1. Controv. Of the birth and offspring of Antichrist.
Many of the auncient writers, as they liuing many yeares before the manifestation of Antichrist in the world, were deceiued in these particulars; so also they were much out of the way in true vnderstanding of other points belonging to this mysterie of iniquitie. 1. Hyppolitus thought that Antichrist should be a Deuill incarnate,* and be begotten by forni∣cation, & phantastica carnis substantia organi vice vtetur, and should vse a phantasticall bodie, as his organe, &c. he thinketh that he should not haue a true bodie, but onely in ap∣pearance.
2. Damascen thinketh not that Antichrist should be a Deuill incarnate, yet he saith,* that illum inhabitet Diabolus, &c. the deuill should dwell in him, lib. 4. de fide orthodox. c. 18. that the Deuill should possesse him both bodie and soule, that in him and by him he should exercise and practise all his malice. But these are mens fansies: 1. S. Paul calleth him the man of sinne: therefore a man he shall be, and not a deuill in mans likenes. 2. and his comming shall be by the operation of Sathan, 2. Thess. 2. 9. not by the possession, and habitation of Sathan: Sathan may worke by those whome he possesseth not, and he may possesse their bodies by whome he worketh not.
3. An other opinion of some auncient writers is,* that Antichrist should be borne in Ba∣bylon: as Gregorie would gather so much out of the 2. of Numbers, where it is saide, that Dan pitched his tents toward the North: for Babylon Antichristi patria Aquilonaris est, Page 440 &c. for Babylon the countrey of Antichrist is North to Iudea. Gregor. lib. 31. moral. c. 10. But this is a very slender collection: 1. there onely the situation of the seuerall tribes is described, how they were placed in respect of the Tabernacle, which marched in the middes among them: and not onely the tribe of Dan, but of Asher also and Nepthali did campe Northward. 2. Babylon is not now standing, but is come to perpetuall desolation, accor∣ding to the prophesie of Isai, c. 13. 19. that Babylon should be as the destruction of God in So∣dome and Gomorrha.
4. But it is almost a generall opinion among the auncient writers,* that Antichrist should be borne of the tribe of Dan: thus thought Ireneus, Hyppolitus, Hierome, Augustine, Pro∣sper, Ambrose, Beda, •upertus, with many others, which they would prooue by these three places of Scripture, as Gen. 49. 10. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, biting the horse heeles. Ierem. 8. 16. The neying of his horses is heard from Dan: and because Apoc. 7. where 12. thousand are reckoned of euery tribe, Dan is left out: the reason whereof they say is this, because Antichrist should come of Dan. Pererius subscribeth to this opinion, and alloweth of these reasons. But Bellarmine reiecteth this opinion as a fansie, and very sufficiently an∣swereth all the former places obiected: for the first place is vnderstood of Sampson, who was of the tribe of Dan: the second of Nebuchadnezzers comming to destroy Ierusalem, and so Hierome also expoundeth it: and in the third place Dan is left out, and so is Ephraim; because Ioseph is named for the latter, and Levi for Dan. Thus Bellarmin. lib. 3. de Roman. Pontif. cap. 12. Thus in this question one Iesuite (or if you will Iudasite) is opposite to an other.
