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 ]