Daniel’s vision of the ram and the he goat interpreted by the angel Gabriel.
Daniel seeth a ramme with two hornes ouercomen by a goate with one horne: 8. Which shal also be broken, and foure lesse rise in place therof: one of them prophaneth the temple in Ierusalem, and taketh away the daylie sacrifice. 15. And Gabriel the Archangel expoundeth the vision.
1In the third year of the reign of king Baltasar, a vision appeared to me. I, Daniel, after what I had seen in the beginning,L'anno terzo del regno di Baltassarre apparve a me Daniele una visione dopo quel, che aveva veduto a principio.IN the third yeare of the reigne of Baltassar the king, a vision appeared to me.Anno tertio regni Baltassar regis, visio apparuit mihi. Ego Daniel, post id quod videram in principio, 2Saw in my vision when I was in the castle of Susa, which is in the province of Elam: and I saw in the vision that I was over the gate of Ulai.Vidi la mia visione trovandomi nel castello di Susa, che è nel paese di Elam: e nella visione parvemi di essere sopra la porta di Ulai.I Daniel saw in my vision, after that which I had sene in the beginning, when I was in Susis the castel, which is in the prouince of Aelam: and I saw in the vision, that I was ouer the gate Vlai.vidi in visione mea, cum essem in Susis castro, quod est in Ælam regione: vidi autem in visione esse me super portam Ulai. 3And I lifted up my eyes, and saw: and behold a ram stood before the water, having two high horns, and one higher than the other, and growing up. AfterwardE alzai gli occhi miei, e osservai: ed ecco un ariete stava dinanzi alla palude, ed aveva altissime corna, e uno più alto dell'altro, e che andava crescendo. Indi& I lifted vp mine eyes, and saw: and behold one ramme stood before the marrice, hauing highe hornes, & one higher then an other & growing vnder.Et levavi oculus meos, et vidi: et ecce aries unus stabat ante paludem, habens cornua excelsa, et unum excelsius altero atque succrescens. Postea 4I saw the ram pushing with his horns against the west, and against the north, and against the south: and no beasts could withstand him, nor be delivered out of his hand: and he did according to his own will, and became great.Vidi l'ariete dare de' colpi colle sue corna contro l'occidente, e contro il settentrione, e contro il mezzodì, e tutte le bestie non potevan resistergli, né liberarsi dalla sua possanza, e fece quello, che volle, e si fece grande.Afterward I saw the ramme pushing with the hornes against the Weast, & against the North, and against the South: and al beasts could not resist him, nor be deliuered out of his hand: and he did according to his wil, & was magnified.vidi arietem cornibus ventilantem contra occidentem, et contra aquilonem, et contra meridiem, et omnes bestiæ non poterant resistere ei, neque liberari de manu ejus: fecitque secundum voluntatem suam, et magnificatus est. 5And I understood: and behold a he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and he touched not the ground, and the he goat had a notable horn between his eyes.Ed io stava in attenzione, ed eccoti un capro dall'occidente scorreva tutta la superficie della terra, e non toccava la terra. Or il capro avea un insigne corno trai due occhi.And I vnderstood: and behold a buckgoate came from the West vpon the face of the whole earth, & he touched not the ground. Moreouer the buckgoate had a notable horne betwen his eyes:Et ego intelligebam: ecce autem hircus caprarum veniebat ab occidente super faciem totius terræ, et non tangebat terram: porro hircus habebat cornu insigne inter oculos suos.
6And he went up to the ram that had the horns, which I had seen standing before the gate, and he ran towards him in the force of his strength.E si mosse contro quell'ariete ben armato di corna, cui io avea veduto stare vicino alla porta, e corse sopra di lui con tutto l'impeto della sua forza:And he came euen to that ramme with the hornes, which I had sene standing before the gate, & he ranne towards him in the violence of his strength.Et venit usque ad arietem illum cornutum, quem videram stantem ante portam, et cucurrit ad eum in impetu fortitudinis suæ. 7And when he was come near the ram, he was enraged against him, and struck the ram: and broke his two horns, and the ram could not withstand him: and when he had cast him down on the ground, he stamped upon him, and none could deliver the ram out of his hand.E avvicinatosi all'ariete, lo attaccò furiosamente, e lo percosse, e gli ruppe due corna, e l'ariete non potea resistergli, ed egli avendolo gettato per terra, lo calpestò, è nissuno potea liberare l'ariete dal suo potere.And when he had approched nere the ramme, he was wood against him, and stroke the ramme: and he brake his two hornes, and the ramme could not resist him: and when he had cast him on the ground, he trode him, and no man could deliuer the ramme out of his hand.Cumque appropinquasset prope arietem, efferatus est in eum, et percussit arietem: et comminuit duo cornua ejus, et non poterat aries resistere ei: cumque eum misisset in terram, conculcavit, et nemo quibat liberare arietem de manu ejus. 8And the he goat became exceeding great: and when he was grown, the great horn was broken, and there came up four horns under it towards the four winds of heaven.E il capro divenne grande formisura, e, cresciuto ch'ei fu, il suo gran corno si ruppe, e nacquero quattro corna in luogo di esso volte ai quattro venti del cielo.And the buckgoate became exceding great: and when he was growne, the great horne was broken, and there rose vp foure hornes vnder it by the foure windes of heauen.Hircus autem caprarum magnus factus est nimis: cumque crevisset, fractum est cornu magnum, et orta sunt quatuor cornua subter illud per quatuor ventos cæli. 9And out of one of them came forth a little horn: and it became great against the south, and against the east, and against the strength.E da uno di questi scappò fuori un piccol corno, e s'ingrandì verso il mezzo giorno, e verso l'oriente, e verso la terra forte;And out of one of them came forth g one litle horne: and it was made great against the South, and against the East, and against the strength.De uno autem ex eis egressum est cornu unum modicum: et factum est grande contra meridiem, et contra orientem, et contra fortitudinem.
10And it was magnified even unto the strength of heaven: and it threw down of the strength, and of the stars, and trod upon them.E s'innalzò anche contro la milizia del cielo: e gettò a terra dei forti, e delle stelle, e le conculcò.And it was magnified euen vnto the strength of heauen: and it threw downe of the strength, and of the starres, and trode them.Et magnificatum est usque ad fortitudinem cæli: et dejecit de fortitudine, et de stellis, et conculcavit eas. 11And it was magnified even to the prince of the strength: and it took away from him the continual sacrifice, and cast down the place of his sanctuary.E s'innalzò fin contro il principe dei forti, e tolse a lui il sacrifizio perenne, e avvilì il suo luogo santo.And it was magnified euen vnto the prince of the strength: and from him it tooke the continual sacrifice, and threw downe the place of his sanctification.Et usque ad principem fortitudinis magnificatum est: et ab eo tulit juge sacrificium, et dejecit locum sanctificationis ejus. 12And strength was given him against the continual sacrifice, because of sins: and truth shall be cast down on the ground, and he shall do and shall prosper.E fu a lui data possanza contro il sacrifizio perenne a motivo de' peccati: e la verità sarà abbattuta sopra la terra: ed egli intraprenderà, e sarà prosperato:And strength was geuen against the continual sacrifice because of sinnes: and truth shal be throwen prostrate on the ground, and he shal doe, and shal prosper.Robur autem datum est ei contra juge sacrificium propter peccata: et prosternetur veritas in terra, et faciet, et prosperabitur. 13And I heard one of the saints speaking, and one saint said to another I know not to whom, that was speaking: How long shall be the vision, concerning the continual sacrifice, and the sin of the desolation that is made: and the sanctuary, and the strength be trodden under foot?E udii uno de' santi, che parlava: e un santo disse all'altro non conosciuto da me, che parlava: Quanto tempo avrà luogo la visione intorno al sagrifizio perenne, e intorno al peccato, causa della desolazione, e alla conculcazione del santuario, e della terra forte?And I heard h one of the saincts spea king, & one sainte sayd to an other, I know not to whom that spake: How long the vision, and the continual sacrifice, and the sinne of the desolation that is made: and the sanctuarie, and the strength shal be conculcate?Et audivi unum de sanctis loquentem: et dixit unus sanctus alteri nescio cui loquenti: Usquequo visio, et juge sacrificium, et peccatum desolationis quæ facta est: et sanctuarium, et fortitudo conculcabitur ?
14And he said to him: Unto evening and morning two thousand three hundred days: and the sanctuary shall be cleansed.E quei gli rispose: Per due mila trecento giorni da sera a mattina: e poi sarà mondato il santuario.And he sayd to him: Vnto the euening & morning, two thousand three hundred: & the sanctuarie shal be clensed.Et dixit ei: Usque ad vesperam et mane, dies duo millia trecenti: et mundabitur sanctuarium. 15And it came to pass when I, Daniel, saw the vision, and sought the meaning, that behold there stood before me as it were the appearance of a man.E mentre io Daniele aveva questa visione, e cercava d'intenderla, ecco che mi fu davanti come una figura di uomo.And it came to passe when I Daniel saw the vision, and sought the vnderstanding: behold there stood in my sight as it were the forme of a man.Factum est autem cum viderem ego Daniel visionem, et quærerem intelligentiam: ecce stetit in conspectu meo quasi species viri. 16And I heard the voice of a man between Ulai: and he called, and said: Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.E udii la voce di un uomo dentro l'Ulai, il quale sclamò, e disse: Spiegagli, o Gabriel, la visione.And I heard the voice of a man betwen the bankes of Vlai: and he cried, and sayd: Gabriel make this man vnderstand the vision.Et audivi vocem viri inter Ulai: et clamavit, et ait: Gabriel, fac intelligere istam visionem. 17And he came, and stood near where I stood: and when he was come, I fell on my face, trembling, and he said to me: Understand, O son of man, for in the time of the end the vision shall be fulfilled.E questi venne, e si stette dove io mi stava: e arrivato ch'ei fu, io caddi boccone per il timore, ed ei mi disse: Comprendi, o figliuolo dell'uomo, come nel tempo definito la visione sarà adempiuta.And he came and stood nere where I stoood: and when he was come, trembling I fel on my face, & he sayd to me: Vnderstand k sonne of man, that in the time of the end the vision shal be accomplished.Et venit, et stetit juxta ubi ego stabam: cumque venisset, pavens corrui in faciem meam: et ait ad me: Intellige, fili hominis, quoniam in tempore finis complebitur visio. 18And when he spoke to me, I fell flat on the ground: and he touched me, and set me upright.E mentre ei mi parlava, io caddi boccone per terra: ed ei toccommi, e fe' rizzarmi su' miei piedi;And when he spake to me I fel flat on the ground: and he touched me, and sette me vp in my standing,Cumque loqueretur ad me, collapsus sum pronus in terram: et tetigit me, et statuit me in gradu meo,
19And he said to me: I will shew thee what things are to come to pass in the end of the malediction: for the time hath its end.E mi disse: lo ti dimostrerò le cose, che avverranno nell'ultimo della maledizione; perocché questo tempo ha il suo fine.and sayd to me: I wil shew thee what thinges are to come in the last of the malediction: because the time hath his end.dixitque mihi: Ego ostendam tibi quæ futura sunt in novissimo maledictionis: quoniam habet tempus finem suum. 20The ram, which thou sawest with horns, is the king of the Medes and Persians.L'ariete, che tu hai veduto, che avea le corna, egli è il re de' Medi, e de' Persiani.The ramme, which thou sawest haue hornes, is the king of the Medes and Persians.Aries, quem vidisti habere cornua, rex Medorum est atque Persarum. 21And the he goat, is the king of the Greeks, and the great horn that was between his eyes, the same is the first king.Il capro poi egli è il re de' Greci, e il corno grande, che egli ha trai due occhi, questi è il primo re.Moreouer the buckgoate, is the king of the Graecians, and the great horne, that was betwen his eyes, the same is the first king.Porro hircus caprarum, rex Græcorum est; et cornu grande, quod erat inter oculos ejus, ipse est rex primus. 22But whereas when that was broken, there arose up four for it, four kings shall rise up of his nation, but not with his strength.Que' quattro corni, i quali, rotto quello, sono spuntati in sua vece, sono quattro regi, i quali s'innalzeranno dalla sua nazione, ma non avranno la fortezza di lui.But wheras that being broken, there rose vp foure for it: foure kinges shal rise vp of his nation, but not in his strength.Quod autem fracto illo surrexerunt quatuor pro eo: quatuor reges de gente ejus consurgent, sed non in fortitudine ejus. 23And after their reign, when iniquities shall be grown up, there shall arise a king of a shameless face, and understanding dark sentences.E dopo il regno di questi quando saran cresciute le iniquità, si leverà su un re impudente, e intelligente di enimmi:And after their reigne, when iniquities shal be increased, there shal arise a king impudent of face, and vnderstanding propositions.Et post regnum eorum, cum creverint iniquitates, consurget rex impudens facie, et intelligens propositiones; 24And his power shall be strengthened, but not by his own force: and he shall lay all things waste, and shall prosper, and do more than can be believed. And he shall destroy the mighty, and the people of the saints,E la possanza di lui si fortificherà, ma non pelle sue forze. E oltre ogni credenza, devasterà tutte le cose, e otterrà il suo intento, e sarà intraprendente: e ucciderà i valorosi, e il popolo de' santi.And his strength shal be made strong, but not in his owne strength: and more then can be beleued, shal he waste al thinges, and shal prosper, and doe. And he shal kil the strong, and the people of the saintset roborabitur fortitudo ejus, sed non in viribus suis: et supra quam credi potest, universa vastabit, et prosperabitur, et faciet. Et interficiet robustos, et populum sanctorum 25According to his will, and craft shall be successful in his hand: and his heart shall be puffed up, and in the abundance of all things he shall kill many: and he shall rise up against the prince of princes, and shall be broken without hand.Conforme a lui piacerà, ed egli sarà orditore d'inganni, e si gonfierà in cuor suo, e nella abbondanza di tutte le cose darà morte a moltissimi, e s'inalbererà contro il principe de' principi, e non per opera d'uomo sarà annichilato.according to his wil, and craft shal be directed in his hand: and he shal magnifie his hart, and in the abundance of al thinges he shal murder very manie: & agaynst the prince of princes shal he arise, & without hand he shal be destroyed.secundum voluntatem suam, et dirigetur dolus in manu ejus: et cor suum magnificabit, et in copia rerum omnium occidet plurimos: et contra principem principum consurget, et sine manu conteretur.
26And the vision of the evening and the morning, which was told, is true: thou, therefore, seal up the vision, because it shall come to pass after many days.E la visione della sera, e del mattino, che è stata esposta, è verità. Tu adunque sigilla la visione: perocché ella avrà luogo dopo molti giorni.& the vision of the euening and the morning, which hath bene sayd, is true: thou therfore seale the vision, because it shal be after manie dayes.Et visio vespere et mane, quæ dicta est, vera est: tu ergo visionem signa, quia post multos dies erit. 27And I, Daniel, languished, and was sick for some days: and when I was risen up, I did the king’s business, and I was astonished at the vision, and there was none that could interpret it.Ed io Daniele mi stetti languente, e ammalato per dei giorni. E risanato trattava gli affari del re; ed era stupefatto della visione, e non era chi la interpretasse.And I Daniel languished, and was sicke for certaine dayes: and when I was risen vp, I did the kings workes, and was astonied at the vision, and there was none that could interprete it.Et ego Daniel langui, et ægrotavi per dies: cumque surrexissem, faciebam opera regis, et stupebam ad visionem, et non erat qui interpretaretur.
8:1
Year of the World 3451, Year before Christ 553.
Worthington
Beginning. This vision was to explain what he had seen (chap. 7.), respecting the four monarchies. The conflict of the Persians with Alexander, after two hundred and twenty years, is here described. (Worthington)
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Calmet
Castle; some read "city." Here the kings had a palace; and Hystaspes, etc. generally resided in it. Nabuchodonosor seems to have subdued Elam. Cyrus had it for his share; but Darius, the Mede, appears from Eschylus to have plundered Susa again. Daniel probably spent the latter part of his life in this city. (Calmet)
Calmet
Gate, or "stagnant water;" (paludem. ver. 3.; Haydock) though most understand the river Euleus, on the side of Susiana. The prophets often sought retired places, Daniel 10:4., and Ezechiel 1:1. (Calmet)
8:3
Worthington
A ram. The empire of the Medes and Persians. (Challoner) (Worthington)
Cyrus, the founder, was allied to both.
Higher, denoting the Persians; or Hystaspes, and his posterity, the second branch of the royal family, which reigned to the end: whereas Cambyses was the only one of the race of Cyrus who succeeded to the throne. Others think that he alludes to Codomannus, whom Alexander certainly attacked.
Afterward is not in Hebrew. St. Jerome supposed that another ram was designated, but it is the same.
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A he-goat. The empire of the Greeks, or Macedonians.
He touched not the ground. He conquered all before him with so much rapidity, that he seemed rather to fly than to walk upon the earth.
Challoner
A notable horn. Alexander the great. (Challoner)
Calmet
He succeeded his father when only twenty years old, and the next year was chosen generalissimo of the Greeks against Persia, which he invaded at the head of 30,000 foot and 4,000 horses, having only seventy talents of silver and provisions for one month. With this he attacked the most flourishing empire, and conquered it in less than four years' time, when Darius was slain in the year of the world 3674 [326 B.C.]. Alexander survived only six years and ten months, yet subdued so many nations that it is almost incredible that he should have travelled over them. He is the belly of brass and the leopard, Daniel 2:39., and 7:6. (Calmet)
8:7
Haydock
Hand. He routed all the forces of his enemy (Haydock) at the Granicus, at Issus; and at Gaugamela, (Calmet) or Arbela, Darius escaped, but was slain by his own servants. (Haydock)
Calmet
The clemency of the conqueror towards the fallen royal family is not here specified. (Calmet)
8:8
Broken, by death. Usher, the year of the world 3681 [319 B.C.]
Challoner
Four. Seleucus, Antigonus, Philip, and Ptolemeus, the successors of Alexander, who divided his empire among them. (Challoner)
Calmet
Other generals held out for some time. Philip was only a nominal king; Antipater governed Macedon and Greece. Syria, Asia, and Egypt, formed three other kingdoms. All four marked out by the four heads of the leopard, Daniel 7:6. But the prophet is intent upon Syria and Egypt, which had most to do with the Jews. (Calmet)
8:9
Challoner
A little horn. Antiochus Epiphanes, a descendant of Seleucus. He grew against the south and the east, by his victories over the kings of Egypt and Armenia; and against the strength, that is, against Jerusalem and the people of God. (Challoner)
Worthington
He persecuted God's people, and set up the idol of Jupiter Olympius in the very temple. (Worthington)
8:10
Calmet
Even unto, or against the strength of heaven. So are here called the army of the Jews, the people of God, (Challoner) and particularly the teachers. Many priests gave way to idolatry, 1 Machabees 1:48., and 2 Machabees 4:14. (Calmet)
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Strength; the God of armies, (Haydock) over whom Epiphanes seemed to triumph.
8:12
Strength. Hebrew: "the army was delivered up to him, for the," etc. While several contended for the high priesthood, and imitated the manners of the Greeks, the sacrifices were neglected, and then Antiochus prevailed, 2 Machabees 4:7.
Ground. The ambitious pontiffs, as well as the king and his officers, kept not their promises. Onias, the lawful high priest, being displaced, went to seek redress at Antioch, in the asylum at Daphne. Andronicus prevailed on him to come out by treacherous promises, and slew him; whereupon even Epiphanes wept, and ordered the murderer to be punished, 2 Machabees 4:32. The following year he entered Jerusalem, and committed horrible profanations.
8:13
Calmet
Another. We do not inquire how the angels explained themselves, or whether they instruct each other. This conversation was for the prophet's information. (Calmet)
Worthington
One angel asked the other a question about futurity. (Worthington)
8:14
Challoner
Days. That is, six years and almost four months; which was the whole time from the beginning of the persecution of Antiochus till his death. (Challoner)
Haydock
He began in the year 143, and died in the year 149, according to the era of Seleucus. (Haydock)
Worthington
The temple was purified in the mean time, 1 Machabees 1:21., and 6:16. (Worthington)
Full days are specified. Sacrifice entirely ceased for three years, in the year 145, Daniel 7:25. Symmachus has 2,400, others 2,200, as quoted by St. Jerome. We know not whether the solar year of 365 days, or the lunar of 354, be meant.
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8:17
Worthington
Man. So Ezechiel is usually styled, to shew that the human nature is different from that of angels, and would be greatly honoured by Jesus Christ, who takes this appellation. (Worthington)
Of the end, or determined. This shall take place, (Calmet) but the period is distinct. (Grotius ver. 26.)
8:19
Calmet
Malediction. Hebrew, "wrath" against the people of God, and their enemies. (Calmet)
8:21
Is. Hebrew, "are the kings," (Haydock) including all, ver. 3.
8:22
Nation, yet not his children, ver. 8.
8:23
Shameless. Hebrew: "hard," cruel, and impudent, as Epiphanes was, 1 Machabees 1:2. Marcellinus styles him "wrathful and savage."
Calmet
Sentences, making use of artifice to seize the estates of his nephew Philometor, and to oppress the Jews, 2 Machabees 5:24. (Calmet)
Worthington
The history speaks of Antiochus: antichrist is also meant, as [in] Daniel 12.; Matthew 24. (Worthington)
8:24
By. Hebrew: "not to his (Alexander's) strength," ver. 22. Epiphanes conquered Egypt and the Jews: but the former had an infant king, and the latter were unprovided. He shewed more cunning than prowess.
8:25
Prince: God.
Hand of man. He confessed that he was justly punished, 1 Machabees 6:10. Greek, "He shall raise himself by the ruin of many, (Theod. and some manuscripts add, and shall rise up against the prince of princes) and he shall break them like eggs with his hand."
8:26
Morning of this day, or of what shall happen in certain full days, ver. 14.
Calmet
Seal. When the predictions were to take place soon, they were dated and published. (Calmet)
St. Jerome
This will remain obscure till after the event. (St. Jerome)
Worthington
What regarded the temple, happened in 300 years' time. But it alluded also to antichrist. (St. Gregory, Mor. 30:12.) (Worthington)
8:27
Business, at Susa. Nabuchodonosor had given him the province of Babylon.
Calmet
It. All prophecies have a degree of obscurity before they be accomplished. Hebrew may intimate that none could tell the cause of his anxiety. (Calmet)
8:3
A ram.... The empire of the Medes and Persians.
8:5
A he goat.... The empire of the Greeks, or Macedonians. Ibid. He touched not the ground.... He conquered all before him, with so much rapidity, that he seemed rather to fly, than to walk upon the earth.—Ibid. A notable horn.... Alexander the Great.
8:8
Four horns.... Seleucus, Antigonus, Philip, and Ptolemeus, the successors of Alexander, who divided his empire among them.
8:9
8:10
Unto the strength of heaven.... or, against the strength of heaven. So are here called the army of the Jews, the people of God.
8:14
Unto evening and morning two thousand three hundred days.... That is, six years and almost four months: which was the whole time from the beginning of the persecution of Antiochus till his death.
8:2
He insinuateth that this vision vvas in explication of some part of the former, vvhich he had tvvo yeares before. ch. 7. where foure monarchies are mentioned so here is foretold the great conflict betvven the Persians & Greciaus, about 220. yeares after.
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or riuer.
The ramme represēted the king of Persians & Medes.
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The goat signified Alexander the great:
8:7
breaking the tvvo hornes, that is conquering the tvvo nations of Persians & Medes.
8:8
King Alexander died when he vvas very yong & strong not fully 33. yeares of age.
Foure of his solovvers possessed euerie one a kingdome of his Monarchie.
8:13
g Antiochus Epiphanes persecuting the people of God destroyed the sacrifice, polluted the temple setting vp the image of Iupiter Olimpius.
8:14
2300. euenings and mornings, that is, 2300. dayes; vvhich make six years and vvel nere foure monethes, the whole time from the beginning of Antiochus persecution vnto his death: for he begane to persecute in the yeare 143. 1 M•• 1. v 21. & he died an. 149. 1. Mac 6. v 16. vvithin which time an. 148 the temple was purged 1. Mac. 4. v 52. l Ezechiel is very often called by the name of sonne of man, here also Daniel is so called by an Angel, as vvel to distinguish Angelical and humane nature, as in honour of mankind, vvhich Christ would assume: & therfore calleth himself by the very same rule in the Gospel.
8:17
b One Angel demanded of an other to knovv a thing to come.
8:23
Historically Antiochus; mystically Antichrist, as ch. 12. & Mat. 24.
obscure speaches.
8:26
So much as perteyned to the prophanation of the temple was fulfilled aboue 300. yeares after this prophecie: as the same is also a figure of Antichrist, it shal happen towards the end of this world. S Greg. li. 30. c. 12. Moral.
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Julius Africanus † AD 240 Julius Africanus 3.18.4
4. As far, then, as is in our power, we have taken the Scripture, I think, correctly; especially seeing that the preceding section about the vision seems to state the whole matter shortly, its first words being, “In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar,”
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St Hippolytus † AD 235 Treatise on Christ and Antichrist 32
… That is God, thou sayest. Thou hast spoken indeed, and that not falsely. The leopard has arisen; the he-goat is come; he hath smitten the ram; he hath broken his horns in pieces; he hath stamped upon him with his feet. He has been exalted by his fall; (the) four horns have come up from under that one.
Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 5.5
… and the he-goat was Alexander, the son of Philip, the Macedonian. For Daniel saw the ram when he was in the East before the gate of Shushan the fortress that is in the province of Elam, upon the river Ulai. And he was pushing towards the West and towards the North and towards the South. And none of the beasts could stand before him .
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 6.11
… The bodies of these youths, for instance, were free, though they were given over to the furnace, because they had before put off the slavery of sin. For this alone is liberty; and not an immunity from punishment, or from suffering anything fearful. But having heard of the furnace, call thou to mind the “rivers of fire,”
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 5.25.4
… To this purpose Daniel says again: “And he shall desolate the holy place; and sin has been given for a sacrifice, and righteousness been cast away in the earth, and he has been active ( fecit ), and gone on prosperously.”
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St Hippolytus † AD 235 On the Psalms 1.3
… And the holy Gospel knows also the remission of the number fifty, and of that number which is cognate with it, and stands by it, viz., five hundred;
Julius Africanus † AD 240 Julius Africanus 3.18.4
… especially seeing that the preceding section about the vision seems to state the whole matter shortly, its first words being, “In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar,” where he prophesies of the subversion of the Persian power by the Greeks, which empires are symbolized in the prophecy under the figures of the ram and the goat respectively.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 50.9
… In like manner then as in five virgins, countless virgins; as in five brethren of him that was tormented in hell, thousands of the people of the Jews; as in the number of one hundred and fifty-three fishes, thousands of thousands of saints: so in twelve thrones, not twelve men, but great is the number of the perfect.
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 19
… After this thou didst revert to thy former vice again, and wast a reveller ( ἐξεβακχεύθης 2 Macc. xiv. 33 ), therein, and didst change thy manner of life ( πολιτείαν to the Grecian in the time of Antiochus the impious
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 119.10
… Is it because God had commanded the Angel to do it? Just so: for Christ is understood to have given this command to the Angel.
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 1
… 1 .) And how was it, if the Spirit had not yet come, that He said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost?” ( John xx. 22 .) In order to render them capable and meet for the reception of Him. For if Daniel fainted at the sight of an Angel (
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Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 5.5
… the lesser, that of the Medes, and the greater, that of the Persians. But when Alexander the Greek came, he slew Darius, King of Media and Persia. For thus the angel said to Daniel, when he was explaining the vision to him:— The ram that thou sawest was the King of Media and Persia, and the he-goat the King of the Greeks .
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 5.25.4
… and he shall corrupt, direct, influence ( faciet ), and put strong men down, the holy people likewise; and his yoke shall be directed as a wreath [round their neck]; deceit shall be in his hand, and he shall be lifted up in his heart: he shall also ruin many by deceit, and lead many to perdition, bruising them in his hand like eggs.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 6.45
But since Celsus rejects the statements concerning Antichrist, as it is termed, having neither read what is said of him in the book of Daniel
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 6.46
… and shall destroy mighty men, and the holy people. And the yoke of his chain shall prosper: there is craft in his hand, and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by craft shall destroy many; and he shall stand up for the destruction of many, and shall crush them as eggs in his hand.”
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1. I, Daniel, after that which I had seen in the beginning, — that is to say, After the first vision of the four beasts, of which in the preceding chapter. He indicates that this vision pertains to, and as it were continues the preceding one, as I have said. 2. And I was in the castle of Susa. — Daniel was not in Susa, but in Babylon with Belshazzar: but by a vision he seemed to himself to be in Susa. Thus Theodoret. Whence from the Hebrew thus Vatablus translates: And in a vision looking about, I seemed to myself to be in the castle of Susa. Thus Ezekiel, chapter XI, 1, was in spirit in Jerusalem, and there saw many things. But he seemed to himself to be in Susa: because from there Cyrus, who was to take Babylon and slay Belshazzar, was to come. For Susa was the royal city of the Persians. Thus from Aben-Ezra Maldonatus. Note: Susa is not a Greek word, as Aristoxenus and Chares thought; but Hebrew, Chaldean and Persian, so called from the fertility and abundance of lilies, as the Etymologicum magnum has it. For Susan and Susanna in Hebrew signifies lily, from the root שש ses, that is six: for the lily is hexaphyllon, that is it has six petals. Thus Rhodes, that is rose, was called an island, because it has the appearance of a rose. Note secondly: Susa was a very great city, yet here it is called a castle; because on all sides it was fortified with very strong walls and towers like a fortress. Thus St. Jerome. 1. I, Daniel, after that which I had seen in the beginning, — that is to say, After the first vision of the four beasts, of which in the preceding chapter. He indicates that this vision pertains to, and as it were continues the preceding one, as I have said. 2. And I was in the castle of Susa. — Daniel was not in Susa, but in Babylon with Belshazzar: but by a vision he seemed to himself to be in Susa. Thus Theodoret. Whence from the Hebrew thus Vatablus translates: And in a vision looking about, I seemed to myself to be in the castle of Susa. Thus Ezekiel, chapter xi, 1, was in spirit in Jerusalem, and there saw many things. But he seemed to himself to be in Susa: because from there Cyrus, who was to take Babylon and slay Belshazzar, was to come. For Susa was the royal city of the Persians. Thus from Aben-Ezra Maldonatus.
