Revelation 21

QUESTION: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth was gone. ANSWER: That is, when the wicked have been judged, then the shape of this world will pass due to the burning of heavenly fires, so that, heaven and earth being changed for the better, the quality of the change of both will harmoniously match the incorruptibility and immortality of the bodies of the saints.

This passage does not speak of the obliteration of creation but of its renewal into something better. For as the apostle says, "this creation will be freed from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." Also the holy psalmist says, "You change them like a raiment, and they pass away." The renewal of that which has grown old does not involve the annihilation of its substance but rather indicates the smoothing out of its agedness and its wrinkles. It is a custom among us to say concerning persons who have in some way become better or have become worse, "someone has become someone else." And so it is indicated concerning the heaven and the earth that they have "passed away' ' instead of have "changed." And this is also the same with us who have received death; we will change from a former condition to a better lot.

Concerning the sea, it says that "the sea was no more." For what use is there of a sea when people no longer need to sail it or to acquire by means of it the goods grown in regions lying far away? Moreover the "sea" is symbolic of the turbulence and unsettledness of life, and so there will then be no need of it when there remains no trouble or fear among the saints.

Every rational soul is made unhappy by its sins or happy by its well doing. Every irrational soul yields to one that is more powerful, or obeys one that is better, or is on terms of equality with its equals, exercising rivals or harming any it has overcome. Every body is obedient to its soul so far as permitted by the merits of the latter or the orderly arrangement of things. There is no evil in the universe, but in individuals there is evil due to their own fault. When the soul has been regenerated by the grace of God and restored to its integrity and made subject to him alone by whom it was created, its body too will be restored to its original strength, and it will receive power to possess the world, not to be possessed by the world. Then it will have no evil. For the lowly beauty of temporal changes will not involve it, for it will have been raised above change. There will be, as it is written, a new heaven and a new earth, and there souls will not have to do their part in toiling but will reign over the universe. "All things are yours," says the apostle, "and you are Christ's and Christ is God's." And again: "The head of the woman is the man, the head of the man is Christ, and the head of Christ is God." Accordingly, since the vice of the soul is not its nature but contrary to its nature and is nothing else than sin and sin's penalty, we understand that no nature, or, if you prefer it, no substance or essence, is evil.

Having concluded his prophecy of the judgment awaiting bad people, John has to speak of what is to befall the good.… [The new heaven and earth] will happen in the order which he indicated, by anticipation, in the earlier verse where he said he saw sitting on a throne one from whose face heaven and earth fled away. First, to be sure, will come the judgment of those uninscribed in the Book of Life and their consignment to eternal fire.… Afterwards, this world as we see it will pass away, burned away by terrestrial fires, just as the flood was caused by the overflowing of terrestrial waters. This conflagration will utterly burn away the corruptible characteristics proper to corruptible bodies, as such; whereupon our substance will possess only those qualities that are consistent with bodies immortalized in this marvelous transformation—to this end, that the world, remade into something better, will become fit for people now remade, even in their bodies, into something better.

It is hard to know whether [the sea] will be dried up by the terrible heat of those flames or will itself be transformed into something better. For though we read that there will be a new heaven and earth, I cannot recall having ever seen mentioned a new sea, save perhaps in that verse of the Apocalypse, "a sea of glass similar to crystal." Yet in that passage, John was not talking about the end of the world; moreover, he did not claim to have seen a sea proper, but something like a sea. Still, as prophecy is prone to intermingle the literal and metaphorical and so veil its meaning, it may be that in our present text, "and the sea is no more," John was speaking of the identical sea he spoke of earlier: "And the sea gave up the dead that were in it." For then, this world of ours, made restless and stormy by the lives of men (and, hence, figuratively, called the sea), will have passed away.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, etc. This will be done in the order that he has already mentioned above, saying that he saw one seated on the throne from whose presence heaven and earth fled away, implying the judgment of the wicked. Then the figure of this world will pass away with the conflagration of the heavenly fires, so that, with heaven and earth transformed for the better, the quality of the transformation will correspond to the incorruption and immortality of the bodies of the saints. As for what he said:

And the sea is no more. Whether it will be dried up by that great heat, or whether it will also be transformed for the better, I cannot easily say. We read that there will be a new heaven and a new earth, but not a new sea. Unless perhaps, as prophetic language often mixes literal and figurative speech, the turbulent life of this age, which will then cease, is symbolized by the sea.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Heaven and earth, and the other elements that we now see, will be consumed by fire, not so that they are utterly destroyed, but so that, as we have already said above, they are restored by fire to a better state, as the Psalmist indicates when he says: “They will perish, but you will endure; they will all grow old like a garment, and like a robe you will change them, and they will be changed” (Ps. 101:27). When it says, “The first heaven and the first earth had passed away,” it shows that the appearance of that same heaven and earth will pass away. Their appearance, not their essence, will pass away, as they are transformed into a better state. But when it adds, “And the sea was no more,” we may understand this literally, as meaning that the sea will be utterly destroyed. Alternatively, the sea will no longer exist because it will lose its present form, as will heaven and earth, and be restored in a more beautiful form. But I think this should be understood spiritually as well: everything said about the renewal of heaven and earth should be understood both historically, as we said above, and spiritually. Therefore, by heaven we may understand the souls of the saints, and by earth, their bodies. Heaven will be made new when the souls of the saints, through the reception of their bodies, are restored to human nature and form. Earth will be made new when the bodies of the saints, which were once mortal and corruptible, are made immortal and incorruptible. The wicked, meanwhile, are often represented by the sea, as the prophet Isaiah says: “The wicked are like a raging sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and mud” (Isa. 57:20). The sea, then, will be no more, because the whole multitude of the wicked, cast into hell [infernum] with their deceivers, the demons, will leave the present face of the world cleansed of their defiled habitation.

In the mystery of the disclosing of Scriptures, Christ is pointed to through the One who brings about eternal beatitude, for he saw "a new heaven and a new earth."

These, then, are the mysteries concerned with the Tree of Life, that is, Holy Scripture, because it begins with eternity and ends in the direction of eternity. Hence, "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"; and at the end, "I saw a new heaven and a new earth."

It makes God the centre of the universe and man the subordinate centre of terrestrial nature: the beasts are not co-ordinate with man, but subordinate to him, and their destiny is through and through related to his. And the derivative immortality suggested for them is not a mere amende or compensation: it is part and parcel of the new heaven and new earth, organically related to the whole suffering process of the world's fall and redemption.

This passage announces the power and strength of the Lord with the words "He has established them forever, and for ages of ages: he has made a decree, and it shall not pass away." This is to remove all doubt that God is almighty, for what he has established continues in being without change, since this conclusion is applied to the things of heaven. But we read of the world to come: "There will be a new heaven and a new earth," so how can one say of the present heaven "He has established them forever"? There is however no doubt that all things have been established by God. Though man himself dies, he is "established" in God's eyes when he rises again; similarly heaven and earth remain in God's sight when they are made new. Once they have laid aside their roughness or corruptible character, nature itself is made better and abides, since it has been bidden to exist in eternity. As Paul says about the transformation of our bodies: "When the corruptible has put on incorruption, and the mortal puts on immortality." A "decree" means a law or condition, so that we may realize that all things are in his power. It cannot pass away because the Almighty established it, and Truth has promised it in return.

For at that time the trumpet shall sound, and awake those that sleep from the lowest parts of the earth, righteous and sinners alike. And every kindred, and tongue, and nation, and tribe shall be raised in the twinkling of an eye; and they shall stand upon the face of the earth, waiting for the coming of the righteous and terrible Judge, in fear and trembling unutterable. For the river of fire shall come forth in fury like an angry sea, and shall burn up mountains and hills, and shall make the sea vanish, and shall dissolve the atmosphere with its heat like wax. The stars of heaven shall fall, the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood. The heaven shall be rolled together like a scroll: the whole earth shall be burnt up by reason of the deeds done in it, which men did corruptly, in fornications, in adulteries, and in lies and uncleanness, and in idolatries, and in murders, and in battles. For there shall be the new heaven and the new earth.

For after the times of the kingdom, he says, "I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat upon it, from whose face the earth fled away, and the heavens; and there was no more place for them." And he sets forth, too, the things connected with the general resurrection and the judgment, mentioning "the dead, great and small." "The sea," he says, "gave up the dead which it had in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead that they contained; and the books were opened. Moreover," he says, "the book of life was opened, and the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the books, according to their works; and death and hell were sent into the lake of fire, the second death." Now this is what is called Gehenna, which the Lord styled eternal fire. "And if any one," it is said, "was not found written in the book of life, he was sent into the lake of fire." And after this, he says, "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth have passed away; also there was no more sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, as a bride adorned for her husband." "And I heard," it is said, "a great voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them as their God. And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, because the former things have passed away." Isaiah also declares the very same: "For there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and there shall be no remembrance of the former, neither shall the heart think about them, but they shall find in it joy and exultation." Now this is what has been said by the apostle: "For the fashion of this world passeth away." To the same purpose did the Lord also declare, "Heaven and earth shall pass away." When these things, therefore, pass away above the earth, John, the Lord's disciple, says that the new Jerusalem above shall [then] descend, as a bride adorned for her husband; and that this is the tabernacle of God, in which God will dwell with men.

And he says, I saw new heavens and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and the sea is no more. Peter says something similar in his second epistle, saying that "we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth." (2 Peter 3:13) But he does not say that the heaven and the earth and the sea have passed into annihilation and nonexistence, or that others have been created in their stead; rather, that those now existing have cast off their corruption and have become new, as one puts off an old and polluted garment and removes its filth. For everything is called new that was not such before but has now come into being.

Then the creation will be made free from all corruption, which it has suffered through the transgression of men. And most trustworthy witness of these things is the divine apostle writing to the Romans and saying these things concerning the creation: "for the creation eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will but because of him who subjected it, with hope that the creation itself also will be liberated from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." (Rom. 8:19-21) And not only he but also the inspired prophet, singing concerning heaven and earth according to the testimony just cited: "and all of them shall be worn out as a garment, and like a mantle you will fold them up and they will be changed." (Ps. 101:27)

"Heaven and earth shall pass away," says He. "The first heaven and the first earth passed away," "and there was found no place for them," because, of course, that which comes to an end loses locality.

Even" the sea shall be no more." Now if any person should go so far as to suppose that all these passages ought to be spiritually interpreted, he will yet be unable to deprive them of the true accomplishment of those issues which must come to pass just as they have been written For all figures of speech necessarily arise out of real things, not out of chimerical ones; t because nothing is capable of imparting anything of its own for a similitude, except it actually be that very thing which it imparts in the similitude.

This passage shows the renewal and transformation to a more brilliant appearance that the Jerusalem above will acquire when it comes down from the incorporeal powers above to humankind, since Christ, our God, has become the common Head of both. This city is constructed of the saints concerning whom it is written, "Holy stones are rolled upon the land," and it has Christ as its cornerstone. It is called a "city," since it is the dwelling place of the kingly Trinity—for [the Trinity] dwells in it and walks in it, as he promised—and it is called "bride," since it is joined to the Lord and is united with him in the highest, inseparable conjunction. It is "adorned," since within, as the psalm says, it has glory and youth in its manifold virtues.

The heavenly Jerusalem is the multitude of the saints who will come with the Lord, even as Zechariah said: "Behold, my Lord God will come, and all his saints with him." These are being prepared for God as a fine dwelling, namely, those who will live with him. "As a bride adorned for her husband." Adorned with holiness and righteousness, they go to be united with their Lord and shall remain with him forever.

This city is said to come down out of heaven in the sense that God created it by means of heavenly grace, as he told it through Isaiah: "I am the Lord creating thee." Indeed, its descent from heaven began with the beginning of time, since it is by God's grace coming down from above through the "laver of regeneration" in the Holy Spirit sent from heaven that its citizenship has continuously grown up on earth. Yet only after God's last judgment, the one he has deputed to Jesus Christ his Son, will his tremendous gift of grace be revealed so brightly in [Jerusalem] that in this new brightness there will remain no traces of its earthly blemishes. For then its members' bodies will pass over from mortal corruptibility to the new immortality of incorruption.

And the holy city, new Jerusalem, etc. This city is said to descend from heaven because it is made by the grace of God, which is heavenly. It is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; for there is another Jerusalem that is not adorned for her husband, but for an adulterer.

And I saw the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

The city of Jerusalem is the Church, built from all the righteous; it will come down from heaven, because when the Lord comes for judgment, the whole multitude of the saints will come with him, as the prophet Isaiah says: “The Lord will come to judge with the elders of his people and its princes” (Isa. 3:14). And the wisest Solomon says in Proverbs: “Her husband is renowned at the city gates, when he sits with the elders of the land” (Prov. 31:23). It is said to be prepared and adorned like a bride, because just as a bride adorns herself with various jewels and ornaments to please her bridegroom, so the Church is adorned with various virtues, that she may please her Creator, who is her bridegroom.

Plainly, her whom he foreknew from eternity, whom he chose, whom he loved, whom he created, it was not reasonable for her to be declared found by the same one. Yet that she was prepared by him so that she might be found, I will say confidently. For he who saw bore witness, "and we know that his testimony is true" (Jn 19:35). "I saw," he says, "the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending from heaven, prepared by God as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev 21:2): and he was one of the watchmen who guard the city.

This Holy Spirit, acting in the minds of the chosen, brings about Scriptures and gives firmness to the Christian faith. And because it acts more specially in the apostles, they are said to be the twelve foundation stones. The Apocalypse reads: And I saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. And it is said that the twelve names of the apostles were written on these foundation stones; not only the witnessing of the apostles, but also various witnessings of the Holy Spirit on many topics, among which are the twelve reasons for the firmness of faith, which are the twelve foundations. For through the concurrence of divers witnessings, the Holy Spirit strengthened this faith so that it would not be smitten.

When these things have been attained, our spirit becomes hierarchical for ascending upward according to its conformity to that supernal Jerusalem, into which no one enters unless it first descends into the heart through grace, as John saw in his Apocalypse. It descends into the heart, then, when through the reformation of the image, through the theological virtues, and through the delights of the spiritual senses and the suspensions of ecstasy, our spirit becomes hierarchical, that is, purged, illuminated, and perfected.

There alone is the most perfect order, where there is perfect reduction to the supreme, which is the supreme absolutely, of which kind is God; and this is in the heavenly Jerusalem, where there is full justice. But where there is reduction to the supreme in the genus of men, of which kind is the Vicar of Christ the Supreme Pontiff, there is a perfect order, insofar as befits the perfection of the present Church, which is formed after the likeness of the heavenly Jerusalem. Hence Bernard, in the third book to Eugenius: "Do not consider this form, which is on earth, to be base: it has its form in heaven. He who said the following had seen this: I saw the holy city descending from heaven, prepared by God. For I consider it said on account of the likeness, that, just as there the Cherubim and Seraphim and all the rest down to the Archangels and Angels are ordered under one head, God: so here also under one Supreme Pontiff the primates or patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, priests or abbots and the rest are arranged in this manner. It is not to be made little of that it has God as its author and draws its origin from heaven."

Yet there is a difference, and it is just what I suggested. The Eastern mysticism is an ecstasy of unity; the Christian mysticism is an ecstasy of creation, that is of separation and mutual surprise. The latter says, like St. Francis, "My brother fire and my sister water"; the former says, "Myself fire and myself water." Whether you call the Eastern attitude an extension of oneself into everything or a contraction of oneself into nothing is a matter of metaphysical definition. The effect is the same, an effect which lives and throbs throughout all the exquisite arts of the East. This effect is the thing called rhythm, a pulsation of pattern, or of ritual, or of colours, or of cosmic theory, but always suggesting the unification of the individual with the world. But there is quite another kind of sympathy--the sympathy with a thing because it is different. No one will say that Rembrandt did not sympathise with an old woman; but no one will say that Rembrandt painted like an old woman. No one will say that Reynolds did not appreciate children; but no one will say he did it childishly. The supreme instance of this divine division is sex, and that explains (what I could never understand in my youth) why Christendom called the soul the bride of God. For real love is an intense realisation of the "separateness" of all our souls. The most heroic and human love-poetry of the world is never mere passion; precisely because mere passion really is a melting back into Nature, a meeting of the waters. And water is plunging and powerful; but it is only powerful downhill. The high and human love-poetry is all about division rather than identity; and in the great love-poems even the man as he embraces the woman sees her, in the same instant, afar off; a virgin and a stranger.

But in the times of the kingdom, the earth has been called again by Christ [to its pristine condition], and Jerusalem rebuilt after the pattern of the Jerusalem above, of which the prophet Isaiah says, "Behold, I have depicted thy walls upon my hands, and thou art always in my sight," And the apostle, too, writing to the Galatians, says in like manner, "But the Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." He does not say this with any thought of an erratic Aeon, or of any other power which departed from the Pleroma, or of Prunicus, but of the Jerusalem which has been delineated on [God's] hands. And in the Apocalypse John saw this new [Jerusalem] descending upon the new earth.

When these things, therefore, pass away above the earth, John, the Lord's disciple, says that the new Jerusalem above shall [then] descend, as a bride adorned for her husband; and that this is the tabernacle of God, in which God will dwell with men. Of this Jerusalem the former one is an image-that Jerusalem of the former earth in which the righteous are disciplined beforehand for incorruption and prepared for salvation. And of this tabernacle Moses received the pattern in the mount; and nothing is capable of being allegorized, but all things are stedfast, and true, and substantial, having been made by God for righteous men's enjoyment. For as it is God truly who raises up man, so also does man truly rise from the dead, and not allegorically, as I have shown repeatedly. And as he rises actually, so also shall he be actually disciplined beforehand for incorruption, and shall go forwards and flourish in the times of the kingdom, in order that he may be capable of receiving the glory of the Father. Then, when all things are made new, he shall truly dwell in the city of God. For it is said, "He that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And the Lord says, Write all this; for these words are faithful and true. And He said to me, They are done." And this is the truth of the matter.

And he says: And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. By Jerusalem he associates the blessed end and dwelling of the saints, which having called Jerusalem figuratively both now and in the times to come he has adorned magnificently and fittingly, that from sensible things we may send our mind to the intelligible blessedness and conduct of the saints.

Was I not right in the above when I said that the vision calls the end of the holy ones and the dwelling there a figurative Jerusalem?

But we do confess that a kingdom is promised to us upon the earth, although before heaven, only in another state of existence; inasmuch as it will be after the resurrection for a thousand years in the divinely-built city of Jerusalem, "let down from heaven," which the apostle also calls "our mother from above; " and, while declaring that our poli/teuma, or citizenship, is in heaven, he predicates of it that it is really a city in heaven.

But we do confess that a kingdom is promised to us upon the earth, although before heaven, only in another state of existence; inasmuch as it will be after the resurrection for a thousand years in the divinely-built city of Jerusalem, "let down from heaven," [Revelation 21:2] which the apostle also calls "our mother from above;" [Galatians 4:26] and, while declaring that our πολίτευμα, or citizenship, is in heaven, he predicates of it that it is really a city in heaven. This both Ezekiel had knowledge of [Ezekiel 48:30-35] and the Apostle John beheld. [Revelation 21:10-23] And the word of the new prophecy which is a part of our belief, attests how it foretold that there would be for a sign a picture of this very city exhibited to view previous to its manifestation. This prophecy, indeed, has been very lately fulfilled in an expedition to the East. For it is evident from the testimony of even heathen witnesses, that in Judæa there was suspended in the sky a city early every morning for forty days. As the day advanced, the entire figure of its walls would wane gradually, and sometimes it would vanish instantly. We say that this city has been provided by God for receiving the saints on their resurrection, and refreshing them with the abundance of all really spiritual blessings, as a recompense for those which in the world we have either despised or lost; since it is both just and God-worthy that His servants should have their joy in the place where they have also suffered affliction for His name's sake. Of the heavenly kingdom this is the process. After its thousand years are over, within which period is completed the resurrection of the saints, who rise sooner or later according to their deserts there will ensue the destruction of the world and the conflagration of all things at the judgment: we shall then be changed in a moment into the substance of angels, even by the investiture of an incorruptible nature, and so be removed to that kingdom in heaven of which we have now been treating, just as if it had not been predicted by the Creator, and as if it were proving Christ to belong to the other god and as if he were the first and sole revealer of it.

The saint is instructed from heaven that this is the true dwelling whose type was indicated by Moses, or rather the prefiguration of the type, since the type exists in the church of the present day.

The Lord gives witness to himself, for the multitude of the saints will become his temple, so that he might dwell with them forever and that he might be their Lord and they might be his people. He himself will take away all weeping and every tear from the eyes of those whom he rewards with eternal gladness and whom he makes bright with perpetual blessedness.

Behold, the dwelling place of God is with men, etc. God himself will be the reward of eternal beatitude for the elect, which they will possess forever as they are possessed by Him.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will dwell with them; they will be his people, and the Lord himself will be with them as their God.”

We know that Jerusalem and the Lord’s dwelling are often used to signify the Church. Therefore, in this passage, the city and the dwelling are called the Church, because God dwells in it, as he says through the prophet: “I will dwell among them and walk among them; I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Lev. 26:12).

