Daniel 9:25Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

A covenant will be established for many for one week, but in the middle of the week, sacrifice and offerings will cease. There will be an abomination that causes desolation in the temple, lasting until the end. As the prophet stated, "You brought forth Your people, and Your name was called over Your city and over Your people." Gabriel proclaims in the name of God, not God's people, but Your people, and not God's holy city, but what you declare as holy. An echo of this is found in Exodus, when God told Moses, “Come down; for your people have become corrupt” (Exodus 32:7)—meaning they are not My people because they have abandoned Me. Thus, as you seek Jerusalem and intercede for the people of Judah, consider what will transpire over the course of these seventy weeks.

The learned ones have pondered this matter from various perspectives, each expressing their thoughts in accordance with their understanding. It is precarious to judge the views of church teachers and favor one interpretation over another, so I will present their thoughts, allowing the reader to decide which explanation to follow. Africanus, in the fifth book on Times, articulated this regarding the seventy weeks: "The passage in Daniel discussing the seventy weeks contains many remarkable items, too extensive to explore in detail, so I will focus on what pertains to the current work—the timeline. There is collective agreement that it foresees the coming of Christ, who entered the world after the seventy weeks, ending vices, sin, and iniquity, and proclaiming eternal truth that surpasses the truth of the law. Vision and prophecy were completed as the law and the prophets were fulfilled until John the Baptist (Luke 16:16), and the most sacred place was consecrated.

Before Christ took on a human form, these events were anticipated rather than realized. The angel indicates that the seventy weeks, four hundred and ninety years, commence from the decree regarding the restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes of Persia. Nehemiah, who served as cupbearer, asked the king and received permission to rebuild the city. Thus, the decree was issued, granting authority for the re-establishment of the city’s walls, which until then had been vulnerable to enemy attacks.

By King Cyrus's command, those wishing to return to Jerusalem were permitted to do so, and under the leadership of high priest Joshua and Zerubbabel, and subsequently Ezra the priest, attempts were made to rebuild the temple, city, and walls, but the neighboring factions obstructed their efforts. Therefore, the project remained incomplete until Nehemiah’s arrival in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes. The Babylonian exile persisted for seventy years prior to Persian dominion. At this point, one hundred and fifteen years of Persian reign had already elapsed since the capture of Jerusalem; it marked the one hundred eighty-fifth year. Then, Artaxerxes issued the decree for Jerusalem's rebuilding; Nehemiah oversaw these efforts, and the streets were renewed.

From this time, it is seventy weeks until Christ. If we count from another point, the timelines would not align, resulting in numerous discrepancies. For instance, if we were to count seventy weeks from Cyrus’s decree beginning the Jewish return, it would tally more than a hundred years. Moreover, if we measured from the day Gabriel spoke to Daniel, the number would increase even further, especially if we regarded the beginning of the captivity as the starting point. The Persian rule before Macedonian power lasted for two hundred and thirty years, while the Macedonians ruled for three hundred years. By the fifteenth year of Emperor Tiberius, when Christ suffered, the total would be five hundred and ninety years—an excess of one hundred years. However, between the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes and the time of Christ, there are indeed seventy weeks, measured by lunar cycles, where the months are determined by the moon's phases, not the sun’s.

From the one hundred and fifteenth year of the Persian reign, the timeline extends through the eighty-third Olympiad to the two hundred second Olympiad. The numbers yield four hundred seventy-five years, which translates into four hundred ninety Jewish years based on lunar cycles, each month averaging twenty-nine or twenty-eight and a half days. The solar cycle would surpass this, containing an average of three hundred sixty-five and a quarter days per year. The Greeks and Jews intercalate additional months every eight years, producing a total of three addition months during this time span.

Africanus detailed this in precisely the same manner as presented here. Let us examine Eusebius Pamphilus, who in his eighth book of Evangelical Proof suggests not without reason that the division of the seventy weeks—first seven, then sixty-two, and finally an additional week—is indeed significant. The angel’s announcement was deliberate, and not devoid of divine guidance. This observation merits careful deliberation, prompting the reader to engage thoughtfully with the rationale behind the division.

If we are to offer our perspective, in light of the angel's words, the predicted events span from the pronouncement concerning Jerusalem's restoration to Christ the Leader. It is understood that 'Christ the Leader' signifies the rulers who governed the Jewish people post-prophecy and following their return from captivity—specifically high priests, the anointed ones, beginning with Joshua son of Jehozadak. These leaders foreshadow the coming of the Lord and return to spiritual authority, spanning the duration from the Decree to the fulfillment of the prophecy.

As articulated by various scholars, the histories encompass a significant timeline spanning the era from Cyrus's decree to the arrival of the Savior. Each leader fulfilling the role during this period plays an integral part in the divine plan, leading towards the coming of Christ and the culmination of God’s covenant with His people. Drawing from these interpretations leads us to acknowledge the multifaceted nature of God's promises as expressed through the prophets, culminating in the person of Jesus Christ, the Ultimate Anointed One, through whom redemption is made accessible to all who believe in Him.

