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would he be appointed, who also commanded the seven to be so very wicked? And he says, the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom. Concerning these ten kings or horns, the most wise prophet Daniel understood from the Roman empire, saying: that they will arise in the last times, in whose midst the antichrist will rise. Therefore, he says, they have not yet received a kingdom but will have authority as kings. Well said, "as kings," because of the short-lived and shadowy nature of their kingdom. Then he adds, they receive for one hour with the beast. Here he calls the antichrist "beast." Since also in what was said before he called him so, saying, "And I saw another beast rising from the earth, and it had two horns like a lamb." That they will reign for one hour 190 signifies either the short duration of their reign, or one season and turning of a year. These, he says, have one mind, and give their power and authority to the beast. For even if the ten kings to come are opposed to each other in their minds, yet in this there will be one mind for them, in giving their power and their authority to the beast, that is, to the antichrist. For they will be defeated by him and he alone will then rule over all. But even if they are defeated against their will, nevertheless, since the ten suffer the same fate of defeat and deposition, he said they have one mind; as if he were saying, as if by agreement and unanimity the ten will be defeated by the antichrist. These, he says, will make war with the Lamb. For before they are deposed at all by the antichrist, these about whom the discourse is will persecute the church. But Christ will conquer; for since they are evil, he will hand them over to the more evil antichrist for death. And in another way Christ will conquer, with his servants striving even to death for their faith in him; for they are, he says, called and chosen and faithful, that is, the servants of Christ. And he says to me: The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples and nations and multitudes and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw and the beast, these will hate the harlot, and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her up with fire; for God has put it into their hearts to do his mind, and to do one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw, is the great city, which has a kingdom over the kings of the earth. 191 The waters, he said, on which the harlot sits, are peoples and nations, over whom, that is, the city has its kingdom. But how will Rome be desolated by the kings? For we understood that this is what is indicated through the revelation. Perhaps it will be contested by them as a queen and a fortress and populous and receiving tribute. In the war over it, therefore, it is necessary for it, being the prize of victory, to suffer ill at the hands of all, being set on fire and desolated. For God, he says, has put into their hearts to do their will. By God's permission, he says, it will suffer these things at the hands of those who lay claim to it and wish to seize it. And to make, he says, one mind and to give the kingdom to the beast. And as if from one mind to be handed over as subjects to the antichrist, as was said before, until, he says, the words of God are fulfilled. Subjects, he says, they will become to the beast until the punishment against the antichrist arrives and what was said through the prophets by God comes to an end, even upon him. But wishing to signify more clearly the things concerning the city about which the discourse is, he adds that the woman is the great city which has the kingdom over all. After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying: Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and has become a dwelling place of demons, and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a 192 prison of every unclean and hated bird, because from the wrath of her fornication all the nations have fallen, and the kings of the earth
