TRV
Oecumenius
Medieval · AD 800–1500
987 passages across 19 books of the Bible · Who was this?
On Revelation
20 of 343-
Revelation 17:7
"I will tell you what the mystery of the woman and the beast is": that is, in a mystical way these things which are written to you as in a figure are revealed through the Revelation.
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Revelation 17:8
"The beast which you saw, was and is not, and is about to rise up out of the abyss," he says. For the Devil had indeed been, before the existence of the sensible world, made by God for good works, like the other glorious angels; but it is not shown in what respect the evangelist indicates concerning the things about the end of the age, in which he will go into the fire prepared for him and his angels. For to be in these things is not properly to be. Then when his activity is about to be revealed in the last days he says: "and is about to rise up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition." For through the rise of the Antichrist there will be an increase to the Devil, deceiving men and persuading them to worship him as previously said in many places. Or, think not that it was and is not so; the apostle writing to the Philippians says, "to all the saints in Christ Jesus, who are in Philippi," (Philip. 1:1) being called saints because "they are in" Christ and in a family unit relationship and remembrance of God. If then "they are" holy, the accursed Devil "is not" now, even if he was…
"The beast which you saw, was and is not, and is about to rise up out of the abyss," he says. For the Devil had indeed been, before the existence of the sensible world, made by God for good works, like the other glorious angels; but it is not shown in what respect the evangelist indicates concerning the things about the end of the age, in which he will go into the fire prepared for him and his angels. For to be in these things is not properly to be. Then when his activity is about to be revealed in the last days he says: "and is about to rise up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition."
For through the rise of the Antichrist there will be an increase to the Devil, deceiving men and persuading them to worship him as previously said in many places. Or, think not that it was and is not so; the apostle writing to the Philippians says, "to all the saints in Christ Jesus, who are in Philippi," (Philip. 1:1) being called saints because "they are in" Christ and in a family unit relationship and remembrance of God.
If then "they are" holy, the accursed Devil "is not" now, even if he was before or was cast down by the Almighty God from his proper order. Likewise the impious, even if they appear to exist so far as subsistence and essence, are not so far as to have the election and remembrance of God; and that this is so, the book of Genesis does not record the genealogies from Cain, (see Gen. 5:1-6:1) as it says that by reason of impiety they were not, but it declares their perdition in which they are about to perish. That is, the just punishment of Gehenna against him; for the Lord says concerning those condemned in it, speaking to Matthew: "But fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." (Matt. 10:28)
And he says that "those who dwell on the earth will marvel." Not all, but those "whose names" are not "in the book of life." And why will they marvel? Because the "beast was and is not" and will appear and be destroyed; for those who had trusted in him will be most astonished at the change that will come upon him. For wishing to be ruler of the world and so showing himself, he will not only be deposed from his rule, but will also receive a worthy end for his wickedness. -
Revelation 17:9
Therefore, he says, "here is the mind that has wisdom." Therefore, so says the mind that has been made wise: let the riddle be known how it "was and is not", and is about to ascend from the abyss. For even for that which departs from being into non-being, the thing that is about to ascend again from the abyss seems to be contradictory, unless someone should apprehend it in some other way, as has already been said.
