The Prophecy of St.

Andrew Fool-for-Christ Concerning Constantinople and the End of the World

An intriguing part of the Life of St. Andrew, written by a certain Nicephorus in Constantinople in the tenth century, is the section when Andrew is answering a question made by his disciple Epiphanius on when and how this world will come to an end. During the Byzantine era, a number of writings appeared predicting the Apocalypse to be marked by the fall of Constantinople. While they were repeated in the 14th and 15th centuries, their origins are most likely in the 10th, whilst the Eastern Roman Empire was still strong. Constantinople's destruction is described along these lines in the Life of Andrew the Fool-for-Christ. The text claims that Hagia Sophia would survive a great flood by floating over waters, but St. Andrew explains instead that only the column (the obelisk) would survive because beneath its foundations are the Holy Nails which were used to crucify Jesus Christ. In this work, Andrew is depicted as predicting that the world's end would fall shortly after Constantinople's fall; in those times "shortly" could be a period of 100 to up to 1,000 years. A few of the oldest manuscripts, dating from the 14th-century or earlier, containing this information include:

Vindobonesis hist. gr. 123, s. XIV, fols. 84-90 Vaticanus gr. 1574, s.XI-XII, fols. 147-59 Atheniensis 1014, a 1071, fols. 93-104

In his Synaxaristes For the Twelve Months of the Year (vol. 3), St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite makes an important note for the commemoration of St. Andrew the Fool for Christ on May 28th. He does not write anything about the life of this Saint, but after stating that he reposed in peace and giving the Verse of Praise, he notes the following reason for not writing anything further:

The Life of this Saint Andrew is preserved in a manuscript of much breadth, a book almost of great composition, in which are contained numerous prophecies concerning the future. I will never issue this here, as it is said, it contains some things that are doubly unacceptable, and it is found at Iveron, as well as other places. The Prophecy Text as found in Orthodox Publications In the majority of Orthodox publications containing this prophecy usually only the parts concerning the Pious King are printed. This is the entire version of the prophecy The Beginning of the Birth Pangs St. Andrews disciple, Epiphanius, had asked him: When will the end of the world occur? What are the beginning of birth pangs? How will people understand that the end of the world draws near and what will be the signs revealing this? What kind of end will our city, this New Jerusalem, have? What will happen to the venerable churches? What will happen to the Holy Crosses, the Holy Icons, and the Holy Books? Where will they secure the relics of the Saints? Please explain this to me! Epiphanius continued, I know that for you and the Saints God says, It hath been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of the Heavens (Mt. 13:11). How much more the mysteries of the world? The blessed one answered, This city which holds the precedence amongst other cities and nations will remain impregnable and free. The Theotokos protects it within the protection of her wings and through her intercessions it will remain invulnerable. Many nations will besiege its walls but their strength will be crushed and they will depart disgraced. Many will become rich from this city and enjoy her wealth. Yet, a certain prophecy says that the Hagarenes will capture the city and they will slaughter a great number of people with their swords. I, however, believe that the blond race, whose name starts with the 17th letter of the alphabet [in Greek, which is equivalent to English R], will rush in. They will then enter and cut the sinners into pieces and strew them to the ground. Woe to them, however, from the two homogenous races. Their weapons will be quick as the wind and destructive like the sharp scythe which cuts the summer grains. These weapons will not be restrained; however, after they will be destroyed. The Pious King Now, my child, how can I narrate about the beginning of the birth pangs, as well as the end, without tears? In the last days, God will elect a certain poor man as king. This king will politicize with justice and righteousness; he will stop all the wars and make the poor become rich. Happiness will reign just as in the days of Noah. The people will become very rich and live calmly and peacefully. They will eat and drink and be carefree, enjoying the goods of the earth. Because there will be no wars, the people will convert their swords into sickles, their arrows into stakes, and their spears into agricultural tools in order to cultivate the earth. Later, the King will turn Eastwards and he will humble the Hagarenes because God is angry with them on account of their blasphemous religion, as well as, for the Sodomy sins they commit. Many of them will

