The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (348 page)

* 
1 Jn 2:3
: Cf. the words of Jesus, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (
Jn 14:15
).

* 
1 Jn 2:18
,
the last hour
: John exhorts his readers to hold fast, as though the end were at hand.

* 
1 Jn 3:6
,
sins
: i.e., remains in sin, or has a habit of sin.

* 
1 Jn 4:1
,
test the spirits
: i.e., examine those who claim to have special gifts from the Holy Spirit; cf.
1 Cor 14:32
.

* 
1 Jn 5:8
: This reads as follows in the Vulgate: "
 ⁷
There are three who give testimony in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
⁸
And there are three that give testimony on earth: the spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three are one." The "Three Heavenly Witnesses," as the first sentence is called, is first found in the Latin (fourth century) and does not appear in any Greek manuscript until the fifteenth century. It is probably a marginal gloss that found its way into the text.

THE SECOND LETTER OF JOHN

* 
2 Jn 1:
The elder
: Perhaps the head of the group or "college" of elders that presided over each Christian community. John was head not only of the Ephesus community but of all the communities in the province of Asia.

* 
2 Jn 1:
the elect lady
: Probably not an individual lady but a particular church or community in Asia.

* 
2 Jn 13:
children
: i.e., the Christians of Ephesus.

THE THIRD LETTER OF JOHN

* 
3 Jn 12:
Demetrius
: Evidently a leading Christian, recommended to Gaius.

THE LETTER OF JUDE

* 
Jude 6
: It is not clear to what Jude refers. Perhaps Gen 6:2 or the apocryphal Enoch 6-15.

* 
Jude 9
: Apparently a reference to another apocryphal work, the Assumption of Moses.

THE REVELATION TO JOHN

* 
Rev 1:4-8
: Describes the glorious coming and reign of the Messiah.

* 
Rev 1:13
,
Son of man
refers to Dan 7:13. The Messiah is described in symbolic terms.

* 
Rev 2:10
,
ten days
: Not literally. It means the persecution will be short.

* 
Rev 2:20-21
,
immorality
here seems to mean idolatry rather than sexual excess.

* 
Rev 2:24
,
deep things of Satan
: The doctrines of the Nicolaitans.
They
called them the "deep things of God."

* 
Rev 2:28
,
morning star
: Probably Christ himself.

* 
Rev 3:12
,
new name
: cf. Is 62:2. Perhaps it was "the Word," or perhaps it is not to be revealed till the last day.

* 
Rev 4:3
: John describes God in symbolic terms.

* 
Rev 4:4
,
elders
: They perform a priestly and royal task, since they praise God and share in the government of the world.

* 
Rev 4:6
,
four living creatures
: cf. Ezek 1:4-25: the four angels who preside over the government of the world. But in Christian tradition these symbols are used for the four evangelists.

* 
Rev 4:8
,
Holy, holy, holy
: Quoted in the
Sanctus
at Mass.

* 
Rev 5:1
,
a scroll
: This contained God's designs, kept secret till now; being written on both sides, nothing could be added.

* 
Rev 5:6
: The seven horns and seven eyes symbolize Christ's full power and knowledge.

* 
Rev 6:1
: Begins the account of the destruction of the Roman Empire (chapters 6-9).

* 
Rev 6:5
,
balance
: Symbol of famine. The balance was to measure rations.

* 
Rev 7:4
,
a hundred and forty-four thousand
: A symbolic number, i.e., twelve (the sacred number) squared and multiplied by 1,000 to denote a multitude. It is the Church, the spiritual Israel, that is meant.

* 
Rev 7:14
,
the great tribulation
: The Neronian persecution?

* 
Rev 8:5
: Coals from the altar of burnt offering were brought to the altar of incense.

* 
Rev 9:1
,
star
: A fallen angel.

* 
Rev 9:14
,
Euphrates
: The region of the Parthians.

* 
Rev 9:21
,
immorality
: See note on
2:20-21
.

* 
Rev 10:7
,
mystery of God
: i.e., the establishment of the kingdom of God following on the destruction of Israel's enemies.

* 
Rev 10:9
,
bitter . . . sweet
: The scroll related both the sufferings and the victories of Christ's Church.

* 
Rev 11:1-19
: The Jerusalem here described stands for the Church, which is to be persecuted by the Romans.

* 
Rev 11:2
: The three and a half years' persecution of the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes, 168-165
b.c.
, had become the standard time of a persecution. Three and a half years equals 42 months equals 1,260 days (
verse 3
).

* 
Rev 11:3
,
two witnesses
: As they have yet to die, possibly they are Elijah and Enoch.

* 
Rev 11:8
,
the great city
: i.e., Rome.

