ACC ~ Revelation 21 v12

THE PATRIARCHS AND APOSTLES KNOW THE OMNIPOTENT GOD. APRINGIUS OF BEJA: “And it had a great, high wall.” Zechariah said, “For I will be,” says the Lord, “a wall of fire round about.” What is so great and high as the Lord of majesty, who with the protection of his presence surrounds the holy city? “And it had twelve gates and at the gates twelve corners, and the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were written [on the gates].” In the Gospel we read that the Lord spoke concerning himself: “I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will enter and will find pasture.”Therefore, Christ is the door. However, the ancient people of our faith are named together not as doors, but their names are written on the gates, that is, on the doors. Thus our Lord shows to all the saints that he is the door of truth and freedom. This shows that the whole band of the patriarchs belonged to the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The twelve corners of the gates, and the twelve gates and the twelve foundations on which the names of the apostles and of the Lamb are written yield the number of thirty-six. It is clear that this is the number of hours that our Lord Jesus Christ lay in the grave after his passion. This demonstrates that the host of leaders who came beforehand and the chorus of apostles who came afterwards had been redeemed by the one faith and passion of the Lord, and that they have come to the knowledge of the omnipotent God through the one entrance of faith in Christ, who is the door. For also the names of apostles themselves are said to be written upon the twelve foundations, because Christ is the foundation, as Paul says, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” And he himself is in each, and each is in him. The Lord says, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” And it is written in the words of the most blessed Paul that “the rock was Christ.” Therefore, it is Peter to whom the Lord spoke: “On this rock I will build my church.”That is, the church is built upon faith in the incarnation, passion and resurrection of the Lord. TRACTATE ON THE APOCALYPSE 21.12.

HOLY ANGELS ASSISTED IN THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL. OECUMENIUS: The wall of the saints, or of the church, is Christ himself, since he is our bulwark, our fence and our help. “It had,” it says, “twelve gates.” This symbolizes the holy apostles who proclaimed to us the way of faith in Christ. “And at the gates there were twelve angels.” I am convinced that there were also holy angels who worked with the holy apostles for the faith of the world. For if the law that came from Moses was proclaimed by angels, as the apostle says: “For if the message declared by angels was valid,” how much more would not the proclamation of the gospel possess the cooperation of angels? “And names inscribed,” it says, “that are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.” In a material sense, Israel is those who were begotten from Jacob the patriarch. However, spiritually, Israel is those who walk by the faith of our father Abraham. Of this the apostle is witness, saying, “The father of the circumcision not only for those who are of the circumcision but also for those who follow the example of the faith of our father Abraham.” For Israel interpreted means “a mind that beholds God” or a mind that has spiritual discernment. And who, other than the faithful, have seen God with the mind or have acquired spiritual discernment by the abundant working of the Spirit? Therefore, their names are written upon the gates of the city. To be sure, the twelve tribes symbolize the complete number of the saints. For having once called the faithful Israel, he mentions also the number, which signifies their fullness, saying, “twelve tribes.” COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 21.9-14.

ISRAEL CAME DIRECTLY FROM THE PATRIARCHS. PRIMASIUS: The wall of the church is Christ, and we read [that this wall] is both great and high: “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, on his holy mountain,” and “The Lord is high above all the nations.” Of this wall the prophet Isaiah said, “In this day this song will be sung in the land of Judah, ‘We have a strong city; a savior is placed in it as a wall and bulwark. Open the gates, so that a righteous nation that keeps truth may enter in and the ancient error stay away.’” Singing together by one Spirit, they are seen to relate similar realities. He continues by speaking of the gates. There are twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels and the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel are inscribed [on the gates]. We know that our Lord originally offered entrance to the faith through the twelve apostles. However, the context of this passage prohibits that meaning when it now mentions the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. The passage intends that we first consider the patriarchs from whose stock we know that the whole race of the Israelites was directly propagated. From these, according to the apostle, “there is a remnant saved by the election of grace,”and he adds that “God has not rejected his people.” Therefore, in this passage we ought to interpret the [twelve] gates to signify the twelve patriarchs, especially since we hear that “you do not support the root, but the root supports you.” … I think that the angels signify those elders and princes whose administration and leadership marvelously ruled that nation [of Israel]. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 21.12.

THE CHURCH IS BUILT ON THE PROPHETS AND THE APOSTLES. CAESARIUS OF ARLES: The twelve gates and the twelve angels are the apostles and the prophets, for as it is written, we “are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.”The Lord also spoke in a similar way to Peter: “Upon this rock I shall build my church.” EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 21.12, HOMILY 19.

PROMINENT ANGELS ASSIST THE SOWERS OF THE WORD. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: Christ is the great and high wall of the church that protects those in the holy city. In the wall are twelve gates, which are his holy apostles through whom we have acquired access and entry to the Father. And these are assisted by twelve angels who are preeminent and especially close to God in their holiness. For if we believe that a protecting angel follows each one of the faithful, how much more does it follow that those ranked first among the angels [accompany] those who are the foundations of the church and are sowers of the evangelical word and serve as assistants in the preaching of the gospel? The names of the tribes of the spiritual Israel are written over the gates of the apostles, even as they were written on the shoulder strap of the physical high priest long ago. The writing of these names now testifies to the solicitude of the apostles for the faithful, just as Paul said that he had “anxiety for all the churches” and that “his heart is wide”and that he comes to all “those whom he begot through the gospel.” COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 21.12.

THE TEACHERS OF THE CHURCH. BEDE: [The wall represents] the unconquerable strength of [the church’s] faith, hope and love. The Lord himself can be understood to be this great wall that protects the church on every side. Isaiah spoke of this: “A wall and a bulwark is set up in it.” [Isaiah is speaking] of the protection of the Lord and of the intercession of the saints who make a path to the city by addressing their teaching to the hearts of the faithful. The twelve gates are the apostles who by their writing and their work first made known to all the Gentiles the entrance into the church. [The twelve angels] are the teachers who in the mystery of faith and word follow in the footsteps of the apostles. … [The names of the twelve sons of Israel] signify the remembrance of the ancient fathers that is implanted in the hearts of preachers. For this reason when the high priest entered the tabernacle, he was commanded to carry the remembrance of the fathers in his mind and understanding.EXPLANATION OF THE APOCALYPSE 21.12.

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