Fathers

Revelation 12

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And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

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What the Fathers say

Revelation 12:1

Eastern Fathers

Oecumenius

Regarding the Antichrist, the vision that is more complete wishes to be recorded for us, of which a brief mention has been made in the preceding texts. However, since the resurrection of this figure and his appointment by Satan as a pretext for the Incarnation of the Lord have occurred, having taken possession of and subjected the world, the Antichrist will be raised for this very reason. He will then attempt to lead the world away from Christ and persuade it to defect to Satan through apostasy. …

Commentary on Revelation ↗

Dionysius bar Salibi

A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And when she was pregnant, she shouted and in labor was struggling to give birth—That here indicates the persecutions and vexations that the church must suffer by the Antichrist. For he calls the church the woman; clothed with the sun, because she is clothed with the paternal word that shines more than the sun. And the moon under her feet—adorned with heavenly beauty like the moon. …

Commentary On The Apocalypse 12:1-2 ↗

Methodius of Olympus

-Exhortation to the Cultivation of Virginity; A Passage from the Apocalypse is Proposed to Be Examined. John, in the course of the Apocalypse, says:

Methodius Discourse VIII. Thekla ↗

Western Saints

Bede

The woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet. The Church of Christ, clothed in light, tramples upon temporal glory: In his days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace until the moon be no more (Psalm LXXII). That is, the abundance of peace will grow until it consumes all the changeableness of mortality, when the last enemy, death, is destroyed (1 Corinthians XV). Or, because the same Church, partly in heaven, enjoys Christ the sun, partly on earth, journeys away from the Lord. …

Commentary on Revelation ↗

Bonaventure

And so the soul is a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars, for it is full of lights and never turns its eyes away from light. And because in this life we cannot remain intent upon any one object, therefore the soul has twelve matters like twelve stars around which it always moves as in a circle, as the sun runs through the twelve constellations, that is, the twelve signs of the zodiac and never goes outside of them. …

Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 22 ↗

Alcuin of York

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet. The woman clothed with the sun is blessed Virgin Mary, covered with the power of the Most High. A genus, namely the Church, is also understood in her. The Church is not called a woman by reason of weakness, but because it gives birth every day to new people, with whom the general body of Christ is being formed. So the Church is clothed with the sun according to this: As many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ. [Gal. …

Commentary On Revelation ↗