322
that they, both before the Reformation and afterwards, were long supported by that hope, that the war against the saints would quickly come to an end. It was plainly to their own great advan- tage that they did not comprehend the age of the beast (for it wras not then at hand). At one time the beast was acquainted with the times, and not with himself ; the saints were acquainted with the beast more than with his times : now both the beast and his num- ber, or, in other words, his times, will together become more and more known.
As to what remains, it is a question whether the number of 666 years in the Greek text is to be taken in the masculine or neuter gender. If the former, the reading is egaxoff/o/ e%r]xovra eg ev/aurot ; if the latter, it is egaxoV/a e%r]?tovru eg err}. But in truth the neuter gender, to which we gave the preference, § 1, is far superior to the masculine, as we shall presently, § 7, more fully ascertain.
§ 7. These 666 years have an appendage. — The 666 and the 1000 years, or srrj, are properly opposed to each other. The beast rages 666 years : they who had not worshipped the beast reign 1000 years. Moreover 666 are to 1000 years as nearly as possible in the same ratio as 2 to 3 ; but precisely as 3 are to 2, so are 1000 ex- pressed years to 666 §§§ §, and this fractional number agrees with the ellipsis, leaving the word year to be understood : for each unit of the number of the beast is a figurative year, but is so with the addition of a few hours ; which addition does not take away the truth of the ordinary year, but yet makes the title of year in some degree inappropriate. Thus the number 666 and the 1000 years mutually confirm and explain one another. It has occurred to some, doubtless from that hypothesis of the Apocalyptic year which contains 360 days, that is, the same number of years, — that 1000 years may be taken for 360 thousands of ordinary years. And al- though this thought is very absurd, yet it may have no slight influ- ence with him who has been struck with the accurate analogy of the Apocalyptic times. Now, it is not only in this one place, but also previously in the number 666, that ordinary years and those u of a man” are employed. On the other hand, because the thou- sand years are said to be err], the number of 666 years is furnished with the most appropriate word to be supplied, viz. eroc, and the confusion between ordinary and prophetical times is thereby the more avoided ; for a prophetical year in this book is called hiavr'og, ch. ix. 15, but here they are err], which are partly expressed and partly understood. Indeed enavrbg has something more of a general