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THE APOCALYPSE
OF ST JOHN
O/L•//^!

<2 8a_5'

/9/7z

MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited

LONDON • BOMBAY CALCUTTA
• • MADRAS
MELBOURNE
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
NEW YORK • BOSTON CHICAGO
•

'
DALLAS * SAN FRANCISCO

THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd.

TORONTO
 • THE
APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

. THE GREEK TEXT

WITH .

INTRODUCTION NOTES AND INDICES

BY

HENRY BARCLAY SWETE, D.D., F.B.A.,

EON. LITT.D. OXFORD AND DUBLIN HON. CD. GLASGOW
SOMETIME BEBITJS PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY
AND FELLOW OF GONVILLK AND CAIUS COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE
HON. CANON OF ELT

THIRD EDITION

MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED

ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON
1917
 COPYRIGHT

First Edition, September 1906.

Second Edition, April 1907.

Third Edition, 1909. Reprinted 191 1, 1917.
 VIRO • ADMODVM REVERENDO • •

FREDERICK) • HENRICO • CHASE • S-T-P-

EPISCOPO • ELIENSI
APVD CANTABRIGIENSES NVPER PROFESSORI NORRISIAN:
• •

OBSERVANTIAE • ERGO- AMICITIAEQVE •

STVDIA • HAEC APOCALYPTICA • QVALIACVMQVE •

DEDICO
 PEEFACE TO THE THIED EDITION.

The publication in the present year of Dr Hort's lecture-notes

upon the Apocalypse has rendered necessary a few additions both
to the introduction and to the notes of this volume.
Until my first edition had been published I was not aware that
Dr Hort had lectured upon" the subject, and the announcement
that his notes were being prepared for the press came as a further
and welcome surprise.' Their value has been justly estimated by
Dr Sanday in his preface to the work, and I need only add the
hope that all readers of the present book may be able to consult
Dr Hort's fresh and suggestive pages. In regard to the unity of
the Apocalypse I am rejoiced to find that I have the support of
his great authority. On the other hand he inclines decidedly
to the earlier date, and upon some important points of exegesis
his conclusions differ from those to which I had come. To the
latter it has been impossible to do more than refer upon the date
;

of the book I have added a postscript to the chapter of my intro-

duction which deals with that question, briefly stating the grounds
upon which I am unable to abandon the traditional view.
Besides these additions a few corrections, supplied by reviews
or received from private friends, have been made in this edition,
and the pagination has undergone some necessary changes.

H. B. S.

Cambridge,
3 Septe?nber 1908.
 - PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

An unexpected call a reissue of this book within a few-

for

months after its publication compels me to pass it through the

press again before has been reviewed by some of the chief
it

organs of English theological opinion. I have, however, received

much help in the way of coiTections and suggestions of various •

kinds both from the notices and reviews which have appeared
and from the letters of friends. Among correspondents to whom
I am indebted I would mention the Bishop of Ely, the Dean of
St Patrick's, Professor Gwynn and Professor Lawlor of Dublin,
Dr Nestle, the Rev. C. Plummer, Professor W. Emery Barnes and
Professor Burkitt, and especially Professor J. . B. Mayor, whose
stores of learning have supplied not a few fresh references and
illustrations.
In preparing for this reprint I have read both the Introduction
.

and Notes again, and have revised them freely Wherever it

seemed possible to remove an ambiguity by a verbal change;
from the judgements passed and the principles advocated in the
first edition I have seen no cause to depart. The apparatus
criticus remains unaltered, except that the readings of the Coptic
and Armenian versions have been corrected to some extent with
the help of the new editions of those versions lately published
by Mr Horner and Mr Conybeare. The references in the Index
to the Introduction and Notes have been brought into agreement
with the slightly altered paging, which, as the book has been
electrotyped, will now, I trust, be permanent.

Cambridge,
23 March 1907.
 PEEFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

Eight years ago I was permitted to finish a commentary on

the earliest of the four Gospels. As a sequel to it,I now offer a
commentary on the Revelation of St John.
The Apocalypse discloses the heavenly life of our Lord, as the
Gospels paint His life in Galilee and Jerusalem. In the Gospels,
He is seen teaching and working in His mortal flesh; in the
Apocalypse, He belongs to another and a higher order. But the
ascended life is a continuation of the life in the flesh ; the Person
is thesame yesterday and to-day, in Palestine and in Heaven.
Thus the Apocalypse carries forward the revelation of the
Gospels. It carries it, however, into a region where the methods
of the biographer and historian avail nothing. We are in the
hands of a prophet, who sees and hears things that elude
the eyes and ears of other men; the simple narrative of the
Evangelist has given place to a symbolism which represents the
struggle of the Apocalyptist tp express ideas that lie in great
part beyond the range of human thought. Yet the
which life

St John reveals is not less real than that which is depicted by

St Mark, nor are its activities less amazing. No miracles meet
us here, but we are in the presence of spiritual processes which
are more wonderful than the healing of the sick or the raising
of the dead: a supervision of all the Churches, which surpasses
the powers of any earthly pastor an ordering of nature and life,
;

which bears witness to the investment of the risen Lord with all
authority in heaven and on earth a perfect knowledge of men, and
;

a prescience which reads the issues of history. The revelation of

the Lord's heavenly life becomes, as we proceed, a revelation of
the things which are and the things which shall come to pass
x PREFACE.

hereafter ; we see the glorified life in its bearingupon the course

of events, until the end has been attained and the whole creation
has felt its renovating power.
To comment on this great prophecy is a harder task than to
comment on a Gospel, and he who undertakes it exposes himself
to the charge of presumption. I have been led to venture upon
what I know to be dangerous ground by the conviction that
the English student needs an edition of this book which shall
endeavour to take account of the large accessions to knowledge
made in recent years, and shall be drawn upon a scale commensurate
with that of the larger commentaries on other books of the New
Testament. More especially I havehad in view the wants of the
English clergy, who, scholars at heart by early education or by the
instincts of a great tradition, are too often precluded from reaping
the fruits of research through inability to procure or want of
leisure to read a multitude of books. It is my belief, and the
belief has grown in strength as my task has proceeded, that the
Apocalypse offers to the pastors of the Church an unrivalled store
of materials for Christian teaching, if only the book is approached
with an assurance of prophetic character, chastened by a frank
its

acceptance of the light which the growth of knowledge has cast

and will continue to cast upon it.

The Apocalypse is well- worked

ground. It would not be
difficult commentary which should be simply a
tp construct a
catena of patristic and mediaeval expositions, or an attempt to
compare and group the views of later writers. Such an under-
taking would not be without interest or value, but, it lies outside
-the scope of the present work. In this commentary, as in the
commentary, on St Mark, it has been my endeavour, in the first
instance, to make an independent study of the text, turning to
the commentaries afterwards for the purpose of correcting or
supplementing my own conclusions. As a rule, the interpretations
which are offered here are those which seemed to arise out of the
writer's own words, viewed in connexion with the circumstances
under which he wrote, and the general purpose of his work,
without reference to the various schools of Apocalyptic exegesis.
There are those to whom the results will appear bizarre, and a
medley of heterogeneous elements but the syncretism, if it be such,
;
 PBEFACE.

has been reached, not by the blending of divergent views, but

through the guidance of definite principles, which are stated in
the introduction. Here it may be briefly explained that I have
sought to place each passage in the light of the conditions under
which the book was composed, and to interpret accordingly not ;

forgetting, however, the power inherent in all true 'prophecy of

fulfilling itself in circumstances remote from those which called it

forth.

But, with this reservation, I have gladly used the labours of

predecessors in the field, especially the pregnant remarks of the
patristic writers. Of modern commentators, Bousset has helped
me most, and though I differ profoundly from his general attitude
towards the book, and from not a few of his interpretations,
I gladly acknowledge that I. have greatly benefited by the stores of
knowledge with which his book abounds. The Jewish Apocalypses
edited by Professor Charles, and other apocalyptic writings, Jewish
and Christian, have been always at. my side. For geographical
and archaeological details I am deeply indebted to the works of
Professor "W. M. Ramsay, the article on Asia Minor by Dr Johannes
Weiss in Hauck's recast of Herzog's RealencyMopadie, and the
admirable monograph on Proconsular Asia contributed by Monsieur
Victor Chapot to the Bibliotheque de l'£col& des Hautes iZtudes.
During my preparations for the press, I have been unable
to make a personal use of the University Library and though ;

my difficulty has been partly overcome in the past year through

the kindness of the Syndics of the Library, the loss has been
serious, and it will be felt by readers who look for
I fear that
fulness of detailand the use. of the latest editions. From gross
inaccuracies my work has been saved, as I trust, by the ready help
of many friends. My warm thanks are due to the Rev. J. H.
Srawley, of Gonville and Caius and Selwyn Colleges, and to the
Rev. H. C. 0. Lanchester, Fellow of Pembroke College, who have
read the proofs of the introduction, text, and notes. Mr Srawley
has verified nearly all the references in the notes; the indices
and the Biblical references in the introduction have been
corrected by the care of a relative. My colleagues, Professor
Reid and Professor Ridgeway, have allo\ved me to submit
to them the proofs of portions of my book in which • had
 xii PREFACE.

occasion to enter upon ground which they have severally made

their own. To the Rev. A. S. Walpole, editor of a volume of
Latin Hymns which is shortly to appear in Cambridge Patristic
.

Texts, I owe my knowledge of the splendid stanzas which precede

the introduction.
Other debts of various kinds call for acknowledgement here.
Messrs T. and T. Clark, of Edinburgh, with the ready consent
of Professor Ramsay, have permitted me to adapt to my own use .

the map of Asia Minor which accompanies the article on Roads

. and Travel (in the New Testament) -in the supplementary volume
of Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible. The Rev. T. C. Fitzpatrick,
President of Queens' College, supplied the negative from which
the engraving of Patmos has been produced; and the specimen
of MS. 186 came from a photograph of the entire MS. kindly
taken for me by Professor Lake, of Oxford and Leyden. For
the page of coins illustrating the life and worship of pagan Asia
in the age of the Apocalypse I have to thank Dr M. R. James,
Director of' the Fitzwilliam Museum, who helped me to select
them from Colonel Leake's famous collection, and his assistant,
Mr H. A. Chapman, to whose skill the casts were due. Lastly, it
is a pleasure once again to say how much I owe to the unfailing

attention of the workmen and readers and the ready assistance of

the officials of the University Press.
I part with the work which has occupied the leisure of some
years under a keen sense of the shortcomings that are apparent
even when it is judged by the standard of my own expectations,
yet not without an assured hope that it may help some of my
fellow-students to value and understand a book which is in some
respects the crown of the New Testament canon. In letting it
go from me, I can only repeat Augustine's prayer., which stood
/ at the end of the preface to St Mark, and is even more necessary
here. Domine Deus. .quaecumqiie died in hoc libro de tuo, agnoscant
.

et tui ; si qua de meo, et Tu ignosce et tui.

. B. S. '

Cambridge,
F. of the Transfiguration, 1906.
 CONTENTS.

PAGE
Introduction :

I. Prophecy in the Apostolic Church .... xvii

II. Apocalypses, Jewish and Christian .... xxii

III. Contents and plan of the Apocalypse of John . .* '

xxxiii

-IV. Unity of the Apocalypse . ... xlvi

V. Destination "
. lv

VI. Christianity in, the Province of Asia -. lxvi

VII. Antichrist in the Province of Asia . . lxxviii

VIII. Purpose of the Apocalypse

.......... xciv
'
. . . . . .

IX. Date xcix

X. Circulation and reception cvii

XL Vocabulary, Grammar, and Style . cxx

XII. Symbolism . . cxxxi

XIII. Use of the Old Testament and of other literature . cxI

XIV. Doctrine clix

XV. Authorship - clxxiv

XVI. Text clxxxvi

XVII. Commentaries cxcvii

XVIII. History and methods of Interpretation . . . ccvii

Text and Notes .

Index of Greek "Words used in the Apocalypse . . . 315

Index to the Introduction and Notes 328

 ILLUSTKATIONS. •'

Coins of the Apocalyptic cities facing page lx

Bust op Nero . „ „ lxxsii

Statue of Domitian „ „ lxxxvi

Patmos „ „ clxxvii

Cod. Apoc. 86 (Athos, Pantocrator 44) .*,..„ „ cxcix

Map of Asia Minor in the time of- Domitian . at the end of the volume
IOHANNES APOCALYPTISTA

Caelum rotam
transit, veri
solis uidit, ibitotam
mentis figens aciem
speculator spiritalis
quasi seraphim sub alis
Dei uidit faoiem.

audiit in gyro sedis

quid psallant cum citharoedis
quater seni proceres :

de sigillo Trinitatis

nostrae nummo ciuitatis

impressit characteres.

uolat auis sine meta

quo nee uates nee propheta
euolauit altius
tarn implenda quam impleta
numquam uidit tot secreta
purus homo purius.
 ECCLESIAM TVAW, QVABSVMVS, DOMINE, BENIGNVS ILLVSTRA,
VT BEATI IOHANNIS...ILLVUINATA D0CTRIN1S AD BONA PBRVENIAT
SBMPITBRNA. PER DOMIlfUX.

CONCEDE, QVAESUMUS, OXNIPOTBNS DBVS, VT QOI...UNieENITUM

TVVX REDBMPTORBH NOSTRUM AD OAELOS ASCENDISSE CREDIMUS,
IPSr QUOQUE MENTE IN CAELESTJBVS HABITBUVS. PER EUNDEM.

BXOITAy QVAESUMUS, DOMINE, POTENTIAL TUAX ET VENT, ET

MAGNA NOmS VIRTUTB SUCCURRB, VT AUXILIUM ORATIAB TVAB
QUOD NOSTRA PECCATA PRAEPEDIVNT lNDULQBNTIA TVAB PROPITI-
ATIONIS AUCELERET. ftDI VIVIS.
 INTRODUCTION.

I.

PKOPHECY IN THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH.

i. The Christian era opened with a revival of Prophecy. In
the Maccabean age and the times that followed it the prophetic
order was believed to be dead, or in a state of suspended vitality
in matters pertaining to God men acted provisionally^ " till there
should arise a faithful prophet 1 " to interpret the Divine Will.

Whether this impression was correct or not 2 it is certain that the ,

Advent was marked by an outburst of prophetic utterance to

which the two centuries before Christ can offer no parallel.

Prophetic gifts were exercised by the priest Zacharias, by Simeon

of Jerusalem,by Hannah of the tribe of Asher 3 As for John, .

the son of Zacharias, he was not only universally accounted a

prophet, but pronounced by Christ to be " much more," since the
prophet who was the Lord's immediate forerunner had greater
honour than thqse who from a distance foresaw His coming 4 -

2. Christian prophecy begins with the Ministry of Christ.

The crowds which hung upon His lips both in Galilee and at
Jerusalem, and even the Samaritan woman who at first resented
His teaching, recognized in Him a Prophet, — perhaps a propheta
redivivus, a Jeremiah restored to life 5 . Nor did the Lord hesitate
to accept this view of His missiqn"; if it was inadequate, yet it

correctly described one side of His work. A Prophet Himself, He

came to inaugurate a new line of prophets; He undertook to
endow His new Israel with the prophetic Spirit which had been
4 Mt. xi. 9 ft., Mc.xi. 32, Lo. vii. 26 ff.
1
-i Mace, iv. 46, ix. 27, xiv. 41 ; see
-also Ps. lxxiv. 9.
5
Mt. xvi. 14, Mc. vi. 15, Jo. iv. 19,
2 SeeHainack, Mission u.Aiisbreitung, vi. 14, vii. 40, ix. 17.
6 Mo. vi. Acts
i. p. 240 f. (E. tr. i. p. 414 £.). 4, Jo. iv. 44; of. iii. 22,
3 Lo. vii. 37.
i. 07, ii. 25, 36.

-
S. R.
 PROPHECY IN THE APOSTOLIC CHUECH
the glory of the ancient people of God 1
. The Church was to
possess not only "scribes," whose task it would be to interpret
the Christian tradition, but inspired teachers, able through the
Spirit to guide believers into new fields of thought and action 2 .

3. The earliest history of the Church shews the fulfilment of

these hopes and promises. On the Day of Pentecost, in a speech

attributed to St Peter, the words of Joel are applied to the future
Israel : your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. .yea and on .

my servants and on my handmaidens in those days will I pour

forth of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy 1 . How soon a recog-
nized order of prophets arose in the Church of Jerusalem there is
no evidence to shew, but about the year 43 4* Christian prophets —
from" Jerusalem, Agabus and others, made their way to Antioch,

and shortly afterwards resident prophets ministered there in the

congregation 5 . After the conference at Jerusalem (a.d. 49) the
hands of the Antiochian prophets were strengthened by the
coming of two other prophets from the mother Church, Judas
Barsabbas and Silas 6 Seven years later, the daughters of Philip
.

the Evangelist are found exercising prophetic gifts at Caesarea;

and on the same occasion St Paul's arrest at Jerusalem is foretold

by a prophet from Judaea, one Agabus 7 probably the person ,

who had predicted the Claudian famine. His prophecy came as

no surprise to the Apostle, who had received similar warnings
from Christian prophets' in the cities through which he had
passed on his way to Palestine 8
. Prophets were to be found
everywhere in the Churches planted by St Paul.
4. From what has been said it appears that the new prophecy
began at Jerusalem, and spread from Jerusalem to Antioch, and
from Antioch to Asia Minor and Greece. The Epistles of St Paul
bear witness to its presence at Thessalonica, at Corinth, at Ephesus,

.
1
Lo. 49, Jo. xvi. 12 (Hastings, D.B.

.
xi. ff. i. p. 415 ft.).
2
Mt. xiii. 52, xxiii. 34, Lo. xi. 49. 6
Acts xi. 27, xiii. 1 f.
8 Acts ii. 17 f.(Joelii. 28 f.). On the 6 <Acts xv. 22; cf. ib. 32
probability that the Petrine speeohes oWes.
in the Aots substantially represent
St Peter's words see Bp Ohaee, Credi-
Ulity of the Acts, p. 1 1 7 fl.
i I follow Mr Turner's chronology
8
' Acts xxi. 10
Acta xx. 23
£f.

Cf. xxi. 4.
»
 PROPHECY IN THE APOSTOLIC CHUECH xix

and at Rome 1 ; and probably also in the Churches of South

Galatia, at Lystra and Iconium z . To Rome as to Antioch the
prophets may have come from Jerusalem ; in the other Churches
named above, prophecy was one of the fruits of St Paul's preaching.
We are able to note the impression which the gift produced upon
the Gentile converts. At Thessalonica there was a disposition to
think light of it, and even at Corinth it was valued less highly
than the gift of tongues. St Paul, while admitting the need
of discrimination between the prophet and the pretender, or
between worthy utterances and unworthy 3 , insists that the true
prophet was, after the apostle, the greatest of the gifts bestowed
upon the Church by the ascended Christ 4
. The prophet's mission
was to build up the Church which the apostle had founded; to
edify, exhort, console believers 6 ; to convict unbelievers, laying
and assuring them of the Divine
bare the secrets of their hearts
Presence in the Christian brotherhood 6 The ideal prophet knew .

all mysteries and all knowledge 7 Yet prophecy was

. liable to abuse,

and its exercise needed to be carefully regulated. At Corinth,

where, when St Paul wrote his first Epistle (probably in 55),
a strong tide of prophetic power had set in, it was necessary to
enact that not more than two or three prophets should speak at
the same meeting of the Church, and only one prophet at a time,
and to remind the prophets themselves that they were responsible
for the proper control of their gift ; they were not automata in
the hands of the Spirit, for the spirits of the prophets are subject to
the prophets*.
5. While the most remarkable display of prophetic powers
of which we have any detailed account occurred at. Corinth, it
was perhaps chiefly at Ephesus and in the other cities of Asia
that the prophets took root as a recognized order. The Epistle
to the Ephesians, probably an encyclical addressed to all the
Asian Churches, not merely assigns to the prophetic order the same

1 These, v. 20, Cor. 4

1 1 xii. 28, xiii. 2, Cor. xii. 28, Eph.
1 iv. 11.
xiv„ 3 ff., Eph. in. 1 ft., iv. 7 ff., Bom. 6
Cor. xiv. 3, 4.
1
xii. 6. 6 lb. 23 ff..
2 Tim. iv. 14, 2 Tim. 7
1 i. 6. 1 Cor. xiii. 2.
s Th. v. 2i, 8 1 Cor. xiv,
1 Cor. xiv. 29. Con- 32.
trast Didache n.
xx PROPHECY IN THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH
place of honour which they receive in Corinthians, but lays

repeated stress on the greatness of their work ; the local Church

had been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets;
the prophets, as well as the pastors and teachers, had been given
1
for the complete equipment of the saints for the work of service .

It is from the prophetic circles in this group of Churches that

the one great literary product of early Christian prophecy emanates.

In St Paul's time the utterances of the prophets seem to have been
exclusively oral it is in the Apocalypse of John that prophecy
;

under the New Covenant first takes a written form

2
Both in .

the prologue and in the epilogue, the work of John lays claim
to a prophetic character
3
and in the heart of the book the writer
;

represents himself as hearing a voice which warns him, Thou must

prophesy again*. Moreover, it is clear that he is not a solitary
prophet, but a member of an order which occupies a recognized
and important position in the Christian societies of Asia. His
'brother-prophets' are mentioned 5 and they appear to form the'
,

most conspicuous circle in the local Churches. The Church, as

viewed in the Apocalypse, consists of the Spirit and the Bride, the
charismatic ministry and the great body of believers. No special

place is assigned to local Church officers, whether bishops or

presbyters or deacons 6
; unless they are also prophets, .which may
often have been the case, they take rank with ordinary members
of the Church. We read of God's " servants the prophets," of
" prophets and saints," of " saints, apostles, and prophets 7 " ; but
nowhere of " the saints with the bishops and deacons 8 ," or even of
"pastors and teachers" as distinct from prophets 9 . The Apoca-
lyptist's standpoint in reference to the Christian ministry is

not quite that of St Paul ; indeed, he assigns to the apostles

1 Eph. iv. 12• (see Dean Armitage there are few predictions, in the Apooa-
Bobinson's note ad loc). lypse."
2 Exoept in the ease of prophecies 4
Apoc. x. u.
which form part of an apostolic letter, 5
Apoo. xxii. g.
or have been incorporated in the Gospels 6
For the probable meaning of the
(e.g.
8
Thess. .,. xiii.).
Cf. Apoo. i. 3, xxii. 7, 10, 18 f.
scafoely necessary to say that this claim
does not require us to expect direct pre-
dictions of future events. As Dr
Davidson has well said (0. T. Prophecy,
p. 119), "there is much prophecy, but
It ia

..
Angels of the Churches see the com-

»
.
mentary on Apoo. i. 20.
7 Apoc. x.
7, xvi. 6, xviii. 20, 24.
Phil.

Eph.
i.

iv.
1 -rots

n.
&ylois...abv *
 PROPHECY IN THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH xxi

and prophets a position even more prominent than that which they
hold in the Didache 1 . In the age of the Apocalypse, as in the
lifetime of St Paul, the Asian Churches doubtless had their
presbyters and deacons, but in the eyes of St John they were
eclipsed by the greater lustre of the charismatic orders. Such a
view of the ministry is not unnatural in a prophetic book, written
by a prominent member of the prophetic order; but that it should
have been presented frankly and without reserve to Churches so
important and well organized as those of Ephesus, Smyrna, and
Pergamum, is sufficient evidence of the high honour in which the
Christian prophet was held in Asia at that time. The prophets of
the Church have contributed but one distinctly prophetic book to
the canon of the New Testament ; but it is a monument of the great
position which they had attained before the end of the first century.

After the date of the Apocalypse the decline of the order in Asia
must have been rapid and general 2 Of pre-Montanistic prophets
.

not named in the New Testament only two names have reached us
— those of Ammia of Philadelphia and Quadratus (Eus. II. E.w. 17;
3
cf. 37 )• It is significant also that in the letters of Ignatius,
iii.

who magnifies the office of the bishop, "the prophets" are in-
variably those of the Old Testament canon (Magn. 8. 2, Philad. 5. 2,
9. 1, 2); and though Polycarp was remembered in his own Church
as an "apostolic and prophetic teacher" (mart. Polyc. 16), in his
letter to the Philippians he associates the Apostles with the old

';
prophets, and not, as St Paul had done, with those of the New
Testament (Phil.

.
6. 3
.). The Montanistic movement
to a reaction in favour of the prophets, which was at its
testifies
strongest in Asia, but extended as far,west as Gaul; cf. Iren. ii.
32, v. 6. 3. But the "new prophecy" produced no important
literary work, for the 'catholic' Epistle of Themison (Eus. E. v. .
18) does not appear to have had a prophetic character.

§ 1 5 vfitp yap
\eiTovpyiav
Yet the
\•
1 The Didache shews some recovery

in the position of the local officers ; cf.

ixepiSijre which
immediately follows proves that there
were still those who held the prophet in
. gence of the monarchical episcopate ; a
decay of spiritual power in the prophetic
order itself, and the seemingly not un-
common
the Catholic Church was slow to abandon
her hold on the gift ; cf.
Yet

Apollinarius
ap. Bus. H. E. v. 17 Setv yap etvai
the highest esteem, to the disparage-
ment of the Church-officer. And the •
, reKelas
iv
i

2 It may
tlaiv o£ apxiepeis .
Di'<iacfeeitself(§i3)saysof theprophets:
yap
have been due to the con-
p. 123.
3 On
and see Harnack, T. u. U.

these see Zahn, Forschungen

ii. ,

currence of several causes, such as vi. 1Harnack, Chronologiei., p. 320ft.

;

persecution,- which would fall on the Harnack places both under Hadrian,
prophets with special severity ; the emer-
 .
APOCALYPSES, JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN.

is
1.

mysteries.
If the book which

The ,
a prophecy,' a Divine message communicated by a
'

the prophetic order, it is

title
John addresses

also

have found a place at the end of an early copy of the book, or

on a label attached to the roll 1 ;
or

in
to the Churches of Asia

an 'apocalypse,' a revelation of Divine

any case it
',
member

seems to have
may
of

been familiar before the end of the second century 2

not material, since the author in the
describes
by God
an angel to John
it as an
to Jesus Christ,
, first

and by Christ through the ministry of

for transmission to the Churches.
. The
words of his book
a revelation made
point

The word
is

'
apocalypse ' does not appear again in the book, but its position

in the forefront of the prologue doubtless suggested the ancient

title, and justifies our use of it.
2. The history of the verb and its derivative
•\<; is sufficiently discussed in the commentary 3 'Revela- .

tion '
is the converse of concealment 4 the process of casting aside ,

the veil that hides a mystery. St Paul uses the noun in reference
both to the gift of spiritual vision and to
'. -
its results ; the gift is a

-
See Grardthausen, Gviech. Palaeo-
grapltie, p. 53

!
Thompson,- Greek and
6
, and its exercise

-. /.
is an

Eph. / The

,
> iii. 3

. (
Latin Palaeography, p. 57 f ; Kenyon,
Pal. of Greek papyri, p. 22.
2 Seecc. ix, x.
4 See e.g. Mt. xi.

-
25
3 Seep.

Rom.
1. _

xvi. 25
.

«
Eph.
1
i. 17.
Cor. xiv. 6, 26,-2 Cor.xii. 1 (where
are coupled with
7> the verb is similarly used in 1 Cor.
xiv. 30.
),
 APOCALYPSES, JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN xxiii

gift of revelation took its place as an instrument of edification by

the side of the gift of prophecy ; it was in fact a particular
manifestation of the prophetic Spirit, in which the spirit of the
prophet seemed to be carried up into a higher sphere, endowed
forthe time with new powers of vision, and enabled to. hear words
which cpuld not be reproduced in the terms of human thought,
or could be reproduced only through the medium of symbolical
imagery 1 . While the prophets normally dealt with human life

in its relation to God, reading and interpreting the thoughts of

men, and thus convicting, exhorting, or consoling them according
to their several needs, he, who 'had an apocalypse' strove to
express his personal realization of the unseen or of the distant
future.

3. The '
apocalypses ' which in St Paul's day might be
heard at times in the Christian assemblies were unpremedi-
tated utterances, flashes of light which suddenly illumined the
consciousness of the men who spoke, and as suddenly vanished 2 .

Of these revelations no trace remains, nor were they ever, so far

as we know, committed to writing. The Revelation of John is the
only written apocalypse, as it is the onjy prophetic book of the
Apostolic age. Yet it was not by any means the earliest literary
product of the apocalyptic movement. A written apocalypse was
no novelty. in Jewish pre-Christian literature; there are examples
of this class of writing within the canon of the Old Testament,
and besides these, eight or nine extant apocalyptic works may
be enumerated which are wholly or in part of Jewish provenance.

.
1 1 Cor. xii. 4

was however no ordinary occasion;

j /. -
els rhv
This
cf.
which were heard in Montanist assem-
Mies at Carthage in his own day ; de
anima a " nam quia spiritalia charismata

.
J).'7 The agnoscimus, post Ioannem quoque pro-
.
\,,
anti-Montanist writer in Kus.
v. 1 7contends

doctrine :
4v
E.

which agrees with St Paul's

Such an apocalypse, how-

•
(
phetiam meruimus consequi. est hodie
soror apud nos revelationum charismata
sortita, quae in ecclesia inter dominica
solemnia per ecsta'sin in spiritu patitur;
conversaturcumangelis,aliquandoetiam
ever, as that of John implies a state of cumDomino,etvidetetauditsacramenta
'ecstasy' at the time when it occurred etquorundamcordadinoscit,"etc. The
(cf. e.g. i. 10 ff., iv. 1, and passim), picture may be taken, mutatis mutandis,
although the message may well have been as descriptive of the which
written afterwards. broke the order of more primitive con-
2 Tertullian
describes the revelations gregatious at Corinth in St Paul's time.
xxiv APOCALYPSES, JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN
Of these the greater number were earlier than the Apocalypse of

John a few were nearly contemporary with it.

;

Within the canon of the Old Testament apocalyptic passages

occur even in the Pentateuch (Gen. xv., xlix., Num. xxiii., xxiv.)
and historical books (i Kings xxii.) ; in the Prophets they form
a considerable element, especially in Isaiah (Isa. xiii. ff., xxiv. ff.,
lxv. f.), Ezekiel, Joel, and Zechariah ; Ezekiel's prophecy- in par-
ticular is almost wholly of an apocalyptic character'. But it is
in the Book of Daniel that the later conception of the literary
apocalypse is Thougli reckoned among the Kethu-
first realized.
bim of the Hebrew
a class in which it usually stands
Bible,
eighth, ninth, or tenth of eleven writings 2 in the Greek Old Testa- ,

ment,Daniel secured a place among the Prophets 3 doubtless because ,

the second half of the book (cc. vii. xii.) is of the nature of an —
apocalyptic prophecy 4 Judging by its place in the Hebrew canon,
and by historical and other considerations, this book seems to belong
to the interval B.C. 168 —
165, the years during which the hand of
Antiochus Epiphanes lay heavy on the Jewish people. The writer's
purpose is to strengthen the religious section of the nation under
this supreme test of their faith and loyalty. He is carried back
in the Spirit to the days of the Exile, and identifies himself with
Daniel, a Jewish captive at Babylon, who is represented as fore-
seeing in a series of great visions the course of events that
culminated in the troubles of the Maccabean age. From the
standpoint of the writer all events later' than the age of Daniel
are ex hypothesi future ; but the book is not without actual predic-
tions the author, who writes while the persecution is still going
:

on, foresees the issue with a confidence which comes from the sense
of a Divine gift.'
Next in importance to Daniel among Jewish apocalypses 5 is
the Book of Enoch", a composite work of which the several
portions are variously dated by scholars. It must suffice here to
quote an eminent German and an eminent English authority.
—
Schurer' regards cc. i. xxxvi. and cc. lxxii.— cv. as belonging to the
time of John Hyrcanus, and places the "Similitudes " (cc. xxxvii.
1
A. B. Davidson, Ezekiel, Introd. literature.''
p. xxv. : " there are three things in « The following sketch
of the non-
particular -which are characteristic of canonical apocalypses is added for the
the Book : symbolical figures, sym- sake of readers to whom this literature,
bohcal actions, and visions." much of which until recent years has
• ?°°-

«,
"both
lb. p.

f •
.
Introduction to the 0. T. in Greek,

\-,,,..
201 ff. ;
cf. Mt. xxiv. 25 ri

Driver.Baniei, In ty° d P- Ixxvii,:

t ? the symbolism and the
veiled pre-
dictions are characteristic of a species
•
,
been diffioult of access, may be almost
unk nown. Further particulars may be
found in Schurer, Geschichte des jiid.-
Volkes 3 iii., p. 181 ff [=
p. 54
iii
ff .] ; Kautzsch, Die Apokr'uphen u.
Pseudepigraphen des A Encyclo-
paedia Biblica, art. "ApooalvptioLitera-
•
,

of literature which was now beginning ture."

to spring up, and which is known com- Ed: Charles (Clarendon Press 1801I.
monly by modern writers as Apocalyptio 1 6eschichte a '
iii., p. 1Q 6 ff.
 APOCALYPSES, JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN xxv

lxxi.) at the earliest the reign of Herod the Great.

in. According
to Charles, cc. lxxxiii. —
xc. are Maccabean (b.c. 166 161), and—
cc. i.— xxxvi. pre-Maccabean, "at latest before 170 B.C. 1 ," while
cc. xxxvii. — lxxi. belong to B.C. 94 —
79, or to B.C. 70 64. —
As the
uncertainty which attends the dating of the sections indicates,
allusions to events or persons are rare in Enoch the book in all its
;

parts is visionary and eschatological, dealing with angels and spirits,

with the secrets of Nature and the mysteries of the unseen world
and its rewards and punishments; and less often and in a vague and
general way with the course of human history and its great' issues.
The apocalyptic imagery of Enoch anticipates that of the Apocalypse
of John in not a few particulars ; both books, e.g., know of the Tree
of life and the Book of life ; both represent heavenly beings as
clothed in white; in both stars fall from heaven, horses wade
through rivers of blood; the winds and the waters have, their
presiding spirits ; a fiery abyss awaits notorious sinners 2 .

The Book of the Secrets of Enoch 3 another survival of the

,

pre-Christian Enoch literature, has been recently given to the world

in an English translation by Dr Charles. According to its editor
it belongs to the half century a.d. —
50, but contains earlier
fragments which have had a Hebrew original. In this attractive
little book Enoch relates his travels into the unseen world ; in the
seventh heaven he sees the vision of God ; he receives instructions
from God, and is then sent back to the world for 30 days to teach
his children, after which he is carried back by angels into the
Divine Presence. As. in the Book of Enoch, there are anticipations
of the Johannine imagery. A
great sea is above the clouds; in
the third heaven there is a paradise stocked with fruit-trees bearing'
all manner of ripe fruits, and in the midst of it the Tree of Life.
Faces are seen shining like the sun, and eyes as lamps of fire ; there
are angels set "over seasons and years... over rivers and the sea...
over all the souls of men " " six-winged creatures overshadow all
;

the Throne... singing, Holy, Holy, Holy"; the world-week is of

seven thousand years ; Hades is a fortress whose keys are committed
to safe keeping.
The Apocalypse of Baruch 4 is probably later than the fall of
Jerusalem 5 . Like the Book of Daniel its aim is to console and
build up the Jewish people at a time of great depression. " For this
purpose the writer identifies himself with Baruch, the contemporary
of Jeremiah, who is represented as foreseeing the coming troubles,
and looking beyond them to their issue. He finds comfort in the
prospect of the Messianic reign, and speaks of its glories in terms

1 Book
of Enoch, p. 25 ff. Cf. Dr
Charles' article in Hastings' Dictionary
of the Bible and Encycl. Biblica (" Apooa-
sEd. Charles (Clarendon Press, 1896).
*Ed. Charles (A. & C. Black, 1896).
/ So Solmrer, Geschichte* iii. p. 227;
,

lyptic Literature "). Charles (Apoc. Baruch, p. vii. ) prefers

2
These coincidences are noted in the
commentary as they occur. On the
question of John's indebtedness to
Enoch see c. xiii. in this introduction.
to say that it is "a composite work
written in the latter half of the first
century."
>xxvi APOCALYPSES, JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN
(c. xxix.) which stirred the enthusiasm of Christian millenarians,
and were even attributed to our Lord 1 He foresees also the fall
.

of Rome (c. xxxix.), and the rise of a new' Jerusalem (c. iv.).
Thus
the Apocalypse of Baruch approximates to the nearly contemporary
Christian Apocalypse not merely in verbal coincidences and the use
of similar imagery, but in some important lines of thought.
The Fourth Book of Esdras* contains (ce. iii.—xiv.) a Jewish
apocalypse which is now generally recognized as a work of the
time of Domitian 3 to whose reign the Apocalypse of St John,
,

according to Irenaeus, also belongs. The Jewish portion of

4 Esdras is marked by a pessimism which contrasts strongly with
the hopefulness of the older Jewish apocalypses, and of the con-
temporary Christian apocalypse. The writer, who personates Ezra,
arranges his matter in seven visions; the first two (iii. v. 20, —
v. 21 — vi.34) deal with the general problem of evil;
the third
vision (vi. 35 —
ix. 25) depicts the Messianic reign, the judgement,
and the intermediate state; the fourth (ix. 26 x. 60) represents —
the mourning of Zion for the fallen city, and the building of a new
Jerusalem, whose glories, however, are not revealed ; in the fifth
(xi. — xii. 39) Bome, represented by an eagle, receives its sentence
from the Messiah, who appears under the form of a lion ; the sixth
(xiii. 1 — 58) shews the Messiah rising from the sea to destroy His
enemies and gather the scattered tribes of Israel ; the seventh
(xiv. 1 — 47) has to do with Ezra's personal history.
bare summary is enough to reveal the strong contrasts which,
Even this

amidst much that is similar, distinguish the Jewish from the

Christian apocalypse. .

Other Jewish books, which either in Kterary form or in their

general purpose are further removed from the Apocalypse of John,
'
can only be mentioned here. Such are the Book of Jubilees*, an
haggadic commentary on Genesis ; the Assumption of Moses', which
together with the oldest Enoch was used by the Christian writer of
the Epistle of Jude ; the Martyrdom of Isaiah, incorporated in the
;

Ascension of Isaiah (cc. ii., iii., v. 6 ); the Psalms of Solomon'', written

in the interests of the Pharisees between b.o. 70 and 40 ; the
Apocalypses of Adam, Elijah, and Zeplianiah; the Testament of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the more important Testaments of
the Twelve Patriarchs 8 , all of which have been more or less worked
over by Christian hands. More serviceable than any of the above
for illustrating St John's Apocalypse are the Sibylline Oracles 9 .

—
Of the Jewish Sibyllines Bk iii. 97 829 is assigned to the time of
Ptolemy Physcon (b.c. 145 —
117), while Bks iv. and v. are said to
1
Cf. Iren. v. 33. 6 Ed. Charles (1000).
3.
" Ed. Bensly and James in Texts and ' Ed. Byle and James (Camb. Univer-
Studies iii. 1 (Camb. University Press, sity Press, 1891).
8 An account of these
i8p5). works with
J Eor the grounds of this conclusion bibliographical materials is given in
see Schfirer, Geschichte 3 iii., p. 24 1 if., line. Biblica, s.w. Apooalyptic litera-
and cf. Mr Thackeray's art. Second ture,Apoorypha.
Book of Esdras in Hastings' D. B. " Ed. A. Rzach (Vienna, 1891);
4 Ed. Charles (A. & C. Black, 1902). Geffcken (Leipzig, 1002).
5 Ed. Charles (1897).
 APOCALYPSES, JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN xxvii

belong severally to the reigns of Domitian and Hadrian. The

points of contact between this strange conglomerate of Jewish and
Christian oracles and the Apocalypse have been noted in the
commentary as they occur.

4. The whole of this Jewish apocalyptic literature, it will be

seen, belongs to times when prophecy in the stricter sense was
believed to be in suspense. In no single instance do the non-
canonical apocalyptists write in their own names ; their message
is delivered under the assumed personality of some one of the
saintly or inspired teachers of the past. Moreover, their attitude
differs from that of the Hebrew Prophets. The- older 'prophecy
had been concerned primarily with the moral and religious needs
of the nation it was a call to repentance and to faith in God.
;

The prophet of the canon had been the authorized interpreter of

the Divine Mind to a theocratic people if he had foretold the
;

•future, it was "the prediction of, dissatisfaction, the prediction of

hope, of anticipation, of awakened thoughts, of human possibility

and Divine nearness 1 ," rather than 'a formal announcement of
coming events. To this role the apocalyptists did not wholly
succeed. With the Greek conquests a new order began which
was unfavourable to prophecy of the older type. Relief from the
pressure of heathen domination or from the distasteful presence of
heathen surroundings was henceforth sought in efforts to pierce

the veil of the future, and to discover behind

. it the coming
triumphs of the righteous. The Pharisaic movement offered
salvation to the Jewish race partly in the way of an exact
observance of the Law, partly by opening wider hopes to those
who obeyed, and painting in darker colours the doom of the
transgressor; and the earlier non -canonical apocalypses gave
literary expression to these new hopes and fears. Another cause '

contributed to the growth of apocalyptic literature. With the

coming of the Romans and the subsequent rise of the Herodian
dynasty, the political outlook changed, and a fresh impulse was
given to the expectation of a Messianic reign. In the first

.century the habits of thought which produced apocalyptic writing

1 Davidson, . T. Prophecy, p. go.
xxviii APOCALYPSES, JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN
destruc-
were so firmly rooted in the Jewish mind that even the
tion of the City and Temple did not at once eradicate
them;
unable any longer to connect a glorious future with the Herodian

buildings, the writers of the apocalypses of Baruch and Ezra

looked for a Messiah who should crush the enemies of Israel,
restore the nation, and realize the vision of an ideal Jerusalem.
Despondent as the writer of the Ezra-apocalypse manifestly' is,
he does not formally relinquish the national hope, though in
his case it is indefinitely deferred.

5. The first Christian apocalypse came on the crest of this

long wave" of apocalyptic effort. Compositions more or less similar

both in form and in substance to the work of St John had been
in circulation among Palestinian and Alexandrian Jews for two
centuries and a half before he took up his pen to write the
"Revelation of Jesus Christ." It may be claimed for St Paul that
he created the Epistle, as we find it in the New Testament and
1
;

the "memoirs of the Apostles," which from Justin's time have been
known as "Gospels," have no exact literary parallel in pre-Christian

literature. This cannot be said of the writer of the New Testament

Apocalypse; he had models to follow, and to some extent he
followed them. The apocalyptic portions of Ezekiel, Zechariah,
and Daniel are continually present to his mind and though it is ;

less certain that he made use of Enoch or any other post-canonical

apocalypse 2 he could scarcely have been ignorant of their existence

,

and general character. But while it cannot be claimed that the

author of the Apocalypse originated a type of literature, he is far

from being a mere imitator of previous apocalyptic writing. The

Apocalypse of John is in many ways a new departure. (1) The
Jewish apocalypses are without exception pseudepigraphic ; the
3
Christian apocalypse bears the author's name . This abandon-
ment of a long-established tradition is significant ; by it John
claims for himself the position of a prophet who, conscious that he
draws his inspiration from Christ or His angel and not at second
hand, has no need to seek shelter under the name of a Biblical

1
See Bamsay, Letters to the Seven 2 See c. xiii.
Churches, p. 24 f. 3 See c. xv.
 APOCALYPSES, JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN xxix

saint. (2) How hard' it is to determine the date and provenance

of Jewish apocalypses is clear from the wide differences which
divide the best scholars on these points. The fictitious names
under which they pose suggest dates which are no less fictitious,
and any evidence which these books can be made to yield as to
the conditions under which they were written, is wrung from
them, as it were, against the will of their authors. The Apoca-
lypse of John, on the contrary, makes no secret of its origin and
destination ; it is the work of a Christian undergoing exile in one
of the islands of the Aegean ; and it is addressed to the Christian
congregations in seven of the chief cities, of the adjacent conti-
nent, under circumstances which practically determine its date.

(3) But it is not only in regard to his abandonment of pseudo-

nymity and in matters of literary form that our Apocalyptist differs

from his Jewish predecessors ; the cleavage goes deeper. What-

ever view may be taken of his indebtedness to Jewish sources,
there can be no doubt that he has produced a book which, taken
as a whole, is profoundly Christian, and widely removed from the
field in which Jewish apocalyptic occupied itself. The narrow
sphere of Jewish national hopes has been exchanged for the life

and aims of a society whose field is the world and whose goal is

the conquest of the human race. The Jewish Messiah, an un-

certain and unrealized idea, has given place to the historical,
personal Christ, and the Christ of the Christian apocalypse is
already victorious, ascended, and glorified. The faith and the
hope of the Church had diverted apocalyptic thought into new
channels and provided it with ends worthy of its pursuit. The
tone of St John's book presents a contrast to the Jewish apocalypses
which is not less marked. It breathes a religious spirit which is

not that of its predecessors ; it is marked with the sign of the

Cross, the note of patient suffering, unabashed faith, tender love
of the brethren, hatred of evil, invincible hope; and, notwith-
standing the strange forms which from time to time are seen to
move across the stage, the book as a whole is pervaded by a sense
of stern reality and a solemn purpose which forbid the approach
of levity. The Apocalypse of John is differentiated from the
xxx APOCALYPSES, JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN
Apocalypse of Baruch or of Ezra just as the Book of Daniel is
differentiated from the Book of Enoch. However the fact may
be explained, the two canonical apocalypses possess the notes of
insight and foresight which suggest inspiration; the attentive
reader becomes conscious of something in them both which is
better than the unchastened imaginings of the mere mystic who
conceives himself to possess a key to the secrets of life. In the
Apocalypse of John the presence of the Spirit of revelation is un-
mistakably felt, and the Christian student may be pardoned if he
recognizes in this book a fulfilment of the promise of a Paraclete
who shall declare... the ,thiivgs that are to come. ,

6. If it were asked with what subjects a Christian apoca-

lyptist, writing towards the .close of the Apostolic age, might be
expected to occupy himself, it is not difficult to conjecture the
answer. As the first century advanced, two topics filled the field

of Christian thought when it turned its gaze on the unseen and

the future. Behind the veil of phenomena the human life of
Jesus Christ was believed to be enshrined in the glory of God.
To reveal this hidden life, to represent to the imagination the

splendour of the Divine Presence in which it exists, to translate

into human words or symbols the worship of Heaven, to exhibit
the ascended Christ in His relation to these unknown surround-
ings: this would be the first business of the Christian seer. But a
second great theme is inseparable from it. With the life of the
glorified Lord the life of His Body, the Church, was identified in
primitive Christian belief. In the last years of the first century
the Church, which had begun her course with the promise of a
rapid was reeling under the blows dealt her by the
success,

world. The two empires, the Kingdom of God and the World-
power, Were -already at open Avar 1 Men were asking what the
.

end would be; which of the two forces would prevail. A Christian
in those days who was conscious of possessing the spirit of revela-
tion could not but endeavour to read the signs of the times and,
so far as it was given him, to disclose the course and outcome of
1 On this subject see Bp Westoott's essay on the Church and the World
{Epistles of St John).
 APOCALYPSES, JEWISH AND CHEISTIAN xxxi

the struggle which had begun between the Empire and the
Church.
On some such lines we might have sought to reconstruct the
Apocalypse of John, had only fragments of it survived, guided
by what we knew of the beliefs and hopes of the Apostolic age
and of the history of the last thirty years of the first century. As
a matter of fact, these are the lines on which the book has been
written. It is an apocalypse of the glory of the exalted Christ
it is also an apocalypse of the sufferings and the ultimate triumph
of the militant Church.

Christian apocalypses later than the Apocalypse of John were

for the most part either recensions of Jewish books, on original
works issued under Old Testament names. In a few "cases they
claim to be the work of Apostles or other 2T.T. saints. Gnosticism
produced an Anabaticon Pauli 1 , and the Revelations of Stephen
and Thomas, denounced as 'apocryphal' in the so-called Decree
of Gelasius, were also probably of Gnostic origin.
pseudepigraphon of the second century, the
One apocalyptic

seemed for a time about to find a place within the, canon by the
side of the Apocalypse of John; it is coupled with the latter in the
,
Muratorian Fragment (1. 71 sqq. " apocalypse[s] etiam Iohanis et
Petri tantum recipimus 2 , quam quidam ex nostris legi in e[c]clesia
nolunt ") ; it was quoted,' apparently as a genuine work of St Peter,
by Clement of Alexandria 3 ; it is included in the early Claromontane
list 4. But as time went on, the book found its own level. Busebius
reckons it among the spurious, or at least the doubtful books (. .
iii. 25, cf. ib. iii. 2) ; and though it retained its popularity and was

even read in some Eastern churches in the time of Sozomen (. E. vii.

1-9), in the later lists of scriptural books it is placed among the antile-
gomena or the apocrypha*. Prom the large fragment 6 of the Petrine
Apocalypse recovered in 1892 it is easy to account for the difference
of opinion which seems to have existed about the book from the
first; on the one hand it appealed strongly to the uneducated
imagination by its attempt to portray the joys of Paradise and the
torments of Gehenna, while upon the other its tone and purpose
were on a different level from those of the canonical Apocalypse.
1 Epiph. haer. xxxviii. 2. » So the list of Sixty Books and the
a Zahn Stichometry of Nicephorus (Zahn, ib.,
(Geseh. d. NTlicJien Kanons,
ii. p. 105 ff.) would read " et Petri pp. 292, 299 ff .).
iinam tdntum recipimus epistulam 6 Cf. Dr . E. James, Revelation of
fertur enini altera quam" etc. But Peter, p. 51 f.: "a fragment of sufficient
neither the emendation nor the reason length to give us a fair idea of the con-
which he gives for it. can be regarded as tents of the whole Apocalypse. As a
convincing.. fact, it does contain something like 140
3
Eus. . E. vi. 14. 1 ; cf. eel. proph. out of the original 300 lines of which
the book consisted."
41, 48 f.
4
Zahn, Gescli. ii. p. 159.
xxx ii APOCALYPSES, JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN
The fourth century has given us an Apocalypse of Paul an
1
,

attempt to report the which St Paul heard when he-

was caught up into Paradise (2 Cor. xii. 2 ff.), well characterized by

Augustine as a work the folly of which is no less conspicuous than its
presumption 2 Later still, but of more importance to the student
.
3
of the N.T. Apocalypse, is a spurious Greek Apocalypse of John ,

first mentioned in a scholion of cent. iv. The author supposes

St John to be, after the Ascension, alone on Mt Tabor, whence
he is carried up in• a bright cloud to the door of Heaven.
Several of the features of the story are obviously borrowed from
the canonical book e.g. the opened heaven (§ 2), the book with
;

seven seals (§ 3), the sending of Enoch and Elijah to expose Anti-
christ and be slain by him (§ 8) ; the Lamb with seven eyes and
seven horns who breaks the seven seals (§ 18). But the spurious
Apocalypse is chiefly occupied with eschatological speculations,
grotesque descriptions of Antichrist (§ 7), and answers to curious
questions connected with the resurrection of the body, the inter7
mediate state, the last things, and the final judgement (§ 9 fC).
An interesting apocalypse* forms the prologue of the ' Church
Order ' known as Testamentum Domini, printed by Lagarde in his
Reliquiae... syriace, and edited by Kahmani in 1899 and in an
English translation by Cooper and Maclean in 1902 ; a Latin
fragment which is " the literal equivalent of certain sections " of
this apocalypse is given by Dr James in Texts and Studies, ii. 3,
p. 151 ff. The same volume of Texts and Studies contains an
Apocalypse of Sedrach, and a late Apocalypse of the Virgin.
A study of post-canonical Christian apocalypses serves only to
accentuate the unique importance of the canonical book. Among
apocalypses of Christian origin the N.T. Apocalypse alone stands
in a real relation to the life of the age in which it was written, or
attempts to reveal the meaning and issues of the events which the
writer had witnessed or was able to foresee. The N.T. Apocalypse
alone deserves the name, or is in any true sense a 'prophecy.'
1 Edited by Tischendorf in Apoca- quam sana non recipit eoclesia, nescio
lypses Apocryphae (1866), pp. 34—69; quibus fabulis plenam stultissima prae-
an early Latin version (Visio Pauli) is sumptione finxerunt."
printed by Dr James in Texts and s Edited by Tischendorf in Apocalyp-

Studies,
2
ii. 3, pp. 11 —42.
Aug. tr. in Joann. 98 "qua ocoa-
ses Apocryphae (1866), pp. 70
— 94.
4 On this see Harnack, Chron. ii,,

sione vani quidam Apocalypsim Pauli, p. 5140*.

 III.

CONTENTS AND PLAN OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN.

I. In his treatise Tlepi Dionysius of Alexandria

"(f 265) writes as if the Apocalypse were already divided into

1
But if he refers to a formal capitulation, no other
.

trace of it remains: When preparing to comment upon the book

in the sixth century, Andreas, Archbishop of Cappadocian Caesarea,
devised a system for his own use, which he would scarcely have
done if there had been one in existence dating from the. third
century. Andreas's method is conventional and arbitrary, after
the- fashion of his age ; he breaks up the Apocalypse into 24
longer sections (), corresponding with the number of the
Elders in
chapters (),
c.,iv., and subdivides each of these
an arrangement suggested, as he
, sections into three
says, by the

.
J
threefold nature of man 2
. His 72 however, represent
fairly well the natural subdivisions of the book, and are pointed
below as exhibiting the

'
,,
earliest known analysis.

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ed. Peltoe, p. 114),

S. R.
'
.
vii.
rwis
25. (Dionys.

Cf. Gregory, prolegg.,

6 1
,
. s141.
prolegg. in coram.,

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/ovs

°
^
xxxiv

/
CONTENTS AND PLAN OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN
(iii. — 6).
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CONTENTS AND PLAN OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN xxxv

9
Tijs
— 13)•
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(xiv.
fj ] 14 — 16). '.
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17- — 20). ',
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(xvi. 8, 9)•
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(xvi. 12 — 16).
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(xxi. 5 — 8). .
(xxi. 9 — 27)• iv
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6
,
(xxii. 6).

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—
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(xxii. 7 —
(xxii.
9)•

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(xxii. 18 — 21).

, The longer sections or begin at i. 1, ii. 8, iii. 1, iv. 1, vi. 1,

vi.
xiv.

,
7, vii.

14, xvi.
xxi. 9, xxii. 8.
into
1, viii.

2, xvi.
7;

They shew
viii.

8,
12, x.
xvi.

and it may be surmised that the

1, xi. 11, xii.
17, xviii. 1, xix. 11, xx.
less discrimination than
7, xiii.

latter
11, xiv. 6,
4,
the division
was made
xx. 11,
 CONTENTS AND PLAN OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN
first, and that the Subsequent grouping into was purely
mechanical, based on the principle of trichotomy announced by its
author.

2. The Latin authorities pursue an independent course in

the matter* of capitulation. The recapitulatio which follows the
commentary of Primasius 1 divides the commentary into twenty
heads, corresponding with Apoc. i. — iii. 22, iv. 1 — 11, v. 1

vi. 2, vi. 3 — 11, vi. 12 — 17, vii. 1 — viii. 1, viii. 2 — ix. 12, ix. 13 — 21,
x. 1 — xi. 2, xi. 3 — 14, xi. 15 —xii. 17, xiii. —
1 18, xiv. 1 — 13,
xiv. 14 — xvi. 21, xvii. 1— 18, viii. —1 xix. II— 10, xix. xx. 10,
xx. 11 — xxii. 12, xxii. 13 — 15, xxii. 16 — 21 —a distribution which
shews a genuine desire to understand the plan of the book?.
Moreover, each of the books of the commentary is preceded by
a list of shorter capitula, g6 in all, which Haussleiter with much
probability regards as due to a later hand 3 as he points out, the
;

number suggests a reference to the Elders and the (96=24x4),

which is of a piece with Andreas's fancy of connecting his
with the Elders and the human trichotomy (72 = 24 3). Hauss-
leiter adds 4 a division into 48 capitula from cod. Vat. 4221,
cod. Monac. 17088 (a MS. of Haimo's commentary), and cod.

Monac. 6230 (a Vulgate MS.); the chapters -begin at i. 4, ii. 1,

8, 12, 18, iii. 1, 7, 14, iv. 1, v. 1, 6, 11, vi. 3, 9, 12, vii. 1, 9, 12,
viii. 1, 7, 12, ix. 13, x. 1, xi. 1, 12, xii. 7, 12, 13, xiii. 1, 11,
xiv. 1, 6, 13, xv. 1, xvi. 1, 12, xvii. 1, 7, xviii. 1, 21, xix. 1, 11,
xx. 1, n,xxi. 9, xxii. 1, 10. It will be observed that seventeen
of these sections start where the modern chapters do 5 Other .

systems of capitulation are found; cod. Amiatinus and cod.

Fuldensis divide the Apocalypse into 25 chapters, while there are
MSS. which give 22, 23, 24, 41, and 43".
1 Haussleiter, Die 3
lateinische Apoka- Haussleiter, pp. 184—193 ; see his
lypse der alten africanischen Kirche, remarks on pp. 193 4
•2 1 79 A- 4 Ibid.,
p.
197 ft.
Pnmasius himself thus explains the * The modern chapters
are practically
purpose of his compendium " ut totius : those of Stephen Langton (fii28) see •

libri auctoritate decursa sic omnis series von Soden, Die Schriften d.
brevi recapitulatione iterum evolvatur p. 482. But in nearly every instance'
msinuata per partes, ut omnium quisque they were anticipated in the of
librorum textus uno summatim loco Andreas.
clareat deflnitus, cum et partitionem » See Gregory, prolegg. i i6i'•'
recipit singulorum et plenitudinem vide- Textkritik, ii.., p. 879 f.
tur obtinere per totum."
 CONTENTS AND PLAN OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN xxxvii

3. In the present edition the Greek text is divided into 42

minor sections — — 9— — —
(i. 1
3, 4 8, 20, ii. 1 7, 8 11, 12—17,
18 — — 7— 14—
29, iii. 1— 6, — 13, 22, iv. 1 11, v. 1
14, vi. 1 — 17,
vii. — 9—
1 8, — — — . —
17, viii. 1 13, ix. 1 12, 13 21, 1 11, xi. 1 —
14, 15 — — —
19, —xii. 1
— 18, xiii. 1 10, 11 18, xiv. 1 5, 6 — 13,
14— 20,— —
xv. — 7—18,
1 8, xvi. 1 21, xvii. 1
6, -xviii. 1—24,
xix. — — 17—
1 10, 11 — 7— —
16, 21, xx. 1
6, io, 11 15, xxi. 1 — 8,

9— 6— 20,
xxii. 5, xxii. The following table xxii. 21). will shew
the contents of the Book as thus arranged
1 Prologue.
2. The writer's greeting to the Churches of Asia.
3. Vision of the risen and ascended Christ.
4 — 10. Messages to the Angels of the Seven Churches.
11. Vision of the Throne in Heaven.
12. The Sealed Book and the Lamb.
13. Opening of the first six Seals.

14 Sealing of the 144,000' from the Tribes of Israel.

15. Triumph of the Innumerable Multitude.
16. Opening of the seventh Seal; the half hour's silence

in Heaven; the first four Trumpet-blasts.

17. The fifth Trumpet-blast, or first Woe.

18. The sixth Trumpet-blast, or second Woe.
19. Preparations for the seventh Trumpet-blast: the vision
of the Angel with the open booklet.
20. Further preparations: measuring the Temple; the
testimony of the Two Witnesses.
21. The seventh Trumpet-blast, or third Woe.
22. The Woman with child, and the Great blood-red
Dragon.
23. The Wild Beast from the Sea.
24. The Wild Beast from the Earth.
25. Vision of the 144,000 on Mount Zion.

26. Three angelic proclamations, and a Voice from Heaven.

27. Vision of the Harvest and the Vintage of the Earth.
28. Preparation for the last Seven Plagues.
29. Pouring out of the Seven Bowls.
xxxviii CONTENTS 4.ND PLAN OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN

30. Vision of Babylon Seated on the Beast.'

31. Interpretation of the Vision of Babylon and the Beast.
32. Doom of Babylon.

.33. Triumph in Heaven; two Hallelujah Psalms; an angelic

message.

34. Vision of. the Crowned Warrior.

35. Overthrow and end of the Beast and the False Prophet.
36. The Thousand Years of Satan's captivity and the
Martyrs' Reign.

37. After the Thousand Years : release of Satan; war of

Gog and Magog.
38. Vision of the General Resurrection and the Last Judge-
ment. ,

39. Vision of a New Heaven and a New Earth. ,

40. Vision of the New Jerusalem.

41., Epilogue: Last words of the Angel, the Seer, and the
Lord.
42. Final Benediction.

4. The whole book lies before us in this table of contents.

It is found to consist of a isuccession of scenes and visions which
are so easily distinguished that at this stage no serious difference
of opinion can arise. Our difficulties begin when we attempt to
group these sections into larger, masses of apocalyptic matter, and
by a process of synthesis to arrive at the plan upon which the
author has constructed his work. The former of these operations
is relatively simple. The first two sections and thelast two form

respectively the introduction and the conclusion of the Book;

sections 3— 10,— 16—
11 13, 22 — 28 —
18 (21), 30— 24, 29, 33,
34 — 35, 36 — 39—40
38, form coherent
also groups, while 14— 15,
19 — 20, 25 — 27 episodes which can be seen
are '
be more to in
or less definite relation with their surroundings. Thus our
42 sections are reduced to 14, which may be described as follows
1. Prologue and greeting (i. 1 — 8).

2. Vision of Christ among the Churches, followed by mes-

sages to their Angels (i. 9 — iii. 22).
 CONTENTS AND PLAN OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN xxxix

3. Vision of Christ in Heaven, followed by the opening of

the seven Seals of the sealed Book (iv. 1 — vi. 17, viii. 1).

4. Episode, after the sixth Seal, of the 144,000 from the

Tribes of Israel, and the countless multitude (vii.

1— 17).
5. The seven Trumpet-blasts (viii. 2 — ix. 21, xi. 5— "19).

6. Episode, after the sixth Trumpet-blast, of the Angel

with the open booklet, the measuring of the Temple,
and the Two Witnesses (x. 1 — xi. 14).

7• The Woman with child, the Dragon and the Two Wild
Beasts (xii. 1 — xiii. 18).

8. Episode of the 144,000 on Mt Zion, the angelic and

celestial Voices, and the Harvest and Vintage of the
world (xiv. 1 — 20).

9. Outpouring of the seven Bowls, containing the seven

last plagues (xv. 1 — xvi. 21).

10. Visi° n of Babylon the Great ; her fall ; the triumph of

the Angels and the Church (xvii. 1 — xix. 10).

11. Vision' of the Royal Warrior, and overthrow of .the Two

Beasts (xix. 11—21).
12. The IOOO years, followed by the overthrow of the
Dragon and the End (xx. 1 15). —
13. The New World, and the New City (xxi. 1— xxii. 5).

14. Epilogue and benediction (xxii. 6 — 21).

As we look steadily
5. at this scheme and study its con-
nexion, we become conscious of a great cleavage, which practically
divides the Book into two nearly equal parts (i. 9 — xi. 14, xii. 1

xxii. 5). In the first half the Ascended Christ appears in two
capacities, as the Head of the Church, and the Controller of the

Destinies of the World. The antagonism between the two

bodies comes into view ; the Churches of Asia are already suffer-
ing persecution and have more to suffer; the World is ripe for

judgements, which loom large in the visions of the Seal-openings

and the' Trumpet-blasts ; the end is drawing on ; the victory of
righteousness and the final revelation of truth are foreseen. The
first half — it might almost be • called the first book—of the
xl CONTENTS AND PLAN OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN
Apocalypse is complete in itself, and had all our MSS. broken off

at xi. 19, and no vestige of the last eleven chapters survived, it is

conceivable that the loss might never have been suspected. In

xii. 1 the author makes a fresh beginning, for which the reader
had been prepared in x. n. The theme of the second prophecy is
the' same on the whole as that of the first, but the subject is

pursued into new regions of thought, and the leading characters

and symbolical figures are almost wholly new. The Churches of
Asia vanish 1 and their place is taken by the Church considered
,

as a unity, which represented by the Woman who "the

,
is is

Mother of Christ and the Saints. It is with her world-long

struggle with the the spiritual

forces which lie behind the antagonism of the World, that the
second part of the Book chiefly deals. These forces are revealed
under monstrous forms, the Great Red Dragon, the Beast from
the Sea, the Beast from the. Land, and they continue to operate
until their final overthrow. But we lose sight of them, except in
an occasional reference, from c. xiiii to c. xvii. While they are
working behind the scene, the apoealyptic history
. is occupied
with mundane events —the judgements of the latter days which
are now symbolized by seven bowls full of the last plagues;
the greatness and the fall of the New Babylon, the Beast's
mistress and representative. Beyond the fall of the World-empire
the Seer can see in dim outline long days of comparative rest
and triumph for the Church, and after them a temporary relapse,
followed by the final destruction of the surviving powers of evil.

This makes room for the manifestation of the Church as the

Bride of Christ and City of God, and with a magnificent picture
of the New Jerusalem, the antithesis of Babylon, the Apocalypse
reaches its end.
Thus in its briefest form our scheme of the book will stand as
follows
Prologue and greeting (i. ,1 — 8).

Part i. Vision of Christ in the midst of the Churches

(i. 9 — iii. 22).
1
Until we reach c. xxii. 16, -where the,-writer reverts to the ideas of c. i. 1,4 ff.
 CONTENTS AND PLAN OF THE APOCALYPSE OP JOHN xli

Vision of Christ in Heaven (iv. — I v, 14).

Preparations for the End (vi. 1 — xi. 19).

Part ii; Vision of the Mother of Christ and her enemies

(xii. 1 —xiii. 18).

Preparations for the End (xiv. 1 — xx. 15).

Vision of the Bride of Christ, arrayed for her
husband (xxi. 1— xxii. 5).

Epilogue and benediction (xxii. ,6 — 21).

6. Archbishop Benson relates that "in answer once to the
question, '
What is the form the book presents to you ? ' the reply
'
of an intelligent and devout reader was, '
It is Chaos 1 ."
If the
above scheme is accepted, chaos will give place to something like
cosmic order and progress. But the order and progress of apoca-
lyptic writings must not be judged by the standards of ordinary
literature. An apocalypse is neither a history nor a homily,
though it may partake of the character of each ; its methods
are its own, and they must be learnt by a sympathetic study
of the text.
T he Apocalypse of John, in its literary setting, is an encyclical
letter addressed to the Seven Churches of Asia 2 . If we detach
t he short preface j(i^i— 3.), j.tJbegin&_m^
.

familiar t o readers of the letters-nfLSjb.JBaul. a nd it ends like the ,

Pauline lett ers, with a b enediction 3 . But this form is not main-
tained in the body of the work; it is exchanged in c. i. 9 for

the apocalyptic manner, whichjiontinues almost: J;o jthe^end. The

l
so-called Letters to the Churches in cc. ii. iii. are no exception
they are in fact messages, and not true letters, and they form a
4
sequel to the vision of c*. i.

The Apocalypse proper has. been represented as a gwm'-drama,

divisible into acts and scenes, and interspersed with 'interludes'

'
1
a
Apocalypse, p.
The Pauline Epistle
1.
is
probably an earlier example of a circular
'0£« 8
4
See notes ad loc.
The formula
is not epistolary but pro-
\...•
letter which starting with Ephesus made phetic ; for ypai//ov cf. i. 1 1, 19, xiv. 13,
the tour of the Asian Churches: see six. qj xxi. 5. TaJe announces a
\VH., Notes on Select Beadinqs, p. 123 f., prophetic message, as frequently in the
and Hort, Prolegomena to 'Romans and lxx.
EpMsians, p. 86 ff.
Missing Page
xliv CONTENTS AND PLAN OP THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN
broken by a by-play which, seems to be irrelevant, it is because
the episode prepares for an issue which is at hand. The issue

is postponed for a time that when it comes its real significance

may be more clearly seen.

It may be convenient to add an outline of the systems of division

adopted by some of the chief modern writers on the Apocalypse,
(i) in England and (2) on the continent.
(1) Alford: i. 1 3, i. 4 iii. 22; iv. 1 n, v. 1 14, vi. 1 — — — —
viii. 5, 19, xii. 1
viii. 6 —
xiii. 18, xiv. 1xi. —
20, xv. 1 xvL 21, — —
xvii. 1 —
xviii. 24, xix. 1 —
xxii. 5, xxii. 6 21. —
Lee:• i. 1 —
iii. 22;

iv. 1 —
v. 14, vi. 1— —
viii. 1, viii. 2 —
xi. 19, xii. 1 —
xiii. 18, xiv. 1

20, xv. — 1 6—
xvi. 2i, xvii. Simcox: — — 1 xxii. 5; xxii. 21. i. 1

i.4— 22 —
iii. — ; —
iv. 1 — 3;v. 14, vi. 1 viii. 1, viii. 2 xi. 19, xii. 1 xiv. 13,
xiv. 14— xv. — 20,— — xx. 1—6,
1 xvi. 21, xvii. 1 xviii. 24, xix. 1 21,
xx. — xx. 11 —
7 10,— 10 — Anderson 15, xxi. 1 xxii. 9; xxii. 21.
Scott: — 9— 1— i. 1 — 8, — 20, ii. iii. 22, iv. 1 v. 14, vi. 1 viii. 1,
viii. — 2 — xi.xv. — 19, xii. — 1 xiv. 20, 1 xvi. 21, xvii. 1 xix. 10,
xix. 11 —xx. — 6— 18 —
15, xxi. Mofpatt: 1 xxii. 5, xxii. 17, 21.
i. — 9 — 22;
1 8; — 17i. — iii. — iv. 1 vi. (vii. 18, viii. 1); viii.'2
1 ix.
21 — (x. 14 — 1 — 1—
xi. 13, 1—5, 6 — 19, xii. 1 17, xiii. 18, xiv. 20);
xv. — 1 —xx. 10; xx. 11 —
xvi. 2i, xvii. 6— 1 xxii. 5, xxii. 21.
(2) Bengel: — 4— 7— 9— — 22; i. 1
3, 6, 8, 20, ii. 1 iii. iv. 1
v. 14, v. 15 — — — — vi. 17, vii.13 — 1 17, viii. 1 6, 7 12, viii. ix. 21,
. — 1 — 13—
19, xii. 1
xi. 12, — 17, xiii. 1 6— 18, xiv. [1 5], 13,
14 — — — :

i— 20, xv. xvi. 21, xvii. 1 18, xviii. 19 — 1 xix. 18, xix. 21,
xx. 4— 1, — 2, — 3, — 5; 6,
6—7 10, 11 15, xxi. 1 xxii. xxii. 21.
De Wette — 4— 9— :1— i. 22; 1 — 3, 8, 20, ii. iii. iv. 1 11, v.
—
1 — 9—
14, vi. 1 — 9— 8, — — 12 17, vii. 1 8, 17, viii. 1 6, 7 (13), ix.
1— 11 13—21, 1—7, 8—
(12), 1— 13 15—19; x. 11, xi. (14), xii.
— — 13 — 18 — 11 — 6—
— 12 — 17 — — —
1 7 12, 17, xiii. 10, xiii. 18, xiv. 1 5,
6, 13,
14 — 20; xv. — 1 xvi. 1, xvi. 2 11, 16, 21, xvii. 1 18,
xviii. — — 1 11— 17—21, xx. —
24, xix. 1 4— 8, 9, 10, ri6, 1
3, 6,
—
7 —
10, 11 — 6— Ewald
15, xxi. 1 — 4— xxii. 5, xxii. 21. : i. 1 8,
9 — 20; — 21; —
ii. 1 — iii. 1—8, 9 — iv. 1, 2 11, v. 1 14, vi.
3,
11,
12 — — 9 — 17;
17, vii. 1 — — — 13 —
8, viii. i, 2 6, 7 13, ix. 1 12, 21,
x. — 1 — 14; 15 —
11, xi. — 18 — 1 xi. 19, xii. 1 17, xiii. 10, xiii.
11— — 6 — 14— 20; xv. — —
18, xiv. 5, — 13, 1
4, 5 xvi. 1, xvi. 2 9,
10, — 11, — 12 — 24; 21, — 11 —
xvii. 1 18, xviii. 1 xix. 1, 10, 16,
17 xx xx. — —
• 6, — 9-^xxii. 7 6—
10, 11 15, xxi. 1 8, 5, xxii. 9,
10 — 18 — 4— 9 — —
1—
17, Holtzmann:
— — — 20, 21.
6—
i. 1
3, 8, 20, ii.. 1 iii.

22, iv.
xi. 15 —
14, xi. —
v.
— 14, vi. 1
6—20, xv. —
.
17, vii. 1 17, viii. 1
xiv. 5, xiv.
5, ix. 21, 1

19, xii. 1 1 xvi. 1, xvi.

—
2 —
2i, xvii. 11 — 1 6— Zahn:
xix. 10, xix. xxii. 5, xxii. 21. i.

—9;1—10 — 22; ——
1 —
iii. 19 — iv. 1 viii. 1, viii. 2 xi. 18, xi. xiv. 20,
xv. xvi. —
17, xvii. 9— 1 xviii. 24, xix. 11 xxi. 8, xxi. xxii. 5 ;
xxii.10 — 21.
It is more interesting to observe the methods of grouping adopted
CONTENTS AND PLAN OF THE APOCALYPSE OE JOHN xlv

by the several authorities. Most of the English commentators break

up the book, after the introduction and conclusion have been
—
removed, into two unequal parts (i, 4 iii. 22, iv. 1 xxii. 5), a —
modification of the scheme of Bengel, who divides the -whole book
into (i) introitus (i. 1 iii. —
22), (ii) ostensio (iv. 1 xxii. 5), —
conclusio (xxii. 6
(iii) 21).— In his Historical N. T. Mr Moffatt
has departed from this tradition, seeing in the Apocalypse four
heptads (seven letters, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven vials),
followed by two visions, a vision of doom and a vision of the end.
Of the Germans, DeWette makes th esecond part of the_bqok_ begin
a t xii. i, while Volkmar places theH5reinraTlEneehd of c. ix. ; Ewald
'"adopts a"sevenfold division (i. 1 — —
20 + xxii. 1 21, ii. iii.,iv. vii., — —
—
viii. 15 —
xi. 4, xi. xiv. 20, xv. — xviii., xix. 1 — xxii. 5); Holtzmann
has seventeen sections, placing in the right-hand column vii. 1— 17,
x. 1— —
xi. 14, xii. 1 xiv. 5, xvii. 1 — xix. which
10, xxi. 1 — xxii. 5
largely coincide with the portions of the book which have been
tbought to be of Jewish origin ; while Zahn, who believes in the
unity of the Apocalypse, is attracted by the theory that the body
of the work falls into eight successive visions.
Th^jiYisioTi of t.hp hnnk a.t,_ the ptiH nf c. # xi. into two nearly
equal_sections, which, is suggested in this chapter, recommended
.

iteelf in "the sixteenth_century to thfi„SpjMush_ Jgsuifc,Jdeasar*_mi.t

in connexion^with a widely different system of interpretation?.; to
the present writer it lias occurred independentlyyj.uppn a study of.
the "fact"s7
 IV.

UNITY OF THE APOCALYPSE.

In the attempt which .has been made to establish the existence
of a definite plan in the Apocalypse it is assumed that the book
is a literary unity. This point, however, has been and still is

hotly disputed by scholars of the first rank, and it demands a

separate and somewhat prolonged examination.
I. The book creates a prima facie impression that it proceeds
from one author or editor. The first and last chapters claim to
be written by the same person (i. I, 4, 9, xxii. 8); and that the
firstthree chapters and the last two or three have come from the
same hand may be shewn by simply placing in parallel columns
the ideas and phraseology which they have in common.

- . .
?? - .? ?
rots
i.

i.
1.

3•
Set
xxii.

xxii•
6.

7•
a

. ?
6 yap
.

i.
.3•

8. xxL
XXI 1.

6,
.
xxii.
.
12.

.. ?
i. 17•
.

•- 6
xxii.

.
13•
.

.
11. 7• xxii.
Kalij .
1 7•
 UNITY OF THE APOCALYPSE^ xlvu

17, 26, iii;

ii.

12, 21).
.
7.

(cf. ii. , 6 ,
xxi. 7.

.
.
5, .

ii. 11. xx. 6.

-rj \ 6

.. ii. 28.
.,. .,.
xxii.
(cf.

16.
.

,
14, xxi. 8).

T17S

2.
iii.

iii.

'
.
11.

12.

Such coincidences le'ave no dbubt that the same writer

.
xxii.

ci8ov
.
xxi.
12.

2.

.
—
has been at work in cc. i. iii., xx. xxii. But though they are —
most numerous in the beginning and end of the book, traces of
literary unity are not wanting elsewhere, as the following examples
will shew.

£ iv.

iv.
-.
,.
1.

2. •
£... .. i.

i.
1.

10.

.
, iv. 6. xv. 2.

.
.
,
V- 5• xxii. 16.

. .
. . 6.

. -

.
ix. .
- XX.
, •

.
. .

o>s
, ...
• 14 f •

-
/.
r
 .. -UNITY OF THE APOCALYPSE

&
xlviii

XL I.
. 5•

top . .

.- ...

./ XI. 7•

.
xyii. 8.

ckt^s -
? ,.« -
,

. XX. 2.

,
9•

, 6 - '

'.
. 7 etc

. /.
-
xiv. 13.
Trveijua Xeyei.

xiv. 14.
i. 13•

/'.. . - XV. 6. - 3•

^ /
. xvi.

.
IS- iii. 3• '

. . jw.£T
.
e/LioS
xxi. 9-

.
xix. 12.

.#//.
3• It is clear from these instances, which might be multiplied,
that the hand of the man who wrote cc. i.—iii., xx. — xxii., has been
busy throughout the book. This in itself may not mean more than
that he has acted as editor of the whole. But there are other
indications of unity, running through large sections of the book,
which carry us some steps further. Certain symbolical figures
reappear at intervals in contexts which deal with widely different
subjects. Though, as we have seen, the eleventh and twelfth
. chapters are separated by a marked cleavage, the Lamb and
the Beast appear on both sides of it; the Lamb occurs in cc. v., vi.,

vii., xii., xiv., xv., xvii., xix., xxi., xxii., i.e. practically throughout
 UNITY OF THE APOCALYPSE xlix

the book from c. v. onwards, and the Beast in c. xi. as well as in

cc. xiii., xiv., xv., xvi., xvii.,' xix., xx. The figure of Hades as
a companion of Death occurs in cc. i., vi., xx. There are certain
unusual words and forms which are common to every part of
the Apocalypse, or are found throughout great sections or in

'\ ,
passages which are widely separated;
xvii., xx.),

(ix., xiv., xviii.),

to hurt (ii., vi., vii., ix.,

(xii., xiii., xix.),

e.g.

xi., xxii.),
(cc. ix.,

(xii., xiii., xvi., xx.),

xi.,

,,
active (x., xiv.), (i., ii., iii., iv., v., vi., vii., viii.,

xi., xii., xiii., xiv., xvi., xix., xx., xxi., xxii.),

-
(vii., xvi.),

,•
'(iv., xxii.), (vi., xviii.), (viii.,

xiv., xix.), xiv.), xvi.)?

-
(iii., (iii.; xii.,

(i., iv., xi., xv., xvi., xix., xxi.), (i., xviii.),

(v., vi., xiii., xviii.), (ix.,

xviii., xxi., xxii.), (v., xv., .xvi., xvii., xxi.), (xiii.,

xiv., xvi., xix., xx.). Still more striking as an indication of an

underlying unity is the resumption in c. xv. of the series of sevenfold
visitations which began in c. vi. ; as there were seven seal-openings
and se,ven trumpet-blasts in the first half of the book, so the
second has its seven bowls full of the seven last plagues. The
cumulative force of this evidence is sufficient to create a strong
presumption that the writer who announces his name in the
prologue has been at work throughout the book. The impress
of his peculiar style is to be seen in every part of it.

4. These considerations have not deterred modern scholars

from regarding the Apocalypse as a composite work and attempting
in some cases to resolve it into its sources.

Suggestions in. this direction were hazarded in the seventeenth

century by Grotius.(i644)' and Hammond (1653) 2 and early in the ,

nineteenth century by Vogel (1811 16)

3
and Bleek (1822) 4 — .

Weizsacker (1882) 5 reopened the question with a suggestion that

the author, although his hand may be seen throughout, made
free use of older material. In the same year his pupil Volter 6
Annotationes ad N.T.
1 view.
2 5
Paraphrases and Annotations upon lnTh.LitteraturzeUung,i88i,^.'}8t.
e
In Die Entstehung der Apok. (1882-
the N.T.
3 CoTjanentationesviide Apoc. Ioannis. £). Volter has recently published a re-
4 In the Berlin Th. Zeitschrift, ii. cast of his theory (Die Offenbarung
p. 240 ft. Bleek afterwards revoked his Johannis neu untersucht u. erlautert,,

S. R. d
1 UNITY. OF THE APOCALYPSE
started a more ambitious theory,, according to which Apoc. i. —
4 6,
iv. 1 — v. 10, vi. 1 — 17, vii. 1 —
8, viii. 1 — 13, ix. 1 —
21, xi. 14 — 19,
xiv. 1, 3, 6, 7, 14 — 20, xviii. 1 24, — xix. 1 —
10, make Tip the
original Apocalypse, which Volter would, assign to a.d. 62; cc. x.
1 —
xi. 13, xiy. 8, xvii. 1— 18 were added in a'.d. 68 70, and the —
rest of the book was contributed by successive editors in the time
of Trajan and Hadrian ; three such later redactions are distinguished,
viz. (1) cc. xii. —
1 17, xix. 1.1 — xxi. 8; (2) v. n — 14, vii. 9 17, —
xii. 11, xiii., xiv. 1, 5, 9— 12, xv. — xvi., xvii. 1 a, xix. 2of., xx. 1, 20,
xxi. 9 —
xxii. 5, 19;' (3) i• 1 6— — 3, 7, 8, 9 — iii. 22, v. 6b,«xiv. 13,
xvi. 15, xix. 10 b, 13 b, xxii. 7 a, 12, 13, 16, 17, 20 — 21. In 1886
a new vein was struck by a pupil of Harnack, Eberhard Vischer 1
,

who set to work on the hypothesis that the Apocalypse of John is

a Christian adaptation of a Jewish original ; the specifically Christian
portions of the book are i. iii., v. 9 —
14, vii. 9 17, xiii. 9f., xiv. — —
1— S> I2 3> 3> xvi 1 5> xvii J 4i xix 9 ff-> !3> xx 4 6, xxi •
- - —
—
• - •

—
>

5b 8, xxii. 6 21, together with a few words interpolated in ix.

11, xi. 8, 15, xv. 3, xvii. 6, xx. 4, xxi. 14, 23. The year 1886
produced the theory of Weyland 2 , which assumed two Jewish
sources, one (n) written under Nero, and a second (3) under Titus.
To a Weyland attributes i. 10, "12 17, 19, iv. vi., vii. 1 17, viii. — — —
— ix., xi. 14 18, xiv. 14 — 20, xv. 5, xvi. 17b — 20, xvii. xviii., — —
xix. 1 —
6, xxi. 9 27, xxii. 1 — 11, 14 f. ; to a 1 — xi. 13, xii. 1 . —
10, 12 —
18, xiii., xiv. 6 —
11, xv. 2—4, xvi. 13, 14, 16, xix. 11 21, —
xx., xxi. 1 —
8 ; to the Christian redactor he leaves i. iii., v. 6 14, — —
xi. 19, xii. 11, 17 c, xiv. 1 5, 12 13, xv. 1, 6— 8, xvi. 1 —
17 a, — —
21, xix. 7—10, 13 b, xxii, 12, 13, 16 21. Other theories based —
on the assumption of a Jewish source or sources are those of
Holtzmann 3 who assumes a Jewish Grundschrift of the age of Nero,
,

in which was incorporated an older Jewish apocalypse written

under Caligula and Sabatier 4 who regards the Apocalypse as a
; ,

Christian book embodying Jewish fragments (xi. 1 13, xii., xiii., —

xiv. 1 — 20, xvii. 1 — xix.
9 xxii. 5).
2, xix. 11 —xx. 10, xxi. —
Spitta 5 distinguishes three sources answering to the three series of
—
sevenfold judgements a Seal source, which is Christian (c. a.d. 60),
a Trumpet and a Vial source, which are Jewish ; the present form
of the book being ascribed to a Christian redactor. Erbes 6 on the ,

other hand, believing the book to be entirely of Christian origin,

finds in it three Christian sources belonging respectively to the
reigns of Caligula, Nero, and Domitian.

5 To the present writer it appears that most of the hypotheses

.

which exercised the ingenuity of Germany during the ten years

1904), in which, he distinguishes (1) an 2

Th. Tijdsehrift, 1886, p. 454ft
Apocalypse of John a.d. 65, (2) an s Gesch. d. Volkeslsrael ii. 2, p. 658ft
Apocalypse of Cerinthus, a.d. 70, a,nd * Les oHgiiies Uttiraires et la compo-
(3) the work of a redactor of the time of sition de VApoc. (Paris, 1887).
Xrajan. • Die Offenbarung Johannis (1884).
1 Texte
u: Untersuchungen, 11. s " Die Off. Joh. (iSqi).
V V
(1886).
 unity of the Apocalypse li

that followed Weizsaeker' sfirst pronouncement ignored the funda-

mental conditions of the problem. No theory with regard to the

sources of the Apocalypse can be satisfactory which overlooks the
internal evidence of its essential unity (§§ 1—3). The book has
clearly passed through the hands of an individual who has left his

mark on every part of it ; if he has used old materials freely,

they have been worked up into a form which is permeated by his

own personality, This has been so far recognised by more recent
criticism that less drastic methods are now being used to account
for the literary phenomena of the work.

In 1886, after the completion of Volter's theory, Weizsaeker

suggested that the apparent lack of cohesion in certain passages is
due to the interpolation of fragments which are not from the
author's pen, specifying cc. vii.• 1 8, xii. 1 —
10, xiii., xvii., which —
he assigned to the reigns of Nero, Vespasian, and Domitian. An
entirely new view was propounded by Gunkel in his epoch-making
Sclwpfung unci Chaos (1894). Breaking loose at once from the
prevalent view of the Apocalypse as a mere interpretation of local
contemporary history, and from the tendency to frame elaborate
schemes for its division into ' sources,' he saw in the book the out-
come of a long course of apocalyptic traditions which in some cases
went back to the Creation-myths of Babylonia. Gunkel's Chaos •

was followed in the next year by Bousset's Antichrist 1 a book ,

succeeded in 1896 by its author's important commentary on the

Apocalypse 3 Bousset, while recognizing the essential unity of the
.

Apocalypse, believes with Weizsaeker that certain contexts in it are

fragments of older works, and with Gunkel' finds traces of apoca-
lyptic traditions in the writer's own work. Still more recently a
contribution has been made to the subject by Professor Johannes
Weiss of Marburg 3 According to his view, the original Apoca-
.

lypse of John was written before 70, and included i. 4 6, 9 19, — —

iL, iii., iv., v., vi., vii., ix., xii. 7 — 12, xiii. 11 — — 18, xiv. 1
5,
14 — 20, xx. 1 — 10, 11 — ig, xxi. 1
— 4, xxii. — 5; in
3 present its
form the book was issued at the end of the reign of Domitian by
ah editor who was not the original Apocalyptist. (

6. It is impossible to contemplate the flood of literature on

the composition of the Apocalypse which the last quarter of a

century has called forth without asking the question whether

there is any solid ground for the assumption which underlies it

1 Der Antichrist in der TJeberlieferung beitet (1896).

3 Die Offenbarung des Johannis : ein
des Judenthums, des N.T. u. der alten
Kirche (1895). Beitrag zur Literatur- u. Meligions-
2 Die Offeribarung Johannis new bear- .
geschichte (1904).
lii UNITY OF THE APOCALYPSE
1
all. It is taken for granted- by some recent authorities that the
Apocalypse is a composite work. But does this conviction rest on
more than the reiterated assertion of writers who have found in

the analysis of the book a fascinating field for intellectual exercise ?

When the enquirer investigates the grounds on which the hypo-

thesis of compilation rests, they are seen to be such as the fol-

lowing: (a) the presence of well defined breaks in the thread of the
movement, as e.g. after iii. 22, vii. 17, ix. 21, xi. 19, xiii. 18, xiv. 20,

xvi. 21 ;
(b) the treatment of the same idea more than once under
different points of view ; thus the 144,000 of vii. 4 ff. reappear

under another aspect in xiv. 1 ff., and the Beast of xiii. I in

c. xvii. ; the New Jerusalem of xxi. 9 does not altogether corre-
spond with the New Jerusalem of xxi. 2 (c) the representation ;

of the Last Judgement at two widely separated stages in the

development of the book, i.e. in xiv. 14 ff., and xx. 1 1 ff. : (d) the
different aspects of Christian thought revealed by the descriptions
of Christ in i. 13 ff., v. 6, xiv. 14, and of the Church in xii. 1 ff.,

xvii. 7, xxi. 2 ;
(e) the different dates which seem to be postulated
by cc. xi. 1 f., xiii. 18, xvii. 10 f. Such a list of seeming
inconsistencies is formidable until it is taken to pieces and
examined in detail. But when this has been done, it will be
found that the weight of the objections is greatly diminished.
The phenomena which suggest diversity of authorship admit for
the most part of another explanation ; they may well be due to
the method of the author or the necessities of his plan. Indeed
the last head is the only one which demands serious consideration
from those who advocate the unity of the book. If c. xi. 1 implies
that the Temple at Jerusalem was still standing, and xvii. 10 that
Vespasian's reign had not yet ended, while the general tenor of
the book points to the reign of Domitian, it is clear that as far as
these passages are concerned the Apocalypse must be admitted to
contain fragments of an older work ; but a reference to the com-
mentary will shew, it is hoped, that even in these contexts the
inference is far from being certain.
1
E.g. byBousset in Encycl. Blblica p. xiii.): "As far as I am acquainted
i.205: "it seems to be settled that the with them [the theories of a composite
Apocalypse can no longer be regarded origin], they have done nothing what-
as a literary unity." Dr Hort, on the ever to shake the traditional unity of
other hand, writes (Apocalypse i iii., — authorship."
 UNITY OF THE APOCALYPSE liii

That the author of the Apocalypse made free use of any

7.

materials to which he had access and which were available for his
purpose, is highly probable. But did he transfer large masses of
earlier apocalyptic writing to his own work, in such a manner as
to make his book a compilation or to detract from its unity ?

Was this his method of dealing with the works of older,

apocalyptists ? It so happens that we are in a position to give

a definite answer to the second of these questions. The writer of
the N.T. apocalypse has made large use of the apocalyptic portions
of the Old Testament. He refers to the Book of Daniel in some
forty-five places (Apoc.'i. 1, 7, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, ii. 10, 18, iv. 1,

10, v. 11, vii. 14, ix. 20, x. 4 ff., xi. 2, 7, 13, 15, 18, xii. 3^7 f., 14,
xiii. 1 f., 5, 7, 8, 15, xiv. 14, xvi. 11, 18 f., xvii. 3, 5, 8, 12, xviii. 2,

20, xix. 6, 12, xx. 4, 1 1 f., 1 5, xxi. 27, xxii. 5 f., 10), and the Books of
, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah are used with almost equal frequency,
while the other Prophets, the Psalter, and the Pentateuch are often
in view 1 . No book in the New Testament is so thoroughly steeped
in the thought and imagery of the Hebrew Scriptures. Yet the
writer has not o nce _guoted the Old Testament, and rarely" uses
its ipsissima verba. Seldom does he borrow from it a scene
or the suggestion of a vision without modifying the details,
departing from his original with the utmost freedom, or combining
features which have been brought together from different contexts.
This method of using Old Testament materials runs through
the whole of the Apocalypse, and is characteristic of the book.
Whether the writer is indebted to non-canonical apocalypses is

less certa'in, but if he is, he has followed the same principle.

There is no evidence that any one of them has served him as
a source
'
'
; coincidences between the work of John and the extant
Jewish books are nearly limited to minor points connected with'
the imagery and diction 2 . Under, the circumstances it is more
than precarious to postulate sources of which nothing is known 8 .

For tnese reasons it has been assumed in this edition that the
Apocalypse of John is a literary unity. It may be added that, as

1 See c. xiii. 2 See cc. ii., xiii.

3 See c. jtiii.
liv. UNITY OF THE APOCALYPSE
the work has progressed, this assumption has grown into a convic-
tion. Everywhere the presence of the same, creative mind has
made itself felt,and features which at first sight appeared to be;
foreign to the writer's purpose were found on nearer view to be
necessary to the development of his plan. It is impossible to

justify in this place an impression which depends upon an

examination of the text, but in the commentary the reader will
find the details on which it rests, and he is asked to reserve his
1
judgement until he has completed his study of the book .

1 It is not the intention of these
marks to deny that the Apocalypse, as
we have received it, may be a reissue by
the write» of the original work in an
^enlarged or amended form; such a view
does not militate against the essential
re- unity of the book. On the other hand
the theory proposed by Prof. J. Weiss
(supra, p.xlvii) presents difficulties which
to the present writer seem to be greater
than those which it seeks to remove,
 V.

DESTINATION.

els
(Apoc.
b
. The Apocalypse

" 1. 4
ypaijrov
'
,\^, ,
of

®
addressed to the Christian societies in seven of the
John professes to be an encyclical

rfj
cities of

;
Asia
ib. 1

2• At the endjjfjy^eJJrjkJSga^^
,).
Asia Minor 1 see ms.. to hayA_embraced six provinces. Asia, B ithy riia
(including Pontus), Galatia, Oappadocia , Cilicia , Lycra (including
Pamphylia) 2 . The Province of Asia had been created as far back
s
as the year B.C. 1 29 out of the domains bequeathed to the Senate
by Attalus III., the last king of Pergam'um. Ultimately it

included Mysia, Lydia, and Caria, and the three Phrygian dioeceses
of Cibyra, Apamea, and Synnada, besides certain islands in the
Aegean Sea off the western coast 4 Thus constituted, the .

province was bounded on the north by Bithynia, ,on the east

by Galatia, and on the south by Lycia; on the west it was
washed by the Aegean; inland, it reached a distance from the
coast of about 300 English miles, while its greatest length was
about 260 s . In the region which falls under our consideration
four rivers, the Caicus, the Hermus, the Cayster, and the Maeander,

1 On the history of this term see Hort, i. p. 177.

First Epistle of St Peter, p. i6j r 4 On these see V. Chapot, La
province
2 For the last three see Hort, op. eit., '

romaine proconsulate d'Asie, p. 82 if.

e The frontier is carefully
p. 158 f. defined by
.
3 Marquardt, Bom. Staate-Verwaltung Chapot, p. 85.
lvi DESTINATION
descended to the sea from the highlands of the interior, and three
considerable ranges of hills, Sipylus, Tmolus, and Messogis, mounted
up to the highlands from the coast.
In the Greek-Did. Testament J^aiajj. mentioned only by
3.

thewriters,,QjLihe Books of the Maccabees, who us.e it to represent

the -dominions of the .^glgjioid», dynasty (i Mace. viii. 6, xi. 13,

xii. 39, xiii. 32 ; 2 Mace. 24; 3 Mace. iii. 14; 4 Mace. iii.
iii. 3, x.

20). But in the New Testament, under the Empire, the case is
different. Asia is named by St Luke, St Paul, St Peter, and
St John (Acts ii. 9, vi. 9, xvi.' 6, xix. 10, 22, 26 f., xx. 4, 16, 18, xxi.

27, xxiv. 18, xxvii. 2; Rom. xvi. 5 ; I Cor. xvi. 19; 2 Cor. i. 8;
2 Tim. i. 15; 1 Pet. i. 1; Apoc. i. 4), and. by all in the sense
familiar at the time. " Asia ^in_ the New Testament," wrote
Dr Lightfoot in 1865, "is always Proconsular Asia" 1
; and his

dictum has not been seriously shaken by the researches of the last
forty years. In Acts ii. 9 f., indeed, Phrygia is distinguished from
Asia and linked to Pamphylia ; but by Phrygia in that place is

,,
probably meant^ the_ nop- Asian region of Phrygia, as in. Acts xvi.

6^ xviii. 23
2
. But whatever may be the practice of St Luke or
St Paul in reference to the use of the name '
Asia,' it is certain

. (•;
that the province of Asia

'.?, ),
is

where, as
contemplated by St Peter in
Tiovrou,
Dr Hort says, "the five
I

names
Pet.

coincide precisely with the five names that make up the titles of
the four provinces of the into which Asia Minor,Roman Empire
the southern littoral eventually excepted, was divided in and after
the reign of Tiberius and it would need strong positive evidence
;

to refute the consequent presumption that the territory denoted. .

was the territory of these four Roman provinces 8." In Apoc. i.

4
the inclusion of Western Phrygia in J Asia.' is implied by the
enumeration among Asian cities of Laodicea on the_ Lycus, which
belonged to the dioecesis Gibyratica.

1
Galatians, p. 19/11.6. The province a Blase (comra. on Aots, pp. 52, 176)
was assigned to the Senate by Augustus, contends that in these passages Asia =

Proconsul (.
A.r. 27, and was from that date to the
time of Diocletian administered by a
"Western Asia Minor; but see Kamsay
in Hastings, D.B. iii. 177.
3 First Epistle of St Peter, p. 157.
 DESTINATION lvii

4. If the Apocalypse wa s directed to the Churches of Boman

Asia, it was natural that it should be jgntjn. jJie^iakingtance to
th e greate r cities of the provin ce. Asia was remarkab le for the
number and wealth- of its cities. Pliny (H. iV. v. 29) mentions
nine wnicFwere distinguished by being the centres of a conventus:
viz. Adramyttium, Alabanda, Apamea, Ephesus, Laodicea on the

Lycus, Pergamum, Sardis, Smyrna, Synnada; and to these Cyzicus,

Philomelium, and Tralles should be added 1 . A long list might
be made of less important but yet considerable towns, such as
Colossae, Dorylaeum, Eumenia, Hierapolis, Magnesia on the
Maeander, Miletus, Philadelphia, Priene, Thyatira; . the total

number of townships in the province is staj^^ by contemporary

wri ters to have been |oo,^r_^venjXKDg 2 . "No^ province," writes
Aristides of Smyrna' in the second century, "has so many cities,

nor are ey en„,thfi, greatest cities of. other proymggs comparable

to the_j^je^ gjf 4§ia,|," Between the larger towns there was a

-
> Jei

*
keen though friendly
testify.

is,
&,
like
If

claims to be both a
'? 4

Ephesus and Smyrna, a

is also
,

,.
rivalry, as

Ephesus proclaims herself

5
;
the local coins and inscriptions

Smyrna, not to be outdone by her neighbour,

while
and
Pergamum, the

assumed by Cyzicus, Laodicea on the Lycus,

'?
old capital,
The title

Sardisj Synnada, and Tralles 6 . Magnesia on the Maeander, though

it cannot rise to this dignity, is described on coins as the seventh
city of Asia'.

5• In the light ofJJxeisa.ia(^s,it-is not, .at, first-- sight.. easy, to

explain the principle on whitih , ..th& Apocalyptic list of -seven has
been formed^ Why jdoes Jt. jn,c,lude„ two comparatively ...small

1
Marquardt, op. cit. p. 185. tian Life, E. Tr.
. , p. 382), both Ejjhjesjis

,!
2 Marquardt, and SjmaaaJiad in the time of Augustus
p. 182, J. Weiss, art. g
Kleinasien in Herzog-Hauck, x. 543. la population of 200,000, and Pergamum
3 Aristides of Smyrna xlii. = xxiii. ed. I in the middle of the second century eon-
Keil, p. 34) oilre yap iroXeis
(

- | tained from 120,000 to 180,000 souls.

\\
rds ye
xvii. 5,
-/and
oire Si]
; see also Diod.

Seneca, Ep. 102, 21. Cf.

' 4 CIG•
2992.
s CIG3179, 3205; Dittenberger, Orient.

Gr. inscriptiones select, ii. p. 159 f.

Mommsen, Provinces, i. p. 354. According Euggiero, Dizionario epigrafico di
tolieloch(Zur BevolkerungsgescMchte des Antichitct Bomane, i. p. 731.
Alterihwms), cited by Dobschiitz (Chris? ' Mommsen, Provinces, p. 329.
 lviii DESTINATION

towns^Th^atixa, and .Philadelphia, while Tralles and Magnesia,

Hierapolis'and Colossae, Alexandria Troas and Adramyttium,
Miletus and Halicarnassus, Dorylaeum and Synnada, are passed
by?, Some at, least of these cities, had„ .Christian communities
before the^end of the .first century ; under Trajan, Ignatius of
Antioch addressed letters to Churches at Tralles and Magnesia;
. under Nero, St Paul spent the first day of the week with brethren
at Troas ^, and recognized a "Church of the Laodiceans" and the
2
presence of Christians at Hierapolis .

It is true that the first th ree cities in St, John's Jjstwer.e, by

common consent *±&~., and they stand-in -the.Ardgr
which would naturally_J)e followed, at_leasjb by a Resident at
EphesuSi- -Moreover Ephesus^ Smyrna, and Pergamum were in
direct communication with one another,. by. the great road which
the Romans had. constructed shortly after their occupation of
Asia. So far then both the selection of the names and their order
are easy to understand. But why should not the Apocalyptic
messenger have been sent on from Pergamum to Cyzicus or to
Troas ? why was his -course at this point diverted to the inland

towns of Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia, and brought to an

end in the valley of the LycusThe ,true answer is doubtless that
?

jvhich is given by -Professor Ramsay " all the Seven Cities stand :

'

on the great circular road that bound together the most populous,
.wealthy, an d_.influential part of the Province, the west-central
region 3 ." "_They were Jfejje JassL points .oa,,the_circuit to_ serve as
centres of communication., with seven districts : Pergamum for the
north... ; Thyatira for an inland district on the north-east and east;
Sardis for the wide middle valley of the Hermus ; Philadelphia
for Upper Lydia. .. ; Laodicea for the Lycus "Valley and for Central
Phrygia... ; Ephesus for the Cayster and lower Maeander Valleys
and coasts ; Smyrna for the lower Hermus Valley and the North
Ionian coasts 4 ." Planted at these seven centres, the Apocalypse
would spread through their neighbourhoods, and from thence to
the rest of the province. A Roman road led from Pergamum to

1 Acta xx. 7 ff. "Letters, p. 183.

2 Col. *
ii. 1, iv. 13, 16. lb. p. 191,
 DESTINATION lix

Adramyttium and' Troas, and another direct to Cyzicus; other

roads connected Philadelphia with Dorylaeum, and Laodicea with
Apamea and Synnada, and with Cibyra. From Ephesus a great
road passed through Magnesia, Tralles and Laodicea, and crossing
Galatia and Cappadocia ultimately reached the Euphrates 1 ; a
branch, road entered Syria through the 'Cilician Gates.' Thus
the 'rout e prescribed in thg^pocalypse pr£vid^^ferjbh^j^sal§tipn
of the book throughout the^Churc^^^.iJ^ entire,, province and :

beyondit. \

6. Some account of the cities to which the book was origin-

ally sent is given in the notes to cc. ii. iii., and much more may
be gathered from so accessible a book as Professor Eamsay's
Letters to ike Seven Churches 2 , Here it may suffice to place
before the student the general conditions of the life into which
Christianity entered when it established itself in the cities of Asia.

(i) At JJphesas by custom the Proconsul landed on his entry

into the Province 3,
and the^city was regarded as the seat of the
prjo^ndaJL,goyernment. But it retained at feast the forms of
municipal independence, and its civic life was full and many-
sided. During the Roman period the population was divided into

().(),
six tribes

),
h) a council (
which were again divided into thousands
-Local affairs were in the hands of three asse mblies.
which in A.D. 104 consisted of 450, members
probably elected in equal numbers from each of the tribes ^*ja senate
Xyepovaut), which seems to have, been charged with the finance of
public worship 1 or perhaps with municipal finance in general, and
the care of public monuments £Uuid the popu lar ass em bly, which
bore the familiar name of ecclesia". JSgchjigsembly had its
and the
\ possessed an authority which as we
learn from the Acts (xix.55) could make itself respected even by an
-,
angry mob.
In the life of Ephesus commerce occupied no less important a
Pi552^i^J^caJln ppiitics. The silting up of the harbour had indeed
begun to threaten the city's command of the seas, but Strabo was
able to report that in every other respect it was growing in
prosperity day by day, and that Asia within the Taurus had no
market that could vie with it Foreign trade brought it into
.

1 Eamsay, Hist. Geogr. of Asia Minor, * For the details see Hicks, op. cit.,
p.

2 See
164 ft. See also M. Chapot's chapter on
the public roads of Asia (pp. 358 368).
pp. 210 —
430.
3 Bergmann, De Asia, p.

iii. p. j6.
30.
—
4 Gf. Hicks, Ancient Greek Inscriptions,
iii.
6

&\\a
p. 68

.,
Chapot, pp. 194 230.
ft. ;

Strabo xiv. 24

ttjv
6i
—
ttj irpbt

4vtos
-'
.'
lx DESTINATION
communication with Greece, Egypt, and Spain, and on the other
hand with the Euphrates and the East. Among its local
specialities were marble, vermilion, oils and essences, and the
handicraft of workers in gold, silver and copper'. Its slaves
2
fetched fabulous prices in the Roman market Nor were the .

intellectual interests of the place less keen or varied. In the first

century the city of Heracleitus abounded with persons who followed
the profession of the philosopher or the rhetor, and added to its
reputation as a seat of• learning 3 It will not be forgotten that
.

according to Eusebius 4 Ephesus is the scene of Justin's dialogue

with Trypho, and probably also of his initiation into the Stoic,
Peripatetic, and Platonist philosophies 6 . Nor was art neglected in
Ephesus; the city was a famous school of sculpture and archi-
tecture ; the great theatre remains to witness to the passion of its
6
citizens for the drama But religion was thejraramount power at
.

Ephesus, as_ jjerhaps in all the Asian cities. .TJje „ffipx§hip. of the
A
Ephes ian rtemis was an inheritance fromjpre-Hellenic times, and
possessed all the atfracfcioTis'wIncn" bind a'people'lo'a traditional or
localized cult. The Artemision'did not indeed dominate the city as
the Parthenon dominated Athens; it lay in fact, as was demon-

,
strated by Mr Wood's discovery on the last day of 1869, on the
plain outside the Magnesian gate of Ephesus. Nevertheless it was
the chief glory of the place, and life in Ephesus was at every point
brought into contact with the great presiding deity of the city the

called.
as according to Pausanias (x. 38. 3) she was locally
It was by the priestly college at the Artemision, known as
the Essenes, that the lot was cast by which a new citizen was
—

),
admitted to his tribe and thousand. In the Ephesian calendar
the month of the spring equinox was named after Artemis (0

festival in honour of the goddess

festivals a sacred carriage (17 Upa
'
'.

)( .)
and during that month the city celebrated a yearly
On great
carried the image of
Artemis through the streets of the city. .The great temple em-
ployed an army of officials ; it had its wardens
(), (),
(, ),
its guards

',
of
its hierophants and choirmen its crowd
its priests and priestesses 8 . Private beneficence added
to the splendours of the goddess ; a great inscription of the year
a.d. 104 records the munificent bequest of a citizen for the
maintenance of the worship of Artemis, "marking," in the
judgement of Canon Hicks, "a reaction against Christianity,"

1 Cf. Acts xix.

2 See
24, 2 Tim.
Zimmermann, Ephesos im ersten
christlichen Jahrhundert, p. 50 ff.
a
iv. 14.

Apollonius of Tyana ap. Philostrat.

rots
nat.
v6\ei
HXariwiKols
deorum 2
. Cicero
mentions a Peripatetic
De

.* school at Ephesus.
vit. Ap. viii. 7, 8 (cited by Zimmermann,
- Zimmermann,

,
p. 73.
p. 65) "E0f(ros ' Hicks, pp. 83, 117
:

' 8 The
ft.

inscriptions mention also Upo-

UpoiraKiriyKTal,
.. : cf.
4
5 Dial.
iv. 28.
1 veoiarl
,

% - J. Menadier,
usi sunt, p. 105
Qua
f.
condicione Ephciii
 DESTINATION lxi

which from the first had been felt to be a serious rival 'of the
Ephesian cult. It is worthy of remark that the worship of the
Emperors 1 did not present itself to the people of Ephesus in this
light, and was even regarded as an ally of the local religion; a
statue of Augustus was set up in the precinct of the Artemision 2 ,

and Ephesus was proud to be the of the Emperor as well

as of her own goddess Artemis 3 Indeed, there is abundance of .

evidence that in the cities of Asia generally the Caesar-worship was

a welcome adjunct to the worship of the local deities 4 .

Ex una disce omnes; the surroundings of the Church in

Ephesus were more or less repeated in the other Asian cities.

But each city had its special features, and something must be
added in reference to these.

Smvrna, the new city of the Diadochi, claimed, as we have

(ii)

seen, a primacy of beauty 5 Approached by a long gulf which

.

opened into a noble harbour, and crowned by an acropolis 6 its ,

natural advantages were in some respects superior to those of

two-storied porticoes'.
excellent,
libera
)
Ephesus. The city was worthy of its surroundings; its streets
were straight and well paved; public buildings were numerous,
including a library, an odeum, a stadium, a theatre, a temple of
Homer ( with a portico attached to it, and other large
The relations of Smyrna with Rome were
and its loyalty received due recognition it was an urbs
and the centre of a conventus, and from a.d. 26 the proud
;

possessor of an Augusteum erected in honour of Tiberius 8 a privilege ,

which Ephesus at the time coveted in vain 9 If Smyrna did not .

claim, lite Ephesus, a special cult, it could boast a number of

temples, conspicuous among which were those of the Sipylene
Cybele and the local Zeus. The public games of Smyrna 10 were
noted for their magnificence, and it was one of the cities where
periodical festivals were held under the authority of the Commune
Asiae in honour of the Augusti 11 . On such occasions Christian

1 On this see c. vii. (^=xvii. ed. Keil).

2 Hicks, Eamsay, Letters, 7 Strabo, xiv. 37 (646).
p. 37 ;

p. 231.
3 f hns
is
Sis (or
found on Ephesian coins
) ;
8 The Augusteum in Smyrna was
however, as Prof. Beid has pointed out
to me, dedicated to Tiberius alone ; the
not,

see B. Y.Head, Greek Coins of Lydia, mother of the Emperor and the Senate
p. cvii. were inoluded (Tac. arm. iv. 15).
4 9

,
See Chapot, p. 424 ff. second neocorate was adjudged
5

•.
Seep. and Aristides Smyrna, to Smyrna under Hadrian and a third
lvii.; of
•'
-,
= xix.
-•
, •*
xli. ( ed. Keil): under Sept. Severus (Head, Greek Coins

-^
'Affias ttjs of Ionia, p. 263). Cf. CIG 3266 rois iv
Cf the Life of Polycarp
. CIG 3205
by Pionius, where the citizens are

\.
addressed as

iii. 462).
(Lightfoot, Ignatius,
10
CIG 33^6

Cf.Pausan. . 14. .
See the description in Aristides, xv. " Lightfoot, Ignatius, iii. p. 405.
lxii DESTINATION
citizens were doubtless placed in a position, of peculiar peril, but at
no season would they be regarded with favourable eyes by a
population immersed in business and pleasure, devoted. to the local
cults, and proud of its loyalty to Rome and the Emperor
1
.

(iii) the old capital of the Attalids, still claimed an

Pergamum ,

2
hegemony, in right of its ancient glories The place possessed .

natural advantages which fitted it to sustain the character of

leadership. "Beyond all other sites in Asia Minor it gives the
traveller the impression of a royal city, the home of authority ; the
rocky hill on which it stands is so huge, and dominates the broad
3
plain of the Caicus so proudly and boldly ." The plain was one

local trade in skins

4

()
of the richest in Mysia and supplied the markets of the city ; the
,

prepared for the use of writers was so

brisk that the material received its name from Pergamum
5
But .

the fame of Pergamum rested chiefly on its religious pre-eminence.

A
tetrad of local deities, Zeus Soter, Athena Nikephoros, Dionysos
Kathegemon, Asklepios Soter 6 , presided over the city ; the temple
of Athena almost crowned the acropolis, and beneath it, on the
slope of the hill and visible from the agora, stood a great al fresco
altar of the Pergamene Zeus. Still more celebrated was the Per-
gamene cult of Asklepios, to whose temple there was:attached a
school of medicine which attracted sufferers from all quarters. But

,
in Roman times the city prided itself above all upon its devotion
to the worship of the Emperors.
Pergamene coins bear the inscriptions
From the time of Augustus
CYTKAHTON,
CEBACTON 7 Inscriptions proclaim the dignity

.,
.

of the city as the first in Asia to erect a temple to Augustus 8 ; and

as it was the first, so it continued to be the chief Asian seat of the
Emperor-cult. In the time of Hadrian it was already 8!s

~%
and an inscription of the reign of Trajan mentions the
deai '/^
; the local priest of Zeus was proud to
style himself also priest of the divine Augustus.
Oeov

In St John's «yes
this new cult was the crowning sin of Pergamum ; the city which
had introduced the worship of the Augusti into Asia was the
dwelling place, the very throne of Satan, who reigned from its
acropolis ; and the Church which resided in it must expect to find
itself in the forefront of the battle about to be fought between
Christ and Antichrist.
1 The coins shew that this .loyalty

suffered no decrease under Domitian;

\!
/, ^ !
see Head, p. 273.
2
Strabo xiii. 4 (623) Si « nm ,
hook of Greek and Latin Palaeography,
p. 35
•
f.

The legends
,

ACKAHITIOY
A0HNAC NIKH-
CflTH-

.
"X
>
*
rods

Rarnsay Letters,
Strabo I.e.
Tr ""?" »* Mwi«.
rots

«^
p. 281.
.1
6
AttoXikois

»...
pQQ are frequent on coins
see
_
'7
'
Wroth>
g
Wroth,
8 ^
^opLllepy^vvCiv.
£
g
Qree1t

op. cit. p. 134 ft.

^ Kal 05
Coins

. p. 551.
Pergamum-
of

E.g.
„
Mysia,

^
CIG

ft >" Herzog-Hauck, CIG

see
* \
Membrana
.
Pergamena/ parchment';
Gardthausen, Or. Palaeographie
& j .

aiT i, s „ Mp£is
,
~

fo0 ,.
( ,,&3569
p. 39 1., or Mapnde Thompson, Hand-
 DESTINATION Ixiii

(iv) Thjatira " lies in. an open, smiling vale, bordered by gently
sloping lniS7r and "possesses no proper acropolis L." The contrast
to Pergamum thus suggested is maintained when the two cities are
compared-in other particulars. Thyatira had no history reaching
back beyond the Seleucids, who raised the obscure township into
a Macedonian colony. It was distinguished by no famous cult;
the Thyatiran coins and inscriptions mention only the local hero
Tyrimnus, or his deified counterpart the Tyrimnaean Apollo, and
an Artemis who bears the surname 'BoriteneV There is no
evidence that Thyatira was as yet a
Outside the city a Sibyl of Eastern origin known as Sambethe or
Sambatha had her cell 3
;( 2<./?)
,

?
of the Augusti.

and it has been suggested 4 ,

though with little probability, that this person is to be identified with

the prophetess Jezebel of Apoc. ii. 20. But the most outstanding
feature in Thyatiran life was probably the institution of trade-
guilds 5 In certain of the Asian cities these guilds may have
.

filled the place of the 'thousands' into which 'the 'tribes' were
divided 6 and Thyatira is one of these. At Thyatira there were
,

guilds of bakers, potters, workers in brass, tanners, leather-

cutters, workers in wool and flax, clothiers, dyers 7 ; the workers
in wool and the dyers were probably the most numerous, for the
manufacture and dyeing of woollen goods was a Lydian speciality,
in which Thyatira excelled 8 To these guilds many of the
.

Thyatirene Christians would have belonged, and their connexion

"with them would raise questions of much difficulty . One of the
inscriptions records an honour voted by the guild of dyers to the
priest of the ancestral hero Tyrimnus 10 ; in such circumstances
what course ought the Christian members of the guild to follow ?
Such a problem might seldom arise, and when it arose,- the
Church might agree upon the answer; but there was another of
frequent occurrence upon which Christians differed among them-
selves. From time to time the members of a guild partook together

p.
1
2
•

BOPEITHNH.
Eamsay, Letters, p. 318.
B. V. Head, Greek Coins of Lydia,
294 [T]YP[IM]NOC, io. p. 295
.
of a common meal which had a sacrificial character and moreover
too often ended in revelry and licentiousness. At Thyatira, through

9
" The
On
Cf. CIG 26*,
3924,
this point Prof, lleid writes
difficulty which Christians felt in
membership of the guilds was by no
:

: !,
• a qiq 3509. means confined to the question of the
* Sehfirer 3 , iii. p. 428. feasts. There was probably no guild
5 At Thyatira they were known as which was not devoted to some form of
ipycuritu; other names were heathenworship. Membership was there-
<-~,
p. jfiy.
see
,
.of
Chapot, fore ipso facto bowing down in the house
Eimmon. Direct participation in
6 Eamsay, Cities and Bishoprics of ceremonies was only incumbent on
Phrygia, p. 105.
officials of the guild but any one pos-
;

!
.
7 M. Clerc, de rebus TTiyatirenorum, sessed'of money enough to pay the
p. 92 (quoted by Eamsay I.e.). Chapot summa honoraria would find it hard to
(p. 168 ff.) gives a complete list of the decline office."
10
CIG 349 tw
trades of Asia so far as they are men-
&.
'

tioned'in the inscriptions. Oeou ol

8
Acts xvi. 14 ir6\ews
lxiv DESTINATION
circumstances which will appear further on, the question whether
Christians might or might not take part in such guild-feasts became
acute, and the Apocalyptic message to Thyatira turns upon it.
(v) Sardis, the capital of the old Lydian kingdom, and in
Persian times the seat of a satrap, retained under the Romans the
shadow of its ancient greatness 1 ; commanding the great Valley of
the Hermus, and standing at a point to which roads converged from
Thyatira, Smyrna and Laodicea and the Lycus, it could not sink
intoneglect. The town was shattered by the great earthquake of
a.d. 17, but with the liberal help of Tiberius it rose from its ruins.
Its gratitude was shewn in a special devotion to the Emperor ;
in a.d. 26 it contended with Pergamuin, Smyrna, and Ephesus for
the privilege of erecting an Augusteum, and though it failed on
that occasion, eventually it .could claim a second and even a third
neocorate. The chief local cult was that of Kor6, but the name of
the Lydian Zeus appears also on the coins 2 Dionysus, too, Athena, ;

Aphrodite, and the local heroes, Tmolus and Hermus, were honoured
at Sardis. The Church perhaps encountered in Sardis no special
danger to her peace; but the atmosphere of an old pagan city,
heavy with the immoral traditions of eight centuries, was unfavour-
able to the growth of her spiritual life.
(vi) Philadelphia has received a characteristic treatment from
Bishop Lightfoot 3 to which little need be added here. "
, city A
full of earthquakes" is Strabo's significant comment upon it; he
adds that in his time the town had been largely forsaken by its
inhabitants, who lived on the rich lands which surrounded it 4 .

With Sardis, at the time of the eartl^ake, Philadelphia partook

of the bounty of the Emperor, and was duly grateful ; though it
did not acquire the neocorate until the beginning of the third
century, its special loyalty is shewn by the titles assumed on its
coins ;
under Caligula and Claudius it styled itself Neocaesarea,
and under the Flavian Emperors Flavia 5 It is more important for .

our purpose to notice the situation of Philadelphia in reference to

Central Asia Minor. The city lay on the direct route from Smyrna
to the highlands and plateau of Central Asia Minor. Thus the
Church in Philadelphia had unusual opportunities of spreading the
Gospel in the interior, and she seems to have availed herself of this
open door 6 .

(
vii ) Laodice a has been exhaustively described by Professor
Ramsay in Gltves and Bishoprics of Phrygian. The student of the
Apocalypse will take special note of the' specialities in wool and in
eyesalve produced in the neighbourhood of this city, to which
reference seems to be made in the message to Laodicea ; and of
the prosperity of the Laodicenes as a banking and trading com-

1
Strabo
-...4
...
xiii.
4 (625) al Sdpieis
Si
»
*
St Ignatius,
Strabo xiii.
ii. pp. 237— 3+I

10 (628).
,

3
tc
S

Head, p.
(...".
246 ff.; cf. p. ovii.
?} v6\ei *

«
Head, pp. lxxxv., 195
Eamsay,
ff.
Letters, c. xxviii.
 DESTINATION lxv

rnunity, and the singular spirit of independence indicated by their

rejection of imperial help after the earthquake of a.d. 6
It is
1
.

evident that the Christians of Laodicea shared the self-sufficiency

of their fellow- townsmen, and carried it into the sphere of their
relations with God and Christ. The commercial pre-occupations of
the place saved them from persecution, but at the cost, as at Sardis,
of the life of the Spirit. Of this decline of the Christian life in
the Churches of the Lycus valley (for the message to Laodicea
was doubtless intended also for Hierapolis and Colossae), the
neighbourhood yielded a forcible illustration, which the Apoca-
lyptist was not slow to use. The hot springs of Hierapolis, in
their course, over the platform on which the city was built, lose
their heat, and the traveller who drinks of the water finds it
intolerable to the palate. So, St John teaches, the Christ will
reject the lukewarm profession of faith from which the fire of love
has departed 2 .

1 Cf. Lightfoot, Colossians, p. 44: "in or the Emperor."

all other oases of earthquake which 2 Further illustrations of the life of
Tacitus records as happening in these the Asian cities may be found in CIG
Asiatic cities. ..he mentions the fact of 3266, 3285, 3415,3416,3428,3460,3497,
their obtaining relief from the Senate 3498, 3508, 3517.

S. E.
 YI.

CHRISTIANITY IN THE PROVINCE OP ASIA

DURING THE FIRST CENTURY.
1. The permanent interest of apocalyptic literature consists

largely in its intimate connexion with the needs and sufferings,

'

the hopes and fears, of. the age and communities which produced it.
From Daniel onwards the Jewish apocalypses reflect, with more or
less distinctness, the conditions under which they were written,
and the expectations which consoled or invigorated the Jews
under Syrian, Hasmonaean, Herodian, or Roman rule, throwing
side-lights, lurid but instructive, on contemporary life and history.

The great Christian apocalypse is no exception to this rule. But

whereas it is left to the critical student to elicit as he can the
age and circumstances of the Jewish apocalyptists, the Christian
writer, as we have already seen 1 , makes no secret of the conditions
under, which he worked. The, Apocalypse of John is clearly a
product of Asian Christianity, and the purpose of the book cannot
be understood without an effort to realize the position of Christi-
anity in the cities of Asia during the first century of our era.

2. Long before the Christian era the Jews had formed a

'

considerable factor in the population of the Asian cities 2

'

. There
was a synagogue at Ephesus (Acts xviii. 19) and, it may be
assumed, in almost every one of the great towns. But the Jew
was the unconscious or, if ever he attained to a consciousness of

-
the fact, the reluctant avant-coureur of Christianity.

'
Christianity

*- ...'...£.
1
c • "• tCv On
'
.

*G(. Philo, leg. ad Cai. 33 the Jews in the Asian Cities see Kamsay, ,','

tUsl /as. Letters to the Seven Churches c. xii., 'vi

In Flacc. 7 ras (
and infra, v. vii. -i-i
 CHRISTIANITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA lxvii

"was doubtless discussed by Jewish circles in the cities of Asia as

soon as the Asian Jews who had visited Jerusalem at the Passover
or Pentecost of A.D. 29 returned to their homes in the Province.
Even if the narrative of Acts ii". be not regarded as historical, it

is clear that the story of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection

could not fail The same
to have been repeated everywhere.
storycame a little later across the sea from Rome and Alexandria 1 ,

or by the great trade-roads from Syrian Antioch or it might ;

have been brought down to the sea coast by men who had heard
St Paul tell it in the synagogues of the province of Galatia,
at Pisidian Antioch or at Iconium, or of the Lycaonian towns,
Lystra and Derbe. Yet there is no sign of any Christian move-
2
ment in Asia before the arrival of St Paul at Ephesus , and to
Ephesus his personal ministry seems to have been nearly limited.
3. Few thiDgs are more perplexing in connexion with the
development of St Paul's evangelistic work than the long delay of
its extension to proconsular Asia. At Antioch -in Pisidia in the
summer of 48 the Apostle stood literally at the parting of the ways
if he had turned to the west, he would have reached the Lycus
valley and Ephesus instead of this he turned his face eastwards,
;

and his destination was the Lycaonian towns. On the next occasion
a westward mission was in his mind, probably from the first, cer-
when at Derbe or Lystra he
tainly took Timothy for his partner in
a new work 3 and with his two
, colleagues '
went through ' the
'Phrygo-Galatic region' 4 , i.e. the Phrygian part of Galatia, which lay
on the border of Asia. If he did not cross the border, he would
have done so, had not a hand which was upon his spirit held him
back. This mysterious check was repeated, when he had got to
the confines of Mysia, and wished to enter the great province of
Bithynia and Pontus 5
headquarters of Christian influence
1 Cf. Acts xviii. 18, 24 ff.
. Both Asia and Bithynia were
6
, but their time was not yet;
els . to become

.
2 Acts xix. 1. The brief previous 6
Of. 1 Pet. i. 1 with Dr Hort's note
scarcely counts. ad loc, and Additional Note on p. 157 f.

. /
visit (xviii. 19 f.)
3 Acts xvi. 1 6 As to Bithynia we have the testimony
abv of the younger Pliny (a.d. hi): " multi
1 lb. 6 Si enim omnis aetatis, omnis ordinis, utri-
usque sexus etiam, vocantur in pericu-
5 lb.
7 /Tes Se lum."

e2
lxviii CHRISTIANITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA
Macedonia and Achaia must receive their call first, and Asia must
wait a while. The turn of Ephesus came in A.D. 52 — 3, when
St Paul began a residence of more than two years in that city.

4. The Apostle reached Ephesus at the end of a progress

through the "upper parts 1
," i.e. not by the direct route from
Galatia (Acts xviii. 23) through the Lycus valley, but over the
higher ground of the interior, possibly by way of Philadelphia,
Sardis, and Smyrna, or by Philadelphia, Sardis, Thyatira, Per-
gamum, and thence down the coast. The purpose of this detour
was apparently evangelistic 2 , and it creates a suspicion that
Ephesus was not the only or even the first Church in Asia which
received the Gospel from St Paul's own lips. The outworks were
carried before the citadel was attacked ; in any case, the gradual
approach to Ephesus is of a piece with the previous delays,-
and emphasizes the great importance of the city as a centre of
Christian work. Meanwhile, at Ephesus itself forerunners had
—the
been at work
party of twelve men
received John's baptism; and the
Alexandrian Jew, Apollonius or Apollos 3
or thereabouts
Roman
( BwBe/ca), -who had
Christians Aquila and
; a

Priscilla, who had crossed with the Apostle from Corinth in

the previous spring. The Apostle's own work began as usual in
the synagogue. But as at Corinth (Acts xviii. 6, xix. 9),
when
his preachingwas resented by the Jewish residents, he parted
company with them, and thenceforth his teaching was carried on
in one of the philosophical schools of the city 4. This went on for
two Ephesus had unusual opportunities of hearing
years, so that

a great Christian teacher and though St Paul himself does not

;

seem to have left the place, visitors from other parts of Asia carried
back a report of his teaching to their own towns, and the evangeli-
zation of Asia, begun during his journey to Ephesus, was at
length fairly complete (Acts xix. 10, 26). At Ephesus a Church
1 Acta. xix. 1 SieXfliWa 4 -. 4 The Western
!
text says that he dis-
I*PI•
_»
TU
Compare the use of
1 I9
' 1V- 2 6'
m &,s !,
coursed there daily cwro
from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.• i.e.,
aa Bams ay (St Paul, p. 271) points out,
»'/f '
,'
f A ",, *
» On the relation of Apollos
f- „,
to Chris-
.

he began after the usual work of the

tian teaching at this time see J. H. A. leoture room was over
Hart, J. T. S., Oot. 1905.
 CHRISTIANITY IN THE PROVINCE OP ASIA lxix

began to take shape during the biennium. Disciples had gathered

round the Apostle before he left the synagogue (xix. 9), and
after the separation the number grew, and gave satisfactory
evidence of their sincerity (ib. 1 8 ff.); there were to be found
men who had filled the office of Asiarch, and yet were well
disposed towards the Christian cause qr its leader (ib.- 31). When
the crash came in A.D. 55, St Paul was able to feel that his
work in Ephesus had been practically accomplished, and that
he might go elsewhere without danger to Asian Christianity
(xix. 21, xx. i) 1 .

5. In the spring of 56, when St Paul landed at Miletus on

his way to his last Pentecost at Jerusalem, the Church of Ephesus
already had its college of elders 2 . In Asia as in Galatia and
3
Lycaonia the Apostle had instituted the presbyterate ; although
the order is mentioned only in connexion with Ephesus, it doubt-
less found a place in the other Asian Churches 4 which owed their

origin to St Paul. Two pairs of letters, which if they are not

the work of St Paul, certainly proceed from his school, supply
further materials for the history of the Churches of Asia during
the years that followed. (1) Cohesions, Ephesians. The letter to

Colossae deals chiefly with the conditions of the Church in that

Phrygian city and other Churches in the Lycus valley. But
Ephesians, as is generally recognized, was a circular letter intended
for the cities of Asia generally 5 —a Pauline precursor in this respect
of St John's Apocalypse —and it illumines the general situation in
Asia about A.D. 60. From this point of view it is interesting to
note the repeated reference in this Epistle to a charismatic
ministry (Eph. ii. 20, iv. 1 1 f.) ; the stress laid on the reconciliation
of- the Jew and Gentile in Christ (ii. 11 , ff.') ; the conception of
the ecclesia as an ideal unity (iv. 1 ff.); the conception of the
Christian life as bound up with the risen and ascended life of the
Lord, and working itself out into a life of actual participation in
1 His departure was perhaps slightly s
Cf. xiv. 23.
hastened in consequence of the riot but : * Cf. 1 Cor. xvi. 19 ttjs
he had not intended to stay beyond the '!.
Pentecost of 55 (1 Cor. xvi. 8). e On this see Westcott-Hort 2
, Notes
2 Acts xx.
17 ff.; on xx. 28, see Hort, on select readings, p. 123 ft.

Ecclesia,.p. 99 f.
Ixx CHRISTIANITY IN T±E PROVINCE OF ASIA

His glory (ii. 6 ff.) —ideas which reappear in the Apocalypse of

John. (2) I, 2 Timothy. According to 1 Timothy, St Paul, after
his release from the Roman captivity of Acts xxviii. 30, visited
Ephesus again. He found that the fears which he had expressed in
the address at Miletus were already realized in part. Unwholesome
speculations, probably of Je.wish origin 1
, occupied the attention of
the Ephesian Church, to the neglect of practical Christianity.
Other evils were rife in the Christian society, such as eagerness
for office, unseemly disputes in the Church assemblies, gossip and
slander if not worse sins among the women, even among those who
as widows were pensioners and servants of the Church. There were
Christians who attempted to make a gain of their religion, and others
of the wealthier class whp prided themselves on their wealth, and
needed to be urged to share it with their poorer brethren. The
whole picture is far from hopeful, and in the Second Epistle it

becomes depressing. All Asia had turned away from its father in

the faith (i. 1 5) —an exaggeration, it may be, but one which suggests
at least an anti-Pauline movement in the churches of the province;
two of the ringleaders —Phygelus and Hermogenes—are mentioned
by name ; a certain Onesiphorus is warmly commended, as if he
were almost a solitary exception to the general apostasy. St Paul
despatched to Ephesus (iv. 12) one of his few remaining friends,
Tychicus of Asia 2, perhaps in the hope that a native of the province
might succeed in recalling Asia to its allegiance. So the curtain
falls upon the Apostle's relations with the Asian Churches.
6. It was probably after the death of St Paul that St Peter
wrote his circular letter to the Churches of Asia Minor 3 . The
letter makes no special reference. to the affairs of tbe province of
Asia, but its account of the condition of Christians in Asia Minor
must be taken
'

to apply to provincial Asia, which was one of the

four provinces addressed 4 . In the first place it is remarkable that
while St Paul himself is not mentioned, the Apostle of the

1 Hort, Judaistic Christianity ,p. 1 ifi.

3 receive the letter, which,' to judge from

,.2

»
Acts xx. 4

See St
Cf.
Mark 1
Eph.
,
Si
vi. 2
p. xxn.
.1
1
the order of the names, entered Asia
Minor by way of the Euxine, possibly at
Sinope ; cf. Hort, First Ep. of St Peter,
4 Not however the first province to pp. 17, 176 ft.
 CHRISTIANITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA Ixxi

Circumcision not only associates himself in this letter with two

of St Paul's companions, Silvanus and Mark (iv. 12 f.), but makes

encyclical
of date, but it
? '&.
considerable use of St Paul's Epistles, and

may serve
The fact has been used
also to shew the
among them
as an indication
delicate care with which
of the

St Peter endeavours to' maintain the continuity of Christian

teaching in• churches which had been to some extent estranged
from their founder, and without such an intimation might have
been led to regard Peter in the light of a rival to whom they
were invited to transfer their allegiance. But for our purpose
it is more important to take note of the relations which
existed at the time between the Christian communities and
their pagan neighbours. Christians were spoken against as

evil-doers (ii. 12); their reasons were demanded with a rude-

ness which called for the exercise of meekness (Hi. 15); there
was always a chance that any one of them might be called to
suffer as a Christian; already they had been tried by fire, and
were learning to bear their share in the sufferings of Christ
(iv. 12 ff.). Yet the persecution was as yet unofficial. The
Apostle presses on the Churches the duty of absolute loyalty to
the Emperor and the Proconsul Rome, indeed, is already
(ii. 13 ff).

'Babylon' (v. 13), but Nero, if he a power

is still living, exercises

which is of God, and while God is alone to be feared, the Emperor

must be held in honour (ii. 17). The troubles of the Asian
Christians came as yet from their neighbours rather than from the
State; their refusal to share in the revelries and impurities of
heathenism brought upon them the illwill and abuse and, as far
as the civil power permitted, the maltreatment of relatives or
fellowcitizens (iv. 3 ff). The trial fell with especial weight upon
Christian slaves, who had no protection against the cruelty of
pagan masters, and who formed a large proportion of the early
Christian societies.
7. In the Apocalypse of John the field is narrowed again to
Proconsular Asia. The opening chapters of the book take the
reader on tour through a great part of the Province ; he accom-
panies the bearer of the Apocalyptic circular from Ephesus to
lxxii CHRISTIANITY IN THE PROVINCE OP ASIA
Smyrna, and thence passes inland to Mysian Pergamum, Lydian
Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia, and Phrygian Laodicea. Each
of the seven cities had its Christian society, and in some cases
was associated with neighbouring churches
at least this society
to which it would transmit the Apocalypse or a copy. Thus
Pergamum was within easy reach of Adramyttium and Troas
(Acts xx. 5 ff., 2 Cor. ii. 12), Laodicea of Hierapolis and Colossae
(Col. ii. 1, iv. 13), and Ephesus itself of Miletus, Magnesia and
Tralles ; so that the route indicated secured the distribution of
St John's encyclical among all the Christian brotherhoods in Asia 1 .

St John, like St Peter, makes no mention of St Paul. The

founder of the Asian Churches seems to have disappeared altogether
from their field of sight. If we are to believe a considerable school of
modern critics, the Apocalypse not only ignores St Paul, but bitterly
and repeatedly attacks those who still claimed to follow his teaching.
In the opinion of these scholars the Nicolaitans of c. ii. are the
Pauline Christians of the age of St John 2 . It is possible that this

remarkable theory holds an element of truth. The advocates of

laxity may have sheltered themselves under, the great authority
of St Paul, quoting detached sentences from his epistles 3 ia
support of their tenets ; they may have represented the r61e of the
Apostle of the Uncircumcision as that of a deliverer of Gentile
Christendom from the yoke which the older Apostles and the
mother Church had sought 49;to impose by, the decree of A.D.
it is even barely possible that behind the enigmatic name which
they bore there may lie some reference to the spiritual victories
won by the man whom they claimed as the author of their
policy. Against pseudo-Paulinists such as these John takes his
stand, as St Paul himself would certainly have done ; but against
Paul 4 or his teaching there is not a word. No doubt it is

strange that so great a figure as that of St Paul should have been

forgotten or eclipsed in the country which had been the earliest

1
See above, c. v. That-the Apostle's -words were wrested
2

Tit.
See the oommentary on
E.g. 1 Cor. x.
ianv;
19
ib. 23
otv ;*.
c. ii.

. 13. after this

iii.
<
manner we know from Bom.
8; of. 2 Pet. iii. 16.
On the slight said to be intended in
i. 15 tois xxi. 14, see oomm. ad loc.
 CHRISTIANITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA Ixxiii

and principal scene of his evangelistic work. But account must

be taken of several circumstances. More than a generation had
passed away since his residence at Ephesus, and the other Asian
cities had never seen him in the flesh 1 or had known him only ,

as an itinerant evangelist 2 . The rapid movements of life which

played over the surface of Ionian civilization in the years between
the beginning of Nero's reign and the end of Domitian's; the
transit over Asia of many of the greater '
lights ' of the Church
on their way from Palestine westwards, and the settlement of
some of them in the province 3 the presence in Asia of men ;

,
who had known the Lord in the days of His flesh or had
conversed with those who knew Him 4 these things all tended —
to wipe out the memory of St Paul from the minds of the
Asian Christians. John himself as the whether
we regard him as the Apostle or ; the Elder, may well have
excited throughout the province" a sentiment of veneration such
as had never been felt for the 1
" of the Apostolic body.
It is not surprising that St John is seen to fill and more than
fill the place once occupied by St Paul, or that so few traces are
left of the great Apostle's work in the Churches of Asia when they
emerge to sight again at the end of the first century.
8. That Christianity in Asia was, in the time of the
Apocalyptist,' a force with which paganism had to reckon is

evident from the new attitude which its enemies were beginning
to assume towards it; —a point to which we shall presently recur.

In the larger cities the Christians probably formed an appreciable

fraction of the population ; Ignatius, some fifteen or twenty years
after the date of the Apocalypse, can speak of the of
the Ephesian Church 6 . Asia Minor was destined to become the
stronghold of Christianity, and in no other province of the Empire
was the

,
1
2
*
Cf. Col.
See c. .
faith so widely disseminated or represented

ii. .
Pulycrates ap. Eus.

' ,
.. iii. 31 Si
h -
!..:
'
by so many

iv aylip

/ - 4

[,...\
yap
6
lb. iii. 39•

*^
Cor. XV. 8.
Ss 6 Ign. Eph. Lightfoofs note
i. 3. of•
ad loc.
lxxiv CHRISTIANITY IN THE PROVINCE OP ASIA
societies 1 as in the province of Asia. Nevertheless, Asian
Christianity, as represented by St John in the Apocalypse, does
not create a wholly satisfactory impression. The Churches pass
before us, and each is separately reviewed, with varying judgements.
not the work of the
'

If good work is being done at Ephesus, it is

first days4 f.). At Pergamum and Thyatira there is much to

(ii.

be commended, but also something to be censured in each of ;

these Churches there is a Nicolaitan circle, and at Thyatira its

'
'

ends are promoted by a local prophetess who is tolerated by the

Church (ii. 1 5, 20). At Sardis Christianity is in danger of becoming
an empty profession (iii. 1); at Laodicea, the self-satisfaction of
commercial prosperity is eating out the heart of Christian humility
and love (iii. 1 5 ff.). Only Smyrna and Philadelphia deserve, un-
mixed praise, and in each case it has been earned under the
discipline of suffering (ii. 9 ff., iii. 10). Only at Philadelphia do we
seem to hear of progress ; before this Church an open door had
been set in the great trade-route which connected the town with
the highlands of Phrygia, and some attempt had perhaps been
made to take advantage of it for missionary work 2 .

Yet as a whole the Asian Church as seen in the Apocalypse is

still holding its own ; the notes of faith, love, service, perseverance
are to be found everywhere except at Laodicea, and to Laodicea
itself a locus poenitentiae
has not as yet

a small minority
the Nicolaitan prophetess
for Judaism, the purity
made

(ii. 15
)
great progress

of.
is still afforded.

regarded by the great body of the Church with detestation' (ii. 6

/«€? epiya

? is
;

merely suffered
;

at
at

the faith was no longer in danger from

Ephesus

Pergamum
The Nicolaitan party
its practices are

\.);
(ii.
it

20
seems to be
at Thyatira
?). As
1

that cause; the open and bitter* antagonism of the Synagogue had
opened the eyes of the Christians, and worked for the good of the
Church.

1
Cf. A. Harnack, Die Mission '«. Ans- Asien 1st... die christliche Hauptprovinz
brcitung d. Ghnstentums, 461: "Klein-
asien ... ist das christliche Land
in vorkonstantinisoher Zeit ge-
.
' '
in Kleinasien geworden."
326, 364.)
* See Eamsay, Letters, p. 404!.
(E. Tr.,pp.

wesen"; ib. p. 484: "Die Provinz

 CHRISTIANITY" IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA lxxv

9. The Nicolaitan minority calls for separate consideration.

—
)
As represented by the Apocalyptist, the party
perhaps a party rather than a sect

to idols
to
(ii.
commit
14, 20);
fornication
it

brought on Israel the disaster of Baal-peor; the prophetess who

was
for it

—taught Christians (tow?

and to eat food Offered in sacrifice
did the work of Balaam, whose counselst
still

pushed its claims at Thyatira was a second Jezebel, pressing

upon the people of God the immoralities of a heathen society. It

may be assumed that the Nicolaitans themselves disclaimed any
immoral object. Their purpose, it has been pleaded, was " to effect
a reasonable compromise with the established usages of Graeco-
Roman society"; they taught that Christians ought to remain
members of the pagan and that they might do so without
clubs 1,
disloyalty to their faith. Such a course, they would argue, involved
nothing worse than the abandonment of an obsolete decree. The
Jerusalem decree had been issued at the first, beginning of Gentile
Christianity ; had been circulated by St Paul in Pamphylia
it •

and Lycaonia (Acts xvi. 4), and doubtless had reached Ephesus.

of the ban against ,,

But St Paul himself had permitted at Corinth some modification
recognizing the liberty of Christians

-
to partake without question of meat which was sold in the markets
or set before them at a friend's table, while he insisted that charity
to weaker brethren should preclude them from eating an
which had been declared to be such or from taking part in
a banquet held in a pagan temple (1 Cor. viii. 10, x. 25 ff.). It
may be presumed that a "similar compromise had been reached at
Ephesus, and throughout the Pauline Churches. But the minority
was dissatisfied. . The existing rule excluded members of the
Church not only from the public festivals which were the pride
2
of the Ionian cities , but from the private clubs which connected
their common meals with sacrificial rites, and met in buildings
dedicated to a pagan deity. Those who desired to participate in
gatherings of the' latter kind might have had much to urge in
their defence; it was only by such wise concessions that Christianity

1 Bamsay, 5
Letters, pp. 199, 335 ff-i For the Ephesian festivals see Hicks,
346. ' Ephesus, p. 79 f.
lxxvi CHRISTIANITY" IN THE PROVINCE OP ASIA
could hope to leaven the life of these Greek cities ; to stand aloof
from all social reunions was to incur suspicion and dislike, and
such conduct would end in a general uprising against the Church,
perhaps in its suppression throughout Asia. These arguments
might have been used by the party with more or less of sincerity,

but they did not succeed in deceiving the Seer of the Apocalypse.
He saw in the Nicolaitan proposals not the mere abandonment of a
primitive Church order, not only the adoption of a weak concordat
with the pagan society by which the Church was environed, but
an indirect attack upon the sanctities of the Christian life. The
Jerusalem conference had in its decree brought into juxtaposition
the eating of and indulgence in sexual impurity 1
(Acts xv. 20, 27), and John had not lived in a Greek city without
becoming aware that the two things were in fact closely bound up
together. Pagan festivities were too often occasions of immora-
lities from which Gentile converts had been rescued with the
greatest difficulty. If words meant anything to the writer of the
Apocalypse, he regarded the question raised by the Nicolaitans
as vital, and the danger as imminent. From participation in a
pagan guild-feast to licentiousness was but a step ;
yet the guilds
were bound up with the life of the cities, and to repudiate them
was a serious matter for Christians who were engaged in the local
trades
2
. When even Christian prophecy, in the person of the
Thyatiran Jezebel, was advocating Nicolaitan principles, it was
time for the prophet of the Apocalypse to speak with no uncertain
voice; and his words (ii. 22 f.), viewed in this light, are not
more severe than the occasion demanded.
10. The Nicolaitan controversy raises the whole question of
the relation of Christianity in Asia to Paganism at the moment
when St John wrote. In no part of the Empire was paganism
more strenuous or resourceful, and in none, so far as we can
judge, was the conflict between the old religion and the new so
1 Hopveu<rcu, iropvda (Apoc. ii. 14, 2of.) tempt to live at peace with pagan neigh-
cannot be interpreted otherwise without bours.
doing violence to the plain meaning of 2
On this point .see Eamsay, Letters,
the words, nor can the language used in p. 352. He speaking of Thyatira,
is
ii. 6,1 23 be justified if the Nicolaitan where "Jezebel" was at work,
surrender was merely a well-meant at-
 CHRISTIANITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA lxxvii

nearly brought to a head. At Ephesus in 54-5 the cry was already

raised of Christ or Artemis, and the city of the Artemision had
been lashed to a fine fury by the prospect of their great goddess,
the worship of Asia and the Empire, being abandoned at the
bidding of a Jew. What Artemis was to Ephesus,- such was
Asklepios to Pergamum indeed, each of
; the cities had its local

cult of one or more deities, Hellenic in name, but more or less

Asiatic in origin and character. These cults were intimately
connected with the interests of the local tradesmen and artizans 1 ,

as well as of the municipalities and of those in authority ; anyone

who attacked the religion of an Asian city brought upon himself
the illwill of the whole population. The Jews from the time of
the Seleucids had been free to follow their own faith and even to
make proselytes where they Could, and it may have been their
policy to preserve the status quo, by shutting their eyes to much
that their consciences disapproved. But the new religion was
2
content with nothing less than an active crusade against- idolatry ;

if St Paul and his friends were not iepoavKoi, they were scarcely
free, as the grammateus of Ephesus maintained, from the charge
of speaking ill of the local deity ; whatever Alexander the Jew
may have had to say in his defence (Acts xix. 38), the Christian
Apostle could scarcely have urged this plea. What happened at

Ephesus in St Paul's time must have happened, mutatis mutandis,

in all Asian cities where Christianity gained an entrance. Every-
where in Asia it found itself opposed to a religious system which
was deeply rooted in the affections and supported by the interests
of the citizens, and which entered into every department of social

and commercial life. Sooner or later an open conflict was inevit-

able. When the Apocalypse was written the conflict had begun
all along the line.

1 Cf. Acts xix.

23, 25, 27. p. 264, and of. Aota xix. 26.
a See Westcott, Epp.
of St John,
 .
ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OP ASIA DURING
THE FIRST CENTURY.

i. which in the days of the Apocalyptist lay

The conflict

before the Christians of Asia was more than an encounter with

the prejudices or the interests of their fellow-townsmen, due to an
attempt to substitute a new religion for a long-established cult.

Two empires were about to meet in mortal combat

1
: the Kingdom
of God represented by the Church, the World-power represented
by Rome. As the struggle revealed itself to the eyes of the Seer,
it was a war of the Christ with the Antichrist.

, ,,
Within the limits of the New Testament, the
occurs only in the Epistles of St John; cf.
oVi

, ^ -
word Antichrist
Jo.
'

ii. 18
;

,.
ib. 22 ;

. 3

2 Jo. 7 outos
\sc.

[SC.

6
iv

Here the expected coming of

Antichrist is represented as finding a fulfilment in the docetic
iv ] ',

views of the person of Christ which were prevalent in St John's

time, and i Jo. iv. 3 is accordingly quoted against the docetic
schools of the second century by Polycarp '(PhU. 7) and Irenaeus
(iii. 16. 6, 8). Irenaeus, however, uses the name 'Antichrist' in
connexion with eschatological speculations based on 2 Thess. ii.
(Iren. iii. 7. 1, v. 25. 1) and on the Apocalypse (Iren. v. 26. ff. ), and

from Irenaeus this use of the word descended to Hippolytus, whose

tract Tiepi
is in our hands.

1 The expression is borrowed from Bp Wes,toott's ^reat Essay in Epp. of St John,

p. 250 ff.
 ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OP ASIA lxxix

2. It is remarkable that a word so "characteristic of the

School of St John 1 " does not appear in the Apocalypse, where it
might have served the writer's purpose in more than one passage.
That the conception of a personal Antichrist existed among the
Christians of Asia in the first century is certain from John ii. 18.
Doubtless they had ' heard ' it from the prophets, and the prophets
had inherited the idea if not the word from, the Synagogue.
Whether the germ of the idea is to be found with Gunkel in the
Babylonian myth of Marduk and Tiamat, or in Daniel's presenta-
tion of Antiochus Epiphanes 2, Jewish apocalypses of the first

century shew .that the Messianic hope of the time rested on a

dark background of forebodings aroused by the expectation of an
anti-Messiah 3 . A corresponding development of the doctrine of
Antichrist is to be found in Christian circles during the Apostolic
age.

-
the
The
final
,
locus classicus in the' Epistles is 2 Thess. ii.
antagonist of the Christ is described as
or 6
• *. His
' - ,,stands in.
3
•;
ff.

strong con-
Here

trast

truth.
less
with that of the Christ

One
;

But
'

the Lord (ov d

it is

is
his doom is
destined to perish
;

(
it is

' )
sure; the Christ will prevail ; the 'Law-,
at the Coming of

).
not
not of

this person, (for such

restraining force
)
( , ),
he certainly seems to be)
is delayed by some
the nature of which had
6
apparently been explained by the Apostle when he was at Thessa-
lonica ( ),
though for some good reason he is
The revelation of

unwilling to commit it to writing. Meanwhile, the principle of

is already at work.
Assuming that 2 Thess. is a genuine work of St Paul, it is one
of his earlier Epistles, and may be placed in the last years of

reigning Emperor, and

—
Claudius (48 49, Harnack; 53, Zahn).
his policy.
is perhaps the
As for the
the conception is based partly on the O.T., and partly it is sugges-
' ,
ted by the memory of the late Emperor Gaius, and his mad attempt
to set up a statue of himself in the Temple at Jerusalem. When
Claudius was gone, a new Emperor might return to Caligula's folly

1 4 Cf. Dan.
Westoott, Epp. of St John, p. 70. I.e.
* Cf. Dan. xi. 36. ° Cf. Isa. xi. 4, a passage which the
8 Cf. Apoc. Baruch xxxv. ff. Ase. of Targum applies to Armillus.
Isaiah 4, 4 Esdr. 5 ff.
lxxx ANTICHRIST IN PROVINCE OF ASIA

or surpass and prove himself a very Antichrist. But there

it,

is nothing in the Apostle's words which compels

the belief that
Nero was in his thoughts, or even that he consciously connected
the Antichrist with a future Emperor. All that he
definitely
after the
foretells is the advent of a great antichristian power
removal of the existing bar, and before the second Advent of
the Lord.
An earlier Christian apocalypse, based on the teaching of Christ
and now embodied in the Synoptic Gospels (Mc. xiii. = Mt. xxiv.
=
Lc. xxi.), may have been already in

()
written.
where
place " (Mt.) 1
he ought not " (Mc.)
circulation

or "
when
It speaks of the Abomination of Desolation'
'

standing
2 Thess. was
" standing
in a holy
St Luke substitutes for this the paraphrase, " When
(
,
.

ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her

,
desolation is at hand," i.e., writing after the fall of the city, he
interprets the prophecy as fulfilled in the investment of Jerusalem
by Titus. But whatever may be intended by the
it is difficult to overlook the
between St Mark's
Paul's -e Vabv
ov Bei = iv
£?s The .'
tj)s

general resemblance
(Mt.), and St
had
been almost realized under Caligula, and the Apostle looked forward
to its full realization, perhaps in the near future ; to St Luke, who
outlived St Paul, the day seemed to have come when the city was
invested by the Roman general.

3. In the Apocalypse another stage is reached. Assuming

that the book in its present form belongs, as Irenaeus states, to
the end of Domitian's reign, the follies of Caligula, the atrocities
of Nero, and the victory of Titus 2 belong to the past ; a quarter
of a century separates the fall of Jerusalem from the vision
of Patmos. New developments call for new conceptions of the
antichristian power, and to St John, guided by his recollections of

theBook of Daniel, it assumes the form of a Wild Beast. Two

Wild Beasts are mentioned in c. xiii., but the second does not retain
the name ; he reappears in a later chapter as the False Prophet
from xiii. 1 1 the first Wild Beast, whose prophet he is, receives

the title rb to the exclusion of his subordinate, and if we

may use a word which the writer of the Apocalypse perhaps in-
tentionally lays aside, this first Wild Beast is the Antichrist of
To him belongs the mystic number 666 it is

. ^
St John's vision. ;

1
Mt. adds, rb Sib. the Apocalypse, but in reference not to
Cf. Dan. ix. 27, xi. 24, xii. 11. Jerusalem but to Babylon (xvii. 4f.,
2 Both &\•. and occur in xviii. 16, 19).
 ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA lxxxi

he who like St Paul's 1

is worshipped by the world, and sets
his mark on his worshippers ; it is on him that the new Babylon
reposes ; it is he who is at last seized and cast with his prophet
into the lake of fire. In one important particular, however,
St John has made an advance upon St Paul. The Apocalyptic
Beast vanishes before the final parousia ; a long interval appears
to intervene between his disappearance and the end, during which
the forces of evil muster round Satan himself, who is thus the
ultimate antagonist of Christ and of the Church.

4. Who or what is the Beast of the Apocalypse ? Sometimes

he seems to be regarded as personal (e.g. xvii. 8, n); at other

times we appear to be dealing with an impersonal abstraction

(xiii. ff., xvii. 3, 7 f.). The same phenomenon has been observed
in the Synoptic apocalypse and in St Paul's prophecy of the
Man of Sin, and the obvious explanation is that in each case the
writer means to represent a principle which finds its illustration

and works itself out in individuals. If the line of interpretation

adopted in the present commentary be accepted, the Apocalypse

refers in terms which are necessarily obscure to Nero and Domitian
as successive embodiments of the Beast; the Beast itself is properly

the hostile World-power which was identified with -the Boman

Empire, and personified in the first two persecuting Emperors.
" Two Empires, two social organizations, designed to embrace
the whole world, started together in the first century.... In prin-

ciple, in mode of action, in sanctions, in scope, in history they offer

an absolute contrast The history of- the Roman Empire is from
the first the history of a decline and fall... the history of the
Christian Empire is from the first the history of a victorious
progress 2." The antithesis which is set forth in these eloquent

words may not have been observed at first ; it does not appear
in our Lord|s attitude towards the Roman rule in Judaea, or
in the teaching of St Paul upon the duty of Christians towards
civil rulers, or even in St Paul's prophecy, where the Empire
and the Emperor are viewed in the light of a protecting rather

2 Westcott, Epp. of St John, p. 253.

1
Both descriptions rest ultimately on
Daniel vii. 8, xi. 36.

*
S. K, ,
- •
Ixxxii ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA
than a hostile force. St Peter's Epistle is probably later than the
outbreak of the Neronian persecution, but it reinforces St Paul's

appeal for loyalty. There was obviously no ground for the

charge of disloyalty which the Jews brought against our Lord
before Pilate (Jo. xix. 12), and against Paul and Silas before the
Thessalonian politarchs (Acts xvii. 5 ff.). It was not on the side
of the Church that the quarrel began 1 ; in all probability it would
never have begun had not Rome provoked it by aggressive
measures which the Church could not but resent.
Nero opened hostilities in 64, initiating a policy of per-
5.

secution which was not formally abandoned during the rest of the
century. The circumstances are thus described by Tacitus 2 and
Suetonius

Tac. Ann. xv. 44 " non ope humana, non largitionibus principis
aut deum placamentis decedebat infamia, quin iussum incendium cre-
deretur. ergo abolendo rumori Nero subdidit reos, et quaesitissimis
poenis affecit quos per flagitia invisos vulgus Christianos appellabat.
.igitur primum correpti qui fatebantur 3 , deinde indicio eorum multi-
. .

tudo ingens, haud perinde in crimine inoendii quam odio humani

generis coniuncti (corr. convicti) sunt, et pereuntibus addita ludibria,
ut ferarum tergis contecti laniatu canum interirent, aut crucibus
affixi, aut flammandi, atque ubi defecisset dies in usum nocturni
luminis urerentur. hortos sups ei spectaculo Nero obtulerat et
circense ludicrum edebat, habitu aurigae permixtus plebi vel
curriculo insistens. unde quamquam adversus sontes et novissima
exempla meritos miseratio oriebatur, tamquajn non utilitate publica
sed in saevitiam unius absumerentur." Suet. Nero 16 "multa sub
eo et animadversa severe et coercita...afflicti suppliciis Christiani,
genus hominum superstitionis novae ac maleficae."

It is evident that Tacitus, who certainly held no brief for

the Christian faith, represents Nero as the real author of the

outrage. It took the form of a police measure, as Suetonius says,
but in the first instance it was simply a device for screening the
Emperor's own infamy. name with
Christians already had a bad
the Roman populace, but no attack would have been made upon
their lives had not Nero sacrificed them to save himself. When
he proceeded to offer the use of the Vatican Gardens for the
1 How little disposed the Church was a On the trustworthiness
of Tacitus
to make difficultieson her part may be see Lightfoot, Ignatius, i. pp. 9 f., 725.
gathered (e.g.) from St Luke's readiness s Either their Christian Faith
or their
use the title
-to (Acts xxv. 21,25). guilt as incendiaries.
 ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA lxxxiii

executions and to mix with the spectators, even the Roman mob
recognized the brutality (saevitiam) of his conduct.
6. Even if Nero had. desired to abandon the policy of per-
secution, it would have been difficult for him to do so. The words
of Suetonius suggest that notwithstanding the reaction brought
about by the Emperor's callousness, repressive measures continued
in force. Sulpicius Severns, who wrote in the fourth century, may
be confusing later times with those of Nero when he writes
(chron. ii. 29) in reference to the latter :
" post etiam datis legibus
religio vetabatur, palamque edictis propositis Christianum esse
non licebat 1 ," but he is certainly right in adding with regard to
the atrocities of 64, "hoc initio in Christianos saeviri coeptum";
and, as Lightfoot points out, when once persecution had begun the
Roman Jews, with Poppaea Sabina at their back, would scarcely have
been content to The martyrdoms of St Peter
let it cease altogether»

and St Paul are connected with Nero by Tertullian (scorp. 15)

and Origen (. Eus. i?. 2?. iii. 1), and those Apostles were but the
leaders of a great army of martyrs 2 The horrors of that first
.

onslaught on the Roman Christians must have made a lasting

impression on the Churches throughout the Empire; and the man
who had exhausted every form of cruelty in his sudden attack
upon an innocent community and had revelled in the agonies of
his victims may well have become among Christians everywhere
the symbol of brute force triumphing over righteousness and truth,
of the World-power standing in direct antithesis to the Kingdom
of God —in a word, of Antichrist, or to use St John's image, of the
Beast.
So strong was the impression made by the personality of
7.

Nero upon the Roman world that after his violent death in 68 r

there were many who believed or professed to believe that he. was
still alive. While some of his friends year after year strewed his
tomb with the flowers of spring and summer, others issued edicts
in his name and professed that he would shortly return to the con-

Empire,
natius,
vii. ,
So Bamsay, Church in the Roman
p.
i.

p. 408.
244^ but see Lightfoot, Ig-
p. 10 f. ; Sanday, in Exp. .
2 Cf.

iyhovro
Clem.
o'ltlvgs

.
fi}Xos iradbvTes
1

-?
Cor. 6
aUlais

f*
-
lxxxiv ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA
fusion of his enemies 1 . More than one pretender claimed to be a
2
Nero returned from His wanderings, or even restored to life . There
were those who whispered that the great Emperor was hiding in
Parthia, and would some day cross the borders at the head of a
Parthian host. The Christian prophet would not, of course, give
credit to these stories, but they served to supply some of the
features of his symbolism. The Beast is represented as simulating
the Resurrection and Return of the Christ ; his deadly wound has
been healed (xiii. 3); he is coming again 3
. Nero is doubly an
Antichrist ; the historical Nero persecuted the Church, the Nero
of popular myth caricatured 4 the faith. The legend, indeed, was
not without a counterpart of historical fact. When the Apocalypse
was written, Nero had in truth returned in the person of Domitian
(xvii. 11).

8. The brief reigns of Galba, Otho, and Vitellius are of no

interest to the student of the struggle between the Empire and
the Church and may be left out of his reckoning, as St John leaves
them out in Apoc. xvii. 10, where Vespasian follows immediately
after Nero. With Vespasian the Flavian house 5 entered on a spell

of power which lasted for more than a quarter of a century. Its

policy, in the belief of Professor Ramsay, was strongly anti-
christian. Attention is called to a passage in Severus Sulpicius,

probably derived from the lost Histories of Tacitus", in which

the chronicler describing a council of war held after the fall of
Jerusalem says (ii. 30): "alii et Titus ipse evertendum in primis
templum censebant quo plenius Judaeorum et Christianorum
religio tollatur...Christianos ex Judaeis extitisse; radice sublata
stirpem facile perituram." This, if trustworthy, assigns a reason
for,a Flavian policy adverse to the Church, and the hint dropt by
Hilary Arian. 3) that Vespasian was among the Imperial per-
-
(c.

1
Suet. Nero 57,cf. Lightfoot, Clement, character of the Christ. Compare
ii. p. 511. (representative of the Emperor),
2 Cf. Benan, h' Antichrist,
pp. 317 ff., a word which passed into Aramaic (Dal-

.!
351 ff. man, Worterbuch, 6. v.).
8 Apoc. xvii. 8 rapetrrai, Cf. 1 Thess. e Vespasian
69—79, Titus 79 81, —
ii. 9 ij ivipyuav Domitian 81—-96,

4
The' is not a mere
dwos or dxTiirei/MVOs, but an adversary
- 6 Bamsay, Church

pp. 353, 256.

1. p. 15.
in the JR. Empire,
Cf. Lightfoot, Ignatius,

who consciously or not simulates the

 ANTICHBIST IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA lxxxv

secutors makes in the same direction 1 . But neither statement

carries us far. It is only when we reach the third and last of the

Flavian Emperors that there is indubitable evidence of a revival

on a large scale of Nero's attitude towards the Christians.
Lightfoot has collected a catena of passages which justify the
belief thatDomitian was the second great persecutor 3 One refer- .

ence to his persecuting policy is contemporary Clement of Rome :

speaks of
—words which, as Lightfoot shews, accurately
describe the capricious and reiterated attacks which distinguished
this Emperor's policy in reference, to the Church 8 . It is perhaps
due to the feline stealthiness and rapidity with which Domitian
dealt his blows that so few details remain. The names of two of

his victims at Rome are preserved, and the facts are significant.

T. Flavius Clemens, a cousin of the Emperor, had but just quitted

the consulship, in which he had been Domitian's colleague, when
he was arrested and put to death ; while his wife Domitilla,
Domitian's niece, was banished to one of the islands off the coast of
Campania —Pontia or Pandateria—where political prisoners were

,
4
detained. Suetonius contents himself with saying that Flavius
Clemens, whom he designates contemptissimae inertiae, was put to
death repente, ex tenuissima suspicione but from Dio Cassius" we

'
;

(), .
learn that the charge brought against both husband and wife was

.
one of 'atheism' and he adds:

Putting the data together,

that Fl. Clemens and his wife suffered for their Christian faith, and
that they were by no means the only victims of Domitian's hostility
'
it is
aWoi

natural to infer

to 'Jewish' ways 6 . But this attack on the members of the Roman

6
1 As to objections to this statement of All Jews must have been severely
Hilary founded on the silence of Melito tried by Vespasian's order that the
(Eus. H.E. iv. 26) and a counter-state- half shekel payable to the support of
ment of Tertullian (Apol. 5) see Light- the Temple at Jerusalem should still be
foot, op. cit. p. 16. collected and be applied to the use of the
2 St Clement, i. p. 104. Capitoline Jupiter. This order in the
3 Op. cit. i. p. 7 f. hands of Domitian became a pretext for
4 Domitianus, 15. harsh measures being directed against
5 Hist. Bom. Ixvii. 14. 1 sq. The repusant Jews. (Suet. Dom. 2 ; see Light-
whole passage may be seen in Preuschen, foot Ignati us i. p. 12.) But it could not
Analecta p. 13 f. affect the Emperor's relatives or other
 lxxxvi ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA
Church, which seems to have been limited to a few leaders
of Roman society, does not fully explain the position which
Domitian holds in Christian tradition among Imperial persecutors
Rome

<;
r
of the faith. It is not only from that the evidence comes,
but from Sardis, whose bishop Melito writes to the Emperor
Antoninus

/
the

actions
Roman Church was
,(Eus.

coupled Domitian with him as a persecutor

had been limited to a few
H. E. iy. 26)

.:

notorious, but
*&
arrests
}
Nero's persecution of
was Melito likely to have
if the latter Emperor's
and executions at Rome
near the end of his Feign ? Is it not probable that the Asian
Churches felt his hand, perhaps some years earlier ? And do not
the words suggest a cause for Domitian's antichristian policy in
Asia which is entirely in accord with the conditions described in
the Apocalypse ? ,

, 9. known that Domitian went beyond his predecessor in

It is
asserting his own divinity " cum procuratorum suorum nomine :

formalem dictaret epistulam sic coepit Dominus et Deus' noster :

hoc fieri iubet ." The history of this extraordinary claim is in-
1

structive, and must be given here as briefly as may be for fuller;

details reference may be made to G. Boissier, La religion romaine

(Paris, 1900), i. pp. 109—186; G. Wissowa, Religion- u. Kultus
der Romer (Munich, 1902), pp. 71 — 78, 280 — 289; V. Chapot, op.
cit., p. 419 .

As early as the second century before Christ a complimentary

Rome Roma had begun

'
cult of the genius of or the dea in the
provinces; there 'was a templum urbis Romae at Smyrna in B.C.

195 ; ' a occurs in 105 ; a priest of Rome is men-

tioned by name in a compact between Sardis and Ephesus about
B.Ci 98 A new development of this cult sprang up with the rise
".

of the Empire, when the majesty of Rome took a concrete form in

the person of the princeps. After the apotheosis of Julius Caesar

non- Jewish Christians;, against these the Mommsen, Aurelian was the first
charge was one of 'atheism' simply, i.e. Emperor who officially assumed divine
of rejecting the religion of Borne. titles.
1 Suet. Domitian. 13. The claim, 2 Tao. ami. iv. 56. See Wissowa,
however, was npt official; according to Religion u. Kultus der Bonier, p. 281 ff.
 ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA Ixxxvii

(29 B.C.) a temple of Bea Roma and Divus Julius was erected
at Ephesus 1 . Augustus had 110 need to wait for an apotheosis:

*.
during his lifetime temples were erected under the dedication 0ea?

to build one in honour of Tiberius, the example of

When the Pergamenes wished
Augustus was
quoted (Tac. arm. iv. 37 cum divus Augustus sibi atque urbi
"

Romae templum apud Pergamum sisti non prohibuisset").' Both

Augustus and Tiberius kept the new cult within limits at Rome ;

no temple was dedicated to either Emperor within his lifetime:

Tiberius allowed only one Augusteum to be erected in his honour
within the province of Asia, and refused to permit Spain to follow
the example of the Asian cities. Gaius, who succeeded him, was a
man of another and a weaker type ; epileptic, often on the verge of
insanity, incapable of self-control, he had in early life imbibed from
Herod Agrippa 3
a vicious taste for Oriental magnificence. The
precedent sparingly allowed by his predecessors offered this prince
a welcome opportunity of self-aggrandisement ; as a god he could
surround himself with more than royal display 4 . Gaius carried
his pretensions to a point at which they became at once ridiculous
and dangerous; he removed the heads of famous statues and
substituted his own he attempted to erect a statue of himself
:

in the Holy of holies at Jerusalem. The Alexandrian Jews

were forced to admit the Emperor's image into their synagogues,
and if the Church did not suffer, it was probably because she had
as yet no buildings set apart for worship, and was not sufficiently
powerful to attract attention. The " furious Caligula," as Gibbon
rightly designates him, might have gone to even greater lengths,

had not his reign been cut short by assassination (41). Claudius,

if no better than Gaius, was saner, and during his reign there
was no fresh attempt to force the Emperor-worship on the

Jews, unless indeed something of this kind, in which the Roman

Christians were also involved, is suggested by the well-known

1
Dio Cassius, li. 20. 4 Suet. C. Caligula 1-1, "admonitus et
2 Dittenberger, Or. Gr. imcr. select. principum et regum se excessisse fas-
ii. p. 1 1 tigium, divinam ex eo maiestatem asse-
3 Wissowa, p. 184; Westoott, Epp. rere sibi ooepit."
of St John, p. 274.
lxxxviii ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA
words of Suetonius 1 :
" Iudaeos impulsore Chresto assidue tumultu-
antes Roma expulit." It is not clear why the Roman Jews or
Jewish Christians should have given trouble on any other ground:
We read, too, of a temple erected in honour of Claudius at
-Camulodunum in Britain, which was regarded as indicating that
the Romans had come to stay and to rule 2 . Yet if the Imperial
cult went on under Claudius, there is no evidence that it was en-
couraged by him. After death Claudius received his apotheosis 3 ,

but amidst shouts of ridicule which are voiced in the Apotheosis

of Seneca. Nero, on the other hand, might easily have made good
a claim of this kind. No Emperor on the whole made so deep an-

.
impression, a circumstance due to the dramatic power and con-
sciousness of something approaching to genius which remained with
him to the last ;
qualis artifex pereo! Quite early in his life in an
Egyptian inscription he is called 6
But he was not tempted like his predecessors to imagine himself
divine, preferring to gain credit for brilliant endowments of a
human type. He shrank from the title of Dims and the erection
of temples in his honour, because they seemed to forebode the
approach of death, and Nero loved life better than a shadowy
immortality 4 . No such feelings held back Domitian from press-
ing his claims to Divine honours. He found a gloomy and
perhaps a cynical pleasure in the shouts which greeted his arrival
at the amphitheatre with Domitia; domino et dominae feliciter 5.

Unable to rouse enthusiasm or admiration, he could insist on

6
being regarded as a god .

The province of Asia accepted with acclamation the new

IO.

cult of Rome and the Emperor. For more than 200 years Rome
had been mistress in Asia, and on the whole she had contributed
to the prosperity of her great province ; but the provincials had
suffered from the extortions of greedy officials, and from the days
1
Divus Claudius, 25. inter homines desierit.''
6
31, "quasi arx aeter-
2 Tae. ann. xiv. Suet. Domitian. 13.

.
nae dominationis aspiciebatur." 6 Cf the form of oath quoted by
.

s Suet. D. Claudius,
45 "innumerum Wissowa, p. 71 : "per Iovem et divom
deorum relatus." Cf. Dittenberger, Or. Augustum . . . et genium imperatoris
Gr. inscr. p. 397, i $tt>s
ii. Caesaris Domitiani Augusti deosque
4 Tac. ann. xv.
74, " nam deum honor penates."
principi non ante habetur quam agere
 ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA lxxxix

of Augustus the prineipatus had been hailed by the Asian .towns

as their salvation 1 . Inscription after inscription testifies to the
loyalty of the cities towards the Empire.At Ephesus, at Smyrna,
at Pergamum, and indeed throughout the province the Church
was confronted by an imperialism which was popular and patriotic,
and bore the character of a religion. Nowhere was the Caesar-
oult,more popular than in Asia 2
or Temple of
3
The Augusteum
Rome and the Augusti, had long taken its place
. (),
among the public buildings of the greater cities. Augustus, as
we have seen, refused Divine honours at Rome, but permitted a
temple to be dedicated to dea Roma and himself at Pergamum.
The other Asian cities followed the precedent set by the old capital.
In A.D. 26 they vied with each other for the honour of building a
temple to Tiberius, when Smyrna gained the coveted distinction
over the head of Ephesus, on the ground that the latter already
possessed the Artemision 4 . Ephesus, not to be outdone by her
neighbour, erected an Augusteum, probably to Clauctius, and thus
acquired the title of 1
of the Imperial worship. These
local temples were not of merely local interest; their affairs were
managed by the provincial league known as the Commune Asiae
(jo. kowov

perhaps also apyiepefa

), whose president was styled Asiarch, and
'? 6
. It belonged to

the Asiarch to direct the worship of the Augusti throughout the

province, and games which were held quinquennially
to preside at
in the cities where Augustea had been erected 7 Such festivals .

are known to have been celebrated from time to time at five of the

1 Eamsay, Letters,
p. Chapot,
Laprovinceitomaineprocomulaired'Asie,
^. ;
i
6
Tao. arm. iv. 55.
M. Chapot (p. 450) gives a useful

(
p.

€,
62 ff. Cf. an inscription of Halicar-

&
nassus cited by Zimmerman, Ephesos,
p. 52 £., which describes Octavian as

,.
ras AiriSas
yivom, is

Si )
yip yr\
--
list

when

482
6

natius,

7
of the towns of Asia which possessed
the neocorate, with the reigns or dates

On
it was received.
these titles see Lightfoot, Ig-
iii. p. 404 ff. ; Chapot, pp. 454

Pauly-Wissowa, s.vv.
;

Each of the cities had its local

high priest of the Augustan cult, who
2 Mommsen, Provinces (E.Tr.), p. 345. seems also to have had the style of
8 In Asia the cult Eome was older ' Asiarch, though he was supreme only
'

than the province itself ; a temple was in the local Augusteum. See Light-
raised to Home at Smyrna in B.C. 193 foot, p. 415; Hicks, p. 87.
(Tac. Ann. iv. 56).
 xc ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA
seven cities addressed in the Apocalypse, namely, at Ephesus,
Smyrna, Pergamum, Sardis, and Philadelphia 1 .

A. system such as this, it is obvious, supplied machinery which

could at any time be used against the Church with fatal facility.

To refuse worship to Artemis or Asklepios was to decline a local

cult ; to refuse it to the statue of the Emperor at a time when the
whole city was taking part in festivities organized by the Commune,
was to expose oneself to the charge of disloyalty both to the pro-
vincial authorities and to the Emperor. Our only wonder is that
this charge had not been laid against the Christians of .Asia in
the time of 'Claudius or of Nero 2 ;
perhaps there is a trace of
such an anti-Christian movement in the reference to the days
when Antipas suffered at Pergamum 3 , the earliest centre of the
Caesar-worship, but of any general persecution under Nero there
is no evidence 4 . Yet it is easy to understand that when Domitian's
desire for Divine honours became known in Asia, the zealous pro-
vincials would resent more keenly than before the abstention of
Christian citizens from the games instituted in honour of the
Augusti, and"the situation would become threatening. It is just
this position of affairs which the Apocalypse represents; the Beast
of whom Christians spoke with bated breath as 'number 666 'had
returned ; already the markets were closed against buyers and
sellers who did not. bear his mark (xiii. 17), and there were
rumours in the air of an approaching massacre (ib. 15). For this
the Apocalypse is, it is true, our only authority, and its witness is

given in an enigmatic form which cannot always be interpreted

with certainty ; but the main features of its story are plain enough,

1 Even the calendar shewed traces 4 Dr Hort indeed -writes (First

Ep. of
of the new cult. "Cisar a son mois, St Peter, p. 2): "It is only likely that
son jour comme Aphrodite l'opoque de
; what was begun at Borne in connexion
sa venue au monde inaugura l'annee. with the fire spread through the pro-
Ce sont dea commencements qui pro- vinces till it culminated in .the state
parent le vrai culte " (Chapot, p. 394). of things implied in the Apocalypse."
a This seems to follow not only from
"The Apocalypse... proves the existence
the silence of St Luke,.but from St Paul's of persecutions in Asia Minor, and
•
friendship with Asiarchs. implies that they were on a wide scale."
'8 It is significant that while Antipas But there is nothing to shew that the
was martyred at Pergamum, it was at martyrs mentioned in the Apocalypse,
Smyrna, the second centre of the Augus- Antipas excepted, were Asiatics; the
tan cult, that trouble was imminent when sufferings of the Boman Christians may
St John wrote (ii. 10). have been in the writer's mind.
 ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA xci

and they accord with what is known of life in Asia during the
first century, and of Domitian's general policy.
1 1, With the Beast from the sea, the hostile World-power
represented by Nero and Domitian, St John associates a Beast
from the land, a power no less hostile to the Church, which has its

origin and home in Asia itself. This second Beast allies itself

with the first, especially in the matter of the worship of the

Augusti; indeed the first Beast is represented as leaving the
affairs of the Emperor-cult entirely in the hands of the second.
The Beast from the land works miracles in support of the new 1

cult, calling down fire from heaven, and causing the statues

of the Emperor to speak (xiii. 13, 15) he is the 'false prophet of ;

the Imperial religion, and imposes on the credulity of the populace,

whom he sets against the Christian recusants (ib. 12, 14 ff., 17,
xix. 20). By the second Beast Professor Ramsay 2
understands
"the Province of Asia in its double aspect of civil and religious
administration, the Proconsul and the Commune"; in this com-
mentary the Beast from the land is identified "with the False
Prophet, and regarded as the religious power represented by the
Asiarch and the. priesthood of the Asian temples of the Augusti;
while in the
magical arts
notorious.
which Asia and Ephesus ki particular were
for,

The magic formulae known as 3

had
a worldwide reputation, and one of the earliest conquests which the
Gospel achieved at Ephesus was the destruction of costly books
'-
which he works we recognize the use of the

- /.,
which contained them 4 . It is noteworthy that is named
immediately after in the Epistle to the Galatians
(v. 20) 5 while the Apocalypse (xxi. 8,cf. xxii. 15) places
,

the professors of magic, between and

Christianity, it is evident, set its face against magic from the
first ;
paganism, on the other hand, had, no serious quarrel with it

the cultivated Roman gentlemen who administered the provinces of

-/
'
1 Qf. 1 Thess. ii.
2 Letters, p. Q7•
3 Cf.

vii. 5.
Clem. Al. strom.

4 ol
6.
-
9 f.

toiis
. 8v
iv
Plutarch symp.
!
§46
Kara\4yav
Gesch. 3
4
5

Eph.
p. 296 f.
iii.

Acts xix. 19 f.
&.
See Lightfoot's note, and
19, Philad, 5.
See Schurer,

ef. Ign.
xcii

secrets 2
we
.
;
ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OF ASIA
the Empire did not always scorn the attentions of the professional
m.agus 1

•
even Emperors were credited with dabbling in their
In Lucian's sarcastic sketch
see one of these conjurors on tour, and though St John's yjrevBo-
probably not an individual, but a class or system,
,
*
is it

may be assumed that such travelling mountebanks were used to

negotiate the wonders described in Apoc. xiii.
3
At Ephesus there
were fourteen attached to the temple of the Augusti,
who are supposed by Canon Hicks to correspond with the'
or choirmen of the Artemision ; their official name admits of this
explanation, but it may also mean Oracle-chanters,' —
a name under
which dealers in magic might well have been concealed. But
however this may have been, it is obvious that the Church was
hard pressed in Asia by the magic- mongers, and it is easy to
imagine the effect of their lying wonders on an excitable popu-
lation already predisposed to the Imperial cult and impatient of
Christianity. Nothing was needed to light the fires of persecution

but a word from the Emperor or the Proconsul, and when they
were kindled, it would be long, as the prophet of the Apocalypse
foresaw, before the peace of the Church was restored in Asia or
in the Roman world.
12. Kingdom of
One more force which made against the
Christ The Jews of Asia
in Asia' must be mentioned here.-

Minor had been numerous from the days when Antiochus III
sent 2000 families of the eastern Dispersion to settle in Lydia
and Phrygia 6 . In Cicero's time tribute went to the Temple at
Jerusalem from Jews in Adramyttium, Pergamum, Laodicea, and
Apamea, and there is evidence from other quarters that in the
first century there were Jews resident also at Smyrna, Magnesia,
Tralles, Sardis, and Thyatira". In tho year of the Crucifixion
worshippers came to Jerusalem at the feast of Pentecost from

\ ',
\! -
1 Acts xiii. 6 ff. * Inscr. 481. (a.d.
7 104):
2 Orac. Sibyll. viii. 52 ft. ttjs

,
(Hadrian)...

Eamsay
Apollonins of Tyana, to -whom Prof.
refers (Letters, p. 102), was a
'Atrial.

Flacc.

art.
Joseph. Ant.
7.
Sohurer, Geschichte 3 ,
Diaspora in Hastings, '
xii.
'See p. Ixvi, note
3 f . ; of.
2.
iii.

..
Philo in

p.
v.
nf.
53 ff.
strong opponent of the prevalent jug- Chapot, p. 182 *.
glery ; see Dill, Roman Society, p. 400.
 ANTICHRIST IN THE PROVINCE OP ASIA xciii

Cappadocia, Poutus, Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia 1 . At Salamis

in Cyprus, at Antioch in Pisidia, at Iconium, at Ephesus, St Paul
found synagogues, and in these synagogues he began his work. But
the Asiatic Jews did not assimilate the new teaching; its popularity

with Gentiles and proselytes aroused their suspicion and, as the

writer of the Acts suggests, their jealousy a
In the Apocalypse -

the breach between the Synagogue and the Church is seen to be

complete ; the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia have to bear
the blasphemies of those who " affirm themselves to be Jews and
are not," a synagogue which is not God's but "Satan's 8 ." The
Jews were protected by special privilege from molestation in the
4
exercise of their faith . Under Caligula indeed they had suffered
severely for their opposition to the Caesar-cult 5 , but the persecu-
tion ended with the death of the Emperor ; under Domitian no
attempt was made to enforce a worship which neither compulsion
nor persuasion would have brought them to accept. Nevertheless,
they had,no scruple in turning the attention of the populace and
the authorities to the resistance which the less favoured Christians
offered to the Imperial religion.At the martyrdom of Polycarp
it was noticed that the Jews of Smyrna not only made common

cause with the heathen but outdid them in efforts to prepare fuel
for the stake, and the Martyrdom notes that this was their wont
8
.

Tet Polycarp was condemned for refusing to swear by the genius

() of Caesar', an act which the Jews should have been able to
appreciate. This was in the year 155 (Harnack), but the attitude
of the Asian Jew towards Christianity had been determined at
least seventy years before. The Synagogue of Satan played the part

of the great Adversary; it not only rejected Christ, but did its best

by slander and delation and, when the opportunity was afforded,

by cooperation with the pagan mob, to bring about the destruction
of the Asian Church.

• . p.
\-- {/.
.. , •
1
Acts ii. 9. 349 ff.
2 Acts xiii. 45
Thess. ii. 16.
3 Apoc. ii.
9, iii. 9.
Cf.
,, 6 Poly 6. mart. 13
ws £6os
Cf. § 11
ei's
'JovSalav

* On the privileges possessed by the , re

Jews in Asia see Chapot, p. 182 f.
7 lb. gi. ; of. Lightfoot's note, and
6 Schurer, i. 11. p. 91, ii. n. p. 266 ff., Westeott, Epp. of St John, p. 279.
 YIII.

PURPOSE OF THE APOCALYPSE.

