Part 320

22:6. And he said to me: These words are most faithful and true. And the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets sent his angel to shew his servant the things which must be done shortly.

22:7. And: Behold I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book.

22:8. And I, John, who have heard and seen these things. And, after I had heard and seen, I fell down to adore before the feet of the angel who shewed me the things.

22:9. And he said to me: See thou do it not. For I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets and of them that keep the words of the prophecy of this book. Adore God.

22:10. And he saith to me: Seal not the words of the prophecy of this book. For the time is at hand.

For the time is at hand. . .That is, when compared to eternity, all time and temporal things vanish, and are but of short duration. As to the time when the chief predictions should come to pass, we have no certainty, as appears by the different opinions, both of the ancient fathers and late interpreters. Many think that most things set down from the 4th chapter to the end, will not be fulfilled till a little time before the end of the world. Others are of opinion, that a great part of them, and particularly the fall of the wicked Babylon, happened at the destruction of paganism, by the destruction of heathen Rome, and its persecuting heathen emperors. Of these interpretations, see Aleazar, in his long commentary; see the learned Bossnet, bishop of Meaux, in his treatise on this Book; and P. Alleman, in his notes on the same Apocalypse, tom. 12, who in his Preface says, that this, in a great measure, may be now looked upon as the opinion followed by the learned men. In fine, others think that St. John's design was in a mystical way, by metaphors and allegories, to represent the attempts and persecutions of the wicked against the servants of God, the punishments that should in a short time fall upon Babylon, that is, upon all the wicked in general: the eternal happiness and reward, which God had reserved for the pious inhabitants of Jerusalem, that is, for his faithful servants, after their short trials and the tribulations of this mortal life. In the mean time we meet with many profitable instructions and admonitions, which we may easily enough understand: but we have no certainty when we apply these predictions to particular events: for as St. Jerome takes notice, the Apocalypse has as many mysteries as words, or rather mysteries in every word. Apocalypsis Joannis tot habet Sacramenta quot verba--parum dixi, in verbis singulis multiplices latent intelligentiae. Ep. ad Paulin, t. 4. p. 574. Edit. Benedict.

22:11. He that hurteth, let him hurt still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is just, let him be justified still: and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still.

Let him hurt still. . .It is not an exhortation, or license to go on in sin; but an intimation, that how far soever the wicked may proceed, their progress shall quickly end, and then they must expect to meet with proportionable punishments.

22:12. Behold, I come quickly: and my reward is with me, to render to every, man according to his works.

22:13. I am Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

22:14. Blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb: that they may have a right to the tree of life and may enter in by the gates into the city.

22:15. Without are dogs and sorcerers and unchaste and murderers and servers of idols and every one that loveth and maketh a lie.

22:16. I, Jesus, have sent my angel, to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and stock of David, the bright and morning star.

22:17. And the spirit and the bride say: Come. And he that heareth, let him say: Come. And he that thirsteth, let him come. And he that will, let him take the water of life, freely.

22:18. For I testify to every one that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues written in this book.

22:19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from these things that are written in this book.

22:20. He that giveth testimony of these things, saith: Surely, I come quickly: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

22:21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

APPENDICES

These texts come from the 1582 Rhemes printing of the New Testament (see the 'History' section at the top of the e-text). The primary sources provide a glimpse both into the history of the Douay-Rheims version and the English language itself. The reader will quickly notice that the letter 'j' does not appear in the texts, rather 'i' functions either as a vowel or a consonant. Likewise 'u' is not a distinct letter; it is employed typographically in the lower-case in place of 'v' where not starting a word. The letters 'u' and 'v' both function either as vowels or consonants. The word 'vniuersity' demonstrates this rule. The letter 'w' is sometimes employed, but in most cases the earlier form of a double-v (vv) appears instead.

The transcriber has done his best to render the text accurately. Note the relaxed spelling standards of the time; many variants appear. While the errata section from the 1610 edition observed: "We haue also found some other faultes of lesse importance; and feare there be more. But we trust the reader may easely correct them, as they occurre." only obvious errors have been amended. Where the transcriber has doubt between whether an irregular spelling is either an error and a variant, the printed text stands. 7-bit ASCII cannot fully represent the typographical standards of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and many special characters have been replaced with modern equivalents. Where verse numbers stand in the margins of the printed texts, they have been transferred to the body.

BOOK FOR COMPARISON

THE CATHOLIKE EPISTLE OF IVDE THE APOSTLE.

