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which has been before reviewed on ver. 1. D. Lange says, that he does not regard the beast as a purely political power : Epicr. p. 389. But I have here refuted those, who in other respects agree with him, and who determine it to be a political power, although in different senses. See the same, p. 383. — rig duvarbg , who able ) that is, s art] Thus the Septuagint, dwarbg gVo/xa/ ; Num. xxiii. 1 (xxii. 38). Comp, the lxx. also, Num. xiii. 31 ; Gen. xxxii. 28 ; Dan. iii. 17. The worshippers of the beast challenge others : who (is) like the beast ? who (is) able to make war with him ? Car. Sigonius, Book XIV., concerning the kingdom of Italy, at the year 1176, says: Great men easily impelled (Frederic), who, by repeatedly reminding him that this war was not carried on with man , but with God, pre- vailed upon him to send ambassadors to Alexander respecting peace. The same writer shortly afterwards represents Alexander himself as saying, That the cause of God is at stake in this war, which cause Frederic has opposed, by opposing the lawful Pontiff. Horatius Tursellinus, in his Epitome of History, says, At length Frederic , perceiving that he was carrying on war, not with men, but with God, finally made peace with Alexander. Matthew of Paris thus speaks concerning the same matter : — u The Emperor Frederic came to the feet of Alexander the Pope : for he heard and was assured of this, that when he was fleeing from the persecution of the Emperor, and there was no safe passage for him over land, or indeed over the sea, when a tempest had arisen, he put on all his papal attire on board the ship, as if about to celebrate [mass], and stood and commanded the sea and the winds in the place of Jesus Christ, whose vicar he was, as he said, and immediately there was a great calm. On hearing of this, the Emperor was astonished, and humbly submitted to him in all things, fearing God how- ever more than men.” — Hist. Angl. at the year 1577. Great indeed and blasphemous are the things which his worshippers say of the beast, and the beast of himself, ver. 5, 6. See Home’s Final Downfall, pp. 7-18, I. F. Mayer in Diss. c. Grot., whether it be a dogma of the Papists, that the Roman Pontiff is a god.
5. Ka i sbodrj ccvrui s^ovai'a firjvctg rsaGapaxovra dvc) This ancient, short, middle reading is the genuine one : 1 so that the accusative wmg, months , answers to the question, how long. Others have supplied ‘xoiYiacu : more, nbXtfiov rrot/iaai. Both of them from ver. 7. One im-
1 So Iren. But ACA Vulg. Syr. read koiyiocu after g£ovo7a; and B prefixes TroAg^oj/ before n otyoou ; which, however, Tisch. and Lachm. with the weightier authorities omit. — E.