Western Michigan University Medieval Institute Publications/Arc Humanities Press TEAMS Commentary Series Medieval Institute Publications 4-1-2009 The Seven Seals of the Apocalypse: Medieval Texts in Translation Francis X. Gumerlock Archdiocese of Denver, Fxg1@comcast.net Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.edu/mip_teamscs Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Medieval Studies Commons Recommended Citation Gumerlock, Francis X., "The Seven Seals of the Apocalypse: Medieval Texts in Translation" (2009). TEAMS Commentary Series.edu/mip_teamscs/9 This Edition and/or Translation is brought to you for free and open access by the Medieval Institute Publications at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in TEAMS Commentary Series by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU.
For more information, please contact wmu- scholarworks@wmich. The Seven Seals of the Apocalypse commentary series general editor E. Ann Matter, University of Pennsylvania advisory board John C. Cavandini, University of Notre Dame Robert A.
Harris, Jewish Theological Seminary Patricia Hollahan, Western Michigan University James J. O’Donnell, Georgetown University Lesley J. Smith, Oxford University Grover A. Zinn, Oberlin College A list of the books in the series appears at the end of this book.
The Commentary Series is designed for classroom use. Its goal is to make available to teachers and students useful examples of the vast tradition of medieval commentary on sacred Scripture. The series will include En- glish translations of works written in a number of medieval languages and from various centuries and religious traditions. The series focuses on treatises which have relevance to many fields of Medieval Studies, including theories of allegory and literature, history of art, music and spirituality, and political thought.
Notes are meant to provide sources and to gloss difficult passages rather than to give exhaustive scholarly com- mentary on the treatise. The editions include short introductions which set the context and suggest the importance of each work. Medieval Institute Publications is a program of The Medieval Institute, College of Arts and Sciences The Seven Seals of the Apocalypse Medieval Texts in Translation translated with introduction and notes by Francis X. Gumerlock teams • Commentary Series medieval institute publications Western Michigan University Kalamazoo Copyright © 2009 by the Board of Trustees of Western Michigan University Manufactured in the United States of America This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data <CIP to come> P 5 4 3 2 1 In memory of Kay Denise Gumerlock, a very loving wife and mother This page intentionally left blank • contents Acknowledgments ix Abbreviations xi Introduction 1 Part 1 Christological Interpretations of the Seven Seals 27 Apringius of Beja, Tract on the Apocalypse 27 Pseudo-Alcuin, On the Seven Seals 30 Irish Reference Bible 32 Celtic Catechism 34 Hugh of Saint Cher, Exposition on the Apocalypse 35 Nicholas of Gorran, On the Apocalypse of the Apostle John 37 Part 2 Ecclesiastical Interpretations of the Seven Seals 41 Caesarius of Arles, Exposition of the Apocalypse 41 Cassiodorus, Brief Explanations of the Apocalypse 49 Pseudo-Jerome, Handbook on the Apocalypse 51 Alcuin of York, Question and Answer Manual on the Apocalypse 53 Part 3 Historical Interpretations of the Seven Seals 55 Joachim of Fiore, On the Seven Seals 55 Vital du Four, Commentaries on the Apocalypse 61 Confession of Prous Boneta 61 Peter Auriol, Compendium on Holy Scripture 63 Giovanni Nanni, Gloss on the Apocalypse 72 Notes 73 Bibliography 89 This page intentionally left blank • acknowledgments I would like to gratefully acknowledge my Latin professors throughout the years: Anthony Daly, Janet Emhoff, Kendra Henry, Jack Marler, and Kenneth B. Also, I first translated several of the texts in this book during the summers of 2002 and 2003 for and with my excellent “Latin for Reading” students at Saint Louis University—Alexander “Lex” Ames, Jonathan Barlow, Elizabeth Bird, J. Case, Brian Matz, Tim Moylan, Brian Reeves, Deborah Scaggs, Sammie Smith, Ben Troxell, and Jennifer Wyka. This page intentionally left blank • abbreviations ANF Ante-Nicene Fathers of the Church.
Edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature, 1885–96. Numerous reprints by T & T Clark, Eerdmans, and Hendrickson Publishers. BnF Bibliotheque nationale de France CCSL Corpus christianorum, series latina.
CSEL Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum latinorum. Vienna: Hoelder-Pichler-Tempsky, 1866–. FC The Fathers of the Church. New York: Cima Publishing Co., 1947–49; New York: Fathers of the Church, Inc., 1949–60; Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1960–.
PL Patrologiae cursus completus, series Latina. PLS Patrologiae latinae, supplementum. Edited by Adalbert Hamman. Paris: Garnier Frères, 1958–74.
This page intentionally left blank Introduction • Medieval Interpretations of the Seven Seals A recent survey showed that 40 percent of all Americans believe that there will be a final battle of Armageddon between Jesus Christ and the Antichrist. One series of fictional books, whose plots are based on futuristic doomsday scenarios gathered from the Apocalypse, has sold over sixty million copies.1 Underlying these phenomena is a basic assumption—that the Apocalypse, or Book of Revelation, is primarily a prophecy about the end of the world. Consequently, filling today’s reli- gious book market are Apocalypse commentaries teaching that the seven seals of Revelation 5–8 describe tragedies that are to take place in the last days.2 Medieval Europeans, on the other hand, thought very differently about the seven seals. Some used the seven seals for catechetical purposes and associated them with seven major events in the life of Christ or seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Other medieval writers taught that the seven seals contained symbols about life in the church between the first and second comings of Christ. Still others viewed the seven seals as milestones in a grand outline of salvation history from creation to the consummation, or as transitional markers in a blueprint of early church history from the apostles to the emperor Constantine. The medieval world also had its share of those who believed that the seals were signs indicating immi- nent cosmic changes, and there was no shortage of apocalyptic messiahs who, like David Koresh of the 1993 tragedy at Waco, believed that they themselves were divinely chosen to open the seven seals.3 1 2 Introduction This book illustrates this vastness of medieval interpretive tradition on the seven seals. It includes fifteen texts from the sixth through fif- teenth centuries.
