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he limited, by multiplying this time by itself seven times, he defines the polity according to the law. "Seventy weeks are determined," that is, they were tested, and they were judged; for thus some of the interpreters have rendered it; "upon your people, and upon your holy city, 81.1472 to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins;" that is, until their impious audacity should increase, and sin should come to an end. He speaks of sin being perfected, and transgression growing old, or rather increasing and reaching its limit, the cross dared against the Lord. For before this, though they had dared countless evils, they paid penalties and suffered punishments for what they had transgressed, yet again enjoying pardon they were deemed worthy of loving-kindness; but after the madness against the Master, and the cross they dared, they met with no recall, as the facts themselves proclaim; but for more than four hundred and forty years that have passed, they have remained scattered, and sojourners of the inhabited world. For this reason the holy archangel says to the blessed Daniel; "Seventy weeks are determined upon your people and upon your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins." And since the Lord Christ was about to grant the remission of sins to those who believe in him, as the blessed John also cried out, saying, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world," he fittingly added, "And to seal up sins, and to blot out iniquities, and to make reconciliation for injustices." For he blotted out the iniquities of those who believed in him, erasing the handwriting that was against us, as the blessed Paul says. And he sealed up sins, having put an end to the polity according to the law, and having bestowed the grace of the Spirit, by which those who live spiritually are helped to overcome the passions. To which he added, "And to bring in everlasting righteousness." And everlasting righteousness is properly the Lord Christ himself. For concerning him the blessed Paul says, "He was made for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." And concerning the Gospel, writing to the Romans he said that "the righteousness of God is revealed in it." Since, using generosity, he granted to those who believed in him the righteousness that is the cause of eternal life, which he also urged them to ask for when they pray, saying, "Seek the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;" the holy Gabriel necessarily said, "And to bring in everlasting righteousness." And he added, "And to seal up vision and prophet;" that is, to put an end to all the prophecies; "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes;" and to cause the prophetic grace to cease from the Jewish nation. For if the Lord Christ, having appeared, had not done and suffered the things which the prophets foretold, the truth of the prophets would not have been shown. 81.1473 Therefore, he fulfills, and as it were seals and confirms the things foretold by the prophets, doing and suffering all the things that were prophesied by them. To these he again added, "And to anoint the Most Holy." And who is this Most Holy One? Let the Jews say; but if they do not know, let them learn from us, that it is the Lord Christ himself, foretelling through Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me." And testified to by David, that "He loved righteousness, and hated iniquity, and for this reason he was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows." And the blessed Peter, the chief of the apostles, also testifies, saying, "Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." The blessed prophet Daniel, therefore, is taught that it was determined that a period of four hundred and ninety years should be granted to Jerusalem for the

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περιώρισεν, ἑπτάκις εἰς ἑαυτὸν τοῦτον ἀνελίξας τὸν χρόνον τὴν κατὰ νόμον πολιτείαν περιορίζει. "Ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδες συνετμήθησαν," ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐδοκιμάσθησαν, καὶ ἐκρίθησαν· οὕτω γάρ τινες τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν ἐκ δεδώκασιν· "ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν 81.1472 σου τὴν ἁγίαν, ἕως τοῦ παλαιωθῆναι τὸ παράπτωμα, καὶ τοῦ τελεσθῆναι ἁμαρτίαν·" ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἕως ἂν αὐ ξηθῇ αὐτῶν τὸ δυσσεβὲς τόλμημα, καὶ τέλος λάβῃ ἡ ἁμαρτία. Λέγει δὲ ἁμαρτίαν τελειουμένην, καὶ παράπτωμα παλαιούμενον, εἴτ' οὖν αὐξανόμενον, καὶ εἰς ἔσχατον ἀφικνούμενον, τὸν κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου τολμηθέντα σταυρόν. Πρὸ μὲν γὰρ τούτου μυρία τε τολμηκότες κακὰ ἔδοσαν μὲν δίκας, καὶ ἔτισαν τιμω ρίας ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐπλημμέλησαν, ἀλλὰ πάλιν συγγνώμης ἀπολαύσαντες φιλανθρωπίας ἠξιώθησαν· μετὰ δὲ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου μανίαν, καὶ τὸν τολμηθέντα σταυρὸν, οὐδεμιᾶς ἔτυχον ἀνακλήσεως, ὡς αὐτὰ βοᾷ τὰ πράγματα· ἀλλὰ πλειόνων ἢ τεσσαράκοντα καὶ τετρακοσίων διαδραμόντων ἐτῶν σποράδες μεμενήκασι, καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης μέτοικοι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι τῷ μακαρίῳ ∆ανιὴλ ὁ ἅγιος ἀρχάγγελος· "Ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδες συνετμήθησαν ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν σου, ἕως τοῦ παλαιωθῆναι τὸ παράπτωμα, καὶ τοῦ τελεσθῆναι ἁμαρτίαν." Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἔμελλεν ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύουσι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων δωρεῖ σθαι τὴν ἄφεσιν, ὡς καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰωάννης ἐβόα, λέγων· "Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου," εἰκότως ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ τοῦ σφραγί σαι ἁμαρτίας, καὶ τοῦ ἀπαλεῖψαι ἀνομίας, καὶ τοῦ ἐξιλάσασθαι ἀδικίας." Ἀπήλειψε μὲν γὰρ τὰς ἀνο μίας τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότων, ἐξαλείψας τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν χειρόγραφον, ᾗ φησιν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος. Ἐσφράγισε δὲ τὰς ἁμαρτίας, παύσας μὲν τὴν κατὰ νόμον πολιτείαν, τὴν δὲ τοῦ Πνεύματος δωρησάμενος χάριν, ὑφ' ἧς βοηθούμενοι περιγίνονται τῶν παθῶν οἱ πνευματικῶς πολιτευόμενοι. Οἷς προστέθεικε· "Καὶ τοῦ ἀγαγεῖν δικαιοσύνην αἰώνιον." ∆ικαιο σύνη δὲ αἰώνιος κυρίως ἐστὶν αὐτὸς ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστός. Περὶ γὰρ αὐτοῦ φησιν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος· "Ἐδόθη ἡμῖν σοφία ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμὸς, καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις." Καὶ περὶ τοῦ Εὐαγγε λίου δὲ Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιστέλλων ἔφη, ὅτι "∆ικαιοσύνη Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται." Ἐπειδὴ δὲ φιλοτιμίᾳ χρησάμενος, καὶ τὴν πρόξενον τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς δικαιοσύνην τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκόσιν ἐχαρί σατο, ἣν καὶ αἰτεῖν προσευχομένοις παρεκελεύσατο· "Αἰτεῖτε, λέγων, τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ·" ἀναγκαίως εἶπεν ὁ ἅγιος Γα βριήλ· "Καὶ τοῦ ἀγαγεῖν δικαιοσύνην αἰώνιον." Προσ τέθεικε δέ· "Καὶ τοῦ σφραγίσαι ὅρασιν καὶ προφή την·" τουτέστι, τοῦ δοῦναι μὲν τέλος ἁπάσαις ταῖς προφητείαις· "Τέλος γὰρ νόμου Χριστὸς εἰς δικαιο σύνην παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι·" παῦσαι δὲ λοιπὸν τὴν προφητικὴν χάριν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐπιφανεὶς ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς πεποίηκέ τε καὶ πέπονθεν, ἅπερ οἱ προφῆται προεῖπον, οὐκ ἂν ἐδεί 81.1473 χθη τῶν προφητῶν ἡ ἀλήθεια. Πληροῖ τοίνυν, καὶ οἱονεὶ σφραγίζει καὶ βεβαῖοι τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν προῤῥηθέντα, ποιῶν ἅπαντα καὶ πάσχων τὰ ὑπ' ἐκείνων χρησμῳδηθέντα. Τούτοις πάλιν προστέθεικε· "Καὶ τοῦ χρίσαι Ἅγιον ἁγίων." Τίς δὲ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τῶν ἁγίων Ἅγιος; εἰπάτωσαν Ἰουδαῖοι· εἰ δὲ ἀγνοοῦσι, παρ' ἡμῶν μαθέτωσαν, ὡς αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς, διὰ μὲν Ἡσαΐου προλέγων· "Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέ με Κύριος." Ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ μαρτυρούμενος, ὅτι "Ἠγάπησε δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἐμίσησεν ἀνομίαν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐχρίσθη ἐλαίῳ ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους αὑτοῦ." Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Πέ τρος, τῶν ἀποστόλων ὁ κορυφαῖος, λέγων· "Ἰη σοῦν τὸν ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ, ὡς ἔχρισεν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ δυνάμει, ὃς διῆλθεν εὐεργετῶν, καὶ ἰώμενος πάντας τοὺς καταδυναστευομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἦν μετ' αὐτοῦ." ∆ιδάσκεται τοίνυν ὁ μακάριος ∆ανιὴλ ὁ προφήτης, ὅτι τετρακο σίων καὶ ἐννενήκοντα ἐτῶν χρόνον ἔδοξε παρασχεθῆ ναι τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς τὸ τῶν