The Commentary of Hippolytus On Daniel

THE COMMENTARY OF HIPPOLYTUS ON DANIEL
Author(s): G. SALMON
Source: Hermathena, Vol. 8, No. 18 (1892), pp. 161-190
Published by: Trinity College Dublin
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23036535
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161 )
THE
COMMENTARY
OF
HIPPOLYTUS
ON
DANIEL.
lately this work of Hippolytus
UNTIL
In
unconnected
by
he
which
whose
he
genuineness
New
of the
one
ration.
a
as
script
for
and
in
an
he
of
lished
at
these
articles
tract,
which
new
1 One
to
of
he
in
1888,
Mr.
of a little
of
Kennedy
discovery.
VOL. VIII.
island
fourth
with
the
in
the
give
the
of the
the
gave
to
text
to make
European
of
his
which
to
Greek
manu
commen
various
results
manuscript
gene
monastery
Chalki1
book
subject
of our
of
library
the
on
'
those
the
labour
he
in
periodical
pub
the
a\ri6tia,
dis
world
first
of
in May, 1885.
The numbers of
appearing
for 1885 fell into the hands
of Mr. J. H.
articles
the Prince's
them
finds
r/ tKKXriaiaariKri
Constantinople,
the
'
many
order
This led Georgiades
contributed
who,
all
edited
Hippolytus
promises
articles
Kennedy,
called
of
edition
this periodical
the
the
Meanwhile
series
and
in
entire
in
thrown
the
college
remains
annotated
covered.
in
on Daniel.
tary of Hippolytus
libraries,
of the
found
contained
searches
been
to
purporting
arranged
and
has
light
theological
which
work,
in
monograph,
fragments
admitted,
recent
most
Georgiades
used
this
preserved.
valuable
different
from
derived
commentary.
by
the
only known
variously
a
published
criticized
been
have
fragments,
Bardenhewer
1877
was
in
published
Georgiades
supposed
a
Through
as
Dublin,
which
they
to give
notice
group
of islands
of Marmora,
Islands,
in the sea
nople.
of
separate
contained,
the entire
Mr.
of
Kennedy's
not far from Constanti
162
THE
in
tract
Bishop
German
the
that
was
drawn
numbers
had
Georgiades
to
new
this
more
given
Mr.
than
Kennedy
Professor
Dr. Bratke,
published.
it appeared
aXyOtta
text
their
on
and
find,
of ?j tKicAijcrfaardo?
of
attention
the
Clement
Lightfoot's
scholars
obtaining
OF
COMMENTARY
of Church
Consequently
a com
for publishing
History at Bonn, found an opening
on Daniel,
plete edition of the fourth book of Hippolytus
in the early part of this year
in a tract which appeared
themselves
presented
on
commentary
crepancies
works
by
on
Daniel,
between
1891)
to the
as
of
Hippolytus
undoubted
on Daniel,
our Lord is said to have
very
serious
of our
duration
in
the
in
whereas
5500,
a
discrepancy
Lord's
Chronicle
the
is
one
in
that,
in
the
date
the
Dr.
is
5502.
the
Daniel
on
at
reckoned
is
adopt
com
commentary
work
the
in
contained
in the year of the
come
life
cannot
dis
chronological
those
Chronicle
that
earthly
I
30.
of the
text
genuineness.
is
small
But
of
and
paratively
world
of the
soundness
account
statements
its
in Hilgen
which had
he published,
dealing with doubts
Later (December,
(1891).
feld's Zeitschrift, an article
33
years,
solution
Bratke's
of this difficulty, for his speculations

are, in my opinion,
as an
I regard
what
his
adopted
having
by
vitiated
erroneous
am disposed
the
the
to believe
date
least
with
sideration,
than
thirty
In
than
is
I hope,
the
later
years
on
Daniel
; and
of persecution
Severus
he
literary
by
than
tract
was,
he
to all
believing
assigned
the
to
to prove
commonly
that
the
the
date.
accepted
that
written
persecution
commentary
con
under
that it is more
remarked
appearance,
at
and,
evidence;
work
had
to
an
of Hippolytus
now
fact,
assign
generally
the
particular
In
Daniel.
career
in this paper,
Bardenhewer's
mentary
that historians
warranted
to
regard
on
commentary
of the
commencement
earlier
of
for
date
the
the
in
com
a
was
date
so early a date I used (in Smith's Dictionary

