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of him, and indeed in writing, saying, Thus said Cyrus the king of the Persians: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord, the God of heaven, has delivered to me, and he has appointed me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea. Who is there among you of all his people? and his God will be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem; and so on; to which is added: And king Cyrus brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put them in the house of his god. And Cyrus the king of the Persians brought them out by the hand of Mithridates and counted them to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. After these things, the scripture relates how the first ones who went up laid the foundations of the temple, and how they were hindered in the meantime from their task, until the seventh week of years; for forty-six years are described from Cyrus to the sixth year of Darius, in which the building of the temple came to an end; whence reasonably the word has set apart the first 7 weeks from the rest, wishing to show the time between the first laying of the temple's foundations and its complete fulfillment. For Cyrus, having reigned thirty-one years, hands over the rule to his son Cambyses; after he had completed nine years, Darius, having taken the kingdom, again after 155 Cyrus by means of the edict orders Jerusalem to be built. And indeed in the sixth year of his reign, which was the forty-sixth from Cyrus, the building works are completed; whence they said, prompted, to our Savior, "This temple was built in forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?" But according to Josephus, 49 years exactly are counted from Cyrus to the ninth year of Darius, in which he says to put an end to the building of the temple in the eleventh [book] of the Antiquities, stating verbatim that the temple would be built in the 7th (sic) month of the ninth year of the reign of Darius; to which he also adds, saying, and they settled in Jerusalem using an aristocratic constitution with an oligarchy; for the priests were in charge of affairs, until it came to pass that the descendants of Asamoneus reigned. These, then, are the 7 weeks mentioned in the prophecy, being limited to the aforementioned year of Darius, it is therefore clear for what reason they have been set apart from the rest. But let us also see to what times the remaining 62 are limited. Indeed, the ninth year of Darius is presented from the history of the Greek chronographers as during the sixty-seventh Olympiad; from this, then, to the one hundred and sixteenth Olympiad, during which Seleucus after the death of Alexander took control of all Syria and Babylonia, is 6 years; and from there to the death of Simon the high priest of the Jews of the Syrian rule 177 years had passed, the first 156 of the so-called Maccabean writings indicates, describing the history up to this point; again from here, marking the successions of the priests most accurately, Josephus says that after the aforementioned Simon, John, also called Hyrcanus, led the people for 29 years; and that Aristobulus succeeded him, who also reigned for one year; and after him Alexander for 27 years, after whom his wife Alexandra, up to whom all the years from the ninth year of Darius add up to 434, as many as would come from the 62 weeks in which were the anointed leaders, and these would be the high priests, starting from Cyrus they presided over the affairs of the nation; for it is very clear both from the holy scripture and also from the previously cited words of Josephus, that after the return from Babylon, from Joshua the high priest himself they used leaders and rulers in succession, up to those whom Josephus names the sons of Asamoneus, whom the scripture named Maccabees, of whom the first to serve as high priest was Judas, who was surnamed Maccabeus, who also led the people the

