Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsSirach 48
English College of Douai–Rheims
Original Douay–Rheims Annotations — English College of Douai–Rheims. CC0 1.0
English College of Douai–Rheims
Original Douay–Rheims Annotations — English College of Douai–Rheims. CC0 1.0
Sirach 48:10
Who art written.
[1] Amongst other quarrels, Protestants except against the authentical authority of this book, because the Author saith, that Enoch and Elias shall come again, to appease the wrath of our Lord, to reconcile the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob. But that this is no just exception, is clear by other holy Scriptures, where the same uniform doctrine of the whole Church is no less evident, than in this book. For God himself saith the same also by the mouth of his Prophet Malachie: [2] Behold I will send you Elias the Prophet, before the day of our Lord come, the great and dreadful. Christ also saith: Elias indeed shall come, and restore all things. [3] Whereupon S. Chrysostom, after he hath shewed how terrible Antichrist shall be, [4] by reason of his temporal power, cruelty, and wicked laws, he addeth: Fear thou not: He shall only have force in the reprobate, that perish. For then also Elias shall come, to fortify the faithful. Likewise the words in the Apocalypse: [5] I will give to my two witnesses, & they shall Prophesy a thousand two hundred & three score days, were ever invariably understood by tradition, from the first preachers of Christ (as the ancient writer Aretas testifieth) that Enoch and Elias shall come, & admonish all, not to give credit to the deceitful wonders of Antichrist: and that they shall travail in this testimony the space of three years and a half. For 1260 days come very near to that space of time.