Chapter IX: beginning of the sixth trumpet

Latin (Borgnet)English

p. 620

13. « Et sextus Angelus tuba cecinit: et audivi vocem unam ex quatuor cornibus altaris aurei, quod est ante oculos Dei,

14. Dicentem sexto Angelo qui habebat tubam: Solve quatuor Angelos, qui alligati sunt in flumine magno Euphrate.

15. Et soluti sunt quatuor Angeli, qui parati erant in horam, et diem, et mensem, et annum, ut occiderent tertiam partem hominum. »

Supra dictum est de quinque tubis, hic agitur de sexta tuba, et, sicut dicit Beda, apertum bellum Antichristi et suorum contra Ecclesiam signat.

Et dividitur pars ista in quatuor. In prima parte determinatur de solutione quatuor Angelorum. In secunda, de visione equitum et equorum, ibi, V. 16: « Et numerus equestris exercitus. » In tertia, de descensu Angeli fortis, et significatione tonitruorum, infra, X, 1: « Et vidi alium Angelum fortem. » In quarta, hortatur Joannes ad praedicandum, ibi, X, 4: « Et audivi vocem de caelo dicentem mihi, etc. »

In prima parte dicuntur tria. Primo, ostenditur tempore Antichristi relaxatio potestatis daemonum. Secundo, conatus et obduratio malitiae eorum, ibi, V. 15: « Et soluti sunt quatuor Angeli, qui parati erant. » Tertio, ponitur manifestatio ad quid sit conatus eorum, ibidem, « Ut occiderent tertiam partem hominum. »

Dicit ergo: « Et sextus Angelus, » id est, sextus ordo Praedicatorum, « tuba cecinit, » id est, de tempore Antichristi praedicavit.

« Et audivi vocem unam, » id est, concordiam Ecclesiae universalis, supple, praecedentem, « ex quatuor cornibus altaris aurei, quod est ante oculos Dei. » Nota: Altare dicitur Ecclesia de qua fumus compunctionis ascendit ad Deum. Isa. LX, 7: Offerentur super placabili altari meo, etc. Hoc altare est aureum: quia Ecclesia est rubea per charitatem, fulgida per castitatem, solida per patientiam, ductilis per obedientiam, sonora per praedicationem, ponderosa per martyrum constantiam. Quatuor cornua hujus altaris sunt omnes Praedicatores et Doctores, qui eam defendunt ab impugnationibus haereticorum. Et dicuntur quatuor: quia debent quatuor praedicare de Christo, sicut dicit Glossa: duo sunt infirmitatis, ut Nativitas, et Passio. Duo sunt potestatis et virtutis, ut Resurrectio, et Ascensio. Horum una vox est: quia ad idem tendunt, et idem concorditer praedicant.

Est ergo sensus: « Et audivi vocem unam, » id est, concordem praedicationem, supple, procedentem, « ex quatuor cornibus altaris aurei, » id est, ex universis Ecclesiae Praedicatoribus: « quod, » scilicet altare, id est, Ecclesia, « est ante oculos Dei, » id est, in conspectu Dei, hoc est, quam semper Deus respicit.

Vel sic: « Ex quatuor cornibus. » Nota: Altare Christus est: quia super illud omnis oblatio est accepta. « Aureum, » propter divinae sapientiae claritatem, charitatis puritatem, obedientiae ductibilitatem. Quatuor cornua sunt quatuor Evangelia. Sensus ergo est: « Et audivi vocem unam, » id est, concordem praedicationem, supple, procedentem, « ex quatuor cornibus altaris aurei, » id est, quatuor Evangeliis Christi, « quod est

13. “And the sixth Angel sounded the trumpet; and I heard one voice from the four horns of the golden altar that is before the eyes of God,

14. Saying to the sixth Angel who had the trumpet: Loose the four Angels who are bound in the great river Euphrates.

15. And the four Angels were loosed, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, to kill the third part of human beings.”

Above there has been speech concerning the five trumpets; here there is treatment of the sixth trumpet, and, as Bede says, it signifies the open war of Antichrist and his own against the Church.

And this part is divided into four. In the first part there is determination concerning the loosing of the four Angels. In the second, concerning the vision of riders and horses, there, V. 16: “And the number of the mounted army.” In the third, concerning the descent of the strong Angel and the signification of the thunders, below, X, 1: “And I saw another strong Angel.” In the fourth, John is exhorted to preach, there, X, 4: “And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, etc.”

In the first part three things are said. First, the relaxing of the power of demons in the time of Antichrist is shown. Second, the effort and hardening of their malice, there, V. 15: “And the four Angels were loosed, who had been prepared.” Third, the manifestation is set down of what their effort is for, in the same place, “To kill the third part of human beings.”

Therefore he says: “And the sixth Angel,” that is, the sixth order of Preachers, “sounded the trumpet,” that is, preached concerning the time of Antichrist.

“And I heard one voice,” that is, the concord of the universal Church, supply, preceding, “from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before the eyes of God.” Note: The Church is called an altar, from which the smoke of compunction ascends to God. Isaiah LX, 7: They will be offered upon my placable altar, etc. This altar is golden, because the Church is red through charity, shining through chastity, solid through patience, ductile through obedience, sonorous through preaching, weighty through the constancy of martyrs. The four horns of this altar are all the Preachers and Doctors who defend it from the attacks of heretics. And they are called four, because they ought to preach four things concerning Christ, as the Gloss says: two are of weakness, as the Nativity and Passion; two are of power and virtue, as the Resurrection and Ascension. Their voice is one, because they tend toward the same thing and preach the same thing concordantly.

Therefore the sense is: “And I heard one voice,” that is, a concordant preaching, supply, proceeding “from the four horns of the golden altar,” that is, from all the Preachers of the Church; “which,” namely the altar, that is, the Church, “is before the eyes of God,” that is, in the sight of God, that is, which God always looks upon.

Or thus: “From the four horns.” Note: Christ is the altar, because upon that altar every offering is accepted. “Golden,” because of the brightness of divine wisdom, the purity of charity, and the ductility of obedience. The four horns are the four Gospels. Therefore the sense is: “And I heard one voice,” that is, a concordant preaching, supply, proceeding “from the four horns of the golden altar,” that is, from the four Gospels of Christ, “which is