Apocalipse 5

Alcuin of York

Apocalipse 5:1

QUESTION: What is meant by And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne, a book written within and without? ANSWER: This vision represents the mysteries of the holy Scripture disclosed to us by the incarnation of the Lord. It is as if the Scripture's concordant unity contained the Old Testament outside and the New inside. THERE FOLLOWS: Sealed with seven seals. ANSWER: It means either covered with all the fullness of its hidden mysteries or written by the disposition of the sevenfold Spirit. Indeed the entire series of the Old and of the New Testament warns us that we should do penance for our sins, seek the kingdom of heaven, and flee the tears of hell. — QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MANUAL ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:1

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne, a book written within and without. By the one sitting on the throne is indicated the person of the Father, and by the right hand of the one sitting, the same Father's Son through whom all things were made, and concerning whom it is said by the voice of the Father, I will lift up my hand to heaven, and I will swear by my right hand. [Deut. 32:40 acc. to LXX.] As for the book written within and without, it seems to contain both Testaments, namely the Old and the New; and while the Old was open without with regards to its literal meaning, with regards to its mystical meaning, it was hiding the New within. Alternatively, written within, the book represents the allegory, and written without it represents the history. The reason why the Old and the New Testament are said to be one book is that neither can the New be separated from the Old nor the Old from the New. It is right for the book to be said to be in his right hand, because the principal focus of the divine Scriptures is on the plan of our Redeemer. Sealed with seven seals. The number seven often indicates totality. The book is said to be sealed with seven seals because the plan of the Savior Lord, before it had been revealed in the fullness of the time, [Cf. Gal. 4:4] lay concealed in the divine volumes by a fullness of all sorts of hidden mysteries. If there is someone for whom this interpretation is not enough, let them know that in the seven seals are encompassed the seven moods of verbs: the indicative, as in this answer given to the prophet: I am the Lord that speak justice; [Is. 45:19] the enunciative, as in Hearken to me, O Jacob, and thou Israel whom I call, etc.; [Is. 48:12] the imperative, as in Cry, cease not; [Is. 58:1] the optative, like in O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments!; [Is. 48:18] the conjunctive, as in If you will keep my covenant, you shall be my peculiar possession; [Ex. 19:5] the infinitive, as in To abstain from evil, is understanding; [Job 28:28 acc. to LXX.] and impersonal, such as in Who shall declare the powers of the Lord? [Ps. 105:2] — COMMENTARY ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:2

And I saw a strong angel, proclaiming with a loud voice: Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? By the strong angel we should understand a herald of the law, for the lips of the priest keep knowledge, and they seek the law at his mouth: because he is the angel of the Lord of hosts. [Mal. 2:7] Now what does it mean to ask who is worthy to open the book, if not to anxiously long for Christ, who could show that the law had been fulfilled and revealed in him, so that it no longer needed to be kept and understood carnally, but spiritually? It is right for the book to be opened first, and for its seven seals to be loosed afterwards, because the proclamations of the divine law were first fulfilled in Christ, and then in a certain manner in the whole body, as shown by the opening of the individual seals. Then since Christ had not yet come, it is fittingly said after that: — COMMENTARY ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:3

QUESTION: And no man was able, neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth, to open the book. ANSWER: No angel nor any of the just, even freed from the bond of the flesh, was able to reveal or discover the mysteries of the divine law. — Nor to look on it. —That is, to contemplate the splendor of the grace of the New Testament, just like the children of Israel were unable to look at the face of the one who brought the Old Testament which contained the New. (5:4) THERE FOLLOWS: And I wept much. ANSWER: It means that he realized the common misery of mankind and felt sad. (5:5) THERE FOLLOWS: And one of the ancients said to me: Weep not; behold the lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath prevailed. ANSWER: He is forbidden to weep because the mystery that had long lain hidden had then already been fulfilled in Christ's Passion. — QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MANUAL ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:3

And no man was able, neither in heaven, that is no angel was able to, nor on earth, that is no human being, nor under the earth, that is no soul, to open the book, nor to look on it: for none of these was able to achieve the plan for the salvation of man. But, blessed John, how could no one look on the book, while you yourself say, "I saw a book in the right hand of God?" Perhaps you were neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth? Then, in order for it not to be contradictory, we should take look on to mean "comprehend." Indeed, who is able to comprehend how God can become incarnate without seed, how a man God can come out of the closed womb of a virgin, and how the Lord of glory can be crucified, when only the flesh dies? — COMMENTARY ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:4

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open the book, nor to see it. By no means is it believed that John, who wrote this after the opening of this book, wept in his own person, but in that of the Church of before Christ's coming, which, burdened with the weight of sins, was anxiously seeking the presence of its Mediator. It is also in the person of this Church that David says, My tears have been my bread day and night, whilst it is said to me daily: Where is thy God? [Ps. 41:4] A consolation is directed at it in what is said after that: — COMMENTARY ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:5

And one of the ancients said to me: Weep not; behold the lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof. By this ancient we understand the order of the prophets, by whose prophecies the Church was comforted, as in The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thighs, till he come that is to be sent. [Gen. 49:10] Note also that Christ is here called a lion because he overcame the Devil, while in the following verse he is called a lamb because he redeemed the world by sacrificing himself. As for the root of David, it means the kin and son of David. Moreover it should be noted that in the words hath prevailed, he used the past for the future, as in They have dug my hands, etc. [Ps. 21:17] — COMMENTARY ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:6

