Notes for Episode #68
Quotes and extracts related to the recent "Decoding Daniel" episode. Also, at the bottom of this page, Donors & Paid Subscribers will find a BONUS PDF featuring an overview of Daniel's visions.
The Melchizedek Scroll (100 BC)
[The jubilee] applies to the Last Days and concerns the captives, just as Isaiah said: “To proclaim the jubilee to the captives” (Is 61:1)…Melchizedek…will return them to what is rightfully theirs. He will proclaim to them the jubilee, thereby releasing them from the debt of all their sins. This word will thus come in the first week of the jubilee period that follows nine jubilee periods. Then the “Day of Atonement” shall follow at the end of the tenth jubilee period, when he shall atone for all the Sons of Light and the people who are predestined to Melchizedek…For this is the time decreed for “the year of Melchizedek’s favor” (Is 61:2, modified) and for his hosts, together with the holy ones of God, for a kingdom of judgment, just as it is written concerning him in the Songs of David, “A godlike being has taken his place in the council of God; in the midst of the divine beings he holds judgment” (Ps 82:1). Scripture also says about him, “Over it take your seat in the highest heaven; a divine being will judge the peoples” (Ps 7:7–8)…
This visitation is the Day of Salvation that He has decreed…through Isaiah the prophet concerning all the captives, inasmuch as Scripture says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your divine being reigns’” (Is 52:7). This scripture’s interpretation: “the mountains” are the prophets, they who were sent to proclaim God’s truth and to prophesy to all Israel. And “the messenger” is the Anointed of the Spirit, of whom Daniel spoke, “After the sixty-two weeks, an Anointed One shall be cut off” (Dan. 9:26). The “messenger who brings good news, who announces salvation” is the one of whom it is written, “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, the day of vengeance of our God; 20 to comfort all who mourn” (Is 61:2)…“Your divine being” is Melchizedek, who will deliver them from the power of Belial.1
Justin Martyr (c. 150 AD) on the interpretation of Daniel 2 & 7
When Daniel speaks of ‘one like to the Son of man’ who received the everlasting kingdom (Dan 7:13-14)…in saying ‘like to’ the Son of man, he appeared and was man, but not of human seed. And the same thing he proclaimed in mystery when he speaks of this stone which was cut out without hands (Dan 2:34). For the expression ‘it was cut out without hands’ signified that it is not a work of man, but [a work] of the will of the Father and God of all things, who brought Him forth.2
Irenaeus (c. 180 AD) on the interpretation of Daniel 2, 3 and 7
For at one time [the incarnate Word] was seen with those who were around Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, as present with them in the furnace of fire, in the burning, and preserving them from fire: “And the appearance of the fourth,” it is said, “was like to the Son of God.” At another time [he is represented as] “a stone cut out of the mountain without hands,” and as smiting all temporal kingdoms, and as blowing them away and as himself filling all the earth. Then, too, is this same individual beheld as the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven and drawing near to the Ancient of Days, and receiving from Him all power and glory, and a kingdom “His dominion,” it is said, “is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom shall not perish.”3
Julius Africanus (c. 200) on the interpretation of Daniel 9
It is clear, then that the coming of Christ is foretold as to occur after seventy weeks. For in the time of our Saviour, or after his time, sins are done away and transgressions ended. And by this remission, iniquities are blotted out by a propitiation…eternal righteousness is published beyond that of the law, visions, and prophecies (last) until John (cf. Mt 11:13, Lk 16:16), and the Holy of holies anointed. For these things existed in expectation only before our Savior’s coming. And the angel explains we must count the numbers, that is to say, the seventy weeks, which are 490 years, from the going forth of the word of answer and from the building of Jerusalem. This took place in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, King of Persia…And Nehemiah was sent to take charge of the work, and the street and wall were built, as it has been prophesied…And from Artaxerxes to the time of Christ, seventy weeks are completed according to Jewish reckoning.4
Clement of Alexandria (c. 215 AD) on the interpretation of Daniel 9
That the temple accordingly was built in seven weeks [of years], is evident; for it is written in Ezra…And in the sixty and two weeks the whole of Judaea was quiet, and without wars. And Christ our Lord, “the Holy of Holies,” having come and fulfilled the vision and the prophecy, was anointed in His flesh by the Holy Spirit of His Father. In those “sixty and two weeks,” as the prophet said, and “in the one week,” was He Lord. The half of the week Nero held sway, and in the holy city Jerusalem placed the abomination; and in the half of the week he was taken away, and Otho, and Galba, and Vitellius. And Vespasian rose to the supreme power, and destroyed Jerusalem, and desolated the holy place. And that such are the facts of the case, is clear to him that is able to understand, as the prophet said. 5
Note: Though this passage by Clement of Alexandria influenced my own view of Daniel 9, I later came to see things a little differently. In my view, the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy relates to the time of Jesus’ 3-year ministry and the founding of the church in Jerusalem. The destruction of Jerusalem (which began under Nero) is prophetically described by Daniel as occurring sometime “after” that final week.
Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 300) on interpreting the book of Daniel
For the Scripture, in the book of Daniel, having expressly mentioned a certain number of weeks until the coming of Christ, of which we have treated in other books, most clearly prophesies, that after the completion of those weeks, the unction among the Jews should totally perish.6
When the captivity of the Jewish people at Babylon was near its end, the Archangel Gabriel…appeared to Daniel as he prayed, and told him that the restoration of Jerusalem was to follow without the slightest delay, and he defines the period after the restoration by numbering the years, and foretells that after the predetermined time it will again be destroyed, and that after the second capture and siege it will no longer have God for its guardian, but will remain desolate, with the worship of the Mosaic Law taken away from it, and another new Covenant with humanity introduced in its place…It is quite clear that seven times seventy weeks reckoned in years amounts to 490. That was therefore the period determined for Daniel’s people, which limited the total length of the Jewish nation’s existence…7
Since, then, it is evident that our Saviour was anointed uniquely beyond all that ever were with the excellent spiritual, or rather divine unction, He is rightly called “Holy of Holies” (Dan 9:24), as one might say, “High Priest of high priests,” and “Sanctified of the sanctified” according to the oracle of Gabriel.8
[When Daniel writes], “And the people of the prince to come will destroy the city and the holy place”…you would not be far wrong in saying that the Roman general and his army are meant by the words before us, who governed the nation from that time, and who destroyed the city of Jerusalem itself, and its ancient venerable Temple. For they were cut off by them as by a flood, and were at once involved in destruction until the war was concluded so that the prophecy was fulfilled and they suffered utter desolation after their plot against our Savior…9
Now the whole period of our Savior’s teaching and working of miracles is said to have been three-and-a-half years, which is half a week. John the Evangelist, in his Gospel, makes this clear to the attentive. One week of years therefore would be represented by the whole period of his association with the Apostles, both the time before his passion, and the time after his resurrection…So that this would be the prophet’s week of years, during which he “confirmed a covenant with many,” confirming that is to say the new Covenant of the Gospel…10
Sulpicius Severus (c. 403 AD) on the history of Vespasian and Titus
So then, after the departure of Nero, Galba seized the government; and ere long, on Galba being slain, Otho secured it. Then Vitellius from Gaul, trusting to the armies which he commanded, entered the city, and having killed Otho, assumed the sovereignty. This afterwards passed to Vespasian, and although that was accomplished by evil means, yet it had the good effect of rescuing the state from the hands of the wicked. While Vespasian was besieging Jerusalem, he took possession of the imperial power; and as the fashion is, he was saluted as emperor by the army, with a diadem placed upon his head. He made his son Titus, Caesar; and assigned him a portion of the forces, along with the task of continuing the siege of Jerusalem. Vespasian set out for Rome, and was received with the greatest favor by the senate and people; and Vitellius having killed himself, his hold of the sovereign power was fully confirmed. The Jews, meanwhile, being closely besieged, as no chance either of peace or surrender was allowed them, were at length perishing from famine, and the streets began everywhere to be filled with dead bodies…Thus, according to the divine will, the minds of all being inflamed, the temple was destroyed, three hundred and thirty-one years ago.11
Bede (c. 672-735) on the interpretation of Daniel 9
Christ was killed not immediately after the sixty-two weeks but at the end of the seventieth week…The events that follow—the fact that a people and their general would destroy the city and the sanctuary and that its end would be devastation and after the end of the war desolation would be decreed for it—these events do not pertain to the seventy weeks. It had foretold that those weeks extend up to the leadership of the Christ, but still the Scriptures, after foretelling his coming and passion, wanted to show what would take place thereafter to the people who refused to welcome him. He says that Titus would come with the Roman people, who in the fortieth year after the passion of our Lord destroyed the city and the temple so that not even one rock remained on top of another.12
John Calvin (c. 1557) on the interpretation of Daniel 7:24
“The ten horns are the ten kings which should arise” (Dan 7:24). These Ten Kings are clearly comprehended under one empire, and there is no question here of separate persons…[and the] fulfillment of this is sufficiently known from the history of Rome…The Little Horn follows: “A king shall arise,” says he, “different from those, other ones, and shall afflict three kings.” We showed how unintelligible this becomes unless we refer it to the Caesars to whom the monarchy passed…13
Note: After saying this Calvin goes on to give a different explanation of the three horns who were plucked up. In his view they refer to Octavian’s rise to power after the fall of the Triumvirate, but when Daniel says the little horn arrived when all ten horns were in view (Dan 7:8), this fits well with what we know of Vespasian and Titus. And when Daniel says that three of the first horns before them were plucked up by the roots, this again is a good fit for Vespasian and Titus, since they came to power immediately following the defeat of Galba, Otho and Vitellius in the year of four emperors.
