Commentary on Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians Thessalonians Timothy Titus and Philemon John Calvin (continued)
CHAPTER 2
7. Mysterium enim iam operatur iniquitatis, solum tenens modo donec e medio tollatur.
8. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
8. Et tunc revelabitur iniquus ille, quem Dominus destruet spiritu oris sui, et abolebit illustratione adventus sui.
5 Do ye not remember? This added no small weight to the doctrine, that they had previously heard it from the mouth of Paul, that they might not think that it had been contrived by him at the instant. And as he had given them early warning as to the reign of Antichrist, and the devastation that was coming upon the Church, when no question had as yet been raised as to such things, he saw beyond all doubt that the doctrine was specially useful to be known. And, unquestionably, it is really so. Those whom he addressed were destined to see many things that would trouble them; and when posterity would see a large proportion of those who had made profession of the faith of Christ revolt from piety, maddened, as it were, by a gad-fly, or rather by a fury, 821 what could they do but waver? This, however, was as a brazen 822 wall 823 --- that matters were so appointed by God, because the ingratitude of men 824 was worthy of such vengeance. Here we may see how forgetful men are in matters affecting their everlasting salvation. We must also observe Paul's mildness; for while he might have been vehemently incensed, 825 he does but mildly reprove them; for it is a fatherly way of reproving them to say to them, that they had allowed forgetfulness of a matter so important and so useful to steal in upon their minds.
6. And now what withholdeth {Τὸ} {κατέχον} means here properly an impediment or occasion of delay. Chrysostom, who thinks that this can only be understood as referring to the Spirit, or to the Roman Empire, prefers to lean to the latter opinion. He assigns a plausible reason --- because Paul would not have spoken of the Spirit in enigmatical terms, 826 but in speaking of the Roman Empire wished to avoid exciting unpleasant feeling. He states also the reason why the state of the Roman Empire retards the revelation of Antichrist --- that, as the monarchy of Babylon was overthrown by the Persians and Medes, and the Macedonians, having conquered the Persians, again took possession of the monarchy, and the Macedonians were at last subdued by the Romans, so Antichrist seized hold for himself of the vacant supremacy of the Roman Empire. There is not one of these things that was not afterwards confirmed by actual occurrence. Chrysostom, therefore, speaks truly in so far as concerns history.
821"Se reuolter de la vraye religion, et se precipiter en ruine comme gens forcenez, ou plustost endiablez;" — "Revolt from the true religion, and plunge themselves in ruin like persons enraged, or rather possessed."
822Murus aheneus. See Hor. Ep. 1:1, 60. 823"Mais voici en cest endroit qui leur deuoit seruir d'vne forteresse inuincible;" — "But behold in this matter what would furnish them with an invincible fortress."
824"L'ingratitude execrable et vileine des hommes;" — "The execrable and base ingratitude of men."
825"Contre les Thessaloniciens;" — "Against the Thessalonians." 826"En termes couuerts ou obscurs;" — "In hidden or obscure terms."