the Kings of the South are called the Kings of Egypt proceeding from Ptolomeus the sonne of Lagus Now there resteth is remaining one seauen which is the last the seuentith wherof also sme thing must be said seeing it comprehendeth the Ministerie of Christ the Lord his death in which is the fulnes of times Of the which it is thus prophecied in the 9. of Daniel the 27. ver But he shall confirme the couenant for many in one seuen in the half of the last seuen shall cease offring sacrifice and in the Tēple shalbe abhomination of desolation and desolation shall continue vntill a consummation and ende Which words in part are rather taken out of some Greeke Interpreter than out of the Hebrue text and whether they be taken out of the seuentie Interpreters the proper interpretation of this verse in the Greeke Copies printed at Strausburge in the yeare of our Lord 1526. maketh somewhat doubtfull If anie enquire after the Hebrue and desireth to know let them heare and vnderstand that the words may be thus translated And one seauen shall confirme the couenaunt for manie and the halfe of that seuen shall cause to cease Sacrifice and Offering and euerie one shall bee amazed for the extremitie of abhomination desolation shall drop vpon the astonished euen vnto a certaine destruction But in this place wee must chieflie looke vnto the Hebrue because the Latine Greek doth expound and signifie in the halfe of that last seauen the sacrifices shall cease Which was not so neither doo the Hebrew wordes teach that which say The halfe of that last seuen will adde an ende to the sacrifice and ceremonies of the lawe But the halfe of that seauen signifieth those things which are done in the last seauen of all which brought an ende to the ceremoniall lawe of Moses the eternall couenaunt of God concerning our saluation by Christ the Lord being declared stable and firme But afterwards there was nothing to be lookt for to the Citie Ierusalem to the vnbeleeuers who contemned God calling them but a beadroule of miseries which should destroy Ierusalem enwrap the Iewish people rebellious and disobedient to God in infinite calamities But those things brought an ende to the ceremonies of the lawe which were done in the halfe of the last seauen which teach that Iesus Christ was made manifest Iohn Baptist being the publisher foremessenger of so great a good To whom God spake whilest hee liued in the desert giuing him commandements which he should put in practise then when it was the 15. yeare of Tiberius Caesars Empire as it is written in the third of Luke where these things are thus set downe But in the 15. yeare of the reigne of Tiberius Caesar Pontius Pilate being Lieutenant of Iudea and Herode Tetrarch of Galilee and his brother Philip Tetrarch of Iturea and of the Region of Traconitis and Lysama Tetrarch of Abilena Ananias and Caiphas beeing the high Sacrificers the word of the Lord came vnto Iohn the sonne of Zacharie being in the wildernesse And he came into all the countrey of Iordan preaching the baptisme of repentance for remission of sinnes It appeareth therefore out of these words of the Euangelist Luke that after his commission commaundement giuen from heauen Iohn came into all the Region nere Iordan preaching the baptisme of repentance for remission of sinnes who whilest he baptised the people washeth Christ the Lord beginning to be thirtie yeare olde with the washing of baptisme as it is taught in the same third chapter of Luke the Euangelist in these words And it came to passe when all the people was baptized and Iesus had been baptized and was praying the heauen opened And the holy Spirit descended in a corporall forme as a Doue vpon him and a voice came from heauen Thou art my sonne in thee I am well pleased And Iesus began to be as it were thirtie yeare olde Now this obseruation of the age of the Lord and of the Romane Emperour Tiberius is not lightlie to bee passed ouer because from thence is the certaine knowledge of the death of the Lord and his age as also of the ende of the seuentie seuens of Daniel Now wee haue alreadie shewed the death of our Lord Iesus Christ to be the limit and ende of Daniels seauentie seauens which wee can easelie gather into what instance of time they fall out And we know from the historie of the Gospel that Christ the Lord was crucified that day in the which the Passeouer was to be offered by euerie familie which was the fourteenth day of the first moneth that is March as the account of the olde yeare was vsuallie taken as before hath been declared in the account of moneths and yeares Therefore the 14. day of the moneth of March which to the Hebrues is Nisan and is the first moneth of the ciuile yeare amongst the people of God is the ende and conclusion of the seauentie seauens because then the Lord is dead whom Daniels Prophecie witnesseh in the time of the halfe last seauen to haue performed amongst men the dutie of a true teacher and sauiour Also the historie of the gospel which remembreth foure feasts of Easter after his baptisme as