Oecumenius, Commentary on Apocalypse

of her light; and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into her; and her gates shall not be shut by day; for there shall be no night there. And the city, he says, has no need of the sun. for they enjoy the divine and intelligible light. For in the then cessation of intelligible things the saints perceive there is no need of perceptible light. But the nations, he says, will walk by means of her light. not only the nations, but also the saints who believed from Israel. But since those from the nations are many times more, from the greater part he indicated both these and those. And the kings of the earth bring their glory and their honor into her. He calls all the saints kings of the earth, concerning whom it is written, in distinguishing the heavenly one, kings upon it, they will be snow-white in Selmon, as has also been said before. These therefore still have what is glorious and honorable. But he says: the boasts of virtue they will dedicate to that holy city, as he said that the good things of virtue live together with the saints. And her gates, he says, shall not be shut by day. The meaning is twofold; for either he says this, that there will be peace and fearlessness, so that there will be no need to keep watch over the city or to ever close the doors, or to secure them with bars, or that the apostolic teachings, for we have called the apostles gates, for not even there will they be silent, but the apostles will also be there, teachers of new 247 and more divine doctrines to the saints; for being of the day and sons of light, the righteous will delight in the divine and illuminating praises and mysteries, it being always day about them and a light of divine radiance. For night, he says, will not be there. For if the divine radiance were ever interrupted, then there would be night; but if it is impious to say this, with the divine light working without interruption, how will there be night for the saints? And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. And there shall in no way enter into it anything common, and that which makes an abomination and a lie, except those who are written in the book of life of the Lamb. And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the midst of its street; and on this side and that side of the river, a tree of life, producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him; and they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads; and there shall be no night there, and they shall not need the light of a lamp and the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever; amen. 248 the glory and honor of the nations, which is brought into the holy city, he spoke periphrastically of those among the nations who were well-pleasing and had done things worthy of life; for these will be brought into the heavenly Jerusalem and will live together with the saints in it. And he says nothing common and that which makes an abomination shall enter into it, except those written in the book of life. For what communion has light with darkness, or a sinner with the righteous of God? whom also the Lord has delivered to us in the Gospels as being separated by a great chasm. And he showed me, he says, a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb in the midst of the street of the city. The river of life would be the abundant and rich gifts of Christ, which are poured out unceasingly upon the saints, so as to be carried to them and flow upon them like a river. And of the river, he says, on this side and that, a fruitful tree of life, bearing fruit every month. The Lord is the tree of life, according to what is written by the proverb-writer concerning wisdom; it is, he says, a tree of life to all who lay hold of her. But the wise Paul has delivered to us Christ as the power of God and the wisdom of God. And he says that not only are the saints rich in the gifts of Christ, but they also have him dwelling in them and living with them; which is the chief point of the highest blessedness. And the tree of life, Christ, brings to fruition continuous and uninterrupted fruits and gifts to the

τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτῆς· καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς φέρουσι τὴν δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν αὐτῶν εἰς αὐτήν· καὶ οἱ πυ λῶνες αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ κλεισθῶσιν ἡμέρας· νὺξ γὰρ οὐκ ἔσται ἐκεῖ. καὶ ἡ πόλις φησὶν οὐ χρείαν ἔχει τοῦ ἡλίου. τοῖς γὰρ τοῦ θείου καὶ νοητοῦ φωτὸς ἀπολαύουσιν. ἐπαισθάνονται γὰρ ἐν τῇ τότε λήξει τῶν νοητῶν οἱ ἅγιοι οὐ χρεία αἰσθητοῦ φωτός. τὰ δὲ ἔθνη φησὶ περιπατήσουσι διὰ τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτῆς. οὐ τὰ ἔθνη μόνα, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ πιστεύσαντες ἅγιοι. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πολλαπλασίους οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν, ἐκ τοῦ πλείονος τούτους τε κἀκείνους ἐδήλωσε. καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς φέρουσι τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν αὐτῶν εἰς αὐτήν. βασιλέας γῆς πάντας φησὶ τοὺς ἁγίους, περὶ ὧν γέγραπται ἐν τῷ διαστέλλειν τὸν ἐπουράνιον βασιλεῖς ἐπ' αὐτῆς, χιονωθήσονται ἐν Σελμῶν, καθὼς καὶ πρόσθεν εἴρηται. οὗτοι οὖν ἔτι ἔνδοξον καὶ ἔντιμον ἔχουσι. λέγει δέ· τὰ ἐξ ἀρετῆς αὐχήματα ἀναθήσουσιν εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκείνην πόλιν, ὡς εἶπε συμβιοτεύειν τοῖς ἁγίοις τὰ ἐξ ἀρετῆς ἀγαθά. καὶ οἱ πυλῶνές φησιν αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ κλεισθῶσιν ἡμέρας. δισσὸν τὸ νόημα· ἢ γὰρ τοῦτο λέγει ὅτι εἰρήνη ἔσται καὶ ἀφοβία, ὡς μὴ δεῖσθαι φυλακὴν ποιεῖσθαι τῆς πόλεως ἢ τὰς θύρας κλείειν ποτέ, ἢ μοχλοῖς ἀσφαλίζεσθαι, ἢ ὅτι τὰ ἀποστολικὰ διδάγματα, πύλας γὰρ τοὺς ἀποστόλους εἰρήκαμεν, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖ σιωπήσουσιν, ἀλλ' ἔσονται καὶ ἐκεῖ οἱ ἀπόστολοι, καινῶν 247 δογμάτων καὶ θειοτέρων τοῖς ἁγίοις διδάσκαλοι· ἡμέρας γὰρ ὄντες καὶ φωτὸς υἱοὶ οἱ δίκαιοι, ταῖς θείαις καὶ φωτιστικαῖς ἐντρυφήσουσιν αἰνέσεσι καὶ μυστηρίοις, ἡμέρας οὔσης ἀεὶ περὶ αὐτοὺς καὶ φωτὸς θείας ἐλλάμψεως. νὺξ γάρ φησιν οὐκ ἔσται ἐκεῖ. εἰ μὲν γὰρ διεκόπτετό ποτε ἡ θεία ἔλλαμψις, ἦν ἄρα καὶ νύξ· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν ἀσεβές, ἀδιακόπως τοῦ θείου φωτὸς ἐνεργοῦντος, πῶς νὺξ τοῖς ἁγίοις γενήσεται; καὶ οἴσουσι τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰς αὐτήν. καὶ οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθῃ εἰς αὐτὴν πᾶν κοινὸν καὶ ποιοῦν βδέ λυγμα καὶ ψεῦδος, εἰ μὴ οἱ γεγραμμένοι ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου. καὶ ἔδειξέ μοι ποταμὸν ὕδατος ζωῆς, λαμπρὸν ὡς κρύσταλλον, ἐκπορευόμενον ἐκ τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀρνίου ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πλατείας αὐτῆς· καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ξύλον ζωῆς ποιοῦν καρποὺς ˉιˉβ, κατὰ μῆνα ἕκαστον ἀποδιδοῦν τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὰ φύλλα τοῦ ξύλου εἰς θεραπείαν ἐθνῶν. καὶ πᾶν κατά θεμα οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι· καὶ ὁ θρόνος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀρνίου ἐν αὐτῇ ἔσται, καὶ οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ λατρεύσουσιν αὐτῷ· καὶ ὄψονται τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτοῦ· καὶ νὺξ οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι, καὶ οὐχ ἕξουσι χρείαν φωτὸς λύχνου καὶ φωτὸς ἡλίου, ὅτι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς φωτιεῖ αὐτούς, καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν. 248 δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν, τὴν εἰσκομιζομένην εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν κατὰ περίφρασιν εἶπε τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐδοκιμηκότας καὶ ἄξια ζωῆς πεπραχότας· οὗτοι γὰρ εἰσενεχθήσονται εἰς τὴν ἐπουράνιον Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ συμβιοτεύσουσι τοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ ἁγίοις. καὶ οὐ μή φησιν εἰσέλθῃ εἰς αὐτὴν πᾶν κοινὸν καὶ ποιοῦν βδέλυγμα, εἰ μὴ οἱ ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τῆς ζωῆς γεγραμμένοι. τίς γὰρ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος, ἢ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετὰ τῶν δικαίων τοῦ Θεοῦ; οὓς καὶ διείργεσθαι χάσματι μεγάλῳ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῖν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις παρέδωκεν. καὶ ἔδειξέ μοί φησι ποταμὸν ὕδατος ζωῆς λαμπρὸν ὡς κρύσταλλον, ἐκ τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀρνίου ἐκπορευόμενον ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πλατείας τῆς πόλεως. ποταμὸς ζωῆς εἴη ἂν τὰ δαψιλῆ καὶ πλούσια τοῦ Χριστοῦ χαρίσματα, ἅτινα ἀεννάως εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους κέχυται, ὡς δίκην ποταμοῦ φέρεσθαι εἰς αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐπιρρεῖν. καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ φησιν ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ξύλον ζωῆς ἔγκαρπον, κατὰ μῆνα καρποτοκοῦν. ξύλον ζωῆς ὁ Κύριος κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον τῷ παροιμιαστῇ περὶ τῆς σοφίας· ξύλον φησὶ ζωῆς ἐστι πᾶσι τοῖς ἀντεχομένοις αὐτῆς. Χριστὸν δὲ Θεοῦ δύναμιν καὶ Θεοῦ σοφίαν ὁ σοφὸς ἡμῖν παρέδωκε Παῦλος. λέγει δὲ ὅτι οὐ μόνον οἱ ἅγιοι τοῖς Χριστοῦ πλουτοῦσι χαρίσμασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἐνοικοῦντα ἔχουσι καὶ συνοικοῦντα· ὅπερ τῆς ὑπερτάτης μακαριότητός ἐστι τὸ κεφάλαιον. συνεχεῖς δὲ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς, ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ ἀδιακόπους τελεσφορεῖ καρποὺς καὶ δωρεὰς τοῖς