The four oldest commentaries on the Apocalypse are those of:
- Victorin de Poetovio 250-304 , probably of Greek origin, who was bishop at Pettau (now Ptuj in Slovenia), martyred in Diocletian’s persecution.
- Tyconius, a 4th-century Greek theologian who lived in North Africa and died around 395.
- Caesarius of Arles, bishop of Arles (470-542)
- Andrew of Caesarea, archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, modern-day Kayseri, Turkey (563 – 637).
In addition to these commentaries, numerous quotations and explanations can be found in the great work of St. Irenaeus of Lyon (130-202), “Against Heresies”. This Greek-speaking bishop was a native of Smyrna, a city near Ephesus where the apostle Saint John had lived. Irenaeus had been a disciple of Polycarp, who had received Christian teaching directly from the apostle John.
St. Augustine (354-530), in his work “The City of God”, Book 20, comments at length on chapter 20 of Revelation (see articles: Augustine on the resurrection and Augustine on the Church’s victory over the devil).
In this article, I will give a summary of the interpretation given by the four commentators to certain images described by the evangelist Saint John. Victorinus, Tyconius, Andrew and Caesarius speak of the spiritual reality depicted in the apostle’s vision. In order to reveal their meaning, they base their interpretation on numerous passages of the Scripture in which the same images appear. Their interpretation is fairly univocal; I’ll point out any differences, otherwise I’ll summarize the meaning that is common to all four.
In the verses of the Apocalypse quoted below, you will see images that figure, represent, give shape to spiritual realities. Here’s the list of interpreted images:
- The seven lamp stands
- The son of man
- The tunic
- The golden girdle
- The breasts
- The hair white as wool and snow
- The eyes like burning flame, fire
- The feet of bronze
- The voice like water
- The seven stars
- The mouth with a two-edged sword
- The face like the sun
- The tree of life
- The crown of life
- The hidden manna
- The white stone
- The white garments
- The morning star
- The temple pillar
- The throne
- The moon
Revelation 1:12-13:
« I turned to see which voice was speaking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands, and in the midst of the lamp stands a being who seemed like a Son of Man, clothed with a tunic down to his feet, and girded about his breasts with a golden belt. »
The seven lamp stands :
At the end of chapter 1, the text of Revelation itself explains that the seven candlesticks are the seven churches, and in these seven the whole Church is represented.
See the article The 7 letters to the 7 churches.
The Son of Man:
Christ is the one who is similar to a son of man. He is said to be “like a son of man” because, having ascended into heaven, he is more like a son of God. For Tyconius and Caesarius, the son of man is the figure of Christ, who is the head united to his body, which is the Church.
The tunic:
Christ, who is like a son of man because he is true God and true man at the same time, is clothed in a tunic down to his feet, which means that all the members of his body share in his priestly dignity, but each according to his role in the body: the priests by exercising a ministerial priesthood, administering the sacraments, and the faithful by interceding for the humanity in their prayers and forgiving those who have offended them, spreading Christ’s mercy on earth.
In the liturgy of baptism, in fact, the priest announces this to the newly baptized: “From now on, you are part of the people of God, members of the body of Christ and sharers in his dignity as priest, prophet and king.” So, like Christ, the baptized also become prophets, that is, they proclaim the word of God, the gospel to the world, and also share in the dignity of the king who dominates and exercises victory over evil and death.
It was on Mount Tabor that the apostles contemplated the glory of the risen Christ: “He was transfigured before them; his face became as bright as the sun, and his garments white as light.” (Matthew 17:2)
In the article The 7 letters to the 7 churches, the spiritual path of the baptized and the gifts conferred upon them are explained in greater detail. In chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of Revelation, the apostle John addresses 7 letters to 7 churches, in which he explains the spiritual path and struggle that takes place in the Church, in the people of the baptized. He explains in detail how the baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit, shares in Christ’s victory over evil, thanks to the gifts of the Holy Spirit that make him victorious.
The golden belt:
The golden belt represents the choir of saints, tested by fire like gold.
The breasts:
The breasts are the two Testaments that announce God’s word and will to save us. It is specified that the girdle girdles the two breasts because they transmit to the Church a purified conscience and a pure spiritual sense. The saints feed on the two Testaments as on two nipples, devoting themselves constantly to reading and prayer.
Rev 1:14
« His head and his hair were white as wool and snow, and his eyes as a flame of fire. »
His hair as white as wool and snow:
The head of the body is Christ, the hair of white wool is the baptized who are like sheep. The snow descends from heaven like baptismal grace and like the heavenly Jerusalem, and is united to Christ as to the head. The beast, on the other hand, rises from the abyss, and is the evil people.
Eyes like burning flame, fire:
The eyes of flame are the divine precepts that enlighten believers and burn unbelievers. Psalm 118:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet” and Psalm 118:140: “Your word is fire”.
See article: The fire
Rev 1:15
« His feet were like precious bronze refined in the crucible, and his voice was like the voice of many waters.»
Feet of bronze refined in the crucible:
Ephesians 6:14-17: “Yes, stand firm, with the girdle of truth around your loins, wearing the breastplate of righteousness, your feet shod with the zeal to proclaim the Gospel of peace, and never leaving the shield of faith, which will enable you to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the Evil One. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, that is, the word of God.”
Romans 10:15: “How can we proclaim without being sent? It is written (Isaiah 52, 7): How beautiful are the steps of the messengers who bring good news!”
« His feet were like bronze burning in a fiery furnace” (Rev 1:15). By feet we mean the Church, which is to be tested by persecution and judged by fire. The feet of Christ are the apostles who carry the message to the world: “How beautiful are the feet of those who announce peace, who announce happiness. » (Isaiah 52:7).
Voice like water:
The voice like water is the Church, preaching by the grace of the Holy Spirit received at baptism.
See article: The water
Rev 1:16
« In his right hand were seven stars, and from his mouth a sharp two-edged sword. His face shone like the sun in its power. »
The seven stars:
According to Caesarius of Arles, the stars in the right hand represent the spiritual Church, the one spoken of in the Gospel: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Matthew 25:34). By the seven churches is meant a single Church that receives the grace of the seven gifts of the one Spirit. The Son of Man in the midst of the seven lamp stands is Christ in the midst of the Church.
The double-edged sword:
The double-edged sword that comes out of the mouth is the word of God in both Testaments. Matthew 10:34: “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” and Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and effective, sharper than a two-edged sword”.
The face like the sun :
Tyconius notes that the order in which the members of the body are described is surprising: first the feet, then the mouth like a sword, then the face. This indicates that the Church’s appearance in glory will come after the Word has been brought into the world, after the flames of the final battle. Of this glory it is said: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 13:43). The body of the one who is like a son of man is that of Christ united to his Church, just as the head is united to its members, as Saint Paul affirms in the letter to the Colossians 1:18: “He is also the head of the body, the head of the Church.”
Rev 1, 17-20:
« When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if dead, but he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, the Living One: I was dead, and here I am alive for ever and ever; I hold the keys of death and of Hades. Write, then, what you have seen, what is, and what is to come. As for the mystery of the seven stars you saw on my right hand, and that of the seven golden lamp stands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven Churches, and the seven lamp stands are the seven Churches. »
This concludes the first chapter, which is followed by seven letters addressed to seven churches.
Victorin explains that the seven churches represent all the churches, and thus the whole Church. Paul also addresses seven churches, but it is the one Church that receives the message. Indeed, the first letter is addressed to the Church of Ephesus, but at the end it says: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”, to indicate that the message addressed to one is valid for all.
At the end of each letter, the gift of the Spirit is presented to the victor, i.e. the baptized person who shares Christ’s victory over evil. Baptism celebrates the entry into eternal life, and the baptized person is already resurrected, having already received the gift that will enable him or her to face the trials of this life.
