# Feeding the crowd and imprisoning the devil

Commentary on Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton.

On [CH08.P007](https://glosses.org/orthodoxy/pg16769-r1/CH08.P007/#char=1146,1199): "it chains up God as the Apocalypse chained the devil."

The Apocalypse is Revelation. In Revelation 20:1–3 an angel descends carrying a chain, binds the dragon identified as the devil and Satan, and confines him so that he cannot deceive the nations during the thousand years. Chesterton reverses the distribution of power: an intellectual system now performs on the creator the restraint that heaven imposes on its enemy. This is a pointed allusion, not a quotation or a literal account of materialists believing in an imprisoned deity. [Revelation 20:1–3, King James Version, Project Gutenberg transcription](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10).

The earlier feeding in the wilderness probably recalls Jesus' feeding of the multitude: Luke 9:10–17 moves from a deserted place and the disciples' shortage of food to everyone's being fed. The allusion is not precise enough to identify a single Gospel narrative exclusively. Chesterton turns a Gospel scene into a test of political desire: one can reject the event's possibility without finding the relief of hunger objectionable. [Luke 9:10–17, same edition](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10).

## Sources

- [The King James Version of the Bible](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10), Revelation 20:1–3; Luke 9:10–17; Project Gutenberg ebook 10

Revision 1 · 2026-11-07 · https://glosses.org/a/a_sbbq564i/