Preface
TH E Explanation of the Apocalypse by Ven. Beda is the earliest of the many works of our own writers on that Book, and, as such, may well deserve to appear in a form accessible to English readers. But independently of this, it is a commentary of much value and interest in itself, as is shewn by the constant use of it by Isaac Williams in his volume on the Apocalypse (The Apocalypse, with Notes and Reflections, Lond. 1852), and the notices of it in two recently-published Lectures of the Bishop of Lincoln (On the Millennium, Lond. 1875), who also, in his “Introduction to the Book of Revelation,” terms it, “A valuable and interesting exposition” (Greek Testament, Gen. Ep. and Rev. p. 152, 1872).
The chief characteristics of Beda’s method of exposition may be thus stated. The several visions are considered not to be successive, but contemporaneous, with occasional recapitulations, iv. PREFACE. and to represent the condition of the Church in all ages, under different aspects, The thousand years, in the twentieth chapter, are interpreted of the present period of the Church’s existence, in accordance with the opinion of St. Augustine, in the second part of his De Civitate Dei. The “attention is closely directed to -the text, and to corresponding passages of Holy Scripture, that the meaning of the symbolic language may be elicited. The previous exposition of Tichonius is mainly, but not exclusively followed. Beda appears, for example, to have adopted several opinions from St.Gregory the Great, and Primasius, as well as St. Augustine. ~ The date of the “Explanation” is circ. A.D. 710—716.. It is described by Beda as an “Exposition” (see note a, p. 1). But it is called an “Explanation” in the printed editions of his works.
The translation is made from the edition of the Works of Beda by Dr. Giles, Lond. 1844, vol. xii, which, in this part at least, is merely rint of the earlier text. The notes are to the references required by the text, le occasional notice of various readings, i
Additional Notes and Corrections
with some illustrations from other writers. Some
For the sake of conciseness, the text, as read by Beda, which is not given completely even in the editions of the original Latin, where there frequently occurs the sign of omission, has not been translated in full. But the Commentary itself, by the addition of the usual numbering of the verses, and the insertion of catchwords in Clarendon type, has been rendered available for use with the original Greek, or with any translation. These words, though not necessarily so, are yet, by far the most frequently, from the Authorised Version. Care has-been taken that the version may be as literal an one as is consistent with a proper rendering into English.
It may be stated, on information derived through the favour of Mr. E. A. Bond, that the MS. of the thirteenth century in the British Museum, No. 223 of the Harleian Collection, containing a Commentary on the Apocalypse, ascribed in the colophon to Beda, is a different work from that printed in Dr. Giles’ edition.
Letter of Beda to Eusebius
To the Beloved Brother, Eusebius, Beda Sends Greeting.
In the first of these, after a copious preface to strengthen the faith of the weak, and a description of the sufferings of the Lord and of the glories which followed, he sees one like unto the Son of Man clothed with the Church, Who, after He has related what has happened, or is about to happen, in the seven Churches of Asia in particular, recounts the general conflicts and victories of the whole Church. And here, designedly, in the sixth place He has foretold that the Jews are to be made subject to the Church, and that there is to be a trial of the world at large, and that He Himself will come quickly; and He places in the seventh the lukewarm Laodicea. For “when the Son of Man cometh, will He,” dost thou think, “find the faith in the earth?”
Then in the second section, after that the four living creatures in the throne of God, and the twenty-four elders, have been described, he sees the Lamb, on the opening of the seven seals of the closed book, unfold the future conflicts and triumphs of the Church. And here, according to the custom of this book, he preserves the order unto the sixth number in the series; and then he passes by the seventh, recapitulates, and concludes the two narrations with the seventh. But the recapitulation is also itself to be understood according to its place, for sometimes he recapitulates from the commencement of suffering, sometimes from the middle period, and sometimes with a view to speak of the last affliction only, or a short time before. But. St. Luke xviii. 8. earth was of one lip, and of the same speech” So it seems to be stated, as if at the very time when they were dispersed, they all had one language, when rather, by a recapitulation, he was secretly adding in what manner the tongues were divided.
His seventh rule is, concerning the devil and his body. For sometimes that is stated in respect of the devil which cannot be recognised in himself, but only in his body; as the Lord saith, among other things, to the blessed Job, in exposing the deceit and power of this enemy, “Will he make many prayers to thee, or will he speak soft things to thee?” And it is not the devil himself who is anywhere read of as repentant, but his body, which, when condemned at the last, will say, “Lord, Lord, open unto us?.”
So then, if any one will observe carefully, he will find these rules to prevail in all the canonical Scriptures, and especially in the prophetical parts, as well as in the Apocalypse, that is, the Revelation of St. John the Apostle, which the same Tichonius both understood with a lively apprehension, and expounded with truthfulness, and in a sufficiently Catholic sense, excepting only those places in which he endeavoured to defend the schism of his party, that is, the Donatists. For here he laments the persecutions which they endured from the religious Emperor Valentinian, as heretics, when their churches, and followers, and houses, and possessions were given up into the hands of the Catholics, and their priests were driven into exile; and he calls these things martyrdoms, and boasts that they were foretold in the same Apocalypse. Now we have followed on our part the sense of this author in the present work, but in so doing we have omitted some things beyond the purpose which he inserted, in order that we may be more compendious; and we have taken care to add many more, which to him, as a man of genius, and who flourished, as was said of him, like an open rose among thorns, appeared plain and unworthy of investigation; and this we have done, so far as we have been able to attain, either by the tradition of masters, or the recollection of reading, or even our own capacity; for this, too, is among the commandments which we have received, to return to the Lord with usury the talents which have been committed to us. Now, although it had seemed fit that the aforesaid work should be divided into three short books to relieve the mind; for in some way or other, as the blessed Augustine says’, The attention of the reader is refreshed by the termination of a book, as the toil of the traveller by resting at an inn;” nevertheless, that it might be rendered more easy for those who search to find, it was thought good that the continuous order of paragraphs should be preserved throughout, which I had previously neted in the book itself by prefixing marks. For, as I think that the indomandment. This appears to St. Augustine to be itself a great question, rather than a rule to be applied to the solution of questions. For it was through failing to understand this that the Pelagians either began, or increased their heresy.
The fourth is concerning species and genus. For species is a part, but genus the whole of which it is a part, as each state is a part of the whole province, and each province a part of the whole world. These terms, accordingly, have come to the knowledge of persons in general, so that even the unlearned understand what is enjoined in any imperial command. This takes place also in respect of men, as the things which are said of Solomon are out of proportion to him; and it is only when they are referred to Christ and the Church, of which He is part, that they become clear. Yet the species is not always exceeded, for such things are often said as more evidently agree with it also, or perhaps with it alone. But when there is a transition from the species to the genus, as if Scripture were still speaking of the species, there the attention of the reader ought to be on the watch.
He lays down a fifth rule, which he names concerning times, and it may, as appears to me, also be called concerning numbers. This he states to be of force, even in the case of legitimate numbers, by the figure synecdoche. For the figure synecdoche is either to infer the whole from a part, or a part from the whole. And by this manner of speaking is the question of the resur- = rection of Christ also solved. For unless the last part of the day on which He suffered is taken for the whole day, that is, with the addition of the past night too, and unless the night in the latter part of which He rose again is taken for a whole day, that is, with the addition of the dawning Lord’s day, there cannot be the three days and three nights, in which He foretold that He should be in the heart of the earth, Now by legitimate numbers he means those which the divine Scripture more eminently commends, as the seventh, or tenth, or twelfth; by which, for the most part, either the whole course of time, or the perfection of anything is designated, as, “seven times in a day I sing praise unto Thee,” is nothing else than, ‘ His praise was ever in my mouth 1.” And they are of the same value also when they are multiplied either by ten, as seventy and seven hundred, in which case, the seventy years of Jerusalem may be taken spiritually for all the time during which the Church is among aliens; or by themselves, as ten by ten are a hundred, and twelve by twelve are a hundred and forty-four, by which number the whole body of the saints is denoted in the Apocalypse. The sixth rule Tichonius calls recapitulation. For some things are stated in the Scriptures as if they follow in the order of time, or are related in the succession of events, when, indeed, the narration is tacitly recalled to what has been omitted. As it is said in Genesis, These are the sons of Noah, in their tribes and their tongues. By these are the isles of the nations upon the earth overspread;” and immediately, But the whole earth was of one lip, and of the same speech” So it seems to be stated, as if at the very time when they were dispersed, they all had one language, when rather, by a recapitulation, he was secretly adding in what manner the tongues were divided.
His seventh rule is, concerning the devil and his body. For sometimes that is stated in respect of the devil which cannot be recognised in himself, but only in his body; as the Lord saith, among other things, to the blessed Job, in exposing the deceit and power of this enemy, “Will he make many prayers to thee, or will he speak soft things to thee?” And it is not the devil himself who is anywhere read of as repentant, but his body, which, when condemned at the last, will say, “Lord, Lord, open unto us.”
So then, if any one will observe carefully, he will find these rules to prevail in all the canonical Scriptures, and especially in the prophetical parts, as well as in the Apocalypse, that is, the Revelation of St. John the Apostle, which the same Tichonius both understood with a lively apprehension, and expounded with truthfulness, and in a sufficiently Catholic sense, excepting only those places in which he endeavoured to defend the schism of his party, that is, the Donatists. For here he laments the persecutions which they endured from the religious Emperor Valentinian, as heretics, when their churches, and followers, and houses, and possessions were given up into the hands of the Catholics, and their priests were driven into exile; and he calls these things martyrdoms, and boasts that they were foretold in the same Apocalypse. Now we have followed on our part the sense of this author in the present work, but in so doing we have omitted some things beyond the purpose which he inserted, in order that we may be more compendious; and we have taken care to add many more, which to him, as a man of genius, and who flourished, as was said of him, like an open rose among thorns, appeared plain and unworthy of investigation; and this we have done, so far as we have been able to attain, either by the tradition of masters, or the recollection of reading, or even our own capacity; for this, too, is among the commandments which we have received, to return to the Lord with usury the talents which have been committed to us. Now, although it had seemed fit that the aforesaid work should be divided into three short books 4 to relieve the mind; for in some way or other, as the blessed Augustine says”, “The attention of the reader is refreshed by the termination of a book, as the toil of the traveller by resting at an inn;” nevertheless, that it might be rendered more easy for those who search to find, it was thought good that the continuous order of paragraphs should be preserved throughout, which I had previously neted in the book itself by prefixing marks. For, as I think that the indolence of our nation, I mean of the English, ought to be taken into account,—which too, not long since, that is, in the time of the blessed Pope Gregory, received the seed of faith, and has cultivated the same remissly enough, so far as reading is concerned,—I have arranged my plan, so as not only to elucidate the sense, but also to compress the sentences, inasmuch as brevity, if it is clear, is wont to be fixed in the memory more than prolix discussion.
I bid thee farewell in Christ, most beloved brother, and desire that thou mayest deign to be ever mindful of thy Beda.
Epigram of Beda on the Blessed John and his Apocalypse
AN exile from the busy haunts of men,
Forbidden now to see his country’s soil,
He, loved of God, to heaven triumphant soars,
And joins the choir around the high-throned King.
His sacred eye the world below surveys,
As o’er its waters pass the fleeting ships.
Babel and Solyma in conflict join
Their several hosts. In quick succession here.
They turn in flight, and here the strife renew.
The white-robed soldier of the gentle Lamb
May with his leader gain the realms of joy;
The scaly serpent in the dark abyss
O’erwhelms in hunger, flame, and pestilence,
His gathering bands. This warfare’s dread array,
And art, and numbers, and its victories
Desirous to unfold, I’ve wandered through
The sacred plains, where those of old have sown, Collecting thence some fruits. But few they are,
That no profusion cause to loathe the feast,
Nor e’en forbid the meaner guest to attempt
A preparation all too great. And now,
If these my scanty morsels please thy taste,
Give praise to God, Who reigns above the skies;
Or else, accept a friendly heart’s intent,
And, armed with pumice, this my verse erase.
Notes
Marshall’s references, as printed at the foot of each page.
of our brother LKusebius, and comprnsea In iarec LUVAS a uw to transcribe and send to thee soon.” As Eusebius is here addressed simply as a brother, and not as abbat, it would seem that the Exposition of the Apocalypse” was written after Acca had been made a bishop in A.D. 710, and before Eusebius was appointed Abbat in A.D. 716. For the date of Acca’s Episcopate, see Hist. Eccl., bk. v. ch. 20, p. 291, ed. Hussey, Oxf. 1846. b Eusebius, or Huaetberht, was Abbat of the Monastery of Jarrow, to which he was unanimously elected on the resignation of Ceolfrid, in A.D. 716. Besides his obedience in the monastic life, he was distinguished for his “ industry in writing, singing, reading, and teaching.” His Letter to Pope Gregory II. on the occa» sion of his appointment, sent by Ceolfrid, is in part preserved. See Beda’s Vita SS. Abbat. Mon. in Uuiram. et Gyr., ch. xiv. sq., P- 328 sqq. at the end of Bed., Hist. Eel; u.s, NOTE. Page 148, line 17, the attire of wisdom,” or for the religious service (cultus) of wisdom.” The expression is adopted by Beda, with some alteration from Primasius.
Gen. xi. I. Job xli. 3. P St. Matt, xxv. II..
p. 8. 9 The first Book extends to ch. viii. 1, the second to ch. xiv. 20, and the third to ch. xxii. 21. The seven sections into which Beda considered (supra, pp. 1—3) the Apocalypse to be divided, are these, sec. I, ch, i. 1—iii. 22; sec. 2, ch. iv. I—vil. 17; sec. 3, ch. viii. 1 —xi. 18; sec. 4, ch. xi. 19—xv, 8; sec., ch. xvi. 1—xvi, 21; sec. 6, ch. xvii. 1—xviii. 25; sec. 7, ch. xix. I—xxii. 21. Contr, adv. leg. et proph., bk. i. ch. 53.. See Preface, supr..
p. 6. ! St. Matt. xii. 40. k Ps. cxviii. (cxix., A.V.) 164.! Ps. xxxiii, 2 (xxxiv. 1 A, V.). = Gen. x. 32, with
p. 7. Gen. xi. I. Job xli. 3. P St. Matt, xxv. II..
p. 8. 9 The first Book extends to ch. viii. 1, the second to ch. xiv. 20, and the third to ch. xxii. 21. The seven sections into which Beda considered (supra, pp. 1—3) the Apocalypse to be divided, are these, sec. I, ch, i. 1—iii. 22; sec. 2, ch. iv. I—vii. 17; sec. 3, ch. viii. I —xi. 18; sec. 4, ch. xi. 19—xv. 8; sec. 5, ch. xvi. I—xvi. 21; sec. 6, ch. xvii. 1—xviii, 25; sec. 7, ch. xix, I—xxii. 21, Contr. adv. leg. et proph., bk. i. ch. 53..- See Preface, supr..