VERSE 19
And the temple was opened in
heaven: and the ark of his testament was seen in his temple. This saying
goes back to the beginning of faith, and describes the battles of the Church with
new symbols. What indeed does God’s temple signify but Christ in whom all
the fullness of the Godhead dwells corporeally? [Col. 2:9] IT is said to be
open because Christ has already been born, suffered, been resurrected,
and been elevated, and since it is in the Church that Christ is proclaimed to
have done all this, consequently he is said to open the temple in heaven.
The ark of the testament, in which the power of the two Testaments was
written by God’s finger, means the Church; according to Exodus, the ark has
four golden rings with bars through them to be carried on, [Ex. 25:12-14] that
is the four Gospels through which the Church is governed by the holy preachers.
In it there is a golden pot with manna inside, that is the wisdom of the divine
Word with the food of life; and also Aaron’s rod, [Heb. 9:4] that is the proof
of kingly priesthood. And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunders,
and an earthquake, and great hail. Lightnings are miraculous signs, by which
the minds of the unfaithful were struck so that they submitted to humility;
whence the Psalmist: Thou wilt multiply lightnings, and trouble them. [Probably
a variant of Ps. 143:6, but also reminiscent of Ps. 17:15.] It is appropriate
for the voices, that is the preachers, to come after the lightnings,
because in order to bring the incredulous to faith by speaking, the preachers
first displayed new miracles. After words there follow thunders in order
for those who despise voices to be shaken by terror of the judgment. Then
an earthquake, that is persecution, which is also indicated by hail;
for just as hail gets crushed as it crushes the fruits of the earth, and
the earth bears fruit again, when the furious multitude of the Gentiles tried
to take the name of God away from the earth, it was itself reduced to naught,
either by force or by being changed for the better—for quite many of them came
to Christ’s faith. (Alcuin of York on Revelation: Commentary and the
Questions and Answers (English and Latin) [trans. Sarah Van Der Pas; Consolamini Commentary Series;
West Monroe, La.: Consolamini Publications, 2016], 151-52)
