ACC ~ Revelation 22 v13

CHRIST JOINED PETER AND PAUL TOGETHER IN MARTYRDOM. AUGUSTINE: As you know, all of you who know the holy Scriptures, among the disciples whom the Lord chose while present in the flesh, Peter was the first to be chosen. Paul … was not chosen among them nor with them, but a long time afterward, though not for all that unequal to them. So Peter is the first of the apostles, Paul the last; while God, whose servants these two are, whose heralds, whose preachers these two are, is “the first and the last.” Peter first among the apostles, Paul last among the apostles; God both first and last, before whom nothing and after whom nothing. So God who has presented himself as eternally the first and the last, himself joined together the first and the last apostles in martyrdom. SERMON 299.2.

THE TWO NATURES OF CHRIST AND THE DEITY OF THE SPIRIT. PRIMASIUS: Whenever the faithful proclamation of the truth and the pure form of the virtues is confirmed by repetition, our spiritual mind is disposed toward a deeper worship. This is briefly yet meaningfully indicated at the end of this book when it signifies the deity of the Word by an A and the assumed humanity by an Ω [he who is] the beginning without an end. When I note that in the present book A and Ω is repeated several times, I recognize that this occurs for a reason. For [they are repeated] either to assert more often the divinity and the humanity of the one [person] of Christ, in which we claim the fullness of the whole Christian faith to consist, or [they are repeated] to suggest the whole Trinity, which is of one nature. The Trinity spoke through the prophet, saying, “Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I am God and besides me there is no savior.”And it is he to whom it is said through the prophet, You are God, and in you there is God, and beside you there is no other God. And should there be some other better and deeper mystery hidden in this, I have no doubt that this has been repeated so that it might remain beneficial for the understanding of the faithful. To be sure, the Greek letters A and Ω yield a number that we know is contained in the word dove. The Greek word for “dove” is περιστερά and this word has the value of 801: π=80, ε=5, ρ=100, ι=10,σ=200, τ=300, ε=5, ρ=100, ά=1. The letters A and Ω also yield 801: A=1, Ω=800. In the form of the dove we rightly recognize the person of the Holy Spirit, for it was in this form that he chose to appear when he came down. And in this way the madness of the Arians and other heretics is brought to naught, who claim that he is alien to the nature of the Father and the Son. And so by the agreement of this number this revelation from heaven makes known that the Holy Spirit is consubstantial and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 22.13.

NO END TO THE KINGDOM AND POWER OF GOD. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: There is no God before me, nor is there any God after me. For there is nothing more ancient than the beginning, and there is no end to the kingdom and power of God. In previous passages Christ has often been called “first” because of his deity and “last” because of his humanity. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 22.13.

Rev