The Seventh Seal 1 And when he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
Victorinus of Pettau · AD 304 "And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." Whereby is signified the beginning of everlasting rest; but it is described as partial, because the silence being interrupted, he repeats it in order. For if the silence had continued, here would be an end of his narrative.
Andreas of Caesarea · AD 614 Often the number of seven is taken by this saint to correspond to this age and the sabbath rest of the saints. Therefore, also here at the loosing of the seventh seal, the dissolution of the earthly city is signified, the seven angels administering the torments against those people who are deserving of chastisement or punishment.
Dionysius bar Salibi · AD 1171 And when he had opened the seventh seal, etc.—because this too is written, it is to happen in the end of time.
2 And I saw the seven angels who have stood before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
Ticonius · AD 390 In the seven angels we shall recognize again the church according to that rule that indicates that universality is often to be acknowledged in the number seven. [The church] is said to have received a most powerful trumpet of proclamation by which she is strong and by which, we believe, every age comes to faith. For we read, "Life up your voice like a trumpet."
Bede · AD 735 And I saw seven angels standing before God, etc. The Church, often commended by the number seven, is devoted to the duty of preaching, the first trumpet signifying the common destruction of the impious by fire and hail; the second, the devil expelled from the Church, more fervently inflaming the sea of the world; the third, heretics falling away from the Church, corrupting the…
Alcuin of York · AD 804 And I saw seven angels standing in the sight of God; and there were given to them seven trumpets. And another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer. And much incense was given to him, that he will give it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne.
Shepherd of Hermas · AD 160 Now after the angel had finished these things, he said to the Shepherd, "I am going away, and you will send these away within the walls, according as each one is worthy to have his dwelling. And examine their branches carefully, and so dismiss them; but examine them with care.
Oecumenius · AD 550 The altar is said to be incense [λιβανωτὸν], as it receives the incense. When Christ appeared, as a kind of first fruits and precious offering, the prayers of the saints are presented to Him by the angels who oversee us. These prayers are naturally fragrant and become even more fragrant through the cooperation of the holy angels.
Bede · AD 735 And he stood before the altar, having a golden censer. Clearly, he appeared in the sight of the Church, having become the censer, from which God received the odor of sweetness, and was propitiated towards the world.
4 And the smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of the saints out of the hand of the angel before God.
Oecumenius · AD 550 And it is said that the smoke of the incense rises in the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel. Do you see that the prayers of the saints became more fragrant before God through the angel?
Bede · AD 735 And the smoke of the incense ascended from the prayers of the saints, etc. Christ the Lord offering Himself as a sacrifice of sweetness made the compunction of the hearts of the saints acceptable, which, being born from the inner fire, usually stirs up tears like smoke.
5 And the angel has taken the censer, and filled it from the fire of the altar and cast it to the earth. And there were thunders and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
Ticonius · AD 390 The Lord received his body, that is, the church, and filled her with fire from the altar to accomplish the Father's will. This is to say that he filled [the church] with the power of loosing and of binding, which consists in sacrifices and the propitiation of God.
Andreas of Caesarea · AD 614 The prayers of the saints offered through an administering angel cause the censer filled with the avenging fire to be poured out upon the earth. This is just as it was revealed long ago to Ezekiel by one of the cherubim, that he should receive from such a fire and give it to the angels that they might send the fire for the punishment of the wicked inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Alcuin of York · AD 804 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it on the earth. The angel took the censer when the Lord joined human nature to himself within the Virgin's womb; or we may take it as referring to the body, when he first chose his disciples in Judea.
The First Four Trumpets 6 And the seven angels who are having the seven trumpets prepared themselves that they may sound the trumpets.
Ticonius · AD 390 The church, often indicated by the number seven, prepared herself for faithful preaching.
Oecumenius · AD 550 Then the angels also sounded trumpets, signaling the presence of God (Ex. 19:16-19); for even then the trumpets sounded loudly.
Bede · AD 735 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound the trumpets. The Church, inflamed with the sevenfold spirit, prepared itself confidently to preach, intending to cast down the glory of the world with heavenly trumpets, as if to topple the walls of Jericho. For that seven-day circuit also indicates the entire time of the Church.
7 And the first sounded his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was cast upon the earth. And the third of the earth was burned up, and the third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
Ticonius · AD 390 A third of the earth and the trees and all the grass is said to be burned up. The "earth" represents everything terrestrial, while persons who wave about through unfaithfulness are depicted as "trees." For those blown about by "every wind of doctrine" are mentioned by the apostle Jude, "fruitless trees in late autumn, uprooted, twice dead." The green grass represents flesh fatt…
Andreas of Caesarea · AD 614 By these torments not less than one third of all the creatures on the earth will be physically killed, for wars destroy not only human beings but also everything that is produced upon the earth. And the blessed Joel confirms our understanding of what will come when he says, "Blood and fire and vapor of smoke will come before the great day."
Alcuin of York · AD 804 And the first angel sounded the trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood, and it was cast on the earth, and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. By hail is represented the wrath of God Almighty, according to this: The wrath of the Lord is like hail coming down.
