Having denounced the iniquity of the Jews, the prophet then speaks of the punishment that they suffered, trying to bend God to mercy in this way: "And there came upon us," he says, "the oath inscribed in the law of Moses, the servant of God, as having sinned" (Dan. IX, 11). What is this oath? Do you want us to read it? If ye do not serve, says Moses, the Lord your God, and the Lord shall bring upon you a tongue without form, which thou shalt not hear the voice..., and ye shall remain among the least (Deut. XXVIII, 15, 49, 50, 62). This was also pointed out by the three youths; and they, showing that such a punishment had come upon them for their deeds, and confessing before God the common sins (of the people), said, "Thou hast delivered us into the hands of lawless enemies, vile apostates, and to an unrighteous and wicked king more than all the earth" (Dan. III, 32). Thou seest how the oath was fulfilled, which said, Thou shalt remain in the number of a little; And again: I will bring the language of the student to you. Daniel points to the same thing here, saying: "And the evil one came against us, and there was no one under all the heavens, according to those who were in Israel" (IX, 12). What kind of evil is this? Mothers ate their children. Moses foretells this, and Jeremiah speaks as if it had already happened. He says that the young in you, and the young in you, whose foot is not accustomed to walk on the ground of youth and youth, will come to the impious meal and eat her child (Deut. XXVIII, 56, 57). And Jeremiah, showing that this had happened, said, "The hands of the merciful wives have cooked their children" (Lamentations. IV, 10). But even after speaking of the sins which the Jews had committed, and having presented the punishment which they suffered, (Daniel) does not yet consider them worthy of pardon. Look, what a conscientious slave he is! Having shown that the Jews have not yet suffered as much as they deserved by their sins, and have not made amends for their iniquities by their sufferings, he finally resorts to the kindness and love of God, saying: "And now, O Lord our God, who hast brought thy people out of the land of Egypt, and hast made unto thyself a name, as this day thou hast sinned, the wicked" (Dan. IX, 15). As Thou didst save them, not because of their good works, but because Thou didst see (their) sorrow and distress, and heard their cry, so deliver us also from present calamities through Thy love for mankind alone; We have no other right to salvation. Having said this, and having wept enough, Daniel finally presents the city as a kind of captive wife, and says: "Show Thy face in Thy sanctuary, incline Thy ear, O my God, and hear, open Thy eyes, and behold our consumption, and Thy city, in which Thy name was called upon it" (Dan. IX, 17, 18). For, having examined the people, he did not see one among them who could propitiate God; then he turns to the buildings, exposes the city itself, points out its desolation, and having thus concluded the word (prayers), propitiated God, as is evident from what follows. But what did I talk about? It is necessary to return again to the very subject of the word; however, I did not introduce this in vain or without intention, but in order to give your mind, which is tired of incessant debates, a little rest. Let us, therefore, return to the beginning of this apostasy, and show that the calamities that were to befall the Jews were foretold with all accuracy. The discussion of the two slaverys proved that they befell the Jews after the prophecies, and not suddenly and unexpectedly. It remains at last to present the third slavery, and then to speak of the present in which they now find themselves, and to show clearly how no prophet has promised that they would receive deliverance and deliverance from their present afflictions. What is the third slavery? The one that was in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. When Alexander, king of Macedonia, having overthrown Darius king of Persia, and subdued his dominions, died, he was succeeded by four kings. From one of them, after a long time, came Antiochus: he burned the temple, devastated the holy of holies, destroyed the sacrifices, enslaved the Jews, and overthrew their entire social order.

