the 70 The erd of §. 16. Those who antedate the commencement of this Epocha, would have the Interval of the 70 Weeks Weeks is to to expire at the Paffion of our Saviour; for which they fixt at the time of the alledge the Words of the Angel Dan. 9. v.26. And deftrution after threefcore and two Weeks fhall the Meffiah be cut of the City. off So that, according to their Opinion, thefe threefcore and two Weeks are to be added to the feven Weeks mentioned by the Angel; which together make up 69 Weeks extending to the final Period of this Epocha. But, as we fhall have occafion anon to speak more at large of the Divifion of this Epocha into 7 and 62 Weeks, fo we grant, without the leaft contradiction, that the Birth and Paffion of the Meffiah bapned within the Interval of the 70 Weeks; but cannot fee, that the leaft Confequence can be drawn from the Words of the Angel, to make the final Period of the Epocha coincident with the time of the Paffion of Chrift. For the very INSCRIPTION of the Interval expreffes clearly the meaning of the Angel,as to the terminus ad quem and the terminus a quo,viz. THE REBUILDING AND DESTRUCTION OF THE HOLY CITY, Dan. 9. v. 24. Seventy Weeks are determined upon thy People and upon thy Holy City: And it would be very hard to fuppofe that the Angel fhould recede in his fubfequent Narration, from what he had intimated before in his Introduction. Certainly the relation of an Hiftorian would be looked upon as very incompleat, who having promifed in his Preface to give an Account of Matters till the laft Deftruction of Jerufalem, fhould break off the Thread of his Hiftory 40 years before the faid Destruction hapned. Befides, if we look upon the 26th and 27th Verses of the 9th Chapter of Daniel, it will be obvious, that the end of thefe 70 Weeks is defcribed in fuch a manner as bears a moft particular relation to the deftruction of the City by the Romans, the Fore-runner of which was the Abomination of Defolation, cited by Chrift out of Daniel, Mat. 25. 15. Mark 13. 14. and who could be a more excellent Interpreter of the Concern Angelical Prediction than Chrift himself? ing the di- S. 17. Having thus fufficiently illuftrated our Hyvifion of pothefis of the beginning and end of this Interval, the 70 twill now be proper to add a few Words concerning Weeks into the Divifion of it. Thefe are the Words of Scaliger 7 and 62. Lib.6. de Emend. Temp. In dividing this Interval fome look for a Myftery, others fplit it into feveral • Intervals tack'd one after another, fo as to begin the Interval of 7 Weeks with the time of the firft Edict of Darius; and the fecond from thence of 62 Weeks; únto which they add one at laft. For my part, I am against both: For I fee no more Mystery or defign in the Divifion of this Interval of 70 Weeks, than in the Divifion of the Manch in Ezekiel, &c. This Opinion is likewife embraced by Calixtus Orat. de 70 Hebd. But after all, tho' we have for the moft part agreed with Scaliger as to the beginning and end of this Epocha, yet we cannot but blame his prefumption, in making fo little account of the Divifion of this Interval made by the Angel himself, and I am perfwaded that there are few who will imagine that this exact Divifion of the 70 Weeks in fo folemn a Prophecy as this, could be accidental and of no moment. See Glaf. Philol. Sacr. Lib. 3. can. 52. And concerning the inftance of Ezekiel's Manch, confult Francius in Schol. Sacrif. Difp. 1o. c. 26. S. 18. Scaliger, as he makes the beginning of the 70 Whether Weeks coincident with the 2d year of Darius Nothus, the 70 and and its end with the laft Deftraction of the City of 62 Weeks Ferufalem: So he finishes the 62 Weeks with the Paf have a diffion of Chrift,and fixes their beginning in the 5th year ferent be of Artax. Memor; being followed in this point by ginning. Tremellius, Junius,and feveral other Modern Authors; But there are not wanting on the other hand fome who alledge, that if the 70 and 62 Weeks had a different beginning, the Word Commandment or Edit, mentioned by the Angel, fhould have been expreffed in the plural Number. Thofe who cannot brook the Opinion of Scaliger, I would advise 'em to fix the beginning of thefe 62 Weeks in the 2 year of Darius Nothus, and to include in that space the 7 Weeks alloted for the rebuilding of the Streets and Walls of the City: But left we fhould exceed the Bounds of an Epitome, we will now.conclude this Chapter, leaving the deterinination of the matter to every one's own Judgment. CHAP. CHA P. XXX. Of the Epocha of the Græcian Empire in Afia, and the last Battle fought betwixt Alexander the Great and Darius Codomannus; as also the commencement of the Period of Calippus. RULES. 1. In tracing the Origin of the Græcian Empire in Afia, 1. we must go back to that time when Alexander the Great was declared Emperor of all Greece, having fucceeded his Father in the Kingdom in the fame year that Evenetus was Archon at Athens, and L. Furius and C. Menius were Confuls at Rome. 2. Darius Codomannus began his Reign over Perfia much about the fame time that Alexander fucceeded his Father Philip in the Kingdom of Macedonia. 3. Fuft before the Græcian Expedition against Afia the Thebans were vanquished, at which time Alexander, pursuant to the refolution taken in his Council, did totally destroy the City of Thebes, and thereby pat all the other Græcian Commonwealths that were much inclined to revolt, under a great confternation. 4. In the fame year that Cteficles was Archon at Athens, and Caius Sulpicius and Lucius Papyrius Roman Confuls, Alexander marched at the Head of his Army to the Hellefpont; from whence having transported his Forces out of Europe into Afia, he fought the Battle of Granicum. 5. In the fecond year of the Afiatick War, when the Battle near Iffus was fought, Nitocrates was Archon at Athens, and Cæfus Dui lius and L. Papyrius Confuls at Rome. 6. In the third year of this Afiatick War of the Greeks, Niceratus was Archon among the Athenians, and M. Artilius and M. Valefius Confuls at Rome. 7. In the fame third year, being the fecond before the Battle of Gaugamela, was the 112th Olympiad celebrated, where Grylus of Chalcedon carried the Day: Tyrus was likewise taken by Alexander this year. 8. In the 4th year of this Afiatick War, when Darius was vanquifhed at Gaugamela, Ariftophanes was Archon at Athens, and Sp. Pofthumius and T. Veturius Roman Confuls. 9. The fame year that the Battle of Gaugamela was fought, Alexander, after his return from the Temple of Jupiter Hammon, founded the City of Alexandria. For thefe Characters wet are obliged to Diodorus Lib. 17. which are for the most part approv ed by other Hiftorians. 10. Alexander, after the Victory over Darius near Gaugamela, made himself Mafter of Afia in the 5th year of his Reign, according to Juftin Lib. 11. ver. 14. 11. The fame year was the 5th year of Darius just begun; Ptolemy allowing but four years for the Reign of Darius. 12. Eleven days before this laft Battle fought betwixt Darius and Alexander, there hapned a very remarkable Eclipse of the Moon, according to Plutarch Vit. Alexand. 13. The fame Eclipfe was observed, according to Plutarch, in the Month of Boëdromion, towards the lat ter end of the Summer, or the Autumnal Æquinox ; at which time the Greeks used to celebrate the Eleufinia, dedicated to Ceres. This Eclipfe hapned in the year of the Julian Period 4383, on the 20th day of September,a little before Midnight,the whole obfcuration being of 14 Inches. Pliny likewife makes mention of it, Lib. 2. c. 70. 14. The next Summer after the Victory obtained by Alexander near Gaugamela, Ca lippus Cyzicenus began a new Period of 76 years, as is evident from the four Obfervations of Timocharis upon the years 36, 37, 47, and 48 of that Period, mentioned by Ptolemy 1.7. c. 3. 15. The fame year that Calippus began this new Period, Darius, whilft he was gathering Recruits in Bactria, and the adjacent Provinces, was made Prifoner by Beffus his own Lieutenant over the Province of Bactria; who having fettered him with Golden Fetters, at laft murthered him, Ariftophanes being then Archon at Athens, and Cn. Domitius and Au. Cornelius Roman Confuls. In this point all the Ancient Hiftorians agree, efpecially Diodorus Siculus Loc. Cit.. 11. From thefe Characters we conclude that the Battle of Gaugamela was fought in the year of the Julian Period 4383, Cyel. O. 15. . 13. on the first day of Otober; and that the Period of Calippus began mits To find out the year fince the begin- the Summer of the 4384th year of the Julian Period, Cycl. . 16. 7. 14. and that Darius Codomannus the left Monarch of Perfia was flain in the fame year. III. If therefore from any certain year of the Julian Pe riod be fubtracted 4382 years and 9 Months, the refidue frems the year fince the beginning of the Græcian Empire in Afia, or fince the Battle fought near Caugamela: And if 4383 years and fix Months be fubtracted in the fame manner, the Refidue is equi valent to the year fince the beginning of the Period of Calippus, or the death of Darius Codomannus. But if to certain years of thefe Epocha's be added the before mentioned numbers of years, the feveral Products will be correfpondent to the refpective years of the Julian Period. §. 1. Petries Bizarrus Lib. 2. Hift. Rer. Perf. has The occafi made a very large Collection of the Moon of this tives which induced Alexander the Great to engage in Afiatick a War against Darius Codomannus. Such were; the reWar, and of the en membrance of the paft Injuries and Troubles the Greeks Juing Re- had received from the Hands of Darius Hyftafpis and volution. Xerxes; the private refentment of Alexander, who had been contumeliously treated by the Ambaffadors of Darius, and in his Letters, in which he called himself the King of Kings, and Alexander his Servant; the refentment of his Fathers Death, upon whofe Head Darius had fet a vaft Sum of Money, as well as upon Alex ander himfelf. But the chief Motive was his boundless Ambition to build his future Greatness upon the ruin of the profeffed Enemies of his Country,as may be gathered from the answer fent by Alexander to Darius's meffage,mentioned by Diodorus Siculus l. 17. In what §. 2. The Battle which decided the Fate of the Afiplace this arick Empire betwixt the Perfians and Greeks, and Battel was from which this Epocha begins, is commonly called the fought. Battle of Arbela, whilft others are of Opinion that it was fought near Gaugamela. It feems to to me very ftrange that Hiftorians fhould confound thefe two places which lie at the distance of 600 Stadia from one another; but Strabo accounts for it thus: Arbela,zys be, Lib.16.Geogr. p. 507. Edit. Caufis under the Ju rifdiction |