Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 7 · Doctrines 1 · Question 28
Quest. 28. Who those three kings should be, signified by the three hornes plucked away.
Some doe take this number of three indefinitely for no certaine number, some do strictly vnderstand three as they are named: and each of these opinions hath diuerse varieties and differences.
1. They which take it indefinitely. 1. Some by three kings vnderstand many, R. Leui of many kings subdued by the Romane Empire, R. Saadia of the Turkish dominion, Oecolampadius of both: and the wearing of the Popes triple crowne signifieth his dominion ouer three, that is, diuerse kings: But where diuerse numbers are named, and there is a diuision of number: as here of tenne and three; there certaine numbers are vnderstood: otherwise if the number of ten should be taken indefinitely, and so the number of three; more should not be signified by tenne, then by three, no certaine number beeing contained in either.
2. Calvin giueth this exposition: This litttle horne tooke away three hornes, that is, a great part of the regall power and authoritie; which he thinketh was done, when Augustus Caesar tooke from the Senate the authoritie of naming Proconsuls and Gouernours for the Prouinces: But whereas the Angel by the three hornes vnderstandeth three kings, this is no proper sense, to vnderstand by these three kings, the authoritie of naming the Proconsuls, which were many; and this power was not extinguished: though it were taken from the Senate, it remained still in the Emperor: but these three hornes shall be quite pluckt away before this little horne.
3. They which take this number for three precisely. 1. Some, which doe vnderstand it of the Turke, name three kingdomes, which he hath surprised: but therein they agree not: Melancthon setteth downe Egypt, Syria, and Cilicia: Osiander, and Pappus, Asia, Grecia, and Egypt: Vatablus nameth the Empire of Constantinople, and the kingdome of Egypt for two, the third is not yet subdued to the Turke, which he nameth not: But the Turke hath many more then three kingdomes vnderunder him.
4. They which imagine a certaine Antichrist to come in the ende of the world, vnderstand these three kings, of Egypt, Africa, Aethiopia, whom when Antichrist hath subdued, the other seuen shall yeeld themselues: so Hierome, whom Lyranus, gloss. ordinar. Hugo, Pintus, followe.
But this conceit of this supposed Antichrist, is confuted before, quest. 27. 5. and it is said that this horne shall pull away onelyonly 3. hornes, not that he shall subdue all the tenne.
5. Bullinger making the Pope that Romane Antichrist to be this little horne, by the three kings would hauehave signified, Leo the 3. the Emperour of Greece, whome Gregorie the 2. excommunicated for condemning of images, and tooke from him the Exarchateship of Rauenna: and Childerichus king of Fraunce was deposed by Pope Zacharie: and Pope Leo the 3. obtained of Charles the Exarchateship and gouernement of Italie, the Longobards beeing ouercome, and their king Desiderius slaine: But this cannot be the meaning for these reasons. 1. this little horne signifieth one king specially, then it is not properly referred to many Popes, one succeeding another. 2. the Popes deposed and did excommunicate many more kings and Emperours beside these. 3. and these 3. hornes must be plucked away before the other, to make a way for the little horne, not after this horne is exalted.
6. Palychronius, who by this little horne rightly expoundeth Antiochus Epiphanes, yet is deceiued, in taking the Persians, Aegyptians, and Iewes, for these three hornes, ex Oeco. for the Egyptians had an horne by themselues, and the Iewes could not be an horne of this fourth beast, for they were pushed at by the beast, they had no hornes to push others withall.
7. Porphyrius likewise, taking this little horne to be Antiochus Epipha…es▪ yet erreth herein: these three kings he taketh to be Ptolome Euergetes, Ptolome Philom…tor, and Artaxias king of Armenia, whom Antiochus subdued: for although Antiochus raigned at the same time with Philometor, and ouercame him, (wherein Hierome is deceiued, who thinketh that Philometor was dead before Antiochus was borne, for they raigned 11. yeares together, one in Syria, the other in Egypt, Perer.) yet Ptolome Euergetes the Elder, was 40. yeares before Antiochus, and Euergetes the younger, was twentie yeares after him: therefore neither of them could be any of the kings s…bdued by Antiochus: And though he ouercame Artaxias king of Armenia, yet he tooke not from him his kingdome.
8. Iunius thinketh that these were the three kings whom Antiochus subdued and destroyed: Ptolome Philopator, whom he expelled out of Syria, ioyning with Antiochus the great his father, and Seleucus his brother: then he deposed Seleucus, and killed Demetrius his sonne, as he returned from Rome: But in this last is Iunius deceiued, for Demetrius the sonne raigned after Antiochus Epiphanes, therefore he was not killed by him, not deposed: Neither could this Demetrius beeing an hostage at Rome, procure while Epiphanes liued, to be king of Syria, but after his death he was receiued by the Syrians, and first hauing killed Lysias tutor of Antiochus Eupator, the sonne of Epiphanes, and then Eupator himselfe, he got the kingdome: Thus Ioseph. lib. 12. Antiquit. c. 15. Livius. lib. 46. Appian: and Demetrius is none of the tenne hornes, quest. 26. therefore he could be none of the 3. hornes which were of the tenne: some other agree with Iunius, that these three forenamed were the three kings, but Demetrius they thinke was not killed, but onelyonly deposed and kept from the kingdome. H. Br.
9. Therefore these three rather were the kings, Ptolome Philopator, expelled by Antiochus Epiphanes, Antiochus the great his father,See more appendix. exercise 1. a…gum. 10. whom he procured to be slaine in a certaine sedition, when his father went about to spoile the Temple of Iuppiter Dodoneus, the third was his Elder brother Seleucus Philopator, whose death he compassed likewise, Polan, and Iunius leaueth it as indifferent, whether Anti…chus the great, or Demetrius be held to be the third king.