Oecumenius, Commentary on Apocalypse

with them and low to the ground, but all things are high and lifted up. For it is written concerning them that the mighty ones of the earth belonging to God have been greatly exalted. Her light, he says, that is, the sun of righteousness, Christ, is like a jasper stone. The jasper, as has been said before, being somewhat greenish, shows the life-bearing and life-giving quality of Christ, who opens his 238 hand and fills every living thing with good pleasure; for greenness is considered the beginning of all earthly food. But the jasper was also like crystal, showing the purity and holiness of Christ; for he committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth, according to the prophecies of Isaiah. And the wall of the saints, that is of the church, is Christ himself again, being our defense and enclosure and help. Having, he says, twelve gates, he alludes to the divine apostles, who announced to us the entrance into faith in Christ. and at the gates twelve angels; for I am persuaded that divine angels also cooperated with the holy apostles for the faith of the world; for if the law through Moses was spoken through angels, according to the apostle who says: for if the word spoken through angels proved to be firm, how much more did the evangelical preaching have cooperating angels? And names, he says, were inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Israel, in a perceptible sense, are those born from the patriarch Jacob; but in an intellectual sense, they are those who walk in the faith of our father Abraham. And a witness to this is the apostle who says, "and a father of circumcision not only to those of the circumcision, but also to those who walk in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham." For Israel is interpreted as "a mind seeing God," that is, "discerning." For who among the faithful have seen God with the mind more, or have become more discerning by the abundant working of the spirit? Therefore, the names of these are inscribed on the gates of the city. And the twelve tribes signify the fullness of the faithful; for having once called the faithful Israel, he has also persisted in the 239 number of their fullness, saying twelve tribes, and he says that from the four corners of the world there were three gates on each side. For the divine apostles have encompassed all things, preaching the consubstantial Trinity to the nations, and baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And the wall of the city, he says, had twelve foundations; for Christ, whom we have understood as a wall, rests upon the preaching of the apostles, and upon them he stands as a precious cornerstone, according to what is written. And on them, that is, the foundations, were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. He has scarcely unveiled the enigma, saying clearly that he calls the apostles gates and foundations of the holy city of the church; may it be granted to all of us to abide in their teaching, turning away from the profane, empty babblings of the falsely called knowledge of the heretics; by the grace of Christ our teacher and chief shepherd; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen#556 The twelfth discourse is still for the divine evangelist about the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem, and its size and measure and adornment and its other arrangement. And he says, And he who was speaking with me had a measure, a golden reed, to measure the city and its gates and its wall 240. And the city lies foursquare, and its length is as great as its width, and its height is equal. And he measured the city with the reed at twelve thousand stadia; its length and width and height are equal. And he measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits, of a man, that is, of an angel. And the structure of its wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like pure glass; and the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone; the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the

