The Extant Works of Saint Hippolytus

FRAGMENTS ON GENESIS

Fragments excerpted from the Commentary on Genesis collected from LXXXVIII Fathers, which exists in a manuscript in the Vienna Library. (In Galland.) These also exist in the Chain on Matthew edited at Leipzig in the year 1772, entitled: SEIRA... ON THE OCTATEUCH AND THE BOOKS OF KINGS... edited by Nicephorus, hieromonk... at Leipzig... in the year 1772. Volume one.

And there was evening, and there was morning, one day.

^A HIPPOLYTUS: He did not say a nychthemeron, but one day, to signify the light. He did not say "first day," for if He had said "first day," it would have been necessary to say that a second had also been made. But it was fitting not to say "first," but "one," so that by saying "one," He might show it returning in a cycle and constituting a week, while yet remaining one.

And God said: Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water.

On the first day, God made whatever He made from things that were not. But on the other days, He did not make them from things that were not, but changed those which He had made on the first day, as He willed.

And let it be separating between water and water. And it was so. And God made the firmament; and God divided between the water which was under the firmament and between the water which was above the firmament. And it was so.

HIPPOLYTUS: Since the abundance of water was being carried over the face of the earth, for this reason the earth was invisible and unformed. When the Lord of all wished to make the invisible visible, then He fixed the third part of the waters in the midst; the third part He separated, taking it up by His own power into the firmament; and the third part He left below for use and enjoyment by men. (Where an asterisk is placed. These things are read in the Hebrew, but do not exist among the Septuagint interpreters.)

^B And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the paradise at evening.

HIPPOLYTUS: They understood the presence of the Lord rather through a certain breeze. Therefore, immediately when they had sinned, God appeared to them, instilling a sense of the sin and inviting them to repentance.

Ruben my firstborn, you are my strength, and the beginning of my children, hard to bear, and hard and self-willed. You behaved insolently like water, do not boil over.

Ruben, my firstborn, you are my strength, and the head of my pain. Excessive in rising and excessive in power; you were amazed like water, do not excel.

Ruben, my firstborn, and the beginning of my pain. To take in excess, and boiling over from excess like water, you shall not be more excellent.

^C AQUA: Ruben my firstborn, you are my strength, and the head of my pain. Preeminent in dignity, preeminent in strength; you were astonished [like] water, do not excel.

SYMMACHUS: Ruben my firstborn and the beginning of my pain. Receiving abundantly and boiling over from abundance like water, you shall not be more excellent.

^D

^A Toward the people, his firstborn out of Egypt, a great demonstration of power was made by God. For the region of the Egyptians was punished by Him in many ways. "That first people from circumcision is my strength and the beginning of my children," as God had promised the covenant to Abraham and his seed. But he was hard to bear, since the people became hardened against the obedience of God. And [he was] hard and stubborn, because he was not only hard toward obedience to God, but also became stubborn enough to lay hands upon the Lord. "You have committed an outrage," because through our Lord Jesus Christ, the people offered outrage to the Father. But the Spirit says, "Do not bubble over," for the sake of consolation, so that by bubbling over completely he might not be poured out, giving him still a hope of salvation. For that which has bubbled over and been poured out has perished.

^B *Gen. XLIX, 4: For you went up to your father’s bed.*

HIPPOLYTUS: First of all, he sets forth the event: that in the last days the people will plot against the bed of the Father, that is, the bride, the Church, wishing to corrupt her. This is what they still do today, while plotting against her through their blasphemies.

*Gen. XLIX, 5: Simeon and Levi are brothers.*

HIPPOLYTUS: Since from Simeon come the scribes, and from Levi the priests. For the scribes and priests perpetrated iniquity; and by their own will conspiring in one opinion, they slew the Lord.

*Gen. XLIX, 5-6: Simeon and Levi are brothers; they have brought to completion the iniquity of their purpose. Let not my soul come into their council, and let not my liver contend in their congregation; because in their wrath they slew men, and in their desire they hamstrung a bull.*

^C This he says concerning the conspiracy with which they were to band together against the Lord. That he speaks of this gathering is clear to us; for the blessed David chants: "The rulers were gathered together against the Lord," and the rest. The Spirit foretold this event, saying, "Let not my liver contend," wishing to rescue them so that, if possible, that future evil might not be brought to pass by them. "They slew men, but they hamstrung a bull." By the strong bull, He points to Christ. They hamstrung Him when, nailed to the wood, they pierced His sinews. "In their wrath they hamstrung a bull." See the meaning of the statement: ^D "They slew men, but they hamstrung a bull." They covered the saints with death, and they remained dead, awaiting the time of resurrection. But as a calf hamstrung, Christ in a certain way bowed down to the earth, though He willingly underwent the death of the flesh; yet He did not become subject to death. But even if He died as a man, yet according to the nature of His divinity, He remained alive. For the bull is Christ, as an animal most robust and pure and fit for sacrifice. But the Lord of powers, the Son, who did not commit sin, [gave] Himself...

for us in an odor of sweetness to God and the Father. Let those, therefore, who have thus severed the sinews of the venerable bull hear: “Cursed be their anger, for it is stubborn; and their wrath, for it is hardened.” But the people of the Jews have dared to boast that they severed the sinews of the bull: “Our hands have shed this blood.” For I think it is nothing other than this that they have foolishly said: “His blood be upon us,” and the following. Moses revokes the curse against Levi; or rather, he converts it into a blessing on account of the zeal which that tribe afterwards witnessed for God, and on account of Phinehas. But the curse against Simeon he did not revoke: wherefore the outcome also confirmed it. For Simeon did not obtain a lot of inheritance like the other tribes, but dwelt in the midst of Judah. Nevertheless, it was preserved, although small in number.

Gen. xlix, 11: “Binding his foal to the vine, and to the tendril the foal of his ass; he shall wash his robe in wine, and his clothes in the blood of the grape.”

HIPPOLYTUS

“His eyes are joyous from wine, and his teeth are white as milk. Zabulon shall dwell by the sea, and himself by the harbor of ships, and shall reach unto Sidon. Issachar has desired the good, resting in the midst of the lots. And seeing the rest that it is good, and the land that it is fertile, he put his shoulder under to labor, and became a husbandman.”

HIPPOLYTUS

^C Then, after some things from Cyril.

HIPPOLYTUS

^A that his words become light to those who believe through him.

When he says that Zabulon will dwell by the sea, he predicts that he will occupy the region adjacent to the sea, and that Israel will be mingled with the nations, seeing that the two peoples are being led into one flock. This is clear in the Gospel: "The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim," and what follows. You should understand the provision from both land and sea more physically. And "by the haven of ships"—that is, as if in a safe harbor, anchoring the cables of hope in Christ. By this, he signifies the calling from the Gentiles, because the grace of Christ will go out into all the earth and all seas. For he says, both "by the haven of ships" and "it shall extend even to Sidon." That these things were predicted regarding the Church from the Gentiles is declared to us by the Gospel: "The land of Zabulon and the land of Nephthalim, the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people sitting in darkness saw a great light." ^B Thus, when he says he will dwell—Zabulon, that is—in the region adjacent to the sea, he confirmed it clearly, as if saying that henceforth Israel would be mixed with the nations; for the two peoples are being gathered into one flock, and under the hand of one who has become, by nature, a good chief shepherd, that is, Christ. Blessing him, Moses said: "Zabulon shall rejoice," and Moses prophesies that under the hand of one, in the lot of the land, he will have the good things from both land and sea. "By the haven of ships"—that is, as in a safe harbor, anchoring the cables of hope in Christ. For, having departed from much turbulence, he will henceforth be moored by His grace, just as ships are in harbors. And he says it will extend even to Sidon, indicating, as it seems, that such a union of the two peoples will take place through the spiritual course, that those born of the blood of Israel will even ascend to the very cities of the Gentiles that had been weighed down by great guilt and accusation before God.

After Cyrillus some things:

HIPPOLYTUS: "And the land that it is fat." This is the flesh of our Lord. Fat, that is to say, rich; for this is that which flows with honey and milk. ^C The places of the land destined for him as an inheritance and possession, that is, the teaching of the Lord; for this rest is good, as He Himself says: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden," and what follows. Since those who guard the commands, not renouncing the legal ordinances, find rest both in those and in the teaching of our Lord: which is between the two inheritances; just as the Lord says: "I came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill." For our Lord, by observing the precepts, does not dissolve the law and the prophets, but fulfills them, as He says in the Gospels.

"He bowed his shoulder to labor, and became a husbandman." This the apostles did; ^D

they received the power from God and, having submitted themselves to labor, became husbandmen of the Lord, tilling the earth—that is, the human race—through the preaching of our Lord. ^A

Genes. XLIX, 16-20: "Dan shall judge his people, as also one tribe in Israel. And let Dan be a serpent in the way, sitting on the path, biting the horse's heel; and the rider shall fall backward, awaiting the salvation of the Lord. Gad, a band of pirates shall plunder him; but he shall plunder it by the heels. Aser, his bread is fat, and he shall give delicacies to princes."

After some things from Cyril, Apollinaris, and Diodorus: HIPPOLYTUS: The Lord is indicated to us by the rider, and by the heel the end of time. That he shall fall signifies His death, as it is written in the Gospel: "Behold, this one is set for the fall and rising again of many." We understand the "pirate" as the schemer; and there was no other schemer of the Lord than the people of the Jews. He "will plunder," that is, he will scheme against Him. By "at the heels," the help from the Lord to those who plot against Him is indicated to us. And "at the heels" means that the Lord will speedily take vengeance. His foot will be well armed, and he will himself plunder the found band of pirates. ^B AQUILA: "Girded, he will gird him"; that is, being armed and a warrior, he will arm him. And he will be armed in the foot; or rather it wishes to say this, that Gad, armed, will follow after his brothers. For although his lot was beyond the Jordan, nevertheless they were commanded to follow their brothers armed, until they too had obtained their own lots. Or perhaps he wishes to hint that the Gadites were to live in the manner of brigands, and to take to themselves a fellowship of brigands, and to follow them, and similarly to perform plunder.

Since the shadow in the law had been in a way withdrawn, and the true and spiritual worship had been introduced, the world stood in need of greater light: therefore, the divinely inspired disciples were called henceforth to this, and were enrolled into the lot of those who were teachers of the law. ^C For so it was said by God to the mother of the Jews, I mean Jerusalem, through the voice of the psalmist: "Instead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee"; that is, those who are called thy sons obtained the place and order of the fathers. And to our Lord Jesus Christ: "Thou shalt establish them as princes over all the earth." And after a few things, although the ruling was not to be for them entirely devoid of calamity; for they were to experience rather innumerable evils, and to be hindered; nor were they to find the course of the apostleship altogether immune from dangers, which He indicated as in the figure of an example when He said: "Let it be"—that is, it will be in Dan, the crowd of persecutors as a serpent on the way, sitting on the path, biting the horse's heel. ^D That is, inflicting dire and inescapable bites; as the bites of serpents and vipers are wont to be dangerous. And they shall be fixed by the heel: for he shall crush thy head, and thou...

shalt lie in wait for his heel ^A. In this way did some plot against the holy apostles, so as to bring upon them even the death of the flesh. And indeed we say that they suffered such a thing as might befall the foot of a horse that has stumbled and, as it were, slipped backward: for the rider shall be thrown off and, having fallen to the ground, I suppose, he still awaits the Living One, breathing. But the divine disciples have also awaited the time of their own salvation, in which they shall be called into a kingdom undisturbed by any agitation, when Christ shall exclaim to them: Come, ye blessed of my Father 12, and what follows.

And again, if one should not wish to understand some as lying in wait for Dan after the manner of serpents, but rather that Dan himself is plotting for others, we shall say that by that Dan are denoted the Scribes and Pharisees, the hypocrites, who, while they ought to have been judging the people and leading them, ^B set themselves against Christ like serpents, and impiously strove with implanted bites to cause him who was walking on a high and perfectly smooth path to fall. Yet although the Rider fell, having voluntarily undergone the death of the flesh, nevertheless he rose again, having the Father as his helper and restorer to life. For since the Son is the power of God and the Father, he restored his own temple to life. Therefore, he who had undergone danger as a man is affirmed to have been saved by the Father, although in his nature he exists as God, and he himself holds together the entire visible and invisible creation in a good state. Thus, understanding this also, the divine Paul says of him: For though he was crucified out of weakness, yet he lives by the power of God 13.

^C Asher received by lot the regions around Ptolemais and Sidon, and for this reason he says: His bread is rich, and he shall give delicacies to princes. We take this as a figure of our own calling. For that which is rich is luxurious. But what bread is more luxurious than ours? For our bread is the Lord, as he himself says: I am the bread of life 14. And who else shall give food to princes than our Lord Jesus Christ? Not only to those from the nations who believe, but also to those from the circumcision who hold the primacy in faith, that is, to the fathers, and patriarchs, and prophets, and to all who believe in his name and in his passion.

Genes. xlix, 21-26: Naphtali is a spreading stem, giving ^D beauty in its growth. Joseph is an overgrown son, my overgrown, envied son; my youngest son, turn back to me. Against whom they taking counsel cursed, and the lords of the arrows aimed at him. And their bows were broken with power, and the nerves of the arms of their hands were loosened by the hand of the powerful One of Jacob. Thence is he who strengthened Israel by the God of thy father. And my God helped thee, and blessed thee with the blessing of heaven from above, and the blessing of the earth having all things, on account of the bene

benediction of the breasts and the womb, the benediction of thy father and thy mother; it prevailed over the blessings of the everlasting hills, and over the blessings of the eternal hills: these shall be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of those of whom he was the leader.

HIPPOLYTUS: ^A What other son has been increased and envied unto this day, but our Lord Jesus Christ? Indeed, envied, or rather sought after with envy by those who delight to pursue him with hatred, yet not altogether overcome. For although he endured the cross, yet as God he returned to life and trampled upon death, with God and Father himself acclaiming and saying: "Sit thou at my right hand" (Ps. cix, 1), and what follows. For that they too who gave birth to the greatest madness against him have succumbed, he teaches when he says: "Against whom they conspiring even cursed him, the lords of arrows." For by convening synod after synod, the lords of arrows, that is, the princes of the peoples, took bitter counsel. But their bows were broken, and the nerves of their arms were loosened by the hand of the mighty One of Jacob, that is, of God and the Father, who is the Lord of hosts, who also caused the Son to be blessed in heaven and on earth. And he himself is taken as a type of our affairs, as the Gospel declares: "The land of Zabulon and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of sea beyond Jordan" (Matt. iv, 15), and what follows. "And to those sitting in darkness light has sprung up" (ibid. 16). And what other light was this, if not the calling of the Gentiles, which is the shoot, that is, the wood of the Lord, upon which being grafted, it bears fruit? ^B But by the words: "Giving beauty in the shoot," he signifies to us the abundance of the calling. But if the words should be understood as applying also to us—"giving beauty in the shoot"—the argument would not be inconsistent. For as we always progress in virtue and arrive at better things, or, according to the voice of blessed Paul, "stretching forward to the things that are before" (Philipp. iii, 13), we are always striving toward a more splendid beauty; spiritual beauty, I say, so that it may be said to us in turn: "The king has desired thy beauty" (Ps. xliv, 12).

Post nonnulla Apollinarii: HIPPOLYTUS: ^C Again the word of prophecy seeks out Emmanuel himself. Since, I think, there is nothing else signified by it than what he has just said, "giving beauty in the shoot"; for he speaks of him increasing with increments into that which he was from the beginning, and signifies his being carried back to the natural nobility which is in him. This is altogether rightly understood to be what he had assumed. For seeing that the only-begotten Word of God, being God from God, ^D himself according to the...

Scriptures ^A emptied himself, lowering himself voluntarily into what he was not, and put on this lowly flesh, and appeared in the form of a servant, having become obedient to God and the Father unto death; wherefore he is later also said to be superexalted; and as if not possessing it owing to his humanity, he receives, in the manner of a gift, the name which is above every name, according to the words of blessed Paul. But in truth of the matter, the thing was not a gift, as if it were a beginning of things not naturally in him—far from it; but rather it should be considered a return and a resurgence to that which was in him from the beginning, essentially and inseparably. Wherefore also, when he had been clothed in the humility of the flesh by way of economy, he says: Father, glorify me with the glory which I had ^B, and the following. For he was always in divine glory, coexisting with his own Begetter before every age and time and the foundation of the world.

It is also appropriately understood as an "adolescent" or "younger." For he appeared in the last times of the age, and after the glorious and love-worthy choir of the holy prophets, and simply and once to say, after all those who, before the time of the incarnation, were reckoned in the order of sons on account of their virtue. But how the Emmanuel is said to be "envied" is in a way ambiguous. Indeed, he is to be envied or emulated by the saints, who, studying to follow in his footsteps, are fashioned according to his divine beauty and, making him the model of things to be done, ^C carry away the best glory of all. But he might also be understood as "the envied" in another way by those said not to love him; I mean, the leaders of the Jews, that is, the Scribes and Pharisees, who, bearing within themselves a bitter zeal and making his incomparable glory the subject of their envy, sought to entrap him in many ways. For Christ had already recalled to life the dead who were already stinking and corrupt, and performed other divine signs; wherefore it was right for them, being struck with wonder at these things, to believe and no longer to doubt. But they did nothing of the sort; instead, they were vexed by envy and conceived bitter grief in their souls.

After some words of Cyril: ^D HIPPOLYTUS: Who is this other, than as it is demonstrated to us by the Apostle, the second man, the Lord from heaven? And in the Gospel, he said that the last one did the will of the Father. With the words, however, “Turn back to me,”

^A the assumption into heaven to the Father after the Passion is made clear to us. By the words, “Against him they deliberated and reviled,” who else is signified but the Jewish people against our Lord? And, “they kept watch for him;” for who have kept watch for him, and even to this day still keep watch? They are the masters of arrows, who think they have fought against the Lord. For even if they prevailed in putting him to death, yet their bows were crushed with power. It is clearly shown to us that after the resurrection their bows were crushed with power; that is to say, the leaders of the peoples, who, as if in battle array against the Lord, sharpened their arrows to inflict wounds—and all but struck him, because they did what was unlawful, and dared even to rush upon him like wild beasts.

“You prevailed over the blessings of the lasting mountains.” ^B By eternal and most lasting mountains and everlasting hills, he signifies the saints, because they have been removed from earthly things, and desire nothing of falling things, but seek the things that are above, and strive with all their might to reach the sublime heights of virtue; following, therefore, the glory of Christ, are those also who are most notable among the Fathers and who attained to the culmination of virtue. For they were servants; but the Lord is the Son, who supplied to them those qualities by which they themselves became glorious. Wherefore they also profess that, "of his fullness we all have received."

“And may the God of my father help you.” It is clearly shown to us that the help and assistance of the Son is from none other than the Father and our God who is in the heavens. By the words, “My God,” ^C it is shown that the Spirit speaks through Jacob.

"The sinews of the arms." He could not say of the hands or shoulders; but since the broad parts in the middle of a bow are called arms, he properly calls them arms.

“Blessing of the breasts and womb.” By this it is signified to us that the blessing from heaven is the Spirit, having descended through the Word into the flesh. But by the breasts and womb, he denotes the blessings of the Virgin. And the words, “of your father and mother,” ^D this designates the blessing of the Father which we received in the Church through our Lord Jesus Christ.

...the generation through a woman, and that he sucked the breasts. By no means, however, did he become man in appearance only, as some suppose, but as one who is truly what we are, himself following the laws of nature, he even endured nourishment, although he himself gives life to the world. And as regards these words, “the blessing of father and mother,” the generation of the Only-Begotten from God and the Father, and that which took place through the holy Virgin, is clearly and effectively indicated, according to which he is believed and was seen to be man. For existing naturally and truly as Son of God and the Father, for our sake he endured that generation which was through a woman and a womb, and he sucked the breasts. For he was not, as it appears to some, man in appearance; but the same one truly appeared as what we are who follow the laws of nature, and he used nourishment, although he himself gives life to the world.

^A *Gen.* XLIX, 27: *Benjamin lupus rapax; mane comedet adhuc, et ad vesperam dat escam.* It applies entirely to the apostle Paul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin. For when he was young, he was a ravenous wolf; but after he believed, he provided food. This is also declared to us through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the tribe of Benjamin at the beginning—which is what "morning" signifies—persecutes. For Saul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin, persecuted David, who stood as a type of the Lord.

II.

III.

in Cain while premeditating, in Esau most manifest ^A, and from there he might take a wife from the lineage of Laban, he confesses, also showing the time of the killing: "The days of the passion of my father draw near," he says, "that I may kill my brother." Wherefore Rebecca, that is to say, patience, reported to her husband the snares of the brother; and he, having called Jacob, commanded him that he should go into Mesopotamia to the brother of his mother. How, therefore, the brother, fleeing from deceits, travels to Mesopotamia Jacob; so also Christ, compelled by the incredulity of the Jews, departs into Galilee, thence to take for Himself from the nations a bride, the Church. ^B

IN NUMEROS

From Leontius of Byzantium, book 1, *Against Nestorius and Eutyches*. (From Gallandi. — The same fragment is read in Mai, *Script. Vet.* vol. VII, p. 154.)

From the blessings of Balaam by Saint Hippolytus, bishop and martyr.

^B That it might be demonstrated that He holds in Himself the twofold substance, that of God and that of men, just as the Apostle says: "Mediator of God and of men, the man Christ Jesus"; now a mediator is not of one man, but of two; it was necessary, therefore, that Christ, having been made the mediator of God and of men, should receive a certain pledge from both, that He might appear as the mediator of two natures. ^C

IN REGES

Fragment of the Tractate of S. Hippolytus, *On the Engastrimyth (Spirit-medium)*, or *On Saul and the Pythoness*, 1 Kings xxviii. — From the Vatican manuscript cod. cccxxx in Allatius, *De Engastrim.*, edited by Simon DE MAGISTRIS in *Acta Martyrum Ostiensium*, p. 160, Rome 1795, in-folio.

It is asked whether Samuel ascended through the medium being called forth, or not. And if indeed we concede that he ascended, we shall establish falsehoods. For how could a demon recall a soul—I do not say only of a just man, but even of any person whatsoever—the soul which had departed, whose whereabouts he did not know, after its departure from the body? But how, they ask, was the woman deceived, and contrary to custom did she see men ascending? For unless she had seen something contrary to custom, she would not have said: "I see gods ascending from the earth." She called one, and how did many ascend? What then, shall we say that the souls of all who appeared had ascended, and that these were not called by the woman, or was their appearance mere phantoms? But not that either. How, they ask, when ^D since the ancients, when they made mention of the Pythoness, understood none other than this one of Saul. Furthermore, there is no place for doubting when Jerome says that Hippolytus wrote *On Saul and the Pythoness*. But the title seems most appropriate as inscribed on the marble, thus conceived either for the sake of brevity, to which stonecutters are accustomed, or to signify the subject of the work, which ranged more broadly.

did Saul recognize [Samuel], and worship? Yet Saul did not see, but hearing from the woman what he wished, he recognized the figure of one of those who had ascended as Samuel, and he consulted that figure on bended knee. But for the demon, nothing is easier than to present the image of Samuel, which he knew. How then, one might ask, did he foretell the evils that were to befall Saul and Jonathan at the same time? He foretold the end of the war, that Saul ^A would be defeated, guessing this from the wrath of God against him. Just as a physician, who does not possess exact knowledge of his art, seeing a patient in a desperate state, might predict his death, yet be mistaken about the time; so too the demon, from the works of Saul, and from the very crime of consulting the Pythoness, knowing the wrath of God, foretells at once the defeat and the death, though he errs regarding the day of death.

ON THE PSALMS

^B The argument of Hippolytus, Bishop of Rome, prefixed to the exposition of the Psalms.

The book of Psalms contains a new doctrine after the law of Moses. For this is the second doctrinal book after the writing of Moses. After the death of Moses and Joshua, and after the judges, David arose, who was held worthy to be called even the father of the Savior; he was the first to hand down to the Hebrews a new method of composing hymns, by which he abolished the things ordained by Moses concerning sacrifices, and introduced a new hymn and a mode of worshiping God with jubilation, and taught many other things that transcend the law of Moses throughout his work.

On Psalm II

^C The exposition of Saint Hippolytus, bishop, on the second Psalm.

He who came into the world was manifested as both God and man; and it is easy to recognize his human nature, when he hungers and grows weary, and thirsts, and in fear flees, and praying suffers distress, and sleeps on a pillow; and when he asks for the cup of passion to be taken away, and in his struggle sweats, and is strengthened by an angel, and is betrayed by Judas, and treated with contumely by Caiaphas, and despised by Herod, and scourged by Pilate, and mocked by the soldiers, and by the Jews...

is nailed to the wood, and crying to the Father commends his spirit, and bowing his head expires, and his side is pierced with a lance, and wound in a linen cloth he is placed in a tomb, and on the third day he is raised by the Father. But his divine nature is not obscurely seen, when he is adored by angels, and looked upon by shepherds, and awaited by Simeon, and adorned by the testimony of Anna, and sought by the Magi, and indicated by a star, and makes wine from water at the marriage feast, and rebukes the sea agitated by the force of the winds, and walks upon the sea, and restores sight to the man blind from birth, and raises Lazarus on the fourth day, and performs various powers, and forgives sins, and gives the power to forgive to his disciples.

In Psalm XXII

^BIdem Theodoretus dialogue primo. Saint Hippolytus, bishop and martyr, in the exposition of the Psalm, "The Lord is my shepherd." The Ark fashioned of incorruptible woods was the Savior himself. For by this was signified that his tabernacle perceived no decay or corruption, that is, producing no putrefaction of sin. For the sinner utters this confession: "My wounds have decayed and are putrefied because of my foolishness." But the Lord was without sin, and was covered as if with the purest gold, being made from woods immune to putrefaction according to humanity—that is, from the Virgin and the Holy Spirit within, and from the Word of God outside.

In Psalm XXIII

^CIdem ibid. The same in the exposition of the Psalm XXIII. He comes to the celestial gates, with angels accompanying him, and the gates of the heavens were closed. For he had not yet ascended into heaven, but then for the first time appeared to the celestial powers flesh ascending. It is said, therefore, to the powers by the angels who were the precursors of the Savior and Lord: "Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter in."

In Psalm CIX

^DIdem Theodoretus dialogue secundo. The same in the discourse on the great canticle. He who rescued lost man, fashioned from the earth and held in the bonds of death, from the lowest hell, and coming from above raised to the heights the one lying upon the ground, having become the evangelist of the dead, and the redeemer of souls, and the resurrection of those buried; this one brought aid to the conquered man, having been made like to him, the first-born Word, visiting the first-formed Adam in the virgin

the spiritual one seeking out the earthy in the womb, and always living, [visiting] him who died through disobedience; the heavenly [One] calling the earthly to things above; the noble [One] desiring to grant freedom to the slave through His own obedience; Who turned the man who was decaying into dust and had become food for the serpent, into adamant, and having declared this [man] to be Lord, hanging upon the wood, against the one who had conquered, and thus is found to be conqueror through the wood. ^A

Of the same, from the same discourse: For those who do not recognize the Son of God now in the flesh, will recognize Him as Judge when He arrives in glory, Whom they now treat insolently in a body without glory.

Of the same, from the same discourse: For the apostles, having come to the monument on the third day, did not find the body of Jesus, in the same way that the children of Israel, ascending the mountain, sought the burial place of Moses and did not find it. ^B

On Psalm LXXVII

45: He sent among them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; and the frog, and it destroyed them. 46: And He gave their fruits to the mildew, and their labors to the locust. 47: He slew their vine with hail, and their sycamores with frost.

Just as, through an intemperate diet, a certain destructive and bilious humor collects in the vital parts, which a physician, by his art, draws out through vomiting—he himself, of course, is not the cause for such a morbid humor being produced in the body, which intemperance of food has produced, though medical art has brought it to light: so too, even if it is said that the painful retribution by which those who are perverse of their own will are punished comes from God, it would be reasonable for us to trace back the origins and causes of receiving such evils to ourselves. For to him who has lived without sin, there is no darkness, no worm, no Gehenna, no fire, nor any other of the things and punishments that are to be feared; ^C just as even the Egyptian plagues were not a detriment to the Hebrews: not those tiny gnats inflicting pain with invisible bites, not the dog-fly clinging with a biting, sharp sting, not the storms rushing down from above with stones of hail, not the countryside consumed by locusts, not the air covered in darkness, and other things of this kind. But it is within the power of God to cultivate the true vine and to destroy the Egyptian, while also sparing those who are about to eat the grape of gall and drink the incurable poison of asps.* The Egyptian fig tree is likewise uprooted, but not that one which Zacchaeus climbed, that he might be able to see my Lord. And the fruits of the Egyptians are corrupted, which are the works of the flesh; but not the fruit of the Spirit, ^D love, joy, peace.**

* Deut. XXXII, 33. ** Gal. V, 22.

48. ^A *And He gave up their cattle to the hail, and their possessions to the fire.* ^B Symmachus renders it: *Who gave up their cattle to famine, and their possessions to the birds.* For when they had experienced massive devastation, they provided food for carnivorous birds. But according to the Seventy, it does not say this—that the cattle were destroyed by hail separately, and the fire consumed the other property individually—but that hail, descending miraculously with fire, first of all struck down the vine and the sycamores, as they were utterly unable to withstand the first assault. Then, all the cattle that were grazing in the fields, and afterwards every herb and every plant, were consumed by the fire that was in the hail; and the phenomenon was a wonder, with the fire running through the water and being interwoven with it. For he says the fire was running through the hail; and there was hail and fire flaming within the hail. By "possessions," or wealth, David calls the cattle and the fruit of the trees. ^B It must be noted that, even if the hail is recorded to have destroyed every herb and every tree, nevertheless some things remained, which the locust, coming upon them after the fire-entwined hail, ate; regarding which it is said that it devoured every herb and all the fruit of the trees, which the hail had left behind. According to the allegorical interpretation, there are certain cattle of Christ, and certain cattle of the Egyptians. However, things that were once someone else's property can become His, just as Laban's cattle became Jacob's, and conversely, because Jacob gave to Esau whatever he disapproved of. Be careful, therefore, lest, being found in the sheepfold of Jesus when gifts are sent to Esau, you are chosen, and as a reprobate and unworthy of the spiritual Jacob, you are sent off to Esau. The cattle of Christ are the simpler ones, whom God saves, according to that text: *You will save both men and cattle, O Lord.* The cattle of the Egyptians are those who, deprived of reason, adhere to the impious doctrine of atheism, and who are so struck by the hail. ^C And the Egyptians, indeed, have everything they possess delivered to the fire, but Abraham gave his possessions to Isaac.

49. *He sent upon them the anger of His fury, anger, and wrath, and tribulation, a mission through evil angels.* ^D He called the bitter punishments anger, wrath, and tribulation; for God is without passion. And by "anger" you shall understand the lesser punishments; by "wrath," the greater ones; and by "tribulation," the greatest. As for the "evil angels"—those who are the administrators of wrath—they are neither evil by nature nor by choice, but because they serve in carrying out such things, and inflict hardships and pains, they are called "evil" in relation to the disposition of those who suffer, just as the day of judgment is called a "wicked day," because it is full of constraints and pains for the sinners. Such also is the passage in Isaiah: *I...*

that it is full of calamities and labors against sinners. Similar is that of Isaiah: *I am the Lord, making peace and creating evils* (Isa. XLV, 7); just as if He said, both fostering peace and permitting wars.

ON THE PROVERBS

(Mai, *Bibliotheca nova Patrum*, VII, II, 71, Rome 1851, in 4°, from the Vatican MS Catena)

PROVERBS, therefore, are exhortatory sayings that contribute to the regulation of the entire life; for to those who set out on the path to God, they become certain guides and signposts, which refresh those who are weary from the length of the journey. ^B Now these Proverbs are Solomon’s—that is, the "Peaceful One"—namely, of Christ the Savior. But since we know flawlessly that these are the Lord’s sayings, because they are the Lord’s, so that no one may perhaps deceive us by the similarity of names, he adds who wrote these things, and of what nation he was king; so that the authority of the speaker may make the discourse more acceptable and the hearers more attentive. For these are the words of that Solomon to whom the Lord said: *I will give thee a heart wise and understanding; there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee* (III Reg. III, 12); and the rest written concerning him. ^C Now he was wise, born of a wise man; wherefore the name of David is appended, from whom Solomon was born, being trained in the sacred scriptures from childhood, and obtaining the kingdom not by lot or by any force, but by the judgment of the Spirit and the decree of God.

*To understand wisdom and instruction.* He who knows the wisdom of God receives instruction from Him as well, so that he may understand the mysteries of the words. Now those who possess true and heavenly wisdom will easily perceive the sense of the mysteries. Therefore he says: *To receive the subtleties of words.* For those things which were spoken by the Holy Spirit, as it were in inverted words, are made known promptly to those who are endowed with a heart faithful toward God.

^D This he understands concerning the people of the Jews, and the slaughter of Christ; for they thought that He had His conduct on earth only.

*They will not only receive, but they will also inherit.* But the impious, even if they are exalted, it but results in their own greater dishonor. Just as if one should place a deformed and distorted man on a high throne, he does not honor but rather dishonors him, making his ugliness manifest to more people; so also God exalts the impious, that He may make their disgrace public. Pharaoh was also exalted, but only so that he might have the world as his accuser.

It is to be noted that he here calls the gift a good one

on account of him who accepts bribes into his bosom unjustly. He deserts the law, he who transgresses it; the law, moreover, is what he either explicitly names or what he himself has observed.

^A What is "circumcyclethe" [surround/fence in]? Surround it with holy thoughts. For you have great need of a fortification, since many things lie in wait for such a possession. But if it is in our power to surround it, the fortifications will be for us the virtues that exalt the knowledge of God—for instance, asceticism, meditation, and the rest of the choir of virtues; he who holds these honors wisdom; the reward, however, is to be exalted to her and to take delight with her in the heavenly bridal chamber.

The impious are the heterodox, but the sinners are the transgressors of the law; he says that one should not walk in their ways or their actions.

^B He sees rightly who has thoughts free from perturbation and true dogmas, he who is not struck by external phantasies. When he says, "Let your eyes see uprightness," he speaks of the vision of the soul. And when he exhorts, "Eat honey, my son, that your throat may be sweetened," he speaks of honey tropically as divine doctrine, which completes the spiritual knowledge of the soul. But wisdom also touches the soul; for "love her," he says, "that she may embrace you." Now the soul, joined to virtue through an embrace, is filled with holiness and purity. Moreover, the soul also reaches for the scent of Christ's ointments.

^C Virtue holds the middle ground; therefore, he also says that fortitude is midway between audacity and cowardice. Now, however, he calls them "the right," not because they are right by nature—as the virtues are—but because they seem right to you on account of pleasures; and pleasures are not only those of Venus, but also wealth and luxury. The "left," however, are envy, rapine, and things like these. For the north wind, he says, is a harsh wind, yet it is called "the right" in name; for he calls the evil one, that is, the devil, the north wind symbolically, from whom all evils are kindled upon the earth. And this name is "the right," because he is called an angel by a right, that is, a favorable, name. — Do you, he says, turn away from evil, and God will take care of your end; for He will go before you, destroying your enemies, so that you may walk in peace.

^D For he shows, also through the animal [the doe], the innocence of pleasure in marriage; and through the foal, he expresses the alacrity and lovableness of a woman. And because he perceives many things that incite to vice, he counsels cautiously and imposes an indissoluble bond of friendship upon them, securing constancy for them. Otherwise, wisdom, like a doe, is naturally able to drive away and extinguish the serpentine doctrines of the heterodox. Let this, therefore, he says, be with you as a foal, so that it may renew every virtue; and because wisdom is not like a woman, let this rather be your leader. For so shall you beget good thoughts.

Lest you say: "Why is there any harm to the eyes, since there is not necessarily any need for one who sees to be perverted?" he shows you that lust is fire; and the flesh, a garment;

the former is easily captured, the latter is tyrannical. ^A Yet when it is not merely placed there, but also bound fast, it will not go out until it has made an exit for itself; for the one who has looked upon a woman, even if he has escaped, still does not depart pure from desire. But what need is there for affairs, when it is possible to live chastely without involvement? Observe what Job says: I have made a covenant with my eyes, that I should not think upon a strange woman (Job XXXI, 1). He recognized the power of this deception. For this reason also, Paul kept under his body, and brought it into subjection (1 Cor. IX, 27). In a spiritual sense, he who allows an impure thought to linger in his heart is binding fire to his bosom; and he who destroys his own soul by committing sin walks upon coals.

^B The cemphus is a species of gull, which is so unrestrained in its lust that at the time of mating its eyes seem to be filled with blood; and being incautious, it often falls into traps or into the hands of men. To this, therefore, he compares the man addicted to a harlot because of his lechery; or perhaps because of the stupidity of the bird, for it likewise chases after everyone like a fool. They also say that the cemphus takes such delight in foam that if a person sailing should hold foam in his hand, it will alight upon his hand. It also gives birth in pain.

^C You have known its damage; beware, therefore, lest you admit desire; for its end is immortal. Otherwise, it wounds with words, that is, with thoughts, but it kills those who indulge themselves with sins. For many kinds of wickedness lead the foolish to hell. The chambers of death, or the depth, or its riches. Who, then, shall escape?

He calls the New Jerusalem the holy flesh. By the seven columns, he indicated the sevenfold gift of the holy Spirit resting upon it; just as Isaiah witnesses, saying: He has slaughtered his own sacrifices (Isa. XXVIII, 14).

Mark that it is necessary for a wise man to be useful to many; for he who is useful only to himself would not be wise. For there is a great reproach to wisdom if it restricts its power to the one who possesses it. Just as poison is not harmful to another body, but only to the one receiving it; so he who becomes wicked harms himself, not another. For no one endowed with virtue is harmed by the wicked.

^D The fruit of righteousness and the tree of life is Christ; who, insofar as he was a man, fulfilled all righteousness; and as self-life, he put forth the fruits of knowledge and virtue like a tree, from which those who eat shall receive eternal life, and will enjoy the tree of life of paradise, with Adam and all the righteous; but the souls of the lawless are snatched away prematurely from the face of God, because He is to abandon them in the fire of torment.

He should find grace not from men, but from God.

This man inquires after wisdom, he who seeks to know what the

^A truth is. Showing himself ignorant of the thing he came to learn, he will appear prudent. If someone inquires about wisdom, wishing to know a portion of it, but another keeps silent, not only wishing to learn nothing from wisdom but also deterring others from the study of it; without doubt, the former will be esteemed more prudent than the latter.

^B "To the leech." There were three daughters dearly beloved by sin: fornication, murder, and idolatry. Yet these three do not satisfy it, for it is insatiable. For by these acts, sin always destroys man, never being altered, but perpetually increasing. For the fourth, it says, never said: "It is enough"; signifying by the fourth, universal concupiscence. For just as one is the body, but it has many members; so also sin, being one, has within itself many and various concupiscences, through which it lays snares for man. Wishing to demonstrate this, it uses the examples of Hades, and the love of women, and Tartarus, and the earth never filled with rain. And water, and fire, will never say: "It is enough." For in no way does Hades cease receiving the souls of lawless men. Nor does the love of sin, as that of a woman, cease from committing fornication, having become a traitor to his own soul. And just as Tartarus, being always in a mournful and dark place, is not reached by a ray of light, so also is everyone who serves sin in any passion of the flesh. Like the earth ^C never filled with waters, he is never able to come to confession and the laver of regeneration, as water and fire, without saying: "It is enough."

"For in the same way that a serpent cannot leave a track upon a rock, so also the devil could not find sin in the body of Christ." For the Lord says: "Behold, the prince of this world is coming, and he will find nothing in me." For just as a ship sailing through the sea leaves no tracks or paths behind it, so neither does the Church, living in the world as in a sea, leave her hope behind on the earth, having her life laid up in the heavens; passing briefly through it, she does not leave footprints of her passage on the way. The Church not abandoning her hope in the world—the incarnation of Christ, which bears all things—makes no path of death in Hades. Of whom, if not of him who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin? Who, renewing the perfect man in the world, performed signs, taking his beginning from the baptism of John, as the evangelist also testifies. "And Jesus was beginning as of thirty years." Therefore, in this young and flourishing age, traversing cities and regions, he was healing the diseases and infirmities of men.

^D "The eye that mocks his father, and despises the old age of his mother." Truly, the eye that blasphemes God, and disdains the mother of Christ, the Wisdom of God, let it be plucked out.

FRAGMENTA IN PROVERBIA

^A and let the ravens from the valleys pluck it out, that is, the impure and evil spirits, the eye that is the observer of joy; and let the young of eagles devour it, and it shall be trodden under the feet of the saints.

There are three things I cannot understand, and the fourth I do not know at all: the track of an eagle flying, that is, the ascension of Christ. And the paths of a serpent upon a rock; for the devil found no footprint of sin in the body of Christ. And the tracks of a ship sailing the sea, that is, the Church fluctuating in the ocean of this world, and for the sake of her hope in Christ, steered by the cross as if by a rudder. And the ways of a man in his youth, that is, of Him who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin; for behold, says the Scripture, a man, whose name is the Orient.

Such is the way of an adulterous woman, who when she has committed the act, wiping herself, says she has done no evil. Clearly, the Church acted in this way; having once committed fornication with idols, she renounced them and the devil, and having washed away her sins and obtained forgiveness, she declares herself no longer subject to any wickedness. ^B

The earth is moved by three: that is, by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And the fourth it cannot sustain, that is, the final coming of Christ. — *If a servant should reign.* Israel, who was a servant in Egypt, and reigned in the promised land. — *And a fool filled with food.* One who, having easily acquired land, and having eaten and been filled, has kicked away. — *And if a handmaid should cast out her mistress.* The synagogue, the slayer of the Lord, which fastened the flesh of Christ to the cross.

There are four things that are least on earth, and these are wiser than the wise: the ants, a weak race, that prepare their food in the harvest. In like manner, the nations, through faith in Christ, prepare for themselves eternal life by good works. And the rock badgers, a people equally weak, who make their homes in the rocks. The nations have been built upon the spiritual rock, Christ, who has become the head of the corner. The lizard, which is supported by its hands and is easily captured, yet dwells in the fortresses of kings. The thief, leaning on the cross with hands extended and resting upon Christ, dwells in paradise, which is the fortress of the three kings, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ^C

The locust has no king, and yet it proceeds in orderly fashion as if by the command of one. The nations were without a king, because they were subjected to sin; but now, believing in God, they exercise a heavenly warfare. — There are three that move well, and the fourth that proceeds prosperously. The angels in the heavens, the saints on the earth, the souls of the righteous under the earth. The fourth, namely, the Word of God incarnate, passed successfully through the womb of the Virgin; and having reformed Adam, He passed through the gate of heaven, having become the first-fruits of resurrection and likewise of ascension. ^D

The lion's whelp, mightiest of beasts. Christ in

^A Jude, foretold by Jacob. — A cock walking briskly among the hens. Paul in the Churches fearlessly preaching the doctrine of Christ, the God of all. — A goat leading the flock. The same Christ, sacrificed for the sins of the world. — And a king haranguing in the midst of the people. Christ, reigning over the nations, proclaims through prophets and apostles the doctrine of the truth.

^B Established in iniquity. But says the Apostle, "Them that sin rebuke before all." Or, easily led astray. — Who are the conies, if not we, who once were like swine, and wallowed in all the filth of this world? But now, after we have believed in Christ, we build our houses upon the holy flesh of Christ, as upon a rock.

^C An earthquake signifies a change of things in the world. Sin, therefore, which is by nature servile, reigned in the mortal body of men, once indeed at the time of the flood; a second time among the Sodomites, who, not content with the fertility of the earth, also offered violence to their guests; thirdly, in hateful Egypt, which, having obtained Joseph as a man to distribute grain to all that they might not perish of hunger, did not bear its good fortune wisely, but afflicted the sons of Israel with injury. — And a maidservant casting out her mistress: the Church from the Gentiles is that which, when she was a maidservant and a stranger to the promises, cast out the noble and mistress Synagogue, and became the mistress and bride of Christ. — The whole earth is shaken by the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It cannot bear the fourth, for the first came through the lawgivers; the second, through the prophets; the third, through the Gospel, showing Himself openly. The fourth will come as judge of the living and the dead, whose glory the whole creation shall not be able to endure.

Another fragment.

^D

Of St. Hippolytus, Pope of Rome, on that text "Wisdom hath built herself a house."

the Spirit of God[69]. Others say that the seven columns are the seven divine orders by which the creature is sustained through His holy and divinely inspired teaching, that is, the prophets, apostles, martyrs, hierarchs or priests, ascetics, saints, and the just. And as for the expression, "she has immolated her victims," it denotes the prophets and martyrs, whom the unbelievers in every city and region slaughter daily like sheep for the sake of the truth, and who cry out: "For Your sake we are being killed all the day long; we were accounted as sheep for the slaughter"[70]. And "she mixed her wine in a cup": by uniting His own divinity with flesh in the Virgin as pure and unmixed wine, the Savior was born of her as God and man without confusion. And "she prepared her own table": that is, the promised knowledge of the holy Trinity, and His own precious and immaculate Body and Blood, which are performed and sacrificed daily at the mystical and divine table in memory of that never-to-be-forgotten and first divine and secret supper. Furthermore, as to the expression, "Wisdom sent out her servants," it refers to Christ, summoning with a loud proclamation: "Whoever is foolish, let him turn aside to me," she cries—referring clearly to the holy apostles, who traversed the whole world and called the nations to the knowledge of Him by their own sublime and divine preaching. And by addressing those who are "lacking in understanding"—those, that is, who have not yet attained the grace of the Holy Spirit—saying, "Come, eat of my bread and drink the wine which I have mixed for you," He says that He has given us His divine flesh and precious blood to eat and drink for the remission of sins.

ON THE CANTICLE OF CANTICLES

I.

Simon de Magistris, *Acta mart. Ostiens.*, p. 274, from a Vatican parchment codex, provides the following fragment in Syriac and Latin, with these introductory remarks: "Hippolytus wrote on the Canticle of Solomon, and he shows that the Word of God sought His delights long ago in the Church gathered from the Gentiles, but especially in His own mother, the most holy Virgin; and therefore the Syrians, boasting of the Virgin as born among them, translated Hippolytus's commentary from Greek into their native tongue in ancient times, of which some parts still survive, as in the passage: 'Arise, O North wind, and come, O South; blow upon my garden, and let its aromatics flow.' When Joseph was delighted with these aromatics, he is designated as the Son of the King by God. When the Virgin Mary was anointed with these, she conceived the Word in her womb; then she demonstrates new mysteries, new truth, and a new kingdom, and also great and inexplicable secrets."

II.

From Galland, out of Anastasius Sinaita, *Quaest.* 41, p. 320. Hippolytus on the Canticle of Canticles. ^D And where is that most copious knowledge? And where are those mysteries? And where are the books? There exist only the Proverbs ^A seven spirits of God. Others say ^B there are seven columns, the seven divine orders that sustain the creature through His holy and divinely inspired teaching, namely, the prophets, the apostles, the martyrs, the hierarchs, the ascetics, the holy, and the just. And as for "she has immolated her victims," he means the prophets and martyrs who in every city and region are slain by the unbelievers like sheep for the sake of the truth, and who cry out: "For Your sake we are being killed all the day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter." And "she mixed her wine in a cup," by uniting to the Virgin His own divinity with the flesh like pure wine, the Savior was born of her without confusion as God and man. And "she prepared her own table," that is, the knowledge of the holy Trinity promised [by Him]; and His precious and immaculate Body and Blood, which are performed in the mystical and divine table daily, being sacrificed in memory of that ever-memorable and first table of the mystical divine supper. ^C And as for "Wisdom sent her servants," it is Christ, obviously, calling together with a loud proclamation. "Whoever is foolish, let him turn aside to me," He says, meaning the holy apostles, who ran through the whole world and called the nations to the knowledge of Him, truly by their sublime and divine preaching. And what He said to those lacking in understanding—to those not yet possessing the power of the Holy Spirit, that is—"Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine which I have mixed for you," He says that He has given us His divine flesh and His precious blood to eat and drink for the remission of sins. Hippolytus, from the [work] on the Canticle of Canticles (26). And where is all this rich knowledge? And where are these mysteries? And where are the books? They are referred to the Canticle of Canticles.

rum; and Wisdom, and Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. What then? Does Scripture speak falsely? Far from it. But there was indeed a great abundance and diversity in the matter of what he wrote; and this is what he indicates by saying “the Song of songs”: for he signifies that he has comprised in this one [book] that which was contained in three thousand odes or canticles. Yet in the days of Hezekiah, some books were selected, while others were overlooked. Whence Scripture says: “These are the proverbs of Solomon, the ones not before divided, which the friends of king Hezekiah wrote down.” Whence could they have selected them, if not from the books that were there among the three thousand proverbs and five thousand odes or canticles? From these very ones, therefore, the friends of Hezekiah, being wise men, selected those things which pertained to the edification of the Church. But the books of Solomon on the Parables and [the] Songs, in which he had written concerning the nature of plants and every kind of animal—land animals, birds, and water creatures—and concerning the healing of diseases, these Hezekiah caused to disappear, because the people were thence seeking remedies for diseases, and were neglecting to seek their healings from God.

ON THE PROPHET ISAIAH.

I. Hippolytus, Bishop of Rome, on Hezekiah. ^C While Hezekiah, king of Judea, was still sick and weeping, an angel came and said to him: “I have seen your tears and have heard your voice. Behold, I add fifteen years to your lifespan. And let this be your sign from the Lord: Behold, I turn back the shadow of the degrees ^D of your father’s house which the sun has gone down, the ten degrees which the shadow has descended, so that that day might become thirty-two hours long.” For when the sun had already run to the tenth hour, it retreated again. Just as when Joshua the son of Nun was warring against the Amorites, with the sun already leaning toward its setting and the war pressing on heavily, Joshua, fearing lest the foreigners should escape under the cover of night, cried out, saying: “Let the sun stand over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Ajalon, until I have vanquished this people.” And the sun and the moon stood in their station, so that that day became twenty-four hours long. And under Hezekiah, the moon also receded with the sun, so that the two elements of heaven would not collide, clashing against each other in disorder. And then Marodachon the Chaldean, king of Babylon, was struck with awe, because he cultivated the art of astrology and measured the course of the stars accurately, and when the cause was known, [he sent] an epistle

and sent gifts to Hezekiah; just as the Magi from the East did for Christ. ^A

II. Theodoret in *'Atrepton* [or] *Immutabilis*, dialog. I.

From the sermon of Saint Hippolytus on the beginning of Isaiah:

III.

