This document discusses the concepts of the Antichrist and the Apocalypse in the Bible and early Christian tradition. It covers the mentions of the Antichrist in the New Testament and Book of Revelation. It then examines the development of Antichrist traditions in early Christianity and how the idea migrated from Eastern traditions to Western traditions like those depicted in works like Beowulf. Specific figures like Nero were believed to fulfill roles as the Antichrist. The document concludes by analyzing how the Antichrist concept remains relevant today and is still depicted in modern works like the movie The Seventh Sign.

1. ANTICHRIST &ANTICHRIST &
APOCALYPSEAPOCALYPSE
IN THE BIBLE ANDIN THE BIBLE AND
EARLY CHRISTIANEARLY CHRISTIAN
TRADITIONTRADITION
Carlos Camargo, Ph.D.Carlos Camargo, Ph.D.
Global Missionary Training CenterGlobal Missionary Training Center
Milpitas, CaliforniaMilpitas, California
Ohana Christian Mission InternationalOhana Christian Mission International
Korean Baptist Church – January 2012Korean Baptist Church – January 2012

2. Introduction
n What is Apocalypse?
u Literally “revelation”
u The last book of the Christian Bible or the
New Testament
u Some Themes
F Second Coming of Christ (Parousia in
Greek)
F Millennarism or belief in the one-
thousand-year of reign of the saints
F Last Judgment
F ANTICHRIST

3. ANTICHRIST
n INTRODUCTION--very much alive in our
religious thought and popular imagination
especially due to the year 2000
n Apocalypse and Antichrist--twin notions
u Apocalypse implies end of the world
u Antichrist’s appearance accomplishes
it
u They complement each other
n

4. Three Modern Examples of Fascination
with Apocalypse and Antichrist
n Ugandan Tragedy
n Planetary Alignment
taking place in May
n The bizarre
identification of the
number 666 with the
name of Ronald
Wilson Reagan! Each
word has six letters
in it!
n I have a better one

6. Movie :
The Seventh Sign
n One early scene from the
movie captures several
themes and images like the
angel of wrath, seal, and
scenes of destruction
caused at the breaking of
the seal...
n We will return to the movie
at the end

7. The Seventh Sign--
Movie Clip

8. Scope of Lecture
n Antichrist Tradition in General
n Antichrist in the New Testament
n Antichrist in Early Christian Thought (first
millennium)
Western Tradition
Eastern Tradition
Migration of Antichrist Ideas from the
East to the West c. 1000
Adso
Beowulf
Antichrist in Iconography
Back to the movie The Seventh Sign

9. ANTICHRIST
n WHY WAS /IS HE
POPULAR?
n ON ACCOUNT OF
OUR INHERITED
RELIGIOUS
TRADITION
u Christian
u Pre-Christian

10. Antichrist in the New
Testament
n Name appears only in two
books: in 2 John 7 and 1
John 2:18, 22; 4:3
n Persona of Antichrist,
though not in name, s
found also in other books
like the Apocalypse and
St. Paul Thessalonians 2:
1-12 “the lawless man”
“the Son of Perdition”--as
the AGENT of SATAN

11. Antichrist in the
Book of Apocalypse-
Revelation
n Chapter 12--as the Red
Dragon, which is Satan
in chapter 13
n Antichrist is a satanic
figure

12. The Harlot of Apocalypse
seated on the Beast

13. The Beast of Apocalypse as the Roman Empire--
Historicist Interpretation
vs. spiritualist interpretation
There have always been
two basic approaches to
the Apocalypse:
Historical and Spiritual

14. Roman Empire as Monsters in the
Apocalypse--Early Tradition
n First Beast as the Empire
n Its Wounded Head as Antichrist
Figure Nero
n Nero Redivivus Legend--Nero will
come again
n Antichrist under different
images--also as the Second
Beast/False Prophet (chaps 16 &
19) and as the Dragon

15. Antichrist in Jerusalem, ch. 11--
Tradition Evolves
n Ambiguity--Antichrist both in
Jerusalem and in Rome?
n Resolution of Ambiguity by
Ireneus and Hippolytus (third
century)
Jewish Origin of Antichrist from
the Tribe of Dan
Association with Heresies--
Gnosticism and Marcionism

16. Hippolytus
n Makes the life of Antichrist
to parallel the life of
Christ:
Birth of Antichrist in
Israel
n Antichrist will establish
kingdom only after the fall
of Rome
n Antichrist is one of the
horns of the Second Beast

17. Antichrist and Antisemitism
n Antichrist is the alter ego or the
opposite of Christ in birth and
upbringing
n If Christ is Jewish, then Antichrist
also must be Jewish
n Antichrist tries to ascend to heaven
as Christ ascended to heaven (next
slide)

18. Ascension of Antichrist

19. How to reconcile the Roman
and Jewish Traditions:
n Victorinus of Petau: Nero is
Antichrist but is disguised as a Jew
n Another Interpretation: There are
two Antichrists--Roman and Jewish
n Argument: There are two Beasts in
the Apocalypse, so there must be
two Antichrists. Why? Christians
suffered under both the Empire and
Pharisaic Judaism

20. Two Antichrists--
Commodian
n Nero Resurrected from
Hell is one
n A king from the East is the
other (Persia/Syria) will
kill Nero and his two
adopted Caesars
n He will march to
Jerusalem, where he will
be welcomed by the Jews
as Antichrist

21. Spiritual Antichrist in
the West
n Origen’s Allegorical
interpretation of Antichrist
as Heretics, based on
Johannine Epistles
n The Devil is liar and
Antichrist
n The Heretics are likewise
liars and Antichrists
because they are opposed
to Christ

22. Why Spiritualize
Antichrist?
n By the fourth century,
Persecutor Rome became
Protector Rome of Christians
with a Christian emperor at the
helm
n Rome is no longer the
accursed Babylon but the
Eternal City, the cherished
home of papacy

23. St. Augustine
n There will be a future Antichrist
n Don’t speculate on time and place
n Right now Antichrist is here and
now in the Church, in the Empire
and in us
n Antichrist simply means “enemy
of Christ”--Antichrist is US!

24. Roman Empire--East and West

25. Antichrist in the East
n “East” means the Eastern Roman Empire
embracing Byzantium (Turkey), Syria,
Palestine, Iraq, etc; the lands east of Rome
including Greece and Turkey
n Constantine shifted capital to Constantinople
(Byzantium) in the 4th century
n Becomes a very colorful figure
n His names: “shape-shifter,” “ head of pride,”
“prince of iniquity,” etc.

26. Physical Features of
The Human Antichrist
n Head is a fiery
flame
n Right eye is red
n Left eye is blue-
black
n Two pupils in
each eye
n Tuft of grey hair
on bald head
n Eyelashes are
white
n Lower lip is large
n Right thigh is
slender
n Feet are broad
n Great toe is
bruised and flat

27. Eastern Antichrist
n Syriac Testament of the Lord
n Coptic Apocalypse of Elijah
n Pseudo-Ephrem: a human
monster, clever and rapacious
like a dragon and a destroyer
of souls
n In origin Jewish, an incarnation
of Satan, a monstrous dragon
in form, and enemy of God

28. Is Antichrist Satan?
n NO, but
n He is satanic
n Born of a defiled woman
n Byzantine Antichrist follows the
tradition of of Hippolytus and
Ireneus--is of the Tribe of Dan vs.
Western view--he is Rome
n Why? Byzantines admired Rome

29. Why Antichrist as
Dragon?
n Since he is of the tribe of Dan
who is compared to a serpent
in Genesis 49:17: “Dan shall
be a serpent in the way..that
bites the horse’s heel”
n No wonder Antichrist figures,
like the dragon in Beowulf,
are dragon-like monsters in
poetic imagination

30. Double Antichrist in
the East
n Two Antichrists or
two appearances of
Antichrist
u Pseudo-Ephrem
u Pseudo-
Methodius

31. Antichrist in Jerusalem
n After the rule of the last Greek
Emperor in Jerusalem, Antichrist
will rule from the Temple and will
demand to be worshiped
n Does the fact that the Temple was
not rebuilt anything to with the
desire to prevent the advent of
Antichrist?
n Is this one reason for not rebuilding
the temple in Jerusalem?