παρ' αὐτοῖς καὶ χαμαιπετές, ἀλλὰ πάντα ὑψηλὰ καὶ ἐπηρμένα. γέγραπται γὰρ περὶ αὐτῶν ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ κραταιοὶ τῆς γῆς σφόδρα ἐπήρθησαν. ὁ φωστὴρ αὐτῆς φησι, τουτέστιν ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος Χριστός, ὅμοιος λίθῳ ἰάσπιδι. ἡ ἴασπις, καθὼς καὶ πρόσθεν εἴρηται, χλοερά τις οὖσα, τὸ φερέσβιον καὶ ζωοδοτικὸν ἐμφαίνει τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ ἀνοίγοντος τὴν χεῖρα 238 αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐμπιπλῶντος πᾶν ζῶον εὐδοκίας· χλόη γὰρ ἡγεῖται πάσης ἐπιγείου τροφῆς. ἀλλὰ καὶ κρυσταλίζουσα ἦν ἡ ἴασπις, τὸ καθαρὸν καὶ ἅγιον ἐμφαινίζουσα τοῦ Χριστοῦ· οὐ γὰρ ἐποίησεν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ δόλος οὐχ εὑρέθη ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὰς Ἡσαΐου προφητείας. τεῖχος δὲ τῶν ἁγίων ἤτοι τῆς ἐκκλησίας αὐτὸς πάλιν ὁ Χριστός, ὡς ἔρυμα ἡμῶν καὶ περίφραγμα καὶ βοήθεια τυγχάνων. ἔχουσά φησι πυλῶνας δώδεκα, τοὺς θείους ἀποστόλους αἰνίττεται, τοὺς τὴν εἴσοδον ἡμῖν τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως καταγγείλαντας. καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς πυλῶσιν ἀγγέλους δώδεκα· πείθομαι γὰρ συνεργάσασθαι τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις, καὶ θείους ἀγγέλους εἰς τὴν τοῦ κόσμου πίστιν· εἰ γὰρ ὁ διὰ Μωϋσέως νόμος δι' ἀγγέλων ἐλαλήθη κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον λέγοντα· εἰ γὰρ ὁ δι' ἀγγέλων λαληθεὶς λόγος ἐγένετο βέβαιος, πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν κήρυγμα συνεργοῦντας ἔσχεν ἀγγέλους; καὶ ὀνόματά φησιν ἐπιγεγραμμένα, ἅ ἐστι τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Ἰσραήλ ἐστιν μὲν αἰσθητῶς οἱ ἐξ Ἰακὼβ τοῦ πατριάρχου γεννηθέντες· ἔστι δὲ νοητῶς οἱ στοιχοῦντες τῇ πίστει τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἁβραάμ. καὶ τούτου μάρτυς ὁ λέγων ἀπόστολος καὶ πατέρα περιτομῆς τοῖς οὐκ ἐκ περιτομῆς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς στοιχοῦσι τοῖς ἴχνεσι τῆς πίστεως τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἁβραάμ· Ἰσραὴλ γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται νοῦς ὁρῶν Θεόν, ἤτοι διορατικός. τίνες δὲ μᾶλλον τῶν πιστῶν νῷ τὸν Θεὸν ἐθεώρησαν, ἢ διορατικοὶ γεγόνασι δαψιλεῖ πνεύματος ἐνεργεία; τούτων τοιγαροῦν τὰ ὀνόματα ἐγγέγραπται ἐπὶ τῶν πυλῶν τῆς πόλεως. αἱ δέ γε δώδεκα φυλαὶ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν πιστῶν ὑποφαίνουσιν· ἅπαξ γὰρ τοὺς πιστοὺς καλέσας Ἰσραήλ, ἐπιμεμένηκε καὶ τῷ τοῦ 239 πληρώματος αὐτῶν ἀριθμῷ, δώδεκα εἰπὼν φυλάς, καί φησιν ὅτι ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων τοῦ κόσμου περάτων ἦσαν ἀνὰ πυλῶνες τρεῖς. ἅπαντα γὰρ διειλήφασι οἱ θεσπέσιοι ἀπόστολοι τριάδα, τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὁμοούσιον κηρύξαντες, καὶ βαπτίσαντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος. καὶ τὸ τεῖχος τῆς πόλεώς φησιν εἶχε θεμελίους δώδεκα· ἐπαναπαύεται γὰρ Χριστός, ὃν τεῖχος νενοήκαμεν, τῷ τῶν ἀποστόλων κηρύγματι, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς βέβηκεν ὡς λίθος ἀκρωγωνιαῖος ἔντιμος κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον. καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῶν, τῶν θεμελίων τουτέστι, δώδεκα ὀνόματα τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τοῦ ἀρνίου. μόλις ἐξεκάλυψεν τὸ αἴνιγμα, σαφῶς εἰπὼν ὅτι τοὺς ἀποστόλους πυλῶνας λέγει καὶ θεμελίους τῆς ἁγίας πόλεως τῆς ἐκκλησίας· ὧν τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐμμένειν, τὰς βεβήλους κενοφωνίας τῆς ψευδωνύμου τῶν αἱρετικῶν γνώσεως ἐκτρεπομένους· χάριτι Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἡμετέρου καθηγητοῦ καὶ ἀρχιποίμενος· ὧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας ἀμήν#556 Λόγος δωδέκατοσ ἔτι περὶ τῆς πόλεως τῆς ἁγίας τῆς ἐπουρανίου Ἱερουσαλὴμ λόγος ἐστὶ τῷ θεσπεσίῳ εὐαγγελιστῇ, μεγέθους τε αὐτῆς καὶ μέτρου καὶ κόσμου καὶ τῆς ἄλλης θέσεως. καί φησι καὶ ὁ λαλῶν μετ' ἐμοῦ εἶχε μέτρον κάλαμον χρυσοῦν, ἵνα μετρήσῃ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τοὺς πυλῶνας αὐτῆς καὶ τὸ τεῖχος 240 αὐτῆς. καὶ ἡ πόλις τετράγωνος κεῖται, καὶ τὸ μῆκος αὐτῆς, ὅσον τὸ πλάτος, καὶ τὸ ὕψος αὐτῆς ἶσα ἐστίν. καὶ ἐμέτρησε τὴν πόλιν τῷ καλάμῳ ἐπὶ σταδίων δώδεκα χιλιάδων· τὸ μῆκος καὶ τὸ πλάτος καὶ τὸ ὕψος αὐτῆς ἶσα ἐστίν. καὶ ἐμέτρησε τὸ τεῖχος αὐτῆς ἑκατὸν ˉμˉδ πηχῶν ἀνθρώπου, ὅ ἐστιν ἀγγέλου. καὶ ἡ ἐνδόμησις τοῦ τείχους αὐτῆς ἴασπις· καὶ ἡ πόλις χρυσίον καθαρὸν ὅμοιον ὑάλῳ καθαρῷ· καὶ οἱ θεμέλιοι τοῦ τείχους αὐτῆς τῆς πόλεως παντὶ λίθῳ τιμίῳ κεκόσμηται· ὁ θεμέλιος ὁ πρῶτος ἴασπις, ὁ δεύτερος σάπφειρος, ὁ τρίτος καρχηδών, ὁ τέταρτος σμάραγδος, ὁ πέμπτος σαρδόνυξ, ὁ ἔκτος σαρδίων, ὁ ἕβδομος χρυσόλιθος, ὁ ὄγδοος βήρυλλος, ὁ ἔνατος τοπάζιον, ὁ δέκατος χρυσόπρασος, ὁ