8 And the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea. And the third of the sea became blood,
Hippolytus of Rome · AD 235 'On this, Caius the heretic objected to this revelation, and said that it is not possible that these things should be, inasmuch as as a thief that cometh in the night, so is the coming of the Lord [1 Thess. v. 2]. Hippolytus of Rome answered him, and said that, in like manner as God wrought signs such as these in Egypt, so is He to work when Christ appears.
Primasius of Hadrumetum · AD 560 The burning mountain cast into the sea is the devil, who was sent against the peoples. A third part of the sea became blood. By "blood" he means the wisdom of the flesh, which is hostile to God. For this reason it is said that through such wisdom the human soul is destroyed.
Alcuin of York · AD 804 And the second angel sounded the trumpet: and as it were a great mountain, burning with fire, was cast into the sea, and the third part of the sea became blood: and the third part of those creatures died in it, which had life, and the third part of the ships was destroyed.
9 and the third of the creatures in the sea who are having life died, and the third of the ships were destroyed.
Ticonius · AD 390 Another edition has the reading "[a third of] those who have souls" and shows thereby that they have died a spiritual death, similar to that which the apostle said about the widow, "She who is self-indulgent is dead." And so the passage suggests that one third has killed another third by a poisonous tradition and by imitation of a useless teaching.
Bede · AD 735 And a third of the ships perished. Another Edition, by saying "And they corrupted a third of the ships," signifies that the third that died killed another third, that is, the succeeding one, with harmful tradition and useless imitation of doctrine.
10 And the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell out of heaven. And it fell upon the third of the rivers and upon the springs of waters.
Ticonius · AD 390 The "great star" is the devil, of whom the Lord spoke in the Gospel, "I saw Satan fall from heaven as fire or lightning." It is possible that this passage also refers to ecclesiastical people, who living the spiritual life in the church, have become forgetful of themselves and like animals bend down to the things of the earth and fall from their positions of authority.
Andreas of Caesarea · AD 614 Some say that the bitterness revealed through the wormwood is symbolic of the torment that comes to those sinners being punished in Gehenna, who, on account of their number, are reasonably called "waters." But we think that these depictions signify the sufferings at the time, which has been shown.
Alcuin of York · AD 804 And the third angel sounded the trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, as it were a burning torch. The Devil is called a star, whether because of the rank he first had or because he transformeth himself into an angel of light; [2 Cor. 11:14] a great star because he was given precedence over all other angels, and a burning torch because of the fervor of his evilness.
11 And the name of the star is named Wormwood. And the third of the waters became wormwood, and many of the men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.
Ticonius · AD 390 The rivers and fountains of waters signify the teachers of the divine Scriptures who instruct others but turn themselves away from the way of truth. Indeed, the name Wormwood indicates either the bitterness or the sweetness of sins, which give a present sweetness to those who desire them but afterwards change themselves into bitterness.
Primasius of Hadrumetum · AD 560 Since the ruin of those who are great often confuses many, it says that the star fell upon part of the rivers and fountains, and that its name was Wormwood because of its great bitterness. We know that many are weakened by the fall of such persons and are corrupted by an evil imitation of their teaching.
Dionysius bar Salibi · AD 1171 And the name of the star is called wormwood; and a third of the water was made into wormwood, and many men died—Wormwood is a bitter root, and everything into which it is put turns into bitterness. And before the Lord's coming, thus will befall the pagans who do evil to the Christians: for the waters, their drink, are converted into bitterness.
12 And the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and the third of the sun was struck, and the third of the moon, and the third of the stars, so that the third of them may be darkened, and the day may not appear for the third of her, and the night likewise.
Hippolytus of Rome · AD 235 'On this Caius said that, just as in the Flood the heavenly bodies were not taken away and suddenly submerged, thus also is it to be in the end, as it is written [St. Matth. xxiv. 37] ; and Paul says, When they shall say, Peace and safety, destruction shall come upon them [1 Thess. v. 3].
Oecumenius · AD 550 We have been taught by Joel the prophet that "the sun" will turn "into darkness, and the moon into blood before the coming of the day of the Lord, the great and glorious day." (Joel 2:31) This will happen when all these things take place.
Alcuin of York · AD 804 And the fourth angel sounded the trumpet, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day did not shine for a third part of it, and the night in like manner.
13 And I looked, and I heard one eagle flying in mid-heaven, saying in a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those dwelling on the earth, because of the remaining voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound their trumpets!”
Victorinus of Pettau · AD 304 "And I saw an angel flying through the midst of heaven." By the angel flying through the midst of heaven is signified the Holy Spirit beating witness in two of the prophets that a great wrath of plagues was imminent. If by any means, even in the last times, any one should be willing to be converted, any one might even still be saved.
Primasius of Hadrumetum · AD 560 He speaks of an eagle that moves through the heavens in swift flight out of contempt for the earth. He speaks of the church flying in mid-heaven, for she is going to possess the whole world, and she says, "Our abode is in the heavens." And he rightly says that she was "in the middle," for "all who are around him offer gifts," and God works his way in the midst and "works salvat…
Alcuin of York · AD 804 And I beheld, and heard the voice of one eagle flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice: Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth: by reason of the rest of the voices of the trumpets of the three angels, who were yet to sound the trumpet. John as well as the eagle and the angels bear the symbol of the Church.