However, both of these calculations seem flawed. Firstly, if one chooses to commence the timeline from these noteworthy events, the years would accumulate significantly. More importantly, we find no other individual who has achieved the forgiveness of sins, the removal of unrighteousness, the grant of eternal righteousness, the fulfillment of prophetic promises, and the consecration of the Holy of Holies apart from our Lord Jesus Christ. Should this indeed hold true and those advocating for the commencement of the timetable from these events concur, let them compute four hundred and ninety years in total. If we trace the timeline from the appearance at the Jordan, when our Savior and Master initiated His ministry of preaching, teaching, and performing miracles, we discover that this interval does not even encompass Cyrus or Darius, but fully manifests in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, Xerxes’ son, when Nehemiah served as his cupbearer. With fervent prayer and divine assistance, Nehemiah requested the king’s permission to restore Jerusalem’s walls. After receiving favorable approval, he returned to his homeland and diligently completed the temple’s shortcomings, fortified the city’s walls, constructed towers throughout, established the gates, and revived the city once desolate, now teeming with inhabitants. The angelic messenger stated, “And the angelic messenger, in order to clarify this: It will return and be vast and walled.” Beginning the calculation, the Archangel signals from the city's restoration when the walls were perceived, now bustling with people. The phrase “up to Christ the Anointed One, seven plus seven days and sixty-two days” refers to Christ the Anointed One, who was also called the Holy of Holies, as blessed Peter remarked in his address to the Jews: “But you killed the Author of life: God raised Him from the dead” (Acts 3:15), releasing them from the grip of death (Acts 2:24). He is our Elder in humanity, as “the firstborn of all creation” (Col. 1:15), embodying new life, since it is written, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17), and as “the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the supremacy,” according to Paul’s writing (Col. 1:18). Thus, the angelic Gabriel refers to Him as Christ the Anointed One. Therefore, from the building of Jerusalem to His coming, “seven plus seven days, and sixty-two days.” To validate our claims, let us present a calculation of the years themselves. From the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, Xerxes' son, when Nehemiah began the city’s reconstruction, until Darius, son of Artaxerxes, who was murdered, marking the fall of the Persian realm, is one hundred and fourteen years. From the sixth year of Alexander, the year Darius was killed, to Julius Caesar, the first ruler of Rome, spans two hundred and eighty-two years. The time from the start of Julius Caesar's rule to the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, the year John the Baptist commenced his ministry at the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance with the call, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” is seventy-three years. When these figures are summed, they total four hundred and sixty-nine years; this total reflects four hundred and eighty-three years in Hebrew terms, which aligns with seven and sixty-two weeks. It is essential to remember that the Hebrews, who calculated their years by the lunar cycle, account for eleven surplus days each year, considering a lunar year to be three hundred fifty-four days. Accordingly, since the holy Archangel, addressing blessed Daniel the Hebrew and unveiling the years in question, surely intended this calculation, one must add the years composed of those extra days. Adding these yields an additional eighty-three years on top of four hundred years. The total confirms the span of seven and sixty-two weeks. The Archangel's division of the weeks was purposeful, hinting at forthcoming changes. From the construction of Jerusalem under Nehemiah and Ezra until Hyrcanus, the final high priest of the Asmoneans assassinated by Herod, the totality of sixty-two weeks is completed; from Hyrcanus’s murder to the coming of our Savior at the Jordan, the remaining weeks conclude. During this interval, from Hyrcanus’s death to our Lord’s arrival, the appointment of high priests became unlawful. The Law demanded high priests serve for life, designating a successor only upon their death. However, Herod and subsequently the Romans corrupted the role of high priest, allowing frequent changes to the office and appointing individuals who were not descendants of the priestly line. Josephus recounts, “Herod, elevated to kingship by the Romans, appointed high priests who were not of the Asmonean lineage, but rather of irrelevant stock, as long as they possessed Hebrew heritage.” He also notes, “In appointing the Jewish high priests, his son Archelaus acted like Herod, followed by the Romans, who assumed the authority for themselves.” Elsewhere, he mentions, “The Roman commander Valerius Gratus, having deposed Ananus from the high priesthood, made Ishmael son of Fabi the high priest. After a brief period, he also replaced Ishmael, appointing Eleazar son of Ananus. After a year, he dismissed Eleazar and assigned the high priesthood to Simon the son of Caphas, who too remained in office for no more than a year, succeeded by Joseph, known as Caiaphas.” In reference to this situation, blessed Luke writes, “In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, during the leadership of Annas and Caiaphas” (Luke 3:1, 2). Yet, we have not learned from any text that two high priests served concurrently under the Law. Following the sixty-two weeks, the anointing will be fulfilled, and judgment shall be absent from it.