The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and revealed it by his angel unto his servant John:
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Oecumenius
AD 990
At the beginning of all his writings, it is a common practice of John to use words that express the divinity of our Savior Jesus Christ. In this work he instead uses words that express His humanity, unless we might come to know Him from His divine qualities and not from His human qualities too. For it is a sign of true theology to believe that God the Word has been begotten from God and the Father before all eternity and of time and space, being coeternal and consubstantial with the Father and the Spirit, and joint-ruler of the ages and of all conceivable and sensible creation, according to the words of the most wise Paul in the letter to the Colossians, that: "For in him were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and in him. And he is the head of the body, the Church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he may hold the primacy: (Col.1:16,18)"
But it is also a sign of true theology to believe that He has become Man for us and for our salvation in these last days, not lifting up His Deity, but by receiving human flesh, animated by mind. In this way the one who is Emmanuel is known to have been one from two natures, divinity and humanity, each being complete according to the dwelling Word and according to the distinct characteristics of each nature, neither misunderstood nor altered by their unity, neither kept separate after the unspeakable and hidden union. For Nestorius and Eutyches are both similarly abominable, opposing but indeed measurably evil.
Therefore, in this manner he uses human words and thoughts and gives an accurate and polished doctrine of our Savior, after dwelling on the divinity of our Lord in other writings. Besides, neither before did he give an account of what is divine from what is human, nor in that case what is human from what is divine. But rather a greater or lesser attention to his writings. This is why he says, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, as if he was saying, : "Although this revelation has been given by the Father to the Son, it has now been given by the Son to us his slaves," By calling the saints slaves of Christ, he has defended his divine nature. For to whom would man belong, other than to the Creator and Maker of mankind? And who is the Maker of mankind and of all the creation? No one other than the one and only Word and Son of God. For "all things were made by Him," says John in his Gospel (1:3)
But what is meant by adding the things which must shortly come to pass, since those things that were going to happen have yet to be fulfilled, even though a long time, more than 500 years has gone by since John said this? The reason is because that all time in the eyes of the infinite eternal God are as nothing. For the prophet says, "For a thousand years in your sight are as the yesterday which is past, and as a watch in the night.(Ps. 90:4 LXX)" Therefore, he added shortly, not looking at actual time of the fulfillment of the future, but to the power and eternity of God. In this way, all temporary prolongings, even though it may seem long and extended as possible, is short when compared to eternity. Therefore, he says that Jesus Christ made known to me what must come to pass, not as appearing and speaking Himself, but through an angel he initiated me into his mysteries. You see the truthfulness of John in confessing that it was though an angel that the revelation came to him, and that he did not hear it from the mouth of the Lord. John says the angel hath given testimony to the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, what things soever he hath seen. He has used the same style in the Gospel too, as to preserve the truthfulness of his teaching. He said there, "This is that disciple who gives testimony of these things, and hath written these things; and we know that his testimony is true.(Jn. 21:24)" And now he says, he is the witness of the divine word which was seen by him concerning this Revelation and the testimony given by Christ, that is, "Through the testimony of the witness, I am the author."