Andreas Osiander hath learnedly gathered and expounded in his edition of the Harmonie of the gospell frō whence is gathered both the certaine age of Christ while he liued vppon earth and the certaine time of his death For because Christ the Lord was baptised the 15. yeare of Tiberius Caesar was then baptised when he began to bee thirtie yeares of age as it is expounded in Luke the Euangelist the 3. chapter trulie he must suffer death for vs on the crosse the eighteenth yere of Tiberius then when he was three and thirtie yeares olde that is when he had fullie accomplished thirtie two yeares and a halfe for the halfe of the last seauen cōteineth three yeares and a halfe in which is anoynted the Holie of Holiest Christ Iesus and declared King of his heauenlie Father vpon Mount Sion by whom our sinnes were thē to be purged Moreouer the sacrifices of the Lawe were to be taken away by the death of the immaculate Lambe that is the Lord lesus Christ after hee had on earth finished the dutie of a true teacher and prophet But he began to teach and to manifest himselfe to be the true Messias or Christ when he began his 30. yeare but in that function he spent three yere and a halfe From whence the thirtieth yeare of his age is the first of his Ministerie then the 31. the second and the 32. the third in the which Christ the Lord was the Minister of circumcision From whence the thirtie three yeare of his age in the midst where of he fullie finished his ministerie shalbe said the halfe yeare of the last half seauen in the which were fulfilled all the prophecies of the Prophetes concerning our
A Short vievv of the Persian Monarchie and of Daniels weekes Beeing a peece of Beroaldus workes with a censure in some points LONDON Imprinted by Thomas Orwin 1590. A short view of the Persian Monarchie and of Daniels weekes being a peece of Beroaldus workes THe Persian Monarchie is first named siluerie because the people of God after the Temple restored and the Citie Ierusalem walled liued peaceablie vnder the Persians But how long this continued or how manie Kings it had neither the Historiographers of our time nor the prophane doo sufficientlie know which thing they doo declare in their diuers and vncertaine Histories showed foorth and published by them to the world of these matters But wee because we know the former Persian Kings out of the holie Scripture and the latter the prophane histories dooth mention of this matter therefore we are able more certainlie to determine than either Herodotus or Iosephus or Manetho or Metastenes or Ctesias from whō the true report of these matters is vsed to be cited Concerning the time and continuance of the Persian Monarchie we cannot doubt seing the beginning is apparāt out of the holy scripture and wee vnderstand from prophane Stories the ouerthrowe to bee by Alexander the Great Therefore let vs first speake of the time wherein the Persian Empire bare sway then of the Kings who gouerned that siluer Emperie which succeeded the golden Monarchie of the Babylonians The Persian Monarchie begins from that yeare in the which Cyrus the great was first aduaunced by God to the rule of Asia after Darius the Mede whom the holie Oracles call the King of Persia and endeth and is determined in the death of Darius the sonne of Arsanes for then no man resisting the Wealth of the Persians came to Alexander the great and Asia which before obeied the Persians became subiect to him Now the first yeare of Cyrus the greater or of the King of the Persians falls into the third yeare of the fourescore Olympiade which was from the beginning of the world three thousand foure hundred seuentie two and was the yeare since Rome was built 295. fortie yeares after the Kings were banished and exiled the Citie which wee vnderstand to be certaine laying down the times in order as they bee expounded in the holie Scripture and the Olympiades conferred and laide together with these and also the yeares of the continuance of the Citie of Rome And those things which haue been otherwise defined by prophane Writers and Writers of our time we haue obserued to be vnture Yet the death of Darius the last King of the Persians the prophane Historie referres to the first yeare of the hundred thirteenth Olympiade and that yeare is the fift of Daniels nineteenth weeke and the yeare of the Citie built foure hundred and fiue twentie and the yeare of the world three thousand three score two From which account of time we vnderstand that the Persian Monarchie is to haue allotted to it for the continuance a hundred and thiritie yeares although otherwise hereof other men haue determined But we cannot misse because we haue the time of the deliuerance from Babilon which is the beginning of the Persian Empire certainlie set downe and defined by the holie Scripture and the times which follow as the death of Darius the last King of Persia and of Alexander the great set downe faithfullie those who dissent from vs we are able by good reason to disprooue that especiallie seeing the exact time is set downe in the Scripture when Cyrus the greater began his Empire and the death of Alexander the great which fell in the next Olympiade from the death of Darius is agreed confessed and determined of manie Historiographers For then there was a more assured obseruation of the Greekish Historie manie learned and notable men hauing comprehended them in their writings agreeing in the setting downn of the accoūt of those times But those things which fell out before these times haue not so faithfullie been by Writers collected whereby it commeth to passe that the prophane storie is verie obscure which obscuritie we are able to dispearse to make cleere by that computation of time which we haue laide downe because this is grounded from a most vndoubted obseruation gathered from holie scripture which is not necessaire for vs at this time to handle more at large seeing it hath been handled before In the which treatise we haue set downe the exact account of time determined in the holie scripture which as it may bee referred to prophane stories if it hath little beene obserued by former Writers may yet now bee vnderstood by the table of this Chronicle continued and successiuely drawen downe from the beginning of the world euen vnto our times Now concerning the Kings of Persia who ruled these hundred thirtie yeares the place of Daniel which is in his eleuenth chapter and second verse is of great vse to the vnderstanding of the truth which is in this sort Beholde yet three Kings shall stand vp in Persia and the fourth shall be richer than they all and when he is growen great through his riches hee shall stirre vp all against the King of Graecia From this place of Daniel wee vnderstand that Persian King which afflicted Graecia with warre to bee the fift Monarch of the Persians from Cyrus the greater but the fift King in order from Cyrus by those things which he did from the monuments of prophane Writers wee doo finde to bee Xerxes for the Angel opened these things to Daniel in the third yeare of King Cyrus as it is cap. 10. ver 2. Because therefore besides Cyrus there were yet to bee 3. Kings of Persia after whom the fourth was to inuade Graecia by warre whom al prophane histories doo witnes to be Xerxes by good right therfore we say that Xerxes the terror of Graecia was the 5. Emperor of the Persians from Cyrus the greater Now who were Kings in the times which fell out betwixt these the holie writings doo suggest vnto vs who doo pursue and faithfullie expound the Historie of those Mesne times so farre as their knowledge concernes the Church of God by these names of Assuerus Darius Artaxerxes wee haue these Kings expressed in holy Writ who that they may be distinguished from other Kings who had likewise the same names they are to be assigned and set out by those epithites and surnames which may bee most agreeable and fit the present matter and historie which wee repeate out of Esdra and Nehemiah To Assuerus therefore wee will adde the surname of Artaxerxes Darius we will name Assyrius and we will surname Artaxerxes Pius for he bestowed a great care on the Church of God as afterwards shalbe vnderstood And that wee may proceede orderlie let vs first handle Assuerus who is made knowen vnto vs from Esdras historie In the which historie the 4. chapter and 6. verse The Enemies of the people of God
Gentiles and I will fill the house with glorie saith the Lord of hoasts Thus farre Beroaldus Now that the said seauens of Daniel may the more easelie be vnderstood because many Interpreters both Graecians Latines haue in certaine places departed from the Hebrue text shall be added in this place an interpretation as neere answering the Hebrue words as we can Dan. 9. 24. SEVENTIE SEVENS of yeares are cut out for thy people and for thy holy Citie to consume wickednes to abolish sinnes and to make reconciliation for iniquitie and to bring righteousnes euerlasting and to seale Vision and Prophet to shew CHRIST the HOLIE of HOLIE Know then marke from the outgoing of the Word to returne to build Ierusalem vnto CHRIST the GOVERNOVR shal be seuen seuens of yeares and sixtie two seuens in the other it shalbe restored and builded Streete and Wall and troublous shall these times be In that after the sixtie and two seuens CHRIST shalbe killed and not for himselfe thereupon the Citie and holy place shall hee destroy the GOVERNORS own people to come and their ende shalbe with a Flood and at the ende of warre it shall haue a finall iudgement to desolation But he shal confirme the Testament for manie the last Seauen when in HALFE THAT SEAVEN he shall finish the Sacrifice Oblation Afterwards by an Armie abhominable he shall make a desolation euen till vtter destruction and finall Iudgement flowe vpon the desolate The iudgement of Henrie Wolphius touching Beroaldus may fitly be ioyned here THe fourth Article of the time changed being the seuenth of the olde testament conteineth foure hundred and ninetie yeares Daniels seauentie weekes It beginneth from the first yeare of Cyrus and endeth in the