John Chrysostom, On "A decree went out"

a passage of prophecy, applying it to the Romans, so that the kingdom might not be insulted, he leaves the beast anonymous.

When, however, he says, I saw the fourth beast, I was afraid and trembled. For it was exceedingly terrifying; it trampled everything, it crushed everything, it devoured everything; it dominated all things, wherever it went, it subdued. And what does he say? Suddenly I saw a river of fire; a throne was set, the Ancient of Days sat down, a thousand thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him, the Ancient 50.799 of Days. Books were opened, and behold, upon the clouds of heaven one like a Son of man coming, and he came to the Ancient of Days. And what happened immediately? No longer the beasts, no longer the sea, no longer the fear of the beast; but he received dominion, and he himself ruled; His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, which will not be destroyed; for his dominion is to all generations. Thus far, he says, is the end of the matter; and so the prophet sees the four kingdoms; for it was fitting for him, since he abstained from worldly affairs; but the king, as was fitting for him, sees four kingdoms as in gold and silver and bronze and iron. For if the king had seen the kingdoms as beasts, and then Daniel had interpreted it for him, it would have been strange to say to him: 'You are the first beast'; for it would have seemed to insult the one hearing; but a king sees as a king, and a prophet sees similar things in another form. These things have been said by us, beloved, not in vain, nor having taken up the ancient history at random, but so that you may be fully assured, that the kingdom of Augustus was glorified, was honored, was praised, was long-lasting, because in his reign Christ was born, and the man was so honored that his name also became the title of the office. For you must know that he reigned for fifty-six years; and when he had completed forty-two years, Christ is born; for the fifteen years, therefore, of his reign, Christ is brought up. And Tiberius succeeds Augustus, and in the eighteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, he comes to the cross, and suffers, and rises, and is taken up.

So that there are fifteen years of Augustus, and eighteen of Tiberius; and Jesus, having become thirty years old during the reign of Tiberius Caesar, revealed his own divinity to the disciples, and for three years after these things he preached; for everywhere the Trinity is honored; wherefore having preached for three years, in the eighteenth year of Tiberius he meets his passion, having completed the economy of the flesh.

3. It came to pass therefore in those days, that we might take up the reading,

there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This registration is a clarity of affairs, a first stripping bare of the truth, so that the race of men might not wander; this first registration. Was it then passed over in silence by the prophets themselves? Let us go back to the Old [Testament], let us examine the Jewish things and the things of the Jews' unbelief. I call David as a witness, a trustworthy man, honored by the Jews, as far as bare memory, but faithful to the Church. What then does David say? The Lord will declare in the writing of the peoples and of these rulers. These are the words of the prophet, these are the facts of the Gospel. This first registration; and Joseph also went up, it says, from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. For the conception happened only during the betrothal. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered, and she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

προφητείας χωρίον, ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίων αὐτὸ προφέρων, ἵνα μὴ ὑβρισθῇ ἡ βασιλεία, ἀνώνυμον αὐτὸ θηρίον καταλιμπάνει.

