Hexapla in Danielem: that is, A six-fold commentarie vpon the most diuine prophesie of Daniel wherein according to the method propounded in Hexapla vpon Genesis and Exodus, sixe things are obserued in euery chapter. 1. The argument and method. 2. The diuers readings. 3. The questions discussed. 4. Doctrines noted. 5. Controversies handled. 6. Morall observations applyed. Wherein many obscure visions, and diuine prophesies are opened, and difficult questions handled with great breuitie, perspicuitie, and varietie ... and the best interpreters both old and new are therein abridged. Diuided into two bookes ... By Andrevv Willet Professour of Diuinitie. The first booke.

Quest. 63. Shall Messiah be slaine, v. 26. who this Messiah was, that should be slaine.

1. R. Selomo taketh this Messiah to be king Agrippa, that should be slaine by the Ro∣manes a little before the destruction of Ierusalem: But this is a fabulous conceit. 1. for A∣grippa was not slaine, but as Cornelius Tacitus writeth, lib. 5. Agrippa was confederate with the Romanes: and Iosephus also testifieth, that he tooke part with the Romanes, after be could not perswade the Iewes to giue ouer their intended warre: and that the said Agrippa suruiued after the destruction of the citie. 2. Beside here is a great error in Chronologie; for from the beginning of the 70. weekes, which he maketh 52. yeares before Cyrus, to the destruction of Ierusalem, are in the most compendious reckoning almost 600. yeares.

2. Theodoret and Eusebius by the Messiah vnderstand Hyrcanus, who was the last anoin∣ted gouernour of the Priests, and after him the Herodians vsurped the kingly authoritie vn∣to the destruction of the citie: But the Messiah here spoken off, must reconcile iniquitie, and finish sinne, but so could not any of the anointed Priests.

3. M. Liuely by Messiah, taking the singular for the plurall, would haue meant the a∣nointed gouernours: for all lawfull rule and authoritie ceased a little before the taking of the citie by the Romans: there was hauock made of the rulers and Elders, and a generall dis∣order and Anarchie brought in first vnder Albinus, then Florus: Persian Monarchie, pag. 212. and p. 241. And this reason he vrgeth why the Messiah is not here Christ: because it were an vnproper speach, to take the last weeke for the Messiah: as they are forced thus to interpret these words: after 62. weekes shall the Messiah be slaine, that is, in the 70. and last weeke.

Contra. 1. Whereas the Prophet here speaketh of one Messiah, by this interpretation we shall haue many, and a succession rather of gouernours, then any one certain gouernour, in which sense, I thinke, it cannot be shewed, that the word (Messiah) is taken throughout the whole Scripture. 2. and by this exposition of (Messiah) we are depriued of one of the most pregnant prophesies of Christs holy passion. 3. neither doth it follow, that the 70. weeke in that sense should be taken for the Messiah, no more then he himselfe taketh it, where he saith, that after 69. weekes counted from the commandement, th•• Messiah (whom he interpreteth the annointed gouernour) should be cut off, the citie and Temple destroyed, lea∣uing the last weeke of the seuentie, for the accomplishment thereof, pag. 224. for doth not he likewise vnderstand the 70. weeke after the 69. wherein the Messiah should be cut off? 4. euen to admit his owne sense, the lawfull anointed gouernours ceased in Ierusalem long be∣fore the destruction of Ierusalem, about the birth of Christ, in the 30. yeare of Herod, when that tyrant slew all the Sanedrim,* 1.1 as the L. of Plessie sheweth out of Philo: whereup∣on he inferreth that to be the time, wherein the soueraigntie and Iurisdiction of Iudsh did cease. And so was Iacobs prophesie fulfilled, Gen. 49. 10. that the sc••pt••r should not depart from Iuda, nor a law-giuer from betweene his feete, vntill Shiloh come: M. Liuely hereunto answeareth, that this prophesie was rather fulfilled in the destruction of Ierusalem, which he calleth the beginning of Christs second comming to iudgement, the ende and accom∣plishment

whereof shall be in the last day of iudgement: and therefore all the time after∣ward is called the last daies: and this is the reason why our Sauiour, Matth. 14. treateth in the same place of the destruction of Ierusalem, and of the end of the world. So M. Lively, p. 251.

But 1. this is a strange exposition, to vnderstand Christs comming in the flesh, when he was gone out of the world, and to make his going his comming. 2. Iacob prophesieth of the first comming of Christ in the flesh, as Iunius noteth out of the word Shilob▪ which he interpreteth, her sonne, the word properly signifying the matrice or wombe: because Christ was borne of a woman without the helpe of man, Iun. annot. in Gen. 49. 3. The reason why our Sauiour treateth of both those questions together is, because the Apostles had pro∣pounded two questions, both of the time of the destruction of the citie and Temple, and of the ende of the world: for thus they say, Tell vs, when these things shall be, and what signe shall be of thy comming, and of the ende of the world, Matth. 24. 3. therefore our Sauiour satis∣fieth them in both their demands. 4. These very words last rehearsed shew, that the se∣cond comming of Christ, and the ende of the world should be ioyned together.

4. Iunius, who vnderstandeth this place of the true Messiah, yet referreth the ende of these 70. weekes to the destruction of the citie, is forced to vse a kind of zeugmatical con∣struction, as he calleth it, by supplying the word after in this sense, after 62. weekes, after, the Messiah is slaine: so also Polanus: which words they thus interpret, not that after the 62. weekes the Messiah should be cut off: but after such time as the Messiah should be slaine, which was within the 69. weekes, and after the said 62. weekes, then should follow the de∣struction of the citie. But who seeth not, how in this exposition the text is strained: for the nominatiue is turned into the accusatiue, after the Messiah slaine, or the ablatiue, the Messiah beeing slaine: and the word after is inserted, which is not in the text. And the very first rea∣ding of the words, after 62. weekes the Messiah shall be slaine, doe euidently giue this sense, that after that time, and not before, he should be slaine.

5. Iunius hath an other interpretation in his annotations, shewing the accomplishment hereof in the members of Christ, how that after the Messiah himselfe was slaine, his mem∣bers were persecuted: for in the ende of the 69. weeke, about the 7. yeare of Nero, Iames was put to death, and a grieuous persecution was raised against the Church: But the mem∣bers and seruants of the Messiah, can not be the Messiah: and this cutting off must be after the 69. weekes, not in any part of them: neither as is shewed before, doth the 69. weeke ex∣tend to the 7. of Nero, beeing expired before the baptisme of Christ.

6. Oecolampad. yeeldeth this as a reason, why this cutting off can not in his iudgement be referred to the death of Christ; because the word signifieth, so to cut off, as the thing cut off be in a manner extinguished and perisheth: but so was not Christ cut off, who hanging vpon the crosse, was written in the superscription king of the Iewes: But M. Calvin. an∣swereth this obiection well, qu••ad communem sensum, quia putabant homines prorsus esse a∣bolitum, this was true according to the common sense, because men thought that Christ was wholly abolished: So that he was in the opinion of men, as quite cut off, as the Prophet Isay faith, c. 53. 8. he was cut out of the land of the liuing. 2. And the word here vsed ca∣••ath, signifieth to cut off either by death or banishment, as Amos. 1. 5. I will cut off the in∣habit a••ts of Bikeath-auen, &c. the sense then is no more but this, that the Messiah shall be an off, that is, slaine.

7. Wherefore the plaine and proper meaning of these words is, that after these weekes the Messiah out Blessed Sauiour should be put to death for our sinnes: And this is an euident proofe of this sense: because it is said, v. 27. He shall confirme the conenant, which euen in M. Liuelies iudgement is vnderstood of the Messiah, p. 218. Then the Messiah, to whom this word (he) hath reference vnto, must be expressed, and spoken of before.

Notes

• * 1.1

  L. Pl••ss. in his booke of the truenes of Christian reli∣gion, c. 29. 30.