away of the millennial year 1000, without any such awful mundane catastrophe, loosing of Satan, and manifestation of Antichrist, as had been popularly expected,' tended to make men earnestly reason and question both on the long received millennial theory, and on that of the Antichrist intended in prophecy, more than before.2-Moreover the incoming of the 12th century from Christ promised (should the world last through it) to open to expositors the first possible opportunity of some way applying the year-day principle (which had never been unrecognized) not to the smaller 3 days' prophetic period only, but also to the great prophetic period of the 1260 days, without abandonment of the expectation, ever intended, of Christ's second advent being near.3 Such, I say, were the new circumstances of the times, which promised to operate powerfully in the new opening æra on prophetic interpretation. Besides that the very intellectual expansion of men's minds necessitated a change from the long established mystical system of interpretation, for one more definite and explicit. Even in the Commentary by Berengaud, with its seven successive æras, (however unskilfully and unsuccessfully applied to the Apocalyptic prophecy,) we yet see an illustration of the natural tendency of expositors' minds, then already acting, towards the adoption of some chronologically consecutive scheme of Apocalyptic interpretation: in place of that so long prevalent in Christendom, which explained it as mainly significant of general and constant Christian truths or doctrines :-some one more consonant in this respect with common sense; and also with the precedent of Daniel's prophecies, as expounded in great part by inspiration itself. § 4. FROM A.D. 1100 TO THE REFORMATION. In this fourth Period it is my purpose to sketch most prominently on the Apocalypse: and he ascribes Berenger's anti-Romish sentiments on the subject of transubstantiation to this origin; as I have observed in my Vol. ii. p. 281, on the Witnesses. How much could we have desired that this Commentary should have been preserved to us! But I am not aware that it is anywhere extant. See my Vol. i. p. 470. 2 Mr. Faber (On Waldenses, p. 394) speaks of Tissington, a writer of the 14th century, saying that it was a day-dream of Berenger's (Berengarium somnium) that at the expiration of 1000 years from Christ's death Satan was loosed; and his loosing evidenced in the promulgation of before unequalled heresies and errors by the Romish Church, especially that of transubstantiation. 3 See my Vol. iii. p. 265. the partially contrasted and partially accordant views of the Apocalyptic prophecy, propounded very influentially by the Romanist Joachim Abbas and his followers, on the one hand, and the early pioneers of the Reformation on the other. A briefer notice will suffice of Anselm of Havilburg before Joachim, and of Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas after him.-I have already just hinted the various new and important characteristics of the now opening æra which combined to exercise a considerable influence on Apocalyptic interpretation, and to give a new and increased interest to the Apocalyptic Commentaries that now appeared: besides that, in the progress of time, new and important acts had occurred in the history of Christendom, with which to compare the details of prophecy. Germs of thought now arose that were to receive afterwards a fuller development; and prophetic views destined, ere very long, to help towards producing great and unexpected results. 1. And 1st, before proceeding to Joachim Abbas, let me briefly notice a short Treatise on the Apocalyptic Seals by Anselm, Bishop of Havilburg in the Magdeburgensian Diocese:1 a Treatise composed A.D. 1145, as appears on the face of the document; and on the following occasion. It seems that Anselm (who had been previously Secretary to the Emperor Lotharius the Second) having been sent on an embassy to the Greek Emperor Manuel at Constantinople, was challenged by some Greek bishops there, publicly to discuss the points of difference between the Latin and the Greek Churches; with which request he complied: and that having successfully defended, as was thought, the Latin cause, he was desired by Pope Eugenius to write an abstract of the discussion; which he did, in the form of dialogue. By way of introduction to this discussion, and with a view to answer difficulties on religion, which might arise in some minds, from the circumstance of so many different forms of religion existing in different countries and different ages, he prefixed to the Dialogues a preliminary book, showing that there had been from the first one body of the Church, governed by one Spirit; that in the Old Testament times, from Abel even to Christ, the Church had ever held the rite of sacrifice, though with ceremonies often varied; and been under the influence of faith, though with imperfect knowledge 1 It is given in D'Achery's Spicilegium, Vol. i. 161. of the articles of Christian faith: also, with reference to New Testament times, that various different successive states of the Church had been expressly foreshown, indeed seven different states from Christ to the consummation; the prefiguration of them having been given in the Apocalyptic Seals. In this curious manner it is that Anselm's views on this prophecy were given to the world. It may perhaps be called the earliest Church-Scheme, properly speaking, of the Apocalyptic Seals; and is, in brief, as follows. 1. The white horse typifies the earliest state of the Church, white in the lustre of miraculous gifts: the rider Christ, with the bow of evangelic doctrine, humbling the proud, and conquering opposers; so that the Church (Acts v. 14) was then daily increased. 2. The red horse is the next state of the Church, red with the blood of martyrdom; from Stephen the proto-martyr to the martyrs under Diocletian. 3. The black horse depicts the Church's third state, blackened after Constantine's time with heresies, such as of Arius, Sabellius, Nestorius, Eutyches, Donatus, Photinus, Manes; men pretending to hold the balance of justice in their discussions, but falsely weighing words and arguments: 2 while on the other hand, Church Councils laid down what are rightly called Canons, (so Anselm seems some way to have understood the voice from among the Cherubim in the Apocalyptic vision,) by which the faith was defined. 