The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 246

not B furthor conclneion in view. The empire intended by this benet hns hecn the tra.ditional interrrotn.Uon ie that the Hel- cruz of interpretllrs. Pre.cticnl!y all nncient lenio Empire-thn.t of Alexrinrlcr tho Gront o.utbllritics-Josephns, and the author of nnd his succeesors-is intended here. In tho Apocalypse of Be.ruch being amon<> \he defonoo of this we hove tho foot that four, nnmber-mainte.in the Rome.n Empire ~to be ns we havo just said, is the numerioe.l sign meo.nt. On the other hand, e. very large of tho Greek power. In the following number of modem critics, not merely r1f che.ptor we hove the goat, with its one the exclusively critice.l school, have he,!,\ not!\ble horn, which, on being broken off, is that it refers either to the Greek Empire rcplaoed by four. In tho eleventh chapter e.s a. whole, or to the Selencid portion of it. we nro told that Aloxnn<lcr's empire is to As wo shall discuss this subject in a sepnr,it0, be cli vidcd to the four winds of heaven. But excursus, we sho.11 e.t present look at the " wings" are not prophetically so much the principles to be adopted in dealing with symbol of oxteneive'dominion, as of re.pidity such a question. The important point ia of movement. If Nebuchadnezzar (Ezek. tbe numerical note of this "beast." It is nii. 3) is a great eBgle with long wings, it "ten "-the same it mn.y be remarked, o.e in is because of the rapidity of his conquests. the feet of the image of Nebuchadnezzar's Jeremiah says of his horses, they are dream. When we tum from the Apocalypse "swifter than eagles." Again in Lamen- of the Old 'feste.ment to the Apocalypse of tations, " Our persecutors are swifter than tbe New, we find "ten" the note of !tome. eagles." Wings, then, symbolize swiftness Even though we should put this to the one of motion. If we tum to the next chapter, side, o.s merely the opinion of an apostle, the swiftness of Alexe.nder's conquests is and therefore not to bo considered at all the point the.t most impresses the seer. in compo.rison with that of Hitzig or Von Swiftness, compe.rcd either with the ·con- Lengerke, yet he wo.s writing little more quests of Nebuche.dnezzo.r or of Alexe.nder, than a couple of centuries from tlie time we.a not the che.racteristio of the Persian when, e.ccording to critics, Daniel was conquests. Cyrus, in the course of thirty written; moreover, he was in the direct line yea.re, had subdued Asia Minor, probe.bly of a.pocalyptic tradition. The Apocalypse Armenia ; had relieved Media, Elam, and of Baruch, written in all probability n.c. 60, Persia from the alien yoke of the Manda.; haa the so.me view, and it is separated by and had conquered Da.bylon. Nebucho.d- little more than a century from the time of nezzar, after tho bo.ttle of Co.rohemish, had the Macca.bees. The Fourth.Book of Esdro.~, o.dvanced to the river of Egypt. We do not written about A.D. 80, ha.a the same view. know the extent and direction of his many All three book:a imply that it is the univer- campaigns, but rapidity of movement se.Hy received opinion. This view is really characterized some of them we do know, the only one that fairly meets the case. and Alexander's conquests were ma.de with The view whiah separates the Seleucid extremo rapidity. Altogether the figure Empire from the.t of Alexander mo.y be laid seems much more suitable for the empire aside, although the first three empires a.re of Alexander than for that of the Persio.ne. correctly· interpreted. because it is directly Ver. 7.-After this I saw in the night controverted by the statement that this visions, and behold a fou:rth beast, dreadful folll'th empire is to be diverse from all that and terrible, and strong exceedingly ; and had gone before. The empiro oi the it had great iron teeth: it devoured and Seleucids wo.s in no sense diverse from tho.t bro.ke in pieces, and stamped the residue of Alexander. This fourth empire was to with the feet of it: and it was diverse from be stronger than all that had gone before. all the beasts that were before it; and it The Seleucid Empire was notoriously o.nd had ten home. The version of the LXX. obviously less powerful than the empire of differs considerably, though not essentio.lly, Alexander had been, and waa merely a "After these things I beheld in a night match for the empire of the Ptolemice. vision a fourth terrible beast, and the fear Further, the next chapter shows that the of it excelled in strength; it had great iron writer of Daniel regarded the empire of the toetb, it dev01ued and pounded down; it Dio.dochi as really a continue.tion of that trode round about with its feet; it differed of Alexo.nder the Great. The other view from Bll the beo..ets that were before it; and rests on a division betJVeen the Median and it ho.d ton horns, and many counsels were the Persian empires, whioh is contra.dieted in its home." The sense of this does not by any fair interpretation of this book. The really differ, so.ve in the last clause, which next chapter shows clearly that the writer seems to belong to the next verse. Theo- regarded the Medo-Pereian powor as one, but dotion o.grees with the Mo.ssoretio text. The e.e having two dominant races. The " great Peshitto. diffors only by having" o.fter these iron teeth" of the beBst have a reference to things," following the LXX., instead of the iron legs of the dream-image which ap- "!lfter this." 'f4o iqentificl\tion of the pea.red to Nebucha!lnezzar. This bcm,t "hi  212 THE BOOK OF DANIEL. [on. vn. 1-28.