The Prophecy of St.

Methodius of Patara 1 (311)

In Orthodox publications, not much is said about the origins of this prophecy, or where it can be found. It is not found in the collection of his writings in the Patrologia Graeca volume 18. St. Jerome, who provides the earliest accounts of this Hieromartyr, does not mention this prophecy in his list of writings. It is not quoted directly by any Church Father, other than in the Prophecy of St. Andrew the Fool for Christ, which St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain rejects.2 In all the Patristic Commentaries and Sermons on the Antichrist and the 2nd Coming from the 4th century onwards, the main events of this prophecy are not incorporated [i.e. St. John Chrysostom, St. John Damascene, St. Photius the Great, Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid, St. Gregory Palamas, St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain, St. Andrew of Caesarea, St. Arethas, St. Ecumenius, etc.]. In the academic world, this prophecy is referred to as the Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius and is regarded as a 7th century Syriac text written by an anonymous Monophysite Christian. Professor Sebastian Brock writes, The Apocalypse attributed to Bishop Methodius of Olympus (martyred 312) is a product of north Mesopotamia belonging to the second half of the half of the 7th century; the original language was, without any doubt, Syriac. The work shares with the writings of the mystic St. Isaac the Syrian, its almost exact contemporary, the distinction of being one of the very few Syriac works of the Arab period to have been translated into Greek.3 The Apocalypse of pseudo-Methodios was written in the expectation and hope that the end of the world was about to begin with the fall of the Arabs. Sebastian Brock has compellingly argued that the Apocalypse was inspired, at least in part, by Abd al-Maliks census (or rumours about it) preparatory to imposing a new taxation system in Mesopotamia; as Muslims, including newly converted former Christians, were exempt from the poll tax, the underlying fear seems to be that the church would lose considerable numbers to the mosque.4 Gerrit Reinink has expanded this thesis in a number of articles, most recently concluding that Undoubtedly this fear was rooted in the awareness that the recovery of Islamic power, going hand in hand with the frustration of apocalyptic hopes and greatly increased taxation of Christians, created circumstances highly favourable to conversion to Islam.5 In short, in areas under

Arab control, the critical destabilising factors expressed by local Christians at the end of the century were eschatological, driven by fear of apostasy and financial insecurity The Greek text contains 14 chapters and is a narration from Adam and Eve up to the Second Coming of Christ and is divided into seven millennia. Orthodox publications only contain the prophecy portions of this text and not the historical/narrative portions mostly derived from Biblical sources but which also contain many non-biblical and non-historical elements. As well, both the exegesis and some of the prophetic content contained therein has been noted to contradict Patristic and Scriptural teachings. The following is how the text is presented in most Orthodox publications: The Prophecy of St. Methodius of Patara ...And the Blond race will possess the City of the Seven Hills for six or five, and herbs will be planted in her, and many will eat them in vengeance of the Saints, and three provident administrators will govern...and after them an autonomous one will rise, and after him another onea ferocious wolfand he will beat up the Ishmaelites and chase them all the way to the Kolonian, and the sitting nations which are towards the northern portion will be disturbed, and they will move with great violence and bitterness of wrath, and they will be divided into four authorities and the first one will winter in Ephesus, the second in Melayah, the third at Acrocampos, that is, in Pergamos, and the fourth in Bythinia, and they will accumulate much wood, and trample her boundaries. Then the nations sitting in the South corner will be disturbed, and Phillip the Great will rise with 18 tongues, and they will gather at Eptalofos and they will make such a war as has never been made. And they will run through the passages and lanes of Eptalofos, and the slaughter of men will be as a river moves, and the sea will be blurred from the blood to the depths of the abyss. Then the ox will moan and the hill called Xirolofos will wail and then the horses will stop and a voice from heaven will shout: Let us stand, let us stand. Peace unto you. The vengeance on the disobedient and insubordinate is enough. Go towards the right area of Eptalofos and a man will be found there between two pillars, standing in great grief (he shall be of bright countenance, righteous, merciful, poorly dressed, his look austere, and meek in holding his views); having a quill nail on his right foot, and a voice of an angel will declare: Make him King, and they will give to him a sword in his right hand, saying to him, Be brave, John; be mightily prevalent and defeat your enemies. And taking the sword from the angel, he will smite the Ishmaelites, the Ethiopians, and every infidel generation. He will divide the Ishmaelites into three portions: the first part by the sword; but the second he will baptize and the third he will enslave in the East, and on his return, the treasures of the earth will be opened and everyone will become rich, and no one from among them will be poor, and the earth will give her fruits a hundredfold and the weapons of war shall be turned into ploughs and scythes and he will reign for 35 years. After Johns repose, another One will reign for 12 years and this One foresees his death and goes to Jerusalem and hands over His Kingdom to God. And then four will reign, indeed, the first will reign in Rome, the second in Alexandria, the third in Thessalonica, and the fourth in Eptalofos. These four will

fight one another, they will encamp against one another and even the priests and monks will be encamped, and no one from among them will survive. And because there will be no righteous men, a vile and shameless woman will reign in Eptalofos. She will pollute the Holy Churches of God and she will stand in the midst of Eptalofos and declare with a great voice, saying: What God is there except me? And who can stand against my kingdom? Immediately, Eptalofos will have an earthquake and will sink to the bottomwith all the inhabitantsto the depths of perdition. And another king will reign in Thessalonica for a long time, and Smyrna and Cyprus will sink to the bottom from a cyclone. And then the Antichrist will reign, and he will work according to fearful fantasies and extraordinary actions, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. He is going to be born from the Jews, out of the Tribe of Dan, from a vile virgin woman, inasmuch as the devil can be clothed. And he will first show meekness and humility to people, and then he will be loved by the multitude, and they will name him king. He will do extraordinary works, but hell love the Jews first and rebuild their destroyed temple. And then there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places and the waters will be obstructed, the sky will not give its rain upon the earth, and this thrice-cursed demon will reign for three years and six months. Then the days will be shortened and a year will go by as a month; and a month will go by as a week; and a week as a day; and a day as an hour. And thus the completion: God will rain fire upon the earth and the earth will burn up 30 cubits. Then the earth will moan before the Lord and her Creator, saying, Lord, I am a virgin before you and there is no sin in me. Then the heavens shall roll up like a scroll and the angels of God will sound their trumpets and the righteous from all ages will resurrect and stand at the right of the Most High, but the sinners will stand on His left. And, indeed, the righteous will go forth into Paradise, but the sinners will go forth into Hell, and the abysmal dragon into the depths of Tartarus, and together with all of his ministers who have bowed down to him and accepted him, eternal Hell. Notes 1) According to the Greek text of the Great Synaxaristes, the reference in some sources that Methodius was the "Bishop of Patara" is untrue, resulting from the fact that his dialogue On the Resurrection (Aglaophon e peri tes anastaseos) took place in Patara. 2) 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."

3) The Seventh Century in the West Syrian Chronicles: Including Two Seventh Century Apocalyptic Texts, 1993, p. 222. 4) Brock, Syriac Views, 19; Reinink Ps.-Methodius, esp. 178, 181, with additional literature. 5) Reinink, Ps.-Methodius, 181. It now appears unlikely that this conversion was substantial till the ninth century, but the fears were nonetheless real.