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Note: Susa is not a Greek word, as Aristobulus and Chares supposed; but a Hebrew, Chaldean and Persian word, so called from the fertility and abundance of lilies, as the great Etymologicum has it. For Susan and Susanna in Hebrew signifies lily, from the root שש sees, that is, six: for the lily is hexaphyllon, that is, it has six leaves. Thus Rhodes, that is, rose, was called an island, because it has the appearance of a rose. Note secondly: Susa was a very great city, yet here it is called a fortress; because on all sides it was fortified with very strong walls and towers like a fortress. Thus St. Jerome. In Elam. — Elam is a region of Persia: whence the Elamites are so called. Our Anthony Fernandius explains it more clearly in his tract. On the Visions of the Old Testament, vision XXV, that in the time of Daniel Susa was only a fortress: but afterwards the affairs of the Susanians were so enlarged, that Susa became the metropolis of Persia. Whence Pliny, lib. VI, cap. xxvii, distinguishes the Susians from the Elamites by the intervening river Eulaeus. Just as therefore at that time one province was Elamitic, so another was Susian. Over the gate Ulai, — over the gate of the city of Susa, which was called Ulai. Vatablus and Pagninus translate, over, that is, beside, the river Eulaeus: for this flows past Susa, concerning which Pliny lib. VI, cap. xxvii, and perhaps from this river the gate of the city was called Ulai; whence also Symmachus translates: Over the marsh of Ulai: and thus our Interpreter translates vers. 3. Both are probable: for Daniel, standing over the gate, beside the river, in spirit, saw a he-goat in the adjacent field fighting with a ram. The Septuagint, Theodotion, Aquila retain the Hebrew word, and translate: Over Ubal Ulai, as if Ubal were a proper name; whereas our Interpreter translates, gate; others, river; the Greek Scholiast thinks Ubal to be the name of a Persian mountain, to which Daniel was rapt in spirit. 3. Behold a ram one. — This is the king of the Medes and Persians, as the angel explains vers. 20. The reason is: First, because the ram, the leader of sheep, by his leadership and magnificent bearing represents a leader and king. Whence the Wise man says Prov. xxx, 29: "There are three things that go well, and a fourth that goes happily. The lion, strongest of beasts, fears the encounter of none, the cock girt about the loins, and the ram: nor is there a king that can resist him." Secondly, because the ram represents the battles and wars of Cyrus and his successors. For the ram, as soon as his horns have grown, becomes most warlike. Wherefore the Romans, when about to wage war on someone, would send a ram through their herald, which he would send into the enemy's territory, which would attack them as it were with head and horns and butt them. Hence also the war machine that once shook walls was called a ram. For it was a beam having a curved iron at its head, like the horn of a ram, which was driven by force into walls, and like rams would retreat, so that it would strike with greater violence, as Vegetius says lib. IV, cap. xiv. Perhaps for this reason, says Pererius hieroglyph. 10, cap. viii, the celestial ram is dedicated to Mars; and if any power of the planets in the human body, the gall (which is both the seat of anger and of bile) is said to be ruled by Mars. Whence Origen, in Levitici cap. 11, teaches that the Hebrews sacrificed rams to God, so that through them they might signify that we ought to slay anger. Hence Ammianus celebrates the bearing of Sapor the king, elaborated with a golden figure of a ram's head: and the Belgians have the insignia of a military and noble society, from Philip surnamed the Good, Duke of Burgundy, a golden ram's head. Whence it is commonly called l'Ordre de la Toison d'or, that is, the order of the golden fleece, and of the ram's head.
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Thirdly, and more aptly to this place, the ram denotes Darius Codomannus and his kingdom: because, as Theodoret says, just as the ram is put to death both on account of its wool and on account of its flesh; so he himself, and with him the kingdom of the Persians, weighed down as it were by excessive abundance of riches and luxuries, finally collapsed, and was occupied by the Greeks. Darius's ambassador confessed this very thing to Alexander, who, in order to persuade him to make peace and to divide the empire with Darius, said: "It is dangerous to have an empire too heavy; it is difficult to hold what you cannot grasp. Do you not see that ships which exceed their measure cannot be steered? I do not know whether Darius lost so much for this reason, that excessive riches make a place for great loss. It is easier to conquer certain things than to guard them." Thus Curtius, lib. IV. Moreover, that wool signifies riches is taught by Pliny, lib. IX, cap. xlvii; for the riches of the ancients were in sheep and their wool and fleeces, as is evident in Absalom, II Kings cap. xiii, 23, and in Job cap. 1, 16, and in that prudent woman whom the Wise Man describes, Prov. xxxi, 13: "She sought, he says, wool and flax." Fernandius adds, vis. XXV, sect. II, that the ram signifies the Medes and Persians, because in those regions remarkable rams are born, with very large and fat tails; and with legs so exceedingly tall, and the whole body so obese and strong, that when saddles are placed upon them and bridles applied, boys ride upon them. Stood before the pool. — In Hebrew, stood before the האבל haubal, that is before the gate, or before the river, where Daniel said he had been in the preceding verse. Having horns high, and one higher than the other, and growing. — Hebrew: And one higher than the second, and higher ascending in the last. So also the Septuagint: And that which was higher ascending above the last. This ram has two horns (as the Hebrew has, and is evident from what follows), that is two founders, Darius the Mede, and Cyrus, who was the higher, says St. Jerome. Or, as Theodoret says, two royal families, namely one of Cyrus, which lasted until Cambyses; the other of Darius Hystaspes, which was greater and higher and lasted until the last Darius who was conquered by Alexander. Or rather the two horns are the Medes and Persians; but the horn of the Persians, that is the empire, was higher, and Alexander broke both, as is said in verse 7. Thus Pererius, Fernandius and others. 4. Charging against the West. — Because Cyrus and his successors, in Babylonia, Asia Minor, Greece, and other regions, to which eastern Persia is, waged wars: and to the north, because the Pontic peoples: and to the south, because Cambyses and others invaded Egypt, Ethiopia and Libya. Verse 5. The he-goat. — Note first, with St. Jerome and others throughout: This he-goat is the king of the Greeks, as is evident from verse 21, especially Alexander, who is also called a notable horn; for after him several, but smaller horns, that is kings of the Greeks, reigned. For the he-goat, as it were, leads and guides the goats, just as the ram leads the sheep, namely "the leader of the flock itself is the he-goat," that is the buck. Note secondly: It is called a he-goat, first, because the he-goat is stronger than the ram; thus Alexander conquered Darius. Indeed the he-goat, hairy with beard and hair, armed with long horns, with head erect, with fierce brow, with keen eyes, represents Alexander the spirited, keen, hairy, warlike and armored to the life. Hircipili, says Festus, are called men of dense hair. And Plautus in the Pseudolus: "You are a god, he says, who stand with a goat-like beard, answer what I ask." Such a hairy fellow was Alexander on account of his fervent and fiery temperament: for this makes not only the face and beard, but the whole body hairy. Hermolaus, Gesner in his work on the He-goat, and others add, that by goat's blood, being the hottest, the hardness of diamond is softened, being cold and dry, so that it can be scratched and carved, although our jewelers think this false and ridiculous: thus nothing was so strong and hard that Alexander did not break it. For these reasons, the ancients sacrificed he-goats to heroes, as well as bulls and rams, as Giraldus and Gesner teach from Homer in their work on the He-goat. The he-goat therefore denotes Alexander, who was the hero and prince of heroes. Secondly, Alexander is called a he-goat, because he was the prince of the Greeks, who are compared to goats on account of the mobility of their spirit and their sagacity, and on account of the acuteness of their wit. For, as Pliny teaches, lib. VIII, cap. l, goats are of more sagacious wit, of keener sight, and more agile in movement, than sheep. Such were the Greeks compared to the Persians. Let the acuteness be proved by Aristotle alone, the peak of wits, whom Pliny, lib. XVIII, cap. xxxiv, calls a man of immense subtlety: "The Greeks have an inborn levity of spirit, and learned vanity," says Cicero in his oration For Flaccus. Third, Alexander is called a he-goat on account of the stench of his drunkenness, and on account of the lust of the Greeks, says Rupertus, of the Greeks, I say, the successors of Alexander. For Alexander himself was not so inclined to lust, because he was a drunkard: and Athenaeus in book X reports that Theophrastus said this. For Aristotle teaches that immoderate drinking of wine makes men unfit for lust: because through it the force of the seed is diluted, and sense and appetite are overwhelmed and dulled. Thus Aristotle, in Physical Questions, Question XI and XXXII, section III. Fourth, he is called a he-goat of goats, both because he was young, namely about twenty years old, when he began to reign: for the Hebrews are accustomed to express young animals by the genitive of the mother. Thus therefore a he-goat of goats is called a kid, which still follows and sucks its mother goat. Thus are called lambs of sheep, that is, tender and newborn lambs. Then rather, because, just as a he-goat is the leader of goats, so Alexander was the prince of the Greeks. Then finally because "a he-goat of goats" denotes Alexander's spurious birth, namely that he was begotten of an adulterous mother. For they once called, and still call, him a he-goat who has an adulterous wife. A he-goat therefore was Philip: but a he-goat of goats, or a kid, was Alexander the spurious. Whence a proverb was borne among the spurious, so that if anyone asked about their father, they would answer that he was the son of a mother like a goat; because he had a certain mother, an uncertain father. For the nature of goats is unstable, slippery and very mobile, and they consort with various males: wherefore a kid among goats can be known only by its mother. Thus Pierius in Hieroglyphics 40. For which reason Alexander, so that he might bear and turn to honor the name and reproach of an adulterous father, indeed turned it to glory, feigned himself the son of Jupiter Ammon. Hence fifth, Alexander is called a he-goat, because he wished to be held and worshipped as the son of Ammon, who was figured in the form of a he-goat: for Ammon in Egyptian signifies a he-goat. Whence also Pyrrhus the king bore on his galley the horns of a he-goat, as I shall presently say, because he himself also boasted that he was the son of Jupiter Ammon. Although Diodorus Siculus, book IV, at