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Commodianus of Gaza, The Instructions of Commodianus in favour of Christian Discipline, Against the Gods of the Heathens
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The Instructions of Commodianus.
The Instructions of Commodianus
VI.—Of the Same Jupiter’s Thunderbolt.
VII.—Of the Septizonium and the Stars.
XI.—Apollo the Soothsaying and False.
XVI.—Of the Gods and Goddesses.
XVIII.—Of Ammydates and the Great God.
XXIII.—Of Those Who are Everywhere Ready.
XXIV.—Of Those Who Live Between the Two.
XXV.—They Who Fear and Will Not Believe.
XXVI.—To Those Who Resist the Law of Christ the Living God.
XXVII.—O Fool, Thou Dost Not Die to God.
XXVIII.—The Righteous Rise Again.
XXIX.—To the Wicked and Unbelieving Rich Man.
XXXIV.—Moreover, to Ignorant Gentiles.
XXXV.—Of the Tree of Life and Death.
XXXVI.—Of the Foolishness of the Cross.
XXXVII.—The Fanatics Who Judaize.
XLII.—Of the Hidden and Holy People of the Almighty Christ, the Living God.
XLIII.—Of the End of This Age.
XLIV.—Of the First Resurrection.
XLVIII.—O Faithful, Beware of Evil.
L.—Who Have Apostatized from God.
LIII.—To the Soldiers of Christ.
LVII.—That Worldly Things are Absolutely to Be Avoided.
LVIII.—That the Christian Should Be Such.
LIX.—To the Matrons of the Church of the Living God.
LXI.—In the Church to All the People of God.
LXII.—To Him Who Wishes for Martyrdom.
LXIV.—Of the Zeal of Concupiscence.
LXX.—I Speak to the Elder-Born.
LXXIII.—That Sons are Not to Be Bewailed.
XLI.—Of the Time of Antichrist.11 [See Elucidation at end.]
Isaiah said: This is the man who moveth the world and so many kings, and under whom the land shall become desert. Hear ye how the prophet foretold concerning him. I have said nothing elaborately, but negligently. Then, doubtless, the world shall be finished when he shall appear. He himself shall divide the globe into three ruling powers, when, moreover, Nero shall be raised up from hell, Elias shall first come to seal the beloved ones; at which things the region of Africa and the northern nation, the whole earth on all sides, for seven years shall tremble. But Elias shall occupy the half of the time, Nero shall occupy half. Then the whore Babylon, being reduced to ashes, its embers shall thence advance to Jerusalem; and the Latin conqueror shall then say, I am Christ, whom ye always pray to; and, indeed, the original ones who were deceived combine to praise him. He does many wonders, since his is the false prophet. Especially that they may believe him, his image shall speak. The Almighty has given it power to appear such. The Jews, recapitulating Scriptures from him, exclaim at the same time to the Highest that they have been deceived.
XLI.---DE ANTICHRISTI TEMPORE.
Dixit Esaias: Hic homo, qui commovet orbem, Et reges totidem, sub quo fiet terra deserta. Audite quoniam propheta de illo praedixit: Nihil ego composite dixi, sed neglegendo. Tum scilicet mundus finitur, cum ille parebit. In tres imperantes ipse diviserit orbem: Cum fuerit autem Nero de inferno levatus, Helias veniet prius signare dilectos. Res quas Africae regio et Arctoa natio, tota In septem annis tremebit undique terra, Sed medium tempus Helias, medium Nero tenebit. 0231B Tunc Babylon meretrix incinefacta favilla, Inde ad Jerusalem perget, victorque Latinus Tunc dicet: Ego sum Christus quem semper oratis. Et quidem conlaudant illum primitivi decepti. Multa signa facit, quoniam ejus pseudopropheta. Praesertim ut credant illi, loquetur imago. Omnipotens tribuit ut talis evadat. 0232A Recapitulantes scripturas ex eo Judaei, Exclamant pariter ad excelsum sese deceptos.