Daniel 11:45Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Following this, he will head towards Artaxias, the Armenian king, who will be approaching from the east, and, after defeating many of his forces, he will encamp at Apedne, which lies between the two major rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. However, Porphyry cannot specify which glorious and holy mountain Antiochus occupied upon reaching this location, nor can he rationally claim that he was situated between two seas, as interpreting the two rivers of Mesopotamia as seas would be absurd. The glorious mountain is omitted from his narrative since he relied on Theodotion's translation, which states: between the two seas on the holy mountain of Saba. Yet, recognizing Saba as the name of a mountain in Armenia or Mesopotamia, he cannot substantiate why it would be deemed holy. We can fill in what he neglected to mention: it is referred to as a holy mountain because, according to the Armenian belief, it is consecrated to idols. Moreover, when he attempted to plunder the temple of Diana, which housed countless offerings, he was driven away by the barbarians, who held this temple in great reverence, eventually dying from his distress in the Persian city of Tabah. He (Porphyry) presented this as a criticism against us in a notably clever discourse. Even if he could establish that these statements refer to Antiochus rather than the Antichrist, how does this concern us, as we derive the anticipation of Christ’s return and the deceit of the Antichrist from various parts of Scripture? Even if it is about Antiochus, what detrimental effect does it have on our faith? Does the preceding vision, which concludes the prophecy regarding Antiochus, mention anything about the Antichrist? Therefore, let him abandon the uncertain and focus on the evident, and ask, what is that stone, which, without human intervention, breaks away from the mountain, grows into a vast mountain, fills the earth, and shatters the four-part statue? Who is that Son of Man, who will come with the clouds, approach the Ancient of Days, and receive an everlasting kingdom, where all peoples, nations, and languages will serve Him? He avoids what is clear and claims that it refers to the Jews, who, as we know, are still in captivity, asserting that the one who authored the books attributed to Daniel fabricated untruths to revive his people's hope. He does not possess full knowledge of future events; rather, he references occurrences that have already transpired. He distorts the final vision, substituting rivers for the sea, failing to provide any historical accounts referring to the glorious and holy mountain at Apedna.

Our interpretation concludes this vision concerning the Antichrist, demonstrating that after waging war against Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia and overcoming three out of ten horns, the Antichrist will learn of conflicts rising against him from the north and east. He will then march forth with a great multitude to destroy many, encamping at Apedna, near Nicopolis, formerly known as Emmaus, where the highlands of the Jewish territory begin to rise. From this location, the terrain ascends towards the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. When he encamps at the base of the highland areas between the two seas—specifically, between the sea now identified as the Dead Sea to the east and the Great Sea, where Caesarea, Joppa, Ashkelon, and Gaza are located—he will then ascend that mountain, namely the crest of the Mount of Olives, deemed glorious because it is from there that the Lord and Savior ascended to the Father, and no one will be able to rescue the Antichrist when he unleashes his fury against the Lord. It is also foretold that the Antichrist will meet his demise at the very place from which the Lord ascended to heaven. The term Aredpo is complex, and if divided, can be interpreted as θρονου αὐτοῦ, meaning of his throne. This conveys that he will pitch his tent alongside his throne (or the tent of his throne) between the two seas upon the holy and glorious mountain. This place has been translated by Simmachus as follows: and he shall pitch the tents of his cavalry between the seas, on the holy mountain of strength, and he shall reach its summit. Theodotion translates: and he shall encamp in Aphedano, between the mountains, on the holy mountain of Saba, and he shall reach a portion of it. Aquila states: and shall pitch the tent of the commander-in-chief in Aphedano, between the seas, upon the glorious and holy mountain, and shall reach a part of it. Some versions of the LXX, avoiding confusion regarding the name, translated: and he shall then pitch his tent between the seas and the holy mountain of will, and the hour of his end shall come. Following this, Apollinarius, too, remained silent on the name Apedo. I have elaborated on this to expose both Porphyry's deceptions, whether due to ignorance or pretended ignorance, and the complexities of holy Scriptures, whose comprehension, without divine grace and the guidance of elders, is misattributed by the most uninformed. It should be noted that the letter ne (p) is absent in Hebrew, where it is substituted with phe (phe), which sounds like the Greek φ. However, in this instance, the Hebrews pronounce phe as ne. Moreover, when Isaiah speaks of the Antichrist reaching the peak of the holy and glorious mountain and perishing there, he states: ‘The Lord will cast down on the holy mountain the face of the ruler of darkness over all tribes and the ruler over all nations, and the anointing ointment of ointment against all nations.’

For it is foretold that he shall advance even to a part of it, and there will be no means of salvation for him. The one who has dared greatly and envisioned himself so highly will suddenly face judgment, and no one will be able to rescue him. The blessed Apostle Paul also articulates this clearly: "Him," he states, "the Lord will kill with the word of His mouth" (2 Thess. 2:8); "and with the spirit of His mouth He will slay the wicked" (Is. 11:4).