How this passage has been read — the sources, oldest to newest.
From the early Church Fathers to now.
A.D. 303A.D. 804
5 Patristic witnesses · 1 Medieval witness
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Patristicbefore A.D. 750
Victorinus of Pettau · c. A.D. 250–303A.D. 303
“"And He says unto me, Thou must again prophesy to the peoples, and to the tongues, and to the nations, and to many kings." He says this, because when John said these things he was in the island of Patmos, condemned to the labour of the mines by Caesar Domitian. There, therefore, he saw the Apocalypse; and when grown old, he thought that he should at length receive his quittance by suffering, Domitian being killed, all his judgments were discharged. And John being dismissed from the mines, thus subsequently delivered the same Apocalypse which he had received from God. This, therefore, is what He says: Thou must again prophesy to all nations, because thou seest the crowds of Antichrist rise up; and against them other crowds shall stand, and they shall fall by the sword on the one side and on the other.”
“In the one angel he clearly shows the body of the church. Although he speaks of one, he shows many. "He says to me, 'You must preach again.' " When did the church ever cease from its preaching, so that she should preach again what she had preached before? However, in the whole world [the church] is commanded to preach again among the peoples, tribes, tongues and in many regions what she had preached before. For there is one church diffused throughout the whole world, which she has filled with its preaching.”
247 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
Andreas of Caesarea · c. A.D. 563–637A.D. 637
“This passage indicates either that after the vision of the divine Revelation, that which was seen will not immediately receive its fulfillment, but that the saint must prophesy to those who read his Gospel and his Revelation until the consummation. Or the passage indicates that [John] would not yet taste death, but that at the end he would come to hinder the acceptance of the deceit of the antichrist.”
“And he said to me: You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations. He explains what the book eaten and the sweetness mixed with bitterness signify, namely, that, being freed from exile, he would preach the Gospel to the nations, sweet indeed with love, but bitter with the persecutions to be endured.”
“And he said to me: Thou must prophesy again to many peoples, and nations, and kings, and tongues. This is said to John specifically, and to preachers generally. They are ordered to prophesy, that is to preach, again, so as to proclaim again by their actions what they preach with their mouths.”
“And he says to me, "You must prophesy again concerning peoples, nations, languages, and many kings," as if he said: because you have already seen in a vision both the end of the present age and the wrath against the ungodly, do not consider the day of the end to be present in deed; there is a long time in between, during which you must also prophesy to many nations and kings. Therefore, until now, the divine John prophesies through the Gospel, through his Catholic Epistles, and through the present Revelation; for everything has been spoken and foretold to him in the Spirit.”
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