And he said unto me, For two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
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Aquinas Study Bible
AD 2017
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. (Bishop Challoner) If we read the Books of Maccabees and the history of Josephus, we shall find it there recorded that in the one hundred and forty-third year after the Seleucus who first reigned in Syria after the decease of Alexander, Antiochus entered Jerusalem, and after wreaking a general devastation he returned again in the third year and set up the statue of Jupiter in the Temple. Up until the time of Judas Macca-baeus, that is, up until the one hundred and eighth year, Jerusalem lay waste over a period of six years, and for three of those years the Temple lay defiled; making up a total of two thousand three hundred days plus three months. (St. Jerome)
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)
He began in the year 143, and died in the year 149, according to the era of Seleucus. (Haydock)
The temple was purified in the mean time, 1 Machabees i. 21., and vi. 16. (Worthington)
Full days are specified. Sacrifice entirely ceased for three years, in the year 145, chap. vii. 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. Ver 16. Between, in an island formed by the river. It was the Son of God, (Calmet) or St. Michael, (St. Jerome) directing Gabriel to explain the vision.
If we read the Books of Maccabees and the history of Josephus, we shall find it there recorded that in the one hundred and forty-third year after the Seleucus who first reigned in Syria after the decease of Alexander, Antiochus entered Jerusalem, and after wreaking a general devastation he returned again in the third year and set up the statue of Jupiter in the Temple. Up until the time of Judas Macca-baeus, that is, up until the one hundred and eighth year, Jerusalem lay waste over a period of six years, and for three [of those] years the Temple lay defiled; making up a total of two thousand three hundred days plus three months. [At least that is what the text seems to say, following the present word-order. Actually the three months should be added to the six years in order to come out to a total of approximately 2300 days.] At the end of the |87 period the Temple was purged. Some authorities read two hundred instead of two thousand three hundred, in order to avoid the apparent excess...
