The Book of Apocalypse, pages 438-440

THE BOOK OF APOCALYPSE.

The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, and so forth ¹.

1. According to John in the Apocalypse, the most blessed Virgin Mary is called the seat of the Son of God. Apocalypse 4:2 and following: I saw, and behold a seat, namely Mary, was placed in heaven, that is, in the Church. This seat is called the seat of all nobility, because God alone sat in her. Whence above the seat, one sitting, that is, God and man. I say sitting, prepared for judging, he was like the appearance of jasper and sardius. Likewise, this is the seat of all propitiation. Whence, in the same place, verse 3: A rainbow was around the seat. Gloss: that is, peace and propitiation, which is around, protecting. She herself is the seat of threat. Whence it is said in the same place, verse 5: And from the throne proceeded flashes of lightning of threat, and voices of admonition, and thunders of highest placation. She herself is the seat of all beauty. Whence: And seven lamps burning before the throne, that is, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, by which she herself was illuminated before all mortals. This is the throne concerning which, Apocalypse 7:9 and 10, it is said: I saw a great crowd, and so forth. There follows: Standing before the throne, namely of God. Gloss: that they may be looked upon. And they were crying with a great voice, in the present and especially in the future, saying: Salvation to our God, who sits upon the throne.

2. Likewise, she herself is the altar of oblation. Apocalypse 9:13: I heard one voice, that is, Mary, from the four horns of the golden altar. Gloss: upon which whatever is offered is accepted, which is before the eyes of God. The four horns are these: mercy, humility, kindness, and generosity.

3. Likewise, she herself is the queen crowned with twelve prerogatives. Apocalypse 12:1: A great sign appeared in heaven. Gloss: that is, in the Church: a woman clothed with the sun, that is, Mary with Christ, because she clothed herself with Christ, who illuminates her. And the moon was under her feet. Gloss: that is, all earthly things. Whence Bernard says: "Why should human frailty tremble before Mary? There is nothing severe in her, nothing terrible; she is wholly sweet, offering milk and wool to all. Turn over more diligently the whole sequence of the Gospel history: and if perhaps anything rebuking, if anything hard, if finally any sign even of slight indignation occurs in Mary, from now on hold her suspect and fear to approach, and so forth. For she herself is called the woman clothed with the sun: and just as it rises indifferently over the good and the evil, so she too does not discuss past merits, but offers herself able to be entreated by all, most merciful to all, and finally pities the necessities of all with a certain most ample affection ²."

Deservedly, therefore, she herself is crowned with twelve stars, that is, with twelve prerogatives. Of these the first is her sanctification. The second, the angelic salutation. The third, the Holy Spirit's coming upon her. The fourth, the conception of the Son of God. The fifth, first-rank virginity. The sixth, that she is fruitful without corruption. The seventh, that she is pregnant without burden. The eighth, that she is in childbearing without pain. The ninth, gentleness of modesty. The tenth, devotion of humility. The eleventh, magnanimity of belief. The twelfth, martyrdom of heart.

Or otherwise: On her head a crown of twelve stars. The first star and privilege of the most blessed Virgin is immunity from sin, which cannot be said of other human beings. 1 John 1:8: If we say that we do not have sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The second is the impossibility of sin, because since there is fullness of grace in the Blessed Virgin, for this reason she is said not to be able to sin; this again is in no other human being.

The third is that she merited by every movement and work. Whence the Apostle, to the Colossians 3:23: Whatever you do, from the heart, and so forth. 1 Corinthians 10:31: Whether you eat or drink, and so forth. This, among all the saints of this life, she herself did most fully.

The fourth is purity in the highest degree. Whence Anselm says: "It was fitting that the blessed Virgin should shine with that purity than which none greater under God can be understood, to whom God the Father was arranging to give his only Son, whom, begotten equal to himself from his own heart, he loved as himself: so that naturally one and the same person would be the Son of the Father and of the Virgin. And whom the Son himself substantially chose as a mother for himself: and from whom the Holy Spirit willed, and was going to operate, that he should be conceived and born, from whom he himself proceeded ³."

The fifth, that she herself is called Mother of God, on account of which she is called full of grace. Whence it is clear that no greater grace can be understood, nor be shared by a pure creature, than to be the Mother of God by nature. For it is more to be the mother of God by nature than to be a son of God by adoption.

The sixth is that she is mother and virgin at the same time, which again belongs to her alone. Whence the Church and Sedulius sing:

She was seen to have neither a first one like her, nor a following one.

Whence Dionysius says: "This is new, and the newest of all new things ⁴."