We find in the commentaries that were edited by the elders ^B that that day lasted thirty-two hours. For when the sun had completed its course and reached the tenth hour, and the shadow had descended ten steps in the house of the temple, the sun turned back again ten steps according to the word of the Lord, and there were twenty hours. And then, once the sun had finished its proper course in the customary manner, it departed into the sunset. There were, therefore, thirty-two hours.

ON JEREMIAH AND EZEKIEL.

That Hippolytus wrote on Jeremiah is not recorded by any of the ancients, so far as I know. For the things of his that are referred to in the *Catena of the Greek Fathers* on Jer. xvii, 11, are taken from the book *On the Antichrist*, c. 55. Rufinus, in his translation of Eusebius' *Ecclesiastical History* (vi, 22), records that Hippolytus wrote on a certain part of the prophet Ezekiel, namely on those chapters which contain the description of the Jerusalem temple, and from that commentary these things have been preserved (DE MAG. supra, ap. Anastas. Sinait., quæst. 41, al. 44, from Bodleian manuscripts).

What was the size of Solomon's temple? ^C The length was forty cubits, the height twenty. Moreover, it was not turned toward the east, so that those praying might not worship the rising sun, but the Lord of the sun. Let no one be surprised if, when Scripture said the length was forty cubits, I said sixty; for a little later it mentions another twenty, describing the Holy of Holies, which it also names *Dabir*. Therefore, the length of the temple was indeed forty cubits, and the Holy of Holies was another twenty. Josephus says that the temple was of two stories, and that the total height was one hundred and twenty cubits. Thus also the book of Chronicles indicated, saying: *And Solomon began to build the house of the God.* The length in cubits, the first measurement [is] sixty, and... ^D

of twenty cubits, and a height of one hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold. Solomon [was] to build the house of God. The length [was] sixty cubits [in] its first dimension, and the width [was] twenty cubits, and the height [was] one hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

ON DANIEL

(Cf. De Magistris, *Daniel according to the Septuagint* from the Chisian codex, Rome 1772, in-folio, p. 95; Mai, *Script. vet. collectio nova*, 1, III, ed. 1851, p. 29-56, passim.)

NOTICE

(Hamel, *On Hippolytus the Bishop*, Göttingen, 1858, p. 30.)

I. A not insignificant fragment of a commentary on Daniel, ascribed to Hippolytus, in which chapters VII–XII and II, 34 sqq. are explained, was published by Simon de Magistris from the Chisian codex. Angelo Mai published another excellent fragment of the same commentary, who proposed to himself to edit from that commentary only those things which lay unpublished. Since he knew the fragment that De Magistris had published, it appears that the Roman codex contains many more things than those which he himself had edited from that codex; however, one may not conclude that everything which is read in the Chisian codex is found in the cited Catena. Therefore, it seems difficult to judge how one codex compares to the other, and to prove whether one or the other should be held to be the true one. Having compared both codices, we understand that they do not stand in such a relation that one can be completed by the other. This is easily understood. For chapter VII, 4 is explained more broadly in Angelo Mai than in Simon; for there is added in Mai what is taught by history, that those promises were truly fulfilled. Yet such an explanation cannot be joined with those things which are presented in the Chisian codex; for the same sentiment, that Nebuchadnezzar was deprived of glory and driven from the kingdom, occurs in both codices, so that if you were to join what both possess into one, the same things would be read in a double manner, which cannot happen at all. The same applies to verse 5, to which in Angelo Mai the same interpretation is briefly added, which we find more broadly illustrated in the Chisian codex; but in Angelo Mai it is added why the Persians are compared to a bear. The things noted on verse 6 in the Chisian codex are contracted in Angelo Mai, but it is added why the interpreter thinks the Greek kingdom and its king Alexander are compared to the leopard. In the same way, the things read in both codices regarding verse 7 are different. The same holds entirely for the first four chapters read in Simon. If, therefore, we are forced to say that not everything that is found in both codices can certainly be part of the same book, it does not follow from that that one fragment is genuine and the other not, and even less because the thoughts expressed therein agree, and only the form in which they are clothed is diverse. But in other places, the things which Angelo Mai presents agree with those which are read in the Chisian codex; so that if we had inserted what Angelo Mai edited into those things which are cited in this codex, the commentary would appear to be perfect. Thus, the things found annotated in Angelo Mai regarding chapter IX, 21 square with those presented in the Chisian codex at the beginning of chapter II; the things regarding X, 12 [square] with those at the end of chapter XXVIII; the things regarding X, 16, and 18 and 20 can hold a place before the words "and now he says" at the end of chapter XXVIII; the things regarding XII, 1–3 can be read before chapter XLI. The things noted regarding X, 6 in Angelo Mai agree word for word with those which are read in chapter XXVI; in the same way, the things noted regarding X, 7 are found in chapter XLIII; and you have the same things, which are explained regarding X, 13, in chapter XXV.

Since, therefore, no small similarity is recognized between the two codices, it seems likely that those commentaries on Daniel were composed by the same author. Nevertheless, it would seem strange if the same man had composed two commentaries on the same book. In order to solve this enigma, we must look to Hippolytus’ book *On Antichrist*, in which (chapters 22–26) the same things are read, which are exhibited in Simon, chapters 1–3, with only a few things omitted. But because it seemed strange to us that the same author is said to have written the same things in two different books, we fall into the opinion that this passage was transferred from one to the other. But if the things that are read in Simon, chapters 1–3, have been taken from the book *On Antichrist*, it surely could not happen that the things read in that place in Simon agree with those which we find noted regarding the same place in Daniel in the codex which Angelo Mai edited. But since, because the things which are read in Simon must in large part be completed by those which are exhibited in the Vatican codex, it must be conceded that the commentary read in Simon was excerpted in its entirety from the commentary on Daniel:

it seems probable that he who excerpted the commentary edited by Simon took chapters 1-3 from Hippolytus’s book ^A *On Antichrist* (chapters 22-26), because they are read more briefly in this place, concerning which Hippolytus discoursed more widely in the commentary on Daniel itself. Those things which are preserved in the Chisian codex seem to have been collated not long after Hippolytus, for Apollinarius (39) relates that our author, along with the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, explained the vision of Daniel himself (40). Since that fragment seems to have been composed in such an ancient time, it is doubtful whether Photius read those excerpts, or the commentary itself. But I think that, had he read them, he would have reported that Hippolytus interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar only in connection with Daniel’s vision. Since, therefore, we have parts of the same book, which Angelo Mai published, and those which are read in the Chisian codex from chapter 4 to the end, but not those which are contained in the same [codex] in the first four chapters, in this place, where we must demonstrate which parts of Hippolytus’s commentary on Daniel are present today, we are not regarding those things which are to be considered part of the book *On Antichrist*.

Since the fragment edited by Simon from Hippolytus’s book *On Antichrist* and the entire commentary on Daniel had already been collated around the middle of the 4th century (41), it is necessary that there be no small similarity between Hippolytus’s true book *On Antichrist* and his entire commentary on Daniel. If, therefore, we find a similarity between a certain book ascribed to Hippolytus, in which Antichrist is discussed, and a certain commentary on Daniel, which is said to have the same author, we judge that both were composed by Hippolytus, unless certain reasons for doubting are present. Indeed, similar things are read in the cited fragments and in the book *On Antichrist* edited by M. Gudius (cf. § 42). Thus, those things which are taught concerning the time when the world will be consumed, regarding Antichrist, in chapters 42 and 43, are proven more extensively in the commentary on Daniel, in Simon, chapters 4-7; those things which are read concerning Enoch and Elijah, the precursors of Christ, and concerning the weeks of years and the Babylonian captivity, in chapters 43 and 64, are also exhibited in Dan. 22 and 40; concerning Antichrist, in chapter 25, it is contended that what Daniel prophesied truly happened, which is proven by history in Dan. chapters VIII and IX. Concerning Antiochus, the grandson of Alexander the Great, mention of whom is made in *On Antichrist* chapter 49, it is discoursed more widely in Dan. chapter X; the same things which are related concerning the Ammonites and Moabites in *On Antichr.* chapter 51, you will find in Dan. chapter XI. The passage in the book *On Antichrist*, chapter 26, which is missing in that part of the Chisian codex (chapters 1-3), which we have proven was taken from that book, we read word for word in Angelo Mai at chapter 7, 15 (l. l. p. 205). Moreover, the interpreter uses the same method of interpretation—which they call "Messianic"—which we find employed in other writings of Hippolytus (42). The fact that in the commentary under discussion now, the number of years that elapsed from the creation of the world down to Christ is established, and the time is shown during which the Jews were held in Babylon, fits well with our author, who fostered the mathematical art. Finally, what is of the greatest importance, Jerome and Photius (43) themselves testify that they read the fragments of the commentary on Daniel cited. For one of them (44) ascribes to our author a certain opinion which seems to be constructed from those things which are read in the Chisian codex in chapters 13, 15, and 39. The other relates (45) that Hippolytus placed the end of the world in the year 500 after the birth of Christ, because the world remains for only 6,000 years, and 5,500 had already passed from the creation of the world to Christ. This is explained more widely in the Chisian codex, chapter 4.

Since these things are so, it is clearer than light that both fragments were composed by Hippolytus. Since Photius relates (l. l.) that our author explained not single words, but the connection and tenor of the sentences, I believe that the codex which Angelo Mai read contains the entire and perfect commentary of our author on Daniel. Therefore, it would be of the greatest importance if that most celebrated man had published the whole codex.

II. On the fragment concerning the history of Susanna (46).

Hippolytus relates the history of Susanna in an allegorical manner to the Church, which is harassed by the Gentiles. Susanna is a type of the Church, and her husband Joacim is Christ; he refers Babylon to the world; the garden in which Susanna bathed signifies to him the vocation of the saints, who are planted as fruitful trees in the Church. The two elders signify to him two peoples, the one Hebrews, the other pagans, who, incited by the devil, persecute the Church in concert. That we may more accurately perceive the reasoning with which it is discussed in the booklet, let us bring forward a few other points from it. In verse 15, the "opportune day" on which Susanna went to bathe in the garden, he refers to the feast of Passover, on which a bath is prepared for all. He says that Susanna was bathed because she was a pure bride of God. The maidens who accompany her are faith in Christ and charity toward God. In verse 21, he argues that a certain young man was with Susanna in the bath, but not one who would commit sin with her, but rather one who would be a witness to her innocence. In verse 22, he refers what is narrated concerning the falsely accused Susanna to the state of the Church, when Christians in the age of Hippolytus, unless they worshipped the idols of the pagans, were led to the tribunal and sentenced to death. Verse 23 he transfers to those who suffer for Christ. Verse 35, "Susanna was vexed and wept," so that by her tears she might call out the Word, who would also have recalled the dead Lazarus to life with tears.

That these were written before the Emperor Constantine is evident from the fact that the words in verse 22, *ἀνεστέναξε Σωσάννα*, are referred to the Christian martyrs who, unless submissively worshipping pagan idols, would be led to the tribunal. In verse 5 it is proven that these were written at a time when Jews and pagans had joined together to destroy Christian things, which is what happened in our own time (47). The method of interpretation fits the genius of Hippolytus beautifully. Sentences are found which seem similar to others brought forward by our author in his genuine books; for example, in verse 12 he says that in the same way the elders came to Susanna, so pagans come into the Church.

and Jews, so that they present themselves as false witnesses against Christians. Similarly, the author of the book *On the Antichrist* (ch. 1) admonishes Theophilus to take care that this book does not fall into the sight of profane men. In verse 33, we find the same opinion concerning the Word, which is explained more extensively *On the Antichrist* (ch. 2 and 4; cf. Hippolytus’ book *Against the Jews*). In the same allegorical manner, our author has interpreted the blessing of Jacob and Isaac. Since therefore the book *On Susanna and Daniel* is ascribed to Hippolytus by Syncellus (48), we have no reason to disavow this book, which has its place in the same Roman codex from which Angelus Maius published his commentary on Daniel. Combefisius (49) thinks that Jerome and Photius spoke only of this book. But we have already proven that they read not only this book, but also the entire commentary on the book of Daniel, which included this book as well as what he wrote on the *Canticle of the Three Children*.

III. *On the Canticle of the Three Children.* That Hippolytus read this canticle in the middle of chapter 3 of the canonical book of Daniel is apparent from the fact that verses of that chapter (50) are cited by the same number as they are referred to by the Greek interpreters. Since, therefore, it is clear that the commentary on the canonical book of Daniel includes this canticle of the Three Children, the items which are found in the *Catena Patrum* on the Psalms and Canticles of Holy Scripture (Corderian edition, vol. III, p. 951 to 3, 37 (51)), must be read in the annotations to chapter 3 of the canonical book. Since, therefore, the commentary on the canticle of the Three Children is interwoven with the commentary on the canonical book of Daniel, there is no reason to doubt that it is ascribed to him with the best of rights.

IV. *On the proemium of Hippolytus to his commentary on Daniel.* The fragment in Fabricius (vol. I, p. 278) appears to be the proemium of his commentary on Daniel. First, he explains why he wrote this booklet, then, at what time Daniel lived and spent his time as a captive in Babylon; finally, he illustrates in a few words the history of the Jews from king Josias up to the time when they were led into exile to Babylon. Having settled these things, he seems in this manner to move on to explain the history of Susanna: "When the whole people had been led away (into Babylon) . . . we find the blessed Daniel prophesying in Babylon, and becoming the vindicator of Susanna." We would not be able to see what the addition meant, that Daniel existed in Babylon as the vindicator of Susanna, were it not permitted to conjecture that with these words he wished to pass on to the commentary on the history of Susanna. And it has been handed down to us that the history of Susanna held a place in the codex which Hippolytus used, before the canonical book of Daniel (52). Since such was the codex of our author, it seems likely that that proemium was truly composed by Hippolytus (53). Which opinion is confirmed by Syncellus (54). For he says that it was related by Hippolytus in his writing on Susanna and Daniel that Joacim, or by another name Jechonias, when he had reigned for three years, was led to Babylon with the people, among whom were Daniel and his three friends; and that the wife of the king was Susanna. Since in Hippolytus’ book on Daniel and Susanna nothing is found about Daniel being led away, nor about the time during which Joacim reigned, which is what is read in the proemium, we ascribe that genuine text to Hippolytus. Furthermore, you will not find things which are abhorrent to our author’s genius, but there are indeed some things which fit him beautifully, for example, that the time during which individual kings reigned is indicated so accurately. Moreover, that this proemium was not written after the emperor Constantine is evident from the fact that Daniel is called a prophet and a martyr of Christ, and the epithet *faithful martyrs* is attributed to his three friends.

PROEMIUM.

^A Having resolved to demonstrate the accuracy of the times of the captivity which occurred to the sons of Israel in Babylon, and the prophecies of the visions of the blessed Daniel, and his life and deportment from childhood in Babylon, I also approach to bear witness to a holy and righteous man, a prophet and one who has become a martyr of Christ. For he not only revealed the visions of king Nabuchodonosor to the people of that time, but by instructing youths similar to himself, he produced faithful witnesses in the world. This person, therefore, appears during the times of the prophecy of the blessed Jeremias, and of the reign of Joacim, son of Eliacim; who, having been taken with the rest of the captives, is led away with them to Babylon. For these five are the sons of Josias: Joachas, Eliacim, and Joannan; Sedecias, who is also Jechonias...

and Sadum. And Joachas, after the death of his father, is anointed by the people as king, being twenty-three years of age. ^A Against him comes up Pharao Nechao in the third month of his reign; and taking him prisoner, he leads him into Egypt; and he imposes a tribute upon the land, one hundred talents of silver, and ten talents of gold. And he establishes in his stead Eliacim, his brother, as king over the land, whose name he changed to Joacim, for eleven years. Against him came up Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, and taking him prisoner, leads him to Babylon, and a portion of the vessels of the house of the Lord that were in Jerusalem. He, being kept in prison, as one who had been a friend to Pharao and had been established as king by him, is brought out in the thirty-seventh year by Evilat-Marodach, king of Babylon; and he shaved his head, and he was his counselor, and he ate at his table until the day that he died. ^B When he had been taken away, his son Joacim reigned for three years. And against him came up Nabuchodonosor, and he transports both him and ten thousand men of the people to Babylon; and he establishes in his stead his father’s brother, whom he also renamed Sedecias; with whom having made oaths and covenants, he departs to Babylon. He, after reigning eleven years, revolted from him, and gave himself to Pharao, king of Egypt. In the tenth year, Nabuchodonosor came against him from the land of the Chaldeans, and he fenced the city, besieged it round about, and constrained it on every side. Wherefore the greater part of them perished by famine; others perished by the sword; some of them were taken captive, and the city was set on fire; and the temple and the wall were torn down. ^C And all the treasures found in the house of the Lord the army of the Chaldeans took, and all the vessels, both gold and silver; and Nabuzardan, the chief of the cooks, broke up all the bronze, and brought them to Babylon. But Sedecias himself, fleeing by the silence of night with seven hundred men, the army of the Chaldeans pursued, and they overtook him in Jericho, and led him to the king of Babylon in Reblatha. And the king judged him in anger, because he had violated the oath of the Lord, and the covenant which he had made unto him, and his sons he slaughtered before him, and he blinded the eyes of Sedecias. ^D And he put him in iron fetters, and led him to Babylon; and he was grinding in the mill until the day that he died. And upon his dying, they took his body and cast it behind the walls of Nineveh. In this is fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah, saying: *As I live, saith the Lord, if Jechonias, son of Joacim, king of Juda, were a seal upon my right hand, I would pluck thee thence, and I will give thee into the hands of those who seek thy

soul. ^A If you fear before his face, into the hands of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee and thy mother who bore thee into a land where you were not born, and there you shall die. But into the land to which they pray in their own souls, I will by no means return you. Jechonias was disgraced as a useless vessel, for which there is no need, because he was cast off and thrown into a land he knew not. Earth, hear the word of the Lord. Write this man as a man disowned, because none of his seed shall prosper to sit on the throne of David as ruler anymore in Juda. Thus the captivity for them in Babylon has come about after the exodus from Egypt. Now the whole people having been transported, and the city having been laid waste, and the sanctuary having been destroyed until the word of the Lord was fulfilled, which He spoke through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah, saying: “That the sanctuary shall be desolate for seventy years,” we find blessed Daniel prophesying in Babylon, and having become the vindicator of Susanna.

SOLUTIONS BY HIPPOLYTUS, BISHOP OF ROME, TO THE VISIONS OF DANIEL AND NABUCHODONOSOR, BOTH AT ONCE.

I. When he said “of the sea,” he signified the kingdom of the Babylonians that had come to be, and that this was the golden head of the statue. ^B And by saying “its wings were like an eagle’s,” he meant that King Nabuchodonosor was exalted, and his glory was lifted up against God. Then he says, “its wings were plucked,” because his glory was cast down; for he was driven out from his kingdom. But by saying, “a man’s heart was given to it, and it stood upon the feet of a man,” he indicates that he repented when he recognized himself as a man, and gave glory to God. After the lion, you see a second animal like a bear, which were the Persians; for after the Babylonians, the Persians held sway. And by saying “three ribs were in its mouth,” he showed three nations: Persians, Medes, [and] Babylonians; just as silver was shown after the gold in the statue. Then the third animal, a panther, which were ^C the Greeks; for after the Persians, Alexander ... ^D [alt-version omitted]

FOOTNOTE EXPLANATION OMITTED

^A Macedo, after removing Darius, gained possession of the empire; which he indicated by the bronze in the image. And as for what he says, "four wings of a bird, and four heads of the beast," he lucently showed how the dominion of Alexander was divided into four parts; for in saying "four heads," he signified the four kings who arose from it; for Alexander, on approaching his final day, divided his kingdom into four parts. Afterward, he says, "a fourth beast, terrible and stupendous, his teeth were of iron, and his claws of bronze." Who, then, are these, if not the Romans? Whose kingdom, existing in the present, is compared to iron (in the image); for its legs, he says, are of iron.

^B II. After these things, therefore, what remains, beloved? Unless it be the traces of the feet of the image, in which part will be iron, and part earthenware, mixed together. He mystically signified by the toes of the feet the ten kings to be raised up from it: which Daniel says: "I was considering the beast, and behold ten horns behind it, in which shall spring up another (small one) that has grown; by which no one else is signified than the Antichrist rising up; and he shall restore the kingdom of Judah. And saying three horns were plucked out by him, he designates the three kings of Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia, whom he shall slay in the line of battle. Who, having subdued all, being an immitigable and cruel tyrant, will inflict tribulation and persecution upon the saints, being exalted against them. After whom it remains that the stone should come from heaven, which struck the image, and crushed it, and transferred all kingdoms, and gave the kingdom to the saints of the Most High. This became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

III. Since these things, therefore, are to be, and the digits of the image shall have passed into democracies, and the ten horns of the beast shall have been divided into ten ^C kingdoms; let us look more attentively at what has been proposed, and let us survey them in a certain manner with our very eyes. The golden head of the image is the lioness, by which the Babylonians were represented; the shoulders and silver arms are the bear, by which the Persians and Medes were designated; the belly and bronze thighs are the leopard, by which the Greeks who ruled from Alexander were signified; the iron legs, the stupendous and terrible beast, were the Romans, who now hold the empire; the traces of the feet, earthenware and iron, are the ten horns which are to be; the other small horn, which grows up among them, is the Antichrist; the stone striking the image and crushing it, which filled the earth, is Christ coming from heaven and bringing judgment to the world.

IV. But lest in this part I leave the proposed argument ^D without proof, beloved, who are lovers of Christ, since the time now demands it: for the rest, nothing; of the fourth beast:

^A but omitting demonstration, we are compelled to speak of the times, because since they are a lamp to man, it is not permitted to recount them hastily. For when the times from the foundation of the world and numbered from Adam are stated, they clearly present to us the things sought. For the first coming of our Lord, His incarnation, occurred in Bethlehem under Augustus, in the five thousand five hundredth year; and He suffered in the thirty-third year. It is necessary, therefore, that the six thousand years be completed, ^B that the Sabbath may come, the rest, the holy day on which God rested from all His works. The Sabbath is a type and image of the future kingdom of the saints, when they shall reign with Christ, when He arrives from the heavens, as John relates in his Apocalypse: "For a day of the Lord is as a thousand years." Since, therefore, God made all things in six days, the six thousand years must be completed; for they are not yet completed, as John says: "The five have fallen, one remains," that is, the sixth; "the other has not yet come."

^C V. But in saying "the other," he describes the seventh, in which is the rest. But someone will certainly say: "How will you demonstrate to me that the Savior was born in the five thousand five hundredth year?" Learn easily, O man; for the things that happened long ago in the wilderness under Moses concerning the tabernacle were types and images of spiritual mysteries, so that when the truth arrived in the last times in Christ, you might be able to understand that these things were fulfilled. For it says to him: "And you shall make the ark of incorruptible woods, and you shall overlay it with pure gold inside and outside; and you shall make its length two cubits and a half, and its width a cubit and a half, and its height a cubit and a half," which when added up makes five cubits and a half, ^D so that the five thousand five hundred years may be shown.

VI. At the time when the Savior approached from the Virgin, ^A (an ark gilded with pure gold, within by the Word, without by the Holy Spirit), He brought forth His own body to the world; so that the truth was demonstrated, and the ark revealed. From the generation of Christ, therefore, one must count the remaining five hundred years, so that the number of six thousand years may be filled, and thus will be the end. But that the Savior was in the world at the fifth and a half time, bearing the incorruptible ark—that is, His own body—John says: "And it was the sixth hour," ^B so as to show the half of the day; and the day of the Lord is a thousand years; the half of these, therefore, becomes five hundred. For it was not possible for Him to be present sooner, for the weight of the Law still endured, and the sixth hour had not been fulfilled (for the laver is renewed), but rather at the fifth and a half, so that in the remaining half time, the Gospel might be preached to the whole world, and upon the fulfillment of the sixth day, the present life might cease.

VII. Since, indeed, the Persians held the kingdom for three hundred and thirty years, and after them the Greeks themselves—who were even more glorious—for three hundred years, of necessity the fourth beast, as stronger and greater than all that were before it, will reign for five hundred years. When the times have been fulfilled, and the ten horns have risen up from it ^C at the last, the Antichrist will appear among them. This one warring against and persecuting the saints, then it is necessary to await from the heavens the manifestation of the Lord.

VIII. After the prophet had accurately instructed us regarding the truth of the things that were to come, ceasing from his proposed subject, he returned to the empire of the Persians and Greeks, recounting to us another vision, which occurred and was fulfilled in its own times; so that, having established us as faithful in this, he might be able to show us more faithful to God even in things that were to be. ^D Those things, therefore, which he had recounted in the first vision, he unfolds again from the beginning for the edification of the faithful; for by the ram pushing with its horn towards the sea, and the north, and the south, he meant Darius the king of the Persians, who brought all nations under his power; for these beasts, he says, will not stand before him. And the he-goat of the goats coming from the wind of Libya, he calls Alexander the Macedonian, the king of the Greeks; and that he approached the ram himself, and being enraged, struck...

him in the face, and shattered him, and cast him to the ground, and trampled him, this signifies that which has also come to pass. ^A

IX. For when Alexander had engaged in war against Darius, he prevailed against him, and having destroyed and routed his entire army, he gained the empire of the whole realm; then after the he-goat of the goats was exalted, his great horn was broken, and four horns grew up beneath it toward the four winds of heaven. For Alexander, having taken possession of the whole land of the Persians and having brought them into subjection, afterward died, having divided his kingdom into four principalities, as has been shown above; from which one horn was exalted and grew great even unto the power of heaven; and because of it, he says, the sacrifice was disturbed, and justice was cast to the ground. ^B

X. For there arose Antiochus, surnamed Epiphanes, who was of the lineage of Alexander, and having reigned over Syria, and having brought all of Egypt under his own power, he at length ascended to Jerusalem, and entered into the sanctuary, and took all the treasures that were in the house of the Lord, and the golden lampstand, and the table, and the altar, and he performed a great slaughter in the land; as it says: "And the sanctuary shall be trampled until the evening and until the morning, thirteen hundred days." For it happened during that time, that the sanctuary remained desolate for three and a half years, so that the thirteen hundred days were fulfilled, until Judas Maccabaeus, rising up after the death of Mattathias his father, withstood him, and having destroyed the camps of Antiochus, and having liberated the city, he recovered the Holy places, and renovated them, doing everything according to the law. ^C

XI. Since, therefore, the angel Gabriel also, according as it has been understood by us, narrated these things to the prophet in this way, just as they occurred, and as everything has been plainly recorded in the books of the Maccabees, let us see what he says regarding the other weeks. For he, when he had read the book of Jeremiah the prophet, in which it was written that the sanctuary would be desolate for seventy years, in fasts and supplications made confession and entreated that the people might return more quickly from the captivity to the city of Jerusalem; thus, therefore, narrating, he says: "In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus of the seed of the Medes, who reigned over the kingdom of the Chaldeans; I, Daniel, understood in the books the number of the years, concerning which the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the fulfillment of the desolation of Jerusalem, seventy years; and what follows." ^D

XII. After his confession and supplication, the angel says to him: "You are a man of desires; for these things which you desire to know, which through me will be made known to you, shall be fulfilled in their own time," and he added, saying: "Seventy weeks are shortened."

UPON YOUR PEOPLE, AND UPON THE HOLY CITY, ^A TO FINISH TRANSGRESSION, AND TO SEAL UP SINS, AND TO WIPE AWAY INIQUITIES, AND TO SEAL UP VISION AND PROPHET, AND TO ANOINT THE MOST HOLY. AND YOU SHALL KNOW AND UNDERSTAND FROM THE GOING FORTH OF THE WORD, TO ANSWER, AND TO BUILD JERUSALEM, UNTO CHRIST THE LEADER, SEVEN WEEKS AND SIXTY-TWO WEEKS.

XIII. Since therefore (the angel Gabriel) had named seventy weeks, and had divided them into two parts, so that what was spoken by him to the prophet might be better understood, he proceeded thus: "Unto Christ the leader, seven weeks," which make forty-nine years. Daniel sees these in Babylon in the twenty-first year; therefore, when the forty-nine years are added to the twenty-first year, the seventy years are completed which the blessed Jeremiah foretold: "Seventy years shall the sanctuary be desolate after the captivity made by Nebuchadnezzar, and after this the people shall return, and sacrifice and oblation shall be offered, Christ being their leader."

XIV. Of what Christ, however, does he speak, if not of Jesus the son of Josedec, who at that time returned together with the people, and, the sanctuary being built ^B in the seventieth year, they offered sacrifice according to the Law? For all kings and priests were called Christs, because they were anointed with the holy oil which Moses formerly prepared. These, therefore, bore the name of the Lord with them, showing forth the pattern in themselves and presenting the image, until the perfect King and Priest from heaven should appear, who alone did the will of the Father, as it is also written in the Books of Kings: "And I will raise up to myself a faithful priest, who shall do all things according to my heart."

XV. Therefore, in order to show the time when he, whom the blessed Daniel desired to see, ^C was about to appear, he says: "And after seven weeks, another sixty-two weeks," which contain a period of four hundred and thirty-four years. For after the people returned from Babylon, with Jesus the son of Josedec, and Ezra the scribe, and Zorobabel the son of Salathiel from the tribe of David, as their leaders, there were four hundred and thirty-four years until the advent of Christ, so that the Priest of priests might appear in the world, and He who takes away the sins of the world might be clearly shown, as John says concerning Him: "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." Similarly, Gabriel says: "To wipe away iniquities, and to make propitiation for sins." Who indeed wiped away our iniquities? Paul the apostle teaches you, saying: "He is our peace, who has made both one," and afterwards, "Wiping out the handwriting of sins that was against us, which was contrary to us."

XVI. That iniquities are therefore wiped away ^D and sins expiated, this he shows. But who are they for whom their iniquities are expiated, unless those who believe in his name, and through good works seek to appease his...

face? That four hundred and thirty-four years passed from the time the people returned from Babylon until the birth of Christ, it is easy to understand. For since the first testament was given to the children of Israel after four hundred and thirty-four years, it was necessary that the second also should be defined by the same period of time, so that it might be expected by the people, and easily recognized by those who believe. ^B XVII. And for this reason Gabriel says: “And to anoint the most holy.” And there is no holy of holies, except only the Son of God; who, when he was present and revealing himself, said to them: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me,” and the rest. Whoever, therefore, believed in the heavenly priest, were cleansed by that very priest, and their sins were blotted out. But whoever did not believe him, despising him as a man, the sins of these were sealed as if they could not be blotted out. Whence the Angel, foreseeing that not all were going to believe in him, said: “To make an end of sins, and to seal sins.” For as many as disobeyed him until the end, for them their sins were not finished, but were sealed to be reserved for judgment; but as many as are to believe in him as having the power to forgive sins, for them they were blotted out. Therefore he says: “And to seal the vision and the prophet.” ^C XVIII. For since he himself, who is the fullness of the Law and the prophets, was present (for the law and the prophets were until John), it was necessary that what had been spoken by them should be sealed, in order that at the coming of the Lord all things which had been bound might be illumined and, being now loosed by him, might be set free, even as the Lord himself said to the rulers of the people, who were indignant at the healing done on the Sabbath: “Hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed on the day of the Sabbath?” As many, therefore, as Satan had bound in chains, these the Lord, coming, loosed from the bonds of death, having bound the strong one who was against us, and having vindicated humanity into liberty, just as Isaiah also says: “Then he will say to those who are in bonds, 'Go forth,' and to those who are in darkness, ^D 'Be enlightened.'” XIX. That all the ancient things spoken through the law and the prophets were sealed, and existed as something unknown to men, Isaiah says: “And they will give the sealed book to a man who knows letters, and they will say to him, 'Read this,' and he will say, 'I cannot read, for it is sealed.'” It was necessary that the ancient things pronounced by the prophets should remain sealed to the unbelieving Pharisees, who thought they understood the scripture of the law, but be open to those who believe. Therefore those things which were once sealed

^A are now, by the grace of the Lord, all open to the saints.

XX. For he himself was the perfect seal, and the Church is the key: *He who opens, and no one shuts, and shuts, and no one opens*, as John says; and the same one says again: *And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a book, written within and without, sealed with seven seals; and I saw an angel crying with a great voice: Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose its seals?* and the rest. *And I saw in the midst of the throne, and of the four living creatures, a Lamb standing (as though) slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent out into all the earth; and he came and took the book from the right hand of him who was seated upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having harps, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sing a new song, saying: Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open its seals, because thou wast slain, and didst ransome us to God in thy blood.* ^B Therefore he took the book and loosed it, so that those things which had been spoken secretly of him in time past might now be freely preached upon the housetops.

XXI. And for this reason the angel says indeed to Daniel: *Seal the words, for the vision is for the end of time*; but to Christ it was not said, seal, but rather loose those things which were formerly bound, so that by his grace we might know the will of the Father, and believe in him whom he sent for the salvation of men, Jesus our Lord. He says, therefore: *It shall return, and the street and the wall shall be built*, which has been entirely fulfilled. For when the people had returned, they rebuilt the city and the temple, and the walls round about. Then he says: *After sixty-two weeks the times shall be fulfilled; and he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week, and in the middle of the week the sacrifice and the drink offering shall be taken away, and (there shall be) in the temple the abomination of desolation.*

XXII. For when the sixty-two weeks have been completed, and Christ has arrived, and the Gospel has been preached in every place, ^C the times being fulfilled, one last week will remain, in which Elijah and Enoch shall be present, and in the middle of which the abomination of desolation shall appear, (namely) the Antichrist, announcing desolation to the world. But when he arrives, the sacrifice and the drink offering, which is now offered to God by the nations in every place, shall be taken away. When these things had been thus spoken, the prophet relates another vision to us; for he was solicitous for nothing else than that he might be diligently instructed concerning all future events, so that through his teaching they might be made manifest to us.

^A

XXIII. It says then: In the third year of Cyrus king of the Persians, a word was revealed to Daniel, whose name was Baltasar, and the word was true, and great power and understanding were given to him in the vision. In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks of days; I ate no bread of desires, and meat and wine did not enter my mouth, and I was not anointed with oil until the completion of three weeks. In the fourth day of the first month, I humbled myself, he says, for twenty-one days, praying to the living God, demanding from Him the revelation of the mystery. And indeed, the Father, having heard, sent His own Word, showing what was to happen through Him; and it came to pass by the great river; for it was necessary that the Boy be shown there, where He was also to forgive sins. ^B

XXIV. And I lifted up, he says, my eyes; and behold, a man clothed in *baddin*. In the first vision, he says, "Behold, the angel Gabriel sent"; but here it is not so, but he sees the Lord, not indeed perfectly as a man, yet appearing in the form of a man, as he says: "And behold a man clothed in *baddin*." For he was clothed in a multi-colored tunic of mysteries, representing the diversity of the calling of the gifts; for the priestly tunic was fashioned from various colors, since diverse nations were expecting the advent of Christ, so that we might be fashioned from many colors. ^C

XXV. Now *ophaz* signifies pure gold, being translated from the Hebrew into the Greek. He was, then, girdled with a pure belt about his loins; for the Word was to carry all of us, binding us around His own body with His own love like a belt; His body was perfect, and we are the members united in His body, and carried by the Word Himself. And his body was as *Tharsis*; and *Tharsis* being interpreted means Ethiopians; for the prophet had already heralded the difficulty of knowing Him, namely that, after having assumed humanity and appearing in the world, He would be difficult for many to know. And his face was as lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire; for it was necessary that the fiery and judicial power of the Word be foreshadowed, so that by justly bringing fire upon the impious, He might burn them up. ^D

XXVI. And he added, saying: And his arms and his feet are like to polished brass; in order to signify both the first calling of men and the second from the nations as like to the first; for "the last things will be as the first: for I will set thy princes as from the beginning, and thy rulers as formerly." And his voice is as the voice of a great multitude. For all we today who believe in Him speak the oracles, as if speaking through His mouth the things commanded by Him.

^A XXVII. And after a little while he says to him: "Do you know why I have come to you? And now I will return to fight with the prince of the Persians; but I will announce to you what is inscribed in the Scripture of truth, and there is no one who assists me concerning these things, but Michael your prince, and I left him there. For from the day that you gave your face to afflict yourself in the sight of the Lord your God, your prayer was heard, and I was sent to fight against the prince of the Persians (for a certain counsel had been formed, that the people should not be sent away); and so, that your request might quickly be granted, I stood against him, and I left Michael there."

XXVIII. And who was it who spoke, if not the angel to whose care the people had been entrusted, as he says in the law of Moses: "I will not go with you, because the people is stiff-necked; but my angel shall go before you." This one stood against Moses in the inn, when he was carrying the uncircumcised boy into Egypt; for it was not right that Moses, who was the legate and mediator of the law, and who was announcing the covenant of the fathers, should bring along an uncircumcised child, lest he be taken by the people for a false prophet and a seducer. And now, he says, "I will announce the truth to you." Could the Truth announce something other than the truth? ^B

XXIX. He says, therefore, to him: "Behold, three kings shall rise in Persia, and the fourth shall be enriched with great wealth above all, and when he has grown strong with his riches, he shall invade all the kingdoms of the Greeks. But a strong king shall arise, and he shall rule with great power, and shall do what he pleases, and when his kingdom has stood, it shall be broken, and shall be divided into the four winds of the heaven." These things we have already explained above, when we were speaking about the four beasts; but since the Scripture now sets forth the word distinctly again, it is necessary that we also discuss them again, so that we may not leave the Scripture idle and without explanation. ^C

XXX. "Still three kings, he says, shall arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be enriched with great wealth; which has come to pass; for after Cyrus, Darius arose; then Artaxerxes. These three have been kings; the Scripture is fulfilled. And the fourth shall be enriched with great wealth: who is this, unless it be Darius, who reigned, and attained glory, and abounded in wealth, and rose up against all the kingdoms of the Greeks? Alexander the Macedonian occurred against him, and destroyed his kingdom. But after he had subjugated the Persians, his own kingdom was divided into the four winds of the heaven; for Alexander, departing from the living, distributed his kingdom into four principalities. And a king shall rise, and shall enter into the fortresses of the king of Egypt." ^D

XXXI. For Antiochus was king of Syria; this one reigned in the hundred and seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.

And at those times he engaged in battle against Ptolemy, the king of Egypt; and prevailing over him, he took power. Returning from Egypt, he ascended to Jerusalem in ^A the one hundred and third year; and having taken all the treasures of the house of the Lord, he went toward Antioch. And after two years of days, the king sent his own tax collector into the cities of Judea to compel the Jews to depart from their ancestral laws and to submit to the king's decrees. When he arrived, he compelled them, saying: "Come out, and perform the king's command, and you shall live."

XXXII. But they said: "We will not come out, nor will we perform the king's command; we will die in our simplicity." And he killed of them a thousand souls of men. Thus, that which was spoken to the blessed Daniel is fulfilled: "That they shall be afflicted, and my servants shall be weakened in famine, and in sword, and in ^B captivity." But Daniel says: "And they shall be helped with a little help." For at that time Mattathias, and Judas Maccabeus, rose up, and helped them, and delivered them from the hand of the Greeks.

XXXIII. The saying in the Scripture was fulfilled; it says thus: "And the daughter of the South shall enter in to the king of the North, to make treaties with him; and the arms of him who leads her shall not stand; and she shall be crushed, and she and he who leads her shall fall." For there was a certain Ptolemaic queen of Egypt at that time; she goes forth with her two sons, Ptolemy and Philometor, to make treaties with Antiochus, king of Syria. And when she had arrived at Scythopolis, she is killed there; for he who led her betrayed her. Then ^C indeed the two brothers wage war against each other, and Philometor is killed, and Ptolemy takes power.

XXXIV. A battle therefore again takes place between Ptolemy and Antiochus; Antiochus attacks him, for the Scripture says thus: "And the king of the South shall rise up against the king of the North, and the seed from her shall rise up." And what seed, if not Ptolemy, who joined battle with Antiochus? Antiochus, attacking him and not prevailing over him, having taken flight, returned again to Antioch, intending to prepare a larger army. Ptolemy therefore takes all his armaments and leads them into Egypt. The Scripture is fulfilled as Daniel says: "And he shall bring their gods, ^D and their molten images, and all their desirable gold into Egypt."

XXXV. And after these things Antiochus goes forth a second time, stirring up war against him, and he was victorious over Ptolemy. And these things having come to pass, Antiochus rises up again against the sons of Israel, and sends out a certain Nicanor with a great force, so that

he might make war against the Jews, at the time when Judas, after the death of Matthias, was leader of the people, and so forth, as it is written in the book of Maccabees. When these things had happened, the Scripture says again: *And another king shall arise, and he shall prevail over the earth; and there shall arise a king of the South, and he shall take his daughter for a wife.* For it comes to pass that a certain Alexander, son of Philip, arises; he in his time rises up against Antiochus, and having engaged in battle, destroys him, and gains possession of the kingdom. Then he sends to Ptolemy, king of Egypt, saying: "Give me your daughter Cleopatra for a wife"; and he gives her to Alexander for a wife. ^B The Scripture is fulfilled as it says: *And he shall take his daughter for a wife*; and it says: *And he shall corrupt her, and she shall not be his wife.* And this also has truly been fulfilled; for when Ptolemy had given his own daughter to him, he returned and saw the kingdom of Alexander, marvelous and glorious; becoming infatuated with it, he spoke to Alexander deceitfully, just as the Scripture says: *And at the table the two kings shall speak lies.* And indeed, having returned to Egypt, Ptolemy, having gathered a great army, invaded the city at the time when Alexander had set out for Cilicia. ^C Wherefore, when Ptolemy was invading the region, he set garrisons throughout the cities, and having occupied Judaea, he went to his daughter, and sent letters to Demetrius in the islands, saying: "Come out and come here, and I will give you my daughter Cleopatra for a wife, for Alexander sought to kill me." Demetrius therefore comes, and when Ptolemy had received him, he gives to him the daughter who was Alexander's wife. That which was said is fulfilled: *And he shall corrupt her, and she shall not be his.* Alexander is killed; Ptolemy places the two royal diadems upon his head, namely that of Syria and of Egypt, which having put upon himself, on the third day he dies. ^D There is fulfilled what was set forth in the Scripture: *And they shall not give to him the glory of the kingdom*; for he died, and did not receive glory from all as a king. [XXXVIII.] Since the prophet had therefore narrated what has already happened and was accomplished in times past, he proclaims to us again another mystery, indicating the last times; for he speaks thus: *And another impudent king shall rise, and he shall be exalted against every god, and he shall be magnified, and shall speak great things; and he shall prosper, until the indignation be accomplished*, and so forth; *and these shall be delivered from his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the beginning of the children of Ammon.*

FRAGMENTS ON DANIEL.

^A ...and the land of Egypt shall not be for salvation. And he shall have power over the hidden treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt, and of the Libyans, and of the Ethiopians, in their strongholds.

XXXIX. The prophet thus relates these things concerning the Antichrist, who shall be shameless, a lover of war, and a tyrant, who shall exalt himself above all kings and every god; he shall rebuild the city of Jerusalem, and shall raise up the temple. The disobedient shall worship him as God, and shall bow the knee to him, believing him to be the Christ. He shall remove the two witnesses and forerunners of Christ who proclaim his glorious kingdom from the heavens, as it says: "And I will give to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth"; even as he ^B has also said to Daniel: "And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week, and in the middle of the week my sacrifice and drink offering shall be taken away," so that the one week is shown to be divided into two. For the two witnesses shall prophesy for three years and a half, but in the remaining part of the week the Antichrist shall persecute the saints in war and shall desolate the world, so that what is said may be fulfilled: "And they shall give the abomination of desolation for a thousand two hundred and ninety days."

XL. Daniel has therefore spoken of two abominations, one of destruction and the other of desolation. What is the one of destruction, if not that which Antiochus set up there at that time? And what is the one of desolation, if not that which shall be universal when the Antichrist is present? "And these shall be saved from his hand, Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon." For these are they who associate themselves with him on account of kinship, and are the first to proclaim him king. The Idumeans, indeed, are the sons of Esau who dwell in Mount Seir; but the Moabites and Ammonites are those who were begotten of his two daughters, as Isaiah also says: "And they shall fly in the ships of the foreigners, they shall plunder the sea together, and those from the sunrising, and those from the west, and from the north, shall give glory," but the children of Ammon shall be the first to obey. He, having been proclaimed king by them, and glorified by all, and having become an abomination of desolation to the world, shall reign for a thousand two hundred and ninety days. "Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the days of a thousand three hundred and thirty-five." For the abomination having arrived and persecuting the saints, whoever survives his days and approaches the forty-five days, another fifty ^C approaching, the kingdom of the heavens has arrived. The Antichrist indeed comes even into a part of the fiftieth, but the saints shall inherit the kingdom together with Christ.

XLI. These things having been thus related, Daniel says: "And behold, two men stood, one on one side of the river's bank, and the other on the other side, and they answered the man who stood upon the water of the river, and said to him: How long shall the end of the words—

of the wonders which you have spoken? And I heard the man who was clothed in linen, who was above the water of the river, and he lifted up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever, that in a time, and times, and half a time, when the dispersion shall be completed, all these things shall be known. ^A

XLII. Who then were the two men who stood by the bank of the river, if not the Law and the Prophets? And who was he who stood upon the water, if not this very one concerning whom they had long since prophesied—he who was to be manifested in the last times at the Jordan, to receive testimony from the Father and to be shown openly to the people by John; he who wore the *kasty* of the scribe about his loins, and was clothed in the *baddin*, the tunic of varied colors? They, therefore, ask him, knowing that to him had been given all authority and power, so that they might learn accurately from him when he was about to bring judgment upon the world, and at what time the things spoken by him should be fulfilled. But he, wishing to make them entirely certain, lifted up his right hand and his left ^B to heaven and swore by him who lives forever. Who, by whom did he swear? Obviously the Son by the Father, saying: As the Father lives forever, so in a time, and times, and half a time, when the dispersion shall be completed, these things shall all be known.

XLIII. Now that he extended both his hands, by this he demonstrated his passion; and that he said, "in a time, and times, and half a time, when the dispersion shall be completed," he signified the three years and a half of Antichrist. For by "time" he means a year, and by "times" two years, and by "half a time" he means half a year. These are the one thousand two hundred and ninety days which Daniel foretold, when the passion shall be fulfilled and the dispersion shall have occurred, with Antichrist present; ^C in those days these things shall be known. And from the time when the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, the one thousand two hundred and ninety days are to be reckoned; iniquity shall abound, just as the Lord also says: "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold."

XLIV. For that dissensions are excited when transgression occurs, there is no doubt, but once dissensions have arisen, love grows cold. And that saying: "Blessed is he who shall persevere and reach the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days," must be noted, just as the Lord said: "But he who shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved." Wherefore, let us by no means wait for a universal transgression, lest iniquity abound and the abomination of desolation, ^D that is, the adversary, overtake us. And he said to him, "until evening," that is, until the consummation; and "morning": what is morning? The day of the resurrection. For it is the beginning of another age, as the morning is the beginning of the day. And the one thousand four hundred days are the light of the world; for when the light has appeared in the world,

whose light appeared in the world, (as he said: "I am the light of the world"), the sanctuary shall be cleansed, as the adversary has said; for the sanctuary is by no means cleansed unless he is overthrown.

SCHOLIA ON DANIEL

CHAP. I

V. 1. — *In the third year of the reign of Joakim.* Hippolytus. For the Scripture relates these things to indicate the second captivity of the people, when Joakim went into a foreign land and with him the three children, along with Daniel, were taken by the enemies.

V. 2. — *And the Lord gave [him] into his hand, etc.* To ensure that no one reading the beginning of the book should attribute the conquest to the strength of the attackers and the exhausted spirit of those who defended it, the Scripture subjoins these words, "and the Lord gave." It is well said, too, that it was only in part: for the transmigration was decreed for the sake of correction, not for the ruin of the entire nation, so that there would not be a change in the cause.

V. 8. — *But Daniel proposed in his heart.* Hippolytus. O blessed are those who have kept the covenant of their fathers and have not transgressed the law given by Moses, but fear the God announced by him. These captives in a foreign land were not led astray by various foods, nor did they serve the pleasures of wine, nor were they enticed by royal glory, nor did they fall into a snare; but they kept their own mouth chaste and pure, so that pure speech might go forth from pure mouths, and through them it might praise the heavenly Father. ^A

V. 12. — *Test us, I beseech you, your servants.* Hippolytus. They teach that it is not earthly foods that provide beauty and strength to men, but the grace of God, granted through the Word. And a little later: You saw the unconquerable faith of the children, and their unchangeable fear of God. They asked for a delay of ten days' time, that in this they might show that it is not possible for a man to obtain grace from God in any other way, except if he believes the Word announced through the Lord. ^B

V. 19. — *And of all of them there were none found like Daniel.* Hippolytus. The Word led these men in all wisdom, showing them to be faithful witnesses in Babylon, so that through them the idols of the Babylonians might be put to shame, and that Nabuchodonosor might be overcome by the three children, ^C and ^D

by their faith the fire in the furnace might be warded off, and the unlawful desire of the corrupt elders might be exposed ^A in vain.

CHAPTER II.

V. 3. — *I have dreamed a dream.* ^B Of Hippolytus. The dream which was seen by the king was not earthly, so that it might be interpreted by the wise men of the world; but it was heavenly, fulfilled at the proper time according to the will and providence of God. And therefore it was hidden from men who think about earthly things, so that to those seeking heavenly things, heavenly mysteries might be revealed. For in Egypt in the time of Pharaoh and Joseph, similar things occurred.

