A History of the Church
A dog that didn’t bark. Eusebius never associates the churches with the Apocalypse. He does mention six of the seven churches but does not connect them with the Apocalypse. Since Victorinus has the same problem, it suggests that there may have been a version of the Apocalypse that didn’t have the seven churches.
Home 9
A Commentary on the Apocalypse
A dog that didn’t bark. Victorinus didn’t mention the churches. He does mention the seven churches that Paul wrote to. So why not mention the seven churches that John wrote to? It is possible that his version of the Apocalypse didn’t have the seven churches. We need to look at Eusebius to see if he has the same problem.
Home 8
A Turn Of The Fifth Century
A bible in the making. Three significant players: Augustine, Chrysostom, and Jerome. Their works have been preserved. The writings of John not so much. The Church was in good hands during this critical time. “City of God”, Ephesus, and the Vulgate are big dots that need to be connected.
A History
A witness to what no longer exists. What was Victorinus looking at when he wrote his commentary on the Apocalypse? What was Eusebius looking at when he wrote his history of the Church? We can only speculate based on what they wrote and what is reasonable. Can we make sense of it?
Home 7
A Seal Opened By The Lamb
A revelation at the end of time. “Knowledge shall be increased”. “Many shall run to and fro” according to Daniel. John was told to “Seal not the sayings” for the time is near. Listen, if you have an ear, and may your knowledge increase. Blessed is he that readeth and hears the words of this prophecy.
A Canon
A redaction at the turn of the fifth century. Jerome defined the bible when he finished the Vulgate which would become the official bible of the Church. It contains the oldest existing copy of the Apocalypse. We can only speculate on what it looked like before that time based on other older existing documents.
Home 6
A Misleading Attribute
A single characteristic that was no mystery. Peter knew all about Babylon. The real mystery was Constantinople that only had six hills until Theodosius II extended the walls to include the seventh one thus making it the New Rome. Babylon the Great is Constantinople.
A Christian Empire
A bishop extraordinaire was in Ephesus to replace seven corrupt bishops at the beginning of the fifth century. John Chrysostom, who never quoted the Apocalypse, could not ignore what John the Apostle may have left there. At that time Jerome could have been looking for a reliable copy of the Apocalypse. He was finishing the Vulgate.
Home 5
A Head
A dynasty. Five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come. The Roman Empire had seven dynasties. Chrysostom is the only significant John during the sixth dynasty and he was in Ephesus when Jerome was finishing the Vulgate. Someone had to verify that John the Apostle wrote the Apocalypse to get it in the bible.
Home 4
A Mother Of Harlots
A “mystery” and likely to remain so. Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire that lasted a thousand years where they reigned with Christ. It can “be found no more at all”, had “merchants”, had “many waters”, and “is fallen, is fallen”. No other city has all these characteristics.
apocalypse 