Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fifth Sunday of Easter

New Jerusalem, Bamberg Apocalypse Folio 55r

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. (Rev 21:1–7)

And from this is shown the expression of newness of transformation characteristic of greater joy, which the Jerusalem from above will reach, descending from the bodiless powers above onto human beings on account of both sides <human and angelic> having a common head, Christ our God. This city is to be held together by the saints—about whom it is written, “Holy stones are employed upon the earth”—having the cornerstone Christ. It is called, on the one hand, city as the dwelling place of the Royal Trinity—who dwells in her and walks about in her as it has been promised—and, on the other hand, bride since she is united to the Master being joined to the highest and inseparable union, adorned, as if within, according to the Psalmist, having glory and beauty in the varied abundance of virtues.

From heaven the saint is taught that this tabernacle is real, of which the type was shown to Moses, rather the prefiguration of the type, which happens <to be> the type of the Church today. In this “tabernacle not made by hands” there will be neither weeping nor tear. For the Provider of everlasting joy will give the unceasing delight to be seen by all the saints.

Andrew of Caesarea, Commentary on the Apocalypse