surely be baptized and they will please the king and they will be honoured by him. The remainder, however, will be exterminated, burned or cruelly put to death. In those days, Illyricum will be restored to the Kingdom of the Greeks (Romaion), while Egypt will negotiate a treaty. This king will stretch his right hand round the nations and he will appease the blond race and destroy his enemies. His Kingdom will last 32 years. He will not collect taxes or duties for 12 years. He will raise the torn down altars and rebuild the Holy Churches. There will be no lawsuits in his days but neither will there exist unjust or offended people. The entire earth will fear this king. He will force the people to come to their senses through fear and exterminate those noblemen who act in violation of the law. In those times God will reveal to the king where all the hidden gold and treasures are located. And he will scatter it by the shovel throughout all of his country. The very rich noblemen will live like kings and the poor will live like noblemen. The king will accomplish great feats. He will set out with great zeal to drive away the Jews. Not one Israelite will remain inside that City. Amusements with lyres, guitars and obscene songs will not be heard. Nothing lewd and shameful will happen because he will hate and utterly destroy out of the city of the Lord, all them that work iniquity (Ps. 100:09). He will then reign with great joy and jubilation. The earth and the sea will give their goods abundantly. Life will roll calmly and peacefully and the people will rejoice just as in the days of Noah. The Chiliarch Aran And after this kingdom, the misfortunes will start. The son of perdition, the Chiliarch Aran, will come to this City and he will reign for three years and six months. Hell force people to commit unlawful acts, the like of which has never happened ever, not since the worlds creation, nor will it ever happen again. Namely, he will order and legislate (whether they be willing or not) the joining together of father with daughters, son with mother, brother with sister. Whoever opposes or speaks against this will be put to death. However, those who die in this manner will be ranked together with John the Forerunner on the Day of Judgement. This king will order the monks and nuns to join in marriage as well as the priests and nuns to marry. In this way, the illegality and iniquity of mixings will become worse than murder. The king will fornicate with his mother and his daughter. Then, since debauchery will have become law, all the prodigals will have orgies with their sisters. The foul odor of incest will rise to heaven and the Lord will be angered excessively with the entire world. The Lord will then give the command and lightning and thunder will start falling with unrestrained anger upon all the earth. The people will become paralyzed by the fearful sounds of the thunders and they will die by an evil death, while others will be burned by the lightning. Woe, then, to the earth for the Pantokratoros fearful threat and wrath draws near! There will be a famine and people will die in heaps from starvation. A great earthquake will follow and every building will fall. Many workers of iniquity will find an evil death covered inside the ruins. The sun will become black and dark while the moon will become like blood on account of the people who are assimilated and likened to pigs. The stars will fall to the earth. Every island and mountain will be displaced by the force of the earthquake. The priests of God, together with as many virtuous and temperate people remaining, will seek refuge in the mountains and dens.

Then, the lawless king shall be trampled upon and will be cast into the darkness, the outer one (cf. Matt. 8:12). All those who will live in Elder Rome, Arsinoe, Strovylo, Armenopetra or in Karyopoli will be blessed. People will live peacefully in these cities. In the other cities, however, there will come wars and tumults, just as it is written, You will hear of wars and beginning of wars (Mk. 13:7) and the rest that follows. The Idolater King Afterwards, another king shall arise in this City. He will be grim and black; one who denies God and the Saints. He will study the books of the Greeks and embrace their religion. He will war against the Saints and the Church of Christ. From the first days of his reign he will burn all the consecrated vessels and name the Precious Cross forked stick. Also, he will dissolve the priesthood and slaughter half the population in the public streets. In those days parents will turn against their children, children will turn against their parents and they will kill one another. Brother will deliver up brother to death and friend will deliver up friend to death. Many people who confess Jesus Christ is God and King of all will receive the crown of martyrdom. This king will transport the inhabitants form the islands in the area of Thrace, Macedonia, and Strymonos whenever the islands are laid to waste. There will be fearful clapping in the sky while on earth therell be earthquakes and the razing of cities. The nations and kingdoms will revolt against each other. A big catastrophe will occur on earth and people will fall into affliction and grief. In the same epoch, conflagrations will appear in the sky, like burning charcoal, which will overshadow the entire earth with the speed of lightning. Such confusion will prevail in the air that one bird will fall on top of another. The earth will fill with snakes thatll bite the unrepentant sinners. And all of these are the beginning of the birth pangs. The End of the Greek (Romaion) Kingdom When the impious king dies someone will come from Ethiopia, from the first horn, and he will reign, as it says, for 12 years. His reign will be peaceful. He will rebuild the Holy Churches that his predecessor demolished and will restore the people to their islands. God, as well as all the people, will love him for his kindness. Joy and jubilation will prevail throughout all the world for as long as he reigns. After him, someone from Arabia will reign for one year. In his days, by a nod of the Pantokratoros, the Holy Sections of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross will be united and it will be given whole and intact to the king. He will take it and go down to Jerusalem. When he arrives at the Place of the Skull (Golgotha), he will place the royal crown at the peak of the Cross with his own hands. He will elevate it and say: Lord Jesus Christ, complete the years which Ye have prearranged for the Greek (Romaion) Kingdom. Accept Thy ever-memorable and wondrous gift, and together with this, my spirit. Then, an angel will immediately descend from heaven and take the Precious Cross with the diadem, as well as, the kings soul. Thus the Kingdom of the Greeks (Romaion) will end because the Precious Cross was the support of Christians and the Kingdom from the beginning. Blessed, then, is the one who leaves from that city and takes refuge in the deserts and caves.

