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it has been said of the preceding vision, that the vision, wishing to narrate more completely the things concerning the antichrist, makes its beginning the conception and birth of the Lord, for whose sake that destroyer has been put forth by the common enemy and foe of all in order that he might again enslave those gathered by the Lord, so also now it must be said, that the vision, wishing to narrate the things concerning the antichrist, makes another, preceding beginning to the beginning previously mentioned—I mean, that of the Lord's birth—the one concerning Satan, how he was cast down from heaven, although in the next vision it says this more clearly, adding that he also plotted against the Lord, so that with the beginning having been laid down beforehand like some foundation, it might build upon it the remaining narratives concerning the antichrist and the things done by him. These things having been thus narrated beforehand, we must move on to the examination of the sayings. And another sign, it says, appeared in heaven, as if the word were striking the author of evil, Satan, that though heavenly, through pride he has become earth-crawling; it shows him beforehand in heaven, so that 140 the apostate might know from what things to what things he has fallen. And behold, it says, a great, fiery-red dragon. It calls Satan a dragon on account of his crookedness; for so Isaiah also speaks of him; speaking of the dragon, the crooked serpent; and fiery-red on account of his bloodthirstiness and wrathfulness. having seven heads and ten horns; and on his heads seven diadems. Nor did the prophet fail to know that he is many-headed; therefore he says to God: you crushed the heads of the dragon; you gave him as food to the Ethiopian peoples. And they say he is many-headed, with the seven indicating many things as has often been said, as making many beginnings and devising schemes against men by which he enslaves them, for the diadem is a symbol of tyranny. And the ten horns signify his greatest power. For the number ten is perfect, and the horn is a sign of power. For it has been said, And my horn shall be exalted like that of a unicorn. And how he is powerful, it is possible for one who reads the book of Job to know. And with his tail, it says, he drags a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. For he cast down with himself a very great portion of the angels, persuading them to apostatize from God, and he has made the heavenly ones earthly, and those who were bright as stars, darkness. But "with his tail" indicates what was done as if by his last and hindmost offenses; for first he himself, having conceived madness and apostasy, and having sufficiently nurtured this in his proud mind, thus came also to corrupt the rest. And the dragon, it says, stood before the woman who was about 141 to give birth, so that when she bore her child, he might devour it. From the things that had happened concerning the Lord, that the one who would destroy his power would be born, he was carefully watching so that when the virgin gave birth he might destroy the one who was born. Therefore he did not neglect, but stirred up Herod to destroy the child, the male and brave one? the one having nothing dissolute or womanish. For before the child knows how to call father or mother, Isaiah brings us the good news, he will take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians. And who is this one who was born, the male child, reveal to us more clearly, O John, who, he says, is to shepherd all the nations with a rod of iron. Openly to us, O inspired one, you have spoken of our savior and lord Jesus Christ; for it was promised to him by his own father: Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession; you will shepherd them with a rod of iron, you will shatter them like a potter's vessels. And her child, it says, was snatched up to God and to his throne. The venomous dragon was lying in wait, and he incited Herod to kill the children in Bethlehem, as if he would certainly find the Lord among them. But the child, by the providence of the father, escaped the plot; for Joseph heard a divine warning to take the child and his mother and to flee

