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to guide their own life with strictness, so that we may be able to obtain the promised good things for those who love him, by grace and love for mankind, and what follows.

HOMILY 4. And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way; and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the

Lord Jesus will consume with the spirit of His mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of His coming; whose coming is according to the working of

Satan. 1. One might reasonably ask first, what is it, "That which restrains," and after this to learn why Paul puts it so obscurely. What then is "That which restrains" him from being revealed, that is, that which hinders? Some say the grace of the Spirit, but others the Roman empire; to which I most of all assent. Why? Because if he had wished to say the Spirit, he would not have spoken obscurely, but plainly, that even now the grace of the Spirit, that is, the spiritual gifts, restrains him. Otherwise he ought to have come already, if indeed he was to come when the spiritual gifts failed; for they have long since failed. But since he says this concerning the Roman empire, he naturally spoke in a riddle, and for the time being speaks obscurely; for he did not wish to incur superfluous enmities and useless dangers. For if he had said that after a little while the Roman empire would be dissolved, they would have immediately buried him alive as a pest, and all the faithful, as living and warring for this end. For this reason he did not speak thus, nor that it would be soon, although he always says this; but what? "That he may be revealed in his own time," he says. "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work." He speaks here of Nero, as being a type of the Antichrist; for he too wished to be thought a god. And he well said "the mystery"; for not openly, like that one, 62.486.30 nor shamelessly. For if before that time one was found, he says, who fell little short of the Antichrist in wickedness, what wonder if he will be already? So then he spoke obscurely, and did not wish to make it plain, not through cowardice, but teaching us not to incur superfluous enmities, when there is nothing pressing. So then he says here also: "Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way"; that is, when the Roman empire is taken out of the way, then he will come. And reasonably. For as long as the fear of this empire lasts, no one will quickly submit; but when it is dissolved, he will attack the anarchy, and will attempt to seize for himself the dominion both of men and of God. For just as the kingdoms before this were destroyed, for instance, that of the Medes by the Babylonians, that of the Babylonians by the Persians, that of the Persians by the Macedonians, that of the Macedonians by the Romans; so also this will be by the Antichrist, and he by Christ, and it will no longer hold. And these things Daniel delivers to us with much clearness. "And then," he says, "the lawless one will be revealed." And what after this? The consolation is near; for he adds: "Whom the Lord Jesus," he says, "will consume with the spirit of His mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of His coming, whose coming is according to the working of Satan." For just as fire, simply advancing, makes the small insects, even before its presence, while still at a distance, to become torpid and consumes them; so also Christ by His command alone and by His presence will consume the Antichrist. It is enough

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ἀκριβείας τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον εὐθύνειν, ἵνα δυνηθῶμεν ἐπιτυχεῖν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ∆ʹ. Καὶ νῦν τὸ κατέχον οἴδατε, εἰς τὸ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ καιρῷ. Τὸ γὰρ μυστήριον ἤδη ἐνεργεῖται τῆς ἀνομίας, μόνον ὁ κατ έχων ἄρτι ἕως ἐκ μέσου γένηται· καὶ τότε ἀποκαλυφθήσεται ὁ ἄνομος, ὃν ὁ

Κύριος Ἰησοῦς ἀναλώσει τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ καταργήσει τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ· οὗ ἐστιν ἡ παρουσία κατ' ἐνέργειαν τοῦ

