62. The Lord also says, "When ye shall see the abomination of desolation stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand), then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains, and let him which is on the housetop not come down to take his clothes; neither let him which is in the field return back to take anything out of his house. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved." [1541] And Daniel says, "And they shall place the abomination of desolation a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand two hundred and ninety-five days." [1542]
63. And the blessed Apostle Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, says: "Now we beseech you, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together at it, [1543] that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letters as from us, as that the day of the Lord is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means; for (that day shall not come) except there come the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped: so that he sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth, that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he who now letteth (will let), until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: (even him) whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." [1544] And Esaias says, "Let the wicked be cut off, that he behold not the glory of the Lord."
64. These things, then, being to come to pass, beloved, and the one week being divided into two parts, and the abomination of desolation being manifested then, and the two prophets and forerunners of the Lord having finished their course, and the whole world finally approaching the consummation, what remains but the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from heaven, for whom we have looked in hope? who shall bring the conflagration and just judgment upon all who have refused to believe on Him. For the Lord says, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." [1546] "And there shall not a hair of your head perish." [1547] "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together." [1548] Now the fall [1549] took place in paradise; for Adam fell there. And He says again, "Then shall the Son of man send His angels, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds of heaven." [1550] And David also, in announcing prophetically the judgment and coming of the Lord, says, "His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and His circuit unto the end of the heaven: and there is no one hid from the heat thereof." [1551] By the heat he means the conflagration. And Esaias speaks thus: "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chamber, (and) shut thy door: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation of the Lord be overpast." [1552] And Paul in like manner: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth of God in unrighteousness." [1553]
65. Moreover, concerning the resurrection and the kingdom of the saints, Daniel says, "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall arise, some to everlasting life, (and some to shame and everlasting contempt)." [1554] Esaias says, "The dead men shall arise, and they that are in their tombs shall awake; for the dew from thee is healing to them." [1555] The Lord says, "Many in that day shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live." [1556] And the prophet says, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." [1557] And John says, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power." [1558] For the second death is the lake of fire that burneth. And again the Lord says, "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun shineth in his glory." [1559] And to the saints He will say, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." [1560] But what saith He to the wicked? "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, which my Father hath prepared." And John says, "Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever maketh and loveth a lie; for your part is in the hell of fire." [1561] And in like manner also Esaias: "And they shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me. And their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be for a spectacle to all flesh." [1562]
66. Concerning the resurrection of the righteous, Paul also speaks thus in writing to the Thessalonians: "We would not have you to be ignorant concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive (and) remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice and trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive (and) 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." [1563]
67. These things, then, I have set shortly before thee, O Theophilus, drawing them from Scripture itself, [1564] in order that, maintaining in faith what is written, and anticipating the things that are to be, thou mayest keep thyself void of offence both toward God and toward men, "looking for that blessed hope and appearing of our God and Saviour," [1565] when, having raised the saints among us, He will rejoice with them, glorifying the Father. To Him be the glory unto the endless ages of the ages. Amen.
------------------------
[1393] Gallandi, Bibl. vet. Patr., ii. p. 417, Venice, 1765.
[1394] Perhaps the same Theophilus whom Methodius, a contemporary of Hippolytus, addresses as Epiphanius. [See vol. vi., this series.] From this introduction, too, it is clear that they are in error who take this book to be a homily. (Fabricius.)
[1395] In the text the reading is ton onton, for which ton oton = of the ears, is proposed by some, and anthropon = of men, by others. In the manuscripts the abbreviation anon is often found for anthropon.
[1396] In the text we find hos pion kathara ge, for which grammar requires hos pioni kathara ge. Combefisius proposes hosper oun kathara ge = as in clean ground. Others would read hos puron, etc., = like a grain in clean ground.
[1397] 1 Tim. vi. 20, 21.
[1398] This reading, parakleseon for marturon (= witnesses), which is peculiar to Hippolytus alone, is all the more remarkable as so thoroughly suiting Paul's meaning in the passage.
[1399] 2 Tim. ii. 1, 2.
[1400] 2 Thess. iii. 2.
[1401] The text reads hatina = which. Gudius proposes tina = some.
[1402] The plectrum was the instrument with which the lyre was struck. The text is in confusion here. Combefisius corrects it, as we render it, organon diken henomenon echontes en heautois.
[1403] 2 Pet. i. 21.
[1404] The text reads me plano (= that I may not deceive). Some propose hos planoi = as deceivers.
