SEV Biblia, Chapter 12:13
Y cuando vio el dragn que l había sido derribado en tierra, persigui a la mujer que había dado a luz el hijo varn.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 12:13
Verse 13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth] When the heathen party saw that they were no longer supported by the civil power:- He persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.] The heathens persecuted the Christian Church in the behalf of which Divine Providence had raised up a dynasty of Christian Roman emperors.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth , etc.] When the devil perceived he had not the power in the Roman empire he formerly had; and that his influence was only over the common and meaner sort of people, or over the earthly part of the church, and the barbarous nations in the world: he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child] : he was enraged at the church, and pursued her with great wrath, who had brought forth a Christian emperor, by whom the kingdom of Christ was encouraged and supported in the empire; and because he could not come at this child to destroy it, that being caught up to God and to his throne, he attacks the woman, the church, in a new way, by stirring up earthly minded professors of Christianity, the Arians, against her, and by bringing in an inundation of the barbarous nations into the empire, now become Christian; for this persecution cannot be understood of the persecution raised by the Jews, under the instigation of Satan, against the Christian church, quickly after the ascension of Christ to heaven, for then the dragon had his place and power in the Roman empire, whereas this persecution was not till after the downfall of Paganism in it; and for the same reason it cannot design the persecution against the Christians begun by Nero, and carried on under succeeding emperors, which were the ten days of tribulation under the Smyrnaean church state, and were now over; these were the pains and birth throes of the woman, the church, antecedent to, and which brought on, the birth of the man child; and the persons that endured them were those that overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and their death, which were all previous to these times: nor does it respect so much the persecution under Julian, which was carried on not by open force and violence, but by subtlety; be abstained from corporeal punishments and shedding of blood, observing that these methods in former times had given the Christians an opportunity of showing their faith, patience: and fortitude, which had been the means of increasing their number; wherefore he betook himself to more private and artful methods, as to content himself with taking away the revenues of the ministers of the word, not suffering any Christians to be in military employments, denying their children the use of schools, encouraging the Jews, their sworn enemies, and tolerating all sorts of heresies among themselves, that so they might destroy one another; to which may be added, that his reign was but one year and seven or eight months, and therefore can scarcely be thought to be pointed at here; but inasmuch as the Arian persecution was the first after the fall of Paganism, and the principal one before the rise of antichrist, this may most reasonably be concluded to be meant here; and this began even in Constantine's time, for by means of an Arian presbyter that belonged to his sister Constantia, he was prevailed upon, towards the close of his days, to believe that Arius was not the man he was said to be, and that he had had hard measure; insomuch that he was recalled, and received into communion, and Athanasius was driven from his church, and banished to Triers in France: and the historian says f334 , that Constantine exercised vim persecutionis, the force of persecution, or a violent one; bishops were exiled, the clergy were severely handled, and laymen taken notice of, who separated themselves from the communion of the Arians. Under Constantius, his son, the persecution raged much, Athanasius being gone from Alexandria, and one Gregory put in his room; and the people being uneasy at it, some were banished, others cast into prison, and others had their goods confiscated; women were dragged by the hair of their heads to the tribunals, and used very ignominiously; three thousand soldiers entered a church on an Easter day, and killed many women and children; virgins were stripped naked, and the bodies of those who died of their wounds were denied a burial, and cast to the dogs; and the persecution did not stop here, but went through Egypt, where the bishops, some of them, were beaten with rods, others were laid in bonds, and others were banished: in Egypt and Lybia ninety bishops were forced away, sixteen were banished, whose churches were delivered to the Arians. Lucius of Adrianople was bound in chains, cast into prison, and there perished; Paul of Constantinople was first expelled, after that murdered, and Macedonius, an Arian, put in his room; and such who refused to commune with him suffered stripes, bonds, imprisonment, and other tortures, of which they died, and others were banished, where they perished; women that refused had their breasts cut off, or burnt, either with red hot irons, or with eggs roasted at the fire to a very great heat f335 ; with other instances too many to recite. Under Valens the emperor things were still worse, who became an Arian at the persuasion of his wife, and was baptized by Eudoxius, the Arian bishop of Constantinople, who, at his baptism, obliged him to swear that he would defend Arianism, and persecute those of a contrary opinion; and accordingly he moved an irreconcilable war against them; at one time he expelled Melesius from Antioch, Eusebius from Samosata, Pelagius from Laodicea, and Barsis from Edessa; and all the rest that would not communicate with Euzoius, an Arian, he punished, either with pecuniary fines or with stripes; and he is said to drown many in the river Orontes. This persecution went through the churches of Thrace, Dacia, and Pannonia; but what is most shocking of all is, that some chosen ecclesiastical men, to the number of four score and one, were sent to him from Constantinople to Nicomedia, with a supplication to redress some injuries and grievances; at which he being angry, ordered Modestus, the governor, to take them and put them to death; but the governor fearing to do it openly, lest there should be an insurrections, ordered a ship to be got ready, pretending to carry them into exile, but directed the mariners to go in a fisher's boat behind, and set fire to the ship, which they accordingly did when at sea, where all the above worthy men perished at once f336 . It would be endless to rehearse all the instances of cruelty under this persecution; it need only be observed, that this was at the instigation of the devil, as all persecution is; and that Satan herein acted like himself, as the great dragon, as he was when Rome Pagan was in power: these were Christian emperors in name, but they exercised all the cruelties of the Heathen ones, if they did not exceed them; and a greater regard was shown to Paganism than to the orthodox religion. Valens tolerated all religions but that, especially Heathenism; all his reign the fire burned upon the altars, images were honoured with libations and sacrifices, the public festivals of the Heathens were kept, and the rites of Bacchus were performed in the streets f337 ; and this persecution was followed by the inundation of the barbarous nations, of which hereafter.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 12-17 - The church and all her friends might well be called to praise God for deliverance from pagan persecution, though other troubles awaited her The wilderness is a desolate place, and full of serpents and scorpions uncomfortable and destitute of provisions; yet a place of safety, a well as where one might be alone. But being thus retired could no protect the woman. The flood of water is explained by many to mean the invasions of barbarians, by which the western empire was overwhelmed for the heathen encouraged their attacks, in the hope of destroying Christianity. But ungodly men, for their worldly interests, protecte the church amidst these tumults, and the overthrow of the empire di not help the cause of idolatry. Or, this may be meant of a flood of error, by which the church of God was in danger of being overwhelme and carried away. The devil, defeated in his designs upon the church turns his rage against persons and places. Being faithful to God an Christ, in doctrine, worship, and practice, exposes to the rage of Satan; and will do so till the last enemy shall be destroyed __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ εδοθησαν 1325 5681 V-API-3P τη 3588 T-DSF γυναικι 1135 N-DSF δυο 1417 A-NUI πτερυγες 4420 N-NPF του 3588 T-GSM αετου 105 N-GSM του 3588 T-GSM μεγαλου 3173 A-GSM ινα 2443 CONJ πετηται 4072 5741 V-PNS-3S εις 1519 PREP την 3588 T-ASF ερημον 2048 A-ASF εις 1519 PREP τον 3588 T-ASM τοπον 5117 N-ASM αυτης 846 P-GSF οπου 3699 ADV τρεφεται 5142 5743 V-PPI-3S εκει 1563 ADV καιρον 2540 N-ASM και 2532 CONJ καιρους 2540 N-APM και 2532 CONJ ημισυ 2255 A-ASN καιρου 2540 N-GSM απο 575 PREP προσωπου 4383 N-GSN του 3588 T-GSM οφεως 3789 N-GSM