Although most of the texts are portions of Apocalypse commentaries, the collection contains a wide genre of literature includ- ing homilies, a reference Bible, biblical handbooks, catechetical literature, and a confession by a self-proclaimed visionary. The texts have been or- ganized and categorized under three headings: those illustrating Chris- tological interpretations of the seven seals, those proposing ecclesiastical interpretations, and those giving historical interpretations. Christological readings of the seven seals are represented by an Apocalypse commentary of Apringius of Beja, a pseudo-Alcuinian trea- tise on the seven seals, a portion of the so-called Irish Reference Bible, a tenth-century Celtic catechism, and the commentaries of Dominican writers Hugh of Saint Cher and Nicholas of Gorran. In these texts, the seals represent seven prophecies in the Hebrew scriptures believed to have been opened or fulfilled by the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, seven gifts of the Holy Spirit operative in the life of Christ and in his body the church, or seven miracles associated with Christ’s presence in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
The early medieval Apocalypse commentaries of Caesarius of Arles, Cassiodorus, pseudo-Jerome, and Alcuin reflect ecclesiastical interpre- tations. Departing from futuristic interpretations of the seven seals in the early church, these writers saw in the vision truths applicable to the church as it triumphed over paganism and expanded its influence in the European world. Joachim of Fiore’s tract and the remaining texts illustrate histori- cal explanations of the seven seals common in the later Middle Ages. Joachim viewed the seven seals as successive periods of redemptive his- tory from Abraham to the Last Judgment.
Peter Auriol and Giovanni Nanni saw the seals as markers in an outline of primitive Christian his- tory from Nero to Constantine, while Prous Boneta associated the open- ing of the seals with historical events and figures occurring in her own generation. This introductory essay will first summarize the contents of the bib- lical text that contains the vision of the seven seals, then explain in greater detail these three medieval interpretive approaches toward that biblical Introduction 3 text. In the process, it will introduce the translated texts, their authors, and their unique contributions to medieval exegesis on the seven seals. • The Biblical Account of the Seven Seals The English word apocalypse comes from the Greek word apocal- upsis meaning an “unveiling” or a “revelation.” The first words of the last book of the Greek New Testament are Apocalupsis Iesou Christou, that is, “The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ” (Rev.
In the Latin translations of the scriptures used in the Middle Ages, these words read Apocalypsis Iesu Christi. Hence, the text was most often referred to as the Apoca- lypse. In medieval commentaries on the Apocalypse, however, revelatio was recognized as a synonym for Apocalypsis; and in the early modern period certain English versions rendered its opening words “The Revela- tion of Jesus Christ.”4 Therefore, throughout this introduction the words “Apocalypse” and “Revelation” will be used interchangeably. In the Apocalypse, the scene of the vision of the seven seals is the heavenly throne room into which John, the book’s author, claims to have been caught up.5 The contents of the throne room, described in Revela- tion 4, include a main throne upon which God is sitting, twenty-four surrounding thrones on which twenty-four elders are seated, and four living creatures who together with the elders unceasingly worship God.
John relates, in chapter 5, that he sees in the right hand of the one sitting upon the throne a book sealed with seven seals. After an angel proclaims that no one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth was found worthy to open the book and break its seals, John weeps. Then one of the elders tells John to stop weeping because the Lion from the tribe of Judah is worthy to open the book and break its seals. The Revelator next sees a lamb having seven heads and seven eyes take the book out of the right hand of the one sitting on the throne.
At this, the four living creatures and twenty-four elders fall down before the Lamb, and sing a song proclaiming his worthiness to open the seals of the book, a worthiness due to the Lamb’s having been slain and having redeemed for God persons from every tribe, nation, and tongue. Myriads of angels encircle the throne room and also proclaim the Lamb’s worthi- 4 Introduction ness; and John hears every creature in heaven, on earth, and below the earth singing and giving praise to God and the Lamb. To this, the four living creatures respond with an “Amen,” and the elders fall down wor- shiping. Then, as recorded in chapter 6, John watches the Lamb successively open the seven seals.
The opening of the first four seals reveals a white, red, black, and pale horse respectively, each having a different rider. The rider of the white horse holds a bow and wears a crown. The rider of the red horse wields a sword. The rider of the black horse holds a pair of scales, and the rider of the pale horse is named Death.
When the Lamb opens the fifth seal, John sees under an altar the souls of those slain for the word of God, crying to God for vengeance. Having been given white robes to wear, they are told that they should rest a little longer until their fellow servants are killed as they were. With the opening of the sixth seal John beholds a great earthquake, the darkening of the sun and moon, stars falling from heaven, the heav- ens departing, and the moving of every mountain and island out of their places.