Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 7 · Doctrines 1 · Question 22 – Question 25
Quest. 22. That the kingdome of Syria which was held by Seleucus, and his posteritie, was the fourth beast.
Pappus, who expoundeth this fourth beast of the Turke and Pope together, against this other exposition taketh these exceptions.
Obiect. 1. Seleucus Nicanor is comprehended vnderunder the third beast, which is described with fowre heads: the beast is Alexander, and the fowre heads are his fowre sucessors that followed after him, of the which Seleucus was one: he cannot be both a part of the third beast, and the fourth also.
Contra. He is comprehended in the the third beast, as then gouerning vnderunder that kingdome: for Alexanders 4. captaines, were at the first regents vnderunder Alexander and his successor Aridius: but he made the fourth beast, when he constituted and erected a kingdome to himselfe, and his successors: though the fourth beast had his beginning and first erection vnderunder the third, yet now the succession and continuance of that kingdome may make the fourth beast.
Obiect. 2. They which reckon tenne kings of Syria, vntounto Antiochus Epiphanes, doe insert two of the Egyptian kings, Ptolomeus Euergites, and Ptolomeus Philopator, otherwise they cannot make vp the number: for there be but eight in all beside.
Contra. Though these two were kings of Egypt, yet by conquest they held for a time the kingdome of Syria: Ptolomeus Euergites expelled Seleueus Callinicus: and Ptolomeus Philopator expelled: Antiochus the great, though they were dispossessed againe of the kingdome; yet because they did hold it for a time, they may be numbred also among the rest of the kings.
3. Antiochus Epiphanes is one of the tenne hornes: he cannot then be the other little horne, that plucketh away three hornes before it, which maketh the eleuenth.
Contra. The little horne is the last of the tenth, it maketh not the eleuenth, the word is acharee, which the most translate, an other, but it more vsually signifieth the latter, this little horne then, was not another beside the tenne, but the last of the tenne.
Ob. 4. As in the third beast, the fowre heads doe not signifie 4. kindomes one after another, but fowre set vp all at once: so these tenne hornes must signifie ten kings or kingdomes all at once.
Contra. 1. Though these 4. heads, of the 3. beast doe here signifie 4. kingdomes raised vp together: yet alwaies it is not so: for Apocal. 17. 9. by the 7. heads, are signified 7. kings one succeeding another: as it is there said, vers. 10. fiue are fallen, and one is, and one is not yet come.
2. In this chapter the Angel expoundeth these 10. hornes of succession: the last shall rise after them, v. 24. the latter of these tenne shall be after the other, they were not then altogether.
3. Againe, it is there said, v. 24. that these tenne hornes, should arise out of one kingdome: But in one kingdome at one time there could not be 10. kings.
Ob. 5. After the abolishing of the fourth beast, the kingdome is giuen vntounto the Saints, v. 27. but the Romane Empire came betweene the determination of the kingdome of the Seleucians, and the birth of the Messiah, in whome this spirituall kingdome of the Saints, beganne.
Contra. It cannot be gathered out of the text, that immediately after the destruction of this beast, the Messiah should come: but after Antiochus Epiphan…s, who is intended by that little horne, though other of the Seleucians succeeded, yet none of them afflicted the people of God as he had done: they had peace and tranquilitie from those forren Tyrants of Syria: and yet there remained some life in the other beasts, though their kingdomes were taken away a long time before: as there was some reliques of the Babylonian kingdome in the Armenians, of the Persian in the Parthians, of the kingdomes of Syria and Egypt, after their power and strength was taken from them by the Romanes.
Ob. 6. The ende of the world and finall iudgement followeth after the destruction of the fourth beast: but so did it not after the dissolution of the kingdome of the Seleucians.
Contra. That description v. 9. is not of the finall iudgement at the last day, but of that which God exerciseth in this world against the wicked: as Apocal. 4. 2. a throne likewise is set, and iudgement prepared.
Ob. 7. After the kingdome of the fourth beast, the dominion is giuen vntounto the Saints: but the kingdome of the Seleucians fell vntounto the Romanes.
Contra. The temporall kingdome was inuested in the Romanes: but the spirituall kingdome, was giuen to the Messiah, and in him communicated vntounto the Saints: of this spirituall, not of any temporall kingdome speaketh the Prophet, v. 14. which is described, by the vniuersalitie, all nations and languages should serue him, and the eternitie, his kingdome shall neuer be destroyed.
Ob. 8. Antiochus Epiphanes is described by a little horne, which came forth of one of the fowre hornes of the goat, cap. 8. 9. which is taken for Alexander, and answereth to the third beast here: he therefore is comprehended vnderunder the third beast, he maketh not the fourth.
Contra. 1. That is a diuerse vision from this, they are not then to be confounded together: he may belong to the second beast there, the goat, and yet make the fourth beast here. 2. This collection maketh strongly, to procue Antiochus to be the little horne here, because he is resembled to a little horne there, and other parts of that vision agree with this.
