Chapter VI.
(Vers. 1.)
(Verse 1.) And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals. The opening of the first seal, as mentioned above, pertains to the things that happened before the flood. Therefore, the Lamb opened the first seal when the events that happened before the flood were spiritually understood by the teachers of the Church through the grace of the Holy Spirit. And in order to fully explain what the opening of the seals is, let us briefly discuss the opening of each individual seal. In Genesis it is written that God planted the Garden of Delight, in which he placed the man whom he had formed: who is described as being composed of different trees (Gen. II, 8). Therefore, the Church is represented by the garden; and by the trees of the garden the doctors of the Church are signified. And just as the trees of the garden provided food of apples for the first men, so too the doctors of the Church do not cease to provide food of divine words for the souls of the faithful who are established in the Church. But we have already spoken above about the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The fountain, however, which flowed out from the middle of paradise, signified the Gospel, which arises in the midst of the holy Church. And it was divided into four heads; because the teaching of the Gospel is divided into four books, and it goes to all the ends of the earth.
For Adam also foreshadowed Christ, but Eve foreshadowed the Church; and just as Eve was formed from the side of a sleeping man, so the Church was fashioned from the side of Christ hanging on the cross; for it was redeemed and cleansed by his blood from filth. Two sons were born to Adam, Cain and Abel: Cain symbolized the Jewish people, but Abel symbolized Christ. Cain offered gifts to the Lord from the fruits of the earth; for the Jewish people, who were earthly, offered earthly gifts, namely, first fruits, tithes, sacrifices, and other things commanded in the Law. But Abel offered from the firstborn of his flock and their fat. The firstborn of the flock are the apostles, whom the Church first gave birth to, and from whom the Church was born. Truly, the faith of the apostles is their fat. Therefore, Abel offered from the firstborn of his flock, and from their fat. For Christ offered the apostles, whom he had chosen from the world, and their faith, to God the Father. Cain, driven by envy because the Lord had regarded Abel and his offerings, killed him. Similarly, the Jews, seeing the signs that Christ was working by his own and the Father's power, killed him, who was their brother according to the flesh. God cursed Cain because he killed his brother Abel, and told him that he would be a wanderer and a fugitive on the earth. Likewise, the Jews were not only cursed by God, but also by themselves when they said of Christ: 'His blood be upon us and upon our children' (Matthew 27:25). They are therefore wanderers and fugitives on the earth, having no homeland and wandering among all nations. This should suffice for the explanation of the opening of the first seal.
I heard one of the four living creatures saying, “Come and see.” The first living creature has the same meaning as the second, third, and fourth; for they symbolize the doctors of the Church. But when it says, “Come and see,” it provokes us to spiritual understanding, as if it were saying, “Come not with the steps of the body, but with the steps of the mind; and understand spiritually those things which you have read as historical events in the beginning.”
(Vers. 2.)
(Vers. 2.) And behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering, so that he could conquer. The white horse represents the righteous ones who existed before the flood, who are called white because of their innocence. The rider of the horse is the Lord, who eternally presides over his saints. The bow, however, can represent the vengeance of the Lord, who shoots arrows from afar and wounds. By this vengeance, he condemned the first humans because of their disobedience and punished Cain sevenfold for the crime of fratricide. Moreover, by the crown, as well as by the white horse of the righteous who existed before the Flood, they are designated. But the conquering one went out to conquer, when he determined that through the waters of the Deluge the entire multitude of the wicked would be destroyed.
(Vers. 3, 4.)
(Verse 3, 4.) And when he had opened the second seal. The opening of the second seal belongs to the construction of the ark and to those who were righteous before the Law. So, in order to demonstrate the opening of the second seal, let us speak briefly about these things. In Genesis it is written that God said to Noah: Make for yourself an ark of smoothed planks: you shall make compartments in the ark, and shall line it inside and out with pitch, and thus you shall make it. The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the width fifty cubits, and the height thirty cubits (Gen. 6:14-15). The Ark of the Church: But indeed, the builder of the ark prefigured Christ, the builder of the Church. This ark is described to have been made of smoothed timbers: the smoothed timbers, which both kept out the waters and preserved the life of all animals that were enclosed within it, designate the doctors of the Church, who both with their teaching and with their writings keep out the waters of various errors from entering the Church, and preserve the life of those who are within the Church with their teaching and examples: they are said to be smoothed, that is, cleansed from every roughness of vices. But by the little dwelling places, which were ordered to be made in the ark, different orders are designated in the Church; for one is in the married order, another in the continent, another in the monastic, another in the priestly, while they strive to serve God, as if dwelling in different mansions. But by the pitch, with which it is said to have been covered, divine Scripture is designated. Therefore, the boards from which the ark was made, which we have said signify the doctors of the Church, were covered inside and outside with pitch; because the doctors of the Church are covered inside by wisdom and the teaching of divine Scripture, and outside by the works of virtues.
But the length of the ark is described as 300 cubits, the width is 50 cubits, and the height is 30 cubits. Therefore, through the length of the ark, faith is symbolized; through the width, charity; through the height, hope. So, the length of the ark extends to 300 cubits because our faith is based on the confession of the Holy Trinity: a hundred is a perfect number. Therefore, our faith is designated by the 300 cubits because the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have equal perfection, as it is written: Like the Father, like the Son, like the Holy Spirit (Athan. Symbol.).
However, its width extends to fifty cubits nonetheless; for faith works through love. But charity is appropriately represented by a width of fifty cubits; for seven multiplied by seven times nine equates to forty-nine: and if you add one to this number, you will find fifty. Therefore, the love of neighbor is appropriately encompassed within the number seven; for without the seven virtues, it cannot be perfected. Indeed, each faithful person extends love for their neighbor in sevenfold ways, so that in whatever ways the needs or adversities of their neighbor may arise, they themselves are ready to come to their aid in the same ways. For example, they provide necessary things to the hungry, the naked, the stranger, the needy, and those imprisoned. They comfort the grieving, temper the angry with their words, pacify those carrying hatred in their hearts, and reconcile those in discord. They also provoke those who are in sin to repentance and strive to bring as many people as they can towards eternal life. In short, in whatever ways they want to be helped by others for their own well-being, they themselves are ready to help others in the same ways as much as they can. But if you add seven to seven, they become fifty; likewise, if you add the love of one God to the love of your neighbor, the whole of charity is made complete and perfect in you.
But the height of the ark was raised up by thirty cubits because he possesses sure hope who does not differ in work or belief from the faith of the Holy Trinity, as it was handed down to us by the apostles and other teachings. For whoever usurps hope of possessing eternal life without correct faith undoubtedly deceives themselves, because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, the height of the ark arose from its great length and width, and was completed in the cubit above; for the charity that is born from faith extends itself in great width to the care of others. But truly it is consummated in the cube; because all the hope and desire of the faithful tends towards the vision of the one God.
But when Noah, at the command of the Lord, led into the ark males and females of all clean and unclean animals (Gen. VII, 8), it signifies that both the evil and the good would be introduced into the Church. But of the clean animals, seven males and seven females entered the ark; while of the unclean, two males and two females entered; for by the clean animals, the chosen ones are signified, who are not alien to the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the grace of the same Holy Spirit: whereas, the reprobate are represented by the unclean, because they are within the Church only in body and soul, but in mind they are outside the Church.
It is also written in the following: For when Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made, he sent out a raven, which went forth and did not return until the waters were dried up on the earth. (Gen. VIII, 6). The Jews, by the blackest raven, are signified as dark through unbelief. Therefore, Noah sent forth the raven from the ark; for our Lord Jesus Christ separated the people of the Jews from the fellowship of the holy Church. After the raven, he sent forth the dove, which, when she did not find a place to rest her foot, returned to him into the ark. Second, he sent forth a dove from the ark, which came to him in the evening, carrying a branch of olive with green leaves in its mouth. Thirdly, he sent forth a dove, which did not return to him anymore. The Holy Spirit is often represented by a dove, because it descended upon the Lord in the form of a dove (Luke 3:22).
But we must ask ourselves what the three releases of the dove and the two returns signify. The three releases signify three periods: the first before the Law, the second under the Law, the third under grace. In this narrative, Noah represents God, and the ark represents the heavenly dwelling of God. Noah first released the dove from the ark; because Almighty God granted the holy men who lived before the Law the grace of the Holy Spirit: and those who did not have the Law fulfilled the divine precepts that were later given through the gift of the Holy Spirit. But the dove did not find where her foot could rest; because not only the other nations, but even the Jews themselves, placed in Egypt, had abandoned the worship of God to such an extent that at the time when Moses was born, hardly anyone could be found in whom the Holy Spirit would deem worthy to dwell; and in a way, the grace of the Holy Spirit returned to him, from whom it had been sent, when it deserted sinful men.
