Alcuin of York — on Rev 1:12-13 (COMMENTARY ON REVELATION)

“And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. By saying to see, he shows that it was not a physical voice, which cannot be seen, but a spiritual one, with which seeing it is no different from hearing it. Allegorically, the Church turned to see the voice, because it directed its attention, out of the desire of its mind, to the words of the law and of the prophets, so as to see their mysteries now fulfilled. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks: and in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, one like to the Son of man. By the seven candlesticks is represented the sevenfold Church, in whose midst is Christ, who is called like to the Son of man because he was now immortal, or because he appeared not with sin, but in the likeness of the flesh of sin. We read that he appeared in the midst according to this: Where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. [Matt. 18:20] It is appropriate for the Church to be symbolized by seven golden candlesticks, for the sevenfold operation of the Holy Spirit is symbolized by the number, and the brightness of eternal wisdom is symbolized by gold. So just as gold, tried by fire and stretched by blows, is made into a candlestick, so does the Church, melted by the fire of tribulation until purification, and extended into long-suffering by the blows of temptations, reach completion; whence Isaiah says, The Lord hath said it, whose fire is in Sion, and his furnace in Jerusalem. [Is. 31:9] Furthermore, one should know that one Church is represented by both the seven candlesticks and the Son of man, because the person of Christ and of the Church is one. So the same Lord who appeared clothed with a garment down to the feet in the midst of the candlesticks, put on as a garment the candlesticks themselves. Therefore, Christ's clothes are the same as the seven candlesticks, that is the Church. Indeed genus is joined to genus, when the Church is meant by both the seven candlesticks and the Son of man. Note also that the likeness to the Son of man concerns us, because just as our Head has risen again in deed, so have we in hope. Clothed with a garment down to the feet (a poderes). Podes means "feet" in Greek. What do we understand by the poderes, that is a tunic reaching the ankles, which Zechariah says is a priestly garment, [Probable reference to Zec. 3:4 LXX] if not the flesh of Christ specifically, and the whole Church generally? Indeed, by offering himself on the cross to God the Father, he carried out a priesthood. Now, this priestly garment is down to the ankles because his body, which is the Church, down to its very last members, fills up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ; [Cf. Col. 1:24] or if not, then certainly his garment down to the ankles was his work of love to the suffering of death. And girt about the paps with a golden girdle. What one should know is that Daniel saw a man girt about the loins [Dan. 10:5] and John saw him girt about the paps because the Old Testament restrains the lust of the flesh, whereas the New restrains also that of the mind. However, that double girding does not refer to the Head, but to the limbs, since it is certain that our Redeemer has been touched by neither the lust of the body nor that of the heart. So it is fitting to say that this girdle was golden, because whoever is a citizen of the heavenly fatherland, forsakes uncleanness, not out of fear of punishment, but out of love for heavenly brightness. The order given to the apostles in the New Testament, Let your loins be girt, [Luke 12:35] is given, through their persons, to those who, not yet restraining the fornication of the flesh, belong to the man of the old life; for the apostles themselves had already forsaken the uncleanness of the flesh. Alternatively, the angel is girt about the paps with a golden girdle because the Church, coming from two peoples, is united in Christ by the bond of love.”