Andreas of Caesarea — Commentary on Scripture

Revelation 21:1

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

This passage does not speak of the obliteration of creation but of its renewal into something better. For as the apostle says, “this creation will be freed from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Also the holy psalmist says, “You change them like a raiment, and they pass away.” The renewal of that which has grown old does not involve the annihilation of its substance but rather indicates the smoothing out of its agedness and its wrinkles. It is a custom among us to say concerning persons who have in some way become better or have become worse, “someone has become someone else.” And so it is indicated concerning the heaven and the earth that they have “passed away’ ’ instead of have “changed.” And this is also the same with us who have received death; we will change from a former condition to a better lot.

Revelation 21:2

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

This passage shows the renewal and transformation to a more brilliant appearance that the Jerusalem above will acquire when it comes down from the incorporeal powers above to humankind, since Christ, our God, has become the common Head of both. This city is constructed of the saints concerning whom it is written, “Holy stones are rolled upon the land,” and it has Christ as its cornerstone. It is called a “city,” since it is the dwelling place of the kingly Trinity—for [the Trinity] dwells in it and walks in it, as he promised—and it is called “bride,” since it is joined to the Lord and is united with him in the highest, inseparable conjunction. It is “adorned,” since within, as the psalm says, it has glory and youth in its manifold virtues.

Revelation 21:3

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

The saint is instructed from heaven that this is the true dwelling whose type was indicated by Moses, or rather the prefiguration of the type, since the type exists in the church of the present day.

Revelation 21:4

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

In this tent made without hands there is no weeping nor any tears, for he who supplies the joy of the eternal temple will give to all the saints the vision of inexpressible gladness. That is, it is written, “pain and sorrow and sighing have passed away.” That “the first things have passed away” signifies that the suffering of the saints and the arrogance of the wicked have ceased, for an exchange of circumstances will occur for each of these groups.

Revelation 21:5

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

These words are true, for they issue from the Truth himself and are [expressed] no longer by way of symbols. Rather, they are recognized by the realities themselves.

Revelation 21:6 · 2 passages

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

To the one who thirsts after righteousness he promises to grant the joy of the life-giving Spirit that he supplied in the Gospels to those who believed in him. It is “without payment” either because “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to the saints,” or because it is not possessed except by the good works and the goodness of him who gives it.

Christ is “the first and the end,” since he is “first” because of his divinity and “end” because of his humanity. Moreover, his providence extends from the first creation of the incorporeal creatures to the last human beings.

Revelation 21:7

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

He who conquers in the war against the invisible demons will receive these good things, becoming a son of God and reveling in the good gifts of the Father.

Revelation 21:8

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

The God who thirsts after our salvation urges us in every way, both through kindness and through anger, toward the inheritance of his blessings. He brings now before our eyes the brightness of the heavenly Jerusalem and the dark, painful wrathfulness of the fiery Gehenna, so that whether through a desire for eternal bliss or through fear of unending torment, we might, as there is opportunity, acquire that which is good together with the rest of those in need. He indicates that those who were cowards and deserters in the battle against the devil will be condemned to the second death. May we propitiate him who desires mercy and does not will the death of sinners but their conversion, and so [let us] obtain his gifts by good deeds. To these [gifts] he exhorts us, not only through the enticement of words but also through the enticement of works and sufferings. For it suffices him to encourage toward the good and to discourage from evil, and afterward either to punish or to honor those worthy of glory or punishment. He did not disdain to suffer for us lest by his own power or by his appea…

The God who thirsts after our salvation urges us in every way, both through kindness and through anger, toward the inheritance of his blessings. He brings now before our eyes the brightness of the heavenly Jerusalem and the dark, painful wrathfulness of the fiery Gehenna, so that whether through a desire for eternal bliss or through fear of unending torment, we might, as there is opportunity, acquire that which is good together with the rest of those in need. He indicates that those who were cowards and deserters in the battle against the devil will be condemned to the second death. May we propitiate him who desires mercy and does not will the death of sinners but their conversion, and so [let us] obtain his gifts by good deeds. To these [gifts] he exhorts us, not only through the enticement of words but also through the enticement of works and sufferings. For it suffices him to encourage toward the good and to discourage from evil, and afterward either to punish or to honor those worthy of glory or punishment. He did not disdain to suffer for us lest by his own power or by his appearance he might harm or disregard anything that pertains to our healing and restoration. Therefore, let us not receive the grace of God in vain, but let us render his beneficence effective by conversion and by the demonstration of good works, so that we might attain to the promised blessings in Christ himself, our God, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 21:9

And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

Through this passage it is shown that the angels not only induce the worst plagues but also act as physicians, at one time cutting and at another time applying healing medications. For he who once brought on a plague to those who deserved it, now shows to the saint the beatitude of the church. And fittingly does he call the bride the “wife” of the Lamb. For when Christ was slaughtered as a lamb, he at that time betrothed [the church] with his own blood. For just as when Adam was sleeping, the woman was formed through the taking of the rib, so also the church, formed through the shedding of blood from the side of Christ as he was sleeping voluntarily on the cross through death, was united with him who suffered for us.

Revelation 21:10

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

That he was “carried away in the Spirit” indicates that through the Spirit he was elevated in his mind from earthly things to the contemplation of heavenly realities. The image of the “great mountain” indicates the sublime and transcendent life of the saints, in which the wife of the Lamb, the Jerusalem above, will be made beautiful and glorified by God.

Revelation 21:11

Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

The radiance of the church is Christ, who here is depicted as a jasper and clear as crystal to indicate that he is unfading and life-giving and pure. He is also depicted by means of other images. For the manifold diversity of his generosity for us cannot be described merely through the illustration of one form.

Revelation 21:12

And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

Christ is the great and high wall of the church that protects those in the holy city. In the wall are twelve gates, which are his holy apostles through whom we have acquired access and entry to the Father. And these are assisted by twelve angels who are preeminent and especially close to God in their holiness. For if we believe that a protecting angel follows each one of the faithful, how much more does it follow that those ranked first among the angels [accompany] those who are the foundations of the church and are sowers of the evangelical word and serve as assistants in the preaching of the gospel? The names of the tribes of the spiritual Israel are written over the gates of the apostles, even as they were written on the shoulder strap of the physical high priest long ago. The writing of these names now testifies to the solicitude of the apostles for the faithful, just as Paul said that he had “anxiety for all the churches” and that “his heart is wide” and that he comes to all “those whom he begot through the gospel.”

Revelation 21:13

On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

The four-sided form of the gates and their threefold entries signifies the understanding of the one who worships the Trinity. This understanding is throughout the four-cornered universe, and we have received it through the life-giving cross. For the cruciform shape of the position of the gates is according to the form of the twelve oxen that bore the Sea erected by Solomon. These oxen signify the threefold grouping of the apostles by fours, the herald of the Holy Trinity and the extension of the four Gospels into the four corners of the earth. Through this is symbolized the spiritual sea of baptism that cleanses the world from its sins and that was instituted by the spiritual Solomon.

Revelation 21:14

And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The foundations of the wall are the blessed apostles, upon whom the church of Christ has been established. Their names have been inscribed upon them, as upon a public placard, for the easy instruction of those who read them.

Revelation 21:15

And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

The “golden measuring rod” indicates the excellence of the angel who measures, whom he saw in the form of a man. It indicates as well the excellence of the city that is being measured, whose wall we have interpreted to be Christ. The city is measured not by people but by an angel because of the purity and wisdom of its transcendent nature, to whom, as is probable, the greatness or the comely dignity of the city above is known. However, in this passage we think that the “wall” is suggestive of the divine covering and shelter by which the saints will be protected.

Revelation 21:16

And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

The city is foursquare because of its stability and solidity. That which is of equal length in its depth and breadth and height is called by some a cube, and it suggests stability. The twelve thousand stadia that the city measures perhaps signify the size of the city, for, as David says, its inhabitants “shall be multiplied beyond the sand.” Or perhaps they are mentioned because of the number of the apostles through whom the city was established. The number seven, which is mystical, presents a solution through a certain line of reasoning. The thousands of stadia, which are mentioned, are equivalent to 1, miles, the thousand representing the perfection of eternal life, the seven hundred indicating the perfection of the rest, and the fourteen indicating the twofold sabbath of the soul and the body. For seven times two is fourteen.

Revelation 21:18

And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

The structure of the wall was of jasper to show the ever green and unfading life of the saints. The city is of “pure gold as though of glass” because of the clarity and brightness of its inhabitants.

Revelation 21:19-20 · 2 passages

And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

The twelve “foundations” were twelve precious stones, eight of which were worn in ancient times on the breastplate of the high priest, and four have been added to show the agreement of the new [covenant] with the old [covenant] and the superiority of the things brought to light in it. And so, the apostles are decorated with every virtue, which is made clear through the precious stones.

The sapphire stone is like the heavenly body, from which also the color azure comes, and symbolizes the blessed Paul. For he was caught up into the third heaven and drew there those who were persuaded by him, and there in the heavens he has his citizenship.