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SL245, described in the Sotheby catalogue as c. 300,000 words on 975 pp., was bought at the Sotheby sale by Gabriel Wells for £48 and sold to Yahuda on 1 Aug. 1936 for the sale price plus 15%. On 24 May 1949, Yahuda wrote to the London dealer Heinrich Eisemann, 'As to lot 245 the new arrangement and replacement of the pages resulted in 1,530 pages instead of 975 pages as many pages had to be taken out from other lots. But for this manuscript I have a customer who wants to pay a much higher price than $3,800 suggested by you.' If this was true, the prospective buyer's desire to part with his or her cash presumably waned. There must subsequently have been further reordering of the manuscript as the present Yahuda Ms. 7 amounts to nowhere near 1,530 pp.
In this short Prophesy are predicted the all the main periods
to ecoming of
& that of the ceasing of the dayly sacrifice & setting up e
ing in prayer the man Gabriel touched me & informed me by talking
with me & said, O Daniel I am now come forth to give thee
skill & understanding [about thy people for whose restauration
thou prayest.] At the beginning of thy supplications the command
ment came forth [from God] and I am come to shew it thee, for
thou art greatly beloved. Therefore observe well the speech &
consider the Vision. Seventy weeks [of years] are aA
thy people & upon thy Holy City [viz from the time that it shall
be reincorporated into a people & City]bt as a book is sealed that is cannot be read.
in everlasting righteousness & to cis to finish or con a writing is to finish in ee
consummate it: a figure taken from sealing what is finished. So the Iews compute
Misna,
Book opened in the Apocalyps] and to annoint the most Holy [or
consecrate the great High Priest, that is by baptism th
unction ththblood his own blood. For
the High Priest was consecrated by water oyle & blood Exod. 29.
4 7 21
2. The double coming of the Messiah is in e
predicted. Know also & understand that from the going forth of
the commandment to build Ierusalem again untill the Messiah
the Prince [that is, untill his coming to reign as Prince] shall be
seven weeks.
Also [that you may not mistake ealso
that untill the Messiah] threescore & two weeks the street shall
be built again and the wall, but [this shall be] in troublesome times
and after the threscore & two weeks the Messiah shall [not reign
as Prince but] be cut off and kingdom
but the people of a Prince that shall come shall destroy the
City & the sanctuary and the end thereof shall be with a
flood and at the end of the war [untill God's wrath against
thy people shall be fulfilled & they shall return from capti
vity & rebuild Ierusalem] desolations are decreed.
3. The time of the ceasing of the dayly sacrifice is thus predicted.
And he [that other Prince the
sacrifice & Oblation to cease & de
he shall bring in the worship as with a flood the
opposition to ethche
summation.of ch
desolation & bchof the on [ech
be poured upon e
This is the Prophesy & the Interpretation is as follows. In the
first part of the Prophesy seventy weeks of years are recconed for the
duration of the People & Holy City unto the death of Christ. For they
recconed unto the finishing of transgression & blotting out of sins &
making reconciliation for iniquity & bringing in everlasting righteousness
all ch
of for the book ofethe last part of ch
be justly accounted the prophesies of Christ Christthe great Christ untill
his death, ee
the great High Priest that is ch
as the High Priest under the law was consecrated th
blood (Exod. 29.4, 7, 21) so Christ was consecrated an eternall High Priest by
baptism th
blood. Now the duration of the People & Holy City began when they
first returned from captivity so as to become again a people & Holy City.
There were but two returns from Captivity Zerubbabell's & Ezra's. In
Zerubbabel's they had only a Commission to build the Temple, in Ezra's
they first became reincorporated into a policy or City by a government of
their own. For Ezra not only revived the worship but alsoa
Commission set up Magistrates & Iudges in all the land to judge & govern
the people according to e
with death banishment confiscation & imprisonment & hereby was the sanhe
drim restored & the scattered Iewsb
Ier 48.42, 46, 47.
of the Scripture became reunited into a people or city.