Here are the seven gifts offered to the victor, the baptized. These gifts are explained at greater length in the article The 7 letters to the 7 churches.
Rev 2:7:
« To the overcomer, I will give a taste of the tree of life that is in God’s Paradise. »
The tree of life:
In the last chapter of the Apocalypse (Rev 22:2), the tree of life is again mentioned: “In the middle of the city square, between the two arms of the river, there is the tree of life which bears fruit twelve times: every month it produces its fruit; and the leaves of this tree are medicine for the nations.” Tyconius reminds us that the tree of life is the cross of Christ, which bears fruit at all times, thanks to the teachings of the twelve apostles.
See the article The tree of life
See the first gift in the article The 7 letters to the 7 churches.
Paradise:
Tyconius, Commentaire de l’Apocalypse, Introduction, traduction et notes par Roger Gryson, Brépols, 2011, p.74-76, n.17 :
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches: to the winner I will give to eat from the tree of life” (Rev 2:7), i.e. the fruit of the cross, “which is in the paradise of my God” (Rev 2:7). Paradise is the Church, for all past events prefigure it (1 Corinthians 10:6). The first man, Adam (1 Cor 15:45), is the shadow of what is to come (Rom 5:14 and Col 2:17); the second Adam, Christ, is the sun of righteousness (Mal 4:2), illuminating the shadows of our blindness. The first Adam, as the apostle says, “came from the earth and is earthly; the second Adam, who came from heaven, is heavenly. Like the earthly, so are the earthly, and like the heavenly, so are the heavenly” (1 Cor 15:47). Today, in the Church, we find the two Adams, the earthly and the heavenly, for Adam is bipartite: there is the old and the new. The old Adam is the one who does not have access to the tree of life, because he did not want to strip himself of the old man (Eph 4:22); the new Adam is the one who is united with winning Christ and has a right to the tree of life (Rev 22:14).
See article Genesis 3, 1-24 The fault
Rev 2, 10:
« Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. »
The crown of life :
See the second gift in the article The 7 letters to the 7 churches
Rev 2:17:
« To him who overcomes I will give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and inscribed on the stone a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it. »
The hidden manna :
Tyconius, Commentaire de l’Apocalypse, Introduction, traduction et notes par Roger Gryson, Brépols, 2011, p.80, n.25:
« He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches: to the winner I will give to eat of the hidden manna », i.e. the bread that came down from heaven, of which manna, in the desert, was the figure.
Jesus himself explained to the apostles what had been hidden since the foundation of the world, what the images of the Old Testament represented: “All this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and said nothing to them without a parable, thus fulfilling the word of the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will publish what has been hidden since the foundation of the world” (Matthew 13:34-35). And, on the subject of the manna, he explains what it meant:
« In the desert our fathers ate manna; as the Scripture says: He gave them to eat bread from heaven.” Jesus answered: “Amen, amen, I say to you: it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” So they said to him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger; whoever believes in me will never thirst. » (John 6, 31-35).
« I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the desert and died; but the bread that comes down from heaven is such that whoever eats it will not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven: if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. The bread I will give is my flesh, given for the life of the world. » (John 6, 48-51).
This is the gift that is offered to the baptized, to be nourished by the Eucharist, to commune with the body and blood of Christ, to be strengthened by this spiritual nourishment and thus share in his victory over evil and death.
The white pebble :
Tyconius, Commentaire de l’Apocalypse, Introduction, traduction et notes par Roger Gryson, Brépols, 2011, p.81, n.26:
« And I will give him a white stone”, i.e. a body clothed in white by baptism, “and on this stone a new name is written”, i.e. the mystery of the son of man, “which no one knows except the one who receives it” (Rev 2:17). Although hypocrites apparently possess it, they are not given to understand it, as it is written: “To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom, but to them it is not given” (Mt 13:11). This is why John says: “He who says ‘I know him’ and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him”, and again: “He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in the darkness… » (1 Jn 2, 4.9). In fact, if the hypocrites had known the mystery of God, they would never have killed God within his family.
