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The prophecy of Daniel proclaims, saying, "and you shall know and understand from the going forth of the words to answer and to build Jerusalem, until Christ the leader, seven weeks and sixty-two weeks." These 69 weeks complete a period of 483 years, which is the number of years from the beginning of the anointed leaders, the last of whom was Hyrcanus, who was taken captive by the Parthians, when Herod, the son of Antipater, received the kingdom of the Jews from Augustus and the Roman senate, though it in no way belonged to him, and after him his children until the final siege of Jerusalem. This was Herod, the son of Antipater the Ascalonite and of his mother Cypros the Arabian. At which time, as the birth of Christ was approaching, the succession from the ancestors, both the high priesthood and the rule of the Jews, was abolished, fulfilling the prophecy of Jacob. And next Daniel prophesies saying, "and after the sixty-two weeks, an anointing shall be cut off, and there will be no judgment in it, and the people of a coming leader shall destroy the temple and the holy place, and they will be cut off in a flood of war." And next he says, "and upon the temple an abomination of desolation, and until the end of time, a final end shall be put to the desolation." But that the anointing shall be cut off and there shall be no judgment in it signifies that the 1.325 city and the holy place shall be destroyed. And this can be understood of Christ; for when he came for the salvation of the nation, because of their lawlessness and insolence toward him, their priesthood, their consecration, and their city were taken away in turn. But with one week remaining for the completion of the 70, let half of it be understood as the time of the preaching of the gospel. For in three and a half years, the only-begotten, having fulfilled the work of the father, was taken up. And having filled the holy disciples with the holy spirit, for another three and a half years he kept them in Jerusalem, at the same time preparing them for the greatest contest and the struggle of the nations, and at the same time receiving through faith those from the nation who were appointed to life, and turning them away from the shadows and types of the old covenant, and bringing them to the truth of the gospel and of the new covenant. Wherefore also the sacred word says, "and he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week," that is, through the aforementioned seven years for those who believed in Christ.

That in the #22 5500th year of the world, and the 42nd of Caesar Augustus, and the 32nd of Herod, in the seventh month, the tenth according to the Hebrews, that is, September 23rd, Zacharias, while burning incense in the sanctuary according to the order of his division, saw the archangel Gabriel announcing to him the conception of the great forerunner and baptist, John. 1.326 That Joachim dies in his 80th year, and Anna in her 79th. But the Theotokos, being three years old, was brought by them into the temple of the Lord, and when she became eleven years old, she was orphaned. And she did not leave the temple at all, but if she had need of anything, she would go only to Elizabeth as a kinswoman who lived near the temple. However, she learned the Hebrew letters while Joachim was still alive. And there was a designated place in the temple near the altar where only the virgins stood; and while the others would depart to their own homes after the dismissal, the virgin remained in the temple, being fed by an angel. And she was of medium height, wheat-colored, with blond hair, blond eyes, beautiful eyes, large eyebrows, a nose of medium length, long hands, long fingers, loving clothes of their natural color. And when she became twelve years old, while praying at midnight she heard a voice from God saying to her, "You shall bear my son." But she announced this to no one, until Christ was taken up into heaven. And when she became 14 years old, and the Jews thought that the custom of female weakness was about to happen to her, she was no longer permitted to be in the temple. And the priests stood in prayer for her; and Zacharias the high priest, the father of the baptist, took twelve rods of elders

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∆ανιὴλ προφητεία θεσπίζει λέγουσα "καὶ γνώσῃ καὶ συνή σεις ἀπὸ ἐξόδου λόγων τοῦ ἀποκριθῆναι καὶ τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἕως χριστοῦ ἡγουμένου, ἑβδομάδας ἑπτὰ καὶ ἑβδο μάδας ξβʹ." αὗται αἱ ξθʹ ἑβδομάδες συμπληροῦσι χρόνους ἐτῶν υπγʹ, ὁπόσα ἔτη τυγχάνει τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν χριστῶν ἡγουμένων, ὧν τελευταῖον τοῦ Ὑρκανοῦ ὑπὸ Πάρθων αἰχμαλωτισθέντος Ἡρώδης ὁ Ἀντιπάτρου τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, μηδὲν προσήκουσαν αὐτῷ, ὑπὸ Αὐγούστου καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου Ῥωμαίων παραλαμβά νει, κἄπειτα οἱ τούτου παῖδες μέχρι τῆς ὑστάτης Ἱεροσολύμων πολιορκίας. οὗτος δὲ ἦν Ἡρώδης ὁ Ἀντιπάτρου τοῦ Ἀσκαλωνίτου παῖς καὶ μητρὸς Κύπριδος Ἀραβίσσης. καθ' ὃν καιρὸν τῆς Χριστοῦ γεννήσεως πλησιαζούσης ἡ ἐκ προγόνων διαδοχὴ ἀρχιε ρωσύνη τε καὶ ἀρχὴ τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατελύθη, συμπληρουμένης τῆς προφητείας Ἰακώβ. Ἑξῆς δὲ ὁ ∆ανιὴλ προφητεύει λέγων "καὶ μετὰ τὰς ἑξή κοντα δύο ἑβδομάδας ἐξολοθρευθήσεται χρῖσμα, καὶ κρίμα οὐκ ἔσται ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον διαφθερεῖ λαὸς ἡγουμέ νου ἐρχομένου, καὶ κοπήσονται ἐν κατακλυσμῷ πολέμου." καὶ ἑξῆς φησί "καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως, καὶ ἕως συντελείας καιροῦ συντέλεια δοθήσεται περὶ τὴν ἐρήμωσιν." τὸ δὲ ἐξολοθρευθήσεσθαι χρῖσμα καὶ κρίμα μὴ εἶναι ἐν αὐτῷ τήν τε 1.325 πόλιν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον διαφθαρήσεσθαι δηλοῖ. δύναται δὲ νοηθῆναι τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐλθόντος γὰρ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν τοῦ ἔθνους σωτηρίαν, διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν παρανομίαν καὶ ὕβριν ἥ τε ἱερωσύνη αὐτοῖς καθόλου καὶ ὁ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἡ πόλις ἀντανῄρηται. μιᾶς δὲ οὔσης ἑβδομάδος πρὸς τὴν τῶν οʹ συμπλήρωσιν, τὸ ἥμισυ μὲν αὐτῆς ὁ τοῦ κηρύγματος τοῦ εὐαγγελίου νενοήσθω χρόνος. τρισὶ γὰρ ἔτεσι καὶ ἡμίσει τὸ ἔργον τοῦ πατρὸς πεπληρωκὼς ὁ μονογε νὴς ἀνελήφθη. πνεύματι δὲ ἁγίῳ τοὺς ἁγίους ἐμπλήσας μαθη τὰς ἐπ' ἄλλοις τρισὶν ἔτεσιν καὶ ἡμίσει εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ παρακατ εῖχεν αὐτούς, ὁμοῦ μὲν πρὸς τὸν μέγιστον ἆθλον καὶ τὸν τῶν ἐθνῶν τούτους ἀγῶνα παρασκευαζόμενος, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ τοὺς εἰς ζωὴν τεταγμένους ἐκ τοῦ ἔθνους διὰ πίστεως προσλαμβανόμενος, καὶ τῶν σκιῶν καὶ τῶν τύπων τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης ἀφιστῶν, καὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου καὶ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης προσαγόμενος. διὸ καὶ ὁ ἱερός φησι λόγος "καὶ δυναμώσει διαθήκην πολλοῖς ἑβδομὰς μία," διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων δηλονότι ἑπτὰ ἐτῶν τοῖς πιστεύ σασι τῷ Χριστῷ.

Ὅτι τῷ #22εφʹ τοῦ κόσμου ἔτει, τοῦ δὲ Αὐγούστου Καίσαρος μβʹ, Ἡρώδου δὲ λβʹ, ἑβδόμῳ μηνὶ καθ' Ἑβραίους δεκάτῳ, ἤτοι Σεπτεμβρίου κγʹ, Ζαχαρίας θυμιῶν εἰς τὸ ἁγίασμα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν τῆς ἐφημερίας αὐτοῦ εἶδε τὸν ἀρχάγγελον Γαβριὴλ τὴν τοῦ μεγά λου προδρόμου καὶ βαπτιστοῦ Ἰωάννου σύλληψιν εὐαγγελιζόμενον αὐτῷ. 1.326 Ὅτι Ἰωακεὶμ ἔτει πʹ τελευτᾷ, ἡ δὲ Ἄννα οθʹ. ἡ θεοτόκοςδὲ ὑπ' αὐτῶν τριετίζουσα εἰσήχθη εἰς τὸν ναὸν κυρίου, ἕνδεκα δὲ γενομένη ἐτῶν ἀπωρφανίσθη. οὐδ' ὅλως δὲ ἐξῄει τοῦ ναοῦ, ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ χρείαν εἶχέ τινος, εἰς μόνην ἀπῄει τὴν Ἐλισαβὲτ ὡς συγγε νίδα καὶ πλησίον τοῦ ναοῦ οἰκοῦσαν. τὰ μέντοι Ἑβραϊκὰ γράμ ματα ἔτι ζῶντος τοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ ἔμαθεν. ἀφωρισμένος δὲ ἦν τόπος ἐν τῷ ναῷ πλησίον τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἔνθα μόναι ἵσταντο αἱ παρ θένοι· καὶ αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι μετὰ τὴν ἀπόλυσιν ἀπῄεσαν πρὸς τοὺς ἰδίους, ἡ δὲ παρθένος προσεκαρτέρει τῷ ναῷ ὑπ' ἀγγέλου τρεφο μένη. ἦν δὲ τῇ ἡλικίᾳ μέση, σιτόχρους, ξανθόθριξ, ξανθόμ ματος, εὐόφθαλμος, μεγαλόφρυς, μεσόρριν, μακρόχειρ, μακρο δάκτυλος, ἱμάτια αὐτόχροια ἀγαπῶσα. ἡνίκα δὲ γέγονεν ἐτῶν δώδεκα, ἐν μεσονυκτίῳ προσευχομένη ἤκουσε φωνῆς λεγούσης αὐτῇ θεόθεν "τέξῃ τὸν υἱόν μου." οὐδενὶ δὲ τοῦτο ἀπήγγειλεν, ἕως ὁ Χριστὸς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνελήφθη. γενομένης δὲ αὐτῆς ἐτῶν ιδʹ, καὶ δοκούντων τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὅτι μέλλει γενέσθαι αὐτῇ ἡ συν ήθεια τῆς γυναικείας ἀσθενείας, λοιπὸν οὐ συνεχωρεῖτο εἶναι ἐν τῷ ναῷ. ἔστησαν δὲ οἱ ἱερεῖς εἰς προσευχὰς περὶ αὐτῆς· καὶ Ζαχαρίας ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ὁ τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ πατὴρ ἔλαβε δώδεκα ῥάβ δους γερόντων