I. The Apocalypse of John is the letter of an exiled prophet

to the Christian congregations to which he has ministered.
He writes under the conviction that he has a message for them
from the Supreme Prophet and Pastor of the Church, and his
primary purpose is to deliver this message. It has come to him
in the way of revelation, and under the form of a succession of
visions, and he delivers it as it was given ; his letter consists
entirely of visions and revelations of the Lord, which he has
been not only permitted but commanded to transmit 1 . But, as
the style proclaims aloud, it is not, like some of the later
apocalypses, a literary effort, appealing to readers generally
without regard to special circumstances. It is a genuine out-
come of the time, written with a view to the special needs of a
particular group of Christian societies; it portrays the life of
those societies, and ministers to their spiritual necessities. In
form it is an epistle, containing an apocalyptic prophecy; in
spirit and inner purpose, it is a pastoral,
.2. Each of the Churches of Asia had difficulties peculiar to

itself, and these problems are treated first. The first three chapters,
which have seemed to some critics to have no real coherence with
the rest of the book, are in fact occupied with this preliminary ,

task. The glorified Head of Christendom is revealed as visiting

the Churches, and taking note of their several conditions; and
the so-called 'letters to the Churches', record the results of His
inspection. Nothing in the book is more remarkable than the
precision with which these separate messages differentiate be-

1
On the one exception (x. 4) see the note ad loc.
 PURPOSE OF THE APOCALYPSE xcv

'tween Church and Church, as the searchlight of the Spirit 1 is

turned upon each in succession. Only two of the Churches
escape reproof: the strenuous commercial life and the material
prosperity of the Asian cities have had their natural effect upon
the Christian minorities, which were in the sight of the Bishop of
souls suffering from this cause even more severely than from the
slanders of theJews or the menaces of the heathen. At Ephesus
the standard of Christian life, though still high, had been sensibly
lowered ; at Laodicea the Church was lukewarm and supercilious,
at Sardis it was spiritually dead. And not only is the spiritual
condition of each society diagnosed, but the circumstances are
At Smyrna and Philadelphia the Jews
.carefully distinguished.

are specially hostile; atPergamum and Thyatira trouble has

been caused by the Nicolaitans. At every turn the messages to
the Churches shew local knowledge some of the allusions which ;

have not yet received a satisfactory explanation will doubtless

yield their secret to a fuller knowledge of the history and
antiquities of Asia. The business of the prophet is with the
. particular Church to which for the moment attention is called,

and which would recognize at once 'the force of his words. It is

enough for the general reader if he grasps the spiritual lesson

which is to be found in these messages by everyone who has an
ear to hear it.

3. After c. iii. the separate interests of the Churches pass

out of sight. The visions which follow open wider fields of view
that embrace the whole Church and the whole of human history,

reaching to the consummation and the Coming of the Lord.

But the Asian Churches are not forgotten, even if they are not
mentioned again till near the end (xxii. 16, 21). Their spiritual
dangers are probably in view throughout the book, but especially
in passages where the vices of heathenism are condemned and the
faithful are warned against participation in them 2
, or reminded
of their obligation to keep themselves pure 3
. And the whole

1 Apoc. ii. 7, n, 17, 29, iii. 6, 13, 22.

3 As in vij. 14, xiv. 4f., xvi. 15, xxii.
2 As e.g. in ix. 20 f., xviii. 9!, xx. 14.
8,
xxii. 11, 15. '
xcvi PURPOSE OF THE APOCALYPSE ,

series of visions which begins with c. iv. is in effect an answer to

the forebodings by which the. faithful in Asia were harassed in
view of the gathering forces of Antichrist. The Churches of
Asia knew themselves to be on the brink of an encounter with the
greatest power the world had seen. The subject of cc. iv. — xxii.

is the course and issue of the struggle, and the purpose of these
chapters is to strengthen faith and kindle hope in the hearts of
the faithful. In the light of the revelation vouchsafed to him the'
prophet John sees clearly that an age of persecution is beginning,
and that it will affect not only the Churches of Asia, but the
Church throughout the Roman world. How long it will last he
does not say ; in the earlier visions it seems to run oh to the
consummation, but in the later great reaches of time ai;e seen
to intervene between the end of the pagan power and the end
of the existing order. The light grows as the Seer looks, and
the issue becomes more and more distinct ; Babylon falls, the
Beast and the False Prophet receive their doom, Satan himself
is finally consigned to destruction, and the City of God descends
from heaven, idealized and glorious, as becomes the Bride of the
glorified Christ. The final outcome of the struggle between the
Church and the World, the Christ and the Antichrist, is postponed
to the last two chapters, but there are anticipations of it all

along the course of the book : in the promises with which each
of the seven messages to the Churches ends; in the vision of
the im^merable multitude before the Throne of God; in the
vision of the 144,000 virgin-souls upon Mount Zion. The whole
book is a Sursum corda, inviting the Churches to seek strength
in the faith of a triumphant and returning Christ. In vain the
Ancient Enemy stirs up trouble ; in vain the Beast from the sea
sets up his image, and the Beast from the land compels men
under pain of outlawry or death to worship of the it. The seal

living God secures those who refuse the mark of the Beast the ;

martyrs are conquerors, and shall not be hurt of the Second Death ;

their names are in the Book of Life. Blessed are the dead which
die in the Lord from henceforth,. .they rest
. from their labours, for

their works follow with them ; after the fall of their great enemy
 PURPOSE OP THE APOCALYPSE xcvii

they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years; they shall
enter through the gates into the City ; the Lord God shall give them
light ; they shall reign for ever and ever.

4. Of the immediate effect of the Apocalypse upon the Asian

Churches we cannot judge; certainly they weathered the storm,
for in the next Christian writing which comes to us from Asia,
the Letters of Ignatius^ they are represented as large and
flourishing communities. The storm itself passed within two
or three years after the date which Irenaeus assigns to the
Apocalypse; Domitian was assassinated Sept. 18, 96, and the
accession of Nerva probably gave peace to the Asian Churches.
Trajan, who succeeded in the January of 98, seems to have taken
no active measures before A.D. 1 1 2, when his attention was directed
by the younger Pliny to the extraordinary progress of Christianity
in Bithynia. Perhaps it may be safely inferred that in the interval
between 96 and 112 the danger threatened by the Caesar-
worship ceased to be pressing, and for the moment the need of
comforfi such as the Apocalypse offered was less keenly felt. But
what St John had written in the Spirit for the times of Domitian
and the Churches of Asia remained as a heritage for all suffering
Churches throughout the Empire. An early example of the help-
fulness of the book to Christians under persecution has survived
in the Epistle of the Churches of Vienne and Lyons, written in

177 to their brethren in Asia and Phrygia, which bears many

signs of the use of the Apocalypse by the Christian societies of
South Gaul during the troubles in the reign of Marcus Aurelius,
It quotes or alludes -to Apoc. i. 5, iii. 14, xiv. 4, xxii. n 1
. It is
impossible to doubt that the roll which contained St John's great
letter to the parent Churches in Asia was often in the hands of
the daughter Churches in Gaul, and perhaps accompanied the•
confessors to the prisons where they awaited the martyr's crown.
5. There is some reason for believing that the writer of the

Apocalypse, before his work was ended, realized that the book
might find a larger field of service than the Churches of Asia or
. even the Churches of the Empire could offer. In the early chapters
1
Eus. H. E. v. 1. 10, 57; -i. 3.

s. . a
xcvni PURPOSE OP THE APOCALYPSE
it is clear that St John writes with a view to his message being
read aloud in the local Church assemblies : blessed is he that readeth
and they that hear the words of this prophecy ; he that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saiih unto the Churches 1 Beyond the .

transmission of the letter for reading in neighbouring Churches,

the prophet contemplates no circulation of his book; his message
is to the Churches of Asia, and he is content to be the means of

conveying it to them. But when he reaches the end a presenti-

ment seems to enter his mind that the book will live testify :

unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this

book, If any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him
the plagues which are written in this book; and if any man shall
take away. ..God shall take away his part from, the tree of life
2
.

The primary destination of the Apocalypse is still kept in view

it is to the hearer rather than the reader that the Apocalyptist
makes his final Yet the appeal seems to imply an
appeal.
expectation that the book will be copied and circulated for wider
reading. The Words are based on two passages in Deuteronomy,
and they practically place the Apocalypse on a level with the
Torah and anticipate for it a place among the Scriptures of the
Church. St John knew himself to be a prophet, and his writing
to be a prophecy ; that he was commanded to consign his visions
to a book was an assurance to him that their purpose would not
be fulfilled in one generation or in two. He sees the book
going down to posterity, and like the Deuteronomist he endeavours
to guard it against interpolation and excision. As he writes the
last words upon the papyrus roll that lies upon his knee, the
conviction dawns upon him that the Revelation of Jesus Christ
was given for the warning and comfort of the whole Church
•to the end of time.-

1 Apoo. i. 3, ii. 1 etc a . xxii. 18 f.

 IX.

DATE.

-
. Early Christian tradition is almost unanimous in assigning
the Apocalypse to the last years of Domitian.

,. -
The following

'•],
are the chief authorities. Iren. v. 30. 3 ap. Eus.
. E. iii. 18, v. 8 el yap
'
,
[sc.
yap

', . ,
1

'
.

Clem. Alex, quis dives § 42

Origen, in Mt. torn. xvi. 6

Victorinus in Apoc. (. 1 1) "hoc dioit propterea quod quando haec

".
Ioannes vidit, erat in insula Patmos; in metallum damnatus a Domi-
tiano Caesare. ibi £rgo vidit Apocalypsin. et cum jam senior
putaret se per passionem accepturum receptionem, interfecto Domi-
tiano, omnia iudicio eius soluta sunt, et Ioannes, de metallo dimissus,
sic postea tradidit hanc eandem quam acceperat a Deo Apoca-
lypsin"; ib. on xvii. 10 "intellegi oportet tempus quo scripta
Apocalypsis edita est, quoniam tunc erat Caesar Domitia-
nus...unus exstat sub quo scripta est Apocalypsis, Domitianus
scilicet." Euseb. II. E. iii. 18 ' [sc. in the time of Do-

,
mitian]

'-
:
'
,. .
the accession of Nerva]

: ib.
ib.

23
20
t^s
-

Ps. Aug. quaest. V. et 6. 2 "ista ..

revelatio eo tempore fasta est, quo apostolus Iohannes in insula erat
Pathmos, relegatus a Dbmitiano imperatore fidei causa." Hieron.
de virr. illustr. 9 " quarto decimo anno secundam post Neronem
1 According to Dionysiua Barsalibi, who banished John is not named either
Hippolytus followed Irenaeua in assign- by Clement or Origen. But in the
ing the Apocalypse to the reign of Do- absence of evidence to the contrary
mitian (Gwynn, , in Hermathena, vii. they may be presumed to have followed
137). in this respect the tradition of South.
2 It will be seen that the Alexandrian Gaul and Asia Minor,
testimony is not explicit ; the Emperor

9 2
C '
DATE
persecutionem movente Domitiano in Patmon insulam rele-
'

gatus scripsit Apocalypsin...interfecto autem Domitiano et

aotis eius ob nimiam crudelitatem a senatu rescissis sub Nerva
principe redit Ephesum."

2. According to other ancient but not early authorities the

book was written under Claudius Nero, or Trajan. 1
,

-
Thus the both the Syriac versions of the Apoca-
title prefixed to
lypse assigns the banishment of St John to the reign of Nero
(t£o»ts _ a Sfflj ^so aioue-^'fl) 2 Epiphanius places both the exile
.

and the
«'
return under Claudius (Jiaer. li. 12
10. 32 :

).
iv
.
The Synopsis de vita et morte

.]& .£ , .
prophetarum attributed to Dorotheus goes to the opposite extreme,
placing the exile in the time of Trajan:

, ,.,
- s
iv Trj

Similarly Theophylact
adding however:

on Mt. xx. 22
(compare
the extract, from Origen in § 1). The reference to Trajan has
f>erhaps been suggested by Iren. ii. 22. 5 yap

3• The general situation presupposed by the book is con-

sistent, as we have seen, with the early tradition which represents
it as a work of the last years of Domitian. The evidence may be
briefly summarized here. (a) The condition of the .Asian
Churches, as it is described in cc. ii., iii., is that of a period
considerably later than the death of Nero. Their inner life has
undergone many changes since St Paul's ministry at Ephesus,
and even since the writing of the Epistles to the Ephesians and
Colossians 3 and the two Epistles to Timothy. Deterioration has

!
1 On this see Hort,
Apocalypse, p. xviii. munioated by St John to Laodicea pro-

? .
a
So Theophylact, praef. in Ioann., longs the note which was struck by

~/
but speaking of the fourth Gospel: fi
ttj
Tertullian (scorp.
15) does not definitely say that the exile
to Patmos took place under Nero, though
he is credited by Jerome {adv. Jovin. i.
26) with doing so, and his words admit
of that construction.
8 Lightfoot, indeed, assuming the
earlier date of the Apocalypse writes
(fiolotiians, p. 41) : "the message com-
St Paul in the letter to Colossae. An
interval of a very few years has not
materially altered the character of these
Churches. Obviously the same temper
prevails, the same errors are rife, the
same correction must be supplied." But
the examples which he gives (pp. 41 44)
shew only that the same general ten-
—
dencies were at work in the Lycus valley,
as when St Paul wrote, and this might
well have been so even after an interval
of more than 30 years.
 DATE ci

set in at Ephesus, and at Sardis and Laodicea faith is dying or

dead. The Nicolaitan party, of which there is no certain trace in
the Epistles of St Paul, is now widely distributed and firmly rooted.
The external relations of the Churches shew a similar advance.'
In past days Pergamum had witnessed a single martyrdom : now a
storm of persecution was about to break on the ChurcheSj and the
faithful might expect to suffer imprisonment and death, (b) The
prevalence of the Imperial cult, and the pressure which was being
put upon recusant Christians by the Asiarchs, are suggestive of

the time of Domitian rather than of Nero or Vespasian 1 . Later

than Domitian's reign this precise situation could not have arisen
Nerva did not maintain the aggressive policy of Domitian 2 , and
when Trajan's rescript began to do its work, the petty persecution
described in Apoc. xiii. would give place to formal indictment before
the Proconsul. Thus the death of Domitian (Sept. 18, 96) is our
terminus ad quern a terminus a quo is supplied by the date of his
;

accession (Sept. 13, 8i), but the superior limit may with great
probability be pushed forward to A.D. 90 or even further, since
Domitian's jealous insistence on his claims to Divine honours and
his encouragement of the delatores belong to the later years of

his reign.

4. There are other indications of date which are more

definite, and point same direction,
in the (a) It is impossible
to doubt that the legend of Nero redivivus is in full view of the
Apocalyptjst in more than one passage (xiii. 3, 12, 14, xvii. 8).

Archbishop Benson, indeed, seeks to impale those who hold this

8
theory on the horns of a dilemma If St John referred to the
.

legend, either he believed it or he did not. If he believed it, " he

believed not only what was not true, but what decently-informed
and reasonable heathen never believed." If he did not believe it,

1 Dr Hort
(1 Peter, p. 2) maintains -written,belongs to the later rather than

!
that "in Asia Minor, the special home to the earlier epoch; see c. vii. of this
of the Emperor-worship, we have no introduction.
right to assume that it was only under
,
2 Cf. Dio Cassius,

...€-
Ixviii. 1 Sk .

an Emperor like Domitian... that Chris-

tians were likely to have it forced upon
them." This no doubt is true, but
the probability remains that the great
outbreak of persecution, which was
.,.
yev.
s
,
al eUbves
6 Nepoiias roiJs re

See also, Eus. H.B.

Apocalypse, p. 173 f.
iii.
iir'

20.
--
imminent when the Apocalypse was
en DATE
he was guilty of a grave political offence in using for his own ends
a story which was "hostile to the peace of the district where it
existed," and. moreover was aimed against the reigning Emperor.
The second alternative has been assumed in the following com-
mentary, but the inference which Dr Benson draws is not admitted.
No one who appreciates the greatness of our author will suppose
that he gave credit to the wild legends .which were afloat about
Nero's return. But the conditions of apocalyptic writing did not
preclude him from working mere legend into his symbolism, nor
was there any appreciable danger in the use of this legend in a
book addressed to Christians only. The reference to the reigning
Emperor was not likely to be intelligible to any non-Christian into
whose hands the book might fall, and to Christians it suggested
nothing which was not already notorious.

In Asia the story of Nero's recovery was common talk as early

as a.d. 69 (Tac. hist. ii. 8 "Achaia atque Asia falso exterritae

velut Nero adventaret vario super exitu eius rumore, eoqu'e pluri-
bus vivere eum fingentibus credentibusque ") ; but pretenders
continued to arise, and even under Trajan the belief that he was
yet living was

cc. xiii.,
-, ,
xvii.
still

Domitian
general (Dio Chrysostom,
ol

is
Be
or. xxi.,

described in terms as plain as the

1
). (b)
en
In

circumstances allowed. Nero is dead, but the stroke of his death

is healed (xiii. 3, 12). He is the Beast —he impersonates the
brutal strength of the persecuting World-power, and he was, and
is not, and is about to ascend out of the Abyss (xvii. 8). Nero
himself was the fifth Emperor, and he has fallen but the Beast ;

which was and is not reappears in an eighth Emperor, who is of

the seven, inasmuch as he recalls to men's minds the fifth, and
plays his part over again, till he too goeth into perdition
2
(xvii. 11 f.) .

5. Notwithstanding the external and internal evidence which

supports the Domitianic date, the great Cambridge theologians of
the last century were unanimous in regarding the Apocalypse as
a work of the reign of Nero, or of the years which immediately

1 Nero was born in a.d. refer (xvi. 12) to the dread of a Parthian
37, so that,
had he lived till a.d. 100, he would have invasion, which was oonnected with the
been not more than 63. expectation of Nero's return : of. Tac.
1
See the commentary ad locos. It hist. i. 2; Orac. Sibyll.iv. 137 ft.

may be added that St John appears to

 DATE cm
followed his death. Bishop Lightfoot seems to have accepted
" the view which assigns it to the close of Nero's reign or there-
abouts 1 ." Bishop Westcott placed it "before the destruction of
Jerusalem 2 ." Dr Hoit in his posthumous commentary on I Peter 3
writes: "there are strong reasons for placing [the Apocalypse]
not long after Nero's death." Such a threefold cord of scholarly
opinion is not quickly broken, and the reasons on which it was
founded deserve the most careful consideration. In the partition
of the New Testament between the three, the Apocalypse, un-

happily, was "not finally assigned 4," and their published writings 5
contain but incidental references to the question of its date.
From these it would appear that they were guided in their judge-
ment on this point partly by the relation which they believed
the Book to occupy with reference to the Fall of Jerusalem,
partly by the contrast which it presents to the Fourth Gospel.
Thus Dr Hort writes " The day of the Lord which the writer to
:

the Hebrews saw drawing nigh had already begun to break in

blood and fire, when St John sent his Apocalypse to the Gentile
6
Churches of Asia ." And Dr Lightfoot It marks the close of :
''

what we may call the Hebraic period of St John's life, i.e. the
period which... he had spent chiefly in the East and among
Aramaic-speaking peoples 7." But perhaps the fullest treatment
of the subject is to be found in Dr Westcott's introduction to. the
Gospel of St John :
" Of the two books (he says) the Apocalypse -

is the earlier. It is less developed both in thought and style

The crisis of the Fall of Jerusalem explains the relation of the
Apocalypse to the Gospel. In the Apocalypse that '
coming ' of
Christ was expected, and 'painted in figures ; in the Gospel the
8
'coming' is interpreted ."

It is clear that these arguments for placing the Apocalypse

1
Biblical Essays, p. 52; cf. Super- (1908) see the postscript to this chapter.
natural Religion, p. 132. 6 Jud. Christianity,
p. [60.
a
St John, Intr. p. lxxxvii. 7 Supernatural Religion,
p. 132. Dr
3 P.
2 ; of. Hulsean Lectures, p. l^oi., Lightfoot appears to be in general agree-
Judaistic Christianity, p. 160. ment here with his antagonist, who
4 See Bp Westcott's prefatory note
to placed the Apocalypse "about a.d. 68,
Dr Hort's 1 Peter (p. vii). 69."
5
On the argument by which this 8 St John,
p. lxxxvi f.
view is supported in Apocalypse i iii —
civ DATE
under Nero or Vespasian rest on more than one presupposition.
The unity of the Book is assumed, and it is held to be the work
of the author of the Fourth Gospel. But the latter hypothesis is

open, and perhaps will always be open to doubt ; and the former
cannot be pressed so far as to exclude the possibility that• the
extant book is a second edition of an earlier work, or that it in-

corporates earlier materials, and either hypothesis would sufficiently

account for the few indications of a Neronic or Vespasianic date
1
which have been found in it . When it is added that the great
scholars who have been named dealt with the question incident-
ally and not in connexion with a special study of the Apocalypse,
it seems permissible to attach less importance to their judgement
on this point than on others to which their attention had been
more directly turned,
6. With all due deference, therefore, to the great authority of
Westcott, Lightfoot, and Hort, and of the foreign scholars 2 who
have supported an earlier date, adhesion has been given in this
edition to the view that the Apocalypse, at least in its present
form, belongs, as Irenaeus believed, to the reign of Domitian and
to the last years of that reign (90 J)6). This date appears to be
consistent with the general character and purpose of the book.
The Apocalypse as a whole presupposes a period when in Asia at
least the Church was compelled to choose between Christ and
Caesar. And the prophet foresees that this is no local or passing

storm, but one which will spread over the whole Empire, and run
a long course, ending only with the fall of paganism and of Rome.
The Coming of the Lord is no longer connected with the Fall of

Jerusalem, which is viewed as an event of past history 3 A new .

Jerusalem has taken the place of the old city of God, and the
Apocalyptist can already see its ideal glories revealed. But for
the moment Babylon is in the foreground of the picture, and
Babylon must fall before the end, and after Babylon the Beast

1
E.g. the cryptic representation of and Weiss, Dusterdiek, and Mommsen,
Nero's name in xiii. 18, and the ap- who place it under Vespasian ; see
parent reference to Vespasian as the C. Anderson Soott, Revelation, p. 48,
reigning Emperor in c. xvii. 10. note r.
2
E.g. Baur, Hilgenfeld, Beyschlag, 3 On c.xi. iff. see the commentary
who assign the book to the reign of Nero, ad I.
 DATE cv

and the False Prophet. Even the triumph that follows on their
destruction is not final, for the Dragon remains to be overcome.

word, '
So the Coming

standpoint is
is

,
postponed indefinitely, though the old watch-
still

that of the closing years of the

rings in our ears.
first
The whole'
century, when
the Church knew herself to be entering upon a struggle of which
she could not foresee the end, although of the victorious issue she
entertained no doubt.

[In the Apocalypse of St John i. — iii. (1908) Dr Hort deals at

some length with the date "of the Book, and on historical grounds
strongly supports the view which places it at the beginning of

the reign of Vespasian.

He admits that " if external evidence alone could decide, there
would be a clear preponderance for Domitian " (p. xx.).
" On the
other hand the general historical bearings of the book are those of
the early, and are not those of the late period " (p. xxxii.). Two
points in particular are urged as leading to this conclusion.

(1) "The whole language about Rome and the empire, Babylon
and the Beast, fits the last days of Nero and the time immediately
following, and does not fit the short local reign of terror under
Domitian." (2) " The book breathes the atmosphere of a time of
wild commotion... it is only in the anarchy of the earlier time that
we can recognise a state of things that will account for the tone
of the Apocalypse " (p. xxvi. f.).

These two positions rest upon evidence which is given in full

(pp. xxi. — xxvi.), and would be nearly conclusive if the Apoca-

lypse had been addressed to Rome or written from the standpoint
of a Eoman Christian. But the conditions which existed in the
province of Asia may have coloured events differently in the eyes
of an Ephesian prophet. In the foregoing chapters of this intro-
duction an attempt has been made to shew that in the later years
of Domitian's reign the Ca3sar-worship in Asia was a danger which
threatened the' Church with imminent destruction. If that view
is correct, there is no need to take into account the shortness of
"the local reign of terror" at Borne under Domitian or the com-
cvi DATE

parative length and severity of Nero's persecution. Neither of

these would have greatly influenced the attitude of Asian
Christians towards the Emperor or the Empire; it would rather
have been determined by what Was happening in Asia itself with
the sanction of the Imperial authorities. In Asia at the' moment
there seems to have been good reason to expect a recrudescence
of the policy of Nero, and something worse; if there were no
recent, martyrdoms, yet persecution was ready to break out upon
the least excuse, and but for the death of Domitian there would
probably have been a general uprising of the pagan population
against the Church. This, as it seems, was the situation on.

which the seer of the Apocalypse has seized as the occasion for

his prophecy.
For these reasons the present writer is unable to see that the
historical situation presupposed by the Apocalypse contradicts the
testimony of Irenaeus which assigns the vision to the end of the
reign of Domitian. But has the testimony of Irenaeus been
rightly understood ? Dr Hort, it appears, in his lectures on the

Theologie et

suggested that the subject of

but ^,
Apocalypse referred to an article by M. J.

de Philosophie (Lausanne, 1887), in which

Bovon in the Revue de

in Iren. v. 30. 3 is not

This view has been supported with great acuteness by the Bishop
of Ely in the Journal of Theological Studies for April
It does not, however,' seem that Dr Hort
i.e. .
himself, although he
it was

1907.

admitted "the difficulty of accounting for yap on the common

interpretation, and the force of the argument from the use of
with persons in Irenaeus " (p. 42), allowed M. Bovon's suggestion
to weigh with him against the usual and natural interpretation of
the words. On the contrary he assumes that Irenaeus bears
witness to the Domitianic date, and for the view which he prefers
he «relies entirely on the internal evidence and the circumstances
which in his judgement it must be held 'to presuppose.]
 .
CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH.
1. Assuming that the Apocalypse was addressed by a person
of influence or authority to seven of the leading Churches of
Asia between the years 90 and 96, it is reasonable to suppose
that it was copied and circulated some extent before the
to

beginning of the second century. As the encyclical was brought

round by the author's messenger, each of the Churches addressed
would transcribe it for its own use, and send a copy to the
1
Churches in the immediate neighbourhood , and these in their
turn would repeat the process. Within a few years the circulation
of such a document would overstep the limits of the province,
whether through the spontaneous action of the Asian societies 2,

or in answer to the appeal of foreign Churches?, or through the

agency of individual Christians upon their travels., In one or
all of these ways the great Christian apocalypse would have
passed from Church to Church and from province to province,
and wherever it went it could not fail to excite the interest
of Christian readers.
2. Thus it is not incredible that Ignatius (1 10 — 17 •)
4
may shew
some knowledge John more than one

, ,-]
of the Apocalypse of in of

1 Cf. Col. iv.

. '16

the method of transmission see Earn-

say, Letten to the Seven Churches,
-rj

On
3

4 On
&$
.
Polyc. Phil. 13 tos iirurroXas

;: .5

Clem. E. Cor. 34.

the Apostolic Fathers, p. 58.
,-
' ,'("-
3, see N.T. in
Lightfoot,

-
.

cc. ii., Hi.

• who placed the Apocalypse under Nero

.
2 See Mart. Polyc. 20 toU or Vespasian, was inclined to see in
Clem. I. c. a reference to Apoc. xxii. 12;
see his note ad I.
cviii CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH
.his letters

? eV

,
to the Asian Churches (Eph. 15. 3
0eos'[Apoc. xxi. 3]
'
5 Philad.
3>
vi. , ' ,
[Apoc. iii. 12]), though the coincidences are not such as to
justify a definite conclusion. In the Epistle of Barnabas 1
, again,

there are one

(Barn. 6. 13 Xeyet
or, two passages which
' may allude to St John's work

.
[Apoc. xxi. 3]
f.]);

against the reference 2

; ib. 21. 3 6

but the balance of probability. is in each instance

. There is
6

however abundant evidence that

[Apoc.

the Apocalypse was in circulation during the second half of the

second century, not only in Asia, but in the West. .

(1) Eusebius does not mention the Apocalypse among N.T.

books known to Papias (. E. iii. 39), unless this is implied in his
attribution .of, Papias's chiliasm to a misunderstanding of certain
statements made by Apostolic authority 3

' ,
, , ,,' -
But against the silence
of Eusebius we have to set the express statement of Andreas, who
in the prologue to his commentary writes

.
- wepl
.

Andreas, moreover, quotes a remark

of Papias upon Apoc. xii. 7 ff. Papias, it will be remembered, was

,
according to Irenaeus (v. 33) an and an
whose floruit is likely to be nearer to the beginning than to the
middle of the second century 4 (2) About a.d. 180 Irenaeus knew of
-

copies of the Apocalypse already ancient,' and of witness borne to '

the text of the book by persons who had seen the writer (v. 30
= Eus. II. E. v. 8) 5 and who, if not Papias and Polycarp, pre-
,

sumably belonged to their generation 6 (3) Justin, who lived

?,?,
.

at Ephesus 7 before he went to Rome, speaks of the Apocalypse as

a recognized Christian book, and identifies its author with the
Apostle John apol. i. 28

,
:

\ dial. 81
, en/ -
1a.d. 130-1 (Harnack).

,
Gospel, p. isof. ; Lightfoot, S.R. p. 150:

•.! -
2See N. T. in the Apostolic Fathers, " we may Bay that Papias was probably
p. i6f.
8 S. )- ras
if
born about a.d. 60— 70."
6
The words will be found on p. 175
(note to Apoc. xiii. 18).
robs Lightfoot, S.R. p. 218.
Cf. Lightfoot, Super- ' Harnaok places the Ephesian re-
natural Religion, p. 214, note 4. sidence of Justin c. a.d. 135.
4 See Sanday, Criticism
of the Fourth Of. Apoc. xii. 9, xx. 2.
 "££
creiv
CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH
iv
.
(4) Eusebius iv. 26)
Melito, Bishop of Sardis (c. A.D. 165),
{. . mentions among the works of
irepi
-- cix

2
. its nature may have been,
The work, whatever
has perished 3 but the title shews that the Apocalypse was accepted
,

at this time in one of the Churches to which it was originally

—
sent a Church, moreover, which had little cause to pride itself
upon the character it receives from the Apocalyptist. In the
wreck of the Montanistic 4 and anti-Montanistic literature which

(
perplexed the Churches of Asia at this time, we have probably-
lost many similar references to the book; but we linow, on the

€< [
authority of Eusebius (H.E. v. 18), that it was quoted by the anti-

'
Montanist Apollonius
5
Later, but before the end of the century,

' )
.

Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch, cites the Apocalypse against the

©]
/'
teaching of Hermogenes (Eus. H. E. iv. 24
7rpos
in Asia Minor and in ;
, iv i*

Western Syria the book had clearly become a court of appeal to

which Christians of opposite schools could submit their differences.
(5) In South Gaul about the same time the Apocalypse was held
in equal regard. The Epistle of the Churches of Vienne and
Lyons, addressed in 177 to the region from which the book
emanated 6, cites or refers to it some five times 7 and one of the ,

canonical Scripture ).
quotations is introduced by the N.T. formula for the citation of
( With Irenaeus,' Bishop
of Lyons, a few years later, quotations from the Apocalypse are
frequent, and they are usually introduced by the words "John
(or "John the disciple of the Lord") says in the Apocalypse"" (Iren.
3; v. 26. 1, 28. 2, 34. 2, 35. 1);
iv. 14. 1, 17. 6, 18. 6, 20. 11, 21.
once we have "the Apocalypse of John" (i. 26. 3), and once "the

\6yos
1
Apocalypse," without the author's name (v. 20. 2) 8

The allusion to Apoc. xxi. in Tatian's

&'.!
made by Westcott {Canon,
to which reference

obscure to be used for the purpose of

this chapter.
2 Two
separate books, according, to
Jerome (de virr. illustr. 9 " de diabolo
is
p. 320), is too
in the
when

oial
6

7
,
Such is the

.
\ (
.
mind of Dionyaius of Corinth,
he writes (ap. Eus. H.E. iv. 23)

b us h.e. v.
,
ct

...aSektpoU.
The passages to which
Se

toIs
.

-ri]v'Xalav

reference is
o&

librum unum, de Apocalypsi Ioannis made are. Apoc. xiv. 4

librum unum").

),
'
Sirov av iiriyg), xii. 1, xiv.
8 On
the commentary of the pseudo-
Melito see Harnack, Gesch. d. altchr. SStivov
),xix. 9 (lis els
xxii. n (
4 (1-3

foo^os
Litteratur, i. 254, and the chapter of (, 6
this introduction on Apocalyptic com- ().
mentaries (c. xvii). 8 See MahnGesch. d. NTlichen
4 For some instances of a Montanistic
Kanons, i. note 2.
202, Quotations
use of the Apocalypse see Zahn, Gesch. from the fourth Gospel are similarly
d. NTlichen Kanons, i. p. 205 f. announced, with the substitution of in
5 There is
a possible allusion to Apoc. Evangelio for in Apocalypsi, cf. Iren. i.
xxii. i8f. in the anonymous anti-Mon- 6. 5,'iii. 21/2, iv. 25. 1, v. 18. 2. On
tanislic writing quoted by Eusebius in the title "disciple of the Lord" see
... 16. The same verses may be c. xv. of this introduction.
 ex CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH
authority of the book that when it is silent on a point Irenaeus
permits himself to write (v. 30. 1), "dignum non est praeconari a
Spiritu sancto." (6) At Rome, there is some reason to think, the
Apocalypse was known even before the corning of Justin. The
Shepherd of Hermas twice (Vis. ii. 2. 7, iv. 3. 1) uses the remark-
able phrase - -, which occurs in Apoc. vii. 14;
moreover, it is hardly too bold to say with Bishop Westcott that
"the symbolism of the Apocalypse reappears in the Shepherd 1 ."
Certainly there is a marked affinity between the two books, which
shews itself in the use of similar imagery ; in both the Church is a
woman, and her adversary a wild beast; in both we read of the
Book of Life, and of conquerors distinguished by their white robes
and palms and crowns ; if the Apocalypse describes the New Jeru-
salem as lying four-square within walls on whose foundation stones
are the names of the Apostolic college, the Sliepherd describes a
tower which is in building, the bright squared stones of which are
the Apostles and other teachers of the' Church". That these
coincidences are not purely accidental is rendered probable by
the circumstance that the Mirratorian fragment on the Ganon,
which refers to the Shepherd as written "nuperrime temporibus
nostris in urbe Roma," seems to intimate that the Apocalypse of
John was universally recognized at Rome, in contrast to the
Apocalypse of Peter which some refused to acknowledge ("Apo-
calypse[s] etiam Iohannis et Petri tantum recipimus, quam
[Isc. Apocalypsim Petri] quidam ex nostris legi in ec[c]lesia nolunt 3 ").

(7) The Church of Carthage, the daughter of the Roman Church,

knew and accepted the Johannine Apocalypse at the end of the
second century or in the early years of the third. Tertullian quotes
from eighteen out of the twenty-two chapters of the book 4 and cites ,

it as Scripture (de res. earn. 27 "habemus etiam .'vestimentorum in

scripturis mentionem ad spem carnis allegorizare, quia et Apoca-
lypsis Iohannis Hi sunt, ait, qui vestimenta suanon coinquinaverunt");
it is the work of the Apostle John (Marc. iii. 14, 24), the instru-
menhim loannis (ib. 38), and part and parcel of the instrumenturn?
apostolicum (pud. 12 sqq.) 6 The Acts of Perpetua and Pelicitas
-

abound in imagery which is modelled on that of the Apocalypse (e.g.

§4 "circumstantes candidati milia multa"; § 12 " introeuntes
vestierunt stolas Candidas, et introivimus, et audivimus vocem
unitam dicentem Agios agios agios sine cessatione...et vidi-
mus in eodem loco sedentem. quasi hominem canum... et in dextra
1
Ganon, p. 201, note 2. Cf. Lardner, purpose of. the book.
Works, ii. p. 69 : " it is very probable 4 The quotations are most numerous
that Hermas had read the book of in his Montanistio books, but they occur
St John's Eevelation and imitated it." also in the earlier works, e.g. orat.
2 3, 5,
Vis. ii. 4, iii. 5, iv. 2 ; Sim. viii. 2. paen. 8.
8 That the Apocalypsis 6 Cf.
Johannis is apol. 18 " instrumentum lit-
identical with our book is dear by what teraturae " ; ib. 21 " Iudaeorum instru-
preeedes " et Iohannes enim in Apooa-
: menta"; res. cam. 40 "instrumenta
lypsi, licet septem ecclesiis sc,ribat, divina." Of. Zahn, Gesch. i. p. 107ft.•
tamen omnibus dicit" —
an early and " Zahn, Gesch, i. p. 204.
interesting appreciation of the wider
 CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH cxi

et in sinistra seniores quattuor et introeuntes cum admiratione

. . .

stetimus ante thronum." As in the case of the Shepherd, there

is no direct quotation here, but the influence of the Apocalypse
is scarcely doubtful. (8) At Alexandria about the same time the
Apocalypse was known, and recognized as the work of St John.

§'

iv Trj
ii. 12 § 119
Apostle (quis dives §42)'-
,
Clement, who cites it several times (paed. i. 6 § 36, ii. 10 § 108, 12
119 ; strom. iii. 18 § 106, vi. 13 § 116) with the formula <Ss

),
i6 § 1 41), regards it as Scripture {paed.
and the work of an

3. From two quarters in the second century there comes

a protest against the general acceptance of the' Apocalypse of
(a) " Apocalypsin eius Marcion respuit ," as we learn from
2
John,
Tertullian (adv. Marc. iv. 5); and on Marcion's principles it would
have been impossible to accept a book so saturated with the
thought and imagery of the Old Testament. Whether he
rejected at the same time the attribution of the book to the

Apostle John which is already to be found in Justin, there is not

sufficient evidence to shew in any case it formed no part of his
;

apostolicum ; he did not recognize John as a writer of canonical

Scripture 3 . (b) Far more significant is the attitude of the
so-called Alogi. Irenaeus (iii. 11. 9), after referring to Marcion's
attitude toward the Gospels, says :
" alii vero, ut donum Spiritus

frustrentur quod in novissimis temporibus secundum placitum

Patris effusum est in humanum genus, illam speciem non ad-
mittunt quae est secundum Ioannis evangelium in qua paracletum
se missurum Dominus promisit, sed simul et evangelium. et pro-

pheticum repellunt Spiritum." Epiphanius represents a nameless

party which he calls the Alogi as rejecting both the Gospel and
the Apocalypse (haer. Ii. 3 o'"A\oyoi —
1 If tlie Judicium Petri, printed
by agnitum non yis." Some of the

$
Apoc
2
iv. 4.
,
Hilgenfeld in N.T. extra canon, recept.,
may be regarded as an Egyptian writing
of the second century, its witness must
be added here: §2 yap

—a reference to
According to Fseudo-Tert. adv. omn.
haer. 6 he was preceded here by Cerdon
4-
Gnostic sects knew and used the Apo-
calypse, as the Marcosian
(Iren. i. 14. 6, 15. 1) and Justin the
Gnostic's aeon 'Amen' (Hipp. phil. v.
6) suggest. ; see Westcott, Canon,
pp. 284, 311. Zahn (Gesch. i.

goes so far as to say : " wenigstens fur

die Yalentinianer des Orients und ins-
besondere fiir Marcus in Kl ein asien
761)

"Cerdon.. Acta apostolorum et Apoca- die Apokalypse ein Buch von nioht ge-
lypsim quasi falsa reicit." ringerem Ansehn als die Ew. war."
a Tert. op. cit. iii. 14 "Ioannem
cxii CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH
yap
yiXiov
eivai
elvai iv ,, ,... 1
).
...
,

Against the genuineness of the Apocalypse

eiay-
yap

(ib. 32 ,',
they urged (i) that the symbolism of the book was unedifying

dyyXv
Xeyovaa
and (2) that it con-

/
;),

to a
®
tained errors in matters of fact

•
©, ; (ib.

improbable that Epiphanius was indebted for this information

work of Hippolytus 3 and that we have here a nearly
lost ,
33

Ty 1
). It is not

contemporaneous account of the first impugners of the Apocalypse*

If they are identical, as seems likely, with the party mentioned
by Irenaeus, they may have been originally an Asiatic school
of extreme anti-Montanists who felt that both the Gospel and the
Apocalypse of John savoured too strongly of the principles of the
New Prophecy to allow of their attribution to the Apostle John.

, ,.
The assignment of the Fourth Gospel
enough, as Epiphanius points out
,
Thousand Years in Apoc.
that the Apocalypse was the
Xiyovra
xx. lent
(op.

;);
to
cit.
Cerinthus
4
but the Vision of the
some colour to the suggestion
work of that heretic.
yap
is

Possibly the
absurd

idea of Cerinthian authorship was first broached in reference to

the Revelation, and afterwards extended to the Gospel 4 .

4. Like other Asiatic parties, the anti-Montanistic opponents

of Sjb John's writings made their way to Rome. At all events the
controversy, so far as the Apocalypse is concerned, finds its centre
in Rome at the beginning of the third century. Eusebius quotes

1 The Latin writers on the heresies

copy Epiphanius, or repeat what their
yt;\lov
works.
^*, or both of these
See Dr Stanton's note (p. 200).
predecessors had gleaned from him ; 4
Dr Sanday (Criticism of the Fourth
see Philastr. 60, Aug. 30, Praedest. 30, Gospel, p. 6i) calls the attribution of
Isid. 26, Paul, y, Honor. 41. the Fourth Gospel to Cerinthus "a
2 On this singular statement and pieoe of sheer bravado," and such in-

8 The Tpbs

possibly the inrkp

!. ' -
Epiphanius's explanation, see Stanton,
Gospels as historical documents, p. 209.
rcks alpia-eis, or
deed it was, if the Alogi began with the
Gospel ; but the other course Beems
more natural,
'
 CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH cxiii

from Gaius, a Roman churchman, who lived in the days of Bishop

Zephyrinus (202 —219) and wrote against the Montanist Bishop

' ,
Proclus 1 a statement that Cerinthus forged
,
'
apocalypses ' in the

name of '
a great Apostle '

'

, ',
Eus. H.E. in. 28 [Rufinus
per revelationes quasdam]
'
.
•

. . ),
iv , iv
Tats

The words in spaced letters come very near to the terms of

our Apocalypse, but until 1888 it was competent for scholars

to suppose that Gaius referred to a book or books written by

Cerinthus in which he imitated or travestied the work of St
John 2 In that year Dr Gwynn, of Dublin, published in the
.

Hermathqna (vi. p. 397 ff.) five Syriac scholia from Dionysius

Barsalibi on the Apocalypse, consisting of extracts from "the
, heretic Gaius" in which Gaius comments on the Apocalypse in
terms which shew that be did not admit the authority of the
book. Gaius, therefore, was more or less in sympathy with the
and it is not improbable that, in his zeal against Montanism,
Alogi,
he adopted the Cerinthian attribution. In any case it is to
Gaius and his school 8 rather than to the Eastern 'Alogi' that

,, .
Dionysius of Alexandria refers when he writes fifty years after

Eus.

,,' '
H. E. vii. 25 ovv
[Rufinus, a canone scripturarum abiciendum putaruni]

,
,,
''
, .,. 1)

£?
1 Eus. H.E. ii. 25• vi 2 °; ci Light-
- •
.,. .
of St John."
...
3 It will be observed that Dionysius
. foot, St Clement, ii. p. 377 ff.
2 See Westcott, Canon 6 p. 278, note 2: in describing the Chiliastio views of
,

" I may express my decided belief that Cerinthus uses language which comes
Caius is not speaking of the Apocalypse very near to that of Gaius.

S. K. h
cxiv CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH

5. Neither the '

Alogi' of Asia Minor nor the party of Gaius
at Rome proved dangerous to the general acceptance of the
Apocalypse.

of Portus, a
entitled

party at
Ynep

Rome
At Rome Gaius was answered by Hippolytus.
the back of the chair which holds the seated figure of the Bishop
list of his works is graved,
Igoannhn [<\]
coupling of the Fourth Gospel and the Apocalypse suggests that this
book was directed against the
represented by Gaius 2
'
Alogi,' or,

.
:
and among them

more probably, a
The same book may be
1
.
is

similar
On

one
The

intended by the Heads against Gaius, which Ebedjesu attributes

to Hippolytus 3 and from which
, Dr Gwynn's fragments have been

:
drawn. In his extant works and fragments Hippolytus repeatedly
asserts his belief in the Johannine authorship of the Apocalypse
(e.g. ed. Lagarde,
.
p. 48 yap
, \),
and he
p. 17
identifies

,
159
John the
,). , ,
disciple of the

During the remainder of

Lord with the Apostle (ib.

'
the first half of the third Century we hear no more of the counter-
movement. At Carthage Cyprian uses the Apocalypse freely,
both in the Testimonia and in his treatises and letters
4,
at Alex-

: ).
;

andria Origen entertains no doubt as to the authenticity of the

book

,
...
(e.g.

, -
in loann. t.

.
i. 14
Eus.

however, to the reopening of the question by Origen's pupil and

vi. 25 '
rrj

Circumstances led;

successor, Dionysius, during the years when the latter was Bishop
of Alexandria (247 — 265). The facts are given in the large
fragments of a treatise by Dionysius preserved
by Eusebius . E. vii. 24 f.
6

420,
1

2
Lightfoot, St Clement,

Dr Stanton,
Ui Ul/UiUliUU, however
ii.

(Gospels OS
liUWOVCJ.- \lTOX'£ieiB
historical documents, i. p. 230 fl.), after
as
pp. 394,
P-
s
Cf.

15 (^ ^
v
Assemani,

^
hibl.

71

.(^IajojTI
orient,

.UOI—in°S-T>
1

*t«oioi^o
iii.

4 quoted 27 times
'discussing the attitude of Gaius towards is in. the Testi-
the Fourth Gospel, conies to the con- mania alone. .

6 The fragments
elusion that there is at present no are edited by Dr
sufficient evidence to shew that he re- Feltoe in Letters and otlier remains of
jected it. Dionysius of Alexandria, pp. 106—125.
self confronted by an '
will be fulfilled in a Jewish sense
,
CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH
It appears that on the occasion pf a visit to Arsinoe,

('\),
where Chiliasm
had long disturbed the peace of. the Church, Dionysius* found him-
written by Nepos,
an Egyptian Bishop, in which, according to Eusebius, epos 'taught
that the promises made in the Holy Scriptures to the saints
and held that
there will be a millennium of bodily enjoyment on this earth.' A
cxv

three days' conference followed which brought the Arsenoites back

to a healthier view. But the incident led the critical mind of
Dionysius to examine afresh for himself the grounds on whicli the
Apocalypse was held to be the work of the Apostle John, and the
results of his enquiry are given in the third, fourth, and fifth of
the fragments of his answer to Nepos.
Dionysius refuses to follow the party who ascribed the Apoca-
lypse to Cerinthus 1 . He cannot venture to reject a book which is

)- , ' ^,
held in high esteem by so many members of the Church

; with the mddesty of the true scholar he is ready

to attribute the difficulties whicli it presents to the limitations of

(
. (
/.
).
his own understanding ye
But while he does not presume
to challenge the inspiration of the Apocalypse or its claim to be
the work of a John, he declines to accept it as the work of

Catholic Epistle " (i.e.

) 2
. John .the
own name, but John the Apocalyptist names
etSous
(
the Apostle, to whom he attributes the fourth Gospel and "the
John). He is led to this conclusion by
comparing (i) the character of the writer of the Apocalypse with
that of the writer of the Gospel, (2) the thought and style of the
writings, and (3) their linguistic differences yap

Evangelist abstains from mentioning his

himself more, than
once at the very outset of his book, and again near the end.
Doubtless there were many who bore the name of John in the
early Christian communities; we read, for instance, of "John

said to be John's (
). *
whose surname was Mark," and there may have been a second
John in Asia, since at Ephesus, we are told, there were two tombs

Again, while the Gospel and Epistle

of John shew marks of agreement which suggest a common
,
, (
authorship, the Apocalypse differs widely from both in its ideas
and in its way of expressing them; we miss in it (e.g.) the frequent
references to 'life,', 'light,' 'truth,' 'grace,' and 'love' which are
characteristic of the Apostle, and find ourselves in a totally
different region of thought .
,
linguistic eccentricities of the
. -).
Lastly, the
Apocalypse bar the way against
an acceptance of the book as the work of the Evangelist. The
Gospel and first Epistle are written in correct and flowing Greek,

1 2
See above, p. cxf. See Dr Feltoe'a note ad I.
cxvi CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH
and there is not a barbarism, a solecism, or a provincialism in them

)., '
whereas the Greek of the Apocalypse is inaccurate, disfigured by
unusual or foreign words, and even at times solecistic

,,
6. This criticism, not the less trenchant because carefully
£ ^( -
guarded against the imputation of levity or irreverence
1
and ,

proceeding from so distinguished a Bishop as Dionysius 'the

Great 2 ,' could not fail to carry weight in Egypt and in the
Greek-speaking East, shaking the faith of many in the apos-

tolical authorship of the• Apocalypse, and therefore in its canonical

, -).
authority. In the fourth century Eusebius is unable to speak
positively as to its canonicity (H.E.
' en
tovtois [the canonical books]
'... rives,
,, ,,
iii. 25

et
Be

Cyril of Jerusalem, a few years

ye
. lb. 2
Be

,
later, not only omits the Apocalypse from his list of canonical
books, but seems definitely to exclude
public use (Gatech. iv. 31 Be \
<, it from private as well as

,). ev
It is more remarkable that Asia Minor
should have ignored the book even in formal canons

'
place in the Laodicean

\ .
Nazianzus
'

was either
the Peshitta
;

Be 76
still
|

unknown
New Testament 3
list

or it
of 363, or in that of Gregory of
while Amphilochius of Iconium expressly says

was ignored
.
\

In Eastern Syria the Apocalypse

Junilius,
; it

who
, ; it

formed no part of
represents the
finds no

Biblical criticism of the school of Nisibis in the sixth century, is

silent about the book ; the Jacobite Barhebraeus (-f•

1 286) passes
it over without notice in his Nomocanon, and so does .the nearly
contemporary Nestorian Ebedjesu, both following herein the

(,
. , 1 Fragment 5,
tis
e.g. ends: oiU yap

'
61x01",
the Apocalypse with respect
vii.
2
10."
Cf. Feltoe, . .
: Eus. H.E.

,. As Dr Westcott points out,

369, note 4, Dionysius "quoted
s

cf.
Gwynn, Apocalypse; pp. xiii,
Zahn, Gesch.i. p. 374^
ciii f.;
 CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH cxvii

'
Apostolic Canons,' which agree in this respect with the canons
of Laodicea. Western Syria, as represented by the School
of Antioch, looked with little favour on the most mystical
of early Christian writings. Neither Theodore, Chrysostom,
or Theodoret is known to have quoted the Apocalypse 1 . Con-
stantinople inherited the traditions of Antioch in this respect
as in others, and the Apocalypse is omitted altogether in the
Synopsis scripturae sacrae which is found among the work of
Chrysostom, nor has it any place in the catalogue of " the Sixty
books " or in either of its supplementary lists. As late as the

beginning of the ninth century Nicephorus places it among the

antilegomena with the Apocalypse of Peter. It is significant of

the slow progress made by the circulation or acceptance of the

book in eastern lands that no Greek commentary seems to have
been written upon it before the fifth or sixth century 2 . Several
causes may have concurred to cause this delay. There may have
'
been in some minds a lingering dread of Morrtanism, and in '

many others a doubt as to the inspiration or the apostolical

authority of the Apocalyptist. Moreover, the Apocalypse may
have been known in the East only to a few. From the first

perhaps the book went west rather, than east; traders from
Smyrna and Ephesus carried it to Italy and Gaul, to North
Africa and Egypt; few copies seem to have penetrated to
Antioch, and fewer or none to Edessa and Nisibis.
In the West, on the contrary, the Apocalypse, which had

.
7.

won acceptance in the second century, held its own notwith-

ck
1

;...
Suidas,

this is true,"
indeed, remarks:

Dr Westcott writes, not

without a touch of humour, "it is a
singular proof of the inconclusiveness
of the casual evidence of quotation "
(Canon, p. 442, note 3):
5 It is
to be noted, also, that Greek
MSS. of the Apocalypse, uncial or cur-
sive, are relatively few ; that
to this book are rare (von Soden, Die
Schriften d.-N. T., i. p. 360) ; and that no
"If
tane
sen's
p. 397.
list, and according to Momm-
1200,
1800; see Zahn, Gesch. ii.
list,
The Apocalypse holds the last
place in nearly all Greek MSS. of the
N.T.; the exceptions will be found in
Gregory, prolegg. p. 136. In the Latin
lists and the MSS. of the Vulgate other
> arrangements are less rare, e.g. the
Claromontane list places Apoc. after
-eis the Catholic Epistles but before the
Acts, while in the Mommsen list and
the Decree of Gelasius it finds a place
'
'

Greek MS. shews a stiehometry (Tischen- before the Catholic Epistles ; see Zahn,
dorf, ii. 1044), though the stichi were Gesch. ii. p. 383, or iieuadhen, AnaUcta,
—
counted according to Nicephorus they pp. 139 —
149.
were -1400, according to the Claromon-
cxvm CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH
standing the strictures of Gaius at Rome, and the rejection of its

apostolic authorship by Dionysius at Alexandria. Alexandria

^ \,
soon returned to
Athanasius ends his
,
its allegiance; in his Festal Epistles (Ep. 39),
list of the canon with the words
adding:

pseudo-Athanasian Synopsis the Apocalypse forms the eighth and

...
. In the

last book of the New Testament, and later Alexandrian writers

accept it without hesitation 1 . The Latin West was from the time
of Gaius practically unanimous in its favour 2 . It was there that
the book found its earliest interpreters, Victorinus of Pettau,
Tyconius, Primasius. It takes its place in all Western lists of
the canonical Scriptures : in Mommsen's canon, in those of Codex
Claromontanus and the Carthaginian Council of 397, in the
The authority of the great Latin fathers
'Decree of Gelasius.'
confirmed the general verdict of the Church ; Ambrose, Jerome,
'

Rufinus, Augustine, Innocent, accepted the Apocalypse as the

work of the Apostle John.
The Eastern Church has long followed the example of the
West. Although the Quinisextine Council endorsed without
remark the Laodicean Canon which omits the Apocalypse, the
commentaries of Oecumenius, Andreas, and Arethas must have
gone far to secure a favourable hearing for the book. Even the
Syrian Church in the seventh, century possessed two versions,
one which has been identified with the wsrk of Thomas of
Harkel, and another of a Philoxenian type 8 .

.,
No book in the New Testament with so good a record was so
long in gaining general acceptance. The reasons for this are well
summarized in a scholion to one of the MSS. of the Apocalypse 4 :

.
On the Coptic canon see c. xvi. me) lias established the genuineness of
1 Iheie is an apparent exception in the attribution of this book to Gen-
the liber eaclesiasticorum dogmatum at- nadius, tomniator, if the true readins
tributed to Gennadius (§ 6 "erit resur- refers to Nepos. On the attitudes of
rectiomortuorum hominum, sed una et Erasmus, Luther, and Calvin towards
in scmel non prima mstorum et se-
; the Apocalypse see Westcott Canon 6
cunda peocatorum, ut fabulat som- pp. 472 f., 483, 488.
niator"). But according to Dom G. » See
p. cxc'v.
Morin who (as Mr C. H. Turner informs * Cod. 24. '
 .
CIRCULATION AND RECEPTION IN THE CHURCH

\<<>

The key
elvai
,}
, iv
to the interpretation disappeared with
cxix

ipevvav

the generation to which the book was addressed, perhaps even

with the relief which the Asian Churches experienced upon the
death of Domitian; and apart from any clue to its immediate
reference, it was little else but a maze of inexplicable mysteries.
"Apocalypsis Ioannis," exclaims Jerome, "tot habet sacramenta
1

quot verba 1 ." It was not everyone who was able to meet the
situation with the patient modesty of the great Dionysius, and
in the circumstances we can only recognize with thankfulness the
Providence which has preserved for us a treasure of which the
full value is even now scarcely realized.

1 Ad Paulin., ep. liii. 8.

 XL
VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR, AND STYLE.
I. A complete vocabulary of the Apocalypse will be found
at the end of this volume. Here it will suffice to point out

some of the results which may be gleaned from it.

The Apocalypse contains 913 distinct words, or, excluding the

names of persons and places, 871. Of these 871 words, 108 are
not used elsewhere in the New Testament, and 98 are used
elsewhere in the New Testament but once, or by but one other
writer. It may be useful to the reader to have these relatively

,
uncommon words placed before him in separate lists.

,
^,,
, ,[," ,
,
(a)

88,
, ,
^, ,
writing 1
"Words in the Apocalypse which occur in no other N.T.

[,,^,
,
^,
, , '[,
.

,
^, ,
'[, '[,
f

,,,,
, ,,
^,
-,
(verb),
f

, ",, ,
^,+,,
^, ^-
f

tt7rirocos,

, , [, , "[,
ftpa, ^ t
'[, '[,
, "[, '[,
^, , '[,^-
'[, "/3, '[,
"[-

,
^, , \,
fovpa, '[, ^, ",^,
,
^, |,^,,+75,
, , +70,
topveov,

, ,
1[,
'[,,[,
,"[,
, [, ,
[,[, \, ,
+5,
, fayo,
fpaivtiv,

1
[,
+'5,

Words
[,
t\oivi£, [.
to which a dagger
'[,
ia prefixed in thick type appear to be ?£ -.
occur in the Greek . T. ; those printed
 VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR, AND STYLE cxxi

? '
- -
() Words in the Apocalypse used elsewhere in the N.T. but
1
» once, or by one other writer .

(P e< 01 ),
taSeiv > (L a ), \ (P e ), t (La),
(L a fapviW eT
( /^' (Mt),
^,
tap/la ),
(P r ), J
(J ),
(L eT ), (Jac),
),
(L t^p-voT^s
tyo>os a
),
-15,.„\

^
/-r>r«-nr\ J.f/ '

/TT\ +S ' /TVT„\ 'IP.Q„_•.- .'/.Tev\

(P c ° r ), t^eioK (L CT ), t0ifK"r«a (L«), (L ev ), t0«W (P eth )>

|0
tiWos

tiropia/cos
i\ ' ....
(Jac),
(P COT ),

/Tev\
(P
\<
cor
(
)>
+ \.'..
ttapivos

|£« /TVNA
(Mt),
(P ror ),

+
(Mc),
Wiri/os
tWfyW™7*
.„.',.
(L

jk-qvos
/T.ev\
a
),

(Mt),
+„-.„„_„'„
t«aTOiKjyri?piov
|«™«*>
|)8/
(P e ),
(J ev ),
(Mt),
+>•»;>

« / \
^'
(Jo ep ), ?? (P cor j,
(La ), to-'Siypeos (L a),
(P e ),

(J ev ),
(Pet), i x uiv (Mt),
(L OT ),
^^(
+^#os (La ),
),
(Pet),
(Jo eT ),

(P» h »),
(L ev ), fpwapo's

(Jac),

t^xpo's (Mt), f<J8rj (P

(Lev ),
(P e P h i>), o-wkoijwo's (* c °r P h v),
(L a ), fTpvyac (LeT ),

eco1
),
(Lf), tx^ioi
(Mc), fxois (Mc), ty^'s (L a ), t^^'-
(P E ).
^| (Jac);
tcnto-

(P s ),

2. An examination of these tables leads to some interesting

facts. Relatively to its length the Apocalypse has an unusual
number of words peculiar to itself] While the Second Gospel
shews 80 such words in 2000 stichi, the Apocalypse has more
than 100 in 1400 2
; one in eight of its words is used by no
other N.T. writer, whereas in St Mark the ratio is about one
in sixteen 3
. But it is to be remembered that whereas the simple
narrative of the Evangelist demands for the most part only the
commonest words of daily life, the Apocalyptist deals with a great
variety of subjects, some of which call for a liberal use of special
terms. Thus, e.g., the enumeration of articles of merchandize in
Apoc. xviii. 11 — 13 is responsible for twelve of the words peculiar
to this book, and the list of precious stones in c. -xxi. 19 f. for

ten more. Most of the Apocalyptic words which are not found
1 The letters in brackets which follow in the Gospel, J"" St John in the Epistles,
the words in this list indicate the other 2 The number of stichi is given iu

N. T. writer and work in which the each case according to the stichometry
words are found; e.g. L"=St Luke in of Nicephorus.
Acts, P r St Paul in Eomans, J"' St John a See St Mark*, p.jdvii.
cxxn VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR, AND STYLE j

or are found but rarely in other . T. writings belong to, the

language of common or commercial life, which would be familiar
to one who had been for many years resident in Ephesus. Further,
it will be observed that two-thirds of the words in the first list

(?)> anc* nearly eleven-twelfths in the second (§§), had been

previously used in the Greek Old Testament. In the second list,

the student will find it worth his while to notice the distribution
of the words amongst other . T. writers. St Paul, it will be
seen, has 33, St Luke 30, St Matthew 9, St John (in the Gospel
and Epistles) 8, St James 6, St Mark 5, the author of Hebrews 3,
and St Peter 2. The great preponderance of Pauline and Lucan
words is remarkable, but perhaps it is sufficiently explained by the
circumstance that both St Paul and St Luke wrote under conditions
not altogether unlike those of the author of the Apocalypse. Their

", ,
lives, like his, had been largely spent among Greek-speaking peoples,

Others

to
The
are name-forms
<;),
true

(,
/)
'(,
,)
and in intercourse with Greek-speaking Churches.
of the Apocalypse are few.

which are perhaps in every case due to the

words current in Asia, although hitherto they have not been de-

.
tected in any other Greek writing.
be of Jewish-Greek origin;
alternative form of The MSS.
A

is
Ap

and
are probably

either a slip, or an
of the Apocarypse shew
Some
Nt«o-
writer.

seem

a considerable number of orthographical peculiarities, chiefly

affecting the terminations of

(*•

(ii.
3).

24), (ix.
(ii.

8),
),
(. 9),
(ii. 3), <;
nouns and verbs, such as
(ii. 5),

(xviii. 3), efiaXav

(xviii. 19), (xxi. 6), and some of these are so well sup-
ported that they claim a place in
s the text. But there are
comparatively few lexical eccentricities, and we are reminded
if

by an occasional transliteration that the author was a Jew by

birth and education, it is clear that he had lived long enough
in the Greek cities of Asia to have ready to his hand all the
Greek words that he needed for the purpose of his book. The
Greek vocabulary of the Apocalypse does not suggest that the
.
 VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR, AND STYLE cxxm

writer was crippled by a want of appropriate words. His store

is ample for his needs, and it seems to have been chosen with
care.

3. When we pass from vocabulary to grammar, the case is

different. Dionysius, as we have seen, with the acumen of an

Alexandrian scholar, was struck by the many departures from
the rules of syntax which mark the Apocalypse, and charges its

author with writing incorrect Greek and even occasional solecisms.

His criticism is courageous, but not unjust. Fortunately no
systematic attempt was made
Egypt or elsewhere to bring
in
the book up to the standard of literary orthodoxy, and in the
best MSS. it has come down to us with many at least of the
writer's grammatical peculiarities untouched.
Nothing like a grammar of the Apocalypse 1 can be attempted
here, but some of the more striking features of its peculiar style
are collected below.

The 'solecisms' of the book consist largely of various forms

,
(1)

, ],^
of anacoluthon, shewing a singular indifference to the laws> of

. .
concord.

iii.

viii. 9
12
,
They may be roughly classed as follows, (as) Nomina-
tives are placed in apposition to other cases i. 5

.. . 2
:

Other examples may be found in xiv. 12,

The —occasionally
... . .
xvi. 14, xx. 2, xxi. 11. () participle
—
persona dramatis:

XIV. 6 eioov
... ,
-follows irregularly after

,/ ... ...
,.
iv. 1 ...
xi. 15
the announcement of a fresh voice or

iyivovTO
...
... ix.

lb.
13

14
(c)
etSoi/

The
construction is broken by a parenthetic clause, after which the

... . .)
sentence may or may not return to its original course i. 5 f
.
: .

, ...
I f. eiSov

8
.

. . . 6
The grammar is
(d)
1 disturbed, by the otiose addition of a personal pronoun or an adverb
1 The subject
has been treated more (Intr. to N. T. iii. p.552 ff.), Archd. Lee
or less fully by "Vosel (Gomm., p. .5 ff.), (intr. to Comm. p. 454 ff.). A Johannine
Winer (Exeg. Studien, i. p. 144 ff.), Grammar has been recently published by
Ewald(prol. to Comm. §6), Hitzig (I7ier Dr E. A. Abbott as a sequel to his
Johannes Marcus, p. 65 ff.), Liicke, Ver- Johannine Vocabulary (1905), but it
such einer vollstandi-gen Eirileitung, i. deals with the Gospel only. A thorough
p. 448 ff., Bousset (intr. to Comm. p. 183 monograph on the grammar of the Apo-
ff.), and in England by 'S. Davidson calypse is still to be desired.
cxxiv VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR, AND STYLE

. , ',
)
of place after a relative or participial clause (or, as

!
ii. 7
.:.. 4
:

in v. 26,
...
air(3...iii.

.
12
. ..
. ? (e)
xii.6 xiii. 8

Genders, numbers, or cases are at faulty

5...€5...
vii. 9 eloov,

.
viii. 9 °
xi. 4
...£5. ', xiv.
0/ 0€
xii. 5
.....[]. 19

xxi. 14 ... . /*<. xvii. 3

,, (2) Besides solecisms ' the Apocalypse has, to borrow another

'

term from Dionysius, a large number of 'idiotisms.' The idiosyncrasy

of the writer shews itself sometimes in a startling phrase such as
' ;
.
. 8
i. 4

, or ix. 12 and xi. 14 oval sometimes

in grammatical peculiarities, some of which frequently recur, such
,
.
. ...
as the following: (a) Different tenses and moods are joined by a

. ....
copula without any clear reason for the change: ii. 2 f.

....
...

,.
viii. 5
- .,. ...
... ' .
... . vii.
iii.

13 f.
3
. .

5
V. 7 •
lb. 9

& , ,
xxi. 24 ff.
... ']. ... . . . . . .

. '

.
() Adjectives and verbs are made to govern cases other than
those required by usage ; i. 13, xiv. 1 4

..
ii. 14

. 13
viii.

xii. 12 xix. 5

....
(c) Other unusual constructions abound, such as
'.
..
iv. 9 f.
...
:

viii. 4 IX. 4
... '

lb. 5 ). xii. 7 ...

xi. 3
[
£ .
xxii. 14 . .
xviii.
.
20
.\. ...
Many attempts have been made to minimize the grammatical
irregularities of the Apocalypse. In the most recent of these, a
chapter of Archbishop Benson's Apocalypse which bears the
characteristic heading " A Grammar of Ungrammar 1 ," the in-
stances are classified with the view of shewing that in most of
them the Apocalyptist had a definite reason for his departure
from usage.Whatever may be thought of the explanations which
are offered in his defence, it is evident that he has not erred in all
2
cases through ignorance , and it is possible that he has not done so

1 Essay
E.g. if
v. p. 131 ff.

he has twice permitted him-

self to write
passages ? 16, in eighteen other
governs the dative.
 VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR, AND STYLE cxxv

in any His eccentricities of syntax are probably due

instance.

to more than one cause some to the habit which he may have
:

1
retained from early years of thinking in a Semitic language ;

some to the desire of giving movement and vivid reality to his

visions, which leads him to report them after the manner of short-

hand notes, jotted down at the time some to the circumstances ;

in which the book was written. But from whatever cause or con-
currence of causes, it cannot be denied that the Apocalypse of John
stands alone among Greek literary writings in its disregard of

the ordinary rules of syntax, and the success with which syntax
is set aside without loss of perspicuity or even of literary power.

The book seems openly and deliberately to defy the grammarian,

and yet.even as literature, it is in its own field unsurpassed. No

judge who compared it with any other Greek apocalyptic work
would hesitate to give the palm to the canonical Apocalypse.
4. Apart from solecisms and other idiosyncrasies, the style of

/, ,
the Apocalypse is distinguished by a number of characteristic

phrases and turns of expression which give it individuality.

Some
Thus
of these recur

/-
with slight variations throughout the book.

' , /
2
i.

starts a note which is heard again ib. 9 .

-
vi. 9

.« ,
kovvtvs
The
XX. 4
reader meets again and again the phrase
or eiri tj/s ,
or (iii. 10, vi. 10,
o£
viii. 13,

The present writer, while welcoming

1 been materially different had he been a
allthe light -that can be thrown on the
vocabulary and syntax of the N.T. by
a study of the Graeco-Egyptian papyri,
and in particular the researches of Pro-
fessor Deissmann, Professor Thumb, and
Dr J. H. Moulton, deprecates the in-
duction which, as it seems to him, is
beingsomewhat hastily based upon them,
that the Greek of the .
T". has been but
slightly influenced by the familiarity of
the writers with Hebrew and Aramaic.
"Even the Greek of the Apocalypse,"
Dr Moulton writes (Grammar of N.T.
Greek, prolegg. p. 8f.), "does not seem
to owe any of its blunders to 'Hebra-
isms'... Apart from places where he [the
author] may be definitely translating a.
Semitic document-, there is no reason
to believe that his grammar would have
native of Oxyrhynchus, assuming the
extent of Greek education the same."
B.ut the facts seem at present insufficient
to warrant this conclusion. It is pre-
carious to compare a literary document
with a collection of personal and business
letters, accounts, and other ephemeral
writings; slips in word-formation or in
syntax which are to be expected in the
latter, are phenomenal in the former,
and if they find a place there, can only
be attributed to lifelong habits of
thought. Moreover, it remains to be
considered how far the quasi-Semitic
colloquialisms of the papyri are them-
selves due to the influence of the large
Greek-speaking Jewish population of the
Delta,
 VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR, AND STYLE

'.,
cxxvi .

xi; io, xiii. 8, 12, 14, xvii. 2, S), the combination

(iii. 14, xix. 11, xxi. 5, xxii. 6), the refrain

, )
xiii. 9).
(ii.-

are other examples.

,
7, ii, 17, 29, iii. 6, 13, 22,

Further, the writer has a

habit of repeating the article or a governing clause before every
and with a slight difference,
/ (

., . .
member of a series when the same subject or class of subjects is
in view, e.g. ix. 20

•rijs
XV. 2 toiis ck «'
. xvi. 13

xvii. 6
There are many minor
singularities, such as the frequent use of the instrumental dative
preceded by
^
iv, e.g. iv iv 27, xii.

;
(ii. 16), (ii.
5,
xix. 15), iv (v. 2, xiv. 7), iv (xiv. 2), iv
(xvi. 8, xvii. 16)the nearly constant omission of the article before

); , ,
;

proper names, not excluding the employment of as

almost equivalent to an indefinite article (viii. 13 xviii. 21

18 (xiv. 12)
voCs
the peculiar use of
; in such, clauses as xiii. 10,

the recurrence of the formula

xvii. 9 <5 , ()
'
followed by a noun, an infinitive, or a subjunctive with ho; the
partiality shewn for the perfect tense, especially in the case of

xix. 3)
(ii. 27, iii. 3, v. 7, viii. 5, xi. 17) and (vii 14,
the many beatitudes interspersed among the visions (i. 3,
;

xiv. 13, xvi. 15, xix. 9, xx. 6, xxii. 7, 14). Lastly, a considerable

, ,,, ,
number of ordinary words occur with remarkable frequency, catch-

, ,,,
, ,, ,
,, ,-
ing the eye again and again as the book is turned •
a few may be

,
,
, ,,,,),
,,,,,
,,,
,,
^
specified here

,, , ,
,
, , ,
,^
(never

, ,
,
:

,
,
its

?.
, ,
, , ,
,
^ ,, ,, ,,,,, ,
, ',
cognates,

This
/-;',
be found a suggestive one; in most cases the
list will
,-
and

subject of the book or the circumstances of the author sufficiently

account for the more or less frequent recurrence of the words•
in some the reason lies deeper. But however their repetition may
be explained, it goes far to impart to the Apocalypse the colouring
which marks its style.

5. It is of interest to compare the, vocabulary, grammar, and

style of the Apocalypse with those of other New Testament
writings traditionally assigned to St John, and especially with those
 VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR, AND STYLE cxxvil

of the Fourth Gospel, (i) Vocabulary. Of the 913 words used

, , ,,
in the Apocalypse 416 are 'found also in the Gospel, but the

',
or are shared by other
,,
words common to both books are either of the most ordinary type,
T. writers.

,
which occur only in these two books, do not supply a
.
The eight words apviov,

sufficient

,
basis for induction. used 29 times in the Apocalypse,
is used but once in the Gospel, and then with a different refer-

ence ; the form

in the Gospel only in Cod.
fairly well established in the Greek of the
in Jo.
; ,x. 24 and Apoc. xx. 9
and
. T. ;
is

on the other
found
are

hand,
times in the Gospel, which uses also
is somewhat markedly Johannine, occurring
and '; five

Gospel, though
for
is strongly characteristic of the teaching of the fourth

•1~>??
it

in Zech.
occurs there but once 1 and the use of
xii.
,

io 2 , both in Jo. xix. 37 and Apoc.

- i. 7,
is certainly noteworthy and probably more than a coincidence 3 . If
we extend our examination to words which, though not exclusively
used in these books, are prominent in them or in one of them,
the evidence is similarly divided. On the one hand there are
not a few points in which' the diction of the Apocalypse
, differs

notably from that of the Gospel:

, which continually meet the reader of the Gospel, are com-
paratively rare in the Apocalypse 4
preposition in the Apocalypse, occurs but once in the Gospel
Evangelist invariably writes ',
, the conjunctions

; a characteristic

the Apocalyptist -;
<,

the

5
; the one chooses when he is speaking of the Lamb
of God, the other apviov; to the one the Eternal Son, is simply 6

1 St Paul has
in a similar from the first, Epistle of St John, and
sense (1 Cor. xii. 9). yap occurs there but .thrice (Westcott,
2 On this
see Deissmann, Die Septua- Epistles of St John, p. xl.)
ginta-papyri...der,Heideiberger Papyrus- 6 The exclusively local use of
the name
sammlung,
8
'
See c. xi,
p. 66 f. in the Gospel does not altogether account
for this difference. is used

'
4 occurs 101 times in Jev 13 freely in speaking of the locality by
,

times in Apoc. ; yap 65 times in 3»* y 16 St Luke and St Paul; -with Mt., Mo.,
in Apoc. OB» which is the favourite J ev on the other hand, the use of 'Iepo-
,

mark of transition in the Gospel is used is hibitual, though Mt. once

but 6 times in the Apocalypse, and only (xxiii. 37).
—
in cc. i. iii. But ?
is wholly absent
?,
,
,,,,
cxxviii

,,
.
VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR, AND STYLE
to the other the glorified Christ is
Apocalyptist uses the Synoptic and Pauline terms
/',
-yo?

from which the Evangelist seems to

The

refrain ; while on the other hand, as Dionysius long ago pointed

,
many of the key-words of the Gospel he shews no know-

,
out, of

,
ledge.
fair

), , ^, ,
number
On the other hand the two books have in
of characteristic words

{jTrayeiv. It is still more

and phrases, such as

significant, that

'?
;,
(/,
common

both attach
a

,,,,,,
a special meaning to certain words; both use of the
Jew considered as hostile to Christ or the Church, and in both
such words as bear
more
,
or less constantly a spiritual sense
also to several of the words mentioned above
Thus on the question of the literary affinity of the Fourth
(2)
—a remark which
(e.g.
applies

&*/).

Cospel and the Apocalypse the vocabulary speaks with an un-

certain sound, though the balance of the evidence is perhaps in
favour of some such relationship between the two writings. This
probability is increased when we compare them from the point,
of view of their grammatical tendencies. While the solecistic

anacolutha of the Apocalypse have no parallel on any large

scale in the Gospel, there is a considerable number of unusual
constructions which are common to the two books. Some may
be mentioned here, (a) The partitivedependent with its

noun
verb:
.
or pronoun
e.g. Jo.

,. ,
xvi.
is used in both as the object or subject of a
17
.9
;
-, Apoc.
xi. g
(b) Both books place after

,:
27 Us, 37; Apoc.

), ",
(Jo. iv. ix. i. 12, iv. 1, x. 8, xvii. i, xxi. 9, 15),

and (Jo. vi. 66 ; Apoc. iii. 4), and after or

(Jo. xii. 27 Apoc. iii. 10
(c) Both use ' in an
unusual sense (Jo. viii. 56 %, ix. 2
...' ; xi. 15 ... Apoc. xiv.
13, xxii. )• -
 VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR, AND STYLE cxxix

(3) Coming to the style of the books, a comparison will

lead to results very similar to those which were obtained by
examining their vocabularies. The general effect of the style

of the Gospel is as far as possible from the effect which the

Apocalypse produces on the mind of the reader :
" it is free from
solecisms, because it avoids all idiomatic expressions 1 ." The book
flows along smoothly from the prologue to the end; there is

no startling phrase, no defiance of syntax ; if it is obviously the

work of one who was more familiar with the construction of the
Semitic than of the Greek sentence 2 yet the author seldom or ,

never offends against definite laws. In these respects he not only

differs from the Apocalyptist, but stands at the opposite pole to
the eccentricities, the roughnesses, the audacities, of the . latter.

Yet it is also true, that he has many points of resemblance with

the writer of the Apocalypse, both in regard to sentence-formation
and to the phrasing of his thoughts. As to the former, the fol-
lowing points have been noticed amongst others, (i) Both the

.,
Evangelist and the Apocalyptist fall in places into parallelisms;
cf.

~~
Jo. 1. 4..

||
yeyovev
ev 777 ,' , |
«at

~, Apoc. xxi. 23

|
6
}•
. ||
yap
(ii) Both are
\

partial to the form- of antithesis which presents first the positive

.
and then the negative side of a statement or direction
«, ; e. g. Jo.
i.

.
3

,
I2f.

, pyo , , , yvfc
.
hi

4
;
...
Apoc.
ib. 16
iii. 3
,
ev.

, ,, .,.
Apoc.

1
,;
emphasis: Jo.

i.
-•^?.

5
XV.

Westcott, Si John, p. 1.
i. 9
(iii) Both repeat the

. II
.
article for the

vi.

II
32
sake of

cal Character of the Fourth Gospel,

2 Cf.Sanday, Authorship and Hiitori- p. 28 f.

S. R. i
cxxx

..
ib. 12

.
VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR, AND STYLE

, xxi.
,' \ xviii.

(iv) Both
add parenthetic explanations for the sake of circumstantial
fulness: cf. Jo. vi. 22 f. ( xi. 1 ff., xviii. 13 f. ; Apoc. xiL 9 (xix., 2),

xiv. 1 1 (xix. 20), xx. 14 (xxi. 8). (v) Similar or identical phrases

occur in both, e.g. (Jo. iii. 21),

(Apoc. xxii. 15);
xiii. 13 f.,

(Jo.
xix.

i. 6,
20);
iii. 1, xviii. 10,
(Jo.

Apoc.
ii.

(Jo. xiii. 8,
vi.
II, 23, iv. 54, etc.,

8, ix.
Apoc. xx. 6);
11). Even more
'
Apoc.

, ,
remarkable are the following coincidences of language: Jo. i. 14
6 . . . iv Apoc. vii. 1 5 6

• , , ;• ; Apoc. ii. 3
; Jo. iv.

; Jo.
6
vii. 37

,. ;
Apoc.
Jo.

Apoc.
. 1

ii.
8
28
xxii. 17

Jo. xvi. 12
,
Apoc. ii. 2 Jo. xx. 12,
Apoc. iii. 4 eV The bearing of this evidence on the
question of authorship will be discussed in a later chapter 1
; mean-
while we may observe that it creates a strong presumption
of affinity between the Fourth Gospel and the Apocalypse, not-
withstanding their great diversity both in language and in
thought.
 XII.

SYMBOLISM.

. The Apocalypse of John shares with other apocalyptic

writings a partiality for symbolical, imagery and the symbolical
use of numbers. Teaching by the use of symbols is found in
every part of the Old Testament, but it becomes especially notice-
able in the later prophecies, and in the book of Daniel." The
visions of which these books largely consist present a succession

of strange and sometimes weird or even monstrous shapes, designed

to suggest ideas that could not be expressed, in words, or persons
or forces that the writer preferred to leave unnamed. This
habit was adopted by the non-canonical apocalyptists, from Enoch
onwards, and it receives illustration in every page of St John's

book.
2. The imagery of the Apocalypse lays under contribution
all the departments of nature and life. The animal kingdom
lends its and its —horses white, red, black and pale,
the lamb and the calf, the lion, the leopard and the bear, the
locust, the scorpion and the frog, the eagle and the vulture, the
birds' of the air and the fishes of the sea ; the vegetable kingdom,
its trees and herbs and grass. Earth, sea, and sky bring their
tribute. Agricultural operations such as harvest and vintage, the
life and trade of great cities, the march and clash of great armies,
are all depicted on its canvas. A sea of glass is spread before
the Throne in Heaven: a river flows through the Holy, City.
The sky now
yields its stars, shining in the firmament, now falling
to the earth, now forming a cluster in the hand of the Christ, or
a coronet on the head of the Mother of Christ and Christendom.
Across the heavens there sweeps from time to time a more than
tropical storm of thunder, lightning, and hail, followed by earth-

i 2
-cxxxii SYMBOLISM
quake. Human life supplies an abundance of imagery. We see'

the mother and her child, the harlot and her lovers, the bride
arrayed for her husband. Crowned heads wear the or

the ^, ; warriors carry the two-edged sword

appears with his iron-tipped staff,
; the shepherd
the reaper with his sickle, the
herald with his trumpet, the builder with his measuring rod, the
holiday-keeper. with flute and harp, the reveller with golden cup,
the king with his roll, written within and on the back with the
secrets of State and sealed. Figures move across the stage attired
in the long girdled robe of kingly or priestly dignity, or in the
shining white of byssus; two are dressed in sackcloth; one wears
purple and scarlet, and is decked with gold and precious stones
and pearls. \

3. (a) A large proportion of this imagery is drawn, as a"

previous section will have shewn, from the Old Testament. Places,
persons, and objects which occur in the historical books reappear
in the Apocalypse as symbols of facts in the life of the Church
or of the new world to which the Church points and which lies

behind the visible order. Familiar place-names meet us here

and there —the Euphrates, Egypt, Sodom, the Hill of Megiddo,
Babylon, Jerusalem. The seven-branched candlestick of the
Tabernacle suggests the golden which represent the
Churches of Asia ; Balaam finds his analogue in the Nicolaitans,

and Jezebel The new, Israel is con-

in a Thyatiran prophetess.

fronted by a new Babylon, and the Bride of Christ is a new

Jerusalem. The Elders round the Throne answer to the elders
of Israel ; the Two Witnesses exercise powers which remind the
reader of the miracles of Moses and Elijah. Tabernacle and
Temple, altar and censer and ark, recall the religious glories of
ancient- Israel. A holy place not made with hands is seen in the
heavenly places ; the manna laid up before God finds its counter-
part in the future life of the victorious Christian, (£>) In other
instances the N.T. Apocalypse adopts in part or in whole the
symbolism of the O.T. writers, as when it speaks of the Tree of

Life, the Book of Life, the Water of Life or the metaphors of ;

the O.T. become the symbols of the new prophecy, as when our
 SYMBOLISM cxxxm

Lord is designated the Lamb and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah,
or the Root of David ; or again, a whole system of O.T. symbolism
is more or less fully pressed into the service of the book, as in the
case of the High Priest's breastplate, and of Ezekiel's scheme of
a restored Jerusalem.
v 4. The Apocalyptist, however, does not limit himself to
O.T. imagery, but has much that is his own, or that belongs
to the common stock of the later apocalyptic. The Woman with
Child has no parallel in the O.T., and in spite of Gunkel's efforts

to find-the genesis of this fine conception in Babylonian folklore,

it may be confidently regarded as essentially a creation of the
writer's own mind, under the influence of the Spirit, of Christ.
The description of the Harlot Babylon, seated on the scarlet Beast,
has points of contact with passages in the Hebrew Prophets ; but
as a whole it is new and original. A like verdict may be passed
upon the three great sevenfold visions, the Seal Openings, the
Trumpet Blasts, and the Outpouring of the Bowls their partial ;

indebtedness to the Old Testament does not take from the fresh-
ness and vigour of St John's symbolism. The idea of a millennium
was in the air when St John wrote, but no writer had used it
as the symbol of a spiritual triumph, or worked it into a scheme
of the Divine ordering-of history.

5. Much of the imagery of the Apocalypse is doubtless not

symbolism, but merely designed to, heighten the colouring of the
great picture, and to add vividness and movement to its scenes.
Such secondary many of the minor features in the
details, like

Parables of our Lord, must not be pressed into the service of a

spiritual interpretation, or indeed of any specific interpretation
whatever, their purpose being simply to contribute to the general
effect of the context where they occur. These non-symbolical
images are sometimes taken from the life of the times, as when
the writer recounts the imports that, found their way to the new
Babylon, many of which he may himself haye seen shipped off
to Ostia from the* port of Ephesus or they belong to the common
;

stock of the eschatological language of apocalyptic writing (e.g.

vi. 12 ff.); or they are due to the inspired imagination of
the
cxxxiv SYMBOLISM
Apocalyptist himself, forming part of the picture which is present
to his mind as he writes.
6. But there is also much which is directly symbolical. In
not a few cases the writer stops to interpret the symbol (e.g.

in cc. i. 20, iv. 5, v. 6, xii. 9, xvii. 9 f., 12, 15). In others the
symbolical meaning is only half veiled ; thus it is impossible to
mistake the import of the standing Figure in i. 13 if., or of the
seated Figure in c. iv. 2, or of the Lamb, or the Lamb's Wife.
There remain, however, a certain number of symbolic forms as
to which there is room for diversity of judgement even among
interpreters who follow the same general method of interpretation.
Thus in c. vi. 2 the rider on the white horse is by some com-
mentators identified with the Divine Rider of c. xix. ir, while
others regard the former as symbolizing either the Roman or
the Parthian conqueror. In c. vii. the .144,000 are by some
understood to represent, like the countless multitude, the whole,
body of the Church, though under a different aspect or at another
stage of its history, whereas others take the two visions to
set forth respectively the Jewish and Gentile Christians, or the
Jewish Church and the Christian Church. In c. xi. 8 interpreters
are divided as to the meaning of "the great city"; in xvii. 12
there is considerable difference of opinion as to the identity of
the "ten kings." Many other such ambiguities perplex the
student of the Apocalypse, and though he may be able to arrive
at conclusions which satisfy his own judgement, it is impossible to
offer such reasons for them as will compel assent. But the
uncertainty which thus besets apocalyptic interpretation does not
seriously detract from the general value of the book. Nor can it

be laid to the charge of the author that he is unnecessarily

obscure. It is of the nature of apocalyptic literature to be
involved in some measure of obscurity ; and this is not the least
valuable of its characteristics, for it affords scope for the exercise
of the Christian judgement: <5 6
(xiii. 18, xvii. 9)• In the elasticity of symbolical
language the Apocalypse has its chief advantage over the more
exact and didactic, but less inspiring and suggestive style of
ordinary prophecy.
 SYMBOLISM cxxxv

7. No reader of our Apocalypse can have failed to notice

the frequent recurrence of numbers -which appear to carry with
them a certain symbolical meaning 1 .

The following are the numbers that are met with in the book
2> 3; 3h 4. 5, 6 , 7» IO I2 2 4> 42, 144» 666 (or according to another
• >

reading, 616), 1000, 1260, 1600, 7000, 12,000, 144,000, 100,000,000,

200,000,000. The predominant number is seven, which occurs fifty-

four times. The book is addressed to seven Churches represented
by seven lampstands, while their 'angels' are seven stars. There
are seven Spirits of God, symbolized by seven lamps. The Book
in the Hand of God is sealed with seven seals ; the Lamb before
the Throne has seven eyes and seven horns. Seven angels blow
seven trumpet-blasts ; seven other angels pour out the contents of
seven bowls full of the seven last plagues. Seven thunders utter
voices which the Seer is bidden not to write. Seven thousand
are killed in the great earthquake which follows the ascension
of the Two Witnesses. The Dragon has seven heads, and upon
them seven diadems; the Wild Beast from the Sea has seven
heads on which are "names of blasphemy"; .the Scarlet Beast
on which Babylon sits has likewise seven heads, variously inter-
preted by the writer as seven mountains, or seven kings. Next
in frequency to the heptad is the dodecad. The new Israel, like

its predecessor, consists of twelve tribes ; the Mother of Christ is

crowned with twelve, stars ; the new Jerusalem has twelve portals,

and the wall that, girdles it rests on twelve foundation stones on

which are engraved the names of the twelve. Apostles; the Tree
of Life in thenew Paradise bears twelve manner of fruits, after
thenumber of the months. Multiples of twelve, also, are common.
Each of the tribes of the new Israel contains 12,000, making a
total of 144,000 ; and 144,000 is also the number of the virgin
souls which in the second part of the book are seen surrounding
the Lamb on Mount Zion. The Elders round the Throne are
twenty-four, and they are seated on as many subordinate thrones.
Each side of the Holy City is 12,000 stades in length, and the
wall which surrounds it is 144 cubits in height.
Ten is another favourite number. The time of pressure which
1
On the symbolism of numbers see Tyconius reg. (ed. Burkitt).
cxxxvi SYMBOLISM -

is coming on the Churches of Asia will last ten days. Both the
Dragon and the first of the two Wild Beasts have ten horns ;
and
so has the Scarlet Beast, whose horns are interpreted as "ten
kings." As a multiple ten enters into most of the higher
numbers in the book. Four, again" occurs frequently. The
are four ; four angels stand at the four corners of the earth,
charged with the cqntrol of the four winds of heaven ; four angels
are bound at the Euphrates, until the moment comes for the

execution of their work of slaughter. The Holy City lies four-

square, and forms a perfect cube. Three is somewhat less

prominent, but the last three Trumpets constitute a triad of

" Woes," and under the earlier Trumpets a third part of everything
which has been attacked is smitten (viii. 7-12 cp. ix. 15, xii. 4). ;

The " great city" is rent by an earthquake into-three parts each ;

side of the square which forms the new Jerusalem is entered by

three portals. There are other numbers which are used symbolically
but once. The wings of the are six; there are five months
during which the world is tortured by the locusts of the Abyss the ;

Witnesses who are slain and rise again and ascend to heaven are two.
8. The recurrence of some of these numbers, notably of seven 1
,

twelve, ten and four, can scarcely be accidental. The writer's

partiality for them is due in some measure to his Semitic habits

of thought. To the Hebrew mind seven denotes completion^ as we
gather from countless passages of the Old Testament 2 . An apoca-
who was a Christian Jew would 'find a special attraction in
lyptist

a number which had already played, a great part in Jewish

apocalypses from Daniel onwards. It would fall in with this
tendency of the writer's mind if, as has been thought, the most
prominent of the Churches of Asia were as a matter of fact seven
in number, so that, as the phrase iv rrj

'. (i. 4) suggests, they were probably known as the Seven

Churches in Asia even before they were so addressed by St John 3

§ 61

meated
Dr Abbott points out {Grammar,
that the Fourth Gospel ia "per-
structurally with the idea" of
<...
...
.
. dsorpoij - ylvov-
.

•
3
seven'foldnese. So Eamsay, Letters to the Seven
2 The genesis of the idea is well stated Churches, p. 178. But this is perhaps
by Philo legg. allcg. 1. 4 Si to build too much upon the article. .

re yap yeybv*
 SYMBOLISM cxxxvii

But in any case the selection of Seven Churches as the recipients

of the Apocalypse strikes a keynote which rings through the
earlier chapters, and determines the number of the lampstands,
the Angel-stars, the Spirits of God, and the Eyes of the Lamb. In
-the second part of the book the seven heads of the Dragon and
the Wild Beast are perhaps suggested by the seven hills of Rome
and the seven Augusti who preceded Domitian. But though
local circumstances chimed in with the traditional use of this

number, the writer, as we have said, was doubtless drawn to it by

its O.T. associations, and it is used in conformity with O.T.
practice. Each series of seven is complete in itself, and each
suggests the perfection which belongs to the Divine, or that which
is claimed by the Antichrist. >
(

Of other numbers, which appear to be symbolically used in the

Apocalypse three and four occur in connexion with memorable
incidents or contexts of the Old Testament (Gen. xviii. -2, Ex.
xxiii. 14, Deut. iv. 41, Dan. vi. 10; Gen. ii. 10, Ez. i. 5, Dan. viL.2,

viii. 8). •
Three seenis to denote limited plurality; four, the
number of the winds and the quarters of the sky, is a fitting
symbol for the visible creation. Ten, also, has a recognized mean-
ing; as the round number, it is suggestive at once of indefiniteness
and of magnitude ; in the thousand both these features are magni-
fied, and a thousand years thus represents a great period of time
stretching over niany generations, but of unknown length. The
uncertainty which 'results from such a use of numbers would be
fatal to the value of a historical document, but it is admirably
adapted to the purpose of an apocalypse, where the veil is lifted

only so far as to disclose the dim outline of great issues.

9. Two of the Apocalyptic numbers call for separate treat-

ment, (a) Three and a half days are given as the interval
between the death and resurrection of the Two Witnesses (xi. <p,> r 1).

This period corresponds with the "time, times and a half" of

c. xii. 14, which is taken over from Dan. vii. 25, xii. 7. In Daniel
this expression probably represents the' three and a half years
during which Jerusalem was in the hands of the Syrian oppressor,
and the Apocalypse accordingly uses it or its equivalents (42 months,
1260 days) to signify the age of persecution, whatever its duration
cxxxviii SYMBOLISM
might be. Other explanations are less probable. Gunkel thinks
of the 3^• months which intervened between the winter solstice and
the Babylonian festival of Marduk 1 . Others, again, identifying
the time, times, and a half of Dan. vii. 25 with the half- week
(JMa^EJ 'Y0) of Dan. ix. 27, regard the Apocalyptic 3J in the
light of a '
broken seven,' a symbol of the interruption of the
Divine order by the malice of Satan and evil men.
() If the number 666 in Apoc. xiii. 18 is to be regarded as a
symbol, there is verisimilitude in Dr Briggs' suggestion that a
number which in every digit falls short by one of the completeness
and perfection of the mystic seven, fitly represents the failure of
Antichrist to reach the goal to which he aspires. But (1) this
conception might have been conveyed with equal effect by 66, or
6666; (2) it leaves the alternative reading (616) wholly un-
explained; and (3) frpm the time of Irenaeus tradition has fixed
on another and a more natural explanation. The number,
~',

^
whether we read or with some contemporaries of Irenaeus
%tr', is probably a cryptogram, and not a true symbol. It is
possible that the Number of the Beast holds its secret still
2-

Although the challenge 6 ۥ has

been accepted by the scholars of many generations, no solution
hitherto' offered commands general assent.
10. In this chapter a Semitic origin has been claimed for the
symbolism of the Apocalypse. The force of local circumstances is
1
Schopfung u. Chaos, p. 309 ff. of {' which well deserves to be con-
a My
oolleague, Prof-. Burkitt, sug- sidered. He
writes : " In 1 K. x. 14
gested as far back as 1896 (Cambridge the gold that came to Solomon every
University' Reporter, 1895-6, p. 625!) year amounts to 666 talents. This
that ',written as % was chosen as ,
passage is one of several indications in
0T
the number of the Beast because %
* is
the
;
that the
,
H
^
rew took 6
?
™
,., , „ Pl ,
a round number.... The Apocalyptist
"little more than f turned round the
g j ves a roun a number, as round as he
other way." His attractive conjecture oau ma k e it) to the Beast, because he
was based on Beatus in Apoc. ed. Florez, dare not be more definite, and because
p.44 o(cf. thePseudo-Augustimanhomi- he had no need to be more definite,
lies,Migne.P. L. xxxv. col. 11437), andhe .
The number of the Beast was a man's '

pointed out that the form of the episemon
implied in is " characteristic of docu-
;):
ments of the first and second centuries."
But (1) there does not seem to be any
evidence that the £ was a reooghized
number' (of. Isa. viii. 1) ; there was
nothing mysterious about it, it was
common property to the extent that
any man of sense could interpret it.
The Beast's name was or M. '" This
'

Bymbol as early as the reign of Domitian,

*.
and (2) the writer of the Apocalypse does
not use the term
'
original '
solution, however, leaves the early if not
unexplained, and it does
not seem to accord with the mystioal
From another of my colleagues, Dr character of the book.
Barnes, I have received an explanation
 SYMBOLISM cxxxix

not, indeed, to be overlooked. ' In the words of Sir W. M. Ramsay 1 ,

"such ideas and symbolic forms were in the atmosphere and in

the minds of men at the time; and the ideas with which he
[St John] was familiar moulded the imagery of his visions,

unconsciously to himself." But apart from influences of this

kind, it must not be. forgotten that it was necessary to provide
the Church with a make-weight against the power which
heathenism exerted over the Asian cities through its abundant
use of symbolism in literature and in art. In art Christianity
could as yet do nothing to counteract this hostile force. The
Apostolic age was necessarily opposed to the Art of the time 2 ,

which was pagan to the core; the Church of the first century
had not either the power or the desire to emulate the splendours
of the heathen temples. She could not erect statues to the
Glorified Christ, or stamp His image and superscription on the
currency, or institute public festivals in His honour. But if she
might not avail herself as yet of the help of Art, there was
abundant precedent in the Hebrew Scriptures for the literary

representation of the unseen world. It was permissible to assist

the faith of the suffering Churches by symbolical visions of the
majesty of their Divine Lord, now walking in their midst, now
standing before the celestial Throne, now riding forth to victory
with the armies of Heaven under His command. It was not less

permissible to paint in glowing colours the moral glory of the

Christian Society, and her magnificent destiny, or to place in
contrast with them the abominable vices, the paltry display, and
the certain doom of Rome. Yet in this legitimate appeal to the
Christian imagination the Apocalyptist is careful to avoid repre-
sentations which could be placed before the eye by the painter's
art. No scene in the great Christian Apocalypse can be success-
fully reproduced upon canvas; "the imagery. ..is symbolic and
not pictorial 3 ."

1 Letters to the Seven Churcheis; p. 59. Art).

2 Westoott, Epp. of St John, p. 339 a Westcott, op. cit. p, 335.
(App. on the relation of Christianity to
 XIII.

USE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

AND OTHER LITERATURE.
I. The Agpcalyptist's use of the Old Testament is by no
means limited to its symbolical imagery and numbers its thoughts ;

and its very words appear in every part of his book. It is true
that the Apocalypse is marked by an entire absence of the formal
quotations which are to be found in other parts of the New
Testament 1
; the nature of the work precluded the author from a
direct appeal to his source. Yet no writer of the Apostolic age
makes larger use of his predecessors. From the list of "quotations
from the Old Testament" with which the appendix to Westcott
and Hort's second volume ends, it appears that of the 404 verses
of the Apocalypse there are 278 which contain references to the
Jewish Scriptures. The following table is not exhaustive, but it

will suffice to shew the extent of St John's debt to the Old

Testament, and his method^ of using it.

i.

i.

. 4
I (iv.

(i.
Apocalypse.

I,xxii. 6) SeiyeveV0ai.
8, iv. 8, xi. 17, xvi. 5)
Greek versions of the Old

Dan. ii. 28
Ex. iii. 14
Testament 2

.
8ei . .

.
6
i.
5
a (ii.
13, iii. 14) Ps. lxxxviii.
iv .
^,
(Ixxxix.) 38

?-
b
i.

6
5
. .
Ps. lxxxviii. (Ixxxix.) 28

-. ('
.
1 See Introduction
Greek, p. 381
= lxx.,
fE.

=
to

Aquila,
the

'=
0. T.

Theodo-
in tion,
ion, </
Where
Vhere
= Symmaohus,
Symi
the version
vers
that of the ucx.
is not specified
ol = oi . )

it'is
 USE OF THE . T. AND OTHER LITERATURE cxli

- 5.1.2.
1.

. 6 (.
,
.
5°

, XX.

. . ,.).
6)
0.
Ex.

B^q'S).
xix. 6

Cf. Isa. lxi.

'
6
'
'
(1"?.??

1.

.
7"

?'
7
/«

, ), - Dan.

Zech.
vii.
.

'
xii.
1 3

10
('
ff.
(' .)

.. i.

.
8 6
13 (xiv. 14)
('

Cf.
.:
Am..
...

. ....
iv.
13
Dan. vii. 13
Dan. . 1
?
6
. ff
,

.. . 26
viii. 2

i.

.
I3 b

.
ix. 1 1

. - Cf. Dan.
)
X. 5

,
'
L

xix. 12).
14
1
,

(cf. ii. 18,

Dan.

) .
vii.

(ff
9

'
1£ .
. 6
. .

•
:

i. 15 (xiv. 2, xix. 6) .
7: J. 24

.
xliii.

(
- '.
2
%,
= .. QV9) Cf.
Dan. . 6
).
i. l6 a (ii. 12) in Isa. xlix.
. (ff
2

-..
of«.
i. l6 b (cf. . )
. iJXios
iv
Jud. V..

.31 ()

,
rjj
.
. .

i. I7 b
17*

(.
...
.
8, xxii. 13)
} Dan.

Isa. xliv. 6
g, 1 2

' ...
.

1
6

Both iiXX. and Th. have clothing.

("?;
(|])
,'). : xlviii. 1 2

() just before, in reference to the

cxlii USE OF THE . T. AND. OTHER LITERATURE

- "°
i. 1 8 (vi. 8,
. xx. 13 f.)

• Hos. xiii. 14

,, ;
.
. 1.

. 20

ii.
19

7 (xxii.
.
, 2, 14, 19) «
.
'
Isa. xlviii.

Dan.

Gen.
ii.

ii.
29

9
6
,;

^.-
?/

^. -. . .
(cf . iii. 2 2 f .,
xx'xi.'8).
ii. Dan. . ( 2), 14

# ...<. - • 7...
ii. . 14
(cf. 2).
Num.

'.
f.

. j cf. xxxi.

ii. 17
s

.
16 tois
Ps. lxxvii. (Ixxviii.) 24
,
.
ii.

ii.
I7 b

20 )
(iii• 12)

. (cf.

•
.
Isa. lxii. 2

. 15).
3 Regn. xx. (xxi.) 25

ii. 23"
?. xi. 20,
Jer. xvii. iq

xx. 12 j Ps. vii. ,

(cf.
xxv.
(xxvi.) 2).
ii. 23
b (xxii. 12)
. Ps. lxi. (lxii.) 13
).
,,
. 5

, ,'.
ii. 26 (xii. - 15) Ps. ii. 8 f.

, .
-
.
iii.
5 (xiii• 8, xvii. 8, xx. 12,
15, xxi. 27)

,
Isa. iv.
(cf.
Ex. xxxii. 32

3
Ps. cxxxviii.
- :^ f-

(cxxxix.) 16,

iii. 7

., £ ) ),
,
Mai.
Isa.
iii.

xxii.
(af
16,

'
Dan.
22
xii. 1).

()

iii. 9* " -.
. 7
(' ff

Isa. xlv.

xlix. 23, lx. 14)•

14 /. 6

(cf.
6
 USE OF- THE 0. T. AND OTHEE LITEEATUEE' cxliii

. . « -.
ill.

111.
g°
,
I2 a , . Isa. xliii.
. xlviii.
4
35
ore

°
'

. iii.

.
I4b PrOV. viii. 22

7}. Hos.

. ,' , ).),
in. 17 xii. 8

.
(cf. Zech. xii. -5).,
111. ig , . Prov. iii. 12 ov yap
(*,
.( 8

• .
iii.

...
.
2D
...
Cant. .
. 2

. . ..
IV.
.
.3
2
; ...
\
iv

(cf.
Ex. xix. 1 6
3 Regn. xxii.

Isa. vi. , Ps.

19

xlvi. (xlvii.) 9).

...

. -
iv.
. . 5 (cf. viii. s,r xi. , ig,
Ez.
. .
i.

Ex. xix. 16
28

.
. .
xvi. 18) i. 13

,
iv. 6 a (cf.xv. 2) ... . . 22 ... -
•
(9
iv.

., 6b ... . i.

ib. 18

iv. 7
(cf. 8).

...... . . . .
... ...
i. .... (cf.
•.
IV.
.
8"
.
»

" .
5 » ay
14, *#').
Isa. vi. 2

." .

.
iv. 8*• ib. 3
>

.
. Dan. iv. 31 (34) ^' (? £
,
.,.
.
(cf. vi. 26 (27),
. xii. 7)•
V.

Isa.
ii.

,
xxix.
... 9 f•

11
...
. .--
, .
V. 5 (xxii. 16)

^ , £,
Gen. xlix. 9
... '. Isa. xi.
. .

,
.
.,. ,
cxliv USE OF THE . T. AND OTHER LITERATURE

• v. 6" (12, xiii. 8) .,. 5,

(of.
Zech.
Ex.

Lev.

...
(
iii.

xii.

i.
. . .
8, vi. 12).
5

10
f.

f.).

Jer. xi. 19
(cf.

)
Isa.
Jer. xxiiL

, liii. 7

.,. .
(
6b ... ). . ets 1

v.

V. 8
.
(viii. 3
b
)
Zech.

).
'
iv. 10

Ps. cxl. (cxli.) 2

. . . .
v. f) (xiv. 3) Ps. cxliii. (cxliv.) 9

...
. .. .
. II Dan. vii. 10

. ...
.. ,
2 &. . Zech. i. 8

... ...
.

VI. 2 ff.

. ... .

. .,.
8
... . ,
(.
Jer. xiv. 12 eV

Jer.
.
xxi.
xiv. 2

,
1

..
; .
1 2, 17,
xxix. 5> xxxiii. 27, xxxiv. 28).

-";
,

VI. ... Zech. i. 12

.
,
.
.
2).

12
,

^
...
...
. .
(cf.
IV.

Joel
Deut. xxxii. 43*"

ii. 31 ; yrjv.

- Hos.

. .,.
. .
Isa. xxxiv.
13
yrjv,

.
4
6
.
.
14

1 5"
...
^8« .
Isa.

Ps.
(xlvii.
ii.
xxxiv.

2
(xlviii.) 5,
./8 4

A : Isa. xxiv.
2i, xxxiv. 12).
. I5 b j 16
.,.
... -
;
Isa. ii. 10, 19

-
tois
' 7-
.. .
... (cf. Jer. iv.

29).
 USE OF THE . T. AND OTHER LITERATURE cxlv

;VI. 1 7 ijkOtv

;
, tis
Zeph.

.
Joel
.
ii.

. .

i.

...
14
...
II

f -, 1 8

,-
;

; (cf.
Nah. 6 i.

Ps. lxxv. (lxxvi.) 8,

•' . vii. I (xx. 8)

vii. 3 • 4.
.
• !>
-
• 4)
Mai.

.
Ez.

Ez. ix
iii.

vii.
2).
2

4'°°S
.
. - .
. .

.
. . «vii.

?
vii.
14*

I4 b
rijs

(xxii• 14)
. . ey
Dan.

Gen. .
... . . -
?
xii.

xlix. 1 1 .

vii. 1 6 f .
, ...
--,
Isa. xlix. 10

... .
-
. (cf. Jer.

.
.
vii. 17^ (xxi- 4)

,.. - ) ii. 13).

Isa! xxv. 8
Kupios 6 ( -

..- . ,
viii.

Vlii. 5

viii.
3*

7'
. . .
.
Am.

Lev. xvi. 12

Ex. ix.
ix.

24
}.
-

..
ev Trj

Ez. xxxviii. 22 ...

. .. ' . . . . .

Joel ii.

. viii. 8 a opos - 30
Jer. xxviii. (Ii.) 25

viii. 8 b (xvi. 3)
. Ex. vii. 19

.
f. ..;

viii. (. )
.
. Isa. xiv. 12

. ix. 2 ..
.
(. .,
Gen. xix.
1t3*p)
28

8. .
.
("lb']?) Ex. xix. 18
cxlvi USE OF THE 0. T. AND OTHER LITERATURE

.
IX.
.
ix. 3 f.

IX. 7
6

.... -
eis

- ...
^Job^.•
Ex.

Joel
iii.

'
ii.
12

4
1
ff.

opao-is
-
«

.
. .
Joel . 6

.
ix. 8

. «
....
ix. 9

1 4
. .
Joel .
Gen. XV. 18
5 ">s .

. - 20*
(cf. xvi. 12).
Jos. i.

.. '-
4).
(Deut. i.
7,

..
ix. Isa. xvii. 8

20° Deut. xxxii. IpWav

"
ix. /tiy 17

"
. ^ ?) - . Dan.

.
IX. 2 7
. 23 rjveaaTe
.

.
(0

; cf. . 3 &
ix. 20 d
...
.,. .,. -
Ps. cxiii. 13 ff. (cxv. 5 ff.) ...

. . .,. ..
)
IX. 21 . . . 4 Eegn. ix. 22
.
[

^ ,
.
.... )
.

.
. )
. 3
4

/
-
(xxii•

5? /
Hos.
Dan.
. 10
viii.

('
26
. (©'
4

,
5 •

os
.
? .
Dan.
...
Gen. xiv. 22

7 ' ^£ ^ vxj

^.

.£ ('
Deut. xxxii. 40
,
eis)
eis

eis . Ex. ix. 1

. (cf. Ps. cxlv. (cxlvi.)

? . 7
toiis ^?.
6, 2
Am.
Esdr. xix.
iii._

(, '
(cf.
7
6).

Dan. ix.
)
6, 10,
Zech. i. 6).
 USE OF THE . T. AND OTHER LITERATURE cxlvii

/8,... ..

\
x.

.
/.
? 11
. /.
Jer. i. ,10
,

,
3 ei""*" ....
-ijv...

..
-
(cf. Dan.
iii: 4, vii. 14).
... .

. .. -7
xi. xl. 3 f.

xi. 2
1
^
(cf. XXI. 15 f£).

-njv
.
Zech,
. .

Zech.
ii. I

xii.
(5) £.

} 3

.
•y^S ., 4

. .
'

tijs
Zech. iv. 2 ff. ,

..
14
...
. .

°
xi.

. 5

.
^vp 2 Regn. xxii. 9 ""^ *
4 Regn.

^. ' 7

.
.

Dan. vii. 3»
,.
...
-

- )
-
(xvii. 8, ofc xiiL ib, 21
irpos

..XL 8

,
;.
5-

,
).
.
.
Isa. L
('

Ps. civ. (cv.) 38

.
2 Esdr. xviii.

.
28<..

12 -
-
-

xi. Il a

. - ...
5>

, '

...
«
I l
b

' .
Ps. I.e.
.
.

-
1 2 f.

.
) ... \...
. . 4 Regn. ii. 11

. '

./•;
.
xi.
13
15 ..., Dan.
Ps. ii.
ii. 44 °
2
(cf. Regn.
...
xii.

. .
3), ix. 37 • 6)
(
(cf. ~.
XV, 1 8).
. 17 f. Ps. xcviii. (xcix.)

(cf.ii. 5, 1
4
k 2
cxlviii USE OF THE 0. T. AND OTHER LITERATURE

,
.
xi. 1 8
- Ps. cxiii. 21

., (cxv. 1 3)
-

. £... .
..,....
,... Isa. lxvi. 6 f 7rpiv

. . . ). . .-
xii. 2, 5 .

xii. 3 Dan. vii. 7 £*X e ^ £

(#' . .
Dan.
). .. 13
xii. 7 .
.

(ib. 20

. . •
. .
xii. 8 (. 1 1) twos Dan. ii.
3S
^' '

,
xii. 9* ° .. Gen. iii. 130

/3 ?.
2
xii.
9

. b
•
) Job i. 6 (Zech.
5) iii. )
?.
), .
(
(\1 ' )

xii. 12 Isa. xii . 23 (xlix.

xii.
. 14

),
13
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cl USE OF THE 0. . AND OTHER LITERATURE
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 USE OF THE

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. T. AND OTHER
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clii USE OF THE
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a
. T. AND OTHER LITERATURE

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xxi. 3 V
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USE OF THE
xxii. 4 ^
/-
0. T. AND OTHER LITERATURE
Ps. xvi.
.
(xvii.) 15
cliii

xxii. 5

xxii. 13
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Isa. xl.
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Deut.

examination of this table brings to light some instruc-

iv
iv.
...
(xii.
Deut. xxix. 20 (19)
2

32

.-
= xiii.
«'
).
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tive facts, (o) The writer of the Apocalypse refers to each of the
three great divisions of the Hebrew canon, and to most of the
books. He lays under contribution each of the books of the Law,
the Book of Judges, the four Books of Kingdoms, the Psalms, the
Proverbs, the Song, the Book of Job, all the major and seven of
the minor Prophets. But there are certain books which he uses
with especial frequency ; more than half his references to the Old
Testament belong to the Psalms, the prophecies of Isaiah and
Ezekiel, and the Book of Daniel, and in proportion to its length
the Book of Daniel yields by far the greatest number 1 . The
preponderance of these four books is easily explained; they are
those which most abound in mystical and apocalyptic elements.
(6) The references are of two kinds. One, which is to be found in
every page of the Apocalypse, consists of Old Testament words
and phrases, used with no special allusion to particular contexts.
If God is frequently described as He that sitteth on the throne,
and the saints as they which are written in the hook of life, while
the Roman Emperors or their vassals are the kings of the earth,
and the pagan inhabitants of the Empire they that dwell on the
earth, the recurrence of these and similar terms *
is sufficiently
explained by the writer's lifelong familiarity with Old Testament
language. But there are other references in which it is clear that
he has in view certain books and passages, and is practically

1 The numbers in our list are: Exodus, Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, Joel,

Psalms, 27 ; Isaiah, 46 ; Ezekiel, 29 ; and Zeehariah. See, however, p. liii
Daniel, 3 1 ; after these come Genesis, and cf. p. cxxxix.
cli'v USE OF THE . T. AND OTHER LITERATURE
quoting from them, although no formula of quotation is used.

These occur chiefly in the visions of the Apocalypse, which are

based in almost every case on the histories or the prophecies of
the Old Testament. Thus the vision of the Glorified Christ
walking in the midst of the Churches (i. 13 — 16) rests on Ezekiel
and Daniel; the vision of the Court of Heaven (iv. 2 — 8) on
Isaiah and Ezekiel and Zechariah ; the four horses of c. vi. are

from Zechariah; Isaiah supplies much of the description of the

bliss of the redeemed in c. vii. ; the vision of the seven last plagues
in c. xvi. is suggested by the Plagues of Exodus, and the dirge of
Babylon the Great by the doom pronounced upon Tyre and the
older Babylon; the vision of the New• Jerusalem is inspired by the
patriotic hopes of Isaiah and Ezekiel. (c) In many cases, indeed in
most, the Apocalyptist blends two or more Old Testament contexts,
whether from different books or from different parts of the same
book. The result has been described as a mosaic,' but the word '

is not altogether apt as an illustration of his method. It suggests

the work of a cunning artist who has formed a design out of
/the fragments which were at his disposal. But the Apocalyptist's
use of his Old Testament materials is artless and natural ; it is

the work of a memory which is so charged with Old Testament

words and thoughts that they arrange themselves in his visions
like the changing patterns of a kaleidoscope, without conscious
effort on his own part, (d) There is not a single instance in which
the Christian prophet of the Apocalypse has contented himself
with a mere compilation or combination of Old Testament ideas. '

His handling of these materials is always original and indepen-

dent, and he does not allow his Old Testament author to carry
him a step beyond the point at which the guidance ceases to lend
itself to the purpose of his book. Thus in the first vision of the
Apocalypse, while nearly every feature is drawn from Ezekiel or
Daniel, and the words viov point beyond doubt
to a direct use of the latter book, the conception of the Glorified
Christ as a whole has no parallel in the Old Testament. If the
vision of c. iv. owes much to Isaiah, Ezekiel and Zechariah, no mere
compiler could have produced it ; and the same may be said with
 USE OP THE . T. AND OTHER LITERATURE civ

absolute conviction of every other vision throughout the book.

Though in constant relation to the older apocalyptic, St John's
pictures of the unseen and the future are truly creations, the
work of the Spirit of prophecy upon a mind full of the lore of the
earlier revelation and yet free to carry its reminiscences into new
and wider fields of spiritual illumination.

3. An inspection, of the table further shews that the Apo-

,
calyptist generally availed himself of the Alexandrian version of

the Old Testament. The familiar phraseology of the lxx. meets

us everywhere, and here and there we observe its peculiar render-

).
ings; e.g. in xi. 17 is a scarcely doubtful recollection
of the LXX. (Heb. ", Aq• Symm.
On the other hand many of the references depart

,
widely from the lxx. in particular words, where the writer of the
Apocalypse has either rendered independently, or has used
another version, or possibly a text of the lxx. different from that
which found in our MSS.; 6 )
, &,
is e.g. 1
i. (ff ,

(
, , .
i.

(so ,
17

xiv. 5

some MSS. of the LXX.),

X),

•^?,
(a
ii.

ff),
23

xv. 8
vii.

xxi. 12
(ff

f.
(cf.

),
Eom.
. 3
xviii.
viii.

22
xxii. 2
27), iii.

xii.
7
9

^ , ; ixeldev, ib. xxii. 3 Now^and then

the Apocalyptist seems to adopt a conflation of two versions,
e.g. iii. 19 xvi. 2 more
often he has brought together readings from two separate contexts,
as when in iv. 8 he substitutes for the of
the Greek Isaiah.
The references in the Apocalypse to Daniel demand separate
notice. Dr Salmon (Introduction to' the
548 ff.) callsN.T?, p.
attention to the affinity between these references and the version 1

of Theodotion. He finds "no clear evidence that St John

had ever seen the so-called lxx. version" of Daniel 2 if in
; two
passages (i. 14 f., xix. 16), the writer may be thought to follow the
1
On the remarkable rendering of Seidetberger Papyrus-sammlung (Heidel-
Zech. xii. 12 in Apoe. 1. 7 see the note berg, 1905), p. 66 ff
in the commentary ad he, and of. a i.
e. the version in the unique
Deiesmann, Die Segtuaginta-papyri der Chigi MS.
 clvi USE OF THE . T. AND OTHER LITERATURE
Lxx. against Theodotion, there are seven (ix. 20, x. 6, xii. 7,

xiii. 7, xix. 6, xx. 4, 11) in which he supports Theodotion

v
against the lxx. The evidence at any rate shews that Theodotion
preserved a considerable number of readings which were current
in the first century, and that the Greek text of Daniel known to

the Apocalyptist came nearer to the Theodotionic than to the

Cbigi text.
If it be asked whether there are traces in the Apocalypse of a
direct use of the
that the departures from the LXX.
be otherwise explained.
's
Ap
writer's
M.aye8d>v (xvi.
part with
1 6) ^
may
But the forms
,
8
Hebrew Old Testament, the answer must be
perhaps in every instance

seem to imply acquaintance

Hebrew or Aramaic, and this
(ix.

inference
11)
on the
and

is

supported, as we have seen, by the style and manner of his work.

4. If we accept the later date of 'the Apocalypse, it may be
assumed that the Churches of Asia were already in possession of
some of the earlier books of the New Testament. Certain of the
Pauline Epistles, and if not one or more of our present Gospels,
some collection or collections of the sayings of the Lord were
probably in their hands, and familiar to our author. Such docu-
ments would not be regarded as possessing canonical authority,

like the writings of the Old Testament, but they could not fail

to influence a Christian writer who was acquainted with them.

If the earlier Epistle of St Peter uses Ephesians and Romans 1 ,

and the contemporary Epistle of Clement of Rome refers to

Hebrews and some evangelical collection a, we may reasonably
look for similar traces of Apostolic writings in the Apocalypse
of John.
This expectation is to some extent borne out by an examination

of the book, (a) The Apocalypse contains distinct reminiscences

known sayings of Christ. Perhaps the most remarkable
of
instance is the formula 6 e -
the end of each of the messages addressed by the Spirit of Christ
which recurs toward

to the Churches. The following parallels also are fairly certain :

1
Sei Hort, Romans and Ephesians, 2
. T. in the Apostolic Fathers,
p. 168 £. pp. 38, 46, 61 f.
 ,- , -
USE OF THE . T. AND OTHER LITERATURE clvii

^,Apoc.
) iii. 3 iav

.
Mt. xxiv. 43
-g (Lc.
.
Apoc. iii. 5 Mt. . 32 iv

.
.
,. )] . • -
Apoc.

•,, . '., .,
Apoc.
xiii. 10

6
" iv

17
(Lc.
).
Mt. xxvi. 52

Jo. iv. 10
iv

vii.

37 e<* 1' -, ,
The Apocalypse has also a considerable number of probable

, ,
allusions to the teaching of Christ, such as

.. ii. 17

,
iii^

xiv. 12
21
iii.

() There
14 <5

(cf. v.

,
iii.

), xii.
1 7

xvii.
el.

are no such close parallels between the Apocalypse

14
.
(in

,
an ethical sense),

xix. 9

and the Apostolic Epistles 1 yet there ,

is much in the Apocalypse
which suggests that its writer was acquainted with some of them.
Bishop Lightfoot has pointed out 8 that "the message communi-
cated by St John to Laodicea prolongs the note which was struck
by St Paul in the letter to Colossae." Here and there even the

,
phraseology of the book reminds us of the Pauline letters to
Asian Churches
'; ; thus Apoc. i. 5 recalls

.
Col. i. 18 and Apoc. iii. "14

1
. has
while echoes of Eph.
affinities with Col.
ii. 1 9 ff.
i. 1 5

.
,
; .

... iv may be heard by those who 'have

an ear' in Apoc. iii. 12, xxi. 14, Points of contact have also been

! .»
1 The saying Apoc. ii. 14
in Jerusalem of. Acts xv. 28 eSofex yap
' i/tSs has probably
been suggested by the letter of the
;

council of Apostles and elders held at 2 Colossians, p. 41 ff.

clviii USE OF THE'O. T. AND OTHER LITERATURE
found between the Apocalypse and the Epistle of James 1 and the
first Epistle of Peter 2 and , it has occasional resemblances to the
Epistle to the Hebrews 8
. Yet on the whole, except in the case
of our Lord's sayings, which may or may not have been known to
him in a written form, there is no convincing evidence that our
author was indebted to the Christian writers who preceded him.
5. Can a better case bemade out for the Apocalyptist's use
of non-canonical Jewish writings ? Dr Charles pronounces the
" writer or writers " of the Apocalypse to be " steeped in Jewish
apocalyptic literature."The details may be seen in his editions
of Enoch and other Jewish apocalypses, and most of them are
briefly enumerated in c. ii of this introduction 4 and quoted in

the commentary, where the parallels occur. Here it is enough

to say that while they shew the writer of the Christian Apo-
calypse to have been familiar with the apocalyptic ideas• of his
age, they afford little or no clear evidence of his dependence
on Jewish sources other than the books of the Old Testament.
Certainly he does not use these sources with anything like the
distinctness with which he refers to Isaiah, Ezekiel, or Daniel,

or to sayings of Christ which are in our present Gospels. The

most that can be safely affirmed is that he shared with the
Jewish apocalyptists the stock, of apocalyptic imagery and
mystical and eschatological thought which was the common
property of an age nurtured in the Old Testament and hard
pressed by the troubles and dangers of the times.
This consideration does not encourage the view which regards
the Apocalypse of John as a composite work largely made up
of extracts from unknown non-Christian apocalypses. If it cannot
be shewn that the author availed himself to. any extent of sources
still extant, including the well-known Book of Enoch, it is certainly
precarious to build theories upon the hypothesis that he was
indebted to lost works of which not a trace remains.
1 Mayor, St James, oii. author of the other."
p.
2 B:yg, 1 Peter, p. 22. He adds s Cf. e.g. Apoo. xxi. with
Heb. xii. 22.
however " There is nothing to show
:
4 Pp. xxvff.

that the one book was known to the

 XIV.

DOCTRINE.

. No one who comes to the Apocalypse fresh from the

study of the Gospels and Epistles can fail to recognize that he
has passed into another atmosphere. The great objects of faith
are the same, but they are seen in new lights, and the general
impression differs from that which is left on the mind by the
teaching of our Lord or of St Paul. Nor is it only in the region
of eschatology that the book takes its own course its views of ;

the Person of Christ, of the Holy Spirit, of Redemption, and of

the Church, are its own even its doctrine of God has no exact
;

parallel in the rest of the New Testament.

2. The Apocalypse takes its stand on a monotheism which is

Jewish in the sharpness of its opposition to polytheistic systems

of every kind. Its God of the Old Testament, the
God is the
I am of Exodus, the Holy, Holy, Holy of Isaiah, the Lord God of
Ezekiel, the God of heaven of Daniel The writer adopts the 1
.

, ?, ,, ?
titles which the Greek translators found to express the glories of
the
?,
God of Israel : God is

6
6 , 6

6
:

2
He
while
is

later Jewish use contributes a designation for His unique

eternity: He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and ,

the End 3
. The God of the Church is the Supreme King Whose
Throne is in heaven, the Master and Lord of all 4 ; He is the
1
i. 4 ; if. 8; i. 8, xxii. 5; xi. 13, '
8,'i. 17.
3 i.
xvi. n. 8, xxi. 6.
2 i.
xv. 4, xviii. 4 iv.
4, iv. gi. ; i. 8, vi. 10, 2, vi. 10, xi. 4, 15, xv. 3.
clx DOCTRINE
Creator of earth and sea and sky, and of all that is in them the1
,

Judge of mankind, the Avenger of the wrongs that are done on

the earth He is to be feared and worshipped by all 2 But of His
; .

love no express mention is made, although there is frequent refer-

ence to His wrath 3 . He is nowhere represented as the Father
of men, even of the righteous ; His righteousness and truth are
magnified, but there is no proportionate exhibition of His good-
ness and beneficence. The picture inspires awe, but it wants the
magnetic power of our Lord's doctrine of the Divine Fatherhood.
In fact it serves another purpose. Like the solemn descriptions of
Godhead in the Hebrew prophets, it is an answer to the inanities
of heathenism rather than a call to fellowship with the Living
God. A revelation of the " severity of God " was needed by
Churches which were hard pressed by the laxity of pagan life and
the claims to Divine honours made by the masters of the Empire.
The Apocalyptist meets the immoralities and blasphemies of
heathendom by a fresh setting forth of the majesty of the One
God and a restatement of His sole right to the worship of men.
Thus he represents a view of the Divine Character which, apart
from his book, would be nearly wanting in the New Testament,
and supplies a necessary complement to' the gentler teaching of
the Gospels and Epistles.
3. The doctrine of God maintained in the Apocalypse cannot
be rightly understood apart from its Christology. Our author's
revelation of the Father supplemented by his revelation of the
is

Son. The Christ of the Apocalypse is the Christ of the Gospels,

but a change has passed over Him which is beyond words. He
is still like unto a son of man*, but the weaknesses and limitations
of His humanity have finally passed away. He ivas dead, but
now He is alive for evermore 5
. He was slain as a victim, but
only the splendid results of His- Sacrifice remain 6
The Woman's .

Son has been caught up unto God, and unto His Throne 7 He sits ;

and reigns with His Father All this had been taught by
.

1 ivi
2 xiv.
11,
7,
8 xiv. 10,
x. 6.
xv. 4 ; vi. 10, xix. 2.
19, xv. 1, etc.
°
i.

v.
' xii. 5.
18.
6 us •4.
4 i. 13, xiv. 14. s iii. 2i.
 DOCTRINE clxi

St Peter, St Paul, and the writer to the Hebrews ; but• it was left

for the Apocalyptist to describe the, glorified life. In the Apoca-

lypse the veil is lifted, and we see the extent of the change
wrought by the Resurrection and Ascension. Even the Lord's
human form is idealized ; the face shines as the noonday sun, the
eyes flash, the hair is white as snow, the feet glow like metal in a
furnace, the voice is like the thunder of the waterfall ; at the

sight of the glorified humanity the Seer swoons, as Daniel before

the angel 1 . Other appearances of the ascended Christ are not
less overwhelming; whether He sits on the white cloud, crowned,
and carrying the sharp sickle with which He will presently reap
the harvest of the world 2 or comes forth from the open heavens ,

by the armies of Heaven, His head

as the Warrior- King, followed
encircled by the diadems of many empires, His paludamentum
inscribed with the title King of kings and lord of lords, all is
transcendental and on a scale which surpasses human imagina-
tion 3 But these three great symbolical visions do not by any
.

means exhaust the wealth of St John's conception of the glorified

Christ. He depicts with great fulness His relations to the
Church, to the world, and to God. (a) To the members of His
Church the ascended Christ is all in all. He loves them, He
redeemed them, and He has made them what they are, a new
Israel, a kingdom of priests 4 . His ascension has not separated
Him from them; He is in their midst, regulating all the affairs
of the Churches 5 ; removing, punishing, guarding, giving victory,
as He sees fit
6
. From Him are to be obtained all spiritual gifts <

and helps from Him are to be expected the final rewards

7
;
8
.

'The martyrs are His witnesses, the saints His servants 9 He !

penetrates the inner life of the faithful ; He leads them on, and
they follow Him 10
. They keep the faith of Jesus, as they keep the
commandments of God; they share His sufferings, and expect His
kingdom 11 , (b) In the creation Jesus Christ holds the foremost
1 i. 7
14—17. iii. 18.
2 xiv. 8 ii.
14 ft. 7 etc., 23.
8 xix. 1 ff. 9 ii.
1 13, 20, xi. 18.
4 i. 10
5, 6 (Exod. xix. 6), iii. 2o, vii. 17, xiv.
4.
' 13, ii. i,x;v. 1. 11 xiv.
i. 12, i. 9.
6 ii. s,
25 ff., iii. 9, 10.

S. l:.
 clxii DOCTRINE
place. He is its beginning and its goal 1 ; He receives its tribute
of praise 2
. In human history He is supreme : He alone is able
to open, one after another, all the seals of the Book of Destiny 3 ;

He is the Ruler of the icings of the earth 4 ; He was born to rule

the nations with the iron-tipped rod of the universal Pastor
of men 5 ; the greatest of Emperors is His vassal 6 and the day,

will come when the Augustus and the meanest slave in his
empire will tremble alike before His victorious wrath 7 The .

Apocalyptist foresees an empire more truly oecumenical than

that of Rome, in which Christ shall reign with God 8 (c) What ,

is the relation of Christ, in His glorified state, to God ? (i) He

has the prerogatives of God. He searches men's hearts 9 ; He can
kill and restore to life 10 ; He receives a worship which is rendered
without distinction «to God 11 ; His priests are also priests of
God 12
; He occupies one throne with God 13 and , shares one
sovereignty", (ii) Christ, receives the titles of God. He is the
, Living One 15
, the Holy and the True 16 .the Alpha and the Omega,
,

the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End 17 (iii) Pas-
,

sages which in the Old Testament relate to God are without

hesitation applied to Christ, e.g. Deut. x. 17 (Apoc. xvii. 14),
Prov. iii. 12 (Apoc. iii. 19), Dan. vii. 9l(Apoc. i. 14), Zech. iv. 10
(Apoc. v. 6). Thus the writer seems either to coordinate or to
identify Christ with God. Yet he is certainly not conscious of
any tendency to ditheism, for his book, as has been said, is rigidly
monotheistic ; nor, on the other hand, is he guilty of confusing
the two Persons. .The name of God is nowhere given to Christ in
the Apocalypse ; He is the Son of God ls the , Word of God w but ;

" '
the Apocalyptist does not add, with the fourth Evangelist, the
Word was God," nor does he say that the Father and the Son are

1 iii.
14, xxii. 13.
n v. 13.
2 v. la xx. 6.
13.
8 v.
5, . 1 ff. 13 xxii.
i, 3.
4 i•
5- " • 15•
5 16
xii. 5. i. 18.
" xvii. 10 iii.
14. 7.
7 17 xxii.
vi. 15 ft. 13.
8 xi. of. xii. 10. 18
15 ; ii. 18.
9 ii. 19 xix. 13.
23.
10
i. iS, ii. 23.
 POCTRINE clxiii

one. He is careful to identify the ascended Christ with the

Christ of the humiliation; He is the firstborn of the dead 1 the ,

root and the offspring of David", the Lion of the tribe of Judah" ;

He can call God His God 4 The enigma meets us everywhere in

.

the New Testament, but in no book is it so perplexing to those

who reject the Catholic doctrine of our Lord's Person as in the

Apocalypse of John. It has been urged that " the point of view
of the Seer is continually changing. He conceives of Jesus now
as the highest of the creatures, now as the eternal beginning and
end of all things. . .to us each of these is a definite and separate
conception•, while to him such definiteness and separation did not
exist 6 ." But this explanation is doubly unsatisfactory. The
Seer's consciousness of the gulf which parts the-creature from the
Uncreated was far from indefinite ; twice he represents an angel
as flatly refusing divine honours see thou do it not. .worship God";
.

the assumption or acceptance of divine names by the Roman

Emperors was in his judgement the damning sin of the Empire.
Nor is it quite fair to charge him with shifting his ground from
time to time ; from the first his Christ is a complex conception in
which human and Divine characteristics coexist. On the other
hand we should doubtless err if we read into the Seer's visions
the precision of the Nicene or the Chalcedonian Christology. An
intuitive him beyond the point reached by the
faith carries
understanding; he knows that the identification of the ascended
Christ with the Almighty Father is not inconsistent with strict
monotheism, but he does not stop to ask himself how this can be.
Some of his words point to the preexistence of the Son, others
represent His exalted condition as the reward of victory. The
reconciliation of these points of view is not necessary to the
purpose of the book; it is enough that -the Head of' the Church
is master of the situation which had arisen in Asia and of every
similar situation that can arise to the world's end. The John of
the Apocalypse is less of the theologian than St Paul, and less of

1 6
i. 5, 18. F. Palmer, Z>raDia 0/ the Apocalypse,
2 v.
5, xxii. 16. p. 105.
5 v.
5. xix. 10, XXU.O.
* iii. 8.

12
clxiv DOCTRINE
the mystic than the author of the fourth Gospel, but he surpasses
both in his revelation of the unbounded power of the exalted
Christ. Nowhere else in the New Testament are the personal
activities of Jesus Christ present in His Church, the glories of

His heavenly life, or the possibilities of His future manifestation

so magnificently set forth. The Christology of the Apocalypse
may evade analysis, but it meets the need of the Church in times
of storm and stress. It is the New Testament counterpart of the
Old Testament hymns of anticipated triumph : God is our refuge
and strength, a very present help in trouble ; therefore will we not
fear.... God is in the midst of her ; she shall not be moved. How-
ever the fact may be explained; Christ is in the Apocalypse the
power of God and the wisdom of God present with the Church,
while in His exalted life He is in the midst of the Throne.
4. Of the Spirit we expect to hear much in the one pro-
phetical book of the New Testament, and we are not altogether
disappointed, ^though there is less on the surface of the book than
we might have looked for. It is in the Spirit that the Seer
receives his first and second visions 1 ; in the Spirit, again, he is
carried into the wilderness where he sees the harlot Babylon, and
to the mountain from whence can be descried the new Jerusalem 2 ;
and doubtless we are to understand that the same condition of
spiritual exaltation accompanied the other visions of the Apoca-
lypse. The Spirit of prophecy speaks everywhere, bearing witness
to Jesus* exhorting the Churches in His Name 4 , conveying the
revelation of Jesus Christ to 'the Seer, and through him to the
readers and hearers. It is the Spirit of prophecy who answers to
6
the voice from heaven ; who identifies Himself with the Church
6
in her call for the Lord to come, . But the book- recognizes other
and wider manifestations of the Spirit of God. When the writer
desires grace and peaceChurches of Asia from the seven
for the

Spirits which are before His Throne it is probable that he is

thinking of the One Spirit in the variety and completeness of

1 * ii. 1, etc.
i. 10, iv. 2. 7
2 xvii. 5 xiv.
3, xxi. 10. 13.
a xix. 10. 6 xxii.
17.
 DOCTRINE cixv

His gifts. The phrase might in itself mean only the seven
Angels of the Presence 1
, and this interpretation receives some
support from c. iv. 5, but it does not accord either with the
trinitarian character of c. i. 4 f.
2
, or with c. v. 6. The 'seven
Spirits which blaze like torches before the Throne, are in the last
passage the eyes of the sacrificed Lamb, i.e. they are the organs
of, supernatural vision which illuminate the humanity of our
Lord, and which He sends forth into the world. It is impossible
not to recognize here the mission of the Paraclete, Who is at once
the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit sent by Him from the Father
to the Church. And on looking back to c. i. 4 we see the fitness
of the number seven ; each of the seven Churches has its own
of the Spirit ; only to the Christ and to the whole body
of the Church considered in its unity belongs the fulness of
spiritual powers and the septiformis Spiritus Who is in His
gifts,

essence indivisible. Thus the Apocalypse extends the teaching

of the Epistles. Diversities of gifts mark the work of the Spirit
in the Churches as in their individual members to each is given ;

the manifestation of the Spirit. Yet the individual is not over-

looked. The action of the Spirit on the personal life is shewn in
the symbolism which points to the water of life. The Lamb...
shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life,, I will give unto
him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He
shewed me a river of water of life,...proceeding out of the throne of
God and of the Lamb. He that is athirst, let him come ; he that
him take the water of life freely 3 These passages are
will, let .

remarkable for the width of their outlook : they carry us from the
beginnings of the spiritual life to its maturity, from the first gift

of the water of life to the state in which access is giVen to the

fountain-head. There is no stage in the progressive development
of the new life at which the human spirit is not dependent on the
Divine; tbe water of life which satisfies the first thirst, is not
less necessary to the ultimate perfection of the Saints. On
the essential nature of the Spirit the Apocalypse has nothino•

1 viii. 2.
2 Cor. xiii. i
4 , Eph. iv. 4 ff.
2 Cf. such contexts as 1 Cor. xii 4 5
a vii.
., 17, xxi. 6, xxii. 1,17.
clxvi DOCTRINE
to add Testament books. But in
to the teaching of other New
its symbolism we catch glimpses of His relation to the Father and

the Son. Jesus Christ hath the seven Spirits of God they are ;

the ey'es of the Lamb, sent forth by Him into all the earth. The
Eiver of the water of life issues from the Throne of God and

of the Lamb 1
. There are echoes here of the teaching both of
Christ and of St Paul. The Spirit of God is also the Spirit of

Christ, and the outpouring of the Spirit which began on the day
of Pentecost was a direct consequence of the Ascension; the
Paraclete was sent by the Ascended Lord from the Father, and
by the Father in the name of the Son. The temporal mission of
the Spirit is here in view, but behind it there may also be the
eternal procession from the Father through the Son of which the
Creed speaks. But the latter does not come within the. express

scope of the Apocalyptist's words.

5. His treatment of the doctrine of the Church is not less
interesting. Like St Paul's Epistle to the Galatians and perhaps

"
also the Epistle to the Ephesians, the Apocalypse is addressed to

a plurality of Churches; seven are named, but after the first

al *,
chapter the number
or once of
is dropped, and the writer speaks simply of
The singular

,
is used of each of the local Christian societies, but not
of the Churches in the aggregate, or of the ideal unity of the
Christian body. Each society is symbolized by a separate
and each has its own presiding spirit, its star or angel. There is

no spiritual counterpart to the ,

'?, no provincial
Church or representative council, though the seven Churches may
be taken as in a sense representative of the Churches of Asia in
general. Yet, as the book proceeds, the conception of an universal
Christian society, a catholic Church, appears under more than
one symbolical We
first the 144,000 sealed out of
figure. have
?oery tribe of the children of Israel*, changing, as the Seer
watches, into an innumerable company before the Divine Throne",
and afterwards seen again as 144,000, surrounding the Lamb on
1 iii. 3 ii.
1, v. 6, xxii. 1. 23.
2 4 cc. iii.,
ii. 7, 11, 17, i<)\ iii. 6, 13, 22; xiv.
xxii. .
 DOCTRINE clxvii

Mount Zion. Then a great sign appears in heaven, a woman

arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her
head a crown of twelve stars, who becomes the Mother of the
Christ and His Saints 1 Lastly, in sharp contrast with the Harlot
.

Babylon, we see the Bride of Christ arrayed for her marriage day,
and presently transfigured into a new Jerusalem, coming down
out of heaven from God 1 In the first of these visions the Church
.

appears as a collection of units, making up the whole number of

the elect ; in the second and third she is seen in the unity of her
common life, first as militant against tbe evil of the world,- her
life hid in God, herself imperishable but suffering in the persons
of her members ; and then, in the final picture, as reaching her
ideal in the presence of God and of Christ. There are side-lights,

also, in this great series of pictures which deserve attention ; in

the first, the reconciliation of Divine foreknowledge with the
freedom of the human will; in the second, the relation of the

Church of the Old Testament to the Church of the New, and of.

both to the individual; in the third, the social aspect of the

Christian life, as set forth in the order and beauty of the City of
God.
On the local ministry in the Churches the Apocalyptist
preserves a complete' silence ; he speaks of the itinerant, charis-
matic, ministry of Apostles and Prophets, but not of the bishops
or presbyters and deacons who were doubtless to be found in the
Christian communities of Asia. The prophetic order, from his
point of view, eclipses the officers of the Church. But it does
not take from the lustre of the Church herself. She is a kingdom
and a priesthood; all her members have been made by the
sacrifice of the Cross kings and priests unto God and to the

Lamb 3 The Augustus and the Caesars, the Asiarchs and high-
.

priests of the Augustea, are of little account in comparison with the

despised and persecuted

2
6.

c. xii.

c. xsi.
The
Thrice in the book 4
soteriology of the
"
members

Salvation " )
of the Christian brotherhoods.
Apocalypse
(
a i.
6, v. io,
i vii. io, xii.
demands
is

xx. 6.
, x:x. i.
attention.
ascribed to God,
 clxviii DOCTRINE
or to God and Christ. The phrase is perhaps suggested by the
freq use of on coins and in inscriptions in reference to
certain of the heathen deities (e,g. Zeus, Asklepios), and to the
Emperors. John recalls the word from these unworthy uses and
claims it for the Ultimate Source of health and life. But in this
attribution he includes Jesus Christ; Salvation unto our God...
and unto the Lamb It is by the Sacrifice of the Lamb that the
1
.

salvation of men has become possible: thou wast slain and didst
purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe; unto him
that loved us and loosed us from our sins by his blood. .to him be .

the glory ; the Saints washed their robes, and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb : they overcame the accuser because of the
blood of the Lamb*. Whatever may be the exact meaning of these
words, it is clear from them that the writer attaehed the greatest
importance to the death of Christ; His sacrificed life was the
price of man's redemption from sin to the service of
. God The
idea is St Paul's, who twice in one epistle writes: "ye were
bought with a price 8," and lays emphasis on the virtue of the
4
sacrificial blood ; and the latter point was present to the mind of
our Lord Himself when He spoke of His Blood as " shed for many
unto remission of sins 5." The writer of the Apocalypse took over
the familiar figures by which the Churches had long expressed
the mystery of the Atonement. But there are new features in
his use of them. Redemption is a liberation from the sins of the
past life, which have hitherto " tied and bound " the sinner with
their chains; it is a purchase for God, its purpose being to
, transfer the sinner from the service of sin to the service of God .

But its end is not attained without the concurrence of the human
will. The redeemed cooperate with the Redeemer; they wash
their robes .and make them white, they fight anU overcome.
Neither action would have been possible without our Lord's

.-
sacrifice, but the sacrifice would have been ineffectual without
1
Jo. i. 7.

,
vii. io. i.2, 19 ; 1
2
8
i- 5. 9> v "• r 4> x "• " 5
Mt. xxvi. 28; Mo. xiv. 24; 1 Cor.
1 Cor. vi. 20 yi.p xi. 25.
vii. 23 ° There is a partial parallel in Bom.
4 Acta xx. 28; Bom. iii. 25, v. 9; vi. 15 ft.

Eph. i. 7, ii. 13; Col. i. 20. Of. 1 Pet.

 DOCTRINE clxix

repentance and faith on their part. The Apocalyptist dwells

more frequently on "works" than on "faith 1." To represent this
as a return to a Jewish standpoint is arbitrary 2 but , it cannot be
denied that it is a distinguishing note of the Apocalypse. Faith
is rarely named in the book 3 , and when it is, it does not appear as
the primary necessity of the Christian life ; the decisive place is

given to works; the fair linen which decks the Saints is woven
out of their righteous acts 4. Salvation is the fruit of the Lord's
victory, but the faith which appropriates it overcomes the world
as He overcame it.

7. The Angelology of, the Apocalypse is abundant. Beyond

any other book either in the Old Testament or in the New, it

occupies itself with the inhabitants of the unseen order; even of

apocalyptic writings the Enoch literature alone perhaps is more
fruitful in revelations of this kind. The Apocalypse of John,
however, is singularly free from the wild speculations of Jewish
angelology. If angels frequently appear in its visions, they belong
to the scenes which the visions reveal, and are there because the
supermundane events which are in 'progress demand their inter-
vention. They are seen engaged in the activities of their manifold

ministries, now as worshipping before the Throne 5 , now as bearing

messages to the world 6 or as stationed in some place of trust,
,

restraining elemental forces 7 , or themselves under restraint until

the moment for action has arrived 8, or as presiding over great

departments of Nature 9 . Sometimes their ministries are cosmic;

they are entrusted with the execution of worldwide judgements 10,
, or they form the rank and file of the armies of heaven, who fight

Ood's battles with evil, whether diabolical or human 11 the Abyss ;

is under their custody 12 . Sometimes an angel is employed in

the service of the Church, offering the prayers of the Saints, or
"
s
1
See ii. 1, 5, 19, ,23, in. if., 8, 15, vii. n.
xx. 6
12 f., xxii. 12. i. 1, xxii. 6.
s
The present writer is unable to dis- 7 vii; 1.
cover here or elsewhere in the Apooa- 8 ix.
15.
lypse the " unadulterated Judaism s xvi. 1 ft.

which has been ascribed to it (Charles, 10 viii. 6fi.,

xix. 14.
ll
Esehatology, p. 347). x"• xix.7> 14.
8 Only in ii. 12 ix.
13, 19, xiii. 10, xiv. 12. 11, xx. 1.
4 xix. 8.
clxx DOCTRINE
presiding over the destinies of a local brotherhood or ministering
to an individual brother, e.g.
1
to the Seer himself . No charge
seems to be too great for an angel to undertake, and none too
ordinary; throughout the book the angels are represented as
ready to any place and do any work to which they may be
fill

sent. Little light is thrown on such a speculative topic as the

distribution of the angelic host into orders or ranks. The greater
angels are distinguished by their superior strength or more splendid
surroundings. Only one angel receives a name, and it is borrowed
from the Book of Daniel 2 ; there is but a passing allusion to the
seven angels of the Presence, of whom Enoch has so much to
3
say .

The Apocalypse is comparatively silent as to fallen angels and

evil spirits. The Dragon of c. xii. is identified with Satan or the
Devil of the Old Testament; in the celestial war of xii. 7 if. he
is followed by his "angels" who fight his battles 4 Idolatry is .

6
regarded as demonolatry heathen magic is due to spirits of :

demons, working signs. Babylon becomes a habitation of demons,

and a hold of every unclean spirit*. The Seer is able to foresee
the course of Satanic activity from his own age to the end.
Failing to dethrone the ascended Christ, Satan turns his attention
to the Church which is left on earth'*. He finds ready allies in

the persecuting Emperors and the heathen priesthood 8 backed by ,

the power of the new Babylon on the Tiber 9 . Babylon falls at

last 10 , and for a long period Satan is bound, and the Church
dominant 11 - Then a reaction follows, and the whole world is

persuaded to attack the Church 12

. But her hour of greatest peril

ushers in the final victory. Fire falls from heaven upon the
enemy, and Satan himself is consigned to the burning morass
from which there is no escape. The fate of his " angels " is

not described, but it may be assumed that they perish with

1
ii. 1 etc. , viii. 3 f. , xvii. 1 , xxi. g. ' xii. 7 ff., 1 3 ff.
3 xii. Dan. s x ijj_
7; cf. x. 21. j g^ lt ff #
8 viii.
2 ; of. Enoch xx. 9 c. xvii.
4 xii. i0
9. c. xviii.
5 ix. 20. n xx. 1 ff.
» xviii. 12
2. lb. 8 ff.
 DOCTRINE clxxi'

1
their leader , for from this point all superhuman forces of evil
disappear.
8. Eschatology, in the widest sense, forms one of the main
subjects of this book, -which from c. iv. deals chiefly with the things
which must come to pass hereafter 2 . Here our discussion of the
must be limited

*
subject to the " last things " in the narrower use
of the phrase, i.e. to the Coming of the Lord, the Judgement,
and the new world beyond them. No mention is made of the
or iirupaveia 4 of the Lord, and though and
the response are watchwords in this book, the "coming"
intended, in some instances at least, is not the final Advent, but
the visitation of a Church or an individual 6 . Moreover, there is

no one vision which answers altogether to the conception of the

Return, as it is presented in our Lord's teaching and in the
Epistles. We look for such an appearance immediately before-the
general resurrection and judgement (xx. il if.), or in connexion
with the descent of the Bride, but it is absent. Perhaps the
Reaper on the white cloud 6 and the crowned Warrior on the white ,

'
horse 7, may describe, each in its own way, the Last Coming, but
neither of these visions exhausts the conception, or occupies the
position which the Parousia might have been expected to fill.

Yet the book starts with a clear reference to the Advent, which
is represented as visible to the whole world : behold, he cometh
with the clouds, and every eye shall see him*; and it ends with
the solemn witness, Yea, I come quickly. The hope of a visible
Coming, and that a speedy one, has not vanished, though it is

clear that must be interpreted relatively, in the light of a

prophecy which interposes between the Seer's time and the

Return an age of persecution of unknown length and a subsequent
millennium of dominant Christianity, The Lord's quickly is His
final answer to the rising impatience of the Church
9
now on the ,

1 B E.g. and perhaps also

Cf. Mt. xxv. 41. • ii. 5, 16, iii.
2
iv. ; of. i. 19. . 11, xvi. 15.
3 Th. 6 xiv.
Mt. xxiv. 3 ff. ; 1 Cor. xv. 23 ; 1 14.
Jac. v. ji. 7 xix.
ii. 19, iii. 13, iv. 15, v. 23 ; 11.
2 Pet. iii. 4; 1 Jo. ii. 28.
8 i.
7.
4 1 9 Cf.
Tim. vi. 14; 1 Tim. i. 10, iv. 1, 8; 2 Pet. iii. 9.
Tit. ii. 12.
clxxii DOCTKINE
verge of the second century; measured by the standard of His
endless life, the time is at hand.

The final Reign of Christ and of His Saints is connected

with the hope of His return. His own Reign began with the
Ascension, and it is spiritually shared by the Church even in an
age of persecution ; the Saints reign upon the earth 1, though a
Nero or a Domitian may be on the The Apocalyptist throne.
dimly foresees the conversion of the Empire, when the kingdom
of the world became the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ,-
and the Church entered on a long period of triumph, reigning
with Christ for a thousand years 2 . But he also anticipates a
future kingdom of the Saints which will fulfil its ideal, and to
which no period can be put: they shall reign for ever and ever*.

The General Resurrection and the Judgement belong to the

same series of events. If the interpretation of the Thousand
Years which is given in, this commentary 4 is correct, the' "first
resurrection" of c. xx. 5 is, like the resurrection of the Two
Witnesses in c. xi., a symbol of the revival• and extension of the
Church which would follow the age of persecution. No " second

resurrection" is mentioned, but a resurrection of the body is

implied in c. xx. 1 2 and the glory of the risen Saints is perhaps

symbolized in c. xxi. 11. The former of these passages clearly
teaches the doctrine of a general Judgement. But the Judge
seems to be not the Incarnate Son, but the Almighty Father
the Apocalyptist does not appear to recognize with the Evangelist
that all judgement has been given to the Son 5 .

The vision of the Last Judgement is followed by a vision pf

the new world and the new City of God. Perhaps it will always
be a matter of dispute whether the final vision of the Apocalypse
is an idealistic picture of the Church as. she now is, or a realistic

'
1
v.
2 Xi.
3 xxii.
4
s
10,
15, xx. 6.
5.
P. 264 fl.
Jo. v. 22;
reading

ef.
.
picture of the Church as she will be hereafter.
an element of truth in each of these views,

Mt. xxv. 31 ff. It

may
xiv. 10) and the
v. 10) ; the Father
of the Son.
.
There

be noted that St Paul speaks in-

differently of the
is

for the best ideals

.
judges in the person
in fact

(Bom.
(2 Cor.
 DOCTRINE clxxiii

of the present are the realities of the future, the position of

the vision points to the future, for though the succession of the
Apocalyptic visions is not chronological, there is in it a certain
sequence which accords with the orderly development of the
Divine purpose. And no stretch of the imagination can discover
in any period of the Church's lengthening history the full counter-
part of the glories described by St John. The Bride of Christ has
not yet made herself ready; the City of God is not free from the
presence of the unclean and the false : night still falls upon her
streets, alternating with periods of daylight 1
. But the future
holds the perfection of the present ; in the, imperfect life of the
Asian brotherhoods the Seer can find the earnest of a maturity
which, when extended to the race, will leave no part of God's
great plan for the reconstruction of human society unrealized.

9. It is not the purpose of the Apocalypse to teach Christian

doctrine, but to inspire Christian hope. But , incidentally it

instructs, and its teaching, so far as it goes, is fresh, strenuous,

and suggestive. While it has points of contact with the sayings
of our Lord in the Synoptic Gospels, with the doctrine of St Paul
and his school, and with the Gospel and the First Epistle of
St John, there are features in the doctrine of the Apocalypse
which are peculiar to itself; nor is the proportion in which it

presents the aspects of Christian truth quite that which is to be

found in other books of the New Testament. Without the
Apocalypse, so far as we can judge, our knowledge of the teaching
of the Apostolic age would have been imperfect ; in this respect
the book is complementary to the Gospels arid Epistles, and
fulfils the important Work of preserving the balance of truth.
This is not the least of the reasons for which St John's great
vision deserves careful study, and may in itself be held to justify
the felicitation: blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the

words of the prophecy.

1 xxi. 2, 25, 17, . 5.

 XV.

AUTHORSHIP.

I. At the beginning of the- book, and again at the end 1 the

,

Apocalypse professes to be the work of John. The author further

states that he is a servant of Jesus Christ, a brother of the
Churches of Asia, and a partaker in their sufferings, and that at
the time when he received the revelation he was in the island of
Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus*. By the
"testimony of Jesus" he appears to mean the witness which he had
borne to our Lord in his capacity as a member of a brotherhood of
Christian prophets 8 The intimate knowledge which he shews of
.

the circumstances of the Churches in Asia, and the unhesitating

tone of authority in which he addresses them, leave no doubt that
he had resided in the province, and had exercised his office in the
Christian societies there.

It is scarcely possible that the book can be pseudonymous. The

Jewish pseudepigrapha bear the names of Old Testament patriarchs,

.
kings, or prophets ; and a Christian apocalypse, if pseudonymous,
would naturally have been attributed to an Apostle. But in that

calypse of John :
,
case the writer would assuredly have proclaimed his identity with
the son of Zebedee. The apocryphal apocalypse of Paul begins:
ayiov and the apocryphal apo-
These
are later documents, but even in. a first century apocryphon we
,*.
• should have expected some such note of identification as b

1
i. i, 4, 9, xxii. 8. Apooalypse of Peter haa not been re-
3 i.
9. covered, but in the Petrine Gospel the

.
3
xix. 10, xxii. 9. . identification is explicit: § 14 Si
4 Tischendorf,.4j>ocaZi/2)se« apocrypliae, JHrpos <coi 'AvSpias i dSeX0os
pp. 34, 70. The opening of the earlier
 .
2^
appellatives ;
But not
, AUTHORSHIP
or at least
only, is there an entire absence of such
or

the indications, so far as they go, are unfavourable to

the hypothesis that the writer meant to pose as an Apostle. The
John of the Apocalypse is simply a " brother," and the only office
which he claims is that of prophet This does not indeed disprove
. clxxv

his identity with the Apostle 1 but it is not what might have been
,

expected from a writer who wished to pass as one of the Twelve.

2. name Johanan 2 was by no means uncommon in

The
Jewish history from the time of the Captivity onwards. Some
fifteen persons of this name are mentioned in the books of

Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, and, five inore in the books of

the Maccabees. Josephus refers to seventeen Johns 3 ; in the New
Testament there are at least five —the son of Zacharias, and the
son of Zebedee, the father of St Peter 4 John whose surname was ,

Mark, and a John who was of the kindred of the High Priest 6 . Of
these, John the son of Zebedee was from an early time identified
with the author of the Apocalypse. /

The witness of Justin has been given already 6 Irenaeus calls the
author of the fourth Gospel and the Apocalypse 6
Domini discipulus (iii. n. ff., iv. 20. n), but the title, as he uses
.

/, •

it, does not exclude Apostleship; cf. ii. 22. 5, where, immediately

after mentioning " John, the disciple of the Lord," he proceeds

"non solum Ioannem, sed et alios apostolos." Hippolytus expressly
calls the writer of the Apocalypse "Apostle" as well as "disciple',"
8
and Tertullian is no less explicit Origeh, again, entertains no .

doubt that both the Gospel and the Apocalypse proceeded from the
son of Zebedee 9 The earliest suggestion that the Apocalypse was
.

the work of a second John, not of apostolic rank, came from

Alexandria after Origen's death 10 ; earlier opponents of the apostolic
authorship regarded the book as pseudonymous
u .

3. As an John the son of Zebedee, Dionysius

alternative to
of Alexandria mentions the name
of John Mark, but he dismisses it
on the ground that .Mark did not accompany St Paul to Asia.

tos i
2
,
1

ing cod.

'
/
Even

or

Hellenized form of
or T T J
in 1 Peter St Paul is b

,
-write the
(iii. 15).
as WH.,
name in c.
(= .,

which occurs in the LXX. and

--
'
i.

3
-
follow-
,
_is a
1
{
4
5

6
7

"
"
Jo. xxi. 15
Acts

P. oviif.
• c?iii.

£• cix „
.
iv.

cxiii "
6
ff.
'
...'^.

in Lc. Hi. 27. As to the doubled see •

10
j
Dalman, Gr. p. 142. .
,u p' cx g
a See Niese's index, p. 46.
ekxvi . AUTHORSHIP
Apart from this objection, the hypothesis of Marcan authorship
has little to reqommend it ; the style of the second Gospel has no
marked affinity with that of the Apocalypse, and its author shews
none of the characteristics of the prophet or the mystic: he
is graphic and can draw a telling picture, but he is not a
visionary and has no eye for the transcendental. The John of
the Apocalypse, if not the son of Zebedee, must be, Dionysius
concludes, some otherwise unknown John who visited Asia 1 ; and
he finds some support for this view in the story he has heard

()
as the
that there were at Ephesus two
tomb of John. To this Eusebius adds that Papias also seems
monuments which passed

to speak of two Johns who were both disciples of the Lord, and
putting the facts together he infers that if the Apocalypse is

not to be ascribed to the Apostle, it was probably the work of the

second John who is known to Papias as the Elder 2 .

The following a*re

•
the words of Papias as reported by Eusebius

' ?
''. ...
:

'
ij

. ,.
Eusebius' «
6
comment is
..
:

yap
ol

/
(i.e.
$
the Elder),

4- Perhaps no conjecture hazarded by an ancient writer has

been so widely adopted in modern times. A conjecture it still

remains, for no fresh light has been thrown on the enigmatic

figure of John the Elder. But this circumstance has not pre-

vented scholars from confidently attributing to him one or more

of the Johannine group of writings. Even in Jerome's time it

was usual to identify the Elder of 2 and 3 John with the second ~

John of Papias.

Hieron. de virr. ill. 9 " Iohannis presbytefi adseruntur, cuius

hodie alterum sepulcru'm apud Ephesum ostenditur." In c. 18 he
speaks of the " opinionem qua a plerisque rettulimus traditum duas
posteriores epistulas Iohannis non apostoli esse sed presbyteri." On
the other hand he holds that both the Gospel and the Apocalypse
were written by the Apostle (c. 9).
1 -ap. Eus. H. E. vii. 25. 2 . E. iii.
39.
 AUTHORSHIP clxxvii

The Apocalypse is now ascribed to the Elder by perhaps

a majority of critics. But recent criticism goes further, and
transfers to the Elder nearly all that has been hitherto given to

the Apostle. There were two Johns in the Apostolic age, but
only one of them was a resident in Asia, and he was the Elder
and not the son of Zebedee. It was the Elder, it is said, and not
the Apostle who was the disciple that Jesus loved, who gave His
name to the Johannine books of the New Testament, and claims
to be the writer of the Apocalypse.

,,.
, '
At this point it will be convenient to collect the traditions which
relate to the residence of John in Asia and his exile to Patmos.
(i) Residence in Asia.

yap
Iren. ii. 22. 5 (ap. Eus. H.E. iii. 23):

[] Ib. iii.
'
],-3- 4 ( • Eus.

. .
H.E, iv. 14): \sc.

iv !) Ib. (.
..
,
Eus.

ad
iii.-

(.
23)

Eus.
:

... .,.
..
(

. 2)
ev

-^ ,
lb. .§

, ?,,* ,.^.,
Elorin. : en,

as ,
. . SiaXe£eis

''• .
Poly-
crates (. Eus. H.E. iii. 31, V. 24):
irefaXov
Of Apollonius
(. E. v.
196-7, Harnack) Eusebius writes
.
..".,
(a.d. 18):

,
rrj
.
(2) Exile to

', / ,
Patmos. Clem. Al. quis dives 42
..

Origen, in Matt.
6
xvi'.
.'
, ,
Tertullian, praescr. 36: "habes B,omam...ubi apostolus Ioannes,

,( /,
.
posteaquam in oleum igneum demersus nihil passus est, in insulam

- ,
relegatur.'' Act. Iohann. 14

'
„
Eus. .. iii.
ib. 88
18
'

(cf ib. 20, 23). Yictorinus in Apoc.

.'
ir .
" quando haec Ioannes' vidit erat in insula Patmos, in metallum

s. e. m
clxxviii AUTHORSHI?
damnatus 1
a Domitiano Caesare. ibi ergo vidit Apocalypsin...et
cum iam senior putaret se per passionem accepturum receptionem,
interfecto Domitiano, omnia eius indicia soluta sunt, et Ioannes de
metallo dimissus sic postea tradidit hanc eandem quam acceperat
a Deo Apocalypsin." 2

6. Read cursorily, this evidence may seem to establish the

identity of John the Apostle with the resident in Asia and

the exile of Patmos. But a more careful examination suggests
caution. The witness of Irenaeus shews beyond a doubt that
a John who had been a disciple of the Lord resided in Asia
within the lifetime of Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna, who was born
(Harnack) in A.D. 6g. A bishop of Ephesus at the end of the
second century asserts that the John who lay on the Lord's breast
was buried at Ephesus and another Asian writer of the same
;

period speaks of a miracle which John the author of the Apoca-

lypse performed in that city. But no second century testimony
except that of the Leucian Acts, excludes the hypothesis that the
John who lived in Asia and wrote the Apocalypse was the Elder,
or compels us to believe that John the Apostle ever resided in
Asia. Moreover it is certainly remarkable that in so many of the
earliest references to him John of Asia is called " the disciple,"
3
and not, expressly at least, the Apostle . Nor is the evidence
for the Apostle's exile toPatmos quite conclusive. It begins
with Clement of Alexandria, and it is chiefly western Irenaeus ;

does not mention the exile from residents in Asia, where the
;

event would have made the deepest impression, no reference to

it is forthcoming. We cannot overlook the possibility that the
tradition rests ultimately on Apoc. i. 9, though against this we
must set the apparent independence of the witnesses, and certain
amplifications of the traditional story, for which the Apocalypse
offers no support.

1 "Down the middle of the island chiefly volcanic" T. C. Fitzpatrick,

run a succession of hills in one of
; visit to Patmos (in Christ's College
them, in the northern half of the island, Magazine, 1887).
"there are cfuarries. , This, perhaps, is 2 On
the source of the statement in
the explanation of the statement that Eus. .
E. iii. 18 see an article by
St John was 'damnatus in metallum,' Prof. Lawlor in J. T. S. for April, 1907.
3
as there do not appear to have been any See Bousset, Die 0£'eribarung,y>. 41 f.,
mines, properly so called. The rock is and in Encycl. Bihl., i., col. 198.
 AUTHORSHIP clxxix

On the whole it may be said that if early Christian tradition

favours the identification of John of Ephesus with the Apostle,
it does not exclude the opposite hypothesis, whether in the
Eusebian form or in that which is now advocated.
7. It would materially assist us in arriving at a decision if

we could ascertain the length of the -Apostle's life. Irenaeus, as

we have seen, represents John, the disciple of the Lord, as having
lived to the time of Trajan, to the year 98 at least.
i.e. That the
Apostle lived to old age is assumed by ancient writers, e.g. by
Clement of Alexandria in his Quis dives 1 , and by Jerome in his

commentary on Galatians. There is, however, some evidence to

be set on the other side. A MS. of Georgius Hamartolus (cent,
book of his
ix.) alleges the authority of Papias, in the second

work, for the statement that John the son of Zebedee was
martyred by the Jews 2 and the reference to Papias is now
,

supported by an extract printed by Dr C. De Boor from an

Oxford MS. of the 7th or 8th century 8 an epitome probably

• ,[]
,

based upon the Chronicle of Philip of Side (cent. v.).

,
The
,
', .
Ooislin MS. of Georgius adds at Chron.
yap 6
iii. 134 :

'.
^, .'!) Boor's fragment runs :

«€ 6 4,
6

With this testimony before us it is not easy to doubt that

Papias made some such statement, for the suggestion of a lacuna,

by Bishop Lightfoot in 1875 5,, is now scarcely tenable,

offered
though it has been lately revived by Harnack 6 But if Papias .

made it, the question remains whether he made it under some

misapprehension, or merely by way of expressing his conviction

-.
Ap^Eus. H.E. iii. 24, 6 ... fragmentist."

'
6 Supernatural Religion,

!5,
p. 212 : "the
2 SeeNolte in /. Quartalsckrift, 1862,
...
sentence may have run in the original
p. 466.

.4
3

,
In Texte u. Untersuchungen
?> 888).
as Dr Sanday points out
(Criticism of the Fourth
"may
(v.

Gospel,']). 251),
quite well have been due to the
2, Sn
&! [ ':
somewhat in this way,

."
-
• Chronologie, i. p. 665 f.
] ivb

m2
clxxx AUTHORSHIP
that the prophecy of Mc. x, 39 had found a literal fulfilment.
Neither explanation is very probable in view of the early date
of Papias 1 . He does not, however, affirm that the brothers
suffered at the same time : the martyrdom of. John at the hand of

the Jews might have taken place at any date before the last days
of Jerusalem. But even if we postpone it to the year 69, and
accept the earlier date of the Apocalypse, the book can hardly
have come from the hand of the son of Zebedee 2 .

8. Thus^ if the statement of Papias is to be allowed to enter

into our calculations, it becomes a very important factor, for it

disposes of the Apostolic authorship of the Apocalypse 3 . If we

believe it, we shall be compelled to attribute the book to an
unknown John, who will probably be the second of the two who
are named in the Eusebian fragment of Papias. To John the
Elder we shall then ascribe the residence in Ephesus and the
exile to Patmos which from the time of Clement of Alexandria
it has been usual to ascribe to John the Apostle. The Elder will
also be, as it seems, the " disciple whom Jesus loved," and whose
personality is felt throughout the Johannine literature. If an
unverifiable reference to a lost book seems too narrow a basis for
so large a superstructure, there is still the chance of a primary
error, a confusion between the Apostle and the Elder, which may
have existed even in the mind of Irenaeus, and have perpetuated
itself in the writings of his successors. On this supposition, again,
the Apocalypse is not the work of the son of Zebedee and probably
comes from the disciple who was not of the Twelve.

9. But there is something to be said on the other side.

The Synoptists have preserved some characteristic recollections of
John the son of Zebedee, from which the reader of the Gospels
may gain an impression of the man. He was one of the three
who formed the inner circle of the Apostolic college, and had

1
Dr Sanday (Criticism, p. 251) writes: statement from the place of St John's
" The natural date for the extraots in Day in early Church Calendars.
this chapter [Eus. H.JE. iii. 39] seems to * Unless we follow Epiphanius, who
me to be circa 100." places the exile and the visions of the
2 Prof. Burkitt (Gospel History and
Apocalypse under Claudius ; see above,
its transmission, p. 252 S.) adds an p.c.
interesting confirmation of Papias's
 AUTHORSHIP clxxxi

shared with Peter and James opportunities which were denied to

the other nine. He was one of the two brethren who received
from the Lord the great name of Boanerges, a word which, what-
ever its exact history, seems to indicate a strenuous nature 1 .
It was John the son of Zebedee who confessed that he forbade
one who did not follow our Lord in the company of His disciples
to use His name for the working of miracles. It was John and
his brother who would have called down fire from heaven upon
the Samaritan villages which refused to receive the Master on
His way to Jerusalem. It was for John and his brother that
their mother sought the nearest, places to the Messiah in the
glory of His Kingdom. In all these respects the Apocalyptist
shews some affinity to the John of the Synoptic Gospels. He is

a son of thunder ; he calls down fire from heaven ; his aversion

to the enemies of the Christ and His Church is whole-hearted.
The hostile Jews of Smyrna and Philadelphia are the synagogue
of Satan Nero, Domitian, the Empire itself so far as it adopts
;

their policy, is the Beast; Rome is Babylon, the mother of the

harlots and of the abominations of the earth. The tone of the book

,
when it lashes the persecutor, the idolater, the 'unclean, is almost
truculent ; the Seer's righteous wrath reaches a white heat. The
conception of the Christ is one which might seem impossible for

the though not for the son of Zebedee as he appears

in the Synoptists. The Christ of the Apocalypse is infinitely
majestic and august, but His predominant characteristic is un-
bounded power, shewing itself in a j ust severity. As the Shepherd,
He rules with a rod of iron ; as the Lamb, He is terrible in His
anger ; as the King, He treads the winepress of the wrath of God.
Only once or twice does the tenderness of our Lord's compassion,
or the intimacy of His fellowship with men make itself felt- in

this book. There are few echoes in the Apocalypse of the intense
sympathy for the suffering and for sinners which the Gospels
associate with the human life of our Lord. The Ascension and
Exaltation account for the power and glory with which He is

irivested by the Apocalyptist, but they do not wholly explain the

1
St Mark 2, p. 60.
clxxxii AUTHORSHIP
changed point of view; we feel that the Revelation o/Jesvs Christ
has passed through a mind which has coloured it with its own
severity, and the colouring is not unlike that which the John of
the Synoptic Gospels might have been expected to impart. This
fact, though far from being decisive
1
, may well lead us to. hesitate

before we definitely reject the attribution of the Apocalypse to

the Apostle John.
10. The subject must not be dismissed without an attempt
to consider, however briefly,the literary relation between the Apo-
calypse and the fourth Gospel. Some of the evidence has been
2
collected in an earlier chapter of this introduction . It appears

to shew that there is an affinity between the two books, extend-

ing occasionally to minute resemblances, but counterbalanced by
differences so profound that the doubt raised by Dionysius
remains unsolved.

(a) The difference of style and language has been explained as

8
due in part to a "difference in the scope of the books ," and in part
to their relative dates, (i) Br Lightfoot calls attention to the
peculiar style of the apocalyptic passages in the Epistles to the
Thessalonians and in 2 Peter; "we seem," he writes, "to have
stumbled on a passage out of the Hebrew prophets," adding that
this " explains also to a great extent the marked difference in style
between the Revelation of St John and his other writings 4 ." But
the analogy of apocalyptic passages in other books of the New
Testament goes only a little way towards explaining the stylistic
eccentricities of the author of the Apocalypse. Even the lxx.
version of the Prophets, uncouth and unintelligible as it often is,
can shew no succession of anomalies comparable to those of the
Revelation of St John. The argument from analogy would be
convincing if the style of the Revelation differed from the style of
the Gospel in the same or nearly the same degree as the apocalyptic
passages in St Paul differ from the rest of his writings. But in the
former case the difference is in truth not one of degree, but of kind.
It is incredible that the writer of the Gospel could have written the
Apocalypse without a conscious effort savouring of literary artifice,
(ii) Is this difficulty removed if we suppose that the Apocalypse
was written twenty or five-and-twenty years before the Gospel?
Dr Westcott (I.e.), arguing for the priority of the Apocalypse, says
that it is " very difficult to suppose that the language of the writer
of the Gospel could pass at a later time in a Greek-speaking country

1 Witness the severity of John the a Cxi.; see especially p. oxxvff.

Elder in 1 Jo. 10 f., and the attitude of 8 Westcott, St John, p. lxxxvi.
the fourth Gospel towards " the Jews." * Notes on the Epp. of St Paul, p. 73 f.
 'AUTHORSHIP clxxxiii

into the language of the Apocalypse," but on the other hand he

thinks that " intercourse with a Greek-speaking people would in a
short time naturally reduce the style of the author of the Apocalypse
to that of the author of the Gospel." To the present .writer the
latter hypothesis is at least as difficult as the former. The writer
of the Apocalypse may not have been either more or less of a Greek
scholar than the writer of the Gospel ; but in their general attitude
towards the use of language they differ fundamentally. The diffe-
rence is due to personal character rather than to relative familiarity
with Greek. And when style expresses individual character it
'
undergoes little material change even in a long life of literary
activity, especially after the age which St John must have reached
in a.d. 69 or 70.
() The differences of thought which distinguish the two
books have never been more successfully delineated than by
,

Dr Westcott in his introduction to the Gospel of St John 1. Of

these, too, he finds a sufficient explanation in the priority of the
Apocalypse 2 : "the differences," in conception as in language,
" answer to differences in situation, and are not inconsistent with
identity of authorship." " Of the two books the Apocalypse is the
earlier. It is less developed both in thought and\style...togo back
from the teaching of the Gospel to that of the Apocalypse... to
reduce the full expression of truth to its rudimentary beginnings,
seems to involve a moral miracle." But, even conceding the priority
of the Apocalypse, can we explain the difference of standpoint by
development 1 \s the relation of the Apocalyptic to the Evangelic
teaching that which exists between rudimentary knowledge and
the maturity of thought ? And is it to be maintained that St John's
conceptions of Christian truths were still rudimentary forty years
after the Ascension, and reached maturity only in extreme old
age?

II. But how are we to explain the affinities of the two

books —the characteristic phrases and ideas, which they have in
common ? It is usual to account for these by saying that all

the Johannine books proceed from the same school, the school of
John of Ephesus, whether the Apostle or the Presbyter. ' Perhaps
it is possible to advance a step further. While the Apocalypse
definitely claims to be the work of John, no such claim is put
forth in the Gospel; for such passages as Jo. xix. 35, xx. 30 f., do

an editorial note
xxi. 24 6 ..
not assert more than that the book contains the testimony of
John, and Jo. .6

which must not be pressed too closely. On the

is

other hand early tradition explicitly states that the Gospel was
1 P. Ixxxv f.
2 On this question see c. ix. of this introduction.
clxxxiv AUTHORSHIP
written from dictation, and, underwent some kind of revision at
the hands of those who received it.

The Muratorian fragment thus describes the genesis of the fourth

Gospel: "quartum 1 euangeliorum Iohannis ex discipulis. cohor-
tantibus condiscipulis et episcopis suis dixit: Conieiunate mihi
hodie triduo et quid cuique fuerit reuelatum alterntrum nobis enar-
remus. eadem nocte reuelatum Andreae ex apostolis ut recognos-
centibus cunctis Iohannes suo nomine cuncta describeret." With
this should be compared the singular statement of a Latin prologue
to the Gospel, printed in "Wordsworth-White (JV. T. Latine, i.
490 f.): "hoc igitur evangelium post apocalypsin scriptum 2 mani-
festum, et datum est ecclesiis in Asia a Iohanne adhuc in corpore
constituto, sicut Papias nomine Hierapolitanus episcopus, discipulus
Iohannis et carus, in exotericis s suis, id est, in extremis quinque

scripsit 4."
tells the same story
' ,...
: . . ---,.
libris, retulit, qui hoc evangelium loharme sub dictante con-
An anonymous Greek writer in the catena of Corderius
.

.'
The first of these statements deserves especial attention. It
belongs the second century, and proceeds from the Church of
1

to.

Rome, which was in frequent communication with the Churches

of Asia Minor, and had recently been visited by Polycarp it may :

even have originated with Polycarp. main points are If its

true, the fourth Gospel was not written by the hand of John,

—
but dictated a word which may be interpreted with some
laxity and it underwent much editorial revision' {recognoscentibus
;

cunctis). In these circumstances

it is possible to conceive of the

writer of the Apocalypse being the author of the Gospel, in

the sense of having supplied the materials from which it was
written.

12.But the question of the authorship of the Apocalypse

must not be complicated by considerations connected with the
still more vexed question of the authorship of the fourth GospeL

1 Cod. quarti. The MSS. haTe, been Essays, p. 69, n. 5 ; Supernatural Be-
tacitly corrected in this extract and the ligion, p. 210 ff.
next * So Cod. Toletanus ; Cod. res. Suet.
2 This is the order usually alleged endsidescripsitveroevangelium.diotante
see e.g. the passages collected by Cors- Johanne recte. (The spelling of the
sen, Monarch. Prologe, p. 801 (in T. u. MSS. has been conformed to the usual
U. xv. 1). orthography.)
s On this word see Lightfoot, Biblical
 AUTHORSHIP '
clxxxv

The issue which lies before the stud6nt of the Apocalypse is in

fact independent of the decision at which the critics of the
Gospel may ultimately arrive. Was the John who wrote the
Apocalypse the Synoptic son of Zebedee ? Was it John the son
of Zebedee who lived in Asia, and was exiled to Patmos, or was it
the mysterious Elder, who is .distinguished by Papias from the
Apostle of the same name ? A fair case may be made for either
view. On the one hand the general character of the book accords
with what the Synoptists relate with regard to the Apostle
John, and the main current of Christian tradition favours this
conclusion. On the other hand, there is some, uncertainty as
to the length of the Apostle's life, and some reason to suspect
that the Apostle and a disciple who was not of the Twelve are
confused in our earliest authorities. While inclining to the
traditional view which holds that the author of the Apocalypse
was the Apostle John, the present writer desires to keep an open
mind upon the question. Fresh evidence may at any time be
produced which will turn the scale in favour of the Elder. There
are those whom this indecision will, disappoint, but it is best
frankly to confess the uncertainty which besets the present state
of our knowledge.
dictum of Dionysius
We cannot yet with safety go far
: ',
Se , dSrjXov.
6 ,
beyond the
 XVI.

TEXT.

. The following Uncial MSS. contain the Greek text of the

Apocalypse, or a part of it.

. Cod. Sinaitieus (iV.). Ed. Tischendorf, 1862.

A. Cod. Alexandrinus (v.). Ed. . M. Thompson, 1879.
C. Cod. Ephraemi Parisiensis (v.). Ed. Tischendorf, 1843.
—
Contains Apoc. i. I iii. 19, v. 14 vii. 14, vii. 17 —
viii. 5, ix. 16 —
x. 10, xi. 3 xvi. 13, xviii. 2 xix. 5. — —
P. Cod. Porfirianus Chiavensis (ix.)• Ed. Tischendorf (in
mon. sacra ined. vi.), 1869; cf. Gregory, Prolegomena,
p. 417. Contains Apoc. i. I — xvi. 12, xviL I —xix. 21,
xx. 9 —
xxii. 6.

Q (= B 2 ). Cod. "Vaticanus Gr. 2066, olim Basiliensis 105 (viii.).

Ed. Tischendorf (inapp. .
T. Vatic.), 1867; cf. Gregory,
Prolegomena, p. 435.

J. Cod. Kosinitsanus (ix.) see Scrivener-Miller, i., p. 377;

:

Gregory, Textkritik des .

T., i., p.- 96 ; Kenyon, Hand-
book to the textual criticism of the JV. T.,j>. 104. VonSoden,
v
Die Schriften des N. T., 1. i. p. 104, locates it at Drama.
Not yet edited or collated. This MS. contains the whole
of the N. T., ,in the order v. Acts Cath. Apoc. Paul.

2. Thus at present there are available only three complete

and two imperfect uncials of the. Apocalypse.• The minuscules

also are comparatively few; while we have 1725 MSS. of the
Gospels, 520 of the Acts and Catholic Epistles, and 619 of Paul,
those of the Apocalypse do not reach 230 1 . The following list

is based on Dr C. R. Gregory's Prolegomena to Tischendorf and

Textkritik.
1 The numbers are von Soden's (1902).
 TEXT clxxxvii

1. Maihingen, Libr. of the Prince of Ottingen-Wallerstein

(xii. or xiii.). The only MS. used by Erasmus in 1516 for
the Apocalypse Rediscovered by Delitzsch in 1861
1
. :

collated by Tregelles in 1862.

2. Paris, Bibl. Nat. Gr. 237 (x.) = Acts' 10, Paul 12.

[3. A MS. cited by Stephen : otherwise unknown.]

4.' Paris, Bibl. Nat. Gr. 219 (xi;) = Acts 12, Paul 16.

[5. Readings cited by Laurentius Valla a.

1440.J
6. Oxford, Bodl. Barocc. 3 (xi.) = Acts 23, Paul 28.
7. London, Brit. Mus. Harl. 5537 (a.d. 1087) ='Acts 25,
Paul 31.
8. London, Mus. Harl. 5778 (xn.) = Acts 28, Paul
Brit. 34.
9. Oxford, Bodl. Misc. Gr. 74 (xi.) = Acts 30, Paul 36.

10. Cambridge, Univ. Dd. ix. 69 (xv.) = Ev. 60.

[11. 'Petavius 2 = Acts 39, Paul 45, has disappeared.]
12. Rome, Vat. Reg. Gr. 179 (xv.) = Acts 40, Paul 46.
13. Frankfort on Oder, Lyceum (xi.) = Paul 48. ,

14. Leicester, Libr. of the Town Council (xv.) =

Acts 31, v. 69,
Paul 37.
15. Basle, Univ. A.N. iii. 12 (?) annexed to Cod. of the
:

Gospels, but in a later hand ; contains only Apoc.

iii. 3 — iv. 8.

16. Hamburg, City Libr. (xv.) = Acts 45, Paul 52.

17. Paris, Bibl. Nat.; CoisL Gr. 199 (xi.) = Ev. 35, Acts 14,
Paul 18.

18. Paris, Bibl. Nat., Coisl. Gr. 202 (xn.) = Acts 18, Paul 22.
19. Paris, Bibl. Nat., Coisl. Gr. 205 (x.) = Acts 17, Paul 21.
20.' Rome, Vat. Libr.,• Gr. 2080 (x. or xi.) = Ev. 175, Acts 41,
Paul 194.
2i. Rome, Vallicelli D. 20 (xv.).

22. Rome, 86 (xiv.) = Acts 166, Paul 204.

Vallicelli B.

23. Plorenee, Laur. Conv. Soppr. 53 (a.d. 1331) = Ev. 367,

Acts 146, Paul 182..'
24. Rome, Vat. Gr. 2062 (x. or xi.) = Acts 160, Paul 193.
25. Rome, Vat. Palat. Gr. 171 (xv.) = Ev. 149, Acts 77
Paul 88.
26. Oxford, Christ Ch. Wake 12 (xi. or xn.) = Ev. 506,
Acts 199, Paul 256.
27. Oxford, Christ Ch. Wake 34 ' (xi. or xn.) = Ev. 517,
Acts 190, Paul 244.
28. Oxford, Bodl. Barocc. 48 (xv.) : ends at xvii. 5.

1 On the text of Erasmus see Hort, introd^to WH. , § 346.

clxxxviii TEXT
29. London, Brit. Mus. Harl. 5613 (a.d. 1407) = Acta 60,
Paul 63.
30. Wolfenbiittel, xvi. 7 (xiv.) = Acts 69•
31. London, Brit. Mus. Harl. 5678 (xv.)
32. Dresden, Reg. A
124 (xv.).
33. Vienna, Imp. Gr. th. 23 (xm.) = Ev. 218, Acts 65, Paul 57 :

—
wants xiii. 5^xiv. 8, xv. 7 xvii. 2, xviii. 10 xix. 15, —
xx. 7 — xxii. 31.

34. "Vienna, Imp. Gr. th. 302 (xi.) = Acts 66, Paul 67 ; wants
xv. 6 —xvii. 3, xviii. 10 —
xix. 9, xx. 8 xxii. 21. —
35. .Vienna, Imp. Gr. th. 307 (xiv.).
36. Vienna, Imp. Libr. suppl. Gr. 93 (xm.).
>
37. Borne, Vat. Gr. 366 (xv.) = Acts 72, Paul 79.
38. Rome, Vat. Gr. 579 (xv.).
39. Rome, Vat. Gr.
vi. 18 —
1
xiii. 11.
136 a (xiv.) = Paul 85 ; wants i. 1
— 3, 17 ;

40. Rome, Vat. Gr. 1160' (xm. or xiv.) = v. 141, Acts 75,
Paul 86.
41. Rome, Vat. Reg. Gr. 68 (xv.).
42. Rome, Vat. Pius II Gr. 50 (xn.) = Acts 80, Paul 91.
43. Rome, Barb. iv. 56 (xiv.). Contains Apoc. xiv. 17
xviii. 20.

