啟示錄註 第 1 章 第 9/14 段

And he calls the angels 'cloud', on account of the loftiness and height of their nature and rank;

or else he calls the Theotokos 'cloud', upon whom he is borne, thus honoring also this his mother according to the flesh;

for thus Isaiah also foresees her, saying: 'Behold, the Lord sits upon a swift cloud and shall come into Egypt, and the handmade things of Egypt shall be shaken before his face.'

Interpreting this saying, Aquila renders 'the cloud' as 'a light mass';

'Mass', I suppose, because she is human and flesh; 'light', on the other hand, because of her purity and blamelessness, and because she is burdened by not even a single sin, and further because of the loftiness and heaven-traversing nature of her soul.

Thus, then, you should understand the cloud.

And it is white, because of the purity and radiant, light-like quality of what was beheld.

And indeed the crown alludes to the kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ;

for Christ is king both of the intelligible and the sensible realms, and the crown is golden, depicting the glory of his kingship by means of what is precious among us.

And his holding a sickle in his hand indicates that the consummation of the age rests within his authority.

And what does the angel say to him? 'Send your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.'

'And he swung,' it says, 'his sickle, and the earth was reaped.' Harvest is written of frequently in the Gospels;

but there the harvest signified the gathering of the faithful, whereas here it signifies the consummation of mankind, so that whatever among them is chaff-like, unfruitful, and worthy of fire may be delivered to the fire.

'And another angel came out of the temple that is in heaven, he too having a sharp sickle.'

'And another angel came from the altar, having authority over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle:'

'Reap the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.'

'And the angel swung his sickle onto the earth, and gathered the vintage of the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.'

'And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of one thousand six hundred stadia.'

The angel who holds the sickle, who has come forth from the heavenly temple, is himself also a servant and minister of the consummation that is to come.

And being heavenly and a minister of God, he is described as having come forth from the heavenly temple.

'And another angel,' it says, 'came from the altar, having authority over fire.'

And understand this one, I say, as having been appointed over the punishment of the impious.

Then, he says, 'Send [it] and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth.'

Now the harvest spoken of earlier depicted the righteous and the sinners being brought to consummation together, whose distinction among those existing the Lord's winnowing fan will accomplish, with which he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, gathering the wheat into the barn but the chaff with unquenchable fire, according to what is said in the Gospels. But the vintage of the grapes hints at those who are exceedingly lawless, the vision depicting them by the image of drunkenness and derangement;

neither being questioned nor brought to judgment—just as, in the Gospels too, the sinners who are introduced there, for whom their ungenerous and unsharing conduct became the cause of punishment.

It is concerning these, I think, that the prophet speaks, saying: 'The impious shall not rise up in judgment.'

And he has called their punishment a 'winepress', making elegant use of the metaphor of the grape clusters and the vintage.

'And the winepress,' it says, 'was trodden outside the city.'

for it was not lawful for those being punished to receive the recompense of their evils within the heavenly Jerusalem allotted to the saints, and to spoil the joy of the saints through sympathy for those justly punished—not to mention that a great chasm also separates the pious from the impious, according to the words of the patriarch Abraham, which he spoke to the rich man in the Gospels.

'And blood,' it says, 'came out of the winepress.'

He rightly said 'blood', to show that in speaking of 'clusters' he had spoken metaphorically, since indeed it was men who were being trampled together and mangled—'up to the horses' bridles,' as he says, 'for a distance of one thousand six hundred stadia.'

Certain 'horses of God' have been handed down to us in the divine Scripture, alluding to an angelic power that bears God as its rider;

for the heavenly Bridegroom says to the bride in the Song of Songs: 'I have likened you to my mare among the chariots of Pharaoh, O my companion, my companion.'

And the prophet Habakkuk also sings to God: 'You will mount your horses, and your riding will be salvation.'

The Apocalypse says that the bridles of these horses are soaked with the blood of sinners—the horses standing not nearby but at a distance;

the enigma showing that the whole statement is figurative, meaning that the blood is of such vast quantity

—for those traveling the broad way are many times more numerous than those on the narrow and constricted way, so much so that it even soaked the bridles of the horses—or rather, angels—stationed over the punishment.

