Chapter II.
(Vers. 1.)
(Verse 1.) And to the angel of the church in Ephesus write: Thus says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. By the right hand of God, the power of God can be designated in this place, by the stars the holy preachers. Therefore, the holy preachers are held by the hand of God; because they are governed and ruled by Him, and they are also joined together, as He himself speaks in the Gospel, saying: Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine; so neither can you, unless you abide in me (John 15:4). But in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, Christ walks, as he himself says by the prophet: I will dwell among them, and walk among them: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (Leviticus 26:12).
(Vers. 2.)
(Verse 2.) I know your works. Specifically, those works that you were doing before your love grew cold in you. And your labor and patience, that is, the persecutions that you endure patiently for my name's sake. And you cannot bear the wicked (Matthew 13). While the divine Scripture commands us to bear with the wicked, why is it praised here that you were not able to bear with the wicked? But it seems to me that this is said about heretics; for sometimes we must correct the evils of our neighbors by reproving them, at the opportune time, that is. And sometimes we must bear with them patiently, so that if correction does not reform them, patience may provoke them to reform. For there are some who do not know how to criticize their neighbors unless they are inflamed with anger. If any of them, having been moved not only by a great matter, but also by a small matter against their neighbor, carries anger in their heart until they see something in the actions of their neighbor that they can criticize: and then they become happy when they inflict the punishment of criticism on their neighbor. And if they see that this displeases someone, they say that they did this out of zeal for God. So I speak to you, who are such. Why do you seek to deceive him who considers the secrets of hearts? If you have the zeal of God in you, why do your eyes wander in different directions like the devil, desiring to see evil rather than good, desiring to see evil nearby that you may condemn, not good from which you may build? There are also many who, for even the smallest offenses, impatiently attack those from whom they have suffered some injury: but those whom they love, they not only do not condemn, even if they have gravely sinned; but they even defend them with all their strength. Oh unhappy friendship, which by remaining silent and defending, delivers the one whom it loves to the devil; but it drags away the one whom it is angry with by blaming him at the instigation of the devil! Therefore, that correction is just which comes from zeal for God and brotherly love, which is not offered for the sake of avenging anger, but for the sake of saving the soul of one's neighbor. However, because we have said these things briefly, let us return to what we have begun. Therefore, let us understand what is said by the Lord to the bishop of the church in Ephesus: Since you cannot endure evil, we should understand it concerning heretics; for every shepherd of the church should, as much as possible, avoid the company of heretics, lest by the occasion of familiarity their hearts be corrupted by the poison of their malice. For just as a quiet wolf among sheep cannot tear them apart, so too a heretic among the simple cannot. It follows: And you tested those who claim to be apostles and are not, and you found them to be liars. Some teachers, teaching evil things in the times of the apostles, claimed to be apostles themselves, so that they could more easily plant corrupt doctrine in the hearts of the listeners out of reverence for the name (2 Cor. 10:12). These are also condemned by the apostle Paul, and the Lord warns to beware of them in the Gospel when He says: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves (Matt. 7:15). Therefore, he proved these to be false and their teaching to be false.
(Vers. 3, 4.)
(Vers. 3, 4.) And you have patience, and have endured for my name, and have not grown weary: that is, your patience has appeared in this, that you have not grown weary in the labours which you have endured for my name. But I have something against you, that you have abandoned your first love. Many are those who, at the beginning of their conversion, are fervent in the service of God, but over time they grow lukewarm: which has clearly happened to this bishop of the Church of Ephesus.
(Vers. 5.)
(Verse 5) Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen. From where have you fallen? From charity: and if you have fallen from charity, you have fallen from God; because God is charity. And repent (John 4:16). Clearly, because of your dullness and laziness, you have been separated from charity. And do your first works: but if not, I will come to you quickly and will remove your candlestick out of its place unless you repent. If the candlestick signifies the church of Ephesus, why will the church lose its place because of the sin of its pastor, when the Scripture says: "The fathers shall not die for the children, nor shall the children die for their fathers: but every one shall die for his own sin" (Jeremiah 31:30)? But in this place it seems to me that the reward, which was due to him for pastoral care, is being designated, so that the meaning is: Unless you repent for leaving your first love, and do not return to your first works; so that what you preach with your mouth, you fulfill with your actions: I will withhold the reward that was due to you for pastoral care.
