Seven Trumpets of the Book of Revelation in the Interpretation of Oecumenius

Among the comments of the Church Fathers on the Book of Revelation, an important place is occupied by the comment of Oecumenius. It is considered to be the earliest Greek commentary on the Apocalypse. The article deals with the analysis of the interpretation of the passage of the “Seven Trumpets” (Rev 8:7–9:21; 11:15–19), by byzantine theologian Oecumenius. It was found that Oecumenius used a symbolic and allegorical method of interpretation. There some negative aspects of the excessive allegorization of biblical symbols were established. Oecumenius also puts sometimes into the biblical notions a meaning that is not present in the text itself.  Oecumenius interprets the vision of the seven trumpets in the context of the doctrine of eternal torment and the doctrine of apocatastasis. It has been found that this understanding of the vision of the Seven Trumpets is inconsistent with the general teaching of Scripture about the fate of sinners and the salvation of the faithful. There are no texts in the Bible that support the doctrine of the salvation of the devil and demons. It is revealed that the Byzantine exegete sees the fulfilment of the vision of the Seven Trumpets in the distant future, after the general resurrection and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It was found that the futuristic interpretation of Oecumenius does not correspond to the biblical context and structure of the book of Revelation. Nothing in the text of the Seven Trumpets says that events will be after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Interpretation of the concept of the “third part” by Oecumenius corresponds to the context of seven trumpets representing God’s partial judgments mixed with mercy and expectation of repentance. Also important for Oecumenius is the doctrine of the Trinity, and therefore, when interpreting the seven trumpets, he refers to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Although the text does not explicitly mention the Three Persons of the Deity, the context of the Book of Revelation confirms that the words of Oecumenius about the worship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are correct. Analyzing the interpretation of Oecumenius, we can conclude that its interpretation is filled with references to other Old Testament and New Testament texts. We see further consideration of the indicated scientific problems in clarifying the connection between the interpretation of the passage “Seven Trumpets” of Oecumenius and other commentators of his time; a detailed analysis of the interpretation of Seven Trumpets in connection with the vision of Seven Churches, Seals and plages.