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 12:6

Eastern Fathers

Oecumenius

And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her, so that there she might be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. Therefore, was the child saved from the Dragon's plot, while the woman was given over to destruction? Not only that, but she herself was also saved by fleeing into Egypt, which was a deserted place and free from Herod's plotting. …

Commentary on Revelation ↗

Dionysius bar Salibi

And that woman fled into the desert, where a place was prepared for her by God; she there finished a thousand two hundred sixty days. And battle was waged in heaven—The woman is the church who suffers persecution by the Antichrist. And the faithful who call upon the Church in the presence of the pseudo-Christ will flee or scatter: and they will depart into places that now lack religion, that their gospel may be announced in the whole earth. …

Commentary On The Apocalypse 12:6-7 ↗

Western Saints

Bede

And the woman fled into the wilderness. The Church, living under the hope of eternal things, rejoices in the pilgrimage of the present wilderness, having received the power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the red dragon, like the Israelite people, who, fed with heavenly bread in the wilderness, by the sight of the bronze serpent, conquered the fiery serpents.

Commentary on Revelation ↗

Alcuin of York

And the woman shall flee into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her a thousand two hundred sixty days. The woman's fleeing into the wilderness means the same as her son's being taken up to God; for the Church flees, not in a physical ascent, but in a spiritual one. The wilderness is the secret of the mind; for, in order to escape the serpent's venom, holy men make themselves a desert by contemning all transitory and fleshly desires. …

Commentary On Revelation ↗

Victorinus of Pettau

"But the woman fled into the wilderness, and there were given to her two great eagle's wings." The aid of the great eagle's wings-to wit, the gift of prophets-was given to that Catholic Church, whence in the last times a hundred and forty-four thousands of men should believe on the preaching of Elias; but, moreover, he here says that the rest of the people should be found alive on the coming of the Lord. …

Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John ↗