Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 9 · Doctrines 1 · Question 62
Quest. 62. Of the 62. weekes, how they are to be vnderstood.
1. Pererius obserueth vponupon this place, that in some copies of the Complutense edition, for 62. weekes, there are put 64. weekes: which he noteth to be a manifest error, seeing that in the originall, and the best translated copies, there is mention made onelyonly of 62. weekes, which make 434. yeares.
2. Iosephus Scalliger doth not beginne these 62. weekes, where the first 7. ende, but doth giuegive a diuerse beginning vntounto them: the 7. weekes he would hauehave beginne in the 2. of Darius Nothus, and ende in the 32. of Artaxerxes Mnemon: the 62. weekes he thinketh to beginne in the 5. yeare of Mnemon, and to ende at the passion of Christ.
But 1. in that the Angel putteth all these weekes together in one whole summe of 70. it is euident, that the 62. weekes must followe immediately after the 7. weekes, and the 70. and last weeke after the 62. 2. seeing that Ezra was sent in the 7. yeare of Artaxerxes, Ezra. 7. 1. Scalliger thinketh that the decree was made for his returne in the 5. yeare, but he spent one yeare in his preparation: But M. Liuely answereth that one yeare will not serue his turne: for from the last yere of the 202. Olympiad, counting 434. backward, we come to the second yeare of the 94. Olympiad, which falleth into the 3. yeare of Artaxerxes raigne by Scalligers owne confession: but by Bullingers tables, the 2. yeare of the 94. Olympiad, bringeth vsus to the 15. yeare of Darius N…thus, 5. yeares before Artaxerxes beganne to raigne: so that Scalliger misseth of his reckoning 3. or 4. yeares after his owne account: thus M. Liuely p. 231.
3. Some beginne these 7. weekes and 62. weekes, in the 65. Olympiad, which was in the beginning of Darius Hystaspis raigne, and bring them to the 186. Olympiad, which make 483. yeares, at such time as Hyrcanus was killed, in whom the line of the anointed Priests ceased, and then Herod a stranger vsurped the kingdome, Euseb. in Chronicis. but in this account we want aboue 60. yeares to the death of the Messiah, who after these 62. weekes was to be slaine.
4. Theod…ret beginneth the 62. weekes at the building of the citie in the 20. of Artaxerxes Longimanus, and endeth with Eusebius at Hyrcanus death, and thence to Christs baptisrne he counteth the other 7. weekes. But this account cannot stand: for as Pererius casteth the time; from the 20. of Longimanus which was in the 4. yeare of the 83. Olympiad, to Hyrcanus death, which was as Iosephus reckoneth, lib. 15. antiquit. in the 187. Olympiad, are not 62. weekes, or 434. yeares, but onelyonly 59. weekes, which make 414. yeares: And from Hyrcanus death in the 187. Olympiad, to the baptisme of Christ in the beginning of the 202. Olympiad, are not onelyonly 7. weekes, that is 49. yeares: but almost 9. weeks, euen 60. yeares.
5. Bullinger beginneth these 62. weekes in the 11. yeare of Darius Nothus, and endeth them in the passion of Christ: whereas the 62. weekes must beginne after the 7. weekes, which as is shewed before, beginne at Cyrus first, and ende in the 6. of Darius Longimanus.
6. Pererius beginning the 7. weekes at the 20. of Longimanus, and ending them by his owne account about the 10. yeare of Artaxerxes Mnemon, there beginneth the 62. weekes, and endeth them at the baptisme of Christ: but the 7. weekes were ended in the 6. yeare of Longimanus, as is prooued before quest. 58. then can they not beginne at the 20. yeare of Longimanus.
7. But Osiander is further wide, who beginning the 7. weekes at the 20. of Longimanus, and putting vntounto them 62. weekes more, which make 483. yeares, bringeth them to the verie time of Christs passion, and there beginneth the 70. and last weeke: he varieth 3. yeares and an halfe from all the rest, who beginning as he doth, yet determine the 69. weeks at Christs baptisme. How further these 62. weekes are yet diuersely interpreted by some other both for their beginning and ende, see before, quest. 57.
8. Then it remaineth, that these 62. weekes must beginne where the 7. weekes ende, in the 6. of Darius, and they ende at the last seuentie weeke, which beganne three yeares and an halfe before the baptisme of Christ; and the other halfe is set apart for the holy preaching and Blessed passion of Christ. Bulling. H. Br. who both agree for the ende of these 62. weekes: but they differ in the beginning: M. Bullinger reckoneth the 62. weekes from the 11. of Darius Nothus, and the 7. weekes from the 20. of Longimanus.
9. Melancthon beginneth the 7. and 62. weekes, which make 69. in all, in the 2. of Longimanus, when the Temple beganne to be reedified, and endeth them at Christs baptisme: But as is shewed before, quest. 58. the 7. weekes must ende in the sixt of Darius Longimanus: wherefore the meaning is this, that after 62. weekes ioyned with the former 7. the Messiah shall be slaine, not immediately after those 69. weekes, but in the 70. and last weeke following after the 69. Bullinger. Vatabl. Lyran.