(Vers. 6.)
(Verse 6) But you have this (namely, that the candlestick should not be moved) because you hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. And the meaning is: Because you hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate, the reward that was owed to you for your pastoral care still remains with you. The Nicolaitans, however, were heretics, whom he said earlier that he could not bear.
(Vers. 7.)
(Rev. 7.) He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches. For to all who have ears, it says: He who has ears to hear, let him hear; it undoubtedly requires the ears of the heart. To the one who conquers, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of my God. There were two trees in the midst of the garden, one called the tree of life, and the other called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Their power was such that if anyone were to eat from the tree of life, they would not die forever; but if anyone were to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, even though they were immortal, they would immediately become mortal. (Gen. II, 27) Therefore, Paradise signifies the Church: but the tree of life in the midst of Paradise is Christ in the midst of His Church. But the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which is also said to have been in the midst of Paradise, signifies the devil, who never ceases to roam among the faithful, in order to deceive whomever he can. Therefore, the tree of life belongs to the elect, but the tree of knowledge of good and evil belongs to the reprobate. Therefore, the elect eat the fruit of the tree of life, so that they may live forever; because they keep the commandments of the Gospel, so that they may live forever with the Lord: but the reprobate eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and they die; because they feed on the suggestions of the devil, and all vices and pleasures; hence they acquire eternal damnation for themselves. And just as the fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were more pleasing to the woman than the fruits of the tree of life, so too the glory of this world is more pleasing to the wicked than what the eyes of the body see, than the glory of the heavenly homeland, which can only be seen with spiritual eyes. But a question arises, why is it called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, when it first provided the knowledge of evil to the first man, not the knowledge of good? This seems to me to be answered thus: for indeed, when the first angel was created, he had knowledge of good, not knowledge of evil; but he discovered knowledge of evil by his own doing, for which reason he was cast down from that heavenly glory. Therefore, the first man ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil when he followed the suggestions of the one who possessed knowledge of good and evil; for it was not the tree that could teach knowledge of evil, but the devil who persuaded man to transgress God's command. Thus he says, 'To him who conquers, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of my God.' He conquers, who perseveres in good works until the end of his life. Therefore, Christ will give to the conqueror the right to eat from the tree of life; because to those who keep his commandments until the end of their lives, he will give the glory of his immortality in celestial bliss, so that they may live eternally with him, who have endeavored to keep his commandments in this world. But when he calls his own father God, that belongs to his humanity.
(Vers. 8, 9.)
(Vers. 8, 9.) And write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: This is what the first and the last says, who was dead and has come to life: I know your tribulation and poverty. It is possible that the church in Smyrna suffered the same persecution from its fellow citizens in the plundering of their goods, as the church in Jerusalem did. Therefore, its tribulation and poverty, which it endured for the sake of the Lord, are praised. It is also possible to understand this as voluntary poverty, of which the Lord says in the Gospel: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:3).
But you are rich: poor in material wealth, but rich in virtues. And you are blasphemed by those who claim to be Jews, but are not: rather, they are the synagogue of Satan. The confessing Jews are interpreted as Jews who deny and blaspheme Christ, not true Jews who confess; rather, they can appropriately be called the synagogue of Satan.
(Vers. 10, 11.)
(Verse 10, 11.) Do not fear any of these things that you are about to suffer. Adversities are being foretold to him, so that he may more easily endure what is to come. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you may be tested: that is, certain ones among you, who are the devil's ministers, will be sent into prison; so that you may be tested whether you will depart from the faith out of fear of punishments, or whether you will choose to die for the love of Christ. And you will have tribulation for ten days. The time when this persecution will be more cruel has been shown. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. The crown of life signifies eternal glory.
