Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 9 · Doctrines 1 · Question 50
Quest. 50. Of the iust and exact computation of yeares, from Cyrus first vntounto the passion of Christ.
1. Tertullian beginning in the first of Darius counteth but 490. yeares to the destruction of Ierusalem: the 62. weekes and an halfe he would hauehave ended at Christs natiuitie, which make 437. yeares, and from thence to the destruction of Ierusalem he reckoneth 7. weekes and an halfe more, that is 53. yeares. But Tertullian committeth diuerse errors in this account. 1. he maketh but 5. kings of Persia. 2. he giueth but an 106. yeares to the whole Monarchie of the Persians. 31 he fayleth in the particular account of the yeares of the kings of Persia: he alloweth vntounto Darius the Mede 19. yeares, whereas he raigned but one, and to the last Darius 22. yeares, who raigned but sixe in all: and to Alexander be giueth 12. yeares after, who liued but sixe yeares after Darius ouerthowe. 4. he counteth but 53. yeares from Christs natiuitie to the destruction of Ierusalem, which in true account were 70. yeares at the least: for Christ was borne in the 4. yeare of the 194. Olympiad, and the citie was taken by Titus, in the 4. yeare of the 212. Olympiad.
2. Lyranus beginning his account the 5. yeare of Zedekiah, when as Ieremiah promised deliuerance after 70. yeares, reckoneth from that yeare to the destruction of Ierusalem, 6. yeares, from thence the Hebrewes to the first of Cyrus count 52. yeares: then to Cyrus and Cambyses he giueth 9. yeares, to Assuerus and Darius, in whole 6. yeare the Temple was built, 45. yeares betweene them: all these yeares make beeing put together, 112. yeares, then the second Temple is held by the Hebrewes to hauehave stood vntounto the second destruction by Titus, 420. yeares: all make 532. from whence 42. yeares beeing diducted, which come betweene the blessed passion of our Lord, and the destruction of Ierusalem, there will remaine iust 490. yeares. Paulus Burgens. agreeing with Raimundus beginning and ending as Lyranus doth, yet proceedeth an other way from the 4. of Zedekiah, which was in the 12. yeare of Nebuchadnezzar, who raigned in all 45. yeares, there remained of his raigne 34. yeares, and of Evilmerodachs 32. and 3. yeares of Balthazars raigne: all these make 60. yeares: then Darius raigned two, Cyrus 30. Assuerus 14. Darius his sonne had raigned 6. when the Temple was finished: these yeares make 52. and the second Temple stood 420. yeares: as is the generall opinion of the Hebrewes: these yeares ioyned together make 532. from whence must be diducted 42. yeares, from the passion of Christ to the destruction of the citie.
But beside the disagreement in these two accounts, betweene the number of yeares before Cyrus, and the number of the yeares of the kings of Persia, which breedeth a great vncertaintie, these manifest errors are committed. 1. whereas the captiuitie ending in Cyrus first, had continued 70. years, this terme cannot stand with either of the former accounts: for if the beginning of the captiuitie be set in the 8. yeare of Nebuchadnezzars raigue, when Iechoniah went into captiuitie, where it ought to beginne, there will want by Lyranus account, who reckoneth but 58. yeares from the 5. of Zedekiah, which was 4. yeares after Iechoniahs captiuitie, 8. yeares; by Burgensis, who counteth from thence 60. yeares, there will want sixe of 70. yeares. 2. They both betweene Cambyses and Darius set one Assuerus, whereas the first Darius the sonne of Hystaspis, immediately succeeded Cambyses. 3. whereas they make Darius the first, sonne of Assuerus, the truth is, that Darius the first was that Assuerus himselfe, as is before shewed, quest. 44. 4. whereas they make Darius, vnderunder whom the Temple was finished but the fourth king of Persia, as Cyrus, Cambyses, Assuerus, and then Darius, it is euident that the 4. king of Persia, was the rich king of Persia, which was Xerxes, Dan. 11. 3.
3. Pintus, who beginneth the 70. weekes right, at Cyrus first, and endeth them well in the passion of our Sauiour, doth make the 70. weekes, and the tearme of yeares to agree by two seuerall accounts. One way he casteth vp his reckoning thus: the Perfians raigned 191. yeares, the Greekes to the beginning of Iulius Caesars Empire 220. yeares, from thence to the passion of Christ, are 76. yeares and 3. yeares and an halfe after Christs death doe the 70. weekes ende: all these yeares make iust 490. and an halfe, which is omitted: But these exceptions may be taken to this reckoning: 1. that the Persian Monarchie could not possibly continue an 191. yeares, as is prooued before, quest. 43. 2. the Greeke Empire continued 300. yeares as Lyranus, and H. Br. and most consent: so also Iunius in his annotations, and Polanus: as it shall further appeare in the 54. quest. following.
4. Pintus hath beside this an other reckoning: from the going forth of the word, vntounto the finishing of the Temple, which beganne two yeares after the returne of the people (and it was 46. yeares in building) are 48. yeares, and the Temple stood 480. yeares, from the second building thereof to the second destruction, the whole summe is 528. from which summe must be diducted 38. yeares and an halfe from the ende of the 70. weeke, which was three yeares and an halfe after the passion of Christ, vntounto the destruction of the citie, and there will remaine 490. yeares.
But thus this account also may be accepted against. 1. he sheweth not how from Cyrus first, vntounto the finishing of the Temple, there were but 48. yeares, the 7. weekes mentioned, v. 25. make 49. yeares, which were expired at the finishing of the Temple in the sixt of Darius, seequeth 58. following. 2. The second Temple might stand so long, though the Hebrewes generally held that it continued but 420. yeares: but the 70. weekes ending in Christs passion, as is shewed before, there must be diducted 40. as some thinke 42. yeares, which came betweene the passion of Christ, and the destruction of the citie: so that this account of Pintus commeth short in the first part one yeare, and in the second two: for he reckoneth but 48. yeares to the finishing of the Temple, whereas 49. euen 7. propheticall weekes were expired then, and he alloweth but 38. yeares in the last number, which should be 40. or 42. yeares.
5. But the account of R. Salomon is much more short, who reckoneth but 490. yeares from the destruction of the first temple by Nebuchadnezzar, to the destruction of the second by Titus, whereof to Cyrus first he counteth 52. yeares. Not much differing is the account of other Hebrewes, who from Cyrus first vntounto the destruction of Ierusalem make reckoning but of 430. yeares, allowing to the Persian Monarchie but 50. yeares, to the raigne of the Greekes, an 175. to the Macchabees 103. to the Herodians an 103. as Montanus setteth it downe in his apparat, in Daniel.
But here are manifest errors in this account. 1. they beginne the 70. weekes 52. yeare▪ before the Angel deliuered this prophesie. 2. they giuegive vntounto the Persian Monarchie but 50. yeares, whereas so many yeares saue one were expired at the finishing of the Temple; and after that Nehemiah maketh mention of 32. yeares of the raigne of Artaxerxes, c. 5. 14. 3. from the ende of the Persian Monarchie to the destruction of Ierusalem, are yeares 400. which are thus gathered 300. yeares of the kingdome of the Greekes, 60. yeares of the Romane Empire to the death of Christ, and about 40. thence to the ouerthrow of the citie.
6. This then is resolued vponupon as the best account: the Persian Monarchie continued from the first of Cyrus 130. yeares, the Macedonians raigned 300. the Romanes vntounto the death of Christ 60. But for the more euident proofe and demonstration hereof, it shall not be amisse to set downe the particular account of the yeares of the Persian and Grecian Monarchie, to fulfill this number of yeares.