Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 9 · Doctrines 1 · Question 58
58. Quest. When this tearme of 7. weekes, that is, 49. yeares beganne, and when it ended.
1. R. Salomon, whome Lyranus seemeth herein to incline vntounto, beginneth these seuen weekes from the destruction of the first Temple by Nabuchadnezzer, and endeth them at Cyrus, which time by his account maketh 52. yeares. But in this number of 52. yeares, there are 3. yeares aboue 7. prophetical weekes, that is, 49. yeares, which the Rabbin is constrained (to make his account euen) to put off to the beginning of the 62. weekes: but then is not the Angels diuision iust and true, that cutteth off onelyonly 7. weekes from the rest: and beside, these 7. weekes must beginne from the going forth of the word for the people to returne, they take not then beginning so long before.
2. M. Calvin beginneth these yeares in the first of Cyrus, and endeth them in the sixt yeare of Darius the sonne of Hystaspis, the 3. king of Persia: but this can not be: for they that giuegive the most yeares vntounto Cyrus and Cambyses, allow but vntounto the one 30. to the other 7. excepting onelyonly Luther, who following Euseb. l. de demonstr. Euang. giueth to each of them 20. yeares: then adde the 6. yeares of Darius, they will make but 43. how then can the seuen weekes here be fulfilled? Beside, that Darius, in whose sixt the Temple was reedified, called Darius of Persia, was not Darius Hystaspis, the 3. king of Persia, but before this Darius three other kings are named, Cyrus, Assuerus, Artashasht, Ezr. 4. 6, 7.
3. Oecolampadius proceedeth an other way: for thus he casteth vp the reckoning: he alloweth vntounto Cyrus 9. yeares, and to Cambyses 8. or to Cyrus 14. and to Cambyses 3. and then he putteth hereunto 20. of Darius, when Nehemiah was sent to Ierusalem, in whose 32. yeare the building of the citie was finished. But in this account diuers errours are committed. 1. in giuing 17. yeares to Cyrus and Cambyses, therein he differeth from other Chronologers: the Hebrewes giuegive vntounto them both 9. yeares ioyntly: the most 37. yeares: Bullinger to Cyrus 16. to Cambyses 8. If it shall be free for men, to allot vntounto the raigne of kings more or fewer yeares at their pleasure, wheresoeuer they beginne their account, they may make it agree. 2. Darius in whose time the Temple was built, was not Darius the sonne of Hystaspis, who immediatly succeeded Cambyses: for before this Darius are named three other kings, as is shewed before out of Ezr. 4. 6, 7. but Darius Hystaspis was the third king of Persia.
4. Bullinger will hauehave these 7. weekes beginne in the 7. yeare of Artaxerxes Longimanus, when Ezra was sent with a new commission to Ierusalem, Ezr. 7. from thence counting 49. yeares we shall come to the 11. yeare of Darius Nothus; counting as he doth to Longimanus raigne 44. yeares: and in this time was the citie repaired by Nehemiah, but with much trouble. But this account also faileth: 1. The Temple was, after many yeares intermission, built and finished before Ezra was sent, in the 6. yeare of Darius, Ezr. 6. 15. which intermission is signified, in the diuiding of these 7. weekes from the rest, as shall afterward appeare, qu. 59. 2. He beginneth the 7. weekes, where they should ende, namely at the finishing of the Temple, as shall be shewed afterward.
5. They likewise which beginne these 7. weekes at the 20. yeare of Artaxerxes Longimanus, as Pererius, with diuers others, can shew no reason, why these 7. weekes should be cut off from the rest, sauing that because in this time Nehemiah was sent: and in the ende of this tearme, in the raigne of Artaxerxes Mnemon, he thinketh the historie of Esther and Mordecai fell out. But Pererius is much deceiued. 1. he beginneth the 7. weekes after the time, wherein they should ende, namely, at the finishing of the Temple, as followeth to be shewed. 2. And it is before prooued, that Mordecai liued not vnderunder Artaxerxes Mnemon, but vnderunder Darius Hystaspis, who is called Assuerus, as is shewed before, qu. 44. 3. But though they seeme to alleadge some reason for the beginning of these 7. weekes in the 20. of Artaxerxes, there can be no probable cause shewed, of the ending of these weekes, which by Pererius account will bring vsus to the 10. yeare of Artaxerxes Mnemons raigne, whome he supposeth to be Esters Assuerus: for in that storie, there is no speciall note made of the 10. yeare, but of the 3. yeare, wherein he made a feast to his nobles, Esth. 1. 3. of the 7. yeare, when he married Esther, c. 2. 16. and of the 12. yeare, when Haman procured the decree against the Iewes, c. 3. 7.