V. 5. — *The word has gone from me.* Of Hippolytus. For this reason the vision was hidden from the king, that Daniel, chosen by God, might be shown to be a prophet; for whatever is hidden from others, but revealed by another, necessarily proves the one revealing it to be a prophet.

V. 10. — *The Chaldeans therefore answering before the king, said: There is no man upon the earth, etc.* Of Hippolytus. Because they said it was impossible for this to be told by a man—which the king was asking—God showed them that what is impossible among men is possible with God. ^C

V. 14. — *From Arioch the chief cook* (Vulgate, prince of the army). Of Hippolytus. For just as a cook kills and cooks all animals, so he in the same manner; and so the princes of the world kill men, cooking them like irrational animals.

V. 23. — *Because thou hast given me wisdom and strength.* Of Hippolytus. We ought, therefore, to be mindful of God’s mercy, how He immediately reveals and manifests Himself to those who are good and fear Him, fulfilling their prayers and petitions, as the prophet says: *Who is wise, and will understand these things? Understanding, and he shall know these things?* (Ose. XIV, 10.)

V. 27. — *The wise men, magicians, soothsayers cannot, etc.* Of Hippolytus. He teaches the king not to investigate heavenly mysteries through earthly men, which were to be accomplished by God at the proper times.

V. 29. — *Thou, O king, began to think.* ^D Of Hippolytus. For that king, lord of the land of Egypt, conqueror of the Judean region, and captor of its people, was thinking while he was on his bed about what was to come to pass after these things; but He who knows all hidden things and searches the thoughts of hearts, manifested to him through an image what is to come: but He hid the vision from him, so that the counsels of God might not be explained by the wise men of Babylon, but that they might be manifested by the blessed Daniel, as a prophet of God, which were hidden from all.

V. 31. — *Behold... a great image.* Of Hippolytus. How then shall we not perceive the things prophesied of old by Daniel in Babylon, and even now being fulfilled in the world? For the image shown at that time to Nabuchodonosor contained a type of the whole world; in which times the Babylonians then ruled over all,

^A as the golden head of the image; since after them the Persians ruled for 245 years; he indicates these by silver; the Greeks also ruled, beginning from Alexander of Macedon, for 300 years; so that these were the bronze. After these, the Romans, the iron legs of the image, being strong like iron. Then the ^B toes of the feet, of clay and iron, so that the democracies that were to come might be shown, divided into the ten toes of the image, in which there shall be iron mixed with clay.

V. 31. *Videbas*, etc. Of Apollinaris. (Not indeed of Hippolytus. Mention of him is merely made here.) *He was looking, and behold as it were a single statue*; for it was not something lying before him to the viewer, but an appearing image; and it has a unity of many things in itself, so that it is not in reality one, but that statue is manifold. For it held the sum of all kingdoms: its beauty was too comely on account of the glory of the kings; and its appearance was terrible, on account of the power. Eusebius Pamphili and Hippolytus, the most holy bishop of Rome, compared Nabuchodonosor’s dream to the vision of the prophet Daniel. Since those who interpreted this vision did so differently in their Commentaries, I judged it necessary to transcribe the words of Eusebius of Caesarea, surnamed Pamphili, which are in the fifteenth book of the *Evangelical Demonstration*. For he, explaining the whole vision, speaks thus: ^C "I consider these things (scil. the vision of Nabuchodonosor) not to differ from the vision of the prophet (Daniel). For as the prophet saw a great sea, so the king saw a manifold statue: and again, just as the prophet saw four beasts, which, interpreting, he transformed into four kingdoms; so the king, by gold, and silver, and bronze, and iron, allegorically signifies four kingdoms. And again, as the prophet saw the division of the ten horns of the last beast, and three horns crushed by one; so the king in the same way saw a part of iron and a part of clay in the lower limbs of the statue. And afterwards, as the prophet after the vision of the four kingdoms saw the Son of man possessing sovereignty and power and a kingdom over all; so too it seemed to the king that he saw a stone crushing the whole statue and becoming a great mountain, filling the sea. And rightly so; ^D for it was fitting for the king, who thought wrongly about the spectacle of life, and who was an admirer of things perceived by the senses—such as the beauty of colors in a painting presented before the eyes of the viewer—to liken the life of all men to a great statue; but it was fitting for the prophet to liken the many and great tumults of life to a great sea. The king, indeed, admiring the metals of great value to man—gold, silver, bronze, iron—had to liken the most powerful kingdoms of various times in the life of men to metals; we know that there was an adherent of Eusebius. Finally, not even Chrysostom seems to have been ignorant of this passage of Eusebius. [alt-version omitted] As for the rest, I took care to omit those scholia of Eusebius occurring in this catena which were already set forth in printed editions. MAI.

^A to liken these to the materials; ^B but the prophet was bound to describe these same kingdoms in the forms of beasts ^C no differently from the beginning of the narrative. And again, to the king, thinking great things of himself as is likely and boasting of the kingdom of his ancestors, the mutation of affairs is shown, and the end of earthly kingdoms, so that he might lay aside his pride and believe nothing human is durable, but only that which is the end of all things, the kingdom of God. ^D For there will be, after the first empire of the Assyrians, which gold signified, a second, that of the Persians, which was indicated by silver; then a third, that of the Macedonians, which bronze signaled; after which a fourth is to succeed, that of the Romans, being stronger than those before it; wherefore it was compared to iron. For it had been said also concerning it, And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron; in the manner that iron grinds and tames all things, so shall it grind and tame all things. And after all these mentioned, the kingdom of God is represented through the stone that shatters the whole statue; and the prophet, in accordance with these things, does not behold the kingdom of the God of all at the end before he has delineated the four mentioned dynasties through the four beasts. And I think that the visions have been manifested to the king and to the prophet concerning these four kingdoms only, and not others, because the nation of the Jews was to be enslaved to these four empires from the time of the prophet.

V. 33. — *Certain feet, etc.* Hippolytus. ^C The ten horns in the vision of the prophet signify what is to come.

V. 34. — *You were watching until a stone was cut.* Hippolytus. You were watching, as it were, a stone cut without hands, and striking the statue upon its feet; for the human kingdom has been inseparably divided from the divine kingdom, wherefore it is said to be "as it were cut"; but the blow happens against the lowest parts, and in them it shatters the whole kingdom which is upon the earth.

V. 45. — *And the dream is true.* Hippolytus. Therefore, so that no one may doubt whether his words are true or not, the prophet confirms them, saying: *And the dream is true, and the interpretation of it is faithful* (Dan. 2:45): I have not erred in the interpretation of the vision.

V. 46. — *Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face.* Hippolytus. Hearing these things, Nebuchadnezzar, having remembered the dream, recognized that the things spoken by Daniel were the truth. ^D How much the grace of God avails, dearly beloved, that the king should worship as God, and not as a man, him who a little before was about to perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon! He commanded that *Manaa* (which is in Chaldaic, hostias/sacrifices) and incense be sacrificed to him (2:46). And long ago the Lord had announced a similar thing to Moses, saying: *Behold, I have made you a god to Pharaoh* (Exod. 7:1), so that through the signs performed by him in the land of Egypt, Moses might no longer be thought a man, but might be worshipped as a god by the Egyptians.

V. 48. — *Then the king exalted Daniel.* ^A Hippolytus: Since he humbled himself and appeared as the least among all men, God exalted him, and the king appointed him ruler over all the provinces of Babylon (Dan. 2:48), just as Pharaoh had appointed Joseph ruler over all Egypt.

V. 49. — *Daniel then petitioned.* Hippolytus: Since they (that is, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) had joined Daniel in prayer to God that the vision might be revealed to him, Daniel, having received fitting honor from the king, remembered them. He told the king of the service they had performed, so that they too might be deemed worthy of some honor, as fellow-mystics and men who worship God. For having petitioned the Lord for heavenly things, they received earthly things from the king.

CHAPTER III.

V. 1. — *In the eighteenth year.* (These words are missing in the Vulgate.) Hippolytus: Sufficient time having passed, and the eighteenth year being current, the king, mindful of his dream, made a golden statue, sixty cubits in height and six cubits in width (Dan. 3:1). Since blessed Daniel, when interpreting the dream, had answered the king saying, "You are the head of gold..." (Dan. 2:38) of the statue, the king, having heard this word, swelled with pride and was lifted up in his heart, and made a statue resembling this one, so that he might be worshipped by all as a god.

V. 7. — *All the peoples falling down.* ^B Hippolytus: Some out of fear of the king, but most out of an affection for idolatry, obeyed the decree issued by the king.

V. 16. — *Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered.* Hippolytus: The three youths are a model for all faithful men, for they did not fear the throng of satraps, nor did they tremble upon hearing the king's edicts, nor were they seized with terror upon seeing the fire of the burning furnace. Rather, they despised all men and the whole world, having only the fear of God before their eyes. Daniel, standing at a distance and keeping silence, exhorted these youths to be brave, smiling at them. ^C He himself also rejoiced over their martyrdom, seeing the three youths about to receive a crown against the devil.

V. 19. — *And he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more.* Hippolytus: He commanded a furnace of immense appearance to be heated seven times more, as one already utterly defeated by them. In earthly matters, the king was more powerful, but in faith toward God, the three youths had greater strength. Tell me, Nebuchadnezzar, with what intent do you order them to be cast into the fire bound? Is it so they might not flee, if, being loose, they were to extinguish the fire with their feet? But you are not the one doing these things; rather, another within you is working them through you.

V. 47. — *And the flame was pouring out.* ^D Hippolytus: For he relates that the fire was driven from the inner part by the angel and erupted in a circle. See how the fire itself is intelligent; it recognizes and punishes the guilty.

^A And it touched not the servants of God, but consumed the unbelieving and impious of the Chaldeans; and those who were inside the furnace were cooled by the angel, but those who seemed to stand outside the furnace without concern, these were destroyed by the fire; the flame burned the men who were casting the children in, having, I suppose, found its way around to those who had gathered to bind the children.

V. 92. — *And the appearance of the fourth is like to the Son of God.* Hippolytus. Tell me, O Nebuchadnezzar, have you ever seen the Son of God, that you should acknowledge this one as the Son of God? Who is it that pricked your heart, that you should utter such a word? With what eyes were you able to behold this light? And why was it manifested to you alone, and to none of the other satraps? But since it is written, *The heart of a king is in the hand of God*, this is that hand of God, by which the Word pricked his heart, so that, recognizing Him in the furnace, he might glorify Him. And this interpretation of ours is not without reason; for since the sons of Israel, when they saw the Son of God in the world, were not going to believe, the Scripture showed beforehand that the nations would, in the future, recognize Him as incarnate, whom Nebuchadnezzar, seeing Him long ago incorporeal, recognized in the furnace and confessed to be the Son of God.

V. 93. — *And he said, Sidrach, Misach, Abdenago.* Hippolytus. He called the names of the three children, but the name of the fourth he could not find to speak; for Jesus was not yet born of the Virgin. ^{B C} V. 97. — *Then the king promoted.* Hippolytus. For just as they glorified God Himself while delivering themselves to death, so in turn were they themselves glorified not only by God, but also by the king; and the foreign and barbarian nations learned to worship God.

CHAPTER VII

V. 1. — *And writing the dream.* Hippolytus. Whatever, therefore, was revealed by the Spirit through visions to the blessed prophet, this he also bountifully explained to others, so that he might not only seem to be prophesying the future to himself, but that he might also be presented as a prophet to others who wished to search the divine Scriptures.

V. 2. — *And behold the four winds.* Hippolytus. He indicates the creation comprehended under the four climates of heaven.

V. 3. — *And four great beasts.* Hippolytus. Since, therefore, various beasts were shown to the blessed Daniel, and these differing among themselves, we must understand that the truth of the discourse is not concerned with any beasts in reality, but by type and image it shows the kingdoms that have risen up in this world, different as beasts, over the human race; for by the great sea he means the whole world. ^D

V. 4. — *Until its wings were plucked.* Hippolytus. For this actually happened to Nebuchadnezzar, according to what was announced in the preceding book; and he testifies that this happened to him immediately in his own person, namely, that he was driven from his kingdom and his glory was taken from him, and also the height of power that he had previously held. And a little further on: *These words, Upon the feet as a man*

stood, and a *man's heart was given to him*, signify that Nebuchadnezzar judged himself humbly and recognized that he was a man placed under the power of God. For when he had besought the Lord, he found mercy and was restored again to his kingdom and glory.

V. 5. — *And behold another beast, like to a bear.* Hippolytus: So that in this he might signify the empire of the Persians. ^B Ibid. — *And three ribs.* Hippolytus: He calls three nations the three ribs; he says, therefore, that this beast commanded. They were the Medes, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians.

Ibid. — *And thus they said to it: Arise, devour much flesh.* Hippolytus: For the Persians, rising up in those days, laid waste the whole land and, reducing many of the people into slavery, destroyed them; for just as the bear is a filthy beast and carnivorous, rending with its claws and teeth, so too was the kingdom of the Persians, who held power for two hundred and thirty years.

V. 6. — *And behold another (beast) as a leopard.* Hippolytus: By naming the leopard, he indicates the kingdom of the Greeks, which Alexander the Macedonian ruled. And he compares them to the leopard because they are swift and most deceitful in mind, having a heart full of bitterness, just as that animal is of varied appearance, but swift in doing evil and drinking human blood.

Ibid. — *Four heads were upon the beast.* Hippolytus: For after the kingdom of Alexander had been exalted and had increased and obtained a name throughout the whole world, his kingdom was divided into four powers; for Alexander, when dying, divided his kingdom to his fellow soldiers who were of his own race, to four men, namely: Seleucus, Demetrius, Ptolemy, and Philip; and all of these assumed diadems, just as Daniel had foretold this, and it is written in the first book of Maccabees.

V. 7. — *And behold a fourth beast.* Hippolytus: Since indeed no other empire has arisen after the empire of the Greeks, except the one that stands and prevails now, and this is conspicuous to all; it indeed has iron teeth, because it subdues and breaks everything by its own strength, like iron; but the rest it tramples under its feet, because there will be no other empire after it, but out of it ten horns will grow.

Ibid. — *And it had ten horns.* Hippolytus: For just as the prophet said concerning the leopard that the beast had four heads—and it came to pass, and the kingdom of Alexander was divided into four powers—so too now we must wait until ten horns arise out of this same beast, when the time of the beast is completed, and the little horn, which is the Antichrist, suddenly appears among those horns, and justice is taken away from the earth, and the consummation of the whole world draws near. So that we should not anticipate God’s providence, but possess patience and fear lest we fall into those times, and not be incredulous as if these things were not to come to pass; for if the first things which the prophets predicted,

^A did not come to pass, neither would we expect these; but if those were fulfilled in their own times, as was foretold, then these too will certainly be fulfilled.

V. 8. — *I was considering the horns.* Hippolytus. That is, I was looking fixedly at the beast, and I wondered, along with all the rest, at the number of the horns; for the appearance of this one was distinct from the nature of the other beasts.

V. 13. — *And until the Ancient of days he arrived.* Hippolytus. By the Ancient of days he means none other than the Lord and God and Master of all, of Christ himself as well, who makes the days old, and is not himself made old by the days of time. ^B

V. 14. — *His power is an eternal power.* Hippolytus. The Father, having subjected all things to his own Son, both those in the heavens and those upon the earth, manifested him through all things as the firstborn from God, so that he might be manifested as the Son of God with the Father before the angels, that he might appear as Lord of the angels; as the firstborn from the Virgin, so that in re-forming the first-formed Adam in himself, he might be shown as the firstborn from the dead, that he himself might become the first-fruits of our resurrection.

*Which shall not be taken away.* Hippolytus. He makes known all the power given by the Father to the Son, who has been manifested as king and judge of all in heaven, on earth, and under the earth: of the heavenly, because he is the Word born from the heart of the Father before all things; of the earthly, because he was born as a man, re-forming Adam through himself; and of the infernal, because he was also numbered among the dead, proclaiming blessedness to the souls of the saints, himself victor over death by death. ^C

V. 17. — *Which shall rise up.* Hippolytus. For when the three beasts have completed their course and have passed away, and the one that is now still thriving has also been removed, then the earthly things will cease and the heavenly things will begin, so that the indissoluble and eternal kingdom of the saints may be shown; and the heavenly King will be manifested openly to all, no longer seen through types, as if in a vision, nor hidden in a pillar of cloud upon the summit of a mountain, but coming from the heavens as judge of the world, God and man incarnate, Son of God and son of man, with the angelic powers and hosts. ^D

V. 19. — *After this I wished to learn diligently about the fourth beast.* Hippolytus. He speaks of the fourth empire, as we said above, indicating that one than which no greater has arisen; from which ten horns are to sprout, and they will be divided into ten diadems. Among those horns another small horn will arise, which is that of the Antichrist; and it will eradicate three of the horns before it, that is, it will destroy the three kingdoms of Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia, wishing to claim for itself the entire dominion. When it has overcome the remaining seven horns, it will at last begin, swelling with a foreign and evil spirit, to stir up war against

^A the saints, and it will persecute everyone everywhere, wishing to be glorified and adored by all as God.

V. 22. — *Until the Ancient of Days came.* Hippolytus. At last the Judge of judges and King of kings comes down from heaven, who shall destroy all the rule and power of the Enemy, and shall burn all with eternal fire, punishing them; but to his servants, and prophets, and martyrs, and to all who fear him, he shall give the eternal kingdom; this means they shall have an endless enjoyment of good things. — V. 25. — *Until a time, and times, and half a time.* Hippolytus. Which signifies three years and a half.

CAP. IX.

V. 21. — *And behold, the man Gabriel... flying swiftly... etc.* Hippolytus. You see how the prophet likens the swiftness of the angels ^B to a winged bird, because of the lightness and speed with which these spirits quickly obey what is commanded.

CAP. X.

V. 6. — *And the voice of his words.* Hippolytus. For all of us today who believe in him proclaim the oracles of Christ, as if speaking through his mouth the things commanded by him.

V. 7. — *And I saw.* Hippolytus. For he reveals himself only to the saints who fear him; for if anyone appears to live even in the Church, but does not have the fear of God, the fellowship of the saints profits him nothing.

V. 12. — *Your words have been heard.* Hippolytus. See how much the prayer of a just man avails, so that things not yet to be made manifest in the world may be revealed to him alone as a holy man.

V. 13. — *And behold, Michael.* Hippolytus. Who is Michael, if not the angel given to the people as a guardian? As he said ^C to Moses: “I will not go with you in the way, because this people is stiff-necked; but my angel shall go with you.”

V. 16. — *My joints were loosened.* Hippolytus. For it was necessary at the coming of the Lord that things above should become below, so that things below might be able to go above. — Time, he says, is needed for me to collect myself, and to be able to sustain the words, and to answer what has been spoken. — But in these things, he says, when I was thus, I was strengthened beyond hope: for the invisible (God) touched me, and immediately my weakness was taken away, and I was restored to my former strength. For as often as all the strength and glory of our life passes away, then we are made powerful through ^D Christ who extends his hand, and who raises from the dead those who are living, and as if from Hades into the resurrection of life.

V. 18. — *And he strengthened me.* Hippolytus. For as often as the Word has filled us with hope for future things, we are able to listen to his voice easily.

V. 20. — *To fight against the prince of the Persians.* Hippolytus. From the day that you gave your face to be humiliated before the Lord your God, your prayer has been heard.

and I was sent to fight alongside the prince of the Persians; for a certain council had arisen not to let the people go; in order, therefore, that your petition might be quickly fulfilled, I stood against him.

CHAPTER XII

V. 1. — *And there shall come a time such as there has not been* (in the Greek text, *a time of affliction*). Hippolytus. For then there shall be a great affliction, such as has not been since the foundation of the world, with those sent into every city and region to destroy the faithful; and while the saints pass from the West to the East, and those from the East are driven toward the South, others still are hiding in mountains and caves; ^B and the abomination pursues them everywhere, killing them by cruel decrees through sea and land, and crushing them in every way from this world; they being unable either to sell their own possessions or to buy from strangers, unless one should possess and bear the name of the beast, or carry its mark upon his forehead; for all at that time shall be driven from every place, and shall be dragged from their own homes, and shall be hauled into public spaces, and shall be punished with every torment, and shall be cast out from the whole world.

V. 2. — *Some shall awake to eternal life.* Hippolytus. Those who believe in the true life and are inscribed in the book of life. *Ibid.*: *And others to reproach.* Hippolytus. Those who consent to the Antichrist and are cast with him into eternal punishments.

V. 3. — *But those who are learned shall shine.* Hippolytus. For the Lord also said the same thing in the Gospel: *Then the righteous shall shine as the sun* (Matt. xiii, 43).

*For a time, and times, and half a time.* Hippolytus. He predicted the three years and a half of the Antichrist; he indicates by "a time" one year; by "times," two years; by "half a time," half a year: these are the 1290 days which Daniel foretold (xii, 11).

V. 9. — *The words are shut up and sealed.* Hippolytus. Since what God has prepared for the saints, man cannot understand; for neither has the eye seen these things, nor has the ear heard, nor have they entered into the heart of man, ^D which the saints shall then desire to contemplate; thus He said to him (Daniel), that these words are shut up and sealed until the appointed time, until many are chosen and tested by fire; and those who are chosen are not those who are simply chosen, but those who have believed in the word of truth, that they might be whitened by it, and, being cleansed from the filth of sin, might put on the heavenly, pure, and radiant Holy Spirit, so that, when the Bridegroom arrives, they may immediately enter in with Him.

V. 11. — *The abomination of desolation shall be set up.* Hippolytus. Daniel therefore speaks of two abominations: one, indeed, of extermination, which Antiochus set up at the time, which is referred to the abomination of desolation; the other, however, universal, when the Antichrist shall arrive; for, as Daniel says, he too shall be established for the ruin of many.

FRAGMENTS ON DANIEL. HIPPOLYTUS BISHOP OF ROME ON SUSANNA.

^AThis history, in fact, happened later, but was written down before the first book. For it was a custom among the scribes to place many things in the Scriptures in inverted order. We find, in fact, that certain visions in the prophets are also written as if they were first, and were fulfilled in the last times; and conversely, things spoken of as being in the last times, and which had occurred as the first. This, however, happened by the economy of the Spirit, lest the devil should understand those things spoken by the prophets in parables, and, laying snares a second time, might kill man again.

And his name was Joakim. This Joakim, having become a sojourner in Babylon, took Susanna as his wife. And she was the daughter of Helcias the priest, the one who found the book of the Law in the house of the Lord, when King Josiah commanded him to cleanse the Holy of Holies. His brother is Jeremiah the prophet, who, along with the remnant, after the migration of the people to Babylon, was taken to Egypt and dwelt in Taphnis; and prophesying there, he was stoned by them and perished.

Very beautiful and fearing the Lord. For from the fruit of their progeny, the tree is also easily recognized. For having become religious men and zealots of the Law, they brought forth children in this world worthy of God: the one, a prophet and martyr who had become Christ's; the other, chaste and found faithful in Babylon; whose modesty and purity were the reason that the blessed prophet Daniel was revealed.

And Joakim was very rich. It is therefore necessary to inquire into the reason: for how, being captives and enslaved to the Babylonians, were they able to gather together as if they were their own masters? In this, one must consider that after Nabuchodonosor had deported them, he treated them humanely, and permitted them, by gathering together, to perform everything according to the law.

And in the middle of the day Susanna would enter. ^B Susanna prefigured the Church; but Joakim, her husband, prefigured Christ; and the garden, the calling of the saints, who are as fruit-bearing trees planted in the Church. And Babylon is the world; and the two elders are known to represent the two peoples, who plot against the Church: ^C on the one hand, the one from the circumcision...

and on the other, the one from the Gentiles. ^A For to represent them as being "appointed rulers of the people and judges" means that in this present age they exercise authority and rule, judging the righteous unjustly.

V. 8: *And they were watching her, the two elders.* These things the leaders of the Jews now wish to excise from the book, asserting that these events did not take place in Babylon, being ashamed of that which was done by the elders at that time.

V. 9: *And they turned away their mind.* For those who have become plotters and destroyers of the Church, how can they judge justly, or with a pure heart look up to heaven, being enslaved to the prince of this age?

V. 10: *And both were aroused against her by stings.* For it can be truly accepted that this is said: for the two peoples, always incited by the stings of Satan, by whose breath they are driven, endeavor to stir up storms of persecutions and troubles against the Church, seeking by what means they may corrupt her, while not even agreeing among themselves. ^B

V. 12: *And they were watching carefully.* It is worth our while to note this: that even until now they watch and pry into what is done in the Church, both the Gentiles and the Jews of the circumcision, wishing to bring forward false witnesses against us, even as the Apostle says: "But because of false brethren secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus." It is a species of sin to seek to direct one's mind toward women.

V. 13: *And they went out and separated from one another.* The fact, therefore, that they separated from one another at the hour of lunch signifies that, while the Jews and the Gentiles do not agree in earthly foods, yet as to opinions and all matters pertaining to the use of this world, they come together and communicate.

V. 14: *And questioning one another as to the cause, they confessed their concupiscence.* They prophesy to themselves, for they are about to give an account to God for every sin they have committed when examined by their own thoughts, as Solomon says: "Examination will destroy the impious." For they are taken by examination. ^C

V. 15: *While they were watching for a suitable day.* What day is fitting, if not the day of the Pascha, through which the laver is prepared in the orchard for those who are burning with heat, and Susanna, washing, is presented as a clean bride to God?

*With only two maidens.* For whenever the Church desires to receive the laver according to custom, she necessarily has two handmaids as companions; for through faith in Christ and through love toward God, the Church, confessing, receives the laver.

V. 18: *And she said to the maidens: Bring me oil.* Accordingly, faith and love prepare the oil and the unguents for those who wash. But what were the unguents, if not the commandments of the holy Word

And what was the oil, if not the power of the holy Spirit? With these, after the bath, the faithful are anointed as if with perfume. All these things were typified through the blessed Susanna for our ^A sake, so that today we, who believe in God, might not think what is happening in the Church is something new and alien, but rather believe that all these things were figured long ago through the patriarchs, just as the Apostle also says: *These things occurred as types for them; but they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.* (1 Cor. x, 11)

And they went out through the side doors. Prefiguring that he who wishes to partake of the water in paradise must renounce the wide gate and enter through the narrow and confined one.

And they did not see the elders. For just as back then in paradise the devil hid himself in the serpent, so too now, lurking in the elders, he inflamed his own desire, so as to corrupt Eve a second time.

V. 19: Behold the doors of the garden are shut. O wicked judges, full of diabolical inspiration! Did Moses deliver these things to you? Do you, reading the law, teach others? You who preach not to commit murder, do you yourself commit murder? You who say not to covet, do you yourself desire to corrupt your neighbor’s wife? ^B And we are in your desire. Why, you wicked men, do you lead a chaste and innocent soul away from its mental focus with lying words, so as to establish your own lust?

But if not, we will bear witness against you. These are your wicked attempts, stemming from a castaway mind, due to the deceiver who has been lurking in you from the beginning. For there was truly with her, from the heavens, a young man sent to you, not to have intercourse with her, but as a witness to the truth.

V. 22: And Susanna groaned. Having heard these words, the blessed Susanna felt the sting of grief in her heart and stopped her mouth, not wishing to be defiled by the ^C wicked elders. But it is also possible to understand truly what happened in the case of Susanna. For you may find this being fulfilled today in the Church as well. For when the two peoples conspire to destroy some of the saints, they observe a suitable day and, entering into the house of God—while everyone there is praying and praising God—they seize some and drag them off, holding them, saying: "Come, agree with us and worship the gods; but if not, we will bear witness against you." And those who will not consent, they bring before the tribunals and accuse them as acting against the decree of Caesar, and they condemn them to death. ^D

I am in distress on every side. Behold the words of a chaste woman, one who has a care for God. I am in distress, she says, on every side; for the Church is afflicted and oppressed not only by the Jews, but also by the nations, and

even by those who are called Christians, but are not; for as if beholding her chastity and happiness, they strive to corrupt her.

For if I do this, it is death to me. For to disobey God and to obey men brings forth eternal death and punishment. But if I do not do it, I shall not escape your hands. This also she spoke truly. For those who are brought to trial for the sake of the name of God—if they do what is commanded by men, they die to God, though they live in the world; but if they do not do what is commanded by men, they do not escape the hands of the judges, being condemned by those very persons. ^B It is preferable for me not to do it; for this is far more excellent: to die at the hands of unjust men, in order to live with God, rather than, by consenting to them and being released by them, to fall into the hands of God.

V. 23: *And she cried out with a loud voice.* To whom, I ask, did Susanna cry out, if not to God? Just as Isaiah says: "Then you shall call, and God will hear you; while you are still speaking, He will say: Behold, I am here."

The two elders cried out against her. For the wicked and the corrupt do not cease to cry out against us and to say: "Take such as these from the earth; for it is not fitting for them to live."

In an evangelical sense, Susanna despised those who kill the body, that she might save her soul from death. For sin is the death of the soul, and especially adultery. For since the soul that is united to Christ, by withdrawing from the faith, is handed over to perpetual death, that is, to eternal punishment; in confirmation of this, even in the case of corporal unions, for those who violate the marriage bond and [pervert] the marriage bed, the law has prescribed death as the penalty. ^C

V. 25: *And one ran and opened the doors.* Surely showing the broad and wide way, by walking in which those who comply with them perish.

V. 30: *Moreover, Susanna was very delicate.* Not that she had harlot-like cosmetics sprinkled on her body, as Jezabel had, or eyes painted with various pigments, white lead, and vermilion; but she thrived in the beauty of faith, chastity, and holiness.

V. 34: *And they placed their hands upon her head.* That even in touching her, they might satisfy their own lust.

V. 35: *But she was weeping.* For by her tears and weeping she drew down the Word from heaven, He who, by tears, was about to raise the dead Lazarus. ^D

V. 41: *And the multitude believed them.* It is therefore worthwhile that in every serious matter we should not attend to liars, nor allow ourselves to be easily persuaded by the persons of judges, knowing that we have an account to render to God; but by pursuing the truth, and seeking the accurate standard of faith, we shall be pleasing to God.

V. 44: *And God heard her voice.* For as many as call upon Him from a pure heart, He hears them.

to those who are sincere, God listens; but from those who are in deceit and hypocrisy, God turns away His face.

^A “You who have grown old in the days of evil.” Since we have already explained in the introduction that the two elders are taken as a type of two peoples—namely, the one from the circumcision and the one from the nations, who are always plotting against the Church—let us look at the very words of Daniel and learn that the Scripture deceives us in nothing. For, addressing the first elder, He rebukes him as a man learned in the law; but to the other He speaks as to a Gentile, calling him the "seed of Canaan," even though he was in circumcision and a Jew.

^B “For the angel of God is already.” He shows that at the time when Susanna prayed to God and was heard, the angel was then sent to help her, just as happened in the case of Tobit and Sarah. For as they were praying, on the same day and at the same hour, the petition of both was heard, and the angel Raphael was sent to heal them both.

“And they rose up against the two elders.” So that what is written might be fulfilled: “He who digs a pit for his neighbor shall fall into it.”

We must therefore be attentive in all things, beloved, fearing lest anyone, being caught in some transgression, becomes guilty against his own soul, knowing that God becomes the avenger of all things; for the Word Himself is the eye, whom nothing of what happens in the world escapes. Therefore, being always vigilant in heart ^C and living chastely, let us imitate Susanna.

Of the most holy Hippolytus, Bishop of Rome

OTHER FRAGMENTS

1. From Anastasius the Sinaite, Question XLVIII, p. 327.

Hippolytus on Daniel

For when the iron legs which now hold dominion advance to the footprints of the feet and the toes, in accordance with the manifestation of the terrible beast, as was signified in former times, the stone will come from the heavens, which, having struck the statue and crushed it, shall transfer all kingdoms and give the kingdom to the saints of the Most High. This is He who became a great mountain and filled the earth, regarding Whom it is said: “I was looking in the vision of the night, and behold, with the clouds of heaven coming as the Son of Man; and He reached as far as the Ancient of Days; and to Him was given dominion and honor and kingdom.”

and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve Him: His power is an eternal power which shall not pass away, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed. ^A

II.

On the Canticle of the Three Children. From the Catena Patrum on the Psalms and Holy Canticles of Scripture, vol. III, Corderius edition, p. 951, ad v. 87.

Bless the Lord, Ananias, Azarias, Misael: bless the Lord, ye apostles, prophets, and martyrs of the Lord: praise and highly exalt Him forever.

Hippolytus, Bishop of Rome: Marvelous are the things, O beloved, which were spoken by the three children in the furnace; for how they omitted nothing of created things, so that absolutely nothing might be thought of as free or autonomous. But when they had encompassed and named all things—celestial, terrestrial, and subterranean—they showed that all things were subject to God, who created all things through the Word, so that no one might boast that any creature was uncreated or without beginning. ^B

ON MATTHEW.

In Matthew ch. vi, 11.—He expounds his opinion on the "daily" or "substantial" bread.

We are commanded to seek, therefore, that which suffices for the preservation of our bodily substance: not delicacies, but nourishment that restores what the body lacks, preventing death from starvation; not tables sumptuously prepared and poured out into pleasures, nor whatever makes the body rebel against the soul, but bread—and this not for a number of many years, but that which suffices us for today. ^C

ON LUKE.

CHAP. II. Verse 7.—Hippolytus.—If you wish, the Word of God was the Firstborn, descending from the heavens to the blessed Mary, and a man firstborn formed in the womb, so that the Firstborn of God might be manifested united to the firstborn man. ^D

Verse 22.—Hippolytus.—When they brought Him (Jesus) into the temple to present Him to the Lord, they paid the purification offerings; for if the purification gifts according to the law

were offered in his stead, and in this way he was made under the law; yet the Word was not subject to the law, as the slanderers imagine, for he himself is the Law; nor did God have need of purifying sacrifices, He who in a single moment purifies and sanctifies all things. But although he took up and wore the human instrument from the Virgin, and was made under the law, being purified according to the standing of the first-born, he did not himself require the provision of these rites; rather, he endured them so that he might redeem from the servitude of the law those who had been sold into the judgment of the curse. ^B

CHAPTER XXIII.

ON THE GOSPEL AND APOCALYPSE OF JOHN.

FRAGMENTA DUBIA ON THE PENTATEUCH.

PREFACE.

he explained to them its profound mysteries and obscurities; and he expounded those things which were less easy, just as God permitted him; and he concealed from them those arcana of the Law, just as God forbade him. Nor was there anyone among them who was more skilled in its judgments and decrees, and who could more clearly impart the hidden senses of its doctrine, until God transferred him to Himself, after he had rendered him perfect in the desert for the whole forty years.

And these are the names of the doctors (from the Hebrew *haber*, associate) who in continuous succession handed down the Law after the prophet Moses until the advent of the Messiah. ^A Know therefore, O brother, may God grant you favor, that God handed down the most excellent Law into the hands of the prophet Moses, son of Amran.

And Moses handed it down to Joshua, son of Nun. Joshua son of Nun handed it down to Anathal. Anathal handed it down to Jehud. Jehud handed it down to Samgar. Samgar handed it down to Baruk. Baruk handed it down to Gideon. Gideon handed it down to Abimelech. Abimelech handed it down to Taleg. Taleg handed it down to Babin the Gileadite. Babin handed it down to Jiphtach. Jiphtach handed it down to Ephran. Ephran handed it down to Elul from the tribe of Zebulon. Elul handed it down to Abdan. Abdan handed it down to the strong Shimshon. Shimshon handed it down to Helkanah, son of Jerachmu, son of Jehud. ^B But he was the father of the prophet Samuel. Of whom mention is made of Helkanah at the beginning of the first book of Kings.

Helkanah handed it down to Eli the priest. Eli handed it down to the prophet Samuel. Samuel handed it down to the prophet Nathan. Nathan handed it down to the prophet Gad. ^C Gad the prophet handed it down to the doctor (associate) Shemaiah. Shemaiah handed it down to the doctor Iddo. Iddo handed it down to Achia. Achia handed it down to Abihu. Abihu handed it down to the prophet Elijah. Elijah handed it down to his disciple Elisha. Elisha handed it down to the prophet Malachi. Malachi handed it down to Abdiahu. Abdiahu handed it down to Jehuda. Jehuda handed it down to the doctor Zechariah.

In those days came Bachthansar, king of Babel, and devastated the house of the sanctuary, and led the sons of Israel into captivity in Babel. And after the captivity of Babel, Zechariah the doctor handed it down to the prophet Isaiah, son of Amos. Isaiah handed it down to the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah the prophet handed it down to Ezekiel. Ezekiel the prophet handed it down to the prophet Hosea, son of Bazi. Hosea handed it down to the prophet Joel. Joel handed it down to the prophet Amos. Amos handed it down to Obadiah. Obadiah handed it down to the prophet Jonah, son of Mathi, son of Armelah, who was the brother of the prophet Elijah. Jonah handed it down to Micah the Morasthite, who handed it down to Nahum the Elkoshite. Nahum handed it down to the prophet Habakkuk. Habakkuk handed it down to the prophet Zephaniah. Zephaniah handed it down to Haggai the prophet. Haggai handed it down to Zechariah the prophet, son of Bershia. ^B Zechariah handed it down to the captive Malachi. Malachi handed it down to the doctor Ezra. Jadua handed it down to Samean; Samean handed it down to Antigonus. Antigonus handed it down to Joseph son of Jobezris (and) to Joseph son of Gjuchanan. Joseph handed it down to Joshua son of Barachia. Joshua handed it down to Nathan the Arbelite. Nathan handed it down to Simeon, the elder son of Shetach. He is the one who carried the Messiah in his arms. Simeon handed it down to Jehuda. Jehuda handed it down to Zechariah the priest. Zechariah the priest, father of John the Baptist, handed it down to Joseph the doctor from his own tribe. ^C Joseph handed it down to Hanan and Caiaphas. From these, however, the priesthood, and the kingdom, and the prophecy were taken away.

These were the doctors until the advent of the Messiah; both were priests of the sons of Israel. Therefore, the total number of the venerable and honorable high priests of this most excellent Law was fifty-six priests, excluding Hanan and Caiaphas. These are they who handed it down in the last days of the commonwealth of the sons of Israel, nor did priests exist any longer after them. This is their history, which occurred regarding the most excellent Law.

Armius, the author of the book of *Chronicles*, says: In the nineteenth year of the reign of King Ptolemy, he ordered that the elders of the sons of Israel should be gathered together, so that they might present into his hands the book of the Law, and that each of them should be ready to explain its meanings. The elders stood by, therefore, having the most excellent Law with them. Then he ordered that each one of them should interpret the book of the Law for him. But he fought against (dissented from the exposition) the exposition which the elders had translated. And he ordered the elders to be thrust into prisons and chains. ^D

And having seized the book of the Law, he threw it into a deep pit, and cast upon it fire and hot ashes for seven days. Then afterwards he commanded that they throw the city's mud into that pit, in which the book of the Law was. And the pit was filled to the brim. The Law remained under the muck in that pit for seventy years, and it did not perish, nor was even a single leaf from it corrupted. ^A In the twenty-first year of the reign of King Apianutus, they removed the book of the Law from the pit, and not even one leaf of it was corrupted. And, after the ascension of Christ into heaven, King Titus, son of Aspasianus, King of Rome, came to Jerusalem, and besieged and took it. And he destroyed the building of the second house, which the sons of Israel had built. King Titus destroyed the house of the sanctuary; he killed all who were in it from the Jews, and he built Zion (sic) in their blood. And after that deportation (captivity), the Jews were dispersed into slavery. Nor were they ever gathered together again into the city of Jerusalem, nor is there any hope of returning anywhere.

After Jerusalem was therefore devastated, Shemaia and Antalia (Abtalion) surrendered it (the Law)—[or: they surrendered it]—the kings of the city of Baalbec, which had once been built by Soliman (Solomon), son of King David, and which was once again restored in the days of King Manasseh, who sawed the prophet Isaiah in half with a saw.

King Adrianus from the sons of Edom besieged Baalbec, and took it, and killed all who were in it from the Jews; as many as were of the lineage of David, he reduced to slavery. ^B And the Jews were dispersed throughout the entire world, just as the most high God had foretold: *And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will dissipate you among the peoples.* And these are the things which have reached us concerning the history of this most excellent book.

*Explicit preface.*

In the name of the eternal, everlasting, greatest, merciful, compassionate God. We begin with the help of God to describe the book of the Law, and its exposition just as the pure (holy), learned, and good Fathers have expounded it.

Fragmentary Dubia - Arab. Pentateuch

Thus this is the exposition of the first book. Which is, indeed, the book of creation, of the created beings.

SECTION ONE.

Exposition on that which God said. And indeed the blessed prophet, that great Moses, wrote this book, and called it, and honored it with the title, the book of the Being, that is, the Creator of beings, etc.

SECTION II-III.

Hippolytus the interpreter, the Targumist, said: The names of the wives of the sons of Noah are these: the name of the wife of Shem is Nahalath Mahnuk, and the name of the wife of Ham is Zedkat Nabu, and the name of the wife of Japheth is Arathka. ^C These, however, are their names in the Syriac Targum (which follow were expressed thus as I suppose in Syriac in some Syriac version): The wife of Shem, the name Nahalath Mahnuk. The wife of Ham, the name Zedkat Nabu. The wife of Japheth, the name Arathka.

And so God indicated to Noah, and made him sure concerning the coming of the flood and the destruction of the wasters (the impious). And the most high God commanded that he should descend from the holy mountain, he and his sons and the wives of his sons, and that he should fabricate a ship (an ark) of three stories (or decks).

The lower story was for the rapacious, wild, noxious beasts. Between them were boards or wooden beams, which separated them from one another, so that they would not mate with each other. The middle story was for the birds and their various kinds. ^D The upper story, finally, was for Noah himself, and his sons, for his own spouse, and the wives of his sons. Noah also made a door for the ship on the eastern side. He also fabricated storerooms for water and granaries for food.

After, therefore, he placed an end to the fabricating of the ship, Noah entered with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth into the cavern of treasures. And indeed, at the first entry they fortunately found...

the bodies of the Patriarchs, of Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Methuselah, and Lamech. Those eight bodies were in the storehouse of treasures—namely, those of Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Methuselah, and Lamech.

Noah took the body of Adam, and his sons took the offerings. Shem carried gold, Ham myrrh, and Japheth incense. Then, departing from the cavern of treasures, they carried the offerings and the body of Adam to the holy mountain. When they were seated beside the body of Adam over against Paradise, they began to lament and weep for the loss of Paradise. Then, descending from the holy mountain and lifting their eyes toward Paradise, they renewed their weeping and wailing, and bade an eternal farewell with these words: "Farewell ^A (peace be to you), O Paradise of God. Farewell, O dwelling of religion and purity. Farewell, O seat of pleasure and delights." Then they embraced the rocks of the holy mountain and the trees, and wept and said: "Farewell, O dwelling of the good. Farewell, O mansion of the bodies of the saints."

Then, three days being completed, Noah descended with his sons and the wives of his sons from the holy mountain to the roots of the holy mountain, to the place of the ship. For the ark was under the projection of the holy mountain. And Noah entered into the ship; he deposited the body of Adam and the offerings in the middle of the ship upon a wooden bier, which he had prepared to receive the body.

And God warned Noah, saying: "Make for yourself clappers from boxwood (or cypress)." Now *Sagh* is a wood called by that name, i.e., Indian plane tree. Fashion also a mallet (bell) for it from the same wood. The length of the clapper shall be three full cubits, and its breadth one cubit and a half. And God commanded him to strike the clappers three times each day—namely, the first time at the break of dawn, the second time at midday, and the third time at the setting of the sun.

^B It happened, however, that as soon as Noah had struck the clappers, the sons of Cain and the sons of Vahim immediately ran to him; he warned them and terrified them by telling them of the imminent approach of the flood, and of the destruction that was already hastening and impending. Yet such was the mercy of God toward them, that they might have converted and repented; but the sons of Cain did not follow Noah regarding what he preached to them. And Noah gathered pairs of males and females of all kinds of birds from all the animals; and likewise also of all the beasts, as well tame as wild, pairs by pairs.

SECTION IV. To Gen. chap. VII, v. 6.

Furthermore, God said to Moses: "Provide food for yourself and for your children. And let it be from wheat, ground, kneaded with water, and dried." And He immediately commanded Noah and his wife and the wives of his sons that they should strenuously apply themselves to kneading the dough and store it in the oven. They kneaded the dough, therefore, and baked almost as much as would suffice them, so that there remained only a very little.

And God warned Noah, saying to him: "Whoever shall first announce to you the coming of the flood, you shall lose that person at that very moment." Meanwhile, however, the wife of Ham was standing to put the bread of immense size into the oven. And suddenly water flowed out from the oven according to the word of the Lord, and it penetrated and dissolved the bread with the gushing of water. Therefore, the wife of Ham exclaimed to Noah, saying to him: "O master, the word of God has come; that which God promised (foretold) has come. Execute, therefore, that which the Lord has commanded."

And when Noah had heard the words of the wife of Ham, he said to her: "Has the flood come, then?" The wife of Ham said to him: "You have said this." But the Lord warned him suddenly, saying to Noah: "Do not lose the wife of Ham; for from your own mouth the destruction began (you were the first to say: 'The flood has come')." At the voice of Noah the flood came, and suddenly the gushing water dissolved that bread.

And the windows of heaven were opened, and the rains of heaven burst forth upon the earth. Indeed, that same voice which once had said, "Let the waters be gathered into one place and let the dry land appear" (Gen. 1, 9), that same voice permitted that the spring of waters and the flow of the seas should erupt of their own accord, and He brought forth the waters ^D. Reflect on what God said concerning the world: "Let all its high places be humbled," and they were humbled; "and let its lowly things be raised from its depths."

And the earth was made void and private of its beings, just as it was in the beginning. And indeed, rain descended from above, and the earth erupted from below. And the composition of the world perished; that primitive order was broken. And the world was made just as it was from the beginning, desolate of the waters which flooded it. And nothing of its beings was left in its integrity. The former structure was ruined, and the earth was deformed by the flow of the waters surging over it, by the magnitude of its inundations, and the multitude of the rains, and the eruption of its abysses, with the waters perpetually erupting. Finally, it was left as it was before.

DOUBTFUL FRAGMENTS. SECTION V. On Genesis, ch. VIII, v. 1.

^A Hippolytus, the expositor of the Targum, and my lord Jacob of Roha have said: On the twenty-seventh day of the month Jiar, which is the second Hebrew month, the Ark was raised from the entrance (from the roots) of the holy mountain, and the waters were already carrying it, and upon them it was turned about in a circle towards the four corners of the world. Therefore, the Ark went from the holy mountain towards the east, then turned back to the west, then was turned towards the south, and finally, directing itself towards the east, it landed at Mount Kardu on the first day of the tenth month. And this is the month Kanun the Second.

And Noah went out of the Ark on the twenty-seventh day of the month Jiar in the second year; for the Ark, remaining for five whole months floating by swimming upon the waters, and in the space of fifty-one days reached land. And it did not float any more after this. But it was only successively turned towards the four corners of the earth, and at last stood still again towards the east. We say, moreover, that this was a sign of the Cross. But the Ark was like Christ, who was awaited. For that Ark was the cause of salvation for Noah and his sons; and likewise for the beasts, the wild animals, and the birds. But Christ, when He suffered on the Cross, delivered us from crimes and sins, and washed us in His most pure blood.

And just as the Ark was turned to the east and landed at Mount Kardu; so also Christ, with the perfect and completed work which He had proposed for Himself, returned to heaven into the bosom of His Father, and sat upon the throne of His glory at the right hand of the Father.

As for Mount Kardu, it is in the east in the region of the sons of Rabaa, and the Orientals call it Mount Godash (Gordyæum), ^B but the Arabs and Persians call it Ararat. And there is a city named Kardu, and this mountain is so called from it, which is indeed most high and inaccessible, to whose summit no one has ever been able to ascend on account of the force of the winds and the storms of air which reign there perpetually. But if anyone should attempt to ascend, demons rush upon him and cast him down headlong from the ridge of the mountain to the plain, and he dies. No one knows what is on the surface of the mountain, except that certain remains of the wood of the Ark still lie on the surface of the mountain's summit.

SECTION X. On Deuteronomy, ch. XXXIV, v. 1.

Hippolytus, the expositor of the Targum, has said that Moses, when he had finished this prophecy, also blessed all the children of Israel, tribe by single tribe separately, and prayed for them.

Then God admonished Moses, saying to him: Ascend into Mount Nebo, which is indeed known by the name of the mountain of the Hebrews, which is in the land of Moab over against Jericho. And He said to him: Behold the land of Canaan, which I am about to give to the children of Israel as an inheritance. But you shall by no means enter into it; therefore, behold it from afar. When, therefore, Moses contemplated it, he saw that land, a green land, abundant with every plenty and fertility, planted with frequent trees, and Moses was amazed and wept.

And when Moses had descended from Mount Nebo, he called Joshua the son of Nun and said to him before the children of Israel: Be comforted and be robust. For you are about to bring the children of Israel into the land which God promised to their fathers that He would give them as an inheritance. Therefore, do not fear the peoples, nor be terrified by the nations; for God will be with you.

And Moses wrote that Senna (the secondary law, or Deuteronomy) and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, ^C and commanded them, saying: Until seven years, hide this Senna, nor manifest it in the whole course of seven years. (And then) at the feast of Tabernacles the priests, the sons of Levi, shall read this law before the children of Israel, that all the people, as well men as women, may observe the words of God. Command that they keep the word of God which is in that law. But whoever shall have violated one of these precepts, let him be accursed.

After, therefore, Moses had finished the writing of the law, he delivered it to Joshua the son of Nun, and commanded that he should hand it over to the priests, the sons of Levi. Moses also commanded them and ordered that they should store the book of the law inside the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, so that it might remain there as a testimony forever.

And when Moses had finished commanding, God ordered him to ascend into Mount Nebo, which is over against Jericho. The Lord showed him the entire land of promise from its four corners, from the desert to the sea, and from the sea to the sea. And God said to him: You indeed have seen it with your eyes, but you shall by no means enter into it. Moses, the servant of God, therefore died there by the command of God. And the angels buried him on Mount Nebo, which is over against Beth Phegor. And no one knows his sepulcher until this day. ^D For God hid his sepulcher.

Moses lived one hundred and twenty years; and his sight had not grown dim, nor was the skin of his face wrinkled. Moses died on a certain day at the third hour of the day, on the seventh day of the second month, which is the month Jiar. And the children of Israel lamented over him in the plains of Moab for three days.

And Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him. And all the children of Israel obeyed him. And God admonished Joshua the son of Nun on a certain day, namely the seventh day of the month of Nisan. ^A Joshua the son of Nun lived one hundred and ten years, and died on the fourth day, which was the first day of the month of Elul. And they buried him in the city of Thamnatserah on Mount Ephraim. Praise to God for the completion (of the work) (15). (15) The time when the Huntington codex, number 84, from which I have especially described these things, was written, is noted thus: "The end of the writing of this book of the law, and of its exposition, was on the last day of the first Tishrin, on the day of Preparation (Friday) at the ninth hour. And it was the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine. By the hand of the contemptible servant of God, Kas Marpha Nam." At the end of the page, the following is found in Arabic letters: "We worked on this most excellent blessed book (writing it), by the name (command) of Schamas Ibn Kas Ibrahim from the most famous city of Kathor. Amen." It contains 240 folios. Another codex among the Bodleian manuscripts, numbered NE. c. 3. 5, has it thus: "The end of the copy of this most excellent blessed book, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one of the Greeks, from the years (or era) of Alexander the Greek, son of Philip. And this by the hand of a contemptible man, a sinner... who is not worthy that his name should be inscribed in a spiritual book, such as this is." And in the margin the same year is noted in numerical letters. "He was writing in the year of the Greeks in the city of Beroea." It contains 254 folios.

IN PSALMOS

MARKER ^B HIPPOLYTI EPISCOPI ROMÆ ARGUMENTUM ENARRATIONIS IN PSALMOS / ΙΠΠΟΛΥΤΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΡΩΜΗΣ ΥΠΟΘΕΣΙΣ ΔΙΗΓΗΣΕΩΣ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΨΑΛΜΟΥΣ I. The book of the Psalms contains a new teaching after the legislation of Moses; and it is found that it is a second instructional book after the Scripture of Moses. For after the death of Moses and Joshua, and after the Judges, David arose, and being judged worthy to be called by divine oracle the father of the Savior, he first delivered to the Hebrews a new manner of psalmody. Thereby he eliminates the things legislated by Moses regarding sacrifices, and introduces a new manner of divine worship through hymns and acclamations, and teaches throughout the whole of his work many other things that surpass the law of Moses. And this, indeed, is the sanctity and usefulness of the book; but the reason for its inscription [title] appears to be this: because many of the brethren who have believed in Christ think that this book belongs to David, and inscribe it as "The Psalms of David," we must explain what has come down to us concerning it. The Hebrews titled this volume *Sephra Thelim*, and therefore it is called the "book of Psalms" in the Acts of the Apostles (the passage stands thus: "As it is written in the book of Psalms"); but the name of the author is missing there, for this reason: that the discourses of not one person alone were published in this volume, but were those of many, as has been handed down by the ancients, collected by Ezra, who after the captivity gathered into one the psalms or even discourses of many, since they are not precisely all psalms. ^C Therefore, the name of David is prefixed to some; to others that of Solomon; and to others that of Asaph. There are also some of Idithum, and besides these, others of the sons of Core, as also of Moses. Thus, discourses of so many gathered into one body would not be said by one who knows to be solely of David.

II. But concerning those which lack a title, one must inquire to whom they ought to be ascribed: for why, even if the simplest

^A inscription is placed before them, conceived in this manner, "A Psalm of David," or "Of David," without any addition? And wherever this inscription occurs alone, we have suspected that it is neither a psalm nor a song, but a certain discourse recorded [by] the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the one who can understand. Now, a tradition regarding the latter ones reached me from a certain Hebrew: for since there were many without a title, and one before these untitled ones has the inscription "Of David," he said that those also must be referred to David himself by a common understanding. And if this is so, it is consistent that those which lack a title belong to the same men whom the authors of the preceding are rightly considered to be, according to the inscription. The Prophet named this present book of Psalms a "Psalter" (Psalterion), because, as they say, it alone among musical instruments resonates when the brass is struck from the upper part, and not from below as is the case with others. In order, therefore, that those who have been taught might strive to preserve the rationale of such a naming, and might look to the things above, whence it resounded, for this reason he called it a Psalterion. For it is entirely the resonance and utterance of the most holy Spirit.

III. But let us examine why there are one hundred and fifty Psalms. That the number fifty is holy is manifest from the days of the most celebrated Pentecost, which signifies the end of labors and joy. Therefore, it is neither decreed to fast during these days, nor to bend the knee. For these are symbols of a great festival reserved for the future, the shadow of which on earth among Israel was the year called by the Hebrews *Jobel* [Jubilee], which happens to be the fiftieth year, bringing freedom to slaves, and cancellation of debts, and whatever else. The Holy Gospel knows the remission of the fiftieth, and the number five hundred related and adjacent to it: for it is not without cause that remission of fifty denarii and of five hundred is granted. Thus, therefore, it was fitting that the hymns to God, for the overthrow of enemies and in thanksgiving for the benefits received from God, should contain not one fifty, but three, for the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

IV. ^D The fifty contains seven weeks, sabbaths of sabbaths, and an initiation beyond the perfect sabbaths, into an octad of a truly new rest. And he who is able may find this in the Psalms, a task greater than human, namely, to find the reasons in all things as we shall propose. Such as that, for instance, the eighth psalm was not inscribed "for the presses" by chance, since it contains the completion of fruits in an octad; for the time of the enjoyment of the fruits of the true vine could not yet be in those which precede the eighth. And that the second [one] "for the presses" is the eightieth, containing another octad, that which is in decades; and the eighty-third, wherein two holy numbers are intertwined, the eighth in decades and the third in units; and

^A rising up in the remainder of its units. But the fiftieth psalm, too, both as it prays for the remission of sins and contains confession, is ^B such: for just as the fiftieth, according to the Gospel, obtained remission, confirming by this testimony the understanding of the Jubilee, so he who prays for a like confession trusts that he will obtain forgiveness in none other than the fiftieth number. There are, moreover, fifteen odes of degrees, as many as there were steps of the temple; which perhaps show that the degrees are contained in the seventh and eighth number. And those which are called of the degrees take their beginning from the hundred and twentieth, which is called the simple psalm, as the more corrected copies have it. And this is the number of the completeness of human life. And the hundredth, whose beginning is: *I will sing of mercy and judgment to thee, O Lord*, embraces the life of a saint gathered by God into His fellowship; while the hundred and fiftieth ends with the words: *Let every spirit praise the Lord*. ^C

V. But since, as we have said before, to do this for every single psalm and to discover the causes is most difficult and exceeds human nature, we shall be content with these certain outlines, as it were. One thing we shall add: the psalms which seem to depend on history are not inscribed in the same order in which the history was written; and we have no cause for this, except for the numbers in which the psalms are arranged in the series. For the history of the fifty-first is prior to the history of the fiftieth; since no one would deny that those things which concern Doeg the Idumean, who slandered David before Saul, are prior to the sin with the wife of Uriah. Yet it is not without reason that what is later in history precedes what is earlier in the same; since, as we said just before, the place of indulgence is akin to the fiftieth number. Whoever, therefore, was unworthy of forgiveness, he exceeded the fiftieth number, as did Doeg the Idumean; ^D for the fifty-first is the psalm in which the things pertaining to him are told. And indeed the third likewise has the same observation: for the time when David fled from the face of his son Absalom is declared, as those who have read the books of Kings know well, to be after the fifty-first and the fiftieth. And if anyone, by pursuing such matters further, gives them more attention, he will discover the causes of the history and the inscriptions no less accurately than the reasons for the order of the Psalms.

VI. It is also reasonable that there should be a similar consideration, namely that David alone of the prophets uttered oracles with the musical instrument which is called by the Greeks the *psalterium*, but by the Hebrews *nabla*, which is the most upright among musical instruments, having nothing bent. Nor does anything contribute to the sound from the lower part, as happens in the cithara and certain others, but from the upper part. For in the cithara and the lyre, the brass resonates from below against the plectrum; but this psalterium has the causes of its harmonic numbers from above, so that we also may study to seek things above, and not by the pleasure of the

^A music be carried away to the passions of the flesh. Moreover, I believe that the prophetic word has shown us deeply and wisely, through the construction of the instrument, that those who have a well-tempered and well-constituted soul have an easy access to heavenly things. And again, an instrument taking the cause of its sounding in rhythm from above—what would it be but the body of Christ and His saints? An instrument that has kept only uprightness; for "He committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth." A harmonious, musical, well-tuned instrument, which has received no human discord, nor done anything out of rhythm, but has kept harmony entirely toward the Father; for as He Himself says: "He who is of the earth is of the earth, and speaks of the earth; he who comes from heaven testifies to what he has seen and heard."

^B VII. Since, however, there are psalms and odes, and psalm-odes and ode-psalms, it remains for us to address the difference between them. We therefore consider psalms to be those which are played on the instrument alone, without the accompaniment of the voice, so that through the instrument itself, by the musical harmony of the instrument, as it were, they are proclaimed. Odes, however, are those which are said to be uttered harmoniously by the voice receiving the musical message into the mouth. And psalm-odes are when the voice takes the lead, but the related sound of the instruments hangs upon it, rendered rhythmically through the ^C instruments. And ode-psalms are when the instrument takes the lead, and the voice receives the second place, following the music of the strings. These things, then, are as concerns the literal meaning of what is signified. But according to the principles of anagogy, a psalm would be when, striking the instrument—the body—with virtuous deeds, we accomplish good action, even if we are not advancing greatly in contemplation; an ode, when, having considered the mysteries of truth apart from the practical, and consenting to them, we think the most excellent things about God and His oracles, with knowledge illuminating and wisdom becoming clear in our souls. A psalm-ode, when (after good action has taken the lead, according to the aforementioned: "Having desired wisdom, ^D keep the commandments, and the Lord will grant it to you"), we understand that wisdom, being judged worthy by God of the truth that was hitherto hidden from us. And an ode-psalm, when, having contemplated the knowledge which clarifies some of the hidden moral truths, we proceed first to acting, understanding both what is to be done, when it is to be done, and how it is to be done. And perhaps this is why the first inscriptions in no way contain the odes associated with them, but only "psalm" or "psalms" alone; for the saint does not begin from contemplation, but having believed more simply according to the orthodox faith, he gives himself over to the actions being practiced. For this reason, there are many odes at the end, and wherever there are ascents, there is nowhere "psalm," neither by itself nor with any combination, but all are odes in themselves. For in the ascents, to no one

who will be entangled in any business, except for contemplation alone. And let these things be said by us generally, in accordance with what is indicated in the interpretation of the Seventy. ^B

VIII. But since we find in the Seventy, and in Theodotion, and in Symmachus, in some psalms—and these not a few—that the "diapsalma" is placed in the midst, we have surmised whether, perhaps, those who appended it signaled a change in the rhythm or the melody according to the places, or a change of the mode of instruction to another mode, or a change of the thought, or of the power of the word. But this is found neither in Aquila, nor in the Hebrew; rather, "aei" is written instead of "diapsalma." And let this not escape you, O lover of knowledge, that the Hebrews divided the Psalter into five books, so that it might be another Pentateuch. For from the first psalm unto the fortieth, they reckoned one book; from the forty-first unto the seventy-first, they led out a second; from the seventy-second unto the eighty-eighth, they made a third book; from the eighty-ninth unto the one-hundred-fifth, they composed a fourth; from the one-hundred-sixth unto the one-hundred-fiftieth, they composed the fifth; for they deemed that every psalm which at the end had, "Blessed be the Lord, fiat, fiat," was the end of a book. Prayer, moreover, is a supplication offered to God for some useful thing; a vow is indeed a promise; a hymn is a favorable acclamation shown to God for the good things we possess; praise, or laudation, is a commendation of the wonderful works of God. For commendation is nothing other than an amplification of praise. ^C

IX. As to the time when, and the manner in which, the divine David devised this order of the Psalms, he seems to be the first and only one from the beginning, when he commanded the psalter to be played with the fingers. For if any other showed the use of the psalter and the cithara before him, he clearly did so in a different way, having devised something inert and common, whether in the very apparatus of the instrument, neither singing it to a melody nor to reason, but delighting in some rustic amusement. But he, after such things, was the first to recall the work to number, order, and art; and furthermore, he mingled song with the poem, and, what is most excellent, in singing to God or of God Himself, he, being seized by the most divine inspiration, when he was a shepherd and a boy, began with something private and lowly, but after he advanced into a man and a king, he undertook something more illustrious and worthy of a multitude of men. Whatever this may have been, it is said to have received its greatest increase then, when the ark was received by him into the city; before which, leading dances many times, and likewise offering thanks many times, and celebrating the favorable reception, he employed song. Soon he cast the whole tribe of the Levites by lot, and he chose four princes to lead the choruses: Asaph, Heman, Ethan, and Idithum, since there are four principles of all things that fall under our sight; then he constituted choirs from men selected from the number of others; and these—seventy-two in number—he numbered, I think, according to the languages which were confounded, or rather distinguished, at the building of the tower. What is the type of this, if not to declare that all languages would later be ^D

and that they were destined to confess collectively, because the Word also should have embraced the whole world. ^A What does this demonstrate, if not that all languages were once joined together in the same form of praise, when, indeed, the Word had occupied the entire world?

OTHER FRAGMENTS ON THE PSALMS

I. *On Psalm XXX, 22. — Concerning the triumph of the Christian faith.* It is not as worthy of wonder when the mercy of God appears in the humbler cities, as it is worthy of wonder when it occurs in a fortified city, and for this reason God is to be praised.

II. *On Psalm LIV, 16.* Someone among the elders related that only those who have been instructed in divine teachings descend living into the underworld; for he who has not tasted the words of life is dead.

III. *On Psalm LVII, 12.* He addresses his scribe, a man, as it seems, who is not unlearned. For when Hippolytus had dictated: "But since there is a certain time in which the just man shall rejoice, but sinners shall have the end predicted for them, it is deservedly and altogether to be confessed and declared that there is a God, an observer and overseer of human actions, who judges all who dwell upon the earth. Furthermore, it must be inquired whether this prophecy which is at hand, since it is utterly consistent and connected with what precedes, describes such ends for sinners." These things being dictated by Hippolytus, the grammarian asked him why he hesitated regarding that prophecy, just as if he doubted divine aid in that calamity of exile. ^C The grammarian insists, why the verb "describe" was used by me in the subjunctive mood, as if it insinuated doubt. Hippolytus therefore replied: You know, indeed, that such formations refer to a subjunctive reproof of those who meditate upon the prophecies concerning Christ, and speak justice with their mouths, but do not receive Him when He comes, nor hear the voice of Him crying out to them and saying: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear;" ^D who have likened themselves to a serpent, and have made their ears like those of a deaf adder, and that which follows. Truly, therefore, God is the One who cares for the just, and He renders justice to those who have suffered wrong on the earth; but He presses upon those who presume to do them injury.

IV. *On Psalm LVIII, 27. — Against the Jews.* Therefore, even to this day, seeing the limits of the region and going around them, they stand at a distance. No longer, therefore, is there a king, or a high priest, or a prophet, nor are there even Scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees among them. However, he does not ask that they be killed; wherefore their race subsists, and the succession of their children

^A multiplies. For they have not been killed, nor have they perished from among men, but they exist and remain; yet they are as those cast down and brought low, deprived of the honor they formerly possessed before God. But also, "Disperse them," he says, "in thy power": which indeed has come to pass. For they are scattered over the whole earth, serving everywhere, and pursuing all the meanest and most servile arts, and all indecent crafts for the sake of hunger. For if they had been destroyed from among men, so that they were nowhere in any way alive, he says, they would not have known my people, nor would they have known my Church to be flourishing. "Disperse them, therefore," he says, "everywhere in the world, wherever my Church is also established; that when they see the Church founded by me, they may be incited to an emulation of divine worship." Thus, the Savior even prayed for them.

V. In Psalm 61:7. ^B Profugi (fugitives) are properly called those who have been overturned by certain enemies or foes, and have then become exiles; which we also formerly endured from the demons. But since the time that Christ took us up through faith in him, we no longer exil from our true, heavenly fatherland, Jerusalem, nor do we endure to be transferred from the truth to error.

VI. In Psalm 67:19. — On the amplification of the Church. Moreover, he sometimes draws even the unbelievers through sicknesses and afflictions. Nay, many have even come through visions to dwell with Jesus.

VII. In Psalm 88:4. — Against the Gentiles. ^C In our circuit are the wise men of the pagans, scouting and mocking us, as though we believe without investigation and foolishly.

VIII. In that verse of the Psalm 95:11: "Let the sea be moved, and the fullness thereof." By these words, the discourse signifies that the evangelical preaching is to pass through both the seas and the islands of the sea, and the men dwelling in them, whom it calls "its fullness"; which indeed has been fulfilled by the fact itself. For the Churches of Christ fill all the islands, and increase daily, and the saving doctrine receives growth.

IX. In Psalm 118:30-32. A lover of truth, and one who never brings forth a false word through his mouth, could say: "I have chosen the way of truth." But also he who always sets the judgments of God before his eyes, and remembers them in every action, will say: ^D "I have not forgotten thy judgments." And how is our heart dilated through temptations and tribulations? For these indeed [cut away] the thorns within us of the

cunning thoughts, and dilates our heart for the reception of the divine laws. "In tribulation," he says, "you have dilated for me." Then we walk in the way of God’s commandments, girded by the endurance of temptations. ^A

X. On the Psalm [Ps. CXVII, 20]: "Over the wrath of my enemies," etc., to his scribe. Did you see on every side the great power of God? For you could both save me, being in the midst of dangers, and restrain those who are raging and foaming and breathing fire. ^B

XI. On the Psalm CXXXVIII, 15: "My bone was not hidden from you which you made in secret." It is stated also by those who treat of the nature and generation of animals that the change of blood into bone is invisible and incomprehensible, even though the generation of the other parts—I mean of the flesh and nerves—is seen as it happens. And the Scripture of Ecclesiastes also shows this, saying: "As are the bones in the womb of one with child, so will you not know the works of God." But my substance was not hidden from you, even when it was in the lowest parts of the earth.

OF SAINT HIPPOLYTUS BISHOP OF PORTUS PART II OF HIS WORKS — DOGMATIC AND HISTORICAL.

DEMONSTRATION CONCERNING CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST

By Francis Combefis, translator (Galland, *Bibliotheca veterum Patrum*, Venice 1765, in-folio, vol. II, p. 417.)

I. Since you desired to learn with precision the heads set before you by me, my beloved brother Theophile, I thought it reasonable, drawing forth abundantly...

from the holy spring, that is, from the holy Scriptures themselves, to place them before your eyes as if present, so that they might be the subject of your inquiry. Thus, not only might you be gladdened by depositing these things in your ears, but, by examining the very things themselves through their power, you might be able to praise God in all things. For this shall be for you, in this life which we are now living, a safe provision from us, so that you may offer those things which are difficult for many to understand and grasp, by means of ready words, and sow them in the breadth of your heart, as if it were rich soil. Through these, you will also persuade those who oppose and contradict the saving Word. ^A But take care not to cast these things before unbelieving and blasphemous tongues—for there is no small danger in this—but impart them to devout and faithful men who desire to live holy and righteous lives in the fear of God. For not in vain does the blessed Apostle, admonishing Timothy, say: "O Timothy, guard the deposit, avoiding profane empty babblings, and oppositions of the knowledge falsely so called, which some professing have erred concerning the faith." And again: "But you, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; and the things which you have heard from me through many exhortations, commend these to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also." Since, therefore, the blessed Apostle handed down these things with such caution and fear, even though they were easily known by all—seeing, of course, in the Spirit that "all do not have faith"—by how much more shall we be in danger if we hand down the divine oracles to profane and unworthy men simply and as it happens?

^C For since the blessed prophets became our eyes, foreseeing through faith the mysteries of the Word, which they also served to subsequent generations, not only by speaking of things that had passed, but also by announcing things present and future—in order that the prophet might be shown to be not merely of a temporary nature, but that by foretelling future things to all generations, he might be considered a prophet—these fathers, having been perfected by the prophetic spirit, and by the Word Himself...

^A as if by a plectrum—having always united the Word within themselves, through whose impulse they announced those things which God willed. For they did not speak from their own power (truly I say this), nor did they proclaim what they themselves wished; but they were first rightly instructed in wisdom through the power of the Word, and then they were well taught future things through visions. And thus, being persuaded, they spoke those things which were alone revealed to them by God, but hidden from the rest. For according to what principle would a prophet be called a prophet, if he did not foresee future things by the Spirit? For if the prophet were speaking of some chance occurrence, by speaking of those things which were plain to the eyes of all, he would not be a prophet. But he who declares future things is rightly judged to be a prophet. Hence, ^B prophets were reasonably called "seers" from the beginning. Whence we, having been well instructed in the predictions declared by them, speak not from our own ingenuity. For we do not attempt to change the words previously foretold, nor to introduce anything new to one another; but we bring their written oracles into the light, and we read them to those who are able to believe rightly, since a common benefit comes to both: to him who speaks, that by keeping them in memory he may correctly expound what is set forth; and to him who hears, that he may apply his mind to what is said. Since, therefore, the labor is proposed as common to both—for the speaker, that he may speak safely and without danger; and for the hearer, that he may receive what is said by hearing with faith—I pray that you may be present with me in my prayer to God. ^C

III. You ask how the Word of God, who Himself was the Word of old, again manifested Himself to the blessed prophets as the servant of God? It is because the Word, in His mercy and because He is no respecter of persons, shows Himself through all the saints, illuminating and ordering them, like a physician skilled in what conduces to our salvation, since He is not ignorant of human infirmity. And indeed He strives to instruct the ignorant, and to turn back those who are erring to His own

^A true way. And to those indeed who seek with faith, He is easily found; but to those who desire to knock at the door with clean eyes and a pure heart, He is immediately opened. For He casts away none of His own servants, as if they were unworthy of the divine mysteries; He does not prefer the rich over the poor, nor does He despise the poor for his lack of substance. He does not revile the barbarian, nor does He dismiss the eunuch as if he were not a man. He does not hate the woman because of the disobedience of the first origin, nor does He defile the man because of the transgression; but He wishes all to be saved and desires to save all. He wishes to make all the sons of God, and calls all holy men into one perfect man. For there is also one Son of God, by whom we also, having attained regeneration through the Holy Spirit, ^B all desire to arrive at one perfect and heavenly man.

IV. For since the Word of God, being without beginning, put on holy flesh from the holy Virgin, as a bridegroom weaving himself a garment in the suffering of the cross, so that by tempering our mortal body with His own power, and mixing the corruptible with the incorruptible, the weak with the strong, He might provide salvation to man who had perished. The loom, therefore, is the passion of the Lord which took place on the cross; the warp in it is the power of the Holy Spirit; the woof is the holy flesh woven into the Spirit; the thread is the grace of Christ’s love, binding and uniting both into one; the shuttles are the Word; the workers are the patriarchs and prophets, ^C who weave the beautiful and perfect robe for Christ, through whom the Word, passing like the shuttles, weaves through them those things which the Father wills.

V. But since the time now urges us toward those things which have been proposed to us as our subject, and since what we have said in the introduction to the glory of God is sufficient, it is right that we, having laid hold of the divine Scriptures themselves, [should] Concerning Christ and Antichrist laid hold of.

^D Cumque tota tractatione Antichristum Christo opponat, non ita male sive ipse Hippolytus, sive quivis alius, praenotavit, quod ita post Photianum codicem etiam ii repraesentant, ex quibus expressa Gudii editio: quibus proinde malui hærere, quam ejus mutationi deferre. Hieronymum (cujus et ipse magni auctoritatem facio) adversari Photio non facile dixerim, quod Hippolyti plura recensendo, De Antichristo solummodo dixerit. Nempe nec de Christo negavit, sed sic summa, unde tractatus esset notior, ascripsit: Photius ex codice integrum titulum recensuit. Deinde eo spectat tota tractatio, ut Antichristi ex Scripturis demonstratione, ab eo fidelibus caveat, et Christo adjungat, amborumque discrimen eum in finem aperiat; quod Christum non excludit, ne ipse pars argumenti videatur, et finis genuinus atque proprius tractationis, non solum extrinsecus. COMBEF.

^A Let us see, through them, who and of what sort the coming of Antichrist will be; at what age and time the iniquitous one shall be revealed; whence and from what tribe he shall come, and what his name is, which is indicated through number in Scripture; how he will lead the people into error, gathering them from the ends of the earth; what tribulation and persecution he will bring upon the saints; how he will glorify himself as God; what his end will be; how the appearing of the Lord from the heavens will be revealed, and what the conflagration of the whole world will be; what the glorious and heavenly kingdom of the saints reigning with Christ will be; and what the punishment of the wicked by fire will be.

VI. For since our Lord Jesus Christ and God was predicted as a lion by reason of his kingly majesty and the brightness of his glory, in the same way the Scriptures have likewise called Antichrist a lion, on account of his tyranny and violence. For the deceiver wishes to appear in all things similar to the Son of God. Christ is a lion, and Antichrist is a lion; Christ is a king, and Antichrist is a king. The Savior was shown as a lamb, and he too will similarly appear as a lamb, while being within a wolf. The Savior came into the world in the circumcision, and he too will ^B come in like manner. The Lord sent apostles into all nations, and he too will send false apostles in like manner. The Savior gathered the sheep that were scattered, and he too will likewise gather the people that is scattered. The Lord gave a seal to those who believe in him, and he too will give one in like manner. The Savior appeared in the habit of a man, and he too will come in the habit of a man. The Savior raised up and showed his holy flesh as a temple, and he too will raise up in Jerusalem a temple built of stone. And his artifices of seduction we shall declare in what follows; but now let us turn to the subject at hand.

VII. The blessed Jacob, therefore, says in his blessings, ^C foretelling what concerns our Lord and Savior, speaking thus: “Judah, let thy brethren praise thee. Thy hands shall be on the back of thine enemies; the sons of thy father shall worship thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the shoot, my son, thou hast gone up. Resting, thou didst sleep as a lion, and as a lion’s whelp: who shall rouse him? A prince shall not fail from Judah, and a leader from his thighs, until he comes for whom it is reserved. And he shall be the expectation of the nations. Binding unto the vine his ass, and unto the tendril the foal of his ass. He shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape. His eyes are joyous from wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.” ^D

VIII. Although I know how to expound these things with more words and at greater length, it has pleased me to set down the text itself for the time being. Yet because the divine words themselves urge one to speak, I shall not omit even this. For they are truly divine and illustrious, and

^A can indeed benefit the soul. The prophet called the one born of Judah and David according to the flesh a "lion’s whelp," not as one having come from the seed of David, but as one conceived by the Holy Spirit, and proceeding from that holy sprout ^B and from the earth. For Isaiah says: "There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise out of it."

IX.

X.

XI.

^A what is meant, if not his flesh which, like a cluster of grapes, was cast into the wood? From whose side flowed two springs, of blood and of water, by which the nations are washed and cleansed, which he is considered to have as a mantle.

XII. "His eyes are gladdened by wine." Whose eyes are these, if not the blessed prophets? Who, indeed, foreseeing in the Spirit the passions that were to come upon him and proclaiming them, rejoiced, perceiving him with spiritual eyes by the power, perfected by the command of the Word and his grace.

XIII. By saying, "And his teeth [are] whiter than milk," he signified the commandments proceeding from the holy mouth of Christ, as clean as milk.

XIV. The Scriptures have therefore foretold this lion and lion's whelp. Similarly, it is also said concerning the Antichrist. For Moses says thus: "Dan is a lion's whelp, and he shall leap forth from Basan." But ^B lest anyone err, thinking that this statement was made concerning the Savior, let him apply his mind. "Dan," he says, "is a lion's whelp"; by naming the tribe of Dan, he clarified that from which the Antichrist is about to be born. For just as Christ is born from the tribe of Judah, so the Antichrist will be born from the tribe of Dan. And that this is so, Jacob says: "Let Dan be a serpent, sitting on the earth, biting the horse's heel." Who, then, is the serpent, if not that Antichrist, the deceiver mentioned in Genesis, who deceived Eve and tripped up Adam? But since it is necessary to prove what is said by many testimonies, we will not shrink from doing so.

XV. For that a tyrant and king, a terrible judge, the son of the devil, is indeed going to be born and arise from the tribe of Dan, the prophet says: "Dan shall judge his people, as also one tribe in Israel." But someone will say that this was spoken concerning Samson, who, born from the tribe of Dan, judged the people for twenty years. Certainly, the matter happened partially in Samson; but it will happen universally in the Antichrist. For ^C he who is a tyrant and king, a terrible judge, and son of the devil, is about to rise; and the prophet says: "Dan shall judge his people, as one tribe in Israel." But someone will say that this is said of Samson, who, born from the tribe of Dan, judged the people for twenty years. Truly, the matter occurred partially in Samson; but it will happen in the absolute sense regarding him who is the Antichrist.

^A (57). For Jeremiah also speaks thus: "We shall hear the voice of the swiftness of his horses [(38)], [from the sound of the neighing of the galloping of his horses] the whole earth was shaken." Another prophet also says: "He shall gather all his power from the sunrise even unto the sunset; those whom he has called and those whom he has not called shall go with him. He shall make the sea white with the sails of ships, and he shall make the plain black with the shields of weapons; and whoever meets him in battle shall fall by the sword." We shall show through what follows that these things were spoken not of any other, but of that tyrant, both shameless and God-opposing.

XVI. But Isaiah also says thus: "And it shall be when the Lord has finished doing all things on Mount Sion and Jerusalem, He shall bring [wrath] upon the great mind, upon the prince of the Assyrians, and upon the height of the glory of his eyes." For he said: "By my strength I will act, and by the wisdom of understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations, and I will plunder their strength, and I will shake the settled cities, and I will take hold of the whole inhabited earth with my hand as a nest, and as eggs that have been abandoned I will lift them up; and there is no one who will escape or contradict me, [and opening my mouth and chirping. Shall an axe be glorified without the one who cuts with it? Or shall a saw be lifted up without the one who draws it? Likewise, if someone lifts up a rod or wood, the wood shall be lifted up;] and it is not so. But Adonai, the Lord of Hosts, will send into your honor dishonor, and into your glory a burning fire shall be kindled. And the light of Israel shall be fire, and He shall sanctify him in a flame, and it shall consume the forest like grass [(39)]."

XVII. He also says in another place: "How has the exactor ceased, and how has the taskmaster ceased? God has shattered the yoke of the princes of the sinners, striking the nation in wrath and with an incurable blow; striking the nation with an incurable blow on which He did not spare. The whole earth has rested confidently; it cries out with joy. The trees of Lebanon have rejoiced over you, and the cedar of Lebanon. Since you have fallen asleep, no one has come up to cut us down. Hades below was embittered, meeting you; all the giants who ruled the earth, the lords [(59)], were stirred up from their thrones. All the kings of the nations, all together shall answer and say: And you have been captured just as we have; you have been reckoned among us. He has descended into...

^A the earth with your glory, and your great joy; decay shall be spread beneath you, and your covering shall be the worm. How has Lucifer fallen from heaven, who was rising in the morning? He who sent to all nations has been crushed to the earth. But you said in your mind: I will ascend into heaven; above the stars of heaven I will set my throne, I will sit upon the high mountains which are towards the north; I will ascend above the clouds, I will be like the Most High. But now you shall descend into hell, and to the foundations of the earth. Those who see you will marvel at you and will say: This is the man who stirred up the earth, who shook kings, who laid the whole world waste, and destroyed its cities, and did not loose those who were in captivity. ^B All the kings of the nations have rested in honor, every man in his own house; but you shall be cast out upon the mountains, like an abominable corpse, with many dead men pierced by the sword, going down into hell. Just as a garment stained in blood is not clean, so neither shall you be clean; because you have destroyed my land, and killed my people. You shall not remain for all time, you wicked seed. Prepare your children for slaughter for the sins of your father, that they may not rise up and inherit my land.

XVIII. Ezechiel also speaks similarly about him in this way: ^C This says the Lord God: Because your heart was lifted up, and you said: I am God, I have inhabited the dwelling of God in the heart of the sea; yet you are a man, and not God, you gave your heart as the heart of God. Are you wiser than Daniel? Have not the wise trained you with their knowledge? Or have you in your knowledge, or in your prudence, made for yourself power, and gold and silver in your treasuries? Have you not in your great knowledge and in your trade multiplied your power? Your heart was lifted up in your power. Therefore this says the Lord God: Because you have given your heart as the heart of God, for this reason, behold, I bring upon you foreign pests from the nations, and they shall unsheathe their swords against you and against the beauty of your knowledge, and they shall cast down your beauty into destruction; ^D and they shall make you descend, and you shall die the death of the wounded in the heart of the sea. Will you speak and say: I am God, in the sight of those who slay you? But you are a man, and not God, in the hand of those who wound you. You shall die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hands of foreigners; because I have spoken, says the Lord.

XIX. These words having thus been shown, let us look more subtil...

subtilly at what Daniel says in his visions. For he, distinguishing the kingdoms that were to come thereafter, showed even unto the furthest times the future advent of the Antichrist, and the consummation of the whole world. He says, therefore, while interpreting the vision of Nebuchadnezzar: "You, O king, were watching, and behold a great image standing before your face; whose head was of fine gold: its arms and shoulders were of silver; its belly and thighs of bronze; its shins of iron; its feet, partly of iron and partly of earthenware. You were watching, therefore, until a stone was cut out from a mountain without hands, and it struck the image upon its feet of iron and earthenware, and ground them to pieces in the end. Then the earthenware, iron, bronze, silver, and gold were utterly ground down, and they became like dust from the summer threshing-floor; and the abundant wind carried them away, and no place was found for them. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." ^B

XX. Connecting therefore to these the actual visions of Daniel, we shall grant a single exposition to both, showing how they agree with one another and are true. For he says thus: "I, Daniel, was watching, and behold the four winds of heaven were rushing into the great sea; and four great beasts were coming up out of the sea, differing from one another. The first was like a lioness, and its wings were as an eagle's. I was watching until its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the earth, and it stood upon the feet of a man, and a human heart was given to it. And the second beast was like a bear, and it stood on one side; and there were three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and so they said to it: Arise, devour much flesh. I was watching, and behold a beast like a leopard; and it had four wings of a bird upon it, and four heads of the beast. After this I was watching, and behold a fourth beast, terrible and stupendous, and exceedingly strong; its teeth were of iron, and its claws of bronze, devouring and grinding, and it was trampling the rest with its ^C feet; and it was differing exceedingly from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I was considering its horns, and behold another little horn ascended in the midst of them; and three horns from the upper ones were plucked out from before its face. And behold eyes like the eyes of a man in that horn, and a mouth speaking great things."

XXI. "I was watching until the thrones were placed, and the Ancient of days sat. And his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like clean wool. His throne was a flame of fire, its wheels ^D

^A a burning fire. A stream of fire was drawing before him. A thousand thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The judgment sat, and the books were opened. I beheld then from the voice of the great words which the horn spoke, until the beast was slain and perished, and its body was given to be burned with fire. And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away. ^B I beheld in the vision of the night, and lo, with the clouds of heaven, one like the Son of man was coming; and he reached even unto the Ancient of days, and was presented to him. And there was given to him the dominion, and the honor, and the kingdom; and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him. His authority is an eternal authority, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed. »

XXIII. Since, therefore, these things spoken in a mystical sense seem difficult to some to understand, we shall conceal nothing of these things for the recognition of those who are possessed of a sound mind. For by saying a lioness ^C coming up out of the sea, he signified the kingdom of the Babylonians in the world, which was the golden head of this image. But as to what he says: « Her wings were as an eagle's; » it is because King Nebuchadnezzar was exalted and lifted up against God. Then he says: « Her wings were plucked; » because his glory was taken away: for he was cast out of his kingdom. But in saying: « A man's heart was given to it, and it stood upon the feet of a man; » it is because he was led to repentance, recognizing himself that he was a man, and he gave glory to God.

XXIV. After the lioness, therefore, the second beast ^D is seen similar to a bear, which were the Persians. For after the Babylonians, the Persians held power. But by saying: « Three ribs (or ranks) in its mouth, » he indicated three nations, the Persians, the Medes, and the Babylonians: and this is shown by the silver joined to the gold in the image. The third beast follows, a leopard, which were the Greeks. For after the Persians, Alexander the Macedonian held power, having overcome Darius, as is shown in the image by the bronze. But by saying: « Four wings of a bird, » he most clearly taught how the empire of Alexander was divided. For by saying « four heads, » he commemorated the four kings who arose out of it. For Alexander, when dying, divided his solid empire into four parts.

^A XXV. Then he says: « The fourth beast is terrible and stupendous: its teeth are of iron, and its claws of bronze. » Who are these if not the Romans? This is the iron which signifies the empire that now stands and remains; for its legs are of iron. For after this, what else remains, beloved, but the traces of the feet of the image, in which one part is of iron, and another part is of earthenware, with these kinds mixed together? By the toes of the feet, he mystically signified the kings who will arise from them, which Daniel mentions: « I was considering the beast; and behold, ten horns behind it: among which another little shoot will arise, and it will pluck out three of the horns that were before it. » By this no one else is shown than the Antichrist, who himself will also raise up the kingdom of the Jews. He says that three horns are plucked out by him, designating the three kings of Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia, whom he will kill in the battle line. This one, assuredly having taken possession of the ^B heavy empire of all, being a savage tyrant, will cause tribulation and persecution upon men, being lifted up against them. For Daniel says: « I was considering the horn; and behold, that horn was making war with the saints, and prevailed against them, until the beast was slain and perished, and its body was given to the burning of fire. »

XXVI. Soon after will come from the heavens the stone that struck the image and crushed it, and transferred all kingdoms, and gave the kingdom to the saints of the Most High. This is he who became a great mountain and filled the whole earth, of whom Daniel says: « I was looking in the vision of the night, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, as it were a Son of man coming, and he reached as far as the Ancient of days, and was presented to him. And there was given to him empire and honor and kingdom; and all peoples, tribes, and languages will serve him. His power is an eternal power, which will not pass away; and his kingdom will not be destroyed. » ^C He shows all the power which was given by the Father to the Son, who has been declared king and judge of all, of heavenly, earthly, and subterranean things: of heavenly things, because he was the Word of the Father begotten before all ages; of earthly things, because he was born as a man among men, refashioning Adam through himself; of subterranean things, because he was also reckoned among the dead, preaching to the souls of the saints, by death overcoming death. ^D

XXVII. Since these things are thus to be, and the ten toes...

^A of the image have passed into democracies, and the ten horns of the fourth beast have been divided into ten kingdoms, let us see more clearly the matters set before us, and let us consider them as if placed before our eyes.

XXVIII. The golden head of the image, the lioness, were the Babylonians; the shoulders and arms of silver, the bear, the Persians and Medes; the belly and thighs of bronze, the leopard, those Greeks who became masters after Alexander; the iron legs, a beast terrible and dreadful, the Romans who now hold power; the traces of the feet, clay and iron, and the ten horns, the kingdoms and empires that are to be; the other little horn growing up, which is numbered among them, the Antichrist; the stone striking the earth, and bringing judgment upon the world, is Christ.

XXIX. These things, beloved, I impart to you with fear, yet with a ready will, on account of the surpassing charity of Christ. For if the blessed prophets who were before us, although they had discovered these things, were unwilling to preach them openly, lest they should make a disturbance in the souls of men, but related them mystically through parables and riddles, saying: "Here is the mind that has wisdom"; how much more shall we be in danger, daring to bring into the open what was spoken in secret by them? Let us see, therefore, what is to befall at the end upon this ^B unclean harlot; and of what sort and how great the partial punishment will be that shall come upon her, by the wrath of God, before the judgment.

XXX. Come, therefore, O blessed Isaiah; arise, say openly what you prophesied concerning the great Babylon. For you spoke also concerning Jerusalem, and it has come to pass. For you said with boldness: "Your land is desolate, your cities are burned with fire; your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, ^C subverted by foreign peoples. The daughter of Zion shall be left as a booth in a vineyard, and as a watchman's lodge in a cucumber field, as a city besieged." What then? Have these things not already come to pass? Have they not been fulfilled? ^D

^A Has not your land of Judah been made desolate? Has not the sanctuary been burned? Have not your walls been torn down? Have not your cities been destroyed? Do not strangers devour your country? Do the Romans not rule over your land? For truly, in the hatred with which they burned against you, they sawed you in pieces (65), and they crucified Christ. You died in the world, but you live in Christ (66).

XXXI. Which of you shall I love more, you or Jeremiah? But even Jeremiah is stoned. Yet Jeremiah is indeed more to be loved, but Daniel also bears witness. Daniel, I pour forth my praises for you above all others; but John also speaks no falsehood. With how many lips and tongues shall I glorify you—or rather, the Word that spoke within you? You have died with Christ, but you shall live with Christ. Listen and rejoice (69). Behold, the things spoken by you have been fulfilled in their time. For you saw them first, and thus afterward you preached them to all generations. You ministered the oracles of God to all generations. You were called prophets, that you might be able to grant salvation to all. For then is one truly a prophet, when he has proclaimed the things that are to come, and afterward demonstrates that they have come to pass. You were disciples of a good Master. These things I rightly acclaim to you as if you were living. For you have already ^B stored up for you in heaven the crown of life and incorruption.

XXXII. Tell me, I beseech you, blessed Daniel. Give me certain faith, I pray. You prophesy about the lioness in Babylon; for you were a captive there. You related the things that were to come regarding the bear; for you were still alive in the world and saw those things come to pass. Then you speak to me of the leopard; but whence could you know these things? For you had already died. Who taught you to speak these things, if not He who formed you from your mother's womb? You say, God. For you spoke, and you did not lie: the leopard arose; the goat of the goats came; it struck the ram; it broke his horns; it trampled him with its feet. It was exalted in his ruin; four horns arose beneath it. Rejoice, blessed Daniel; you were not deceived; all these things have come to pass.

XXXIII. After this, you again related to me a fourth beast, formidable and terrifying: "Its teeth were iron, and its claws bronze; it was eating and breaking in pieces, and trampling the rest with its feet." ^C Now the iron already rules; it already tames and breaks in pieces ^D

^A all things; it already subjects all those who are unwilling; we now see these things ourselves; and, taught by you, we now glorify God.

But since we intended to speak of the harlot, come now, blessed Isaiah. Let us see what you say concerning Babylon: "Descend, sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground; O daughter of the Chaldeans, you shall no more be called delicate and tender. Take the millstone, grind meal, uncover your veil, strip off the skirt, uncover the legs, pass through the rivers; your shame shall be uncovered, your reproaches shall be seen; I will take vengeance on you, and I will no longer deliver you to men. He who rescues you is the Lord of hosts, the Holy One of Israel is his name. Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; you shall no more be called the power of a kingdom. ^B I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand, but you showed them no mercy; you laid a very heavy yoke upon the elders, and you said, 'I shall be a mistress for ever.' You did not take these things to heart, nor did you remember your latter end. Now then hear this, you who are delicate, who sit securely, who say in your heart, 'I am, and there is no other; I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know loss of children.' But these two things shall come upon you suddenly in one day: bereavement and widowhood. They shall come upon you suddenly by your sorcery, by the great strength of your enchantments, in the hope of your fornication. For you have said, 'I am, and there is no other.' And your fornication shall be your confusion, because you said in your heart, 'I am.' And perdition shall come upon you, and you shall not know it; and a pit, and you shall fall into it; and misery shall come upon you, and you shall not be able to be made clean; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, and you shall not know it. ^C Stand now with your enchantments and with your many sorceries, which you have learned from your youth, if you may be able to be helped. You have wearied yourself in your counsels; let the astrologers of heaven stand and save you, they who, gazing at the stars, announce to you what is about to come upon you. Behold, all are as stubble for the fire; they shall be burned, and they shall not deliver their soul from the flame. Because you have coals of fire, sit upon them; so shall you be helped. You have wearied yourself in your change." ^D

^A These things, indeed, Isaiah prophesies to you: let us see if John has uttered similar things.

XXXVI. For he, when dwelling on the island of Patmos, sees a revelation of fearful mysteries, and by narrating them abundantly, he teaches others as well. Tell me, I beseech you, blessed John, apostle and disciple of the Lord, what did you hear and see concerning Babylon? Awake and speak; for this city also consigned you to exile. ^B "And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying: Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot, who sits upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her prostitution. And he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold and precious stone and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations, and the filthiness of the fornication of the earth. Upon her forehead was a name written: Mystery; Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth." ^C XXXVII. "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And I wondered, seeing her, with a great wonder. And the angel said to me: Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw, was, and is not; and is about to ascend out of the abyss, and go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder (whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world), beholding the beast that was, and is not, and shall come." ^D XXXVIII. "Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits; and they are seven kings. Five have fallen, and one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little time. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition. And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and their power and authority they shall give to the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings."

and those who are with him, called, and chosen, and faithful.

^A And he says to me: The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to do what is pleasing to him, and to act with one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which has kingdom over the kings of the earth.

^B After these things I saw another angel descending from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried out in a strong, great voice, saying: "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and has become a habitation of demons, and a dungeon of every unclean spirit, and a dungeon of every unclean and hateful bird, because all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." And the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxury. And I heard another voice from heaven saying: "Depart from her, my people, that you may not share in her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues; because her sins have reached up to heaven, ^C and God has remembered her iniquities."

^D Render to her just as she also rendered, and double unto her double according to her works; in the cup in which she mixed, mix to her double. As much as she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so much give her torment and sorrow; because in her heart she says: "I sit a queen, and I am not a widow, and I shall not see sorrow." Therefore her plagues shall come in one day, death and sorrow and famine, and she shall be burned with fire; because the Lord God is strong, who has judged her. And the kings of the earth shall weep and wail over her, who have committed fornication and lived in luxury with her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing far off for fear of her torment, saying: "Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city; because in one hour your judgment has come." And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; because no one buys their cargo anymore; cargo of gold, and of silver, and of precious stone, and of pearl, and of fine linen, and of purple, and of silk, and of scarlet; and every thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory,

and every vessel of most precious wood, and of brass, and of iron, and of marble; and cinnamon, and amomum, and odor, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and goats; and of horses, and of chariots, and of slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that the soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were fat and goodly are perished from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, which were made rich, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying: Woe, woe, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stone, and pearls; for in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and every company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying: What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying: Woe, woe, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her fatness; for in one hour is she made desolate. ^B

XLII.

Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her

XLIII. It is most clearly declared in these testimonies, one by one, concerning the judgment of the torments which, in the last times, through the injury of the tyrants who shall then be, are coming upon her; but it is worth the labor that we should also set forth with diligent examination the time, when indeed it shall come to pass that these things happen, and that little horn shall emerge ^D among them. For when the iron legs, which even now possess the state of affairs, shall have reached unto the traces of the feet and the toes, according to the likeness of the image.

the manifestation ^A of the terrible beast shall be shown, as has been signified in the preceding, at which times the iron and the pottery shall be mixed together into one. Daniel shall show us the things set before us. For he says: « And he shall confirm 88 the covenant with many for one week: and it shall be, that in the midst of the week my sacrifice and drink offering shall be taken away. » He indicated, therefore, one week of years, the last one, to be at the end of the whole world 89; the half of which week the two prophets, Enoch and Elias, shall take. For these shall preach for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth, proclaiming repentance to the people and to all the nations.

For just as two advents of our Lord and Savior were shown through the Scriptures—one, indeed, the first, which came to pass in the flesh, lowly because of His being despised 90, as Isaiah previously announced, saying: « We saw him and he had no form nor beauty; but his form was lowly, failing beyond all men. A man in affliction, and knowing how to bear infirmity, [because his face was turned away,] he was despised and not esteemed »—the second ^B advent of His has been proclaimed glorious 91, as He shall arrive from the heavens with the power of the angels 92 and the glory of the Father, as the prophet says, “ye shall see the King with glory.” And: “I was looking with the clouds of heaven...”

CHAPTER XLIV

^C For just as the twofold advent of our Lord and Savior has been delivered to us by the testimony of the Scriptures—the one indeed and first in the flesh, without any pomp of honors or brightness, so that He might be despisable, as Isaiah had once prophesied, saying: « We saw him, and he had no form nor comeliness: but his form was contemptible and failing above all men. A man placed in a plague, and knowing to bear infirmity; because his face was turned away, despised, and accounted of no value »; the other, however, was predicted to be in majesty at His advent, when He shall come from the heavens, with the army ^D of the angels—so is Christ’s majesty and glory or brightness, as is His own and the Father’s, as the whole tenor of these words, though the sense be less fitting, seems to signify. Certainly the rest of the interpreters are so. The Syriac: « When He shall come in the glory of His Father, with His own holy angels »: which are the very words of Mark VIII, 38. Matthew XVII, 27: « In the glory of His Father with His angels. » And in Luke the Arabic and Persian have rendered it in no other way than because they obtained better Greek codices, even if those are not now at hand, which I know to have it so. That some errors, whether through human frailty or negligence, the hand of the scribe erring, creep into the canonical Scriptures, is better known than that it needs any proof among those who venerate the sacred Scriptures as copies, or even as versions, not as the very autographs written as if by the finger of God, and inscribed by the hand of the prophets, or even recognized and subscribed by them through the divine Spirit and prophetic gift. Let it be the task of the Church, through the work and diligence of learned men, to correct them [κατὰ καιρούς] by means of better codices and more ancient tradition, not by their own head, because no new revelations of this kind exist anymore; and there is no faith in him who says that he has those—but it is of the gift and authority of the divine Spirit by which He always rules the Church, that through that occasion He allows nothing by which divine faith might be harmed to creep into the universal and Catholic Church: while other smaller matters are left to the disputation and criticism of men. And by this, the integrity and purity of the Scriptures have been sufficiently provided for: and one who is endowed with a teachable and learned heart can scarcely be led to believe and think otherwise; and the sectarians wrongly object anything else to the Catholics, because they cultivate more modesty, nor do they easily allow ancient things (venerable in their own simplicity, and more so by the tradition of the Church, than by the opinions of any [scioli], in the hatred of the Vatican toward the Pontificians, as they insipidly call them) to be overturned. Would that one

^A with all the host, and in the Father's brightness 50; as the prophet says: “You shall see the King in splendor and majesty 51; and I saw as it were the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven, and he reached unto the Ancient of days, and was brought to him; and there was given to him the dominion, and the honor, and the glory, and the kingdom, and all tribes and tongues shall serve him; his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, which shall not pass away.” Thus also two precursors were shown. The first was John, the son of Zacharias, who in all things existed as the precursor and herald of our Savior; and, announcing the heavenly light that had shone upon the world, he was the first to fulfill the office of precursor from his mother’s womb, having been conceived by Elizabeth; so that he might demonstrate, even to those who were infants in the womb, the new birth that was to be theirs by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin.

^B XLV. Having heard his mother’s salutation, he leapt for joy 53 in the womb, perceiving in the Virgin’s womb the God-Word conceived as well. Then he came preaching in the wilderness, announcing to the people the baptism of repentance; indeed, proclaiming salvation to the nations living in the desert of the world. Then in the Jordan he points Him out in person to the Savior, saying: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world 54.” He also anticipated those in hell, having been taken away by the sword of Herod, and having there become a precursor; indeed, there too he was to indicate the expected descent of the Savior, who was to deliver the souls of the saints from the hand of death.

XLVI. For since indeed the Savior was to be the head and author of the resurrection of all men, it was fitting that He Himself should be the first to be raised from the dead, through whom judgment should enter into the whole world; so that those who had fought the fight worthily might also be worthily crowned by Him; by the noble author of the contest, who was the first to finish the race; who, having been taken up into heaven, sits at the right hand of God and the Father, and who at the consummation of the world is to be manifested as judge. It is necessary that His precursors be manifested first, just as he says through Malachi and the angel 56: “I will send you Elijah the Tishbite, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest; who shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the ^C prudence of the righteous.”

^D With this authority of Malachi? But "angel" is truly a word of Malachi, as is known to all, the citation of whose single passage is illustrious, with the addition also of what was said by the angel in Luke 1:17, “and the incredulous, the disobedient, the contumacious, to the prudence of the righteous”: to which, however, Hippolytus does not seem to have looked when adding, otherwise he would have had to transcribe it, as those learned in Greek know; and let this same part of the prophecy of Malachi be seen, which is currently missing from his book, as are also the final verses of his chapter which are corrupted in the Greek copies: in which is the very title, from whence Hippolytus, having written it thus, undoubtedly drew it. COMBEF.

^A and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just: lest perhaps I should come, and strike the earth utterly. These, therefore, arriving, will preach the future manifestation of Christ from the heavens; and they will also work signs and wonders, so that they may perhaps in this way bend and turn the minds of men to repentance, on account of their exceeding wickedness and impiety.

XLVII. For John says: ^A And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. That is to say, half of that week of which Daniel spoke. These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing in the presence of the God of the earth. And if any man shall wish to do them injury, fire shall go out of their mouth and devour their enemies. And if any man shall wish to injure them, thus must he be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they shall wish. And when they shall have completed their course and their testimony, what says the prophet? ^B The beast that ascends from the abyss shall make war with them, and shall overcome them, and kill them; because they were unwilling to give glory to Antichrist. This is indeed that little horn which grows up. For he, being now lifted up in heart, will begin to exalt himself and glorify himself as God, persecuting the saints and blaspheming Christ, as Daniel says: I was looking at the horn; and behold, the eyes as of a man were in the horn, and a mouth speaking great things. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God. And that horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the beast was slain, and perished, and its body was given to the burning of fire.

XLVIII. But because it is necessary to discuss him more minutely, and how the Holy Spirit by number and name also mystically indicated him, we shall discourse more clearly upon the things that pertain to him. For John says thus: ^C And I saw another beast ascending out of the earth, and it had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke as a dragon. And it exercised all the power of the first beast in his sight: and it made the earth and them that dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he did great signs, so that he even made fire to come down from heaven unto the earth in the sight of men. And he seduces them that dwell on the earth, because of the signs which were given him to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast which has the wound of the sword, and lived. And it was given to him to give spirit to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should also speak, and cause that whosoever will not worship the image of the beast, should be killed. And he makes all, both small and great, and rich and poor, and free and bond, that he may give them his mark in their right hand, or in

their foreheads: that no man might be able to buy or sell, save he that has the mark, the name of the beast (97), or ^A the number of his name. Here is wisdom. He that has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred sixty-six.

XLIX. The beast, therefore, ascending from the earth, he calls the future kingdom of Antichrist. The two horns signify him and the false prophet who follows him (98). But to say, “his horns were like a lamb,” signifies that he will feign himself to be like the Son of God, and display himself as a king. And to say, “he speaks as a dragon,” means that he is a deceiver and not truthful. And when it says that “he exercised the power of the first beast (99),” and makes the earth and those who dwell in it to adore the first beast, whose wound of death was healed; this signifies that according to the laws of Augustus, from whom also the Roman empire was established, even so he ^B will also command and ordain, confirming all things by this means, and procuring for himself greater glory. For this is the fourth beast, whose head was wounded and healed again; because it was overthrown, or also held in contempt, and resolved into ten diadems; he then being crafty, will as it were heal and renew it. For this is what was said by the prophet: “He shall give spirit to the image, and the image of the beast shall speak.” For he will prevail and grow strong again through the laws established by him, and will cause that all who do not adore the image of the beast, should be killed. Here the faith and patience of the saints will appear; for he says: “And he shall make all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that he may give them a mark in their right hand, or in ^C their forehead; that no one might be able to buy or sell, save he that has the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” For being crafty and exalting himself against the servants of God, ^D and wishing to squeeze and expel them from the world; and because—

(97) *The name of the beast.* So also the Alexandrian codex, without any particle separating or connecting it, so that this name of the beast is understood as his very mark, his seal, just as a coin is usually stamped, although that too is not infrequently without the image of the king itself. That which Barborita wants to be an anointing on the forehead and hand, which the Church uses, is excellently refuted by Hugo Grotius in his Appendix on Antichrist; where he seriously exposes the absurdity of his own followers, or those in his own camp: who drag the image of Antichrist, not to an idolatrous Rome, such as it was under Domitian, Trajan, Aurelian, and other princes; but to a Christian Rome under the papacy (that is, the supreme priesthood in the succession of Peter, and Christ’s special vicar), as impudently as they do foolishly; so that while they crave the praise of this, through their little learning in sacred and ecclesiastical matters—blinded here by prejudice in the highest degree, and in order that they may madden the rude rabble with themselves and incite the torch of sedition among them—they show that they have banished all virtue. COMBEF.

(98) *And he who follows him.* Reading: "and he who is with him," or rather, what Gudius also conjectured, seems to me more fitting: that to Antichrist, who as it were holds the empire of the Romans, there is present the false prophet, who bestows every effort to consolidate the kingdom of the beast; that he might namely be held as God, just as Apollonius of Tyana was to Domitian. So that all which happened either in the persecution of Antiochus, or under the Roman princes hostile to Christ, the very same things are expected in Antichrist in the last times, to be displayed with even greater accumulation, by which he is absolutely Antichrist, the most wicked of mortals. Even under the Emperor Diocletian at Rome, it was forbidden to buy or sell unless incense was placed on the altars, or some other offering was made as a sign of idolatrous worship, which was the mark and seal of the beast: Rome hostile to Christ, and striving with every effort to abolish all His worship. IDEM.

(99) *Of the first beast.* So Combesis, following the text of the Apocalypse xiii, 12, as it stands. Gudius omits "of the beast."

(1) *It.* Combesis, "her."

^A elated by pride, wishes to extirpate them and drive them from the world, because they do not grant him glory; he will command everyone everywhere to set up fire-altars and censers, so that no one of the saints may be able to buy or sell unless he first offers sacrifice. For this is the mark, that which is given on the right hand. But by saying "on the forehead," he means that all may be crowned, bearing with them a crown of fire—not of life, but of death. For thus also did Antiochus Epiphanes, the king of Syria and descendant of Alexander the Macedonian, devise against the Jews. For he too, being lifted up in his heart during those times, wrote a decree ^B that altars be placed before the doors, and that all should offer sacrifice and go in procession crowned with ivy in honor of Dionysus; and those who were unwilling to submit, he ordered to be put to death after hanging and examining them with tortures. But he too received from the Lord, the just judge and overseer of all, the recompense he deserved; for, becoming worm-eaten, he ended his life. And these things, if one wishes to read the details, are recorded in the books of the Maccabees.

Now we shall speak to the matter at hand. For he too will devise these things, wishing to afflict the saints in every way; for the prophet and apostle says: ^C "Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred and sixty-six." As for his name, it is not within our power to speak with such accuracy as the blessed John understood and was taught concerning him, but only to conjecture; for when he appears, the blessed man will show that which is sought. Nevertheless, we speak as much as we understand with some hesitation. We find many ^D names containing the same number, that is to say, for example, "Teitan" (Titan), which is an ancient and glorious name, or "Euanthes" (Euanthas); for it also by the same calculation reaches the same sum.

and other names besides these can be found. ^A But since we have said before, that the wound of the first beast was healed, and that he will cause the image to speak—that is, he has given it strength—it is manifest to all that they who even now possess power are the Latins. If, then, the name of a single man be transferred, it becomes *Lateinos*. Wherefore one should neither proclaim this as if it were his name, nor, on the other hand, be ignorant that it cannot be called otherwise; but, having the mystery of God in our hearts, with fear we must faithfully keep what has been foretold by the blessed prophets, so that, when these things come to pass, by foreseeing them we may not be led astray. For as the times arrive, the very one concerning whom these things are said will be made manifest.

^B LI. But that we may not persuade those who delight in the study of the divine oracles with these statements and sayings alone, we shall show this by many other proofs. For Daniel says: "And these shall be saved from his hand, Edom and Moab, and the beginning of the children of Ammon." Ammon and Moab, those born of the daughters of Lot, whose lineage continues even to the present day. For Isaiah says: "And they shall fly in the ships of the foreigners; they shall plunder the sea together, and those from the rising of the sun; and upon Moab first they shall lay their hands; but the children of Ammon shall first obey."

LII. This person, then, emerging in those times, will occur; and having obtained victory in the battle array against three of the ten horns, and having rooted them out—which are Egypt, and Libya, and Ethiopia—and having taken their spoils and booty, with the remaining horns also not being exempt but submitting themselves to him, he will begin to be lifted up in heart and be carried away against God, holding sway over the whole world. His first assault will be against Tyre and Berytus, ^C and the surrounding region. For having first sacked these cities, he will strike terror into others, as Isaiah says: "Be ashamed, O Sidon, the sea has spoken; and the strength of the sea has said: I have not travailed, nor brought forth, nor have I reared up young men, nor raised up virgins. But when it is heard in Egypt, pain shall take them concerning Tyre."

LIII. These things being thus about to come to pass, beloved, and the three horns having been cut off by him, after this he will begin to show himself as God, as Ezekiel foretold: "Because thy heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am God." And Isaiah likewise: "But thou hast said in thy ^D heart: I will ascend into heaven, above the stars of heaven I will set my throne, I will be like the Most High."

Now, however, thou shalt go down into Hades, to the foundations of the earth." Likewise also Ezekiel: "Wilt thou say to those who slay thee, I am God? But thou art man, and not God." ^A Since, therefore, by these testimonies, his tribe, his manifestation, his destruction, and his name mystically signified have been demonstrated, let us see also his actions [(13)]. For he himself shall gather all the people to himself from every land of the dispersion, claiming them as his own children and promising to restore the land and to raise up their kingdom and the people, in order that he may be worshipped by them as God, as the prophet says: "He shall gather all his kingdom from the risings of the sun unto the settings; those whom he has called, and those whom he has not called, shall go with him." ^B And Jeremias also, using a metaphor concerning him, speaks thus: "The partridge has cried, it has gathered what it did not lay, getting wealth for itself not with judgment; in the middle of his days they shall abandon him, and at the end of his days he shall be a fool." ^C It will not, therefore, hinder the matter before us to explain also the nature of the animal, and that the prophet did not make this statement [(14)] in vain by using the animal as a parable. For the partridge is a vain animal, and when it sees near it the nest of another partridge containing chicks, having the parent of them flown away to pasture, it mimics the voice of the stranger and calls the chicks to its own side; and they, thinking it is their own father, run toward it. ^D LIV. Since from these passages, the Antichrist's tribe has been proven, as have his manifestation and his destruction; and his name has been obscurely designated and hidden in an enigma; let us see also what he is about to do. For he himself shall gather to himself every people from every region where they have been dispersed, taking them as if they were his own children and treating them as his own, promising that he will restore their land, and that he will raise up their kingdom and people, so that he may be worshipped by them as God, just as the prophet says: "He shall gather all his kingdom from the rising of the sun to the setting. Those whom he has called, and those whom he has not called, shall come with him." Jeremias also speaks of him in the same way under the metaphor of a bird: "The partridge has cried: it has gathered what it did not lay; acquiring its wealth not with judgment. In the middle of his days they shall abandon him; and he shall be in his last days a fool."

LV. Nothing, therefore, will hinder us, for the sake of the present argument, from also describing the nature and craft of the animal, and showing that the prophet did not speak these things in vain when using the likeness of this animal. For because the partridge is a proud animal, when it sees near it the nest of another partridge in which there are chicks, and whose parent has flown off to pasture, it calls the chicks to itself with the voice of a rival; the chicks, truly believing it to be their own parent, run to it.

^A And it prides itself on the chicks of others, as if they were its own. But when the true parent returns and calls out with its own voice, the chicks recognize it, and having abandoned the deceiver, they go to their true parent. The prophet used the same trope in a similar way regarding the Antichrist: for he will call humanity to himself, wishing to claim what belongs to another as his own, promising salvation to all, though he is unable to save even himself.

LVI. Having thus gathered to himself the people who have always been ^B disobedient, wherever they exist among the nations, he comes, urged on by their requests, to take vengeance upon the saints, who are their enemies and adversaries, just as the apostle and evangelist says: "There was a judge in a city, who did not fear God, nor did he revere man. And there was a certain widow in that city who kept coming to him, saying: 'Vindicate me from my adversary.' But he would not for a long time. But after these things he said within himself: 'Even if I do not fear God, nor revere man, yet because this widow is troublesome to me, I will vindicate her.'"

LVII. ^C He undoubtedly calls the Antichrist the "judge of iniquity," who fears neither God nor man, as one who is the son of the devil and a vessel of Satan. For having attained a kingdom, he will begin to set himself up against God, neither truly fearing God, nor revering the Son of God, who is the judge of all. By saying that the widow is in the city, he indicates Jerusalem itself, which is truly a widow, abandoned by the perfect and heavenly God, her spouse. She calls this man her adversary and not her Savior, not understanding what was said by Jeremiah the prophet: "Because they did not believe the truth, then a spirit of error will speak to this people and to Jerusalem." ^D And Isaiah likewise: "Because this people did not wish to drink the water of Siloam, which flows in silence, but desires to have Rasin and the son of Romeliah as king over you; therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon you the water of the river, strong and many, the king of the Assyrians." By the symbol of the "king" he denotes the Antichrist, just as another prophet also says: "And this shall be peace from me, when the Assyrian shall come into your land, and when he shall ascend upon your mountains."

LVIII. Indeed, Moses likewise, when he foresaw that the people would reject and cast off the true Savior of the world,

and by choosing an earthly king would consent to error, ^A rejecting the heavenly One, he says: "Do not mark this, which has been gathered by me, and sealed in my treasuries? In the day of vengeance I will repay, and in time, when their foot shall slip." [Deut. xxxiv, 34, 35] They have therefore stumbled in everything, being found in nothing to be in agreement with the truth: neither according to the Law, because they became transgressors of it; nor according to the prophets, because they even murdered the prophets themselves; nor according to the voice of the Gospels, because they even crucified the Savior Himself; nor by obeying the apostles, because they persecuted them as well; having always been plotters and betrayers of the truth, found to be haters of God and not lovers of God, and those who then seized the opportunity; for they pray to obtain vengeance at the hand of a mortal man, rising up against the servants of God. He, swollen with pride ^B by them, begins to send out decrees against the saints everywhere, to have all killed who do not wish to worship and reverence him as God, even as Isaiah says: "Woe to the land of the wings of ships, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia; he that sendeth ambassadors by the sea, and paper letters upon the water; for light messengers will go to a nation tall and strange, and a people cruel to them, a nation hopeless and trodden down." [Isa. xviii, 1, 2]

LIX. But we who hope in the Son of God suffer persecution from the unbelievers by whom we are trodden down. For the wings of the ships are the Churches; but the sea is the world, in which the Church is tossed like ^C a ship on the salt of the deep by the waves, and yet does not suffer shipwreck; for it has with it the skilled pilot, Christ. It carries also in its midst the trophy erected against death, for it bears with it the cross of the Lord. For its prow is the East; its stern, the West; its hold and middle capacity, the South; its rudders, the two Testaments; its stretched ropes, the love of Christ binding the Church together; and the line which it carries with it is the laver of regeneration which renews the faithful, from which come those glorious things. Instead of wind there is present

^A the Spirit from the heavens, by whom those who believe in God are sealed. There follow also iron anchors, the holy commandments of Christ themselves, being as powerful as iron. It has also sailors on the right hand and on the left, like holy angels standing by, by whose help the Church is held and guarded. There is in it a ladder leading up to the yardarm, an image of the saving passion of Christ, drawing the faithful to ascend to the heavens. And the standards raised high upon the yardarm are the packed ranks of the prophets, martyrs, and apostles, finders of rest in the kingdom of Christ.

LX. Concerning the tribulation of the persecution, which the adversary will bring upon the Church, John also speaks: ^B ‘And I saw a great and wondrous sign: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And being with child, she cried out, laboring and tormented to give birth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she had given birth, he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a male child, who was to rule all the nations. And her child was caught up to God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that they might feed her there for a thousand two hundred and sixty days 80. And then the dragon, seeing this, persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male. And there were given to the woman ^C two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, where she is fed for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent sent out of his mouth after the woman water like a river, so that he might cause her to be swept away by the river. And the earth helped the woman, and opened its mouth, and swallowed up the river which the serpent had sent out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged against the woman, and went away to make war with the saints of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus 81.’

LXI. By the woman clothed with the sun, he signified most clearly the Church, clothed with the paternal Word, Who shines more brightly than the sun. ^D By saying, ‘the moon under her feet,’ he shows her adorned with heavenly brightness after the manner of the moon. But by saying, ‘upon her head a crown of twelve stars,’ he designates the twelve apostles, through whom the Church was founded. ‘And having in her womb, she cried out, laboring and tormented to give birth,’ because the Church does not cease to bear from her heart the Word, Who suffers persecution in the world by the unfaithful. ‘And she gave birth,’ he says, ‘to a male child, who...

was to rule all nations;’ that is to say, the Church, ^A which constantly gives birth to Christ, the male and perfect Son of God, Who is proclaimed as God and man, teaches all nations. And by saying, ‘Her child was caught up to God and to His throne,’ he signifies that He is a heavenly King, and not an earthly one, He Who is always being born through her, just as David also foresaw, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ ‘And he saw,’ he says, ‘the dragon, and he pursued the woman, who had given birth to the male. And there were given to the woman two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.’ These are the one thousand two hundred and sixty days, ^B the half of the week, during which the tyrant will hold power, persecuting the Church as she flees from city to city, and hiding in the wilderness in the mountains, having with her nothing else but the two wings of the great eagle, that is to say, the faith of Jesus Christ, Who, having stretched out His holy hands on the holy wood, spread out two wings, the right and the left, calling to Himself all who believe in Him, and sheltering them like a hen with her chicks. For indeed, he says through Malachi: ‘And to you who fear My name, the Sun of righteousness shall arise; and there is healing in His wings.’

LXII.

LXIII.

^A perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? And now you know what is restraining him, so that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth, and will destroy by the manifestation of his coming; whose coming is in accordance with the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth. And for this reason God will send upon them a working of error, so that they may believe the lie, in order that all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in unrighteousness. ^B Isaiah also says: “Let the ungodly be taken away, so that he may not see the glory of the Lord.”

LXIV. These things therefore being about to happen, beloved, and the one week being divided into two, and the abomination of desolation then appearing, and the two prophets and forerunners of the Lord having finished their own course, and the whole world now approaching its consummation; what remains, but that the Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ, the God of heaven, should appear, in whom we have hoped? Who is to bring the conflagration and the righteous judgment upon all those who have not believed in him. For the Lord says: ^C “As these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption has drawn near. And not a hair of your head will perish. For as the lightning flashes from the east and shines to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” Now a corpse occurred in paradise; for there Adam fell. And he says again: “Then the Son of Man will send his angels, and will gather together his elect from the four winds of heaven.” David also, foretelling the judgment and the apparition of the Lord, says: “His going forth is from the end of heaven, and his circuit is to the end of heaven; and there is no one who will be hidden from his heat.” By heat, he calls the conflagration the heat. Isaiah likewise: “Go, my people, enter into your inner room; ^D close your door; hide yourself for a little while, until the wrath of the Lord has passed.” Paul likewise: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

LXV. Concerning the Resurrection and the Kingdom of the Saints

Daniel says: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Isaiah also says: “The dead shall rise, and those who are in the tombs shall awake, for the dew which is from you is healing for them.” The Lord says: “Many in that day will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” The prophet also says: “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon you.” ^A John says: “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection; over such the second death has no power.” For the second death is the lake of the burning fire. And again the Lord says: “Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the glory of his Father.” And he will say to the saints: “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” ^B But what does he say to the wicked? “Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels,” which my Father has prepared. John says: “Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who does and loves a lie,” for your portion is in the gehenna of fire. Similarly, Isaiah also says: “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of those who have transgressed against me. Their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched, and they shall be a sight to all flesh.”

LXVI. Concerning the Resurrection of the Just

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Thessalonians about the resurrection of the just, says: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, ^C even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise…

and with the trumpet of God shall descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

LVII. I have set these things forth for you briefly, Theophile, as drawn from the divine Scriptures, so that by guarding with faith what has been written and looking forward to what is to come, you may keep yourself without offense to God and to men, awaiting the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, ^B in which, after raising our saints, He shall rejoice with them, glorifying the Father. To Him be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.

OF SAINT HIPPOLYTUS BISHOP AND MARTYR DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE JEWS

FRANCISCO TURRIANO INTERPRETER.

1. Incline your ear, O Jew, and hear my words, and attend. You often boast that you condemned Jesus the Nazarene to death, and that you offered Him vinegar and gall to drink; and you think this is glorious. Come then, and let us consider together whether you boast unjustly, O Israel, and whether that little vinegar and gall brought this terrible threat upon you; whether it is because of that that you are in these infinite calamities.

II. Let there come forth into the midst, therefore, he who speaks through the Holy Spirit and is truthful, David the son of Jesse. He, while singing certain things prophetically concerning the true Christ, and celebrating our God by the singing of the Holy Spirit, clearly heralded everything that was done by the Jews during His passion; in which Christ, who humbled Himself and put on the form of the servant Adam, as if from our own person, calls upon God the Father who is in heaven, and says in the 68th Psalm: “Save me, O God, for the waters have entered even unto my soul.”

^A I am stuck in the mire of the deep,” that is, into the corruption of Hades, because of the disobedience in paradise; “and there is no substance,” that is, no help. “My eyes failed from hoping in my God, for when He shall come and save me.”

Then, having said these things, Christ speaks henceforth as if from His own person: “‘The things which I did not plunder,’ He says, ‘then I restored,’” that is, those things which I did not sin, for the sin of Adam I endured death. “‘Because, O God, You know my foolishness, and my transgressions from You are not hidden,’” that is, He says, I did not transgress; therefore, “‘let them not be ashamed who wait for me to see my three-day resurrection,’” that is, the apostles. “‘Because on Your account,’” that is, for the sake of obeying You, “‘I have suffered reproach,’” that is, the cross, ^B when the Jews “covered my face with shame;” when “‘I became estranged to my brothers by blood, and a stranger to the sons of my mother,’” that is, the Synagogue. “‘Because the zeal of Your house, Father, has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach You,’” and of those who sacrifice to idols, “‘have fallen upon me.’” Therefore, “‘those who sat in the gates talked against me;’” for they crucified me outside the gate; “‘and they sang against me who drink wine,’” that is, at the feast of the Passover. “‘But I, in my prayer to You, O Lord,’ was saying: ‘Father, forgive them,’” that is, the Gentiles, “because it is the time of the good pleasure of the Gentiles. May not therefore the storm” of temptations “overwhelm me, ^C nor the deep swallow me up,” that is, Hades. “‘For You will not abandon my soul to Hades,’” nor “‘let the pit close its mouth upon me,’” that is, the tomb. “‘For the sake of my enemies, deliver me,’” so that the Jews may not boast, saying, “Let us swallow him up.”

All these things Christ prayed economically as a man, being true God. But, as I have said before, it was the form of a servant that was saying and suffering these things. Wherefore He added, saying: “‘My soul awaited reproach and misery,’” that is, I suffered voluntarily, not because of any force; yet “‘I waited for someone who would sorrow with me, and there was none.’” For all my disciples left me and fled; “‘and I sought for one to comfort me, and did not find.’” ^D

Hear attentively, O Jew, what Christ says: “‘They gave gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.’” And these things He suffered at your hands. Hear the Holy Spirit saying what He repaid you in return for that little vinegar. For the prophet says, as if from the person of God: “‘Let their table become a snare, and for a retribution.’” Which retribution 32 Christ says: “They gave into my food gall, and into my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” For it is written in the sixty-eighth Psalm in the person of Christ: “And they gave into my food gall, and into my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Or let the Jews say who he is who says these things in the prophet, and let them demonstrate from history the one who was fed with gall for food and given vinegar to drink.

^A What recompense does he speak of? It is manifest: the misery that now holds you.

VI. Hear then what follows: “Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see.” But you have been darkened in the eyes of your soul with a dark and eternal blindness. For when the true light rose, you wandered as in the night, stumbling and falling in pathless places, as those who have forsaken the way that said: “I am the way.” Then hear what is more urgent: “And bow down their back always.” That is, that they may serve the nations, not for four hundred and thirty years, as in Egypt, nor for seventy, as in Babylon, but always, he says, bow [them] down into slavery. What then do you hope to be delivered from the misery that possesses you, vainly and to no purpose? For what is more astonishing is this: it is not unjustly that he prayed for the blinding of your eyes, but because you covered the eyes of Christ (whose) you were slapping. And for this reason, “bow your back always” into slavery. And because you poured out his blood with wrath, hear the requital: “Pour out upon them thy wrath, and let the fury of thy anger take hold of them.” And: “Let their habitation be desolate”; the famous temple, of course. ^B

VII. But why, O prophet, explain to us, why was the temple devastated? Was it on account of that old construction of the calf? Was it on account of the people’s idolatry? Was it on account of the blood of the prophets? Was it on account of the adultery and fornication of Israel? By no means, he says. For in all those cases they were always deemed worthy of forgiveness and indulgence. But it is because they put to death the Son of the Benefactor, for he is co-eternal with the Father. Whence he says: Let, O Father, “their temple be desolate; for they persecuted him whom thou” for the salvation of the world willingly “didst strike,” that is, they persecuted me with a violent and unjust death. For this is what it signifies, “and they have added to the pain of my wounds.” Firstly, I had pain as a lover of mankind because of the error of the nations, but to this pain they added another for me, having wandered themselves. Therefore, “add iniquity upon their iniquity, and let them not enter into thy justice,” that is, into thy kingdom, “but let them be wiped out of the book of the living, and not be written with the just,” that is, with their holy fathers and patriarchs. ^{C D}

VIII. What do you say to this, O Jew? Neither Matthew nor Paul says these things, but David, your own Christ, who renders and pronounces the fearful judgments against you on account of Christ. And like the great Job, speaking to you who talk against the just and true, he utters thus: You bought Christ like a slave; you came to him like a robber in the garden.

IX. I shall also bring into the middle the prophecy of Solomon concerning Christ, that which openly and clearly, that which to the Jews

them at the present time, but also what will happen to them in the future world on account of the insolence and daring which they committed against the Prince of Life. For the prophet says: "The ungodly reasoned," regarding Christ, saying correctly: "Let us lie in wait for the righteous, because he is difficult for us, and he is opposed to our works and our words, and he reproaches us for our sins against the law, and he boasts that he has the knowledge of God, and he calls himself the Son of God." Then he says: "He is grievous to us even to behold, because his life is unlike others, and his paths are strange. We are considered by him as counterfeit, and he abstains from our ways as from filthiness, and he blesses the final end of the righteous."

And again, hear this, O Jew. No one among the righteous or the prophets called himself the Son of God. Solomon, therefore, says again, as if in the person of the Jews, concerning this righteous one, who is Christ: ^B "That he became unto us a rebuke of our thoughts, and he boasts that he has God as his Father. Let us see, therefore, if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end; for if the righteous one is the Son of God, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hands of those who oppose him. Let us condemn him with a shameful death; for there will be a visitation of him from his words."

And again, David says in the Psalms concerning the future world: "Then Christ shall speak to them in his wrath, and in his anger he shall trouble them." And again, Solomon says concerning Christ and the Jews, that when the righteous one stands in great confidence before the face ^C of those who afflicted him, and of those who rejected his words, they, seeing him, shall be troubled with terrible fear, and they shall be amazed at the unexpectedness of his salvation; and they shall say within themselves, acting in repentance, and groaning for the anguish of spirit: "This is he whom we once held in derision and as a proverb of reproach. We fools accounted his life as madness, and his end as without honor. How is he numbered among the sons of God, and his lot is with the saints? Therefore we have wandered from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness has not shone upon us, and the sun has not risen upon us. We have filled ourselves with the paths of iniquity and destruction. We have traveled through pathless ^D deserts, but we have not known the way of the Lord. What has our pride profited us? All those things have passed away like a shadow."

OF SAINT HIPPOLYTUS FROM THE DISCOURSE TO THE GREEKS ENTITLED AGAINST PLATO, ON THE CAUSE OF THE UNIVERSE

^A I. And that is the place of the demons. Now it is necessary to speak about Hades, in which the souls of the just and of the unjust are contained. Hades is a region in the creation, unconstructed and unadorned; it is a subterranean receptacle in which the light of the world does not shine. Since, therefore, the light of this world does not shine in this region, it is necessary that there be perpetual darkness. That region has been assigned as a prison for souls, in which guardian angels have been established, distributing to each according to their deeds the temporary punishments for their ways; and in this region a certain place is set apart, a lake of unquenchable fire, into which we suppose that no one has yet been cast or thrust; but it has been prepared for the day predetermined by God, when ^B

^A one sentence of righteous judgment shall be justly rendered for all. And the unjust, who have disobeyed God and honored as God the vain works of human hands, the idols—they, having become causes of defilements, shall be adjudged to this eternal punishment. But the righteous shall attain to the incorruptible and unending kingdom. They are indeed now contained in Hades, but not in the same place as the unjust. For there is one descent to this region, at the gate of which we believe an archangel is set with an army. Having passed through this gate, those who are led down by the angels appointed over souls do not journey by one and the same road; but the righteous, being led to the right through the light, and hymned ^B by the angels stationed there in their places, are brought into a luminous region. In this place the righteous from the beginning live, not held by necessity, but always enjoying the vision of the good things seen, and gladdened by the expectation of those things that are new each time, deeming them better than the present ones. To them, this place does not beget toil; there is no heat, no cold, no thorn in it, but only the smile of the face of the righteous fathers, who ever look upon them, waiting after this region for rest and eternal revival in heaven. And the name we call this place is the bosom of Abraham. But the unjust are dragged to the left by tormenting angels, no longer proceeding willingly, but being dragged as prisoners with force, by whom the ^C angels set over them are sent to mock them, and threatening them with a terrifying eye, thrust them into the lower parts; these the angels set over them drag when led along until they are near Gehenna. Those who are nearer indeed constantly hear its boiling, and are not without its vapor and heat. But from this very close sight, seeing the terrifying and exceeding vision of the fire, they are frozen, cast down by the expectation of the future judgment, being already in potentiality punished. But also there ^D they see the region of the fathers and the righteous, and

^A they are punished by this very fact. For a deep and great chaos is fixed between, so that neither a righteous man, moved by compassion, can cross ^B over and be received, nor can any unjust man dare to cross it.

II. And these things were to be said concerning Hades, in which the souls of all are held until the time which God has determined—at which time he will bring about the resurrection of all, not by transferring souls from one body to another, but by raising up the very bodies themselves. If, seeing them dissolved, you deny the faith, O Greeks, learn not to be incredulous. For having believed that the soul was created and made immortal by God—according to the teaching ^C of Plato—do not, by reason of time, disbelieve that God is also able to make the body, which was composed and fashioned from the same elements, immortal, calling it back to life. For it will not be said of God that the one is possible and the other impossible. We, therefore, believe that the body also will rise again. For if it is corrupted, it is not completely destroyed; for the earth receiving its remains guards them; and, having become like seeds and intertwined with the richness of the earth, it blooms. And that which is sown is sown as a naked grain, but at the command ^D of the creating God it rises flourishing, clothed, and glorious, not until it has died, been dissolved, and mingled with the earth. So that we do not believe in the resurrection of bodies in vain. For even though the body is dissolved for a time, on account of the transgression committed from the beginning, it is committed to the earth as if to a furnace, to be formed again at some point: it will rise, not such as it is now, but pure and no longer subject to corruption. And to each body its own soul will be restored; and clothed in it, it will not grieve, but will rejoice with it, pure inhabiting the pure. To it, having now in the world justly acted as a companion, and having in nothing been its adversary, it will again receive it with all joy. But the unjust will not receive bodies that have been changed, nor freed from passions or diseases, nor will they receive them glorified; but they will certainly be judged in those in which they ended their life.

III. For all, whether just or unjust, will be led before God the Word. For to him the Father has given all judgment. And he, fulfilling the will of the Father, will arrive as judge; he, I say, whom we call Christ. For neither Minos nor Rhadamanthus, whom you Greeks imagine, will be the judges; but that one whom God and the Father has glorified, concerning whom we have discoursed more in detail in other places for the sake of those who seek the truth.

^A He, exercising the just judgment of the Father upon all, has prepared what is equitable and just for each according to his works. Standing before whose judgment, all—both men and angels and demons—will utter this one voice, saying: "Just is your judgment." The equity of this voice appears in the retribution for both: since for those who have done well, eternal enjoyment is justly provided, while for those who are lovers of evil things, eternal punishment is dealt out. And for these, an unquenchable fire remains that will never be brought to an end, and a fiery worm that does not die, nor does it consume the body, but it remains, boiling and seething forth from the body with unceasing pain. No sleep will bring to them cessation and rest; no night will soothe or soften their pains; no death will solve their tortures; no exhortation of kinsmen interceding will profit them. For the righteous are no longer seen by them, nor are they worthy of any memory. ^B But the righteous alone will be mindful of the righteous deeds through which they attained to the heavenly kingdom: in which there is no sleep, nor pain, nor corruption, nor anxiety, nor night, nor day measured by time, nor sun driving its course by a certain necessity through the circle of the heaven, setting the measures of the hours or of the turning points, and marking out the hours to make the life of men easily known; no moon waning or waxing, which brings about the changes of the seasons and wets the earth; no burning sun, no revolving Bear, no rising of Orion, no numberless errors of the stars, no inaccessible land, nor porch of paradise difficult to find, nor grievous roaring of the sea preventing him who is carried from walking upon it; for even this will be passable for the righteous, even though it may not be deprived of moisture. ^C Heaven will not be inaccessible to men, and the way by which one may ascend and climb will not be such that it cannot be found. There will not be a land rough and uncultivated, creating labor and trouble for men, but one springing forth fruits spontaneously for cultivation and adornment. There will be no repeated generations of wild beasts, nor seething and boiling substance of other animals. For neither do men then beget again; but the number of the righteous remains unfailing, together with the righteous angels and spirits. Having obeyed these words, O men, and believing those things, you will be companions of the righteous ^D and will obtain the future blessings which "neither eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor have they ascended into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him." To Him be glory and power unto the ages of the ages. Amen.

OF SAINT HIPPOLYTUS, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR, AGAINST THE HERESY OF A CERTAIN NOETUS

^A 1. Others introduce a different doctrine, having become disciples of a certain Noetus, who was a Smyrnean by birth, not long ago. He, being puffed up and carried away by pride, elate with the estimation of an alien spirit, declared that Christ is the Father himself, and that the Father himself was born, suffered, and died. See how great a pride of heart and inflation of an alien spirit entered into him. Now, therefore, it is detected from his other acts that he did not speak with a clean spirit; for he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit is cast out from the divine lot. He asserted that he himself was Moses, and his brother Aaron. When the blessed presbyters heard these things, they summoned him and examined him before the church. He, however, denied at first that he held such opinions. But afterwards, lurking among certain people and having gathered others who were in the same error, he wished to defend his dogma openly. The presbyters summoned him again and refuted him. But he resisted, saying, "What evil, then, do I do, glorifying Christ?" To him the presbyters answered: "We also truly know one God; we know Christ; we know ^{B C}

the Son who suffered just as he suffered, died just as he died, rose again on the third day, and is at the right hand of the Father, and who is coming to judge the living and the dead." And these things we say which we have learned. Then they convicted him and cast him out of the church ^A; for he had reached such a point of pride that he began to set up a school.

These also wish to establish a basis for their dogma, saying: "It is said in the Law, 'I am the God of your fathers; there shall be no other gods for you besides me.' And again in another place, 'I,' he says, 'am the first, and I am the last, and beside me there is no one.'" Thus they assert that they prove there is one God. To whom they reply: "If, therefore, we confess Christ to be God, then he himself is the Father, if indeed he is God; but Christ suffered, being himself God; therefore the Father suffered. For he was the Father." But it is not so; nor do the Scriptures relate it thus. They use also other testimonies, saying thus: "It is written: 'This is our God; no other shall be reckoned alongside him. He has found out every path of knowledge, and gave it to Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved; after these things he appeared on earth and conversed with men.'" "You see, then," he says, "that this is God, who is alone, and afterward appeared on earth, and conversed with men." And in another place, he says, "the Scripture says: 'Egypt has labored, and the merchandise of the Ethiopians and the Sabeans, men of tall stature, shall pass over to you; and they shall be your servants, and shall walk behind you bound in shackles, and they shall worship in you, because God is in you; and they shall pray in you, because there is no God beside you. For you are God, and we did not know, the God of Israel, the Savior.'" "You see," he says, "how the Scriptures proclaim one God?" Because this is clearly declared, and since these things are thus testified, it is necessary, one having been established by confession, to subject this one to suffering. "For Christ was God, and suffered for our sakes, himself being the Father, so that he might be able to save us." "Other than this," he says, "we cannot say; for even the Apostle confesses one God, saying, 'Whose are the fathers, of whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is God blessed for ever.'"

^B II. They wish, however, to establish and confirm their dogma because it is in the Law: "I am the God of your fathers; there shall be no other gods for you besides me." And again in another place, "I am the first, and I am the last; and after me there is no other." Thus they claim to prove that there is one God. And they answer: "If we confess Christ to be God, then he is the Father, if he is God; but Christ, being God, has suffered; therefore the Father has suffered. For he himself was the Father." But it is not so; for the Scriptures do not interpret it in this way. Moreover, they use other testimonies. For they say it is written to this effect: "This is our God; no other will be regarded alongside him. He has discovered every path of knowledge, and has given it to Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved; ^C after these things he was seen on earth, and conversed with men." "You see, therefore," he says, "that this is God, who is alone, and later was seen on earth, and conversed with men?" And in another place he says: "Labor has come through Egypt, and the merchandise of the Ethiopians and the Sabeans; tall men shall pass over to you; and they shall be your servants; and they shall walk behind you bound in shackles of their hands, and they shall worship in you, because God is in you; and they shall pray in you, because there is no God besides you. For you are God, and we did not know, the God of Israel, the Savior." "You see," he says, "how the Scriptures preach one God? Since this has been openly declared, since these things have been thus attested; it is necessary, one being established by confession, to subject this one to suffering. For Christ was God, and suffered for us while he was the Father, so that he might be able to save us." "For we cannot," he says, "say otherwise; since the Apostle confesses one God when he says: 'Whose are the fathers, from whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is God blessed for ever.'"

^D III. Thus they wish to recount these things, and to use mutilated passages, just as Theodotus did when he wished to prove Christ was [alt-version omitted]

a mere man. But neither they nor those others have understood the truth, as the Scriptures themselves refute their ignorance, testifying to the truth. ^A See, brothers, how rash and daring a dogma they have introduced, shamelessly saying: "Christ himself is the Father, he himself is the Son, he himself was born, he himself suffered, he himself raised himself from the dead." But it is not so; for the Scriptures speak correctly, but Noetus understands them differently. Yet it does not follow that because Noetus does not understand, the Scriptures are to be rejected. For who would not say that there is one God? Yet he would not immediately deny the economy (that is, the incarnation). ^B Therefore, it is necessary first to refute these points according to their mindset, but then to explain them according to the truth. For it is truly necessary first to set forth that the Father is one God, "from whom every paternity, through whom are all things, and from whom are all things, and we in him."

IV. Let us see, as I said, his refutation, then we will set forth the truth. For he says: "Egypt hath labored, and the merchandise of the Ethiopians, and of the Sabeans," ^C and what follows up to the place where he says: "Thou art the God of Israel, the Savior." He recites these things, not understanding what was said before. For when they wish to act maliciously and with evil intent, they mangle the Scriptures. But let him recite it in its entirety, and he will find the cause for which these things are said. For a little above is the beginning of the passage; from where it is necessary to begin in order to teach to whom and concerning whom he speaks. For the beginning of the passage above has it thus: ^D "Ask me concerning my sons and my daughters, and concerning the works of my hands command me. I made the earth and man upon it. I with my hand established the heaven. I have commanded all the stars. I raised him up, and all his ways are right. He shall build my city, and shall turn away my captivity, not for price, nor for rewards, said the Lord of Sabaoth. Thus said the Lord of Sabaoth: Egypt hath labored, and the merchandise of the Ethiopians and of the Sabeans, men of stature shall pass over unto thee, and they shall be thy servants; and they shall follow thee bound in hand-chains, and they shall worship in thee, and they shall pray in thee; because God is in thee, and there is no God besides thee. For thou art God, and we knew it not; the God of Israel, the Savior. In thee, therefore, he says, is God." But in whom is God, except in Christ Jesus, the Word of the Father, and in the mystery of the economy, that is, of the incarnation? Concerning whom, again teaching, he signifies his flesh when he says: "I raised him up with justice, and all his ways are right." What then? Concerning whom does the Father testify in this place? The Father says concerning the Son: "I raised him up with justice." That the Father raised his Son in justice, the apostle Paul testifies, when he says: "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead dwell in you; he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead"

will also vivify your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwells in you. Behold, that which was spoken through the prophet is confirmed: "I have raised up with justice." And the statement that "God is in thee" demonstrated the mystery of the Economy, that while the Word was made flesh and became man, the Father was in the Son, and the Son in the Father, the Son being ^A conversant among men. This, therefore, was signified, brethren, that this Word was truly the mystery of the Economy from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin, having produced one Son for God. But this I do not say; the One who descended from heaven himself testifies to it, for so he says: "No man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven." What, then, does he seek beyond what has been said? Will he perhaps say that there was flesh in heaven? There is, indeed, the flesh which was offered by the Word of the Father as a gift; the ^B flesh, I say, manifested from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin, having been shown to be the perfect Son of God. It is manifest, therefore, that he himself offered himself to the Father. But before this, there was no flesh in heaven. Who, then, was in heaven, if not the Word without flesh, who was sent in order that he who was on earth might show himself to be also in heaven? For the Word was, the Spirit was, the Power was. He took into himself this common name, which is also comprehensible to men, being called from the beginning the Son of man on account of the future, ^C although he was not yet man, as Daniel testifies, saying: "I beheld, and lo, one like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven." Rightly, therefore, did he who was in heaven with this name, being this from the beginning, say that he was called the Word of God from the beginning.

"But," he says, "what does he say to me in another place: 'This is God; no other shall be accounted equivalent to him'?" Well said. For who shall be accounted equivalent to the Father? And what he says: "This is our God; no other shall be accounted equivalent to him. He found out all the way of knowledge, and gave it to Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved by him." Well said. For who ^D is Jacob his servant, and Israel his beloved by him, but this one about whom he cries out, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him"? Having therefore received all the knowledge from the Father, the perfect Israel, the true Jacob, afterward appeared on the earth and associated with men. And who is Israel, but the man who sees God? But seeing God...

^A no one sees God, except only the child and perfect man, and the only one who has recounted the counsel of the Father. For John also says: “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he has recounted it.” And again: “He who descends from heaven, what he has heard and seen, he testifies.” This, therefore, is he to whom the Father has given all knowledge, who appeared on the earth and associated with men.

VI. But what the Apostle says: “Whose are the fathers, from whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed for ever,” ^B he narrates the mystery of the truth beautifully and clearly. This one who is over all is God, for he speaks thus with boldness: “All things have been delivered to me by the Father.” The one who is over all, God blessed, has been begotten, and having become man, is God for ever. For thus also John said: “He who is, and who was, and who is coming, the God Almighty.” He rightly called Christ Almighty. For he said this which Christ himself will also testify. For testifying, Christ said: “All things have been delivered to me by the Father”; and he holds dominion over all; Christ was established Almighty by the Father. And now also Paul, showing that all things have been delivered to him, said thus: “The firstfruits Christ, then those who are Christ’s at his coming; then the end, when he shall deliver the kingdom to God and the Father; when he shall have abolished every principality and every power and virtue. For he must reign until he puts all enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be abolished is death. For he has subjected all things under his feet. But when he says: All things are subjected to him, it is clear that it is except the one who subjected all things to him. Then also the Son himself shall be subjected to the one who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all.” ^C If, therefore, all things are subjected to him except the one who subjected all things, he holds dominion over all; but the Father holds his dominion: that God may be revealed as one in all, to whom all things are subjected together with Christ, to whom the Father subjected all things except himself. For Christ said this, as in the Gospel he confessed both his own Father and God. For he says thus: “I am going to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.” If therefore Noetus dares to say that he is the Father, to which Father will he say that Christ is going, according to the evangelical voice? And if he claims... ^D

that, having abandoned the Gospel, one should believe in his own folly, he labors in vain; for “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts v, 29).

VI. If, however, he should say: “He Himself said: ‘I and the Father are one’” (John x, 30), let him pay attention to the mind and learn that He did not say: “I and the Father am one,” but “are one.” For “are” is not said of one, but He pointed out two persons, yet one power or virtue. He Himself explained this when He spoke to the Father concerning the disciples: “The glory which You gave Me, I have given them, that they may be one, just as We are one. I in them, and You in Me; that they may be perfect in one, that the world may know that You sent Me” (John xvii, 22, 23). What can the Noetians say to this? Are all of them one body according to substance, or are we made one by the power and disposition of unanimity and concord? In the same way the Son, who was sent and was not recognized by those who were in the world, confessed that He was in the Father by power and disposition. For the Son is one mind with the Father. We who have the mind of the Father believe thus; but those who do not have the mind have denied the Son. And if they should also wish to quote what was asked by Philip regarding the Father, saying: “Show us the Father, and it is enough for us,” to whom the Lord replied, saying: “Have I been with you for so long a time, Philip, and you have not known Me? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?” (John xiv, 8, 9), and if they wish to say that through this their dogma is confirmed, since He Himself confesses that He is the Father, let them know that they are bringing the greatest contradiction upon themselves, being refuted and convicted by the very text itself. For since Christ had said and shown Himself in all things to be the Son, they did not recognize Him, nor were they able to understand or contemplate His power. And because Philip could not grasp this, insofar as it was possible to see, he asked to see the Father. To whom the Lord said: “Philip, have I been with you for so long a time, and you have not known Me? He who has seen Me, has seen the Father.” That is to say: If you have seen Me, you can know the Father through Me. For by ^B the ^C image which is comparable, the Father becomes known. ^D

But if you have not known the image, which is the Son, how do you wish to see the Father? That these things are so, the words added to the chapter and those that follow make clear; which signify that the ^A Son is proposed as sent by the Father and proceeding to the Father.

VIII. Many other things—indeed, everything—bear witness to this truth. Therefore, even if he is unwilling, he must confess the Father to be God Almighty, and Christ Jesus to be the Son of God, having become God and man, to whom the Father has subjected all things except Himself, and the Holy Spirit, and that these are truly three. But if he wishes to learn how one God is demonstrated, let him know that there is one power of this [God]. And as far as power is concerned, God is one; but as far as the economy ^B or disposition is concerned, the manifestation is threefold, as will be demonstrated later when we render an account concerning the truth. These things, therefore, brothers, are shown to us as having been spoken in harmony. For there is one God whom we must believe: unbegotten, impassible, immortal, doing all things as He wills, how He wills, when He wills. What, then, will Noetus dare to say to these things, not understanding the truth? Since, therefore, Noetus has already been refuted, let us come to the demonstration of the truth, that we may establish the truth against which so many and such great heresies ^C have arisen, being able to say nothing.

IX. There is one God, whom we do not recognize from another source, brothers, than from the holy Scriptures. For just as if anyone should wish to practice the wisdom of this world, he will not be able to attain this unless he peruses the dogmas of the philosophers; so, whoever of us wishes to practice piety toward God will learn it from no other source than the divine Scriptures. Whatever, therefore ^D the holy Scriptures proclaim, let us see, and whatever they teach, let us understand, and as the Father wills our belief to be...

let us believe; and as he wills the Son to be glorified, let us glorify him; and as he wills the Holy Spirit to be bestowed, let us receive him. Not according to our own inclination, nor according to our own mind, nor by forcing those things which have been given by God; but in the manner that he himself willed to show through the holy Scriptures, so let us see.

God, being alone and having nothing coeval with himself, willed to create the world. Thinking of the world, and willing, and speaking, he brought it into being, and that which was made stood forth immediately as he had willed. It is sufficient, therefore, for us to know only that nothing is coeval with God. There was nothing except him; and being alone, he was multiple 88. For he was not without reason, nor without wisdom, nor without power, nor without counsel. Everything was in him, and he himself was all. When he willed 89, even as he willed, he showed forth his Word at times defined by him, through whom he made all things. When he wills, he acts; when he contemplates, he brings to completion; when he speaks, he manifests; when he forms, he acts with wisdom. For all things that were made are fashioned through reason and wisdom, creating by reason and adorning with wisdom. He made, therefore, as he willed, for he was God. Of the things that were coming into being, he begot the Word 90 as leader and counselor and worker; which Word, having in himself—and being ^A invisible to the world that was being created—he renders visible, bringing forth a prior voice, and begetting light from light 91, he produced for creation a Lord, his own mind 92—who indeed was previously visible to him alone, but was invisible ^B to the world that was being created—he renders visible, in order that the world, through seeing him who appeared, might be able to be saved.

Ⅺ. And thus, another stood by him. But in saying 93 another, I do not mean two Gods, but as light from light, or as water from a spring, or as a ray from the sun. For there is one power which is from the whole; but the whole is the Father, from whom is the power, the Word. This truly is the mind 94, which going forth into the world was shown as the Son of God. All things, therefore, are through him, while he himself is alone from the Father. Who, therefore, comes forward ^C to say...

^A that a multitude of gods is brought forward from time to time? For everyone is forced, even against their will, to admit that all things flow back to one. If, therefore, all things flow back to one, even according to Valentinus, and Marcion, and Cerinthus, and all their drivel, they have fallen into this, even against their will, that they must confess the one cause of all things. Thus, then, even they, though unwilling, concur with the truth in saying that there is one God who made all things as he willed. This one gave the law and the prophets, and by giving it, he compelled them to speak through the Holy Spirit, in order that, having received the inspiration of the Father's power, they might announce the counsel and will of the Father.

XII. In these things, therefore, the Word was engaged, speaking of himself. For he was already his own herald; and he was showing that it would come to pass that the Word would appear among men. For this reason he cried out thus: «I became manifest to those who did not seek me; I was found by those who did not inquire for me.» But who is it that has become manifest, if not the Word of the Father? Whom the Father, in sending, showed to men the authority that is his own. Thus, then, the Word became manifest, even as the blessed John says. For he repeats summarily what was said by the prophets, demonstrating that this is the Word through whom all things were made. For he says ^B thus: «In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him, and without him not one thing was made.» And lower down he says: «The world was made through him, and the world knew him not. He came into his own, and his own did not receive him.» If, therefore, he said, the world was made through him, as the Prophet says: «By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established,» ergo this is the Word which was made manifest. Therefore, we perceive the Word incarnate; we understand the Father through him; we believe in the Son; we worship the Holy Spirit. Let us see, therefore, the things that are written, that it was indeed proclaimed that the Word would be made manifest.

XIII. Jeremiah also says: «Who has stood in the ^C counsel of the Lord, and has seen his Word?» But the Word of God alone is visible; the word of a man is audible. When he speaks of seeing the Word, it is necessary for me to believe that this visible one was sent. But there is no other who was sent than the Word. And that he who was sent is he, Peter testifies, when he said to Cornelius the centurion: «God sent his Word to the sons of Israel through the preaching of Jesus Christ. He is God, the Lord of all.» If, therefore, the Word is sent through Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is the will of the Father. ^D

XIV. ^A These things, then, brethren, the Scriptures signify. The blessed John also delivers this economy to us in his Gospel, bearing witness, and he confesses this Word to be God, saying thus: «In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.» If therefore the Word was with God, being God, what then? Will someone say that John speaks of two Gods? I will not say two Gods, but one; yet two Persons, and a third economy, which is the grace of the Holy Spirit. For the Father is one, but there are two Persons, because there is also the Son; and the third is the Holy Spirit. The Father commands, the Word performs, and ^B the Son is manifested, through whom the Father is believed. The economy of concord is gathered into one God; for one is God, who commands—the Father—and who obeys—the Son—and who teaches knowledge—the Holy Spirit. The Father, who is «over all,» and the Son, «through all,» and the Holy Spirit, «in all.» Moreover, we cannot think of one God unless we truly believe in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. For the Jews glorified the Father, but they did not offer thanks, because they did not recognize the Son. The disciples recognized the Son, but not in the Holy Spirit, which is why they also denied him. Therefore, the paternal Word, knowing the economy and the will of the Father—that the Father does not wish to be glorified ^C otherwise than in this way—arose and delivered it to the disciples, saying: «Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,» showing that whoever fails in any one of these, has not perfectly glorified God. For it is through this Trinity that the Father is glorified. For the Father willed, the Son performed, the Holy Spirit manifested. All the Scriptures, therefore, preach concerning this.

XV. ^D But someone will say to me: "You offer me something strange, when you call the Son the Word." For John indeed says "the Word," but otherwise...

he interprets it allegorically. ^A Nay, it is not interpreted allegorically in another way: for in showing that this Word of God was from the beginning and has now been sent, he said afterwards in the Apocalypse: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he who sat upon it is faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are as a flame of fire; and on his head are many diadems; having a name written, which no one knows except himself. And he was clothed in a vesture sprinkled with blood; and his name is called, The Word of God." ^B See then, brethren, how by a symbol the vesture sprinkled with blood described the flesh, through which the impassible Word of God came to undergo passion, just as the prophets bear witness to me. For thus says the blessed Micah: "The house of Jacob provoked the Spirit of the Lord. These are their practices. Are not his words good with them, and do they walk uprightly? But they have risen up in enmity against his peace, they have stripped off his glory." That is, they caused him to suffer in the flesh. Likewise the blessed Paul also says: "For what was impossible for the law, in which it was weak through the flesh; God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be manifested in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." What Son of his own, then, did God send through the flesh, if not the Word, whom he called Son because he was to have a birth? And the Son, being so called, assumes the common name of love toward mankind. ^C For neither was the Word, by himself and without flesh, a perfect Son, although he was the perfect Word, the Only-begotten. Nor was the flesh...

^A able to subsist by itself without the Word, because it had its consistency in the Word; that is, it subsisted in the Word. Thus, therefore, one perfect Son of God was manifested. 12

XVI. And these indeed are the testimonies concerning the incarnation of the Word: and there are very many others. Let us see now what is set before us: that in truth, brethren, the Power of the Father, which is the Word of God, descended from heaven, and not the Father himself. For he says thus: "I went forth from the Father, and I come" (John XVI, 28). But what is it that went forth 12 from the Father, if not the Word? And what is that which was begotten of him, if not the Spirit, that is, the Word? But you will say to me: "How was he begotten?" You cannot explain the account of your own generation, as you were begotten, although you see each day the human cause, and yet you are not able to describe the ^B economy concerning it with precision. For it is not permitted to you to know the experienced and unutterable art of the Creator, but only, by seeing, to understand and believe that man is the work of God. Yet you inquire concerning the generation of the Word, whom God the Father, willing it, begat as he willed. Is it not enough for you to learn that God made the world, but you also dare to seek out from whence he made it? Or is it not enough for you to learn that the Son of God was manifested to you for salvation, if you believe, but you must also curiously investigate how he was begotten according to the Spirit? And whereas it was granted to no more than two 14 to recount his generation according to the flesh, you dare to seek out the account according to the Spirit, which the Father keeps with himself, intending to reveal it then to the saints and to those worthy to see his face? ^C Be content with what was said by Christ: "That which is born of the Spirit, is spirit" (John III, 6). Even as through the Prophet he signifies the generation of the Word, that he has been begotten, but *how* he keeps for a time appointed by himself, intending to reveal it. For he says thus: "From the womb before the morning star I have begotten thee" (Ps. CIX, 3).

These testimonies are sufficient to exercise the faithful in the truth; but the unbelievers believe in nothing. For indeed the Holy Spirit testified in the person of the apostles, saying: "Lord, who hath believed our report?" (Isa. LIII, 1). So that we may not become unbelievers, lest that which is spoken be fulfilled in us. Let us believe, therefore, ^D beloved brethren, according to the tradition of the apostles (15), that God the Word descended from heaven to the holy Virgin Mary, in order that, having been incarnate from her, and having also taken a human soul—and I mean a rational one—being made all things that man is, except sin,

^A to save him who had fallen, and to bestow immortality upon men who would believe in his name. In all things, therefore, the word of truth has been demonstrated to us: that the Father is one, whose Word is present, through whom he made all things; whom the Father, as we said above, sent in later times for the salvation of men. This was proclaimed through the Law and the prophets as one who was to come into the world. Just as he was proclaimed, therefore, so when he was present he manifested himself, having become a new man from the Virgin and the Holy Spirit; possessing the heavenly element as the Father’s, as the Word, but the earthly element as if from the ancient Adam, being incarnate through the Virgin. Having come forth into the world, he appeared as God in a body, having come forth as a perfect man. For he did not become man by imagination or change, but truly.

^B XVIII. Thus, therefore, he who was demonstrated to be God does not refuse his own human conditions, when he hungers and labors, and being weary thirsts; when he flees in fear, and while praying is sorrowful, and sleeps upon a pillow—he who has a sleepless nature as God; when he shrinks from the cup of the passion, he who had come into the world for this very purpose; when he sweats in anxiety and is strengthened by an angel—he who strengthens those who believe in him, and taught them by his work to despise death; when he is betrayed by Judas, he who knew who Judas was; and is dishonored by Caiaphas, he who had shortly before been honored by him as God; when he is scorned by Herod, he who is to judge the whole earth; and is scourged by Pilate, he who took upon himself our infirmities; and is mocked by the soldiers, he whom thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand angels and archangels attend; and is fastened to the wood by the Jews, he who fixed the heaven like a canopy; and crying to the Father he commends his spirit, he who is inseparable from the Father; and bowing his head, he expires, he who said: "I have power to lay down my soul, and I have power to take it up again." That death did not rule over him, seeing that he was Life, he signifies when he said: "I lay it down of myself." And his side is pierced with a lance, he who bestows life upon all; and he is wrapped in a linen cloth and placed in a tomb, he who raises the dead; and on the third day he is raised by the Father, he who is himself the resurrection and the life. For he accomplished all these things for us, who for our sake was made as we are; "for he himself took our infirmities and bore our diseases," and suffered for us, as the prophet Isaiah said. Praised by angels, seen by shepherds, awaited by Simeon, attested by Anna, sought by the magi, signified by a star, he dwelt in the house of the Father, and was pointed out by the finger of John; to whom the Father...

living by the Father's home, and pointed out by John; ^A he who is testified to from above by the Father: "This is my beloved Son, hear him." [Matth. XVII, 5.] This one is crowned against the devil. This is Jesus the Nazarene who was called to the wedding in Cana of Galilee, and changed the water into wine, and rebuked the sea when it was tossed by the violence of the winds, and walked upon the sea as upon dry land, and made the man blind from birth to see, and raised Lazarus who had been dead four days, and performed various miracles, and forgave sins, and gave authority to the disciples, and poured forth blood and water from his holy side, having been pierced by a lance. On account of this, the sun is darkened, the day is not illuminated, rocks are rent, the veil is torn, the foundations of the earth are shaken, graves are opened and the dead rise; and the princes are filled with shame when they see on the cross him who adorned the universe, closing his eyes and yielding up the spirit. ^B When the creation saw this, it was troubled; and since it could not contain his surpassing glory, it wrapped itself in darkness. This one, by breathing on them, gives the Spirit to the disciples, and enters through closed doors; and while the disciples are looking on, he is taken up by a cloud into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father, and is coming as judge of the living and the dead. This is God, who became man for our sake, to whom the Father subjected all things. To him be glory and power, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, in the holy Church, both now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

OF SAINT HIPPOLYTUS, BISHOP OF PORTUS, THAT IS, OF THE HARBOR OF ROME, AND MARTYR OF THE TRUTH,

From the discourse which is by element, *On theology and the incarnation*, against the heretics Beron and Helicon, whose beginning is: "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord Sabaoth, the Seraphim, crying out with unceasing voice, glorify God."

^C I. For by the infinite power of the will of God all things have been made, and those things which have been made are saved, according to their own

^A natural laws, remaining immovable, with God, the maker of all things, and His divine will, by which He has made and moves all things, continuing with them. For the infinite, in no way or manner, admits of motion, not having where nor around what it might be moved. For change in that which is by nature infinite, and which is not of a nature to be moved, is its motion. Wherefore also the Word of God, having truly become man in our image without sin, having performed and suffered humanly what things of the nature are without sin, and having endured for us the circumscription of natural flesh, underwent no change, nor did He experience any mutability whatever in consequence of the emptying; for to Him, the same is done for the Father as is done for the flesh. But just as He was without flesh, He remained exempt ^B from all circumscription; and through the flesh He performed divinely things that are of the Godhead; showing Himself as both, through which He worked in both ways, I say, divinely and humanly, according to that which is truly the true and natural substance; Being and being understood as God infinite and simultaneously circumscribed man, having the perfection of both perfectly, with the same operation, that is, natural property; from which we know the difference between them, always remaining by nature without change. (ζ) But not as some say, by way of comparison, lest we call the same being, in relation to Himself, and beyond what is fitting, greater and lesser. For comparisons exist of things of the same nature, not of those which are of a different nature. For that which is made is not compared in any way of ^C reasoning to God the maker of all things, nor the finite to the infinite, nor the end to the infinity, since they always and in all things differ naturally from one another, but not by way of comparison. Although a certain ineffable and indissoluble union of both has come about in one hypostasis, (25) escaping every knowledge of every created thing entirely. For the divine, as it was before the incarnation, is also after the incarnation, by nature infinite, unconditioned, impassible, incomparable, unalterable, immutable, self-potent; and to say all in a word, subsisting substantially, the only good of infinite power.

Of the same, from the same discourse. II.

II. Therefore, He has truly become, according to the Scriptures, not changed, the God of all, a man without sin; as ^D

^A He alone knows, existing as the natural Artificer of those things which are above sense, having simultaneously in the very saving incarnation produced for the flesh the operation of His own divinity, not circumscribed for it by reason of the emptying; nor even as from His own divinity, so also from the flesh itself naturally emanating; but in whatever things He as incarnate performed divinely, through it [the flesh] those things were manifested. For the flesh did not become (for nature is not changed) the deity, nor did the deity become flesh by nature; but what it was, even when united to the divinity, it remained in nature and operation ^B—as the Savior said: «The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak» (Matt. xxvi, 42)—in which, having performed and suffered those things which belonged to sinless flesh, He made manifest the emptying of His divinity for our sake, which was naturally confirmed by the miracles and the passions of the flesh. For because of this, the God of all became man: that, suffering in the passible flesh, He might redeem our entire race which had been sold to death; and by His impassible divinity working wonders through the flesh, He might lead it back to that immortal and blessed life from which it had fallen, compliant to the devil; and that He might strengthen the holy orders of intellectual substances in heaven toward immutability by the mystery of His incarnation; the work of which is the recapitulation of all things in Him. Therefore, even having been incarnate, He remained God, infinite according to nature, having an operation akin and suitable to Himself: one which, indeed, originates substantially from the divinity, but which is manifested dispensatorily in miracles through His most holy flesh, so that He might be believed to be God, working out the salvation of all through flesh that is weak by nature.

Of the Same, from the Same Discourse. III.

^C III. For indeed, in order that I might clarify by a paradigm that which was said concerning the Savior, my natural word is akin and suitable to me, as I am a soul rational and intellectual, whose natural operation and primary power is to be self-moving, ever-moving, the word naturally flowing from it. Which, having expressed in words and well-traced in characters—the tongue indeed ^D organically, when necessary, brings forth, and with letters artificially—I show it to be heard, not existing through dissimilar things, nor escaping through dissimilar things. For my natural word is not of the tongue and letters, even though I make its utterance through them; but it is mine, because I speak according to nature, and through both, I pronounce it as my own: that is, from my intellectual soul, it has always...

^A naturally derived, and by my bodily tongue, it has been organicaly produced, as I said, when it is appropriate. Just as, therefore, in us—to the extent that we can estimate what is in every way inestimable—the rational power of the soul is produced inconvertibly through our physical tongue, which is according to nature: so also in the glorious incarnation of God, through His most holy flesh, in whatever matters He operated divinely, the operation of the whole deity, which is omnipotent and the maker of all things, was exhibited without change, remaining without any circumscription according to nature, even though ^B it shone through flesh, which is by nature circumscribed. For a nature that is not created according to nature cannot be circumscribed by a generated nature, even if it co-existed with it in a conception that circumscribes all intellect; nor, moreover, can there at any time be a transition of nature and natural operation into it, as long as each remains within its own natural inconvertibility. For the motion that manifests the substance, of which the natural power consists, belongs only to those of common nature; it is by no reasoning possible for a substance of a different nature ^C to be or to become such without change.

Of the same, from the same discourse. IV.

IV. For the mystery of the divine incarnation is known to the apostles, prophets, and teachers to have a double and distinct natural theory in all things, being demonstrative of the perfect deity and the full humanity. Until the Word be recognized as one in substance and of one operation, of which both may be, the motion will never be known at any time. For God, always existing according to nature, having become by super-infinite power, as He willed, a man without sin, is what He was, with whatever attributes God is known; and what He has become, He is, with whatever attributes a man is naturally known to be. Remaining ^D always without fallback according to each nature—those through which He operated both divinely and humanly—He saves within Himself the perfection according to the reason of each in a naturally unchangeable way.

Of the same, from the same discourse. V.

V. For a certain Bero, lately, along with some others, having abandoned the fantasy of Valentinus, became entangled in a worse evil, saying that the flesh assumed by the Word was the very thing that operated what the divinity operated; and that the divinity was capable of suffering together with the flesh on account of the emptying; dogmatizing at once convertibility, commixtion, or confusion, and the change of both into one another. For if the assumed flesh

^A has become a co-worker with the divinity, it is clear that it is also by nature God, with all those attributes by which God is naturally understood. And if the divinity has become emptied and admits of the same passions as the flesh, it is clear that it is also by nature flesh, with all those attributes by which flesh is naturally known to be constituted. For things which are mutually cooperative, and produce the same work, and are wholly of the same nature, and admit of the same passions, do not admit of a difference of nature. And if their natures are confused, Christ will be a duality, and with separated persons, a quaternity—which is most to be avoided. And how, according to them, will he be one and the same, God both by nature and man, Christ? What existence, then, will he have according to them, becoming man by a change of divinity, and God by a transformation of flesh? For the transition of these into one another is the complete destruction of both. Let the discourse now be considered by us in another way.

Of the same, from the same discourse. VI.

VI. A pious dogma has been established for Christian believers, that according to the same nature and operation, and everything else that is commensurate with Him, God is equal to Himself and remains the same, having nothing at all belonging to Him that is unequal or inconsistent with Himself. If, therefore, according to Berones, the flesh that was assumed by Him became of the same operation, there is no doubt that it was also made of the same nature as Him, along with all that belongs to that nature—that is, unoriginatedness, unbegottenness, infinity, eternity, incomprehensibility, and whatever else the theological discourse contemplates most amply in the Godhead according to superiority: and both have suffered change, with neither retaining the essential reason of its own nature. ^B For he who considers the same operation of things of different natures introduces at once a natural confusion and a personal division of them; the natural existence of their properties having become totally unrecognizable through the transmutation.

Of the same, from the same discourse. VII.

VII. But if it was not of the same nature with Him, it will not at any time become of the same natural operation with Him; lest he appear to have an operation that is unequal and inconsistent according to nature, and to have become an alien to his own equality and ^C identity in all those things which are natural to Him, which is thoroughly impious.

Of the same, from the same discourse. VIII.

VIII. But they have been led into this error, having falsely believed that the divine operation which was manifested through the flesh in the miracles became the property of the flesh; by which Christ, substantiating the whole, holds fast that according to which He is understood as God. For they did not know that it is impossible for the operation of a divine nature to become the property of a substance of a different nature without change; nor did they understand that it is not in any way a property of flesh that which is indeed manifested through it, but does not naturally spring from it—even though the proof of this is clear and evident to them. For I, speaking with my tongue and writing with my hand, one and the

same thought of my intellectual soul I manifest through both, not indicating that its natural operation arises naturally from the tongue or the hand; nor does it become their thought, or what is called such, because of its manifestation through both. ^A For no wise man knows the tongue or the hand to be discursive; just as he does not know the all-holy flesh of God to be creating by nature, because of its being assumed and because the divine operation was made clear through it. But with piety he confesses, believing that for the sake of our salvation, and to bind the universe to immutability, the Creator of all things, from the all-holy ever-virgin Mary, by an immaculate conception, without change, having endowed Himself with an intellectual soul together with a sensible body, became man by nature, a stranger to wickedness: being Himself wholly God, and Himself wholly man; Himself wholly God and man together by nature. He acts out divine things by His all-holy flesh by deity—not because these things exist by the nature of the flesh—and He suffers human things by humanity—not because these exist by the nature of deity—by the condescension of the deity. He works nothing divine stripped of the body; nor does He, the same, perform anything human devoid of deity; maintaining for Himself the mode according to both, unchangeable, through which He worked both in a becoming manner, for the approval of His perfect and true incarnation, which has nothing of depravity. ^B Bero, therefore, being thus disposed, as I said, by the monad of operation, confusing the deity and humanity of Christ naturally together, and dividing them personally, destroys the life: ^C ignoring that the same operation is only indicative of the identity of the consubstantiality of people of the same nature.

SYLLOGISMS.

Concerning the divinely wise testimonies, and others, of the same Saint Anastasius.

I. Behold now, this most holy and great doctor, and faithful witness of the truth, in harmony with all the other holy founders of the Catholic and Apostolic Church of God, confesses and proclaims with a loud voice that, just as there are two natures according to the unconfused and indivisible union, so also there are two wills and two operations, agreeing and befitting the natures, divine as has been said, and human, uncreated and created, not beginningless and originated, as of God at once and of man, of one and the same our Lord Jesus Christ, and he bids us confess it without prevarication. ^D He defines it as most difficult, and in every way impossible, that those who wish to live piously should confess one will and operation, or one nature of His deity and humanity. On account of which he rejects and condemns as impious and alien to our immaculate Christian faith those who dogmatize such a thing in him, and protests that we should do this. For concerning the two natures and operations of our Saviour Christ, that I may briefly expound a few things from his sacred utterances, this is evidently set forth.

^A II. Both 40 show themselves, in that he operated in a twofold manner—that is, divinely and humanly—according to the same substance which is truly and naturally real: God immense and at the same time circumscribed, existing as man and understanding, having the essence of each perfectly perfected with its own operation, that is, its natural property. And again: "For nature" 41 "was not made into deity, nor nature changed into flesh, nor the nature of divinity made into flesh; but what it was, even when joined to the deity, it remained," namely, flesh weak and passible in nature and operation, as the Saviour says: "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." And again: "Through which he operated and suffered those things which were of the flesh without sin, for our sake, he showed the emptying of the deity, naturally strengthened by miracles and by the passions of the flesh." And again: "The mystery" 43 "of the divine incarnation is recognized by the apostles, prophets, and teachers as having a twofold and different natural theory in all respects, existing as the undiminished deity and demonstrating the full humanity." And again: "By which he operated both divinely and humanly, saving its perfection in every respect of its natural immutability." And again: "He performed nothing divine naked of the body, nor did he himself bear anything human devoid of divinity; keeping to himself the ^C mode according to both immutable, through which he operated both in a becoming manner, to the approval of his perfect and true incarnation, which contains nothing of depravity."

^B III. But concerning those who dogmatize the one operation and one nature of his deity and humanity, he says: "For the created nature is not circumscribed by that which is by nature uncreated, even if it has coalesced with it through conception, which circumscribes all sense of the mind; nor are they ever turned into the same nature and natural virtue or operation, as long as each remains within its own natural inconvertibility." And again: "For it is only of those things which are of the same nature that the motion is of the same virtue and efficacy, indicating the substance of which it is the natural virtue; since with a substance of diverse nature, the property ^D can by no means exist or come to be without conversion." Likewise: "For those things which are mutually cooperating, and are of the same operation, and of the same origin—if they do not admit a distinction of nature—then with the natures confused, Christ will be a duality, and with the persons divided, there will be a quaternity: which is most to be avoided." And again: If

^A therefore, as the author Bero holds, the flesh assumed by Him was made of the same power or operation, it was clearly made also of the same nature, with all those things that constitute nature—what is without beginning, what is unbegotten, what is infinite, what is eternal, what is incomprehensible, and whatever else of this kind theological discourse contemplates excellently in the Godhead; and both have undergone succession, with neither preserving the substantial rationale of its own nature unharmed beyond this." And again: "For whoever perceives the same operation in things of differing nature introduces both a natural confusion and a natural division of them; the natural substance and existence of these things being entirely unknown and obscured by the exchange of properties." Item: "If it was not made of the same nature as He, it will never be of the same operation." And again: "They have stumbled into this error, badly believing that the divine operation, which was manifested through the flesh in miracles, became the flesh’s own property; by which operation Christ, having founded this whole universe, holds and preserves it in accordance with his being understood as God." And again: "For they did not know that it is impossible for the operation of the divine nature to become a property of another and different substance without convertibility." And again: "As long as the Word is not known as one in operation according to essence, there is no way that the movement of both can be known." And again: "Therefore Bero, who holds as I said, by naturally confusing and personally dividing the Godhead and humanity of Christ in one operation, dissolves life; for he indeed does not know that the same operation signifies only the identity of persons who are of the same nature."

[IV.] Having thus attended to what has been said more clearly by this most sacred and great doctor and martyr of the truth—for it is the same as saying by the most holy Spirit who speaks in him—let those who wish, and especially those who associate with those who have now wrought these novelties, listen diligently; and let them know most certainly that those who deny and reject the two natural wills and operations of our Savior Christ, and call such a sacred and orthodox confession of the Christian dogma impious and alien, and dogmatize one will and operation of His Godhead and humanity, anathematizing those who do not confess in harmony with them, openly and without any covering veil, anathematize the holy prophets and apostles and doctors; or rather, to speak more truly, they anathematize the most holy Spirit who spoke and indeed continues to speak in them, and they deny and reject the sacred and orthodox confession handed down to us by Him through them, and assert that it is impious and alien to the Christian dogma. And just as the aforesaid heretic—or rather as all profane heretics together who have been deceived by confusion, fantasy, and division—they do not merely subvert the mystery of the supersubstantial theology and the incarnate dispensation: ^D while they confess the holy Trinity of Persons as a quaternity, they introduce one of this Trinity, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ, as inanimate and without intellect and without reason, in accordance with the fact that He became man for our sake, and they proclaim at once a convertibility, an intermingling, a mutability, a confusion, and a fantasy and division of each of His natures, and thereby describe the holy ever-virgin Mother of God and Birth-giver of God (Theotokos), Mary, as the mother of a mere man or of some sort of prodigy.

[V.] But then, this, which is clearly by them in it...

^A dogma has been set forth, rejecting one will and one operation, and wishing to confess neither one, nor two—that is, the divine and human will or operation—in Him, or some one from all things. They show themselves, by their own words and dogmas, to be not only unstable and evasive, but even more impious than those heretics who fell into error through confusion, fantasy, and division. For some want Him to have only one will and operation, while others want Him to have none at all, and by this, they render Him unsubstantial and unessential; for to say that He is without a will and powerless according to both natures is less than what they proclaim, since according to sacred definitions and reasons, corruption—that is, the destruction and non-existence of a nature—consists in the infirmity and defect of natural habits, operations, and virtues. And that which is universally deprived of natural will and substantial operation neither exists, nor is it anything, nor is it any essence at all.

^B VI. And they declare not only Him, but also the Father and the Holy Spirit, to be unsubstantial and non-existent. For the existence of both the Father and the Spirit, that is, of the Deity, and the will, and the operation, resides in the Savior, according to which He is and is called God by nature; so that, consequently, they describe our Lady, the truly most holy—she who is to be venerated and praised above all the saints—not properly and truthfully as the Mother of God and ever-virgin, but rather they describe not properly nor truthfully the Mother of God, but the mother of him who, according to them, does not exist at all. And these are indeed caught by such and so great impieties ^C and are made manifest by their own dogmas. But those who, together with the two wills and operations which are piously spoken of by the holy and Catholic founders of the Church in our Savior Christ, wish to confess yet another one, I know not from where they invent it, and who anathematize those who do not harmoniously confess with them one and two—that is, three—wills and operations in Him; nevertheless, these men also anathematize the holy prophets and apostles and doctors, and even Him who spoke in them, nay rather, who even now speaks through them, the most holy Spirit. They renounce the holy and immaculate faith handed down to us by Him through them, adulterating it with new inventions, and they fashion for themselves in the Savior Christ another nature besides the divine and human, a certain alien nature, ^D foreign to all existing things, for which they wish to claim the one will and operation they have invented in Him. Since every natural will and substantial operation are surely the idioms of a nature that is volitional and operative. And every natural operation indicates the substance from which it proceeds and in which it inheres (60): and it indicates a nature’s operation to be that of each being, and it is known as natural; and every nature is recognized by the substantial reason of its own operation, and every nature has an operation that is appropriate to it and signifies itself, distinguishing it from others, and true reason knows the natural operations of substances as their definitions. And to put it concisely, it is established that neither a nature without an operation that characterizes it substantially, nor again a will or operation, exists without some substance—that is, it is possible (61); just as the divine Scriptures proclaim, and the very nature of things cries out.

VII. Therefore, those who invent one will and operation besides the two in the Savior Christ, and out of necessity (62) even fashion another nature besides the divine and human, as has been said, a certain alien one, foreign to all existing things, apply to it what they have already called the one will, which is an empty figment of fictitious thought, and a germ that differs in no way from idolatry. For the Savior, being at once God and man, has only two natures and wills and operations that correspond to Him—that is, the divine and the human—just as our noble preceptors and doctors affirm: not one and two, which is three, as the adversaries dogmatize; whereby they most evidently carry out that which was once spoken by God through the prophet Isaiah as a reproach, namely: "Thy taverners mix wine with water" (Isa. 1, 22). For it is apparent that they too, by adulterating the word of truth after the manner of taverners, force the two sects to confess the natural duality of the wills and operations of our Savior Christ by means of one will and operation—which has been impiously dogmatized in Him by heretics who have been deceived by confusion and division or fantasy—just as if they were mixing wine with water; which is truly impious and foreign to our immaculate Christian faith; and they, who from the opposite direction, similarly to their predecessors, also fall away from the truth by this method. For it is an equal and similar evil, from the opposite direction, to reject and disapprove of the paternal orthodoxy along with heretical opinion, and on the other hand, to confess and approve of this and that alike: "For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?" (II Cor. vi, 14-16), the divine Apostle says. And I for my part ask: What participation, or communication, or concord, or part, or agreement has the paternal orthodoxy with the wicked opinion of the heretics, such that one is proclaimed along with the other, or even rejected?

VIII. And let them also diligently attend to this, because

as that great one named for immortality ^A, or rather the whole chorus of the saints, affirms, that the faith of our Savior almost does not admit him, while he exists as something unstable according to his own logic. But if it has suffered this, and will without doubt sustain what is contrary to this—namely, an addition—how then will faith remain unchanged by defects and advancements? Let them tell us, they say, who create a faith for themselves every day, nay rather, who fashion diverse gods for themselves, since with the word of faith that which is believed is changed and multiplied by such people. Therefore, also the adversaries, condemning different faiths for themselves, without any contradiction according to the quality and quantity and change of their doctrines, simultaneously change and multiply that which is believed, and are shown to have thereby fashioned five Christs. One, they say, has one operation, another indeed has not even one operation, another one will, and another not even one will: furthermore a fifth has one and two, and one and two, that is, three operations and three wills, as they say. And let them say, if they wish, those very people who put forward such doctrines, and who communicate with them, into whom of such and so many Christs fashioned by themselves they have been baptized or are being baptized: or whose body and blood they take and distribute; whether his who has one operation, or his who has not one; his who has one will, or his who has one and two, and one and two, that is, three operations and three wills, and therefore now by necessity also has three natures. But there was no voice and no hearing, as the great prophet Elias says 87, refuting the wicked priests and the pseudo-prophets of confusion.

[IX.] For whatever they may say of these things, from that source their discourse will carry with it along with impiety also refutation; since they do not believe in and baptize into the true and truly existing Christ, nor do they receive and distribute his body and blood. For him, the true one indeed, and he who truly consists, Christ, God at once and man, whom our illustrious teachers and preceptors know, they confess in him two and only two natures, just as also two wills, and as many operations consistent with these—namely, the divine, as it has already been said and proved, and the human, uncreated and created, without beginning and with beginning—and they command us to confess this. But they do not, as these now have made innovations, confess him to have one and not even one, nor two, and again one and two, that is, three wills and operations.

[X.] Furthermore, over all these things which have been said, let them also know this most certainly, that they who dogmatize one and not one, nor two, and again one and two wills and operations, and all things with anathemas and depositions and excommunication, are proven to contradict themselves and one another; and they among themselves and in turn subvert and destroy, alternating words and doctrines, and anatomize themselves and one another, and those who communicate with them, and remove and depose them from every sacred dignity and ministry. They also sequester them from the perception of the unpolluted communion of the life-giving body and blood of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

[XI.] And these things we, seeing and knowing with no veil standing in the way, clearly—not only on account of the multiform error, but also on account of the instability and absurdity and inconsistency of such men and doctrines—keep ourselves with every guard from their impiety and communion, as many as wish to be and to be called Christians in truth. For it is alien to Christians to undertake impiety along with orthodoxy; or to confess the orthodox faith, yet communicate with those who through new inventions deny and adulterate it. On account of which, the divine law and the apostolic one at the same time commands us, that those who have attempted to teach and introduce anything beyond what we have received from the Christ-bearing men 88, we should turn away (65) and anathematize, not only if they be men, but even if they should be angels having descended from heaven. And if we have done this, and have fulfilled the divine precept without prevarication, and have possessed and confessed the sacred and orthodox faith without adulteration simultaneously and innovation; we shall be saved unto eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord: with whom to God and the Father, together with the most holy and good and life-giving Spirit, be glory, honor, dominion, and adoration now and always, and unto the never-ending ages of ages. Amen.

Observations of the honorable Claudius Capperonnier on the Latin Version of the Fragments of Hippolytus, Against Beron and Helix: according to the Fabrician edition.

Anast. version. α Produced by natural laws. β For the change/turnability of him who is devoid of motion is the motion of the infinite (66). γ Remained even with all exception of circumscription.

Greek. Τοῖς ἕκαστα φυσικοῖς διεξαγόμενα νόμοις. Τροπὴ γὰρ τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν ἀπείρου, κινεῖσθαι μὴ πεφυκότος, ἡ κίνησις. Πάσης ἔξω περιγραφῆς μεμένηκε.

Emended. Treated or ordered according to its own laws. Change should not be attributed to him who by his nature is of immobility. The immense cannot be moved. Remained without any circumscription.

^A

According to that which is truly and naturally existent.

Possessing the substance of each perfectly perfect.

But not, as some say, according to comparison: for comparisons are between those of the same nature, and not those which are different; but with God the Creator of all creators, the Infinite, he who sets limits to those that are limited, and by infinity, in no way is the finite compared.

Although in one substance ^B the unity of both has been made.

Showing him to exist through things that are dissimilar, and by not fleeing from those that are dissimilar, showing him to be understood.

As far as we are able to estimate, that which is in all ways inestimable.

Even if through the flesh his finite nature shone forth.

Even if it united with him through a conception that circumscribes every mind.

Nor is it possible for his nature and natural operation to be referred to himself. For the moving force is of those of the same nature only, signifying the substance, whose natural power it is.

So long as the Word is not recognized as one according to substance of a single operation, its motion will never be known by any means.

Remaining always according to each of his own without fall, by which he acted both divinely and humanly: saving the perfection according to the reason of each naturally incommutable.

What substance, according to them, will he have, having become man through the change of divinity, and God through the change of flesh? For the mutual change of these into one another is the total destruction of both.

According to the same nature.

And in all things that are his own, having become outside his natural equality and identity. ^{C D}

^A Christ, who substantiates all things according to that by which He is understood to be God, holds fast that which He contains. ^B Ignorant that the identity of operation is merely significant of the connatural identity of the persons who are of the same nature.

OF SAINT HIPPOLYTUS BISHOP AND MARTYR SERMON ON THE HOLY THEOPHANY

^A 1. The works of our God and Savior are surely all good, and very good; as many as either the eye sees or the mind thinks; as many as speech expresses or the hand touches; as many as the intellect grasps and human nature attains. For what beauty is more multiform than the celestial sphere? Or what appearance on the earthly soil is more flowering and variegated? What is swifter in its course than the solar chariot? What other chariot is more pleasing than the lunar star? And what is more worthy of admiration than the ineffable mosaic work of the stars? What is more fruitful for the yield of crops than timely winds? What mirror is purer than the light of day? What living creature is more preeminent than man? ^B Therefore, the works of our God and Savior are indeed all very good. But what gift is found to be more necessary than the nature of water? For there is nothing that is not washed, nourished, purified, and irrigated by waters. Water bears the earth, water produces the dew, it gladdens the vine; water brings the ear of corn to maturity, it rids the grape of its sourness, it softens the olive, it sweetens the date; water paints the rose with a red color, it pushes forth the flower of the violet, it nourishes the lily to be seen in its splendid calyxes. And why do I use many words? Without the nature of water, nothing of the things we see is able to consist; so necessary is it that, while other elements have taken their dwelling place beneath the vaulted heavens, the nature of water has taken its station even above the heavens. And the Prophet himself is witness to this fact, crying out: “Praise the Lord, ye heavens of heavens, and the water that is above the heavens.” ^C

^A Nor does this alone establish the trustworthiness of the water, but also what is more venerable than all things: that Christ, the Creator of all, descended like rain, and was known as a spring, and was distributed like a river, and was baptized in the Jordan. For you heard just now how Jesus came to John and was baptized by him in the Jordan. O wonderful things! How is it that the infinite river which gladdens the city of God was washed in a little water? The incomprehensible spring, which causes life to sprout for all men and has no end, was covered by meager and temporal waters. He who is present everywhere and is nowhere absent, who is incomprehensible to angels and invisible to human sight, comes to baptism as it pleased Him. When you hear these things, beloved, do not understand what is said according to a natural sense, but accept what is put before you as a dispensation. Therefore, the very nature of the waters did not remain unaware that the Lord, in His love for mankind, was humbling Himself and working in secret. “For the waters saw Him and were afraid.” They were all but troubled and fled from their boundaries. Whence the Prophet, having seen this long before it happened, questions them and says: “What is it to you, O sea, that you fled? And you, Jordan, that you turned back?” But they responded and said: “We saw the Creator of all in the form of a servant, and, for we did not understand the mystery of the dispensation, we were shaken with fear.”

^{B C} III. But we, to whom that dispensation is now known, adore His mercy, because He came to save the world, not to judge it. Whence also John, the forerunner of the Lord, having been taught and having understood this mystery which he had not known before—namely, that He was truly the Lord—cried out to those who had come to be baptized by him: “Brood of vipers, why do you gaze upon me so intently? I am not the Christ; I am a minister, not the master; I am a private citizen, not a king; I am a sheep, not the shepherd; I am a man, not God. I loosed the barrenness of my mother when I was born, I did not make virginity barren. I emerged from below, I did not descend from above. I bound my father’s tongue, I did not unfold divine grace. I was known by a mother, I was not signaled by a star. I am mean and the least, but there comes after me He who is before me; after me indeed in terms of time, but before me because of the inaccessible and ineffable light of His divinity. He comes who is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ^D I am subject to power, He possesses power by Himself. I am guilty of sins, He is the remover of sins. I inculcate the law, He brings forward the light of grace. I instruct as a slave, He judges as Master. I have the earth for a bed, He possesses the heaven.

^A For He bestows the gift of adoption; He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Why do you give attention to me? I am not the Christ.

IV. ^B When John had said these things to the multitude, and the people waited with heads raised to behold some new spectacle with their bodily eyes, while the devil was also struck with amazement at such testimony from John; behold, the Lord is present, plain, alone, naked, without retinue, clothed in the human body as with a garment, hiding the dignity of His divinity so that He might elude the wiles of the dragon. And not only did the Lord come to John without royal guard, but also, as a plain man subject to sins, He bowed His head to be baptized by John. When he saw such condescension, John, stunned by the wonder of the thing, began to restrain Him, saying, as you have just heard: "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" What are you doing, O Master? You are ordaining things out of order. I preached one thing concerning You, and You do another. The devil heard one thing, and sees another. Baptize me with the fire of the divinity; why do you wait for the water? Enlighten me with the Spirit; why do you await a created thing? Baptize me, the baptizer, that Your prerogative may be known. I, Master, baptize the baptism of repentance, and I cannot baptize those who come to me unless they have first confessed their sins. Even if I were willing to baptize You, what do You have to confess? You are He who takes away sins, and You wish to be baptized with the baptism of repentance? Even if I should endure to baptize You, the Jordan does not dare to draw closer to You: "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?"

V. What, then, does the Lord answer him? "Permit it now, for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness." Permit it now, John, you are not wiser than I. You as a man look on; I as God foreknow. It behooves Me to do first, and thus to teach. I undergo nothing indecorous, for I am completely clothed in decorum. Do you marvel, O John, that I have not come with the insignia of My dignity? For royal purple does not befit a private citizen; but military attire befits a king: for have I not come against a tyrant, rather than to a friend? ^C But permit it now, for thus it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness. I am the fulfiller of the law, I wish to leave nothing omitted toward the fulfillment of the whole, so that after Me Paul may be able to cry out: "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Permit it now, for thus it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness. Baptize me, John, so that no one may despise baptism. I am baptized by You, the servant, so that no one among kings or the powerful may disdain to be baptized by a lowly priest. Permit me to descend into the Jordan, that they may hear the Father’s testimony, and recognize the power of the Son. Permit it now; for thus it becomes every one

^A of us to fulfill all righteousness. Then John permits him; and Jesus being baptized, forthwith ascended from the water; and the heavens were opened unto him, and lo, the Spirit of God descending in the form of a dove, and remaining upon him. And a voice from heaven saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

VI. You see, beloved, what and how great were the good things we would have suffered the loss of, if the Lord had yielded to John’s entreaty and had declined the baptism? For the heavens were closed before this, the region above was inaccessible. Into the lower parts we had descended; but to the higher parts we did not ascend again. But was it merely the Lord who was baptized? He both renewed the old man, and again entrusted to him the scepter of adoption. For straightway ^B “the heavens were opened unto him.” A reconciliation was made between visible and invisible things; the celestial orders were filled with joy; diseases on earth were healed; things that were hidden were made manifest; those things which were in the number of enemies were restored as friends. For you heard the evangelist saying: “The heavens were opened unto him,” for the sake of three marvels. For the bridegroom Christ being baptized, it was fitting that the celestial bridal chamber should open its bright gates. Likewise, also with the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove, and the Father’s voice running through every place, it was fitting that the “celestial gates should be raised up.” And lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and a voice came, saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

^C VII. Beloved begets love, and immaterial light begets inaccessible light. “This is my beloved Son,” who appeared below, and yet was not separated from the Father’s bosom: he appeared and did not appear. For it is one thing that which appeared; indeed, as he appeared, the one baptizing was superior to the one being baptized. Therefore, the Father from heaven sent down the Holy Spirit upon the one being baptized. For just as in the ark of Noah the love of God toward men is signified by a dove, so also now the Spirit, descending in the form of a dove, as though bearing the fruit of an olive tree, rested upon him to whom testimony was borne. Why? So that the Fatherly voice also might be established as certain and firm, and that faith might be had in the prophetic prediction made many times before. What is that? “The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thundered, the Lord is upon many ^D waters.” What voice? “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” This is he who is named the son of Joseph, and is my Only-begotten according to the divine essence. “This is my beloved Son”: he who hungers, and feeds myriads; and who toils, and gives rest to those who toil; who has not where to lay his head, and yet bears all things in his hand; who suffers, and heals the passions; who is smitten with blows, and grants freedom to the world; who is pierced in his side,

^A and corrects the side of Adam.

VIII. But apply your mind to me, I beseech you, with attention; for I wish to run back to the fountain of life, and to behold the fountain gushing forth with healings. The Father of immortality sent the immortal Son and Word into the world; who, having come to man, to wash them with water and Spirit; and having regenerated them to the incorruptibility of soul and body, breathed into us the spirit of life, and clothed us with an incorruptible panoply. If, therefore, man has become immortal, he shall also be God. And if he becomes God through water and the Holy Spirit after the regeneration of the laver, he is found to be also a co-heir of Christ after the resurrection from the dead. Therefore, I proclaim with the voice of a herald: Come, all you tribes of the nations, to the immortality of baptism. I announce life to you who are still dwelling in the darkness of ignorance. Come from slavery to freedom, from tyranny to the kingdom, from corruption to incorruptibility. And how, you say, shall we come? How? Through water and the Holy Spirit. This is the water joined with the Spirit, by which ^B paradise is watered, the earth is enriched, plants receive their increase, and animals are brought forth; and, to encompass all things in brief, through which man is regenerated and vivified, in which Christ was baptized, and into which the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove.

IX. This is the Spirit who from the beginning was moving over the waters; by whom the world is moved, by whom created nature subsists, and by whom all things receive life; who worked in the prophets, and flew down upon Christ. This is the Spirit who was given to the apostles in the form of fiery tongues. This was the Spirit whom David sought when he said: "Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within my inward parts." Of Him Gabriel also said to the Virgin: "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee." Through this Spirit Peter uttered that blessed voice: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." ^C Through this Spirit the rock of the Church was established. This is the Spirit the Paraclete, sent for your sake, that He might show you to be a child of God.

X. Approach, therefore, and be regenerated, O man, into the adoption of a child of God. And how? you ask. If you no longer commit adultery, nor murder, nor worship idols; if you are not conquered by pleasure, if you do not allow the passion of pride to rule over you; if you wipe away the filth of impurity, and cast off the burden of sin; if you put off the armor of the devil and put on the breastplate of faith, as Isaiah says: "Wash yourselves, and seek judgment, rescue the oppressed, judge for the orphan, absolve" ^D

crimson; I will make it white as snow; and if they should be as scarlet, I will make them white as wool. And if you are willing and obey my voice, you shall eat the good of the land." Do you see, beloved, how the prophet foretold the cleansing power of baptism? For he who descends with faith into the laver of regeneration renounces the devil and attaches himself to Christ; he denies the enemy and confesses that Christ is God; he casts off slavery and puts on adoption; he rises from the baptism bright as the sun, shining with the rays of righteousness; and, most important of all, he emerges a son of God and a co-heir with Christ. To Him be glory and power, with His all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and for all ages of ages. Amen. ^B

FRAGMENTA OF THE SERMONS OR HOMILIES OF ST. HIPPOLYTUS

I.

From the Sermon on the Resurrection. - At Anastasius Sinaita, in the Hodegos, p. 350.

^C "They shall be," he says, "in the resurrection, as the angels of God," clearly meaning in incorruptibility, immortality, and freedom from flux. For an incorruptible essence is not generated, does not grow, does not sleep, does not hunger, does not thirst, does not toil, does not suffer, does not die, is not pierced by nails and a spear, does not sweat, does not bleed. Such are the essences of the angels, and of souls that have been released from the bonds of the body. For both natures are of a different kind, and alien to the creatures of this world that fall under our gaze and are subject to corruption. ^D

II.

From the Sermon on Theology, that is, on the Deity. - Extant in the Acts of the Lateran Council celebrated under Martin I in the year 649, secretar. v, p. 287, tom. VII, Venetian edit. of Labbé.

God has the power of willing, but not the power of not willing; for this latter belongs to that which is mutable and capable of choice. For the things that come into being follow the eternal will of God, by which, once brought into being, they remain preserved.

III. From the Homily on the Lord’s Pasch. - Ibid. p. 293.

IV. From the Sermon on Elkanah and Hannah. - From Theodoret, Dial. I, titled "The Immutable," Works, Vol. IV, p. 36.

The same, from the same sermon. Tell me, O blessed Mary, what was conceived from you in the womb, and what was carried by you in a virginal womb? For it was the firstborn Word of God descending from the heavens upon you, and a firstborn man being formed in the womb; so that the firstborn Word of God might be shown united to the firstborn among men.

The same, from the same sermon. The second, through the prophets, as through Samuel, calling back and freeing the people from the slavery of the aliens. The third, when he was present in the flesh, having assumed the man from the Virgin; who, having seen the city, wept over it.

V. From the same sermon. - From the same Theodoret, Dial. II, which is titled "The Unmixed." Ibid. p. 88.

VI. From the oration on that which is written, "The Lord is my shepherd." - From the same Theodoret, Dial. I, p. 36.

was signified, in that it produced no rot of sin. For he who sinned confesses and says: "My wounds have festered and rotted because of my foolishness." But the Lord was without sin, and according to his humanity was [formed] from wood not subject to rot—that is, from the Virgin and the Holy Spirit—clothed within and without, as if with the purest gold, by the Word of God. ^B

VII.

From the sermon on the great Canticle.

Of the same, from the same sermon.

Of the same, from the same sermon.

VIII.

From the sermon on the exordium of Isaiah.

IX.

