Apocalipse 17
Oecumenius
Apocalipse 17:1
Having fulfilled the matters concerning the end of the present age, the vision turns to another thing, wishing to show the evangelist the matters concerning Rome. And he says, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters" speaking of "judgment", meaning her conduct and her society, in which she has been judged to be and how she pursues it. And he calls her a "prostitute", as one prostituting herself and apostatizing from God; for this too is called prostitution in divine Scripture according to what was said by the prophet to the God of all: "You have destroyed everyone that commits fornication against you.." (Ps. 72:27) And he says there are "many waters", over which she rules and which are governed, as he himself says. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:2
With them he says "the kings of the earth committed fornication." And these are the ones who reigned over them; for these are the kings of the earth who have shared in her fornication and idolatry. "And", he says, "the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication"; and indeed the rest, over whom she was mistress, have also apostatized from God, some controlled by her, others led by her. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:3
"And", he says, "he carried me away in the Spirit into a desert." The desert foreshadows her coming desolation. "And I saw", he says, "a woman sitting on a scarlet beast." The "beast", he says, is the Devil upon whom it rested, and by whom it was commanded; "scarlet" because it had been stained with the blood of the saints. And the "beast" was "full of blasphemous names"; for the Devil, who is attributed to it, sins against God in the worship due to God. He says it had "seven heads and ten horns." He himself interprets these, calling the "heads" and the "horns" kings, both those who reigned in it and those who were to reign. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:4
And "the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, purple" for the kingdom, and "scarlet" for the shedding of the many holy bloods. "Adorned with gold and precious stone and pearls." As a queen fittingly the text says "adorned" about her, with royal adornment. "Holding a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations", golden indeed because honorable for her rulership, yet full nevertheless of idolatry and pollutions, by which she was nourished and to which she poured sacrifices to her own demons. And he says, "the impurities of the earth's fornication"; for she attributes to it the causes of the idolatry of the other nations as well, as to the chief author of evils and of idolatrous madness. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:5
And it is said to have been "written" also upon "her forehead", as one says in some inscription, who she was; and that it is "Babylon", the "mother of prostitutes", "Babylon" because of the turmoil and confusion in her and the persecutions of the saints; for confusion, as has been said, is signified by the name of Babylon; and "mother" of the fornication and apostasy from God. For how could she not be mother and teacher of the one who persecuted the evangelical word and those who proclaimed it, persuading the nations to adhere to the ancestral deception? — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:6
For the prostitute not only was full with the "blood" of the saints, but she was also "drunk." The kings who reigned over her had such different natures. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:7
"I will tell you what the mystery of the woman and the beast is": that is, in a mystical way these things which are written to you as in a figure are revealed through the Revelation. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:8
"The beast which you saw, was and is not, and is about to rise up out of the abyss," he says. For the Devil had indeed been, before the existence of the sensible world, made by God for good works, like the other glorious angels; but it is not shown in what respect the evangelist indicates concerning the things about the end of the age, in which he will go into the fire prepared for him and his angels. For to be in these things is not properly to be. Then when his activity is about to be revealed in the last days he says: "and is about to rise up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition." For through the rise of the Antichrist there will be an increase to the Devil, deceiving men and persuading them to worship him as previously said in many places. Or, think not that it was and is not so; the apostle writing to the Philippians says, "to all the saints in Christ Jesus, who are in Philippi," (Philip. 1:1) being called saints because "they are in" Christ and in a family unit relationship and remembrance of God. If then "they are" holy, the accursed Devil "is not" now, even if he was before or was cast down by the Almighty God from his proper order. Likewise the impious, even if they appear to exist so far as subsistence and essence, are not so far as to have the election and remembrance of God; and that this is so, the book of Genesis does not record the genealogies from Cain, (see Gen. 5:1-6:1) as it says that by reason of impiety they were not, but it declares their perdition in which they are about to perish. That is, the just punishment of Gehenna against him; for the Lord says concerning those condemned in it, speaking to Matthew: "But fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." (Matt. 10:28) And he says that "those who dwell on the earth will marvel." Not all, but those "whose names" are not "in the book of life." And why will they marvel? Because the "beast was and is not" and will appear and be destroyed; for those who had trusted in him will be most astonished at the change that will come upon him. For wishing to be ruler of the world and so showing himself, he will not only be deposed from his rule, but will also receive a worthy end for his wickedness. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:9