He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death. We will explain what the second death is in the following.
(Vers. 12.)
(Verse 12.) And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things says he who has the sharp two-edged sword. By the sharp two-edged sword, the power of the judicial judgment of the Lord can be understood: which is called sharp on both sides because of two judgments, one that was done by water, the other that will be done by fire. But we are excluded from this understanding because that judgment has already been carried out and abolished by the mercy of God. For at that time the sharpness of that judgment was erased when God said to Noah. I have sworn by myself, because I will not add any more the waters of a flood upon the earth (Gen. VI, 17). Therefore, it seems to me that it should be understood through the divine scripture called the 'romphaea', which is said to be sharp for cutting away vices, and is shown to be sharp on both sides for the two Testaments. For both the Old and the New Testament continually remind us to leave behind vices and to exercise ourselves in good works, so that we may find the salvation of our souls.
(Vers. 13.)
(Verse 13.) I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. He was killed among you, but not by you: but by those among whom you dwell, in whom the devil dwells.
(Vers. 14, 15.)
(Verse 14, 15.) But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. We read in the book of Numbers that Balak, the king of the Moabites, at the suggestion of Balaam, put beautiful women in front of the children of Israel who were sacrificing to their gods, and their beauty not only tempted them into sexual immorality, but also led them to eat from their sacrifices (Num. 25:1). But the Nicolaitans were heretics, abhorring marriage and teaching that believers could freely engage in sexual immorality with whomever they pleased, as animals do. Just as the Israelites fell into the evil of sexual immorality through the teaching of Balaam, resulting in the destruction of many of them, so the Nicolaitans, with their wicked doctrine, led some of the faithful in Pergamum astray into the evil of sexual immorality. They taught them not to be bound by the marriage covenant and to freely engage in sexual immorality with whomever they pleased. But when he says, 'I have a few things against you,' it means that a few of the faithful have been deceived by the heretics.
(Vers. 16.)
(Verse 16) Likewise, repent. When he says 'likewise', it seems to me to refer to the angel of the Church of Ephesus, to whom it is said: Repent, because you have abandoned your first love. It is as if he were saying: Just as I commanded the angel of Ephesus to repent, because he had abandoned his first love, so you too must repent, because you have strayed from love; so that you may not lose some of your own through silence. If not, I will come to you quickly. The coming of the Lord is often understood as death; for the Lord comes to each person when he separates the soul from the body by death. Quickly, that is, suddenly, as the Lord speaks in the Gospel of the negligent servant: But the Lord of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, and he will cut him in pieces and will set his portion with the hypocrites (Matt. XXIV, 51). For a human being consists of soul and body: the Lord separates the soul from the body in a person; he sets his portion with the hypocrites when he hands over the soul, which is the second part in a person, to be tormented with the wicked for his sins. In this that he says: I will grant you forgiveness quickly, it seems to me that this is my understanding: If you do not repent, I will grant you forgiveness quickly; so that I may dissolve you through the death that you neglect to foresee. It follows: And I will fight with them with the sword of my mouth: that is, I will put another in your place, and I will put the sword of my words in his mouth, with which he will cast down the adversaries of truth.
(Vers. 17.)
(Verse 17) Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Wherever this statement is placed, whether in the Gospel or in the Apocalypse, it must be understood as a mystical saying, difficult to understand. To the one who is victorious, I will give hidden manna (Exodus 16:14). In the Old Testament, we read that as the Jewish people journeyed through the desert, the Lord provided them with manna until they reached the promised land. Therefore, by the wisdom of Christ, which is understood through manna, it can be understood: He Himself is the living bread, which came down from heaven (John VI, 41). All the chosen ones are nourished by this bread, placed in the desert and on the journey of this world, until they come to the promised land, that is, to heavenly blessedness, which God has promised to those who love Him. And it is called hidden because the wisdom of God is hidden from the proud and revealed to the humble, as He Himself says in the Gospel: I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and have revealed them to infants (Matthew XI, 25).