The Co-Regents Afterwards, three young men will appear in the City; fools, impudent, and depraved. These three will reign with harmony for 150 days. However, through diabolical action, they will start a terrible war between themselves. The first man will depart and go to Thessalonica and say: City of Thessalonians! You have conquered your enemies because you are the boast of the Saints and the Lord has sanctified you!' he will mobilize the citizens from 7 years of age and up. Moreover, hell mobilize the priests and the monks and he will construct war chariots and weapons. He will prepare a great fleet and go to Rome. He will stop in front of her gates and shout: Rejoice, Rome, thrice-vigorous and steadfast! Put on the sharp sword and sharp-edged arrow. Keep steadfast in your faith and dont change it up to the end and your inhabitants will be blessed. Afterwards, he will mobilize the blond race and they will wait for the two other kings. The second young man will mobilize Mesopotamia and the Cyclades Islands. Moreover, he will also mobilize the priests and monks, burning from terrible hatred against the other two. He will depart and come to the centre of the earth. Some say the centre of the world is Alexandria. He will wait there for the other two with those who are going to fight. The third young man will also depart from this City (Constantinople) and he will recruit Karia, Phrygia, Asia, Armenia, Galatia, and Arabia. When he arrives at Sylaio, he will say: Even though you are named Sylaio you will not be plundered nor will you be dominated by any of your enemies. Later, he will form an alliance with an independent people, namely, those who are not subjugated by him or the other two kings. In the end, they will muster and array for battle; the three going face to face, one against the other. A great and terrible conflict will ensue and they will be cut to pieces just like sheep at a butcher shop. The three kings, as well as all the troops, will be killed. The blood of the Greeks (Romaion) will roll down like water after a heavy rainfall. No one will be saved. The water of the sea will blend with the blood for a length of 12 stadion [roughly equivalent to 7,272 feet]. The women will remain widows. Seven women will seek one man and will not find him until others hear and come from foreign countries. As for the minors who remain, they will become insensible like pigs from much prodigality when they grow up. Blessed and thrice-blessed will be the one who struggles for the Lord in the mountains and caves for they wont see the evil which will be happening in the world. These are the innocent and guileless sheep that will become sacrifices for Christ from the evil demon, the antichrist. The Abominable Queen In that epoch, since a worthy man will not exist, but rather they will all be languid and indolent, an evil, vile woman will come from Pontus and she will reign in the Queen of Cities [Constantinople]. This woman will be a Bacchanalion (i.e. she will celebrate the mysteries of Bach and indulge in orgies), a witch and prodigalin a word, the daughter of the devil. In her days, one will plot against another and there will be slaughters in the streets and house of the City. The mightier shall kill the others. Son will kill father and father will kill son; mother will kill daughter and daughter will kill mother; brother will kill brother and friend will kill friend. Much evil and hate will

