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Rev 5:1. Βιβλίον, a book) There were not seven books, but there was one only, sealed with seven seals.-ἔσωθεν καὶ ἔξωθεν) So Eze 2:10 : κεφαλὶς βιβλίου-καὶ ἦν ἐν αὐτῇ γεγραμμένα τὰ ἔμπροσθεν καὶ τὰ ὄπισθεν. And it is possible that the copyists may have introduced into this passage ὄπισθεν for ἔξωθεν, either from ch. Rev 4:6, or from the passage just quoted from Ezekiel. Ἔμπροσθεν and ὄπισθεν are opposed to each other, as are ἔσωθεν and ἔξωθεν. But since in Ezekiel the expression is פנים ואחור, ἔσωθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν is defended from the Hebraism. The Philocalia of Orige[63]
[64] has ὄπισθεν by itself.-σφραγῖσιν ἑπτὰ, with seven seals) This prophecy abounds with instances of the number seven, of which four are most copiously described: the seven angels of the churches; the seven seals of the sealed book; the seven angels with trumpets; the seven angels with vials. The churches are a model, to which the Universal Church of all climes and ages, together with its teachers and pastors, ought to be conformed. The seals represent all power in earth and in heaven, given to the Lamb. By the trumpets the kingdom of the world is violently shaken, so that it at last becomes the kingdom of the Lord and of His Christ. By the vials the beast is crushed, and whatever is connected with it. We ought always to keep before our eyes this Summary. Thus the whole of the Apocalypse runs on in its own natural order. The division of these sevens into IV. and III. will be explained below. The hypothesis of VII. periods of the Church, represented not only by VII. churches, but also by VII. seals, VII. trumpets, VII. vials-other groups of seven in the Old and New Testament being drawn out to the same hypothesis,-has greatly enervated the Theology of many, especially that which is exegetical.
[63] rigen (born about 186 A.D., died 253 A.D., a Greek father: two-thirds of the N. Test. are quoted in his writings). Ed. Vinc. Delarue, Paris. 1733, 1740, 1759.
[64] And the sainted author exhibited that (reading) also in Vers. Germ. of the New Testament.-E. B.
A Syr. and some MSS. of Origen have ὄπισθεν; B, ἔξωθεν; Vulg. “foris.”-E.