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αὐτοῦ, καί γε ἐγγράπτως, λέγων, Οὕτως εἶπεν Κύρος ὁ βασιλεὺς Περσῶν· Πάσας τὰς βασιλείας τῆς γῆς παρέδωκέ μοι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπεσκέψατο ἐπ' ἐμὲ τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι αὐτῷ οἶκον ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τῇ ἐν Ἰουδαίᾳ. Τίς ἐν ὑμῖν ἀπὸ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ; καὶ ἔσται ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀναβήσεται εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ· καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· οἷς ἐπιφέρεται· Καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Κύρος ἐξήνεγκε τὰ σκεύη οἴκου Κυρίου, ἃ ἔλαβεν Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὰ ἐν οἴκῳ Θεοῦ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐξήνεγκεν αὐτὰ Κύρος ὁ βασιλεὺς Περσῶν ἐπὶ χεῖρα Μιθριδάτου καὶ ἠρίθμησεν αὐτὰ τῷ Σαμανασσὰρ ἄρχοντι τοῦ Ἰούδα. Ἐπὶ τούτοις ἱστορεῖ ἡ γραφὴ ὡς ἀνελθόντες οἱ πρῶτοι καταβάλλονται τοὺς τοῦ ἱεροῦ θεμελίους, καὶ ὡς εἴργονταί γε ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ τῆς σπουδῆς, ἕως ἐπὶ ἑβδόμην ἐτῶν ἑβδομάδα· τεσσαράκοντα γοῦν καὶ ἓξ ἔτη ἀπὸ Κύρου καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ∆αρείου ἕκτον ἔτος περιγράφεται, ἐν ᾧ πέρας ἴσχει τὰ τῆς τοῦ ναοῦ οἰκοδομῆς· ὅθεν εἰκότως ἀπὸ τῶν λοιπῶν ἑβδομάδας ζʹ τὰς πρώτας ὁ λόγος ἀφωρίσατο, τὸν μεταξὺ χρόνον τῆς πρώτης καταβολῆς τῶν τοῦ ναοῦ θεμελίων καὶ τῆς εἰς ἄκρον αὐτοῦ ἀναπληρώσεως ἐμφῆναι βουλόμενος. Κύρος μὲν γὰρ ἔτη τριάκοντα καὶ ἓν βασιλεύσας, Καμβύσῃ τῷ παιδὶ παραδίδωσι τὴν ἀρχήν· οὗ ἐπὶ ἐννέα διαγενομένου ἔτεσι, ∆αρεῖος τὴν βασιλείαν παραλαβὼν, αὖθις μετὰ 155 Κύρον διὰ τοῦ προγράμματος τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκοδομηθῆναι προστάττει. Καὶ δὴ κατὰ τὸ ἕκτον αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἔτος, ὅπερ ἦν ἀπὸ Κύρου τεσσαρακοστὸν καὶ ἕκτον, τὰ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς ἀποπληροῦται· ὅθεν ὁρμώμενοι τῷ Σωτῆρι ἡμῶν ἔλεγον, μʹ καὶ ἓξ ἔτεσιν ᾠκοδομήθη ὁ ναὸς οὗτος, καὶ σὺ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερεῖς αὐτόν; Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἰώσηπον οʹ θʹ καὶ μʹ ἔτη ἀκριβῶς τὰ ἀπὸ Κύρου ἐπὶ τὸ ∆αρείου ἔνατον ἔτος συνάγεται, ἐν ᾧ τέλος ἐπιθεῖναι τῇ τοῦ ναοῦ οἰκοδομῇ ἐν τῷ ἑνδεκάτῳ τῆς Ἀρχαιολογίας φησὶν αὐτολεξεὶ δηλῶν οἰκοδομηθήσεσθαι τὸν ναὸν ζʹ (sic) μηνὶ τοῦ ἐνάτου τῆς ἐπὶ ∆αρείου βασιλείας ἔτους· οἷς καὶ ἐπιφέρει λέγων, κατῴκισαν δὲ ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις πολιτείᾳ χρώμενοι ἀριστοκρατορικῇ μετὰ ὀλιγαρχίας· οἱ γὰρ ἱερεῖς προεστήκεσαν τῶν πραγμάτων, ἄχρι οὗ τοὺς Ἀσαμωναίου συνέβη βασιλεύειν ἐγγόνους. Ἅιδε μὲν οὖν αἱ ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ φερόμεναι ζʹ ἑβδομάδες εἰς τὸ προδεδηλωμένον ἔτος ∆αρείου περιοριζόμεναι, πρόδηλον οὖν δι' ἣν αἰτίαν τῶν τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀφορισμὸν εἰλήφασιν. Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς ξβʹ ἐπὶ ποίους περιορίζονται χρόνους. Τὸ μὲν δὴ ἔνατον ἔτος ∆αρείου κατὰ τὴν ἑβδόμην καὶ ἑξηκοστὴν Ὀλυμπιάδα ἐκ τῆς τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι χρονογράφων παρίσταται ἱστορίας· ἀπὸ δὴ οὖν ταύτης ἐπὶ τὴν ἑκατοστὴν ἑκκαιδεκάτην Ὀλυμπιάδα, καθ' ἣν Σέλευκος μετὰ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρου τελευτὴν Συρίας ἁπάσης καὶ Βαβυλωνίας ἐκράτησεν, ἔτη γίνεται ςʹ· ἐντεῦθεν δ' ἐπὶ τὴν τελευτὴν Σίμωνος Ἰουδαίων ἀρχιερέως τῆς κατὰ Συρίαν ἀρχῆς ζʹ καὶ οʹ καὶ ρʹ διαγενέσθαι ἡ πρώτη 156 τῶν καλουμένων Μακκαβαϊκῶν σημαίνει γραφὴ, μέχρι τούτου περιγράφουσα τὴν ἱστορίαν· πάλιν δ' ἐντεῦθεν τὰς τῶν ἱερέων διαδοχὰς ἀκριβέστατα ἐπισημαινόμενος ὁ Ἰώσηπος μετὰ Σίμωνα τὸν προδεδηλωμένον φησὶ καθηγήσασθαι τοῦ λαοῦ Ἰωάννην τὸν καὶ Ὑρκανὸν ἔτεσιν θʹ καὶ κʹ· τοῦτον δὲ διαδέξασθαι Ἀριστόβουλον, ὃν καὶ βασιλεῦσαι ἐνιαυτόν· μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Ἀλέξανδρος ἔτεσι κζʹ, μεθ' ὃν τὴν γυναῖκα Ἀλεξάνδραν, ἐφ' ἣν τὰ πάντα ἀπὸ ἐνάτου ἔτους ∆αρείου ἔτη συνάγεται υλδʹ, ὁπόσα δ' ἂν γένοιτο ἐκ τῶν ξβʹ ἑβδομάδων ἐν αἷς οἱ χριστοὶ ἡγούμενοι, οὗτοι δ' ἂν εἶεν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς, ἀρξάμενοι ἀπὸ Κύρου τῶν τοῦ ἔθνους προέστησαν πραγμάτων· πρόδηλον γὰρ ἀπό τε τῆς ἱερᾶς γραφῆς, οὐ μὲν μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν προτεθεισῶν τοῦ Ἰωσήπου φωνῶν, ὡς ὅτι μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον, ἐξ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ ἱερέως τοῦ μεγάλου ἡγεμόσι καὶ ἄρχουσι τοῖς κατὰ διαδοχὴν ἐχρῶντο, μέχρι ὧν ὁ Ἰώσηπος ὀνομάζει Ἀσαμωνίου παίδων, οὓς ἡ γραφὴ Μακκαβαίους ὠνόμασεν, ὧν πρῶτος ἀρχιεράτευσεν Ἰούδας ὁ Μακκαβαῖος ἐπικληθεὶς, ὃς καὶ καθηγήσατο τοῦ λαοῦ τοὺς