Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 7 · Doctrines 1 · Question 18 – Question 20
18. Quest. Of the third beast, called a leopard, and of the description of the third Monarchie.
There are foure parts of the description. 1. à simili, from the similitude and likenes of the Pard, or leopard: whereunto in diuers respects Alexander is compared. 1. The Leopard is noted to be subtile and craftie, lying in waite for them which goe by the way, as Ieremie saith, c. 5. 6. A leopard shall watch ouer their cities, eueryevery one that goeth out thence shall be torne in pieces: so Alexander by subtiltie and policie preuailed much. 2. The leopard is very swift, as Habak. 1. 8. Their horses shall be swifter then leopards: So Alexander in a short time conquered the most knowne countries of all the world. 3. He is likened also to a leopard for his strength. Polan. 4. The Panther, Pard, or Leopard is full of spots, which either noteth the varietie of countreies and nations which Alexander subdued, Hug. or rather his variable and changeable nature, which was tempered both with excellent vertues, and notable vices. Perer. 5. The Leopard they say is taken by this meanes: it much coue…eth and desireth wine, which beeing poured neere vntounto their dennes, the sent thereof draweth them forth: and the hunters set not farre off, vessels of wine, which the beast drinketh, till he falleth a sleepe, and so is taken: And herein was Alexander like vntounto the leopard, who died of surfeting, and drunkennes.
2. Then this beast is described by the adiuncts, it had foure wings. 1. Some hereby vnderstand Alexanders foure vertues. 1. his strength of bodie. 2. courage of minde, which feared nothing. 3. dexteritie and industrie. 4. his great liberalitie and clemencie. Lyran. Perer. 2. Some by the foure wings, and foure beasts, vnderstand the same thing, namely, his foure successors, Melancth. Calv. but then should something in this description be superfluous. 3. Hereby rather is signified Alexanders great celeritie, which is shadowed forth in the nature of the beast, but more liuely expressed by wings: & he is said to hauehave foure wings, not two, quia nihil fuit velocius Alexandri victoria, because nothing was swifter then Alexanders victories, Hier. for in 12. yeares he made conquest of all the famous kingdomes of the world: yea in sixe yeares, as Hierome testifieth, he subdued all Egypt, a great part of Europe, all Asia euen vntounto India: in the first yeare of his kingdome he tooke the citie Thebes: in the 2. he ouercame Darius armies at Granicum: in the 3. yeare he againe ouercame Darius at Issum: in the fourth yeare he tooke Tyrus, when he had besieged it 7. moneths, and then in the 5. subdued Syria, and Iudea: in the 6. yeare he finally vanquished Darius at Arbela, and so possessed the Asian Empire. Polan.
3. Then this beast is set forth by the number of the heads, the beast also had foure heads. 1. Iunius hereby would not hauehave vnderstood foure kingdomes, but the great dexteritie of Alexander, in taking care for all the parts of his kingdome, as if he had had foure heads. Iun. in comment. 2. The most doe take them for Alexanders foure successors in the kingdome: Cassander in Macedonia, Antigonus in Asia minor, Seleucus in Syria, Ptolome in Egypt: so Oecolamp. Perer. Papp. Calv. with others: but these 4. kingdomes make the fourth beast, as afterward shall be shewed. 3. Wherefore better are here vnderstood the 4. chiefe captains of Alexander, which did aide him to atchieue his victories, and afterward gouerned the kingdome vnderunder Aridaeus Alexanders brother, who beeing slaine, they diuided the kingdome among them: So Hugo saith, quatuor dicit duces Alexandri, he meaneth the foure captaines of Alexander, which afterward became his successors: so Iunius in his annotations vnderstandeth quatuor satrapiae, the fowre regements of the kingdome, which after Alexanders death should hauehave come vntounto his two sonnes Alexander and Hercules, but they agreed to make Aridaeus Alexanders brother king, and appointed Antipater, to be protector of the kindome: but at length, both Alexanders sonnes were slaine by Cassander, and Aridaeus also: And then Cassander succeeded Aridaeus in Macedonia, and after him Antipater: And the other three in their seuerall kingdomes, as is before expressed.
