PART I. SECTION IX. The Address to the Church in Philadelphia. 7 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλω της ἐν Φιλαδελφείᾳ ἐκε κλησίας γράψον Τάδε λέγει ὁ ἅγιΘ, ὁ ἀληθινὸς, ὁ ἔχων τὴν κλεῖδα τα ΔαΕίδ· ὁ ἀνοίγων, κα ὐδεὶς κλείες καὶ κλείει, καὶ ἐδεὶς ἀνοί8 γε Οιδά σε τὰ igla idu, Sidana ἐνώπιόν σε θύραν ἀνεῳμένην, ἣν ἐδεὶς δύναται κλεῖσαι αὐτ τήν· ὅτι μικρὰν ἔχεις δύναμιν, καὶ ἐτήρησάς με τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἐκ ἠρνήσω τὸ ὄνο 9 μά με. Ιδὲ, δίδωμι ἐκ τῆς συναγωγής το σατανᾶ τῶν λε γόνων ἑαυτὸς δαίας εἶναι, καὶ ἐκ εἰ σὶν, ἀλλὰ ψεύδονται ἰδὲ, ποιήσω αὐτές, iva newσs xỳ whooκυνήσωσιν ἐνώπιον τῶν ποδῶν σε, καὶ γνῶσιν, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἦ10 γάπησά σε Ὅτι ἐτήρησας τὸν λόγον τῆς ὑπομονῆς με καγώ σε τηρήσω ἐκ CHAP. iii. VER. 7-13. 7 And unto the Angel know thy works; be- thee those of the synagogue of Satan, (who say of themselves that they are Jews, and are not, but speak falsely, behold, I will make them) to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the 7 And to the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia, write, These things saith He that is holy; He that is true; He that hath the key of David; He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth: 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my 9 name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan (which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie); behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, βασμό τῆς μελλέσης ἔρχεσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκεμένης ὅλης, πειράσαι τὲς καλογο κάνας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 11 Έρχομαι ταχύ κράτει ὃ ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεις λάβῃ τὸν σε12 φανόν σε. Ο νικῶν, ποιήσω αὐτὸν ξύλον ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῷ Θε με, καὶ ἔξω ἢ μὴ ἐξέλθῃ ἔτι καὶ γράψω ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὄνομα τῇ Θεῦ με, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς πόλεως τῇ Θεῖ με, τῆς καινῆς ̔Ιερεσαλήμ, ἡ καταβαίνεσα ἐκ τὸ ἐρανᾶ ἀπὸ τὸ Θεῦ με, καὶ τὸ ὄνο μά με το καινόν. 13 Ὁ ἔχων ες, ἀκεσάτω, τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. hour of trial, which is about to come upon the whole region, to try those who dwell 11 upon the earth. I am coming soon; hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy 12 crown. He that overcometh, him will I make a column in the Temple of my God; and out of it he shall never more depart; and I will write upon him a name of my God, and the name of the city of my God; of the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God; even my new 13 name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches. which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon 11 the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take 12 thy crown. Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the Temple of my God, and he shall go no more out; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon 13 him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches. Ver. 7. Philadelphia.] This city, in the times of Strabo, that is, not long before the date of this vision, had been so often shaken by earthquakes, that it was in a great measure deserted by its inhabitants; which may in some degree account for the poverty of its Church, as described in this Epistle. And its poverty may also in some degree account for its virtue, which is so highly commended*. Melito, an eminent Bishop of this see, and a Christian apologist in the second cen Strabo, ii. lib. xii. tury, tury, appears to have written on the Apocalypse. That such a man, in such a situation, so near to the time when the Apocalypse was published, should acknowledge it as divine, by commenting upon it, is a strong argument for its authenticity. Unfortunately this work of his is lost. Philadelphia appears to have resisted the attacks of the Turks in 1312, with more success than the other cities; but at length it fell under their domination. It still contains (probably as being the last which was subdued) more Christian families than most of the others. Modern travellers represent four Christian Churches standing in this place, and above 200 houses inhabited by Christians. Ib. He that is holy.] This epithet belongs appropriately to the Deity. He alone is holy : the Holy One. But, by communication, the same epithet descends to the only begotten Son, who, as such, partaking the nature of the Father, is styled the Holy One §. Ib. He that is true.] This epithet, like the preceding, is applicable only to the Father, who is povos vos eos, the only true God (John xviii. 3.); but descends also to the Son, "the express image of the tr Father," "the Truth and the Life ||." He is the true bread, the true vine, the true light, and is emphatically denominated The True One ¶. Ib. Key of David.] See note, ch. i. 18. Ver. 8. Opened door.] Our Lord has rendered the everlasting glories of his kingdom of easy access to the faithful and repentant: 1st, Because he has made P. 147. * Euseb. Hist. Eccl. § Psalm xvi. 10. Mark i. 24. ↑ Gibbon, vi. 314. Luke iv. 34. Acts iii. 14. atonement atonement for those sins which would otherwise preclude their entrance. 2dly, By granting to them spiritual assistance. 3dly, By supplying them with rules and directions, which he has illustrated by his own perfect example. Hence he has called himself the Way, the Door, no one entereth but through him. And against those who faithfully and diligently attempt an entrance through him, the powers of Hell shall not prevail. In Acts xiv. 27, it is called, the "door of faith," and is described as open to the Gentiles, through the mercies of God. Ver. 9. Jews.] See note, ch. ii. 9. A complete triumph over these pretended saints is promised to this humble Church; and probably it took place in those early times, of which so little history remains. But as this meek and faithful Church is a type and resemblance of the pure Church of Christ; so, to that universal Church, when it shall appear in its purity, after this type, the conversion of the whole body of the Jews seems promised; which has been vainly, though often attempted by violence and persecution. Ver. 10. I will keep thee from the hour of trial.] This promise, in favour of the Church of Philadelphia, was probably fulfilled in some subsequent persecution, of which we have no special account. Ver. 11. I am coming soon.] See notes, ch. i. 3, iii. 16. Ib. Crown.] See note, ch. ii. 15. Ver. 12. Column.] The ancient nations were accustomed to erect columns in honourable memorial of heroes. Such, in idea at least, were the columns of Hercules. Absalom, "having no son to keep his name in remembrance," built a column to be called by by his name. The Christian conqueror is here promised such an honourable memorial in God's temple, in his everlasting temple in heaven. Agreeably to this figurative language, the Apostles James and Peter are accounted columns of the Church (TUλo, Gal. ii. 9.) And the Alexandrian martyrs of the third century are called σTUλ 78 88, and also Attalus of Pergamos, in the account of the martyrs at Lyons and Vienne in the second century t. Ib. New Jerusalem.] The numerous prophecies, foretelling great and everlasting glory to Jerusalem, have not been fulfilled in the literal Jerusalem; nor can be so fulfilled, without contradicting other predictions, especially those of our Lord, which have denounced its ruin. They remain therefore to be fulfilled in a spiritual sense; in that sense which Saint Paul points out to us, when, in opposition to "Jeru"salem that now is, and is in bondage with her chil"dren," he presents to our view "Jerusalem which is "above, which is free, which is the mother of us all." This is the city which "Abraham looked to; a building "not made with hands, whose builder and maker is "God;" even the heavenly Jerusalem, whose splendour will be displayed in the concluding chapters of this book. 2 Sam. xviii. 18. + Euseb. Hist. Eccl. lib. vi. c. 41. & lib. v. 1. Gal. iv. 24-27. Heb. xi. 10-16. xii. 22-24. xiii. 14. PART |