Behold, now it has revealed the riddle, saying, Behold, the tent of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, their God. The apostle made this clearer when he said later, "We who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." (1 Thess. 4:17)

In this tent made without hands there is no weeping nor any tears, for he who supplies the joy of the eternal temple will give to all the saints the vision of inexpressible gladness. That is, it is written, "pain and sorrow and sighing have passed away." That "the first things have passed away" signifies that the suffering of the saints and the arrogance of the wicked have ceased, for an exchange of circumstances will occur for each of these groups.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Such great and exalted clarity from the gift of God will appear in that city that no traces of the old world will remain. Since the heavenly incorruption will exalt the bodies, and the vision of the eternal King will nourish the minds.

And death shall be no more, etc. For he had already foretold that death was cast into the lake of fire. This same sentence can also be understood in this way: that with the holy city glorified by the final judgment, pain, mourning, and mortality will remain only in hell.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

The souls of all people were created immortal, as the Lord says in the Gospel: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matt. 10:28). For although they die through sin, or by the death we called the first and the second death, they do not die in such a way that they cease to exist entirely; rather, their state of misery is called death. God also appointed two periods for them: the present life, which ends quickly, and the life to come, which cannot end. He assigned one to weeping and sorrow, the other to joy and gladness. For example, if anyone wished in this brief present life to weep and mourn for their sins, and by afflicting themselves to extinguish bodily desires, in the other life that follows, which is endless, they would rejoice and glory forever. But if anyone chooses to rejoice in the present life and fulfill the desires of the flesh, in the life to come they will mourn and grieve forever. It seems to me that Solomon spoke of these two periods when he said: “A time to weep, and a time to laugh” (Eccles. 3:2). The time for the chosen to weep is now; the time to laugh will be then, when what the Lord says in the Gospel is fulfilled: “Blessed are those who mourn now, for they will be comforted” (Matt. 5:5). But to sinners he says: “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will weep and mourn!” (Luke 6:25). Therefore God will wipe away every tear from the eyes of the saints, because after the resurrection nothing sorrowful can happen to them from which tears could arise.

And death shall be no more.

The first man was made immortal; but by sinning he lost immortality and brought death into the world. After the resurrection, however, there will be no death, because the Devil himself, the prince of death, will be kept forever in hell [infernum] with all his followers, and the immortality that the first man lost by sinning will be restored to the righteous. The ability to sin, which brought death into the world, will also be taken away from them.

Nor will there be mourning.

Since above he says that God will wipe every tear from the eyes of the saints, why was it necessary to mention mourning here? But there is some difference between shedding tears and mourning. For sadness often brings tears, as do joy, yearning, and delight; mourning, however, always arises from great grief. Mourning, indeed, is weeping that lasts many days. Paul mourned those who had sinned and had not repented. (2 Cor. 12:21) And Solomon says: “The mourning for the dead lasts seven days, but the mourning for a fool lasts all the days of his life” (Sirach 22:13). The Church is now in mourning because, through the deceptions of demons, she daily loses most of her own. But in that life there will be no mourning, because through the deceptions of demons she will be able to lose none of her own.

Nor will there be crying.

In Genesis it is written that God said to Abraham: “The crying of Sodom and Gomorrah has come to me” (Gen. 18:20). The prophet Isaiah explains what the crying of Sodom is when he speaks of Israel: “They proclaimed their sin like Sodom and did not hide it” (Isa. 3:9). Therefore the proclamation of sin is called crying. We can also understand “crying” in another way, for the Psalmist says: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he heard me” (Ps. 119:1). And Moses, when he was in dire straits, cried out to the Lord. Therefore, where there is neither sin to be proclaimed nor any distress, no crying will be needed.

Nor will there be pain.

There is bodily pain and there is pain of the mind. These pains are so closely connected that one cannot exist without the other: bodily pain afflicts the mind, and likewise pain of the mind torments the body. In that life, then, there will be no pain, since no adversity can befall either body or soul.

For the former things have passed away.

These former things have passed away because they passed with the world. The elect, who, as we have already said above, regarded their current life as one of pain and affliction, found eternal happiness after the end of this current life.

You tell me "she goes on". But my heart and body are crying out, come back, come back. Be a circle, touching my circle on the plane of Nature. But I know this is impossible. I know that the thing I want is exactly the thing I can never get. The old life, the jokes, the drinks, the arguments, the love-making, the tiny, heartbreaking commonplace. On any view whatever, to say "H. is dead", is to say "All that is gone". It is a part of the past. And the past is the past and that is what time means, and time itself is one more name for death, and Heaven itself is a state where "the former things have passed away".

He has said all of this concerning the glory of the church such as it will possess after the resurrection.

And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And Isaiah the prophet said a similar thing, saying "death was swallowed up in victory, and again God took away every tear from every face." (Isa. 25:8) For if according to the divine apostle in that blessed Life of the Saints "pain and sorrow and groaning have fled away," (Isa. 51:11) what kind of tear will remain for those who have escaped these things?

He says the former things are passed away. He says the suffering of the saints has reached an end. Now the mutual exchanges of pains are provided.

So, then, concerning the devil also it must be understood that he was indeed conquered and crucified, but for those who have been crucified with Christ; but for all believers and for all the peoples alike he will then be crucified, when that shall be fulfilled which the Apostle says, that "as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." There is therefore in this also the mystery of the future resurrection. For then too the people will be divided into two parts, there will then also be some first and others last, who, when they have conspired together into one under Jesus, then already the devil shall no longer be at all, because "there shall no more be death." … And speaking about the devil he says: "the last enemy that is destroyed is death," because then death is truly "conquered," when "this mortal is swallowed up by life."

It is certain that all these benefits belong to the future life and not to this life. Indeed, in this life the more one is holy and the more full a person is of holy desires, the more abundant will be his weeping in prayer. For this reason we read, "My tears have been my food day and night," and again, "Every night I flood my bed with tears."

If sorrow, and mourning, and sighing and death itself assail us from the afflictions both of soul and body, how shall they be removed, except by the cessation of their causes, that is to say, the afflictions of flesh and soul? Where will you find adversities in the presence of God? Where incursions of an enemy in the bosom of Christ? Where attacks of the devil in the face of the Holy Spirit—now that the devil himself and his angels are "cast into the lake of fire"? Where now is necessity, and what [the pagans] call fortune or fate? What plague awaits the redeemed from death after their eternal pardon? What wrath is there for the reconciled after grace? What weakness after their renewed strength? What risk and danger after their salvation?

The angel echoes the same to John: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; " from the same eyes indeed which had formerly wept, and which might weep again, if the loving-kindness of God did not dry up every fountain of tears. And again: "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death," and therefore no more corruption, it being chased away by incorruption, even as death is by immortality.

Yet I must necessarily prescribe you a law, not to stretch out your hand after the old things, not to look backwards: for "the old things are passed away," according to Isaiah; and "a renewing hath been renewed," according to Jeremiah; and "forgetful of former things, we are reaching forward," according to the apostle; and "the law and the prophets (were) until John," according to the Lord.

These words are true, for they issue from the Truth himself and are [expressed] no longer by way of symbols. Rather, they are recognized by the realities themselves.

The promise of the Most High is accomplished for the saints, so that they might be renewed in all things and might shine with every splendor. Therefore, the apostle says, "and the dead will rise incorruptible," and they will change into glory.

And he who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

We have said something above about the renewal of creatures.

And he said to me, “Write, for these words are most faithful and true.”

But this, too, was said above.

Of this Jerusalem the former one is an image-that Jerusalem of the former earth in which the righteous are disciplined beforehand for incorruption and prepared for salvation. And of this tabernacle Moses received the pattern in the mount; and nothing is capable of being allegorized, but all things are stedfast, and true, and substantial, having been made by God for righteous men's enjoyment. For as it is God truly who raises up man, so also does man truly rise from the dead, and not allegorically, as I have shown repeatedly. And as he rises actually, so also shall he be actually disciplined beforehand for incorruption, and shall go forwards and flourish in the times of the kingdom, in order that he may be capable of receiving the glory of the Father. Then, when all things are made new, he shall truly dwell in the city of God. For it is said, "He that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And the Lord says, Write all this; for these words are faithful and true. And He said to me, They are done." And this is the truth of the matter.

Behold, he says, I make all things new. For if the heavens and the earth and the sea are renewed, and moreover people themselves and the things of their joy and glory are new, not interrupted by tears or mourning or dishonor, then all things will be new. But do not think, O John, he says, that what is spoken and shown to you has some extravagant imagination or falsehood in magnitude; all things are faithful and true; therefore write them.

QUESTION: To him that thirsteth, I will give of the fountain of the water of life, freely. ANSWER: He now bedews believers on the road with drops of this same fountain which he will let those who overcome drink plentifully from when they have reached their fatherland. He does both freely, and the grace of God is life everlasting in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Rom. 6:23]

Christ is "the first and the end," since he is "first" because of his divinity and "end" because of his humanity. Moreover, his providence extends from the first creation of the incorporeal creatures to the last human beings.

To the one who thirsts after righteousness he promises to grant the joy of the life-giving Spirit that he supplied in the Gospels to those who believed in him. It is "without payment" either because "the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to the saints," or because it is not possessed except by the good works and the goodness of him who gives it.

He declares that the matter is completed with such quickness so that it might be regarded as though it had already happened. Therefore, all these things are promised to those who conquer, so that the one who conquers might be called "son of God."

And he said to me: Write, etc. And he said to me: It is done. These things must be believed, not explained, especially since he says it is done in the past tense, so that no one may doubt about the future.

I am Alpha, etc. As he testified at the beginning of the book that he is Alpha and Omega, so it was fitting to repeat it here for the third time, that neither before him is there any God, as Isaiah says, nor after him is there believed to be another (Isaiah 43). And because the discourse is about the end of the world, the one who is called the consummator of the age can be understood as the Creator.

I will give to the thirsty, etc. From this fountain, he now sprinkles believers on the way, and to those who overcome, he offers it abundantly to be drawn from in the homeland. Both, however, are given freely. For the grace of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. And from his fullness, we have all received, grace upon grace (John 1).

And he said to me, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.”

He explains what Alpha and Omega mean by adding,

“The beginning and the end.” I will freely give from the fountain of the water of life to the thirsty.

Holy Scripture is often signified by the fountain of the water of life, as the Lord says in the Gospel: “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his belly” (Jn. 7:38). But, to keep to the order of the text, by the fountain of the water of life we should understand the glory of the heavenly homeland: this fountain, proceeding from the Lord himself, never ceases to satisfy the minds of all the righteous with its indescribable sweetness. But how is this glory given freely to the righteous, when they endure many hardships to receive it, shed many tears, offer countless prayers, give many alms, and devote themselves to many other good works? They receive eternal life freely, because they receive from him the price of eternal life, which is good works; for he said, “Without me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). For he himself gives the price, and he himself gives eternal life as its reward.

This is to say, [I will give from the fountain of life] to him who desires the remission of sins through the font of baptism.

The sensible types of these, then, are the sounds we pronounce. Thus the Lord Himself is called "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end," "by whom all things were made, and without whom not even one thing was made." God's resting is not, then, as some conceive, that God ceased from doing. For, being good, if He should ever cease from doing good, then would He cease from being God, which it is sacrilege even to say. The resting is, therefore, the ordering that the order of created things should be preserved inviolate, and that each of the creatures should cease from the ancient disorder.

That Christ is the First-born, and that He is the Wisdom of God, by whom all things were made. In Solomon in the Proverbs: "The Lord established me in the beginning of His ways, into His works: before the world He rounded me. In the beginning, before He made the earth, and before He appointed the abysses, before the fountains of waters gushed forth, before the mountains were settled, before all the hills, the Lord begot me. He made the countries, and the uninhabitable places, and the uninhabitable bounds under heaven. When He prepared the heaven, I was present with Him; and when He set apart His seat. When He made the strong clouds above the winds, and when He placed the strengthened fountains under heaven, when He made the mighty foundations of the earth, I was by His side, ordering them: I was He in whom He delighted: moreover, I daily rejoiced before His face in all time, when He rejoiced in the perfected earth." Also in the same in Ecclesiasticus: "I went forth out of the mouth of the Most High, first-born before every creature: I made the unwearying light to rise in the heavens, and I covered the whole earth with a cloud: I dwelt in the high places, and my throne in the pillar of the cloud: I compassed the circle of heaven, and I penetrated into the depth of the abyss, and I walked on the waves of the sea, and I stood in all the earth; and in every people and in every nation I had the pre-eminence, and by my own strength I have trodden the hearts of all the excellent and the humble: in me is all hope of life and virtue: pass over to me, all ye who desire me." Also in the eighty-eighth Psalm: "And I will establish Him as my first-born, the highest among the kings of the earth. I will keep my mercy for Him for ever, and my faithful covenant for Him; and I will establish his seed for ever and ever. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they profane my judgments, and do not observe my precepts, I will visit their wickednesses with a rod, and their sins with scourges; but my mercy will I not scatter away from them." Also in the Gospel according to John, the Lord says: "And this is life eternal, that they should know Thee, the only and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do. And now, do Thou glorify me with Thyself, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was made." Also Paul to the Colossians: "Who is the image of the invisible God, and the first-born of every creature." Also in the same place: "The first-born from the dead, that He might in all things become the holder of the pre-eminence." In the Apocalypse too: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto Him that is thirsting from the fountain of the water of life freely." That He also is both the wisdom and the power of God, Paul proves in his first Epistle to the Corinthians. "Because the Jews require a sign, and the Creeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews indeed a stumbling-block, and to the Gentiles foolishness; but to them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

That Christ is God. In Genesis: "And God said unto Jacob, Arise, and go up to the place of Bethel, and dwell there; and make there an altar to that God who appeared unto thee when thou reddest from the face of thy brother Esau." Also in Isaiah: "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Sabaoth, Egypt is wearied; and the merchandise of the Ethiopians, and the tall men of the Sabeans, shall pass over unto Thee, and shall be Thy servants; and shall walk after Thee bound with chains; and shall worship Thee, and shall pray to Thee, because God is in Thee, and there is no other God beside Thee. For Thou art God, and we knew it not, O God of Israel, our Saviour. They shall all be confounded and fear who oppose Thee, and shall fall into confusion." Likewise in the same: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God. Every channel shall be filled up, and every mountain and bill shall be made low, and all crooked places shall be made straight, and rough places plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be seen, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God, because the Lord hath spoken it." Moreover, in Jeremiah: This is our God, and no other shall be esteemed beside Him, who hath found all the way of knowledge, and hath given it to Jacob His son, and to Israel His beloved. After this He was seen upon earth, and He conversed with men." Also in Zechariah God says: "And they shall cross over through the narrow sea, and they shall smite the waves in the sea, and they shall dry up all the depths of the rivers; and all the haughtiness of the Assyrians shall be confounded, and the sceptre of Egypt shall be taken away. And I will strengthen them in the Lord their God, and in His name shall they glory, saith the Lord." Moreover, in Hosea the Lord saith: "I will not do according to the anger of mine indignation, I will not allow Ephraim to be destroyed: for I am God, and there is not a holy man in thee: and I will not enter into the city; I will go after God." Also in the forty-fourth Psalm: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity: wherefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows." So, too, in the forty-fifth Psalm: "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth." Also in the eighty-first Psalm: "They have not known, neither have they understood: they will walk on in darkness." Also in the sixty-seventh Psalm: "Sing unto God, sing praises unto His name: make a way for Him who goeth up into the west: God is His name." Also in the Gospel according to John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word." Also in the same: "The Lord said to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands: and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed." Also Paul to the Romans: "I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren and my kindred according to the flesh: who are Israel-ires: whose are the adoption, and the glory, and the covenant, and the appointment of the law, and the service (of God), and the promises; whose are the fathers, of whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is God over all, blessed for evermore." Also in the Apocalypse: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end I will give to him that is athirst, of the fountain of living water freely. He that overcometh shall possess these things, and their inheritance; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." Also in the eighty-first Psalm: "God stood in the congregation of gods, and judging gods in the midst." And again in the same place: "I have said, Ye are gods; and ye are all the children of the Highest: but ye shall die like men." But if they who have been righteous, and have obeyed the divine precepts, may be called gods, how much more is Christ, the Son of God, God! Thus He Himself says in the Gospel according to John: "Is it not written in the law, that I said, Ye are gods? If He called them gods to whom the word of God was given, and the Scripture cannot be relaxed, do ye say to Him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, that thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God? But if I do not the works of my Father, believe me not; but if I do, and ye will not believe me, believe the works, and know that the Father is in me, and I in Him." Also in the Gospel according to Matthew: "And ye shall call His name Emmanuel, which is, being interpreted, God with us."

That the grace of God ought to be without price. In the Acts of the Apostles: "Thy money be in perdition with thyself, because thou hast thought that the grace of God is possessed by money." Also in the Gospel: "Freely ye have received, freely give." Also in the same place: "Ye have made my Father's house a house of merchandise; and ye have made the house of prayer a den of thieves." Also in Isaiah: "Ye who thirst, go to the water, and as many as have not money: go, and buy, and drink without money." Also in the Apocalypse: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that thirsteth from the fountain of the water of life freely. He who shall overcome shall possess these things, and their inheritance; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."

He says: It has been done! What has been done? These things, that is the things said, and nothing false about them. He put "have been done" instead of "they will happen."

He says: I am the Alpha and the Omega; the beginning and the end. Since he again takes up what was said earlier about him, we too, following him step by step, may again take up what we said before. The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, indicate God's lack of beginning and endlessness; for since nothing in this life among us is without a beginning, he used "beginning" and "end" in place of "without beginning" and "without end."

He says: To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life. In the Gospels the Lord says: "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." (Matt. 5:6) To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life. And how, he says, freely, when the saints attain the coming life after many labors? Why then does he say to give freely? This signifies that nothing comparable to the goods of that time can ever be brought by a man, even if he labors ever so much; this is what the apostle suggesting said: "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory about to be revealed to us." (Rom. 8:18)

It is necessary that these [words] be believed not explained, especially since he said "It is done!" concerning the past so that no one might doubt concerning the future.

From this fountain [God] refreshes believers who are now on the way. However, to those who conquer he will provide abundantly [from this fountain] and give them to drink in the fatherland. He causes rain to fall upon both, so that those who are still on the way are not deprived of drink in this desert and so that those who become citizens [of the new Jerusalem] might continually be inebriated from the stream of delights that come from God.

After these there were not wanting a Marcus and a Colarbasus, composing a novel heresy out of the Greek alphabet. For they affirm that without those letters truth cannot be found; nay more, that in those letters the whole plenitude and perfection of truth is comprised; for this was why Christ said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega." In fact, they say that Jesus Christ descended, that is, that the dove came down on Jesus; and, since the dove is styled by the Greek name peristera (peristera), it has in itself this number DCCCI.

He who conquers in the war against the invisible demons will receive these good things, becoming a son of God and reveling in the good gifts of the Father.

The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.

The one who conquers the Devil, overcomes every vice, and perseveres in good works will inherit these things, that is, what was said above: namely, that he himself will drink from the fountain of eternal life, which is everlasting glory.

Let those who are hungry come, that being fed with heavenly food, they may lay aside their lasting hunger; let those who are athirst come, that they may with full mouth draw forth the water of salvation from an ever-flowing fountain.

The one who conquers, he says, will inherit both the passions and the evil beast, the Devil; will inherit these things. Therefore, the one who conquers.

THERE FOLLOWS: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, etc. ANSWER: He always mixes pleasant words with severe ones to instill carefulness into us. As the Psalmist says, The Lord keepeth all them that love him; but all the wicked he will destroy. [Ps. 144:20] He puts the fearful together with the unbelieving because you are afraid to venture into the battle when you doubt the reward of the winner. THERE FOLLOWS: And all liars, they shall have their portion in the pool burning. ANSWER: He shows that there are many kinds of lies; but the most dangerous and most detestable one is the one with which you sin against religion, this being the kind of lie about which he said earlier, "They say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie, for they are the synagogue of Satan." [Rev. 2:9 and 3:9]

The God who thirsts after our salvation urges us in every way, both through kindness and through anger, toward the inheritance of his blessings. He brings now before our eyes the brightness of the heavenly Jerusalem and the dark, painful wrathfulness of the fiery Gehenna, so that whether through a desire for eternal bliss or through fear of unending torment, we might, as there is opportunity, acquire that which is good together with the rest of those in need. He indicates that those who were cowards and deserters in the battle against the devil will be condemned to the second death. May we propitiate him who desires mercy and does not will the death of sinners but their conversion, and so [let us] obtain his gifts by good deeds. To these [gifts] he exhorts us, not only through the enticement of words but also through the enticement of works and sufferings. For it suffices him to encourage toward the good and to discourage from evil, and afterward either to punish or to honor those worthy of glory or punishment. He did not disdain to suffer for us lest by his own power or by his appearance he might harm or disregard anything that pertains to our healing and restoration. Therefore, let us not receive the grace of God in vain, but let us render his beneficence effective by conversion and by the demonstration of good works, so that we might attain to the promised blessings in Christ himself, our God, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, etc. He always mixes harsh warnings with soothing words to instill caution. Thus, Psalm 145, while abundantly declaring the grace of the Lord's mercy, suddenly introduces His strict judgment, saying: The Lord preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy (Psalm 145). He joins the cowardly with the unbelieving because the one who fears to face the peril of struggle doubts the reward of victory.