44. Rome, Propag. L. vi. 19 (xiv.) = Ev. 180, Acts 82,

Paul 92.
45. Florence, Laur•. iv. 32 (a.d. 1092) = Acts 89, Paul 99.
46. Venice, St Mark's 10 (xv.) = Ev. 209, Acts 95, Paul 108.
47. Dresden, Reg. A 172 (xi.) = Ev. 241, Acts 104, Paul 120.
48. Moscow, Syn. 380 (xn.) = Ev.' 242, Acts 105, Paul 121.
49. Moscow, Syn. 67 (xv.).
50. Moscow, Syn. 206 (xv.).
51. Paris, Nat. Gr. 47 (a.d. 1364)= Ev. 18, Acts 113, Paul 132.
52. Paris, Nat. Gr. 56 (xri.) = Acts 51, Paul 133.
53. Paris, Nat. Gr. 59 (xv.) = Acts 116, Paul 136.
[54. Vacant.]
55. Paris, Nat. Gr. 101 (xm.) = Acts Paul 138.
118,
56. Paris, Nat. Gr. 102 (xm. or xiv.) = Acts
119, Paul 139.
57. Paris, Nat. Gr. 124 (xvi.) = Ev. 296, Acts 124, Paul 149.
58. Paris; Nat. Gr. 19 (xv. or xvi.).

59. Paris, Nat. Suppl. Gr. 99 (xv. or xvi.).

[60. Vacant.]
61. Paris, Nat. Gr. 491 (xm. or xiv.); contains i. I — xxii. 8..
62. Paris, Nat. Gr. 239 (a.d. 1422).
 TEXT clxxxix

63. Paris, Nat. Gr. 241 (xvi.).

64. 224 (xt.) = Paul 159.
Paris, Nat. Gr.
65. Moscow, Univ. 25 (xn.) ; contains xvi. 20 — xxii. 21.

[66. Vacant.]
67. Rome, Vat. Gr. 1743 (a.d. 1301).

68. Rome, Vat. Gr. 1904 (xi. or xn.). Contains Apoc. i. 11

ii. 20, iii. 16 —vi. 9, vii. 17 —ix. 5, xxi. —
18 xxii. 21.
69. Rome, Vat. Ottob. 258 (xiv.) = Acts 161, Paul 198; a
Graeco-Latin text. Wants xviii. 22 xxii. 21.—
70. Rome, Vat. Ottob. 66 (xiv.) = Ev. 386, Acts 151, Paul 199.
[71. Vacant.]
72. Rome, Chigi R. iv. 8 (xvi.).
73. Rome, Gorsini 41 E. 37 (xv.).
74. Venice, St Mark's 546 (xi.) = Acts 140, Paul 215.
75. Florence, Laur. iv. 30 (x.) = Acts 86, Paul 96.
[76. Vacant; = 75.]
77. Florence, Laur. vii. 9 (xvi.).
78. Rome, Vat. Ottob. Gr. 176 (xv.) = Paul 197.
79. Rome, Vat. Gr. 656 (xiv.).
79 a. Munich, Reg. Gr. 248 (xvi.).
80. Munich, Reg. Gr. 544 (xiv.).
81. Munich, Reg. Gr. 23 (xvi.).
82. Munich, Reg. 211 (xi.) = Acts 179, Paul 128.
83. Turin, Univ. B. v. 8 (302) (xm.) = Ev. 339, Acts 135,
Paul 170.
84. Florence, Riccardi 84 (xv.) = Ev. 368, Acts 150.
85. Jerusalem, Holy Sep. 9 (xm.) = Acts 184, Paul 232.
86. St Saba 10 (xiv.) = Ev. 462, Acts 187, Paul 235.
87. Berlin, Reg. Phillipps 1461 (xiv. and xv.) = Acts 178,
Paul 242; wants xiv. 4 14, xxi. 12 xxii. 21.— —
88. Venice, St Mark's 5 (xv.) = Ev. 205, Acts 93, Paul 106.
89. St Saba 20 (xm.) = Ev. 466, Acts 189, Paul 237.
90. Dresden,• Reg. A. 95 (xn.).
91. Rome, Vat. Gr. 1209 (xv.) = Paul 293 [the supplement of
Cod. B, to' be found in Vercellone and Cozza's edition,
(1868),and in the recent photographic reproduction of
the Vatican Codex (. T.)].
92. Dublin, Trin. A. 4. 21 (xvi.) = Ev. 61, Acts 34, Paul
'

4°-
93. London, Lambeth 1186 (xi.) = Paul 290; wants xiv. 16
xv. 7; xix. 4 xxii. 21. —
94. London, Brit. Mus. Add. 11837 (a.d. 1357) = Ev. 201,
Acts 91, Paul 104.
95. Parham, Curzon 82. 17 (xi. or xn.).
cxc . TEXT
j

96. Parham, Curzon 93. 28 1 (xiv.).

97. London, Brit. Mus. Add. 17469 (xiv.) = Ev. 498, Acts 198,
Paul 255.
98. '

Oxford, Bodl. Canon, gr. 34 (a.d. 1515) = Ev. 522,

Acts 200, Paul 257; wants ii. 11 23. —
99. Naples, Nat. ii. Aa. 7 (xn.) = Acts 83, Paul 93.
100. Naples, Nat. ii. Aa. 10 (xiv. or xv.).
101 Petersburg, Muralt 129 (xv.).
102. Paris, Nat. Armen. 9 (xi.) = Acts 301, Paul 259; wants
xix. 16 — xxii. zi.

103. Perrara, Univ. 188 NA. 7 (a.d. 1334) = Ev. 582, Acts 206,
Paul 262.
104. St Saba 20 (xi.) = Acts 243, Paul 287.
105. Athens, Nat. (43), Sakk. 94 (xn.) = Acts 307, Paul 469 ;

—
Ap. xxi. 27 xxii. 21 in a later hand.
106. Zittau, Town Libr. A. 1 (xv.) = Ev. 664, Acts 253,
Paul 303.
107. Cheltenham, 7682 (xi.) = Ev. 680, Acts 255, Paul 305.
108. Highgate, Burdett-Coutts ii. 4 (xi.) = Ev. 699, Acts 256,
Paul 306.
- 109. Venice, St Mark's 6 (xv. or xvi.) = Ev. 206, Acts 94,
Paul 107.
no. Athens, Nat. th. 12, Sakk. 150 (xiii. or xiv.) = Ev. 757,
Acts 260, Paul 309.
in. Athens, Nat. 67 s1 Sakk. 107 (xm.) = Ev. 792.
,

112. Athens, Mamouka (xn.) = Ev. 808, Acts 265, Paul 314.
113. Grottaferrata A', a'. 1 (xiv.) = Ev.' 824, Acts 267, Paul 316.
114. Pome, Vat. Gr. 1882 (xiv.) = Ev. 866. Contains Apoc.
vi. 17- —
xiii. 2 in Greek and Latin..

115. Eome, Vat. Reg. Gr. 6 (a.d. 1454) = Ev. 886, Acts 268,
Paul 317.
116. Athos, Greg. 3 (a.d. 1116) = Ev. 922, Acts 270, Paul 320.
117. Athos, Esphigm. 186 (xiv.) = Ev. 986, Acts 277, Paul 326.
118. Athos, Laur. (xiv.) = Ev. 1072, Acts 284, Paul 333.
119. Athos, Laur. (Xiv.) = Ev. 1075, Acts 286, Paul 334.
120. Athos, Panteleem. xxix. (xiv.) = Ev. 1094, Acts 287,
Paul 335.
121. Paris, Nat. Coisl. 224 (xi.) = Acts 250, Paul 299.
122. Athens, Nat. th. 217, Sakk. 490 (xiv.) = Acts 251, Paul 301.
123. Paris, Nat. Suppl. Gr. 159 (xiv.) = Ev. 743, Acts 259;
124. Athens, Nat. (64), Sakk. 91 (xn.) = Acts 309, Paul 300;
wants xviii. 22— xxii. 21.
125. Escurial, . iii. 6 (xi.) = Acts 235.
126. Escurial, . iii. 18 (x.) = Acts 236.
 TEXT , exci

127. Lesbos, (ix. or x.) = Acts 323, Paul 429.

128. "Venice, St Mark's U.-114 (a.d. 1069)= Acts 332, Paul 434.
129. Linkoping, Dioc. Libr. 14. 35 (x. or xi.) = Acts 334,
Paul 436.
130. Athos, Iveron' 25 (xi.) = Acts 359, Paul 45 2 [see p. cxcvi.].

131. Athos, Iveron. 60 (xm.) = Acts 362, Paul 455.

132. Athos, Paul = Acts 374, Paul 463.
2 (ix.)

133.• Chalcis, schol. 26 (x.) = Acts 384, Paul 355.

134. Chalcis, schol. 96 (xn.) = Acts 386, Paul 357.

135. Sinai, 279 (xv.) = Acts 399, Paul 367 contains i. ; 1 — xiii. 8.

136. Vienna, Imp. Gr. th. 69 (a.d. 1507).

137. Yienna, Imp. Gr. th. 163 (xv.).

138. Yienna, Imp. Gr. th. 220 (xv.).

39. Paris, Nat. Gr. 240 (a.d. 1543).

140. Paris, Nat. Coisl. Gr. 256 (xi. or xn.).

141. Athens, (.).
142. Escurial, T. iii. 17 (x.).

143. Escurial, X. iii. 6i(a.d. 1 107).

144. Madrid, O. 19, no. 7 (xvi.).
145. Florence, Laur. vii. 29 (xvi.); contains i. 1 — vii. 5.
146. Messina, Univ. s99 (xiii. ).
147. Modena, Este iii. E..I (xv. or xvi.).
148. Modena, Este iii.' F.. 12 (xv.).
149. Rome, Angel. A. 4. 1 (xiv. or xv.).
150. Rome, Angel. B. 5. 15 (xv.).
151. Rome, Chigi R.V. 33 (xiv.).
152. Rome, Yat. Gr. 370 (xi.).
153. Rome, Yat. Gr. 542 (a.d. 1331).
154. Rome, Yat. Gr. 1190 (xv. or xvi.).
155. Rome, Vat. Gr. 1426 (xmi.).
156. Milan, Ambr. H. 104. sup. (a.d. 1434) = Acts 139,
Paul 174.
157., Rome, Yat. Gr. 1976 (xvi.).

158. Rome, Yat. Gr. 2129 (xvi.).

159. Rome, Yat. Ottob. Gr. 154 (xv.).

160. Rome, Yat. Ottob. Gr. 283 (a.d. 1574).
161. Rome, Yat. Palat. Gr. 346 (xv.).
162. Yenice, St Mark's i. 40 (xvi.).

163. Yenice, St Mark's ii.

54 (xv. or xvi.).

164. Athos, Anna (a.d. 1356).

165. Athos, Vatoped. 90.

cxcu TEXT
166. Athos, Vatoped. 90 (2) (1).
167. Athos, Dionys. 163 (ad. i622)=Evst. 642, Apost. 170.
168. Athos, Docheiar. 81 (a.d. 1798).
169. Athos, Iveron 34 (xiv.).
170. Athos, Iveron 379 (x.).
171. Athos, Iveron 546 (xiv.).
172. Athos, Iveron 594 (xvn.).
173. Athos, Iveron 605 (a.d. 1601);
174. Athos, Iveron 644 (a.d. 1685).
175. Athos, Iveron 661 (a.d. 1562).
176. Athos, Konstamon. 29 (xvi.).
177. Athos, Konstamon. 107 (xin.).
178. Patmos, St John 12(xiv.) = Apost. 161.

179. Patmos, St John 64 (xn.).

180. Florence, Laur.Conv.Soppr. 150 (xn.)=Acts 149, Paul 349:

Graeco-Latin.
ini) = Acts

-
181. London, Brit. Mus. Add. 28816 (a.d. 205,
Paul 477.
182. Dresden, Peg. A. 187 (xvi.).

183. Saloniki, (.) = Apost. 163.

184. Leyden, Univ. Isaac Voss Gr. 48 (a.d. 1560).
185. Cambridge, Univ. (xi. or xn.) = Ev. 1277, Acts 418,
Paul 484.
186. Athos, Pantocr. 44 (x.); contains xii. 4 — xxii. 21 [see
p. cxcvi.].

187. [Greg. 495.] Jerusalem, Patr. 38 (xi.) = Acts (Paul) 495.

188. [Greg. 500.] Jerusalem, Patr. Saba 665 (xi.) = Acts (Paul)

500.
189. [Greg. 501.] Jerusalem, Patr. Saba 676 (xn.) = Acts (Paul)
501.
190. [Greg. 504.] Jerusalem, Patr. Staur. 57 (xn.• —xm.) =
, Acts 504, Evl. 991 b.
191. [Greg. 506.] Constantinople, Holy Sep. 303. 2 (xiv.).

/
192. [Greg. 511.] Athens, Nat. Sakk. 142 (xv.).
193. [Greg. 1328.] Jerusalem, Patr. Saba 101 (xiv.) = Ev. 1328.
194. [Greg. 1380.] Athos, Greg. 3 (a.d. iii2) = Ev. (Acts, Paul)
1380.
195. [Greg. 1384.] Andros,
Paul) 1384.
13 (.) = . (Acts,

Von Soden {Die Schriften des JHf.T. I. i. p. 289) raises the

number of Apocalypse MSS. to 229, of which 223 are cursives.
 TEXT cxcm

Of the cursive texts, so far as they are known, the following

are perhaps specially noteworthy: I, 6, 7, 12, 14, 31, 36, 38, 91,

92, 93,95, 130, 152, 170, 186. An appreciation of the available

uncials is given by Dr Hort in his introduction to The N.T. in
the original Greek, § 344. *

3. The ancient Versions of the Apocalypse are as follows :

I. Latin '(latt.).
1
(a) Old Latin (lat*') .

g. Cod. Holmiensis (nil.), known as Gigas, from its size ; a

Bohemian MS. now at Stockholm. Ed. Belsheim, 1878.
The text of the Apoca-lypse is " late European " (WH,
Intr. § 11 6); " scheint italienischer Art zu sein " (Gregory,
Tk. p. 608).
h (or reg). Cod\ Floriacensis (vn.), formerly at Pleury, now
at Paris. Ed. Berger, 1889. Offers, according to WH.,
,

I.e., "a purely African text." Contains only Apoc. i. 1 24, —

viii. 7 — ix. 12, xi. 16 — xii. 5, xii. 6 — 14, xiv. 15 — xvi. 5^
m. Text of the Apocalypse in the Speculum, (a Pseudo-
Augustinian treatise de divinis scripturis). The book is
edited by Weihrich in the Vienna Corpus scr. eccl. lai.,
vol. xii. p. 296 ff. (1887). The fragments of the N..T.
text are collected by Belsheim (1899). Hort (Gregory,
Tk. p. 606) was disposed to regard the . T. text of the
Speculum as Spanish, or a recension parallel to the European
text.
Prim. Text of the Apocalypse in the commentary of Primasius'
(vi.).Ed. Haussleiter, 1891 (in Zahn's Forschungen, iv.).
() Vulgate (lat v*).
am. Cod. Amiatinus (c. A.D. 700).
demid. Cod. Demidovianus (xii.).
fuld. Cod. Puldensis (vi.).
harl. Harleianus (ix.).
Cod.
4 5 6
lipss. ' •
Codd. Lipsienses (xiv., xv.).
•

tol. Cod. Toletanus (viii.).

vg.cie. Edition of the Vulgate issued by Clement VIII. in
1592 (Vercellone, Biblia sacra vulgatae editionis Sixti V. et
Clementis VIII. iussu recognita atque edita. Romae, 1861).
II. Syrian (syrr).

(a) Supplement to the Vulgate Syriacor Peshitta (syr., Gwynn's

2). Ed. Leusden and Schaaf, Leyden 1708, 17 17. The
canon of the true Peshitta did not contain the Apocalypse
(above, p. cxv.), and the version of this book printed in
Schaafs edition and originally published by De Dieu in
1 On the Old Latin version (or ver- 2— 12, xi. 18 —
xii. 11, xv. 4 —
xvi. 5 is
sions) of the Apocalypse see H. Linke, given in J.T.S. viii. 29 (Oct. 1906),
Studien zur Itala, i. ; Breslau, 1889. p. 96 ff., but it adds little of importance
- Afresh reading of ft in Apoc. ix. for our purpose.

s. R.
cxciv TEXT
1629 is that of Thomas of Harkel (a.d. 616), as has been
placed beyond doubt bynotes appended to aFlorentine MS.
1

() A version printed in 1897 by Dr Gwynn , Regius Professor

2

of Divinity in the University of Dublin (syi* "•, Gwynn,'s S),

1

from a MS. (xn.) in the library of the Earl of Crawford and

Balcarres. As Dr Gwynn shews 3, syrsw is prior to syr.,
-

and is probably " the work of Poly carpus, and belongs to

his version of the whole New Testament into Syriac, the
Philoxenian proper of a.d. 508."
Thus our extant Syriac texts of the Apocalypse corre-
spond in character with the Philoxenian and Harkleian
versions respectively. The book was not included in the
canon of the Peshitta.
III. Armenian (arm).
On the editions of the Armenian N. T. see St Mark, p. ci.
Zohrab held that the Apocalypse was not translated into Armenian
before the eighth century, and Goussen (Studia tlieologiea, ii.), while
printing a version of the Apocalypse which he calls antiquissima
and regards as based on a copy of extraordinary age (mirae vetus-
tatis exemplar habuisse videtur fontem), pronounces the ordinary
.
Armenian Apocalypse to be a work of cent, xn.4
Since th'e publication of the first edition of this commentary,
Mr F. C. Conybeare has issued his promised edition of the Armenian
Apocalypse, under the auspices of the Text and Translation Society.
Besides the Armenian text and an English translation the book
contains a critical introduction, in which Mr Conybeare shews (i)
that the Apocalypse was admitted into the Armenian canon through
the influence of Nerses of Lambron in the twelfth century ; and (2)
that Nerses produced a recension in which he revised an older
version traceable to the first years of the fifth century. Mr Conybeare
has used four MSS. which give pre-Nersesian texts, viz., a Bodleian
MS. dated a.d. 1307 (1), a British Museum MS. (2), a MS. of the
Bibliotheque Nationale at Paris (3), and a Jerusalem MS. dated
a.d. 1 191 (4). His collations have been employed in this edition to
correct and, to some extent, supplement' Tischendorf's references to
the Armenian version.
IV. Egyptian (aegg).
(a) Memphitic dr Bohairic (me). Ed. D. "Wilkins, 1717;
G. Horner, 1898 —
1905. Mr Horner prints the text of
the Apocalypse from the Curzon MS. 128, with the variants
of ten other MSS. In the present edition of this com-
mentary the readings of me have been corrected with
the help of Mr Horner's translation of his text.
() Thebaic or Sahidic (the). Large fragments of the Sahidic
Apocalypse are known to have survived, including cc, i.
1 See a paper contributed to Herma- memoir in the Transactions of the
thena (x., no. xxiv., 1898) by Dr Gwynn, Royal Irish Academy for 1891.
s
to whose kindness I owe this information. Gwynn, Apocalypse, pp. xciii., xcvii.
a His edition was preceded by a 4 Gregory, Tk. ii. p. 368.
 TEXT cxcv

13 — 6
ix. 21, x. —
xvi. 18, xvii. 2 —
xviii. 2, xviii. 12 23, —
xviii. 25 —
xix. 2, xix. 7 —
xxi. 9, xxi. 25 —
xxu- 21 1 . Some
of these have been collected by Amelineau (Zeitschri/t f.
Aeg. Spraehe, xxvi. 1888), and Goussen {Apocalypsis S.
2
lohannis Apostoli, Leipzig, 189s) .
,

The Apocalypse seems to have formed no part of the original

Bohairic or Sahidic .
T., or at any rate it was held to foe of
inferior authority ; for with few exceptions it is written separately
from the rest of the .
T., and it is not represented in the Copto-
arabic vocabularies 3 .

V. Ethiopia (aeth).
Roman edition, — Ed.
1548 9. Piatt, 1826 — 1830 (1874). Cf.
Dr Charles in Hastings, D. B. i. p. 791.

VI. Arabic (ar).

,Ed. Erpe, Leyden, 1616; Paris polyglott, 1645 ; Roman edition

of 1703. Cf. Prof. Burkitt in Hastings, D. B. i. p. 136 ff.
The Arabic versions of the Apocalypse are said to "yary greatly,"
4
and to shew the influence of the Coptic and Syriac .

In their L'Apocalypse en Frcmcais, MM. Paul Meyer and Del isle

have printed a twelfth century version of which the earliest MSS.
are written in the Anglo-Norman dialect. English versions of the
French Apocalypse were current in the fourteenth century, and on
one of these the later Wycliffite version was based. An interesting
account of the early English Apocalypse is given by Miss A. C. Paues,
late Fellow of Newnham College, Ph. D., Upsala, in her degree,
thesis : A
fourteenth century English Biblical Version (Cambridge,
1902, 1904). Miss Paues, to whom this information is due, is pre-
paring for publication a fuller description of these versions.

4. The patristic evidence for the text of the Apocalypse, if not

so extensive as in the case of some of the other books of- the New
Testament, is both early and important. The book is cited,
sometimes in large contexts, by Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Origen, and
Methodius, and, among Latin fathers of the Ante-Nicene period, by
Tertullian and Cyprian, and
by Augustine. But the most important
witness under this head is Primasius, whose commentary retains its
original text, and has secured for the Apocalypse " the unique ad-
vantage of having been preserved in a Latin text at once continuous
and purely African 6." The African text of Tyconius also is repre-
1 This information is due to the kind- 8 Scrivener-Miller,
ii. p. 1
23 ; Gregory,
ness of Mr Homer. Cf. Gregory, pro- prolegg. 861, 864, Tfe. ii. pp. 531, 534;
legg* p. 865 ; Tk. ii. p. 337. specimen Horner, iii. p. x. See above, p. cxvii.
of a British Museum fragment is given 4 Burkitt,
I.e. Scrivener-Miller, ii.
by Dr Kenyon (p. 160). p. 162 f.; Gregory, prolegg. p. 929 f.
2 F.
Eobinson in Hastings, D. B., p. 5 Hort (introduction
to WE, § 117).
66g; Gregory, Tk. ii. p. 537. '
cxcvi TEXT
sented, probably with fair accuracy, in the pseudo-Augustinian
homilies 1 which embody much of his commentary. On the com-
mentary of Victorinus some doubt still rests, and his text, as printed,

is largely Vulgate in character. In the MSS. of the" commentary

of Andreas the Greek text of the Apocalypse varies considerably 2 ;

its evidence has been used in the apparatus of this edition only
where the MSS. agree.
5. The grouping of the authorities for the text of the
Apocalypse is a task of more than ordinary difficulty, for, as
Dr Hort remarks, "historical landmarks are obscure, and familiar
documents assume a new position 3." Since Dr Hort's Introduction
was written, much has been done to bring the problem nearer to
a solution, and the student of the text will find help in various
directions from the following writers: Weiss,• .Die Johannes-
Apokalypse (in Texte und Untersuchungen VII. 1, 1891); Bousset,
Zur Textkritik der Apokalypse (in T. u. U. xi. 4, 1894); Bousset, Die
Offenbarung Johannis, 1 896; Haussleiter, Die lateinische Apokalypse
der alten afrikanischen Kirche (in Zahn's Forschungen IV., 1891);
Gwy'nn, The Apocalypse of St John, in a Syriac Version (1897).
The text of the present edition will be found to differ only in
a few places 4 from that of Westcott and Hort, although the editor
has held himself free in each case to follow to the best of his own
judgement the leading of the evidence. In the apparatus he has
used the materials collected in Teschendorf's editio octava critica

maior (1872), as amended in Gregory's prolegomena iii. (i894) 5,

and he has added to them the evidence of Dr Gwynn's Syriac,
and of two early Athos minuscules (130, 186 6 ), which were
kindly photographed for his use by Professor Lake, of Oxford '

and Leyden. It is hoped that an apparatus thus constructed, though

far from complete, will be sufficient to provide the student of the
Apocalypse with opportunities of testing for himself the principles
of criticism which the works enumerated above will suggest.

1 Migne
P. L. xxxv. Of. the citations
in the Regulae of Tyoonius (ed. Bur-
kitt, pp. 3, 50, 59, 60 f., 71, 82).
2 For those used by Tisohendorf
see
Gregory prolegg. p. 1160.
8 WH., § 344.
Introduction to
4 The more important of these
discussed in the commentary,
5 Pp.
1298 — 1-302.
* On these MSS. see Lambros, Cata-
logue of the Greek MSS. on Mt Athos, i.
p. 97, ii. p. 3. It may be added that a-
freiA collation has been made of cod.
are A, from the London photograph.
 XVII.

COMMENTARIES 1
.

The literature of the Apocalypse is immense, but it is un-

equally distributed in regard both to time and to place of origin.
From the Greek-speaking East, which produced, the book, no
exposition has reached us which is earlier than the sixth century,
and none of any importance which is later than the tenth. The
West, on the other hand, began to comment upon St John's
prophecy in the time of Diocletian, and has occupied itself with
Apocalyptic problems from the days of Irenaeus to our own.
The following list is fairly, complete so far as regards the
patristic period, but from the age of Charlemagne to the end of
the Middle Ages it has been thought sufficient to notice the more
important commentaries. Since the invention of printing the
output of books upon the Apocalypse has steadily increased, and
a bare enumeration of them would occupy more space than we
can afford. Only those have been mentioned which possess some
permanent value, or may be regarded as representative of the
several schools of Apocalyptic interpretation.

A. Greek commentaries.
Melito, Bishop of Sardis, who nourished under Marcus
Aurelius, wrote, according to Eusebius, H.E. iv. 26, wepl

1 For a detailed account of commen- winch I have not been able to consult,
taries on the Apocalypse see Liicke, Elliott {florae Apocalypticae, iv . pp. 275
Versuch einer vollstdndigen Einleitung — 528) is especially full on the post-
in die Offenbarung des Iohannes (Bonn, Eeformation period, but must be used
1852), pp. 951 —
1070; and Bousset, Die with caution; his zeal for the anti-
Offenbarung Iohannis neu bearbeitet papal interpretation leads him at times
(Gottingen, 1896), pp. 5 c —
141. Liicke to do scant justice to writers, whether
refers to Stosch, Gatalogus rariorum in Boman Catholic or Protestant, who take
Apoc. Ioannis commentariorum, a book another view.
cxcviii

/s
'

'/'
COMMENTARIES
'
probably a treatise on the
Devil in which certain passages in the Apocalypse (e.g. cc. xii., xx.)
—

].
came under discussion.
Origen, in Ps. tit.
A
fragment of this work may survive in
MeXi'riov yovv iv rrj ' . 1

. .,
iii. :

[sc.

rjj
On a Pseudo-Melito super Apocalypsin see Harnack,
Gesch. I. p. 254.
Irenaeus (ii.). A
at Altenberg by Martene and
MS. found
Durand 8 bore the Herenei Lugdunensis episcopi in Apocalypsin,
title
but it proved to contain extracts from later writers as well as
from Irenaeus. The statement of Jerome, de virr. illustr. ii. 9,
" Apocalypsin, quam interpretantur Iustinus martyr et Hirenaeus,"
is satisfied by the expositions of certain Apocalyptic passages which
are found in their works (cf. Harnack, Gesch. i. p. 272).
Hippolytus (ii. — iii.). Jerome (op. cit. 61) says of this profuse
writer " scripsit nonnullos in scripturas commentaries, e quibus
:

&,
haec repperi...2)e Apocalypsi." The exact title of this work is given
on the back of the Chair as

remarks :
Igj&nhn
on which Lightfoot (Clement ii. p. 374; cf. p. 420)
" from the preposition (virep, not wepi), and from the
association of the two words together, it is a safe inference that
'
6[]~
this was an apologetic work directed against those persons who
objected to both works alike," i.e. the so-called Alogi. Harnack,
on the other hand, writes (Gesch. ii. p. 642): " De Apocalypsi ist
wahrscheinlich...als besonderes Werk zu betrachten... welches wahr-

1 und 17. 10)."

Clement of Alexandria
14, commented in his
excepting the antilegomena 3
Origen
-
scheinlich auch Andreas fur seinen Commentar benutzt hat (zu c. 13.

(ii.

known, intended to expound the Apocalypse

(iii.), it is

cf. in Matt. § 49 (Lommatzsch) " omnia haec exponere singillatim

— iii.),

:
-cis on
according to Eusebius, H.E.yi.
all the canonical books not

...non est temporis huius; exponentur autem tempore suo in

Eevelatione Ioannis...horum autem principal.es expositiones atque
probationes oportet fieri cum ipse liber propositus f uerit nobis ad
exponendum." But the commentary on Matthew was probably one
of his later works, belonging to his sixtieth year (a.d. 246*), and, as
his' death followed in 253, it must be feared that he did not succeed
in reaching the Apocalypse ; certainly no fragments of homilies or
a commentary on that book from his pen have been produced.
Oecumenius (vi.), Bishop of- Tricca in Thessaly. complete
(
A
commentary under this name has been discovered in a Messina MS.
(cod. S. Salvatore 99, xii.) B by Dr Diekamp, who described it in .
1

2
Harnack, Geechichte, i. p. 248. D.C.B,
e
iv. p. m.
See their Voyages Litterairex, ii. The work also found, but in »
ie
p. 260, cited by Harnaok, Gesch. i. shorter form, in a Turin MS. (cod. gr.
p. 264. 84) and the Eoman MSS. Vat. gr. 1426,
8 Of.
4
Zahn, Forschungen, iii. p. 154 ft. Ottob. gr. 126 8. —
Westcott in Smith and Wace's
 COMMENTAKIES cxcix

/?
schaflenior 1901 (p. 1046 ff.) 1 .

. ),
It claims to have been
-
the Berlin Sitzungsberichte der kon. preuss. Akademie der Wissen-

, The commentary is entitled

written more than 500 years after the Apocalypse (cf. i. 2 17817
...
there are indications which mark the work as not much if at all
but

later than a.d. 600. The discoverer proceeds to shew that Oecumenius
has been used by Andreas, and must therefore in future take
precedence of him and stand first in the short list of extant Greek
commentators upon the Apocalypse.
Andreas 2, metropolitan of Cappadocian Caesarea has left us
a which may be assigned to the

.,
ets
second half of the sixth century. He quotes patristic authorities
. from Papias to Cyril of Alexandria, and refers (on xx. 7 f.) to the
invasion of the Empire by barbaric hordes and
to Dionysius the Areopagite, who is styled While the
work of Andreas takes account of earlier writers and occasionally
quotes them, yet, as the preface leads the reader to expect, it is in
no sense a catena, but an independent effort to interpret the book.
The interpretation is on Origenistic lines, but though it allegorizes
to some extent, an attempt is made from time to time to find his-
torical fulfilments of the Apocalyptic visions.
Such a work naturally
attracted attention in the Greek-speaking East, and from, the ninth
1 century onwards the commentary of Andreas was widely tran^
scribed nearly a third of the known minuscule MSS. of the
:

Apocalypse contain it, viz. codd. 1, 18, 21, 35, 36, 43, 49, 59, 62,
63, 67, 68, 70 a, 72, 73, 77, 79, 79 a, 80, 81, 100, 101, 123, 136, 137,
138, 139, 144, 145, 147,• 148, 149, 151, 152, 153, 157, 158, 159, 160,
161, 163, 164, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 174, 175, 179, 184, i86 a ,
192, and seven more which have not repeived a number.
The edilio princeps of Andreas is that of Sylburg (1596). The
commentary was also printed in the Bibliothecae Patrum of 1589,
1618, 1644 and 1677 4 ; 'in the present volume it is quoted from

'. .
Migne, P. G. cvi.
Aeethas, a' successor of Andreas in the see of Caesarea (ix. x.Y —
,,
occupied himself with a compilation in which his predecessor holds
a large place; the title is
or, according to another MS.,

c. A.D. 900
5
.
"
t

'. .

His date is now given as

I owe. this reference to Mr 0. H.

1 s
Turner's article Patristic Commentaries,
in Hastings' D.B. v. p. 523.
2 On Andreas (Andrew) of Caesarea
see Fabricius-Harles, viii. p. 696 ff.
Smith and Wace, .0-.. i. p. 154 f
Herzog-Hauck, i. p. 514 ft.; Bousset,
Die Offeribarung, p. 68 f. ; Gregory, pro•
Of this MS. a photograph is shewn
opposite. Cod. 186 = Athos, Pantocra-
tor 44, was photographed for the writer
by Mr (now Professor) Lake in 1901-2,
and a collation of its text of the Apoca-
.
lypse has been made for this edition.
* Ittig, De bibliothecis et catenis pa-
trum, pp. 52, 109, 426, 492. ,

legg.p. 1159; von Soden, pp. 284., 5 See Harnack in

T. u. U. i.i.pp.jgff.,
7°2 f. 43 f.
cc , .COMMENTARIES
Arethas is printed in the Cologne and Lyons Biblioihecae Patrum ,
1

in Cramer's Catena, viii. pp. 181 —

496, and in MigneP. G. cvi.; the
quotations in the notes of this volume are from Migne. critical A
1

edition of Andreas and Arethas is still a desideratum.

Besides the commentary of Andreas and the compilation of
Arethas we have in print (Cramer, viii. pp. 497 582, from MS.
Coisl. ,224, f. 333 v., sqq.) a briefer exposition of which Diekamp
—
truly says that it is " nichts Anderes als der etwas verkiirzte Com-
mentar des Andreas 2." Cramer himself represents it as Oecume-
nian (ib. p. vi.), for what reason it does not appear; Montfaucon
(Biblioth. Coislin., p. 275) mentions no name in connexion with it,
though Oecumenius is named in the heading .to the previous item
(p. 330 v.).

B. Syriac commentaries.
" The chief Nestorian commentator, Isho'-dad of Merw (fl. a.d.
850), covers both Testaments in his exegetical works, but passes
over the four shorter Catholic Epistles and the Apocalypse, which
were not included in the canon of the Peshitta. The Jacobite
Barhebraeus (f A.D. 1286) in his Ausar Raze has. the same range
and the same exceptions as Isho'-dad. The known Syriac commen-
taries on the Apocalypse seem to be no more than three, and they
are unpublished. (1) An anonymous commentary of unknown
date accompanies the text in Brit. Mus. Add. 17 127; an extract
from the comment on c. iii. is given• in "Wright's Catalogue of Syriac
MSS., part ii. p. 1020 f. (2) The second commentary is that of
Jacob (Dionysius) Barsalibi (f a.d. 1 171), preserved in Brit. Mus.
Bich. 7 185 ; extracts are given by Dr Gwynn in Hermathena vi., vii.
(3) The third is found in Cambr. Univ. Lib. Add. 1970, a Nestorian
MS. of the eighteenth century. An extract from it is given in the
Catalogue of Syriac MSS. in the Library of the University of
Cambridge, vol. i. p. 44 f. It is apparently a recent production,
not much earlier in date than the MS. 3 "

C. Latin commentaries from the third century to the sixteenth.

Victorious, Bishop 4 of Pettau, in Pannonia (iii.) 5 Of this earliest .

of Latin interpreters of the Apocalypse Jerome, himself a Pan-

nonian, writes (de virr. ill. 74): "Victorinus, Pitabionensis episco-
pus, non aeque Latine ufc Graece noverat. unde opera eius grandia
sensibus viliora videntur compositione verborum. sunt autem haec : •.

commentarii in Genesim, in Exodum...in Apocalypsim Iohannis."

Elsewhere he says of Victorinus (ep. 58) " quod intellegit eloqui :

non potest," and again (ep. 70) "licet desit eruditio, non tajnen
:

deest eruditionis voluntas." According to the same authority,

1
Ittig, op. cit. pp. 438, 504. 4 " Ex oratore episcopus," according
2 Similarly Bousset, Comm. '

p. 70. to Cassiodoriua (De inst. div. libr. 5).

8 I owe this account of the
Syriac * On Victorinus and his commentary
commentaries on the Apocalypse to the on the Apocalypse see Harnack, Gesch.
kindness of my colleague, Dr W. Emery i.
-
p. 371ft., and Kattenbusch, Der
Barnes, Hulsean Professor of Divinity. Apost. Symbol, p. 212.
 COMMENTARIES cci

•Victorinus was a chiliast (de virr. ill. 18 "Tertullianus...et Vic-

:

torinus Pitabionensis et Lactantius hac opinione ducuntur"), and

in his expository methods a follower of Origen (ep. 62 : "taceo de
Yictorino Pitabionensi et ceteris qui Origenem in explanatione
dumtaxat scripturarum secuti sunt"). His exact date is not
known, but he suffered martyrdom (de virr. ill. 74 : " ad extremum
martyrio coronatus est "), probably during the last persecution an —
epoch when the Apocalypse may well have recovered in the eyes of
Christians much of the freshness of its original interest.
A commentary on the Apocalypse bearing the name of Victorinus
is —
extant in two forms a shorter form printed in De la Bigne's
Bibliotheca Patrum, t. vi. (Paris, 1575) 1 , and a longer which appears
in Gallandi, t. iv., and in Migne, P. L. v. In the Zeitschrift f.<
kirchl. Wissenschaft u. kirchl. Lebenlor 1886 Haussleiter maintained
that neither form represents the original work as it came from the
pen of Victorinus. The shorter form is a revision of Victorinus by
1

Jerome, who used also the commentary of Tyconius, and the longer
is based on a later recension of the shorter. Since this theory was
broached Haussleiter has been engaged in preparing an edition of
Victorinus for the Vienna Corpus, and his researches have con-
vinced him that the text presented by Cod. Vat. Ottob. Lat. 3288 A
approaches more nearly to the original than either of the printed
texts, and in particular that it contains the chiliastic end of the
commentary, which Jerome removed 2 In the notes of the present
.

volume Victorinus stands for the longer form of the Jerome-

'
'

Victorinus commentary, which is quoted from Migne's reprint.

Tyconius ( Tichonius, Ticonius 3 ), African and Donatist, followed
Victorinus after an interval of about a century ; his floruit is
usually given as c. a.d. 390. According to Gennadius of Marseilles
he was " in Divinis litteris eruditus iuxta historian! sufficienter, in
saecularibus non ignarus." His exposition differed widely from his
predecessor's " exposuit et Apocalypsin Iohannis ex integro, nihil
:

in ea carnale sed totum intellegens spiritale...mille quoque annorum

regni in terra iustorum post, resurrectionem futuri suspicionem
tulit...nequeduas in carne resurrectiones mortuorum futuras, unam
iustorum et alteram iniustorum, sed unam et tune semel omnium."
Donatist as he was, Tyconius, wins high praise for his exposition
of the Apocalypse from one who was no mean judge of the inter-
preter's art. Bede writes of him " [Apocalypsin] et vivaciter
:

intellexit, et veridice satisque catholice disseruit, praeter ea dun-

taxat loca in quibus suae partis... schisma defendere nisus, perse-

1
Ittig, p. 52. Ik had'been previously p. 103. On Tyconius himself and his
edited in an appendix to Theophylact commentary see D.G.B. iv. 1025 ff.,
on St Paul by Jo, Lornicerus in 1543. Haussleiter in Zeitschrift f. kirchl.
s See Th. Litteraturblatt, Apr. 26, TFissensc/ia/f ete.,vii.(i886),p.239ff.,and
1895; and cf. J. B. Harris, in Expositor, in Zahn's Forschvjigen, iv. (1891); Tr.
v. 1. p. 448, and A. Ehrard, Die altchr. Hahn, Tyconius-Studien in Bonwetsch
Litteratur, von 1884-1900, i. p. 484 ft. and Seeberg's Studien, vi. 1 (1900) and
;

3 the spelling of this name Bee

On Prof. Burkitt's edition of the Eegulae,
Burkitt in Texts and Studies, iii. 1. already named.
ecu COMMENTARIES
cutiones quas ipsi...pertulerunt...in eadem gloriatur Apocalypsi
fuisse praedictas ." That this judgement is just is shewn by the free
1

use which was made of Tyeonius not only by Bede himself, but by a
succession of Catholic writers —
Primasius, Beatus, the author of
the homilies on the Apocalypse printed in the appendix to the
third volume of the Benedictine Augustine and -in Migne, P. L.
xxxv. 2 and the commentary published by Dom Amelli in the
,

Spicilegium Casinense (iii. pp. 263 —

331)
3
The work of Tyeonius
-

as a whole is perhaps no longer extant, but it can be largely recon-

structed from those Catholic expositors who followed in his steps.
Primasius, of Hadrumetum' in Byzacena 4 , another African, but a
Catholic Bishop, wrote on the Apocalypse before 543-4, when his
commentary is mentioned by Cassiodorius (de inst. div. libr. 9
"nostris quoque temporibus Apocalypsis...Primasii antistitis Afri-
cani studio... quinque libris exposita est"). It was thus an early
work, completed before Primasius was embroiled in the controversy
raised in Africa by the 'Three Chapters.' With regard to its.
character it possesses, as Ilaussleiter remarks, only a secondary
value, being largely made up of Tyeonius and Augustine. Augus-
tine is in places (e.g. in the comment on Apoc. xx.) transferred
almost bodily to the pages of Primasius ; Tyeonius is a " preciosa
in stercore gemma," which the Bishop picks out of the mire to
adorn his pages.
The commentary of Primasius has come down to us entire. The
ediiio princepswas that of Cervicornus (Hirschhorn), Cologne, 1535.
This was followed by editions in the Cologne, Paris, and Lyons
biblwthecae of 1618, 1644, and 1677 s ;. the Paris edition is followed
generally in Migne, P. L. Ixviii., whose reprint is quoted in the
present volume. The African Latin text of the Apocalypse, which
happily has been preserved in the commentary of Primasius, is cited
from Haussleiter's admirable edition in Zahn's Forschungen. It is
in this text that the value of Primasius to the modern student
chiefly lies
: see above, p. exev.
Apeingius (vi.) Bishop of Pax (whether Pax Julia = Beja, in
Portugal, or P. Augusta = Badajoz, in Spain), under Theudis, King
of the Visigoths (a.d. 531— 548), was working upon the Apocalypse
nearly about the time when Primasius wrote his commentary. So
we learn from Isidore of Seville (de virr. ill. 30: " Am-ingius, eccle-
siae Pacensis Hispatiiarum episcopus...claruit temporibus Theudis
principis Gothorum"). The commentary of Apringius was published

1
Migne, P. L. xciii. eol. 132 f. Class. Review, iii. p. 222.
s
See Haussleiter, Zeitschrift, p. 240. s See H. L. Eamsay,
Commentaire de
The pseudo-Augustiuian homilies are V Apocalypse par Beatus, p. 1 7 f.
represented in the apparatus to the text 4 On Primasius see Haussleiter
in
of commentary by the symbol
this Zahn, and in Herzog-Hauek, xvi. p.
anon au s, used by Tuichendorf. In a 55 ff., as well as his earlier 'programm,'
St John's (Cambridge) MS. this 00m- Leben u. Werke des Bisclwfs Primasius
mentary is entitled "traetatusGennadii
: (Erlangen, 1887); and cf. Kihn, Theo-
presbiteri Massiliae de mille annis et de dor v. Mopsuestia, p. 248 ff.
Apocalypsi"; Bea Dr .
B. James in " Ittig, pp. 109, 439, 505.
 COMMENTARIES cciii

at. Paris in 1900 by Dom

Feroten from a MS. belonging to the
"University of Copenhagen. Unfortunately the MS. gives the work
of Apringius only so far as regards Apoc. i. 1 —
v. 7, and xviii. 6 —
xxii. 2i, the lacuna v. 8 —
xviii. 5 being filled with scholia from
Jerome- Victorinus.
According to Isidore, Apringius expounded the Apocalypse
"subtili sensu atque illustri sermone, melius pene quam veteres
ecclesiastici viri exposuisse videntur." A
few specimens from
M. Feroten's edition have been given in the notes of this com-
mentary.
Cassiodoeius, probably after his retirement to Viviers (a.d. 540),
wrote brief notes (complexiones) on the Acts, Epistles,- and Apoca-
lypse, which were first published by Maffei in 17 21, and are re-
printed in Migne, P. L. lxx. In the Apocalypse he refers his
readers to Tyconius, and shews also the influence of Victorinus
and Augustine.
Baeda of Wearmouth and Jarrow (a.d. 672 735) comes next
in order of time among Latin commentators on the Apocalypse.
—
In his explanatio Apocalypsig, as in his other expository works, Bede
freely recognizes the secondary character of his expositions ; in
the Apocalypse, while drawing on• the Fathers generally, he makes
especial use of earlier Western commentators on the book, especially
of Primasius and Tyconius ; the latter is not seldom quoted by
name. Yet Bede is no mere compiler, and not the least valuable
of his remarks are those where the personality of the Northumbrian
saint reveals itself. Bede's work on the Apocalypse is quoted in
this volume from Migne, P. L. xcv.
Ambrosius Ansbertus (or Autpertus) , a Benedictine monk of
1

Prench origin who died as Abbot of an Italian monastery, composed

his commentarii in Apocalypsim during the pontificate of Paul I.
—
(a.d. 757-; 767), and dedicated them to Paul's successor, Stephen IV.
(a.d. 768 —
772). He makes use of Jerome-Victorinus, Tyconius,
and even of Bede, but especially of Primasius, who supplies the
staple of his expositions. The work is printed in the Cologne and
Lyons Jiibliothecae Patrum, but does not appear in Migne's Latin
Patrology.
Beatus of Liebana (Libana), the Spanish Benedictine who in
a.d. 785 joined Etherius Bishop of Osma in a work against Eli-
pandus of Toledo on the Adoptianist question. His commentary
,
on the Apocalypse 2 , which is dedicated to Etherius, is, like Bede's,
professedly based to a great extent on the works of his predecessors,
among whom he specifies Jerome (i.e. Victorinus in Jerome's recen-
sion), Augustine, Tyconius, and Apringius. Tyconius, in particular,
has been largely used, although it is possible to exaggerate the debt

1 See Fabricius-Harles, Eibl. Lat. i. Banisay, of Downside Abbey, reprinted

p. 77; Smith and Waee, D. C. B. i. from the Revue d'histoire et de littirature
p. 232 ; Herzog-Hauck, ii. p. 308 f. religieuses, t. vii. (1902), kindly 00m-
2 On the Commentary of Beatns and municatedtomebyDomE.C.Butler.and
its MSS. see two articles by Dom H. L. Haussleiter's article already mentioned.
cciv COMMENTARIES
which Beatus owes to him. The conclusion at which Dom Ramsay
arrives is probably not far from the truth " je crois que partout :

ou Beatus, Primasius, et le Pseudo-Augustine exploitent un fonds

commun, ce fonds est celui de Tyconius (sinon de Victorinus) 1,"
The MSS. of Beatus have long been famous for their illumina-
tions,which supply rich materials for the study of early Spanish
art 2 But there is only one printed text 3 and the book is so rare
. ,

that no copy is to be found at the British Museum or in the Cam-

bridge University Library 4 .

Of Latin writers on the Apocalypse from the beginning of the

ninth century to the sixteenth the following deserve to be specially
mentioned
Cent. ix. Alcuin (Migne B. L. a). Berengaudus (Migne xviL).
Haymo (Migne cxviii.). Walapeid Strabo(?) (Migne cxiv.).
Cent. Anselm of, Havilberg (D'Achory, Spicilegium, i.).
xii.
Anselm of Laon (Migne clxiii.). Bruno of Asti (Migne clxv.).
Joachim of Calabria (Venice, 15 19 and 1527). Richard of St
Victor (Migne xcvi.). Rupert of Deutz (Migne clxix.).
Cent. xiii. Albertus Magnus (Opera, t. xii., Lyons, 1651).
Hugo de S. Caro (postilla vii., Cologne, 1620). Peter John Oliva
(postilla in Apocalypsin). Pseudo-Aquinas (Opera S. Thomae Aq.,
t. Parma, 1869).
xxiii.,
Nicolas de Gorham (Antwerp, 161 7 20).
Cent. xiv. — Nicolas
of Lyra (Rome, 147 1 2). —
Cent. xv. Dionysius Carthusianus (Paris, 1530).
Most of these mediaeval expositors follow their predecessors more
or less closely, and satisfy themselves with a spiritualizing exegesis.
But there are exceptions, especially Berengaud, Rupert of Deutz,
and Joachim ; the last-named has left a work which is a landmark
in the history of Apocalyptic interpretation.

D. Commentaries, and other books bearing upon the interpre-

tation of the Apocalypse, from the beginning of the sixteenth
century to the present time.
D. Erasmus. Annotationes in T. .
Basle, 1516.
P. Lambertus. Exegeseos in Apoc. libri vii. Marburg, 1528.
H. Bullinger.In Apoc. condones c. Basle, 1557.
T. Bibliander.Commentarius in Apoc. Basle, 1569.
J. Foxe. Meditations on the Apoc. London, 1587.
J. Winckelmann. Commentarius in Apoc. Frankfort, 1590.
F. Ribeira. Commentarius in sacram b. Ioannis Apoc. Salamanca,
I59 1 •

J. Napier. A plain discovery of the whole Revelation. Edin-

burgh, 1593.

1 Le Gommentaire de Beatut, p. 18. my quotationsto the kindness of Prof.

* H. L. Bamsay, The MSS. of Beatus, Burkitt, who my hands for some
left in
-s1 ft• weeks a oopy which had come into his
The edition of Florez (Madrid, 1770). possession.
" BurMtt, Tyconius, p. xiii. 1 owe
 COMMENTARIES ccv

L. ab Alcasar. Vestigatio arcani sensus in Apoc. Antwerp, 1 6

14.
A. Salmeron. In Iohannis Apoc. praeludia. Cologne, 1614. '

T. Brightman. The Revelation of St John illustrated. London

1616.
D. Paraeus. Commentarius in Apoc. Heidelberg, 16 18.
Cornelius a Lapide. Commentaria in... Apoc. Antwerp and
Lyons, 1627.
J. Mede. Clavis Apocalypseos...una cum Commentario. Cam-
bridge, 1627.
J. Gerhard. Annotationes in Apoc. Jena, 1643.
H. Grotius. Annotationes in Apoc. Paris, 1644.
L. de Dieu. Animadversiones in Apoc. Leyden, 1646.
H. Hammond.
London, 1653.
Paraphrase and Annotations upon the . T.

J. B. Bossuet.
L'Apocalypse avec une explication. Paris, 1660.
J. Cocceius.
Cogitationes in Apoc. Amsterdam, 1673.
D. Herve. Apocalypsis explicatio historica. Lyons, 1684.
P. Jurien. L'accomplissement des propheties. Rotterdam, 1686.
C. Vitringa. Apocalypsios. Franeker, 1705.
W. "Winston. Essay on the Revelation of St John. Cambridge,
1706.
J. J. Schlurmann. Die Offenbarung Iohannis. Lippstadt, 1722.
.
Abauzit. Essai sur VApocalypse. Geneva, 1730.
I. Newton. Observations upon the prophecies of Daniel and the
Apoc. London, 1732.
J. A. Bengel. Erhldrte Offenbarung Johannis. Stuttgart, 1740.
r
J. J. Wetstein. iV T. Graecum (ii.).
. Amsterdam, 1752.
J.Gill.
J. G. von Herder. .
Exposition of the Revelation. London, 1776.
Biga, 1779.
J. S. Herrenschneider. Tentamen Apocalypseos. Strassburg, 1 786.
. I. G. Eichhorn. Commentarius in Apoc. Gottingen, 1791.

8—. P. J. S. Vogel.

G.
16.
Commentationes vii. de Apocalypsi. Erlangen,

A. Ewald. Commentarius in Apoc. Gottingen, 1828.

A. L. Matthai. Die Offenbarung Johannis. Gottingen, 1828.
Ed w. Irving. Lectures on the Book of Revelation. London, 1829.
J. Croly. The Apocalypse of John. London, 1838.
C. P. J. Ziillig. Die Offenbarung Johannis erklart. Stuttgart,
1 834—4°•
W. De Burgh. An Exposition of the Book of Revelation.
Dublin, 1845.
M. Stuart. Commentary on the Apocalypse. London, 1845.
W. M. L. de Wette. Kurze Erhldrung der Offenbarung. Leipzig,
1848.
E. W. Hengstenberg. Die Offenbarung... erldutert. Berlin,
1849—51.
.
H. Elliott. Horae Apocalypticae. London, 185 1.
P. Diisterdieck. Handbuchu. d. Offenbarung. Gottingen, 1852.
I. Williams. The Apocalypse. London, 1852.
ccvi COMMENTARIES
J. . E. Ebrard. Die Offenharung Johannis. Konigsberg, 1853.
0. A. Auberlen. Der Prophet Daniel u. die Offenharung. Basle,
1854.
0. Stern. Commentar ii. die Offenharung. Schaffhausen, 1854.
P. Bleek. Forhsungen ii. die Apocalypse. Berlin, 1859.
H. Alford. The Greek Testament, vol. iv. Cambridge, 1861.
H. Ewald. Die Johanneischen Gottingen,
Schriften...erklart.
1861.
F. D. Maurice. Lectures on the Apocalypse. Cambridge, 1861.
R. C. Trench. Commentary on the Epistles to the Seven Churches.
London,. 1861.
G. Volkmar. Commentar zur Offenharung. Zurich, 1S62.
C. Wordsworth. The New Testament, vol. ii. London, 1864.
A. Cerese. L'apocalysse Revelalione, 1869 71. —
The Revelation of St John. London, 1870.
1
C. J. Vaughan.
E. Benan. L'Antechrist. Paris, 187 1.
J. C. A. Hofmann. Die Offenharung Johannis. 1874.
A. Bisping. Erkliirung der Apocalypse. Munster, 1876.
C. H. A. Burger. Die Offenharung Johamnis. 1877.
E. Reuss. L' Apocalypse. Paris, 1878.
W.Lee. The Revelation of St John. London, 1 881.
Th. Zahn. Apokalyptische Studien (in Z. f. kirchl. Wissenschaft
u. k. Lehen), 1885 —
6 ; Einleitung, ii. 1899.
H. J. Holtzmann. Die Offenharung Johannis. Freiburg i. B.,
1891.
W. Milligan. The Book of Revelation. London, 1889'.
T. L. Scott. The visions of the Apocalypse and their lessons.
London, 1893.
W. H. Simcox. The Revelation of St John. Cambridge, 1893.
W. Bousset. Die Offenharung Johannis. Gottingen, 1896.
E.W.Benson. The Apocalypse: an introductory study. London,
1900.
L. Prager. Die Offenharung Johannis. Leipzig, 1901.
C. Anderson Scott. Revelation (in the Century Bible). Edinburgh
(n.d.).
F. C. Porter. Messages of the Apocalyptical ivriters. London,
1905.
F. J. A. Hort. The Apocalypse' of St John i — iii. London,
1908.'
A volume on the Apocalypse by Dr R. H. Charles is announced
, by Messrs T. and T. Clark, in connexion with the International
Critical Commentary.
 XVIII.

HISTORY AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION.

1. More than once 1 the Apocalypse appeals to the intelli-
gence of the Christian student, inviting him to unravel its

meaning if he can. Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding,

let him count number of the Beast. Here is the mind which
the
hath wisdom. The challenge was accepted almost from the first,
but with results which shew by their wide divergence the diffi-
culties of the task. Schools of Apocalyptic interpretation have
arisen, varying not only in detail, but in principle. It is the
purpose of the present chapter to sketch 2 the progress of this
movement from the second century to our own time, and then
to indicate the lines which have been followed in the present
exposition.

2. The Ante-Nicene Church, although she seems to have

produced but one exposition of the book, was certainly not in-

different to the chief problems which it -raises. Two of these, in

—the questions connected with the coming of Antichrist
particular
and the hope of the Thousand Years — excited the liveliest interest

during the age of persecution. Justin, as we have seen, found

support for his chiliastic views in Apoc. xx. Irenaeus 3 bases upon
Apoc. xxi., amongst other prophecies, his expectation of a terrestrial

kingdom and a restored Jerusalem.

St John's Wild Beasts

1
2
Apoc.
Details
xiii.
with Sf Paul's

i8,xvii. 9.
must be sought in Liicke
He identifies the first of
Man
reading of the Number of the Beast the word
of Sin, and gives as one

' 3

39).
adding

Haer. v. y .
,
1 (of. Eua. H.E. iii.

and Bousset.
ccvm HISTORY AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION
"Latini enim sunt qui nunc regnant 1 ." From Apoc. xvii. I2ff. he
gathers that the Empire would be broken up into ten kingdoms,
and Babylon (?Kome) be reduced to ashes 2 . Hippolytus, especially
in his tract On Christ and Antichrist, carries the interpretation
of Irenaeus some steps, further. The first Beast is the Empire,
which will be wounded to death, but restored by Antichrist ; the
Second Beast represents the ten kingdoms that are to take the place
of the The Woman with child is the Church 4 Babylon is
Empire 3 . ;

Rome the Two Witnesses are Enoch and Elijah, the

6
;

of the Second Coming In common with Justin and Irenaeus,

6
.

Hippolytus entertains millennarian hopes, which he grounds on

Apoc. xx. 7
In Justin and Irenaeus —probably also in Hippolytus —we
seem to catch a glimpse of the interpretation which prevailed in

Asia/in the early decades of the second century. The Alex-

andrians, who were without such guidance, interpreted the
Apocalypse spiritually. Thus Clement sees in the four and
twentyElders a symbol of the equality of Jew and Gentile within
the Christian Church 8 ; in the tails of the locusts of the Abyss,
the mischievous influence of immoral teachers : in the many-
coloured foundation stones of the City of God, the manifold grace
of Apostolic teaching 10 - Origen repudiates as "Jewish"" the literal

interpretation which the chiliasts gave to the closing chapters of

'
the book ; and his incidental references to the Apocalypse savour
of an arbitrary though often noble and helpful mysticism. Thus
he takes the sealed roll to be Scripture, to which Christ alone has
the key 12 : the vision of the open heaven, from which the Word of
God issues forth on a white horse, suggests to him the opening of
heaven by the Divine Word through the white light of knowledge
which He imparts to believers 18 . Methodius must on the whole

.
1
V. 28. 3, 30.

*] .
4

6
.
3 V.
26. I.
Ed. Lagarde,
Lag. p. 31

Lag.

Lag. p. 26.
. 17
f.
p. 24

yap
ff.

oSv

[e.g. tw
asyluv, lis

8
9 strain, iii.
10
n
12
18, §
iv Trj

Strom, vi. 13, § 107.

paed. ii. 1 2, § log.

deprinc. ii. 11. 12.
philoc. v. 5.
6.

7 Lag. p. 153 ffdjSjSaroi' 57! carl 13 in Ioann. t. ii. 6.

 HISTORY AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION ccix

be ranked with the Alexandrians, in regard to his method of in-

terpreting the Apocalypse. In his exposition of Apoc. xii. 1 he finds
in the Woman's child not Christ Himself but the baptized soul
in which Christ is born. The seven heads of the Dragon are the
greater sins 2 ; his ten horns are contrasted with the Ten Command-
ments of the Decalogue. The Beast appears to be regarded as a
symbol of fleshly lust 3 .

The -Latin fathers of the first three centuries, on the other

hand, carry on the line of interpretation started by Irenaeus and
Hippolytus. Thus ,Tertullian regards Babylon as an image' of
Rome, "ut proinde magnae et regno superbae et sanctorum Dei
debellatricis 4 ."
The Beast from the sea is Antichrist, who with his
False Prophet will wage war against the Church 6 A kingdom of .

the Saints is expected which will have its seat on earth, though it

belongs to another order,, and will be preceded by a resurrection of

the body 6 . An orderly plan runs through St John's work, though the
order must not be pressed so far as to include chronological details 7 .

Of the commentary of Victorinus in general it is impossible to

speak with confidence until it is before us in a form nearer to that
in whichcame from his- pen 8 But the extract published by
it .

Haussleiter 9 from what appears to be the original work confirms

the statement that Victorinus held firmly by the chiliastic inter-
pretation of Apoc. xx.
A few sentences will sufficiently illustrate his attitude. "In hac
eadem prima resurrectione et civitas futura et sponsa per hanc
scripturam expressa est...quotquot ergo non anticipaverint surgere
in prima resurrectione et regnare cum Christo super orbem...sur-
gent in novissima tuba post annos mille...Ih regno ergo et in
prima resurrectione exhibetur civitas sancta, quam vidit descensuram
de caelo quadratam, differentem a vice mortuositatis et doloris et
genesis... ostendit scriptura adferri ibi munera regum serviturorum
novissimorum . . . et civitatum.

3. A new stage of Apocalyptic interpretation is reached at

the end of the fourth century, when Tyconius wrote his epoch-
1 Symp. viii. 4 ff.
7 de res., I.e. " in Apocalypsi Ioannis
2 Cf. Origen, in Mt. xxiv. 29. ordo temporumsternitur."
s lb. 8 See c. xvii., p. oci.
13.
4 v 9 In Theologisches Literaturhlatt, 26
adv. Marc. iii. 13.
6 de remrr. carnis, .25. Apr. 1905, col. 192 ff.
6 adv. Marc. iii. 24.

S. R.
ccx HISTORY AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION
making commentary. Though the work has not survived as a
whole, its line of interpretation and many of its details can be
recovered from later expositions 1 . It is abundantly clear that
Tyconius trod in the steps of Origen rather than of Victorinus;
he inclined to a mystical exegesis, even if he did not altogether
exclude literal or historical fulfilments. But his method was
largely new, and his own, as may be gathered from his liber

regularum. His fourth 'rule' reveals the principle with which

he approached his task :
" loquimur secundum mysteria caelestis
sapientiae magisterio Sancti Spiritus, qui cum veritatis pretium
fidem constituent mysteriis narravit in speciem genus ab-
scondens...dum enim speciem narrat, ita in genus transit ut
transitus non statim liquido appareat 2."
The expositor of the
Apocalypse, on this principle, would pass insensibly from a name
which suggested a particular object to the universal fact which it

symbolized ; e.g. from Jerusalem to the Church, or from Babylon

to the hostile world 3 . By this means Tyconius was enabled to pass
lightly over the references to Rome and the persecuting Emperors,
which since the conversion of the Empire had ceased to be of
special interest, and to fix the attention of the reader upon the
world-long struggle between good and evil ; while on the other
hand his '
rule ' did not prevent him -from finding a crucial
instance of that struggle in the fight which his own party
were making at the time in Africa against the Catholic Church,
identified in his judgement with the evil of the world.

So far as his principle of interpretation is concerned Tyconius

had many Catholic followers, who made no secret of their

indebtedness to the great Donatist. In his interpretation of
Apoc. xx. 4 Augustine agrees in the main with Tyconius. Primasius,
Cassiodorius, Apringius, Bede, Beatus, and most of the writers on
the Apocalypse who followed them in the earlier centuries of the
Middle Ages, were content with a mystical exegesis which varied
in its details according to the fancy of the individual expositor
or the needs or ideas of his time.

1
P. eci f. 3 Burkitt, pp. 31, 50.
5
Burkitt, pp. xv., 31. * de civitate, xx. 7 ft.
 HISTORY AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION ccxi

4. While Primasius and others were popularizing the method

of Tyconius in the Latin West, the Greek East made its first and
only serious attempt to expound the Apocalypse. Of Oecumenius
nothing can be said until his commentary finds an editor. But
Andreas is perhaps the best known of ancient expositors of the
Apocalypse, and certainly none of them is more edifying or, in
his own way, more attractive. Entering on his work with the
1
conviction that Scripture holds a threefold sense , he agrees with
the Alexandrians in attaching especial importance to the spiritual
interpretation of a book, which beyond other books in the New
Testament lends itself to But he does not depart
such treatment.
so entirely from the earlier school of Irenaeus and Hippolytus
as his Western contemporaries did; side by side with mystical
exposition he places suggestions of a historical fulfilment. If he
regards Babylon as the World considered_ as the standing enemy
of the Church, in the seven kings he sees successive embodiments
of the World-power, of which the sixth was Rome and the seventh
Constantinople. On the other hand the millennium is explained as
it isby Augustine and the other followers of Tyconius. Thus the
greatest of the Greek commentaries on the Apocalypse is a syn-
cretism, blending the methods of Irenaeus, Origen, and Tyconius,
while at the same time the writer feels his way towards the later
system of interpretation which, discovers in St John's prophecy
anticipations of the course of history.

5. In the West at long intervals one or two expositors suc-

ceeded in breaking loose from the tradition started by Tyconius.
Berengaud, a ninth century writer whose commentary has found
a place in the appendix to the works of St Ambrose, combines
the mystical with the historical interpretation, and endeavours to
make the Apocalypse cover the whole course of human events.
The first six seals carry the history of the world from Adam to the
fall of Jerusalem; the first six trumpets represent the preaching

Christian martyrs.

1 prol.
,
-. *,
of the word from the age of the patriarchs to the• age of the
The Two Witnesses are Enoch and Elijah,
ypatpv, are ! ffctas !.
ccxii HISTORY AND METHODS OS INTERPRETATION

whose coming will precede the second Coming of the Lord. The
first Beast is Antichrist, and his seven heads are the seven deadly-
sins 1 ; the second Beast is a follower of Antichrist, or those who
preach him taken collectively ; as for the number of the Beast,
Berengaud is afraid to inquire into it, lest it may correspond with
the letters of his own name. Babylon is Pagan Rome, but Rome
regarded as representing the "civitas Diaboli"; the ten horns
of the Beast on which she sits are the successive incursions of
barbarians which broke up the Roman Empire. The Thousand
Years reach from the Ascension to the' end of the world; the
first resurrection is the condition of the Saints in the present
life. A more remarkable departure from the older interpreta-
tions is made in the Enchiridion in Apocalypsim of Joachim
2
(f 1202), founder of the Ordo Florensis Joachim's work is .

an attempt to find correspondences between the Apocalypse

and the events and expectations of the twelfth century. The
Beast from the sea is Islam, wounded to the death by the
Crusades ; the False Prophet is identified with the heretical sects
of the age ; Babylon is Rome, no longer- pagan, but worldly and
vice-ridden nevertheless. Of the seven heads of the Beast the fifth
is the Emperor Frederick I., and the sixth Saladin ; the seventh is

Antichrist ; the destruction of Antichrist will be followed by the

millennium, which thus recovers its place as a hope of the future.
Of Joachim's personal loyalty to the Roman Church there can
be no doubt. But his method was speedily turned against the
Church by less discreet followers. Under the year 1257 Matthew
Paris relates that certain Franciscans of Paris " quaedam nova
praedicabanti..deliramenta quae de_ libro Ioachim Abbatis...ex-
traxerunt, et quendam librum composuerunt quem sic eis intitulare
"
complacuit Incipit Evangelium aeternum 3 ; the Pope, he adds,
commanded the book , to be burnt, " et alia quae de Ioachim
corruptela dicuntur emanasse." But the movement continued,
and early in the fourteenth' century the fate of the Evangelium
1 See p. ocix. num Evangelium was a friar named
3 Cf. C.Q.JS. forOet. 1907 (p. 17ft.). Gerhard; see Giesler (E. Tr.), iii. ',,

J
3 See note on Apoc. xiv. 6, The p. 257 . .

|
author of the Introductwius in Aeter- '• •
I
 HISTORY AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION ccxiii

aeternum was shared by the postilla super Apocalypsim of Peter

John Oliva, another Franciscan ; nor can we wonder, when among
the scanty extracts of Oliva's work which escaped the flames we
read: "Per sedem bestiae principaliter designatus carnalis clems
...in quo quidem
. bestialis vita...regnat...longe plus quam in
laicis."..."Mulier stat hie pro Romana gente et imperio, tarn
prout fuit quondam in statu paganismi quam prout postmodum
fuib in fide Christi."..."Qu'idam putant quod tarn Antichristus
mysticus quam proprius et magnus erit pseudo-papa." When
such things were written within the Church, it is not matter
for surprise that the sects took the further step of identifying
Antichrist with the Papacy or the, occupants of the Papal See, or
that this became a commonplace of Apocalyptic interpretation
among reforming sects and Churches.
On the papal side a counter-attempt to interpret the Apoca-
lypse in the light of history was made by Nicolas of Lyra (fi340).
He finds in it a forecast of the course of events from the time
of Domitian to his own. In Lyra's judgement the millennium
began with the founding of the Mendicant orders, which had
bound Satan, as he thinks, for a considerable period of time.

, 6. With the Reformation of the sixteenth century a new

era of Apocalyptic exegesis begins. Each side in the great
controversy found inspiration in this book. The reforming party
inherited the method of Joachim and the Franciscans the :

equation '
the Pope, or the Papacy, is Antichrist was the corner-
'

stone of their interpretation. On the papal side, under the

new methods arose, which at a
stress of the Protestant attack,

later time found followers among the reformed. Their authors

were Spaniards and members of the Society of Jesus. Francis
Ribeira (f 1601),' a professor at Salamanca, came to his task
equipped with a knowledge of both the Greek and Latin com-
mentators of the patristic period, but with an open mind which
refused to be bound by their exegesis. He took his stand on the
principle that the Apocalyptist foresaw only the nearer future
and the last things, and offered no anticipations of intermediate
history. Thus he was able to relegate Antichrist to the time
ccxiv HISTORY AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION
of the end, and though with the majority of interpreters he
identified Babylon with Rome, he could contend that the city
which St John saw upon the Beast was not, as some said, Borne
under- papal rule, but the degenerate Rome of a future age.

Ribeira has been described as a futurist, but the designation is

inaccurate if it overlooks his real appreciation of the historical
groundwork of the Revelation. His brother- Jesuit, Alcasar (f 1 6 1 3 ),
on the other hand, was a thorough-going preterist.' In his judge- '

ment the body of St John's prophecy falls into two great portions,

co. iv. — xi., and cc. xii. — xix., answering severally to the conflict of
the Church with Judaism and her conflict with paganism ; while
the closing chapters (xx. — xxii.) describe her present triumph and
predominance. Both Alcasar and Ribeira wrote in the interests
of a party, and neither of the schemes which they propose is free

from manifest difficulties ;

yet both works mark an advance upon
earlier interpretations in .so far as they approach the book from
the standpoint of the writer and his time, and abstain from reading
into it the events or ideas of a widely different period.
7. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were busy with
the work of Apocalyptic exposition. In England Joseph Mede
and two eminent Cambridge mathematicians, Sir Isaac Newton
and William Whiston, found minute fulfilments of St John's
prophecy from the days of Domitian to their own 1 ; on the
continent the same general system of interpretation was adopted,
with varying by two no less eminent authorities, Vitringa
results,

and Bengel. On the other hand Grotius and Hammond trod

generally in the steps of Alcasar, while on the papal side the
great Bossuet suggested the• division of the prophecy into three
historical periods, the age of persecution
(cc. v. xix.), the triumph —
of the Church (c. xx. 1 —
and the epoch of final conflict and
10),

victory ,(cc. xx. 11 xxii. 13). —

At the end of the eighteenth
century• Eichhorn struck a note which has been taken up again
quite recently. The Apocalypse is in his view a great poem, or

1 m
While I write,' says Mede, 'news victories over the Emperor in defence
isbrought of a Prince from the North of the German afflicted Protestants '."
(meaning Gnstavus Adolphns) gaining (Elliott, H.A. iv. p. 474.)
 HISTORY AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION ccxv

rather a drama, which may be broken up into acts and scenes

the drama of the progress and victory of the Christian faith.
8. While inheriting the methods of its predecessors, the
nineteenth century found itself in possession of new data by
which it was enabled to correct or extend their application. The
progress of events shifted the point of view from which the
advocates of the continuously historical interpretation regarded
St John's visions; room had to be made, for instance, for the
French Revolution and all the disturbing tendencies which it
represented or set going 1 Among expositors who revolted from
.

a system which was under the necessity of revising its results

with the progress of events some, like S. R. Maitland and Isaac
Williams in England, and Stern, Bisping, and others on the
continent, revived and carried to greater lengths the 'futurist'
views of Ribeira ; while others, like Auberlen, fell back upon the
position that the Apocalypse revealed a philosophy of history and
anticipated persons or events only when they were "solitary
examples of a principle 2." In Germany a new attitude towards
the interpretation of the book, was created by the endeavour to
investigate its sources. If the Apocalypse of John is a Jewish
work adapted for reading in Christian congregations, or a com-
pilation from non-canonical apocalypses, it is difficult to regard
the book as more than a storehouse of first-century eschatology,
or a historical monument which throws light on an obscure age.
In that case it is undoubtedly of first-rate importance to the
student of history, but its claims 'to be regarded as a prophecy in
any true sense of the word can no longer be taken seriously. In
Germany this estimate of the Apocalypse is still dominant, and
it has revolutionized the interpretation of the book. In England
there are signs of a desire to assimilate all that? may be of
permanent value in the results of research, without abandoning
belief in the canonical authority or prophetical character of St
John's work. Examples of this attitude may be found in Professor
Sir W. M. Ramsay's Letters to the Seven Churches, and in the most
recent of English commentaries on the Revelation, the brief but
1
See, e.g., Elliott, H.A. in. 309 ff. Apocalypse, p. 48.
2 Auberlen, cited by Arohbp. Benson,
ccxvi HISTORY AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION
suggestive contribution made to Professor Adeney's Century Bible
by Mr Anderson Scott.

9. It remains to state the principles of interpretation by which

the following exposition has been guided.
The interpretation of an ancient book, especially of a book such
as the Apocalypse, must depend in great part on the view which
the interpreter- is led to take of its literary character, purpose,
destination, and date. These points have been discussed in the
and it is only necessary here
earlier chapters of the introduction,

to shew how the judgements which have been formed upon them
affect the present writer's attitude toward the problems and the
general significance of the book.
(1) This commentary has been written under the conviction
that the author of the Apocalypse was, what he claimed to be, an
inspired prophet. He belongs to the order which in older days
produced the books of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. He knows
himself to be a medium
communication between God and
of
Christ on the one hand, and the Church on the other. His mind
has been lifted into a sphere above its natural powers by the

Divine Spirit, which has enabled him to assimilate a message from

the invisible world. His rendering of this message into human
thought and speech must be interpreted as we interpret the
prophecies of the Old Testament canon it will possess the same
;

Divine elevation that we find in them, and be liable to the same

human limitations. The student who approaches the Apocalypse
from this point of view will not expect to find in it express pre-
and actions which in St John's day were yet
dictions of persons
hidden in the womb of a remote future nor will he look for exact
;

chronological order in its successive visions, or for a sense of the

distances which part great epochs from one another. But on the
other hand he will expect and, it is firmly believed, will find that
the prophet of the New Testament is not less able than the
prophets of the Old Testament to read the secrets of God's general
purpose in the evolution of events, to detect the greater forces
which are at work in human life under all its vicissitudes, and to
indicate the issues towards which history tends.
 HISTORY AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION ccxvii

(2) As the title suggests, the prophecy of" this book possesses
a special character of which the interpreter must not fail to take
note. The Divine message came to John in a series of visions
it is an apocalypse, and it uses the ideas, the symbols, and the
forms of speech which were characteristic of apocalyptic litera-

ture. Thus St John's work challenges comparison with the

apocalyptic portions of the Old Testament; more especially ,

with the Book of Daniel and farther, with the non-canonical

; ,

Jewish apocalypses, to which ready access can now be had

through the labours of Professor Charles and Dr . E. James.
It is possiblei to exaggerate the influence which these Jewish
books exerted over the mind of the Christian Apocalyptist, and it

may be questioned whether he has made direct use of any of

them ; but they establish the existence of a common stock of
apocalyptic imagery on which St John evidently drew. The
modern interpreter of the" Apocalypse is bound to take into
account the presence in St John's book of the conventional
language of apocalyptic literature, and to refrain from pressing
it into the service of his own line of interpretation. Phrases and
imagery which fall under this category must generally be held to
belong to the scenery of the book rather than to the essence
of the revelation. A recognition of this canon of interpretation
will save the student from adopting the naive and sometimes
grotesque attempts which have been, made to interpret every
detail in a book which, like all writings of its class, defies treat-

ment of this kind.

(3) Another important landmark for the guidance of the
interpreter is to be found in the purpose of the book and the

historical surroundings of its origin. The Apocalypse is cast

in the form of a letter to certain Christian societies, and it

opens with a detailed account of their conditions and circum-

stances. Only the most perverse ingenuity can .treat the
messages to the Seven Churches as directly prophetical. The
book starts with a well-defined historical situation, to which
reference is made again at the end, and the intermediate visions
which form the body of the work cannot on any reasonable
s. B. '
ccxviii HISTORY AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION
theory be dissociated from their historical setting. The prophecy
arises out of local and contemporary circumstances ; it is, in the first

instance at least, the answer of the Spirit to the fears and perils of
the Asian Christians toward the end of the first century. Hence
all that can throw light on the Asia of A.D. 70 — 100, and.

upon Christian life in Asia during that period, is of primary

importance to the student of the Apocalypse, not only in view of

the local allusions in cc. ii. — in., but as helping to determine the
aim and drift of the entire work. No one who realizes that the
prophecy is an answer to• the crying needs of the Seven Churches
will dream of treating it as a detailed forecast of the course
of mediaeval and modern history in Western Europe. So far

as the Apocalyptist reveals the future, he reveals it not with

the view "of exercising the ingenuity of remote generations, but
for the practical purpose of inculcating those great lessons of
trust in God, loyalty to the Christ-King, confidence in the
ultimate triumph of righteousness, patience under adversity,
and hope in the prospect of death, which were urgently needed,
by the Asian Churches, and will never be without meaning and
importance so long as the world lasts.

It will be seen that an interpretation conducted upon these

lines will have points of contact with each of the chief systems of
Apocalyptic exegesis, without identifying itself with any one
of them as a whole. With the 'preterists' it will take its
stand on the circumstances of the age and locality to which
the book belongs, and will connect the greater' part of the
.prophecy with the destinies of the Empire under which the
prophet lived; with the 'futurists' it will .look for fulfilments•
of St John's pregnant words in times yet to come. With the
.school of Auberlen• and Benson it will find in the Apocalypse a
Christian philosophy of history ; with the '
continuous-historical
school it can see in the progress of events ever new illustrations
of the working of the great principles which are revealed. And
while it maintains, against the majority of recent continental
scholars, the essential unity of the book and its prophetic
inspiration, it will gladly accept all that research and discovery
 HISTORY AND METHODS OF INTERPRETATION ccxix,

can yield for the better understanding of the conditions under

which the book was written. Indeed it is from this quarter
that ii will look most confidently for further light.
No attempt to solve the problems of this most enigmatic
of canonical books can be more than provisional ; even if the
principles on which it rests are sound, their application must
often be attended with uncertainty through the interpreter's
lack of knowledge, or through his liability to err in his judge-
ments upon the facts which are known .to him. The present
writer expects no immunity from this law ; he has stated his
conclusions without reserve, but he is far from desiring to
claim forthem a finality which perhaps will never be attained.
Nor has he gone to his work with any preconceptions beyond the
general principles just indicated. His purpose has not b een to

add a system of interpretation ,to those which are already in the

field, but simply to contribute whatever a personal study, con-
.

ducted in the light shed upon the Apocalypse by many explorers,

may be able to offer towards a true appreciation of this great .

Christian prophecy.
 The following are a few of the less obvious abbreviations
employed

Audr. Andreas.

Ar. Arethas.

BDB. Brown Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the O.T. (Oxford,
1892 — 1906).
Blass, Gr. F. Blasa, Grammar of N.T. Greek. Translated by H. St J. Thackeray
(London, 1898).
Burton. K. de W. Burton, Syntax of the Moods and Tenses in N.T. Greek (Edin-
, burgh, 1894).

GIG. Corpus inscriptionum graecarum.

Enc. Bibl. T. K. Cheyne and J. S. Black, Encyclopaedia Biblica (London, 1899
1903).

Ev.Petr. The Gospel of Peter (cited from the writer's edition).

Exp. The Expositor.

Hastings, D.B. J. Hastings, Dictionary ofthejiible (Edinburgh, 1898 — 1904).
J. Th. St., or J. T. S. The Journal of Theological Studies.

SH. Sanday arid Headlam, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (Edinburgh,
1895)•

Si Mark. The writer's edition.

Tyc. Tyconius (see p. ccif.).

Yg. The Latin Vulgate.

"Viet. Victorinus (see p. cof.).
WH. Westcott and Hort, N.T. in Greek (Cambridge, 1891); WH. 2 , second edition
(1896).

"WM. Winer-Moulton, Grammar of N.T. Greek, 8th Engl. ed. (Edinburgh, 1877).
"WSchm. Winer-Schmiedel, Grammatik d. NTlichen Sprachidioms (Gottingen,
1894— ).

Zahn, Einl. Th. Zahn, Einleitung in das N.T. (Leipzig, 1897 — 9).
Hier]
\$'\
.
(49) 51
( .
90 94
BeoKoyov 14 17 91 97
air. . .
H) HC
,
(cf.

air.
A in
ayiov
Q 1 2 tj
/
.
subser) 2 8 82 93 (9s) ('3°) ^ r
.
.
I
OrEus
25 28 31 (37) 38
.
.

evayyeXiarov
I

TlTLE.
]; 42 (of.

Q
vg ed syr)

Or . ' (1) in reference to the revelation of

was the title of the book in the second God (Roin. ii. 5), of Christ (1 Cor. i. 7,
century, cf. Iren. v. 30. 3 2 Th. i. 7, 1 Pet. i. 7, 13, iv. 13), and
can. : Murat. of the Saints (Rom. viii. 19), which is
1.71 sq. "apoealypse[s] etiam Iohannis to be made at the Parousia; and also
et Petri tantum recipimus" Tert. adv. : (2) of any revelation now made to the
Marc. iv. 5 "apocalypsin eius Marcion Church (Rom. xvi. 25, 1 Cor. xiv. 6, 26,

,
respuit."
BeoKoyov etc. are manifestly
due to later transcribers. BeoKoyos
evayyekia- 2 Cor. xii. 1, 7, Gal. i.12, ii. 2, Eph.
iii. through the Spirit as a
3)
(Eph. i. 1 7). The corre-
as the distinctive title of St John is sponding was exercised not
perhaps not earlier than the end of only by Apostles (2 Cor. xii. 7, Gal.ii. 2),
cent. iv. in Eus. praep. ev. xi. 19 the
; but at times as it appears by ordinary
Evangelist 6«,
but the writer of believers in the congregation (cf. 1 Cor.

] - ,,,
Hebrews is
Ath. or. c. gent. 42 6 6eo\6yos
6eo\oyos. Yet cf. xiv. 26 !.. .-
?«). In this sense
(Hort, Apoc. p. xxxvi).
—
'

, is coupled with other gifts, such as

. '^
I. 1 3. Prologue. (i Cor. xiv. 6),
.
Kakvijns occurs here only in this book. (Eph. i. 17).
(ib. 26), -
(2 Cor. xii.
),
The noun is rare in literary Greek, Here the exact meaning depends
but Jerome's dictum (in Gal. i. 11 sq.) upon the interpretation of the geni-
" verbum ipsum .proprie

,
. tive. Is the gen. of
scripturarum est et a nullo sapientum the object or of the spbject? Dr Hort
saeculi apud Graecos usurpatum" is (on 1 Pet. i. 7 and ad lac.) siipports
too sweeping, for it is found in Plutarch the former, but the next words,
mor. 70 P. In the lxx ..., seem to point the other
is far more frequent than way. The book is a Divine reve-
and the noun is used euphemistically lation of which Jesus Christ was the
for ilVTW in 1 Regn. xx. 30, and recipient and the giver: cf. Gal. i. 12,
metaphorically in Sirach (xi. 27, xxii.
22, xlii. 1); in the N.T.
in a metaphorical sense is fairly
common (Lc. 1, Paul14 Pet. 3 Apoc. ).
.The Epistles use it eschatologically

s. E.
, ,
1
where
'by revelation from J.'

.
(Light-
foot), in contrast with teaching re-
ceived
might have been
The title
.
C
X. means

,
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [.

jeveoOai

*
2
-,
(] »°
)
(. 6i
oa
) |
'
, our.]
§a
os
. A om 130 |
laavei

though the instinct of the Church has prophets; cf. Mc. viii. 31, ix. 1 1, xiii. 10,

rightly substituted the name of the Lc. xxiv. 26, Jo. xii. 34. To this the
disciple through whom the message
was delivered. adds iv €
keen hope of primitive Christianity
(Lc. xviiL 8, Rom. xvi. 20,

)
.] Arethas Apoc. xxii. 6), another O.T. phrase
bedorai
e&awev 6
, (Deut. 6, Jos. 2, 1 Regn. 1 , Ps. 1, Sir. 1,

. -
bOv\ois Bar. 3 , Ez. 1 ), which must be interpreted

,- ., ,
The Father is the ultimate here and in xxii. 6 relatively to Divine
measurements of time (Arethas,

\
Revealer (Mt. xi. 25 ; the

Son is the medium through Whom

the revelation passes to men (ib. 27 <S Dr Hort, placing a comma after
).
.

,
tav 6 cf. takes a as in apposition with
Jo.
).
i. 18 ...€
That the Son receives what The Latin significavit nun-
SC.

He is and has from the Father is lianda seems to imply a reading

the constant teaching of the Gospel with 6 as the subject
of St John (iii. 35, v. 20 ff., 26, vii.
16,
2
fihi
viii.

ff.),

a statement of
relation to
cf.
28, xii.

Bede " Iohaimes more suo

the
:

gloriam ad patrem referens"; for

49, xvi.

this doctrine in its

Christology of
Creeds see Hooker E. P. v. 54 ff. The
15, xvii.

the
.
With

by Christ
compare the use of the
verb in Jo. xii. 33, xviii. 32, xxi. 19,
and in Acts xi. 28

\,
Here the message is sent

:
roO cf.

Beatus "non cogitatione concepta res

est, non aliquibus scripturarum car-
roC «

particular revelation now about to be minibus; sed per angelum, id est,

made was given to Jesus Christ that puritatissuaenuntium...Ioaunidirecta
might be communicated (8e?£m ha est"; see Mt. xiii 41, Mc. xiii. 27,

(
it
palam facere) to the servants Apoc. xxii. 16.
&el§rj,
=
,
of God 6eoi, cf. xxii. 6), i.e.,
primarily the Christian prophets (see
Amos iii. ;
,
(=|
xi.

(...8< ,
14, xii.
Exod.
25, xv.
iv.

36), cf.
13, 2 Sam.
Mt. xi. 2

.
7 6 6fbs
Acts XI.

Apoc. 7>
iav
bovXovs
.
• 8, xxii• 6), but not to
the exclusion of the other members of
and
30
' For
Rom. i. , Jas. i.
see 1, Jude
1. John is named again in 4, 9 i.
the Church; in vii. 3 oi
and xxii.the question of his
8;
are the whole company of
identity with the Apostle is discussed
the sealed, and the reading of N*
in the Introduction, e. xv.
(ay/ots) is doubtless a true gloss in
this piace.
Set iv ,« the contents
The genesis of the Apocalypse has
now been traced from its origin in the
Mind of God to the moment when it

, ,,,
of the Apocalypse. yeviaBai is
reached its human interpreter.
from Dan. ii. 28, see xiii. 7, note Mc
denotes not the necessity of a 2. or .]
blind but tho sure fulfilment are fre-
of the purpose of God revealed by the quent in the Apocalypse, as in other
•3]

\oyov
.
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,
]•»
3

\oyo
yey yap
.e'yyi/s.
3

KAQ 7 Q8)] + K at
om 1

() ?
2 Dion
yevecrdai
| ] +« al" ""

7 2
Ar |
.(
28 37 3^ 4^ 49
al'*' m " me (cod ap Ar) me Vict tous ACP
3 |

alP 1 vg me syrr Vict Prim Andr Ar] + C tok NQ 100 aeth

6 »£•!•»» ™ «•••> me syrr arm
|

(- )] + 7
2
Vict Prim

Johaunine books; the verb is usually documents, as Apostolic letters (Col.

followed by

xxii. 16, 20.

.,. ,
or oVt, but the cognate
ace. occurs again in 1 Jo. v. 10, Apoc.

i.e. the

revelation imparted by God and at-

tested by Christ; the phrase occurs
again, with some modifications in form
iv. 16,

(,
1 Th. v. 27, and see also Justin

ap, i. 67, Dionys. Cor. ap. Eus.

iv. 23); and the writer of the Apoca-

lypse clearly desires to encourage this

public use of his book. The reader
E.

lector), soon acquired an

official position, and became a member
.

or meaning; in i. 9, vi. 9, xii. 17, xx. 4.
This word and witness reached John
in a vision (So-a &.
the reading 00-a
re has arisen from a misunder-
standing). strikes a note which
is heard repeatedly throughout the
book (cf. i. 12, 17, i9f., iv. , v. 1 f, etc.)
and indicates its general character,
which is that of a prophetic vision (cf.
Isa. i. ). The aorist
epistolary; from the reader's point of
view John's testimony was borne at
.
the time when the book was written.
of the clerus• (Tert. de praescr. 41;
see Wordsworth, Ministry of Grace,
p. 187 f.). But no such character
was attributed to him in the first
century; in the Apostolic Church as
in the Synagogue the reading of the
Scriptures was probably deputed by
the presbyters or the president to
any member of the congregation who
is was able and willing to perform it.
The
= ^ of the reader
as in Deut. xxxiii. 29, Ps.
(-
1) is extended to the hearers if they

,
i.

Dr Hort regards as referring keep what they have heard. There is

.
to John's "confessing of Jesus Christ here a scarcely doubtful reference to
before men," and not to the visions of
/
, '.::
our Lord's saying in Lc. xi. 28
the Apocalypse.
3. 6 -.] though the Johannine
Felicitation of the reader and hearers (Jo. viii. 51 f., xiv. 23, xv. 20,
of the vision; similar mak- xvii. 6, 1 Jo. ii. 5, etc.) takes the place
ing with tho present instance seven in of The thought is worked
all, occur at intervals throughout the out by St James (i. 22 f.).
second half of the book (Apoc. xiv. the Apocalyptist
13, xvi. 15, xix. 9, xx. 6, xxii. 7, 14). claims for his book that it shall take

.,
" not the private
student Mc.
. . shews, the
(cf.
is
xiii. 14, note), but, as
person who reads
rank with the prophetic books of the
O.T.; cf. 2 Chr. xxxii. 32 iv rji
Sir. prol. 15 at
-
-
aloud in the congregation. The The claim is repeated in

:
'

Church inherited the Jewish practice Apoc. xxii. 7, io, 18 f.

of reading in the congregation (cf. yap a motive for
Exod. xxiv. 7, Neh. viii. 2, Lc. iv. hearing and keeping the season (cf. :

l6, Acts xiii. 15, xv. 21, 2 Cor. iii. 15), xi. 18, xxii. 10; Acts i. 7) for tho
and extended it to such Christian fulfilment of the vision is at hand ; tho
1 —
4

4 Iwaxtjs
4

tt |
arro
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

KACP 2 s 6 7 3§ 9 1 «™" 1 1
ev

g h vg syrr]
•
cwro
[I. 4

30 ^™ 8 Ar ed otto "0eoi/'o ac Q 36 95 J 3° al ,ere40 Vict Prim

hopesand fears which it arouses belong Christian communities at Troas (Acts

to the near future; cf. Beatus: "per- xx. 5 ft., 2 Cor. ii. 12), Hierapolis and

ficientibus enim 11011 longum tempus Colossae (Col. i. 1, ii. 1, iv. 13), possibly
remunevationis facit." The words, like also atMagnesia and Tralles; and the
iv (v. 1), are repeated in xxii. 10. question arises why John addresses
They rest ultimately on such sayings only the seven churches which are
of Christ asMc. xiii. 28 f. and are among specified {rais (!). The
the commonplaces of primitive Chris- selection may be explained by cir-
tianity ; cf. Rom. xiii 1 1, 1 Cor. vii. '29, cumstances ; Troas lay far off the road
(where see Lightfoot's note).
Phil. iv. 5 which the messenger would -naturally
—
4 8. The writer's greeting to follow, while Hierapolis and Colossae

, « ^/ .]
the Churches addressed. were so near to Laodicea and Mag-

,—:
4• rais nesia and Tralles to Ephesus that they
The customary form for beginning a might be disregarded. The seven
letter; cf. Gal. i. c'k- Churches addressed were fairly re-
tt)s I Th. L ,. } presentative of Asiatic Christianity;
I Cor. i. I, and as Ramsay points out {Exp. 1904,
2 Cor. i. 1, Ign. Eph. 1 etc. Though i. p. 29), the "seven cities were the•

we are not again reminded of the fact best points of communication with 4
till we reach the closing benediction seven districts." But the repeated
21), the Apocalypse is in fact occurrence of the number seven in this

-
(xxii.
book b
a letter from i. 4 onwards; it might (i. 4 , 12, 16, iv. 5, v. 1, 6, viii. 2,
have borne the title /jos ras ' 1, xiv. 6 f.) sug-
x. 3, xi. 13, xii. 3, xiii.
!, or Hpus 'Aaiavovs. gests another reason for the limita-
in the Books of Maccabees tion. Seven, the number of the days
(1 Mace. viii. 6, xi. 13, xii. 39, xiii. 32-; of the week, presented to the Semitic
mind the idea of completeness (Adrian
2 Mace. iii. 3, x. 24; 3 Mace. iii. 14;
4Macc.iii. 2o)is conterminous with the
empire of the Seleucids. But before
Isagoge 83
...Xcy«..,«rl
.. .).
Thus
N.T. times it had acquired another "the seven Churches" may represent
meaning. The Romans identified Asia to us not only the Churches of Asia as
with the Pergamene kingdom, and a whole, b.ut(caw. Murat. 57 f.) all the
when in B.C. 129 the possessions of Churches of Christ ; and Andreas is

.
Attalus III. passed into their handa, probably not altogether wide of the
they gave thename to the newprovince.
The province of Asia at first included
only the western sea-board of Asia
mark when he writes :

-
4-
So Prima-
Minor, but after B.C. 49 two dioeceses of sius: "id est, uni ecclesiaeseptiformi;
Phrygia were added to it; see Cic. pro septenario numero saepe universitas
Flacco 27 "Asia vestra constat ex figuratur"; and Rupert of Deutz:
Phrygia Mysia Caria Lycia." In the "idem nobis sit ac si dixerit 'Ioannes
N.T..ij is always Proconsular Asia, omnibus ecclesiis quae sunt in mun-
with the possible exception of Acts ii. 9, do"'; Beatus: "quid sibi Asianus
cf.
where Phrygia appears, to be definitely
excluded; on this see, however, the
Introduction, c: v. In addition to the
cities named below in v. 1 1, there wore &
populus esse videtur ut solus suscipere
revelationem apostolicam mereatur?"
But any such application of rats arro
is only in the background of
•4]

,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

-
4
ev. fciA 47 79 99
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om 80
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the words
a
;

definite reference
must not be diverted
as they stand, they have
from winch they
to mystical vises.
part, of ,
attempt to supply the want of a past
while
perhaps preferred to
is
be-
.- So all the cause it adumbrates at the outset the

.
Pauline Epistles open except 1, 2 general purpose of the book, which is
Tim., where and in 2 Jo. we find to exhibit the comings of God in
The same saluta- human history if is• used
;

tion is used in 1, 2 Peter; St James elsewhere chiefly of the Son, the

prefers the classical
23, Jac. i. ). 6 '
(Acts xv. father also may be said to come
when He reveals Himself in His work-
\>
'

]
i. 7, Cor.
i.e. (Rom.
That this is the
i. 3
true interpretation appears from
etc.).
ings ;

....
cf. e.g. Jo. XIV.

the phrase exhibits the Divine Life

23
As a whole

.
Andreas
), (
X. which follows the view of

and that of Primasius ("ad per-

;

- under the categories into which it

falls when it becomes the subject of
human thought, which can conceive
sonam tamen filii hjc proprie redigen- of the eternal only in the terms of
dus est locus") are equally excluded time. Such a title of the Eternal
by the context. As to the phrase Father stands fitly among the first
itself,

de Abr. 24
$
&v is the lxx. rendering of
in Exod. iii. 14; cf. Philo
words of a book which reveals the
present in the light both of the past
and of the future.
. Aquila, The construction .
however,
translated
[os] ,} followed
by
and the Targums read into
"&
the words a reference to the infinite
past and future of God's, eternal 'now';
by Theodotion, must be explained by regarding the
whole phrase as an indeclinable noun
(Viteau, Etude, ii. pp. 12, 126); a more
exact writer would perhaps have said
-. WM.
thus the. Jerusalem Targum.interprets - (cf. p. 79 f..).

.]
.
"qui fuit est et erit," and the T. of

-
Jonathan on Deut. xxxii. 39 renders
»3 'JS. "ego Me qui est et qui fuit
Cf. iii. ,
the writer adds roC
iv. 5, v. 6,
Jewish
angelology recognised seven angels of
.
where after

et qui erit." Similar descriptions of the Presence (Tob. xii. 1 5, Enoch xx.
the Divine Life are cited' from Greek 7, xc. 21; cf. Targum Jon. on Gen.
poetry, e.g. the saying ascribed to "dixit Deus vii angelis qui stant

' ,-
xi. 7
... \
,,
:

Heracleitus: tort coram illo"). Seven angels are men-

; the oracle iu Paus.
r)v,

the Orphic lines

,
12

, .
and
tioned in Apoc. viii. 2 ff., xv. 1 if.
and some early interpreters were dis-
"posed to identify the "seven spirits

. Thus the Apocalyptist

strikes a note familiar both to Jewish
\
of God" with such a group of angelic
beings. Thus Andreas :

\
and Hellenic ears. But he expresses
his thought more suo %v (Benson
'the Was') is a characteristically bold
:

Urging that
and Arethas more confidently
,
6

.
5

implies
,
But against
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
3

,
this view must
,
in the lxx., to
little weight is
which comparatively
assigned in this book.
[I. 4

be set (1) the description of the 'seven antici-

pates the vision of iv. 2, 5, q.v. The
spirits' in c: v. 6, with obvious re-
ference to Zech. iv. 10; and (2) the
apparent coordination of the spirits
readings , (),
are gram-
matical corrections for the rougher a:
in this place with the Father and the
Son. Bousset finds a parallel to this b iv .
for the omission of the verb cf. c. v. 13
Nestle (Textual,
'

in Justin, ap. i. 6, but Justin's Chris-

tology is less consistent than that of
the Apocalypse, where Christ is dis-
tinguished from the angels (see upon
Criticism, p. 331) suggests that the
original reading was
5- . .,
.
Grace and peace come also from the
]
this the* notes to c. xxii. 8 f., 16).
Moreover, the NT. rarely uses - Person who received and communi-
cated the revelation. . Xp.,

all
of angels

13 f.

or
ambiguity.'
,
Heb. i. 7, 14 is
;

based on a quotation, and in Apoc.

xvi.

On
the whole, there-
is qualified by
which removes
as in the Pauline form of salutation
from Bom. i. 7 onwards; St John
(2 Jo. 3) has in the same
sense. Since our Lord is the medium
rather than the source of the Divine
,
mentators,
accept the alterna-
fore, it is safer to
tive followed by the best Latin com-
Victorinus, Primasius,
Apringius, Beatus ("sanctus scilicet
Spiritus unus in nominej virtutibus
as in Jo.
. . .
favour we might have expected
i. 17
But the Son in His
oneness with the Father may also be
regarded as the source of the gifts
septiformis")
ternative by
and offered
Andreas ( ...
. .•.
as an
8e
al- which He communicates. From this
point the full title
disappears, unless we read it in the

,
compare Heb.

, . Apoc.
[^).
I

ib. .
ii.

Cor.

xxii.
Here the
4
xii.

32
6
"We may

-
closing benediction (xxii 21); else-
where throughout the Apoc.
stands alone (i. 9 bis, xii. 17, xiv. 12,
xvii. 6, xix. 10 bis, xx. 4, xxii. 16,
—
20) a use which is rare except in
the Gospels and the Ep. to the
Hebrews. It may be the purpose of
'spirits'are seven, because the the, writer to emphasize in this way
Churches in which they operate are the humanity of the glorified Christ,
seven. An early interpretation con-
nected them with the aspects of the
1'
LXX.J
enumerated in Isa. xi. 2
cf. and Ps.-
Justin, dial.
Hippolytus (ed. Lagarde,p. 198), where
87, nominatives
first
6 ,
and His identity with the historical
Person who lived and suffered.
and the other
which follow, are the
examples of an anomaly which is
the passage in Isaiah
form
. ''
Hence the Spiritus
is quote.d in the
- common in the Apoc;
12 etc. Such irregularities may be
iii.

partly attributable to Semitic habits

cf. ii. 13, 20,

septiformis of Latin devotional theo- —

of thought a Greek could scarcely
logy. But there is nothing to shew have permitted himself to use them
that the writer of the Apocalypse had but they are partly due to the cha-
Isa. I.e. in his thoughts ; moreover the racter of the book and perhaps are
septenary number appears there only parenthetic rather than solecistic;
,?. < ',
•5] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

] - »5
RACQ 6
RAC
pr
7 14 38 95 al
Batmu
]
§ 96 al arm ",i,1<lc

|
ev

8 36
arm Prim]
H*
79 9
(- R
1 92
'" 8

PQ ramP vg me
lrU

9*>
) arm 1
99 Andr Ar
|
- |

6 12* 28 36 38 69 79 99 s y rr ) 1

aeth Andr Ar |
om 2° (hab X c * (
-a
) |
ck RAC 112 28* 36 38 79 92 m e 99 arm
Prim] PQ min* 1
vg me aeth Ar |
om 12 16 arm 4 Prim vld

see the Introduction,

looks back to . 2
but the phrase
wider reference;
. 6
Jo.
iii. 11, 32 f.,
cf.
c. xi.

moras has a
, book which represents the
Christ as presiding over the destinies
of nations.
The threefold title .
glorified

..-
viii.14 f., xviii. 37, 1 Tim. vi. 13; so ... answers to the three-
Victorinus "in nomine suscepto per-
: fold purpose of the Apocalypse, which
hibuit testimonium in mmido"; we is at once a Divine testimony, a reve-
are reminded also of Prov. xiv. 5 lation of the Risen Lord, and a fore-
DrjiOK IS, lea. Iv. 4 1>15 DISiK^ IB. cast of the issues of history.
.]
). ,
It occurs again in The first of
c. iii. 14 (y.».), where ,

the many doxologies of the book (iv.

it is

]amplified (

,-
6 .
11, v. 9, 12 f., vii. 10, 12 etc.) is offered

,
to Jesus Christ. " To Him that loves

. ,
,
in Col. i. 18 01 tarty
i<
tyryycpTai tK
and

Though others had risen,

-
So St Paul

Cor. xv. 20
—
—
us and the crucial instance of His
love loosed us from our sins at the
cost of His blood." The reading
though it represents a
those e.g. who were raised by Him,
fact (Jo. xiii. 1, 34, xv. 9, Rom. viii.

37,Apoc. iii. 9) misses the contrast

yet as Alcuin (quoted by Trench) well
between the abiding and the
observes, "nullus ante ipsum non
completed act of redemption. Be-
moriturus surrexit." In His capacity
tween and it is not
of 'firstborn' Jesus is further
. so easy to decide. is
Here John
»
Biblical, see Job xlii. 9 (lxx.), -and the
follows another line of thought, sug-
gested by Ps. lxxxviii. (lxxxix.) 28
Kay

.. (J
(113?)
} ?)
The Resurrection carried
, construction

other hand
sense,
t< .
occurs in Lc.
xiii. 16, 1 Cor. vhV 27; cf. Apoc. xx. 7

and presents a more usual

yields a
On the
good

with a potential lordship over all

it metaphor; cf. Ps. 1. (li.) 4, Isa. i. 16,
humanity (Rom. xiv. 9), not only over 18, 1 Cor. vi. 11, Eph. v. 26, Tit. iii.
5,
the Church (Col. I.e.). The Lord won Heb. x. 22; but it rests on inferior
by His Death what the Tempter had authority and may be "due to failure
offered Him as the reward of sin (Mt. to understand the Hebraic use of iv
iv. 8 f.); He rose and ascended to to denote a price... and a natural

..
receive universal empire
12,

.,
Xffrr
16 eVt
..(...
cf. c. xix.

The Words
imperator regum terrae,
.
;

-
misapplication of vii. 14" (WH. 2,•
Notes, p. 136; cf. .Nestle, Textual
Criticism, p. 332). It is' interesting
to find Plato by a play upon the
words bringing together the two verbs
stand, appropriately at the head of a in a very similar connexion Crat. :
6 6

6 -
, KACP
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
-ev

minP 1
r/uas

syrr]
, Q
iepeis

7 13 14 16 2 5 2 9 3 6 43 55
- 9 2 "" 'if"*™'
6-
[L6

arm |

!
KPQ alP syrr Vict Prim Andr Ar]
Q ygamruharitoi (n0S ii-ttm regnum)
Tert Vict Prim tepeis
1

tepare^a (9) 13 14 23 27 55 92'" 130 me'"

tepeis]

1 28 36 79 80 81
\
A

161
13 23 *7 3 1 3» 55

syrr* 4 ,
tepeis K
ca

Q
arm
99 vg"»
1

6 Bebs (ed. Charles, p. 1 16 note). As Dr Hort

405

! re

abundantly accounts
and
;
The assonance of '
has shewn, the lxx. probably read
DdSdd. and the same reading is re-
presented by Th. and in the Apoc.
for the interchange of the two, not- (on the frequent agreement of the
withstanding the difference of mean- latter with Th. see Salmon, Iritrod.
ing: one spelling or the other was

&.
to tlie N. TJ, p. 548 if., and the writer's
adopted according to the sense pre- Introd. to the O.T. in Greek, p. 48).
-
:!
ferred; cf. Arethas:

sacrificed
the blood,
life, was the
45, note ; cf. Rom. v. 9, 1 Pet. i. 19,
emblem of the
(Mc. x.
It is a further question whether
in this passage means a nation
under the government of a. king, or a
nation of kings; for the latter inter-
pretation see the Jer. Targum cited by

(
(xxxii.) 44,
iv
!
1 Jo. i. 7); for ev 'at the price of'

(= 3) see 1 Chron. xxi. 24, Jer. xxxix.

& . ApOC.

bestowed upon the

V. 9
The gift of
Charles I.e. (31
Hort observes, "in Exodus 'Kingdom'
is little more than a synonym of
'people' or nation, with the idea of
government by a king added"; and
p!?D). But, as

Church on the very day of the Resur- this sense suits the present context.
rection (Jo. xx. 23) was an immediate The Apoc. is largely a protest against
result of the 'loosing' effected

,'
Cross

.]
6.
; cf. Jo. xi. 44
and Aug. ad, loc.

"quia pro nobis passus

Beatus :
, avrbv
by the

iepels
the Caesar-cult and the attitude of
the Empire towards the Church, and
at the outset it places the Divine
Kingdom in sharp contrast to the im-
perial power. As Israel when set free

,
est et resurrexit a mortuis, nostrum
regnum

(see
ipse construxit." The con-
struction of the sentence requires
but the writer more suo
on v. 5, <5 )
suffers the new
thought that rises in his mind to take
the form of a parenthesis.
from Egypt acquired a national life
under its Divine King, so the Church,
redeemed by the Blood of Christ, con-

;
stituted a holy nation, a new theocracy.
'ltpels stands in apposition to
(Syrr., v£h\iiaX2>),
-
\
U petsare needless attempts to save
As the apparatus testifies, early the grammar. The members of the
students of the book were driven to
Church, a Kingdom in their corporate
despair by the words which follow. life, are individually priests as Bede ;

They rest on Exod. xix. 6 "ye shall truly says "nemo sanctorum est qui
:

be to Me a kingdom of priests"
(D^HB DDJPP,
, Aq. ,
LXX.
Symm., Th. -
-
spiritualiter sacerdotii officio careat,
cum
Baptism
sit membrum aeterni Sacerdotis."
inaugurates this priestly

( iepels, Vg.

(where see Hort's noto), Apoc. v. 9

regnum sacerdotale).
Exod. I.e. is quoted also in 1 Pet. ii. 9

iepett), Jubilees xvi. 13

service (Eph. v. 26,
5), which is
living, reasonable,
fices (Rom. xii.
Heb. x. 22, Tit. iii.
fulfilled by the offering of

1,
and spiritual sacri-
Heb. xiii. 15 f.,
1-7]

, THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 9

<W 33
6
,]
vg*"'
[ ]' .
ti*

7
( atavas
C |
K c •*)
o^cwTai
syrs" |
om
7

n 15a me syrr arm

28 79 97 99
|
om
me om
I
7

" 1 46 88
Pet. ii. 5). These are presented to well supported at the end of nearly
theGod and Father of Jesus Christ. all the N.T. doxologies ; it had taken
From another point of view the its place at once iii the worship of
Christian priesthood is exercised to- the Church as the -is of the

wards both the Father and the Son, private members to the prayer or

]
see C. XX. 6 Upus thanksgiving of the presiding Apostle
liere the
Father alone is
; prophet or presbyter (1 Cor. xiy. 16
named. should probably be J ustin, ap. i. 65).
taken with ™
as well as with 7- ihov
(Jo. xx. 17, Apoc. iii. 12); if the To the doxology the writer adds a
Incarnate Son is not ashamed to call forecast of the coming of the Lord,
men His brethren (Heb. ii. 1 1), neither to which he points as if it were

!
is He ashamed to call the Father His already imminent. The words are
God.
The Church,
sacerdotal society. That there are
like Israel, is a great
from Dan.
Ibov
vii.

(LXX.
vios
) ...\
13 Th.

(cf.

special ministries within the body xiii. Acts i.

26, xiy. 62, notes ;

which belong to an ordained clerus, 9 ff., 1 Thess. iv. 17). The note thus

!
an committed sounded at the beginning of the book
to Apostles and their successors (Rom. is repeated more than once at the end
xv. 16), in no way conflicts with the (xxii. 7, 12, 20).
reality of the priesthood which is the .]
privilege of every baptized member With the Apocalyptist com-
Daij. l.c.

of Christ.
£ .]
. Sc.
i.e.
bines Zech. xii. 10. His reminiscence
of Zech. agrees with the form which
the words take in Jo. xix. 37
to Jesus Christ. The Apoc. freely
associates Christ with the Father in
doxologies; cf. v. 13 f., vii. 10. An
els ov
LXX.
0"lp"I), against the

(11"). Zahll (Ein-

*
equally unequivocal instance is to be leitwng, ii. p. 563) argues that St John
found in 2 Pet. iii. 18 others which ; translated direct from the Hebrew,
are cited from the Apostolic writings using a text which read as M.T. ; but
(1 Pet iv. 11, Rom. xvi. 27, Heb. xiii. as appears also in Aq. and
21, Tim. iv. 18) are for various
2 Th., and in an independent quotation

]
reasons open to doubt. The simple
formula els alavas
is found in 4 Mace, xviii. 24,
Rom. l.c, Gal. i. 5,
}
etc. ;
[ by Justin, dial. 32, it is more probable
that both Gospel and Apocalypse were
indebted to a Greek version of the
prophecy other than the lxx., perhaps
isadded in 1

amplifications occur (cf. Mt. vi. 13,

T.R., 1 Tim., i. 17, vi. 16, Jude 25,
Apoc. v. 13, vii. 12); for further de-
tails see Chase, Lord's Prayer in the
Early Church,
Pet.

p. 168
I.e.,

ff.
and other

!
' . is
monies.
comp. Didache

specifies
was
With

.
to some collection of prophetic testi-

xvi.

(cf. Mc. i. 5, note) ;

7

a class already included in

s is
.
s
 8
7 om
8
/es

'€<.

me arm Prim vid om

al

2° * (hab
,\
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHX

"-*) |
om
<?.

t4*
,.
(hab
bis scr syr« w
•")
,
|

8 ']
]
Xe<yei
cir
[1-7

29 33 47 49
6

go 99 100 al"1 " [ ] pr e - * (om

|

1'-")
+ (;) () teXos * (28)

35 (3<>> 49> 79. 8 °) 9 2

™g
99 I i° alm " Tld vg mo
generic (WM., p. 209), pointing not so the writer contents himself with the
much to the original crucifiers as to simple affirmation which sufficed for
those who in every age share the Christians in their ordinary inter-
indifference or hostility which lay course (Mt.. v. 37, Jas. v. 12) ; but in
behind the act. - this extremely solemn announcement-
('over Him,' Vulg. super eum; cf. of the coming Parousiathe double
xviii. 9)
first
\
al
three words are from Zech.
.',

xii.
the
12 prets otherwise: "
asseveration is in place. Hort inter-
the Divine
the human acceptance."
Mt.,
vii.
who also (xxiv. 30) blends Dan.
13 with Zech. xii. 10, turns the
promise,
. £€
The solemn opening of the book
.]
sentence precisely as John does — reaches its climax here with words
circumstance which increases the ascribed to the Eternal and Almighty
probability that the quotation came
as it stands from a book of excerpts.
Prim, renders " et videbit eum omnis
:

terra" talem * ; other Latin texts give

" omnis caro terrae " or " omnes tribus
Father.

\
To \
(.
xliiL 10, xliv. 6, xlviii. 12.
is

13)
interpreted
(xxi. 6),
; cf.
-
Isa. xii.
The book
by

4
terrae." Did they read, with the being for Greek readers, the first and

)
Coptic and Armenian versions, o-fyov-
and add talem (i. q.
to relieve the monotony of
- last letters of the Greek alphabet are
used, but there is doubtless a reference
to the Jewish employment of ; ,

', .
the repeated 1 cf. e.g. Jalkui Bub. f. 17. 4 " Adamus

Hippolytus (ed. Lag. p. 117) inter- totam legem transgressus es, t ab Aleph
prets too narrowly :
usque ad Tau" (' "tin 'XB) ib. f. 48. 4, ;

where the contrary is said of Abra-

strikes quite another note. ham. The symbol was regarded

').
unites the Greek and He- as including the intermediate letters,
brew forms of affirmation, as Andreas and stood for totality ; and thus it fitly
remarks : }) tc represented the Shekinah (Schoettgeu,
tji T€ A i. p. 1086). Early Christian writers
somewhat similar combination is the enter at large into the mystical im-

,,
of Mc. xiv. 36, where seo port of AQ, e.g. Tertullian, de monog.
note. The words however, "duas Graecas litteras, summam et
are not quite synonymous ; from its ultimain...sibi lnduit Dominus, uti...
associations possesses a religious ostenderet in se esse initii decursum
character, which gives it greater
solemnity; cf. 2 Cor. i. 20 -• ad finem, et finis recursum ad initium;
ut omnis dispositio in eum desinens
eVayyeXiai 0eoO, iv
. per quern coepta est...proinde desinat

self 6
felt
in the
fit'

to
(iii.

be -unbecoming.
book (xiv.
14) ;
Christ is
would be
Elsewhere
13, xvi. 7, xxii.
Him-

20)
quemadinodumetcoepit." So Clement
of Alexandria, strom.
cis tv
iv.
• 25 § 158 sq.
,
1.9]

,
, - .
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN II

9 '€
] ,
\- -iXeia
9

-]
]
8
ev .
om Q pr
7
ffeos

49 &1
Hipp"™'
om syrr aeth
9 I&mu"7>
|
om
tt* |

ev I. arm ev
6 8 Ar
|
|

.
l ev A 25 » Xp. Q min 50 syr Prim Ar ev I. Xp. X 00 syr Iijffou
28 79 130 al"onn

Amos passim

,
ev xii. 5 (6), and in ; in
.
(3

,
e'Lpr)Tai,

(<}
2, 3 Mace, often stands alone."
,,
.
4
t. i. 31.
y'lveTal

See also Origen in Joann.

The phrase
seen to express
not eternity only, but infinitude, the
is
viii. 3),

Almighty (
xi. 17, xviii. 15)
=6

;
(Cyril. Hier. catech.
the All-Ruler rather than the
Sap.
see Suicer ad
vii.
v., and
23,
6

boundless life which embraces all while Kattenbusch, Das apost. Symbol, ii.

it transcends all, "fons et clausula om- P• 533 f-> ol" the editor's Apostles'
nium quae sunt" (Prudentius, cathem. Creed*, p. 20 f.

ix. 10 ff.). In xxii. 13

and
applied by Jesus to Himself,
is
assumed by the
this reference is
ancient interpreters in the present
case (cf. Hippolytus adv. Noet. (ed.
Lag. p. 48) emev », .]
9.
—

Prom
,
9 20. Vision op the Rises' and
Glohified Christ.

the ecstatic utterances of

vv. 7, 8 the writer returns to his
6

Clem. AL strom. iv. 25 § 159, Orig. de

princ. i. 2, 10 "qui enim venturus
est, quis est alius nisi Christus?"
.Andreas :

and the passages cited above), but

, , in-
address to< the Churches.
identifies him with the John of vv. 2,
4, and is after the manner of the
apocalyptic prophets when they relate
.

, Dan.
their visions cf. vii. 28, viii. 1

.
;
correctly, as the next words shew.
eya> Enoch xii. 3
=

.
Xey« Kiipioj tflK. 11}»
}
4 Esdr. ii. 33 " ego Esdras ac-
a phrase specially
(vi. 3, 1 1, vii. with whom and
2
common
etc.),
in Ezekiel cepi praeceptum," Apoc. xxii. 8
. while ,
the rest of the

,
prophets the
Christian prophet of the Apocalypse
associates himself by his use of it.
' Sv ., see
which in other books of the
v.
. T.

4, note. - iii. 1 5 a -
not claiming for John an official cha-
racter, does not exclude it ; cf. 2 Pet

His puipose being to establish a com-

munity of interests with the Churches,
.
N.T. is found but once and then in he is content with the title which
a quotation (2 Cor. yi. 18), occurs Apostles and presbyters shared with
again in Apoq. iv. 8, xi. 17, xv. 3,
xvi. 7,
.
O.T.,
in
1 4s xix. 6,

6e6t, 6
where the lxx. use
Job and in the other books for
15, xxi.
is
it
22. Like
from the
for vl£'
other. Christians (cf. Acts xv. 23 ol

......).
. (-, -, -) :

(-) are Paulino words,

-
niiOV. .
debs 6 . occurs in Hos. but not exclusively so,: cf. 1 Pet. iv.
I J THE APOCALYPSE OF' ST JOHN [1.9

ev

13, . , Jo. i. 3 Apoc. xviii. 4; un 6cueil, comme un desert. Patmos

for the construction with iv
xxiii. 30. The thought of a
in suffering belongs to the stock of
primitive Christian ideas see 1 Pet.
/. c, 2 Cor. i. 7, Phil. iii. 10, iv. 14
.!
cf. Mt. fut et redeviendra peut-etre une des
stations maritimes les plus impor-
tantes de TArchipeL" Lying in the
Icarian Sea between Icaria and Leros,
;

about 40 miles S.W. by W. from Mile-

tus, it was " the first or last stopping-

,
Ty
....... : for see place for the traveller on his way from
Mc. iv. 17, note, xiii. 19, Jo. xvi. 33; Ephesus to Rome or from Rome to
for Lc. xii. 32, xxii. 29, Jas. Ephesus." The island forms a crescent
ii.5, 1 Th. ii. 12, 2 Th. i. 5 ; with its horns facing eastward (H. P.
is

,
not less constantly connected with
the Christian life (Lc. viii. 15, xxi. 19,
Rom. V. 3 Karepya-
Tozer, Islands of the Aegean, p. 179).;
the traditional scene of the Apoca-
lypse ( ! /)
).
viii. 25 f., Apoc. ii. 2 f , 19, iii. and the monastery of St John are
and with the towards the southern horn. The

,,
10, xiii. 10, xiv. 12),
coming Kingdom (2 Tim. ii. 12 el locality has doubtless shaped to some
The extent the scenery of the Apocalypse,
obvious order is into which the mountains and the sea
; but that which is adopted enter largely; see Stanley, Sermons
here has the advantage of leaving on
the reader's mind the thought of the (,
in the East, p. 230.
himself
John found
v. 10) in Patmos,

position !
struggle which still remains before
the kingdom is attained. The juxta-
and
"retributionem tribulationis regnum")
(Beatus:
whole
.
not as a traveller or a visitor, but

cf. v. 2, note
;
6eov

..
For the phrase as a
occurs
-
is
&^ .
quite usual, cf. Acts xiv. 22

, again xii. 17, xix.10 (where see note),

equivalent to the Pauline iv

iv
bei

on the use of the

personal name in the Apoc. see v. 5,
:
, els xx. 4. Here "the word of God and
the witness of Jesus" are not as in
v. 2 the Apocalypse itself, but the
preaching of the Gospel for :. .
in this sense -cf. 1 Jo. ii. 7, 1 Th. ii. 13,
.
note. The whole life of a Christian, 2 Tim. ii. 9, and for .
. ., Jo. viii.
whether he suffers or reigns or waits, 13 f. The meaning may be either that
is in union with the life of the In- , John had gone to the island to carry
carnate Son. the Gospel thither, or that he was
On the question whether John of sent to Patmos as an exile (cf. Pliny,

.]
(
the Apocalypse is the sou of Zebedee
see the Introduction, c. xv.
iv rij

Patmos, Patino, one of the

Sporades, though seldom mentioned
tji .
I. c.) because of his preaching.

latter view is confirmed (a)

use of
iv rjj
in 4 (b) by
^,
vi. 9, xx.
whjch suggests
that the writer has in view his own
The

;
by the
--

/
by ancient writers (Time. iii. 33, Strab. sufferings iv (c) by an early
x. 5, 13, Plin. .
N. iv. 23), finds a
;

and practically unanimous tradition

place in the inscriptions (UIG 2261, of the Church cf. Tert. de pracscr.
:

2262 etc.), and its safe harbourage 36 "apostolus loauiics...in insulani

must have made it a place of some relegatur," Clem. Al. quis dives 42
importance to navigators ; see Renan,
L'Antechrist, p. 372 f., who remarks
"on a tort de la representor comme ", ttjs
Orig. in
(* \
Mt. t. xvi. 6 fie
 . ] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

.,
. ^' 13

'
9
(arm) aeth
']Prim
pr
.
KPQ
jio ] .] mini"1 Syrr ]

pr 670 A
+
.
."
. Q
NCP
al?1 me
minI'
syrr
,
.

,
|
]

,,
'
Q 8 13 14 al'™
6,10
38 aeth om

.
<)£

See also Eus.

\uyov
-
.
-
els
.
Tert. cor. 3, or at. 23,
Clem.
anim. 9 {dies
dominicus, or dominicae resurrec-
tionis, dominica sollemnia): To in-
. strom. . 12,

iii. 18
.
; Hieron. de virr. ill. 10. terpret iv Trjhere as = ^c .
iv .] ; (Hort) seems to introduce
iv is the normal condition of a thought foreign to the context; it
Christians, in contrast mill clvai iv is not Christ at His coming who is
.
'

(Rom. viii. 9)
denotes the exaltation of the prophet
under inspiration; see Ez. iii.
xxxvii. 1, and cf. Acts xxii. 17
a non-ecstatic state being described as
;
iv revealed, but Christ present with the
Church on earth. The exile of Pat-
12, 14, mos, shut out from the weekly Break-
... ing of the Bread in the Christian
—the return to assembly at Ephesus, finds the Lord's
Presence in his solitude. Bede "con- :

iv . (Acts xii. 1 1). The phrase gruum quoque spirituali visioni teni-

.,. -
.
ey.
% .
is repeated c. iv. 2 q.v.
the second iv dates
;
:

the revelation it was vouchsafed on

pus indicat."

The Seer follows Ez. iii. 12

;]
the Lord's Day; on the dative of time,
with or without a preceding iv, see
Blass, Gr.T). nc;f. ,^ • -
Lye. 23, cited by Wetstein

.
Cf. Plutarch,
:

,
the day consecrated to the Lord
Cor. xi. 20
; cf. 1

The Voice
'it is
Supper of the Lord.'
not (possible) to eat a

according to the analogy of writings

some of which are but a few decades
'
The Lord's day,'

"
comes with startling suddenness as
from one who, approaching from be-
hind, is unobserved until he speaks.
is a correction for the less

-
later than the Apoc, is the first day

?
exact behind cf.
for :
'
'

of the week, the day of the Lord's xii. 1 5. 22 ; : cf. V.

Resurrection; cf. Didache .14 looks back to the theophany

, of Sinai (Exod. xix. 16

9
Ign. Magn. 9

,
(see Lightfoot's note),

Melito of Sardis wrote

;

(Evts.'H.E. iv. 26). Since

ib. II
. Petri 19
but the trumpet blast had already
acquired Christian assqciations (Mt.
xxiv. 31, 1 Th. iv. 16). Here it is
: cf.

),
Heb.

,
xii.

•
all the early examples are from Asia
Minor, it is not improbable that the
term arose in Asiatic circles ; but be-
fore the end of the second century it
was used generally, cf. Dionysius of
Corinth ap. Eus. H. E. iv. 23
ovv
,
probably the voice of Christ's Angel
(».• 1) rather than of Christ Himself,

whose.utterance is otherwise described

{v. 15); see Benson, Apocalypse p. 95.

. by hypallage
the true antecedent, is not
but
11

,
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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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The
II.
vision
|

was not
ypayjrov

sonal benefit only, but for transmission

A
els.

for John's per-

] 7 al
mu syrr

Ephesus along the valley of the Mae-

ander; the reverse order (Ephesus,
Laodicea, Philadelphia, Sardis, Thya-
g (me)

to the Church cf. Mc. iv. 22, note.

; tira, Pergamum, and Smyrna) would
It brought with it to the Seer the have been less natural in view of the
responsibility of witnessing to what importance of Smyrna and Pergamunl•

?
he had seen (v. 2), and the witness
must be borne in a literary form (v. 19).

,
As to the roads which connected the
seven cities see Ramsay, History of the

,
(cf. v. 1 if., x. 2, 8), a papyrus Geography of Asia Minor, p. 164 flf.

roll, as distinguished from a parch- and his art. on Roads and Travel
..
ment book ; cf. 2 Tim. iv. 13
ras
lypse formed a
!. The Apoca-
the length
in N.T. times, in Hastings' v.
Starting from Ephesus the Cyzican
road conducted the traveller to Per-
of which "maybe estimated at 1 5 feet" gamum, whence another road led
(Kenyon, Text. Crit. p. 30); on the through Thyatira Sardis and Phila-
length to which such rolls sometimes delphia to the valley of the Lycus.
ran see the same writer's Palaeo- See the Introduction, c. v., and the
graphy of Greek papyri, p. 17 f. accompanying map.
.]
Cf. v. 4, note.
rats
The messenger would
carry the roll to each of the Churches
cities (els ", .
The book is sent to the several
; on the direc-

tive sense of tit see Blase, Gr. p. 22,

and by each it would be read
in turn, and cf. Acts xxi. i\ for the use of
and probably copied cf. Col. iv. 16, ;
the Christian communities in them

(
Polyc. Phil. 13. His route is indicated (rats : cf. Gal. i. 2). On the
by the order in which the Churches localities see the notes to ii. 1, 8, 12,
are named. Starting from Ephesus, ho
is to proceed northward to Smyrna and
Pergamum, and from Pergamum in a
18,
12.
iii.

.]
1, 7,

For
14.

convertere
-
south-easterly direction to Thyatira, se cf. Acts xv. 36, xvi. 18, and for
Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, (= Qt> ?, Gen. xxxi. 24,
doubtless making his way back to 29) see Mc. vi. 50 (note), Jo. iv. 27, ix.
 1 13]

\
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN
elhov
' ,}]/ ^jOixras,
* 3
ev 13
IS

- +
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T g»m* pr i m Bem] mu ^CP
]

12 36 38 49 8o 81 91 95 96 130 Cypr Ar ]
/...
130 '

37, xiv. 30,

9, "Hris
1 5•
Apoc.
',
i.e. ti's ^v
iv. 1, x. 8, xvii. 1, xxi.

On turning, John's attention was at

first arrested by seven golden lamp-
. writer,

ii.

Yior ,who elsewhere

uses the dative after
r8, iv.
?
20 times in all).
3 bis, etc.,
'a son of man,' a human
consistently
(see i. 1 5,

,
stands (cf. Mc. iv. 21, note; Arethas
<ld

). '
I. :

ws

In the lxx. answers to

oiKeiov
being, with allusion perhaps to our
Lord's application of Daniel I. c. to
Himself (Mc. xiii. 26) ; yet not to be

,
taken as equivalent to 6
which outside the Gospels appears
-
iTTDiPj the candelabrum bearing seven only in Acts vii. 56. The glorified
lamps
to in
(, "),
Exod
xxv. 36 ff. were placed
whiGh according Christ is human, but transfigured
Victorinus u simile?n dicit post mor-
:

tem devictam, cum ascendisset in

in the Tabernacle outside the second
caelos." Irenaeus, who (iv. 20. 11)
veil (cf. Heb. ix. 2). Solomon's Temple

'
quotes the passage at length, well says
had five on the right side and
that John sees in it " sacerdotalem et
five on the left before the oracle
gloriosum regni eius adventum " ; the
(1 Kings vii. 49 = 35 lxx.), but in
form is at once priestly and royal,
.Zechariah's vision (iv. 2) the one
reappears with its seven see ;
.] The clothing is first described
also 1 Mace. iv. 49 f., 2 Mace. i. 8, x. 3 ;
Joseph. B. J. vii. 5. 5, and comp. the
(sc. ),
poderis, 0. L. and

..
Vulg., cf. Roensch, Itala u. V., p. 245,
representation on the Arch of Titus
in the N.T., but used in the
.(W. Knight, Arch of T., p. 109 ff.).
lxx. of Exodus for various priestly
Our writer, more suo, takes from each
source the features which lend them-
garments, as the breastplate (\,
selves to his conception the septenary — cc. xxv. 6 xxxv. 8 (9)), the ephod
(7),
(xxviii. 27 (31)), the robe of the ephod
number from Exodus and Zechariah,
the row of separate from (?'??, xxviii. 4, xxix. 5) ; cf. Jos. antt.
Kings. On the symbol see

vibv
13.
']
a human form
iv );...• ' ' \
•«
A second glance shewed
in the middle of• the
v.

.
2a

,, , & )
Ui. 7•4 apxiepevs
'£

\
•row, either

(ii. ).
both here and in
"
behind the fourth
or moving freely from one to another

?? LXX. Th. «ay

.
xiv. 14,
,.; |; = 7,
is doubtless,
from Dan.
perhaps the reference
Prophets, e.g. Zech.
the High Priest's
is
iii.
rather to the
4, where
But

yii. 13
the recurrence of in xiv. 14 ' =03,
robes of state, or Ez, ix. 2 f., 1 1, where
the linen vesture of the
(where it is supported by A) sug-
gests that this use of (as if
"an adv. like ofov," Hort) is due
'' '. man with the inkhom ; cf. Dan. x. 5
Th.
is thus seen to denote dignity,
The

to the translation employed by our or high office, usually but not neces-
6

14
,
? epiov
13

/xafois

CP
A
,
,
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28 49 19 9 1
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

17 28 37 49
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8* 9
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35 38 87

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irpo?. toX<s

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c PQ
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13

Xei/sot
1

om
^
A Prim

sarily
arm
|

4he
Xeu/coy]

office
+ frai

of
36 vg aeth Viot

High Priest (cf.

8, 7t Byre»' Prim

The lexicographers endeavour to dis-

arm 4 | wr

Sap. the ancient

xviii. 24, Sir. xlv. 8) ; tinguish the forms (e.g. Suidas:
commentators are perhaps too positive ... \
\ -), but

.
on this point, e.g. Irenaeus (iv. 20. 11) the distinction
"aliquid vero sacerdotale, ut podere";
Victorinus: "in veste talari, id est
sacerdotali" ; Arethas : 'cos
does not seem to have been observed.

Prom
14.
the costume the Seer proceeds
.,. ]
does the ,
quite determine
Nov to describe the person of the Central
Figure.

,
He has in view the locus

) £
the highpriestly character of the classicus Dan. vii. 9 (Th.
costume the High Priest's girdle was
:

of linen richly embroidered (Exod.

xxxix. 29 = xxxvi. 37 lxx.), with a
cos

where however the white hair belongs

),
liberal use of gold thread (Jos. antt. to the Ancient of Days. The transfer
I. C, the golden ; of this feature to the Son of Man is
girdle points rather to Daniel's vision the more striking since Enoch (xlvi. I,
Th. ed. Charles, p. 127) adheres strictly
(x. 5
iv
golden clasp
).
() In
is a royal distinc-
I Mace. . 89 a to Daniel's account. Our writer's
Christology leads him frequently to
tion. On the whole, as Hort says, assign to the glorified Christ attri-
"not improbably the conception is butes and titles which belong to the
that of sacred repose.... So the gods
were represented in a Xpv-
o-av is characterised by. Blass (Gr.,
." Father, e.g. in i. 18, ii. 8, v. 12, xxii. 13.
Ancient expositors find in the hair
white as snow a symbol of the eternal
p. 24) as a gross blunder more pro-
bably it is a colloquialism to which
the writer was accustomed—that it is
;

yap
,
preexistence of the Son ; e.g. Andreas

<?
,
!, and
from his pen
leaves little
. itsretention in
doubt.
N* AC this
Daniel's
view seems to be justified by
]'
P'FlJ?. Yet the figure

(.
Ilpor tols High girding is cannot be pressed ; white hair, though
said to have been usual when the regarded as honourable (Lev. xix. 32,
was worn Jos. antt. vii. 2 Prov. xvi. 31), yet suggests decay,

,\
:

eon whereas Jesus Christ is unchangeable

...bv cf. ad Diogn. 1 <5 '
Apoc. XV. 6, Of.
.. . ?
.
where beings of angelic rank are.

For npos with the

dat. cf.
adds the thought of His
.6

(Ps. 1. (li.) 9, Isa. i. 18, Mt.

perhaps

]
sinlessness
xxviii. 3):

,,
(

v.note, Jo. xx. 11, see Blass,

Gr. p. 140. The mss. vary (see app. In Dan. vii. 9 it is

,
Cf. ii. 18, xix. 12.•
crit.) between \
the throne of the Ancient of Days
cf. W. Schm., p. 59, Blass, Gr. p. 24. which is but in x. 6 the
\,
I. 15]

15 om " Prim
5
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

|
] ' 7roSes

\ $2
,

chalcolibano Ir int
17

15

aurichalco Cypr Yict vg a«r. Libano Prim aes Libani syrr arm vid aeth

mau
r ,
clothed in linen has eyes

is perhaps in view here. The meta-

-ei

and the latter passage

"auro squalentem alboque orichalco
.loricam," on which Servius remarks
. .

"apud maiores orichalcum pretiosius

,
phor is common, as Wetstein shews,
in Greek and Roman authors (e.g.
Homer, II. xiii. 474 8' Spa

"oculis micat acribus ignis"), and in-

Verg. en. xii. 102
metallis omnibus fuit." A precious
metal, bright and flashing, would suit
the present context well, but the
explanation leaves the form
unexplained. Arethas offers the

...,
-
.
deed in descriptive writings of every alternatives :

age and country. The penetrating

glance (Apringius " inevitabile lumen :

oculorum "), which flashed with quick The former

intelligence, and when need arose with conjecture" is unsupported, and seems

,
righteous wrath, was noticed by those to require the latter

,.
;

who were with our Lord in the days

of His Flesh (Mc. iii. 5, 34, y. 32,
,i.

and
21, 23, xi. 11, notes, Lc. xxii. 61),
finds its counterpart, as the Seer
finds

'
some confirmation in a fragment
of Ausonius, cited by Salmasius exercit.
8lO
-
yiow learns, in the Risen
Life.
15.
.]
oi
Of. Dan. x.
-
and Ascended

,
6 Th. re
But brass-coloured frankincense' is
'

not a very apposite metaphor, not-

withstanding^the efforts of the Greek
rjyovv

,
<us opao-is interpreters to educe, a mystical mean-
LXX. oi nodes ing from it. The etymology proposed
(7/5 fig'ni t'i??) ; the expression is by Bochart (]2?, brass at a
due ultimately to Ez. i. 7, where the white heat) is even less tolerable. On

!,
same Heb. is similarly rendered by the whole, with our present know-
the lxx.

PPDE>nri).

c. ii.
...
18 only)
See' also Ez.

ios
aVo
opaxris
ri/r

is a word of unusual
viii. 2

(here and
1
(J )?? regard .
ledge, it is best to follow the guidance
of Suidas and the Latin versions and
as the name of a mixed
metal of great brilliance, leaving the
etymology uncertain.
Feet of brass represent strength

) ),
difficulty. Suidas defines it as
and stability (contrast Dan. ii. 33, 41)
adding

(cf. Plill. of(

such a mystical interpretation as that
Andreas oi

.. 33• 4 where
ture of gold and silver). somewhat A
is a mix-

-
bable.
is unnecessary and impro-

-
similar sense is yielded by the Latin
versions, which render
aurichalco or orichalco (so, "with or
without the addition of Libani, Cypr.
test. ii. 26, Victorinus, Primasius, Bea-

tus, etc. ), a word which seems to have

meant a mixture of metals similar to
brass or bronze; cf. Verg. Aen.- xii. 87
by
The reading

mended by
(sc.
If

, cos

its difficulty.
is preferred, the reference must
still be to for
seems to be invariably fem. (cf.
xiii.

is
42, 50,Apoc. ix. 2) ;
probably a correction intended to
is recom-

Mt
8

16
cos

15 om os . ..
arm 4 om us ev .
,, ,.
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

|97
6

AC]
}
[LiS

46 6g 88 h vg aegg syrrvid aeth Ir lnt Cypr Vict Prim

ei 16

PQ minP' Andr Ar 16 NCPQ Ar] 34 3£ 36 87 g h vg arm *

Cypr Vict Prim (et habebat) om 130 me om ev S. arm 4 | |

Q . . 38 loo 811"""= om 8 95 8 Prim al |

4 aeth

]
bring the part, into line with oi is determined by the requirements of
....
...
Robinson's note.
,
glowing metal see Eph.
Por

,
with Dean
In Apoc. iii. 18,
the sense clearly
is 'refined by having passed through
the fire,' and R.V. adopts this meaning
vi.
used of a
16
the symbolism

conception
O.T. ; see Isa.

,
are
(v. 20).

The elements of
as
xi.
,.
4
this bold
usual from the

- :

.
here ; but 'glowing' suits the context cf. Eph. vi. 17
better ; the metal is not only of the
finest and brightest, but it is aglow as ,., Heb. iv. 12

]
if still in the crucible.
'
. .
where• the
repeated in Apoc. xix. 15 in the de-
scription of the armed and militant

-
The image is

.
Cf. xliii. 2,

voice of the God of Israel >lp3 'Word of God.' There is a fine

..
is D.'P

..
parallel in Sap. xviiL 15
E'iPi. In Dan. x. 6, from which many
of the details of this description are
.....
taken, the voice of the Angel is 7lp| Por
fion, like the confused roar of
multitude; but at Patmos it is the
roar of the Aegean which is in the
a great
xxi. 3. ',see Ps. cxlix. 6, Sir.
used in N.T. in the
Apoc. only, except Lc. ii. 35, occurs
ear of the Seer. It is instructive to
contrast 3 Regn. xix. 12
Xe the Divine Voice can be of
:
pas

the gentlest or the most appalling as

,
frequently throughout the lxx. from
Gen. iii. 24 onwards as a synonym of

translate
boih words being used to
3}
; in strictness, it was a

:
occasion requires.

Spiritus.'
Irenaeus (iv. 14.
2) finds a mystical sense in
"vere enim aquae multae

\
;
large blade of Thracian origin (for a
full account see Hastings, D.B. iv.
p. 634). answers to the Heb.
ni'S »Jt? or n'l s B*E5, but it is used in
16.
] ev ttj

To the Semitic mind

the stars of heaven were in the
airov

Hand
connexion with the sword even by
the Greek poets (e.g. Eur. Hel. 983
):The sword is re-
of God Job xxxviii. 31 f., Isa. xl.
(cf. garded as proceeding, like the spoken
12), and would fall (Mc. xiii. 25, Apoc. word, from the mouth "this last ;

vi. 13) if the support were withdrawn. image is not so strange as appears
No particular constellation or group at first sight, for the short Roman
of planets can be intended by the sword was . tongue-like in shape"
anarthrous en•™ ; the number (Hastings, I. C.). With
. 8]

11

'
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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

'
.
t) o\jsis

Xiyuxv
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I

18
19

6 om rm ] om $
47 6° 88 97

]
ojeio 46 48 s.
37 4*> ° ante
7 Cypr Prim |
om ev arm 17 iSov CQ 7 |
min"ltm" Ar |

irpos] eis X 13 fTi 72 syrS" us] (*)°•" om 130 a8 49 79

/] -
| |

93*" s al" "" tijk Sejiov 28 91 92 96 al°° ,m syrr Andr

* "*
I

130 I
om (hab tt ") |
nyjoiTos] A 18 om (hab
fci
c*a
) J
om ... arm

cf. Eph. iv. 29, Apoc. ix. 17 f., itfrom being laid on the Seer, for the
xL 5. .
whole representation is symbol and
cos ifkips .] not art. The Hand which sustains

, {, ) , .-
Cf. Jud. V. 31 as Nature and the Churches at the same
time quickens and raises individual
Mt. With

-
xiii. 43 lives.
cos Apoc. . ., cf. Mt. XVU. 7
as Slav.
Enoch i. 5, ed. Charles, p. 2, "their —another point
faces shone like the sun." If the John of of contact between this vision and
the Apocalypse is the son of Zebedee, the history of the Transfiguration.
he could scarcely have failed to think Irenaeus (iv. 20. 11) reminds us that

when

- - ^
of the Transfiguration which antici-
pated the glory of the ascended Christ,

(Mt. xvii. 2). Andreas refers

.
the awful Form which John saw was
that of Him on whose breast he had
lain at the Last Supper.
.'} The words

!. "=,
MaL iv. 2 fjXios yap recall another scene in the Gospels
to

common
:

though fairly (Mc. vi. 50) both and

; '
"vii.,
24).
in the lxx., occurs in the
N.T. only here and in Jo. xi. 44 (cf.
Or a conslructio
praegnam: "as the sun shines [when
were familiar sounds to the ear
of an Apostle.

xliv. 6
On the other hand
go back to Isa.
(fl-ins ">m frs-l ^, xlvUL 12,
he shines] in his might."•
17•
Cf. Isa. vi. 5, Ez.
ore'
i.
,28, Dan. viii.
.]
17,
a title of the
according
God
of Israel ascribed,
the writer's habitual
practice, to the exalted Christ (cf.
x. 9, 11, Enoch xiv. 14, 24, Lc. v. 8. vv. 5 f., 8 notes and the Introduction,
Beaius "fragilitatis suae et humili-
: p. clxi..). It is given to Him again in,
tatis et subiectionis pavore perter- c. xxii. with enlargements which leave

ritus con-uit. "

is

),
moulded on Dan.

. As a'whole the passage

.
. .
(Til.
x. 8

\
f.

That the right

,
lxx.
no doubt as to its significance (xxii.
13 iyti
.,
The reading of

miniscence of
18. \
here
and in ii. 8 is probably a mere re-

,i.
•,
5.
(:)
'
,
see note
.ad
I.).

hand holds seven stars does not hinder .] is another Divine title
20 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [. 18

8
syrrAndrAr
om
,
| ] Yg aeth
aim*
Ir'"'

|
,
« KACP Cypr
5
me
minP' Andr Ar""]
|
] 5 tocs

+
Q
N CQ
mini' 1 '» 30
mini'1

28 36 99 al rat 91

based on the O.T., cf. 0ebs (' h#) which is now in view, not the essential
of Godhead; nor again iye-

,
life
in Jos. iii. 10, Ps. xli. (xlii.) -3, lxxxiii.
(lxxxiv.) 3, Hos. i. 10 (ii. 1), and the or (Rom. xiv. 9), for atten-
fonnulae (1* '', tion is directed to the life which the

\? ») in Deut. xxxii. 40, Isa. xlix.

Lord still lives, and not to the historical

,
fact of His resurrection. The risen
18, Jer» v. 2, Dan. xii. 7. In the N.T.
life of Jesus Christ is henceforth
debs or <5 6ebs 6 . isused freely
concurrent with His Divine life, els
(Mt. xvi. 16, xxvi. 63, Acts xiv. 15,
tovs } cf. Roni. VL 9
Rom. ix. 26, 2 Cor. iii. 3, vi. 16, I Th.
iyepBAs i<

]%
i. 9, 1 Tim. iii. 15, iv. 10, Heb. iii. 12,
ras
ix. 14, x. 31, 1 Pet. i. 23). A fuller
Death and Hades are joined
phrase is 6 els (Sir.
again in vi. 8, xx. 13 f. ; the conception
xviii. i)or els rovs
fluctuates between two localities (xx.
(Apoc. iv. 9 f., x. 6, xv. 7). On 6
13), and two personalities (vi. 8) here ;
as applied Christ we have a
to
it is difficult to determine which view
comment in words ascribed to Christ
Himself, Jo.
iv ,.
5
V. 26 :

e'v According
6
is uppermost. Other instances of
quasi-personification of Death and
Hades foxf) are Ps. xlviii. (xlix.) 15,
to the Johannine Christology, the Son Hos. 14 (cited 1 Cor. xv. 54 f.).
xiii.

is by the communication of the The 'gates of Death' appear in Ps. is.

Father's Life He is 14, cvi. (cvii.) 18, and the 'gates of
5•
,
;

Hades in Isa. xxxviiL 10, Sap. xvi. 13,

1

As a title of Israel and

of the God Mt. xvi. 18 ; see also Job xxxviiL 17
of the Church places Him in Se iHovres a
sharp contrast with the dead or in- passage connected by Christian inter-
animate gods of heathenism. Here, preters with the descensus ad inferos.
in its reference to Christ, it draws

The antithesis is twofold

,
another contrast scarcely.less pointed
...
;
. is
To "have the keys of Death and of
Hades" is to possess authority over
their domain; cf. Mt. xvi. 19, Apoc.
iii.7, ix. 1, xx. 1 (notes). According

,. .
opposed to elpl as in Jo. i. 1, 14, viil to Rabbinical teaching, this is the
58, and to (Orig. in Jbann. sole prerogative of God; see Targ.
t. i. 31 (34)), cf. Phil. ii. 5 iv Jon. on Deut. xxviii. 12 "quatuor sunt

Nefcpos takes
the Lord Who
.

where howeverthe shock of the

contrast is broken by the intervening
clause
up

experience, not of the semblance of

eif>e6e\s o5r

says
.
xmfaoos

, of v. 17;
had
claves in maim Domini,
sepulchrorum et ciborum et pluviae";
Sanhedrin f. 113. 1 " Elias petiit ut
dai-etur sibi clavis pluviae, petiit ut
daretur sibi clavis resurrectionis mor-
tiiorum; dixeruut ipsi: 'tres claves
in manum legati non dantur, clavis
clavis vitae et

death, but of its reality, lial partus, pluviarum, et resurrectionis

€
for
(Burton, § 409) not here
it is the restored human
; ,
life
mortuorum."' The claim to possess
potentially the keys of death is made
 >? ??•.??
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
.
I. 20] 21

' \\
19

?
*° 2
ig

, ? \•?
eirl

]
20
19

ovsj
om
^)
Q 6 7
38 97 al n °"™
K*(C)

£
14 38 91 all•1
|
Ar
7»<0 K -"A
Andr Ar
|
NOP
C

|
minI
1

iSei
,,
] iSes

17 38 all» Ar] ye
Q7 36
AQ

em tijs ieftos
7 |
om
. K*CPQ
tiCPQ syrr Andr
me
min"°"»
|

.
|

Ar min omnvld ] ev A vg arm Prim (in dextera) ras |

om syrs w
97

by Christ Himself in Jo. v. 28 the ; bolical vision, as in Dan. ii. 47 ; cf.

Apoc. connects the actual possession Apoc. XVU. 7 ey$ *p&

of the keys with His victory over
death they are from that moment
;

in His keeping (). For = .

some
ywaiKos.
To
difficulty.
are not governed by
ras ...
The grammar presents

...
see Blass, Gr. p. 26

the Gospels, on the other hand,

is
beyond dispute in iii. 7, xx. 1. In

are well supported (Mt. xvi.

;

, or in apposition to (WM.
p. 290), for the secret about to be
revealed relates onjy to certain points
of interpretation. new sentence
begins with v. 20, yet the verse opens
A
19, Lc. xi. 52), though there also
cod. D gives the shorter form. with two accusatives without a verb.

,
19. ovv a eiSes ..] There are partial parallels in Rom.
...
resumes (Blass, Gr.
tion given in v. 11, enforcing it with
the authority of One Who has declared
p. 273)* the direc- viii.

6eos
VI.
.
3

13
yap
(see SH. ad
...
I:), and 2 Cor.
6

Himself conqueror of Death cf. Mt. where the ace. anticipates

XXVUi. 18 f'Soflij

. ... :

the contents of the sentence which it

iropevBevrcs ovv the ,, opens. In the present instance the

.
i.e.

vision of the Glorified Christ. Besides construction is further complicated by

this the book contains a revelation of a second accusative ; for .
the present state of the Church and
the world
of the future
).
found in
(
The former
),
( '
and a revelation

is chiefly to be
we expect . Translate
'As for the secret of the seven stars...,
and as for [the secret of] the seven
lampstands.' 'En rrjs interprets

.
cc. ii., iii. ; the latter begins at ev rfi (v. 16); the stars
C. IV.

superficial
But the division is
; for cc. ii., iii. look forward
rough and
oi
.,..
rested on the open palm

aorepes
; cf. v. I

. -
«rl

— €\ ..
'
to the future, while cc. iv. xxii. are
by no means limited to it. On eio-iv,
see WM. p. 645 f.
present are seen distinctly and separ-
ately, while things future are blended
things ;
permits us to translate
'messengers'; cf. Mt xi.
24, ix. 52, Jac.
therefore,
The usage of the

might represent certain

ii. 25. The seven
10, Lc. vii.
as

stars,

in a more or less confused whole.

For followed by a pres. inf. see
Blass, Gr. pp. 197, 202.
delegates from the Asiatic Churches
(cf. 2 Cpr. viii.,23
presumably delegates sent to Patmos
),
20. who were returning with the book of
.'] On in Biblical Greek the Apocalypse. Or we might accept

.
see the note to Mc. iv. 11. Here
is the inner meaning of a sym-
the interpretation of Primasius
lowed by Bede) : "angeli ecclesiarum.
(fol-
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

.",
22 [I. 20

ayyeXoi

g3
.
] pr
at

ta*)°-»^8 91 13° alPl

al muvld me
syre"
me om euru> °
|
*
(nab ")
om <" elrTa arm4 h 2™™ + ™
|

et5es p '
e -]
'+"" 79 9 1 9 2 ™ B
()

hie intellegendi sunt rectores popiili," Isaiah iii. 15, "the descent of the
i.e. either the Bishops, or if the angel of the Christian Church, which
monarchical episcopate had not yet is in the heavens." The objection that
established itself in Asia, the presby- the angel is in that case unduly '

teral colleges, in the several cities.
In support of the view that the rulers
of the Churches are intended it has
been usual to quote Mai. ii. 7 ayye\os
(^5^'• IS?©)
ea - [6 iepevs], or to refer to
1-iay iy?P borne by the messenger of
the Synagogue this person however
; yayos is blamed if his pupils go
was in no sense a Church-ruler, and
offers no true analogy (see Schiirer^
ii. p. 442, and cf. Lightfoot, Philip-
pians, p. 199 note). And tempting as
it is to discover in
an allusion to the rising order of
.
the Episcopate, the invariable practice
of our writer forbids such an inter-
pretation.
credited with the praise or blame
which belongs to his Church had
occurred to Origen, who however was
not deterred by it ; horn, in Num.
xx. 3 "admiratione permoveor quod
the title
in tantum Deo cura de nobis sit ut
etiam angelos suos culpari pro nobis
et confutari patiatur." As a --
wrong, so, he adds (§ 4), "venient.
enim angeli ad iudicium nobiscum...
ne forte minus "erga nos operis et
laboris expenderint quo nos a pecca-
these ayyeXoi torum labe revocarint." But in this
symbolical book the angel of a Church
may be simply an expression for its
prevailing spirit, and thus be identi-

or
The Apocalypse uses
ayyekos some sixty times, excluding
those in which it is followed by
,
and always
in the technical sense of a super-
fied with the Church itself (Beatus
" ecclesias et angelos earam intellegas
unum esse "). An interesting parallel to
this idea is presented
of Zoroastrianism
by the fravashis
Hastings, ..

.
cf.

]
:

human being employed in the service

of God or of Satan. There is therefore
a strong presumption that the
are 'angels' in the
sense which the word bears elsewhere
, iv. p.
ai
991, J. Th. St.

If the angels of
ai
the Churches are
represented by stars, the Churches
themselves are lampstands, both
iii.

.
p. 521.

throughout the book. In Dan. x. 13, giving light in their own measure and
xii. 1 a over particular degree ; cf. Lightfoot, Philippians
nations is ascribed to certain angelic I.e.: "[the] contrast between the
beings, arid a like relation to indi- heavenly and the earthly fires. .cannot .

viduals is implied in Mt. xviii. 10 ol

Hyythoi
Acts xii. 15
(sc. ),
.
be devoid of meaning. The star is
the suprasensual counterpart, the
heavenly representative ; the lamp,
That John should have extended this the earthly realisation, the outward
conception to Churches (Andreas

()
be &yyf\os
not surprising, especially in
is
- embodiment." For the use of stars as
symbols of angelic beings see Enoch
lxxxvi. 1 if., and cf. Ramsay, Letters
view of the highly developed angelo- to the Seven Churclies, p. 62 if. On.
logy of the book; cf. Ascension of (2°) cf. WH. 2 Notes, p. 156.
 .]

] II
1

2°
ayyeXio
AC
1 6
THE APOCALYPSE OE ST JOHN

(36)
syre»'
130 syrs™]
Prim
ev '€
XPQ min™"
28
: of.

arm Or "' 1
-
Hort, Apoc. p. 38 sqq. |
23

I II.

II. —
The Message to the
7'.
of —
a conventus an assize town,

. .,.]
Angel op the Church in Ephesus.
A formula
Ephesus was also a seat of proconsular
government (Acts xix. 38). Its com-
repeated at the head of each address.
. mercial prosperity kept pace with its
The mss. fluctuate between
aud ;
'.
the former has the
best support in ii. 1, and is found in
ii. 8, 18, iii. 1, j, but is without MS.
authority in ii. 12, iii. 14. WH., who
.
political importance cf. Strabo c. 641
;

road which brought the trade of the

East from the Euphrates to the
The great

(Notes, p. 136 f.) believe <£ to be the Aegean reached the sea at Ephesus

Augustan (
original reading in all the seven
occurrences of the phrase, compare
the title of the highpriests of the

.'' ]
anarthrous as
cult
[«»]),
.
where
in the form
' is
and though the port of Ephesus
suffered from the silting up of the
mouth of the Cayster, this process
been arrested for a time by works
undertaken in .. 65. Ephesus was
not less conspicuous as a centre of
had

. ...
111 primitive
Christian letters to Churches this is
religious life.
known as Warden (}
It was proud to be

Temple of Artemis, a shrine of world-

of the

)
e.g. I Cor. i. 2 tjJ
;
.,. iv ,.?,
the usual mode of locating a Church,

PhiL i. I
wide reputation (Acts xix. 27, 35).
Further it was the headquarters of
the magical. arts which at this time

-
'
,
Ign. were widely practised in Asia Minor
Eph. ad init. ..ttj (cf. Acts xix. 19); the
: less frequent forms are to be were famous everywhere. The,

?,
found ill Gal. i. 2 city was a hotbed of cults and super-

.
I (2) Thess. i. I Trj stitions, a meeting-place of East and
t - Clem. R. Cot. ad "West, where Greeks Romans and
init. !) Asiatics jostled one another in the
The Christian communities streets. See further the Introduction
had as yet no territorial settlements to this commentary, p. lix. ft".

there was a *Church in Ephesus,' but The founder of the Ephesian Church
no ecclesia Ephesina in the stricter was the Apostle PauL As early as
sense. a.d. 50 (? 51, ? 52) he made an in-
Ephesus stands first among the effectual effort to reach the province,
cities to which addresses are sent. of Asia (Acts xvi. 6), and his first
Thither the messenger from Patmos visit to Ephesus (xviii. 19 if.) was too
would sail by an easy course of 60 miles. brief to hear permanent fruit But he
Moreover on many grounds this city realized the importance of the place
took first rank In a series of in- as a field of Christian work, and in
scriptions found at Ayasaluk, near the S3(?S4>?55) returned to spend over

'
site of Ephesus, it receives the proud
title
two years there (xix. 8, 10). Though
he does not seem, to have visited any

, , ,
(Hicks s Inscriptions in. other city in Asia, his Ephesian resi-
ii., dxli., dxlviL, dli., dlv., dlxiii.). A dence was the occasion of a general
urbs, with own evangelization of the province
libera
and
its
and the head
(I.

, c.
24 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [II.

2
,
. *7
roi)s

ev

syrs" arm |
] +
AC]
* (j5 87) [

NPQ minoninvid
(. AC)]
1
en
]
I |
om
+
38 66 97
NQ minP1
me syre"" arm4 aeth Andr Ar

,
St Paul's work at Ephesus was carried
). grasped, and not only a part of it (cf
Blass, Gr. p. 101). As the Enemy
(i Pet. V. 8,
on by Timothy (1 Tim. i. 3) and, after
the Apostle's, death and the with- cf. Job i. 7), so the Lord patrols the
drawal of Timothy, by St John, if we ground, on the spot when
is ever
may believe the traditions of the He is needed ; His Presence is not
second century; see Iren. iii. 1. i, localized, but coextensive with the

3. 4 ; Polycrates ap. Eus. H.E. iii. 31, Church (Mt. xviii. 20, xxviiL 20, 2 Cor.
v. 24, and cf. the Introduction, c. vi.
']Another part
of the introductory formula. It is
vi. 16 ff.) ; cf. Arethas ev

. <5

\
:

The two images

-
followed in each case by a description are complementary, representing the
of the Speaker, in which He is charac- security which comes from strength
terised by one or more of the features and vigilance.
in the vision of ch. i. (ii. 1, 12, 18, iii. To the .Church in Ephesus, the
v

.1, 7), or by one or more of His titles mother of the Churches of Asia, the
(ii.• 8, iii. 7, 14); the features or titles Lord writes under titles which express

- "
selected appear to correspond with the His relation to the Churches gener-
circumstances of the church which ally. As Ephesus represented the

,is addressed. "With

haps from Am. i. 6" (Hort)) cf.
with which each of the Oxy-
rhynchus Sayings begins. The seven
so-called letters are not 'epistles of
("per- Province (cf.

by Ramsay, Letters, p. 238), so the

Ephesian Church stands here for the
seven. Yet the message shews the
special need which the Ephesian
-os, cited

Christ,' but rather utterances, pro- Church had both of a firm grasp and
nouncements, judgements passed upon
the churches as they pass in succession
--
a watchful safeguarding.
2. -ya ]' is a note

. ....
under the eye of the supreme
o-Konos.

i.
6
13,
See p. 65 f., infra.

16 ev
..6 recalls
ev
often struck in these letters
13, 19, iii. 1,

were deeply impressed by the Master's

knowledge of men ;' see Jo. ii. 25, xxi.
8, 15).
(cf. ii. 9,

The Apostles

,
,
, ,
rfj
in

(e.g.
a stronger form

,
and

is
ev

to
Mt. xxvi. 4, Acts ii. 24),
;

whether for the purpose of retaining

has become
is -qualified
the opposite to
hold in one's grip
but

by
1 5 if., Acts i. 24.

not use
The Apocalypse does
of Christ ; em-
phasizes better the absolute clearness
of mental vision which photographs
all the facts of life as they pass. The
distinction is well seen in Jo. xxi. 17
•
(Jo. xx. 23) or of restraining (Apoc. . , where the universal
vii. 1); here the former meaning is
evidently in view, as in ii. 13 ff., 25,
iii. 1 1 the ace. follows, because the
;
knowledge passes into the
special observation,
'

is in itself neither praise

' field
.
nor blame,
of

Church as a whole is thus firmly for 'works' may be either good (,

 II. 2]

ۥ7
.
,
2 /] om
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

\<
arm Prim
1
|
] om A me
, ,

38 8
25

| |

,,)
a7rooroXous] +

, [ ]
N CC Q min fer ° 50 Tg syr* syr*" Vict Prim Andr Ar

!, (,
Mt. v. 1 6, Jo. x. 32, Acts ix. neighbours (Eph. iv. 17 ff.), but the

! ,
36, Eph. ii. or bad falsebrethren mentioned in the next

viii.

is
41, Gal. v. 19,
conveyed by
Eph.
in
v. 11)
Jo.
;
iii.

blame
15, but
19, clause ; cf. Ign. Eph. 9 ov!
! ,
,
it iii. 1,

praise in iii. 8 ; here and in ii. 19,

{,
,
,

while praise predominates, it is not is to cany a burden Mt. xx.

.
unmixed. The spirit, the of each 12 ; Lc. xiv. 27, Jo. xix. 17

,
;

Church, represented as its ' angel,' is Gal. vi. 5). Hort compares
judged by its results, according to Epict. i. 3, 2, .
Christ's invariable rule (Mt. vii. 16 f., The form =
Apoc. ii. 23, xxii. 12).

.] in Mc.

!! !
condemned by Phrynichus, occurs also
ix. 22 Lc. xvi. 2 (Blass, Gr.

,
f.,

!
The
and
single pronoun after
together, as in-
dicating the character of the ;
links P-49)-,

The by St Paul
tovs
foreseen
. . ]

they were signalized by two notes of (Acts xx. 29) had come, and in sheep's

foot's note) I Th. i. 3

!
! ! , -
excellence, self-denying labour and

.
perseverance. Compare (with Light-

!!
clothing (Mt.
ol

!
vii. 15)

The
; cf.

false
2 Cor.

!
teachers
xi. 13

!,!where ,, ! claimed to be
sense, itinerant teachers with a mission
in the wider

,
and

xi. 27, 1
its
often found with

cognate
Th ii.
however
are strictly coordinated.

9, 2 Th. iii. 8), is with

almost a technical
(2 Cor.
which placed them on a higher
f;han the local elders (1 Cor. xii. 28,
Eph. iv. 11; cf. Lightfoot, Galatians,
'The name and office of an Apostle,'
level

word for Christian work; cf. Rom. xvi. Harnack,Z)ie Lehre der zwolfApostel,
6, 12, 1 Cor. iii. xv. 10, 58, xvi. 16,
8, p. 93 ff.). When such itinerants,
2 Cor. vi'. 5, xi. 23 ; Gal. iv. 1 i, Phil, whether 'Apostles' or 'Prophets,'
visited a church where they were

-
Tim.
16, Col. Th.

. ]
ii. i. 29, 1 v. 12, 1 v.

17, Apoc. xiv. 13. On see i. unknown, unless they brought 'com-
9, note, and cf. Lc. viii. 15 mendatory letters' (2 Cor. iii. 1), it
was necessary to test their claims
'
!
(1 Th. v. 20 f., 1 Jo.iv. 1). A strangely

! ( -;
Another good thing which has not superficial test, such as that enjoined
«

!(]), !-
escaped the eye of Christ. The in Didache c. 11
of the Ephesians did not <as

), by[],
imply indifference to sin ; they could ...
not bear the company of bad men Hermas mand.
or
cf. Ps. exxxix. 21 f., Rom. xii. 9, 2 Jo. II !
[
10 f., and the story of St John's

,
is not to be

!) ) =
attitude towards Cerinthus (Iren. iii.
3. 4). These (cf. Phil. iii. 2
who tried the patience
! thought of here;
as in 2 Cor. xiii. 5
(

doubtless
of the Ephesians were not their pagan refers to such a probation as the Lord
26'

4
. ',
,
'. 4 '
? •
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
evpes
,
[II. 2

}• .
3

49 79 (^8) 9 1
(-«as si)

4
...
om
AC 51] tm
KQ min 13
;• e X els 33 34 35
()
om
KPQ min fere50
-dt
() (7 6)
37^°*
() 1637
28 38 (45

3 8 39 ^9
4<>)

arm

'.
|

prescribes in Mt. vii. 16

, and
... ...: such combina-
tions are frequent in the Apoc. (e.g.

.
•),>
the Didache itself regards as the v. 7,vii 13 f. T viiL 5) and not always
ultimate test {infra, iav easy to explain ; here the perf.

' .
. ,'
With

appears

thesis
iii.

\
9.
=
.
ill ii.
;

not merely
cf. Hernias

:
;

cf.
I.e.

c£ ii. 20
the full form

i.
a paren-
6, ii: 9,
when the endurance
at an end
4. '
on the other hand
ground for complaint; for
(-)
indicates a condition which continued

() J
was

et
there is

in His cause are not all that Christ

.
()
cf. Job xxxi. 35 (lxx.), Mt.

v. 23, Mc. xi. 25, note, and below, w.

14, 20. Patience and un remitting toil

JC?i3ffiili&I L(i indeed are ofjjttje value^

.
, ., '
:

false apostles, for such might be self- ifthe spirit of love is absent. But at
deceived, but deceivers ; for this use Ephesus love was waning, perhaps as
of cf. XXI. 8 the result of the controversies through
3• \ which the Church had passed.

,
.]
. With
\.,
Endurance was one of the best assets
iii. II
cf. V. 6
this position limits
'.
the adj.
and corrects 'thou
hast left thy love, at least the love of
:
ill

of the Ephesiau augeL Unable «to the first days,' i.e. the days of St Paul's
bear the society of the deceivers, the ministry at Ephesus; how fervent it
faithful at Ephesus had for the sake
of Christ (
cf. Mc. xiii.

13, note) patiently borne the labour

of resisting them or enduring their
, was' appears from Acts xix. 20, xx.
37, cf. Epli. i. 3 fF. Another genera-
tion has taken the place of the first
converts ; the loyalty and activity of
taunts (Arethas), and had not grown

)
the Church have been well maintained,

»] . 12
weary of the task. The play in vv. 3, but there is some falling' off in the

.,.,
3 011 and ( greatest of Christian gifts (cf. Mt.
),
...
scribes; see app. crit.
of the .
R. appears to rest on no
has perplexed the
- shewn perhaps, as the Greek com-
mentators suggest, by a comparative
indifference to the necessities of the
.
,
better authority than a conjecture of
Erasmus, but it gives the sense ; for
to be weary, cf. Mt. xi. 28,
poorer brethren. The phrase
. is
.

probably a reminiscence
of Jer. ii. 2, Ez. xvi. 8 ff. The new

,
Jo. and
see W. Schm.
iv. 6, for the
p. 113, note 16,
(w.
form

4, 5).
and cf.
Israel had begun too soon to follow
the example of the ancient people. of
God.
II• 5]•

.
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN 2^

'
syrs"
4

vg syre»
Prim

7
|

om
N*°-"C]
,
(-ko.s

.
,
» !
K 0CAPQ
ACQ
min°"mvld
mini'i 40 )]
me ]+
s

Q
. 7 ^8 49
38 130
91 9 a* 3
min toeomn vg hari * syr Prim
epya

|
om
5

!
[
irp. | |

om au-njs Byrs"

.]
5•
Comp.

tators contrast Cic.

"non recordor unde ceciderim sed
.

undo resurrexerim," a fine sentiment

which not really in conflict with
is
3
rjieov<ra.s. The commen-
ad Attic, iv. 16
Se
.
, ,
commonplace in the Novatianist con-
troversy (ad Novation. 13).

written in full just below

liptical form (
== '

PP• 7 2 9> 757 5 Burton, § 275.

] as the phrase
;

otherwise'), see
8

'
,
on the
WM.
i.e.

is
el-

the call to remember 'unde cecideris' refers to a special coming or visita-

as a motive to repentance. St Paul's tion, affecting a Church or an individual,
. (Phil. as in v. 16, iii. 11 ; throughout the
iii. 14) refers to past successes which Apoc. the present of this verb is used
must be 'disregarded

,
from that which is contemplated by
this Remember.'
'

in the history
answer to three stages
conversion; the pres.
of.
,-
—an entirely different case
in view of in a quasi-future sense ; Cf. Blass, Or.
p. 189.

Blass,
is a dativus incorninodi
("WM. p. 265); for another view, see
Gr.

church. Since the

p. 113.
rfjv
\,
and do not form a single candelabrum,
are separate
.. thy

- ,
imper. perhaps represents the first as
continuous or habitual, but it is note- any one of them can be removed at
worthy that while occurs pleasure. (cf. vi. 14) is preferred
seven times in the N.T., there is no to perhaps as indicating

.
well-supported instance of

For
deliberation and judicial
there would be no sudden uprooting as
in anger, but a movement which would
calmness

',
in reference to a moral
fall, cf. Rom. xi.11, 1. Cor. x. 12, and end in the loss of the place that the
the use of in Church had been called to fill ; unless
Ps. xviii. (xix.) 13, 'Sap. x. 1, xii. '2, "there came a change for the better,
.
Mt. vi.Heb. vi. 6.
14 f.,

the Lord does not say

, the first of the seven lamps of Asia
must disappear; its place must be

,
:

a pre- filled by another (cf. Apoc. iii. 11, Mt.

cept which perhaps could not have xxi. 43). This warning seems to have
been fulfilled the last may be better
; been taken toheart,' since in the next
or worse than the first, but never can generation Ignatius (Eph. prol. 1)
be the same. could pronounce the 'church in
This verse is frequently quoted by
Cyprian when he urges repentance
upon those who had lapsed in the ,
Ephesus' to be
speak of its
and
But
though deferred, the visitation came
.
Decian persecution (de laps. 16, epp. at last. The Greek commentators
rg. 1, 34. and with other
1, 55. 22) ; mention the curious fancy that the
passages from the Apoc. it became a removal of the candlestick from
28

7 ,
6
\\
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,. 7
'•[II. 6

]
me
6
(ita
om A sicut aeth Prim
pene ubique)

Ephesus had its fulfilment in the rise

of the See of Constantinople, which
eclipsed the glory of the older Church.
But the Church and See of Ephesus
|
eya syrs" >j

,
ous] aures vg ™14 Prim+a«roue

with which Ct
the interpolated Ignatius, Trail. 1 1,
Philad. 6; Victorinus ad I. "ficti
homines et pestiferi qui sub nomine
lived on for centuries after the creation Wicplai niinistii' fecerunt sibi haere-
of the patriarchate of Constantinople. sim"). A
modem conjecture (due to
After the eleventh century however C. AHeumann, 1 7 1 2) takes
the line of Ephesian Bishops seems to in Apoc. ii. 6, 15 as =
have become extinct (Gams, series (cf. v. 14), DJJ73 being derived either
see however Ramsay,
episc. p. 443 ;

Letters, p. 243), and in 1308 the place

from W 1^3
or Dl/ VlO. But (1) a
play upon the etymology of Greek
was finally surrendered to the Turks

!
and Hebrew words is perhaps too
(Murray, Handbook, p. 280). The little
subtle for the genius of the writer, and
railway station and hotel and few poor
(2) no etymology has been suggested
dwelling-houses of Ayasaluk CAytos
which makes atrue equivalent
6eoXoyor), which now command the
ruins of the city, are eloquent of the of Dk?3. On
the whole it seems best
doom which has overtaken both to fall back upon the supposition that
Ephesus and its church.
6.

This second
'!,
modifies the
of . If the loss of her first love
4.
was a heavy charge against the Church
in Ephesus, there must be set against
it and in her favour her hatred of
deeds which Christ hated.
Irenaeus (i. 26. 3, iii. 10. 7), followed
by Hippolytus (philos. vii. 36), asserts
that the Nicolaitans of the Apocalypse
werefounded by Nicolaus the proselyte
of Antioch who was one of the Seven
(Acts
ore
! ."]
a party bearing this name existed in
Asia when the Apoc. was written,
whether it owed its origin to Nicolaus
of Antioch, which is not improbable
(see Eightfoot, Galatians, p. 297, 11.),
or to some other false teacher of that
name. According to Ps.-Dorotheus
he was a Samaritan Christian who
joined the party of Simon Magus, but
the statement lacks confirmation. On
the teaching of this sect see v. 14, note,
*
.
and the Introduction, c. vi.
Hatred of evil deeds

re
VI. 5) '•

(Hipp. . ). There was

rrjs
'
evSelav (a, not oCs ; contrast Ps. exxxix. 21 f.)
is a true counterpart of the love of
good, and both are Divine; cf. Isa.
a sect which bore the name at the lxi. 8,Zech. viii. 17. There is a
end of the second century, but its as well as an op -
(Mc iii. 5, Apoc.
identity with the of the vi. 16 f.) which can be predicated of
Apoc. cannot be assumed (Tert. de Christ. To share His hatred of evil
praescr. 33 "sunt et nunc alii Nico- isto manifest an affinity of character
laitae") and its claim to be spiritually with Him, which is a sign of grace in
descended from Nicolaus of Antioch Churches and in individuals.

,
was questioned (Clem. Al. strom. ii.
20, § 118

. iii.
: cf.

29
eavrois

;
ib. iii.

Constitutions
4, § 25
!-
;

vi.
Ens.
8 ol
H.
7. !
other formula common to the seven
messages preceding the promise to
the conqueror in the first three, and
following it in the last four. It
.] An-
II. 7]

)
•' . (bayeiv
Xeyei .,
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN . 29

»]
96 J

syr
1

arm
ygcie hurl lips»
pr eirra

Sy r gw
A + rais
arm J
28 35 36 49 79 gi 92 me 96 al
aeth Or int Gypr Prim al
]
e„ ] C |

me Andr
pikowti

|
A om

tou
|

0] +
jr. t4
c' c
P
Q
17 46 49 88 pi

niini,1 i 45 g
-
vg me

recalls
which
a familiar saying of Christ
found in the three Synoptists
is : .
the light of a victory (1 Jo. v. 4)..
so or with the promise

,
at the end of each utterance begins,
(Mt. xi. 15, xiii. 9, 43 ; Mc. iv. 9, 23 ;
Lc. viii. 8, xiv. 35), but not in the not or The
Gospel of St John. On variations in pres. part, here is timeless, like
the form of the saying see Mc. iv. 9, (Mc. . 4 note,
note; the consistent use. of ovs for Mt. iv. 3) ; (vincens, qui vi-
in the Apoc, even in xiii. 9, shews cerit) is 'the conqueror,' the victorious
independence ; yet»see Mt. x. 27, Lc. member of the Church, as such, apart
xii. 3. At the end of each of these from all consideration of the circum-
instructions ovs is an indi- stances; cf. Tert. scorp. 12 "victori
vidualizing note, calling upon each cuique promittit nunc arborem vitae."
of the hearers of the book (i. 3) to is another Apocalyptic word
appropriate thewarningsand promises (ii. 10, 17, 23, 26, 28, iii. 21, xxi. 6).
addressed to the Churches. Talr '-
!,
masius :
not rrj cf. Pri-
" Si quae singulis partiliter
:
There is here nothing inconsistent
with Mc. X. 4° * °"

Christ give's it as
;
>
Judge to those for
*
ecclesiis praedicat universam gene- whom it has been prepared by the
raliter
neque euim
ecclesiae'
"quae
convenire dicatiu• ecclesiam.
dicit
sed
singulis
' Quid
'ecclesiis.'"
scribit
spiritus dicat

universis
Bede:
se
Father ; see Mt. xxv.
and cf. Rom. vi.

hands of the ascended Christ are full

23
34, 2
Se
. Tim. iv. 8,

The

xiii.
To ,
dicere denionstrat ecclesiis."
cf. Acts viii. 29,

Apoc. xiv. 13, xxii. 17. Ac-

2,
of gifts (cf. Eph. iv. 7 ff.). With the
promise
14 it -
cf. xxii. .,
cording to the opening formula (ii. 1) . . and
: Test, xiipatr., Levi 18

4
the Speaker is Christ ; but the Spirit
of 'Christ in the prophet is the inter-
preter of Christ's voice. ,
toXs
the construction see
yii.

!.2, xiii.
vi. 4
14, xvi.
..

8.
; for

To

:
7,
."]
»,
(cf. xxii. 2, 14,

In . is a possible allusion
there 'is of
=
rtjs
course from Gen. ii. 9;
19)
on
to but is a charac- see WM., p. 23. In the
teristically Johannine word (Jo. xvi. lxx. represents either ]l
33, 1 Jo. ii. 13 £, iv. 4, v. 4 f.), and (Gen. ii., iii., passim), or D^*13 a
specially frequent in the Apoc. Qi. 7,
pleasauuce (2 Esdr. xii. 8, Eccl. ii.
5,
11, 17, 26, iii. s, 12, 21, v. 5, xii. 11,
Cant. iv. 13) "from the old Persian
xv. 2, xvii. 14, xxi. 7) the book is a ;
pairida&za" {Encycl. Bibl. s.v.) and ;
record and a prophecy of victories
once |"l$ (Isa. Ii. 3) has been ;
won by Christ and the Church. The
added from Gen. xiii. 10 or Ez. xxviii.
note of victory is dominant in St John,
1 3, xxxi. 8. The Rabbinical writers use
as that of faith in St Paid ; or rather,
the word of the heavenly )11? II which
faith presents itself to St John in
3
8
s
Kai to \
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

kv
?, ypa^ov
[II. 8

8
arm tijs
os min 20

is
TaSe

!!
2°
Xeyei
] ! XCPQ

the opposite state to their 03

rell

(s.
|

vg

'Jj
(. )
me
!] .,
syrs" Prim

boasted of being
|
irparosj !. os

',
(28 79)
A om
[

see Weber, JiXd. Theol. p. 344 ff. Of
the idealized Tree of Life we read
already in Prov. iii. 18 (cf. Isa. lxv.
22, 4 Mace, xviii. 16), but its
lxx.,
first appearance in a vision of the ce^
Situated at the head of a well pro-
tected gulf, with an ample harbour, it
possessed an export trade second only
to that of Ephesus, while like Ephesus
it was the terminus of a great road,

lestial Paradise is in Enoch xxiv. f. which tapped the rich valley of the
Hermus and penetrated to the in-

?. els ...
..
terior. As far back as the reign of
Tiberius the loyalty of Smyrna ,to
Rome procured for it the privilege
; cf.

:
of erecting a temple to the Emperor,
and the city henceforth claimed the

.
Slavonic Enoch 8, and Ps. Sol. xiy. 3.
In the ..
'Paradise' is either the title of of the new cult. She
state of the blessed dead (Lc. xxiii. 43), disputed .with her neighbour Ephesus
or a supra-mundane sphere identified the honour of being styled
with the third heaven into which men and But the writer
pass in an ecstasy (2 Cor. xii. 2 f.) ; or, of the Apocalypse follows an order
as here, the final joy of the saints in to which Ephesus itself would have
the presence of God and of Christ. assented, when he assigns to Smyrna
On the history of the subject gen- the second place among the seven.
erally see Tenuant, Sources of the The N.T. throws no light ou the
Doctrine of the Fall and of Original origin of the Church in Smyrna beyond
Sin, passim. the general statement as to the evan-
The general sense of the promise
.
is clear. Man's exclusion
from the Tree of Life (Gen. iii. 22 i.) is
gelization of Asia in Acts xix. 10 ; see
Lightfoot, Ignatius, i. p. 462. But
according to Vita Polycarpi 1 St Paul
repealed by Christ on condition of a visited Smyrna on his way to Ephesus
personal victory over evil. To eat of
the Tree is to enjoy all that the life
(cf.

),
Acts
and found
. disciples there, as he
of the world to come has in store did at Ephesus. The Church is still
for redeemed humanity. Apringius strong at Smyrna ; out of a population
"pomum ligni vitae aeternitatem im- of perhaps 2 50,000 more than half are
marcescibilem subministrat." Bede Christians, while the
"lignum vitae Christus cuius in est, with its fine library witnesses to the
caelesti paradiso visione sanctae re- vigour and intelligence of the Orthodox
ficiuntur animae." community.
8

Ephesus
—

—entered Smyrna
]
The Message to the
11.
Angel of the Church in Smyrna.
8. The road from
—a distance of about 35 miles
by the 'Ephesian
On the form

inscriptions (see e.g.

On Smyrna
see "WH. 2,
Notes, p. 155; Blass, Gr. p. 10. It
occurs on coins of the period and in

itself
CIG iii.
see
3276
further the
ff.).

Gate.' The city, which had been rebuilt Introduction, p. Ixi. f.

by Lysimachus, was now the finest 6 6

of the Asiatic towns (Strabo, 646), and .] These titles (from i. 17 f.) are
II.

.' ,
-, ,
9] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
9

,
31

fy

] «? 9
arm |
XeyovTcav
pr
KAC 11 97]
eivai

NQ mini• syr Andr'1 Ar pr

1

PQ min ,e"">m " + g

'

? e. .
vg 6yre w
*
| ] om
N ca) CP
28 49 79 9i 96 130 al arm aeth Andr pr ti syrr |
(-ovs
|

om Q 16 69 arm
chosen with the view of inspiring
confidence into a Church threatened
with suffering and death ; cf. Bede
"apta praefatio patientiam suasuro."
by their

also iii
faith

some
(cf. 2 Cor.

)
viii.

cases to the pillage of

2

; but

Ramsay
finds
struggles

takes
a reference

the place of
{Exp.,

of the
1904,

the
also

). ,",
city
i. p.
to the
(Strabo, 646
321
early
f.) their property
mob (Heb. . 34 4 ^>

The context suggests that the poverty

of the Smyrnaean Church was at least
).-
by a Jewish or pagan

purpose being to fix attention upon aggravated by the last of these causes,
the fact of the Resurrection.' As the

, '. - .] Andreas :

Lord rose, so will His martyrs triumph

over death ; cf. 2 Tim. ii. 8-
,

The
structive
parallel in Apoc. xiii 14 is in-
: ra) os
. ... 'at Smyrna were both numerous and
aggressively hostile ; see Lightfoot,
Ignatius, ii p. 468 f., Schiirer, Ge-
The Jews

(see note ad I.). schichte*, iii. pp. 11, 29, 34. In the
.]

.
9. The martyrdom of Polycarp they took a
Church in Smyrna was characterized
by its endurance of suffering and
poverty in the cause of the GospeL
"With the paradox
',
; comp. Jac. ii.
... -
leading part, even surpassing the
heathen in their zeal,, and this, it is

,
added, was their wont: Polyc. mart.
13, f. ,
5

, ,
vi. - io
6

cos

and contrast Apoc.

2 Cor.

iii. 17
At present they contented themselves
with blaspheming, railing at Christ
and Christians (cf. Vg. "et blasphe-
maris ab his"), as they had done
from the first days of St Paul's syna-
... ...
The nature of the wealth possessed
6. gogue preaching in Asia Minor (Acts

,
xiii. 45). Against their sharp tongues
by the Church in Smyrna but lacking

'
the Christians are fortified ,by the
to the Church in Laodicea
shewn in Lc. ». 21
. ' is well reflexion that these blasphemers are
Jews in name only. They called
I Tim. vi. 18
The poverty (, not merely jrev/ ;
themselves Jews (for the constr. see
v. 2, note), but were not so in truth;

cf. Mc. 42, note) of the Apostolic

xii.
Churches, even in so rich a city as
Smyrna, is remarkable; it may have
comp. Rom. ii.' 28

,, ' ...
been due p'artly to the fact that the
converts were drawn chiefly from the
poorer classes (Jac. I. a, 1 Cor. i. 26),
partly to the demands made Upon them
, , ..
'
GaL VL

. 1 5 f.
-•
''
 32

IO
.
, .
eicriv,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

)' 7€
[II. 9

'^
] . ? ,
]? ]
( +
Q min,ero35 Ar
ets

°•°
] +
ACQ
Q min s0 Ar
38 49] M-V Sev min pI vg
/3?
syrr
Q minP' Ar
|

*
!
|
|

•") | ] 130 | 36 130 Prim] CP 11 11 KQ

minP1 syrr vg Ar Q min teef10 g yg syrr Ar om N* (hab K ca)
.
,
|
|

So far from being Satan was the firm belief of the early
men were Church ; cf. e.g. Polyc. mart. 2
(Jo. i. 47), such
.),
a
/iees e/c

not a
xxvi. 9, xxxi. 16).
KupioiK(JNum. xvi.
On
(Jo. 44

3, 24,
in its
Bus. .-
,. V.
' »
-
relation to
p. 4 ff-
again in iii.
seeHort, Ecclesia,

9; comp. ii. 13
occurs
that ye may have affliction for(' during,'
] " And

., ii. 24 . the temporal gen., see Blass, Gr. p.

