"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him, and showed unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass, and signified it. Blessed are they who read and hear the words of this prophecy, and keep the things which are written." The beginning of the book promises blessing to him that reads and hears and keeps, that he who takes pains about the reading may thence learn to do works, and may keep the precepts.
He wishes to make clear that the reading does not accomplish the obedience of the commandments, nor does the hearing display the completion of an accomplished deed. Rather, that alone is perfection, when you perform with understanding what you read and what you hear. “The time is short.” For those who accomplish these things, he does not prolong the time of recompense, but he says that the giving of the divine reward is near.
Blessed is he who reads, etc. Therefore, teachers and hearers are blessed, because the short time of labor is followed by eternal joys for those who keep the word of God.
He does not call them blessed who are readers alone, because there would be many who would be blessed because there were many readers, but it is meant for those who hear and keep the warnings in the prophecy, and those who faithfully keep and observe its commands as divine laws.
For he says, the time is at hand. For everyone who keeps the commandments of God the time of blessedness is at hand. That is what he means or he could mean that the conclusion of what he said is close at hand. What is meant by at hand has already been explained.
Blessed He tells the hearers to listen to the power of the book; that is, how to get blessedness, saying: Blessed is he that reads Referring to the doctors of the Church, who hear Referring to pious students, The words of this prophesy, By keeping in mind. and keeps those things that are written in it; By enduring the future trials, and the reason is added: For the time is at hand, already passing, as if to say, the suffering is brief and the reward of blessedness is forever.
[AD 304] Victorinus of Pettau on Revelation 1:1-3