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Revelation of
John.
————————————
Revelation of Saint John the
Theologian.
After the taking up of our
Lord Jesus Christ, I John was alone upon Mount Tabor,2557
| 2557 For the
history of the tradition that the transfiguration occurred on Mount
Tabor, see Robinson’s Researches, ii. 358. | where also He showed us His undefiled
Godhead; and as I was not able to stand, I fell upon the ground, and
prayed to the Lord, and said: O Lord my God, who hast deemed me
worthy to be Thy servant, hear my voice, and teach me about Thy
coming. When Thou shalt come to the earth, what will
happen? The heaven and the earth, and the sun and the moon, what
will happen to them in those times? Reveal to me all; for I am
emboldened, because Thou listenest to Thy servant.
And I spent seven days praying; and after this a
cloud of light caught me up from the mountain, and set me before the
face of the heaven. And I heard a voice saying to me: Look
up, John, servant of God, and know. And having looked up, I saw
the heaven opened, and there came forth from within the heaven a smell
of perfumes of much sweet odour; and I saw an exceeding great flood of
light, more resplendent than the sun. And again I heard a voice
saying to me: Behold, righteous John. And I directed my
sight, and saw a book lying, of the thickness, methought, of seven
mountains;2558
and the length
of it the mind of man cannot comprehend, having seven seals. And
I said: O Lord my God, reveal to me what is written in this
book. And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous
John. In this book which thou seest there have been written the
things in the heaven, and the things in the earth, and the things in
the abyss, and the judgments and righteousness of all the human
race.2559
| 2559 ms. B adds: And they shall be manifested at the
consummation of the age, in the judgment to come. Just as the
prophet Daniel saw the judgment, I sat, and the books were
opened. Then also shall the twelve apostles sit, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel. And when I heard this from my Lord, I
again asked: Show me, my Lord, when these things shall come to
pass, etc. [B is the designation of a Paris manuscript dated
1523. All the manuscripts are comparatively recent; see
Tischendorf, pp. xviii., xix.—R.] | And I said: Lord, when shall
these things come to pass? and what do those times bring? And I
heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John.2560
There shall be in that time abundance
of corn and wine, such as there hath never been upon the earth, nor
shall ever be until those times come. Then the ear of corn shall
produce a half chœnix,2561
| 2561 The chœnix of
corn was a man’s daily allowance. It was equal to two
points according to some, a pint and a half according to others. | and the bend of
the branch shall produce a thousand clusters, and the cluster shall
produce a half jar of wine; and in the following year there shall not
be found upon the face of all the earth a half chœnix of corn or a
half jar of wine.
And again I said: Lord, thereafter what wilt
Thou do? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous
John. Then shall appear the denier, and he who is set apart in
the darkness, who is called Antichrist. And again I said:
Lord, reveal to me what he is like. And I heard a voice saying to
me: The appearance of his face is dusky;2562
the hairs of his head are sharp, like darts; his eyebrows like a wild
beast’s; his right eye like the star which rises in the morning,
and the other like a lion’s; his mouth about one cubit; his teeth
span long; his fingers like scythes; the print of his feet of two
spans; and on his face an inscription, Antichrist; he shall be exalted
even to heaven, and shall be cast down even to Hades, making false
displays.2563
And then
will I make the heaven brazen, so that it shall not give
moisture2564
upon the earth;
and I will hide the clouds in secret places, so that they shall not
bring moisture upon the earth; and I will command the horns of the
wind, so that the wind shall not blow upon the earth.2565
| 2565 To the
description of Antichrist, ms. E adds: He
holds in his hand a cup of death; and all that worship him drink of
it. His right eye is like the morning star, and his left like a
lion’s; because he was taken prisoner by the archangel Michael,
and he took his godhead from him. And I was sent from the bosom
of my Father, and I drew up the head of the polluted one, and his eye
was consumed. And when they worship him, he writes on their right
hands, that they may sit with him in the outer fire; and for all who
have not been baptized, and have not believed, have been reserved all
anger and wrath. And I said: My Lord, and what miracles
does he do? Hear, righteous John: He shall remove mountains
and hills, and he shall beckon with his polluted hand, Come all to me;
and through his displays and deceits they will be brought together to
his own place. He will raise the dead, and show in everything
like God. [E is one of the Venice
manuscripts.—R.] |
And again I said: Lord, and how many years
will he do this upon the
earth? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous
John. Three years shall those times be; and I will make the three
years like three months, and the three months like three weeks, and the