L’Apocalypse expliquée par Césaire d’Arles, Les Pères dans la foi, DDB, 1989, Paris, Scholie 14 attribuée à Origène, p.177-178 :
For the new name inscribed on the pebble, the word expresses spiritual realities: we must therefore detach ourselves from any material evidence about this pebble. On the spiritual pebble, which its brilliance makes appear white, is written, in accordance with the New Testament, a new name, revealing the quality of the one who has received it and knows it. All progress confers a name suited to the quality it confers: the first names are therefore constantly passing, but the name of the perfect man, which is written last, is not followed by any other: it is always new, like the New Testament, which is definitive. And since this name reveals “the secret of the inner man’s heart” (1 Peter 3:4), no one knows it except the one who receives it, in accordance with the Word: “Who then knows what is in man?” (1 Cor 2:11).
For more details on the meaning of the hidden manna and the white pebble, see the third gift in the article The 7 letters to the 7 churches.
Revelation 2:28
« He will be like me, who have received authority from my Father, and I will give him the morning star. »
The morning star:
Caesarius of Arles: this is the first resurrection obtained through the grace of baptism. The morning star puts the night to flight and announces the light, that is to say, removes sins and grants grace, provided that works follow the grace received. For it is of no importance for the tree to live without bearing fruit; nor is it of any use to call oneself a Christian and not have the works of a Christian. And that’s why he says: “I advise you to buy me molten gold”, i.e. strive to suffer something for the name of the Lord. “And rub your eyes with collyrium”, so that what you are happy to know from the Scriptures you may accomplish by your works.
Tyconius also says of the morning star that he who clothes himself with Christ becomes what Christ is, for it is Christ who first announces the victory of light over darkness. Victorin also reminds us that the morning star puts night to flight and heralds light, the beginning of day. This, then, also heralds the first resurrection achieved through baptism; it is also at baptism that one clothes himself or herself with a white garment, i.e. clothes himself or herself with Christ. Christ dwells in the baptized, who is also called Christ, the new name he or her receive.
For more details on the meaning of the morning star, see the fourth gift in the article The 7 letters to the 7 churches.
Rev 3:5:
« So the winner will wear white garments; never will I erase his name from the book of life; his name I will proclaim before my Father and before his angels. »
White garments:
See the fifth gift in the article The 7 letters to the 7 churches.
Rev 3:12:
« Of the winner I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. »
The pillar of God’s temple:
See the sixth gift in the article The 7 letters to the 7 churches.
L’Apocalypse expliquée par Césaire d’Arles, Les Pères dans la foi, DDB, 1989, Paris, Scholie 21 attribuée à Origène, p.181-182 :
“The winner I will make of him a pillar in the temple of my God, he will never go out from it again and I will engrave on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven, from my God, and the new name I bear”. (Rev 3:12).
We discover that all those who can support the beginnings of the Church receive the name of pillars. For example, Paul declared James, Cephas and John to be columns (Gal 2:9). And God said of such men, “I have set the pillars of the earth” (Ps 75:4), and: “They rise on the wings of piety and virtue.” And speaking of those who now bear the image of the Heavenly One (cf. 1 Cor 15:49), Scripture says: “The pillars of heaven have been raised up” (Job 26:11). Every pillar thus erected in God’s temple is of unshakeable solidity (cf. 1 Cor 15:58), rooted and founded in charity (cf. Eph 3:17): it can therefore never be outside, where Cain was, when he turned away from God’s face (cf. Gen 4:16). On the contrary, the man who approaches the Saviour by his virtuous deeds is not cast out (cf. Jn 6:37). On such a column [the Saviour] writes the Name and engraves the thoughts of his Father, but also the Name of the City of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22), “coming down from God out of heaven”. It is “the Church of the living God” (1 Tim 3:15).
