Ephrem the Syrian : This is Antiochus, the persecutor of the Jews, who sprang up in the midst of the ten kings and grew up. And this last horn, he says, "after three of the earlier horns were plucked by the roots, spoke arrogantly." Since there is here a hint of the fall of the previous three horns, it must be referred to the grandchildren and successors of the three past kings. Indeed the arrogant words, which this small horn spoke, are the insults and blasphemies thrown against God. — COMMENTARY ON Daniel 7:8 Hippolytus of Rome : "I considered the horns." That is to say, I looked intently at the beast, and was astonished at everything about it, but especially at the number of the horns. For the appearance of this beast differed from that of the other beasts in kind. — Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments - Scholia on Daniel Hippolytus of Rome : On account of which another kingdom is no longer left after this one, except its ten horns which grow up from it and in the midst of them one small horn arises and it roots out three of the first horns. For just as the prophet foretold the leopard, that "four heads were on the beast," [Daniel 7:6] it happened that also the kingdom of Alexander was divided to the four chiefs, in this way it is necessary to also expect now that ten horns shall arise from this kingdom, whenever the time of the beast should be fulfilled and the small horn, which is the Antichrist, suddenly should show forth among them, and righteousness should be taken from the earth and all the world will then be near the consummation. So that it is necessary for us to not misconceive the plan of God, but to be long-suffering and to beg that we may not fall upon such times, nor indeed lack faith, as though these things are not destined to be. For if the first things, as much as the prophets foretold, did not happen, neither should you expect these. But if those things happened according to their own times just as was foretold, these things also shall be always accomplished. For when some say, "And when will these things be?" This is a mark of unfaithful men who do not believe. But to foreknow what will be and to believe that it will be in this way, is a mark of a blessed man who sees and is silent, so that he may not, when he is speaking many things, endanger himself. — Commentary on Daniel 4.5.2-6 Hippolytus of Rome : But let us also demonstrate in another way that these things are true and clear and happen to the slaves of God. For Scripture does not lie in any way, nor does the Holy Spirit deceive his slaves the prophets, through whom he is well pleased to announce the plan of God to men, so that seeing these things happen, we might not fall, nor be troubled as beholding these strange things. For otherwise the consummation is not able to come upon this world except in this way. For just as upon Sodom when their transgressions were fulfilled, immediately fire descended upon them and they were destroyed, in this way it will be even now, when lawlessness multiplies in the world and the present iron beast is divided into ten horns and anarchy occurs and discord, while others from here and there rend the kingdom, then the end shall come upon them. And so since we, having also reached this point in another book and explained an account concerning these things, both the advent of the Antichrist and his race, and from where and how the deceiver shall appear, and we were not silent about his works, nevertheless also now I will mention this only a little, so that a man may steadfastly stand against all things, not ever stammering in mind, and be able to believe in God from a whole heart. — Commentary on Daniel 4.6.1-7.1 Jerome : Verse 8. "I was looking at the horns, and behold, another small horn rose up out of the midst of them, and three of the earlier horns were torn away before it. And behold, there were in that horn eyes like unto human eyes, and a mouth uttering overweening boasts." Porphyry vainly surmises that the little horn which rose up after the ten horns is Antiochus Epiphanes, and that the three uprooted horns out of the ten are Ptolemy VI (surnamed Philometer), Ptolemy VII (Euergetes), and Artaraxias, King of Armenia. The first two of these kings died long before Antiochus was born. Against Artarxias, to be sure, we know that Antiochus indeed waged war, but also we know that Artarxias remained in possession of his original kingly authority. We should therefore concur with the traditional interpretation of all the commentators of the Christian Church, that at the end of the world, when the Roman Empire is to be destroyed, there shall be ten kings who will partition the Roman world amongst themselves. Then an insignificant eleventh king will arise, who will overcome three of the ten kings, that is, the king of Egypt, the king of Africa, and the king of Ethiopia, as we shall show more clearly in our later discussion. Then after they have been slain, the seven other kings also will bow their necks to the victor. "And behold," he continues, "there were eyes like unto human eyes in that horn." Let us not follow the opinion of some commentators and suppose him to be either the Devil or some demon, but rather, one of the human race, in whom Satan will wholly take up his residence in bodily form. "...and a mouth uttering overweening boasts..." For this is the man of sin, the son of perdition, and that too to such a degree that he dares to sit in the temple of God, making himself out to be like God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). — St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER SEVEN John Chrysostom : Who are the ten kings? What is the little horn? I say that the antichrist will appear among a certain number of kings. "And in that horn were eyes like the eyes of a human and a mouth boasting great things." What greater boast can be said with that mouth than this thing that is said, "He will place himself above everything that is called God or divine, so much so that he will sit in the temple of God"? Do not marvel if he has the eyes of a human, even if he speaks such things. He is a person. Why does the horn appear to be little and not big in the beginning? It will grow after this time and will rule certain kingdoms. Why? No kingdom will conquer this king, but God will abolish and destroy him. — COMMENTARY ON Daniel 7 John Chrysostom : When scripture wishes to expound on the kingdoms, it uses the metaphor of beasts. A kingdom is an incorporeal object; therefore, some type of body has to be ascribed to it. And was it not fitting to describe kingdoms as beasts? Most certainly. For since the qualities of those kingdoms exist chiefly in those beasts, so he found them useful. He wished to show fierce arrogance and luxury, and he made use of a lioness. He wished to show slowness, and he made use of a bear. He wished to show speed and briskness and such as would overthrow all empires by its wars; thus he introduced a leopard. Look how earlier he had seen a beautiful sea, which represented the whole earth. For the world is filled with so many tumults and is stirred up in the same way that the sea is stirred up, although the sea is filled with fish, not humans. Christ even declares this to be the case, namely, that the present life is the sea, when he says, "The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet thrown into the sea, which brings together fish of every kind." "And behold," Daniel says, "the four winds of the heavens rushed on the great sea." He declares that those beasts then went forth from there, and so he shows the swiftness of divine providence. For when we talk about speed, we introduce the figure of the winds. Daniel says that the winds rushed on the sea and the beasts emerged from the sea, for our leaders partake of our nature. So he often calls a king "a lion," wishing to show its royal dignity and yet its feral nature. Or he does so because that wind is an easterly one, this wind is a northerly one, and yet another is a southerly one. It is as if someone had said, "He overturns the sea; the winds from the sky have stirred it up." — COMMENTARY ON Daniel 7:7 Theodoret of Cyrus : Here he alludes to the antichrist, who arises among the ten horns, and he states that the antichrist will pluck out root and all three horns before himself. This means that he will overpower three kings of the ten who would reign at that time. And he calls it a "little" horn, as it was born from the little tribe of the Jews. However, he also calls it "eminent" since he would be noble. By its "eyes" he refers to its prudence and astuteness, by which he will deceive many. And yet he speaks of its "mouth speaking great things," which refers to its arrogance and haughtiness. — COMMENTARY ON Daniel 7:7-8