3 - The Antichrist, East and West

Summary

This chapter traces the development of the Antichrist tradition in both the Eastern and Western church from the time of Origen in the third century until that of Adso in the tenth. In particular it explores the tensions between the Antichrist as both a future and present individual, and as both an individual and collective figure. After a discussion of Origen’s understanding of the Antichrist, it moves to an account of Jerome’s literal and spiritual Antichrist, and Antichrists already present in the world. It outlines the literal and spiritual reading of the Antichrist in the African Donatist Tyconius that set the scene for Augustine’s account of the Antichrist. This is followed by an analysis of Pope Gregory the Great’s understanding of the Antichrist. It also explores the development of Simon Magus as an Antichrist figure, examines how the Last World emperor, Gog and Magog became part of the story of the Antichrist. The chapter ends with a discussion of three crucial influences on Adso in the works of Pseudo-Methodius, Haimo of Auxerre, and Thietland of Einsiedeln