Daniel 9:24Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

There will be a confirmed covenant for many for one week, and in the middle of that week, the sacrifice and offering will cease. An abomination that causes desolation will be set up in the temple, remaining until the decreed end.

The prophet proclaimed that You have brought forth Your people, and Your name was invoked over Your city and people. Gabriel, speaking on behalf of God, indicates that it is not God's people but Your people, and not God's holy city, but holy as You have declared. In Exodus, God instructed Moses, "Go down, for your people have become corrupt" (Exodus 32:7), indicating a separation: "not my people." Therefore, you, who pray for Jerusalem and the people of Judah, should heed what will transpire over these seventy weeks. Many wise scholars have different perspectives on this, and each has articulated their own interpretations according to their understanding. Thus, as it is perilous to assess the opinions of the Church's teachers, I will present their views without taking sides, allowing the reader to discern which interpretation to accept.

Africanus, in the fifth book of The Times, wrote concerning the seventy weeks: “In Daniel's account of the seventy weeks, there are many wondrous aspects, yet we will focus here on the timeline. It is clear that it is a precursor to the coming of Christ, who came into the world after the seventy weeks, after whom vice ceased, sin ended, iniquity was purged, and eternal truth was established—overcoming the truth of the law. The visions and prophecies reached their conclusion as the law and the prophets were fulfilled until John the Baptist (Luke 16:16), and the Most Holy was anointed. Prior to Christ taking on a mortal form, these events were anticipated but not realized. The angel states that the seventy weeks—four hundred and ninety years—begin with the issuing of the command concerning the restoration of Jerusalem in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes of Persia. Nehemiah, his cupbearer, sought permission from the king to rebuild Jerusalem. The decree allowed for the construction of the city, which had been vulnerable to the neighboring armies. Under King Cyrus's sanction, the high priest Joshua and Zerubbabel, followed by priest Ezra and others wishing to return, attempted to restore the temple and city walls, yet were hindered by opposing nations. Consequently, the work remained incomplete until Nehemiah’s leadership in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes. (The seventy years of captivity prior to Persian rule had passed.) By this time, one hundred and fifteen years of Persian governance had elapsed; the seventy years from Jerusalem's fall to its reconstruction were completed in the one hundred and eighty-fifth year. For the first time, Artaxerxes sanctioned the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and Nehemiah oversaw the construction of the streets. Calculating from this point, it encompasses seventy weeks before Christ. However, if we have another starting point, discrepancies will arise, leading to contradictions.

If we count seventy weeks from Cyrus’s reign, or from his initial favor towards the Jews, we exceed the intended total of seventy weeks, similarly if we begin from the angel’s declaration to Daniel, or from the onset of the captivity. Considering the Persian authority preceding the Macedonian kingdom lasted two hundred and thirty years, and the Macedonians themselves reigned for three hundred years, there are sixty years until the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, during which Christ suffered. Together this totals five hundred ninety years, an excess of one hundred years.

However, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes to Christ, seventy complete weeks align with the Jewish lunar calendar, wherein each month reflects the lunar cycle, and, unlike the solar year, requires adjustments every few years. The calculations show from the one hundred and fifteenth year of Persia, during the fourth Olympiad, to two hundred and two Olympiads, there unfolds four hundred seventy-five years. This equals four hundred ninety lunar years, as their months may comprise twenty-nine or thirty days. Consequently, the lunar year contains a lesser number of days compared to the solar cycle, leading to further adjustments by the Greeks and Jews with additional intercalary months.

Eusebius Pamphilus, in the eighth book of the Evangelical Proofs, posits: "It seems noteworthy that the seventy weeks are segmented into periods; thus, it is stated first as seven weeks, followed by sixty-two, concluding with one that is likewise divided. The angel imparted this message with intention." This segment suggests a careful analysis is warranted for deeper insight into the interpretations. Should we render our thoughts as well, we may identify that, from the proclamation concerning the answer and restoration of Jerusalem until Christ the Leader, we refer to those rulers post-captivity who governed the Jewish populace, known as the christs by Scripture due to their anointing; foremost among them was Joshua, the son of Josedech, preceding the advent of the Lord Savior.

