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Revelation 2:10-12
New Catholic Bible
Revelation 2:10-12
New Catholic Bible
10 Do not be frightened when thinking about the sufferings that you will have to endure. The devil will throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and you will endure affliction for ten days. Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11 “ ‘ “Whoever has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the Churches. Anyone who is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.” ’
12 To Pergamum.[a]“To the angel of the Church in Pergamum,[b] write:
“ ‘These are the words of the one who has the sharp double-edged sword:
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Revelation 2:12 In this city, a main center of emperor worship, the presence of Satan is visible. Deviant heresies, like that of the Nicolaitans, glorify participation in pagan forms of worship and in the moral disorders they represent, which in the eyes of the Old Testament is tantamount to prostitution. The episode of Balaam is evoked to stigmatize these wanderings of the conscience of believers (see Num 25:3; 31:16). The reward is illustrated by two symbols: the manna, i.e., the food of life (see Ps 78:24f), evokes all the blessings God bestows on those who remain faithful to him, blessings of which the Eucharist is the sign (see Ex 16:32-34; 2 Mac 2:4-8; Heb 9:4); the white stone probably recalls the stones upon which Greeks wrote the names of the candidates for whom they were voting in elections. God chooses us.
- Revelation 2:12 Pergamum: the ancient capital of Asia, built on a hill. Its name means “citadel” in Greek and is the origin of the word “parchment.” It was the center of emperor worship in Asia.
