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Since it is fitting to use with good judgment the things well said by others, but not to deprive the fathers of their offspring nor those who first begot of their own seeds, I will set down his own words. 8.2.46 And these are reported from Africanus in the fifth of his Chronographies, in the following manner: «The passage, then, being such, signifies many and wonderful things; but now we shall make our account of the things that are needed concerning the times and the things contributing to these. 8.2.47 It is clear, then, that these things are said concerning the coming of Christ, who was about to appear after seventy weeks; for at the time of the Savior, or from his time, the transgressions are grown old and the sins are finished. And through the remission the iniquities along with the injustices are blotted out by atonement, and everlasting righteousness is proclaimed besides that from the law, and visions and prophecies until John, and a holy of holies is anointed. For before the coming of our Savior these things, not being, were only expected. 8.2.48 And to begin the numbers, that is, the seventy weeks, which is four hundred and ninety years, the angel supposes "from the going forth of the word to answer and to build Jerusalem." And this happened during the reign of Artaxerxes, king of the Persians, in the twentieth year. For Nehemiah, his cupbearer, having prayed, received the answer that Jerusalem should be built, and a word went forth commanding these things. For until that time the city had been desolate. 8.2.49 For when Cyrus, after the seventy years of captivity, sent down voluntarily each of those who wished, those who came down with Jesus the high priest and Zerubbabel, and those after them with Ezra, were at first hindered from building the temple and from putting a wall around the city, as this had not been commanded. 8.2.50 It remained so, then, until Nehemiah and the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes and the one hundred and fifteenth year of the Persian dominion, and from the capture of Jerusalem it comes to one hundred and eighty-five years, and then King Artaxerxes commanded the city to be built, and Nehemiah, having been sent down, was in charge of the work, and the broad place and the surrounding wall were built, as was prophesied. And from there, for us who count, seventy weeks are completed at the time of Christ. 8.2.51 For if we should begin to count from any other point and not from here, neither will the time coincide and very many absurdities will arise. For if we should make the beginning of the counting of the seventy weeks from Cyrus and the first sending down, it exceeds by one hundred years and more, and a longer time, if from the day the angel prophesied to Daniel, and much longer, if from the beginning of the captivity. 8.2.52 For we find the Persian kingdom to be comprised of two hundred and thirty years, and that of the Macedonians extending for three hundred and seventy years, and from there to the sixteenth year of Tiberius Caesar for sixty years. 8.2.53 But from Artaxerxes the seventy weeks are completed at the time of Christ according to the reckonings of the Jews; for from Nehemiah, who was sent by Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem, in the one hundred and fifteenth year of the Persian kingdom, and in the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes himself, and in the fourth year of the eighty-third Olympiad, to this time, which was the second year of the two hundred and second Olympiad, and the sixteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, four hundred and seventy-five years are gathered, which become four hundred and ninety Hebrew years, their years being counted according to the lunar course, which is, roughly speaking, of three hundred and fifty-four days, while the solar cycle is of three hundred and sixty-five and a quarter days; for the twelve-month period according to the moon differs by eleven and a quarter days. 8.2.54 For this reason Greeks and Jews insert three intercalary months in eight years. For eight times the

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ἐπειδὴ προσήκει συγχρῆσθαι μὲν εὐγνωμονοῦντας τοῖς καλῶς ὑφ' ἑτέρων εἰρημένοις, μὴ μὴν ἀποστερεῖν τοὺς πατέρας τῶν ἐκγόνων μηδὲ τοὺς πρώτους φύσαντας τῶν οἰκείων σπερμάτων, τὰς αὐτοῦ παραθήσομαι λέξεις. 8.2.46 φέρονται δὲ αὗται Ἀφρικανοῦ ἐν τῷ πέμπτῳ τῶν Χρονογραφιῶν, τοῦτον ἔχουσαι τὸν τρόπον· «Ἡ μὲν οὖν περικοπὴ οὕτω πως ἔχουσα πολλά τε καὶ παράδοξα σημαίνει· νῦν δὲ ὧν χρεία περὶ τοὺς χρόνους καὶ τὰ τούτοις συντείνοντα τὸν λόγον ποιησόμεθα. 8.2.47 ὅτι μὲν οὖν περὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας λέγεται ταῦτα, μετὰ ἑβδομάδας ἑβδομήκοντα μέλλοντος ἐπιφαίνεσθαι, δῆλον· ἐπὶ γὰρ τοῦ σωτῆρος, ἢ ἀπὸ τούτου, τά τε παραπτώματα παλαιοῦται καὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι συντελοῦνται. διὰ δὲ τὴν ἄφεσιν αἵ τε ἀνομίαι ἐξιλασμῷ μετὰ τῶν ἀδικιῶν ἐξαλείφονται, δικαιοσύνη τε αἰώνιος καταγγέλλεται παρὰ τὴν ἐκ νόμου, ὁράσεις τε καὶ προφητεῖαι μέχρις Ἰωνάννου, χρίεται δὲ ἅγιος ἁγίων. πρὸ γὰρ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίας οὐκ ὄντα ταῦτα προσεδοκᾶτο μόνον. 8.2.48 ἄρξασθαι δὲ τῶν ἀριθμῶν, τουτέστιν τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδων, ἅ ἐστιν ἔτη τετρακόσια ἐνενήκοντα, ὁ ἄγγελος ὑποτίθεται «ἀπὸ ἐξόδου λόγου τοῦ ἀποκριθῆναι καὶ τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι Ἱερουσαλήμ». συνέβη δὲ ταῦτα ἐπὶ Ἀρταξέρξου τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλεύοντος εἰκοστῷ ἔτει. Νεεμίας γάρ, ὁ τούτου οἰνοχόος, δεηθεὶς ἀποκρίσεως ἔτυχεν οἰκοδομηθῆναι Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ λόγος ἐξῆλθεν κελεύων ταῦτα. μέχρι μὲν γὰρ ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου ἡ πόλις ἠρήμωτο. 8.2.49 Κύρου γὰρ μετὰ τὴν ἑβδομηκονταετίαν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῶν βουλομένων ἕκαστον ἑκουσιαστὶ καταπέμψαντος, οἱ μετὰ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου ἱερέως καὶ Ζοροβάβελ κατελθόντες, καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἅμα Ἔσρᾳ, τὸν νεὼν οἰκοδομεῖν ἐκωλύοντο τὰ πρῶτα καὶ τεῖχος τῇ πόλει περιβαλεῖν, ὡς οὐ κεκελευσμένου τούτου. 8.2.50 ἔμεινεν οὖν ἕως Νεεμίου καὶ βασιλείας Ἀρταξέρξου εἰκοσαετοῦς καὶ τῆς Περσῶν ἡγεμονίας ἔτους πεντεκαιδεκάτου καὶ ἑκατοστοῦ, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἁλώσεως Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε ἔτη γίνεται, καὶ τότε βασιλεὺς Ἀρταξέρξης ἐκέλευσεν οἰκοδομηθῆναι τὴν πόλιν, Νεεμίας δὲ καταπεμφθεὶς τοῦ ἔργου προέστη, ἡ δὲ ᾠκοδομήθη πλατεῖα καὶ περίτειχος, ὡς προεφητεύθη. κἀκεῖθεν ἀριθμοῦσιν ἡμῖν ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδες εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν συντελοῦνται. 8.2.51 εἰ γὰρ ἄλλοθέν ποθεν ἀριθμεῖν ἀρξαίμεθα καὶ οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν, οὔτε ὁ χρόνος συνδραμεῖται καὶ πλεῖστα ἄτοπα ἀπαντήσει. ἐάν τε γὰρ ἀπὸ Κύρου καὶ τῆς πρώτης καταπομπῆς τὴν ἀρχὴν ποιησώμεθα τῆς ἀριθμήσεως τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδων, εἰς ἔτη ἑκατὸν καὶ προσέτι περισσεύει, πλείων δὲ χρόνος, εἰ ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας τῷ ∆ανιὴλ ὁ ἄγγελος προεφήτευσεν, πολλῷ δὲ πλείων, εἰ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας. 8.2.52 εὑρίσκομεν γὰρ τὴν Περσῶν βασιλείαν ἔτεσιν διακοσίοις τριάκοντα περιγραφομένην, τήν τε Μακεδόνων εἰς ἔτη τριακόσια ἑβδομήκοντα παρατείνουσαν, κἀκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὸ Τιβερίου Καίσαρος ἑκκαιδέκατον ἔτος εἰς ἔτη ἑξήκοντα. 8.2.53 ἀπὸ δὲ Ἀρταξέρξου αἱ ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδες εἰς τὸν ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ συντελοῦνται χρόνον κατὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίων ἀριθμούς· ἀπὸ γὰρ Νεεμίου, ὃς ὑπὸ Ἀρταξέρξου τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀνοικοδομήσων ἐπέμφθη, ἔτει πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ καὶ ἑκατοστῷ τῆς Περσῶν βασιλείας, αὐτοῦ τε Ἀρταξέρξου βασιλείας εἰκοστῷ ἔτει, καὶ Ὀλυμπιάδος ὀγδοηκοστῆς τρίτης ἔτει τετάρτῳ, ἐπὶ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον, ὃς ἦν Ὀλυμπιάδος διακοσιοστῆς δευτέρας ἔτος δεύτερον, Τιβερίου δὲ Καίσαρος ἡγεμονίας ἔτος ἑκκαιδέκατον, ἔτη συνάγεται τετρακόσια ἑβδομήκοντα πέντε, ἅπερ Ἑβραϊκὰ τετρακόσια ἐνενήκοντα γίνεται, κατὰ τὸν σεληνιαῖον δρόμον τοὺς ἐνιαυτοὺς ἐκείνων ἐξαριθμουμένων, ὅς ἐστιν, ὡς πρόχειρον εἰπεῖν, ἡμερῶν τριακοσίων πεντήκοντα τεσσάρων, τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ κύκλου ὑπάρχοντος ἡμερῶν τριακοσίων ἑξήκοντα πέντε τετάρτου· τὴν γὰρ κατὰ σελήνην δωδεκάμηνον παραλλάσσειν ἡμέρας ἕνδεκα καὶ τέταρτον. 8.2.54 διὰ τοῦτο Ἕλληνες καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι τρεῖς μῆνας ἐμβολίμους ἔτεσιν ὀκτὼ παρεμβάλλουσιν. ὀκτάκις γὰρ τὰ