4. The last part of the description is from the efficient cause and author of this great dominion, which Alexander had, it was giuen him of God: and that he obtained not such great victories by his owne power or policie, but by the extraordinarie assistance of God, doth euidently appeare by these fowre arguments. 1. because he in a shorter time subdued more countries then other … captaines hauehave taken cities: as is before shewed in the second part of the description. 2. in that he with so small an host of 30. thousand, encountred with such great armies of the Persians, first, with an 150. thousand, then with 400. thousand, and last of all with 10. hundred thousand, which Darius Codomannus had gathered together against him. 3. Alexanders securitie is an euident argument also thereof, who the same day that Darius was ouercome, was so fast asleepe in his Tent, that all his captaines could not awake him, making a noise round about, for they durst not goe in. 4. Alexander himselfe also confessed as much, who meeting Iaddua the high Preist in his pontificall robes, and falling downe before him, and reuerencing him, being asked the reason of Parmenio, answered, that he worshipped not the man, but God in the man, who in the same habite had appeared vntounto him, and encouraged him to goe on in his enterprise to ouercome Asia, and promised to lead his armies: thus Iosephus writeth, lib. 11. Antiquit. c. 8.
Quest. 19. Why the fourth beast hath no name.
1. The Hebrewes doe here imagine that although this fourth beast be not expressed by name, yet that it was a wild boare, whereby they would hauehave signified the Romane Empire which destroyed Ierusalem: and they alleadge that saying in the Psalme, 80. 13. the wilde boare out of the wood hath destroyed it: But seeing this last kingdome is described to be more fierce and cruell then the rest, it was not like to be resembled by the wild boare, which is not so terrible, as the other three beasts, the lyon, the beare, the Leopard, vntounto the which the other three kingdomes are compared.
2. Theodoret applying this vision to the Romane Empire, thinketh that this is the reason why certaine beasts are before named, but none here: because in the other three kingdoms, there was a certaine forme of gouernement by kings; but in the Romane state the forme of gouernment often changed: they were gouerned 1. by kings, 2. by Consuls. 3. by the Tribunes of the people. 4. by Dictators. 5. by Emperours. But it shall euidently appeare afterward, that this vision is not to be extended to the Romanes.
3. Hierome giueth this reason: the beast is not named, vt si quid ferocius bestijs supradictis cogitauerimus, hoc imperio Romanorum attribuamus, &c. that if any thing can be imagined more cruell, then the forenamed beasts, it should be attributed to the Romane Empire: thus also Lyran. gloss. ordinar. with others: Hieromes reason here in generall is to be admitted, but he faileth likewise in his particular application to the Romane state.
4. Pererius hath this conceit, that if this last Monarchie here described, which he supposeth to be of the Romanes, should be represented by any certaine kind of beast, it is most like to be that, which Aristotle out of Ctesias Gnidius, saith is found in India, which he describeth in this manner: the name of the beast is Mantichora, Aristot. lib. 2. de histor. animal. c. 1.it hath three rowes of teeth aboue and belowe: with lyons feete, and of bignesse and haire like to a lyon: with mans eares, a scorpions tayle: it maketh a noise like a trumpet: as swift as an hart: so wilde that it can neuer be tamed: it coueteth mans flesh most of all.
But both it may be doubted whether any such beast is to be found in the world: and if there were, seeing the spirit of God hath not expressed any particlar kind, it were great presumption for vsus to gesse at it.
5. Wherefore those two reasons may be yeelded, why no certaine beast is here named: both in respect of this description here made, propter infinit am, varietatem, for the great varietie of the parts (borrowing of some beast one, and of some an other) it cannot be resembled to any certaine kind, Iun. annot. And in regard also of the signification: no beast can be named so cruell, quod posset naturam ostendere istius bestiae, which can expresse the nature of this beast, Calvin, which can sufficiently portraite out vntounto vsus the crueltie of this fourth kingdome and gouernement. Polan.
Quest. 20. Of the description of the fourth beast in generall.
It is described 1. by three adiuncts, it was fearefull, terrible, and strong. 2. by the effects, which are three, it deuoured, brake in peices, and stamped the residue vnderunder the feete. 3. by the dissimilitude and vnlikenesse which it had to the other beasts, it was vnlike the beasts that were before it. 4. by the parts, it had yron teeth, and hornes: the hornes are first set down in generall, it had tenne hornes, then there is a particular description of one horne, which is expressed by fowre arguments. 1. by the adiunct of the smalenesse, it is called a little horne. 2. by the manner of growing, it came vp among the other. 3. by the effects, three of the other hornes were pluckt away before it. 4. by the parts, it had the eies of a man, and a mouth, which is described by the effects, speaking presumptuous things.