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ἂν ταγείη καὶ οὗτος ὁ καὶ τοῖς ἑπτὰ τὸ οὕτως εἶναι πάνυ πονηροὺς στρατηγήσας; καὶ τὰ δέκα φησὶ κέρατα ἃ εἶδες δέκα βασιλεῖς εἰσιν, οἵτινες βασιλείαν οὔπω ἔλαβον. περὶ τούτων τῶν δέκα βασιλέων ἤτοι κεράτων ὁ σοφώτατος προφήτης ∆ανιὴλ διείληφεν ἐκ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς λέγων· αὐτοὺς ἀνίστασθαι ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις χρόνοις ὧν ἐν μέσῳ ὁ ἀντίχριστος ἀναστήσεται. διὰ τοῦτο οὖν φησι βασιλείαν οὔπω ἔλαβον ἀλλ' ἔξουσιν ὡς βασιλεῖς. καλῶς ὡς βασιλεῖς διὰ τὸ ὠκύμορον καὶ σκιῶδες τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῶν. εἶτα ἐπάγει μίαν ὥραν λαμβάνουσι μετὰ τοῦ θηρίου. θηρίον ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἀντίχριστον καλεῖ. ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν τοῖς προλαβοῦσιν οὕτως αὐτὸν κέκληκεν εἰπὼν καὶ εἶδον ἄλλο θηρίον ἀναβαῖνον ἐκ τῆς γῆς, καὶ εἶχε κέρατα δύο ὅμοια ἀρνίου. τὸ δὲ μίαν ὥραν βασιλεῦσαι 190 αὐτοὺς ἢ τὸ ὀλιγοχρόνιον τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῶν αἰνίττεται, ἢ μίαν ἔτους ὥραν καὶ τροπήν. οὗτοί φησι μίαν γνώμην ἔχουσιν, καὶ τὴν δύναμιν καὶ ἐξουσίαν αὐτῶν τῷ θηρίῳ διδόασιν. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐναντίοι εἰσὶν ἑαυτοῖς περὶ τὰς γνώμας οἱ ἐσόμενοι δέκα βασιλεῖς, ἀλλ' ἐν τούτῳ ἔσται αὐτοῖς μία γνώμη, ἐν τῷ δοῦναι τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῷ θηρίῳ, τουτέστι τῷ ἀντιχρίστῳ. ἡττηθήσονται γὰρ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ μόνος λοιπὸν ἐκεῖνος πάντων κατάρξει. ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ παρὰ γνώμην ἡττηθήσονται, ὅμως ἐπειδὴ οἱ δέκα τὸ αὐτὸ πάθος τῆς ἥττης καὶ τῆς καθαιρέσεως πάθωσι, μίαν αὐτοὺς ἔφη γνώμην ἔχειν· ὥσει ἔλεγεν ὥσπερ ἐκ συμφωνίας καὶ ὁμογνωμοσύνης οἱ δέκα ἡττηθήσονται τῷ ἀντιχρίστῳ. οὗτοί φησι μετὰ τοῦ ἀρνίου πολεμήσουσι. πρὶν γὰρ ὅλως ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου καθαιρεθῆναι, διώξουσι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν οὗτοι περὶ ὧν ὁ λόγος. ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστὸς νικήσει· κακοὺς γὰρ ὄντας αὐτοὺς κακίονι παραδώσει τῷ ἀντιχρίστῳ πρὸς θάνατον. καὶ κατ' ἄλλο δὲ ὁ Χριστὸς νικήσει, τῶν αὐτοῦ δούλων μέχρι θανάτου ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγωνιζομένων πίστεως· κλητοὶ γάρ εἰσί φησι καὶ ἐκλεκτοὶ καὶ πιστοί, οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τουτέστι δοῦλοι. καὶ λέγει μοι· τὰ ὕδατα ἃ εἶδες, οὗ ἡ πόρνη κάθηται, λαοὶ καὶ ἔθνη εἰσὶν καὶ ὄχλοι καὶ γλῶσσαι. καὶ τὰ δέκα κέρατα ἃ εἶδες καὶ τὸ θηρίον, οὗτοι μισοῦσι τὴν πόρνην, καὶ ἐρη μωμένην ποιήσουσιν αὐτὴν καὶ γυμνήν, καὶ τὰς σάρκας αὐτῆς φάγονται, καὶ αὐτὴν κατακαύσουσιν ἐν πυρί· ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς δέδωκεν εἰς τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν ποιῆσαι τὴν γνώμην αὐτοῦ, καὶ ποιῆσαι μίαν γνώμην καὶ δοῦναι τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτῶν τῷ θηρίῳ, ἄχρι τελεσθήσονται οἱ λόγοι τοῦ Θεοῦ. καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἣν εἶδες, ἐστὶν ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη, ἔχουσα βασιλείαν ἐπὶ τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς. 191 τὰ ὕδατα ἔφη ἐφ' ὧν ἡ πόρνη κάθηται, λαοὺς καὶ ἔθνη, ἐφ' οὗς δηλαδὴ τὴν βασιλείαν ἡ πόλις ἔχει. πῶς δὲ ἐρημωθήσεται ὑπὸ τῶν βασιλέων ἡ Ῥώμη; ταύτην γὰρ ἐνοήσαμεν δηλοῦσθαι διὰ τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως. ἴσως αὐτοῖς ἔσται περιμάχητος ὡς βασιλὶς καὶ ὀχυρὰ καὶ πολυάνθρωπος καὶ φόρους δεχομένη. ἐν τῷ οὖν περὶ αὐτῆς πολέμῳ ἐπάναγκες αὐτὴν ἆθλον νίκης κειμένην ὑπὸ πάντων πάσχειν κακῶς, πυρπολουμένην καὶ ἐρημουμένην. ὁ γὰρ Θεός φησιν ἔδωκεν εἰς τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν ποιῆσαι τὴν γνώμην αὐτῶν. Θεοῦ φησι συγχωροῦντος, ταῦτα πείσεται ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντεχομένων αὐτῆς καὶ ἑλεῖν ἐθελόντων. καὶ ποιῆσαί φησι μίαν γνώμην καὶ δοῦναι τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ θηρίῳ. καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκ μιᾶς γνώμης ὑποχειρίους παραδοθῆναι τῷ ἀντιχρίστῳ, καθὼς ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται, ἄχρι φησὶ τελεσθήσονται οἱ λόγοι τοῦ Θεοῦ. ὑποχείριοί φησιν γενήσονται τῷ θηρίῳ ἄχρις οὗ καὶ ἡ κατὰ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου τιμωρία φθάσει καὶ τέλος λάβοι τὰ εἰρημένα διὰ τῶν προφητῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ. σαφέστερον δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν περὶ ἧς ὁ λόγος σημᾶναι θέλων, ἐπάγει ὅτι ἔστιν ἡ γυνὴ ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη ἡ ἔχουσα κατὰ πάντων τὴν βασιλείαν. μετὰ ταῦτα εἶδον ἄλλον ἄγγελον καταβαίνοντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρα νοῦ, ἔχοντα ἐξουσίαν μεγάλην, καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐφωτίσθη ἐκ τῆς δοξῆς αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἔκραξεν ἐν ἰσχυρᾷ φωνῇ λέγων· ἔπεσεν, ἔπεσε Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, καὶ ἐγένετο κατοικητήριον δαι μονίων, καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς πνεύματος ἀκαθάρτου καὶ φυ 192 λακὴ παντὸς ὀρνέου ἀκαθάρτου καὶ μεμισημένου, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ θυμοῦ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς πέπτωκε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς