own words to look for the events pretended to have been foretold, in modern times.

This work is, in part, made up of passages from the prophets,* the talmud, the theology of the Rabbins, the pastor of Hermas, and the more ancient Apocalypses,† applied by the writer to the history of his own time.

It remains to ascertain, who was the writer of this wonderful enigma, to solve which the wisdom of mankind has been challenged; and which has remained unsolved during a period of 1625 years, although some among the ablest men

* Between 80 & 90 verses of the Apocalypse are taken from the prophets.

†There were Apocalypses of Peter, of Paul, of Adam, of Moses, of Elias, of Esdras, of St. Thomas, of St. Stephen, and one of St. John, different from that now extant.

who ever lived,* have been among the many who have given it the most profound consideration. I am of opinion that, Ireneus, bishop of Lyons,† was the

*As Sir Isaac Newton, and Grotius.

+ Ireneus wrote 5 books against the heretics of his time; in his first book, he wrote an account of the heresy of Tatian. See Rev. 9. 1. He says of the Basilideans, that they make light of things offered to idols, and partake of them without scruple. See Rev. 2. 20. He wrote against Saturninus, Cerdon, the Valentinians, Marcionites, Cainites, Carpocratians, Marcosians, Sethians, and Ophites. He speaks of Mark, the chief of the Marcosians, as having come into Gaul, and made many converts there; and he speaks of the disciples of Mark, as having corrupted many women in the country about the Rhone.

In the epistle of the churches of Vienne and Lyons, attributed to Ireneus, written sometime after 177, and addressed to the churches of Asia, in referring to the execution of Pothi

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writer of the Apocalypse. His personal acquaintance with Niger, Albinus, Severus,* Julia Domna, and with the

nus, is this expression; "For he was indeed a genuine disciple of Christ, following the Lamb whithersoever he goes." In the Revelation we read, "These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes." This use of a similar peculiar expression, indicates that both these productions are, probably, from the same pen. In the same epistle, are found these expressions; "He that is unjust let him be unjust still;" and, "He that is holy let him be holy still." See Rev. 22. 11. Ireneus says that a heavy punishment awaits those who add to, or take away from the scriptures. See Rev. 22. 19. He also informs us that the Marcosians say, Jesus is Alpha and Omega.

* Severus governed Lyonese Gaul, in 187; Niger at the same time commanded the Roman troops in Gaul, who were acting against Maternus; and Albinus had governed another province of that country; therefore Severus,

history of the infancy of Caracalla, who was probably born as well as nursed at Lyons, particularly qualified Ireneus to write the Apocalypse.

Ireneus was a Greek of Asia, and, in his youth, a disciple of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, one of the seven churches; he went to Rome, and from thence to Lyons, where, on the death of Pothimus in 177, he was appointed bishop in his stead; he wrote several works, and in one of them spoke of the Apocalypse. In a passage preserved by Eusebius, Ireneus says, "These things being thus, and this number being in all the exact and ancient copies, and they who saw John attesting the same things, and reason teaching us that the number of the name of the beast, according to

Niger, Albinus, and Maternus were well known to Ireneus.

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the computation of the Greeks, is expressed by the letters contained in it." And again he says, "We therefore will not run the hazard of affirming any thing too positively of the name of Antichrist; for if his name were to have been openly declared at this time, it would have been mentioned by him who saw the Revelation; for it was seen not long ago, but almost in our age, near the end of the reign of Domitian." In this passage Ireneus intimates that, if he thought proper, he could disclose the name which contains, by the Greek letters, the number 666.

It now appears that, although the Christian church has received The Revelation of St. John the divine as genuine, for more than sixteen centuries,* it is a pious forgery.

*This book was received as canonical, by