The 70 Weeks Of Daniel. The Jewish/Christian Dispute.
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THE SEVENTY WEEKS OF YEARS PROPHECY SECTION 1 A Traditional Jewish Translation, Interpretation and Calculation of DANIEL 9:24-27 24. "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to end sin, to atone for iniquity, to bring in eternal righteousness, to seal vision and prophet and to anoint a Holy of Holies. 25. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem until [mashiach] an anointed one, a prince, shall be 7 weeks; and for 60 and 2 weeks it shall be rebuilt, street and moat, even in troublous times. 26. And after the 60 and 2 weeks shall [mashiach] an anointed one be cut off and have nothing, and the people of a prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the Sanctuary, and its end shall be with a flood. Until the end of a war desolations are decreed. 27. And he shall make a covenant with many for 1 week; and in the middle of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering;...." To understand a passage one must always study it in context. At the beginning of Daniel 9 we find: Daniel 9:2 "In the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood from the Sacred Books, according to the word of the L-rd to Jeremiah the Prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years": In Daniel 9:3-20, Daniel prayed for the Jewish people, praised G-d, implored Him to finish the exile and rebuild the Temple and Jerusalem. Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, 1 day = 1 year.......1 week = 7 years.......70 weeks = 490 years. The 490 years began from the first destruction of Jerusalem. That occurred in our Hebrew Calendar year 3338 or 3,338 years from Creation. They continued until the second destruction of Jerusalem (9:26). That the First Temple was destroyed in the Hebrew Calendar year 3338 is derived from Scripture: The First Temple construction began 480 years thereafter, in the 4th year of Solomon = 2928 (1 Kings 6:1). Exodus 12:41 "At the end of the 430 years, on the same day, the hosts of the L-rd left Egypt." Daniel 9:24 to finish the transgression, to end sin, to atone for iniquity, and to bring in eternal righteousness, At the end of this full 490 year period the Messiah would appear and these Messianic promises would be fulfilled. Or Jerusalem would again be destroyed and Jews would be exiled (Daniel 9:26). Not both. Not earlier. Daniel 9:24 and to seal vision and prophet, During this 490 year period, vision and prophecy ceased with the Prophet Malachi. Daniel 9:24 and to anoint a Holy of Holies [Kodesh Kodashim]. The rebuilt and functioning Second Temple (Ezekiel 45:3). Daniel 9:25 from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem This is referring to the word that had gone forth to Jeremiah: The Hebrew "debar" means word. It connects Jeremiah 29:10; Daniel 9:2, 9:25; and Cyrus' decree in Ezra 1:1,3. The Hebrew shuv means to restore - to bring back. The return of Jews from Babylon to Israel: Daniel 9:25 until [mashiach] an anointed one, a prince, shall be 7 weeks; Seven weeks of years after the destruction of the First Temple, Cyrus the first [mashiach] "anointed one" appeared as Isaiah the Prophet had foretold some 200 years earlier: And so it was, Cyrus fulfilled the word of G-d through His Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah: Cyrus informed his governors, ruling in Syria, the details of his decree: In Ezra 4:12 our enemies complained that Zerubbabel and his group were rebuilding "the rebellious and bad city." Daniel 9:25 and for 60 and 2 weeks it shall be rebuilt, street and moat, even in troublous times. Neither our Scriptures nor ancient sources indicate when Jerusalem was completed. It was a small city. The wall surrounding it was built in 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15). The Temple was rebuilt in four years (Haggai 1:14-15; Ezra 6:15). Daniel 9:26 And after the 60 and 2 weeks shall [mashiach] an anointed one be cut off and have nothing, This second "mashiach" was King Agrippa II of Judea. During the war in 66 C.E. the Jews dethroned and expelled him from Jerusalem. Although, Agrippa was Jewish, he deserted to the Roman side and did not regain his royal status (Agrippa II New World encyclopedia.org). Daniel 9:26 and the people of a prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the Sanctuary, The Roman army, led by Titus the crown prince, destroyed Jerusalem and the Second Temple (Titus Britannica.com). Daniel 9:26 and its end shall be with a flood. Until the end of a war desolations are decreed. Complete destruction is so described elsewhere: Daniel 9:27 And he shall make a covenant with many for 1 week; and in the middle of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering; Titus made a peace agreement with the Jewish leaders. He broke it after 3.5 years and prohibited sacrifices. *************** *************** *************** *************** SECTION 2 A Refutation of Christian Translation, Interpretations and Calculations of DANIEL 9:24-27 THEIR TRANSLATION DANIEL 9:24-27 24. "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. 25. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be 7 weeks, and 60 and 2 weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26. And after 60 and 2 weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for 1 week; and in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering;...." a. This present day King James Version has one event occurring after 7 weeks and 62 weeks (49 + 434 = 483 years). The arrival of their one mashiach Jesus (9:25). But, their original 1611 C.E. edition punctuated 9:25 differently: It correctly has a semicolon stop and separation after the 7 weeks - two mashiachs, not one (9:25/26). It was changed to a comma in their 1769 edition. We were in agreement for 158 years. b. Neither our Scriptures nor ancient sources record an event occurring at the end of their 7th week. And which year was that? They have four opinions: c. This passage could have been written differently: d. The Hebrew has: "And after the weeks [ha shavuim] 60 and 2 shall ...." (9:26). They exclude "the" to make it less obvious that the 62 weeks is a distinct time period leading to the second mashiach. e. Conversely, the Hebrew does not have "the" before "mashiach" and "Prince" (9:25). They were inserted to stress that this is the Messiah. f. The Hebrew root letters: mem-shin-yud-chet (mashiach) appear in the Hebrew Bible 39 times. Except in 9:25/26, the King James Bible correctly translates it as "anointed" or "anointed one." g. "be cut off" Without exception, this term was reserved for one who transgressed (Genesis 12:15, 17:14). h. "but not for himself" is wrong. The Hebrew "ve ein" means - and have nothing: THE 165 YEAR DISPUTE The B.C.E. years that correspond to our Calendar from Creation are accurate within two years: 421-369 B.C.E. ...... 52 years. First 7 [full] weeks of years. From here on: 1. Ezra 6:14: The Jews rebuilt the Temple according to the decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes. Cyrus decreed that the Temple be rebuilt in 538 B.C.E. (Ezra 1:3-4). Darius decreed that the work be restarted in 520 B.C.E. (Ezra 6:7). Between their decrees, the 1st Artaxerxes stopped its construction (Ezra 4:21-24). The 2nd (Ezra 7-10) and 3rd Artaxerxes (Nehemiah) ruled after it was completed. 2. Artaxerxes in Ezra 4:21-24 stopped the rebuilding of the Temple and city "until the 2nd year of the reign of Darius king of Persia" (520 B.C.E.). That Artaxerxes was the king before 520 B.C.E. Thus, he was not Artaxerxes Longimanis whose reign began 55 years after 520 B.C.E. 3. If Artaxerxes Longimanus sent Ezra to Jerusalem in 458 B.C.E. (Ezra 7), then that was 58 years after the Temple was rebuilt in 516 B.C.E. It would contradict Ezra 7:1,6, which has a short time between these events: 4. Ezra was the son of Seraiah (Ezra 7:1), the last High Priest, who was killed before the First Temple was destroyed in 586 B.C.E. (2 Kings 25:18-21). Therefore, Ezra was above 128 years old if Artaxerxes Longimanus sent him to Jerusalem in Ezra 7 (586-458 B.C.E.). Compare Ezra 7:1-2 with I Chronicles 6:11-14. 5. If Darius was Artaxerxes in Ezra 7, then 13 months after he rebuilt the Temple (Ezra 6:15), Darius sent Ezra "to glorify the House of the L-rd in Jerusalem" (Ezra 7:27). 