Oecumenius, Commentary on Apocalypse

the oracle of judgment, which was suspended from the ephod by a varied weaving. And the form of the oracle was a doubled cloth, a span long and square, in which twelve stones were set in four rows by the name of the sons of Israel; some of which stones are also placed here in the foundations of the wall, but some are placed as cornerstones and not arranged among those. For there are set in the oracle of judgments eight stones corresponding to the foundations here, jasper; sapphire; emerald; sardius; chrysolite; beryl; topaz; amethyst; but four of the stones in the foundations are not counted with those in the oracle of judgment. And they are these, chalcedony; 244 sardonyx; chrysoprase; jacinth. And the gates of the city, which we have understood as the apostles themselves, were each from a single pearl. So that the pearl is now newly placed, it not being counted with the stones of the oracle, and it is possible to see those newly named as much more precious than those set in the oracle in the old [covenant]; by which it is signified that the holy apostles both have knowledge of the old testament and take delight in the commands established in itwherefore the wise apostle also said, as to the righteousness which is in the law, having become blamelessand that they have also taken delight in the commandments of the new [covenant], and have been enriched in its knowledge, which was much clearer and, as it were, more precious than the knowledge in the old [covenant], since the things in the law were a shadow, but the things in the new [covenant] are truth, for this is what is signified by the commingled placement of both the old and the new precious stones in the foundations of the city, which, as has been said, they ascribe to the apostles. And this is what the Lord said in the Gospels: Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old. And he says the gates of the city were, which again in what came before we have understood as the apostles, each from a single pearl, signifying their preciousness and purity and brilliance. And the street of the city, he says, was pure gold, like clear glass. It has been said that the gold and the purity and transparency of the glass show forth the preciousness and the purity of the life of the saints. And I saw no temple in it, he says; for the Lord God, the 245 Almighty, is its temple, and the Lamb. For what need is there of a temple when He is present and, in a manner, living with the saints of God and seen face to face as far as is possible? For the divine apostle has called the knowledge of God in the present through a mirror and in a riddle; but that in the future, face to face. But one might reasonably ask, for what reason? He mentioned God the Almighty, both the Father of the Lord and the Lamb, the Son of God, but no longer also the Holy Spirit? To whom it must be said: By saying, O you, the Lord and God, He named the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit—for these are God—and further, by saying the Lord God the Almighty, He signified the Holy Trinity by the three names. But someone might also ask this: why then, having mentioned the venerable Trinity by saying for the Lord God the Almighty is its temple, does he enumerate for us separately the Lamb, who is Christ, so that we no longer think of a Trinity? May it not be, I would say to him. For we are not so taught, but mention is made of both the Holy Trinity and of the Lamb, the word signifying that He who was incarnate is one of the Holy Trinity, and that with the flesh the Son completes the Holy Trinity and is not now in heaven without flesh. For He signified the incarnate Son periphrastically both through ‘God,’ who is the Son, and through ‘the Lamb,’ who is again the same Christ incarnate, consubstantial with us and animated with a rational soul; with which flesh the Word is united hypostatically. 246 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. And the nations will walk by