And I will give him a white stone. By the stone, which is a small rock, and is thus called from counting, we can understand the Gospel. For just as the ancients gathered a great multitude of these stones to divide and distribute numbers, so the doctors of the Church gather many words of the Gospel in their hearts, opening to their listeners both the obscurities and spiritual meanings and benefits, as if dividing and distributing their own numbers. And in stone a new name is written, which no one knows except the one who receives it. What is this name of Christ, which is said to be written in the stone of the Gospel? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1); and again: I and the Father are one (John 10:30); and the same evangelist says in another place: For he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God (John 5:18). If Christ made Himself equal to God, why does Arius say that the Son is inferior to the Father? Therefore, this name that is written in the book, no one knows it except the one who receives it; because no one is able to know the omnipotence, divinity, and equality of the Son with the Father, unless the Gospel doctrine has been given to them. But there is something else that moves us; for a little earlier he said, 'To the one who overcomes, I will give hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.' If, therefore, knowledge is given to those alone who conquer the devil, and the manna, and the stone, and the name of Christ; then the impious, who do not conquer the devil but are conquered by him, although they appear to have received baptism, and faith in Christ, are nevertheless alienated from this gift. But someone may say: How is it that someone who is literate and educated in divine scriptures does not know the mystery of the name of Christ; even though they love the world and live indulgently? To this I will compare the resemblance of two men who possess a great amount of honey, one of whom used to eat it, while the other, compelled by a certain necessity, abstained from it in every way. Which of these, in your opinion, seems to have a better knowledge of the taste of honey? Surely you will respond to me that it is the one who used to enjoy its sweetness. And yet if you were to ask each of them about the taste of the honey, both would confess that it is very sweet: but one would speak based on what he heard, the other based on what he experienced; the former would speak what the throat did not know, while the latter would speak what delight had taught him. Therefore, he who possessed honey not for use, but for the sake of increasing wealth, signifies those who from their knowledge of divine scriptures seek temporal glory rather than eternal glory; but he who possessed honey for the purpose of enjoying its sweetness continually signifies those who study the commandments of God not for temporal glory, but for the love of God, so that through their actions they may deserve to attain eternal glory. Those who preach the commandments of God are not sweet to them, even though they may proclaim them, because they love not the sweetness of the heavenly country, but the sweetness of this earthly life, which produces bitterness. But to those who keep the commandments of God, the hope of the heavenly country makes them sweet, as the Psalmist says: How sweet are your words to my taste, O Lord, sweeter than honey to my mouth (Psalm 118:103)! Therefore, only those who keep the commandments of God know the name of God; but those who love the world, who indulge themselves in certain vices, who fulfill the desires of their flesh, do not know the name of God, because they cast away his fear and love from their minds. Alternatively: The name and description of heavenly happiness can be expressed through a stone; just as the stone symbolizes heavenly happiness, the name written on it represents heavenly happiness. Therefore, no one knows this name except for those who receive the stone; because no one can truly comprehend how great that heavenly happiness is, except for those who have deserved to attain it, as the prophet Isaiah says: 'No eye has seen, O God, besides you, what you have prepared for those who wait for you' (Isaiah 64:4).
(Vers. 18, 19.)
(Verses 18, 19.) And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: This is what the Son of God says, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like burnished bronze. The meaning of these things was explained earlier. I know your works, your love, your faith, your service, your patience, and your last works are more than the first. In all these things, he is praised, but as the following reveals, he is rebuked only for the fault of silence.
(Vers. 20.)
(Verse 20) But I have this against you, because you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. This woman, who is compared to the wicked Jezebel, falsely proclaimed herself a prophetess in order to more easily introduce false doctrine in the name of religion to the people of God: just as Jezebel compelled the people of God to forsake the worship of God and worship idols, so this woman also tried to separate the people of God from the worship of God, that is, from the true faith, through her wicked doctrine. For the soul is polluted whenever it departs from its Creator, God. It is called idolatry, that which was consecrated to idols. For this woman was teaching that it would not harm the faithful if they ate the meat that was sacrificed to idols.