"The seven heads" he says "are seven mountains, on which the woman sits." From this most clearly it is shown that what has been said refers to Rome; for it is related that she herself sits on seven mountains, and there is no other city. -
Revelation 17:10
"And" he says "there are seven kings: five have fallen, one is, another has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain a little while." Appropriately he regards the kings as the heads; for the kings are the headship of Roman dominion. What then? He said that of all those who reigned in Rome, only seven were heads of the beast; since these seven are most of all the beast, that is, the Devil, they divided his head against the Christians, having stirred up persecutions against the Church; of whom the first is Nero, the second Domitian, then Trajan, Severus, after him Decius, Valerian, Diocletian; for these among those who reigned in Rome especially persecuted the Church, as Eusebius says in his Chronicles, of whom he says five of the seven fell by death: Nero, Domitian, Trajan, Severus, Decius; and the one remaining is Valerian. The other says "he has not yet come yet", and that whenever he comes it is necessary that "he remain a little while." But another names Diocletian, after whom the reign over Rome ceased and transferred into the renowned city of the pious Constantine, Consta…
"And" he says "there are seven kings: five have fallen, one is, another has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain a little while." Appropriately he regards the kings as the heads; for the kings are the headship of Roman dominion. What then? He said that of all those who reigned in Rome, only seven were heads of the beast; since these seven are most of all the beast, that is, the Devil, they divided his head against the Christians, having stirred up persecutions against the Church; of whom the first is Nero, the second Domitian, then Trajan, Severus, after him Decius, Valerian, Diocletian; for these among those who reigned in Rome especially persecuted the Church, as Eusebius says in his Chronicles, of whom he says five of the seven fell by death: Nero, Domitian, Trajan, Severus, Decius; and the one remaining is Valerian.
The other says "he has not yet come yet", and that whenever he comes it is necessary that "he remain a little while." But another names Diocletian, after whom the reign over Rome ceased and transferred into the renowned city of the pious Constantine, Constantine himself having assumed the imperial power. And everything was reported very precisely to the evangelist, especially the matters concerning Diocletian, among which it is said also "and whenever he comes it is necessary that he remain a little while," saying "to remain" in reference to the persecution against the Christians; for although he reigned twenty years, having begun the last two with the persecution, he resigned the empire. -
Revelation 17:11
And he says that "the beast which was, and is not." And it "is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes to destruction." And he appointed the Devil first and last and a fellow counselor of the seven. For how would this one not also be a ruler who made even the seven utterly wicked?
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Revelation 17:12
"And the ten horns which you saw", he says, "are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom." Concerning these "ten kings" or "horns" the most wise prophet Daniel explained from the dominion of the Romans, saying: "they will arise in the last times, in the midst of which the Antichrist will be raised." (see Dan 7:7-12) Therefore he says they have not yet received a kingdom but will "receive authority as kings." He calls them "as kings" because of the brief and shadowy nature of their kingdom.
Then he adds that they "receive one hour" together "with the beast." He calls here the beast the Antichrist. For in the preceding passages he also called him accordingly, saying, "And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and it had two horns like a lamb." (Rev. 13:11)
The expression that they would reign "for one hour", or the brief duration of their kingdom, is an allegory, or an indication of one year's time and change. -
Revelation 17:13
He says that "they have one mind, and give their power and authority to the beast." For though the ten kings will be opposed to one another in their opinions, yet in this they will have "one mind": in giving "their power and authority to the beast", that is, to the Antichrist. For they will be defeated by him, and he alone of all will rule over the rest. But even if they are defeated contrary to their will, since the ten suffer the same fate of defeat and removal, he said they "have one mind"; therefore, he was saying that as by agreement and unanimity the ten will be defeated by the Antichrist.
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Revelation 17:14
He says these "will make war with the Lamb." For before they are completely overthrown by the Antichrist, these will persecute the church about which the book speaks. But Christ will prevail; for though they are evil, he will deliver them over to the worse Antichrist unto death. And in another way Christ will conquer: he will grant his servants endurance unto death for the faith striving toward him.
For he says they "are called and chosen and faithful", those, that is, who are servants of Christ. -
Revelation 17:15
He says "the waters" on which "the prostitute sits are peoples and nations", on which the city, that is, holds the kingdom.
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Revelation 17:16
But how will Rome be laid waste by the kings? For we understood that this was indicated through the Revelation. Perhaps to them she will be fought over as a royal city and stronghold and populous and collecting tributes. Therefore in the war concerning her she is forced to suffer as the prize of victory laid up for all, being burned and laid waste.
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Revelation 17:17
"For God", he says, "has put into their hearts to do his purpose." He says that God, granting forgiveness, will persuade those who oppose it and those willing to take it.
