And no man was able, neither in heaven nor on earth nor under the earth, to open the book, nor to look on it.
και ουδεις εδυνατο εν τω ουρανω ανω OMIT ανω ουτε ουδε επι της γης ουτε ουδε υποκατω της γης ανοιξαι το βιβλιον ουτε βλεπειν αυτο
7 Church Fathers comment on this verse
"No one was able to open the book." That is, neither the angels, nor men existing in the flesh, nor the saints released from it, attained full knowledge of the judgments of the Godhead. Only the Lamb of God attained it, who by His coming fulfilled the prophecies formerly spoken about Him.
Yet this troubles the spirit. If we speak of the lower regions because they lie below, then as the earth is below heaven, so Hades must be below the earth.
Hence perhaps it is said through the Psalmist: "You have delivered my soul from the lowest Hades" (Ps 85:13).
This makes clear that the higher Hades is the earth, while Hades in the strict sense is under the earth.
The voice of John agrees with this judgment when he says that he saw a book sealed with seven seals.
Because there was no one worthy in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth to open this book and break its seals, he adds: "And I wept much" (Rev 5:4).
Yet afterward he says that this book will be opened by the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5).
What, of course, is designated by this book if not Holy Scripture, which only our Redeemer opened?
By becoming man, dying, rising, and ascending, He opened all the mysteries that were in it.
No one in heaven was worthy, because not even an angel could do this.
No one on earth was worthy, because not even a man living in the body could do this.
No one under the earth was found worthy, because even souls freed from the body could not reveal to us the secrets of the holy utterance apart from the Lord.
Therefore, since no one found under the earth is considered worthy to explain the book, I do not see what should hinder belief that Hades exists under the earth.
It is said that until now no one was found worthy in heaven. This means that the matter surpasses even the powers of angels.
This is not because the angels did not know that the mystery of the Lord's Incarnation and recompense was coming.
Rather, it is because this cannot be accomplished by the angelic nature.
For the Son of God had to redeem men by assuming true human nature, and He Himself wished to fulfill all things.
Therefore Isaiah says: "Not an angel, not a messenger, but the Lord Himself saved them" (cf. Isa 63:9).
"Nor on earth" means no one among the perfectly righteous who abide in this life.
For the rebirth of man required the help of the Creator Himself alone.
"Nor under the earth" means that none of the departed saints was worthy to open the book, or even to behold it.
To behold means to understand.
Thus Paul says that he preaches to the Gentiles the riches of Christ that are accessible to understanding (cf. Eph 3:8).
These are the revelations of the New Testament, hidden in the law, which Christ fulfilled by His coming.
No one can look upon this with a calm gaze. Still less can anyone accomplish in deed what Christ accomplished by His own will.
For they could only foresee it, but not bring it to pass.
This vision shows how the mysteries of Holy Scripture were revealed to us through the Incarnation of the Lord. Its harmonious unity contains the Old Testament, as it were, on the outside, and the New Testament within. Neither an angel nor any of the righteous, freed from the bonds of the flesh, could disclose or search out the mysteries of the divine law. Nor could they open the book, that is, contemplate the radiance of the grace of the New Testament. So also the sons of Israel could not look upon the face of the Lawgiver of the Old Testament, which contained the New within itself.
By the book they understand God's omniscience and the abyss of God's judgments. Once the Lord rebuked a man for unreasonable words about His providence (see Job chs. 38-41), although "that man was blameless, upright, God-fearing, and turned away from evil" (Job 1:1). Therefore no created nature can even look into such a book.
"No one was able, either in heaven or on earth or under the earth." This expression embraces the whole created world. "Under the earth" is noteworthy, for the inhabitants of the subterranean kingdom also are invited to open this book. To open the book meant either to read what was written in it oneself or to give others that possibility. But if, according to the seer, no one was able to open the mysterious book, this shows that it contained mysteries inaccessible to any created beings. The Apostle strengthens this inaccessibility by adding the words "or to look into it," that is, to penetrate its content.
Saint Andrew of Caesarea understands the sealed book as the mysterious decrees of the wise providence of God concerning the salvation of mankind. By the opening of the seals he understands the fulfillment of the divine decrees by the Only-begotten Son of God, the Savior of humanity, who gave Himself as a Lamb to be slain.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 20 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS