Alcuin of York, on Rev 4:8

“And the four living creatures had each of them six wings; and round about and within they are full of eyes. And they rested not day and night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.”

“And the four living creatures had each of them six wings. We take the wings of the four living creatures to mean the words of the two Testaments. Then, although these wings are two, because of the doubled number twelve found in the tribes of Israel and the apostles, they are multiplied by twelve, and give twenty-four. In the same way, because of the knowledge of the Trinity that they spread throughout the world, they are also multiplied by three, and six appear in all. Alternatively, the six wings may be taken to mean the six laws: the first which is the natural law, the second which is that of Moses, the third which is that of the prophets, the fourth which is that of grace, the fifth which is that of the apostles, and the sixth which is that of the synods; by all of which the Church flies to heaven. And round about and within they are full of eyes. The living creatures are full of eyes both round about and within because the holy Church shows the light of preaching to believers, but conceals it from the unfaithful; or because the holy preachers show the way of faith and holiness to the minds of little people as though on the outside through the history only, and to the minds of perfect people as though on the inside through allegory; or because they incessantly see to it to provide their brothers with good examples on the outside, and to persevere in right intention on the inside. And they rest not day and night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who is, and who was, and who is to come. They rest not, that is, they do not desist from their cry; whence it is clear that the four living creatures represent the whole Church, because not only the evangelists, but also all the faithful do not desist from praising God day and night, that is in success and in adversity. By the fact of saying holy thrice, they indicate the three Persons. On the other hand, by saying Lord God Almighty, they show the one-substanced God in these three Persons. Yet, how can the words who is to come in the aforementioned praise correspond to the Trinity, when only the Son will come in his humanity to judge? One should know then that the invisible Trinity will assume the person of the Son and examine the just and sinners through it. It will not however come by passing from one place to another, but by showing its manifest power through the human form adopted by it, which will come down from heaven to the lower regions. We may also understand in this passage the divinity's present coming by which its saints are illuminated every day.”

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

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