60

he has made the division of the number of time into the 7 and the following 62 weeks continuous, joining the 62 to the 7, and leaving no time or action in between, because not even any 162 interval of time is introduced that divides and separates the continuous history of those weeks; but in the case of the one week that follows, there happens to be a certain long and drawn-out distinction. For after the 62 weeks, it first says an anointing will be destroyed, and there is no judgment in it, and it is manifest in what way this came to its end in the times of Herod; then it says, and he will destroy the city and the holy place with the coming ruler. Who will destroy but the devil, the destroyer of souls? And who is the coming ruler, but Herod, the first of the gentiles to rule them, and those after him who have up to now taken up the rule over the Jews? For just as the prophecy enigmatically called their former rulers, the high priests, an anointed ruler, in the same way it addressed those who ruled them from the gentiles after their cessation as the coming ruler, saying, and he will destroy the city and the holy place with the coming ruler; which Aquila has rendered more clearly, making it, and the people of a coming ruler will destroy the city and the holy place. And it is manifest how the people and the army of the gentile rulers who succeeded to the rule over the Jews after the anointed rulers, using the laws of the gentiles, destroyed both the city and the holy place, and how the ruling destroyer of souls in the mind, along with the ruler who had come according to the prophecy, wrought all destruction, first for the people themselves, and for the citizens inhabiting the city, and then for the temple and for the worship formerly per 163 formed in it. And a divine oracle, signifying this reason for the immediately subsequent coming of Christ, says somewhere, The Lord looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there is anyone who understands or who seeks God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Then, as the aforementioned things were corrupted, the word, foretelling what would befall them, says, and they will be cut off in the flood, and they will be cut off to such an extent, until the end of the war which is decreed with desolations; and while these things are being accomplished and are in effect, one week will confirm a covenant with many. This would be that of the saving proclamation, through which our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ confirmed the tradition of the new covenant in the many who were made disciples to him; at one time being with them and living among them before his passion, and at another time, after the ascension, appearing to them for 40 days and eating with them, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God; wherefore he also commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem. In the midst of this week, on account of the plot he suffered from the Jews, the consequences of the divine prophecy were also fulfilled, for having preached for about three and a half years, is established also from the scripture of the gospels; wherefore it is said, and in the midst of the week sacrifice and libation will be taken away; and it is clear how at the time of the passion, sacrifice and libation were in effect taken away from them; when according to the scripture of the gospels 164 the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom; and according to the history of Josephus, On that very Pentecost, at night, the priests, having gone into the temple for their services as was their custom, said that they first perceived a movement and a noise, and after these things a sudden voice, "Let us depart from here." Josephus, having handed down these things word for word and other things similar to these in his histories, would contribute to our proof that after the saving passion the things of the people's bodily worship were in effect dissolved and abolished. But I know also another interpretation given regarding the week that confirmed a covenant with many

