Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 7 · Doctrines 1 · Question 41 – Question 42
Quest. 41. How he is said to come in the clouds and approach to the Auncient of dayes, and when.
R. Leui vnderstanding this of the Messiah, by the auncient of dayes would hauehave signified him, that shall be at that time ouer the Romane Empire, and shall entreate him for his people, as Moses did Pharaoh for the Israelites: But these Rabbines shewe themselues herein malitiously blinde, and grossely absurd: to apply that to the terrene state, which is here meant of Christs spiritual and eternall kingdome: and the auncient of dayes which is God, to make a mortall man: and the sonne of man comming in the clouds, to vnderstand in base and suppliant manner to come vntounto a mortall Prince.
2. R. Saadia vnderstandeth this also of the Messiah, that he shall come as was prophesied of him sitting vponupon an asse, that is, in great lowlinesse, and in the clouds, armies of Angels shall attend vponupon him, and that great dominion shall be giuen, as the auncient of dayes, that is, sicut domini filiorum hominum, as they which are Lords among men, &c. But herein also is his errour: 1. he confoundeth the first comming of Christ, which was in humilitie, and his second comming, which should be in glorie. 2. he dreameth of a temporall kingdome. 3. he misinterpreteth the auncient of dayes, which he applyeth to mortall men.
3. The most of the Christian writers doe here vnderstand the second comming of Christ to iudgement: as Lyran. Hugo. gloss. So also Oecolampad. Bulling. Pererius granteth that in the vision of the image, c. 2. the stone cut out without hands doth signifie Christ in his first comming: but here he thinketh that Christ is described comming vntounto iudgement, because so it is said, Matth. 24. then shall they see the Sonne of man comming in the clouds, &c. And because this apparition of the Sonne of man followeth after the destruction of Antichrist.
But 1. Christ also ascending to his father was taken vp in the clouds. 2. the little horne of the fourth beast, signifieth not Antichrist, but typically and by way of analogie: it historically is meant of Antiochus Epiphanes, as is before shewed. 3. seeing the same Monarchies and kingdomes are described in the vision, c. 2. and this, c. 7. the same destruction and extinguishing of the kingdomes in both places must be insinuated. 4. neither is this aptly referred to Christs second comming, but to that his cōming, which followed vponupon the dissolution of that fourth kingdome, which was of the Seleucians in Syria: as is shewed before, quest. 22. and quest. 26. 5. Iunius vnderstandeth the approaching of Christ to the Auncient of dayes, of Christs ascension vntounto his father: but the comming in or with the clouds, he applyeth to Christs comming into the world, to finish the worke of our redemption, deitas illius figuratur aduentu è nubibus, his deitie is prefigured, by his comming out of the clouds, Inn, annot. so also Calvin thinketh the meaning is, that Christ though he were the sonne of man, yet differed much from all mankind, &c. his beginning was from heauen, ours is from the earth.
6. But all these are better ioyned together, to set forth the glorious ascension of our Blessed Sauiour: which type we see fulfilled, Act. 1. where Christ ascended vp in a cloud: by this approaching to the Auncient of dayes, is signified his equalitie with his father: he approached ad aequalitatem Deipatris, to be equall to his father in the diuine essence, Lyran. Bulling. and to sit at the right hand of God his father, Vatab. they brought him before him, that is, he offred and presented himselfe to his father: for so in the Chalde tongue the third person plurall is vsed impersonally, Iun. or else the Angels reioycing at the ascension of Christ, attended vponupon him, when he ascended in tryumph to his father, as Iustine Martyr expoundeth, dialog. cum Tryphon. Polan.
7. And that this part of the vision is rather vnderstood of Christs first comming into the world, and his returning to his father, then of his second comming to iudgement, these two reasons out of the text it selfe may perswade. 1. because this dominion is here giuen vntounto Christ: but Christ receiued his kingdome at his resurrection from the dead, when he said to his Apostles, all power is giuen vntounto me in heauen, and earth: tunc regnum suum auspicatus est, then Christ beganne his kingdome, Calv. it was not deferred till his second comming: Oecolampadius answereth, nouo modo datur illi gloria, quam in membris suis accipit, &c. then after a newe manner glorie shall be giuen him, because he shall receiue it in his members, &c. But it is euident, that this is meant of Christs receiuing this kingdome in himselfe, though for his members: because he is brought to the Auncient of dayes, as it were to sit downe in the throne with him, which cannot be vnderstood of his members. 2. the kingdome vnderunder the whole heauen is said to be giuen vntounto the holy people, v. 27. but the celestiall and heauenly kingdome cannot be said to be vnderunder heauen: therefore it is not meant of the Church tryumphant in heauen, but of the Militant in earth.
8. And yet we so vnderstand this of the first comming of Christ,Rupert. lib. 1. … in Daniel. c. 12. as that we say with Rupertus, in primo aduentu coeptum fat…mur, quod in secundo consummandum est, we confesse this kingdome to beginne in the first comming of Christ, which shall be finished in his second, &c. and that Christs kingdome then tooke beginning he sheweth by that text, Ioh. 12. 31. now is the iudgement of this world, now shall the Prince of this world be cast out.
Quest. 42. That this kingdome could not be the kingdome of the Macchabees.
v. 14. And he gaue him dominion and honour, &c. 1. Porphyrie by this kingdome vnderstandeth, the prosperous gouernement of the Macchabees, who obtained diuerse victories against Antiochus, and procured the libertie of their countrie. 2. But this cannot be. 1. Theodoret thus reasoneth: this kingdome here giuen shall neuer be taken away: but this gouernement of the Macchabees continued not long: Iudas gouerned three yeares, Ionathas 31. Simon 8. yeares: but afterward the countrey of the Iewes was oppressed againe: And though we take the whole time of the Macchabees which succeeded, it continued not aboue an 126. yeares, till the time of Herod, who depriued them of the kingdome: to this purpose Theodoret. 2. this kingdome shall be ouer all the world: but the Macchabees onelyonly ruled in Iudea, Perer. 3. whereas this Sonne of man commeth in the clowds, and approacheth vntounto the Auncient of dayes, it cannot be shewed how this should agree vntounto mortall men.