Now Ezra returned in thec
And the years of Artaxerxes began about two or
three months after the summer solstice and his seventh year fell in
with eth Olympiad, & the latter part thereof
wherein Ezra went up to Ierusalem was in the 4257th year of the Iuli
an Period. Count the time from thence to e
will find it just 490 years, or 70 weeks of years. If you count in Iu
daic
first Autumn after Ezra's coming to Ierusalem when he put the
Kings decree in Execution: the death of Christ will fall on the year of
the Iulian Period 4747 anno Domini 34 & the weeks will be Iudaic
weeks ending with sabbatical years. And this I take to be the truth.
But if you had rather place the death of Christ in the year before
as is commonly done you may include the year of Ezras Iourney in the
recconing.
By the next part of the Prophesy the street & the wall were to be
built sixty & two weeks of years or 434 years untill the Messiah that is
untill the first coming. Now Ezra & they that came up thIerusalem Artaxerxes to Ierusalem
the wall but were prohibited (Ezra 4.12, 21, 23) &th year
of Artaxerxes while Ezra still continued there (Nehem 12.36) & found the
City lying wast & the houses & wall unbuilt (Nehem. 2.17 & 7.4) and
finished the wall in the 25t day of the month Elul (Nehem 6.17) in the
28th year of the King (Ioseph.
year or about the e
4278 or in et of Eluleeth year
of the King or on the beginning of that year. Count now this Septem
ber anno I.P. 4278, & the recconing will end in September anno I.P.
4712, the last year of chch
born according to Clemens Alexandrinus Irenæus, Eusebius, Epiphanius, Ierom
Orosius Cassiodorus & other ancients. For this was the general opinion of
the Ancients till Dionysius Exiguus invented the vulgar accompt in chIt will And it is observable
that in this recconing the years are Iewish years beginning in September & ending in autumn &ye weeks
with sabbatical years ch If th
some you reccon that Christ was born 3 or 4 years before the
vulgar accompt yet his birth will fall in the latter part of
the last week ch
cut off & the city & sanctuary destroyed by e
known.
By the last part of the Prophesy the Romans who captivated the
Iews were to make a firm league th
the week to take away the dayly sacrifice & set up the abomination
and so it fell out. For eth
eastern Princes of the Medes Parthians & Armenians A.D. 63 towards
the end of summer upon chand
(as the learned ptowards the end of in the beginning of the year 67
winterthey e
of Vespasian & Titus they began the war upon the Iews &
fice & Oblation to cease Iuly 17 A.D. 70, & set fire on the Temple
Aug 10 ensuing, & while the Temple was burning set up their
ensignes, ch
of the Temple over against the eastern gate and sacrificed to
them according to their Idolatrous manner, & soon after burnt eTemple lower city and on Sept 7th ensuing took e
these & other ensuing warrs the land was emptied of Iews & remains
desolate to this day.
In this short Prophesy e
of time relating to the Messiah, that of his death, those of both his period t
High-Priesthood; the t
the dayly sacrifice & setting up the abomination:and setting so that the interpretation is full.
up the Abomination of desolation.e
prophesy very
significant thout
defect or super
fluity.
1. The death of the Messiah
speaking in prayer the man Gabriel touched me & informed me
by talking with me & said, O Daniel I am now come forth to
give thee skill & understanding [about thy People for whose
restauration
ons the commandment came forth [from God] and I ame come
to shew it thee, for thou art greatly beloved. Therefore observe
well the speech & consider the Vision. Seventy weeks [of years]
are a
a phrase taken
from e
of numbring
by cutting not
ches.
of that time] to finish transgression & to b
as a book is sealed t
read.
make reconciliation for iniquity & to bring in everlasting righteousness ee
& to c
ing is in e
of e
summate or fi
nish it: a figure
taken from sealing t
Iews compute
obsignatum Misna,
Ab obsignatum
Talmudt
absolutum[that book opened in the Apocalyps,]
& to annoint the most Holy [or consecrate the ] who makes et
2. The double coming of the Messiah
predicted. Know also and understand that from the going forth
of the commandment to build Ierusalem again untill the Messi
ah the Prince [that is, untill his coming to reign as Prince]
be seven weeks.