Therefore, he says, "here is the mind that has wisdom." Therefore, so says the mind that has been made wise: let the riddle be known how it "was and is not", and is about to ascend from the abyss. For even for that which departs from being into non-being, the thing that is about to ascend again from the abyss seems to be contradictory, unless someone should apprehend it in some other way, as has already been said. "The seven heads" he says "are seven mountains, on which the woman sits." From this most clearly it is shown that what has been said refers to Rome; for it is related that she herself sits on seven mountains, and there is no other city. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:10
"And" he says "there are seven kings: five have fallen, one is, another has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain a little while." Appropriately he regards the kings as the heads; for the kings are the headship of Roman dominion. What then? He said that of all those who reigned in Rome, only seven were heads of the beast; since these seven are most of all the beast, that is, the Devil, they divided his head against the Christians, having stirred up persecutions against the Church; of whom the first is Nero, the second Domitian, then Trajan, Severus, after him Decius, Valerian, Diocletian; for these among those who reigned in Rome especially persecuted the Church, as Eusebius says in his Chronicles, of whom he says five of the seven fell by death: Nero, Domitian, Trajan, Severus, Decius; and the one remaining is Valerian. The other says "he has not yet come yet", and that whenever he comes it is necessary that "he remain a little while." But another names Diocletian, after whom the reign over Rome ceased and transferred into the renowned city of the pious Constantine, Constantine himself having assumed the imperial power. And everything was reported very precisely to the evangelist, especially the matters concerning Diocletian, among which it is said also "and whenever he comes it is necessary that he remain a little while," saying "to remain" in reference to the persecution against the Christians; for although he reigned twenty years, having begun the last two with the persecution, he resigned the empire. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:11
And he says that "the beast which was, and is not." And it "is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes to destruction." And he appointed the Devil first and last and a fellow counselor of the seven. For how would this one not also be a ruler who made even the seven utterly wicked? — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:12
"And the ten horns which you saw", he says, "are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom." Concerning these "ten kings" or "horns" the most wise prophet Daniel explained from the dominion of the Romans, saying: "they will arise in the last times, in the midst of which the Antichrist will be raised." (see Dan 7:7-12) Therefore he says they have not yet received a kingdom but will "receive authority as kings." He calls them "as kings" because of the brief and shadowy nature of their kingdom. Then he adds that they "receive one hour" together "with the beast." He calls here the beast the Antichrist. For in the preceding passages he also called him accordingly, saying, "And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and it had two horns like a lamb." (Rev. 13:11) The expression that they would reign "for one hour", or the brief duration of their kingdom, is an allegory, or an indication of one year's time and change. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:13
He says that "they have one mind, and give their power and authority to the beast." For though the ten kings will be opposed to one another in their opinions, yet in this they will have "one mind": in giving "their power and authority to the beast", that is, to the Antichrist. For they will be defeated by him, and he alone of all will rule over the rest. But even if they are defeated contrary to their will, since the ten suffer the same fate of defeat and removal, he said they "have one mind"; therefore, he was saying that as by agreement and unanimity the ten will be defeated by the Antichrist. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:14
He says these "will make war with the Lamb." For before they are completely overthrown by the Antichrist, these will persecute the church about which the book speaks. But Christ will prevail; for though they are evil, he will deliver them over to the worse Antichrist unto death. And in another way Christ will conquer: he will grant his servants endurance unto death for the faith striving toward him. For he says they "are called and chosen and faithful", those, that is, who are servants of Christ. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:15
He says "the waters" on which "the prostitute sits are peoples and nations", on which the city, that is, holds the kingdom. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:16
But how will Rome be laid waste by the kings? For we understood that this was indicated through the Revelation. Perhaps to them she will be fought over as a royal city and stronghold and populous and collecting tributes. Therefore in the war concerning her she is forced to suffer as the prize of victory laid up for all, being burned and laid waste. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:17
"For God", he says, "has put into their hearts to do his purpose." He says that God, granting forgiveness, will persuade those who oppose it and those willing to take it. And he says that they will "make one mind, and to give their kingdom unto the beast." And just as from one mind they will be handed over as subjects to the Antichrist, as was said before (see his comments on Rev 17:9-14), "until", he says, "the words of God shall be fulfilled." They, he says, will become subject to the beast until the punishment against the Antichrist also comes and the things spoken by the prophets by God are brought to an end, and upon him. — Commentary on Revelation
Apocalipse 17:18
More clearly, concerning the city about which the passage intends to signify, he brings forward that "the woman" "is the great city which has the dominion" over all. — Commentary on Revelation