From the second oration on Daniel.

of the furnace. Beginning, therefore, from the holy, glorious, and magnificent name, they came to the very works of the Lord; first naming the heavenly things, they glorified them, saying: "Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord." ^A Then they passed on to the sons of men, and, presenting the hymn in order, they next named the subterranean spirits of the angels who hold the abyss, and the souls of the just, so that they too might join with them in singing praises to God. ^B

*From the Oration on the Distribution of the Talents. Of the holy Hippolytus, bishop and martyr, from the Oration on the Distribution of the Talents. — *In Theodoret, Dial. II, ibid., p. 88.*

One might say that these and those who think differently are involved in a similar error. For they also either confess that Christ appeared on earth as a mere man, denying the talent of his divinity; or, while confessing him to be God, they again deny the man, teaching that he eluded the eyes of those who beheld him with a deceptive appearance, since he did not wear humanity, but was rather an empty phantom: as do Marcion, Valentinus, and the Gnostics, who tear the Word away from the flesh, and cast aside one talent, that is, the incarnation. ^C

XI. *From the Sermon The Two Thieves.* — *In the same author, Dial. III, which is inscribed [Apathes], ibid., p. 156.*

Of the same, from the sermon The Two Thieves. The body of the Lord provided both to the world: the sacred blood and the holy water.

Of the same, from the same sermon. And the body, although dead after the human manner, possesses in itself a great power of life. For that which does not flow from dead bodies flowed from this one—blood and water—so that we might know how great is the power that dwelt in the body for life, that it might not appear like other corpses, and might be able to pour forth for us the causes of life.

Of the same, from the same sermon. The bone of the holy Lamb is not broken, the figure showing that the passion does not affect the power. For the bones are the power of the body.

FRAGMENTS FROM OTHER WRITINGS OF S. HIPPOLYTUS

I. *In the author of the Paschal Chronicle, from the edition of Cangius, p. 6.*

Hippolytus, therefore, martyr of piety, having been bishop of the so-called Portus near Rome, in the book which he composed against all heresies, wrote regarding the matter word for word as follows: “I see, indeed, in what the force of the contention consists.” For he says

FRAGMENTS OF SERMONS

^A thus: "Christ did the pasch at that time on the day, and suffered; therefore it is necessary that I too should do as the Lord did." But he is deceived, not noticing that at the time in which Christ suffered, He did not eat the legal pasch. For He Himself was the pasch which had been announced beforehand, and which was fulfilled on the appointed day.

II. Ibidem. And again the same author says in the first book of his treatise *On the Holy Pasch*: "It is clear that He did not lie in the first things nor in the last; for He who had long before foretold, 'Because I shall no longer eat the pasch,' rightly ate the supper before the pasch, but did not eat the pasch, but suffered; for it was not the time for that eating."

III. From the letter of St. Hippolytus to a certain queen.

^B He calls Him "the first fruits of those that are asleep," inasmuch as He is "the firstborn from the dead." Who, rising again and wishing to show that that which had been raised was the very same which had died, while the disciples doubted, called Thomas and said: "Draw near, touch and see, that a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see Me having."

From the same, from the same letter.

Having spoken of Him as "the first fruits," he confirmed what we have said, that the Saviour, having taken flesh from the same lump, raised it up, making it the first fruits of the flesh of the just, so that we ^C all who have believed, raised up by the confidence of this, may await the future resurrection.

ON CHARISMS, APOSTOLIC TRADITION

NARRATION OF SAINT HIPPOLYTUS CONCERNING A CORINTHIAN VIRGIN AND A CERTAIN MAGISTRATE.

^ANarrative of Hippolytus, who was a familiar of the apostles.

In another book, upon which was inscribed the name of Hippolytus, who was a familiar of the apostles, I found a narrative of this kind: "There was a certain most noble and very beautiful virgin, who was engaged in living a life of virtue in the city of Corinth. At that time, men brought a charge against her before the judge, who was a Gentile in the time of the persecutors, alleging that she spoke ill of the times, the emperors, and the idols. The traffic-dealers in such matters, however, had heralded her beauty to the godless judge, who was madly obsessed with women. He, receiving the slander with his equine ears, and with thoughts lusting after women ^B, welcomed it. When she was brought before that bloodthirsty man, he was seized by an even greater, unbridled insanity. But after that profane man had employed every device against her and could not seduce this person of God, he subjected the brave woman to various torments. When he had not achieved even by these means what he wanted—namely, to lead her away from the confession of Christ—acting in a cruel frenzy against her, he afflicted her with a punishment of this kind. Placing the chaste and temperate woman in a brothel, he commanded the one who kept them, saying: 'Take this woman, and bring me three coins from her daily.' He, therefore, demanding gold from the shameful act, handed her over to those who wished it in that workshop of abominable wickedness. When, therefore, those who were possessed by a mad love for women learned of this, they sat by that wicked workshop of destruction, offering the wages of dishonorable activity and desiring to consort with her shamefully. She, however, being most honest and truly venerable, and turning her words toward deception, begged them imploringly, saying: 'I have an ulcer in a hidden spot, which gives off a marvelous and offensive odor; and I fear that I may become an object of aversion to you because of the ulcer. Grant me, therefore, a few days, and then you shall be permitted to have me, even for free.' ^C By these words, the blessed one sent those intemperate men away for the time being, having persuaded them. But by means of constant prayers, she placated God, and with contrite supplications, she moved Him toward mercy. God, therefore, who knows the thoughts, attending to how the chaste woman from the heart of her purity...

^A and in those days the guardian of the salvation of all men brought about something of this kind.

Of a certain Magistrianus.

A certain young man, Magistrianus, of handsome appearance and pious mind, into whom God had instilled a spiritual zeal so ardent that he even despised death, when he had approached the man who kept those women under the pretext of intemperance, entered late in the evening and gave him five solidi, and said to him: "Grant me leave to remain this night with this girl." Having therefore entered into the private room with her, he says to her: "Arise, save yourself." And having stripped her of her clothes, and having clothed her in his own garments—in the shirt, and the tunic, and the chlamys, and all the masculine attire—he says to her: "Go out, covering yourself with the top of the chlamys." And having done so, and having sealed her whole self with the mystery of the cross, she departed from that place entirely incorrupt and undefiled, having been saved by the grace of Christ and by the agency of the young man, who by his own blood delivered her from shameful ruin.

On the following day the drama was discovered, and Magistrianus was brought before the most brutal judge. When the ungodly man had examined the brave athlete of Christ and had learned everything, he ordered him to be thrown to the beasts, in order that the demon—the hater of goodness—might also be put to shame in him. For, thinking to cast the brave man into nefarious execution, he made him a double martyr of Christ: as one who had fought nobly for his own soul, and had strenuously persevered in his labors for that blessed woman. Therefore, he was deemed worthy of double honor by Christ and of two illustrious and blessed crowns by His philanthropy. ^{B C}

OF HIPPOLYTUS

DEMONSTRATION OF THE TIMES OF PASCHA

In the first year of the reign of the Emperor Alexander, the 14th of the Pascha fell on the Ides of April, on a Saturday, in an intercalary month; and in past years as has been marked. It is necessary to fast wherever the Sunday falls.

[index: entries preserved]

[Note: [original-script column: see facsimile]]

THE PASCHAL CANON OF SAINT HIPPOLYTUS, AND A CATALOGUE OF THE WORKS OF THE SAME HOLY FATHER,

As they appear on the two side-panels of the marble chair, unearthed not far from the Church of St. Lawrence in the City, in the year of our Lord 1551, along with the statue of Hippolytus.

In the first year of the reign of Emperor Alexander, the 14th of the Pascha occurred on the Ides of April, a Saturday, when the month was intercalary. It will be so in the following years as is set out in the table below. It happens indeed in the past as has been indicated. But one must break the fast when Sunday falls.

[index: entries preserved]

(Note: In his *Liturgies*, vol. I, p. 106, he read with Moinus *Concerning the creation of the world*; but in the former place he wrote back *Demonstration against the Jews*. Perhaps Thomas Gale, in the cited place, was more correct when he conjectured that the first should be read *Demonstration against the Jews*, for an excerpt of this work still survives; and in the second place, *Concerning regimine* (On Rule); which indeed the learned man Ecchellensis, adhering to the version, thought was the writing Ebediesu mentioned in his Catalogue. However, the celebrated Assemani held otherwise, who in *Bibliotheca Orientalis*, vol. III, p. 15, translates that part of the Catalogue into Latin as *Concerning the dispensation*; that is, *Concerning the economy of Christ in the flesh*, or *Concerning the mystery of the Incarnation*. But enough of these matters.)

^A

PASCHAL CANON.

IN THE YEAR OF ALEXANDER CAESAR, THE FIRST: THE BEGINNING, THE SUNDAYS OF PASCHA BY YEAR.

The marks of punctuation indicate the leap year. ^B

Anno Alexandri Cæsaris primo initium, Dominica Paschales secundum annos; adpunctiones vero ostendunt Bissextum.

(94) See rather Z; for the damaged letter in the marble makes the reading uncertain.

(95) See rather VII; for the damaged letter in the marble makes the reading uncertain. ^{C D}

PASCHAL CANON

^A Thus [it begins] in the first year of the reign of Alexander Caesar. The Sundays and the Passover for each year. The pointings (parakentēseis) indicate the twice before the ex[a]...

[The table follows]

1. An ancient marble seat of St. Hippolytus, bishop and martyr, found with a fragment of his statue, excavated at St. Lawrence extra muros of the City, in the Verano field, in the year 1551, and moved to the Vatican Library. 2. Expansion of the Paschal cycle of St. Hippolytus of 112 years through seven hexakaidecaeterides (sixteen-year cycles). St. Hippolytus suffered at Ostia Tiberina under the Emperor Severus Alexander on the 11th of the Kalends of September.

S. HIPPOLYTUS' PASCHAL CANON

In the first year of the reign of Emperor Alexander, it came to pass. On the 14th of the Pasch, April 14, a Saturday, an intercalary month having occurred, it shall be in the following years as set forth in the table; and it happened as noted in the marginal sections. To fast until the day of the Lord's Resurrection.

[The table follows, displaying the cycle details for Ezra and Daniel and the succession of the Paschal dates.]

[Catalog of the works of St. Hippolytus, inscribed on his marble throne:]

Psalms Odes Against Gastrimargia (Gluttony) On the account of the soul and the body On the Gospel and the Revelation On the Charismata (Spiritual Gifts) Apostolic Tradition Against the Greeks, and against Plato, and concerning the universe Exhortatory dialogue against the Greeks Demonstration of the times of the Pasch, according to the table All the Scriptures On God and the incarnation (resurrection) On the Good and where evil came from

In the marble throne of St. Hippolytus, the flat surface of the right side exhibits a Paschal Chronology ordered through 112 Julian years proleptically from the Holy Scriptures. 1. The epoch of the final cycle is drawn from the first year of Severus Alexander. In the fold of the seat is read the catalog of the works of St. Hippolytus, the surviving part of whose inscription we provide entire in the lower part of the page.

ANIMADVERSIONS OF EGIDIUS BUCHERIUS, OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS, ON THE PASCHAL CANON OF ST. HIPPOLYTUS.

INDEX OF CHAPTERS.

I. From what year the Hippolytean Canon begins. II. Why Hippolytus doubles the octaeteris. He could have been content with a simple octaeteris. III. Explanation of the parerga of the first table. Why occasionally two days of the fourteenth moon are designated. IV. A third paschal table, more conformable to the Victorian, is proposed. The age of the Hippolytean paschal moon is elicited. The Canon of Hippolytus is reduced to the Victorian type. V. Hippolytus follows the paschal methods of the Latins of the first sort. For he begins the head of the paschal month from March 5. VI. And he admits March 20 for the paschal Sunday. VII. He never exceeds the limit constituted by the Council of Caesarea. The arrangement of the Hippolytean cycle in the Julian calendar. VIII. Whether the paschal octaeteris was used generally by the first Christians. Scaliger deems the octaeteris of Hippolytus absurd: which, however, preserves the methods of the Latins. IX. The octaeteris of Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria. X. Of Julius Africanus. XI. Of the Montanists. XII. Of the Audians. XIII. Of others according to Bede. XIV. Why the most ancient of the Christians preferred the octaeteris to the enneadecaeteris. XV. The inconveniences of the octaeteris.

I. From what year the Hippolytean Canon begins.

^A Such are those on that marble statue of Laurentius: two paschal tables which explicitly testify that the Canon begins from the first year of the Emperor Alexander, son of Mammaea. But that the first year of Alexander falls not in the vulgar year of Christ 224, as the Annals wish, but in 222, as our Appendix to Victorious observes, so many characters of this Canon prove. Wherefore it is no wonder if Julius Africanus, writing at this time, attempted to explain the seventy weeks of Daniel by an octaeteris (which, being doubled, composes a hexdecaeteris): especially since he saw the constancy of the Canon promised by Hippolytus for the past equally as for the future; and its excessive contraction not yet having been detected. What Hippolytus adds, that the fast must be broken when it falls on a Sunday, is true: whether we understand it of the Paschal days or of those that intervene during the solemn fast, we accept them as Sundays. Nor do I see how here *aponesthai dei* (to be postponed) is the same as that the fast must be transferred, as Scaliger wishes,^B when the term falls on a Sunday. For it does not fall on a Sunday only with the fourteenth moon, which is truly the limit, but also with the fifteenth moon (concerning which this table says nothing here), as I shall soon show.

II. Why Hippolytus doubles the octaeteris. He could have been content with a simple octaeteris.

But why does the holy Father double the octaeteris, and extend it in addition to 112 years? He saw, clearly, in a still crude age, that in two octaeterides, or one hexdecaeteris, there existed some series of feast days; and that finally, when seven hexdecaeterides were completed, the feast days returned to the beginning; and thus he wove together the hexdecaeteris. But he could have done the same thing much more briefly, and more distinctly in just as many octaeterides. For seven octaeterides contain two entire solar cycles, just as as many hexdecaeterides contain four; and both two and four solar cycles bring the Dominical letters back in a circle; and in 56 years, before 112, they evolve. Hence so in.

the first table, the ferias—while in the second the Dominical days—are the same for the first 56 years as they are for the 56 years that follow; thus, they are repeated superfluously. Here is a shorter diagram of only 56 years, showing both the fourteenth-day and the Dominical paschal days in a single cell for the same year, with the Dominical letters added for each individual year. ^A

III. Explanation of the supplementary material of the first table. Why double days of the paschal fourteenth moon are designated thereafter.

And this single table encompasses the work of both Hippolyti, although it is twice the size: nor does it omit anything that pertains to the knowledge of Pascha. For the other things, which are contained in the borders of the first or right-hand marble table, look elsewhere. The first border, which is the widest, enumerates the works of Hippolytus that had been brought to light at that time; some of which are also mentioned by Jerome and Theodoret. As for what is inserted in the other borders, such as Genesis, Exodus, in the Desert, Hezekiah, Josiah, Daniel, Ezra, Jesus Christ, the Passion of Christ, etc., Scaliger thinks these are set or variable readings from both Testaments, which were in use at that time in the Church. Since these do not pertain to our intent, we leave them to the judgment of the reader. What I would rather know, which is most relevant to our subject, is why in the third year of the octaeteris it assigns twin days for the paschal fourteenth, both the 12th and the 11th of the Kalends of April, beyond the usual custom. That year is indeed the third bissextile year of the cycle, but so is the seventh year, to which, however, it does not note anything of the kind. Moreover, that 11th day seems to be superfluously doubled; because only one Dominical letter, and that one which corresponds to the ferias and Dominical days designated here, applies to the 12th, not the 11th, of the Kalends of April; as Scaliger, before us, observed. Nothing has occurred to us thus far by which we might be able to solve this knot soundly. We could have wished it to be referable to a correction of an overly contracted octaeteris. For all agree that the Julian octaeteris of 2,922 days, which this of Hippolytus clearly is, is missing by a solid day and nearly 12 hours from the true lunar calculations; and that therefore, after two octaeterides, or one hexdecaeteris, a three-day period was wont to be intercalated by the ancients. But we do not yet grasp here, first, how that intercalation could have been made to the 12th or 11th of the Kalends of April (as is noted here) without great complication; and how, if it was done conveniently, it could have been of only two days, not three; when this Canon annexes these twin days only to the twin years of one hexdecaeteris. ^B

IV. A third paschal table is proposed, more conformable to the Victorian. The age of the Hippolytean paschal moon is elicited. The Canon of Hippolytus reduced to the Victorian type.

However, since we have undertaken this labor for the purpose of greatly clarifying and confirming our Victorius,

^A it is helpful to propose another table, which approaches the Victorian paschal calculation as closely as the Hippolytean rationales allow, so that it may be visible at a glance where both agree or differ. The first column from top to bottom contains the common years of Christ with the Dominical letters: from the year 222, where the Hippolytean period begins, to 277, over, as I said, 56 years. If these are repeated (though superfluously, as above), they will make up the Hippolytean period of 112 years: which the second column exhibits. Regarding this, I also note that the first year of the Hippolytean period is the fifth of the Victorian nineteen-year lunar cycle; but the fifty-seventh year of that same period is the 4th of that same Victorian cycle. For not LVI, but LVII solid years encompass three nineteen-year cycles. The third column shows the days of the paschal fourteenths, repeated seven times over, just as the seven octaeterides are contained here. ^B The fourth column shows the ferias of the fourteenths, the fifth the paschal Sundays. The sixth and last, added by us, determines the age of the Hippolytean moon on paschal Sundays, not according to the rules of the Alexandrians, but clearly conforming to those of Victorius and the Latins; this is what we chiefly intend here, so that we may collect the paschal epilogisms of the Latins, of the earliest age of the Church, and which were probably drawn and handed down from the sources of the Hebrews by the apostles. And although the Canon of Hippolytus does not exhibit that age of the paschal moon, it is nevertheless certainly defined from his preceding fourteenths. For as often as those fall on a Friday, they indicate the paschal Sunday at the 16th moon: if on a Thursday, the 17th moon; if on a Wednesday, the 18th moon; if on a Tuesday, the 19th moon; if on a Monday, the 20th moon; if on a Sunday, the 21st; if on a Saturday, the 22nd, as we see in this diagram.

HIPPOLYTEAN CANON REDUCED TO THE VICTORIAN TYPE

| Common Years of Christ | Solar Cycles and Dominical Letters | Years of Period | 14th PASCHAL Moons | Ferias of 14th Moons | PASCHAL Sundays | Moon Age | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 222 | 7 | 1 | Ides of April | Saturday | XI Kalends of May | XXII | | 278 | F | 57 | | | | | | 223 | 8 | 2 | IV Nones of April | Wednesday | VIII Ides of April | XVIII | | 279 | E | 58 | | | | | | 224 | 9 | 3 | XII and XI Kalends of April | Sunday | V Kalends of April | XXI | | 280 | DC | 59 | | | | | | 225 | 10 | 4 | V Ides of April | Saturday | XV Kalends of May | XXII | | 281 | B | 60 | | | | | | 226 | 11 | 5 | IV Kalends of April | Wednesday | IV Nones of April | XVIII | | 282 | A | 61 | | | | | | 227 | 12 | 6 | XV Kalends of April | Sunday | VIII Kalends of April | XXI | | 283 | G | 62 | | | | | | 228 | 13 | 7 | Nones of April | Saturday | Ides of April | XXII | | 284 | FE | 63 | | | | | | 229 | 14 | 8 | VIII Kalends of April | Wednesday | IV Kalends of April | XVIII | | 285 | D | 64 | | | | | | 230 | 15 | 9 | Ides of April | Tuesday | XIV Kalends of May | XIX | | 286 | C | 65 | | | | | | 231 | 16 | 10 | IV Nones of April | Saturday | IV Ides of April | XXII | | 287 | B | 66 | | | | | | 232 | 17 | 11 | XII and XI Kalends of April | Wednesday | VIII Kalends of April | XVIII | | 288 | AG | 67 | | | | | | 233 | 18 | 12 | V Ides of April | Tuesday | XVIII Kalends of May | XIX | | 289 | A | 68 | | | | | | 234 | 19 | 13 | IV Kalends of April | Saturday | VIII Ides of April | XXII | | 290 | E | 69 | | | | | | 235 | 20 | 14 | XV Kalends of April | Wednesday | XI Kalends of April | XVIII | | 291 | D | 70 | | | | | | 236 | 21 | 15 | Nones of April | Tuesday | IV Ides of April | XIX | | 292 | CB | 71 | | | | | | 237 | 22 | 16 | VIII Kalends of April | Saturday | IV Nones of April | XXII | | 293 | A | 72 | | | | | | 238 | 23 | 17 | Ides of April | Friday | XVII Kalends of May | XVI | | 294 | G | 73 | | | | | | 239 | 24 | 18 | IV Nones of April | Tuesday | VII Ides of April | XIX | | 295 | F | 74 | | | | | | 240 | 25 | 19 | XII and XI Kalends of April | Saturday | IV Kalends of April | XXII | | 296 | ED | 75 | | | | | | 241 | 26 | 20 | V Ides of April | Friday | III Ides of April | XVI | | 297 | C | 76 | | | | | | 242 | 27 | 21 | IV Kalends of April | Tuesday | III Nones of April | XIX | | 298 | B | 77 | | | | | | 243 | 28 | 22 | XV Kalends of April | Saturday | VII Kalends of April | XXII | | 299 | A | 78 | | | | | | 244 | 1 | 23 | Nones of April | Friday | VI Ides of April | XVI | | 300 | GF | 79 | | | | |

|

245 | 2 | 21 | VIII Kalends of April | Friday | III Kalends of April | XIX | 301 | E | 80 | | | | | 246 | 3 | 22 | Ides of April | Saturday | XIII Kalends of May | XX | 302 | | 81 | | | | | 247 | 4 | 23 | IV Nones of April | Monday | Pridie Nones of April | XVI | 16 | 303 | C | 82 | | | | | 248 | 5 | 24 | XII and XIII Kalends of April | Wednesday | VII Kalends of April | XIX | 304 | BA | 83 | | | | | 249 | 6 | 25 | V Ides of April | Tuesday | XVII Kalends of May | XX | 305 | G | 84 | | | | | 250 | 7 | 26 | IV Kalends of April | Friday | Pridie Kalends of April | XVI | 16 | 306 | F | 85 | | | | | 251 | 8 | 27 | XV Kalends of April | Wednesday | X Kalends of April | XIX | 307 | E | 86 | | | | | 252 | 9 | 28 | Nones of April | Tuesday | III Ides of April | XX | 308 | DC | 87 | | | | | 253 | 10 | 29 | VII Kalends of April | Friday | VI Kalends of April | XVI | 16 | 309 | B | 88 | | | | | 254 | 11 | 30 | Ides of April | Thursday | XVI Kalends of May | XVII | 310 | A | 89 | | | | | 255 | 12 | 31 | IV Nones of April | Monday | VI Ides of April | XX | 311 | G | 90 | | | | | 256 | 13 | 32 | XII and XI Kalends of April | Friday | X Kalends of April | XVI | 16 | 312 | FE | 91 | | | | | 257 | 14 | 33 | V Ides of April | Friday | Pridie Ides of April | XVII | 313 | D | 92 | | | | | 258 | 15 | 34 | IV Kalends of April | Monday | Pridie Nones of April | XX | 314 | C | 93 | | | | | 259 | 16 | 35 | XV Kalends of April | Friday | XIII Kalends of April | XVI | 16 | 315 | B | 94 | | | | | 260 | 17 | 36 | Nones of April | Friday | VI Kalends of April | XVII | 316 | AG | 95 | | | | | 261 | 18 | 37 | VIII Kalends of April | Monday | Pridie Kalends of April | XX | 317 | F | 96 | | | | | 262 | 19 | 38 | Ides of April | Sunday | XII Kalends of May | XXI | 318 | E | 97 | | | | | 263 | 20 | 39 | IV Nones of April | Friday | Nones of April | XVII | 319 | D | 98 | | | | | 264 | 21 | 40 | XII and XI Kalends of April | Friday | VI Kalends of April | XX | 320 | CB | 99 | | | | | 265 | 22 | 41 | V Ides of April | Sunday | XVI Kalends of May | XXI | 321 | A | 100 | | | | | 266 | 23 | 42 | IV Kalends of April | Friday | Kalends of April | XVII | 322 | G | 101 | | | | | 267 | 24 | 43 | XV Kalends of April | Monday | IX Kalends of April | XX | 323 | F | 102 | | | | | 268 | 25 | 44 | Nones of April | Sunday | Pridie Ides of April | XXI | 324 | ED | 103 | | | | | 269 | 26 | 45 | VIII Kalends of April | Friday | II Kalends of April | XVII | 325 | C | 104 | | | | | 270 | 27 | 46 | Ides of April | Friday | XV Kalends of May | XVIII | 326 | B | 105 | | | | | 271 | 28 | 47 | IV Nones of April | Sunday | V Ides of April | XXI | 327 | A | 106 | | | | | 272 | 29 | 48 | XII and XI Kalends of April | Friday | IX Kalends of April | XVII | 328 | GF | 107 | | | | | 273 | 0 | 49 | V Ides of April | Friday | Ides of April | XVIII | 329 | E | 108 | | | | | 274 | 1 | 50 | IV Kalends of April | Sunday | Nones of April | XXI | 330 | D | 109 | | | | | 275 | 2 | 51 | XV Kalends of April | Friday | XII Kalends of April | XVII | C | 331 | C | 110 | | | | | 276 | 3 | 52 | Nones of April | Friday | V Ides of April | XVIII | 332 | BA | 111 | | | | | 277 | 4 | 53 | VIII Kalends of April | Sunday | Kalends of April | XXI | 333 | G | 112 | | | | |

V. Hippolytus follows the calculations of the Latins of the first sort ^A regarding the tenth [day of the moon], along with the 15th Kalends of April, or March 18. For he begins the head of the paschal month on March 5. Secondly, he distributes the paschal moon from the 16th to the 22nd.

It is clearer than light from this table that Hippolytus follows the calculations of the Latins, not those of the Alexandrians. For he calls the head of the first or paschal month from the fifth of March with them, not the eighth with the latter; and he distributes the paschal Sundays most plainly from the 16th to the 22nd moon, not from the 15th to the 21st. The first is evident from the sixth and fourteenth years of every sixteen-year cycle; in which years he joins the fourth paschal moon—and consequently the first—with the fifth of the same March. The second is also clear from the first and 57th years of his period. For when he notes the 14th paschal moon on the Ides of April, and indeed on a Saturday, yet he announces the Lord’s or Resurrection Pascha—and that of the Christians—not on the following day, namely the day after the same Ides, nor on the 15th moon as the Alexandrians would do, but seven days later, on the 11th Kalends of May, or April 21, and on the 22nd moon, as the Latins do. He does the same as often as his 14th paschal moon falls on a Saturday.

^B it also encounters, as in the years of the cycle, the 4th and 60th, 7th and 62nd, 10th and 66th, 13th and 69th, 16th and 72nd, 19th and 75th, 22nd and 78th. Nor in his entire 112-year cycle will you ever see Pascha indicated for Christians before the 16th moon. Of this kind are all the years whose limits, or fourteenth paschal moons, fall on the sixth day of the week, such as the 17th and 73rd, 20th and 76th, 23rd and 79th, 26th and 82nd, 29th and 85th, 32nd and 88th, 35th and 91st, 38th and 94th.

VI. And he admits March 20 for the paschal Sunday. And in these two latter years, it is furthermore peculiar that they define the paschal Sunday on the 13th Kalends of April, or March 20, with the Dominical letter B. However, Victorius in the conclusion of his prologue writes that this was never thoroughly celebrated: specifically, after the Nicene Synod, or perhaps from the time the Latins abandoned this hekkaidekaeteris (16-year cycle), down to the age of Victorius, as we have said. Unless you prefer to read "celebrated" as "to be celebrated," as Bede does. Otherwise, this doubled octaeteris of Hippolytus, or hekkaidekaeteris, fixes it on this day twice in an interval of 112 years. Hence you see that Hippolytus existed according to the first and most rigid type of the Latins, who included the Jewish limits; and they equated the equinox, or at least the entry of the sun into Aries, not with March 21, as the Nicene Fathers did, nor with the 22nd, as they often attribute to Anatolius, but with the 18th, according to the opinion of some ancient and celebrated astrologers; with whom the Jews agreed, as their historian Josephus implies; and as we shall say in our treatise *On the Paschal Cycle of the Ancients, at the Time of Christ*, which was mentioned in our Commentary on Victorius, chapter 4, neither the ancient Jews, nor our own people for the first two centuries of Christianity, acknowledged the astronomical day of the equinox, or at least did not observe it with such scrupulosity: since they had no leisure for such quibbles, and hardly any respite from so many persecutions, they thought—and cared—to inquire about nothing beyond that which they saw had been used by the Synagogue until that time; nor did they interpret the month of the new moons, mentioned only in Scripture, in any sense other than the one the Jews did.

VII. It never exceeds the limit established by the Caesarean Synod. Nor should it be omitted here that Hippolytus does not exceed the limit of the paschal boundary established by the Caesarean Synod, although he anticipates the beginning by two days. For that synod concludes the *anastásimon* Pascha, or paschal Sundays, from the 11th Kalends of April, or March 22, to the 11th Kalends of May, or April 21, inclusive, over 31 days. Hippolytus extends it from the 12th Kalends of April, or March 20, to the 11th Kalends of May, over a total of 33 days, as is evident from the diagram below. In which we have affixed his sixteen years of the hekkaidekaeteris, as if they were as many Golden Numbers, just like the nineteen Latin and Alexandrian ones, to the specific days of the months of March and April according to his doctrine: yet in such a way that these sixteen years are attached to no more than eight days of those months; because two fall into one cell: since the hekkaidekaeteris is nothing else than a doubled octaeteris, as we have now so often said. Behold the arrangement of the cycle of Hippolytus in the Julian calendar.

THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE CYCLE OF HIPPOLYTUS IN THE CALENDAR

[index: entries preserved]

[index: entries preserved]

(98) Equinox of Hippolytus and of the Jews, or the entry of the sun into Aries. (99) Nicene Equinox. (1) Caesar’s Equinox.

^A And let these things be said concerning those matters which look to the Canon of Hippolytus and our design. I omit other things that could be noted here: both because they are irrelevant to the design and because they can be seen in Scaliger, Petavius, and others. Only one question remains.

VIII. Question. Whether the Paschal octaeteris was used generally by the early Christians. Scaliger considers Hippolytus’s octaeteris absurd; yet it preserves the Latin methods.

In his observations on this Canon of Hippolytus, Scaliger says he fears that the Hippolytan heckædecaeteris was never accepted, since so many absurdities were left in it. For otherwise, he says, we know from the letter of Bishop Dionysius, etc., that the Paschal octaeterides existed. But we see no absurdities in this Canon of Hippolytus; certainly none other than those which we have pointed out in the Paschal method of the Latins. Which no one would call absurd: and even if they were, no one on account of them would dare to deny, with Scaliger, that the Paschal cycle of the Latins was in use. For things which are used generally are not absurd, nor are they absurd just because they are used. ^B But, as I have said, we have already sufficiently proved, I think, that there is nothing absurd in these canons of the Latins or of Hippolytus, but rather that many things are subtle and plausible. And since it is already abundantly clear from what was said that the Paschal methods of the Latins flourished for a long time in the Church, we cannot deny that the Hippolytan ones also, which rest upon the same principles, were used for some time at least. Nor is it lacking in probability that his octaeterides were gradually emended; although we may be ignorant of the mode of emendation, which could have been various.

IX. The Octaeteris of Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria. Again, that the use of the octaeteris was familiar to the early Christians is proved by the letter of Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria (who held that see from the year of Christ 246 to 263), to Domitius and Didymus, which Eusebius cites in *Ecclesiastical History*, bk. vii, cap. 15. In this, he says, he cites the eight-year Canon, because the feast of Pascha ought to be celebrated at no other time of the year than after the vernal equinox. Whether this octaeteris of Dionysius was that one of Hippolytus of 2922 days, it is for us to divine: yet it would seem it was not; if it exhibited those limits of Pascha which would always show the full moon after the vernal equinox, and constantly: for the Hippolytan [cycle], being a day and a half shorter, cannot hold this unless it is aided from elsewhere. At that time, therefore, in the day of Dionysius, it is certain that some were celebrating Pascha before the equinox, at least that of Caesar, as we have seen from the Canon of Hippolytus and of the Latins, and will also see in the Jewish. That Dionysius wrote against all these is a nearly certain conjecture; and indeed if he fixed the equinox on the 21st of March (Julian), which followeth thence, his earliest Paschal new moon could not have been before the 8th day of that same March, from the region of which we constructed the years of the Hippolytan heckædecaeteris III and XI: but if we set the equinox on March 25th with Caesar and the Fathers of ^C March 12, where we placed its golden numbers VIII and XVI, or, as quickly as possible, on the eleventh of March, he began the first. However, he could have held the system of solar Sundays, but not of Paschal limits—namely, that only those [Sundays] should be indicated after the equinox; as we shall observe concerning Anatolius, who seems to have been his disciple.

X. Julius Africanus. Third, Julius Africanus, who carried his Chronicle up to the year of Christ 221, writes thus in his fifth volume of *Chronographies*, as testified by Jerome in his *Commentary on Daniel*, ch. ix, and by Eusebius in his book *Demonstratio Evangelica* VIII: “The Greeks and Jews make embolisms of three months over eight years.” For if you wish to calculate eight times eleven days (which remain from the solar year combined with the lunar) and a fourth part of a day, you will make 90 days, that is three months. And a little before: “The lunar months of the Hebrews, according to their calculation, can make 29 and a half days each month; so that the solar circle (which has 365 days and a quarter of a day) in each of its years has eleven days and a quarter of a day more.” That the Greeks used an octaeteris, and indeed such as Africanus describes here, we know well enough; but not so the Jews, unless perhaps Africanus understands by the Julian octaeteris the 76-year Callippic cycle often added to their Paschal period. Although he does not say this; but only that the Jews cram three intercalary months into eight years, which is also true in their longer 84-year period, where in eight years they generally obtain three intercalary months. Why, however, Africanus should accept this cycle in this calculation of lunar years rather than so many other more certain ones, no sounder reason occurs to me than that he saw it was both easier and being brought into use by certain Christians of his age: for at that same time Hippolytus was composing his heckædecaeteris. And indeed, the slightly more difficult enneadecaeteris was not yet sufficiently known or familiar to the Christians; and the Jewish 84-year period had already lost its credibility through its excessive contraction.

XI. The Montanists. Fourth, the Montanists, as Sozomenus reports in *Ecclesiastical History*, bk. VII, cap. 18 fin., arguing against those who celebrated Pascha according to the moon's ratios and not rather by the solar circle, which is far more certain and constant, decreed as follows: That each month is of 30 days, ^D but that they begin the first day from the vernal equinox, which, according to the custom of the Romans, is called the 9th day before the Kalends of April (that is, March 24th), since, they say, those two luminaries were created then, by which times and years were to be declared. And this is demonstrated by the fact that the moon through the octaeteris makes equal account with the sun, and for both the new moon happens at the same time. Since indeed the octaeteris completes 99 months in the lunar course, and 2922 days...

within which the sun completes the course of eight years, ^A with 360 days (2) assigned to each year, plus a quarter of a day over. For from the 11th of the Kalends of April, as from the beginning of the creation of the sun and the counting of the first month mentioned in the Holy Scriptures on the 14th day, they calculate—and they say this is the 5th of the Ides of April—on which they perpetually celebrate Easter. But if by chance the day of the Resurrection should happen to coincide with this day, then they keep the holiday on the next following Sunday. For it is written: From the 14th day unto the 21st. These things the Montanists [held], according to Sozomen, from which I gather two things as certain. First, that the octaeteris was widely used by the earliest Christians for Easter—otherwise the Montanists would have been fighting against a shadow. Second, that this octaeteris was precisely 2922 days, and therefore the Julian and Hippolytean [one]; unless Sozomen is not reporting everything here, and is omitting the extra days to leave out petty details: which I scarcely think, seeing that the lunar octaeteris does not then make equal account with the solar; which, however, these Montanists here assume.

XII. Of the Audians

Fifth, but Epiphanius has all these things more clearly, and more fully in the 70th heresy, that of the Audians; especially in § 13: "When," he says, "the year, according to the sun’s course, is completed in 365 days and three hours (doubled, that is); it follows that, since the moon completes its year in 354 days, eleven days and three hours remain for it. Thus the first year has eleven days (which they call epacts) and three hours. The second, 22 days and 6 hours. The third, besides 33 days, 9 hours. From the sum of which days one intercalary month is deduced, and thirty days are inserted. There remain three days and 1 hour. Which, when joined with the eleven days and three hours of the fourth year, make 14 days and 12 hours. Then with the addition of another eleven days and three hours, 28 epacts and 15 hours arise. Finally, in the sixth year, with eleven annual days and three hours added, 36 days are piled up, with 18 hours. From these, another intercalary month exists. In this manner, with single [days] attributed to every third year, two months are inserted. For to the former triennium its own month is added, and to the latter in turn its own. There remain from those epacts 6 days and 18 hours. To which the seventh year adds eleven days and 3 hours: ^D there become 17 epacts and 21 hours. Then in the eighth year, with eleven days and three hours (always doubled) again added, 28 days and 24 hours of epacts are collected: the hours make two days, which, added to those 28, complete 30 full days. Wherefore in the eighth year 30 days are intercalated, and that biennium has one month. And so that entire octaeteric period claims for itself 90 days, which make three full months; namely, for the first two triennia one month each, and for the following biennium likewise one month." In these three intercalary months, which consist of that triple collection of days, the Jews' Easter [is found], differing from the Easter of the other Christians.

XIII. Of Others, according to Bede

Sixth, the octaeteris was used for the celebration of Easter not only in those first times of the Church: it also grew old into later centuries. For so Bede says, *De ratione temp.*, cap. 44: "But even now there are those who think the eight years of the sun and just as many lunar years are brought to an equality of days." He indeed refutes them, and rightly so, but he also teaches us that the octaeteris was already in use from the year of Christ 222, or even earlier, and was most stubbornly preserved by some persons right up to his own times, or the year of Christ 720 or 750.

XIV. Why the Most Ancient Christians Preferred the Octaeteris to the Enneadecaeteris

Why, however, those most ancient Christians, when they wished to abandon the already erroneous paschal cycle of the Jews and correct it with another, preferred the octaeteris to the enneadecaeteris, is an easy conjecture. For first, nature is wont to proceed from things better known and easier; such is the octaeteris in comparison to the enneadecaeteris. Then, the octaeteris makes equal account with two leap years, and so retains some series at least of the Dominical letters, and certainly does not disturb it in any way. The enneadecaeteris, beyond four leap years, contains only three years more; and so the Dominical letters...

the order, at least for the less educated, ^A confounding them at first sight. Wherefore even the last ones, attempted by Christians, were not brought to perfection at once, but were variously used by various people, and caused not a few contentions, as is known from Cyril.

XV. Disadvantages of the octaeteris. But these good Fathers fell into Scylla, desiring to avoid Charybdis. They fled from the Jewish cycle of eighty-four years, which in so great a space was shorter than the celestial motions of the moon by only one day, and about a quarter of a day; and they substituted the octaeteris, which ^B receded from the celestial course by as many days as there are years in the 84-year cycle; and if they supplied these by an intercalation of three days after every sixteen years, they would already exceed the calculations of the sun by as many days. Whence we read in Geminus that in the twenty-eighth octaeteris, or after a space of 160 years, the ancients struck out one month of thirty days, so that the new moons might be reduced to the first epoch. This was the cause that Christians, at least the Latins, having discovered such a flaw in the octaeteris, resumed the 84-year cycle, corrected by a certain method, and finally substituted the more certain enneadecaeteris for so many erroneous forms of cycles, as we have already warned so often.

APPENDIX TO PART II OF THE WORKS OF SAINT HIPPOLYTUS, EMBRACING DOUBTFUL AND SUPPOSITITIOUS WRITINGS

CENSURES OF LEARNED MEN

*Hugo Grotius, in the appendix on the Antichrist, p. 60.* Let readers know that it is supposititious, for it uses names only received in the fourth century. *Robert Cocus, in the censure of certain ancient writers, p. 127.* Hippolytus is said to have lived circa the year 220, under whose name is held the oration *On the Consummation of the World and the Antichrist*, which is cited by the Anglo-Rhemists, whereby they prove that the Antichrist will abolish the Mass; and that Elijah will come before the day of judgment to preach to the Jews and Gentiles. By which names it is also cited by Bellarmine. Who also cites it, so as to prove that Christ descended in soul into the lower regions, and that the Antichrist will not reign except for three years and a half; and that he will be received by the Jews as the Messiah. The same oration is cited by the Anglo-Duacensians, whereby they prove that the ancient Fathers supposed that the Antichrist would be from the tribe of Dan; and that Elijah, together with Enoch, is still living to this day. And so that greater faith may be had in it, they ascribe to him the titles of "most blessed" and "martyr," and everywhere call him a saint. Regarding him, Campianus boasts in admiration, saying: "Hippolytus, Bishop of Portus, how beautifully, how clearly has he foretold the power of the Antichrist, the Lutheran times." That this oration is supposititious is proven, first, by the very style of speaking. For who among the ancients, if he were eloquent or learned, ever thought that an oration should be begun with *enim* (for) or *ἐπειδὴ γάρ* (since for), which this one does? Second, the dreams which this author recounts cry out against the feigned author. This one openly teaches that the Antichrist will be none other than the devil himself under the simulated appearance of human body and nature: when, however, the other Fathers by common consent write [the opposite], nay, and even St. Paul—which Bellarmine and Pererius admit—

APPENDIX TO PART II OF THE WORKS OF ST. HIPPOLYTUS

Antichrist will be a true man. This author suspects that the Jerusalem temple will be restored by Antichrist for the sake of the Jews, and that he will sit in it as if he were God; although Theodoret, Damascene, and others think that he will sit in the temples of the Christians, because these alone can truly be called temples of God, seeing that the Jewish temple, after the death of our Lord, was despoiled of all holiness and religion and became profane, impure, and impious, as Pererius notes (16). He also rightly observes in the following words: That both our Lord and Daniel foretold that the desolation of that temple would be irreparable for all time.

Hence he believes that John the Evangelist, as if not at all dead, will remain together with Enoch and Elijah until the time of Antichrist; although the Church asserts that blessed John underwent death, as testified by Picus (17), who first published this oration and warned that this opinion should be especially avoided, as it is peculiar and alien to ecclesiastical doctrine.

Andreas Rivetus, book 11, *Critici sacri*, ch. 11.

There appeared at Paris in the year 1557 a small work under the name of Hippolytus (18), *On the consummation of the world, Antichrist, and the second coming of Christ*, in Greek and Latin, from the translation of Johannes Picus, regarding which I shall subjoin the censure of that most reverend Juell, against Harding, art. 1, sect. 5.

A meager, he says, little work, of almost no value, and of not even any greater credibility. That the author was illiterate and unlearned is apparent both from the very nature of the Greek diction, which is for the most part childish, and from the truth and weight of the matter. He begins the first sentence of the book with "for" (*γάρ*), which not even a boy in school would do. It contains many empty conjectures about the birth and life of Antichrist. He affirms that Antichrist will not be a man, but a demon endowed with human form, whereas Paul calls him the man of sin. He imagines that John, who wrote the book of the Apocalypse, will return with Elijah and Enoch, in order to refute Antichrist—a view to which, says Possevinus, one should not assent. He ignorantly uses John’s Apocalypse in place of Daniel. He affirms that the souls of men have existed for ages, which was a figment of the Origenists; and there are other frequent dreams and deliriums of his, upon weighing which, we cannot be brought to believe that this little work is by that ancient bishop; although we are not unaware that in those times also some wrote not a few things which must be read from the Scriptures with judgment and caution. I do not know if this is the same book as that which Sixtus Senensis, book IV, wrote: There were found in past years at Basel certain commentaries on the Apocalypse, inscribed with the name of Hippolytus, regarding which there is doubt due to the lack of erudition and style. Whether it be the same or another, the reason for doubting is the same.

Franciscus Combefisius, preface to the notes on the genuine book of St. Hippolytus *On Antichrist*.

That the work under the name of Hippolytus *On Antichrist* has hitherto burdened the shelves is a monument of the later Greek period, and plainly like straw, signaling nothing of the sincerity of that age, nor the vein of a theologian of such great simplicity and sufficiently versed in the Scriptures; whose author was persuaded to write it for the sole reason that it was widely reported among the ancients that Hippolytus wrote on Antichrist. Add what the same Combefisius writes in his notes above p. 10, and Marquardus Gudius p. 36.

Nanus Tillemontius, notes on the Life of St. Hippolytus, vol. III *Memor. histor. eccles.*, p. 678.

Besides the little work *On Antichrist* which Gudius brought to light, there is in our hands another of the same theme, inserted in volume XII of the *Bibliotheca Patrum*, page 587, which Johannes Picus, a canon of Paris, had published nearly a hundred years earlier, inscribed *On the consummation of the world and on Antichrist and the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ*. Caesar Baronius (19) accepts it as a genuine writing, yet he cannot restrain himself from condemning what is read in it, that John the Evangelist is not yet dead, which in truth also seems little worthy of so great a doctor of the Church, and so famous, who lived in the third century and even expressly testified to the contrary in his genuine book *On Antichrist*, ch. 31. And so, even before that true one had been found, not a few rejected it as false and supposititious, and thought it to be of a much later writer, such as Hippolytus Thebanus. Rivetus brings forward other points by which the same opinion is confirmed and which persuade him that the authority of the writer is no greater than the value of the writing itself. Elias du Pin, agreeing with Rivetus, uses almost the same (20) arguments. But it has also been observed by Combefisius in the Greek Catena on Jeremiah that certain words are quoted from Hippolytus which are found in the Gudian Hippolytus but not in this one of Picus. This single reason suffices to refute those who have attempted to defend and protect it, such as Philippus Labbeus in his *Diss. on ecclesiastical writers*, vol. I, p. 471, 472, and George Bull himself in his *Defensio fidei Nicænæ*, sect. III, c. 8, § 4, p. 369, 370.

The oration of the most blessed HIPPOLYTUS, bishop and martyr, on the consummation of the world, and on Antichrist, and on the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I. Since ^A the eyes of the blessed prophets have been made known to us, showing us the declaration of hidden things, both by their life and by their manifestation, and by the Holy Spirit...

^A and discussing those things not yet come to pass; whence they sketched out for all future generations the greatest opportunity for contemplation and action. Wherefore, having proclaimed to the world the advent of God in the flesh, and His birth and growth from the all-pure Theotokos Mary, and His association and life with men, and His demonstration through baptism, and the rebirth to be granted to all men through the laver of regeneration; the multitude of His miracles, and the blessed passion on the cross, and the mockery He endured therein from the Jews; His burial, His descent into Hades, and the ascent and redemption of the souls that had been dead from the ages, the extinction of death, His vivifying resurrection from the dead, the reformation of the whole world, and His ^B ascension into heaven, and the reception of the Spirit, of which the apostles were counted worthy; and again, His second coming which is to manifest all things: seeing these things, they were necessarily called to prefigure and foretell them.

II. And so they signified to us the day of the consummation, that which is in the last times, and they prefigured the appearance and delusion of the apostate to men, and the beginning and completion of his kingdom, and the arrival of the Judge, and the life of the righteous, and the punishment of sinners, so that all of us, bearing these things in mind day and hour, as children of the Church, know ^C that not one iota, nor one jot, shall pass away from them, as the saving Word has indicated. Therefore, all of you must necessarily open the eyes of your hearts and the ears of your soul, and receive the word we are about to speak. For I am going to reveal to you today a narrative full of all horror and fear, that is, the consummation, or rather the universal delusion ^D of the enemy and the devil; and after these things, the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

III. Whence then, O Christ-lovers, shall I take a beginning? And how shall I start, or what shall I recount? Whom shall I provide as a witness to these things said? But from where we began the discourse, let us bring these into our midst as witnesses.

Oration of St. Hippolytus on the consummation of the world, on the Antichrist, and on the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

^A witnesses who confirm the declaration of the things spoken; and afterwards, the teaching of the Apostles, or rather their prophecy, as they sound forth the day of the end throughout the whole inhabited world like a trumpet. Since, therefore, these too have ^B pre-indicated things that are not yet to come to pass, and have revealed the craftiness and evil counsel of the wicked men who will exist, come, let us bring into our midst the prophet Isaiah as the first witness, who instructs us concerning the times of the end. What then does he say? "Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire. Your region, strangers devour it before your face. And the daughter of Zion shall be left as a booth in a vineyard, and as a lodge in a cucumber garden, as a city that is laid waste" (Isa. I, 7). You see, beloved, the light sent into the prophet, by which he predicted that time many generations ago. For he did not speak this word concerning the Jews, nor concerning the city of Zion, but concerning the Church. For all the prophets have declared Zion to be the bride brought in from the nations.

IV. Wherefore, let us apply our discourse to the second witness. Who is he? Listen also to Hosea pouring forth in grandiloquent style: "In those days the Lord shall bring a wind of parching heat from the desert against them, and shall dry up their veins and shall make their fountains desolate, and all desirable vessels shall be destroyed" (cf. Ose. XIII, 15). "Because they have resisted God, they shall fall by the sword, and those among them who are with child shall be ripped open" (cf. Ose. XIV, 4). What other wind of parching heat from the desert is there than the Antichrist, who in his own times is about to destroy and dry up the veins of the waters and the fruits of the trees, because men have embraced his works? ^C Therefore he will destroy them, and they themselves will serve him in his impurity.

V. Attend to the harmony of prophet with prophet; recognise another who also speaks of similar things. For the prophet Amos likewise predicted the same: "Thus saith the Lord: Because you smite the poor with the fist, and have taken from him choice gifts, you have built beautiful houses, and you shall not dwell in them. You have planted desirable vineyards, and you shall not drink the wine of them. Because I have known your many impieties, and heavy are your sins—you who defraud the just, take bribes, and oppress the poor in the gates. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time, for the time is evil" (Amos V, 11, 12, 15). ^D Learn,

beloved, the wickedness of the men of that time, how they will plunder houses and fields, and that they take away the justice of the just ^A, so that you may know that the end is at hand when these things come to be. For the wisdom and revelation of the prophet has been made clear to you, which was to be in those days. Moreover, all the prophets, as we said before, just as they made manifest the old things, have clearly prophesied the things that were to happen in the latter times.

VI. But lest we waste our discourse on the words of all the prophets, let us mention one, and return to what is before us. For what does Micah also predict? "Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who bite with their teeth and preach peace to them; and if nothing is put into their mouths, they prepare war against them. Therefore it shall be night for you instead of a vision, and darkness for you instead of divination. And the sun shall set upon the prophets, and the day shall be darkened over them. And those who see visions shall be ashamed, and the diviners shall be mocked" ^B. We have recounted these things beforehand, so that you might understand the torment and the commotion that will be in the last times, and the behavior of all men toward one another—the envy, the hatred, the strife, the neglect of the shepherds toward the sheep, and the disobedient disposition of the people toward the priests.

VII. Thus all will live according to their own will. Children will lay hands upon their parents; a wife will deliver her own husband to death; a husband will drag his own wife to judgment as if she were guilty; masters will act inhumanly toward their servants, and servants will bear a disobedient spirit toward their masters; no one will respect the gray hair of an old man, and no one will pity the beauty of a youth; the temples of God will be as [ordinary] houses, and the destruction of the churches will occur everywhere; ^C the Scriptures will be despised, and people will everywhere sing the songs of the enemy. Defilements, adulteries, and perjuries will fill the earth; sorceries, incantations, and divinations will be pursued after these things with great vehemence and zeal. In a word, among those who seem to be Christians, then will arise false prophets, false apostles, ^D impostors, corruptors, sorcerers, men lying to one another, adulterers, fornicators, rapacious, greedy, perjurers, slanderers, hating one another. The shepherds will become like wolves, the priests

will embrace falsehood; the monks will desire the things of the world; the rich will put on a heart devoid of mercy; princes will not help the poor; the powerful will reject deeds of compassion; judges will take away justice from the just, and blinded by gifts, they will approve iniquity. ^A

VIII. Why do I recount what will happen among men, when even the elements themselves are about to deny their own order? There will be earthquakes through all cities, pestilences through all regions, thunders without measure, horrendous lightning that will burn up houses and fields; storms of winds that will disturb land and sea without measure; barrenness of the earth, the roaring of the sea, an intolerable commotion on account of the destruction of both souls and men; signs in the sun, signs in the moon, deflections of the stars from their path, distress of nations, intemperance of the air, emissions of hail upon the face of the earth; ^B disorderly winters, unusual ice, intense heats that cannot be calmed, sudden lightning bolts, unexpected fires; and, to speak once, the groaning and lamentation of the whole earth, which lacks consolation. For because iniquity will abound, the charity of many will grow cold. Therefore, the Lord of all things calls out through the Gospel concerning the fluctuation and confusion of all these things, saying: Take heed that you be not seduced. For many will come in my name, saying: That I am He, and the time is at hand. Do not therefore be seduced after them. And when you shall hear of wars and dissensions, do not be terrified. For these things must first come to pass: but the end is not yet. Let us look to the words of the Savior, how He has commanded us so that we might always be strengthened: Take heed that you be not seduced. For many will come in my name, saying, I am He. ^C

IX. For even after He was taken up to the Father, some arose saying: That I am the Christ, such as Simon Magus, and others, whose names it is not the time at present to mention. Wherefore also on the last day of the consummation, there must again arise pseudochrists, men who say: That I am Christ; and they will seduce many. And many men will run about from the east even unto the west, and from the north even unto the sea, saying: Where is Christ here? Where is Christ there? But they move, endowed with vain wisdom, and neither reading the Scriptures diligently, nor thinking rightly; they will seek a name which they will not be able to find. For it behooves that first

^A these things to happen, and thus for the son of perdition to be seen, that is, the devil.

X. Furthermore, the God-inspired apostles, confirming the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, have individually pointed out the manifestation of these detestable and destructive men, and have openly proclaimed their wicked deeds. First, Peter, the rock of the faith, whom Christ our God called blessed, that teacher of the Church, that first of the disciples, he who holds the keys of the kingdom, taught us, saying: "Knowing this first, children, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts." "And there shall be false teachers among you, who shall privily bring in heresies of perdition." Following him, John the theologian, the beloved of Christ, cries out: "The children of the devil are manifest, and now many antichrists have appeared; but be not led astray after them. Believe not every spirit, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." Then also Jude, the brother of James, says similar things: "In the last times there shall be scoffers, walking after their own lusts in ungodliness. These are they who feed themselves without fear." You have perceived the agreement and harmony of the doctrine of the theologians and apostles. ^B

XI. Next, listen also to Paul speaking freely, how openly he reveals these men: "Beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit. See then how you walk circumspectly, because the days are evil." Who, then, will have any excuse, hearing these things in the Church, from the prophets, and the apostles, and from the Lord Himself, if he does not concern himself with the care of his soul, and with the time of the consummation, and that hour in which we are to stand before the judgment seat of Christ? ^C

XII. But having finished this part of the discourse concerning the consummation, we shall turn our narrative to the matters that are to be spoken of accordingly. Indeed, I bring forward into the midst a witness worthy of belief, the prophet Daniel, who interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and from the beginning of kingdoms down to the consummation, pointed out ^D an unturning path to those who wish to walk it, a declaration of the truth.

For what does the prophet say? He clearly announced to King Nebuchadnezzar: "You were watching, O king, and behold a great statue standing before your face, whose head was of gold, its arms and shoulders of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its shins of iron; but the feet were part iron and part earthen." You were watching until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue upon the feet of iron and clay, and ground them to pieces. Then the clay, and the iron, and the bronze, the silver, and the gold were ground small at once; and they became like chaff from the summer threshing floor, and the stone which struck the statue became a great mountain, and filled all the earth.

XIII. Conjoining, therefore, these ^B visions of Daniel, we shall make one exposition of both, demonstrating how true and in agreement with the prophet were the things seen, which Nebuchadnezzar also had foreseen. For the prophet says thus: "I, Daniel, was watching, and behold the four winds of the heaven were rushing upon the great sea; and four great beasts were coming up out of the sea, differing from one another. The first beast was like a lioness, and its wings were as an eagle's. I was watching until its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the earth and stood on two feet of a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. And behold, a second beast, like a bear, and it stood on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it: 'Arise, eat much flesh.' Behind it I was watching, and behold a third beast, like a leopard, and it had four wings of a bird upon it; four heads had the beast. Behind this I was watching, and behold a fourth beast, terrible and astonishing, and exceeding strong; its teeth were of iron and great, and its claws of bronze, it was eating and grinding, and it was trampling the remainder with its feet; and it differed exceeding much from all the beasts before it. And it had ten horns. I was considering its horns; and behold, another little horn grew up in the midst of them, and three of the former horns were rooted out from before its face; and behold, eyes like the eyes of a man were in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things."

XIV. ^D Since, therefore, these things spoken mystically by the prophet seem difficult for all to understand, we shall conceal none of them from those who possess a sound mind.

^A When Daniel speaks of the first beast—that is to say, the lioness rising up from the sea—he signifies the kingdom of the Babylonians which was in the world, this being the golden head of the image. And when he says her wings were as an eagle’s, it signifies that King Nebuchadnezzar was exalted and lifted himself up against God. Then he says, "her wings were plucked," because his glory was cast down; for he was driven from his kingdom. But those words, "a man’s heart was given to him, and he stood upon the feet of a man," signify that he repented, when he recognized that he was a man, and gave glory to God. Behold, I have demonstrated the likeness of the first beast.

XV. After the lioness, the prophet sees a second beast, similar to a bear, which were the Persians; for after the Babylonians, the Persians held power. And when he says, "I was watching three ribs in its mouth," he showed three nations: the Persians, the Medes, and the Babylonians, which is shown after the gold as the silver in the image. Behold, we have also demonstrated the second beast. Afterwards, the third, the leopard, which were the Greeks; for after the Persians, Alexander of the Macedonians held power, having brought down Darius, which is shown by the bronze in the image. ^B And when he says, "four wings of a bird, and four heads upon the beast," he most clearly showed how the kingdom of Alexander was divided into four parts. For it had four heads—the four kings who rose up from it; for dying, Alexander divided his kingdom into four parts. Behold, we have spoken of the third beast as well.

XVI. Then he speaks of a fourth beast, terrible and appalling; its teeth were iron, and its claws bronze. Who are these, if not the Roman empire? Which is the iron, by which it will crush all the kingdoms before it, and will rule over the whole earth. After this, then, what remains for us to interpret of what the prophet saw, if not the extremities of the feet of the image, in which there is both a part of iron and a part of earthenware, both mixed together into one? For he mystically declared through the ten toes of the feet of the image the ten kings rising up from it, which Daniel interpreted. For I was contemplating, he says, the beast—the fourth, that is—and behold, ten horns behind it, in which another horn grew up like a sprout; and it will root out three of the former ones. ^C Which sprouted horn is shown to be no other than the Antichrist, who is to raise up the kingdom of the Jews. The three horns which are to be rooted up by him ^D indicate three kingdoms—Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia—which he will destroy by the line of battle; having gained power over all of these, the terrible tyrant will inflict affliction and persecution upon the saints, lifting himself up against them.

^A XVII. You see how Daniel interpreted the dominion of the kingdoms to Nebuchadnezzar; you perceive how he declared the form of the statue in all its features; you have perceived in what manner he pre-indicated to us the ascent of the four beasts from the sea. It remains that we should reveal to you the peculiar evil deeds of the Antichrist, and, as far as it is permitted, we shall proclaim from the prophets and the Scriptures his wandering over the whole earth, and his wicked coming.

XVIII. When the Lord Jesus Christ arrived according to the flesh from the holy and immaculate Virgin, and took upon Himself the tribe of Judah, and went forth from it, the Scripture declared the royal line, in accordance with the judgment of Jacob, who cried out in his blessings to his son Judah: *Te laudabunt fratres tui; manus tuæ in cervicibus inimicorum tuorum; adorabunt te filii patris tui. Catulus leonis Juda; e virgulto, fili mi, ascendisti. Recubans dormivisti ut leo, et velut catulus leonis, quis excitabit illum? Non deficiet princeps ex Juda, neque dux de femoribus ejus, donec veniant quae reposita sunt ei, et ipse est exspectatio gentium.* Attend to the words spoken by Jacob to Judah, as being fulfilled in the Lord. ^B Indeed, the patriarch proclaims the same concerning the Antichrist as well. Therefore, just as he sent forth a prophecy upon Judah, so did he also upon his son Dan. For Judah was his fourth son, but Dan was his seventh son. What did he cry out concerning him? *Occurrat ipsi Dan coluber in via, insidens in semita, mordens ungulam equi.* Who was this serpent, if not that deceiver from the beginning, who is said in Genesis to have deceived Eve and to have supplanted Adam?

XIX. But since these things must be demonstrated by us with many arguments, we shall not be burdened. He is certainly to be born from the tribe of Dan, and like a tyrant king he is about to set up a battle line from the opposing side, a severe judge and a devil, as the prophet says: *Dan judicavit populum suum, ut quævis alia tribus in Israel.* ^C But someone will say that this was spoken concerning Samson, who, born from the tribe of Dan, judged his people for twenty years. Yet that was fulfilled by Samson only in part, whereas this will be fulfilled universally in the times of the Antichrist. For Jeremiah speaks in this manner: *E Dan audiemus vocem acutissimam equorum ejus. A voce hinnitus equitatus equorum ejus concussa est universa* ^D the earth. And again, Moses says: *A lion’s whelp, Dan, and*

will leap out of Basan. But lest anyone should be deceived into thinking this statement refers to the Savior, let him apply his mind. Dan, he says, is a lion’s whelp; by naming the tribe of Dan, he clarified the subject, from which the devil is to be born. For just as Christ is born from ^A the tribe of Judah, so too shall the Antichrist be born from the tribe of Dan. For our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was foretold as a lion because of his royal and glorious nature; in the same way, Scripture has also declared the devil to be a lion because of his tyrannical and violent character.

XX. For that deceiver wishes in all things to liken himself to the Son of God. Christ is a lion, and the Antichrist is a lion. Christ is King of things heavenly ^B and earthly, and the Antichrist will be born as king upon the earth. The Savior was shown as a lamb, and he too will appear as a lamb, being a wolf within. The Savior was circumcised, and he in like manner will be born in circumcision. Christ sent forth his apostles to all the nations, and he in like manner will send forth pseudo-apostles. Christ gathered the scattered sheep, and he in like manner will gather the scattered people of the Hebrews. Christ gave to those who believe in him the precious and life-giving ^C cross, and he in like manner will give his own sign. The Lord appeared in the form of a man, and he in like manner will come forth in the form of a man. Christ rose up from the Hebrews, and he too will be born from the Jews. Christ revealed his own flesh as a temple, and raised it on the third day, and he will raise up the stone temple in Jerusalem. And these deceptive schemes of his will become evident to those who listen to us attentively, in what we shall relate hereafter.

XXI. For we have learned from the Scriptures of two comings of Christ and the Savior. The first, which took place ^D according to the flesh, was lowly because he appeared in humility; thus also his second coming is proclaimed in glory, as he will come from the heavens with power, with angels, and with the glory of the Father. His first coming had John the Baptist as its forerunner; but his second, in which he is to come in glory, will reveal Enoch, and Elijah, and John the Theologian. And behold the Lord’s...

^A care and mercy, in that even in the latter times he does not leave the human race without prophets, but will send them for our instruction, and certainty, and for a warning concerning the coming of the Adversary, just as Daniel also foretold this. For he says: "He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; and in the midst of the week the sacrifice and the oblation shall be taken away." By "one week," he indicates the demonstration of the seven years that will take place in the latter times; and for the half of the week, the two prophets, together with John, shall take it upon themselves to proclaim the coming of Antichrist to the entire world—that is to say, for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth; and they shall perform signs and wonders, so that even in this way they might soften the hearts of men and turn them to repentance, on account of their exceeding iniquity and impiety. ^B And if any man wishes to harm them, fire shall proceed out of their mouth and devour their enemies. They have power to shut the heaven, that it may not rain in the days of the coming of Antichrist; and to turn the waters into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague as often as they shall wish. And when they have proclaimed all these things, they shall fall by the sword, put to death by the devil. And they shall fulfill their testimony, as Daniel also says, having foreseen that the beast rising out of the abyss shall make war with them—that is, with Enoch, Elijah, and John—and shall overcome them and kill them, because they would not give glory to the devil. That is the little horn which emerged. For Antichrist, being lifted up in heart, will afterwards begin to exalt ^C himself and to glorify himself as God, persecuting the saints and blaspheming Christ unceasingly. This is he who in the last days shall stand against Antichrist along with Elijah, and rebuke his deception according to the tradition of the Church. And as for the fact that the virgin John is still alive, and likewise Enoch and Elijah, tradition bears witness to this. And that which is said in the Gospels also leads us to the same understanding... for no one says that he is immortal, but that he remains with Enoch and Elijah until the second appearing of the Lord.

XXII. But since the sequence of our narrative has of necessity brought us to the days of the kingdom of that adversary, it is necessary ^D first to speak of his birth and growth; and then to direct our discourse to this account, as we have said before, that the devil and the son of iniquity intends to make himself equal to our Savior in all things; for thus the demonstration shows us. Since the Savior of the world, wishing to save the human race, was born of the immaculate Virgin Mary, and in the likeness of flesh...

^A trampled down the enemy by the proper power of His own divinity, in the same manner also will the devil emerge from an impure woman upon the earth; yet he is falsely born of a virgin. For our God dwelt among us in the flesh, not different from our own, which He Himself made for Adam and for all those who are from Adam, without sin. But the devil, even if he should assume flesh, does so by opinion only. For who would bear flesh that he did not Himself create, but which he daily opposes? This, I suppose, beloved, he assumes as an instrument, a phantastic substance of his own flesh. Therefore, he will be brought forth from a virgin as if he were a spirit: which, however, will then appear to others as flesh. For we know that only the most holy Virgin gave birth to the One who truly bore flesh, the Savior. Since Moses says: *Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord* (Exod. XIII, 2; Luc. II, 23). But this one, by no means. And as the enemy shall not open the womb, so he shall not assume true flesh, nor will he be circumcised, just as Christ was circumcised. And as Christ chose apostles, so will that one take to himself a whole people of disciples, who are alike in his own ^B wickedness.

XXIII. In the first place, he will love the Jewish nation. After all these things, he will perform signs and fearful wonders, yet not true, but in deception (24), so that he may deceive the impious who are like him; for if it is possible, he will seduce even the elect from the love of Christ. But in his early days he will be gentle, affectionate, quiet, reverent, a peacemaker, hating injustice, detesting bribes, not admitting idolatry, loving the Scriptures, as it is said, respecting priests, honoring the gray-haired, not admitting fornication, loathing adultery, not listening to slander, not accepting oaths, hospitable, a lover of the poor, merciful. Afterward he will perform miracles, cleansing lepers, raising the paralytic, casting out demons, announcing things that are far away as if they were present, raising the dead, bringing aid to widows, protecting orphans, loving all, reconciling men who are fighting into love, and saying: Let the sun not [set upon your anger.]

he shall not acquire gold, nor shall he love silver, nor shall he desire riches.

XXIV. And he will do all these things with a feigned and fraudulent intent, so as to circumvent everyone, that they might make him king. For when the peoples and the multitudes shall have seen his great virtues and abilities, they will all come together with one accord to a single place to make him king. And the nation of the Hebrews especially, above all others, will be dear to this tyrant, and they will say to one another: "Could such a good and righteous man be found in our generation?" The Jews especially, as I have already said, hoping that they will behold him as king in such a rule, will approach him and address him with these words: "We all obey you, we all place our trust in you, we acknowledge you as righteous over all the earth; we all hope to attain salvation through your works, and we shall receive just and incorruptible judgment from your mouth."

XXV. And at the beginning, indeed, that liar and lawless one will craftily refuse this glory; but as men persist and implore, they will declare him king. Afterward, he will become exalted in spirit, and he who was formerly gentle will become fierce; he who used to embrace love will become pitiless; ^B he who bore a humble mind will become proud and inhuman; and he who used to hate injustice will persecute the righteous. Then, having been raised up to his kingdom, he will prepare for war and, stirred by rage, will strike down three mighty kings, those of the Egyptians, the Libyans, and the Ethiopians. Then he will construct the temple in Jerusalem, which, once ^C quickly built, he will hand over to the Jews. Then he will be carried away in spirit against all men; and he will even utter contumelious words against God Himself, that deceitful one hoping that he will reign forever upon the earth, not knowing, wretch that he is, that his kingdom will shortly be rendered void and that he will soon receive the fire prepared for him together with all who have believed and served him. For since Daniel said: *He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week* (Dan. ix, 27), he declared seven years. The prophets will preach for half a week; and for half a week—that is, for three and a half years—the Antichrist will reign upon the earth; after this, his kingdom and glory will be taken away. Consider, you who love God, what kind of affliction is to come in those times; such as has not been since the foundation of the world, nor shall ever be again; but only in those times. Then ^D

^A that wicked one, puffed up in heart, gathers his own demons in the form of men, and he will loathe those who call him to the kingdom, and he will defile many souls.

XXVI. For he will appoint for them rulers from among the demons. And no longer as one devout, but in all things in every way, austere, harsh, irascible, thundering, terrible ^B, inconstant, fearsome, unpleasant, hateful, abominable, cruel, a spirit of retribution, wicked; and eager to cast the whole race of men into the pit of destruction, he will multiply false signs. For as all the peoples acclaim him because of the illusions, he will cry out with a loud voice, so that the place in which the crowds stood before him will be shaken: "Know, O peoples, and tribes, and nations, my great authority, and power, and the strength of my kingdom! What prince is as great as I? What great God is there besides me? Who shall resist my power?" He will shift mountains before the eyes of those watching, he will walk upon the sea with dry feet, he will bring down fire from heaven, he will turn day into darkness, and night into day; he will turn the sun wherever he pleases; and simply put, he will demonstrate all the elements of earth and sea ^C as obedient to himself through the power of his illusion, in the presence of those watching. For if the son of perdition, not yet appearing in person, is already provoking and inciting against us visible war for battles and slaughters, then when he is about to come in person, and men see him in reality, what machinations, and deceits, and illusions will he not devise, in order to lead all men astray and turn them away from the way of truth, and from the door of the kingdom?

XXVII. Then after all these things, the heaven will not give its dew, the clouds will not provide water, the earth will refuse its fruits, the sea will be filled with stench, the rivers will be dried up, the fishes of the sea will die, men will perish from hunger and from thirst; and a father, embracing his son, will die at the same time, and a mother with her daughter likewise; and there is no one to bury them. But the whole earth will be filled with the stench ^D of the bodies of the unburied corpses lying about. And the sea, not receiving the flows of the rivers, will become like mud, and will be filled with an infinite and heavy stench. Then a plague will wax strong over the whole…

earth; then there will be lamentation without any consolation; then immoderate wailing and continuous weeping. Then men will call those blessed who have died before, saying to them: Open your graves, and receive us miserable ones; open your tombs for the reception of your wretched kinsmen and acquaintances. Blessed are you, for you have not beheld these days. Blessed are you, for you have not lived to see this painful life, nor this plague—which overcomes all remedies—nor this necessity which occupies our souls.

^B XXVIII. Then that impure one will send forth its mandates throughout the whole province, both through the work of demons and of tangible men, saying: A great king has been born upon the earth; come, all you, to adore him; hasten, all you, to behold the powers of his might. Lo, he will provide you with grain, he will lavish wine upon you, and precious wealth and sublime dignities. For at his command all the earth and the sea obey. Approach him, all you. Soon all, through the scarcity of food, will come and adore him; to whom he will give a mark on the right hand and on the forehead, so that no one may paint that precious cross on his forehead with his right hand: for his hand is bound. From that time on, he will not be able to mark any of his members, but will cling to the seducer and serve him, and will not be led by repentance. Thus he has perished, both as touching God and as touching men. So that deceiver will give them a few victuals, and that because of his impure seal. The seal of him, as much on the forehead as on the right hand, is the number 666, as I think—nor do I know this for certain, because in the scripture which is in that number, very many names are found which have that sum. But we say that perhaps the writing of that seal is "I deny X." For formerly also that enemy and adversary of ours, through the works of his ministers, that is, of the idolaters, urging the martyrs of Christ, was saying: Deny, he said, your God who was crucified.

Even thus it will be also in the case of the hater-of-good, the devil; his seal, he says, is: I deny the Creator of heaven and earth; I deny baptism, I deny my faith, and I worship you. For this also the prophets, [C/D]

Enoch and Elias, shall proclaim: Do not believe the enemy who is to come and appear. For he is the adversary, the corruptor, and the son of perdition, and he deceives you ^A, and for this reason he will kill you, and he will smite them with a sword. Behold the deception of the enemy, and recognize the schemes of the deceitful one, how he desires to darken the mind of men forever. For he will present his demons as bright angels, and he will bring in hosts of bodiless spirits, of which there is no number; and before all he will make a show of himself being taken up into heaven, with trumpets, and sounds, and a loud cry, with those praising him in unspeakable hymns. And he, the heir of darkness, shining like light, will now fly up to the heavens, now descend upon the earth in great glory; and now he will command his demons as if they were angels, to perform his will with great fear and trembling. Then he will send the phalanxes ^B of demons into the mountains, and caves, and the dens of the earth, to search out those who have hidden themselves from his eyes, and lead them to worship him. Those who obey him, he will mark with his seal; but those who do not wish to obey him, he will destroy with inconceivable punishments, and most bitter torments, and devices, such as have never been, nor have been heard by the ear of man, nor has the eye of mortals seen.

XXX. Blessed are those who shall then have conquered the tyrant, because they are to be shown more glorious and higher than the first martyrs; for the former martyrs conquered only his satellites, but these truly conquered the devil himself, the son of perdition, and have won the victory. With what praises, therefore, ^C and with what crowns shall they not be adorned by our King, Jesus Christ?

XXXI. But let us return to the subject. For when men have received the seal, and find no food or water, they will approach him with a bitter cry, saying: Give us something to eat and drink; for we are all perishing from famine and from every necessity. And command the heaven to give us water, and drive away the man-eating beasts. Then the deceitful one will answer, mocking them ^D with great inhumanity, saying: The heaven refuses to give rain; the earth again does not produce its fruits; whence

[...for he will say,] “I will give you food.” Then, having heard the words of this deceitful one, the wretched will realize that this is the wicked devil, and they will lament painfully, and they will weep greatly, and they will beat their faces with their hands, and they will tear out their hair, and they will lacerate their cheeks with their nails, ^A saying to one another: “O the calamity! O the bitter transaction! O the fraudulent bargain! O the great fall! How has the impostor deceived us? How have we clung to him? How have we been caught in his nets? How have we been shut within his unclean dragnet? How is it that, while hearing the Scriptures, we did not understand?” For indeed, those then bound ^B in the affairs of life and by the desire for this age, these will easily be led to the devil and will be sealed.

XXXII. But many who attend to the divine Scriptures, and keep them in their hands, and revolve them in their minds, will escape from his delusion. For they will perceive the manifestation of his plotting and the arrogance of his deceit, and they will flee from his hands to the mountains, and will hide themselves in the caverns of the earth, and with tears and a contrite heart will seek the lover of mankind, who will snatch them from his snares and will preserve them from his grievous scandals; and with His right hand, in an invisible manner, He will protect those who worthily and justly supplicate Him. ^C

XXXIII. You see what sort of fasting and what prayers the saints will then practice. Learn also for those in the city and the country what a hard time and what days will arise. They will be driven from east to west and will arrive from west to east, and they will weep greatly, and will lament vehemently, and upon the day dawning, they will await the night, that they may rest from their labors; and when the night has overtaken them, because of the frequent earthquakes and the storms of the air, they will look to at least behold the light of day, and through what manner they might thereafter come to a bitter death. Then all the earth will mourn a life full of torments. The sea will mourn, the air will mourn, the sun will mourn; the wild beasts will mourn together with the birds; the mountains and hills will mourn, and the woods of the field, because of the human race, because all have fallen away from the holy God and have believed the impostor, having received the mark of that unclean one and enemy of God in place of the life-giving ^D Cross of the Savior.

XXXIV. The Churches also will mourn a great mourning.

for neither offering, nor incense ^A is performed, nor worship acceptable to God; but the holy places of the Churches will become like a hut; and the precious body and blood of Christ will not appear in those days; the liturgy will be extinguished, the chanting of psalms will cease, the reading of the Scriptures will not be heard. But there will be darkness for men, and lamentation upon lamentation, and woe upon woe. Then silver and gold will be cast into the streets, and no one will gather them; but all things will be considered abominable. For all will strive to flee and hide, and they will nowhere be able to escape the sufferings of the adversary; but carrying his sign, they will be shown to be clearly known and recognizable to him. Outside is fear, and inside is trembling, both by night and by day; in the street and in the houses there will be corpses; in the streets and in the houses, hunger and thirst; in the streets, tumults; in the houses, wailing. The beauty of the appearance of the face will wither, for their forms will become as those of the dead. And the beauty of women will wither ^B, and the desire of all men will be taken away.

XXXV. For not even at that time will the compassionate and lover-of-men God leave the human race without consolation, but He will shorten those days; and He will curtail the time of the three and a half years, and make them short, on account of the remnant of those hiding in the mountains and caves, that that phalanx of all those saints may not fail. But these days will pass by with haste; and the kingdom of the deceiver and Antichrist will be taken away in haste. And then in the twinkling of an eye the fashion of this world will pass away; and the authority of men ^C will be brought to nothing, and all these visible things will vanish.

XXXVI. Since, therefore, these things are to be, beloved, which we have foretold, and the one week having been divided into two parts, and the abomination of desolation having then appeared, and the forerunners of the Lord having finished their own course, and the whole world finally ^D coming to its consummation, what remains, if not the appearance of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, from the heavens, in whom we have hoped; who will bring forth the conflagration and all righteous judgment upon those who have not believed in Him? For the Lord says: "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and appeareth even unto the west; so shall also the appearance of the Son of man be." For where the car-

carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. For the sign of the cross ^A from the east unto the west shall rise, surpassing the brightness of the sun, and will herald the coming and the appearance of the Judge, to render to every man according to his works. For concerning the resurrection of all, and the kingdom of the saints, Daniel

^A says: "They who did not guard their couch pure, but were deceived by all the beauty of the flesh, and followed after their own desires." Then those who have not kept the love of the Lord shall rise up, sorrowful and grim, because they despised the light commandment of the Savior, which commands: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Then they who have possessed the unjust balance, and weights, and measures, and unjust pecks, shall groan, awaiting the just Judge.

XXXIX. But why do we add many words to those already set forth?

XL. Then the son of perdition shall be brought forward, that is to say the devil, with his demons and his ministers, by severe and harsh angels; and they shall be delivered up to the unquenchable fire, and the undying worm, and the outer darkness. For the people of the Hebrews shall see Him in human figure, just as He appeared to them in the flesh from the holy Virgin, and as they crucified Him; and He shall show them the nails of His hands and feet, ^C and His side pierced by the lance, and His head crowned with thorns, and the precious cross. Finally, all the Hebrews shall see, and shall wail, and shall weep, just as—

the prophet cries out: *They shall look upon Him whom they pierced*, and there is no one to help them or to have pity on them, because they did not repent, nor did they turn away from their wicked way. And these shall depart into eternal punishment with the demons and the devil.

XLI. Then He shall gather all the nations, as the holy Gospel clearly cries out. For what does the evangelist Matthew say, or rather the Lord Himself in the Gospel? *When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory; and all nations shall be gathered before Him, and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He shall place the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.* Then He shall say to those on His right hand: *Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.* Come, ^A you prophets, who were persecuted for My name. Come, you patriarchs, who before My coming obeyed Me and desired My kingdom. Come, you apostles, who were partakers of My afflictions while I lived among men, for the sake of the Gospel. Come, you martyrs, who confessed Me before tyrants and endured many torments and punishments. Come, you pontiffs (high priests), who purely offered sacrifices to Me day and night, and daily immolated My precious body and blood.

XLII. Come, you holy ones, who in mountains, and in dens, and in ^C caves of the earth exercised yourselves, who through continence, and prayers, and virginity served My name. Come, you virgins, who desired My bridal chamber, and besides Me, the bridegroom, loved no other; who through martyrdom and the exercise of piety have been joined to Me, the immortal and incorruptible bridegroom. Come, you who have loved the poor and strangers. Come, you who have kept My charity, even as I am Charity. Come, you companions of peace; for I am peace itself. Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you; you who made nothing of riches, who had mercy on the poor, who brought help to orphans, who aided widows, who gave drink to the thirsty, who fed the hungry, who took in strangers, who clothed the naked, who visited the sick, who comforted those detained in prison, who

^A gave aid to the blind, who kept the seal of the faith uninjured, who ran together to the churches, who heard my Scriptures, who sought out my words, who kept my law day and night, who suffered hardships with me as good soldiers, desiring to please me, the heavenly King. Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Behold, my kingdom is made ready; behold, paradise is opened; behold, my immortality has been adorned. Come, all of you, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

XLIII. Then the righteous will answer, ^B stunned by the greatness of the miracle, because the One whom the ranks of angels cannot clearly and truly look upon calls them friends, and they will cry out to him: Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Master, when did we see you thirsty and give you drink? Terrible One, when did we see you naked and clothe you? Immortal One, when did we see you a stranger and take you in? Lover of mankind, when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you? You are the One who is ever-existent. You are one with the Father, without beginning, and coeternal with the Holy Spirit. You are the One who created all things out of nothing. You are the King of the angels; you are the One whom the abysses tremble before. You are the One who wraps himself in light as in a garment. You are the One who created and fashioned us from the earth. You are the One who created ^C the invisible things. From your face the whole earth flees, and how did we receive your royal dignity and dominion into our hospitality?

XLIV. Then the King of kings will answer again, saying to them: Inasmuch as you did it to one of these my brethren, the least of them, you did it to me; inasmuch as you—whom I previously mentioned to you—received, clothed, fed, and gave drink to my members, I mean the poor, you did it to me. But come into the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; enjoy for age upon age, from God my heavenly Father and the all-holy and life-giving Spirit. What mouth, then, shall declare those good things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have they ascended into the heart of man, which God has prepared for those who love Him?

XLV. You have known joy without succession; you have known a kingdom ^D unshaken; you have known a delight of good things having no end. Learn also the bitter voice which the righteous Judge and God—who is merciful in measureless wrath and indignation—will pronounce toward those who shall stand on the left.

^A Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels. You have brought these things upon yourselves; enjoy them. Depart from me, you cursed, into the outer darkness and into the unquenchable fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels. I formed you, and you have attached yourselves to another. I am he who brought you forth from the womb, and you have set me aside. I am he who, by my command, formed you from the earth, and you have joined yourselves to another. I am he who fed you, and you have served another. I established the earth and the sea for your nourishment and for the limit of your life; but you have not obeyed my commandments. I created the light for you so that you might enjoy the day, and likewise the night so that you might rest; but you have provoked and rejected me by your wicked deeds, and have opened doors to your passions. Depart from me, workers of iniquity. I do not know you, I do not recognize you; you have become workers of another master, that is, of the devil. Inherit with him the darkness, the unquenchable fire, the worm that does not sleep, and the gnashing of teeth.

^A XLVI. For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger, and you did not gather me in; naked, and you did not clothe me. I was sick, and you did not visit me. I was in prison, and you did not come to me. I fashioned your ears so that you might hear the Scriptures; but you prepared them for the songs of demons, for lyres, and for ridicules. I created your eyes so that you might perceive the light of my commandments and perform them; but you summoned ^C acts of lewdness and impurity, and opened them to all other uncleanness. I formed your mouth to glorify and praise God, to utter spiritual psalms and hymns, and to meditate upon the reading of the Word continually; but you prepared it for railing, for oaths, and for blasphemies, while you sit and slander your neighbors. I made your hands so that you might extend them for prayers and supplications; but you stretched them out for robberies, murders, and mutual killings. I ordained your feet to walk in the preparation of the Gospel of peace, both in the churches and in the houses of my saints; but you taught them to run to adulteries, lewdness, spectacles, dances, and proud arrogance. ^D

^A XLVII. The public assembly is now dissolved, the spectacle of this world has ceased, its deception and appearance have passed away; adhere to me, to whom every knee bends, of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. For all who have neglected this, and have not shown mercy by doing good here, nothing is owed to them but the fire which is not extinguished. For I am a lover of mankind, but I am also a righteous judge to all. For I will render rewards according to merit; to all I will provide the wage for each person’s labor; to all I will give the rewards for their own struggle. I wish to show mercy, but I do not see oil in your vessels. I wish to show pity, but you spent your whole life entirely without compassion. I hasten to be moved with compassion, but your lamps are dark because of the hardness of your heart. Depart from me. For judgment is without mercy to one who has not shown mercy.

XLVIII. Then they too will respond to the fearful judge, who does not accept persons: Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not serve you? Lord, do you not recognize us? You fashioned us, you created us, you joined us together from the four elements, you planted spirit and soul within us; we believed in you, we participated in your seal, we received your baptism; we confessed you as God, we acknowledged you as Creator; in you we performed signs, through you we cast out demons; for your sake we mortified the flesh, for your sake we kept virginity, for your sake we took upon ourselves chastity, for your sake we became ^C strangers on earth; and you say: I do not know you; depart from me! Then he will answer them also, saying: You confessed me as Master, but you did not obey my words. You were marked with the seal of my cross, but you wiped it out with the hardness of your heart. You received my baptism, but you did not keep my commandments. You subdued your body in virginity, but you did not keep charity, and you did not shake off hatred for your brother from your souls. For not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall be saved, but he who does my will. And these shall depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

XLIX. You have heard, beloved, the response of the Lord; you have known the decision of the judge; you have learned what a fearful tribunal awaits us, and day and hour; let us be anxious for this every day, let us meditate on this day and night, both in our houses, and in the squares, and in the churches, so that we may not at that fearful and impartial ^D

with action, life, conversation, and a pure confession; so that the merciful God who loves mankind may say to us also: *Thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace;* and likewise: *Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.* May it be granted to us all to attain to this, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, who is without beginning, together with His all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, there is due glory, honor, and worship, now and always, and for ages of ages. Amen.

*Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.* (Apoc. II.)

OF HIPPOLYTUS CONCERNING THE TWELVE APOSTLES

^B Peter, indeed, having preached the Gospel in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Bithynia, Italy, and Asia, was afterwards crucified at Rome by Nero, head downwards, having himself requested to suffer in this manner.

Andrew, having preached to the Scythians and Thracians, was affixed to a cross at Patrae in Achaia, upright upon an olive tree, and is buried there.

John, moreover, having been banished by the Emperor Domitian to the island of Patmos, where he also wrote the Gospel and saw the Apocalypse, fell asleep under Trajan at Ephesus; his remains, when sought for, were not found.

James, his brother, preaching in Judea, was slain by Herod the tetrarch with a sword, and is buried there.

Philip, having preached in Phrygia, was crucified at Hierapolis, head downwards, under Domitian the prince, and is buried in the same place.

Bartholomew, when he had preached to the Indians and had expounded to them the Gospel written by Matthew, was crucified, he too, head downwards, in Albana, a city of Great Armenia.

Matthew, having written the Gospel in the Hebrew language, published it in Jerusalem, and fell asleep in Hierea, a city of the Parthians.

^A Thomas, having preached to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Hyrcanians, Bactrians, and Margians, was pierced with a pine spear in the four parts of his body in the city of Calamina, which is a city of India, and is buried there. James of Alphaeus, preaching in Jerusalem, was stoned by the Jews, was slain, and is buried there near the temple. Judas, who is also Lebbaeus, after having preached to the people of Edessa and to all Mesopotamia, fell asleep in Berytus and is buried there. Simon the Canaanite, the son of Cleophas, who is also Judas ^B, having become bishop of Jerusalem after James the Just, fell asleep and is buried there, having lived one hundred and twenty years. Matthias, being one of the seventy, was numbered with the eleven apostles; and having preached in Jerusalem, he fell asleep and is buried there. Paul, finally, one year after the assumption of Christ, entered upon the apostleship; and beginning from Jerusalem, he advanced as far as Illyricum and Italy and Spain, preaching the Gospel for thirty-five years. And under Nero, having been beheaded in Rome, he is buried there.

OF THE SAME HIPPOLYTUS CONCERNING THE SEVENTY APOSTLES. FROM THE CODEX BAROCCIANUS.

^C 1. James the brother of the Lord, bishop of Jerusalem. 2. Cleophas, bishop of Jerusalem. 3. Matthias, who supplied the place of the eleven apostles. 4. Thaddaeus, who brought the letter to Abgar. 5. Ananias, who baptized Paul, bishop of Damascus. 6. Stephen the protomartyr. 7. Philip, who baptized the eunuch. 8. Prochorus, bishop of Nicomedia, who was also the first to go out, having believed with his daughters. 9. Nicanor died when Stephen was martyred. 10. Timon, bishop of Bostra.

11. Parmenas, bishop of Soli. ^A 12. Nicolaus, bishop of Samaria. 13. Barnabas, bishop of Milan. 14. Mark the Evangelist, bishop of Alexandria. 15. Luke the Evangelist.

These two were among the seventy disciples whom it befell to be scattered on account of the saying of Christ: "Unless one eats my flesh and drinks my blood, he is not worthy of me." But the one moved by Peter, the other by Paul, they returned to Christ, and both were deemed worthy to write the Gospel, for which they also underwent martyrdom: one being burned, the other crucified on an olive tree.

16. Silas, bishop of Corinth. 17. Silvanus, bishop of Thessalonica. 18. Crescens, bishop of Chalcedon in Gaul. ^B 19. Epaenetus, bishop of Carthage. 20. Andronicus, bishop of Pannonia. 21. Amplias, bishop of Odyssus. 22. Urbanus, bishop of Macedonia. 23. Stachys, bishop of Byzantium. 24. Barnabas, bishop of Heraclea. 25. Phygellus, bishop of Ephesus. He followed the ways of Simon (Magus). 26. Hermogenes, who became of the same mind as him. 27. Demas, and he became a priest of idols. 28. Apelles, bishop of Smyrna. 29. Aristobulus, bishop of Britain. 30. Narcissus, bishop of Athens. 31. Herodion, bishop of Tarsus. ^C 32. Agabus, the prophet. 33. Rufus, bishop of Thebes. 34. Asyncritus, bishop of Hyrcania. 35. Phlegon, bishop of Marathon. 36. Hermes, bishop of Dalmatia. 37. Patrobulus, bishop of Puteoli. 38. Hermas, bishop of Philippi. 39. Linus, bishop of Rome. 40. Gaius, bishop of Ephesus. 41. Philologus, bishop of Sinope. 42 and 43. Olympius and Rhodion, who suffered martyrdom in Rome. 44. Lucius, bishop of Laodicea in Syria. 45. Jason, bishop of Tarsus. ^D 46. Sosipater, bishop of Iconium. 47. Tertius, bishop of Iconium. 48. Erastus, bishop of Paneas. 49. Quartus, bishop of Berytus. 50. Apollo, bishop of Caesarea. 51. Cephas. (There is a lacuna here in the Barocci manuscript.) 52. Sosthenes, bishop of Colophon. 53. Tychicus, bishop of Colophon. 54. Epaphroditus, bishop of Adriaca. 55. Caesar, bishop of Dyrrachium.

56. Mark, kinsman of Barnabas, bishop of Apollonia. 57. Justus, bishop of Eleutheropolis. 58. Artemas, bishop of Lystra. 59. Clement, bishop of Sardinia. 60. Onesiphorus, bishop of Corone. 61. Tychicus, bishop of Chalcedon. 62. Carpus, bishop of Berytus in Thrace. 63. Evodius, bishop of Antioch. 64. Aristarchus, bishop of Apamea. 65. Mark, who is also John, bishop of Byblus. 66. Zenas, bishop of Diospolis. 67. Philemon, bishop of Gaza. 68 and 69. Aristarchus and Pudens. 70. Trophimus, who suffered martyrdom with Paul. ^B

CHAPTERS OF THE CANONS OF ABULIDES, OR HIPPOLYTUS Which the Ethiopian Christians use (50).

1. On the holy faith in Jesus Christ. 2. On bishops. 3. On the prayers which are said over those to be ordained bishops, and on the order of the mass. 4. On the ordination of presbyters. 5. On the ordination of deacons. 6. On those who suffer persecution for the faith. 7. On the election of a reader and subdeacon. 8. On the gift of healing. 9. On a presbyter who does not remain in the place of his duty. 10. On those who convert to the Christian religion. 11. On the one who fabricates idols. 12. Various studies are enumerated, of which those who practice them are not to be admitted to the Christian religion before they have done penance. ^C 13. On the place where supreme kings or princes shall stand in the temple. 14. That it is not fitting for Christians to bear arms. 15. On the crafts that are illicit for Christians. 16. On the Christian who joins a slave to himself in marriage. 17. On a free woman. 18. On the midwife; and that women ought to be separated from men in prayer. ^D 19. On the catechumen who undergoes martyrdom before baptism. 20. On the fast of the fourth and sixth days; and on the Quadragesima. 21. That a presbyter must meet with the people daily in the church. 22. On the week of the Passover of the Jews; and on him who does not know the Passover. 23. That everyone is bound to learn the doctrine. 24. On the care of the bishop for the sick. 25. On the one to whom the care of the sick is enjoined; and on the time when prayers are to be performed. 26. On the time when exhortations are to be heard. 27. On the one who frequents the temple daily. 28. That the faithful ought to eat nothing before holy communion. FABRIC.

29. It must be carefully observed that nothing of the elements fall to the ground. 30. Concerning catechumens. 31. That the deacon may administer the Eucharist to the people with the permission of the bishop or presbyter. 32. Widows and virgins ought to pray assiduously. 33. The commemoration of the faithful departed is to be made every day, except on the Lord's Day. 34. Concerning the modesty of seculars in the church. 35. That the deacon may say the blessing and prayers in the agape when the bishop is not present. 36. Concerning the first-fruits of the earth and vows. 37. When the bishop celebrates the Synaxis, the presbyters assisting him ought to be dressed in white. 38. That no one ought to sleep on the night of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

CANONS OF THE ALEXANDRIAN CHURCH

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. ^B These are the Canons of the Church, the mandates which Hippolytus wrote, through whom (the Church) speaks, and their number is XXXVIII Canons. Salvation from the Lord.

Canon first. Concerning the Catholic Faith. Above all, let us speak of the holy faith, straight in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, and we have placed him (as the canon) in the faith (in the symbol), and we consent with all reasonable certainty that the Trinity is perfectly equal in honor, equal in glory, and has neither beginning nor end. The Word, the Son of God, is himself the creator of every creature, visible and invisible. We establish this, consenting against those who have spoken audaciously, that it is not permitted to speak of the Word of God as our Lord Jesus Christ spoke. We are gathered especially for professing holy things about God, and we have separated those who do not agree with the Church in theology, nor with us on the children of the Scriptures. Therefore ^C we have segregated them from the Church, and we have left the business of them to God, who will judge creatures with justice. But to those who are ignorant of these things, we make this known without envy, lest they incur a bad death, as heretics, but that they may merit eternal life, and teach their children and their descendants this unique faith.

Canon second. Concerning bishops. A bishop shall be chosen by all the people, and he shall be irreproachable, as it is written concerning him in the Apostle: in the week in which he is ordained, and let the entire people say: We desire him; and let there be silence in the whole atrium, and let all pray over him and say: O God, confirm this one whom You have prepared for us, etc.

Canon third. The prayer over him who is made bishop, and the ordination of the Mass. O God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of mercies, and God of all consolation, etc.

Canon fourth. Concerning the ordination of a presbyter. Canon fifth. Concerning the constitution of a deacon. Canon sixth. Concerning those who have suffered for the faith. Canon seventh. Concerning him who is elected reader and subdeacon. Canon eighth. Concerning the gift of healings. Canon ninth. That a (presbyter) may not reside in places where it is not fitting, and concerning the honor of widows. Canon tenth. Concerning those who wish to become Nazarenes (Christians). Canon eleventh. Concerning him who makes idols and images, or an artist. Canon twelfth. Concerning the prohibition of these works, whose authors are not to be received unless penance has been performed. ^D Canon thirteenth. Concerning a prince or soldier, that they are not to be received indiscriminately. Canon fourteenth. That a Nazarene should not be made a soldier, unless ordered. Canon fifteenth. Enumeration of works which are illicit. Canon sixteenth. Concerning him who has a legitimate wife and takes another besides. Canon seventeenth. Concerning a noble woman and her duties. Concerning midwives, and the separation of men from women. Concerning virgins, that they should cover their faces and their heads. Canon eighteenth. Concerning women in childbirth, and midwives again. Canon nineteenth. Concerning catechumens, and the ordination of Baptism and the Mass. Canon twentieth. Concerning fasting (on the sixth day/Friday), and the Lenten fast. Canon twenty-first. Concerning the daily assembly of priests and people in the church. Canon twenty-second. Concerning the week of the Passover of the Jews, when joy is to be taken away, and concerning...

that which is eaten within it; and concerning the one who, being abroad, does not know the text (the Calendar).

Canon twenty-third. Concerning doctrine, that it should be perpetual (the greater ocean), and that its words ought to be fulfilled by deeds.

Canon twenty-fourth. Concerning the bishop's visitation of the sick; and if an infirm person prays in the church and has a home, he (the bishop) should go to him.

Canon twenty-fifth. Concerning the appointed steward of the sick, and the bishop, and the times of prayer.

Canon twenty-sixth. Concerning the hearing of the word in church and prayer therein.

Canon twenty-seventh. Concerning him who does not come to church daily; let him read books; and concerning prayer at midnight, and at cockcrow, and the washing of hands at the time of any prayer.

Canon twenty-eighth. That no believer should taste anything until he has received the sacred mysteries, especially on days of fasting.

Canon twenty-ninth. Concerning the custody of the oblations which are placed upon the altar; that nothing should fall into the holy chalice, and that nothing should fall from the priests, nor from the boys when they have received communion, lest an evil spirit gain power over them, and lest anyone speak in the protection (sanctuary) unless saying a prayer; and when the oblations of the people cease, let the Psalms be read (everywhere in place of Calvary, and for the signing of the cross and the sprinkling of the dust of the altar into the pool: thus the clear interpreter, rather I would translate it) with all attention until the signal of the rattle: and concerning the sign of the cross and the sprinkling of dust, etc.

Canon thirtieth. Concerning catechumens and the like.

Canon thirty-first. Concerning the bishop and presbyter commanding the deacon to offer the communion.

^A Canon thirty-second. Concerning virgins and widows, that they may pray and fast in church. Those enrolled in the clergy may pray at their own discretion. The bishop is not to be bound to fasting except with the clergy. And for the sake of the feast or dinner, he may prepare for the poor (and from the table to be prepared for the poor).

Canon thirty-third. Concerning the *Atalmsas* (oblation) which they shall offer for those who are dead, that this should not be done on the Lord's Day.

Canon thirty-fourth. That no one should speak much, nor make a clamor, and concerning the entrance of holy men into the dwellings of the faithful.

Canon thirty-fifth. Concerning the deacon being present at a feast, in which a presbyter is present; he shall perform his office in prayer and the breaking of the bread for the blessing, ^B and not for the body; and concerning the dismissal of the widows.

Canon thirty-sixth. Concerning the first-fruits of the earth, and their first vow, and wine-presses, oil, honey, milk, wool, and similar things, which should be offered to the bishop to be blessed.

Canon thirty-seventh. As often as the bishop partakes of the holy mysteries, let the deacons and presbyters be gathered, wearing beautiful white vestments in the presence of all the people, and likewise the readers.

Canon thirty-eighth. Concerning the night in which Our Lord Jesus Christ rose. Let no one sleep on that night, and let him wash himself with water; and the exposition of this, and the exposition regarding him who sins after Baptism, and concerning things lawful and unlawful.

Here end the Canons of the holy patriarch Hippolytus, first patriarch of the great city of Rome, which he composed, and their number is XXXVIII Canons. May God help us to carry them out. And to God be glory forever, and may His mercy be upon us unto the age. Amen.

OF A CERTAIN ANONYMOUS AUTHOR

CHRONICON

Fragments under the name of Hippolytus the Younger, of Thebes, of the tenth century, collected by Albert Fabricius, adhering to chronological order, we omit here.

The book entitled: *Philosophumena*, first attributed to Origen, later to St. Hippolytus, we shall publish in the appendix to the fourth century.