Pascal (c. 1654) on the interpretation of Daniel 9
“Know therefore, and understand, that, from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and three score and two weeks.” (The Hebrews were accustomed to divide numbers, and to place the small first. Thus, 7 and 62 make 69. Of this 70 there will then remain the 70th, that is to say, the 7 last years of which he will speak next.) “The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after three score and two weeks,” (which have followed the first seven. Christ will then be killed after the sixty-nine weeks, that is to say, in the last week), “the Christ shall be cut off, and a people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary…”14
John Owen (c. 1668) on the interpretation of Daniel 9
“[T]his prophecy is expressly made use of in the New Testament…by our Lord Jesus Christ himself. For Mt 25:15, speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem, which according to this prediction, was immediately to succeed upon his coming and suffering, he says unto his disciples, “When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” …Luke interprets the word [saying], “an army encompassing Jerusalem unto the desolation thereof…” Wherefore our savior expressly applying this prophecy of Daniel to the destruction of Jerusalem, which was the consequent of his passion, he plainly declares, that in his suffering, and the desolations that ensued on the Jews, this whole prediction and limitation of time is fulfilled, and ought not to be sought after in any other season of the church.”15
“For the computation itself, the Jews universally acknowledge that the sevens here denote sevens of years, so that the whole duration of the LXX sevens comprises four hundred and ninety years…It would be a lost labor to divert unto the consideration of the fancy of Origin, who would have every seven to contain 70 years….Apollinaris also indulged to a more vain imagination, supposing the prophecy to give an account of the whole space of time, from the death of our savior unto the end of the world. But these fancies are exploded by all, both Jews and Christians are generally agreed, that the precise duration of the time determined, is four hundred and ninety years; and does not extend farther than the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus…That which we have to prove and establish from this prophecy against the Jews is first, that the true and only Messiah promised to the fathers is here spoken of, and the time of his coming limited. Secondly, that he was to come and to discharge his work before the expiration of the seventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety years from their proper date…”16
“‘After seven weeks and sixty-two weeks,’ that is, in the beginning or middle of the last week, the Messiah was to be ‘cut off.’ When this was past, and the covenant confirmed with many, unto the expiration of the whole time limited, the daily sacrifice was to cease, and an overflowing desolation was to come upon the city and temple. This the Jews themselves acknowledge to be the destruction brought upon them by the Romans, nor do any of them extend the four hundred and ninety years any farther. It remains therefore that the Messiah came before that desolation…”17
“[T]he city and sanctuary were destroyed thirty-seven years after the cutting off, or death of the Messiah…Now it is the coming, anointing, and cutting off of the Messiah that is the thing chiefly intended in this prophecy…Hereunto the desolation and destruction of the city and temple was only a consequent, a thing that should follow and ensue on what was principally foretold and promised.”18
John Lennox (2015) on the interpretation of Daniel 9
[The 490 years of this prophecy] brings us to the 30s AD, which is remarkable since Daniel says that at that time an anointed one shall be cut off (Daniel 9:26). Surely this was fulfilled when Jesus of Nazareth, who claimed to be the anointed one (Messiah) of God, was “cut off” by being crucified in Jerusalem — in or around AD 30…[The] prediction of the death of the Messiah contained in Daniel 9 is powerful evidence for the supernatural character of Scripture — as well, of course, as adding to the evidence for the truth of Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah.19
“And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” [T]his could very naturally be taken as a description of the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by Titus in AD 70. The question then arises: what does the rest of the passage refer to? The mention of abominations and desolations reminds us of Daniel 8 and also 11:31…These two passages both have a double reference — to Antiochus Epiphanes and to the time of the end. Could it be that Daniel 9 is doing a similar thing — but this time looking at the time of the end through the lens of AD 70? That is, the prince who is to come is Titus, who shall destroy Jerusalem.20
For additional quotes from Josephus and others as mentioned on episode 66, click here
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