3 [untill the Messiah] that you may not mistake the
commandment,] know that] byvertue of another commandment by means of th for to build Ierusalem
shall be built again & the wall, the Prophet]
some times, and after the threscore & two weeks the Messiah
shall [not reign as Prince but s shall
or City] shall not be his, but the people of a Prince that
shall come shall destroy the City and the Sanctuary and
the end thereof shall be with a flood and untill
of the war [untill Gods wrath against thy people shall be ]
fulfilled & they shall return from captivity & rebuild Ierusalem
desolations are decreed.
4. In the last place the time of the ceasing of the daily
sacrifice is thus predicted. And he [that other Prince or people]
shall make a firm covenant th
half the week [the latter half] he shall ]
fice & Oblation to cease & on the Verge [of the Temple set e
.....desolator.
even that che
In the first part of the Prophesy seventy weeks of years are reccon
ed for the duration of the People & Holy City unto e
of sins & making reconciliation for iniquity & bringing in everlasting
righteousness (all ch
the sealing of the book of Vision & Prophesy e
part of ch
his death he being the
the annointing of the most Holy or consecrating the great High
Priest, ch
Priest under the law was consecrated th
29.4, 7, 21) so Christ was consecrated an eternal High Priest by
baptism with water, unction th
his own blood. Now the duration of the People & Holy City
began when they first returned from captivity so as to become
again a people & Holy City, & this was under Ezra. There were
but two returns from captivity Zerubbabel's & Ezra's. In Ze
rubbabel's they had only a commission to build the Temple, in
Ezra's they first became reincorporated into a City or polity people or polity by a government of their own.
or people by
For Ezra not only revived the worship but also by the Kings
commission (Ezra 7) set up Magistrates & Iudges in all the land to
judge & governe the people according to e
King & punish offenders th
goods & imprisonment
the scattered Iews, (in the language of the scripture (Isa. 23.13 & 7.8
& Ier. 48.42, 46, 47) became reunited into a people or city. Now
itthat Ezra re (Ezra 7.7, 8, 9) & the years of Artaxer
turned from captivity
xes began about two or three months after the summer
solsticethe
80th Olympiad & the latter part thereof wherein Ezra went
up to Ierusalem was in eth year of e
Count the time from thence to e
will find it just 490 years, or 70 y
count in Iudaic civil years commencing in Autumn & date
the recconing from the first Autumn after Ezra's coming
to Ierusalem when he put the Kings Decree in execution:
4747 anno dom & year of r
weeks ending with sabbatical years. And this I take to be e
But if you had rather place the death of Christ in the year
before as is commonly done, you may include ee year of Ezra's
Iourney in the recconing.
By The next part of the Prophesy ee. Bed
were to be build sixty & two weeks of years or 434 years untill
the Messiah, that is untill his first coming
attempted to rebuild the wall they rebuilt the Temple in the reign
of Cyrus & Darius. Then they that came up with from Artaxerxes,
(that is Ezra & his companions,) having a larger Commission then Zerub
babel's, attempted to rebuild also the City & the wall but were opposed
& prohibited (Ezra 4.12, 21, 23) & in the 20th year of the King Nehe
miah came to Ierusalem while Ezra still continued there (Nehem.
12.36) & found the City lying wast & the houses & wall unbuilt
(Nehem 2.17 & 7.4) and rebuilt them by the Kings commission and
finished the wall in the 25th day of the Month Elul (Nehem. 6.17)
in the 28th year of the King (Ioseph.
September in eeither in the end year of
the Iulian Period 4278 or accordingly if et
of Elul fell on the end th year of the King. or on the be Count now 434 years from September anno
ginning of that year.
I.P. 4278 & e
year of chch
Clemens Alexandrinus, Irenæus, Eusebius, Epiphanius, Ierome, Orosius, Cassi
odorus & other ancients. For this was the general opinion of the An
cients till Dionysius Exiguus invented the vulgar accopmt in ch
birth is placed two years later. And it is observable that in this reccon
ing the sixty two weeks (as well as the seventy) are Iewish weeks ending
with sabbatical years; chth
you reccon that Christ was born three or four years before the vulgar
accompt, yet his birth will fall in the latter part of the last week, ch
is enough. How after these weeks Christ was cut off & the city & sanctu
ary destroyed by the Romans is well known.