Obiect. 9. Against Antiochus whom they would hauehave signified by this horne, the ships of Chittim are sent, c. 11. 30. but this beast is not destroyed by any humane power, but by the iudgement: of God in the ende of the world, Pappus.
Contra. 1. It followeth not, because God is said here to iudge him, that therefore he vsed no humane instruments: God destroyed the kingdome of Syria, by stirring vp the Romanes against them. 2. this place is not to be vnderstood of the finall iudgment▪ as is shewed before.
Quest. 23. Of the yron teeth, and other parts of the generall description of the fourth beast.
1. They which vnderstand the fourth beast to be the Romane Empire: some by the yron teeth would hauehave signified the famous and valiant captaines, by whose meanes the Romanes subdued the nations: dentes regni sunt princip… fortissimi, the teeth of the kingdome are the valiant captaines, by whose meanes the king de…oureth as with teeth, gloss. So also Bulling. Such teeth were C. Fabricius, who subdued Pirrhus, M. Marcellus conquered the Germans: Paulus Aemilius Greece, Scipio Africanus Africa: Crassus and Pompey the East, Iulius Caesar the West: Calvin by the yron teeth vnderstandeth, audaciam & inexplebilem cupiduatem, their bouldnesse, and insatiable desire of dominion; intelligitur Romani imperij crudelitas, the crueltie of the Romane Empire is signified.
But this doth euidently conuince, that the Romanes are not here vnderstood at all: because this fourth beast should be more fierce and cruell then the rest against the people of God, the Iewes, as v. 21. they shall make battell with the Saints: But till the comming of the Messiah, the Romanes shewed themselues more equall toward the Iewes, then any of the former kingdomes.
2. Therefore by the yron teeth of the fourth beast, are better vnderstood the crueltie of the kingdome of the Syrians, exercised against the people of God: and more particularly by the teeth, are expounded, duc…s & …opiae, their armies and captaines, whereby they did bite and deuoure, and as it were grind the Iewes. And for this cause, this beast is said to hauehave nayles or clawes of brasse, v. 19. whereby they did rent and teare in sunder the people of God: for they are the speciall obiect of their crueltie.
Quest. 24. Why it is said to stampe the residue vnderunder the feate.
1. They likewise which referre this to the Romane Empire doe diuersely expound it. 1. Bullinger taketh it to be a phrase of speach taken from wanton beasts, which beeing full, what they cannot eate themselues, doe tread the rest vnderunder their feet: whereby he thinketh is signified the great insolenci… and crueltie of the Romanes, in making hauocke and spoile of all. 2. Oecolampadius vnderstandeth it of their enuie, quibus frui non poterat, alijs inuidens, &c. what they could not enioy themselues they stamped vnderunder their feete, as enuying that others should hauehave it. 3. Calvin▪ whom the Gonevens. followe, doth expound it of this politike deuise of the Romanes, that what they could not quietly enioy in other countries, they would giuegive to other kings and rulers, whom they might vse at all times as their vassals: Thus they aduanced Masinissa in Africa, and gaue him great gifts, that by his meanes, they might hauehave Africa more peaceable. 4. the most doe thus vnderstand it▪ that whom they did not consume and destroy▪ tributo & seruituti subijcieba…t, they brought them vnderunder tribute and seruitude. 5. the meaning is, that those whom they vtterly destroyed not, they did as it were spurne with their feete, that is, by all meanes afflict and oppresse them, Iun.
Quest. 25. Wherein this fourth beast was vnlike the rest, v. 7.
1. They likewise which thinke the Romane Empire here to be shadowed forth, do make diuerse applications of it. 1. Some doe referre it, to the diu…rse forme of gouernement among the Romanes, who were first gouerned by kings, then by Consuls, afterward by Tribunes, the Dec…viri, Dictators: whereas the other Monarchies were perpetually ruled by kings, Bulling. Ofiand. 2. An other sense is: because in the former beasts, singula fortitudinum signa fuerunt, in hac omnia, there w…re some particular signes of fortitude, but in this all together, Hierome, Hugo. 3. or in impe…io Rom… orum omnia simul fuere regna, &c. in the Romane Empire were ioyned together all those kingdomes, which were separated before: 4. It was monstrum insolitum, a strange monster, Cal. in respect of their straunge rising vp, and of their great power.
2. R. Leui thinketh, that this beast is distinct from the rest, to signifie, that it should continue a long time: true it is, that the Syrian kingdome continued 248. yeares longer then the Persian Monarchie, or the Chaldean, counting from the beginning of Nebuchadnezzars raigne: but it is not the quantitie or continuance of time, but the qualitie and condition, that maketh a thing like or vnlike.
3. Wherefore this vnlikenesse to all the rest is vnderstood of the crueltie, wherein it should exceede all the rest, toward the people of God: prae tyrannidis grauitate, in the greatnesse and grieuousnesse of the tyrannie, it should be vnlike them, Iun. annot. Polan. And therefore in the vision of the image, c. 2. this last kingdome is resembled to the yron feete, which did breake and bruise all in peices.