6. Some beginne these 7. weekes at the 20. yeare of Artaxerxes Longimanus, and ende them at the 2. of Artaxerxes Memor, M. Lydyat, pag. 78.
But beside the difference in this computation betweene him and Pererius, who bringeth the 7. weekes from the 20. of Longimanus, to the 10. of Memor, or Mnemon, no reason can be assigned of the breaking off and diuiding those 7. weekes from the other: he saith, that other cities of Iudea beganne then to be builded, but with much trouble: but Daniel maketh mention onelyonly of building Ierusalem in this place.
7. Iosephus Scalliger lib. 6. de emendat. tempor. M. Iunius, M. Liuely in his Persian Monarchie, and Polanus beginne these 7. weekes in the 2. yeare of Darius Nothus, and ende them in the 32. of Artaxerxes Mnemon, when Nehemiah returned, after he had finished the building of the citie vntounto the king of Persia, Nehem. 5. 14. there remained 17. yeares after Darius second, whom they held to hauehave raigned 19. yeares: which make the summe of 49. yeares: in which space of time, both the Temple and citie were builded.
But against this opinion it may thus be obiected. 1. the 7. weekes, and the 70. weekes hauehave the same beginning from the going forth of the word, which is before prooued at large to hauehave beene in the first of Cyrus, quest. 43. 2. they beginne these weekes where they should ende: for these 7. weekes were the time of the intermission and breaking off of their worke, in building the citie and Temple: the Angel sheweth how long that worke should be interrupted, after the which they should beginne to build.
8. M. Iunius then in his former edition beginneth these weekes in the first of Cyrus, and endeth them in the 20. yeare of Longimanus, when Nehemiah had his commission giuen him▪ so also H. Br. in his commentarie: But from Cyrus 1. to the sending of Nehemiah in the 20. Artaxerxes Longimanus, must needes be aboue 49. yeares in account: for the foure former kings of Persia, Cyrus, Cambyses, Darius the sonne of Hystaspis, and Xerxes, had more then 30. yeares among them.
9. Wherefore the best reckoning of these 7. weekes is this: to beginne them with M. Calvin, Oecolampad. M. Br. in Cyrus first, and to ende them in the 6. of Darius Longimanus, when the Temple was finished: and in the 7. yeare was Ezra sent, and in the 20. by the same king, Nehemiah: my reasons are these. 1. from the first going forth of the word, which was in Cyrus time; must these 7. weekes take beginning, which make 49. yeares: the time is too short to end them in the raigne of Darius Hystaspis, which was within 49. yeares, and too long to extend them to Darius Nothus, who was the sixt king of Persia, which was about 70. yeares from Cyrus first: therefore one must be taken betweene them, and that was Darius Artaxerxes called Longimanus, who was next before Nothus: Longimanus is held by the most to hauehave raigned 40. yeares, which yeares added to the raigne of 4. kings before Cyrus, Cambyses, Darius, Xerxes, will make too many for the account of 49. yeares, to the 2. of Nothus. 2. The Temple was 46. yeare in building as the Iewes say, Iohn. 2. which yeares must be accounted from the 3. of Cyrus, when the building beganne to be hindred, for the which cause Daniel was in heauines 3. weekes of dayes, Dan. 10. 3. so we shall hauehave the summe of 46. yeares from Cyrus 3. and of 49. from Cyrus 1. to the finishing of the Temple.
But it will be obiected, that it was Darius Nothus, in whose 6. the Temple was built, because he had an Artaxerxes going before him, Ezra. 4. 7. and an other after him, Ezr. 6. 14. and 7. 1. and so he was in the middes betweene two Artaxerxes, Longimanus and Mnemon, and that must needes be Nothus, Ioseph. Scalliger lib. 6. de emendat. temp.
