Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 9 · Doctrines 1 · Question 79 – Question 80
Quest. 79. Of the most grieuous calamities that fell vponupon the Iewes in the finall destruction of their citie.
The great miserie of the Iewes in this …ast calamitie, and euer since, may be shewed three wayes. 1. by comparing it with other former calamities which it farre exceeded. 2. by the depriuation of the benefits, which before they enioyed. 3. by the particular description of the euils, which actually they suffered.
1. This their last calamitie and captiuitie differeth from all other in these fiue respects. 1. Other calamities and captiuities, which they endured, were before declared how long they should continue: as Abraham is told, that his posteritie should soiourne and be euil intreated in Cana… and Egypt 400. yeares, the captiuitie of Babylon was prescribed for 70. yeares, as the Prophet Ieremie shewed them before: the heate of persecution vnderunder Antiochus, how long it should lie vponupon the Iewes, is likewise reuealed to Daniel by the Angel, c. 8. But this last captiuitie and dispersion of the Iewes, they hauehave no notice at all, how long it shall endure. 2. their other captiuities were nothing so long, their seruitude in Egypt exceeded not an 150. yeares, though the time of their aboad there were longer, the captiuitie of Babylon but 70. but this their captiued estate hath alreadie exceeded 1500. yeares. 3. In the other captiuities, they had prophets to comfort them, as Moses in Egypt, in the Babylonian captiuitie Daniel and Ezekiel: but such Prophets they hauehave none now amongst them. 4. Then had they diuerse signes and miracles: as the 3. children were deliuered from the fierie fornace, Daniel from the Lyons, but now are miracles ceased among them. 5. At other times they had excellent men, raised from among them, which were famous and honourable for their wisedome, and vertue, euen with the Princes of the heathen: as Ioseph with the king of Egypt: Daniel with the kings of the Chaldeans, Ezra, Nehemiah, Mordecai with the kings of Persia: But none such now are found among the Iewes.
2. Beside, the Iewes are now depriued of seuen seuerall benefits and priuiledges,7. benefits which the Iewes hauehave beene depriued of since the captiuitie of Babylon. which they enioyed in their former times: 1. they hauehave not the Arke. 2. nor the Lords oracles from thence. 3. they want the Vrim and Thummim, wherewith the Priests vsed to aske counsell of God. 4. the fire which came downe from heauen, and was continually preserued vponupon the altar, was long since extinguished among them. 5. the holy oyle, wherewith the graces of the spirit were conferred vponupon their kings and Priests, hath lost the vertue. 6. the gift of prophecie is ceased among them. 7. neither doth the sixt yeare bring forth fruit for three yeares, as at the first it vsed to doe. And if it be here answered, that the Iewes wanted all these things after their returne from Babel, while the second Temple yet stood; yet now their case is much worse: because then they had both a Temple with Priests, and sacrifices, and a citie and commonwealth, but now they hauehave neither.
3. Concerning the miserie which fell vponupon the Iewes, when the citie was besieged and taken, it appeareth both by their miserable state wherein they were oppressed with famine, the pestilence, and the sword among themselues, the great hauocke and slaughter made of them by the enemie, and by their reproachfull and slauish condition afterward. 1. during the siege, they were so oppressed with famine, that women were constrained to deuoure their owne children, they did eat the verie leather of their shooes and targets: they died in such heapes within the citie of the plague, famine, and by ciuill discord, that the streetes and channels lay full of dead bodies, and were trampled vponupon as mire in the streetes: in so much that beeing wearie of burying them, they threwe their bodies from the wall into the trenches: which when Titus beheld full of dead bodies, he stretched his hands to heauen, as testifying his innocencie, that it was not his doing. 2. the number of the Iewes were great, which were slaine by the enemies: in Caesarea there were slaine 20. thousand, in Scythopolis 13. thousand, in Prolemais 5000. in Alexandria 50. thousand, in Damascus 10. thousand: this was somewhat before the beginning of that warre. Then afterward the warre beeing begunne, there were slaine in Galile 18. thousand, in Aphek 150000. in Samaria 11. thousand and 600. in Iotapata 4000. in Taricha 6600. in Giscalis 2000. ex Oecolamp. the whole summe of those which died in the siege by the famine, pestilence, and sword, came to 11. hundred thousand, as Iosephus writeth, lib. 7. de bello Iudaic. c. 16. 17. 3. Neither was here an ende of their miserie: They which remained, the better sort of them were reserued for tryumpht they which were aboue 17. yeare old were sent into Egypt, to be employed in certaine workes, and some were cast vntounto the wilde beasts: they which were vnderunder 17. yeares were sold to be slaues: the whole number of the captiues is noted by Iosephus to hauehave beene 97. thousand.
Quest. 80. That all this miserie came vponupon the Iewes for putting to death the Messiah.
1. The Iewes will by no meanes acknowledge that they hauehave and yet doe suffer these things for the … of the Messiah: but first they answer that these afflictions are layd vponupon them to pr…oue their patience, and that they thereby should be tried as gold in the fire. But to this we answer, 1. that they by these afflictions are nothing amended, but waxe worse, their impietie, profanenesse, blasphemie is notoriously knowne to all the world. 2. though God lay temporall chastisements vponupon men, to trie their patience: yet to that ende none are depriued of spirituall blessings, as they are of the gift of prophesie, of miracles, of the publike worship of God according to his lawe. 3. beside the Lord hath promised them ample and great blessings, so long as they walke in obedience of his law, as is extant, Leuit. 26. and Deuter. 28. so that they should make God a liar, if these things were not befallen them for their sinnes.
2. The Iewes hauehave an other answer, that they are not punished for the death of Christ, but for their other sinnes. But the greatest sinnes for the which the Iewes were punished in time past, were their Idolatrie, and killing of their Prophets: which sinnes they are not now gultie of:epistol. 129. ad Dardanum. for they hauehave no Prophets to kill, and Idolaters they are not, as Hierome saith vntounto them, Certe non colis idola, seruiens Persis & Romanis, &c. Deos ignoras al…nos, truely thou doest not worship idols, though thou art in captiuitie vnderunder the Persians and Romans, yet thou art ignorant of strange Gods, &c. If then God had compassion vponupon them, when they went into captiuitie for those sinnes, certainly this long captiuitie is now fallen vponupon them for some greater sinne then any of the other: And what can that be els, then the putting to death of the Blessed Messiah? And so Hierome concludeth, memento voci… parentum tuorum, &c. remmember the voice of thy parents, his blood be vponupon vsus, and our children, &c. All this therefore is happened vponupon them for killing the heire of the vineyard, whereas they did but offer violence to the seruants before.
3. Now as it is euident, that the Iewes are punished for the death and murther of the Messiah; so as their offence was hainous, the punishment is also great, which is inflicted vponupon them: which is twofold, either corporall or spirituall, the corporall is threefold, in the losse of their dignitie, they beeing depriued of their gouernement and policie, in the perpetuall desolation of their citie, and their ignominious exile and dispersion thorough the world: their spirituall punishment is twofold, the blinding of their minde, and vnderstanding, and the hardening of their heart, as the Prophet Isay saith, c. 6. 10. make the heart of this people fat, and their eares heauie, aud shut their eies, least they see with their eyes, &c. and vnderstand with their heart, &c.