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the earth; and there were voices and thunders and lightnings and an earthquake. Perhaps one of the angels cast some of this divine fire upon Mount Sinai, and there were thunders and voices and trumpets and lightnings, and the mountain was smoking at the coming of God. As, therefore, the thunders and the terrors went forth then, so also now these things went forth before the glorious coming of the Lord. Then the angels also sounded their trumpets, signifying the presence of God; for indeed then too the trumpets sounded loudly. And the first sounded his trumpet; and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown to the earth; and the third of the earth was burned up. The righteous having been deemed worthy of their blessed lot, as was said by me at the end of the breaking of the sixth seal, since they are also caught up before the coming of the Lord in clouds, into the air so that they might meet the coming Lord according to the testimony of the apostle cited by me there, the vision then proceeds to the end of the rest of mankind, and to the punishment of the sinners. And since a total destruction is about to happen, it is necessary that there will also be various manners of death, and of the retribution for the ungodly; most of which will be brought about by fire, for the divine apostle, writing his first epistle to the Corinthians, said that that day is to be revealed in fire. For if there are many mansions of 106 rest, as the Lord says, there are also various places of punishments. And these same trumpets, which bring death to those upon the earth, these also raise the dead after this. What then does it mean that when the first angel sounded his trumpet, hail and fire burned up the third of those on the earth? If one thinks this will happen in a sensory way, he will not miss the correct meaning; and if one considers it to be said tropologically, he will say nothing amiss, the word calling fire the sorrow and the deep pain of the sinners, seeing the saints snatched up in clouds to meet the Lord, while they themselves have remained on the earth dishonored and deemed worthy of no account. For the Word tropologically interprets burning trees and grass as the sinners because of their foolishness, and the soul's insensibility and woodiness and suitability for burning. And the second angel, it says, sounded his trumpet; and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and the third of the sea became blood, and the third of the creatures in the sea, those that have souls, died, and the third of the ships were destroyed. The divine apostle says, writing to the Romans: that creation was subjected to futility, not willingly but because of him who subjected it, in hope that creation itself will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. But when will it be set free? When there will be new heavens and a new earth according to his promises, 107 as Peter preaches to us, writing his second epistle. And since the earth is being changed so that it may be freed from corruption and become new, it is necessary for the sea also to suffer this; for the sea is in the earth. And how could it too be cleansed, except through a purifying fire? Therefore fire, falling into it, changed it into blood, and killed the third of those in it. This is according to the letter and the sensory meaning, but you might also understand the sea, according to both anagogy and the laws of trope, as the present life on account of the turmoil in it and its manifold distraction; and the fish and ships, as the people mired in salty and bitter sins, who will be consumed by griefs in unprofitable repentance for the lives they have lived. And the third angel sounded his trumpet; and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on the third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. And the name of the star is called Wormwood. And the third of the waters became wormwood, and many of the people died from the waters, because they were made bitter. Naomi of old, because of her many sorrows over her children and her other misfortunes, was called Bitter. Bitterness is therefore a sign of the extraordinary things to come; which at that time we sinners will suffer at the glory of the saints