By the last part of the Prophesy the Romans who captivated the
Iews were to make a firm league with the I many for a week, and in
half the week to take away the daily sacrifice & set up the abomination,
and so it fell out. The Romans made a firm peace thmany the eastern
Princes of the Medes Parthians & Armenians A.D. 63 towards e
summer chp
Worcester has explained) and in the beginning of the year 67 in spring or
towards the end of winter, under the conduct of Vespasian & Titus they e
to cease Iuly 17, A.D. 70, & set fire on the Temple Aug. 10 ensuing,
& while the Temple was burning set up their ensignes, ch
the Images of their Gods, in the Close or border of the Temple
over against the eastern Gate & sacrificed to them according to
their idolatrous manner & soon after burnt the lower City &
on Sept 7th ensuing took the upper City & by these & other wars the land was emptied of Iews & remains desolate
ensuing
to this day.
The seven weeks from the going forth of the commandment to
build Ierusalem again unto the Messiah the Prince remain to be
interpreted because not yet fulfilledthat chshall s the great
captivity & ushers in the reign of the Messiah the Prince, I beleive
the Iews such a coming readily be on my side, & perhaps not without reason
For all Daniels Prophesies reach to those times & there is scarce a
Prophesy in the old Testament concerning Christ ch
something or other relate to his second coming. If divers of the
Ancients as Irenæus (l. 5 Hær. c. 25) Iulius Africanus () Hippo
litus the Martyr & Apollinaris Bishop of Laodicea
to the times of Antichrist, why may not we by the same liberty of
Interpretation apply the seven weeks to e
be destroyed by the brightness of Christs coming. The Israelites in the
days of the ancient Prophets
& that at ebut
not like
afterwards they should return from all places of their captivity &
build Ierusalem and the Temple gloriously (Tobit 14.4, 5, 6) And to
express the glory & excellence of this City tis figuratively said to
be built of precious stones (Tobit 13.16, 17, 18. Isa 54.11, 12. Apoc 21) &
called the new Ierusalem, the heavenly Ierusalem, the holy City, the
Lambs wife, the City of the great King, the City into ch
of the earth do bring their glory & honour. And while such a
return from captivity was the expectation of Israel even before
the times of Daniel, I know not why Daniel should omit it in
this Prophesy. This part of the Prophesy therefore being not yet fulfill
ed I attempt not to interpret it, but shall only e
weeks & the 62 weeks were Iewish weeks ending th
so the seven weeks are the compass of a Iubile & begins & end with
actions ch
since ee
forth not from the Iews themselves but from some other Kingdom friendly
to them before they heir return
& lastly that this return from captivity & coming of the Messiah & his Kingdom
are described in Dan. 7 Apoc 19. Act. 1 Matt. 24 Ioel 3. Ezek 36, 37. Isa. 60, 62, 63, 65,
66 & many other places of scripture.
In this short Prophesy are predicted the birth & death & second etwo
comings of Christ & the Messiah also that of
phesies extend to Christ's second coming. His death is thus predicted.
e
informed me by talking with me & said, O Daniel I am now come forth
to give m
At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth
[from God] & I am come to shew it thee, for thou art greatly
beloved. Therefore observe well the speech & consider the Vision.
Seventy weeks [of years] are aeusual practise of numbring
by cutting notches lines or notches upon any thing wood.[or concerning] thy people
& upon [or concerning] thy Holy City [vizt from the time that it shall
be reincorporated into a people & Holy City] to finish transgression &
to seal up [orbup, t sinns & to make reconciliation for iniquity & to bring
in everlasting righteousness & to seal up the Vision & Prophet [or
the [ Vision & Prophesy under the Law [ the seven sealsth
opened in e
the great High Priest, viz tththeth
his own blood. For the High Priest was consecrated by water oyle & blood Exod 29.4, 7, 21.]
