Caesarius of Arles — Commentary on Scripture

Revelation 6:8

In the pale horse we perceive evil people who never cease to incite persecutions. And these three horses are one, who came out after the white horse and against it. And they have as their rider the devil, who is death. And so, the three horses are interpreted to be war, famine, and pestilence. For in the Gospel, the Lord foretold of these things, and they have already occurred, and as the day of judgment draws nearer will occur even more.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 6:8, HOMILY 5

Revelation 6:15-17

This signifies that the whole world, among the good and the saints, is going to find refuge in the church, so that made firm under [the church’s] protection it is able to endure unto eternal life, with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 6:15, HOMILY 5

Revelation 7:9

He did not say, “After this I saw another people,” but “I saw a people,” that is, the same people that he had seen in the mystery of the 144,000, which he now sees as without number from every tribe and tongue and nation. For by believing, all nations have been engrafted into the root. In the Gospel the Lord showed forth in the [figure of the] twelve tribes the whole church both from the Jews and from the Gentiles. He said, “You will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 7:9, HOMILY 6

Revelation 7:9

By the white robes he means the gift of the Holy Spirit.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 7:9, HOMILY 6

Revelation 7:14

These are not, as some think, only martyrs, but rather the whole people in the church. For it does not say that they washed their robes in their own blood but in the blood of the Lamb, that is, in the grace of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. As it is written, “And the blood of his Son has cleansed us.”

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 7:14, HOMILY 6

Revelation 8:5

Jesus received his body, that is, the church, and he filled her with the fire of the Holy Spirit in order that the will of the Father might be fulfilled. “And there were voices and thunder and lightning and earthquakes.” All of these things are the spiritual proclamations and virtues of the church.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:5, HOMILY 6

Revelation 8:11

A third part of humankind was made like the star that fell upon it.… Many die from the waters. This can manifestly be interpreted to refer to those who are rebaptized.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:11, HOMILY 6

Revelation 9:2

[The devil] revealed his own heart, which sins without any fear or shame. “And smoke rose from the pit,” that is, from a people that covers and obscures the church, so that it is said that “the sun and air were darkened with the smoke.” It says that the sun was darkened, not that it fell to the earth. For the sins of evil and prideful persons, which are constantly being committed throughout the world, obscure the sun, that is, obscure the church and sometimes cause darkness for the saints and the righteous. For the number of the evil is so great that it is often with great difficulty that the good among them become evident.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 9:2, HOMILY 7

Revelation 9:5

There are two parts in the church, one part of those who are good and one part of those who are evil. The one part is persecuted in order that it might be corrected; the other part is given up to its own desires. A part of those who are good is handed over to humiliation that they might know the righteousness of God and might remember penance, as it is written, “It is good that you have humbled me, that I might know your righteous deeds.” [The torture like a sting of a scorpion] occurs when the devil draws near through the poison of transgressions and sins.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 9:4, HOMILY 7

Revelation 9:13

In the altar that is in the sight of God we are to understand the church. In the time of the last persecution she will despise the words and commands of that most inhumane of kings and will separate from those who have submitted to him.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 9:13, HOMILY 7

Revelation 9:18-19

[The smoke, fire, and sulphur from their mouths] are the blasphemies that proceed from their mouths against God. “Their tails are like serpents.” The leaders [of the heretics] we call “tails,” and the rulers of the world we call “heads.” It is through these that the devil does his harm, and without these he is not able to do harm. For either irreligious kings do harm by an evil exercise of authority, or worldly prelates do harm by teaching badly.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 9:18-19, HOMILY 7

Revelation 10:9-10

“It will be sweet in your mouth but bitter in your stomach.” By the mouth we are to understand the good and spiritual Christians, while by the stomach we understand the carnal and dissolute. And so it is that when the word of God is preached, it is sweet to the spiritual, but to the carnal, whose “god is the belly” as the apostle says, it seems bitter and harsh.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 10:10, HOMILY 8

Revelation 11:5

Should anyone harm the church or wish to harm her, through the prayers of her mouth he shall be consumed by a divine fire either in the present age for his correction or in the future age for his damnation.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 11:5, HOMILY 8

Revelation 12:1

[The moon under her feet] refers to the hypocrites and evil Christians which the church has under her feet.… The twelve stars are to be interpreted as the twelve apostles. That the woman is clothed in the sun signifies her hope in the resurrection. For this reason it is written, “then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”

EXPOSITION OF THE APOCALYPSE 12:1, HOMILY 9

Revelation 12:4

The tail symbolizes the evil prophets, that is, heretics who threw down to earth those stars of heaven who joined them through a repeated baptism. They are under the feet of the woman. Many believed that these are persons whom the devil made his companions since they were of the same mind as he. Many believe that these are angels who were thrown down with him when he fell.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 12:4, HOMILY 9

Revelation 12:6

We understand the wilderness to be this world where Christ feeds and leads the church unto the end. In this world the church herself tramples under foot through the help of Christ haughty and impious persons as though they were scorpions and vipers and all the power of Satan.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 12:6, HOMILY 9

Revelation 12:9

The devil, as well as every unclean spirit along with their leader, were expelled from the hearts of the saints to the earth, that is, to persons who are wise only in earthly things and have their entire hope in earthly things.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 12:9, HOMILY 9

Revelation 12:12

It says “come down” to preserve the allegory. As all are in “heaven,” that is, in the church, which is rightly called heaven, when the devil is thrown out of the saints, he “comes down” to his followers who are the “earth” because of their earthly affection. He is said to be thrown out of heaven, not so that he might come to those who have already been made heaven but because of those who have not become what they might be. For the saints cannot become heaven, unless the devil has been expelled.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 12:12, HOMILY 9

Revelation 13:1

“I saw a beast rising out of the sea,” that is, out of an evil people. That he was “rising out” means that he was coming into existence, even as the blooming flower comes forth from the root of Jesse. In the beast coming forth from the sea he signifies all impious who are the body of the devil.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 13:1, HOMILY 10

Revelation 13:2

The beast is like a leopard because of the variety of nations; he is like a bear because of his maliciousness and madness; he is like a lion because of the strength of his body and the haughtiness of his mouth. At the time of the antichrist his kingdom will be [as a leopard], for it will contain a commixture of various nations and people; it will have feet as a bear in its leaders, and its commanding authority will be as the mouth [of a lion]. “And the dragon gave him his power,” for we see how the heretics, who have the power of the devil, are powerful in this world. For just as formerly it was the pagans who devastated the church, so now it is the heretics.

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 13:2, HOMILY 10