Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Серия I. Богословие, философия (Dec 2021)
Ecclesiological aspects of the image of locusts (Rev. 9) in the commentaries of latin exegetes of the 4th — 6th centuries
Abstract
The paper deals with the interpretation of the image of locusts, which belongs to the so-called demonic bestiary in the Apocalypse, and its interpretation in the Latin patristic commentaries by Ticonius the African (4th c.) and his two successors, Caesarius of Arles (5th c.) and Primasius of Hadrumetum (6th c.). The interpretation of locusts by Ticonius as cruel persecutors, who pretend to be the true Church, fully correlates with his idea of the ‘bipartite Church,’ divided into the right (i.e. true) and left (false, hypocritical) sides, while the parallel between the fi ve months of power given to the locusts and the fi ve years of persecution againts Donatists in Africa is in accordance with Ticonius’ perception of the Apocalypse as the book not only about the future, but also about the present, abouth the earthly Church. Using the Commentary of Ticonius, his two above-mentioned successors follow his ecclesiology and characterise the locusts as a symbol of the heretics; however, they create rather dissimilar commentaries. Caesarius of Arles, surpassing Ticonius in the style of his homilies, is clearly inferior in terms of the originality of his ideas. Primasius’ commentary is based on Ticonius but contains original ideas; his interpretation is, on the whole, no less vivid and colourful than that of his predecessor Ticonius the African.
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