The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 260

nnimnl flgurce. Tho eoconrl empire he.e ence of De.nicl'R bee.Rt with ten horns. TI,., duo.lity for its numerico.l note-two e.rme, Apoce.lypee of Baruch was probably wril.t,en two eiclee, e.nd, in the ce.eo of the ram, two in B.C. 60, and there the Roman pow~r is horns. Thie is o. no.turn! eymbol for the expressly designated as the fourth kingdom. llfo,lo-Pcreinn power. Tho animal that sym- Here is direct evidence, cominoo down to bolizes it-the boo.r, with its relatively slow little more than a century after the critical movcmente-repreeente well the compara- date of Daniel, that in Jewish opinion the tivoly slow progress of Persian eonqueete, fourth empire in Daniel we.s the Rom1tn. compared with those either of Nchuchacl- We odmit there a.re difficulties in inter- nezZ11r or of Alexander. What seems to us preting the features of this fourth monarchy. to demonstrate the correctness of thie view In opproaching this part of onr enhject, we is the fact tho.t the ram, which symbolizes would lay it down as e. principle tha.t, in the Mcdo-Pereian Empire in the eighth interpreting apocalyptic writings, we are to chapter, has, e.e we have said, the numerico.l be guided by notes of interpretation to be note two. found in them. One of these notes of in- The third empire is tho Greek. It has terpretation we find in Rev. xvii. 0, "T!Je four e.e its numerical note. The leopard seven heads a.re seven mountains, and has four wings. The goat that symbolizes they are seven kings." Here we find the Greece in the eighth chapter he.a four numerical note which points ont the city of horns. These wings o.re the symbol of Rome. The nnmber BP.Ven has two meanings: rapidity of movement. As e. matter of "mountains," the seven hills of Rome; and history, the conquests of Alexander were "seven kings," preS1Imably the seven rulers me.de with extreme rapidity. He ascended of Rome, Nero being the seventh and Pom- the throne of Macedonia., e. youth of twenty, pey the first. There may be a reference to in B.c. :136. In two yea.re ho had subdued the seven kings of Rome. Whatever the the whole Balkan peninsula. In B.C. 334 interpretation here, at all events this much he crossed the Hellespont, and in ten years is clear-the symbols carry double. This he had conquered Asia to the Oxue and the is directly in the teeth of the assumption Ind us, and Egypt to the cataracts of the of the critical school, that if e. symbol means Nile. Cyrus, after e. reign of more than one thing, it cannot at the same time mean twioe the length, he.d not me.de nearly as another. With this principle, let us ap- extensive conquests. On the ground of the proach this syrn bol of the ten horns. The suitability of the symbol to the facts of magistrncies of Rome were, roughly speak- the Greek conquest, we would say that the ing, ten-two consuls, originally two prm- third empire is that of Alexander and his tors, two censors, and four tribunes. The successors. The symbol in the image-vision imperial power we.s utterly nnkno1<n to the is not so clear, but the. mete.I, bronze, we.s Roman constitution; but it, coming up one that was much used by the Greeks for after the others, absorbed the power of armour, e.nd, moreover, was eminently suit- three of these me.gistre.cies-the tribuni- able for artistio purposes; hence it we.s e. tie.n, the prmtorian, and censorial. Cer• suitable symbol for the Greek power. ta.inly the imperial dignity had e. mouth On this traditional theory the fourth speaking great things. Not only was the empire is the Roman. Mr. Bevan tells us, emperor regularly deified on his decease, as we have said, that Ephrem Syrus, in the but even during his life he was sainted fourth century, held that the Greek Em- e.s e. present deity. Temples were erected pire was the fourth. He "doubtless," says to Augustus during his lifetime, and Mr. Bevan, "derived it "-this view-" from Ca.ins Caligula. could hardly be restrained Jewish tradition." We have evidence that from compelling the Jews to worship the common Jewish belief, much earlier his statue. But these horns may not than the fourth century, the time of Ephrem only be co-ordinate ancl contemporary, but Syrus, we.a that the fourth ompire wns the also successive. From the ste.ndpoin t of Romc.n. The Fourth Book of Esdre.s, which Jude.ism, what was the greatest injury in- is dated by most critics A.D. DO, though by flicted on the holy people by Rome? Was some put more thnn e. century earlier, de- it not indubitably the capture of J erusalcm scribes the Roman power e.s nn eagle, and by Titus under the auspices of his father tells of the various emperors, e.nd expressly Vespasie.n? Now, if we include in the rank identifies this with the fourth beast of of rulers Pompey, who certainly he.d burned Daniel. in his personality upon the Jews by his We he.ve spoken of the New Testament profanation of the temple, e.nd certainly A poce.lypse. There a.re three beasts intro- bulked more largely in the eye of every duced with ten horns; two of these a.re one, Romans or foreigners, than e.ny pre- certainly Rome, and the fourth bee.et in ceding Roman, e.s we may see by reading Daniel he.a ten home. Evidently, then, the Cicero, ' Pro Lege M:J.Dilia,' then Vespasie.n .A.poelle John be.d no doul:t as to the refer- was the eleventh ruler, and before him PANIEL, Q 226 THE BOOK OF DANIEL, [on, vn. 1-28,