Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation of the Word

But perhaps, being unable, even they, to fight continually against plain facts, they will, without denying what is written, maintain that they are looking for these things, and that the Word of God is not yet come. For this it is on which they are for ever harping, not blushing to brazen it out in the face of plain facts. 2. But on this one point, above all, they shall be all the more refuted, not at our hands, but at those of the most wise Daniel, who marks both the actual date, and the divine sojourn of the Saviour, saying: “Seventy112 Dan. ix. 24, sq. weeks are cut short upon thy people, and upon the holy city, for a full end to be made of sin, and for sins to be sealed up, and to blot out iniquities, and to make atonement for iniquities, and to bring everlasting righteousness, and to seal vision and prophet, and to anoint a Holy of Holies; and thou shalt know and understand from the going forth of the word to restore113 Lit. “answer,” a misrendering of the Hebrew. and to build Jerusalem unto Christ the Prince” 3. Perhaps with regard to the other (prophecies) they may be able even to find excuses and to put off what is written to a future time. But what can they say to this, or can they face it at all? Where not only is the Christ referred to, but He that is to be anointed is declared to be not man simply, but Holy of Holies; and Jerusalem is to stand till His coming, and thenceforth, prophet and vision cease in Israel. 4. David was anointed of old, and Solomon and Ezechias; but then, nevertheless, Jerusalem and the place stood, and prophets were prophesying: God and Asaph and Nathan; and, later, Esaias and Osee and Amos and others. And again, the actual men that were anointed were called holy, and not Holy of Holies. 5. But if they shield themselves with the captivity, and say that because of it Jerusalem was not, what can they say about the prophets too? For in fact when first the people went down to Babylon, Daniel and Jeremy were there, and Ezechiel and Aggæus and Zachary were prophesying.

Ἀλλ' ἴσως καὶ αὐτοὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι πρὸς τὰ φανερὰ διαμάχεσθαι, οὐκ ἀρνήσονται μὲν τὰ γεγραμμένα, προσδοκᾶν δὲ ταῦτα καὶ μηδέπω παραγεγενῆσθαι τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον διαβεβαιώσονται. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἄνω καὶ κάτω θρυλλοῦντες, οὐκ ἐρυθριῶσιν ἀναιδευόμενοι πρὸς τὰ φαινόμενα. Ἀλλὰ περὶ τούτου καὶ πρὸ πάντων μᾶλλον ἐλεγχθήσονται, οὐ παρ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ σοφωτάτου ∆ανιὴλ σημαίνοντος καὶ τὸν παρόντα καιρόν, καὶ τὴν θείαν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίαν, λέγοντος· “Ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδες συνετμήθησαν ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν, τοῦ συντελεσθῆναι ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ τοῦ σφραγισθῆναι ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ἀπαλεῖψαι τὰς ἀδικίας, καὶ τοῦ ἐξιλάσασθαι τὰς ἀδικίας, καὶ τοῦ ἀγαγεῖν δικαιο σύνην αἰώνιον, καὶ τοῦ σφραγίσαι ὅρασιν καὶ προφήτην, καὶ τοῦ χρίσαι ἅγιον ἁγίων· καὶ γνώσῃ καὶ συνήσεις ἀπὸ ἐξόδου λόγου τοῦ ἀποκριθῆναι, καὶ τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἕως Χριστοῦ ἡγουμένου.” Ἴσως ἐπὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις κἂν προφάσεις εὑρίσκειν δύνανται, καὶ εἰς μέλλοντα χρόνον ἀναβάλλεσθαι τὰ γεγραμμένα. Τί δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα λέγειν ἢ ὅλως ἀντωπῆσαι δύνανται; ὅπουγε καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς σημαίνεται, καὶ ὁ χριόμενος οὐκ ἄνθρωπος ἁπλῶς ἀλλ' Ἅγιος ἁγίων εἶναι καταγγέλλεται, καὶ ἕως τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ Ἰερουσαλὴμ συνίσταται, καὶ λοιπὸν παύεται προφήτης καὶ ὅρασις ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Ἐχρίσθη πάλαι ∆αβίδ, καὶ Σολομών, καὶ Ἐζεκίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάλιν Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ ὁ τόπος συνειστήκει, καὶ προφῆται προεφήτευον, Γάδ, καὶ Ἀσάφ, καὶ Νάθαν, καὶ μετ' αὐτοὺς Ἡσαΐας, καὶ Ὠσῆε, καὶ Ἀμώς, καὶ ἄλλοι. Ἔπειτα καιαὐτοὶ οἱ χρισθέντες ἄνθρωποι ἅγιοι ἐκλήθησαν, καὶ οὐχ ἅγιοι ἁγίων. Ἀλλ' ἐὰν τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν προβάλλωνται, καὶ δι' αὐτὴν μὴ εἶναι λέγωσι τὴν Ἰερουσαλήμ, τί καὶ περὶ τῶν προφητῶν ἂν εἴποιεν; καὶ γὰρ πάλαι καταβαίνοντος τοῦ λαοῦ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα, ἦσαν ἐκεῖ ∆ανιὴλ καὶ Ἱερεμίας· προεφήτευον δὲ Ἰεζεκιὴλ καὶ Ἀγγαῖος καὶ Ζαχαρίας.