Revelation 1 in the early church
[Vulgate: Apocalypse]
190 passages quote, allude to, or echo Revelation 1, grouped by verse; passages on the same verse are in date order. Verse text from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain). References use the Protestant English Bible's numbering, with a writer's own numbering in brackets where it differs.
Verses: 1 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 20
Revelation 1 as a whole
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1–Rev:22 | Canon 47 · Anonymous | allusion, high confidence | 397 |
Revelation 1:1
This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:1 | Lines 71–80 · Anonymous | allusion, high confidence | late 2nd or 4th century (disputed) |
| Rev 1:1 | Church History 7.25.9 · Eusebius of Caesarea | quotation, high confidence | ca. 300–325 |
| Rev 1:1 | Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 48.10.1 · Epiphanius of Salamis | quotation, medium confidence | 374-377 |
| Rev 1:1 | Panarion (Adversus Haereses), Haer. 1-64 51.32.4 · Epiphanius of Salamis | quotation, high confidence | 374-377 |
Revelation 1:3
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:3 | Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.1 · Victorinus of Pettau | allusion, high confidence | late 3rd century |
Revelation 1:4
John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne,
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:4 | Lines 51–60 · Anonymous | allusion, high confidence | late 2nd or 4th century (disputed) |
| Rev 1:4 | The Instructor 1.8.71 · Clement of Alexandria | allusion, high confidence | ca. 190–200 |
| Rev 1:4 | Hortatory Address to the Greeks 32 · Anonymous | allusion, low confidence | 2nd–3rd century (disputed) |
| Rev 1:4 | Commentary on the Song of Songs 3.177 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 240–245 (Rufinus's translation ca. 410) |
| Rev 1:4 | To Quirinus 1.20 · Cyprian of Carthage | allusion, high confidence | ca. 248–250 (book 3 perhaps later) |
| Rev 1:4 | To Fortunatus 11 · Cyprian of Carthage | allusion, medium confidence | 253 or 257 |
| Rev 1:4 | Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.1 · Victorinus of Pettau | quotation, high confidence | late 3rd century |
| Rev 1:4 | Church History 7.25.10 · Eusebius of Caesarea | quotation, high confidence | ca. 300–325 |
| Rev 1:4 | Oration I Against the Arians 11 · Athanasius of Alexandria | quotation, high confidence | ca. 339–346 |
| Rev 1:4 | Cento, lines 1–23 · Proba | echo, low confidence | ca. 360 |
| Rev 1:4 | Against Parmenian the Donatist 2.14 · Optatus of Milevis | allusion, low confidence | ca. 366–385 |
| Rev 1:4 | Book of Rules 5 · Tyconius | allusion, high confidence | ca. 380 |
| Rev 1:4 | Sermon 95.2 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 391-430 |
| Rev 1:4 | Tractates on the Gospel of John 122.8 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 406–420 |
| Rev 1:4 | City of God 17.4 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | 413–426 |
| Rev 1:4 | Instructions 1.1 · Eucherius of Lyon | allusion, high confidence | ca. 428-434 |
Revelation 1:5
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:5 | Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.1 · Victorinus of Pettau | quotation, high confidence | late 3rd century |
| Rev 1:5 | Res. 3.5 · Methodius of Olympus | quotation, high confidence | late 3rd cent. (disputed) |
| Rev 1:5 | Church History 5.2.3 · Eusebius of Caesarea | allusion, high confidence | ca. 300–325 |
| Rev 1:5 | Tractates on the Psalms 118.21.8 · Hilary of Poitiers | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 360–367 |
| Rev 1:5 | Oration 40.2 · Gregory of Nazianzus | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 362–383 |
| Rev 1:5 | Eleven Tractates 1.30 · Priscillian | quotation, high confidence | ca. 380–385 |
| Rev 1:5 | Exposition of Psalm 118 20.3.2 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 386-397 |
| Rev 1:5 | Explanation of Twelve Psalms 39.17.2 · Ambrose | echo, low confidence | ca. 387-397 |
Revelation 1:6
who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:6 | On Pascha 68 · text not on this site · Melito of Sardis | echo, low confidence | ca. 160-180 |
| Rev 1:6 | Prophetic Extracts 44.1 · Clement of Alexandria | echo, medium confidence | ca. 200 |
| Rev 1:6 | Exhortation to Chastity 7 · Tertullian | quotation, high confidence | ca. 208 |
| Rev 1:6 | On Monogamy 7 · Tertullian | allusion, high confidence | ca. 210–217 |
| Rev 1:6 | On Monogamy 12 · Tertullian | quotation, high confidence | ca. 210–217 |
| Rev 1:6 | On the Crown 15 · Tertullian | allusion, high confidence | 211 |
| Rev 1:6 | Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.1 · Victorinus of Pettau | quotation, high confidence | late 3rd century |
| Rev 1:6 | Divine Institutes 7.6.1 · Lactantius | echo, low confidence | ca. 303–311 |