And for all liars, their part will be in the lake burning with fire. He shows that there are many kinds of lies, but the most dangerous and detestable are those that sin against religion, as mentioned above. They say, he says, that they are Jews and are not, but lie, being a synagogue of Satan.

But as for the cowardly, the unbelieving, the accursed, murderers, the fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake of burning sulfur, which is the second death.

Since fear is very necessary for people, why did he place fear first among the eight very worst vices? There are good fears and bad fears. There is a very good fear, of which the Psalmist says: “The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring forever” (Ps. 18:10). There is also the very necessary fear of death and the fear of eternal fire; and there is the fear of good people, when they are loved by those who fear them. There are other fears that sometimes help and sometimes harm, such as fear of wicked people, fear of judges, and fear of masters. There are other very bad fears, which I think are meant here. For there are some who, often pierced with remorse and tears by fear of punishment, nevertheless dread abandoning their vices and embracing the rigors of the good life because they fear the harshness of the path that leads to life. There are also many to whom God has given knowledge of temporal laws. When appointed to judge, they see some being unjustly oppressed by the powerful; yet, fearing human anger more than God’s anger, they allow those whom they could have helped and delivered from danger through the knowledge they received to come to great harm by remaining silent. Others not only fail to help them, but, out of fear of people, pronounce a sentence of condemnation against them. There is also the fear born of greed, along with other very useless fears, about which it would take too long to speak.

But he calls unbelievers not only those who do not believe, such as the Jews and pagans, but also those who do not believe in the resurrection. There are also many others who are called Christians but do not believe in God’s justice. Because they love their vices and want to gratify the desires of their flesh, they do not believe the warnings of the divine Scriptures, thinking they will not be condemned for these things. For the sexually immoral say that no one will perish for having sexual relations; drunkards likewise say they will not be punished for drinking too much wine. In the same way, the greedy, the pleasure-seeking, and the proud defend their vices.

I think those are accursed who curse the commands of the divine Scriptures and the corrections of good people. By “accursed,” we may also understand those who are so shameless that they are not ashamed to commit abominable acts in full view of everyone, and who are often cursed not only by the righteous but also by some unrighteous people.

He calls murderers not only those who kill people, but also those who harbor hatred in their hearts, as John says: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 Jn. 3:15).

Next comes fornication. There are many kinds of fornication: any gratification of lust by any means other than with one’s lawful wife is called fornication. The Apostle Paul speaks of the evil of fornication, saying: “Whoever commits fornication sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18). He sins against his own body because he violates and corrupts its integrity, forcibly extracting and spilling its harmless fluids. There is also fornication of the mind, of which the Lord says: “Whoever looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:28). The prophet also called Jerusalem a fornicator because she forsook God and worshiped idols (Ezek. 16:15). Likewise, when we obey the ideas of the demons and offer ourselves to them, we are appropriately called fornicators.

Sorcerers are those who poison people’s bodies in order to kill them. There are other sorcerers far worse: those who sow discord among brothers. The former kill bodies; the latter, souls. And the death of the soul is far worse than that of the body.

Idolaters are not only those who worship idols, but also all the greedy, as the Apostle Paul shows when he calls greed the worship of idols (Col. 3:5).

But what follows is very dreadful: “and all liars.” Then he adds: “Their portion will be in the lake of burning fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” And the Psalmist says to the Lord: “You will destroy all who speak lies” (Ps. 5:7); and elsewhere: “Every person is a liar” (Ps. 115:11). If, then, every person is a liar, and God will destroy all who speak lies, and all liars will share the fate of the other ungodly people about whom we have spoken so far, who can be saved? For we know that no one can pass through this life without ever telling a lie, unless that person is an infant who cannot yet speak. We should not understand this to refer to every kind of lie, just as we should not understand the words sung in Psalm 36, “Sinners will perish” (Ps. 36:20), or in Psalm 144, “The Lord watches over all who love him, but all sinners he will destroy” (Ps. 144:20), as referring to every sinner. If sinners will perish, and he will destroy all sinners, and we are all sinners, according to the saying of this same John, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:8), then we will all perish. But we should understand this as referring not to all sinners, but only to those who plunge themselves into grave sins and refuse to repent of their evils. Likewise, we should understand this passage as referring not to all liars. For there are lies counted among the lesser sins, from which I think no one can entirely abstain; and there are also grave lies, which plunge a person into the condemnation of death.

Since in these times many people lie almost constantly without any reverence for almighty God, it has seemed good to us to say something about this vice. But first let us speak of trivial lies, and afterward of more serious ones. We often lie through misjudgment, supposing that we see what we do not see, hear what we do not hear, or know what we do not know. For often, when we look at certain things from far away, our sight deceives us, and we say that things are there which are not. Often, too, in the dark, when we see stones or bushes at a distance, the darkness itself deceives us, and we say they are people or animals. We are often misled by forgetfulness when we forget what we have done or seen, or what we have said, and claim to have done what we did not do, or not to have done what we did; to have heard what we did not hear, or not to have heard what we did; to have seen what we did not see, or not to have seen what we did; to have said what we did not say, or not to have said what we did. Often, when we hear what we wish to hear, we say that what we heard is true, though it often happens that it is false. And when we hear what we do not wish to hear, we say it is false, even though it is true. We also often lie in joke to make our listeners laugh. Indeed, we often lie out of excessive credulity. For when we have heard certain people whom we consider truthful describing conceivable things, we believe what we hear. When we repeat these things to others, we say they are true, even though they are false; and we often confirm them under oath.

There are also many who, having read or heard accounts of the Fathers in the divine Scriptures, forget some of them; when they begin to tell these accounts to others, they either mix in certain falsehoods or try to make one account out of several. Just as someone who mixes tin with gold or silver makes a worthless material, so these people, when they strive to make one account out of several, render it worthless by lying. For it is better to be silent than to relate the deeds of the saints falsely. There are also many learned in divine letters who, believing the Jews more than they ought, accept some of their utterly vain fables and insert them into their own traditions. For we know that the Jews strive to twist into perverse meanings everything found in the Old Testament concerning Christ, so as to extinguish the glory of Christ’s name wherever they can. They not only overturn the prophecies concerning Christ, but also insert many utterly vain and absurd fables in other passages. I therefore wonder why anyone believes the enemies of Christ and of all our religion, or accepts anything from them, except only what is known to have been approved by the ancient Fathers. For they have the Devil as their father, who did not remain in the truth, because he is a liar, and the father of lies; and the Devil makes liars of all whom he possesses (Jn. 8:44).

We often lie out of fear as well. When we fear that someone more powerful may inflict some harm on us, we sometimes invent lies to escape it. Travelers, too, often make up stories to escape robbers. Likewise, servants and children often invent some lies to avoid being beaten. There are also many who, finding themselves in unfamiliar places, lie because of poverty or some other need, so that they may gain food or other necessities of life. We also often lie out of love or anger: praising those we love beyond measure, and condemning those with whom we are angry more than we ought. But these seem to me more serious than the foregoing. There are other lies like those just mentioned, which would take too long to discuss; for even the righteous, not only the unrighteous, often fall into such lies. For this reason, it seems to me that the Psalmist said: “Every man is a liar” (Ps. 115:11).

There is another kind of lie that might seem blameless, were it not that Scripture says every lie comes from evil; and some such lies are found in the Holy Scriptures (1 Jn. 2:21). For in Genesis it is written that Pharaoh commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill the boys and spare the girls (Exod. 1:16). But they feared God and kept the boys alive. When Pharaoh rebuked them for this, they said that all Hebrew women knew how to act as midwives and gave birth before the midwives could reach them. Was it not better to save the children by lying than to commit so many murders by telling the truth? It is also written in Joshua that he sent two spies to explore Jericho (Josh. 2:4-6). They entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab, who hid them in the inner part of her house. When their pursuers came, she said that they had escaped in the dark as the gate was closing. By this lie she freed them from their pursuers, and she herself, together with all her family, was saved from the danger of death. For this deed she is praised by the blessed Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews. He says: “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with the unbelievers, because she had received the spies in peace” (Heb. 11:31). It is also written in the Book of Kings that David, fleeing from his son Absalom, sent two spies to Jerusalem to learn what his son was doing (2 Sam. 15:32-36). When Absalom heard of it, he sent men to capture them. But they fled and entered the house of a man whose wife hid them in a well in the courtyard, covering it over. When their pursuers came and asked for them, she replied: “They went on after taking a little water” (2 Sam. 17:20). Therefore, by telling the truth, she could have betrayed those whom she saved by lying. The stain of such lies, then, is wiped away by the love from which they spring, because “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

Now let us speak of the more serious lies. There are lies of unbelief, and there are blasphemies; others proceed from hatred, others are caused by envy, others by greed, and others by boastfulness. The remaining vices, too, have lies suited to them. For unbelieving Jews and pagans have many lies. Besides denying that Christ came in the flesh, they hold many errors, deceived by which they perish. There are also lies of blasphemy, by which these same Jews and pagans, as well as heretics, blaspheme God and His Church, and all the divine mysteries in many ways. There are also lies that proceed from hatred. Some, because they harbor hatred in their hearts against their neighbors, bring false charges against them; and those whom they cannot kill with the sword, they drive by false accusations into great ruin, and often even to death. There are other lies born of envy. For when the envious see some people excelling in worldly honors, wisdom, or particular skills, they never cease to scorn and mock them, and to put themselves above them, so that they may appear more famous to those who believe their lies than those whom they despise. There are also lies of mockery, which properly belong to the envious. The envious always mock the deeds of the better, and seek to cloud with their lies the actions of those whom they cannot equal. For there are many who, pretending to be friends of those they hate or envy, draw them by their cunning persuasion into committing certain crimes. Once they have plunged them into some crime as into a pit, they turn against them and persecute them more fiercely than others do; and those who seemed to be friends are shown to have been the worst of enemies. Greed, too, has its own lies. How many people devise all manner of deceit and various schemes to seize other people’s property, so that they may take from others and satisfy, at least a little, the abyss of their greed, which is unquenchable! There are also many who, for the sake of receiving rewards, become false witnesses against their neighbors and, by lying, either drive them into servitude or take away their inheritance or property, and often even bring about their death.

There are other lies that produce boastfulness. For there are many lovers of boastfulness who, in order to be considered great and outstanding by others, claim to have done great things they have not done, to be capable of what they cannot do, to possess what they do not possess, or to know what they do not know. Their lies raise them to heights they cannot climb to. And because some regard this vice as insignificant, we know that some in monasteries are stained by it as well. Indeed, many people, after seeming to have left the world, claim to be great and famous among simple folk and those raised in monasteries. They say they once owned great wealth, boast that they were warriors and hunters, and tell many other lies about themselves so that they may be esteemed by those they can deceive with their lies. So I speak to you, who are such a person: Behold, when you were in the world, you could scarcely labor all year to obtain plain food sufficient for you and all your household. But now, in the monastery, you have become the possessor of treasure, estates, and great wealth. You could scarcely catch a single little fox, yet once you became a monk, you became a mighty hunter. You feared some of your lowliest neighbors, yet once in the monastery, you made yourself a most valiant warrior. Behold, this was not leaving the world, but acquiring it. You say you killed a man, and have laid upon yourself the guilt of murder. Your lying tongue did what your hand could not accomplish. And do you want me to prove that by lying you made yourself guilty of murder? Saul, as we read in the Book of Kings (1 Sam. 31:4), killed himself with his own hand out of fear of the Philistines. A certain man came to holy David and said that he himself had killed Saul, who was pursuing him. But David, understanding through the spirit of prophecy that the man was lying, ordered him to be punished as a murderer. Laying the guilt of murder upon him, he said: “Your blood be upon your own head, for your mouth has spoken against you, saying, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed’” (2 Sam. 1:16). We know, moreover, that the wealthy of the world who come to conversion commit a grave sin if they begin to boast of their wealth and power. And if the one who tells the truth is guilty, how much more so are you, who lie in almost everything!

There are also others who lie almost nonstop and can scarcely say anything without mixing in a lie. Whatever they hear, they always invent some lies about it: they claim to have seen what they have not seen, heard what they have not heard, and done what they have not done. When truthful people call them out, they say that no one can speak the truth well unless he can lie well. O fool, how empty your claim is! Behold, Christ spoke many things well and truthfully, though he could never lie; you ought rather to have followed in his footsteps, as far as your strength allowed. Likewise, the apostles and other preachers taught and wrote many things without any mixing of lies. And Scripture says that every lie is from evil (1 Jn. 2:22). If lying is evil, how can evil be spoken well? O wretched man, how near is the wrath of almighty God, whom you do not fear to offend continually and without cause! For although the other vices are contrary to the Lord, they nevertheless seem to offer something to the body. Greed, though hateful to God in every way, seems to offer something to the body, since it gathers wealth with which to satisfy its desires. Likewise, lust seems to offer something to the body, since in its fulfillment the pleasure of the flesh is satisfied. And drunkenness, although it offends God, fulfills the desires of gluttony. The other vices, too, are taken up to fulfill the desires of the flesh. There are also certain lies that seem to add something to the body, such as the lies born of greed, which we mentioned above. But you gain nothing for the body, and yet do not fear to offend God without ceasing. Behold, your lie would be light if it occurred rarely; but through constant repetition it becomes most grave and unbearable. For just as mud is lighter than lead, yet through its accumulation becomes heavier and more dangerous, so that animals often sink into it, so too certain light sins, by accumulating, become graver than some that are considered grave. And know that, as Scripture itself says, God is truth (1 Jn. 5:6); nothing can be more contrary to truth than a lie.

Their portion, therefore, will be in the lake of burning fire and sulfur, which is the second death. In this passage he clearly explains what the second death is. May the mercy of our Redeemer agree to free us from the vices mentioned above, lest we fall into the second death; he lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

Likewise, Scripture enlightens from below by showing forth the torments of hell. In the Psalm: He rains upon the wicked fiery coals and brimstone; a burning blast is their allotted cup. In the Apocalypse: Their portion shall be in the pool that burns with fire and brimstone. And the smoke of their torments goes up forever and ever. Scripture proposes this from the very beginning where it is said that darkness covered the abyss, until the end. And so Scripture offers internal spectacles, external examples, heavenly promises, and the tortures of hell.

But as for the cowardly and unbelieving and these and those, there will be a portion in the lake of fire. He calls cowardly those who are weak in every good work through voluntary misery.

And he says false to all liars. He did not say to the liars but to the false ones, that is, to those who act against nature and, having falsified the natural beauty of virtue, wear counterfeit faces of depravity. And that that fire will be the second death has been said among those who have reached it.

But do you wish to see of how great a crime the "timid and fearful" man is guilty? In the Apocalypse, where those are enumerated who are to be cast "into the lake of fire", there before all He places the "timid and fearful", and reckons together with them also the "unbelieving and fornicators and poisoners". Thus among enormous and abominable crimes is placed the crime of fear and dread.

"But the fearful," says John-and then come the others-" will have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone." Thus fear, which, as stated in his epistle, love drives out, has punishment.

In short, this Apocalypse, in its later passages, has assigned "the infamous and fornicators," as well as "the cowardly, and unbelieving, and murderers, and sorcerers, and idolaters," who have been guilty of any such crime while professing the faith, to "the lake of fire," without any conditional condemnation.

Last of all, in the Revelation, He does not propose flight to the "fearful," but a miserable portion among the rest of the outcast, in the lake of brimstone and fire, which is the second death.

THERE FOLLOWS: Come; I will shew thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. ANSWER: By the bride and wife he means the Church, which, while remaining unstained, is always engendering spiritual children to God; or he may also call it so because it is now espoused to God, and is then to be led to the immortal nuptials.

Through this passage it is shown that the angels not only induce the worst plagues but also act as physicians, at one time cutting and at another time applying healing medications. For he who once brought on a plague to those who deserved it, now shows to the saint the beatitude of the church. And fittingly does he call the bride the "wife" of the Lamb. For when Christ was slaughtered as a lamb, he at that time betrothed [the church] with his own blood. For just as when Adam was sleeping, the woman was formed through the taking of the rib, so also the church, formed through the shedding of blood from the side of Christ as he was sleeping voluntarily on the cross through death, was united with him who suffered for us.

Then one of the seven angels came, etc. The same preachers who inflict the universal plague upon the wicked also reveal the future joys of the Church.

Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. He calls the Church both the bride and the wife, which, remaining immaculate, always generates spiritual children for God. Or because now betrothed to God, she will then be led to immortal nuptials.

The seventh vision, which by the Lord’s gift we have reached, concerns completely the time that will follow the resurrection (above in chapter 15). The order of the account required that, after describing the general resurrection, he should describe the glory of the saints, which they will possess without end after the resurrection; in this vision it is portrayed under the figure of the city of Jerusalem.

And one of the seven angels who had the bowls came and spoke to me, saying: “Come, and I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

Earlier, in the fifth vision, (Rev. 17) John says that he was shown seven angels holding seven bowls, and later that one of them showed him the city of the devil and its condemnation in the form of a prostitute. Likewise, here he says that one of those same seven angels showed him the city of God in the figure of Jerusalem. Each of these angels therefore has the same meaning as those seven: they signify the preachers who have been and will be until the end, while John represents the other faithful. The angel promises John that he will show him the city of God because the holy preachers strive, as far as they can, to show the other faithful how great is the blessedness of the righteous, so that they may kindle in them a desire to attain eternal life. The angel also calls it the bride, the wife of the Lamb. John the Baptist shows that the Church is rightly called the Lamb’s bride, saying: “He who has the bride is the bridegroom” (Jn. 3:29). Scripture shows that she is also called a wife, saying: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). Therefore the Son of God, as it were, left his Father when, descending from that heavenly blessedness to earth, he assumed human nature, which he would give for his bride, who is the Church. He left his mother because, setting aside a mother’s affection, he surrendered for his Church the body he had taken from her. He united the Church to himself in such a way that he is the head and she is the body.

That Christ is the Bridegroom, having the Church as His bride, from which spiritual children were to be born. In Joel: "Blow with the trumpet in Sion; sanctify a fast, and call a healing; assemble the people, sanctify the Church, gather the elders, collect the little ones that suck the breast; let the Bridegroom go forth of His chamber, and the bride out of her closet." Also in Jeremiah: "And I will take away from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of the joyous, and the voice of the glad; the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride." Also in the eighteenth Psalm: "And he is as a bridegroom going forth from his chamber; he exulted as a giant to run his course. From the height of heaven is his going forth, and his circuit even to the end of it; and there is nothing which is hid from his heat." Also in the Apocalypse: "Come, I will show thee the new bride, the Lamb's wife. And he took me in the Spirit to a great mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God." Also in the Gospel according to John: "Ye are my witnesses, that I said to them who were sent from Jerusalem to me, that I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him. For he who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom is he who standeth and heareth him with joy, and rejoiceth because of the voice of the bridegroom." The mystery of this matter was shown in Jesus the son of Nave, when he was bidden to put his shoes from off him, doubt less because he himself was not the bridegroom. For it was in the law, that whoever should refuse marriage should put off his shoe, but that he should be shod who was to be the bridegroom: "And it happened, when Jesus was in Jericho, he looked around with his eyes, and saw a man standing before his face, and holding a javelin in his hand, and said, Art thou for us or for our enemies? And he said, I am the leader of the host of the Lord; now draw near. And Jesus fell on his rice to the earth, and said to him, Lord, what dost Thou command unto Thy servant. And the leader of the Lord's host said, Loose thy shoe from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." Also, in Exodus, Moses is bidden to put off his shoe, because he, too, was not the bridegroom: "And there appeared unto him the angel of the Lord in a flame of fire out of a bush; and he saw that the bush burned with fire, but the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will pass over and see this great sight, why the bush is not consumed. But when He saw that he drew near to see, the Lord God called him from the bush, saying, Moses, Moses. And he said, What is it? And He said, Draw not nigh hither, unless thou hast loosed thy shoe from off thy feet; for the place on which thou standest is holy ground. And He said unto him, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." This was also made plain in the Gospel according to John: "And John answered them, I indeed baptize with water, but there standeth One in the midst of you whom ye know not: He it is of whom I said, The man that cometh after me is made before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose." Also according to Luke: "Let your loins be girt, and your lamps burning, and ye like to men that wait for their master when he shall come from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him. Blessed are those servants whom their Lord, when He cometh, shall find watching." Also in the Apocalypse: "The Lord God omnipotent reigneth: let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give to Him the honour of glory; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."

Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb. And he took me in spirit upon a great mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem, and below: and that city was placed as a square—by four corners it is established.