Secondly, Noah released a dove from the ark; for God gave the grace of the Holy Spirit to those who keep the Law with a pure heart. And the evening when the dove returned to Noah signifies the time when Christ was born. The Lord speaks of this time in the Gospel: 'The Law and the Prophets were until John' (Luke 16:16); for after the preaching of the Gospel began, circumcision and many legal observances were of no profit. As long as the observance of the Law pleased God, the grace of the Holy Spirit accompanied those who kept the Law. And just as the dove returned to Noah at evening, so the grace of the Holy Spirit, forsaking the unbelieving Jews, returned in a sense to Him from whom it had been sent. But by the branch of the olive tree we can understand or receive the Law; but by the green leaves, those who have been saved by the Law. Therefore, the dove brought the branch of the olive tree with green leaves in its mouth, and with the grace of the Holy Spirit, it offered to God, in a certain way, those whom it had saved by the Law.
On the third attempt, Noah released the dove from the ark, when he granted the grace of the Holy Spirit to those who keep the faith of the Gospel. The dove did not return to him anymore, because the faith of the Gospel will remain with the chosen ones until the Lord comes for judgment. The chosen ones who are found in this world will be caught up in the air before the Lord and will thus always be with the Lord (I Thess. IV, 16).
To demonstrate more clearly the opening of the second seal, let us say a few words about the three patriarchs. In Genesis it is written that God tested Abraham and said to him: Take your beloved son, Isaac, and go to the land of vision, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will tell you (Gen. 22:2). So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, took two young men with him, and Isaac his son. Abraham represents Christ according to his divinity: but Isaac represents the man whom Christ assumed, and by the donkey the Apostles are designated. Abraham therefore arose from the night, because the Son of God deigned to be born of the Virgin Mary, when the world was in darkness of ignorance: he spread his donkey when he handed over the commands of the Gospel to his apostles: but by the two young men are designated the two commandments of charity. He took two young men with him, because he more closely and frequently handed over the two commandments of charity to his disciples: he also took his Son, because he handed over the man whom he assumed to die for the human race, as he himself said in the Gospel to his disciples: Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and all things which have been written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be fulfilled. For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked, and scourged, and spit upon: And after they have scourged him, they will put him to death; and the third day he shall rise again. (Luke XVIII, 32 et seq.)
But on the third day, with lifted eyes, she saw a place in the distance. Three days and three decades of years, and twice two months, designate the period of time in which Christ is said to have lived in the world. But the place she designated was Jerusalem, where Christ suffered. But why did she say she saw the place in the distance, when she preached daily in the temple? Because even though the Jews were near in body, because of their unbelief they had distanced themselves far from him.
And Abraham said to his servants: Stay here with the donkey, while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then come back to you. (Gen. XXII, 5). Similarly, Christ also commanded his disciples to wait until He returned to them after His resurrection, saying: All of you will fall away because of me this night, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. (Matth. XXVI, 32). And when he was arrested, he said to the Jews: If you are looking for me, let these men go. (Joan. XVIII, 8).
Abraham therefore took the wood of the holocaust and laid it upon Isaac his son: but he himself carried in his hands fire and a sword. We have said above, that our sins were designated by wood: Isaac therefore carried the wood; because Christ carried our sins in his body upon the wood, that we, being dead to sins, should live to justice. By the hands of Abraham is understood the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, for in his power it was that he should die, and that he should not die, if he would: as he himself says: I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it up again (John 10:18). But through fire, passion is understood; through his sword, death.
When he arrived at the place, he built an altar, and arranged wood on top of it. And when he had gathered his son Isaac, he placed him on the altar, on top of the pile of wood. By the altar, the cross is understood: therefore, the Son of God built the cross on which the man he had assumed would be immolated, because it was done with his permission. And on the altar, he arranged the wood, and on the wood, he placed his bound son Isaac; for that which we wish to suffocate, we ourselves place upon ourselves, so that it may be suffocated and destroyed by our own weight: likewise, our Redeemer, hanging on the wood, that is, our sins, placed them upon himself on the cross, so that they might be suffocated and erased by his own weight and power. But the bonds of Isaac signify the affliction of the Lord on the cross. However, what the angel spoke to Abraham does not pertain to this explanation.
Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns, and he took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son. The ram symbolized Christ: the two horns represent the two commandments of charity, and the thicket represents the Jews. Therefore, Christ was caught among the Jews, loving them as brothers and knowing that the calling of the Gentiles would be the ruin of the Jews. He did not immediately hand over the faith of the Gospel to the Gentiles, but instead sent his disciples to proclaim it, commanding them saying: 'Do not go on the road of the Gentiles, and do not enter the cities of the Samaritans, but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Matthew 10:5). And he answered and said unto her, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matthew 15:24); But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. (Ibid., 26).
But Abraham took a ram from the bushes, and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son; because the Father, the Son Himself, separated Himself from the love of the impious Jews, and offered as a burnt offering the man whom He assumed, for the salvation of the human race.
But about the same Isaac, it is written that he had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau was a hunter and a farmer, but Jacob lived in tents. Through Esau, the Hebrew people is designated, but through Jacob, the people of the gentiles. However, Isaac held the image of the Lord as the father of both peoples, and he made them sons to himself, the former through the Law and the latter through faith. Esau was a farmer because the Jewish people served God for earthly advantages. For it is not said to them: If you are poor in spirit, if you are meek, if you are peaceful, if you are merciful, if you endure persecution for my name's sake; you will be blessed, and your reward will be abundant in heaven. But it is said to them: If you keep my commandments and observe my judgments, I will give you rain in due season, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees will be filled with fruit, and all the other things that belong to the delights of this world (Leviticus 26:3). Esau was also a hunter, because he used to appease God through the shedding of the blood of rams, goats, and calves. But Jacob lived a simple life in tents, because the chosen ones among the Gentiles sought to please God through faith alone and a good will. By tents, we can understand various Churches, in which the one Catholic Church is divided throughout the whole world, or various religious orders.
Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebecca loved Jacob. Isaac, as we have said, represents the figure of the Lord in this place, but through Rebecca we can understand the foreknowledge of God. Therefore, Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, for God loved the people of the Jews because he was pleased with their constant sacrifices; but the mother loved Jacob because God, knowing that the people of the Gentiles would be much better than the people of the Jews, loved him much more by the grace of his foreknowledge. When Esau was delayed in the hunt, in order to provide his father with food from wild animals, so that he would be blessed by him, Jacob's mother approached to receive the blessing from her father. For when the people of the Jews were devoted to legal observances and came to the faith of Christ more slowly, Jacob's mother, being filled with grace, offered herself to God to receive the blessing that was owed to the Jews, because she had received the faith of Christ eagerly. However, the people of the nations themselves merited this gift of blessing, as evidenced by the actions of Jacob, which are described as done in order to receive the blessing.
So Rebecca said to her son Jacob: 'Bring me two of the best young goats, and I will prepare a delicious meal for your father, such as he loves. Then you can take it to your father and he can eat it before he dies.' Jacob went and got the two goats, and brought them to his mother. She prepared the kind of meal that his father loved, using Esau's favorite animals, and she gave the food to Jacob to take to his father. By the two goats we can understand the confession of sins and penance of the Gentile people. Therefore, Jacob offered two best goats to his mother, because through the confession of sins and penance, which is the way for those who are going to faith, the Gentile people hurried to receive the same faith. These goats are said to have been the best because the repentance of a sinner with the renunciation of vices is very acceptable to God, as our Lord himself says in the Gospel: There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need penance (Luke 15:7); by one sinner of the Gentile people, he wanted to be understood, and by ninety-nine righteous Jews. Those who are called just are so called because they falsely believed themselves to be just due to the observance of the Law; for the Lord speaks to the same just ones, saying: Woe to you who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts (Luke 16:15). They are put in the imperfect tense, because the Law did not bring anyone to perfection (Hebrews 7:19).
But we must understand the works of repentance through the delightful foods that were prepared for Isaac to consume, from the two prepared goats. John the Baptist speaks of these foods, saying: You will easily bear fruit worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:8). And through the very good garments, which Esau, that is, the Jews at home, had left behind, we can receive the best precepts of the Law, such as: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and your neighbor as yourself (Deuteronomy 6:5); and many others, without which no one can be just. These are the best clothes, which the Jews at home, that is, in the Old Testament, had left behind, because they did not want to follow them: the Gentiles dressed and adorned with them, went to God the Father with the food of good works. Indeed, he brought bread with the food. Bread often symbolizes the word of God, because he, in accordance with God the Father, goes with the food of good works, and he does not cease to admonish others to do good works as well, whoever he can.
