XXII.
But as, in accordance with the train of our
discussion, we have been constrained to come to the matter of the days
of the dominion of the adversary, it is necessary to state in the first
place what concerns his nativity and growth; and then we must turn our
discourse, as we have said before, to the expounding of this matter,
viz., that in all respects the accuser and son of lawlessness1949
| 1949
ἀνομίας. Cod. B gives
ἀπωλείας, perdition;
and for μέλλει = is to, it reads
θέλει =
wishes. [2 Thess. ii. 3,
4–8.] |
is to make
himself like our Saviour. Thus also the demonstration makes the
matter clear to us. Since the Saviour of the
world, with the
purpose of
saving the race of men, was
born of the immaculate and
virgin Mary,
1950
| 1950 Cod. B
gives ἀειπαρθένου,
ever-virgin. |
and in the form of
the
flesh trod the
enemy under
foot, in the
exercise of the
power of
His own proper
divinity; in the same manner also will the accuser come
forth from an impure
woman upon the
earth, but shall be
born of a
virgin spuriously.
1951
| 1951
ἐν πλάνῃ. Cod. B
reads ἀκριβῶς, exactly. Many
of the ancients hold that Antichrist will be a demon in human
figure. See Augustine, Sulpicius Severus, in Dialogue II., and
Philippus Dioptra, iii. 11, etc. |
For our
God sojourned with us in the
flesh, after that very
flesh of ours which He made for
Adam and all
Adam’s posterity, yet without
sin. But the accuser, though
he take up the
flesh, will do it only in
appearance; for how should we
wear that
flesh which he did not make himself, but against which he
warreth
daily? And it is my opinion,
beloved, that he will assume
this phenomenal
kind of
flesh1952
| 1952
φανταστικὴν
τῆς σαρκὸς
αὐτοῦ
οὐσίαν. |
as an
instrument.
1953
For
this reason also is he
to be born of a
virgin, as if a spirit,
and then to the
rest he will be manifested as
flesh. For as to a
virgin bearing, this we have known only in the case of the all-holy
Virgin, who bore the Saviour verily
clothed in
flesh.
1954
| 1954 Cod. B
reads τὴν
θεοτόκον
ἔγνωμεν
σαρκικῶς καὶ
ἀπλανῶς, instead of the
text, σαρκοφόρον
ἀπλανῶς, etc. [Conf.
vol. iii. p. 523.] |
For
Moses
says, “Every male that openeth the
womb shall be called holy unto
the
Lord.”
1955
| 1955
Ex. xxxiv. 19; Num. viii. 16;
Luke ii. 23. |
This is
by no means the case with him;
1956
but as the
adversary will not open the
womb, so neither will he take to
himself real
flesh, and be circumcised as
Christ was circumcised.
And even as Christ chose His apostles, so will he too assume a whole
people of disciples like himself in wickedness.
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