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he will make use of his zeal for impiety, calling everyone forth, and wishing to take many as partners in his punishment. But what follows more clearly refutes the folly of those who think these things were said about Antiochus. For it says: 37. "And he will not have regard for any gods of his fathers." But we find that Antiochus filled both Jerusalem and all of Judea with idolatrous altars, and sacrificed to Zeus in the temple of God, and called the temple in Jerusalem that of Olympian Zeus, and the one on Gerizim that of Zeus Xenios. How then could one so superstitious, so idolatrous, ‘not have regard for the gods of his fathers’? For Antio 81.1528 chus continually did all the opposite; for while revering his ancestral gods, he denied the God worshipped by the Jews. In no way, then, do these things fit Antiochus; but they fit the archetype of Antiochus, of whom Antiochus was an image and a type, who strove to surpass in impiety all the kings who came before him. Therefore, he speaks about the Antichrist, that "He will not have regard for any gods of his fathers. And he will not have regard for the desire of women, nor for any god." And this too is directly contrary to the practices of Antiochus. For he was not content only with those joined to him by the law of marriage, from whom he fathered both Antiochus Eupator and Alexander, but he also mixed with licentious concubines. And the second book of Maccabees mentions one of them, and the writer says thus: "It came to pass that the people of Tarsus and Mallus revolted, because they were given as a gift to Antiochis, the king’s concubine." Therefore, how could he who was a slave to such licentiousness, as to give such and so great cities as a gift to a courtesan, ‘not have regard for the desire of women’? Therefore, from this too, those who attempt to apply these things to Antiochus are clearly proven to be in error. But let us return to where we left off. "And he will not have regard," it says, "for the desire of women, nor for any god, because he will magnify himself above all." That is, he will think himself to be the greatest of all. 38. "And he will honor the god Maozim in his place, and a god whom his fathers did not know he will honor with silver and gold, and with precious stones, and with desirable things." For while all his fathers knew their own nature, and did not dare to name themselves the God over all, this one calls himself a strong and mighty God (for this is what Maozim signifies). For ‘in his place’ is put instead of ‘himself’. 39. "And he will act against the strongholds of the refuges with a foreign god, whom he has acknowledged, and he will increase his glory, and he will subject many to them, and he will divide the land as gifts." For he will raise up temples to himself, it says, and will adorn them with silver and gold and precious stones, and he will subject many to them, clearly those who are deceived by his wonders, or made weak by his punishments. But also "he will divide the land as gifts;" for to his subjects and those who choose to be impious, he will also give much land as a gift. 40. "And at the end of time," it says, "the king of the South will clash with him, and the king of the North will be gathered against him with chariots, and 81.1529 with horsemen, and with many ships, and he will enter into the land with floods, and will crush." We have often said that the ten horns of the fourth beast which appeared on it signify ten kings who will reign at the same time at the end of the Roman empire. From these, then, again the king of the South will war against this one, who is called the king of the North. "For from the north," it says, "evils will be kindled upon all the inhabitants of the earth." And Antiochus, who was a type of this one, was called the king of the North. When the king of the South clashes with him, therefore, this one with a multitude and with land and sea strongholds, will both campaign against him and will win the victory. And these wars the Lord foretold also in the holy Gospels: "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and plagues and
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χρήσεται σπουδῇ εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἅπαντας ἐκκαλούμενος, καὶ πολλοὺς κοινωνοὺς τῆς τιμωρίας λαβεῖν βουλόμενος. Τὰ δὲ ἐπαγόμενα σαφέστερον ἐλέγ χει τὴν ἄνοιαν τῶν οἰομένων περὶ Ἀντιόχου ταῦτα εἰρῆσθαι. Φησὶ γάρ· λζʹ. "Καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας θεοὺς τῶν πατέρων αὑτοῦ οὐ συνήσει." Εὑρίσκομεν δὲ τὸν Ἀντίοχον εἰδωλι κῶν βωμῶν τήν τε Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ἐμπλήσαντα, καὶ ἐν τῷ ναῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ ∆ιὶ θύσαντα, καὶ ∆ιὸς μὲν Ὀλυμπίου τὸν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις νεὼν προσαγορεύσαντα, ∆ιὸς δὲ Ξενίου τὸν ἐν τῷ Γαριζείν. Πῶς τοίνυν ὁ οὕτως δεισιδαίμων, ὁ οὕτως εἰδωλολάτρης, "ἐπὶ θεοὺς τῶν πατέρων αὑ τοῦ οὐ συνήσει;" Πάντα γὰρ τοὐναντίον ὁ Ἀντίο 81.1528 χος ποιῶν διετέλει· τοὺς πατρῴους γὰρ σέβων θεοὺς, τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων προσκυνούμενον ἠρνεῖτο Θεόν. Οὐδαμῶς τοίνυν τῷ Ἀντιόχῳ ταῦτα ἁρμόττει· ἀλλ' αὐτῷ τῷ ἀρχετύπῳ τοῦ Ἀντιόχου, οὗ εἰκὼν καὶ τύπος ὁ Ἀντίοχος γεγονὼς, νικῆσαι εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἅπαντας τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ γενομένους βασιλέας ἐφιλο νείκησε. Περὶ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου τοίνυν λέγει, ὅτι "Ἐπὶ πάντας θεοὺς πατέρων αὑτοῦ οὐ συνήσει. Καὶ ἐπὶ ἐπιθυμίαν γυναικῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα Θεὸν οὐ συνήσει." Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἀντικρὺς ἐναντίον τοῖς τοῦ Ἀντιόχου ἐπιτηδεύμασιν. Οὗτος γὰρ οὐδὲ ταῖς γάμου νόμῳ συνημμέναις μόναις ἠρκεῖτο, ἐξ ὧν Ἀντίοχόν τε τὸν Εὐπάτορα καὶ Ἀλέξανδρον ἐπαιδοποίησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παλλακίσιν ἀκολάστοις ἐμίγνυτο. Τῆς δὲ μιᾶς καὶ ἡ δευτέρα τῶν Μακκαβαίων μνημο νεύει, καί φησιν ὁ συγγραφεὺς οὕτως· "Συνέβη δὲ Ταρσεῖς καὶ Μαλλεώτας στασιάζειν, διὰ τὸ Ἀντιοχίδι τῇ παλλακῇ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐν δωρεᾷ δε δόσθαι." Ὁ τοίνυν τοσαύτῃ δουλεύων ἀκολασίᾳ, ὡς πόλεις τοιαύτας καὶ τηλικαύτας ἑταιρικῷ δωρή σασθαι γυναίῳ, πῶς ἐπὶ ἐπιθυμίαν γυναικῶν οὐ συνήσει; Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν σαφῶς ἁμαρτάνοντες ἐξελέγχονται οἱ εἰς Ἀντίοχον ταῦτα λαμβάνειν ἐπιχειροῦντες. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐπανέλθωμεν ὅθεν ἐξήλθο μεν. "Καὶ ἐπὶ ἐπιθυμίαν γυναικῶν, φησὶν, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα Θεὸν οὐ συνήσει, ὅτι ἐπὶ πάντας μεγα λυνθήσεται." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, οἰήσεται πάντων εἶναι μέ γιστος. ληʹ. "Καὶ Θεὸν Μαωζεὶμ ἐπὶ τόπου αὑτοῦ δοξάσει, καὶ Θεὸν ὃν οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οἱ πατέρες αὐτοῦ δοξάσει ἐν ἀργυρίῳ, καὶ χρυσίῳ, καὶ ἐν λίθῳ τιμίῳ, καὶ ἐν ἐπιθυμήμασι." Τῶν γὰρ πατέρων αὐτοῦ πάντων τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν ἐγνωκότων, καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ὀνομάσαι μὴ τετολμηκό των, οὗτος Θεὸν ἰσχυρὸν καὶ δυνατὸν (τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὸ Μαωζεὶμ) ἑαυτὸν προσαγορεύει. Τὸ γὰρ, ἐπὶ τόπῳ αὑτοῦ, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἑαυτὸν τέθεικε. λθʹ. "Καὶ ποιήσει τοῖς ὀχυρώμασι τῶν καταφυ γῶν μετὰ Θεοῦ ἀλλοτρίου, ὃν ἐγνώρισε, καὶ πληθυνεῖ δόξαν, καὶ ὑποτάξει αὐτοῖς πολλοὺς, καὶ γῆν διελεῖ ἐν δώροις." Ἀναστήσει γὰρ, φησὶν, ἑαυτῷ ναοὺς, καὶ ἀργύρῳ, καὶ χρυσῷ, καὶ λίθοις τιμίοις αὐτοὺς καλλωπίσει, καὶ ὑποτάξει αὐτοῖς πολλοὺς, τοὺς ἐξ απατωμένους δηλονότι τοῖς τέρασιν, ἢ ταῖς κολάσεσιν χαυνουμένους. Ἀλλὰ καὶ "γῆν διελεῖ ἐν δώροις·" τοῖς γὰρ ὑπηκόοις καὶ ἀσεβεῖν αἱρουμένοις, καὶ γῆν δωρήσεται πλείστην. μʹ. "Καὶ ἐν καιροῦ πέρατι, φησὶ, συγκερατισθή σεται μετ' αὐτοῦ βασιλεὺς Νότου, καὶ συναχθή σεται ἐπ' αὐτὸν βασιλεὺς τοῦ Βοῤῥᾶ ἐν ἅρμασι, καὶ 81.1529 ἐν ἱππεῦσι, καὶ ἐν ναυσὶ πολλαῖς, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐν ταῖς κατακλύσεσι, καὶ συντρίψει." Πολλάκις εἴπομεν, ὅτι τοῦ τετάρτου θηρίου τὰ δέκα κέρατα τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν φανέντα, δέκα βασιλέας ση μαίνει ἐν τῷ τέλει τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς βασιλείας κατὰ ταυτὸν βασιλεύσοντας. Ἐκ τούτων τοίνυν πάλιν ὁ τοῦ Νότου βασιλεὺς πολεμήσει τούτῳ, ὃς τοῦ Βοῤῥᾶ κα λεῖται βασιλεύς. "Ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκκαυθή σεται τὰ κακὰ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν." Καὶ Ἀντίοχος δὲ, ὃς τούτου τύπος ἐτύγχανε, τοῦ Βοῤῥᾶ βασιλεὺς ὠνομάζετο. Τοῦ τοίνυν βασιλέως τοῦ Νότου συμπλακέντος αὐτῷ, μετὰ πλήθους οὗτος καὶ ὀχυρωμάτων ἐγγείων τε καὶ θαλαττίων, καὶ ἐπιστρατεύσει αὐτῷ, καὶ τὴν νίκην ἀναδήσεται. Τού τους δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγε λίοις προεῖπεν ὁ Κύριος· "Ἐγερθήσεται γὰρ ἔθνος ἐπὶ ἔθνος, καὶ βασιλεία ἐπὶ βασιλείαν, καὶ ἔσονται λιμοὶ, καὶ λοιμοὶ, καὶ