Oration of St. Hippolytus on the End of the World, the Antichrist, and the Second Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ

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