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of the coming advent of the antichrist; for they say that they will come forth and testify beforehand that the signs that will be done by him are a deception and that one must not believe the vagabond. The vision now discusses these things; that they will prophesy for so many days, speaking either a mystical number or one that will certainly come to be. This 129 they will do, he says, clothed in sackcloth. For they will mourn over the disobedience of the people of that time. These, he says, are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the Lord of the earth. Zechariah the divine prophet saw a lampstand, supporting seven lamps, and two olive branches, but the branches were standing by two spouts of the lamps, speaking thus somehow: What are the two olive branches which are in the hands of the two golden spouts? And he heard from the angel who was speaking that they are the sons of oil, who stand by the Lord of all the earth. Is it not then about them that he also speaks now? For the fact that it is stated with articles, "these are the two olive trees and the two lampstands," makes the declaration refer to something agreed upon and signified, except that he called the two spouts there two lampstands here. That the two olive branches were interpreted as the two peoples, those from the Jews and the Gentiles, has not been unknown to the saints. However, it can also signify the two prophets about whom the discourse is now. And those who wish to harm them, he says, fire coming forth from their mouths will ward off, and they have authority to shut up the heaven, so that it may not rain during the days of their prophecy. This is among the most probable things; for if one of them, Elijah the Tishbite, had such authority even before fulfilling the ministry of Christ, how is it improbable that he will have it when running before Christ? And they have authority, he says, over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague as often as they wish. For since the coming of the antichrist will be according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and 130 lying wonders, as Paul says writing the second epistle to the Thessalonians, and the signs drew people to assent and belief, for this reason the two prophets, who say concerning him that he is a deceiver and an impostor, will use all kinds of signs in order to draw their hearers to faith. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the abyss will make war with them and will conquer them and will kill them. And he will place their corpse in the street of the great city, which is called spiritually Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. And people from the peoples and tongues and tribes and nations will look upon their corpse. And they will not allow it to be placed in a tomb; and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry, and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. And when they have finished, he says, their testimony; for they will testify that this one who is present is not the Christ, but is some impostor and deceiver and destroyer. But the Son of God will come very soon, in whom one must believe as Savior and God and for the benefit of humanity, both having come long ago, and now coming. And the beast, he says, that ascends from the abyss. He calls the antichrist a beast because of his cruelty and inhumanity and bloodthirstiness; and the abyss he calls the life of men 131, which is bitter with sins and salty and unstable from the inflation of the spirits of wickedness. For the vagabond will not be raised up from some other substance, but from the human nature that is also ours; for he will be a man, whose coming is according to the working of Satan, as was said just now. This beast then, he says, will kill the two witnesses, and will cast their corpses unburied in the streets of Jerusalem. For he will reign in it as king of the Jews, whom, having deceived, he will have serving and obeying in all things, as the Lord says in John: I have come in my Father’s name and you do not receive me; if another comes in

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παρουσίας μέλλοντος ἐφίστασθαι τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου· φασὶ γὰρ αὐτοὺς προελθεῖν καὶ προδιαμαρτύρασθαι ἀπάτην εἶναι τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ γενησόμενα σημεῖα καὶ ὡς οὐ δεῖ πιστεῦσαι τῷ ἀλητηρίῳ. περὶ τούτων νῦν ἡ ὀπτασία διαλέγεται· ὅτι προφητεύσουσιν ἡμέρας τοσάσδε ἢ μυστικόν τινα λέγουσα ἀριθμὸν ἢ τὸν πάντως ἐσόμενον. τοῦτο 129 δὲ ποιήσουσι περιβεβλημένοι φησὶ σάκκους. πενθήσουσι γὰρ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπειθείᾳ τῶν τότε ἀνθρώπων. οὗτοί φησίν εἰσιν αἱ δύο ἐλαῖαι καὶ αἱ δύο λυχνίαι αἱ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἑστῶσαι. Ζαχαρίας ὁ θεσπέσιος προφήτης εἶδε λυχνίαν, ἑπτὰ λύχνους ὑπερείδουσαν, καὶ δύο κλάδους ἐλαιῶν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς κλάδους ἑστῶτας ἐν δύο λύχνων μυξωτῆρσιν, οὕτω πως λέγων· τί οἱ δύο κλάδοι τῶν ἐλαιῶν οἱ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ τῶν δύο μυξωτήρων τῶν χρυσῶν· καὶ ἤκουσε παρὰ τοῦ χρηματίζοντος ἀγγέλου τοὺς υἱούς τ' εἶναι τῆς πιότητος, οἳ παρεστήκασι τῷ Κυρίῳ πάσης τῆς γῆς. ἆρα οὖν μὴ περὶ αὐτῶν καὶ νῦν λέγει; τὸ γὰρ μετὰ τῶν ἄρθρων κεῖσθαι οὗτοί εἰσιν αἱ δύο ἐλαῖαι· καὶ αἱ δύο λυχνίαι, πρός τι ὁμολογημένον σημαινόμενον τὴν δήλωσιν ποιεῖται, πλὴν ὅτι τοὺς ἐκεῖ δύο μυξωτῆρας ἐνταῦθα δύο λυχνίας ἐκάλεσεν. ὅτι μὲν οὖν εἰς τοὺς δύο λαούς, τοὺς ἐξ Ἰουδαίων καὶ ἐθνῶν οἱ δύο κλάδοι τῶν ἐλαιῶν ἡρμηνεύθησαν, τοῖς ἁγίοις οὐκ ἠγνόηται. δύναται μέντοι καὶ τοὺς δύο περὶ ὧν νῦν ὁ λόγος σημαίνειν προφήτας. καὶ τοὺς ἀδικῆσαί φησι θέλοντας αὐτοὺς πῦρ ἐκπορευόμενον διὰ τῶν στομάτων αὐτῶν ἀμυνεῖται, καὶ ἔχουσιν ἐξουσίαν κλεῖσαι τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἵνα μὴ βρέξει τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς προφητείας αὐτῶν. τοῦτο τῶν λίαν πιθανοτάτων· εἰ γὰρ τοιαύτην εἶχεν ὁ εἷς αὐτῶν ἐξουσίαν, Ἠλίας ὁ Θεσβίτης καὶ πρὶν ἀποπληροῦν τὴν Χριστοῦ διακονίαν, πῶς ἀπίθανον σχήσειν αὐτὸν προτρέχοντα Χριστοῦ; καὶ ἐξουσίαν φησὶν ἔχουσιν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων στρέφειν αὐτὰ εἰς αἷμα καὶ πατάξαι τὴν γῆν ἐν πάσῃ πληγῇ ὁσάκις ἂν θελήσωσιν. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ παρουσία τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου κατ' ἐνέργειαν γενήσεται τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει καὶ σημείοις καὶ 130 τέρασι ψεύδους, ὥς φησιν ὁ Παῦλος γράφων τὴν δευτέραν Θεσσαλονικεῦσιν ἐπιστολήν, εἷλκον δὲ εἰς συγκατάθεσιν καὶ πίστιν τὰ σημεῖα, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ δύο προφῆται οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν λέγοντες ὅτι πλάνος ἐστὶ καὶ ἀπατέων, σημείοις χρήσονται παντοδαποῖς ἵνα τοὺς ἀκούοντας εἰς πίστιν ἐφελκύσωνται. καὶ ὅταν τελέσωσι τὴν μαρτυρίαν αὐτῶν, τὸ θηρίον τὸ ἀνα βαῖνον ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου ποιήσει μετ' αὐτῶν πόλεμον καὶ νική σει αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀποκτενεῖ αὐτούς. καὶ τὸ πτῶμα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῆς πλατείας θήσει τῆς πόλεως τῆς μεγάλης, ἥτις καλεῖται πνευματικῶς Σόδομα καὶ Αἴγυπτος, ὅπου καὶ ὁ Κύριος αὐτῶν ἐσταυρώθη. καὶ βλέπουσιν ἐκ τῶν λαῶν καὶ γλωσσῶν καὶ φυλῶν καὶ ἐθνῶν τὸ πτῶμα αὐτῶν. καὶ οὐκ ἀφήσουσιν τεθῆναι εἰς μνῆμα· καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς χαίρουσιν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς καὶ εὐφραίνονται, καὶ δῶρα πέμψουσιν ἀλλήλοις, ὅτι οὗτοι οἱ δύο προφῆται ἐβασάνισαν τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. καὶ ὅταν τελέσωσί φησι τὴν μαρτυρίαν· μαρτυρήσουσι γὰρ ὅτι ὁ μὲν παρὼν οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Χριστός, ἀπατέων δέ τίς ἐστι καὶ πλάνος καὶ ὀλέθριος. ἥξει δὲ ὅσον οὔπω ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ υἱός, ᾧ καὶ πιστευτέον ὡς Σωτῆρι καὶ Θεῷ καὶ ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ πάλαι παραγεγονότι, καὶ νῦν παραγενομένῳ. καὶ τὸ θηρίον φησὶ τὸ ἀναβαῖνον ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου. θηρίον μὲν τὸν ἀντίχριστον λέγει διὰ τὸ ὠμὸν καὶ ἀπάνθρωπον καὶ αἱμοβόρον· ἄβυσσον δὲ τὸν τῶν ἀν 131 θρώπων βίον, τὸν πικρὸν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις καὶ ἁλμυρὸν καὶ ἀστατοῦντα τῇ περιφυσήσει τῶν τῆς πονηρίας πνευμάτων. οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἄλλης τινὸς οὐσίας ἐγερθήσεται ὁ ἀλητήριος, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης καὶ ἡμετέρας φύσεως· ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ἔσται, οὗ ἐστιν ἡ παρουσία κατ' ἐνέργειαν τοῦ Σατανᾶ, καθὼς ἔναγχος εἴρηται. τοῦτο οὖν φησι τὸ θηρίον ἀποκτενεῖ τοὺς δύο μάρτυρας, καὶ τὰ πτώματα αὐτῶν ἄταφα ῥίψει ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ βασιλεύσει ὡς Ἰουδαίων βασιλεύς, οὓς ἀπατήσας ἕξει πρὸς πάντα ὑπουργοῦντας καὶ πειθομένους, καθώς φησιν ὁ Κύριος παρὰ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ· ἐγὼ ἐλήλυθα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετε με· ἐὰν ἄλλος ἔλθῃ ἐν τῷ