(Vers. 21.)
(Verse 21) And I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Just as the blessed Job says about the wicked: God gave him a place for repentance, but he used it for pride (Job 24:23).
(Vers. 22, 23.)
(Verse 22, 23) Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds, and I will kill her children with death. Behold, to the woman and her children no place for repentance is promised, because they have rejected the time of repentance granted to them by God. But to those who commit adultery with her, a place for repentance is still promised. Therefore, it seems to me that they who commit adultery with her signify those who, while supporting her wicked assertions, had not yet been completely submerged in the pit of her malice. And by her children they are designated who, having been completely deceived by her, refused in no way to receive the medicine of correction. But by the bed in which the woman was to be sent, Hell is designated, in which he was buried and was rich, of whom the Lord says in the Gospel: Now the rich man also died, and he was buried in Hell (Luke 16:22). By the great tribulation, in which those who committed adultery with her were to be placed unless they repented; and by the death in which her sons were to be killed, the same punishment of Hell is designated. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches the hearts and minds. Through the kidneys which are contained within the body, and from which desire is said to proceed, hidden sins are revealed; but through the hearts hidden thoughts are indicated. And it means: And they will know, namely on the day of judgment, when both the woman herself and all those deceived by her will be condemned; all the Church, that is, all those who are considered Christian in name, not only the chosen but also the reprobate, because I am the one who examines the kidneys and hearts, that is, not only sins that are evident, but also those that are hidden; but I also observe the thoughts themselves, and on that day I will give to each of you according to your works.
(Vers. 24.)
(Verse 24.) But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. This saying seems to me not only to pertain to the teaching of a woman, but also to false apostles who were instructing those who had believed from the Gentiles to turn to the Law and circumcision. And because the Jews were boasting in the observance of the Law, and after the Gospel was given, the keeping of the Law according to the letter is nothing but the slavery of the devil; we can understand by the deep things of Satan, the Law itself, if it is fulfilled carnally. So what he says is this: I tell you, the rest of you in Thyatira, who have remained faithful: whoever does not have this teaching, that is, who have not received the teaching of that wicked woman: whoever does not understand the depths of Satan, as they say, that is, those who have not accepted the Law, as false apostles say, in order to fulfill it carnally: they have indeed received it, in order to fulfill it spiritually; but they have not received it, in order to keep it carnally (Acts XV, 1). For example, they said, 'Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you can't be saved.' But those who understood circumcision spiritually, not in a physical sense, cut off all their vices from their hearts and their flesh. They said to observe the Sabbath, doing no work on it. But these people, considering all the time of their lives as the Sabbath, made an effort to abstain from all sinful work, to the extent that they could. I will not lay any other burden on you, except what is required of you, that is, to remain faithful, and to not receive false apostles. I will not lay any other burden on you, unless it is what the apostles have commanded you; to abstain from foods sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality (Ibid. 29).
(Vers. 25.)
(Verse 25.) Nevertheless, hold on to what you have, until I come. And if he were to say: Because you are little ones and you need milk, not solid food, hold on to the faith that you have learned, until I come; so that through the grace of my inspiration, I may prompt you to higher works of virtue.
(Vers. 26, 27, 28.)
(Verse 26, 27, 28.) And he who conquers and keeps my works until the end, I will give him authority over nations, and he will rule them with an iron rod, and they will be shattered like pottery, just as I have received from my Father. In this context, the end signifies death: so, whoever conquers the world and its desires and persists until the end will be given authority over nations and will rule them with an iron rod. But if, by the end, death is understood, how can the chosen ones be said to rule nations after death, when in that blessed life there is no one who is ruled with an iron rod and where nothing distorted or wicked is found? Unless perhaps we understand it in this sense, that which is said: He who made things that are to come. For all things which are to be done according to the arrangement of God, already exist as if they were done in His predestination; for it cannot come to pass that anything be changed of all the things which God has determined to be done. Likewise also the saints, whom God foreknew to be future righteous and to persevere in good works, He granted before their birth that they should have power over the nations and should rule them with a rod of iron, as He says to Jeremiah: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you: and before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations. In the second psalm it is written: the Father said to the Son: Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall rule them with a rod of iron, and shatter them like a potter's vessel (Psalm 2:8). The Father has given the Son the power to rule over the nations with a rod of iron: and the Son has also given the power to the apostles and other preachers, to rule over the nations with a rod of iron, and to shatter them like a potter's vessel. Therefore, by the iron rod, the Gospel is symbolized, just as by the wooden rod, the Law. For the wooden rod that Moses used represented the very law that was given by him; for, as we read in Exodus (Exod. XVII, 6), the rod struck the rock twice, and abundant waters came forth, so that the people and the animals drank. Therefore, the rod is the old Testament: the double striking represents the Law and the Prophets: but the rock prefigured Christ. Therefore the rod struck the rock twice, when the Old Testament predicted through the law and the prophets that Christ would come for the redemption of mankind. And because it was impossible for the things that were predicted through the law and the prophets not to be fulfilled, as the Lord says in the Gospel: It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one iota or one dot of the Law to become void (Luke 16:17). The rod struck the rock twice, when the prophecies of the prophets and the Law, in a way, compelled that man would be worthy of becoming God. Therefore the rock was struck, and abundant waters flowed forth; because Christ, in fulfillment of what had been said, coming, produced the streams of heavenly doctrine, that is, the Gospel, about himself. The people and the animals, that is, the Jews and the Gentiles, drank. The very rod also blossomed in the tabernacle, and brought forth almonds (Num. 17:8); because in the tabernacle of the Church afterwards the Old Testament produced the flowers of spiritual senses, and those flowers brought forth the fruit of good works. Therefore we have said this so that we may demonstrate that the Law was designated through a wooden staff.
And because the precepts of the New Testament are stricter than those of the Old, it is not inappropriate that the Gospel is represented by an iron rod, and the Law by a wooden one. In the former it is said: You shall eat and be satisfied; you shall drink and be drunk; you shall sleep, and there will be no one to frighten you (Lev. 26:5-6); and again: You shall eat the oldest of the old, and cast away the old things when the new ones come (Lev. 26:10); and many other things that pertain to carnal pleasures. But here it is said: See that your hearts are not burdened with excess and drunkenness, and the cares of this world; and again: Narrow and difficult is the way that leads to life (Luke 34:21); and the apostle Paul says: In all things let us show ourselves as ministers of God, with much patience, in vigils, in fastings (2 Corinthians 6:4); and many other things, which are found in the New Testament concerning the mortification of the flesh. For the Lord in the Gospel makes it manifest how much stricter His precepts are compared to the precepts of the Law, when He says: You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire (Matthew 5:21-22). And again: You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28). And again: It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery (Matthew 5:31-32). And again: You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well (Matthew 5:38-40). And again: You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:43-45). Therefore, these words of the Lord that we have brought forth openly demonstrate, through the iron rod, the Gospel, and through the fragile and soft wooden rod, the Law is symbolized: and through the vessels of the potter, the hearts of the Gentiles are designated, filled with all the errors of demons, which are broken by the touch of the iron rod; because with the grace of the Gospel coming, every error of the Gentiles is destroyed, and those vessels which were previously made of clay, have become vessels of iron, strongest against all the temptations of demons, and against the persecutions of evil men.
And I will give him the morning star: that is, I will give myself to him; for I am the morning star, of whom the Scripture says: A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a man shall spring up from Israel, and shall strike the chiefs of Moab (Num. XXIV, 17). Moab is said to be from the father: and the Lord said to the Jews: You are of your father the devil. Therefore the Lord struck the chiefs of Moab, when he destroyed all the makers of errors.