Against
an argument
which still seems
Christian
Biography)
time
that
202.
of
to
HIPPOLYTUS
me
to
be
one.
good
ON
The
163
DANIEL.
of
persecution
was
Severus
tells
time of great tension for the Christians, and Eusebius
us (HE.
had so
vi. 7) that the violence of the persecution
disturbed
men's minds, that the belief became
general
that
Christians,
among
christ
was
in
presented
and
hand;
treatise
Now
203.
maintains
on
he
the
termination
at
place
in
that
that
this
seventy
the
of
in the
on
second
of 6000
Daniel,
Judas,
commentary
Lord's
was
theory
weeks
writer named
our
theory
of Anti
appearance
states
the
Hippolytus,
the
to take
personal
by an ecclesiastical
published
year
at
close
the
Daniel,
was
coming
of the
years
world's
history, and so (since he dated the firstcoming at A.M. 5500),

that the fulfilment of the prophecy was not to take place
till
500
we
must
terror
must
they
should
wait
appear.
vince
of the
that
consider
date
in
all
the
new
favour
of
now
can
on
commentary
a false
more
before
to
con
ii.
(Clement,
by
date.
early
the
prove
that
showing
by
Lord
their
discovered
portion
distinctly
and
alarm,
failed
of opinion
Daniel
of
itself to them,
but
the
that
several
persecution
however,
was
of
contents
were
Georgiades
years
who
Lightfoot,
the
that
393)
300
me
enjoyed
the
commend
been
argument,
to
seemed
have
after
had
some
My
Bishop
to
could
excited
then
It
birth.
prosperity
the belief
before
the
Lord's
Christians
and
peace
Severus,
that
our
the
suppose
of
years
that
after
years
late
it con
made by Hip
of chronological
mistakes
not
he framed his Easter
cycle, published
tains corrections
when
polytus
earlier
than
A.D.
224.
hold
that
at
that
time
he
was
with the chronological

system of Africanus,
unacquainted
had
become
think
it
he
with
and I
acquainted
likely that
it
he
when
the
In
work
fact,
tence
wrote
he derived
whether
cannot
but
of Lightfoot's,
express
on
commentary
my
But
Daniel.
from Africanus
is
corrections
containing
I
the
his corrections
clearly
astonishment
the view expressed

M2
the
or not,
later
at
one
one.
sen
in which has been
THE
164
followed
OF
COMMENTARY
of the fact that
notice
Taking
by Bratke.
cycle puts the Passion
the
in the thirtieth year of our

life, and the work on Daniel
puts it in the thirty
he
'As
the
was
third,
commentary on Daniel
says (p. 392):
Easter
Lord's
written
apparently
earlier
much
than
the
other
he
works,
of fitting in the three

perhaps saw some way meanwhile
of St. John into his later chronology.
At all
Passovers
he
events,
cannot
been
have
In reply to this 'perhaps,'

of
there
reconcilement
were
told
the
that
duration
our
of
at another
man
period
one
Lord's
pressly
tells that our Lord
when
about
thirty
the Synoptic
that
'thirty
to
which
that
is,
years'
occur
sors.
lasted
our
is
there
have
student
there
thirty
be
and
as
in
nothing'
The
that
duration
would
reason
naturally
to
think
is
that
from his predeces-.
Fourth
represented
is
ex
ministry
us to believe
which
derived
of the
sense
St. Luke
year.
is
and
years,
common
there
oblige
we
reckoned
his public
one
that
and
would
a careful
Lord
age,
than
therefore,
Hippolytus
But
of
more
reader,
hasty
at
commenced
that would
Gospels
ministry
life
mode
if
had
to be the earlier.
years
difficulty.'
Surely,
life
it would
thirty-three,
the former view
the
been.
of his
period
earthly
to hold
of
ask what possible
have
could
at
at
unaware
I must
discovers
Gospel
in
part
taking
three
and therefore that His ministry must have lasted