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ἡγησαμένης ὀπτασίας εἴρηται, ὅτι τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἀντίχριστον τελεώτερον ἡ ὀπτασία διηγήσασθαι βουλομένη, ἀρχὴν ποιεῖται τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου σύλληψίν τε καὶ γέννησιν, ἧς χάριν καὶ προβέβληται ὑπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ πάντων ἐχθροῦ καὶ πολεμίου ὁ λυμεὼν ἐκεῖνος ὅπως τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου συναχθέντας αὖθις ἀνδραποδίσηται, οὕτω καὶ νῦν λεκτέον, ὅτι τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἀντίχριστον διηγήσασθαι ἡ ὀπτασία βουλομένη, τῆς πρόσθεν εἰρημένης ἀρχῆς φημὶ δὴ τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου γεννήσεωςἄλλην προτερεύουσαν ἀρχὴν ποιεῖται, τὴν κατὰ τὸν Σατανᾶν, πῶς κατενήνεκται ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, εἰ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἑξῆς ὀπτασίᾳ σαφέστερον τοῦτό φησι, προσθεὶς ὅτι καὶ ἐπεβούλευσε τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἵνα τῆς ἀρχῆς ὥσπερ θεμελίου τινὸς προκαταβληθείσης τὰ λοιπὰ προσεποικοδομήσῃ διηγήματα τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἀντίχριστον καὶ τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πεπραγμένα. τούτων οὕτω προαφηγηθέντων, ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ῥητῶν ἐπίσκεψιν μεταβητέον. καὶ ὤφθη φησὶν ἄλλο σημεῖον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὥσπερ ἐπιρραπίζων ὁ λόγος τὸν ἀρχέκακον Σατανᾶν, ὅτι οὐράνιος ὢν διὰ τὴν ἔπαρσιν χαμερπὴς γεγένηται· ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ αὐτὸν προδείκνυσιν, ἵνα εἰδείη 140 ὁ ἀποστάτης ἐξ οἵων εἰς οἷα καταπέπτωκε. καὶ ἰδού φησι δράκων πυρρὸς μέγας. δράκοντα μὲν τὸν Σατανᾶν καλεῖ διὰ τὸ σκολιόν· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας λέγει· ἐπὶ τὸν δράκοντα λέγων τὸν ὄφιν τὸν σκολιόν· πυρρὸς δὲ διὰ τὸ αἱμοβόρον καὶ ὀργίλον. ἔχων κεφαλὰς ἑπτὰ καὶ κέρατα δέκα· καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτοῦ ἑπτὰ διαδήματα. οὐδὲ ὁ προφήτης αὐτὸν ἠγνόησεν ὥς ἐστι πολυκέφαλος· τοιγαροῦν φησι πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· σὺ συνέτριψας τὰς κεφαλὰς τοῦ δράκοντος· ἔδωκας αὐτὸν βρῶμα λαοῖς τοῖς Αἰθίοψιν. πολυκέφαλον δὲ αὐτόν φασιν, τῶν ἑπτὰ τὰ πολλὰ δηλούντων καθὼς πολλάκις εἴρηται, ὡς πολλὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐπινοίας μεθοδειῶν ποιούμενον κατὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων δι' ὧν αὐτοὺς καταδουλοῦται, σύμβολον γὰρ τυραννίδος τὸ διάδημα. τὰ δὲ δέκα κέρατα τὴν μεγίστην αὐτοῦ δύναμιν αἰνίττεται. τέλειος γὰρ ὁ δέκατος ἀριθμός, δυνάμεως δὲ σημεῖον τὸ κέρας. εἴρηται γὰρ καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ὡς μονοκέρωτος τὸ κέρας μου. ὅπως δέ ἐστιν δυνατός, ἔξεστι γνῶναι τὸν τῇ βίβλῳ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἐντευξόμενον. καὶ τῇ οὐρᾷ αὐτοῦ φησι σύρει τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἄστρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν. συγκατέβαλε γὰρ ἑαυτῷ πλείστην ἀγγέλων μοῖραν συναποστῆσαι πείσας Θεοῦ καὶ πεποίηκε χθονίους τοὺς οὐρανίους, καὶ σκότος τοὺς λαμπροὺς ὡς ἀστέρας. τὸ δὲ τῇ οὐρᾷ δηλοῖ τὸ οἷον τοῖς τελευταίοις αὐτοῦ καὶ ὀπισθίοις πλημμελήμασι· πρότερον γὰρ αὐτὸς ἀπόνοιαν καὶ ἀποστασίαν νοήσας, καὶ ταύτην ἱκανῶς ἐν τῷ τῆς διανοίας διαθρέψας ὑπερηφάνῳ, οὕτως ἦλθε καὶ εἰς τὸ διαφθεῖραι τοὺς λοιπούς. καὶ ὁ δράκων φησὶν ἑστήκει ἐνώπιον τῆς γυναικὸς τῆς μελλού 141 σης τεκεῖν, ἵνα ὅταν τέκῃ τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς καταφάγῃ. ἐκ τῶν περὶ τὸν Κύριον συμβεβηκότων ὡς τεχθήσεται ὁ καταλύσων αὐτοῦ τὴν δυναστείαν, ἐπιμελῶς παρετήρει ἵνα ὅταν ἡ παρθένος τέκῃ τὸ τεχθὲν ἀπολέσῃ. τοιγαροῦν οὐκ ἠμέλει, ἀλλ' ἐπήγειρε τὸν Ἡρώδην διαφθεῖραι τὸ παιδίον τὸν ἄρρενα καὶ ἀνδρεῖον; τὸν μηδὲν ἔκλυτον ἔχοντα καὶ γυναικῶδες. πρὶν γὰρ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, ὁ Ἡσαΐας ἡμᾶς εὐαγγελίζεται, λήψεται δύναμιν ∆αμασκοῦ καὶ τὰ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας ἐναντίον βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων. καὶ τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ τεχθεὶς, ὁ ἄρρην, ἀποκάλυψον ἡμῖν σαφέστερον, ὦ Ἰωάννη, ὅς φησι ποιμαίνειν παντὰ τὰ ἔθνη ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ. ἀναφανδὸν ἡμῖν, ὦ θεσπέσιε, τὸν ἡμέτερον σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον εἴρηκας Ἰησοῦν τὸν Χριστόν· αὐτῷ γὰρ ἐπήγγελται παρὰ τοῦ οἰκείου πατρὸς αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσιν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς· ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ ὡς σκεύη κεραμέως συντρίψεις αὐτούς. καὶ ἡρπάσθη φησὶ τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ πρὸς τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ. ὁ μὲν δράκων ὁ ἰοβόλος ἐνήδρευε, καὶ τὸν Ἡρώδην παρέθηγεν ἀνελεῖν τὰ ἐν τῇ Βηθλεὲμ παιδία, ὡς ἐν ἐκείνοις πάντη τὸν Κύριον εὑρήσων. τὸ παιδίον δὲ προνοίᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς διέφυγε τὴν ἐπιβουλήν· ἤκουσε γὰρ χρηματισμὸν ὁ Ἰωσὴφ παραλαβεῖν τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ φεύγειν