbs possess this power in the Head. And they have power over waters to turn them into blood. It is the sword of the letter, which the Church uses spiritually to pierce through the hearts of the elect to give their hearts life in the spirit, that makes this blood flow in the hearts of people who understand things wrongly. And to strike the earth with all plagues as often as they will. Every time they shut the divine mysteries to the faithful, they strike them with an incurable plague. On the other hand, every time they disclose God's mysteries to the faithful, they bring some to life, others to death. Note also that it is not said that they will have this powe…

These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy. What do we understand by heaven but the same thing as by the two witnesses, namely the holy preachers of the Church? When they shut heaven that it rain not, it is indubitably themselves that they shut. They shut themselves not so that they do not rain at all, but that they do not rain upon an earth that is thorny and very close to malediction. The limbs possess this power in the Head. And they have power over waters to turn them into blood. It is the sword of the letter, which the Church uses spiritually to pierce through the hearts of the elect to give their hearts life in the spirit, that makes this blood flow in the hearts of people who understand things wrongly. And to strike the earth with all plagues as often as they will. Every time they shut the divine mysteries to the faithful, they strike them with an incurable plague. On the other hand, every time they disclose God's mysteries to the faithful, they bring some to life, others to death. Note also that it is not said that they will have this power, but that they already have it, in order that we may understand that this is not said only about those two men but also about the present preachers.

Revelation 11:7

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast, that shall ascend out of the abyss, shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. When they shall have finished means when they shall have reached the point at which they must finish their testimony, that is the time of the Antichrist. Whence it is clear that these things are happening before the last persecution; for due to the brevity of those days, about which the Lord says, For the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened, [Matt. 24:22] the Church's testimony is presented as if it were already finished when that time has been reached. Then the beast, that is the whole body of the Devil, is said to ascend out of the abyss, because it is given permission to speak by divine judgment; for the judgments of the Lord are a great abyss, [Ps. 35:7] therefore it ascends from where the permission for it to rise comes from. If on the other hand we understand by the beast the Antichrist alone, its ascent from the abyss is its carnal birth from the very deeply wicked people of the Jews, that it from the…

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast, that shall ascend out of the abyss, shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. When they shall have finished means when they shall have reached the point at which they must finish their testimony, that is the time of the Antichrist. Whence it is clear that these things are happening before the last persecution; for due to the brevity of those days, about which the Lord says, For the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened, [Matt. 24:22] the Church's testimony is presented as if it were already finished when that time has been reached. Then the beast, that is the whole body of the Devil, is said to ascend out of the abyss, because it is given permission to speak by divine judgment; for the judgments of the Lord are a great abyss, [Ps. 35:7] therefore it ascends from where the permission for it to rise comes from. If on the other hand we understand by the beast the Antichrist alone, its ascent from the abyss is its carnal birth from the very deeply wicked people of the Jews, that it from the tribe of Dan. As for the fight, it will be both physical and spiritual. So in and shall overcome them, there is a certain part, mixed with the body of Christ, about which it is said that it can be overcome, either with threats or with flatteries. Hence the previous sentence by no means referred only to the two witnesses; for if it were the case (God forbid!) the beast would overcome them. Let us therefore understand these two as being in the part of the Church about which it is said, and kill them, that is in the elect part, which can be killed, but cannot be overcome.