Passovers,
more than two years.
It is quite intelligible
that Hippoly
tus might originally have estimated the duration as thirty
years, and that afterwards, when it was pointed

him what inferences
were to be drawn from St.
out to
John's
which
he
he
Gospel
highly valued,
might willingly have
the
of
into
correction
accepted
thirty
thirty-three, but it
is
inconceivable
absolutely
the correct
unknown
That
that
he
and
could
have
first
afterwards,
figure, thirty-three,
altered it to thirty.
should not, in 224, have
Hippolytus
given
for some
reason,
work of Africanus
is credible
in itself, because
known
the
the chrono
HIPPOLYTUS
logy
of Africanus
ever,
endeavoured
ON
down
goes
to
to
formally
165
DANIEL.
the
year
221.
he
did
that
prove
had,
how
not,
in
an
article contributed
to this periodical
which was published
in 1873 ; but as that article is likely to be inaccessible
to
of my
many
here
the
(1).
leading
of my
steps
was
Hippolytus
as
contemporaries
the
determining
his works described
still
to
be
seen
take
the
of repeating
liberty
argument.
best
perhaps
of
inventor
of Easter.
the time
is
readers,
present
at length
cycle
his
among
to
be
in
used
is the only one of

and the cycle
by Eusebius,
This
one
on
engraved
known
of
the
remains
earliest
of Christian
in the
art, a statue of the saint preserved
of
St.
Rome.
The
Christian
at
John Lateran,
library
it was derived,
whence
feast, like the Jewish Passover
was
celebrated
first
generations
ledge
enough
the
be
be
to
felt
It
the
had
true
dates
become
by
some
freed
as
under
dependence,
of their
should
gratitude
from
them
times
the
on the practice
that
the
know
beforehand
natural
was
and
moon,
astronomical
were
they
this
depend
them with a Table
which
professed
of
moon
for
the
Paschal
with
acquainted
early
full
not
calculate
who
Hippolytus,
ence, by presenting
used
to
moon,
had
they felt to be humiliating,

neighbours.
He
able
of full
Jewish
give
of
time
of Christians
to
of occurrence
which
at
Greek
full
a
astronomers,2
s The
cycle
of
and
all
eight
to
time.
years
accepted
it
ordinary Greek calendar con

months
of 30 and 29 days
that is to say, it went on
alternately;
30 days each, we should begin the

next 8 years with the 1st day of a
month, when the other months for these
the supposition that the true length of

Twelve
a lunar month is 29J days.
such months make 354 days, which
we should have a calendar
tained
come
short of the solar
year of 365J
In 8 years the
days by 11J days.

difference amounts to 90 days, and the
idea was that, if in the course of the
8 years
we
intercalate
3 months
years would begin on the same days of

the solar years as before, and that thus
good for all
But, unfortunately, not to men
the
tion other flaws in the scheme,
lunar month is really longer than 29J
time.
days.
of
166
THE
with implicit
eight
to
same
to
necessary
tion
to
he wished
as
wreek,
moons
be
as
have
the
it is
the
of
but
the
our
the reader
can easily
1. April
13,
3.
March
Int.
4.
April
5.
March
29,
Wednesday.
6.
March
18,
Sunday.
7.
April
8.
March
9.
April
10.
April
B.
11.
March
Int.
12.
April
Int.
full
years
well
would
engraved
actually
a kind ; that is to
the
print
by
the
to
first
help
exhibit
column,
of which
Saturday.
B.
B.
as
week,
56
prin
the
the other six columns
supply
April
Int.
of
convenient
I
notation,
2.
Int.
his
years
the
of
of such
but
cycle,
modern
into
B.
eight
cycle
typographically
translated
Int.
cycle
but
of the
the days
assuming
day
year,
years.
of
whole
exhibit
the
for
accordingly,
therefore,
cycle,
purpose,
112
not
same
moon
other
any
a Table
times
be
only
full
then be in a posi
in
Now,
seven
accuracy
would
of
moon
month.
to
it
that
you would
such
that after
absolute
occurrence
should
is a double
one
the
the
so
full
up
in
his
It is
(2).
of
return
answered
here
drew
month.
on his chair
say,
days
of
correct,
would
of
days
that his Table

well
to
ciple
of
and
He
with
month,
years,
the
past.
returned
the
the
note
name
or
future
moons
of
successive
eight
as
full
days
OF
that is to say, he believed
faith;
the
years
the
COMMENTARY
2, Wednesday.
21,22,
Sunday.
9, Saturday.
Incarnation
of Christ.
Hezekiah.
Josiah.
5, Saturday.
25,
13,
Wednesday.
Tuesday.
2, Saturday.
21,
22,
Wednesday.
9, Tuesday.
13.
March
29,
Saturday.
14.
March
18,
Wednesday.
15.
April
16.
March
5, Tuesday.
25,
Saturday.
ON
HIPPOLYTUS
In the above,
in
which
of the
an
are
the
is
full
could
moons
contains
be
column
begins
The
columns,
being
the
The
occur.
of the
each
Saturday,
Wednesday,
is
days
the
to
column
earlier
day
as
say,
than
the first
the
so
&c.,
In
&c.
second
one
week,
days
that
in the first column;
those
inserted.
to the belief of Hippolytus,
on which, according
only days
to
all
for
same
167
years, and Int. those
bissextile
month
intercalary
month
Paschal
B. marks
DANIEL.
other
second
the
words,
cycle
begins Friday, Tuesday,
exhibits that in the first year the full moon was Saturday,
April 13 ; in 16 years' time it would be Friday, April 13 ;
in
16
112
more
years
years
sponds
to
the
first
to
to
A.D.
222.
say,
so
to
back
the
of
year
The
April
Sunday,
of his
of the
years
full
attempt
to
eight
difference
attract
and
attention
come
published.3
origin
3 This
On
that
evidence
less
in
abandoned
soundness
years
We
of
of the
the
have
than
thus
arguments
statue
again.
be
would
go
came
round
as
the
that
On
day.
cycle
the
tained;
its
must
cycle
the cycle
There
is
was
Hippolytus
after
it
was
of the
confirmation
contemporaneous
already
mentioned.
but each of the dates
Hippolytus
three days.
to
accumulating,
the
years
a decisive
the
enough
great
on
of
is
supposition
worthless.
twenty
for
corre
way, that after
this
not
of Hippolytus
from a Pseudo
appears
De
Pascha
Computus,
tract,
Cyprianic
in the year 243, in which
published
the idea of the 16 years' cycle is re
13,
the third repetition
abandoned
be
on
of
Incarnation
same
the
might
error
the
suspicion.
independent
thus
truth
eight
certainly
to
founded
cycle
but
another
under
would
the
from
when
return
moons
use
end
cycle
notes
presently.
of Christ, &c., will be explained
(3). But it is only true in a very rough
first
the
Alexander,
Emperor
meaning
at
until,
on,
that the first year
states
Hippolytus
and
Thursday,
comes
it
has
had to be
given by
oil
pushed
168
THE
it
Clearly
of
cycle
for
his
must
COMMENTARY
been
have
before
was
Hippolytus
OF
the
discovered
of
worthlessness
it was
that
engraved
honour.
perpetual
it is more convenient
(4). For our purposes
Table published
was not accurate.
by Hippolytus
correct
fectly
the
calendar
of
full
moons
would
that
the
A per
reveal
nothing
on the face of it as to the time when it was composed ; but

one only correct for a limited time may confidently be
to the
assigned
the
Now,
full
nomical
the
moons
later than
two
previous
further
from
and
goes
further
able
conclusion
moons
for
sults
in
hibit the full moons

his
he
cycle
of the
year
(5).
reign
But
Hippolytus
the
of
day
for all
time
A.D.
then
he
published
because
222,
Passover
of his
in
eight
the
the
full
re
ex
the
first
emperor.
that his cycle enabled
mentioned
year
was
in supposing
and
reason
the
In publishing
it
more
month
go
cycle
would
we are still
the
a
of
noted
to come.
we
the
expected
of
indebted
the
week
to the mistake
of
past or future, for he investigated
Easter,
what
which
or
day
As
idea
then
and
years,
Table
of the
he
for the eight
therefore,
the
For
are
earlier.
is,
astro
inclusive.
years
got
that
216;
the
moons
two
It
astray.
with
began
or
Hippolytus
full
the Table;
by
successive
224
true
day
information.
accurately
first-mentioned
A.D.
eight
about
further
about
cycle
given
true
217-224,
years
the
the
that
gives
the
are
they
away
years'
for
years
those
years
it gave
Hippolytus
following
eight
when
period
of
Table
the
Old
Testament,
any
of
him to tell
Passover,
or
the date of every

