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(Revelation 10:8)
QUESTION
72. WHEN WE READ IN
REVELATION, "GO AND TAKE THE OPEN BOOK OUT OF THE HAND OF THE ANGEL AND
DEVOUR IT, AND IT WILL BE BITTER IN YOUR BOWELS, BUT IN YOUR MOUTH IT WILL BE
SWEET AS HONEY." WHAT IS THIS BOOK THAT IS SWEET AND BITTER IN THE
BOWELS? — All divine Scriptures are bitter for unbelievers and
carnal men. Thus, it is unpleasant for idolaters to hear one God preaching in
Jesus Christ. This doctrine captures Photin with horror and fear. Sabellius
also blushes to hear a Father who cannot be called the Son, because he is the
principle of all things, and a Son who is called Son, because he is not the
Father, but he is of the Father, and it is not of him, but by him are all
things. Arius is also condemned by reading that Jesus Christ is the true Son
of God, because he could be called his true Son, if he did not come from God
in a rigorous sense. This doctrine convinces Marcion of a lie by teaching
him, who denies that Christ has true flesh, that the Word has become flesh.
(Jn. 1:14) She also accuses the shameless Manichean, showing him in the story
of the Evangelist, forbidding marriage and preaching a shameful promiscuity,
that the Savior not only honored the marriage of his presence, but provided
the spouses with the wine they needed. (Jn. 2:1-11) These are the truths
contained in the book that the Apostle received to devour. This book is the
gospel according to St. John, that is, bitter not only for those who
interpret it sinfully, but for wild and unrestrained minds who do not want to
change their lives and sink deeper into evil. Now, this revelation took place
at the time that the Apostle St. John was on the island of Patmos where the
Emperor Domitian had exiled him for the cause of faith. He was then delighted
in the spirit to be able to contemplate the mysteries of heaven, and while
God revealed to him the shocks he reserved for ungodliness, adultery, and
other crimes, he was given a book which was sweet to the mouth, but bitter in
the bowels; that is to say, among the Christians who appear to be one body,
he must be gentle to those who are shown by the mouth, because of their holy
and irreproachable life, for a thing is not sweet in the mouth only when it
is one and without mixing; but it must be bitter to those whom the depravity
of heresy renders carnal in their actions as well as in their feelings, and
which are shown by the insides, for this book will be their accuser in the
day of the judgment of God. As a result of this revelation, God gives him the
order to write his Gospel for the reasons we have said. The prophet Ezekiel
was also ordered to take a book that was sweet to his mouth, when he sent it
to reproach the people for their infidelity. (Ezek. 3:1) It often happens
that in seeking to abbreviate, one falls into error. Why do not you expose
all the elements of a question, and remove some of it to make the meaning
more obscure? So John was told, "Go, and take this book that is in the
hand of the angel, and devour it, and it will be sweet in your mouth like
honey, but it will be bitter in your bowels”; And God adds, "You must
still prophesy to a great many peoples and nations.” (Rev. 8:9-11) Now, the
truth is that St. John wrote his Gospel after his exile. He had been exiled
on the island of Patmos by the Emperor Domitian, and it was there that he had
a revelation on a Sunday day, as he himself says; and as a result of this
revelation, he wrote his gospel, which is bitter to the heretics fathomed by
the bowels, for they are carnal because they make false ideas of Christ. But
in your mouth, it is said to John, it will be sweet as honey. God makes all
Christians one body, in which they are the members of one another; the mouth
which is part of the head, is the figure of the most honorable and most
faithful for the truth that comes from Jesus Christ is full of sweetness. The
bowels are heretics because they are carnal. Also, the truth discovers that
Jesus Christ is true God is bitter to them. Indeed, the Gospel of St. John is
entirely directed against the heretics. Against Photin, who denies that
Christ existed before Mary, John proves that the Savior came down from
heaven. Against Arius, John shows that Christ had no beginning, because in
the beginning Christ was the Son of God, God Himself in God his Father, and
as nothing was done without him, it cannot be said that it was done itself,
for if it had been done, something would have been done without it, but since
nothing was done without it, it has always existed, who confuses the Father
with the Son, and makes only one person under two different names, he
confounds by the words of the Savior: "If you loved me, you would
rejoice that I go to my Father, because my Father is greater than me." (Jn.
14:28) He clearly distinguishes two persons here, since the Son declares that
the Father is greater than himself, and if he is alone, he cannot be more.
This gospel still condemns Marcion, who denied that Christ was clothed in a
true flesh, with these words: "The Word became flesh, and he has dwelt
among us." (Jn. 1:14) He also fights Manichea, who does not know that
Jesus Christ came into the world. and forbids marriage, in the ignorance of
where the Savior has deigned to supply what was lacking at a wedding dinner.
An angel also commanded the prophet Ezekiel to take a book and devour it; it
must be sweet to his mouth and fill his bowels. (Ezek. 3:1) The Prophet
received this command when God sent him to take back the infidelity and
disorders of his people from the bowels because of his carnal life. Of this
number are those to which the prophet Isaiah gives the name of brothers, in
spite of their wickedness: "You who fear God, say to those who hate you
and who have not listened to my precepts, You are our brothers.” (Isa. 56:5)
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(Revelation 10:8)
QUESTION
65. WHAT DO THESE
WORDS SAY TO ST. JOHN IN REVELATION: GO, “TAKE THE BOOK AND DEVOUR IT, AND IT
WILL BE BITTER IN YOUR BOWELS, BUT IN YOUR MOUTH IT WILL BE SWEET AS HONEY.”
