The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

IX. Nigrinus-Reaches Peak of Reformation Interpretation

GEORG NIGRINUS (1530-1602), Evangelical theologian and satirist, was born in Battenberg, Hesse, Germany. While securing his schooling he supported himself by going from door to door as a minstrel. At seventeen he thought to enter a Catholic monastery at Wiirzburg; where he could be free from all worries, and study to his heart’s content. He was dissuaded from this by an innkeeper on the way, who chided him for thinking of such a thing, being a son of Hesse, the most Protestant country in Germany. He urged him to attend the gymnasium at Schweinfurt, to which he went. But the enforcement of the stipulations of the Leipzig Interim brought his stay in Schweinfurt to an untimely end, and he went to Joachimsthal, where he became acquainted with several well-known expositors of prophecy, including Matthias, Eberhard, and Melanchthon. PFF2 325.1

Financially unable to attend a university, he became a teacher in Silesia, on the Bohemian frontier. In 1553 he went to Munich and taught in a school for poets. Here he became unfavorably acquainted with the inner aspect of Catholicism and especially with the Jesuits, who sought to harm him because he studied Melanchthon’s works in private with his pupils. Considering it wiser to leave Munich, he returned in 1555 to Hesse, studied theology at Marburg, and served as a minister at Homburg ob der Ohm. In a great debate on the Lord’s supper his singular ability was brought to the attention of the university, and he won the favor of the landgrave. In 1564 he received the parish of the town of Giessen, one of the most important places in Hesse, where the most fruitful period of his life began. PFF2 325.2

Nigrinus distinguished himself as a homiletical expositor and a prolific exegete, chiefly on prophecy. He was conspicuous as a controversialist against the Catholic Church. His Apocalypsis ... in Sechzig Predigten ... ausgelegt (Sixty Sermons on the Apocalypse), of 1573, and his Daniel... ausgelegt in funfftzig Predigten (Daniel Explained in Fifty Sermons), of 1574, had been preceded by Ein wolgegrunde Rechnung und Zeitregister (A Well-founded Calculation and Time Register), published in 1570, proving the Papacy to be Antichrist. Another treatise was Von der rechten alten Catholischen Kirche (Of the True Ancient Catholic Church)/published in 1575. PFF2 325.3

Nigrinus’ satires against the church were very popular, especially his burlesque, Affenspiel F. Johan Nasen Gute Nacht Babst (Good Night, Pope), of 1571. His most important work appeared in 1582, Papistische Inquisition und gulden Plus der Romischen Kirchen (Papal Inquisition and the Golden Fleece of the Roman Church). ⁵³ Here are his leading positions: PFF2 326.1

1. TERMINATES SEVENTY WEEKS WITH CROSS IN A.D. 34

In his chronicle Nigrinus gives special attention to the time of Antichrist, as foretold by the prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse. Turning to the time prophecy of Daniel 9, he terminates the seventy weeks of years in A.D. 34, with the death of Christ-three anil a half years after His baptism-and reckons backward from that to the beginning of the period in the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus, which he places at 456 B.C. ⁵⁴ PFF2 326.2

2. 1260 YEARS PLACED FROM 441 TO 1701

Nigrinus dated the time and times and half a time, or the 1260 years, from Leo I, in 441, when the idea of papal world power first appeared. That would bring him to 1701 for the end of the Antichrist, which would make the periods end about two hundred years from his day. The end of the three times, or 1080 years, brought him to the year 1521, in which he said that “our blessed Luther proclaimed the holy gospel before the highest authorities of the German nation,” and since that time the papacy had lost so much ground that “we have just to pray to the Lord to put some more force to His thunder and to advance the course of His word in order to make the Antichrist tumble” and to complete his ruin. And 50 years of the last “half a time” had passed already. ⁵⁵ PFF2 326.3

On the other hand, believing that the Little Horn in Daniel 7 also refers to the Turk, and that a period of 1260 years had also been given to this Horn, the Turk’s end would come in A.D. 1883, starting with the beginning of Islam in A.D. 623, or Mohammed’s flight from Mecca to Medina. But he hoped that the Lord would come sooner, and make an end to the abomination of the Turk at the very time He uproots the pope and brings an end to Antichrist. ⁵⁶ Nigrinus saw in the-woman of Revelation 12 the true church persecuted as heretical. ⁵⁷ PFF2 327.1

3. MARSHALS PROPHECIES TO MEET JESUIT DISCLAIMERS

In his Profound Revelation of Antichrist Nigrinus presents a comprehensive thesis against the Jesuits to disprove their claim that the pope is not Antichrist, but that the Antichrist is some one entirely unconnected with the Christian faith. In his reply Nigrinus marshals the collective descriptions of prophecy. He states: PFF2 327.2

“The Jesuits claim to be sorely offended and have taken my declarations as an insult and blasphemy in branding the papacy as the Antichrist of which Daniel, Paul, Peter, John and even Christ prophesied. But this is as true as it is that Jesus is the Messiah, and I am prepared to show it even by their own definition of the word ‘Antichrist.’” ⁵⁸ PFF2 327.3

