86

he foretells what will happen to his sons; λδʹ. "And when they grow weak they will be helped with a little help." For they will enjoy the divine grace, and for a time they will prevail over their enemies; however, they will not enjoy peace and release from wars in their days. Therefore he called the truces that happened in the midst of the wars a little help. "And many," he says, "will join them in flatteries." For seeing this valor, he says, many of those who have slipped and denied piety, moved by repentance, will run to them. λεʹ. "And of those who have understanding," he says, "many will grow weak." And those who seem to be pious will be turned to the contrary. "To refine them," he says, "and to select, and to make them white until the time of the end; because it is yet for a time." Not even these things, he says, will harm the people who are to come; for from this they will be taught not to trust in former achievements, but always to fear and tremble, according to the exhortation of the blessed Paul; "For he who thinks he stands," he says, "let him take heed lest he fall." For the changes of the times, as it were, refine, and test, and separate the counterfeit from the genuine; and not only that but they also whiten it like wool, and they test whether it has a natural or an acquired color, and whether the color is ingrained throughout, or lies only on the surface. These things, he says, happen partially in the present life; but in the time to come the universal examination of men will take place. Having said these things about Antiochus Epiphanes, he now passes from the image to the archetype; and the archetype of Antiochus is the antichrist, and the image of the Antichrist is Antiochus. For just as that one compelled the Jews to be impious and to live lawlessly; so the man of sin, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called God or object of worship, as the blessed Paul says, so that he even enters the temple of God and takes his seat, showing himself that he is God, with all false signs and wonders; so this one will do everything for the deception of the pious, 81.1525 now trying to deceive and delude with deceptive miracles, now using his power, and inflicting every kind of punishment on the nurslings of piety. But if anyone, seeking the sequence of the prophecy, does not believe these things to be so, let him take to mind the teaching of the Gospel; for there likewise the Lord foretells the things concerning the common consummation, and the things concerning the consummation of Jerusalem; for having said: "Pray that your flight may not be in winter, nor on a Sabbath" (and this fits only the Jews); he immediately added: "For there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will be; and if those days had not been shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened." And showing that none of these things pertain to the Jews, he added: "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ,' or 'there,' do not believe it." And having said a few things about the false Christs, he adds: "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." And all the other things likewise, that I may not speak of each one. Therefore, being guided from this, we will also understand the prophecy, which passed from Antiochus to the Antichrist, as from an image to an archetype, clearly teaching us beforehand the things concerning that one. λʹ. "For the king," he says, "will do according to his will, and he will be exalted, and will be magnified, against every God, and against the God of gods, and he will speak arrogant things, and will prosper." Instead of, he will be prospered, but not to the end. "For until the wrath is completed." Until, he says, he vehemently kindles the divine wrath, and draws it upon himself. And he calls the punishment wrath; for the Divine is without passion. "For it happens," he says, "for a completion and with haste." For this one also, he says, foreknowing his own end, with great

86

τῶν υἱέων αὐτοῦ ἐσόμενα προ λέγει· λδʹ. "Καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀσθενῆσαι αὐτοὺς βοηθήσονται βοήθειαν μικράν." Τῆς γὰρ θείας χάριτος ἀπολαύ σουσι, καὶ τέως τῶν πολεμούντων περιγενήσονται· οὐ μὴν εἰρήνης καὶ πολέμων ἀπαλλαγῆς ἐν ταῖς τού των ἀπολαύσουσιν ἡμέραις. ∆ιὸ βοήθειαν μι κρὰν τὰς γενομένας ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πολέμων ἀνακωχὰς προσηγόρευσε. "Καὶ προστεθήσονται, φησὶ, πρὸς αὐτοὺς πολλοὶ ἐν ὀλισθήμασι." Ταύτην γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν ἀνδραγαθίαν ὁρῶντες, καὶ τῶν ὀλισθησάντων πολλοὶ καὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἀρνηθέντων, μεταμελείᾳ χρησάμενοι, πρὸς αὐτοὺς δραμοῦνται λεʹ. "Καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν συνιέντων, φησὶν, ἀσθενήσουσι πολλοί." Καὶ τῶν εὐσεβεῖν δοκούντων εἰς τοὐναντίον τραπήσονται. "Τοῦ πυρῶσαι, φησὶν, ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τοῦ ἐκλέξασθαι, καὶ ἐκλευκᾶναι ἕως καιροῦ πέρας· διότι ἔτι εἰς καιρόν." Οὐδὲ ταῦτα, φησὶ, βλάψει τοὺς ἐσομένους ἀνθρώπους· διδαχθήσονται γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν τοῖς προτέροις μὴ θαῤῥεῖν κατορθώμα σιν, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ δεδοικέναι καὶ τρέμειν, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου παραίνεσιν· "Ὁ δοκῶν γὰρ, φη σὶν, ἑστάναι, βλεπέτω μὴ πέσῃ." Αἱ γὰρ τῶν και ρῶν μεταβολαὶ οἱονεὶ πυροῦσι, καὶ δοκιμάζουσι, καὶ ἀποκρίνουσι τοῦ δοκίμου τὸ κίβδηλον· οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκλευκαίνουσιν οἱονεὶ ἔριον, καὶ δοκιμά ζουσιν, εἴτε φυσικὴν, εἴτε ἐπείσακτον ἔχει τὴν χροιὰν, καὶ εἴτε ὅλον διόλου ἐμπεφυκὸς τὸ χρῶμα, εἴτε τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ ἐπικείμενον μόνῃ. Ταῦτα μὲν, φησὶ, κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον μερικῶς γίνεται· ἐν δὲ τῷ μέλλοντι χρόνῳ ἡ καθόλου τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξ έτασις ἔσται. Ταῦτα περὶ Ἀντιόχου τοῦ Ἐπιφανοῦς εἰρηκὼς, μεταβαίνει λοιπὸν ἀπὸ τῆς εἰκόνος ἐπὶ τὸ ἀρχέ τυπον· ἀρχέτυπον δὲ τοῦ Ἀντιόχου ὁ ἀντίχριστος, καὶ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου εἰκὼν ὁ Ἀντίοχος. Ὥσπερ γὰρἐκεῖνος ἀσεβεῖν ἠνάγκαζεν Ἰουδαίους, καὶ πολιτεύε σθαι παρανόμως· οὕτως ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας, ὁ ὑπεραιρόμενος καὶ ὑπερυψού μενος ὑπὲρ πάντα λεγόμενον Θεὸν ἢ σέβασμα, ᾗ φησιν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, ὥστε αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσελθόντα καθίσαι, ἀποδεικνύοντα ἑαυτὸν, ὅτι ἔστι Θεὸς, ἐν πᾶσι σημείοις καὶ τέρασι ψεύδους· οὕτως οὗτος πάντα εἰς ἀπάτην τῶν εὐσε 81.1525 βῶν διαπράξεται, νῦν μὲν ταῖς ἀπατηλαῖς θαυμα τουργίαις ἐξαπατᾷν καὶ φενακίζειν πειρώμενος, νῦν δὲ τῇ δυναστέιᾳ χρώμενος, καὶ πᾶν εἶδος τιμωρίας ἐπιφέρων τοῖς τῆς εὐσεβείας τροφίμοις. Εἰ δέ τις ἀκολουθίαν τῆς προφητείας ἐπιζητῶν μὴ πιστεύει ταῦθ' οὕτως ἔχειν, εἰς νοῦν τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν διδασκα λίαν λαβέτω· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ κατὰ ταυτὸν ὁ Κύριος τὰ περὶ τῆς κοινῆς συντελείας προλέγει, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς συντελείας τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ· εἰρηκὼς γάρ· "Προσεύχεσθε ἵνα μὴ γένηται ἡ φυγὴ ὑμῶν χειμῶνος, μηδὲ ἐν Σαββάτῳ" (τοῦτο δὲ Ἰουδαίοις μό νοις ἁρμόττει)· εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγεν· "Ἔσται γὰρ θλίψις μεγάλη, οἵα οὐ γέγονεν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς κόσμου ἕως τοῦ νῦν, οὐδὲ μὴ γενήσεται· καὶ εἰ μὴ ἐκολοβώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι, οὐκ ἂν ἐσώθη πᾶσα σάρξ· διὰ δὲ τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς κολοβωθήσονται αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι." Καὶ δεικνὺς ὡς οὐδὲν τούτων Ἰουδαίοις προσήκει, ἐπήγα γεν· "Τότε ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ· Ἰδοὺ, ὧδε ὁ Χριστὸς, ἢ ἐκεῖ, μὴ πιστεύσητε." Καὶ προειρηκὼς περὶ τῶν ψευ δοχρίστων ὀλίγα, ἐπάγει· "Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ ἀστραπὴ ἐξέρχεται ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ φαίνεται ἕως δυσμῶν, οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου." Καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δὲ πάντα ὁμοίως, ἵνα μὴ καθ' ἕκαστον λέγω. Ἐντεῦθεν τοίνυν ποδηγούμενοι, καὶ τὴν προ φητείαν νοήσομεν, μεταβᾶσαν μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀντιόχου ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀντίχριστον, ὡς ἀπὸ εἰκόνος ἐπὶ ἀρχέτυ πον, σαφῶς δὲ ἡμᾶς τὰ κατ' ἐκεῖνον προδιδάσκουσαν. λʹ. "Ποιήσει γὰρ, φησὶ, κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὑτοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ ὑψωθήσεται, καὶ μεγαλυνθήσεται, ἐπὶ πάντα Θεὸν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν τῶν θεῶν, καὶ λα λήσει ὑπέρογκα, καὶ κατευθυνεῖ." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, εὐοδω θήσεται, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τέλος. "Μέχρι γὰρ τοῦ συν τελεσθῆναι τὴν ὀργήν." Ἕως ἂν σφόδρα, φησὶ, τὴν θείαν ὀργὴν ἐκκαύσῃ, καὶ ταύτην ἐπισπάσηται. Ὀρ γὴν δὲ τὴν τιμωρίαν καλεῖ· ἀπαθὲς γὰρ τὸ Θεῖον. "Εἰς γὰρ συντέλειαν, φησὶ, καὶ σπουδὴν γίνεται." Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος, φησὶ, προγινώσκων τὸ ἑαυτοῦ τέ λος, πολλῇ