Sed tamen Augustinus confitetur se nescire quid Apostolus illis loquitur, qui iam sciebant. Unde dicit quid nunc detineat, scitis. Et praeterea hoc non erat multum necessarium ad sciendum.
But Augustine confesses that he does not know what the Apostle said to them, which they already knew. Hence he says now you know what withholds. And beyond this there was not much necessary to know.
46. Deinde cum dicit et tunc, etc., ponitur adventus iniqui, et poena eius. Primo manifestatio; secundo eius poena.
46. Then when he says, and then, the wicked man’s coming is set out, and his punishment. First, his appearance, and second, his punishment.
Quantum ad primum dicit ille, singulariter, iniquus revelabitur, quia manifesta erit eius culpa, quem Dominus Iesus interficiet Spiritu oris sui. Is. XI: zelus Domini exercituum faciet hoc, id est, zelus iustitiae, qui est amor. Spiritus enim Christi est amor Christi, et hic zelus est Spiritus Sancti, quem habet ad Ecclesiam. Vel spiritu oris sui, id est, mandato suo; quia Michael interfecturus est eum in monte oliveti, unde Christus ascendit; sic et Iulianus manu divina extinctus est.
Regarding the first he says that singularly wicked one shall be revealed, because his wrongdoing will be manifest, whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the Spirit of his mouth. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this (Isa 9:7), i.e., the zeal for justice, which is love. For the Spirit of Christ is the love of Christ, and this is the zeal of the Holy Spirit, which he has for the Church. Or with the spirit of his mouth, i.e., his command, for Michael will kill him on Mount Olivet whence Christ ascended. So also Julian was killed by the hand of God.
Et haec est poena praesens, licet futura etiam aeternaliter punietur, quia destruet illustratione, etc., id est, in adventu suo omnia illustrante. I Cor. IV, 5: illuminabit abscondita tenebrarum, et cetera. Et destruet, inquam, aeterna, scilicet damnatione. Ps. XXVII, v. 5: destruet illos, et cetera. Et dicit, illustratione, quia ipse visus est Ecclesiam obtenebrare, et tenebrae expelluntur illustratione, quia quicquid Antichristus ostenderit, ostendetur fuisse mendacium.
And this is his punishment in the present time, although in the future he will also be punished eternally, because Christ shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, i.e., bringing all things to light at his coming. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness (1 Cor 4:5). And he shall destroy, I say, namely by eternal damnation. He will destroy them (Ps 27:5). And he says with the brightness because the Antichrist himself will seem to darken the church, but the darkness will be driven out by brightness; for whatever the Antichrist claims will be shown to have been a lie.
47. Deinde cum dicit eum cuius est adventus, praedicit potestatem Antichristi. Et
47. Then when he says him, whose coming, he foretells the Antichrist’s power. And
circa hoc duo facit, quia
concerning this he does two things, for
primo ponit potestatem eius ad seducendum;
first, he sets out his power to deceive;
secundo huius causam ex domini iustitia, ibi eo quod caritatem.
second, he shows how this power has its cause in God’s justice, at because they do not receive.
Iterum prima in tres, quia
And the first of these is in three parts, for
primo ponit actorem huius potestatis;
first, he sets out the one who stands behind this power;
secundo modum seducendi;
second, how he will deceive;
tertio ostendit seducendos.
third, he describes those who will be deceived.
48. Actor huius potestatis est Diabolus, et ideo destruet eum Christus. I Io. III, 8: in hoc apparuit filius Dei, ut dissolvat opera Diaboli. Et ideo dicit, quod adventus Antichristi erit secundum operationem Satanae, id est ex instinctu eius. Ap. XX, 7: solvetur Satanas de carcere suo, et exibit, et seducet gentes, et cetera.
48. The one who stands behind the power is the Devil, and so Christ will destroy him. For this purpose the Son of God appeared, to destroy the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8). And this is why he says that the Antichrist’s coming will be according to the working of Satan, i.e., at his inspiration. Satan will be released from his prison, and he will go out and will deceive the nations (Rev 20:7).
Operatur enim aliquid secundum operationem Satanae, sicut arreptitius, in quo non solum instigat voluntatem, sed etiam impedit usum rationis: quod tamen non imputatur ad culpam eius, quia non habet usum liberi arbitrii. Antichristus autem non sic; sed habebit usum liberi arbitrii, in quo est Diabolus suggerens, sicut dicitur de Iuda Io. c. III: introivit in eum Satanas, scilicet instigando.