32. Antichrist in Jerusalem
and End Times
n Enoch and Elijah will return to
announce the Second Coming of
Christ
n Antichrist will slay them both
n Antichrist’s reign of terror
n Enoch and Elijah revived by Christ
n Michael/the Breath of Christ will kill
Antichrist on the Mount of Olives
(Sibyl)

33. Islam as Antichrist
(7th Century - 10th)
n Muslim Invasions of Syria from 634
n Islam becomes a candidate for the title
of Antichrist in Pseudo-Methodius (c.
691)
n Hope of the victory of the Greek
(Byzantine) king over Arabs
n Greek Rule in Jerusalem

34. The Legend of the Last Emperor
n The last emperor of the Greeks
will
vanquish all enemies of God
establish a kingdom of
peace
will surrender power to
Christ in Jerusalem before
the End

35. Islam as Antichrist
n Surrender of crown by the
Greek Emperor to God on
Calvary
n Death of the Greek Emperor
n Coming of Antichrist
n Slaying of Antichrist

36. Migration of Antichrist
from East to West
n During the seventh-century
persecution, many Syrian
monks went west toward
Europe
n Latin translations from Greek
and Syriac prophecies of
Pseudo-Methodius become
popular in the West

37. Adso’s Popular Adaptation
of the Legend of Antichrist
n Adso ( c. 950) replaces the Greek
emperor with the Latin emperor, and
the Frankish empire of Charlemagne
(Charles the Great) became the Holy
Roman Empire, replacing the Byzantine
or Eastern Roman Empire.
n Adso Germanizes Eastern
apocalypticism

38. Adso’s Antichrist
n Collective Antichrist: all the enemies
of Christ--Augustinian view
n Final Antichrist:
Of the Tribe of Dan
Born in Babylon, not of a virgin
Raised in Bethsaida and Corozain
Will rebuild the Jerusalem Temple

39. Adso’s Antichrist
n Antichrist will rule from
Jeruslaem and perform miracles
like Christ
n Franks have inherited Rome
n The Frankish Roman emperor
comes to the Mount of Olives
n Antichrist’s Destruction
n End of the World

40. Emperor Frederick II as Antichrist:
A false German pope crowns
Frederick II

41. Beowulf and Antichrist
n An apocalyptic work (c. 1000) is
populated by the beasts of the
Apocalypse and Antichrist
figures
n The author seems to use the
book of Apocalypse and its
imagery
n Grendel and his Mother are like
the two Beasts of the Apocalypse
n

42. Beowulf vis-a-vis Apocalypse
n Three Beasts in the
Apocalypse as in
“Beowulf”
n Beowulf’s three
Fights
foreshadowed in
this Beatus
manuscript
illumination(9th
Century)

43. Grendel kin as Antichrist trying to
stab Beowulf-like figure

44. A few examples of
Medieval, Renaissance, and
Modern Images pertaining
to Apocalypse and
Antichrist Follow

45. Renaissance Example
n Duerer’s
woodcut of the
angels
slaughtering
mankind at the
sounding of
the sixth
trumpet

46. Islam: Earthly Paradise
n Earthly Paradise in
Islamic art--a
manuscript illumination
n In Islam Antichrist is
called al-Dajjal
n In Early Judaism Beliar
is the enemy of God
n Medieval Judaism he is
called “Armillus”
(Romulus?)

47. The Four Horsemen of Apocalypse
as four Bikers in Modern Art--Jose
Posada (1913)

48. Four Good Horsemen

49. Apocalyptic Figures from China--
Allegory

50. Michelangelo: Second
Coming of Christ

51. Fall of Babylon (Trier Apocalypse--
8th century)

52. Humankind in trepidation
before the Beast (Trier)

53. Killing of the Dragon--
late medieval

54. Dragon as Devil--late
medieval

55. The Harlot of Apocalypse
seated on the Beast--late
medieval

56. Two Beasts of the
Apocalypse and
Dragon (Trier)

57. Conclusions
n The safe Augustinian Spiritual Interpretation
is the official Church teaching
n The historical/moral reading of the
Apocalypse is still very much alive
n The historical exegesis has always been
there from the beginning of the Church
n Historical interpretation is not likely to die
out
n The spirit of of the Apocalypse is the twin
principle of self-sacrifice and renewal
n Our duty is to continue to postpone the end
n Antichrist legend the same today as it was
at the turn of the first millennium

58. Back to the Movie: The
Seventh Sign
VIDEO
CLIP
NOW

59. The Seventh Sign
n Tries to capture the spirit of the Biblical
Book of Apocalypse
u The end is only prelude to a new
beginning
u Antichrist is among us; so is Christ,
the savior
u We are Christs or saviors
u Mother as Christ-figure in the film
u Message: We can and must
postpone the inevitable end
u Life comes only through Sacrifice
and Death--ultimate proof of love
u The last survivor is hope in the
future

60. EXPLICIT
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Valete