And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, because in them the wrath of God was finished.

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who had conquered the beast, and its image, and the number of its name, standing upon the glassy sea, having harps of God.

And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:

Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty;

righteous and true are your ways, O King of the nations.

Who shall not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy; for all the nations shall come and worship before you, for your righteous judgments have been made manifest.

'I saw,' he says, 'seven angels having seven plagues.'

By 'seven' he means the many plagues, prepared against sinners, through which the wrath of God reaches its end.

'And I saw,' he says, 'a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who had conquered the beast, and its image, and the number of its name, standing upon the glassy sea, having harps of God.'

The most wise Paul says somewhere in his words: 'If anyone builds upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is;'

'because it is revealed in fire.'

Is it, then, not only the sinners who lay upon themselves the easily-combustible burdens of sin, but also the righteous, who will be tested by fire, even though they bring gold and precious materials? This is also what he says now: that those who have conquered the beast in every way stand in the sea of glass mingled with fire — 'of glass' because of the brightness and purity of the righteous who are in it, and 'mingled with fire' because of its cleansing and purifying power against all filth, since even the righteous have need of purification.

For we all stumble in many things, as it is written; and who shall be pure from filth? 'Not even if his life on earth be but one day.'

The harps, as has often been said, allude to the song of the saints that is pleasing in sound to God.

'And they sing,' he says, that song of Moses which he certainly sang when Pharaoh was sunk with his whole army, saying, 'Let us sing to the Lord, for he has been gloriously glorified;'

'horse and rider he has thrown into the sea;'

'and he became my shelterer unto salvation.'

And the song is a victory song for the punishment of the impious, and for the victory over the Devil and the son of lawlessness, the Antichrist.

'And the song,' he says, 'of the Lamb' — that is, the song fitting for the Lord and for his righteous judgment against the impious;

therefore they marvel at the truth and righteousness of the Lord.

'The King,' he says, 'of the nations' — Christ is indeed King of all, but since it was said through Isaiah:

'And there shall be the root of Jesse, and he who rises up to rule the nations; in him shall the nations hope,' for this reason the oracle too calls him king of the nations, and says that all the nations shall come and worship him, elegantly foretelling the calling of the nations and their faith in the Lord.

And after these things I saw, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, and the seven angels having the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in pure, bright stone, and girded about the breast with golden girdles.

And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.

And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

And I heard a great voice from the temple saying to the seven angels:

'Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God upon the earth.'

It is the custom of divine Scripture to call 'tabernacle of testimony' the tent that was constructed in the wilderness by Bezalel, the architect of the works made at that time, because it was the tabernacle of God's testimonies and commandments.

For there was the ark of the covenant.

the mercy seat, the table, the altars of incense and of burnt offerings, the lampstand, and all the things which God commanded the divinely-inspired Moses to construct, saying, 'And you shall make for me according to all that I show you on the mountain.' Therefore, by transference from the ancient tabernacle, he has also called the supra-heavenly temple — whatever it may be — the 'tabernacle of testimony.'

'From there,' he says, 'the seven angels came out.'

For from where else ought the heavenly ministers of God to appear coming forth, if not from the heavenly temple? And 'they had in their hands,' he says, 'seven plagues,' which they would send forth against the earth.

For in the time of the consummation, many signs will occur on the earth;

of which Christ also made mention in the Gospels, teaching about the end.

And that the angels were clothed in pure, bright stone is a sign of their precious, pure, and luminous nature, firmly established in what is good, if indeed they had put on Christ.

For the Lord is called 'stone' by divine Scripture, as in Isaiah:

'Behold, I lay in the foundations of Zion a costly, chosen stone;'

'the stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner.'

And the most wise Paul exhorts us also to put on this stone;

'to put on our stone, Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its desires;'

for whoever has put on this one is outside every soul-harming desire.

And the girdles allude to their practical readiness and good order;

for it is said of them, 'mighty in strength, doing his word.'