And I saw: and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the ancients, a Lamb standing as it were slain, having seven horns and seven eyes: which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. As already said, the throne, the living creatures, and the ancients signify the Church, in the middle of which stands the Lamb, according to this: I will declare thy name to my brethren: in the midst of the church will I praise thee. [Ps. 21:23] As for what we read elsewhere, The Lord is round about his people, [Ps. 124:2] it is not incompatible, because he both presides in the middle where he rules and judges it, and goes round about it to protect and defend it. Now why do we read here that he is standing while we read above that he is sitting, if not because there were shown examination and kingdom, while here is shown assistance? Indeed sitting is the attitude of one reigning and judging, while standing is the attitude of one giving assistance. Note also that he is seen not slain, but as it were slain; for even though he was crucified due to weakness, he lives by the power of God. Alternatively, Christ is, not slain, but as it were slain, every time his limbs either mortify themselves voluntarily or endure persecutions so as to fill up in themselves those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ. [Cf. Col. 1:24] By the seven horns, as John himself has explained, is represented the Holy Spirit's sevenfold operation, which is demonstrated not only to have rested in the Head, but also to have illuminated the entire body, which is why in this passage the seven spirits of God are said to have been sent forth into all the earth. This sevenfold operation, which is symbolized by the horns because of its kingdom and strength, is also fittingly represented by the eyes because it illuminates the Church. Alternatively, by the horns, which rise above the flesh, we may also understand the more outstanding people in the Church, to whom it is said, You are not in the flesh, but in the spirit. [Rom. 8:9] — COMMENTARY ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:7

And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne. The right hand of him that sits on the throne is the same as the Lamb as it were slain in the midst of the throne, because the Son of God through whom the world was created and the Son of man through whom man was redeemed are not two, but one Christ. Therefore the Lamb, that is the Son of man, took the book, that is the plan for the salvation of man, to which every page of the Scriptures bears witness, from himself, that is from his divinity. — COMMENTARY ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:8

And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures, and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. The Lamb opened the book when he fulfilled the work of his voluntary Passion. Now what does it mean that the living creatures and the ancients have harps, if not that the Church of the elect is filling up those things which are wanting of the afflictions of Christ? [Cf. Col. 1:24] It is fitting for the sufferings of Christ to be symbolized by harps, for in a harp some strings are stretched more tightly and others more loosely, but, albeit stretched differently, they do not at all produce each a different song: it is the same with the different members in the body of Christ: some imitate his sufferings more fully and others less, but they resound with one praise in harmony. So the living creatures and the ancients fall before the Lamb with harps because all the saints attribute the merit of everything they suffer for Christ to Christ and not to themselves. By the golden vials we understand love, a love capable of praying not only for friends but also for enemies, which is why it is said that they were full. It is right for the vials to be mentioned after the harps, because the Lord first climbed the cross, and then thus prayed for his persecutors with an incomparable love, saying, Father, forgive them, etc. [Luke 23:34] — COMMENTARY ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:9

And they sung a new canticle, saying: Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to take the book, etc. Christ sang a new canticle by preaching it in words and following it in acts. Now what does it mean to say, Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; because thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God, in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, if not "Compared to our victories, thy victory alone is considered one, by which we were redeemed from the prince of death and the malediction of the law?" By the fact that the four living creatures and the twenty-four ancients say they have been redeemed out of every tribe, and tongue, and nation, it is clearly shown that by them is represented the universal Church. — COMMENTARY ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:10

And hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. The elect are kings, when, by restraining their bodies, it is as if they were reigning over a subjected earth with the law of virtue, which is why they affirm they have received a kingdom on earth too. They are priests because they offer themselves to God by chastising themselves every day, according to this: A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit. [Ps. 50:19] — COMMENTARY ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:11-13

And I saw, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the ancients. By saying that he heard the voice, he shows what kind of seeing this was; for he sees sounds and hears visions. Now if, as already said, the living creatures and the ancients are round about the throne, how can there be any angel round about the same throne, if not because those same living creatures and ancients are angels? About whom it is said, The angels of peace shall weep bitterly. [Is. 33:7] Though the heavenly military may also be understood by the name of angels; but whether it is about the latter or about the former, their countless multitude is shown when it is said after that, and the number of them was thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction, and every creature, which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and under the sea, and the things that are in it. The sea and the things that are in it represent this world. I heard all saying: To him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, benediction, and honour, and glory, and power, for ever and ever. Saying all, he means again those whom he said above the whole Church was made up of, that is the living creatures, the ancients, and the angels. In the one who sits and the Lamb, that is in the Father and the Son, according to the rule mentioned earlier, the Holy Spirit is also understood. — COMMENTARY ON REVELATION

Apocalipse 5:14

And the four living creatures said: Amen. And the four and twenty ancients fell down on their faces, and adored him that liveth for ever and ever. Since the living creatures and the ancients are one, that is one Church, the living creatures fall down and adore him with the ancients, and the ancients confirm with the living creatures that the praises are true, replying Amen in an affirmative expression. Their fall and adoration, as already said, must be taken as spiritual. Now, so that we should not get tired beyond measure by going on too long, let us put an end to this book here. — COMMENTARY ON REVELATION