of e
Know also & understand that from e
mandment to build Ierusalem again untill the Messiah the Prince
[that is untill his coming [viz the shall eetthen
Also
& the wall [untill the Messiah] but [this
& after the threscore and two weeks the Messiah shall [not reign
as Prince but] be cut off and [the People or Kingdom] not be his,
but the people of a Prince that shall come shall destroy the City
& the Sanctuary & the end thereof shall be with a flood & at
the end of the war [untill God's wrath against thy people shall be
fulfilled & they shall return from captivity & rebuild Ierusalem]
desolations are decreed.
many for a week & in half that week [the latter half] he shall
make the Sacrifice & Oblation to cease & with a wing of abo
minations he shall make it
tion even that ch
Now of this Prophesy From e
seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus when Ezra returns returned from Babylon th
body of Ieth
on not only to restore e
Iudges over the Land & who might judge the people ee&&& by this And by this
commission was the Sanhedrim e
Nation & heare 70
A.C. 33 are just 490
dicted
By eeCity & street & the wall
of Ierusalem were to continuebe built 62 weeks of years or 434 years untill
the first coming of the Messiah: & so many
the 28th year of Artaxerxes Longimanus when Iosephus tells us the
wall was built ee
Æra.
InePrince Romans who destroyed the
captivated eth
& in ee
oblation learned ppof LLoyd has explained.
For Nero th
& Armenians A.C. 63 a little after ech
the Temple of Ianus was shut & a little after mid e
the Iews che
burning of the Temple Iuly 17 A.C. 70, & taking of ecaused the sacrifice & oblation to ceaseburnt
& the lower city burnt pre
It remains that ethe (as he isexpected by at e
Iews) falleee
counted from eetat the return of the present captivity . But when that captivity eof of ee
turn & Ierusalem be rebuilt is not here predicted
When & how the present captivity of e
salem be rebuilt is not here predicted nor after what manner the
Messiah shall come as Prince. But if the Iews are to continue as Prince
But comes as he is to come at e
from eereasonable that so long as the Nation of fit that a Iubile e
bile may be kept in memory of that return & of
should be then kept as well etas for the com day of the Messiahchrebuilt th
pretious stones Tobit 14.5, 6 & 13.16, 17 Isa. 54.11, 12. Apoc. 21.Iubiles sabbattick years &
Iubiles beeing kept by e
you have described in other Prophesies Dan 7.13, 14 Mattt 24.27, 30. Acts 1.11 Apoc 19.15, 16
I enter not into ee
The Prophesy runs by weeks of years: & as in recconing by days we neg
lect e
I use solar years because the Iews used Lunisolar years from etime of time of Moses & ee
æra of Nabonassar.
Daniel in recconing by weeks of years uses ech
by sevens, every seventh year being a sabbatical one. And accordingly For
the birth & death of Christ & destruction of Ierusalem fell on sabbatical
years & therefore all Daniels weeks
it highly probable that that e
kind, especially since they contein e
the year of the in chts forth to rebuild Ierusalem &
the yeare in chs to be Prince be celebrated by e
Iews thchech
heaven & be built of precious stones (Apoc 21. Isa 54.11, 12 & Tobit 13.16, 17 & 14.5, 6.) & therefore its Encœnia deserves eAnd is that year in propsect of chch
the Iews kept the last day of the feast of Tabernacles the
of rejoycing.
b Heb. And [from thence forward] the abominations chs are
upon the wing, that is begin to advance & flow into e
b eech
sition to eabomination worship of abominati
ons che
the land & be persecuted & driven out of it e
the daily sacrifice these abominations are upon the wing that is begin to
advance & come into the land. Some by the wing understand
battlements of eIdo abominations were placed upon it there
and caused the daily sacrifice & oblation to cease Iuly 17 A.C. 70 & set fire on the
Temple Aug. 10 ensuing and while e
ensignes cheet
the eastern gate & sacrificed to them according their Idolatrous manner.