6. Nehemiah 12:1-8 lists the Priests and Levites who left Babylon with Zerubbabel in 538 B.C.E. But, in the 20th year of Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2:1), at least 17 of them, their names listed in the same order, signed a covenant with Nehemiah. If this king was Artaxerxes Longimanus, then it was 93 years later in 445 B.C.E. They were above 120 years old. Floyd Nolen Jones Th.D, Ph.D The Chronology of the Old Testament p. 241, 23rd Edition: ARTAXERXES' DECREES The New Testament quotes verses from our Scriptures that Jesus allegedly fulfilled. Yet, the 490 year calculation to the mashiach is not included. The FIRST SCHOOL declares: "from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem" (Daniel 9:25) refers to Artaxerxes' 7th year decree in 458 or 457 B.C.E. (Ezra 7) and that the 490 years began from then. His 7th and 20th year decrees can not be dated because it is not known if his reign began in 465 or 464 B.C.E. There is confusion when Xerxes, the previous king was killed (Artaxerxes 1 Encyclopedia Iranicaonline.org). Futhermore, no event in their calculations can historically be verified: ARTAXERXES' 7th YEAR DECREE 1st Month Nisan (March/April) ****** 5th Month Av (July/August) ****** 7th Month Tishrei (September/October) Ezra 7:1,6 "Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia,... the king granted [Ezra] all he requested." Ezra left Babylon with the decree, on the 1st day of the 1st month and arrived in Jerusalem on the 1st day of the 5th month in Artaxerxes' 7th year (Ezra 7:8,9,11). He did not order that the city be rebuilt. The date that the decree was signed and issued is missing. An unknown begin date invalidates their calculations. Inevitably, the FIRST SCHOOL posits different begin dates: Opinion B1: Nisan 458 B.C.E. - On the day Ezra left Babylon. Ezra completed his initial obligations to the king swiftly. After their arrival on Av 1st, they rested for three days. On the fourth day, they brought the silver and gold to the Temple and sacrificed animals. "And they gave the king's orders to his satraps and governors beyond the River ...." (Ezra 8:32-36). The Persian officials received the decree on the 5th of Av, mid-summer. Because it was earlier than Opinion A2's 490 year begin date (Tishrei), they say that Tishrei is in "late summer or early fall." The decree was signed and issued before Nisan. This factor disqualifies Opinions A2 and B. Opinions A1 and A2: ************ Opinion B1: Nisan 458 B.C.E. - 483 years = Nisan 26 C.E. + 3.5 years = Tishrei 30 C.E. + 3.5 years. = Nisan 33 C.E. Daniel 9:26 has the mashiach being "cut off" and Jerusalem destroyed after the 69th week. But, Jesus died 40 years (5.5 weeks of years) before the war. A 3.5 year ministry for Jesus is too long. Matthew 26-27, Mark 14-15, and Luke 22-23 have one Passover. And Jesus was crucified on its 1st day, the 15th of Nisan. Thus, his ministry lasted a maximum 1 year. It is not known if Jesus was baptized and began his ministry in the year John the Baptist began his ministry. The timelines for their 458 B.C.E. decrees have John's ministry starting in 26 C.E. ARTAXERXES' 20th YEAR DECREE Because Cyrus' decree was issued in 538 B.C.E., the 483 year intervening period (69 weeks x 7 years) ended before Jesus was born. Therefore, the SECOND SCHOOL chose Artaxerxes' 20th year decree in 445 or 444 B.C. It enabled Nehemiah to build the city wall in 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15). They must begin their "day to day" calculations on Nisan 1st. But the decree is dated: The date that the decree was signed and issued is missing. So this School begins it on Nisan 1st because its the "Jewish New Year Day." Wrong, that's Tishrei 1st. An unknown begin date invalidates their calculations. But, 483 years from 445 or 444 B.C.E. ended at 39 or 40 C.E. Their begin day (Nisan 1st) and end day (Nisan 10th) were changed to Julian calendar dates: Harold Hoehner Chronological Aspects Of The Life Of Christ. 1978: 1. Their dates were from the Julian calendar, but its 365.25 days per year were not used (476 years x 365.25 days = 173,859 days). Because they broke the calendar's rules, their calculations are null and void. 2. Anderson's errors are 173,740 days not 173,859 ... 119 days not 116. 3. The Julian Calendar Day Numbers: 4. 476, 483 and 490 years from Nisan 1st ends on Nisan 1st, not Nisan 10th: They still claim that the 173,880th day, (end of the 69 weeks) was Palm Sunday, Nisan 10th (Daniel 9:26). The day Jesus rode into Jerusalem. However, that places the crucifixion (Nisan 14th) in an non-existent time gap. It lies between the 69th and still future 70th week (9:27). Therefore, Jesus was not "cut off" (crucified) during the 490 years! Thus, his death could not have atoned for sins etc. (9:24). The year Palm Sunday and the crucifixion occurred are not known. Our Bible and Holy Writings do not refer to a 360 day Prophetic year. But, some say its in Genesis: But, nothing definitive is known about the flood calendar: TALMUD SANHEDRIN 97b "Blasted be the bones of those who calculate the end. For people will say: since the awaited time has arrived and yet the Messiah has not come, he will never come." |