Answ. That Artashasht mentioned, Ezra. 4. 7. who sent a rescript to hinder the building of the citie and Temple, was not Artaxerxes Longimanus, but Cambyses, who was a chiefe hinderer of the building of the Lords house. 1. Longimanus is held of all to hauehave beene a friend vntounto the Iewes. 2. In the accusation sent to Artashasht they say, that the Iewes did build and lay the foundation of the walles, Ezr. 4. 12. they speake, as of a thing then in doing, which could not be so many yeares (more then 40) after in Longimanus time: for the worke was intermitted vntounto the time of Darius. Ezra. 4. 5. this complaint then was made to Artashasht, prince vnderunder Cyrus, namely, Cambyses his sonne, who had the administration of the kingdome, his father beeing occupied in forren warres abroad: so Iun. edition. 3. Vatab. H. Br. Though Assuerus be mentioned before v. 6. which was Darius Hystaspis, how in the beginning of his raigne an accusation was made against them; that prooueth not the Artashasht following to be Longimanus: but the storie returneth to shewe the originall of that accusation, which formerly had beene made.
3. That place, Ezr. 6. 14.Whether Darius and Artashasht mentioned Ezr. 6. 14. were all one king. prooueth not an other Artashasht to hauehave succeeded Darius: there are diners opinions. 1. Some thinke, that Artaxerxes Mnemon caused such things to be finished, which belonged to the ornament of the Temple, which was made an ende of in his fathers time: ex Vatabl. but here the finishing of the Temple is ascribed to Darius and Artashasht together, not to one after an other. 2. Iunius thinketh, that Artashasht raigned together with his father: but it is not like that in the second yeare of Darius, when the worke beganne, that Darius sonne was so old, as to take the administration of the kingdome vponupon him. 3. Some by Darius vnderstand Darius the Mede, who ioyntly with Cyrus gaue that commandement at the first; and by Artashasht they vnderstand Longimanus, Iun. annot. edit. 1. 4. Some thus read, Darius, that is, Artashasht, Vatab. and M. Br. nameth him Darius Artashasht, which seemeth to hauehave beene a common appellation to most of the Persian kings, Iun. Genevens. annotat. in Ezra 7. 1. I preferre this latter, for in the first commandement which was giuen vntounto the Iewes to returne, onelyonly mention is made of Cyrus, 2. Chron. 36. 32. Ezra. 1. 1. Darius then called king of Persia, which was Longimanus, Ezra. 4. 24. the same is Artashasht called here king of Persia, and Ezra. 6. 22. king of Ashur, and Nehem. 13. 6. king of Babel: a part of the kingdome beeing by the figure Synecdoche taken for the whole: for all was vnderunder the gouernement of the kings of Persia.
4. Some thinke that the first Artashasht or Artaxerxes mentioned Ezra. 4. 7. was Smerdes, which vsurped the kingdome after Cambyses, for 7. moneths: and the other Artaxerxes spoken of Ezra. 6. 14. and 7. 1. was Artaxerxes Longimanus, and Darius there mentioned was Darius Hystaspis called the king of Ashur, Ezra. 6. 22. because he snbdued Babylon and Assyria, so M. Lydyat de emendat. tempor. pag. 64, 65. 73.
But 1. it is not like that Smerdes beeing king not aboue 7. moneths, and not throughly setled, could be such an hinderer of the building of Ierusalem: or that in so short a time, there could be such entercourse by letters to and fro from the king of Persia to Ierusalem beeing farre distant, euen 4. moneths iourney, Ezra. 7. 9. the other Artaxerxes, was indeed Longimanus, as is before shewed, and the same was the Darius also there mentioned, Ezra. 6. 14. for how could the temple be said to be finished by the commandement of Artashasht, who yet raigned not, but is mentioned by anticipation, as be thinketh: and as Darius is here called king of Ashur, fo is Artashasht called king of Babel, Nehem. 13. 6. they were both the same as is before shewed, a part of the kingdome is taken for the whole.