& soon after burnt ee
By the next part of ee
sixty & two weeks of years or 434 years untill e his first coming. Now eafter the Temple was finished in e
that is Ezra & his companions attempted to rebuild Ierusalem & its wall but
were opposed & prohibited (Ezra 4.12, 21, 23) Then came Nehemiah to Ierusalem
Now before eeee
in e
Ezra & his companions attempted to rebuild ee
& prohibited (Ezra 4.12, 21, 23) & in eth year of the King Nehemiah came to Ieru
salem while Ezra still
houses & wall unbuilt (Nehem 2.17, & 7.4) & rebuilt them by e
finished the wall in e28 25th year of et day of the month Elul (Nehe
6.17) in eth year of the King (Ioseph.
Let the Messiah be considered as a Prophet during his life
Priest making intercession for us in the Heavens from e
resurrection & ascention & as a King after his return or second coming:
and in this short Prophesy according to e
will be predicted all the main periods of time relating to him & his
kingdom, so that e
his High-priesthood, the beginning of
coming as a Prophet & the time of destroying the city & sanctuary
taking away the dayly sacrifice & setting up e
by doing all this it renders the whole Prophesy very significant thout
defect or superfluity.
1. The beginning of his Highpriesthood is thus predicted. While I was speaking in prayer the man Gabriel touched me & informed me by talking with me & said, O Daniel I am now come forth to give thee skill & understanding [about thy people for whose restauration
2. The beginning of his reign is in eKnow also & understand that from the going forth of the commandment to build Ierusalem again unto the Messiah the Prince [that is untill his
3. Then follows the birth of the Messiah & in these words. consequent
theretoAlso [that you may not mistake e
know that there shall precede another commandment to build Ierusa
lem & therebythrescore & two weeks the street shall be built again & the wall [untill the Messiah]
4. Lastly the ceasing of e
other Prince or people] shall make a firm covenant th
week & in half the week [the latter half] he shall [
ary &] make the sacrifice & Oblation to cease & on the verge [of the
Temple set up] the Abomination dch
desolate.e
consummation even that ch
desolate.
In the first part of the Prophesy seventy weeks of years are recconed
for the duration of the People & Holy City unto e
ceased to act as a Prophet & was consecrated an High Priest for ever after the
order of Melchisedeck. For they are recconed unto the finishing of transgression
& blotting out of sins & making reconciliation for iniquity & bringing in ever
lasting righteousness (all che
perfect High Priest then those under the law offered himself once for all a
sacrifice for
& Prophesy that book opened in the Apocalyps, part of ch
accompted the prophesies of Christ untill his death he being the Prophet pre
dicted by Moses, the last & greatest of the Prophets under the law; and lastly
unto the annointing of the most Holy or consecrating the great High Priest, ch
Law was consecrated th
consecrated an eternal High Priest by baptism th
Holy ghost & sprinkling th
Holy City began when they first returned from captivity so as to become
again a people & City & this was under Ezra. There were but two
returns from captivity Zerubbabel's & Ezra's. In Zerubbabel's they had
only a commission to build the Temple, in Ezra's they first became rein
corporated into a people or polity by a government of their own. For
Ezra not only revived the worship but also by the Kings commission set up
Magistrates & Iudges in all the Land to judge & govern the people according
to the law of God & the King & punish offenders with death banishment con
fiscation of
restored & the scattered Iews (in the language of the scripture Isa. 23.13 & 7.8
& Ier 48.42, 46, 47) became reunited into a People or City. This return of
Ezra from captivity was in the seventh year of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7.7, 8, 9) & e
years of Artaxerxes began in autumn (Ezra 7.7, 8, 9. Nehem 1.1 & 2.1 & 5.14) & his
seventh year fell in with the third year of the 80th Olympiad & the latter
part thereof wherein Ezra went up to Ierusalem was in the 4257th year of
the Iulian Period. Count the time from thence to the death of Christ & you
will find it just 490 years or 70 weeks of years. If you count in
Iudaic civil years commencing in Autumn & date the recconing from
the first autumn after Ezra's coming to Ierusalem when he put the
King's decree in execution: the death of Christ will fall on the year of the r
ending with sabbatical years. And this I take to be the truth. But if you
had rather place the death of Christ in the year before as is commonly
done, you may include the year of Ezra's journey in the recconing.
