Chap. V.—The Oracles of the Prophets Must Be Looked Into; And of Their Times, and the Times of the Judges and Kings.

Now, since I have shown that wisdom and religion cannot be separated, it remains that we speak of religion itself, and wisdom. I am aware, indeed, how difficult it is to discuss heavenly subjects; but still the attempt must be ventured, that the truth may be made clear and brought to light, and that many may be freed from error and death, who despise and refuse the truth, while it is concealed under a covering of folly. But before I begin to speak of God and His works, I must first speak a few things concerning the prophets, whose testimony I must now use, which I have refrained from doing in the former books. Above all things, he who desires to comprehend the truth ought not only to apply his mind to understand the utterances of the prophets, but also most diligently to inquire into the times during which each one of them existed, that he may know what future events they predicted, and after how many years their predictions were fulfilled.496    [See Pusey’s Daniel; also Minor Prophets.]   Nor is there any difficulty in making these computations; for they testified under what king each of them received the inspiration of the Divine Spirit. And many have written and published books respecting the times, making their commencement from the prophet Moses, who lived about seven hundred years before the Trojan war. But he, when he had governed the people for forty years, was succeeded by Joshua, who held the chief place twenty-seven years.  

After this they were under the government of judges during three hundred and seventy years. Then their condition was changed, and they began to have kings; and when they had ruled during four hundred and fifty years, until the reign of Zedekiah, the Jews having been besieged by the king of Babylon, and carried into captivity,497    See 2 Kings xxv.; Jer. xxxix. and lii.   endured a long servitude, until, in the seventieth year afterwards, the captive Jews were restored to their own lands and settlements by Cyrus the elder, who attained the supreme power over the Persians, at the time when Tarquinius Superbus reigned at Rome. Wherefore, since the whole series of times may be collected both from the Jewish histories and from those of the Greeks and Romans, the times of the prophets individually may also be collected; the last of whom was Zechariah, and it is agreed on that he prophesied in the time of King Darius, in the second year of his reign, and in the eighth month. Of so much greater antiquity498    The same is asserted by Justin Martyr [vol. i. p. 277], Eusebius, Augustine, and other writers. See Augustine, De Civitate Dei, book xviii. 37. Pythagoras, one of the most ancient of the Greek philosophers, was contemporary with the latest prophets.   are the prophets found to be than the Greek writers. And I bring forward all these things, that they may perceive their error who endeavour to refute Holy Scripture, as though it were new and recently composed, being ignorant from what fountain the origin of our holy religion flowed. But if any one, having put together and examined the times, shall duly lay the foundation of learning, and fully ascertain the truth, he will also lay aside his error when he has gained the knowledge of the truth.  

0458B CAPUT V. Oracula prophetarum sunt inspicienda; et de temporibus eorum, atque judicum et regum.

Nunc, quoniam docui sapientiam et religionem non posse diduci, superest ut de ipsa religione ac sapientia disseramus. Sentio quidem, quam sit difficilis de rebus coelestibus disputatio: sed tamen audendum est, ut illustrata veritas pateat, multique ab errore atque interitu liberentur, qui eam sub velamine stultitiae latentem aspernantur ac respuunt. Sed prius quam incipiam de Deo et operibus ejus dicere, mihi pauca de prophetis ante dicenda sunt, quorum testimoniis nunc uti necesse est; quod in prioribus libris ne facerem, temperavi. Ante omnia, qui veritatem 0458C studet comprehendere, non modo intelligendis prophetarum vocibus animum debet intendere, sed etiam tempora, per quae quisque illorum fuerit, diligentissime inquirere; ut sciat et quae futura praedixerint, et post quos annos praedicta completa sint. Nec difficultas in his colligendis inest ulla; testati sunt enim sub quo quisque rege divini Spiritus fuerit passus 0459A instinctum. Multique scriptos libros 0459A de temporibus ediderunt, initium facientes a propheta Moyse, qui trojanum bellum septingentis fere annis antecessit. Is autem, cum per annos quadraginta populum rexisset, successorem habuit Jesum, qui septem et viginti annis tenuit principatum.

Exinde sub Judicibus fuerunt per annos trecentos septuaginta. Tum mutato statu, reges habere coeperunt: quibus imperium tenentibus per annos quadringentos quinquaginta usque ad Sedechiae regnum, oppugnati a rege Babylonio, captique Judaei, diuturnum servitium pertulerunt; donec septuagesimo post anno eos Cyrus major terris ac sedibus suis redderet, 0459B qui per idem tempus in Persas suscepit imperium, 0460A quo Romae Tarquinius Superbus. Quare cum omnis temporum series, et ex Judaicis, et ex Graecis Romanisque historiis colligatur, etiam singulorum prophetarum tempora colligi possunt; quorum sane ultimus Zacharias fuit, quem constat sub Dario rege, secundo anno regni ejus, octavo mense cecinisse. Adeo antiquiores etiam Graecis scriptoribus prophetae reperiuntur. Quae omnia eo profero, ut errorem suum sentiant, qui Scripturam sacram coarguere nituntur, tanquam novam et recens fictam, ignorantes ex quo fonte sanctae religionis origo manaverit. Quod si quis collectis perspectisque temporibus, fundamentum doctrinae salubriter jecerit, et veritatem penitus comprehendet, 0460B et errorem cognita veritate deponet.