Voices and influences
Victorinus of Pettau
The first Latin commentator on Scripture, who wrote on Revelation and died under Diocletian.
Summary
This site quotes Victorinus of Pettau 41 times across 3 books, and lists 0 works.
- Lived died 304.
- Quoted here most in Revelation: 39 of 41.
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Victorinus of Pettau
- Lived
- died 304
- Tradition
- Early Church
5 of 41 quotations
Own words
Quoted in full, because Victorinus of Pettau died in 304 and these works are out of copyright. Each citation below names its edition and its year. A citation naming a modernised text means that edition makes its own editorial changes, and that edition's terms are not in this site's record.
"These are the two candlesticks standing before the Lord of the earth." These two candlesticks and two olive trees He has to this end spoken of, and admonished you that if, when you have read of them elsewhere, you have not understood, you may understand…
The rest of the quotation
here. For in Zechariah, one of the twelve prophets, it is thus written: "These are the two olive trees and two candlesticks which stand in the presence of the Lord of the earth; " that is, they are in paradise.
Zechariah 4:14 So he said, “These are the two anointed ones who are standing beside the Lord of all the earth.” BSB
"And He had in His right hand seven stars." He said that in His right hand He had seven stars, because the Holy Spirit of sevenfold agency was given into His power by the Father.
Victorinus Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John, 304
The rest of the quotation
As Peter exclaimed to the Jews: "Being at the right hand of God exalted, He hath shed forth this Spirit received from the Father, which ye both see and hear." Moreover, John the Baptist had also anticipated this, by saying to his disciples: "For God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him.
Acts 2:33 Exalted, then, to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. BSB
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him, and showed unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass, and signified it. Blessed are they who read and hear the words of this prophecy, and keep the things which are written.
The rest of the quotation
The beginning of the book promises blessing to him that reads and hears and keeps, that he who takes pains about the reading may thence learn to do works, and may keep the precepts.
Revelation 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near. BSB
"Grace unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come." He is, because He endures continually; He was, because with the Father He made all things, and has at this time taken a beginning from the Virgin; He…
The rest of the quotation
is to come, because assuredly He will come to judgment. "And from the seven spirits which are before His throne."
Revelation 1:4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits before His throne, BSB
"And His head and His hairs were white as it were white wool, and as it were snow." On the head the whiteness is shown; "but the head of Christ is God."
The rest of the quotation
in the white hairs is the multitude of abbots6 like to wool, in respect of simple sheep; to snow, in respect of the innumerable crowd of candidates taught from heaven. "His eyes were as a flame of fire." God's precepts are those which minister light to believers, but to unbelievers burning.
Revelation 1:14 The hair of His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like a blazing fire. BSB
Influence, on the record
This site quotes Victorinus of Pettau 41 times across 3 books.
This site’s own count of what it does with the voice
The life, in order
The life told as one accountfrom this site's record
Victorinus was bishop of Poetovio in Pannonia — a Roman garrison town on the Drava river, in what is now Ptuj in Slovenia. He wrote in the second half of the third century, and he was the first Latin-speaking Christian to write commentaries on books of the Bible. Jerome, who knew his work well and used it, made a blunt observation about him: he did not know Latin as well as he knew Greek, and so his works, though excellent in matter, are inferior in style. Victorinus was reading Greek exegesis — Origen, Hippolytus, Irenaeus — and carrying it west into a language that had no commentary tradition yet. His Commentary on the Apocalypse is the oldest surviving Latin commentary on Revelation, and one of the oldest commentaries of any kind. He read the book by what he called recapitulation: the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls are not a sequence of successive events but the same period told three times over, from different angles. That reading has been argued about ever since and is still one of the live options. He also expected a literal thousand-year reign of Christ on earth after the resurrection of the just — the position later called chiliasm or millenarianism, which was the common view of the second and third century church and which the West largely abandoned after Augustine. Jerome held the later view, and when he reissued Victorinus's commentary he edited the ending, cutting the millenarian passages and substituting his own. For centuries only Jerome's version was known. The original text was recovered in the modern era, and both recensions can now be compared. Another work survives, On the Creation of the World, a short treatment of the seven days. He also, Jerome says, wrote commentaries on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs, and a book against all heresies. Those are lost. Jerome ends the entry with one line: and at the last he was crowned with martyrdom. The Great Persecution began in 303, and Victorinus is usually placed among its dead, about 304. Nothing further is recorded — no trial, no account, no place. The record of his death is a single clause in a fourth-century catalogue. Sources: Jerome, On Illustrious Men 74, and Letters 58 and 70; Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse and On the Creation of the World (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 7); Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. 2.