This foretelling, noted in Daniel’s prophecy, marks from the proclamation regarding Jerusalem’s restitution, which accounts for the seven weeks and sixty-two weeks—amounting to four hundred eighty-three years since Cyrus. I shall confirm our position by detailing the anointed leaders who followed Joshua until the Lord's arrival. Following Daniel's prophecy in the time of King Cyrus after the return from Babylon, Joshua the son of Josedech and Zerubbabel laid the foundation of the temple. Yet, the work stagnated due to opposition from nearby nations, leading to seven weeks—forty-nine years—beyond which the prophecy indicates sixty-two weeks.

The Jews illustrate this as evident in the Gospel, saying, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and You will raise it in three days" (John 2:20), detailing the duration from King Cyrus's first permission until King Darius’s sixth year—the completion of all temple work. Further years are documented, noting Josephus details additional time and work completed after the primary structure was raised.

The prophetic timeline indicates the events spanning until the death of Simon as high priest is listenable through Maccabees. The years from the first of Cyrus to the destruction of the temple reach four hundred twenty-five years. Following Simon, John assumed the high priesthood, which extended for twenty-nine additional years. After him, Aristobulus represents the first ruler to return from Babylon and receive royal authority alongside the high priesthood. His successor, Alexander, also king and high priest, reigned for twenty-seven years, bringing the timeline from Cyrus to the birth of Christ to four hundred eighty-three years—comprising the seventy weeks.

In conclusion, during the entirety of this period, Judea was governed by chief priests—the christs—until Alexander’s death resulted in a power vacuum leading to Alexandra, wife of Alexander, taking control, granting the high priesthood to her son Hyrcanus while another son, Aristobulus, ruled for a decade. Amid internal conflict between the brothers, Gnaeus Pompey invaded Jerusalem, entering the Holy of Holies of the temple and capturing Aristobulus, thereby establishing Roman overlordship over the Jewish people. Herod assumed control after Hyrcanus's demise, becoming the first foreign ruler over the Jews and altering the high priesthood's integrity according to divine law.

Eusebius also presents alternate views requiring further Latin translation, noting from Darius’s sixth year to Herod’s reign totals seven weeks and sixty-two weeks climaxes to four hundred eighty-three years, corresponding to the sacrifice of the last Maccabean high priest. The city and the sanctuary underwent devastation, reflecting the prophecies’ fulfillment. The birth of Christ led to the cessation of sacrifices with the passing of the Lord's suffering, culminating in a transference to the New Covenant through His apostles, signifying true worship.

Thus, the scripture concludes—the vision and prophecy culminate in Christ’s coming, whose arrival seals the prophetic word, bringing forth an age devoid of further prophecy concerning His life as the ultimate fulfillment thereof.

This pattern can be seen during the era of great Moses when, after witnessing the people’s idolatry by adoring the golden calf, God instructed the prophet: ‘Go quickly, come down from here; for Your people have become corrupt, whom You brought up from Egypt’ (Ex. 32:7).

Thus, by the message of the Archangel, God says to the Prophet, ‘Having accepted your plea, I will allow Jerusalem to be fortified, and I will decree that your people return to their homeland. Following this, Jerusalem will be fortified, and the Jews will adhere to the law for four hundred and ninety years. This duration corresponds to seventy sevens, with each day representing a year. As God has predetermined the length of their exile to be seventy years, this time is multiplied sevenfold to ascertain their period of dwelling under the law. ‘The seventy sevens were shortened,’ meaning they were determined and established; in this way, certain interpreters have rendered it. For Your people and Your holy city, until ‘transgression is fulfilled, and sin ceases;’ referring to a time when sin shall peak and wrongdoing shall end.

The Prophet indicates that the cross prepared for the Lord represents the culmination of sin, the transgression of the prophet or the sins that have reached their zenith. Previously, despite committing many offenses, they faced punishment but, upon receiving forgiveness, they were honored by God’s mercy. However, following their grave rebellion against the Lord and the audacious arrangement of the cross, they were not restored, as their actions testify, and after more than four hundred and forty years remain scattered and abandoned in the world. Therefore, the holy Archangel relays to the blessed Daniel: ‘Seventy sevens are shortened for Your people and for Your holy city,’ until ‘transgression is fulfilled, and sin passes.’