The commentators A

,
refer to an in- 109) ten days." further disclosure
scription of the time of Hadrian
which of Satan's plans ; it was his purpose
has been thought to mention Jewish to prolong the persecution if the
renegades
cf.
(CIG 3148
Lightfoot, Ignatius, i. p. 470 ; see
however Ramsay in Hastings, D.B.
faithful did not yield at once.
point is missed by ,
This
doubtless a
correction made in the interests of
iv.p- 555, for another view of the the sense. has perhaps Tbeen
words, and cf. Letters, p. 272). But Suggested by Dan. i. 14
the 'synagogue of Satan' at Smyrna ; cf. Gen. xxiv. 55,

professed Judaism and perhaps sin- Num. xi. 19, xiv. 22, Job xix. 3. Beatus
cerely, though their hostility may thinks of the ten persecutions,' but it
'

have been partly due to a desire is unnecessary to seek for any historical
to curry favour with the pagan mob fulfilment. Equally wide of the mark
or the Imperial authorities. is the intei-pretation preferred by
. /] Bede: "totum tempus siguificat in quo
There were worse things in store Decalogi sunt memoriae maudata."
than or even ; im- The number ten is probably chosen
prisonment, perhaps death,mightawait because, while it is sufficient to sug-

, ;",
the faithful at Smyrna. Behind the gest continued suffering, it points to
'synagogue of Satan' was the Devil an approaching end. Ten days of
himself ( =6

'
suffering and suspense might seem an
1

XU. 10 = 6 xii. 9, XX. eternity while they lasted, yet in the

2), who by means of false charges retrospect they would be but a moment

)
body )
laid before the magistrates would
cast certain members of the Church
( into prison. His purpose
was to try the faith of the whole
( £) cf. Lc. xxii. 31
(2 Cor. iv. 17

,\
).
but it
: cf. Arethas :

The trial might be prolonged,

had a limit known to God.
--
.
:

.]
< That its Jewish and 'Prove thyself loyal and time, to the
pagan adversaries were prompted by extent of being ready to die for My
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
. '
II. 1
1] 33.

sake.' , .,
our] aures

cf. iii. 2 ,» yg«>4aiioiin Prim

\eyei

|
om
. "d

130

the fairest city in Asia (Ramsay, Let-

II

Jo. XX. 27 ters, pp. 256 f., 275). In any case the
Here is 'trustworthy' rather is not a royal diadem, but

than 'believing,' as in Mt. xxv.

"
21, 23, an emblem of festivity : cf. Mc. xv.'

.
Lc. xvi. 1 of., Apocii. 13, iii. 14. 17, note. is epexegetical

hints that the supreme trial of the crown consists of life, so that the
martyrdom may follow; comp. Phil. promise is practically equivalent to
ii. 8
contrast Heb. xii. 4

book eleven
"
., and

Occurs in this
times,
the other Johannine writings, as it
not once
under another aspect.
II, /
that of v. 7, though it is presented

special promise of the second mes-

sage, appropriate to a
-.] The

Church which,
happens, have neither, but in the rest may presently be called to martyr-,
of the N.T. the proportion is. a little dom. He who conquers by proving
over 2 to 1.

'And so,' the consecutive which is

'
] himself faithful unto death shall
possess immunity from the second
death. occurs
"specially found after imperatives"
(Blass, Gr. p. 262):
sharp contrast with
stands in
and . , again in c.'xx. 6, 14, xxi. 8, where it
is defined as ;

notes ad I. The conception is partly,

see

,,
comes naturally- after the anticipated in Dan. xii. 3 and Jo. v. 29,
prophecy of a coming struggle. The
exact phrase

. .,
:
. . occurs in
the very similar passage, Jac. i. 12

elsewhere we have
,
^ . .
.
and yet more distinctly by Philo, de-
proem, et poen. ii. 419
...
But the exact expression was
probably current in Jewish circles, for
it occurs frequently in the Targums
(Isa. XXViii. 5)1 cf. e.g. Targ. Hieros. on Deut. xxxiii. 6

(. xvi 12, xxiii. 42, Th. ii. 19),.

" vivat Reuben in hoc saeculo et non

(l
mart.
8ncaioirUOTjs (2
Pet. V. 4),
Tim.

Eus. H.E.
IV. 8),

v.
(Polyc.
So.
moriatur morte secunda " ; other exx.

,
may be seen in Wetstein.
'shall in no wise be hurt' ; see.
-
17, 19, 1).

familiar a metaphor need not have Blass, Gr. p. 209 f. For in

been suggested by local circumstances, this sense see Isa. x. 20, Apoc. vi. 6,
yet it is noteworthy that Smyrna was vii. 2f., ix. 4, 10, 19, xi. 5 bis. The
famous for its games (Paus. vi. 14. 3, attempt to retain in these contexts
cited in Enc. Bihl., 4662) in which the etymological meaning of
the prize was a garland There may
be a reference to this, or again, as
Ramsay thinks (Hastings, D.B. iv. p.
555 ff.) the writer may have in his mind
the garlands worn in the service
'
,
(Benson, Apocalypse, pp. xvi. f.,
73 n.) cannot be regarded as suc-
cessful; in usage like our
injure,' has acquired a weaker sense
and is nearly a synonym of
of the pagan temples, or the circle of (cf. Thuc. ii; 71, Xen. de re eqiii
buildings and towers which 'crowned' vi- 3)•

s. .
34

12

1 3
"
-' ^
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

./6 , 3
[II. 12

12 tijs] syr*" |
ev Uepyapici] vg syr«» Or "' Prim al
1
13 7TOU

/rets] pr epya Q min'»80 ""1 syr Andr Ar

12 17.

12.
— The Message to the

rfjs ev
Smyrna the road from Ephesus
]
Angel of the Church in Pergamum.

lowed the coast for about 40 miles

and then struck N.E. up the valley
After leaving
fol-
special point in the life of the
at

6
Pergamum which

),
the Lord singles
out for notice. She resided in a city
which was also Satan's residence
nay more, where
he had set his throne.' in the
Church

(
of the Caicus, for a further distance of . T. is always the seat of office or

1 5 miles, when it reached Pergamum.

Pergamum in Mysia, on the Caicus
(7; Uipyapos in Xenophon,

and Dion Cassius, but

Pausanias,

Strabo and Polybius and most other

writers and in the inscriptions; the
termination is left uncertain in Apoc.
in
i. 11, ii. 12), now Bergama, the capital
of the Attalid Kingdom 4b.c. 241
133), held a similar position in Roman
- chair of state, whether of a judge
(Mi xix. 28), or a king (Lc. L 32,. 52),
or of God or Christ (Mt. v. 34, xxv. 31);
in the Apoc. the word occurs 45 times
in this sense. At Pergamum Satan
was enthroned and held his court.
The question arises what there was at
Pergamum to gain for it this character.
The Nicolaitans were there, but they
were also at Ephesus the Jews, who
;

Asia (Plin. if. N. v. 30 "longe claris- at Smyrna formed a 'synagogue of

simum Asiae") until its place was Satan,' are .not mentioned in the Per-
taken by Ephesus. If Pergamum gamene message. It remains to seek
Iiad no Artemision, it was richer a justification of the phrase in some
in temples and cults than Ephesus. peculiarly dangerous form of pagan
Zeus Soter, Athena Nikephoros, Dio- worship. Pergamum was the chief seat
nysos, Asklepios were the chief local in Asia of the worship of Asklepios
deities the temple of Athena crowned
;

the steep hill of the Acropolis, and

beneath it on the height was a great
altar of Zeus. Beside these, the city
possessed as early as a.d. 29 a temple
dedicated to Rome and Augustus (Tac.
,
(cf.

17

,
Herodian,
!
(
Philostratus, Vit. Apollon.
els
iv. 4.
(>...(,
8

Mart.
.*
"Aescula-
pius Pergamensis deus" according to
ix.
els
iv.

6epanelas
34

),'
:

arm. iii. 37); a second temple was Galen a common form of oath was
erected in the time of Trajan, when ev and the
Pergamum acquired the title of bit
vewKopos. At so strong a centre of
paganism the Church was confronted
with unusual difficulties, and to these
the message to Pergamum refers
Xe
is
vwep
,
serpent which was the symbol of the
god (Paus. Cor. 27 '

e%et )
Te erepav

in this book (xii. 9) the symbol of

(. 1 3 £.). See further the Introduc- Satan. But attractive as this explana-
tion, c. v.

Xeyet 6 %
of c. i. 1 6, where see note.
: the
tion is, it does not altogether satisfy;
the Aesculapian cult, with its thera-
peutic aims, would scarcely have been
To what use it is to be put at Perga- marked-out for special reprobation by
mum appears below, 0. 16. the Christian brotherhood. It is better
13. olda .] The to find in 'Satan's throne ' an allusion.
. 13]

'
the Apocalypse Of st john

.
,
35

(hab
1 3
AC
°]
91 vg™" me)
syr aeth + e» 01s N°

79 80 81 87 91 96 121 130 161

* {.
| ]
(ev rats
'•')

*)
|
om
+ ais Q
3° ^PQ miu'•™ 80 vg*™ aeth Prim Andr Ar
6 14 29 31 36 38 41 47 51 82 92'*' al ,ere2!i vg d,m
() 7 10 I2?0rt 16 17 28 34 35 36 37 45'™' 46'°''
vgamfulmrltolal
1

'»
.
to the rampant paganism of Perga- revile her Master ; cf. mart. Polyc.
9.
mum (Arethas Fol" see ii. 1 note, and for

by the great
:

which seemed to
altar
),
o!s
symbolized cf. Jo. i. 20

, 'thy
dominate the place from its platform faith in Me ' ;
is the gen. of the
cut in the Acropolis rock, but chiefly
, *
object as in Mc. 22
.,.)
:
xi.
perhaps to the new Caesar-worship ApOC XIV. 12
in which Pergamum was preeminent

,' ,
and which above all other pagan rites 'even

',
menaced the existence of the Church.
The insidious plea

'
ei-
in the days of Antipas.'
(') The reading
must be ascribed
to itacism, while the proposal to treat
{,

,,
as a nom de guerre
{mart. Polyc. must have appealed to
8),
many Christians who would have stood
;

, a primitive Athanasius contra

mundum) can scarcely be taken se-
firm against the grosser idolatries of .riously. The name is an abbreviated
heathenism. If the worship of the form of as KXfoVas of
Emperor is roG
in view, and occurs frequently in
may be an occult reference to Josephus (e.g. antt. xix. 1. 3 ovtos
the agents of this false Imperialism,
- ). -
,
corresponding with There be gleaned
is little to

For =
/eeis, ,
which refers to the hostile Jews.
see "WM. p. 640.
point to settled
about this primitive martyr from post-
canonicalwritings. Tertullian'sallusion
to him (scorp. 1 2 "de Antipa fidelissimo
residence. There was no possibility
of escaping from the situation
local Church could not migrate in a
body, and Satan would not quit his
vantage ground. From another point
the ;

,
ledge. Andreas had .read
)
martyre, interfecto in habitatione Sa-
tanae") shews no independent know-

( and there
are acts under his name printed by
his 'acts'

,,-
of view even the residents in any place the Bollandists (April 11), according
are, from the Christian standpoint, to which he was burnt to death in a
'strangers and pilgrims,' and such brazen bull in the reign of Domitian.
words as But the date at least is probably
are usually preferred in de-
'

scribing the relations of the Church

wrong, for iv
time of the martyrdom back some
..
throws the

to the locality where she is placed years before the writing of the Apoca-
see 1 Pet. i. 1 (with Hort's note), 17 lypse cf. Lc. i. 5, Acts v. 37. Other
;

ii. 11, Heb. xL 9, and the opening martyrs connected with Pergamum in
words of Clem. R. Cor. cited in the the first two centuries, were Carpus,
note to v. 1. •Papylus, and Agathonice, mentioned
.]
Church

fused to say
&in Pergamum maintained her
( Cor. xii. 3),
The

and re-
and to
• by Eusebius (H. E. iv. 1 5) ; Attalus,
also, the 'pillar and ground' of the
'persecuted Viennese, was
{H.E> v. )* Yet, as Kamsay
 -.,
?
36. THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [- 13

14
't'Atrriwa*,
Trap' ,,' os
4

13 AvTiiras K*CPQ !
mini" vg Prim

!
*

(on•.) K CCA
om KPQ mini" vg me syrs" arm
2 9 13 19 23 41 42 so
5 "™

97 al ut vid me syrr arm +

^
4
68 87 syrS" |
3°]

!
aeth Prim Andr Ar + ttos (152) syre" om 4° me om 01 6| |

31 87 vg
dem syr«" aeth syr*" arm 4 om ... 38 syrs™ 14
*
|
|

Q
om
minP'i 1 »
««
Ar
exei
|
om
me |
7 (hab K«) om
mevM
C 130 vgamruh.ri*»i Byr p r i m
|
|

observes (Hastings, D. B. iii. 75 f.), it died for Him. By that time the
is not certain that Antipas was a technical sense had nearly established
member of the Pergamene Church itself (see Lightfoot's note on Clem.
he suffered at Pergamum, but may. I.e., and Benson's Cyprian, p. 90 f.)

have been brought thither from one but in the .

T. this stage has not
of the smaller towns. been reached, though the course of
is indeclinable, if we accept events was leading up to ft. The
the reading of the best mss. WH., Lord gives Antipas His own title,
however [but see Hort, Apoc. p. 28J
are disposed to favour Lachmaim's con-
jecture that the final c arose from an
it
faithful
by a double
one ' ;
,
(i. 5, in. 4)> qualifying

'my witness,
Antipas bore witness
my

,
accidental doubling of the following o, to Christ, was loyal to Christ even
while Nestle {Text. Orit. p. 331) thinks
that was written
order to conform it to
anomaly, however it may have arisen,
in
The

has misled the scribes, who have sought

. unto death, as
(i Tim. VL 13

Attic Greek
see
Christ to the Father
roO
\ \).'
viii. 31 note
would have been
; in

' ...
,
to save the grammar by inserting als preferred, cf. Blass, Gr. pp. 44, 55.
or omitting os see app. crit. For
: recalls at the end

. cf. Acts i. 8
20
,
of the sentence the solemn fact with
which it began the home of this
:

. .,. 6
. It is tempting to
Apoc.
14. '
Church was also the residence of Satan.

Ephesus the attitude of the Church

/yaj At

translate by 'martyr' in the towards the Nicolaitans was matter

last two passages, and even R.V. for praise, but at Pergamum it invited
yields to the temptation in Apoc.
though it is content to call Stephen
and Antipas 'witnesses.' But it may
I. c, censure contrast
v. 6
;

. with
The Church which
could resist Satan in the form of the
be doubted whether the word had Emperor-cult was not equally proof
acquired a technical sense at the end
- against an insidious heresy within its
of the first century

not decisive. Even

in the second half of the second
is

century the title could be given to

;

els
Clem. Cor. 5

,
own

at
as
ranks.

Pergamum
'
.] A party in the Church
Balaam had done
(=#'
;
)
cf. J.
taught
B. Mayor,
confessors at Lyons and Vienne, St Jude, p. clxxvi. Balaam made it
though it is significant that they dis-
claimed it as due only to the Lord
his aim to teach Balak («?)
how to beguile Israel into the double
(Apoc. i. .
5) and to those who had sin of idolatry and fornication. The
II. 5]

,
. ?
, -
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

os

5
(payelv
15
37

Q minP'i 44 me arm Or "' Ar u]

]
14 eSiSaife syrr 1
A(C) ev
*
|

18 92 m s ev Andr 001""" Q (ita et C 95** 130) om

BoXa/c'ti •»
95 ' N ca A |
<payeiv] pr Q mm 3 ,• ',

Ar I
om vg 130

reference is to Num. xxxi. 16, where followed below, v. 20; but it doubt-
the sin of Peor is traced to Balaam's less answers to the experience of the
suggestion (cf. Philo, vit. Moys. i. 54,
Jos. aiilt. ix. 6. 6, Origen in Num.
horn. xx.). Modem O.T. scholars (e.g.
Driver, Introd. p. 62 f., F. H. "Woods in
Church at Pergamum, where the mixed
company at pagan feasts was the oc-

,
casion of the greater evil.
see .4 Mace. v. 2, Acts xv. 29,
-
'
Hastings, D.B. i. 233) point out that
the Story of Balaam blends two ac-
counts, Num. xxii. 1 —
xxv. 5 belonging
to JE, while Num. xxv. 6 ff. is from ;
xxi. 25,
in 1

15•
1 Cor.

Cor. x. 28.
ovTtos
up the thread of
...]
viii. I ff.;. cf.

v.
"
14 (?*«r
takes

in the former Balaam after blessing .), while

Israel returns to Pethor (Num. xxiv. compares the situation at Pergamum
25), in the latter he is the author of with that of Israel exposed to the
Balak's later policy and eventually is
slain
cf.
by Israel in battle (Num. xxxi. 8,
Josh. xiii. 22). Josephs I.e. recon-
wiles of Balaam ;
of the sentence emphasizes
at the end
and
keeps the parallel still in view. The
,
ciles the two stories by supposing that general sense of»». 14, 15 would have

.
Balaam on reaching theEuphrates sent been clearer if the Apocalyptist had
for Balak and imparted his scheme
some such addition to the history was
doubtless in the mind of the writer
written
... ««
eVcet
:

!... ?(
yap
, .; yap
or (
of the Apoc. There is an interesting
parallel in the stratagem suggested by For the Nicolaitans see note on
Achior in Judith v. 20, xi. 1 1 ff. v. 6. As to their teaching, it is clear
For the construction
reference has been made to Job
.™ xxi.
is.
that they disregarded the restriction
imposed upon the Gentile Churches

22

,
(tm ~\> W?n); :
but
(,) . -
by the Apostolic council held at Jeru-
salem in 49 50 (Acts xv. 29—

)
with the dative is found in Plutarch cf. 20
and other later Greek writers (Hort). with the
BaXeiv cf. . in practical result that they encouraged
Ps. xlix. (1.) 20, Judith v. 1, Hos. a return to pagan laxity of morals (cf.
iv. 17, Rom. xiv. 13. v. 6).Writing to Corinth some fifteen
(Att. is any object that years after the council St Paul had
is apt to trip up one who is walking occasion to argue with Christians who
carelessly see Hort on 1 Pet. ii.. 8.
; regarded the eating of as a m

The women of Moab were deliberately thing indifferent; and though he does
thrown in the way of unsuspecting not take his stand on the Jerusalem
Israel, in the hope of bringing about decree, he opposes the practico on
The order
...
the downfall of the

of that in Num.
latter.

xxv.
is the Opposite
1 ff., which is
the ground that it gave offence to
weak brethren (1 Cor. viii. 4, 9 f.),
and also because of the connexion
38

16 ^/
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
6 .
,
[II. 15

15 ]
el Se ,
pr J 28 38 9 1 al Andr Ar |
7\€
$]
^
/8 g^™*

.
arm + o arm2 aetn "1 " 5 *3°
12 13 17 vg""1 om l(> om <""' x J4 3** 49
76 9i 92 g6 al vg syr Prim (hab ACQ nun'6"' 45 me syrs" arm aeth Ar)

which he regarded as existing between

X. 20
,)
idol-worship and unclean spirits (1 Cor. It-isnoteworthy that the party was
strong at Ephesus and Pergamum;

) ; to partake of

the 'table of unclean spirits' (ib. 21

with participation in the Eucharist.'

In the face of these facts a perverse
theory, originating with the Tubingen
was inconsistent
they had established themselves at
the two most important centres in
Asia, the 'metropolis,'
and perhaps
1 6.
and the ancient
still official capital.

ovv\
occasion not only for vigilance, but for
There Was

an act of repentance (on

school, identifies the. Nicolaitans with
the followers of St Paul ; cf. Renan,
Saint Paul, p. 303 f. " on s'habitue :
k dlsigner l'apdtre des gentils par le
see v. 5). The Church was already
cpmpromised by undue tolerance of
the Nicolaitans ; she had not purged
herself of complicity with them as the

)
sobriquet de Nicolas... ses disciples du Church at Ephesus had done (con-
meme coup fureiit appeles nicolautes";
and see van Manen's art. Nicolaitans
trast V. 6 with V. 1 5 ).
in Enc. Bill. 3410 f. It would be ,= see
/] Por
{
nearer to the truth to say that they
were the spiritual descendants of the
. note ;
5 is now added, for the
matter would brook no delay. Yet
libertines who perverted the Pauline

,
the Lord does not say
, -
:
doctrine and against whom St Paul
but i.e.
strongly protests. In the next century
;
these views were embraced by certain

'
the Church had tolerated the Nico-

... -
if
Gnostic teachers ; see Justin, dial. 35

,
laitans, and some of her members had

\ listened to their teaching, yet she

-.' )
had not as a whole identified herself

, ,''
Tives
with the party; cf. Andreas: eV rjj
Iren. i. 6. 3 yap
' ,. ''
,
yap

... ,

frequent in the lxx., is used in the

. The Nicolaitans of the next

century were of this class, cf. Iren.
N.T. only by the Apocalyptist (ii. 16,
xii. 7, xiii. 4, xvii. 14), and the verb

itself outside the Apoc only in Jac.

iii. 1. 3 "indiscrete vivunt"; Hippol.

philos. Vfi. 36 ...' iv. 2. The glorified Christ is in this

re \ ; Tert.
book a Warrior, who fights with the
sharp sword of the word ; cf. i. 16,
adv. Marc. i. 29. "aliqui Nicolaitae
xix. 1 3 if., and see Eph. vi. 17,'Heb.
assertores libidinis atque luxuriae."
iv. 12. The idea of a Divine Warrior,
According to Clement Alex, strom.
which appears first in the Song of
iii. 4 they quoted a saying of their
1

founder, Miriam (Exod. xv. 3 ?» Wit. nj\\ y

del, and acted upon it :
rjj

equivocally rendered by the lxx -

 II. ;] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

yjsfjcpov \£,
\eyei
. *
, 17
d if

/ 17 oks] aures vg? em

7 (
Amb Prim
13 14) 28 (35) 49 79
|

(87)
AC
gi 92 ra s 96 al
|
(om
arm syrr
92 g vg cle syr« w)] +
|
AC
()
*™ 32

"
)\ .
Ar] ck ei 36 39 me syrr arm 4 Prim (de manna) Q Vict Amb
7 28 79 al ""° "iu .. {. arm1 |
om 2° 38

is associated manna will again descend from on

with the Logos in Sap.

.... The of the Divine

xviii. 15 <5 high,
years";
and they
cf.
'

. ,
will eat of it in those

'
Orac. Sibyll. vii. 148 f.
ovde
\-

,-
\

Word is directed especially against As for the

those who "turn the grace of God interpretation of the promise, its full
into lasciviousness," as the Nicolaitans meaning is hardly covered by St Paul's
did. Possibly, as in v. 14, there is an iv
allusion to the story of Balaam (Num. ( Cor.or by Origen's
ii. 7))
,
xxii. 23, xxxi. 8). "intellectus Dei subtilis et
verbi
17• dulcis " {horn, on Exod. ix. 4) rather
.]
note.
On .
see . , . by must be
understood the life-sustaining power
;

is the partitive geni-

tive, WM.
p. 247 ; Blass, against the of the Sacred Humanity now "hid
documentary evidence, discounts this with Christ in God" (Col. iii. 3), of
solitary instance of the gen. after which the faithful find a foretaste in
as "not authentic "(Or. p. 100, the Eucharist but which can be fully
note 3). (|D, Aram. NJDj lxx. known only to the conqueror (Jo. vi.
iii Exod. xvi. 31 ff., else- 31 f., 54 ffi). .Victorinus "manna :

where) has passed from the lxx. into

the N.T. (Jo. vi. 31, 49, Heb. ix. 4) and
Josephus (antt. iii. 1. 6).
refers no doubt to the golden
pot "laid up before God" (Exod. xvi.
- ahsconditum immortalitas est." Pri-
masius, followed by Bede: "panis
invisibilis qui de caelo deseendit."
Arethas points out the fitness of this
reference to the heavenly food at the
23), i.e. in the Ark (Heb. ix. 4) ; the
end of a message which condemns
Ark itself was believed to have been
hidden by Jeremiah in a place where
it would not be discovered until Israel
was restored (2 Mace. ii. 5 if. ; cf. the
Rabbinical traditions in Abarbanel on
].
participation in heathen feasts ro>

[sc. -,;

.]
1 Sam. iv. 4 "haec area futuro tempore is a rare word in Biblical Greek
adveniente Messia nostro manifestabi- (lxx. N.T. 3 ), where it is used to
,

tur" ; Tanchuma, 83. 2 "Elias Israelitis denote a piece of rock (IV, Exod.
(1)
restituit...urnam mannae"; other'pas- iv. 25 ; fSn, Lam. iii.. 1 6, cf. Sir. xviii.

sages may be
seen in 'Wetstein). The 10) ; (2) a counter or voting pebble,
Apoc. of Baruch has the story in c. vi. •
calculus (4 Regn. xii. 4 (5) A, Eccl.
7 ff. and adds in xxix. 8 (ed. Charles) vii. 26, 4 Mace. xv. 26, Acts xxvi. 10).

"at that self-same time [when the Here it is to be noted that the
Messiah is revealed] the treasury of is white, and that it bears a mystical
4

.
name which
read.
1 7
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

•€,
oi/5eis otJcy]

only the possessor can

Few
of the solutions hitherto
om * (hab
the
ti° ')
ovoeis
vBe

/.
otoev
)iBep

ewer me"'

leaves something to be desired either

is not inscribed or it is
*
ei

;
[II. i 7

proposed satisfy these conditions. The not necessarily white. Prof. Ramsay
Rabbinical tradition that precious (Hastings, D.B. iii. 751) supposes a
stones fell with the manna (Joma 8) contrast with the parchment which
may have suggested the collocation took its name (char la Pevgamena)
of the manna and the
carries us no
but it
further.
:,
Ziillig's theory,
from the city, and interprets " the
name is written not on white parch-
:

adopted by- Trench, that there
allusion to the Urim (Exod.
supposed to have been a diamond
engraved with the Tetragrammaton,
is too purely conjectural to be satis-
factory, even if it were not open to
other objections. If we turn to the
Greek surroundings of the Asiatic
Churches, which must not be excluded,
as Trench maintains, from the field
of Apocalyptic hermeneutics, there
is an ment such as Pergamum boasts of,
xxviii. 30), but on an imperishable white tessera."
"The white stone," he writes elsewhere.
(Letters, p. 302), "was, doubtless, a
tessera." But the tessera does not
suggest imperishableness. Possibly
may refer to the en-
graved stones which were employed
for magical purposes and bore mystic
names J see King, Engraved Gems,
p. 97 if. Gnostics and their remains,
:

is a larger choice of interpretations. passim. Magic in all its forms entered

may refer to the ballot thrown largely into the life of the great cities
into the voting urn (Ovid, met. xv. of Asia ; for its prevalence at Ephesus
41 "moserat antiquis niveis atrisque see Acts xix. 19. The Divine magic
lapillis, his dainnare reos,
illis ab- which inscribes on the human char-

)
|

solvere culpa") or to the counters -

acter and life the Name of God and of
used for calculation (cf. Apoc. xiii. 18 Christ is placed in contrast with the
or the ; poor imitations that enthralled pagan
might bo the symbol of a good society.
time (Plin. ep. vi. 4. 3 "o diem no-
tandum candidissimo calculo "), or of
victory (Andreas, & ;
It
will
may be that the precise reference
be ascertained in the course of
explorations which are still in progress
Arethas,

,
\
there
iv

).
may be a reference to the tickets
which were sometimes distributed to
Or
in Asia Minor 'and in particular at
Pergamum. Meanwhile the general
sense is fairly clear. The white stone
is the pledge of the Divine favour
which carries with it such intimate
the populace and entitled the holders knowledge of God and of Christ as
to freo entertainment or amusement only the possessor can comprehend
...
(cf. Xiphilin. epit. 228 yap
ip-
cf. ill.

,
12
. ..
and on this knowledge
eV

...

Roman
),
frumentaria or the
life (cf.
or to the tessera
t. hospitalis of

Plaut. Poen. v. 1. 8).

as the gift of Christ see Mt. xi. 27.
The alternative is to regard the
as the symbol of the new life
and relations into which moral victory
transports the conqueror, an inter-
Each of theso explanations, however, pretation supported by Isa. lxii. 2
^ ,
II. iS]

18
Kat
Tahe \eyei
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

vlos
eu

, toi)s
41

:
< ,.
me om
1

J
8 " A syrr Prim]
79 me
A
NPQ min°mnTl om C
7 8 9 16 19 23 al

"
1
'

{-pa) Q
(-« AC -; P)]
g yg Prim (Thyatirae)

33 " Thyatireni aliaeque inhonorae

<
and suggesting a reference to the
15
, v.
civitates"), Thyatira was a thriving
centre of trade (Ramsay, Letters,
p. 324 ff.) ; the inscriptions shew that
mysteries and the prevalent magical
rites (Ramsay, Letters,
also his reference to a ,
p. 306 ; see
the city was remarkable even among

,
Asiatic towns for the number of its

, ,
guilds (Ramsay, Cities and Bishoprics,

,,,,
re-
ceived by Aristides of Smyrna from
Asklepios, ib. p. 312 ff.). If this view-
—
be accepted and it is perhaps the
—
more probable the victorious disciple
is represented as resembling in his
,
i. p. 105), among which may be men-

-
tioned the

to the
(clothiers),

there is a

.
;

measure the victorious Master; cf. xix. reference in Acts xvi. 14

.
, , ),
12 (was she so called as coming

( The new name from a Lydian town ),

'
' is

,
,,
);
, ,
one of a series of
to the Church

2 Cor. v. 17, Apoc. xxi. 5.

cf.
which belong There were temples
of the Tyrimnaean Apollo (Ramsay,
Letters, p. 319 if.) and Artemis in
the city, and near it the shrine of
Sambathe ( an Oriental

, ,
used iu this connexion only
is (Chaldean or Persian) Sibyl but Thy- ;

hi Heb. xiL 24 ; it is not the recent atira had no temple dedicated to the
origin of the Gospel its but — Emperors. The, Church in Th. was
its its unfailing freshness, probably small, even relatively to the
to which attention is called. The population according to Epiphanius
;

Christian 'name/ i.e. the character or (haer. li. 33) the Alogi towards the
inner life which the Gospel inspires, end of the second century asserted
possesses the property of eternal that no Church was then to be found
power or Its dangers arose from within

]
youth, never losing its its there.
joy. rather than from Jews or pagans.
18 — 29. Message to the Angel Epiphanius (I.e.) represents the place
of the Church in Thyatiea. as having become at a later date a
18. Some 40 miles stronghold of Montanism. See further
(
),
S.E. of 'Pergamum
a Lydian city on the bor-
ders of Mysia and sometimes claimed
lay Thyatira the Introduction,

. .
6 vios
p. lxiii.

occurs here only in the

f.

.]
by the latter (Strabo, 625 Apoc, but the title is implied in i. 6,

..
). .
ii. 27, iii. 5, 21, xiv.
see Dr Sanday's art. Son of God in
I ; on its import

.
was founded by the Se-
It Hastings' D. B. iv. 570, ff. In this
leucidae, but since B.C. 190 it had place it adds solemnity to the quasi-
been in the hands of the Romans, and human features which are recited
was included in the province of Asia. from the vision of eh. i. For 6

Though not the equal of Ephesus, .. ., See

Smyrna, or Pergamum (Pliny, N. . the notes on i. 14 f. This mention of
42

19
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN,

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fault is found.

20. *
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19.
fullerand ampler tribute of praise
? *»' .] A Like the Perga-
menes, the Thyativan Christians were
harbouring an enemy of Christ but
than that awarded to the Church in
their guilt seems to have been greater,
EphesUS (». 2) :
since implies a tolerance of evil
enumerates which is not suggested by ?x«r (». 14)

,.
the motive forces of Christian activity
and their attitude was certainly the
and their most characteristic result. very opposite of that of the Ephesians
Love is characteristically placed first towards the Nicolaitans ; cf. vv. 2, 6
in a Johannine boot,
not overlooked (cf. ii. 13, xiii. id, xiv.
though faith is ' On the
form see WH. 2 , Notes, p. 174,

,
12) the Pauline order is the reverse
;
W. Schm. p. 123 ; it occurs already in
(1 Th. iii. 6, v. 8 ; 1 Tim. i. 14, ii. 15,
vi. 11 ; 2 Tim. i. 13, ii. 22 Tit. ii. 2
the only exception is Philem. 5). The
scribes, as the apparatus shews, have
;
Exod. xxxii. 32 lxx. Jezebel (iSI^,
lxx. Josephus
Isabel), the Phoenician wife of Ahab
^,
endeavoured to conform St John's (1 Kings xvi. 31), who sought to force
order to St Paul's. What kind of upon the northern kingdom the wor-
'service' is intended by may ship of Baal and Astarte and (2 Kings
be gathered from Rom. xv. 25, 31, ix. 22) the immoralities and magical
1 Cor.l xvi. 15, 2 Cor. viii. 4, ix. 1,
practices connected with it, doubtless

Heb. vi. 10. The acts of service had represents some person or party at
shewn no tendency to diminish, as at Thyatira in whose doings the writer
Ephesus (cf. vv. 4, 5) ; on the contrary saw a resemblance to those of Ahab's
they were still increasing in number, wife ; cf. his use of the name Balaam
"the last more than the first." It is in 1: 14. But while 'Balaam' is iden-
noteworthy that in these addresses tified by the context with the Nico-
praise is more liberally given, if it can laitans, there is no such clue to the
be given with justice, when blame meaning of 'Jezebel.' There is much
is to follow ; more is said of tho good to be said for Schirrer's suggestion
deeds of the Ephesians and Thyatir- (in Th. Abh. Weizsacker gewidmet,
,,
<. "
'
II. 21] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
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1892), -that the Thyatiran Jezebel is were not unknown in the early Church
the Sibyl of the (see v. 18, cf. Acts xxi. 9, and the cases of Priscilla

'/
5

),
note). Her shrine was situated in the
'Chaldean quarter (GIG 3509 ' and Maximilla (Eus.
Ammia
E, v. 14) and
(ib. 17).
Thyatiran brotherhood was still teach-
.
This Jezebel of the

,
and she is variously ing when the Apocalypse was written
described as Chaldean, Hebrew, Egyp-
tian, Persian, and Babylonian (Paus.
(), and making converts to her
immoral creed with ;

...... !. -
',
X. 12. comp. xiii. 22

.,.
',
9
.

Suidas . is here perhaps significantly

.
cf. S.V. ;

). But it is difficult to
believe that this person, even if of
placed before
justifying the use of the name Jezebel
cf. 4 Regn. ix. 22 al
as

Semitic origin, could nave gained The well supported reading .

admission to the Church under the (Vg. uxorem tuam) was perhaps
guise of a Christian prophetess

bably her success as a

).
More pro-
( suggested by 3 Regn. xix'. 1, xx. (xxi.)
5, 7, 26 ; the Angel of the Church is
regarded as the weak Ahab who allows
was emulated by some female member himself to be the tool of a new Jezebel.
of the Church who claimed the gift Grotius, who accepted this reading and
of prophecy and exercised it in the
1

believed the Angels of the Churches

interests of the Nicolaitan party (vo. to be their Bishops, was driven to the
14 f.); cf. Tert. depudie. 19, "haereti- strange but logical conclusion that
cam feminam quae quod didicerat a the false prophetess was the wife of

)
Nicolaitis docere'susceperat." In the
O.T. prophetesses are not infrequent

.
occurs in Exod. xv. 20

}
(Miriam), Jud. iv. 4 (Deborah), 4 Regn.
xxii. 14 (Huldah), Isa. viii. 3 (Isaiah's
21.
Arethas

. ,
: , ,/
the Bishop of the Church at Thyatira.
.]
-
wife) ; cf. Lc. ii. 36

rule (i
,
"Awa
/,
Moreover, notwithstanding St Paul's
Cor. xiv. 34 al

',
}, I Tim. ii. 12
female prophets
.
xvi. 32.
23
On

The
this use of

evil
for some time (cf, v. 13, note), not
necessarily, however, at Thyatira, since
the prophets were itinerant, though
ha

had been going on

cf. Jo.
,
44

22 , ")
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
-

-
•
,
, [II. 21

23

'
]
• ]
<& 2

21
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(dabo) ]
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12

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38
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]
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23om i° A me |
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NPQ min "

!
0111

they might settle in a locality where : cf. xvii. 2, XVlli.

the Church was willing to provide for 3. suggests a reference
them see Didache 1 1 f. ' Jezebel/

,
; to the charges of unfaithfulness laid
who was prospering at Thyatira, had against Israel by the O.T. prophets
up to the present moment shewn no (see Hosea ii. 2 (4), Ezek xvi. 17 f.,
disposition to change her course (ov 32). Members of the Church who were

). cf. Mt. xxiii. 37

is the usual
construction in this book (cf. ii. 22,
led into pagan vices by the teaching
of 'Jezebel' were guilty of spiritual
adultery (cf. 2 Cor. xi. 2). 'Eon
ix.• 20 f., xvi. 11) ; elsewhere we find
Jer. viii. 6, Acts vjii. 22. leaves a door of hope open still for
the dupes of the false prophetess ; for

!
22. els
.~\ The time for repentance having the fut. after e'av see Blass, Gr. ,
expired,
preferred to
judgement
, follows ;

since the event

is
is
p. 215.
and
is doubtless right, for
are Jezebel's

;
regarded as imminent (cf. v. 5, note). works, not those of the members of
may be either a bed (Mt. ix. 2,
6, Mc. vii. 30), or the couch of a
triclinium; or even (Hort) the funeral
bier. Ramsay {Exp. 1901, p. 99 ff.
and in Hastings, D. B. iv. 759), and
]
Christ (Gal.
23.
v. 19, Eph.

Her children, i.e. her spiritual

progeny, as distinguished from those
who have been misled for a time ;
v. 3ff.).
iv

J. H. Moulton {Exp. 1903, ii. p. 431) the (Isa.

adopt the second meaning here, lvii. 3), who inherit the parent's
supposing the writer to refer to character and habits ; contrast Gal.
the guild-feasts. In this case there
- iv. 19 f. The children of the Thya-

.
is a sharp contrast between the tiran Jezebel are doomed like those
of Ahab (2 Kings X. 7).

! )
luxurious couch where the sin was
committed and the bed of pain (Ps. e'v is an O.T. phrase ; cf. Ez.

-
./ .,
xl.(xli.) 4 eVl xxxiii. 27 ("13^3)
which the parallelism els is probably 'pestilence,' as in
obviously suggests ; cf. Sap. xi. vi. 8 f., where see note.
16 ' Tis ai .]
does not imply Remoteas Thyatira was from the
violence, but merely the prostration greater cities of Asia, the news would
of sickness, cf. Mt. I.e.
tovs - spread through the province, and
reach " all the churches." The phrase
.,
II.

, *
24] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

, -
'
epya
45

23 &
3

Byr«" Prim |
om me |
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] ova. C |
24

K c •» ACP 'minl' ,

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Quaest 102 Prim om N*
Quaest 102 Ar
24 tois
-ois 2 3 17 18 96 al
(ort
(tows
Q 38 vge'°«><i<inoira me armz c y p r
\. *)]

om arm Qvarupois (-repots AC

92
, yg«i«fc«rttcii . - )
t4*
Prim
•
j^CP]
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14 92 (-
syrr Ar" 1]
Q)
KP 1
|

°
28 36 79 Andr 00 ™" Ar°°mm
me Thyatirae Vg
I

\. is from the O.T. (cf. 'The rest,' i.e. the members of the
e.g. Exod. vii. 5 KC" y• 3rai/res oi Church who had not been deceived
eifii Kupiot), and the by 'Jezebel,' not necessarily a mi-
same is true of nority; see 1 Thess. iv. 13, where oi .

:
(cf. Ps. VU.
6

lb. xi. 20,

: Jer. xvii. 10

XX. 12). By
,, are the heathen world ; Apoc. ix. 20,
where they are two-thirds of the
whole, and xix. 21, where they are
contrasted with oi
i.e. the teaching of the pro-
.
phetess, whether professedly Nico-
(renes, '
reins,' i.e. the kidneys, |)
are denoted the movements of the
will and affections, and by
laitan or not cf. v. 20 with vv. 14 f.
The age was one in which
abounded (Heb.
;

-
xiii. 9).
the thoughts ; see Delitzsch, Biblical
'Doctrine' is an unfortunate render-
Psychology, p. 317. Both are subject
ing, suggestive of a logical system
to the scrutiny of Him Whose eyes
are as a flame of fire (v. 18), the

xxi.
of the Church; cf. Jo.
17, Acts i. 24, XV. 8.
is said to be an Alexandrian form
(Blass, Gr. p. 21 ; cf. Oxyrhynchus
'] rather than a heterogeneous mass
of wild speculations
of life.

A
and loose views

definition of the faithful

borrowed from the taunts of the
Papyri, i. 67. 18, ii. 294. 9f.) ; for its
Jezebelites they were such as (cf. i. 7,
;
use in the N.T. see WH.2 Notes, p. 1 57.
,
note) "knew not the deep things," were
. occurs also in Horn,
lacking in the intuition which pene-
viii. 27, cf. 1 Cor. ii. 10 ; the lxx. use
trated below the surface of things, and
or in this connexion.
.] Not , reached the deeper mysteries of the

,
1

Nicolaitan creed 1 depths, the writer

the Angel,
\>,'.
the Church collectively,
i.e.

'to you, members of the )

adds, not of God (1 Cor. ii. 10

Church, even to each individual.'

Another Divine prerogative- (Ps. lxi.
(lxii.)

, 13 ..
iii. 9).
:
but of Satan (cf. ii. 9, 13,

'"the deep things,'

as they speak" or "as they call them."
SC. ol

....
but one which
Jer.
was claimed by the Lord even in the
days of His Mesh; see Mt. xvi. 27
6

24•
I. a),

.]
The term, perhaps taken over from
St Paul (see 1 Cor. I. c, Rom. xi. 33,
Eph. iii. 18) was used by more than
one Gnostic sect in the second century
cf. Jren. ii. 21. 2 "profunda Bythi

adinvenisse se dicuiit"; 22. 3 "pro-.

4<5

25
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
'
.'
'., *5
[II. 24

,
6
26

24 ACP minP »
TeXovs
1 40
syr
epya
Andr Ar Vict
,(mitto)]
*

NQ (1) 10 14 28 33 37
47 49 82 91 92 96 vg syr»" me Prim NC (« PQ mini•1 Andr

Ar)] eus
"7
A 47 » ] Q 2 8 13
25
14 29 82 93 al miserear aeth
14 15 82
26 om

] ,-
i6 38 69 98

funda Dei adinvenisse ae dicentes"; p. 109, 11. 10); on the 'supposed fut.

Hippol. philps. V. 6 [' conj.' in the NT. see 2 Notes, WE

W. Schm.
; Tert.
p. 179,
26 f. ' p. 107.
6 .]
adv. Valent. 1 "nihil magis curant Primasius rightly qui vicerit et qui : et
quam occultare quod praedicant (si servaverit. He who conquers is he
tamen praedicant qui occultant)...si who keeps, but the. art. is repeated to
bona fide quaeras, concrete vultu, emphasize the two conditions of suc-
suspenso supercilio, Altum est' aiunt."
' cess. At Thyatira the battle was to
They professed to commiserate those be won by resolute adherence to the
who remained in ignorance of their 'works of Christ,' i.e. to the purity of 1

secrets: Tert de res. cam. 19 "vae the Christian life, as opposed to the
qui dum in hac came est cogno- 'works of Jezebel' (v. 22,

\]
11011

).
verit arcana haeretica."
ov ' . 18
(a Joliannine word,
Ep. 7 Apoc. 1 ') is usually fol-
, ,

'
,
scarcely doubtful

.
Apostolic decree in Acts xv. 28
...
8... The rest
reference to the lowed by or
presents the same thought in a
concrete form (cf. Jo. vi. 28
). 'Works' are in these
addresses to the Churches constantly
:

)
of the prohibitions imposed in the
year

,
49—50 (...
are not reimposed. Contrast
used as the test of character; cf. ii. 2,
5 f., 19, 22 f., iii. 1 f., 8, 15.
corresponds with

.-
this wise concession with the exacting
spirit of the Pharisees

\,
Mt. xxiii. 4 :
v. 25 ; cf.

The con-
Mc.

struction reverts to that of vv. 7, 17,

as if the sentence had begun
xiii.

.]
7, note.

>
After
2$.

reader expects

Acts, I.e.); but

by itself, and
... the
followed by the
genitive (Gen. xxxix.' 6, 9, Mc. xii. '32,
is left standing
begins a new
.] similar auacoluthon in iii. 12,21.
promise is 'based on Ps. ii. 8 f.
.
,,.(-),
where the
: COllip.

.
the
The

? ).
ixx. read DJTtn as Dinn
sentence as a conj.('howbeit'). Neither
-
nor can well refer to
burdens already being borne ; rather
they point back to v. 19
. : cf.

."
icai

iii. II
5, ,
while M. T.

xix.

,'
S.

15.
has Dln]|) (Symm.

Prim, pascet,
Vulg. reget, 'will do the part of
Cf. Apoc xii.

to
: a single decisive effort seems
be indicated by
may be either the future hid. or the
the
feeding (, whether in the way of
Jo. xxi. 15 if.) or
of ruling (" pastoraliter reges," as
conj. of the aor. (cf. -W. Schm.• Hilary on Ps. ii. 9 well expresses
II. 2 9 ]

,
<
, THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN
'''
.
. ,
\ '.
?
' "9
3&
47

2j

28
29

i6

juJQfereso
om
130
Tg
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|

me
•")

arm j
NAC
27 km . . ..]
17 36 38 40 51 80 8 1 130 g syr»"]
p rim Ar
.. o>s syre w
PQ
|

.
( j syr ( aetll

it). Here the second point is em- But the deeper

.
phasized by iv (instrumental)

5)
The "rod of iron" (D3B>
"the shepherd's oaken club,
is
cf. Lc. xix. 15 ff.

'-
fulfilment of tnis promise, as of the
rest of the series, awaits the Parousia;
iv

...
developed on the one hand into the
sceptre (Gen. xlix. 10), and on the
other into the formidable weapon"
(Cheyne, Psalms, p. 6 ;' cf. Hastings,
D. B. iv. p. 291); in the latter case it
...
of the old
() .
The new order

(),
must be preceded by the breaking up
tovs

but the pur-

would be capped with iron, and capable pose of the Potter is to reconstruct
of inflicting severe punishment. Such out of the fragments of the old life
is its character in the Psalm, I. c; there will rise under the Hand of

, , ]
the Gentile nations are to be shattered Christ and of the Church new and
like pottery by the Divine Shepherd better types of social and national
of Israel. i.e. organization.
cf. Vg. vas figuli ; for 28. ,

cf. Dan. ii. 41, lxx. 'fit The conqueror

is not only
to share Christ's activities ; he is to
carries on the reference to Ps. ii. possess Christ. The ancient expo-
(cf. V. 7 sitors a choice of interpreta-
offer
,
The Only
). tions the morning star is " the first
;

Begotten Son imparts to resurrection" (Victorinus), or it is

His brethren, in so far as their son-
ship has been confirmed by victory,
His own power over the nations cf.
Mt. xxv. 21, 28, 1 Cor. vi. 2, Apoc. xx. 4,
xxi. 5. On the contrast between this
promise and the outward conditions'
of life at Thyatira see Ramsay, Letters,
;

,
the fallen Lucifer put under the feet
of the saints (Andreas, citing Isa.
XIV. 12

it is Himself (Beatus: "id

Christ
est, Dominum Jesum Christum quem
);
and adding bv
or

p. 332, ii. 40 f. Historically the pro- Jiumquam suscepit vesper, sed lux
mise fulfils itself in the Church's in- sempiterna est, et ipse super in luce
fluence upon the world; no other est"; and Bede: "Christus est Stella
voluntary society can be compared matntina qui nocte saeculi transacta
with her as a factor in the shaping lucem vitae Sanctis promittit et pandet
of national character and life, and the aeternam "). The last explanation is
individual disciple, in proportion as
he is loyal, bears his share in the sub-
jugation of the world to Christ; cf.
Horn. XV. 18 '
surely right, on the evidence of the
Apocalypse itself; see xxii. 16
...
the Churches are
. and
If
their
 THE APOCALYPSE OB ST JOHN

- .
48 [III. i.

1
III. ev CapSecriv
7a'e5e Xeyei
toi)s •,
III tijs] syrr Prim om Byr °] Q 6 8 14 2Q 9 2 '*' 95 "^ ~
, ,
| |

on syrs" arm 4 Prim

angels the Head of the Church Aesch. Pers. 41). The Church of

^ .! /
may fitly be the the Sardis lingered to the fourteenth cen-
brightest of stars, whose advent ushers tury, but did not play a distinguished
in the day; cf. 2 Pet. i. 19 part in Christian history; among its
early Bishops, however, appears the
Thus the pro- name of Melito (ft 165 195 Bus. H. — :

mise points to the Parousia, and yet . iv. 13, 26; v. 24), the earliest inter-
does not exclude the foretastes which preter of the Apocalypse. See the
are given to the faithful in the growing
illumination, of the mind and the oc-
casional flashings upon it of the yet
distant light of "the perfect day"
Introduction, p. lxiv.

preferred to
is because
ktX.J
. Cf. ii. ..
Here

](, , precedes. Not only,

(Proy. iv. 18).

,
III. 1—6. The Address to the are the churches in the hand of
Angel op the Church in Sardis. Christ, but the spirits also belong to
. ev A little over 30 Him ; it is His to guide or withhold

,
miles S.E.S. of Thyatira the messenger
would reach Sardis
Sardis), now Sart, the old
capital of Lydia, lying at the foot of
Mount Tmolus. Under Roman rule
the powers of the

The Ascended Christ 'has' the spirits

of God in virtue of His exaltation,
cf. Acts ii. 33
on
which the life of the Churches depends.

re «ray-

,
1

it recovered some of its ancient im-

portance, becoming head of the local Eph.
convent us (Ramsay, Hist. Geogr. IV. 7 f iv\
p. 120); and though in a.d. 17 it
suffered severely from an earthquake,
through the liberality of Tiberius
.A further view of the relation of
the seven Spirits to the glorified Christ
(Tac. ann. ii. 47) Sardis rose rapidly
from its ruins, so that Strabo (625) is
able to characterize it as
Like Thyatira, it was famous for its
woollen manufactures and dyeing in-
. ... see ii.
,
is given in c. v. 6, where see notes.

2 note.
introduce almost unqualified censure
the Church at Sardis presented to the
.]
Here the words
On

dustry (cf. Smith, D. .

p. 1 140), and
the ancient system of roads of which
it was a meeting-point secured for it
eye of Christ the paradox of death
under the name of life. For the constr.
cf.

,-
Herod, vii. 1 38

., ,
the trade of central Asia (cf. Ramsay, cos eV and
Hist. Geogr. p. 42 if., Encycl. Bill. for the general sense 2 Tim. iii.
5
4286). The chief cult of Sardis was
that of Cybele, two columns of. whose
temple are still visible (Murray,
: cf.
Mt. "VUi. 22
Turlcey in Asia, p. 305). The in- Lc. XV. 24
habitants bore a bad name in antiquity *
for luxury and loose living, as indeed
did the Lydians generally (Herod, i. 59,
6

ol
•

.
2 5 fpXfTai
,., pa
Rom. vi.
Jo.

13-
.
III. 2]

e^€is
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

, ei. "' , 49

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ot syr arm4

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-
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syrr aeth (-
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Q

,
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-ei ex .
Sardis, while
retaining the Christian name, had
relapsed into the state of spiritual
.. . —
(. 4), but more generally,
not =
.

, ] ,,
death from which Christ had raised whatever remained at Sardis out of
her (Eph. ii. I, 5 ; CoL ii. 13). Victo- the wreck of Christian life, whether
rinus "non satis est Christianum
: persons or institutions all must be :

dici et Christum confiteri, ipsum'vero preserved and set on a firmer basis

in opere non habere." a principle of reconstruction worthy

After
2.

amid the general reign

we expect the

of spiritual
death Christ detected vestiges of life,
though they were on the point of be-
coming extinct (
(Eph.

a
. 14). But

-
call
of the notice of Christian teachers
who

is
are called to deal with corrupt
or decaying branches of the Church.
like
a technical word in primitive pasto-
ralia; cf. Acts xviii. 23, Rom. i. 11,
xvi. 25, 1 Th. iii. 2, 13,
and

2 Th.
,
ii. 17, iii.

'). There was therefore still room 3, Jac. v. 8, Pet.

2 Pet. i. 12.-
1 v. 10,

for a final appeal. For .an (Syr. 8

™'
This frequent reference to the need
^^ -.) see ii. 10 note : effort of in Christian communities
planted in the heart of a heathen
must be made' to restore vigilance,
and to maintain it when restored on population will readily explain itself
;

cf." Mc. xiii. 34 note. The to those who are familiar with the

word is frequently on the lips of

Christ in the Synoptic narrative of the
last days of His intercourse with the
Twelve. It has been pointed out that
it is specially suitable in an address
to the Church at Sardis twice during ;
history of Missions.
On the form

Gt. pp. 40, 42.' °A

see WH.'
Notes, p. 177 ; W. Schm. p. 105, Blass,

the' imperfect looks back from the

standpoint of the reader to the time
when the vision was seen, and at the
.
the history of that city the acropolis
had fallen into the hands of an enemy same time with a delicate optimism

through want of vigilance on the part it expresses the conviction of the

of its citizens (viz. in b.c. 549, 218; writer that the worst would soon be
see Hastings, t>. B. iv. 49 ; Ramsay, past; for another explanation see
Letters, p. 376 S.); and a similar Burton § 28. The plural is used
,

disaster now threatened the Church' because the things that remain are
of Sardis from a similar cause. But
more than vigilance was needed;
,
regarded as living realities ; on the aug-
ment see W. Schm. p. 99, and on the
the Church must set herself to work
for the establishment of
love,
cf.
any faith,
or works of piety that were left
Ez. XXXIV.

S. R.
4, 16
Dan.
.
aor. inf. after

V.
Blass, Gr. p. 197.

27 Th. iv
Works were not
.] Cf.
So

3 '
om ,
.
, \ %

8 6
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

arm Prim
7T£us

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om °
[III.

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]>
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.:
yvtas CP10 28 31 32 36 37 48 49 51 80 81 91 96 161 Ar]
1 KAQ 278 14-29

35 38 al vg (nescies) Prim (non scies) »;{ 95 | |

wanting to this Church, but they represents

which makes the faith as a trust; Mt xxv. 10 S.

,.,.
lacked the cf.

\...
human
of God;
they were
actions acceptable in the sight
in some unexplained way
'deficient.'
in Col.
and
ii.
Cf. the use of
10 core
the Johannine
be
confesses
iv

. (ii.
; '.
28),
I Cor.
Even the Son
duo...
.7
the
phrase ?; aor. looks back to the moment when

.
(Jo. xvi. 24, 1 Jo. i. 4, 2 Jo. 12): faith came by hearing (Rom. x. 17,
here may be inter- cf. 1 Th. i. 5 f., iL 13); the perf. calls

preted by above; 'works' are attention to the abiding responsibility

'fulfilled' only when they are animated of the trust then received.
by the Spiritof life.

], ...
xi. 13
,
& .,.
el apa
recalls
e'v
'keep that which thou
hast received, and promptly turn from

xiii. 7

,
^• •

the perf. implies* that at

:

Sardis the search was not yet ended.

'works of thine,' i.e. 'any of
thy works'; a more sweeping censure
Lc.

,
thy past neglect.'

V. 2
iav
again resumptive, looking back to

succeeding imperatives

:,
to which the

etc.) are subordinate.

.~]

(-,
".
-
(,
IS

than

Eph.
.
i. 17,
:
., 'thy works as a whole.'

Heb.
cf.

i.
xv. 34, Jo. xx. 17,
9, and the phrase 6
not speedily only
16), but stealthily, at an unexpected
moment For the figure cf. Mt. xxiv.
ii

. . 43, Lc. xii. 39, 1 Th. v. 2, 2 Pet iii. 10,

(Rom. . 6, etc.Pet
i. 3). The Son of God (ii. 18) does not
forget that He is also Son of Man, and
as such stands in a creaturely relation
to God. Yet this relation is in some
sense unique, as shews (not
cf. Jo. I. C.
; see Hort on 1 Apoc. xvi. 15. is doubtless
preferred to the less ignoble Xijorijr,
because the point of comparison is the
stealthiness of the thief's approach.
In His relation to the faithful the Lord
,); is the opposite of both (Jo. x. 1, 7).
.] On

3•
Bebv

resumes and coordinates, as often

'! .] see Blass, Gr. p. 209
is a grammatical correction.
(NQ)
The
f.; -/
in the Fourth Gospel (Blass, Or. whole sentence is another echo of the
p. 272 f.) and in the Apoc. (i. 19, ii.
5, 16, iii. 19). In order to stimulate
the Church in her work of self-
recovery, her thoughts are sent back
to the first days; cf. the appeal to
,,
Synoptic tradition; cf.

Lc.
xiii. 35

xii. 39

(Prim., Vulg. qua hora), strictly

'^ ^.,.
.
6

the Church at Ephesus, ii. 5 olv . 'during what hour'; but the ace. is
III. 5]
•

THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN Si

, *.
,
4 ev Cap$e<riv

. , €
'
4

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20
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Prim] outos K°"PQ 6 7 8 14 (16) 28 29 31 34 36 38 47 48 50 al

used occasionally even in classical 15 -iv

,
/j yjj
Greek in answer to wore,-.(see Blags, should be suitably
Gr. p. 94). rewarded
XeuKoIs (SC.
: jrc
cf. Mt.
/ier e
XI.
/8 iv
iv

4. c^ets ev
.] Beatus: "notandum s•, and see
in albis). For the general sense of
vv. 5, 18, iv. 4; Latt.

est quod Dominus ait: Multi sunt

•cocati,sed pauci electi; et pusillus the promise see note on the next
est grex cui compromittit dare here- verse. In there may

^
,.
ditatem." Bede: "propritb enim
oves vocat nominatim." For
persons,' see Acts i. 15
ApOC XI. 1 3
Deissmann {Bible
-
?
...
be a reference to the story of Enoch
(Gen.
LXX.
Al-
v.

irepienarei
22 »671$
. .), but more
probably the writer has in view the
^nWi;
6eq, but

Studies, p. 196 f.) shews that peripatetic ministry in Galilee (Jo. vi

was freely used in papyri of the 66), and the call 8evpo .
'each individual.' Ot
correction the sense;

(,.
"
!
second century a.d. in the sense of

elo-).
is
is
a needless
clear from
Cf. vii. 17, xiv. 1, 4.
elaiv :

in the good sense is else-

contrast c. xvi. 6.

5
the context
. even in
days of general defilement they re-
where in this book attributed only to
God and Christ
a relative 'worthiness'
(e.g. iv. 11, v. 9):
is predicated
but

mained pure, l/lokiveiv differs from of the saints in Lc. xx. 35, Eph. iv. 1,
a&,inquinare from maculare

,-
Phil. i. 27, CoL i. 10, 1 Th. ii. 12,
(Trench) in the lxx., while
;
2 Th. i. 5.
usually represents legal defilement
5. .]
(N»D), (bxj, ^3). stands for The promise of 4 is repeated in v.

actual pollution, as with blood (Gen. general terms, corresponding with

xxxvii. 31, Isa. lix. 3, Thren. iv: 14) those of the promises appended to
or with pitch (Sir. xiii. 1). Here the the other messages to the Churches,
reference is doubtless to heathen im- '
The conqueror, whoever he may be,
purities into which the Sardians had shall be clad after the manner afore-
plunged, spiritual deadness having' said, (for this use of cf. xL 5,

issued in indifference to moral eviL Set

, : Jo. iv. 6,

For the metaphor .

23

the
14;
, see Jude

ApOC.
of ,the Christian life
are the profession made in Baptism
vii. 1 4, XXU.
«aoVfero not apposite, nor
is there any need to read ovtos for
), i.e. clad in white garments.'

On the Roman use of the white toga

see Ramsay, Exp., 1904, ii. 164. In
is

(Gal. iii. 27) which at Sardis had been Scripture white apparel denotes (a)
besmirched by too many in the mire festivity (Eccl. ix. 8 ev
of the streets. The few who had XevKa i.e. 'be always
kept them clean and white (cf. Tob'. iii. gay'), (6) victory (2 Mace. xi. 8

4—2
52 THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

ev , ^
, -
[III. 5

Prim
6

5
7
-
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KCPQ
|

(-
"]
<.
mintf)] Philadelphia^ g
|
ev
.
vg syr»" Prim
01 7 T1) s ]
A

}
|
I

- ev see Deut. 14, xxv. 19, xxix. 20.

ix.

Apoc.
these
.), (c) purity (Apoc. vii. 9 ff.);
{d) the heavenly state, Dan.

iv. 4, vi.
meet here:
associations
11, xix.
;vii.

11, 14).
9 Th.
SO
All
the
27 iv
implies that the book is
in the hands of Christ; cf. xiii. 8; xxi.

This .promise is singularly appro-

priate at the end of the present
.
promise that of a life free from
is message. The f iew names' in Sardis
pollution, bright with celestial glad- which are distinguished by resisting
ness, crowned with final victory. The the prevailing torpor .of spiritual
glory of the risen body may enter into death find their reward in finally
the conception ; see Mt. xiii. 43, 1 Cor. retaining their place among the living
xv. 43, 49, 54, 2 Cor. v. 2, Phil. iii. 21, in the City of God.
Enoch lxii. 1.5 f., xc. 32. .}
occurs again with a A further grant to the conqueror.
dat. but without iv in c. iv. 4 ; for the Not only shall his name be found in
construction 7Tfpi/3..Tt see vii. 9, 13, x. 1, it shall be
the register of the living;
xi. 3, xii. 1, xvii. 4, xviii. 16, xix. 8, 13. acknowledged before God and His
Angels. Another reminiscence of the
.] A Divine register of men sayings of the Ministry (Mt x. 32, Lc.

.
is

mentioned
£
first in Ex. xxxii. 32

As a civic register contains

only the names of living citizens, so this
Book of God is a (Ps.
,
f. xii. 8);

(os )
.,.,
The reverse of the

withheld; even in the message to

here answers to
iv
picture,
is
hi -
(Mt., Lc.).

mercifully

lxviii. (lxix.) 29), the 'living' being in Sardis the last note is one of unmixed
this case the righteous (Mai. iii. 1 6, Dan. encouragement and hope.
.. .
]
xii. 1). The conception established '.
cf. V. 2
itself in Jewish thought (1 Sam. xxv. 7 The Message to the
13•
29, Ps. lxviii. 29, cxxxviii. 16, Neh. xii. Angel op the Chukch in Phila-
, 22 f., Isa. xlviii. 19, Jer. xxii. 30, Ez. delphia.
Enoch xlvii. 3 (where see Charles'
xiii. 9, 7. After a ran
note), Pirqe' Aboth 2, Targ. on Ez. of a little less than 30 miles from Sart

,,
1.

20
c), and appears in the N.T.

Phil. iv. 3
Apoc.
27). 'The blotting out of names from
&»
xiii. 8, .
(Lc. x.
ev

1 5,
the Book of Life is frequently referred
to; beside the passages cited above
.ev
the railway from Smyrna reaches Ala
Shehr, 'the white city,' the modern
representative of Philadelphia. The
ancient city, founded by Attalus II.
(Philadelphia) who died in b.c. 138,
commanded the trade of the rich
volcanic region lying to the N. and
 \,
III. 7]

ypdyjsov
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
Xeyei
avoiycov
ayios,
ovBeis
,, / ! S3

7 ayios aXijflii'os CPQ '° ,>, vg me syrr

al mu ]
arm aeth Prim Ar]
6 33 45 00 ^
]
ayios |
(om *)] |
7*
ap Andr et Ar arm pr KPQ min fet0<,m" Andr Ar pr me
. H OrJ
|

6 31 36 49 92 1 » al vg (me) syrr arm Prim

]
avoiywv] |
"1

+ Q min35 + « avoiyav Q 7 14 gi 93 94 95 al om 3 |
™" A vg |
om
gi |
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1

N.E.andknown as the Katakekaumeue

(Burntland), from the cinders and
scoriae with which the ground was
strewn. Philadelphia itself was sub-
ject to frequent shocks of earthquake
.

!
True Saint.' Of.
.,?
,
Holy, the True,' Vg. sanctus et verus;
not, as Arethas,
10 6
'the
.
a Divine
title (Hab. iii. 3, Isa. xl. 25), is applied
- (Strabo, 628
!); like Sardis it was rebuilt by !
to Christ with the qualifying words
. . in Mc. i. 24,

! .,
or
Tiberius after the great earthquake Jo. vi. 69, Acts iv. 27, 30, and here
of a.d. 17 (Tac. ann. ii. 47), and sub- absolutely. is used of Him
sequently it bore on coins for a again in iii. 14
time the name of Neocaesarea, but xix. 1 1

the old name reasserted itself or is verus as distinguished from

{!)
perhaps never went out of common
use. The city wag not^ a large one,
'

tbe_£eaE,_Qf jej£th^g,kes_driying most

verax
t. ii. 6 !!, cf. Orig. in Joann.
;

i.e. the ideal, con-

of the inhabitants into the surrounding trasted with all imperfect representa-
country (Strabo, I. c. ), and the C hurch tions or approximations; see Jo. iv.
was probably proportionately small, 37, vii. 28, viii. 16, and see Lightfoot
at least within the waHs7™As was on 1 Th. i. 9, Westcott on Heb. x. 22,
natural in a vine-growing district, the
worship of Dionysos was the chief
pagan cult; but the difficulties of
this Church arose from tfewish rather
than pagan antagonists, and the mes-
sage~contains no reference to direct
persecution from without or heresy
within the brotherhood It offers a
-

strong contrast to the Sardian utter-

! -!
, !!
and Trench, syn. 8. The Head of the
Church is characterised at once by
absolute sanctity (Heb.
yap

), and by absolute truth

that He
claims to be, fulfilling the
ideals which He holds forth and the
hopes which He inspires.
vii. 26

; He is all

ance which precedes it for the ; Aaveib .]

Cf. Isa.
Church at Philadelphia the Lord has xxii. 22, where it is said of Hezekiah's
no censure and scarcely a word of faithful vizier (2 K. xviii. i8ff.),-Eliakim

warning. It is interesting to note

that in later, times, "long aftgr all the
country round had passed „ finally
the son of Hilkiah ;

,
under Turkisli "power, Philadelphia 6 (codd'
held up the banner ^£hjrJsiendom" Qr, with ..).
Eliakim, with his key
(Ramsay, Letters, p. 400). The modern of office (Andreas, !-
!)
]
city has its resident Bishop, five slung over his shoulder, is the
churches, and about 1000 Christian •
antitype of the exalted Christ, set over
inhabitants.
robe , 'The
the House of God (Eph. i. 22, Heb.
iii. 6), and exercising all authority in
54

]
oi/Seis avoiyei.
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

"

mm 40
me Ar
,,
*
<,
]
'<•

+
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me
[III.

]
7

}
7 (K)Q 8 |

130 I
ACQ minP ] 1
NP 31 35 38 87 |
] r 92
mg all™"

om

.,
49 vg om H 49 vg arm Prim pr 38 14

,
] ]

heaven and on earth(Mt xxviii. 1 8), and

, in view of His claim to be 6

even in Hades (Apoc. i. 18, cf. Rom. xiv.
9, Phil.

.
•
5 V
;

Compare Mi."
.
P L Ca .,

The grant to the Church

of St Peter is
9
7

.
.).

16 ; .

the keys of the Kingdom unlock but

' . ....
the reference to David recalls the
long series of Jjrqphetic hopes now
fulfilled mine exaltation of the Christ.
:

in the person
less comprehensive, for
cf.
6

.)
f .- . dsi a y.ndfUK
Thelk^.QtJ)aYidiJiaa,already
mdockeda.door,whJchnoxste.ndsopen
before, the Church.

\
Cf. Isa. xiv. 1 f.
.
The metaphor of the 'open
door' was familiar to the Apostolic
age cf. Acts xiv. g^Xthe door of faith),
, -

,,•,
:

one of the great areas of the House 1 Cor, xvi. q, 2 Cor, ii. i gj. Coljyj^the
of God ; moreover it is significant door of speech and preaching) ; see

eav ^.
that the Lord does not say to him

but
. eav
Lightfoot on CoL /. c. The latter is
here probably in view (Arethas: 7
);
!, changing the metaphor; the
supreme power of shutting and open-
the faithfulnes s nf thn Pfe'foHelpViiay
Church found us„a eward in_ fresh -

ing is kept in His own hands (cf. Mt. opportunities, of service, on the prin-
xxv. 10 f., and comp. the Te Deum
"tu devicto mortis aculeo
credentibus regna caelorum"). The
aperuisti
: ciple of~~Ehe_Tinrf1 V famfHav «gyi"g

of Philadelphia on the borders of

. The position

ancient interpreters blend the present Mysia, Lydia and Phrygia, and "on
passage with c. v. 5 fl\, and thus the threshold of the eastern country"
unduly limit the meaning of this (Ramsay, in Hastings iii. p. 831
power: cf. Hippolytus (Lag. 159): Letters, p. 404 ff.), gave this Church
peculiar opportunities for spreading
rots' the Gospel. If she had already

\ ], \ [? ;/ 6
availed herself of 'these, the 'open
door' would readily explain itself;

• ouSeis ... her opportunities were to be regarded

(
'

=
cos

....,.. » see i.
6

18 note; the
On
v.l.
as Christ's gift
assured of its continuance
(')
and she was

).
for
] is from the same passage. resumes the

.
8.

follows as in

al (Andreas
is
ii.

needing no specification, since there

are no deductions to be made. This
tacit witness is the more remarkable
, ),
here one of unqualified approv-
No
2, 19, iii. 1.
description
The Lord's
thread broken by the parenthetic
clause
know thy works.
cf. '...
...
-t in
.

ii.
.that

Church had little influence in Phila-

delphia her members were probably
;
2,
thou hast"
iii. 1, 15.
"I
etc.
The

drawn from the servile and com-

 ,
III. 9] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 55

^ ' / ,' - —
eivai,
'
. 9

--

--
9 AC] PQ minomnvld ddbo vg Prim |
Q mini" Andr Ar 1

]
Q 7 14 38 91 95 130 al Andr Ar |
ACPQ 1 6 7 38 91 95
alpl syr arm aeth Andr Ar] 1536 syrs" ,id 14 arm Prim + Traces me

mercial classes

cumstances
tive force of
. (for
;

see
cf. 1 Cor.
And under these
i.

the slightly adversa-

¥M. p.
26 ov
cir-

545, Blass,
gogue (on . .
-ehrrroh^hS^Tsrael of .God."
"'
see

cringing attitude of a beaten foe,

ii. 9,

describes the
"-
note) to the

Gr. the word of Christ had

p. 261), familiar to us through the Assyrian
been kept (cf. ii. 26, iii. 3), and there sculptures ; in what sense the picture
had been no backwardness
ing His
ii. 13). ',
name see
(for
point
to some period of trial, now for the
, in confess- was realized in the conversion of Jews
and pagans may be gathered from
1 Cor. xiv. 24, where an

ing a Christian assembly

enter-

moment gone by ; its character may

be conjectured from the next verse.
"
...
-
,.
,, .}
9.
Andreas

The opposition implied in

:

came at Philadelphia,
re \ . It is noteworthy that twenty years
later the Philadelphian
more
Christians
JPhilad.6
in
Church was
danger from Judaizing

'
than from Jews (Ign.
tis

..
as at Smyrna, from the Jews ; cf. ii. 9
.

,, , -
of
Philadelphian Jews with
(v. 7) they are:
,, a descrip-
tion repeated here with the addition
which contrasts the

and their
claim is a sin against truth.• The
tion

after
?
'). Was this the result
of a large influx of converts from
Judaism in the previous genera-

For other instances of the fut. ind.

in the Apoc. see vi. 4, 11,
construction is broken by the ex- viii. 3, ix. 4 £, xiii. 12, xiv. 13, xxii.

.,
.,
planatory clauses r<Sv
but starts afresh with
For
sense see Blass, Gr. p. 226, and for
WH. Notes; p. 174.
and in this
14; and cf. Blass, Gr. p. 211 f.

change to, the aor. conj.

perhaps indi-
cates that the purpose of the whole
now comes
] The

is
"
the form
ij£ouo"iv
a phrase borrowed from Isaiah
\ . action
the phrase ...
into view. Both
and the words
are from Isaiah for ;

(xlv. 14, xlix. 23^ Ix. 14, cf. Zech. viii. the former see Isa. xxxvii. 20, xlv. 3,
20 ff.) the prophet's antifitoatiojifuof
;

th£jubmugsjaa^Jhe,jGfintile>. nations»
^to Tsrael will .find a fulfilment in the
etpassim ;

The aor. (contrast

carries the
for the latter Isa. xliii. 4.
i.

love of Christ for the

5 r<p -)
submission of members of the svna- Church back into an indefinite past;
56 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [III. 9

. '
•; ,
cya) Xo<yov

II

9
"]
, •
om
upas me rovs |
Q min36 Prim Ar
pr wavras
\]
me
]
\]
A pr
11
33 |
om
pr
|
.
om
iS 36 97 al

•
ygtudemwnipi» arm ae tb. tis 7 45
|

cf. Jo. xiii.

see Westcott's note.

.
\
, 34, Jo.

Not 'my word of patience,

iv. 10, where

- 1
perial persecution
begun. Of. Andreas
'
which had already
:

my commandment
i.e.

'the word of my
but
to exercise
.,. -
.
patience,
patience,' the teaching which found

.
i.e.

,,
.
its central point in the patience of
Christ; cf. 2 Th. iii. 5
Heb. xii. I

.
f.

'. -
Si
..os
To the Phila-
delphian Church the promise was an
assurance of safekeeping in any trial
that might supervene an appropriate —

.
. .

Ign. Rom. promise, see Ramsay, Letters, p. 408 fif.

It at least an interesting coin-

is

(Apoc.
of the
xiii.
The

of the Kingdom of God (as Trench

10,

:
xiv. 12)

by the benigna
is

.
the echo

talio
cidence that in the struggle with the
Turk Philadelphia held out longer
than any of her neighbours, and that
she
tian
still possesses a flourishing Chris-
community see note on ; v. 1.

observes) one is followed by The phrase oi

another; Christ on His part (the (in LXX.^'lXn *3?") occurs again •

of reciprocal action, as in Mt. x. 32

Himself to keep those who have kept

) pledges
in vi. 10, viii. 13,
and always, as it seems, means
xvii. 8,
either the pagan world or the world
xi. io, xiii. 8, 14,

His word.

....
Cf. Jo. xvii. 6, 11

The promise, as Bede

says, is "non quidem ut non tenteris,
,- in contrast with the heavenly state.
Cf. Enoch xxxvii.
II.
will
] 5, with Charles' note.

be followed by the Pa-

The great -

,, )
sed ut non vincaris [ab] adversis." rousia, and the Parousia is near (cf.

Spas xxii. 12, 20). The short-

.
ii. 16, 7,
:
'
from that season (cf. Sir. ness of the interval is urged as a
xviit 20 . Dan. xi. 40 . motive for persevering the Advent :

Apoc. xiv. 7
of trial which is coming upon the whole
habitable earth ' ; i.e. the troublous
ij . is the limit of the Church's

of safekeeping (v. 10) brings with it

] The promise

times which precede the Parousia. the responsibility of continual effort

In the foreshortened view of the (). Each Qhurch has its own
future which was taken by the Apos- inheritance ( ),
which it is called
tolic age this final sifting of mankind
was near at hand, 'not being as yet
clearly differentiated from the im-
crown
iv. 8
(
to guard on pain of losing its proper
cf. 2 Tim.
/ioi
:
 ",
III. 12] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST' JOHN 57

. ,
^ °] * *
,
(- om &*) om °
-
'•
1 2

12 •*) |
ev (hab |
29 3<5 syi 8 "

!
om en H Tis arm |
om C 28 |
om Beov Q |
om
Byr seh | 3°] me
—on
which maybe taken from
see ii. note),
and given
Jud. XVI. 29
'' ).
roils Kiovas
..

. \...
it oils Ill the
to another; cf. Mt. xxv. 28 Spare
€ the word is used as a pure metaphor,

-
accipidt, not or
the picture is not that of a thief
snatching away what is feebly held,
;
;, Prim.
see I Tim. iii, 15

"
elvai ;
,cf.
Gal.

Clem. R. Cor.
. '
ii. 9

5
The
01

but rather of a competitor receiving personal use is common in Rabbinical

a prize which has been forfeited. The writers, by whom a great Rabbi is
vacant room left by the lapse of a described as dVw "MSB (Schoettgen on
Church may be filled by the rise of
another;
12. 6
The discourse
,
cf. Rom. xi. 17

turns, as at the
f.

/]end of
Gal.
in this
I.There is a double fitness
c).
metaphor while a pillar gives
stability to the building which rests
upon it, it is itself firmly and per-
;

each address, to the individual mem-

bers of the Church.
cf. ii. 26, iii. 21 ; the anacoluthon may
.. ., manently fixed and this side of
the conception often comes into view
;

(cf. Isa: xxii. 23, lvi. Sap. iii. 14

in this case be " very awkward " from 5,
...
the grammarian's point of view (Blass,
Gr. p. 283), but it adds to the move-
ment of the sentence ; it is only
),
iv
and. is
cf.
paramount
vii. 1 5,
here.
xxi. 22, notes,
iv
With

necessary to write and

" for see
?
iii. 2, note.

lyptist. In /
in order to see what we have
gained by the boldness of the Apoca-

ence has been found to the brazen

pillars 'Jachin' and 'Boaz' which
a refer-
iv
27, xxii. 15.
moved out
As the
of its place while the
house stands, so a lapse from goodness
will be impossible for the character
:

pillar
contrast xxi.
cannot bo

/.
stood before the sanctuary in Solomon's which has been fixed by the final
temple (1 K.vii. 15, 21, 2Chr. iii. 15 ff.); victory. may be removed
or to the porticoes of the Temple of (ii. 6), but not a
Herod, or even to the magnificent
colonnades which surrounded the
Artemision at Ephes'us.
however, are excluded by iv
All these,

for they were external to the sanctuary.

',
Each pillar in the
)
iV

is to be inscribed
by the hand of Christ with, three
names, the Name of God, the name
>
sanctuary (Arethas
.^

It is better therefore to start with of the new Jerusalem, and the new
the metaphorical use of the word in name of Christ. (1) The Name of
Scripture and in Jewish and early God was put on every Israelite
'
in

) '
'

Christian literature. In Prov. ix. 1 the priestly blessing (Num. vi. 27

,
we read : kavrrj
(cf. ; on members of the Israel of
cVl
58

,, THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

. - .
[III. 12

13

14 **
! dyyeXa) ?,
Xe<yei rats
3 e oi/s

.,
12 K*AC(P) 12 15 25 28 37 4° 45 5 1 '3°] V Q mini*
Andr Ar N a -
| ] 6 7 16 29 31 35 al Ar om 7 |
om s° Q
.
6 7 14 38 95 130 al pl vg fu arm
XAC (PQ -«) 7 94 al Andr Ar]
syrs" arm aeth (Prim)
13 ous] aures vg^em al
eccl.
14 tijs

Laodiciae vg me

God it is to be inscribed by the Spirit . But the 'new name' of Christ

of the great High Priest (cf. 2 Cor. iii. 3

... ...
),
and characters are to be dominated

the service of
in Christ.
Jerusalem
aylav '
by the sense of their, consecration to

(2)
(cf.
God
The name
xxi.
the
as

2
He
i.e.

is

),
their lives

revealed
of the new-
is

17
more probably a symbol for the

Coming (Andreas
).
fuller glories of His Person and Cha-
racter which await revelation at His
:

and the victorious

victorious Christian
Christ will receive a new name, ie.
sustain a new character and appear
;

Both the
cf. iL

successor of the old Jerusalem which in a' new light ; cf. CoL iii. 4,
was already of the past, not however 1 Jo. iii. 2. There are interesting
a via
a , .
like Hadrian's Aelia, but
instinct with the powers of
an endless life (cf. ii. 17, note), and
parallels in the
cf.

pellari
Bdba Bathra,
nomine Dei, iustos, Messiam,
Rabbinical writers;
f. 75. 2 "tres ap-

like Christ Himself of heavenly origin et Hierosolyma"; Bereshith Rabba

., and in Gen. xviii. 17 "Abrahamus etiam
(17

see Jo. the idea is found al-

vi.
ready in Gal. iv. 26
33 ;
cf.

',-
Xxi. 2,
novit nomen novum quo appellanda

,.
erat Hierosolyma." Ignatius (Philad.
Heb. xii. 22 . draws a picture which presents a
). To bear the name of the
City of God is to be openly acknow-
5)
striking contrast to this : lav ...

ledged as one of her citizens, a privi- '

'
lege already potentially belonging to
the members of the Church (Gal. I. c.
, so the name
written is

,
:

Phil. iii. 2 in the Apoc. (iii. the

12, xxi. 2, 10);
yap Gospel of St John has uniformly
Heb. I. a), but not as yet (see Introduction, c. xi).

new name
sizes the :
confirmed or proclaimed.

—
(3) Christ's
empha-
can scarcely be one
in
Ramsay
v.
{Letters, p.
12 a reference to the
caesarea assumed by Philadelphia in
409 ff.)

name Neo-
finds-

]
of the names or titles familiar to the honour of Tiberius.
Church from the first (Jesus, Christ, 14 22. —The Message to the
Son of God, the Lord, etc.); if any Angel of the Church in Laodicea.
such designation were meant here, it

; cf. .
would rather be the Johannine title
Aoyos
ouSels•
12
.. .- "
dis
The
14.
S.E. of Philadelphia the road
reached
Laodicea-on-the-Lycus.
valley of the
Lycus has been
described by Lightfoot (Colossians, p.
Porty miles
from Sar-
,]
III.

ypa
iS]

-
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
TaZe Xeyei , ?
. 13
59

15

140
Prim Ar]
28 79
.**
pr
KC
arm
(om
2
]
. •") |

14 6 28 45
* (.
APQ
79 8
mini vg
e yr

")
11

V
me
] syrE"

94
Pr "at
om arm
arm aeth
syr&™

and^nore recently and in some

ff.), without inhabitant, but a Bishop of
respects more fully by Ramsay (Cities Laodicea is mentioned as late as A.D.
and Bishoprics of Phrygia, p. 1 IF. 1450 (Ramsay, Cities and Bishoprics,
there is a useful map in his Ohurch

(8
in the Roman Empire, pp. 472—3).
P• 79)-
]
&
The personal
Laodicea in literature and Amen, whose character and nature
inscriptions,but in mss. of the N.T. are in themselves a guai-antee for the
well supported at each
is
occurrence of the name ; Lat. Lao-
dicea, and in the K.T. also Laodicia,
Laudicia) was founded about the
middle of the 3rd cent. B.c. by Antio-
truth of His testimony. The com-
mentators refer to
]DN, lxx.
apparently,
,
Isa. lxv< 16

.
T^xa
Symm.
But it is

,
chus II., and named in honour of his simpler to explain as referring

,
!,
wife, Laodice. Under Roman rule to our Lord's repeated use of the
the city flourished, and became a • formula coupled
centre of commercial activity. Cicero with His assurance .,.
repaired to it for monetary transac- — or
tions (ad Jam. iii. 5, ad Att. . 15); as the Greek fathers express it. Cf.

and the neighbourhood was noted for ii. 16, note. looks
the manufacture of woollen carpets back to c. i. 5 ; for see
and clothing (Ramsay, Cities, p. 40 ff.). iii. 7 ; . 6 the witness is

So opulent were the Laodiceans under who fulfils his ideal, whose testimony
the earlier Emperors that after the never falls short of the truth.
great earthquake which overthrew the _
'.
cf.

town in a.d. 60-1, it rose from its ruins Col. i. 15, 18

without being compelled to accept an ... —a passage doubtless
Imperial subsidy (Tac. ann. xiv. 29 familiar to the Church of Laodicea

,]
"tremore terrae prolapsa nullo a nobis (cf. Col. iv. 15). This title of Christ
remedio propriis viribus revaluit"). rests on Prov. viii. 22, lxx.
The Church in Laodicea was perhaps
founded by Epaphras of Colossae (Col.
i. 7, iv. 12 f.). St Paul had not visited
the Lycus valley down to the time of
his first Roman imprisonment (Col. ii.
conception
inferred, ,
),
(Andreas :
[sc.

; He,
but the
but readjusts the
is not, as the Ariaiis

1), but brethren

unless the circular

at Laodicea were
known to him by name (CoL iv. 15),'
and he had addressed a letter to the
Church there (ib. 16
now entitled
intended for the apocry-
is ;

phal letter Ad Laodicenses see Light-

, —
the uncreated prin-
ciple of creation, from whom it took its
origin the principium principians,
not the principium principiatum.
The whole tendency of the Johan'nine
writings and of the Apocalypse in
particular (cf. Introd. c. xiv.) forbids
foot, Colossians, p. 393 ff.). The ruins "the interpretation 'the first of crea-
is applied to our
which strew the site of Laodicea are
known as Eski Hissar; it is now
tures.'
Lord again in c. xxi. 6 '
 6

16
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
epya,
. 6
el . [III. is

15 om on om om * (hab
!
*• ei •»)
28 152 syr«" |
syr" | |

PQ om ... « (* ic ) Q 32 6 °"] °" """ ! om

.
<
feo-ros '
| 47 V']
* (.
01/7-!

.
xxii.
130 syrs"

,
13,
.
om

which adds 6
on arm

cf.

In its present connexion

6
|

(=
•") 13°

), For
utinam, used as
a particle and followed by a verb
: of -

fji
W. Schm.

tj ] p. 50

3 ' perhaps carries the further

thought of preeminence,

,,
the head of the
cf. Gen. xlix.
in the ind, see
., 1, GaL
Exod xvi. 3,
v. 12,
Job
1 Cor.

xiv. 13 (
iv.

and in the
8,

= 1P?
2 Cor.
lxx.,
'P),

family as well as the first in point of

time. The Creation is subjected (Heb.
ii. 8) to the Eternal Word with Whom
Num. 3 (= -IP), 4 Regn. v. 3,
xiv. 2, xx.

Ps. cxviii. (cxix.) 5 (=

Blass, Gr. p. 206 f., and W. Schm.
; and cf. )
Andreas (citing Greg.

,
reserves the su-

,
it began. p. 102, note.

\.
Eph. ,
preme proprietorship for the Father
cf. I Cor. viii. 6 6

6.
Elsewhere
£.
6
stands
Naz.) :

the Great, reg. past. iii. 34 " qui vero

: Cf. Gregory

. by itself, e.g.

1 5.
Rom.
,
viii.

The
Amen, the Head of the whole Creation,
19 f.

.]
post conversionem tepuit, et spem
quae esse potuit de peccatore sub-
traxit. aut calidus ergo quisquis esse
bears witness to the condition of the
last of the Seven Churches. The
solemnity of the title prepares for a
aut frigidus quaeritur, ne tepidus
evoniatur." is neither boil-

..
ing nor cold, 'tepid' ; like the ,
,
.
,

searching and severe criticism. From word is a in Biblical Greek.

the faults of the Churches at Ephesus, The is the Christian who
Pergamum, Thyatira, and Sardis the is without enthusiasm (Arethas : bs
Laodicean angel seems to have been
free. No Nicolaitans,
infested Laodicea. But his error, if
no Jezebel,
6.
).
.]
less patent, was even more vital.

(,
Judged by his works he was neither
draught
nausea,
of
and a tepid
tepid

(
water provokes
Christianity is

\
frigid icy cold cf. Sir. xliii.
.)
:
nauseous to Christ
20 He prefers
' ; Mt. indifference which the Divine Love
; the frigid

. 42
heat (, . .
'boiled'i.e. boiling hot, Syr.
nor at boiling
in Biblical Greek,
^-).
has not begun to thaw. There is
probably an allusion to the hot springs
of Hierapolis, which in their way over
Le. the Church was neither wholly '
the plateau become lukewarm, and in
indifferent, nor on the other hand
'fervent in spirit' (cf. Acts xviii. 25,
Rom. xii. but
held an intermediate position between
the two extremes. Cf. Sohar, Gen.
f. 83 "tres dantur classes hominum*

sunt enim vel iusti perfecti, vel impii

), cf.

,
this condition discharge themselves
over the cliff right opposite to Laodicea;
Strabo, 903

It is but six miles across the valley

from one city to the other, and the
cliff over which the »
-
.
imperfecti, vel intermedii." tumbles is visible for a great distance,
III.

ei, ,
',. ' ,<
1 8] THE APOCALYPSE OF

7
oo'ey
ST JOHN

ere
6l

'
18

6
]
]
Aiidr Ar]
+ *!
me
.
°]

16172831a! g vg00** syrs")

•»)

17 om
min f<,ro3!!
f.

|
AP
KCQ miutoe4 ° me syre» arm

-]
syrrvla

.
|
faros
17 18 (19) vg/syrs w om 10 vg harl* aeth
(
Amb Ambrst Prim
K oa) ek .
.
2°.KPQ min'»™ 35 vg sd syr arm aeth (nab AC
AC 12] ouSevos KPQ minP Ar
. . * |
|

.
1

ei om *
4° 91 I
eXeivos
|

{.
XPQ minP Andr Ar)] pr AQ minfsre3 ° Ar
|
/ios]
1
|

130

owing to the white incrustation of riche, but in complete ignorance of

lhne which has been deposited upon the true condition of affairs.
it in the course of ages. The allusion ovk ort .]
is the more apposite, since the letter Contrast Christ's- (. ). is 2
for Laodicea was practically addressed emphatic, 'thou that boastest,' and the
to the other Churches of the Lycus article that precedes the predicates
valley, to the Church of Hierapolis
as well as to Laodicea and Colossae.
On the hot springs of Hierapolis see
Ramsay,
17. ort
Cities, ii. p. 85
UXouVior
f.

.^
(cf.

the

Rom.
Blass, Gr. p. 157) strengthens
the picture: 'it is thou that art
(conspicuously,
wretched' etc
vii.
For
24,
pre-eminently)

and for
cf. ! 'pitiable'
The Laodicene Church was not only
tepid it was contented to be so, and
;

thought highly of its own condition.

External circumstances were favour-
able to this state of feeling ; the city
see Dan.

-
XV. 19

is
the form
: ,
ix. 23, x. 11,

given by AC,
perhaps to be preferred here ; see
however Blass, Gr. p. 23. The next
19 (lxx.), Cor.

was one of the most prosperous of the three adjectives state the grounds for
Asiatic towns (Ramsay, Cities, i. p. 38 f.). commiseration; a blind beggar (cf.
The Christian community carried the Mc. x. 46), barely clad (Matt. xxv.
pride of wealth into its spiritual life, 36 ff., Jac. ii. 2, 5 ; for this sense of

,
" I am rich," it boasted, " ancL have cf. Jo. xxi. 7), was not more de-

(),''
'
, ^ ,
gotten riches i.e. my serving of pity than this rich and self-
wealth is due to my own exertions. , satisfied Church. On see ii. 9,
Cf. Hos. xii. 8 (9), Mc. xii. 43, note the ; is the

', Zech. .
I Cor. IV.
Kvpios,
8
direct opposite of the
xvi. 19 f, 2 Cor. vi. 10.
that each of the epithets alludes to
cf.

It is possible
Lc.

In , ;

is the ace.
; some local subject of self-complacency.
On other local allusions see the next
of reference (cf. Blass, Gr. p. '94, and
)
-
note.
cf. Petr. Ev. 5 or 18. ."]
of content (Blass, p. 9 1 , where however () is to give counsel
the note should be cancelled) ; (Exod xviiL 19, Num. xxiv. 14, 2 Regn.
is an obvious correction, cf. 1 Th. iv. 12.
The Church brags like a nouveau ,
XVU. II, 15, Jo. xviii. 14);
to take counsel together (Sir. ix.
 -
>
02 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [III. 1 8

,
•'
'
,
?\ . NACP •
8
]--
38 al fere3l) me Ar
79* 80 87 92 Ar
\(\) KC(Q)
om
28 36 49 79 &lmu * ld S
31 34 35 87 97
36
Prim
|
8 sy rr]
|
ck /pas Q
IJ 3° 3^ 3*>49 S 1
|
Q6

\(\)
7 8 14 2g
13 14 28
8
9-1 (130)]
() 28 29 79 ( ?) e
™
8
91 9 2 8 9*> *3° a l Andr

14, Isa. xl. 14,

I

Mt. xxvi. 4, Acts is.

-
2 6 7 8 14 3 1 35 82 8 7 9 2 "" al ,ereM Ar al
-(3 8 )

(evxp.) AC J 16 18 28 36 45 syre"]

Q (-<rei) mini"1* 35 Ar om tovs

23). which attends the process
|
49 79
syrs" .
(cf. 1 Pet
There
lv.

aaTc.avev
is perhaps a reference to

''
exert apyipiov...ayopa-

cf.

,
Ttprjs:
2 Esdr. XX. 3
and
Isa.

for ). ...
i.

or
7

., but hints at the metal

is
nitrreas
nvpos...
nearly

in this metaphorical sense,

for
an .
coming out of the fire intact.
idea, cf. Exod.
; ..
Mt. xxv. 9

tinct.
f.

,
The
conditions are here even more dis-

the wealth of the Laodicene rpane-

allusions to local

presents a contrast to
xx. 26,
is
xxiii. 29,
»,
Nah. iii. 5, Ezek xvi 36 ; there
perhaps special reference to Ezek.

cf.
lxx.
Boissonade, anecd.
(or -
i. 237,
; i» the black fabric
for which the neighbourhood was
famous (Ramsay, Cities and Bishop-
rics, p. 40 "a fine kind of wool, soft in
texture and glossy black in colour,
grew on the Laodicene sheep... a kind
collyrium Hor. Sat.
lYW»i? of Jewish
minutive of
roll
,
is (1) a small
of bread (3 Regn. xii. 24 ff.),
(2) from its roll-like shape, a kind of
i. 5.

literature),
30, the
a di-

eye-salve made according to Celsus

of small cheap cloak... was manufac-
(vi. 7) from the poppy, the acacia, and
tured at Laodicea and called Laodicia,
other flowering plants ; here possibly
or ") ; while
used with reference to the local
probably refers to the school of powder already mentioned. Por ey--

()
medicine attached to the neighbour-
xpieiv of applications to the eyes see
ing temple of Asklepios, and the eye-
powder
physicians (Ramsay, p.
used by
52). It
its
is
tive to compare the construction of
the verb in Tobit with that employed
{
Tobit ii. 10 (N), vi. 9, xi.7 ; it is instruc-

€
possible to make much of these
too
coincidences, which may be in part
here ; cf. Jo. ix. 6 )).
With regard to the interpretation,
accidental,
interesting

i< ,
As
but
and
to details.
cf. Ps.
, ) !
suggestive.

With
,
xvii.
,
at least they

(xviii.) 31
Prov.
are
the gold which is to be acquired is
doubtless faith with its accompanying
works
Jac. iL 5
1. I.
(Lc.

Tim. vi. 18
C, I
xii. 21

iv epyois
eis
iv
6eov
I Pet.

, ),
xxiv. 28 (xxx. 5) ; the thought is of ; the white raiment is a life in

purity attained by removing dross (cf. Christ unspotted by the world (Gal.
Ps. lxv. (lxvi.) oSr iii. 27, Jac. i. 27), which alone can
Zach. XUL Q, Isa. escape disgrace under the fierce light
i. 25 [o-e] els per- of the Parousia (2 Cor. v. 10); the
haps with reference to the fiery trial eye-salve which stings while it heals is
 III. 20]

\€.
19 o<rous] ovs
19

vg syrS" Prim
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

.^ |
eov] |
)
ACQ mini'i'•»
• Ar]
63

ig
2

NP
1

1 al™tmu Andr JijXou 6 n 31 jyrnjrov 91 |

om ow 7 12 16 28

the Aey/iuf of the Holy Spirit (Jo. gone by this Church. The needed

].
xvi. 8 ff.), which destroys self-deception discipline cameat length under Marcus
and restores spiritual vision. To buy Aurelius, when Sagaris, the Bishop of
these from Christ is to seek His gifts Laodicea, was martyred (Eus. E. .
.,
at the cost of personal ease or self- iv. 26, v. 24).
esteem .
:

'
cf. Phil. iii.

'
7

.]
iii.
3 . .. Cf. 5,

ig.
plain speaking of this letter was not to
be attributed to aversion on the part
The

a
In the present case not
enthusiasm was at
late and rare form , fault.
for
memory but
Z^eiW is
as
of Christ, notwithstanding His

censem

less- human
; rather it was evidence

friendship and love.

" Philadelphiensem
")
of
(Bengel
Laodi-
perhaps deliberately
is
preferred to the less emotional and
(i. 5, iii 9; cf. Jo.
, in -
(xx.
Notes, p. 178), but with the sense 'be

So.urces, p.__ 43, Introd. to the

Gk, p. 503.
(v. 1 5
9) for

zealous' ; for other exx. of late verbs

see WM., p. 114, Kennedy,
T. in
looks back to
f. ; Bengel: "et
.
(WH.

et
xL 3, 36, xvi. 27, xx. 2, xxi. 15 ff.), est "),
dwelling upon its
ex

in Prov.
)
notwithstanding the use of the latter
iii.

groundwork of the thought.

12 (lxx. ov
which supplies the
!}
'-
-
ethical meaning; 'prove thyself to
possess (pres. imper.) a whole-hearted
devotion for the Master." So doing,

(),
the Laodicean Church would arrive at
a better mind and be no
-

,
two stages in one
:

aims at effecting by longer 'tepid' but .'fervent in spirit'

process
-,
'
;

.]
words -or thoughts what
complishes, where
brought about
is
through external means. The two
ac-
fails, by act

.
Arethas
20.
:

The

(,
voice is that of a friend
there is perhaps a reference
-
'.
. (v. 19) ;

verbs are perhaps a double rendering

)
to Cant. 2
of
is
31»
read by but
in Prov.
by NA ; or
I. c, where
,
V.

In
,
this light the
(and the reading homiletic use of the passage, which
may have been suggested by the pre- sees in it a picture of our Lord
(,
).
ceding verse in Prov.
For
instructive to compare Eph. v. 13,
it is
knocking at the hearts of men, and
which Holman Hunt's great painting
has made familiar, finds its justifica-
But

,-
2 Tim. iv. 2, and St John's use of the tion. as they stand in this con-
verb in Jo. iii. 20, viii. 46, xvi. 8 ; on
a good note will be found
in Westcott on Heb. xii. 7; cf.
text,
(cf.

Jac.. V.9
Mt. xxiv. 33 '
the words are eschatological

H. A. A. Kennedy, Sources, p. 101. ); the opening of the door is the

Perhaps the deplorable condition of joyful response of the Church to the
the Laodicene Church was due to
lack of chastisement there is no
word of any trials hitherto under-
;
last call, cf. Lc. xii. 36

... '
64

, -, THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [III. 20

2 . ",,
<ro/teu]
om
pr KQ min">ro3s syre»
Or Hil
Prim (om AP
[ ] 1
- 6
6 13 17 18 19 28 36 37 38 79 80 81
syr*" |

161 vg syr me arm

.
aeth Or Hil Ar)

,
The picture is
exactly reversed in Lc. xiii. 25, where
the Master shuts the door and the
servants knock in vain ; cf. Mt. xxv.
10 f.
Tis ! .]
\
' \, , ,
, : cf. Lc. xxii. 29
/
f.

rrj

If any Church (or individual) gives

heed to the call of Christ (cf. Jo. x. 3
, where, as here, the enthronement

) l6 f., follows immediately after the mention

,
XVlii. 37 '"' of the heavenly feast. The
and opens the however (cf. ii. 13, note) are not places
door, Christ will enter that dwelling on the triclinium, but thrones of
(Jo. xiv.
' 23 dignity and judicial power, cf. 1 Cor.

17
& Bpll.
- ill. vi. 2 f.

;. . . -
• and exchange with such an one the fel-
lowship of intimate communion (cf. Jo.
vi.

the
56 6

Eucharist
iv
in that endless feast of
«
is the
)),

Love of which
earnest
)
(Mt.
. The Apocalyptic promise adds
;

that the conqueror shall not merely be

association only, but

,'
enthroned like Christ, but be His
might imply

implies a share in the same throne,

i.e. in the glory and powers of Christ's

Xxvi. 29

man's house;
,'
cf. Mc.
xv. 43,
).
, to enter a
Acts xi. 3.
rjj
own triumphant humanity.
ois

. Here
, ,
.] Cf. Jo. XVI. 33
I Jo. V. 4

looks back
is preferred to upon the historical fact of the Lord's
partly because the came at victory as past and complete ;
the end of the day and. was the in Jo.regards the victory as
I. c.

principal meal and the usual occasion

for hospitality, but perhaps chiefly
with reference to the
Origen's yctp ' (in Joann.
.
t. xxxii.
abiding in its effects. The rewards of
victory are not the same in the case of
Christ as in the case of the disciple
the disciple becomes with
Christ in Christ's throne, whereas the
2) is
21.
.]
,
ingenious but far-fetched.

An extension of the protiise

' Lord is
ii. 27 f. ..
with the Father; cf.

. .

like
made to the Twelve in Mt. xix. 28 isthe historical aorist ; the session fol-
lowed at the moment of the Ascension,
III. 22]

'. Xiyei

whilst the victory was achieved by the

.
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN
•
3

22 ous] a«res vgi ual

?
arm Prim
'

their general structure, they present

65

22

Resurrection see Mc. xvi. 19, Eph.

; a rich variety of detail. As each
i. 20, Heb. i. 3, viii. i, xii. 2. The Church passes under review, it re-
ultimate source of the conception is ceives a judgement which is evidently
Ps. ex. 1 ; on its meaning see Apringius 1

based upon a full knowledge of its

ad I. "quid est in throno Dei sedere,
: condition, both external and spiritual.
nisi quiescere et gloriari cum Deo et Smyrna and Philadelphia gain un-
eius adsistere tribunalibus beatis, at- qualified approval ; Ephesus, Perga-
que immensa praesentiae illius felici-
tate gaudere 1"
. "With the parallel as
cf. Jo. xv. 10, xvii. 18, xx.
mum,
with reservations (
Thyatira, are

...): for Laodicea there

commended, but
[]
is only
2i, Apoc. ii. 28. censure,and Sardis would fall under

(ii.
Looking back over the seven
1 — iii.easy to see that,
22), it is
few loyal Christians
.)
whose fidelity
(
the same category, were it not for a

not over-
is
-
widely as their contents differ, they looked. But the discrimination goes
are constructed upon a common plan. further. The Supreme Pastor descends
Each begins with the* formula into, the minutest particulars which
/s) '.. ( affect the well-being of the several

' . ., and ends with the call

ous
—
.

preceded (4 7) by a promise to the

',
followed ( 3), or —
brotherhoods the decay of love at
:

Ephesus, redeemed in part by hatred

.
of Nicolaitan laxity ; the fidelity of
Christian victor (
.. the Smyrnaeans under the bitter
(, 3) or ° (4, 7)j reproaches of the self-styled Jews;
or 707
(6) the concessions to Mcolaitanism which
followed by a verb expressing the marred the zeal of the Pergamenes;
reward to be received (2, 5)). the indulgence shewn at Thyatira to
Even in the contents of the several a prophetess who, like a new Jezebel,
messages a certain uniformity may be initiated her disciples into "deep
detected. After the opening words
each begins with
(, 4 °'
-
<
—
Th v 6 things" of Satan ; the deadness of the
great majority of the members of the

(p.), or 7 each
based on the Speaker's knowledge
7\
(3) ; i.e.
Church at Sardis ; the patient efforts
of the Philadelphians to spread the
is faith of Christ in the teeth of Jewish
of the conduct or circumstances of opposition ; the tepid, nauseous Chris-
the several chm'chea The distinctive tianity of the prosperous and self-
merits and faults of each community satisfied Laodiceans. Nothing has
are then set forth, together with escaped the Eye of flame, which reads
suitable encouragement and reproof. the secrets of men and of churches.
Lastly, advice is given as^ to the Even in the formulae with which
future: ...\ the are opened and closed there
(.1, 5), (3), are variable elements, which shew the
(7\ ... same discrimination. Each
(2), or isfollowed by~a title of the^Speaker,
(4, 6). usually borrowed from the vision of
Yet uniform as the are in , c. i., which has special significance

. R.
66

, /
\\ ,
, *
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

'
) •£ ,?
[IV.

IV
Prim
syrs"
/ 36
|
|
om
eiSov

^! K*AQ
minP' Ar]
syrs w

j 6 om
1
|

* 3 »]
KAQ 7 9 2
aakiriyya syrr
K ca P
arm4 Prim |,
|
-]
»»««7/»>"7

38 49 79 9 1
/ /5
Q min8a"ru
Prim
'3° al"a "nu
|
2°] + 65

when we consider the circumstances or as in iii. 20 the door of the heart,

. \
of the Church addressed Each hut the d£Qr-ei;reye2&tion ; cf. Enoch
promise to the victor places the XIV. 13
final reward in a light which gives The conception of the
it special attractiveness under the opened heavens occurs first in Ezek.
circumstances which the local
Church is placed Thus the Ephe-
sian Christian, tempted to participate
in pagan banquets, is promised that,
if he conquers, he shall eat of
in

!
i.

-eis
rois
:

!,
cf.

Jo. L 5 1
oi

oipavov aveayora. In this vision a

door only is opened (cf. Test, xiipatr.,
i. eihev -
cibOv

the fruit of the Tree of Life ; the Levi 5), and not heaven as a whole,
Smyrnaean, called to face martyrdom, i.e. the vision is limited to the Seer

is assured that he shall not be Inirt only one who has been lifted up into
of the Second Death ; the Pergamene,
if he rejects the (&,
shall taste
of the Hidden Manna. If it is not
the heavenly places can see what is
passing'within. The perf. part,
implies that the door stood open,
-
always easy to discover the appro- ready for the Seer's coming.
priateness of the form which the
victor's prize assumes, there is reason
to believe that the problem would
be solved were our knowledge of the
special circumstances less incomplete.

IV. 1 — 11. The Vision of the

"The voice which I heard"
first
apparently the voice of i. 10
eyaKv o5s ,
where see
note ; cf. Victorinus " id est spiritus
quern paulo ante quam filium hoininis
...se vidisse fatetur"; Bede: "similis
:
...
.]
is

Throne in Heaven. utique priori voci quae dixerat Quae

. eiBov] This formula, vides scribe in libra." Now it comes
which occurs again vii
xv.
1

xviii. i,' serves to introduce

(. ), g,
a
again to prepare John for the second
great vision, and calls him up to the
5,

«
new vision of special importance,
-(v. 1 etc.) being used in other
height where the Angel stands. Ae-
yav, a constructio ad sensum ; behind
cases. Here
( refers to the
« the trumpet voice there is a person-
vision of i. I2ff.
.) which, with the messages to the
Churches arising out of it, has oc-
cupied the first three chapters. The
vision of the glorified Christ walking
ality
W.
35,
who. speaks.
Schm., p. 115,
Vesp. 979 ; ,
Ar. Ban.
cf.

Mt. xvii. 20)

recalls the summons at the Lawgiving,
Exod. xix. 24 f. ; for £&i, 'hither'
( =

,
Heaven.

as in
4
among the Churches on earth is fol-
lowed by a vision of the Court of

iii.
iv Tip
8 the door of opportunity,
] Not
(Blass, Gr. p. 58 f.), cf. Jo. vi. 25,
xx. 27 ; for

xxii. I, 6.
a
the Hierophant's
(Benson, Apocalypse, p. 15) offer of
guidance, see
A Set
i. 1,

&/4
xvii. 1,

(i.
xxi.
I,
9
xxii. 6)
f.,
IV. 3]

<
', ,
67
.
$
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

jovos
3
%
67

om
]
e. . .
syrs"
me
euffeois]

^] pr *
pr
]
7 13° al» a ' mu syr*" arm aeth
28 36 77 9 1
me |

*
|

3 om 6 8 14 3' 38 3' al me syre" arm aeth Yiot Andr Ar [

om
°... V.* \

comes from Dan. ii. 28 f., 45. The be distinguished fronrVthe more exact
vision that follows is an anticipation e'jrl or en-i ; for
of a future which
accomplishment (jura
connect (2°) with
is
WH.
yet to find its
}. , the gen. see 9 ff., v. 1, 7, 13, vi. 16,
iv.

vii. 15; for' the dat., vii. 10, xix. .4,

xxi. 5; for the ace, iv. 4, vi. 2, 4f.,

]
but the analogy of i. 10 and Dan. I. c. xi. 16, xx. 4.
(Th.) seems to berdecisive in favour of 3. The de- .]
the usual punctuation. scription rigorously shuns anthropo-
2. 'At morphic details. The Seer's eye is
once,' as the words were spoken, arrested by the flashing of gemlike
found myself in the Spirit.' The state colours, but he sees no form cf. Exod. :

,
of spiritual exaltation which preceded xxiv. 10 eihov
the first vision (i. 10 note) has returned, 6 (Heb. simply UN
but in greater force ; then it gave the
Seer ears to hear and eyes to see;
now it lifts him up and places him by

:
the Angel at the open door.

.]
75'?

. , \ 'UPS)»

.Less reserve is mani-

26
-

;
fested in Ezek. i.
When he looked
the first
object that met his eyes was a throne
in,
Dan. vii. 9 '...
and One seated.on it. The Person is \(;
identified by v. 8 with the God of
cf. Enoch xlvi. i, lxxi. 10.
In the great Christian apocalypse
Israel (i. 4, 8), Who is represented
there is no need for anthropomorphic
in the O.T. sometimes as making the
. descriptions of Deity one like a Son ;
heaven His throne (Isa. Ixvj. 1 ; cf.
of Man is always at hand to whom

,
Mt. v. 34 f., xxiii. 22), sometimes as
enthroned in heaven (Ps. x. (xi.) 4
they are naturally transferred (see i.
'(,.
Enoch
e'v

xiv. 18 if.

.).
b

the Apocalypse requires the latter

symbolism, in which the Throne is
he
The imagery of
;

eihov
cf.

.(, -
14; note) ; cf.

-
The Enthroned Majesty was
Andreas

ev ttj
:

like in
distinguished from the sphere in
?, ^ow)
which it stands.
=
'
(cf. Dan.
rather than was set up,' a rendering
which permits the English reader to
suppose that the placing of the throne
vii. 9), 'stood,'
appearance
to the light of
the
two precious stones,
and the and
their brilliance was relieved by a
circle of emerald green. The three
=

,
entered into the vision. For. stones are named together as samples
in this sense ,cf. Jo. ii. 6, xix. 29, of their kind by Plato {Phaed. 1 10
xxi. 9, and see Blass; Gr. p. 51•.
this book
In
can scarcely ), and hold an honour-

S—
68 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [IV. 3

)
4
opcurei

] ,
", *
>.
47

,
I

Bpovom
3 \l6ou vg

"
|

2°]

14 6
syrr |

6
17 iS 31 47 41
14 syrr
34,35 87 i2i]
36 al
7

$
|
+
ipts] lepeis

12 3° 3^ 79

opcurcs

01""
|
opaaei

PQ
]
min•• 1
8
Q
*. 8 79 arm

38 47
Andr Ar
13 ^6 41 4 2

me s?r Prim
B.eth

4 om
|

syr vld +jji(ii

44
KWcXoiev]
1 3°

X C *Q min ,a

i°
(

Ar
Q minno""
Q min"
arm4 anon" u B
se(^ om
36 3^
' ,,,u

"11 syr
|

&
able place in Biblical lists of
thus, ace. to Exod. xxviii. 17
and the emerald stand in
ff.,
gems
the
28),
and
and
in
perhaps preferred here
tpis is
.because it may also be
1

used for a complete circle, e.g. a solar

the
Priest's
first

in the second
row of stones in the High
breastplate, and the uunns
among the precious
:

stones which adorn the person of the

King» of Tyre (Ezek. xxviii. 13) the
or lunar halo.

verov,
KVKkoOev.
if
The conception is
borrowed from Ezek. I. c. tas 5pao-is
£, iv Tg ev

But the circle of light

]
,{
same three stones stand first, third, seen by the Apocalyptist was like
and sixth respectively; and of the (for !,used as an adj. of two

/!
twelve foundation stones of Apoc. xxi. terminations, cf. WM. p. 80, Blass,
19 the is first, the emerald Gr. p. 33) in appearance (see v. 3) to
fourth,
'! and the sixth.
be a Persian
The an emerald ), //-
sc.
Arethas
(pS'^l, said to ci8t)s as says.
seems to be ^
but

,
word, B. D. B. appears to have
s. v.) Xey.,
been translucent like glass or rock- occurs in Esth. 6 A, i.

crystal (Apoc. xxi. 11 and X. is used by Herod, ji.

[where see note), Pliny, N. xxxvii. . 44, iii. 41. Archbp Benson translates
115 "semper translucent"), whereas
the modern jasper is opaque ; the . opaaei .
'like to a vision of emerald,' taking
as if it =

consideration. The
ness,' cf.
etdei
-
opal has been suggested (Enc. Bibl.
n. v.), but it is excluded by the same

(D^K, 'red-

!)
Epiph. de gemmis
is perhaps
but 6. opaaei
itself easily to this
however Vg. similis aspectui lapidis
iaspidis...similis visioni smarag-
dinae. In Exod. xxxvi. 17 (xxxix. 10)
above does not lend
construction ; cf.

the carnelian, or other red stone (see = \\) which suggests a }

Hastings, D. B. s. v.) ace. to Pliny, '; brilliant like rock-crystal (see Hastings,
H.N. derived, its name from
I.e., it D. B. iv. 620); on its identification
Sardis,where it was found. Most with the emerald see King, Antique
of the engraved gems of antiquity
were of 'sard,' see King, Antique stituted for ,
Gems; p. 27 flf. Since ipts is sub-
it is precarious

'
Gems, p. 5. to press a reference to the rainbow '

In the vision the flashing lustre of

-.
of the covenant (Gen. ix. i2ff.); but

(
the and the fiery red of the (see note on xxi. 19) may

emerald which encircled the Throne

Prom Homer downwards

rainbow the lxx. however use
;
,
sard are relieved by the halo (ipn) of

cf. VV.
ipir is
4,

-
8).
the
perhaps represent the mercy which
tempers the revelation of the Divine
Majesty.
4•
tiKoo-i^rio-o-apes] Sc. elSov, unless
: with
in this sense (Gen. ix. 13, Ezek. i. WH. we read ; see their note
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 69

,
IV. 5]

? .)
. . !• s kai - 5

tous
4
Q67
2°]

8 14 al""1
130 (om
+
Ar |
!
49 9

29 3& 95
a l vld

ft>; "•
5
!]
"-. *• • syre "
2° ante
pr

1
°]
tiQ mini"1 om .
syrs"
8
t?

|
19 pr
arm4

(. 138). ace. is weji sup- but the parallel is only partial, and the
ported, see WH. 2 Notes, p. 157, Blass, whole question of the Apocalyptist's
;

Gr. p. 26. indebtedness to Babylonian sources

Beyond the emerald halo there is needs further investigation. Mean-
another. circle .round the Throne, an while a key which seems to fit the
environment of four and twenty other lock is supplied by the earliest Latin
thrones on which are seated four and commentator on the Apocalypse, Vic-

-
,
twenty Elders, white-robed and gold- torinus, who sees in the 24 Elders
crowned. The Elders are not "duodecim duodecim Patri-
Apostoli,
(iiL '2l), but or archae" ; Andreas and Are-
similarly
forming the of thas. The symbol appears to be based
Heaven. There may be a reference on the number of the tribes of Israel
to the Elders of Israel in Exod. xxiv.
1 1, who , the is represented by 24
Elders^ two for each tribe, the double
and to
...But
.
Isa. xxiv. 23

the number is at first

£- . representation suggesting the two
elements which coexisted in the new
Israel, the Jewish and Gentile be-
sight perplexing. As a symbolical lievers who were one in Christ. Thus
number 24 occurs in the Apocalypse the 24 Elders are the Church in its
only, and there only when these totality, but the Church idealized
Elders are mentioned (iv. 4, 10, v. 8, and therefore seen as already clad
"
xi. 16, xix. 4). It has been supposed in white, ,crowued, and enthroned in
to refer to the 24 courses of the sons the Divine Presence a state yet
-),—
of Aaron (1 Chron. xxiv. 1 19); but
the Elders do not fulfil any special
priesthood, though they take their
part (iv. 10, v. 8) in the worship of
Him Who sits on the Throne. Gun-
kel suggests (Schopfung u. Chaos,
p. 302 ff.) that they answer to the
— future (

/!. -
but already
potentially realized in the Resur-
rection and Ascension of the Head
cf. Eph. ii. 6

5-

.]
The eye of the Seer
'

' -
- ,.
24 stars of the Babylonian astrology returns to the central Throne. What

,
(cf. Diod. Sic.ii. 31

!
!,•
he sees there reminds him of the Law-
giving ; cf. Exod. xix. 16 iyivovro

,
'tovs

) ,- ovs
;
),
and Ezek. i. 13

imagery occurs again in

and (with the- order
in viii. 5. The thunder-
storm is in Hebrew poetry a familiar
symbol of the Divine power and glory
The same
xi. 19, xvi. 18,
70

a eio-iv
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

. 6

, , [IV. S

>> min mu

] K caP
corr
5 om irupos syr£" |
2°] + Q(*) syrr |
8r

94 syr] Q min''1 Syr« w g vg ,ra 130 \9 2 '*' ""'"

] om
Q min"»'"111 syrr vld Andr Ar 6 flpocou] + ourot; 7 4 46 + ">" * 0 " me om I

1 80 94 161 al syre" aeth Prim j

9-io3538al| arm4 |

A 130 om | , 28 29 3 98 vghM *
'
1
me arm 1011
|
KPQ

(
cf.e.g. 1 Sam. ii. 10, Ps. xviii. gS., glass resembling an expanse of water;
Job xxxvii 4 f.

(I. ft

Ezekiel's
hither and
)
occur also in Ezekiel's vision

torch-like
thither
),
these burn stead-
;

lights
.]
but whereas
-
flashed
comp. a legend in the Qur'an (xxv.),
that the Queen of Sheba mistook
for water a glass pavement in Solo-
mon's palace. The Seer, still looking
through the door, sees between him-
self and the Throne a vast surface
which flashes back the light that falls
ily before the Throne, and they are upon it, like the Aegean when on

, summer days he looked upon it from

seven in number, corresponding, as
the Seer recognises, with the Seven
Spirits of God (i. 4, iii. 1).

the reference is
not
They are

presented here is rather that of the

as
as in i. 12, where
different; the idea

(c. viii.
,
the heights of Patmos

Though of the sea was

glass,
not semi-opaque, like much
ancient glass, but clear as rock-crystal.
may be 'ice,' both here
; cf. xv. 2
.

.
10), except that the torch-like star is and in Ezek. i. 22, but the mineral is
seen falling across the sky, whereas more probably intended in a context
these torches blaze perpetually before which mentions precious stones the

.,.
;

the Throne of God metaphor occurs again in xxii. r

.]
6. kal
In
see under the Feet of

,
,Exod

and this conception is repro-

duced in Ezekiel '(i. 22, 26). But
God

.
\
xxiv. 10 the Elders

-
costliness of ancient days
glass
enhances the splendour of the con-
ception ; cf. Job xxviii. 17..LXX.

But the Sea of glass is not only a

striking and splendid feature in the
in

.
The

instead of the 'firmament,' the Seer scene ; it suggests the vast distance
of the Apocalypse sees a glassy Sea which, even in the case of one who stood
before the Throne. The idea of a at the door of heaven, intervened be-
celestial sea was current in Jewish cir- tween himself and the Throne of God
cles, cf. Enoch xiv. 9, Secrets of Enoch, ...
ed Charles, p. 4; Test, etii Pair., .] Cf. Enoch xl. 2, Apoc. of
Levi 2, where a sea greater than any Baruch li. 11 (ed Charles). The

first heaven and the second

,
i.

lyptic
7
Ps.
sea
ciii.

is
-
on earth is seen suspended between the
cf. Gen.

, .
(civ.) 3-
:

The Apoca-
a pavement of
exact position assigned to the
not easy to grasp.
Ezek. i. 5 *v

cursives and
is
is from

,(')
»
Versions of the lxx.
some
add
IV. 7]

< -, -, ,' THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

''
n

,]
J

?
6
28 3° 3 2 33 34]
An
6 28 36
C X 0V

13 36 vg syv
^mini» 1
gw Ir Prim] ws

om
]
NAP

Q
7

min«°tm» (om
om
om

£ tt -
° syre" Prim
Q min" atn111 Andr Ar
|

Q min
AQ
|

Bfttnm
<os

?
7

,
7 28 al syr |
fame '4° quater aeth, ter Ir'"' Viet)

\ but probably from are four distinct organisms. But in

But ™ . in Ezekiel the main no doubt he presents the
the Apoc. «V
£
= rDilTO
fire,
1

present "passage.
i.e.

which has no
'
out of the midst of the

The words must

therefore be interpreted independent-
parallel in the
same idea; the

ture.

/.
Of.
represent Creation
and the Divine immanence in Na-
Andreas :

^
]
ly. As they stand here, followed by
. ., they seem to imply
that the figures are so placed that
one of the is always seen before
the Throne, and the others on either
.,
Cf. Ezek.

\
i. 18 oi
-
\
side of it and behind, whether station- .. 12 ol

ary or moving round in rapid gyra-

tion ; the latter is suggested by Ezek.
L 12
answers to
f. (Syr.^
Ezekiel's
_ cuii)
', who
clearly
in
description
main thought
is
. the
Again Ezekiel's
simplified, while
preserved ; the
is
Ezek. ix. 3, x. 2 ff., 20 ff., are identified are full of eyes before and behind
with the Cherubim. The Cherubim "
and (v. 8) around and within. The
are previously mentioned in Scripture symbolism sets forth the ceaseless
in connexion with (1) the story of the
Fall (Gen. iii. 24), (2) .the Ark (Exod.
xxv. 18 etc.), (3) the inner chamber
(TO?) of Solomon's Temple (1 Kings
vi. 25 ff., etc.), and (4) in the Divine
immanent Power which works under
visible forms. a somewhat
rare word in Biblical Gk generally
,
vigilance of Nature, or rather of the

(lxx. 8, Mt. 2, Lc. 1 , Paul 1 ), occurs seven

title 'He that sitteth upon the times in the Apoc. (iv. 6, 8, v. 8, xv. 7,
Cherubim' (Ps. lxxx. 1, xcix. i, Isa. xvii. 3 f., xxi. 9) ; on the construction,
xxxvii. 16). The Ark and the Oracle see Blass, Gr. p. 102.
had but two representations of

.-
7.
cherubic figures ; in Ezekiel they are .] Ezek. (.
four and yet one, and seem to sym- & Cf. i. 14)

bolize the power which in its world-

wide and manifold operations upholds
and pervades while it transcends
, . . .

where the forms are the same,

but the order differs.
. . .

The four
.

Creation. The Apocalyptist abandons forms suggest whatever is noblest,

the complexities, of Ezekiel's imagery; strongest, 'wisest, and swiftest in
the wheels and lightning-like move- animate Nature. Nature, including
ments of the disappear, and so Man, is represented before the Throne,
does their mysterious unity : the taking its part in the fulfilment of the
'living creatures' of the Apocalypse Divine Will, and the worship of the
 72

8 . THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

&
.
,
, '
[IV. 7

7 8 al"" uc
\<
8 om
.

" syt*"' |
] om .Q 8 32 38
47 48 5° 80 alP"" Andr Ar
! AP min,a,mu] ev 38 syrr

'
|

mB +
ev

me)
\.
ev Q ev

Q miu " m11

,

syr gwvid
I ()2

38 50
|
34 35 68 87 (syrs™)
gv m z arm Prim
Q j
]]- |

|
A
a?ro

\.
1 2 7 13 16 30 al]
(of

91

]
intus et /oris al tr

8 29 49** 93
- 96
Q min'"*•"""'

ap Prim in priora et retro anon au e (of arm)

H non habebant g vgimaomiipi» yi ct a non aus Prim
28 33 35 3^ 98 ante se
|

|
et retro

38 Ar
\eyovrei] \eyovra
Prim
|

Divine Majesty. On the early (Ii-en. with Q cf. Vict :

,
in. 11. 8) but unfortunate identifica-
tion of the with the
see St Mark 2 p. xxxvi if., and
"
"habentes alas senas in circuitu et
oculos intus et foris " ; but Ezekiel

"
i. 18 (x. 12) seems to decide in favour
,

Zahn, Forschungen, ii. p. 257 ff. of the punctuation given in the text,
WM. -
, -
ols : see and corresponds with
•

/ .
32• .
(iv. 6).
4 9
8. ev ev adds a new feature, pointing to the
yas ] 'Each one of them having secret energies of Nature.
severally six wings.'
gives each of the
Ezekiel (i. 6)
four wings six
.] While
'
;
man and other animals divide the
the•

!
is the number assigned to the Sera- twenty-four hours between work and
phim in Isa. vi. 2, a passage which repose, and are allowed by the Creator
the' Apocalyptist, who does not iden- one day in seven for rest (Exod. xvi.
tify his with either the Cherubim
or the Seraphim, has constantly in
23 ayia and the
individual worker rests at length in
),
view. The wings, if our interpretation the grave (Apoc. vi. 11, xiv. 13), the
is right, represent the velocities of

),
wheel of Nature (Jac. iii. 6

" ()
, .
Nature, as the eyes represented its i.e. the Divine activity
sleepless vigilance. For
elssee Mc. xiy. 19, note and for
used as a distributive adverb,
;
els

, WM.
immanent in Nature, pursues an un-
broken course cf. Jo. v. 17 6 :

p t 496 f, Blass, Gr. p. 122, Abbott, This ceaseless activity of Nature under

", not
haps because the
,
Johannine Grammar, §§ 1890, 2281.
here and in v. 7, per-
are invested with
the Hand of God is a ceaseless tribute
of praise. Cf. Enoch xxxix. 12 "those
who sleep not" bless Thee " ; lxxi. 7
intelligence (v. 6, xxi. 14, and see " round about were Seraphim, Cheru-
WM. p. 660); yet cf. bis (». 7).
bim, and Ophanim; these are they

,\!,
The remarkable reading of Syr.* ,lr
who sleep not and guard the throne
(
\>\ o cta.tsA^ ^sn) seems to have of His glory." Arethas well remarks
arisen from Ez. i. 27 (lxx.); see tL•
Gwynn ad \\
\
loc.

...
tempting to connect
previous clause, especially if
with the
we
It

read'
is avevhoTOVi

Another loan from

"Ayior ayios ! .]
Isaiah's description
IV. 9 ]

V KCU
*
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

Ayios ayios ayios

., 6eos
73

]
g
eis

8 ayios ter] ayios ooties tt* 29 novies Q min25 sexies 38 40 bis 12 51 \

fleos]

7 17* 28 36 39 79 ° I
om 36 t\v\ os f\v 130
fci ] ]

me KQ 7 " . 32**
- (-) 79 al """"]
3
9 28 $6 38 14
39 8
syr« w
9 2 !3° J

|
69
/
2 9 3'

]
35 49 %7 9 1 al"* tm ™

flpoyou
Byrs wvicl
PQ min omn vld Andr Ar
|
fwa 68 87

of the Seraphim (vi. 3 «-epos its anthem, it is thesigiial for the

). "Ayios other to fall upon its knees before

ayios
as usual, does not tie himself to
tist,
his source ; he inserts <5
Ki'pios-,

',
changes
and adds
dropping altogether Isaiah's
after

.-
The Apocalyp-

'
into

,
from i. 8,
the Throne.
fact, of
The Seer states this

concurrence of the
which "the vision
cognisant, in the form of a law. This
and the
in the worship of God was
keenly realised by the Ancient Church;
? made him

appropriate
which is
in a tribute
offered in heaven. On
as a rendering of n'lN3V see
- ,,
as less
of praise
cf. e.g. the Liturgy of St Mark
(Brightman, p. 132),

,
'-
i. 8, note. The
Liturgies retain the
Isaianic form (Brightman, pp. 18 f., . cause for
There is certainly not less
recognition in an age
50, 132, etc.; cf. Clem. R., Cor. '34), its

which has also found its way into the, which own is replete with
like our
Te Deurn but v they attribute the
;
new revelations of the wonders of the
Ter Sanctus to " Cherubim and Sera- physical universe. Every fresh dis-
phim," as if meaning to blend Isaiah's covery of physical science should
with Ezekiel's vision, after the manner deepen the adoration of the faithful.
",i|3
of the Apocalypse. (God (=~) ?) ?S from
in His future self-manifestations) in

,
the lxx. (Ps. viii. 6, xxviii. (xxix.) 1,
the mouth of the suggests the xcv. (xcvi.) 7). The phrase is coupled

.]
9.
The
of Creation (Rom. viii.
19 ff., Apoc. xxi. 1 if.).

difficult
probably the true reading, is not
without example, see WH, 2 Notes,
, which is
in the N.T. with
(i Pet. i.
II, v. 12).
with its cognate verb is unknown to
7),

the canonical books of the lxx., occurs

in a theological sense Paul 12, Apoc. 2,
(Rom. ii. 7),
(ApOC.
a word which
IV.

p. 178, WM. p. 388, Burton, § 308 and iri both the Apocalyptic passages
Viteau, Mude, i. pp. 125, 227 ff., is found in a doxology. While
and cf. Mc. viii. 35, note. Translate and- have regard to the Divine
"whensoever the living creatures perfections, refers to the
shall give "
"glory... the
shall fall" etc.
(i.e. as often as they give)
Four and twenty Elders
The two actions are
coordinated as simultaneous. Nature
and the Church must ever unite in
Divine gifts in creation and redemp-
tion.
els
The Living Creatures and the Elders
offer t;heir tribute to the Living God
]
the praise of God ; when the one begins created life adores the Uncreated.
74

10 ,
,, , ^'
(Tapes
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN -[IV.

T6CT-
9

"" ,
11

)] +
.]]
hopav

(om
arm 4 Prim
H
$)] +

3 2 By**™
,
|
,

32 95* s y rew
adorabant vg
K*Q
]
i
me Prim
<
pr
|

28 3° a^ 1 3°
H |
om
(
i^itte-

!
|

bant vg de me arm no fleos AQ min' 81 040 '

syrr arm4 Ar]

Q min40
Q Andr Ar
7 I4
vid

syr
|
(
arm Ar
> 8
|
3<>

]
3 8 39 47 79 8o

(sic) |
om
I

|
"]
3° v g aetn

min fere4 ° g vg (me)

om
.
|

syrr aeth al tr ap
. . b\ +o
om

Prim Ar] Q 14 38 51 7 35 49 79 87 9 1 3° I
om 3** P"m
om arm 4

On see i. 18 ; here it is evidently tumque,vidisset, erexit, atque insigne

-
a

"Who
title
), of the Father

clusion of the Son,

is
(Hi.or of the Spirit,

Spirits before the Throne.

Toiis
),

represented by the Seven

With Cfjv
cf. Deut. xxxii. 40, Dan.
(
though not to the ex-

2
Who is the Father's
regium, quod ille de suo capite abie-
cerat, reposuit"; Tac. arm. xv. 29
" ad quam [Sc. effigiem Neronis] pro-
gressus Tiridates sublatum capite dia-
dema imagini subiecit." In Jabbuk,
1 f. 55, Pharaoh and the Kings of the

East are represented as taking off

,
iv. 31 (34), Apoe. x. 6, xv. 7. their crowns in the presence of Moses
. ol and Aaron. The 'crowns' of the
.~\
Hitherto the Elders Elders however were not
have been silent assessors ; now they but symbols of victory and

(,
rise from their thrones (». 4), fall upon
their knees, and prostrate themselves
eternal life, and in their case the act
is equivalent to an acknowledgement

,.
cf. 1 Regn. xxv. 23) that their victory and their glory were
on the floor of heaven, in readiness to
offer their tribute of praise, laying
their crowns of victory at the foot of
from God, and were theirs only of
His grace. Cf. Andreas : , ,
the central Throne. The last act is Are til as '

.
:

suggestive either of the homage paid

to an overlord, or of the submission ;

of a suppliant, seeking mercy from a II. , .] The

conqueror.
p. 522
Cf. Plutarch, Lucutt.,

; Cicero,
6
addressed the Creator simply as
6 The Elders
recognise a relation to Him which the
pro P.
quum
Sesu. 27 "hunc Cn.iPompeius,
in suis castris supplicem abiec-
Creation as such cannot claim.
is (1) the Lord, the
He
' of revelation,
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,
V.i] 75
1
elBov V.

"V HP minP ] 1
iSov AQ 7 14 36 92 130: item ap V 2 \
APQ min°"" ] ,v, a
'

H Or 2 | 14 al syr] PQ min40 eyre" me arm aeth

Hipp d "> Andr Ar

, (
and (2)
iii. 120

nominatives
their
).
God

,
the use of the
for the
(6
On
, ,
cf. book-rollupon with ace, cf. xx. 1)
the open palm of his right hand.
a roll of papyrus (Maunde
vocatives see Blass, Gr. p. 87. To the

,
, ,. Thompson, Palaeography,• p. 54 f.)

,
and which the ascribe to cf. Ps. xxxix. (xl.) 8 iv
God the Elders add cf. v. 12, Lc. iv. 17 20, and 2 Tim. iv.

),
j

vii. 12, xix. 1, and the doxologies 13 where are contrasted with
in Mt. vi. 13, T.B., and Didache 8.
Glory, honour, and power are rightly

( ), which owes
to His will.
at first sight perplexing;
'
ascribed to the Creator of the universe

,
its existence

we expect
is
,
'sealed

Sap.
The present roll was

ii.
down' and made

5
with seven
cf. Isa. . (-fast

seals, as if
II ov
yap,

to
cf.

.
Acts xvii. 28 iv ensure perfect security;
where
cf. Ev. Petr.%,

, »
'

. 'they were not,

and out of that state of non-existence
were -called into being by the act of
(Q), answers'to Mt. xxvii. 66

secret as the contents were, the roll

. But

creation,' is an ingenious correction. was so full that they had overflowed

But the better supported also /» to the verso of the papyrus, so that
yields a good sense. It places the itwas an (see Maunde
potential existence of the universe
before its creation. The Divine Will
had made the universe a fact in
the scheme of things before the
'

Divine Power gave material expres-

.
Thompson, p. 59, Hastings, iv. p. 946,
and cf. Lucian, vit. auct. 9

Sat
libri
i.
. . .

"summi plena iam margine

6
scriptus et in tergo necdum fini-
I
, ...
JuV.

sion to the fact. Thus looks tus Orestes "). The description is based
back to the eternal past, on Ezek. ii. 9 f.

,
to the genesis of Nature.' Both are
ascribed to the Father; His Will was
( as His ),
,
0/3•

,
the cause
Logos was the Agent of Creation (15 D^S). But the

, .
cf.'I
...
Cor. viii. 6

Of this chapter as a whole it may

well be said with Tertullian de coron.
Apocalyptic sealed against
roll
inspection, and not offered to the
Seer to read.

);
is

It contains no doubt
the unknown future (i. 19
it is the Book of -Destiny,

15 "si tales imagines in visione, quales to be unrolled and read only as the
veritates in repraesentatione V seals are opened by the course of
V. 1 — 14. The Sealed Book and events. The prevalent view of the
the Lamb.
.
Looking again at the Majesty upon
the central Throne the Seer sees a
.]
,
ancient expositors, beginning with
Hippolytus (ed. Lag. p. 159
\
76

3
<'
ye\ov

.
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

\,
ev
, ev
.
ovhe
,
eioov

;
[V.!

<-

ovoe

. ]
4
4
, 2 ayyekov]j>T
vg arm Or |
om
» 35 8 7 ey 1
130 J
*""

tis a{ios]
[

+ Q miu mu g me
130 |
ran ev
syr Cypr
28 36 130 al
Prim Andr Ar

] /]
!atmu
3 eSwaro rain?""' 25 ] APQ min"° ml ev + Q.7 8 14 al
%
|

; syrs""
syr

tos
6
I

7
i°

28 49 79 91] .
AP minfsre83]

syrs"
Q min'°' n,u
Prim |
NQ minmu
(om
3°AP
| ewi
r.

6 7 28 49 79 91]
/s]

7. it 130) |
1 '1

KQ minfere33
+
|
2°

:
syr« w 4 totum vers om A + Q minP vg Prim Andr Ar
1
98 |
i°] |

arm c °^d aeth me

that the opening of the seals means

»
the interpretation of the O.T. by the
), .
present case moral fitness

order occurs in . 5.
the only
is
the same
;

The hysteron
'-
coming and teaching of Christ, or the
allegorical interpretation of Scripture ,
proteron, as in iv. 1 1
is apparent rather than real ; -to

,) -
,

(Origen philoc. ii. 1, v. 5 be able to open the book is the first

necessity and therefore takes the first
place in the order of thought.
Be ev

:
3•
\ is in- .] not taken up
The challenge is
consistent with the account of the by any being in heaven, on earth, or
process which is given in Apoc. vi.
1 fF. Apringius is nearer to the truth :
"liber hie praesentis est mundi totius
in Hades. For this threefold division
of created life see Phil. ii. 10 -
..
creatura"; and better still is the an earlier grouping in Exod xx. 4
comment of Andreas^ //^» has under the third head
. ,\
. ,. .. '- 01' ( 2?. Ii)

.
Zahn Ou6eis... implies a
1

(EM. followed by Nestle

ii. p. 596), quasi-ascensive scale, which has given
(Text. Grit. p. 333), regards the trouble to the scribes, and the mss.
as a papyrus in book-form,
connecting with - waver between and the
point appears to be that as one after
;

not convincing.
2.
But his reasons are

.]
» A
"strong angel" (. ,
- another of the three regions declines
the challenge, the hope that it will be
met approaches a vanishing point;
cf. Primasius: nee quisquam...neque

. ..
xviii. 21) is needed to.be the herald

creation. Tis ;
of a challenge addressed to the whole

Cor. ii. .16). The Sfios supports his

cf. tis '',
, (2
...neque...sedneque... In

implied
p. 66.
(here

For
and
before
in

> in
,
v. 4) there is

reference to a
cf. WM.
an

claims on moral grounds the

on grounds which prove him capable
whether morally or otherwise. In the
; roll
4
see Lc.
f.
iv. 17.

With the unrestrained emotion of one

, .]
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
V. 6]

5
eh
.
< ,'
77

)
/,
5

. 6

^» ]
6

|
4
ras
arm vid
-yidas
H*

|
]

]
at]

syre™
+
Prim
avoiywv Q min fero40
-
5
36 49 9 '
] om
3 syrr
I
0VTe
j"

|
ros ]
14 28** syr«™ + uy

?
pr vg" 1" syrs" arm Orinl Cypr cdd Hier *" om 15
73 me syrs" arm 6 eiSov
(tSov 36 92 130 Q 9)] tiou + 35 87 vg

in a dream or ecstasy the Seer wept

?
the tribes Prov. xxiv. 65 (xxx. 15)
(cf.

),

.
at the result, whether because of his as
own disappointment, or because of the Dan is in the Blessing of Moses (Deut.

. ,
failure of creation to open the rolL
Its inability implied moral incapa-
city;

()
ouoVir
His weeping continued
because
xxxiii. 22); and the noblest son of
the tribe of Judah is fitly styled the
Lion of that tribe ; cf. Hippolytus, ed
Lag., p.
?
4, «
of the Elders
until it was stopped by one
(etr .). Here rfjs .. comp. Heb. vii.
With
14 - 6

and in
interlocutor, as
vii. 13 the Elder

occasions (xvii. 1, xxi. 9), and his

an Angel
'
is
is
merely an
on other
bound up
. His Judaean origin was
in the primitive belief with
6

intervention has no symbolical mean-

/
? £
?? ,
His descent from David
ing. t

? occurs on the lips of

,? ? -
looks back to Isa. xi. i-

?
Christ in Lc. vii. 13, viii. 52 etc., and (^!.*?)
in Jo. xx. 13 Higher
(^?)
,
fif.

natures see that human grief is often

needless, springing from insufficient
lb. iv /

=
(BHS?)
knowledge.
Ihoii .] &,
the latter verse is quoted
as Messianic in Rom. xv. 12. As the
may be either 'prevailed' (A.V.)
as in Ps. 1. (li.) 6 Prophet foresaw, the stump of the old
...// , and see tree of the House of David had sent
forth a new David to rule the nations.
SoL or

,,
Ps. IV. 1 3 ;

Overcame' (R.V.), as in iii. 21. But The Apocalyptist evidently finds satis-
both the usage of the Johannine books, faction in this title of Christ, for he
(?)
and the position of
separated by a whole line from
which is

are in favour of the latter rendering,

repeats

note) :
it

cf. also
?
in xxii. 16

c. iii. 7, note.
(where see

which places in the forefront the great The Lion of Judah, the Son of
historical fact of the victory of the David, conquered the world (Jo. xvi.
Christ; 'behold, a victory was won 33, Apoc. i. 18, iii. 21), and one fruit

Him Who is the Lion, etc.... which of His victory belongs to

is that it
by

' ...
??, Him to open the seals of God's Book

Gen. xlix.
6

Blessing of Jacob Judah

?
gives Him the right to open the book.'

9
?
. !
is
refers to

In the
the lion of
of Destiny, i.e. to earry history onward
through successive stages to the final
revelation.
6. . j
78

- 6 om
7 28

7 31
32
,
(°) syr*" ante

32 38
3<>
,
•THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

87 |
'
om as
NAQ
'.
31 5° 95 me
7 28 30 32 35]
Prim
arm 3 4 Hipp
•
|

mini"1
,
! ~/]
11 *" |
APQ .min* ]
[V. 6

I
1

38
51 87 al] Q min *' n,a B
|

|
om Am Vg»m*fu
|

by the Elder's
sees,not a Lion but a Lamb
,
The Seer, roused from his dejection
looks again, and
(). .
the Elders on the other'
..
or 'in the midst of all,' the Centrepiece
(cf.

= J'S'I
Gen. i 7
• .
3),

apvbs
,.
The conception is from Isa. liii. 7 as

':
as
of the whole tableau. But the relative
positions of the Throne, the
the Elders (iv. 4, 6), seem to exclude
and ,
has passed from the lxx. into the former interpretation, and the
the other passages in the N.T. where latter is wholly consistent with the
Christ is described as the Lamb (Jo. general place assigned to the Lamb
i. 29, 36, Acts viii. 32, 1 Pet. i. 19), but throughout the Apocalypse. With
it does not occur in the Apocalypse, cf. Acts VU. 56 ...
which uses as a' title of our
Lord 29 times in 12 chapters. It is
possible that the Apocalyptist has
vlbv
,' Apoc. XIV.
.
The position
taken the latter, word from a non-

.
isthat of the Priest offering sacrifice
Septuagmtal version of Isaiah, I. c. ; (Heb. x. 11), and the Lamb is both
or he may have had in view Jer. xi. 19 Sacrifice and Priest. But perhaps
cos &. denotes here no more than the
The diminutive must not be pressed, restored life and activity of the
since apvos has no noni., but the Victim; cf. vii. 17, xiv. 1.
contrast of the Lamb with the Lion
sufficiently striking in any case,
is
directing attention to the unique com-
.] The horn as the symbol of
strength is an old Hebrew metaphor
bination of majesty and meekness
which occurs first in Deut. xxxiiL 17,
which characterized the life of Jesus
where Ephraim is said to have the

.
Christ Cf. Victorinus: "ad devin-
cendam mortem
vero pro hominibus tanquam agnus
ad occisionem ductus est."
as
leo,

the sacrifice foreseen

by Isaiah and Jeremiah hag taken
ad patiendum

5 horns of the DN1, lxx.

species of wild ox); cf. 1 Regn.
3 Regn. xxii. 1 1, Ps. xvii. (xviii.) 3, cxi.
(cxii.) 9. In the later books of the O.T.
the horn is the symbol of a dynastic
force (Zech. i. 18 (ii. i)ff., Dan. vii. 7 ff.,
ii. 1,
(a

10,

place and is yielding lasting fruits

(perf.),', and there are indications of viii. 3 ff.) ; and in this sense it is used

the fact that it has been offered (as in Apoc. xii. 3, xiii. 1, n, xvii. 3 ff.

.); yet the Lamb stands erect (where see notes). The 'seven horns
and alive in the sight of Heaven (cf. of the Lamb' symbolize the fulness of
).
s. ?
i. 18 His power as the Victorious Christ ; cf.
The position which occupies in He Mt. xxviii. 18

..
the picture is not quite clear, for
. may mean either
'between the Throne and the Four
.

xc.
yrjs,

37 £ the Messiah appears as a

Jo. xvii.

white DK"] with great black horns (see

In Enoch

Living creatures on the one hand and

.

€.
8] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
eis . 7
\, 79,

J
t»js

., .
,**m g
6

y 3g (
Q min"»"»»
*
3 g) BJ r Byrew
.
A]
.
me p r jm
3^ 49
7 8
g
13 (
3°

eXa/3ei<]
>
.
syrs w,,lli

130 |
7
79 me
vld

eA^e»] +
Hipp -
8

PQ min°""' vid |

Charles, ? Z.). With the fulness of (Acts xvi. 7) and the "Eyes of the
strength the Lamb possesses also the Lamb," His mission is oecumenical.
fulness of vision, symbolized by seven 7•
.]
'And I saw Him go (aor.),

$,,
eyes ; cf. iv. 6, 8, where the have
eyes before and behind, around and and now He has taken [the book] out
within, yet do not possess the plenary of the hand 'of Him Who sits on the
illumination ascribed to the Lamb.
The Apocalyptist has in view Zech.
Throne.'
viii. 5 ...Cf. iii.

. 1

'
1U. 9 ^7*
, '

[Kupiot/1
iv.
top
- similarly joined with
13 £, xix. 3. WM.
340) holds the
an
(p.
;

aorist in vii.
is

(D'tppto'l?). He identifies the "seven perf. in v. to be simply

7, viii 5,

eyes of the Lord," which are also the aoristic; cf. Blass, Gr. p, 200, who
eyes of the Lamb, with the "seven gives other exx. from the Pauline
"Spirits of God." The eyes of Christ Epp., and from subapostolic litera-
are cor (i. 14), and" the seven
ture. On the other hand see Benson,
Spirits (i. 4, note) blaze like torches be- Apocalypse, p. 150 f., who makes a
fore the Throne of God (iv. 5). Bu£ iu good case for retaining in the Apoca-
their position before the Throne they lyptic instances a more or less distinct

--
are stationary, whilst, as the eyes of flavour of the sense of the perfect.
the Lamb, they have a mission to all Here may point (Weiss,
the earth. The reading is uncertain; Bousset) to the abiding results of the
we have to choose between

),
(), (Q) and
(A). The last agrees with
Zech. 1. C. (6. and
has the merit of being the harder
reading. The sense in any case is
materially the same the eyes, that is
the Spirits, are sent.
it can hardly be doubted, has reference
action, or it may be simply realistic,
as explained above. Realism also
,
, ,
explains the absence of
the movement is so rapid that the
subject is left to be understood.
8. .]
; The aorist of ordinary narration is
resumed. When the Lamb took the
roll, the representatives of the animate

.
to the' Mission of the Spirit (cf. Lc. creation and of the universal Church
XXIV. 49
', fell before Him.
not mentioned as in iv. 10, is perhaps
though

GaL iv. 6 implied; cf. v. 14, where after their

praise of God and of the Lamb the
), though the Johannine Gospel• Elders "-
uses in this connexion (xiv. 26, is probably to be referred

xv. 26, 'xvi. 7). A

mission of the Spirit to the Elders only, for though the
to the whole world carries us beyond,
the earlier conception of His work, yet
see Jo. xvi. 8 f. As the Spirit of Jesus•
(cf. ,
masculines might include the
iv. 7 f.), the particulars which

follow are not appropriate to the,

 ,]•
8 THE APOCALYPSE OF. ST JOHN [V. 8

, ' ( *

9 .? 9
'
!
• '

"8 Q 1
|

\ . syrK"" 1 '1
|

'
29

/
36 49 5t 9 1 9 6 al V S syrs" |

minP1 syrr Andr Ar] XQ'36 |

om ot * 6 14 '3°
|

a1 ""*

2 7 8 19 47 29 4i
43 4 8 50 82 93 9 -/] syi*",vld Prim

'
latter.
carry a ,
Each Elder is now seen to
i.e. a lyre or zithem

(the 113? of the O.T., in Daniel D"in»p

(k?ri Dn)pp.)) ihetraditionalinstrument
normal, familiar, acts of prayer, indi-
vidual or collective, see Acts ii. 42,
Rom. i. 10, 1 Tim. ii. 1, v. 5, 1 Pet iii.
7, and esp. Apoc. viii. 3 f.
j

of psalmody
The ceremonial use of incense in the
(cf. Ps. xxxii. (xxxiii.) 2,
services of the Church, which might
xcvii. (xcviii.) 5, cxlvi. (cxlvii.•) 7, cl. 3);
have been suggested by this passage,
the word is used again by the Apo-
does not seem to have any ante-Nicene

,
calyptist in another description of the
support; Christians of the first three

2 !
celestial music (xiv. 2
reus
Beside
their lyres the Elders had golden bowls
or saucers (,
paterae, see xvii. 1),
).
XV. centurieswere probably deterred from
adopting it by the place which it held
in
42,
pagan worship (cf. Tert. apoL 30,
and other passages cited in D.C.A.,
'

full of incense, such as according to

s. v. 'Incense'). Even 'Silvia' (ed.

,
calls

xxxvii. 25,
them
pi.,
, -
Josephus were placed on the shew-
bread (antt. iv. 6. 6; in iii. 10. 7 he

as usually in the lxx. (Gen.

1 Chr. vi.
plates),

49, Jer. xvii. 26)

Gamurrini, p. 49) states the purpose
of the thymiamateria in the great
Church at Jerusalem to have been
merely "ut tota basilica Anastasis
repleatur odoribus." The Apostolic

,
and elsewhere in this book (Apoc. viii.
Canons, however, recognize incense as
a legitimate accessary at the offering
.
3 f., xviii.
and not to
13).
deriving its
gender by attraction (WM, p. 206 f.)
A? probably refers to
of the Eucharist (can. 3
).
& /]
from the correc-
tion of a scribe who has felt the
:

difficulty without realizing the true

a (NQ) is
SOng'
9•
() , ,
\
»,
is mentioned in Ps.
A 'new

solution. The prayers of the Church xxxii. (xxxiii.) 3, xxxix. (xl.) 4, xcv.
are symbolized by the incense (Ps. (xcvi.) 1, xcvii. (xcviii.) 1, cxliii. (cxliv.)
Cxi. 2
, Lc
9, cxlix. 1, Isa. xlii.
denoting only a fresh song of praise,
10. Originally

), .
1.

the phrase lent itself especially to

Tjj pa
mody, already an important element in
Church worship (1 Cor. is, 26,
Eph. v. 19, Col. iii. 16), is represented
by the lyres. The Elders are fitly
charged with iDoth, since they repre-
sent the Church, and in the act which
follows symbolize the Church's adora-
tion of Christ. For
as its psal- songs composed for great occasions;
e.g. in Isa. I. c. the new song springs
out of a prophecy of the new order
which is to be inaugurated by the
Servant of Jehovah; and similarly
al , the
Judith's paean over the death of
Holofemes is a
xvi. 13).
(Judith
In the Apocalypse it is
appropriately used for the Church's
V.,

?
]

•\
', THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,
<
, °'
avo'ipai

,
8l•

'(;<.
-
KPQ

KP
9 ȣ]
mini" 1

tepeis

1 2
me syrr
syre™

vg me Cypr Prim]
syrS"
|

4 5 6 8 30 31 32 36 130 al g
om
arm Cypr Prim

|
fiaei\evovatv
vg™
130
10 aurous]
Q min™»" ' ld
AQ
ftll'
7
|

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syr
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vg h * rl * Cypr)] + ^as

arm aeth Andr Ar

14 28 29 35 38 al syr]
syrs" arm4 Cypr
0 om A |

Vg d " d °» arm 1 AT Prim ,ld (0?>1«)

praise of Redemption (cf. xiv. 3); the
answers to the
•
the
'
(\
was made with the Blood of the slain
Lamb (ev
denotes the price, as in
where iv ,
(ii If,

(xxi. ), the
12),
(iii. 12, xxL 2), the ovpavbs

(xxi. 5) Cor.
ev
vi.
. );
20, 1
i. 5
see Acts XX. 28,
Pet. i. 18 ff. It was
of the great Christian prophecy. made "for God," the thing purchased
a£tof ( .] The being destined for His service (Rom.
Elders recognize in Christ the absolute vi. 22j In what it con-
1 Cor. I. c:).

moral worthiness which has qualified was purchased, what

!!
sisted, i.e.,

(
Him to take the Book of Destiny from
ras
ras
=
V. 2).
.
the hand of God and open its seals

.,
This
based neither on His unique relation
.
!_
appears in the words that follow: «
'
.,
representatives of
every nationality, without distinction
of race or geographical or political
distribution ' ; cf. vii. 9, xiv. 6 and the
to God, nor on the perfection of His similar enumerations in . 1 1, xi. 9,

).( !,
human life, but on the fact of His xiii. 7, xvii. 15. The origin of the
sacrifice cf. v. 6 as phrase is perhaps to be sought in
is used to Dan. iii. 4, 7, v. 19, vi. 25: cf. also
describe the Death of Christ only in 4 Esdr. iii. 7 (16). The scope which it
this book (vv. 6, 9, 12, xiii. 8,), where its assigns to the redemptive virtue of
use isdue to Isa. liii. 7 a>s the Cross is less wide than that which
eVi ; it is interesting to
iscontemplated in 1 Tim..ii. 3f., 1 Jo.
find it occuiring also in references to ii.2; but the 'new song' refers only
the martyrdoms which were trying to those in whom Redemption has
the faith of the Churches of Asia become effective by their incorpora-
(vL 9, xviii. 24). Other Apostolic tion the Body of Christ.
in The
writings speak of Christ as 'crucified' oecumenical mission of the Church is,

'died.' ',
or 'sacrificed,' or simply as having
a Pauline word
(1 Cor. vi. 20, vii. 23, and in the
however, fully recognized; the Seer
sees in it a worldwide Empire ex-
tending' far beyond the shores of the
compound
is
.,
used in this sense elsewhere only

,
in Apoc. (here and xiv. 3 f.) and in
Gal

2 Peter (ii. ); it rings with echoes of

the Greek familiar both to
iii. 13, iv. 5),
Caesars.
.
.]
Lamb's Sacrifice. Those whom He
!;
Mediterranean and the sway of the

A further result of the

Sea

St Paul and St John. The 'purchase' purchased He made a Kingdom' and

s. e. 6
82

11

12
",
, ," -
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN [V. ii

Prim (hab NQ**"

.,.
8 Prim pr
mini•

]1

,'
]
"'

syr»"
syr»"
syr
AQ

|
Andr Ar)
om
14 9 2

.. ]
I
om -^Q*

38 130
|
om
r4 49 1° al

* "--
... 8 me arm aetl1

38

,
95 97

priests unto God. 6 course of events which connects His

Cf.
&
,,
i.

aurou, XX. 6 11. , .]

Ascension with His Return.

»» A new feature
and see notes on both verses. in the vision introduced by a fresh
The fact that this chord is struck thrice (v. i, 2, 6, vi. i, 2, 5, 8, 9, 12
in the Apoc. seems to imply special etc. ; cf. iv. 1, note). Except the
familiarity on the part of both writer 'Hierophant' (iv. 1), and the Strong
and readers with the words as well as Angel of v. 2, this vision has been
the thought: possibly they entered hitherto without angelic appearances;
into a primitive hymn which may now at length the Angels are seen in
have run:

[] -.
Ill the present
|
- \
their myriads, forming a vast ring
around and therefore outside the El-
ders, who are themselves around the
passage the harder (AQ) central Throne (cf. iv. 4). The Seer
is perhaps to be preferred; the reign gives their numbers from Dan. vii. 10
,
.,.-
of the Saints had begun in the life of

:-
the Spirit, though in the fuller sense cf.

-
it was yet future: cf. Mt. v. 3, Enoch XIV. 22

\'-
5

, I Cor. . 8 , lxxi. 8, and Heb.

22 f. xii.
; ib. xl. I, lx.

,
. ;

For the future, see Apoc. Deut. xxxiii. 2

the source
of all th'ese computations is probably

^),
, ;'-
xx. 6, xxii. 5. (tiHp
The 'new song' vindicates for Jesus : cf.
Christ the unique place which He has Ps. lxvii. (lxviii.) 1 8. With the phrases
taken in the history of the world. By
a supreme act of self-sacrifice He has
purchased men of all races and
nationalities for the service of God,
founded a vast spiritual Empire, and
converted human life into a priestly
service and a royal dignity. He who
cf.

,
The
—a
rather
Gen. xxiv. 60

Apoc.
voice

than a song.
)

.
Num.
. 16
of

There is no
.
this
36

indeed
vast
—is
concourse
a shout

has done this is worthy to have com- mention of or here ; the

mitted into His hands the keeping of Angels simply acclaim the Lamb as
the Book of Destiny, and to break its worthy.
Seals and unroll its closely packed 1 2. .]
Not
lengths; to preside over the whole as in v. 9. The terms, more-
V. 13] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 83

3
^ eoXoyiav.
'
,
iv 13
* ev
<
NQ ,
-] "

]
12 syr] ei syrs™ |
eo-tj>aypjevov~\ 58 |

pr Q min""" " 1
ijo] + r 28 35 36 al n",vl 1 vg syr Prim Andr
'

(conj Nestle) | 717s] ev - al vlxmu syr»" |

om rtjs 717s 12
r4 33 47 95 vS
fu
me arm I
erl Trl s ev X vg me syrr arm vM
Prim+eoriv A6 78 130 al + PQ 1 30* 34 35 49 al vg + o syrs" vid |

\eyovras 6 32 90 130] \eyovTa 12 . . "Keyovras 278

al aatmu . \eyovTds \ 3° 34 35 "3^ ^7 9® a ^ STrr .
Q

over, are
for

(iv. 11).
,more general

the usual
and
.
The Angels stand outside
for
. 9f-)•

.] A
13-
still wider
(cf. Phil.

circle offers its

.

the mystery of Redemption, though doxology. The whole Creation is

they are far from being uninterested summoned from its four great fields
spectators (Eph. iii. 10, 1 Pet i. 12), of life (cf. v. 3) ; the Sea is now added
and recognize both the grandeur of explicitly. The gathering
no longer is

{,
the Lord's sacrificial act, and its representative only, but exhaustive,
The doxology which not one created thing being omitted
infinite merit.
they offer to the Lamb is even fuller avTols ).
than that which in

,,,,
by the Elders to the Creator, for to
glory and honour and power it adds
riches, wisdom, strength, and blessing.
iv. 11 is offered

are
occurs
where ,it seems
from ()
18,
is
1
first

Tim.
; in Sirach

iv. 4,
to
and Wisdom,
be distinguished
in the N.T. (Jac.
Apoc. v. 13, viii. 9)
invariably concrete, 'a creature,' 'a
i.

it

specially appropriate in a doxology created thing.' The Seer does not

'
22
,
offered to Christ

] ,.[ Be
; cf.

,
2
I
Cor.
Cor.
viii.

i.

Lc.

Hum.
9
24
xi.
himself see Creation rising in its in-
numerable forms of life to offer its
doxology; this is no part of the vision
which comes to him through the open
door. But he hears the roar of the
XV. 29 ev great acclamation as it rises to heaven,
For and in a doxology and it is heard also within the circle
see Chron. xxix. 11 f.
1 The seven round the Throne, for the re-
attributes form a heptad of praise spond (v. 14). John's nearness to the
•which leaves nothing wanting in the Throne, or (what is the same thing)
Angels' acclamation of the Lamb.
Arethas compares Mt. xxviii. 18
ev .,
& and
the elevation of his spirit, enables
him to voice the purpose of universal
Nature ; he becomes conscious that
adds : it exists only, to glorify God and the
SeoOrai Lamb.
6—2
 84 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [V. 13

14 14
evXoyia
.
' ^. , -
] ]
\ C

]}
om me om

] AQ 1678] al""1 Andr Ar

13
°•* A syr |
-] om |
|

* om arm8 |

28 vg]
pr
+ Q al" tmu aeth utr
Q min",tmu Byre" me Ar
vg cle Prim
Andr Ar
pr
14 XPQ
Q minfCTe4° Ar
Q map**" Andr Ar
|
] ] |
|
|
e\eyov 1

+ risen-
7

tern in saecula saeculorum vg ole Prim om 130

] Cf. .. 3 the
Throne belongs to God and to the
Lamb conjointly (see iii. 21 note);
r<5
In xxii. , The words are probably suggested by
the familiar 'Amen' with which at
JSphesus and elsewhere in Asia the
: ib. 67.

but the offering of the doxology to Seer's own Eucharistic thanksgiving

Both in the same terms is scarcely
less significant.
doxology was sevenfold, the Creation's
is fourfold, consisting of the last three
points in the former, with the addition
had always been ended. The whole
While the Angels' passage is highly suggestive of the
devotional attitude of the Asiatic
Church in the time of Domitian to-
wards the Person of Christ. It con-

,
of which takes the place of
active power being here in view
firms Pliny's report "[Christianos]
carmen Christo quasi deo dicere
rather than a reserve of secret strength
(cf. Eph. i. 19, vi. 10).

Mc.
iii.
xiii.

II. 8
27,
This fourfold
attribution of praise agrees with the
character of those who offer it, for four
is the number of the creature ; see

., Apoc. iv. 6, vii. i

It is perhaps not without

; Iren.
] .
secum invicem," and the statement
in Euseb. H.E. V. 2%,

\oyov

The whole
•'

service of praise
ends with a fresh act of homage on
the part of the Church's representa-
-
-
meaning that each of the perfections tives. Here as in iv. 10 it is the
named is separately emphasized by Elders who prostrate themselves. The

| ): .
the article (17 .
.
. deepest homage is due from the

:
it. contrast 12 Church, which has been redeemed and
Eis made a royal priesthood unto, God.
gives infinity to the
whole ; the exaltation of the Lamb is VI. 1 —
17. The Opening of the,
not temporary but enduring.

] 14.
The heavenly representatives
-yov
FIRST SIX SEALS
.
ceeds (on
8 .] The vision pro-
see v. 1, 6, 11).
of animate creation confirm the dox- The Lamb, who has already taken the
ology which rises from the earth. roll (v. 7), now opens the

, - one by
seals
—
For
' 6
cf. Chron. xvi. 36
I

rj
Cor. xiv.
one. The first four openings (vv.
form a series, marked by a common
note; each is preceded by an utter-
1
8)

16
Justin, apol. i. 65
crfj

6 ance from one of the four and ,

 ,
VI. 2]

, , ,
1
Kai

77?
'
cos
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

',-. ,
85

VI.

VI eiiov CP minf Ar] NAQ 7 14 92 ore] on Q min"*• 40 arm vgf"»»"">rt

Andr Ar om
pon A 130 ! | , 6 28 34 79 al me arm

6 31
1
\eyovros]
26 gi 130 vg arm1
|
[

syr post \?
syrS"' Tia |
| ]
+ HQ min rere25 + et vide vgclefil syrr me aeth Vict Prim 1 ei5. KP 1

a l»tmu
]
lSo „ AC y 3 g)"| om Q m i n fereS0 v gfude m h.rl*tolllp. yi ct p rj m \ pr KM ?

,,
(

syr*" pr «A arm'• 4

followed by the appearance of a horse iv. 8 ; ii. 5, 16, iii. 11, xvi. 15,
and his rider, whose significance is xxii. 7j 12, 20; i. 7 > *PX ot, j .

partly explained. xxii. 17, 20). The

two references last
For ix, ivos in, see v. 5 note; help to determine the. meaning of
ex with a partitive genitive is especi- here; the 'Come' of the'
frequent in the Apoc, cf. Blass,'
ally corresponds to the 'Come' of the
Gr. p. 96 f. The writer declines to Spirit and the Bride, and of the hearer
say which seal was opened first, or and the writer of the book (xxii. 1 7, 20);
which of the
is material.
xiv. 2, xix. 6,
began ; neither point

and
!,
for the instrumental
cf.
Nature no less than the Spirit in re-
deemed Man calls for the coming of
the Christ. Thus the fourfold
dative see v. 12, vi. 10 ;
(Si), of the represents the
(), are corrections. It is rfjs (Rom. viii. 19 flf.) which at
unnecessary to create an irregularity each crisis in the preparatory process
by reading (with Teschendorf, becomes vocal in the ear of the
Bousset, Nestle). prophet.
Each of the in succession 2. elfiov,

thunders out his (vv. 1, 3, 5, 7). .] The vision of the four horsemen,
The scribes have understood this as a distinguished by the colour of their
call to the Seer, and many mss. ac- horses, who follow successively the
cordingly add iSf, or ; opening of the first four seals, has
see app. crit. But (1) deipo would
,.,.
",
evidently been suggested by Zech. vi.
have been the natural word to invite
the approach of the Seer; and (2)
no reason can be shewn why he should
have been called within the door and
across the Sea in order to witness the
I flf.,

,, iv
iv
iv

visions which follow. Many ancient (grizzled bay). Zechariah's four

interpreters, regarding the white horse
as the "verbum praedicationis " ( Vic-
torinus, cf. Zahn, Einl. ii. p. 689),
explain Veni as the summons to faith
•
(e.g. Apringius " veni dicitur invitatio
: world.
ad fidem"). But throughout the Apoc.
is used of the comings of
God or of Christ (<5 :,
i. 4, 8,
horses are "the four winds of heaven "
(». s), and their mission is to execute
judgement upon Babylon, Egypt, and
the other heathen nations of the
The Apocalyptist borrows
only the symbol of the horses and
their colours, and instead of yoking
the horses to chariots he sets on each
86

3
,. '
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
6
[VI.

€.-.
Tert 3
] alP"" + ei
}
Sevrepov
me + ..
.
vide vg 0lefudemhar "olll i"
32 36 pr

1
\eyovTO?'
.
syrs" om

Q minP Andr Ar
1

me (aeth) Vict Prim Andr

arm
+ | ]
34 35 3 8 39

of them a rider in whom the interest Moreover the horses which

pertinet."
of the vision is centred. drew the quadriga were on occa-
sions white; see Plutarch, Camitt. 7

, -
In the first vision the horse is white,
the rider carries a bow and receives a
conqueror's crown (:) ; he goes

forth, it is noted, as a conqueror, and adds, it is time :

! '. He
9

conquests
It is
(., ).
with the purpose of winning fresh
not us
tempting to identify him with
tos
but
(C.
cf.

Julius
Dio Cassius,
Caesar)
. R. xliii
;

14

the Rider on the white horse in

xix. 1 1 ff., whose name is the Word
of God' cf. Iren. iv. 21. 3 "ad hoc
;
'
.
3 f.
enim nascebatur Dominus..,de quo et
Ioannes in Apocalypsi ait Exivit vin-
.] As the white horse and
rider vanish, bent on the career
cens, ut vinceret." But the two riders
have nothing in common beyond the
Jiis
of conquest ( ),
the Lamb

white horse ; the details are distinct

contrast e.g. the
xix. 12 with the single
and the with the .), of
here,
opens

but
iii. 22
second seal, and there
the
comes forth another horse, not white
'blood red' (cf. 4 Regn.
(D'ETK)
the word is used of the red-
'
A vision of the victorious Christ would ;

brown of the heifer (Num. xix. 2), and

be inappropriate at the opening of a
here, as in Zech. i. 8, vi. 2, of the roan
serieswhich symbolizes bloodshed,
of the horse, not however without
famine,and pestilence. Rather we
allusion to its proper meaning, The
have here a picture of triumphant
militarism. The lust
which makes great Empires, whether
the Seer had in view the Empire. of
of conquest
()
rider on the red horse has received
a great sword, as a
symbol of his mission. may
the Caesars or the Parthian power be either a knife carried in a sheath
which menaced it (for, as Prof. Ramsay at the girdle (Je. xviii. 10), or a
says (Letters, p. 58), the bow points weapon for use in war (see Hastings,
specially to the latter Mommsen,
; cf. D. B. iv. 634); this one is clearly of
rom. Gesch. v. 389), was the first and the latter sort, and it is large of its
most momentous of the precursors of kind ().
the final revelation. Together with the sword the second
In a Roman triumphal procession rider had received power to plunge
the victorious general did not ride the world into war; his sword was
a white horse, but was seated in a
four-horse car (Ramsay, Letters, I. c).
Yet white was the colour of victory;
cf. Verg. Aen. iii. 537 "quattuor hie,

primum omen, equos in gramine

not the symbol of civil' justice (Rom.
xiii. 4) but of bloodshed.
given him to take Peace
"It was

from off the earth and (to cause men)

to slay one another" the negative and —
( )
vidi tondentes campum late can-
I
positive sides of warfare. The con-

(.
dore nivali " ; on which Servius struction is rugged and broken, as if
remarks, " hoc ad victoriae omen in sympathy with the subject
 ? ,' )< '
,
VI. 6] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 87
4
4

.
,
, ' , < £.
- !

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sc. ol
Fer «-a with the fut hid. see
..
«. on the black horse
this description leaves
he is. He
is

carries in his hand, not

not named, but
no doubt who
717s)•
WM. p. 360 f., Blass, Gfr. p. 211 f. bow or sword, but the beam of a pair
other exx. may be found in Apoc.
lit 9, VI. II, viii. 3, ix. 4 f., 20, xiii. I2,
l6(?), xiv. 13, xxii. 14.
If the Seal has been inter-
first
preted rightly, there can be little
difficulty in explaining the second,
Victory, white-horsed and crowned,
,.
, !]
of scales. For the meaning of fuyor
Cf. Prov. XVi II

Ezek. .

; the muse, is found also in the

wherever the gender can be de-

i/XX•,

wears another aspect when viewed termined, and in Mt. xi. 29 f.

in the lurid light of the battlefield.
Triumph spells much bloodshed and
slaughter in the past, and the main-
«-,
6.

] Lest this rider should

not be sufficiently identified by his
iv

tenance and .extension of an Empire• equipment, there conies from the

based on conquest demands more in midst of the what sounds like
the future. On the sword as the a voice (<bs, cf. v. 1 1, vi. 1, xix. 1, 6),

emblem of Roman domination see the protest of Nature against the

Mommscn, rom. Gesch., I. c. horrors of famine.
5. ore .]
The voice fixes
.] The breaking qf the third a maximum price for the main food-
seal lets loose a black horse.Blood- stuffs. The denarius, the silver 'franc!
shed not the only attendant upon
is of the Empire, was the daily wage
conquest; Scarcity follows. The rider (Mt. xx. 2), and a choerdx of wheat
88

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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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[VI. 6

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,
the average daily consumption of the
workman (Suidas
cf. Athen. iii. 20). Barley
was largely the food of the poor, as
: «| - Wheat and barley, oil and wine, were
the staple food both of Palestine and
Asia Minor, and the voice from the
midst of the )
deprecates any heavy

-\
being relatively cheaper than wheat,
cf. 4 Regn. vii. 18
loss in these crops. Yet the very cry
reveals the presence of relative hard-
ships, and the danger of worse things
'
.
:

NT.
in times the proportionate cost
was probably as three to one, as the
Apocalyptistputs it here

sents the Hebrew

). (, &
3 in Ezek.
repre-
xlv.
</
cf.

iii.

ii.
On
Mc.

432

11, note.
xiii.

a.
8

to
See Hastings, D.

'injure,' hurt,
.
see

10 f. lxx:, i.e., 60 —
70 pints (Hastings, 7 f. ore
D. B. iv. 912); but the Greek measure .]
At the opening of
in view was something
pints ; the Vg. renders
The proclamation, then,
| under two
here by the fourth ,,
the fourth seal, after the call from
another horse is seen,

. which the Apo-

bitibris. for- described as
bids famine prices, ensuring to the
labourer ,a sufficiency of bread, and
warning the world against such a rise
in the price of cereals as would de-
prive men of the necessaries of life.
calyptist substitutes for

,
26, Ezek.
is
Zechariah's
the lxx. and NT.
the usual epithet of
(Gen. i. 303, 4 Regn. xix.
xvii. 24, Mc. vL 39,
,Apoc.
A similar embargo is laid on any viii. 7), and is 'vegetation'
attempt to destroy the liquid food of generally (Gen. Apoc. ix. 4).
\ ii. 5,

]!—
the people
the prohibition is addressed
to the nameless rider who represents
But "equus pud. 20)
viridis" (Tert.
is scarcely tolerable, even in this book
of unimaginable symbols;
Dearth. The oliveyards and vineyards must bear here its other meaning, 'of
are not to suffer at all. In Th. Lit- pale complexion'; the word is used
teraturzeitung, 1902 (22, p. 591) especially iii reference to the grey,
Harnack points to a decree of Domi- ashen colour of a face bleached by
tian in A.D. 92 which implies that the fear (cf. fie'or, II. vii. The
479).
grape harvest was abundant at a time
when there was a corn famine cf. also
Rev. Archeol. ser. iii. t. xxxix. 1901
(Nov.—Dec), pp. 350-374 (I owe
these references to Dean Bernard).
:
'pale' horse is the

xx.
54 f.), with
13 f.,
,
and its rider a personification of
Death ( as in i. 18, ix. 6,
xxi. 4;
symbol of Terror,

cf.
whom follows—whether on
1 Cor. xv. 26,
 VI. 9 ]

,
,
,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

eVi
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1
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9
7 (14) 3* (92))] + /cat C
the same or another horse or on foot saw a vast world-wide power, out-
the writer does not stop to say or even wardly victorious and eager for fresh
—
to think; his inseparable comrade, conquests, yet full of the elements of
Hades (i. 16, note, xx. 13 f.). unrest, danger, and misery; war,
avrois .] Cf. V. 4. scarcity, pestilence, mortality in all
• A wider commission is given to
far its forms, abroad or ready to shew
the fourth rider than to the second themselves. This series of pictures
his authority extends over a fourth of repeats itself in history, and the
the earth 7 ff.), and his oppor-
(cf. viii. militarism and lust of conquest, which
tunities of exercising it are manifold. it represents both in their attractive

To shews that this is no mere and repellent aspects, are among

commonplace of human

. : ]
mortality, but the forces set loose by the hand of
describes an unusual visitation, in Christ to prepare the way for His
which^ Death is busy in various forms. coming and the final publication of
..\...... the secrets of the Sealed Book.
—the 'four sore judgements' of
aeis ?,
Ezekiel xiv. 21
Tas
: ras &- 9.

open the
from the
ore

seals, but no "

The Lamb continues to
comes
the history of the

:
;

cf. Lev. xxvi. 23 flf., Jer, xxi. 7, Ezek. v. world-wide Empire has been exhausted
12 — 17, xxix. 5, xxxiii. 27, xxxiv. 28. by the first four. With the fifth seal
In these O.T. passages 6 is the Church comes into sight, in its
= "12J3,pestilence; and such is doubt- persecuted, suffering, state. "While
less the meaning of here, as the Empire was pursuing its victorious
distinguished from other causes of course through bloodshed and death,
mortality. On see Apoc. i. the Church followed the steps of 'the
16, note. The devastations caused by
wild beasts are perhaps mentioned
chiefly because they belong to Ezekiel's
list of judgements. But they suggest
the depopulation caused' by war,
dearth, and pestilence (cf. Deut. vii.
22), and- so have a special fitness in
this context.
The first group of seal-openings,
persecution,

An
eidov
and shews
the Divine plan of history.
)
Lamb that was slain.' The loosing of
the fifth seal interprets the age of
its relation to

mentioned also in viii. 3, £

altar is
ix. 13, xi. 1, xiv. 18, xvi. 7, where see
notes. Though no altar appears in
the vision of c. iv., its existence is
.]

now completed, describes the con- assumed by the article, perhaps on'
dition of the Empire as it revealed the ground that the heavenly worship
itself to the mind of the Seer. He which the Seer had witnessed is tiie
90

? - THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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The
the earthly; cf. Heb.viii. 5.
altar here in
(Gen.iv. ...,
so in the ears of the Seer the
cf. Heb.
view is the counter- xii. 24),
part of the Altar of Burnt Offering, souls of the martyrs(Le. their sacrificed

' ,
and the victims which have been lives) called aloud for judgement on
offered at it are the martyred mem- 'the pagan world. It was a quousque
bers of the Church, who have followed tandem? 'how long, Master Holy and

(
their Head in the example of His

').
sacrificial death cf. ;
True, dost thou not judge and avenge?'
For «os see Mc. ix. 19, and cf.
V. 6

() Their souls
are seen "under the altar,"
because in the Levitical rite the
.
Exod.

(=|
xvi. 28

*J'-IK
tiVos; 2 Esdr. xii. 16

in the
as a title of God
lxx. usually

,
: ),

blood, which is the (Lev. xvii. occurs in the voc, whether alone or
II yap with Kupws (Gen. xv. 2, 8, Jer. iv. 10,
),was poured out at the =
foot of the altar (Lev. iv. 7
' cf. Pirqe Aboth 26).
Dan. ix. 15); on
see Blass, Gr. p. 87. Christ is

(cf. 2 Pet. ii. 1), and receives the

ill Jude 4

They had been slain epithets ayior, in Apoc. iii.

phrase repeated with a slight change
from i. 9, and found again with varia-
tions in xii. 11, 17, xix. 10, xx. 4.
the two causes of martyrdom are to
be sharply distinguished, as the re-
peated seems to indicate, the first
will be the martyrs' confession of the
One Living and True God, as against
polytheism and Caesarism, and the
second their witness to Jesus Christ.
— 7 ; but in a passage so full of O.T.
reminiscences as this is, the Person
addressed as is probably the
If Father, as in Lc. ii. 29, Acts iv. 24.
.
The martyrs being Christ's are also
God's (1 Cor. iii. 23), and the holiness
and truth of the Supreme Master
demand the punishment of a world
responsible for their deaths. The
words only assert the principle of
Divine retribution, which forbids the

'[
In mart. Polyc. 9 the test offered to

], \ On3/ ...\
.
exercise of personal revenge (Rom.
Polycarp is twofold
- :
xii. 19 f.

.,.
see Tertullian anim. 8 "animae
corpus invisibile carni, spiritui vero
it
tj opyfl (sc.
yap 'Euol But
was long before this was fully
).),
understood, and the Acts of the
visibile est."

.
Beatus: "animarum verba ipsa sunt
§ .]
martyrs relate many instances in
which the sufferers met their judges
with threatenings of the coming wrath,
desideria" cf. Bar. iii. 4. As the blood
; not always free from the spirit of
of Abel cried for vengeance on Cain viudictiveness ; even Polyc. mart. 11
 ,,
VI. 1
1] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

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e/cStfceis
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]\ pr 30** 87

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|

vg arm 1 aeth Cypr biB Prim al

mini"""' Clem-Al
|

|
]
.

]
|
7 28 35 49 '
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28 73 me
APQ 178
28 36 79 98 al] tva HC minP' 130

shews something of this tendency. It
is not however to be read into this
quousque, as the fiery Tertullian more
than once implies ; cf. Bede " non
haec odio inimicorum, pro quibus in
are seen "in their celestial apparel"
(ix. 9 "existentes in stolis excelsis").
But the martyr's individual victory is
: assured as soon as he is 'with Christ';
he knows himself a conqueror, while
on earth the Church recognizes his

; '
hoc saeculo rogaverunt, orant, sed
amore aequitatis." victory by adding his name to her
Oi5 ? : 'dost Thou hagiographies.
refrain from pronouncing judgement
and executing vengeance.'

,''
-- Cf. Lc. .] On
avTo'is
the other hand (2) for their

' '
XVUi. 7 f• Sfbs ov full reward, for the triumph which
they will share with Christ, they must
;. . await the completion of the martyro-
iv a passage — logion. But their waiting is qualified
which goes far to answer many ques- by two considerations; (1) it is but

' ()
tions in theodicy.
twos occurs again in xix. 2 ; cf.
"for a
cf. iv ,,
little while"
i.
(ert
I, xxii. 6f., 12,
;

20

' —the
,

,
in Deut. exact phrase occurs again in
xxxii. 41 A, 43, Hos. i. 4, Joel iii 21 A,
and

I
eVe

Regn. xiv. 24 ;
xiii. 6 tv ;
in Deut. xviii. 19
other combinations are '.

,
tivos,
Jer. v. 9, 29 ;
Mace.

Hos. ii. 13, iv. 9, Soph. i. 8, 12 S. ;

,
,
another connexion, xx. 3
x. 37

simply to wait
but to enjoy repose
cf. xiv. 13
).
),
cf. Heb.

);
and (2) the
waiting is, a rest ; they are not bidden
((
;

\
1
\~\
martyrs
tivos,
1 1,
Lc. xviii.

is revealed.
3.

The present condition of the

(1) They have
received a white robe (see iii 4 f.,
iv. 4, viL 9, 13, xix. 14 and cf. Le
part of the reward; to the Church
on earth it may be irksome, to the
martyrs themselves it is an
Further, the cause of the delay is
.
The delay is itself a

,
revealed. They are kept waiting ear
Blant, Les Actes des Martyrs, p. 240^
n. 2 ; on see Mc. xii. 38, note)
the honours of victory have already
been conferred upon them individu-
ally (), though the general and
the number of their fellow-slaves is
fully made up. For this use of
cf. Mt. xxiii. 32, 1 Thess. ii. 16 ; and

for the idea see Baruch xxx. 2

, till

public award is reserved for the Day " aperientur promptuaria in quibus .

of the Lord. The Ascension of Isaiah custoditus numerus animarum

erat
rightly represents the "white array" iustarum "; and cf. the Anglican Order
of the Saints as stored up for them in for the Burial of the Dead; "that it
the seventh heaven, ready against the may please Thee...shortly to accom-
day when they will descend with Christ plish the number of Thine Elect, and
(iv. 16), after which all the righteous to hasten Thy Kingdom." The harder
92

12
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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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reading implies a scarcely world and of the Church ; the sixth

tolerable ellipse of top (Acts opening looks on to the troubles which

/.
xiii. 25, xx. 24, 2 Tim. iv. 7) or

Of are the
rest of the saints (cf. Mt. xviii. 28 if.,
/ were expected to precede the end.
The sufferings of the nations and of
the Church were but an
Col. i. 7, iv. 7, Apoc. xix. 10, xxii. 9) (Mc. xiii. 8) ; with the opening of the
limited by the is sixth seal the cosmical disturbances
participial clause which follows to the of the last age begin cf. Mc. xiii. 24 ff.
rest of the martyrs; ... both , .
;

the saints in general, and the martyrs

in particular.
the Apocalyptist foresees an age of
. :

*
First there is a great
earthquake, not one of the
of which Asia had much
experience in the first century, but
persecution impending, cf. ii. 10, iii. 10.
The sufferers in the outbreak under the final• upheaval of Hagg. ii. 6
Nero are awaiting those who will suffer (Heb. XlL 26 ff.)
under Domitian and under other per-
,• :

-
secuting Emperors who are yet to come.
On the form see WH. !,
Notes, p. 176, Blass, Gr. p. 41, 55.
,
where the last words
supply the key to the meaning of the
There a remarkable parallel to
is symbolism : racial and social revolu-
this passage in 4 Esdr. iv. 35 f. "nonne tions are the which herald the
de his interrogaverunt animae ius- approach of the end.
torum in prumptuariis suis dicentes
Usquequo spero sic 1 et quando venit
fructus areae mercedis nostrae ? Et
!, .]
followed by the celestial phenomena
The earthquake is

respondit ad eas Hieremihel arch- which find a place in all apocalyptic

angelus et dixit Quando impletus descriptions of the last day cf. Joel
^- :

fuerit numerus similium vobis." It is

difficult to believe that the Esdras
writer or his redactor has not here
been indebted to the Christian apoca-
ii.

,
xiii.
31 (=iii.

«-0"€
4 Heb.):
(is

,- Isa.

,,
lypse but see Enc. Bibl. ii., col. 1394.
\
;

12. tibov ore ijvoi^ev (Mc. xiii. 24) : ib. 1.

3
.] The
openings first five
had revealed the condition of the
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,
VI. 14]

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syr*™ \ 31 |

Assumption 0/ Moses, 10. 5 f. "sol 11011 the Last Things (Mc. xiii. 28). Its
dabit lumen et in tenebras convertet

,
se ; cornua lunae confringentur et tota

convertet se in sanguinem."
Vg. saccus cilicinus, made .
early greenness suggested the ap-
proaching end of the world's long
winter, proclaiming '-
.- .
"

of the hair of the black goat ; cf. Isa. cf. Mt. XI. 7 .
L 3, and Sirach xxv. 17 ro
.]
.
4•
well depicts thedeep copper colour '
The heaven was parted '
; cf. Acts
which the moon assumes when totally XV. 39 coote
eclipsed with ' Here the exact sense

.
C. 12
viii.
;

.,. contrast
fff- ! is determined by what follows cos :

Eclipses and occultations of

)
'like a papyrus
the heavenly bodies are treated in roll (v. 1) when it is being rolled up'
EccL xii. 2 as symbols of old age and i.e. the expanse of heaven (l^jTin,

failing strength here they seem to

: was seen to crack and part,
represent the decay of society, such the divided portions curling up and
a period of collapse as followed the forming a roll on either hand. The
ruin of the Empire, and may yet be conception ,is borrowed from Isa.
-
in store for our present civilization.
13.
.]
as unripe figs
The stars fell
when the
from the sky
- , , xxxiv. 4
cf. Ps.

