Chapter 30

§ 1.

Now such being the state of the case, and this number being set down in all the good and old copies, and testimony being given by the persons themselves who had seen John with their eyes,¹ and reason teaching us that the number of the name of the Beast, according to the Greeks’ reckoning, by the letters therein, will have 600, and 60, and 6: i.e., as many tens as hundreds, and as many hundreds as units; (for the number or digit six, being retained in all alike, indicates the summings up of his whole apostacy, which shall be both in the beginning, and in the intermediate times, and in the end;) some, I know not how, have erred, following a particular reading², and have taken liberties with the middle number of the name, subtracting the value of fifty, and choosing to have one decade instead of six. And this I suppose to have been the fault of the transcribers, as often happens, since numbers also are expressed by letters;—that the Greek letter which expresses the number sixty was spread out into the Grecians’ letter Iota; and others receiving this without enquiry, some indeed simply and unseasonably dwelt upon it; others in mistaken subtlety ventured also to seek out a name having the mistaken and erroneous number.³ Now those who did so simply and innocently will in all likelihood find pardon from God: but all who through vain glory lay it down that names of a mistaken number are enacted by law, and define the Name contrived by themselves as being that of him who is to come:—these will not go away guiltless, having moreover deceived both themselves and those who put confidence in them. Wherein, first, there is damage in their missing the Truth and receiving that which is not as though it had being:⁴ Next, whereas he that addeth to or taketh from the Scripture, hath no small penalty laid on him; such an one must needs incur the penalty. And another, no ordinary danger, will attend on those who have falsely assumed that they know the Name of Antichrist, viz., that if they think it one, and he shall come having another, they will be easily seduced by him: as though the Being whom they ought to watch against were not yet present.

§ 2.

Such then must learn, and quickly turn back to the true number of the Name;⁵ that they may not be accounted as false Prophets. But knowing the fixed number which has been declared by Scripture, i.e., 666, let them await first the division of the Kingdom into ten: then afterwards while they are reigning, and beginning to amend their own affairs and to increase their Kingdom; he that shall come suddenly claiming the Kingdom for himself, and shall alarm those whom I have spoken of, having the name in which is the aforesaid number; him they must know to be truly the Abomination of Desolation. As also saith the Apostle,⁶ When they shall say, Peace and Defence, then sudden destruction shall come upon them. And Jeremias hath signified not only his sudden approach, but also the tribe of which he shall come,⁷ saying, From Dan we heard the sound of the swiftness of his horses: at the voice of the neighing of the finishing course of his horses shall the whole earth be moved: and he shall come and devour the earth, and the fulness thereof, and the city, and them that dwell therein. And therefore the aforesaid Tribe is not named in the Apocalypse among those which are saved.

§ 3.

It is then safer and less perilous to await the event of the prophecy,⁸ than to make aims and auguries about the name. And it being perhaps possible for the same number to be found in many names, this same question will nevertheless continue. For if many names are found having the same number, it will be asked which of them he that cometh will bear.

Now to shew that not for lack of names having the number of this name do we so speak, bat in fear of God and jealousy for the truth: I say that the name ΕΥΑΝΘΑΣ hath the number of which we are enquiring: but we affirm nothing of it. Yea, and the name ΛΑΤΕΙΝΟΣ hath the number of 666: and it is very probable that the last Kingdom hath this Word. For they who now reign are Latini. But not in this will we boast ourselves. Yea, and TEITAN also, if you write the first syllable by the two Greek vowels E and J, is msot worthy of credit of all the names which we have. For it both contains in itself the aforesaid number, and is of six letters, each syllable consisting of three letters, and it is old, and withdrawn [from use]; for neither of our own Kings hath any one been called Titan,⁹ nor any one of the idols which are publicly adored among Greeks or Barbarians hath this name; and this name is thought among many to be divine, so that even the Sun is called Titan by those who now prevail: and it hath in it a certain shew of revenge, and of one inflicting a penalty: in that he of whom we speak feigns himself the avenger of the wronged. And for the rest, it is also ancient, and trustworthy, and a royal, or rather even a tyrannical Name. Since therefore this name of Titan hath such a store of plausibilities, it hath however just so much likelihood, as that we may many ways infer that he who shall come may possibly be called Titan. We, you see, do not venture anything as concerning the name of Antichrist, in the way of positive affirmation. For if it were meet that at this time his name should be expressly proclaimed, it would have been spoken by him who also saw the Apocalypse.¹⁰ For at no long time ago was it seen, but almost in our generation, in the end of Domitian’s reign.

§ 4.

But this number of his name he shewed,¹¹ that we should be on our guard against him when he cometh, as knowing who he is: though of his name he was silent, for it is not worthy to be proclaimed by the Holy Ghost. For had it been proclaimed by Him, perhaps also it would be of long endurance. But now since he was and is not, and shall come up from the abyss,¹² and go to destruction, as though he were not; so neither is his name proclaimed: for of him who is not, neither is the name proclaimed. However, when this Antichrist shall have wasted all things in this world, reigning three years and six months, and shall have sat in the Temple of Jerusalem:¹³ then shall the Lord come from Heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, on the one hand sending him and his subjects into the lake of fire; on the other bringing with Him to the Just, the times of the Kingdom, i.e., the rest, the seventh day sanctified; and restoring to Abraham the promise of the inheritance: in which Kingdom the Lord saith,¹⁴ that many coming from the East and West, sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.