And one of the seven angels came and said to me, who were these seven about which much was spoken in the earlier ones (Rev. 15-17):

Come, he says, I will show you the bride of the Lamb. He wishes to show "the church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven," (Heb. 12:23) which Jerusalem he also calls the heavenly; concerning which Paul spoke to the Hebrews, saying, "For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire, and to darkness and gloom and a storm, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear what was commanded. Even if a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned, or shot through with an arrow. And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I am exceedingly afraid and trembling." But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, and to multitudes of angels, to the festive gathering and assembly of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, and to God the judge of all." (Heb. 12:18-23) Through the assembly or church of all the saints and through the heavenly Jerusalem the word depicts the blessedness of the saints, and the life they shall have in God and with God, as it has been said, adorning it bodily and gloriously, and leading our mind into a spiritual glory and brightness.

QUESTION: And he took me up in spirit to a great mountain: and he shewed me the holy city Jerusalem. ANSWER: After the fall of Babylon, the holy city, which is the bride of the Lamb, is seen on the mountain, for the stone cut out of a mountain without hands has broken in pieces the effigy of worldly glory, and has grown into a great mountain, and filled the whole world. [Dan. 2:34-35] THERE FOLLOWS: Coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. ANSWER: It will indeed appear more beautiful when, by the Spirit by which its bridegroom is believed to have been conceived and engendered, it has gained fully to have a heavenly appearance.

That he was "carried away in the Spirit" indicates that through the Spirit he was elevated in his mind from earthly things to the contemplation of heavenly realities. The image of the "great mountain" indicates the sublime and transcendent life of the saints, in which the wife of the Lamb, the Jerusalem above, will be made beautiful and glorified by God.

And he took me in the spirit to a great and high mountain, etc. After the fall of Babylon, the holy city, which is the bride of the Lamb, is seen placed upon a mountain. For the stone cut out of the mountain without hands crushed the image of worldly glory, and grew into a great mountain, filling the entire world (Dan. 2).

Descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. For then she will appear more beautiful, when by the Spirit through whom her spouse is believed to have been conceived and born, she has fully merited to bear the heavenly image.

And he carried me to a great and lofty mountain.

This mountain is Christ. The Prophet speaks of this mountain, saying: “In the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established above the tops of the mountains” (Isa. 2:2). The mountains above whose tops the mountain of the house of the Lord is said to be established signify the Fathers of the Old Testament. Therefore the mountain of the house of the Lord is said to be established above their tops because they themselves foretold him, and when he came in the flesh, he surpassed them by a wondrous height. Therefore the house of the Lord, that is, the Church, was built upon this mountain, because it was founded upon Christ, as the Apostle Paul says: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11).

And he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.

It should be noted that Ezekiel’s final vision agrees in some places with this vision of John; therefore, it pleased us to insert a few things from that vision into this work. For he says (Ezek. 40:2) that a mountain was shown to him, on which stood a city, and within it a temple. Although he mentions only the city, he speaks at length about the structure of the temple. The temple there therefore has the same meaning as the city here, for both signify the Church. The temple signifies the Church of the present age, while the city of Jerusalem signifies the Church as it will be after the end of the world. But someone may ask: How does this description of Jerusalem, that is, of the Church, refer to a future time, when this vision seems to describe its form in the present age? We answer that the Church cannot be fully known as long as it remains in this life, but is kept hidden, as it were, beneath a veil, since it is unknown who is rejected or chosen, or to what end each person will bring his deeds. In that life, however, its form will be revealed to all. For then it will clearly appear to everyone who was a wall, who were the gates, who were the foundations, who were the stones of the structure, and who were the precious stones. But we must ask how it is said to descend from heaven, since it ascends daily to its heavenly dwelling, where it is believed to remain forever. As long as we reflect upon the deeds and merits of the saints, they continually grow in our hearts; and the more we consider them, the more their magnificence is exalted in our eyes. But when we raise the eyes of our minds to contemplate the greatness of almighty God, the greatness of the saints, compared with God’s greatness, is greatly diminished in our estimation. The saints therefore ascend in our eyes when we consider their deeds and merits; but they descend when we raise the eyes of our minds to contemplate God’s almighty power.

Now, the great number of thoughts arising out of faith transcend in clarity the light of the stars. Hence, in the Apocalypse: "He took me up in spirit to a mountain, great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven." And I saw that it had twelve gates, and over each gate a pearl, so that each gate was of a single pearl.

These thoughts of faith are compared to the stars and also to twelve pearls. Although these stars are countless, there are twelve signs through which the sun runs its course. These twelve signs are merely clusters of stars which have divers influences because of their different configurations and lights. And the sun, in combination with these, affects the course of life on earth at different times and according to the different influences. These thoughts also, arising from the considerations of faith, are compared to the clarity of pearls because they are bright, vivifying and joyful in the manner of pearls. For pearls have brightness or refulgence, while they also comfort through their efficacy, and rejoice the heart.

For if they are led twelve by twelve, they will be a hundred and forty-four, that is, the number of the City of Jerusalem. And so, a soul hierarchized in this way is a city in which God lives and is seen. John says of this: "He took me up in spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem." And in the same chapter, he says that it was measured "to twelve thousand stadia." And, later, that "the length and the height and the breadth of it are equal." And that the measure of the wall was "a hundred and forty-four cubits."

By the mountain he refers to Christ.… It is the church, the city established on the mountain, that is the bride of the Lamb. The city is then established on the mountain when on the shoulders of the Shepherd it is called back like a sheep to its own sheepfold. For were the church one and the city coming down from heaven another, there would be two brides, which is simply not possible. He has called this city the "bride" of the Lamb, and therefore it is clear that it is the church itself that is going to be described.

Therefore, from that state. "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God." For without spiritual grace no human mind could ever be exalted so as to enter into the perception of the glory of the saints. And fittingly the church, and likewise the life of the righteous and the state; there also was a great and high mountain; for nothing lowly or close to the ground or prostrate was among them, but all things were high and uplifted. For it is written concerning them that "the mighty ones of the earth were greatly exalted by God." (Ps. 46:10)

By the testimony of the Truth this is the "city set on a hill." Also Isaiah says, "The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills." [Isaiah says this] either because of the height of its righteousness, of which we read, "Your righteousness is like the mountains of God," or because both the apostles and the prophets are called mountains. However, being more excellent than all others, the Lord Christ towers as a mountain above the heights of mountains, and from his fullness, it says, we receive grace for grace. Fittingly he says [that the city comes] down out of heaven from God, for [the church's] beauty will then be seen more fully, when through the Spirit, by whom her bridegroom is believed to have been conceived and born, she has merited to bear the heavenly image. Therefore, it is this very bride that is this city.

This both Ezekiel had knowledge of and the Apostle John beheld. And the word of the new prophecy which is a part of our belief, attests how it foretold that there would be for a sign a picture of this very city exhibited.

The radiance of the church is Christ, who here is depicted as a jasper and clear as crystal to indicate that he is unfading and life-giving and pure. He is also depicted by means of other images. For the manifold diversity of his generosity for us cannot be described merely through the illustration of one form.

We read of this very city in the prophets: "The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor shall the brightness of the moon give you light. But the Lord will be everlasting light, and your God will be your glory." … As the brilliance of a stone shines neither in itself nor from the outside, but it is translucent by the clarity of its nature, so this city is described as illumined by no radiance of the stars but as invisibly illumined by the light of God alone. The shining clarity of the crystal signifies that in the city the grace of baptism shines with a reddish hue.

Her light was like a precious stone. The precious stone is Christ, who says: The glory which you have given me I have given to them (John 17).

Like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Jasper, for the brightness of virtues; crystal, for the inner purity of the mind and unfeigned faith (1 Tim. 1).

It is also said that the city had the glory of God. Indeed, it had God’s glory, not its own. For the sun often shines upon water and lends its brightness to it, so that the water dazzles the eyes of those who look upon it just as the sun does. Therefore, just as water has the sun’s brightness, not from itself but from the sun, so the saints have God’s glory, not from themselves but from God, by whom they are enlightened.

Its radiance was like a precious stone, like jasper, like crystal.

Behold, he set three stones, to whose radiance he compared the light of the Church: one without a name, but naming the other two. Therefore we can understand the Father as the precious stone, the Son as jasper, and the Holy Spirit as crystal. The first is unnamed because the Father is from himself; the second and third are named because the Son is from the Father, while the Holy Spirit proceeds from both. We can also understand hope as the precious stone, faith as jasper, and love as crystal. But someone might say that faith and hope will not be needed in that life. For what does anyone hope for if they see it (Rom. 8:24)? We reply that just as a garment dyed from some material holds its beautiful color after the material is discarded, so in that life, when faith, hope, humility, abstinence, and the other virtues reach their end apart from love, the splendor the saints acquired through practicing them will remain in them forever.

Her radiance, that is, the Sun of righteousness Christ (Mal. 4:2), is said to be like a jasper stone. The jasper, as was said above, being somewhat green, signifies the life-giving and life-sustaining Christ, "who opens his hand and fills every living thing with good will" (Ps. 145:16); for green is considered the source of all earthly food. But the jasper was also clear as crystal, showing the purity and holiness of Christ; "for he committed no sin, and deceit was not found in his mouth," (Isa. 53:9) according to the prophecies of Isaiah. And Christ again is the wall of the saints, that is, of his church, being our bulwark and defense and help.

[To which bride] the Lord says, "You are the light of the world." This expression pertains to the entire body of Christ, although the apostles heard it from the mouth of the Truth, since they were first in both time and merit.… Although the jasper and the crystal are different kinds of stones with different colors, nonetheless here he aptly conjoins both of them for the sake of the metaphor. He compares them to a most precious stone, so that it would be understood to refer to Christ, of whom the blessed Peter spoke: "a cornerstone precious, laid firm in the foundation."

And the gate glittered to such a degree under the sunbeams, that I marvelled at the splendour of the gate; and round about the gate stood twelve virgins.

QUESTION: And it had a wall great and high. ANSWER: That is, the impregnable firmness of faith, love, and hope. The Lord himself, protecting the Church on all sides, may also be taken to be the great wall, about which Isaiah says, A wall and a bulwark shall be set therein, [Is. 26:1] that is, the protection of the Lord and the intercession of the saints, who make a way for him to the hearts of believers by their teaching. THERE FOLLOWS: Having twelve gates. ANSWER: These gates are the apostles, who were the first, whether by their writings or by their works, to open the entrance to the Church for all nations.

Christ is the great and high wall of the church that protects those in the holy city. In the wall are twelve gates, which are his holy apostles through whom we have acquired access and entry to the Father. And these are assisted by twelve angels who are preeminent and especially close to God in their holiness. For if we believe that a protecting angel follows each one of the faithful, how much more does it follow that those ranked first among the angels [accompany] those who are the foundations of the church and are sowers of the evangelical word and serve as assistants in the preaching of the gospel? The names of the tribes of the spiritual Israel are written over the gates of the apostles, even as they were written on the shoulder strap of the physical high priest long ago. The writing of these names now testifies to the solicitude of the apostles for the faithful, just as Paul said that he had "anxiety for all the churches" and that "his heart is wide" and that he comes to all "those whom he begot through the gospel."

"And it had a great, high wall." Zechariah said, "For I will be," says the Lord, "a wall of fire round about." What is so great and high as the Lord of majesty, who with the protection of his presence surrounds the holy city? "And it had twelve gates and at the gates twelve corners, and the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were written [on the gates]." In the Gospel we read that the Lord spoke concerning himself: "I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will enter and will find pasture." Therefore, Christ is the door. However, the ancient people of our faith are named together not as doors, but their names are written on the gates, that is, on the doors. Thus our Lord shows to all the saints that he is the door of truth and freedom. This shows that the whole band of the patriarchs belonged to the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The twelve corners of the gates, and the twelve gates and the twelve foundations on which the names of the apostles and of the Lamb are written yield the number of thirty-six. It is clear that this is the number of hours that our Lord Jesus Christ lay in the grave after his passion. This demonstrates that the host of leaders who came beforehand and the chorus of apostles who came afterwards had been redeemed by the one faith and passion of the Lord, and that they have come to the knowledge of the omnipotent God through the one entrance of faith in Christ, who is the door. For also the names of apostles themselves are said to be written upon the twelve foundations, because Christ is the foundation, as Paul says, "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." And he himself is in each, and each is in him. The Lord says, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." And it is written in the words of the most blessed Paul that "the rock was Christ." Therefore, it is Peter to whom the Lord spoke: "On this rock I will build my church." That is, the church is built upon faith in the incarnation, passion and resurrection of the Lord.

And had a great and high wall. That is, the impregnable strength of faith, hope, and charity. The Lord Himself, protecting the Church on all sides, can be understood as the great wall, of whom Isaiah also says: You shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise (Isa. 26), that is, the Lord's protection and the intercession of the saints who make a path for her by teaching into the hearts of believers.

Having twelve gates. These gates are the apostles, who, by their writings or deeds, originally opened the entrance to the Church to all nations.

And at the gates twelve angels. That is, the teachers following the footsteps of the apostles in the mystery of faith and the word.

And names written, etc. This signifies the memory of the ancient fathers implanted in the hearts of the preachers. Hence, the high priest entering the tabernacle is commanded to carry the memorial of the fathers on the breastplate of judgment.

And it had a great and high wall.

This is the wall of which the prophet says: “Our strong city is Zion; the Savior shall be set within it as a wall and fortification” (Isa. 26:1). By this wall, therefore, Christ is signified together with all his members, so that its foundation represents him, while the rest of its structure represents his members.

Having twelve gates.

In Ezekiel (Ezek. 46:1 and so on) it is written that the temple shown to him had three gates: the eastern, the southern, and the northern. God commands that the eastern gate always remain shut, with only the Prince entering and leaving through it. The eastern gate represents the blessed and glorious Virgin Mary, who remained shut before the Prince, that is, Christ, entered, and remained shut forever after he left. The southern gate represents the Old Testament, while the northern gate represents the New. Those said to come from the south represent the Jews; those from the north represent the Gentiles. The Jews, then, who knew God and to whom the Law had been given from the direction of the sun, that is, from the south, where the sun burns more fiercely, are rightly said to come to the Church. They entered through the southern gate because, recognizing that Christ had been prophesied in many ways and prefigured in various forms in the Old Testament, they were drawn by their own Scriptures to embrace faith in Christ. The Gentiles, however, abandoning idolatry and renouncing the one who said, “I will sit on the mountain of the covenant, on the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” (Isa. 14:13), are fittingly said to come from the north. They entered through the northern gate because, hearing the teaching of the Gospel and marveling at the miracles performed through Christ and his ministers, they rushed to embrace faith in Christ. It was also commanded that no one return by the way he had entered, but that he leave by the gate opposite: whoever entered through the southern gate was to leave through the northern, and whoever entered through the northern was to leave through the southern. The Jews, whom understanding the Old Testament led to embrace faith in Christ, were not to return by the way they had come, that is, to observe the legal ordinances in a bodily manner. Rather, they were to leave through the northern gate, turning to ponder and examine the teaching of the Gospel, so that they might learn to fulfill spiritually what they had previously attempted to do in a bodily manner. The Gentiles, who entered through the northern gate, that is, who became children of the Church through the teaching of the Gospel, were not to return by the way they had come, namely, by going back to investigate the errors of the philosophers. Instead, after embracing the faith and teaching of the Gospel, they were to turn to the southern gate, that is, to examine the teaching of the Old Testament. When they found Christ foretold there in many ways, their faith in Christ would be strengthened. The twelve gates said to belong to Jerusalem signify the twelve apostles and their teaching.

And I saw twelve angels at the gates.

The twelve angels represent the other preachers, namely, the followers of the apostles, who are said to have been at the gates because, holding fast to the unwavering faith of the apostles and following their teaching, they strove to draw as many people as they could to faith in Christ.

And the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel were written there.

By the names of the twelve tribes we may understand the fathers of the Old Testament, who did not stray from faith in the Holy Trinity; we may also understand the Old Testament itself by those same names. The names of the twelve tribes were written on the gates because the teaching of the apostles and the other preachers is full of examples from the Old Testament.

Now, the great number of thoughts arising out of faith transcend in clarity the light of the stars. Hence, in the Apocalypse: "He took me up in spirit to a mountain, great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven." And I saw that it had twelve gates, and over each gate a pearl, so that each gate was of a single pearl.

These thoughts of faith are compared to the stars and also to twelve pearls. Although these stars are countless, there are twelve signs through which the sun runs its course. These twelve signs are merely clusters of stars which have divers influences because of their different configurations and lights. And the sun, in combination with these, affects the course of life on earth at different times and according to the different influences. These thoughts also, arising from the considerations of faith, are compared to the clarity of pearls because they are bright, vivifying and joyful in the manner of pearls. For pearls have brightness or refulgence, while they also comfort through their efficacy, and rejoice the heart.

Again, you can multiply the four cardinal virtues by the three theological, and then there are twelve: for prudence must be faithful, trusting, and loving; and so it is with the others. And they are represented by the twelve springs, the twelve gems in the High Priest's vestment, and the twelve doors of the City. First, the twelve springs, for as they flow into each other, they make the soul clean. Second, the twelve gems, for they adorn the soul with all the virtues carried in the heart, as these gems were carried on the High Priest's chest. Third, the twelve doors, in so far as they lead in: for in the east, there is the sincerity of temperance; in the south, the serenity of prudence; in the north, the stability of constancy; and in the west, the sweetness of justice.

The twelve gates and the twelve angels are the apostles and the prophets, for as it is written, we "are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets." The Lord also spoke in a similar way to Peter: "Upon this rock I shall build my church."

He says that it has twelve gates, by which he alludes to the divine apostles who proclaimed to us the entrance into faith in Christ. And on the gates are twelve angels; for I am persuaded that they co-operated with the holy apostles, and that divine angels aided the faith of the world; for if the law given through Moses was spoken by angels, as the apostle says; "if the word spoken through angels proved unwavering," (Heb. 2:2) how much more did the evangelic proclamation have angels cooperating?

And he says, and names written, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. Israel is indeed sensibly those born of Jacob the patriarch; but spiritually it is those who conform to the faith of our father Abraham. And to this the apostle, called "father of those by circumcision not only but also of those who follow the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham," (Rom. 4:12) bears witness.

For Israel is interpreted as "the mind seeing God," that is, discerning. And which of the faithful more than these perceived God, or have become discerning by the abundant working of the Spirit? Therefore the names of these are written on the gates of the city.

The wall of the church is Christ, and we read [that this wall] is both great and high: "Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, on his holy mountain," and "The Lord is high above all the nations." Of this wall the prophet Isaiah said, "In this day this song will be sung in the land of Judah, 'We have a strong city; a savior is placed in it as a wall and bulwark. Open the gates, so that a righteous nation that keeps truth may enter in and the ancient error stay away.' " Singing together by one Spirit, they are seen to relate similar realities. He continues by speaking of the gates. There are twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels and the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel are inscribed [on the gates]. We know that our Lord originally offered entrance to the faith through the twelve apostles. However, the context of this passage prohibits that meaning when it now mentions the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. The passage intends that we first consider the patriarchs from whose stock we know that the whole race of the Israelites was directly propagated. From these, according to the apostle, "there is a remnant saved by the election of grace," and he adds that "God has not rejected his people." Therefore, in this passage we ought to interpret the [twelve] gates to signify the twelve patriarchs, especially since we hear that "you do not support the root, but the root supports you." … I think that the angels signify those elders and princes whose administration and leadership marvelously ruled that nation [of Israel].

In that he says there are three gates placed on each of the four sides, of single pearls, I think that these are the four virtues, to wit, prudence, fortitude, justice, temperance, which are associated with one another. And, being involved together, they make the number twelve. But the twelve gates we believe to be the number of the apostles, who, shining in the four virtues as precious stones, manifesting the light of their doctrine among the saints, cause it to enter the celestial city, that by intercourse with them the choir of angels may be gladdened.

The four-sided form of the gates and their threefold entries signifies the understanding of the one who worships the Trinity. This understanding is throughout the four-cornered universe, and we have received it through the life-giving cross. For the cruciform shape of the position of the gates is according to the form of the twelve oxen that bore the Sea erected by Solomon. These oxen signify the threefold grouping of the apostles by fours, the herald of the Holy Trinity and the extension of the four Gospels into the four corners of the earth. Through this is symbolized the spiritual sea of baptism that cleanses the world from its sins and that was instituted by the spiritual Solomon.

It says that the gates are divided into four groups: "on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates." This signifies that the four parts of the world have accepted the mystery of the Trinity. That the names of the patriarchs are inscribed demonstrates that the ancient faith has been fulfilled.

To the east three gates, etc. I believe that this detailed description of the gates was meant to indicate the mystery of the number twelve, by which either the sum of the apostles or the perfection of the Church is represented, because through it, the faith of the Holy Trinity was to be proclaimed to the whole world.

Three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

He set out the four quarters of the world to show that nearly all the nations contained within those four quarters had come together in the Church. He said that he saw three gates facing each quarter, twelve in all, to show that no one can enter the Church except through confession of the Holy Trinity. And since the teaching of the apostles is nothing other than the Gospel, and the Gospel itself is divided into four books, while the teaching of each book rests on faith in the Holy Trinity, this city is rightly said to have four sides, each with three gates; together they make twelve.

