English · KJV

Nicholas of Lyra

Medieval · AD 800–1500 · 40 passages across 3 books

Commentary

21–40 of 40
Revelation 1:3

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Blessed He tells the hearers to listen to the power of the book; that is, how to get blessedness, saying: Blessed is he that reads Referring to the doctors of the Church, who hear Referring to pious students, The words of this prophesy, By keeping in mind. and keeps those things that are written in it; By enduring the future trials, and the reason is added: For the time is at hand, already passing, as if to say, the suffering is brief and the reward of blessedness is forever.

Revelation 1:4

John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

This “7” is understood as the Church established in the world. St. Gregory says in Homily 25, “Because in 7 days all time is comprehended; the number 7 is a proper figure for the whole. Grace unto you In the present life. And peace in the future, for there the humanity will be completely tamed. From Him who is That is, from the eternal God. According to Boethius in the Consolation of Philosophy, “Eternity is endless life possessed all at once in its totality and its perfection. Nevertheless, his simplicity is not apprehended by us except by a comparison to time; for we understand in terms of succession and time. For he assists at every time, even infinitely as it were; therefore, this is expressed to us through the distinctions of present, past, and future time. And from the 7 spirits That is, from all the angels who are ministers of our salvation. Who are before His throne, Prepared to follow His will.

Revelation 1:5

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness Of the glory of the Father and majesty, as is clear in the Gospel. the first begotten That is, the first among those rising from the dead, although before Him Lazarus and many others were brought back to life. Nevertheless, this was mortal life, which is more properly called death than life, as St. Gregory says in Homily 25, “The true resurrection is to immortal life to which Christ rose first. His resurrection is the cause of the resurrection of others. and the prince of the kings of the earth On account of this He said in his resurrection, “All power is given unto me in Heaven and on earth.(Matt. 28:18)” who hath loved us, and washed us That is, who alone by His love and not by our merits washed us. from our sins Original and actual sin. in his own blood The sacraments of baptism and penance, are made efficacious by His blessed passion.

Revelation 1:6

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

made us a kingdom. That is, to be written as citizens of the kingdom of Heaven.

Revelation 1:7 · 2 passages

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

they also that pierced him. That the Jews, who crucified Him by word of the soldiers by hand and Pilate by judging.

even so. Amen. this is the adverb of affirmation in Latin and similarly Amen in Hebrew, and by means of this double affirmation it is implied that truth is not retractable.

Revelation 5:1

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

in the right hand. The operative power of God is called metaphorically called His right hand.

Revelation 5:2 · 2 passages

And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

a strong angel. This seems to have been Gabrial who is interpreted as God’s might.

who is worthy to open the book. That is, to reveal the mystery of God. and to loose the seals: That is, to show how each seal proceeds from the divine will.

Revelation 5:3

And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

And no man was able, neither in heaven: The angels. nor on earth: Humans. nor under the earth: The demons in whom the natural things remain intact. to open the book: No one can understand the divine mysteries, unless God, who first revealed them to the human Christ and Christ to John, reveals them.

Revelation 5:4

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

In this weeping John indicates the desire to know the future course of the Church.

Revelation 5:5 · 2 passages

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David. That is, descending from the root of David according to the flesh, as it was prophesied in Is. 11, “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

one of the ancients. Who this elder was is not said. Some say that he was Matthew, the evangelist.

Revelation 20:3

And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

he must be loosed for a little while. This they (Peter Auriol and Alexander Minorita) explain with regards to the time of the Antichrist when the power of the Devil will be released to deceive the nations.

Revelation 20:5

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

until the thousand years were finished. That is, the time of Christ; for they will rise with others at the end of the world to be punished simultaneously in body and spirit.

Revelation 20:6

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Supply the life of glory for their souls, which glorifies life is called the first resurrection. Indeed the second will be when they will rise in glorious bodies. Because these have salvation that they already posses in their souls and afterwards they will have this bodily;

Revelation 20:7 · 2 passages

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

By Gog, which means ‘roof.’ Antichrist is understood, who will be the dwelling place of the Devil. By Magog, which means ‘from the roof,’ those who follow Antichrist are understood, as has been said more fully in Ez. 39.

the four quarters of the earth. that is, from all parts of the earth.

Revelation 20:8

And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

the beloved city. That is Jerusalem, which will be inhabited at that time by Christians, as was said in Ez. 39.

Revelation 20:9

And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

the beast. That is, those living in a bestial fashion.

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