And he says that they will "make one mind, and to give their kingdom unto the beast." And just as from one mind they will be handed over as subjects to the Antichrist, as was said before (see his comments on Rev 17:9-14), "until", he says, "the words of God shall be fulfilled." They, he says, will become subject to the beast until the punishment against the Antichrist also comes and the things spoken by the prophets by God are brought to an end, and upon him. -
Revelation 17:18
More clearly, concerning the city about which the passage intends to signify, he brings forward that "the woman" "is the great city which has the dominion" over all.
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Revelation 18:1
He says that this one is the illuminated and enlightens the earth by his glory.
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Revelation 18:2
"Babylon," he says, "has fallen." He proclaims against her the sentence of God. He says that she is destined to suffer these things, and she became a dwelling-place of demons. For the demons hate mankind and are bloodthirsty; wherever they find places where the blood of men has been shed, whether in wars or by other deaths, they take pleasure in the occurrence and make their abodes there. And since most shall be destroyed in the city, as he said earlier, the place becomes from now a dwelling of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit and every unclean beast; for such creatures flee from company with men, and, occupying the wildernesses, preserve themselves from those who would ambush them and from the hunt of those who pursue. Such things, Isaiah the prophet likewise says concerning Babylon. He says also: "There will the sirens rest and there the demons dance; and there the one-horned centaurs will dwell and they will breed those scaly creatures in their houses." (Isa. 13:21-22)
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Revelation 18:3
For from of the fury of her fornication all the nations have been drunk. By "fornication" here he means their greed and love of money; for such is the manner of prostitutes. For those in the aforesaid city have indeed grown wealthy by all the nations, and after conquering them they ordained that they should pay tribute. And the kings say that the inhabitants of it have become partners and sharers of its love of money, and the merchants who trade there, it is said, grew rich from its wealth, that is, from its arrogance and unbridled, lavish and degenerate way of life, loading and disposing all kinds of cargo there.
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Revelation 18:4
When the divine angels seized the city of the Sodomites to execute judgment upon its inhabitants and the neighboring towns, and more precisely, as seems in the writings of the holy Cyril, when the Son of God and the Holy Spirit moved there, "since the Father judges no one" according to the Scripture, "but has given all judgment to the Son," (Jn. 5:22) the Holy Spirit being present with him, clearly and essentially as the vivifying spirit, then they say to the godly Lot: "Save yourself, preserve your own soul; do not look back nor remain anywhere in the plain; flee to the mountain, in case you be taken up with them." (Gen. 19:7)
This is also what the Revelation now teaches us: since it is not possible in so great and populous a city as Rome that there should not also be slaves of Christ in it, he says to them, "Come out of her, my people, in case you take part in her sins and lest you receive of her plagues." For to share in her sins and plagues is to share with them; for the plagues are because of them. -
Revelation 18:5
For he says her sins have reached to heaven; as if to say that they even defiled the intervening air with their sins.
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Revelation 18:6
Therefore he says that God, having been very patient, has now risen for retribution. He therefore tells her to render sins double, although through the all-wise Moses God commanded us that "one should not exact vengeance twice for the same thing." (see Deut. 32.41; Nahum 1:9) How then does he himself repay twice? Double [διπλᾶ] does not mean double in the numerical sense, but that, being loving toward mankind and good, and far less inclined to punish to the extent deserved, God considers that he has repaid twice even when he gives back a portion; and not only twice, but sevenfold. And knowing this the prophet said, "Return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach which they reproached you with, O Lord." (Ps. 78:12) From the petition for sevenfold vengeance he is asking God concerning the deserved punishment of the enemies, instead of which, he says, having been glorified and having squandered the providence of this present life, he has not fulfilled the divine will. Render to her.
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Revelation 18:7
For he says, "I will never be widowed of ruling"; for this is the widow, the one desolate of the ruler. I will see no evil.
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Revelation 18:8
Therefore, because of her loftiness, all evil will come upon her at once; for he says God is strong and will be prevented by no one from bringing judgment and punishment upon her; may it be that by the grace of the one who called us into his knowledge and hope in Christ he would make us all free; to whom be glory for the ages. Amen.