41 quotations across 3 books
Where this voice is quoted
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.
“"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him, and showed unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass, and signified it. Blessed are they who read and hear the words of this prophecy, and keep the things which are written."”
John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits…
“"Grace unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come." He is, because He endures continually; He was, because with the Father He made all things, and has at this time taken a beginning from the Virgin; He…”
The hair of His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like a blazing fire.
“"And His head and His hairs were white as it were white wool, and as it were snow." On the head the whiteness is shown; "but the head of Christ is God."”
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.
“"He that shall overcome, shall not be hurt by the second death." That is, he shall not be chastised in hell.”
Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come. And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the…
“"But that which ye have, hold fast until I come; and he that overcometh, to him will I give power over all peoples." That is, him I will appoint as judge among the rest of the saints.”
And I will give him the morning star.
“"And I will give him the morning star." To wit, the first resurrection. He promised the morning star, which drives away the night, and announces the light, that is, the beginning of day.”
I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut.
“The sixth class is the mode of life of the best election. The habit of saints is set forth; of those, to wit, who are lowly in the world, and unskilled in the Scriptures, and who hold the faith immoveably, and are not at all…”
I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other!
“Moreover, the seventh association of the Church declares that they are rich men placed in positions of dignity, but believing that they are rich, among whom indeed the Scriptures are discussed in their bedchamber, while the faithful are outside; and they are understood by none…”
After this I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had previously heard speak to me like a trumpet was saying, “Come up here…
“"After this, I beheld, and, lo, a door was opened in heaven." The new testament is announced as an open door in heaven. "And the first voice which I heard was, as it were, of a trumpet talking with me, saying, Come up hither."”
From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. These are the seven Spirits of God.
“Behold the seven horns of the Lamb, the seven eyes of God -the seven eyes are the seven spirits of the Lamb; seven torches burning before the throne of God seven golden candlesticks, seven young sheep, the seven women in Isaiah, the seven churches in…”
The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.
“"The first living creature was like to a lion, and the second was like to a calf, and the third had a face like to a man, and the fourth was like to a flying eagle."”
And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before the One…
“And when these things were doing, he says that all the elders fell down and adored the Lord; while the living creatures-that is, of course, the actions recorded in the Gospels and the teaching of the Lord-gave Him glory and honour.31 In that they had…”
And I began to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.
“"There was none found worthy to do this." Neither among the angels of heaven, nor among men in earth, nor among the souls of the saints in rest, save Christ the Son of God alone, whom he says that he saw as a Lamb standing…”
Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice, “Come!”
“"And when the Lamb had opened one of the seven seals, I saw, and heard one of the four living creatures saying, Come and see. And, lo, a white horse, and He who sate upon him had a bow."”
And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse went forth.
“"And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red, and to him that sate upon him was given a great sword."”
And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!”
“"And when He had opened the third seal. I heard the third living creature saying, Come and see. And, lo, a black horse; and he who sate upon it had a balance in his hand."”
And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius…
“"Hurt not the wine and the oil." That is, strike not the spiritual man with thy inflictions. This is the black horse.”
And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” Then I looked and saw a pale green horse.
“"And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, Come and see. And, lo, a pale horse; and he who sate upon him was named Death."”
And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned…
“"And I saw, when he had opened the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake." In the sixth seal, then, was a great earthquake: this is that very last persecution. "And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair."”
When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
“"And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." Whereby is signified the beginning of everlasting rest; but it is described as partial, because the silence being interrupted, he repeats it in order.”
And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe!
“"And I saw an angel flying through the midst of heaven." By the angel flying through the midst of heaven is signified the Holy Spirit beating witness in two of the prophets that a great wrath of plagues was imminent.”
So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my…
“"I took the book from the hand of the angel, and ate it up." To take the book and eat it up, is, when exhibition of a thing is made to one, to commit it to memory.”
And they told me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”
“"And He says unto me, Thou must again prophesy to the peoples, and to the tongues, and to the nations, and to many kings."”
If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed.
“"If any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies." That fire proceedeth out of the mouth of those prophets against the adversaries, bespeaks the power of the world.”
Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified.
“"And their dead bodies shall lie in the streets of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt." But He calls Jerusalem Sodom and Egypt, since it had become the heaping up of the persecuting people.”