But we must also inquire why the mother covered Jacob's hands and neck with the skins of the young goat. For when the skin is removed from the young goat, the flesh appears, from which delightful foods can be prepared. Similarly, when vices are removed from each sinner, the good qualities of nature appear together with reason, which, if seasoned with faith, prepare delightful foods from the goodness of nature for God. Therefore, by the neck, because pride often appears in the neck, we can understand the elevation of the mind; but by the hands, works are signified. Therefore, each faithful person surrounds themselves with goat skins, in order to set aside the elation of the mind and to constantly recall the past sins before the eyes of the mind, as a safeguard of their humility. They surround their hands, so that they may not be exalted in good deeds and may frequently bring to mind the past sins before the eyes of the mind.
After Isaac had taken food, Jacob also offered him wine. If active works of life are indicated by food, we can receive the contemplative life through wine, which alienates the minds of men, rendering some of the chosen ones insensitive to the love of the world. Therefore, after food and drink were taken, Isaac blessed Jacob; because those who strive to please God until the end of their lives with good works receive the blessing of the heavenly fatherland.
And Jacob, when he fled from his brother Esau, came to a certain place and slept there, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” Therefore, we lay the foundation on the stone, if we build our wall upon Christ with good works.
This vision of the ladder signifies harmony; for the two larger beams of the ladder, which are on either side, and which lead from the lower to the higher, designate the two commandments of charity. But the other virtues are designated by the steps that are inserted transversely on either side between those two beams. And just as the two beams cannot exist without the steps, and the steps cannot exist without the two beams: so charity cannot exist without the other virtues, and the other virtues cannot exist without charity. And just as different steps cannot provide ascent to people unless they are inserted into two larger beams on either side, so the other virtues cannot provide ascent to those desiring to go to heaven unless they are born from the love of God and the love of neighbor, as the apostle John says: For how can someone love God whom he has not seen if he does not love his brother whom he has seen (1 John 4:20)? And just as a ladder from one end appears to touch the earth, and from the other the sky, so charity is connected with God from below, with neighbors from above. And so the angels of God, going up and down on it, were shown, because the saints of God, who are represented by angels, are sometimes lifted up to the heights by the love of God through the grace of contemplation, and sometimes brought back down to lower things by love and care for their neighbors. And they saw the Lord leaning on the ladder, because whoever strives to ascend to the Lord through the path of virtues, after completing the journey of their own way, find the Lord, the author of all goods and the giver of rewards, with whom they will rejoice without end.
But when Jacob returned from Mesopotamia of Syria and came to the Jordan, having brought over all that belonged to him, he remained alone. And behold, a man wrestled with him until morning. And when he saw that he could not prevail against him, he touched the socket of his hip, and immediately it became disjointed. And he said to him: Let me go, for the dawn has already arisen. But he answered: I will not let you go, unless you bless me. And he said to him: What is your name? He responded: Jacob. But he said: You will no longer be called Jacob, but your name will be Israel (Gen. XXXII, 26). By Jacob, in this place, every sinner and penitent is designated. As for the angel who wrestled with Jacob in the form of the Lord, and he with the angel, that signifies what the Lord says in the Gospel: The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matth. XI, 12). But who are the violent, if not sinners and penitents? When they see themselves as guilty of their crimes, they knock on the door of paradise with prayers, until the entrance to the heavenly kingdom is opened to them. Therefore, Jacob wrestles with the Lord when every sinner, fearing the punishment of eternal fire, persists in prayers until divine mercy comes to his aid, as the following reveal.
When he saw that he could not overcome him, he touched the nerve of his thigh, and immediately it withered. And because desire arises from the thigh, through the nerve of the thigh, carnal pleasures can be understood. Therefore, the Lord touched the nerve of the thigh of the sinner, when he extinguished all carnal desires, from which sins arise; for it is not possible for us to abstain from sins as long as we lie dissolved in carnal pleasures. Therefore the angel said to him, namely the one who was wrestling with him in the person of the Lord: Let me go, for the dawn is breaking (Gen. XXXII, 26); as if to say: Stop weeping now out of fear of eternal fire; because tranquility has returned, the vices having been extinguished, which had plunged you into the abyss of perdition.
And because it is not enough to leave off evil, unless we strive to do good, it follows: And Jacob said: I will not let you go, unless you bless me, that is, I will not cease from prayers, unless you enrich me with virtues; so that I, who have lived until now according to the flesh, may henceforth live according to the spirit. And he said to him: What is your name? He answered, Jacob; and he said to him: You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name, that is: You shall no longer be called a supplanter of vices, but you shall be called a man who sees God: and he who before wept, lest he be plunged into hell, now he shall weep, because at some time you have been far removed from the vision of the Almighty God, saying with the Psalmist: Woe is me, that my dwelling place is prolonged (Psalm 119, 5)!
Similarly, it is said that Jacob also limped with one foot after the wrestling match he had with the angel: but he who limps relies entirely on the healthy foot, while touching the ground with the other for a moment. Therefore, the two feet represent two types of nourishment; for there are nourishments of the body and nourishments of the soul. Nourishments of the body are food, drink, and clothing; but nourishments of the soul are the word of God and good deeds. Therefore, every faithful person, if they touch the ground with one foot for a moment, relies entirely on the other; because they only make use of those things that belong to the world to meet the necessities of the body, as the Apostle says: But having food and clothing, with these we will be content (1 Timothy 6:8). In those things which pertain to the salvation of the soul, he fully devotes himself, so that he may never deviate from the path of God, which is the salvation of the soul. We have said a few things about the unveiling of the second seal among many, now let us proceed in order.
It follows: I heard a voice saying: Come and see; that is, understand spiritually the things you have learned that were done by the patriarchs. And behold, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon, it was given that he should take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. And there was given unto him a great sword. By the red horse are designated the just who were from the flood to the Law. And because the red colour approaches somewhat near to the golden colour, as if you should mingle blood with the golden colour; not unreasonably are the holy men who were before the Law compared to this colour; because they also shone forth in wisdom, which is figured by gold, and were constant in persecutions and adversities, which are figured by blood. But the owner of this horse is the one who dwells in his holy place. To this owner it was given to receive peace from the land. If good peace is from God, how is it received from the land? But there is good peace, and there is bad peace. The sons of God had bad peace before the flood when they took their daughters and gave them to them (Gen. VI, 1); and therefore they were destroyed with those flood waters. But the Lord also commanded the sons of Israel not to make a covenant with the Canaanites, nor to take their daughters, nor to give their daughters to them (Exod. XXIII, 32). Now the psalmist speaks about the peace, both good and bad, saying: 'With the chosen you shall be chosen, and with the perverse you shall be perverse' (Psalm 17:27). Therefore, God took this peace from the earth, when He separated righteous men from the impious in mind, not in body. And so that they may kill each other. When peace is taken away from them, it follows that one kills another; for often the righteous kill the unrighteous, and the unrighteous kill the righteous, as was the case with Aram, the brother of Abraham, according to the tradition of the Jews, who died in the Chaldeans' fire because he would not worship fire; and as Abraham killed four kings with their armies for their impieties; and as the sons of Jacob killed all the Sichemites for the violation of their sister. But by the great sword we can understand the waters of the flood, by which the whole world was destroyed. We can also understand by the great sword the extermination of the five cities, whose inhabitants perished by fire and sulfur, and their land, which was swallowed up with them into the abyss.
And when he opened the third seal. The opening of the third seal pertains to the Law and those who were under the Law. In order to demonstrate the opening of the third seal, it is fitting to say a few things about Moses, and about those things which seem irrational in the Law. In Exodus it is written that when Moses was born, he was hidden for three months by his parents; afterwards his mother made a basket of bulrushes, and covered it with bitumen and pitch, and putting the infant inside, she placed him in a reed basket by the bank of the river (Exodus 2:1 et seq.). Moses foreshadowed Christ: but during the three months in which Moses was hidden, three periods are designated: one before the flood, the second from the flood until Moses, and the third from Moses until the Lord's advent. During these three periods, the coming of Christ according to the flesh remained hidden from humans, but it was foretold by the prophets. However, the blessed Virgin Mary was designated by the basket of bulrushes: therefore, the mother prepared the basket of bulrushes in which Moses would be placed, because the wisdom of God, who is the Son of God, chose the blessed and glorious Mary, always a virgin, in whose womb the man, with whom he would be united in one person, could be formed without sin. But we can understand the virginity of the blessed Mary, which could not be violated by any carnal desire, as the bitumen that cannot be dissolved by water; and by the pitch, which is the guardian of wine, we can understand humility, the guardian of the other virtues. Mary herself speaks of this, saying: 'For he has looked upon the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed' (Luke 1:48). And by the river, the world is meant; and by the ark in which Moses was placed, the Jews are designated, for it is recorded in the following verses that Moses was found in a papyrus basket by the daughter of Pharaoh. The same meaning is held by reed in this place, as well as papyrus; for a reed can wound the hands of those who touch it, while books were made from papyrus in ancient times. Therefore, the Jews are designated by reed, namely the prophets, the spiritual doctors, who desired to heal their wounds, killed them. They are also designated by papyrus, because they boasted in the scriptures that were handed down to them by God, which they read but did not keep. Truly, the daughter of Pharaoh represents the people of the devil from the Gentiles. Therefore, the daughter of Pharaoh took Moses from the reeds (Exod. II, 5); because the Church, receiving the faith of Christ from the Gentiles, took away the same Christ from the unbelieving Jews.