Rev 3:21:
« The winner I will give to sit with me on my Throne, as I myself, after my victory, sat with my Father on his Throne. »
The throne :
Tyconius, Commentaire de l’Apocalypse, Introduction, traduction et notes par Roger Gryson, Brépols, 2011, p.151, n.3:
“And the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple” (Rev 11:19). We understand that the Ark of the Covenant is the Church, as God promises through the mouth of Jeremiah: “When you have multiplied and proliferated on the earth, in those days, says the Lord, the Ark of the Covenant of Israel will no longer be mentioned. No one will think about it, no one will talk about it, it will no longer be done. In those days and at that time, Jerusalem will be called the throne of God, and all the nations will gather in it.” (Jeremiah 3:16-17).
See the seventh gift in the article The 7 letters to the 7 churches.
Rev 5:8:
« When the Lamb had taken the Book, the four Living Ones and the twenty-four Elders fell at his feet. They each held a zither and golden bowls full of perfumes, which are the prayers of the saints. »
The perfumes :
L’Apocalypse expliquée par Césaire d’Arles, Les Pères dans la foi, DDB, 1989, Paris, Scholie 30 attributed to Origen, p.189-190 :
Scripture says: “Let my prayer rise up straight as perfume before your face” (Ps 141:2). Cups full of these perfumes are the faculties that direct the spirit of those who sincerely pray to Christ. The zithers can also be said to be the strength, with their marvelously harmonious chords, that makes them know and love Christ. […]
We who read this account and know that perfumes are the prayers of the saints and spiritual sacrifices, that God welcomes good deeds, see that since the coming of Christ, “in every place, perfumes and a pure offering are presented in the name of the Lord; for his name is great among the nations” (Malachi 1, 11), thanks to Christ’s teaching, as the Prophet says.
Revelation 12:1:
« A great sign appeared in heaven: a Woman, having the sun for a mantle, the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. »
Moon:
The moon reflects the light of the sun into the darkness, and when the darkness seems to triumph over the light and the moon seems swallowed up, that’s when she is reborn and that’s when the stars shine brighter in the sky. It’s a false victory for darkness. The moon and the stars are the faithful witnesses, the Church and the saints, who when evil seems to have the last word, when they are tested by persecution, their testimony bears fruit: “the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians”, as was said in the early centuries. The testimony of the saints, like the light of the stars, is a landmark in the darkness, and the moon heralds the victory of the Church, body of Christ and multitude of saints, over evil.
Tyconius, Commentaire de l’Apocalypse, Introduction, traduction et notes par Roger Gryson, Brépols, 2011, p.152, n.6 :
We can also understand the moon in good part, as it is written in the psalms, “I have sworn once for all in my sanctuary, I will not lie to David, his posteritý shall remain forever; his throne shall be as the sun before me, and as the moon eternally perfect and faithful witness in heaven” (Psalm 88:36-38), and again, “Resplendent as the sun and perfect as the moon” (Song 6:9).
Rev 19:7-8:
« Let us rejoice and give glory to God! For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and for him his bride has made herself ready. And it was given to her to clothe herself in splendid and pure bysse.” For what is of bysse are the righteous deeds of the saints. »
The bysse :
Bysse is a very fine, silky filament secreted by certain large shellfish. It is said that the inhabitants of Malta and the coasts of southern Italy still wove certain accessories in bysse until the 18th century. In the Bible, it represents the most luxurious of garments, since it was usually small accessories that were woven in bysse, too costly to make into a whole garment. This very precious and resplendent garment thus becomes the image of the beauty of the works of justice accomplished by the saints. The Bride, representing the Church, is clothed in it, as are the heavenly armies.” (Rev 19:14).
Tyconius, Commentaire de l’Apocalypse, Introduction, traduction et notes par Roger Gryson, Brépols, 2011, p.198, n.43:
« And it was given to him to clothe herself in linen gleaming and pure; for the linen is the good deeds of the saints” (Rev 19:8). It was given to her to be clothed with her own deeds, as it is written: “Let your priests be clothed with righteousness. » (Psalm 131:9).