It is necessary that the Lord Christ grant forgiveness of sins to those who believe in Him, just as the blessed John declared, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29); thus, fittingly, the Lamb of God must remove the sin of the world. Consequently, the Archangel aptly added: ‘And sins shall be sealed, and iniquities shall be purified, and unrighteousness shall be erased;’ since Christ has erased the iniquities of those who trust in Him, ‘having wiped away the decrees against us,’ as the blessed Paul notes (Colossians 2:14). He sealed sins through the abolishment of the law and by granting the grace of the Spirit that empowers believers to overcome their passions. The Archangel further states: ‘And everlasting truth will come forth.’ In the ultimate sense, this eternal truth embodies the Lord Christ Himself, for whom the blessed Paul exclaims, ‘Christ Jesus became for us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption’ (1 Cor. 1:30); and concerning the Gospel, he described it as ‘the righteousness of God revealed’ (Rom. 1:17). As Christ generously provides those who believe with truth guiding them to eternal life, and instructs them to seek this truth in prayer—‘Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness’ (Matt. 6:33)—the archangel rightly states: ‘everlasting truth will come forth.’

The Archangel continued: ‘and the vision and the prophet shall be sealed,’ suggesting the conclusion of all prophecies, for ‘Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes’ (Rom. 10:4), marking the eventual withdrawal of prophetic grace from the Jewish people. Had the Lord Christ not come to suffer and fulfill the prophecies, the truth of these prophecies would remain unfulfilled. Thus, He completes, seals, and validates what was foretold by the prophets, enduring and fulfilling all that was prophesied. Furthermore, the Archangel added: ‘And the Holy of Holies shall be anointed.’ Who is this Holy of Holies? Let the Jews respond. If they do not know, we reveal that it is the Lord Christ, foretold by Isaiah: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me’ (Isaiah 61:1); and David testifies of Him that He ‘loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness beyond Your companions’ (Psalm 45:7). Blessed Peter, chief of the Apostles, confirms this when he states: ‘Jesus of Nazareth, whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit and power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him’ (Acts 10:38).

Therefore, the blessed Prophet Daniel learns that God has graciously granted Jerusalem four hundred and ninety years to experience divine gifts, until it commits the grievous act against the Savior—the cross meant for the Holy of Holies, the source of holiness, anointed by the Holy Spirit in His humanity. He seals and verifies ancient prophecies, fulfilling all prophesied events, and provides forgiveness of sins to believers. The divine Archangel then instructs us on how to begin the counting of the seventy sevens and says:

The commencement of these seventy sevens, equating to 490 years, was initiated by an angelic decree to Daniel regarding the restoration of Jerusalem. This command was issued in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes’ reign as king of Persia. The king's cupbearer Nehemiah sought and obtained the king's permission to reconstruct the city, which had been in ruins until that time. During Cyrus's reign, although the Jews were permitted to return—some under the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak and Zerubbabel and others under Ezra—they were not allowed to restore the city walls or the temple. This situation persisted until Nehemiah’s time, 115 years after Cyrus's rise to power and the establishment of the Persian Empire.

Consequently, 185 years elapsed from the destruction of Jerusalem to the order to rebuild its walls. Nehemiah undertook the responsibility of reconstructing the city, successfully restoring Jerusalem’s walls and streets as foretold in prophecy. It is from this point forward that the 490 years must be measured; otherwise, the chronological calculations will be misaligned. If we begin with Cyrus's command to return to Jerusalem, we would be about a hundred years short of Christ's coming. Taking the timeframe from when the angel revealed this prophecy to Daniel yields an even greater distance. Moreover, if we consider the onset of the Babylonian captivity as our point of reference, we will significantly miss our Savior, as 230 years of the Persian Empire followed Artaxerxes, followed by over 370 years during which the world was governed by the successors of Alexander the Great, who divided their lord's empire. Additionally, around 60 more years passed until Tiberius reigned for 16 years.

Thus, when calculated from Artaxerxes to the time of Christ, there spanned seventy sevens or weeks according to Jewish reckoning. From Nehemiah's commission by Artaxerxes in the 115th year of the Persian rule, which coincides with the 20th year of Artaxerxes’ reign and the 4th year of the 83rd Olympic Games, to the baptism of the Lord in the 2nd year of the 202nd Olympic Games during Tiberius’ 16th year, a total of 475 years occurred, which correlates with 490 years in the Jewish calendar.

The discrepancy between the calendars stems from the Jewish lunar year, which comprises 354 days, falling behind the solar year by 11 to 14 days. Consequently, both Jews and Greeks incorporate extra months into their calendars every eight years; over eight years, these 11 days and a quarter accumulate to three months. Therefore, 475 lunar years equate to 59 cycles of eight years, along with the three additional months. By considering the extra leap months added by the Jews and reconciling this with the solar calendar, it accurately equals 490 years, albeit a few days less.