In Rev 5^ the ' seven horns ' symbolize the power of the Lamb as the victorious Christ, and the ' seven,' which throughout the OT and the NT represents fullness, here denotes the all-sufficiency of that power. In the 'horns of the golden altar ' in Rev 9'^ we seem to have an echo of Ex 27^* ^ ; as H. B. Swete says (The Apocalypse of St. Johji^, 121), there may here be some allusion to the 'four corners of the earth ' mentioned in 7^, and the ' single ' voice is a suitable mouthpiece for the single-hearted and unanimous desire of the Church throughout the world. In Rev 12* the great red dragon is furnished with ten horns. The horns, liowever, are not croAvned, and it is interesting in this connexion to compare and contrast the account of the wild beast of the sea (13'), where the beast is represented as having ten diadems on its ten horns. The ten cro^vned horns in the latter pas- sage (13^) denote ten kings and represent the forces which, arising out of the Roman Empire itself, like horns out of a beast's head, would ultimately bring about its dissolution. The second beast (Rev 13'^) is of a difl'erent character : he has ' two horns like unto a lamb,' but, notwithstanding his gentle and docile appearance, ' he spake as a dragon.' He represents a religious power, and at once recalls the ' false prophets (Mt 7^') which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.' Lastly, ' a scarlet-coloured beast • . . having seven heads and ten horns' (Rev 17*), is the undoerof ' the OTeat harlot' (v.i®). The reference is again to the doom of the Roman Empire. The ten horns are ' ten kings which have received no kingdom as yet ' (v.^), but are destined to ' receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.' Both the kings and the beast to whom ' they give their power and authority ' will be impotent in their attack against the Lamb, but nevertheless they are destined to be the wilUng or unwilling agents of the Divine purpose — ' they shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh and shall burn her utterly with fire. For God did put in their hearts to do his mind.' The harlot is the great city (i.e. Rome ; v.^^), and she was to receive her death-blow at the hands of those who ' have received no kingdom as yet.' The Seer's prediction was amply verified by the numer- ous invasions of barbarian hordes, which blackened the page of Rome's history in the 5th and 6th cen- turies A.D., and finally laid its long-established Empire in ruins.
LrrERATtmE. — H. B. Swete, The Apocalypse of St. John^, 1907, pp. 78, 120, 149, 221 f., 224 f. ; Murray's DB, 355 ; HDB ii. 415 f.; £Bii. 209f. P. S. P. HaNDCOCK.
HORSE In the NT, as in the OT, the horse is
always the war-horse, never the gentle, domesti- cated creature beloved by the modern Arab. Asses, mules, and camels were the beasts used by the Jews in common life, both for riding and burden-bearing.
(1) When Christian art depicts the conversion of St. Paul, it usually represents him as falling from an aft'righted horse to the earth. The narrative in Acts does not state that he was riding at all, but it seems probable that as the emissary of the High Priest, engaged on important and urgent business (Ac 9^^), he would not make a journey of 150 miles on foot. His task and his spuit were warlike — he was breathing threatening and slaughter — and he may have taken a small troop of horsemen with him. Strict Pharisees, however, never rode on horseback, and it is at least as likely that he and his companions were mounted on asses or mules.
(2) When St. Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, and had to be taken beyond the reach of con- spirators, he was escorted to Csesarea by a company of 70 horsemen (Ac 23-'*" *-). These cavalry, which had been temporarily assisting the Roman garrison in Judaea, had their headquarters at Csesarea. Josephus makes repeated reference to an ala of Sebastian and Csesarean horsemen that was at- tached to the auxiliary cohorts (see Schiirer, HJP I. ii. [1890] 52). The single cohort which was stationed in Jerusalem all the year round was apparently re-inforced at the time of the Passover by cavalry and infantry from Caesarea.
(3) St. James (3-^-) uses the bridling of the horse, whose ' whole body ' is thereby turned at the rider's pleasure, to illustrate the complete self- control which a man achieves by merely bridling his lips. It is generally true that if the tongue does not utter the angry word, the hand does not grasp the sword, the feet do not run to evil and make haste to shed blood.
(4) The horse is conspicuous in the symbolism of the Apocalypse (15 references). Like the fiery steed in Job (39'^"^), he goes forth to meet the armed men, and smells the battle from afar. Whether he belongs to the Church militant, or to some worldly power, or to the under world, he is always the war-horse — always 'prepared unto battle' or 'running to battle' (Rev 9^-^). He is familiar with ' the sounds of chariots ' (9*). When he appears, we expect to see the rider's drawn sword (19-') ; we are not surprised at the sight of blood ; and in one gruesome scene the deep pools of gore come up to the horses' bridles (14-"). A white horse represents victory, a red horse carnage, a black horse famine, and a pale horse death (6^"^). One victorious trooper carries a bow (6-) ; he is the light-armed Parthian, whose shafts were so dreaded by the Romans — ' fidentemque fuga Parthum vers- isque sagittis' (Virg. Georg. iii. 31). A host of fiendish mounted horses, 200,000,000 strong, armed with breastplates of red, blue, and yellow (of tire and hyacinth and brimstone, 9"), are more like the steeds of those heavy-armed Parthians who ap- peared at Can-hae ' with their helmets and breast- plates flashing with flame . . . and the horses equipped with mail of brass and iron' (Pint. Crasstis, 24). But these fiend-horses are monsters, which have the heads of lions, and breathe fire and smoke and brimstone (cf. Wis IP*; Virg. .^n. vii. 281). Against the armies of earth and Hades Christ comes forth from the opened heavens sit- ting on a white horse, and all His followers ride on white horses and are clad in white uniform (Rev 19^^-^^). The combined forces of evil make