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The Divine Institutes

Lactantius

Book 7 · Chapter 18

About this work

A large Latin presentation of Christian teaching that criticizes pagan religion and philosophy while treating justice, God, creation, Christ, worship, ethics, and the final destiny of humanity.

Author: Lactantius
Date: c. AD 303–311
Origin: North Africa and Nicomedia
Genre: Apology

Chap. XVIII.—Of the Fortunes of the World at the Last Time, and of the Things Foretold by the Soothsayers.

That these things will thus take place, all

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the

prophets

have

announced

from

the

inspiration

God

and

also

the

soothsayers

the

instigation

the

demons

For

Hystaspes

whom

have

named

above

having

described

the

iniquity

this

last

time

says

that

the

pious

and

faithful

being

separated

from

the

wicked

will

stretch

forth

their

hands

heaven

with

weeping

and

mourning

and

will

implore

the

protection

Jupiter

that

Jupiter

will

look

the

earth

and

hear

the

voices

men

and

will

destroy

the

wicked

All

which

things

are

true

except

one

that

attributed

Jupiter

those

things

which

God

will

But

that

also

was

withdrawn

from

the

account

not

without

fraud

the

part

the

demons

viz

that

the

Son

God

would

then

sent

who

having

destroyed

all

the

wicked

would

set

liberty

the

pious

Which

however

Hermes

did

not

conceal

For

that

book

which

entitled

the

Complete

Treatise

after

enumeration

the

evils

concerning

which

have

spoken

added

these

things

“

But

when

these

things

thus

come

pass

then

who

Lord

and

Father

and

God

and

the

Creator

the

first

and

one

God

looking

upon

what

done

and

opposing

the

disorder

His

own

will

that

goodness

and

recalling

the

wandering

and

cleansing

wickedness

partly

inundating

with

much

water

and

partly

burning

with

most

rapid

fire

and

sometimes

pressing

with

wars

and

pestilences

brought

His

world

its

ancient

state

and

restored

”

The

Sibyls

also

show

that

would

not

otherwise

than

that

the

Son

God

should

sent

His

supreme

Father

set

free

the

righteous

from

the

hands

the

wicked

and

destroy

the

unrighteous

together

with

their

cruel

tyrants

One

whom

thus

wrote

—

“He shall come also, wishing to destroy the city of the blest; and a king sent against him from the gods shall slay all the great kings and chief men: then judgment shall thus come from the Immortal to men.”

Also another Sibyl:—

“And then God shall send a king from the sun, who shall cause all the earth to cease from disastrous war.”

And again another:—

“He will take away the intolerable yoke of slavery which is placed on our neck, and he will do away with impious laws and violent chains.”