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Commentarius in Apocalypsin

Commentary on the revelation of the divine evangelist and theologian John, which was written by Oecumenius.

First Discourse and of the theologian John which was written by Oecumenius. First Discourse All scripture is God-breathed and profitable, says a certain sacred oracle. For in the Spirit all who preached to us the word of salvation were made wise, both prophets and apostles and evangelists. But the divine John is holier than all preachers and more spiritual than any spiritual man, as having reclined upon the breast of the Lord, and through his affections having drawn a more abundant grace of the Spirit; whence he was also called a son of thunder. For he thundered under heaven with his divine teachings. And as for his present treatise, inasmuch as it is about subtle and polished mysteries, one might rightly consider it most mystical. For he speaks not only of things present to us, but also of things past and future. For this is the property of a complete prophecy, to treat of the three times; for even the pagans introduce their seers as knowing things that are, things that will be, and things that were before, having been conceived, as I think, in imitation of our prophets. For their oracle-mongers never had knowledge of all things, since not even the demons working in them have compelled the one attempting to interpret spiritual things, 30 to be both spiritual and wise in divine things, since also, according to the divine apostle, we must compare spiritual things with spiritual. But I am so far removed from the energy of the Spirit, as I am also from the divine and highest wisdom; for which reason I have made the attempt rashly rather than safely; for "into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter; nor dwell in the body that is subject unto sin," as it seems to Solomon and to the truth. Therefore I have chosen a certain exercise, exposing my own inconsiderateness in it. It is not unknown, however, that some have attempted to say concerning the present writing, that it is both spurious and not in harmony with the other writings of John. But I, from the things said themselves being profitable for the soul and having nothing that is not divine and worthy of the author, testify to its genuineness and from the fact that approved fathers both received and sanctioned it, Athanasius the great in his exposition of the canonical books of the Old and New, the divine Basil, in his brief inquiry Concerning the Son, Gregory the Theologian, in his oration on the Presence of the Bishops, the most wise Methodius, in his discourse On the Resurrection, Cyril the great in deed and word in the sixth book of his Treatise In Spirit and in Truth; and besides these, the divine Hippolytus in his Commentary on Daniel. For it would not have been mentioned by such exact fathers, if there were anything at all spurious and rejectable in it. It would be possible also to cite others of the saints who sanction the writing, if I did not know that moderation is esteemed by the right-minded. For if a threefold cord is not quickly broken, according to the Preacher, much less would a six-fold one be broken. What then does the sacred disciple of Christ, 31 boasting in his divine love, say to us through the revelation? For we must now proceed to the divine oracles themselves, having called upon his intercessions for help: The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. And he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, as much as he saw. In the preface it is good to note that in

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Commentarius in Apocalypsin

̔Ερμηνεία τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως τοῦ θεσπεσίου καὶ εὐαγγελιστοῦ καὶ θεολόγου Ἰωάννου ἡ συγγραφεῖσα παρὰ Οἰκουμενίον.

Λόγος πρῶτοσ καὶ θεολόγου Ἰωάννου ἡ συγγραφεῖσα παρὰ Οἰκουμενίον. Λόγος πρῶτοσ Πάσα γραφὴ θεόπνευστος καὶ ὠφέλιμος ἔφη που λόγιον ἱερόν. ἐν πνεύματι γὰρ ἐσοφίσθησαν ἅπαντες οἱ κηρύξαντες ἡμῖν τὸν σωτήριον λόγον, προφῆταί τε καὶ ἀπόστολοι καὶ εὐαγγελισταί. ὁ δέ γε θεσπέσιος Ἰωάννης πάντων κηρύκων ἁγιώτερος καὶ παντὸς πνευματικοῦ πνευματικώτερος, ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος ἀναπεσὼν τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ διὰ τῶν φιλημάτων ἀρυσάμενος δαψιλεστέραν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν· ὅθεν καὶ υἱὸς ἐπεκλήθη βροντῆς. κατεκτύπησεν γὰρ †τὴν† ὑπ' οὐρανὸν ταῖς θείαις αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίαις. τὴν δέ γε παροῦσαν αὐτοῦ πραγματείαν ὅσῳ καὶ περὶ μυστηρίων ἰσχνῶν καὶ ἀποξεσμένων, ἔχει μυστικωτάτην δικαίως ὡς ἄν τις λογίσαιτο. οὐ γὰρ περὶ παρόντων ἡμῖν μόνον διαλέγεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ παρεληλυθότων καὶ μελλόντων πραγμάτων. τοῦτο γὰρ ἴδιον ἐντελοῦς προφητείας περὶ τῶν τριῶν διαλαμβάνειν καιρῶν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἔξωθεν εἰσφέρουσιν τοὺς μάντεις τοὺς παρ' αὐτοῖς εἰδότας τά τ' ἐόντα, τά τ' ἐσσόμενα, πρό τ' ἐόντα ἐν περινοίᾳ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν, ὡς οἶμαι, προφητῶν γεγενημένοι. οὐ γὰρ οἱ παρ' αὐτοῖς χρησμολόγοι τὴν ἁπάντων γνῶσιν ἔσχον ποτέ, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ οἱ ἐνεργοῦντες ἐν αὐτοῖς δαίμονες ἐπηνάγκασαν τὸν τὰ πνευματικὰ διερμηνεύειν ἐπιχειροῦντα, 30 πνευματικόν τε εἶναι καὶ τὰ θεῖα σοφόν, ἐπεὶ καὶ πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ συγκρίνειν κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον. ἐγὼ δὲ τοσοῦτον πόρρω καθέστηκα πνεύματος ἐνεργείας, ὅσῳ καὶ τὴς θείας καὶ ἀνωτάτω σοφίας· διὸ προπετῆ μᾶλλον ἢ ἀσφαλῆ πεποίημαι τὴν ἐγχείρησιν· εἰς γὰρ κακότεχνον ψυχήν, οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία, οὐδὲ οἰκεῖ ἐν σώματι κατάχρεως ἁμαρτίαις, ὡς Σολομῶντι καὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ δοκεῖ. γυμνασίαν οὖν τινα προειλόμην τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἀπερίσκεπτον ἐν αὐτῇ διελέγχων. οὐκ ἠγνόηται δέ, ὥς τινες περὶ τοῦ παρόντος συγγράμματος ἐπειράσθησαν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι νόθον τέ ἐστι καὶ ἀσύντακτον ταῖς λοιπαῖς τοῦ Ἰωάννου συγγραφαῖς. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν εἰρημένων ψυχωφελῶν τυγχανόντων καὶ οὐδὲν ἐχόντων ὅτι μὴ θεῖον καὶ τοῦ συγγραφέως ἐπάξιον, τὸ γνήσιον αὐτῷ μαρτυρῶ καὶ ἐξ ὧν ἔγκριτοι πατέρες ἐδέξαντό τε αὐτὸ καὶ ἐκύρωσαν, Ἀθανάσιος μὲν ὁ πάμμεγας ἐν τῇ ἐκθέσει τῶν κανονιζομένων βιβλίων τῆς παλαιᾶς τε καὶ νέας, Βασίλειος δὲ ὁ θεσπέσιος, ἐν τῇ Περὶ Υἱοῦ συντόμῳ ζητήσει, Γρηγόριος δὲ ὁ θεολόγος, ἐν τῷ εἰς τὴν τῶν Ἐπισκόπων Παρουσίαν λόγῳ, Μεθόδιος δὲ ὁ σοφώτατος, ἐν τῷ Περὶ Ἀναστάσεως λόγῳ, Κύριλλος δὲ ὁ μέγας ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ ἐν βιβλίῳ ἕκτῳ τῆς Ἐν Πνεύματι καὶ Ἀληθείᾳ Πραγματείας· πρὸς τούτοις καὶ Ἱππόλιτος ὁ θεσπέσιος ἐν τῇ Ἑρμηνείᾳ τοῦ ∆ανιήλ. οὐ γὰρ ἂν μνήμης παρὰ τοῖς οὕτως ἀκριβέσι τετύχηκε πατράσιν, εἴ τι ὅλως ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ νόθον καὶ ἀπόβλητον. ἦν δὲ καὶ ἄλλους παραθέσθαι τῶν ἁγίων κυροῦντας τὸ σύγγραμμα, εἰ μὴ τὸ μέτριον ἐγίνωσκον τοῖς εὖ φρονοῦσι σπουδαζόμενον. εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἔντριτον σπαρτίον οὐ ταχέως ἀπορραγήσεται κατὰ τὸν ἐκκλησιαστὴν, σχολῇ γ' ἂν ἀπορραγείη τὸ ἑξάπλοκον· τι οὖν ἡμῖν διὰ τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως ὁ ἱερὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθη 31 τής, καὶ τὴν θείαν αὐχῶν ἀγάπην διαλέγεται; ἰστέον γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτὰ λοιπὸν τὰ θεσπέσια λόγια, τὰς αὐτοῦ πρεσβείας εἰς βοήθειαν καλεσάσας· ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἣν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός, δεῖξαι τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τάχει· καὶ ἐσήμανεν ἀποστείλας διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου αὐτοῦ τῷ δούλῳ αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννῃ, ὃς ἐμαρτύρησε τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὅσα εἶδεν. ἐν προοιμίοις καλὸν ἐπισημήνασθαι, ὅτι ἐν