He exhorteth them to stand to their old faith, shevving them by examples, that it is damnable not to continue and be constant: 8 inueighing against the lecherie, blasphemie, apostasie, banketing of the heretikes, 14 and that their damnation vvas long foretold. 17 Catholikes therfore to be vnmoueable, to reproue the obstinate, to recouer al not desperate, to confirme the vveake, and to liue them selues vertuously and vvithout mortal sinne, vvhich by Gods grace they may doe.

IVDE the seruant of IESVS Christ, and brother of Iames: to them that are in God the Father beloued, and in IESVS Christ preserued, and called. 2 Mercie to you, and peace and charitie be accomplished. 3 My deerest, taking al care to vvrite vnto you of your common saluation, I thought it necessarie to vvrite vnto you: beseeching you to contend for the faith once deliuered to the sainctes. 4 For there are certaine men secretely entred in (vvhich vvere long ago prescribed vnto this iudgement) impious, transferring the grace of our God into riotousnes, and denying the onely Dominator, and our Lord IESVS Christ. 5 But I vvil admonish you, that once knovv al things, that IESVS, sauing the people out of the land of AEgipt, secondly destroied them vvhich beleeued not. 6 But the Angels vvhich kept not their pricipalitie, but forsooke their owne habitation, he hath reserued vnder darkenesse in eternal bondes vnto the iudgement of the great day. 7 As Sodom and Gomorrhe, and the cities adioyning in like maner hauing fornicated, and going after other flesh, vvere made an example, sustaining the paine of eternal fire. 8 In like maner these also defile the flesh, and despise dominion, & blaspheme maiestie. 9 Vvhen Micheal the Archangel, disputing vvith the Diuel, made altercation for the body of Moyses: he durst not inferre iudgment of blasphemie, but said, Our Lord 'commaund' thee. 10 But these, vvhat things so euer certes they are ignorant of, they blaspheme: and vvhat things so euer naturally, as dumme beastes, they knovv, in those they are corrupted. 11 Vvo vnto them, 'vvhich' haue gone in the vvay of Cain: and vvith the errour of Balaam, haue for revvard povvred out them selues, and haue perished in the contradiction of Core. 12 These are in their bankets, spottes, feasting together vvithout feare, feeding them selues, cloudes vvithout vvater vvhich are caried about of vvindes, trees of autumne, vnfruitful, tvvise dead, plucked vp by the rootes, 13 raging vvaues of the sea, foming out their ovvne confusions, vvandering starres: to vvhom the storme of darkenesse is reserued for euer. 14 And of these propheceied Enoch, the seuenth from Adam, saying, Behold our Lord is come in his holy thousandes, 15 to doe iudgement against al, and to reproue al the impious, of al the vvorkes of their impietie vvherby they haue done impiously, and of al the hard thinges vvhich impious sinners haue spoken against him. 16 These are murmurers, ful of complaintes, vvalking according to their ovvne desires, and their mouth speaketh pride, admiring persons for gaine sake. 17 But you my deerest, be mindeful of the vvordes vvhich haue been spoken before by the Apostles of our Lord IESVS Christ, 18 vvho told you, that in the last time shal come mockers, according to their ovvne desires vvalking in impieties. 19 These are they vvhich segregate them selues, sensual, hauing not the Spirit. 20 But you my deerest, building your selues vpon 'our' most holy faith, in the holy Ghost, praying, 21 keepe your selues in the loue of God, expecting the mercie of our Lord IESVS Christ vnto life euerlasting. 22 And these certes reproue being iudged: 23 but them saue, pulling out of the fire. And on other haue mercie in feare: hating also that vvhich is carnal, the spotted cote. 24 And to him that is able to preserue you vvithout sinne, and to sette you immaculate before the sight of his glorie in exultation in the comming of our Lord IESVS Christ, 25 to the onely God our Sauiour by IESVS Christ our Lord be glorie and magnificence, empire and power before al worldes, and novv and for al vvorldes euermore. Amen.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

As recorded in the title, the Douay-Rheims version is a translation primarily from the Latin Vulgate. A brief selection from the preface to the 1582 edition explains the reasons for this approach. Together with the glossary the text shows the translators scholarly motivations, but also provides a glimpse into the charged climate of the period. The transcriber hopes he did a tolerable job in transliterating the Greek words in the preface. The glossary contains words newly used in the language of the day. Some were later dropped from the Challoner revision, others have found common usage today.

THE PREFACE TO THE READER