[1405] This is according to the emendation of Combefisius. [And note this primitive theory of inspiration as illustrating the words, "who spake by the prophets," in the Nicene Symbol.]
[1406] 1 Sam. ix. 9.
[1407] In the text it is prokeimena (= things before us or proposed to us), for which Combefisius proposes, as in our rendering, proeiremena.
[1408] The original is akindunon.
[1409] Isa. xlii. 1; Matt. xii. 18. The text is autos palin ho tou theou pais. See Macarius, Divinitas D. N. S. C., book iv. ch. xiii. p. 460, and Grabe on Bull's Defens. Fid. Nic., p. 101.
[1410] Reading autous for auton.
[1411] [Isa. lvi. 3, 4.]
[1412] Eph. iv. 13.
[1413] The text has on = being, for which read en = was.
[1414] mixas. Thomassin, De Incarnatione Verbi, iii. 5, cites the most distinguished of the Greek and Latin Fathers, who taught that a mingling (commistio), without confusion indeed, but yet most thorough, of the two natures, is the bond and nexus of the personal unity.
[1415] [This analogy of weaving is powerfully employed by Gray ("Weave the warp, and weave the woof," etc.). See his Pindaric ode, The Bard.]
[1416] Rev. v. 5; [also Gen. xlix. 8. See below, 7, 8].
[1417] John xviii. 37.
[1418] John i. 29.
[1419] John xi. 52.
[1420] John ii. 19.
[1421] Gen. xlix. 8-12.
[1422] The text has toutou--proerchomenou, for which we read, with Combefisius, proerchomenon.
[1423] Isa. xi. 1.
[1424] Isa. i. 21.
[1425] Ps. iii. 5.
[1426] Gal. i. 1.
[1427] John xv. 1.
[1428] The text gives simply, ten tou hagiou, etc., = the paternal voice of the Holy Ghost, etc. As this would seem to represent the Holy Ghost as the Father of Christ, Combefisius proposes, as in our rendering, kata ten dia tou hagiou, etc. The wine, therefore, is taken as a figure of His deity, and the garment as a figure of His humanity; and the sense would be, that He has the latter imbued with the former in a way peculiar to Himself--even as the voice at the Jordan declared Him to be the Father's Son, not His Son by adoption, but His own Son, anointed as man with divinity itself.
[1429] The nations are compared to a robe about Christ, as something foreign to Himself, and deriving all their gifts from Him.
[1430] Deut. xxxiii. 22.
[1431] [See Irenæus, vol. i. p. 559. Dan's name is excepted in Rev. vii., and this was always assigned as the reason. The learned Calmet (sub voce Dan) makes a prudent reflection on this idea. The history given in Judg. xviii. is more to the purpose.]
[1432] Gen. xlix. 17.
[1433] Gen. iii. 1.
[1434] Gen. xlix. 16.
[1435] Jer. viii. 16.
[1436] Perhaps from an apocryphal book, as also below in ch. liv.
[1437] Isa. x. 12-17.
[1438] epispoudastes.
[1439] katakalumma; other reading, kataleimma = remains.
[1440] Lit., that risest early.
[1441] The text gives epagoge. Combefisius prefers apagoge = trial.
[1442] Isa. xiv. 4-21.
[1443] i.e., according to the reading, emporia. The text is empeiria = experience.
[1444] There is another reading, limous (= famines) ton ethnon.
[1445] Ezek. xxviii. 2-10.
[1446] Dan. ii. 31-35.
[1447] Combefisius adds, "between the teeth of it; and they said thus to it, Arise, devour much flesh."
[1448] Combefisius inserted these words, because he thought that they must have been in the vision, as they occur subsequently in the explanation of the vision (v. 19).
[1449] Dan. vii. 2-8.
[1450] Dan. vii. 9-12.
[1451] Dan. vii. 13, 14.
[1452] See Curtius, x. 10. That Alexander himself divided his kingdom is asserted by Josephus Gorionides (iii.) and Cyril of Jerusalem (Catech., 4, De Sacra Scriptura) and others.
[1453] For homos = nevertheless, Gudius suggests omos = savage.
[1454] Dan. vii. 21, 11.
[1455] Dan. ii. 34, 45.
[1456] Dan. vii. 13, 14.
[1457] Matt. xxviii. 18.
[1458] Phil. ii. 10.
[1459] 1 Pet. iii. 19.
[1460] [Deserving of especial note. Who could have foreseen the universal spirit of democracy in this century save by the light of this prophecy? Comp. 2 Tim. iii. 1-3.]