Oecumenius, on Rev 1:16

“And he had in his right hand seven stars. And from his mouth came out a sharp two edged sword: and his face was as the sun shineth in his power.”

“"and he had seven stars in his right hand," he said. He himself interprets these stars as the angels of the seven churches, as the divine Gregory said in the presence of the bishops, addressing the ruling angels; "for I believe that each church is guarded by a different angel, as John teaches in the Revelation." I believe that the "stars" are called the holy angels because of the abundant illumination of Christ within them; and they "are in His right hand." For they are deemed worthy of the most honorable position before God, and as if they rest in the hand of God. "and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword." Therefore, the divine David says to the Lord, "Fix your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one." (Ps. 44:4) For at that time, the evangelical laws commanded us to observe them strictly, for violating them was deadly; therefore, the place of the thigh where the sword was placed indicated a delay in punishment, for it was not yet fully prepared for slaughter. Now from "his mouth" comes forth the "sword," signifying the riddle [αἰνίγματος] that those who are disobedient to the evangelical commandments face the danger of being cut in two by the sword of the soul. This is what the Lord declares in the Gospels, making this clear; and the apostle said: "for the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword" (Heb.4:12) against those who disobey, clearly indicating the threat it raises. Therefore, this sharpness is also attributed to John; it is the same as the sharp style found in the writings of Paul. "and his face was like the sun shining in its power," John said. Well said, "like the sun"; for the Lord is "the sun of righteousness," according to the prophet Malachi. (Mal. 4:2) But so that you do not think the illumination of Christ's "face," which enlightens every person coming into the world (Jn. 1:9), is a physical body that is transparent and visibly shining, he attributed it to his power, as if to say: the light of Christ is intelligible, operating by power (Col. 1:29), not a bodily appearance, but one that enlightens the eyes of the soul.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.

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