Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 9 · Doctrines 1 · Question 34
34. Quest. Of the diuers interpretations of Daniels weekes, with an answer to the cauill of the Iewes concerning the dissention of our interpreters.
The diuers opinions here of writers about the beginning of the seuentie weekes, may be sorted into three ranks. 1. Some make them to beginne before Cyrus: 2. some pitch their beginning at Cyrus: 3. and some beginne the reckoning after Cyrus, vnderunder the raigne of other Persian kings.
1. They which beginne the computation of these yeares before the times of Cyrus: 1. some count these 70. weekes, by weekes not of seuen yeares, but of tenne times seuen, for eueryevery yeare taking tenne, and beginne their reckoning from the beginning of the world: so that 70. weekes shall make 4900. yeares from the creation of the world vntounto Christ: thus Origen. hom. 29. in Matth. 2. Some will hauehave these weekes take beginning from the 4. yeare of Zedekiah, 7. yeares before the great captiuitie, which was in the 11. yeare of Zedekiahs raigne, for then the word, they say, came forth by Ieremie, namely the prophecie and promise of their deliuerance after 70. yeares, which was in the 4. yeare of Zedekiah: which they thus gather: Ierem. 29. 10. this prophesie of 70. yeares captiuitie is declared: which was in the 4. yeare of Zedekiah, c. 28. 1. of this opinion are Lyranus, Paulus Burgens. vponupon this place, Vatablus in his annotations, and Petrus Galatinus, lib. 4. de arc anis fidei, c. 15. 3. R. Salamon beginneth to reckon these weekes from the destruction of the Temple, as Lyranus reporteth and confuteth his opinion.
2. Of the second sort are these. 1. Some will hauehave them beginne in the first yeare of Darius, at the time when this word came vntounto Daniel, so Tertullian lib. aduers. Iudaeos. and Pintus. 2. some from the time that Cyrus set forth his edict for the peoples returne, as Clemens Alexandrin. 1. lib. stromat. of this opinion are Calvin, Melancthon, lunius in the first edition in his annotations vponupon this place: H. Br. vponupon Daniel: And it shall appeare of all the rest to be the more probable.
3. Concerning those which set the beginning of these weekes after the raigne of Cyrus: whereas there were three other edicts beside that of Cyrus, which gaue libertie to build the Temple and citie, which are mentioned, Ezra. 6. 1. Ezra. 7. and Nehem. 2. hereupon, some thinke that these 70. weekes must be reckoned from the 2. yeare of Darius Hystaspis, the 3. king of Persia, so Eusebius lib. 8. de demonstr. Evang. Cyrillus cateches. 12. Driedo lib. 3. de sacr. Scriptur. c. 5. par. 4. Iansenius c. 122. concord. Euang. 2. Some take the 20. yeare of this Darius, Pellican. 3. Some count from Xerxes the 4. king of Persia, whom Iosephus thinketh to hauehave sent Ezra in the 7. yeare of his raigne: ex Bulling. 4. Some take the seuenth yeare of Artaxerxes Longimanus the fift king: which opinion Pererius ascribeth to Theodoret, so also Bullinger holdeth, and Pap. 5. Some appoint the 20. yeare of Artaxerxes Longimanus, when Nehemiah was sent with a newe commission, Nehem. 2. so Chrysostome, Beda, Africanus, Hugo, Pererius, Osiander: whereas this was Artaxerxes Mncmon, the seuenth king, not Longimanus, the fift king of Persia, that sent Nehemiah. 6. Some doe beginne the account, the second yeare of Darius Nothus, so called because he was a bastard, the sixt king of Persia, so Iunius in his commentarie vponupon Daniel. Ios. Scallig. l. 6. de emend. temp. Polan. Edw. Liuely in his Persian Monarchie. 7. Lastly, Apollinaris long after these, counteth the beginning of the 70. weekes, from the time of Christs birth and natiuitie: So in all there are in effect tenne seuerall opinions, about the beginning these weeks.