WHAT IS THIS BOOK, OR IS IT SWEET, HOW CAN IT BE BITTER IN THE BOWELS? — All divine
Scriptures are bitter for unbelievers and carnal men. Thus, it is unpleasant
for idolaters to hear one God preaching in Jesus Christ. This doctrine
captures Photin with horror and fear. Sabellius also blushes to hear a Father
who cannot be called the Son, because he is the principle of all things, and
a Son who is called Son, because he is not the Father, but he is of the
Father, and it is not of him, but by him are all things. Arius is also
condemned by reading that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God, because he
could be called his true Son, if he did not come from God in a rigorous
sense. This doctrine convinces Marcion of a lie by teaching him, who denies
that Christ has true flesh, that the Word has become flesh. (Jn. 1:14) She
also accuses the shameless Manichean, showing him in the story of the
Evangelist, forbidding marriage and preaching a shameful promiscuity, that
the Savior not only honored the marriage of his presence, but provided the
spouses with the wine they needed. (Jn. 2:1-11) These are the truths
contained in the book that the Apostle received to devour. This book is the
gospel according to St. John, that is, bitter not only for those who
interpret it sinfully, but for wild and unrestrained minds who do not want to
change their lives and sink deeper into evil. Now, this revelation took place
at the time that the Apostle St. John was on the island of Patmos where the
Emperor Domitian had exiled him for the cause of faith. He was then delighted
in the spirit to be able to contemplate the mysteries of heaven, and while
God revealed to him the shocks he reserved for ungodliness, adultery, and
other crimes, he was given a book which was sweet to the mouth, but bitter in
the bowels; that is to say, among the Christians who appear to be one body,
he must be gentle to those who are shown by the mouth, because of their holy
and irreproachable life, for a thing is not sweet in the mouth only when it
is one and without mixing; but it must be bitter to those whom the depravity
of heresy renders carnal in their actions as well as in their feelings, and
which are shown by the insides, for this book will be their accuser in the
day of the judgment of God. As a result of this revelation, God gives him the
order to write his Gospel for the reasons we have said. The prophet Ezekiel
was also ordered to take a book that was sweet to his mouth, when he sent it
to reproach the people for their infidelity. (Ezek. 3:1) It often happens
that in seeking to abbreviate, one falls into error. Why do not you expose
all the elements of a question, and remove some of it to make the meaning
more obscure? So John was told, "Go, and take this book that is in the
hand of the angel, and devour it, and it will be sweet in your mouth like
honey, but it will be bitter in your bowels”; And God adds, "You must
still prophesy to a great many peoples and nations.” (Rev. 8:9-11) Now, the
truth is that St. John wrote his Gospel after his exile. He had been exiled
on the island of Patmos by the Emperor Domitian, and it was there that he had
a revelation on a Sunday day, as he himself says; and as a result of this
revelation, he wrote his gospel, which is bitter to the heretics fathomed by
the bowels, for they are carnal because they make false ideas of Christ. But
in your mouth, it is said to John, it will be sweet as honey. God makes all
Christians one body, in which they are the members of one another; the mouth
which is part of the head, is the figure of the most honorable and most
faithful for the truth that comes from Jesus Christ is full of sweetness. The
bowels are heretics because they are carnal. Also, the truth discovers that
Jesus Christ is true God is bitter to them. Indeed, the Gospel of St. John is
entirely directed against the heretics. Against Photin, who denies that Christ
existed before Mary, John proves that the Savior came down from heaven.
Against Arius, John shows that Christ had no beginning, because in the
beginning Christ was the Son of God, God Himself in God his Father, and as
nothing was done without him, it cannot be said that it was done itself, for
if it had been done, something would have been done without it, but since
nothing was done without it, it has always existed, who confuses the Father
with the Son, and makes only one person under two different names, he
confounds by the words of the Savior: "If you loved me, you would
rejoice that I go to my Father, because my Father is greater than me." (Jn.
14:28) He clearly distinguishes two persons here, since the Son declares that
the Father is greater than himself, and if he is alone, he cannot be more.
This gospel still condemns Marcion, who denied that Christ was clothed in a
true flesh, with these words: "The Word became flesh, and he has dwelt
among us." (Jn. 1:14) He also fights Manichea, who does not know that
Jesus Christ came into the world. and forbids marriage, in the ignorance of
where the Savior has deigned to supply what was lacking at a wedding dinner.
An angel also commanded the prophet Ezekiel to take a book and devour it; it
must be sweet to his mouth and fill his bowels. (Ezek. 3:1) The Prophet
received this command when God sent him to take back the infidelity and
disorders of his people from the bowels because of his carnal life. Of this
number are those to which the prophet Isaiah gives the name of brothers, in
spite of their wickedness: "You who fear God, say to those who hate you
and who have not listened to my precepts, You are our brothers.” (Isa. 56:5)
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