The city that is described is the church, which is extended throughout the whole world. There are groups of three gates on each of the four sides because throughout the four quarters of the world the mystery of the Trinity is preached in the church.

And the twelve tribes indicate the fullness of the faithful; for having once called the faithful Israel, he has also adhered to the number of their fullness, saying twelve tribes, and he says that from the four quarters of the world there were three at each gate. For the glorious apostles wholly took up a triad, proclaiming it consubstantial to the nations, and "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matt. 28:19)

The foundations of the wall are the blessed apostles, upon whom the church of Christ has been established. Their names have been inscribed upon them, as upon a public placard, for the easy instruction of those who read them.

And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, etc. What the gates are, the foundations are; what the city is, the wall is. The patriarchs can also be designated by the term foundations, who held the names, that is, the figures, of the apostles in themselves. For through them, this city has foundations, even though it was opened to the nations through the apostles as through gates. It should be noted that when foundations are mentioned in the plural, they signify the teachers or virtues of the Church, but when singularly, they signify the Lord himself, who is the foundation of foundations.

And the city wall had twelve foundations, and written on them were the twelve names of the apostles and of the Lamb.

He explained what the twelve foundations signified when he added that the names of the twelve apostles and of the Lamb were written on them. I was rebuked by someone for saying that Peter was the foundation of the Church, in the passage where the Lord says: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church” (Matt. 16:18). If Peter is the foundation of the Church, as are the other apostles, as the present passage plainly shows, then the Church was built upon him, just as it was upon the others. But if the Church was not built upon Peter, then neither was it built upon the others. Therefore this present assertion of John is false, since he says that the twelve apostles are the twelve foundations of the Church. Nor does what the Apostle says discourage us from our understanding: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). For Peter is not one foundation and Jesus Christ another; Peter is a member of Jesus Christ, as Christ himself said to his disciples: “You in me, and I in you” (Jn. 14:20). For Christ is the foundation of all his apostles, and they likewise are foundations for those who believed through them. There is therefore one foundation, namely Christ, by whom all the foundations are held together, and upon whom the whole structure of the Church has been built. Paul speaks of this foundation, saying: “If anyone builds upon this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will be tested by fire to show what it is” (1 Cor. 3:12). Here he named six kinds: three valuable and three worthless. Gold often signifies wisdom. A person builds gold upon Christ the foundation when he stores in his heart the wisdom that crushes vices and nurtures virtues, following the Psalmist, who said: “I have hidden your words in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 118:11). Silver signifies the word of preaching, of which the same Psalmist says: “The words of the Lord are pure words, silver refined by fire” (Ps. 11:7). A person builds silver upon Christ the foundation when he teaches others the good he has learned, so as to lead them to do good works. Precious stones signify good works. A person builds precious stones upon Christ the foundation when he fulfills in deeds the good he teaches. Some do not have words of encouragement with which to instruct others fully, but by exercising themselves in good works, they build precious stones upon Christ the foundation. Likewise, those who know little but teach it to others build silver upon Christ, provided they fulfill in their deeds what they teach. Many build upon Christ by teaching others the understanding they have received, but through evil deeds they destroy within themselves what they have built. Wood, hay, and straw signify minor sins. But there is another interpretation that prevents us from understanding them in this way, for sins are not built upon Christ; rather, works of virtue are. When we sin, we withdraw from the building constructed upon Christ, and the more grievously we sin, the farther we are separated from it. But when through repentance we return to doing good works, we return to the building constructed upon Christ. We can therefore understand wood as earthly labor: a person devotes himself to such work to earn a living, lest he be driven by need to steal. For the Apostle commands that each person work quietly and eat his own bread; and again: “Whoever is unwilling to work,” he says, “shall not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10, 12). By hay we can understand earthly affection, as when someone loves his wife, children, and brothers out of bodily attachment. The Apostle also commands that husbands love their wives, wives their husbands, and children and parents one another (Eph. 5:25, 28). By straw we can understand those who take wives because they are troubled by lust and unable to restrain themselves. The Apostle also commands this, saying: “Because of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:2). And because such ways of life cannot be free from frequent failings, he says that such people will be saved through fire, that is, through purgatorial fire. This will happen if they abstain from grave sins and, by giving generously in alms, merit the possibility of being saved after death through purgatorial fire. For just as gold made impure by admixtures is purified by fire, so these people are cleansed by fire of the impurities they contracted through worldly deeds, so that they may become worthy of being joined to the company of the elect.

This Holy Spirit, acting in the minds of the chosen, brings about Scriptures and gives firmness to the Christian faith. And because it acts more specially in the apostles, they are said to be the twelve foundation stones. And it is said that the twelve names of the apostles were written on these foundation stones; not only the witnessing of the apostles, but also various witnessings of the Holy Spirit on many topics, among which are the twelve reasons for the firmness of faith, which are the twelve foundations. For through the concurrence of divers witnessings, the Holy Spirit strengthened this faith so that it would not be smitten; although this firmness was shaken violently in the beginning when the martyrs were crucified by idolaters. It was also shaken in intermediate times by different heresies. It will be shaken most violently at the end of the time of the Church through torment, argument, and the working of miracles.

And the wall of the city, he says, had twelve foundations; for Christ, whom we have thought of as a wall, rests upon the preaching of the apostles, and upon them has gone forth as a "chief cornerstone," (1 Peter 2:6; Isa. 28:16; Eph. 2:20) as it is written.

And upon them, that is, upon those foundations, are twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. He has barely revealed the riddle, plainly saying that he calls the apostles the gates and foundations of the holy city of the church; by whose teaching may we all abide, turning away from the profane babblings of the false knowledge of heretics; by the grace of Christ our teacher and chief shepherd; to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Having mentioned the patriarchs, he now mentions the apostles. Although we know that the church has but a single foundation, that is, Christ, it is not surprising that here it is said to have twelve [foundations]. In Christ the apostles have merited to be foundations of the church, and of [Christ] the apostle said, "No other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus." In Christ the apostles are also said to be "light," as he said to them, "You are the light of the world," although Christ alone is "the true light that enlightens every person coming into this world." Therefore, Christ is the Light that enlightens, while the apostles are a light that is enlightened. The Holy Scripture often suggests many similar ideas.…70 Therefore, in this passage we ought to recognize the twelve foundations to be the apostles, although as those called to be in the one Foundation, which is Jesus Christ.… Therefore, the apostles are foundations, but in the one foundation, Jesus. Moreover, Jesus alone, even without the apostles, is rightly called "foundation," while the apostles are without Christ in no way said to be foundations of the church.

QUESTION: And he that spoke with me, had a measure of a reed of gold. ANSWER: Christ, who is the Father's wisdom, measures the holy city, because he distributes the gifts of spiritual graces to every one of the faithful while ordering all things in number, and measure, and weight. [Wis. 11:21] We may also understand it to mean the teachers of the Church, fragile in body but heavenly in mind, who cleverly examine the merits of everyone.

The "golden measuring rod" indicates the excellence of the angel who measures, whom he saw in the form of a man. It indicates as well the excellence of the city that is being measured, whose wall we have interpreted to be Christ. The city is measured not by people but by an angel because of the purity and wisdom of its transcendent nature, to whom, as is probable, the greatness or the comely dignity of the city above is known. However, in this passage we think that the "wall" is suggestive of the divine covering and shelter by which the saints will be protected.

The wall of fire surrounding it is the Lord, as we have already said. The golden measuring rod is the faith concerning the Lord's incarnation, for on account of its purity and sinlessness his body is revealed to be clearer and more brilliant than any metal. He alone is the one through whom the measure of the faith and the integrity of the holy city is established, and he only is recognized as the measure of its gates and the height of its wall.

And the one who spoke with me, etc. Christ, who is the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1), reaching from end to end mightily and ordering all things sweetly (Wis. 8), measures the holy city. For, establishing all things in number, measure, and weight, he distributes the gifts of graces to each of the faithful. The teachers of the Church can also be understood as being fragile in body but heavenly in mind, who carefully examine the merits of each person.

The one who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.

The angel who spoke with John signifies Christ in this passage: Christ now rules all nations with an iron rod, as has already been said above; (Rev. 2:27, 12:5, 19:15) but in the future, he will measure with a golden rod the city of God, which will be made up of all nations. We said above that the iron rod represents the discipline of the Gospel; iron, however, is heavy and very hard. The Lord speaks of the hardness of the iron rod in the Gospel: “The way is narrow and constricted, leading to life” (Matt. 7:14). But the love of God and the hope of our heavenly homeland make this hardness sweet and light, as he says again: “For my yoke is sweet, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:30). Therefore the iron rod will be changed into a light, sweet, and golden reed, because the saints will receive sweetness and everlasting glory in return for the hardships they endured for Christ. He will measure the city, its gates, and its wall when he repays each person according to the quality of their deeds. But we must ask: since the city is said to have been measured, why are its gates and wall added, when all these are included in the name “city”? Yet, as what came before and what follows show, the gates signify the apostles, the city signifies apostolic men, and the walls signify the remaining multitude of the faithful. What follows makes this clearer. Next:

In the golden rod he shows the members of the church, who, although weak in the flesh, are well founded in the golden faith. As the apostle says, "[We] have this treasure in earthen vessels."

The reed with which he measured the holy city was geometric; and it was golden because of the preciousness of both the measuring angel and the city being measured.

Earlier John had said that a measuring rod was given to him, namely, the commission given to him to preach. Now he says that the angel speaking with him has a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls. It is necessary, therefore, to understand this angel as Christ, who is the Wisdom of God and by his power extends from one end [of the earth] to the other and "orders all things well." Therefore, we read, "Receive wisdom as gold." Moreover, to Christ alone is it given to measure the city, for it is he who distributes to each one of the faithful the gifts of the spiritual graces, and who, as we read, "has ordered all things in number and measure and weight."

The city is foursquare because of its stability and solidity. That which is of equal length in its depth and breadth and height is called by some a cube, and it suggests stability. The twelve thousand stadia that the city measures perhaps signify the size of the city, for, as David says, its inhabitants "shall be multiplied beyond the sand." Or perhaps they are mentioned because of the number of the apostles through whom the city was established. The number seven, which is mystical, presents a solution through a certain line of reasoning. The thousands of stadia, which are mentioned, are equivalent to 1, miles, the thousand representing the perfection of eternal life, the seven hundred indicating the perfection of the rest, and the fourteen indicating the twofold sabbath of the soul and the body. For seven times two is fourteen.

[The city is foursquare], that is, it persists in the faith of the fourfold gospel. It is said that its length is the same as its breadth, so that one might see that in its faith there is nothing disproportionate, nothing that has been added, and nothing that has been taken away.… He measured the city with his rod, which we understand to be the body of Christ, and it was twelve stadia. For the faith in Christ and the integrity of the holy people is recognized by means of these twelve stadia, that is, by means of the teaching of the apostles and the faith of the ancient fathers. "For the length and the breadth were the same." All things are equal, for nothing is found in the saints that is superfluous or that comes from the outside, nor is anything inferior found within them.

And the city lies four-square. Therefore, the city is said to lie four-square and to be placed with equal dimensions on every side, because it is not allowed to be marked by any inequality. To be perfect according to the apostle, that is, to be wise and to have peace, is truly to subsist in the solidity of the four-square.

And he measured the city with twelve thousand stadia. That is, he saw the Church to be perfect in faith and deeds, or he endowed it to be so. The perfection of the four principal virtues, elevated by the faith of the Holy Trinity, composes the dignity of the Church as if by the number ten.

Its length and breadth and height are equal. This is the solidity of invincible truth, by which the Church, supported by the length of faith, the breadth of charity, and the height of hope, is not allowed to be carried about by every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4). If it lacks any one of these, the perfect stability of the Church will not be.

And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as its width.

By the city’s square shape, the perfection of the saints is signified: a square stone, whichever way you turn it, will stand upright. And if you examine carefully a square stone, or anything else that can be made square, you will be able to distinguish that the perfection of the Church is shown in it. For it has six faces, eight corners, and twelve ledges. The six faces demonstrate the perfection of good works, because six is a perfect number. It has eight corners, of which four face heaven and four face earth. The four corners therefore signify the Gospels, which are doubled because they especially praise love of God and neighbor. Four face heaven to show that God is to be loved above all things; four face earth to show that our neighbors are to be loved as ourselves. The twelve ledges demonstrate the faith of the twelve apostles. Three ledges extend from each corner to show that, through the teaching of Christ, which is the Gospel and is divided into four books, faith in the Holy Trinity passed to the apostles, so that through them it might spread to all nations. We have said all this about the square stone to show that the city’s square shape signifies the perfection of the Church. And because this city has equal sides, its length is said to be as great as its width. For its length signifies eternal glory, while its width signifies love. The length of this city, then, is as great as its width, because the greater each believer’s love in this life, the greater the glory they will possess in heavenly blessedness; and the lesser their love, the lesser their glory.

And he measured the city at twelve thousand stadia: its length, width, and height are equal.

The twelve stadia have the same meaning as the twelve gates, for they signify the apostles. Above, however, it is said that the city has equal length and width; here it is said that its length, width, and height are equal. Therefore, by these three things mentioned here, we may understand faith, hope, and love: by length, faith; by width, love; and by height, hope. But how can they be equal, when the Apostle says, “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13)? For although love is greater than all the virtues because it endures forever, equality may nevertheless be attributed to these three virtues in a certain respect. The Apostle says that faith works through love, and that faith without works is dead (Gal. 5:6; James 2:26). If it is dead, the one for whom it is dead is nothing; and if faith works through love, it is dead for the one who has no works of love. Therefore, faith is as great as the works of love. Likewise, hope is as great as faith and love, because the glory for which we hope is as great as the works of faith, which is love. For the more each believer succeeds in expanding himself through works of love, the more surely he may expect the glory of the heavenly homeland to increase for him.

For if they are led twelve by twelve, they will be a hundred and forty-four, that is, the number of the City of Jerusalem. And so, a soul hierarchized in this way is a city in which God lives and is seen. John says of this: "He took me up in spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem." And in the same chapter, he says that it was measured "to twelve thousand stadia." And, later, that "the length and the height and the breadth of it are equal." And that the measure of the wall was "a hundred and forty-four cubits."

And the city, it says, lies foursquare, and its length, its breadth, and its height are equal. The foursquare shape, as it seems to those skilled in these matters, is and is called a cube; for there is also a plane square; but when it is both square and equilateral in all dimensions, they say the cube signifies stability; for the good things of the saints are permanent and unchangeable, with no transformation corrupting their blessedness. The greatness of the city reveals both the magnificence of the saints and that, even if they are far surpassed in number by the sinners, nevertheless they themselves are not few in number, but are such as to fill so great a city.

The apostle certainly recalls the dimension of the city when he says, "according to the measure of Christ's gift," and again, "To me, though I am the least of all the saints, this grace was given to me, to preach to the Gentiles." Therefore, the city is said to be foursquare and each side given an equal dimension, so that nothing might be marked by inequality. To be perfect, according to the apostle, is to have the same wisdom and to have peace, that is, truly to exist in the strength of a square. This is, then, that city that the Lord said in the Gospel was built on a hill, that is, was built on himself. And concerning this he also said to Peter, who is the image of the whole church, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I shall build my church." It is as if he had said, "I will build you upon me." For Christ was the Rock, and therefore from the Rock is the rock, even as the Christian is from Christ. And Christ indeed teaches that every invention of human error is to be avoided and only the monuments of divine truth are to be followed.

She said to me, "Lo! do you not see opposite to you a great tower, built upon the waters, of splendid square stones?" For the tower was built square by those six young men who had come with her.

The city which he says is squared, he says also is resplendent with gold and precious stones, and has a sacred street, and a river through the midst of it, and the tree of life on either side, bearing twelve manner of fruits throughout the twelve months; and that the light of the sun is not there, because the Lamb is the light of it; and that its gates were of single pearls; and that there were three gates on each of the four sides, and that they could not be shut. I say, in respect of the square city, he shows forth the united multitude of the saints, in whom the faith could by no means waver. As Noah is commanded to make the ark of squared beams, that it might resist the force of the deluge, by the precious stones he sets forth the holy men who cannot waver in persecution, who could not be moved either by the tempest of persecutors, or be dissolved from the true faith by the force of the rain, because they are associated of pure gold, of whom the city of the great King is adorned. Moreover, the streets set forth their hearts purified from all uncleanness, transparent with glowing light, that the Lord may justly walk up and down in them.

We ought to regard the measure to be in the wall itself, for the wall of this city is our Lord Jesus Christ. That it was measured by the measure of a man indicates that the assumed man serves for the protection of the saints and as a guarantee of all bliss. This measure of a man is said to be that of an angel because he is himself the angel of the covenant of whom it is said, "He will suddenly come to his temple, whom you seek, indeed the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire." And again it is said, "His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Let us see what mystery is contained in the fact that its height is measured to be 144 cubits. One hundred, composed of ten tens, passes to the right side, and from this it is shown that the complete fullness of the saints and all righteousness that is perfected in the fulfillment of the Decalogue and the prophecy of the gospel is blessedly held at the right hand of our Lord Jesus Christ. However, the forty-four when divided into four tens and the remaining four ones indicates similarly that the fourfold truth of the gospel and the perfection of every heavenly doctrine remains by his power. Moreover, the number twenty-four itself is the sum of two equal parts so that it might show that the fullness of the ancient law and the power of the gospel rest in him and come from him. We know that this is a figure of the apostles of the Lamb and of the patriarchs and is the very image of the twenty-four elders. This number [i.e., twenty-four] multiplied six times teaches that in the six days of this present week in which the world exists, the entire congregation and multitude of the saints is included, even as in our Lord Jesus Christ there is every perfection and [in him] the full righteousness of all the saints is shown to be safeguarded.

And he measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits. This total contains the four-square number of twelve (for twelve times twelve equals one hundred forty-four), signifying the stable perfection of the holy city.

The measure of a man, which is an angel's. The Church, which is gathered from men and elevated by the promises of Christ, hopes to attain the equality of angels. As for the literal sense, it signifies that the angel appeared to him in the form of a man.

And he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement.

If we consider what was said earlier, this cannot stand literally. For earlier he says that he measured the city at twelve stadia, whereas here he says that the city’s walls were measured at one hundred and forty-four cubits. The distance of twelve stadia is much greater than that of one hundred and forty-four cubits. Therefore, by the greater distance we can understand those of greater merit. Earlier we said that the twelve apostles were represented by the twelve stadia. Therefore the martyrs and confessors, and the other perfect men who followed the apostles’ teaching in all things and imitated their deeds, will be measured within their circuit, because they will possess the same glory as the apostles. The walls, however, which are made of smaller stones, represent the rest of the multitude of the faithful. They will occupy a smaller circuit than those of whom we spoke earlier, because those of lesser merit will receive lesser rewards. Their number is based on twelve, because they kept the apostolic faith undefiled: twelve times twelve makes one hundred and forty-four. By saying that the city and its walls were measured by human measurement, which is also an angel’s, he shows that the angel appeared to him in human likeness. We can understand this in another way. He says that the measure of a human being is the measure of an angel, and that by this measure the city and its walls were measured, because holy men will be equal to the angels and will be measured by their measure: they will possess the same glory as the angels, as the Lord says in the Gospel: “At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels of God in heaven” (Matt. 22:30).

For if they are led twelve by twelve, they will be a hundred and forty-four, that is, the number of the City of Jerusalem. And so, a soul hierarchized in this way is a city in which God lives and is seen. John says of this: "He took me up in spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem." And in the same chapter, he says that it was measured "to twelve thousand stadia." And, later, that "the length and the height and the breadth of it are equal." And that the measure of the wall was "a hundred and forty-four cubits."

And he measured, it says, its wall at a hundred and forty-four cubits by the measure of a man, which is that of an angel. In many places, according to the customary usage of the divine Scripture, men are called angels. And this is clear from those passages in which Gabriel the Archangel is interpreted as a man of God (see Dan. 9:21). And the prophet said, "You will save men and beasts, O Lord" (Ps. 36:6): men indeed are called angels, beasts the men; for despite the mind of the angels we men happen to be irrational and brute. For he did not say "men and beasts" so that one might be proud, meaning true men and real beasts; for it was said to the apostle about the beasts, "Is God concerned with oxen?" (1 Cor. 9:9) Therefore the things called beasts by the prophet must be understood as men, and those called men as angels.

But the Lord also, according to Luke, called men angels, saying, "Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and you likewise are like men awaiting their Lord, when he will be released from the wedding." (Luke 12:35-36) Since therefore in many respects men are called angels from above; and they have eyes toward God. For this reason he says here a measure of man which is an angel. The saying hints that the divine is altogether incomprehensible, for we have conceived Christ as a wall of the city in the things before, and still more by contemplation of the majesty of God men become angels.

Therefore the wall of the city was measured by an angelic rod and not by a human one. And the secret who is to have the number of the rods is by the wisdom of the angels, who also measured it knowingly.