As touching the ende and determination of these yeares, there are likewise diuerse opinions. 1. Some thinke that 69. of these weekes expired at such time as Pompey tooke Ierusalem, and entred into the Temple, slaying such as sacrificed, presuming euen to the most holy place, and ende the last weeke in Traian the Emperour, vntill which time the preaching of the Apostles continued, Iohn surviuing euen vntounto the raigne of the Emperour Traian, Eusebius. 2. Some beginning these weekes in the 6. yeare of Darius Hystaspis, doe ende them at such time as Herod vsurped the kingdome, Oecolamp. consenting with Eusebius. 3. Some doe determine these yeares in the natiuitie and birth of Christ, of this opinion Hierome reporteth Origen to hauehave beene, lib. 10. stromat. so also Ioannes Driedo, Iansenius, Melancthon. 4. Many drawe these yeares, in the passion of Christ, as Burgensis, Vatablus, Petrus Galatinus, beginne these yeares, in the fourth yeare of Zedekiah, and ende them in the passion of Christ: so Beda, Africanus, beginning at the 20. of Artaxerxes, ende at the passion of Christ. 5. Some ende them in the 4. yeare after the passion of Christ, as Lyranus, who reckoneth them from the 20. yeare of king Artaxerxes, vntounto the 4. yeare, supposing the Messiah to hauehave suffred in the middes of the last propheticall weeke: so also Ioannes Lucidus, Pintus. 6. Some referre the ende of these weekes to the destruction on of Ierusalem by Titus, as Tertullian, Chrsyostome, Clemens Alexandrin. and of the newe writers, Iunius, Scalliger, Polanus, Liuely. 7. Some determine them after the passion of Christ, extending them to the finall destruction of the citie vnderunder Adrian the Emperour, as some of the Hebrewes. 8. Some will hauehave these weekes reach vntounto the ende of the world to the comming of Antichrist: as Apollinaris, who beginneth them at the natiuitie of Christ, and continueth them to the ende of the world.
Thus are interpreters diuersely carried in the interpretation of these propheticall weekes: which afterward shall in their order be examined. Hereupon the Iewes, as namely cauilling Barbinel, to annihilate this prophesie, obiect the difference and dissention of the Christians, about the meaning thereof: But it may be answeared, 1. that the diuersitie of opinions among interpreters, doth not evacuate or extenuate the authoritie of Scripture, Calvin. 2. Though in the particular account of time, there be some disagreement, yet herein most Christian interpreters agree, that all these yeares expired, either in the birth or passion of Christ, or in the destruction of Ierusalem. So that which account soeuer be receiued, two maine points are prooued against the Iewes: one that the Messiah is come, the other that he came not as a glorious or victorious temporall Prince, as the Iewes imagine, but he was slaine by them, and put to death, Pappus. 3. This obiection may be retorted vponupon themselues: for euen there is great dissention among their owne Rabbines: Ab. Ezra holdeth there were but sowre kings of Persia, R. Moses saith there were fiue, R. Saad…ah three onelyonly: So they also differ about their yeares: Ab. Ezra holdeth the Persian Monarchie to hauehave continued 61. yeares: Abraham Dauison, but 51. the most of the Hebrewes giuegive but 50. yeares to the Persian Monarchie, Ed. Liuely, p. 34. And in many other points are the Rabbines diuided in opinion: so that herein they may forbeare to obiect vntounto the Christians their dissension. 4. And thus may the obiection of the Gentiles be answered, which take exception to the Christians, because of their dissension and difference in this and other points: as Iosephus giueth instance of the dissensions of the heathen historians among themselues, In quot locis Hellanicus de genealogijs & temporibus ab Acusilao discrepat, &c. in how many places doth Hellanicus differ from Acusilaus concerning genealogies and times: and in how many doth Acusilaus correct Hesiodus: Ephorus in many things findeth Hellanicus to be deceiued: and Timeus, Ephorus: and Timeus, those that followed him: and all Herodotus: thus Ioseph. contra Appion.