Explanatio: Rev. 12:1-2

THE EXPLANATION OF THE ABOVE-WRITTEN ACCOUNT BEGINS

“And a great sign was seen in heaven.” The Church is “heaven.” The “great sign” — that is God doing [something] out of a human being.

“A woman,” he says, “clothed in the Sun, and the Moon under her feet.” What is general is frequently spoken about so as to divide it into many specifics, for all are one. So because it is “heaven,” here is “the Temple of God in heaven,” here is “the woman clothed in the Sun”, here is “the Moon under her feet” — but it’s just the same as if he might have said, “A woman clothed in the Sun and a woman under her feet,” or “a moon clothed in the Sun and a moon under her feet.” For they are all bipartite.

He says she has part of the Church “under her feet.” This part which is “under her feet” seems to belong to the Church; but it is not the Church because it is the “malign congregation” (Ps. 21:17, Septuagint), which is enticed out from the higher stars to this church by the dragon, the devil and his false prophet; so that it always would seek for its own allies with whom it would be thrown headlong into Gehenna. For this “woman” who was always “giving birth” in her pains, even after the Lord’s Advent, is the ancient Church of the fathers and prophets and saints and apostles, who has her desire’s groans and torments until the once-promised fruit “according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3, Rom. 4:1, etc.) of her common people, Christ Himself, should be seen to have taken Body out of those same people of hers.

But “clothed in the Sun” — that is, manifested in good works, by which light of clarity she looks for the “hope” of the Resurrection (Acts 23:6; 1 Ptr. 1:3) and the glory of the “Promise.” (cf. Acts 26:6, Eph. 1:18)

Indeed, “the Moon” is accustomed to shine at night. The Church is what one cannot see in the darkness of this age, on account of the evil ones. Therefore, the fall of the bodies of the saints is from the debt to death which one never can default upon. For however much it may be diminished, so much it will be augmented; but neither is the hope extinguished in all of those who are asleep, as some may suppose. But they have light in darkness, like the Moon in that same darkness — that Moon we said to be “under her feet.”

But “the crown of stars” — they are the saints. “And on her head a crown of twelve stars” — that is, the Church constructed in the duodenary number [12]; in Christ, the twelve tribes of Israel which first shone light into the night of the age, before the Lord’s Advent — as if before sunrise. And therefore “a great sign was seen in heaven:” the Church is “heaven,” the “great sign” is Christ. There are also thousands of stars shining out light; this is those radiating the lights of their virtues: of patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, sacerdotes, and confessors.

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