Quest. 44. Antiochus impietie and inhumanitie further described out of the 37. v.
Some take not this to be vnderstood at all of Antiochus, but doe otherwise apply it: the Hebrewes of Constantine, and of some other Emperours: Calvin of the politike state of the Romanes before the comming of Christ: Melancthon, Oecolampad. of the Turke and the Pope: some of the Pope onely, Bulling. Osiand. some of Antiochus onely, Porphyrius, Pelli∣can, whose opinions are discussed in the former question.
But most of these will not haue Antiochus here vnderstood. 1. because we doe not finde that Antiochus neglected the worship of all gods, especially the god of his fathers, Calvin. for he set vp the idols of the Gentiles, Lyran. 2. and whereas it is said, he shall not regard the desires of women: it is euident, that Antiochus was giuen ouer vnto all carnall lust and li∣centious Page 427 life: thus obiecteth Pererius, that these things can not quadrare in Antiochu•, a∣gree vnto Antiochus, who was famous for his beastly and filthie lust: and he set vp temples to Iuppiter Olympius, and Iuppiter Hospitalis, which were his fathers the Grecians gods: to these obiections answer shall be made afterward: now we will examine the seueral opinions.
1. Ab. Ezra thinketh this prophesie to haue bin fulfilled in Constantine the great, whe• he embraced the Christian faith, and abrogated Gentilisme and Pagan idolatrie: But Danie• saith not, he shall abrogate or denie the gods of his fathers, but he shall not regard them.
2. Some applie this vnto the Turke, who honoureth Mahomet before Christ the aunci∣ent God of Christians, and preferreth Mahomets lawes before Christs: Melancth. Oecolamp. But, as Calvin well noteth, voluit Deus sustinere animos suorum vsque ad Christi exhibitio∣nem, God in this prophesie doth intend onely the releefe and comfort of his, till Christ should be exhibited.
3. The same reason may serue against their opinion, which thinke the Atheisme, irreligi∣on, and new worship brought in by the Popes to be here described: as Illyricus, lib. advers. primat. Pap. Osiander, Bulling. Graser. exercit. 3. p. 185. all these shew how the Pope hath left the auncient faith, and true worship of Iesus, in setting vp other Mediatours, and bringing in traditions, making them equall, if not superiour to the lawes of Iesus Christ: so that in effect he worshippeth Christ but in name and shew onely. All this may fitly be applied vnder the type of Antiochus, to the Romane Antichrist, but there is difference betweene the histori∣call and typicall sense.
4. The Romanists, as Pererius, Vatablus, doe here dreame of their imagined Antichrist, that shall come before the ende of the world, and grow into such pride, that he shall cause himselfe onely to be worshipped, as God: But this their fantasticall conceit is reiected be∣fore, qu. 43. 4. and shall be at large confuted among the controversies.
5. Calvin vnderstandeth the Romane state, who daily inuented new gods, but in effect cared for none: but at this time there was no king or Emperour of the Romanes: as the An∣gel here speaketh directly of a king, hamelech: the article set before the word sheweth, that one particular king is meant.
6. Wherefore this was historically fulfilled in Antiochus: 1. not in that he profaned the Temple and the God of the Iewes, whome Antiochus the great his father honoured, and gaue vnto the Temple great immunities: Ioseph. lib. 12. c. 3. for the God of the Iewes was not the God of his fathers, that were idolaters. 2. nor in compelling the Iewes not to set by the honour of their fathers, 2. Ma•chab. 4. 15. for this must be his owne act. 3. nor in setting vp the gods of the Grecians, as Iuppiter, Bacchus, Hercules, which were not the Sy∣rian gods: for all the Gentiles worshipped in effect the same idols, though vnder other names. 4. But herein was his impietie and prophannes seene, that though he set vp the i∣dols of the heathen, and spared for no cost, in adorning them, and therein exceeded all his predecessors, as Polybius in Athen. yet in effect he cared for no god: he was vacuus omni numinis reverentia, void of all reuerence of the godhead: Iun. Pellic. and Graserus, who ap∣plieth all this to the Pope, denieth not but that in this sense it may be vnderstood of Antio∣chus. pag. 191.