the end, Servius in the fourth Aeneid, Herodotus, Festus, and others, attribute to Ammon the form and horns of a ram (by which, says Servius, his responses were signified to be wrapped up); yet others give him the form and horns of a he-goat, either because his horns were bent backward, not curved forward, as those of an ox are, so that one viewing from a distance could not distinguish whether they were goat-like or ram-like), or rather because the Egyptians worshipped their Jupiter, that is Ammon, both in the form of a he-goat and of a ram: for they adored both a goat and a ram. For Ammon was consecrated as a god by shepherds, who pasture both goats and sheep, as Pausanias testifies in the Messenian account. And so much did the Egyptians deify the he-goat, says Diodorus Siculus, who also adds that the wife of Ammon was Amalthea, from which comes the Proverb: "The horn of Amalthea," signifying a cornucopia, and an abundance of things. But this Amalthea was the goat nurse of Jupiter, as all the Gentiles assert. If Ammon's wife was a goat; therefore he himself was a he-goat, or certainly assumed the form of a he-goat. Hence sixth, in the he-goat there is an allusion to Pan the god of the Egyptians, who represented the whole machine of the world, as Giraldus teaches in Pan. For Pan was in the form of a he-goat, as Suidas, Herodotus and Diodorus testify. For he was goat-footed, hairy and horned like a he-goat. Whence Propertius in the Third: Capripedes calamo Panes hiante canent. And Ovid in the Fasti: Crop the vines, he-goat, yet when you stand at the altars, There will be something to pour upon your horns. Sunt oculis Nymphae semicaperve deus. For no other crime is the he-goat slain to Bacchus At every altar. The he-goat therefore here denotes Alexander to be like Pan the lord of the world, and to be worshipped as a god. Seventh, a he-goat is short-lived; for before six years it grows old, because it exhausts its strength through lust, as Columella, Palladius, and from them Gesner in his work on the He-goat, relate: it signifies therefore the short life, and the brief reign of Alexander. Again the eyes of he-goats on account of lust look transversely, and from this the he-goat received its name. For he-goats or hirqui, as Suetonius, Isidore and Gesner testify, are called the corners of the eyes. Whence Virgil: "Transversa tuentibus hircis." Alexander also had a transverse gaze, in that his head was not upright, but inclined to his left shoulder, and looking upward, so that if he wished to look at someone standing before him, he had to look at him with oblique and transverse eyes. Thus Plutarch, Curtius and others. Whence we see that an ancient statue of Alexander in Rome on the Quirinal represents this posture of his. Eighth, the he-goat denotes Alexander's throat and greed both for drinking and for plundering and preying upon nations and kingdoms. For goats devour all things, and hence the he-goat is called in Greek τράγος from voracity. For τρώγειν and τραγεῖν mean to eat. Hence Ovid, in the first book of the Fasti: Gnaw, goat, the vines; yet when you stand at the altars, there will be something of yours that can be sprinkled upon your horns. Which the Romans applied acutely and wittily to the Emperor Domitian, as Suetonius testifies in his Life: "Even if you eat me down to the root, yet I shall produce so much wine that it could be poured out in sacrifice to Caesar." For what the vine threatened above to the goat, the same now threatens to Domitian the tyrant, who ordered the vines to be cut down. Hence goats are also called, as it were, carpi (plunderers), because they plunder all things. "The goat," says Varro in his book On the Latin Language, "as it were carpa (plunderer)": from which it is written "all-plundering goats." Hence to Bacchus, the guardian of wine, a he-goat was sacrificed, as it were a destroyer of vines. Whence Virgil, in the second Georgic: For no other fault is the he-goat slain to Bacchus at all altars. Ninth, he-goats are accustomed to butt and fight with rams, as Alexander fought with Darius. Whoever therefore takes from this an example of single combat, let him know that he is a he-goat and acting like a he-goat. Nor did Alexander engage in single combat with Darius, but in war. Prudently and magnanimously did Antigonus, king of Macedonia, when provoked by Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, through a herald to single combat, so that he might decide the kingdom with him in that way, respond: "His word was not more a matter of arms than of time; if Pyrrhus were weary of life, many ways to death lay open to him." Thus also Fabius Maximus the Delayer, when provoked by Hannibal to battle, responded that he would join battle when it seemed advantageous to him, not to his enemy: that he would give the time of battle, not receive it from the enemy. And Augustus Caesar, when Anthony provoked him to single combat, responded: "If Anthony wishes to perish, he has enough many modes of death." Let those who today are provoked to single combat by foolish duelists respond the same way and imitate these men. For these were prudent, generous, magnanimous, and masters of affairs, who by this prudent response broke and overthrew the enemy. The author is Plutarch in their Lives. Finally, Eusebius in the Chronicle, olympiad 47, year of the world 4610: At this time, he says, "when competing in the contest, a he-goat, that is τράγος, was given as a prize; whence they say Tragedians were named." Thus also Alexander, contending with Darius and conquering him, received the name of he-goat as it were as a prize of victory, or as an omen. Moreover, this he-goat came from the west; because Macedonia, whence Alexander came, is to the west with respect to Persia and Asia, which he subjected to himself. Again, "it did not touch the ground," that is, it used the utmost swiftness in accomplishing wars and victories, like lightning, which penetrates quickly from east to west, but also quickly disappears. No virtue of this king, says Curtius in book V, would I praise more than swiftness. For in six years he conquered the Persians, Medes, Babylonians, Egyptians and neighboring nations; so that with Caesar, indeed before Caesar, he could say: "I came, I saw, I conquered." Note: Just as the ox fixing its foot in the ground is a symbol of slowness, so not touching the ground is a symbol of agility. Hence Virgil, describing the swiftness of Camilla, thus sings:
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And to outstrip the winds in the race of his feet; she would fly over the top of the untouched grain, nor would she have injured the tender ears in her running: or she would bear her way over the midst of the sea, suspended on the swelling wave, and would not wet her swift feet in the waters.
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Homer uses the same phrase in the Iliad, book xx, to express the swiftness of the horses of King Erichthonius. And Ovid sings thus of Atalanta, book X of the Metamorphoses: The trumpet's signal given, from the starting-gate both dart forth, and with swift foot skim the topmost sand. Solinus relates something similar of Lada, a swift runner, in chapter vii; so much so that he would leave no traces of footprints in the sands. Moreover, in Alexander this was true: "What is done quickly, perishes quickly." And this from Seneca in the Consolation to Marcia: "It does not last, nor comes to an end, unless happiness is slow." And with good reason Paul Orosius calls Alexander a great gulf of miseries, and the most terrible whirlwind of all the Orient. Furthermore, the he-goat had a notable horn. — The he-goats are the kings of the Greeks in confusion: this horn properly belongs to Alexander. It was between the eyes, because unicorn animals have a horn between the eyes, and this signifies Alexander's genius, prudence, and sagacity. Thus Theodoret. Note: The horn was the emblem of kings; for kings wore a horn as a symbol of kingship. Hence Plutarch says of Pyrrhus: "He was recognized by an exceptional crest and goat's horns." Thus also Virgil, in the Aeneid, book XII, gives to Aeneas as a king, And sword and shield and the horns of a red crest. The image of Typhon has a helmet with a horn fixed in it, as can be seen in the figure which Villalpando published in the Apparatus of the Temple, page 337. Hence in Psalm cxxxi, 17, it is said of King David: "There will I make the horn of David to bud forth." For the horn is a symbol of strength, and signifies the glory and majesty of kingship. Hence that riddle (which Strabo mentions) of Demetrius of Phaleron to Philip, the father of this Alexander: "You will hold a bull by both horns," that is, you will occupy two citadels, namely Acrocorinth and Ithome; for with these occupied, you will easily occupy all the Peloponnese; therefore two citadels are two horns, and the Peloponnese he called a bull. 6. In the impetuosity of his strength, — in the most impetuous and vehement impetuosity: in Hebrew it is בחמת כחו bechemat cocho, in the wrath of his strength, that is in strong and mighty wrath, wrath increasing strength, or strength inflamed by wrath. 7. And he smote the ram (Alexander killed Darius, king of the Persians), and broke in pieces his two horns (two kingdoms, namely of the Persians and Medes). And he trampled upon, — that is he subjected and made tributary, as I said in the preceding chapter, verse 7. 8. And he became great, — both in deed and in name; for from the glory of his deeds he was called Alexander the Great. And when he was grown strong. — For Alexander died when he had reached the height of his age and the strength of his empire, when he seemed neither able to die nor to be conquered. For shortly before his death he was held to be a god: for he had suborned the priests of Jupiter Ammon, so that when asked whose son Alexander was (for he was born of adultery) they would answer, of Jupiter Ammon. Thus Justin, book XI. The great horn was broken. — The breaking signifies the violent death of Alexander, because Alexander died in the flower of his age, namely when he had lived 32 years and 8 months, and had reigned for 12 years and 8 months in the greatest happiness and glory, by violent death either from excess, as Athenaeus wishes, or by poison, as others wish, in Babylon, in the year 1 of the 114th Olympiad, as Curtius, Josephus and others teach. Note: Alexander was born in the year 1 of the 106th Olympiad, and in the year 393 of the founding of the city of Rome, on the 6th day of the month Hecatombaeon, on which day the temple of Diana at Ephesus was burned down, and the magi prophesied that a great conflagration of Asia was born on that day; that was Alexander. Alexander, at the age of fifteen years, was entrusted by his father to Aristotle for instruction, and by him was trained for five years in letters and doctrines worthy of a king. When his father was killed, at the age of twenty, he took up the kingdom. In the 1st year of his reign, he subdued Illyria, Thrace and Greece. In the 2nd year, he first engaged in battle with the generals of Darius at the river Granicus, and as victor seized the empire of Asia. In the 3rd year, he routed Darius himself with his army. In the 4th year, he came into Phoenicia, Egypt and Judaea, and captured Tyre, and founded Alexandria. He also came to Jerusalem, and adored the high priest Jaddua, and sacrificed to God, and heard with joy and gladness this prophecy of Daniel, uttered about him two hundred years before, namely that he himself would overthrow the empire of the Persians, and confident and assured of victory he proceeded against Darius. Hear Joseph, book XII, chapter viii: "Alexander, he says, approaching him alone (the high priest Jaddus), adored that name (the tetragrammaton of God, which the high priest wore engraved on a plate affixed to his tiara), and was the first to greet the high priest. The kings of Syria and the rest were astonished; Parmenio alone approached nearer and asked why, when he himself was adored by all, he now adored the high priest of the Jews? But he replied that he had not adored him, but had shown honor to God, of whom he was the high priest. For I have seen him, he said, and previously in this very appearance, when I was still in Dios of Macedonia, who urged me, as I was deliberating how I could subdue Asia, to be of stout heart, and without delay to lead my army across: for by his leadership I would be able to gain the empire of the Persians. Wherefore, because I have now for the first time seen such an appearance, recognizing him, and mindful of the vision which impelled me to this expedition, I think that I am not without divine guidance in leading my army against Darius, and that victory will soon be mine.' Having spoken thus to Parmenio, and having embraced the high priest courteously, he arrived in the city with the priests conducting him; and when he had ascended into the temple, he sacrificed to God according to the high priest's direction, and also showed his honor to the high priest." He then adds concerning this prophecy of Daniel shown to him: "And when the book of Daniel was shown to him, in which it signified that a certain Greek would overcome the Persians, he interpreted this to be himself, and joyfully dismissed the multitude. On the following day, having called them together, he ordered that they should ask for whatever they wished. But when the high priest asked that it be permitted them to live by their ancestral laws, and that in every seventh year immunity from tribute be granted to them, he granted all things. And when he had given them power, if any wished, with their own rites preserved, to follow his military service, many gave in their names to that expedition." In the sixth year of his reign, Alexander in the third battle completely defeated Darius on the Calends of October, and with Darius slain by his own men, having obtained the empire of the Persians, he was hailed as emperor of Asia. Here note with Rupert a striking example of how unstable is the state of this world, and how faithless is confidence in the world: behold Darius conquered, and abandoned by his own, nay, wounded unto death, thirsty and dying, he drank the water offered by a soldier, and sent him to Alexander to report these things to him: I have been more fortunate in you as an enemy than in my kinsmen and relatives: for to my mother and children life was given by you, my enemy, but to me it was taken by my kinsmen, to whom I both gave life and kingdoms. Hearing these things and seeing the body of the deceased, Alexander wept over so unworthy a death for one of such rank, and ordered the body to be buried in the royal manner. In the remaining six years of his reign and life, Alexander subdued very many peoples as far as the river Ganges and the Indian Ocean. Thus from Justin, Curtius, Diodorus and others, Pererius. Plutarch recounts these omens of Alexander's death. First, the Chaldeans warned him to abstain from Babylon. Second, when he arrived at the walls of Babylon, he saw a swarm of ravens fighting and killing one another, some of which fell near him. Third, the soothsayer found the entrails truncated in the victim. Fourth, a very large and very beautiful lion, one of those kept there, was killed by a domestic donkey with a kick. Fifth, they see a man sitting silently on a throne, adorned with a diadem and royal garments, who when asked did not return a voice for a long time. Scarcely at last, when he had come to himself, did he say that thus he had been commanded by Serapis. Moreover, Justin describes his death in this way, book XII: "At a banquet, having received a cup with a drink mixed, suddenly as if pierced by a dart he groaned. On the fourth day, sensing certain death, he said he recognized the fate of his ancestors' house; for he said that most of the Aeacidae had died within thirty years. The soldiers then, becoming tumultuous and suspecting the king had perished by treachery, he calmed them, and extended his right hand to be kissed to those weeping. When all wept, he himself was not only without tears, but also without any sign of a sadder mind, so that he even comforted some who were grieving immoderately. To some he gave instructions for their parents, so much so that, as against an enemy, so also against death his spirit was unconquered. Having dismissed the soldiers, he asks the friends standing around whether they think they will find a king like himself? All being silent, then he himself, so that he might not know this, said that he knew and prophesied that, and almost saw with his eyes, with how many slaughters Macedonia would mourn him when dead. At last he orders his body to be buried in the temple of Ammon. When his friends saw him failing, they ask whom he makes heir of the empire? He answered: The most worthy. With this word, as if he had sounded a war trumpet among his friends, or sent a plague of discord, thus all rise up in rivalry. On the sixth day, his voice having ceased, the ring was taken from his finger and handed to Perdiccas."
8:10
And there arose (in place of that notable horn now broken, as the Hebrew has it) four horns under it, — namely four generals of Alexander: namely Antigonus, who ruled Asia; Philip or Aridaeus, who ruled Macedonia; Seleucus, who ruled Syria; Ptolemy, who ruled Egypt. For although Arianus and Curtius number ten successors of Alexander: these four, however, were the princes of all. Thus St. Jerome. See here a new misery of Alexander, and the deception of the world. For by those whom he himself had nourished and exalted, his line was utterly destroyed. For Curtius, when he had narrated that he was killed by poison by Antipater and his sons Cassander and Iolla, adds: "These things, however they are reported, the power of those whom rumor had touched soon extinguished. For Antipater seized the kingdom of Macedonia, and also invaded Greece. His offspring then received it, with all those killed who had touched Alexander even by distant kinship." Justin narrates this more clearly, who, when in book XII he had narrated that poison was given to him by Cassander, in book XV, he relates that by the same Cassander Alexander's mother Olympias, and his son Hercules fourteen years old, and also another of his infants with his mother Roxana were killed. Thus the lust of ruling thinks to prepare the kingdom for itself by slaughters, but prepares destruction. For in the same way Cassander was killed by other rivals of the kingdom, namely: To the son-in-law of Ceres (Pluto) without slaughter and blood few Kings descend, and tyrants by dry death. By the four winds of heaven, — by the four regions of the world.
8:11
9. And out of one of them (out of Seleucus) came forth one horn a little one. — This horn is Antiochus Epiphanes, who descended in the eighth place from Seleucus. Note: After the death of Alexander in the twelfth year, Seleucus assumed the diadem of Syria, and consequently of Judaea, and having conquered Antigonus, of all Asia. Hence from this year 12, which was the first of Seleucus, the author of the book of Maccabees reckons the years of the Greeks, or Seleucids, who usurped dominion over the Jews above all others. Whence Judas, Jonathan and Simon Maccabees resisted them most vigorously. Furthermore, Antiochus Epiphanes is called "a horn a little one" because he was the younger son of Antiochus the Great, who, fighting with Hannibal against the Romans, but being conquered and routed, made peace with the Romans, and sent this son Antiochus Epiphanes as a hostage to the Romans, who, shortly after, when his brother Seleucus Philopator, who had succeeded his father in the kingdom, died, fleeing from Rome and ejecting the son of his brother Demetrius, seized the kingdom of Syria by force, which happened after the death of Alexander, in the year 150. And so this Antiochus, called Epiphanes, that is illustrious, from the glory of his deeds, first conquered Artaxias king of Armenia toward the east, soon afterward he routed Ptolemy Philometor king of Egypt toward the south, and besieged Alexandria, and would have taken it, had he not been compelled by the Romans to depart. For Popilius Laenas was sent by them, and drew a circle around Antiochus with a rod, saying: "You shall not go beyond this circle unless you answer: The Roman people command you to depart from Egypt, as being friendly to them." Antiochus answered: "I shall obey;" whence grinding his teeth and departing in anger, he poured forth all his wrath upon the neighboring Jews, as is evident from the books of Maccabees. Moreover, this Antiochus reigned about 12 years, as is evident from I Maccabees 1, 11, compared with chapter VI, verse 15.
8:12
And it became great. — The Hebrew is, it grew mightily, or excellently; the Septuagint, ἐμεγαλώνθη περισσώς, it was magnified exceedingly. And against the strength. — In Hebrew it is צבי tsebi, which our translator renders, strength; and in verse 12, might; but in chapter xi, 16 and 41 he renders it, a glorious land. Others render it, military force, so that tsebi is the same as צבא tseba, that is, army. Properly tsebi signifies something swollen, full, turgid, eminent, thick, fat, which attracts others to love and desire it. Hence further by catachresis tsebi signifies that which is beautiful, lovely and glorious, namely glory, honor, comeliness, pleasantness, delights and the gazelle, which is a delight to man. Whence tsebi or tsebia, and in Syriac tabita, is called δορκάς, that is, a doe or gazelle; as was called that pious matron whom St. Peter raised from the dead, Acts ix, 30. Tsebi therefore is an epithet of Judaea and Jerusalem. The sense therefore is, as if to say, Antiochus will fight against tsebi, that is, against Judaea, which is a land beloved of God, comely, excellent, fertile and desirable: and against Israel, which is tsebi, that is, a people excellent and dear to the heavenly ones, and their glory and honor, and which is guarded by the protection of God and angels, and therefore is most strong. Thus St. Jerome. 10. And it was magnified even to the strength of heaven. — For strength the Hebrew is not tsebi, but tseba, that is, army, military force, military strength. Word for word therefore the Hebrew is: And it was magnified even to the army of heaven, that is, even to the Jews: these are called an army, or strength of heaven; because, with God as their leader invoked and aiding them, they waged wars successfully, as is evident from the books of Maccabees. Hence concerning them it could be said, as Claudian sang concerning the Emperor Theodosius, with the aid of God conquering: O much beloved of God, to whom the aether serves as soldier, And the confederate winds come at the trumpet call!
