Oecumenius, Commentary on Apocalypse

to the saints, so as to add 249 honor to honor and that they may never lack divine influence. And the leaves, he says, of the tree are for the healing of the nations. The leaves of life are those who are dependent on Christ and who hold to him: patriarchs, prophets, apostles, evangelists, martyrs and confessors, and the ministers of the gospel from time to time and the shepherds of the church, and every righteous soul; who even now heal souls, and will be an addition of good things for the saints. And a curse, he says, there shall be no more. For now, even if one strongly flees curses, we are nevertheless entangled in them, with countless pretexts arising for us, both in knowledge and in ignorance; but then the saints will be pure and unmixed from every stain of the soul, as also of the body. And there will be, he says, in the city the kingdom of God. For this is the throne. And the saints, he says, will serve him with a service that is not toilsome, but with pleasure and spiritual gladness. And this will be from seeing his face; for they shall see, he says, his face; and they will see it insofar as is possible for human nature and his name, he says, will be upon their foreheads. This saying hints at the unceasing memory and presence of God. For as God is placed upon and written on them, so he will always be present with the saints. And it is clear also from what Paul said: and so we shall always be with the Lord. And night, he says, there is not, so that the saints have need of solar light or lamp 250 light, for the divine light makes the illumination unceasing. And the saints will reign, clearly forever. The most wise Daniel bears witness to these things, saying, And the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and shall possess it for ever and ever. And he said to me: These words are faithful and true, and the Lord of the spirits of the prophets has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place; Behold, we are coming quickly; blessed are those who keep the words of the prophecy of this book. And John hearing and seeing these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he says: See that you do not; I am your fellow servant and of your brothers and of the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book; worship God. These words, he says, are faithful, that is, true. And the Lord of the spirits of the prophets. Spirits of prophets, he says, means the prophetic gifts, according to what was said by the most wise Paul. And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets, and to the divine prophet Isaiah: because of your fear, O Lord, we have conceived in the womb and have been in travail; and we have brought forth the spirit of your salvation, which you have wrought upon the earth. To show, he says, to his servants what must soon take place. For through John and his writings, all have learned the things 251 that were seen by him. And he well said: soon; for all time is short, as has been said before, even if it seems to be very great, when compared to the future endless ages. For this very reason he also added, Behold, we are coming (sic) quickly; blessed are those who keep these of this prophecy. For those who keep them are eager not to fall into the punishments mentioned in it, through a God-loving life. And when, he says, I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel. These things are interpreted in what has gone before, where we also showed that the doctrines of the godless Greeks concerning their national founders have nothing in common with the most pure doctrines of the church. And he says to me: Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong, and let the filthy be filthy still, and let the righteous do righteousness still, and let the holy be holy still. Behold, I am coming quickly, quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to each one as his work will be. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that their authority may be over the tree

