The prediction or St. Paul beal'I! a still more striking r~semblance to tho vision of Da~iel concerning the wicked and persecuting king (D~n. :r.i.) than to eithor the Anti- chnst of St. John or the beasts of the Apooalypse. That prophecy of Daniel received ita primary acoomplishment in Antiocbus Epiphanes, the great persecutor of the Jews but the OC>ncluding portion is appliCRble to a future opponent of God and his people' and finds its full accomplishment in hiro,1 Now, the imagery employed by the prophet and the apostle is the same. Paul predicts a falling away; and Daniel tells us that the king shall "have int.elligence wi_th them .~h~t forsake the holy cove~ant" (Dan. :r.i. 30). Paul tells us t~at ~he Man of Sm shall sit m the temple of God, displaying himself 88 God; and Dame!, 1n the passage quoted by our Lord, speaks of the abomination of desolation being set np in the holy place (Dan. :r.i. 31). Paul foretells that the Man of Sin shall oppose and exalt himself a,,aainst all that is called God or is an object of wOlBhip; and Daniel tells us that the king shall exalt and ma,,,crnify himself above enry god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall ,prosper till the indignation be accomplished (Dan. xi. 36). This resemblance between the peniecuting king of Daniel and the Man of Sin is repeatedly noticed by the early Fathers. Thus Origen observes," What is state<l by Paul in the words quoted by him when he says, 'so he sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God,' is in Daniel referred to in the following manner: • And on the temple shall be the abomination of desolation, and at the end of time an end Bhall be put to the deso- lation'" (Origen, • Contra.. Vels.,' vi. 46).1 There can hardly, then, be a reasonable doubt that Paul in his prediction had this prophecy of Daniel in view.8 The prediction of St. Paul concerning the Man of Sin made a deep impression upon the early Fathers, and the references to it in their writings are numerous. There is al1lo a comparative unar.;mity in thPir sentiments. In general, they considered that the fulfilment of the prediction was future; that the Man of Sin was Antichrist, and au individual; and that the restraining influence was the Roman empire. Justin Martyr speaks of the Man of Sin as the man of apostasy, who speaks strange things against the Most High, and shall venture to do unlawful deeds on earth against Christians (' Dial. cum Tryph.,' c. 110). Iremens observes "that he, being an apostate and a robber, is anxious to be adored by God ; and that, although a mere slave, be wishes himself to be proclaimed as a king. For he, being endued with the power of the devil, shall come, not u a riJ::hteous king in subjection to God, but as the lawless one; concentrating in himself all Satanic apostasy, and, setting aside all idols, he shall persuade men that he himself is God" (' Adv. Hrer.,' v. 25. 1). Tertullian alludes to the Roman empire as the restraining power: " Wbat obstacle is there but the Roman state, the falling away of which shall introduce Antichrist, for then shall be revealed the lawless one?" (' De Resurr.,' c. 24). And again," We Christians are under peculiar necessity of praying for the emperors and for the complete stability of the empire, because we know that dreadful power which hangs over the world and the conclusion of the age, which threatf'ns the most horrible evils, is only retarded by the continuPd existence of the Boman empire. This is what we would not experience. And, while we pray that it may be defe1Ted, we hereby show our good will to the perpetuity of the Roman state " (' Apol,' c. 32). Hippolytus supposes that Antichrist will be a Jew, belonging to the tribe.of Dan:• "As Christ springs from the tribe of Judah, so Antichrist is to ~pring from the tribe of Dan" (' De Antichristo,' c. 14). Cyprian regards Anthchus EpiphaneB as the type of Antichrist (' Exhort. ad Martyr.,' c. 11). And Jerome
1 The Jews coneidered Antiochus Epiphanes 88 the type of Antichrist, to whom they gave llul name of Annillua. ThUB the Te.rgum translates Isa. :i:i. 4, " By the breath of hill mouth he ah~ll slay ArmillUB, the wicked one." According to the _Jewish notions, Armillus shall appear rn the last daya; be shall be born of e. marble statue Ill one of the churches of Rome; the Rome.us she.ll &Cknow\eda-e him e.s their Messiah, uud accept him as their king; he shall make we.r with Israel, and i':i the L•.ttle that will ensue Messiah hen Joseph will be slai.D; but Messiah ben De.vid shall appear, and utterly destroy Armillus e.nd hi■ follower•. 1 See also lrenams, • Adv. Hll!r.,' v. 25. 3. 1 For the reaemblance between this prediction of Paul and the prophecy of Dania~ - Jowett on • St. Paul's Epib-tles,' voL i. p. 174, etc., 1st edit. ; Hofrnann's ' Schrlftbeweis, voL iL p. lil4, etA • The a.me opinion ia entertained by IrenmUB, 'Adv. Hrer.,' v. 30. I. OH, 11., 1-17.] 'l'llE SEUOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS,