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let us set forth the number of these years. Therefore, from the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, son of Xerxes, in which Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and began to rebuild the walls 81.1477 of the city, until Darius, son of Arsames, whom Alexander the Macedonian killed, putting an end to the Persian kingdom, there are one hundred and fourteen years; and from the sixth year of Alexander, in which Darius was killed, until Gaius Julius Caesar, the first emperor of the Romans, the total years of the Macedonian kingdom are two hundred and eighty-two; and from the beginning of Julius Caesar's rule until the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, when John the Baptist came to the Jordan preaching a baptism of repentance, and crying out: "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world," there are seventy-three years. These, when added together, make a total of four hundred and sixty-nine years; but these make four hundred and eighty-three Hebrew years; and the seven and sixty-two weeks make that many. For one must know that the Hebrews, counting the year according to the course of the moon, show eleven excess days, which we also call intercalary; for the course of the moon is completed in twenty-nine days and six hours. Counting in this way, they make the year of three hundred and fifty-four days. Therefore, since the holy archangel, speaking to the blessed Daniel, a Hebrew man, and teaching him the number of the years, certainly stated the customary number, it is necessary to add the years accumulated from the intercalary days; for when these are added, the four hundred and eighty-three years will be found; and the seven and sixty-two weeks amount to this much. But he divided them not simply, but signifying changes of certain events. For from the building of Jerusalem, which took place under Nehemiah and Esdras, until Hyrcanus, the last high priest of the Asamoneans, whom Herod killed, the number of the sixty-two weeks is completed; and from his slaughter until the appearance of our Savior, and His arrival at the Jordan, the remaining seven weeks reach their end. And in this time, after the murder of Hyrcanus, I say, until the appearance of our Savior, the high priests were thenceforth appointed unlawfully. For while the law commanded the high priests to serve for life, and for successors to be appointed after their death, Herod, and the Romans after him, making the high priesthoods for sale, made frequent successions of them; and some they appointed as high priests who were not even descended from the priestly lineage. And teaching this, Josephus the Hebrew writer says thus: "Herod, having been entrusted with the kingdom by the Romans, no longer appointed high priests from the Asamonean family (these were the ones called Maccabees), but certain obscure men who were merely of Hebrew origin." And 81.1480 a little later he says again thus: "And Archelaus his son acted similarly to Herod concerning the appointment of the Jewish high priests, and after him the Romans who took over the rule." And elsewhere he says: "But Valerius Gratus, a Roman general, having stopped Ananus from serving as priest, declares Ishmael son of Phabi high priest; and after a short time removing him, he appoints Eleazar, the son of Ananus the high priest, as high priest; and after a year had passed, having removed this one as well, he hands over the high priesthood to Simon son of Cathimus. And not more than a year's time passed for this one holding the office, and Josephus, who is also Caiaphas, was his successor." Teaching these things, the blessed Luke also says: "In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas." But we have never learned of two high priests at the same time according to the law. Predicting these things, the holy Gabriel says: 20. "And after the sixty-two weeks," he says, "an anointing shall be cut off, and there is no judgment in it." So that it is clear that the

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αὐτῶν τῶν ἐτῶν παραθήσωμεν τὸν ἀριθμόν. Οὐκοῦν ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ εἰκοστοῦ ἔτους τῆς βασιλείας Ἀρταξέρξου τοῦ Ξέρξου, ἐφ' οὗ Νεεμίας εἰς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀφικόμενος ἀνεγεῖραι ἤρξατο τὰ τείχη 81.1477 τῆς πόλεως, ἕως ∆αρείου τοῦ Ἀρσάμου, ὃν Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μακεδὼν ἀνελὼν τὴν τῶν Περσῶν κατέλυσε βασιλείαν, ἔτη ἐστὶ τέτταρα καὶ δέκα πρὸς τοῖς ἑκα τόν· ἀπὸ δὲ ἕκτου ἔτους Ἀλεξάνδρου, ἐν ᾧ ∆αρεῖος ἀνῃρέθη, ἕως Γαΐου Ἰουλίου Καίσαρος, αὐτοκράτορος πρώτου Ῥωμαίων, ἔτη τὰ πάντα τῆς Μακεδόνων βασιλείας διακόσια ὀγδοήκοντα δύο· ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἀρ χῆς Ἰουλίου Καίσαρος ἕως πεντεκαιδεκάτου ἔτους Τιβερίου Καίσαρος, ἡνίκα Ἰωάννης ὁ Βαπτιστὴς ἦλθε παρὰ τὸν Ἰορδάνην κηρύσσων βάπτισμα μετα νοίας, καὶ βοῶν· "Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου," ἔτη ἐστὶ ἑβδομήκοντα τρία. Ταῦτα ὁμοῦ συναγόμενα ποιεῖ ἐτῶν ἀρι θμὸν τετρακοσίων ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἐννέα· ταῦτα δὲ Ἑβραϊκὰ ἔτη ποιεῖ τετρακόσια ὀγδοήκοντα τρία· το σαῦτα δὲ ποιοῦσιν αἱ ἑπτὰ καὶ ἑξήκοντα δύο ἑβδο μάδες. Εἰδέναι γὰρ χρὴ, ὡς Ἑβραῖοι, κατὰ τὸν τῆς σελήνης δρόμον ἀριθμοῦντες τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν, ἕνδεκα ἡμέρας περιττὰς ἀποφαίνουσιν, ἃς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐμβο λίμους καλοῦμεν· ὁ γὰρ τῆς σελήνης δρόμος ἐν εἴ κοσιν ἐννέα ἡμέραις καὶ ὥραις ἓξ συμπληροῦται. Οὕτω δὲ ἀριθμοῦντες τριακοσίων καὶ πεντήκοντα καὶ τεσσάρων ἡμερῶν ποιοῦσι τὸν ἐνιαυτόν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ὁ ἅγιος ἀρχάγγελος τῷ μακαρίῳ ∆ανιὴλ δια λεγόμενος ἀνδρὶ Ἑβραίῳ, καὶ διδάσκων αὐτὸν ἀρι θμὸν τῶν ἐτῶν, τὸν συνήθη πάντως ἔλεγεν ἀριθμὸν, ἀναγκαίως προσθεῖναι δεῖ τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐμβολίμων συναγόμενα ἔτη· τούτων γὰρ προστιθεμένων, τὰ τρία καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα πρὸς τοῖς τετρακοσίοις εὑρεθή σεται ἔτη· τοσαῦτα δὲ συνάγουσιν αἱ ἑπτὰ καὶ ἑξή κοντα δύο ἑβδομάδες. ∆ιεῖλε δὲ αὐτὰς οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ πραγμάτων ἐνίων προσημαίνων μεταβολάς. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς οἰκοδομίας τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ᾓ ἐγένετο ἐπὶ Νεεμίου καὶ Ἔσδρου, μέχρις Ὑρκανοῦ τοῦ τελευταίου ἐκ τῶν Ἀσαμοναίων ἀρχιερέως, ὃν ἀνεῖλεν Ἡρώδης, ὁ τῶν δύο καὶ ἑξήκοντα ἑβδομάδων ἀριθμὸς συμπληροῦται· ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἐκείνου σφαγῆς, μέχρι τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφανείας, καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἀφίξεως, αἱ λοιπαὶ ἑπτὰ ἑβδομάδες τὸ τέλος λαμβάνουσιν. Ἐν δὲ τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ, μετὰ τὴν Ὑρκανοῦ, φημὶ, ἀναίρεσιν, μέχρι τῆς τοῦ Σω τῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφανείας, παρανόμως λοιπὸν οἱ ἀρ χιερεῖς ἐγίνοντο. Τοῦ γὰρ νόμου κελεύοντος διὰ βίου τοὺς ἀρχιερέας ἱερατεύειν, καὶ μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τοὺς διαδόχους λαμβάνειν, Ἡρώδης, καὶ οἱ μετ' ἐκεῖ νον Ῥωμαῖοι, ὠνητὰς τὰς ἀρχιερωσύνας ποιησά μενοι, συχνὰς αὐτῶν ἐποιοῦντο διαδοχάς· ἐνίους δὲ οὐδὲ ἐκ τοῦ ἱερατικοῦ γένους καταγομένους ἀρχιε ρέας προεχειρίζοντο. Καὶ τοῦτο διδάσκων Ἰώσηππος ὁ Ἑβραῖος συγγραφεὺς οὕτω φησί· "Τὴν βασιλείαν Ἡρώδης παρὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐγχειρισθεὶς, οὐκέτι τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ Ἀσαμωναίου γένους (οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ καλού μενοι Μακκαβαῖοι) καθίστησιν ἀρχιερέας, ἀλλά τι σιν ἀσήμοις καὶ μόνον ἐξ Ἑβραίων οὖσι." Καὶ 81.1480 μετ' ὀλίγα πάλιν οὕτω φησίν· "Ἔπραξε δ' ὅμοια τῷ Ἡρώδῃ περὶ τῆς καταστάσεως τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀρχιερέων Ἀρχέλαός τε ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ τον οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τὴν ἀρχὴν παρειληφότες." Καὶ ἑτέρωθί φησι· "Βαλέριος δὲ Γράτος, Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς, παύσας ἱερατεύειν Ἄνανον, Ἰσμαὴλ ἀρχιερέα ἀποφαίνει τὸν τοῦ Φαβί· καὶ τοῦτον μετ' οὐ πολὺ μεταστήσας, Ἐλεάζαρον τὸν τοῦ Ἀνάνου τοῦ ἀρχιερέως υἱὸν ἀποδείκνυσιν ἀρχιερέα· ἐνιαυ τοῦ δὲ διαγενομένου καὶ τόνδε παύσας, Σίμωνι τῷ Καθίμου τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην παραδίδωσιν. Οὐ πλέον δὲ καὶ τῷδε ἐνιαυτοῦ τὴν τιμὴν ἔχοντι διεγένετο χρόνος, καὶ Ἰώσηππος, ὁ καὶ Καϊάφας, διάδοχος ἦν αὐτῷ." Ταῦτα διδάσκων καὶ ὁ μακάριος Λουκᾶς φησιν· "Ἔτους πεντεκαιδεκάτου Τιβερίου Καίσα ρος, ἐπὶ ἀρχιερέων Ἄννα καὶ Καϊάφα." ∆ύο δὲ κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἀρχιερέας κατὰ νόμον γεγενημένους οὐ μεμαθήκαμεν πώποτε. Ταῦτα προλέγων ὁ ἅγιος Γαβριήλ· κʹ. "Καὶ μετὰ τὰς ἑβδομάδας, φησὶ, τὰς ἑξήκοντα δύο, ἐξολοθρευθήσεται χρίσμα, καὶ κρῖμα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ." Ὡς εἶναι δῆλον, ὅτι τὰς