three weeks like three days, and the three days like three hours, and
the three hours like three seconds, as said the prophet David, His
throne hast Thou broken down to the ground; Thou hast shortened the
days of his time; Thou hast poured shame upon him.2566
And then I shall send forth Enoch
and Elias to convict him; and they shall show him to be a liar and a
deceiver; and he shall kill them at the altar, as said the prophet,
Then shall they offer calves upon Thine altar.2567
And again I said: Lord, and after that what
will come to pass? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear,
righteous John. Then all the human race shall die, and there
shall not be a living man upon all the earth. And again I
said: Lord, after that what wilt Thou do? And I heard a
voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John. Then will I send
forth mine angels, and they shall take the ram’s horns that lie
upon the cloud; and Michael and Gabriel shall go forth out of the
heaven and sound with those horns, as the prophet David foretold, With
the voice of a trumpet of horn.2568
And
the voice of the trumpet shall be heard from the one quarter of the
world to the other;2569
| 2569 Lit., from quarters
even to quarters of the world. | and from the
voice of that trumpet all the earth shall be shaken, as the prophet
foretold, And at the voice of the bird every plant shall
arise;2570
that is, at the
voice of the archangel all the human race shall arise.2571
| 2571 To this
sectionms. E adds many details: They that
have gold and silver shall throw them into the streets, and into every
place in the world, and no one will heed them. They shall throw
into the streets ivory vessels, and robes adorned with stones and
pearls; kings and rulers wasting away with hunger, patriarchs and
governors (or abbots), elders and peoples. Where is the fine
wine, and the tables, and the pomp of the world? They shall not
be found in all the world; and men shall die in the mountains and in
the streets, and in every place of the world. And the living
shall die from the stink of the dead, etc. Whosoever shall not
worship the beast and his pomp shall be called a witness (or martyr) in
the kingdom of heaven, and shall inherit eternal life with my holy
ones. |
And again I said: Lord, those who are dead from
Adam even to this day, and who dwell in Hades from the beginning of the
world, and who die at the last ages, what like shall they arise?
And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John. All
the human race shall arise thirty years old.
And again I said: Lord, they die male and
female, and some old, and some young, and some infants. In the
resurrection what like shall they arise? And I heard a voice
saying to me: Hear, righteous John. Just as the bees are,
and differ not one from another, but are all of one appearance and one
size, so also shall every man be in the resurrection. There is
neither fair, nor ruddy, nor black, neither Ethiopian nor different
countenances; but they shall all arise of one appearance and one
stature. All the human race shall arise without bodies, as I told
you that in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in
marriage, but are as the angels of God.2572
And again I said: Lord, is it possible in
that world to recognise each other, a brother his brother, or a friend
his friend, or a father his own children, or the children their own
parents? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear,
John. To the righteous there is recognition, but to the sinners
not at all; they cannot in the resurrection recognise each other.
And again I John said: Lord, is there there recollection of the
things that are here, either fields or vineyards, or other things
here? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous
John. The prophet David speaks, saying, I remembered that we are
dust: as for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the
field, so he shall flourish: for a wind hath passed over it, and
it shall be no more, and it shall not any longer know its
place.2573
And
again the same said: His spirit2574
shall go forth, and he returns to his
earth; in that day all his thoughts shall perish.2575
And again I said: Lord, and after that what
wilt Thou do? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear,
righteous John. Then will I send forth mine angels over the face
of all the earth, and they shall lift off the earth everything
honourable, and everything precious, and the venerable and holy images,
and the glorious and precious crosses, and the sacred vessels of the
churches, and the divine and sacred books; and all the precious and
holy things shall be lifted up by clouds into the air. And then
will I order to be lifted up the great and venerable sceptre,2576
| 2576 Another
reading is cross. | on which I stretched forth my hands, and
all the orders of my angels shall do reverence to it. And then
shall be lifted up all the race of men upon clouds, as the Apostle Paul
foretold.2577
Along
with them we shall be snatched up in2578
clouds
to meet the Lord in the air. And then shall come forth every evil
spirit, both in the earth and in the abyss, wherever they are on the
face of all the earth, from the rising of the sun even to the setting,
and they shall be united to him that is served by the devil, that is,
Antichrist, and they shall be lifted up upon the clouds.
