Oecumenius, Commentary on Apocalypse

But he said periphrastically, I will give to him to be filled with the intelligible and future good things. And I will give him a white stone; that is, a victorious one and bright in glory; and on the stone a new name, which no one knows except the one who receives it. For it is said, what eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things says the Son of God, who has his eyes like a flame 54 of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know your works and love and faith and service and your patience, and your works, and the last to be more than the first. But I have against you that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and deceives my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent; and she does not want to repent of her fornication. Behold, I will cast her into a bed and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches will know that I am he who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your works. But to you I say, to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this teaching, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say: I will put on you no other burden; but hold fast what you have until I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter they will be broken to pieces, as I also have received from my Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who is delivering the oracle to the evangelist makes the declaration of his own title clearer. These things, he says, says the Son of God, who has his eyes like a flame of fire, alluding to the startling and threatening aspect toward those who sin. and his feet are like fine brass, indicating the firm and unshakable nature of faith in him, or the intelligible sweet fragrance of the evangelical doctrines 55 according to what was said above. I know, he says, your works and love and faith and service, as if he were saying, I praise your every pursuit. For he has put 'I know' in place of 'I praise,' just as 'I have known you above all men' was said to Moses; and 'the Lord knows the way of the righteous.' And by 'service' he means the help given to those in need. And he says, 'and the last to be more than the first'; it shows that as they progressed, they became greater than themselves in the fulfillment of the commandments; but I have against you, so that it might be shown that to be completely sinless belongs to God alone. And what do I have? That you tolerate the woman Jezebel, and do not persecute her. who calls herself a prophetess. From Jezebel who lived with Ahab, he points out the wickedness of this woman, whoever she is. This woman, he says, calling herself a prophetess, teaches and deceives many to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. By fornication he means either the perceptible kind, or the apostasy from God, according to what is said: 'and they committed fornication in their practices'; and again, 'they committed adultery with wood.' But the Lord, not willing the death of the sinner, but his conversion and life, says, 'I have given her a postponement for repentance.' But if she does not wish to repent, then I will do these things and these to her and to those who commit adultery with her, so that all may know, he says, that I am God. For it is God's to search minds and hearts, for it is said, 'God tries the hearts and minds.' But to those who have nothing in common with the adulterous woman, being more simple and not knowing the methods of the evil one—for you say this—I will place no more burden on you; for your simplicity is sufficient for you. But keep the teaching handed down to you until my second coming; and to the one who overcomes the evil one, I will give 56 him, he says, authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as pottery vessels are broken, as I also have received from my Father. This is the

περιφραστικῶς δὲ ἔφη δώσω αὐτῷ ἐμπλησθῆναι τῶν νοητῶν καὶ μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν. καὶ δώσω αὐτῷ ψῆφον λευκήν· τουτέστιν νικῶσαν καὶ τῇ δόξῃ λαμπράν· καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ψήφῳ ὄνομα καινόν, ὃ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ λαμβάνων. εἴρηται γὰρ ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν. καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Θυατείροις ἐκκλησίας γράψον· τάδε λέγει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ ἔχων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ ὡς φλόγα 54 πυρός, καὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὅμοιοι χαλκολιβάνῳ· οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν διακονίαν καὶ τὴν ὑπομονήν σου, καὶ τὰ ἔργα σου, καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα πλείονα τῶν πρώτων. ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ, ὅτι ἀφεῖς τὴν γυναῖκα Ἰεζάβελ, ἡ λέγουσα ἑαυτὴν προφῆτιν, καὶ διδάσκει καὶ πλανᾷ τοὺς ἐμοὺς δούλους πορνεῦσαι καὶ φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα. καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτῇ χρόνον ἵνα μετανοήσῃ· καὶ οὐ θέλει μετα νοῆσαι ἐκ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς. ἰδοὺ βάλλω αὐτὴν εἰς κλίνην καὶ τοὺς μοιχεύοντας μετ' αὐτῆς εἰς θλίψιν μεγάλην, ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσωσιν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῆς. καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς ἀποκτενῶ ἐν θανάτῳ· καὶ γνώσονται πᾶσαι αἱ ἐκκλη σίαι ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐρευνῶν νεφροὺς καὶ καρδίας· καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν. ὑμῖν δὲ λέγω τοῖς λοιποῖς τοῖς ἐν Θυατείροις, ὅσοι οὐκ ἔχουσιν τὴν διδαχὴν ταύτην, οἵτινες οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰ βάθη τοῦ Σατανᾶ ὡς λέγουσιν· οὐ βάλλω ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἄλλο βάρος· πλὴν ὃ ἔχετε κρατήσατε ἄχρι οὗ ἐὰν ἥξω. καὶ ὁ νικῶν καὶ κρατῶν ἄχρι τέλους τὰ ἔργα μου, δώσω αὐτῷ ἐξουσίαν ἐπὶ τῶν ἔθνων· καὶ ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, ὡς τὰ σκεύη τὰ κεραμικὰ συντριβήσεται, ὡς κἀγὼ εἴληφα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου· καὶ δώσω αὐτῷ τὸν ἀστέρα τὸν πρωϊνόν. ὁ ἔχων οὖς, ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ Πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. σαφέστερον ποιεῖται τῆς οἰκείας προσηγορίας τὴν δήλωσιν ὁ χρηματίζων τῷ εὐαγγελιστῇ. τάδε φησὶν λέγει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ ἔχων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ ὡς φλόγα πυρός, τὸ καταπληκτικὸν καὶ ἀπειλητικὸν κατὰ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων αἰνιττόμενος. καὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὅμοιοι χαλκολιβάνῳ, τὸ στερρὸν τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν πίστεως καὶ ἀκατάσειστον παραδηλῶν, ἢ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν δογμάτων τὴν νοητὴν εὐοσμίαν 55 κατὰ τὰ ἀνώτερον εἰρημένα. οἶδά σού φησιν τὰ ἔργα καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν διακονίαν, ὥσει ἔλεγεν ἐπαινῶ σου πᾶσαν ἐπιτήδευσιν. τὸ γὰρ οἶδα ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐπαινῶ τέθεικεν ὡς τὸ οἶδά σε παρὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἰρημένον τῷ Μωϋσεῖ· καὶ γινώσκει Κύριος ὁδὸν δικαίων. διακονίαν δὲ τὴν εἰς τοὺς δεομένους ἐπικουρίαν φησίν. καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα πλείονα τῶν πρώτων φησίν· δηλοῖ ὅτι προϊόντες μείζους ἑαυτῶν ἐγίνοντο ἐν τῇ τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐκπληρώσει· ἀλλ' ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ἵνα δείχθῃ τὸ, τελέως ἀναμάρτητον μόνου Θεοῦ. τί δὲ ἔχω; ὅτι ἀφεῖς τὴν γυναῖκα Ἰεζάβελ, καὶ οὐ διώκεις αὐτήν. ἡ λέγουσα ἑαυτὴν προφῆτιν. ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰεζάβελ τῆς τῷ Ἀχαὰβ συνοικησάσης τὴν ταύτης ἥτις ποτέ ἐστιν πονηρίαν παραδείκνυσιν. αὕτη φησὶν λέγουσα ἑαυτὴν προφῆτιν· διδάσκει καὶ πλανᾷ πολλοὺς εἰς τὸ πορνεύειν καὶ φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα. πορνείαν ἢ τὴν αἰσθητὴν λέγει, ἢ τὴν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἀποστασίαν, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον καὶ ἐπόρνευσαν ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὐτῶν· καὶ πάλιν ἐμοιχῶντο ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ. ὁ δὲ μὴ βουλόμενος τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ Κύριος· ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν καὶ τὴν ζωήν, φησιν, δέδωκα αὐτῇ μετανοίας ὑπέρθεσιν. εἰ δὲ οὐ βούλεται μετανοῆσαι, ταῦτα οὖν αὐτῇ καὶ ταῦτα ποιήσω καὶ τοὺς μοιχεύοντας αὐτὴν ἵνα πάντες γνῶσίν φησιν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεός. Θεοῦ γὰρ τὸ ἐρευνᾶν νεφροὺς καὶ καρδίας εἴρηται γάρ, ἐτάζων καρδίας καὶ νεφροὺς ὁ Θεός. τοῖς δέ γε οὐδὲν κοινὸν ἔχουσιν πρὸς τὴν μοιχαλίδα γυναῖκα· ἁπλουστέροις δὲ οὖσι καὶ οὐ γινώσκουσι τὰς τοῦ πονηροῦ μεθοδίας, τοῦτο γάρ φατε· οὐ πλέον τι ὑμῖν ἐπιθήσω βάρος· ἀρκεῖ γὰρ ὑμῖν ἡ ἁπλότης. πλὴν τηρήσατε τὴν παραδοθεῖσαν ὑμῖν διδαχὴν ἄχρι τῆς δευτέρας μου παρουσίας· καὶ τῷ νικῶντι τὸν πονηρόν, δώσω 56 αὐτῷ φησιν ἐξουσίαν ἐπὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, ὡς σκεύη κεραμικὰ συντριβήσεται, ὡς κἀγὼ εἴληφα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου. τοῦτο ἔστι τὸ