The next part of the Prophesy concerns the coming of the Messiah
as Prince & is not yet fulfilled. By the third part thereof the street &
the wall were to be built threescore & two weeks of years or 434 years
untill the Messiah, that is untill his other coming when he should not
reign but be cut off. Now before the Iews attempted to
they rebuilt the Temple in the reign of Cyrus & Darius. Then they
that came up from Artaxerxes,
larger commission then Zerubbabel's, attempted to rebuild also the City &
the wall but were opposed & prohibited (Ezra 4.12, 21, 23) & in the 20th
year of the King Nehemiah came to Ierusalem while Ezra still con
tinued there (Nehem. 12.36) & found the City lying wast & the
houses & wall unbuilt (Nehem 2.17 & 7.4) & rebuilt them by the Kings
commission & finished the wall on the 25th day of the month Elul
(Nehem. 6.17) in the 28th year of the King (Ioseph. Antiq. l. 11. c. 5
that is in September in the end of the Iewish civil year, in the year
of the Iulian Period 4278, or perhaps in the year before if the 25th of
Elul fell on the beginning of the 28th year of the King. Count now
434 years from September anno I.P. 4278 and the recconing will
end in September anno I.P. 4712, the last year of ch
the year of ch
næus, Eusebius, Epiphanius, Ierome, Orosius, Cassiodorus & other an
cients. For this was the general opinion of the ancients till Dionysius
Exiguus invented the vulgar accompt in ch
years later. And it is observable that in this recconing the sixty two
weeks (as well as the seventy) are Iewish weeks ending with sabbatical
years; ch
that Christ was born three or four years before the vulgar accompt
yet his birth will fall in the latter part of the last week, ch
How after these weeks the Messiah was cut off & the City & Sanctuary
destroyed by the Romans is well known.
By the last part of the Prophesy the Romans who destroy the City
were to make a firm league th
to take away the daily sacrifice & set up the abomination, & so it fell out.
The Romans made a firm peace the
Parthians & Armenians towards the end of summer A.D. 63, upon ch
the Temple of Ianus was shut (as the learned Bishop of Worcester has
explained) & in the beginning of the year 67 in spring or towards
the end of winter under the conduct of Vespasian & Titus they began
the war upon the Iews & made the Sacrifice & Oblation to cease
Iuly 17, A.D. 70, & set fire on the Temple Aug. 10 ensuing, & while the ch
in the Close or border of the Temple over against the Eastern Gate &
sacrificed to them according to their idolatrous manner & soon after
burnt the lower City & on Sept. 7th ensuing took e
these warrs the land was emptied of Iews & remains desolate to this day.
The seven weeks from the going forth of the commandment to build
Ierusalem again unto the Messiah the Prince, remain to be interpreted. In
dating them from a commandment ch
the reign of the Messiah I beleive the Iews will not much oppose me. for they
expect his future reign & all Daniels prophesies reach to those times and
there is scarce a Prophesy in the old Testament concerning Christ ch
not in something or other relate to his second coming. If divers of the An
cients, as Irenæus (
& Apollonius Bishop of Laodicea (
to the times of Antichrist, why may not we by the same liberty of Inter
pretation apply the seven weeks to the time when Antichrist shall be de
stroyed by the brightness of Christ's coming. The Israelites in the days of e
ancient Prophets when the ten Tribes were led into captivity expected a
double return from captivity & that at the first return the Iews should
build a new Temple inferior to Solomon's untill the time of that age
should be fulfilled & afterwards they should return from all places of
their captivity & build Ierusalem & the Temple gloriously (Tobit 14.4, 5, 6)
And to express the glory & excellence of this City tis figuratively said to
be built of pretious stones (Tobit 13.16, 17, 18. Isa 54.11, 12. Apoc. 21) & called
the new Ierusalem the heavenly Ierusalem, the Holy City, the Lamb's wife,
the City of the great King, the City into ch
do bring their glory & honour. And while such a return from Captivity
was the expectation of Israel even before the times of Daniel, I know
not why Daniel should omit it in this Prophesy. This part of the Prophe
sy therefore being not yet fulfilled I attempt not to interpret it, but
content my self with observing, that as the 70 weeks & the 62 weeks
were Iewish weeks ending with sabbatical years so the seven weeks
are the compass of a Iubile & begin & end with actions proper for
a Iubile & of the highest concern nature for ch
& that since the commandment to rebuild Ierusalem precedes the Messi
ah the Prince 49 years, it may perhaps come forth not from the Iews
themselves but from some other Kingdom friendly to them & precede
their return from Captivity & give occasion to it, & lastly that this
& 58.12 & 61.4 & 65 18, 21, 22 & Tobit 14.5 & the
described in Dan. 7. Apoc. 19 Act. 1. Math 24. Ioel 3. Ezek 36, 37. Isa. 60,
62, 63, 65 & 66 & many other places of scripture. The manner I know
not. Let time be the Interpreter.