. 27 ci. (cil.)

The writer of 2 Peter

explains the cause of the phenomenon
cos

,
fall tree is
swept by a gale. Cf. Isa. xxxiv. 4 (iii. 12
).
, . ,
"
saw the
).
xiii. 25

terrible vision realised

the green figs
are
(grossi) which appear in winter and
of which, while some ripen, many fall

.,.
off in spring cf. Caiit. ii. nff.6
:
The Seer
(-
,
20

Nahum

Jer. iv. 24.

was
i.
:

5
.the

But
to 'move mountains'
a proverbial expression for at-
tempting apparent impossibilities, cf.
Mc. xi. 23, note, 1 Cor. xiii. 2 ; whilst
,
source
.]
is
Cf. xvi.

perhaps
'
or

(\3). It will be remembered the residence of the Seer in Patmos

that during the Ministry the fig-tree suggests a reference to the rocky
supplied our Lord with a parable of islands of the Aegean. The last
94 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [VI. 15

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times held in store movements not word to the Parthian as contrasted

less improbable than the upheaval of with the Roman authorities (Mommsen
Mt Sipylos or Messogis or Cadmos, or v. 343 by Bousset).
f. cited
the submerging of Patmos or Samos, .^
Not only officials
or even the whole archipelago ; move- will be terror-struck by the signs of
ments, however, not disastrous in their the approaching end, but all classes of

order, cf. Arethas

, ..
Art
.
.
ultimate results, but issuing in a higher
:

. ;
opas
cf. WM.
society wealth and physical strength

14) ;
;

will afford no security (for o£

see Jer. xxvi. (xlvi.)
slaves and
contrast free
5 f.,

—the
xxxi. j(xlviiL)

" !,
66 1. indicates the deepest of class-distinc-
5• -ikfls .] tions in ancient life will be huddled —
Seven conditions of life are named,
covering the whole fabric of society
from the Emperor down to the mealiest
together in the frantic attempt to
escape.
Oil Isa. ii. IO, 18 f. :
. is
els
based

slave. For yfjs, the els •>...

heads of states hostile to the Christ,
see Ps. ii. 2 ff., Acts iv. 26 ff. ; the
Caesars are in view here, but not
exclusively of the other persons in
authority who are named the
;
.
- ' ' ., '
t

6.
.]
els

From Hosea .8
(rnagistratus) are the civil officials
(e.g. the persecuting proconsuls), while
\
The words
the (tribuni) are the military
were quoted by our Lord on His way
authorities (cf. Mc. vi. 21, note); the
former word, is frequently coupled
to the cross, Lc. xxiii. 30
. What sinners

'
with (Jon. iii. 7, Isa. xxxiv.
dread most is not death, but the
12, Jer. xxv. 18 (xlix. 38), xxxii.
revealed Presence of God. There is
(xxv. 19), Dan. v. 2 f. Th., vi. 17);

.
5 deep psychological truth in the remark
is the lxx. equivalent of
of Gen. 8
5]Sk & and in the NT. (e.g., Acts
iii. /i

xxi. 31 ff., xxii. 24 ff., xxiii. 10 ff., xxiv. The Apocalyptist foresees the same
22) usually represents the Roman shrinking from the sight of God in the
tribunus militum (see Blass on Acts last generation of mankind which
I.c.) it is therefore not necessary
; Genesis attributes to the parents of
to find an allusion in the use of the the race. But there will then be a
. ]

< ,, ^
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

<
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,
further source of terror the end
: of mankind has antedated the judge-
brings with the revelation of God ment and believed it imminent.
" the wrath of the Lamb." The words sc. the wrath of God and
Ttjs

.
is now reversed.
are pregnant
with the grave irony which has already
shewn itself in v. 5f. 28...
eiSov... But the situation
The Lion standing
before the Throne is the Lamb the
Lamb in the great day of His ap-
pearing is once more the Lion, in
the terribleness of His wrath. In the
...

;
of the

rjj
\

ris
;
;] Lamb

opyfjs

Mai. iii.
:

;.
cf. v.

who, that has to meet that wrath, can

hold his ground V Cf. Nah. i. 6

;
2
iv
;
13, xxii. 1.
'And

Ps. xxxv. (xxxvi.)

-
iv

Gospels is attributed to Christ The Only

,
13
once only (Mc. iii. 5, see note), but possible answer is given by Christ
His scathing denunciations of the Himself in Lc. xxi. 36 fie

Pharisees (Mt.• xxiii. 14 ff.) and His

stern predictions of the doom of the
impenitent make it evident that the
Sacred Humanity is capable of a
righteous anger which is the worst
.
...
VII. — 8.
from the Tribes of Israel.
The Sealing of
' -
i44>p°°

punishment that the ungodly have to I. .] Cf. iv.

fear, more insupportable even than The reader expects

the vision of the Divine Purity.
i, note.
•
]
ore

17. on ?jk6ev
'The great day' is a
! (viii. ). But two
episodes, Occupying
the whole of c. vii., are introduced
phrase borrowed from the Prophets between the loosings of the sixth and
(Joel ii. 11, 31, Zeph. i. 14; cf. Jude 6). seventh seals. A
similar break follows
Here it is combined with another the blowing of the sixth trumpet (x.
prophetic phrase, 'the day of wrath' 1 — xi. 1 3). The purpose of the present
(Zeph. i. 15, 18,3; cf. Bom. ii. 5).
ii. pair of visions (1 8, 9 — —
17) is to con-

!
The Great Day of the Lord is a dies trast the preparedness of the Church
irae to the world. *0>,
'is already for the coming end with the panic of
the unprepared world (vi. 1 5 ff.).
come ' (i.e. it came when the signs of
—
the end described in vv. 12 14 began).
Pear anticipates the actual event, for
there is another seal to be opened be- ,
.
eVi
8. The earth
regarded as
in view of the four quarters
is
• - Cf.

fore the parousia. There have been

epochs in history when the conscience }
from which the winds blow the
233, LXX. ol
—
,
 . <*
? THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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of Isa. xi. 12, Ezek. vii. 2. Por oi (Num. iii. 38, B), but is some-
cf. Zech. ii. 6, . 5;
times expressed (Jos. i. 1 5, xiii. 5
Dan. vii 2, viii. 8, xi. 4, Mc. xiii. 27 Isa. xi. 11, 14, Apoc. xvi 12). Prom
Enoch (lxxvi. 7) mentions twelve winds the writer's point of view the East
(E. S. "W. N., and the intermediate is the direction of Palestine and the
points), countries beyond it and it was fitting
;

roils that the angel who is to seal the

."] At each of the quarters one tribes of Israel should appear from

,.
of the four winds is held prisoner by that quarter. Or there may be a re-

.
an angel appointed to the task. Por
', 'hold fast,' 'detain,' cf. Cant.
ference to Ezek. xliii. 2

,:]
iii.

{
4
Jo. XX. 23
,

With these
...
Mai. iv. 2

ascent implies that he has been em-

(iii 20)
The angel's

angel-custodians of the winds may be ployed in some service on the earth,

compared the angel
eVi roO (xiv. 1 8) and the "angel
of the waters" (xvi. 5). The angels of
the winds control their movements
it is their mission to prevent out-
and now rises into the sky to deliver
his message.

is
,

here the signet-ring =

(Gen. xli 42, Esther iii 10, viii 2 ff.,
]-
• :', .
breaks of elemental fury. According Dan. vi. 17, 1 Mace, vi 15), which
to Jewish belief a terrific storm was to the Oriental monarch uses to give
usher in the end, cf. Orac. Sibytt. viii. validity to official documents or to
204 f. iroWfj yalav \
mark his property. The symbolism
' seems to be based on Ezek. ix. 4,

)
,
specified, as suffering

change of case
most severely
from the violence of the winds. The
(.
answers to a subtle difference in
the trees are

-.. .-
where a man provided with an ink-
horn is bidden to set a mark (1PI,
i.e. the letter which in
the older script was cruciform, see
Hastings, D. B. i p. 71) on the fore-
the force of ; the winds blow on heads of the righteous in Jerusalem,
land and sea, but the trees are singled
out for a direct attack.
2.

.] A fifth
&-
angel is seen
with a view to their being spared in
an impending massacre. But for .a
mark made by the pen of a scribe
the Apocalyptist, who has lately had
mounting up from the suurising,'ie.
from the Orient;
the usual lxx. phrase (Gen.
is ~ xi. 2, Mt.
before him the vision of the sealed
roll, substitutes the impression of the
Divine signet-ring. The conception
ii. 1) or less frequently, of a Divine sealing occurs freely in
'
VII. 4]

3
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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to prohibit the angels of the winds
from letting loose the elements until
]

|
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),
-

, iv
iv. 30

and once in the Fourth

els .
his work of sealing isdone. For
see vi. 10. The angels of the
winds are identified with the winds,
Gospel (Jo. yap vi. 27 as the angels of the Churches with
).
In post-Apostolic the societies they represent (see i. 20,
writings 'the seal of the Lord' is note) ; it is theirs to hurt or not as
either Baptism (Herm. sim. ix. 16
ovv to
AL quis div. 42 to
Clem. , -
they will, unless withheld by a special

).(
prohibition
The
...
restraint which is
put upon them represents the Divine
),
!
or the chrism which followed
it. Here the seal, being in the hands of

an angel, can hardly be sacramental. .

=,
postponement of the catastrophe until
the Church is ready (xxi. 2).
For ols.. see ii. 7, note ; and

,
The general sense is Well given in

. '
2 Tim. ii. 19

Cf. Orig. in Joann. t. i. 1 ovv

for
vi. 6.

.]
3.

a mark
Cf.

()
Apoc.
cf. ii.

ix. 4, xiv. 1, xxii.

of the opposite
ii, note,

tovs
4
' character is mentioned in xiiL 16,
xiv. 9, XX. 4. On .
With, cf. see Apoc.
.
;
i. 1, ii. 20, xix. 2, 5, xxii. 3, 6.
. 6,7 : the phrase, which is fairly "', addressed by an angel to angels,
common in the N.T. (Mt. 2 Acts 1 Paul 5, , ,
bond of a common service
points to the
Heb. 4 Apoc. 3 ),
,
rests on the ^0 ?8 of which links angels with the saints:
the O.T. (Jos. iii. 10, Ps. xli.• 3 (xlii. 'they are the servants of the God
2), Hos. i. 10 (ii. 2)). In the Apoc; whom we also serve.'
it suggests a contrast between the 4 — 8. » .]
God

first
of Christ
the nonentities
worship.
and of Christians and

care of the Angel with the Seal

-
(1 Cor. viii. 4) of pagan

.] The :
The Seer does not witness the sealing,
but he hears the number of the sealed
announced, and who they are.

by
the gender
(v. 3) ;
isdetermined
-
"WH. places a.
s. R.
98

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THE APOCALYPSE OE ST JOHN [VII. 5

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comma after ., but perhaps un- omitted name is Dan, a tribe which
necessarily. The sum
12 x 12,009, is perhaps is dropped also, together with
and each of the tribes of" Israel con- Zebulun,, in 1 Chron. ii 3 viii, but —
tributes an equal proportion. The see Enc. Bibl. i p. 996, note. 4. A
tribes are named separately in the mystical reason was given for the
order Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher,
: omission of Dan from the Apocalyptic
Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, list by Irenaeus v. 30. 2 "Hieremias...

Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph (i.e. E- et tribum ex qua veniet [Antichristus]

phraim), Benjamin. manifestavit dicens ex Dan audie-
:

lists of the patriarchs or of the mus vocem velocitatis equorum eius

tribes occur in Geii. xxxv. 22 ff., xlvi propter hoc non an-
(Jer. viii. 16).. .et
Exod Num. numeratur tribus haec in Apocalypsi

,
8 xlix.,

.. ,
ff., i. 1 ff., i., ii.,

xiii. 4 ff., xxvi., xxxiv., Deut. xxvii. cum his quae salvantur." Cf. Hippo-
n ff., 6 ff., Josh, xiii xxii,
xxxiii. — lytus de Antichristo 14
Judg. v., 1 Chron. ii. viii., xii. 24 ff., — 6
xxvii. i6ff.,Ezek.xlviii.; a comparative 6
table will be found in Hastings, D. B. So Arethas : 17

iv. p. 811. The order differs more or

less in every case. The Apocalyptic
order starts with the tribe from which
Christ came (cf. c.
proceeds to the tribe of the firstborn
son of Jacob, which heads most of the
O.T. lists ; next come the tribes located
in the North, broken by the mention of
Simeon and Levi, who in other lists
usually follow Reuben or Judah while
Joseph and Benjamin, bring up the
rear. This arrangement seems to have
been suggested partly by the birth
order of the patriarchs and partly
by the geographical situation of the
tribes ; Christian associations have pro-r
bably determined the place of Judah
and of the Galilean tribes. Since Levi
is counted in, it has been necessary
to omit one of the other tribes ; the
v. 5) ; and theii
«
Either from a
misunderstanding of Gen. xlix. 17 or
from the story of Judges xviii. (cf
Targ. Jon. on Exod xvii 8), Dan is
associated in Rabbinical lore with idol-
atry and apostasy (see Shabbath 66)
; the Testaments of the xii Patriarchs
(Dan 5) seem to predict an alliance
between Dan and Beliar. On the
late Christian tradition which assigns
Antichrist to this tribe, see Bousset
Antichrist, p. 112 ff.; it may partly
be due to Jewish sources, and partly
have been suggested by the omission
of Dan from the Apocalyptic list.
It is more important to enquire
whether the Apocalyptist intends the
VII. 9 ] .THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN .9.9

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144,000 sealed Israelites to represent campaign which is yet before them,

—
the elect of Israel

Christians (Victorinus), or the whole

),
the Jewish
(cf. Rom. xi 5

\
whereas in vv. 9 17 all the generations
of the faithful appear in their cduntless
numbers, no longer needing the safe-
numberofthefaithful(Primasius "om- : guard of the Divine Seal, but triumph-
nis significatur ecclesia," and so Bede). antandatrest. Cf.Beatus: "cxlivmillia
The third of these views is supported, omnino ecclesia est ; quid sit ex omni
by (a) the tendency of the Apocalypse Iribu exposuit dicens ex omni gente."
to regard the Church as the true Israel 9 17. — The triumph of the
(cf. e.g. ii. 9, iii. 9 if.), (6) the use of the innumerable multitude,
same number in xiv. 1 for the followers el8ov The second .]
,
9.
of the Lamb, whose foreheads bear the vision, introduced by a fresh
names of God and Christ, and (c) the presents a series of sharp con-
circumstance that none are sealed trasts when compared with the first
but the 144,000 of Israel. Had it In the first, the concourse can be
been the purpose of the Apocalyptist counted ; in the second, it is incalcu-
to distinguish between two bodies of lably great. In the first, it is drawn
the elect, he would surely hav e repre- N
from the twelve tribes of Israel; in
sented both as alike receiving the seal the second, from every nation. In
which was to mark the "servants of the first, it is being prepared for
God"; but the sealing is expressly imminent peril ; in the second, it is
limited, to the twelve tribes. It follows victorious and secure.
that the Israel of the first vision is ISov noKvs .] . Cf. xix.
coextensive with the whole Church , 6.The writer perhaps recalls the
(cf. Orig. in Joqnn. t. i. 1, Renan, vast crowd that thronged our Lord
I'Antechrist, p. 390), and the during His ministry ; see Mc. iv. 1, v.
iroXvs of . 9 have been sealed already 21, 24, Lei xii 1, Jo. vi. 2, xii. 9, 12.
in their capacity of elect Israelites. Ov pv&eis in ^/,
The two visions depict the same body, contrast with v. 4 ;
under widely different conditions in ; possibly there is an allusion to Gen.
dv. 4 —
8 the true Israelites (Jo. i. 17, xv. 5, xxxii. 12 (cf. Heb. xi. 12). In
Rom. ii. 29, Gal. vi. 16) of a single the Church, which is Abraham's seed,
generation are marshalled under, the the promise of a countless progeny
banners of their several tribes for the will at length be realised (Gal. iii.
7,

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Apoc. v. 9, xi. 9, xiii. 7, xiv. 6, xvii. 1 5 ;

.] The construction is much
this favourite formula found a daily
illustration in the polyglott cosmo-
politan crowd who jostled one another
in the agora or on the quays of the
(. ...
broken, as if in sympathy with the
rapture and abandon of the moment.

). ...

.. The
...

ace.
Asian seaport towns.
constructio ad sensum ; the crowd is
(a

in thought resolved into the plurality

.
of its countless constituents)
Hitherto only the
an 8, understood
671, 724 ;

is
seems to presuppose

Blass, Gr. p. 81)

in

an obvious correction. The

whole company of the elect are now
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Elders, the $,
and the Angels have seen clad in the white robes which in
had places assigned to them in the vi. 1 1 distinguish the Martyrs ; what

presence of God and of the Lamb, but

in this prospectivemsion the presence-
chamber crowded with a vast
is
assemblage of men drawn from every
;

nation upon earth and by some unex-

thesymbol here represents is explained
below,

,
v. 13

palm branches
(Lev. xxiii. 40),
f.,

] --
(=
where see notes.

. (2 Esdr.
plained process transported to heaven. or
xviii. (viii.) 15) . (Jo. 13)), xii.

Perhaps no passage in the Apocalypse as in 2 MaCC X. 7 -

has had so wide an influence on popular
eschatology. The symbolism must not
however be pressed into the service
of the fancy which places redeemed
humanity in a localised abode of God
. ; cf.

They were carried at the

Feast of Tabernacles, and used in
Pollux

constructing the shelters on the house-

i. 244

and of Angels. Life "before the
Throne of God" is life wherever
spent, if it is dominated by a joyful
consciousness of the Divine Presence
and Glory. The present picture must
be correlated with that of cc. xxi.,
xxii.,where the future state is pre-
sented in the light of a City descending
from Heaven, yet. possessing within
its walls the Throne of God.
The scene of vii. 9 anticipates the
flf.
tops required on that occasion (Lev.
to these
* .
xxiii. 42, 2 Esdras 11. cc.) ; an allusion
may be latent in v. 15
But palm-
branches were regarded as appro-
priate at any season of joy or triumph
the Triumphal Entry (Jo. I. c.) may be
in view, or such a scene as that
described in 1 Mace. xiii. 51
]...

final condition of redeemed humanity.

Like the Transfiguration before the
Passion, it prepares the Seer to face
l.c.
[sc.

,
.,.
Verg. Aen. v. 1 1 1 "palmae, pre-
Cf.
tium victoribus"; Pausanias, Arcad.
MaCC or in 2

the evil which is yet to come. 48

VII. 12] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
'! (pwvij AeyovTes

- .
- , ™\< ,
' 1

]] *
} pr
*
Byr8 w |
vg arm Oypr Prim
ti ca Q I 7 36 79 al ]
me Ar

(.
|
A 38 me
K c•* + eis roire ai&was
|
12

! ! !.
II 130 Q)] (C) 51 |

Q minP Audr Ar1

|
2°] + Q minP'i 26 syr aeth Ar |

!.
48 me aeth om [
syr""

scorp. 12 "palmis victoriae insignes

;
Tert. ! cf. . note. The elect of
: 3,
revelantur scilicet de Antichristo mankind claim God as their God,

!
triumphantes" ; Andreas:
.. -- roi/s rfjs since He is the God of Christ (Jo.

The
!...
Deissniann S
suggestion (Bible Studies, p. 370)
needs confirmation.
.
,
polyglott multitude
V. 9) shouts its
/ (!
.]
xx. 17, Apoc. iii. 12).

.]
Angels
1 1,

praise, as in' iv.

there,
endorse

a circle romid the Throne,

(exclaims Andreas)

11
.
the ascription
ff. They form, as
The
of

praises as with one voice ; for

see vi. 10, vii. 2. The key
note of the strain is (cf. xii.
outside the Elders and the
position relatively to the
; their

is not stated, but the exigencies of

$ :
10, xix. 1) ; those who raise it have
all experienced the great deliverance

.
(v.
the
14)
Lamb
which they ascribe to God and
: cf. Ps. iii. 9
the scene appear to require that they
should stand nearer the Throne. For
the it is sufficient to be
(w. 9, 15), seeing the God,
Whom they serve.
^
To cry
equivalent to attributing
to Both the title of so freely
given by the loyal or pliant cities of
Asia»to the Emperors, but belonging
, .]
i.
'. and for
Cf. iv. 10, xi. 16;
..in \

The Angels, while

7, v. 14, xix. 4.
adding their 'Amen' to the doxology
,
in Christian eyes only to God and to of the Church, offer their own tribute
His Christ. The Pastoral Epistles in other words. It is addressed to

(i) I
Tit.

,
Tim.
i. 3, !,!-
supply examples of both applications,
i.

iii. 4 .
. 3»
:
the Majesty on the throne, Whom
like the redeemed they call their God
(v. 12) the Lamb is not included as
;

(2) Tit.

!.
i.

.
4
13

!,. iii. 6
in v. 13. The ascription is sevenfold,
as in v. 12, but it does not exactly
agree with any of the previous dox-

.
'
compare
, Jo. iv.

Acts iv. 12
., Jude 3
22 .
...
For ologies, although each of its features
has occurred in one or more of them
for
II,. V. 12, 13 ,
cf. v. 12,

; V.
13 ;
12;
,, i. 6, iv.
 102

, THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

y
[VII. 12

13
. eh

' -
13

10
14

12
, om
.£
° me \) -
;
4

130 8yr«" om
11
'
A om
°C «8 36 6 Prim 13 130
|

14 '] |

Q min40
Ar

IV,
I

9
iv. 11, v.

ad II.
om

; , 12
A

;
1

,
As in v. 12, each word is
vg cdd aethutr

IV. 9, II, V. 12,

v. 12
13
;
; ,
arm 1 Prim

see notes
|
om

book*, see
O.T.
H

v.
apocalyptic
superhuman person
7, note.
writers
; cf.
, so the
address a
Dan. x. 16 f,

.
emphasized by the article. The con- Zech. iv. 5, 13 or may be merely
;

cluding is perhaps a liturgical the ' sir ' of courtesy, as in Jo. xx. 1 5,
addition, but
authority.
13.
it

.]
rests on good

An
els
Elder intervenes, as
- where it is addressed to one who is
supposed to be a
isat once a confession of ignorance,
and an appeal for information ; cf.
in v. to interpret the vision. For
5,
see Mc. ix. 5 note; for a
Ezek. xxxvii. 3

. ,
.,.

,.
;

similar use of in the lxx. Contrast the

cf. Cant. ii. 10 of Jo. xxi. S ff.

The

(
.]

,. ,
Elder anticipates the questions which Theanswer covers both questions
the Seer was ready to put(o5Voi...riV« ;). 'These who wear
; ;); Bede : "inters the white robes are such as come (o£
rogat ut doceat." The vision was not timeless, cf. WM. p. 444)

be missed. Tar

, !
a mere spectacular display, but a
revelation; and its points must not
ras fyvKas, the
white robes which arrest attention
out of the Great Tribulation.'
reference is probably to Dan. xii.

' .
1
The
Th.

'
cf.

cf. v. 9, note. xiii. There is a

19•
;

"^
14- .] Cf. Zech. which His servants share (i. 9, ii.

iv. 2, 5

...
perfect
;
...
(')
be pressed here,
it must be explained as meaning that
is
,. \ If the
•,
9 £), but the Great Tribulation
. .,
cf. Acts Vlii.

latively great crisis of trial

)
which all must pass (iii. 10), and from
is the super-
through
(17

to the Seer's mind the whole scene which the servants of God alone
was still fresh and vivid, that he emerge unscathed The present
seemed to himself to have but just vision, which anticipates the issue of
spoken, as the echoes of his voice
if the final judgement, represents the
were not yet silent. On the quasi- latter as already delivered out of the
aoristic use of the perfect in this evil to come.
VII. i S] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 103

-- 6>,
.
, IJ
Sia
ev
1 5

14 ex ttjs ? ! \] . om
/«.
•"" "
Cypr oa |

min• ^ 80 aeth utr

\.~\ eirKarwav
ev toj

!/ Q
13* 29 3° 4 1 4 2 5° 93 94 95 97 9& 3° I
1
1

.] the manner of this book, where violent

The conception comes partly from contrasts abound. The aorists eirKwav,
Exod. xix. io, 14, where the Israelites ekeinavav, look back to the life on

' ^
!
wash their clothes before the law- earth when the cleansing was effected

,.
giving; partly from Gen. xlix. 11 (Mc. ii. 10). The act is ascribed to

.
The
are not
/tl

, ev

Hence
'
of the redeemed, however,
(cf. Isa. lxiii.
is explained by
1), but
iv the saints themselves, and not to
Christ, as is the act of redemption
(i. 5, ™ V. 9

redemption, but cooperate with the

the
saints are not passive recipients of
!);
(Tert. candidaverunt, Prim. Divine, grace by repentance and faith

, !
candidasjfecerunt, Vg. dealbaverunf)

€
cf. Ps. 1.

!•
(li.) 9, which may also be
,
and the use of the Sacraments (Acts
Xxii. 16 ;

, ,
in view : nhwei! iitep : Mt. XXVI. 27 f. mere e|
cf. Isa. i. 1 8 eav yap
!
:

-
),
9

al a>s car 6
eav Se ets. and
epiov \cvKava. Aevxaivctv is lised in by vigilance and victory over sin
reference to the fuller's art, cf. Mc. ix. (c. xii. 1 1•).

3
, \evKavau
yva(pcvs eVt
iyevero

The whiteness
yr/s
15.
] elaiv evdmiov
refers to

of the

parallels
1
saints robes
'
which ought to have saved
;
is
cf.
gained
i. 5> •
iv
9>
the whole of the preceding sentence
( enkvvav... ' ).
cation of the conscience and character
derived in their lifetime from faith in
The purifi-

some ancient writers (e.g. Tertullian, the Blood of Jesus Christ (Acts xv. 9,

!)
scorp. 12 Arethas 17

,
Heb. ix. 14) had fitted them for the
; :

from the mistake of under- Presence of God ; cf. Mt. v. 8

standing the Blood of the Lamb here
to mean the blood of martyrs shed for
His sake; the candidates martyrum
-. rrj

See Ephes. v. 26 f. for a

0ebv

, !'.
picture of the Church in her final
exercitus itself owes its whiteness
purity, fresh from the bath of a perfect

"*
to the Great Sacrifice. Cf. Beatus
absolution
"hi sunt qui venerunt etc.: non ut ayia
aliqui putant martyres soli sunt, sed
\arpe
omnis ecclesia; non enim 'in sanguine
.] XXU
suo' lavari dixit... sed in sanguine
agni." To aijua is the
Cf. 3
,
°*
Xarpeveiv see

Sacrifice of the Cross, cf. 1 Pet. i. 2,

19, 1 Jo. i. 7, Rom. ihv-25, v. 9, Eph.
.
Lightfoot, Philippians (iii. 3). In the
(excepting Daniel) it is the normal
equivalent of 13, as distinguished
L 7, Col. i. 20, Heb. ix. 14; the paradox
TievKaiveiv ev is in accord *with from the priestly TVyt? which is usually
104

in
6

I°]
15

eis
,
.
Prim (cf
A
arm)
14 92
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN•

|
1
6
PQ minP * 80 syr*w Ar
16 om en "
14
|

36 vg
eir

me
~\"> .*
syrr
/
arm 3 •
4
^
aeth Cypr Prim
[VII, is

inhabitavit
|

represented by XeiToupyeii/. Since the But the vision of ceaseless worship

members of the Church are 'priests is realized only when life itself is
unto God' (i. 6, T. 10, xx. 6) Xenovpyeiv regarded as a service. The con-
might have been expected here and secration of all life to the service of
in xxii. 3 rather than Xarpeve iv. But God is the goal to which our present
the conception is that of a vast
worshipping congregation, and the by the Apocalyptist's
.
worship points, and it is symbolized

.]
use of would rather have Here again the
suggested that of an exclusive priest- later vision of the closing chapter
hood admitted to the sanctuary, while
the great majority were content to xxii. 5 ?.
corrects the earlier: cf. Apoc. xxL 25,
Cf. Andreas:

.
pray without (Lc. i. 10, 21).
The Israelite who was not
a Priest or Levite did not proceed
' 8\
-
,

beyond the iepov, one tribe alone

. eV Perpetual service
having access to the
Eternal Temple the Seer sees the
But in the

whole 'Israel of God' admitted to the

vaos•, and the occasion for the \i

of a tribal or special priesthood has

is

the lxx. ( Jud.

viii.
2
will find its stimulus and its reward
in the perpetual vision of Him Who
served.
v. 1
represents pB* in
7, viii. 1 1 (B),
14(A)); in theN.T. its use is limited
3 Regit,

disappeared, all being priests and all to the Johannine writings (Jo. L 14,
serving in the Presence of God. The Apoc. vii. 15, xii. 12, xiii. 6, xxi. 3).
mention of a temple must be cor- The reference both here and in xxi. 3

C.

6
. ...
rected by the later revelation in
22 eiSov iv airfj,
. The
is

22
to the O.T. promise that God would
'walk' or 'dwell' in Israel (Lev. xxvi.
iv ,, Zech. ii. IO
•

' temple' here the Divine Presence,

is iv ib. viii. 3, 8,
realized and enjoyed iv
is equivalent to ivamov
(to. 9, 15).
;

, )..,.
Ezek. xxxvii. 27
iv The assonance of
\3, HVD^ has probably

2"()
The Xarpeia of the Church is not suggested the use of both in
interrupted by nightfall (for Jo. I. C. ( iv

/)
see Lc. xviii. 7,1 Thess. v. 5, and in Apoc. vii., xxi. iif
Apoc. iv.
its night

Sois) iv ', !
8).

( -
offices
Even the Temple had
;

eV
see I Chron. ix.

Ps. cxxxiii. (cxxxiv.)

33
(here only cf. xxi 3 :

brings in the further idea oi

God's Presence as a protection from all
fear of evil, with reference perhaps to
2 iv rats
. . iirapart
The Church inherited the
practice, and the stillness of the night
els Isa. iv. 5 f., where the Pillar of the
Exodus suggests the overshadowing of
Israel by the Shekinah. An allusion
was broken by the vigil services of to the of the Feast of Taber-
the early times (Batiffol, Breviaire, nacles is also possible ; see v. 9, note.
p. 2 if.) and at a later date, in monastic The Apocalyptist now passes from
communities, by the matin-lauds. the present tense to the future (•
.
,'
%
17]

' ~'
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

eV / • 105

6 om en 2°
7)
34 & 1
8

aureus
me
arm
syre"
om
arm 1 |

6
/^
arm
; Q min f<,re 40
Andr Ar |

en- ciutous] | 31 17 2 \ 13 29
™ 25 me

, ,
31 al' |
oSiryei 2 4 alP'i 25 |
fuijs] fwoxis 1 38 79 96 syr ewi syre"

cf. v. 16 f.); the vision becomes Or to

a prediction.

dreas
16.
: (
ov

\
en \.] An-
.
Ezek/xxxiv. 23, but especially to Ps.
xxii. (xxiii.) I
,
'.,.
ff.

lxxix.
Kvplos
(.) I 6
. ...

This verse, with part of the next,' is

borrowed from Isa. xlix. 10 where of
Israel returning from exile we read:
)
' avrovs
avrovs
e'XetSi»

The
,
, ,

ovbe

avTovs.
6 rjXwt,
In Christ the Shepherd has taken the
nature of the sheep ; the
koXos is Himself of the fold
On see ii.
6

27, note.
no less than 7roifici(V«i'hasaninteresting
history in Biblical Greek. It is used
of the Divine guidance of Israel (Exod.
( ).

changes which the Apocalyptist makes xv. 13, Deut. i. 33), of the guidance of
are interesting: (the sirocco, individual lives (Ps. v. 9, lxxxv.
cf.Mt. xx. 12, Lc. xii. 55, Jac. i. 11) is (Ixxxvi.) 11, Sap. ix. 11); of the work
changed into (Latt. aestus,
- of the Spirit of Christ (Jo. xvi. 13);

,.
scorching heat of any kind),
(032) into
and lastly, in this place, of the work of
Christ Himself in the future order.
The Divine shepherding and guidance

,
while 6 e\e£v
becomes
For the interpretation of oi5 - of menbelongs to the future as well
as to the presentlife, and in the future

With
here see Jo. vi. 35, and for ai

Tiaio-rj

conjecture;
en for
Jo.

it
iv.

-g cV
14, vi. 35, vii. 37.

agrees with
contrast xvi.
is an attractive
9.
x. 4,
hr\
Apoc.

emphasizes
xiv. 4).
]
only meets with a full response (cf. Jo.

The order
—
'to Life's water-
springs,' Vg. advitaefontes aquarum;
(Isa. I. c), and for the itacism cf. the
,.
Alford well compares 1 Pet. iii. 21

, ?
apparatus here and at ix. 5.
Isa. I. c.
.]
.
To

C.
.
17.

6 iv
V. . .
looks back to
D?D W-OD supplies ori jr.
perhaps from Jer. ii. 13 [
;

~\
is

(used here only in Apoc.) is Olpi?

usually 'between,' 'amongst' (cf. Mt ''), The change of order gives'
xiii. 25,Mc. vii. 31, 1 Cor. vi. 5), but prominence to the mention of life. It
it sometimes stands for iv

and this must be its meaning here.

(e.g.
Jos. xix. 1, Sir. xxvii. 2, Mt. xiii. 25),
is to God as the Fountain of life (Ps.
XXXV. (xxxvi.)
that the Lamb leads His sheep:
)
To ... is a bold mixture xxi. 6, xxii. 1,The interpretation
17.
cf.

of. two metaphors. has again supplied by the Johannine

.
is
been used of Christ in ii. 27, where Gospel; see Jo. iv. 12, 14; vii. 38 f.
and in xii. 5, xix. 15, there a is The plurals are perhaps
reference to Ps. ii. 9 ; here the con- not to be pressed, being merely echoes
text guides us to Isa. xL 11 <»r. of the Hebrew (cf. viiL 10, xiv. 7, xvi.
 6.

.'
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
§ , [VII. 17

VIII.
2

17 om
1

syr« w
AC] ore
|
ev

]
KPQ
.} '
?
28 al g vg c,°"i""
min">mnvil1 Andr Ar |
me |

AC 91 97]
ISc

arm
NPQ
minP' Andr Ar al?1 Andr Ar] lSov NACQ 7 14 92 130

]
2 eiJov

4) ; if they have any significance here, .

they point to the secondary sources The sequence broken
which are replenished by the 'Fountain by the two visions of c. vii. is resumed.
itself, or to the manifold energies The Lamb opens the last of the seals
of the one Christ-life (1 Cor. xii. (cf. vi. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12), and the book

4 if.), as the of i. 4 etc. re- can now be unrolled and read. We

present the of expect the catastrophe, which had
the One Spirit. been foreboded by the signs and by the
Seos panic that followed the penultimate
.]
O.T.
have
;

,
Yet another reference to the
cf. Isa. xxv. 8 where the lxx.

of this passage, renders by

i £«•«. The sentence occurs again
Btos
but Synimachus,
influenced perhaps by his recollections
-l
opening, at length to supervene. But
all is still ; there is neither sight nor
sound to indicate the approach of the

"
end.
is substituted for ore, which
is used on previous occurrences of
the formula, perhaps with the view
with verbal changes in c. xxi. 4 of emphasizing the uncertainty of the
indeed, the whole of the episode time of the end cf. Mc. xi. 19, Apoc.
;

c. vii. 9 —
17 finds echoes in the last iv. 9, where it implies the indefinite

two chapters of the book, where the repetition of an act. The construc-
climax here anticipated is fully de- tion halts between and SW
scribed. Ou the main' thought see ^cot|ev. Blass (Gr. p. 218) prefers to
Tertullian de res. cam. 58 "delebit regard it as due to linguistic de-
ileus omnem lacrimam ab oculis terioration,' urging that in late Greek
eqrum, utique ex iisdem oculis qui
retro fleverant, quique adhuc flere
potuissent, si non omnem lacrimae
", and ore are indistinguishable.

cyevcro
sc. apvlov, as in vi.
cv
1.

.]
imbrem indulgentia divina siccaret... Heaven, hitherto resonant with voices,
dolor et maeror et gemitus...quomodo now holds its peace neither Elder nor
:

auferentur, nisi cessaverint causae ?... Angel offers a word of explanation

ubi casus adversi apud Deum, aut ubi (v. s, vii. 13); there is neither chorus
incursus infesti apud Christum?...
quae infirmitas post virtutem 1 quae
imbecillitas post salutem i"
—
Beati so Bede sums up in the
"
of praise nor cry of adoration (iv. 8,
ii; v. 9f., 12 f., vii. 10, 12); no
calls (vi. 3 etc.) ; no thunders

issue from the Throne (iv. 5).

,
This
words of the second /Beatitude qui
luffent, quohiam ipsi consolabuntur.
VIII. 1

HOUB'S SILENCE
13. —
The Opening op
THE SEVENTH SEAL ; THE HALF-
THE FIKST FOUR
:
••-(),
silence does not spell a cessation of
the Divine workings (Ign. Eph. 19 iv

but a temporary
suspension of revelation; cf. Renan,
Magn. 8 -yos

TRUMPET-BLASTS. VAntechrist, p. 391 "le premier acte

VIII. 3 ]

a<y<yeXos
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
dyyeXovs o i

]
'
l

^. , 3
107

93 95 9<>
om tovs

28 29 31 35 38 alnonn ]
6 |

3 om O77 e^ os syr 8™ I
130
- arm

36 49
|

30 almu [
38 g Byre" |

KCQ
35 §7
6 7 14

du mystere

/, ai ,
est tennine." There is a
partial parallel in Apoc. x. 4

but there the Seer hears

though he may not impart here the ;
19, 26),
iv. 36);
Bemiel (Hieremihel; 4 Esdr.
cf.

'Angels of the Presence' are men-

tioned repeatedly in the Book of
Jubilees (i.
ib.

27, 29;
lxxxi.

ii. 1 f.,
5, xc.

18, xv. 27,

21 f.

Seer himself is kept in ignorance. xxxi. 14, where see Charles's note) ;
The remark of Victorinus, "signi- the title comes from Isa. lxiii. 9
ficatur initium quietis aeternae, ' is VJB ^K ?!?, and the idea from the
1

attractive, but exegetically irrelevant;

practice of Oriental courts (cf. Gen.
is• not characteristic of the
xlv. 1, 2 Esdr. vii. 24, Esth. i. 14,
heavenly rest. Nor is it more to the
viii. 4, Job i. 6, Zech. iv. 14, vi. 5,
point to refer to such passages as
Hab. ii. 20, Zeph. i. 7, Zech. ii. 13;
Dan. vii. ,
4 Mace. xvii. 18, Lc.
On the possible connexion
•

,
i. 19).
the Apocalyptic silence is in heaven
of the later Jewish angelology with
and not on earth. Parsism or Zoroastrianism, see Hast-
sc. (Prim, fere' ings, D. B. i. 96, iv. 991 ; Driver,
*emihora, Vg. quasi media• hora), Daniel, p. xcvi., J. T.S. iii., p. 514 if.
\cc. of duration. The adjective is . the evidence, so far as it has been
.,
Tor , being the usual form.
as the twelfth part of the
natural day, see Jo. i. 40, iv. 6, xix. 14,
Acts v. 7, x. 3.
Half-an-hour, though a relatively
conclusive.
i. 19 iyd>
-.. .
produced, is interesting but scarcely

] 6
; cf. Lc.

short time, is a long interval in a Trumpets are assigned to Angels in

'
drama, and makes an impressive Mt. xxiv. 31, 1 Cor. xv. 52, 1 Thess.
break between the Seals and the iv. 16, Apoc. iv. 1, 4 Esdr. vi. 23,
Trumpets. Apoc. Mos. 22 ; the conception rests
2. ultimately on the scene of the Law-
.] Seven Angels are required by giving (Exod. xix. i6ff.), which Jewish
the situation, and the number finds a thought connected with the ministry
parallel in the 'seven Spirits of God' of Angels (Acts vii. 38, Gal. iii. 19).
and other hebdomads in this book. The Trumpets of the Seven are pre-
The article seems to point to the sently to break the silence which'

'
well-known group of Angels first
mentioned, as it seems, in Tobit xii.

,.,
15

'. . £~
followed the opening of the last seal
with fresh revelations of the Divine
purpose. There is possibly an allusion
to Jos. vi. 13 ifpet?

.
In Enoch 7 (Gr.) they are
styled 'archangels,'and their names are
given as Uriel (4 Esdr. iv. 1), Raphael
(Tob. I.e.), Raguel, Michael (Dan. x.
13, 21, xii. 1, Jude 9, Apoc. xii 7),
Joel
, . .
3•
ii.

Another Angel, not one of the Seven

,* . ; cf. also

.]
Sariel (Eth. Saraqael), Gabriel (La i. (cf vii. 2, ., i, xiv. 6 ff., xviii. 1), came
8
€
7, ' ,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

ayiwv
[VIII. 3

3 ) C KAC al" ""]

] PQ mill••'" Ar

..
|

6 9 4 36 om B y r8W om 0 syr 8* \
om

(,
,
forward and took his place the later Greek has or
cf. Lc. xviii. 1 1, 40, Acts v. 20, xvii. 22)

over, i.e. before, the Altar, as in Amos ix. .. .] The Angel

I \ (/S)
received the incense for a particular
purpose. ', as in v. 2
where the prep, denotes
(cf. vi. 2, 4, 8, 1 1, vii. 2, et passim),
the position of one who stands (B.D.B.,
does not describe an act which forms
p. 756) "by (prop, leaning over) an
part of the vision, but is simply a
The celestial mes-

;
altar or sacrifice."
recognition of the Divine ordering of
senger takes the place of the priest,
all life ; cf. 1 Cor. iv. 7

(). , ,,
and offers the incense ; contrast the
position of Gabriel in Lc. i. 11
On the future (XAC)
see iii. 9, note ; are probably _
corrections of the less usual form.'
The, altar is not as
as in v. 8, where see note
in vi. 9 the Altar of Burnt offering,
but the metaphor is differently hand-
but the Altar of Incense to 6. to

. ,-
;
led here, for while in c. v. the prayers
to points to

.. of the saints are the incense or incense-

-
Exod. xL 5
bowls, in this place they are apparently
cf. Lev.
the live coals on which the grains of
IV. 7
of Lev. IV. 7, 1
; it iff the
incense fall
',
(
—the of Heb. IX. 4. Cf.
Prim, ut daret orationibus, Vg.
wrongly, >ut d. de orationibus) ; the
Iren. iv. 18. 6 "est ergo altare in
caelis, illuc enim preces nostrae et
meeting of the incense and the hot
coals produces the fragrant smoke
oblationes nostrae diriguntur."

.] - cloud, the symbol of Divine accept-

ance. This change brings into sight
elsewhere .'frankincense';
is

.,. ,
the commentators quote the scholiast
, the relation of Christ's sacrifice and

,
intercession to the prayers of the
on Ar.

.
nul•.
Church ; cf. Bede " Christ» Domino
:

6 and se hostiam suavitatis offerente com-

Ammonius: yap
punctio cordis sanctorum acceptabilis

evidently the meaning, of

in 1 Chron. ix. 29, 3 Mace.
The latter is

v. 2, as of
facta est."

the doctrine
Cf. Eph.

is substantially
v. 2 ...
:
that of

,
in Lev. ii. 1, Apoc. xviii. 13; Jo. xiv. 16, xvi. 23 f, 1 Jo. ii. if.,
but here and in v. 5 shews
that a censer is intended; for 'censer'
Rom. viii. 34, Heb. xii. 25. ,>
not of the martyrs only (vi
(nnriD, rn$5l?) the ,lxx. use
pf.) but of all the faithful; cf. Eph.
(Exod. xxvii. 3, xxxviii. 23 (3), Num. iii. 18. The Angel with the golden
xvi. 6ff., Sir. 1. 9), or (3 Itegu. censer belongs perhaps to the scenery
vii. 36 (50)), or (2 Chron. of the vision rather than to its teach-
xxvi. i9,Ezek. viii. 11, 4 Mace. vii. 11); ing; at the same time it does not
 ..^ ?-
,
VIII. 6] THE APOCALYPSE OE ST JOHN 109

ayyeXou
3 ^
5

] ...
ets

de orationibvs vg
yfjv
.
]! !
]
eyevovTO

+
6

. ]
6

».
4 [

5 7 33 34 3*> 4° 5° syr*" |

^^.
. .
|

6 38 me syr
. .
. .. .KQ 6 8 14 20 31 35 &7 8
al mu om
|
Ar

seem improbable that the

(Heb. i. 1 4) are concerned
in some way with the ministry of
The words added by C (app. crit.)
appear to be a gloss from c. xi. 3.
6 -
'
5.
—
prayer an idea anticipated in Tob. .]
The Angel had laid aside

,
XlL 15

,
xv. 2,

.
and frequent
xL 6, xlvii, 2, civ.
'upon the altar (of in-
cense)'; one sees the whole process
depicted, the fire kindled on the altar,
and then taken up into the censer
where it receives the incense
in Enoch
).
(ix. 3,
ot the censer.
(on
v.
But he takes it again
followed by

intercession but for judgement.

censer is again filled with
the altar: cf. Isa. vi. 6
bv }
But now no incense
see
7 f, note) in order to fulfil another
office; it is to be used now not for
The
fire
rfj
from

... see

,. ..
,
:

Lev.

- .
'
' , - XVI 12
is added, and no fragrant cloud goes
up; the contents of the censer are
poured upon the earth; the prayers
of the saints return to the earth in

' )
(xvii. \ Num. xvi. wrath cf. Ezek.
: x. 2

' ..
There
- is
.]

., ,
4- 6 I.e., perhaps an ultimate reference to the
from the censer in the Angel's hand; doom of Sodom (Gen. xix. 24).
Ezek, II This casting of fire on the earth

)
cf. viii.

the dat. commodi, 'for the benefit of

results ('
(cf. Lc. xii. 49) is immediately followed

by
premonitory
. the prayers,' i.e. to help them (Blass, of a great visitation; cf. iv. 5, vi. 12,

Gr. p. m), or perhaps (WM. p. 270) xi. 19, notes, and for see Ezek
the dative of reference the incense- 12

.
; iii.

cloud stood in a certain relation to '

the prayers, as their symbol and
representative; 'given to
it was is
The whole scene
a prelude to the Seven Trumpets,
in vv. 3 —
them' (v. 3). The symbolical meaning which now begin to sound.
of the incense offered in the Temple 6. oi
was well understood in pre-Christian .] The Angels of the Presence,
times, cf. Ps. Cxi. (cxli.) 2
. who are
Trumpets know the
charged with the Seven
signal, and make
no

,
.
ayyeXoi

eyeveTO
'
'
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

ets .
'

<,,
[VIII. 6

•
7 ]]
6
+ ayye\os
Vg syrr Prim Ar]
ygdemhort* c „ „5 OTl syrs w
om tf arm 4
28 36 79

|
|

ttP
aureus * A] !° PQ min'™" ™ syrr Andr Ar
8 me arm aetn Prim /«/"/**»» AQ minP ^
8 al °° n "
12 37 38 46 81 161 anorl "'»

34 35 87 syr*" om |
e*
T1)S
1
I

om ex 1 al |
]$
1

1 35 3° me om I
Kat T0 TP LT0V AQ* alnonn aeth

ready. They are seen to take their (Mt. xxvii. 34, Lc. xiii 1), or the
stand and to raise the trumpets to simple dative (Apoc. xv. 2

,'
).
(,
their mouths.
Num. . (,- :

mingled and blood

A rain of
mentioned

, 5 ff-)> in fire is

Biblical

cf.
Greek take the place of
(W. Schm. p. 105);
Apoc. xviii. 22.
also in the Sibyllines, v. 377
' ...
Blood-red rain is not unknown in
\ . yap

The four Trumpet-blasts, like

first nature; in the spring of 1901 the
the first four Seal-openings, form a daily journals contained accounts of
closely connected group. They de- this phenomenon, which was then being
scribe the coming visitation as pri- witnessed in Italy and the South of
marily affecting inanimate Nature Europe, the result, it was said, of
although animals and men are involved the air being full of particles of fine
in the destruction which is caused red sand from the Sahara.' The
(vv. 9, n), direct/ judgements upon interpretation suggested to Andreas
mankind are reserved for the last by passing events is interesting as a

[]
. (,
three. The imagery was perhaps in specimen of its kind :

part suggested by the storms, earth-

quakes, and eclipses of the first
(

century.
7. 6 The storm flung itself cf.
.] The judgements ushered vv. 9 f., xx. 14 f.) on the earth,
5, 8, xii.
in by the first four Trumpets borrow with the result that a third part of
many of their features from the Plagues
of Egypt ; cf. Iren. iv. 30. 4
attentive reader "inveniet easdem
the

plagas universaliter accipere gentes

:

(
its surface and the whole of the

2 Pet. 10(A)
iii.
,
verdure were devoured by the fire
=
an early
cf. I Cor.
—
iii. 15,

quas tunc particulatim accepit Ae-

gyptus."
seventh plague
recalls the
;
\
Exodl ix. 24
form which survives in late Gk, cf.
W. Schm. p. 108). To
cf. Num. xxviii. 14)
(sc.
appears again
,
—
a description of a semi-

.'
vv. 8f, 11 £, ix. 15, 18, xii. 4.
Zech.
] xiii. 7 if.
See
!, [sc.
tropical thunderstorm which is height-
ened here by

Ps. CV. (cvi.) 35

'
to mix with
' (2)
blood,'
and
compare the Rabbinical parallel cited
,
cf.
by Schoettgen "percussus est mundus,
:

: the usual construction is with tertia nempe pars olearum, tertia pars
VIII. 9] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
.* III

*] + om!
, 9

,? ] ,].,
9

] syrewvld om
ti/s 8 syrs" (item in 1 2 et

]
7
c. ix. syr»") | Q min"* tml1 syrS" arm Ar |
syr»" |

H 97-0 °]+5 pan *vg Prim

0]
35 36 87 of. tertia |

+ syrr om Q minn°"" Ar om omnia

.
|

vgnmhari post . pon vgo'efudemiip»itoi

| H me
aeth £> syre"

tritici et tertia hordei."

land ( = ) Tfjs yrjs, the
as contrasted with
the sea (v. 8) and other waters (»».
10 f.). The fire destroyed the whole
of the vegetation, which was scorched
at once (cf. Jac.i. 12), and one-third
of the trees and other perishable
things. Two-thirds escaped every-
where, i.e. the visitation was partial,
and not final ; cf. vi. 8.
the fruit-trees especially, the olive,
the fig, and the vine, on which
the inhabitants of Palestine and
Asia Minor depended so largely:
cf. 3 Vll.
among the volcanic islands in the
Aegean, of which Thera (Santorin)
was the chief (cf. Tozer, Islands of the
Aegean, p. 94 ff.); Strabo (i. 3. 16)
reports an eruption in b.c. 196 which
issued in the formation of a new
island afterwards known as Palaea
Kaurnene. But volcanoes are not
flung bodily into the sea, so that such
: phenomena were at most but re-
motely suggestive of the writer's bold
conception. He is possibly indebted

a prohibition
*
now
...

partly withdrawn.
, is
,
to Enoch for the figure of the burning

.
mountain; see En.

curiously close to
xviii. 13

Spos
which

For
note,
note.

\
8 f.
and Apoc,

Spos .]
trumpet-blast the fiery hail was flung
npon the earth, so at the second
see Mc. vi
ix.

SyyeXos
As
4;

at
'
cf.

the
vi
39,
8,

first not
.]
The phrase seems to have
been proverbial; cf. Plaut. mercat.
iii. 4. 32 "montes tu quidem maliin

me ardentes

the Nile in the

iamdudum
)
The sea
first
is
iacis."

smitten, like
plague (Exod. vii.

a burning mass falls into the sea. 20

With Spos may els );
as the fish in the
perhaps be compared Jer. xxviii. (li.)
25, where Babylon is likened to an
Spos

Spos .
(riBT^ "ID): But
Babylon is not in view here, and
may be merely a figure
of speech for a blazing mass. If a
With

civ. 25
.
and for ;

' ,
Nile died (ib. 21), so do the animate
inhabitants of the stricken Aegean.

, .,.
Vg.
quae habebant animas, 'animate,' see
Gen. 20
iv
rfjs
cf. v. 13
Ps.

volcano is in the Apocalyptist's mind, i.

the simile may have been suggested

'

(; Bfej). The il-

either by the eruption of Vesuvius• lapse of the burning mass had a still
which desolated the Bay of Naples more serious result; the ships in the
in August, 79, or by some movements waters disturbed by its fall were
112 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

ayyeXos.
., ?
[VIII,

°
9

,
,11

12

]
.
9
/as
absinthium vgciedemharnnoiai
eis
eis

Q minP
A
'.
,]
ti
"
--,
1
syrs"
no
Ar

me Prim
7 8 16 28 49 79
om vid
om K*c a

Ar 10s
-

aosinthiw vg ™!'
.
eyeveTO

1
eveaev 2°
7 14
11
)
|
Prim
36 38 al
|
om
,

*
eyevcro] yivtrai 1 36 al
h syrS" Prim
-*

syiF"
|
Tar

eis

on

((-
|

syr8 " |
en] eiri A
wrecked; for

.
of wrecked
or disabled ships see Herod, i. 166

Yet
in the case of the sea
vijes -
or
gender to ,
but here assimilated in
does not occur else-
where in the N.T. or the lxx., though it
is used by Aquila in Prov. v. 4, Jer. ix.

,
as in

,
of the dry laud, the
that
visitation was partial; two-thirds of
the inhabitants of the sea and the
ships on its surface were unhurt.
The plural
understood in ro
(SC
\.)
attributes a quasi-personal life to the
ships, in view of their human masters
and crews.
, ,.
15, xxiii. 15; the lxx. render H3W,
wormwood, variously by
The Heb. word is em-
ployed in the O.T. as a metaphor for
(1) the perversion of justice (Amos v.
7, vi. 12); (2) the bitter fruits of idolatry
(Deut. xxix. 17); (3) Divine chastise-
ments (Jer. ix. 14) ; see B.D.B. s.v. The
\,

genus Artemisia, to which wormwood

. <5 &yye\os (A. ahsinthiaca) belongs, is represent-
eneaev .]
The fresh water ed in the flora of Palestine by several
supply is smitten next. At the third
species; see Tristram, N.H., p. 493;
trumpet-blast there falls from heaven
Hastings, D. B., iv. p. 941.
upon a third of the rivers and upon
c'ye'ciTo
the water-springs a great meteor
{, «' .]
The reverse of the-
cf. Mt. ii. 2), flashing across

(, miracle Marah (Exod. xv. 23).

at
the sky like a blazing torch.
cf. c. iv. 5); for (us . see v. 8 as Spos.

With
efeVfffev eK
and Mc.
iireo-ev...

25, note; here the 'star'

xiii.

is merely a symbol of Divine visitation,

like the burning mountain in v. 8.
cf. Isa.
,, xiv. 12
"Wormwood water is more than once
in the Prophets a symbol of suffering,'
e.g. Jer. ix. 15 (14)

dulcibus
xxiii. 15; cf.
aquis
Wormwood mixed with water does not
4 Esdr.
salsae
:v. 9 "in
invenientur."

kill,but in the Apocalyptic vision the

-=QV3D *},
common
3 Regn.
phrase in the lxx.
xviii. Ps. cxiii. (cxiv.) 8,
(cf.
a
e.g.
waters are not mixed with wormwood
but changedintoit^'-yo/ero els
As the creatures in the sea perished
).
'
5,•
Hos. xiii. 15). when it was smitten by the burning

"] ",1 1. aarepos Xtycrai

normally ; S\jnv3os
mass (v. 9), so the rivers and fountains
converted into wormwood are de-
VIII. 1 3] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST. JOHN 3
\'
'<<\'
3», ], . , 13

- . ( ] ! )
12 °] 130 |

)
35 ^7 syrs"
(.
arm aeth |
«tit

()

\
syrs™ I
Q min"•"1 " (multum hoc
() 28 49 79 a^ ^-
X minP ] iSov AQ 7 14
1
loco inter se variant tarn codd

92
t 0f"'«'

|
om
35 87 syre* arm
me syrr arm
min quam

|
13 om
verss)

KAQ mm,ere85
]

Tg me syrr aeth Ar] 28 36 47 19 a ' arm c* ^ Audr ws

13 units ut aquilam Prim [ Q 1 6* 7* 32 130 aln0,m

structive of human
, 'to die of,' see
12. !!
.]
Visitations on land
WM.

and water are followed by a visitation

life. For
p. 460.
charged with serious warning, but not

!
with final doom. Contrast Isa. xxx.
26

. ]?\
«/,
!
Eor
1

on the heavenly bodies, having for its

)
see Isa. ix. 13, and for (not

..
object further punishment of
the c. xviii. 23.
mankind. The conception is borrowed The series of Trumpet-blasts
first

(Exod. X. 2 1
. . ,-
, .-/
from the ninth of the Egyptian plagues

!, !, '
.

cf.
is now
complete. It has set loose
the elemental forces of Nature and
wrought havoc on a large scale. But
the next verse warns the reader that
.

Am. Joel iii. (iv.) 15). To the

viii. 9,
Apocalyptic plague no time limit is
fixed, but it is limited in its extent; .]
13.
Eor
,
worse things are to follow.

,! - cf. V. II,
only a third of the sun's and moon's vi. the scene which follows is one
;

disk is, obscured, and a third of the which arrests both eye and ear.
stars suffer occupation. By this
partial eclipse of the lights of• heaven , may be a correction for the harder
suggested by xiv. 6 ; or possibly

!, &"
a partial darkness would" obviously be it is due to the error of a scribe who
produced, but not a shortening of the tead as for

,
;

duration of daylight and moonlight Job

,
see iv. 7, Prov.
ix. 26,

and starlight such as the. following xxiv. 54 (xxx. ,19). Had the Apoca-
words
!) seem
( There is an
to suggest.
lyptist written
probably have taken the place of c'i/os;
would

inconsistency here which shews the cf. vii. 2, viii. 3. The eagle is chosen
writer's independence of the ordinary not only for his strength of wing (xii.
laws of thought; he is content to 14), but as the emblem of coming
produce a desired effect by heaping judgement (Mt. xxiv. 28, Apoc. Bar.
up symbolism without regard to the Ixxvii. 19 ff.) ; points perhaps to ,

consistency of the details. Here his the solitary figure projected against
purpose is chiefly to emphasize the the sky (cf. Mt. xxi. 19), but in
partial character of the visitation. such instances approaches in meaning
Its purpose is the reformation and or the indefinite article, cf. ix. 1 3,
not the destruction of mankind it is ;
to
xviii. 21, and see Blass, Gr. p. 144. -
. R.
 4 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [VIII. 13

IX. 1
. , .
13
c-xiv. 6)
om H \. \
syrs" |
om bis tantum 1 syr aeth
n
6 8 14 29 31 35 38 48 51 87 92 130 al n °° ] rots
syir |
syr (efc similiter

AP
|
,

tods

, ,
HQ r
7
al"' mn Ar ex ! syrs" arm
IX :
I

KP min'' 1 ] lSov AQ 7 14 92 130 |

... * |

3 8 97
syrr

"in the meridian" or

"the zenith"; that part of the sky-
where the sun is at noon-day cf. xiv.•
6, xix. 17. The eagle
;

i.e.
population of the Empire, as in
vi. 10, xi. 10, xiii. 8 ff., xvii. 2 ff.

"by reason of the remaining trumpet-

, iii. 10,

,.
he flies not near the horizon, where he blasts." modifies
might pass unobserved, but overhead, —the sound that of the trumpet;
is
where his course can be seen by is unnecessary, since the
all. The word is said to belong to reader's attention is not called to the
Alexandrian Greek: Pollux iv. 157
••
Syr. BW for
plurality of the trumpets but to the
trumpet-like utterance which proceeds
from each of the angels. On in

,
•

*^*^—,
} has simply/
\ •
this sense see WM. p. 461.

.]
but heard.
The eagle
In Ezek. xvi. 23 (A),
Apoc. xviii. 10, 16, 19, the double
is merely for emphasis; the triple
is not only- seen
IX.

. !
1

or the First Woe.

Seer witnesses the

— 12.

.]
The Fifth Trumpet,

8, In
the
of a star ; now
fall
viii.

here has reference to the three

().
he sees only a star lying where it
Cf.>Isa. XIV. 12
',
.
remaining trumpet-blasts or rather fell

the visitations that will follow them 6 Lc.

. .
see 12

the ace. after

.
is unusual, the
Toils :
1 8

As the Sequel
shews, this fallen Star represents a

,
dativus incommodi might rather have '

person, possibly Satan, as a comparison

been expected, as in Lc. vi. 24 ff. of Lc. I. 0. with Apoc. xii. 9 may
but cf. xii. 12 oval
and see Blass (Gr. p. 112),
suggest. For a personification of the
stars comp. Jud. v. 20 -
who compares vae me - me tnihi.
The earth has suffered already from
the four Trumpets ; the time has
first
now come for her inhabitants to suffer
yet more severely.
, s eVl
the pagan or non-Christian
]" oi

\
the fallen star see Enoch lxxxviii.
;

is the usual equi-

valent in the lxx. of Dinn whether in
the sense of ' deep waters (Gen. i. 2
for the

'
image of
1.
IX• 3]

a
'\ ? THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
(ppeap

. .
€\, -
'
115

om km
aeth u,r 'Ar om |
£\6
?!
'] -
35 41 87
,
I
-

HQ mini"1 ''

|
eis

vg" mb " rl
* to1 *
me syre"
Q min™""
3

arm
11

syr Ar -. 36 3'/ 38 40 41 42 (130) g syrS" arm4 14 gi]

.*
|

fc<PQ minP' Ar |
om eic tow tow Prim 3 «avrais AP min?1
Anclr Ar] aurois S4Q 7

.] The

•-
vii. 11, Ps. cv. (cvi.)'9, cvi. (cvii.) 26), 2.
or in reference to the depths of the Fallen Star-spirit unlocks the mouth
earth (Ps. lxx. (Ixxi.) 21 of the Abyss, and at once the sky is
; cf. darkened by a volume of smoke which

,
,
Deut. viii. 7). By an easy process of rises from it; cf. Gen. xix. 28
thought, it is applied to Sheol: Job

.,.
;
xli. 22 f.

- .
xix. 18
yrjs Exod.

'(
be The sun's face is hidden (Joel

"
rijs
Rom. . ii. 20), and the atmosphere (6 the ),
region of the clouds (2 Begn. xxii. 12,
avayayelv. In IiC. Ps. xvii. (xviii.) 12, 1 Thess. iv. 17 f.),

viii.

depth
31
eis
sounded, and
is
,) it is this
a lower
which
the air through which the birds fly
(Sap. v. 11), and which men breathe
and in which evil spirits
(Sap. xv. 15),
is in view when is used in the were thought. to exercise a limited
Apoc. (ix. i, 2, 11, xvii. 8, xx. 1, 3). authority (Eph. ii. 2
The "Enochic literature has much to depot), is darkened by
say of this 'abyss' (Enoch xviii. f., reason of (', cf. viii 11, 13) the
xxi., xc; Slavonic Enoch, xxyiii. 3; smoke cloud emitted from the well
cf.Charles, Eschatology, p. 198). The as from the chimney of a furnace.
Apocalyptist represents it as entered On see Wfl. 2, Notes, p. 178
(,
by a shaft or well cf. Jo. iv. 1 1 ),

the mouth of which is kept under

lock and key; the key is in the custody
of an angel (xx. 1) or, as here ap-
parently, of Satan, i.e. he is authorised
the verb is used of an occultation of
heavenly bodies in Job iii. 9

.]
3•
vvktos

The smoke wrought worse evil

.
'to open and shut the mouth of the than the darkening of the air out of ;

abyss at his pleasure (for see it came a swarm of hellish locusts

Mt. xvi. 19, Apoc. i. 18, iii. 7; and for see Mc. i. 6, note. There
on the idea, Slavonic Enoch, xlii. 1). may be a reference both to Exod. x.
This power however is exercised only
by Divine permission
behind it is the omnipotent Hand
( ),
and
ijff.
Kpibes
a power
and

(
to Joel

wholly
i. 4ff.

) But these
were entrusted with
-

which controls both the visible and unlike that of the locust tribe, and
the invisible order; cf. Prayer of
Manasses 3

. ' akin to that of the common scorpion

(
stab of the scorpion
,
). in contrast with al

is
The venomous
proverbial in
 6 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [IX• 3

,
. °•
~ \ '-
'.
'
5
' , '! - s

92
4

Vgh»ri* arm Cassiod

.
96 tantum homines vg arm om
+
Q 35 5° 87
A 367]
|

\
3°

syrS"
I

12 17 28 47 79 vg
Q min?' vg cl » fu lemll P B• syrr arm aeth Ar
'
|

64A
] +
"" * arm
49 gi

7 u] aurats PQ
minP' syr*"
KPQ nn*1• " " Andr Ar om
< , ,

!
}
Andr Ar]

|
!] |

1 1
NQ

|
14 87 90
it

!
5
minP' Ar |
om 2 syrr" NAP 1 12 3§ 38 (130)] Q
mini"1 Ar cruciarent h cruciaverint latt d similiter arm aeth •

.]
both 0. and N.T. ; see
!,!, 3 Regn. xii. 'But

'
e.g. ti Tovs
1 1 Ezek. only the men,' etc. ; for this use of
. 6 iv el cf. WM. p. 789. The power to
Lc. xi. 12
The scorpion takes its place with
the snake and other creatures hostile
; hurt men is to be exerted only upon
a particular class of men
oinves ; on this use of Stms see Light-
(.
to man, and with them symbolizes the foot on Gal. v. 19 and Blass, Gr. p. 173,
forces of spiritual evil which are active and cf. Apoc. i. 7, ii 24, xx. 4), viz.

!
in the world
els '& ,: cf. Sir. xxxix. 29 f.

,.
•

Lex.

(
19
upon those whose foreheads have not
been marked by the Seal of God (vii.
3 ff.). As Israel in Egypt escaped the
plagues which punished their neigh-
bours, so the new Israel is exempted
from the attack of the locusts of the
&-

.
4• Abyss.
.)
Their mission, moreover, \ avrots .]
-
5. I.e.
not that of the locust tribe ; they the commission which they received
is
are, in fact, prohibited from devouring ran !,
herbage and stripping trees (Exod.
] - The wound
not usually fatal, but
inflicted by

,!;)
X. 15 [; the scorpion is

! Joel 3
it causes exquisite pain ; and this is
the point of resemblance between the

,
cf. ii.

had been done

; this scorpion and the Apocalyptic locusts
sufficiently by the
which followed hail it was no part of their mission to kill,
the first Trumpet
(viii. 7). The pro- but. rather to inflict suffering worse
duce left by the hail in Egypt was than death. to apply the '

devoured by the locusts (Exod. I. c), touchstone,' is used, from Thucydides

'
but the Apocalyptic locusts are bent

food stuffs are their goal. For

iii. 9, note

ii. 11, note.

Lc. i.
and on

37 . .,.
; ,
on another errand men and not mere

'
see vi. 1 1, note; on the future after
=
= nor any cf.
;

'

;
'
;
,
downwards, of torture, and this is its
meaning in the lxx. (i Regit. 1, Sap. 4,
Sir. 1 2 Mace. 3, 4 Mace. 20, a significant
,•

distribution) ; in the N.T.

describe acute pain whether
physical (Mt. viii. 6, Apoc. xii. 2), or
mental (Mt. viii. 29, 2 Pet. ii. 8), or are
,
for
note 3.
after , see WM. p. 602, employed metaphorically (Mt xiv. 24,
Mc. vi. 48); in the Apocalypse, written
IX.

ftis
7]

? ? .
, .
-
,
•
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 117

5
']
~]
ev

?- sea:

syr« w )
Prim |
]
. 26 37 4 1 4 2 43 49
h,li |

°°"
'
( -] KAPQ
6
j 87
6

el mu

2 89
19 '7 4 2 5° 9 1 9^ a ' vg
invenient vg( rai;hMl ) Ambr]
1 30 inveniant vg
hari *

mini syrr arm Ar fugiet

11

PQ min l>nmvId
|
harl#

2 9 al

Andr Ar]
AP
vg(»'"
!l"irl *l
1 12 1736
Prim
|

38]
7
A |
]
AP

-»
HQ 6 J 8 29 3° a ^""1 Ar
12 17 28 34 35 46 49 79 87
fugiat vgh,rl * ,iy>
g syrr
Q
|

at a time of imminent persecution,

the thought of punishment is again
of Syr.^-
less arisen
TTi'o-fl

from
eV
-ji
has doubt-
written as ) ;

uppermost (ix. 5, xi. io, xiv. 10 f, see app. crit., and cf. note on
-
vii. 16.

]
xviii. 7, 10, 15, xx. 10; xii. 2 is the 6. Tails
only exception). .] During those terrible
This limit of time has months of torture men will prefer
been supposed to be a reminiscence death to the agony of living. Cf.
of the 150 days of the Flood (Gen. Job iii. 21
vii. 24) or to refer to the duration of ., Jer. viii. 3
locust life. But the number five is : see

, .
frequently used without any apparent Apoc. vi. 16, Orac. Sibyll. 307

-, \ ,
ii.

, '' . ,
purpose beyond that of giving defi-
1
niteness to a picture, e.g. Mt. xxv. 1 The thought was familiar
Lc. xii. 6 to the Greek and Roman poets Soph.

,.
:

ib. 52 XIV. 1 9 Electn. 1007

28
Cor. xiv. 19
ther reason is to
?.
be sought
If a fur-
for its tibi
Ovid, lb. 1 23 "desit
copia mortis, optatam fugiat
\

employment here, may point to vita COacta necem."

|

!
the incompleteness of the visitation such a death as they desire, a

=
:

it lasted five-twelfths of the year, as death which will end their sufferings,
the plagues of c. viii. affected a third is impossible ;
•
physical death is no
of nature. There is a progress in the

)« . ..
visitations, but the end is not yet.
cf. Achill.
remedy
conscience.
for the
With
Alford aptly contrasts Phil.
of an evil
-
.
: i.

Tat. ii. 7 23
For see Num. under such cir- ;

,
xxii. 28, 2 Regn. xiv. 6, Mc. xiv. 47 cumstances death is a gain, but it is
(comp. with Mt. xxvi. 51). The ictus not sought, for life also has its com-
is inflicted by the scorpion-like tails pensations, in duty and in enjoyment.
ascribed to the locusts in v. 10; cf.
Plin. h. n. ii. 25 "semper cauda in
', form a climax.
7 f-

ictu est, nulloque momento cessat ne .] .Hitherto only the powers of the
quando desit occasion!." The reading locusts have been in view ; now they
8
,,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [IX. 7

9
•,
9

< NAP
'

al vg me syrr arm aeth

8

, Andr] Q
,
-
min'"™ 40 Ar
8
7
] PQ min0Innvid Andr Ar g om 130

Their shapes
are described.
a word "midway between
(, and
antennae of the locust
some suppose, to the long hair worn
tribe, or, as

,"
Ezek. i.
-Lightfoot "on Phil, it
16, x. 2i = n-1D l:) Rom.
,
7,
i. 23)
cf. by the Parthians (Suet Vesp. 20). The
ancient commentators for the most
were like horses caparisoned for battle. part regard the reference to women
The description is borrowed from as symbolizing the abuse of the sexual

,
Joel's account of a locust swarm (ii. relations e.g. Bede, " in capillis mu-

)
;

4 f. "
...
...
"metaphor chosen "partly on account
of their speed and compact array, but
chiefly on account of a resemblance
which has been often observed between
the head of a locust and the head of
a horse " (Driver, ad lo&, citing Theo-
doret el yap tis :
a ;
. lierum fluxos et effeminates mores."
But it is safer not to press the details.
As to the general sense, the locusts
of the Abyss may represent to us
memories of the past brought home
at times of Divine visitation, which
hurt by recalling forgotten sins; cf.

,' •
.
I Kings XVU. 13.

WH. 2 Notes, p. 172.

,
.'
looks back to Joel i. 6 oi
For See

}
). ;
ton 9. .
The scaly backs and flanks of the
insects resembled coats of mail, whe-
\ '- ther the scale-armour worn by Goliath.
.]
So far the picture might (i ltegn. xvii. 5
have been that of an ordinary swarm cf.Driver, ad loc, "like the scales of
of locusts the next two features are
: a fish, plates overlapping each other
peculiar to the locusts of the Abyss. and allowing free movement"), or a
(1) They are crowned like conquerors cuirass of "metal plates across the
(cf. iv. 4, xiv. 14), as indeed they are chest and long flexible bands of steel
so long as their power lasts. (2) Their over the shoulders" (Enc. Bibl. i. 606,
faces are strangely human, suggesting and see Dean Robinson's note on Eph.
the intelligence and capacity of man ; vi. 14). points to the material
their long hair resembles that of of which such armour was ordinarily

is
,
women

as =

(
unnecessary to take
(1 Cor.
hero
though some support for
this view may be found in Esth. iv. 10
xi. 15). Perhaps it made, and at the same time indicates
the hopelessness of any effort to de-
stroy assailants who were so protected.
The next feature is again from Joel (ii.
•

( may
), and I

).
Cor.

allude to the long

vii. I 5 ? ...
In the onrush of the locust-swarms
).
IX. ] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
cts .
, °
119

., ,
ev

"/ '( ! ayyeXov 11

Andr Ar]
/] «
« 38 vg arm |
ovpas
syre w
;'] arm 4
vg cle,udemha,,1 **
| PQ -min ,e ™°""1

]
1'P"»
ev 28 34

-]
14 | | ev] ev 1 7
*
130 al vg* mh,,1 t<>1 syrs" arm aeth Andr | °] + 47 79 vg"
" 1 1""'''*»
]

6 8 14 almu syr Ar 1
e|oi«r«u 130 ;] pr
Q
Q min fere80
11
el

pr
ji 90 9 2
al""" 11

]
|

vg syrr arm
!
Byrr cutnomen vg
aeth
77£
|
Q
|
min'6 ™ 35 Ar
77*]
|

om
Q 27
] Q minP'i 30
36 93 al MxtyeSiiw
Ar |
ti 130 |

me Armageddon
pr

Prim Labbadon Haym

, .
alia alii

the Prophet heard the din of war

chariots ; the Seer adds
, ; I

.
Cor. XV. 5^

thinking of " the pransings see . 5, note.

'
:

of their strong ones " (Jud. . 22) as 1 1, .]

well as of the clatter of the chariots In Prov. xxiv. 62 (xxx. 27) we read
.
and the rumbling of their wheels ( Jer.
xxix.=xlvii. 3); comp. 4 Regn.
Kvpios

, !.
- vii.

For
6
If the Apoc-
alyptist remembered this statement, he
found an exception to it in the locusts
of the Abyss, which are in other
respects quite abnormal; perhaps he
the vast numbers of the chariots em-
ployed in ancient warfare cf. 1 Sam.
xiii. 5 (30,000), 1 Chron. xix. 7 (32,000);

for the phrase see 3 Regn.

has been influenced by Amos vii/

,.. ? ) !.
LXX.
! (313
-

..
xii. 24b

-
for
their king" the locusts of the
have the Angel who presides over it
d For
Abyss

! .] ovpas
they obey his orders and do
(v. 1), i.e.

!! )
The body of the locust
his work. The Seer knows the name

,! (,
of the Abyss ended in a flexible tail

!—
of this angel; it is in Hebrew
(Clem. Al. strom. iii. 18 § 106 ovpaU...
as in Jo. v. 2, xix. 13, 17,.
as
tail
=
Mt.
.
of the scorpion.

. 20
ovpa'n

. (cf.WM.
like the

as in
\.
pp. 307,
20, xx. 16,

='\ ^,
duction,
Greek

xix. 20,
(
e.

Acts
Apoc.
xi.)
Tjj

;
xvi. 16
Abaddon, and in the

for the latter see Jo.

xxi. 37)
;

SC. ]
,
cf. Intro-

377)• The' tails were armed with

Destroyer; Vg., Exterminans ; the
stings, in which resided the power of
rendering in Syr.e^• y£ 1uc- rests upon
the locusts to hurt. is properly
the false reading (app. crit).
the goad used, for oxen (Prov. xxvi. 3,
Acts xxvi. 14), and in a secondary Abaddon, i'nSK, a word used almost
exclusively in the Wisdom literature
sense the sting of the bee (4 Mace. xiv.
... -
19
&)
the symbolism
or other insect.
cf.Hos. xiii. 14
With
(Job xxvi. 6, xxviii. 22, xxxi. 12, Ps.
lxxxviii. 11, Prov. xv. 11, xxvii. 20)
is represented in the lxx. (exc. Job
120

12

.
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

'
?-
. '
/
"
[IX. 1

e
3

1 1

X ei v g arm
13

]
(cf
Q min 40

]]
vg syr Prim Ar |
om
vg latine habens nomen Exterminam anon "» eui nomen ;
|

* ]3
latine Perdene)]

arm 4
7 8 14 29 alP'i 20

om
49* 98 Byre»
syrr]
arm
I2
&* PQ 1 28 36 al»"
me arm 1
32 35
28 79 8o
mu syrs» Andr Ar om
0.
|

versu sequent!
|
49 97 |

coniung X (Q) 8 14 ma syr»" arm 3 om » X me

,
31 47 48 50 90 al 13

,
.29
syrs"

xxxi. 12) by meaning either

destruction .generally (Job xxvi. 6,
(;
not easy to explain Blass (Gr. p, 32)
:
), is

Esth. viii. 6) or destruction in Sheol.

(Emek hammelek,
gehennae locus est Abaddon, unde
nemo emergit").
f. 15.

Here Destruction
3 "infimus fact that the word
valent to ,
seems to attribute the gender to the
is here equi-
but it is simpler to
regard the three Woes in the light
in the

)
and
to
deeper sense

the allusion to
;

suggested by some commentators,

(cf.
is
I

seems far-fetched, but in this book it is

Cor.
is
therefore preferred
.
,-
personified, of female personages, the Erinnues or
Eumenides of the Apocalypse, repre-
senting the avenging powers evoked by
the last three Trumpets. =
a Hebraism which the lxx. takes over
in Gen. i. 5, 8
.
cf. Mc. xvi :

''
,
not impossible. The personification
of Abaddon is known to the Talmud
see Shabh. f. 55 a, where six destroy-
2 Tjj
9
In
-, with XvL
and see notes there.
the personification
ing Angels are mentioned, over whom seems to disappear, for the writer
preside (?
and ffl?*? ib. f. 89. 1 •
treats 01)01 as a neuter. Por as
iips njOi t'nas. It is unnecessary a noun see Prov. xxiii. 29, Ezek. vii.
to enquire whether by Abaddon, the 26, i. Cor. ix. 16.
Destroyer, the Seer means Death or 13 — 21. The Sixth Trumpet, oa
Satan perhaps he does not conscious-
;

ly identify the personality, which be-

Second Woe.
13.
.]
! SyyfXos
longs to the scenery of the vision. The
Apollyon of Pilgrim's Progress is a
more fully developed conception, and , The sixth trumpet-blast
followed by a solitary voice
cf. viii. 13 {v6s which ) ( is

,
indeed in all but the name it is a crea- seems to proceed from () the horns
tion of Bunyan. With the construction of the Golden Altar mentioned in viii.
cf. xix. 16 ... The voice may be that of the

-
3.
., and Angel who had been seen standing
see WM. p. 226; on the form over the Altar with a golden censer
see WH. 2, Notes, p. 175 f. or it may represent the prayers of the
12. oval .] "Woe Saints,which now have the effect of
the first is gone past; behold, there a command issued to the Angel of the
come yet two Woes after this," i.e., sixth Trumpet. The general sense is
the sixth and seventh Trumpets have the same in either case the prayers ;

yet to be blown (cf. viii. 13, note). of the Church, which initiated the
oval, which occurs again in xi. 14 entire series of visitations connected
,. i
S] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 121

, ., 5
, *\£< - ay- 15
14
-

]!
13
vocem,
.{hab °•") 14 92
Andr Ar
unum

(ora K»..
vg•"»"""
| ].
A
pr
•»

unum Cypr Prim anon"* om

28 79 vg"°'» " r " P 85tol

PQminfereimn

me
34 35 §7
130 om |

om
tantum * 38 me

- \-
k*
Vgcied«miip!i4,e Sy rr Cypr Prim

]\]
4 92 arm
1 1
syrr aeth) 4
|

14 H*A]
] Q min fere3 ° Ar

.,. ]
J 28 35 36 38 al
it •» om A 34 35 87 (130) Ar qui habebat vg Cypr

Tg
I

+
[

H 87 |
om
om . arm Cassiod
me |
] 7 19 37 influmine
A
|

15

with the Trumpets, now bring about 1 Kings iv. 21, Ps. lxxxii. The Euphra-
a greater catastrophe than the world tes was on the East "the ideal limit" '

.
has yet experienced.
(Exod. xxvii. , 2) may be in-
.
tended to point to the four comers of
of the land of Israel (Driver on Gen.
I. ft). Beyond it lay the great heathen
kingdoms of the East, Babylonia on
the earth (vii. 1) from which prayer the east bank of the river, the Assyrian
ascends; the single voice interprets Empire further -to the N.E. ; an
the desire of the 'Holy Church
throughout all the world,'

as in
14-
.]
iv. 1 ;
,
personifies the voice,
r. .
6

must be
invasion of Israel by these nations is
likened to an overflow of the Great
River in

,
Isa. viii. 7 Kiptos

- '
regarded as a parenthesis ; the alter- '. Thus the idea presented by
the angels of vengeance bound on the
.
native of connecting the words with
('thou that hast the trum-
pet, loose,' etc.), is less iu accordance
banks of the Euphrates is that the
day of vengeance was held back only
with the manner of -the Apocalypse. till God's time has come. When at
Similar constructions occur in iv. 1, length they are loosed, the flood will
xi. 15. burst its barriers, and ruin will follow.

!.
tovs The Euphrates is mentioned again in
.'] Another quaternion connexion with the Sixth Bowl (xvi.
(Acts xii. 4) of angels ; cf. vii. 1 2, where see note).- The ancient Latin

Those in C. vii. commentators explained the Euphra-

restrain the winds of heaven these are ; tes mystically, e.g. Bede : "Euphrates

.
themselves bound, for they are Angels qui fluvius est Babylonia^ mundani
of the Divine wrath which is not to be
executed before the predestined time
cf. Mt. xiii. 41. They are held in
readiness "at the great river Eu-
regni potentiam...indicat."
satisfies himself by saying

It is possible that
the Apocalyptist had in mind the un-
.
Andreas
St...

phrates"; a phrase which sends the

, ,'
reader back to Gen. v. 18, where the known and at the time greatly dreaded
Land of promise is said to extend resources of the Parthian Empire; cf.
Mommsen, rom. Gesch. v. 359.
cf. Exod. xxiii. 15. .]
31 (lxx.), Deut. i. 7, xi; 24, Josh. i. 4, is the correlative of cf. Mt.
122

.], THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

(' '
eU
[IX. is

-.
]}!
om
] ' ] 9° 9®
1 5 <" 4 els

..
I

eis . eis . «s . syrS" |

om tt eis

Q 20
Ar . ?8 38 49 79 9 1 \
0 +
20
$ 37 79 8 tertiam
partem vg 16 8 9 13 & 2 4 35 49' 1 ' 5 1 9 1 alP'i Sio>iu- |

piaSes (dimnyriades Cypr)] H 1"•" 28 79 Byrr Ar Q min' ™ 4*

arm ws . 1 30

xvi. 1 g, xviii. 18, Mc. xi. 4 f., Lc. xiii. two-thirds remain unsqathed, as in the
16,

Gal.
, 1

ii.
Cor.

1 1,
vii.

Heb.
27.
vengeance, now set free, at once enter
on the work for which they had "been
prepared in the Divine foreknowledge.
" who
ready"; for this quasi-pluperfect sense
of the part, see Jo. ii. 9, Acts xviii. 2,
ii.

of Divine preparation, Mt. xxv. 34, 41,

9,
The ministers of

had been made

and for
lesser visitations heralded
four trumpets

.]
angels
their
1 6.

is
(viii. 7 ft).

The work of the destroying

done by the vast forces under
command. This new feature is
introduced with strange abruptness,
as if the Seer in his eagerness to
describe it had forgotten to prepare
by the first

the reader by some such connecting

,
Mc. x. 40, Lc. ii. 31, 1 Cor. ii. 9,
. clause as
.
Apoc.
;
xii. 6, xvi.
the preparation had been made
with a view to the result being at-
12. Eif avrovs
(as in . 14)

tained at a definite time ; for this use avroXs. The hosts (for
of ds cf v. 7, and 2 Tim. ii. 20, and for
. see Judith xi. 8, 4 Mace. v. 1, Mt. xxii.
a similar use of rrpos, Tit. iii. 1, I Pet. 7, Lc. xxiii. 11, Apoc. ix. .16, xix. 14,

iii. 1 5, 2 Pet. i. 3. The four notes of 19) consisted of cavalry (cf. Herod. viL
time are under one article, since the
occasion is one and the same. The
ascensive order is(... ) 87

ber,
...
),
and the num-
which was stated in the Seer's

,
hearing (cf. vii. 4), was
difficult to explain, but it occurs also
in the O.T. (e.g. Num. i. 1, Zech. i. 7,
Hagg. i. 1 5), and probably has in this rest ultimately
=2,. on
The
Ps. lxviii. 18
figures
: "the
place no special significance ; perhaps chariots of God are ]t<W »?!< D?l}3n
it originated, as Primasius suggests, in
the thought that " et horis gradatim
(iiXX. )"; cf. Deut.

dies et diebus menses et mensibus

certum est annos impleri." The 'hour'
xxxiii. 2, Dan. vii. 10,

(not 81 r
(Esth. i. 7),
), -
(2 Mace. V.
Apoc. v. 1

cf.
1 note.

'
and the other 'times and seasons' are (Mc. v. 1 3). These
24, viii. 9),
not revealed till they may be gathered
vast numbers fWbid us to seek a literal
from the event cf. Mc. xiii. 32,

-
;
fulfilment, and the description which
Acts i. 7.

." If the fifth

torture, the sixth brings death.
again the destruction is partial only
trumpet brought
But
.
p.'
follows supports this conclusion. On
with the ace. see Blass, Gr.
103.
cf. c. vii. 4 VK • • - :
.^
' ,•
IX. 7] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 123

ou'tws eiBov opu&ei 17 §

]
'
-.
eiSoy

fct

Byxr»
6
]
17.
KP

J
T0U

,\
+
mini11 Ar]
(om outws infra) me
tSoxAC(Q) 7 14 92 130
(spineas) Prim
syrs™ (item 18)
17 om

fleitoJeis]

.]
]
|
| ]
38 arm
outojs

).
H*

The Latin yersion

38

\
arm Prim anon' u s
Q 14 | ]
htfw] + ovtw
|

.
.

A mixed construction which blends . used by Primasius strangely rendered

... with K. ... . by spineas, "spineas significans

18 .)
refers to
The sentence is further com-
plicated by the introduction of a
second object, the riders
' ,
not clear whether
; it is
or to !,
or to both. On the whole it is best
cf. VI.
(-
4> •

.,
I5 >
vitas,"
the
in a
and . Primasius explains ; but
as
rendering doubtless originated
confusion

flame and smoke the cuirasses shewed

is aV. .
also the pale yellow of brimstone.
between
With the colour of

in Biblical Greek,
perhaps to limit the participial clause but not unknown to post-classical
to the riders ; the horses are de- writers. The description as a whole
scribed in the sequeL The riders were recalls the fate of the Cities of the
armed in cuirasses whose colour sug- Plain ; Gen. xix. 24, 28 '
gested
Hupivos
fire, smoke, and brimstone.
properly 'of fire,'wiile - \
...\ 18

,
is
'flame-coloured': Jude
(yi. 4, xii. 3) is
\... cf. (cf.
J,
Sir. xlviii.
iy
.
9 fHXias]
with 4 Begn.
.
2 Pet. ii. 6).

. -
.]
.
..,
1 1 18011 Cf. V. 8
The defensive armour of the warriors The horses in the

(civ. ) 4 .
seemed to consist of fire ; cf. Ps. ciii.
.

!, of
vision seemed to unite the majestic
mien of the lion with the swiftness of
their own kind Like their riders they
which in Apoc.
stone
),
(cf. Syi•.^•
but in the lxx. stands for a
xxi. 20
i^aain - is a precious
i.e.
were armed with fire, smoke, and
brimstone but while these formed the
;

cuirasses of the horsemen, they pro-

dye ('blue,' A.V., RV.) which is com- ceeded from the lion-like jaws of the
bined with purple (Exod. xxv. 4, xxvii. horses, which thus seemed to 'breatho
16), fine linen (Exod. xxvi. 1), and gold threatening and slaughter' (Acts ix. 1).
23)—the
(Exod
equivalent
xxviii.
of
8, Isa.
n?31jl,
iii.

probably the
Cf. Job xli. IO f.

...-
shell-fish helix ianthina, which yield-
ed the famous Tyrian dye. The
of classical Greek was a vege-
; and see Apoc. xi. 5, and Slavonic
Enoch 5 "fire came forth from their
i.

table, perhaps the dark blue-flowering lips " see also the description of the
;

iris. Here is doubtless Chaldean cavalry in Hab. i. 8 if. Pos-

meant to describe the blue smoke of sibly the Parthian cavalry are in the
a sulphurous flame (cf. infra, mind of the Seer.
124

1
8

.
,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [IX. 18

<.
,?-<,
,, -
9

.
19
ovpais at yap
<;
2 *°
8 -]
36 38 gi
5
°]
\^\
Q
OU1 .
14 ai*"• 35
C om
Ar ] ^. arm om
pr CP 6 31
I 38
al
|

[
\ 7 |
1

.,
ygcieharHnnipiHw-icorr B rr
y
arm 4
|
T0U
19 V yap
elol; ] pr ex 1 6 31 79 aV syrr om .
). ..]
|

.,. yap
.

Syr»"'
. .

130 : ]
36 habentibu» vg dcm
|
om
|
Tais ovpais

C* |
Q min30 Ar
aureus]
36*

130
aeth

|
130
|
om
|
yap

38 arm
•" (-o-as *)
20 7;-
NQ

,
al Ti,,mu

!
yais] + | 14 3 8 9 2 ]' "" 3^

18.
.]
which ill
classical Greek scarcely goes beyond
;, cf. V.
(note). As a picture oopai...
is intolerable, but it
its etymological meaning, is used in serves to enhance the horror of the
the lxx. for the 'plagues' of Egypt situation cf. Introduction, c. xiL
;

(Exod. xi. 1 xxv. 8 ff.),

flf., cf. Num. 20. ' oi .]
and this sense reappears frequently in The two-thirds who escaped both the
the Apocalypse (ix. 18, 20, xi. 6, xiii. 3, mouths and the tails of the horses
12, 14, xt. 1, 6, 8, xvi. 9, 21, xviii. 4, might have been expected to take
8, xxi. 9, xxii. 18). The thought of warning by the fate of their fellows,
the Egyptian plagues has been in the and to become servants of God and of
mind of the writer for some time, and Christ but so far from doing this,
;

he now uses the familiar lxx. word. they did not even repent of
their idolatries. For oi)8e, 'not even,'
()
The "three plagues" are the fire,
('
smoke, and brimstone which proceed
from the horses ; the repeated article
(. .... .)
indicates that they are
'

)
see Mc. vi. 31, 1 Cor. iii. 3, iv. '3
for ; Apoc. ii. 2 1.
(Prim, wrongly
,
regarded as distinct agencies. ', factorum suorum malorum, Vg.
', 'arising from,' 'springing out of,'
are here, as often in the N.T., practi-"
cally indistinguishable
p. 1 24 f. For
see Blass, Gr.
see
;

, ,,
e.g.

,,
de operibus manuum suarum) 'their
idols,' an O.T. phrase=D,TT ^D, cf.

Deut.

,
iv. 28

!! .
on see

]
xxii. 1 ; ii. 13, note. Ps. exxxiv. (exxxv.) 15
.,.' \
19.

resides in
yap
Their power
mouth and
(ii.
rati
26,
tail (cf. v.
vi.

10);
8)
! Jer. i. 16 -
if tho one discharges fiery and noisome That
vapours, the other is armed with the this is the true interpretation of the
poison of the snake. With phrase here is clear from what follows.
IX. 2 1] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

,
/ '
I2S

, "
e'

?
.
•
21

<2

Ar
29
]
3° 3 1 33 *1
epyou syr* w
...\««...> ^
H
|

APQ]
pr
NA.C 7*

syr»" |
130
3<5

al"" mu
om
|
43 ]

Qlvld mini» Ar
PQ minf Andr
6 7 8 9 13 '6
21 1
e/c ter]
1

Byre" HG min25 Ar vopveias

N •»

Byr«"
|

CPQ minom * vid vg

Prim
(me) syrr A#dr Ar] jro^7j/)ins"X*A om | ? |

" .] Repent- Though "an idol is nothing in the

ance would have led them to abandon world" (1 Cor. viii. 4), has in itself no
the worshipof unclean spirits and of the .spiritual significance, yet it is a visible
idols which represented them. Both in symbol of Vevolt from the Living
the O. and NT. the heathen worship God, and the is excluded
is regarded as paid to demons cf. : from the Divine Kingdom (1 Cor. vi.
Deut. xxxii. 17 (where see Driver's The Seer goes to the O.T. for
...- 9).
note), Ps. cv. (cvi.) 37
-
, ,,
words to convey his scorn for this
debasing worship Ps. cxiii. 12

,
(D , "13') ) I Cor. X. 20 : cf. flf.

[ ],
5
\
'.
\ Cf. Ps. XCV. (xcvi.)
^' '.•
(CXV. 4)

-
.- .

-,
,
(t^g). Of the two Hebrew words, Dan. . 23,
the latter represents the deities of Th.
heathendom as non-existent, while the
\,
former points to the older belief that
they were demigods, evil genii, or the
like. In the Gospels the
identified with
are

) (cf.
. The theme
usque ad nauseam in the Epistle of
. is worked out

Mc. V. 2
= Mt.
viii. 29
.27 =
and ), . Jeremiah; see
Orac. Sibyll.
21. oy
v.
also
80 ff.
Enoch xcix. 7,

this view was probably in the mind of .] A further indictment as

StPaulandtheApocalyptist; it found against the pagan world, closely con-
its justification in the impurities as- nected with the first They were no
sociated with the Greek legends and less unwilling to repent of their
the immorality too often promoted by immoralities than of their idolatries.
the temples and their priesthood. Murders, sorceries, fornication, thefts,
k<u Chris-
tianity rigorously maintained the old
Hebrew protest against idol-worship.
.]
,,
appear in company in not a few lists
of the vices of the time : cf. Mc. vii.
21 (where see
126

,/ -,*
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

eioOv ayyeXov
[.

2 , , ,"/ €(\

! NCP rain'• ] iSov AQ 7 14 92 130 om PQ 1 alP'» 85 om

1
| |

syre» ipn] om 7 32 36 38 98 al tpiv

KPQ minP Andr Ar arvKos 38 vg^'»'

1
28 79 80 Andr
011'!"" syr arm aeth
AC 912]
1 """1 '
|

]
.,
tjjs |
2

7 28 35 36 47 al vg me arm Vict Prim Ar"

,
.
.,
}.
note), Gal. v. 20
Apoc. xxi. 8
.

\
down from heaven
cloud, the vehicle in
1), clad in a

which heavenly
(xx.

.
beings descend and ascend (Ps. ciii.
15 (. .. (civ.) 3,> Dan. vii. 13, Acts i 9 if.,
ol 1 Th'ess. iv. 17, Apoc. L 7, xi. 12, xiv.

In three out of these contexts, it 14 ff. ; for the ace. after see
will be observed, idolatry is placed vii. 9, note). Upon
head is the his
in close, connexion with vice, and - rainbow (17 ipis), not the emerald bow
crime. On see Lightfoot's of c. iv. 3 (Tert coron. 15), but ihe
note on Gal. I.e., and cf. Exod. vii. 22, ordinary bow of many colours con-
viii. 18 (14), 4 Regn. ix. 22, Mai. iii. ;, nected with the cloud (Gen. ix. 13
Isa. xlvii. 9, 12, Dan. ii. 2. ) ),'£ due
Primitive Christianity was a pro- in this instance to the sunshine of the
test, not only against polytheism, but Angel's face. To mr 6
against the moral condition of the the description of the
recalls
pagan world. The Seer voices this glorified Christ (i. 16), but does not
protest, and enforces it with a terrific serve to identify this angel with Him
description of the vengeance which cf. Mt. xiii. 43, Apoc. xviii. 1 nor can

,
,...^.?
;

,
threatened the world unless it should this be inferred from
repent. Of. Eph. v. 6 notwithstanding that
tovs vloits this description bears some resem-
blance to i. 15 oi
. —. Preparations for the
Seventh Trumpet-blast, () Vision In there is perhaps a
of the strong Angel with the reference to Exod. xiv. 19, 24
,
little Book.

."] As
.
the opening of the Seventh ...
6

. be

The
6

]
Seal was preceded by the double vision pillar-like extremitiesof the Angel's
of c. vii., so the visions of cc. x., xi. are

~
form accord with the posture ascribed
preparatory to the blowing of the last to him in v. 2.
Trumpet. First the Seer sees an
angel, hot, as Primasius thinks,
2. \ TJj
The description is
"Dominum Christum descendentem
de caelo,"
technical sense which
but
an "angel" in the
is maintained
continued in the nom., as if the Seer
had Written
.
The Angel's hand grasped
..-
throughout the book "another angel," ;

i.e. not one of the Seven or of the Four

(cf. vii. 2, xiv. 6, 1 5 ff.), remarkable for

a small papyrus roll which lay open
a double contrast to the
of c. v. The little open .
-
his strength (v. 2, xviii. 21) coming roll contained but a fragment cf the
 •3]
iv

%
.^
/
-
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST

he^ipv
ytjs, 3
.,,
eirl
JOlnST I27

^
3
-Trep Xewv
2 K*AO° rr al Ar] tt»•»»" C* 7 10 14 17 8 36
Q min 35 KCP min" pnn ] Q minP Ar om A me
1
om
,

C ...
|

alP» u ° vid
]

- ,
great purpose which was in the Hand
of God, a fragment ripe for revelation.
vi. 5
in
and an anonymous translator
lxx.,
Regn. vi. 12), or the growl of
1

-
,
,
is a diminutive of thunder (Ar. nub. 291); cf. Arethas

.
",
,, ,-
forms are
with which
(Mc. XIV. 47),
9), yvvaucapiov (2

})
Pollux vii. 210
fie
:
may be compared

Tiin. iii. 6);

seems to be found
(Jo. VI.
other

- cf.
lion's
by

(Hos.
roar

xi. 10,
\
is
(LXX.,

4), orAm.
I

iii.

(Arethas, Phavorinus) ; but

yap
more exactly expressed
Pet. V. 8
or
,
: the

^,
'
here only, and, as the app. crit. shews, as Theocritus (xxvi. 21) has
it has given the scribes trouble. it is possible that

Ezek. ii. 9 \,
The Apocalyptist has in his mind
\ -• was so employed in Alexandrian Greek.
The word may have been preferred
pi, iv -rj

. here, to indicate that the voice of the

Angel had not only volume, but depth,
at once compelling attention and in-
.] The Angel's posture denotes spiring awe. It was a signal rather than
both his colossal size and his mission
to the world sea and land is an O.T.
:
'

formula for the totality of terrestrial

'

, , ]-
a message. No words were spoken,
yet a reply was at once elicited.
ore '

, .
things (Exod. xx. 4, 1 r, Ps. lxviii. (lxix.) e. ., clearly a recognized group,
35). Sea and land offer an equally like '
'

Ann foothold to the servants of God. But whereas

(Mc. vi. 48, note ; Mt. xiv. 28 ff.) ; the other heptads are denned, the Seer
Angel plants his right foot on the does not stop to explain 'the Seven
sea, as if to defy its instability. The Thunders,' but assumes them to' be
sea is ever present to the mind of the known. No satisfactory explanation
Seer (v. 13, vii. 1 ff., viii. 8 f., etc.) ; to of the article has been given unless ;

the exile in Patmos there must have (Ziillig) it points back to the sevenfold
been a peculiar attraction in the
nin* 7\p of Ps. xxix. which describes

) / .]
thought of the strong Angel to whom ,

the Aegean was as solid ground. a thunderstorm upon the sea. The
Thunders uttered their own ()
3.
Most things in the Apocalypse are on
a great scale, and a
common
is ^
10, v. 2, 12, vi. 10, vii.
voices, distinct from the Angel's cry,

ligible ()
and chaiged with a message intel-
to those who had

.
(e.g. i.

2, 10, etc.)but the strength of this

;
ears to hear; cf. Ps. xix. 1, and the
remarkable parallel in Jo. xii. 28
Angel's voice is emphasized by the
added metaphor .,.
MvKaa6ai,mugire, is used of a low deep 6
sound like the lowing of the ox (Job yeyovivai•
 .•
,, <-
128 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [X-3

4 \\-
4
(' \-
5
ayyeXos, eiSov
-. s
Kat

aeth
3 ]
^]
4 ore]
yfis,

om
37 79 arm
Vpev
*
et
4 7 18 arm
quae Prim |
\ !! |
ran
+
he^iav

;] ]
H j
eis

g syr&" arm
yg»ii!>i»riiip»

Haym ACQ min"°" n ]

]
KP minP Ar arm pr
1
| |

130 syrs" + vg c,id<im me o] otra X om 2° C

|

n 17 37 49 79 9 1 9& Andr
| |

-! 8 98
|

17

.. ,
•} 3*>

37 49 79 9 1 9^ + '3°
A 36 vg syrs"
5 '* " "CP
|

rninP1 Andr ] AQ 7 14 (13°) 1

om

cf. xiii.
In XaXciv

5
the ace. is
that of 'content' (Blass, Gr. p. 90 f.);

"... -~
Heb. xii. 24

! .
it is

?
2 Cor.
'
says ' :
idle
xii.

—
to
4
enquire; but compare
a
As Arethas
-
] 4• ore
The Seer in his vision seems to
be engaged in taking notes of what he
be forbidden to write
to
was to be forbidden to communicate
to the Church what he had heard.
sees and hears
He has understood the special
utterance of the Thunders, and at
(i. 11, 19, ii.

()
1, etc.). The Seer's enforced reticence wit-
nesses to the fragmentary character
of even apocalyptic disclosures. The
once takes his papyrus-sheet and dips Seer himself received more than he
his reed pen into the inkhorn (2 Jo. was at liberty to communicate. He
12, 3 Jo. 13), intending to write them was conscious of having passed through
down, when a voice from heaven (xiv. experiences which he could not recall
2, 13, xviii. 4) bids him refrain. The or express, and he rightly interpreted
form occurs in Jo. iv. 47, xii. his inability to put them on paper as

;
33, xviii. 32, while on the other hand

:
in Jo. vi. 6, Apoc. iii. 2, the best text

=&
has
row
see WH. 2 Notes, p. 169.
Syr.*"• adds »^- -">^
equivalent to a prohibition. Such a
revelation was, for all practical pur-
poses, a
Joann. t xiii. 5
.' Cels. vi. 6.
Cf. Origen in

.
: c.

apparently, and this 5 f. ov

, interesting reading is now supported .] See v. , notes. The angel
by the Athos ms. 130.

is

!
from Dan.

(cf. ib. viii.

..
xii. 4
^/
,
26) ; but the application
,
- 2.
now speaks (v. 3) and answers the
Seven Thunders by a solemn oath.
But first he lifts up his hand tc-
heaven, a gesture which in the O.T.
accompanies an adjuration; cf. Deut
of the
ances is
metaphor to unwritten
a bold innovation. aura
stands in sharp contrast with
utter- XXXU. 40
',
(NtfN)

fit (see
i.

!.
of

or
19

why
o!v a e'Srr; the position
is emphatip, cf. xi. 2
What the' utterances were,
they, were not to be revealed,
Driver
njv
of
vi.
, 8, Num.
ad loc). or
is in fact frequently a synonym
see e.g. Gen. xiv. 22, Exod.
xiv. 30, Ez. xx. 15, 28.
,,< '
7]

6
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
ets
129

, •
,
, 6

arm Prim
om
ev
K*Q min35 me

] 12 |
|
om
om
* 40 me
\.
1 2 47 arm

ert
*
7 <£\'

! , me om
|

30 31 3 2 3^ al syr^
79 non «''*' atnplius vg '
J

'!
|

7 om )5 syrs" | 30 31 35 36 7 8 79 87 9 1 9^ om Kat IO 7* 37
I

49 9i 94 vg 0l ° fudemt° arm Ar Prim Haym

1
[ KACP min fere40 me syrr]
(Q) 1(7) 28 J6 48 7991 96* arm Ar ! consummaMtur vg finietur
Prim I
ws] 10 28 37 49 79 91 130 syrs" arm

The passage in the Seer's mind

,
perhaps Dan. xii. 7

. , els
is any interval of time, any further
delay': cf. Hab. ii. 3 (Heb. x.

' ,
37),
and

marks

' .'
:
On
boKfi

The phrase
is
'{ , 6
Arethas

frequent in the
tivos,'
els
re-

tovs
contrast Apoc.

foretells a . vi."

..
There may
be an allusion to Dan. xii. 7, which
But how neces-
sary so solemn an assurance became
II

towards the end of the Apostolic age,

when the early hopes of an immediate
"iva

Apocalypse (i.

familiar formula (Exod xx. n, Ps.

18, iv.
.
9 f., xv.
is
7). *Os
another had been' dispersed,
from such a passage as 2 Pet.
is
iii.
clear
3 ff.

cxlv. (cxlvL) 6, 2 Esdr. ix. 6), which

\ovs
; -
, ...
increases the solemnity of the oath by
rehearsing the visible proofs of the Lc.
almighty power of Ood; cf. Gen. . 45 *" &*
. ' !7 °
cf.

xiv. 22.

on
On
Bible Studies,
see Deissmarm,
p.. 284.
eorai] is
7• '.] ,,.
'But, so far from further
followed by (1) the object of the delays supervening, as soon as the
appeal in the ace. (Jac. v. 12) or days of the Seventh Trumpet have
governed by iv (Mt. v. 34, 36, xxiii. come, at the moment when the Seventh
16), (Mt. or .
(Heb. 35), , Angel is about to blow, then (for
vi 13, 16); (2) the contents of the in apodosis, cf. WM. p. 546 f.) the
oath, preceded by el (Gen. xiv. 23, Ps.
xciv. (xcv.) 11), or recited with or
on Mc. that !
Secret of God is finished.' The clause
as a whole corrects the impression
implies an .
(:
without (Ps. cix. (ex.) 4, vi. 23,
xiv. 71). The Angel's words were, immediate end It will come in
not 'Time shall 'days' which• though future are so
be no more ' as the .\ distinctly present to the mind of the
ancient commentators for the most speaker that he writes rather
part interpret (e.g. Bede "mutabilis : than (the aor. of antici-
saecularium temporum varietas...ces- pation, "WM. p. 346 f., cf. Burton, § 50).
sabit"), but 'there shall no more be To cf the :

s. .
i3o

8
&
, .
-
-, ,-
THE APOCALYPSE OF'

''
ST JOHN [X.7

9 ? . 9

'.
-
tcus
8

...
1
28 79 97
] 12 17 19 2 •> 2 8 37 49 79 9 1 9^ Tois eavT0V SovXois tois
arm Ax per servos suos prophetas vg (Prim)
Vg do syre" arm4
tods

7
(
P r Kal
I

ex . .
|

|
<>]
...
130
]
|
"

mn i

Prim om C
fereio ^j.

]* J
al*1 Ar

'9 om
|

Q
...
AC
mini'1 '! 30
6 14]
Ar |
ev

syr*"
]|
ex xeipos 36 de
] \
alvlimB
manu vg arm4
XCPQ minP
Q
1

!
Andr Ar |
Jos 28 36 38 49 <j 1 79 91 g6 me |
A™" CP 1
minP'] Q min40 Ar. 1 1 al""1

...
'Synoptic phrase
. . ( iv. 11, note),
. ttjs

and St Paul's
run either
<«... eXeyev 01"

,
. v. .( Cor.
(Col., iv. 3).
which mention is made here is perhaps
ii. 1, Col. ii.

The mystery of
2), or
(cf. . crit.).
the same heavenly voice, which had
The sense is clear;

wider than these, including the whole bidden the Seer not to write the utter-
purpose of God in the evolution of ance of the Seven Thunders (v. 4),
human history. The whole is now at now bids him take the roll that lay
length complete

&
XV. 6
; with

oi
, Xvii. 1
Seov.
cf open in the Angel's hand (v. 2). Cf.
iv. 1,

9.
note.
wpos ayyeXov .]
Tljata final and joyous clearing up of The Seer in his rapture quits his
the problems of life should find a position at the door of heaven (iv. 1),
place in the last days was the Gospel and places himself before the great

Christian
cavrov tovs ?
of the prophets both Jewish and
(«as

For ). [ 6tbs] rois

Angel whose feet rest on sea and land
On see "WH. a Notes, p. 171,
W. Schm. p. III.
,

€€
the phrase 'His servants the prophets'
see Am. ill. 7, Jer. vii. 25, xxv. 4,
Apoc. i. 1, 3, xi. 18. The rare active
eiiayyeXifeiK occurs also in Regn.
xxxi. 9, 2 Regn. xyiii. 19, Apoc. xiv.
ActS
!.
'telling (bidding)
XXL 21
The Angel does not
give the book, but invites the Seer to
take it, and thus to shew at once his
him to give'; cf.

6; is frequent in ,
fitness for the task before him (cf. v.
St Luke, and is found also in Gal. i.
9, 2 If.), and his readiness to undertake
1 Pet. i. 12, but the usual construction it The book did not need to be
et/ayy. [euayye'XtoV] (Blass, Gr. opened, like that which the Lamb

'
is

p. 8 9 £)l had taken out of the Hand of God,

8. .] nor were its contents to be read or
Another example of mixed construc- published; it was to be consumed by
tion normally, the sentence would
: the Seer (on see Mc. iv. 4,
.]

>,
?
./)
,
. '
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

?
'
' ,^. " ^
131

?
e<pa- 10

g, ]
ruin'™" 30 Ar
A om |

8
- syr'"
14 17 2 8 al
.- ^ - ACP al]
StCP minP vg syr]
1
II

S4Q
ws

!
|

. AQ me om Byi*" arm1 om us aeth |

7/>/0?;] . 130 arm ,

]
Prim
Ar]
pr
2°]

em Q
+
7
rain•" ! 30 syr
1
Si •" 1 30/ arm Prim

28 31 38 47 49 51 79 91 96 130 yg«i°"»**fu syrr

Prim Ar
1 1 XAQ miu30 vgam * harl (me)
arm aeth Prim |

,
!,.,
note) ie. taken in and digested men-
tally; cf. Primasius: "idest'insecretis
recondi yisceribus,' " and Arethas

There is
!
a clear
The

the
Seer, if he would be admitted
into a part of God's secret, must be
prepared for very mixed sensations;
first joy of fuller knowledge would
be followed by sorrows deeper and

,!
...
reference to Ez. iii. 1; 3 more bitter than those of ordinary
men. Cf. Orig. philoc. v. 6.
.,. ! .

,
..
<
! .
The
-
.]
The Seer obeys, and
the result is as the Angel had said.

.-
There is however an instructive change

'
Seer adds
and (.
:

)
The sweetness of the roll reminds

-
of order :

;
the Angel's words are

the Seer relating

,
the reader of Ps. xviii. (xix.) 10, 11 his experience naturally places first
the sensation which was first in order
. . .

of time. The remarkable variant -

. , !,
cxviii. (cxix.) 103 as
for is best explained
.
beauty of the revelation, the joy of
insight and foresight which it afforded,
the promise it held of greater joys to
come, are well expressed by this

'•!
metaphor: cf. Jer. xv. 16 6
The

a position over

xxxii. 19.
II.
;
as the first word of a gloss
accidentally transferred into
the text from the margin or from

Cf. app. crit.

the gloss
itself may have been suggested by Job

But when the message -.] is the

has been digested, it has other and plural of indefinite statement, nearly
opposite effects

: equivalent to ; whether the

,
(for this use of cf. Jo. words come from the heavenly voice

).
VU. 38 !
Every revelation of God's
(w. 4, 8), or from the Angel (v. 9),
or from some unknown source, is not
purposes, even though a mere frag-
ment, a is 'bitter-sweet,
'
obvious or material
the commission given to the prophets
.
recalls

(disclosing judgement as well as mercy. of Israel, especially to Jeremiah (i. 10

9—2
XL
132

*
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
,- [XL

\ejwv

]
.
''Gyeipe

(36)
XI \]+!
37 49 8? 9 1 9 2
me
3° srr * sy re"
|

arm
pr
^ ot
ayyeXos "•
al plq20 Ar
*.•} 14 34 35

2
!,
) and Ezekiel
(i.q. ), .
(iv. 7
- . 15 6

The
,
perhaps a cane of the
3|?) is
ApOC.

(Ezekiel's

vi. 2,xi. 4 « passim). The Seer of Arundo donax which (Hastings iv.
the Apocalypse, full of the bitterness p. 212) grows in 'immense brakes'
of the roll which he has devoured, along the Jordan valley (cf. Mt. xi. 7),
now bound (Sei) to prophesy again. and often reaches the height of 15
is
After the Seventh Trumpet (xi. 15) a
second will begin (xii. I
see Introduction, c. iii.) in which the
or 20 feet. Such a Teed would be
in strength and straightness
(Mc. vi. 8), but far longer and
;
destinies of nations and their rulers therefore better fitted to take the
will be yet more fully revealed. The measurements of a great building.

( ),
Seer is not sent to prophesy in their Ezekiel's reed was of six cubits, i.e.
A
presence (eVi with gen., cf. Mc. xiii. 9

nor against them with ace, see

foe).
"
about 9 feet (xL 5, see
ad
B. Davidson.

.] On
Ez. I. c), but simply with a view to
their several cases [
emphasizes the greatness of
the field It is no one Empire or
Emperor that is concerned in the
.).
or with
!!
see Mc. ii. 11, note.
intrans.
There is no need to ask with Andreas
: Chr. Wordsworth to
understand by the reed the Canon
;

prophecies of the second half of the of Holy Scripture regarded as the

Apocalypse not merely Rome or Nero
; measure of human life. The speaker
or Domitian, but a multitude of races, is the person who gave the reed, and
kingdoms, and crowned heads. whose presence is implied in '.
XL —
Preparations fob the
1 14.
Seventh Trumpet. (2) Measuring
the Temple. The Holy City and
the Two Witnesses.
. The .]
A
.
heavenly sanctuary has been men-
tioned in iii. 12, vii. 15 ; cf. xi. 19 <5
vabs But the
sanctuary which is now to be measured
is evidently on earth (cf. v. 1), and its
Seer no longer a mere witness ; the
is
new inspiration imparted by the roll
(x. 11) prompts him to take his place
among the actors in the great drama.
His part is to measure the Sanctuary,
and for this end a reed is.put into his
hands. The conception is from Ezek.
... )
!!-
form is suggested by the Temple of
Jerusalem; it has an 'outer court' and
is in the Holy City.'
'
At Jerusalem
the Altar of Burnt-offering, which is
probably meant by r6
was in the Court of the Priests, while
the worshippers filled the Court of
,
.
xl.

!
(5)ff.
3,6
ijv

:
..
: cf.

tjj
Zech. ii. I
the Israelites and the Court of the
Women, so that the vaos here must
be taken to include the ,
with the
exception of the Court of the Gentiles.
The Seer however has in view not the
jrpor material Sanctuary, but the spiritual
; building of the Church ; cf. 1 Cor. iiL
XL 2] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 133

,
]
'
8 87 syre" Vict
,] ev

*
] /.
arm

AQ
1

]
|

3 al] om
°]

pr
pr *
it* |
1

)•]
2 35

minP1 vgcieamdem Prim

130 |
|

2°]

t
Q mini" 1
|

Ar
om
*
minP 1
|
|

16 f., 2 Cor. vi. 16, Eph. ii. 21, 2 Thess. Synagogue ; as in ii. 9, iii. 9, the tables

ii. 4. The measuring of the Sanctuary are turned, and while the Church fills

provides for its preservation from
the general overthrow, and thus cor-
responds with the sealing of the
144,000, which preceded the seventh
seal-opening as the measuring pre-
cedes the seventh trumpet-blast. Me-
...!
azeugma some such verb as
involves
) ' !-
the court of Israelites and worships at
the Altar of the Cross (Heb. xiii. 10),
Israel after the flesh is cast out (Mt.
viii. 1 2 01
and delivered to the heathen.
This interpretation of the outer court
-
seems to have been in the mind of
Andreas, though he obscures it by

-
;

'!
(WM.

' 2.
must be mentally supplied
p. ,777).

.]
.,.
. '
including the pagan world :

,
'

The outer court is passed

'." ;
See Hort, Apoc. p. xxxi f.

!
over and left to its fate. Solomon's
Temple had two courts (3 Regn. vi. 34
(36) Ezek. . 5 .] A reminiscence of Zech. xii. 3

Hastings, iv. 702),

!and
so had Ezekiel's
\ but see Tjj

toXs Dan. viii. 13 Th. ear

(Ezek. xL 17, 20); but in Herod's
... -
,
Temple the inner court was divided
.
'
Isa. lxiiL 18 (Aq.)
into three spaces, frdm the last of
which the outer court was parted by See also Ps.
a barrier ( lxxix. , Ps. SoL vii. 2, xvii. 25, 1 Mace,

Eph. ii. 15, where see Dean Robinson's

note) which might not be passed by a
Gentile. The outer court was "given
to the Gentiles " as an oikos !
iii 45, 51.
parallel in Lc.
There is a yet nearer

.
XXL 22

comes perhaps from Dan. ix. 24 Th.

-
(Mc. xi. 17), and the Lord taught that
its sanctity was not impaired by their (IJPi? TV), but the phrase occurs also
admission ; it was a true part of the
Upov. Now, however, the Seer
rected to 'cast it Out'

exclude it from the

=

though the
(
,
,
as
in e. xiv. 20; cf. Blass, Gr, p. 59), i.e. to
is di-
in 2 Esdr. xxi.
Mt. iv. s,
1,

In Apoc. xxi. 2,
xxvii. 53.
xxii. 19 it is applied to the ideal City
of God, but here, as the context shews,
it stands for the Jewish polity, as the
Isa. xlviii. 2, Iii. 1,

other courts are included. It is to be outer court of the Temple for the

!
,,
"given to the Gentiles" in another
sense, to be profaned and, with the
rest of the Holy City, trodden under
Jewish faith and worship.

of time is derivedHrom Dan. vii. 25

] This limit
Th.,
foot. If the represents the Church, xii. 7
the outer court is perhaps the rejected i.e. 3 years or 42 months, the
134

< §\ THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

£- .[XL 3

3
3

4 7 28 48 79 96
] C

duration of the sufferings of the Jews

minrt vg syr*" rell Vict

,
,
syrs™ ,i 1 '

Prim Andr Ar]

|
]
and Thilo, end. apocr.
+ K°- c * (14)
K*APQ
|

under Antiochus, whether we reckon . ., 76S ff

p. cf Bousset, Der
- 5 •

from June 168 to Dec. 16$, or from Antichrist, p. i34ff.) can exhaust the
Dec. 168 to the middle of 164 see ; meaning of the two witnesses who
Driver ad loc. The same limit is given prophesy through the whole period
under various terms in Appc. xi. 3, of Gentile domination, though, as the .

xii. 6 (1260 days), xii. 14 ("a time and sequel shews (vv. 5, 6), the first pair
times and half a time,' as in Daniel), at least are in the mind of the writer,
1

xi. 2, xiii. 5 (42 months). By com- suggested doubtless by MaL iv. 4, 6,

paring these passages with the present
context we get the equation the du-
ration of the triumph of the Gentiles
=the duration of the prophesying of
the Two "Witnesses, =the duration of
the Woman's sojourn in the wilderness.
and by the vision of the Transfigura-
: tion (Mc. ix. 4). Nor again can such
allegorical interpretations as the Law
and the Prophets, the Law and the
Gospel, the Old Testament and the
New, be maintained in view of all

.
The time-limit serves of course no fur- that follows. Rather the witnesses
ther purpose than to synchronize the represent the Church in her function
and compare them
several periods,
with the greatest crisis through which
the Jewish people passed between the
to of witness-bearing (Acts i. 8

her testimony'
..
symbolized by two
is
) ;

Exile and the Pall of Jerusalem. In witnesses, partly in reference to the

this place it suggests that as the Syrian
domination yielded at last to the faith
and courage of the Maccabees, so when cf. Jo.
...
well-known law of Deut. xix. 15

the appointed time has come the
Jewish people may be emancipated
from Gentile oppression, and restored
to the unity of the people of God.
The words have a special interest
in view of the recrudescence of Anti-
Semitism.
, viii. 1 7
.(
),
partly in order
to correspond with the imagery of
Zechariah iv. 2 ff., about to be cited
or, as Primasius says, they may repre-
sent the Church in both stages of her
career, "ecclesia duobus testamentis

»-
rots
praedicans et prophetans." The wit-
3.
.] The Speaker is Christ (cf. ii. 13,. ness of the Church, borne by her'
martyrs and confessors, her saints
xxL or His Angel-representative
(xxii. 7) 12
(«/ =
6)
ff.). ... or
and doctors, and by the words and
lives of all in whom Christ lives and
speaks, is one continual prophecy (cf.
'...
•1351).
(Delitzsch,
Neither Moses and Elijah,
nor Elijah and Elisha, nor Enoch and
Elijah (Tert. anim. 50, Hipp., ed. Lag.,
xix. 17

throughout the 1260 days of the

triumph of heathendom. Her wit-
), lasting

p. 2i,'Hier. ep. 59. 3; see Arethas, nesses are clad in sackcloth (for the
ad loc.

]
be construction see x. 1), a reference
rjj perhaps to the rough costume worn
[sc. by ancient prophets ; cf. 4 Regn. i. 8
.\ , .
XL S]

4
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

al

<
al
3

-.,
'
135

,
5

'
] ]( Set -
92 95
4
-^
" fleou
C) evamovj om
|

28 36 79 al Tld + T.
64* 6 J 14 1 3 2 34 35 47 4^ 8?

arm1
3
pr syr&"
|

«
;] ! n
|

)
Tld .Hipp
eo-Tures] 7 a8 ig 36 38 47 49 79 9 1 95 3° al 5
me*1 ^?) $e\ei] Hipp voluerit vgvellet
Prim ] Hipp
|

0eXei
A
CPQ min* 1
syrr Andr Ar |
2°]

,!-
28 36 37 43 79 om

xiii. 4
6( €>, Beppiv
|

Zech.
Isa.
Christ's witnesses.
carry with
These, if faithful,
them the
oil of the Spirit,

!But
,
XX. 2 S<pe\e

. !
and see Mp.
has a special appro-
priateness in its present connexion;
i. 6, note.
which keeps alive the light of life (cf.
Mt xxv. 4, Bom. xi. 17). They stand
before the Lord of the earth, living in
His Presence, and ministering to Him -

,
the sackcloth dress indicates that the by their confession of His Christ.
attitude of the Church during the pre-
valence of paganism, if not to the end
Ai...«rr<Srff in tor. the thought of
the writer goes back to
:

i.e. oi ,
,
of her course on earth (Mc. ii. 20), and, full of his great

^.,..
must needs be penitential and not
triumphant ; cf. Jonah iii. 6, 8
oi Mt. xi. 21
- conception, he is
demands of grammar.
5.
' tis !
indifferent to the

tv .] To God's witnesses is im-

!, !,
Cf. kill
Bede: "saccis arnicti, id est in exo- possible, so long as their witness is
mologesi constituti." On the readings unfulfilled; those who attempt it bring
See destruction upon themselves. There
TO.2 , Notes, p. 138. is an allusion to• Elijah's treatment of
al .] After Ahaziah's messengers (2 Kings i. 10 flf.,

!
4.
Zech.
... .,. iv. 2 f., 14 Ihoi cf. Lc. ix. 54), but as usual the details

are modified; the fire comes not from

!
oi Trjs

!. In Zechariah
heaven but out of the mouths of the
witnesses (cf. i. 16, ii. 16, ix. 17), i.e. the
the
trees
is Israel,
which feed it are either the
and the two olive witnesses slay their enemies by the

!
fire of the word which they utter ; cf.

' ,
!,
priesthood and the royal house, re- Jer. v. 14 rois els
presented by Joshua and Zerubbabel,
or, as some suppose, certain heavenly
ministries through which the Spirit
was poured upon the nation. The !. Vic-
f. Sir. xlviii. I

{
Apocalyptist adopts so much of this torinus rightly: "ignem...potestatem
as lends itself to his purpose. He has verbi dicit." Bede thinks of the
already likened the seven Churches to Christian revenge inculcated in Rom.
.
, (i. 12, 20) ; from another point

of view the whole Church is a single

fed by those of its members
who are specially set apart to be
For
20

Gr.
).
« ? 6(•
p. 26;
see WM. 368.
other exx. of ei
eVi
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XI. S

,
I3 6

, -
7
, \<
</
iva

. '

anon»°s
6
|

7;?;] om
rat ] ACP] om

ev
ev ()
Q minPouovld vg
KQ

|
min»"m, ld Hipp Andr Ar

eavjav
3,6"
'

C
syrs™, (in) diebus

38 130 |
|
om

C
veros ut vid
vg fu Prim anon » »
14
1 1
|
vg
e»

97

with
Lc.
differs
app.
ix.
the

in
crit.)
13,
subj.
1

meaning from
may be found
Cor. xiv.
(see
the former must be held
5. If ) in unusual; the customary phrase
debs
(Gen.
(Jac.
ii. 5,

I.e.).
(Joel
Mt.
ii.

v. 45),
23),
or simply
is
is

here
to state a hypothetical case, whilst the execution of the prophetic office,

,.' .
the latter posits the
For

Set

&
, 6.
iv
see
'to
teresting parallel in Lc. xiii. 31
6e\ei Ourois (sc.
destined to be

ii.
'

slain in this manner ';,cf. xiii. 10 oVi

he

11, note.
as a fact.
be minded' see the in-

is
)
On

.]
as in 2 Esdr. vi.

more usually the noun denotes either

the gift of prophecy (1 Cor. xii. 10),
or a particular prophecy or collec-
tion of prophecies (Apoc. i. 3, xxii.
7ff.).

Reference is now made to Moses, the

13 ev

]
;

Another reference to Elijah, the re- other prototype of the Church's wit-
presentative of O.T. prophecy. In nesses. Like Moses in Egypt, they
1 Kings xvii. 1 the drought pro- can inflict plagues. The first of the
claimed by Elijah is for ' these years Egyptian plagues has been already inr
(^ ),
an
Q*3^n, LXX.
term of years beginning
indefinite
with the date of the prophecy. Ac-
cording to Menander, cited by Jo-
i.e.for
troduced into the scenery of the Third
Trumpet (viii. 8), but less precisely
here (sc.
answers to Exod viL 20
ets )-
?...:-^|, Ps.
.
( :(
sephus (antt. viii. 13. 2), the period was cf. civ. (cv.) 29
actually one full year; see Burney ad
loc. But a tradition adopted in Lc. iv.

25
e|)
!
and
6
Jac. v. 17
rpeis
the length of the great drought cor-
respond with that of the Syrian domi-
!:
), made
.,.
' Regn. iv.
claim,
8, where the

carries the power given to

the Church far beyond that exercised
. ' ! !
comes from
Philistines ex-

nation and this agrees with the

; by Moses, who received an express
Apocalyptist's scheme of things, for command before he inflicted a plague.
according to v. 3 the days of the wit- The committed to the wit-

years. »,
nesses' prophesying are 1260, i.e. 3
the power exer-
cised by Elijah and now revived in the
nesses of Christ has no bounds but
those which are imposed by their own
want of faith ; cf. xi. 23, note Mc
.,.
case of the two witnesses.
ovpavov occurs elsewhere in this con-
nexion only in Lc. I.e. 'Verbs is
Jo. XV. 7

The general sense of the verse is

.
well
eav
, ', .
XI. 8] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

%
-
137

]
. ] + syrs" om :
]
7 | |

12 36 4 1 8 7 97 syr° dl1 8 ACQ miu 3S me arm3 aeth Ar ' alia transl' ap

Prim] KP 35 3^ 3^ 49 79 ^7 9 1 3° al v g syrr arm1 2 4 Viot Prim • •

.
Andr |
tijs syrs" vg pr K oc * 28 37 43 79 iacebunt
vg ponet Prim proictetur al transl ap Prim arm)

!
'
' (of

given in Jac.

7•
.]
v. 17

The 'witnesses are im-

this

!,
Andreas : 6 ,
power with the Antichrist (cf.

and so Arethas). For a fuller

discussion of the symbol see notes on
-
mortal for so long a time .only as their cc. xiii. 1, xvii. 8.

allotted term of office lasts when The "Wild Beast prevails over the

!
;

"Witnesses; cf. Dan. vii. 21 Th. ro

31 ,
they have delivered their message,

. -
. (
their immunity from danger ceases, eKelvo
•and they are at the mercy of their 3|?
enemies. These are represented by The Seer anticipates

Of the Abyss we have heard

! in c. ix.
a struggle between the Church and
the whole power of the Roman Em-

,
1 but hitherto no mention has been
flf., pire; he foresees that the troubles
made
been ,
of a "Wild Beast there have
but there has been no
nor is there any further reference to
: which began under Nero and Dom-
itian will end in such a conflict as
was actually brought about under
one until we reach c. xiii. 1. Yet the Decius and in the last persecution
article (
.) assumes that this Wild under Diocletian. But his words cover
Beast which comes up from the Abyss in effect all the martyrdoms and mas-
is a figure already familiar to the . sacres of history in which brute force
Perhaps it points back to has seemed to triumph over truth and

:
reader.

! !,
Dan. vii. 3 Th. righteousness.
the Apoca-
lyptist mentally merging the four in
one, or fixing his attention on the fourth
(ib. 7I, 20 f.), while for the sea he sub-
, 8.
.]
'Their corpses (for
cadaver, see Jud. xiv. 8, Ez. vi.
5 (A), Mc. vi. 29, xv. 45 (notes), and

,
stitutes the Abyss (cf. Deut. xxx. 13 for the collective sing., cf. Gen. xlviii.
with Bom. x. 7, and the note on c. ix. 1). 1 2, Lev. x. Jud. xiii. 20, and see Blass,
6,
In Daniel the are earthly king- Gr. p. 83) lie on the open street (!
doms or empires (Dan: vii. 17), which cf. cc. xxi. 21, xxii. 2) of the

are contrasted with the Kingdom of Great City.' "With the sentiment of
the Saints •(»». 18, 27). similar A his race the Seer strongly resents the
interpretation may be provisionally indignities offered to the bodies of
adopted here. This from the the martyrs ; cf. Ps. lxxix. 2 f, Tob. L

!
Abyss is clearly a power of imperial 18, ii. 3 flf.

(,-
magnitude and great strength which The Great City is defined as "one
derives its origin from beneath, and which () in the language of mys-
opposes itself to Christ's witnesses. tery or of prophecy cf.
The ancient commentators identify I Cor. ii. 13 (cod. )
138

9
<,
<, 8
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

.
- ,. <<<
[XL 8

9
-

8 ] om •"
14 34 35
] ]-
&7 9 2 vg
,lp* 4
me syr 8" arm 4

]! ]
|

om ti* 9 vg me arm aeth Prim 28

,
|

38 49 19 9 1 95 9<> al 6 Bvrr arm 4 Prim |

om Q min35
Andr Ar om omnia Prim anon ,n s | Q mini"1 me syrr Ar sinent
ygcieamiipse4,e prim tt°-
a
98 al»*"""'11 vg syrs™ arm 3 aeth Prim

,
dial.
and contrast
14) is called 'Sodom' and
Egypt V The name of Sodom is
. 3
in Justin,
early centuries,
cified afresh in
line
view
where Christ was cru-
His Saints. But this
of thought has not yet come into
for the present, Jerusalem, the

. )
' ;

. ...
given to Judah in its worst days (Isa. city of the Crucifixion "and of the
i.

.
9 f*

xvi. 46, 55 V
°> ?

. !, ...
cf.
earliest Christian martyrdoms, by a
strange irony represents the antagonist
of the civitas Dei.
and suggests at once moral degrada-
tion and utter ruin. Egypt, the
'house of bondage,' though not applied
in the O.T. to Jerusalem or the Jewish
people, is an obvious symbol of op-
pression and slavery. That Jerusalem
recalls

,
9-

.]
Kvpios

Men
.'
the saying of Jo. xv. 20

of all races and

- .
isintended here seems to follow from
; in the latter half of the
book the 'Great City' is Babylon (xvi.
nationalities
of
it
(cf. v. 9, vii.

see Blass, Gr. p. 97, who compares

with a similar use of ]\ gaze at the
9 ; on this use

19, xvii. 18, xviii. 10 ft), but the epithet spectacle, which lasts 3J days as —
is one which a Jew might not many days as the years of the wit-
unnaturally give to the capital of his nesses' prophesying a short triumph —
native land (cf. Orac. Sibytt. v. 154, in point of fact, but long enough to

).
226, 413); even pagan writers extol its
size (Appian, Syr. 50
But if Jerusalem is in
the Seer's thoughts, it is Jerusalem
no longer regarded as the Holy City,
bear the semblance of being complete
and final. The delight of the spec-
tators is represented as at once
fiendish and childish ; they not only
leave the bodies without burial, but
but as given over to heathendom (». 2), refuse to permit the friends of the
and thus for the time representing the martyrs to bury them (cf. Tobit i.
world. The measured Sanctuary re- i8ff.). Further, ,they celebrate their
mains in its midst, an impregnable victory Tt>y keeping holiday and ex-
fortress, but the Witnesses go out into changing gifts. The words depict the
the street where the power of the hatred entertained for the Christians
Beast is supreme, and there, after a
I
by the pagan majority, and the joy
while, they meet their fate. In the with which edicts against them would
ultimate meaning of the symbols, the be received.
City is doubtless not Jerusalem, but the plural is used in
:

Bome, the persecutor of the Saints, reference to the burial of the bodies,
the mystic Sodom and Egypt of the in which separate treatment would be
XL ]

,
'
-',, /
<.
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

" tow
139

,
[rets] II

[]

] ]
almuTid vg ci«,amfu me
Q 6
syrr
7
arm pr ; m
1

-|
(
38 Ar gaudebunt ve syrr me ann 4 aeth Prim
8 14 alf vg syrr me arm4 Prim Ar
tf*P 2 g jg ?Q g * ygcdd
|
[
-
«'" AC 1

Q
mins ° Ar
35
|
ot

37 38 40 49 91 g6 130 syrS""
3<>

95] om ei< CP
1

7 i2 i7 38 eis aurous
'*
arm |
jttera

-]
pr to
tos

NQ min 30 Ar in Wis vg Prim

| !!
ACQ Ar] om 7-as

eir
A
KP 1 14 28
18 28** 36 79

49 S3 91
96

necessary; contrast
note).
Mc. L
sinere,
For the form

xviii. 8.

.
34,
see
xi 25
Jo.
;

xL

o£ KarotKovvres
.]
and
44,
for
48,

The non-Christian
, (.

xii
8,
cf.

7,

yrjS
though good breeding may prevent
outward manifestation of joy; cf.
Bede: "quoties affliguntur iusti ex-
sultant
c. ix.
II.
5,

.]
iniusti"
note.
Tat
The
On »!
exultation of the
see

world —an Apocalyptic formula, cf. iii pagan world will be shortened ; when
10, vi. 10, viii. 13, xiii 8, 12, 14, xvii.'2, the 3^ days are over, the Witnesses
8—shew their joy at the overthrow of
the Witnesses after the customary
(, return to life. The Seer has in mind
Ez. xxxvii.
.
\
) , els
\ -
,
manner, keeping holiday
used specially of ' good cheer ' and the,
mirth which it induces ; cf. Lc. xii 19
ib. XV. 23 ff., xvi

19), and sending portions from their

own table to friends or to poorer
self
(,
Church of the martyrs recovering her-
from the effects of an age of per-
secution, as Ezekiel had seen new life
infused into a dead Israel. Compare
: he sees the

,
neighbours (2 Esdr. xviii 10
......\ ib. 12
also 4 Regn. xiii. 21

0« - .
(Gen. vi 17, vii 15, 22), the
\
,
; Esth. ix. respiration of animal life,, in this case
22
). The cause of joy
proceeding directly 'from God.' With
iv cf. Lc. ix. 46, and

?
was not so much the death of the
Witnesses as the relief which the

)
cessation of their testimony afforded
"the two prophets (cf. v. 3

tortured" the world by setting

men's consciences at work; cf. 1 Kings
xviii. 17, xxi. 20, Mc. vi. 20, Apoc. ix.
- '
Mass, Gr.

xv. 16, Ps.

panic-stricken.
vival of the
p. 130.

liv. (Iv.) 5,

in N.T., Lc. i 12, Acts xix. 17)

the spectators were
:

Each unexpected
Church after an edict .
(Exod.
2 Esdr. xvi. 16

re-

5 f. note. Such a sense of relief is not aimed at her extinction would strike
seldom felt by bad men when a dismay into the hearts of the perse-
preacher of righteousness or a signal
example of goodness is removed, .
cutors, for it was manifestly
140

12

'
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

em ." [XL n

13 , .
•
',} .
, 3

!
Andr Ar]
Andr Ar
anon""»
mn fere40
|
»
arm4 Ar.
38» » ]-
ACP min15 ]
CP
|

Q minP Andr Ar
Kat 2°]
1
17*

C
/»...
KQ

»]
minP1 Ar
12

13 om
|

Q me
AQ
i°
min?1 Ar
Q
-

mill 25
|

Ar
KAQ
X c a Q min35 me arm
om

%
|
minf"™ ""

A
syrs"
28
Q
1

!
j | \
J

12. .] earlier witnesseswere erected into

The resurrection of the Witnesses is a new Olympus; paganism saw the
followed, as their Lord's (». 8) had men it had hated and killed called up
been, by an ascension into heaven in a to heaven before its eyes. Thus if
cloud. But whereas none saw the the of the Seer's vision
full realization

Lord rise from the dead, and His in the future, it found a partial
is still

Ascension was witnessed only by a few accomplishment even before the age
»
{
»),
(Acts i.
9
His witnesses rise and
ascend in full view of their enemies

V. 1 1

triumph
toiis
is celebrated openly. This
predicted exaltation of the martyrs
oi
), ) SC.

;
-cf.

their
of

Trj
persecution
'hither' (Syr.«"-
:
*)
ceased.

the cloud already asso-

ciated with ascension into heaven in
the Master's case (Acts i. 9).
Seer may also have in view the
translation of
The
cf. c. iv.

Enoch and Elijah

For
.
<SSe
»

(Sir.

and

(i
saints will find its fulfilment in
the rapture which St Paul foresees
Thess. IV.

).
17

But meanwhile
-! it
xliv.
note).
13.
16, xlviii. 9, xlix.

.]
the first century a too familiar ex-
Tfl
14

Earthquake
; cf. c. xi. 3,

(in

has been partly anticipated in the perience of the Asiatic "towns) is in

sight of the world by the tribute paid the Prophets a constant symbol of great
to the victims of a persecution, some- upheavals in the social or spiritual
times within a few years after their order see Ez. xxxvii. 7, xxxviii. 19,
;

dishonour and death. Quite early in Hagg. ii. 6 (cf. Heb.xii. 26 f.), Mc. xiii.
the history of the Church festivals 8, Apoc. Here it seems to in-
xvi. 18.
were instituted in honour of the dicate the breaking up of the old
martyrs, martyria erected at their pagan life which would follow the
tombs, basilicas dedicated to their foreseen victory of the faith. The
memory, their names were inserted prophecy clothes itself in language
in the diptychs and recited at the
Christian sacrifice; and the later pro-
cesses of canonization and invocation
were at least an endeavour to do
honour to those who had witnessed to
»,
numbers
and the
: ,»
borrowed from the well-known phe-
nomena of a physical upheaval. To
are conventional
likein viii 7 12,
of every tribe
—
Christ at the cost of their lives. In in Israel. But there is a studied
the popular esteem the Church's moderation in the present figures;
 ' ',
XL 15] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN 141

. 4
eyevovTO
»;

. 14

13
13

130 [ ] ev H
,
]
14 syre«,vid 14 17
•

]
- 1 5

6 7 33 35 46 v g fu
om A
syre™

\cyovres
|

*
AQ
°] om
vg""1 * 1
2 6 8 9
tt
c

me arm Prim
28 79

14 16 19 26 27 30 37 al]
| 130
7 8 79
150
<&>] om
ejSSo/ios]

NCP minP 1

'
I

Andr Ar '

that but a tenth part of the great city despair (ol eyevovro,
should be overthrown and but 7000 cf. Acts xxiv. 24 f.)—a prediction
souls should perish out of a population fulfilled more than once in ecclesias-

', ,
of at least 100,000 (cf. Jos. c. Apion. tical history.
i. 22) indicates that the disaster was 14.
to be partial and ordinary. .] See . 12, note. The Second
i.e. Woe the Sixth Trumpet, with the
is

'persons': cf. iii. 4, note; to the ex- two- episodes (. 1 xi. 13) appended —
amples of this use of given by to it. The Seventh Trumpet— )
Deissmann, Bible Studies, p. 196 f., — is now to follow without further

,"
may now be added one published by delay. Por see ii. 16,

Grenfell and Hunt in the Tebtunis iii. xxii. 7, 12, 20 ; it seems always
1 1,

Papyri, 24. 65. to refer, more or less directly, to the

&
True God by confessing their sin in

vii.

,
having forsaken Him for idols; Jos.
19

The phrase
^»)
Th., iv. 28 (31)
is
6 dcos
from Daniel
f., lxx.
.
they glorified the

(e.g.

;
ii.

see Driver,
18
(fiJSfc

f.,
Parousia
to

.]
it.

15

15.
— 19.
blast or Third "Woe.
or

6
to

a marked contrast be-

There is
tween the result of the opening of the
Seventh Seal, and that of the blowing
of the Seventh Trumpet. In the former
events

The Seventh Trumpet-

leading

ayyekos
up

Daniel, p. 23), and reminds the reader
that the Church was suffering, as Israel
suffered during the Babylonian cap-
tivity, from a predominant and trucu-
lent heathenism. The God of heaven
case there was silence in Heaven ; now
there are 'great voices'; and the Seer
can hear and write down what they say.
The voices may be those of the
' (cf.vi. 1, 3, 5, 7), who represent Creation

(2 Esdr. v. 12, vi. 10, xii. 4) is the in- and rejoice in the subjection of the
visible God of Jewish and Christian cosmos to their Lord and His Christ.
Monotheism, the "caeli' numen" of
Juv. xiv. 97 (see Mayor's note), as
contrasted with the 'gods many'
whose images were to be seen in the
pagan temples. In the end the Seer
Aiyovres, i.e. the persons or personifi-
cations from whom the voices come
note.
cf. ix. 13, .,.'
"this knowledge at present is wholly
in heaven... not manifested yet to the
:
foresees a general movement towards creation, but to be wrought out"
Christianity, induced by fear or (Benson).
142 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XI.

,,
iS

? ,
.
^€.•]]
1 6
6 []
,
1

«»
7

, \
,
28 syrs" Prim 14 6
-]
27 28 35 79 "7

'
|

8 38 4° vgdemh>1

]
om
* ,] vg llm syi*™ |
+ 12

9 95 0 " «] pr
16
om

]
AQ 2 2 Q * 25
1
syr
| 7 1 14
Ar AP 36 38 91 92 al me arm] tt c •" C 2 95 syr*"
7 14
]
]
H* Q
Q
minP's 36 syr
xvpios
Ar
H |
| Q min'ere25 Ar pr km X
om X*
95 al
vld
17

.] mediatorial power to the Father does

"The kingdom of the world has become not exclude Him from sharing the
(for the aor. Lc. xix. 9) our Lord's
and His Anointed's."
cf.

The words sug-

gest the vision of a world-empire, once
dominated by an usurping power,
which has now at length passed into
the hands of its true Owner and Im-
perator; cf. Mt. iv. 8, 9, Jo. xiv. 30,
p. 51
16.
i.

ff.
! -
Father's kingdom ; against the per-
version of the Pauline teaching by
Marcellus the Church was able to cite
Lc. 33
see Robertson, Regnum Dei,

Eph. ii 2, vi. 12. The world-long .]

The Elders take up the
struggle which will end in this transfer witness of the (if we may assume
is described in Ps. ii. (cf. Acts iv. 26), that they are the speakers in v. 15), as

,
which yields the phrase
Dan.
and the magnificent issue is celebrated
vii. 1 3 ff, 22 ff.
they do in iv. 9 ff.
Elders are seated ()
Ordinarily the
even in
the Divine Presence on thrones which
again in Apoc. xii. 10, xix. 6, 16. surround the central Throne (iv. 4), for
here plainly not the
is the Church is the of the In-
Son, but the Father ; the speakers are carnate Son Who is the a-ivopovos of
representatives of Creation, not of the the Father (iii. 21); but they prostrate
Church, and the Lord of the Church themselves at every act of adoration

,
is from their point of view not the (iv. I0> v. 8, 14, xix. 4). With
Lord, but "the Lord's Christ". (Lc. ii. where the
cf. C. vii. 1 1,
26, ix. 20), an O.T. phrase for the same prostration is ascribed to the
anointed King of the theocracy. Kal Angels. The Angels and the Church,

not
and of Christ is one, and the King-
dom of the Son will ultimately be
merged in the Reign of God (1 Cor.
xv. 27). That Reign is perennial no
for the rule of God

age will see its end (Dan.ii. 44, vii. 14,

28), and the Son's re-delivery of His
;
I

God
on
1 7-

6
and again in
,.
as creatures, share a common worship.

."] The Elders represent the Church

in her great function of
On .
of Sabaoth," see cc.
,
xvi.
i.
,
i. 8, iv.

4, 8, iv. 8.
5,
"Lord
8 ; and
Here,
:

is
XI. 1

8
8]

CLTbOC

-,
<
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,
• *8
143

K*C
17

KaiposJ
vg*"
;
]+
(om °•°
C
APQ alP lCT
28 36 49 79 9 1 95 9°"
vg arm Cypr Prim) | *
86 al vg '

C
"'"" 4 8 *
•

18
me [ ] pr
H* |

'
omitted, since the future does not fall dies irae is imagined as already come,
'-
.,. (!,
•within the scope of the passage. and seen to coincide with the Resur-
is

.
"Thou hast

'
assumed Thy power, and didst begin
Thy reign"; with ,
rection and the Judgement. "With
cf. Mc. xi. 13

Lc. xxi. 24 . The dead

'

.
, *,
cf. v. 15
For this combi- will rise in their season, when all is
)
.
nation of tenses see iii.

;-3 ripe for the final award; cf. Mc. iv. 29,
Apoc. xiv. 1 5 ff. ; the scene is de-
,
. '.,.
,
V. 7 viii. 5
v.. and scribed in c. xx. ff. good and
with

, in this sense

;
2 Regn. bad, as in Jo. v. 25, Acts xxiv. 21.

.
cf.
The three infinitives,

; :,
XV. ...

, (??)•
Ps. xcii. (xciii.)

not the normal exercise

of the Divine power, but that final and
as in Eocl.
. . .

rov
iii. 2
or without the article, in Judith xiii.

the construction is partly changed,

depend upon

But after
5

overwhelming display to which all

trast Acts viii.

.
prophecy points. Compare and con-
and the writer proceeds as if he had
begun roif .
.] The

'
to be given in the evening of the world

-
1 8. .] to God's labourers (Mt. xx. 8) is with

?,
Ps. ii.

;,
...
,is still

(W^n)
in view,~ cf. vv. 1, 5
the Father (Mt. vi. 1) in heaven (Mt.
v. 12), and will be dispensed by the
Lord at His return (Apoc. xxii. 12);
and

In Acts iv. 25 ff., Ps. ii 1 f. is inter-

xcviii. (xcix.)
. '
though essentially the same in all
cases (Mt. I. c), and though its pay-
ment is in all an act of grace on the
preted by the Church of Jerusalem in part of God (Rom. iv. 4), it will vary

;!'. .
reference to the treatment of Christ

;
(-
by Antipas and Pontius Pilate
%
in proportion to the work of the re-
cipient (1 Cor. iii. 8). The prophet's
is in some sense distinct from
\
)
a-fiov

( ..
with a wider outlook
:

the Seer of the Apocalypse sees in it

. the (Mt. . 41), but no
emphasis is laid here upon the differ-
ence
.). "Thy servants
.

Church. ...
the hostility of the world, against the
; the prophets" are the prophets of the
Church, as in cc. i. 1, x. 7; "the

*,
the futile violence of men is answered
by the effective judgements of God.
6 ; the .
saints" are, as always, the faithful in
general. But who are "they that fear
Thy Name"? In the Acts (xiii, 16,
144 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
ayiois ?, , yrjv.
[XL

,
18

* !]!!! -
ig 9
.
! ! 8 tois ayion Kat
A rovs
(
om (om S<)
1

!
3° 186)
K*AC]
tois
tois
: .
ayiovs
tois
! tt
c0 PQ
I

m n omnvi(i
; yg re n Cypr Prim Andr Ar tois syrs™ | om
A me KAQ min' Ar]

] C 7 10 35 47 4^
1
ult

49 87 9 1
|

2 U* corruperunt vg Cypr Prim 19 -] \

Q min25 Ar om

,
|

Byre" |
ec om KPQ mini" 1 vg syr Prim Ar |

°] () Q min,ere4 ° Viot Ar H 94 om vg°d me Prim

43> 5°) °'

gogue ;
or oi
are proselytes of the Syna-
in the Apoc. (here and perhaps
also in xix. 5) analogy suggests that
they may be the unbaptized adherents
of the Church, enquirers and catechu-
mens. These too, if their desire to
preferred to the

2 Cor. ii.

the double sense of

(Jo.

.
more usual
iii. 1 6, Rom.

15, 2 These, ii 10),

ganism was 'destroying'

into the present is significant 'the
earth ' by corrupting the fountains of
because of
Pa-
—the"—lapse
ii. 12,

serve God be sincere, shall not lose moral life, as well as by the physical

.
their reward; though not ay tot in the
technical sense, they will receive the
Small or great, the
least in the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt.
xl 11), as well as those who stand in
the foremost rank of God's servants,
the prophets of the New Covenant,
are all remembered before Him. The
ace. roiis
horrors of the amphitheatre and the
tyrannies of imperialism; and this
moral reference is probably upper-
most. All who helped to poison society
were themselves
( Tim. vi. 5), and their true character
would be recognized and fixed by the
judgement of God
roiis 19. \ 6 vaos \.\

with
also in cc.
cf. Gen. xix.
.
must be explained by supposing that
the writer has forgotten that he started

xiii.

Sap. vi. 7) includes

11,
The phrase (used
16, xix. 5,
18, xx. 12 ;
The Sanctuary
15, xv. 5
as distinguished
on earth
in xv. 5;
ff.,

(xi. 1)
in heaven
xxi. 22, cf.

was opened
Blass, Gr. p. 43); i.e. the
cf.
Iren.
(iii.

from the sanctuary

as{,
12, vii.
iv. 13. 6),

all sorts and conditions of men, and Great Award is to be accompanied by

witnesses to the of a manifestation of the Divine glory;
the Judge. The meanest slave among
the catechumens of the Church will
receive the same consideration as a
cf. Mc. viii. 38

. Ty
So Victorinus
"templum apertum manifestatio est
convert of Imperial rank. Domini nostri." Apparently the vision
is but momentary, for the heavenly

] Cf. xix. 2 vaos is opened again in xv. 5; but

.
Here the refei'ence is
yrjv rff
the Seer has time to catch sight
() of the Ark of the Covenant

,
more general by a Divine ius talionis

of every kind
;

(cf. Rom. i. 28 ff., ii. 5 ff.) destroyers

shall be destroyed.
are perhaps
which was within.

or as
17

it is
On
Deissmann, Bible Studies,

usually called in
(3 p. 189.

Exodus
JITS)
see

.
,?
XI. 9] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
ejevovTO
. - 145

*
om nat
2°]

Q^
om syre™.
1 * 30
[

Ar
eyevovro] eyevcro |
*. 14 i8 al g h syrr |

(-
"), was within
the sacred veil of the Tabernacle (Heb.
ix. 4), and afterwards stood in the
inner chamber of Solomon's Temple
( 1 Kings viii. 6). Probably it perished
when Nebuchadrezzar burnt the
Temple (2 Kings xxv. Jeremiah
9),
speaks of it as if it would shortly-
pass out of memory (Jer. iii. 16), and
Tacitus (hist. v. 9) scoffs at the Jewish
Sanctuary as "vacuam sedem et inania
arcana." In EzekiePs Temple the Ark
does not appear, which renders its
presence in the heavenly temple of the
Apocalypse more remarkable. A le-
gend related in 2 Mace. ii. 5 ff. repre-
sents Jeremiah as having hidden both
which attend manifestations of the
Divine Presence, cf. (e.g.) Exod. xix.
16, Ps. xxix. 3 ff.
—
"the solemn salvos
so to speak, of the artillery of Heaven "
(Afford). Of a "great hail" (Exod.
ix. 18 ff.) we hear again in e. xvi.
for 21 ; lightning flashes across the sky in
iv. 5, viii. s, xvi. 18 ; earthquakes are
felt in vi. 12, viii. 5, xi. 13; xvi. 18.
The great section of the Book now
completed ends', as it began, with a
vision of the heavenly order. In iv.
1 ff. a door is set open in heaven,
through which the Seer is able to
discern the Throne of God and its
surroundings; in xi. 19 the Temple
of God in heaven is opened, and the

::
the Ark and the Altar of Incense Ark of the New Covenant is seen
(which reappears in Apoc. viii. 3 ff.) in standing in the celestial Sanctuary.
a cave against the day of Israel's res- Moreover, the whole series of visions
toration

may be
.
; it is
«os
added

.,.
( :

o~vvayrj 6

Other forms of the legend

seen on p. 39, supra.' This
story in its earliest form may have
6
6
Oeos eVi-
which intervenes between these two
revelations is full of heavenly things
and persons. Most of the scenes are
laid in heaven ; the rest, though on
earth, are illuminated
of superhuman agents.
by the presence
The seven
Seals are opened by the Lamb Who is
been in the mind of the Seer, but in the midst of the Throne; the seven
he has his own reason for intro- Trumpets are blown by seven Angels.
ducing the Ark at this point. In Angels are charged with the custody •

Christ God has made a new covenant of the four winds an Angel impresses
;

with men (Heb. viii. 6 ff., ix. 1 5 ff.), and on the elect the Seal of God ; an Angel
the appearance of the Ark of the Cove- with one foot on the sea and the other
nant through the opened doors of the on the dry land, makes solemn oath
heavenly temple, at the moment when that the end is near.
the time has come for the faithful to Yet as a whole the section is con-
receive their reward, indicates the cerned with movements which find
restoration of perfect access to God their sphere on the earth. The pur-

..
>

through the Ascension of the Incarnate pose of the celestial scenery and the
Son. Andreas: rijs celestial agencies which are employed
ttjs js not to take the attention of the
Tols ayaoois reader from contemporary or coming

tyevovro
usual symbols of majesty and power
. The
events, but to lead him to connect
these with the invisible powers by
which they are controlled, and to let
s. .
 146 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
the light of heaven fall upon the
earthly tragedy. The Throne and the
Temple in the are seen to
be the ultimate source of the energies
by which human history is earned to
its goal. But it is in human history
that the interests of the prophecy are
centred. In the events which follow
the opening of the Seals, if they have
been rightly interpreted in this com-
mentary, the Seer depicts the con-
ditions under which the Empire, as he
knew it in Asia, was fulfilling its des-
tiny,and passes from these to the great
dynastic and social changeswhich must
accompany or follow its collapse. In
the scenes announced by the Trumpet-
blasts,, he works out at greater length
the second of these topics ; the re-
volutions which were in the lap of the
future, the woes which it held in store
for the unbelieving and impenitent
world, are painted in a vivid sym-
bolism boirowed partly from the Old
Testament, partly from the apoca-
lyptic thought of the time. These
kaleidoscopic effects must be taken
as a whole, and not pressed in detail,
as if they were so many specific pre-
dictions nevertheless they doubtless
; But the Seer pauses for a moment
represent the impressions made upon
the mind of the Seer, as in the Spirit
he gazed into the future of the Empire
and of the race. His sight does not
reach as yet to the end; when the
seventh Seal is opened, there is silence
. in heaven ; when the seventh Trumpet
is blown, he hears the acclamations
of the invisible world, but the actual
result is not revealed to him even
under a symbolical disguise.
If the Seals and the Trumpets dis-
close the fortunes of the Roman
Empire, and, in a foreshortened view,
the troubles of the age which would
follow its fall, the Seer is not left
without a vision of the future of the
great spiritual Power which was des-
tined to outlive the rule of the Caesars.
Both the seventh seal-opening and the
.seventh trumpet-blast are preceded
[XL 19
by episodes which deal with the wider
history of the Church. Each episode
consists of two pictures. In the first
pair the Church is represented as the
Israel of God,, marching in its tribal
divisions to the inheritance of the.
Saints; and again as the universal
brotherhood of all races and nations,
seen in the glories of its ideal life.
In the second, the Christian society is
seen in two aspects of its long struggle
with the world; as the Sanctuary
surrounded by the profanations of
heathendom, and again as the Two
Witnesses, the Enoch and Elijah or
the Moses and Elijah of the new
Covenant, to whom it is given to
witness throughout the days of a
militant paganism, dying for the faith,
to rise again like the Master and
ascend to heaven.
With the seventh trumpet-blast
the Kingdom of God has come, and
the general judgement is at hand.
Thus this section of the Apocalypse
brings the course of history down to
the verge of the Parousia. If the
Book had ended here, it would have
been within these limits complete.
only to take up his role again with
a fresh presentation of the future, in
which the vision is to be earned to
its issue. A new prophecy begins in
c. xii., the contents of the open
which the Seer had been di-
rected to take from the hand of the
-
Angel and consume. Impelled by a
fresh gift of prophetic energy, he feels
himself bound to prophesy again to a
larger circle of hearers and with wider
aims (x. 11); and this second message
occupies the remainder of the Book.
On this second prophecy and its rela-
tion to the first see the Introduction,
p. xxxix. f. The two prophecies
(i. 8 — —
xxii. 5) are nearly
xi. 19, xii. 1
equal in length, and shew a corre-
spondence in scope and plan which
suggests that the book is the work of
one mind.
XII. 2]

1
'> THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

<,
147

XII.

12
XII
Hipp
] ,
7/ ?,
,
] |
3

fci* arm |
2

XII. — 1 8. The Woman with is arrayed with the Sun ; for the
child,
Dragon.
.
and the great

]
[] ,
blood-ked constr. see
xviii.
cf.
vii. 9, 13, x. 1, xj. 3, xvii. 4,

16, xix. 8, 13,

Ps. CUi. (civ,) 2
and
va\evos
for the idea,

.
Hitherto a fresh vision has been an- and the partial parallels

\,
nounced by the formula in Apoc. i. 16, x. xix. 17. The

;
1,

or the simple or moon is her the phrase ;

(xi. 19). The present vision is may be borrowed

iv
In the lxx.
ev , . ,
the 'first characterised as a
others follow, cf. xiii. 3

. ., XV.

is
I

usually the
from Ps. cix. (ex.) 1 (Mc. xii. 36) or
from Ps. viii. 7 (Heb. ii. 8). The Seer
perhaps has in mind Oant. vi. 9 (10)

: 6
,
;
equivalent of DIN, and is used either of Further, this Woman in the sky is
celestial phenomena, the heavenly
e.g. crowned with a wreath (c. ii. 10, note)'
bodies (Gen. i. 14),• and the rainbow of twelve stars, a coronet of celestial
(Gen. ix. 12 ff.), or of tokens of God's diamonds. The reader is reminded
presence or purpose given upon earth, of Joseph's second dream (Gen. xxxvii.
e.g. the miracles in Egypt (Exod. vii.

3, etc.). In' the N.T. the latter is

the prevalent sense of
word goes with repas (Jo. iv. 48) and
the ; 9 6

Napht. S
), and of
,.
Test. xii. patr.
fjXiov

, ,
6
(Acts ii. 22), and it is thus
used in book (cc. xiii. 13
this xvi. flf., ...
though only of wonders
14, xix. 20), /
wrought by evil powers. But the ?\ —

^
Gospels speak also of () passages which shew that Semitic

ovpavov (Mc. viii. 11, Mt.
and of a (Mt. XXIV.
etc
3, 30), which is to attend the Parousia.
Such signs, like the n'lJTlK of Gen.
II. cc, would be visible in the skies to
men upon earth, and this is probably
the nature of the 'sign' now displayed
to the Seer. It is not the interior of
the heavenly world that he sees, as in
iv. 1 if., but its outer veil, the sky, on
which the vision is depicted.
) (,
xvi. 1, fancy was apt to decorate ideal or
representative persons with the hea-
venly bodies. ,The mention of twelve
stars not .
is sufficiently explained as anj
-
allusion to the twelve tribes (Jac. i. 1,/
Apoc. xxi. 12) or possibly the twelve
Apostles (xxi. 14); regarded as the
crowning ornament of the Jewish

The
—
heaven' is a Woman
first 'sign in
the earliest appearance of a female
riv rj\iov ktX.J *
Church for the notion of the stars
;

forming a wreath or circlet, cf. Sap.

xiii. 2
and perhaps Apoc.
2.
i.
(v.

16.
.

-.] The
),
figure in the Apocalyptic vision. She Woman is with child, and near to
148

vg
2
[]
2»]
«.ft.i«miip.4,etoi
om APQ
gy rB
w
'
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

minP' vs""""" 6 me Tld syr Hipp Meth Andr Ar (hab KC 95

aetn p r )
m
K/)a fel ] expafrv C 7 8 31 38 87
j 1
alP"» c ° » ,» 1, » 4

syi« w,ia Vict'"

1
]
.
^
[XII. 2

1 ,
•

pr

. vg"° d arm
12
Ar Prim Q min'•™ syr |

syrr |
om ante 130

her delivery; in sharp contrast with beginning with Hippolytus and Me-
thodius, understood the Woman with

()
the splendour of her adornment the
Seer places her cries of pain and the child to represent the Church, though
tortures of the birth-
pangs. He can scarcely have failed

\
to remember Isa. vii. 14 Kvptot

—a passage
(Mt. i. 23 1), \6
,
some identified her with the Blessed

.,. :
-
Virgin. See Hipp. (ed. Lag. p. 31):

'

. -
familiar ; Andreas : river
to Christian thought towards the end Me-

'
of the Apostolic age, as its use by

,
[conviv. 6 ff.]

Mt., and apparently also by Lc. (i. The majority take the

;
31), attests. But if so, he purposely birth-pangs to symbolize the spiritual
substitutes for for the travail of the Church (Hipp. /. c. :
Virgin-Birth is not a poin4 on which '
,he wishes to insist ; the mystical
mother of the Lord, whom he has Ps. Aug.: "quotidie parit
Sin view, is not the Virgin, but the ecclesia." Andreas
* :

-
,
IJewish Church (see below). Jeru-
salem is described in the Prophets ;

.,. ...£>
,
as a travailing woman ; cf. Mic. iv. 10 Bede "semper ecclesia, dracone licet
, Si Isa.
:

adversante, Christum parit"). But

XXVI. lji.
'/ 17 the earliest Latin expositor of the
Apocalypse, Victorinus (if the words

,, ' .
...e'v

ib. Ixvi. 7 are his), has grasped the meaning

more precisely " antiqua ecclesia est
:

patruni et prophetarum et sanctorum

The same metaphor is used by our et apostolorum quae gemitus et tor-
;

Lord to characterize the anguish of menta desiderii sui habuit usquequo

the Apostles on the eve of the Passion fructum ex plebe sua secundum carnem
(Jo. XVI. 21 ij olim promissum sibi videret Christum
... ), ex ipsa gente corpus sumpsisse"
a"
—
and by St Paul comment which Beatus repeats, add-

',
in reference to the
spiritual travail of the guide of souls ing: "semper enim haec muHer ante
(Gal. iv. 19 adventum Domini parturiebat in do-

, )
eV ). loribus suis." Similarly Augustine in

than
The reading
(,
,
is somewhat uncertain
easier
but the latter
is
Ps. cxlii. "haec autem mulier antiqua,
:

est civitas Dei." The two views are not,

however, wholly inconsistent. Doubt-
makes excellent sense and has on the less the Church of the Old Testament
whole better support ; if it be accepted,
iv . will range with
., while \
-
begins
was the Mother of whom Christ came
after the flesh. But here, as every-
where in the Book, no sharp dividing,
a new clause. line is drawn between the Church
off
The ancient expositors in general, the Old Testament and the Christian.
XII. 4]

3
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,
tiWo ,
.,
149

4
\

- ] ]
! ,,
3 peyas () 28 49 79 **7 9 1 95 8(> a ^ VS syr»" anon»^]
K(C)(Q) min36 me syr aeth Meth Ar Prim |
CQ 130 al30 |

A 87 |
eavpev arm

Society the latter is viewed as the (Andreas, Jo.

;

Jewish Church come to its maturity. Vlii. 44 ' cf.

Thus the woman who gave birth to Jo. . 12 ck

).
I

the Christ is afterwards identified \ jbv He-

with her who after His departure has seven heads (cf. xvii. 3, 7 ; Kid-
suffered for her faith in Him (». 13) dushim, f. 296, "visus ei est daemon
and who is the mother of believers forma draconis septem habentis ca-
(v. 17, cf. Gal. iv. 27). pita"; Pistis Sophia, p. 90 "basilisci
In the infinitive serpentis, cui septem erant capita"),
is epexegetical (WM., p. 140), repre- symbolical of a plenitude of power;
senting the issue, almost the purpose and every head is crowned with the

,,
(Vg. cruciabatur ut pariat), of the fillet which denotes sovereignty: for

torture endured. Burton, § 389, less as Contrasted with

simply explains it as "an object inf.
governed by the idea of desire im-
plied in the preceding participle."
(v. 1) see 1 Esdr. iv. 30

Isa. Ixii. 3
(\ I Mace.
For see ix. 5 note. XJL 13, xiii. 32 Ttjs'Aaias;
3. \ ak\o A .] and for the conception of a diadem-
crowned serpent cf. Pliny, N. viii. .
second tableau, following close upon
the first and inseparable from it. The 21. 33, where he describes the basilisk
i Dragon is the Serpent of Gen. iii. 1 ff., as " Candida in capite macula ut quo-
as the Apocalyptist himself tells us dam diademate insigiiem." The Beast
(». 9). But the preference of of c. xiii. has ten diadems on his horns

.
,
= ]^Fi Job vii. the Divine Conqueror of c. xix. has
i

]1} ib. xL 20
in this context
(25)) to
and in cc.
,
12, BT1J ib. xxvi. 13,

xiii.,
both
xvi.,
on His head
Dragon's ten diadems represent his
power over the kingdoms of the
The

xx., is significant.
symbolical, monster which
whether suggested by the Babylonian
It is a mythical,
is before us,
world; cf.

Jo. XU. -31, XIV. 30, XVI.

,
Lc. iv. 6

!
and contrast Apoc.
Tiamat (Gunkel, ScKopfung u. Chaos,
p. 361, Enc. Bibl. 1 1 3 1 ff. see Intro- ;
i. 5 <5

xvii. 3, 7> 9^•> notes.

:. See

duction, p. li.), or by Hebrew fancy 4. .]

(Ps. lxxiii. (lxxiv.) 13 reference to Dan. viii. 10 where it is
— cod.
!
ras
€\ —«
R,
said of the Little Horn : "II? WjPll

, : cf. Job xxvi. 13, Isa. xxvii. 1,

K>yn-|p nyn.s barn d.'pe>n «riy•

Ez. xxix. 3). The Seer's Dragon is softens the hyperbole, as in

A similar incident occurs
fiery red (Apoc.
'), vi. 4, note c. viii.' 7 ff.

,
cf. Horn.' II. ii.

«
308
the
epithet denoting his murderous work
jn the Babylonian myth of the con-
flict between Tiamat and Marduk
(GunkeL op. cit. p. 387), but the
ISO

4
,
, THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN
?
? )<.
yi]v.
[XII. 4

5
5 '
] ,,
]
'

apo-ev
4

AC]
me |

95 !3°
] §6 (sine
syr^

)
|

37 49 9
Meth
1 J 86 Hipp
C

K(Q)
Byr»w

5 ]
al•"
1
om
14 9 2
om Prim
Hipp Ar om
|

Vict I om me

Apocalyptist may well have had no a glorified , which, as Pliny {H.N.

other thought than to depict the
colossal size and vast strength of
the monster. Heaven (the sky) is too
small to hold him when he lashes
his tail, it drags along
trahebat,
Vg.
Jo. xxi.
;

(,
Acts xiv. 19,
viii.

„... -
21. 33) says, "nee flexu multiplici
ut reliquae corpus impellit, sed celsus
et erectus in
".
medio incedens."
: cf. Jer. xxviii.

;
(Ii.) 34

"
cf. 8,
xyii. 6)
them
tense
a third of the stars, and dashes
to the earth for the change of
cf. ii. 3, note.
: .A greater sufferer than
Jerusalem is here, and a greater foe
yrjvwas frequently understood by the than the King iOf Babylon. The Seer
ancient interpreters in reference to looks back over the long period of ex-
the fall of the Angels (Jude 6 pectation which followed the original

Dr Bigg's note)
yap
; thus Arethas : -(see sentence on the Serpent (Gen. iii. 1 5 ;
see Driver's remarks on this in Genesis,
p. 57, and cf. Primasius: "in con-
spectu autem mulieris stetisse dicitur,
6\, But other views obtained sup- quoniam ilia (inquit) obsercabit caput
port ©.g.^can-ding to Bede, "Tyconius
; tuumf etc.). Two figures dominate

)
more suo tertiam partem stellarum pre-Christianhistory—humanity, fallen
quae cecidit falsos fratres interpreta- but struggling to the birth of a higher
tur." Origen has a similar explanation life, and the hostile power of evil,

in Mt. cornm. (Lomm., iv. p. 306) watching (Gen. l.c, lxx., its
"qui...peccatum...sequitur, trahitur a opportunity to defeat the realization (

cauda draconis vadens post eum." of the hope ; such tyrants as Pharaoh '

\ (Exod. i. 22, ii. 1 if.) and Herod (Mt!

.]
The relation of the ii, 7 if.) may be in the Seer's niiud,
|

second to the first now be- but his w ords cover the whole conflict t

comes evident. The appearance of which cjdmiiiated in "the Cross andj

the Woman with Child has provoked its issue. On see Burton,
a counter-manifestation on the part §3°5•"
\ ,,
of the Dragon. His quarrel, however,
is not immediately with the Woman, Either
5.

or ' "& ',

seems to be re-
.]

'
but with the Child, and he waits his dundant. is a familiar
time till the Child is born. For

at first sight a strange

cf. iii. 2, 16, note.
phrase in the lxx.
ii. 2, Lev.
lxvi. 7, Jer. xx.
xii. 2, 7,
;

.' ,
cf. Exod. i. 16 ff.,
Num. iii.

(.)
40, Isa.

.
is 15, 6,
verb in connexion with the serpent, and would have sufficed here. On the
cf. Gen. iii. 14 «VI other hand ',
or
Tjj But the is may have been suggested by Tt |3
XII. 6]

•• .
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 151

,]
eu
6eov
6
6

37 47 49 9 1 95
syr8 w
]
om
etyvyev

ec
Hi PP Meth
C
,|
eis

12 28 95 97
om irpos 2°
^ |
ij/nrcwft;]

36*14
Prim
6
Q H 29 3 1
38 vg°>«f»ni*e
I
i° 1 14 36 38 186 al vg rell al

(Jer. xx. 15), or deliberately written pori. hinc sunt illae, voces Apostoli,
instead of (cf. Ar. Eccl. qui nos resuscitamt et consedere fecit
549) in order to emphasize the sex of
the Child
p. 32 )
Andreas
cf. Hippolytus (ed. Lag.,

:
:

The 'ma n-child' is prjbnarilv_the»8en

. ,
, ;
in caelestibus."
With (Vg. raptus est, A.V.,
E.V., "was caught up") compare Acts
VUi. 39
.
. -
2 Cor. xii. 2, 4' .

(of Mary, with whom he is identified

by os ; cf. ii.

26 £, xix. 1 5, notes. The reference

. I Th. iv,
...
17
Here, if our interpretation
iv

to Ps. ii. does not necessarily exclude is correct, it answers to in

the thought of the members of Christ 4 Begn. ii. 11, Acts i. 2, 11, 22, 1 Tim.
who are potentially interested in the iii. 16, representing the Ascension as

promise, as ii. 26 shews (

,
...
);
—
a 'rapture' a graphic and true, if
not exhaustive description, npo's in-
dicates the dh-ection r goal, which
and the ancient interpreters lay the was (1) God Himself (cf. Jo. xx. 17
chief stress on this wider sense, cf. ...
e!g. Primasius " Christus in singulis
: ), and God's Throne. The
(2)
membris dicitur nasci" and Sede, Ascension involves the Session of the
quoted above, p. 148 b. But it Sacred Humanity at the Right Hand
seems better in this place to limit of the Father (see ''
xvi. 19, Eph.
"the words to our Lord Himself, re- i. 20, Heb. i. 3, Apoc. iii. 21), and not

garded as the offspring jrf_ thejO/T.
Church"";' the faithful _( 17) "are oi
.} The Seer foreshortens the
Gospel history; for his present pur-
pose the years between the Nativity
and the Ascension are non-existent,
and even the Passion finds no place
in his summary.
point out that the Dragon's vigilance
was futile; he failed to destroy the
Woman's Son, and his failure" was
manife|1«jrT>y the Ascension. Inter-
preters who understand the whole
passage in reference to the Church
think here of the conglorification of
the members with the Head; e.g.
Primasius: "licet in capite Christo
praecesserit...congruit
merely an elevation of spirit into the
. Divine Presence, which was never
wanting to the Divine Son of Man.
6. yvvr)
.] The Mother of Christ, the
Church (which has now become the
larger Israel, the Christian Society),
does not at once share the rapture
of her Son, but is put beyond the^
It is enough to reach of the Dragon's rage, so that
his efforts to destroy are as unavail-
ing in her case as in that of the Lord.
A place of safety has been provided
for her in the wilderness, and thither
she flees after the Ascension. The
Seer may have in his thoughts either
the wanderings of Israel in the wilder-
ness of Sinai (Deut. viii. 2ff), or
Elijah's two withdrawals from Ahab
tamen et cor- and Jezebel (1 Kings xvii. 2f., xix.
152

7 ?
*] ! (]
] 6
? .
(e*Tpe<t>dv<nv
Q minP'i 35
30 9 8)
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

130
Meth Ar
AP 1
|

al"»1
om ckci 2°
Hipp Meth
+ ircvre K«-°* arm
6eov,

130 186

evevq
*"
Q
\

alP * 25
1

me
AC
[XII. 6

eye-

36 186
Ar pasceret h \

,
7!
|

-
3 f.), or the flight of
from Antiochus (1
many devout Jews
Mace. ii. 29
$. Fellowship with the Father
cf. CoL m.
ev

), els or the flight of

Mary and Joseph with the Child into
and the Son in the Spirit (1 Jo. i. 3,
2 Cor. xiii. 13) is at once the Church's
Egypt (Mt. ii. 13). But the event consolation and her safeguard.
immediately in view is doubtless the
-

For ...=~ see Blass,

(
escape of the Church of Jerusalem to
Pella, alluded to in Mc. xiii.

els
14 ol iv
(cf.
.Qr. p. 175. "lea «Vei
The reference to Elijah is here

Eus.
the
..
!,
iii. 5). In the wider sense
as Primasius says, is the
apparent,

ib. xix.
cf. 3

though the subject of

5, 7 5
Regn. xvii. 4
,
to'is

"solitudo huius vitae...in qua...ut

purposely left undefined.
is
passer singularis [Ps. cii. 7] vivit
But the daily supply of manna during
ecclesia " and the figure is suggested
;
the Wanderings in the desert of Sinai
either by the rocky wastes of the
may also be in view, as Bede supposes
Sinaitic peninsula, or more probably
"instar Israeliticae plebis, quae pane
by the " wide wild country of rolling The
caelesti pasta [est] in eremo."
hills and hollows" (Benson, Apoca-
provision made for the Church in the
lypse, p. 32) which lay to the south
wilderness of life is the spiritual food
of Jerusalem, or the high lands to
of the word of God (Mt. iv. 4) and the
the east of it on the further side
Flesh and Blood of the Lord (Jo. vi.
of Jordan. Of this country the most
48 if.). The supply lasts for 1260 days,
striking feature is the absence of
or (v. 14) "a season, seasons, and a
human habitations, and the mention
half," = 3! years ; see Dan. vii. 25,
of it suggests what was after all the
and c. xi. 2, note i.e. to the end of ;
heaviest trial of the Christian' life
the age of persecution, and beyond it,
in early times, the loneliness expe-
to the end of the present order, or, as
rienced by those who had cut them-
Primasius well says, "omnia Christ-
selves off from the sympathy of their
ianitatis tempora." Thus the story of
neighbours and even of their nearest
the Woman in the wilderness synchro-
relatives. On the Lord's Day the
nizes with the prophesying of the Two
brethren met for fellowship, but for
Witnesses (xi. 3) ; in fact the Woman
the rest of the week the majority of
and the Witnesses symbolize the
—
them stood alone in the world, but
one Catholic Church under different
not of it. Yet in this solitude of her
aspects.
life the Church has a place of safety
and repose prepared for her by God The whole of this verse is anticipa-
for this use of eVoi/iafciv see Mt. xx. 23,
xxv. 34, 41, Lc. ii. 31, 1 Cor. ii.

--
9, Heb.
tory,
. 12
and the symbolism is repeated in
f., where see
\(
notes.

]
!
xi. 16, Apoc. ix. 15, and for 7. cyivcTO iv
cf. 1Chron. xv. 3, Jo. xiv. 2 f. Another tableau, not a (vv.
What is meant by this I, 3), but consequent upon the two

may be gathered frohi Ps. xxx. which precede it. The birth
(xxxi.) 21 eV and rapture of the Woman's Son
 XII.

ayyehoi
8]

\^
-,
,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

?
iv
., 153

•vg
.jiiTt
xoXe/iowTes ByrS"
A syr
]] |
/
94
om KQ
al vid adversue
6781413° a135 praeliabantur
Ambrst 8 -ev A
minP'i 30
Ar
syi*" Hier
me
Q
aeth]
14
(eis)
+
|

678
KCP

(29)
128 36 79 al mu vg syrr arm Hier anon*"» Vict Prim
(me) ovSe] oure
130
|

alP'i 30 me aeth»14
36 al
om K 7
cturois N"•

28 79
|
arm
6

,
|

Hier
]
17 36
•

issue

kut Rub.
in a
;

f.
war which invades the
for the conception
87. 2 (on Ex.
xiv. 7) : "bel-
cf. Yal-
1

lum fecit grave in caelo."
possible to admit with Andreas that
the original rebellion of Satan is
intended, though Papias whom he
quotes seems to have understood the
passage so. Still less can we accept
the interpretation of iv
proposed by several of the Latin
commentators, e.g.
\( .] It is a war of Angels,
in which one angelic host is led by
It is im- the Archangel Michael, and the other
by the Dragon, According to Daniel
(x. 13, cf. Jude 9 and
see note on c. viii. 2) Michael is 'one
1
!,
of the chief princes, and champion of
the Jewish people (Dan. x. 21, xii. 1);
and consistently with this position
he now leads the armies of Heaven
Bede " caelum against the adversary of the Woman's

-
:

ecclesiam significat" a view which — Son. The construction is one of un-

throws the symbolism into hopeless usual difficulty the inf. ;

The Seer sees an assault seems to require some such verb as

iiconfusion.
jjdirected by the powers of "evii against
]
the Exalted Christ. 'ATTTKe ],ncar-
tjiiation called foffil
j^ jrounter; mani :
testatlo^of diabolic ppwef "pi earth
l(Mc. i. 13, L'c. xxii. 3, 31, JST'xii 31,
"

on . €).
Or (cf. V. 2, note

But it is simpler
to repeat iyivcro before 6
'
there arose war in heaven ; [there
arose] Michael... to make
:
war.' Blass's
xiv. 3,•. n), so after the Ascension rendering (Gr. p. 236) 'it happened
the attack is supposed to be carried that there fought' { =
'

into Heaven. .) involves an un-

1

Battles in the sky, suggested no necessary solecism ; Viteau's explana-

doubt by the threatening phalanxes tion {Etudes, p. 168) is better, but

: ,
i.

of clouds which forebode a storm, are the plural {,

or iyivovro) is not

~
familiar to the later Jewish writers
(e.g. 2 Mace. V. 2f.

805 iv
re ' ).
here the
-!,
ve<pe\fl* €)
But
iv
...- mnus...ra's
Orac. Sibytt.

in St John's vision
is not,
iii.

as
and
),
see
Toils
6 . -
required. Alford supposes a fusion
of two sentences {iyeveTO

ayyekoi
but the construction suggested
above is simpler; For
ii. 16, note.
.

in mere spectacle in the upper

v. 1, /cat 6 The .]
air. The words hint at nothing less Dragon also claims the rank of Arch-
than a supreme attempt on the part angel, and has angels under his com-
of the Dragon to unseat the Woman's
Son, and to re-establish himself in the
Presence of God.
mand

8.
;

toXs ayycXois
cf.

.
,
Mt. XXV. 4 1

.]
154

.
,
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN
,, [XII. S

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The Dragpn's_ supreme ..effort was not

_j„_ failure, but Jjt .xesiteilin his
Serpent
^IDlpn ,>3 (so Tanchuma, f. 50. 2
Debarim Rabba, f.
fiSaT expulsion., Jtawa... lieaven. .

!
23. 3 |1B>ton

, cf. Syr.^• ad Inc.

!
. ;

seems to imply that up to this moment risen = 7; and for this use of
Satan's claims had not been finally

! !
see Acts xv. 7, 21, xxi. 16),
disallowed; compare Job i. 6

, Dragon with the serpent

oi identifies the
), of Gen. iii. while 1 ff.,
where he
takes his still declares him to
place in the council-chamber of God. be the person so named in the later
The O.T. phrase books of the O.T. and in Jewish litera-

,!
(Dan. ii. 35 Th., cf. Zech. x. 10, Heb.) ture. For () as a personal
occurs again in c. xx. 1 1 on ; name = [tab see Job i. 6f., Zech. iiLi,
in this sense see "WM. p. 769 f. Sap. ii. 24 though ; occurs in
...: the sense of 'an adversary' in 3 Regn.
9.