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And all this, with all exactness, even to a single day, was foretold by Daniel, foretold, and when it will be, and how, and from whom, and how, and where it will end, and what it will change for. But you will see this more clearly when you hear about the very vision which the prophet gave us in the parable, calling the Persian king Darius a ram, the Greek king, i.e. Alexander the Great, a goat, the kings who rose after him with four horns, and Antiochus himself with the last horn. However, it is better to listen to the vision itself. "I saw in a vision," says the prophet, "and he was on the hill (as he calls a place in the Persian language): "And my eyes were lifted up, and I saw: and behold, there was one ram standing before the hill, having horns, and high horns: and the one was higher than the other, and the one ascending last. And when he saw a ram butting on the sea, and to the north, and to the south, and all the beasts would not stand before him, nor deliver him out of his hand, but did according to his will, and became magnified. and I am meditating (Dan, VIII, 25). It is he who speaks of Persian power and domination, which extended over the whole earth. Then, speaking of Alexander the Great, he says, "And behold, a goat came from the goats from the west on the face of all the earth: and he did not touch the ground: and to that goat we see a horn between his eyes" (v. 5). Then he speaks of Alexander's attack on Darius and his decisive victory over him: "And the goat came to the ram that had horns, and was furious and smote the ram, and you can shorten the story, and break both his horns, and do not deliver the ram out of his hand" (v. 6, 7). Then, after mentioning the death of Alexander, he speaks of the appearance of four kings after him: "And when his great horn was strengthened, he was broken: and the four roses arose under him, according to the four winds of heaven" (v. 8). At last, having passed over to the reign of Antiochus, and showing that this Antiochus was descended from one of those four kings, thus he says: "And from one of them the generation is strong, and the nobles are magnified to the south and east," v. 9. Further, he shows that Antiochus also destroyed the kingdom of Judah, saying: "And for his sake the sacrifice shall be troubled by sin, and thou shalt be pleased with it, and the holy shall be desolate, and sin shall be given to the sacrifice." Indeed, after the overthrow of the altar and the trampling of the holy place, Antiochus set up an idol inside the temple, and ordered lawless sacrifices to demons. And righteousness shall be cast down to the ground: and do, and be prosperous, v. 11, 12. Then, speaking on another occasion about this very reign of Antiochus, about the captivity and capture (of Jerusalem) and the desolation of the temple, the prophet determines the time itself. Namely, beginning with the reign of Alexander, and towards the end of the book, having narrated all that had happened during that time, all that the Ptolemies and Seleucids and their generals had done in mutual struggle, of intrigues and victories, of campaigns and wars on sea and land, and having reached Antiochus, the prophet ends this narrative thus: "And the arms of him shall arise, and defile the holy things, and shall make things everlasting" (XI, 31), meaning by the eternal constant daily sacrifices; And they will give the abomination of desolation, and they that are wicked of the covenant, that is, the Jews who break the law, they will bring them into delusion, and they will take them with them, and they will carry them away. but the people who lead their God prevail, meaning here the feats of the Maccabees, performed by Judas, Simon, and John. And the people will understand much, and they will faint into the swords, and into the flames, this is again said about the burning of the city, and in captivity, and in the plundering of the days. And when they are exhausted, he will help them with a little help: with these words the prophet makes it clear that in the midst of those very calamities (the Jews) will have the opportunity to rest and be freed from the evils that have befallen them. And many will be added to them with delusion, and will be faint from those who understand: with these words the prophet shows that many of those who stand will fall. Then he also expresses the reason why God allowed the Jews to fall into such calamities. What is this reason? If I kindle, he says, and choose, and open even to the end of time. That is, God allowed this in order to purify them and show the faithful among them. Then, speaking of the power of the same king (Antiochus), the prophet says: "He will do according to his will, and he will be exalted and magnified." And pointing out his blasphemous designs, the prophet adds that he will cry out against the God of gods, and will rule until the wrath is over, and by this he makes it clear that Antiochus was so strengthened not by his own will, but by the wrath of God against the Jews. Finally, having spoken in greater detail about how much evil (Antiochus) he will do to Egypt and Palestine, how he will return, and at whose call, and for what motivating reason, Daniel also speaks of the change of circumstances, that the Jews, having survived all this, will receive help, it is to them that the angel will be sent to help: and in the time of it, Michael, the great prince, will arise, Stand for the sons of thy people: and there shall be a time of tribulation, tribulation, for there shall be no such thing, but a tongue shall be formed on the earth, even unto that time: and at that time shall all thy people be saved, who have been found inscribed in the book (XXII, 1), that is, worthy of salvation.