These seven angels, then, received from one of the four living creatures — concerning whom much has been said before — the wrath of God in seven golden bowls.

For even the wrath of God is precious, bearing within itself what is good and beneficial rather than mere justice, even if those who are punished are grieved.

'And the temple,' he says, 'was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power.'

The smoke is a sign of divine wrath.

For it is written, 'smoke went up in his wrath.'

And smoke is indicative of fire; and there is also the smoke which the divinely-inspired Isaiah saw, where he says:

'And the lintel was lifted up at the voice with which the holy Seraphim cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.'

This made manifest the wrath of God against Jerusalem.

'It was filled with smoke' from the wrath of God, for God himself is power and he himself is glory; and who could bear his wrath? 'And no one,' he says, 'was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled;'

For who shall step upon the wrath of God, or, having come to be in it, shall live? For if no one has stood in the council of the Lord, as it is written, scarcely indeed could anyone bear the wrath of God.

'And I heard,' he says, a command going forth, that they should pour out the seven bowls of divine wrath upon the earth.

And the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth;

and there came a foul and evil sore upon the men who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped its image.

And the second poured out his bowl upon the sea;

and it became blood as of a dead man, and every living soul died.

And the third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of waters;

and I heard the angel of the waters saying:

'Righteous are you, who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have judged these things; because they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink;'

and I heard the altar saying:

'Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments.'

One might understand these things in two ways: either as coming to pass perceptibly at the time of the consummation, or allegorically.

For since the Lord, in declaring to his own disciples the signs of the end, set forth at that time the many evils that would come to pass, saying, 'You will hear of wars and rumors of wars,'

'and nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in various places;'

'and all these are the beginning of birth pains,' and, a little after, 'for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall be' — into those events might be interpreted the things now said to occur, as each of the seven bowls is poured out: the sore that came from the first bowl alludes to the afflictions and pains which smolder within the souls of the people of that time on account of the reports of wars;

and the blood of the rivers and waters, as is likely, signifies the slaughters in infantry battles of those encamped by the waters.

'And I heard,' he says, 'the angel of the waters saying.'

God is indeed all-powerful, and provides for his own creatures, and is sufficient for the benefaction of all, so that he has no need of anyone's cooperation for this;

For him for whom to will alone is a completed work, and by whose impulse of will all things were brought into substance, how could he need one to cooperate with him and to assist toward his benefactions? But since, being good, he wishes even the holy angels to be benefited through their assistance to those in need — for he who helps another who is in need benefits not so much that other as himself — and since no one among the angelic powers was in want or in need of assistance from another, God appointed that those on earth who lack every good thing should be provided for by the holy angels.

Therefore we learned earlier of angels presiding over the churches, and the most wise Daniel likewise wrote that Michael, the ruler among the angels, provides for the tribe of the Jews.

And now the Apocalypse relates to us an angel appointed over the waters.

For the earthly creation is compounded of the four elements — air, fire, earth, and water (for the heavenly bodies some have wished to be constructed of a certain fifth body, which they say is both ethereal and revolving); and of the three elements — fire, earth, and air — these are poured out richly for the use of breathing and other common benefits.

As for fire, even if they say its whole element is the aether, nevertheless it is abundant and self-sufficient upon the earth, lurking in her recesses and in stones.

Indeed, some already draw fire even out of waters contained in vessels of glass, whenever these are turned face to face toward the rising sun.

And the earth lies before all as a common mother, a tomb, and a secure seat.

With wells and rivers; and of the airy element, which, held by the clouds in the upper regions, gives us timely rain by divine command and nourishes every living creature upon the earth.

Since, then, water is not ungrudging to all, one of the holy angels has been appointed over it, so that it may be furnished, without lack and sufficient for the need, to those who require it — water which, being often checked and made to fail by our own wickedness, produces droughts and famines and the pestilences that follow upon these.

Of this angel, then, he says — the one appointed over the waters by the providence of God — I heard him saying:

"Righteous art thou, who art and who wast, the Holy One."

