Oecumenius, Commentary on Apocalypse

in wells and rivers, and of the airy [water] which, being held by the clouds in the high places, gives us timely rain by divine command and nourishes every living thing on the earth. Since, then, water is not abundant for all, one of the holy angels has been appointed over it, so that it may be provided without fail and sufficient for the need of those who require it, which often, being cut off and lacking on account of our wickedness, causes droughts and famines and the plagues that follow them. Of this angel, he says, who was appointed over the waters by the providence of God, I heard saying: 'Righteous are you, O Holy One, who is and who was. Now, 'who is' signifies the endlessness of God; and 'was', the beginninglessness; and 'the Holy One' is the one who is righteous in all things through all things. Because, he says, you have judged these things so that those who poured out the blood of the saints might drink blood; for it is necessary for those encamped in wars by the waters and the rivers to drink water polluted with blood from the slaughter of the dying; with which angel those who circle the heavenly altar also send up a harmonious thanksgiving. For to say 'I heard the altar saying this' signifies those who minister at the altar. May it be that we, being delivered from all the difficult things that will be foretold, may send up a thankful hymn to Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever, amen #556 177 Ninth Discourse The three bowls poured out by the three angels have done the things that were written. But what the fourth and the fifth have done must be examined. And the fourth, he says, poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given to it to scorch men with fire, and men were scorched with a 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 from the pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of their works. It is not difficult to explain these things according to the principles of figurative speech. For the sun scorching men might be the drought and the distress and the want of those left behind in the wars, who, being oppressed by evils, when they ought to have asked for help and deliverance from the grievous things that possessed them from the mighty God, they also blasphemed and did not repent, he says; and yet the plagues are for this reason, that since through the benefactions of God they did not recognize the Master, they might at least recognize him through the punishments. But the bowl of the fifth was poured out, he says, upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom became darkened. For it is written 178 by the apostle concerning the antichrist, whom the Lord will slay with the spirit of his mouth, and by Isaiah: 'Let the wicked one be taken away, that he may not see the glory of the Lord,' calling the glorious coming of the Lord 'glory'. Therefore, the statement that the bowl was poured out upon the throne of the beast indicates that the impious tyranny of the antichrist will come to an end, with him being pitifully slain, and darkness will seize all those appointed under him by the unexpected punishment of the accursed one; for they will endure a darkening of their reasonings, being at a loss because of the things that have happened. And they gnawed, he says, their tongues from the fire. This is accustomed to happen in every extreme affliction, if indeed they are accustomed to take hold of their tongues or some part of their body with their teeth, thinking thereby to relieve the great part of the affliction. These very ones, when they ought to repent, if for no other reason, then at least for the destruction of the antichrist, whom they had appointed for themselves as king and god, also blasphemed the true God because of the overthrow of the vagabond. And the sixth poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared. And I saw from the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which

φρέασι ποταμοῖς τε, καὶ τοῦ ἀερίου ὃ ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐν τοῖς μετεώροις κρατούμενον εὔκαιρον δίδωσιν ἡμῖν ὑετὸν θείῳ προστάγματι καὶ τρέφει πᾶν ζῶον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἄφθονον πᾶσι τὸ ὕδωρ, τέτακταί τις τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων ἐπ' αὐτό, ὅπως ἀνενδεὲς καὶ ἀρκοῦν τῇ χρείᾳ τοῦτο παρέχηται τοῖς δεομένοις, ὃ δὴ πολλάκις ταῖς κακίαις ἡμῶν ἀνακοπὲν καὶ ἐλλεῖψαν τοὺς αὐχμοὺς καὶ τοὺς λιμοὺς καὶ τοὺς τούτοις ἑπομένους λοιμοὺς κατεργάζεται. τούτου δῆτά φησι τοῦ ἀγγέλου τοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων προνοίᾳ Θεοῦ τεταγμένου ἤκουσα λέγοντος· δίκαιος εἶ, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν ὁ ὅσιος. τὸ μὲν