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De civitate Dei (CCSL)

Caput XXIII: Quid prophetauerit Daniel de persecutione Antichristi et de iudicio dei regnoque sanctorum.

Daniel de hoc ultimo iudicio sic prophetat, ut Antichristum quoque prius uenturum esse praenuntiet atque ad aeternum regnum sanctorum perducat narrationem suam. cum enim uisione prophetica quattuor bestias significantes quattuor regna uidisset, ipsumque quartum a quodam rege superatum, qui Antichristus agnoscitur, et post haec aeternum regnum filii hominis, qui intellegitur Christus: horruit, inquit, spiritus meus, ego Daniel, in habitudine mea, et uisus capitis mei conturbabant me. et accessi, inquit, ad unum de stantibus, et ueritatem quaerebam ab eo de omnibus his, et dixit mihi ueritatem. deinde, quid audierit ab illo, a quo de omnibus his quaesiuit, tamquam eo sibi exponente sic loquitur: hae bestiae magnae quattuor quattuor regna surgent in terra, quae auferentur, et accipient regnum sancti altissimi et obtinebunt illud usque in saeculum et usque in saeculum saeculorum. et quaerebam, inquit, diligenter de bestia quarta, quae erat differens prae omni bestia, terribilis amplius - dentes eius ferrei et ungues eius aerei, manducans et comminuens et reliqua pedibus suis conculcans - , et de cornibus eius decem, quae erant in capite eius, et de altero, quod adscendit et excussit de prioribus tria; cornu illud in quo erant oculi et os loquens magna, et uisus eius maior ceteris. uidebam, et cornu illud faciebat bellum cum sanctis, et praeualebat ad ipsos, donec uenit uetustus dierum, et regnum dedit sanctis altissimi; et tempus peruenit, et regnum obtinuerunt sancti. haec Daniel quaesisse se dixit. deinde quid audierit continuo subiungens: et dixit, inquit - id est ille, a quo quaesierat, respondit et dixit - : bestia quarta quartum regnum erit in terra, quod praeualebit omnibus regnis; et manducabit omnem terram, et conculcabit eam et concidet. et decem cornua eius decem reges surgent; et post eos surget alius, qui superabit malis omnes, qui ante eum fuerunt; et tres reges humiliabit et uerba aduersus altissimum loquetur et sanctos altissimi conteret et suspicabitur mutare tempora et legem; et dabitur in manu eius usque ad tempus et tempora et dimidium tempus. et iudicium sedebit, et principatum remouebunt ad exterminandum et perdendum usque in finem; et regnum et potestas et magnitudo regum, qui sub omni caelo sunt, data est sanctis altissimi. et regnum eius regnum sempiternum; et omnes principatus ipsi seruient et obaudient. hucusque, inquit, finis sermonis. ego Daniel; multum cogitationes meae conturbabant me, et forma mea inmutata est super me, et uerbum in corde meo conseruaui. quattuor illa regna exposuerunt quidam Assyriorum, Persarum, Macedonum et Romanorum. quam uero conuenienter id fecerint, qui nosse desiderant, legant presbyteri Hieronymi librum in Danielem satis erudite diligenterque conscriptum. Antichristi tamen aduersus ecclesiam saeuissimum regnum licet exiguo spatio temporis sustinendum, donec dei ultimo iudicio regnum sancti accipiant sempiternum, qui uel dormitans haec legit, dubitare non sinitur. tempus quippe et tempora et dimidium temporis unum annum esse et duo et dimidium ac per hoc tres annos et semissem etiam numero dierum posterius posito dilucescit, aliquando in scripturis et mensum numero declaratur. uidentur enim tempora indefinite hic dicta lingua Latina; sed per dualem numerum dicta sunt, quem Latini non habent. sicut autem Graeci, ita hunc dicuntur habere et Hebraei. sic ergo dicta sunt tempora, tamquam dicerentur duo tempora. uereri me sane fateor, ne in decem regibus, quos tamquam decem homines uidetur inuenturus Antichristus, forte fallamur, atque ita ne ille inopinatus adueniat, non existentibus tot regibus in orbe Romano. quid si enim numero isto denario uniuersitas regum significata est, post quos ille uenturus est; sicut millenario, centenario, septenario significatur plerumque uniuersitas, et aliis atque aliis numeris, quos nunc commemorare non est necesse? alio loco idem Daniel: et erit, inquit, tempus tribulationis, qualis non fuit ex quo nata est gens super terram usque ad tempus illud. et in tempore illo saluabitur populus tuus omnis, qui inuentus fuerit scriptus in libro. et multi dormientium in terrae aggere exsurgent: hi in uitam aeternam, et hi in obprobrium et in confusionem aeternam. et intellegentes fulgebunt sicut claritas firmamenti, et ex iustis multi sicut stellae in saecula et adhuc. sententiae illi euangelicae est locus iste simillimus de resurrectione dumtaxat corporum mortuorum. nam qui illic dicti sunt esse in monumentis, ipsi hic dormientes in terrae aggere, uel, sicut alii interpretati sunt, in terrae puluere; et sicut ibi procedent dictum est, ita hic exsurgent; sicut ibi qui bona fecerunt, in resurrectionem uitae; qui autem mala egerunt, in resurrectionem iudicii: ita et isto loco hi in uitam aeternam, et hi in obprobrium et in confusionem aeternam. non autem diuersum putetur, quod, cum ibi positum sit omnes qui sunt in monumentis, hic non ait propheta omnes, sed multi dormientium in terrae aggere. ponit enim aliquando scriptura pro omnibus multos. propterea et Abrahae dictum est: patrem multarum gentium posui te, cui tamen alio loco: in semine, inquit, tuo benedicentur omnes gentes. de tali autem resurrectione huic quoque ipsi prophetae Danieli paulo post dicitur: et tu ueni et requiesce; adhuc enim dies in conpletionem consummationis, et requiesces et resurges in sorte tua in fine dierum.

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The City of God

Chapter 23.--What Daniel Predicted Regarding the Persecution of Antichrist, the Judgment of God, and the Kingdom of the Saints.

Daniel prophesies of the last judgment in such a way as to indicate that Antichrist shall first come, and to carry on his description to the eternal reign of the saints. For when in prophetic vision he had seen four beasts, signifying four kingdoms, and the fourth conquered by a certain king, who is recognized as Antichrist, and after this the eternal kingdom of the Son of man, that is to say, of Christ, he says, "My spirit was terrified, I Daniel in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me," ¹ etc. Some have interpreted these four kingdoms as signifying those of the Assyrians, Persians, Macedonians, and Romans. They who desire to understand the fitness of this interpretation may read Jerome's book on Daniel, which is written with a sufficiency of care and erudition. But he who reads this passage, even half asleep, cannot fail to see that the kingdom of Antichrist shall fiercely, though for a short time, assail the Church before the last judgment of God shall introduce the eternal reign of the saints. For it is patent from the context that the time, times, and half a time, means a year, and two years, and half a year, that is to say, three years and a half. Sometimes in Scripture the same thing is indicated by months. For though the word times seems to be used here in the Latin indefinitely, that is only because the Latins have no dual, as the Greeks have, and as the Hebrews also are said to have. Times, therefore, is used for two times. As for the ten kings, whom, as it seems, Antichrist is to find in the person of ten individuals when he comes, I own I am afraid we may be deceived in this, and that he may come unexpectedly while there are not ten kings living in the Roman world. For what if this number ten signifies the whole number of kings who are to precede his coming, as totality is frequently symbolized by a thousand, or a hundred, or seven, or other numbers, which it is not necessary to recount?

In another place the same Daniel says, "And there shall be a time of trouble, such as was not since there was born a nation upon earth until that time: and in that time all Thy people which shall be found written in the book shall be delivered. And many of them that sleep in the mound of earth shall arise, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting confusion. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and many of the just as the stars for ever." ² This passage is very similar to the one we have quoted from the Gospel, ³ at least so far as regards the resurrection of dead bodies. For those who are there said to be "in the graves" are here spoken of as "sleeping in the mound of earth," or, as others translate, "in the dust of earth." There it is said, "They shall come forth;" so here, "They shall arise." There, "They that have done good, to the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment;" here, "Some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting confusion." Neither is it to be supposed a difference, though in place of the expression in the Gospel, "All who are in their graves," the prophet does not say "all," but "many of them that sleep in the mound of earth." For many is sometimes used in Scripture for all. Thus it was said to Abraham, "I have set thee as the father of many nations," though in another place it was said to him, "In thy seed shall all nations be blessed." ⁴ Of such a resurrection it is said a little afterwards to the prophet himself, "And come thou and rest: for there is yet a day till the completion of the consummation; and thou shall rest, and rise in thy lot in the end of the days." ⁵