Afterwards, when Moses was grazing the flocks of Jethro, his relative, the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush and he saw that the bush was burning, but it was not being consumed (Exodus 3:2). We can understand the blessed Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Son of God from her womb and did not lose her virginity, as the bush that produced flames and was not consumed. But because of what follows, I believe that by the bush, Christ is to be understood according to his humanity. Indeed, the flame depicted its divinity. Therefore, the bush was burning and not consumed; for the Son of God, assuming humanity, just as his divinity was not changed into humanity, so that he might not lose what he was; similarly, his humanity, enflamed by divinity, was not taken away from divinity in such a way that it lost its humanity: but out of the two substances of humanity and divinity, one Christ remained and remains, as it is written: perfect God, perfect man, subsisting in a rational soul and human flesh (Athanasius in the Creed).
And the Lord said to Moses from the midst of the burning bush: Do not come near here, take off your sandals from your feet; for the place where you stand is holy ground. I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. But come now, I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt. And after a few moments, Moses said to the Lord: Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? And in the following, he speaks to the Lord about the children of Israel, saying: They will not listen to my voice, but they will say: The Lord has not appeared to you (Exod. IV, 1); and again: I beg you, Lord, send someone whom You will send (Ibid., 13). These words demonstrate that Moses obeyed the Lord's commands reluctantly, in order to lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. But we must seek why this great man of the Lord executed the command unwillingly. However, we must understand this stubbornness of his in a spiritual manner; for the Apostle says: Now all these things happened to them in figures; and they are written for our correction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come (I Cor. X, 11). Therefore, by means of Moses, the apostles in this place are designated; for at the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel, the apostles, knowing that the election of the Gentiles meant the rejection of the Jews, did not want to teach the Gentiles the doctrine of the Gospel so that they could be saved from the power of the devil. Therefore, the Lord, in the vision of the four-footed animals and reptiles, rebuked Peter for despising the Gentiles, saying: What God has cleansed, do not call common (Acts 10:15). Therefore, this pertains to the meaning of what the Lord said to Moses: Do not come near here, take off your shoes; for the place on which you stand is holy ground (Exod. III, 5), as if the Lord had said to one of the great apostles: Although you raise the dead, although you heal the sick with the shadow of your body, you dare not compare yourself to me in any way: for the great things you do are not from you, but I am working through you. But shoes protect the feet from touching the ground: however, people are represented through the ground. Remove, he said, the shoe from your feet; that is, take away the hatred and contempt of people from your heart. For the place where you stand is holy ground: that is, the world in which you dwell has been redeemed by my blood.
And in the following, the Lord said to Moses: What is that you hold in your hand? And he said: A rod. And the Lord said to him: Cast it on the ground. And when he had cast it on the ground, it turned into a serpent, so that Moses fled from it. And the Lord said to him: Take hold of its tail. And when he had taken hold of it, it turned back into a rod. (Exod. IV, 2). By the rod, the Jews are represented. Moses held a rod in his hand, because the apostles held the people of the Jews in their hearts with love, and labored with all their might to lead them to salvation through the teaching of their preaching. Moses cast the staff from his hand, because the apostles, seeing that the Jews did not want to believe in Christ in any way, cast their love from their hearts. The serpent, however, represents the devil. Therefore, the staff turned into a serpent, because the Jews, due to the preaching of the apostles, became worse, who were previously called the people of God, they became children and members of the devil. Moses fled, because the apostles, leaving the Jews behind, passed on to the Gentiles. But by the tail, which is the end of the body, the Jews who will be born at the end of the world are designated. Therefore, Moses took hold of the serpent's tail and it turned into a staff; because the holy preachers at the end of the world will in a way apprehend the Jews; when through their teachings they will be converted to the faith of Christ and become sons of God instead of sons of the devil.
For that also, whereby the Lord commanded Moses to put his hand into his bosom, and he drew it forth leprous, and put it in again, and it was restored unto health, has a similar signification; for by the hand of Moses the Jews are designated. He put his hand into his bosom, because the Apostles, desiring the salvation of the Jews, ceased not to preach the doctrine of faith to them. Moses drew back his hand, and found it leprous; because the Jews, through the preaching of the apostles, became much worse, falling into the most grievous leprosy of unbelief and blasphemies. Moses again put his hand into his bosom and drew it out, and it was restored like the rest of his flesh; for the holy preachers at the end of the world will embrace the Jews and preach to them the faith of Christ, and bring them back to the health they had lost.
It is also written in the following, that when Moses was returning to Egypt, the Lord met him and wanted to kill him. Immediately, Zipporah took a very sharp stone and circumcised the foreskin of her son, touched Moses' feet, and said, 'You are a bridegroom of blood to me' (Exodus IV, 25). And the Lord let him go, after saying: 'You are a bridegroom of blood to me' because of the circumcision. If the Lord wanted to kill Moses, why didn't he do what he wanted, as the Psalmist says: 'Whatever the Lord pleases, he does' (Psalm CXXXIV, 6). But often the will is used for a threat: therefore the Lord threatened Moses with death because he carried an uncircumcised son, as he spoke to Abraham, saying: Every soul among you that is not circumcised, shall be cut off from his people (Gen. XVII, 14). But leaving aside these matters, let us turn to a spiritual understanding. Moses in this passage designates those who believed from the gentiles; for at the beginning the apostles and other preachers, considering the weakness of the gentiles who received the faith of Christ, did not want to present to them at first the more rigorous precepts of Christ, lest they might be frightened and not dare to approach the faith of Christ. The apostle Paul demonstrates that these things are so, speaking through a letter to those who believed from the Gentiles, saying: I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it, and indeed you are still not able; for you are still fleshly (I Cor. III, 2). And the apostles also sent a message to those who believed in Christ in Antioch, saying: It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. Therefore, the Lord threatened Moses with death because he pretended to neglect the circumcision of his son's foreskin; because, for those who believed from the nations, because they were lukewarm in love, the Lord threatened death; he set before them the precepts of his Gospel, where it is written: Narrow and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few are those who walk on it. Wide and spacious is the way that leads to death, and many are those who walk on it (Matth. VII, 14); and again: Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me is not worthy of me (Luc. XIV, 27); and many other things which are found in the Gospel and in the sayings of the apostles concerning the cutting off of vices.
But truly by the rock Christ is understood, and the sharpness of the rock represents the hard teachings of the Gospel. Therefore, Sephora took the sharpest rock and circumcised the flesh of her son's foreskin; for the Church, seeing that her children could not attain perfect salvation in any way unless she removed all carnal desires from their bodies, took the more rigorous teachings of the Gospel and removed from the bodies of all her children all nourishing substances. But at the feet is the end of the body. Therefore, Sephora touched the feet of her son after circumcision; because he who receives the salutary circumcision perseveres in the good that he has begun until the end of life. But after Sephora touched the feet of her son, she no longer calls him her son, but her spouse: and the spouse of the Church is Christ. But she herself is also called his spouse, as John the Baptist says: He who has the bride is the bridegroom (John 3:29). She who calls Him both Son and Bridegroom; for she is redeemed by the blood of Christ. Therefore, the children of the Church, after the circumcision of vices, are no longer called children, but rather the Bridegroom; for they are joined in heaven through the union of members, who is called and is the Bridegroom of the Church on earth.
And since we cannot recount everything that happened in Egypt through Moses, let us mention a few things that happened after the departure of the Israelite people from Egypt. So the children of Israel, in order to escape from Pharaoh and the Egyptians, crossed through the middle of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on the right and on the left (Exod. XIV, 22). Similarly, the people of the nations, in order to escape from the devil and all his followers, crossed through the water of baptism. And those who were previously the sons of the devil, through water and the Holy Spirit, which was represented by the pillar of fire, became the children of God. So the water of the sea saved the sons of Israel, but drowned Pharaoh and all his followers; because the water of baptism saves the image of God, extinguishing the sins that one has served. But the devil is extinguished for each person who faithfully renounces him with all his pomps. And the waters that were a wall for them on the right and on the left, represented our faith, which we received in baptism, which is our wall, defending us on both sides from invisible enemies and visible ones.
After crossing the Red Sea, they came to Marah, where they found bitter waters that they could not drink. And the Lord showed Moses a tree, which when he threw into the waters, they turned sweet (Exod. XV, 23). The bitter waters represent the law of Moses, while the tree represents the passion of Christ, because it was through the cross that his passion was completed. Therefore, the people who had come out of Egypt encountered bitter waters because they received the Law, which they were unable to fulfill. But for the Gentiles who came to faith in Christ, the bitterness of the Law was turned into sweetness through the passion and resurrection of Christ, because they understood it spiritually, not carnally. The same signification is also found in what they discovered in Elim, twelve fountains, and they camped by the waters. (Ibid., 27); for the waters represent the teaching of the New Testament from the twelve fountains, that is, from the twelve apostles, which spread throughout the whole world. The seventy palm trees, however, represent the Old Testament, because it came to the knowledge of the nations through the seventy interpreters of the Septuagint.
Nevertheless, let us briefly discuss some of the things that seem irrational in the Law. The Lord commanded the children of Israel: 'You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk' (Exodus 23:19); and again: 'You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together'; and 'You shall not wear a garment that is made of wool and linen mixed together' (Deuteronomy 22:10). For what sin is committed if someone boils a young goat in its mother's milk? Or what fault does a farmer have if he plows the land with oxen and donkeys together? But why does someone take offense if they put on a garment made of wool and linen? But these things must be understood spiritually; for by the kid each one of us is designated as a sinner: but our mother was the first parent, from whom we all were born: but the faults of our mother are the tears which came forth from original sin; for if there had not been original sin, there would be no fault. Concerning this milk of the mother the Psalmist speaks, saying: For lo! I was conceived in iniquities, and in sin did my mother bear me (Psalm 50:7). Therefore, the kid is cooked in the milk of its mother, just as every sinner is burned by the fire of vices until the day of their death. Therefore, the Lord commanded that the kid not be cooked in the milk of its mother, meaning that the sinner should not be allowed to remain in sins until the day of their death, but should be called back to good works before the day of their death, so that they may not perish.
Not to yoke together an ox and a donkey (Deut. XXII, 10). By the ox, the apostles and other preachers can be understood: by the donkey, the Jewish people. But we plow when, according to the tradition of the saints, we exercise ourselves in good works. Therefore, whoever strives to keep the teaching of the apostles and the traditions of the Jews together, plows with both the ox and the donkey. From this teaching, the apostle Paul sought to recall the Galatians, when he said: O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you not to obey the truth? For I declare to you, if you are circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. (Galatians 3:1) We can also understand by any wise preacher that preaches through an ox, but by a foolish one through a donkey. Therefore it is commanded that the foolish is not coupled with the wise in the office of preaching. However, what is said: You shall not wear a garment made of wool and linen mixed together (Deuteronomy 22:11), we can understand according to the higher sense; for by wool, which is the clothing of sheep, we can understand the teaching of the apostles: by linen, which comes from the earth, we can understand the teaching of the Jews. Therefore, we put on a garment when we surround ourselves with good works: he, however, who wants to observe the traditions of the apostles and also the traditions of the Jews, uses a garment made of wool and linen.
The Lord also commanded Moses that if someone who was cleansed of leprosy, they should go to the priest and offer two sparrows to the priest. From these, the priest would sacrifice one, causing its blood to flow into running water. Then, he would dip the live sparrow into the water in which he had caused the blood of the sacrificed sparrow to flow, and sprinkle the leper seven times with cedar wood, scarlet wool, and hyssop. Only then would the leper be properly cleansed (Leviticus 14:3 et seq.). By the priest, Christ is understood; by the two birds, the teachers of the two Testaments are understood; by the living waters, the commandments of the Gospel are designated, about which the Lord says in the Gospel: Whoever believes in me, as Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from within them (John 7:38). He calls them living waters because they grant eternal life to those who do them. Therefore, by the sacrificed bird, as we said, the teachers of the Jews are designated, namely the priests, scribes, and Pharisees. But the blood, which gave life to the sparrow, is a spiritual intelligence, which was hidden in the observations of the Jews. And just as a sparrow becomes dead without blood, so too many of the observations of the Jews would seem to be in vain if spiritual intelligence were lacking. Therefore, after the blood of the sparrow appeared and flowed into living waters, the sparrow died; because after the spiritual intelligence, which was hidden in the observations of the Jews, was revealed through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, certain legal observances were of no benefit: but even those who rejected the faith of Christ because of their adherence to the Law, died according to the flesh. Therefore, the blood of the sparrow was mixed with living water; because all Scripture, which pertains to the new Testament, is filled with spiritually understood examples from the old Testament. But through the cedar wood the Father, through the hyssop the Son: but through the scarlet wool, which has the brilliance of fire, the Holy Spirit is designated. The three who desired to be properly cleansed were sprinkled with these; because no one can be cleansed from the leprosy of sins through the water of baptism, except under the invocation of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
But if by these three the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are designated, why is a living sparrow added as a fourth? For we have said that the living sparrow signifies the preachers of the new Testament. Therefore, the Priest, in the rite of the confession of a leper, joined a living sparrow with cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop, because our Lord Jesus Christ, in the invocation of His own name and of the Father and of the Holy Spirit, joins the ministry of priests, and washes us, who are designated by the leper, from our sins through their invocation and through the water of baptism. Those who are commanded to be baptized in the living waters, because those who teach others must have been taught in divine Scriptures: for if a blind man tries to lead a blind man, both fall into the pit (Matthew 15:14). Those who are lepers are commanded to be sprinkled seven times, because the cleanness of no one can be perfect without the gifts of the sevenfold Holy Spirit. For who can be saved without the fear of God, without piety and other virtues? But when each person is taught by the preachers of faith how they should live according to the commandments of God, they are sprinkled seven times with living water. Indeed, after the cleansing, the living sparrow of the leper was allowed to fly away in the field; because the holy preachers deserved to fly away to the heavenly homeland after completing their preaching task in the field of their earthly homeland.
In another place it is written that the Lord commanded Moses to have the sons of Israel bring a scapegoat to the priest, and the priest would lay his hands on its head, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel, and then send it away with a prepared man into the wilderness to bear the sins of the sons of Israel in the wilderness. However, the one who led the scapegoat into the wilderness was not allowed to enter the camp until he had washed his clothes (Leviticus 16:10 and following). Therefore, the priest has the same symbolism as the scapegoat; for they both signify our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the priest confessed the sins of the children of Israel upon the scapegoat; for the Son of God placed the sins of the human race upon the man he assumed, so that he himself would die for them. Through the desert, whose habitation everyone dreads, the cross is designated, greatly dreadful to all sinners. Therefore, a prepared man led a scapegoat into the desert, because the Jews who had been forewarned of committing this crime crucified our Lord Jesus Christ. But the one who led the scapegoat into the desert was commanded to wash his clothes first, and thus enter the camp; for the Jews, the murderers of Christ, could not enter the camp of the Church unless they were first cleansed by the water of baptism.
And in Deuteronomy, Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying: If you pass by a field and find a bird sitting on its chicks, do not take the bird with its chicks, but let the bird fly away in the field, and keep the chicks that you have captured, so that you may live a long time in the land that the Lord your God has given you (Deuteronomy 22:6). Could the release of a little bird increase someone's days? No, it should be understood spiritually. By the bird, each holy soul is designated: but by its chicks, good works are understood. For just as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings to nourish them by keeping warm; so each holy soul hides its works within the secret of its heart, and by constantly increasing and nurturing them, it receives the fullest reward from them. Therefore, we find the bird with its chicks when we embrace someone righteous for their good works. We are happy to allow him, whom we loved, to ascend to the heavenly kingdom through death: but we keep his captured children, if we hold his good works in mind, and make progress in imitating them. And in this we acquire the length of life, which is only given to those established in heavenly bliss. We have said a few things about the opening of the third seal among many, now let us proceed in order.
(Vers. 5.)
(Verse 5) I heard the third living creature saying: Come and see; that is, understand spiritually the Scripture of the Law. And behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a balance in his hand. By the black horse we can understand the teachers of the Law; for the blackness of the horse signifies either the obscurity of the Law that they taught, or the hardness. For even Moses had a veil over his face, because the splendor of his countenance, that is, the spiritual understanding in the Law, could not be seen by those with dim eyes. However, the Lord is the judge of the horse, but the balance demonstrates the fairness of legal judgment, as it is written: Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, foot for foot (Exod. XXI, 23), and whoever inflicts a stain, must endure the same.