] 6
Cf. Sohar Gen. f. 27. 107
"proiecit Deus Sammaelem et cater-
6
xi. 14, 23,

written
or (so
as Origen says
vam eius e loco.sanctitatis ipsorum." (c. Celt. vi. 44)), is scarcely found in

A similar vision was present to the the lxx. (cf., however, Job ii. 3 A, and
mind of our Lord, when the Seventy Sir. xxi. 27), but the name had become
reported to him their successes familiar to the later Jews, and is used
Lc. X. 18 hi the latter form in the Gospels (14),

-
- .
;
Acts (2), Pauline Epistles (10), and
cf. Jo. xii. 31

attempt to grasp the nature of the

. It is vain to
Apocalypse
:
(8).
cf. xx.
was no new sphere of Satan's working:
3> 7• The earth

spiritual fact which these visions see Job L 7 \

symbolize, so far as it belongs to tho
celestial order. But ijhe extraordi- But he was henceforth to be limited
nary progress of the Gospel and the
Church during the first three decades
and a half that followed the Ascension
may well be the earthly counterpart
of Satan's fall, while the outbreak of
persecution in a.d. 64 shewed that the
earth was still to be the field of his
fall
.
]
to it, until the time came for him to
yet lower.
>)
xi. 12, xiv. 2, 13, xviii. 4• intima-
tion is given as to the source from
which the voice proceeds, but as
Cf. .
No
II, . 4>

!.
activities; see v. 13 note. seems to exclude both
looks back to v. 3 ISoti the Angels and the Bede's —
" congratulantur angeli saluti fratrum
antiquus, the Primaeval suorum" cannot be maintained in
XII. ] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN 155

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view of the usage of the Book we — cynical libeller of all that God has
are led to attribute it to one of the made, but especially of His new crea-
Elders, who represent the Church.
iyivero 17

pare the, outbreak of voices at the

.] Com-
Job
(
tion, the Christian Church.

i.
follows the lines of
6, while ! (cf. c.

sounding of the Seventh Trumpet (xi. the sleepless vigilance

,
iv. 8) indicates

.
by
15); for
. -tkeia is
as in
15; it is
see vii. 10 note,

not qualified
xi.
of evil
the good
The form
when
(1
it
Pet.
though preserved
seeks occasion against
v. 8).

sovereignty, empire in the abstract, only by cod. probably right ; a

A,, is
which is here in view. This is attri-
buted to Our God,' i.e. the Father; to

,='
the Son as His anointed
,

)
Ps.
the authority which
ii. 2)
( belongs
He exer-
transliteration of the Aramaic "ilVtJp
(Dalman, Gr. p. 147), it was perhaps
preferred to the usual Greek
(Acts xxiii. 30, 35 ; xxv. 16, 18) on
account of its associations. (See, how-
-
ever, Deissmann, Light from the East,
cises by the Father's gift (Ps. ii. 8,
Mt. xxviii. 18, Jo. xvii. 2). p. 90 f.) In Rabbinical writings Satan

! The dqwnML-of--'-Satan_ .manifests, or Sammael is the accuser of Israel,

while Michael appears as its advocate
afresh (eyevcTo) the saving .an^ sove-
reign power of God, and jls^actiye
exercise by the exalted Christ. The vic-
("Witt
f. 121. 2:
!); cf. Shemoth Rabba,

"eo tempore quo Israelitae ex

tory not Michael's, but the Lord's.
is Aegypto egressi sunt, stetit Sammael
6 \.~\ The angelus ad accusandum ( JnDp^i) eos " ib. ;

29. 2 " si
homo praecepta observat.
O.T. representation of Satan as the 1 : .

accuser of Job (Job i. 9) suggests that tunc Satan stat et accusat eum JnDpD) (1

the Dragon similarly attacks the faith- sed advocati quoque ipsius stant iuxta
ful under the New Covenant. There ipsum"; Vayyikra Rabba f. 164. 3
is perhaps a reference to the zeal
"omnibus diebus anni Satanas homi-
of the delator.es (cf. Juv. i. 33 with nes accusat, sola die expiationis ex-
Mayor's notes), who abounded in cepta." Shemoth Rabba f. 117. 3
Domitian's time, and were busy with "R. Jose dixit, Michael et Sammael
their diabolical attacks on the Asian similes sunt et
Christians. But the epithet must (TlJ'Dpl ~\Wych Q'On)... Satanas accu-
not be limited to one department sat, Michael vero merita Israelitarum
of Satan's work ; in Renan's words proponit."
(FAnlechrist, p. 408), he is the "cri- II.
tique inalveillant de la creation" the — .] The victory of the martyrs
156 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XII.

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marks the
- of Satan's endea-
failure
said of Christ
is
Himself (v. 5, cf. iii. 21, and see Jo.
xvi. 33) ; the normal condition of
els
other sayings of the same type occur in
the Synoptic Gospels (Mt. X.J9, xvi
\(ev'

His members is progressive conquest 25, Mc. viii. 35 f., Lc. ix. 24, xviL 33).
(ii. 11, etc., and even xv. 2). But Compare St Paul's response in Acts

.
the martyrs' fight is over, and they XX. 24 oihevbs
:

are already victors, though their .., and see also

triumph is not yet. The. Blood of the Acts xxi. 13, Phil. i. 20 if. On
Lamb is here as in vii. 14 (where see see Mc. viii. note, and for

"
35,
note) the Sacrifice of the Cross, which ^/. cf. . Anto-
is regarded as the primary cause (, ninus vii. 46 01!

propter, cf. WM. p. 498) of the is elliptical: 'their non-at-

martyrs' victory; His conquest of tachment to life was carried to the

Satan rendered conquest possible for

them (cf. Lc. xi. 21 f., Heb. ii. 18),
,
extent of being ready to die for their
faith'; cf. Phil. ii. 8

,,
the true
its
ii.).
!
while the loosing of sins which it
effected (Apoc. i.' 5) silences Satan's
accusing voice. Thus the Lamb is
of the new Israel,

His Blood speaks of accept-

ance and not, as Abel's, of wrath
(l Jo.
'obedient to the extent of
surrendering life.' On
c. ii. 10, note.
see
On the whole verse
Bede well remarks " merit» animus
pro Christo contemnunt, qui per san-
guinem Christi tantum vicerunt ad-
versarium."
:

(Ileb. xii. 24). Yet the Sacrifice of This reference to the martyrs is
the Death of Christ does not spell proleptic in the present context, for
victory except for those who suffer the fall of Satan precedes the age of
with Him (Bom. viii. 17, 2 Tim. ii. persecution. But the age of persecu-
11 f.). Thus a secondary cause of tion and the victory of the martyrs,
the martyrs' victory is found in their which had begun some time before
personal labour and self-sacrifice;

!
they overcame 81a rue \
(cf. vi. 9, xi. 7, xx.
-
4), i.e.
the Apocalypse was written (ii. 13),
were consequent upon the expulsion
of Satan from heaven, and are there-
fore anticipated in this acclamation of

(,
because of their testimony to Jesus
(ii.

Him.
13,
life itself
note) and their indifference to
in comparison with loyalty to

tent of this victory for Christ's sako

;

they overcame' the natural love of life.

states the ex-
the Divine victory.

,)
.]
12.
The heavens
only in Apoc. ; cf.
, (oi

and their inhabit-

here
Dan. iii. 59 ei^oyeire,

There is here a clear reference to the ants might well keep high festival (cf.
Master's teaching in Jo. xii. 25
, 6
xi. 10, note, xviii. 20, for this sense of
((). Earth had cause to
XII.

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, THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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mourn, since
only field of
it
his
was henceforth the
baleful energies.
comment
^] (viii.

$32):
et!
2(ci)iOUvrf s
be
here and in
equivalent to

!
not to indicate brief or temporary
residence, as in 2 Cor. v. 1, where
is
and

opposed to
xiii. 6 seems to
devilry in all its
Earth

ultimate destination.
is its
relative, like the
panies announcements of the Parousia.
the sphere of
is still
forms, but the abyss
'
which accom-
is

alwvior. Perhaps is In vv. 6, 14, the same interval of time

avoided because elsewhere in the is represented as 3J years.
Apocalypse it is used in reference to 13. ore
the pagan world (c. iii., note) and in ; .] The narrative of v. gis
there may be a reference to now resumed. The Dragon is too
the Divine tabernacling of which shrewd to ignore the fact {hat his
mention is made in vii. 1 5 and xxi. 3. expulsion from Heaven is final and
As God 'tabernacles' in Heaven 'with' irretrievable. But he recognizes also
or 'over' its inhabitants, so they are that his position on the, earth offers
said to tabernacle there with Him or fresh opportunities. If he cannot
under His safe keeping. Earth and directly attack the Woman's Son, he
Sea are probably not to be explained
! can hurt the Son through the Mother

),
allegorically (as
/vras
by Andreas
tjj
: (cf. Mt. xxv. 45, Acts ix. 4). So he
goes in' pursuit of the Woman, who is
{,
! ! !() ,
but literally, of identified with ace. to Blass,
the world as the scene of Satan's Gr. here nearly = ^i) the
p. 173,
future operations. Mother of the man-child: see note
.] on v. 2. while bearing its
The Dragon's ignominious fall original sense 'pursue' (cf. Rom. ix.
is euphemistically described as a 30 f., xii. 13, Phil. iii. 12, 14), implies
descent ().It has not impaired
his strength, and he sets to work at
hostile pursuit, as in
Acts xxvi. and thus approaches
1 1,
Mt. x. 23, xxiii.
34,

his defeat (
once with redoubled goaded by
and re-
solved to make the most of an oppor-
zeal,
),
to the technical 'persecute' which is
the prevalent meaning of
the . T. (Mt. v. 10
in
ff., 44, Acts vii. 52,

tunity which he now knows to be brief ix. 4f., Rom. xii. 14, 1 Cor. xv. 9, Phil,
(ftSwy €(). The iii. 6). The historical moment in the
participial clauses are parallel to one Seer's mind is doubtless the dark day
another, revealing the two motives in A.D. 64 when Nero began the policy
which actuate Satan since the As- Prom
cension. With tldds Primasius
acutely compares the cry of the
. of persecution.
Empire as such was more or less hostile
to the Church, and in this hostility
that time the

'Legion' in Mt. viii.

/ias
30
; Cf.
«
St Luke's
the Seer sees the hand of the great
Adversary.
158

14 ' >
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN"

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[XII. 13

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14.
.] probably here
Tjj

is
and that
the 1260 days, and the 'season, seasons,
,
as in Mt. xxiv. 28, and elsewhere in and a half are strictly convertible

,
this book, not the true eagle but the expressions ; see xi.' 2 £, note. On
griffon

bio
into the interpretation
(ed. Lag. p. 32:
...
, gyps fulvus), a great
bird of the vulture type which abounds
in Palestine (Enc. Bibl, H45) ; for

? cf. Ez. XVH. 3 6

6
pressed
is
by Hippolytus
-
Tjj
the meaning of the time limit here
see Hippolytus (ed. Lag. p. 32)
ai

To some extent the

necessity imposed upon Christians by
their religion : to the end of the
'
'
.,..
\
.
solitary life is
:

£\ he :
present order the Church dwells in
the wilderness, and is a vox clamantis
adds a reference to Mt. xxiii. 37, Mai.
iv. 2), Victorinus ("duo sunt prophe-
in deserio. But as an historical fact
tae"), and Primasius ("duobus utitur
the withdrawal into the wilderness
testamentis"), but perhaps unneces- began with the outbreak of persecu-
The Church was constrained to

.\
sarily. The figure as a whole is based tion.

,
on Exod. XIX. 4 meet the policy of persecution by a

]
policy of secrecy ; she began to guard
... \
and Deut.
> the mysteries from the sight of the

nearer parallel
> , -
[sc.
is

men
transfers the eagle's wings to the
Isa. xl. 31
where the prophet
; a still
heathen, to withhold the Creed and
the, Lord's Prayer from catechumens
till the eve of baptism, to abstain

from public amusements and from

who are endowed with Divine strength.
For

now
The escape of the
see cc. viii. 2, ix. 1, 3.

explained; even the Dragon is

no match for God-given powers.
Woman (v. 6) is

-
society,to substitute loyalty to the
Christian brotherhood for an exclusive
patriotism ; cf. the interesting passage
in Ep. ad Diogn. v. 4, 5 *
- ,'
. , ... •

is used of the eagle's flight in

'

»
54 (xxx. 19)
,
iv. 7, viii. 13; cf. Job ix. 26
Prov. xxiv.

. see
For
t^nSH, cf. Jud. ix. 21
.
'= "'JBJp

a V. 6, notes ;

("
comparison of the two verses shews
that > = . ijrot- 15.
'JSt?).

-
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6
,
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,
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The Serpent .] (. —
1 6) the exact phrase is

the <5 :
dropt here and in ». 14; the
is
mind of the* Seer glancing back at
of v. 9 unable to
follow the Woman in her flight, seeks
to intercept it by a flood of waters
—
used by Hesychius in his note on II.

.
VI. 348
The purpose which, consciously
or not, animated Imperial persecutors
was to destroy the Christian name.
'-

which he pours out from his mouth The Seer discovers it already in the
(contrast i. 16, ii. 16, xix. 15 ff.). The work of Nero and Domitian ; in the
thought of the godly wrestling with a
flood of evil is familiar to the Psalmists
!- edicts of Decius and Diocletian it was
openly avowed.

',
,
(Ps. XviL (xviii.) 5)

" ...
,
CXXlii. (cxxiv.)
.
\\ (xxxii.)

4
6

f-
avrbv
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,
.]
1 6.

Instances were known in Asia

yrj

in which rivers or streams disappeared

into the bowels of the earth; thus
Herodotus had heard (vii. 30) that
the Lycus flowed underground near
\

(n'j'nnn DVgn),

- );,
(Isa. xliii. 2

it
by the passage through the Red Sea
and the Prophets

may have been suggested

'
- Colossae, and the statement is con-
firmed by Strabo and Pliny (Ramsay,
Cities and Bishoprics of Pfrrygia, i.
p. 210 f.); at the present time the
Chrysorrhoas, which flows from the
and the Jordan, or possibly by the hot springs of Hierapolis (cf. iii. 16,
of Palestinian wadys (cf. note), is said to bury itself in the
Mt vii. 27). plain between Hierapolis and Laodicea
. Cyprian (ad Novat. 14) inter-
Ps. (Ramsay, op. cit. ii. p.' 86, note 2).
prets the flood from the Dragon's It is not easy to conjecture the exact
mouth of the Decian edicts which led meaning of the symbol here. But the
to the fall of many of the faithful general sense is clear the Apoca-
:

Victorinus sees in it the passions of lyptist foresees the failure of any

the populace aroused against the attempt, however virulent, to destroy
Church: "aqua...populum qui perse- the Church (cf. Mt. xvi. 18). Help
quatur earn significat,'' cf. Primasius
! would arise from unexpected quarters
"impetum persecutorum aqua signi- the death of the persecuting Emperor,
Andreas
,
offers a choice of ex- followed by a change of policy on the

:
ficat."
planations tout' :
part of his successors, sudden revul-
sions of public feeling, or a fresh turn
#. of events diverting public attention

pent
Woman.
The torrent
is

regularly after the

,'!,
for . ! let loose by the Ser-
designed to sweep away the

cf.
is formed
example of
(WM. p.
-1 24);
from the Church, would from time to

The phrase
Num. xvi. 30

10, Deut.
;
.-
time check or frustrate Satan's plans.

cf.

xi. 6, Ps. cv. (cvi.) 17.

is

Num.
from

xxvi.
 . <
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The Dragon, enraged
PQ 186

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On
arm 1• 3 Andr Ar

).
-
at see xi. J, xiiL
the escape of the Woman (for
cVi with dat. see Gen. xl. 2,
Num. xxxi. 14 ; other constructions
7,

.]
xix. 19.

The younger sons of the Mother

(
are 6py. <rVi with ace, 4 Regn. xix. 28,
Ps. lxxiii. (lxxiv.)
it's (Deut. vii.
I,

4) or iv
cv. (cvi.)
( Jud.
40
ii.
;

20,
.iii.
of Christ are to be distinguished by
two notes they keep the command-
;

ments of God (xiv. 12), and they bear

8, x. 7) ; 6py. followed by dat. without witness to Jesus (i. 9, vi. 9, xix. 10,
preposition (Num. xxv. 3, Mt. v. 22)), xx. 4). The O.T. note of piety takes
seeks his revenge in other ways. If precedence, for the Apoc. comes from
he can neither unseat the Throned a Christian Jew, whose mind is
Christ nor destroy the Church, yet steeped in the thought and language
individual Christians may enjoy no of the older Covenant; but it does
such immunity. In this hope he goes not stand alone, for the writer sees
off (()
rest of the "Woman's seed"
to make war on "the
—a clear
that obedience to the Law does not
constitute sonship without faith in
reference to Gen. iii. 15 Christ. It is those who possess both
:- marks with whom the Devil is at
,, ToQ
Avar; as Bede well points out: "man-
data Dei in fide Jesu Christi cus-
:. That believersare () brethren todire, hoc est pugnare cum diabolo,
of the Incarnate Son, and (2) children et ipsum provocare in praelium." On
of the Church, is taught elsewhere .
see i. note.
3,
in th§ N.T. (Rom. viii. 29 els
^,
clvai
ev
(... '] 18.
On his way
GaL IV. 26 Se
). Prom
these two
Dragon comes to a halt
viii. 3) by the seashore (
(,
to the war the
cf.

conceptions, combined with that of

the Church as the Mother of Christ, ., Djn 7 is found from Gen. xxxii.
it follows that the Seed of the Woman 12(13) onwards occurs only in:

is not to be limited to the Messiah, Sap. vii. 9). is an attractive

but embraces all who are Christ's reading in view of the Seer's .circum-
compare St Paul's argument as to the
Seed of Abraham (Gal. iii. 18, 29 t<j>
.••5 . .:tl 8e ("
stances nothing more natural for an
;

exile in Patmos than to stand gazing

out to sea, and in that position to
XIII.

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, ,
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN
'
, ?
161

XIII.

-] .
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|

|
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1
|

30
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^
receive,
And, it
easy than for
arm

& .
one of his great inspirations.
may be added, nothing more
to lose its bar
at an early stage in the transcription of
.
.,. The '
out of this troubled sea is, as in Dan.
vii. 17,23, some vast Empire, possess-
which rises
'

the book, and degenerate into
Nevertheless, the latter reading must
be accepted, in view of the over-
whelming support which it receives
from the best mss. (see app. crit.).
Moreover it yields perhaps a
relevant if a less obvious sense.
picture of the Dragon halting on the
seashore to call up his terrible ally is
one of the highest interest, and forms a
real feature in the revelation, whereas
is merely scenic.
ing a strength which is used in the
interests of brute force. It is described
at length, still after the manner of
Daniel, but with, independent details.
Like the Dragon, it has ten horns
more and seven heads (cf. xii, 3), but in
The the case of the Beast it is the horns
which are crowned and not the heads.
The 'ten horns' come from Daniel's

to c. xii. (R.V.) ; if

XIII.
fkom the Sea.
1— 10.
If
is read, the sentence clearly belongs

,
it will
naturally stand as in A.V. at the be-
ginning of c. xiii.
The Wild Beast
,,
description of the Fourth Beast, in
the interpretation of which they are
explained as "ten kings" (Dan. vii.
24 Th.
cf. Apoc. xvii. 12).

Daniel's Fourth Beast is in all iproba-

bility the Empire of Alexander, and
its horns either the Kings of Antioch
or the kingdoms of the Diadochi; see
-
•

-
'
?
. Bevan, Daniel, p. 122 f., and Driver,
.]
'
The Seer has p. 98 f. The Seer has in view the great

,,
anticipated this vision in xi. 7 ro persecuting Power of his own age,
where the Empire of Borne ; on its seven
see note. The scene suggested by heads and ten horns see c. xvii. 9, 12,
Dan. vii. 2 f., Th. > is
notes. An early interpretation, how-

(the Mediterranean),

cf. 4 Esdr. xi.

:
" ecce as-
cendebat de mari aquila." The Sea
is an apt symbol of the agitated sur-
face of unregenerate humanity (cf.
Isa. Ivii. 20), and especially of the
-

'
]
ever, identified the
with Antichrist,
who compares
eVi
e.g.
Beast from the Sea

2 Thess.
Irenaeus (v. 28. 2),
ii.

His seven Heads, if not

crowned, wore titles (or, if we prefer
the reading of NOP, a title), which
were of the nature of blasphemy (cf.
xvii. 3). What were the blasphemous
ioff.

,
seething cauldron of national, and titles assumed by the Heads of the
social life, out of which the great his- Roman Empire in the first and second
torical movements of the world arise centuries may be learnt from the
cf. Isa. xviL 12 Imperial letters found by J. T. Wood
among the inscriptions of.Ephesus;
; ApOC. xvii. 15 see e.g. Hicks, Ephesus, p. 1 $0 [-
. .
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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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In the Seer's eyes Rome had the dis-
vios { foil Nepoua ]/, Tpa'i- position of the leopard the agility, —
'. . 154 the cat-like vigilance and craft, the

8] '
;

,
6eov Nep[oi5a Titos
'\,
\

\
fierce cruelty of that too familiar in-
habitant of Palestine and the further
East (Sir. xxviii. 23 (27) tos
2«/3. How
\

language was reciprocated

',
avTols <os
avrovs, Hos. xiii. 7
... -
-
) (-
fully this
by the cities of Asia appears from
( Hab. i. 8
.
-imtp
other

e.g.
inscriptions

Hicks, p. 162
;
which

[]
record
honours decreed to the Emperor,

lb. p. 169 6eo'ts Sej3a<rroiy.

No Christian, none at least of Jewish
is, Jer. v. 6

(SpKos rather than

the feet of the bear
;

-or, see W. Schm.,

p. 65, Blass, Gr. p. 24), with their slow

strength and power to crush (on the
tin tcls

origin, could have read such inscrip-
tions day after day without a shock
to his inbred monotheism. The use
of Divine titles was a trpbs
(v. 6), and the very note of
Antichrist; cf.' 2 Thess. ii. 4ft Even
apart from direct blasphemy, the
pretensions of Rome were offensive
to men who believed in the sove-
reignty of God ; cf. Renan, PAnte-
christ, p. 413, "la grandeur, l'orgueil
de Rome, Vimperium qu'elle se de-
cerne, sa divinitS, objet d'un culte
special et public, sont un blaspheme
perpetuel contre Dieu, seul souverain
reel du monde." See the Introduction
to this commentary, p. lxxxvi ff.
( unobserved policy of repression with
bear in Palestine see 1 Regn. xvii. 34,
4 Regn. ii. 24, Amos v. 19), and the
roar of the lion (also in ancient
times a Palestinian beast, haunting
the Jordan valley (Jer. xxvii. (L) 17),
and occasionally found prowling among
the Judaean hills (1 Regn. I.e.), and
specially dreaded by the shepherd in
charge of a flock (Zeph. iii. 3, Zech.
xi. 3)). 'The description, however im-
possible to realize as a picture, is
surely admirable a? a symbol of the
character of the foe which the Church
found in the Empire, blending mas-
sive strength with feline dexterity,
following up a stealthy and perhaps

, .
2. the sudden terrors of a hostile edict.
.] Daniel's first Beast On \4ovros see 2 Tim. iv. 17,

,
was
his third
Seer's Beast
his second

combines these features

The
and cf. Victorinus
armatum os " ; Primasius
" ad sanguinem
:

" leoni
[comparatur] propter... linguae super-
:

whatever the Babylonian, Median and

Persian Empires had of strength and
brutality, was present in their latest
biam."

.] The Dragon works

-
successor, the Empire of Rome, as it through the Beast as his agent ; the
was seen under Nero and Domitian. war is of Satan's making, but the
. 3]

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.
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THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN"
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Empire is his tool for Waging it. The cording to c. xvii. 9 the seven heads
Seer regards the persecuting Em-
'

have a double meaning; they are seven

perors as vassals of Satan ; a great
change has passed over the attitude
of the Church in this respect since St
Paul wrote to Roman Christians
yap
de
at
(Rom. xiii. 1). Even after persecution
had begun, St Peter takes the same
position (1 Pet. ii. 13). The Apoca-
lyptist himself does
sistance, and the Church of the first
three centuries continued, to be loyal
under the greatest provocations. Ne-
vertheless, it was clear to him that
the new Imperial policy towards the
Church was not of God. In some
sense Satan was the source of power
mountains, but also seven kings, i.e.
they represent seven Emperors who
reigned over the city of the Seven
, : Hills. If it be asked whether any of
the earlier Roman Emperors received
a death-blow from which he recovered
or was supposed to have recovered,
the answer is not far to seek. In
June 68 Nero, pursued by the emis-
not hint at re- saries of the Senate, inflicted upon
himself a wound of which he died.
His remains received a public funeral,
and were afterwards lodged in the
mausoleum of Augustus. Nevertheless
there grew up in the eastern provinces
of the Empire a rumour that he was
still alive, and in hiding. Pretenders

' ,
so abused his claim (Mfe iv. 9
;

- who claimed to be Nero arose in 69

/« )],
Lc. IV. 6 and 79, and even as late as 88 or 89
[; ' (Tac. hist. i. 78, ii. 8, Zonar. xi. 18, Suet.
admitted, so far as
is Nero 57). The legend of Nero's sur-
regards the persecuting Emperors vival or resuscitation took root in the
Nero, Domitian, were his vassals, and popular imagination, and Dion Chry-

disposal.
... . ..
all the powers and authority of the

: "jedes
lichem Nachdruck gesetzt" (Bousset).
Wort
were at their
(ii.

ist
13,
mit
note)
feier-
sostom {prat. xxi. 9) at the end of the
century sneers at it as one of the
follies of the time. Meanwhile the
idea of Nero's return had begun to
take its place in the• creations of

, !!-
With . cf. ii. 13, note. Jewish and Christian fancy, e.g. in
3.

, .] ... ; .,< the Ascension of Isaiah (ed. Charles,

iv.
8
2 f.) we read that Beliar will
sc. which has been supplied by
some mss. (see app. crit.) v. 3 takes
up the narrative of v. 1. Oj
;

-
- !,,
"
'
descend

iv. 1 19 f.
and in Orac. Sibyll.

'! ,
hints at a comparison between piy<*S> Tt \

the Beast and the

(cf. Bede
as
"imitatione veri capi-
:

tis nostri "). Like the Lamb, the Beast

? !- lb. 138 S
;

,
•
\

has sustained a mortal wound, a death- (cf. lb. V. 1 43 ff.,

blow (?) cf. 362 ff.). The legend has been used
WM. p. 297), which has fallen on one by St John to represent the revival of
of his seven heads (cf. xvii. 8, 1 1). .Ac- Nero's persecuting policy by Domitian,

n—
164

4
-
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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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apol. 5); see more upon this point
in c. xvii. 8 ff. That Nero is intended
by the wounded but restored head of
the Beast did not escape the earliest
of the Latin commentators, though
he failed to detect the reference to
Domitian on c. xvii. 16 Victorinus
; of the Beast, toward the end of the
remarks: "unum autem de capitibus
quasi occisum in mortem et plagam
mortis eius curatam, Neronem dicit.
constat enim dum insequeretur eum
equitatus missus a senatu, ipsum sibi
gulam succidisse. hunc ergo
evil Power which was behind them.
Or the sense may be that the vices of
the Emperors found ready imitators;
the demoralizing effects of their ex-
ample were apparent throughout the
Empire. As for the direct worship
first century it was already co-
ordinated with the local cults ; in
Asia the cities vied with one another
for the honour of erecting a temple
to Rome and the Caesars and the
susci- neocorate attached to it Such

]
tatum Deus mittet."

(cf.
Both
Blass, Gr. p. 44)
*\
for the use of
and for the general
fragments as the following from the
record of an 'Epigraphical Journey in
Asia Minor' (Papers of the American

[] -
School at Athens, vols, ii., iii.) speak
sense see C. xvii. 8
[
oi
] for themselves

- .,.^
:

KdroiKOvvTes
. yfjs...

] []-

.
\ \

The eyes of the whole

earth not simply ttjs [5 ][!]...!
rijs yfjs,

as in 9 gaze with wonder — ...-! 2e-

,,
xii.
after the Beast and his restored head. More upon this subject
For the pregnant may be found in Renan, Saint Paul,
see Jo. xii. 19 p. 28 f., Ramsay, Church in the
'/
,.
Acts V. 37
XX. 3°

358),
I Tim. V. 1 5

Gunkel (Schbpfung,
postulating a Semitic original,
p.
Roman Empire, Letters
Churches, passim; the authorities are
collected by Mayor, Juvenal i. pp.
229, 404 ff. for an exhaustive mono-
;

graph see E. Beurlier, Le culte im-

to the Seven

believes to be a rendering of perial, son histoire et son organisation

read for nnn.XD, but the con-
jecture is unnecessary, and not sup-
(Paris,
; ;— 1 89 1 ).

;
an intentional
ported by evidence.
4.
parody of Exod. xv.
Oiols, cf.
1 1 rir
Pss. lxxxii. (lxxxiii.)
.
.] In its worship of the' Beast and 1, lxxxviii. (Ixxxix.) 6, cxiii. 5, Mic vii.
the persecuting Emperors the ad- 18, Isa. xl. 25, xlvi. 5—perhaps not
XIII. 6]

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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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without reference to the name 7N3*P.

The worship of a monster such as
Nero was indeed a travesty of the
worship of God. Tir
; points to the motive
-! , !
to understand
'passing time';

rpeis,
. here in the
cf.

Acts XX. 3
and the Latin facere diem.
The Beast's power endures as long as
the .Woman's abode in the "Wilder-
Mt. xx. 12
sense of

re

which prompted the worship of the

:,
Beast. It was not moral greatness ness, the prophesying of the Two
hut brute force which commanded the Witnesses, and the Gentile profana-
homage of the provinces. The in- tion of the Holy City.
vinciblepower of Borne won Divine
honours for the worst and meanest of
6. tfvoi£ev

used frequently, if not

is
.
] eli

5.

.]
are from Daniel's description
The words . . exclusively, of the beginning of a
discourse or prolonged utterance ; cf.
Ps. xxi. (xxii.) 14, Ixxvii. (lxxviii.) 2,
of the Little Horn (Dan. vii. 8, 20). . cviii. (cix.) 1 Mt. v. 2
; Sir. xv. 5 ;

In their assumption of Divine titles Acts viii. 35. The Beast's blasphemy
(v. 1 note) the Emperors followed in was not casual but sustained, when
the steps of Antiochus Epiphanes, once his silence had been broken ; the

! . '- ,
who (1

cf.
Mace.
€\.
Dan.
i.

vii.
24,

25
NV)
With

In the repeated
els
assumption of Divine Names in public
documents and inscriptions was a
standing and growingMasphemy. This
blasphemy was aimed at the Divine
there may be a reference to
of v. 2, cf. v. 4 ; but more pro-
bably, as elsewhere in the Apocalypse,
points to the ultimate Source
of all power, without Whose permis-
sion Satan himself can do nothing.
For !. cf. XI. 2,
to

have read
....
i.e.

explain,
; cf.
ev!
as the Apocalyptist hastens

xii.
Primasius seems to
("taberna-
culum eius qui in caelo habitat"),
though he interprets "id est, adversus
12

:
-
oi ev

xii. 6, 14, notes. may be deum et ecclesiam quae in caelo

simply 'to do,' i.e. to carry on his habitat" (Haussleiter, p. 130); but

!
work, as

duration.
will
in Dan. viii.

then be the accusative of

But perhaps it is better
24, xi. 28 ; the harder reading of the Greek text
is to be preferred.
either the
5...5
'company of Heaven,' or
66

,
7

8
.<
'.
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

,\
[XIII. 6

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\-
<,
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7 . ..
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8
14 92 arm Ir
ACQ mini 30 ]
int
. Xaous G
NP 1 7 38 49 87 91 95
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1

; !.
ti"-"-

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|

2°] Q 8 29 al plql ° |
t4P ^8 79 95 8 arm ae ' n Prim Ar

possibly the Church viewed as ideally through homoeoteleuton, the eye of

installed in the Andreas some early scribe having passed from

Says
rovXoyov
: -
is perhaps on the right track when he

...\ iv
ayiois ol
8.
to

.] Not only did the

(fit Jo. i. 14, Apoc. vii. 15). Roman Empire seem to the provincials
Blasphemy against God was coupled a power of world-wide extent, but it
with false accusations laid against His had acquired a religious significance
saints,
Church.
the loyal members of
The clause ... the which rendered it yet more formidable
(v. 4 note). The Caesars were not
is

6 epexegetical, developing
'.
merely obeyed, they were worshipped
by the whole world. The masc.

,
points to the impersonation of the

-
7•

.] Daniel's account of the Little Beast in such Emperors as Nero or

Horn
\
in view ; cf. Dan. vii. 2
is still
Kfpas ' Domitian; for the ace. after
(theolder construction), cf.
Mt. iv. 10, Lc. iv. 8, Apoc. ix. 20,
avrois. The Beast, acting for xiii. 12, xiv. 9, 1 1, xx. 4, and see Blass,

the Dragon (xii. 17), makes war upon Or. p. 89. naiTfr
the Seed of the "Woman, i.e. the faith- . yijs is hyperbolical, even if the
ful, and succeeds.

Daniel's vision,
Like the I'S?"!!? of
i.e.

of Jerusalem against Antiochus, the

citizens of the new Jerusalem must
expect to
Emperor.
carried,
fall
the loyal defenders

before the persecuting

Wherever the Gospel was
Rome was
there beforehand;
:
,

•
Empire is viewed as co-extensive
with the orbis terrarum ; and the
writer hastens to guard himself by
adding There
were those in the Roman world who,
like Daniel and the three at the court
of Babylon (Dan. iii. 16 f.), refused
.
the Beast's authority extended over to worship the Caesars. Those who
all the nations and races which sur-
rounded the Mediterranean

No escape from him waspossible for

(.).
worshipped, though for the moment
the immense, majority, were only
such as were not in the Book of Life.
... is unexpected after ,
the members of the Church, although, but the purpose may be to mini-
as the Seer has already foreseen (xii. mize the significance of the general
14 ff.), the Church herself, the Mother acceptance of the Caesar-cult, or
of the Saints, was beyond his reach.

!
possibly to call attention to the in-
With cf. c. vi. 2, note. dividual responsibility of the wor-
... is omitted shippers. Each Caesar-worshipper by
by the best uncials, but probably his very act proclaimed himself to have
.
XIII. ]
ev
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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167

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9 ous] aures arm Frim + audiendi vg ^

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(
( om K*C)
~\

8 » 4 6 **
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. i^ + airayei 33 130 (ev. 35
6 8 29 31 91 93 94 96 97• 98 i86
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om (2°) KCPQ 186
m
me arm

no place among "the living in Jeru- from the Psalms, where represents
salem." On the 'Book of Life' see B?i> '?0 (LXX-, ' :). it
The N.T.
iii. 5, note and compare with the
;
has ten times (Mt. 2 Lc. 1 , Jo. 1, Eph. 1,
it ,

present passage cc. xvii. 8, xx. 12, 15, Heb. 2, 1 Pet. 1, Apoc. 2).
xxi 27. Here and in xxi. 27, the
Divine Register is represented as
belonging to "the Lamb that was
is
ii. 29, and
occurs in Heb. vi. 1 ; the
aaea
the foundation of a house in 2 Mace.

slain," i.e. the crucified but now risen is 'the founding of the whole
and exalted Christ, Who purchased visible order,' the creation being
the Church for God with His Blood
(v. 9), and has authority to cancel the
names of disloyal members (iii. 5).
The reference of
is somewhat ambiguous the order

(, ...
;
:
represented as a vast building under
the hands of the Divine Architect, as
in Job XXXVlii. 4 ev
, : and Heb.
Hort on 1 Peter :
iii.

cf.

]
4

(
suggests that the words should be I.e., and Dalman, Die Worte Jesu, i.
taken with in the

/
P• 136. ^ .

sense indicated by 1 Pet. i. 18 f.

£€... -
9. el Til
the Apocalyptic form of this saying
:, For

! ., but the close

see
attention,
ii. It is a call to serious
7, note.
and
here, as in ii. 7, 1 1, 17,

KaroiKOvvres

!)
parallel in xvii. 8
eVt yrjs, ye-
it is prospective and not retrospec-
tive, preparing the hearer for the
proclamation which is to follow. 'Let

,,
Seems to

.
be decisive in favour of connecting
with in
every member of the Church who has
the power to comprehend it take to
heart the warning now about to be
this context also ; and this is sup- given.'
.
. , . .-
ported by such passages as Mt. xxv.
34
Eph. i. \
. :
.~\ The
e Is

epigrammatic style
of this saying has perplexed the
els

:.! .,
iv On scribes (see app. crit.); some add a

- ...
the whole Arethas

eVet
is right: ev verb after the first els
while others omit the second. Trans-
late: "if any [is] for captivity, into
captivity he goes if any shall slay ;

yap voelv, lis. e%et, with the sword, he must with the

:
As
, - , ,-,
to the phrase

though used by Mt.

it is unknown
I.e.
()
in
to the lxx.,
a quotation
sword be slain."

pav, els
els
The verse starts
upon the lines of Jer. xv. 2
els
els

els
els
el:
»
els
168

II
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..
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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el Tts

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, [XIII. 10

,
79 syre"
me |
,
35 95 130
bis
/
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86
"
i
1 '1
',
Andr Ar |
]A om
e\a\ei

2 6 8 14 29 30 31
ws
28

!
32 al p, i 10 om A om
] / 6 8 14 29 30 31 32 38 47 al *110
^ 1

.
I
| (2°) 2 | 1?

Byx*" |
0^« 38 97 «&>" "CP 1
Andr Ar]
AQ 7 14 3 2 !3 8( om aetn
> s ™] 12 om 2 6 8 13 29 31 32 al'
ere15 Ar

'] I |

G syrBW

But after adopting the Beasts ("quod est autem mare, hoc,

;.
last clause of Jeremiah's proclamation, teste Daniele, est terra").But the cases
itgoes off in quite another direction, are different ; the Apocalyptist is not,

.
referring to, the saying of our Lord in like Daniel, interpreting his vision,
Mt. xxvi. 52 yap oi but relating another, which he con-
Pri- trasts with the first. If the Beast
masius conforms the first half of the from the sea denotes the world-wide
Terse to the last, translating: "qui
captivum duxerit et ipse capietur," as
if it had run ns : lav
Butnosuchchange
is necessary ; the verse hangs together
well enough as it stands in the best
Greek text. The whole is a warning
/, .,. Empire of the West, the Beast from
the earth is of humbler pretensions, a
native of the soil (cf. Arethas

—a product of the
cities.
Early Christian opinion was di-
!life
:

of the Asian
)
against any attempt on the part of vided upon the interpretation of the
the Church to resist its persecutors. second Beast. Irenaeus (v. 28. 2), '

If a Christian is condemned to exile, who identifies the first Beast with

as St John had been, he is to regard Antichrist, finds in the second Anti-
exile as his allotted portion, and to go, christ's ' armour-bearer

.
.
(cf. 1 Sain, '

readily if he is sentenced to death,

; xvii. 7), the false Prophet. Similarly
he is not to lift his hand against the
tyrant to do so will be to deserve
;

his punishment. For .

Hippolytus (ed. Lag. p. 24): ovv
rfjs yrjs -
see xiv. 12, note. ",

.'
11 — The Wild Beast from

,, !
18. Andreas mentions
the Earth. other interpretations : ro
II. aWo
( rfjs yijs -.] A
second Beast is
seen in the act of rising, not as
the first out of the sea, but out of
the earth. In Daniel's visions four ..]
Beasts "came up from the sea" The equipment of the second 'Beast
(Dan. vii. 3), but in the interpretation was as unpretending as his origin.
lib. 17) and in the.Gk versions of both In sharp contrast to the first he had
passages they "arise out of the earth." but one head furnished with two horns
From this Bede infers the identity of (cf.Dan. viii. 5), which were like those
the origin of the two Apocalyptic of a lamb. But if his appearance sug-
fyxati .-
XIII. 12]

-
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

.*
ef

<
169

12

tous
, \< -
.-
12 om arm 7roiei °] 38 vg me uyr arm aeth Ir ,nt Hipp Prim
;« |

]
i86 I
7roiet 2 ]
34 35 87 syrs" Q 6 7 8 14 29 31 38 49 al^ 20 vg m le n "P™
ollll' ' '

me syr arm aeth Hipp Ar |

AC 714 30* 36 98]
PQ minP Hipp Ar 1
syrs" ]

6* 35 4 1 4 2 87 95
I
om

gested innocence and even weakness, the Christian ministry turned to un-
voice was the roar of a dragon; cf.
"his worthy uses ; cf. Beatus " bestia de :

.
a fragment of Hermippus quoted
by Wetstein
, :

Though both
are anarthrous, they doubtless
allude to the Lamb of e. v. 6 and the
Dragon, of c. xiii. 1. The second
and
terra praepositi mali sunt in ecclesia."
Such men may be in the background
of St John's thought, but the imme-
diate reference is rather to the pagan
priesthood of his own time ; cf. iv. 14,
15, note.
12. \
Beast is in some sense at once a .] Theauthority
'-
,
,.
Pseudochrist and an Antichrist: of the Dragon, which was delegated
to the first Beast (xiii. 2), descends
to the second ; the first fights the
(Hippolytus) " agnum flngit, ut Ag-
; Dragon's battles, the second supports
num invadat " (Primasius). 1

the first by methods of his own, but

,
.
The description recalls Mt. vii. 15

falsumque prophetam
Cf. Victorinus :

dicit,
" magnum
qui factu-
-
with a strength which is derived

sentence
would be

,
..
ultimately from the Dragon.

.
is a pregnant
written out at length it
. ..
'-
rus est signa et portenta." The second
Beast is in fact in later chapters of
the book called

or
while
13, xix. 20, xx. 10),
. does not appear
<5 -^ (xvi.
Or to that
recalls 3

The true prophet lives in the pres-

ence of God, taking his orders from
Regn.
effect,
xvii.
. 1 6

from this chapter onwards the only Him and doing His pleasure; the
mentioned is the first Beast, or False Prophet stands before the
the wounded head which is identified Beast, whose interpreter and servant
with him (xiv. 9, 11, xv. 2, xvi. 2, 10, he is.

13, xvii. 3 ff., xix. 19, 20, xx. 4, iq). yfjv rois iv avTrj
In the second Beast' we have a reli- .] second
It is the business of the
gious, as in the first a civil, power; Beast to promote the worship of the
he is a (xvi. 23, xix. first ; for this end the False Prophet
20,• xx. who
claims a spiritual
10),
power which he does not possess, and
misinterprets the Divine Will in the
interests of the persecuting State.
Some ancient interpreters saw in him ,
has been entrusted with his power.
«...',
Col. iv. 16,
p. 225 f.);
'causes
Apoc.

cf.
y!jv
to,' cf.

iii.

VV. 4, 8.
Jo. xi. 37,
9 (Blass,

To
/
iv
...
Gr.
170

13 .
,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

14
,< eh
[XIII. 12

,
14

12
anon»^
mill 35 Ar
(Q) min
om

fereS3 me Ar
31
2"
4 92 vg Prim al

.
eis] eiri Q min|
.
to» 30 syr& w
]]
.)
13
Hipp vg Exof" {fecit) aeth Prim

14
/rawras] pr tous e/ious 2 6 8 29 30 31 32 49 186 alteeS0 Ar om Sia
-yov **'
. e#c

syre" tous
.
]
/3,
|
om ^
|
35 87

130
me
me
.
|
syre"

cup.

...
|
arm 4

-
Ir int

(
Q* 130 syr (propter mB
14 gi 94 95 «7<»"' 5 Q
|

. is repeated from fireto descend from heaven, and that

v. 3,
13.
where see

Being a false prophet the second

note.
.] ).
in the face of the world

- .]
Beast simulates the miracles wrought
by true prophets cf. Exod. vii. 1 1 f.
(2 Tim. iii. 8),
\
;

..
and see Deut. xiii.

..\
1 6
see note)
To deceive mankind is
a characteristic power of Satan (xii. 9

and it
,
has descended to the
where

., )
'Great signs' false Prophet ; see refF. cited on v. 12.
were expected and believed to accom- The success of the due to
pany the mission of the Church (cf.
Jo. xiv. 12, 'Mc' xvi. 20), but they
the signs
empowered
( to work (vv.
latter is
which he is
13, 1 5). These
were not to be limited to it see Mc. ; are done 'before the Beast' (v. 12,
X1I1. 22 . note), i.e. in the presence and with
the approval of the Imperial officers.
It is hardly possible to misunderstand

.
roiis \

2 Thess. . 9 the Apocalyptist's meaning. The

Caesar-worship was a State function
icqi ajj/wi'otr Call- at which the Proconsul and the other
ing down fire from heaven was one magistrates assisted, and the pagan
of the miracles attributed to Elijah priesthood wrought their before
(1 Kings xviii. 38, 2 Kings i. 10) if ; these representatives of the Empire

.
the writer of the Apocalypse was the their jugglery addressed itself to
son of Zebedee, he would not have persons in authority and not only to

54

;).
?
forgotten that he had himself desired
to imitate the O.T. prophet (Lc.

In the present case the

, - ix.
the ignorant populace. Cf. the Intro-
duction, p. xci.

purpose of the -
f.

.]
.. -
Yet the chief
wrought by the
down fire would doubt-
sign of calling magic of the priests of the Augusti
less be exhibited in connexion with was to popularize the new cult, by
the worship of the Beast, for which promoting the religious use of the

tee. "
it would seem to be a Divine guaran-

distinguishable
after jroiei
from
. . is scarcely
(Burton
statues of the Emperor (on

Blass, Gr. pp. 232, 240). Any repre-

=
followed by the infinitive see

§ 222) ; the Prophet's powers extend sentation of the reigning Caesar which
so far that he can even () cause served to place him before the eyes of
.
.,
is] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 171

\<
,
os
*s
Kai 15
Trj '
Syr
mn
!.
i
14
Ar |

<raravid)
Kal
]39
2°]

^
pr

„]
om

15 "
|

,6 0
os]

() Q
/
2
mini syrs™ Hipp Ar

KP**Q min omnvid

.
11

6 8 13 14 26 29 30 al 10
Q Ar .
minPJ'J 2 ^

Hipp Andr Ar]

|

|
]
ef.
!! Q minP'i 36
{-pas

ACP* vla om |
PQ

C om I
C 14 6 28 31 99 '3° me syrr arm

an (
the provincials might be described as
(see Lightfoot's note on
Col. i. 15), whether it were merely the
use of the Emperor's 'image' was
perhaps as yet unknown, but already,
as it seems, the pagan priesthood had
Emperor's head {effigies) upon a coin succeeded in securing for it religious
(Mc. xii. 16), or an imago painted or worship with results disastrous to the
wrought upon a standard, or executed Christian communities (0. 15).
in metal or stone. Busts or statues, "Ot as in WB. 3, .,
however, are doubtless intended here. 12, but with the addition of —
Such imagines, together with other a new feature which makes for the
symbols of the power of Borne, had identification of the wounded head
always received the highest honours with Nero and with — substi-
from loyal subjects of the Empire ; cf. tuted for */...^(. The
Suetonius, Tib. 48 "largitus est... Beast did not die with Nero ; he lived
quaedam munera Syriacis legionibus, on and reappeared in Domitian, who
quod solae nullam Seiani imaginem resumed Nero's policy of persecution
inter signa coluissent" (i.e. because (cf. note'on xiii. 3).

they alone had been loyal to himself; 15. \

ib., Calig. 14 "aquilas et signa .]
Another
Romana Caesarumque imagines ado- wrought by the magic of the second
ravit").When Christians were brought Beast. That such tricks were em-
before Imperial officials an image of ployed in the is by no
the reigning Emperor was produced means improbable. As we are. re-
by way of testing their Christianity. minded by Andreas, it was the age of

!
Cf. Pliny's famous letter (ep. 96, a.d. Apollonius Of Tyana, whose legerde-
112) : "qui negabant esse se Christia- main was freely attributed to the
fuisse, cum praeeunte me deos powers of evil

.
nos aut
appellarent et imagini tuae quam prop-
:

' '-
appeal of the !
ter hoc iusseram cum simulacris numi-
num adferri ture ac vino supplicarent
...dimittendos esse putavi," and the
to Polycarp
In the Clementine Recognitions
47), Simon Magus is made to boast,
(iii.

; ! ;
(Mart.
ehreiv 'Kvpios
(i.e.

ad

)
-
-
P.

to offer incense,
loc.) '
8) :

,'
ri yap

..
see Lightfoot,
"statuas mbveri
...haec
animari exanima
non solum
feci,
sed et nunc

gested by the writer's experience of

contemporary magic ; as for calling
feci,
facere possum," a claim doubtless sug-

.
cf. Eus. vii. 15
ye rots down fire, see Apringius on v. 13
But in the present passage "haec magi per angelos refugas et
the reference is rather ,to imagines hodie faciunt." It is not necessary
set up in the or temples of to suppose that either Simon or
Rome and the Augusti. The judicial Apollonius (Ramsay, Exp. 1904, ii. 4,
 ,
172

,. 16

]. .] !
min 83
1$ om
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vg" m Ir lni (hab

7* 14 31 36 42 130 186
pr vi 130 186
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

..
AP
[iW]

C
7 11 26 36 95 vg

16
8
.
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l!ll"!t"ld >,l

iroiei]
A 1 al"™"
eav

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om arm |

vg syr« w Hipp"emel
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130
/«cii Prim tous . tovs (om tovs 1° N)] magna» et pusillo» Prim
|

. tovs tovs . tovs \. |

79

!•,
/s

p. 249f•, Letters to the Seven Churches, duced by the art of the

p. 101 directly referred to ; the
ff.) is of contemporary ventriloquism there
second Beast is probably, like the is probably an instance in Acts xvi
first, a system rather than a person,
though, as the first culminated in
Iier,o, so the best known magician of
reading &
16, where see Knowling's note. The
airy has good support
(see app. crit), but, as Dr Hort admits,
the age may have been regarded as
an impersonation of the second. But
that magic was used by the Caesar-
priests is probable enough, as Ramsay
has well pointed out (ib. p. 98 ff.), even
it is unintelligible

as a corruption ,
"it is impossible
:

either to account for the text [aiirjj]

or to interpret
it as it stands " ; he suggests that "rjj

yfj may have been lost after avrfi, or

if the Apocalypse is the only witness have given place to it" (Notes, p. 138).
to the fact ; nor is it impossible that But to bring in from w. 11, 12 ff. " the
they may have acted under the sanction conception of a spirit of the earth"
of the officials, so that the Empire it- seems artificial. Can be a pri-
self lent its weight to the proceeding. mary error due to the mind of the
'Magic' was not thought unworthy of writer having reverted to (v. 14),

a place in high quarters, as St Paul

.
learnt at the outset of his missionary
;

...-
work cf. Acts xiii. 6 eSpov
rjj (,
,
or to his eye having been caught by
which immediately follows ?
SC As they
stand, the words can only mean that
the ventriloquist used his opportunity
.
Thus in the immediate view of the to make the image suggest that all
Seer the second Beast represents the
sorcery and superstition of the age
as engaged in a common attempt to
impose the Caesar-cult upon the pro-
vinces, behind which there lay the
who refused worship to the image of
Caesar should be put to death.

.]
16. Troiei ,
The False Prophet causes
who accept the Caesar-cult
tovs
all

Satanic purpose of bringing ruin upon

.the rising Christian brotherhoods. In
a mark of fealty.
xi. 18, xix. 5, 18, xx. 12) covers the
.
to receive
(cf.

its wider significance the symbol may entire population, from the Asiarch
well stand for any religious system down the meanest slave.
to The
'
which allies itself with the hostile construction changes after the long
forces of the world against the faith string of accusatives had the writer :

"
.(
of Jesus Christ.
here = wve (xi. Il),
in the sense of breath or animation.
the vitalizing of the ,!
stopped to think of the formation of
his sentence,
Written
or
,, !,
!
he would naturally have
ol .,

-
:

image went so far. that it was even ., or even iroiel

able to speak, an effect doubtless pro- Toiis ., Or
7(
XIII. 6]

, -,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

/s,
-rows
'
Se£tcts
173

. >*
^ om . . 1

1 6 tous eXevd. Prim |

eXeuiepous] syrs™ |

(0W1 ACPQ 6 10 12 13 14 17** 35 36 37 38 49 51 87 91 92 96] oWei 0W7; i86

-
6t°•*)

arm oWowrt» 4 i8 29 31 40 46 94 2 J 16 28 30 32 79 93 97 98 al
10

.)
gyr6WTid
™ 35 Ar -]
(sine outois) 26 95 habere (pro ira 8. vg Prim al
86
|

almu

.,.-
Q min' |
C Q 28 130 Vg

) .
syr Prim

,
. The indefinite plural
finds a parallel in
xvi. 15
suggests (Notes, p. 139) that the ori-
cc.
Dr Hort
.
(».
1
I. de monarch.,
\flav

£!£
.
p. 22 levrai 8-

But

. ,
ginal reading was
itacism But
written by
which is
read by all our uncials, makes excel-
^, it to believe that such a
is difficult
mark was actually imposed on all the
provincials who conformed. Ramsay
lent sense ; the second Beast worked (op. cii., p. nof.) is disposed to think

through his ministers, the menials of rather of certificates, similar to the

the Augustan temples. libelli of the Decian persecution,
may be either a work of which were put into the hands of
art such as a graven image (Acts xvii. those who sacrificed, and to regard
:),
here and or, as the mark on the forehead as merely

.
29
in cc. the impress
xiv., xvi., xix., xx., "the apocalyptic description of a
made by a stamp cf. the use of ; universal reputation for conspicuous
in Lev. xiii. 28 where the devotion to the cult of the Emperor."
scar of a leprous spot is called . This is hardly a satisfactory solution,
To the procedure and in our present ignorance it is

!
ascribed to the second Beast there is perhaps better to be content with one
a striking parallel in 3 Mace. ii. 29, which is suggested by the symbolism

,
where Ptolemy Philopator I. (b.c. 217)
orders such Jews as submitted to

. !
registration to be branded with the
badge of the Dionysiac worship ; rous
re
irvpos els

Studies,
Deissmann
/242) shews
under the Empire official documents
(Biblical
that in Egypt
of the Book. As the servants of God
receive on their foreheads (vii. 3) the
impress of the Divine Seal, so the
servants of the Beast are marked
with the 'stamp' of the Beast, "in
fronte propter professionefh, in'inanu
propter operationem" (Ps. Aug.) ; the
word being perhaps chosen (as
Deissmann suggests) because it was
were stamped with the name and year

. -
the technical term for the Imperial
of the Emperor (e.g. L
Nepoia
),
and that the
'
!
stamp. For a partial parallel see Pss.
Sol. XV. 8
els
ff.

. , Geov orl

stamp was known as a

he produces no instance of persons
being similarly marked. Others have
thought of the branding of soldiers,
but ; rai oi
...
. !
That the Antichrist
would seal his followers became a
airaXe'ia! «VI

slaves, and temple devotees cf. Gal. ;

commonplace in the Christian legend
vi. 17, with Lightfoot's note, and Philo see Bousset, Der Antichrist, p. 132 ff.
174

17

18
,?
[]
£. ,^.
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

8
[XIII. 17

.
,
ei

17 om H*C 6 28 32 79 v S tol me syrr Ir tot Hipp Prim al (hab K c a APQ

-

mini"1 vg exoto1
al 10
']
/
/]
pr
14 3° (9 2 )
arm aeth Ar)
pr

arm
|
m]
38 vg cl °
Q
demlip" 54
130
•
6

1 8
|

]
anon au s
PQ

pr
1 6 7

syrs^
syrs" arm

| }
14 28 31 32 50 186
|

17. not generally intelligible. The point of

.] There is possibly a is not clear. According
reference to Mace. xiii. 49 oi «
(
to Arethas, the name and the number
-
.
1

But the cases

- are alternatives

). But as no would
Se

differ materially. Here citizens who have borne the Christian cipher, it is
do not bear this mark are not pre- better to treat here as practically
vented from entering the markets, but equivalent ,to tout' 'the name, —
if they enter none will buy their goods or, which is the same thing, the num-
or sell them the necessaries of life. ber.' Where the heathen provincial
Such a 'boycotting' of Christians might saw only the name of the reigning
result partly from the unpopularity of Emperor, the Christian detected a
their faith, partly from a dread of mystical number with its associations
offending the dominant priesthood or of vice and cruelty.
their Roman supporters. If we ask
whether the fear expressed by the
Apocalyptist was realized, there is
no certain answer. As Ramsay says
(pp. cit., p. 107 f.), " how much of grim
18.
similar formula occurs in

gen compai'es the cabbalistic phrase

.
.
\.~\
c. xvii. 9
Schoett-

[ SOP! is
sarcasm. .there lies in those words
.

.]
it is impossible for us
now to decide... but that there is an
ideal truth in them, that they give a
picture of the state of anxiety and ap-
to the gift of
^)
apparently the spiritual gift answering
(cf. Eph. i. 17

power of apprehending and inter-

preting mysteries. Here was an op-
—the
prehension, of fussy and over zealous portunity for the exercise of this
profession of loyalty which the policy power;

,
let the hearer or reader
of Domitian was producing in the interpret what is now about to be
Roman world, is certain." Cf. Eus. revealed. ., 'let him
II. E. V; I

' . who has intelligence a

; the stamp
name or its number. The number of
is in apposition to
may bear the ;
,
character not without its value in
spiritual things ; cf. Dan. xii. 10

xii. 34 '"
-
-—
the name is probably the name itself
written in numerals, according to a calculate (for cf. Lc. xiv. 28)
sort of gematria known to the Apo- [the meaning of] the Beast's number,
calyptist and his Asian readers, but for [beast though he is] his number
XIII. 1 8] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 175

< .
8 om
108 28 37
6 14 29 3 1 air1 ' 20 syre"
y 8
38 49 79 91 95 96 vg«nifHp«> syr
| ]
arm Hipp"" anon aue
om syr«'v

|
+ CP
(-men
ti) (N) AP(Q min mu |')] {- C) C (5 ') quidam
ap Ir anon ^

,
is that of a man,' i.e. so far as the or had not reached the Churches of
arithmetic goes, it is simple and in- Gaul. Irenaeus's guesses (for they are
telligible, because it is human and not obviously no more) are based on the

< \.
bestial ; cf. xxi. 1 7

-
hypothesis that the second Beast
directly represented Antichrist. The
number, he says, is that of Noah's age
]
Within a century after the at the time of the Flood (Gen. vii. 6),
date of th'e Apocalypse the precise
figures were uncertain. Irenaeus bears'
witness that while all good and old

! ',
yap
)
plus the height and breadth of' the
image set up by Nebuchadnezzar (

!
copies had and this reading ; and it also
was attested by those who had seen alludes to the six millennia of the

!
St John, there were those who read

, ^-
' ?'

...
(
v - 3°j

\
! '"
world's history (v. 29, § 2). When he
comes to transform this number into
a name for Antichrist, he mentions
—
several guesses the impossible word
= 5 + 400 + 1 + 50 + 9 + 1 +

...\
(

2oo), ( = 30+1+300+5 + 10

interpret the' cipher on these lines.

The reading thus curtly dismissed
gained so good a footing that it
survives in one of our best uncials
and in two cursives, and in the com-
and attempted to
+ 50 70 + 200), "Latini enim sunt
+
qui nunc regnant," and tsitan (300
+ +
5+10 + 300 1 + 50); of these ho

-
)
thinks the last best, though he declines
to decide (:
ovv

urging that 'if the writer had wished

;

mentary of the Pseudo- Augustine,

where the writer, probably following
Tyconius, says (Migne, P. L. xxxv.
col 2437) "sexcenti et sexdecim graecis
litteris sic faciunt

p. cxxxvii., note 2):

and intet-
prets accordingly (see Introduction,
It can hardly
',"
'
ing.
.
us to know the name, he would have
written it in full' (ib. 30, § 3).
this in the face of St John's

Nor
is Hippolytus more illuminat-
Regarding the stamp as bearing
the number of the Beast, which like
And

therefore have originated in a simple Irenaeus he reads as "', he sees

confusion between and 1 (which in it the word /we =
= + 100+50 + 70+400+40+5),
indeed
Text. crit. p. 334),
is itself unlikely,
and
see Nestle,
is probably
( 1

plaining: ... -ex-

a true though
alternative
ence to the meaning of the cipher,
for
less
|".
widely received
With refer- ", , (ed. Later
Lag. p. f.).

Irenaeus, notwithstanding his Asian patristic, interpreters a large

offer
origin, speaks with far less confidence. choice of conjectures, some of which
If a clue had existed at first in the are yet more improbable or even
churches of Asia, it had been lost, absurd Such attempts to solve the
 176 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XIV.

XIV. 1 elBov, ) eo"ros

»] Meth
!
XIV eiSor HP mini 11
] iSov ACQ 7 14 36 92 130 186 [
om 28 35
$6 49 9 1
14 49 91
9<> '3° arm Andr
ttl

98 al muvld Ar
|
eoros
7 87
KACP
]
79] ecrrus
opos
Q
opos
alP1 ' 10
C
Or eary/cos6 8

,
|

enigma can only be regarded, as

Andreas remarks, lv , Orac. Sioyll.
Christ
Ka&as '
:

« !• i. 328, 888 represents

ht-

.
and bring us no nearer to the truth. |
;8'
... '
Least probable of
all are the attempts
of many interpreters to find in the
cipher 666 the name of one or an- '
|

The
-
contrast is
tn

other of the conspicuous characters significant.

of modern history; such guesses not See further the Introduction to this
only are inspired by personal anti- commentary, p. cxxxviii. (text, and
pathies, but betray ignorance of the note 2); and Hort, Apocalypse, p.
real functions of Apocalyptic prophecy. xxixff.
Gunkel's theory {Seh'opfung, p. 378) XIV. 1
—Mount
The Vision
5. of the
which finds in 666 the words Dinn 144,000 on Zion.
fVJIDlp, 'primitive chaos,' i.e. Tiamat, . etdov, eoros
is not more convincing. If the .] The vision of the two Beasts
number represents a name, the name and their followers is fitly followed by
is doubtless to be sought among a reassuring picture of the Lamb in
the of the first century. It is the midst of His Church ; "au milieu
interesting to find that the Greek de flots de colere apparait maintenant
letters of the style of Caligula (rAioc un Hot de verdure" (Renan). Cf.
k&icap) represent numbers which Primasius "invicta quoque ecclesiae
:

added together make 616, while the castra oportuit declarari, ne tarn
Hebrew letters "Dp \y\3 (Nero Caesar), vehementi persecutionis impetu vel
make 666, or 616 if the first word is succubuisse vel periisse eandem eccle-
written as in Latin without the final siam infirmus animus aestimaret." To
n. Against this last explanation it has looks back to v. 6 (where see

€€ ( ,
been urged that Caesar is written note), vii. 17, xii. 1 1, xiii. 8, and stands
"D'p in the Talmud, a spelling which in contrast with the anarthrous
would bring the total to 676 ; but the in xiii. 11. On the other hand the
abbreviated IDp is perhaps admissible €6
in a cipher, and it is not without ex- though doubtless alluding to the

'
ample (Renan, I'Antechrist, p. 415, 144,000 of c. vii. (cf. Origen, in Joann.
note 4). Certainly Nero Caesar suits t. i. 1), are not directly identified with

the context well ; the Beast or per-

secuting world-power might fitly be
named after the Emperor who began flnav).
(, ' '
,the latter (Arethas: yap

The distribution of the 1 2,000

the policy of persecution, and was among the tribes is no longer in view:
himself an incarnation of its worst the total number is used either as
characteristics. Another line of inter- that of a great but limited gathering,
pretation, may perhaps be combined or possibly with reference to the
" Twelve Apostles of the Lamb " (xxi.
with this. It has been pointed out
& ...
(Briggs, Messiah, p. 324, Milligan,
Revelation, p. 235) that in 666 every
digit falls short by one of the perfect
—
number a mark of Antichrist In
,(2
14); cf. Andreas:

ttjs iv
ai

12
«
-
) (-
,
XIV. 2]

'''
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 177

.
<, - 2

"
] ?] Q
/ter
1
(item
+

]
. 3)
om las
Ar
Q min25
om
|
syr Ar |

me 1
ran
]
(.6 )
7 38
]
|
ytsypap.-

8 79 9 1
\

!!
om ois 3° om 130 pr arm Meth me
. 91 I
|
syfE"

But, as in viL 4 fF., it is the (xii. 18); the Beast is on the

living Church which is in the Seer's sand, the Lamb on the rock. Com-
thought, not the pare the contrast in xvii. 3, xxi. 10.
of vii. 9 ; not, i.e., the Church in her .] In
final completed glory, but the faithful the 144,000 bear the imprint of
c. vii.

who are on earth at any given time.

«Vi ]
The site of the
the Divine Seal, which protects them
against assault (cf. ix. 4). Here their

-\\
new City of God; cf. Heb. xii. 22
pel, .where West-
foreheads are inscribed with the Name
of the Lamb and that of His Father
cott remarks "Zion is distinctively the
:

,
(cf. iii. 12 <5 ...
... '
) , ]
Acropolis. .Mount Zion represents the
.

strong Divine foundations of the new xxii. 4 [sc.

Order." For 'mount Zion' (fV? cf. or . «VI
xvi. 16/Ap see Ps. ii. 6, xlvii. and see notes
(xlviii.) lxxvii. (lxxviii.) 54, 68,
1 flf.,
ad II.), a metaphor which supplies a
lxxxvi. (lxxxvii.) 1, cxxiv. (cxxv.) 1, more direct parallel to the methods
Mic. iv. ObacL 1.7, 21, .Isa. xxviii. of the whose' servants are
Beast,
7,
16, lix. 20 ; symbol for
it is the . T. branded with the of his name
the security and strength which belong (xiii. 17, xiv. 11). The Divine name
to the people of God. Thus 'Mount on the forehead suggests at once the
Zion is the counterpart to the
'
imparting of a character which corre-
of c. xii. 6, 14; seen in sponds with the Mind of God, and the
the light of this new vision, the place consecration of life to His service.
where the "Woman takes refuge is 2.
none other than the impregnable rock .] Not, as the ancient commen-
oirwhich the Church reposes (Mt, xvi. tators usually assume, the voice of
18). With the present passage cf. the 144,000, but that of the 'company
4 Esdr. "ego Ezra vidi in
ii. 42, of Heaven ' with whom the Church is
monte Sion turbam magnam, quam
numerare non potui, et omnes canticis
conlaudabant Dominum"; ib. xiii.
35) 39) "ipse autem stabit super
cacumen Montis Sion...et quoniam'
vidisti eum colligentem ad se aliam
multitudinem pacificam," etc.
.\\
Westcott's notes.
,
closely united through the presence in
her midst of the Lamb ; c£ Heb. I. c.
2.

Much of the phraseology of this

opet..

verse occurs elsewhere in the book:

-
where see again
•

Dr Barnes points out that eWor «rl e.g. for . ovpavov cf.

opos 2. answers to . 4, xiv. 15, XVUL 4; for

8. .
 78

3 . THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

3
[XIV. .2

] ?, el

2
Prim Ar (hab
om C
AC 1
C |
syre*
28 36 79 95 al vg)
.] pr
3
| ]
om ^PQ min me
+ H
X syre" arm om |
40

( sup
syr arm aeth Or Meth
lin
4° 130
1

|
)

]]
|
om .

! Q 8 11 29 30 31 32 93 94 arm PQ mini" 1
arm

,!,
| |

om ai N •» 7 28 32* 93 min••1

i. 15 (4 Esdr. vi. 17); for oSy our own: "with Angels and Arch-
. vi. , six. 6, and on angels... we laud and magnify thy
in connexion with celestial music see glorious Name."
T. 8, XV. 2 ;
occurs
again in xviii. 22, and in .] Even the 144,000 have need to
Is. xxiii. 16, 1 Cor. xiv. 7. For the learn the Song it does not come to
;

meaning of see the note on them or without effort;

naturally,
v. 8. every Eucharist, every thankful medi-
'
3. <Ss .] tation on the Passion, is an exercise
On see v. 9, notes. In c. v. in the art. And only they can learn
the New Song is sung by the and it; the music of the heart (Eph. v. 19,
the Elders, representing Creation and CoL iii. 16) cannot be acquired without
the Church. Here it is sung before
the and the Elders, and therefore
not by them, but apparently by the
Angels, who are not themselves re-
cipients of the benefits of Redemption.
They are represented, however, in the
, !
a receptivity which is a Divine gift;•
cf.

I
Jo. XIV. 17

Cor. ii. 14

Commentators who interpret the

ov
,.
. T. as deeply interested in all that 144,000 as an inner circle of saints,
concerns the salvation of man (Lc. xv. whether ascetics or others, and Mount
7, 10, Eph. iii. 10, 1 Pet. i. 12), and as Zion as belonging to the future order,
joining in the praises of the Lamb are compelled to limit the New Song
(Apoc. v. f.). n
Here they lead the
Song, which the redeemed themselves
have yet but imperfectly leamt.
There is a feeling after the truth which
.7
to a section of the redeemed: e.g.
'
Andreas :

liesbehind this vision in more than

., !
. ..
one of the Prefaces that precede the

!
Sanctus in the ancient liturgies cf.

.
e.g.

.'.,
. . .
!,.', the Liturgy of St James (Bright-
man, i. p. 50) ov : .

..\
;
•. 'the... thousands,
namely, those
who have been purchased [for God,
by the Blood of the Lamb, cf. v. 9]
from the earth or (c. 4) ' from among
'

' .,.,
men.' here denotes not 'separa-
. . . . . tion,' but 'extraction,' as in v. 9; '
. .\.. .,.... see Blass, Gr. p. 125. The 144,000
and the are not taken away from the earth
still more explicit form in the Roman (Jo. xvii. 15X but while they are upon
Preface : "cum angelis et archangelis.. it they recognize their relation to God
hymnum gloriae tuae canimus," and and to Christ
XIV.

3
4]

. -]+ Aegypti aeth

,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
6 tjjs

' 4
yrjs.

om ""rot
.] om
4

yap
,
«* A vg°°d aeth""
el&iv
e'uriv

|
o\

ouroi 2°]
179

+ emv Q
a.

,
minP' vgiu syr Meth Ar Cyprbi" Prim | |
virayet AC 7 16 28 36 87]
NPQ mini•1

4• ( .] combed with immorality of the

(:
Cf. Tertullian, res. earn, "virgines grossest kind.
scilicet significans et quisemetipsos With the use of masc. cf.
castraverunt propter regna caelorum."
:\ !,
the Apocryphal Life of Asenath, 3

.
But
. .
if our interpretation

taken metaphorically, as the symbol-

. is right, ot
must be
eariv 6

, ib. 6

ical character of the Book suggests. The term is applied by

As Tyconius cited by Bede remarks, Suidas to Abel and Melchizedek, and

they are the

Mt. V. 8, the !
" virgines... castos dicit et pudicos";
tj

of 2 Cor. xi. 2.
iv\
of

No- con-
by Nonnus to St John, who was
traditionally a celibate to his death.
In Clement of Alexandria's Hypo-
typoses the first Epistle of St John is
demnation of marriage, no exclusion
of the married from the highest
blessings of the Christian life, finds a
virgines ( :),"
said to have been addressed "ad
and an echo
of this inscription probably survives
place in the T. .
Our Lord recog-
nizes abstinence as a Christian prac-
tice• only in cases where men are able
to receive it (Mt. xix. 12). If St Paul
thinks of celibacy as the better state
in the headings of the Epistle in one of
Sabatier's Latin mss., (Ad Sparthos),
as well as in the Upbs
cursive Greek MS. ; cf. Westcott,
Epp. of St John,
of a

p. xxxii.
! f., note 2.

(1 Cor. vii. 1, 8), and moreover gives .]

his reasons for doing so (ib. 32), yet A reference to the Lord's familiar
he does not discourage marriage be- call (Mc. ii. 14, X. 21,
tween Christians indeed, he not
; Lc. ix. 59,' Jo. i. 43, xxi. 19), and to
only allows (ib. 36) but in many cases such sayings as those reported in
recommends it (ib. 1, 8). The Epistle Mc. viii. 34, Jo. viii. 12, x. 4, 27, xii. 26.
to the Hebrews even eulogizes "the The conception had rooted itself in

!:
. \€
honourable estate of matrimony" (xiii. the Christian imagination from the
4 iv first; cf. I Pet. ii. 21
!). The Apocalyptist does not
differ from the Pauline school, but As to its meaning,
Tot!

he remembers the attitude of the

:
Levitical ritual towards sexual inter-
course (Exod. xix. 15, 1 Sam. xxi. 4),
and transfers the which it
Augustine's
cordis... quid
"sequimini* virginitate
est enim sequi nisi
imitari?" supplies the only answer:
the Christian life is from first to last
involved in the eyes of the Law to the
abuses of God's ordinance of which
pagan society was fulL That chastity
should be chosen as the first distinctive
virtue of the Christian brotherhood
! :,
an imitatio Agni. Cf. Eus. H. E. v. 1

.
joann. xi.
(Vettius Epagathus)

Origen, in
16 fragrn. (ed. Brooke, ii.
will not seem strange to those who
reflect that pagan life was honey-
p. 289)
(St
:

Thomas
f ira
in Jo.
:
xi. 26), !
1 8
<-
,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XIV. 4

5
'
]? 5
ev
e'uriv.

86 alplq3° syr Ar om

39 aeth"'
4

11
C |
pr

5 ^euios] JoXos 1
Ygoieam**di!mhari»iipietoi
ACPQ
ali»""!vld

me
s y rr arm aejh Orb1•
Q 6 8 4 «9 i l 3 8
mini" Vg 'me syr Or bta

]
| ] Meth Andr Ar]

Meth Andr Ar (om yap ACP

|

j+yap KQ min ,ereomn

6
12 130

-
Vgnm*fiihari**iip»4,5j p r „„ x g6 |
£ + vg CIedemIlp ™+ouTOt
^

. ^
euriv

? ],
33 35 4 8

(for
144,000 are an 6e& .
the collocation see vii. 10, xxii.

,
The reading
rejected by Blass (Gr.
of explanation; qualifies
p. 217),
though
admits
only;
,
1, 3), i.e. they are offered and con-
secrated to the Divine service cf. the
law of the firstfruits in Exod. xxii. 29
(28), Deut xxvi 2 ff. ; the phrase
or
:

the direction
movement () is
In all
life Christ is leading, as a matter of
uncertain, but the
is actual. xlviii. 9.
occurs in Lev.
The new Israelite offers to
God his own body (Rom. xii. 1), and
ii. 12, Ez. xlv. 1,

].. .
fact ; and the indicative emphasizes the spiritual sacrifice of praise and
this point. thanksgiving (Heb. xiii. 15), of alms
5> and offerings (ib. 16 f.), of heart and

prets
144,000 were purchased as an , ] ... ,
This amplifies and inter-
yfjs. The
will (1 Pet.

epe
5- ev
ii. 5).

; ,
See Zeph. ML 13

. ; :,
the of the harvest of the
firstfruits
eiipeSg
world ; for this sense of cf. Bom.
ev
xvi. 5 els and with the passage as a whole cf.

Here the
Cor. xvi. 15
is the generation of
ttjs Ps. XIV. I ff. ' -fi ev
opeiT&

.
s
Christians who were living in the last ...
years of the first century, and who,
relatively to the company of the faith-
«» ev
purity truthfulness was perhaps the
ev
After
os

ful in future time, were as the

all
most distinctive mark of the followers
of the great
firstfruits (Mt.
of Christ, when contrasted with their
An alternative but perhaps

-
ix. 37).
less probable interpretation regards
heathen neighbours ; cf. Eph. iv. 20-25.
The Lamb was characterized by the

. ( ';
q as contrasting the contem-
same trait cf. Isa. liii. 9, as quoted in
:

porary Church with the mass of

I Pet. ii. 23, iv
mankind (cf. 2 Thess. ii. 13 eCkaro
—SO
Syr. hc1•
6ebs
els ), BFGP,
or with crea-
Vg.,
Nyp3)Tyconius cited by Bede remarks:
On (?

,
tion in general
etvai
where see Mayor's
(cf. Jac. i.

note).
-
18 els to "non dixit, 'non fuit...' sed non est
inventiim."
is in practice often slight:
The distinction, however,
cf. "WM.
But the is not only the first
instalment of the human harvest the
word is connected by its O.T. associa-
tions with the service of God. The
;

".
p. 769 f., &c, see cc. v. 4, xii.
xviii. 21 ff., xx. n.

Trovijpor iv
Cf. Sir. XX.
tyevSos.
8, xvi. 20,,

24
From
XIV.

6 eiSov
6]

KCP min» ]
eiZov
1
.
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

AQ
ayyeXov
7 14 36 92 |
om ?* Q 1 30 all*' 36 Or Ar
- |
i»l

).\
AC 14 29 31 35 38 79 91 186 al20
*
Or Andr Ar] si PQ
syr
1 al™* m * |

"
(cf. viii. 1 3)

this fatal blemish the followers of announcement of good tidings to the

Christ were free. is fairly world at large. On see
frequent in the Epistles of the ;
.. Mc. i. 1, note the noun is not used
;

cf.Eph. i.
goes with
;
4, v. 27,
or with
Christ is
CoL i. 22, where
and - it elsewhere in the Johannine writings,
though the verb occurs here and in
c. x. 7. The ancient interpreters
( Pet. i. 19), and Christians are (e.g. Primasius) compare Mt. xxiv. 14

Levitical
(Phil. ii. 1 5, and cf.
Jude 24). Behind all such uses of the
word there lies the tradition of the
Greek O.T., in which
term
is a
for sacrifices not '
,
... els

Origen seems to think of a literal

proclamation of the Gospel before the
, while

vitiated
unfit to
by any flaw rendering them
be offered In this sense
end by an angelic ministry (in Joann.
t. i. 14 ov fie

,--
the regular equivalent of D'DJJ

'
•
it is

for the history of this use see Dr

Hort's interesting note on 1 Pet I. 0. • '.

Hence in Biblical Greek is

not '
blameless,' as the etymology ).
cannot be rendered,
But
would suggest, but 'unblemished,'
The 144,000 were as by A. V, " the everlasting Gospel
sacrificially perfect. "
such their self-consecration was free
;

froin the insincerity which would have ,

the parallel cited from Bom. i. 1,
is not apposite, since

.-
rendered it unacceptable in the sight is there sufficiently defined

of God The interpretative gloss by the genitive which follows it (cf.

(cf. crit.) WM. p.• 155). Doubtless like
is misleading; the scene is not laid and in xiii. 1 1, and in
in Heaven, but on Mount Sion; see xiv. 1, anarthrous
this
•». 1, notes. alludes to that which answered to
6—13. Three Angeho proclama- the name par excellence, but it is
tions, and a Voice from heaven. not synonymous with it. St John
6. elbov .] has in view, as the sequel shews, a
of the angels who now appear particular aspect of the Gospel, a

,
Each
in
dramatis
notes), to
succession is a new persona
(,
be distinguished from his
cf. vii. 2,

predecessor. The first of the three is

thus distinguished, as it seems, from
viii 3, x. 1,
Gospel which announces the Parousia
and the consummation which the
Parousia will bring.
is ..
like
in the Apoc,
though frequent in the Gospel and
,
the Seventh Angel of the Trumpets,, first Ep. of St John; and it is not

the angelic being last mentioned easy to determine its import in this
(xi. 15). He appears flying in the connexion. Origen supposed it to'
meridian (for see viii. 13, refer to a future revelation as com-
xix. 17, notes), i.e., where he can be pared with the Gospel which the
seen and heard by all whom his . Church preaches already ; thus he
u
message concerns ; and he carries writes (in Bom., 1.4): qn.oA.aeternum
(, cf. i. 18, v. 8, vi. 2, al.) an dicit Ioannes in Apocalypsi, quod tunc
182

,' THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,
[XIV. 6

7
<
-/\]
toi)s

'
\< H 8
,
1 Xeywv

3° ^r
-, yfjv

°m «' "

] .] .
6 evayy 33 35 3<> 49 5 1 79 |

Q mini" 1 Ar tous
. .
38 97)] T0VS 14 28 79

)]
|
(tois

92 1 86 al anon""» tous tous 36 om I 3 28

36 79 a ' me ^ 7 vg" m Or Cypr 186 om X om ev |

+potiu8 Cypr Prim Q min J0 g vg »i«<ieiiihar]toiiip»

()
.
|

anon*"B Ar [ Q min30 (Or) Ar

revelandum est cum umbra transient wasentrusted to the angel, and is nearly
et Veritas venerit, et cum mors fuerit equivalent to ha The
absorpta et aetemitas restituta" but ; Angel's gospel was directed to (sVI
the contents of the Angel's message
do not accord with his suggestion.
The middle ages produced an Evan-
gelium aeternum (c. a.d. 1254 cf. ;
,
. ., cf. I

Gal.
,\ Pet.
i. 16
i.

Apoc.
25

. 1 1

\aois) the polyglott

* !
Introduction, p. ccxii. f.), and a book who made up the Empire;

»
peoples
with the same title appeared in for . . .
Germany as late as 1699, both works see . 9» vii. 9, xi• 9> ™• 7- The
being founded, as it seems, upon phrase ttjs =
a similar misapprehension see ; Hebraic> cf.is e.g. Jer.
Pabricius, cod. apocr. N.T. p. 337 ff.; XXXli. (XXV.) 29 tovs
Fabr.-Mansi, Bibl. lat. med. aet., . y . =Y^n ^atp'-Ss hy-} for
iii. p. 397. In
other instances in the N.T. see Mt. iv.
the epithet may be either retro-
—
spective 'a gospel which has had

!:-
an age-long history' (see Rom. xvi.
16, Lc. xxi. 35,

:]
7.
The Angel's call seems to be
/
and cf. Apoc. xvii. 1.

),
25

prospective,
or,
—'aas gospelmore
is probable,
belonging to,
the reverse of a gospel ; it announces
that judgement is imminent, and sum-
stretching forward to, the eternal mons the pagan world to repentance.
order' (cf. Mc. iii. 29, note) Like St speech at Lystra (Acts
Paul's,
as contrasted with the of xiv. 1 5 contains no reference to
if.) it

the present life (2 Cor. iv. 18), a the Christian hope the basis of the ;

gospel which is a direct antithesis to

the promises of brief indulgence with
which the Empire excited the hopes
appeal is pure theism ; the terms

(xi. are
,.. phrases (EccL

!
13),
of its subjects, the partis et circenses xii. 13, Josh. vii. 19), and no
after which the Roman populace
gaped (Juv. sat. x. 80).
. Tour
of the cry 14).(
tempers the sternness
It is an appeal
i.

to the conscience of untaught heathen-

yijs »]
the act. On dom, incapable as yet of comprehend-
see x. 7, note the infinitive defines
; ing any other. Yet there is a gospel in
the purpose'for which the the implied fact that repentance is
?, .', - !-
XIV. 8] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN 183

8
8

1 Pr KQ 13° 8 B,V"° i0 Or Andr Ar 8

ayyeXos H* (sine ayy.) AQ
) *
alfere3<) 95 et 130 (sine or/•)] aXXos ayy. Sevrepos K C »CP

]
6 9 10 17 18 28 36 (sine me syr
37 40 i86 al
s
tryyeXos 14 vg syrs™

,
aeth anouaue om |
2° H CA (transiliente K*) CQ 130 alP'i 30 me aeth \
2°]
+ iroXis 130 ore 1 36 Ar om •" PQ 186 al^so me Prim
om |

syr»" I
om 96 vg'u Primconml •» CQ
|

still possible, and the very judgement

that impends promises a new order

,
and the Apoc. of Bewitch (contem-
which is the hope both of the Church
and of the world *H\fcy Spa . porary with the NT., Charles, p. xvi.)

\,-
xi. 1. Early Christian interpretation
supports the view that Babylon =
Cf. Jo. xii. 23, xvi.
Tep
,.
32,
.
infra
is
v.
again
15.
Rome in 1 Peter and the Apoc.
..
from the
and see Acts
: cf.

the phrase sums up

I.e. ;

the claim of the Creator as such upon

Ps. cxlv. (cxlvi.) 6,
[,
cf. Eus. ii. 15

'

,
the allegiance of mankind, and the
appeal of Nature can go no further.
D?»"*3*V© or , as
(the information appears to be
derived from Clement of Alexandria
in Exod
10, xvi. 4.
8.
xv. 27, Lev. xi. 36

.]
Sevrepos
angel, a
second, follows the first. His mes-
Another
.- ; cf. c. viii. and perhaps ultimately from Papias
of Hierapolis) ; Tertullian, adv. Marc.
iii. 13 "Babylon etiam apud Ioannem

nostrum Romanae urbis figura

proinde magnae et regno superbae
est,

sage interprets in part the " hour of et sanctorum Dei debellatricis." The
judgement" of which the first had

lon the Great."

an echo of
(LXX.,
:

Isa. xxi.
"
given warning "fallen, fallen is Baby-
B. is

9 ?33 ?33 73
As in
phrase
iv."

epithet
27
. comes from Dan.
)? ^33, lxx.
used wherever Babylon
is
mentioned' in the Apocalypse (xiv.
xvi. 19, xvii. xviii.
and Th. ; the

and
is

8,

( ),
.). 5, ,2, 10, 21),
xi. 7 ,the writer assumes that emphasizes the Nebuchadnezzar-like
the recipients of the book are familiar self-importance of the rulers of Rome
with a symbol which he has not rather than the actual size or true
hitherto used, and therefore partly - greatness of the city; in the latter
anticipates what he has to say about respect Jerusalem was in the eyes of
a Jew

,
it at a later stage. There is reason (xi. 8, note).

to think that in Jewish and Christian But Rome was as dissolute as she
circles Babylon was already an accept- was proud, and a source of moral in-
ed synonym for Rome ; besides 1 Pet.
V. 13 iv where
fection to the world fj ;

justifies the doom pronounced by the

.
most of the indications point to Rome, second Angel upon her. ToO
!
ish book) 143

|
,
cf. Orac. Sibyll. v. (a pre-Christian Jew-

- 6",
ex
ib.

ib.
59•
434
-
-<*&
"""

'
in xviii. 3) brings together two phrases
which occur separately elsewhere, viz.

and
(here

(xiv.
and

),
 1 84

9
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
. 9 ?- [XIV. 8

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8
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3° 14 9 2 arm4

There is doubtless a refer-

(xvii. 2).
ence to Jer. xxviii. (li.) 7
,- Sallust, Jug. 35 ''urbem venalem et
mature perituram, si emptorem in-
venerit," and see Mayor's note on

.;
Juv. x. 77. As Delitzsch {Isaiah, i.

; cf. also I lab. ii. p. 412 f.) truly says, a "commercial

•
,
15,
<3 6
where the Chaldeans are in view:

and see infra, c. 4, note.

The wine of Borne, as of Babylon, was
the intoxicating influence of her vices
activity" which, "thinking only of
earthly advantage, does not recognize
a God-appointed limit, and carries on
a promiscuous
world, is.. .a
traffic with
prostitution of the soul."
all the

and her wealth; but viewed £rom On the of Borne see xvii. 2, 4,

,£ , '
another point, it was the

sin
the wrath which overtakes
; cf.
toS

Ps. lxxiv. (lxxv.) 9

xviii. 3, 9, notes. Tyconius seems to
have followed a text which for ...
read . ..
(Hauss-

....
iv

the Seer ascribes to Borne a character

which the Prophets of Israel had
:- leiter, p.136, cf. xviii. 3), while the
text of Primasius had
(a virio irae fornicatitmis
for

suae ceciderunt universae civitates).

-
9.
ascribed to more than one of the great .'] The
third of this succes-*

;-
pagan cities of antiquity ; thus Nine-

.,.
veh (Nah. iii. 4) is a

,
toration
()31)

deserve the
and Tyre

to
(Isa.

favour,
}
xxiii.
who, on her res-

even Zion had come to

title (Isa.
While the
charge of might be amply
.
justified by the moral condition of
Borne under the Empire, it probably
refers chiefly to the utter venality of
the capital, which was ready to
both body and soul for a price;
i. 21
:
16 f ) a
sion of herald angels denounces the
Caesar-worshippers; cf. xiii. 12 ff.,
notes. This is a counter-proclamation
to that which is put into the mouth
of the Image of the Beast; if the
supporters of the Caesar-worship
threatened recusants with boycotting
and even death (xiii. 15, 17), the angel
seeks to deter them from yielding by
Seioii»;). the prospect of a worse doom.
On see xiii. 1 5, note,
and on xiii. 16, 17, notes.
. Not, 'he .]
too as well as Babylon ' (Bousset), for
sell Babylon is not represented as drinking
cf. of her own cup ; but rather 'he shall
XIV. ] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN I8 5

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(vel
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(is

»')
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also
(1 7 14)

drink,' where
28 79 (92) (186) (Ar)

opens the
apodosis (WM. p. 547, note 1), identi-
fying the person who is to drink with , ,
.-
him who has worshipped. The wrath \
of which he must drink is now defined;
it is the wrath of God ; the cup which
.]
and for
For
, see c.

ib.
ix. 5, note,
17, note

sin. A Divine ,
holds it is the cup of His anger against
which is corre-
lated with the Divine, righteousness,
compare also xix. 20, xx. 10, xxi. 8;
the imagery looks back to Isa. xxx.
33, Ez. xxxviii. 22 and ultimately to
is postulated throughout the N.T., Gen. xix. 24 (cf. 3 Mace. ii. 5). The

CoL
)
see esp. Rom. i. 8, iii. 5, xii. 19,
iii. 6, Apoc.
the white heat
of God's anger, is an O.T. phrase
usually representing f\si
,
(cf.
vi. 17.

*
(or
punishment is• aggravated by the
presence of spectators. If Christians
at the stake• or in the amphitheatre
suffered in the sight of a multitude
of their fellowmen, those who deny
Num. xii. 9, xxii. 22) —an anthropo- their faith must suffer before a more
morphic image, but one which covers august assembly, composed of the holy

-
a terrible reality; in the N.T. it
occurs only in the second half of the
Apocalypse, where it is frequent (xiv.
10, 19, xv. 1,

t.TT, of Ps. lxxv. 9 where

represents
7,
an oxy-
moron taken over perhaps from the

wine mixed
xvi.

,
1, 19, xix.
:
15).
angels and the Lamb. There is a
partial parallel in

;
ment
Lc.

but in this passage not only

angels are witnesses of the punish-
—
,
it is inflicted also in the
presence of the Lamb. As in vi. 16,
the name in-
xii. 9 fie

with spices but not with water (see

B.D.B.,
15)
=\•
*. ».). Cf. also Jer. xxxii.

|« D13, Pss.
1 (xxv.

SoL
tensifies the horrors of the situation.
The is aggravated by a
consciousness of the pure spiritual
beings which are around, but still

' -
viii. 15
more by the presence of the Lord Who
eis 4. died for the sins of men and has been
denied and rejected by these, sufferers.
emphasizes the strength of
the intoxicant; or, as Andreas says, 1 1,

the meaning may be airy :

\.] The Seer is
1 86

•
e - THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
,,.-" [XIV. ii

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130 me

,' ,
still
and Gomorrah

!
thinking of the fate of Sodom
; cf. Gen. xix. 28

\) '
. XVU. 9
Here, in this struggle
io. 1 8

, Isa. xxxiy. 9 £ with the Empire, lay the Church's

,
;

,
. .
6
els
opportunity of working out her salva-

well-doing. -;
tion through patient endurance in
For see i. 9, ii. 2 f.,

partial
Contrast

punishments inflicted under

the Trumpets have now given place
to a judgement which is final and a
Apoc. ix.
The
5

,.
19, iii. 10

-
; and cf. Bom. v. 3

The Caesar-cult sup-

;

-
Jac. i.
3

sentence without time-limits. The plied the Saints with a test oHoyalty
denial of Christ by a Christian was which strengthened and matured those
a sin for which the Church knew no who were worthy of the name. Such
remedy, an which were those who kept the command-
brought a corresponding recompense.

,
- ments of God and the faith of Jesus
defines though ,
. 8
SC.

".
Those who
; contrast
;
the construction broken, as if
is
had intervened a phrase
- which combines the chief note of O.T.
—
desert Christ for Caesar will be. the sainthood with the chief factor in the-
victims of a remorse that never dies Christian life; cf. xii. 17, note.
or sleeps. The passage is quoted by ',
the faith which has Jesus
for its Object; cf. Mc. xi. 22
Cyprian (ep. 58. 7) in a.d. 252-3 to

\
deter the African Churches from
sacrificing: "grassatur et saevit in-
imicus, sed statim sequitur Dominus
(note), Jac.ii.

13-
. ., Apoc. ii. 13 ,
passiones nostras et vulnera vindica- Tpatfrov .] The Seer's
turus...ille metuendus est cuius iram meditation is broken by a Voice from
nemo poterit evadere, ipso praemo-
nente et dicente ne timueritis eos
:

qui oecidunt corpus.. qui amat ant-

mam swam perdet illam...et Apoca-
.
heaven. His own insight had enabled
him to see in the persecution which
impended a call to But
something further was needed for the
.
lypsis instruit et
si quis
12.
A comment
teristic
) praemonet dicens
adorat bestiam etc."

by the Seer, in a charac-

form; cf. xiii. 10 (-™»
\
ij
comfort and guidance of the Asian
Christians in the immediate future
and the Voice now imparts it. It is
a message for the Churches, to be
registered and communicated to them
XIV. i3
] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN 187

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rae ,id

for as a formula introducing to be called to suffer for their faith.

such messages see i. 11, 19, ii. 1, 8 etc., Yet in view of the quite general terms
iii 1,

t4H
7
*•
etc., xix. 9, xxi. 5,

oi
and contrast

- ),
in which it is couched (oi
the later Church has felt
herself at liberty to use it for the
a new beatitude which
is comfort of her mourners ; audivi
needed a Voice from heaven to pro- vocem de caelo found a place in the

!),',
claim it. St Paul, speaking by reve-
lation (
that the dead in Christ
), had taught
(1 Cor. xv. 18
Sarum offices for the dead, and its
English equivalent immediately follows
the committal to the grave in our own
oi I Th. IV. 14 Burial Service. Cf. Primasius: "uni-
rois ib. 1 versis pollicens felicitatem." But the
ot

were shut out from the glories of the

Parousia (1 Th. iv. 15 flf.). St John
were not to be the
subjects of a hopeless grief, as if they

(Apoc. vi. 9) had seen the souls of the

,
! !.
limitation
dreas observes 17

this Divine
:
remains ; as An-

differs
Thus
widely
martyrs under the Altar, crying, 'How from that which is sometimes indis-
long?' and had heard them bidden to criminately pronounced on the dead

). (
rest awhile by pagan writers (see exx. in Wet-

ries these revelations

The Voice from heaven
a stage further.
Thosewho should die in the Lord hence-
forth, as the martyrs did, were to be
car-

,
\.] The
,
stein) ; a general
finds no justification here.

Spirit in the
oi

mind of the

entered. ,
felicitated for the rest on which they
'from this time
forth' (Jo. xiii. 19, xiv. 7), must be
Seer responds to the Voice from above
him 'Yea (cf. i. 7, xvi. 7, xxii. 20),
they are blessed, to rest (as they shall)
connected, as its position shews, not from their labours.' "Ira here passes
with but with oi ;
into the meaning of on, 'in that'
nothing is said with regard to the rather than 'in order that,' nearly as
, " he

[. -
past, the purpose of the revelation in Jo. viii. 56
being to bring comfort to those who rejoiced to see." For the future after
in thecoming persecutions would need cf. cc. vi. 4, ix. 5 ; and for the form

a strong consolation. It is a message see Blass, Gr. p. 44, and

in the first instance for a particular add to his exx. Oxyrh. Papyri iv. p. 4
age, and referred to those who were
14
THE APOCALYPSE OE ST JOHN

, ) , , [XIV. 14

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(2
is
Regn.
occurs,
more

the words that follow,

vii.

e.g.
usually followed by
11, Esth. ix. 16), but
Plat.

are ,.
Grit. 106 a o>r
In
)
Mt. xxiv. 30, xxvi. 64, Acts
the white cloud (cf. Mt xvii.
which was so familiar an ob-
ject to dwellers by the Mediterranean
and Aegean not the dark storm-cloud
;
i.

5
9, n),

(ii. 2, note) antithetical ; the 'labours' which to the Hebrew mind suggested
of the saintly life end in the grave, the inscrutable mystery of unrevealed
but not its 'works'; its processes, Deity (Ps. xcvi. (=xcvii.) 2 \
methods, habits, results remain, and
follow the saint into his new life
),
but the symbol
of light and blessing. Like the Elders

:,
2
•cf. Pirke Aboth vi. 9 (ed. Taylor , in c. iv. 4 (cf. Tert. de coron. 15) the
p. 103) "in the hour of a man's decease Figure on the Cloud is crowned with
not silver nor gold nor precious stones a victor's wreath wrought in gold," a
and pearls accompany the man, but contrasting sharply
Thorah and good works alone." The with the . of the Passion
contrast is latent in yap: 'they shall (Mc. xv. 17), but not an imperial
rest from their labours I say not — ; the crowned Christ is here

from their works, for their works go the Conqueror rather than the King.
with them.'

1 1 (
There is a further contrast

)-
between the sentence as a whole and
the doom pronounced on the disloyal
in v.
masius "e contrario illos .impios dixit
:

,
die ac nocte requiem non habere."
cf. vi. 8 ; Blass, Gr. p. 1 1 3 f.
; cf. Pri-
He comes however not to conquer
this He has already done (iii. 21)
but to reap, and His hand carries not
a sword but a sickle, sharp and ready
for its work. It is instructive to
compare this description with the
vision of c. i. i3ff. on the one hand,
—
14 20. The Vision of the Har- and with that of xii. 1 1 if. on the

.]
14.
The
,
vest and the Vintage op the Earth.

revelations of the last

other; in each case the ornaments
and instruments are appropriate to
the character sustained In c. L the
section (0». 8 —
13) now culminate in royal Priesthood of Christ is the pre-
a vision of the Pafousia, represented dominating thought; in c. xix. He
as a time of general ingathering of appears as the true Imperator here ;

the fruits of life. First; the Seer sees the writer's aim is to bring together
'One like a Son of Man' (for the thought of Christ's victory over
viov see

vii. 13 LXX.
as vlbs
i.the same Person
13, note),
who had appeared in the first chapter
of the Book, seated on a cloud (Dan.
'
cf. )
sin and. death with the hope of His
return to raise and judge mankind

to
1 5•

v. 9,
.]
not to the
ayy. '
here looks back
human form on the
XIV. 6] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN
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cloud just described. Another angel but on the maturity of the crops, of
—the fourth in this context —
comes which He alone can fully judge.
forth from the Sanctuary (cf. xi. 19, aruit, arida est, properly
xiv. 17, xv. 5 ff., xvi. 1, 17), i.e. from of the drying up of the juices of the
the Presence of God, carrying to the wheat plant; in Joel i. 17
Reaper the command of the Lord of refers to premature desiccation,
the Harvest (Mt ix. 38) to begin His but here that which indicates perfect
work Even the Son does not fix ripeness is probably intended The
or even know the time, which it R.V. 'overripe' is perhaps scarcely

rrjs
».'
!
belongs to the Father to determine
(Mc. xiiL 32, note; Acts i. 7).
:

14 and perhaps v. 16 ; there

cf. «rl
is
in
no
justified

delay.
; the idea conveyed is rather

that the precise moment has come for

reaping, and there must be no further
The aorists iJX&p,
perceptible change of meaning.

more than one passage in the Prophets,

., echoes
'
approach the sense of the perfect ; cf.
Ellicott on 1 Thess. ii. 16 (pp. 31, 147).
16. .]
e.g.

m
Joel iii.

(?!!?

(T'Vi?),
(iv.)

"??'),
Jer.
13

xxviii. (li.) 33
by ;'
Vg. rightly
in terram.
: et misit...falcem
No violence is
cf.

[eVi
Mt.

on the cloud, at the Angel's call, sets

X. 34
•\. The Person
steam
suggested

!). 6 (sc.

&,, ! - There are

in our Lord's teaching, e.g.
6
also parallels
Mc. iv. 29
His sickle to work, by casting it on
the earth, and in due time the earth
is reaped. There is no need to fill in
the imagery; enough is said to em-

39
The
8
(where see notes); Mt.

harvest, however, is not here,

.
alavas . xiii. phasize the fact that the Son of Man
is the Divinely commissioned Reaper
(Jo. v. 27). He may use
the ministry
as in Mt. I. c, the whole produce of of men (Mt. or of angels (Mt
ix. 37 f.)

the world, the results, good and evil, xiii 39, 41), but it belongs to Him to
of human history, but rather the put in the sickle. It does not appear
wheat-harvest considered apart from how the ingathering is to be effected,
the tares ; the evil appear below or how long the process will last In

" :
(». 18 ff.) under another metaphor,
the time, though in
the Owner's Hands <Acts i. 7), does
the vision there is no interval between
cause and effect
but the completion of the work may
{...),
not depend on any arbitrary decree,
'
occupy a generation or an age.
190

17
8
?
<.

!-\>]
,' ?1-
ayyeXos
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

eirl

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e£rj\6ev

, ]
.
[XIV. 16

( []

]
17 Q | |
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{\
| |

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arm |
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1

17. ayyeXo? Apocalyptist gives full expression to

.] Another
a fifth angel —
issues from the Sanctuary, who like
the Reaper on the cloud
is armed with a sharp sickle.
second ingathering follows the first,
( )
as the vintage followed wheat-harvest
(cf. Deut. xvi. 9 f., 13). In this
second process the chief part is
assigned to an angel, who gathers in
the fruit of the Vine of the Earth,
as the Son of Man had gathered in
its wheat.
Both the wheat-harvest and the
vintage are mentioned in Joel iv. 13
(pi
— the Lord's teaching as to the great
A
separation between man and man
which is reserved for the Parousia.
There is delicate beauty in the as-
signment of the ingathering of the
Vintage to an angel, while the Son
of Man Himself reaps the Wheat-
harvest. The work of death is fitly
left in the hands of a minister of
justice ; the Saviour of men appears
els (Heb. ix. 28). Cf. Arethas
6 KvpLos
,,
.
ovre

as
^»...? ^3),
follows the O.T. prophet, but with a
difference ; he treats the two harvests
distinct,
natural
symbols of two
ingatherings. In
placing
order,
them
and using them
separate spiritual
the Prophets the
and the Seer

in their
as
-
1 8.

.] Another angel
—the sixth—brings to the Angel of
vengeance a message similar to that
which the angel in v. 1 5 had brought
to the Son of Man the Divine —
•

harvest, whether wheat-harvest or authority to begin the Vintage of

vintage, represents the overthrow of the earth. The two messages closely
the enemies of Israel, who are ripe correspond, mutatis mutandis ;
for their fall in the Apocalypse,
;

which like the Gospels identifies the sickle being

6 holds its place, the
used in vine-culture and
wheat with the true ' children of the the vintage as well as in harvesting

,
kingdom' (cf. Mt. xiii. 30, 38

fie

cf.
fie

Mc.
vintage, from its association, with the
'wine of wrath' (xiv. 8, 10, notes),
iv. 29),
...
ol viol
the

),
the grain (cf. Hesiod, scut. 292 ol &

,
• ,
Plat. resp.
o'ivas,

333 D
-
-
, ; with
represents the evil, whether within cf. Lc. vi. 44
the kingdom (Mt. I.e.) or outside it and the lxx. phrases
(Mt. xxv. 31 £). Thus, by a new (Deut. xxiv. 21),
treatment of the old metaphor of
..
( I Regri. viii. 12); is
a Divine harvesting of men, the in . ., but fairly common in
XIV. 1 9] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 191

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the lxx., with or without .] The ingatherer "of the

following. "Ort al Vintage does as the Reaper of the
answers to ore 6 "Wheat-harvest had done;
=
,
iv is
in v.
used in
only other instance in Biblical Greek
of the use of the verb in the ordinary
sense of adolescence, but the lexicons
15, where see
4 Mace. ii.
note.
3, the while
is practically

next clause,
.,
*
enters upon a detail which has
. .
is
in v.

balanced Jby
!. But the
16;

quote passages from Thucydides (ii. 19) nothing to correspond with it in the
and Xenophon {Hell. L 2. 4) where it
- former scene, and its object is to leave
describes the ripening of corn.

as opposed to ,,
is properly the ripe grape-cluster
cf. Gen. xl. 10
no doubt as to the symbolical meaning
of the Vintage. It is the Vintage of
the Vine of earth as contrasted with the

33
as contrasted with

which they grow.

oi

describes
the grapes rather than the cluster on
, it
Job XV..

;
'Vine brought out of Egypt' (Arethas)
and the " True Vine," whose branches
bring forth fruit unto God ; it is that
part of the earth's produce; those
results of human history and life,
which must be trodden by the Feet
The Angel-reaper of
proceeds from the Altar, where he is
in charge of the fire ; cf. xvi. 6, note.
Earlier passages in the Book refer to
the, Vintage
of God ;

,.
cf. Isa. lxiii.

;...
2

:.
the Altar of Burnt Offering (vi. 9, xi. Cf. Victorinus,
1), and the Altar of Incense (viii. 3, 5, "calcatio torcularis retributio est
ix. 13); here and in xvi. 7 there is peccatoris " ; Arethas :

,:
nothing to shew which of the two is
intended. If the former, we are re- see , note, and on
xii.

minded of the blood of the martyrs in relation to God, v. 8 supra,

which cries for vengeance; if the note. To» juyav is explained by some
latter, of the prayers of the saints by of the Latin commentators as an ace.
which the end is hastened. after 'he cast the great one into
:

.
is a suggestive the wine press'; so Primasius: "misit
description of the minister of wrath in torculari irae Dei magnum.
Arethas \ Superbum etiam magnum vocat. .nam
cf.

9•
»\ :

6
torcular, sicut Graeca exemplaria con-
tinent, feminini generis posuit "
.

; and
 192

20 .
',
°
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

r\ ?
., [XIV. 19

al
20
Al oomm
•\ ] |

.
]42 9^
. 6
O,ro ] ws
38 9 1 97 9 8
arm '«'
I <&.<*Q*A
«foftoffta»' (' Q 6
28 38 79
8 14 28
38 al)] . *6 syrs»
I

130 . (' 79)

Andrconlm decern et sex aeth

Beatus "misit in torcular irae Dei

: blood' like a river.. .and the horses
ilium magnum...id est unumquem-
que superbum." But
is doubtless a solecism, which
can only be excused on the ground of
.
rapid •writing, but finds a parallel in
14 .,..
though used in class. Gk, receives
support from the best mss. of the
will walk up to the breast in the
\... blood of sinners, and the chariots will
be submerged to its height." The con-
ception rests ultimately on Isa. lxiii
3, 6, but the metaphor is worked out
\,
no
with the exuberance of apocalyptic
symbolism. Much difficulty has been
found in explaining the distance

is
20. \
.
lxx. and N.T. ; in Gen. xxx. 38,
adduced by Blass, the true reading
rats
\:
as] Apparently the scene is laid
TTjS
named as the limit to which the over-
flow spreads. It has been supposed
to answer to the length of Palestine,
which is given by Jerome (cf. ep.
129, ad Dard.) as 160 Roman miles
in sight of the city, though not within = 1280 stades (cf. the reading of
its walls. The city is doubtless the Syr.^•)! and by Antoninus in the
'Holy City' of xi. 2, i.e. Jerusalem, itinerarium as 1664 stades, measur-
but Jerusalem idealized as in c. xxi.
At Jerusalem in the time of Zechariah
(xiv: 10) the King's seems to
hare been on the slope of the Mount
of Olives, the predicted battlefield on
which the nations gathered against
Jerusalem were to receive .their final
ing from Tyre to El-Arish. In this
case
js practically
phrase
But it is more
in accordance with
Apocalyptic arithmetic to regard 1600
(=4x4x1 00) as symbolical of com-
.
equivalent to the O.T.
?;

defeat (Joel iii. 12 ff., Zech. xiv. 2 ., pleteness; except within the walls
12 ff.). Possibly there is an allusion of the City, the deluge of blood was
here to these facts ; but in any case everywhere; or as Victorinus explains,
the place of execution would naturally followed by Primasius and the later
lie "outside the gate" (Heb. xiii. 12).
\ Latin commentators, it spread "per

The red blood of the

ttjs
'

Earth'(cf. Gen. xlix. 1 1, Deut. xxxii. 14),

bursting from the trodden
overflowed and spread to a distance
of 1600 stades, rising so high that
riders or men in chariots '(cf. xix.
, \.~\
Vine of the
omnes mundi quattuor partes; quater-
nitas enim est conquaternata ; quater
enim quadragies mille sexcenti sunt."
The point to be illustrated is the
finality of the blow dealt to the
enemies of the Israel of God; cf.
Lactantius instil, vii. 19: "virtus
11 —
15) passing through would find angelorum tradet in maims iustorum
- itup to their
horses' bridles ; cf. multitudinem illam quae montem
Enoch 3 (ed. Charles, p. 286 f.)
c. 1, circumsederit...et fluet sanguis more
"in those days the fathers together torrentis."
with their sons will be smitten in According to Bede Tyconius wished
one place.. .until it streams with their to interpret the whole passage (»». 14
,
XV.

. , XV
2]

«
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

ayyeAovs

mm» ]
\\

1
KACQ 14 92 '3°
'
I
^ ,
om £7 '° syrs"
193

mini1] eicut in . \
vakiv - °] 13 (29) 31 35 38 49 91 93 (97) 9 8 13°
—2) as a prophecy of the benignant plagues now about to begin are dis-
work of the Church after the con- tinguished from all that came before
version of the Empire: "messorem them as 'the last' (cf. xxi. 9), the
et vindemiatorem ecclesiam inter- final cycle of such visitations the :

pretatur post persecutionum flammas last, because, as the Seer hastens to

clarescentem et potestatem ligandi explain, they complete the physical
solvendique tenentem." But such a
view is inconsistent with the general
purpose of this chapter, which leads
" . : !.
manifestations of the Divine Wrath.

emphatic
explains and justifies the
the ex-
the reader on from the existing con- planation is not altogether easy to
dition of the Church to her final understand; the aor. can cause no
triumph at the end of the present difficulty in view of x. 7
order. (where see note),
—
XV. 1 8. Preparation for the but is it possible to conceive of the
Last Seven Plagues. wrath of God as burning itself out

to
I.

xii.
.]
,
" looks back
This view of the appear-
3.
in any manifestations such as these ?

endures ? 'Erf ,
Must it not endure as long as evil
then, can only be
ances as signs ' belongs exclusively to
' taken in a limited sense, as meaning
the second half of the Apocalypse, and that there will be no more similar dis-
serves to connect the present vision plays of God's righteous displeasure
with the series which began with the against human sin; there may be
Sign of the Sun-clad Woman. The

!
reserves of wrath, but its cosmic
Seven Bowls are usually classed with effects will cease. With
the Seven Seals (c. vi.) and the Seven
.
the commentators compare Lev.
-
!
jxxvi.
—
Trumpets [cc. viii xi.), and with the
, ,.
:
21, 24
latter especially they have an obvious
affinity ; but their relation to the great
section of the book which begins at
.,, !
.
xii. 1 is even closer; they belong to In the case of the Last Plagues the
the drama of the long conflict be- septenary number is peculiarly ap-
tween the Church and the World. propriate ; cf. Victorinus "septem :

phrase
:

Ki'pic ; the
occurs in the later Greek
, cf. 3 plagis, id est, perfecte " ; Primasius
"angelorum numero vel plagarum uni-
versitatem consummationis arbitror

!, .
writers, e.g. Dionysius of Halicarnas-
sus and. Diodorus Siculus (Wetstein
ad I.).
(cf.

are named in ix. 18, and in xi. 6 the

viii. 2)
Three
!
praesignari." It denotes at once the
finality and the completeness of the
visitation.

{.
2.

2 — m
aSs
A parenthesis follows
which the Seer, after
4)1

the earth
S. K.
; /
Witnesses are empowered to strike
but the
briefly introducing the Seven Angels,
catches a view of the Martyrs in their

13
194 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XV.

,
4<3
2

92 95 a '
1
25

on which
7
I
om
|

35 3^ 39 79 8°

his eye rests for a

e/c

ck 2°
cikovos

6 867 33 * Prim
al
|

notes),
Q
] pr

and "come victorious from the

-
4 6 8 13 14 2 <> 2 7 2 9 3 1 33 39

moment before he proceeds with the Beast" (R.V., cf. Benson " come con- :

terrors of the Last Plagues. In the quering forth from the Wildbeast");
Vision of Heaven, the distance be- the construction is a pregnant one,

=! !
tween the spectator and the Throne 'by virtue of their victory they escape
is filled by a Sea of Glass (iv. 6 o5s out of the hand of the enemy.' Blass's
see ; " probably ck" is
note ad l.\ and this image is now frigid, and the Latin phrase "victor
recalled, though the writer, after his nam ferre ex aliquo " usually quoted
manner (xiii. 11, xiv. 1, notes) does from Livy viii. 8 does not altogether

!
not use the article to emphasize the meet the case. The all-powerful Beast
identity of the Sea in this place with is compelled after all to let them slip
the Sea in c. iv. As he now sees it, '
from his grasp they, and not he,
;

the crystal light of the Sea of Glass is gain the day. The genuine Acts of

,
reddened as by
cf. Ex. ix.
fire
24
; with the Martyrs shew them in the light
of conquerors up to the moment of
(^!) e'y Tfi

The red glow on the Sea spoke of

-g,, and
iv .]
C. viii. 7, death, e.g. Ep. Smyrn. 19

cthiKov
[ - rrjs

the through which the Martyrs

fire
passed, and yet more of the wrath
about to fall on the world which had
condemned them; cf. Mt. iii. 12

the agraphon 6

! ; see also Heb.

. fie

and the Elders who are mentioned in

},
xii.
! 29
The
and

6
Trjs

..
S.
!,
lis.

4 Mace.
.. V.

xvi. 14)

« .
Pasrio
Perpetuae 18 "inluxit dies victo-
riae illorum, et processerunt de carcere
- ;

evytvrjs (cf.

c. iv., and again in xiv. 3, do not in amphitheatrum quasi in caelum,

appear here, for the attention of the hilares et vultu decori." But the

!
hearer or reader is concentrated upon
another group with widely different
associations.

;
(cf.
Tour not r.
xii. 11), or even .
for it is the abiding
character of 'conqueror' on which
emphasis is laid, and not the fact of
—
Apocalyptist follows the victors into
the life beyond, and sees them cele-
brating their victory in the Presence
of God. It is a strangely different
view of their condition from that
presented by c. vi. 9 ff., but the an-
nouncement of xiv. 6 has partly pre-
conquest; cf. in ii. 7, 11, 17, pared the reader for it the present ;

26, iii. 5, 12, 21, xxi. 7. The words vision,' like that of vii. gu., anticipates

, ,
that follow define the field on which the final joy in which their rest will
the victory is won and the character issue.
formed; the conquerors are martyrs For
who suffer in the conflict with the pro- see xiii. 1, 14, 17, xiv. 9, 11,
moters of the Caesar-cult (cf. c. xiii., xix. 20, xx. 4, and notes there.
XV. 3]

.
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

3
,
,?
,
195

2°] 7 13 (29) 35 38 49 9 1 95
"" Ar
(97) 9^ 3° ] pr ras Q

;« ]
1 1 8 13 16 26 27 29 35 38 43 87 pr
0 Scou]
!

94 97 &1 130 |
fct

3 om '8'... C -'] aSovras Ps-Cypr Brim 28 8 alm"

]
| |

130 |
om Q al' 1 |
om (2°) 130

i »rt the O.T. in Grqek, p. 253!); but it

Not on the shore of the Sea, like Israel is surely the song of victory which is
in Ex. xiv. 30, but on the Sea itself in view here rather than the swan-like
which forms the solid pavement (cf. song ascribed to the dying Lawgiver.
(,
Mt. xiv. 25 ff.) of the final approach
to the Throne (iv. 6). Their exodus
from the spiritual Egypt (xi. 8) has
= 1
Moses is
where 13tf
121?,
rendered in the lxx. by
an O.T. title
is variously
(Ex.
led them through the Red Sea of xiv. 31, Num. xii. 7), Regn.
(3
Martyrdom, which is now exchanged

( )-
53, 56, Ps. civ. (cv.) 26); or
viii.
for the Crystal Sea of Heaven. Like (Isa. xlii. 1). The contrast drawn in
the Elders in v. 8, and the 144,000 in
xiv. 2, they carry zitherns , Heb. iii. 5 between Moses the Servant
and Christ the Son
(, not merely of unusual sweetness ...
and power
rat Kc&povs
(ct Ps. lxxix. (lxxx.)
6eov), but dedicated to
1
...as
latent here also, for
by
Be

, is
is

\
followed immediately
the service of God (cf, 1 Chron. xvi. 42 the exalted Person who throughout
DTpSn *\< 'iSj the Book is associated with God.
6eov, I Th. iv. 1 6 iv 6eov). The song
of the martyrs is not only the song of
'.
The symbolism is well explained by the

(
ancient commentators, e.g. Primasius: Moses, triumphant over Pharaoh and

(.
,
"laudibus corda dicata"; Andreas: Egypt; it is also the song of the
iv Glorified Christ; the conqueror of the
world (Jo. xvi. 33) and of Death (c. i.
18). The martyrs not only overcome

4
3- Domitian and the power of Rome;

,
&oC] The allusion . they share the victory of Christ

rjo~€V

another
~-\
to the Exodus, hitherto latent, now
becomes evident; cf. Ex. xv. 1 Tore

(.
oi
There is
in Deut. xxxii.
indeed
(e. iii. 21).

form a harmony.
St John does not write

the notes are distinct though they

As throughout
the Book, the Apocalyptist places
for

which was used as a Sabbath hymn together, without confounding, the

in the Jewish liturgy (Wolff, eurae, experiences of the two dispensations,
v. p. 563) ; the two songs are placed bringing out of his treasure things

(€), ,
together among the of the Church new and old. Primasius is right, if
in the liturgical Psalter of cod. A (a his words are taken in a wider sense
. iv rjj ! . . iv •than he probably intended: "in
and both find a place Moysis autem vetus, in Agni vero
among the Canticles both of Eastern cantico novum significatum est testa-
and Western Christendom (Jntr. to mentum."
13
196

4
, • ,,
,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,
epya

4
,
;
[xv. 3.

arm1
86
3

eyrr (of
•
4

al^i 40
]? ]
me arm4 aeth
arm 1 ) 4
me
*8
|
...
Ps-Cypr Prim Andr Ar]
]
.

ig 47 9° 9 8

95 /"? '3°
] 3°

+ 6 ] X C -*APQ
H*C 18 95
7
epya syrS"
6 7 8 14
vgcle 'ademt°llii»»
8 29 38 86 alP'
$
ygcisiip»

29 38
al
syrr j^j
alP* Andr
|

vg (plus) syr« w Cypr Prim Ar] 0710s

om KVp le I+ 02
130 |
om
j jQ

;
ygdem arm a ethutr Cyp Prim

Q 6
oo-ios

7 8 all*'''
me |
oo-ios S4ACP
|

28 31 38 79
sanctus g sanctus et pins f
1
H 1 7 8

.].
96 ]
sanctus es et iustus syr sanctus et dignus adorari
vavres Q 6 7 14 29 43 al 30 |
arm +
] 10 36 37 (38) (47) 49 95
+ A 95 130 |

, 3 4•
.]
Martyrs' Song are almost wholly from
the O.T., as the following brief catena
The words of the
of the Lamb; it is rather a hymn of
praise than a paean, nor does it

either as 'the '

.
obviously answer to its description
8
or as the ,
.,.
, ,
will shew : Ps. lxxxv. (lxxxvi.) 9 There is perhaps a

, CX. (cxi.) 2
reason for this.
God the martyrs forge't themselves;
In the Presence of

, ,
epya Ps.cxxxviii.(cxxxix.) 14 their thoughts are absorbed by the
epya AmOS new wonders that surround them;

. , 13
IV.

,',
'

6 Deut. the glory of God, and the mighty

4 epya scheme of things in which their own

7,

...
Io(Q m s)
;, , Tit
...6
Tob.
Jer.

...
xiii.
. sufferings^ and victory
finitesimal part, are
form an in-
opening before
them; they begin to see the great
issue of the' world-drama, and we

Mai. 1. II
, (~)
Deut. xxxii. 4
'
!, Ps. cxliv.
hear the doxology with which they
greet "their first unclouded vision of
God and His works. Their song,
though it has little to do with martyr-

).
5...• () dom or victory, at any rate suits the!
(cxlv.) 17
tois epyois , I Regn. xii. 7
context, preparing the reader for the
judgements which are about to follow;

(,

at
jrao-at
thought as well as the phraseology of
the Song is strangely Hebraic,
sight does not appear to be
first
specially appropriate to the occasion
there is no reference to the martyrs'
own conflicts, and none to the victory
The

and

',
note
For

combination
. .
; for

.)
,
leading him to view them, as they are
viewed by the victors, sub specie
aeternitatis.

?
cf. iii. 7,

occurs again in xvi.

14,
i.

notes;
see
8,
V.

note.
the
(or
,
I,
 XV. THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

, \
6] 197
s Kat
elBov, vaos t»js 5
6

•] ]
5
ev
C |
eiSov HP 86 mini"1] iSov ACQ 7 14 9 2 '3°
6

,
idoufyg me anon*™* Prim arm' 1
• 6

27 ),
xix. 2. With
ITim.VJU <5 6
cf. Rom.
%
xvi. 5. (
which usually introduces a new and
eihov] A formula
and the clause in the important vision cf. iv. 1, note. The ;

{O.T. in Greek 3,
. ", iii. p. 833), Seven plague-laden Angels form the

is

God
ei

used of God in the N.T. only here

and in xvi. 5 (in Heb. vii. 26 it refers
to the Incarnate Son)
as fulfilling His relation to His
creatures, even as He requires them
; it
pius,

represents ]
most striking group since the Seven
Angels of the Temple (viii. 1).

vii.

these
15, xiv.
6 ev

to the
See

15,
references
, ',
the
vaos
.
17,
19

xvi.
and
1,
vaos
cf. iii. 12,

17. In
to

a
fulfil

,
theirs towards Himself.
'Thy righteous acts';
a concrete expression of.
is
writer, as it now appears, alludes not
to Solomon's Temple or its successors,
righteousness, whether in the form of
a just decree (e.g. t)eut. iv.

iv
(0*|? Lc. -
),
i.

tvroXais
6
but to the Tabernacle in the Wilder-
ness, the 'Tent of Witness' (Num. ix.

15, xvii. 7 (22) f., xviii.-2, # ^>}'),

,
or 'Tent of Meeting' (Ex. xxvii. 21
,

a just act, as here and in xix. 8

et passim, "WiD 5), both of which
: cf. Sanday and designations the lxx. usually renders
Head lam on Rom. v. 18, and
by and the Vg.,
i. 17,
"Westcott on Heb. ix. 1. following the lxx., by tabernaculum
. . .
.
It is not easy to choose, on internal testimonii ; 6
is suggested, as Westcott points out
grounds, between the readings
and For the latter, {Hebrews,- p. 234), by the phrase

,
besides the references given above,
see 1 Tim. i. 17 ™ he
...
niJ'lD bnH |3fD
which the lxx. does not distinguish
(Ex. xL 2, 6, 29)

. .,
Enoch ix. 4 o~ v " -ikeis from the shorter form. That the
els writers of Hebrews• and the Apoca-
Tag yeveas lypse have chosen the Tabernacle
ev\o- rather than the• Temple as the
els the
roiis On counterpart of the heavenly Presence-
other hand rm> is suggested by Chamber is due to the feeling that the
the passage in Jeremiah to which the Tabernacle was the archetype of the
next words refer, and on the whole later Temple, and was itself con-
agrees best with the drift of the structed on a Divinely imparted
canticle. The true Sovereign of the plan cf. Ex. xxv. 40 Spa
:

nations is not the Augustus, but their

.
heheiypevov ev
Creator, the Living God, and He will T<j> Spei, quoted in Heb. viii. 5 with
in the end receive their homage the comment that the priests under
{v, 4; cf. xxi. 24 f.). the Law consequently
The Martyrs' Song falls readily into aKiq. \apeov
parallelisms after the manner of O.T. 6. €...€ .]
—
poetry a circumstance which, taken The Sanctuary not opened here as
is

-with the general tone and the word- in xi.' I.e. for the purpose of revealing
ing, suggests a Jewish source. the Ark of the Covenant, but to allow
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHJT [XV. 6
198

' ,
7
,
?. m
-
6 exoires] om KPQ 48 79 al I
eK ] eK °" P avm 49 9 1
om Q min30 eroVStTuvoi] pr Q minP'i 30 syr 1/0 „ PQ 186 al* vg" • Byrt (nisi
1 1

\
|
|

forte
amina) \ivovs
hiat 130
pr
1 7 12
!
Xivow .) arm arion»»« Andr Ar]
X me arm4 (Prim)

32** vg el""P ra4

16 79 90
AC 38-8
arm4 (Prim) om me
•
6 arm 1 aeth Prim |
irepi]
|
14

-]
8

ewi 28 79
(36) 92 97
48 90 oodd ap

om 1 12 31
(linteamen)

7 om a> K*
h
Andr vg"»'" 40 »"»11 * 18
me arm4 (Prim)
(linte-

the Seven Angels to issue in pro- our writer is apt to use rare forms
cession from the Presence-Chamber.
The angels of xiv. 15, I7f., also came
and even forms for which no other
authority can be claimed Of ,
.
forth from the Sanctuary, but singly however, in this sense there are traces
and with less solemnity the curtain in Homer (. ix. 661, Od. xiii. 73,

)
;

was not drawn back to let them pass. 118; cf. Eustathius: ...
'EvSe&u/ievoi \ivov '
as well as in Aeschylus
All the Seven are clad alike in the (Suppl. 120, 132); and the revival of
pure bright raiment of celestial the old poetic use in a book such as

,
beings. Unfortunately the reading
is far from certain. WH. accept
urging that "the bold image
expressed by this well attested read-
the Apocalypse need cause no sur-
prise.
cursives of Mc.
=

ad fin. On the whole therefore it

JEv.,
i. 18,
occurs in some
and in Petr.

ing is
\justified by Ez. xxviii.
cvSebccrat, where
13 has seemed best to place in the
text provisionally, until further light
a various reading," and
, comes.

&
is
that " on the other hand as dis- The Seven Angels, then, are clad
tinguished from ,...
never de-
notes a fabric or garment made of flax
except according to Etym. Magn. and ,(\ :'
in clear glistening white (cf. xix. 8
avrtj

» ), ib. 14

have seen in
High
6
possibly in Aesch. Suppl. 121." Others
a reference to the
Priest's breast-plate, and some
characteristic of celestial beings (Mt.
xxviii. 3, Mc. xvi. 5, Lc
a garb

ix. 2).
support for such a phrase as ivbin Their snow-white linen tunics avo
may be found in the imagery of girded high (jrrpi = to'is
cc. iv. 3, xvii. 4, xxi. 11,18 If., 21. But i. 13) with golden belts, the
when all has been said, the metaphor symbols of royalty or of priestly
is intolerable even in the Apocalypse, functions (I.e., note) ; they are «-
and we turn to look again at the (Heb. i. 14), and
evidence for Ainon. The argument they are vested for their liturgy.
which WH. adduce that the Apoca- 7.' ev 6
lypse elsewhere uses for a eba>K(v .]
The Seven are now
garment of linen (xviii. 12, 16, xix. 8 entrusted with power to execute their
bis, 14), cuts• both ways, for the fact ministry. This is done by a symbolical

,
would tempt a corrector to change
he remembered Ez. I.e.,
and if
traditio instrumentorum, which is
committed to one of the four

=
fitly
what more obvious remedy than to representatives of Nature (see iv. 6 ff.,
write for 1 Nor is the extreme v. 14, vi. 1 f., notes). Control is
rarity of conclusive, for thus given to them over the forces of
XV. 8] the Apocalypse of st john 199

'/
.' 1> ayyeXoi?

.
8

,
eis

eis

syr« w
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8
ewra 2°
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91 96 186

Nature, so far as may be necessary - the gods of heathendom are dead or

never were alive, and their wrath has

,.
for the purpose of giving effect to
no terrors for Christians ; the Living

?
the Divine will; cf. xiv. 18
and Ps. lxxvii. God is to be feared indeed For 6
(lxxviii.) 49 iganeareikev els avrovs. . els Toils as a

instruments given to the Angels of

the Last Plagues are
cf. v. 8,

4
note, and for compare
Regn. xxv. 15, 1 Chr. xxviii. 17,
, The title of the Eternal Father see iy. 9,
note, 10, x. 6.
8.

-ijr 8) .]
6
The terrors of the
imminent judgement are still further
vaos

,. ^
2 Chr. iv. 8, 1 Esdr. ii. 13. But emphasized by the smoke which is seen
whereas the bowls earned by the
Elders in c. v. were full of the incense
of the Saints' prayers, these are full
to fill the Sanctuary
tta Be
; cf. Andreas
-
Betas
of the wrath of God. Cf. Primasius opyrjs Smoke is an O.T.
"eaedem quippe phialae et suavitates symbol of the Divine Presence when
supplicationum et iram suppliciorum the aweful majesty of God is to be

£
€<
iv

els .
,,
continere dicuntur, cum a Sanctis pro
regni Dei adventu funduntur " ; he adds
a reference to 2 Cor. ii. isf.
6e& hi roll

els

given men to drink, a cup

In
of God is a deadly wine which is
xiv. 8,
ois He
01s

the

()
£\., .
' Wrath
insisted upon ; cf. Exod xix. 18

',
;

iv opyr/
iavieo
eV
aveftaivev
Ps. xvii.

On
8e

this
smoke proceeds from {) the Divine
;
Kanvbs
(xviii.)
Isa. vi. 5
5
occasion
9
oeov

ty'fri

the
iv

which sinners must drain ; here the glory and power, i.e. from the personal
metaphor is changed, the cup becomes character and attributes of God and
an open incense bowl, pouring out• its His boundless resources, two grounds
burning contents upon the earth ; cf. of undying fear to His enemies.
viii. 5, where a similar metaphor oiheis ehivaro elaeXBelv els
Schoettgen notes that the .]

&
is used. Both the Tabernacle and

substitutes

eeiv
"
Targum on Isa. Ii. 17, 22, for D13 DiJ

. TV or D13 b"S
adds to the terror of
the thought; cf. Heb. x. 31
els & 6eov
£
3 ,
^,
IV.

;
the Temple supply .an illustration
here; for the first see Ex. xl. 29 (35)

els
'
elae\6e"iv
eVe-
200 THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN [XVI.

'

2 ' -.
]
XVI
ygdemtoiiipse me arm
28 36 130 al fer ° 10 vg

aeth 2
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em 1 28 49 79
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NOP
7 12
1
13

12

91 96 al me

, - and for the proceed having been given (cf. xiv. 1 5,

,
second 3 Regn.
ol iepels
rrjs
.
/^,
viii. 1 1

XeiTovfyyelv

The Divine judge-

ments are impenetrable until they
'
?
18), the Seven advance one by one,
each in his own order (
., as in
The Seven Plagues that follow have
obvious affinities to (1) the Ten
6
viii. 7 ff.).

are past ; when the

last plague has Plagues of Egypt> (2) the visitations
fulfilled itsthe smoke will
course, which accompany the seven Trumpet-
vanish, and the Vision of God be blasts of cc. viii. —
xi., and especially to

seen. Bede " si fumum abdita

: the latter ; the first, sixth, and ninth
iudiciorum Dei interpretaris arcana, of the Egyptian plagues, and the
mortalibushaecimpenetrabiliamanent second, third, fifth, sixth, and seventh
et clausa donee, finitis praesentis of the Trumpet plagues are more or
Dominus."
saeculi plagis, advenit less distinctly in view here. Yet the
—
XVI. 1 31. The pouring out Last Plagues have features peculiar
op the Seven Bowls. to themselves the fourth is entirely
;

. ' new, the rest are more or less freshly

»
,
is
.] A great voice from heaven
usually that of an angel,

[)
\«»?...
cf. v.

iv
2 ctSov
conceived. On the other hand the
differences are deeper and more sug-
gestive. While no personal suffering

]
15, 1 8.
vil. 2 cidov
. ., . 3
. ., and similarly xiv.
But Voice comes
as
from the vaos, which at the time, as
this
7, 9>
is inflicted on Man by the first five of
the Egyptian plagues or by the first
four of the Trumpet-visitations, he is
attacked at the very outset of the
present cycle. Again, while the first
we have been told, no creature could four Trumpet-plagues affect only a
enter, the Speaker here must be third of the earth, the sea, the fresh
presumed to be God Himself; cf. water supply, and the lights of heaven,
Mt. iii. 17, xvii. 5, Jo. xii. 28, 2 Pet. i. no such limitation appears in the

'
17 f. The Voice is repeated after the
seventh Bowl, ». 17.
'',
'Go your ways
(cf. Mc. vi. 38, xiv. 13, xvi. 7, Jac. ii.

16), pour out (fqr the form see ''

account of the Seven Plagues now
about to be described. They are not
tentative chastisements, but punitive
and
2.
final.

W. Schm. p. 115; Blass would correct .] \€... is doubtless to

€(, Gr. p. 41) the Seven Bowls be repeated by the reader's thought
of the Wrath of God into as in (, in vv. 3, 4, 8, 10, 12, 17. The Seven
xiv. 19) the Earth.' Permission to are not conceived as stepping for-
XVI.

?
3]

,
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

(\
'
*-« 5

. ' "3
201

~
syrr
2
91 96 al vg
arm 1• 2
me ram
Andr Ar
|
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om

om
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+
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ws vexpos syr8 wvld
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|
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us]
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om 1 46 me ante pon 7 12 39 fwijs AC 95 syr aeth] |

NPQ i 7 28 36
37 3 8 39 91 96 130 186 al Aifg vg (vivens) syr»" me fwa arm om 6 8 14 al80
2 .
4vld '

Prim

ward, one by one, to discharge their actively mischievous, 'malignant' in

tasks, and then returning to their the technical sense. iyevero...
places in the procession, but rather eVt'=b...iVn) (Ex. l.c).
as going off, each in his order, until
^^»: 3. \ 6 devTepos ^.,.
all have vanished.
metaphor is not inappropriate, cf.
the
.] The Second Bowl cor-
Lucian Column. 23
The result of the first outpouring
^. responds generally with the Second'
Trumpet (viii. 8 f.), and both are sug-
gested by the first Egyptian plague

Deut.
,
is to produce a plague on man
similar to the sixth Egyptian, plague
cf. Ex. ix. lo iyevcro

" .. . xxviii. 27, 35

iv
\,
.
and see

iv
(Ex. vii. 14 fF.). In Egypt the Wile
alone is smitten ; in Patmos the Seer
naturally thinks first of the sea. The
Aegean, receiving the contents of the
second angel's bowl, turns (as he had

,,
often seen it turn at sunset) to a blood

).
: top
The Egyptian
(!
;
,

Job

,
'3)...
. J c£rj\6ev

it is
''
noted, .
red iyiveTo
—he adds as
= Dl Ex. vii. 19
which brings up
the picture of a murdered man welter-
ing in his blood ; cf. Arethas veKpov
, The fish in the
:

Nile died (Ex. vii. 21) a third of the

^
;
attacked even the magicians, the
antagonists of Moses (' living things in the sea perished under

oi
) the Seer mindful
the Second Trumpet (c. viii. 9) ; the
destruction wrought by the third

,
; is
of this when he represents the first
Bowl is complete
of the Last Plagues as breaking out (njnn ^BJ"^?, Gen. i. 2l)
in sores on the Caesar-worshippers, iv Ttj where .
iv . . is in
who were controlled by the magicians apposition with . ., as

Augusti
,
of the temples of Rome and the
(cf. xiii.

'bad and malignant';

the lexicons take as
'painful' (Suidas), but, the passages
13 fF., notes) ?
with in viii. g,
and defines it. No burning mountain
(viii. 8) is needed here, and no falling

star (viii. 10) in the next plague ; the

deadly work is done by the direct
quoted above from the lxx. lead us action of the wrath poured out by the
to regard it as the equivalent of 1, Angels of the Bowls (xvi. 1).
202

4 , .? ?* ?
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

? 7•?
[XVI. 3

3
/ ?? .
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'?

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?• 6 '[] ^
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4 1 eis] t4 18 31
a.yye\os |

186 super vg Prim £7«/ero NCPQ 1 mini"' vg Andr Ar] eyevovro A 36 95 130 syrr
]
|

facta sunt Prim 5 tw pr ,ciri 95 om . v. arm |

os Q 2 8
14 29 30 40 41 42 43 92 93 98 I
HP 5 6 11 12 18 27 28 31 35 49 79 91 94 96

!
186 alP'i 10 ] oirios ACQ min' ™ 35 oaios 1 34 36 /cot oirios 95 om offtqs me aeth

6 at/taro 36 39] ACPQ min'"™ ""' me syrr arm Andr Ar

4- rplros. ..els roils Similar ideas prevailed among the

.] As under the Third Trumpet, Persians and find a place in Zoroas,-
the smiting of the fresh-water supply
follows that of the sea. But the result
is different ; in viii. 1 1 the third part
trianism see reff. in note on i. 20. Cf.

:
Andreas
:

: BeUwrai
ayytXovs;
rots -
and so
of the waters is turned into worm-
wood here the whole supply is turned,

blood.
viii.
;

as in the case of the sea {v. 3), into

IO,
On

(oi
al
note.

smiting of the springs prevented any

7rijyai
'EyeVfTo
al
,
).
SC.
The
cf.

ra
Arethas

8, LXX.) at
:

., the
waters is so far from resenting the
plague that he bears witness to the
justice which inflicts it. His words
The
(Deut. XXXU.
\
spirit of

such measures as the Egyptians took form a sort of antiph'on to the canticle
for evading the effects of the plague in xv. 3 f. ; they illustrate the divine
(Ex. vii. 24). and
: proclaimed In

,
Why the waters
are turned to blood the Song. is doubtless to be
is now
explained by two voices which read, notwithstanding the omission of
the article by our best mss. ; would
the Seer overhears («. .5 ff.).
.
.
have easily dropt out before ocioc,

..€-, .
5.

Xtyovros .] With and on the other hand (anar-

throus) cannot be taken as a predicate
. cf. vii. ayye-
\ovs. after ' 6 ijv (Vg. qui es et qui

. II ayye\ov XIV. 17
eras sanctus), a procedure which the
usage of the Apocalypse 'forbids, and
HyyeXos. . .0 eVt
See also Enoch lxvi. 2 (ed. Charles, to treat it as in apposition with
creates an intolerable harsh-
p. 172): "these angels were over the
powers of the waters." The Rabbinic ness. Standing where it does, oW>s
writers speak of an angel set over the is equivalent to a vocative (cf. R.V.,
"Thou Holy One," and Blass, Gr.•
earth (•\ h]} 310» "|6), and of
p. 26 f.). On . see i. 4,
another who is prince of the sea (nt? note on; as applied to God,
D' ?K>) every element, every form of
; xv. 4, note.
created life, has its angel-counterpart 6. !
(Yalkut Ruben, "dicunt sapi- f. 7. 1 .] The construction is not
entes nostri 'Non est herba quae non
:<
freefrom ambiguity ; the two clauses
habeat angelum suum in superms'." beginning with mav bo parallel,
XVI.

, .
8]

'.
Kupie
^ ,",?
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
ireiv
203

' 8
e£e%eev 8

!
^] ]
6 pr arm 1 + /c. Byre" (arm 1 • 8
) |
AC] KPQ
jjninforoomnvid e g UKev A (C )] t<PQ pr pr
(vel + ) vg '
me
ij
syr aeth
|
Telv

7
rell
I

pr Q
e/t
tt

..
oTt

]:
angelum dicentem
36 me alterum ab altari dicentem vg"1" alteram
vg"i»"<.6
:

me ]!
aliam vocem dicentem Prim
8 +
|
om
dicens vg^ "*"
fees 130 |

6 28 35 36 13° '86
1
aiientni

al"°"
YgcisdemiipiB^e Byrgw

as in XV. 4 °" .
the second on may be explanatory of
or

the first (cf. R.V. text, Blass, Gr.

arm 1 Prim Andr

.. ..., bad sense cf. Lc.

Rom. i. 32
., , xii. 48
Heb. . 29

p. 274) ; or again, the second on may J. -

begin a new sentence "because they
poured out the blood of saints and.
prophets Thou hast given them blood
also to drink" (R.V. m «•)• On the
whole the
: .] A response comes to the
Angel of the "Waters from the Altar
in Heaven, whether the Angel of the
Altar is meant (cf. xiv. 18) or the

,
last-named rendering
seems preferable it gives meaning to
which as a mere copula is some-
;

what nerveless in such a context The

Seer still has in view the condition of
Altar

there.
itself is -personified;

and see note

The Altar or its Angel repre-
sents the sacrifices and prayers of the
, ck
cf. ix. 13

Asia; as the first plague is directed Church (xiv. I.e., note), and thus the
against the Caesar-worshippers, so the (Petr. Ev. 9) is ultimately that
second avenges the blood of those who
,
of the Saints and Prophets.
.
also in xviii. 24, ,
suffered for refusing to offer sacrifice
to the Augusti. Here, and perhaps
though read in
each place by only one uncial' MS.,
most verbally from the 'Song of Moses
and of the Lamb,' and indeed is an
epitome of it. The phrase
,
is taken al-

,
is probably original, representing the
Hebrew D'P'J, as in 1 Regn. xxv. 33,
2 Regn. xvi. 7, Ps. v. 7, etc.
loyal Christians and
their leaders, the prophetip order; for
the combination
and for
cf.

(here the Christian

xi. 18, xviii. 24,
8 f.
'
repeated in the
which is
on the Pall
of Babylon (xix. 2), seems to come
from Pa xviii. (xix.) 10.

] The Fourth Bowl, like the

Fourth Trumpet, takes effect upon the
6 .,.
prophets exclusively) see Mt. xxiii. 34, sun. But the effect is different and
Acts xi. 27, xiii. 1 etc., 1 Cor. xii. 28 f., nearly opposite ; instead of a plague
Eph. On
~)= ii. 20, iii.

cf.
5, iv. 11.

WH• 2
, Notes, p. 177,
(also of darkness (viii. 12) there follows a
plague of excessive heat. The sun
(,
,
W. Schm.,

"
Blass, Gr. pp. 23, 36, receives power cf. vii. 2,

P- 53 f-

thesis to the a.
forms a terrible anti-
of iii. 4, and as
viii. 3, ix. 5, xiii. 7, 5)

with fire ( 1

,
cf. xiv. 10), i.e. the

temperature rises to fire-heat. For

to scorch mankind

Alford remarks; the asyndeton adds used of the sun's, rays,

strength to the words. For in a see Mc. iv. 6, note, and for Dan.
204 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XVI. 8

eirls

'.
9
, 9

<
,• • - . 10

9
,
\
mill 40 syrr
CQ
>
](] Ar |

]
8 28 79 I
om
|
arm 1 |
+
12 $6 37 49 8° 9 1 ] om
Q

'
alP' Ar C + ayyeXos () 35
|
49 79 "7 9 1
86 al ^g"i»iip«<.6 me arm1 Prim Andr Ar [
Xc C Q
-
28 29 |

]
Q

;
iii.
minP'

,|

66 eiJXcyelre
186

- compare ii. 13

. )
rot

;
". .
'
on
91 f-

contl'ast vii. 16

The moral effect of the visitation

.
see Blass,
' - .. .
and xiii. 2

mentators quote Tac.

men sedemque
(sc.

2 "no-
hist. iv.
Caesaris Domitianus
acceperat." If a particular place is
The com-

was doubly disastrous men blas- ; in view, it is doubtless Rome, but the
phemed God as the cause of their point is that whilst earlier plagues
sufferings,
Him the tribute of penitence which
He demanded. The
no
4,
less
xi.
than His
of God
(Rom. ii:
but
22) calls to repentance;
like Pharaoh the sufferers were hard-
ened by His judgements. Andreas
.
and they withheld from have seized on the subjects of the
Empire, the very seat of government
is now assailed ; the Empire itself, in
its heart and centre (17
is covered with a pall of darkness
which forebodes death; for
see ix. 2, note. Meanwhile the effects
),
has a pathetic illustration to offer
from his own experience \ pain (
of the earlier plagues continue. The
= as in Gen. xxxiv. 25,

,,?,.
:

opqv 1 Regn. xv. 23, Bar. ii. 25, cf. c. xxi. 4)

rjj

phrase
(=> vv. , 2) see
For the

Isa.
caused by the scorching heat of the
Fourth Plague, and the malignant sores
of the first, was such that men chewed
their tongues in agony.
a word used in Aristophanes and by
later Greek writers, occurs in the
,
,
Iii.
5,
Jac. ii. 7, Rom. ii. 24, 1 Tim. vi. 1. Greek Bible only here and in Job
Ov repeated at intervals
is XXX. 4
like a refrain, cf. ix. 20 f., xvi. 1 1 on ; in Sir. xix. 9
; the
see xi. 13, note. reading of cod. A, is probably a scribe's
IO f.

.]
...\
The Fifth
error.
cf.
With
used as
Plague touches the seat of the World- an indication of intolerable pain in
power, and involves it in Egyptian Mt. viii. 1 2 etc.
darkness. With As in the case of the Fourth Plague
,-"
XVI. 12] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 205

< .\ ,
6eov II

'
e£e%eev
[Voi/]
^ dSos
" '1
t

,
6/ctos 12

]
1f

]] 0eou 91 syrs w |
pr 130
$] +
|
om
me om
.
*
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]
fci fc< 12

.
|

86 ai vgcl<Hl «mlli""•'• 6 me arm8" 3

]
35 36 49 79 8 7 9 1 anon au « Prim Andr Ar ]
6 7 13 14 27 32 38 42 92 97
2
|

86 AC 14 8 23 34 35 47 51 79 8 87 95 3 om ^Q 26713
|

29 3° 3 1 3 2 3*> i30-al p,q20 Ar |

(regi) g Prim «
arm

the judgement produced no moral

(KJOf ?£>),
,
change, but drove men to worse sin;
they blasphemed, they did not repent.

cf.
as in Dan.44
Bevan ad loc; the
ii.
'
points to events expected to arise
on the eastern frontier of the Empire.
vdap More
than one O.T. miracle and more than
one prophecy may be in view. The
.
phrase recalls the pride of the rulers drying of the Red Sea (Ex. xiv. 21
), and of
of old Babylon and their vain resis-
tance to the God of Israel. Tor the
use of in , ,) the Jordan (Jos. iii. 17
had suggested such prophecies
-
cf. viii.

., and
ix.
of
.20
13

f.,
\...
on /cos see .
notes; without the addition
the phrase
2, note.
compare

is indefinite,
On
as Isa.

.,
• xi. 15

'-

Jer. xxviii.
»
(Ii.)

- 36
and may include both the idolatries

,
) /.,. i
. -
.. .] .,.
and the immoralities of heathendom. avrijt, Zech. II
12.
It is significant and were probably
that the Euphrates is named in con- in the Apocalyptist's thoughts. It is
nexion with both the Sixth Trumpet possible that his mind runs also on
and the Sixth Bowl, see ix. 14, note. the story told by Herodotus (i. 191)
The Sixth Trumpet loosed the angels of the capture of Babylon by Cyrus,
who were detained at the river, and who marched into the city across the
who when released set in motion an drained bed of the Euphrates a new ;

enormous host (. 16). The Sixth Babylon is to be surprised, and the

Bowl drains the bed of the river, drying up of the river marks the
and thus opens the way for the removal of the last obstacle to its fall.
advance of the Kings from the East,'
'

the avant-coureurs of the forces

flocking to the last war (infra, v. 14). enti regi
.
ij

ab oriente sole"; cf. Com-

oobs
Prim. : "
In both cases a barrier which checks modian, carm. apol. 9. 5 f. "siccatur :

for a time the progress of events is at fluvius Euphrates denique totus, ut via |

length removed, while in the present paretur regi cum

gentibus illis." The
instance the mention of the East expected invasion of the Empire by
206 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XVI. 12

13
13 elZov
,
'
12 6 28 38 49 79 9 9*> ' 86 syrs" 13 " " ^ 1* ]
1
t5° 1' AQ 7
14 36 9 2 'S '86 om /ioros C 9 27 29 aeth om
. . . . />. . . * .
|

. .

the Parthian satraps (or according to and the identification is com-

xiii. 1 1,
the reading of Primasius, the Par- pleted by the description in xix. 20
thian king) was at least present to the 6 .,

-, .
writer's thoughts. Until Parthia was ' '
compared with xiii 14 rois
reduced by Trajan and his successors,
the Arsacidae not only offered a
stubborn resistance to the Roman The then, is the false
advance but- from time to time caused spiritual power which made common
serious alarm, which was increased by cause with the temporal power in doing
the popular legend of Nero's impend- Satan's work; cf. xiii. 11 ff., notes.
ing return at the head of a Parthian Ramsay

\! ;' ,
Professor (Letters to the
host cf. Orac. Sibytt. iv. 137 sqq.
; Seven Churches, pp. 97, 101 ff.) holds

!
is pet/cos that the Second Beast and the False
|
6 Prophet are to be distinguished, and
-ya aelpas, \ i;hat the former is "the Province of
. 3^3 *

.
Asia in its double aspect of civil and re-
ex \
ligious administration," and the latter
...os "some definite person exercised who
The legend supplies at least most influence in some part of Asia
in part the imagery under which the and was the leading spirit in per-
Seer imagines the gathering of the forming the miracles and signs... as
powers from East and West for the real as the prophetess, of Thyatira."
coming struggle. He suggests the name of Apollonius
For see Isa. xL of Tyana. But (1) the book itself
3 (Mc. . 3> identifies the False Prophet with the
Lc. i. 76, iii 4), and for Second Beast; (2) an individual could
cf. vii. 2, note. scarcely be placed in the same cate-
13. \ gory with the Dragon and the Beast.
On the other hand it is not impossible
.'] The Dragon is doubt-
less the Truppos of xii. 3, that such a person as Apollonius was
identified with Satan(. g), the Great in the mind of the Seer when he
Adversary who is behind the whole
movement about to be described.
Similarly the Wild Beast is the Beast
of
in
xiii.
xiii.

6. (xiii.
I

12,
—called
but thenceforward simply
14

power represented by the Roman

Empire. Of the False Prophet we
ff.,

the brute force of the World-

10), i.e.

have not heard before under that

name ; but his association here and in
xiv. 9, 11, xv. 2, xvi. 2, ,
described the pagan priesthood and
its influence as ; it

was through such men that their power

over the people of Asia was secured.
See Introduction, p. xci. f.
a lxx. rendering of
KU} in Zech. xiii. 2, and frequently
in Jeremiah, is used hi the N.T. of
pretenders to inspiration, or persons
Satanically inspired, whether before
or after Christ (Mt vii. 15, Mc.< xiii.
xix. 20, xx. 10, with the first Wild 22, note, Lc. vi. 26, 2 Pet. ii. 1, 1 Jo.
Beast points to the second Beast of iv. 1 ; cf. Didache xi 9). The nearest
 -^
^, ' >
XVI. 4] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

*'
-
207

.] (
?
! ! 14^°

)
13 us *) * 8 36 38 49** 97 -*- r °""
** (om *) 14

,- ! ^
28 36 38 49 79 86 &1

.
parallel to the Apocalyptic use of the
term is found

!
covers a whole
(
in

Jo.
7.,
ii.
Acts xiii.

—
6

like
22, iv. 3) 2, Jo. 7),
class magic-vendors,
religious impostors, fanatics, whether
nva

!! !
John they are worse, the symbols of

.
impure impulses. Artemidorus comes
nearer to our writer

The
:

ceaseless,
ii. 1 5
; to St

-
aimless,
deceivers or deceived, regarded as of the frog
persons who falsely interpret the often referred to by ancient commen-
Mind of God. True religion has no
worse enemies, and Satan no better
allies.
as ,.
Three unclean spirits came forth out
tators (cf. Aug. in Ps. lxxvii. §27
"rana est loquacissima vanitas")
seems to be beside the 'mark in
this context.
!
On ...
see Benson, Apocalypse,
...

,
of the mouths of the three evil powers, V- H5 f•

!!.«
one from each. The mouth as the 14.
organ of speech, the chief source of .] A parenthesis which justifies
.

human influence, is frequently in the >? '

unclean, for :

Apoc. the instrument of good or evil they are daemon-spirits'; cf. 1 Tim.
\!
cf.

xii.
i.

sense of
16 (xix.
15.
15, 21), ix.

!)
The metaphor
appropriate here in view of the double
(cf. 2 Th. ii. 8

the
17
is
f.,

specially

;
xii 5, IV.

is
to
resumed at
be taken with
three spirits issuing forth... working
,, The sequence
which
saw
is

three hostile powers breathed forth 'signs.' is characteristically

evil influences. On
!
though by no means exclusively Johan-

.!
see Mc. i 23 ff. note, iii ,
v. 2 flf., nine, while is used in this group
Acts . 16, viii. 7. Christ expelled of writings but -once and =
unclean but His enemies send
spirits, 'miraOle' not at all. The false prophet
them the False Prophet not
forth, of the O.T. offered in proof of
less than the Dragon or the Seast;
cf. Zech. xiii. 2 ! -
his mission (Deut. and the
Church was warned to expect such
xiii.

tokens from latter-day impostors (Mc.

(2)),

to the Seer the spirits took

: xiii. Th. ii. 9).
22, 2 From the
—
the form of frogs a reference perhaps magicians who withstood Moses be-
to the Egyptian plague (Ex. viii. 5 fore Pharaoh down to such products
(i)flF., Ps. lxxvii. (lxxviii.) 45, civ. (cv.) of the ^rst century as Simon Magus
30, Sap. xix. 10), with a side glance and Apollohius, pretenders to spirit-
at

»... .
the law of clean and unclean

:
animals (Lev. xi. 10 flf.). Cf. Andreas:

, !,
Philo ex-
plains the frogs of Egypt as 'idle
fancies': (de sacr. Ahelis et Caini 69
rais
ual powers had claimed to work
signs, which the belief of the age
attributed to superhuman influence,
though the wonders themselves were
due to such causes as sleight of
hand and ventriloquism: cf. xiii. I3f.,
notes.
208

,
\'!
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,, ^^
[XVI. 14-

38
14 .

T17S
]
] * * (
pr
a

tijs yi)S
Q
**) 43 79
I**
7
•\
om
2 <>
88
39 et om

Byre"
95 '86 om
'*°' a

me

! %]+ !
- 130
'3° vg"""
01

aeth em] eis |

eis top
-
it

:
] | |
I

KAQ Ar om arm Ar

!.
/J.om mini' ''™
1
36 43 130 186 al | Q
130 186 alP' syrs" Prim Ar

A
While the
«rl Toir
Kings - from the East,
ai !
,
oi.

represented by the Parthian enemies

of Borne, are ready to move westwards
as soon as the obstacle to their
progress is removed, the other rulers
of the world are roused to action by
impulses from without the unclean
spirits of the Beast and the False
Prophet, the lust of power, and the
bitterness of a false religion con-
tending with the true. And behind
these forces which make for war, the
Apocalyptist discovers another which
comes directly from the Dragon, who
breathes forth the very spirit of
and ...
leads
to the same conclusion ; the war is
directed against Heaven, and it will
culminate in the final triumph of
— God. But if so, is this the battle
which is described in xvii. 14 and in
xix. 19 ? Probably it is, for the Sixth
Bowl does not open the campaign,
but merely marshals the forces and
places them on the battlefield. The
Seer sees the whole process fore-
shortened, and he expresses it in the
terms of his own age the expected ;

antagonism to God and His Christ.
There have been times when nations
have been seized by a passion for war
which the historian can but imper-
fectly explain. It is such an epoch*
that the Seer foresees, but one which,
Parthian invasion takes shape in his.
mind as the first scene in the drama
a general arming of the nations follows,
On ri/s

!, ! !
and the end, which is not yet, will be
the breaking of the Day of God.
! see vi. 1 7,

!,,
unlike any that has come before it, note; if genuine, points back

»-
will involve the wbole world in war. to the O.T. prophecies, e.g. Joel ii. 1
\ (cf. iii.

perhaps wider than the simple

, .. 9) is
iii. 4
(Lc. ii. i, Acts xvii. 6, xix.
.27^ xxiv. 5) —
not the Empire only, ; is a Pauline
synonym

]
but the world, so far as the concep- for the Parousia (2 Th. i. 10,

!
tion could be grasped at the end of

!!
2 Tim. 12, 18, iv. 8), which also
the first century.
els rbv
called
i.

[]
( Cor.
[]
i. 8, 2 Cor. i.
[/
is

14, Phil,
.] The Greek com- i. 6, ii. 16, 1 Th. v. 2, 2 Th. ii. 2); 7
mentators interpret this of an inter- occurs in 2 Pet. iii. 12.

' .: -
necine struggle between the Kings; ToC (i. 8, note) asserts

cf. Arethas : the sovereignty of God, which 'that

—
a remark which day' will manifest; or if the writer's
he justifies by quoting Mc. xiii. 8

('
'
On
!
the other
mind reverted to the original, he may
have thought of the hosts
which would be ranged on the side of
(3)
hand points to Ps. ii. 2 righteousness and truth (cf. xix. 14).
.
XVX

.
16]

6
^
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
',-\ 209

1 5

\ ]]](
1 6

15 «Sou] pr sic enim dixit dominus arm 1 •

2
| ti* 1
) 38 47
Byre™ Prim | 130 |
130 1 86 16 syr
vg de syr»™ arm 1 •
3 om ° 14 92 syr A om i° 14

!.
| | |

92 \. /3/>. A/> .] 130 -

15- J and from Egypt " (ib. 301 1 ; cf. G. A.

A Voice breaks the thread of the

\
Smith, Hist. Geography, p. 391), was
Seer's report whose voice it is there
: the scene of a series of disasters
is 110 need to explain ; cf. iii. 3, note. there Barak and Deborah overthrew
Its special appositeness in this context
arisesfrom the fact that the Seer has
seen the gathering of the forces for
the war of the Great Day begin.
One of seven .,
,
the hosts of the Canaanite king Jabin
(Jud.

(2
V.

Kings
19
eV
there Ahaziah died of Jehu's arrows
ix. 27) and Pharaoh Necho
) ;

in the Apocalypse see i. 3, ; overthrew Josiah (2 Kings xxiii. 29 f.,

On

, 2 Chr. xxxv. 22 ; cf. Herod, ii. 1 59).

xiv. 13, xix. 9, xx. 6, xxii. 7, 14.
see iii. 2, note, and on The last of these events burnt itself
L 3, note ; the whole saying is into the memory of the Jewish people,
based on iii. 3, where see and the mourning for Josiah in the
»
written for
18,
euphemistically
is
(iii 18); the
notes.
valley of Megiddo was long afterwards
quoted as a typical instance of national
former word is repeatedly used in grief (Zech. xii. 11). Thus Megiddo
Lev. xviii., xx. for ni^tj, which is ren- fitly symbolizes the world-wide dis-
dered by in Ez. xvi. 36J 38, tress of the nations at the overthrow

'
.
xxii. 10, xxiii. 10 (B), 18 (B), 29. With of their kings in the final war.
cf. Ps.-Clem. But why'Ap The "water
'2 Cor.' 8
•, of Megiddo," probably the Kishon,
i.e.

]
mentioned as the scene of Sisera's
defeat, flows through the plain of
\
,

6. Esdraelon; Josiah met his death in

. '
fit...°A/j
The Seer resumes his the plain (= Jlup??,
narrative. They (the daemon-spirits) 2 Chi•., Zech., II. cc. ; cf. G. A. Smith,
fulfilled theirmission ; they (not 'he,' op. citj}. 385); no instance is quoted
as A. V.) gathered the kings together to of V'tJp 1
elsewhere. But not to
the great war, as they were sent to do. mention that Megiddo itself lay at
The Palestinian writer recognizes the the base of the hills which terminate
—
battlefield one familiar to a Galilean in Carmel, the form Har Magedon
and a student of Hebrew history. *Ap

form
is doubtless 'Hit?
occurs in Jud. i. 27 (A)
and 2 Chron. xxxv. 22, and in
Jud' l.e. (B); cf. Cheyne in Enc. Bibl.
; the
may have been purposely used to

with Ez.

which
2, 4 .
bring the final conflict into connexion

evidently before the writer's

is
{), . ..
col. 3010. Megiddo, Lejjun, "which lay mind On the proposal to
in xx. 8
ff.

on the route of caravans and military write *Ap M.="0 Ttf, i.e. the city of
expeditions from the Philistine littoral Megiddo, see WH., Notes, p. 313, and
s. R. 14
2IO THE APOCALYPSE OE ST JOHN [XVI. 16

17
&

,
MayeSwv. 7
- \-
18 .
,' <\ lS

? ,
icai

/,
6
MayeSSwv
tt°•* 1 28 35 36
MayeSuv
(sive -Slav)
3°"

49 79 130 186 al vg
Q
3 8 47 49 79 8 7 9 1 95
7

(14) (92)
c leaemlliM ?'
35
vg ,u syre" anon»"» Prim 17
86 al"" m " Andr *]
+ ayyeKos
me syre" arm6" 3 aeth Prim Andr Ar
'
] [

12 46 ] Q min''1 Ar"| + ]
en] eis 1 14 28 31 49 79 91 92 96 186 al ire aerem vg in aere Prim om
Q 130 alpl Ar tou 12- 28 36
|

47 79

alpiqS5
arm 4

&"
(Q) 2 13 28 3'
|

^j.
om
4° 79 95
. .
3° *1
.
86*
8arm J? 1*111 ]
1 8

al Ti,m°
.|
om
.
.
67814 86
.
arm4 anon*»» om
- ()

cyecero Q minfere26 vg''* arm Prim Ar |

eyevera A 38 me arm aeth] (01)
eyeVovTO (K) (Q) (1) (7) (8) 12 14 17 36 79 92 (95] (130) (i86)alP'vgsyrrarm
anon""» |
om eiri 714 anon ™* 1

to the parallels which they produce in

support of *Ap M. add'Ap
Hexapla, ii
(Field,
has simply
p. 167). Syr.»*-
/ 22 , yeyovev
is specially appropriate in this con-
!.
cree which set it in motion ; cf. Lc. xiv.
The Voice

oa^in. The fancy of Gunkel that nexion, since these plagues are "the
the reference is not to Megiddo but last" (xv. 1) ; there remain no further

-&
manifestations of this kind.
to an old myth, though accepted by
Bousset and by Cheyne (fine. Bibl, 18. fyevovro .] The
l.c), does not merit serious considera- usual accompaniments a great of
tion. On see ix. 11, note. visitation ; notes for
cf. viii. 5, xi. 19, ;

1 7. ((...£ piyas, see Lc. xxi. II, Apop.

.] The air which all men vi. 12, xi. 13. Writing in a century
breathe (Sftp. vii. 3 ), remarkable forthenumberand severity
the 'workshop' of the physical dis- of its earthquakes, and to men whose
turbances which affect human health country was specially subject to them,
and life, is smitten by the pouring out
of the Seventh Bowl a plague of
wider significance than the smiting
of the earth (v. 2), or sea (v. 3), or
fresh waters (v. 4), or even the sun
(v. 8). The seventh angel's action
—
est hitherto
cyevero
Mc.
'
xiii.
' 19
?
St John is careful to distinguish
this final shock from even the great-
known

'...?
; it was 010s
iyevcro '.

yeyovev
cf.

is followed by a Great Voice which The striking phrase

! .
(see note there).
proceeds out of (Ac) the Sanctuary, is heightened by the pleonastic ;-
and from ()
the Throne (iv. 2, note), (Jac. iii. 4, 2 Cor. i. 10, Heb. ii.

and proclaims that the end has been 3) . Never had the earth
reached. Ttyovev, 'it is done,' 'it has been shaken by such tyvroes as these
come to pass'; cf. xxi. 6 tlirh cf. Hagg. ii. 6 en

Tiyovav, sc. here the ovpavbv yfjv

»,
;

sing, refers to the whole series of with the comment in

plagues now completed, or to the de- Heb. xii. 27,
XVI. 2i] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

. 211

,, , , *
9

'
ig

, !. . 2
2
21

]
syr

!
8
I
om
CTrco-av

pr
K -*

H 28
AQ 7 8

79 |
] me om
28 38 42 49 96** 97 186] eireaov
om 95
°
arm

|
1

]
19 at 7roXeis] 17
6 14 al?1 eFeirey
otvovj om
tto\is

|
N*
om
H*
syr
! |

;•
14 9 2 arm om I
me 20 om |
pr 28 79

19• . iyevcTO
.] In xi. 1
(\
3 a tenth part
els middle and passive are used in con-
secutive lines (xvi. 17 : emus on
of the city falls; here the whole is
torn asunder, great fissures dividing t'is

). iv \ irXeiovi

!
Zech. xiv. 4
.
it henceforth into three parts cf.

opos...
In the former case
it was Jerusalem that suffered (xi. 8,
;

that both the Syriac versions have

•**^, "a rare use of

.
Dr Gwynn observes

this form

, ,.
1
in passive sense, ' corresponding to the
note); now it seems to be Babylon, rare (passive). With
\.
.

Le. Rome (xiv. 8, note). But Rome is

compare xi. 1 8 . .0 Kaipbs . .

not alone in her distress ; the effects xvi. 9

of the earthquake are felt throughout
the Empire and beyond it ; everywhere
(, .-
.
It is interesting to find Arethas
the cities of the heathen
v
cf. xi. 2) are shaken to their fall;
this is no local visitation (Mc. xiii. 8
writing iin the tenth century:
'¥ \
.,.' .

!), but world-wide.

*\ - erepav
\ ... ris
Each
. Btov ;]
The capital had age has
;

its Babylon which seems to

seemed hitherto to have been over- call for Divine intervention.
looked in the meting out of Divine
rewards and punishments, but her
20. .]
The Seer resumes from 18 his ac-

,
v.
hour has come at last; cf. Andreas:
oSs ck \6 els
count of tiie effects produced by the
Seventh Bowl. The words recall vi.
; Bede "impius in memoriam
:

14 Spos
Deo veniet, qui nunc dicit in corde
where see note.

,
suo Oblitus est Deus." The mills of
( = «¥?3 6, cf. iRegn.
God, if they grind slowly, are never

) .
stopped except by human repentance;
cf. Jer. xxxvii. (xxx.) 24

~5.,
Has .-
passive, Oc-
xiii.
xlviii.
xii. 8,
22, Ps. xxxvi. (xxxvii.) 36, Jer..
(xli.)

xiv. 5, xviii. 21
to the whole verse see
8) ; compare cc. v. 4,
ff. For a parallel
c. xx. 1 1 ^
,
^
20 oipavos,
cur in Ezekiel (Ui. 17

' xviii. 22, 24, xxxiii. avrois.

16 (A)), and the construction

-
is imi- 21. ds
tated in Acts X. 31 .]
In the seventh
eVtoViop ; in Sirach, Egyptian plague there fell a hail
14 —
212

' ., THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

'
<
[XVI. 21

em
0eov

•
] syr
10
|
] om Q arm2 ; 12

,
14 28 31 3^ »1

.
;7(..
!! .,
the issue (Jos.
So in the great battle
24).
oftheBethhorons a hailstorm decided
x. 1 1

'
Kvpios
...
-
'
cm. in the Greek Bible, has good
support in the later Greek; cf. e.g.
Polyhius IX. 41. 8

Josephus, . J. V. 6. 3
;

-
a comic

, .
' ).
rois . ovc
Thus a great
author quoted by Pollux
ventured to speak of
(ix. 53)

-
hail became the symbol of Divine
wrath against the foes of Israel ; cf.
Isa. xxviii. 2

€ - . xxxviii. 22 ...
"
nam.
A hail such as this
visitation
was clearly a
on man; the weight of a
single stone was sufficient to kill any-
one on whom it felL Even the Egyptian

. ,
;

; Sap. . 22 hailstorm killed the herdsmen in the

,
, ,: • open country; cf. Diod. Sic. xix. 45

!,
. -
followed the
Seventh Trumpet (xi. 19), but that '
which came with the outpouring of .

»
the Seventh Bowl was cor
grando ingens talenti ponderis But the moral effect was
(Prim.), each stone about the weight of no better than under the fourth and
a talent. in the lxx. almost fifth plagues (v. 9 ft); once more there
invariably represents T33,
weight ranging from 108 lbs. or less
to 130 (B.D.B., p. 505). stone
a round

A
comes the tenable refrain

Pharaoh had shewn signsof repentance

. Even

weight• found at Jerusalem in 1891, under the hail (Ex. ix. 27), though he

supposed to be a talent, weighed about
646,000 grains (Pal. Expl. Fund State-
ment, 1892, p. 289 f., cited in Hastings,
:
relapsed into impenitence as soon as
,
it had ceased ; but the age of the last
plague blasphemed while it suffered.

' ,, .
D.B. iv. p., 906). Josephus (anit. Hi. Cf. Andreas :

6, 7) speaks of the golden candlestick

as weighing and adds
(O^S?),

631,15° grains (light standard). The

which gives
, -- >
]
,
talent was afterwards regarded as= Por the position of cf. Gen.
125 librae =631,665 grains (Enc. Bibl. xiii. 13, Deut xxx. 14, Jud. xii. 2,

col. 4444). Striking a mean between 1 Regn. xii. 18 (B), Ps. cxviii. (cxix.)
these estimates we get a talent of 138, Mt xix. 25, xxvii. 54, Acts vi. %
636,271 grains. though and see B.D.B. s.v. 1ND.
XVII.

, '^
1
2]

\ THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 213

XVII.

<,
, ,.
§

"" 2
'
yijv

]•
al aeth
]
XVII

fci
\.
28 33 95 al]
Hipp
.| om
dixit mihi
.
28 95
Prim
Q mini*
|
«.
«|] pr
Ar 2
-]+
130 |
28 79 13°

e?ro«jffai' irop-
NAP

XVII.

:
.]
1—6.

de Antichr.
The Vision
Babylon seated On the Beast.
.

36),
:

!,
:
- ?
",
, : , '8!
', -
-
: (-
(writes Hippolytus,

and the
of

from Jer.

Q)
(
the next verse will shew.

:
xxviii.

-
significance of the phrase as applied
(li.) ^
is
12
Tijs
borrowed
f.

; the

reader of the Apocalypse who has

reached this chapter reciprocates the
desire. Twice already he has been
told that Babylon is doomed (xiv. 8,
xvi 19), but the Seer has given no
, ', - '
to the New Babylon appears below,
V. 15.

:
2. ', :
For
see xiv.

.]
Again the imagery
yi)s
6, note.
oi :
clue to the meaning of the name, and
no description of the city or its down-
fall. These are to form the subject
—xviii) :
comes from the O.T.
c. xiv. 8.

c. xviii 3
see note on
The clause is repeated in
;
;

rijs : : or

=
of a new revelation (xvii. is an Apocalyptic phrase
which St John now receives under for human rulers in general, as con-
the guidance of an Angel, one of the trasted with the (i. 5, vi.

Seven who had been charged with

;,
the Plague-bowls
cf. xv. , 6, xxi. 9). For
( 15, xvi. 14, xxi. 24); or,
xvii 18,
rulers of territories
xviii. 3, 9,
as here
xix. 19, for the
which had been
and in

see i. 12, and for absorbed into the Empire or were

5f iv. 1 ; the phrase as a whole allied to it, and promoted its ends. The
is repeated in xxi. 9. of which these kings were guilty
: .] Cf. Jer. consisted in purchasing the favour of
xxviii
:
(li.) 9
(SC. ! ). oipavhv Rome by accepting her suzerainty
and with it her vices and idolatries.
-
St John has heard the sentence
pronounced, and is now to see it
carried into effect. On : : ),
8; if
answers to
(cf. Jo.
in xiv.
Borne was the temptress, the
ii.

see xiv. 8, note; cf. Primasius: nations and their rulers had shewn
"meretricem vocans, quia relicto themselves ready to comply. Few such
Creatoredaemonibus se prostituit" kings remained within the Empire;
one reason, doubtless, for the use of but St Johnis speaking of the past.

the name, but not that which the He could remember e.g. the princes
Apocalyptist has chiefly in view, as of the Herod family.
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,.
214 [XVII. 3

3 3
els
-
eihov

1 om iq i6 ig 30 33 4° al «"" minP ] 1
iSov Q 7 130 186 tSaA |
]
]-
Koymvov Q (item v. 4) |
K*AP] yc/iov Q 1 6 28 31 35 36 130 186 al syrs"'
Hipp Andr Ar

),
3. cf. i. 10, iv. 2, notes. St John does not

invites (),
The angel-guide not only
but carries the Seer ,
share St Paul's doubt
(. 4
away, transporting him to the scene
of the vision. The verb is used of the

' (2 Cor. xii. 2). Probably he

has in view the frequent ecstasies of

.,
ministry of angels at the moment of Ezekiel ; cf. e.g. Ez. iii. 14 f.
death (Lc. XVI. 22 Se
., ..

), during an ecstasy (as

or
,

..
VUL 3

Bel 36
!
€
!
here and in xxi. 10) for the latter cf.

.
:

....
-, . 24

Orig. in Iodnn.
;

t. ii.
seQ.
6) Spn
Hebr. (ap.
: ,] The Great Harlot appears
riding on a monster which, notwith-
, ; and St
ev

Paul's
standing the absence of the article
(cf. in xiii. 1 1), is doubtless to be
(2 Cor. xii. 4)• The identified with the Wild Beast from
Desert into which the Seer is trans- the Sea (xiii. 20) i.e. tho
1, 14 ; cf. xix. ;

ported is not the retirement and World-power regarded as an enemy

solitude of the inner life (xii. 6, 14, of Christ and the Church, and ruling
notes), for he would not have found by brute force. On this the Harlot-
the vision of Babylon there, but the city reposes gives her a proud
; it
desolation of a life without God (Pri- preeminence, and carries her to victory.
masius " desertum ponit divinitatis
: The colour of the Beast is now seen
absentiam, cuius praesentia paradisus
est"). Or possibly it anticipates the
time when the busy suburbs and
to be or perhaps crimson.
scarlet,
Kokkhos, dyed with the colouring
matter derived from the a ,
neighbourhood of the city will be
left without inhabitant; cf. Isa. xiv.
23 . Or
parasite of the Hex coccifera, repre-
sents in the lxx. nj)?lR or
W
^, or

) .),
nifein, nifrw (see the lexi-
may have been suggested
cons s.vv.). The colour was much
by the heading to Isa. xxi. KK'D
D**13'1P,
simply
vision of the
is
which

New
carried into a desert; for the vision
the
. lxx.
For the
Babylon the Seer
render
used for textile materials
iv. 8

?, 2 Regn. . 24
' ; cf. Num.
(sc.
-
. .

of the New Jerusalem he ascends a Jer. iv. 3° "

mountain

,
(xxi. 10, note).
The movement took place
i.e.in the sphere of the Seer's
- Mt. xxvii. 28
; .vnth it were blended the
- f

spirit, impelled by tho Spirit of God dark blue known as (Isa.

XVII.

.. <] < '/[]

1 86
3

al
]
,
4]

W
4

Andr Ar
his acoessit
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

.
28 3°
8 ap
8 94 Q 3°
38 (ex Andr comm)
86 ^'4 »I
om *•
215

6 12 28 36

iii.23; cf. Apoc. ix. 17, note), and the but the whole body politic did this
red-blue known as (Ex xxxix. dishonour to the Living God. It is
13 (1), 2 Chr. ii. 7 (6)), while the white of
the often completed the make-
up (2 Chr. iii. 14, Apoc. xviii. 16).

?
A thread or cord dyed with the
this. "! .
a first charge against Babylon that
she is supported by a. system such as

, asm xiii. ; for the interpretation

was attached to an object with
the view of arresting the eye (Gen.
xxxviii. 28, Jos. ii. 18). Thus the
see vb. 9
4.
f., 12, notes.

.]
In Babylon's
-
epithet conveys the idea of splendour
and distinction. The colour it des-
cribes enters into the clothing of the
woman herself (». 4), while the Beast
clothing the scarlet or crimson is
relieved by purple. The colours were
so near to each other that the
of Mt. xxvii. is called
!
she rides is completely dyed with it.
There is probably no reference here to
the blood of the martyrs, or to the
fires in which they perished; in either
case would have been more . ,^
or

. ..!
On
in Mc. xv. 17,
20, Jo. xix. 2, 5 ; here they blend, but
are distinct, as in Ex. xxvi.

"the colour

!
appropriate (cf. vi. 4, xii. 3); rather of clotted blood," see Mayor on Juv.

!
it is the ostentatious magnificence of i. 27. Andreas regards it as sym-
the Empire which is represented by
{»
bolizing the imperial power of Rome

-
!
the colour of the Beast (cf. Juv. iii
!! !
283f. "cavet hunc, quern coccinalaena
vitari iubet et comitum longissimus
ordo") ; its name (Andreas :-
|

) but mixed with crimson perhaps

it rather points like the latter (v. 3,

-) is
persecuting policy.
enough to indicate
!...
its
note) to the luxurious living of the
metropolis (cf. Lc. xvi. 19) than to its
being the seat of empire. St John

.
, .
Seer personifies the Beast and 'writes
. accordingly ;
are obviously corrections.
governs a gen. elsewhere in the Apoc.
.] The
,
shares the old Roman dislike of rich
attire: cf. Juv. xiv. 187 ff. "pere-
grina ignotaque nobis
atque nefas, quaecumque
ducit."
ad scelus
|

est, purpura

(iv. 6, 8, v. 8, xv. 7, xxi. 9), in the The whole passage Was used by the
rest of the N.T. (Mt. xxiii. 27, Lc. xi. Carthaginian Fathers of the third
39,
!)
Bom. iii. 14, cf.
and
Mt. xxiii.
in the lxx.
25
; on the
century as a persuasive against the
love of dress ; cf. Tert. de cult. fern.
ace. here see

.
construction in
¥M.,
».

cf.
p. 287,
4,
note; there
xiii
they stand on the Beast's seven heads,
here they cover his body. The Empire
i,
and
see below.
for the
For
ii. 12 "quam maledicta sunt sine
quibus non potuit maledicta et prosti-
tuta describi " ; Cyprian de hob. virg.
12 "fugiant castae virgines et pudicae
incestarum cultus, habitus impudi-
reeked with the blasphemous worship carum, lupanarum insignia, orhamenta
of the Emperors ; not its heads only meretricum."
2l6

4
,
,
om
Cypr anon»»8 p r i m
1 8 al Hipp [
!!
3 PQ
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

minP'i 80 syre» (hab

al) |
AQ 130 al30 Ar]
syrr om |
...
J 1

!!
8 23 3 1 3
KP
3 8 43 al
1

]-*
[XVII. 4

9 yg me syr arm
28 36 38 49 79 91 95 96
|

a•1
""
7 3° 3 2 94

>ai \.\ Not tions, as the Beast's scarlet body is

content with costly and splendid covered with "names of blasphemy";
clothing, Babylon wears all her jewel-
lery ancl even gilds her person (cf.
Ex. XXVI. 37
she is inaurata auro a meretricious
display which proclaims her vile trade
cf. Juv. vi. 122 f. (quoted in note on

v. 5). The commentators compare

—
);
;
,
its contents contrast strangely with
its external beauty; cf. Mt. xxiii 25

,! (Lc.

a rare word in the N.T.

).
£

Ez. xxviii 12, where it is said of (Mc. xiii. 14= Mt. xxiv. 15, a quota- —
—Lc.
...
the King of Tyre
but
Apocalyptist more probably reminds
', the
tion from Daniel,
xvii.
Apoc.
4 f., xxi. 27) is frequent in every
part of the lxx., where it usually
xvi. 15,

himself of the finery of the temple

prostitutes of Asia Minor, or recalls the
reports which reached the provinces
represents either
Lev. xi. 10 if., Dan.
J'jJB' or
ix. 27), or 3
(e.g.

-
(so with few exceptions in Deut., 3, 4
of the gilded vice of the capital.
Regn., Prov.), in the sense of cere-
("! ^?) Kai

, ).
monial or moral impurity, or an object

,
depends by zeugma upon
from which the reader must
mentally supply some such participle
of idolatrous worship or an idolatrous
rite (cf. 3 Regn. xi 6 = 5
4 Regn.
}
xxiii.
as
collective,
(xxi.
cf. xviii. 12,
2, 1 9).

16;
Al6os is . Both
1

meanings suit the present context;

— .. (xxi. 19). On the which filled the cup
see xxi. 21, note.

!
(li.)

,
7
-.] Adapted from Jer. xxviii

.
!!
of Rome may include both the cults
and the vices of Roman life. Kal

emphasis on the impurities of Rome's

traffic with the nations, the imperial
lays Special

From one point of view a great centre and commercial relations in which she
of heathenism and vice is a cup in the played the (xiv. 8, xvii. 1, notes).
Hand of God, the instrument of His A striking parallel to a part of this
righteous wrath
cup
for it

).
is in the
from another the
hand
:

she that prepares and ad-

is
ministers it (xviii. 6
The cup is of gold another
oj

sign of luxury (cf. Juv. x. 26 f. " ilia

of Babylon herself,

— ;
,
picture is to be found in Cebes, tab.
6...
,\-
, , !!.
;,
.,.'
ttj

... ...'
,,\. ;
roils
(sc. aconita) time cum pocula sumes ttj
|

gemmata et lato Setinum ardebit in

—
auro") but it is full of abomina-
XVII. 6]

• THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

5

,.
217

4 ]! t4 130 ! 2° 6 7 28 31* 35 3^ 3^ 47 49 79 ^7 9 1
6

)! ] !!
!
\

]
9S
(cf me)
al vg aeth Andr anon*"*]
!!
fornicationum (quasi
om arm"" 2
vg anon
Q 130 al30 Hipp Ar totius terr,ae Cypr Prim
5
"» Prim
+
al
130
6
|
om
HA.]
me
i86
|

] Q 14 92 130 ( K°°PQ 6 8 g 14 29
al•* iSov (7) ex )] 2
I

130 alP1' 15 Hipp Ar it* 38

5- \ were suckled at her breasts. The

A name written on the of the Empire is the source
forehead may be either that of the and fountain-head of its impurities,
person who bears it (cf. xix. 16, where the mother of harlots, even as the

.>
however the name is written Church is the mother of Christ and
\
one to whom the bearer stands in
), Or that of His Saints (xii. 5, 17). Cf. Andreas
[;] !
a near relation (cf. xiv. 1, xxii. 4).
Here the name and style are those The maternal
of the woman herself, and there is character of Rome was recognized by
probably an allusion to a custom the provincials themselves as late as
observed by the Roman cf. ;. the end of the fourth century, but

' ,'.
Seneca rhet. i. 2. 7 "stetisti puella from a different point of view; cf.
in lupanari...nomen tuum pependit Libanius, ep. 247
a fronte" [but the meaning is doubt-
Juv. vi. 1 22 f. "[Messalina]papillis
ful] ; |

constitit auratis,
Lyciscae." Cf. Arethas
-
titulum mentita

,, :

,
6.
.]
As the Seer con-
templates the Woman, he sees that
she is drunken, not with wine (Isa.
li. 2 but with ),
.] The legend borne by blood The dreadful conception is

*,
the titulus on the Harlot's forehead.
which stands in apposition
familiar to
Phil.
Roman
29 "gustaras civilem sangui-
writers ; cf. Cic.

.. ...
ii.

with .,
is used nearly as in nem vel potius exsorbueras"; Plin.
i. 20 H.N. xiv. 22. 2& "[Antonius] ebrius
. ., where sanguine civium"; Suet. Tib. 59"fasti-
see note. The Woman on the Beast dit vinum, quia iam sititiste cruorem."
represents, is the symbol of, Babylon Babylon is drunken with the blood of
the Great, while Babylon itself is a the citizens of the City of God, the
mystical name for the city which is
now the mistress of the world Her
gaily attired, jewelled, gilded person,
and her cup of abominations, proclaim
her to be the Mother-Harlot of the
, ..
Saints and the Witnesses of Jesus;
cf. xvi. 6

book see
24

ii.
airy

13, note.
On
The
in this
distinction
Earth. All the of all the sub- suggested 'by the repeated
-
ject races are her children ; all the is apparent only, for the saints

vices and superstitions of the provinces whose blood was shed were by that
218

< . '
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN [XVII. 6

7
> <\
,
;

8
, ,.' 8

om

] om om eK l ° 3 2
6 ex 130 2° Q 2 8 9 2 9 a " ° " '

(-
| I

., ]
31

130 +
.
al

arm
me
|
A
A
7
I170-01/] pr
pr
95 Iesu Christi Prim om 1 36 130 om
13879 8 «Scs KP mini" ] lies AQ 7
1
|

very circumstance also witnesses to has been betrayed by an exclamation;

the Faith ; but the repetition serves to and he proceeds to explain to the
enhance the guilt of Home. She had -Seer the symbolism of the Woman
not sinned in ignorance, for testimony
had been borne to Christ by more
than one generation of saintly sufferers

,
. ,
and the Beast. The two belong to
the same ; hence
not .
.
?

.
.

(
in the presence of high officials Of the .
Empire. For «8a see WH. 2, Notes, the Harlot-city is a burden
—
p. 171.