ioyfull most famous Iubilee of all Iubilees in the yeare wherein Christ suffred being the truth of that type or figure Daniels words concerning those seauentie seauen are diuerselie interpreted by the learned but in my iudgement of all other most learnedlie and most truelie hath Matthew Beroald in his Cronicle deliuered the minde of the Prophet The seuentie begins from the going foorth of the Word to repaire and reedifie Ierusalem to wit of that Word which is set down in the second of the Chr. and the last verse Neither frō anie other time can this beginning be set down for the Citie Temple are not repayred in one yere Furthermore when the Prophet diuideth the seuens into two parts into seuen and sixtie and two seauens the first Seuen he referres to the troublesome times in the which the street ditch are said to be renued and built againe which is certainlie knowen to haue been finished in fortie and nine yeares Thirdly he doth so interpret the words of the Prophet that is And after sixtie and two seauens Christ shalbe killed that he saith these seuens be ended in the passion of Christ and after this that there was nothing to be looked for but a finall destruction and desolation of the Citie and Temple all which are most notorious And in the 24. ver he doth so describe the ende of the seuens that it cannot otherwise be vnderstood then to fall out in the passion of Christ For he saith To consume impietie to shut vp sinne to purge iniquitie to bring in euerlasting iustice to fulfil vision prophet to annoint the Holie of Holiest Who knoweth not that these things wer performed when Christ said All things are finished To conclude that which is said And in the halfe of the seauen he shall cause to cease oblation and sacrifice is trulie expounded of Christs preaching which he began in the fourth yeare of the last seauen To this may be added a parcell of Bucholcerus words touching the exposition of the last halfe seuen for the vse of them that little are acquainted with this part of Scripture but some words of his where the matter well suffereth shalbe omitted such as would require a long speach vpon them LEt vs come to the declaration of the residue of the 9. of Daniel in the which the ende of the seuentie seuens is described The first seauen seauens are 49. yeares because euerie seauen cōteineth seauen yeares Those former 49. yeares runne out vnder Esdra and Nehemias reedifying the Temple To these let there be added sixtie and two seauens that is to say 434 yeare they surmouut vnto sixtie and nine weekes or 483. There remaineth one seauen that is the last seauen in the halfe whereof Christ did teach three yeare a halfe till by his death vpon the crosse he purged sinne and ended the seuens Diuersitie of exposition grewe by reason of this He shall confirme the couenant for manie in one seauen For that the seauenth yeare or last of the last seauen might be complete manie haue extended the ende of the seauens vnto the preaching of the Apostles and to the 4. yeare after the death of Christ Others haue been of another opinion We by their fauour doo thinke that Daniel plainlie pointed out the person and the course of life of the onely Messias that by great aduise the last seuen is deriued from all the former For the halfe of the last seauen doth belong vnto the Messias and to his wonderfull workes that seauen tolde the Messias to be come in that seauen Christ the Annoynted began to teach he established a new lawe and abrogated the olde hee tooke away sinne cleansed iniquitie fulfilled the prophecies he finished the work of redemption and brought eternall righteousnes Neither can these seuens which Daniel here mentioneth be ascribed vnto the Apostles that is to cleanse sinne to take away iniquitie to bring righteousnes for this is the dutie of the onely Messias to the finishing whereof Daniel saith the last seuen is appointed and he saith this twice first generallie and then speciallie Generallie He shal confirme the couenant in one seauen Speciallie In the halfe of the seauen he shall make to cease the Sacrifice So that is generall After 62. weekes Christ shalbe slaine Where it might be doubted whether immediately after the 62. weekes fullie ended the Messias was to be slaine The particular therefore which teacheth the confirmation of the couenant or Christs preching to be tied to the half of the last seuen expoundeth the generalitie of both Therefore it is not Daniels meaning He will confirme the couenant in one seauen that is to say the last yet running out and continuing Yet least the time of Christs ministerie shuld be referred vnto all the last seauen or to the beginning thereof he addeth by way of correction in the halfe of the last seauen that at once hee might teach Christs ministery should bee referred to the last half of the last seauen Otherwise if 3. yere a halfe be reckoned from the beginning of that seauen and be ended in the midst thereof seauentie weekes should not be accomplished but 69. seauens a halfe that is 487. yere not 490. Reuerent Beda