prevail amongst people. Debaucheries, adulteries, prodigality, incest, satanic dances and songs, mockeries and gamessuch that no man has either seen or heardwill occur inside the Churches. That unclean queen will name herself goddess and she will fight against God. She will especially contaminate the Holy Sanctuaries with impurities. She will wash her body and contaminate all people with this rinse water of shame. She will turn her face away from God. She will steal consecrated vessels from the Churches; the precious Crosses, venerable icons, the Gospels and Apostolos and every holy book. And she will gather them into a great pile, light a fire and burn them. As for the Churches, she will demolish them to the ground. Moreover, she will search for the relics of the saints so she can burn them, but she will not find them for God will transport them somewhere else by means of an invisible power. Then, the wretched one will crush the Holy Table of the Great Church, Hagia Sophia, and she will destroy every single thing in there. After, she will turn towards the East and impertinently speak to the Most High: Hey you who they name God. Did I perhaps hesitate to exterminate your face from the earth? Look how much I have done to you and you cant hurt me, not even a hair. Wait a little while and I will split the sky and come have a showdown with you and then I will see which God is more powerful and mightier. This gangrene will say these things and act still worse; spitting towards heaven and throwing stones. However, I will not relate her more shameful deeds. Then the Lord Pantokrator will turn His bow with anger towards this Great City and He will stretch His hand with terrible power upon her. He will seize the City strongly and with the sickle of His might, He will cut it to the ground upon which its supported and Hell command the waves of the sea to swallow it. The waves will obey and rush from both sides with amazing speed and great clamor. Then the Lord unglue the foundation of the City from the earth and raise it high, whirling it like a mill, while the people will be crying out Woe! with much fear. Afterwards, God will throw it upon the waves which, in turn, will flood it vehemently, covering it and washing it away in the fearful, vast sea. And all that I told you will happen; these are the misfortunes that our Lord Jesus Christ named, the beginning of the birth pangs. After the destruction of this City, the events of the End will follow. The End of the World/The Re-establishment of the Jewish State After the completion of the kingdoms of the nations, some say that God will re-establish the Jewish State to rule over the world until the completion of the 7th Eon; namely, until the end of the world. The following passage of Isaiah is especially quoted as evidence: And He shall lift up a standard for the nations, and He shall gather the lost ones of Israel, and He shall gather the dispersed of Judea from the four corners of the earth into the Holy City, Jerusalem...and he shall be to Israel as the day when he came forth out of the land of Egypt (cf. Is. 11:12, 16). The Apostle Paul is also quoted: When the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, then all Israel will be saved (cf. Rom. 11:25-26). Thus, with one mouth they support these things while the Martyr St. Hippolytus adds that the Jews will be the first ones deceived upon the Antichrists arrival. On the other hand, this has also been assured beforehand when Christ told the Jews: I have come in the name of My Father and ye receive Me not; if another should come in his own name, that one ye will receive (Jn. 5:43).

It is very clear that God will also bring the Jews together again in Jerusalem and He will give them back whatever they originally had. And this is to overthrow their false excuse and pretext until then that their perdition is due to the dispersion. Namely, on the Day of Judgement, they could give an apology and defence to Christ as follows: If you had brought us together in Jerusalem and gave back to us whatever we had, then we wouldve believed in you since there would be no more reason to envy the nations who were honoured so much at our expense. Then, in this way, they will gather all together and regain whatever they had been deprived of, but they will still remain in the same unbelief. And how ill they be saved then? Especially when in the same epoch, according to the word of the Lord, the Antichrist will come amongst them and all of them will believe in him. God does not lie: I am the Truth, He proclaims through His Only-Begotten Son (Jn. 14:6). The Jews will automatically be deprived of this excuse by means of their re-establishment. The Apostle Paul said that the Jews will be saved. This does not mean that they will be saved from eternal hell but from their wandering abroad so many years and from the insults of the other peoples and the unacknowledged shame. Namely, they will gather together in their own Fatherland and they will be saved from the slavery, yoke and irony that they suffered for so many years. However, they will not be saved from eternal hell. If affliction did not convince them to believe in Christ, how will the so-called grace [favour, pardon]? The Sinking of Hagia Sophia Epiphanius interrupted, My Spiritual Father, leave these things and explain what you are saying. Namely, that Hagia Sophia will not sink along with the City but will remain suspended in the air by a certain invisible power. The righteous one answered, What are you saying, my child? Since the entire City will sink, how will the Church be saved? Perhaps God dwells in handmade Churches? Of course not! Anyway, there is also something true in this rumor: Namely, only the pillar which is found in the market will remain because it possesses the honourable nails. Only this will be rescued. Therefore, the passing ships will tie their ropes on top of it and they will lament this Seven-Hill Babylon, saying: Woe to us! The great ancient City has sank. This is where we made our business transactions and became rich. The mourning will last for 40 days. On account of the tribulations of those days, the kingdom will be given to the Elder Rome, as well as to Sylaio and Thessalonica. These things will occur when the end draws near, when the worlds situation will worsen and pains and misfortunes will be multiplying. The Abominable Nations During that year, the Lord will open the Indian gates which Alexander, King of the Macedonians, had shut. Then, 72 kings with their peoplethe so-called abominable nationswill come out from there. They are more disgusting than every odiousness and offensive odor. These people will disperse throughout the entire world. They are going to eat people alive and they will drink their blood. They will also devour flies, frogs, dogs and every impurity with great pleasure.

