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Revelation 1:4

John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him who is, and who was, and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne;
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Augustine of Hippo

AD 430
The number seven signifies the perfection of the universal Church, for which reason the Apostle John writes to the seven churches, showing in that way that he writes to the totality of the one Church. City of God 17.4
< 1 min1/16
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Bede

AD 735
seven: By these seven churches he writes to every church, for universality is wont to be denoted by the number seven, in that all the time of this age is evolved from seven days.
< 1 min2/16
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Bede

AD 735
Grace: Grace he desires for us, and peace from God, the eternal Father, and from the sevenfold Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, Who gave testimony to the Father in His Incarnation. He names the Son in the third place, as he was to speak further of Him. He names Him also the last in order, as He is the first and the last; for He had already named Him in the Father by saying, &quot;Who was to come.&quot; &nbsp; <a
< 1 min3/16
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Cassiodorus Senator

AD 585
him that is. He wanted His eternity to be denoted by the present tense. This use of present time “today” is acknowledged to be peculiar to the divine Scriptures in this sense of perpetuity.
< 1 min4/16
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George Leo Haydock

AD 1849
John to the seven churches, afterwards named; and by them, to be understood of all churches, bishops, and people in the like dispositions. From him, who is, who was, and who is to come. As these words are only applied, and applicable to him, who is truly God and eternal, Alcazar (p. 176) applies them to God the Father. Others think them to be spoken of God, as the word God agrees to all the three divine persons, who are one and the same God. See Ribera. And from the seven spirits. Alcazar understands them of seven of God's attributes, or perfections, but, by the common exposition, are meant seven of the chief created spirits, who in a special manner assist at the throne of God, employed to execute God's commands, as Raphael saith, (Tobit. xii. 15.) I am one of the seven who stand before God. (Witham) Spirits Some understand this of the Holy Spirit, on account of his seven gifts; but the most literal interpretation is of the principal Angels, who always surround the throne of God, an...
2 mins5/16
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Nerses of Lambron

AD 1198
before his throne. Now the seven spirits indicate the activity of the life-giving Spirit which directed Christ, God who was made man for us.
< 1 min6/16
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Nicholas of Lyra

AD 1349
This “7” is understood as the Church established in the world. St. Gregory says in Homily 25, “Because in 7 days all time is comprehended; the number 7 is a proper figure for the whole. Grace unto you In the present life. And peace in the future, for there the humanity will be completely tamed. From Him who is That is, from the eternal God. According to Boethius in the Consolation of Philosophy, “Eternity is endless life possessed all at once in its totality and its perfection. Nevertheless, his simplicity is not apprehended by us except by a comparison to time; for we understand in terms of succession and time. For he assists at every time, even infinitely as it were; therefore, this is expressed to us through the distinctions of present, past, and future time. And from the 7 spirits That is, from all the angels who are ministers of our salvation. Who are before His throne, Prepared to follow His will.
1 min7/16
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Oecumenius

AD 990
The seven spirits are seven angels, but they are neither equal in honor nor coeternal as to be included to the Holy Trinity, but as genuine and faithful slaves. For the prophet says to God, “For all things are slaves of yours.(Ps. 118:91)” In all things the angels are included too. Also the same prophet says concerning them, “Bless the Lord, all his host, his ministers doing his will.(Ps. 102:21)” Likewise, the apostle mentions to Timothy when writing the first letter, “I charge you before God, and Christ Jesus, and the elect angels.(1Tim. 5:21)” Further, by saying which are before his throne John gives more testimony to their position as servants and ministers, and not as having the same honor.
1 min8/16
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Oecumenius

AD 990
This is just like saying, “Grace to you from the God of all of us.” For the Father calls Himself “Being/ONTA” when he talked to the most wise Moses at the bush, saying, “I am The One Who Is,(Ex. 3:14)” and this evangelist said “He was” concerning the Son, saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,(Jn. 1:1)” and again in the first of the Catholic Epistles, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life.(1Jn. 1:1)” And by that is to come he means the Holy Spirit. For the Spirit was not only there on the day of Pentecost, according to the account in Acts, but He is always present, too, to the souls who are worthy to receive Him.
1 min9/16
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Oecumenius

AD 990
The seven spirits are seven angels, but they are neither equal in honor nor coeternal as to be included to the Holy Trinity, but as genuine and faithful slaves. For the prophet says to God, “For all things are slaves of yours.(Ps. 118:91)” In all things the angels are included too. Also the same prophet says concerning them, “Bless the Lord, all his host, his ministers doing his will.(Ps. 102:21)” Likewise, the apostle mentions to Timothy when writing the first letter, “I charge you before God, and Christ Jesus, and the elect angels.(1Tim. 5:21)”
< 1 min10/16
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Oecumenius

AD 990
from him that is, and that was. This is just like saying, “Grace to you from the God of all of us.” For the Father calls Himself “Being/ONTA” when he talked to the most wise Moses at the bush, saying, “I am The One Who Is,(Ex. 3:14)” and this evangelist said “He was” concerning the Son, saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,(Jn. 1:1)” and again in the first of the Catholic Epistles, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life.(1Jn. 1:1)”
1 min11/16
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Oecumenius

AD 990
that is to come. he means the Holy Spirit. For the Spirit was not only there on the day of Pentecost, according to the account in Acts, but He is always present, too, to the souls who are worthy to receive Him.
< 1 min12/16
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Paul of Bush

AD 1300
the seven spirits. these are the hierarchical orders of the Church, and the seven churches are the great cities and their regions, on account of the congregations of the faithful who are there, for every congregation is called a church.
< 1 min13/16
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Victorinus of Pettau

AD 303
We read of a sevenfold spirit in Isaiah, — namely, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, of knowledge and of piety, and the spirit of the fear of the Lord.
< 1 min14/16
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Victorinus of Pettau

AD 303
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 is to come, because assuredly He will come to judgment.
< 1 min15/16
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Victorinus of Pettau

AD 303
We read of a sevenfold spirit in Isaiah (11:2), — namely, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, of knowledge and of piety, and the spirit of the fear of the Lord.
< 1 min16/16
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Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation - 2 Peter 1:20

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