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However, our question has not yet been resolved. What does it consist of? In the fact that God has determined how much time the Jews should spend in this slavery, just as in the first four hundred, and in the second seventy years. And so let us see if there is not a time here as well. But where can you find it? In the further narration (of the Prophet Daniel). When he heard of the many and grievous calamities, of the burning (of Jerusalem), of the overthrow of the state (of Judah), of the captivity of his fellow countrymen, he wanted to know whether there would be an end to these calamities. And he said, inquiring about this: Lord, what is the last of these? And he said, "Come, Daniel, for the word is barred and sealed" (indicating the obscurity of the words) even to the end of time. Then he reveals the reason for the allowance of calamities: "Until they are chosen, and they are made white, and many are tempted by fire: and the wicked shall be guilty of iniquity, and all the wicked shall not understand, but shall understand the wise" (Dan. XII, 9, 10). Then, predicting the very time during which these calamities will weigh upon them, he says: from the time of the change of the sacrifice of the everlasting. A daily sacrifice was called "everyday" because it was constant and uninterrupted. It was the custom of the Jews to offer sacrifice to God in the evening and in the morning of every day: for this reason the prophet called that sacrifice permanent. And since Antiochus, having come, destroyed this custom and put an end to it, the angel also said that from the time of the change of the everlasting sacrifice, that is, from the time of the cessation of this sacrifice, there are two hundred and ninety days, that is, three years and a half, and a little more. Then, revealing that there would be an end and a cessation of these calamities, he added: Blessed is he who endures and has reached to the days of three hundred and thirty-five, that is, to one thousand two hundred and ninety forty-five days; for one month and a half the war continued, which ended (for the Jews) with a brilliant victory, and at the same time with a complete deliverance from the calamities that weighed on (the Jews). And so, with the words, "Blessed is he who endures, and attains to the days of three hundred and thirty-five," the angel prophesied deliverance (from calamities); however, he did not say simply: attained, but endure and attained. Many of the wicked have seen the change of circumstances, but the angel does not bless indiscriminately, but only those who have suffered during the time of tribulation, have not betrayed their piety, and then have already attained peace. That is why he did not simply say: attained, but endure and attained. What could be clearer than this? You see how the prophet foretold both the captivity and the deliverance from captivity with all accuracy, not only to the last year and month, but to the last day. And in confirmation that I say this not only from my own conjecture, I will also bring you another witness, whom the Jews consider worthy of special probability, I mean Joseph, who both touchingly described their calamities, and set forth in detail the entire Old Testament. Living after the coming of Christ and having talked about the captivity (of the Jews by the Romans) predicted by Him, Joseph also told about this captivity that had taken place (under Antiochus Epiphanes), and he also interpreted the prophet's vision of the ram, the goat, the four horns, and the last horn that appeared after them. And so that no one should suspect our words, we will offer his true words. Having praised Daniel to the point of excess, and placing him above all the other prophets, Joseph refers to this vision as well, saying:14 "He (Daniel) left writings in which he gave us an accurate and trustworthy description of his prophecy. He says that in Susa, the capital of Persia, he went out into the field with some of his men, and when a sudden earthquake happened, his friends fled, and he was left alone. Then he fell on his face, leaning on both hands; And when someone touched him and commanded him to stand up and see what was to happen to his countrymen after many generations, he arose, and there appeared to him a great ram, which had grown many horns, but the last of them was taller than the others. Then, looking to the west, he saw a goat rushing through the air, which fought with a ram, struck it twice with its horns, knocked it to the ground and trampled it down. Then he saw that the goat had grown taller, and a large horn had grown on his forehead; when this horn was broken, the other four sprang up, facing each of the (four) winds; and out of them came another smaller (horn), which then grew. Having shown this (to Daniel), God said that his people would be defeated, the city taken by force, the temple plundered, the sacrifice stopped; and this will continue until one thousand two hundred and ninety days. This is what Daniel saw, as he himself wrote, in the field in Shushan, and the explanation of the vision, he says, was given to him by God, who said that the ram signified the kingdom of Persia and the Medes, and the horns of the kings to come; The last horn signifies the last king, who will surpass all in wealth and glory. The goat means that the Greeks will produce a king who, having twice attacked the Persian king, will defeat him in war and completely deprive him of power. The large (first) horn on the forehead of the goat means the first king; and the other four, which grew up after his destruction and turned to the four corners of the world, point to the successors of the first king and the division of the kingdom between them; for neither his children nor his relatives shall rule over the world for many years. From these (successors) will come one king, who will conquer (the Jews), abolish both their laws and statutes, plunder the temple, and forbid sacrifice for three years. And all this our people had to suffer from Antiochus Epiphanes, as Daniel had predicted and recorded many years before."

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What could be clearer than this? It is now, however, if we have not tired you, to turn to the main subject, that is, to the present captivity, to the present slavery (of the Jews), because of which we have said all this. Be attentive, for we are not dealing with unimportant matters. Those sitting at the Olympic Games from midnight to noon wait to see who will get the wreath; they take the red-hot rays of the sun on their naked heads, and leave the spectacle no sooner than when the judgment on the feats of the fighters is pronounced; it is so inappropriate for us now to complain of fatigue, when the struggle is not even for such a wreath, but for an imperishable crown. Thus we have sufficiently proved that three captivities were foretold, of which one lasted four hundred years, another seventy, and the third three and a half years. Now let's talk about the current one. And what the prophet foretold about him, I will again present as a witness the same Joseph, their (the Jews') like-minded man. After he has spoken of the above, listen to what he says further: "In like manner Daniel wrote of the dominion of the Romans, and that Jerusalem would be taken by them, and the temple desolate." Here consider that the writer of this, although he was a Jew, nevertheless did not dare to imitate you in his passion for disputes. For when he said that Jerusalem would be taken, he did not dare to add that (that city) would be rebuilt again, nor to give a fixed time for this; but, since he knew that the prophet had not appointed a time, although he had said above, concerning the victory of Antiochus and the devastation he had wrought, how many days and years the captivity would last, yet he did not add anything about the dominion of the Romans; he only wrote that Jerusalem and the temple would be desolate, and whether there would ever be an end to the desolation they had wrought, he did not add this, because he saw that the prophet did not add to it. "And when God showed all these things to Daniel, he wrote them down, and left them with us, that when we read his prophecies, and saw them fulfilled, we might marvel at the honor which God had vouchsafed Daniel." So let's see, where did Daniel say that the temple would be desolate? After he had made the above-mentioned prayer in sackcloth and ashes, Gabriel came to him and said, "Seventy weeks are shortened for thy people, and for the holy city" (Dan. IX, 24). Here, you say, is the time indicated? Yes, the time, only not (the end of) the captivity, but the time after which the captivity should take place. For it is one thing to say how long the captivity will last, and another how long it must follow and come. Seventy weeks, he says, are shortened for thy people; He did not say, Concerning my people, although the prophet said, Show thy face to thy people; no, God is already shunned (by the Jewish people) for their future sin. Then he also points out the reason: that sin may be promised and sin will end. What does it mean: that sin may end? They (the Jews) sin many, he says, but the height of their iniquities will be when they kill their Lord. Christ also speaks of this: "And ye shall fulfill the measure of your father" (Matt. XXIII, 32). You, he says, have killed the slaves: add the blood of the Lord already. See what agreement there is in your thoughts. Christ said: "Fulfill; The prophet says: Sin will end, and sins will be sealed. What does it mean: they will be sealed? That there will be nothing left (to make the Jews so wicked). And everlasting righteousness will be brought forth. What eternal truth is this, if not that which is given by Christ? And the vision and the prophet will be sealed, and the holy of holies will be anointed, that is, the prophecy will finally cease, for this is to seal, the anointing will cease, the vision will cease. Therefore Christ said: "The law and the prophets before John" (Matt. XI, 11). Do you see how God threatens the Jews here with complete desolation and retribution for sins and wickedness? He does not (promise) to forgive, but threatens to punish them for their sins!