Oecumenius, Commentary on Apocalypse

he has reached the matter 155 at hand. And this was to narrate to us the things concerning the impious and God-hated antichrist. This one, therefore, is now set before us, and see what he says about him. And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and it had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon. And it exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence. And it makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. And it performs great signs, so that it even makes fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men. And I saw, he says, another beast coming up out of the earth, from whence is the beginning of existence for all men. For the antichrist is a man, whose coming is according to the working of the Devil, as it seems to the most wise Paul. and it had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon. Fittingly he said that it does not have the horns of a lamb, but *like* a lamb, and not that it *is* a dragon, but that it speaks *like* a dragon. For since the destroyer pretends to be the Christ, but is not, he has given it horns *like* a lamb. And since it proceeds through every impious deed equal to the Devil, yet it is not the Devil, he did not say it *is* a dragon, but that it speaks *as* a dragon. Since, therefore, these things are so, the word preserved for it the image even in the vision, and gives it the form not of a lamb, but *like* a lamb, nor of a dragon, but *like* a dragon. For Christ is called the Lamb, and the Devil the dragon, but it was neither this one nor that one. And all the authority, he says, of the first beast, it exercises in its presence. That is, it becomes the successor 156 of the authority of the Devil, and it prepares all to worship that one, whose mortal wound was healed. This was said in the preceding parts. But now it is necessary only to point out. For since he said that it exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and he had spoken first of all of the red dragon, which the vision showed depicted in heaven, lest anyone suppose that he is now speaking about it, as if it received the authority of the first beast, he says, 'I am not speaking about that first one of all, but of the one after it, which is first relative to the antichrist, the one the vision showed coming up out of the sea, like a leopard.' For its mortal wound was healed, according to what was said before. And it performs great signs, so that it even makes fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men. And the performing of signs and wonders according to the working of the Devil is attested by the apostle; for after saying 'whose coming is according to the working of Satan,' he adds, 'with all power and signs and lying wonders.' And it deceives, he says, those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given to it to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast that has the wound of the sword and has lived. And it was given to it to give breath to the image of the beast, ... should be killed. And it causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark ... the name of the beast or the number of its name. Here is wisdom: 157 let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; and its number is six hundred and sixty-six. And it deceives, he says, those who dwell on the earth because of the signs. For it does perform signs, but by deceiving the eyes of those who see, just as the magicians did before Pharaoh; for both they and this one were commanded by one deceiving demon. And well did he say that it performs the signs in the presence of the beast. For since it will set up an image to it, which it will also compel all to worship, it will perform the signs ostensibly beside it, as if deifying the image, because indeed from it it has the power for these things. And it was given to it, he says, to give breath to the image. For they say that many of the statues both sweat and seem to speak by diabolical working. And they say that the antichrist also gives a mark and seal of its own name, without which no one will buy or

ἔφθασεν εἰς τὸ σπουδα 155 ζόμενον. τὸ δὲ ἦν διηγήσασθαι ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς καὶ θεοστυγοὺς ἀντιχρίστου. οὗτος οὖν ἐν μέσῳ πρόκειται νῦν, καὶ ὅρα τί φησι περὶ αὐτοῦ. καὶ εἶδον ἄλλο θηρίον ἀναβαῖνον ἐκ τῆς γῆς, καὶ εἶχε κέρατα δύο ὅμοια ἀρνίῳ, καὶ ἐλάλει ὡς δράκων. καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πρώτου θηρίου πᾶσαν ποιεῖ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. καὶ ποιεῖ τὴν γῆν καὶ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας ἐν αὐτῇ ἵνα προσκυνήσουσι τὸ θηρίον τὸ πρῶτον, οὗ ἐθεραπεύθη ἡ πληγὴ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ. καὶ ποιεῖ σημεῖα μεγάλα ἵνα πῦρ ποιῇ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνειν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων. καὶ εἶδόν φησι ἄλλο θηρίον ἀναβαῖνον ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ὅθεν καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς γενέσεως. ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ὁ ἀντίχριστος, οὗ ἐστιν ἡ παρουσία κατ' ἐνέργειαν τοῦ ∆ιαβόλου, ὡς τῷ σοφωτάτῳ Παύλῳ δοκεῖ. καὶ εἶχε κέρατα δύο ὅμοια ἀρνίῳ, καὶ ἐλάλει ὡς δράκων. εἰκότως ἔφη μὴ ἔχειν αὐτὸν κέρατα ἀρνίου, ἀλλὰ ὅμοια ἀρνίου, καὶ μὴ εἶναι δράκοντα, ἀλλὰ λαλεῖν ὁμοίως δράκοντι. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ ἀλητήριος πλάττεται εἶναι ὁ Χριστός, οὐκ ἔστι δέ, ὅμοια ἀρνίου δέδωκεν αὐτῷ κέρατα. καὶ ἐπειδὴ διὰ πάσης δίεισιν ἀνοσιουργίας ἶσα τῷ ∆ιαβόλῳ, οὐ μὴν ἔστιν ὁ ∆ιάβολος, οὐκ ἔφη αὐτὸν δράκοντα, ἀλλὰ λαλεῖν ὡς δράκοντα. ἐπεὶ οὖν ταῦτα οὕτως, ἐφύλαξεν αὐτῷ τὴν εἰκόνα καὶ ἐν τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ ὁ λόγος, καὶ δίδωσιν αὐτῷ σχῆμα οὐκ ἀρνίου, ἀλλ' ὅμοιον ἀρνίου, οὔτε δράκοντος, ἀλλ' ὅμοιον δράκοντι. ἀρνίον μὲν γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς εἴρηται, δράκων δὲ ὁ ∆ιάβολος, ἀλλ' οὔτε τοῦτο ἦν οὔτε ἐκεῖνο. καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν φησὶ τοῦ πρώτου θηρίου, πᾶσαν ποιεῖται ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. τουτέστιν διάδοχος 156 τῆς ἐξουσίας γίνεται τοῦ ∆ιαβόλου, καὶ παρασκευάζει πάντας ἐκείνῳ προσκυνεῖν, οὗ ἐθεραπεύθη ἡ πληγὴ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ. τοῦτο ἐν τοῖς φθάσασιν εἴρηται. νῦν δὲ μόνον ἐπισημήνασθαι δεῖ. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔφη ὅτι τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πρώτου θηρίου πᾶσαν ποιεῖται ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, πρῶτον δὲ πάντων εἰρήκει τὸν δράκοντα τὸν πυρρόν, ὃν ἔδειξεν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ γεγραμμένον ἡ ὀπτασία, ἵνα μήτις περὶ αὐτοῦ νομίσῃ λέγειν νῦν αὐτὸν ὡς τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔλαβε τοῦ πρώτου θηρίου, οὐ περὶ ἐκείνου φησὶ τοῦ πάντων πρώτου λέγω, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μετ' ἐκεῖνον μέν, πρώτου δὲ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου, ὃν ἡ ὀπτασία ἔδειξεν ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης ἀναβαίνοντα ὅμοιον παρδάλει. τούτου γὰρ ἡ πληγὴ τοῦ θανάτου ἰάσθη κατὰ τὰ πρόσθεν εἰρημένα. καὶ ποιεῖ σημεῖα μεγάλα, ἵνα πῦρ ποιῇ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων. καὶ τὸ ποιεῖν σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα κατ' ἐνέργειαν τοῦ ∆ιαβόλου μαρτυρεῖται παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ εἰπεῖν οὗ ἐστιν ἡ παρουσία κατ' ἐνέργειαν τοῦ Σατανᾶ, ἐπάγει ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει καὶ σημείοις καὶ τέρασι ψεύδους. καὶ πλανᾷ φησι τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διὰ τὰ σημεῖα ἃ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι ἐνώπιον τοῦ θηρίου, λέγων τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ποιῆσαι εἰκόνα τῷ θηρίῳ ὡς ἔχει τὴν πληγὴν τῆς μαχαίρας καὶ ἔζησε. καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ δοῦναι πνεῦμα τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ θηρίου, ... ἀποκτανθῶσιν. καὶ ποιεῖ πάντας τοὺς μικροὺς καὶ τοὺς μεγάλους, καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους καὶ τοὺς πτωχοὺς, καὶ τοὺς ἐλευθέρους καὶ τοὺς δούλους, ἵνα δώσει αὐτοῖς χάραγμα ... τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θηρίου, ἢ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ. ᾧδε ἡ σοφία 157 ἐστίν· ὁ ἔχων νοῦν ψηφισάτω τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ θηρίου, ἀριθμὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπου ἐστί· καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτοῦ ἐστιν, ἑξακόσια ἑξήκοντα ἕξ. καὶ πλανᾷ φησι τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διὰ τὰ σημεῖα. ποιεῖ μὲν γὰρ σημεῖα, κλέπτων δὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῶν ὁρώντων, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ φαρμακοὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Φαραώ· ἑνὶ γὰρ ἐστρατηγοῦντο δαίμονι πλάνῳ ἐκεῖνοί τε καὶ οὗτος. καλῶς δὲ ἔφη ποιεῖν αὐτὸν τὰ σημεῖα ἐνώπιον τοῦ θηρίου. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰκόνα αὐτῷ ἀναστηλώσει, ἣν καὶ προσκυνεῖν πάντας βιάσεται, παρ' αὐτῇ τὰ σημεῖα δῆθεν ἐπιτελέσει, ὡς θειάζων τὴν εἰκόνα, ὅτι δὴ παρ' αὐτῆς ἔχει τὸ δύνασθαι ταῦτα. καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ φησι δοῦναι πνεῦμα τῇ εἰκόνι. πολλὰ γάρ φασι τῶν ἀγαλμάτων καὶ ἰδροῖ καὶ δοκεῖ λαλεῖν ἐνεργείᾳ διαβολικῇ. φασὶ δὲ καὶ διδόναι χάραγμα καὶ σφραγῖδα τὸν ἀντίχριστον τοῦ οἰκείου ὀνόματος, ἧς ἄνευ οὔτε ὠνήσεταί τις οὔτε