* 
Rev 12:1-6
: The
child
brought forth is the Messiah; the
dragon
is the devil; the
woman
who gave birth to the Messiah is Israel, and then becomes the Christian Church, which continually gives birth to the faithful.

* 
Rev 12:14
,
a time, and times, and half a time
: This is the three and a half years of
11:2
.

* 
Rev 12:17
: Mary, the mother of the Messiah, must also be included in the meaning.

* 
Rev 13:1
,
a beast
: This symbolizes the material forces of evil, arrayed against the Church.

* 
Rev 13:11
,
another beast
: i.e., the false prophets.

* 
Rev 13:18
,
six hundred and sixty-six
: The letters of Nero's name plus the title of Caesar, given their numerical meaning in Hebrew and added together, make 666.

* 
Rev 14:4
: Although tradition tends to take this literally, the context and Old Testament metaphor suggest that it means they have kept free from idolatry.

* 
Rev 14:8
,
Babylon
: i.e., Rome.

* 
Rev 15:3-4
: The song of Moses in Ex 15:1-18 celebrated victory over Pharaoh. This is seen as foreshadowing the triumph of the Lamb.

* 
Rev 16:14
,
the great day
: On which all the Gentile armies shall be gathered to give battle.

* 
Rev 16:16
,
Armageddon
: i.e., Megiddo, where Josiah was defeated by the king of Egypt, cf. 2 Kings 23:29.

* 
Rev 17:1
,
great harlot
: i.e., Rome.

* 
Rev 17:2
,
fornication
: i.e., idolatry.

* 
Rev 18:11-20
: The description abruptly assumes the language of Ezekiel's prophecy of the destruction of Tyre, another city notorious for its sins (Ezek 27:1—28:19).

* 
Rev 19:7
,
marriage of the Lamb
: i.e., final establishment of the kingdom of God. The spouse is the Church.

* 
Rev 20:3
: The destruction of the dragon must coincide in time with that of the beast (
19:20
), so that the first resurrection with the reign of the martyrs refers to the revival and expansion of the Church after the years of persecution.

* 
Rev 21:1
: Creation will be renewed one day, freed from corruption and illumined by God's glory.

* 
Rev 21:8
,
second death
: i.e., eternal damnation.

EXEGETICAL NOTES

Matthew

^a
 Greek
Aram
.
Back to text.

^b
 Greek
Asaph
.
Back to text.

^c
 Other authorities read
Amon
.
Back to text.

^d
 Greek
Salathiel
.
Back to text.

^f
 Other ancient authorities read
of the Christ
.
Back to text.

^g
 Other ancient authorities add
to him
.
Back to text.

^h
 Or
my Son, my
(or
the
)
Beloved
.
Back to text.

ⁱ
 Other ancient authorities insert
without cause
.
Back to text.

^j
 Greek
says Raca to
(an obscure term of abuse).
Back to text.

^k
 Greek
Gehenna
.
Back to text.

^l
 Or
Evil
.
Back to text.

^m
 Or
our bread for the morrow
.
Back to text.

ⁿ
 Or
the evil one
. Other authorities, some ancient, add, in some form,
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever. Amen
.
Back to text.

^o
 Or
worm
.
Back to text.

^p
 Or
to his stature
.
Back to text.

^q
 Other ancient authorities read
for the way is wide and easy
.
Back to text.

^r
 Greek
to them
.
Back to text.

^s
 Other ancient authorities read
with no one
.
Back to text.

^t
 Other ancient authorities read
Gergesenes
; some,
Gerasenes
.
Back to text.

^u
 Other ancient authorities read
seeing
.
Back to text.

^v
 Greek
reclined
.
Back to text.

^w
 Other ancient authorities add
much
or
often
.
Back to text.

^x
 Other ancient authorities read
Lebbaeus
or
Labbaeus called Thaddaeus
.
Back to text.

^y
 Or
slave
.
Back to text.

^z
 Greek
Gehenna
.
Back to text.

^a
 Or
What then did you go out to see? A man
. . . .
Back to text.

^b
 Other ancient authorities read
What then did you go out to see? A prophet?
Back to text.

^c
 Or
has been coming violently
.
Back to text.

^d
 Other ancient authorities omit
to hear
.
Back to text.

^e
 Other ancient authorities read
children
(Luke 7:35).
Back to text.

^f
 Or
so it was well-pleasing before you
.
Back to text.

^g
 Other ancient authorities insert verse 47,
Some one told him, "Your mother and your brethren 
*
are standing outside, asking to speak to you"
.
Back to text.

^h
 Other ancient authorities add here and in verse 43
to hear
.
Back to text.