Interpreting the Apocalypse: the Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Hidden Meanings of History

"Everything that happened to the Person of Christ will happen to His Church." So, where are we now? At the Crowning, the Scourging or the Way of the Cross?

From One Peter Five

By Robert Lazu Kmita, PhD

Among the epochal books I have reread countless times over the past twenty years, a special place is occupied by Joseph Ratzinger’s famous post-doctoral dissertation, Die Geschichtstheologie des heiligen Bonaventura (1959). Translated into English in 1971 under the title The Theology of History in Saint Bonaventure, the work presents one of the most fascinating debates in the entire history of Christian theology.

Broadly, the context involves a sophisticated doctrine about how the entire history of the world can be interpreted to clarify the meaning of the book with seven seals, which opens chapter 5 of the Apocalypse of Saint John. As the purpose of this article is not to discuss all the interpretations proposed by Joachim of Fiore (c.1135–1202) and, following in his footsteps, by Saint Bonaventure (1221–1274), I will only mention here the central idea of the theology of history developed by the two.

From Head to Members: the Life of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Reflected in His Church

At its core, this is a theological-ecclesiological idea asserting that everything experienced and suffered by the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Incarnate Divine Logos—Jesus Christ—during His earthly life will be experienced by His mystical body, the Church He founded. In other words, everything that applies on a “micro” level to the divine-human person of Jesus Christ applies on a “macro” level to His Church. If this is the case, the consequences of such a doctrine are truly remarkable. For alongside the great signs that allow us to discern the approach of the end of the world,[1] the analogies between the life and Passion of the Savior Christ and the existence and sufferings of the Church provide a complete framework for interpreting history and discerning the nearness of the end times. To make things as clear as possible, I will propose a few examples—hopefully eloquent ones.

One of the key moments in the Savior’s earthly life was His condemnation to death by Caiaphas. The most significant passage can be found in chapter 11 of the Gospel according to John:

One of them, named Caiphas, being the high priest that year, said to them: ‘You know nothing. Neither do you consider that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.’ And this he spoke not of himself: but being the high priest of that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation. And not only for the nation, but to gather together in one the children of God, that were dispersed. From that day therefore they devised to put him to death (John 11: 49-53).

Here we encounter one of the Bible’s mysteries: how is it possible that the very person who—practically speaking—determined the Savior’s death sentence could also prophesy? The Holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church have commented extensively on this aspect. Upon careful reading, however, an even more disturbing element emerges: this deeply anti-Christic figure holds the very office that Saint Francis de Sales (1567–1622) considered analogous to that of the Pope—because Caiaphas is none other than the High Priest of the chosen people. The question arising from this observation and emphasis is even more unsettling than the first mystery noted above. How can such a profound penetration of evil occur within the religion of the chosen people?

How is it possible for God to permit the hierarchs of His religion to become mere instruments of the devil, condemning to death God Himself? I believe many of us have pondered such questions. But let us return to the analogy between the Passion of the Savior Christ and the sufferings of His Church.

Once we have noted the anti-Christ figure of Caiaphas, who, as we clearly see from the excerpt quoted from the Gospel of John, was the very “trigger” for the decision to condemn and execute Our Lord, Jesus Christ, we can move forward by asking ourselves: who could be, in the history of the Church, that character similar to Caiaphas? Who could be that person—or that collective entity (or institutional entity, if you prefer)—that might fulfill his role?

Evidently, we are venturing into the difficult and slippery territory of hypotheses. However, what matters is that we have a direction for reflection in which everything we can formulate—no matter how imprecise—follows a line of interpretation where the particular events in the life of Christ the Savior are transposed into the macro-dimension of His Church to decipher the meaning of historical events.

Christ and Caiaphas in the Spiritual History of the Church: Two Possible Scenarios

Following this line of interpretation, here are two potential working hypotheses. The first focuses on apersonal dimension of Caiaphas, identified as the Antichrist, suggesting that this figure could only be someone capable of prohibiting the presence of the Savior in the real form of His Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. This would involve someone capable, through a decree or a law (civil or ecclesiastical?), of banning divine worship—a scenario already prophesied by Daniel in his Old Testament book. Who might this individual be? This question opens the path to identifying a leader capable of imposing such a tyrannical decision.

Another working hypothesis, however, does not center on a personal Caiaphas—a single leader—but rather on a collective figure, embodied by a group of wicked and false individuals who would abandon the true worship (i.e., adoration) owed exclusively to God in favor of a false religion or a counterfeit Christian cult. Evidently, this hypothesis also implies the prohibition—whether by (an unjust) law or by practice—of the Holy Eucharist. It would resemble, for instance, those Anglicans who perverted the timeless Liturgy, replacing it with a cult not only illicit but also invalid (for deeper reflection, I warmly recommend the first volume of Michael Davies’ trilogy, The Liturgical Revolution, titled Cranmer’s Godly Order).

As these two examples suggest, the presence of Christ in history is presumed to be Eucharistic, manifest in the Holy Liturgy of His Church. Clearly, it is not necessary to postulate the outright replacement of a legitimate liturgy with invalid ones; it is enough to involve sacrilegious or illicit liturgies, where the real presence of the Savior is mocked by those who participate without adoring, respecting, or truly loving Him by fulfilling His commandments.

Another interpretative direction could envision Christ’s presence as residing in the souls of baptized Christians, who bear in their hearts the supernatural grace of Faith. In this case, His condemnation to death would signify the apostasy of many Christians (i.e., Catholics), abandoning their faith in pursuit of an earthly happiness that otherwise seems unattainable. This hypothesis has the advantage of explaining—following the famous interpretation of Tichonius, later developed and refined by Saint Augustine—both the manifestation of the Antichrist and the great apostasy at the end of history. These events, according to the Roman Catechism, are considered two major signs of the end of the world and the imminence of the final judgment.