| Rev 1:6 | Exposition of Psalm 118 17.21.1 · Ambrose | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 386-397 |
| Rev 1:6 | On the Mysteries 6 · Ambrose | echo, low confidence | ca. 387–391 |
| Rev 1:6 | Letters 25.5 · Paulinus of Nola | echo, low confidence | ca. 394–413 |
Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:7 | Epistle of Barnabas 7.9 · Anonymous | echo, medium confidence | ca. 70–135 (often ca. 130) |
| Rev 1:7 | Sibylline Oracles 8.211ff. · Anonymous | allusion, medium confidence | 2nd-3rd cent. |
| Rev 1:7 | Dialogue with Trypho 14.8 · Justin Martyr | echo, medium confidence | ca. 155–160 |
| Rev 1:7 | Against the Jews 14 · Tertullian | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 197–207 |
| Rev 1:7 | On the Flesh of Christ 24 · Tertullian | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 206–211 |
| Rev 1:7 | Lines 1027–1058 · Commodian | allusion, high confidence | 3rd century (disputed) |
| Rev 1:7 | Instructions 1.36 · Commodian | allusion, medium confidence | 3rd century (disputed) |
| Rev 1:7 | Commentary on Matthew, Latin Series 50 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 244–249 (Latin translation, 4th–5th century) |
| Rev 1:7 | Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.1 · Victorinus of Pettau | quotation, high confidence | late 3rd century |
| Rev 1:7 | Oration to the Assembly of the Saints 18.3 · Constantine the Great | echo, medium confidence | ca. 325 (dated variously 317–325) |
| Rev 1:7 | Against Marcellus 2.4.4 · Eusebius of Caesarea | allusion, low confidence | ca. 336–337 |
| Rev 1:7 | Catechetical Lecture 13.36 · Cyril of Jerusalem | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 350 |
| Rev 1:7 | Long recension, Smyrnaeans 4 · Anonymous | allusion, medium confidence | later 4th century (probable) |
| Rev 1:7 | On the Trinity 3.16 · Hilary of Poitiers | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 356–360 |
| Rev 1:7 | Letter 181 · Gregory of Nazianzus | allusion, high confidence | ca. 360–390 |
| Rev 1:7 | Oration 40.45 · Gregory of Nazianzus | allusion, high confidence | ca. 362–383 |
| Rev 1:7 | Question 105, section 1 · Ambrosiaster | quotation, high confidence | ca. 370–384 |
| Rev 1:7 | Apostolic Constitutions 5.20.2 · Anonymous | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 380 |
| Rev 1:7 | On the Christian Faith 2.4 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 378–380 |
| Rev 1:7 | Poem 27, lines 415–444 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, high confidence | ca. 393–431 |
Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.
Revelation 1:9
I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus.
Revelation 1:10
On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:10 | To the Magnesians 9.1 · Ignatius of Antioch | echo, low confidence | ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) |
| Rev 1:10 | On the Soul 8 · Tertullian | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 210 |
| Rev 1:10 | Against Celsus 8.22 · Origen | echo, low confidence | ca. 248 |
| Rev 1:10 | Tricennial Oration (In Praise of Constantine) 17.14 · Eusebius of Caesarea | echo, low confidence | 335–336 |
| Rev 1:10 | On the Words of Scripture 3 · Marius Victorinus | allusion, low confidence | ca. 357–362 |
Revelation 1:11
saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:11 | Homilies on Numbers 3.3 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410) |
| Rev 1:11 | Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.7 · Victorinus of Pettau | allusion, high confidence | late 3rd century |
| Rev 1:11 | Against Parmenian the Donatist 6.3 · Optatus of Milevis | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 366–385 |
| Rev 1:11 | Letter 49.2 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 386–430 |
| Rev 1:11 | Letter 55.10 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 386–430 |
Revelation 1:12
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:12 | Against Heresies 4.20.11 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| Rev 1:12 | To Quirinus 1.20 · Cyprian of Carthage | allusion, high confidence | ca. 248–250 (book 3 perhaps later) |
| Rev 1:12–18 | To Quirinus 2.26 · Cyprian of Carthage | quotation, high confidence | ca. 248–250 (book 3 perhaps later) |
| Rev 1:12 | To Fortunatus 11 · Cyprian of Carthage | allusion, high confidence | 253 or 257 |
| Rev 1:12 | On the Making of the World 8 · Victorinus of Pettau | allusion, high confidence | late 3rd century |
| Rev 1:12 | Letter 24.5 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 386–430 |
| Rev 1:12 | Letters 3.5 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 394–413 |
| Rev 1:12 | Letters 5.7 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 394–413 |
Revelation 1:13
and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe, with a golden sash around His chest.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:13 | The Instructor 2.10.113 · Clement of Alexandria | allusion, high confidence | ca. 190–200 |
| Rev 1:13 | Against Heresies 4.20.11 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| Rev 1:13 | Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.2 · Victorinus of Pettau | quotation, high confidence | late 3rd century |
| Rev 1:13 | Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.4 · Victorinus of Pettau | quotation, high confidence | late 3rd century |
| Rev 1:13 | Eleven Tractates 1.30 · Priscillian | quotation, high confidence | ca. 380–385 |
Revelation 1:14
The hair of His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like a blazing fire.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:14 | Against Heresies 4.20.11 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| Rev 1:14 | The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity 5 · Anonymous | allusion, medium confidence | 203 |
| Rev 1:14 | On the Dress of Virgins 16 · Cyprian of Carthage | quotation, high confidence | ca. 249 |
| Rev 1:14 | Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.2 · Victorinus of Pettau | allusion, high confidence | late 3rd century |
| Rev 1:14 | Letter 10.2 · Jerome | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| Rev 1:14 | Eleven Tractates 1.30 · Priscillian | quotation, high confidence | ca. 380–385 |
| Rev 1:14 | Letters 49.3 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, high confidence | ca. 394–413 |
| Rev 1:14 | Literal Commentary on Genesis 9.2 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 401–415 |
Revelation 1:15
His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:15 | Against Heresies 4.14.2 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| Rev 1:15 | Against Heresies 4.20.11 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| Rev 1:15 | Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.5 · Victorinus of Pettau | quotation, high confidence | late 3rd century |
| Rev 1:15 | Eleven Tractates 1.30 · Priscillian | quotation, high confidence | ca. 380–385 |
| Rev 1:15 | Literal Commentary on Genesis 9.2 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 401–415 |
Revelation 1:16
He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
Revelation 1:17
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:17 | Against Heresies 4.20.11 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| Rev 1:17–18 | Commentary on John 1.132 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 230–248 |
| Rev 1:17 | Commentary on John 1.209 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 230–248 |
| Rev 1:17 | Commentary on John 1.219 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 230–248 |
| Rev 1:17 | Commentary on John 1.220 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 230–248 |
| Rev 1:17 | Sermon 298.1 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 391-430 |
| Rev 1:17 | Letters 2 · Capreolus of Carthage | quotation, high confidence | 431-433 |
Revelation 1:18
the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:18 | Against Heresies 4.20.11 · Irenaeus of Lyons | quotation, high confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| Rev 1:18 | Commentary on John 1.227 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 230–248 |
| Rev 1:18 | Against Arius 3.17 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 357–362 |
| Rev 1:18 | Tractates 2.55.1 · Zeno of Verona | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 362-380 |
| Rev 1:18 | Tractates 2.62.1 · Zeno of Verona | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 362-380 |
| Rev 1:18 | Eleven Tractates 1.30 · Priscillian | quotation, high confidence | ca. 380–385 |
| Rev 1:18 | Letters 2 · Capreolus of Carthage | quotation, high confidence | 431-433 |
Revelation 1:20
This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 1:20 | Against Heresies 5.20.1 · Irenaeus of Lyons | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 180–190 |
| Rev 1:20 | On Prayer 11.3 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 233–234 |
| Rev 1:20 | To Quirinus 1.20 · Cyprian of Carthage | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 248–250 (book 3 perhaps later) |
| Rev 1:20 | Tractates on the Psalms 129.7 · Hilary of Poitiers | allusion, high confidence | ca. 360–367 |
| Rev 1:20 | Oration 42.9 · Gregory of Nazianzus | allusion, high confidence | ca. 362–383 |
| Rev 1:20 | Against Parmenian the Donatist 2.6 · Optatus of Milevis | allusion, high confidence | ca. 366–385 |
| Rev 1:20 | Book of Rules 2 · Tyconius | allusion, high confidence | ca. 380 |
| Rev 1:20 | On Christian Doctrine 3.30 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | Books 1–3 ca. 396–397; completed 426–427 |