4. ANTICHRIST NOT AN INDIVIDUAL BUT A SYSTEM

Nigrinus refutes the Jesuit assumption that Antichrist is to be a single individual, by showing that it is a continuing system. This he proves from 2 Thessalonians 2, Daniel 7, and Revelation 13 and 17. That the Beast with seven heads and ten horns is pagan Rome is admitted by the Jesuits. The Beast with two horns, Nigrinusadds, is papal Rome that followed, and took the place of pagan Rome. ⁵⁹ PFF2 327.4

5. To APPEAR IN LATIN CHURCH WITH NUMBER 666

Referring to the number of the beast, 666, Nigrinus stresses the fact that Antichrist will appear in the Latin church, in the place where the Latins first ruled. But he concludes: PFF2 327.5

“Therefore, even if the name with its secret number would never be known, we have sufficient other signs to be able to recognize the Roman Antichrist, as the Jesuit must admit and has already admitted.” ⁶⁰ PFF2 328.1

6. RELATIONSHIP OF CONTROVERSY TO SECOND ADVENT

The relation of this controversy to the second advent is also set forth: PFF2 328.2

“This Jesuit ridicules the thought of the near coming of Christ and insinuates that the reformers preached it only in order to frighten the people or to bamboozle and trick the common folk as their priests often do. But Luther has never spoken in this manner about the last day, but since the Antichrist has now come to the open, he and the others have concluded that the Day of the Lord cannot be far away.” ⁶¹ PFF2 328.3

7. JESUIT CONTENTION OF THREE AND A HALF YEARS REFUTED

Citing Tertullian’s recognition of the fact that pagan Rome in his day was holding back the coming of Antichrist, Nigrinus discusses Antichrist’s allotted time period, and cites the verdict of the Holy Scriptures. PFF2 328.4

“This Jesuit further contends that the papacy cannot be antichrist because the papacy has lasted for centuries, but that the antichrist is supposed to reign only 3i/£ years.... But no one doubts today that Daniel spoke of year-days, not literal days.... The prophetic time-periods of forty-two months, 1260 days, 1, 2, 1/2 times are prophetic, and according to Ezekiel 4, a day must be taken for a year.... [Antiochus is a type of Antichrist], and as many days as he raged and raved against the Jews, so many years shall the spiritual Antiochus or Antichrist rage in the midst of the Christian church.” ⁶² PFF2 328.5

8. TEN DIVISIONS OF ROME TABULATED

Finally, in a discussion of Revelation 13, after listing the seven forms of Roman government as the seven heads, Nigrinus tabulates the ten horns thus: PFF2 328.6

“Italia; Hispania; Gallia; Syria; Egypt; Asia; Grecia; Pannonia; Africa; Anglia. These were all under the power of Rome in the time of John. But practically all were stripped from her at the time we set above, of the beginning of the papacy and the downfall of the first monarchy. The Visigoths and Lombards occupied Italy and ruled over her with force for a long time. The Ostrogoths conquered Spain, and later it was subdued by the Saracens. Syria, Egypt and Asia were conquered by the Mohammedans; they plucked up three horns and formed one [kingdom] out of them, which is now the Turkish Empire. Grecia with some surrounding territories remained in the hands of the emperors of Eastern Rome until the Turk overwhelmed them. Pannonia, or Hungary, was occupied by the Huns until the Turk took a share of it. Africa was overrun by the Vandals, Anglia by the Saxons, Gallia by the Franks, Normans, and other German tribes. PFF2 328.7

“Germany will not be counted because she was not under the sway of the Romans during the time of the first emperors, but was in perpetual warfare with them. The same holds true for Bohemia, Poland, Denmark, and Sweden. These will not be counted, because at that time they were still barbaric nations. They have received their royal titles during the time of the divided empire; ... that is all history.” ⁶³ PFF2 329.1

Nigrinus’ final conclusions are as follows: PFF2 329.2

“Really this is the time, prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24, when the gospel will be preached for a witness unto all nations.... There is no doubt that the end of the world is much nearer than the pope and his Jesuits believe.... And herewith I shall conclude this extract. Even if it is of no avail to the Jesuits and their followers, many pious Christians will by it recognize and accept the truth and be filled with gladness. May the Lord bestow His blessing and His grace upon it.” ⁶⁴ PFF2 329.3

9. THE ANTICHRIST BOTH POPE AND TURK

The two powers of iniquity are one. The pope is even the worse of the two, because he has crowded himself into the temple of God. Some say that the pope is the soul, and the Turk the body, of Antichrist. ⁶⁵ PFF2 329.4

10. YEAR-DAY PRINCIPLE IN PROPHETIC PERIODS

Nigrinus reckons the 1290 days and the 1335 days as years, just as he does the 1260 days. These two periods begin together, so that the 1335days end just 45 days later than the 1290. ⁶⁶ PFF2 329.5