Ὅτε μέντοι, φησὶν, εἶδον τὸ τέταρτον θηρίον, ἐφοβήθην καὶ ἐτρόμαξα. Ἦν γὰρ λίαν φοβερώτατον· πάντα κατεπάτει, πάντα συνέτριβε, πάντα κατήσθιε· πάντων ἐδέσποζεν, ὅπου ἀπήρχετο, ὑπέταττε. Καὶ τί φησιν; Ἀθρόως εἶδον ποταμὸν πυρός· θρόνος ἐτέθη, παλαιὸς ἡμερῶν ἐκάθισε, χίλιαι χιλιάδες ἐλειτούργουν αὐτῷ, καὶ μύριαι μυριάδες παρειστήκεισαν αὐτῷ, τῷ παλαιῷ 50.799 τῶν ἡμερῶν. Βίβλοι ἀνεῴχθησαν, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὡς Υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενος, καὶ ἕως τοῦ παλαιοῦ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἔφθασε. Καὶ τί εὐθέως ἐγένετο; Οὐκ ἔτι τὰ θηρία, οὐκ ἔτι ἡ θάλασσα, οὐκ ἔτι τοῦ θηρίου ὁ φόβος· ἀλλ' ἔλαβε τὴν ἀρχὴν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐδέσποζεν· Ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ βασιλεία αἰώνιος, ἥτις οὐ διαλυθήσεται· καὶ γὰρ ἡ ἀρχὴ αὐτοῦ ἕως γενεᾶς γενεῶν. Ἕως ὧδε, φησὶ, τὸ πέρας τοῦ λόγου· καὶ ὁ μὲν προφήτης οὕτω βλέπει τέσσαρας τὰς βασιλείας· ἔπρεπε γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐπειδὴ ἀπείχετο τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς, ὡς ἥρμοττεν αὐτῷ, βλέπει ὡς ἐν χρυσῷ καὶ ἀργύρῳ καὶ χαλκῷ καὶ σιδήρῳ τέσσαρας βασιλείας. Εἰ γὰρ εἶδεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ὡς θηρία τὰς βασιλείας, εἶτα ἡρμήνευσεν αὐτῷ ∆ανιὴλ, ἄτοπον ἂν ἦν λέγειν αὐτῷ· Σὺ εἶ τὸ πρῶτον θηρίον· ἔδοξε γὰρ ἂν ὑβρίζειν τὸν ἀκούοντα· ἀλλὰ βλέπει βασιλεὺς ὡς βασιλεὺς, καὶ βλέπει προφήτης ὡς ἐν ἄλλῳ τύπῳ παραπλήσια. Ταῦτα ἡμῖν εἴρηται, ἀγαπητοὶ, οὐ μάτην, οὐδὲ εἰκῆ ἀνειληφόσι τὴν παλαιὰν ἱστορίαν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὑμεῖς πληροφορηθῆτε, ὅτι ἡ Αὐγούστου βασιλεία ἐδοξάσθη, ἐτιμήθη, ἐπῃνέθη, πολυχρόνιος ὑπῆρξεν, ἐπειδὴ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ Χριστὸς ἐτέχθη, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐτιμήθη ὁ ἀνὴρ, ὡς καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι προσηγορίαν τοῦ ἀξιώματος. ∆εῖ γὰρ ὑμᾶς εἰδέναι, ὅτι ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτι πεντήκοντα ἕξ· τελέσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ τεσσαράκοντα δύο ἔτη, ὁ Χριστὸς τίκτεται· τὰ δεκαπέντε τοίνυν ἔτη αὐτοῦ βασιλεύοντος Χριστὸς ἀνατρέφεται. ∆ιαδέχεται δὲ Τιβέριος τὸν Αὔγουστον, καὶ ἐν τῷ ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει Τιβερίου βασιλεύοντος, ἔρχεται εἰς τὸν σταυρὸν, καὶ πάσχει, καὶ ἀνίσταται, καὶ ἀναλαμβάνεται.

Ὥστε εἶναι μὲν Αὐγούστου ἔτη πεντεκαίδεκα, Τιβερίου δὲ ὀκτωκαίδεκα· Ἰησοῦς δὲ ἐπὶ Τιβερίου Καίσαρος βασιλεύοντος τριακονταέτης γενόμενος, ἀπεκάλυψε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θεότητα ἐπὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις τρία ἔτη ἐπεκήρυξε· πανταχοῦ γὰρ τιμία ἡ Τριάς· διὸ τρία κηρύξας ἔτη, τῷ ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει Τιβερίου ἀπαντᾷ εἰς τὸ πάθος, τελέσας τῆς σαρκὸς τὴν οἰκονομίαν.

γʹ. Ἐγένετο τοίνυν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, ἵνα τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα ἀναλάβωμεν,

ἐξῆλθε δόγμα παρὰ Καίσαρος Αὐγούστου ἀπογράφεσθαι πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην. Αὕτη ἡ ἀπογραφὴ σαφήνεια πραγμάτων, πρώτη γύμνωσις τῆς ἀληθείας, ἵνα μὴ ῥέμβηται τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων· αὕτη πρώτη ἀπογραφή. Ἆρα καὶ αὐτοῖς σεσιώπηται τοῖς προφήταις; Ἀναδράμωμεν εἰς τὴν Παλαιὰν, ἐξετάσωμεν τὰ Ἰουδαϊκὰ καὶ τὰ τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀπιστίας. Καλῶ τὸν ∆αυῒδ εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ἄνδρα ἀξιόπιστον, Ἰουδαίοις μὲν τίμιον, ἕως ψιλῆς τῆς μνήμης, τῇ δὲ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πιστόν. Τί τοίνυν λέγει ∆αυΐδ; Κύριος διηγήσεται ἐν γραφῇ λαῶν καὶ ἀρχόντων τούτων. Ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ προφήτου, ταῦτα τὰ πράγματα τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου. Αὕτη πρώτη ἀπογραφή· ἀνέβη δὲ, φησὶ, καὶ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐκ πόλεως Ναζαρὲτ εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν εἰς πόλιν ∆αυῒδ, ἥτις καλεῖται Βηθλεὲμ, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς ∆αυῒδ, ὥστε ἀπογράφεσθαι σὺν Μαριὰμ τῇ μεμνηστευμένῃ αὐτῷ γυναικὶ, οὔσῃ ἐγκύῳ. Ἐπὶ γὰρ μόνοις τοῖς μνήστροις ἡ σύλληψις ἐγένετο. Ἐν δὲ τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ, ἐπλήσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ τεκεῖν αὐτὴν, καὶ ἔτεκε τὸν υἱὸν αὑτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον, καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔθηκεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι.