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virtue. Then the angel adds, "Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the transgression and to make an end of sin and to seal up sins and to atone for iniquity and to bring in everlasting righteousness and to seal up vision and prophet and to anoint the most holy." The prophet, while praying, said to God "your people" and "your city;" but the angel says to Daniel, "your people and your city," as if the people were not worthy to be called God's. And this is found similarly also in the time of Moses, when the Israelites, having made the calf, offered a sacrifice to it; for then too, when the prophet was praying, God spoke in the same way. 1.204 So the angel says that Jerusalem will be rebuilt and your people will return and will remain for four hundred and ninety years; for the seventy weeks are reckoned up to this number; and he reckoned each day as a year. And "were decreed" stands for "were judged" and "were determined." "To finish the transgression and to make an end of sin," that is, until it has lasted long and increased; for this is what "to grow old" signifies, and for sin to become complete. And through these things he represents the audacity and rage of the Jews against the Lord. For they had sinned many times before this and paid the penalty, but were called back again; but when they raged against the Savior and reached the furthest limit of evil and committed the complete sin, they no longer received a recall. And "to seal up sins and to atone for iniquity" signifies the remission of offenses granted by the Lord to those who believe in him; for this is he who takes away the sin of the world; for "to seal up" signifies "to make cease." And "to bring in everlasting righteousness" means for him to come into the world, who is righteousness and redemption and sanctification. Moreover, "to seal up vision and prophet" signifies that the prophecies have reached their end, or that the things spoken by them concerning Christ have already come to pass, or that the gift of prophecy has failed among the Jews, or both. For Christ, having come, sealed the prophecies, that is, he fulfilled and confirmed and, moreover, also made them cease; for there is no longer among them a ruler and prophet and leader. And to bring in everlasting righteousness, which is himself, our Lord and Savior. 1.205 For the apostle says, "wisdom was given to us from God, both righteousness and sanctification and redemption." And elsewhere, writing about the gospel, he says, "in it the righteousness of God is revealed." And the Lord teaches, "seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness," which he himself brought, revealing it to us through his teaching. And "to anoint the most holy" signifies that the Master, Christ, has come. For who else would be called holy of holies if not our Lord and Savior? Who, being the fount of holiness, is anointed with the Holy Spirit according to his human nature, as Isaiah proclaimed beforehand, saying, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me," and as David sang in a psalm, saying, "God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions," and as the chief summit of the apostles, Peter, taught concerning the Savior, writing that "God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power," and he seals and confirms the old scriptures, doing and suffering all that was foretold through them, and he atones for iniquity, reconciling sinners to God the Father and propitiating him for those who have stumbled. Then the divine archangel adds, "And you shall know and understand, that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem until Christ the Prince, there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks." So the temple began to be built in the time of Cyrus; for Cyrus was the first to grant the return to the nation of the Jews, but it was hindered by Cambyses, the 1.206 son of Cyrus, due to the envy of the neighboring nations, but the rebuilding of it was permitted again to the Jews when

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ἀρετήν. Ειτα ἐπάγει ὁ αγγελος "ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδες συνετμήθησαν ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν σου εως τοῦ παλαιωθῆναι τὸ παράπτωμα καὶ τοῦ τελεσθῆναι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τοῦ σφραγίσαι ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τοῦ ἐξιλάσασθαι ἀδικίαν καὶ τοῦ ἀγαγεῖν δικαιοσύνην αἰώνιον καὶ τοῦ σφραγίσαι ορασιν καὶ προφήτην καὶ τοῦ χρῖσαι αγιον ἁγίων." ὁ μὲν προφήτης προσευχόμενος "ὁ λαός σου" πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ελεγε "καὶ ἡ πόλις σου·" ὁ δὲ αγγελος πρὸς τὸν ∆ανιήλ φησιν "ὁ λαός σου καὶ ἡ πόλις σου," ὡς μὴ ἀξίου οντος τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ καλεῖσθαι. ευρηται δὲ ὁμοίως καὶ ἐπὶ Μωυσέως, οτε τὸν μόσχον ποιήσαντες οἱ ̓Ισραηλῖται θυσίαν αὐτῷ προσήνεγκαν· καὶ τότε γὰρ τοῦ προφήτου δεομένου ὁ θεὸς εφη ὡσαύτως. 1.204 φησὶν ουν ὁ αγγελος οτι καὶ ἡ ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ οἰκοδομηθήσεται καὶ ὁ λαός σου ἐπανελεύσεται καὶ ἐπὶ ετη τετρακόσια ἐνενήκοντα διαμενοῦσιν· αἱ γὰρ ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδες εἰς τοσοῦτον συμψηφίζονται ἀριθμόν· ἑκάστην δ' ἡμέραν εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν ἐλογίσατο. τὸ δὲ συνετμήθησαν ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐκρίθησαν καὶ ὡρίσθησαν κεῖται. εως τοῦ παλαιωθῆναι τὸ παράπτωμα καὶ τοῦ τελεσθῆναι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, τοῦτ' εστιν εως τοῦ χρονίσαι καὶ αὐξηθῆναι· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ παλαιωθῆναι καὶ τελείαν γενέσθαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. διὰ τούτων δὲ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου τόλμαν καὶ λύτταν τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων παρίστησιν. πολλὰ μὲν γὰρ καὶ πρὸ τούτου ἡμάρτοσαν καὶ δίκας ετισαν, ἀλλ' ἀνεκλήθησαν αυθις· ἐπεὶ δὲ κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐμάνησαν καὶ εἰς εσχατον κακίας ἀφίκοντο καὶ ἐντελῆ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εἰργάσαντο, οὐκέτι ἀνακλήσεως ετυχον. τὸ δὲ σφραγίσαι ἁμαρτίαν καὶ ἐξιλάσασθαι ἀδικίαν τὴν αφεσιν δηλοῖ τῶν πταισμάτων τὴν παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου δεδωρημένην τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς αὐτόν· ουτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ αιρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου· τὸ γὰρ σφραγίσαι τοῦ παυθῆναι σημαντικόν. τὸ δὲ ἀγαγεῖν δικαιοσύνην αἰώνιον τὸ αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐλθεῖν, ος ἐστι δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις καὶ ἁγιασμός. τὸ μέντοι σφραγίσαι ορασιν καὶ προφήτην τὸ τέλος ἐσχηκέναι τὰς προφητείας δηλοῖ, η οτι τὰ παρ' ἐκείνων περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λαληθέντα ηδη ἐκβέβηκεν, η οτι τὸ τῆς προφητείας χάρισμα τοῖς ̓Ιουδαίοις ἐκλέλοιπεν, η καὶ ἀμφότερα. ἐλθὼν γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς τὰς προφητείας ἐσφράγισεν, ἐπλήρωσε δηλαδὴ καὶ ἐβεβαίωσε καὶ μέντοι καὶ επαυσεν· οὐκέτι γὰρ παρ' αὐτοῖς αρχων καὶ προφήτης καὶ ἡγούμενος. καὶ ἀγαγεῖν δικαιοσύνην αἰώνιον, ητις αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν καὶ σωτήρ. 1.205 ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀπόστολος "ἐδόθη σοφία" φησιν "ἡμῖν ἀπὸ θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις." καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ περὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου γράφων "δικαιοσύνη ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται" λέγει. ὁ δὲ κύριος "αἰτεῖτε" διδάσκει "τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, ην αὐτὸς ηγαγε φανερώσας ἡμῖν διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ διδαχῆς. καὶ τὸ χρῖσαι δὲ αγιον ἁγίων αὐτὸν δηλοῖ τὸν δεσπότην παραγενέσθαι Χριστόν. τίς γὰρ ετερος αγιος ἁγίων κληθείη αν εἰ μὴ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν καὶ σωτήρ; ος ἁγιωσύνης ὑπάρχων πηγὴ χρίεται μὲν τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, ὡς ̔Ησαΐας προανεφώνησε λέγων "πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ, ου εινεκεν εχρισέ με," καὶ ὡς ∆αβὶδ ἐμελῴδησεν εἰπών "εχρισέ σε ὁ θεός, ὁ θεός σου, ελαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως, παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου," καὶ ὡς ἡ κορυφαία τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀκρότης ὁ Πέτρος ἐδίδαξε περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος γράψας ὡς "εχρισεν αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ δυνάμει," σφραγίζει δὲ καὶ βεβαιοῖ τὰς παλαιὰς γραφάς, ποιῶν απαντα καὶ πάσχων οσα δι' ἐκείνων προείρητο, καὶ ἐξιλάσκεται ἀδικίαν καταλλάσσων τοὺς ἁμαρτήσαντας τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ καὶ αὐτὸν τοῖς πταίσασαν ἱλεούμενος. Ειτα ἐπάγει ὁ θεῖος ἀρχάγγελος "καὶ γνώσῃ καὶ συνήσεις, ἀπὸ ἐξόδου λόγων τοῦ ἀποκριθῆναι καὶ τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ εως Χριστοῦ ἡγουμένου ἑβδομάδες ἑπτὰ καὶ ἑβδομάδες ἑξήκοντα δύο." ηρξατο μὲν ουν ὁ ναὸς ἐπὶ Κύρου οἰκοδομεῖσθαι· Κῦρος γὰρ πρῶτος τῆς ἐπανόδου παρεχώρησε τῷ εθνει τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων, ἀλλ' ἐπεσχέθη παρὰ Καμβύσου τοῦ Κύρου 1.206 παιδὸς φθόνῳ τῶν αὐτοῖς ὁμορούντων ἐθνῶν, ἐπετράπη δ' αυθις τοῖς ̓Ιουδαίοις ἡ τούτου ἀνέγερσις οτε