ACC ~ Revelation 19 v10

WE HONOR ANGELS WITH LOVE. AUGUSTINE: The lowest person must worship the same God as is worshiped by the highest angel. In fact it is by refusing to worship him that human nature has been brought low. The source of wisdom and of truth is the same for angel and humankind, namely, the one unchangeable Wisdom and Truth. The very Virtue and changeless Wisdom of God who is consubstantial and coeternal with the Father, for our salvation deigned, in the temporal dispensation, to take upon himself our nature in order to teach us that humanity must worship what every rational intellectual creature must also worship. Let us believe that the highest angels and most excellent ministers of God want us to join them in the worship of the one God, in contemplation of whom they find their happiness. Even we are not made happy by seeing an angel but by seeing the Truth, by which we love the angels too and rejoice with them. We do not grudge that they should have readier access to the Truth and enjoy him without obstacle. Rather, we love them because we are bidden by our common Lord to hope for the same condition hereafter. So we honor them with love but not with divine worship. We do not build temples for them. They do not wish to be honored by us in that way, because they know that when we are good people we are ourselves the temples of the most high God. OF TRUE RELIGION 110.

TRUTH, JUDGMENT AND JUSTICE. APRINGIUS OF BEJA: When the royal commands of God were heard, he fell down to worship him who was speaking with him. However, to respect the nature of his own office and to show that God is above all things, he prohibited this, saying, “Do not do this, because I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus.” The testimony of Jesus is the true profession of the catholic confession. “For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.” The Spirit of prophecy is truth and judgment and justice, which in their fullness are contained in the catholic faith. TRACTATE ON THE APOCALYPSE 19.9-10.

THE GREEKS REGARD AS DIVINE THOSE DEMONS THEY HAVE ASSIGNED TO THE NATIONS. OECUMENIUS: The [pagan] Greeks, though accursed and hated by God, heard of the teaching given in our prophecies that by the good will of God the holy angels protect the nations and the churches and every individual. … Since [the Greeks] have heard that such things were being taught by us, they say to us, “Since you claim the same things as we do, O people, why do you find fault with the teaching that we advance concerning the gods that rule over the nations? For those whom you call angels we call gods, so that we differ only in the use of the names but not in the substance of the matter. But since you also call the order of angels gods, there is no difference with us even in regard to the use of names.”

To such persons one must say the following: “O you accursed people. You worship the works of your own hands and until very recently have established for yourselves gods with whom you associated for every vile purpose. You have purloined most of our divine teachings and adding these to your own destructive teachings, you have made a grand mixture of them. But since you use your own mind as guide and not God, you have not been able to maintain the nobility of our teachings in every regard. Rather, although you followed him for a short while, somewhere at the beginning of things, you suffered shipwreck. There is, therefore, nothing in common between us and you, just as there is nothing in common between light and darkness or between Christ and Beliar, as it is written. Assuming the gods, or rather the unclean demons, to be the rulers of the nations, you bring yourselves into league with them, ascribing reverence to them and wishing to worship them as gods.

Moreover, [these demons] are regarded by you as divine, while no mention is made of that God who has ordered all things for the providential care of humankind, these rather governing the nations by their own counsel, as they themselves wish. Therefore, you have assigned to Ares the most savage and bloodthirsty Scythians and Germans, who became such since they were ruled by that murderous plague of man, Ares. But you assigned the Greeks, because of their understanding, to Athena,since from her they received understanding as their lot. And you assigned other peoples to other gods, each of the gods training the nations according to their own passions.”

When the evangelist wished to worship the holy angel, … [the angel] says, “See that you do not do this! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus.” The exclamation “See!” is not simply the cry of someone who wishes temporarily to hinder something but of someone who wants to prevent something altogether. He calls himself a “fellow servant” with all of those who confess themselves to be servants of Christ and who testify that he is God incarnate. What, then, is to be done, O most holy angel, since you forbid yourself to be worshiped? “Worship God!” he says, “for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” This is as though he had said, “Do you seek to worship me, since I announced to you ahead of time what was to take place? Whoever witnesses to the lordship and deity of Christ is filled with the prophetic grace, not I alone. Why therefore, he says, do you worship that grace which I have in equal measure with my fellow servants? Are the things which the Greeks think about the rulers of the nations really the same as what the Christians say about the holy angels?” COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 19.10.

EVERY WORK OF THE SPIRIT IS A TESTIMONY TO JESUS CHRIST. PRIMASIUS: Indeed, the whole point of prophecy and of the sanctifying work of the Spirit lies in the testimony of Jesus Christ, whom the entire law and all prophecy serve [as though slaves]. For this reason, when he manifested himself on the mountain between Moses and Elijah, his face and his clothing were resplendent with his brightness, and he declared that the law and the prophets had truly testified of him. And so, whatever they had foretold, he himself testifies that it serves Christ and the church, for he said of Moses, “For he wrote of me.” And when he had risen from the dead, he said, “Everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 19.10.

THE HOLY ANGELS ARE OF HUMBLE DISPOSITION. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: “Do not worship me as one who is foretelling the future,” the holy angel says. For the confession of Christ, that is, the testimony is the gift of the prophetic Spirit. And you should note also this. The prophecy [is given] for this reason, so that the testimony of Christ may be made strong and the faith be given witness by the saints. Therefore, do not pay homage to me, as fellow servant, but to him who possesses power over all things. From this passage we also learn of the humble disposition of the holy angels, for they do not claim for themselves divine glory as do the evil demons but ascribe this glory to the Lord. May it be that we “outdo one another” with a humble mind, thus fulfilling the saying of the Lord: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” And may we receive rest in the coming age, where “sorrow and pain and groaning have fled,” and where the dwelling is of all who rejoice and gaze upon the light of the face of Christ our God,to whom every song of praise, honor and worship be given, together with the Father and the life-giving Spirit forever and ever. Amen. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 19.10.