Woe to those areas through which they will pass! O Lord, if its possible, may there be no Christians then. However, I know that there will be Christians then. Those days will be darkened as though they lament in the air for all the horrors that disgusting nation will commit. The sun will become like blood while the moon and all the stars will be darkened as they see the nations upon the earth competing in uncleanness. These people will excavate the earth, they will turn the sanctuaries into lavatories, and they will put the consecrated vessels to disgraceful usage. Then, whoever lives in Asia, let them leave to the Cyclades Islands because the dirty nation will not go there, and may they mourn for 666 days. The Antichrist Then, Satan will incarnate from the tribe of Dan, that is to say, the Antichrist will be born. However, he will not become man by means of his own power but God will mould and create a shameful and dirty vessel for him in order to fulfill the words of the Prophets. Then, he will come out from the chains which the Master Christ had bound him in when He descended into Hades and he will enter this vessel that was moulded and created for him. In this manner, he will become man, he will grow up into manhood, he will reign and then he will start to show his deception, just as John the Theologian says. Afterwards, he will start a war with the Cyclades Islands. Then Enoch, who lived before the time of the Mosaic Law, will also appear. And Elijah, who lived during the time of the Law will also appear, as well as John the Theologian who lived in the period of New Grace. These three will preach to the entire world about the end times, the arrival of the deluded one, as well as the Second Coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ. They will certainly perform signs and prodigees. Fire will go out and burn whoever tries to kill them or wrong them in some other way. They will act with great authority and they will criticize the Antichrist. However, they will be killed by the Antichrist in Jerusalem and their bodies will be left unburied in the middle of the city. The inhabitants will assemble there and they will laugh at them as though they are unprotected (cf. Rev. 11:5-10). Their holy bodies will remain in the public square for three whole days. During the middle of the fourth day, a bright dove will descend from heaven like lightning. It will walk upon them and will give them life. Then the Saints will strengthen and rise upright and all who see them will be very frightened. At that moment they will hear a voice from heaven thatll say: My friends, come up to Me. A cloud will immediately descend, take them up and place them in Paradise (cf. Rev. 11:9-13). The deceived and vainglorious Antichrist will excessively torment the Christians of his time with afflictions and dreadful punishments, until their last breath. Whoever does not become deceived and does not believe in the Antichrist will be distinguished as an elite and worthy friend of Christ. Certainly all the Saints are blessed. However, thrice-blessed are those who will martyr during the Antichrists time. Everlasting and excessive glory and delight will be waiting for them. Then the fearful war between Antichrist and Christ the Master will follow. As soon as the Antichrist perceives that the world is approaching the end, he will make maniacal contradictions in the sky: he will throw lightning and thunder and he will make such clapping that the universe will vibrate and be shaken from the sound of the clamor.

As I said previously, blessed are the ones who will not weaken and renounce their faith in Christ, our true God, Who incarnated and was born from the Virgin Mary. Also, blessed are those who die for Christs love and who will boldly censure the dragon and his deception. Blessed are all who will raise their stature against his and bravely censure his absurdities and improprieties. Afterwards, Epiphanius asked the Saint, Please tell me how the people will be blotted out from the earth and how will the resurrection occur? The Saint replied, My child, some will be killed by the abominable nations, others will be put to death in the frequent wars, while others will be destroyed by the Antichrist. According to Ezekiels prophecy, the Lord will send wild, winged beasts that will have goads full of poison in their tails to everyone who believes in and worships the Antichrist. All those who do not have Christs seal on their forehead intact will experience a horrible death from the wild beasts sting and poison. Then the Saints who preserved Christs seal intact with much struggle, will migrate to the mountains and deserts. However, the Lord with His Divine Power will gather the Saints altogether in the Holy City of Zion. These are the ones who have been written in the Book of Life. Then He will conquer the Antichrist and lead him captive with the other demons to the court of Justice. He will be judged for the souls he led to perdition. Then the Lord will sound the trumpet and the dead will resurrect incorruptible. Afterwards, all those still alive at the time of His Second Coming will become, as Paul says, in a twinkling of an eye, from corruption to incorruption. And they will be caught up together with the resurrected dead inside the clouds, in order to meet the Lord in the air (cf. 1 Thess. 4:17).