] which the Beast —

the Empire has to
(-
. . ..
\ support; cf. 2 Esdr. xxiii. 15
The Seer had been invited to see the eVl tovs
downfall of Babylon; the angel had : the
offered to shew him her sentence ex- articles point back to xviL 3, and
ecuted
ruins.
risen
He expected to see a city in
But instead of this there had
before him on the floor of the
ultimately to xiL 3.

.]
8. b eide;
The interpreter begins with
ijv -
t

desert the picture of a woman gilded, the -Beast, for if the Beast is rightly
jewelled, splendidly attired, mounted
on a scarlet monster, drunk with
blood. It was a complete surprise.
Who was this woman 1 what was the
meaning of the Beast? The Seer
understood, it will not take many

there
-eo -,
%
words to explain the Woman. *Hi»
cf. Gen. xlii. 36
:

perhaps an intentional anti-

is
toriv •
'
33 ) «

had lost his clue ; he was bewildered thesis to i. 4 <Sv. The de-
by a vision so widely different from scription seems at first to contradict
that for which he Jooked An in- c. xiii., where the Beast is said to have
terpreter is needed, and he is at recovered from his deadly wound
hand in the person of the angel (w. 3, 14
-
i)

who had undertaken to act as guide (((...((

see v. 7.

— The intebpretation op
). Here the Beast

((
7 18.
the Vision op Babylon and the
is
wound ( ),
represented as having died of his
and gone down to

),-
Beast. the abyss (cf. ix. xi. 7), though he
ff.,

7. &yyc\os is about to return to life (jieWci

.]
The. Angel has read
St John's amazement in his face or it
( — \
before he meets his final doom {els
XVII. 9 ] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN 219

ek V7rctyeiv
, <<
,. 9
/.
,

]]
9

8 virayav KPQ min' er,, ° nm vg ,id me syr aeth Hipp] A 12 80 syr« w Ii "'1

Prim At AP syrr] KQ min0I,mvld Andr Ar

]
|

Hipp pr warres arm Prim sn tijs 717s]

| Q min'"*• 80 vgHipp
Primria

( +
al""•1"1
al Ar]
I

vg syr« w arm' aeth Prim Andr Ar

ti*)
Q

*
2 7 20
Hipp ep.
14 38 al ec
36 43 49 91 96 alTld Hipp videntes vg Prim
APQ 6 7 14 186 al'"" 40 Hipp Prim Ar] ()
|

95
eyeypairro 9

. Q min 20 Ar
79

Hca
]
|

KAP 1 6 31 36 49 91 186

|
- |

g syrr et cecidit me om vg rid aeth: 5"

I 11 12 16 36 47 79 130
vovs
\ cum antecedentibus coniungunt Q (om ) 14 29 93 94 97 98
,9

a,V
rid
I

, syrr

,
. -
amuXeiai' cf. xix. 2•). On is probably not a gen.
this apparent inconsistency see below, absolute, but follows the case of by
v. 10 f., notes. attraction. ventura est;

.] Cf. . , 3
and see note there.
The Seer had wondered (v. 7) with the
amazement of a horrible surprise;
KaTotKoCvres
\
the Beast, like the Lamb, has a future
Parousia;

Lamb
cf.

But the
descends from Heaven, the
..
.
2 Th.ii. 8f.

the world will wonder and admire. Beast rises from the Abyss; the
T
Qv recalls . Lamb comes to celebrate His triumph,
xiiL 8

omitting the reference to the

(see note ad loc).
,Lamb
the Beast to receive his final doom.
The travesty is complete, and
the disadvantage of the Beast.

xiii.
9.
18
6 6 ]6
it is

Cf.
to

The ad- .] ., where see note. What is to fol-

miration of mankind for the Beast is low will put to the proof the spiritual
due to his vitality, his recuperative discernment of the hearer or reader.
power, his power to reassert his The formula is a call to vigi-

authority when they had believed him lance and close attention, like 6
to be dying or dead An Empire
which could endure the strain upon
oSs
. (ii.

follows the
7, etc.) ; but whereas
words which
.
its resources and the shock to its

•
challenge consideration, pre-

!,
prestige and authority sustained by cedes them. As Arethas points out,
Home during the period between the the wisdom which is demanded is a

.
death of Nero and the accession of higher gift than ordinary intelligence
Vespasian might well earn the respect-
ful

right.
of a world which makes
homage
success the gauge of strength and
The Church alone was not
, The interpretation now begins, but
deceived, but could foresee the% end. (as the reader has been warned) it is
220

.
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
',
' - [XVII. 9.

10
, ,
al
° '
els aXXos ,
.

14
9
92
»
erra. .] om
/8<*<»«5
2
86
\ .. . 95 |
om
me
" n 91 me
. |
]
Q min20
At
3e
J 7 1314
2

«s 96 aeth Hipp Prim

al20 Ar om
pr | ] |
ets

me | /7]
arm 4 |
eis]

130
pr 1 al ,ld 1
me
vg *" 4

itself an enigma, for which more than . kings (JwO) symbolized by the Four
one solution may be found. In the
notes which follow an attempt is made
to offer the explanation which on the
Beasts are interpreted both by the
LXX. and Th. as
and this interpretation is supported
',
whole seems to be the best
al ] 3STo
by vs. 23, 24, where the fourth Beast
is said to be the fourth Kingdom
reasonable doubt can be entertained
as to the meaning of these words. The
Seven hills of Rome were a common-
place with the Latin poets; cf. e.g.
Vergil, Aen. vi. 782 "ilia inclyta
(•ID7D or -^).
passage, where there is but one
and the kings are his heads, no such
ambiguity can arise if the Beast is
But in the present

;
,
Roma imperium I
animos ae-
quabit Olympo, septemque una sibi
muro circumdabit arces"; Horace,
|

carm. saec. 7 "di quibus septem pla-

terris,

cuere colles"; Propertius, iii. 10 "sep- ,

> ,
the Roman Empire, his seven heads

",,
are Emperors.

.]
6

for at death, notwithstanding

not simply

tem urbs alta iugis, quae toti praesidet his apotheosis, each of the five had in
orbi " Ovid, trist. i. 5. 69 " sed quae
; fact fallen from his exalted position
de septem totum circumspicit orbem |
for this use of cf. ii. 5. The
montibus, imperii Roma deumque vision seems to be dated in the reign

« .]
locus"; Martial, iv. 64 "hinc septem of the sixth Emperor (but see below
dominos videre monies et totam licet |
on v. 11). Putting aside the name of
aestimare Romam"; Cicero, ad Attic. Julius Caesar, who though he claimed
vi. 5 *S itmos The epithet the "praenomen Imperatoris" (Suet
is freely applied to Rome Jul. 76) was a Dictator rather than
in the later Sibyllines (ii. 18, xiii. 45, an Imperator in the later sense, the
xiv. 108).

V. I rrjs

. 3
mystically on the waters (». 15) and
.
*
Rome
, Cf.

sits
Roman Emperors of the first cen-
tury are Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula,
Claudius, Nero, G alba, Otho, Vitellius,
Vespasian, Titus, Domitian, Nerva,
Trajan. It is, however, more than
on the Beast, i.e. the subject races doubtful whether a writer living under
and the Empire, which support her the Flavian Emperors would reckon
geographically, as the seven heads of Galba, Otho, or Vitellius among the
the Beast which carries her suggest, Augusti. If we eliminate these names,
she isseated on the seven hills that the vision belongs to the reign of
rise
.
from the banks of the Tiber.

the heads of the Beast have a further

] But
Vespasian (a.d. 69—79), and probably,
as suggests, to
the last years of that reign, when
significance they are kings (cf. xiii.
:
'
' the accession of, Titus was already
3, note). In Dan. vii. 17 the four in sight Titus certainly fulfilled the
XVII.

,
eXffy. ","
12]

oXiyov
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

Set
221

€7 ,
bydoos
ets virayei. 1 2

1 1 canvj om 95 Hipp | ]+ en arm 4

1
om /cat 3 me |
al*" tm ™
vg syrs" Prim Andr Ar] ovtos NQ minP'i 25 | oydoos pr X 32 41 41 |
om 4° me
prediction for he died ., Domitian and unable to refer to him
Sept. 13, 81, "imperii felix brevitate," by name, Domitian takes Nero's place
as Aiisonius (De ord. xii. imp. 11) and style, as John the Baptist, who
cynically remarks.
1 1,

Kat ovtos
b
.] On
, came in the spirit and power of Elijah,
is called Elijah by our Lord (Mt. xi.

14, Mc. ix. 13). As late as the be-

see . 8, note. The eighth ginning of the third century the name
in the series of Emperors indicated of Nero, stuck to Domitian at least
in the last note is Domitian. But in in Christian circles ; to Tertullian he
what sense could he be described
the Beast b
said to be 'of the seven'
\ , (cf.
or be
as

Acts
is not only "portio Neronis de cru-
delitate" (apol. 5), but a 'sub-Nero'
(Depall. 4).
xxi.' 8) The mystery reaches its
1 '
One question remains. How can

,
'

climax here, and is not resolved by
placing a full stop after
WH. have done. A more promising
key may be found in the circumstances
of the age to which the Apocalypse
belongs. '
One of the seven
a reputation which even
years of the century made his name a
terror. Nero was the very impersona-
tion of the Beast, the head (xiii. 9)
which seemed to gather into itself all
the worst qualities of the body politic.
Nero was gone for the time
but he would return as an eighth, the
topstone to the heptad, a reincarna-
tion of the Beast, a Nero redimtms
though not in the sense which popular
rumour attached to the phrase (xiii.
3). Even pagan writers recognized
the resemblance between Domitian
and Nero ; cf. Juv. iv. 37 f. " cum iam
semianimum laceraret Plavius or-
bem ultimus, et calvo serviret
I
Boma Neroni" ; Mayor
compares Pliny, pan. where Do-
53,
mitian is "[Neroni] simillimus," and
Ausonius, I.e. 12 [Titum]...secutus
frater, quern ' calvum ' dixit sua Boma
'Neronem.' In Mart. xi. 33 Nero is
supposed by some to stand for Do-
mitian. With St JOhn, living under
the date which appears to be assigned
as to this vision by the writer himself be
reconciled with the traditional date
of the Apocalypse 1 It may of course
be that the Apocalyptist incorporates
' had left at this point an older Christian pro-
in the last phecy, or reedits his own earlier work.
But it is equally possible that in the
vision of the Woman and the Beast he
purposely transfers himself in thought
to the time of Vespasian (0 els
interpreting past, events under the
),
(5 ), form of a prophecy after the manner
of apocalyptic writers. Either of
these solutions may account for the
change of standpoint which is per-
ceptible when the reader compares
xvii. 8, 10 f. with xiii. 3, 8; see note
on xvii. 8. Cf. Introduction, c. iv.,
esp. p. liL
<«7» received a
dramatic fulfilment. Domitian was
assassinated (Sept. 18, 96), after a
(i. p. 223) terrible struggle with his murderers.
The tyrant's end was a symbol of
the end to which the Beast which
|
he personated was hastening.

)
12.
\.] Cf.
(sc.

, a tiSfs
Dan. viL 24
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
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which arising out of the Empire

A vg'" |

where if the Fourth Beast be Alex- forces

ander's Empire, the ten horns must itself, from a beast's head,
like horns
be explained either as the kingdoms and carrying on many of the worst
which arose out of it, or the successive traditions of the Empire, would turn
kings of one of the kingdoms of the their arms against Rome and bring
Diadochi, probably the Seleucidae about her downfall. It is unnecessary
see Driver, Daniel, p. 101 flf. The to press the number in this, case ; it

Apocalyptic Beast from the sea has has been suggested by the reference

(xiii. '
also ten horns, which are crowned

),«
...
i.e., as
to Daniel (I.e.), and it is a well-known
symbol of completeness (Eric. Bibl.
5437) which leaves the exact figure
the writer himself now interprets, ten uncertain (cf. ii 10, note). With the
kings. These have been taken to indefinite o2rii'er...iXa/3oi' cf. i. 7, ii 24,

represent (1) the Parthian satraps, ix. 4, xx. 4, and see Blass, Gr. p. 173.
who according to Mommsen were car The ;3« .]
practically independent ' rulers ; or new potentates, though not Emperors,
(2) the subordinate potentates of Asia will in some sense succeed to the
Minor, or (3) unknown future allies of position of the Caesars, possessing
the Roman Empire ; or (4) the seven quasi-imperial powers, which they

,;,,
Emperors already referred to, plus will exert in concert with the Beast
the three who held rule between Nero
and Vespasian. The last suggestion is
and to the detriment of
IO as !,
Rome. With

, €,
oSs cf. i. IV.
excluded not only by the contrast of 6 cos ix. 7 <os xiii. 3
with jet but by the plain cos X1W 3 ns
statement that not one of the ten xvi. 21 cas in such con-
had yet begun his reign ; and the texts compares without identifying;
oSr
same objection holds against (1) and
(2), notwithstanding
that
Bousset's plea
was true
of the Parthian satraps regarded from
the Roman point of view. Par nearer
to the Apocalyptist's words is the
the ten /SamXeir are not

them.

;/
Cf. Arethas: <as .,
in the
same sense as the seven, but resemble

the remark of Bede,.

"tamquam reges dixit, quia velut in
ro
Ttjs !
',
comment of Irenaeus (v. 26. 1): "de somnis regnant qui Christi regno
novissimo tempore, et de his qui sunt adversantur," true as it is, misses the
in eo decern regibus, in quos dividetur Apocalyptist's point. With
quod nunc regnat imperium, signi- compare Dan. iv. 16(19), ixx^&pav
ficavit Ioannes " ; cf. Arethas

! -iktts eivai ex Trjs

iv rois
. : Apoc. xviii. 10, 16, 19
Great leaders and even dynasties
and empires have a relatively brief
Kaipois.The ten kings belong to a
'
' existence, as compared with the world-
period which in St John's time was power of the Beast, though for the
-stillremote they belong, as the
; time they share his authority (cf.
sequel will shew, to the last days of xiii. 2).
the Roman Empire, and represent the 13. ourot .]
XVII. 4 ]

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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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The 'ten kings'
17.
XX. 3 iyivero
;,
iv
are of one
'purpose,' as in Acts

I Cor. .
mind

vol
The unanimity of the
ten appears in their support of the
:

^T«
cf.

iv
(D'j'tsn ^),

and during the Maccabean struggle

(Dan. ii. 47 £>,'

(pfo }»);
and
the post-exilic Psalms (cxxxv. (cxxxvi.)
3 roi
is heard again in

cf.
) 6

2 Mace,
Beast, Le. in their worldly policy and
hostile attitude towards Christ. The xiii. 4

8
Seer entertains no illusions on this ; for
point ; he does not anticipate that the examples of the use of the title in

rise of new and unknown forces will ancient Egypt see Diod. Sic. i.
47 § 4
' eV
bring any immediate improvement;
,
the Beast will remain, and the new
powers will be his allies. With the
old uncontracted form
6icuTiv (em-, -)
,
cf. n-

in Mt. v. 1 5, xxiii. 4,
Mc. xv. 17 ; the contracted present
.
.. St Paul

to the Father.
(1
(Sesostris)).
Tim.

The Apocalypse, in its

vi.
ib.

15) uses
55 § 7

In the

in reference
-
occurs in c. iii. 9 ; see W. Schm.,
and usual manner, transfers such titles to
pp. Il8, 121 £

-.
are combined, as in xiii. 2 ; the Beast the Son; He is (i. 5) the
can rely both on the actual fighting
xix. 16)
; !
He is (here and
and
power of his allies and on the moral
force which belongs to their position. The words have a special
appropriateness if written in the time

,
14. apvlov
.]
The of the Beast
allies of Domitian; cf. Suet. Domit. 13:
"adclamari etiam in amphitheatro
must be enemies of the Lamb. As
in xvi. i3ff., the Seer sees the kings epuli die libenter audiit 'domino et
gathering for battle. That is one dominae feliciter'...pari arrogantia
certain fact and an- cum procuratorum suorum nomine
other the victory of the Lamb
is formalem dictaret epistolam sic coe-
; He
will conquer the hostile pit; 'dominus et deus noster hoc
coalitions of the future as surely as in fieri iubet'"; see Mart. v. 8 "edictum

the past He has overcome the solid
resistance of a great empire. The
Seer produces his reason for this
assurance: "for the Lamb is Lord
of lords and King of kings." The
stately phrase, so familiar to us in
Christian hymns, goes back to Deut.
X. 17
domini deique nostri." If the Roman
Emperor, a Nero or a Domitian, could
be styled princeps, imperator, do-
minus, the Head of the Church was
more princeps regum, rex regum,
dominus dominorum ; crowned heads
, /Tot
were His subjects and Would one day
be put under His feet.
' \
224

15

6
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'.., THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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Lamb, as they have shared His con- c'ides, V. 12

flict suggests a contrast a At a first glance the point to

e

'"
$.

..-
with () (v. 12 £); cf. which attention is now called seems
xiv. I, 4 to break the thread of the angel's
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, .
are known by three
('\(,
are contrasted in Mt. xxii. 14
yap
notes
The
;

;
They
they are
first two
necting link between ve. 14 and 16.
Rome's greatest danger lay in the
multitudes which were under her sway,
and out of which would arise the ' ten
kings' who were to bring about her
stands often in good company downfall.
—
1 Cor.
28 rots
Jude I
i.

to'is
2
!
(Rom. i. 1 where see note in SH.,'

' ),
ayios, Rom. viii.

ouo-u»,
The waters on which the Harlot had
been seen to dwell (v. 1) represented
the teeming and mixed populations
of the Empire. Cf. Isa. viii. 7
* :
yet it falls short of ; to have ,
been chosen by God is more than to
have been called by Him. In order ., (xlviL) 2
; Jer.

of time precedes kXjJo-is, "the

calling being the outward expression
of the antecedent choosing" (Hort on sat
.
on the brink of a seething flood
The
els
Harlot-city

1 Pet. i. 1), but in the order of moral (contrast Ps. xxviii. (xxix.) 10) the —
significance this is reversed,
isfollowed by '.
these qualifications exhausts St John's
and
Yet neither of
polyglott races of the Empire, her
support and strength at present, but
if they rose, as at some future time
description .of those who have part in they might rise, the instrument of

, ,, -
the victory of the Lamb ; though on
God's side no failure is to be feared
certain
the phrase
and
.
swift destruction.
see v.
For
9, vii. 9,

.,. ), !
.
(Rom. viii. 29 f. otis
..ovs tovtovs
x. 1 1,

ultimately on Dan.
xi. 9, xiii. 7, xiv.
iii. 4,
6 ; it rests

29, iv. j,

part there is
our ,
on man's
no -such security (2 Pet.
v.

.
19,
16.
vL 21, vii. 14.

.] The fall
a
of the City
!
i.

climax is only
);
reached when
the
the
is to

and from the Beast

come from the new powers de-
stined to proceed from the Horns
himself, who will
'called' and 'chosen' are found turn against the Harlot he has long
'faithful.' For cf. ii. 10, n. maintained. Sudden changes from
XVII.

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fierce love to bitter hatred, familiar

enough in private history (cf. e.g.
2 Sam. xiii: 1 5), find their parallel in
ev \
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..
;

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29

The
the history of nations, and the Seer
foresees that the downfall of Rome
phrase
parallel in
).
c. xii. 15
! -
!
finds a

will
in
come in this way. Already with-
his memory the capital had been
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:

XXVI. (xxvii.) 2 ev
for the
':.£
Tas
metaphor
fV
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the Flavian Emperors inaugurated

a peace which had lasted more than
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Mic.
.
iii. 3
The
denotes, as
in classical Greek, portions of flesh,
pi.
Tas

of fresh trouble ; Domitian had no or the muscles that compose the flesh
obvious heir, and his life was menaced contrast the use of the sing, in Jo. vi.
by conspiracies at any moment Rome
; 53 if., where the whole nature of man
might be sacked again. But St John is intended.
looks beyond the end of Domitian's ev I ,

reign to a future which he does liot the legal punishment of certain gross
attempt to fix. He has a pre- sins (Lev. xx. 14, xxi. 9, Jos. viL 15).
vision of forces within the Empire
taking shape under the leadership
Compare Jeremiah's threat, xli.
(xxxiv.) 22 5(1 , forces
of men who, without the Imperial
purple, would possess Imperial powers,
and would use them for the destruction
of Rome. His forecast was verified by
the long series of disasters sustained at
the hands of Alaric, Genseric, Ricimer,
Totila, the representatives of the
hordes which overran the West in
the 5th and 6th centuries; not to
,
of Nebuchadnezzar)

ev

1J.
(& '/,
.. .
6 yap
.'] The angel
Tas iroKeis

anticipates the
objection that the success of such a
coalition against Rome is incredible
.
eir
els

els Tas KapSias

\-

mention later sieges by less barbarous the ten kings will surely fall out
foes. No reader of the Decline and among themselves. They will not fall
Fall can be at a loss for materials out, for their unanimity is of God, Who
which will at once illustrate and has chosen them as instruments of
justify the general trend of St John's His Will and it will continue until
;

prophecy. His words (i.e. those of the prophets

speaking in His Name, cf. six. 9,
(5)
With his description cf, Hos. ii. 3
... xxi. 5, xxii. 6) shall be fulfilled. For
. . 15
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fi's (3 |P?) see Th. iv. 8, Caesars was the contemporary repre-
Heb. 10 (Jer. xxxviii. = xxxi. sentative of Babylon ; other ages may

,
viii. 33)

,
for cf. V. 1 3.
witness the rise and fall of other
His purpose, His royal decree, mistresses of the world not less mag-
a sense which the word often bears nificent and depraved.
in 1 and 2 Esdras and Daniel, where XVIII. 1—24. The Doom op
reference is made to the edicts of the Babylon.
Persian kings. cf. . .] The Vision of
Lc. xviii. 31, xxii. 37, Acts xiii. 29, Babylon on the Beast is followed by
Apoc. x. 7. ( 1 ) the descent of an angel who repeats

18. and enhances the sentence of xiv. 8

.'] —
3) ; (2) a voice from heaven,

.]
Lastly, the Harlot (vv. 1

herself receives interpretation. The which passes into a succession of

words leave no doubt that Rome is dirges chaunted over the doomed city
meant, even if doubt could have re- (vv. 4 —
19) (3) a call to Heaven and to
;

mained after v. 9. Babylon is the the Church to rejoice (v. 20) ; (4) the
Imperial City of the world, the seat of fall of Babylon, symbolically executed,
the one great Empire. which was left and its effects described (vv. 21 24). —
(ij .). Cf. Tert. adv.
Marc. iii. 13 (cited in note to xiv. 8),
The Angel of the Doom is not the
adv. Jud. 9 ; Aug. de civ. Dei xvi. 17 angel who acted as the Seer's guide
-
"ante conditam Romam veluti alteram' He comes down from
(xvii. 1, 7, 15).

in Occident» Babyloniam," xviii. 2 heaven expressly charged with this

"ipsa Roma quasi secunda Babylonia mission (cf. x. 1, xx. 1); he possesses
est." Even in a series of non-Christian great authority (xiii. 2), to enable him
inscriptions (Audollent, Defixionum to enforce his sentence so recently ;

iabellae, inscrr. 160, 161) via has he come from the Presence that
seems to occur as a synonym for Rome. in passing he flings a broad belt of

.
But Rome does not, of course, ex- light across the dark Earth—a phrase
haust St John's conception of Babylon.
His vision sounds a note of warning 2 f. (6
used of the Vision of God in Ez. xliii.

..
).()
which may well be taken to heart by
any great metropolis which prostitutes V yi
its wealth and influence to base or ', 'by reason
«elf-seeking ends. The city of the of,' see viii. 13, xvi. iof., notes.
XVilL

( ''( . 3] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 227

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2. } cities hostile to Judah with satyrs

.]
XXVUi. (xxix.) 4
Heb. V. 7 /«ero
A

the voice of the spheres which, in-

audible to the ear, appeals to the
! ),, ,
strong voice

like
(cf. Ps. (D'-W!?>)
Apocalyptist,
and the lilith; the N.T.
while he takes over
both the conception and the word
thinks doubtless of the
demon-powers represented by the

"
.universal conscience (Ps. xix. 3f.);
for the cry itself see c. xiv. 8, note.
is still anticipatory, for the
idols of paganism (cf. ix. 20, xvL 14)
which will haunt the wrecked tem-
ples of Rome, the scene of their old
-
.
actual fall is not yet; but in the Seer's magnificence. The resonant
thought the purpose of God has been
accomplished already.
«at

. -,
. .] So Paul's
may be purposely chosen;
contrast with
(Eph.
St
22). .

! ,
Isaiah writes of Babylon (xiii. 21 f. refugium (Prim), eustodia
.. (Vg.), is here perhaps rather a watch-
eKei tower or stronghold (as in Hab. ii. 1
-
( to'is ), and of
-
Edom in
UL 34
ttjs
ot
),
than a prison or cage
Bar.
Ta'is

the very similar passage xxxiv. 14

Of. Jer. xxvii. (1.) 39

iv
iv !! - f.

(of
(xx. 7) ; the evil spirits, watching
over fallen Borne like night-birds
or harpies that wait for their prey,
build their eyries in the broken,
Babylon)
iv

ivrois
(of-
,
Nineveh)
; Zeph.

; Baruch
ii. 14

iv. 35 -
towers which rise from the ashes of
the city.

3. ort
! .]
Prim., Vg., :

roC
Cf. xiv. ,
!
xvi.
19, notes; and on the accumulation
(of the of the Exile).
cities of genitives see Blass, Gr.' p. 99.
The O.T. prophets fill the ruins of has overwhelming external

15—2
228

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support, but can scarcely be more for •'taiSOT; cf. I Tim. T.

than an early and widespread error, 11, where

due perhaps to the proximity of means apparently 'to grow restive

.
(v. 2) ; both the general sense under the restrictions imposed by
and the prophetic usus loquendi Christian discipline.' In the present
(cf. Jer. xxviii.(li.) 7, 39, xxxii. (xxv.) context (cv. 9) is probably,
.
7,
14 f.)

Two
require

ally affected
would be more' especi-
classes
by the fate of Babylon.
,,
as Hesychius says,
and
than 'insolent luxury' {deliciae, Prim.,
is little more

The ruling class had "committed Vg). It was by ministering to the

fornication with her," i.e. were deeply
and often guiltily involved in the sins
of Rome cf. xvii. 2, note
; The mer-
cantile class would suffer yet more
severely by the fall of the city, and
the rest of the chapter is largely
occupied with the effect of the event
on commerce and trade. The writer
has in view the graphic description of
the collapse of the trade of Tyre given
—
by Ezekiel (xxvi. xxviii.) cf. also
Isaiah's reference to Babylon (xlvii.
15). Allusions to trade in the N.T.
are fairly frequent (cf. Ml xiii. 45,
xxii. 5, xxv. 14, Jac. iv. 13), but it
is only in this passage that we catch
sight of the vast traffic which carried
the produce of the East and of Egypt to
heartless luxury of the capital that
the traders of the Empire made their
money. On the extravagant expen-,
diture of the Boman Emperors and
aristocracy see Dill, Roman Society
from Nero to M. Aurelius, pp. 20,
32f., S5f., 66ffi, I28ff., I77f.
4. -
\.~] The Angel's cry
is followed by another voice which
;
comes from heaven itself (x. 4, 8, xL
God, as ?
12, xiv. 2, 13), whether the Voice of
at first sight sug-
gests (cf. xvi. 1), or that of one.of the
angels of the Presence, as the charac-
ter of the whole utterance that follows
renders more probable.
is modelled on several passages in the
.

& ;--:
Italy, and found its centre in Borne.

grown rich (, ,
The merchants of the world had
cf. iii. 17,
Prophets which relate to Babylon,
e.g. Isa. xlviii. 20
Jer. Xxvii.

?
;
note) by reason of (cf. Ac T^t (1.) 8
v. ) the might of her wanton luxury.

satisfied,

cf.
,.
Srprjvos in 4 Begn. xix. 28 is the self-
complacent, arrogance
Gwynn, Apocalypse, p. 80) of Senna-
cherib, while in Isa. lxi. 6 Symm. uses
(t?i>!t",
XXVUi.

;
(li.) 6

45
(the last cited words, however,.
XVIII. 6]

•
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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But the Cry

also /] A
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conception
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is
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already in Horn! Od. xv.

xxviii.

; this t

Hebrew
Call of
history
Abram
{Gen. xii. 1),
;
rings through the
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in the
.
329
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re

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18117

Vg. .,
;

rescue of Lot (Gen. xix. 12 ff.), in one another till they reached heaven,
the Exodus, in the call to depart till the ever-growing mass rose sky-

from the neighbourhood of the tents high for a somewhat similar use of
-'
'
;

of Dathan and Abiram (Num. xvi. 26). cf: Deut. Xxviii. 60

(•)
In this context the sauve qui peut is
to be regarded partly as a feature
borrowed from the O.T. models cited
], ,, .
Bar. i.
[sc.

20
Lc. 1 1
above, partly as a warning to Chris-
tians at Borne and elsewhere to shun
Acts .

,
26 rats ; the exact
entanglement in the sin and punish-
ment of the new Babylon ; cf. 2 Cor. vi.
. construction occurs jn Zech. xiv. 5,

I4("I
Eph.

22
There
V.

is
1 1

no occasion to look
single fulfilment in history,
an actual exodus of members of the
, ; . tols
I Tim.

for any
such as
V.

Gr.
6.
cf. XVI. 19
.
followed by the ace. see Blass,
p. 104.
,
For -
Boman Church such a precept is
:
."] The command is
sufficiently obeyed by aloofness of addressed of course not to the
spirit maintained in the very heart 'people of God,' but to the minis-
of the world's traffic. As Augustine ters of Divine justice, the yet un-
writes (de civ. Dei, xviii. 18): "quod trained and unknown forces which
praeceptum propheticum ita spiritua- the Seer saw gathering for the work

.
ljter intellegitur ut de huius saeculi
civitate...fidei passibus quae per di-
lectionem operatur in Deum vivum
proficiendo fugiamus."
5- . . - ,
of destruction cf. xvii. 16 ff. Several
:

O.T. denunciations of Babylon are in

view, e.g. Ps. exxxvi. (exxxvii.) 8
-
-
239

' THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

',
[XVIII. 6

7 1

.
,,
8

-\
'.
- '- & 8

](
•"
6

96 186

]
14 92
8 14 alP'

I
omoTi
28 29
+
Hipp Andr Ar
1» 186
KQ

I
7 8 14 29

om 01-12°
3 43 50 90 93 98
|
Sore]
1
38

al"'*""
al"1* 20

all""10
me
|
om
] «« Q
vg Hipp Cypr anon•"» al
94 |
]] |
7
x* 10 12 37 49 91

C
Q
|

;
KC

dvrcwroSoTe
;
Jer. xxvii. (1.)

•. !...
29 affirmed continually, e.g. Prov. xxix.
23 Lc. i. 51
-
The principle of a Divine lex talionis
runs through the O.T., and asserts
itself even in the Sermon on the
, ib. xiv. II
here the humiliating
;
6

Mount (Mt.

there
vii.

). Even
2
for
abundant support
loss of wealth and place is aggravated
by acute suffering cf. ix. 5,

note) and sorrow tKe ease of luxury

(/,

.
is ;

see the legislation of Ex. xxii. is exchanged for pain, and its light-

'
4, 7, 9,
and cf. Isa. xl. 2
! hearted laugh for the gloom of
bereavement; cf. Lc. vi. 25 ,
Jer. xvi. 18
. ;

! , ; Jac. iv. 9
(B ab KAQ)
thought, that good and evil return
upon the doer with interest which may
reach a hundredfold, finds a place
in Greek poetry; cf. Aesch. Ag. 537

On the vindictive spirit sometimes

,
The same

. .
6
The same sharp contrast is seen in
the parable of Lc. xvi. 19 if.

..
.
:

...
-
*
displayed by Christians under persecu- rfj .}
tion, and its relation to such passages After Isa. xlvii. 7

,
ff•

(^
as this, see vi. 10,

Vg. duplicare du-

plicia, to pay double, is perhaps
note.
n'l3?>?D 33)...'
sage applied to Borne also in Orac.
, cf. V.

a pas-
6

unique, but it follows the analogy Sibyll. V. 167 ff. al at

of (xvi. 9),
'. | ...
.
being the ace. of content.

' '- ,
xvii. 4, xviii. 3.

7.

.]
: cf.

Let her share of misery be

xiv. 8, , notes, and . \

similar boast
ascribed to Tyre by Ezekiel (xxvii.
Cf. Andreas:

!
A

^. is

3).

!
proportionate to her arrogant self-
glorifiqation
.,. Cf. Isa. Hi.
al
16 S. avff 8. , .] The elation and

. 6
The general principle is
self-confidence
would be the direct cause
induced by luxury
(....
XVIII. 9]

•
? ,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST
al ^ ,. "JOHN"

9 -'
-
23

9
r

'
!]& !8
. <5
14 9 2 aeth Cypr
. .
Prim
2
|
•;7<«]
6 8 g 29 3°* 35 3^ al20 I
arm
] |

+
al Ar
tt*

9
79
»/ 95 vg aeth

all""""' 1 1
'
utr

CPQ 130
syre w aeth |
86
syre™ +

] ' """1 Ar] <<»/

79

36 38 79 95 97
6
°•*
alvlxm»
al"'
6 3 1 79

11
Hipp
om 14
|8«] pr
)
92 Prim ]
ot 1 30

, , ,\
of sudden and utter ruin. The The is begun by the kings

still has in mind Isaiah I.e. of the earth," i.e. the subordinate and

.
writer

..
the prophet proceeds allied princes who had flourished
under the protection of Rome for :

... .
,... ...
]..
oi see i. 5, vi. 1 5, 'and for
their relation to the Empire, xvii. 2,
18, xviii. 3, notes. As in Ezekiel
adds to the pathos of Tyre is bewailed by the ".princes of
the downfall ; cf.Seneca, ep. 91 "una the sea" (Ez. xxvi. i6f.
uox
nullam";
urbem maximum et
fuit inter
Lucret. Hi. 911 "omnia
cf.

ademit una dies infesta tibi tot prae-

|-
miavitae." The 'plagues' of Babylon,
when they come, will make a dire
antithesis to her present condition
death, mourning, dearth will reign
where life atits gayest and fullest has
long prevailed. Fire will complete
the work of destruction cf. xvii. 16,
no,te. Incredible as all this may seem,
the Seer is assured that it will be
realized ; Babylon had already been
doomed, and the Judge wlio pro-
nounced the sentence (6 qui
...
.),
- SO St John
represents the vassals of the Empire
as assembling themselves to deplore
the fate of Borne. With a touch of
grim humour he paints them as
standing at a safe distance from the
conflagration, and contenting them-
: selves with idle lamentations. Rome's
,
favours and her luxury (oi
),
subjects and allies have shared her

cannot help her in the time of need,

and are careful not to be drawn into
but

!...
:
iudicamt, Prim.) is strong to execute
it ;

. . '*
cf. Jer. xxvii.

§, or the
.
(1.) 34 6

like.
Tois
is the
her doom. Their

,
doomed city.
is
is sincere
enough, for in Rome they have lost a
protectress, but it avails nothing to the

for the Attic -

, .] 9 f. \
The Voice now describes
the effects of the great catastrophe, in
eV
cf.
as in Lc.
Jo. v. 25,
vi. 21, Jo. xvi.
Jo. X. 28,
Lc. I.e. (W. Schm. p. 107). For
20;

.
the form of a series of dirges chaunted
over the dead city by the kings (9 10), —
the combinations
Lc. 52 -
-
cf.

.
viii.

merchants (11 if), and shipowners rqvro ; similarly, xxiii. 27

(ij —
i9)of the world. The whole pas- For
sage seems to have been suggested by see Pet. iv. 12, and cf. 2 Pet. iii. 12
Ezekiel's dirge over Tyre (Ez. xxvii.). ; for
232 THE APOCALYPSE OE ST JOHtt [XVIII. 9

'ol ' ,° ,

,7 , , -
11
,
. ", ' •>
,
'
-
' . ' -
12

9
semel 36-4° ter 35 8 7 syrs"
A
95 om |
(-
3

\ ] A
86)]
I
Ba/Si/Xwy]
1 r
H

]
]pr
+
35 49 ^7
dpyvpov

|
"
* (.
.
Pr e" *
•*)

3^ a l Ar /ua "
Q min3a
vg (syr) syre" Hipp Ar | 6 7 4S 49 91 al"",vld Ar 35 87 92

]
seqq eoniungunt
aureus

.
Q e^ (e)auTous 36 186 ee eaurois
ACQ 95 almtt Ar om arm
. CP
I 79
12
.
.
.
arm |

*. 0
cum

syr

,,
Prim

trast Isa. xxvi.

...
, .,
recurs in
cf. . 8
Mc.

e'v
.
'that seemed so strong'

19.
6, note.

;
'
,
.
the thought
: con-
ports as Seleucia, Ephesus, Smyrna,
Corinth, Alexandria, Carthage, which
tapped the resources of the East and
of Africa, and on the West from Mar-
seilles and Spain. How vast the traffic
was appears from hints dropped by
contemporary writers, e.g. Pliny H.N.

'.
II. xii.41 "minima computation© millies
.] 'The kings of the earth' are center a mi Ilia sestertium annis omni-
succeeded by the 'merchants of the bus India et Seres peninsulaque ilia
earth,' who take up the dirge, weeping imperio nostro adimunt" Galen, antid. ;

. ~]
and mourning for their dead mistress
for cf. ' ' xvi. ,
1 .
4 toIs. .
€

<
. ..
Lc. vi. 25, Jac. iv. 9, and below, v. 15.

'
Aristides, cited by Wetstein :

, ,-
',.
The second lamentation over Babylon

,..
,
is even more frankly self-interested (at Rome)
than the first the merchants mourn
;

because they have lost their market,

and there is no longer any demand
for their shiploads of costly wares.
may be used
of a load on the
.. , . .' ~
),•...>
back of horse or camel or ass (cf. Ex. Such words reveal the extent
xxiii. 5 ro of the loss which the commerce of the
but the more usual sense world might be expected to suffer from
burden," cargo' (cf. Acts xxi. 3

)
'ship's a sudden collapse of its chief market
12.
iskeeping with the
in better .] A list? of the imports
present context. Merchandize came which flowed into the port of Rome
to Rome by sea direct from such (1) precious metals, marbles and gems,
XVIII. 3]

,
-
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

, -
233.

13
mini• 1 vg cll! " mdem1 "'" aeth
130 86 al ! H 35 87 95 Byr

Hipp Andr Ar
HCP 7 35 95 Hipp]
Prim]
|
:
] CP

Q 1
ti
*3

36 49 79 91
6 8 14 29 186 alP'1
30
Ar
13

om A

. ? i° 130
.
|
»]
NACPQ

.
/ceuos
7 32 130 186 al]
A fyihivov
syrs™
|

|
om
om
C 18 |
]
minP lvld 31 35 36 94
A vg aethvld » |
om

(2) textile materials for costly clothing, the Atlas, was much prized for its

(3) choice woods, articles of vertu, veining, which in the best specimens
«osmetics, (4) food stuffs, (5) live stock, simulated the eyes of the peacock's
from sheep and cattle to slaves and tail (Mart. xiv. 85), or the stripes of
other human ministers to the wants the tiger and spots of the panther
or the vices of the rich. (Phil. .
N. xiii. 96), or the seeds of

.
Only a few of these articles of
commerce call for separate notice.
', 'Seric fabric,' i.e.

?silk, is .
the parsley; the colour also varied
in different specimens ; hence
At Rome citrus wood was
£

tos
Xey. in Biblical Greek, for
Prov. xxxi. 22
and 'PO
; but
in Ez. xvi. 10, 13
is

used by
Greek writers after the Macedonian
rendered by

is freely
by -
!, in much sought after for dining tables
"Seneca, Dio lxi. 10, § 3, ...had 300
tables of citrus wood with ivory feet
(Mayor on Juv. i. 137); but it was
also used for veneering, and for small
works of art, which were made out of
conquest, when silk found its way to
the West how abundant the material
;

was at Rome in the first century

appears from a statement of Josephus
H. P. V. 5 ck : )
the hard roots of the tree (Theophrast.
(sc.
epytov).

(lxx. = ivoiy was

(B. J. vii. 5. 4) that at the triumph of

\ '...
•
]ty)

Vespasian and Titus

'
.
(Prim, sirici) which is attested
iv
The form
,
used by the Hebrews for boxes (Cant,
v. 14), beds (Am. vi. 4), and even in
building (3 Regn. xxii. 39
cf.
e\e-
Ps. xliv. (xlv.) 9, Cant. vii. •

cites

9893.
1

,
here by all the uncials, has some
external support; see WH.J Notes,
p. 58, W. Schm. p. 46 van Herwerden

and siricarius from OIL,

{lignum citreum,
from CIA,
;

iii.

vi.
3513
9674,
4, Am. iii. 15). It is mentioned by
Ezekiel (xxvii. 15) among the imports
of Tyre. By wealthy Romans under
the Empire it was largely used in the
decoration of furniture such as beds,
couches,, tables thus Juvenal com- :

Prim., I. thyinum, Vg.), wood of the

tree known to the Greeks as
or and to the Romans, as citrus,
,, plains (xi. 120 ff.): "cenandi nulla
voluptas ...latos nisi sustinet orbes|
I

grande ebur et magno sublimis

probably the Thuia articulata of pardus hiatu dentibus ex illis quos
|

botany. This wood, which was im- mittit porta Syenes" people cannot —
ported from North Africa, where it enjoy their supper unless their table
grew freely in the neighbourhood of rests on a leopard carved in ivory.
 . , THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN [XVIII. 13
234

olvov
. '
€'\
om

!
13

94 vg om
K«»
(. Q*
Q 1 all•

C
1

|
vg
6 14 3 8 almu

om
olodora
Hi PP Ar )]
me syrsw Prim Ar
Q
( ] *
min"*• 20
- |
|

+
K(Q) min a5 (Hipp)
Q 14 92
Hipp
'

,
I
25
om peSwv me 6 7 31 38 i86 al Ar peSiav
95 130 syrr | |

r
4 43 9 2 )].i eSos BTr

13.

Herodotus
(jiO|i?),

in) a word of
according
,
sc.
ptd£v
though not easy to see
it is

.
to (iii.

Phoenician origin, is among the why the construction should at this

ingredients of the 'holy anointing point revert to that of
oil' (Ex. xxx. 24 if.), "and is named ., to return almost immediately to
with other spices in Prov. vii; 17, the accusative in //•
Cant. iv. 14, Sir. xxiv. 15. Probably Mr Anderson Scott suggests that "we
it was not the Ceylon spice now known
should see he"re additional items which
by that name, but the product of the distinguish Rome from her O.T. re-
Cinnamon cassia from South China presentative, Tyre"; but Tyre, too,
(Enc. Bibl. 828 f.). In Roman life it had dealings in horses and human flesh
supplied one of the cosmetics of the (Ez., xxvii. 1 3 f.). It would seem as if

banquet; Plaut. Cure. 1. 2. 6, "tu mihi the writer merely wished to relieve the
stacte, tu cinnamomum," Lucan, x. monotony of the long sentence and per-
165, "multumque madenti infudere
haps at the same time to throw greater
|

'4
cinnamon."
phrast. H. P.
",
comae quod nondum evanuit aura

ix. 7. 2, Plin.
aniomum (Theo-
N. xii. .
]
solemnity into the last clause.
according to Isid. etyin. xx. 12, is a
"genus vehiculi quattuor rotarum,"
28)is another Eastern perfume familiar and according to Quintilian (i. 5. 5)
to Roman writers cf. Ovid, Cydipp.
:
came from Gaul it became fashion-;

xxi. 266 "spissaque de nitidis tergit able at Rome, and in the third

,
amoma century, according to Lampridius,
comis*" ; Martial, viii. 77 " si
sapis, Assyrio semper tibi crinis
Senators acquired the privilege of
amomo plating their rhedae with silver.
|
splendeat." As to its place of
origin, Theophrastus (ix. 7)can only say: mancipiorum, slaves, a use
which is familiar to the lxx. (Oeii.
,
menia.
on
in e|

Mc.
/3oios, c. viii. 3, note.
Enc.
oi Se
Bibl. 145 suggests that it came from
the cissus vitigena, a native of Ar-

; On
xiv.
(here
3,
?
see
note
v. 8,
;
;

on
note,
-
XXXVl. 6

, ), Tob. .
ktijkij,

the papyri shew (Deissmann, Bible

Bel 3 2
2 Mace.
who, as
viii. II or*

only in N.T., but frequent in lxx. = Studies, page i 60), found it in the Egyp-
tian Greek of the Delta. It was repu-
TOO), the fine flour imported for the
diated by the Atticists (e.g. Pollux iii.
use of the wealthy Plin. .
N. xiii.
21 "similago ex tritico fit laudatis-
simo." The wheat supply of Romo
:
78
), Se e'inois
but established itself in
the later language ; the slave merchant
() came largely from Egypt and was known as a (Eus-
was brought in large cornships from
Alexandria
xxvii. 6.
see Blass
; on Acts
tath. in Od. i.), and as late as the end
of the fourth century Epiphanius
could write 17 : Tois !
 ,? .
XVIII. is] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
* ,
235

,€ . ' ,
]\
,
t)

*5
14

15

' 13 syrr
yg^'edemUpM Hipp
alpi ygoiedemiip» s rr

8
mini*' 30
y
|

6 35 37 39 49 ^7 9
Hipp Ar
Andr Ar
Hipp Andr Ar
1
14 9 2

9^
37 49 91 96 (
|

86
arm 4

| ]- ]]
79 '3° '^6 syr«
arm
w
4 Prim + outs
14
syre w
om
Prim |

KC |
om

|
C |

+
om
Q
° Q
35 87

Q* xt

. 6 II 31 47

'
,
(Prim,

ev
,
animalia)
evade
strangely,

\
is
,
diversi generis
from Ez. xxvii. 13

(0"1? *? .??). 1
with x^s
animae
latter case is
(WM. p.
tuae)

193;
;
(Vg. poma
position in the
its
not necessarily emphatic
Blass,
For Xmapos, nitidus, in the wider
sense see Isa. xxx. 23
Or.
desiderii

p. 288).

..
Though in itself this old Hebrew-
phrase means little more than 'human \ (JOE') ; 2 Esdr. xix. 35
live stock,' it serves to draw attention' ev yfi
" (71\
to the serious side of the Roman slave j) Of the two
trade. The world of St John's day adjectives to be distinguished here,
ministered in a thousand ways to the perhaps the rich and
is
follies . and
vices of its Babylon, but dainty food, the gay attire
the climax was reached in the sacrifice and costly furniture, which were the
of human life which recruited the fruits of Roman
copquests and policy.

!,
huge familiae of the rich, filled the The Seer them
all gone, and gone
sees
lupanaria, and ministered to the for eyer ; another summer, another
brutal pleasures of the amphitheatre. ingathering, is not to be hoped for;
14. never again will be found ... (
.] 'And the ripe fruit of the "nicht mehr wird man
desire of thy soul is gone from thee, finden ") in the city on the Tiber the
and all thy rich
have perished from
and bright things
thee.'
the autumn fruit, ripe for ingathering;
is ishness, of the age of the Caesars.
, -
extravagant luxury, the inhuman self-

'

, '. ,
15•
see Jer..xlvii. (xl.) IO, 12 .] The writer
; and cf. comes back to the merchants' dirge
Jude 12 from which he had turned aside in
'trees in late autumn when the fruit in order to describe the nature
v. 1 1

is past.' Just when the fruit of the la- of their traffic with Rome. 'The

,
(. ) ).
bour of many generations seemed ready merchants,' he resumes, 'who deal in
to fall into the mouth, it had vanished these wares (0/ comp. v.
like a dream the long desired consum-
; 23 and have gotten
mation never came. The first may their wealth from Rome (cf. v. 3 ex
be taken with
tuorum concupiscent ia animae), or will do as the kings did
236

1 6
??
?
,-
,,,
*
, THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

*.
\ l6

?
\\
[XVIII. 15

]) ]
15
syrs" aeth
] ] pr
Hipp Prim Ar
om
Q min s0

A
om
|
. . et flehunt syr

*.
12 16 39 186
m>/>0. . /3<. A
16
|~ semel Q min
]
pr
25
7ras

min* g vg
1

ter 35 87
^/-- Q min55
|

/sso vg'!l » 11 P ,, 8 35 36 40 47 87 94 |
«*/>.] om 79 152 186
me (cum
syr«" \
(- 14 1 86 al)] om ex APQ min
vg anon*»e Prim Ar |
Byrr |
Q min'"• ""1 vg syrr" 1 arma Hipp
Andr Ar | 79 1 86 |
om 95

they will stand at a safe distance from finds its interests gravely affected by
the city (v. 10), and pay their tribute —
the fall of Rome the shipmasters and

,
of respect in similar terms.' seafaring people in general; and from
16. Oval .] The these there comes a third dirge.
Compare Ezekiel's lamentation over
second dirge begins as the first did
(v. 10), and ends similarly (on
Tyre, xxvii. 28 f.

. ,
.). But there is an apposite

,
change in the description of the city;
while to the kings Rome is simply
the merchants naturally
. Rome was
'
not like Tyre a

,
measure her by her opulence and
splendour. For
see xvii.
which finds no place in
the earlier description, has perhaps
been suggested by v. 12 it comes in
here merely as an article used in the
attire of the very rich (cf. Lc. xvi. 19),
and clearly has not the symbolical
If
.. seaport, and had no direct business on
4j note the sea, the sea-going population of
the shores of the Mediterranean were
not less interested in her fate than
;
they had once been in that of Tyre.
Ostia was doubtless the destination of
most of the merchant vessels of the
Empire; cf. Floras i. 4 "Ostiam

] '
significance which it bears in xix. 8, 1 4.

dirge of the kings.

a%pq
This corresponds

might
6
to
in the
on
coloniam posuit, iam turn videlicet
praesagiens animo futurum ut totius
mundi opes et commeatus illo veluti
maritimaeurbishospitioexciperentur."
(. = ,
?3') are ship-
be more properly used to describe
the condition of the city itself, as in
xvii. 16 and below, v. 19; cf. Mt. xii.
25
'. ' .
But the merchants
'
masters, in contrast with
the one hand and
cf. Acts XXVU. II

cites Plut mor.

', 807
on
on the other;

where Blass

.
still think of the wealth of Borne;
it Rome's money they miss and
is It is not quite so clear who
deplore, not the city and .its people. is meant by \ The
1 7. 6 eirt rendering of Prim, omnis super mare
.] One other class navigans gives some colour to Nestle's
,
XVIII. 19]

6
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

,
',
8
W
1 8

, ,-
*9
19

, ',
]] ?] ]! ] !]
al10

8
Iy [- Q)

KQ 130
]
86
Hipp
al?1
()
|
ejrt

] g 13 27
(6) 12 $6 49 (79)
vg cle eyr^"
syrs™ 1

+ -] !
|
vg 30 | | + G g vg
Prim 19 e/3aXoc K(C)Q rain fereomn sjrr Hipp Andr Ar] 29 86
A (95)
NPQ minP'
pr PQ min30
I
ras

vglun "i,Bs6 •
6
syr
arm Prim om
|

arm aeth Prim Ar

|

|
C |

semel
AC 35 Hipp]
|

26 29 36 37' 40 41
•]
42 95 130 ter 36 87 |
om 35 79 87™* al

ingenious correction
for to|tton, an easy change; see Text.
(| ,
. while in
the exact phrase here
xxvii. .32•
,
Criticism of N.T., p. 168); but it is
perhaps unnecessary to depart from
.
used occurs in the Heb. though not in
^by
!- $\.

)
the lxx.: lis? »0 Kal
the well-attested 'He who
sails for (any) part' is the merchant-
comes from the preceding verse
!
man who goes with his goods, or the
chance passenger {vector) if the exact ;
Ezekiel ( in

.
phrase does not occur elsewhere, it is ;

the exact words used by the Apoca-

/ =?
approached in Mc. xiii. 8
!, lyptist occur in Jos. vii. 6 (lxx.). Por
!
!, .
Acts xxvii. 2
see Gen. ii. 7, Lev. xiv. 41,
!, els

who make
Strab. .
,
their living by the sea,' not
230
rots
...
'
and all
etc.,

!
and

valuableness,'
in N.T. Mc.
=M.t. . 14
'by reason of her
her great wealth,
i.e.

which' gave her unrivalled spending

vi.

..
1 1

!
the Whole

phrase
correlative of ip-/.
— is
stein,
'
only sea captains and their crews, but
(cm
(Philostr. vit. Apoll. iy. 32); the
the
yrjv (Gen. iii. 5)
abundantly illustrated by Wet-
ad loc. ; on the construction cf.
—
power the word is

,
eth. Nic. X. 7
;

the later literary Greek,

XX. J
in lxx.
and N.T., but occurs occasionally in

,
e.g.

,
Lib. ep. 1$S7
Arist.

and
al

"WM., p. 279. see van Herwerden, s. v. Compare

18 f. ! TTj tji ;;^ ' the use of in 1 Pet. ii. 7, where

In Isa; xlvii. 10 Babylon boasts see Hort's note.

 238

20 . ,,"
, ?
THE APOCALYESE OF ST JOHN
*° eV av*ry,
[XVIII. 19

ayioi

21,

] , els

] ws ets

] arm 20 syrr Prim |

) 86 :Tid
om C g

!
* k<u ot al'"""
35 3*> 79 l8f> a* e" > 98 !

T gcieci«mto]iipi»5,5 om 1 30 ]
0eos] pr me 2 (6]
H* 40 130 om A syr anon» u e |
(vel A(C)
quasi molarcm magnum vg etc] ws PQ 186 all1 ' syrr Hipp Andr
H (36)

20.
the kings and merchants of the earth
' } .] While on
"] is here, not as in xvii. 1,
and its mariners bewail Babylon, a sentence pronounced by a judge, but

. ,
Heaven and its friends rejoice over a case for trial, as in Ex. xviii. 22 to
her doom the reverse of the picture
:

drawn in xi. 10, where upon the death God

of the Two Witnesses
(
see notes there. There
:
' ' I Cor. VI.

,
7)
judged the case of Heaven and the
Church for in this instance
their cause is one against Babylon, —
has

is perhaps a reference to Deulj. xxxii. with the result which the vision has re-
43, lxx. (cf. Intr. to the T. in Greek, .

, ...
vealed the Church is at last avenged
;

,
,
p. 243) upon her enemy. at her
expense ; the trial has issued in justice

,: , *
... being exacted from her. On the whole
\ \
, : cf. Isa. xliv.
6
23
to'is verse Andreas well remarks
rjj
<as :

.
.
and Lc. .
,,
Andreas

.,
and her two highest ministries
7>
:

the Church
(1 Cor.
Cf. vi. 10, xviii. 6, notes.

.]
21.
In the silence which• follows
the Voice from Heaven (vd. 4 20), a
single angel (for cf. viii. 13, ix. 13,
—
,

);
xii. 28
in xvi.
Prophets .alone are mentioned. It is
6, ,xviii. 24, the
xix. 17; the numeral approaches the
force of an indefinite article, but has
not yet quite lost its proper meaning)
not clear whether in the present pas- represents the fall of Babylon by a
sage the Apostles are the College of symbolical action. He takes what
the Twelve, as in xxi. 14, or whether
the word is used in the wider sense
(ii. 2, note); but probably the title is
appears to be
and with all his might (for he is
) hurls it into the sea, which in
()
a great millstone
-
inclusive. The absence of any refer- this chapter (v. 17) as throughout the
ence to a local ministry is remarkable
.,. book (e.g. vii. 1, viii. 8 f., x. 2ff., xii. 12,
—contrast
characteristic of a
Phil.
\
but it is
book which ema-
nates from prophetic circles and is
charismatic throughout.
i.

—
•18, xiii. belongs to the
1, xvi.
scenery of the Apocalyptic drama.
(cf.
the former adj. lays stress upon the
purpose to which the stone is put, the
3

. ,
f.)

Lc. xvii. 2
A
XVIII. 22] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 239

&, Xeywv
. *
3
Ba-
22

21 . eri] + ev t$Q 14 9 2 22 om ° om me

-
|

latterupon its fitness for the work) or 22.

(Mc. ix. 42) might be one of the
stones of a hand-mill such as women
could work (Ex. xl 5
/,
.] No
sounds of rejoicing, or
of industrial life or even of domestic
. work, shall be heard in Babylon again.

( ,
For the first compare what
Mt. 41 is said of
),
needed' an ass to turn it
or One which Tyre by Ezekiel (xxvi. 13
(^^),

- ,,,' ,,,,-
. .
Mc. La); the latter or even a stone

-
of greater weight

XXVlil. (li.) 63 carat

els
en

and perhaps
^)
is intended
here. The Seer has in his mind Jer.

\
an
en),

Jer.
and of Jerusalem by Isaiah and
Jeremiah

vii.

xl. (xxxiii.) 9-
(Isa. XXIV.

34 ....

On
8

cf.
',
XXV. ,
see . 8, xiv. 2, note ; the

,
also earlier
passage, Ex. XV. 5 els (Mt. ix. 23) is the player on the flute

), who
. ,] ,,,,, -
(cf. 2 Esdr. xix. 11). Com-
('VO, performed, often
pare also Herod, i. 165'

, is
with the
of
12,
45).
Hebrew
xxx. 29, 32 (A),
life (2 Regn.
at the festivities

Mace. iii.
a later form of
vi.
Sir. xl.21, 1
5, Isa. v.

'As this stone is flung into the deep, founded on the analogy of
.
so shall Babylon vanish.'
impelu, 'with a rush,' like a stone .
proper (')
(viii. 6 ff.) is
in Biblical Greek. The trumpet
was in Jewish use
whizzing through the air; cf. Deut.
XXVliL 49 Hos. V. nearly limited to religious services,
IO ' ;

but at Rome the tuba was heard at

(Symnii ), the games (Juv. vi. 249) and in the
I

iv
Mace. VI.
.
33
The action sym-
theatre (ib. x. 214, with Mayor's note),
and even at funerals (Pers. iii. 103).
bolizes the complete submergence, the
final
Home
disappearance of pagan Imperial
;

[]~ ,
en she is to
vanish, as Babylon had vanished in
the time of St John; cf. Strabo, xvi.
—
of ,, may be songs (Gen. xxxi.
27, Ez., I.e.) or instruments of music
(Dan. iii. 5 f. = K"TOJ), but the analogy

masc, and by
in favour of the
must be intended either 'performers
is

;
IO73:

... ' ^ ...-

en' elnelv on (other) instruments,' or vocalists,

Lucian, contempt. 23

.
.,. .,.
17

'
.^.,.
R.V. "minstrels"; cf. 1 Mace. ix. 39,
41, where the same ambiguity exists

. ..
...
240 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XVIII. 22

[] ,
en,

' ,
'™
'3
23
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.
22 \!. (-- Hipp)] H 35 8? 13° arm <ra\niyyos syr«"
.
]
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..ev *!
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\]
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\...
|

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29 30 al"• '

\
1

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83 ouSe arm
|

The industries of the great city will

Q)

be swept away as well as.its festivities.

(.
om 01 A 95 om

.]
36 79

candelae " ; at a festival in a.d. 32 the

spectatorswereescortedhome by torch-
light, provided by an army of slaves;
may be an artist in metal on the other hand Ammianus writes
(Deut. xxvii. 15, Cant. vii. 1, Acts xix. (xiv. 1, § 9): "inurbe...pernoctantium

24, 38), in stone (1 Chr. xxii. 15), or luminum claritudodierum solet imitari
even in textile fabrics (Sir. xlv. 11). fulgorem " see Mayor's note on Juv.
;

All the arts of civilized life are at an
end in the new Babylon ; one will
hear no more among its ruins the
stroke of the hammer or the whir of
the loom ; even domestic sounds such
as may be heard in the merest
hamlet, e.g. the creaking and drpning
of the upper millstone as it turns
upon the lower, are hushed for ever;
there is no hope that they will be
revived in a restored city.
here apparently the mill, i.e. the
I.e. Certainly the houses of the
wealthy were not wanting in means
of illumination; lucernae and can-
delabra of artistic forms abounded
even bed chambers were provided
with lamps (lucernae cubiculares)
which sometimes were burnt all night
(Mart. x. 38, xiv. 39). But in the
Seer's forecast the lights of Rome
have gone out in utter darkness.
is Even the occasional flash of the
torches carried by bridal processions

from the
Hum. xi.
!
whole apparatus as distinguished

8
(. 2i); cf.
ev \ )
(Mt. xxv. 1 ff.) is seen no more, and
with it has ceased the "voice of the
bridegroom and the bride," a phrase

,
Mt. xxiv. 41. The is best which is frequent in Jeremiah (vii. 34,
explained as the sound made by the
mill, and not the singing of the women
who turn it, though the aJfii)
asWetstein shews, was traditional in
Greece.
23.
eti .]
>!
Whether the
ov >')
streets of
ev
xvl. 9, xxv. 10, xl. (xxxiii.) 1 1, cf. Bar.
ii.

iii.

.]
23); for
29.

The connexion of thought is

difficult.
'

Are the two clauses intro-

duced by Sn parallel, or is the second
!
see also Jo.

Rome were regularly lit after dark is dependent on the first? For other
doubtful Juvenal (iii. 285) speaks of
: examples of the writer's use of 3n...
the brilliant lights carried by the rich, oVt see xv. 4, xvi. 6 (note). In the
contrasting his own dependence on present instance it seems best to take
the moon or on the "breve lumen the first in as controlling the whole
 ,
XVIII. 24]

oi
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,
', * '[]
<~
241

24

186
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ul!
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14 16 29 31 35 36 95 130
7 14 39 |

and the second as explaining

sentence, fascinated and led astray. See xxi. 8,
the Babylon has been sub-
first.

merged by her very greatness, for her

greatness has been used to bewitch
, xxii.

.)
24.
1 5,

"On
notes.
iv }
to be earned on from
is
and mislead the world, and not to v. 23 ; a further reason for the over-

'. ,
raise and purify "it. Oi
rests upon Isa. xxiii. 8 oi
throw of Rome was herbloodguiltiness.
Cf. Jer. xxviii. (li.) 35 ro
\ ',
'
XXVlL

vL 15,
make Rome
(¥
21

note.
,
33?3...D , Y?>),
oi
;

Traders
market rose 'to
their
for
who
and
8,
could
Ez.

see
Ez. XXIV. 6
(see

The blood shed by Rome was not

also

simply that of gladiators 'butchered

to make a Roman holiday,' many of
V. 49> Heb.);
.
the first rank, became merchant •
whom may have deserved their fate
princes (w. 3, 15), while Rome on (cf. Dill, Roman Society, p. 242), but
her part acquired a worldwide in- that also of saints and prophets : cf.

fluence which she used for evil; XVI. 6, xvii. 6, notes. is

through their traffic with her all sufficientlyexplained by the massacre
nations had learnt to adopt her false
standards of life and worship. On
see ix. 21, note. Like Nineveh
(Nah. iii. 4

ij>
iv
, ),
-
and
of 64 and the recent troubles under
Domitian (Clem. R. Cor. ,.$ ff.); and
among the Roman saints who suffered
on both occasions there were doubtless
members of the prophetic order (Rom.
xii. 6), not to mention St Paul who
Babylon (Isa. xlvii. 12
jroXXg - iv was a prophet as well as an Apostle.
But the responsibility of Rome was
not limited to martyrdoms which oc-
), Rome was

(,
full of professors of curred within the city; the world
the black art ; for the authorities see was under her rule, and the loss of

.. ,
Mayor's note on Juv. iii. 77, and cf. Orac.
Sibytt. V. 163
..
all lives

9, 12, xiii. 8)
lay at her door.
sacrificed
throughout the Empire
It is remarkable
cf. v.

But the word is

probably used by St John in the
wider sense of the witchery of gay
and luxurious vice and its attendant'
idolatries, by which the world was
that the same is said of Jerusalem

]'
before her fall (Mt. xxiii. 35

c. xvi. 6, note.
). On
- see

s. . 16
XIX.
242

XIX
1

•, ]
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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XIX. —. Triumph in Heaven. Hellenistic Synagogue. MkeHosanna,

Two Hallelujah Psalms an angelic ; this Hebrew word became familiar*
MESSAGE. even to the most unlettered Christians
I f. $ everywhere, rather perhaps through
.]
follow are an answer to the appeal in
xviii.
first (1
«rt rfi
20
—
'...
8)
,, .
The triumphant shouts which

The
is the Te Deum of Heaven
as Arethas
the Easter Alleluia than through the
influence of the .
T., where it occurs
only in this passage ; cf. Aug. enarr.
in Pss. xxi. 24 "his diebus per totuni
orbem terrarum...dicitur Amen et
expresses it. It comes from a 'great Alleluia," and for its early use in these
multitude,' which reminds the reader islands see Bede, .
E. i. 20, ii. 1.
of the multitude of vii. 9, but as the It was hailed as a connecting link be-
Church is called to add her Hallelujah tween the worship of the Church on
afterwards (v. 5), this first-named earth and the worship of Heaven cf.
'? 7ro\is is probably the Angel Aug. serm. eclv. (a paschal sermon):
;

!
host, the
xii. 22, the
of Heb.

of Apoc. . 1 1. Their
paean takes the form of a Hallelujah
"in hoc quidem tempore peregrinati-
onis nostrae ad solatium viatici dici-
mus Alleluia ; modo
canticum est viatoris, tendimus autem
nobis Alleluia

Psalm.
The
(i<LcAAra,
liturgical note
(on
?
for e see
per viam laboriosam ad quietam pa-
triam, ubi retractis omnibus actionibus
nostris non remanebit nisi Alleluia."
This view of the word no doubt had
Salman, Or. p. 1 52), alleluia) occurs at

the end of Pss. civ., cv., cxv., cxvi., cxvii., its gin in the present passage,
the beginning of Pss. cxi., cxii., and where Hallelujah is the keynote of the
the beginning• and end of Pss. cvi., heavenly hymn of praise.
cxiii., cxxxv., cxlvi. — cl. (Heb.), and
]
at the beginning of a few other
Psalms in the lxx. which are without
it in M. T. (cf. Intr. to 0, T. in Greek, ');...
power are our God's'
'
Salvation, glory,
; cf.

,
xii. 10
and

and

, )- .
p. 250). The transliteration the more usual form in vii 10 ( .
must have come into use among oil ) see note Oil
the Hellenistic Jews before the vii. 10. A
definite reason is given for
Christian era
al
(cf. Tob. xiii. 18 the present psalm of praise the ex- —
(sc. ecution of judgement upon Babylon
3 Mace. VU. 13
;),
and was taken
(uti ...
.
Kat al
.).
cf. XV. 3>
For

over by the Apostolic Church from the xvi. 7. The thought of the coming
XIX. 3 ]

'' THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN 243

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' '\\• ' yfjv

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doom of Babylon has been in view

from c. xiv. 7
in its realization.
The second on, as in
now at length it is seen
;

23 (see xviii.
()
. The phrase seems to be

]
note there), justifies the statement '
pregnant ' written at length it would

,
;

introduced by the first. That the

Divine judgements are true and just
have run

. :

,,
has been shewn anew by His sentence
on the Great Harlot (cf. xvii. 1, 5,
notes); on see xviii., 8, 20.
3- \
The shout of praise ends as it began,
"Hris (cf. i. 7 after the manner of certain of the
ii. .24 xii. 3
1 Hallelujah Psalms {v. 1, note) com- ;

even
; pare Miriam's repetition of the first
in the Apoc. Saris and are not distich of the Song of Moses (Ex.
indistinguishable in meaning)

that
iv
she who brought moral ruin
! :
'
it is just
xv. 1, 21).

,
in Ps.
Iteration emphasizes, as
lxi. (lxii.)
,, I2 6

upon the world should herself lie

in ruins.' For the general sense
see xiv. 8, xvii 2, 5, xviii. 3, notes
for cf. XL 18 -
,
. and
is
; Job xxxiiL 14

Thus the second Hallelujah

not merely formal, but adds strength
6
iv

-.
to the first, like the antiphona with
notes there ; the phrase is perhaps which the later Church learnt to call
suggested here by Jer. xxviii. (Ii.) 25, attention to the leading idea of a

,
•

where Babylon is ro 6 psalm or to the thought on which for

-
,
the time she wished to lay special
The uncompounded verb is used freely '

emphasis. On the termination of

in an ethical sense; cf. 1 Cor. iii. 17, see WH. 2, Notes, p. 173, W. Schm.,

'
xv. 33, Jude . p. 113, note, and cf. xviii. 3
The grounds on which judgement
was pronounced against Babylon are
again rehearsed,
viz.: () (2) , xxi.
iii. 3,

With the
6
v. 7 (note).
; and on the perfect see

.]
-
),
; cf. xviii. 23 ff. offering of praise there goes
'
here includes both up,insteadof incense (yiii. 4 oi/e^ijo

.-
saints and prophets (cf. xviii. 24) vos the smoke which
the Church and her leaders. For rises perpetually from the embers of
twos see VI.
is less usual, but
;

cf.
. vto -
the city ; cf. xiv. 1 1
'

4
Kegn. ix. 7, which perhaps is in the The same is said of Edom, regarded as
Seer's mind : an enemy of Israel, in Isa. xxxiv. 9 f.
16 —
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
' [XIX. 3

.
244

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! ,!, .
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• ! representative Elders. The call

. comes from the Hallelujah Psalm

:.
els

lasttouch to the description already

The words add a

given (xviii. 21 ff.) of Babylon's utter

...
original
, ,. ,
CXXX1V. (cxxxv.) I,

In the
HDl? are the Priests
20 (•1??0)

and Levites who ministered in the

4. .] Temple (cf. 2 iv Kti-
The Elders and the have not been
mentioned since xiv. 3. Now that the
•), while the }* '"]? are the

worship of Heaven is again visible worshipping Israelites in general ; but

to the Seer, they are discovered in in St John's adaptation of the words
the act of adoration as before
V. 8, 14).
,
),As in v.

they assent to
the Angels' service of praise, saying the
Amen to the celestial Eucharist ( 1 Cor.
14 (
(iv. 9 ff.,

:
their exact sense is less clear.

!
the
.\
; see note there.
There
is a fairly close parallel in e. xi 18

Ay'ioit
Here
probably include the Saints
?
-
xiv: 16) —
an attitude which agrees
with their character as representatives
in Heaven of Nature and the Church
read oi .
and the Prophets, as in v. 2, and if we
the latter may be, as
in xi. 18, the unbaptized friends of
(c. iv. 4, 6, note). For in such a the Church, catechumens, enquirers,
connexion see v. 14, vii. 12, and on the and the like ; if on the other hand
is merely a .
word, c. i. 7, note.
5•

.]
In C. XVI. 1 7 a
is to be omitted,

,
description,
seem, of .
somewhat otiose as it may

,
voice comes from the Throne, but a phrase characteristic of

!
which is not added on this the book (cf. xi. 18, xix. 18, xx. 12,

occasion. Here the voice cannot be xxi. 16), but based on the O.T. flD^O
that either of God, or (as Bousset 73"!1?\ (Gen. xix. 11), and in this
thinks) of the Lamb ; in the latter
case we should certainly have had

. ., as .in iii. 12, and not

It remains that one of the
Angels of the Presence is the speaker.
! !
connexion perhaps on Ps. cxiii. 21
(cxv. 13) tovs

seems here to embrace Christians of

all intellectual capacities and social
; it

The voice summons the Servants

all grades, and of all stages of progress in
of God, i.e. the whole Church, which the life of Christ, even the
is now called to add its tribute to (Mt. V. 1 9), and the
that of the Angels, the <, and the Tjj (i Cor. vL
XIX. 7] THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN.

,, ^
245

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4) . :

to thanksgiving and are capable of

C^f^\ yrj,
bearing a part in it ; cf. Bede " par- :

titas non nocet ingenii cuius cor et

and see c. xi. 15, 17, and notes there.
lingua Domini laude repleta est." - The aorist looks back to the fall of
Babylon, now ex hypothest past (cf.
0€ is an unusual construction;
veiv
¥M. (p. 673) compares
eneacv. . .),
seeing in it the epoch
of the entrance of God upon His
in c. ii.

6.
.]
14, where see note.

The voice of a second great

- Reign. The World>-power has fallen,
in order that the spiritual and eternal

multitude
Seer. If the
is
?
wafted across to the

the Angelic Host, that of v. 6 is the

of v. 1 is. •
may take its place ; for the dew et do-
minus noster of the pagan provincials
St John substitutes the
of the Church throughout the
6cos

Universal Church, the innumerable

Empire, of the Saints and the Angels
multitude described in Apoc. vii. 9.
on earth and in Heaven. For Kvpios
The sound of the collective praises
of the Church was in St John's ears or in this book = PljiV see i. 8,

like the din of a vast concourse, the iv. 8, n, xi. 17, xv. 3, xvi. 7, xviii. 8,

roar of a cataract (i. 15, xiv. 2), or xxi. 22, xxii. 5 f., and for
the roll of thunder (vi. 1, x. 3 f.) i. 8 (note), iv. 8, xi. 17, xv. 3, xvi. 7, 14.
"magna vox canentium magna cordis used

-
Bebs is iii vv. 1, 5, as well
est devotio " (Bede). The words could as in 6 ; a mode of address which
it is
be distinguished. They begin with angels and members of the Church
Hallelujah, repeated a fourth time, have an equal right to use.
and thus they are connected with 7. ..]

^
the triumph of Heaven ; But when For this combination Mt. 12

),
cf. v.
the grounds of the Church's thanks- (Lc. vi. 23

-
giving are assigned, an" entirely new- ... Ps. xcvii.
note is struck. It is not the doom of
. (xcviii.) 4
Babylon for which the Church thanks : and
—
God, but its sequel the setting up of are still more frequently found to-
the Kingdom of God gether, e.g. Pss. ix. 3, xv. (xvi.) 9, etc.
246

,- , THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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The
and
active
in Lc. i. 47
foca,
is used only here

with the possible

(Mt. xxii. 2
made by the King
the ff.), (Mt
xxii. 11)— ail in a clearly Messianic
sense. Nor has St Paul failed to seize
( for His Son

addition of 1 Pet. i. 8 (WH.! ,

Notes,

*
p. 176).

note,
(if
For
xi. 13, xiv. 7, xvi. 9,
that

!
is
and W. Schm.,
and form
for the
to be read) see Mc.
p. 107.
cf. on this group of ideas, cf. 2 Cor. xi. 2

25 ,ff.
ivi

ras ,-,
; Eph. V.

.\ '
vi. 37,

on .]
In these words the reason of the .,.
Church's exuberant joy appears, and els els eV-
at the same time there is sounded St John, following St Paul,
the first note of transition to the final but with a characteristic independence
vision of the book. It is the manner as to detail, adopts so much of this
of. the writer to throw out hints of symbolism as lends itself to his pur-
the next great scene some time be- pose ; the marriage, the supper, the
fore he begins to enter upon it ; thus bride and her attire enter into his
"^^ is heard in

(
enco-ev vision ; cf. iii. 20, xix. 9, xxi. 2, 9,
xiv. 8, though the fall itself does not xxii. 17.
come into sight before ec. xvii. xviii. — The nuptial festivity here,
Here in like manner the Marriage of
the Lamb is announced as imminent
(), though a thousand years are
yet to pass before its consummation
where in N.T. ) (,
as in Mt. xxii. 8 f., Jo. ii. 1 ff. ; else-
is come
as in xi. 18, xiv. 7, 15, xvii. 10); the
rejoicings in Heaven are the sign of
.

(xx. 3), and the Bride is not revealed its arrival; the Bride is ready, the
until we reach c. xxi. Bridegroom is at hand (. 1 1 ).

The conception of a Divine Marriage : for = cf.

is deeply rooted in O.T. teaching. God Gen. xxix. , Deut xxii. 24, Mt L

.
is the Bridegroom of Israel (Hos. ii. 20, Apoc. xxi. 9. Only three female
19 = 21 els
- ^ figures appear in the visions of the
—

. -
Isa. liv. 6 as Apocalypse the

*
;

\(\4 of c. xii., the .

; .
cf. In Ps. xliv.
xvi. ff.). of c. xvii. and the
(xiv.) " expounded
of the Messiah by . /35»
of C. xix. the —
the Targum and many Jewish scholars, Mother, the Harlot, and the Bride;
e,g. Kimchi" (Cheyne, Psalms, p. 123), the first and third present the Church,
the nuptials of the King are depicted under two different aspects, of her
at length. All this imagery is taken life, while the second answers to her

the !(
over by the Gospels, and applied to
Christ and the Church we meet with

(Mt xxv. 1, D), the

ii. 19), the
(Mt. xxii.
;
great rival and enemy. With

.
of the Bride
cf.
v
xxi. 2
Epli. v. 25

(* is
the preparation
ff.

represented as the act

oiy -
lo), the
the . (Jo.
(Mc. Lc),
29), the .
of Christ avTrjs,
 XIX.

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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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voaros ev
. ;
which are regarded as making
Spirit,
up the clothing of His mystical Body.
see

laid on ,
Dean Robinson, note ad foe).
Here, though no special emphasis is
the complementary
truth comes into sight; effort is
As each guest at the wedding feast
has an (Mt. Xxii. Il),
as the Saints are individually clad
in robes made white in the Blood
demanded on the part of Christians,
both corporate and personal ; for the
,- of the Lamb (Apoc. vii. 9, 14); so
corporately the whole Church is seen

/.
latter see 1 Jo. iii. 3 to be attired in the dazzling whiteness

,
Jude 21

...€\€
and 2 Cor.
iv aymtrj Geov
vii.
of their collective purity.

'
9.
els .]
The speaker
,

)(
8. is perhaps the angel-guide of xvii 1,
.] A who now again reveals his presence;
Divine gift supplies
-
'
the Bride with the right and the
power to attire herself as she does.
(,
the keynotes of this Book, and occurs
some twenty times in cc. vi. xx. The
) —
is One of
for the form
els
beatitude of xiv. 13
...
.
-ov...ci. xiv. 13.
carries the

a step further;
rest has now ripened into high festival
ol
.

— The words are a Christian interpreta-

)!
bridal dress in sharp contrast with
that of the Harlot (xvii. 4, xviii. 16) tion of the remark which called forth
is of simple byssus, the fine linen the parable of the Great Supper:
of Egypt ; cf. the
which Joseph was arrayed by Pharaoh

,. /\
(Gen. xlL 42). For
noun see Dan. x. 5 (lxx.)

:
and
cf. c.
ib.
XV. 6
as a

.
in

6 f.
6. Of. Mt. viii. 11

XXVL 29
ev
— an
expectation
based on such prophecies as Isa. xxv.
... -
&
iv Ttf

Kaivbv iv Ttj ;

.] 4 Esdr. .
38 " surgite et state et vi-
Vap introduces the explanation; 'with dete humerum signatorum in convivio
fine linen, for this clean, glistering, Domini, qui se de umbra saeculi
byssus-made fabric represents the transtulerunt, splendidas tunicas a
righteous actions of the Saints,' the Domino acceperunt. recipe, Sion,
two are equivalents ; cf. 1 Jo. iii. 4 numerum tuum et conclude candi-

cott).
" sin and law-
lessness are convertible terms" (West-
For see xv. 4, note
is the sum

of the saintly acts of the members

of Christ, wrought in them by His
:

,
dates tuos...roga imperium Domini,
ut sanctificetur populus tuus, qui vo-
catus est ab initio." Oi ds to
cf. Mt. xxii. 3, Lc. xiv. 17

the called here are clearly identical

with the
'
'
;
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of xvii. 14 (where see note). Of. Pri- moments he would have shrunk. A
masius : "illos videlicet significans qui tendency to Angel-worship lingered

•
secundum propoHtum vocati sunt " long in Asia Minor, as Theodoret
Arethas

\4yet
:

]
del.
'
A second utterance of
•
witnesses (on CoL
ttj
I.e.) :

the angel, setting the seal of Divine

' * ..
truth upon the whole series of reve-
lations
9)
are true' or, reading oi
are God's true words.' For
now completed
these are God's words, and they
:
'

; 'these

see xvii. 17, and for the whole

phrase xxi. 5, xxii. 6, and the Opening
words of the Oxyrhynchus Sayings
(2nd series, 1904; cf. Exp. Times,
(xvii.

.,
1 — xix.
'
'-
canon of the Council of Laodicea

'
Hefele ad I.
.,
Compare the 35th

and the remarks of

for an investigation
;

into the whole subject see Lueken,

-
:

xv. p. 489 f.). Micfiael. St John's repeated refer-

This solemn claim to veracity does ence to his temptation and the
not of course require belief in the Angel's rebuke (cf. xxii. 8 f.) may well
literal fulfilment of the details. Apo- be due to his knowledge that such a
* calyptic prophecy has its own methods tendency existed in the Churches to

!
and laws of interpretation, and by which he wrote.
these the student must be guided. •

Some of the Fathers regard this pro-

Under a literary form Divine truth hibition ofAngel worship as peculiar
expresses and fulfils itself to the New Dispensation
see Gregory ;

; it is only in the Son mor. xxvii. 15, and Bede ad loc.:

that it reaches finality. "postquam Dominus Iesus hominem
. assumptum super caelos elevavit, an-
.] The Seer, overwhelmed gelus ab homine timuit adorari," super
by the greatness of the revelation, se videlicet adorans hominem Deum
and realizing that God Himself has quod ante incarnationem Domini ab
spoken in these words of the Angel, hominibus factum, et nequaquam ab
prostrates himself before his guide. angelis prohibitum esse legimus."
It can scarcely be that he mistakes But is a refinement which is
this
an angel for God or for Christ rather ; not likely to have been present to the
he is tempted by his sense of re- mind of the Apocalyptist
verence to a
(CoL ii. 18) from which in calmer Mc. i. 44
] For
eiiri/s ; I
see
Th.
XIX.

Xeyei

•
..
]

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4
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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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249

; /
[

me
. 15 ... with regard the original Sense of
to the ellipse in Spa (sc. is never wholly out of sight, the latter
), as Blass observes (Gr. p. 293),
it must have been a common one.
probably predominates here. ' Those
who have the witness of Jesus' are
The Angel disclaims worship on the those who carry on His witness in

]
ground that he is a of the the world Such, the Angel says,

-
Seer and of his brother-prophets are the Seer and his brethren the

).
(cf. xxii. 9
That all Christians are
was taught by the Master
prophets.
yap
For (cf. the explana-
'

(Mt 28 ff., xxiv.. 49), and

xviii. tory yap in v. 8) the witness of Jesus is
realized by the greatest of His ser- the Spirit of prophecy,' i.e. the posses-
sion of the prophetic Spirit, which

!
vants (CoL i. 7, iv. 7, Apoc. vi. 11).
But Angels are servants of the same makes a true prophet, shews itself in a
Lord (Heb: i. 4 ff.), and therefore life of witness to Jesus which perpetu-
fellow-servants of the Saints, who ates His witness to the Father and to
will be their equals in the future life Himself. The two things are in prac-
tice identical (cf. v. 8, note 2); all true
(Lc. XX. 35

).
f. oi
...... prophets are witnesses of Jesus, and

'(
all who have the witness of Jesus
in the highest sense are prophets.
.]
xii.

iu i.
17
2, 9,
For
;

xx. 4. The
. cf.

occurs also
question arises
. 9,
.
In I

'KiJpior
Cor. xii. 3

St Paul states the general law which

in all these cases whether
the genitive of subject or object ; in
i. 2 the context seems plainly to re-
quire the former, and it is natural to
make this fact determine the usage of
the Apocalypse; on the other hand
in several of the later examples 'wit-
ness to Jesus' seems more apposite.
Here the problem becomes acute, for
the meaning of the following words
.)
depends on the
(ij
)
is St John applies to the special in-
spiration of the Christian Prophets.
The Spirit of prophecy is the Spirit
of Jesus (Acts xvi. 7), Who must needs
testify of Jesus (Jo. xv. 26). In the
prophets of the O.T. the Spirit of
Christ bore witness of the coming
Passion and Glory; see 1 Pet. i. 11,
with Dr Hort's note, and cf. Irenaeus
i. . • eis ayiov,

answer it receives. Perhaps the true

account of the matter is that the
rat
office of
. Similarly it is the
NT. prophecy to bear witness
'

writer, starting in i. 2 with the thought to the Christ as already come and
of Christ as the supreme (i.
5, glorified, and to point men to the
iii. 14), falls insensibly into that of future Parousia. The Armenian ver-
the Church repeating His witness and sion (see above) supplies an interest-
thus bearing testimony to Him. While ing gloss upon this clause.
250

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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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the syrr aeth Ir "' Or Cypr Viot Hier anon""» Prim)
1

11 — 16. Vision of the Crowned the Rider here is not the rider of c. vi.;

!
Warrior. there we see the Roman Imperator,
1 1, eiSov or possibly the Parthian King, with

prophecy
,
.}
(i. .-.
So Ezekiel begins his

ciRov ;
his bow and wreath
; here the
Commander-in-chief of the host of

),
and a similar epiphany

,,
3 Mace.
... vi. 1 8

In the Gospels the heavens

6
,
is

/Sepoe tSe Is
described in heaven (cf. Jos. v. 14
with His sharp sword
and many diadems; the superficial re-
semblance seems to emphasize the
points of contrast. In any case no
are opened to Jesus at His Baptism doubt is left as to the personality of
(Mt.
Toiis
iii. 16, Mc. i.

Lc.
10

promises a like vision to His disciples

(Jo.
).
i. 51
Early in the Apocalypse a door
iii. 21)

ovpavov -
and He
,
(,
the present Rider; He is known as

Acts
'Faithful
viii.
viii.

3
and
cf.

2 ij
Lc. vi.

'True' (verus, as Prim.,

1 5

)
is opened in heaven (iv. 1), and the not verax, as Vg. here). Both epithets
Sanctuary itself is opened more than
once (xi. 19, xv. 5) ; angels frequently
descend from heaven (x. 1, xiv. 17,
xviii. 1 ). The present revelation is on
6 , ,,
are applied to our Lord in the early
chapters of the Book, e.g. i. 5 6
iii. 7 6 14
for the

\.
;

a larger scale ; the heavens themselves sense attached to them in this con-
open to disclose the glorified Christ. nexion see notes to those passages.
Sounds from heaven have been heard iv A
already (xix. 1) the Bride has made
; principal feature in the Messianic
herself ready (. .), the marriage"
supper of the Lamb is at hand (». 9).
But it is neither as the Bridegroom
nor as the Lamb that the Christ is
now revealed; the parted heavens
shew a Figure seated on a white horse,
character, cf. Isa.

(
.,.
...
xi.

;
3 flf.

]
ov

See also Ps. SoL

*-

a royal commander, followed by a

dazzling retinue.
The words

from c. vi. 2,
eV
where see note.
,
are repeated
In both
xvii.

judges
The Christ who comes is
23 £f.

both Judge and "Warrior, and He

first,
judgement precedes
judgements are iv ,
for in the Divine order
victory. His
for they
passages
emblem
the 'white
horse' is the
of victory, for the allegorical
sense which Origen (in Ioann. i. i.
42, ii. 4) permits himself to give to
the horse in the present passage is
,)
are God's
al ,
;
7,-.
2
(cf. xv. 3
xvi. 5

the Seer perhaps men-

at

tally contrasts them with the corrupt

.,.

more curious than convincing. But practices of Eastern courts, and

,
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THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

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251

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sjr

Proconsul's tribunal
tense {, <
the injustice often received at the
The present
) is used because
the writer is stating the normal cha-
racter of Divine judgements and wars,
. Christ,
the diadem when offered to Him by the
Tempter (Mt. iv. 9) was crowned on the
merit of His victorious Passion, and
who
6
refused

or it may possibly imply that Christ's

work as Judge and Warrior is already
proceeding in the world, though the
tribunal is invisible and- no ear hears
as yet the din of battle.
? £
Andreas

, »
now appears wearing not one royal
crown alone, but many. For
... : .
%
cf.

; Compare
12.

,. , -
Mace. '
oi I xi. 13
.] The Seer proceeds from the >
character of the Rider on the white
horse to His person. The 'eyes as
a flame of fire' are a reminiscence Not Asia only
of the vision in c. L ; cf. i. 14, ii. 18,
notes.

For
The next feature is new eVi

see xii. 3> note, xiii. .

The Dragon wears a diadem on each
.:

"
and Egypt and Europe belonged to
the Lord's Christ, but all the provinces
of God's Universe ; cf. Mt. xxviii 18,
Phil.
'
ii. 9, Apoc. i. 18.
\
of his seven heads; the Wild Beast .) Besides the title ' Faithful and
from the Sea has one on each of True,' which reputation gave Him,
his ten horns. As contrasted with He bore a name written (? upon His
the wreath, the fillet was the symbol
of Regal power, going with the
sceptre (Apul. met. 10 "caput strin-
gebat diadema Candida ferebat et
sceptrum"), and for this reason it
;

was declined by the earlier principes

cf. Suet Jul. 79 "[Julius] cum...qui-
...
6 ;
forehead; see xiv. 1, xviL 5) which was
known only to Himself; compare il 17

similar mystery attends the name of

the Angel who appears to Jacob on
. 12
.'
dam e turba statuae eius coronam the Jabbok (Gen. xxxii. 29

,fasciam(i.q.
sent, dolens
)
lauream Candida fascia praeligata im-
posuisset, et tribuni plebis..\.coronae

.
detrahi.-.iussis-
seu parum prospere motam
answer is made by the Angel to Manoah
(Jud. xiii. 18), with the reason added
;) and the same

: cf. Sap. xiv.

,
regni mentionem sive, ut ferebat, 21 The comment
ereptam sibi gloriam recusandi, of Andreas seems to be justified : ro

,
tribunos graviter increpito& potestate

)...-- .,.
, ... ,
privavit"; and the somewhat similar
story told by Plutarch, C. Caes. 61

}
252

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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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111 5
(Or) 31

Notwith- with blood, after the second Isaiah's

standing the dogmatic helps which the
Church offers, the mind fails to grasp
the inmost significance of the Person
of Christ, which eludes all efforts to
bring it within the terms of human
knowledge. Only the Son of God can
understand the mystery of His own
Being. The words el do not
contradict but supplement our Lord's
: vindictae induet contra Edom."
conception of the Divine Conqueror
from Edom (Isa. Ixiii. 1 ff.), a prophecy
which the later Jews expected to be
fulfilled in Messianic times, cf. syn.
<SOAar,p. ii3.23(Schoettgen,i.p.ii34):
"futuro tempore Deus...vestimentum
In
the original context the blood upon
the Warrior's dress is that of the

'
own saying in Mt. xi. 27 ouoVir

Primasius rightly says " cavendum

:

sane est ne...nomen Pilii...aut Patri

. eW
As
conquered enemy, who have been
trampled under foot like grapes in the
winefat; and this idea is certainly
present to St John's mind (cf. 0. 15).
aut Spiritui sancto putetur incogni- But in applying the figure to Christ,
tum." excludes created beings he could hardly have failed to think

,],,
only, not other Persons internal to the also of the ' Blood of the Lamb (L 5, '

Life of God.
13. \
][, Dr Hortwell observes
-
« v. 9, vii. 14, xii.which was shed in
1 1)
the act of treading the enemy under
foot. To some extent this probability

",
(WH. !
'Notes, p. i39f.) that "all• the may be held to justify the old inter-
variations pretation, that e.g. of Hippolytus (c.

even
for if the
are easily accounted
form used was
factwhieh,consideringthe comparative
and

—
Noet., ed.

~,
Lagarde p. 53

--
f. :

6
oZv,

paucity of first-rate authorities for- the

text of this Book, seems to justify its
), Origen (» loann.
t. ii. 4), and Andreas, who writes ad he. :

.
provisional adoption. It is worthy of
notice that non-Septuagintal versions ... tg>
—
of Isa. Ixiii. 3 the passage on which But this view, if

,
St John's conception appears to be
—
based rendered P] by
and that the use of one of
these verbs is pre-supposed by the
or
admitted, must be kept subordinate to
the other. In this vision Christ is not
presented as the Redeemer, but as the
Judge and Warrior.
ordinary Syriac, which has 01, and
possibly also
-
by Dr Gwynn's version ] In the ..
the idea of a
(Gwynn,
see
p. 85).
WH. 2

The Rider's cloak (the

haps a
On the form

paludamentum, if a Roman General

)
Notes, p. 172.
is per-
(Mt. xxvii. 28, 31) or a
personal Logos seems to be limited to
the Johannine writings (for Heb. iv.
12 see Westcott ad loc.) and there it
is found under three forms
(here), ( Jo. i.
is in view. It is dyed or sprinkled ), (Jo. i. ff). Of these the
XIX. THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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pltl31)
Or Ar
5 1 9
|
om
95 '3° '86]
ev .
om
ou/>.

1
me
86 |
NQ
]
6 7

,
tt* 152 /f.
95

present is probably the earliest; the is more than a help to faith

relative use of the terra would natu- and a step towards fuller knowledge
rally precede the absolute, and the cf. note on v. 12.
relation of the "Word to God would be 14. \ ev
the
OeoC ()
first to-present itself.
is a familiar O.T. phrase
forapropheticutterance,whichStLuke
and St Paul employ for the teaching of
Jesus or for the Gospel (Lc. v. 1, viii.
tial

D^D^n
. .]
'army' is implied in
The existence of a

In
(iVltOV) is a constant phrase
the
xii. 7

..
celes-

H2)S

1 1, xi. 28, Acts vi. 2, xiii.

etc.).
5, 44, 1 Cor,,
xiv. 36, 2 Cor. ii. 17, iy. 2, 1 Th. ii. 13
Meanwhile, the thought had
taken root that Jesus is Himself the
for(i)theorderedranksof the heavenly
bodies (cf e.g. 2 Bsdr. xix. 6 o-ol
at
-
),
and (2) the angelic bodyguard of the
final and the only perfect revelation
Throne of God See Driver, art. Host ;

of God to man (Heb. i. 1 f.), and St John

of Heaven, in Hastings, D.B. ii.
gave expression to this belief when he p. 429 if. Here the latter are clearly
applied the term 'Word of God to the '
meant. The angelic hosts were at the
glorified Christ. How far at this stage service of the Incarnate Son even in
he had anticipated the doctrine of the
Prologue to the Fourth Gospel cannot
be determined but it is difficult to
resist
;

the impression that. there

some connexion between the present
is
',
the days of His Flesh (cf. Mt. xxvi. 53

in
oi

and
His exaltation they wait upon His
),
passage and the teaching of the Alex-
andrine book of Wisdom; cf. Sap. xviii.
15 ,- pleasure (Heb.
xvi. 27, xxiv. 31, xxv. 31,
Some
i.

the ancient interpreters

of
thought here of the elect from among
6 fiF., cf.Mt.
Apoc.
xiii. 41,

v. 11 f.).

' yijs,

Arethas asks how the giving of this

name to Christ is to be reconciled with
. tjjs
-
o\e- mankind (e.g. Apringius: "exercitus
qui in caelo est ipsa est sponsa"), or
of the "martyrum candidates ex-
ercitus"; but though either of these
bodies might, consistently with the
the statement in v. 12 (has

,
His answer is not very convincing but
:

. usage of the Apoc, be placed in

Heaven and clad in white (cf. vii.
9 if.), yet the general sense of both
O. and N.T. points rather to the angelic
orders, and Andreas is doubtless right

.
;

Apringius at least strikes the right when he says :

note " sicut pro ineffabilitate virtutis

:

eius supra fatetur incognitum omni- As the Lamb,

bus eius nomen...ad professionem nos- Christ followed by the Saints (xv. 4,
is

trae fidei...Verbum Dei esse signifi- •

xvii. 14); but as the Celestial Warrior,

,cat." No Name of om• Lord, not even coming from Heaven to earth upon
254

15 ., THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

*s
K<xi

- •
[XIX. 14

4 ]
Oypr Prim Hier
Ar [
!
opyw
pr
|
o|eo] pr
fci
al-"«» u g

the Or,
8
<*>«» the syr*» Or
Q minP'i 4» vg"»'»"*"
1 5
syr* Cypr anon•»*
arm
Prim

a mission of judgement, He brings the obedience of faith ; cf. Apringius:

with Him His Angels. "percuteredicitur. .liberare, damnare,
.

On see ix. 16, note. A iustificare, eripere, salvare." The

may be a small body of
soldiers, such as Herod's bodyguard
(Lc. xxiii. 11), or the garrison of the
Antonia (Acts xxiii. 10, 27), or a great
host, taken in the aggregate (». 19);
in the plural the word = troops, forces,
copiae. These celestial troops are all
cavalry (cf. ix. 16), mounted, like their
Captain, on white horses, the symbol
and omen of victory. But whereas their
Captain is arrayed in a cloak sprinkled
with blood, they are clad in pure white
byssus (cf. v. 8, note). He Only has
had experience of mortal conflict ; for
whole course of 'the expansion of
Christianity' is here in a figure: the
conversion of the Empire; the con-
version of the Western nations which
rose on the ruins of the Empire ; the
conversion of the South and the far
East, still working itself out in the
history of our own time. In all St John
would have seen Christ using the
Sword of His mouth; the white horse
and his Rider, the diadem-crowned
head, the invisible armies of Heaven.
. \
:an image already familiar to

-'
them bloodshed and death are impos- readers of this book (ii. 27, xii. 5, where
sible.
15.
.'] Another feature from
- see notes) ; the same blending of the
metaphor of Isa. xi. and Ps. ii. is to
be observed in Ps. SoL xvii. 26 f.
the vision of 0. i. ; cf. i. 16, notes. But
the sharp sword issuing from the mouth
of the Word fulfils a new purpose.
The Priest- King, walking in the midst
of the churches, uses it to chastise the —a coincidence which
impenitent members of the Asian con- may be explained by supposing that
gregations
el ,.,. *).
(ii. 12, 15 f.

Here
work lies beyond the pale of the
Church the Warrior-King comes to
; and Ruler of souls (1 Pet. ii. 25),
smite the pagan nations with it
John has in view Isa. xi. 3 if.
...
,. The Word of
God fights with the sword of the word
His weapons are spiritual
carnal (2 Cor. x. 4); He smites the
nations not by judgements only, but
by the forces which reduce them to
ovv
}
its
St John here follows a Jewish tradi-
tion already existing in the century
before Christ The sense is clear.
The work of, the Pastor, the Guide
St follows that of the Evangelist; the
heathen «are first to be reduced to
obedience, and then brought iinder
the discipline of Christ
\ \
.] The repetition of adds
and not solemnity; Christ Himself is in all this
movement, by whatever ministry He
may work. And His work in the world
is not all redemptive or restorative; it
 XIX.

Beov
67
17
17]

?.. THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

\)
eva ayyeXov

]
6
> ~ ,
25.5

16

arm
16

»
minP']
om ejri

Q
AQ
130
7 14 3^ 9 2
al'"™ 30
|

3° '^
syr anon" » 11
+
6" ^ 87 152 eyre"
"] •
|
om en 2°
t* 36 me
1

the syrs™
7 etSov

has its terrible side. The of

judgement and its wine of wrath have
The title is given to
the Lamb in xvii. 14, where see notes;
.
been mentioned already more than the changed order can hardly be more
once ; for the first see xiv. 19 f., notes, than accidental.
and for the second, xiv. 19 8, 10, xvi. "Sic. semper Verbum Dei," writes
now we learn by Whom the winepress Irenaeus (iv. 20. 1 1), after quoting the
is trodden, though this has already three visions of the exalted Christ in
been suggested by v. 13, with its refer- Ajpoc. i., v., xix., "velut lineanienta
ence to Isa. lxiii. 1 ff. rerum futurarum habet,, et velut spe-
16. ?« ' to .] cies dispositionum Patris hominibus
"While He is known to Himself by a ostendebat, docens nos quae sunt
name which is hidden from all others, Dei."
and to the Churches as the Word of 17-rfi. Overthrow and end of
God, He has a third name which all the Beast and the False Prophet.
can read, for it is displayed on His 17 f- eidov eva iv
habit where it falls over the thigh. \
\
'on the cloak and on that most exposed
eVt , .] As in
angel suffices for the task. He takes
up a position in the sun, whence he
xviii. 21, a single

part of it which covers the thigh,'

where it cannotescape notice. Modern
commentators quote Cic. Terr. iv. 43
"signum Apollinispulcherrimum, cuius
in femore literulis minutis argenteis
(iv
notes)
(•
can deliver his message to the great
birds of prey that fly high in the zenith

; he is
:

sent to
to the battlefield which is presently
cf. viii. 1 3,
summon them
xiv. 6,

nomen Myronis erat inscriptum " ; Paus. to be strewn with the bodies of the
Eliac. (Wetstein): avbpbs ...*- King's enemies. The imagery is bor-
yeiov &e iir «Vi rowed from Ez. xxxix. 17 ff., where the
the Apocalyptist, perhaps, has slaughter of Gog* is described : dnbv
€€... )(€
;

inviewsome equestrian statue at Ephe-

,

sus similarly inscribed. The allegorical

meaning which the ancient interpre- , '.,.
.
in\

-
1

(') -,
ters offer (e.g. Primasius " femore :

illius posteritas seminis designator in

quo benedicentur omnes gentes") is ! ! (...
improbable nor can we press - «!
^.
;

after the manner of Aprin-

•
gius, who writes
sacramento Dominici corporis
:

turn legitur nomen eius 'Rex regum',"

meaning apparently that the glorified
humanity of the Lord sufficiently
" in veste, id est,
scrip-
in

,
to be found in Mt. xxiv. 28
i<eX
Carrion, even a single corpse, has a
magnetic attraction for vultures, and
The same idea

.
iav §
is

proclaims His universal Sovereignty. here is a field piled with the dead, a
256 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XIX. 17

,,
[]
rots
*
18

19
' , . *9

17
vg Andr Ar)
e/c/jafey] ^
om
Q 12 95 vg
95 syre™
to1
| ev HQ 2
min mu
14 16 92 al

-
terel °

om
(om « 186 Prim
minP 1

;
| | | |

4 6 8 16 29 31 32 35 41 42 94 95 96 al toc 6 6
SS 87 94 •\
36 49 74 86 vg ,ips6 arm 2 aeth
31 32. 35 38 39 48
18 om
|

].
5 1

49 «r avrovs A 14 92] eir

|

(. Q*)] pr 130 Ar om .
PQ min'ereomn Andr Ar
1
outois tt

152 me syrs" arm 2 om re 1 6 all*"10

|

om

.
| |

1° Q 9 14 30 36 al /j+Te Q minP'i 30 pr 95 19 «Sop

minP ] 1
iSov KAQ 7
|

36 92 130 | .] |

ti* "•*

great repast spread by the hand of

God (
temvov rb ;

in Ezekiel's words, a sacrificial feast

Or ) thousand years, and prima facie is
distinct from the battle of c. xix.,
and'later; see notes ad loc. It may
spread on God's table for all the vul- be pointed out, however, (1) that
tures of the sky. In Ezekiel only xix. 17 if. and xx. 8 f. are based on
the bodies of the great are offered to the same passage in Ezekiel, and
the birds of prey ; in St John's con- (2) that in the Apocalypse priority in
ception all the slain lie together ; not
only kings and captains (, the order of sequence does not always
imply priority in time.
tribuni, cf. vi. 1 5, note), but the rank
and file, made up of all sorts and
conditions of men free and bond
(vi. 18, xiii. 16), small and great
On
19.
.']
"When the Beast was
last seen (xvii. 16 f ), he was in league
»
see xviL 16, note.
elbov Tohs

(xi. 13, xiii. 16, xix. 5, xx. 12). The with the ten kings who were to bring
great war between Christ and Anti- about the destruction of Babylon. It
christ, which is now about to enter
was foreseen by the Seer that the
upon its final stage, draws its recruits kings' would ultimately turn their
from every class, and in war there is
arms against the Lamb (ib. 14). This
no respect of persons.
development has now been reached;
Is this battle to be identified with
Babylon- is no more, but the Beast
that of Har Magedon (xvi. 16), and
survives, and is allied against Christ
with that of Gog and Magog (xx. 8 if.) ?
with the powers which have risen on
In . xvi. the forces are seen gathering
the ruins of Rome. They are now
for battle, but the battle is not yet
begun ; and there seems
to be no
called —the repre-
reason why we
should not find its sentatives of the £"»5^0 (Ps. ii. 2)
consummation here see note on xvi. ; who are the hereditary foes of the •

14. It is more, difficult to correlate Lord's Anointed. In c. xvii. the

the present passage with xx. 8 f. ; the Beast's allies are uncrowned (v. 12
battle of Gog and Magog follows the }
 XIX. 2c] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 257

.
-^ ,] 2

\}
10

eyrgw Prim]
me
6 II 31
20
41
|
']
™^
(
om
)
49* a l vid
6 al™"™" Andr
14 37 3^ 49** 19 9 1 9^
° /ieT «" Q miu
|
. +
.
fcreS0

,
syr arm 1 Ar

break down when personal interests

<os

),but St John foresees

that they will be succeeded by crowned
differ; the unity of the heavenly
when engaged in the
heads out of the confusion of the
; ,
service of God and of Christ, is in-
age' which saw the fall of Rome there dissoluble. _
Even the Church on earth

]
will rise a new order with duly con- in its last'struggle with Antichrist
stituted powers. These, however, so may be expected to present an un-
far as they lend their authority to broken front to the foe a grave ;

the Beast (xvii. 13), i.e. so far as they common danger will go far to cancel
, inherit the selfish and worldly policy
of the Empire, will be animated by the
same spirit, and the Seer sees them in
mutual
20.
distrust.

The imagery
*
)
the end banded together, like Herod
and Pontius Pilate, to wage the war
(
even in Ps. ii.
foretold in xvii. 14

In what form this prediction will

and
of the battlefield is carried on ; the
course of the battle is not recorded,
but its issue is stated. The Beast,
who had been the prime mover in
the revolt against the King of kings,
fulfil itself cannot be conjectured. when the day was manifestly lost,
But it seems to point to a last struggle
between Society and the Church, or
rather between Christ and Antichrist.
Those who take note of the tendencies
flight
seized. For
form of
,
made an effort to escape but his
was intercepted, and. he was
said to be a Doric
which was perpetuated
;

of modern civilization will not find it

impossible to' conceive that a time may
come when throughout Christendom
the spirit of Antichrist will,, with the
support of the State, make a final
,
in Hellenistic Greek, see W. Schm. p.

;
50 ;

Lc.

'arrest,' cf. Cant.

for
occurs in
vi. 38
the
ii.
Stic. vi.

meaning
1

15, Sir. xxiii. 21,

1 5
-
'seize,'

stand against a Christianity which is Jo. 30, 32, 44, x. 39, xi. 57, Acts
vii.

loyal to the Person and teaching of xii. 4, 2 Cor. xi. 32. With the Beast
Christ. was found his subservient ally, the
On as con- False Prophet (cf. Tert. de res. cam.
trasted with 25 "bestia autichristus cum suo
Andreas makes the shrewd remark
Tois -» -
-!
pseudo-propheta "), i.e. the Second
Beast of c. xiii. n ff. ; on this
,
identifi-

&. There is a certain

\ cation see xvi. 13, note.
not 'miracles' (A.V.), but "the signs"
(R.V.), i.e. those described in xiii. i3ff.,
unity which comes from making where see notes. The Seer still has
common cause in evil-doing (xvii. 13, in view the magic art practised by
17), but ithas its limits and is apt to the priests of the Caesar-temples,

s. . 17
258 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XIX. 20

ev ois -/
£/?
]' . " SJo eis >7
21

K*

]
tjjs

-38 39)]

ev
arm
™
.
|
%
35
'Q |

49 79 ^7 185 al
arm4
favres] pr
|

130
vg aeth Prim]
»•'
|
]
syrs"
min , • <,m, Andr Ar'

Q mil™"" Ar
(tiji/

36 3 8
««wet
I
om
|
ev

but though
himself in
he
can only express
terms of existing
the
conditions, his words may be held
to cover all forms of religious or
irreligious fanaticism, all the juggling
lake

cor

the
; Ps.
els \5
ev
cvi.

;
Dead Sea) Lc. v. 1 f., viii. 22 f.,
;
(cvii.) .

(salt
35
;
()
Cant.
Mace.
vii.

xi.
basins near
4
35

and dishonesties of false cults and 33 (the Lake of Gennesaret). Thus

creeds, whether pagan or Christian the stands in marked
or openly antichristian. When Beatus contrast with the (ix. 1 ff.,
writes "pseudo-prophetae sunt prae-
: xx. iff.); the Beast and False Prophet
positi...pseudo-episcopi et sacerdotes are not cast into a bottomless dungeon,
coram similes mali," he is wrong only to be kept in safe custody, but into a
in limiting his interpretation to pool of blazing sulphur, where they
Christian false prophets ; the world will be consumed. It is the utter
is full of systems which misinterpret destruction and consumption of the
God and His relation to the creature, two systems which is in view; like
and these are not to be overlooked. Babylon (xvii. 16, xviii. 8), they are to
Oil

to
iv ois

xiii. 16, xiv. 9ff., xvi. 2,

.Toiis
see the notes
xx. 4.
be burnt with fire not a vestige of
them will be «left in the new order.
. . .,
or an equivalent
;

' fir phrase, occurs again in xx. 10, 14 f.,"

.] As the two xxi. 8 the use of the definite article
;

had fought together against Christ, on appearance seems to imply

its first
bo they will ultimately together; fall that the conception was already
the day that sees the end of a false familiar to the Asian Churches;
statecraft will see also that of a false compare xi. 7 ., note.
priestcraft. The punishment of the was a
Possibly it
- local expression fcr

,
Beast is suggested by Daniel's account the yiewa which was familiar

Th. (.
of the fate of his fourth Beast (vii. 1
,.
to Palestinian Christians (Mt. v. 22 if.,
Me. ix. 43, note, Jac. iii. 6 ; cf. Secrets
of Enoch, x. 2 "a gloomy fire is
els ; the meaning being always burning, and a fiery river goes
that the Fourth Empire "is to be
,
forth," with Charles's note) ;

,
utterly brought to an end" (Driver). ev however, points rather to the
adds to the horror of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen.
picture; cf. Num. xvi. 30 xix. 24; Ez.

.
cf. xxxviii. 22). Tijs
9', repeated in Ps. liv. if original, can only be a
(iv.) 15; the Greek classical writers slip due to hasty writing or dictation;
use the same figure, e.g. Soph. Ant.

(.
920 '
(stagnum, Prim., Vg.)
- cf.

21.
Xxi. 8
see ix.
;ttj

17 f.,
For
xiv. 10, notes.
.]
is a comparatively shallow pool or The rest of the enemy, the kings and
 XX. ]

opvea
1

arm•••104
^
21 opvea]
XX H
aeth anon"^
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

A*
ayyeXov
vld

minP'] iSov
|
om
AQ
oup.
02 1 3°
K* (hab N
I
,,^
ayyeXov] pr
•*)
.

•*
,
(6) 3 (39) B y
259

lBW
1fI>

XX.

their hosts(v. 19), were not cast, like opvea

the Beast and the Prophet, into the £>\ See . 1J f., notes.
Lake of Fire, but slain outright by The words belong to the scenery of
the sword of the Word ; contrast As- the context, and need no precise
cension of Isaiah iv. 14 (ed. Charles,
p. 33), "He will drag Beliar into {
interpretation such as that of- Andreas
tovs Or ),
Gehenna, and
this wholesale
also his armies."
slaughter
understood in a purely spiritual sense
is clear from the words ttj ]
is
That
to be
of Prima3ius ("invitantur spirituales
ad caenani"). The number of. the
slain justified the anticipations of the
arigelwho invited all the vultures of

,
speaks in Eph. vi. 17

action of the living

it may be
which follow.
The sword is that of which St Paul

illustrated
and the
Word who
,
by Heb.
\
wields
iv. 12
the world to feast upon them. Schoett-
gen quotes a Rabbinical parallel, syn.
Sohar,
cum Deus vindictam
25 "illo tempore
p. 114,
exercebit pro
populo suo Israel, carnibus hostium
illorum caenabuntur omnes bestiae
11.

.
yap 6

,
In interpreting, room should
probably be allowed for punitive as
well as for restorative operations; the
mensibus xii, et aves cibuni exinde
habebunt vii annos."

of
XX.
Satan's
' *i
captivity
Martyrs' reign.
.
—
&.]
6.

The formula
The Thousand Years
and the

Word slays by pronouncing judgement does not, like de- &,

as well as by reducing to the obedience
of faith. But it is probably the latter
process which is chiefly in view the
slaying of the of the
self which resists Christ ; cf. Gal. ii.
, ;
19 f., vi. 14, and for the exact figure,
termine the order of time in which the
vision was seen relatively to the visions
which precede it, but merely connects
it with a series of visions which for
whatever purpose the writer has seen
fit to bring together in this part of

.
though used with a somewhat different
reference, Eph.

victorious
movement which
Thus
Word
ii.

the
16

fulfils
vision of
itself in
leads to conversions
the
any
his
12,
book;
xxi.

in xix. 1.
and contrast
in xviii. I, and
cf.

1,

.
xix. 11, 17, 19, xx. 4, 11,

It must not, therefore, be

assumed that the events now to be
on a great scale, such as that which described chronologically follow the
. attended the preaching of Boniface; destruction of the Beast and the False
and it may find a more complete ac- Prophet and -their army.
complishment at a time yet future, In the present vision, as in that of
when Christ will work through some c. xviii., an angel descends from heaven,

new Apostle of the Gentiles for the charged with a special mission (xviii. 1,
(Rom. XV. i8). note). He carries the key (on ,

17 2 '
26

3
' .
.'
,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

3
,
', ' ,
,
[XX.

KAQ min 35] 7 al Ar |

AQ
minP1 Andr-Ar]

]
Ar

2-3
I
H

om
om
arm
38 syrr
os AQ min° m " ld ]

u 130 i86 al
2

|
*] otpis

ll '" ma
+o
pr
]
14 3 8

(propter homoeotel)
79 97 Ar (om
HQ min°mnvl Andr
AQ minP1 Andr)
Q
35
186 al'"™ syr Ar
|

= see i. 18, note) which unlocks prisoner (for in this sense see
the
into the
mouth of the shaft that leads down
Abyss; cf. ix.
(note).
\- ix. 14, and Mt. xxvii. 2, Mc. vi. 17,
cf.

Lc. xiii. 16, Acts xii. 6, xxii. 5) for a

term of a thousand years, i.e. a long
! stands here in sharp contrast with
(xix. 20); the locked dungeon
. period of time, a great epoch in
human history cf. Andreas
) ; :

with its black and bottomless depths

forms aji antithesis to the open, shallow
pool of fire.
The angel who is charged with the
key of the Abyss carries also a manacle , (Ps. civ.==CV. 8). ..els

: ;
^
Beatus
on
see Mc.
as distinguished from
v. 4, note,
al
and cf. Lightfoot, Philippianp, p. 8,
note 2. The fetter isof great size, being
and Acts
; xii. 7
"pro eloquendi niodo
illud intellegendum in mille genera^
Hones, cum non sint mille." For the
interpretation of this period see the
third note on . 6, below.
dicit, sicut est

intended to hold a prisoner of no ordi- 3.

—
nary strength one stronger than Sam- .] Satan, powerless in the hands
son (Jud. xvi. 6 ff.), stronger than the of the angel, who exercises, Divine
[
Legion 'who tore asunder the chains power (Apdreas :

that secured the Gerasene (Mc. I.e.) an

than whom there is but one
stronger {Lc. xi. 21 f.). The great
;

), and fettered, is iung

down the shaft into the Abyss, the
chain lies on the angel's hand («Vi mouth of which is at once locked and

,
(
= fVi = nearly made secure. The Abyss is the desti-
cf. i. 16, 20), ready for use as

soon as he comes .upon the criminal.

.]
nation to which the 'Legion' looks
forward (Lc. viii. 31 »
2.

The Dragon, who from the

notes) has been behind the revolt
2, 4,
first (xiii. '),
of the
and it is under the charge
Angel Abaddon (Apollyon) (ix.
led by the 'Beast and False Prophet,
but hitherto has escaped justice, is
now seized,
followed by the ace. see
3<pis ,
and chained

os
: on
ii. 1,

.,
' note.
a
1 1, note), who is by some interpreters

identified with Satan himself, and

is at least a kindred power.
the Dragon's committal is in effect
Thus

a limitation to his proper sphere of

parenthesis (cf. i. 5, ii. 13, notes) bor- influence ; already he has been cast
rowed from xii. 9, where see note. out of Heaven (xii. 9), now he is cast
For the present the Dragon is not ' out of the earth, and returns to his
slain or consumed, but only made a own place.
 ,
XX.

,•
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THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
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a last — some mystery of the Divine "Will.

precaution taken to prevent escape.
Not only is the pit's mouth shut and
This use. of ,
frequent in the NT.
(Mt. xxiv. 6, xxvi. 54, Mc. viii. 31,
locked ; it is sealed. In c. v. r seven ix. 11, xiii. 7, Lc. xxiv. 26, 44, Jo. xii.
seals guard the secrets of a papyrus ..9, Acts

!!
34, xvii. 3, xxiii. 1 1 ; in this
roll in vii. 2 a seal stamps the Divine book, i. 1, iv. 1, xi. 5, xiii. 10, xvii. 11)

-
;

impress upon the servants of God. occurs first in the versions of Daniel
The use of the seal here is parallel to ii. 28, 45 where = *T 12
that described in Mt. xxvii. 66
K.lp?. It is in vain to speculate on

:
!. ; cf. . Pelr. 8
The pur- ,
the grounds of this necessity, but it
may be that the Christian nations

!.^ !
pose of sealing the entrance to a prison which have long acquiesced in the

)-;
was to prevent any attempt at escape faith without conviction will need to

or rescue passing unobserved

Dan. vi. 17, LXX.

Bel 1 1 ff.
.6
see

,
..
and
;

cf.
be sifted before the end ; cf. Lc. xxii:
31
o>r

to the stress of Satan's

A short exposure

ment of Satan to the Abyss is not so

much a punitive as a precautionary
measure so long as he is in the Abyss,
;
.]
The confine- (2 Th.

4.
ii.

, .]
,
11)
the wheat from the chaff.
may

Another
suffice to separate

vision, which
'

;
he cannot deceive the nations, as he shewn by, the sequel (». 7
)
is

,
had been used to do. To mislead on to be synchronous with Satan's
a great scale is his business and raison
- captivity. The scene is from Daniel

§ ,, , -
d'Ure; see

!
xii. 9 vii.9

.,.
and cf. Jo. viii. 44 the indefinite which follows
here, resembles Dan. viii. 26
6 Now -the court sat'; the
his activity is checked for a season plural is perhaps meant to include

.
the great malefactor is in custody, Christ and His assessors, the Apostles
and there is no fear that he will break
his prison while his term of imprison-
ment lasts. Afterwards he must be
(Mt. xix. 28) and Saints (1 Cor. vi. 3);
cf. Dan. vii. 22

To these is given the right

;
released for a little while:
is relative, as in Jo. vii.
33, xii. 35,
of pronouncing sentence ; they

are invested with judicial authority.

()
Apoc. vi. 11 the — release will be brief On see ii. 13, note it is here ;

in comparison with the captivity. But

short or long, it must come; there
is a necessity for it (Sel), founded on
,
the judge!s chair, placed upon the
where he sits to hear cases and
deliver judgement ; cf. Jo. xix. 13
262

,
,
,
'
?-
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
- [XX- 4

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Petr. 3
Acts
.

i.e. 'make judges.'

6, 17, Cor. vi.'4
]
notes
see i.

.]
; and
9, vi. 9.

Cf.
for

ov
ad Fortun. 12
Cyprian,
The picture presented to the mind is "vivere omnes dicit et regnare cum
that of a state of society in which Christo, non tantum qui occisi fuerint
Christian opinion is dominant, and sed quique in fidei suae firmitate et
positions of influence and authority Dei timore perstantes imaginem bes-
are held by believers and not, as in tiae non adoravcrint." The triumph
the age of St John, by pagans and . of Christ is shared not by the martyrs
persecutors. only but by all who under the sway

.] Sc. .
In vi. 9 the souls of
the martyrs were seen under the Altar,
of the Beast and the False Prophet
suffered reproach, boycotting, im-
prisonment, loss of goods, or other
crying for vengeance. It has now inconveniences, though they did not
been awarded (xix. 2 win the martyr's crown cf. xiii. 1 5,
and they ), :

('
xiv. 9 ff., xvi. 2, xix. 20, notes.
appear again, living and reigning with introduces a second class of
Christ. For (vi. 9, xviii. persons, 'confessors,' and others who

,
24), which associated the martyrs with
the Sacrificed Lamb (v. 6, 9, 12, xiii. 8),
the Apocalyptis't now writes
'
beheaded with the
(eecuris),' the traditional instrument
- were faithful in the age of perse-

who in St John's day were resisting

the Caesar-worship.
\ '
cution, with special reference to those
•

of capital punishment in republican

Rome, which, though under the Empire suffered
]
under Tiberius now
The Christ Who
lives
superseded by the sword (Acts xii. 2), (i. 1 and reigns, as the vision of c. xix.
8)
still lingered in the memory of the has shewn (vv. 12, 16), and His life and
provincials;' cf. Diod. Sic. xix. 101 royalty to be shared for a thousand

!
.
; Polyb. i.

' .
The Seer still has in his mind
the martyrs of his own age r the victims
12
- years by the martyrs and confessors of
the Church. occurs in the
Apocalypse only in xi. 15, xii. 10,
xx. 4, 6, and is probably in each
instance a reminiscence of Ps. ii. 2.
of Nero and Domitian. With «» The Lord's Anointed, against Whom
cf. i. 9, xii. 17, xix. io, the khi£s of the earth conspired, has
 ' ? ' .'
XX.

.
•.
6] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
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263

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triumphed over His enemies, and His

victory ensures
have fought on His
5.
that of those
side.

] To
who

infer
"
Parousia. There
in this to 1 Th.

there in antithesis to
is
.,
is
iv.

i.e. the dead in

,
nothing analogous
16
for -iv
•

from statement, as many ex-

this Christ are contrasted with His mem-
positors have done, that the of bers who will be living upon earth at
v. 4 must be understood of bodily the time of His coming. Nor again ,

resuscitation, is to interpret apoca- is 1 Cor. xv. 23 really parallel there ;

lyptic prophecy by methods of exegesis St Paul defines the order in which

= (
which are proper to ordinary narrative. the Resurrection will take place at
The Seer merely guards against the the Second Advent, and his words
impression that he had referred to
the General Resurrection, which will
follow and not precede the Thousand
) are not limited, as St John's
are, to the martyrs and confessors,
tjj

Years of the Martyrs' reign. On but embrace" all loyal members of the
see ii. 8, note, and Church. Hence Origen's remark
for cf. Blass, Gr. p. 219. (fragm. in Isa. ap. Pamph. Apol. 7) is
: this, le. inapplicable here: " considerandum
the return of the martyrs and con- est...ne forte dividi possit omnis
fessors to life at the beginning of the resurrectionis ratio in duas partes, id
'

Thousand Years, is the First Resur- est in eos qui salvandi sunt iustos, et
rection. It belongs to the Apoca- etiam in eos qui cruciandi sunt pecca-
lyptist's view of things to see the tores." On the probable meaning of
great realities of life and death St John's First Resurrection see note
arranged in antithetical pairs, in
which one of the two facts belongs to
after v.
6.
6.
' 6 *
cf.

,
,
the present order, and the other, its
greater counterpart, to the future

; ,,
xxi. I 6
contrasted with ovp.
.]
(cf.

14),
i. 3,
A fifth Apocalyptic beatitude
xiv.13,- xvi. 15, xix. 9, xxii.
distinguished from the other six
by the addition of to . ,

6
, ii.

not expressly named.

II, XX. 6, 14, xxi.
or b .
implying a
though the latter is
So here the
First Resurrection is one which takes
8 He to whom this belongs
is not only happyj but holy ; he is in
the highest degree worthy of the
name of Saint he is beatified, he is
;

canonized by the voice of the Spirit

effect in the present
with that which belongs to the new
order and is to be introduced by the
life,, in contrast of Jesus. With 6
Jo. xiii.

the use of
8
. . cf.
in xxi.
,
8, xxii. 19.
and
264

The grounds of the

6 . ! ?
SevTepos€ ,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
*
beatification are
Sevrepos 49 79 a ^
Tl<1
me ^
the Messianic Reign. (1) Whilo the 1
[XX. 6

added. 'Over these (i.e. eVi

(1) O.T. represents this Reign as per-
.)

,,
the Second Death manent (Dan. ii. 44, vii. 27 ; cf. Jo. xii.
(see below, v. 14, note) has no control'; 34), the pseudepigraphic writers of
the first is past already And for them —
100 b.c. 100 a.d., whether influenced
there remains no other. The words by Persian eschatology, as Briggs sug-
recall Rom. vi. 9 gests (Messiah of the Gospels, p. 1 5 f.)
but the or by the hopes of an unsettled age,
reference there is to the firet death looked for a temporary triumph of
only, On
the contrary (') righteousness before the consum-

.
(2)
they shall be priests of God and the mation of all things see Charles, ;

Christ'; cf. 6 .. '- Eschatology, p. 200 ff. (2) To *this

.
i.

; V: golden age varying periods were

... The assigned; thus in Tanchuma 7, in
destiny purchased by the Christ for answer to the question 'How long
all Christians will be realized in are the days of the Messiah?', R.
those who partake in the First Akiba replies, Forty years ; other
'
'

Resurrection for them priestly ser-

; Rabbinic computations give 100, 600,
vice in the glory of its ideal per- 1000, 2000, 7000 years (Weber, Jud.
fection is an accomplished fact. The Theologie'1 p. 372 f.; while in 4 Esdr.
,

inclusion of Christ with God in the vii. 28 we read: "revelabitur enim

Object of Divine service is peculiar
to this passage, but it agrees with
what has been said in c. v. 8 if. as to
the joint worship of God and of the
Lamb by heavenly beings, and with
the general tendency of the Book to
regard Christ as. the Equivalent of
God. (3) There is yet a third reason
for the of the martyrs and
confessors 'they shall reign with the
; an eternal order. The later Slavonic
Christ during the thousand years'
(i.e. those mentioned in v. 4). Priest-
liood and royalty are the mutually
complementary aspects of the service
of God, " cui servir.e regnare est "
cf. i. 6, v. 10, xxii. 3,
important to notice that no hint is
given as to where this service is to be
rendered and this royalty to be ex-
ercised
films meus [Iesus] cum his qui cum
eo, et ioCundabit qui relicti sunt an-
nis quadringentis"). In Enoch (3)
xci. ff. human divided into
history is
weeks, of which the eighth and ninth
witness the victory of righteousness,
while the tenth is that of the final
judgement, followed by the creation
of a new heaven and the. beginning of
Enoch (Secrets of E. xxxiii. 1 f., ed.
Charles, p. 46) makes the duration of
the world a single week of seven days,
each day consisting of 1000 years, to
be succeeded by an eighth day in
5, notes. It is which there are "neither years nor
months nor weeks nor days nor hours,"
i.e. Eternity. This conception of a
week of millennia took root in early

lines.
Any
; eVi
place here either in
io) has no
4 or in v. 6,
and must not be read between the

serious attempt to interpret

the vision of the Thousand Yoars
(c. v.

v.
Christian thought, and support for it
was found in an allegorical treatment
of Gen. ii. 1 ff. coupled with Ps. lxxxix.

,
(xc.) 4

€(~
cf. Barn. ep. 1 5. 4
;

'
Xc'yei
,
-
,
iv
iv

must begin with an examination,

however cursory, of contemporary
Jewish belief upon the subject of ; Iron. V. 28. 3
HLvpios
()
"'
XX. 6]

]
lepeii
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

[]
]
, '.
- 265

].
-'
6 arm |
pr . 38

••
syre ,v | . om 130 86 al? 1 arm Andr Ar

,
as a t
ovv micpnrt has been suggested by

.
ovv Isa. I.e., or imported from c. xxii. $,
, Itos tori which refers to the final state. The
. strom. iv. 25, § 161 .. ; Clem.
.6 Sta same confusion appears in Tertullian,
adv. Marc. iii. 24 " confitemur in
:

terra nobis regnuni repromissum,

The idea existed also in Zoroastrian- sed ante caelum, sed alio statu, ut-
ism (Hastings, D. B. iv. 990 6), but pote post resurrectionem, in mille
the Judaeo-Christian tradition rests annos in civitate djvini operis
clearly and sufficiently on the O.T. Hierusalem caelo. delata." Still
It can scarcely be doubted that further from St John's, thought is the
St John's mind was familiar with these picture of sensuous bliss derived by
conceptions yet he employs them
;
Papias (cf. Eus. .
E. iii. 39) from an
with considerable reserve. Either apocryphal source (see Iren. v. 33. 3 f.,
from (3), or perhaps from the O.T. and Charles's note on Apoc. Barueli,
he xxix. 5), and strangely ascribed to our

'
itself (Ps. l.c, cf. 2 Pet. iii. 8),
has adopted the symbolical term of Lord, and the grosser views attributed
1000 years, whilst (1) has been so far
used that he assigns this limit to the
reign of the martyrs with Christ. But
St John does not commit himself to
a reign upon earth. When Dr Charles
\ , --
to Cerinthus (ap. Eus. iii. 28

writes (Eschatology, p. 349) " the :

.). There were, however, even
martyrs. .reign with Christ personally
. in Justin's days many Christians who
on earth for a thousand years (xx. refused to accept the chiliastic inter-
—
4 6), with Jerusalem as the centre pretation of St John's vision, as Justin
of the kingdom," he introduces into himself candidly confesses (l.c.
'
the eschatology of this passage ideas
collected from
xxi. 10.
cc. v. 10, xx. 9, and
• ).
-
At Alexandria
Early Christian interpretation fell in the third century a materialistic
same snare. Thus Justin, in
into the chiliasm was strongly condemned by
answer to Trypho the Jew, admits Origen (de princ. ii. 1 1. 2), and Diony-
(dial.

,
80 f.):

-
)-
rives sius (ap. Eus.H. E. vii. 25 ; ed. Feltoe,
p. 115); but no thorough examination

,
of this passage, with a constructive
ev purpose, seems to have been under-
taken by the Alexandrian school. To
'
- Augustine the Church owes the first

,
] , , ' ;
(lxv.

ris
17 ff.)

adding after a
'

ev
little :
serious effort to interpret Apoc. xx.
(de civ. Dei xx. 7 ff.). He confesses
that he had at one time been disposed,
to adopt a modified chiliasm, in which
"deliciae spirituales" were substituted
rovs for the sensuous expectations of the
where early milliarii. But a longer study
266 THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN
of the subject led him to a different
conclusion. He had learned to. see
in the captivity of Satan nothing else
than the binding of the strong man by
the Stronger than he which the Lord,
had foretold (Mc. iii. 27, Lc. xi. 22) in;
the thousand years, the whole interval
between the first Advent and the last
conflict; in the reign of the Saints,
the entire course of the Kingdom
of Heaven ;in the judgement given
to them, the binding and loosing of
sinners in the first resurrection, the
; brief resistance unto blood secured for
spiritual share in the Resurrection of
Christ which belongs to the baptized
-(Col. iii. 1 ). This exegesis finds a place
in most of the ancient commentators,
both Greek and Latin, who wrote after
Augustine's time.
There are points at which the
Augustinian interpretation forsakes
the guidance of St John's words ; it
overlooks, e.g., the limitation of the
first Resurrection to the martyrs and
confessors. But on the whole it seems
to be on right lines. The symbolism
of the Book is opposed to a literal
understanding of the Thousand Years,
and of the resurrection and reign of
the Saints with Christ. It is "the
souls" of the martyrs that St John
sees alive the resurrection is clearly
; (but see v. 1, note), St John has in
spiritual and not corporeal. Augus-
tine's reference to the parable of the
Strong Man armed is illuminating in
a high degree, even if it is impossible
to press it to the precise conclusion
which he reached.
Turning back to the vision itself,
we observe that it has points both
of contact and of contrast with the
Yision of the Two Witnesses in c. xi.
3 ff. In each a definite time is fixed
— in c. xi. 1260 days, in c. xx. 1000
years. If the 1260 days symbolize the
duration of the triumph of heathenism
(xi. 2 f., notes), the 1000 years as
clearly symbolize the duration of the
triumph of Christianity. In c. xi.
11 ff. the Two Witnesses after their
martyrdom rise and ascend to heaven
in the sight of their enemies in c. xx.
; vision. When, under what circum-
4 ff. the souls of the martyrs and con-
[XX. 6
fessors live and reign with Christ. In
both passages we have virtually the
same fact symbolized, viz. the victory
of the principles for which the martyrs,
died and the confessors endured hard-
ship and loss. How short the age of
persecution would be, when compared
with the duration of a dominant Chris-
tianity, is shewn by the adoption of a
term of 3^• years in the one case and of
loco years in the other. Blessed and
holy, indeed, were those who by their
the Church so long a continuance of
peaceful service ; they would live and
reign with Christ as kings and priests
in the hearts of all succeeding genera-
tions of Christians, while their work
bore fruit in the subjection of the
civilized world to the obedience of
the faith.
If this or some similar interpreta-
tion be accepted, the question remains
at what epoch the great chapter in
history represented by the Thousand
Years began. An obvious answer
would be, 'With the Conversion of
Constantine, or of the Empire.' If,
however, the visions are to be re-
garded as following one another in
something like chronological order
view the moment of the overthrow
of the Beast and the False Prophet,
.
i.e. the' final break up of the Roman
world-power and its ally, the pagan
system of priestcraft and superstition.
But possibly the question, like many
another raised by this Book, admits
of no precise answer. The Seer of
the Apocalypse does not anticipate
history ; ho is content to emphasize
and expi-ess in apocalyptic language
the principles which guide the Divine
government of the world. That the
age of tho Martyrs, however long it
might last, would be followed by a far
longer period of Christian supremacy
during which the faith for which the
martyrs died would live and reign, is
the essential teaching of the present
stances, or by what means this happy
XX. THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 267

§
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result should be attained, St John does against the Church ; his limitations
not foresee, and has not attempted removed, the cvepyeia begins
to explain. It might have been well again. iv rats yavlais

!!
if students of his book had always yfjs (see c. vii. 1, note), i.e. all the
followed the example of this wise nations of the world, however remote
reserve. cf. Ez. vji. 2 nipas tjkci tus \
7
Years.
— 10.the Thousand
After
Release of Satan War : whole land.
i.e. on the

The movement which

,
of Gog and Magog. St John foresees is not dictated by
7. re\etr6ij *, an imperial' policy, but is the result

sand years
released.'
is
.] 'Whensoever the thou-
shall end,
The use of the future tense
carried on from v. 6 into vv. 7, 8,
with the result that this part of the
Satan shall be

appears
note);
first
]
of a common impulse which will seize
men of all races and nationalities.
Magog
in Gen. x. 2 (see Driver's
but the immediate reference
(3130) 1

vision assumes the form of a prophecy.

The Sei of
here is to Ez. xxxviii. xxxix., where —
the prophet conceives of a great in-
. 3 is at length to be accomplished vasion of the land of Israel by Gog
the thousand years of the Martyrs' (Jia), whom he connects with the land
Keign (now identified with the thou- Magog
sand years of Satan's captivity; cf.
tm. 2 —
5) being ended, he will be set
'of
), (xxxviii. 2 «rt
and describes as the
prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal
free from his prison (for this sense —the two last .usually identified with
of see ii. 10, and cf. xviii. 2, tribes inhabiting £he S. and S.E.
note), and troublous times' will begin shores of the Euxine.
' "The ex-
again. As the Seer ascribes the first pedition imagined by the prophet
persecution under Nero to Satan's is no doubt modelled upon the great
wrath at his expulsion from Heaven irruption of the Scythians into Asia
—

!
(xii. 13, note), so the final outbreak (Hdt. i. 104 6) which took place in
of hostility against the Church is attri-
buted to his return to the earth after
630 B.c." (Driver on Gen. l.c).
sephus identifies
Jo-
Magog with
: tho
long imprisonment, in the Abyss.

.]
8. \ ((((
Cf. Bede: "exitiit...: in apertam
persecutionem de latebris erumpet
odiorum." A thousand years have
wrought no change in Satan's methods;
no sooner has he been set free than
% !
",!
<3-£>,
air

),
Scythians (antt. i.

older interpreters of the Apocalypse

.thought of the Scythians here. But
whatever Gog and Magog
6.

, SC.
and the

may have
fie

ho is at his old work of deceiving meant to Ezekiel, St John's phrase

the world (v. 3, note), and turning it has no definite
268

8
,
?.
]
? ?? THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

om
9

38 49 19 86 """" tne arm Andr

?
I
om
? ?,
I
[XX. 8

?
3 8 48 49

79 almu arm 4 Andr Ar

geographical associations possibly it Dei xx. 11), rightly rejects any such
;

comes not directly from Ezekiel, but narrowing of the sense: " toto namque
from Jewish apocalyptic sources in orbe terrarum significati sunt isti esse,
which it had assumed a new con- cum dictum est naliones quae sunt in
notation. In the Rabbinical writings iv angulis terrae." This great up-
Gog and Magog appear as the enemies rising of the nations will, he adds,
of the Messiah ; cf. the Jerusalem be the final protest of the world
Targum on Num. xi. 29 "Eldad et against the Church: "haec enim
Medad (cf. Herm. vis. ii. 3, Fabric. erit novissima persecutio quam sancta
cod. pseud. V. T. i. p. 801 ff.), ambo ecclesia tototerrarum orbe patietur,
istiprophetarunt siniul et dixerunt universa scilicet civitas Christi ab
'In fine extremitatis dierum Gog et universa diaboli civitate, quantacum-
Magog et exereitus eorum adscen- que erit ubique super terrain."
dent Hierosolyma, et per manus regis els
Messiae ipsi cadent " Aboda Sara i. 1
;
.] Cf. xvi. 14, where the same
f. 36 "quando vidtfbunt bellum Gog words are used of the three froglike
et Magog dicet ad eos Messias :
'
Ad spirits arising- from the Dragon, the
quid hue venistis 1 Respondebunt '
Beast, and the False Prophet, which
'Adversus Dominum et adversus gathered the Kings to the battle of
Christum eius'"; for other Rabbinical• Har Magedon. A similar war is
passages see Wetstein ad I. ; Schoett- described in xvii. 14, xix. 19 whether ;

gen, de Mess. (ii. pp. 68, 227) Weber, ;

the three passages refer to the same
Jud. Tlieol? p. 386 ff. et passim.. See
, event is not clear, but the war of

,
also Orac. Sibyll. iii. 3195. Gog and Magog appears to be dis-
(cf. .Book of Jubilees, ed.

(
tinguished by its position after the

] '
Charles, Maycuy,
p. 74) ijfie
Thousand Years . e.)

,
J and immediately before the Last
&/, \
('
Judgement. Other onslaughts upon

"
ib. 5 1 2 at
,
... ,
Maycoy,
; ff.

|
the Church were preludes to this final
worldwide attack.

' ; for the expansion of the legend

- |
In

back to many
6
the metaphor carries us
.
T. contexts in which
in the later apocalypses see Bousset,
a great host is described cf. e.g. Gen. ;

Der Antichrist, esp. p. 128 f. Con-

xxii. 17, Jos. xi. 4, Jud. vii. 12, 1 Regn.
jecture was busy among Christian
xiii. 5, 2 Regn. xvii. 1 1, Judith ii. 20,
interpreters of the fourth and follow-
r Mace. xi. 1.
ing centuries as to the identity of
Gog and Magog. Eusebius (dem. ev.
ix. 3) mentions the view that Gog
] 9.
For
\
eis
. . see Sir. i. 3
represents the
brose {de fide
iste
Roman Empire; Am-
ii.

Gothus est," while Andreas and.

Arethas ad loc. speak of some who
16) says: "Gog
(of the Chaldean army)

7=*5 "•
eVt (,
;

The l£md
)
Hab.
.,. i. 6

of
thought that the Huns were intended. Israel is doubtless in the Seer's mind;
Augustine, on the other hand {de civ. cf. Ez. xxxviii. 15 f.
XX. 9]

§\
me
Hier
g

the
o-ytucj+zcat
arm Viet Aug
. .
.\ ]
AQ

.
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

anou""« Ar
20
8 29 49 a l ]

17 19 86
Q 97
.. 130 pr
7 31

..
3^ '3° '86
+
•"
al** lnm Andr Ar
Q rain'' 25
al m " me vg syrr
269

1 ''
|

. ..
- \ ,-
... set up on earth

(lxxviii.) 68
(cf. c. xxC
looks back to Ps. lxxvii.
opos ,!-
10).

, '
!"
Ps. lxxxvi. (lxxxvii.) 2

;Enoch lvi. 6 (ed. Charles) "they

will march up to and tread under foot
the land of His elect ones, and the
land of His elect ones will be before
them a threshing floor and a path."
:
"/ Tas

(')
=
see B.B.B.
.
cf.
;

s.v. and
;
Hos. ii. 23 ()

on which
Ps. xvii. (xviii.) 2,
Psalms,
Cheyiie,
(AQ, .
for

In the aorist the writer slips

back into his usual apocalyptic manner
(cf. v. 7, note); he sees the hosts of
!
!.,
p. 376).
Eum. 869
Wetstein compares Aesch.

The Beloved City

,
the invading army just as they appear includes of course the Gentile Church,

=
on the horizon, mounting up, as it once but how one
were, on the edge of the great plain with Israel in Christ; see Rom. ix. 2jf.
— perhaps Esdraelon is still in his (SH), I Pet. ii. IO (Hort).
thoughts (xvi. 16, note). Or

-
occurs also in Jo. x.' 24 (B)
may be used with its usual reference 'IouSatot ; WH. Z
to the backbone of central Palestine, {Nates, p. 178)compare
and the situation of Jerusalem. = in Apoc. iii. 19, and
= in Lc. xviii. 12
.]

.
Apringius: "nihil caeleste (N*B); for 'besiege' cf. Lc. xix.
sapiunt, 11ulla.n1 caelestis altitudinis 43
, and
-
,!
potentiam metuunt." The 'Camp of ib. xxi.

the Saints' and the 'Beloved City are ' 20

two aspects of one body, the Universal The spiritual Jeru-
Church, whichis threatened byGogand salem will be surrounded by a greater
Magog.
Phrynichus says, is
a word which, as

a reminiscence of Macedonian military

«/, host, but no awaits her. As
to the sense in which she will be
besieged, Primasius is doubtless right:
life, the constant lxx. equivalent of "hoc est, in angustiis tribulationis
njnio, a camp, or an army on the march arctabitur, urgebitur, couchidetur."
.]
(Ex. xiv. 19 or engaged in battle
f.)
.
(Heb. xi. see Westcott's note),
34 :

recalls the picture of Israel marching

through the wilderness (Num. ii. 2 if.),
and perhaps also pf the brave stand
Cf.

]'
xxxviii.
(Gen. XIX. 24)
!! 22

,
;
[sc.

ib. xxxix.
of the Maccabees against Antiochus
(1 Mace. v. 40 ff.). On the other hand
represents the
6
lows .. with ).
(so but fol-
There is prob-
ably also an allusion to 4 Regn. i. 10, 12
Church as the New Zion, the civitas
Dei (Heb. xii. 22), already potentially — an
270

10

11

]
"
.
THE APOCALYPSE OE ST JOHN
?• °

8 om
, ? ,
[XX. 9

4 ™' 01 the Byr^

) 9 1 al vg'"
pr 7 13 1 6 3* 95 al I
3°
arm aeth |
om eis tous 12 |
me 11 HP 186 alpl
Ar] iSov AQ 7 92 130 (item v. 12) \
pr arm Prim

O.T. incident which had impressed XIV. Il) cis

itself, as we know (Lc. ix. 54), on the (i. 1 8, xi. 15, xiv. 11, xix. 3, xxii. 5).
mind of St John. For the future Gog It not certain that these terrible
is
and Magog he foresees a destruction words can be pressed into the service
as complete as that, which overtook of the doctrine of the Last Things;
the besiegers of the old city (4 Regn. <
since two of the three subjects of the
xix. 35)- represent systems and not
. 6 persons, it is safer to regard them as
.]
The Deceiver of the belonging to the scenery of the vision
nations (for the pres. part, see Blass, rather than to its eschatological teach-

,
Gr. p. 198 ; Dr Gwynn's Syriac version
uses the verbal noun y£\

iii. 13,
the general
Mt. xxvii. 63, or
Pesh.,
doom
=

Gwynn,
only to be reserved
p.
, %^\~
2 Tim.
87) escapes
ing. But beyond a doubt St John
intends at least to teach that the
forces, personal or impersonal, which
have inspired mankind with false views
of life and antagonism to God and to
for one more Like the Beast
terrible. Christ will in the end be completely
and the False Prophet before him he subjugated, and, if not annihilated,
is flung into the Lake of Fire (cf. xix. will at least be prevented from causing
20, note);
iv
\
( answers to
there. Thus
:
his
further trouble. From the Lake of
Fire there is no release, unless evil
third and final punishment is reached itselfshould be ultimately consumed
(compare xii. 9, xx. 2 f.) so slowly — and over that possibility there lies a
does the Divine Justice• assert itself, veil which our writer does not help
though the end has been foreseen us to lift or pierce.

", SC
The three ringleaders are now at
;
from the beginning; see Mti xxv. 41

length involved in the same hopeless

ruin, and, as was meet,
cf.

suffer a punish-
).
xix. 20.
.]
scene
11 — 15. Vision of the General
Resurrection and the Last Judge-
ment.
11. eib*ov

is now ready for the last

All
connected with the present
order. The Great White Throne con-
ment more severe than those whom trasts with the of xx. 4 in the ;

they misled; whilst their, dupes are final judgement there is but one
at once consumed by fire from heaven,
;.
throne, since there is but One judge;

*
where their torture
perennial : (\.
they are immersed in a fiery flood
is increasing and
5, note)
(iv. 8, vii. J 5, xii. IO,
cf. Heb. xii. 23

iv. 12 «
; Jac.

The absolute
eo-riv...
purity of this Supreme Court is. sym-
bolized by the colour of the Throne;
 ,
XX.

'
,, ^ » .',"
12] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

.
yf]
71

1 2 lithe

]
Q 4 26
om
3 1 3 2 4s
95] 7 PQ min fero4°
Q al^ Ephr Andr Ar +
-* r
1

\
err

95 syrr
33 35
12
«"""
! ..
tt 3^ -

cf. Dan. vii. 9,

\(...
Enoch
Th.,

xviii.
:
r<S

8
character of the Book that in this
supreme act prominence is given to
the Person of the Father, see the

- ]
;

(!
Charles,
, and see
("of alabaster,"
Ps. ix.
Introduction, p. clxxii.

,
p. 89); 1

?; \
•)
6 The non-eternity of the
xcvi. (xcvii.) 2 external order
\
. The Judge is not named; and
- cf. Ps. Cl. (cii.) 27
is, taught in the O.T.
(sc.

there is solemnity in this reserve ; as ciii. (civ.)

;

Bousset says "der Name Gottes wird

:
2 9> 3° I sa • 11• 6
hier wie iv. 2 £ ehrfurchtsvoll um-

-
(•1?2\
schrieben." But throughout the Book
is the
and the ;
.. corrobo-
rates this doctrine; cf. Mc. xiii. 31
Almighty Father (iv. 2 f., 9, v. 1, 7,
as
\ ; 2 Pet.
13, vi. 16, vii. 10, 15, xix. 4, xxi. 5),
.
distinguished from the Incarnate Son
cf-4 Esdr. vii. 33 "revelabitur Altissi-
. oi
As
the ancient Church saw
pjainly, it is only the external order of
nius (?*Y^terj-os) super sedem iudicii."
the world which is to be changed and
That the Father will be the Supreme
not its substance or material; so e.g.
Judge of mankind is a doctrine' which
IrenaeUS, V. 36. I :
seems to join direct issue with Jo. y.
21 yap £,
, ...

,
and
Primasius, ad loc. "flgura

..
:
indeed with the whole current of early ;

,,.,.--
ergo praeterit, non natura"; Arethas
Christian tradition (cf. Mt. xxv. 31 ff.,
Acts xviL 31, 2 Cor. v. 10, 2 Tim. iv.
1) ; but a reconciliation of the two
views may be found in the oneness of
the Father and the Son (Jo. x. 30) For the metaphor cf.,xvi. 20
when the Son acts, the Father acts
6
with and through Him (Jo. v. 19).
Thus St Paul can write in one place
(2 Cor. V. ):
,- and
yap
in
by Ps.

12.
XCVl. (xcvii.) 5,7-
,. see
\. is

and
8,
...
illustrated

for
note.
.] The
another (Rom. xiv. 10):
). General Resurrection, described be-
But while this is borne in mind, low in v. 13, is assumed for the
recognition must be given to the fact moment. The Great White Throne
that the Apocalypse regards judge- is not surrounded, like the Throne

ment as the prerogative of God (cf. set in Heaven (iv. 2), with heavenly
vi. 10, xvi. 7, xix. 2); it belongs, beings, but with the human dead of all
perhaps, to the Jewish-Christian former generations, and the dead of the
272

,
,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

'
[XX. 12

.
6 •

13
12 ] ] * |• al om .
]
. \\ *
(.)
]
| |

APQ al 10 ] (37 3 8 49 9 1
alm " "&* 2 8 29 3° "3° al
8

(.) HQ
)

;»| 9 om

,-
13 27 39 I
|

7 31 (3?) al""
tnlu
] T7;s fui7s] om T17S 1 30 + uniuscuiusque hominum Aug |
tois

reus H
generation which shall be found alive ,
''' 6 '
upon earth ; the living (2 Tim. iv. 1)
are not mentioned here, partly because
they form an insignificant minority,
! (.\ . I4f-) the
;

same office
in recension

partly perhaps because the keen in-

terest which the first generation had
felt in the bearing of the Parousia
is fulfilled
!
true interpretation of the 'books' is
!.
by Enoch, who is styled
The

upon the 'quick' (1 Th. iv. 13 f.) had doubtless that given by Augustine,
abated before the end of the century.
But all the dead are seen standing
(Ec. xxi. 36, Rom. xiv. 10) before the

!
though, misled by a gloss ("qui est
vita uniuscuiusque"), he wrongly
connects it with the .
!
Throne, whatever their condition on
earth may have been
: cf. xi.
. (!
1 8,

1 8), from the Proconsul, as that official

was often reminded by Christians

xiii. 16, xix. 5,
de
vis
ut
civ. Dei
est intellegenda divina
cuique opera sua vel
xx. 14

mala cuncta in memoriani revocentur

et mentis intuitu mini celeritate
vel
"quaedam
qua
bona
igitur
fiet

who appeared before him, down to cernantur, ut accuset vel excuset

the meanest slave.

of the Judge
-]
The sentence
not arbitrary; it rests
is
scientia conscientiam, atque ita simul
et omnes et
\
singuli iudicentur."
.] For
upon written- evidence ; the books the Book of Life see iii. 5, xiii. 8,
which were opened contained, as it notes. It is the roll of living citi-
zens of the New Jerusalem; cf.
!!!
,
seems, a record of the deeds of every
human being who came up for judge- Andreas : fie

ment. The conception is based on ] ;

Dan. vii. Enoch 3 "the books of the living

xlvii.
and it appears in were opened before Him." It is only
the Jewish apocalypses, e.g. Enoch xc. another and complementary view of
20, " that other took the sealed books this 'book' which Bede offers when
and opened them before the Lord of he calls it "praescientia Dei," for
the sheep"; Apoc. Baruch xxiv. 1 God's foreknowledge fulfils itself in
(ed. Charles, p. "behold the
46 f.), the lives of the elect. In their case
days come and the books will be
opened in which are written the sins
as well as in that of the rest of man-
kind the sentence is as ,
of all those who have sinned"; 4 Esdr.
vi. 20 " libri aperientur ante faciem
firmamenti, etomnes videbunt simul."
The Testament of Abraham, recen-
sion A (ed. James, p. 92 f.), knows of
two recording angels : of -
ii.

! .]
in
13.

. 12,
.
St Paul saw no less clearly than St.
John (Rom. ii. 5, 2 Cor. v. 10; cf. Apoc.
23, xxii. 12).

The Resurrection, implied

is now described. The ac-
!-
 '']\-
]
^ ,. ,
XX. THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN" 273

ev

14

!] ] epya 14

] ] 13 .
(item 14)
.

cidents of death will not prevent any

of the dead from appearing before
.
t\ |
.
48 |
. „.
v.

-,
:

Q
49

7
130
aurois]

14 92

quences
86 al
.
al^'i 10

( $ ).
|

Here they
appear as two voracious and insatiable
v. 49 130 1 86 aeth
me
I

the Judge; sea and land will alike monsters who have swallowed all past
deliver up their tale. The Sea, as generations, but are now forced to
ever in this -island-drama, is fore- disgorge their prey. The 'harrowing
most in the writer's thoughts. It of Hell,' which the Gospel of Nico-
has been the grave of thousands demus connects with the Lord's De-
whose restingplace could not be scent into Hades, is thus seen to
marked by or cippus, whose belong in truth to His Return, when
ashes no columbarium had ever re- the \"$. will
ceived. Both Greeks and Romans be emptied by Him .Who has the
attached great importance to burial keys of Death. But the primary
and the inviolability of the tomb (cf. purpose of the great gaol-delivery is
Dill, Roman Society,p. 496; Ramsay, judgement—a judgement which will
Cities etc., 514 flf.), and recoiled
ii. p. determine the spiritual condition of
with proportionate horror from the each individual man; adds a
thought of death by drowning or feature not noticed in ». 12, but
1

even of burial at sea ; there were belonging to the Christian -tradition

wild tales of the condition of souls see Mt. xvi. 27, Rom. ii. 6, xiv. 12,
whose bodies had been lost at 1 Cor. iii. 13, 2 Cor. v. 10, 1 Pet. i. 17,
sea, cf. Achilles Tatius, cited by and already recognized in this Book
Wetstein

,.''
:

' - (" 23)•

14. .
.] I.e.,
It is to the hope Death and Hades, the phenomenon
inspired
that we
by the words of the Seer
owe the confidence with
which the Church now commits the
departed to the deep, "looking for
the resurrection of the body when the
Sea shall give up her dead." So far
as the righteous are concerned, how-
Andreas
?
and the condition, were both irre-

, '.
vocably destroyed and effaced
:
cf.

of this symbolical pair in the Lake of

Fire is parallel to that of the Beast
The immersion
;

ever, the hope appears also in the and the False Prophet (xix. 20) ; it
Targum on Ps. lxviii. 31 : " reducam can only mean the annihilation of the
iustos qui suffocati sunt in profundis forces indicated. St John expresses
maris." Enoch (vii. 32) speaks only in the language of symbol what St
of a rising of the dead from the dry
land.
6
Death and Hades are an inseparable
pair, as in i. 18, vi. 8 (notes), repre-
senting the two aspects of Death, the
physical fact and its spiritual, conse-

s. Ii."
.]
)
Paul has said in direct words (1 Cor.

);
XV.

view
26

Isa. xxv.

Hos. XUi. 14
and both have probably

,;
8, Th.,

,,
(cf. I
ftivare
(Aq.

Cor. XV. 54 f•}•

18
and
6
in
 274

1 5
,
,' . ,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

5 '
[XX. 14.

XXI. *
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yap

me
14
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om

]\
.. 8 31
.
4 1 4 2 94 97 arm
38 om |
"h

*
Prim |
om euros.

8 31
..
4 1 4 2 94
86
^
ygclelip.6 me arm pri m
XXI «oW min''

.
quaintly rendered by Benson, " this is
1
j

Ar]
j
AQ
.
7 32

IS
'3° (item
] )7
: )

.
Q

- al 25

The
Death the Second, the Lake of Fire."
Death itself
greater and final Death.
Death (ii. 1 1,
and again in
is swallowed up by a
The Second
xx. 6) is identified here,
xxi. 8, with the Lake of . !
Apocalyptic Lake is doubtless the
of Mt. xxv. 41, 46,
which is both the
reverse and the alternative of
It is remarkable that here
—

Fire the latter is in the new order

15-
;

the nearest analogue of Death as we

know it

!
here.
£' rts
.] The Second
/
, ).
as in Mt. I.e. the qualification for the
Second Death is a negative one (oi%
The negation
of eternal life is eternal death.
That there will be a resurrection
Death is -shared by all who are not to death as well as to life is taught
enrolled
"id est,
among the
qui iron est iudicatus a Deo
vivus." Here at length (cf. xxi. 8) the
Lake of Fire is associated with the
future condition of human beings
1
living ; cf. Bede

.
already in Dan. xii. 2
... !
.
ol
-Cf.

'
!
Jo. V. 29 ...
!
is

i.e. it is treated as the counterpart of

—

] &
the Jewish Gehenna, on which see XXI. 8. The Vision op a New
Mc. ix. 43, note. Enoch (xc. 26) has Heaven and a New Earth..
a similar representation of the fate of .
the reprobate " I saw at that time
:
AH is now ready for a
how a like abyss was opened in the revelation of the bliss of the Saints
midst of the earth, full of fire, and cf. Bede: "finito iudicio quo malos

those blinded sheep were brought, and vidit damnandos, restat ut etiam de

!.
bonis dicat." The passing away of

,
they were all judged and found guilty
and cast into that fiery abyss, and they earth and heaven before the Face of

!
burned." Cf. Petr. Apoc. 8 the Judge (xx. 11) has prepared the
way for the present vision, but the
rives conception of a New Heaven and
The Earth is not peculiar to St John
conception furnished the Christian or even to the NT.; it occurs in
martyr with a last warning for the Isa. lxv. 17 6
Proconsul who threatened him with (pXJ D'BHCI D!»^
^),
the stake see Polyc. mart. 40
;

! , \
lxvi 22

e'/xoC—perhaps also in Isa. Ii. 16 (see

XXI. ]

om
THE APOCALYPSE OF

me arm ^rln' Aug "

ST.

, JOHN

(-) . (Q 8 g
275

]
13 ag 130 111 13 29
30 al'»™ 20 syrr Ar)] \&> j 4 31 35 47 87 98 130 \() 49 79 i86al

Charles, Eschatology, p. 122 f., n. 2)

and in Enoch xlv. 4f., "I will trans- yev,
Cf.
mcst not be pressed,
. ,; note; like -
form the heaven, and make it an
eternal blessing and light. And I will
transform the earth and make it a
and Andreas is not far wrong when
>

he glosses '
: The..
writer of 2 Peter conceives of a con-
.'
blessing"; ib. lxxii. i y "the new crea- flagration of the old order at the
tion... which dureth till eternity"; xci. Parousia (iii. 12
16 "the first heaven will depart and -
pass away,' and a new heaven will
appear, and all the powers of the
); but no such phenomena suggest
themselves to the Apocalyptist, though
heavens will shine sevenfold for ever";
the Apocalypse of Baruch xxxii. 6
"the Mighty One will renew His
fire is a frequent factor in his visions.

Sea has fulfilled its last function (xx.

€ eri] The

Creation" 4 Esdras vii. 75 "tempora

; 13), and when the Seer looks steadily
ilia in qjiibus incipies creaturam re- at the New Earth, he sees that " the
novare." Compare the interesting waters which are under the firma-
Rabbinical parallel quoted by Schoett- ment" have vanished; no place is
gen from Debarim rabba 4f. 262. 4 left for the Sea in the New Greation
"cum Moses ante obitum oraret, it belonged to the order which has
'

caelum et terra et omnis ordo crea-

' passed. There is no need to suspect
turarum commotus est. tunc dixerunt: with Augustine a reference to the
Fortasse adest tempus a Deo prae- effects of the conflagration (de civ.'
stitutum, quo• renovandus est orbis Dei "utrum maximo illo ar-
xx. 16
uuiversus" (n&JJ 0- dore siocetur an et ipsum vertatur in
On

, see ii. 17, note, and cf. melius non facile dixerim." The Sea

(
iii. 12, v. 9, xiv. 3. As the opposite has. disappeared, because in the mind
of

€
. -.
iyyvs
[sc.

cated is in fact a

use another figure an

it

],
world; cf. Heb. viii. 13 iv

de
suggests fresh
from the decay and wreck of the old
\iyeiv

What is indi-

,
of
heaven and earth (Mt. xix. 28), or to
life rising of the writer it is associated with
ideas which are at variance with the
character of the New Creation. Cf.
Aug.

cellosum "
I.e. " tunc non
vita mortalium turbulentum et pro-
; Andreas

St John, an exile in sea-

girt Patnios,regarded with no favour
erit

:
hoc saeculum

(Acts iii. 21). As Irenaeus the element which mounted guard

sees, the New Heaven and Earth over his prison, and parted him

, -
correspond to the New Man, "whose

,
from the Churches of Asia. For the

:],
renovation has now been completed
by the Resurrection ; v. 36.

• %
,
[?
yap
more

iv roll [?
act
*&.
-
]
yrj
ancients generally the Sea possessed
none of the attractions which it has
for moderns? To undertake a voyage
without grave cause was to tempt
Providence

Oceano
impiae
liunt vada."
Hor. carm. i. 3. 21 ff.

|
;

"nequicquam Deusabscidit prudens

dissociabili terras, si
non tangenda rates
It is
|

tamen
transi-
true that since the
 276

2
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

]
. * \] !
2 + «7
[XXI•

ayiav

,,
ygclellpas *

time of Horace facilities for travel new metropolis, not another Babylon,
had greatly increased, and, as Dill but another and greater Jerusalem.
remarks {Roman Society, p. 205),' Of a we have read
- " until the appearance of railways and in c. iii. 12, from which this verse
steamboats it may be doubted whether
there was any age in history in which
travelling was easier or more general."
,
borrows its description as far as
adding
here no mere conventional epithet
which is

At the end of the first century Ju- (Mt. iv. 5, xxvii. 53), but one significant
venal could write (xiv. 275 ff„) "aspice : of the new holiness, the inner and
portus et plenum magnis trabibus
I
permanent consecration of the new
mare, plus hominum est iam in |
City of God The Holy City of the
pelago, venieit classis quocumque vo- O.T. (2 Esdr. xxL 1, Dan. ix. 24, Mt
carit spes lucri "
I
and the Apoca-
; xxvii. 53) had been in ruins for a
lyptist has told practically the same quarter of a century, and Hadrian's
tale in c. xviii. 17 If. Yet how great new was not yet planned The
city
the risks of a seafaring life still were, New Jerusalem of the Seer belongs
the story of St Paul's shipwreck to another order; it is of heavenly
shews to the Apostolic age the
: origin, a city 'whose builder and
ocean spoke of separation and isola-
!
maker is God' (Heb. xi. 10),

',
tion, rather than of a highway linking Some years before
{ib. xiii. 14).
shore to shore. For this element of the of the old city the thought of
fall
unrest, this fruitful cause of destruc- a celestial city had been familiar to
tion and death, this divider of nations St Paul and his school; "cf. Gal iv. 26 f.
,
and Churches, there could be no
place in a world of social intercourse,
Se

,
cXevSepa
PhiL iii. 20
deathlesslife, and unbroken peace.

The disappearance of the Sea from

the future order is a feature in other
apocalyptic writings; cf. e.g. Orac.

!
Sibyll. V. 158 fF.

; ib.
'

447 &' ''

|
. Heb.

full
xii. 22
,
iv ovpavois

Jewish literature also

of the hope of an ideal Jerusalem,
based on O.T. prophecy (Isa. liv., Ix.,
Ez. xl., xlviii.); cf. Apoc. Baruch iv.
Spa

is

; Assumption of 3 if. (ed. Charles, p. 6 ff.): "it is not

Moses .
6 " the sea will return into
the abyss, and the fulness of waters
will fail"; in the Coptic Zephaniah,
p. 129, flames break out and dry up
the sea (Simcox, ad l), and Bousset
quotes from Plutarch, de Is. et Osir.
this building which is now built in
your midst; it is that which will be
revealed with Me, that which was
prepared beforehand... and now, be-
hold, it is preseiTed with Me"; 4 Esdr.
x. 27 ff. "vidi et ecce amplius mulier

\
priests

;
nvpbs (
of Isis: 3
7, a similar belief entertained by the

but the Apocalyptist (see

\
-- non comparebat mihi, sed civitas
aedificabatur...haec mulier.. .est Sion
. .ingredere etvide splendorem et mag-
.

nitudinem aedificii" ; Orac. Sibyll. v.

,
above) shews no knowledge of this
form of the conception.
2.
tibov] The New
.
Earth must have a
420 if.

pair., Dan
\

!.
5 :
\ ;

vtas
Test. xii.
 '
XXI. 3} THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 277

elBov

. ',
3
?
.0 -- 3

]
] .
1
pr
.
130 3
>. 49 79 9 1
..\-$\
a^ I
om
...
^
£
\eyovaa
1 ""'
* | .

& ,.
PQ min fM,|">nm me the syrr arm aeth arton 1 Prim Andr Ar

proclaimed that the "Wife of the Lamb

The had made herself ready for the nup-
Rabbinical doctrine of an tials ; now at length she is revealed
out by Schoettgen
is worked, (i. 1 208 ff., to the Seer in her bridal attire.
de Hierusalem caelesti); see also Over her simple dress of white byssus
Schiirer, Geschichte 3, p. 536 f., Weber, (xix. 8) she wears the ornaments
Jiid. Theologie, pp. 374, 404. On the
Christian Society as the realization of
usual for women of rank ; cf. Judith
xiL 15
—in what this
7
the heavenly Jerusalem see Westcott
on Heb. xi. 10 (additional note).
/ .,.
-consisted appears ib. x. 4

] ', Repeated from e. iii. 12

, . ', XVI.

, where ,., .-.

II

.,. ....,.
-
:
;
see notes. It is perhaps unnecessary
to think of a future visible fulfilment, ; cf. Isa. iii.

such as is suggested by 1 Thess. iv. 14

6
... . ..
18
the"
VL
ff. Tor the ethical significance of

]
Bride's ornaments see 3 Mace.
Trj.

"What is primarily intended is doubt-

less the heavenly origin () of the
Church, and her Divine mission (mro)];
as Primasius says " de caelo descen-
:
.
tj
1 Pet.

,
iii. 3

,'
-
dere dicitur ista civitas, quoniam cae-
lestis est gratia qua Deus earn fecit."
The metaphor appeal's also in the Rab-
binical writings, e.g. Sohar Gen.i. 69,
col.271; "Deus...aedificabit Hieroso- for
; cf.

,
also
see Isa. xlix.
Tim.

cf.
.
18

2
9 f.

Cor.
ib. Ixi.
On

xi.
; and
2,
lyma, ut ipsam descendere <faciat in Eph. v. 23.
medium sui de caelo."• In its measure Puller particulars of the bridal
the hope fulfils itself already in the array of the 'New Jerusalem are given
daily experience of the Church. If, below (v. 9 ff.), where see notes.

,
.

,
as St James says (i. 17), 3.
.]
The voice is that of one

Dei.

.] In xix. 7
in an especial
this is
manner true of the highest form of
corporate human life, the Civitas

-
the voice of a multitude
of the Angels of the Presence, as in
xvi. 17, xix. 5 (notes), not of God
Himself, WTio speaks for the first
time in v. 5. The present voice inter-
prets the New Creation; it is that
condition of humanity in which will
278

, ,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
, [,], [XXL 3

4 4

' • - /
. []
3 ,] * | 79 9* al
'°'] PQ min85 Vg 8? ™
the Byr aeth
(syrr) Ir 1 "'
A 1

Ti-oxos
alP•" " 111

mm fereomn jj.
arm Ambr Aug
aaon ou s]
vg Tert
Andr Ar
" om
Seos
Aug

|
|
?]
]
] anon»"s Prim
79 130 i86
Prim anon»"B
om
om
|
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al
|

38 47 Ir
AP 186
avros]
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|
rell

om
(sic) tt*

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om

oure
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+

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(-0» 7 al»tmu )] KQ min*»™ 20 Ir Ar

be realized at length the long pro-i Body of Christ.

. .
mised life of fellowship with God. recalls h$ -13B1? (lit i. 23), and all
The words rest upon
that that name holds for both the
a series of O.T. predictions, e.g. Lev. present and the coming age.
XXVI.
(F, .
, )
II f.

• .,.
;
The
4.
effect of the. Divine indwelling
on the circumstances of life is de-
.}

.,
Jer. xxxviii. (xxxi.) 33 outois scribed in negative terms ; as to the

, ,
els els ; positive conditions of the future exist-
XXXVii. 27 ence, Jo. (
avTols 6e6s,
Zech. .
iii. 2).

?
On (Isa.

.
viii.
;
8) see note ;
vii. 17,
8 renews the assurance of xx.
els '», 14; cf. Shemoth rabba xv. f. 114. 4,
els
"temporibus Messiae mors cessabit in
One important and doubt- aeternum." For oure nevdos cf. .
)
.

change has been made

less deliberate Isa. XXXV.
in the terms of these prophecies;
; %b. lxv. 19
our writer has substituted for
—
the many peoples of redeemed Kpavyijs —the exact opposite of
humanityforthesingle elect nation, the
,
:
what is said of Babylon in c. xviii. 22
world for Israel. Neither in the O.T. see also Enoch x. 22. On
prophecies nor in their Apocalyptic 'pain,' cf. c. xvi. 10, note.
echo does the use of and its de- 'the first things are gone
rivatives suggest a merely temporary by'—not, as in AV., 'the former
dwelling of God with man. As in
vii. 1 5, xiii. 6, xv. 5, they carry us back
things' simply, but 'the first' the —
belonging to the first heaven

,
thing's
to the original settlement in Canaan, and the first earth, the whole order
when the Sanctuary was still but a of things which existed in the first

,,,
tent ; they point to a a creation.The thought in this verso
(Heb. viii. and the next is remarkably close to
2, ix. 11); perhaps by the assonance

of and pt^ they also suggest

the Shekinah, realized in the Incarn-
ation (Jo. i. 14) and in the mystical
.
that of 2 Cor.
•
V.

; but the reference there is

limited to the individual life in Christ

17 c" tis
 , .
XXI. 6] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 279

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s Kac eiirev
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al syr
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+ A
re\os]
|

0» .]
5. * compare cc. iii. 14, xix. 1 1 ; .

•,
^
The Speaker now, pro-
is \. occurs agairi in xxii. 6 and
.
,

bably for the first time in the Book, in xix. 9. These great sayings
God Himself; cf. xx. 11, xxi. 3. The which concern the future of humanity
words are suggested by.Isa. xliii. i8f. and the world must be seen to rest

but the scope of the old prophecy is

, on a secure basis; men need to be
assured that they are not only worthy
of confidence, but answer to realities
enlarged indefinitely by
- all ; which in due time will enter into the
the fruits of the new Covenant (cf. ii. experience of life, though for the
17, note) are included. Barnabas, if present they cannot be fully realized
indeed he has this promise in view, or adequately expressed. " Haec credi
has strangely minimized it when he
writes (vi. 13): » . ,'
oSs
Kvpios
For
oportet,
6. \ *
non exponi "

Divine Voice speaks again. Not" only

(Primasius).
Yeyovav] The

in this connexion cf. vii. , are these sayings true ; they have come
xix. the more usual
4 : ' to' pass (cf. xvi. 17 yiyovev). They
occurs in iv. 9 f., v. 1, 7, 13, vi. 16, have found a fulfilment already in the
vii. 15,

(v. 5)
,\ »
and
xx. 12.
coming between
(». 6), indicates a
« regeneration of life and thought which
exists within the present Church, and
the larger fulfilment which awaits the'
change of speaker. The direction to Parousia is potentially realized in the
the Seer to write what he has just Divine foreknowledge. The aoristic
heard comes doubtless from an angel, termination of the perfect {-av for
as in xiv. 13, xix. 9 f. He is to write, -) has perplexed the scribes, and

-, ,
because the words he has heard are the VV. II. ydyova, yiyove, are attempts
as true as they are tremendous
,cf. ; to evade this difficulty; on yiyovav

&
Arethas: * see Blass, Or. p. 46, and cf. Bom.

! -- oSs ' (\ xvi. 7.

6 <S ..] Cf.

• • i. 8, note. Here
as there the re-
ference is to the Eternal Father,

For
^. els
\ in this Book
'
whilst in xxii. 13 it is equally clear
that the Incarnate Son is in view;
see note ad lee. \
28
-
.
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

,
[XXI.6

]
7

]
Ar om
6

reflects a
tV s A
7

om
post

phrase of the second Isaiah

|

arm1
\ +
130
Q
7 ],
8 9 i l 35 4» 87 9* 94 97

where see notes.

There, however, the perfect state is
a 1M aeth
3o
30
Q mm
.

Ar |

(Isa. xliv. 6 fnnx ?$. W*~\ 'J8j

anticipated; here, and in xxii. 17, it

,,,
cf. i6. xli. 4, xlviii. 12). is used
in Col. i. 18 in reference to the relation is to the Church and the world in
their present condition that the water
of Christ to the Church, and in Apoc.
iii. 14 of His relation to the cosmos ;
,
of life is promised, as 6

,/
clearly shew. 'gratui-
here it represents God as the First
Cause, the Source and Origin of all tously,' as in Mt. x. 8 . Rom.
things, a sense already found in iii. 24 /ieroi . ; for the sense

,. , ;
by whom the Deity see Isa.
' .,.
called lv.
Aristotle, is

]
:
a, as
is the end and Jo. iv. et
complementary to
—
goal a meaning of the word which is .,.
rare in the N.T., but see 1 Tim. i. 5

, TfXor
and perhaps Rom.
x. 4
however, SH.
Xpioros
ad foe). The full phrase is used
(see,
20

are gratuitous
argument
.
for
is
That God's
rightly urged as
Sacraments, but
free
; Acts viii.

gifts
an

in reference to the Divine life by

[ ] the fact has a far wider significance,
and lies at the root of the Pauline

,. ;
Josephus, antt. viii. 11. 2 or
doctrine of justification by faith with-

.
; contr. . ii. 22 out 'works of law.' In the present
case the Gift is one which comes here
and now from the very Source (
cf. vii. 1 7) —
a point emphasized
St Paul expresses the same funda- here but not repeated in xxii. 17.
mental belief in other terms, when he Cf. Bede, "de hoc fonte irrorat nunc
Writes : ' credentes in' via quern vincentibus
(Rom. . 36), and ubertim hauriendum praebet in patria,
speaks of the Father as \ utrumque autem gratis"; and the
, (Bph. IV. 6). experience of the Viennese deacon

.]
™
The Infinite Life originates, embraces,
and transcends the Universe.

The Source and End of all

,,
Sanctus in the fires of persecution,
related in the letter of the confessors
(Bus. H. E. v. I. 18): '-

'
life is
its
the bountiful Giver of life in
highest perfection. Cf. Jac. i. 5

ib. 17 . \
.,
;

7.
"While 'he that is athirst' receives the

Divine offer
.,.
With the form of
cf. c. vii. 16 f. - this Gift of the Water of Life, it is 'he
that conquers' alone whose heritage
will permanently be. carries
it
XXI.

wos]
1
?
8]

/^]
om
6eos
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

syrs^
/
79
-os

3° ^vrois arm lvl11 |

wot 130 186

/ios.

avros
8

-
toIs

(
8 airiaTois]+
SetAois 8

14 g8 al'"""'
28l

syr)

Q 130 min^i 35 syr aeth Ar ]

om arm4

the reader back to the seven promises resurrection ; cf. Lc. xx. 36 viol
of CC. ii., iii., to which viol ; Rom.
adds an eighth promise that
completes and in effect embraces the
viii. 23
. St
rest.

cf.
On the pre-Christian history of
see Mc. x. 17, note, and
Dolman, Words of Jesus, E. Tr.,
p. 125 if. in the N.T. the use of this
;

verb and its cognate nouns in refer- ),

8
John is not unconscious of the present
existence of both (1 Jo.

.,. but in this passage he has in

iii.

ence to the future of man is well view the son who is entering on his
distributed, but specially frequent full inheritance, and not him to whom

,
in St Paul, with whose doctrine of
the sonship of believers
cfi Rom.

solitary instance
viii.

Gal.
17

.
iv.
That in the
where it occurs in
the Apoc. the word has the same
7 f'
it

®e
, accords

',
but the
yet been given.
0. ?
(Eph. i. 13 f.) has as

Bede: "blandis semper, ad cautelam

insinuandam, austera permiscet" the
doom of the impenitent is placed in
sharp contrast with Ihe heritage of
;
.]

reference is one indication among the conqueror. First among the

many of the radical agreement be- condemned are the members —
tween St John and St PauL of the Church who, like soldiers turn-
The heritage of the conqueror will ing their backs upon the enemy, fail
embrace the contents of this vision under trial ; not, as A.V. and R.V.,
()—

soul.
the new creation with its
immunities from sorrow and death,
the indwelling of God, the conscious-
ness of a filial relation with Him, and
the "Water that quenches the thirst

The v. . ,
and quickens the life of the human
with its larger
but vaguer outlook, offers a less
really satisfying prospect.
writes (de
.
'the fearfui,' but the cowards or
craven in Christ's -army. Cf. Arethas:

!
non fugam timidis
fuga
"in Apocalypsi
7):
sed inter
ceteros reprobos particulam in stag-
no sulphuris et ignis," he is led,
When Tertullian
offert

partly by his Latin version, partly by

vias] The words link themselves his personal tendencies, into undue

.
on to a catena of O.T. prophecies, severity; it is not fear or even flight
e.g. Gen. xvii. 7 f., 2 Regn. vii. 14, which incurs the penalty, but the
Ps. lxxxviii. (lxxxix.) 27 ; the last of cowardice which in the last resort
these passages is applied to Christ prefers ease or earthly life to Christ;
in Heb. i. 5, but may obviously include, cf. Mc. 35 ff. Such
viii. betrays
in a laxer sense, His instability of purpose, lack of any

,
Their sonship, even their relationship deeper faith or loyalty ; cf. Sir. ii. 12 £,
with God, is here regarded as be-
longing to the future
when it will be manifested by the
(, ), and Origen on Ps. xxvi. (xxvii.) 1 f

\ -
 2?2 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XXL, 8

mn
8
--
7 ,
}
piq26
om me
V g syr arm ^ >-
.!!
|
6

minpauo Ar
| ] pr 130 |

m
49 130 186 al "
Seurepos NAQ

',
; •] j_ 5. a „. x

y/aw

,,.•
• 6
be
incurred at the hands of the mob or by
order of the courts.
in —
abounded
Greek cities at Corinth, St Paul

, ,)
The admits it was impossible to avoid
remedy
I, 27
for is

,
cf. Jo. xiv.
\
meeting them in society (1 Cor. v. 10

')—
apa
and they fitly follow (cf.
-

vii.

,
12 ff.,
...

.•
in the technical sense which appears
in the Pauline Epistles, is the non-
,
Christian, the pagan (cf. 1 Cor. vi. 6,
22 if., 2 Cor. vi.
x. 27,
I4f.); but here, following immediately
after it is probably not to be
xiv.
The
1 Tim; i. 9 f.

Decalogue. On

follows
precedes ;
cording to the M.T. order of the

xviii. 23, notes ; in GaL v. 20

whilst here

connexion of sorcery and magic with

ac-

see ix. 21,

for the

idolatry in Asian cities see xiii. 13 fl*.,

-
limited in this way, or referred to the
heathen as such, but means simply
notes, and the Introduction, p. xci. f.

,
The list ends with '-
-
'faithless/ 'unbelieving' (Mc. ix. 19, Lc.
xii. 46, Jo. xx. 27, Tit i. 15 ; cf. 1 Tim.

v. 8), and applies to the Christian who

by act or word denies his faith, as

well as to the pagan who insults and
'

plained below in xxii 1 5,

.
all the false,' i.e., as is ex-

insincerities of heathendom are here

— the conscious frauds practised by
All the

blasphemes it. The other characters' the pagan priesthood and the dealers
described, though they might be found in 'magic,' and the support rendered

,,
on the fringe of the Christian brother- to them by those who 'loved to have
hood (cf. ii. 15, 20), are such as it so' ; the tricks of trade and deceits
heathenism produced on a large of domestic life. But the insincerities
scale ; see ix. 21 where the heathen of Christians are not of course to be
are clearly in view, and the list of excluded ; the baptized liar is the
sins is nearly the same. worst of his kind, since he lies to the
not simply as in Tit. i. 16, Holy Ghost (Acts v. 3 f.). TertuUian,
but persons whose very natures have indeed, seems to limit the reference
been saturated with the abominations of the whole passage to Christians:
which they practised in their lifetime de pud. 19 "non enim de ethnicis
the context suggests that in this case videbitur sapere, cum de fidelibus
the are not merely idola- pronuntiarit Qui vicerint, etc."; but
trous acts (cf. xvii. 4), but the monstrous the inference is too sweeping. A
and unnatural vices of heathendom.
!
are included among prevalent sins in
. better exposition will be found in
Hipp, de Antichr. 38
p. 116).
(ed. Lagarde,

Mc. vii. 21, Horn. i. 29, Apoc. ix. 21 (cf. None such have any part in the in-
Jac. iv. 2, 1 Pet. iv. 15), but perhaps heritance of the Saints (Eph. v. 5)
the reference is here chiefly to the their names are not in the roll-call of
violent deaths of Christians whether the living in the New Jerusalem.
XXI.

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,£,,
9]

9
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
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<
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The alternative is a part in the Second a slip on the part of an early scribe or
Death, the Lake of Fire. Exclusion perhaps, of the writer himself for ras
from eternal life burns and consumes (xv. 7), or it may be meant
like a perpetual fire ; whether the to suggest that these angels were still
function of the fire is to destroy or to full of the great task they had accom-
punish or to purify is not within the plished, and that St John's guide
scope of the revelation entrusted to came fresh from the scene of the
the Seer ; cf. xix. 20, xx. 10, 14' f., Last Plagues to this widely different
notes. Compare the dogmatic tone of office. Both participles are timeless
the Slavonic Enoch (ed. Charles, p. 10) the Seven Angels have emptied their

) .
"this place, Enoch, is prepared for bowls, and doubtless have ceased to
those who do not honour God; who carry them, but they are still known
commit evil deeds on earth... witch- as Tag
craft, enchantments, devilish magic, (or That
and who boast of their evil deeds... for one of these Angels of wrath should
all these this place is prepared for an be deputed to- shew the Seer the Holy
eternal inheritance." City is a Divine paradox which has
XXI. 9—XXII. 5. The Vision of
the New Jerusalem.
9.
The announcement of v. 2 (\
.]
&
tors ; cf. Andreas
,
not escaped the ancient commenta-
yap

Bede: "praedicatores iidem qui

:

.) here resumed and worked out

is plagam septimariam (id est, univer-
in detail. The Seer tells us that this salem) irrogant impiis, ecclesiae quo-
nearer view of the City was obtained que futura gaudia pandunt."

.,
through the ministry of one of the

C. .
Angels of the Seven Bowls. Compare

, .,
ex
takes up a thread dropt
6
at c. xix. 7

, where
wife (Mt. ij 18, 20) is now the Bride
(xxi. 2) of the Lamb ; the nuptials
The espoused

the same formula is used to introduce

the vision of the Harlot City; its
,
have begun ; indeed, as Andreas

.,. «
remarks :

.
repetition here serves to place the
in marked contrast with the
—
Jerusalem the Holy with
Babylon the Great For
?,
is
cf.

unexpected
XV.
;
I,
,
note.
possibly it is
'
metaphor belongs to the first days of
the Gospel, and had been employed
The
284

10 '. ° ^
', "\ , 'THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

vyj^XOv,
[XXI. 9

11

-irij ex PQ min?
.
1
| ]+0•\ 31 49 79 9 1 *3° J 86 al Andr [

]
" ,0
Ar I
ayiav]
om otto t.
me arm 4
fleou
31 79

|
92 94
3° lS(>

]
Ambr
pr
I

Cassiod
e O
X
3 1 3 2 33 35 5
n om
l rgreiAn«»t |
..
(;
. 1 9°.

,] pr
]
e/c Q min35
A 98 om
7 almu
om !
0 s yr sw
gciedemiip«»4,e arm eio2 ^eth. Prim Ar
V 94 # vg syre™ |

7 13 17* 18 38 47 186 syrs"'

.
by St Paul in a passage which has and elevating powers, she brings with
some affinity with ~the present see ; her from her place of origin, and she

.
the note on c.'xix. 7. is transfigured by it; cf. v. 23,• xxii. 5.
. €
.] Compare xvii. 3 - The
Cf. Isa. Ix. ~
The description belongs
even to the present condition of the
Harlot City is seen in a wilderness, Christian Society: 2 Cor. 18

.-
iii.

the Bride City from a mountain. The

mountain is not Mount Zion (xiv. 1), ( R. V.
for the New Jerusalem is not founded 'reflecting as in a mirror')...

indefinite
to no particular
&
upon it, but is seen from it; the

height, but rather

points
.] Her luminary resembled a rare
symbolizes the elevation of spirit
(Apringius " in fidei altitudine ele-
:

,
crystalloid
is
gem, every facet of which
radiant with a Divine light. For
,
, . -
vatur") necessary for one who would
see the heavenly vision. Cf. Ez. xl.
2
' opos
:. .. ; Mt. IV. 8
as distinguished from
see Gen. i. 3, 14
.,. S

and cf. Sir.

