The Perfect Shape of Heaven

The City of Jerusalem – the Holy City – became a personification of God’s chosen people in the books of the Prophets, and as such was greatly criticized by them for rejecting God and his law.  The New Jerusalem – the Bride of Christ – would be filled with those who obeyed his commandments.  The following is taken from the Exposition on the Seven Visions of the Book of Revelation, by St. Ambrose (d. 397):

“ ‘The city was four-square, and was as wide as it was long’ (Revelation 21, 16).  The equality of the dimensions of the city signifies the perfection of the saints.  No matter on what side you set a cube-shaped stone, it stands upright.  And if you carefully consider the cube-shaped stone – or anything else that is cube-shaped – you can discern the perfection of the Church in it, for it has six sides, eight corners, and twelve lines.  The six sides signify the perfection of good works, for ‘six’ is a perfect number.  The cube has eight corners, of which four are with respect to the earth, and four are with respect to heaven.  Four corners signify the Gospels: their number is multiplied by two because commend us to the love of God [heaven] and the love of neighbor [earth].  The four corners with respect to heaven indicate that God must be loved above all things.  The four corners with respect to the earth indicate that we must love our neighbors as ourselves.  The twelve lines signify the faith of the twelve Apostles.  Three lines go forth from each corner, and this indicates that the faith of the Holy Trinity has gone forth from Christ in the Apostles, which is the Gospel, which is divided into four books, that it might depart to all nations.  We have said all this about the cube-shaped stone in order to show the perfection of the Church in the equal-sided city.  And because this city has the equal sides of a cube, its length is the same measure as its width.  Its length signifies eternal glory, and its width signifies charity.  So, as the length of the city, so the width of the city: as greatly as each of the faithful has loved in this life, so great is the heavenly beatitude he will possess; and as little as he loved in this life, so little heavenly beatitude shall he possess.”