8:13
Therefore Daniel signifies that Antiochus conquered the Jews, and this on account of their sins, who before were unconquerable; since Jerusalem on account of the temple was as it were the fortress of God, and the pillar of heaven. And he cast down of strength. — In Hebrew, of the army, namely of the Jews, he cast down many. This is here a hyperbolical gradation, as if to say: Antiochus not only shall prevail against tsebi, that is against Jerusalem most beautiful and most powerful; but also against tsaba, that is not earthly armies, but heavenly ones, and against heaven itself and its host, he shall provoke and invade; he shall cast down the stars and constellations, and having cast them down shall trample them under foot. Whence follows: And of the stars. — He calls stars the Jews illustrious in nobility, learning and piety, whom Antiochus either by threats drew away from the law of their country, or killed while steadfast in it. Thus St. Jerome, Theodoret, Vatablus and St. Gregory, XXXII Moral. XII, where he explains this whole passage. Whence alluding to this, St. John, Apocalypse cap. xii, 4, says that the dragon, that is the devil, through Antichrist (of whom this Antiochus was the precursor and type) shall draw after him in the end of the world a third part of the stars, that is of the illustrious Saints, whom Antichrist shall either by false miracles, or by promises of riches and honours, or by torments and threats cause to apostatize from Christ to himself. Thus cap. XII, 3, we shall hear: "They that instruct many to justice," shall shine "as stars for all eternity." And Apocalypse 1, 16, it is said of Christ: "He had in his right hand seven stars." And I Corinthians xv, 41, Paul says: "One star differeth from another star in glory; so also is the resurrection of the dead." 11. And even to the prince of strength. — Antiochus dared to fight against God himself, and to provoke him to war, and as it were to challenge him to single combat: God, I say, who was the prince of the army and strength of his Jewish people: for Antiochus placed the idol of Jupiter Olympius in the temple of Jerusalem, and wished it to be named from him, and thus as it were cast God out of his place, and brought another god into his possession: nay, he himself through pride esteemed himself as a god. For "it seemed to him that he could command the waves of the sea, and weigh the heights of mountains in a balance, and touch the stars of heaven," (and for this reason he is said here to have cast down the stars) as is found in II Maccabees IX, 8 and 10.
8:14
And from him was taken away the continual sacrifice. — He forbade sacrifice to be offered to God of the lamb morning and evening, which was the continual sacrifice; under which he understands all other things: for Antiochus took away all things. And he cast down the place of his sanctification. — Antiochus did not burn, nor destroy the temple: but he "cast it down" from its rank and honour, so that it should not be the temple of God, because he profaned it and dedicated it to Jupiter: whence on the altar he ordered the flesh of swine to be sacrificed, to the reproach of the law and of the Jews: he forbade circumcision, burned the sacred books, forced the Jews to the religion of the Greeks; he killed Eleazar, seven brothers, and others who refused this. Hence the Nazianzen, oration 22 On the Maccabees, calls Antiochus a demon, and compares him to a demon, who tempts young men, and impels them to sins. 12. But strength was given to him (power and army were given to Antiochus, as the Hebrew has it) against the continual sacrifice (not on account of his merit or strength, but) on account of the sins of the Jews: for God chooses a place on account of the people, not the people on account of the place: whence also now he permits temples to be violated by heretics, and the holy Eucharist to be trampled upon, and this on account of sins committed therein. Whence Vatablus here translates: The army (namely of the Jews, as is said verse 13) was delivered to him (Antiochus) with the perpetual sacrifice through wickedness; or: The army was delivered to him on account of the continual sacrifice through iniquity, that is on account of the iniquities which the Israelites had committed in the continual sacrifice, they came into the power of Antiochus. And this the Septuagint seems to wish when it translates: ἐγεννήθη ἐπὶ τὴν θυσίαν ἁμαρτία, Sin was brought forth upon the sacrifice. And a little before: The sacrifice was disturbed. Theodoret adds παραπτώματι, that is transgression, that is, on account of the transgressions of the priests and people. Moreover our Interpreter seems to have read in the Hebrew tsebi, of which verse 9, or took tsaba for tsebi: for the Hebrews often interchange quiescent letters. Or certainly for strength he understands the army: for this is what tsaba signifies, and here he gives strength to the king. And truth shall be cast down in the earth. — "Truth," namely the true faith of God, worship, religion: for Antiochus took these away. The Septuagint for truth translate justice: for with religion trampled upon, justice is also trampled upon.
8:15
And he shall do, and shall prosper. — Antiochus shall do whatever he wishes, and it shall turn out prosperously. It is a hendiadys. You will say: עשתה aseta, that is, he shall do, is of the feminine gender; therefore it does not refer to Antiochus, but to truth, as if to say: Truth cast into the earth like a seed shall bear fruit and shall be multiplied all the more: for the blood of martyrs is the seed of the faithful, as Tertullian says. Thus Maldonatus and Fernandius explain it. But I reply that aseta, that is, he shall do, refers to קרן keren, that is, horn, which is of the feminine gender: for Antiochus is the little horn, concerning which he has been treating from verse 9 up to this point; because therefore keren is feminine, hence he attributes a feminine verb to it here and in verse 9. But because by keren he understands Antiochus, hence in verse 11 he uses masculine words. 13. And I heard one of the saints. — I heard one angel of a higher order, from those who stand before God, in the preceding chapter, verse 10. Speaking to another I know not whom, — speaking to some one whose name I do not know: for in Hebrew it is פלוני palmoni, whom the Spanish call fulano, the French un quidam. Whence Aquila, Theodotion and the Septuagint retained the Hebrew word, and translated it phelmoni: which Eudoxius translated less correctly as amicissimo, the chief magistrate. It indicates that Daniel saw, or rather heard, at least three angels. For he saw one speaking with another, and one other questioning him who was speaking thus: "How long shall the vision be?" From these things it is clear that those things which St. Dionysius in his book On the Celestial Hierarchy transmits concerning the speech of angels and the illumination which the inferior receive from the superior are true. See what I have said on I Corinthians XIII, 1, where I discussed the language of angels. Whether these angels were different from those in verse 15, or indeed the same, is not clear. For it was possible that one speaking here from a distance might soon in verse 15 fly to Daniel, and present himself to be seen in the form of a man, and explain the vision. Whence our Fernandius, vision XXV, section v, thinks that he who speaks here and is not named is that very one who in verse 16 is called Gabriel. Whatever may be the case in this matter, it is certain that these angels spoke among themselves concerning the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, and desired its end, in order to show that they are angels presiding over and protecting the Jews, or the faithful, and the people of God, and that they care for their affairs and hold them dear, and that they grieve and have mercy on such great calamity of theirs, and that they will put an end to it at the time appointed by God.
8:18
How long shall the vision be, and the continual sacrifice (and it means, that is, as if to say: How long shall the continual sacrifice which Daniel saw taken away by Antiochus remain taken away?), and the sin of desolation (that is, the desolation of the city) which (on account of the sin of the Jews) has been made (that is, shall be made), and the sanctuary (the temple), and strength; — in Hebrew צבא tsaba, that is, the army and people of God, how long shall it be trodden down? 14. And he said to him: Until the evening and the morning, two thousand three hundred days. — "Until the evening and the morning," that is, from sorrow to joy, says Theodoret, according to that in Psalm xxix, 6: "In the evening weeping shall have place, and joy in the morning." But this is mystical. Secondly, Maldonatus and Vatablus: "Until the evening and the morning," that is, according to the succession of nights and days, as if to say: The natural days (each of which consists of evening and morning, that is, night and day) of this desolation shall be 2300.
8:21
Thirdly and most aptly, Pererius and Pintus: "Until the evening and the morning," that is, until that day on which the desolation of Antiochus shall be ended, there shall be 2300 days. For a natural day is described by evening and morning, as it were by its end and beginning, in Genesis 1, 5. Secondly, it alludes to the continual sacrifice, which he says shall be restored on that day: for it was offered both in the evening and in the morning; therefore he says: "Until the evening and the morning," rather than "until that day." Two thousand three hundred days, — that is, six years, four months, twenty days; for this desolation of the Jews by Antiochus began in the year 143 of the Greeks, as is found in I Maccabees 1, 21, and lasted until the year 149 in which Antiochus died, I Maccabees vi, 16. For although in the preceding year 148 Judas Maccabaeus cleansed the temple from the pollution of Antiochus, as is evident from I Maccabees IV, 52; nevertheless because Antiochus still lived, the desolation and persecution had not yet ceased, nor could the Jews yet act and sacrifice freely: but when he died in the following year 149, freed from all fear and persecution, they began to sacrifice freely and to celebrate their feasts and sacred rites publicly and fearlessly: whence this angel marks that year as it were of restored liberty, sacrifice and religion. It is wrongly read in the Septuagint as 2400 days, in others, as St. Jerome testifies, as 2200 days. For the Hebrew and Latin consistently have 2300 days.