60

χρόνου τὸν ἀριθμὸν εἴς τε τὰς ζʹ καὶ ἑξῆς τὰς ξβʹ ἑβδομάδας συνημμένην πεποίηται τὴν διαίρεσιν, ταῖς ζʹ τὰς ξβʹ συνάψας, καὶ μηδένα χρόνον μὴ δὲ πρᾶξιν μεταξὺ καταλιπὼν, ὅτι μὴ δ' ἐμφέρεταί τι 162 διάλειμμα χρόνου διαιροῦν καὶ διαζευγνύον τὸ συνημμένον τῆς κατ' ἐκείνας τὰς ἑβδομάδας ἱστορίας· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ἐπιφερομένης ἑβδομάδος μιᾶς μακρά τις καὶ ἀπεσχοινισμένη τυγχάνει διαστολή. Μετὰ γὰρ τὰς ἑβδομάδας τὰς ξβʹ, πρῶτον φησὶν ἐξολοθρευθήσεται χρίσμα, καὶ κρίμα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ, ὃ καὶ πρόδηλον τίνα τρόπον πέρας εἴληφεν ἐπὶ τῶν Ἡρώδου χρόνων· εἶτα φησὶ, καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον διαφθερεῖ σὺν τῷ ἡγουμένῳ τῷ ἐρχομένῳ. Τίς δὲ διαφθερεῖ ἢ τῶν ψυχῶν ὁ διαφθορεὺς διάβολος; Τίς δὲ ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἡγούμενος, ἢ ὁ ἐξ ἐθνῶν πρῶτος αὐτῶν ἡγησάμενος Ἡρώδης, καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτὸν εἰς δεῦρο τὴν κατὰ Ἰουδαίων ἡγεμονίαν διειληφότες; Ὥσπερ γ' οὖν τοὺς πάλαι αὐτῶν ἡγουμένους ἀρχιερεῖς χριστὸν ἡγούμενον αἰνιγματωδῶς προσεῖπεν ἡ προφητεία, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τοὺς μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνων κατάπαυσιν ἐξ ἐθνῶν αὐτῶν ἄρξαντας ἐρχόμενον ἡγούμενον προσηγόρευσεν, φήσασα, καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον διαφθερεῖ σὺν τῷ ἡγουμένῳ τῷ ἐρχομένῳ· ὅπερ σαφέστερον ὁ Ἀκύλας ἐκδέδωκε ποιήσας, καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον διαφθερεῖ λαὸς ἡγουμένου ἐρχομένου. Καὶ πρόδηλον ὅπως ὁ λαὸς καὶ ὁ στρατὸς τῶν μετὰ τοὺς χριστοὺς ἡγουμένους τὴν κατὰ Ἰουδαίων ἀρχὴν διαδεξαμένων ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἡγουμένων, νόμοις ἐθνῶν χρώμενος, καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον διέφθειρεν, καὶ ὁ κατὰ διάνοιαν δὲ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡγούμενος φθορεὺς σὺν τῷ ἡγουμένῳ τῷ κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν ἐληλυθότι πᾶσαν φθορὰν ἐνηργήσατο αὐτῷ τε πρότερον τῷ λαῷ, καὶ τοῖς τὴν πόλιν ἐνοικοῦσι πολίταις, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τῷ ναῷ καὶ τῇ πάλαι συντε 163 λουμένῃ ἐν αὐτῷ λατρείᾳ. Καὶ ταύτην γε αἰτίαν τῆς παραυτίκα γεγενημένης τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας προσημαῖνόν που θεῖον λόγιον φησὶν, Κύριος ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ διέκυψεν ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τοῦ ἰδεῖν εἰ ἔστι συνιῶν, ἢ ἐκζητῶν τὸν Θεόν. Πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν, οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν χρηστότητα οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός. Εἶθ' ὡς διεφθορότων τῶν προδεδηλωμένων τὰ διαληψόμενα αὐτοὺς προδιδάσκων ὁ λόγος φησὶ, καὶ κοπήσονται ἐν τῷ κατακλυσμῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτόν γε κοπήσονται, ἕως τέλους πολέμου συντετμημένου ἀφανισμοῖς· ἔτι δὲ τούτων συντελουμένων τε καὶ ἐνεργουμένων, καὶ δυναμώσει διαθήκην πολλοῖς ἑβδομὰς μία. Αὕτη δ' ἂν εἴη ἡ τοῦ σωτηρίου κηρύγματος, δι' οὗ τῆς καινῆς τὴν παράδοσιν διαθήκης ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐν πολλοῖς τοῖς μαθητευθεῖσιν αὐτῷ ἐνεδυνάμωσε· τότε μὲν πρὸ τοῦ πάθους συνὼν αὐτοῖς καὶ συμπολιτευόμενος, τότε δὲ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάληψιν δι' ἡμερῶν μʹ ὀπτανόμενος αὐτοῖς καὶ συναλιζόμενος, καὶ λέγων τὰ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ· διὸ καὶ παρήγγελλεν αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων μὴ χωρίζεσθαι. Ταύτης δὲ τῆς ἑβδομάδος ἐν τῷ ἡμίσει δι' ἣν πέπονθεν ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων ἐπιβουλὴν καὶ τὰ ἀκόλουθα τῆς θείας ἐπληρώθη προρρήσεως, ἀμφὶ γοὖν τὰ τρία ἥμισυ ἔτη κηρύξας, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν εὐαγγελίων παρίσταται γραφῆς· διὸ εἴρηται, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἡμίσει τῆς ἑβδομάδος ἀρθήσεται θυσία καὶ σπονδή· καὶ σαφές γε ὅπως ἅμα τῷ πάθει δυνάμει ἤρθη ἐξ αὐτῶν θυσία καὶ σπονδή· ὅτε κατὰ μὲν τὴν τῶν εὐαγγελίων γραφὴν 164 τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ ἐσχίσθη ἀπὸ ἄνωθεν ἕως κάτω· κατὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Ἰωσήπου ἱστορίαν, Ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ πεντηκοστῇ νύκτωρ οἱ ἱερεῖς παρελθόντες εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, ὥσπερ αὐτοῖς ἔθος ἦν, πρὸς τὰς λειτουργίας, πρῶτον μὲν κινήσεως ἔφασαν ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ κτύπου, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα φωνῆς ἀθρόας, μεταβαίνομεν ωμεν ἐντεῦθεν. Ταῦτα δὲ κατὰ λέξιν καὶ ἕτερα τούτοις παραπλήσια ταῖς ἱστορίαις παραδοὺς ὁ Ἰώσηπος συμβάλοιτ' ἂν ἡμῖν εἰς ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ δυνάμει λελύσθαι τε καὶ καθῃρῆσθαι μετὰ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος τὰ τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ σωματικῆς λατρείας. Οἶδα δὲ καὶ ἄλλην εἰς τὴν ἑβδομάδα τὴν δυναμώσασαν διαθήκην πολλοῖς ἀποδοθεῖσαν