οὖν ὁ ὢν τὸ ἀτελεύτητον δηλοῖ τοῦ Θεοῦ· τὸ δὲ ἦν, τὸ ἄναρχον· ὁ δὲ ὅσιός ἐστιν ὁ ἐν πᾶσιν διὰ πάντων δίκαιος. ὅτι φησὶ ταῦτα ἔκρινας ἵνα οἱ ἐκχέαντες τὸ αἷμα τῶν ἁγίων αἷμα πίωσιν· ἀνάγκη γὰρ τοὺς ἐν πολέμοις παρὰ τὰ ὕδατα καὶ τοὺς ποταμοὺς ἐστρατοπεδευκότας μεμολυσμένον αἵματι πίνειν τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκ τῆς τῶν θνησκόντων ἀναιρέσεως· ᾧ σύμφωνον ἀγγέλου ἀναπέμπουσιν εὐχαριστίαν καὶ οἱ τὸ ἐπουράνιον κυκλοῦντες θυσιαστήριον. τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν ἤκουσα τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τόδε τι λέγοντος τοὺς ἐν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ λειτουργοῦντας διασημαίνει. γένοιτο δὲ πάντων ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλαγέντας τῶν χαλεπῶν τῶν προρρηθησομένων εὐχάριστον ὕμνον ἀναπέμπειν Χρίστῳ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν #556 177 Λόγος ἔνατοσ αἱ μὲν τρεῖς ἐκχεθεῖσαι φιάλαι παρὰ τῶν τριῶν ἀγγέλων ἔδρασαν τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα. τί δὲ καὶ ἡ τετάρτη καὶ ἡ πέμπτη, πεποίηκε σκοπητέον. καὶ ὁ τέταρτός φησιν ἐξέχεε τὴν φιάλην αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν ἥλιον· καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ καυματίσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐν πυρί, καὶ ἐκαυματίσθησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι καῦμα μέγα· καὶ ἐβλασφή μησαν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἔχοντος ἐξουσίαν ἐπὶ τὰς πλη γὰς ταύτας, καὶ οὐ μετενόησαν δοῦναι αὐτῷ δόξαν. καὶ ὁ πέμπτος ἐξέχεε τὴν φιάλην αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον τοῦ θηρίου· καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ ἐσκοτωμένη, καὶ ἐμασῶντο τὰς γλώσσας αὐτῶν ἐκ τοῦ πόνου, καὶ ἐβλασφήμησαν τὸν Θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐκ τῶν πόνων αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἑλκῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ μετενόησαν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν. οὐ δὲ ταῦτα κατὰ τοὺς τῆς τροπῆς ἐξηγήσασθαι λόγους δυσχερές. τὸ γὰρ καυματίσαι τὸν ἥλιον τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εἴη ἂν ὁ αὐχμὸς καὶ ἡ συνοχὴ καὶ ἡ ἀπορία τῶν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἀπολειφθέντων, οἵτινες τοῖς κακοῖς πιεζόμενοι, δέον αἰτήσασθαι παρὰ τοῦ δυναμένου Θεοῦ βοήθειαν καὶ ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν κατεχόντων ἀνιαρῶν, οἵδε καὶ προσεβλασφήμησαν καὶ οὐ μετενόησάν φησι· καί τοι διὰ τοῦτο αἱ πληγαί, ἵν' ἐπειδὴ διὰ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐεργεσιῶν οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν τὸν δεσπότην, διὰ γοῦν τῶν κολάσεων ἐπιγνῶσιν. ἡ δὲ τοῦ πέμπτου φιάλη ἐξεχύθη φησὶν ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον τοῦ θηρίου· καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ ἐσκοτωμένη. γέγρα 178 πται γὰρ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ περὶ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου, ὃν ἀνελεῖ ὁ Κύριος τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ· ἀρθήτω ὁ ἀσεβὴς ἵνα μὴ ἴδῃ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου, δόξαν καλοῦντι τὴν ἔνδοξον τοῦ Κυρίου παρουσίαν. τὸ οὖν εἰρημένον ὅτι ἐξεχύθη ἡ φιάλη ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον τοῦ θηρίου δηλοῖ ὅτι ἡ ἀσεβὴς τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου τέλος λήψεται τυραννίς, ἐλεεινῶς ἀναιρεθέντος αὐτοῦ, σκότος δὲ λήψεται πάντας τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν τεταγμένους τῇ ἀπροσδοκήτῳ τίσει τοῦ καταράτου· σκότωσιν γὰρ λογισμῶν ὑπομείνωσιν ἀπορούμενοι τοῖς συμβεβηκόσι. καὶ ἐμασῶντό φησι τὰς γλώσσας αὐτῶν ἐκ τοῦ πυρός. τοῦτο ἐφ' ἑκάστης θλίψεως ὑπερτάτης συμβαίνειν εἴωθεν, εἰ γε τὰς γλώσσας ἤ τι τοῦ σώματος μέρος τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν ἀπολαμβάνειν εἰώθασι, τὸ πολὺ τῆς θλίψεως ἐντεῦθεν οἰόμενοι κενοῦν. οἱ καὶ αὐτοί, δέον μετανοῆσαι εἰ καὶ μὴ δι' ἄλλο τι, διὰ μέντοι τὴν τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου κατάλυσιν, ὃν ἑαυτοῖς ἐχειροτόνησαν βασιλέα καὶ θεόν, καὶ προσεβλασφήμησαν τὸν ὄντως Θεὸν διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀλητηρίου καθαίρεσιν. καὶ ὁ ἕκτος ἐξέχεε τὴν φιάλην αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν μέγαν Εὐφράτην· καὶ ἐξηράνθη τὸ ὕδωρ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἑτοιμάσθῃ ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν βασιλέων τῶν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου. καὶ εἶδον ἐκ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ δράκοντος καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ ψευδοπροφήτου πνεύματα ἀκάθαρτα τρία ὡς βάτραχοι· εἰσὶν γὰρ πνεύματα δαιμονίων ποιοῦντα σημεῖα, ἃ