Victorinus of Pettau — On the Creation of the World (eighth day)
And therefore David in the sixth Psalm for the eighth day asks the Lord not to rebuke him in wrath nor judge him in fury (Ps. 6:1); for this is indeed the eighth day of that future judgment, which will pass beyond the order of the sevenfold arrangement. Jesus also the son of Nun, Moses' successor, himself broke the Sabbath, for on the Sabbath day he commanded the children of Israel (Josh. 6:3) to go round the walls of Jericho with trumpets and declare war on the foreigners. Mattathias also, prince of Judah, broke the Sabbath; for on the Sabbath he killed the prefect of Antiochus king of Syria (1 Macc. 2:26, 40–41) and subjected the foreigners by his pursuit. And in Matthew we read it written; Isaiah also and the rest of his colleagues broke the Sabbath (Matt. 12:3)—so that that true and just Sabbath might be kept in the seventh millennium of years.
For this reason the Lord assigned to these seven days single thousands of years; for so it is written: In your eyes, Lord, a thousand years are as one day (Ps. 90:4). Therefore in God's eyes single thousands of years are established, for I have seven eyes of the Lord (Zech. 4:10). Wherefore, as I recalled, that true Sabbath is also the seven thousand years in which Christ will reign with His elect. There are also seven heavens that suit those days; for so it is written: By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the spirit of His mouth all their power (Ps. 33:6).
These are the seven spirits. Their names are the spirits that rested upon Christ of God, as it is written in the prophet Isaiah: And the spirit of wisdom and understanding rests upon Him, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and piety, and the spirit of the fear of God filled Him (Isa. 11:2–3). The highest heaven therefore is of wisdom, the second of understanding, the third of counsel, the fourth of might, the fifth of knowledge, the sixth of piety, the seventh of the fear of God. From this, then, thunders roar, rivers stretch out, fires gather, burning beams appear, stars shine—sometimes the sun and moon also visit one another; and those things beyond the formidable, shining with light in the sight of His face, take effect. The Just One is the authority of all creation; Word is His name, for so His Father says: My heart has uttered a good word (Ps. 45:1). John the evangelist says thus: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; this was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made (John 1:1–3). Therefore He is first made of creation, second of the human race, as the apostle says (1 Cor. 15:45, 47). This Word, then, when He made light, is called wisdom; when heaven, understanding; when earth and sea, counsel; when sun and moon and the other bright things, power; when He stirs earth and sea, knowledge; when He fashioned the human, piety; when He blesses and sanctifies the human, He has the name fear of God.
Latin
Et ideo David in Psalmo sexto pro die octavo Domino rogat ne in ira, neque in furore (Ps., VI, 1), suo arguat eum, aut judicet; hic est enim revera futuri illius judicii dies octavus, qui extra ordinem septimanae dispositionis excessurus est. Jesus quoque Nave, successor Moysis, et ipse sabbatum resolvit, die enim sabbati praecepit filiis Israel (Jos., VI, 3), ut muros civitatis Hiericho tubicinibus circuirent, et bellum allophylis indicarent. Matthias (Mathathias. interp. Vulgat. ) autem princeps Judae sabbatum resolvit; nam praefectum Antiochi regis Syriae sabbato occidit (I Macc., II, 26, 40, 41), et allophylos sua persecutione subjecit. Et apud Matthaeum scriptum legimus; Esaias quoque et caeteri collegae ejus sabbatum resolverunt (Mat., XII, 3). Ut verum illud et justum sabbatum septimo milliario annorum observaretur. Quamobrem septem diebus istis Dominus singula millia annorum adsignavit, sic enim cautum est, In oculis tuis, Domine, mille anni ut dies una (Ps. LXXXIX, 4). Ergo in oculis Dei singula millia annorum constituta sunt, septem enim habeo oculos Domini (Zach., IV, 10). Quapropter, ut memoravi, verum illud sabbatum, et septem millia anni quo Christus cum electis suis regnaturus est. Septem quoque coeli sunt illis diebus conveniunt; sic enim cautum est; Verbo Domini coeli firmati sunt, et spiritu oris ejus omnis virtus eorum (Ps., XXXII, 6). Hi septem spiritus. Nomina sunt eorum spiritus, qui supra Christum Dei requieverunt, ut apud Esaiam prophetam cautum est. Et requiescit super eum spiritus sapientiae, et intellectus, spiritus consilii, et virtutis, spiritus sapientiae et pietatis, et replevit illum spiritus timoris Dei (Is., XI, 2, 3). Summum ergo coelum sapientiae, secundum intellectus, tertium consilii, quartum virtutis, quintum scientiae, sextum pietatis, septimun timoris Dei. Ex hoc ergo, tonitrua mugiunt, flumina extenduntur ignes conglobant, trabes ardentes apparent, sidera radiant, comae horribilis curabitur. Nonnunquam accedit etiam sol et luna invicem visitantur; atque illa ultra formibilia, lumine radiantia in acie aspectu ejus, efficiunt. Auctoritatem totius creaturae justus; Verbo cognomen est ei, sic enim dicit pater ejus, Eructatum est cor meum verbum bonum (Ps., XLV, 1). Joannes evangelista sic dicit: In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum; hoc erat in principio apud Deum: omnia per ipsum facta sunt, et sine eo factum est nihil (Joan., I. 1, 2, 3). Ergo primus factus creaturae est, secundus hominis humani generis, ut ait apostolus (I Cor., XV, 45, 47). Hoc igitur Verbum, cum lucem fecit, sapientia vocatur; cum coelum, intellectus; cum terram et mare, consilium; cum solem et lunam caeteraque clara, virtus; cum terram ac mare excitat, scientia; cum hominem finxit, pietas; cum hominem benedicit et sanctificat, timor, Dei nomen habet.