For one way something can be done according to the working of Satan is as in the possessed, in whom Satan not only inspires the will but also impedes the use of reason. The possessed person is not considered culpable for his actions, because he does not have the use of free will. But the Antichrist will not be like this, but will have the use of free will, and the Devil will be in him making suggestions as is written of Judas: Satan entered into him (John 13:27), namely by inspiring him to act.
49. Decipiet autem hoc modo: primo per potentiam saecularem; secundo per virtutem miraculorum.
49. Now he will deceive in this way: first, by his worldly power; second, by his power of working miracles.
Quantum ad primum dicit in omni virtute, scilicet saeculari. Dan. XI, 43: dominabitur thesaurorum auri et argenti, et in omnibus pretiosis Aegypti. Vel virtute, scilicet simulata.
As regards the first, he says, in all power, namely worldly power. And he shall have power over the treasures of gold, and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt (Dan 11:43). Or power, namely pretended power.
Quantum autem ad secundum dicit in signis, et cetera. Signa sunt quaedam mira etiam parva. Prodigia vero magna, quae aliquem prodigiosum ostendunt, quasi procul a digito. Ap. XIII, 13: fecit signa magna, ita ut et ignem faceret descendere de caelo, et cetera. Matth. XXIV, 24: dabunt signa magna et prodigia, ita ut in errorem inducantur, si fieri potest, etiam electi.
As regards the second, he says, and signs and lying wonders. Signs are a kind of marvel, including small things, but prodigies are great works produced by someone prodigious, being, as it were, far from the finger. He works great signs, so that he even causes fire to fall from heaven (Rev 13:13). They will work great signs and prodigies so that they would even lead into error the elect, were it possible (Matt 24:24).
50. Et dicit mendacibus. Miraculum mendax dicitur, vel quia deficit a vera ratione facti, vel a vera ratione miraculi, vel a debito fine miraculi. Primum fit in praestigiis, quando per Daemones illuduntur aspectus, ut aliud videatur, quam est: sicut Simon magus fecit decollari arietem, et postea ostensus est vivus; et homo decollatus est, et postea homo, qui credebatur decollatus, ostensus est vivus, et creditus est resuscitatus. Et hoc faciunt homines commutando phantasmata et decipiendo.
50. And he says lying. Miracles are called lying either because they fall short of the true nature of the supposed deed, or because they fall short of the true nature of a miracle, or because they fall short of the due end of a miracle. The first is what happens in illusions, when the senses are duped by demons so that things seem other than they are, as when Simon Magus caused a ram to be decapitated and later displayed it alive. A man was also decapitated, and later the man, whom all believed had been decapitated, was shown to be alive, and was thought to have been resuscitated. And men do this by rearranging phantasms and deceiving.
Secundo modo illa dicuntur miracula improprie, quae plena sunt admiratione, quando effectus videtur, et ignoratur causa. Quae ergo habent causam occultam alicui, et non simpliciter, dicuntur quidem mira, et non miracula simpliciter. Sed quae simpliciter causam occultam habent, sunt proprie miracula, quorum causa est ipse Deus gloriosus, quia totum ordinem naturae creatae transcendunt. Aliquando vero fiunt aliqua mira, sed non praeter ordinem naturae, sed occultas causas habent: et haec multo magis faciunt Daemones, qui virtutes naturae sciunt, et qui habent determinatas efficacias ad speciales effectus, et haec faciet Antichristus; sed non quae habent veram rationem miraculi, quia non possunt in illa quae sunt supra naturam.
In a second way, those are called miracles in an improper sense which are full of wonderment because, although the effect is seen, the cause is unknown. Therefore, things that have a cause hidden to somebody but not hidden simply speaking are called marvels, and not miracles simply speaking. But things whose cause is hidden simply speaking are called miracles in the proper sense of the word, and their cause is the glorious God himself, because they transcend the whole order of created nature. But sometimes marvels come to pass which are not beyond the order of nature yet have hidden causes, and this is much more the kind of thing demons do. The demons know the powers of nature, and they have determinate abilities to work particular effects. So the Antichrist will work these sorts of things, but they will not have the true nature of a miracle because the demons have no power to work what goes beyond nature.