Three Days of Darkness: the Body of Christ in the Tomb

Experimentally following this interpretive line, I have associated the famous Three Days of Darkness prophesied by Blessed Anna Maria Taigi with the three days Christ spent in the tomb.[2] Thus, the concrete historical fact has been interpreted allegorically to correspond to the final period in the Church’s history: the manifestation of the Antichrist, during which the testimony and presence of Christ’s Social Kingdom will be excluded, leaving His mystical Body effectively “buried” for three days.

Summarizing the hypotheses proposed above, I will restate their exegetical core: all the crucial events leading to the condemnation and execution of Christ will be repeated, on a universal scale, in the life of His Church—which is nothing other than His mystical Body. Thus, proportionally, what the Head endured, the members will endure as well. This is the essence of the theory developed by Joachim of Fiore and followed, in his own way, by Saint Bonaventure.

This type of interpretation is not new. It has been employed since the time of the great Fathers and Doctors of the Church. For example, Saint Bede the Venerable, in his interpretation of the opening of the seven seals in Revelation chapters 6–8, follows the analogy between the life of Christ and the drama of His Church. He refers specifically to the breaking of the sixth seal, “which is going to occur at the time of the Antichrist.”[3] Similarly, the renowned medieval scholar Abbot Alcuin of York (735–804) asserts that the earthquake is a sign of the final persecution under the Antichrist. Saints Victorinus of Pettau (?–304) and Caesarius of Arles (c. 470–543) hold the same view.[4] However, as I have already stated in an article on Saint Cardinal John Henry Newman’s interpretation of the Apocalypse, the nature of the final persecution is a subject that allows for nuanced readings.[5]

Who Is Preventing the Manifestation of the Antichrist?

Deepening the analogy between Christ’s trial and Passion and the situation of the Church, we might ask—after already suggesting the identification of Caiaphas with the Antichrist—who is the mysterious τὸ κατέχον (tò katéchon) mentioned by Saint Paul in II Thessalonians 2:6–7. As I explored in a previous essay,[6] discussing this subject requires careful attention to the nuances of Paul’s text. Another direction, however, is the one proposed in this article: who, in the context of Christ’s life, was the katéchon preventing—at least initially—the manifestation of the Antichrist?

The answer is self-evident: the Roman Empire, represented by Pilate. As we all know, Pilate resisted until the last moment the desire of those who demanded Christ’s execution. Only when he decided to stop opposing them did the condemnation and crucifixion become possible. If we approach the Apocalypse of Saint John alongside the prophecies of Daniel, we can imagine a scenario where the prohibition of the Holy Liturgy (and thus the Holy Eucharist)—representing the “execution” of Christ on the scale of the entire Church—would be hindered by a figure (secular or ecclesiastical?) attempting, “diplomatically” (as Pilate did), to allow its survival. Yet, in the end, overwhelmed by immense pressure from opponents and his own weakness (or cowardice), he would give in. What would follow is clear: the prohibition of worship due to God and, above all, of His real presence—body and blood, soul and divinity—in the Holy Eucharist.

Of course, such a scenario is based entirely on my conjectures. Thus, it holds no greater value than that of a simple hypothesis. Yet, insofar as it follows the interpretive framework of history proposed by Saint Bonaventure, it might lead to reflections that shed light on the situation of today’s world and, especially, of the Church.

The core issue, however, always ties back to the fact that our spiritual blindness (a consequence of the lingering effects of original sin) prevents us from seeing history as it was seen by the little visionaries of Fatima, reflected in that marvelous mirror that is God Himself.[7] Therefore, without jumping to hasty conclusions, we can attempt to understand our historical experiences by praying and meditating on the possible implications of the interpretation proposed by Saint Bonaventure, as presented in his dissertation by Joseph Ratzinger.

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[1] The first article in my series dedicated to discussing these signs was recently published in The Remnant: “What are the Signs of the End of the World? Can we Decipher Them?” (https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/7473-what-are-the-signs-of-the-end-of-the-world-can-we-decipher-them) According to the Roman Catechism, these signa magna (“great signs”) are three: 1) the universal/global spread of the Gospel (“the preaching of the Gospel throughout the world”); 2) the great apostasy (“a falling away from the faith”); 3) the manifestation of the Antichrist (“the coming of Antichrist”).

[2] “The Three Days of Darkness: The True Prophecy of Anna Maria Taigi:” https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/6892-the-three-days-of-darkness-the-true-prophecy-of-anna-maria-taigi [Accessed: 18 November 2024]

[3] Saint Bede’s commentary on the 6th chapter of Apocalypse can be read here: http://www.apocalyptic-theories.com/theories/bede/bedei6.html [Accessed: 18 November 2024]

[4] See Latin Commentaries on Revelation, Edited and Translated with an Introduction and Notes by William C. Weinrich, IVP Academic, 2011.

[5] “The Last Persecution: Some Insights on Antichrist from Saint John Henry Newman:” https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/6887-the-last-persecution-some-insights-on-antichrist-from-saint-john-henry-newman [Accessed: 18 November 2024]

[6] “The Antichrist is No Longer Restrained:” https://onepeterfive.com/the-antichrist-is-no-longer-restrained/ [Accessed: 18 November 2024]

[7] In the third part of the secret we can read the following: “And we saw in an immense light that is God: ‘something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it’ a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression that it was the Holy Father’.” (https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000626_message-fatima_en.html)

Pictured: Christ Before the High Priest, by Gerard van Honthorst (c.1617) - Public Domain,  Wikimedia Commons