"He who is" signifies, then, the endlessness of God;

and "the Holy One" is he who is righteous in all things and through all things.

"Because," he says, "thou hast judged these things, that those who poured out the blood of the saints should drink blood" —

for of necessity those encamped in wars beside the waters and the rivers must drink water polluted with blood from the slaying of the dying.

In agreement with which, those who surround the heavenly altar likewise send up a thanksgiving of the angel.

For the saying "I heard the altar say this" signifies those who minister at the altar.

May it come to pass that we, delivered from all the grievous things that are yet to be foretold, send up a hymn of thanksgiving to Christ, to whom be glory unto the ages, amen. [Book Nine] The three bowls poured out by the three angels have accomplished the things that have been recorded.

But what the fourth and the fifth have also wrought must now be examined.

"And the fourth," he says, "poured out his bowl upon the sun";

"and it was given to him to scorch men with fire, and men were scorched with great heat;"

"and they blasphemed the name of God, who has authority over these plagues, and they did not repent to give him glory."

"And the fifth poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast;"

"and his kingdom became darkened, and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and because of their sores, and they did not repent of their works."

Nor is it difficult to interpret these things according to the accounts of the tropological reading.

For the sun's scorching of men would be the drought and the distress and the helplessness of those left over from the wars, who, though pressed by evils, ought to have asked help from God who is able, and release from the griefs holding them fast — yet these instead went on to blaspheme and did not repent, he says.

And indeed it was for this very reason that the plagues came, so that since through God's benefactions they did not recognize the Master, they might at least recognize him through the chastisements.

And the bowl of the fifth, he says, was poured out upon the throne of the beast;

"and his kingdom became darkened."

For it is written by the apostle concerning the antichrist, whom the Lord will destroy with the breath of his mouth; and likewise by Isaiah:

"Let the impious be taken away, that he may not see the glory of the Lord" — calling by "glory" the glorious coming of the Lord.

What is said, then — that the bowl was poured out upon the throne of the beast — signifies that the impious tyranny of the antichrist will come to its end, he himself being pitiably destroyed; and darkness will seize all who were arrayed under him, at the unexpected retribution of the accursed one;

for, being at a loss over what has befallen them, they shall undergo a darkening of their reasonings.

"And they gnawed," he says, "their tongues because of the fire."

This is accustomed to happen at every extreme affliction, inasmuch as men are accustomed to bite their tongues, or some part of the body, with their teeth, thinking thereby to empty out the greater part of their affliction.

These, too, though they ought to have repented — if for no other reason, then on account of the overthrow of the antichrist, whom they had appointed for themselves as king and god — went on instead to blaspheme the true God because of the destruction of the pestilent wretch.

"And the sixth poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates;"

"and its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings who come from the rising of the sun."

"And I saw, out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs;"

"they go forth to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God the Almighty."

"Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."

"And it gathered them together into the place called in Hebrew Mageddon."

The sixth angel made the river Euphrates fordable, perhaps by drying up some of its springs, so that passage through it might become easy for the kings.

By diabolical activity, and with God's permission, very many kings were gathered together for a war against themselves;

for the Lord has also said that wars will occur around the consummation, in the testimony cited a little earlier.

"And I saw," he says, "out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the false prophet" —

by "dragon" he means the Devil, the originator of evil; and by "false prophet" either some other one prophesying, so to speak, by the activity of the Devil, or else the antichrist.

But if he indeed means the antichrist altogether — whom in the preceding passages he introduced as destroyed by the breath of the Lord, yet now presents as still living, sending forth demons through his mouth — let the reader not be amazed.

For what is seen is a vision, and often the first things are shown to the evangelist as later, and conversely the later things as first; and he says, "I saw three spirits like frogs."

"For they are spirits of demons, working signs, which go forth to the kings."

The demons are likened to frogs because of their delight in the muddy and slimy life of men.

But indeed the moist and slack life of sinners already pleases them more than the enduring and hardened life of the righteous, since they are exceedingly envious and rejoice in the destruction of the living.