And again I said: Lord, and after that what wilt
Thou do? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John.
Then shall I send forth mine angels over the face of all the earth, and
they shall burn up the earth eight thousand five hundred2579
| 2579 Two
mss. have this number; the other four have 500,
1800, 30, 60-100ths. | cubits, and the great mountains shall be
burnt up, and all the rocks shall be melted and shall become as dust,
and every tree shall be burnt up, and every beast, and every creeping
thing creeping upon the earth, and every thing moving upon the face of
the earth, and every flying thing flying in the air; and there shall no
longer be upon the face of all the earth anything moving, and the earth
shall be without motion.
And again I said: Lord, and after that what
wilt Thou do? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear,
righteous John. Then shall I uncover the four parts of the east,
and there shall come forth four great winds, and they shall
sweep2580
all the face of the earth from the one
end of the earth to the other; and the Lord shall sweep sin from off
the earth, and the earth shall be made white like snow, and it shall
become as a leaf of paper, without cave, or mountain, or hill, or rock;
but the face of the earth from the rising even to the setting of the
sun shall be like a table, and white as snow; and the reins of the
earth shall be consumed by fire, and it shall cry unto me, saying, I am
a virgin before thee, O Lord, and there is no sin in me; as the prophet
David said aforetime, Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall
be made pure; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than
snow.2581
And again he2582
| 2582 ms. D has: Again another prophet has said. [D
is another Paris manuscript of the fifteenth century.—R.] | said: Every chasm shall be filled
up, and every mountain and hill brought low, and the crooked places
shall be made straight, and the rough ways into smooth; and all flesh
shall see the salvation of God.2583
And again I said: Lord, and after that what
wilt Thou do? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear,
righteous John. Then shall the earth be cleansed from sin, and
all the earth shall be filled with a sweet smell, because I am about to
come down upon the earth; and then shall come forth the great and
venerable sceptre, with thousands of angels worshipping it, as I said
before; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man from the
heaven with power and great glory.2584
And
then the worker of iniquity with his servants shall behold it, and
gnash his teeth exceedingly, and all the unclean spirits shall be
turned to flight. And then, seized by invisible power, having no
means of flight, they shall gnash their teeth against him, saying to
him: Where is thy power? How hast thou led us astray? and
we have fled away, and have fallen away from the glory which we had
beside Him who is coming to judge us, and the whole human race.
Woe to us! because He banishes us into outer darkness.
And again I said: Lord, and after that what
wilt Thou do? And I heard a voice saying to me: Then will I
send an angel out of heaven, and he shall cry with a loud voice,
saying, Hear, O earth, and be strong, saith the Lord; for I am coming
down to thee. And the voice of the angel shall be heard from the
one end of the world even to the other, and even to the remotest part
of the abyss. And then shall be shaken all the power of the
angels and of the many-eyed ones, and there shall be a great noise in
the heavens, and the nine regions of the heaven shall be shaken, and
there shall be fear and astonishment upon all the angels. And
then the heavens shall be rent from the rising of the sun even to the
setting, and an innumerable multitude of angels shall come down to the
earth; and then the treasures of the heavens shall be opened, and they
shall bring down every precious thing, and the perfume of incense, and
they shall bring down to the earth Jerusalem robed like a
bride.2585
And then
there shall go before me myriads of angels and archangels, bearing my
throne, crying out, Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Sabaoth; heaven and earth
are full of Thy glory.2586
And then
will I come forth with power and great glory, and every eye in2587
the clouds shall see me; and then
every knee shall bend, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and
things under the earth.2588
And
then the heaven shall remain empty; and I will come down upon the
earth, and all that is in the air shall be brought down upon the earth,
and all the human race and every evil spirit along with Antichrist, and
they shall all be set before me naked, and chained by the
neck.
And again I said: Lord, what will become of
the heavens, and the sun, and the moon, along with the stars? And
I heard a voice saying to me: Behold, righteous John. And I
looked, and saw a Lamb having seven eyes and seven horns.2589
And again I heard a voice saying
to me: I will bid the Lamb come before me, and will say, Who will
open this book? And all the multitudes of the angels will answer,
Give this book to the Lamb to open it. And then will I order the
book to be opened. And when He shall open the first seal, the
stars of the heaven shall fall, from the one end of it to the
other. And when He shall open the second seal, the moon shall be
hidden, and there shall be no light in her. And when He shall open the
third seal, the light of the sun shall be withheld, and there shall not
be light upon the earth. And when He shall open the fourth seal,
the heavens shall be dissolved, and the air shall be thrown into utter
confusion, as saith the prophet: And the heavens are the works of
Thy hands; they shall perish, but Thou endurest, and they shall all wax
old as a garment.2590
And when He
shall open the fifth seal, the earth shall be rent, and all the
tribunals upon the face of all the earth shall be revealed. And
when He shall open the sixth seal, the half of the sea shall
disappear. And when He shall open the seventh seal, Hades shall
be uncovered.
And I said: Lord, who will be the first to
be questioned, and to receive judgment? And I heard a voice
saying to me, The unclean spirits, along with the adversary. I
bid them go into outer darkness, where the depths2591
are. And I said: Lord, and in
what place does it lie? And I heard a voice saying to me:
Hear, righteous John. As big a stone as a man of thirty years old
can roll, and let go down into the depth, even falling down for twenty
years will not arrive at the bottom of Hades; as the prophet David said
before, And He made darkness His secret place.2592
And I said: Lord, and after them what
nation2593
will be
questioned? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear,
righteous John. There will be questioned of Adam’s race
those nations, both the Greek and those who have believed in idols, and
in the sun, and in the stars, and those who have defiled the faith by
heresy, and who have not believed the holy2594
resurrection, and who have not confessed the Father, and the Son, and
the Holy Ghost: then will I send them away into Hades, as the
prophet David foretold, Let the sinners be turned into Hades, and all
the nations that forget God.2595
And again
he said: They were put in Hades like sheep; death shall be their
shepherd.2596
And again I said: Lord, and after them whom
wilt Thou judge? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear,
righteous John. Then the race of the Hebrews shall be examined,
who nailed me to the tree like a malefactor. And I said:
And what punishment will these get, and in what place, seeing that they
did such things to Thee? And I heard a voice saying to me:
They shall go away into Tartarus, as the prophet David foretold, They
cried out, and there was none to save; to the Lord, and He did not
hearken to them.2597
And again
the Apostle Paul said: As many as have sinned without law shall
also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in law shall be
judged by means of law.2598
And again I said: Lord, and what of those
who have received baptism? And I heard a voice saying to
me: Then the race of the Christians shall be examined, who have
received baptism; and then the righteous shall come at my command, and
the angels shall go and collect2599
them from
among the sinners, as the prophet David foretold: The Lord will
not suffer the rod of the sinners in the lot of the righteous;2600
and all the righteous shall be placed on my
right hand,2601
and shall shine
like the sun.2602
As thou
seest, John, the stars of heaven, that they were all made together, but
differ in light,2603
so shall it be
with the righteous and the sinners; for the righteous shall shine as
lights and as the sun, but the sinners shall stand in
darkness.
And again I said: Lord, and do all the
Christians go into one punishment?—kings, high priests, priests,
patriarchs, rich and poor, bond and free? And I heard a voice
saying to me: Hear, righteous John. As the prophet David
foretold, The expectation of the poor shall not perish for
ever.2604
Now about kings: they shall be
driven like slaves, and shall weep like infants; and about patriarchs,
and priests, and Levites, of those that have sinned, they shall be
separated in their punishments, according to the nature2605
| 2605 Lit., proportion or
analogy. | of the peculiar transgression of
each,—some in the river of fire, and some to the worm that dieth
not, and others in the seven-mouthed pit of punishment. To these
punishments the sinners will be apportioned.
And again I said: Lord, and where will the
righteous dwell? And I heard a voice saying to me: Then
shall paradise be revealed; and the whole world and paradise shall be
made one, and the righteous shall be on the face of all the earth with
my angels, as the Holy Spirit foretold through the prophet David:
The righteous shall inherit the earth, and dwell therein for ever and
ever.2606
And again I said: Lord, how great is the
multitude of the angels? and which is the greater, that of angels or of
men? And I heard a voice saying to me: As great as is the
multitude of the angels, so great is the race of men, as the prophet
has said, He set bounds to the nations according to the number of the
angels of God.2607
And again I said: Lord, and after that what
wilt Thou do? and what is to
become of the world? Reveal to me all. And I heard a voice
saying to me: Hear, righteous John. After that there is no
pain, there is no grief, there is no groaning; there is no recollection
of evils, there are no tears, there is no envy, there is no hatred of
brethren, there is no unrighteousness, there is no arrogance, there is
no slander, there is no bitterness, there are none of the cares of
life, there is no pain from parents or children, there is no pain from
gold, there are no wicked thoughts, there is no devil, there is no
death, there is no night, but all is day.2608
As I said before, And other sheep
I have, which are not of this fold, that is, men who have been made
like the angels through their excellent course of life; them also must
I bring, and they will hear my voice, and there shall be one fold, one
shepherd.2609
And again I heard a voice saying to me:
Behold, thou hast heard all these things, righteous John; deliver them
to faithful men, that they also may teach others, and not think lightly
of them,2610
| 2610 i.e., the things
heard. | nor cast our
pearls before swine, lest perchance they should trample them with their
feet.2611
And while I was still hearing this voice, the
cloud brought me down, and put me on Mount Thabor. And there came
a voice to me, saying: Blessed are those who keep judgment and do
righteousness in all time.2612
And
blessed is the house where this description lies, as the Lord said, He
that loveth me keepeth my sayings2613
in Christ
Jesus our Lord; to Him be glory for ever. Amen.2614
| 2614 As a specimen of the eschatology of
these documents, Tischendorf gives the following extracts from the
termination of ms. E:—
Hear, righteous John: All these shall be
assembled, and they shall be in the pit of lamentation: and I
shall set my throne in the place, and shall sit with the twelve
apostles and the four and twenty elders, and thou thyself an elder on
account of thy blameless life; and to finish three services thou shalt
receive a white robe and an unfading crown from the hand of the Lord,
and thou shalt sit with the four and twenty elders, etc. And
after this the angels shall come forth, having a golden censer and
shining lamps; and they shall gather together on the Lord’s right
hand those who have lived well, and done His will, and He shall make
them to dwell for ever and ever in light and joy, and they shall obtain
life everlasting. And when He shall separate the sheep from the
goats, that is, the righteous from the sinners, the righteous on the
right, and the sinners on the left; then shall He send the angel
Raguel, saying: Go and sound the trumpet for the angels of cold
and snow and ice, and bring together every kind of wrath upon those
that stand on the left. Because I will not pardon them when they
see the glory of God, the impious and unrepentant, and the priests who
did not what was commanded. You who have tears, weep for the
sinners. And Temeluch shall call out to Taruch: Open the
punishments, thou keeper of the keys; open the judgments; open the worm
that dieth not, and the wicked dragon; make ready Hades; open the
darkness; let loose the fiery river, and the frightful darkness in the
depths of Hades. Then the pitiful sinners, seeing their works,
and having no consolation, shall go down weeping into streams as it
were of blood. And there is none to pity them, neither father to
help, nor mother to compassionate, but rather the angels going against
them, and saying: Ye poor wretches, why are you weeping? In
the world you had no compassion on the weak, you did not help
them. And these go away into everlasting punishment. There
you will not be able to bear the sight of Him who was born of the
virgin; you lived unrepenting in the world, and you will get no pity,
but everlasting punishment. And Temeluch says to Taruch:
Rouse up the fat three-headed serpent; sound the trumpet for the
frightful wild beasts to gather them together to feed upon them (i.e.,
the sinners); to open the twelve plagues, that all the creeping things
may be brought together against the impious and unrepenting. And
Temeluch will gather together the multitude of the sinners, and will
kick the earth; and the earth will be split up in diverse places, and
the sinners will be melted in frightful punishments. Then shall
God send Michael, the leader of His hosts; and having sealed the place,
Temeluch shall strike them with the previous cross, and the earth shall
be brought together as before. Then their angels lamented
exceedingly, then the all-holy Virgin and all the saints wept for them,
and they shall do them no good. And John says: Why are the
sinners thus punished? And I heard a voice saying to me:
They walked in the world each other after his own will, and therefore
are they thus punished.
Blessed is the man who reads the
writing: blessed is he who has transcribed it, and given it to
other Catholic churches: blessed are all who fear God. Hear
ye priests, and ye readers; hear ye people, etc. |
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