The seventh is that she is the Virgin of virgins, and this for three causes. First, because she herself is the mother of all in virginity. For she herself offered this glorious gift of virginity to God without command, counsel, and example. Second, because she herself excels all virgins in the extinction of the tinder and in the highest purity below God. Third, because in virginity she excels the Angels. For the purity of Angels is necessary, but this one is voluntary. Whence this is more pleasing than that.

The eighth is that she is the mother of all, for she gave birth to one human being in whom she regenerated us all. Likewise, in one human being she brought forth for us whatever was necessary for this life and the future life. Likewise, she is the mother of all in dignity, because she herself is first-born before every creature. For she who is the mother of the creator is the mother of all creatures, and thus the mother of all goods.

The ninth is that she herself is called star of the sea, for five reasons. For in that star one must consider substance, quality, position, state, and effect. First, the substance is heavenly and the origin of incorruptible light. So also she herself is heavenly in conduct, incorrupt in body, the origin of light in regeneration. Second, she is superior in quality. So also she herself, with respect to all the Saints, is brighter in virginity, more useful in fecundity. Third, in position she is highest and last. So also she herself is highest in dignity and last in humility. Fourth, the state of a star is without motion, without setting, without error. So also she herself is without the motion of inconstancy, without the setting of fault, without the error of ignorance. Fifth, the effect of a star is threefold: it attracts iron, draws light, directs sailors. So also she attracts sinners, illuminates the penitent, and directs the innocent. And thus it is clear why she herself is called star of the sea.

The tenth is that she herself is called gate of heaven. And first on account of this, because the gate exports and imports. So also she herself is called gate, because through her there went out whatever of grace, created or uncreated, ever came into the world. Or for this reason, because through her there entered whatever of grace, created or uncreated, ever came into the world. Or for this reason, because through her there entered whatever good ascended to the heavens. Whence the Son says concerning her that saying of Wisdom 7:11: All good things came to me together with her.

The eleventh is the communication of the passion, concerning which Damascene says: "But she herself, namely the mother of God, blessed and made worthy of gifts above nature, sustained at the time of the passion those pains of childbirth which she escaped while giving birth, out of maternal compassion of her inward parts, again bringing forth the lacerated one. And thus she herself grieved supremely; and thus she ought supremely to be glorified ⁵."

The twelfth is her exaltation above every creature into a fourth hierarchy, and on account of this she is called queen of mercy. Whence the Church sings in her praise on the feast of the Assumption: "The holy Mother of God has been exalted, and so forth." And it must be known that among these twelve privileges of the blessed Virgin, the last, namely that she is named queen of mercy, properly belongs to her exalted into the aforesaid dignity. First, because mercy comprehends more than glory. For justice, grace, and glory by themselves say only the bestowal of good. But mercy says the bestowal of good and the removal of evil. Therefore of itself the kingdom of mercy comprehends more and extends itself more widely than the kingdom of justice, grace, and glory. Likewise, glory itself is only in the heavens, but mercy is in heaven and on earth and in purgatory. Therefore the kingdom of mercy is greatest. Likewise, since it is proper to her Son always to have mercy and to spare, and she herself is queen over the patrimony and property of her Son, therefore she herself is most fittingly called queen of mercy.

4. Likewise, the Blessed Virgin is figured by the seven Angels.

Apocalypse 16:1 and following, of whom the first poured out his vial upon the earth; the second Angel into the sea; the third, upon the rivers; the fourth, upon the sun; the fifth, upon the seat of the beast; the sixth, into the great river Euphrates; the seventh, into the air. So also she herself poured out vials of grace and mercy into all.

5. She herself also has in the highest degree the properties of all the Angels. Whence one must see concerning each one. And first, concerning the properties of the first hierarchy, ascending, of which the first is the order of Angels. Of this there are three properties. One is that that order is ordered immediately to the human hierarchy; but she herself is ordered nearer to us. For Angels are only placed over us. But she herself exists as one placed over us together with others, as mother, and daughter, and also sister. The second is that we are more known to them through understanding; but she herself knows our infirmities through experience. The third is that individual Angels guard individual human beings; but she herself guards individuals and all together.

The second order is that of Archangels, according to Dionysius ⁶, who likewise also seem to have three properties. The first of these is that they communicate from superiors; so she herself communicated from the highest ones to us, namely from the Trinity. The Holy Spirit will come upon you ⁷. The second is to be above inferiors; but she herself is above all. The third is to reduce inferiors. She herself did this in the highest degree, because she recalled fallen man to the restoration of the Angels.