Clearly in many passages an angel symbolizes the church. Since the church is gathered together from people and is lifted high by the promises of Christ, she hopes for equality with the angels and her every intent longs for their company, and for this reason it says, "the measure of a man," that is, of an angel's. Or this verse indicates that that city that will reign more fully consists partly of angels who already live there in perpetual happiness and partly of those who are on the way, that is, of people.

The structure of the wall was of jasper to show the ever green and unfading life of the saints. The city is of "pure gold as though of glass" because of the clarity and brightness of its inhabitants.

Jasper glimmers with a certain faint greenness and so shows the modest face of virginity. This is so that you might understand that our Lord Jesus Christ is joined to every building of the city and that that body taken from the flesh of the Virgin rises up for the protection of the whole wall. "The city itself was pure gold, pure as glass." In this most pure gold, which is purified by the heat of fire and so is proven, we perceive the chorus of the saints who have been tested in the furnace of suffering and by the heat of temptation and so have been made pure through the power of the Lord. They are compared with pure glass to indicate the transparent and pure brightness of the holiness that is in them.

And the wall was built of jasper. This is what the Apostle Peter exhorts: You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house (1 Peter 2).

The city itself was pure gold, like clear glass. The Church is figured as gold, often adorned with golden candlesticks and bowls for the sake of wisdom's cultivation. Glass, however, refers to true faith, because what is seen on the outside is also inside, and there is nothing simulated or opaque in the saints of the Church. It can also refer to that time when thoughts are clearly revealed to each other.

And the structure of its wall was jasper; the city itself was like pure gold, like clear glass.

Here, too, he made some distinction between the walls and the city. He said that the walls were built of jasper, while the city itself was like pure gold and clear glass. For the green manner of jasper signifies faith; therefore, jasper rightly represents all simple and imperfect men, who are saved through faith, as the prophet says: “The righteous shall live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4). The holy and perfect men, represented by the city, are rightly likened to pure gold, because they have been filled with wisdom, often symbolized by gold, and tested by various tribulations, like gold purified by fire. Clear glass, which is brighter than all metals, represents the angels, whom no stain of sin has ever been able to taint.

And the structure of its wall—the construction of its wall. Jasper or jasipon; sapphire or sapphila; agate or chalcedony; emerald; the fifth, onyx or red; the sixth, carnelian or sardonyx; the seventh, chrysolite or golden stone; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz or pazion; the tenth, chrysoprase or purple gold; the eleventh, jacinth, i.e., hyacinth; the twelfth, amethyst or reddening—These are said of the church, which is built with these precious stones, i.e., the saints, who just like the stones are assembled by the Word as the worker and are built as a city, and on that day they will be filled with glory and God will dwell in it. The twelve stones signify mystically the twelve tribes, who were scattered through righteousness and through which the nations accessed God. And the twelve foundations are the twelve names of the apostles; they themselves are the foundations of the Church, which they bear. And he said their walls from very precious stones, i.e., the righteous and the virgins and the saints; who are sturdy, by whom the wall of the city is built, they themselves are the keepers of those who dwell in their midst. And these mysteries, which spiritually are fulfilled today, are those of which Moses had ordered types to be done. He served spiritual things with spiritual things, which now mystically the Father works, that they be shown complete and perfect.

And he says that the inner structure of its wall is jasper. Already we have received jasper as the symbol of the incorruptible and life-giving Christ.

And he says the city is pure gold, like clear glass. The gold is arranged with brilliance and transparency. The precious and purity of the saints is presented in works and words.

"The city was from pure gold, similar to pure glass." He uses this strange analogy so that in all metaphors he might confer a unique dignity upon the one true stone, which is Christ, and so teach that all things serve him. For who does not know that gold is much different from glass and differs from it also in color? And although it is common that the church is symbolized by gold since it is often depicted by golden lampstands and bowls on account of its worship of Wisdom, nonetheless that pure gold is compared to pure glass is somewhat puzzling. I think the significance of this is given in what the apostle said, "Do not pronounce judgment before the time until the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of [our] hearts." For with glass nothing is seen on the outside that does not exist on the inside. And so, this book in announcing that time when the thoughts of each one will be openly declared to each other, boldly compares gold with glass. Whatever at that time will be in the thoughts of the saints shall shine with the adornment of the virtue of Wisdom.… But now, however much one might excel in virtue, "no one knows the thoughts of man except the spirit of the man which is in him."

It is likely that through the jasper, which has the color green like the emerald, the chief apostle Peter is indicated. For he bore the death of Christ in the body and in his love for [Christ] made known that which is everlasting and always new, guiding us to green pastures through the warmth of his faith.

The sapphire stone is like the heavenly body, from which also the color azure comes, and symbolizes the blessed Paul. For he was caught up into the third heaven and drew there those who were persuaded by him, and there in the heavens he has his citizenship.

This stone [chalcedony] was not borne on the breastplate of the high priest, but rather anthracite, which does not appear here. We are then of the opinion that at that time the saint called anthracite by another name. But anthracite indicates the blessed apostle Andrew, who like coal was ignited by the Spirit.

The emerald is green in color, and when rubbed with oil [it] receives a brilliant shine and beauty. We believe that this stone indicates the proclamation of the Evangelist John, which by divine oil makes bright the sorrow that has come to us through sins and by the most precious gift of theology grants to faith that which is everlasting.

The twelve "foundations" were twelve precious stones, eight of which were worn in ancient times on the breastplate of the high priest, and four have been added to show the agreement of the new [covenant] with the old [covenant] and the superiority of the things brought to light in it. And so, the apostles are decorated with every virtue, which is made clear through the precious stones.

These foundations of the city are understood to be the apostolic faith and the preaching of the apostles, upon which our Lord Jesus Christ constructs his city. For he who is the Foundation of foundations is himself the builder who upon the faith in his own most blessed name builds the holy church, which consists of those who were the very first and of those who follow after them until the end of the world, which is unknown to us. The various precious stones signify the apostles because in each of them shine the gifts and miracles that belong to the Holy Spirit. Moreover, that the brightness of the unified light is seen within them indicates that what shines outward from them never ceases to exist within.

The foundations of the city's wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The names of various stones indicate the species of virtues, their order, or their diversity, by which the entire heavenly Jerusalem is constructed. For it is difficult for each individual to flourish in all virtues. Indeed, Isaiah, when describing the adornment of the same city, says: Behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires (Isaiah 54), and so on, immediately adding, as if explaining: All your children shall be taught by the Lord (Isaiah 54).

The first foundation was jasper. There are many kinds of jasper. One is green in color and appears sprinkled with flowers. Another resembles an emerald but is of a thicker color, which is said to drive away all illusions. Another has a mixed color of snow and the foam of the sea waves, with a slightly reddish hue. Thus, through jasper, the unfading green of faith is indicated, which is imbued with the sacrament of the Lord's passion through the waters of baptism and adorned with all the spiritual graces for those who grow in merit. Whoever has this faith drives away vain fears, as the blessed Apostle Peter advises: Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith (1 Peter 5). And one can say with the bride: My beloved is radiant and ruddy (Song of Songs 5). Hence, it is fitting that the wall is built of this stone here, and in Isaiah, the fortifications of the same city are strengthened and adorned with it.

The second foundation was sapphire. The color and sacrament of this stone were explained by Moses when he described the appearance of God: Under His feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire stone, as clear as the sky itself (Exodus 24). Ezekiel also says that the place where God's throne is has the appearance of sapphire, and the glory of the Lord resides in this color, which bears the image of the heavenly. Thus, one who possesses such qualities can say with the Apostle: Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3). When struck by the rays of the sun, it emits a burning brilliance. For the soul of the saints, always intent on heavenly things, renewed daily by the rays of divine light, becomes more ardent and fervent in seeking the eternal and urging others to do the same. Since it is said to be found in the Red Sea, it signifies that through the Lord's passion and the sacred washing of baptism, the minds of mortals are elevated to hope for heavenly things.

The third foundation was chalcedony. Chalcedony shines with a pale light like that of a lamp and glows brightly outdoors but not indoors. This represents those who, supported by heavenly desire, remain hidden from men and perform their fasting, almsgiving, and prayers in secret. However, when commanded to come forward for public duties, whether in teaching or other services of the saints, they immediately reveal the inner brightness they possess. Because it is said to resist carvings but glow when struck by the rays of the sun or the touch of fingers, attracting straw to itself when it becomes heated, this stone aptly represents those who do not allow their strength to be overcome by anyone but rather draw the weaker to themselves into the light and ardor of their own virtue. Of one such individual, it is said: He was a burning and shining lamp (John 5). Burning with love and shining with speech. They always replenish the light of their virtues with the oil of internal charity, so it does not go out. The fact that chalcedony is found among the Nasamones, a region of Ethiopia, indicates that they shine with a fervent love while their reputation remains obscure, as if tainted by a dark complexion.

The fourth foundation was emerald. The emerald is of such intense greenness that it surpasses all other green things, such as grasses, leaves, and gems, even tinging the surrounding air with its green reflection, which enhances its verdant appearance. It is noteworthy that it thrives in green oil, despite its natural properties. There are many types of emeralds, but the most renowned come from Scythia, followed by those from Bactria, and then Egypt. The emerald signifies souls that are ever flourishing in faith. The more they are tested by the adversities of the world—symbolized by the coldness of Scythia—the more they strive to preserve the imperishable and eternal inheritance kept in heaven by hope, and to spread this hope to others through preaching. They also grow in their contempt for the world through the chalice of the Lord's passion and the internal richness of charity, which is given by the Holy Spirit. The homeland of this gemstone, a very beautiful land but uninhabitable, fittingly corresponds to these souls. Although it abounds in gold and gems, it is guarded by gryphons, ferocious flying creatures, or rather, winged beasts. They are quadrupeds, with bodies like lions and heads and wings like eagles. The Arimaspians, who are noted for having a single eye in the middle of their foreheads, fight with these gryphons to obtain the gems, driven by a remarkable desire. The Psalmist had entered this land abundant with treasures of virtues when he said: Behold, I fled far away and remained in the wilderness (Psalm 55), meaning he had withdrawn his soul from the allurements of the world. In this land, he encountered opposing beasts, praying: May lying lips be silenced, which speak arrogantly against the righteous in pride and contempt (Psalm 31). He also reveals that he found desirable treasures here, exclaiming with delightful admiration: How great is your goodness, Lord, which you have stored up for those who fear you (Psalm 31), and continues in this vein until the end of the psalm. Against such creatures striving to snatch away the seed of the divine word from us, the saints, who vigilantly guard it with single-minded heavenly desire, are like the Arimaspians with their singular focus, enabling them to seek out and uncover the gem of faith and other virtues. The higher the virtue, the fewer its cultivators and the greater the persecution it endures from unclean spirits, who, like horrific gryphons, are terrestrial in the degradation of their merits but aerial in the pride of their minds. They strive relentlessly not to possess spiritual riches for themselves but to take them away from men. And because such a lofty height of faith has been made known to the world through the Gospel, it is fitting that the emerald, representing this faith, is placed fourth, corresponding to the four books of the Gospel.

The foundations of the city wall are adorned with every precious stone.

We said above that the twelve foundations represent the twelve apostles; all the righteous, however, are represented by the precious stones. Therefore, the twelve foundations will be adorned with twelve stones, because in that blessedness the apostles and the other preachers will have as their adornment those who believed through them, since they will receive their reward on behalf of all of them.

The first foundation is jasper.

Jasper is green and a deep color; it signifies worldly believers who abstain from vices, although their greenness, that is, their faith, is somewhat clouded by worldly pursuits. Nevertheless, they do not cease to redeem their sins through almsgiving and other works of mercy. Nor is it without reason that such people are placed first: the apostles, as has often already been emphasized, were afraid to lay harsher commandments of the Lord upon those among the Gentiles who had only recently believed, lest they be frightened by the severity of the commandments and not dare to come forward to embrace the faith of Christ. So they wrote to them: “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose no further burden upon you, except that you abstain from fornication, from food sacrificed to idols, from what has been strangled, and from blood” (Acts 15:28). And elsewhere, recounting the conduct of the Gentiles, Peter says to the Jews: “And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, cleansing their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:8-9). Therefore, all who imitate these people are included in the figure of the jasper stone.

The second sapphire.

Sapphire is blue in color, like hyacinth, but it has drops sprinkled throughout it of the same color, though darker. It seems to me that certain worldly men are also represented by this stone: they long for heavenly things, yet are still occupied with worldly affairs, from which occupation they seem to acquire certain stains. Because they put heavenly things above all concerns, they are said to have the color of heaven. They are placed second in number because they strive to love God above all things and their neighbors as themselves.

The third is the chalcedony.

Chalcedony is red in color, yet dark unless it is made thin by cutting; the hollow itself, however, gives it a most beautiful and pleasing color. This stone also signifies certain worldly men whose great holiness before the time of persecution had gone unnoticed. But when they were worn down by their persecutors through various tribulations, the full splendor of the holiness hidden within them became clear to all. They are fittingly placed in the third place, because, unwavering in their confession of the Holy Trinity, they deserved to achieve the honor of martyrdom.

The fourth, an emerald.

The emerald is of exceptional beauty and greenness, so much so that it tinges with its own green everything around it. It represents holy preachers, green in faith and distinguished by their virtues, who spread the radiance of their faith everywhere through their preaching. They are therefore placed in the fourth place, because they spread the teaching of the Gospel, which is divided into four books, across many places.

He mentions the names of the various gems in the foundations so that he might show the various gifts of grace that have been given to the apostles, as was spoken concerning the Holy Spirit, "who apportions to each one individually as he wills."

Tradition assures us that the heavenly Jerusalem that is above is built up of holy gems, and we know that the twelve gates of the heavenly city, which signify the wonderful beauty of the apostolic teaching, are compared with precious jewels. These priceless stones are described as possessing certain colors that are themselves precious, while the rest is left of an earthly substance. To say that the city of the saints is built of such jewels, even though it is a spiritual edifice, is a cogent symbol indeed. By the incomparable brilliance of the gems is understood the spotless and holy brilliance of the substance of the spirit.

And he says the foundations of the wall of that city are adorned with every precious stone. As for the foundation of the wall, the Lord is a wall, as has been said many times. We have spoken of the holy apostles in the foregoing. As though Christ rests in their teaching and has mounted upon them according to the promise given, in which he also says, "and behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age." (Matt. 28:20) Therefore these are the foundations, that is, the apostles, in every excellence; for the precious stones denote excellence, they are adorned; for by deed they became pure through the preaching and through the struggles for Christ and by their favorable nature toward him even unto blood.

And if anyone will wish to be precise even about the stones, such a kind of vision may be found, but a little from above will be enough. The high priests according to the law of Moses were variously attired with a kind of tunic and a shoulder-covering and a mitre and a breastplate, girded and surrounded by other things (see Ex. 29:5-6), both awe and astonishment, moreover exhibiting a secret symbolism through their form. And among them was also the saying of judgment (see Ex. 28:15), which was carried upon the shoulder-covering by a woven work in various fashion. The form of the saying was a double breastplate, a small and square thing (Ex. 28:16), in which twelve stones were set in four rows with the names of the sons of Israel; some of these stones indeed were also placed in the foundations of the wall there, others were corner-stones and not placed in those. For in the breastplate of judgments there are borne eight stones corresponding to the foundations there: jacinth; sapphire; emerald; sardius; chrysolite; beryl; topaz; amethyst; and four of the stones in the foundations are not numbered with those in the breastplate of judgment. They are these: sardonyx; chrysoprase; hyacinth.

In the song of Tobit we read, "All your walls will be precious stones," and also in Isaiah, "Behold, I will set your stones in order and lay your foundations with sapphires, and I will place jasper for your buttresses, and I will put your gates in formed stones, and all your borders will be in precious stones." And as though explaining what he had said, lest you think materially of an earthly edifice, he added, "All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and there shall be great peace for your children." The blessed Paul also concurs with these thoughts: "Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord." … Having said that the foundation was from every precious stone, he now names them in turn.… By the images of all these stones the beauty and support of the virtues are signified by which each one of the saints is spiritually decorated. Moreover, the entire city itself is described as adorned with these same stones, both in their strength and in the elegance of their variety.

This stone, which has the color of a shining human fingernail, symbolizes the person of James. For before the others he received the bodily death of martyrdom for the sake of Christ, which the nail characterizes, for when cut it experiences no feelings.

Sardion has a shiny red color and possesses therapeutic power for swellings and wounds from iron. For this reason I believe that this stone represents the beauty of the virtue of Philip. For by the fire of the divine Spirit this makes bright and heals the spiritual wounds of those who are deceived, which they received from the attacks of the devil.

Chrysolite glitters like gold and perhaps symbolizes Bartholomew, for he was made glorious by his precious virtues and by his divine preaching.

This stone [beryl] has the color of the sea and of the air and is close to that of the hyacinth. Beryl very likely represents Thomas, for he was sent on journeys far beyond the sea, even to India, for their salvation.

By means of the topaz, which is deep red and like charcoal, and which, as they say, sends forth a milk-like juice that relieves the pain of those suffering from eye disease, it is possible that the soul of Matthew is indicated. For he was inflamed by divine zeal and was adorned by the pouring out of his own blood for the sake of Christ. Through the Gospel he also healed those who were blind in their hearts and gave milk to drink to those newly born in the faith.

Chrysoprase is deeper in color than gold itself, and through it I think that Thaddeus is indicated. For to Abgar, king of Edessa, he proclaimed the kingdom of Christ, which is signified by gold, and his death, which is indicated by ashes.

It seems likely that the hyacinth, which is deep blue, that is, like the sky, symbolizes Simon. For he was zealous for the gifts of Christ and possessed a heavenly wisdom.

It seems to me that through the amethyst, which is somewhat like fire in appearance, Matthias is indicated. He was accounted worthy of the divine fire at the distribution of the tongues and he filled the place of him who had fallen away, for by a fiery desire he wished to please him who elected him.

The fifth is sardonyx. This draws whiteness from onyx and redness from sardius, and it gets its name from both, being called sardonyx. However, there are many types of it. One kind has the appearance of red earth. Another appears two-colored, as if blood shines through a human nail. Another consists of three colors: black underneath, white in the middle, and vermilion on top. Men are compared to this: red in the suffering of the body, white in the purity of spirit, but despicable in the humility of mind, proclaiming with the apostle: "Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day" (II Cor. IV). And again: "I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted" (I Cor. IV). Also the Psalmist: "Although man walks in the image of God" (Ps. XXXVIII), that is, in the virtue of the mind, "nevertheless he is vainly disturbed" (Ibid.), that is, by the weakness of the flesh. And since this suffering is indeed involved in the weakness of the body: "For they who kill the body cannot kill the soul" (Luke XII); and humility comes from the frailty of the same body, when it is said: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" (Rom. VII). Rightly is sardonyx inserted in the fifth foundation, for it is certain that our body subsists through the five senses.

The sixth is sardius. Sardius, which is entirely of a blood-red color, signifies the glory of the martyrs, of which it is said: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" (Ps. CXV). Rightly placed in the sixth position, since our Lord was incarnate in the sixth age of the world, and was crucified on the sixth day for the salvation of the whole world.

The seventh is chrysolite. Chrysolite shines like gold, having burning sparks. Its appearance represents those who, shining with the understanding of supreme and true wisdom, pour out words of exhortation to their neighbors, or even signs of virtues, like sparks of fire. As Arator says: "Love stands firm in their minds, ardor burns in their words," which, since it is carried out by the gift of spiritual grace alone, very fittingly chrysolite is found in the seventh foundation. For the grace of the Holy Spirit is often represented by the number seven, of which it is said above: "And from the seven spirits who are before his throne" (Rev. I). This meaning also agrees with the fact that a kind of this stone is found in a blue and green color. Therefore, among the Hebrews, it is called tharsis, from its similarity to the color of the sea. Green indeed refers to the integrity of faith, which is called the beginning of wisdom, while water metaphorically pertains to the Holy Spirit, as the Lord attests when he says: "He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." Now, he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive (John VII).

The eighth is beryl. Beryl, when you consider water struck by the brilliance of the sun, acquires a reddish and beautiful color. But it does not shine unless it is polished into a hexagonal shape. For the reflected brilliance of the angles sharpens its brightness. It signifies men who are indeed keen in intellect, but shine even more with the light of heavenly grace. For that water designates the depth of understanding, Solomon is a witness, who says: "Deep waters are the words from a man's mouth" (Proverbs XVIII). But neither human nor divine wisdom is of perfect brilliance unless the completion of works is also joined. For the number six frequently signifies the perfection of action, especially since the work of this world was completed in this number. And that it is said to burn the hand of the holder, it is undoubtedly clear that whoever is joined to a holy man is indeed revived by the fire of his good conversation.

The ninth is topaz. Topaz, as rare in finding as it is precious in value, is said to have two colors: one of the purest gold and the other shining with ethereal clarity. Its rosy fatness and modest purity, close to the chrysoprase in size or color, surpasses the brilliance of all gems when struck by the sunlight, singularly attracting the eager pleasure of the eyes. If you wish to polish it, you darken it; if you leave it to its natural state, it radiates. It is said to be marvelous even to kings, so that among their riches they recognize they possess nothing similar. The most beautiful quality of its nature is most worthily compared to the splendor of contemplative life. For holy kings, whose hearts are in the hand of God, rightly prefer this to all riches of good works and all the gems of virtues, directing the gaze and sharpness of their pure minds to it, embracing the sweetness of heavenly life all the more ardently, as they are more frequently struck by the splendor of heavenly grace. Therefore, holy men have a golden color from the inner flame of charity, and an ethereal one from the sweetness of heavenly contemplation. Which often grows dim from the turbulence of the present age, like the attrition of a file. For the mind cannot easily at one and the same moment be distressed by earthly labors, troubles, cares, and pains, and be delighted by the joys of that heavenly life in the state of a tranquil mind; rather, it proclaims with a sigh: "My eye is troubled with anger, I have grown old among all my enemies" (Ps. VI). The fact that it is said to be found on the island of Topazion, from which it also takes its name, is to be understood in two ways: both because that region, especially that of Egypt, abounds with flocks of monks, and because whoever dwells near the Sun of Righteousness is undoubtedly colored by the splendor of ethereal light. And beautifully, just as in the eighth order the gem of the perfection of active life is placed, so in the ninth the gem of the sweetness of contemplative life is placed. Either because nine orders of angels are found in Holy Scripture, whose life it imitates, or because it is only one, so to speak, step away from the tenfold number of perfect beatitude. To which the prophet, sighing with utmost desire, said: "Therefore I have loved your commandments above gold and topaz" (Ps. CXVIII), that is, above all the brightness of proven action, and above all the sublimity of contemplative joy that can occur in this world, delighting in the sweetest love of your commandments. The first and greatest of which is: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength" (Matt. XXII), which can be fully perfected only in the summit of that heavenly kingdom.

The tenth is chrysoprase. Chrysoprase is a mixture of green and gold, also drawing a certain purple glow with golden specks interspersed. It originates in India. It signifies those who, by the brightness of perfect charity, earn the greenness of the eternal homeland, and reveal it to others with the purple light of their martyrdom. When they despise the present life and prefer eternal glory, they follow the examples of the Lord appearing in the flesh, showing the brightness of their merits as if in India, that is, near the rising of the sun. And because they expect to shine like the sun in the kingdom of the Father and to reign with their King, with whom they now suffer, they are rightly placed in the tenth position. For through the denarius with which the workers of the Lord's vineyard are rewarded, the image of the eternal King to be received is symbolized, where what was not possible in the ninth rank is fulfilled through perfect love of God and neighbor in all things by the Decalogue.

The eleventh is hyacinth. Hyacinth is found in Ethiopia, having a blue color; the best is neither rare nor dulled by density, but shines with a balanced temperament, drawing out a sweetly purified bloom. However, it does not shine uniformly but changes with the face of the sky. For it is clear and pleasing when the sky is clear, but fades and withers when it is cloudy. It signifies souls always dedicated to heavenly contemplation and approaching angelic conversation as much as is possible for mortals. They are commanded to keep their hearts with all vigilance and discretion, lest by the excessive subtlety of the mind they dare to seek higher things and scrutinize things beyond their strength (Eccl. III). For the glory of the Lord is to conceal a word, that is, to philosophize cautiously about God or Christ as man; or, conversely, they might relapse into the weak beginnings of faith and the elementary principles of the oracles of God due to sluggishness. Rather, walking the royal road, they proceed protected by the arms of righteousness on the right and on the left (II Cor. VI), and, adapting their behavior to the occasion, they change their appearance with the sky, saying to their observers: "For whether we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or whether we are of sound mind, it is for you" (II Cor. V). Like the hyacinth surrounded by clouds, it speaks: "You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections" (II Cor. VI). And again: "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (I Cor. II). And as if seen in serene light, it says: "However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature" (Ibid.).

The twelfth is amethyst. Amethyst is purple with a mixed violet color, and a certain shine like that of a rose, gently emitting small flames. Yet there is something in its purple that is not entirely fiery, but rather like red wine. Therefore, the purple decoration signifies the habit of the heavenly kingdom, while the rosy and violet colors signify the humble modesty of the saints and their precious death. The minds of these saints are principally elevated to the highest things, even when they are seen outwardly suffering in lowly circumstances, always mindful of the Lord's promise amidst adversities: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke XII). They spread the flame of charity not only towards one another but also towards their persecutors, kneeling and imploring: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And while drinking the cup of suffering, they are intoxicated by the constant memory of that wine which gladdens the heart of man (Ps. CIII), which the Lord promised to drink new with his disciples in the kingdom of the Father (Matt. XXVI). Thus, in jasper, the greenness of faith; in sapphire, the height of heavenly hope; in chalcedony, the flame of internal charity is represented. In emerald, the steadfast confession of the same faith amidst adversities. In sardonyx, the humility of the saints among virtues. In sardius, the revered blood of martyrs is expressed. In chrysolite, the spiritual preaching amid miracles. In beryl, the perfect operation of the preachers. In topaz, their burning contemplation is shown. Moreover, in chrysoprase, the work and reward of the blessed martyrs. In hyacinth, the heavenly elevation of the doctors and their humble descent to human matters for the sake of the weak. In amethyst, the constant memory of the heavenly kingdom in the minds of the humble is signified. Each precious stone is assigned to its respective foundation. For although all the perfect ones, with whom the city of our God on his holy mountain is adorned and founded, shine with the light of spiritual grace, to some through the Spirit is given the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another the grace of healing, to another kinds of tongues, to another faith in the same Spirit, etc. (I Cor. XII). The designer and builder of which is God, who is the foundation of foundations, and also deigned to become our high priest, so that by the sacrifice of his own blood he might wash and consecrate the walls of the same city, possessing as his own all that the Father has. Hence, the same stones were ordered to be placed on the breastplate of the high priest inscribed with the names of the patriarchs, so that the most beautiful mystery might be revealed, that all the spiritual anointings which each of the saints individually and in part received, were fully and perfectly completed in the mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ. I seem to have expounded these things about the precious stones perhaps more copiously than the concise mode of interpretation warranted. For it was necessary to carefully explain their natures and origin, then to investigate the sacrament more diligently, and to follow the order and numbers. As far as the depth of the matter itself is concerned, I seem to have said very little, and that briefly and cursorily. And I humbly beseech the reader, if he sees that I have proceeded on the right path, to give thanks to God. But if he finds that things have turned out differently than I wished, let him ask the Lord for pardon for my error. But so much for this, let us also look at the rest.

Fifth, sardonyx.

Sardonyx is white, tending slightly toward red: it signifies all the simple and innocent men, who are represented by the white stone because of the purity of their lives. Since, by keeping vigil, fasting, abstaining, and afflicting their bodies in various ways, they impose martyrdoms upon themselves, they seem to have a reddish manner. They are appropriately placed in the fifth place, for the five senses of the body are often represented by the number five. Blessed Gregory also says that the knowledge of external things is represented by the five bodily senses. And because these men strove to share with others the knowledge of external things that they had acquired, they rightly occupy the fifth place in the structure of the holy city.

Sixth, the sardius.

The sardius is yellowish-brown in color, and because it seems to incline somewhat toward red, it is slightly darkened. The yellowish-brown manner, which approaches the color of gold, therefore signifies the tribulations the saints endured at the hands of their enemies; the red color signifies martyrdom. Therefore the sardius signifies holy and perfect men who, after experiencing every virtue, enduring various persecutions and suffering enormous torments at the hands of their enemies, were deemed worthy to achieve the honor of martyrdom. They are correctly placed under the number six, which is perfect, because they were perfect in virtue and crowned that perfection with martyrdom.

Seventh, the chrysolite.

The chrysolite is entirely golden, and wisdom is often represented by gold. Therefore, the chrysolite represents wise men in the Church, who, because of the radiance of their wisdom, may rightly be called golden among men. They are fittingly placed in the seventh place, because, filled with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, they have turned many away from wickedness through their words and examples.

The eighth is beryl.

Beryl is of exceptional brilliance, with a blue manner blended into it. It signifies people of pure lives, wholly removed from the deeds of the world. So that they might not in any way stain the radiance of their lives, they even chose to separate themselves from the company of other people. Their radiance turned blue, because they are shown to have led an angelic life among people, with their minds ever fixed on heaven. They are fittingly placed in the eighth place, for twice four makes eight. These people fulfilled the number four because they followed the Gospel command: “Go, sell all that you have, give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (Matt. 19:21). They doubled the number four because they persuaded many others to ascend with them to that same peak of perfection.

The ninth is topaz.

Topaz is said to be the color of bronze and gold, spreading its radiance all around. Proven men are often represented by gold: those tested in the fire of tribulation. The tribulations themselves are various. At times, holy men are tested by the different temptations they suffer from demons; at times, by tribulations inflicted on them by evil people; at times, by afflictions they impose upon themselves; at times, they are tested by God’s scourges, and by the disciplines of the active life. It therefore seems to me that the stone topaz represents those who are first tested through the works of the active life and afterward pass on to the contemplative life. For a person ascends to the contemplative life by the proper steps only if first tested through the disciplines of the active life; whoever passes suddenly to the heights of the contemplative life without the disciplines of the active life easily falls. The claim that this stone scatters its rays all around signifies that the men it represents have drawn many to the works of the active life through preaching, and have also led many with them to the heights of the contemplative life. They are fittingly placed in the ninth place, for three times three makes nine. Therefore holy men who, out of love for the Holy Trinity, first afflict themselves through good works in the active life and, by their appeals, draw as many as they can to imitate them; and who then ascend to contemplate the divinity of that same Holy Trinity, bringing many with them, are fittingly placed in the ninth place, since they not only doubled the talent they received from the Lord, but tripled it as well.

Tenth, chrysoprase.

Chrysoprase is said to be a stone of green and golden color. Because it is placed in the tenth place, we may understand it to represent certain teachers of the Church, who taught many by their words while present in the body, and instructed, and continue to instruct, many more through their writings, such as Jerome, Augustine, Gregory, and many others. They may rightly be called the lights of the Church, represented by the green and golden colors: they were unwavering in the greenness of faith and radiant with wisdom like gold. By the number ten, we may understand the Old Testament, on account of the Ten Commandments of the Law. Since no one can understand the Old Testament without the teaching of the New Testament, for spiritual understanding in the Old Testament is nothing other than the New Testament, it is appropriate that these teachers be placed in the tenth place, since they possessed the fullest knowledge of both the Old and New Testaments. We may also understand the number ten in another way. The number ten divides, orders, and completes all numbers. Likewise, these teachers, in a sense, divided the Scriptures when they explained them, arranging them into passages and books; they ordered them when they revealed their obscurities and showed what proper order those things that seemed disordered had; and they completed them when they supplied what seemed to be lacking.

Eleventh is hyacinth.

Hyacinth whose appearance gave its name to the hyacinth color is most precious, having the color of a clear sky, like the sapphire. But the sapphire has spots, while this stone’s beauty is marred by none. It signifies holy men free from every stain of sin, who always dwell on earth in body and in heaven in mind. Among them was the Apostle, who said: “But our citizenship is in heaven” (Philip. 3:20). They are fittingly placed in the eleventh place: for, as we said above, the number ten already represents knowledge of the divine Scriptures; while the one that follows ten, making eleven, refers to the contemplation of the one God. These holy men, then, fulfilled the number ten, because, filled with knowledge of the divine Scriptures, they led many to eternal life through their preaching. They fulfilled the number one because they were constant in contemplation of almighty God. Neither the urgency of preaching drew them away from contemplation, nor did constant contemplation keep them from preaching. They bore the likeness of angels, who always fulfill their angelic ministry and are never separated from contemplating almighty God. The prophet seems to me to have spoken of such men when he said: “The lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the angel of the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 2:7). John the Baptist was one of them. Of him the Lord said: “This is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you’” (Luke 7:27).

The twelfth is amethyst.

The apostles are often represented by the number twelve. Amethyst, however, is purple, and we know that purple is a royal adornment. Therefore, by amethyst are represented the apostles and those like them, who were an adornment to God because they preached him throughout the whole world. Peter was an adornment to God, of whom it is written that he glorified God by his death (Jn. 21:19). Likewise, the other apostles were an adornment to God, for they glorified him by preaching, performing miracles, and dying for his name.

THERE FOLLOWS: And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. ANSWER: He makes the streets of the same materials as those he had previously said the city was adorned with, for there are many people in the Church who, even leading a less strict and inferior life, are endowed with the greatest virtues, and shine with both purity of mind and the radiance of work.

The twelve gates are manifestly the twelve disciples of Christ, through whom we have come to know the door and the way. And they are also the twelve pearls that have received their splendor from the one, most precious pearl, namely, Christ.

It is not possible to present in one image an exact description of the good things of the heavenly city. Therefore, he perceived the street of the city as gold on account of its costliness and its beautiful color, and as crystal, that is, as transparent glass on account of its purity. We are not able to bring both of these things together in one symbol. But the saint perceived all of these things as he was able. However, an unsullied understanding of the city above surpasses our hearing and sight and mind.

It is one thing to speak of each of the pearls; it is another thing to speak of the one pearl from which they come. For when it speaks of each pearl, it is shown that in each pearl one pearl is shining forth and that this one pearl is our Lord Jesus Christ. And when the pearls are related to a single pearl, we are taught that the apostolic teaching possesses already the light of righteousness that it has received from him. Just as Christ is the door, so also [the apostles] are the doors through which we are taught and enter into the faith.

These words reveal the difference of merit that exists within the very beatitude of the saints. For above it was said that the entirety of the city was like pure gold, clear as glass. [Now it says that] "the streets of the city are pure gold, transparent as glass." These are the saints of the city that are of lesser merit. Nonetheless, gathered together into one congregation, it is indicated that they do not shine with a lesser light.

And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each one of the gates was of one pearl. All the glory of the head is referred to the body. And just as the true light which enlightens every man (John I) gave to the saints to be the light of the world, so also he himself, being the unique pearl which the wise merchant, having sold all, buys (Matt. XIII), nevertheless compares his own to the radiance of pearls.

And the street of the city was pure gold, etc. He constructs the streets with the same metals with which he had said the city was adorned; for there are many also of a broader and lower way of life, surrounded with the highest virtues in the Church, and they shine with purity of mind and the radiance of work.

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made from a single pearl.

This cannot hold literally. If each gate was made from a single pearl, how can it be said that there were twelve pearls at each of the twelve gates? But it must be understood spiritually: there are twelve pearls, from which the individual gates are said to be made, that is, one hundred and forty-four. These signify the Church’s teachers, successors to the apostles, who followed the apostles’ faith and teaching and imitated their deeds. Because of the purity and exceptional holiness of their lives, they are represented by the whiteness of pearls.

And the street of the city was pure gold, like see-through glass.

Earlier, we said that perfect men and holy angels were signified by pure gold and clear glass. But here, the street of the city signifies the minds of the faithful, while pure gold and see-through glass represent the purity of human and angelic minds. For just as no vain thought could ever enter the minds of angels and stain them, so after the resurrection no useless thought will ever come to the saints and defile their minds.

Now, the great number of thoughts arising out of faith transcend in clarity the light of the stars. Hence, in the Apocalypse: "He took me up in spirit to a mountain, great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven." And I saw that it had twelve gates, and over each gate a pearl, so that each gate was of a single pearl.

These thoughts of faith are compared to the stars and also to twelve pearls. Although these stars are countless, there are twelve signs through which the sun runs its course. These twelve signs are merely clusters of stars which have divers influences because of their different configurations and lights. And the sun, in combination with these, affects the course of life on earth at different times and according to the different influences. These thoughts also, arising from the considerations of faith, are compared to the clarity of pearls because they are bright, vivifying and joyful in the manner of pearls. For pearls have brightness or refulgence, while they also comfort through their efficacy, and rejoice the heart.

And by the twelve gates, each one made of a single pearl, may be understood the twelve principal ideas to which the others may then be retraced, and according to which the others are ruled and directed: and these twelve principal ideas are bright, vivifying, and joyful. The first of these ideas was to consider God as the first Being; the second, to consider Him as triune. Both the saints and the doctors deal with them, but the saints by means of intellectual vision and the doctors by means of investigation.

These pearls symbolize the apostles, who are also called "gates" because through their teaching they make known the door of eternal life.

And there were also the gates of the city, which we likewise received as the apostles, each one from a single pearl. Therefore the pearl is now set as new, not itself numbered among the stones of the list, and it is possible to see that the newly named ones are rather more valuable than those placed in the list in the old book; by which is indicated that the holy apostles have knowledge of the Old Covenant and approve of the decrees established in that, and the wise apostle could say, "having been made righteous according to the law, I am blameless" (Philip. 3:6) and also approved in the precepts of the New Covenant, and that its knowledge has been enriched, which was much clearer and somewhat more precious than the knowledge in the Old, if indeed the things in the law were a shadow, and the things in the New were truth; for this is hinted by the mingling set forth: both the precious stones of the Old and the New are in the foundations of the city, which, as has been said, testify to the apostles.

And this is what the Lord said in the Gospels: "therefore every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure new things and old." (Matt. 13:52) And he says that the gates of the city, which we have likewise conceived in describing the apostles who arrived, each one is made of a single pearl, their preciousness being pure and bright, as they are described.

And the street of the city, he says, was pure gold, like transparent glass. It has been said that gold and the purity and transparency of glass signify the precious and refined aspect of the holy life.

He had already said that the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass, and that its foundations were from every precious jewel. I think that this refers to those who have authority in the church. But now he speaks in addition of the streets and says that also they are from pure gold that is as clear as glass. It is as though in the earlier passage the streets were not included in the description of the city. It is my opinion that in this passage the little children [of God] are symbolized, of whom in the present time it is said, "Your eyes beheld my unformed substance and in your book all of them were written." And again, "His conversation is with the simple," for they by this reward will certainly not be deceived and by this mutual conversation they will come to behold their own understandings. For as the streets are placed in a lesser position, so [the simple] seem to be reserved for a humble position. Although in the streets the breadth of love is to be discerned, he signifies the perfect through a variety of words. However, at that time no one will there [be regarded] as unworthy, no one will be found to be small or weak, although some may stand out with a greater clarity than others because of the difference of rewards. "For as star differs from star in glory," the apostle says, "so is it with the resurrection of the dead."

For what need of a physical temple is there for one who will have God as protection and shelter, in whom we live and move and have our being? For he himself is both temple and in-dweller of the saints, dwelling in them and walking among them, as he promised. The "Lamb" is the Lamb of God who was slain for us, to whom manifestly the co-essential and life-giving Spirit is conjoined, who is mentioned a little later through [the image] of the river.

God established the temple so that the people gathered within the walls of the temple might call upon him whom neither the world nor the temple can contain. In this way their minds might obtain through the work of faith what cannot be seen of God. However, where he openly manifests himself to the faithful there a temple is neither desired nor existent, for he who sanctifies the temple is known in the sight of all.

And I saw no temple in it, etc. Although, he says, I described the city as constructed with stones, yet I did not signify the rest of the saints to be in a material building, of which God himself is the only house, light, and rest.

And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb.

The temple, in which offerings and sacrifices were made, signifies the present Church, in which not bodily but spiritual sacrifices are offered to God every day. For just as the rite of sacrifice was practiced there according to the kinds of sins, so in the Church the sacrifices of repentance, prayer, tears, and remorse of heart must correspond to the measure of one’s faults. The Prophet speaks of such sacrifices, saying: “A remorseful spirit is a sacrifice to God” (Ps. 50:19); and again: “Then you will accept a sacrifice of righteousness” (Ps. 50:21). If there is a sacrifice of righteousness, there is also one of patience, abstinence, humility, and the other virtues. These are the sacrifices that offer the Lord a most pleasing fragrance, not the flesh of cattle burned on the altar. John therefore said that he saw no temple in the holy city, because all the things we have mentioned will be unnecessary in that blessedness: “For God will wipe every tear from the eyes of the saints, and death will be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor pain will be any longer; for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4). The Lord, however, will be its temple, and the Lamb, because the saints will be in him and dwell in him, as he himself said to his disciples: “As I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you” (Jn. 14:20).

At any rate I can well understand how a man who is trying to love God and his neighbour should come to dislike the very word religion; a word, by the way, which hardly ever appears in the New Testament. Newman makes my blood run cold, when he says in one of the Parochial and Plain Sermons that Heaven is like a church because in both, "one single sovereign subject--religion--is brought before us". He forgets that there is no temple in the new Jerusalem.

He has substituted religion for God--as if navigation were substituted for arrival, or battle for victory, or wooing for marriage, or in general the means for the end. But even in this present life, there is danger in the very concept of religion. It carries the suggestion that this is one more department of life, an extra department added to the economic, the social, the intellectual, the recreational, and all the rest. But that whose claims are infinite can have no standing as a department. Either it is an illusion or else our whole life falls under it. We have no non-religious activities; only religious and irreligious.

[He saw no temple in the city] because the church is in God and God is in the church.

And he says I saw no temple in it; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. For what need is there of a temple when He is present and in a certain sense cohabiting with the saints of God and is seen face to face as far as possible? For the divine apostle called the present knowledge of God "through a mirror and in a riddle"; but the future, "face to face." (1 Cor. 13:12)

But naturally one might ask, what then? We have already invoked God the Almighty, and the Father of the Lord and of the Lamb, the Son of God; shall we not also recall the Holy Spirit? One must say to him: saying, "O this one," the Lord and God named the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, for God did so; and again saying, "the Lord God Almighty," he signified the Holy Trinity by the three names. But someone might also ask this: why, then, having been reminded of the venerable Trinity by the saying "the Lord God Almighty are its temple," is the Lamb, who is Christ, counted to us from the outside, so that we should no longer conceive a Trinity? May it not be so, I should say to him. For we are not taught so, but a memory is borne of both the Holy Trinity and of the Lamb, the sense of the statement signifying that the one who was incarnate is of the Holy Trinity, and that after the flesh the Son fills the Holy Trinity and is not now in heaven separated from the flesh. For he indicated the Son incarnate by periphrasis both by "God who is the Son," and by "the Lamb," which again is the same Christ incarnate, consubstantial with us and enlivened intelligibly; in whom the Word is united to the particular flesh according to hypostasis.

Just as the body consists of individual members, so is the temple constructed from precious stones. Although we are accustomed to material things, he does not want us here to think of something physical as is our habit. Therefore, relieving us from this manner of thinking, he says, "I saw in it no temple, for its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb." For when the tares have been removed, then shall the church especially exult in the elect alone and remain consecrated in God as though she were resting completely in a temple. In this way the church may obtain a blessed habitation in him from whom she had received the origin of her existence and had come to know the gentleness of redemption. For the church's wholeness is completed in these three things: in being, in knowing and in loving. God created her that she might be fashioned [according to his will]; having called her, he enlightened her; having elected her, he has made her blessed. God intends that when perfected [the church] will dwell in him by way of the promised glorification, when she no longer walks by way of faith but rejoices in his sight.

QUESTION: And the city hath no need of the sun, nor of the moon, to shine in it. ANSWER: Because the Church is not guided by the light or elements of the world, but it is led through the darkness of the world by Christ, the eternal Sun. THERE FOLLOWS: For the glory of God will enlighten it. ANSWER: The light we shall enjoy in our fatherland is the same one by which we are now guided as we walk on the way. It is by the same light by which we have been taught to distinguish between good and evil that we shall then be made blessed and see only what is good.

Where there is the intellectual Sun of righteousness, there is no need of perceptible illuminaries. For he is both the glory and the lamp of the city, and "the nations" of those who are being saved will walk in its light.

What an image there is in these words, that the city, which has no need of a temple, has no need of the brightness of the heavenly luminaries! And what is the reason for this? Because the glory of God gives it light. The glory of God, that is, the presence of his majesty, about which it is said, "We shall see him as he is." Therefore, why would those who shall see God have need of sun or moon?

And the city had no need of the sun nor the moon to shine in it. Because the Church is not governed by the light or elements of the world, but is led by Christ, the eternal sun, through the darkness of the world.

For the glory of God will illuminate it. For we will enjoy the same light in the homeland by which we are now guided while walking on the way. By this same light, being shaped, we discern between good and evil, by which then, being made blessed, we will see only what is good.

And the city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God will illuminate it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

The New Testament is signified by the sun, the Old Testament by the moon. Without these two lights, the Church cannot walk the path of righteousness through the darkness of this age without frequent stumbling. But in that blessedness, where there will be no darkness, no stumbling, and nothing amiss that can be corrected, the light of the New and Old Testaments will not be needed; for the saints will enjoy forever the light of him who is the source of light, who enlightens every person coming into this world (Jn. 1:9).

And the city, it says, has no need of the sun. For they enjoy the light of the divine and spiritual. For in that time the saints perceive, at the end of the spiritual things, no need of sensible light.

Wishing to relieve us altogether from the changeability characteristic of the luminaries of the day and the night, and to call us to that immutable Light, it says, "[The city] had no need of the sun," nor is that city illumined by that [natural] order. Rather, it is illumined by a much superior and ineffable Light, namely, the Sun of righteousness. Speaking of him, the prophet says, "Healing is in its wings." "For he is himself the true Son and eternal life and the true light who enlightens every one coming into this world."

And in that he says that the sun is not necessary in the city, he shows, evidently, that the Creator as the immaculate light shines in the midst of it, whose brightness no mind has been able to conceive, nor tongue to tell.

QUESTION: And the nations shall walk through the light of it. ANSWER: It means that it is the selfsame Lamb that is now the way for travelers and will then be the life for citizens. [Ref. to John 14:6]

By the light, the Lamb is clearly shown to be the [city's] lamp, and the kings and the nations will walk in his light. The prophet knew this and said, "In your light we shall see light." The apostle also spoke concerning this light: "The night is far gone, the day is at hand." The Evangelist also writes in a similar way: "The life was the light of men, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." This is to say, what the nature of our weakness had concealed and what the shadow of our humanity had rendered dark was made clear by the assumption of the Lord's body. And while God, who is light, inhabits the lot of our flesh, he enlightens the whole by the greatness of his glory. For this reason the honor and the glory of the kings and the nations are given to him, because all have been made glorious through him, and the darkness of night shall not overcome his faithful, whom the presence of the Lamb and the Word of the ineffable, unbegotten Father illuminate.

And the nations will walk by its light. It signifies that the same Lamb who is now the way for those on pilgrimage, will then be life for the citizens.

And the kings of the earth will bring their glory and honor into it. Here he speaks of spiritual kings, who bring all the riches of their virtues to the Church with praise.

And the nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory and honor into it.

By the nations are meant all the elect. But how will they walk? They will walk in mind, not in body: not by changing their place, but by contemplating omnipotence, divinity, and majesty. They will walk by the light of the Church, because, to complete this journey, they will be enlightened by that light which almighty God will give to the whole Church. By the kings of the earth are meant the apostles and the other preachers. He calls those who believed through the preachers their glory and honor, as the apostle Paul says to his disciples: “For you are our glory in the Lord” (cf. 1 Thess. 2:20). They will therefore bring their glory and honor into it when they present to the Lord those who believed through them.

And it says the nations will walk by its light. Not only the nations, but also the saints from Israel who have believed. But since those from the Gentiles are more numerous, it indicated these as well as those from the greater number.

And the kings of the earth will bring their glory and honor into it. He calls all the saints kings of the earth, concerning whom it is written in the passage appointing "the heavenly kings over it, they shall be whitened in Selmon," (Ps. 67:15) as was said before. These therefore have even glorious and honorable status. And he says: the boastings borne of virtue will be laid up in that holy city, as he said that the goods of virtue dwell together with the saints.

With these words it is to be understood that the Lamb himself who then will be the life of the citizens [of the heavenly city] is the way for those who are underway [toward the heavenly city]. For it is necessary that whatever dignity they will have received is attributed through praise to the honor of him who was the giver. Here [the passage] is speaking of spiritual kings of whom we read, "He is powerful and gives strength to our kings and has exalted the horn of his Christ."

THERE FOLLOWS: And the gates thereof shall not be shut by day: for there shall be no night there. ANSWER: He is saying that there will be in that city the perpetual light of the Lamb, or rather that the Lamb himself will be there as a perpetual light, while nighttime will have been eliminated. As for the gates not being shut, it is a sign of the fullest security; for there it is no longer said, Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation, [Matt. 26:41, Mark 14:38] but rather, Be still and see that I am God. [Ps. 45:11]

And its gates will not be closed by day, for there will be no night there. He recalls that the perpetual light of the Lamb, or rather the Lamb himself as the eternal light, will be in that city, with the time of night removed. But the fact that the gates will not be closed is a sign of complete security. For there it is no longer said: "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation" (Matt. XXVI), but rather: "Be still and know that I am God" (Ps. XLV).

And its gates shall not be shut by day, for there will be no night there.

Above, we said that the twelve apostles were represented by the twelve gates said to have been made of twelve pearls. But here, where the gates are mentioned without number, they have another meaning: they signify the hearts of the faithful. For the faithful, while living in this life, endure night, that is, demons and wicked people. They shut the gates at night when, against every temptation of demons, they lock the entrances to their minds and drive such temptations away. They also shut the gates at night when they fortify their hearts against the malice of wicked people, so that they do not listen to a slanderous tongue, repay evil for evil, or curse for curse; and, as the prophet says, “They shall shake their hands free of every bribe, stop their ears so they do not hear of bloodshed, and close their eyes so they do not see evil” (Isa. 33:15). But in that blessed state, where no demon or wicked one can exist to urge evil, those represented by night, the guarding of the gates, that is, of the minds, will not be necessary. For, literally, it will also be unending day there, with no night to follow.

And its gates he says shall not be shut by day. The meaning is twofold: for either this says that there will be peace and absence of fear, such that there will be no need to keep watch over the city by day or to bar the doors ever, or that the apostolic teachings, for we called the apostles gates, will not be silenced even there, but the apostles will be present there as teachers of new doctrines and of more divine things to the saints; for the righteous are "children of day and light," (1 Thess. 5:5) they will delight in divine and illuminating praises and mysteries, light ever being about them and a divine shining of light.

For he says there will be no night there. For if the divine radiance were ever interrupted, then there would be night; but if it is impious to say this, that the divine light ever ceases, how could there be night for the saints?

The passage refers to the perpetual light of the Lamb. Indeed, the Lamb himself will be the eternal [light] in that city when the time of night has been removed. As Isaiah said, "It shall be for them from month to month and from sabbath to sabbath." By month he signifies the light because of the full splendor of the moon; by sabbath he is signifying the eternal rest. It is as though it had said, "For them there continues light from light and eternal rest from rest." That the gates are not closed is indicative of the most complete security. For [in that city] it is not said, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation," but rather "Be still and see that I am the Lord." There what is seen is truly loved; what is loved is praised without ceasing. There no one becomes feeble from sloth; nor does anyone grow weary from the activity of perpetual praise.

And that the gates cannot be shut, it is evidently shown that the doctrine of the apostles can be separated from rectitude by no tempest of contradiction. Even though the floods of the nations and the vain superstitions of heretics should revolt against their true faith, they are overcome, and shall be dissolved as the foam, because Christ is the Rock by which, and on which, the Church is founded. And thus it is overcome by no traces of maddened men.

And they will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. Because it will be gathered from all nations.

And they will bring the glory of the nations and their honor into it.

Above, he says that the kings of the earth, that is, the holy preachers, brought their glory into the holy city; by that glory, as we have said, the nations who believed through them were signified. If, then, the glory of the preachers is the nations, what is the nations’ glory? Perhaps we should understand this according to Solomon, who says: “The glory of the aged is their children’s children, and the glory of children is their fathers” (Prov. 17:6). For the glory of the aged, that is, the apostles, is their children’s children: the nations who believed through them and through their children, that is, their disciples. The fathers of those children will be their glory, because the nations will rejoice to have fathers of such value and excellence, since they have been deemed worthy to share in their glory. As for the words “they will bring,” we can refer them to the angels, who on the Day of Judgment will lead God’s saints to receive the promised rewards, as the Lord says in the Gospel: “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather his elect from the four winds of heaven, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matt. 24:31).

Glory and honor of the nations, that which is brought into the holy city, in an indirectness he said those who among the Gentiles have become esteemed and have behaved worthy of life; for these shall be carried into the heavenly Jerusalem and shall dwell together with the saints therein.

QUESTION: Nor hath there entered into it anything defiled. ANSWER: He is describing the Church of that time when, after the wicked have been excluded from among them, the good alone will reign with Christ. But already now, every unclean person and liar is not in the Church, nor does the one who hates the city of God see its light, because the darkness hath blinded his eyes. [1 John 2:11] It is not here, but there that there will be the true healing of the nations, full redemption, and everlasting happiness. Finally, after having at last finished so great and so perilous a work, I beg with insistence, that if any people should deem this little work of mine worth reading, they should also remember to commend the author of the work to the Lord. I have actually quoted a good number of things from the teaching of the masters or from what I remembered from my readings — for we also have as a commandment that we should give back to our lord the talents we received, with the interests. Concerning the knowledge of numbers [...] also a few things [...] different number [...] Bede says [...] is divided into seven sections; and in the fifth rule mentioned in his preface, he says that the trope works with regular numbers, in the trope called synecdoche, where either the whole is meant by a part or a part by the whole. This figure of speech even gives us the solution to that famous question of Christ's resurrection: for unless the last part of the day on which he suffered his Passion is taken as a whole day, that is, including also the previous night; and unless the night in the last part of which he was resurrected is taken as a whole day, that is, including also the then-dawning Dominical day, there cannot be three days and three nights, the time during which he said he would be in the heart of the earth. [Matt. 12:40] He calls "regular numbers" those the holy Scripture commends more notably, like seven, ten, or twelve. By these is usually represented either totality of time or perfection of a certain thing, as for example, as already said, Seven times a day I have given praise to thee [Ps. 118:164] means nothing else but His praise shall be always in my mouth. [Ps. 33:2] What is the number seven taken to mean but the sum of perfection? So the number seven is called perfect because it is made up of the first even number and the first odd number: the first that can be divided and the first that cannot be divided. This is actually why twelve apostles were chosen to be filled with the perfection of the sevenfold grace, for there is a rising from the number seven to the number twelve: when the number seven undergoes a multiplication of its parts by each other, it stretches to the number twelve: for whether four is multiplied by three or three by four, they turn seven into twelve. Therefore, since the holy apostles were being sent to preach the Trinity in the four parts of the world, twelve apostles were chosen, so that they might show by their number also the perfection they preached with their lives and voices. Here you are; you have both, the fulfillment of your request and of your wish. As far as time and place have allowed me to, with God's favor, I have complied willingly, instructed by the apostle, who tells us to be ready to satisfy everyone that asks. [1 Pet. 3:15] I know him who says, Open thy mouth, and I will fill it. [Ps. 80:11] Let us hasten to walk while it is light; the night will come, when no one can walk. [Cf. John 9:4] Let us imitate him about whom it is written, fearing God, and avoiding evil. [Job 1:1]

It is true that no one enters into that communion of the saints who either refuses to be cleansed of former sin and from the guilt of their parents, or having become filthy after purification refused to be cleansed by the washing of humility and the shedding of tears. Indeed, Judas committed such an abomination, and so does a heretic who worships God deceitfully. However, those are said to enter who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life, namely, those whom the heart of a true faith and a firm hope embrace.

And nothing unclean will enter it, etc. He describes the Church of that time, when, with the wicked already separated from the midst, only the good will reign with Christ. But even now, every impure and false person is not in the Church, nor does he see the light of the city of God who hates it, because darkness has blinded his eyes.

Nothing defiled shall enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination and falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

He calls defiled those who have defiled themselves with various crimes; those who do evil, however, practice abomination. For God hates nothing except wickedness, as it is written in the Book of Wisdom: “You have mercy on all, O Lord, and hate none of the things you have made” (Wisdom 11:25). But one may ask why it is said that falsehood is practiced. What we do is no longer falsehood, because what has been done cannot remain undone so as to be falsehood. But he uses “done” in the sense of “spoken”; for we commit the sin of falsehood by speaking, not by acting. We may also understand every sin by falsehood, for we know that God is truth, whereas sin is the deception of souls. Whatever, then, is contrary to truth and refers to the deception of souls, even if it seems true, may rightly be called falsehood. Therefore, in that holy city nothing defiled shall enter, nor anyone who practices abomination and falsehood; for on the day of judgment the angels will go out, separate the wicked from among the righteous, and cast them into the blazing furnace (Matt. 13:49). For the door of the heavenly kingdom will also be shut to those who have not had the oil of love in their vessels, and the Lord will say to them: “Truly I tell you, I do not know you” (Matt. 25:12).

Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me. And I hardly know how the rest of my prayers would survive if those for the dead were forbidden. At our age the majority of those we love best are dead. What sort of intercourse with God could I have if what I love best were unmentionable to Him?

On the traditional Protestant view, all the dead are damned or saved. If they are damned, prayer for them is useless. If they are saved, it is equally useless. God has already done all for them. What more should we ask?

But don't we believe that God has already done and is already doing all that He can for the living? What more should we ask? Yet we are told to ask.

"Yes," it will be answered, "but the living are still on the road. Further trials, developments, possibilities of error, await them. But the saved have been made perfect. They have finished the course. To pray for them presupposes that progress and difficulty are still possible. In fact, you are bringing in something like Purgatory."

Well, I suppose I am. Though even in Heaven some perpetual increase of beatitude, reached by a continually more ecstatic self-surrender, without the possibility of failure but not perhaps without its own ardours and exertions--for delight also has its severities and steep ascents, as lovers know--might be supposed. But I won't press, or guess, that side for the moment. I believe in Purgatory.

Mind you, the Reformers had good reasons for throwing doubt on "the Romish doctrine concerning Purgatory" as that Romish doctrine had then become. I don't mean merely the commercial scandal. If you turn from Dante's Purgatorio to the Sixteenth Century you will be appalled by the degradation. In Thomas More's Supplication of Souls Purgatory is simply temporary Hell. In it the souls are tormented by devils, whose presence is "more horrible and grievous to us than is the pain itself." Worse still, Fisher, in his Sermon on Psalm VI, says the tortures are so intense that the spirit who suffers them cannot, for pain, "remember God as he ought to do." In fact, the very etymology of the word purgatory has dropped out of sight. Its pains do not bring us nearer to God, but make us forget Him. It is a place not of purification but purely of retributive punishment.

The right view returns magnificently in Newman's Dream. There, if I remember it rightly, the saved soul, at the very foot of the throne, begs to be taken away and cleansed. It cannot bear for a moment longer "With its darkness to affront that light." Religion has reclaimed Purgatory.

Our souls demand Purgatory, don't they? Would it not break the heart if God said to us, "It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the joy."? Should we not reply, "With submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I'd rather be cleaned first." "It may hurt, you know"--"Even so, sir."

I assume that the process of purification will normally involve suffering. Partly from tradition; partly because most real good that has been done me in this life has involved it. But I don't think suffering is the purpose of the purgation. I can well believe that people neither much worse nor much better than I will suffer less than I or more. "No nonsense about merit." The treatment given will be the one required, whether it hurts little or much.

My favourite image on this matter comes from the dentist's chair. I hope that when the tooth of life is drawn and I am "coming round", a voice will say, "Rinse your mouth out with this." This will be Purgatory. The rinsing may take longer than I can now imagine. The taste of this may be more fiery and astringent than my present sensibility could endure. But More and Fisher shall not persuade me that it will be disgusting and unhallowed.

Your own peculiar difficulty--that the dead are not in time--is another matter.

How do you know they are not? I certainly believe that to be God is to enjoy an infinite present, where nothing has yet passed away and nothing is still to come. Does it follow that we can say the same of saints and angels? Or at any rate exactly the same? The dead might experience a time which was not quite so linear as ours--it might, so to speak, have thickness as well as length. Already in this life we get some thickness whenever we learn to attend to more than one thing at once. One can suppose this increased to any extent, so that though, for them as for us, the present is always becoming the past, yet each present contains unimaginably more than ours.

I feel--can you work it out for me and tell me if it is more than a feeling--that to make the life of the blessed dead strictly timeless is inconsistent with the resurrection of the body.

Again, as you and I have agreed, whether we pray on behalf of the living or the dead, the causes which will prevent or exclude the events we pray for are in fact already at work. Indeed they are part of a series which, I suppose, goes back as far as the creation of the universe. The causes which made George's illness a trivial one were already operating while we prayed about it; if it had been what we feared, the causes of that would have been operative. That is why, as I hold, our prayers are granted, or not, in eternity. The task of dovetailing the spiritual and physical histories of the world into each other is accomplished in the total act of creation itself. Our prayers, and other free acts, are known to us only as we come to the moment of doing them. But they are eternally in the score of the great symphony. Not "pre-determined"; the syllable pre lets in the notion of eternity as simply an older time. For though we cannot experience our life as an endless present, we are eternal in God's eyes; that is, in our deepest reality. When I say we are "in time" I don't mean that we are, impossibly, outside the endless present in which He beholds us as He beholds all else. I mean, our creaturely limitation is that our fundamentally timeless reality can be experienced by us only in the mode of succession.

In fact we began by putting the question wrongly. The question is not whether the dead are part of timeless reality. They are; so is a flash of lightning. The question is whether they share the divine perception of timelessness.

And he says that nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and falsehood shall ever enter it, but those who are written in the book of life of the Lamb. "For what fellowship has light with darkness," (2 Cor. 6:14) or a sinner with the righteous of God? whom the Lord in the Gospels also delivered to us as separated by a great chasm. (see Luke 16:26)

He is here describing the church of the future when, unlike at the present time, the evil will not be mixed in along with the good and allowed to live with them. For the good alone will reign with Christ with whom and in whom they will live happily forever, namely, in that heavenly Jerusalem that is the mother of all. Indeed, it says that they are written in the book of the Lamb [to whom] he said, "Rejoice that your names are written in heaven."