(Vers. 6.)
(Verse 6) And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying. The voice that was made in the midst of the four living creatures can be understood as the voice of the Church, imploring the mercy of the Lord. Two denarii of wheat for a day's wage, and three denarii of barley for a day's wage, and do not harm the wine and oil. There are great things that have been brought forth, and very obscure. Through the wheat, from which the finest bread is made, we can receive divine Scripture, which is the bread of souls: but the two pounds of wheat represent the two Testaments, by which divine Scripture is divided. Of these two books, the holy fathers have prepared a great abundance of food for us from wheat, which they have explained in various ways. However, the denarius represents the Lord. Therefore, two pounds of wheat are joined to a denarius; because what the Holy Scripture speaks of pertains to the omnipotence, greatness, goodness, and severity of one God; for whatever good we do towards our neighbors, it is from Him, not from us. But through the roughness of barley, the works of the saints are represented: which indeed seem rough through action, but hope makes them sweet, as the Lord says: For my yoke is sweet, and my burden light (Matthew 11:30). However, there are three bushels of barley: not unsuitably, therefore, they are designated by the number six, which is perfect, the works of the saints, because the perfection of the saints increases from good works. Therefore, three bushels of barley are joined together by a penny; because whatever good the chosen ones do in this world, whatever adversity they suffer, they do and suffer for the love of one almighty God.
Otherwise: those who are saved by the Law are designated by the horse: by its rider, the giver of the Law himself: but by the balance, the fairness of his judgment. Therefore, we understand the Old Testament through two pounds of wheat and three pounds of barley: therefore, by two pounds of wheat, the two precepts of charity, which are especially commanded in the Law and the prophets, are designated, as the Lord says in the Gospel: In these two commandments, the whole Law and the prophets depend (Matthew 22:40). And by three measures of barley, we can understand the Old Testament; because it is divided into three parts by the Hebrews, namely, the Prophets, the Law, and the Hagiographa. And not incorrectly, the Old Testament is designated by barley, which has a rough husk, because of the roughness, namely, of the legal precepts. For just as barley contains the kernel within its rough husk, from which bread is made, so also within the letter of the Old Testament is contained the spiritual understanding, from which the spiritual nourishment of the bread of doctrine is made by the teachers of the Church, for the benefit of the faithful. For the Apostle Paul writes that the Law did not bring anyone to perfection, specifically those who understand and act in a carnal manner; but rather, it raises to the summit of perfection those who understand and act in a spiritual manner (Hebrews 7:19). Therefore, three pounds of barley are doubled to reach the number six, which is a perfect number; when the Old Testament is first understood historically by the doctors of the Church, and later understood spiritually, its spiritual understanding is fulfilled by works. However, eternal life is designated by the denarius, as the Lord teaches in the Gospel (Matthew 20:2). Therefore, the Church prays to the Lord and says: Grant, O Lord, two pounds of wheat for a denarius, and three pounds of barley for a denarius, that is, to those who keep the two commandments of charity according to the teaching of the Law and the Prophets, namely, the fathers of the Old Testament, as well as to those who understand and practice the Old Testament spiritually, that is, the faithful of the Church, grant the denarius of eternal life. Truly, through the austerity of wine, we can lead an active life, and through the richness of oil, we can lead a contemplative life. Therefore, when it says, 'Do not harm wine and oil,' it is like saying: Do not harm those who have striven to serve you through the works of an active or contemplative life, when you come to judgment.
(Vers. 7.)
(Verse 7) It follows: And when He opened the fourth seal. The opening of the fourth seal pertains to the prophets, who foretold the coming of Christ, His passion and resurrection, the calling of the Gentiles, and other matters through various figures. Therefore, our Savior opened the fourth seal when He provided understanding of the prophets to the teachers of the Church. However, it is not necessary for us to say anything about the sayings of the prophets, since they have been explained by these same teachers. And because not only the things written by the prophets, but also the things done by them, have a spiritual understanding, let us speak briefly about some of the things that were done through David, Elijah, and Elisha.
In the book of Kings it is written that when David wanted to go to battle against the Philistines, he said to Saul: Your servant used to tend his father's flock, and when a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the midst of the flock, I would pursue it, strike it down, and deliver the lamb from its mouth. If the lion or bear rose against me, I would seize it by the beard and strike it down, and kill it. So your servant has killed both lion and bear. (1 Samuel 17:34-36). David represents Christ; but by the lion and the bear, the persecutors of the Church are designated: by the lion, emperors and other earthly rulers are designated: by the bear, the Jews are designated, who persecuted the Church of God: by the ram, the martyrs are designated. Therefore, the lion and the bear came and took away the ram from the midst of the flock; because some of the faithful were taken by the persecutors of the Church and killed for the sake of Christ. And as David pursued and killed the lion and the bear, and ripped the ram from their mouths, in the same way our Redeemer pursued some of the persecutors, and imposed punishment on them in this present age, as he did first to Herod, and again a second time, and a third, and to many others. He truly struck them when he condemned them to eternal death: he ripped the ram from their mouths, because he freed the faithful people from their tearing. And they rose up against David again, because in the times of persecutors, while some were being punished, others rose up against Christ, in order to completely extinguish his name and worship. But David seized them by the chin and suffocated and killed them (1 Samuel 17:35). By the chin, which is closest to the mouth, the blasphemies of the Jews and pagans are signified. Christ seized the chins of the persecutors and suffocated and killed them; when emperors believed in Christ, the entire culture and error of the Gentiles was so suffocated that no persecutor dared to open their mouth to blaspheme Christ. And all were extinguished, the Gentiles who believed in Christ.
Now when David went to battle against the Philistine, he took his staff with him, which he always had in his hands. And he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook and put them in a pouch that he had with him. Then he took his sling in his hand and went out against the Philistine. The staff, by which a man is supported, signifies the apostles, who supported Christ and fulfilled the work for which he came into the world, as the apostle Paul says: For we are God's fellow workers (I Cor. III, 9). However, his humanity is represented by the five stones, the five books of Moses, which he sent in a pouch; because he gave knowledge of the five books to the man whom he had taken: and we can understand the foundation of his language through this. Now, the procession of David against the Philistine can be understood in two ways according to allegory; for our Savior went against the Philistine when he was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit, to be tested by the devil and to defeat the devil. David sent five stones into the pocket, but with one he defeated Goliath; because our Savior possessed the knowledge of five books equally, but from one, that is Deuteronomy, he took three testimonies, from which he defeated the three temptations of the devil. And just as David threw a stone with a sling and killed Goliath, so our Lord Jesus Christ brought forth testimonies from the language of Holy Scripture and overcame the devil.
Otherwise, David went forth to battle against the Philistine; similarly, Christ hastened to His Passion to overcome the devil. David cast down Goliath with a stone, similarly, Christ destroyed the devil through His death. And since David did not have a sword in his hand, he took the sword of the Philistine and killed him with his own sword, and cut off his head. The sword of the devil is death: for the envy of the devil, death entered the world (Wisdom 2:24). This is the sword, by which first man, then the human race, until it was redeemed by Christ, was slain. We incur this sword when we sin: but Christ did not have this sword; because he had not sinned, nor was there any guile found in his mouth (I Pet. II, 22). He was also not subject to the original sin; because he was not conceived from the union of a man, who cannot be without sin. Therefore, Christ, who did not owe death, borrowed it from the devil, who was its author, and through it he killed the same prince of death. But by the head of the Philistine, the human race is designated in this place. David cut off the head of the Philistine, because Christ separated the multitude of the elect from the body of the devil. He brought it to Jerusalem, because he placed the multitude of the elect in the heavenly beatitude, which is called Jerusalem.