ἁγίοις, ὡς φιλοτιμίαν ἐπικαταλαμ 249 βάνειν τῇ φιλοτιμίᾳ καὶ μήποτε αὐτοὺς λείπεσθαι θείας ἐπιρροῆς. καὶ τὰ φύλλα φησὶ τοῦ ξύλου εἰς θεραπείαν τῶν ἐθνῶν. φύλλα τῆς ζωῆς οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀπηρτημένοι καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐχόμενοι πατριάρχαι, προφῆται, ἀπόστολοι, εὐαγγελισταί, μάρτυρές τε καὶ ὁμολογηταί, καὶ οἱ κατὰ καιροὺς ἱερουργοὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ποιμένες, καὶ πᾶσα ψυχὴ δικαία· οἵτινες καὶ νῦν ἰῶνται τὰς ψυχάς, καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις ἔσονται τῶν ἀγαθῶν προσθήκη. καὶ κατάθεμά φησι οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι. νῦν μὲν γὰρ κἂν σφόδρα φεύγῃ τὰ ἀναθέματα, ὅμως ἐν αὐτοῖς καλινδούμεθα, μυρίων ἡμῖν προφάσεων ἀναφυομένων ἐν εἰδήσει τέ γε καὶ ἀγνοίᾳ· τότε δέ γε πάσης ἔσονται ψυχικῆς κηλίδος, ὥσπερ καὶ σωματικῆς, οἱ ἅγιοι καθαροί τε καὶ ἀμιγεῖς. καὶ ἔσται φησὶν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ. αὕτη γὰρ ὁ θρόνος. καὶ λατρεύσουσιν αὐτῷ φησιν οἱ ἅγιοι λατρείαν οὐκ ἐπίπονον, ἀλλὰ τὴν μεθ' ἡδονῆς καὶ εὐφροσύνης πνευματικῆς. τοῦτο δὲ ἔσται ἐκ τοῦ ὁρᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ· καὶ ὄψονται γάρ φησι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ· ὄψονται δὲ καθ' ὅσον ἐφικτὸν ἀνθρώπου φύσει καὶ τὸ ὄνομά φησιν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν. τὴν ἀδιάλειπτον μνήμην καὶ συνουσίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ παρὸν αἰνίττεται ῥητόν. ὡς γὰρ ἐπικείμενος καὶ ἐγγεγραμμένος αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεός, οὕτως ἀεὶ συμπαρέσται τοῖς ἁγίοις. καὶ δῆλον, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ὁ Παῦλος ἔφη· καὶ πάντοτε σὺν Κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα. νὺξ δέ φησιν, οὐκ ἔστιν, ὡς ἐν χρείᾳ γενέσθαι τοὺς ἁγίους φωτισμοῦ ἡλιακοῦ ἢ λυχ 250 νιαίου, τοῦ θείου φωτὸς ἀδιάλειπτον ποιουμένου τὸν φωτισμόν. καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν οἱ ἅγιοι, δηλονότι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ταῦτα δὴ ὁ σοφώτατος ∆ανιὴλ ἐπιμαρτύρεται, λέγων καὶ παραλήψονται τὴν βασιλείαν ἅγιοι ὑψίστου, καὶ καθέξουσιν αὐτὴν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος τῶν αἰώνων. καὶ εἶπέ μοι· οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι πιστοὶ καὶ ἀληθινοί, καὶ ὁ Κύριος τῶν πνευμάτων τῶν προφητῶν, ἀπέστειλε τὸν ἄγγε λον αὐτοῦ δεῖξαι τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τάχει· ἰδοὺ ἐρχόμεθα ταχύ· μακάριοι οἱ τηροῦντες τοὺς λόγους τῆς προφητείας τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου. καὶ Ἰωάννης ἀκούων καὶ βλέπων ταῦτα. καὶ ὅτε ἤκουσα καὶ ἔβλεπον, ἔπεσον προσκυνῆσαι ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ποδῶν τοῦ ἀγγέλου τοῦ δεικνῦν τός μοι ταῦτα. καὶ λέγει· ὅρα μή· σύνδουλός σου εἰμὶ καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν καὶ τῶν τηρούντων τοὺς λόγους τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου· τῷ Θεῷ προσκύνησον. οὗτοί φησιν οἱ λόγοι πιστοί, τουτέστιν ἀληθεῖς. καὶ ὁ Κύριος τῶν πνευμάτων τῶν προφητῶν. πνεύματά φησι προφητῶν τὰ προφητικὰ χαρίσματα κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον τῷ σοφωτάτῳ Παύλῳ. καὶ πνεύματα προφητῶν προφήταις ὑποτάσσεσθαι, καὶ τῷ θεσπεσίῳ προφήτῃ Ἡσαΐᾳ· διὰ τὸν φόβον σου, Κύριε, ἐν γαστρὶ ἐλάβομεν καὶ ὠδινήσαμεν· καὶ ἐτέκομεν πνεῦμα σωτηρίας σου, ὃ ἐποίησας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. δεῖξαί φησι τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τάχει. διὰ γὰρ μέσου τοῦ Ἰωάννου καὶ τῶν συγγραμμάτων αὐτοῦ πάντες τὰ 251 ὀφθέντα αὐτῷ μεμαθήκασι. καλῶς δὲ ἔφη τό· ἐν τάχει· πᾶς γὰρ χρόνος μικρός, ὡς καὶ πρότερον εἴρηται, κἂν ὅτι μάλιστα μέγας τις εἶναι δοκῇ, συγκρινόμενος πρὸς τοὺς μέλλοντας ἀτελευτήτους αἰῶνας. διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ἐπήγαγε ἰδοὺ ἐρχόμεθα (σιξ) ταχύ· μακάριοι οἱ τηροῦντες τούτους τῆς προφητείας ταύτης. οἱ γὰρ φυλάττοντες σπουδάζουσι μὴ περιπεσεῖν ταῖς εἰρημέναις αὐτῇ κολάσεσι διὰ βίου θεοφιλοῦς. καὶ ὅτε φησὶν ἤκουσα καὶ ἔβλεπον, ἔπεσα προσκυνῆσαι ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ποδῶν τοῦ ἀγγέλου. ταῦτα ἐν τοῖς φθάσασιν ἡρμηνεύεται, ὅτε καὶ ἀπεδείξαμεν τῶν ἀθέων Ἑλλήνων τὰ δόγματα περὶ τῶν παρὰ σφίσιν ἐθνάρχων μηδὲν κοινὸν ἔχοντα τοῖς καθαρωτάτοις τῆς ἐκκλησίας δόγμασι. καὶ λέγει μοι· μὴ σφραγίσῃς τοὺς λόγους τῆς προφητείας τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου, ὁ καιρὸς γὰρ ἐγγύς ἐστιν. ὁ ἀδικῶν ἀδικησάτω ἔτι, καὶ ὁ ῥυπαρὸς ῥυπαρευθήτω ἔτι, καὶ ὁ δίκαιος δικαιοσύνην ποιησάτω ἔτι, καὶ ὁ ἅγιος ἁγιασθήτω ἔτι. ἰδοὺ ἔρχομαι ταχὺ ταχύ, καὶ ὁ μισθός μου μετ' ἐμοῦ, ἀποδοῦναι ἑκάστῳ ὡς τὸ ἔργον ἔσται αὐτοῦ. ἐγὼ τὸ ˉα καὶ τὸ ˉω, πρῶτος καὶ ἔσχατος, ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος. μακάριοι οἱ πλύνοντες τὰς στο λὰς αὐτῶν, ἵνα ἔσται ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον