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As the captivity was already drawing to a close, to Daniel as he was praying, one of the holy ministers of God, Gabriel the archangel, appeared and prophesied that the renewal of Jerusalem would happen right then and not in the distant future, and he defines the time after its renewal by a number of years, and foretells that after the specified period it will be destroyed again, and that having endured a second capture and siege it will no longer receive visitation from God, but will remain desolate, with the worship according to the law of Moses being abolished along with it, and another new covenant being introduced in its place for the life of men. 8.2.6 And Gabriel confesses to the prophet that he is revealing these things obscurely, as in oracles. 8.2.7 So he says to him: “Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill and understanding. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision,” clearly stirring him to a deeper consideration and understanding of the contemplation of what was being said; for he calls it a “vision” because it partakes of a deeper meaning and requires no ordinary understanding. 8.2.8 Therefore let us too, having called upon the one who gives understanding to men and having prayed to be enlightened by him in the eyes of our mind, take courage for the contemplation of these passages. “Seventy,” he says, “weeks are determined upon your people and upon your holy city, to finish transgression, and to seal up sin, and to blot out iniquities, and to make atonement for wickedness, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the most holy.” 8.2.9 That the time of the seventy weeks, when resolved into years, brings together the number four hundred and ninety, is surely clear to everyone. So much time, therefore, was determined “upon your people,” defining the entire conclusion of the Jewish nation. 8.2.10 And in this he no longer calls them the people of God, but says to Daniel, “your people”; for just as, when they once acted impiously and committed idolatry in the wilderness, God no longer called them his own people but Moses’, saying, “Go, get down, for your people has transgressed,” in the same way here too he teaches the reason why the specified time was determined against them; and this was that they were no longer deemed worthy to be called the people of God. 8.2.11 He adds: “and upon the holy city,” we again understanding the “your” as common to both, so that what is said is this: “upon your people and upon your holy city,” as if he had said: the city considered holy by you. For the Hebrew and the other interpreters in agreement contain the added “your” not only for the people but also for the city. Aquila, for instance, says: “upon your people and upon your sanctified city,” and Symmachus: “against your people and your holy city.” 8.2.12 Whence also in the accurate copies of the Seventy the “your” is added, placed alongside with an asterisk. 8.2.13 For since Daniel, having prayed, in the words of his supplication often named the people “God’s people,” and the holy place of the city “God’s place,” the oracle reverses this and confesses neither that the city is holy to God nor that the people are God’s, but “yours,” it says, of you who are praying and have said such things about the people and the place and the city. And the words of Daniel are as follows: “Let your anger and your wrath be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain,” 8.2.14 and “your people have become a reproach to all those around us,” and again: “cause your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate,” and again: “see the desolation of your city, upon which your name has been called,” and next: “for your name has been called upon your city and upon your people.” 8.2.15 Having prayed such things, he adds: “and while I was still speaking and praying, behold Gabriel, whom I had seen in the

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αἰχμαλωσίας εἰς πέρας ἤδη συνελαυνούσης, τῷ ∆ανιὴλ εὐξαμένῳ εἷς τῶν ἁγίων λειτουργῶν τοῦ θεοῦ Γαβριὴλ ὁ ἀρχάγγελος ἐπιφανείς, τὴν ἀνανέωσιν τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ αὐτίκα τότε καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἔσεσθαι θεσπίζει, τόν τε μετὰ τὴν ἀνανέωσιν αὐτῆς χρόνον εἰς ἐτῶν ἀριθμὸν περιορίζει, προλέγει τε ὡς μετὰ τὴν ὡρισμένην προθεσμίαν αὖθις καθαιρεθήσεται, καὶ ὡς τὴν δευτέραν ὑπομείνασα ἅλλωσιν καὶ πολιορκίαν οὐκέτι τῆς ἐκ θεοῦ τεύξεται ἐπισκοπῆς, μενεῖ δὲ ἔρημος, συγκαθαιρουμένης αὐτῇ τῆς κατὰ τὸν Μωσέως νόμον λατρείας, ἑτέρας δὲ ἀντ' ἐκείνης τῷ βίῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καινῆς διαθήκης ἀντεισαχθησομένης. 8.2.6 καὶ ταῦτα ὁ Γαβριὴλ ὡς ἐν χρησμοῖς ἐπικεκρυμμένως ἐκφαίνειν ὁμολογεῖ τῷ προφήτῃ. 8.2.7 φησὶν οὖν αὐτῷ· «∆ανιήλ, νῦν ἐξῆλθον συμβιβάσαι σε σύνεσιν. ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς δεήσεώς σου ἐξῆλθεν ὁ λόγος, κἀγὼ ἦλθον ἀναγγεῖλαί σοι, ὅτι ἀνὴρ ἐπιθυμιῶν σὺ εἶ· καὶ ἐννοήθητι ἐν τῷ ῥήματι καὶ σύνες ἐν τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ», σαφῶς διεγείρων αὐτὸν εἰς βαθυτέραν ἔννοιαν καὶ σύνεσιν τῆς τῶν λεγομένων θεωρίας· «ὀπτασίαν» γοῦν αὐτά φησιν διὰ τὸ βαθυτέρας ἔχεσθαι διανοίας καὶ οὐ τῆς τυχούσης συνέσεως δεῖσθαι. 8.2.8 διόπερ καὶ αὐτοί, τὸν δωρούμενον σύνεσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐπικαλεσάμενοι εὐξάμενοί τε ὑπ' αὐτοῦ φωτισθῆναι τοὺς τῆς διανοίας ὀφθαλμούς, ἐπιθαρρήσωμεν τῇ κατὰ τοὺς τόπους θεωρίᾳ. «Ἑβδομήκοντα», φησίν, «ἑβδομάδες συνετμήθησαν ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν σου τοῦ συντελεσθῆναι ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τοῦ σφραγίσαι ἁμαρτίαν καὶ ἀπαλεῖψαι τὰς ἀνομίας, καὶ τοῦ ἐξιλάσασθαι ἀδικίας καὶ ἀγαγεῖν δικαιοσύνην αἰώνιον, καὶ τοῦ σφραγίσαι ὅρασιν καὶ προφήτην, καὶ τοῦ χρίσαι ἅγιον ἁγίων». 8.2.9 ὅτι τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδων ὁ χρόνος ἐν ἔτεσιν ἀναλυόμενος ἐνενήκοντα πρὸς τοῖς τετρακοσίοις ἀριθμὸν συνάγει, παντί που δῆλον. τοσοῦτος τοιγαροῦν συνετμήθη χρόνος «ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου», τὸ πᾶν συμπέρασμα τοῦ Ἰουδαίων περιορίζων ἔθνους. 8.2.10 καὶ οὐκέτι γε αὐτοὺς ἐν τούτοις θεοῦ λαὸν προσαγορεύει, ἀλλὰ τῷ ∆ανιήλ φησιν «λαόν σου»· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀσεβήσαντά ποτε καὶ εἰδωλολατρήσαντα ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου οὐκέτι λαὸν ἑαυτοῦ ὁ θεὸς ἀλλὰ τοῦ Μωσέως προσεῖπεν φήσας «βάδιζε, κατάβηθι, ἠνόμησεν γὰρ ὁ λαός σου», τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον κἀνταῦθα τοῦ περιωρίσθαι κατ' αὐτῶν τὸν δηλωθέντα χρόνον τὸ αἴτιον ἐκδιδάσκει· τοῦτο δ' ἦν τὸ μηκέτι τοῦ θεοῦ λαὸν αὐτοὺς καταξιοῦσθαι χρηματίζειν. 8.2.11 ἐπιλέγει δέ· «καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν», τὸ «σοῦ» πάλιν ἐξακουόντων ἡμῶν κατὰ κοινοῦ, ὡς εἶναι τὸ λεγόμενον τοιοῦτον· «ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν σου», ὡς εἰ ἔφασκεν· τὴν σοὶ νενομισμένην ἁγίαν. τὸ γοῦν Ἑβραϊκὸν καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ συμφώνως ἑρμηνευταὶ οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως τὸ «σοῦ» προσκείμενον περιέχουσιν. ὁ γοῦν Ἀκύλας φησίν· «ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου καὶ ἐπὶ πόλιν ἡγιασμένην σου», ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· «κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ σου καὶ τῆς πόλεως τῆς ἁγίας σου». 8.2.12 ὅθεν καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἀκριβέσιν ἀντιγράφοις τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα τὸ «σοῦ» μετὰ ἀστερίσκου παραθέσεως πρόσκειται. 8.2.13 ἐπεὶ γὰρ εὐξάμενος ∆ανιὴλ ἐν τοῖς τῆς ἱκεσίας αὐτοῦ ῥήμασι πολλάκις τὸν μὲν λαὸν «θεοῦ λαὸν» ὠνόμασεν, τὸν δὲ τῆς πόλεως τόπον ἅγιον «τοῦ θεοῦ τόπον», ἀντιστρέψας ὁ χρηματίζων οὔτε τὴν πόλιν ἁγίαν τοῦ θεοῦ οὔτε τὸν λαὸν τοῦ θεοῦ εἶναι ὁμολογεῖ, ἀλλὰ «σοῦ», φησίν, τοῦ προσευχομένου καὶ τοιαῦτα περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τοῦ τόπου καὶ τῆς πόλεως εἰρηκότος. ἔχουσι δὲ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ αἱ φωναὶ οὕτως· «ἀποστραφήτω δὴ ὁ θυμός σου καὶ ἡ ὀργή σου ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεώς σου Ἱερουσαλήμ, ὄρους ἁγίου σου», 8.2.14 καὶ «ὁ λαός σου ἐγένετο εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς περικύκλῳ ἡμῶν», καὶ πάλιν· «ἐπίφανον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπὶ τὸ ἁγίασμά σου τὸ ἔρημον», καὶ αὖθις· «ἴδε τὸν ἀφανισμὸν τῆς πόλεώς σου, ἐφ' ἧς ἐπικέκληται τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐπ' αὐτῆς», καὶ ἑξῆς· «ὅτι τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐπεκλήθη ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν σου καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου». 8.2.15 τοιαῦτα εὐξάμενος ἐπιλέγει· «καὶ ἔτι μου λαλοῦντος καὶ προσευχομένου, ἰδοὺ Γαβριὴλ ὃν εἶδον ἐν τῇ