But concerning Elijah and Elisha, even though their actions are full of spiritual meaning, let us only mention those that are recorded by the Lord in the Gospel. For when the Lord came to Nazareth, his fellow citizens said to him: 'We have heard about the things that were done in Capernaum, do the same here in your own country.' And he said to them: 'Truly I say to you, there were many widows in the days of Elijah in Israel, when the heavens were closed for three years and six months, and a severe famine came over all the land. Yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a widow woman in Zarephath of Sidon.' And there were many lepers in the days of Elisha in Israel, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian (Luke IV, 23 et seq.). It is written in the book of Kings that when King Ahab of Israel began to persecute Elijah, at the command of the Lord, he went into the desert and sat beside the brook Cherith. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook (3 Kings XVII, 3 et seq.). Elias was depicting Christ: but by the stream of Cherith we should understand the Law. Cherith means falsehood, not that the Law is false; for wise people often present parables to their listeners so that the things they wish to say may be understood more clearly, and they introduce talking animals and birds. If you only consider the words of the parables, you will see that they are falsehoods; but if you consider the meaning, you will prove them to be truths. Similarly, certain legal precepts, if you only consider the letter, will seem useless to you; but if you consider the spiritual understanding, the truth shines brightly in the letter. Therefore, some of the legal precepts are lies to the Jews because they understand them in a worldly way. But to us, they are the truth because we strive to understand them spiritually. The priests of the Jews are symbolized by the ravens, darkly veiled in their hearts. The constant sacrifice of flesh represents the morning and evening offering. The breads of the offering represent the loaves that were continually placed before the Lord. Christ drank from the stream because he delighted in the observances of the law. But on the other hand, many days have been dried up; for when Christ came in the flesh and preached the Gospel, the observance of the law ceased, and from that time on it was of no avail, as the Lord says: The law and the prophets were until John, etc. (Matthew 11:13). And again He says to Israel through the prophet: I will not accept your sacrifice anymore; your incense is an abomination to me: I will not bear your new moons and sabbaths, your heavens are iniquitous (Isaiah 1:13).
And the Lord said to Elijah: Go into the land of Sarepta of Sidon, and stay there; for I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain you. (3 Kings 17:9). So he arose and went to Sarepta. Elijah went to Sarepta; for Christ, leaving the faithless Jews, passed over to the Gentiles through his apostles. Sarepta, in fact, signifies being set on fire, or the narrowness of bread; for the Gentiles, who were the city of the devil and were designated by Sarepta, were consumed by the fire of vices. Regarding this fire, Scripture says: 'All of you who light a fire, walk in the light of your fire and in the flames you have kindled for yourselves' (Isaiah 50:11). Those who are clothed with flames are those who are consumed by the fire of vices, and are called the straits of bread; because no preacher has ever come to them to impart the nourishment of the word of God. And when he arrived at the city gate, a widow woman appeared, gathering wood. The same word 'mulier' has the same meaning as 'civitas'; it signifies the Church gathered from the Gentiles. And she was a widow, because she had lost her husband God, due to her sins. And he called her and said to her, 'Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.' He asked for something small in order to obtain something greater; for through a little water, which refreshes the thirsty soul, we can understand the will of those who listen. For just as water refreshes the tongue of one who is thirsty, so also does a ready mind of the listeners refresh the minds of the preachers. And as she was going to bring it, he called after her, saying, 'Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.' It is as if we were ignorant of what is behind us: therefore, Elijah called after the woman, because the holy preachers proclaimed to the nations the God whom they did not know, and through a morsel of bread, we can understand the beginnings of faith.
And because those who come to faith adequately are those who strive to confess their sins first, it is rightly added: And the woman said to him: As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread, except what a handful of flour can hold in a jar, and a little oil in a jug. The jug was a vessel in which oil was stored. We can understand reason through flour, and acts of mercy through oil. Therefore, the gentile people, realizing that they had greatly erred, confessed that there was nothing good in themselves, except that they seemed to have little reason and little works of mercy. For the Gentiles lacked sound reasoning; for they were partly rational, but mostly irrational. For what is more irrational than to say to wood or stone: You are my God? They also lacked compassion; for their own nature often impelled them to help the unfortunate. Their hearts are symbolized by the vessels that contain flour and oil. Look, I gather two pieces of wood, to prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat and die. The woods that are gathered in the city are of no utility, unless they are burned by fire. Therefore, by means of the woods, the errors of the Gentiles, invented by diabolical fraud, are designated. A woman gathered two woods, because the Gentile people gathered various errors from the teachings of philosophers and poets, for which they would be constantly handed over to the flames. But what does he mean when he says: 'Let us eat and die'? For we eat in order to preserve life in the body; but this one says that we should eat in order to die; because the teaching of the Gentiles brings about death more than life.
To which Elijah said: Go, and do as you have said, but make for me first a little bread from the same barley meal, and bring it to me; but afterwards make some for yourself and your son. By bread, faith is signified, and by ashes, penance is often symbolized, as the blessed Job says to the Lord: Therefore I reprehend myself, and do penance in dust and ashes (Job. 42:6). Therefore, the bread is covered with ashes, when anyone who comes to the faith, first strives to lament the evils he has done, so that he may more fittingly approach the receiving of the faith of Christ, which is given in baptism. Therefore, Elias commanded the woman to make bread from flour and bring it to him; because the holy preachers urged the gentiles to prepare a food of faith to God from the good of reason that they had received from God and bring it to him; for when each person comes to baptism, they bring their faith to the preacher, confessing how they believe in response to the priest's questioning; Elias ate the bread that he commanded the woman to make, because the reward of the preachers is the advancement of their children. Therefore, Elijah commanded the widow to first prepare bread for himself, and then for herself and her son; because the conversion of the sinner is first attributed to the preacher: but afterwards, when converted, he prepares bread for himself, exercising himself in good works, so that he may obtain the inheritance of the heavenly homeland. And what Elijah says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land' (1 Kings 17:14); this signifies that faith and good works will not fail from the hearts of the elect until the Lord comes to judge with all his saints.
Similarly, Elisha prefigured Christ, while Naaman represented the Gentiles. There were many lepers in Israel, and none of them were cleansed except Naaman the Syrian; for when Christ came in the flesh, both the Jews and the Gentiles were covered with the leprosy of their sins. But while the Jews remained in their wickedness, the Gentiles were cleansed from the leprosy of their sins. Therefore, Elisha commanded Naaman, saying: 'Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be cleansed.' (2 Kings 5:10). He went and washed in the Jordan seven times, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed of leprosy. The water of the Jordan symbolized baptism, for Christ was baptized in it. Naaman was cleansed by the waters of the Jordan and healed of leprosy, because the people of the nations are cleansed from the leprosy of their sins by the water of holy baptism. His sevenfold washing symbolized the sevenfold Holy Spirit, through whose working the forgiveness of sins is given in baptism; for just as the visible body is cleansed by the waters of baptism, so the invisible soul is cleansed from all sins by the working of the Holy Spirit. But Gehazi, who received the price of Naaman's healing, inherited his leprosy, designates those who sell the teaching of their preaching to men: whom the Lord in the Gospel calls not shepherds, but hired mercenaries (John 10:12). Therefore, Elisha conferred health, and Gehazi received the price; because the perverse teachers demand the price of healing from those whom divine mercy saves. And for this reason, they become heirs of their leprosy; because by remaining in the evils which these teachers contemptuously rejected through the grace of God, they acquire perpetual damnation for themselves. We have said a few things about the opening of the four seals which it is certain pertain to the Old Testament, in order to demonstrate that the opening of the seals is nothing else but the manifestation of spiritual meanings in the Old Testament, which has been revealed to us through Christ.
(Vers. 8.)
(Ver. 8.) It follows: And behold, a pale horse, and the one sitting on it, his name was Death, and Hades followed him. These things that are said about the fourth horseman seem to pertain to the Antichrist: but because the previous three horsemen were interpreted in a favorable manner, to correspond with the opening of the three seals; the correctness of order compels us to understand this one also in a favorable manner, to the extent that it agrees with the opening of the fourth seal, which we have shown pertains to the prophets. Therefore, the pale horse signifies prophets: but paleness occurs to humans in different ways; sometimes from fear, sometimes from illness, sometimes when the whole body is seized by death, and in many other ways people turn pale. Therefore, the prophets, who foretold to the sinful people that they would be given over to plunder and sword and destruction, are said to have appropriately had a pale color: but the rider of this horse is the Lord, who dwelled in his prophets. But it seems very difficult that it is said to have the name of death; for He Himself is the life of all His elect, as He Himself says: I am the life (John 14:6). But if we carefully examine the divine Scriptures, we will find that our Lord Jesus Christ is also called death. For just as He is the life of all the elect, to whom He daily bestows eternal life, so death can be said to be for the reprobate, whom He daily delivers to perpetual death for their sins; for He has the power to destroy both soul and body in Hell (Matthew 10:28). Therefore, it is said that death had a name because it brought death to the sinful people of Israel, as is clearly shown in the song of Deuteronomy when it says: A fire is kindled in my anger, and it burns to the depths of the underworld: it will devour the earth and its produce, and it will burn the foundations of the mountains. I will gather evil upon them, and I will fill my arrows with them: they will be consumed by famine; and they will be devoured by birds with the bitterest bite. I will send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the fury of those pulling and the crawling serpents upon the earth. The sword will devastate them outside, and inside there will be terror, and the rest (Deuteronomy XXXII, 22 et seq.) .
