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dares to circumscribe and so shamelessly declares that there will be an end of Christ's kingdom after the time of judgment, writing in this manner: Here the apostle reveals a very great mystery to us, 3.17.7 saying that there will be an end of Christ's kingdom; but an end then, when all things have been subjected under his feet. And he develops the argument, saying something like this: We said in our preceding statements that our Lord Christ has received a beginning of a kingdom, using proofs from the divine scriptures. And he adds: And in short, it is possible for one who has found a myriad of sayings for witness to show that the man has received a beginning of a kingdom through the 3.17.8 Word. If, therefore, he has received a beginning of a kingdom not more than four hundred whole years ago, it is not surprising if the apostle says that he who obtained this kingdom so short a time ago will hand over the kingdom to God. 3.17.9 And he adds after other things, saying: What then do we learn about the human flesh, which the Word assumed for our sake not quite four hundred years ago? Will the Word possess this also in the ages to come, or only until the time of judgment? Marcellus, then, dared to say such things; but the prophets of God, defining the kingdom of Christ as without end, say that after the time of judgment he will hold the beginning of the new age. For see how the prophet Ezekiel, having proposed a judgment of the sheep of God, after their judgment sets David over them as shepherd 3.17.10 and decrees that the same shall be their ruler. But Daniel, having said beforehand, "I watched until thrones were set in place, and an Ancient of Days was seated, and his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool; his throne was a flame of fire, its wheels were burning fire. A river of fire flowed out from before him; a thousand thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court was seated, and books were opened," having foreseen these things, he next sees the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of Days and receiving the incorruptible kingdom. Therefore, then also, differently and better than now, he will have the beginning of reigning over those worthy of blessedness. 3.17.11 The Gospel bears witness to these things, in which the Savior himself seals the prophetic words, delivering the discourses about the consummation to his own disciples, through which he taught these things, saying: "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory; and all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will set the sheep on his right, but the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'" But observe how these things are in harmony with the things said in the prophecy about the judgment of sheep and rams, and how the Son of Man is indeed introduced as king after the judgment of the sheep, 3.17.12 and his Father is God. For he himself also taught this when he said, "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you blessed of my Father,'" analogously to David named in the prophecy, whom the word teaches will be shepherd and ruler of the sheep, destined to shepherd and rule the flocks of God under God as overseer. 3.17.13 And it is necessary to pay attention to that also, how what was said by the apostle in "when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power" the prophecy hinted at when it said, "and 3.17.14 I will destroy evil beasts from the land." For what could the beasts be that formerly troubled the sheep other than the opposing powers? When these have been removed, the new and fresh age, having been cleansed of all evil, will have as king the Son of Man or according to the prophecy that hints covertly, a shepherd and

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περιγράφειν τολμᾷ καὶ τέλος ἔσεσθαι τῆς Χριστοῦ βασιλείας ἀναιδῶς οὕτως ἀποφαίνεται μετὰ τὸν τῆς κρίσεως καιρόν, τοῦτον γράφων τὸν τρόπον μέγιστον ἡμῖν μυστήριον ἐνταῦθα ὁ ἀπόστολος ἀνακα3.17.7 λύπτει, τέλος μὲν ἔσεσθαι φάσκων τῆς Χριστοῦ βασιλείας· τέλος δὲ τότε, ὅταν πάντα ὑποταγῇ ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐπεξεργάζεται τὸν λόγον ὧδέ πη λέγων ἔφαμεν ἐν τοῖς προάγουσιν ἡμῶν ῥητοῖς τὸν δεσπότην ἡμῶν τὸν Χριστὸν ἀρχὴν ἐσχηκέναι βασιλείας, ἐκ τῶν θείων γρα φῶν ἀποδείξεσιν χρώμενοι. καὶ ἐπιλέγει καὶ ὅλως μυρίων ῥητῶν πρὸς μαρτυρίαν ἔστιν εὐπορή σαντα δεῖξαι, ὅτι ἀρχὴν βασιλείας εἴληφεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος διὰ τοῦ 3.17.8 λόγου. εἰ οὖν εἴληφεν ἀρχὴν βασιλείας πρὸ ἐτῶν ὅλων οὐ πλει όνων ἢ τετρακοσίων, οὐδὲν παράδοξον εἰ τὸν πρὸ οὕτως ὀλίγου χρόνου τῆς βασιλείας ταύτης τυχόντα ὁ ἀπόστολός φησιν παραδώσειν τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ θεῷ. 3.17.9 καὶ προστίθησιν μεθ' ἕτερα λέγων τί τοίνυν μανθάνομεν περὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης σαρκός, ἣν δι' ἡμᾶς ἀνεἰληφεν ὁ λόγος πρὸ τετρακοσίων οὐχ ὅλων ἐτῶν; πότερόν ποτε ταύτην καὶ ἐν τοῖς μέλλουσιν αἰῶσιν ὁ λόγος ἕξει, ἢ ἄχρι μόνου τοῦ τῆς κρίσεως καιροῦ; Μάρκελλος μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα λέγειν ἐτόλμα· οἱ δέ γε τοῦ θεοῦ προφῆται ἀτελεύτητον τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν ὁριζόμενοι μετὰ τὸν τῆς κρίσεως καιρὸν τοῦ νέου αἰῶνος τὴν ἀρχὴν καθέξειν αὐτόν φασιν. θέα γὰρ ὡς ὁ προφήτης Ἐζεκιὴλ κριτήριον τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ προβάτων ὑποθέμενος μετὰ τὴν τούτων κρίσιν τὸν ∆αυὶδ αὐτοῖς ἐφίστησιν 3.17.10 ποιμένα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἄρχοντα αὐτῶν ἔσεσθαι θεσπίζει. ὁ δὲ ∆ανιὴλ προειπὼν «ἐθεώρουν ἕως ὅτου θρόνοι ἐτέθησαν, καὶ παλαιὸς ἡμερῶν ἐκάθητο, καὶ τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ λευκὸν ὡς χιών, καὶ ἡ θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ ἔριον καθαρόν· ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ φλὸξ πυρός, οἱ τροχοὶ αὐτοῦ πῦρ φλέγον. ποταμὸς πυρὸς εἷλκεν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ· χίλιαι χιλιάδες ἐλειτούργουν αὐτῷ, καὶ μύριαι μυριάδες παρειστήκεισαν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ· κριτήριον ἐκάθισεν, καὶ βίβλοι ἠνεῴχθησαν», ταῦτα προθεασάμενος ἑξῆς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου θεωρεῖ ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ προσιόντα τῷ παλαιῷ τῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ τὴν ἄφθαρτον βασιλείαν ὑποδεχόμενον. οὐκοῦν καὶ τότε διαφερόντως καὶ κρειττόνως ἢ νῦν ἀρχὴν ἕξει τοῦ βασιλεύειν τῶν τῆς μακαριότητος ἀξίων. 3.17.11 τούτοις μαρτυρεῖ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς ἐπισφραγίζεται ὁ σωτὴρ τὰς προφητικὰς λέξεις, τοὺς περὶ συντελείας λόγους παραδιδοὺς τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς δι' ὧν ταῦτ' ἐδίδασκεν λέγων «ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι μετ' αὐτοῦ, τότε καθίσει ἐπὶ θρόνου δόξης αὐτοῦ· καὶ συναχθήσονται ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ ἀφοριεῖ αὐτοὺς ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, ὥσπερ ὁ ποιμὴν ἀφορίζει τὰ πρόβατα ἀπὸ τῶν ἐρίφων, καὶ στήσει τὰ μὲν πρόβατα ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ ἐρίφια ἐξ εὐωνύμων. τότε ἐρεῖ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ· δεῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου.» ὅπως δὲ ταῦτα συνᾴδει τοῖς ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ περὶ προβάτων καὶ περὶ κριῶν κρίσεως εἰρημένοις τήρει, καὶ ὅπως βασιλεὺς μὲν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μετὰ τὴν τῶν προβάτων κρίσιν εἰσῆκται, 3.17.12 πατὴρ δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ θεός. τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐδίδασκεν εἰπὼν «τότε ἐρεῖ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ, δεῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ πατρός μου,» ἀναλόγως τῷ ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ ὠνομασμένῳ ∆αυίδ, ὃν ποιμένα καὶ ἄρχοντα ἔσεσθαι τῶν προβάτων ὁ λόγος διδάσκει ὑπὸ ἐφόρῳ τῷ θεῷ μέλλοντα ποιμαίνειν καὶ ἄρχειν τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ θρεμ3.17.13 μάτων. καὶ ἐκείνῳ δὲ ἀναγκαῖον ἐπιστῆσαι τὸν νοῦν ὡς τὸ παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ λελεγμένον ἐν τῷ «ὅταν καταργήσῃ πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν καὶ πᾶσαν ἐξουσίαν καὶ δύναμιν» ᾐνίξατο ἡ προφητεία φήσασα «καὶ 3.17.14 ἀφανιῶ θηρία πονηρὰ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς.» τίνα γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο τὰ θηρία τὰ πάλαι πρότερον τοῖς προβάτοις διενοχλοῦντα ἢ αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις; ὧν ἐκποδὼν ἀρθεισῶν, πάσης κακίας καθαρθεὶς ὁ νέος καὶ καινὸς αἰὼν βασιλέα μὲν ἕξει τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἢ κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν ἐπικεκρυμμένως αἰνιττομένην ποιμένα καὶ