Fragmenta in epistulam ii ad Thessalonicenses

Again, in the persecutions which the Thessalonians endured, he consoles them, from the very prologue recalling the just and great retribution of Christ, which punishes the wicked and crowns the saints. Then, since there was much inquiry concerning the second coming of Christ—when it will occur—he corrects their suppositions on this matter, so that they may not be anticipated or carried away by strange teachings. He also sets forth the manner and sequence of the coming of Christ, which will occur again after the deception of the Antichrist. Love with justice means not only to love but also to be loved in return. 2 8 The phrase "if indeed it is just" is not an expression of doubt, but of emphasis and affirmation; for it is spoken in a customary manner, as we often say, when it is day: "if indeed it is day." "Giving vengeance to those who do not know God" is equivalent to "inflicting punishment on the impious." "With the angels of his power in a flame of fire." He portrays the terror of the glorious coming through these words, and through what follows he encourages those who have been wronged; for great consolation is not only the reward for sufferings but also the punishment inflicted upon those who have wronged them. "That our testimony was believed on that day"; for faith here prepares the reward in advance for that day. Which day? The day when Christ will come. He exhorts them not to be disturbed untimely before the manifestation of the Lord, neither if prophets should claim to be among those in whom there is a spirit of deception, nor if words and rumors about the Lord should be sown, nor if some should fabricate a letter and bring it as if it were from us.

that unless the apostasy comes first and the man of sin, the son of perdition, the adversary who exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, is revealed, do not expect, he says, the savior before the deceiver who must come first, as I said. Exalting himself above every god or object of worship, that is, above every idolatry; for just as he himself established it, so he himself will overturn it when he comes, and every heresy which he has set against the word of truth, so that in this also men may be condemned, because the idols by which they were deceived, they did not themselves destroy, but the deceiver did. These deceptions the devil established from the beginning, gradually alienating men from God and quietly introducing his own worship, so that when he later comes, having deceived them and being outside the help of God, he may easily subdue them to himself. Concerning the future deception of men, the savior himself foretold that it would be difficult for him, when he comes, to find faith on earth. The man of sin, that is, the Antichrist; for he will come to Jerusalem as if to rebuild the temple, and will stand in the holy place proclaiming himself god. The adversary who exalts himself above every so-called god, that is, above every idolatry; and above every object of worship, that is, every heresy which he has set against the word of truth. Just as the undercutting of an arch, so the heresies among both the so-called Jews and Greeks are a preparation for the devil.

And just as when an arch is tightened and takes its proper structure, the scaffolding is removed, and only the arch remains solid, so the devil placed the many heresies and the paths of error as scaffolding, having constructed his own worship as a kind of arch. Through this he shows that the idolatry which the devil established, he himself, when he comes, overturns. And every heresy which he set against the word of truth, he himself, when he comes, dissolves, so that in this also men may have the judgment that the things by which they were deceived they did not themselves destroy, but the one who deceived them. For these deceptions, which the devil contrived piecemeal, alienating men from God and gradually introducing his own worship, so that when he later comes, having found them prepared and men deceived and outside the help of God, he may easily seem to himself to accomplish what he strives for, that is, to be worshipped by all men. For as the scaffolding of an arch, so are the heresies both among Greeks and among Christians to the devil. And just as when an arch is tightened and takes its proper structure, the scaffolding is removed, and only the arch remains solid, so the devil placed the many heresies and the paths of error as scaffolding, preparing his own worship as a very great arch, so that when he comes, avenging all the heresies, he himself may abolish them, introducing naked worship of himself to men. In imitation of the savior, Satan comes in a complete man. The Holy Spirit restrains and prevents the coming of the lawless one.

Therefore, he says, when this is removed from the midst and ceases because of the wickedness of men, then the lawless one will have room to be revealed and to rise up, with no one hindering him. He said this because the mystery of lawlessness has already begun, since in apostolic times both schisms and heresies arose, and from then on the devil has been working the disbelief of men. For the mystery of impiety is already at work. Indeed, the Manichaeans have already said that the devil is the god of the Law, and Marcion said that the god of the Law is not the Father of Christ, and some claim to worship a greater one than all. Mani also says that he himself is Christ, and that he himself is the Paraclete. Only that which now restrains, until it is removed from the midst, and then the lawless one will be revealed. And the Holy Spirit restrains and hinders the coming of the lawless one, as he has already said. And now you know what restrains. 334, He says that which restrains is the grace of the Holy Spirit. 335 2 This Isaiah also said beforehand; for, having recalled the one from the root of Jesse, he added: and he will strike the earth with the word of his mouth, and by the Spirit through his lips he will destroy the impious. And that he will strike the earth he also foretold through the last of the prophets, saying: a sun of righteousness will rise for you who fear, and healing in its wings. And a little later: behold, I will send you Elijah the Tishbite, and he added: when I come, I will strike the earth utterly. And he will abolish by the manifestation of his coming. Our life is Christ.

Therefore, when Christ, our life, is revealed, he necessarily destroys also the procurer of death, the devil. In imitation of the savior, Satan comes in a complete man, whose presence is according to the energy of Satan with all power, signs, and so forth. In imitation of the bodily sojourn of Christ, the economy on our behalf, Satan comes and works in a man, as I have already said. This is what it means that he will destroy the impious by the spirit through his lips, which Isaiah says; for having recalled the one from the root of Jesse, he added: and he will strike the earth with the word of his mouth, and by the spirit through his lips he will destroy the impious. And he foretold the striking of the earth also through the last of the prophets; for having said: a sun of righteousness will rise for you who fear me, and after a little: behold, I send you Elijah the Tishbite, he finally added the word: not having come, I will strike the earth utterly. And he will destroy by the manifestation of his presence. The apostle called Christ our life, and added: when your life is revealed. Therefore, when life is manifested from heaven, it is impossible that the procurer of death not be destroyed, whose presence is according to the energy of Satan. This ought to have persuaded the Apollinarians and the Arians that God assumed a whole man.

word. For in imitation of righteousness and of the economy on our behalf, Satan comes and will work in a man.