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τὴν γῆν· καὶ ἐγένοντο φωναὶ καὶ βρονταὶ καὶ ἀστραπαὶ καὶ σεισμός. ἴσως τοῦ θείου τούτου πυρὸς ἔβαλέ τις τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐπὶ τὸ Σίναιον ὄρος, καὶ ἐγένοντο βρονταὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ σάλπιγγες καὶ ἀστραπαὶ καὶ τὸ ὄρος ἐκαπνίζετο ἐπιφοιτήσαντος τοῦ Θεοῦ. ὥσπερ οὖν τότε προῆλθον αἱ βρονταὶ καὶ τὰ δείματα, οὕτω καὶ νῦν τῆς ἐνδόξου τοῦ Κυρίου παρουσίας προεπεφοίτησε ταῦτα. εἶτα καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι ἐσάλπισαν, τὴν παρουσίαν σημαίνοντες τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τότε αἱ σάλπιγγες ἤχουν μέγα. καὶ ὁ πρῶτος ἐσάλπισε· καὶ ἐγένετο χάλαζα καὶ πῦρ με μιγμένα ἐν αἵματι, καὶ ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν· καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῆς γῆς κατεκάη. τῶν δικαίων τῆς μακαρίας ἀξιωθέντων λήξεως, καθὼς ἐν τῷ τέλει τῆς λύσεως τῆς ἕκτης εἴρηταί μοι σφραγῖδος, ἅτε καὶ προαρπαζομένων πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου παρουσίας ἐν νεφέλαις, εἰς ἀέρα ἵνα ἐρχομένῳ τῷ Κυρίῳ ὑπαντήσωσι κατὰ τὴν ἐκεῖ παρατεθεῖσάν μοι τοῦ ἀποστόλου μαρτυρίαν, λοιπὸν ἐπεξέρχεται ἡ ὀπτασία τῷ τέλει τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τῇ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν κολάσει. πανωλεθρίας δὲ γίνεσθαι μελλούσης, ἐπάναγκες καὶ διαφόρους ἔσεσθαι θανάτου τρόπους, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀντιδόσεως· ὧν αἱ πλείους διὰ πυρὸς παραχθήσονται, ἐν πυρὶ γὰρ μέλλειν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην εἶπεν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος Κορινθίοις γράφων τὴν πρώτην ἐπιστολήν. εἰ γὰρ πολλαὶ μοναὶ ἀνα 106 παύσεως ὡς ὁ Κύριός φησι, καὶ διάφοροι τόποι κολάσεων. αἱ δὲ αὐταὶ σάλπιγγες, αἱ τὸν θάνατον τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐπάγουσαι, αὗται καὶ τοὺς νεκροὺς μετὰ τοῦτο διεγείρουσι. τί οὖν φησι τοῦ πρώτου ἀγγέλου σαλπίσαντος χάλαζα καὶ πῦρ τὸ τρίτον κατακαῦσαι τῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ; τοῦτο καὶ αἰσθητῶς μὲν νομίζων τις ἔσεσθαι, οὐκ ἀποτεύξεται τοῦ ὀρθῶς ἔχοντος λόγου· καὶ τροπικῶς δὲ λογιζόμενος εἰρῆσθαι, οὐδὲν ἄτοπον ἐρεῖ, πῦρ λέγοντος τοῦ λόγου τὴν ἀνίαν καὶ τὴν κατὰ βάθους· ἀλγηδόνα τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ὁρώντων τοὺς μὲν ἁγίους ἁρπασθέντας ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ Κυρίου, αὑτοὺς δὲ μεμενηκότας ἐν τῇ γῇ ἀτίμους καὶ μηδενὸς ἠξιωμένους λόγου. δένδρα γὰρ καὶ χόρτον καιόμενον τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς ὁ λόγος τροπολογεῖ διὰ τὴν ἄνοιαν, καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ ἀναίσθητον καὶ ξυλῶδες καὶ πρὸς καῦσιν ἐπιτήδιον. καὶ ὁ δεύτερός φησιν ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισε· καὶ ὡς ὄρος μεγὰ πυρὶ καιόμενον ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν· καὶ ἐγέ νετο τὸ τρίτον τῆς θαλάσσης αἷμα, καὶ ἀπέθανεν τὸ τρίτον τῶν κτισμάτων τῶν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, τὰ ἔχοντα ψυχάς, καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν πλοίων διεφθάρησαν. φησὶν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος Ῥωμαίοις γράφων· ὅτι τῇ ματαιότητι ἡ κτίσις ὑπετάγη, οὐχ ἑκοῦσα ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ὑποτάξαντα, ἐπελπίδι ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ κτίσις ἐλευθερωθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς δουλείας τῆς φθορᾶς εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέκνων τοῦ Θεοῦ. πότε δὲ ἐλευθερωθήσεται; ὅταν καινοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ καινὴν γῆν κατὰ τὰ ἐπαγγέλματα αὐτοῦ ἔσηται, 107 ὡς ὁ Πέτρος ἡμᾶς εὐαγγελίζεται, τὴν δευτέραν αὐτοῦ γράφων ἐπιστολήν. τῆς δὲ γῆς ἀμειβομένης ἵνα ἐλευθερωθῇ τῆς φθορᾶς καὶ καινὴ γένηται, ἐπάναγκες καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τοῦτο παθεῖν· ἐν τῇ γῇ γὰρ ἡ θάλασσα. πῶς δ' ἂν καθαρείη καὶ αὐτή, πλὴν εἰ μὴ διὰ καθαρσίου πυρός; διὸ πῦρ εἰς αὐτὴν πεσὸν μετεποίησεν αὐτὴν εἰς αἷμα, καὶ ἀπέκτεινε τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ. τοῦτο μὲν ὡς πρὸς τὸ γράμμα καὶ τὸ αἰσθητόν, καὶ θάλασσαν δὲ ἂν νοήσῃς κατά τε ἀναγωγὴν καὶ τοὺς τῆς τροπῆς νόμους, τὸν παρόντα βίον διὰ τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ σάλον καὶ τὸν ποικίλον περισπασμόν· ἰχθύας δὲ καὶ πλοῖα, τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἁλμυραῖς καὶ πικραῖς ἰλυσπωμένους ἁμαρτίαις ἀνθρώπους, οἳ ταῖς λύπαις κατατακήσονται ἐπὶ ἀνονήτοις μεταμελείαις τῶν βεβιωμένων. καὶ ὁ τρίτος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισε· καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀστὴρ μέγας καιόμενος ὡς λαμπάς, καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ τρίτον τῶν ποταμῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων. καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἀστέρος λέγεται ἄψινθος. καὶ ἐγένετο τὸ τρίτον τῶν ὑδάτων εἰς ἄψινθον, καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπέθα νον ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων, ὅτι ἐπικράνθησαν. ἡ Νεομμὶν ἡ πάλαι γενομένη διὰ τὰς πολλὰς ἐπὶ τοῖς τέκνοις καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις συμφοραῖς ἀνίας, ἐπεκλήθη πικρά. δεῖγμα οὖν τῶν ἐξαισίων λοιπῶν ἡ πικρία· ἣν τὸ τηνικαῦτα πάθωμεν οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐπὶ τῇ δόξῃ τῶν ἁγίων