σατανᾶ. αʹ. Ζητήσειεν ἄν τις πρῶτον εἰκότως, τί ποτέ ἐστι, Τὸ κατέχον, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μαθεῖν, τί δήποτε ἀσαφῶς οὕτως αὐτὸ τίθησιν ὁ Παῦλος. Τί δήποτ' οὖν ἐστι Τὸ κατέχον ἀποκαλυφθῆναι αὐτὸν, τουτέστι, τὸ κωλύον; Οἱ μὲν τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν χάριν φασὶν, οἱ δὲ τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν ἀρχήν· οἷς ἔγωγε μάλιστα τίθεμαι. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι εἰ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐβούλετο εἰπεῖν, οὐκ ἂν εἶπεν ἀσαφῶς, ἀλλὰ φανερῶς, ὅτι καὶ νῦν αὐτὸν κατέχει ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις, τουτέστι, τὰ χαρίσματα. Ἄλλως δὲ ἔδει ἤδη παραγενέσθαι, εἴ γε ἔμελλε τῶν χαρισμάτων ἐκλειπόντων παραγενέσθαι· καὶ γὰρ πάλαι ἐκλέλοιπεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ περὶ τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦτό φησιν, εἰκότως ᾐνίξατο, καὶ τέως φησὶ συνεσκιασμένως· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐβούλετο περιττὰς ἔχθρας ἀναδέχεσθαι καὶ ἀνονήτους κινδύνους. Εἰ γὰρ εἶπεν ὅτι μικρὸν ὕστερον καταλυθήσεται ἡ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴ, ἤδη εὐθέως ἂν αὐτὸν καὶ κατώρυξαν ὡς λυμεῶνα, καὶ τοὺς πιστοὺς ἅπαντας, ὡς ἐπὶ τούτῳ ζῶντας καὶ στρατευομένους. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εἶπεν οὕτως, οὐδ' ὅτι ταχέως ἔσται, καίτοιγε ἀεὶ αὐτὸ λέγει· ἀλλὰ τί; Εἰς τὸ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ καιρῷ, φησί. Τὸ γὰρ μυστήριον ἤδη ἐνεργεῖται τῆς ἀνομίας. Νέρωνα ἐνταῦθά φησιν, ὡσανεὶ τύπον ὄντα τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου· καὶ γὰρ οὗτος ἐβούλετο νομίζεσθαι θεός. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπε τὸ μυστήριον· οὐ γὰρ φανερῶς, ὡς ἐκεῖνος, 62.486.30 οὐδὲ ἀπηρυθριασμένως. Εἰ γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ χρόνου ἐκείνου ἀνευρέθη, φησὶν, ὃς οὐ πολὺ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου ἐλείπετο κατὰ τὴν κακίαν, τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ ἤδη ἔσται; Οὕτω δὴ συνεσκιασμένως εἶπε, καὶ φανερὸν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἠθέλησε ποιῆσαι, οὐ διὰ δειλίαν, ἀλλὰ παιδεύων ἡμᾶς μὴ περιττὰς ἔχθρας ἀναδέχεσθαι, ὅταν μηδὲν ᾖ τὸ κατεπεῖγον. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησι· Μόνον ὁ κατέχων ἄρτι ἕως ἐκ μέσου γένηται· τουτέστιν, ἡ ἀρχὴ ἡ Ῥωμαϊκὴ ὅταν ἀρθῇ ἐκ μέσου, τότε ἐκεῖνος ἥξει. Καὶ εἰκότως. Ἕως γὰρ ἂν ὁ ταύτης ᾖ τῆς ἀρχῆς φόβος, οὐδεὶς ταχέως ὑποταγήσεται· ὅταν δὲ αὕτη καταλυθῇ, ἐπιθήσεται τῇ ἀναρχίᾳ, καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιχειρήσει ἁρπάσαι ἀρχήν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ αἱ πρὸ τούτου κατελύθησαν βασιλεῖαι, οἷον ἡ Μήδων ὑπὸ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων, ἡ Βαβυλωνίων ὑπὸ Περσῶν, ἡ Περσῶν ὑπὸ Μακεδόνων, ἡ Μακεδόνων ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων· οὕτω καὶ αὕτη ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου, κἀκεῖνος ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ οὐκέτι καθέξει. Καὶ ταῦτα μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σαφηνείας ὁ ∆ανιὴλ ἡμῖν παρακατατίθεται. Καὶ τότε, φησὶν, ἀποκαλυφθήσεται ὁ ἄνομος. Καὶ τί μετὰ ταῦτα; Ἐγγὺς ἡ παραμυθία· ἐπάγει γάρ· Ὃν ὁ Κύριος Ἰησοῦς, φησὶν, ἀναλώσει τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ καταργήσει τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ, οὗ ἐστιν ἡ παρουσία κατ' ἐνέργειαν τοῦ σατανᾶ. Καθάπερ γὰρ πῦρ ἐπελθὸν ἁπλῶς τὰ μικρὰ ζωΰφια καὶ πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτῆς πόῤῥωθεν ὄντα ναρκᾷν ποιεῖ καὶ ἀναλίσκει· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τῷ ἐπιτάγματι μόνον καὶ τῇ παρουσίᾳ τὸν ἀντίχριστον ἀναλώσει. Ἀρκεῖ