Antti Laato

Chapter 9 of the Book of Daniel presents the "Prophecy of Seventy Weeks," a cryptic message from the angel Gabriel to Daniel. This prophecy, which has been extensively studied since the Second Temple period, outlines a specific timeline for significant events concerning Daniel's people and the holy city. Daniel's prayer, a lengthy communal confession of sin, precedes Gabriel's revelation. Scholars debate whether the prayer is an integral part of the original text or a later addition, noting its theological divergence from other parts of Daniel.

The prophecy itself is divided into seventy weeks, with specific durations given for rebuilding Jerusalem, the appearance and subsequent downfall of an anointed figure, and the cessation of sacrifices. The historical-critical analysis suggests that the Book of Daniel, including this prophecy, likely originated from a collection of folktales and visionary chapters composed during the Persian/Hellenistic periods, with later additions and modifications. The prophecy is seen as an example of "ex eventu prophecy" and Jewish apocalyptic literature, placing historical crises within a larger divine plan.

The angel Gabriel delivers a detailed yet enigmatic prophecy of "seventy weeks" to Daniel, intended to provide wisdom and understanding. This revelation, found in verses 24-27 of chapter 9, outlines a timeline for the end of transgression, the establishment of righteousness, and the anointing of a holy place. It specifies periods of seven weeks and sixty-two weeks for rebuilding Jerusalem, followed by the cutting off of an anointed one and the destruction of the city and sanctuary. The final week involves a covenant, the cessation of sacrifices, and an abomination of desolation. The interpretation of these weeks and the figures mentioned has been a subject of intense scholarly debate for centuries, with scholars like James Alan Montgomery describing its interpretative history as a "dismal swamp."

Scholarly consensus suggests that the early chapters of Daniel (1-6) were initially folktales, with the visionary sections (7-12), including the seventy weeks prophecy, added later, possibly during the Maccabean period under Antiochus IV. The composition of chapter 9 involves Daniel's extended prayer, which some scholars view as a secondary addition due to its distinct Hebrew style and theological emphasis on communal sin, contrasting with the book's broader narrative. However, other scholars argue for its deliberate inclusion by the author(s), pointing to allusions within Gabriel's subsequent revelation. The prophecy itself is analyzed as potentially incorporating earlier oracles modified by second-century BCE editors, reflecting different eschatological viewpoints and possibly serving as a "prophetic manifesto for world domination."

The seventy weeks prophecy is classified as an "ex eventu prophecy" within the genre of Jewish apocalyptic literature. This means it presents future events as if they have already occurred, placing them within a historical framework. Its Sitz im Leben, or historical setting, is identified as the Antiochene crisis of the second century BCE. The prophecy serves to contextualize this crisis within a grander historical sweep, offering a sense of perspective and psychological reassurance through its specific predictions. As a "historical apocalypse," it features an interpreting angel, Gabriel, who mediates divine revelation to the human recipient, Daniel, outlining eschatological salvation.

“Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.”

“Know therefore and understand: from the time that the word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the time of an anointed prince, there shall be seven weeks; and for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with streets and moat, but in a troubled time.”

“After the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing, and the troops of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.”

“He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering cease; and in their place shall be an abomination that desolates, until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator.”