Ben wrote:
Among those scholars who agree that "the curse" is the same thing as "the fiery trial," there is still disagreement as to whether this "fiery trial" is (A) a temporal persecution (at the hands of the deceiver) or (B) the final judgment. I hold with A: it is the persecution brought on by the advent of the deceiver of the world ...
I buy that. In any event, I gather that it's all an exposition of Mt. 24, which appears to be alluded to in 16:3-4:
... for in the last days the false prophets and the corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall change to hate; for as lawlessness increaseth they shall hate one another and persecute and betray ...
Mt. 24:10-13:
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
There is also a reference to the Anti-Christ in the Shem Tov Hebrew Mt. 24:15-16:
And this gospel, that is, evungili, will be preached in all the earth for a witness concerning me to all the nations and then the end will come. This is the Anti-Christ and this is the abomination which desolates.
I can't read what Howard says about this online, but I have his book at home and will track it down later. If memory serves, he sees it as a gloss explaining what the abomination that causes desolation is that was later inserted awkwardly into the text (since where it is now means that the preaching of the gospel to Gentiles is the anti-Christ). In any event, it, like the Didache, is Jewish Christian or associated with Jewish Christians, and both insert the idea of "the deceiver of the world" into Mt. 24.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.