λόγιον τῆς κρίσεως, ὅπερ τῇ ἐπωμίδι διὰ πλέγματος ποικίλου ἐπηορτεῖτο. ἦν δὲ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ λογίου φᾶρος διπλοῦν, σπιθαμιαῖον τε καὶ τετράγωνον, ἐν ᾧ λίθοι δώδεκα τέτρασι στίχοις ἐξ ὀνόματος τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἐνέκειντο· ὧν λίθων τινὲς μὲν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τέθεινται ἐν τοῖς τοῦ τείχους θεμελίοις, τινὲς δὲ γωνιαῖοι καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἐκείνοις τεταγμένοι τέθεινται. κεῖνται μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ λογίῳ τῶν κρίσεων ἐμφερεῖς εἰς τοὺς ἐνταῦθα θεμελίους λίθοι ὀκτώ, ἴασπις· σάπφειρος· σμάραγδος· σαρδίον· χρυσόλιθος· βηρύλλιον· τοπάζιον· ἀμέθυσος· τέσσαρες δέ γε τῶν ἐν τοῖς θεμελίοις λίθων οὐ συνηρίθμηνται τοῖς ἐν τῷ λογίῳ τῆς κρίσεως. εἰσὶ δὲ οἵδε, καρχηδών· 244 σαρδόνυξ χρυσόπρασος· ὑάκινθος. ἦσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ πυλῶνες τῆς πόλεως, οὓς καὶ αὐτοὺς εἰς τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐδεξάμεθα, ἕκαστος ἀπὸ μαργαρίτου ἑνός. ὥστε καὶ ὁ μαργαρίτης νέος νῦν τέθειται, οὔτε αὐτὸς συνηριθμημένος τοῖς λίθοις τοῦ λογίου, ὁρᾶν δὲ ἔξεστι πολυτιμοτέρους μᾶλλον τοὺς νεωστὶ ὠνομασμένους παρὰ τοὺς ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ ἐν τῷ λογίῳ κειμένους· δι' ὧν σημαίνεται τοὺς ἁγίους ἀποστόλους γνῶσίν τε ἔχειν τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθηκῆς καὶ εὐδοκιμεῖν τοῖς ἐν ἐκείνῃ νενομισμένοις προστάγμασιδιὸ καὶ ὁ σοφὸς ἔλεγεν ἀπόστολος κατὰ τὴν δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ γενόμενος ἄμεμπτοςηὐδοκιμηκέναι δὲ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τῆς νέας, καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτῆς πεπλουτηκέναι, ἥτις πολὺ σαφεστέρα καὶ οἷον τιμιωτέρα τῆς ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ γνώσεως ὑπῆρξεν, εἴπερ τὰ μὲν ἐν νόμῳ σκιὰ τίς ἦν, ἀλήθεια δὲ τὰ ἐν τῇ νέᾳ, τοῦτο γὰρ αἰνίττονται ἀναμὶξ κείμεναι αἵ τε τῆς παλαιᾶς καὶ αἱ νέαι τίμιαι λίθοι ἐν τοῖς τῆς πόλεως θεμελίοις, οἵτινες, ὡς εἴρηται, τοῖς ἀποστόλοις γράφουσιν. καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι ὅπερ ἔλεγεν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Κύριος διὰ τοῦτο πᾶς γραμματεὺς μαθητευθεὶς τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν ὅμοιός ἐστιν ἀνθρώπῳ οἰκοδεσπότῃ, ὅστις ἐκβάλλει ἐκ τοῦ θησαυροῦ αὐτοῦ καινὰ καὶ παλαιά. ἦσαν δέ φησι καὶ οἱ πυλῶνες τῆς πόλεως, οὓς πάλιν ἐν τοῖς φθάσασι τοὺς ἀποστόλους νενοήκαμεν, ἕκαστος ἀπὸ ἑνὸς μαργαρίτου, τὸ τίμιον αὐτῶν καὶ καθαρὸν καὶ λαμπρὸν αἰνιττόμενοι. καὶ ἡ πλατεία φησὶ τῆς πόλεως χρυσίον καθαρὸν ὡς ὕαλος καθαρός. εἴρηται ὅτι ὁ χρυσὸς καὶ τὸ τῆς ὑάλου καθαρὸν καὶ διαφανὲς τῆς τῶν ἁγίων ζωῆς παρεμφαίνουσι τὸ τίμιον καὶ διεσμηγμένον. καὶ ναόν φησιν οὐκ εἶδον ἐν αὐτῇ· ὁ γὰρ Κύριος ὁ Θεός, ὁ 245 παντοκράτωρ, ναός ἐστιν αὐτῆς καὶ τὸ ἀρνίον. τίς γὰρ χρεία ναοῦ συνόντος καὶ τρόπον τινὰ συμβιοτεύοντος τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ πρόσωπον ὁρωμένου καθ' ὅσον ἐφικτόν; τὴν μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ παρόντι γνῶσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ δι' ἐσόπτρου καὶ ἐν αἰνίγματι κέκληκεν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος· τὴν δέ γε ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον. εἰκότως δὲ ἄν τις ζητήσειεν, τί δήποτε; τοῦ μὲν Θεοῦ τοῦ παντοκράτορος ἐμνήσθη, τοῦ τε πατρὸς τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ τοῦ ἀρνίου, τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐκέτι δὲ καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ Ἁγίου; πρὸς ὃν λεκτέον· εἰπών, ὦ οὗτος, ὁ Κύριος καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἁγίον ὠνόμασε ταῦτα γὰρ ὁ Θεόςκαὶ ἔτι εἰπὼν ὁ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ, τὴν Ἁγίαν ἐσήμανε Τριάδα ταῖς τρισὶν ὀνομασίαις. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο ἄν τις προσερωτήσειεν· διὰ τί οὖν τῆς σεβασμίου μνησθεὶς τριάδος διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν ὁ γὰρ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ ναός ἐστιν αὐτῆς, ἔξωθεν ἡμῖν ἐπαριθμεῖ τὸ ἀρνίον, ὅ ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, ὥστε ἡμᾶς μηκέτι τριάδα νοεῖν; μὴ γένοιτο, φαίην ἂν αὐτῷ. οὐ γὰρ οὕτω διδασκόμεθα, ἀλλὰ μνήμη φέρεται τῆς τε Ἁγίας Τριάδος καὶ τοῦ ἀρνίου, σημαίνοντος τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι τε εἷς τῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδος ἐστὶν ὁ σαρκωθείς, καὶ ὅτι μετὰ σαρκὸς ὁ υἱὸς τὴν Ἁγίαν πληροῖ Τριάδα καὶ οὐ δίχα σαρκός ἐστι νῦν ἐν οὐρανῷ. τὸν γὰρ υἱὸν σεσαρκωμένον περιφραστικῶς ἐσήμανε διά τε τοῦ Θεοῦ ὅς ἐστιν ὁ υἱός, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀρνίου ὅς ἐστιν πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς Χριστὸς σεσαρκωμένος ἡμῖν ὁμοούσιος καὶ ἐμψυχωμένος νοερῶς· ᾗτινι σαρκὶ καθ' ὑπόστασιν ὁ λόγος ἥνωται. 246 καὶ ἡ πόλις οὐ χρείαν ἔχει τοῦ ἡλίου οὔτε τῆς σελήνης, ἵνα φωτίσωσιν αὐτήν, ἡ γὰρ δόξα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐφώτισεν αὐτήν, καὶ ὁ λύχνος αὐτῆς τὸ ἀρνίον. καὶ περιπατήσουσι τὰ ἔθνη διὰ