And one form of the demons' wonder-working is to gather the kings against one another for war in the time of the consummation. He calls the day "great," that is, that season;

for it is indeed truly great and terrible, being so named also by Joel, who says: "before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes."

"Behold, I come as a thief," says the Lord.

He says "as a thief" on account of the suddenness and unexpectedness of his second coming.

"Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, that he may not walk naked;"

he continued with the figure of the thief;

wherefore he said that a guard must be kept over the garments, lest they be lost — calling by "garments" either the virtuous and decorous life, through which we are deemed worthy of God's protection, or else the body, that it may be holy and clean.

For he who has not kept guard will be shamed before the angels and the men of the divine throne, being pursued in the judgment of that time and left naked, bereft of divine assistance.

"And the demons gathered together," he says, "the kings of the earth into the place called in Hebrew Mageddon."

It is interpreted as "a cutting off," or "that which is being cut off";

accordingly, from the cutting down and slaughter that was to befall those gathered together in it, he named the place of the war Mageddon.

"And the seventh poured out his bowl into the air, and a great voice went out from the temple, from the throne, saying, 'It is done.'"

"And there came lightnings, and voices, and thunders; and there was a great earthquake, such as had not occurred since men have been upon the earth — so mighty an earthquake, so great; and the great city..."

"...was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath."

"And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found."

"And great hail, about the weight of a talent, came down out of heaven upon men;"

"and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for its plague was exceedingly great."

He poured out his bowl into the air:

What has come to pass? The command, that is, of God, and his counsel.

When this was spoken, there came from the air lightnings and voices;

lightnings from the heights, but voices from those on earth, out of fear of the lightnings

being seen, according to what was said to Haggai:

"Yet once more I will shake not only the heaven but also the earth and the sea and the dry land, and I will shake together all the nations."

Therefore it is also expressly noted, such, he says, as has never happened.

And, he says, "the great city was split into three parts;"

"and the cities of the nations fell"

He speaks of Jerusalem as "the great city," and this is clear from the fact that he distinguishes from it the cities of the nations;

for it is the custom of divine Scripture to call the rest of mankind, apart from Israel, "nations"

He calls it "great" as being renowned

"And all the cities fell;"

for since the earth was being transformed and becoming new, how could it be possible for the cities in it, defiled by the dwelling of sinners, to stand? And, he says, "Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath."

In what has preceded it was said also: "a second angel followed, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great;"

but in the present passage, speaking to us of another Babylon, he gives us to understand that he does not mean that one, but signifies some other one.

And I think he speaks concerning Rome and those who would then seize it, as the discourse will teach as it proceeds.

Therefore, he says, "Babylon the great was remembered before God"

that is, remembrance was made before God of her ancient sins, when they persecuted and killed the saints; and as for "the cup of the wine of the fury of God," it has already been explained;

there is therefore no need to be verbose. And, he says, "every island fled, and the mountains were not found."

"Islands" means the churches from among the nations, as the prophet says:

"Let the many islands be glad"

They are called "islands" as having risen up and risen above the bitter and briny sea of idolatry

But according to another meaning, one might also understand "islands" as the unclean orders of demons, as wallowing in this briny and easily-tossed life

As for the mountains, that he means demons, the divinely-inspired psalmist also shows, singing: "the mountains melted like wax from the face of the Lord, because he comes"

The discourse thus hands down to us that at that time the orders of demons will become vanished and invisible

But where could the wretched ones flee from the face of God, in whose hand are the ends of the earth, who measured the heaven with a span and the earth with the hollow of the hand? Except that, struck by what befalls them, they will attempt a futile flight and escape.

When these things had happened, and extraordinary hail was pouring down, it was necessary for the people of that time to turn to supplications and prayers

for indeed the demonstrations against them would then have ceased; but they even blasphemed God further, on account of which the evils were also intensified for them

"And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying:"

"Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk from the wine of her fornication."

"And he carried me away into the wilderness in the Spirit"

"And I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns;"

"And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the unclean things of the fornication of the earth, and upon her forehead a name written:"

"Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth"