“And his tail drags along the third part of the stars of heaven, and it threw them onto the earth.” (Rev. 12:4, VL) These things are to be understood in two ways: either about the angels who were thrown out of heaven, or about the humans who will be thrown out of the Church. Wicked prophets or lying preachers are the dragon’s tail, which throws down to earth the stars of heaven clinging to them. In the Sacred Scriptures, the justice of the saints is sometimes called by the name of “stars,” which would light the darkness in this life; truly, sometimes it demonstrates the dissimulation of the hypocrites, which shows what is done for feeling the praise of human beings. For if the stars were not those living uprightly, Paul would never have said to the disciples, “In the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world.”. (Phil 2:15) On the contrary, if those among us who are seen to do upright things, nobody would seek the retribution of human praise for his works, John would never have seen the stars drawn down from the heavens, saying, “The dragon sent his tail and dragged down a third part of the stars.” For a [third] part of the stars is dragged down by the dragon’s tail because certain people, who are seen to give light, are taken by the final persuasion of the Antichrist. And to drag stars down to earth is to involve those who seem to cling with care to the heavenly life in the iniquity of open error, out of earthly love.
As we said, therefore, wicked preachers are the “tail” which these “stars” have imitated; they are “under the feet” of the “woman.” But he said that lest anybody should suppose themselves “the third part of the stars of heaven” that is outside – that is, pagans – or the other two parts that are in “heaven” — that is, Christians in the Church.
He spoke of two signs in one place: the “woman” who is the Church (and in the one Church there exist two parts, one of God and one of the devil); and the devil with his “kings” and his “kingdom.” For there is no other King or kingdom to which the false brothers would belong, except the world; and they serve the devil with royal friendship of turmoil; and they are rejected by Christ and the confessors and punished by the Law; and they say themselves to believe in Christ and confess Him with their mouths, and they say with their works, “We have no king but Caesar. “ (Jn. 19:15)
“And the dragon stood in the sight of the woman about to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he might eat her baby son.” (Rev. 12:4, VL) As often as the Spirit promises what is to come, He also narrates the past and forewarns what will happen in the Church in the future. For through the members, the Church is always in her pains, giving birth to Christ; from where she also always promises the Son of Man’s Coming; so that as much as the Lord Himself suffered, the saints may come to that much excellence of similar sufferings.
For “the dragon” is also always “in heaven” by means of heavenly creatures — that is, through spiritual wickedness; he wants to devour the one being born, He Who is the “man child” — that is, strong in penitence — is taken up “to the Throne of God” through contemplation. And so the Son of Man suffers what He suffers, and after the third day, He is about to be resurrected by what He suffers.
The Body of all internal [enemies] is shown in King Herod. For thus it is said in the Gospel: “Those who sought the life of the Child are dead. Return,” he said to Joseph, “to your land.” (Mt. 2:20, VL) What is Herod if not the devil, who reigns in weaknesses? What is the Child’s land, if not the Heavenly Jerusalem? Nobody can return to His own land, if not with the devil being dead — that is, shut out. So in Herod, it is shown that Christ is constantly being born, and so He is always being sought by [Herod]. For when he would already recognize the “baby son,” he did not say “where the Christ was born,” but “where the Christ should be born.” He was compelled to say a true thing; like Caiaphas who “did not say it of himself, but when he was high priest, prophesied” when he said, “It is expedient that one man should die for the people.” (Jn. 11:51, 50; VL)
Beatus of Liebana's Bloggentary: Commentary on the Apocalypse 
Explanatio: Rev. 12:4
“And his tail drags along the third part of the stars of heaven, and it threw them onto the earth.” (Rev. 12:4, VL) These things are to be understood in two ways: either about the angels who were thrown out of heaven, or about the humans who will be thrown out of the Church. Wicked prophets or lying preachers are the dragon’s tail, which throws down to earth the stars of heaven clinging to them. In the Sacred Scriptures, the justice of the saints is sometimes called by the name of “stars,” which would light the darkness in this life; truly, sometimes it demonstrates the dissimulation of the hypocrites, which shows what is done for feeling the praise of human beings. For if the stars were not those living uprightly, Paul would never have said to the disciples, “In the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world.”. (Phil 2:15) On the contrary, if those among us who are seen to do upright things, nobody would seek the retribution of human praise for his works, John would never have seen the stars drawn down from the heavens, saying, “The dragon sent his tail and dragged down a third part of the stars.” For a [third] part of the stars is dragged down by the dragon’s tail because certain people, who are seen to give light, are taken by the final persuasion of the Antichrist. And to drag stars down to earth is to involve those who seem to cling with care to the heavenly life in the iniquity of open error, out of earthly love.
As we said, therefore, wicked preachers are the “tail” which these “stars” have imitated; they are “under the feet” of the “woman.” But he said that lest anybody should suppose themselves “the third part of the stars of heaven” that is outside – that is, pagans – or the other two parts that are in “heaven” — that is, Christians in the Church.
He spoke of two signs in one place: the “woman” who is the Church (and in the one Church there exist two parts, one of God and one of the devil); and the devil with his “kings” and his “kingdom.” For there is no other King or kingdom to which the false brothers would belong, except the world; and they serve the devil with royal friendship of turmoil; and they are rejected by Christ and the confessors and punished by the Law; and they say themselves to believe in Christ and confess Him with their mouths, and they say with their works, “We have no king but Caesar. “ (Jn. 19:15)
“And the dragon stood in the sight of the woman about to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he might eat her baby son.” (Rev. 12:4, VL) As often as the Spirit promises what is to come, He also narrates the past and forewarns what will happen in the Church in the future. For through the members, the Church is always in her pains, giving birth to Christ; from where she also always promises the Son of Man’s Coming; so that as much as the Lord Himself suffered, the saints may come to that much excellence of similar sufferings.
For “the dragon” is also always “in heaven” by means of heavenly creatures — that is, through spiritual wickedness; he wants to devour the one being born, He Who is the “man child” — that is, strong in penitence — is taken up “to the Throne of God” through contemplation. And so the Son of Man suffers what He suffers, and after the third day, He is about to be resurrected by what He suffers.
The Body of all internal [enemies] is shown in King Herod. For thus it is said in the Gospel: “Those who sought the life of the Child are dead. Return,” he said to Joseph, “to your land.” (Mt. 2:20, VL) What is Herod if not the devil, who reigns in weaknesses? What is the Child’s land, if not the Heavenly Jerusalem? Nobody can return to His own land, if not with the devil being dead — that is, shut out. So in Herod, it is shown that Christ is constantly being born, and so He is always being sought by [Herod]. For when he would already recognize the “baby son,” he did not say “where the Christ was born,” but “where the Christ should be born.” He was compelled to say a true thing; like Caiaphas who “did not say it of himself, but when he was high priest, prophesied” when he said, “It is expedient that one man should die for the people.” (Jn. 11:51, 50; VL)
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