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of the saving proclamation, which was spread over the whole inhabited world, and no longer proclaimed to the one nation of the Jews alone, but now to many, so that on account of this it might also be said, "one week will confirm a covenant with many." It is reasonable to note that the final one week is not joined consecutively to the other weeks, which the word says will confirm a covenant with many; for he has not done in the case of the one week as he did in the case of the 7 and 62 weeks; for in the case of those, having divided the number of the whole time into the 7 and consecutively the 62 weeks, he has made the division continuous, joining the 62 to the 7, and leaving no time or action in between, because no 162 interval of time is introduced to divide and separate the continuity of the history during those weeks; but in the case of the subsequent one week, there happens to be a certain long and drawn-out separation. For after the 62 weeks, he first says anointing will be destroyed, and there is no judgment in him, which it is also manifest how it came to an end in the times of Herod; then he says, "and he will destroy the city and the holy place with the coming prince." And who will destroy, but the destroyer of souls, the devil? And who is the coming prince, but Herod, the first of the gentiles who ruled them, and those after him who until now have taken over the rule over the Jews? For just as the prophecy enigmatically called their ancient ruling high priests an anointed prince, in the same way it named those from the gentiles who ruled them after their cessation the "coming prince," saying, "and he will destroy the city and the holy place with the coming prince;" which Aquila rendered more clearly, making it, "and the people of a coming prince 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 princes, using gentile laws, destroyed both the city and the holy place, and how the destroyer who rules the minds of souls, along with the prince who had come according to the prophecy, wrought all destruction first upon the people themselves, and upon the citizens inhabiting the city, and then also upon the temple and the worship formerly performed 163 in it. And somewhere a divine oracle, signifying this very reason for the immediately occurring presence of Christ, says, "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there is one who understands, or who seeks God. They have all turned aside, they have together become worthless; there is none who does good, no, not one." Then, as if foretelling what would befall those who had been shown to be corrupt, the word says, "and they will be cut off in the flood," and they will be cut off to such an extent, "until the end of a war determined by desolations;" and while these things are being accomplished and are taking place, "and one week will confirm a covenant with many." And this would be that of the saving proclamation, through which our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ confirmed in the many who were discipled by him the tradition of the new covenant; at one time before the passion, being with them and living among them, and at another time after the ascension, appearing to them for forty 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. And in the middle of this week, because of the plot he suffered from the Jews and the consequences, the divine prophecy was fulfilled, having preached for about three and a half years, and this is established from the writing of the gospels; wherefore it is said, "and in the middle of the week sacrifice and oblation will be taken away;" and it is clear how at the same time as the passion, sacrifice and oblation were in effect taken away from them; when according to the writing of the gospels 164 the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom; and according to the history of Josephus, "On the very night of Pentecost the priests, having entered the temple, just as

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τοῦ σωτηρίου κηρύγματος, τὴν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν διαδοθεῖσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ οὐκέτι μὲν ἑνὶ μόνῳ τῷ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνει, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ πλείοσι κηρυχθεῖσαν, ὥστ' ἂν διὰ τοῦτο εἰρῆσθαι καὶ τὸ, δυναμώσει διαθήκην πολλοῖς ἑβδομὰς μία. Ἐπιστῆσαι δὲ εὔλογον, ὅτι μὴ ἑξῆς ταῖς λοιπαῖς ἑβδομάσιν ἡ τελευταία ἑβδομὰς μία συνῆπται, ἥν φησιν ὁ λόγος δυναμώσειν διαθήκην τοῖς πολλοῖς· οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν ζʹ καὶ ξβʹ ἑβδομάδων καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς μιᾶς πεποίηκεν· ἐπ' ἐκείνων μὲν γὰρ διελὼν τοῦ παντὸς 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