This horseman followed, because all those who had despised the threats of the prophets which they had spoken from the mouth of the Lord to the people, were swallowed by the underworld. Hence it follows: And power was given to him over the four parts of the earth to kill with the sword, and with famine, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. The entire land of Israel is designated as the four parts of the earth. However, how they were consumed by the sword, and by famine, and by death, and by the beasts of the earth, the books of the Prophets and Kings clearly demonstrate. But we must inquire why the opening of the four seals belongs to the Old Testament, and the opening of the three seals belongs to the New. For there are four elements by which we subsist according to the body; therefore, the Old Testament fittingly is represented by the number four, because the Law of Moses promises nothing to the Hebrew people except things that pertain to the four elements. The New Testament is represented by the number three, because the faith in the Holy Trinity, without which we cannot be saved, is specially recommended in it.
(Vers. 9.)
(Verse 9.) And when he had opened the fifth seal. The opening of the fifth seal, as we have already said, belongs to the opening of the new Testament, the sixth and the seventh: and although the opening of the new Testament is the unveiling of the old Testament, many things are obscurely set forth in it, which must be explained. Therefore, the Savior opened the fifth, sixth, and seventh seal when he revealed to the doctors of the Church the things that he had spoken in parables and figuratively. But it is not necessary for us to speak about the exposition of the New Testament, since it has been wonderfully and manifoldly expounded by the holy fathers. Therefore, the opening of the fifth seal pertains to the martyrs: Christ indeed opened the fifth seal when he revealed to the doctors of the Church the things he had said about the persecution of the martyrs and their glorification through parables and certain figures. He also opened the fifth seal when he bestowed upon them the heavenly glory he had promised and glorified them among men in the world. I saw under the altar of God the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. The altar of God is Christ: therefore, the souls of the saints rest under the altar, for just as the members are attached to the head, they also adhere to it, so too the souls of the saints established in heavenly glory are subject to Christ the Savior and are connected to him through the joining of the members.
(Vers. 10, 11.)
(Vers. 10, 11.) And they cried out with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Lord, holy and true, will you not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? For the scripture commands us not to repay evil for evil (Rom. XII, 17), and the Lord says in the Gospel: Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you (Matth. V, 44); so why do the saints in heaven seek revenge against their enemies? But we know that the saints of God desire the last day, on which they will receive from the Lord both bodies and the full reward of their labors. For the Lord revealed to his disciples that this day is to be desired, when he predicted the signs of the day of judgment, saying: When you see these things happening, look up and lift up your heads; for your redemption is near (Luke 21:28). And in the Lord's Prayer, we constantly ask for your kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10). But because the resurrection and glorification of the saints will take place on the day of judgment, and the day of judgment will be the condemnation of the wicked, the saints seek revenge against their enemies when they request the coming of the day of the Lord; for on that day they will be eternally condemned. But a question arises here, why do the saints desire the day of the Lord, when the prophet says: Woe to those who wish for the day of the Lord (Amos 5:18)? For we know that the day of the Lord is the condemnation of the wicked, as we have already said. And why was it necessary for the prophet to say: Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord! when no wicked person is found who desires either his own death or the day of the Lord, because he fears being condemned in it? And because it is true what the prophet said, we must investigate what it means. For the condemnation of the wicked are their sins: therefore, whoever desires to cohabit with a prostitute desires his own condemnation, whoever desires to get drunk desires his own condemnation, whoever desires to steal a horse or a cow or anything similar desires his own condemnation, whoever desires to inflict harm on his neighbor desires his own condemnation. Therefore, because the condemnation of the wicked will be the day of judgment, whoever desires those crimes for which he will be condemned on the day of judgment desires the day of the Lord, that is, his own damnation.
And to them were given each white stoles. The white stoles are the glory of the holy souls, the holy souls now possess the white stoles individually; for while their bodies rest in the earth, they enjoy only the eternal beatitude of the soul: they will then receive two stoles, when after the resurrection the souls will possess without end the glory of the heavenly country together with their bodies. And it was said to them to rest a little while longer, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who are to be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. Time is short, until the day of judgment: it is called short, because in relation to future time, it is very short. Therefore, the saints who desire this day of judgment, in which they will receive their bodies and the full reward of their labors, are commanded to await a short time, until the number of their brothers is fulfilled; because the day of judgment will not come until the full number of the elect is completed. But we must inquire why only the souls of those killed for the name of Christ are said to have rested under the altar of God and received white robes, when all the souls of the elect rest under this altar and possess the same robes themselves. Therefore, we must not only receive the souls of the martyrs, but also the souls of all the righteous, because they too have died to the world in order to live for God, as the Apostle says: 'For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God' (Colossians 3:3). And he says about himself: 'The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world' (Galatians 6:14); and: 'Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted' (2 Timothy 3:12); and: 'Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God' (Acts 14:21). But even John, the author of this book, is described as having drunk the cup of the Lord, when he had laid down the sword without taking life.
(Vers. 12.)
(Verse 12.) And when he opened the sixth seal. The opening of the sixth seal pertains to the rejection of the Jews, as we have said, and to the calling of the Gentiles. And because Christ spoke many things in parables about the destruction of the Jews and the election of the Gentiles, He also did certain things that signified this; He opened the sixth seal when He revealed to the Church leaders the things He had spoken and done in figures by the grace of His inspiration. He also opened the sixth seal, when he fulfilled the things he foretold in action. There was a great earthquake. The land in this place signifies the Jews: the land was greatly shaken when this nation was devastated by the Romans. And the sun became black, like a sackcloth. The same Jewish people are signified by the sun: therefore the sun became black, like a sackcloth; for the people of the Jews, who shone as the sun in the world because of their knowledge of the one God and their observance of the Law, became detestable to all men because of their iniquities; for those who repent are clothed in sackcloth to indicate that they are sinners. Therefore, the sack had a black appearance because the crimes of the Jews were exposed to all nations. And the moon became like blood. The moon has the same meaning as the sun; it signifies the Synagogue. Therefore, the moon was seen to have the appearance of blood because it shone brightly for the Jews, signifying the shedding of the blood of Christ and his holy ones.
(Vers. 13.)
(Verse 13.) And the stars fell upon the earth, just as a fig tree throws its large fruit when shaken by a great wind. The stars here represent the high priests, scribes, and Pharisees, while the fig tree symbolizes the land of the Jews. The large fruit of the fig tree is called useless, as it quickly falls when the tree is shaken by the wind. Therefore, the fig tree was shaken by the wind and expelled its useless fruit, just as the land of the Jews was invaded by the Romans and expelled the useless and detestable nation from its midst, in order to create a dwelling place for the faithful. And so the stars, like meteors, fell to the earth; for those who shone like stars among the people through the teaching of the Law, were condemned to the same punishment as the rest of the multitude.
(Vers. 14.)
(Verse 14) And the heavens departed, like a rolled-up scroll. The old Testament is represented by the heavens: but when a scroll is rolled up, its writing is hidden from the eyes of those who gaze at it. Therefore, the scroll of the Jews was rolled up, because they refused to understand the spiritual intelligence in the old Testament that was pointing to Christ. So, the heavens departed like a rolled-up scroll, because the old Testament left the Jews behind and moved on to the Gentiles. And every mountain and island were moved from their places. And because the land of the Jews is mountainous, we can understand that those who lived in cities were moved through the mountains, and those who lived in the plains were moved through the islands. Those who were moved from their places were either exterminated or taken captive.
(Vers. 15, 16, 17.)
(Verse 15, 16, 17.) And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the tribunes, and the rich, and the strong, and every slave and free person hid themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains: Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand? However, Josephus clearly recounts how they hid themselves in caves and the rocks of mountains, describing the destruction of Jerusalem (Josephus, Book 6 of The Jewish War, chapter 11 and following). The affliction was so great that they were consumed by prolonged famine, and were afflicted both externally by enemies and much worse internally by bandits; they hid themselves in wells and sewers, and in some hidden places in the ground, desiring death in order to end their protracted misery. Those who, knowing that they themselves would suffer these things for their own crimes, and that after death they would endure the pains of hell, desired to be oppressed and hidden by the mountains under which they would lie concealed from the face of God and the face of Christ, whom they knew had greatly offended them. For even when the Lord was being led to his passion, he predicted that they would suffer these things, as he said to the weeping women: Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children; for behold, the days are coming when they will say: Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed! Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry? He calls Himself the green wood, but them the dry wood; as if He had said, If they do these things to Me, who am wood according to humanity but green according to divinity, that is, who am both God and man, what will be done to them who are dry wood, that is, who do not have the greenness of faith? It is understood that they will perish most wretchedly. But even the fig tree, which the Lord cursed and made dry before his suffering, because he had not found any fruit on it (Matthew 21:19); he designated the same Jews, whom he condemned with perpetual curse, because he had not found any fruit of faith in them.