To the Angel of the church of Ephesus. The great St. Timothy, who was bishop of Ephesus, died a glorious martyr about this time. But as for the admonitions and reprehensions given in these letters, we must take notice, that they are given to the faithful of each church, and not only to the bishops,... [ Continue Reading ]
_To the Angel of the church of Smyrna. To St. Polycarp, or some bishop there before him. No reprehension is given to this bishop, or to his church, but a commendation for suffering in poverty and tribulation, when they were rich in grace. (Witham) --- Poverty. He was poor in temporal things, but ric... [ Continue Reading ]
To the Angel of the Church of Pergamus. -- This Church is exhorted to do penance, and reprehended, as the seat or throne of Satan. It is only said, that the bishop lives where this satanical seat is, that he had not denied the faith, even under the persecution, when St. Antipas suffered martyrdom, o... [ Continue Reading ]
[BIBLIOGRAPHY] Calculum candidum, _Greek: psephon leuken. See Acts xxvi. 10._... [ Continue Reading ]
To the Angel of the church of Thyatira. Here is first a commendation of their constancy in the faith, in good works, charity, patience, and ministry, which chiefly regards their bishop, whoever he was at that time. The heretics, called Alogians, who rejected the Apocalypse, (chiefly because of the c... [ Continue Reading ]
[BIBLIOGRAPHY] Mulierem Jezabel, Greek: ten gunaika Iezabel. Dr. Wells, in his amendments to the Protestant translation, has put thy wife, and in the Greek Greek: gunaika sou which he says is found in the Alexandrian and several other manuscripts. But neither the Oxford edition of 1675, nor that at... [ Continue Reading ]