- xliii.

thither 'in spirit'

. The Seer
6

(cf, i.
is
10,
carried
iv. 2);
7
is "something in which
light is concentrated and thence
the Angel's is a sursum cor to
radiates" (Benson)—luminare rather

-^
which his spirit under the influence
than lumen (Prim., Vg.), y^ruato
of the 'Spirit of revelation' (Eph. i. 17)
at once responds. (Syr.) rather than ^iraeis'(Syr.sw•
see Dr Gwynn's
notes here and on

see . 2, note»
.]
is not repeated
For . iv. 5). Our Lord
is represented as
having spoken indiscriminately of
here, for the City not now regarded
is Himself and His disciples as
in its relation to the rest of the New (Mt. v. 1 4, Jo. viii. 12),
Creation, but in its specific character, but in the underlying Aramaic there
which may well have been a distinction such
II.
is Holiness.
"] as that between and the" ";
The Church possesses the Divine saints are properly (Dan.
Presence, which, with its illuminating . 3, LXX.
 ' "
XXI. 12] THE APOCALYPSE OE ST JOHN 285

<7
-, "\\• , ? 7\- 12

8
om 7 . -\. ;? 85 A
|
2°]
PQ min" "1
01

7 35 87 al
11

vg*" syr arm |

°]
ygoieiemtoiiipM4,6 (habentem)

tois »']
()
Ar
tous ?
3S 87 al (Ar)
-as * |

,
/ ), eV
Phil.
and not
. 16

oXijoWk (Jo. i. 8 f.). The distinction

- sary to the description of an ancient
city ; the earlier commentators,
ever, regard
as a symbol, but
it
how-

is ignored here by patristic com- interpret variously; e.g. Primasius,

mentators (e.g. Andreas
), : "murus ecclesiae Christus"; Bede,

.
6 and by some "[murum], id est, inexpugnabilem

,
moderns, who point to 23 v. fidei spei caritatisque firmitatem";

,
.
the Church
. ..ttjs
But it is unnecessary
to depart from the strict sense of
The
is
light
Divine;
which illuminates
it is the -
and see note on
5 (9) «V™

,.
0.

),
17.

;
Cf.

Isa.
Zech.

xxvi.
ii.

but it shines
(2 Cor. iv. 6); .] Ezeki-
in the hearts and
men. The lives of el's city also has twelve gates (Ez.
'luminary 1 of the Holy City is her xlviii.3 1 if.). may be either the
witness to Christ her teaching, her : vestibule of a great house, through
sacraments, her whole corporate life which visitors pass from the street
—
:-
the light of tens of thousands of into the courtyard (cf. Gen.
,
xliii. 18

, )
saintly lives.
On

,' .
see note. Lc. XVI. 20

. ",
iv. 3,
(Sir. .)
modifies Acts xii. 13
. 'having the effect of rock ; or,
crystal,'
cf. xxii.
Wetstein
'
crystal - clear ' (Benson)

quotes
car

Psellus :
as here, the gate-tower of a city-wall
(cf. 3 Regn. xvii.
,
"
of Precious Stones, -p. 281) proposes
to identify the with the true
King (Hist. Acts xiv. 13

...

'
,
emerald, green in colour, but lustrous
as crystal. There seem to have been
two kinds known to the ancients cf.
Dioscor. V. 160

St John combines their qualities.

12.

the City,
carries
").
on the description of
which was broken by the
6

]
:
is more than
structure
is gained

gateways
).

,
through

,
The twelve angels posted
,
In both cases

at the
apparently there as
are
a feature sug-
or
gested perhaps by Isa. lxii. 6
—
viz. the whole
which admission

parenthetic clause

note
;

each detail of the transient

in his eagerness to
...
. The city which descends from
heaven has celestial gatekeepers;
picture the Seer forgets that he had cf. Heb. i. 14, and Yalkut Shim. f. 7.

written in v. 11. The wall is, 1 "duas portas paradisi statuunt lx

perhaps, a conventional feature, neces- myriadibus angelorum munitas."

286

13
?^,, .^^• THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XXI. 12

1?

, . * , -
14
12 ]] -• angulos Prim' x' (sed of Prim00nlm ) Ambr cd * + | ].] \]
tt

syr**"

pr ()
|
tTiyey

12 27 47 130 syre"
(A) Q
arm pr
130 min 30
arm syrs w

7 49 91 96 186 al ] ..
l8
g vg (me) syrr Ar (om KP mini" Prim)
pr
|

130
|

13
om
-
. ..
|

Q miD fore35 Ar |
om ter 1 anon aus Prim
186 al vg,udemtolli i" 4 |
....
tt* ca PQ niin f,,r<,omn vg excom me syrr arm* anon "» Prim Andr Ar] . .

.
... A vgam
... ..et cum
98 ... ...
-pro
me
.... gi
,
arm 1 aeth

is

!
]
indebted to Ezekiel
'
Again the writer
(xlviii. 31 7
. al
both, but suggests that the Seer after
surveying the east and north walls
returns to his starting place in order-
to examine those on the south and
.); cf. syn. Sohar 115. west. It is difficult to understand
27 "in atrio mundi futuri xii portae the purpose of this change, yet it
quarum singulis inscriptum est nomen seems to be deliberate; see v. 19,
quoddarn e xii tribubus." The O.T.
prophet allocates the gates to the
several Tribes. (N., Reuben, Judah,
note.
!,
'starting from the east,' 'from the
.,
Levi ; E., Joseph, Benjamin, Dan S.,
Simeon, Issachar, JZebulun; W., Gad,
Asher,,Naphtali); but the Christian
Apocalyptist does not follow him in
this the enumeration in c. vii. suffices.
;

! :.
north/ etc. ; in Ezekiel the lxx.
satisfactorily renders
by
etc.
Benson renders
HlpHjJ

similarly here,
0"7?
Archbp

! ]:
:
'facing sunrise, 1 'facing north' etc,
The Seer's object in referring to the without explanation.
Tribes is simply to assert the con-
tinuity of the Christian Church with
14. \ !As
there are
the Church of the O.T. The new
twelve gate-towers, so there are also
Society inherits all that was per-
twelve foundation stones. The wall
manent in the number and order of

:
the Tribes, without their limitations
it is constituted

ways standing open

(v. g, vii. 9),
:! and the gate-
on all sides
is broken into twelve sections by the

to rest on a single !—
twelve gates, and each section is seen
& vast
oblong block of worked and bevelled

:
stone, such as the stones which may

;
represent its catholicity (cf. Lc. xiii.

!
still be seen in the lower ranges of the
29).

.]
13. : ^' Herodian masonry at Jerusalem. For
see 2 Esdr. v. 16
:
' !
In Num. ii. 3 ff. the Tribes are

!,
marshalled in a square the sides of I Cor. iii. cor
which look ESWN; the gates of Heb. .
Ezekiel's city which bear their names
follow the order NESW. St John's
order, ENSW, not only differs from
.
(sc.
It is properly
), and an adjective
in the plural may be
XXI. is]

,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

eV
. ,- Swfteica
&
287

15

Prim
anon»»s
[
]
om
15
•"

om
(om *)
7 arm
79 al
|

vi(1
]
130 i86minP 1,,ld

me om
]
Ar |
om
me om
|
°
arm 1
al vlll vg I 'i'

3" vg°
86 meaeth
m syrs"

either masc. or neuter 6c is ; - Apostles, but only bear their names.

frequent in the uoc, and occurs in As the wall gives form and compact-

To ( .
Acts xvi. .26.
is placed byArchbp
. . <?

Benson in his very short list of "ap-

ness to the City, so the Apostolic
Church is conditioned, through the
ages, by the preaching and work of
'

He adds also
"
parently real slips." the Apostolate.
xiy. 19, which is a fairly certain read- The Twelve Apostles are not in-
ing, and on which see note ad . dividually named; it is the college
may be due to' an itacism in an early of the Apostles as a whole to which
copy, but in view of the many ano- reference is made ; cf. Mt. xix. 28,
malies of the book it is rather to be
regarded as due to the autograph.
.'
-
.] Another series
of inscribed names ; if the gateways
Acts vi. 2, 1 Cor. xv.
observes (I'Antechrist, p. 479), " Paul
...n'a pas de place parmi les douze
apotres de lAgneau, seule base de
l'Eglise de Dieu," he overlooks this
7. When Renan

bear the names of the Twelve Tribes, fact. There is nothing to shew how
the foundation stones are distinguished the number is made up, and it must
by those of the Twelve Apostles. On not be assumed that St Paul is ex-
the juxtaposition of these two dode- cluded. On the other hand it is
cads see Mt. six. 28 certainly probable that St John refers
here to the original Apostolate, and
; in the does not stop to consider the question
Apocalypse it has been suggested raised by the lapse of Judas.
\
(',
already by the vision of the 24 Elders 15.
. .]
,

(c. iv. 4, note). In Eph. ii. 20 the The measur-

Apostles and Prophets themselves ing of the City is here, as in c. xi 1,
are'a suggested by Ez. xl. 3 if. In xi 1 the

) —
a train of thought which
goes back to our Lord's promise to
Peter (Mt. xvi. 18) and, beyond it, to
earthly city is measured by the Seer
himself; to measure the City which
is from heaven requires the capacities
of an Ange^ and it is done by the
Angel who had been talking with the
Ps. cxviii. 22, Isa. xxviii. 16; cf. Acts
iv. 11, and 1 Pet. ii. 6, with I)r Hort's

note on the latter verse. The Apoca-

lyptist, as his wont is, seizes a current
idea and adapts it to his own pur-
;
,
Seer about the City
9
cf. V.

which' the Angel carries is

The

not^ as in the Seer's case, a natural

reed, cut perhaps in the Jordan
(
).

pose. The does not valley (Mt. xi. 7), or in the valley of
come into sight here ; the Prophets the Upper Nile (Job xL 16), but a rod
are not joined with the Apostles, as of gold such as befitted an instrument
by St Paul; the foundation stones are used in the service of God; cf. i. 12, v.
those not of the Holy City, but of"the 8, viii. 3, ix. 13, xv. 7.

exterior wall, and they are not the The Angel is commissioned to take
288 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XXI. is

1 6 . 6
'7
[] .,
?. 15 Q 7 |
om
H
!
om
Q 130
3°
86 al'•™ 60 Ar
NPQ minP'i 85 Ar (hab
16
A
iro\is

min"°" nvid

,
|

vg me syr arm aeth Prim

the measure of the City, its gate-

towers and its walls. The measure-
al) |
°] + avrrjs 7 Byre"

,-
similar account is given of Nineveh
and a

ments of the City are given in v. 16,

.]
16.
That the external walls form a
square whose sides face the four winds
appears from v. I2f. It is now seen
!
and those of the wall in 0. 1 7 ; the gate-
towers are merely described (». 21).
by Diodorus Siculus (i. 3). As is well
known, the rectangular tetragon was
to Greek thinkers a symbol of perfec-

,,
tion ; see Simonides ap. Plat. Prolog.
339

, -
and
that the City itself is not only an cf. Arist. eth. Nic. i. 1 1, rhet. iii- 1 1

equilateral quadrangle, but a perfect Hennas

-
similarly vis. 3, 5

cube (cf. v. 17), length, breadth, and ...

height being equal.

The tetragon occurs more than once
in the legislation of Exodus. Both
the altar of burnt offering and the altar
. To this the

of incense were of this form (Ex. xxvii.

1, xxx. 3), and so was the High Priest's

breastplate
= xxxix. 9)
(ib.
; .
xxviii. 16,
the feature reappears
xxxvi. 16
cube adds the suggestion of
stability, and permanence

Primasius sees in the cube-like form of

the Holy City the " soliditas veritatis
: cf.

[ ]
solidity,
Andreas
;

in Ezekiel's new city and temple invictae." The early commentators

(Ez. xli. 21, xliii. 16, xlv. 1, xlviii. 20). allegorize freely the anonymous
: e.g.

In Solomon's Temple the Holy of writer de monte Sion et Sina, 10:

Holies was a perfect cube, 20 cubits

,
each way, cf. 3 Begn. vi. 19 (20)

eiKoo-i
,
—words
"dicit Hierusalem Novam civitatem
quadratam per quattuor evangelia";
Victorinus: "civitatem... quadratam
sanctorum adunatam turbam ostendit,
which may have suggested St John's

; the New Jerusalem

^ in quibus nullo modo
potuit"; while Bede thinks of the
three dimensions as representing the
fides fluctuare

answers as a whole to the ayia "longitudo fidei," the "latitude cari-

of the old city and therefore assumes tatis," and the "altitude spei." All
its shape. In ancient cities the four- such speculations must be taken for
square form was not unusual. Arch- what they are worth. With regard to
bishop Benson, fresh from his tour the dimensions of the cube, though it
in North Africa, thought of Cirta, is natural to see in them a forecast of
the modern Constantino, "earth's most the extension, the comprehensiveness,
perfect city-throne" {Cyprian, pp. 368, and .the elevation of Catholic Chris-
583) "situee sur un cube rocheux" tianity, neither this nor any other

Of Babylon Herodotus writes

,
(Tissot, cited in Apocalypse, p. 106).
(i.

'
178):
particular interpretation can safely
be pressed cf. Eph. iii. 1 8
;

Dean Robinson's note ad

,I.
with
XXI. 17]

\ THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

7, -
280

. 1
.

- J

] ] om arm 4 £ HP

]
pr 12 3 1 3 2 79 '
pl
35 79 a l ]
oT-oitous AQ 30 mini 11
Ar om arm1 pr Q+ (Q) minP'i
25
syr

]
e7ri 1 | |

/ti)Kos i°] + o«tt7S 73 syr*" arm 4 pr 38 vg cle syr aeth c praeoed eoniang me

'
17 om Q 130 al rere30 |
(sic) [

5'
|

. . .]
side of the
... ('
Each
- 144 cubits, again, a multiple of 12
(cf. vii 4, xiv. 1 and Introduction,
;

cube measured 12,000 stades; which, p. cxxxiv.), but falling far below the
counting a stade as 6o6| feet, gives dimensions of the City. It is not clear
the stupendous sum of nearly 1500 whether the writer means to give the
English miles. Such dimensions defy breadth or the height of the wall ; its
imagination, and are permissible only length, of course, is determined by the
in the language of symbolism. Renan cube which it surrounds. Babylon, .

(VAntechrist, p. 473) with truth calls• with a circuit of 480 stades, was en-
the Apocalypse "le parfait antipode circled by a wall 50 'royal' cubits
du chef-d'oeuvre grec," but when he broad and 200 high (Herod, i. 178)
proceeds, "sa Jerusalem celeste 'est, the porch of Solomon's Temple, ac-
gauche, puerile, impossible," he judges cording to the Chronicler (2 Chr. iii.
the book by Greek standards, rather 4), was 20 cubits wide and 120 high.
than by those of Semitic thought. It Judged by these standards, 144 cubits
must indeed be confessed that these would not be an inordinate breadth
measurements exceed the wildest for' a wall intended to protect such a
fancies of Jewish writers; cf. e.g.
Orac. Sibyll. V. 231

Rabbinical writers are content to

say that Jerusalem will reach to the
gates of Damascus, will cover as much
.' \
-
The
city as the Apocalyptist has conceived.
But he probably intends to give its
height
—
immediately precedes
and a wall 144 cubits = 216 feet
high, though in itself it
be called
insignificant
might

when compared with a

(.
fairly
12), is

ground as the whole land of Israel, cube whose height is over 7,000,000
and rise to the height of twelve miles feet But great disproportion
this
{Shir. Yalkut Shim. f. .57.
B. 7. 5, may be the very point to which the
2, Bdba hathraf. 75. ,2, quoted by writer desires to call attention. The
Wetstein). But their city was but a walls of the City are not for defence
glorified Jerusalem ; a vastly greater — for there is no enemy at large any
City, expressed in the terms of sym- —
more (Isa. liv. 14) but serve for

'
proportion to
,*
bolism, needed greater dimensions in
its
'
magnificence.
at so many stades '
delimitation, marking the external
form of the civitas Dei. And the
order and organization of the Church,

'
the variant e. offers the more necessary as they are, fall infinitely
usual construction
eVt
'

.]
).
17.

s.
The wall
.
is
(cf. e.g.

found to measure
Dan. iii. 47 below the elevation of its spiritual
life.

" Man's measure -which is

]19
angel's
290

18 , ., 6
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

ayyeKov.
&
[XXI. 17

!
19
19

vg Prim
7«]
8
pr
|

186
; arm
°

ali""",vld
"•"

| /
syr aeth anon""»]
•" (ee

9
ti*) A 38 97
syre" ex auro
*
130] ! - Q *PQ
mundo vg d" m arm Prim
13 17 19 26 27 (29) 30 35 38 41 42 47
1
Andr Ar
186 al» Andr Ar

49 90 91 94 96
1
et ut vid

|
']
|

om pr «u * 35 49 79 al-» vg
01 » » 1 ''!»• 4 5 1

!
.
(97) 98 130 I
19 ot fle/tAwi] 1 7
me syr arm aeth fundamenta autem Prim
measure" (Benson). The measure- (sic) from a late inscription
ments taken by angelic hands are at Smyrna (Dittenberger, SIG?, 583,
such as are in common use among 3p), where seems to mean the
it
men no fantastic standards are to
; materials of which a wall was built.
be employed by the reader. There
is perhaps the further thought that
men and angels are (xix. 10,
On
\
}"]
see iv. 3, xxi. 1 1,

In contrast with the

notes.

xxii. 9), and men shall one day be (? emerald) lustre of the outer wall,
; there is no reason therefore the City itself shews like a mass of
why angelic mensuration should differ —
tgold no gilded toy, but 'pure gold,

]'
from human. Compare the warning like pure glass,' i.e. so pure that it
111 C. xiii. 1 8 seemed to be transparent like the best
io -, and see note there. The same
18. - glass (see
said in v.
iv. 6, note).
21 of the street of the City
is

Only one other instance here the buildings or their towers

it is
is quoted of the literary use of iv- and seen high above the walls,
roofs,
(or on the spelling — that are described. The writer pos-
see WH. 3 Notes p. 159, and cf. app. sibly remembers the burnished gold of

) - ((-
,

crit. above). Josephus describing the the Herodian Temple, as he had seen
construction of the great mole at it at sunrise from the neighbourhood
Caesarea writes (antt. xy. 9. 6): ; of Jerusalem cf. Jos. B. J.\. 5. 6
:

,
Si (vj.

' »- •
els civ

where the word appears

\((• \\ yup
to mean simply '
structure.' And so
Arethas here
and the Latin versions,
Xtyei),
('
\ev
pivots
.,. ye
opei
which render the word aedificatio yap
the Syriac versions give The symbolism of the
fa
(Syr.» w •) or *<;Avcuoo=r>oTi (Syr.). But double has been well caught,
the verb
into' (cf.

),
Jos. antt. xv. 11.
is properly '
to build
5
by Bede "nihil simulatum est et non
:

perspicuum in Sanctis ecclesiae" —

valent of
i.e. the wall had
('
.
a sense suits the present passage
is apparently the equi-
and such

built into
, ;

it,
remark- conspicuously exemplified in
the commentator's own life.

" 19. ol
(4]
the Seer returns to the foundation
..
The eye of

it was cased with the precious stone,

so that it sparkled with its crystalline
radiance. Van Herwerden pites iv- {,
stones of the outer wall (v. 14), and
he observes that they are decked
cf. v. 2) with precious
\
XXI.

eis
19]

om
I
] pr
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

ia<nri$,

stones of every shade of colour, or

gi arm
syre"
anon""e Prim
|
;
• ??
PQ
om |
?,
. ] 1
irp. laairis

86 |

given in Exodus (see Enc. Bibl., 481 1);

arm
t/ktos] pr
|
•291

ByrS w

rather that each stone is itself one in other words he has started as in
vast gem. The idea comes originally «.13 from the SE. corner of his city-
from Isa. liv. 1 1 wall, and after traversing the east and

)
, '
,...
; cf. Tobit

.
xiii.

(COW.
for Rabbi-
1 6

\
north sides has returned to' the same
corner to examine the south and the
west.
The reader will find some curious
speculations ,011 the relation of the
stones of the breastplate to the signs
of the zodiac on the one hand and

! '!! .
;

ad I.
nical illustrations see Schoettgen the twelve tribes on the other in

,
7
But with the general conception of J. T. S. viii. p. 213 ft .

a jewelled city St John combines his .] See

recollections of the names and order notes on iv. 3, xxi. n, 18, and cf. Isa.
of the stones set in another sacred
the High Priest's breast-
liv.

That the
12. !
foundation stone is of
first

!
plate (Ex. xxviii. 17 ff., xxxvi. 17 ff. the sort with which the whole wall
= Heb. xxxix. 10 f£); cf! Ez. xxviii. is cased (». 18) shews how little our

13, where the same list is partly used writer studies effect, even in this

,
'
in a description of the dress of the

!
King of Tyre. The twelve stones of

! ,
the breastplate are disposed in four
rows as 'follows: i.
,

(),
!
(DIN),
/3) j
great picture of the New Jerusalem.

Tob. XUi. 16

"aedificabit Hierosolyma lapide sap-

. .. : cf. Isa. liv.

Shem. rabba
II

!
ii. C^Si), P'SD),
The

! mentioned
phiri." is
(DPfV) (0?v),

()
• iii. several times in the O.T. ; the most

»
(^),
(B>»Jjh0),

(ng^J). Comparing these with

the foundation stones in the Apoca-
(DHB')
•

}
iv.

)
'
interesting examples are Ex. xxiv. 10

. .
,
As
!! 6

and .

,,,,,!
i. 26, ix. 2, the margin of

,
lypse, it will be seen that, while eight
of the names are common to both
R.V. suggests, the ancient 'sapphire'
was probably lapis lazuli ; see Pliny,

:
Ests, the Apocalyptist omits N. xxxiii. 21, xxxvii. 39, 54, who de-

-
IT.
and substi- scribes it as a sky-blue stone, flecked

.
tuting

! . .!.
-with gold; and cf. Epiphanius de
and —words unknown to the gemmis
lxx. as the names of precious stones.
In the arrangement of the stones,,
. .

yap
5 XMor

again, he differs from his model ; his

third and fourth rows answer roughly Greek
is ..
in Biblical ; in Exodus
to the third and fourth in the breast- occupies the corresponding place. The
plate, but his first and second reverse word is supposed to denote a green
the order of the first and second as silicate of copper found in the mines

19 —
292

20 ,
,
]
19
Tg .n.f»
?, ,
]
]
? THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

3 5 68
20 o-apSo^,;!] o-apStovuf
syre»
~<,
Q *9 9 8
9
31 48 79
I

|
~°

zmaragdvx
«ra/iitos 1 7 38
[XXI- l 9

al«rtmu lar diu8 vg clidemI ii»• anon*"» Prim sardinus vg» m

* 01 sardonius vg ,u

near Chalcedon. In Pliny . .- " aureo fulgore translucentes." In the

^, _

xxxvii. 18 "Chalcedonii nescio an in lxx. the word represents i.e.

totum exoleverint postquam metalla the stone of Tarshish (Ez. x. 9) in Ex;

aeris ibi defecerunt. .fuere. .colore in-
. . xxviii. and xxxvi. and Ez. xxviiL, and

.
certi et virentium in caudis pavonum similarly in Aquila (Ez. i. 26, x. 9,
columbarumque e collo plumis simi- Dan..x. 6). The identification of the
liter." The rendering of the Armenian ancient chrysolite is uncertain ; a yel-
version in cod 1 (Conybeare, p. 56) is low beiyl and a gold-coloured jasper
'turquoise.' much used in Egyptian art have been
Of the cc, Ez. I. c,
(Ex. II. suggested (Enc. Bibl. 819, Hastings,
Tob. xiii. 16,

( *,
Judith Esth. i. 6,
x. 21,
Sir. xxxv. 6 (xxxii. 8)) Pliny writes
(H.N. xxxvii. 16): "Smaragdos vero
tanto libentius, quoniam nihil omnino
viridius comparatum illis viret." Nero,
he adds, used it for the purpose of
D.B. iv. 620) ; Prof. Ridgeway holds
that the chrysolite of the breastplate
was the garnet.
Ex., Ez.;
-pvWoe
Tob.).
The beryl, as Pliny points out (H.N:
xxxvii. 20), has much in common with

, .. :
a field-glass (" gladiatorum pugnas the emerald, but in colour the best
spectabat smaragdo"), doubtless to stones are blue or sea green " pro- :

protect his eyes against, the glare batissimi sunt ex iis qui viriditatem
of the sun; cf. Epipli. de gemm. 3 maris puri imitantur": similarly
'Ncpaviavbs c'lBei, Epiphanius : i<m,
evaros
In view of this evidence the —
another green stone as Prof. Ridgeway
of the Apocalypse must be identified informs me, "a moss-green variety of
with the emerald, or some other green olivine,termed peridot." It was highly
stone, and not with rock crystal (Enc. prized both by the Hebrews and in
Bibl. 4804 f.).
20.
Cf. c. iv. 3, note.

The
was a variety of onyx in
.]
the "\yest ; cf. Ps. cxviii (cxix.) 127
cvroXas
(=TB 1 6
*
n-ofioi», cf. Enc.
which the white was broken by layers Bibl. 4802), Job xxviiL 19 .
of red or brown. Cf. Pliny, N. . avrf/ ;

xxxvii. 23 "Sardonyches olim ut ex Hilary on Ps. I. c. " praestat autem,

:

ipso nomine apparet intellegebantur ut ceteris metallis aurum, ita et aliis

candore in sarda, hoc est, velut carne lapidibus topazion, est enim ipse
ungui hominis imposita, et utroque rarissimus et speciosissimus omnium"
translucido." The sardonyx was much Pliny H.N. xxxvii. 32 "egregia etiam-

,
in request for cameos (King, En- nunc topazio gloria est suo virente
graved Gems, pp. 55, 363), and was genere." The green of the
highly valued; cf. Juvenal xiii. 138 was of a golden hue, according to
"gemmaque princeps sardonychum, Strabo xvi. 77o'Xi6Or ii
|

4,
... « ^-
\,
loculis quae custoditur eburnis."
see c. iv. 3, note.
:

xxxvii. 42, describes these stones as

Pliny, . N.
Kod Sic. VUi.

o^riv ffapc%opcvos.
39

--
and
,* ! , '?
!
,
XXI.

, 2o]

oyhoos

! ]
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

minmu,ld ]
evaros
ei/oe/cctTos

29
29 3 * 47 4 8 49 9^
v6c

Q \\
3° '^
31
a^ lm ^.r
79 9 2 '86

-
293

tojtoJioi']

, * | I

TOiraefioi» topadirts vg* m "-* Prim

|

mfu (-)
.
ij 27 39 7( v 8* ) 29
30* (97) 9" 3° 40 5° 9 2 "»<05 me

not mentioned
The
in
which is
thebut lxx.,
yellow (). But the stones
of the same general colour vary
answers- to the of Ex., was greatly both in hue and brilliancy,
akin to the beryl, but of a paler green as the descriptions shew. In several
Pliny, IT. N. xxxvii. 32 " vicinum cases different shades of the same
genus huic est pallidius, et a qui- colour appear to be arranged in
busdam proprii generis existimatur groups, e.g. the two reds are placed
vocaturque chrysoprasus." According together (5, 6), and the greens form
to King (Precious Stones, pp. 130, 163) two sequences (3, 4 and &, 9, 10) ; but
it is to be distinguished from the it is precarious to attach significance
modern chrysoprase, which is apple- which appears to depend
to this order,

!!,
green, an agate coloured by oxide of
nickel
the word

and
. On
see ix. 17, where
is associated with
apparently meaning 'of
on an arbitrary modification of that
of the stones in the High Priest's
breastplate. If we may ask what
purpose the Spirit of prophecy had in
this enumeration of precious stones

!
the colour of blue smoke.' In Ex.
the corresponding stone is the dark
beyond the general design of connect-
ing the New Jerusalem with the
red

:
(cf. Enc. Bibl. 4812), but

:
in the Apocalypse at all events it is

!:
safer to follow the account of Pliny

();
("violaceus," see below), and Epi-
phanius

: • :: -
the. modern
sapphire is said to be the stone
intended. :
symbols of the Twelve Tribes, a key to
the most probable answer is supplied
by Clement of Alexandria, paed. ii. 12,
§ 119
\:
:
.-.,-
,:, :
distinguished from the by
its greater brilliancy

\. ,,
see Pliny H.N.
;

xxxvii. 41 "differentia haec, quod ille

emicans in amethysto fulgor violaceus
dilutus est in hyacintho"; Epiph.
de gemm. 9 - He
\
not pursue the train of
does
.
.
Epiphanius adds,

,
The Libyan

Collecting results, we observe that

sort,
thought, but it is easy to do so. The
Apostolic College itself was composed
of men of greatly varying capacities
and characters, and in passing under
the hand of the great
made them foundation stones of the
Who,
, :,(,,),-
(,
(
colours,

),
!,
the stones are in the main of four

!), blue

red
green (?),

and
wall of the new City of God, no one of
these lost his own individuality. The
same is true of the entire building;
every colour, every shade of colour,
every degree of brilliancy is found
?94

21 ,
'
• " •
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
'
'
-
[XXI. 20

-
.
20
Tpcuros
!]
me 21 om
*
2° * (hab K
K co
c •»)
Prim
ig 31 3 8
| ] 1 3°
A
8^
35 om
al2<>

130
Ar
|
£is]
°-

+
Koi syre»' [ ef ejos] pr us PQ 79 92 |
eyre" Prim

among the living stones which make ...Sanctisdonavit lumen esse mundi,
up the The et ipse cum sit rnargarita sin-

-
ideal City. sic
(Eph. iii. reflects ) gularis... suos riihilominus niargari-
itself in the saints, but not wholly in tarum fulgori comparat."
.£
any one saint. The High Priest alone
wears all the colours on His breast;
- ] ..

Each gate-tower seemed to have

]
of the rest it is said : been cai"ved out of a single monstrous
. . . . . pearl. With this use of cf. the
(of. Bede ad I.). use of in Mc. XIV. 19 etr,

21. nvkaves note, '

Jo.' viii. 9 Kaff , Rom. xii.

From the foundation 5 Kaff els, and see Blass, Gr.

stones the Seer's eye turns back to p. 179; Abbott, Johannine Grammar,

,—
the gateways which divide them §§ 1890, 2281. The punctuation of
(». 12 ff.). Of these also each is a gy r gw. snewg that the translator had
gem, not however a precious stone before him fir els in the present
as in Isa. liv. 12 irvKas place ; see Dr Gwynn'e note ad I.
but a single pearl.
The pearl has no place in the O.T. .] See , 1 8, where the
lists of jewels, though a reference to same said of the Holy City as a
is
it has been suspected in one or two whole. brings out the special
doubtful passages (see Enc. Bill, ad point of ; the gold was so pure

v.). But in N.T. times the dealer in that men seemed to look into and
'goodly pearls' was not unknown on through its clear depths as they walked
upon it the word is unknown to the
..
the great roads of Galilee (Mt. xiii.

, .;
;

46), and .the pearl was among the lxx. and in the N.T., but used
treasured ornaments of the wealthier by Philo, and by Aquila in Prov. xvi.
class (Mt. vii. 6, 1 Tim. ii. 9). The 5, where the lxx. has Aq.
later Jews looked forward to a time uses also For
when pearls' would abound in Israel; see Mc. vi. 56, D, and c. xxii.
Yalkut Shim. f. 54. 1 "fore ut limi- 1 ; the ideal City has no narrow
tes Israelis repleantur gemmis et (Lc. xiv. 21), but only the broad
margaritis, venturosque Israelites et thoroughfare of a perfect fellowship.
hide accepturos quantum lubuerit." — how striking a feature those will
There is a remarkable parallel to the understand who have threaded their
present verse in Baba bathra, f. 7$. 1 way through the lanes of an Eastern
" Deus adducet gemmas et margaritas town ; even in Tobit's picture of a
triginta
latas
cubitos longas totidemque
easque excavabit in altitudinem
viginti cubitorum et latitudinem de-
cern cubitorum, collocabitque in portis
Hierusalem."
Bede finds a spiritual significance
in the gates of pearl "sicut lux vera :
restored Jerusalem these are not ab-
sent, and he is content to present
them in• a new light:
'
18).
_
Victorinus allegorizes
ostendunt corda ab omnibus mundata
' :
(Tob. XIV.

"plateae...
XXI.

,
2 3]

,
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN
eidov ev 22
295

ryap

2
•
yap
'.
,, 3

-ev ;
' e%ei 23

8 ^ aI

(] ; ]
ws] 86 7 8 13 (29) 35 (38) 39 4 1 49 9 1 94 9<> (97) 9 8 13°
I r gre*AnMt ^j
|

2 ei j „ ^ j jj jg5 alpi Andr Ar] 1S0» AQ 92 |

xupios
0eos] . . tt* on (cupios syr aeth Ire1 »"*»
-t
118 '
vaot pr A •
23

[
| 77

+ aurij 38 97 syr «» arm

7roXis] | |
i86)] + ev N ca 49 91 96 186
al vg™™ (in ea) me aim; 35 79 al) | j; ? Q 130 min 30 arm 4 |

yap KAP min mu vg syie w ] on Ire"" *»• 1 8'

sordibus...perspicua luce fulgida ut 1 f. The revelation of the O.T. finds

merito in iis deambulet Dominus."
22.
City possesses no Sanctuary, for it is
] The
its consummation in the Incarnate
Son the promise of God's Presence
;

with His people is realized in the

itself a Holy of holies, as its cubic
form suggests (v. 16) ; cf. 2 Cor. vi. 16

avrois.
yap
' The Eternal Presence
on
,(v. 3)
Person of the sacrificed and exalted
Christ.

23.
.] A
the Holy City. As it needs no ma-
no\ts
second distinction of

renders the new Jerusalem one vast terial temple, since it is pervaded by
vaot. There is therefore no conflict the Presence of God, so it needs no

,
between this verse and c. iii. 12

, iv
<5 created light, since the same Presence
irradiates it Unceasingly. Cf. An-

.,
which in the light of the dreas : yap
present passage is simply a promise
of permanent citizenship in the Holy Sun and moon, the luminaries
City. Nor do St John's words here of the first creation (Gen. i. 14), have
condemn the present use
of magnificent churches.
or building
Material
, .& no place in the second ;
I9f. en
cf. Isa. lx.

sanctuaries, nevertheless, are a con-

fession that the perfect has not yet
come ; the ideal Church has no need .,' The thought recurs in xxii.

- .
c.

of them ; cf. Andreas : yap 5

'
No words could more
» \ ...
6 yap
The Divine Presence
;

vaos .]
in Itself consti-
clearly demonstrate the purely spiri-
tual character of St John's conception
of the New Jerusalem.
tutes a Sanctuary which supersedes For a Rabbinical parallel see Yalkut
material structures ; cf. Jo. iv. 21 Ruben, f. 7. 3 "neque in mundo future
>
. see
For []
i.
ore

8, note ; it
6 6
opet

6
answers to the
- necesse habebunt lumen solis interdiu
et lumen lunae noctu."
yap
Divine Glory, the revelation of the
The .]
nitqx ?r£>S r\vn\ of the O.T., Who in- fulness of the^Divine attributes, is the
here significantly associated with the Sun of the ideal order "lumen (as —
Lamb ; cf. vii. 9 f., xiv. 4, xxii. Victorinus eloquently Writes) cuius
296

24

25
to .,
ek
-
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
**

,. %5

yap
ym
'
[XXI. 23

e'/ce?•

+
23

+ (coi
25
{)
]
fci*
»
pr
(ex

(Q) min»°"»
(-pos N"-») I
vg syr*"
Andrcomm

eo -] ; arm
4 om «<"
ut via)
vg syr (Ar)
1
|

|
]
} arm 4
+ Q
. . .! arm
130 al'"™
25

Q 130 min*•
|
|
.
So|H
]
me syr

splendorem nullus potuerit sensus the world. From the fourth century
cogitare nee lingua proloqui" cf. Ps. ;
the Church has received the tribute
of recognition from the State; the
XXXV. (xxxvi.)
. We expect the writer —
kings of the earth not as some of

,
,
to proceed,
but for he writes
perhaps because he shrank
the Latin commentators suggest, the
"reges spirituales " of her own body,
but secular princess-have' heaped
from likening Christ to 'the lesser light,'
(Gen. i. 16
perhaps because he wished to contrast
), honours upon her. So far history has
verified the Seer's forecast, and the
fulfilment continues to this day. How
the one Lamp which illuminates the it will accomplish itself when the

ideal Church with the many of ideals of the Church have been rea-
the churches on earth (i. 12, 20). lized must be left to the future to
24. . Sto disclose. The words may have refer-
.] Based Oil Isa. ence only to the present order, or they
may indicate some gracious purpose of
,
1. 3
. God. towards humanity which has not
yet been revealed cf. c. xxii. 2
such world-wide influence was ever

,
:

the lot of the older Jerusalem. Rome

came nearer to the ideal in her re-
lation to the provinces of the Empire,
and her influence over the countries
25.
and the note
oi \'€
.]
there.

The Seer
-
still

).,
where she exercised the rights of follows, and while he follows expands
suzerain. But the light of Rome was Isaiah (lx. 1 at

in the end to go out in darkness, as q- \ «-

the Seer foresaw (xviii. 23). The In the ideal City night is
Church alone possesses an unfailing v unknown, because the sun of the Divine
source of illumination, which radiates
far beyond her borders. Nations hot
yet Christian, or Christian chiefly in
name, reap the benefit of Christian
opinion and Christian standards of
yap
. .,.
Presence never sets ; cf. Isa. lx. 20
yap
In the history
of nations, as in nature, darkness suc-
ceeds to light, civilization is followed
life. Whatever there is in modern by outbursts of barbarism. In the
life which promises amelioration of ideal Church no such relapses are
social evils is probably to be ascribed possible ; the future holds no Dark
to the influence, direct or indirect, of Ages for the City of God. In c. vii. 15
a dominant Christianity, even where savours of the present
that influence is most stoutly denied. condition of the Church, and the vision
On the other hand Christianity derives there is expressed in the terms of the
certain advantages from contact with present.
 .'
XXI. THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

'
27] 297

&
a

eis

] ^/
6 totum versum

anon*»» Prim
|
[]
1

om

PQ
*
1

31
|
«s
\• , .
]
min tet ° a0

I
om
syrr]
186 al™' n"1 Andr
T,? s
+

Ar
"•»
|

syr^ Prim
€\•] pr
|
eis

Q min25 Ar

\
ei

8 41 68 92 faciens vg Ambr
.
2J

* •<- |
]
ti
20
2J

om

The gates of the New Jerusalem

stand open through the Eternal Day . xliv. 9• The reali-

.,
;

to allow of the freest ingress and zation of this vision of purity belongs
egress, cf. Jo. x. 9 tis to the future, but not exclusively so
. .
;
the remark of Primasius " futuri teni- :

the cry (Ps. poris circumscribit ecclesiam quando

xxiii. (xxiv.) 7, 9) is heard no more at non sicut nunc permixtos cum bonis
the approach of the King, nor is there cohabitantes patitur males" must be
any hasty closing of the portals as an taken with Bede's reservation " sed :

enemy is seen to be near.

(Mt. xxv. 10) has reference to
other circumstances, which can never
occur in the ideal City. .
26.
- ]
further A
et nunc omnis immundus et mendax
non
Mc.
14
est in ecclesia."
vii. 2, note,
Here
as in Mc. vii. 20, 23 the word has
passed into an ethical meaning ; the
.
and
On
cf. Acts
see
x.

.
presentation of the thought expressed verdict by which Christ 'cleansed all
in .24;
irkovros
As Rome
cf. Isa. lx. 5

in her time attracted the

.
els meats' (ib. 19) leaves moral pollution
the only true
(5. Babylon the Great was
merchandise of the world (xviii. 11 ff.), full of (xvii. 4) the New

,
;

so in days to come all that is best in Jerusalem has no place for the '-
human flow into the City of
life will Xuy/ucVos (xxi. 8). Falsehood, the anti-
God. The Seer foresees the conse- thesis of is no less absolutely
cration to the service of Christ, in the excluded. The Apocalyptist, who had
coming centuries, of art, literature, experience of pagan life at Ephesus,
and science, of national character and loses no opportunity of condemning
power, of social and civic life. its insincerity ; cf. xiv. 5, xxi. 8, xxii.
27. (cat els 15. But as the last passage shews,
.], In the ideal condition of his exclusion of the insincere from the
the Church the influx of the nations City of God must be limited to those

-.
with their several offerings will not who are consciously and contentedly
bring with it the elements of evil insincere; is to be inter- .
which hitherto have been assoqiated preted as
with wholesale conversions. The open el ye ' but Only .] '

gates of the City of Light exclude the those whose names are inscribed etc.'
works of darkness; t'is yap (Andreas cf. Ban. xii. 1. The exception refers
.
appositely asks)
; Of. Isa. XXXV. 8
;
wpor

ib. lii. I - not to

who seek to enter, as
had run ov
., but to all
if
,
the sentence
298

XXII
Andr Ar
,}.
^
|
ehei^ev

om
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

pr , *]
38 40 arm |
+ 6%
om
%2 35 3§
A om
|
[XXII.

49 19 9 1 9^ arm
-*
1 86
r

.
5,
For the 'Book of Life' see iii.
note, xx.

XXII.
1 5, and for the qualifying

cf. xiii. 8,

.
note.
torum erunt." See especially Jo. vii. 38

.( ', ,
The explanation which
.] The Seer now

)
is follows ib. 39
shewn by the Angel (xxi. 9) the in-
terior of the City. The vision com- ' leaves 110
bines that of Ezekiel xlvii. i 12 with — doubt how the metaphor was un-
the account of Eden in Gen. ii. 9 ff., derstood by the school of St John,
adding certain new features. In Gen. and may therefore be taken to in-
I. c. the river issues from Eden and terpret the present passage. The
is parted into four heads ; in Ezekiel River of Life which 'gladdens the
v
a stream issues from its source in City of God' is the gift of the Spirit
the Temple-rock, and running east- which followed the Ascension and
wards presently becomes a river too which, once bestowed, remains with
deep to be forded; the river makes the Church for ever (Jo. xiv. 16).
its way to the Dead Sea, which it con-
verts into fresh water, and on its banks
there grow fruit trees which bear
throughout the year. In St John's
). ',
... (v. i), sparkling

like rock crystal; cf. iv. 6

. the River of the life-

:

. ',
vision the river issues from the Throne giving Spirit issues forth out of the
of God and of the Lamb, which has . Throne, or, as Andreas explains,
taken the place of the Temple (cf. xxi.
22 with xxii. 3); and it waters not the The words, however, can-
wilderness but the City itself (cf. Ps. not be used with any confidence in the
xlv. (xlvi.) 5 Filioque controversy, for it is the mis-
), and sion of the Spirit rather than His
the fruit trees which grow on its eternal Procession which is in view
banks are identified with the Tree of here, as indeed it probably is even in
Life which grew in the primaeval Jo. xv. 26. For the patristic inter-
Paradise. pretation see History of the Doctrine

,
For see vii. 17, xxi. 6, of the Procession, p. 8, note.
xxii. 17, notes. The conception of a
river of the water of life appears (*, , 3) is a startling expression;
already in Joel iii. 18 elsewhere the Lamb is or

',
Zech. xiv. 8
) and ' (v.

is the
6, vii. 17),

.
,,
f. 100.
'
and

'
"Deus producturus
;
xlvii.

cf. Sanhedr.
9
'-

est
Almighty Father as distinguished

vii. 10).

,
from the Incarnate Son (v. 13, vi. 16,
But cf. iii. 21, where the
glorified Christ is represented as the
Father's and see note there.
fluvium ex sancto sanctorum iuxta 2.
quern omnia genera fructuum delica- .] WH., following
 ^,,
XXII. THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN
\ 299

'
2],

evTeddev

\\ \
2
syr Ar]
/iou]

.
pr
35 49 79 91 1 86 al .
syrs" |
, AQ (P hiat post
('
.)
2° suppl
1 30 al30 me
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-
:
.,: ') -,:
Matthaei, connect eV
\:' :
avrfjs

'
me a river.
thereof"),
with
.
.
.in
and govern
(cf. R.V. "he shewed

the midst of the street : cf.

Andreas
..
well remarks:

. :,: .
by (R. V. " on this
yap
But
side of the river and on
. that").
if
to
the words iv
. , they would more naturally
precede than follow
Moreover, though the adverbs
belonged
, For
Lc. xxiii. 31) and the phrase .
= (vypov
:,
n

,
see ii. 7, note; like Y$ in Gen. i. f.,
may have a prepositional is here, clearly collective, since
force (cf. e.g. Jos. ix. 6 (viii. 33)

Dan. xii.
(' $) :
),
5 Th.
yet their posi-.
there are trees on either side of the
river.

. Andreas

The twelve fruits, one

: : }
:
tion after suggests that for each month, are suggested by
they are used here adverbially as in
! !' Ezekiel and familiar to later
'
. I. c.

Ex. XXVI. 13 Jewish writers, Shpmoth rabba

; . xlvii. 7 (the basis
-

15, "tempore futuro ... Deus faciet

e.g.

!
of the present passage)

the
whole, then, the usual punctuation
seems preferable, and we may trans-
;

.
ib. 1 2 «VI
On
arbores quae quovis mense fructus
ferant homo vero qui de illis comedet
;

sanabitur." It is not clear whether

twelve crops of fruit are intended or.
"twelve manner of fruits" ( A. V., R. V.)
late "between the street of the City the latter idea lends itself well to
and the river, on this side and on the symbolism of the passage, for
that" for : = cf. C. V. 6, the one "fruit of the Spirit" is mani-
note. The picture presented
is that fold in its varieties (Gal. v. 22).
of a river flowing through the broad The fruits of the Tree of Life are
streetwhich intersects the city, a row doubtless life-supporting• (Gen. iii.

of trees being on either bank. The 22) and intended for the service of
precise phrase

::. :,:
the citizens of the New
is Jerusalem;
quoted by Wetstein from Aelian N.A, see v. 14, and cf. Ez. xlvii. 12 6
ii.

!.
4, ix. 34, xiii. 23. eh Enoch
: ,
XXV. 5

:
.'] Cf. xlvii. 12 ' 6
:
"good for
But the
food"
tree is not only
(Gen. iii. 6); its
3
.
?
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

, .
[XXII.

, (-^
3

4 ' /
] om pr me ° *) APQ
al40 Andr Ar]
3
nullo suadente oodice ut vid, nulla versione | ] om
X* 1 7 38 52 186 syrs" Andr Ar |
9/hwos] om |
8 12 38 98
130 arm 1

leaves
(Ez. I.e.);
have

'
therapeutic properties
the lxx. rendering
is obscure,
- the meaning of here; no
execrated or execrable person or thing
shall be found in the Holy City ; cf.

translates -
.
but our writer has access to another
version or to the Heb., and rightly
)n?u\ by
The therapeutic
v. 1 5. The form of the thought is from
Zech. XIV.

.
,
1 1

adds to the strength of

(^)
-
work of Christ (Lc.

its spiritual side

) ix. 1 1

is
at least by the Church,
continued on
the negative ; nothing of the sort
remains in the New Jerusalem ; con-
trast Gen. iii. 19.
and may find in a future order oppor- The .]
tunities at present unsuspected. As Throne of God, when first revealed
in c. the Seer seems to fore-
xxi. 24, 26,
cast the presence of nations not
yet included among the citizens of
, to the Seer, was seen through a door
opened in Heaven (iv. 1) now he
sees it in the Holy City which is
;

the New Jerusalem, even after the descending to the earth, and on it sits
Parousia, but the inference is too not the Father only but the Incarnate
uncertain to be used for a dogmatic and glorified Son (. , note). In
purpose. He may refer only to the .Christ the Church has within her
functions of the Church in the present
state; so far as she fulfils her true
office she is the healer of the diseases
that which makes the chief glory of
Heaven, the' revealed Presence of
God.
-
,
of humanity.
3. \
is without example
] in
3, 4-
.]
' ol
To the
of God there corresponds a perfected
final revelation

Biblical Greek, though service where the Throne is always

;

occurs in Mt. xxvi. 74 as the equivalent in sight the service must be per-

!.
of Mc.'s
is Vised in Did. 16
and the noun

It is perhaps somewhat
petual cf. vii. 1 5
:

\
, •
\
),
'
stronger than (Andreas :

' —a vision which is now seen

"
an 'execration' and not simply a to find its fulfilment in the New"
'ban.' may be either the Jerusalem. On see the
sentence pronounced, as in the phrase note on the passage• just quoted.
(Deut.

,
xiii. 1 5 f., promises
Acts xxiii. 14), or the object on which to the Church in her ideal state a
it

),
is laid (Deut.

cf. Rom.
vii.

ix. 3,
(,
26

Cor.
AF)
xii. 3, xvi.
privilege denied to the Lawgiver of
the O.T. ; cf. Ex. xxxiii. 20, 23

22, Gal. i. 8 f. Probably the latter is \

XXII.

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reversal of this positive bar to com-

,.
moves me

be
|

need of lamplight, and sunlight they

have none.'
els
plete fellowship with God seems to be

(^/35«'
contrasts the eternal reign of
foreshadowed in Ps.
Si iv
xvi. (xvii.) 1

-
5 eya the saints with the limited reign of
C. XX. 4
, ea
(y* ?2)
patrick and Briggs ad I. To see God
, iv
but see Kirk-
ib. 6

indeed, they were reigning even in

%.
per
Potentially,

is the reward of purity, and conversely the first century (cf. v. 10

the sight of God in Christ will perfect «Vt yijs), but neither the first

the process of, purification (Mt. v. 8, century nor the fourth witnessed a

.1 Jo. iii. 2

Cf.
ff.).

Andreas :
ejrl ev full or permanent realization of the
Regnum Dei, which is reserved for
the Church in her perfect state.
apxiepeiis Perfect service will be accompanied
—
;

Bede: "confessio nominis sancti, by perfect sovereignty will be per-

nunc inter hostes servata, tunc fect sovereignty. The beauty of the
victores in patria glorificat." Entire sequenceXarpiuowOTtv. . ./3*
consecration to the service of God has been finely caught by the Gregorian
is however the leading idea of the phrase "cui servire regnare est."
metaphor ; see cc. iii. 12, xiv. 1, Interpreters of the Apocalypse who
notes. recognize its prophetic character
,
«» 5. -

xpeiav
notes; the Seer repeats like a refrain
.] See xxi. 23, 25,
differ widely with regard to the
reference of this final vision.
the New Jerusalem belong wholly to
Does

the absence of night in the ideal City, the future, or is its fulfilment to be
and the supersession of light, natural sought in the present life of the
or artificial, by the revelation of the Church ? Augustine (de civ. Dei xx.
glory of God. The more difficult read-
ing !
force to this refrain:
(sc. %)
'they have no
adds
17) denounces the latter view in no
measured terms "hoc de isto tempore
:

accipere quo regnat [sc. ecclesia] cum

'3°2

'
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

6 eiirw] \eyei Q
oi

30
Xojoi
130 al'"™ arm
1
- [XXII. 6

rege suo mille annis impudentiae
nimiae mihi videtur...quis vero tarn
sit absurdus et obstinatissima conten-
tione vesanus, qui audeat affirmare in
huius mortalitatis aerumnis, non dico
populum sanctum, sed unumquemque
sanctorum. .nullas habeutem lacrymas
. a new age has been inaugurated by
et dolores?...In hoc quoque libro...
obscura multa dicuntur...verum in
his verbis ubi ait Absterget Deus
omnem lacrymam ab oculis eorum
etc., tanta luce dicta sunt de saeculo
future. ut nulla debeamus in littcris
sacris quaerere vel legere manifesta,
si haec putaverimus obscura." Even
a stronger case might be made out
J
for a purely ' futurist view; in its
favour may be urged the place which
the vision occupies in the order of the
Book (but see note on xx. 1); the
difficulty of finding an approximately
complete counterpart to it in the
history of the Christian Society ; the
writer's use of the future tense in xxi.
24 if., xxii. 3 ff. On the other hand
it cannot be denied that there is
much in the picture which fulfils itself
to a greater or less extent in the
present experience of Christendom,
if allowance is made for the idealism
which characterizes the thought and
language of Apocalyptic prophecy.
Perhaps it is in this last considera-
tion that the solution of the difficulty
to be found. The Holy City which
is
passes before the mind of St John is
the Ideal Church as conceived in the
purpose of God and to be realized in
His own time. So far as this con-
ception purely spiritual, the powers
is
by which it can be converted into
actuality have been in the possession
\-
eyes not closed against^ the
are
heavenly vision; men slake their
thirst in the River, and nations find
healing in the leaves of the Tree.
But as a whole the ideal is still far
above us, nor will it be reached until
the Lord's Return.
XXII. 6 20. —
Epilogue: last
words of the angel, the seer, and
the Lord.
6. oi Xoyot
.] The visions of the Apocalypse
are now ended; they have reached
their climax in the New Jerusalem.
It remains for the Seer to report
the parting utterances of some of the
personae dramatis, and this is done
in the disjointed manner which char-
acterizes much of the latter portion of
the Book ; it is often difficult to dis-
tinguish the speakers, or to trace the
connexion of the thought.
The first speaker (w. 6 f.) is doubt-
less the hierophant angel of xxi. 9,
15, xxii. 1. The sayings which he
pronounces to be 'faithful and true'
(xxi. 5, note) are, as the sequel shews,
the teachings of the entire Book, and
not only the noble words with which
the last of its visions has just ended
(vv. 3 —
5). - The which follows is
g'Masi-'epexegetic': these sayings are
faithful and true, seeing that they con-
stitute a message which the Almighty
Himself has sent through His angel.
There is a reference here, as in more
than one other phrase in the Epilogue,
to the Prologue (i. 1 3) —
the words ;

bei^ai rois a Set yevetrflai

of the Church from the first, and the ev are repeated verbatim from
results are manifest in the moral i. . Beat is doubtless the
triumphs of Christianity. Already
the many colours of the New Jeru-
salem and the flashes of its crystal
luminary may be seen by those whose »
Xxii. 5.
,
Eternal Father, as in i. 8, iv. 8, xi. 17,
xv. 3, xvi. 7, xviii. 8, xix. 6, xxi. 22,
Here He is
the
<Jeos
God from Whom
,
XXII. 8]

? THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN 303

\- .
ep
yeveo

. <-
- -. ev*^ 7
J 1

)
&
8

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;/]-+
6 |

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] .
vld
79 al Andr 35 68 syre"
*
|

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(om
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•") syr

alP Ar
om |

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J
tois

vg*mf«iipie me
t4"-

Byr ew
a
130 7
1
om
2 | ] 35 3^ 79 9 2 a^
1 2 syrf
In "

prophetic inspiration proceeds, Who the rest of the Christian Society ; if

is the Source of prophetic gifts ; cf. in the first instance the message
Arethas yap
,' - comes to the Prophets only, it comes

;,,
:

}
i
bia Kvpios to them for the benefit of the Church
'KtJpios at large (see Mc. iv. 21 f., note) it is

.
;

For in this sense their duty to communicate, it to all

cf. I

XIV.
ib. 32
Cor.
12
xii.
' and
the Servants of God. For
see x.
xxii.
7,

9; and
xi. 18,
for ,
xvi. 6, xviii. 20, «4,
i. 1, ii. 20,
The vii. 3, xix. 2, 5, xxii. 3, notes.
are not to be identified with the 7. * '.~\ The
of i. 4, v. 6, which are before Voice of Christ is heard behind, or
the Divine Throne, and are the Eyes speaking through, the voice of His
of the Lamb they are the natural
; angel. For this parenthetical
,
'
faculties of the Prophets, raised and cf. xvi. 15, xxii. 12, 20;

quickened by the Holy Spirit, but

still under human control, and stand-
ing in a creaturely relation to God.
,
suggested here by the Angel's iv

below m.
is added
12, 20.
in ii.

On
16, iii. 11,
in this
and

Cf. Num. xvi. 22, xxvii. 16

where the phrase

!
used in reference
to human life in general.
is
The Enochic
('??) , Book see vi. 1, note.
The beatitude which follows is here,
as in xvi. 15, part of Christ's utter-
ance ; it is a repetition in a shorter
'

form of i. 3, so that the Book ends

"Lord of the Spirits" (Enoch xxxvii. 2 as began, with a felicitation of
it

.'
et passim) has quite another meaning;
its devout students. On 6
see Charles ad loc, and cf. 2 Mace. iii. Primasius well observes: "'servare'
24 dicit hie reverenter credere et pu-
rioris vitae proposito custodire." ToC
It is noteworthy that even ,in the points to the all but
visions of this book, which came to completed roll on the Seer's knee;
him when he was apparently alone in throughout the Apocalypse he has
Patmos, St John associates himself represented himself as writing his
with the whole body of the Christian
Prophets. The esprit de corps thus ),
impressions at the time (cf. x. 4
and his task is now
revealed is interesting ; at the same
time it is to be observed, that he does
not isolate the prophetic order from
nearly ended.
8 f. •
.]
6
As at the beginning of
 34

^,
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
. .
[XXIL &

.
9 '•
<' • <-
]] !]
8 AQ min,ore4° vg syr arm Prim] .
H 31 3 2 33 4^ 7& 79 I S2 me svrgw (aeth)' Dionys Prim Ar om
A
|

). ore
Q
.
130

]
aeth |
16 35 38 94 98 (vel

minP'i 30 KA 16 30 35 38 68] Q 130 minP Ar 1

! !
1

]
I |

arm |
A |
om A |
(A) Q tninP 1

-
vid
Ar vg
Andr] 2 a, 7 9
••
10 26 27 49 50 97 al 9

]!
(• ...; 68

!
syrr |
opa syrr I3o)] + 7roi7;<njs 32 (et ut vid vg Aug Prim)
arm +

]!
+ aeth
"™ -^ 5 «] +
|

om \ 31 *
•75
4 10 11 12
38 vg" 1811 !18 " 4 • 6 arm
32
Prim
37 47 4§ 49 9 1 94
10 ! + * ipse (eorr 1
)

the Book (i. 1, 4, 9), the author gives Seer knew him to be one of the
his name, without any distinguishing bearers of the Seven Bowls (xxi. 9).

. ! ,
title, as Dionysius of Alexandria had
already observed(Eus. //. E. vii. 2 5)
6
irolos
:

ovtos
Still less can it be maintained that it
is Christ Who refuses the worship;
here, as in c. xix., it is the cult of angelic
beings that the Apocalyptist wishes to

).,. . , The writer

be the Seer himself (
claims, however,
.
discourage by the example of his own

.
repeated lapse ; see notes on xix. 10;

!
to

New
),
cf. Dan. xii. 5, 8, LXX.
;

the things which the Angel had just

shewn him
i.e.
(cf.

the revelation of the

Jerusalem. So astounding was
this whole vision, the crowning glory
infr.
v.

!.
tinues
note.
7 and answers to

\oyovs
on this
;
.]
in xix.

see xix. 9,
His instruction is exactly the
is

.
!
repeated from

The Angel con-

»

of the Book, that the Seer forgets reverse of that which is given to
]
,
the warning he has recently received
(xix. 10), and again prostrates himself
before the AngeL The commentators
offer alternative
Primasius writes " aut semel factum
iteravit...aut magno visionum stupore
perculsus adorare se iterum voluisse
confltetur." There is nothing in the
context to justify the supposition
:
explanations, e.g.
•
Daniel
D<3"1
(viii.

Dn?£ j
Y2 nirny'dn^nj lxx.
26
cf. xii.

cf. V. 4).

circumstances are different indeed,

^

But the

they are reversed ; as Milligan well says,

"it was not a time" now "for sealing
:
'! Dhp
9 D^pnni D»pnp

—
«

that St John believed himself to be up, but for breaking seals"; the end
worshipping Christ ; though' the angel was not, as in Daniel's case (see Driver
had spoken the words on Dan. I.e.), far off, but at hand,
in the person of Christ, yet the almost within sight. Therefore the
<
XXII. 1
1] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

." ',
305

yap
yap]
tantum 4 16 29 39 48 68 Ar
ep Vienn ap Eus pr 68 syr»" Prim

prophecy of this book is to be left

yap 2 8 4° 79
11
° " ] 1 49 9 1 a ^ aeth Cypr Prim

Master of the house has arisen and

1

open for all who will to read; nay, the shut the door, and those that are with-
hearing and reading of the book (i. 3, out will knock in vain (Mt xxv. 10,
xxii. 7),and so far as may be, the study Lc. xiii. 25);, men can then no longer
of its mysteries (xiii. 18, xvii. 9), are to
be warmly encouraged. The Incarna-
tion had brought the season for the
fulfilment of God's purposes relative-
ly near, even before the end of the
' ,' ,
recede from the position which they
have chosen to take up. Cf. Andreas

and the caution added by Arethas:

first century; cf. i. 3, note. On the
practice of sealing books, to" keep
their contents secret, see c, v. 1, note. , eKOCTTov
he whose habit
!\(
.
to do

-
it is
Only in reference to one detail in wrong, 'the wrong-doer,' with special
this Book is the Seer directed reference perhaps to the persecutor
......^] (. 4); the rest is —so at least the sufferers in the
for the ears and eyes of Christians. all Viennese troubles, understood it; cf.
II. 6 ' .] Eus. H.E. V.

,
I :

... , -
Daniel is still in view; cf. Dan. xii. 10 etr

D'i«n
fas'
-W"!ni 0*3•..•"3], lxx.

,
.
6 eru

);
also in mind Ez. iii. 27
(Th.
perhaps the Apooalyptist has the representative of another class,
the immoral pagan or reprobate ; the
6 In Daniel the may be scrupulously moral, the
'
disregards purity of life or
sense seems to be that the great trial
which Aniiochus was the means of even common decency ; for the word
and its cognates see Zech. iii. 3 eV-
bringing upon the Jewish people,
while it exercised a purifying influence
upon the faithful, would but confirm
the disloyal in their wickedness ; see
beSvpivos

'(
XIV. 4

,) ,
'
Jac. i 21
(QNSSTX)•

; Job

(, (,
;

Driver ad he. While this thought with Dr Mayor's note.

may not be entirely absent from the The aorists
present passage, another is more not indicate the
prominent. It is not only true that fixityof the state into which the
the troubles of the last days will tend and the. have entered
to fix the character of each individual there is henceforth no break in the
according to the habits which he has downward course, which is indeed
already formed, but there will come viewed as a single act; cf. Blass, Or.
a time when change will be impos- p. 194 f Fixity in good is in like
—
sible when no further opportunity
will be given for repentance on the
one hand or for apostasy on the other.
In the imagination of the Seer the
moment has been reached when the
opposite to
permanent
))
manner to be attained when the end
comes; the just (the opposite char-
acter to

life
and the saint (the
will enter
of righteousness and
on a

s. R.
36

12
13
»
") ' ,
THE APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN

',

cos epyov
',
>. , >
-.
[XXII. ii

syrr)
om en 2
mevid ep
om

aeth
, 3°, ?
])4]
Vienn ap Eus
|
me
puirapos

|
8* 32 Or]

*
Or (cum
[
20 2 1 33 35 68 97 (kab

53
m« alP1 ' 30

38 79 vg" 1
pro
Ar
101 ""' 6

'' 10
' •
6
K Q mmPl vg
13 92

]
(iustificetur)

2 1 (38) syr]
(Andr)
12 pr
|

97 9^ alP
1
spy. (vel Q () 13 3° 35 49 9 1 9 2 9\

,
1"» Prim
me Cypr anon
(Ar)
13 ] epya (vel
*
+«^11 Tg c 'l!dsmfu tolll i™ !
epyov)
me arm1
79 8
aeth
£yi*" (aeth)

of holiness. It is not, of course, im- comes in parenthetically, as in v. J;

plied
;
by the separate mention of see note there. He speaks as the

?
and
and

true Syior is always

that righteousness
holiness can be divorced

is, in the perfect state at least,

Syios; the two qualities were united

, the
;

and the
Steward of the great
Who in the eventide of the world
will call the labourers to receive their
day's wages (Mt. xx. 8); see xi. 18,
note. Though the is one and

•
in the Son of Man (Acts iii. 14 rbv
),
and will be united
the same in value to the
all cases, its
individual worker varies according to
—
.&, ,
in all who are finally His; but they the work he has done a principle
r„re kept apart here for the sake which is steadily maintained through-
of the antithesis to out Scripture (Ps. lxL 13, Job xxxiv.
Por ; 11 f.j.Isa. xL 14, lxii. 11 (,.), Mc.
the Viennese letter quoted above xiii. 34, Rom. ii 5, Apoc. ii. 23,
has a reading which Zahn xx. 12 f.)Clem. Cor. xxxiv. 3,
; cf.

(Qesch. d. NTlichen Kanons,'i. 201) Barn. xxi. 3, and see N.T. in the
pronounces "gewiss urspriinglich," Apostolic Fathers, pp. ijj, 58. The
and which certainly has much to use of to represent the gratui-

,, , ,,
recommend it; if we accept it, the
sense will be 'let him be held
righteous' (Vulg. iustiflcetur), which
corresponds with 'let him
be held to be hallowed. 1 On the
tous (Rom. vi. 23) and spiritual com-
pensations of the future life belongs
to the circle of ideas associated with

, ?, .
,
'the reward which it
other hand it is perhaps more belongs to Me to give' (2 Tim. iv. 8)

-
probable that contrast , v. 12 Mt {,
.)™
which answers to

to
to has been changed
order to balance in
Primasius strangely ren-
ders: "iustus autem iustiora faciat,
similiter et sanctus sanctiora," al-
though above he rightly gives: "qui
as Mt. vi. 2,

receive.'

6
5, 16; aoVoC,
'the reward which ye (they, he) shall
Mtr' e'/ioC, cf. Isa. xL 10

'.
(...
Trapayeyovev cytov
The inf.
Mc

; >.
ix. 41),

lxii. 1

perseverant nocere noceant, et qui expresses the purpose for whioh the

12. &
in sordibus est sordescat adhuc."

juer' .]
,
The Voice of Christ
reward is brought (cf. Mass, Gr.
p. 223), so that it is nearly equivalent
to ; strikes a note
XXII. ] THE. APOCALYPSE OP ST JOHN SO/

. , . -,'
,
1

4 14

]
, Tots

-]
8 9 21 22
Ar
13

om me
. ». eo -
Q 130 minP1
96 post
reXos]
|

ij . . TeXos
.
al muvld Ar
*.

31 3 2 4^ 49 79 9 1 a '
14 01 -irXwovres
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$
-* |

(7) 38 vg aeth utr Ath vld Prim Fulg vg

0teliP" s4 • 5
{ + in sanguine agni)]
ot iroiovvTes rat enToXat Q 1 30 al pl me syir Tert (qui ex praeceptis agunt) Cypr
anon""» Prim vld Andr Ar 01 . e. arm 4 + t\

*
|

(delevit X •")

often heard in this Book (ii. .

23, 1 1, in favour of the former, and it is against
xx. 13)., the latter that the use of the Jolian-
.]
. 13. iyat Of. nine writings almost invariably sup-

i.

While
6 e'y<» to
tAos, in which
17,
6
ii• 8, !. . is

is applied only
to Christ, this is the only occasion on
,
now inserted froni
6
ports the phrase
Jo. xiv. 15, 21, xv.. 10,
ras

22, 24, v. 3, Apoc. xii. 17, xiv. 12

sole exception is 1 Jo. v. 2, where
. . occurs) ; moreover, the
(so

the
1 Jo. ii. 3f.,
—
iii.

which He receives the great title

.
It is the crowning in-
stance in this Book of the attribution
of Divine prerogatives to the Incar-
nate Son ; only 6 ?jv seems to
prepossessions of the scribes would
have favoured
rather than
Upon the whole, then,
ras
tos

may with some confidence be pre-

..
«'-

be withheld from the Son, perhaps ferred; and it yields an admirable

because it represents the underived sense.
Source of the Divine Life. On the This, the final beatitude of the
meaning 'of ? as ap- Apocalypse, deals with the issues of
plied to our Lord cf. Tert. de monog. the higher life. They who wash the
5 (quoted in note on c. i. 8). The robes of the inner life froin the
phrase is applicable in many senses, of the world by faith in the

:
but perhaps it is used here with Sacrifice of our Lord (vii. 14, note)
special reference to our Lord's place shall win the right of access to the
in human history. As creation owed Tree of Life and of entrance into the

-,,
its beginning to the Word of God, so City of God; oi . .

in His incarnate glory He will bring is but another version of oi

it to its consummation by the Great tjj on
Award He is the

14.
.]
!$?
riXos of all life.
oi
The reading is not alto-
gether easy to determine. Perhaps
it is slightly more probable that
" ......-
•njr of faith (Heb. xii. 2), and not less
truly the
the Cross.

shall
—
interpreted in the light of

blessed are they. .that the right

:
'

theirs... and they may enter'

be
(Benson) a mixture of constructions
observed already in c. iii. 9 the future
after ha is
.

frequent in this Book (vi 4,

;,

TrAYNONTecTACCToAAC arose out of 11, ix. 5, 20, xiii, 12, xiv. 13), and if it
rroioYNTecTACeToAac, than that the is to be distinguished in meaning from
reverse occurred; on the other hand, the conjunctive, it may point to the
the documentary evidence is decidedly certainty, the actuality, of the result^
 3o8

15 .\
15
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

5]
5

+
'
(boveis

7
/Ves
'
3°* 31 3* 3§ 19 l86 alm °
& ^^ Ar
[XXII. 14

7ras

!;
to'is
while the conjunctive suggests that
there are conditions which must be Kuvaplois PhiL iiL 3
fulfilled first. (see Lightfoot's note). In
. On the Tree of Life see v. 2, and the last two passages at least reference
c. ii. 7, notes. The Vision of the New is made to the use of the term by the
Jerusalem places the Paradise of God Jews to denote the heathen or the Gen-
in the heart of the City, so that right tiles, of which Schoettgepad loe. quotes

of access to the Tree implies right of a typical example from Pirke Ii. Elie-
entrance into the City, and the en- zer 29 " quicumque edit cum idolo-
:

trance must precede the access. If latra idem est ac si ederet cum cane,
in this passage the right of access is quis est canis? qui non circumcisus
mentioned first, it is probably with est." But in the present passage neither
the view of laying the emphasis upon
the greater right, which indeed in-
cludes alL On . see xxi. 12
Jews nor Gentiles as such are in view;
the Kivfs (Syr.sw
are the
= •
^•«^^
of xxi. 8, i.e.
)
those
the dative is instrumental, the gate- who had been by long contact
defiled
towers being regarded as the means with the foul vices which honeycombed
of entrance. .pagan society. These were not even
15.
Outj ye dogs'
> Kiives .]
—a bold and impressive
Benson: in St John's day strictly limited to the
heathen (see ii. 14, 20 fl\, note, and cf.
rendering, but scarcely admissible in 2 Cor. xii 21); and he must have fore-
this context; the persons thus charac- seen that as time went on, and the
terized have already been cast out. Church grew in numbers, she would
Primasius is more true to the mind of lose in purity. Tertullian goes too far
the writer "foris autem remanebunt
: when he says (de pud. 19) " non :

canes"; cf. Bede: "cuncta enim rabies enim de ethnicis videbitur sapere...
improborum et nunc intrinsecus ec- illorum est enim foras dari qui intus
clesiam tentat, sed cum intraverit fuerunt"; but Andreas is doubtless
paterfamilias et Sanctis secum ad
nuptias intrantibus clauserit ostium,,
tunc incipient foris stare et pulsare
ostium." No one who has watched
the dogs that prowl in the quarters of
right KOves Be
... :

kojl
oi avaiSc is

. »els
see xxi. 8,
is
. note ;
a welcome
Oil

an Eastern city (Ps. IviiL (lix.) 7, 15) interpretation of rois

will wonder at the contempt and dis- in the earlier list, which xxi. 27
gust which the word suggests to the \|'fiSov- has already supplied in
Oriental mind. Por its application part. But goes deeper than

sons see Deut. xxiii. 18 (19)

oiVeir :
to unclean or otherwise offensive per-

ovSe
- his nature akin to
; he who

his love of it proved his affinity to

loves falsehood
it, and has through
is in

Kwbs
rbv

...
; Mt
(see Driver's note

vii.
p,e

\eipbs
6 )
;

/er

Kuvbs
tare
;/ ad
Ps. xxi. (xxii.) 17
lb.

rt)v
21
loe.) els Satan, who is
44) ;
(Jo. viii.
for him, while he is such, there
can be no entrance into the City, no
access to the Tree of Life cf. 2 Th.
ii. 1 2 : - oi
;

J
Mc. vii. 27 cravrts
XXII.

(piXtov
] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

yjsevSos.
6 ( ' -^- 309

6
. <
AQ min» vg gyrr anon*"» Prim Fulg]
yevos ^, 11

]
1
15 1

3 1 3 2 33 35 48 Hipp Ath Ar om me om arm 4 om aeth

16 cya eyto arm 4 SQ mini syrr] A 11
18 21 38 79 vg arm Ath om
|

/]
1411
. 12 31 47 48 186 Ar eicicXTjo-iais] pr Prim pr 7 al

,!
[
I

ttj

Jer. viii.
With
10
5
3
"lj5^

' &3;

To 'do the truth,' or to 'do falsehood,'

to 'act a lie,' are St John's terms for
compare
Jo.
aXiJ&tav.
i. 6
•
addressed primarily to the Christians
of Asia,
were made
had a wider purpose they
\
rais with
reference to the needs of Christians
generally ; cf. the use of iiri in . 1
«
:

a life which is fundamentally sincere

or insincere. The rendering of A.V.,
R.V. (text), "every one that maketh a
lie," misses this point, probably out of
!,
and
'in reference to peoples,' etc.,
see Jo.
xii. 16. are
regard for the circumstance that - not the Seven Churches only, but
isanarthrous here (contrast Jo. the Christian societies throughout the
viii. Rom. i. 25, Eph. iv. 25, 2 Th. world, which in the next generation
44,
ii. 1 1). But would not have were known in their aggregate as
suited this context, if it was the (Ign. Smyrn. 8. 2
writer's intention to represent the cf. Harnack, Mission u. Aushreitung,
insincere life as a.single act, as if the p. 293). The Apocalypse does not use
man's whole existence had been a lie. of the whole Church, as
St Paul does (CoL, Eph. ; cf. Hort,

^
16. eye»
.] Though the whole Book is
Eccksia, p. 147 ff.) ; when St John
wishes to, express the ideal unity of
an (i. ),
the revelation has hitherto been made Christendom, he does so by means
through the ministry of angels or in a of a symbolical female figure, the
Mother (xii. 1 ff.) or the Wife or pride
vision of the glorified Lord, or through
the Spirit in the mind of the Seer (ii. 7).
Now at length Jesus speaks in His
human personal name (-ovs, as
(xix., xxi., xxii.) of Christ.

Cf. V. 5
'! ]
,
") !
(cf.
'laawqs in v. 8). He attests the
bona fides of His messenger: 'it was I
Who sent him ; it is on My behalf that
he has spoken; his testimony is Mine.'

i.
is used rather than

—
' I sent,' without the

accessory idea of a special commission

(cf. Westcott, Add Note on John xx.
xvii.
,!
28
ovv
.
; and see note there.

the Seer now adds

Vivos does not here mean

*
'family' or 'house,' as in Acts

'; f.

the similar use

'
:

13 ro yivos
ib. vii.
but 'offspring,' as in Acts

genus in Verg. Aen.

.'•
To

'race,'
iv. 6

;
/os.

cf.

21); it is enough to say that the angel iv. 12 "genus esse deorum." Jesus is
came from the Lord; by His angel not only the ttjs

Jesus Himself had borne witness to

the members of the Asian Churches
() and the contents of this Book
and the ,
(Isa. xi. 1), but He is at once the
the Boot and the
Offshoot, the Beginning and the End
(raSra) were thus ultimately from of the whole economy associated with
Him. These communications, though the Davidic family. Iu the Messiah,
3

17
.

. --
.'
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN

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[XXII. 16

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the latest Scion of the House of order; 'the Spirit and the Bride' is
David, its earliest ideals and hopes
are realized.

,
ii. 28
a promise which is
]- now
Cf.

inter-
thus practically equivalent to 'the
Prophets and the Saints' (xvL 6,
xviii. 24). The Christian Prophets
inspired by the Spirit of Jesus, and
—
the whole Church the Churches con-
preted. The Morning Star, the Lord^s sidered as an ideal unity respond as —
ultimate gift to the conqueror, is with one voice to the Lord's great
Jesus Himself. Among the stars of announcement. It rouses in all Chris-
the spiritual firmament (i. 16, 20) He tians the desire, never long dormant,
is as the (Job iii. 9, xi. 17, for His Return. On see xxi.
xxxviii. 12, xli. 9 (10)) or 2, 9, notes; for cf. vi. 1, note;

(2 Pet. i. 19), the brightest in the here it is obvious to supply

whole galaxy, the Light which lightens from v. 20. The reading implied

'
every man by its coming into the by the Armenian version (cod. 1) is
world (Jo. i. 9); the Star of Dawn, worthy of remark it seems to have ;

"Whose coming precedes the sunrise arisen from inability to interpret

of the Day of God. The metaphor is in this connexion and a re-
used by the son of Sirach in reference, miniscence of Mt. xxv. 1, 6, 10.
.]
to Simon the High Priest (Sir. 1. 6 as
iv
Mordecai in the Targum on Esther
), and of call is to be taken up and repeated
by every hearer (i. 3, note) of this
The

("ipse Mardochai similis fuit Lucifero Book; not only the Church in her
splendenti inter stellas") ; in Isa. xiv. ideal unity, but each individual mem-

neircv
.
12 it occurs in a splendid dirge over
a fallen King of Babylon :

The Morning Star

- ber of every Christian congregation
where the book shall be read is
invited to demand the' fulfilment of
the Lord's promise

-.
- ,,
of the Church shines to-day as brightly In what follows there is a remarkable
as in the age of St John; He does change of reference ; for

]
not fall or set.
17.

to the Voice of Jesus in

vev
The answer of the Church

probably not the Spirit

is
v. 12. To
St John writes
Le. instead of being bidden
to welcome the coming Christ, he
who is athirst is himself bidden to
come; he is welcomed to Christ in
8.

iv ,
regarded as the indwelling life of the
Body of Christ, as in Eph. iv. 4 iv
but rather, in
accordance with the general use of
the Apocalypse, the Spirit of pro-
words which remind us of the Jo-
hannine Gospel

(Is
~
, *'0•
ov }, (Jo. vi. 35

).
; vii. 37*

phecy, the Spirit in the prophetic contrasts happily with ou'oWa

 \<.
XXII. 1 8] THE APOCALYPSE OE ST JOHN 3U.
zS
< 8

om
1 7 om
8 49 79 9 1
arm4 8 ] II 3 1 34 35 4 8 -*• ]
in the Oxyrhyuchus ,
;,
!,
evpov en•*

with ,
Sayings, though the latter is doubtless
relatively true. Here . is contrasted
he that still thirsts,
the eager enquirer who is seeking
after the salvation which is to.be
imprecation
Prov. xxiv. 29
rois
;

which Aristeas (ed.

Thackeray, § 34) supposes to have been
(xxx. 6)

cf. the

found in the Church, the unbaptized pronounced after the completion of the
catechumen, cannot yet share in the
Church's yearning for the Return of
the Lord ; he must first come to the
Fountain of the Water of Life and
drink, before he can welcome Christ
Himself. looks back to
/ », '-
!
!•
first Greek version of the Pentateuch,
and the boast of Josephus, c. Ap. i. 8

».
'
rots ISioit

-
yap

Isa. lv. Djsfc -13^ »?"''?• "° 64 mon

It was not uncom-
for writers to protect their works
is wider than -/,
extending the
by adding a solemn adjuration to the
offer to any who are conscious of a
scribes to correct the copies carefully,
desire for the higher life ; willingness to and in no case to mutilate or inter-
receive the truth may exist where as polate the original; cf. e.g. Irenaeus

!/,
yet there is no thirst for it, and such ap. Eus. H. E. v. 20 :

willingness is of God and a first step

towards eternal
yap

\
6

"et ipsum enim velle Dei

On
life

:
:

;
cf.

,
Phil.

Bede ad
donum
ii.

loc.
est.
See xxi.
13

1
'

)!
Rufinus, prol. in Ubros
,; !

6, note ; suggests that though "omneni qui hos libros descripturus

the supply is gratuitous, the responsi- est vel in conspectu Dei
lecturus
bility of accepting and using it rests
Patris et Spiritus sancti con-
et' Filii
with the individual; cf. iii. 18, note. testor...ne addat aliquid scripturae,
18. ne auferat, ne inserat, ne immutet;
.] The Speaker is still surely sed conferat cum
exemplaribus unde
Jesus, and not, as many commenta- scripserit," etc. If the solemn warning
tors have supposed, St John. Jesus of the present verse was intended in
has borne testimony throughout the this sense, it has signally failed ; for
Book by His angel, and now He bears in no other book of the N.T. is the
it in person. His testimony, which is text so uncertain as in the Apocalypse.
addressed to every hearer of the Book, But, like its archetype in Deutero-
is a solemn protest against wilful nomy, it has a deeper reference; it
perversions of its teaching. The words is no mere lapsus calami, no error of
are doubtless suggested by the warn-
ing of Moses in Deut. iv. 2, - judgement or merely intellectual fault
which is condemned, but the delibe-

, jrpor rate falsification or misinterpretation

.
, /
32 °•" PVI"1 ° *
; ib. of a Divine message. It is not the
letter of the Apocalypse, but its spirit
which is thus jealously guarded ; and
 THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN
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[XXII. 18

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no honest copyist in days before the i.e. he has no longer any rights in it
and Acts viii. 21
invention of printing, no honest trans-

.
cf. xxi. 8,
lator or interpreter of either those iv
times or our own, can incur the terrible : not as Vg.
penalty. As
Bede, with his usual
discernment, writes: "haec propter
falsatores* dixit, non propter eos qui
" et de his quae scripta sunt," but in
apposition to
; cf.
,
simpliciter quod sentiunt dicunt." (supra). Consciously to
Nevertheless the warning, with its rob this Book of any part of its
danger signal on either hand, ought essential teaching is. to rob oneself of
to give pause to any who would lightly the bliss which it promises to add :

handle the Apocalypse, and suggests to its teaching is to incur the visita-
to those who venture upon handling tions which it threatens. For either
it at all Augustine's prayer: "si qua act, if deliberate, proclaims a will

In in , ...
de meo, 'et Tu ignosce et Tui."

there is a play upon the

which
of
out of harmony with the "Will
is
God and with His
ordering of the
world and the rebellious will, while
;

two meanings of and ;- it continues such, cannot receive the

'if any one
: shall lay (more) on things of the Spirit of God here or
them (add to them), God will lay on hereafter. The warning is addressed

this Book.'
8e

way
Ct Acts xvi. 23

of saying
.
him the plagues (blows) described in

a&Tois

.'
is another
to Christians
towards this

20. 6
.]
who by their attitude
Book shew themselves
to be unworthy of their inheritance.

To His solemn
'•
tes-
' the portion ; timony in reference to the use of the
which the man had once possessed in Book the Lord adds a last word in
the Tree is regarded as taken from it, answer to the call of the Church.
XXII. 2 1] THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN 313

" '
<. 21

21 om totum versum Prim tow [ ] 12 20 31 32 49 Ar+

A vg»"1
Q 130 minP1 g vg mie ayrr arm aeth Andr

vgoiofuiieo'Up» aeth |
Q
in fine
130 1 86 al'*4

hab
4l>
|

(me) syrr
NQ minftr,onm,ld vg me
X
arm Andr Ar
g]

syr
-
arm 1 aeth
(om A ,u
79 vg Ar)

, "
Tlie Spirit and the Bride and the 1 Cor., 1 These., Col., Pastorals),
loyal hearers of the Book had bidden (2 Cor., 2 Th.,
Him He
replies ,
'come,' and to their
com-
'yea, I am
and in substance, Eph.), or
(Gal., Phil., Philem.).
ing, and poming quickly' ; on which the
Seer, speaking both for the Prophets
and for the whole Church, responds,
Hebrews
with
follows the Pauline

such form appears in the Catholic

but no , model

'Amen, so be it come, Lord Jesus.'

On

call
,
,
:

see i. 7, note ; here

,
expresses the Lord's assent to the
and the absolute
faith in His word of the Seer and
.)
which ends
St John follows St Paul
in the opening words (ij
'
Epistles ; the nearest to it is in 1 Peter,

in the latter part of

;

those whom he represents, and their the sentence the mss. offer a choice
content with the prospect of His
Coming; cf. 2 Tim. iv. 8
.
rots
Kvpios
, ,
between

conflation,
for
and a cor-
and
is a

( Cor. xii. 3) occurs in this rection from St PauL On the whole .

Book only here and in the next verse the preference should probably be
it belongs to the language of devotion,
which is appropriate to the context.
given to the non-Pauline
although it has the support of but
ay ,
)
21. The final Benediction.

An ending of this kind is

unusual in Apocalypses, as Bousset
points out; but it is suitable to an
Apocalypse which is also a letter to
the Churches (i. 4, note), designed to
be read in the congregation. An
Apocalypse in its inner character, a
prophecy in its purpose, the Book is
in its literary form an Epistle, and
therefore begins and ends with the
epistolary forms familiar to the Asian
Churches through the Epistles of St
Paul. All the thirteen Epistles of
St Paul end with a benediction, con-
structed on the same general lines, but
varying in detail. The Pauline parting
benediction begins invariably with
!, which is followed (except in
Eph., Col., and the Pastorals) by
[]
ending is either '[]; the
(Bom.,
one of the uncial mss. (N) ; not only
is it less likely to have suggested itself
to a copyist than but it
is in close accordance with the writer's
usual phraseology; oi is his
,
constant term for the members of
the Churches (viii. 3$, xi. 18, xiii. 7,
10, xiv. 12, xvi. 6, xvii. 6, xviii. 20, 24,
xix. 8, xx. 9). The saints, the men
of consecrated lives, are, in the Apo-
calyptist's view, the men for whose
advantage the whole course of human
history is being carried to its end
who are destined as a body to survive
the wreck of cities and empires, and
in the end to dominate a new world.
But the grace of the Lord Jesus is• the
only, source of their strength, and
the guarantee of their triumph ; and
the last words of the Apocalypse are
at once a reminder of this primary
condition of success, and a prayer
that it may be realized in the ex-
/!
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST JOHN [XXII. 21
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evayycXtarov
al'1 hiant
\-
6eo\oyov

ad
1 86

fin
nil habent
8 14 28 29
Q 30 32 38 47 48 49 50 90 91 94 96 97

!
7
87 93 95 al pl

perience of the baptized, both in the and at the head of the pages in S< a-
cities of Asia and throughout the mere itaeism), and A, which had
world. only in the title, now
agrees with N. The forms offered
Subscription. Only two of the by some cursives and versions add
uncials give a subscription to the nothing to our knowledge of the
Book ; repeats Book or its writer.
(for surely is both here
 Stan/ertls &*c<j\ Kst&h*. London
... cl.n, Mtu-millan £ Co Lid
INDEX OF GREEK WORDS USED IN THE APOCALYPSE
OF ST JOHN AS PRINTED IN THIS EDITION.

An asterisk denotes that a word is not used elsewhere in the N.T. ; a §, that it
is used elsewhere in the N.T, but once, or by but one other writer.

aloivios xiv. 6
.
7, xvii. 8, xx.
*, xvi. 13, xvii. 4, xviii. 2 bis
xiv. 18
vi. 8, xiv.4, 8, 9, 13, xix. 14
aKoiieiv 3, 10, ii. 7,11, 1 7, 29, iii. 3,
i.

6, 13, 20, 22, iv, 1, v. 11, 13, vi. 1, 3,

S, 6, 7, vii. 4, viii. 13, ix. 13, 16, 20,
x. 4, 8, xi. 12, xii. 10, xiii. 9, xiv.
, 2 bis, 13, xvi. 1, 5, 7, xviii. 4,. 22 bis,
23, xix. 1,6, xxi. 3, xxii. Mis, 17, 18
*akpa-ros xiv. 10
IS, 17. 1». 19• xv • 1. o> 7. », xvui, 5,

*
ix. 3, 7
xvii. 1, 7, xviii. 1, 21, xix. 17, xx. 1, iii. 7, 14, vi. 10, xv. 3, xvi. 7,
xxi. 9, 12, 17, xxii. 6, 8, 16 xix. 2, 9, ii, xxL 5, xxii. 6
aviajeiv xxii. 11 ii. 4, 6, 9 bis, 14, 20, iii. 4, 9, ix.
£7105 iii. 7, iv. 8 ter, v. 8, vi. 10, viii. 5, x. 7, 9, xvii. 12, xx. 6
3, 4, xi. 2, 18, xiii. 7, 10, xiv. io, 12, xix. 1, 3, 4, 6
xvi. 6, xvii. 6, xviii. 20, 24, xix. 8, vi. 4, xi. 10
xx. 6, 9„xxi. 2, 10, xxii. n, 19; 21 .
. iii. 18, v. 9, xiii. 17, xiv.
3, 4.
3. xii.
ii. 24, vi. 4, vii. 2, viii. 3,

3, xiii. 11, xiv. 6, 8, 9, rs, 17,

1

"?
§aSsiv
saueiv
xviii.

xxii.
i.
9
1

v. 9, xiv. 3, xv.
v. 3
. 9, vi. 11, xii.

18, vi. 8, xx. 13,

10>, xix. 10,

14
*
*-
18, xv. 1, xvii. 10, xviii. 1, 4, xx. 12
-is
i.
xx.
8, xxi.
i.
1

xxi.
6, xxii.
5, xviii. 4, 5
20
13

dSiKetv ii. 11, vi. 6, vii. 2, 3, ix. 4, 10, i. 6, 7, iii. 14, V. 14, vii. 12 bis,

§
19, xi. 5 bis, xxii. 11 Ms

cUtos iv.
xviii.
7, viiL
ix. 1, xvi. 17

i.g,
xi. "8
&
13, xii.

v. 9, vi. io, 12, vii. 14, viii.

14

11, xiv. 20, xvi. 3, 4,

*
&v
xix. 4, xxii. 20

ii.
xii. 18, xx.
xiv.
xviii.
XIV. 5
25; xiv. 4
iS,
13
8
19

7, 8, xi. 6, xii. iv. 8, vii. 17, xxi. 21

6 bis, xvii. 6 Ms, xviii. 24, xix. -i, 13 avafJaiveiv iv. 1, Vii. 2; viii. 4, ix. 2,
alvelv xix. 5

-
§-
al'peiv x. 5, xviii. 21
«-
-
xi. 7, 12 bis, xiii. 1, 11, xiv. n,
xvii. 8, xix. 3, xx.
9
alcr

v.
i.

Me, xiv.
xx.
6
iii.

bis,
18
xiii.
18
13. bis, vii. 12 bis, 2

bis.
1
10 bis
bis, iv.
- -is
vi.
iv.
xx. 5, 6
i.

n,
3

8, xiv.
xiv. 13

vii. 2, xvi. 12, xxi. 13

vi. 13, vii. 1 bis
1
?
3i6

xxi.
13, iv. 7, viii. n, ix. 4, 5,
i.

6, 7, 10, 15, 18, 20, xi. 13, xiii. 13,

18, xiv. 4, 14, xvi. 2, 8, 9, 18, si bit,
INDEX OF GREEK "WORDS

§ xi. 2

nom.,
xviii.
iii.
22
20, vi. 11, xu-
10, 17, xvii. 11, xviii 6, xix. 12, 15,
xxi. 3 bis, 7; other cases, passim
n, ^av.

xviii.
dvoi-yeiv
13, xxi. 3,
17
7 bit, 8, 20, iv.
iii. 2, 3, ,. viii. 6 (),
xviii. 7 (}»)
vi x ". \< »• aibaipclv xxii- 19 Ms
4. S- 9. • > 3., 5. 7. 9-
ix. 2, .
2, 8, xi. 19, xil io, xiii. o, ii. 4, 20, xi. 9

xv. 5, xix. 11, xx. 12 Ms £. ii. 10, 25, 26, vii. 3, xii. 11, xiv.

-
20, xv. 8, xvii. 17, xviii. 5. xx- i< 5
*'Avt£itos ". 13
*£$
igios iii. 4, iv. 11, v.
(see under ,
2, 4, 9, 12, xvi.
&pm)
6 viii. 11 bis

xiv. 8, xvi. 19, xvii. 5, xviii.

airicr-ros xxi. 8
i.
xiv.

bis, 5,
4
4
12, x. 9, xi. 14, xii. I7>
ix.
xvi. 2, xviii. 14, xxi. 1, 4

iii. 12, vi. 16 bis, vii. 2,

.
*
2,
BaOvs
10,
ii.

ii.
21
24
ii. 14
14
10, 14, 22, 24, iv. 10, vi. 13,

-
xiv. 3. 4.
ix. 6, 18, xii. 6, 14, xiii. 8, ij.

xviii. viii. 5, 7, 8, xii. 4, 9 ter, 10, 13, 15,

13, 20, xvi. 12, 17, 18, xvii. 8,

-
10, 14 bis, 15 bis, 17, six. 5, xx. 11, 16, xiv. 16, 19 bis, xviii. 19, 21 Ms,

-
xxi. 2, 10, 13 quater, xxii. 19 bis xix. 20, xx. 3, 10, 14, 15
dVoSiSovai xviii. 6 bis, xxii. 2, 12 xix. 13
iii. 2, viii. 9, II, ix. 6,. ii. 24
xiv. 13. xvi • 3 ix. 5, xi. 10, xii. 1, xiv. 10,

*--$
xx. 10
;
i- 1

...
ix. 5 bis, xiv. 11, xviii. 7,

*
vii. 13
tiiroKTciviiv ii. 13, 23, vi. 8, 11, ix. 5, 1<3> '5
18, 20, xi. S, 7, 13. xi"• 10 6is > -iXcCa i. 6, 9, v. 10, xi. 15, xu. 10,
15,
21 xvi. 10, xvii. 12, 17, 18
15, xix.
xviii. 14 Paa-iAeveiv v. 10, xi. 15, 17, xix. 6, xx.
ix. 11 4, 6, xxii. s
airoo-rcXXeiv i. 1, v. 6, xxii. 6 -LXcvs i. 5, vi. 15, ix. 11, x. 11, xv.
3, xvi. 12, 14, xvii. 2, 10, 12 Ms, 14

-
(vn-ocrroXos ii 2, xviii. 20, xxi. 14

§£-
•
xvii. 3, xxi. 10 bis, 18, xviii. 3, 9, xix. 16 Ms, 18, 19,
xxi.
24
xvii. 8,
vi.
11
14
--0- xviii. 7
2, 3, xvii.

,
*"Ap xvi. 16 ii. 7

*
ix. 20 xvi. 13 ,

(Lpyvpos xviii. 12 xvii. 4, 5, xxi. 27

§8--{- xxi. 8

'? .
vii.
9
apiO|ios v. 11, vii. 4, ix. 16 bis, xiii. 17, BcviaucCv vii. 8
18 ter, xv. 2, xx. 8 20
'

-
*apKos xiii. 2 x. 2, 9,
jupfJ-a ix.
dpvilo - 13,
9
8 ii.

§dpv£ov v, 6, 8, 12, 13, yi. 1, 16, vii. 9,

iii.
i. 11, v. 1,
14, x. .8, xiii 8, xvii. 8, xx. 12 ter,
xxi. 27, xxii. 7, 9, 10, 18 Ms, 19 Ms
2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, vi.

(
-_
10, 14, 17, xii. 11, xiii. 8, 11, xiv. 1,
4 bis,10, xv. 3, xvii. 14 Mi, xix. 7, 9,
xxi. 9, 14, 22, 23, 27, xxii. 1, 3

xii.
xii.

5,
5
13
. xi. 9, xvi.
xxii. 8 Ms
iii. 5, xx- 15
xiii. 6, xvi. 9, 11, 21;
ii. 9, xiii. 1, 5, 6, xvii. 3

ii, 12, iii. 18, v. 3, 4, ix. 20,

is, xvii. 8, xviii. 9, 18,

*
xii. 10, xiv.
13
xii. 9, xx. 2 xii. 16

§-
'Aorta
iii.

i.

vii.
i.
4
14, xxi.
S
6
6, xxii. 13 §J3oppas xxi. 13

"
xiv. 18
xi. 6
iv. 5, vi. 1, viii. 5, x. 3, 4 Ms,

-
da i.

13, viii. 10,

xxii. 16
16, 20 bis, ii.
11, 12, ix.

iv. j, viii. 5, xi. 19, xvi. 18

xvi. 15
1, 28, iii.
1, xii.
1,
1,
vi.

4,

$
*8
xi. 19, xiv. 2, xvi. 18, xix. 6
-o-Lvos xviii. 12, 16, xix. 8 Ms,

vii. s
XIX. 7, 9
14
 INDEX OF GREEK WORDS 317

-
3, iii. i, ix. ig bis, xiii. 18, xiv.
i. ii. 11, iv. 7, vi. 3 bis, viii. 8,

4, 13, xvi. 14, xvii. 17, six. 8, 10, xi. 14, xiv. 8, xvi. 3, xix. 3, xx. 6,
xxi. 1, 22, 23, 25, xxii. 10 14, xxi. 8, 19
xii. 2 vi. 6 bis
iv. 6, 8, v. 8, xv. 7, xvii. 3, 4, Sid (1) 1, xxi. 24; (2) with
with gen. i.

.££
xxi.

yivos xxii. 16
9
viii. 5, xv. 8

i. 5, 7, iii. 10, v. 3 its, 6, 10, 13 Me,

vi. 4, 8, 10, 13, 15, 1 ter, 2, 3,

viii. 5, 7 bis, 13, ix. 1, 3 bis, 4, x. 2,

5, 6, 8, xi. 4, 6, 10 !>is, 18, xii. 4, 9,
. ?
'
,
ace. 9, ii. 3, iv. 11, vi. 9 bis, vii.
i.

15. xii. 11 61*, 12, xiii. 14, xvii. 7,

xviii. 8, 10, is, xx. 4 bis

xii.
xi.
ii. 10, xii.
3, xiii.
19
9, 12, xx. 2, 10
1, xix. 12

-
ii. 19
12, 13, 16 bis, xiii. 3, 8, n, xi. 6
14
12, 13,
bis, xiv. 3, 6, 7, 15, 16 6is, 18, 19 '*? xxi.
3,
21
xii.

61s, xvi. 1, 2, 18, xvii. 2 bis, 5, 8, 18 bis

18, xviii. 1, 3
2, 19, xx. 8, 9, 11, xxi.
,
9, n, 23, 24, xix.
1 bis, 24 ii.
ii.
viii.
14, 20
14, 15, 24
9, xi.

i. 1, 9, 10, 18, 19, ii. 8, 10, iii. 1, ii. 7, 10, 17, 21, 23, 26,
i.

-
2, iv. j, 2, vi. 12 ter, viii. 1, 5, 7, 8, 28, 8, 9, gi, iv. 9, vi. 2, 4 bis, 8,
iii.

11, xi. 13 bis, is We, 19, xii. 7, 10, 11, vii. 2, viii. 2, 3 Ms, ix. 1, 3, 5, x.

§
xvi. 2, 3, 4, io, 17, 18 quater, 19, 9, xi. i, 2, 3, 13, 18, xii. 14, xiii. 2,
xviii. 2, xxi. 6, xxii. 6 4, s bis, 7 bis, 14, is bis, 16, xiv. 7,
" 23, 24, iii. 3, 9 xv. 7, xvi. 6, 8, 9, 19, xvii. 13, 17

-- iiv. 1, xvi.
. 9,
v. 9, vii. 9,
10, xvii.
. ii, xi. 9, xiii. 7,
15
bis, xviii. 7, xix.
xxi. 6
xv. 3, xvi. 5, 7i xix- 2,
7, 8, xx. 4, 13 bis,

xx "• 1

13, xvii. 17 bis xix. 11, xxii. 11

§70|u>s xviii. ii,
i. 3, 11, 19, ii.
12
1, 8, 12, 17, 18, ' ', xv. 4, xix. 8
xviii. 6
12, 14, v. 1, x. 4 bis, xiii. 8,
iii. 1, 7,

xiv. 1, 13, xvii. 5, 8, xix. 9, 12, 16,

xx. 12, 15, xxi. 5, 27, xxii. 18, 19
*-?
§:?
xviii.
ix.
i.
6 bis
16
16, ii. 12
iii. 2, 3, xvi. 15 vii. 16, xxi. 6, xxii. 17

ii.
iii.

iii.
17, xvi. 15, xvii.

20, ix. 8, xii.

18
1, 4, 6,
16

13, 14,
6 xii. 13
i. 6, iv. 9, 11, v. 12, 13, vii. 12, xi.

13, xiv. 7, xv. 8, xvi. 9, xviii. 1, xix.

15, 16, 17, xiv. 4, xvii. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 1, 7, xxi. 11, 23, 24, 26
18, xix. 7, xxi. 9 xv. 4, xviii. 7

8
8..
xx. 8
vii. 1, xx. 8

ix. 20, xvi.

17, xxi. 4
vii.
14, xviii.' 2
'
§
i. 1 bis, ii.

18, xxii. 3, 6
20, vi. 15, vii. 3,
x. 7, xi. 18, xiii. 16, xv. 3, xix. 1, 5,

xii. 3, 4, 7 Sis, 9, 13, 16, 17,

xiii. 2, 4, 11, xvi. 13, xx. 2
xiv. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 bit, 19

'
Set

?
i.
iii. 7, v. 5, xxii.

14, ii. 5, xix.. 12, xxi. 8

i. i, iv. i, x. 11, xi. 5, xiii. 10, xvii.

10, xx. 3, xxii. 6

i. 1, iv. 1, xvii. 1, xxi. 9, 10,
xxii. 1, 6, 8
"

- 16, iii. 8, iv. 11, v. 12, vii.

-is i.
12, xi. 17, xii. 10, xiii. 1, xv. 8, xvii.
13, xviii. 3, xix. 1
ii. 2, iii. 8, v. 3, vi. 17, vii.

ix. 20, xiii. 4, 17, xiv. 3, xv. 8

ix. 12, xi. 2, 3, 4 bis,
11, .xix. 20
9,

10, xii. 14,

Sciv ix.
xxi. 8
14, xx. 2 -"xiii. 5,
xxi. 13
Sciirvctv

' ii.

12 bis, 16
iii.

xix. 9, 17
20

10, xii. 3, xiii. 1 bis, xvii. 3, 7, •?1,

vii.

xxi. 20
5 ter, 6 ter, 7 ter, 8 ter, xii.
xxi. 12 ter, 14 ter, 16, 2 1 i>is,xxii. 2

xxi. 6, xxii. 17
10

?
xi- 13, xxi. 20 xi.
vii. 1, 3, viii. 7, ix. 4
16, 17, 20, 1, v. 1, 7, i. 2, 5, lav iii. 19, 20, xi. 6, xxii. 18, i<
19:

-? .
i. ii.

,3,
15'

, -,
xiii. 16 tflfift ii. e, 22, iii. xiii.

9, 20, iii. 9, vi. is, x. 3,

'
ii. 2, 3.7.
xvii. 1, xix. 17, xxi. 9 xix. 7
3i8

§- «|«>9 viii. i, x.
INDEX OF GREEK WORDS
7, xi. I5> xv i.
§
?
- ix• 6, xi. 13

-
Xxi. 20 i.
7
ix. n, xvi. g i. 4, 11, 20 bis, ii. 1, 7, 8, 11,
i. 3, xxii. io

** lyeipeiv xi.
iii. 18
12, I7>.. l8 > 2 3> 29» ii; - '<•*! 7» 13. 14.
22, xxii. 16
-ros xvii.
i.
14
16, iv. 5, ix. 17, 18, xi.
5, xvi. 14, xix. 15, xxii. 1
ftci-os vi. 12, ix. 13, 14, xvi. 12, xxi. 20
xvi. 1, i, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 17
xi. 4
vi. 6, xviii. 13

? §5
".?• z 4' 2 °> xxl1 • 2
' iii. 19
cl !{ ii. 5,i6, 17, ix. 4, xiii. 17, xiv. 3,
xix. 12, xxi. 27; ef tis xi. 5 bis, xiii.
g, 10 Sis, xiv. 9, ii, rg . *5
§£--
iii.

vi.
17
I5,_xiii. 16, xix.
xviii. 12
18

«-
ii. 14, 20

IX. 20
xxi. 8, xxii. 15
"'
§5 xvi.
vi.
1,
14
11

-
ix.
iv.
xiii.
4 bis, 10, v. 8, xi. 16,
>, xix.

14, 15 ter, xiv. 9, 11, xv.

4
n
*£ iii. 16
II

£^6s ii. 20
« xvi. 2, xix. 20, xx. 4 §£>iropos xviii. 3, 11, 15, 23
passim
elirelv vii. 14 §5
eVi. 1,
XI.
3,4, 5,
iv. 6, xix.
13
10, xxii.

9 ter, 10 &is, 13, 15, i6bis,

8

u. iter, 7, 8, 12, 13, 16, 18, 23, 24,

27, 111. 1, 4 bis, 5, 7, 12, 14, 21 bis, iv.
1, 2 bis, 6, v. 2, 3, 6 bis, 9, 13 bis, vi.

5, 6, 8 ter, vii. 9, 14, 15, viii. 1, 7, 9,

ij3, ix. 6, 10, ii, 17,
19 ter, 20, x. 2,
6quater, 7, 8, 9, 10, xi. 1, 6, 11, 12,
13 W*i 15, 10 Ms, xii, 1, 2, 3,
s, 7, 8,
10, 12, xm.
6, 8, lobis, 12, xiv. 2, 5,
6, 7, 9, 10 Ms, 13, 14, 15, 17, xv. 1 bis,
5, xvi. 3, 8, xvii. 3, 4, 16, xviii. 2, 6,
7, 8 bis, 16, 19 6ts, 22 ier, 23 ter,

&
24, xix. i, 2, 11, 14, i5&is, 17 ter,
10 bis, 21, xx. 6, 8, 12, 13 its, 15,
xxi. 8, 10, 22, 27, xxii. 2, 3, 6, 18,
19
/ros xxi. 20
xxi. 20

",
cVSveiv i.

-is
13, xv. 6, xix. 14
xxi. 18

-
eviavros

ivcoiriov
xii.
ix.
xxii.
15
2
17, xiv. 12
i. 4, ii. 14, iii.
2> s bis t 8> 9>
iv., 5, 6, ioftis, v. 8, vii.
9 bis, 11, 15,
v !»• *. 3» 4.«• 13. xi• 4. 16, xii. 4, io,
xm. 12, 13, 14, xiv. 3 bis, 10 bis, xv.

*-4, xvi. 19, xix. 20, xx. 12

iv. 8, xiii. 18
xiii. 18, xiv. 20
iiaXcbpciv iii. 5, vii. 17, xxi. 4
£«-(*

,
iii. 12, vi. 2, 4, ix. 3> xi v .
13, xxi. iS> '7. 18, 20, xv. 6, xvi. 17, xviii.
21, xxii. 2, 12 4,
xix. s, 21, xx. 8
5& vU .4 • >
2
xiv - " 3• xxi - '7 xi. 3, xii. 6, xiii: 18

6 vi. , xix. 2
igouo-Ca
6
ii.
26, vi. 8, ix. 3 bis, 10; i
bis, xu. 10, xiii.
9j xi.
2, 4, 5, 7, 12, xiv.
ii. 14, xii. 6 bis, 14, xxi. 25 18, xvi. 9, xvii. 12, i » xx. 6,
xxii. 2 3) xviii.
«xu. 14
 9( ,
iiri (1)
iii.

xi.

with
xxii.
2, xiv.
vi. 8, xx.
gen.,
15

3
i.
20

20,
INDEX OF GREEK WORDS

ii. 26, iii. lobi's, ,

-
«
iip£o-Keiv
iv.
v.
2
xiv. 6

12, 13, vii. ,12

2, v. 4, ix. 6, xii. 8,
ii. 2, iii.
319

iv. 10, v. 1, 3, 7, 10, 13619, vi. 10,

16, vii. 1, 3, 15, viii. 3, 13, ix. 4, 11,
17, x. 2 bis, 5 bis, 8 bis, xi. 6, 8, 10 6is, €5
*)5
-£
xiv. 5, xvi. 20, xviii. 14, 21, 22, 24,
xx. 11, 15
xi. 10, xii. 12, xviii. 20

'
xii. i,xiii. 1, 8, 14 bis, 16, xiv. 1, 6, 9,
14, 15..16. 18, xvi. 18, xvii. 1, 8, 9,
18, xviii. 24, xix. 19, 21, xx. 6, 11,
xxi. 14, 10, xxii. 4; (2) toitft dat.,
iv. 9, v. 13, vii. 10, ix. 14, x. 11, xi.
10, xii. 17, xviii. 20, xix. 4, 14, xxi.
5, 12, xxii. 16; (3) with ace, i. 7, 17,
.
«
"-
i\tw
i.
ix.

x.
xi.
iv.
1
ii,
14, xvi. 12

ii.
17
9, vii.

16, 18, ii. 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12,

i.

14 5is, 15, 17, 18, 20, 24, 25, 29, iii.

12

ii. 17, 24, iii. 3, 12, 20, iv. 2, 4 bis, v. 1 bis, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 17, 22, iv.
7,
1, vi. 2, 4, 5, 8, 16, vii. 1 bis, 11, 15, 8 6is, v. 6, 8, vi. 2, 5, 9, vii. 2, viii.
16, viii. 3, 10 bis, ix. 7, x. 1, xi. .3, 6, 9, ix. 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11 6is, 14,
11 bis, 16 bis, xii. 3 Ms, 18, xiii. 1, 7, 17, 19.x. 2,xi. 6 bis, xii. 2,3,6, 12 bis,
16, xiv. 1, 6bis, 9, 14, 16, xv. 2, xvi. 17, xiii. 1, 9, 11, 14, 17, 18, xiv. 1, 6,
2, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 17, 21, xvii. 3, s, 11, 14, 17, i8 6is, xv. 1, 2, 6, xvi. -,
8, xviii. 9, 11, 17, 19, xix. 11, 12, 9, xvii. 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 13, 18, xviii. 1,

4(
'
16 bis, 18, xx. 1, 4 ter, 9, xxi. 10, 19, xix. 10, 12, 16, xx. 1, 66is, xxi. 9,

-',
xxii. 5,

iiriirCirmv xi.

«- i. 4
1 4,

xxii.
bis,
18 bis
xviii. 19
xxi. 12
ix.
xviii.

i.
6
14
11
12 bis
18 bis
11, 12, 16, 20 sexies, ii.
§ >5
11, 12 6is, 14, 15, 23, xxii. 5

*£6<jtoS
vL

"JrjXiveiv
xi.
10,

iii.

iii.
S,

vii.
11

15 6is,
19
12

iflvi. i8 6is,_h. 8, iii. 1, iv. 9, 10, vii.

2, x. 6, xiii. 14, xv. 7, xix. 20, xx.
1 bis, iii. 1 bis, iv. 5 bis, v. i, 5, 6 ter, 4. 5.
vi. 1, viii. 2 bis, 6 bis, x. 3, 4 bis, xi. 13, IX. 6

« |
,xii. 3 bis, xiii. xv. 1, 6 bis, 7 6is,
j, .fvyos vi. 5
8 bis, xvi. 1 6is, xvii. 1 bis, 3, 7, 96*8, ii. 7, 10, iii. 5, vii. 17, xi. 11, xiii.
10, 11, xxi. gter 8, xvi. 3, xvii. 8, xx. 12, 15, xxi. 6,

«. ii.

ii. 2, 5, 6,
23
xviii. 1
1961s, 22, 23, 26, iii. 1,
27, xxii. i, 2, 14, 17, 19
i. 13, XV.
£<3ov iv. 6, •jquater, 8, 9,
r

6
v. 6, 8, 11,
2, 8, 15, ix. 20, xiv. 13, xv. 3, xvi. 14, vi. 1, 3, s, 6, 7, vii. 11, xiv. 3,
11, xviii. 6, xx. 12, 13, xxii. 12 xv. 7, xix. 4
Ipttv vi. 11, vii. 14, ix. 4, xvii. 7, xix. 3
.05 xii. 6, 14, xvii. 3
xvii. 16, xviii. 16, 19

-.
§fpiov i. 14
i. 4, 7, 8, ii. 5, 16, 11,
iv. 8, v. 7, vi. 1, 3, 5, 7, 17, vii. 13,
,
14, viii. -3, ix. 12, xi. 14, 18, xiv. 7,
15, xvi. 15, xvii. 1, lobis, xviii. 10, xix.

()
-
.
7, xxi. 9, xxii. 7,

xix. 18

xxii.
itraiOev iv.
ii.

i.

13
8, v. 1
,
7,

ii.
12, 17 ter, 20 bis
14, 20, x. 10, xvii. 16,

8, 19, xv. 1, xxi. 9,

12, vi. 11, vii. 16, ix. 12, xii. 8, iv. 6, v. 13, vii 1,
2, 3, yiij.
xviii. 21, 22 ter, 236'*, xx • 3> xxi• 1, 8 on,
6is, y, A.
9, x. 2, s,, u,
i, 6 8, All.
6, o, xii. 12, IS,
18, X1U.
xiii.
. 4 6is, xxii. 3, 5, 11 quater i,
1, xiv. 7, xv. 2 6is, xvi. 3 6/», xviii.
viii.- 6, ix. 7, 15, xii. 6, xvi. 17, 19, 21, xx. 8, 13, xxi. 1
12, xix. 7, xxi. 2 .
lUi«iimi« i.
1 tS ii
18, ii. 10, 11, — 1•_
23, vi. 8 6is,
-. »
iros xx. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 t
ix/6 6is, xii. 11, xiii. 3.61s,. 12, xviii..
. 7, xiv. 6 8, xx.. 6, 13, 14 6i«,. xxi. 4, 8 -
€
§
320

xvii.

s XV. I, 3
6
xiii. 3, xvii. 6, 7,

§0«iov ix. 17, 18, xjv. 10, xix. 20, xx. 10,
INDEX OF GREEK "WORDS

8
•
-
Uptvs

-ois
i.

i.
ii.

6, y.
20

iii.'

I, 2, 5,
10,
12,
xx. 6
xxi. 2, 10
bis, xii. 17, xiv. 12,
9
xxi. 8 xvii. 6, xix. 10 bis, X1..4, xxii. 16, 20,
*<8$ ix. 17 21
OAeiv ii. 2i, xi. j bis, 6, xxii. 17 iii. 4, 5, 18, iv. 4, xvi. is, xix.
iv. n N
Oe^iXios xxi. 14, 19 bis
fl«Ss i. 6, 8, 9, ii. 7, 18, Hi. i, 2,
1, 2,
12 quater, 14, iv. 5, 8, 11, v. 6, 9, 10,
vi.9, vii. 2,3, 10, ii, 12, 15, 1 7, viii. 2,
4, ix. 4, 13, x. 7, xi. 1, 11, 13, i6bis,
17, 19, xii. 5, 6, lobis, 17, xiii. 6,
xiv. 4, 7, 10, 12, 19, xv. 1, 2, 3 Sis, 7,
8, xvi. 1, 7, 9, 11, 14, 19, 21, xvii.
17 its, xviii. s, 8, 20, xix. 1, 4, 5, 6,
9. «>i 13. 15. 17. **• 4. 6, xxi. 2,
3 6is, 7, 10, 11, 22, 23, xxii. 1, 3, 5,
6, 9, 18, 19

-
§9epairi£a xxii. 2

(£«.
«> .
xiv. 15

vi. 8, xi.
xiii.
xiv. 15 bis, 16

II,
3,

12
12

xiii. 4 ier,
--os xxi. 10

*--
-j ii.

7 vii.
14, vii

iii. 20, v. 6, vi. 17, vii. 1, 9, 11,

viii• vi, 3, x. s, '8, xi. 4, 11, xii. 4, 18,
4, xxi. 12

-
7, 1, 2, 3,
11, 12 bis, 14 Ms, 15 ter, 17, 18, xiv.

?
xiv. 1, xv. 1, xviii. 10, 15, 17, xix.
9, 11, xv. 2, xvi. 2, 10, 13, xvii. 3, 7, 17, xx. 12
8 bis, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, xix. 19, xii. 8

($
?
££
20

3,
bis,

i.

4
i.

i.

ter,
xx. 4, 10
9, ii.
14, ix.
4, ii.

5 Me, 6
8
9,

13,
10, 22, vii.

iii.

ter, 9,
21
14

bis, iv. 2 bis,

10 iis, v. 1,
'
'
10,
15, X-
V. 2, vi.
21, xix. 6, 18
v. 12, vii. 12

vii.
i. 1,
8
4, 9, xxii.
I,

8
xviii. 2, 8,

§ ,
6, 7, 11, 13, vi. 16, vii. 9, 10, 11 bis,
15 17, viii. 3, xi. 16, xii. 5, xiii.
2, xiv. 3, xvi. 10, 17, xix. 4, 5, xx. 4,

*
§ 11, 12, xxi. 3, 5, xxii. 1, 3
i. 11, ii. 18, 24

-
xviii. 12
v. 8, viii. 3, 4, xviii. 13
xii. 12, xiv. 8, 10, 19, xv. 1,
xvi. 1, 19, xviii. 3, xix. 15
7, ££XX. II, xxi. s
iii. 21 bis, xx.

passim
4
ill. 8, 20 bis, iv. 1 Kaiciv iv. s, viii. 8, 10, xix. 20, xxi. 8

§ xi. 1, xiv. 18, xvi.

ix. 9 bis, 17
7
vi. 9, viii. 3 bis, 5, ix. 13,

? xxi.
ii.

i.

ii.
bis, 1, 5
1 7,, iii.

3, xi. 18, xii. 12,

2, xvi. 2
12 bis, v. 9, xiv. 3,

14 ter, xxii 10

'

14, Till,
.%.
-t,
' '

13, ix.
"
17, x. 1, 5, xii.
12, 13, xiii. 1, 2, 11, xiv. 1, 6, 14,
xv. 1, 2, 5, xvi. 13, xvii. 3, 6 bis, 8,
'

1,
y ' *» *> y» § »i

xiv.
KapSCa
i.

13
xi-

i.

viii.
11, xv.
1, xxi. is,

9, xi. 8, xii. 9, xvi. 16, xix. 9,

15, ix. 2
ix. 2 ter, 3,
4, 17, 18,
8, xviii. 9, 18, xix.
ii, 23, xvii. 17, xviii.*
3
16

7
12, 15, 16, 18, xviii. 1, 7, xix. ii, Kapiros xxii. 2 bis
I2 > I 7> '9i **• i> 4> 11, 12, xxi. 1, () withgen., ii. with
4, 14, 20 ; (2)
2, 22 ace, ii. 23, iv. 8, xviii. 6, xx. 12, 13,
18. 7, i8, ii. 10, 22, iii. 8, obis, 20, xxii. 2
iv. 1, 2, v.
s, vi. 2, s, 8, vii. 9, ix. iii. 12, X. I, xii. 12, xiii.,
12, xi. 14, xii. 3, xiv. 1, i
+) xvi. 15, 13, xvi. 21, xviii. 1, xx. i, 9, xxi.
xix. 11, xxi. 3, 5, xxii. 7. I2 i, 10
 *« .
£«
xiii.
xxii.
8,
3
xvii. S
.
INDEX OF GREEK WORDS
"
-
xviii.
iv. 6, xxii.
13
1
321

§
7 ter, xvii. 16, xviii. 8 iv. 11 bis, x. 6

*-(£ §5
* *
xii. 16 kt£o-is iii. 14
. v. 13, viii.
€0-€ . , g, xi. 5) - 4> •
9 xviii. 17
9

.
.
xil.

13 bis, iii. 10, vi. , viii.

XX. 9
iv.
iv. 6, v.
3, 4, 8
11, vii. n
10 14'"'»', 10

*
13, xi. i)is, xiii. 8, 12, § i-
xvii. 2, 8 i. 8, iv. 8, 11, vii. 14, xi. 4, 8,
§ xviii. 2 15, 17, xiv. 13, xv.. 3, 4, xvi. 7,

-
*
"
vii. 16, xvi. xvii. 14 bis, xviii. 8, xix. 6, 16 bis,

.
.
.2,
xvi. 8, 9 xxi. 22, xxii. 5, 6,
xxii. 15
20, 21

•
'

*Kepas v. 6,
., 27
xviii.
ix. 13, xii. 3, xiii. 1 bis,
6 iis
n,
. xvii. 3, 7, 12, 16
i. 14, iv. 4, ix. 7, 17 Me, 19, x.
1,' xii. i, 3 Ms, xiii. 1 bis, 3, xiv. 14,

--xvii. 3, 7,
v.
9, xviii.
2
19, xix. 12

*
xi. 19

§{£
§

*
v. 8,
xiv. 2
xiv. 2, xv. 2

xiv. 2, xviii. 22
Kivetv ii. 5, vi. 14

,
**,i
xviii.
v. 4, 5, xviii. 9, 11, 15, 19
13

iii. 7 bis, 8, xi. 6, xx. 3, xxi. 25

18, iii. 7, ix. 1, xx. 1

ix. 21
iii. 3, xvi. 15

xxi. 7
xvii. 14

- ^
22

*
ii.

X. g, 10
KOivos xxi. 27
xvii. 3, 4, xviii. 12, 16

-
xviii. 5 vii. 14
iii, 16 i. 14 Ms,,ii. 17, iii. 4, 5, 18, iv. 4,
ii.
3 vi. 2, n, vii. 9, 13, xiv. 14, xix. 11,
koitos

koVuos
ii.

-aeiv xxi. 2,
xi.
2,
i.
xiv.. 13

vi. 10, vii. 2, 10,

7, xviii.
19
15, xiii. 8, xvii.
9

8
3 bis, xii. 2,
§
*>
§£5
14 bis, xx. 11
iv. 7, v. s, ix. 8, 17, x. 3, xiii. 2
xiv. 19, 20 bis, xix. 15
xviii.
viii.
13
3, 5
xiv. 15, xviii. 2, 18, 19, xix. 17 ix. 20
ii. 1, 13, 14, 15, 25, iii. if, iv. 3, xvii. 4, xviii. 12, 16, 21,
xx. 2 xxi. 11 bis, 19
vii. 1,
§£
*
.' Kparos i.

vi.
xxi.

xvii.
6, v.

6
4
13

1, xviii. 20, xx.

KpCveiv vi. 10, xi. 18, xvi. s, xviii. 8,
20, xix. 2, 11, xx. 12, 13
-is xiv. 7, xvi. 7, xviii. .10, xix. 2
4 "
§(
xix. 20, xx. 10, 14 bis, 15, xxi.
vi. 8, xviii.
xv. 6
xviii. id.
8

*< Kpoueiv iii. 20

ii. 17, vi. 15, 16
xxi. 11
322 INDEX OF GREEK WORDS

' i. J2, 13, 20 bis, ii.> 1, 5, xi. 4

§ <- 1

* '
xviii. 23, xxi. 23, xxii. 5 xxi. 16 bis,
ix. i, 10, 15, xi. 2, xiii. 5, xxii• 2
xvi. 16 • *' XIX. 16

-
xx. 8 vii. 1 bis, 3 bis
i. 3, xiv. 13, xvi. 15, xix. 9, xvii. 5
xx. 6, xxii. 7, 14 viii. 7> xv. 2

§-- xviii. 10, 15, 17 iii. 8, vi. 11, xi. 18, xiii. 16,
vii. 6

-
§
-
xix. 5, 18, xx. 3, 12

*
xiv. 3 xvi. 19

21 bis
ii. 17
xvii. 4, xviii.

xviii.
i.

i.
2, xxii.
2, 9, vi. 9,
12
16,
12,

18, 20
xi. 7, xii.
16, xxi.

n,
'
§
-
ii.

xi.

xi.
6

xii.

ii.
bis, Xvii.
18, xxii.

ii.
7

22
12
16, xviii. 2

5, iii. 3, xviii. 5

*
17, xix. 10 iiis, xx. 4 iii. 4, xiv. 4
xv. 5 xv. 4

*-
*--
§-
i.
i.

i.
5, ii. 13, iii.
xvi.

10, 14
vi. 4,
13
10

xiii.
22, v. 2, 12, vi. 4, 10,
10, ii.

12, 13, 17, vii. 2, io, 14, viii. 8, 10,

1
14, xi. 3, xvii. 6

* iv.
xviii.

xviii.
xviii.
v.
x.
7

22
3
21
22

bis, ix. 16

-
1 1

13, ix. 2, 14, x. 3, xi. 8, 11, 12, 13, xviii. 13

15, 17, 18, 19, xii. 1, 3, 9, 10, 12, i. 20, x. 7, xvii. 5, 7
14, xiii. 2, s, 13, 16, xiv. 2, 7, 8, 9, xv. 3
15, 18, 19, xv. 1, 3, xvi. 1, 9, jt2,
14, 17, 18 bis, 19 bis, 21 bis, xvii. 1,
5, 6, 18, xviii. 1, 2, 10, 16, 18, 19,
21 bis, xix. 1, 2, 5, 17 6is,,i8, xx. 1,

§-11, 13, xxi.

vi. 15, xviii.
xvii. 2, 6
3, 10, 12
23

vi. 5, 12
v. g,
. 19, ii. 10 bis, iii. 2, 10, 16,

vi. 1 1, viii. 13, x. 4, 7, xii. 4, 5, xvii. 8

*
xvii. 10
xvi. 19, xx. 6, xxi. 8, xxii. 19

.
*--os
vii.

iii.4, 20
i.

() with
13, ii. 1, iv. 6, v. 6 bis, vi. 6,
17, xxii. 2
13, xiv. 6, xix. 17
viii.
gen.,
i. 7, 12, ii. 16, 22,

&is, 21 bis, iv. 1, vi. 8, x. 8, xxi. 13

ii. 6, 15

xi. 7, xii. 7, 9, 17, xiii. 4, 7, xiv. 1, xiii. 18, xvii.

9
4, 13, xvii. , , 12, 14 bis, xviii. 3, xviii. 23, xxi. 2, 9, xxii. 1
9, xjx. 19 bis, 20, xx. 4, 6, xxi. 3 ter, xviii. 23
9, 15, xxii. (2) with ace,
12, 21; , iv. 8, vii. 15, viii. 12, xii. 10, xiv.
1. 19, iv. 1 bis, vii. 1, 9, ix. 12, xi. n, 11, xx. 10, xxi. 25, xxii. 5
xv. 5, xviii. 1, xix. 1, xx. 3
(«TavoeEv ii. 5 bis, 16, 21, 22,. iii. xiv. 13, xvi.

*
3, 12
19, ix. 20, 21, xvi. 9, 11
xi. 1, 2, xxi. 15, 16, 17
§£$ ix. 20
12 bis, xxii.
ii. 7, xviii. 1 bis,
xxi. 15, 17 14, 19
vii. 3, ix. 4, xiii. 16, xiv. 1,

g, xvii. 5, xx. 4, xxii. passim

4
i. 17, ii. 10, iii. 3, v. 5, vi. 6, vii. 3, xvii. 11, xxi. 20
16, x. 4, xi. 2, xiii. 15, xix. 10, xxii. 88« ii. 1, 8, 12, 18, iii. i, 7, 14
9, 10 ;
preoedqd by oi, ii. 1 1, iii. 3, 5, vii. 17
12, ix. 6, xv. 4, xviii. 7, 14, 21, o'Sos xv. 3, xvi. 12
22 ter, 23 bis, xxi. 25, 27 ix. 8
'•
otvos V"
vi. 6, xiv.
xviii
viii. 3,
iii.

13, xix.
, xii. 9, xvi.
8,
INDEX OF GREEK "WORDS
14
10, xvi. 19, xvii. 2,
15
323

olos xvi. 18
oXCvos ii
ii. 14, iii. 4, xii. 12, xvii. 10
8$ iii. 10, vi. 12, xii. 9, xiii. 3.

*$ xvi. 14
vi. is

§
o|io£ws

ii. 3,
ii.
IX. 7
15, viii.
iii.
5
13, 17, iii. 1, 4, 5 Ms, 8,
12

12 ter, vi. 8, viii. 11, ix. 11 Me, xi.

13, 18, xiii. i, 6, 8, 17 Ms, xiv. 1 bis,
11, xv. 2, 4, xvi. -9, xvii. 3, 5, 8,
xix. 12, 13, 16, xxi. 12, 14, xxii. 4
§ogus i, 16, ii. 12, xiv. 14, 17, 18 bis,.
xix. 15
oirio-6ev iv. 6, v. 1

*
oirCo-u i. 10, xii. 15, xiii. 3
13 bis, xi. 8,
ii. xii. 6; 14, xiv. 4,
xvii. 9, xx. 10
xviii. 14
opijv i. 7, xi. 19, xii. 1, 3, xix. 10,

-
xxii. 4, 9
§Spaen.s iv. 3 fcis, ix. 17

*dpyij vi. 16, 17, xi. 18, xiv. 10, xvi. 19,
, xix. IS

xviii.
xi. i"
2]
"'''

iraiSeiSeiv iii. 19

§>
iratav ix. 5

xvi. 7,
. 8, ii
i. 8, iv. 8, xi. 17, xv.

14, xix. 6, 15, xxi. 22

() with gen.,
3,

ii. 27, iii. 18;

(2) with dat., ii. 13

5« i.

x. 3, 4,
17, v. vi.-i, 3, 5, 7, 9,
8,
10, xii. 13, xxii. 8
1 *8$
irapaScuros
xiii.
ii.

xvii. 8
7
2

5 ii. 2, 4, 6, 14,' 20, 23, iii. 1 bis,

xiv.
XX. 9
8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 bis, iv. 11, v. 4, 4
vi. 17, vii. 17, viii. 11,' x. 6, xi. 2, iras i.7 bis, ii. 23, iv. it, v. 6, 9,
10, 17, xii. 10, 12 bis, 13, xiii. 4, 13 Ms, vi. 14, 15, vii. 1, 4/9, 11,
xiv. 7, 15 6fs, 18, xv. 1, 4 i«r, xvi. 16, 17, viii.
3, 7, ix. 4 bis, xi. 6, xii.
5, 6, 21, xvii..8, 14, xviii. 3,5, 7 6is, 5, xiii. 7, 8, 12, 16, xiv. 6, 8, xv. 4,
3 24 INDEX OF GREEK WOKDS
xvi. 3, so, xviii. 261s, 3, 12 ter, 14, 6, 13, 22, iv. 2, s, v. 6,xi. .*£•
17 bis, 19, 23 J/s, 23, 24, xix. 5, 17, xvi. 13, 14, xvn. 3, xvm.
i5 , xiv. 13,

§•£
--
18, 21, xxi. 4, 5, 8, 19, 27, xxii. 3,
,'• l8

xi.
..
ii. 10
xi. 6, xix.
2, xiv. 20, xix. 15
15 "
§£$ 2, xix. 10, xxi. 10, xxii. 6, 17

irviiv vii.

5, vii. 13
ii.
i.
1
xi.

13.
8

,
*.08
i. 6, ii. 27, iii. 5, 21, xiv. 1 TTowtv i. ,
ii. 5, iii. 9, 12, v. 10, xi. 7,
,
"
i.
9 xii. is, 17, xi"• 5» 7» bis, 13 "
vii. 16 i4&i«, 15, 16, xiv. 7, xvi. 14, xvii.
impaijeiv ii. 2, 10, iii.
#io 16, 17 bis, xix. 19, 20, xxi. 5, 27,,
impacrp.os iii. 10 xxii. 2, ii, 15
XX. 4 iroipaCvciv ii. 27, vii. 17, xii. 5, xix. 15
irijiireiv i.
xxii. 16
11,

*iri|iirTos vi. 9, ix. i, xvi.

ii. 10, xi. 10, xiv. 15, 18,

10, xxi. 20
§,£
irolos iii. 3
ii. 16, xii. 7 bis, xiii. 4, xvii.

14, xix. 11
,

••€ xviii. 11, 15, 19 •n-oXep-os 9, xi. 7, xii. 7, 17,

ix. 7,
xiii. 7, xvi. 14, xix. 19, xx. 8

*(
§7re'v8os xviii. 7 bis, 8, xxi. 4
ix. 5, 10, xvii. 10 irdXis iii. 12, xi. 2, 8, 13, xiv. 20,

-
ircp£ ace. xv.

xix. 8, 13

ireptiroTitv

'- xxi. 24

xix. 17
i.

ii.
11,

iv. 7, viii.
'
6

i.

1,
ii.

iii. 5, 18, iv. 4, vii. 9, 13,

x. 1, xi. 3, xii. 1, xvii. 4, xviii. 16,

13, XV.
iii;
12

6
4, ix. 20, xvi. 15,

13, xii. 14, xiv. 6,

xvi. 19 bis, xvii. 18, xviii. 10, 16, 18,
19, 21, xx. 9, xxi. 2, 10, 14, 15, i6bis,
18,

ix.
6
9,
bis,
23, xxii. 14, 19
19, 21,
15, v. 4, 11, vii. 9, viii. 3, 11,
i.

x. 11, xiv. 2, xvii. i, xix. 1,

i-2

xvi. 2
§ir6vos xvi. 10, 11, xxi. 4
ii.

xviii. 3, xix. 2
21, ix. 21, xiv. 8, xvii. 2,4,

[
v

vi. 15, 16 ii. 14, 20, xvii. 2, xviii. 3,

§
9
,
vii. 17, viii, 10, xiv. 7, xvi. 4, xvii. 1, 5, 15, 16, xix. 2

§$
xxi. 6 xxi. 8, xxii 15
irrjxDS xxi. 17 xviii. 12
xix. 20 xvii. 4, xviii. 16 •

11, x, 9, 10

*.£
viii. viii. 10, ix. 14, xii. 15, 16,
irCveiv xiv. 10, xvi. 6, xviii. 3 xvi. 4, 12, xxii. 1, 2
i. 17, ii. 5, iv. 10, v. 8, 14, xii. 15
vi. 13,, 16, 11, 16, viii. 10 bis,
vii. vi. 10
ix. 1, xi. 13, 16, xiv. 8 bis, xvi. 19, xiv. 10, xvi. 19, xvii. 4,.
xvii.
xxii. 8
10, xviii. a bis, xix. 4,

13, 19, xiii. 10, xiv. 12

ii.
10, xviii.
.
6
8

$
ii. 13
moros i.ii.' 10, 13, iii. 14, xvii. 14,
s, iroSs 15, 17, ii. 18, iii. 9,
i. i, 2,. .

£
xix. 11, xxi. s, xxii. 6 xi. 11, xii. i, xiii. 1, xix. 10, xxii. 8
ii. 20, xii. 9, xiii. 14, xviii. 23, irpecrpijTtpos iv. 4, 10, v. 5, 6, 8, 11,
xix. 20, xx. 3, 8, 10 14, vii. 11, 13, xi. 16, xiv. 3, xix. 4
xi. 8, xxi. 21, xxii. 2 xviii. 13
ijirXaros xx. 9, xxi. 16 bis (1) with dat., i. 13 (2) with ace.,.

"
;
xviii. 17 i. 17, iii. 20, x. 9, xii. 5 bis, 12,
ii. 19
ix. 18, 20, xi. 6, xiii. 3, 12, 14, -"xiii. 6
v. 8, viii. 3, 4

-
xv. 1, 6, 8, xvi. 9, 21 bis, xviii. 4, irpao-Kvvctv iii. 9, iv. 10, v. 14, vii. 11,.
8, xxi. 9, xxii. 18 ix. 20, xi. 1, 16, xiii. 4 bis, 8, 12,
ii. 25 15, xiv • 7> 9' JI > xv • 4, i, xix• 4i *"
11

^
iii. 2, vi. 10 bis, 20, xx. 4, xxii. 8, 9
*""£ viii. 12 iv. 7, vi. 16, vii. 11, ix. 7 bis,
.
•- viii. '9, xviii. 19
-ios ii. 9, iii. 17,' vi. 15, xiii. 16
i, xi.16, xii. 14, xx. 11, xxii.
i. 3, xi. 6, xix. 10, xxii. 7,
4
iii. 17, 18, xviii. 3, 15, 19 10, 18, 19
v. 12, xviii. 16 . ii, xi. 3
§ir\wciv vii. 14, xxii. 14 . 7, xi. 10, 18, xvi. 6,.
irveQ|ia i. 4, 10, ii. 7, 11, 17, 29, iii. i, xviii. 20, 24, xxii. 6, 9
 INDEX OF GREEK WORDS
§$ " 325

*irpe>'ivos

viii.
ii.

i. 17,

7, xiii.
ii. 20
28, Kxii. 16
4, 5, 8, 19, iv. i, 7,
ii.

n bis,
xvi. 2, xx. 5, 6,
*

^
§
§(5
§

^
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xiii. 6, xv. 5, xxi. 3
vii. 15, xii. 12, xiii. 6, xxi. 3
ix. 3,
12
viii.
5, 10

*
xxi. 1, 4, 19, xxii. 13 ix. 2, xvi. 10
i. 5 iv. 3
iv. 8, ix. 9, xii. 14 xxi. 19

§£ xi.
ii.
8,

9
9 bis i.

xi.
11, ii. 8
8

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iii. 17, xiii. 16 v. 12, vii. 12, xiii. 18, xvii. 9
xxi. 12 bis, 13 quater, 15, 21 bis, xii. 17
25, xxii. 14 vi. 15

*
i. 14,
7, -8, ix. 17, 18, x.
ii. 18,

xiv. 10, 18, xv. 2, xvi. 8, xvii. 16,

xviii. 8, xix. 12, 20, xx. 9, 10, 14 bis,
iii. 18, iv. 5, viii. 5,
1, xi. s, xiii. 13,

! xiv. 20, xxi.

xi.
xiv. 18
ii. 10,
8

iii.
16

11, iv. 4, 10, vi. 2,

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15, xxi. 8 ix. 7, xii. 1, xiv. 14
ix. 17 xv. 6
i. 15, iii. 18 iii. 2
vi. 4, xii.
§»$
iriuXetv xiii.
xviii. 9,
3
18
vi.
i.
11, vii.
16, ii.
9, 13, 14, xxii., 14
16, iii. 16, ix. 17, 18,
17 19, x. 9, 10, xi. 5, xii. 15, 16 bis, xiii.
iii.
3 2 bis, 5, 6, xiv. 5, xvi. 13 ter, xix. 15,
21

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§
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60s 11. 27, xi.
*po£veiv xix. 13
xviii.
v. 5,
i. 16,
13
xxii.
ii.
16
1,

12,
xii. 5, xix.

16, vi. 8, xix. 15,

15

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iii.
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xviii. 7,
xviii.
12,
6 ,

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16,

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xix. 14,

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19 bis

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21
vii. 5
xxii. 11

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ii.

vi.
15,
cases passim
iii.

13
17, iv. 11, vii. 14; other

-
xxii. 11- iii. 18
vii. 7
vi. 12, xi. 3 14, i6, xte. 17, 19, xx. 8
i. 10, iv. 1, viii. 1, 6, 13, ix. 14
8$ ii. 9, iii. 9

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13, . ,
viii. 6, 7, 8, io, 12, 13, ix. 1,
xi. is
§$
§-\£ vi. 11, xix.
xviii. 4
10, xxii. 9

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xviii. 22 i.
9
xxi- 19 ii. 27
*2apSei.s i. 11, iii. 1, 4
*-8 §£ -vpeiv xii. 4

, iv. 3, xxi. 20

xx. 2, 7
<ri£eiv vi.
xxi.
xvii. 16, xix.

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18 quinquies, 21
3 bis, 2 4, iii. 9, xii. 9,
xviii.

3, xxii. 10
v. 6, 9,
24
xvi. 21
vii. 3, 4 bis, 5, 8, X. 4, xx.

v. 1, 2, 5, 9, vi. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9,
12; vi. 4, 9, xiii. 3, 8,

*
vi. 12, viii. 5, xi. 13 bis, 19, 12, vii. 2, viii. 1, ix. 4
xvi. 18 bis , ' xviii. 13
vi. 12, viii. 12, xii. 1, xxi. 23 vii. 10,- xii. 10, xix. 1
*o-cp.u>oAis xviii. 13

xii.
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xvi. 21
17

xvi. 14, xix. 20 i. 1, xxii. 6

§o?ivij viii. 1 ii. 16, iii. 11, xi. 14, xxii. 7, 12,
ii. 27, ix. 9, xii. 5, xix. 15 20
*-85
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xviii.12
xviii. 12
o-tTos vi. 6, xviii. 13
xiv. 1
ii. 14
' xix. .18
xxi.
ii. 23, xii. 4,
12,
5
14,

x. 7, xi. 7, xv. 1, 8, xvii. 17, xx.

7*
15, 17, 18, 19

3. 5..
o-kcvos ii. 27, xviii. 12 Ms TiAos 11. -26, xxi. 6, xxii. 13
326; INDEX OF GREEK WORDS
, 16, viii. 12, xviii. 23. xx>• 2 3
-o-apss iv. 4 bis, 6, 8, ' V; 6, 8 bin-,

§(
i.

14, vi, 1, 6, vii. 1 ter, 2, 4, 11, ix.

iii. 18, xv. 4

-. 14, 15, xi. 16, xiv. 1, 3 bis, xv. 7,

xix. 4 bis, xx. 8, xxi. 17
vii. 4, xi. vi, xiii. 5, xiv. ittpeiv xxi. 24, 26
ix. 21, xviii. 23
xxi- 8, xxii. 15

*«5
§£
1, 3, xxi. 17

8, xxi.
iv. 7, vi. jbis, 8, viii. 12, xvi.

xviii.
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xxi. 16
22
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ix. 6, xii- 6, xvi.

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xix. 2
V. 8, xv. 7, xvi.
17, xvii. 1, xxi.
i. ir, iii. 7
1,
20, xx.

9
2, 3,
1

4, 8,

xviii. 22 AiXetv iii. 19, xxii• IS

xvi. 18 i. 14, ii. 18, xix. 12
i'. 3, ii.'26, iii. 3, 8, 10 bis, xii. i. 17, ii. 10, xi. 18, xiv. 7,
17, xiv. 12, xvi. 15, xxii. 7, 9 xv. 4, xix. 5
i. 17, x. 2, xi. 9 xi.' 11, xviii. 10, 15
t£kt«v xii. 2, 4 Ms, 5, 13 vii.
9
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7, 11, 17, 29, iii. 6, 13, 22, v. 2,
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i.

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vi. 17, vii. 13, xiii. 461», xv. 4, xvii. xxi. 12
xviii. 18 xxii. 2
7,
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20, xi. 5 bis, xiii. 9, lobis, 17,
xiv, 9, 11, xx. 15, xxii. 18, 19
vi.
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1 icovctv xiv.

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11,
1

12, 15 bis,
12, vi.
10, vii. 2,
1,
iii.

6, 7,
20, iv. 1, 5,

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,*ToirdJiov xxi. 20
ii.

17, xx. 11
xviii.
xviii. 7, 16
5, vi. 14, xii. 6, 8,

Tpeis vi. 6, viii. 13, ix.

xvi. 13, 19, xxi. 13 quater
14, xvi. 16,

18, xi.
•
9, 11,
10, viii. 5, 13 bis, ix. 9 bis, 13, x. 3 Ms,
4, 7, 8, xi. 12, 15, 19, xii. 10, xiv.
2 quater, 7, 9, 13, 15, 18, xvi. 1, 17,
18, xviii. 2, 4,
6 17, xxi. 3
ier,

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22 bis, 23, xix.

xxii. 5
1, 5,

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9
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10 bis,

15, 18, xi. 14, xii. 4, xiv. 9, xvi. 4,

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xi.
xviii.

viii.
10, xix. 7
1, xxi. 23, xxii. 5

7, xi. 19, xvi. 21 bis

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xiv. 18, 19
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xii. 15, xiv. 2, 7, xvi. 4, 5, i2, xvii. xvii. 4, xix. 2, xx. 1, 4

1,15, xix. 6, xxi. 6, xxii. 1, 17 xviii.
7
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4, 9, ii. 10

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8,
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12
v. 3,
.i. 9, ii.
13,
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vi. 9, xii.
19,
4, xvi.

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1

10, xiii.
1,

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4. 5. 6.
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vi. 8, viii.
vi. 6 bis
xix. 21
16
3,

7, ix. 4

xxi. 10, 12 viii. 7, ix.

xxi. 16 §« xviii. 19
4
 INDEX OF GREEK WORDS, 327

Xpefa Hi. 17, xxi. 23, xxii. 5 vi. 9, viii. 9, xii. 11, xvi. 3,
i. 1, 2, 5, xi. 15, xii. .10, xviii. 13, 14, xx. 4
xx. 4, 6 §i|n>xp6s iii. 15 bis, 16
Xpovos ii. n,
x. 6, xx. 3
9i, vi.
-eos i. 12, 13, 20, ii. 1, iv. 4, *<o i. 8, xxi. , xxii. 13 s
v. 8, viii. 3 bis, ix. 13, 20, xiv. 14, iv. 1, xi. 12, xiii. 10, 18, xiv. 12,
xv. 6, 7, xvii. 4, xxi. 15
§ xvii.
9

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18, 21
iii. 18, xvii. 4, xviii. 16, xxi.

xxi. 20
*Xpu<roirpa<ros xxi. 20
§(«
v. 9, xiv. 3 ins, xv.
xii.
iii.

15, xvii.
3,
2
10,
12,
ix.
xviii.
3 bis

15, xi. 13, xiv.

10, 16, 19
15 Ms, 16,
7,

*«- -os ix.

xvii.
7, xviii. .12
4, xviii. 16 '.".'
i. 10, 14 ter,
24, 27 bis, iii. 3, 2,1, iv. 1, 6, 7, v. 6,
11, vi. 1, 6, 11, 12 6ts, 13, 14, viii. 1,
17, ii. 18,

iii.
9 8, 10, ix. 2, 3, 5, 7 Ms, 8 bis, 9 bis,
§J/£vSijs ii. 2, xxi. 8 17, . 1 bis, 7, 9, 10, xii. 15, xiii
xvi. 13, xix., 20, xx. 2 bis, 3, 11, xiv. 2 ter, 3, xv. 2,
10 xvi. 3, 13, 15, 2i, xvii. 12, xviii. 6,

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ii.
5,
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17 bis
xxi. '27, xxii. 15
18
2i, xix. 1, 6 ter, 12, xx. 8, xxi. 2,
11, 21, xxii.
iicnrep x. 3
1, 12
 INDEX TO THE INTRODUCTION AND NOTES.

Abaddon, cxxii, olvi, no, 260 Apocalypse, the author, cxxii, clxxivff.,
:

'abomination of desolation,' lxxx 1 if.; doctrine, elix ff. ; symbolism,

Abyss, the, 114, 260 f. cxxxi ff. text, clxxxvi ff. ; use of O.T.,
;

accusative of time, 50 f. cxxxix ff vocabulary, etc. cxx ff.

adjuration, 31 r f. — . ; ,

capitulation, xxxiii ff. 'hypothe-

;

Agabus, xviii ses,' stichometry, place among N.T.

Alcasar, ccv, ccxiv books, cxvii; lateness of general accept-
Alcuin, eciv ance, cxviii f.

Alford, xliv, ccvi Apocalypses, canonical (O.T.), xxiv;

Alleluia, the Easter, 242 uncanonical Jewish, xxiv ff.,
: clviii
Alogi, the, cxi ff. Christian, xxxi f.
Alpha, the, and the 0., 10 f., 279 f., 307 Apollonius of Tyana, xcii, 171, 206;
altar, the celestial, 89 f., 108 f., 191, 203 A. the anti-Montanist, cix
Ambrosius Ansbertus, cciii Apostles, 25, 238
amen, 10, 84 apotheosis, lxxxviff.
Amphilochius, cxvi apposition, 217
anahaticon Pauli, xxx-i Apringius, cciif.
anacoluthon, cxxiii, 46, 57, 100 Arabic versions, cxcv
Andreas, xxxiii, cxcix, ocxi Arethas, cxcix f.
angelology, clxixf. Ark of the Covenant, 39, 144 f.
angels, the : as ministers of prayer, Armenian version, cxciv, 249, 292, 310
108; number, 82; 'measure,' 289 f. armies, in heaven, 253 f.
worship, 248, 304 ; angels of the Artemis, lix f., lxxvii
Churches, 21 f., 43, 107 f. ; of the artizans, Ixxxvii, 240
waters, 202 ; the Seven, 7 f., 107 Ascension, the, 151
Anselm of Havilberg and A. of Laon, cciv Ascension of Isaiah, xxvi
anthropomorphism, 67 Asia A. Minor, lx; A. in the O.T., lvi
:

Antichrist, the, lxxviii ff., Ixxxiii f., A. in the N.T., ibid., -4 ; Province of,
cpviiff., 161 f., 169, 173, 257 lvff.; its cities, Iviiff., 14, 22, etc.;
Antioch, school of, cxvii ;
prophecy at, Imperial worship in, Ixxxvii ff. ; Jews
xviii in, lxvi f.
Antipas, xc, 35 f. Asiarchs, the, lxxxix
aorist, use of the, 3, 50, 64, 77, Asklepios, lxii, lxxvii, clxviii, 34
79, 143,
155 f., 189, 245, 305 f. Assumption of Moses, xxvi
apocalypse, the gift of, xxii ff. ; how dis- asyndeton, 203
tinguished from prophecy, xxiii, xxvii Athanasius, cxviii
Apocalypee, the : circulation, cvii ff. Auberlen, ccxv, ccxviii
contents, xxxiii ff. ; date, lxxx, xcix ff Augustea, the, lxi, lxiv, lxxxix, 164, 171

,
.
destination, lvff. ; divisions, xxxviiff. Augustine, ccx, 265 f. ; Pseudo-Augus-
form, xlif.,

,
xciv; plan, xxixff.;
liv, tine, cxciii, coii
progress, xlii ff. ; purpose, xciv ff
.,

7 ; relation to older apocalypses, cxxii, clvi, 119 f.

xxviiiff., liiif., olviii; theories of com-
115
posite origin, xlixff. ; title, xxii; unity,
xlviff., civ -,
oyaXXijc, 245
7, 63
f.
 INDEX TO INTRODUCTION AND NOTES 329
i -, 42 Barsalibi, cxiii, cc
Baruch, Apocalypse
*7"»i 53» «3) 2 3 8 of, xxv f.

ayopdfav, 81, 178 battles, Apocalyptic, 208, 257, 269 f.

iSuceb>, 33, 305 bear, the*' 162

,
,
ieros, 1 58
115
beast of. the Abyss, 137 ; from the sea,
lxxxf., 161 if. ; ,from the earth, xcf,

,
103, 241 168 ff. the scarlet, 214 f ; 'before
;
.

aiVcIV with dat., 245 the beast,' 170; 'mark of the b.,'
atpetv 128 €~, f. 173 f. ; number of the b., cxxxviii,

,
,
£«, 209 175 f ; throne of the b., 204; inter-
.

,
191 pretation of the Apocalyptic beasts,
i, 3, 3lof. lxxx ff ., ccvii ff. ; the beasts and the

^, 185 Lamb, 177

,
, 6,
26
S3
242
beatification of martyrs, 263 f.
beatitudes, 3, 187, 209, 247, 263, 307
Beatus, cciii-f.
Bede, coin

,
f., 3°7

a/iC0U<T7OS, 293 beheading, a Boman punishment, 262

/, 9» °> 2 44. *> 59' 8 4 Beliar, 163, .259

,
!, , 234 'beloved city, the,' 269
8
,
^
•, e?s, 294
1 f.

ara -,
benediction, forms of, at end
Epistle, 313 f.
of an

,8
;

66 Bengel, xliv f., ccxiv

6, xcviii, 3 Benson, Archbp, xli, cxxiv f., ccxviii

, 187 f. Berengaud, cciv, ccxi f.

,
^»
,
,
,<£fios,

,,
51.. 81
1 8
cxxii,
$6
130
165

,
birds of prey, 259
'blasphemy, names of,' 161 f, 165 f.
Bleek, xlv,
blood, rain
ccv-i
of,
bloodshed caused by Bome, 241
no
book of life, 52, 167, 272; books of judge-
,

, 0 ,
282 ment, 272 ; sealed book, 75 f. ; open
book, 126 f.

,,
124, 1 78» 5

', 286
, 13
•/^',
Bossuet, ccv, ccxiv
Eousset, li, ccvi

,
xxii'f., f. bow, used by the Tarthians, 86
02 boycotting, 174
'breadth of the earth, the,' 268 f.

,
44
g2 breastplate, the High Priest's, 291

»*, 6, cxxii,
2, 309
1 19 f. Bride, the, 310; bridal ornaments, 277
Bruno, cciv

,
*/>

,
/^, 214
cxxii, clvi, 209 f.

,
,
,
burial office, anthem in the, 187

,
.
,
', ,
/cos,

59
162
cxxvii, 78
154
f -> 2 79 f - ,
, ,
cxxii,
44

8,
6
45

12,
f.
f.

155

, ,
,
4 7*> ol, 94
IS

,
112
;

, ,
209 2 6
1 ' 282
292

,
aiiX^-nJs, 239
d06?s, 42 » 6\%, 6 14, 75, 93! I26f.
33»
1
°.
2
156
!, igoi.
236, 247

Babylon, a synonym for Bome, eoviii f£., Caesar-cult, the, lxi, lxxxvi ff.,. 164 f.,

183, 227 • 166, 170 f., 203

Balaam and Balak, lxxv, cxxxii, 36 f., 39 Caligula, lxxix f., lxxxvii
Baptism, 97, 103 'camp of the saints, the,' 269
Barhebraeus, cxvi canticles, the, 195
barley, the food• of the poor, 88 capitula, xxxvi
Barnabas, Epistle of, oviii, 278 Oarthage, Co. of, cxviii
 330 INDEX TO INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
Cassiodorius, cciii
celibacy, 179
Cerinthus, cxiii
change no longer possible, 305 f. ,
Cyprian, cxiv, 27
Cyril of Jerusalem, cxv

!,, 291 f.

chapters, xxxvi
chariots, 118 f.
Charles, xxv, clviii, ccxvii, 264 f.
Chase, Bp, on Iren. v. 30. 3, cvi
Cherubim, the, 72 ,
, ,
XapayiM, 173

!, 6
94' 2 5°•
5
8
Chiliastic controversy, cxii ff., 264 ff.
Christ, the restorer of prophecy, xvii f .

,
,
,
88

, ,
,
the Priest-King, 15 ff. ; the Beaper, 87 f.

188 ff.; the Conqueror, 250 ff.; His

relation to the Spirit, 48, 79, 29S
to God, 50 ; His evangelistic and
pastoral work, 254
Christianity, expansion of, 259, 296
, 237
,
cxxii,
262

292
f.

16;

293
cxxii

Christianity in Asia at the time of the

Apocalypse, lxxxiii ff. Dan, tribe of, 98
Christology, clxf., 2, 16, 20, 41 f., 59 f., Daniel as an apocalyptic writer, xxiv;
223, 251 f., 271 largely used in the Apocalypse, cliii
Chrysostom, cxvii Greek versions of, civ f.
Church, the, a kingdom and priesthood, date of the Apocalypse, xcix ff. ; of the
9, 81 f. in the wilderness, 158; in
; vision in c. xxi, 221
its relations with the Empire, 163 dative, use of the, 109, 308
destined to be predominant, 46 f., Day, the Great, ^5
262 ff. ; doctrine of, clxvi f. dea Soma, lxxxvi, lxxxix
churches, the, of Asia, lxxi ff., xc f., Death of Christ, the, 7 f., 81 f., 10S
xcv, 4f., 14; of South Gaul, cix; of death, the second, 33, 274; death and
the Empire, 309 Hades, 20, 89, 273 ; d. preferred to
circulation, early, of the Apocalypse, life, 117
cvii ff. De Boor, clxxix ; De Wette, xli f., ccv
citrus wood, 233 deceit, the chief work of Satan, 261
city, the holy, 133, 284 ft.; the great, decree of the Council of Jerusalem, the,
137 f.; the beloved, 269 46
Claromontane list, the, cxviii 'deep things,' 45 f.
Claudius, lxxix, lxxxvii, ccx, 220 delatores,.ci, 155
Clement of Alexandria, clxxvii, clxxx, delays of vengeance, 90 ff.
cxcvi, ccviii demons, 125, 227; demonology, clxx f.
Colossians, the Ep. to the, Ixix, clvii, 59 deterioration of the Church, 308
colours, symbolism of, 293 f. deus et dominus noster, Christian coun-
commandments of God, keeping the, terpart of, 245
160, 307 diadems, many, 251
commentaries, Greek, cxcvii ff .
Syriac,
; dies irae, 143
cc ; Latin, cc ff. ; modern, cciv ff. dimensions of the holy city, 287 ff.
commune Asiae, lxxxix Dionysius of Alexandria, xxxiii, cxiii ff.,
composite character ascribed to Apoca- clxxvi
lypse, xlix ff. diptychs, 140
conditions of men, 94 dirges on Babylon, 231 ff.
conquerors, the martyrs as, 194 dootrine of the Apocalypse, elix ff.
consecration of art and letters, 297 dogs, 308
Constantinople, cxvii, ccxi, 27 f., 211 'doing' the truth, 309
constructions, 6, 19, 21, 27, 37, 68, 100, Domitia, lxxxviii
106, 167 f.,284f., 287, 298 f. Domitian, lxxxv ff., xcvii, xcix, 164, 171,
conventiis, lvii, lxi 221, 225
Corinth, prophecy at, xv Domitilla, lxxxv
corn, soareity of in Domitian's reign, 88 door, open, 54, 66
courts, the outer and inner, 133 doxology, forms of, 7 ft., 73 f., 80 ff.,
Creation, the, 71 f. 101 ff.
crown of life, 33 ; crowns cast down, dust cast on the head, 237
74
cube, a perfect, 288 f.
cursive MSS., clxxxvi ff. Satpaviof, 125, 227
 INDEX TO INTRODUCTION AND NOTES 331

,
,
«,
, , 2, l6l evangeliuvi aeternum, ccxii, 182

,
,
66

!,
90
281 f. Ewald, xliv, ccvi
.Exodus, the, 195
eyes, the, of ChriBt, clxv, 16 f., 79

, , 154 Ezekiel's vision, rivers of, 298

74, 149, 251

?, , ,
42 282

,
,
,
,
,
-,
,
223 !
,
,
, ,
>
55>
294

8
6, ''?
247
197. 247
230 f.
1 12,

cxxxv, 122
144
5>
tyxpieiv,
el
61

PV, 27. 38
cxxvii, 119

with sub]., 135 f ; el -, n6;

lxxv f., 37, 43 f.

282
171
I02 ;

'
.

243
el Se

», , 3 f.

,
ets, 113, 120; els
, ets, 72

,
,
,
, 73
2,
49
157

244

,^ cxxii
with part, gen., 85
91, 243
vpbs 64

,
, 25
28
eagle's wings, 158
1 88

earth, four corners of the,' 95

the, 256
f. ; kings of
, ,,
-,
7-05,' 224
200
iXiyXeiv, 63

SXkos, 201
pass., 211
,

233
clxvi, 309

earthquakes, hcivf., 92 ff., 140 f., 210

east, the kings from the, 205 f.
Ebedjesu, cxiv, cxvi
eclipses, 92 f.
Eden, rivers
170 f.
effigies,
of, 1298
f.

,
,
,
iv, of price, 8; iv Xeu/tois,

,
77
iv
f., 105, 298

.
198
290
2',
f. ;

iv ', iv

299
51; iv

12
13, 214;

Egypt, 138; plagues of, 200 ff. •

(-, cxxvii

^, ,& ,
Egyptian versions, cxciv cxxvii, 9

,
(, f
Elders, the twenty-four, 69 229
Eliakim, 53 f.
,
if 223
Elijah, ccviiiff., 136, 140, 146, 152
Emperor-worship, see

eight Emperors,• 220 f.

Caesar-cult
/images of the Emperor, 171; the

empires, the two, lxxviii, lxxxi

,
,
67,
Tali
236 f.
107

117
6,
f. ;

^og;,ijrl

Ixxiii, clxxvff.
289 ; iirl

-, ,
English versions, early, cxcv 14

*,
f.
Enoch, xxivf., clviii, ccviiiff., 140, 146; 312
Book of, xxiv f ; Secrets of, xxv
Ephesians,
.

p. to the, lxix f., lxxi

Ephesus, xix f:, lix ft., lxviii ff., lxxxix,
,, 45
220

, ), 237
23 ff. (antith. to 1 88

*°

,
Epiphanius, cxi f. ip6evos,i, 5,73 5 > 85 s -• S 1 " 1•!
episodes, xl f., 95 3«f.
Epistles, endings of the, 31 3.1.
epistolary form of the Apocalypse, xli,
lv, xciv, 4 ff., 313
Erasmus, Luther, and Calvin, views of,
on the Apocalypse, cxviii
Erbes, 1
,, ,
,
129, 193
122
eiayyiXiov, 181 f. ; eiayyeXlfav, 130

' 139, 23^

73> '4 2
ypa^para, xci, 23
,
,
eschatology, clxxi f. 26;
Esdras, fourth book of, xxvi, 92
Ethiopic version, cxcv
5 go
174

Eucharist, the, 39, 64, 84, 103, 152, 178 128

Euphrates, the, 121, 205 f.
Eusebius, cviii ff., cxvi, clxxvi ff. 1*) °> 5
cxxii, 107
" *< ^ , ai8
332 INDEX TO INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
,
facere diem, 165
"'
False Prophet, the,' xci, 206 f., 257 f.
,
yavos,

yb^ws, 232
y/',
309
111

187
f•» 220

'fellow-servants,' 249
final punishments, 270, 274
fire from heaven, 269 f.; ' fire, the lake
•,
ypriyopeiv,
61
49

Haimo, xxxvi, cciv

of,' 274, 282 f.
'
first, the, and the last,' 19, 30 f. Hallelujah psalms, 242 f.

'first resurrection, the,' 263 Hammond, xlix, ccv, ccxiv

five,the number, cxxxvi, wj, 220 f. Har Magedon, 209 f.
Flavian Emperors, the, lxxxiv f. harrowing of hell, 273
Flavius Clemens, lxxxv harvest of the earth, 189
flood from the Dragon's mouth, 159 f. hatred, a divine, 28
food of Palestine and Asia Minor, 88, heads, the seven, 161, 220
III heaven, ascension to, 140, 151; city in,
forehead, name on, 217 276 f.; God of, 141, 205; out of, 277;
formulae, 23, 173 signs in, 193 ; sileuce in, 106 f. voices ;

forty and two months, 133 f. in, 141 ; war in, 152 f. ; a new, 274 f.
'four sore judgements,' 89 ; four winds, opened, 250 ; shut, 136
96; foursquare; 289; the number Heraclitus, 5
four, cxxxvi Hermas, ex, 25 f.
Fourth Gospel, the, affinity of, to the Hierapolis, hot springs of, lxv, 60 f.
Apocalypse, exxvi, olxxxii high priest, breastplate of the, 291
Franeiseahs, the, coxii f. hills, the seven, of Eome, 220
frogs, 207 Hippolytus, cxiv, exeviii, ccviii, 11,
.

fruits, 299 f. passim

Holtzmann, xliv ff., ccvi
Gaius, the Emperor, lxxxvii ; the pres- horns, the ten, 221 f.; Little Horn, 165
byter, oxiii ft. horsemen, vision of the four, 85 ff.
Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, lxxxiv, 220 Hort, Dr, ciii, cv f.
garments sprinkled with blood, 252 hour, the, 107
gates of the New Jerusalem, 285 hundred, one, and forty-four, 97 f., 177
Gelasius, decree of, oxviii hymp, a primitive (?), 82
gematria, 174 hypallage, 13
genitive of time, 32 ; of object, 1, 35, 'hypotheses,' cxvii
.186; 39; epexegetical, 33
partitive, hysteroh proteron, 76
gilding the person, 216; not gilt, but
golden, ago. 'idiotisms,' exxiv
girding, high, 16, 198 idol- worship, 125
gladiators, 241 Ignatius, lxxiii, cvii f.

glass, sea of, 195 imagery, exxxi ff

Gnostic apocalypses, xxxi
God: of heaven, 141, 205 ; the Word of,
252 f. ; doctrine of, clix f. ; my God,'
50 ; ' G. of the spirits,' 302 f.
Gog and Magog, 267 f.
gold, pure, 290
gospel, an eternal, 181 f. Fourth Gospel,
; history
author of, clxxxii f.
images of the Emperor, i7of.
imago, 171
' imports of Eome, 233 ff.
incense, use of by the Church, 80
infinitive, 149, 153
interpreters of the Apooalypse, exovii ff .
and methods of interpretation,
coviiff ; principles of interpretation
.

grammar, cxxiii ff ., 6, 135, 258 followed in this commentary, ocxvi ff.

Grotius, xlix, ecv, ccxiv Irenaeus, cvi, oviii f., ex ff., clxxv,
guilds and guildfeasts, lxiii f. , lxxv f., exeviii, ccvii f.

41.44 iteration, 243

Gunkel, xxix, li,cxxxni, 164 ius taiionis, 144
Gwynn, cxiii, oxciv

?, yoL,
yiyovev,
ylveaBai
210;
»
246

,
yiyovav,
cxxii,

participle or adjective, 32 f., 49

ytpeiv, 72, 216
279;
13 ; ylv. with
',
forrxis, 68,

,
lepeis,

,
,
8

*j6
f.

309

51
285, 291

exxvii, 58, 284

 INDEX TO INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
,
, , 333
iW. 55•
Ipu, 68
86, 169, 187, 307 f.

-,
, , 229
215

,
,
62
James, xxvi ff. ccxviii
Jerusalem trodden under
new, 276 f.
,

foot, 133 ; the

,
,
,,
cxxii, 2.6

24,
25, 187 f• ;.

!,,
,
Jesus, witness of, 3, 160, 249; '
I, Jesus,' 238, 201 f.

309
Jews, attitude
lxxxiii, xciif., 31 f., 55 f.
Jezebel of Thyatha, cxxxii, 42
Joachim, cciv, ccxii
of,

John, the name, clxxv John the Apostle

and John the Elder, clxxv ff. ; Pseudo-
toward the Church,

;
f.
<

,
,,
,,, ., ,,
.
7°;

236
exxvii, 269

;
83

,
245
1 3
j

35! .
285

, 142;

John, xxxii, clxxiv; Johannine voca- 35- 171

bulary etc., oxxvi ff.
— Asia,
of lxxi, clxxvii f. lake of fire, the, 270
— the Apostle, date of death of, clxxix f. Lamb, the, 78, 176 ; wrath of, 95 ; blood
— the author of the Apocalypse, of, 103, 156; song of Moses and of,
clxxx f., 2, 303 f. J
9S I

Jubilees, the Book of, xxvi Laodicea, lxiv f., 58 f., 248 ; Laodicean
judgement, the last, clxxi f., 270 ff. list, cxvi, cxviii
Junilius, cxvi Latin, Old, versions, exciii
Justin, cviii, cxcviii lawgiving, the, 69"
Lee, xliv, ccvi
Katakekaumene, the, 52 f. leopard, the, 162
key of Hades, 20 f. of David, 53 ; f. life, tree of, 29 f ., 299 f. ; crown of, 33
King of kings, 223 book of, 52, 272 ; water of, 298 f.
kings of the earth, the, 94, 213, 256 lifting of thehand in adjuration, 1 28 f.
from the East, 205 f. vassal kings of ; lighting of the streets of Borne, 240
\ Eome, 213; the seven kings, 220; Lion, the, 77; lions in Palestine, 162
the ten, 221 f. living creatures, the four, 70 ff.
Lord of lords, the, 223
eVl 7175, , 182 loyalty of the Church to the Empire,
£,

,
lxxxi f., 163

, 55, 129, l8 4 f -> 3°*

Kaivos, 41, 274

?
luxury of Borne, 230, 236 ff.

,^
,

?,
:,, , , 6
,
25

, 132 14 f.

,
250 40c 50, 311

,
, , ,
cxxii, 300
70
235, 298
103 f•, 3°°

, , ?
TJyew,

,
cxxii, 155
° ivl 103

,
35 yrji,

,
, ,
56, 114, 139

, ,
, 227
£; 204
igi

258
8

,
.,
,
,
,
6j
119

8,
85
xxxiii
178, 195
ff. , ,, ,
0705,

,
,
198

,
7
235

', 45
£
exxvii, 3
8
12, 252 f.

,
! .

,
"/ 1$, 22, 7,

,
135
234
(ace), 21 ; 259 £ Maccabean age, prophecy unknown in

,,
, 223 -
5°
28 f.
the, xvii
Magedon, 209
magic, xci f., 170
f.

ff., 207 f., 241, 257 f.,

, 44
130 f.

lxxxix
.
297 ; 0 Koivbv rrjs 'Atrial,
282
man of sin, the, lxxix
man-child, the,
manna, the, 39
15.
f., ecvii
334
Maroion, exi
Marduk, lxxix, cxxxviii
Mark, St, olxxv f.
marriage, a Divine, 246
INDEX TO INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
unknown except to the bearer, 25 r f.
ofl the thigh, 255
nations, the, and the Church, 296
nature, 72 f. '

'martyr,' 35 martyrs' song, the, 195 f.

; neocorate, the, lxxxix
causes of martyrdom, 90, 155 ft. Nero, death of, 163 ; Nero redivivus,
measuring the sanctuary, 132 f. measur- ; lxxxiii f., lxxxviii, ci f., 163 f., 171,
ing the holy city, 287 ff. 221 ; persecution of the Church begun
Mede, ccxiv hy, lxxxi f. ; his attitude towards
Megiddo, 209 f. the Caesar-cult, lxxxviii; Apocalypse
Melito, lxxxvi, cix, cxcvii assigned to his time, c
merchants, 240 f. Nerva, xcvii
messages to the Churches, summary of Nestle, 237
the, 65 f. local knowledge shewn in,
; new heaven and earth, 274 f.
xciv f. New Jerusalem, the, clxix f., 57 f.

Methodius, ccviii f. 276 f., 301 f.

'metropolis,' lvii new• song, the, 80 f., 178
Michael, 153 New Testament, use of, clvi ff.
millennium, the, 264 ff. Newton, Sir I., ccxiv
ministry, the Christian, clxvii, 238 Nicephorua, cxvii
miracles, false, 170 Nicolaitans, lxxiv ff., 28, 37 f.

Moffatt, xlivf. Nicolas of Lyra, ccxiii -

Mommsen's canon, cxviii night offices, the, 104; night abolished,

Montanist and antirhontanist literature, 296 f.
cix nominative for vocative, 202
Morning star, the, 47, 310 number ; of the beast,
of the angels, 82
Moses, 134 195 ff., redeemed, 177 f.
exxxii, 175 f.; of the
Mother of Christ, the, 151, 160 numbers, symbolical, exxxv ff.
'mother of harlots,' 217
Moulton, Dr J. H., cxxv
'moving mountains,' 93
MSB., clxxxvi ff.
Muratorian fragment, ex
f.

,
,,
,
vabi, 104,

,
!,
312

48
32
236
f.
f.

,
'mystery of God,' the, i29f.

,,
-, , 44 f.

lxi

,
,
,
39

1 6
204
294
-, 2
»
f., 36
29, 77, io 4
NocoXaiVijs, cxxii,'28
(, ,
Oecumenius, exoviii, ccxi
174

,
"•,
"\,

,
!,
87
ol, 245

94
21,

,
-, 3•>
49

(roCra), 66
'

256
Old Testament, use of, cxl
Oliva, P. J., cciv, 'ccxiii
open door, the, lxiv, 54, 66, 296
roll, the, 126 f.
opisthograph, 75
Origen, cxiv, exeviii, ocviii
orthography, exxii
'
ff

f. ; open

-
44

'
,
,
,
,
51
kv,

144» 245
with ace, 229
Ostia, 236 "

,
,
oxymoron, 185

, \
6\,
io5
,

, 28

,,
;, 240
127
44
51
-, 239
,
«
,
,
93
129
with ace, 15

51,
1 1

4
f
1

2 1, 217

name, 'my,' 35; the new, 40 f., 58; in-

scribed on conquerors, 57 f., 217;
82
f.

,
&..,,'

- ,6,
6-{,
235

1
ij2

185
6
13
 , 196
Strios,
239 f.
INDEX TO. INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
Pseudo-Christ,
the, 168 ff.
169 ; pseudo-prophet,
335

,
Sans, 9 f., 116, 158

, H4, 120
punctuation, 66 f., 72, 299
purple, 215

, 'not even,' 124

,
,
,
,
oSv resumptive, 50 xaioeireiK, 63

, ij6
5i f.

•,-, 117
105

,
,
,
i9

66, 140
6o

,
,
,
,
29 f.
2og
1 1, 28

,
fjg

,
". , 5
107
127

paganism, relation of Asian Churches

,
,
23
262
309
exxii
exxii

,
.

to, lxxi f., lxxvi f., lxxxviii ft. 52

palm branches, 100 f. 158
Papias, cviii ff., clxxvi
'Parousia,' the, 56, 94 f., 142, 188 ff.,
,
, 257

,,
208, 301 f. ; 'parousia' of the Beast, 32 f., 223 f.

, ,
lxxxiv, 219

,,
294

,
Parthians, the, 86, 123, 206 f. 236 £
Patmos, clxxvii f., 12, 94, 160 f. 124
patristic evidence for the text, cxcv f.

,
46
Paul,; St, in Asia, lxvii ff., 23 f
eclipsed by St John, Ixxii f ; his
why
apocalypse in 2 These., lxxxi; whether
counted by St John among the Twelve",
287 ; use of his Epistles, clvii f.
.

.
;

,
,
,
2g, 172,
303
3 10
49 ^

> ""•
j

69
1 ^•

£*, J39;

,
137 f•

Pseudo-Paul, apocalypse of, xxxi, clxxiv

, , & f.

,
Paulinism and the Nicolaitans, 38 50 f.
pearls, 294 65

,
169 f.

,
,

perfect, aoristic use of the, 79

,
47» 5
Fergamum, lxii, lxxxix, 34 f.
Perpetua, Acts of, ex f.

, 2 ^ 38 f.

,
persecution, xeii ff., xcvii, 91 f. 282 ; 243 ; 184
Peshitta, canon of the, cxvi, exciv
Peter, St, in Asia, lxx f. ; Pseudo-Peter,
.

, 35
159

,
apocalypse of, xxxi, ex, 274 with dative, 16
Philadelphia, lxiv, 52 ff.
pillars in the temple, 57
, 8, 8 f.

',
3> 13^
plagues of Egypt, the, 110, 200; of
Babylon, 231 f. ; the last seven plagues,
200 ,
,
,
,' 7
lvii f.

,
ff. 137 &•

,
pluperfect part., 122 61
Polycarp, xxi, xcii
!,
'

285
poverty, 31, 61
precious stones, 67 f ., 290 ff.
^preface, the liturgical, 178 ,
,
123
I? f•, 62; ,.

,
86, 123, 149
priesthood of the Church, 8 f., 81 f.

,
-,
103 f., 264 f.
Primasius, xxxvi, cxcv, ccii, ccx f.
prophecy, revival of, at the Christian ,
, 243
8, 199
xci, 125 f., 282

era, xvii; early history of Christian

prophecy, xix ff•.
'prophesy again, thou must,' 131 f.
prophets in the Apocalypse, xx f., clxvii,
202 f., 238, 303; in the Didache, xxi;
,
,
,
63

28
227
,
f.

f.
143 f-> 244 £

decline of the order, xxi- 284 f.

Psalms of Solomon, xxvi ,

 INDEX TO INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
,
336

(,
, 282 sea, the, 70, 127, 161, 201, 268, 272 f.,

, 39 f.
6o

quaternion of angels, 95 f.
iof {. 275 f.; sea of glass, 70, 195
sealing, 96 f., 261 ; the sealed, 97 ft• ; pro-
phecy not to be sealed, 304 f.
Septuagint, use of the, elv
serpens antiquus, 154
'quick,' the, 272 servire regnare est, 301
Quinisextine Co., cxviii seven cities, the, lvii ft., 14, 23 ff.; the
quotations, absence of formal, cxl number seven, cxxxvff-, 4, 84, 101,
127, 149
Bamsay, H. L., ccii f. ; W. M., lix, lxiv, Shekinah, the, 104, 278
ccxv Sibylline Oracles, xxvi f.
rapture, 151 signs, 170 f.
readings, 6, 17 f., 26, 32, 35, 50, 8o,
7,
' silence in heaven,' 106 f.

85, 91 f., 108, 113, 131, 160 f., 173, silk,233

175, i8p, 184, 198, 215,-227 f., 252, Simcox, ccvi
279. 3°i. 3°7» 313 Simon Magus, 171
reaping, 188 ff. six hundred and sixty-six, the number,
reconstruction in Church life, 49 cxxxviii
reign of God, 142 ; reign of the Saints for slaves, 234 f.
a thousand years, 261 ff. ; for ever, smoke as a symbol, 199
301 Smyrna, lxi f., 30
resurrection, the first, 262 ff.; the general, Sodom, 138
272 ff. solecisms, cxvi, cxxiii ff
reticence commanded, 128 solitariness of the Christian life, 151 f.
rewards, divine, 143 f., 306 Son of God, the, clxii, 41 ; son of man,
Bibeira, ccxiii like a, clx, 15
Bichard of St Victor, cciv Song, the new, 1 78 ; of Moses and the
rivers, 159 f., 298 f. Lamb, 195
'rod of iron,' 47 Voteriology, clxvii f.

Borne, moral condition of, 183 f.; wheat Speculum, the, cxciii
supply of, 234; lighting of streets, Spirit, the, 28 f. of prophecy, 249; in
;

240; bloodshed caused by, 241 ; fall the spirit, 1 3 ; doctrine of the Spirit,
of, 224 f. clxiv f.;
procession of the Spirit,
root of David, 77, 309 f. clxvi, 298 ; Spirit and the Bride, 310
route of the Apocalyptic messenger, spirits, the seven, clxiv f., 5 f., 79 the ;

lviiif., 14 spirits of the prophets, 302 f the three . ;

Bupert of Deutz, cciv, unclean spirits, 207

, Spiritus septiformis, clxv, 6

, 234 stades, 1600, 102; 12,000, 289

/os, 252 stars, crown of, 147 f. ; third part of
"", 77. 3°9 f - the, 149 f.
1 stichometry, cxvii
style of the Apocalypse, cxxv ff.
Sabatier, 1 subscription, 314
saints, the, 203 summary —
of cc. ii iii, 65 f. ; of cc. iv—
salvation, ascribed to God and Christ, xi,145 f.
clxvii f., sword, emblem of Soman power, 87
sanctuary, opened in heaven, 144 f., sword of the word, 18, 254, 258 f.
199 none in the New Jerusalem,
f. ; symbolism, cxxxi ff. ; its purpose, cxxxix,
295; material sanctuaries, 295 161 ff.
Sanctus, the deacon of Vienne, 280 synopsis scripturae sacrae, oxvii f.
sand of the sea, the, 268 synoptic apocalypse, the, lxxx ; synoptic
Sardis, lxiv, 48 f. echoes in the Apocalypse, clvi f., 28 f.,
Satan, 154; his throne, 34 f.; his im- 52, 179 f.
prisonment, release, and final defeat, Syriao versions, c, oxvm, cxciv; S.
260, 270
sayings, faithful and true, 279
scorpions, 1 16 f. 5 , ;,
commentaries, cc

,
92 f.

Scott, C. Anderson, ccvi, ccxvi, 234 iroXiri™, no; 239

scribes and prophets promised to the irdr^eipos, 291
Church, xx 68, 292
 ,
,
,
, 292
INDEX TO INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
Titus, the Emperor, lxxxiv, 220
337

,
,
,
,
225
, 154
lxxxix, 171
234
147, 207
s
trade, in N.T., 228; of Eome, 232 ff.
tradltio inslrumentorum, 198 f.
Trajan, xcvii, o, clxxix
Transfiguration, the, 19
transient nature of the cosmos, 271

,
,
,
233 tribes of Israel, order of the, 98 f.
37 tribulation, the great, 102
277 f• trumpet-blasts, 13, noff.; use of the
4> 157» I 6s f•» 2 7§ trumpet at Eome, 239

, iij truth, 248 ; truthfulness a characteristic

<

,
,
-),
, 174
191
68, 292, of Christians, 180
twelve hundred and sixty, 152
twelve, the number, cxxxvf. multiples

•,
,
;

,
^ ,
<}5,

,
,
74

122, 2g3> 256

228
*•
49
of, 289
twenty-four, 69
Tyconius; cxcv, ccif., ccix f., 184

,
,
,
!, ,
,
,
57
(ri//i)9oi/Xei3ew,

32
61

9 2, 249
1 55
f. 28o

,
240
237
212

ace, 69

,
,, , 212
78
II f.
ff:, 83, 163
, 209, 3°3
292
rpvyfv, 191
f-i 3°7

, £#
-yls,

,
96 •
234
, clxvii f.,

',
44» 88 f.
164

,
, ,
Tabernacle, the, 197, 278 123
lxii

talent,

,
Te Ileum,

,
weight of the, 212

Temple, the, 131

,
54, 73, 242
f.
136
286
,
f.

; 1

,
ten, the number, oxxxvi, 32 xcii
Tent of -witness, the, 197
Ter Saiictue, 73, 178
Tertullian, oix, ccix
'

,
,8
12
34 f-> 64 -> ^7) 2
233 '

8
° .

Testament of the XII Patriarchs, xxvi

Testamentum Domini, xxxii
text, authorities for the, clxxxvi ff.
text of the present edition, cxcvi
Themison, xxi
; , 66

Uncial MSS., clxxxvi

Theodoret, cxvii
Theodotion, exlff., clvf. versions, ancient, exeii ff.

Theophilus of Antioch, cxi Vespasian, lxxxiv, 220

Thera, m
therapeutic work of Christ, 300
Vesuvius, eruption
vices, lists of, 125
of,
f.,
in A.r>. 79, 111
281 f.
Thessalonians 2, lxxix f. Victorinus, cxviii, cc f., ccix
, thigh, name on the, 255 Vienne and Lyons, Churches of, xcvii,
thousand years, the, 260, 264 ff. ex, 305 f .,
three parts, the city divided into, 211; vindictiveness in early Christians, 90 f.

the number three, cxxxvi; 3^, cxxxviif. vintage of the earth, 190 ff.
Throne, before the, 100; the great white Virgin-birth, the, 148
throne, 270 f. the throne of Satan,
; virginity, 1 79 f.
34 f. of the Beast, 204
; Vischer, 1
thunders, the seven, 127 f. Visio Pauli, xxxii
Thyatira, lxiii f., 41 vocabulary, cxv, exx ff.
Tiamat, lxxix, 149 Vogel, xlix
time-limits, [33 f., 136ft., 152, 158 voice of many waters, 18
Timothy, Epp. to, lxx volcanic eruptions, 111
title, xxii, 1 Volter,' 1 f.

g. E.
,
, ,
338

, , xcii
12,
INDEX TO INTRODUCTION AND NOTES

7°>

6,
123, 293
'9

561
> 2 94

86
'
Word
works,
of God, the, 252
the final
f.
test of character,
clxviiif.,46; "works of their hands,"
124 f.
world-empire, a divine, 142; the world-
wall of the holy city, 285
war in heaven, 152 f.
warrior, Christ as, 38 f., 250
Weiss, J., li, liv
WeizsScker, xlix ff.
Weyland,
"Whiston, ccxiv
1
ff.

,
,
week, 264
Wycliffite version, cxcv

29

Zahn, xliv f.
189
f., 299

white, symbolism of, 51 f., 85 f., 91, zeugma, 216

100 ff.the white stope, 39 f. ; white
• Zion, Mt, 177

,
cloud, 188; white horse, 86, 25b zithern, 80, 178, 195
wilderness, the, 151 f., 158, 214 *
Williams, I., ecv, eoxvi
winefat on the Mt of Olives, 192
'witness of Jesus,' 249
Witnesses, the two, covin, ccxi, 134H
Woman with child, 147 ff.; the seed of
,
^tar6s,

fry 6s, 87
6o

30
63

S$a, 71 ff., 178, 244

,

the woman, 160 &i>, 6, 73 f.

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