Tertio modo dicuntur miracula, secundum quod sunt ordinata ad attestandum veritati fidei, ad reducendum fideles in Deum. Mc. c. ult.: Domino cooperante, et sermonem confirmante sequentibus signis. Sed si alicui adest gloria miraculorum et non utatur eis ad hoc, miracula quidem sunt vera quo ad rationem rei factae, et quo ad rationem miraculi, sed sunt falsa quantum ad finem debitum, et intentionem Dei. Sed tamen hoc non erit in Antichristo, quia nullus contra fidem facit vera miracula, quia Deus non est testis falsitatis. Unde aliquis praedicans falsam doctrinam non potest facere miracula, licet aliquis habens malam vitam posset.
In a third way things are called miracles according as they are ordered to bearing witness to the truth of the faith, to leading believers to God. The Lord working with them and confirming their words by the accompanying signs (Mark 16:20). But if someone has the glory of miracles and does not use them for this purpose, they are miracles indeed as regards the nature of the thing done, as regards the nature of a miracle, but they are false with respect to their due end and God’s intention. Yet the Antichrist’s works will not be of this sort, because no one works true miracles against the faith, since God is not a false witness. Hence someone preaching a false doctrine cannot work miracles, even though someone leading a bad life can.
51. Deinde ostendit seducendos, cum dicit his qui pereunt, id est, in praescitis ad perditionem. Io. XVII, 12: nemo ex eis periit, nisi filius perditionis. Et hoc ideo, quia Io. X, 27: oves meae vocem meam audiunt.
51. Then he sets out those who will be deceived, when he says to those who perish, i.e., among those who God foreknows will perish. None of them was lost save the son of perdition (John 17:12). And this is because my sheep hear my voice (John 10:27).
Lectio 3
Lecture 3
State in fide
Stand fast in the faith
2:10 et in omni seductione iniquitatis iis qui pereunt: [n. 51] eo quod caritatem veritatis non receperunt ut salvi fierent. [n. 52]
2:10 And in all seduction of iniquity to those who perish: [n. 51] because they do not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. [n. 52]
2:11 Ideo mittet illis Deus operationem erroris ut credant mendacio,
2:11 Therefore God shall send them the operation of error, to believe lying:
2:12 ut judicentur omnes qui non crediderunt veritati, sed consenserunt iniquitati.
2:12 That all may be judged who have not believed the truth but have consented to iniquity.
2:13 Nos autem debemus gratias agere Deo semper pro vobis, fratres dilecti a Deo, quod elegerit vos Deus primitias in salutem in sanctificatione Spiritus, et in fide veritatis: [n. 56]
2:13 But we ought to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, beloved of God, that God has chosen you as firstfruits unto salvation, in sanctification of the Spirit and faith of the truth: [n. 56]
2:14 in qua et vocavit vos per Evangelium nostrum in acquisitionem gloriae Domini nostri Jesu Christi. [n. 58]
2:14 To which he has also called you by our Gospel, unto the purchasing of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. [n. 58]
2:15 Itaque fratres, state: et tenete traditiones, quas didicistis, sive per sermonem, sive per epistolam nostram. [n. 59]
2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast: and hold the traditions, which you have learned, whether by word or by our epistle. [n. 59]
2:16 Ipse autem Dominus noster Jesus Christus, et Deus et Pater noster, qui dilexit nos, et dedit consolationem aeternam, et spem bonam in gratia, [n. 61]
2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God and our Father, who has loved us and has given us everlasting consolation and good hope in grace, [n. 61]
2:17 exhortetur corda vestra, et confirmet in omni opere et sermone bono. [n. 63]
2:17 Exhort your hearts and confirm you in every good work and word. [n. 63]
52. Postquam ostendit in quibus habet locum deceptio Antichristi, scilicet in praescitis ad damnationem, hic assignat causam praedictorum. Et
52. Having described those in whom the Antichrist has power to deceive, namely those foreknown as going to suffer damnation, here the Apostle gives the reason for what he has said. And
primo ostendit causam huius, et quomodo decipientur;
first, he gives the reason for it, and how they will be deceived;
secundo quomodo fideles ab eo liberentur, ibi nos autem.
second, he explains how believers will be freed from it, at but we ought.
Item primo ponit eorum culpam tantum;
And first he sets out their sin only;
secundo poenam cum culpa;
second, the punishment and sin;