4. The pale horse signified the Church's fourth state, coloured with the hue of hypocrisy too generally prevalent afterwards; "as pale is neither white nor black, but either falsely." And so, adds Anselm, has the Church suffered from these, that the rider may well be called Death, Death the slayer of souls.-This state he makes to have commenced from the beginning of the fifth century, and to have continued even to his own time. Nor will it terminate, he asserts, till the time when the tares shall be separated from the wheat in judgment, and the saints follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. Then 5. Souls under the altar. Here is the Church's fifth state. the souls of the saints which will have shed their blood for Christ, 1 66 Equus albus primus est status ecclesiæ, candore miraculorum nitidus et pulcher rimus." 166. 2.46 'Hæretici... qui, dum in manu suâ dolosam stateram trutinantes habent, æquitatem de fide disputando proponunt; sed minùs cautos levissimo unius vel minimi verbi pondere fallunt, et in partem sui erroris pertrahunt." considering the infinite miseries of the Church in its three previous states, moved with compassion will cry out, "How long, O Lord, dost thou not avenge our blood ?" 6. The sixth state of the Church is when there shall arise the most vehement persecution in the times of Antichrist,' answering to the great earthquake of the sixth seal. Then Christ, the Sun of righteousness, shall be hidden; Christian professors fall from the Church into earthly-mindedness; and the heaven, or Church itself, pass away, together with its sacraments, altogether from the public view. 7. The seventh state is that of the saints' rest; a rest in the beatific vision as it is said, "When he had opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about the space of half an hour." So Anselm of the seven Apocalyptic Seals: a scheme chiefly exhibiting views of the Church's successive trials and evils.-I may observe, further, that in one or two passing notices of the vision of the Dragon and travailing Woman, Apoc. xii., he makes what is said of the Dragon's persecution of the Woman, or Church, after she had brought forth Christ her male child, to be chronologically parallel with the times of the red horse of the second Seal; also the Dragon's going forth to persecute the rest of the Woman's seed, Apoc. xii. 17, to have been fulfilled in the heresies introduced after Constantine's overthrow of Paganism,2 by heretics that bore on their hearts the mark of the Beast. 2. I now pass on to Joachim Abbas; a person of greater repute and greater influence, as an expounder of prophecy, than any other whatever in the middle age. He was a Calabrian by birth, and in early life had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem: a city at that time still held by the successors of the Crusaders; though threatened by Mussulman enemies surrounding it. The lively recollection of what he then saw had probably not a little influence on Joachim's interest in and views of prophecy. Indeed it was there and then, in the Holy Church and Sepulchre, that the idea was first impressed on his mind of having a call to the illustration of prophetic Scripture.3 1 Norbert, a contemporary of Anselm, and friend of the celebrated Bernard, is an example of the expectation entertained at this point by some persons of reputation, of the speedy appearance of Antichrist. See my Vol. ii. p. 368, Note 2. 2 Compare pp. 315, 333 suprà. See Moreri in his Dictionary, on the article Joachim, About the year 1180 he had been elected Abbot of the monastery of Curacio in Calabria, near Cosenza: but, having already at that time become famous for his gift in Scriptural research and explication, he received express permission from Pope Lucius III, in the year 1182, to retire a while from the Abbacy and its active occupations, in order to give himself more entirely to these studies. In 1183, at the Convent of Casemaire, Luke, then a monk of the monastery, and afterwards Archbishop of Cosenza, tells us that he was assigned as secretary to Joachim: and that night and day both himself and two other monks were employed by Joachim, as his assistants and scribes in two works on which he was then busy; one on the Concord of the Old and New Testament, the other on the Apocalypse.2 It was for a year and a half, according to this informant, that Joachim thus occupied himself at the convent, "dictating and correcting." At what time he finally finished his Apocalyptic comment seems uncertain. In A.D. 1190, when our king Richard was at Messina, on his way to the Holy Land, he was full of the subject. We have in Roger de Hoveden an interesting account of the king's sending for him, and hearing him lecture on it, induced by his high reputation for prophetic lore; together with a sketch of certain views as to the future which he then propounded from the Apocalypse: views partially contradicted however by the event soon after; and which in the commentary, as finally corrected by him, appear, as we shall see afterwards, considerably modified. In the copy of the commentary handed down to us, I observe a notice of something that he states 3 'I take my account from Fleury's Histoire Ecclesiastique, Liv. lxxiv.- Luke makes this year 1183, the date of the commencement of Joachim's writing :-" Il en obtint la permission d'écrire, et commença à le faire." Ibid. 2 "L'Abbé me donna à lui pour lui servir de secretaire; et j'écrivois jour et nuit dans des cahiers ce qu'il dictoit et corrigeoit sur des brouillons, avec deux autres moines ses écrivains."-The intimate connexion of the two Works will appear at my p. 387. 3" The same year (1190) Richard hearing by common report, and by the relation of many persons, that there was a certain ecclesiastic of the Cistercian order in Calabria, named Joachim, abbot of Curacio, who had the spirit of prophecy, and predicted future events to the people, sent for him; and took pleasure in hearing the words of his prophecy, and wisdom, and learning. For he was a man learned in the Holy Scriptures; and interpreted the visions of St. John the Evangelist, which the same John relates in the Apocalypse, which he wrote with his own hand in hearing which the king of England and his followers took great delight." What follows in Roger respecting Joachim's explanation of Apoc. xii., xiii., xvii., and of the Woman, Dragon, and Beast Antichrist, there symbolized, is given at p. 418 infrà. My edition is that of Venice, 1527; of 224 leaves. VOL. IV. 25 |