V Daniel I now come forth
He [the Angel Gabriel] informed me by talking with me & said, O Daniel
I am now come forth to give thee skill & understanding. At the beginning of thy
supplications the commandment came forth [from God] & I am come to shew it
thee: for thou art greatly beloved: therefore observe well the
the Vision. Seventy weeks [of years] are numbred upon [or concerning] thy
people & upon [ teth year of Artaxerxes Longimanus
when by the Commission of Ezra not only to return th
& restore the worship in e
the Nation th
(Ezra 7.) whereby the Sanhedrim was restored & the Iews became again
people & holy city]t from the time that it shall be reincorporated
into a people & holy City by aseale up
reconciliation for iniquity & to bring in everlasting righteousness & to seal up [the book of] ey [or the book of Vision & Prophesy under the
law the
Holy [or consecrate the great High Priest. [All in the end of those weeks.ch
the death of Christ.]
Know also & understand that from the going forth of the t
to build Ierusalem again unto
Prince ch
Also [ from the 28th of Artaxerxesfrom ]e like
commandment] untill the Mess coming or birth of the Messiahshall
the wall shall be built again & the street but [this] in troublesome times
& after the threescore & two weeks the Messiah shall be cut off
[not reign as Prince but] be cut off & not reign over them the Kingdom
not be his but the people of a Prince that shall come ]after he is cutt shall destroy the city & the sanctuary & the end thereof shall be
of]th
people shall be fullfilled
And he [that Prince] shall make a firm covenant th
week [viz & in half that week [the latter half] t chth
Armenians in ethe eche
he shall make e[viz & in t by the War of Titus
Vespasian & Titus chee
year 67 & ended put an end to theeIul 17 by the burning of the Temple
A.C. 70A Iuly 17 A.C. 70]
shall be the abomination of desolation, & untill the consumation shall ch
is decreed shall be poured upon eor at ech
decreed shall be poured upon the desolate.
In this short Prophesy are foretold the death & birth & death & second
coming of Christ & e Ierusalem. For all Daniels Prophesies e
extend to Christs second coming. But because that part of itchChrists d coming is not yet fulfilled it has hitherto gra
It has also gravelled the Iews who expect no other t
and untill that coming be accomplished it has gravelled must remain in the
dark. I do not therefore undertake to interpret it (for I know not the what is to be understood) but only have to shew
it may th& so to leave turn eIews & Christians upon the more upon it
untill it be fulfilled interpreted by the event. I shall therefore
first set down the Prophesy its application to history e
& then apply it to history so far as 'tis fulfilled.
He [the Angel Gabriel informed me & said
I shall therefore first set down e the Inter
pretation so far as they are hitherto fulfilled.
The Chronology of the Kings of Persia is so well stated by
Eclipses & other characters
about it but take it for granted that
spring Anno Iul. Per. 4185. & e
of Smerdes & then Darius Hy
36 years. Then succeeded Xerxes in spring or between Sy
reigned almost 21 years & after him Artabanus seven months & then
began Artaxerxes Longimanus in autumn 4250, & died in
winter in the end of ee
of Xerxes & Sogdian & died in winter in eend of seventh year of e4289.e
But because the Iews