The third order is that of Principalities, which similarly have three properties. The first is imitation of the first principle. Thus the blessed Virgin imitates the first principle, namely her Son, in all mercy and humility. The second is the ornament of virtues, which she herself has in the highest degree. Whence in Song of Songs 1:4: I am black, but beautiful, and so forth. The third is to be reductive of inferiors to the primitive principle itself; this she herself also had in the highest degree, because from the last she made the first, and from the first the last.

Now let us see concerning the second hierarchy, of which there are also three orders. The first is that of Powers, which have three properties. The first is the grace of its order and dignity guarded. She herself had this in the highest degree, because she was Virgin after childbirth, and before childbirth, and in childbirth, while the dignity of maternity stood. The second is something ordaining others. So also she herself was the discoverer and ordainer of the virginal order. The third is something active and reductive. So also she herself was led back through example. Whence she is called star of the sea.

The second order is that of Virtues, whose properties are three. The first is unchangeable manliness, which consists in the blessed Virgin in three things: in resistance to the contrary, because she conquered every sin; in assault upon the arduous, namely in the highest poverty; in tolerance of adversity, namely the passion of the Son. The second is no slowness of any weakness. She herself had this with excellence, because that same angelic life which Angels have, she herself led in the flesh without burden of the flesh, and therefore she ran ahead of them to the greater prize. The third is generosity toward inferiors, which she herself has with excellence. For they give the gifts of God; but she herself gives God himself. Or, they give only to inferiors; she gives to inferiors and superiors. For she gave God to the world and the world to God.

The third is the order of Dominations, which have, according to Dionysius ⁸, these properties. The first is freedom from servitude. The second is invincibility by enemies. The third, liberal severity. The fourth, superiority of minute service. The fifth, lack of any subjection. The sixth, immunity from dissimilarity. The seventh, an ordered will of dominating. The eighth, conformity of herself and of her own to God. The ninth, no vanity in dominating. The tenth, a participating conformity of the Lordly domination. The blessed Virgin had all these properties in the highest degree.

It remains now to see concerning the highest hierarchy, in which, first in ascending, is the order of Thrones, whose properties are six. The first is height. The second is the surrounding of the king. The third, stable placement. The fourth, reception of the king. The fifth, carrying of the king. The sixth, familiar opening. So also the blessed Virgin is highest with respect to the first. She surrounded the King with the bosom of her womb, as to the second. She chose him as the throne of glory and grace, as to the third. She received him through bodily presence, as to the fourth. She carried the King of glory into the world from heaven, as to the fifth. To her was given the sacrament of the incarnation, alone before all others, to know and experience, as to the sixth.

The second order is Cherubim, of which according to Dionysius ⁹, there are four properties. The first is to be around him. So also she herself surrounded him wholly, namely in conception. The second is reductive, through which, according to the Commentator, is understood the thing by which they tend toward God. So also the blessed Virgin reduced to God all things capable of being reduced. The third is active, which is, as the Commentator says, that they may walk according to God. This she herself did before all. The fourth is exemplary, which is, according to the Commentator, that they may do this according to their own example. So also she herself existed as the exemplar of all virtues.

The highest order of all is the order of Seraphim, whose properties, according to Dionysius in the place nearest above, are eight. The first is mobile, namely of love, which is life. So also she herself is for us the cause of eternal life. The second is incessable, and it is charity, because it is perpetual. So also she herself has the incessability of charity above the Seraphim. The third is hot, and it is warm and quieted love. The blessed Virgin had this above the Seraphim. For greater is the virtue which makes one quieted in tumult and din than that which makes one quieted in silence and quiet. So also the blessed Virgin was altogether tranquil in the tumult of tribulations and persecutions. The fourth is sharp. And the Commentator says that sharp is wisdom. But she herself was most wise. The fifth is overflowing, which is when through the fire of charity one is lifted above oneself; and she was elevated above all the choirs of Angels. The sixth is intent, which is, according to the Commentator, that one may go into him. This she also did. The seventh is inward, which is, as the Commentator says, that one may not flow out to exterior things. Indeed she herself flowed upward above nature and contrary to nature, and all who flowed downward she led back upward with herself. The eighth property is inflexible, which is that they may not turn aside to affairs outside him. And the blessed Virgin had this above the Seraphim. For those, only from the time at which they received that, did not turn aside from him; but she not only never turned aside from him, but turned all things to him.

Therefore the most blessed Virgin Mary is an Angel in the discovery of grace, an Archangel in the generation of God, a Prince in the subjection of Princes, a Power in the operation of supernatural things, a Virtue in the perfection of God's strongest acts, a Domination in the placement above the creature, a Throne in the bodily reception of God, a Cherubim in the most secret knowledge of all secrets, a Seraphim in love highest above all.