Man of Sin, The: Uncovering the Truth about the Antichrist by Riddlebarger Kim

Author:Riddlebarger, Kim [Riddlebarger, Kim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2006-06-01T00:00:00+00:00

7

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

The Antichrist in Church History

The Church Fathers

The purpose of this chapter is not to provide an exhaustive history of the doctrine of Antichrist. Bernard McGinn has already produced a substantial history of this doctrine—especially patristic and medieval developments—in his book Antichrist. 1 There is no need to duplicate his efforts. Instead, the purpose of this chapter is to offer a brief survey of certain aspects of the church’s reflection upon this doctrine, specifically as they relate to some of the themes discussed earlier in this study. There is much to learn from our fathers in the faith as they wrestled with this doctrine and sought to make sense of the biblical data.

The earliest Christian documents that mention Antichrist contain very little theological reflection, apart from a brief mention of him in connection with a particular biblical passage. The Epistle of Barnabas, written soon after the close of the apostolic age, identifies the fourth beast of Daniel 7 as the Roman Empire, while specifically referring to the beast as Antichrist. 2 A similar reference surfaces in the writings of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who was born about AD 70 and likely martyred about AD 156. In 7.1 of his Epistle to the Philippians (written about AD 135), Polycarp quotes from 1 John 4:2-3 and 2 John 2:7 and contends that antichrist is the spirit of heresy. 3 This is similar to the emphasis found in John’s Epistles, to the effect that the threat from antichrist arises from within and is not connected to state-sponsored persecution like the beast of Revelation 13. 4 In his Dialog with Trypho, Justin Martyr (who was put to death in Rome about AD 165) speaks of the appearance of the “man of apostasy” who speaks “strange things against the Most High” and ventures to “do unlawful deeds on the earth against us Christians.” Justin is clearly alluding to 2 Thessalonians 2:3 but does not specifically speak of this individual as Antichrist. 5

One of the most important early discussions of Antichrist is found in the work of Irenaeus, who was born in Asia Minor, where he met Polycarp when still a young man. 6 Irenaeus later became bishop of Lyon in Gaul. In his work Against Heresies (about AD 180), 7 Irenaeus set forth the opinion that Antichrist will be a Jew, a notion that had come from Papias (another writer from Asia Minor whose work remains largely fragmentary). 8 Appealing to the best manuscripts and eyewitnesses (probably a reference to Polycarp), Irenaeus believes Antichrist recapitulates the apostasy that occurred in the beginning with Adam and Eve. This apostasy could be seen in the present (the gnostics of his own age), and a similar apostasy will appear again at the time of the end. 9 Just as Christ, who is the Word made flesh, recapitulates all that is good, so too Antichrist must come in the flesh to recapitulate all that is evil. 10

In addition, Irenaeus believed that the Roman Empire eventually would be divided

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