8:23
15. As the appearance of a man. — This angel was one who appeared to Daniel in the form of a man, whom the Hebrews believe to have been Gabriel. For he is immediately commanded to explain the vision to Daniel: but the other angel who cried out to him and commanded the vision to be explained, the ancient Hebrews believe to have been Michael, as St. Jerome says, who also adds: "Because the vision was about battles and the contests of kings, indeed the successions of kingdoms, Gabriel, who is set over battles, is assigned to this office. For Gabriel in our language is translated as strength, or the mighty God. Whence also at that time when the Lord was about to be born and was about to wage war against demons and triumph over the world, Gabriel came to Zacharias and to Mary, Luke 1. And afterwards in the psalms we read of the Lord triumphing: Who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty: The Lord mighty in battle, he is the king of glory. Wherever, however, medicine and healing are necessary, Raphael is sent, who is interpreted as healing, or the medicine of God: this interpretation of the name signifying that in God there is true medicine. Moreover, where prosperity is promised to the people, and σιλασμός (which we can say either propitiation or expiation) is necessary, Michael is directed, who is interpreted: Who is like God? so that it may be understood that no one can bring propitiation or expiation except God." Between the Ulai, — between the gates, or between the banks of the Ulai, where Daniel was standing in spirit, as was said in verse 2. 17. In the time of the end (that is, in the time defined and established by God) the vision shall be completed. — Whence from the Hebrew you may clearly translate thus: In the time (defined by God) there shall be an end of the vision, that is, this vision shall be completed. For thus it explains itself in verse 19, saying: "I will show thee what things are to come in the last of the curse," that is, of the wrath of God, when namely the measure of sins being fulfilled, both of the Persians and of the Jews, God shall punish them through Alexander and through Antiochus. For what is added there: "Because it hath its time its end," seems to be the same as what is said here: "In the time of the end." The time therefore of the end is the last of the curse, that is, of the wrath of God. Hence secondly, by hypallage it can thus be explained: "In the time of the end," that is, in the end of time, namely by God, and by the decree and destination of God's wrath. Thus the Septuagint. Thirdly, Vatablus goes further, while he translates: The vision shall come to pass after the Babylonian captivity is finished, as if the time of the end be that in which the 70 years of Babylonian captivity shall be finished. But no mention of this preceded here: and these things happened long after the captivity. Fourthly, others explain thus: "In the time of the end," namely when the persecution of Antiochus shall be finished, this vision shall be completed, especially in that part in which he said in verse 14: "Until the evening and the morning, two thousand three hundred days," as if the angel were looking to that. But this is too narrow, and does not sufficiently agree with verse 19, which says these things are to happen in the last of the curse, namely with Alexander reigning and Antiochus raging, as he explains in what follows, where he clearly teaches that this vision is to be finished and fulfilled through both these kings, the one invading the Persians, the other invading and trampling the Jews. For although the Jews were already afflicted and trampled by the Chaldeans, yet they were to be afflicted far more grievously by Antiochus. For he did not trample bodies, as the Chaldeans did, but bodies and souls, forcing all to idolatry, and either abolishing or profaning all sacred things. Fifthly, others: "In the time of the end," they say, that is, in a short time coming to an end: for it stirs up the attention of the Prophet, and at the same time confirms the prophecy to be so true that it is to be completed in a short time. But verse 26 stands in the way; for there he says it shall be after many days: for the persecution of Antiochus happened nearly 400 years after Daniel. Even if this time be short with respect to God and eternity, yet it is long for us, and in verse 26 it is called long: why therefore would he call it short here? for the Prophets are accustomed to speak similarly and uniformly. Wherefore Vatablus better explains it in the contrary way thus: "In the time of the end," that is, in the time finally coming to an end, that is, after a long time this vision shall be completed.
8:24
18. I collapsed. — From this it appears that Daniel collapsed to the ground twice, first at the presence; second, at the voice of the angel. Thus Maldonatus. 19. Which shall come to pass in the end of the curse. — Hebrew: Which shall come to pass in the extremity of wrath, namely when the wrath of God, which he himself now restrains, being provoked by the sins of the Persians and Jews, shall reach its height and burst forth in vengeance. Because the time hath its end, — that is its period, its span, its age, appointed and defined for it by God, so that in it it may come, and bring with it all things which are to come in that time, and which here are foreseen and foretold to come to pass. See the words of verse 17. 21. A he-goat. — In Hebrew there are two words הצפיר השעיר haltsaphir hassair, that is to say, A he-goat, a he-goat; but the same one which in verse 5 he called in Chaldean battsaphir, here explaining it in Hebrew he calls hassair. For that a he-goat is called in Chaldean tsaphir, in Hebrew sair, and this from the hairs and shaggy coat with which it abounds, Vatablus, Marinus of Brescia in his Lexicon, and others teach. 22. Four kings (whom I named in verse 8) shall rise up of his nation (for they shall be Greeks and Macedonians, such as Alexander was), but not in his strength, — that is, they shall by no means be equal to him in power. Truly Paul Orosius, book III of History, chapter xxiii: "Alexander," he says, "for twelve years pressed the trembling world beneath him by the sword: but his princes tore it apart in fourteen years, and like greedy whelps tore to pieces the rich prey laid low by the great lion, and stirred up against one another in quarrel by rivalry over the spoil, they broke themselves. 23. And after the kingdom of them, — the four first, who succeeded Alexander immediately. When the iniquities shall be multiplied — of the Jews, so that their measure being filled up God permits Antiochus to rage against the Jews. Concerning these sins see I Maccabees 1, 12 and following. There shall rise up — not immediately, but remotely: for six intermediate kings intervened, and reigned for one hundred and six years. A king of fierce countenance, — namely Antiochus Epiphanes, a most impious king, who shall reverence neither God nor men: whence in many respects he himself shall be a type of the Antichrist. Concerning whom see St. Gregory, XXXII Morals, XII. And understanding dark sentences, — namely obscure ones, and scarcely known to any man. In Hebrew חידות chidot, that is enigmas, stratagems and cunning devices, that is to say, Antiochus shall be acute and astute, keen and crafty. Others explain it thus: Understanding dark sentences, that is, causing this prophecy concerning himself to be understood: for he himself by his deeds shall fulfill it, and thus shall make it manifest to all. But this seems more remote and foreign.
8:26
24. Not in his own strength, — but by the permission of God, willing to punish through him the sins of the Jews, as he said in verse 12. And he shall do, — shall accomplish the crimes which he has determined in his mind, shall have a hand equal to his cunning, and deeds equal to his stratagems.
8:27
25. And in the abundance of all things, — when he shall abound in all things for doing evil; for he shall have abundance of wealth, soldiers, arms, princes, etc. In Hebrew it is: And in peace he shall kill many, that is, he shall kill many innocent and peaceful people: for he shall attack them suspecting nothing of the sort, as they are living in ease: thus Vatablus, or, as Maldonatus says, in peace, that is, with impunity, without any loss to himself he shall kill them.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
8:1
— A. IV, the enemy of God, is prophetically described in Dan. 7:20-25; 8:1-27; [9:24-27 (?)]; 11:36-45; 12:1-11. Apocalyptic literature would imitate Daniel: (III) Enoch Ethiopic, 83-90. The late Megillath Antiochos would express the rabbinic interpretation, …
… This came to pass on that very night (Dan. 5). In the 1st and 3rd year of B.'s reign (Dan. 7, 1; 8, 1), Daniel had the visions concerning the four great empires of the world, the messianic kingdom, and the vicissitudes of the dominion of the Diadochi and Epigoni.
8:5
Leviathan has many heads (Ps. 74 [73], 14: "d." in the Septuagint and Vulgate), and other hybrid and terrifying monsters appear in the poetic or allegorical passages of the Old Testament: the 4 beasts of Dan. 7, 3-8, the he-goat of 1 and 4 horns (Dan. 8, 5-22), but these are mere symbols not identifiable with the d. In the apocrypha the d. recurs as the equivalent of Satan or of death, or of their instruments: Ps. Salom., 2, 25-31 (pagan …
8:10
Epistles I-II to the Thessalonians
… adversary has been manifested (or 'the antichrist': cf. I Jn. 2:18-22: it is the synagogue in the collective sense, the Zealots, their leaders, or in particular one of these), he who opposes God and exalts himself (phrases taken from Dan. 11:36; cf. 8:10 f., spoken of the persecutor Antiochus IV Epiphanes, profaner of the Temple 'who shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god...'), to the point of taking his seat in the Temple …
8:11
no, morning and evening, called 'olat ha-tāmīd (Num. 28, 6. 10. 15. 23 ff.; Vulg. holocaustum iuge or sempiternum) and simply tāmīd in later Judaism (Dan. 8, 11-13; 11, 31; Mishnah); this rite is prescribed in Ex. 29, 38-42 and Num. 28, 3-4. 6. 8. As in these passages, hēbhes is often accompanied by the qualification ben-šanāh "[son] of a year": …
8:12
PALIMPSEST - The p. text is from the Vetus Latina (Dan. 8, 12-20) from the cod. of Würzburg MP. th. 64° (5th cent.).
8:14
… The day (jōm) was reckoned from one evening to the next (evening-morning: Gen. 1:4; Dan. 8:14; νυχθήμερον, 2 Cor. 11:25) and comprised evening, morning, and noon (Ps. 54 [55]:18). …
8:16
… Two of them, Michael (Dan. 10:13, 20-21; 11:1; 12:1) and Gabriel (Dan. 8:16; 9:21), provide for the interests of the Persians and the Greeks. …
8:21
… In Isa. 66:19 Yahweh promises that he will bring the Israelites as far as the Greeks and the "islands." Ezek. 27:13, 19 and Joel 3:6 (Heb. 4:6) speak of the slave, vessel and metal trade that the Tyrians carried on with the Greeks. Dan. 8:21 ff. and 11:2 describe the power of the ram, or Alexander "king of the Greeks" ("first king of the Greeks": 1 Macc. 1:1; 6:2). The Seleucids too are "kings of the Greeks" (Dan. 10:20; Zech. …
… Later I., like the corresponding Oriental terms, was used in the generic sense of "Greece" (Zech. 9:13; Dan. 8:21 agg.) and "sons of the Jāveānim" are the Greeks (Joel 4:6). Giovanni Rinaldi
8:26
… the Holy Spirit (Hos. 9, 7; Mic. 3, 8; Ezek. 2, 2; 3, 12; 8, 13; 11, 5, 24; Zech. 7, 12; II Sam. 23, 2; Eccl. 39, 8; 48, 27; II Esdr. 14, 21, 25, 40-44); who orders him to speak or to write (Ex. 17, 14; 34, 27; Deut. 31, 19; Is. 8, 1; 30, 8; Hab. 2, 2; Dan. 8, 26; 12, 4; Ezek. 24, 2; in a special way Jer. 36) and to set forth only what God wills (Deut. 18, 15-22; Jer. 23, 16; 20, 7-9, 15, 19; 14, 14; Ezek. 13, 3-17; Mic. 3, 5-8; Zech. 7, 12; …
… The prophecies of Daniel, published and divulged in that period (cf. Dan. 8, 26; 12, 4, 9), probably served as the basis for such a transformation. …
Some prophecies, not communicated orally to contemporaries, were only written, since they directly concerned future situations; thus especially the second part of Isaiah (40-66), and Daniel (2, 7-12), according to the explicit mention of the latter (Dan. 8:26; cf. 12:9). The distinction between prophets of action, or orators, and prophets who were writers is therefore only external. …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.