and
noted
to
so that the cycle

cycle it belonged,
chair contains
implicitly
Hippolytus's
on the
engraved
whole system of chronology.
To make this plain I give a
list of the notes on the cycle, which, it is to be remem
bered,
is
one
of
112
years
HIPPOLYTUS
Year
DANIEL.
169
of Cycle.
2
March
Sunday,
32
Friday,
March
35
Friday,
March
55
Wednesday,
25,
April
22,
irjcrovs.
irjcrovs Kara
5,
108
Wednesday,
April
9,
iv ipr/p-u).
111
Wednesday,
April
5,
ecrSpas.
year
should
which
the
have
series
never
trying
For
reckon
easy
cycle
to
exact
years
so
go
the
can be
many
his
use to be made
since
the
Table
Passover
date
the
event
no difficulty about
wide
years
we
belongs,
if we only knew
supposed
112
tells
of
to
in
have
that, since
the
mark
in
chronology.5
let
it be
of the
year
as
that
each
he
112
instance,
as
see,
which
of
restore
to
to
Hippolytus's
But there
occurred.
we.can
2,
is
notesit
of
SavirjA.
eoSos.
now of the chronological
To speak
(6).
Kal ivMrtLas.
fial'UjX
TrdOos ~Xpi<TTOv.
Friday,
of these
Savir/X Kal iv ipij/jM.
ifceKia'i Kara
106
April
8avir/\.
Kara
eafipas
18,
21,
Kara
efoSos
5,
March
Saturday,
e^c/aas.
toKretas.
13,
April
Friday,
'7
yeVecrts XptfrroC.
22,4
9,
April
Tuesday,
22
21,
April
Saturday,
15
2,
April
Wednesday,
the
ON
asked
what
The
Passion.
Table
did
Hippolytus
puts
it down
as the 32nd year of his cycle.

Now, the first year of the
be the first year of the
is
stated
to
on
the
chair
cycle
4 This
that in 216 the
gave the alternative March 22.

6
this is what
Strangely
enough,
Hilgenfeld has done in an article in his
full moon
really occurred in the fore

noon of March 21, and in 224 in the
afternoon of March 22. And my guess
Zeitschrift (1892, p. 271), which has

me since the present Paper
reached
He has rightly appre
was in type.
the
had begun
is, that Hippolytus
formation of his cycle in 216, and had
put down March 21, but that in 224,
the year when I take him to have
hended
been
curious
explained.
to March
21.
double
The
I note
date
Sunday
has not
belongs
published his cycle, he had some doubt

of the accuracy of his note, and so
the chronological
use to be
made of the cycle ; but in one place he
goes 112 years wrong, in another 224,
arriving at results so strange, that I

wonder he was not startled by them.
TEE
170
there
the
too
still
to
come
late.
A.D.
hence
and
two
Gemini.
occurred
in
express
our
see
can
what
of
two
any
that
glance
just
to
his
interval
these
since
he
might
of
the
or,
perhaps,
Old
supposed
for
as
Gemi
of
that
date
with
to
which
Pass
have
separated
we
marked
trouble
less
example,
on
see
the
made
the
must
cycle,
suffered in the 30th year

two
is
down
put
we
113,
third
the
interval
&c.
One
roughly
that
225,
know
the
second
of
year
the
between
is
out
the
interval
was
Lord
the first
again
which
and
cycle,
that
the
either
one
somewhat
year,
and
question,
of
must
Hippolytus
them
of
when
our
of Hezekiah,
that
Table,
year
Take
is referred to the fourth.
counted
have
or
to
which
Josiah,
that
supposed
of his life.
in the
named
Passovers
have
at
year of the cycle, and nadog on the 32nd, Hippolytus,

he
the
be used
B.C.
Testament
supposed
Xpkjtov
and
consuls
equally
the
is
and
L. Trebellius
of
of
141 >
years,
The
year.
For
A.D.
intended;
and
the
year
i.e.
112
spoken
Passovers.
yiveaig
32nd
date
reckoning
each
The
Hippolytus
employed
cycle;
and
the
that
often
modern
in
mentioned
is
222,
another
that
in
Geminus
year
assigned
Hippolytus
overs
we
the
method
The
(7).
to
clearly
A.D.
earlier,
years
back
go
is
the year were C. Fufius

nus,
112
evidence
have
to
be
But
is independent
Passion
say,
be A.D. 253.
which
29,
to
is
would
cycle
preceding
date
we
would
of that cycle
32nd
the
that
Alexander;
Emperor
OF
COMMENTARY
over
as
100
years, we can conclude
that Hippolytus
counted it exactly
in
this
and
113 years.
Proceeding
way,
reasoning
solely
from the Table on the chair, we can restore the chronology
and write it in our modern notation
of Hippolytus,
as
He
follows.
The
counted
Exodus,
According
Joshua's
:
.....
to Daniel,
Passover,
According
to Daniel,
b.c.
1689
1556
,,
1648
1516
YTUS
HIPPOL
ON
DANIEL.
171
b.c.
Hezekiah's,
.
to Daniel,
According
,.653
,,671
Josiah's,
......
of Christ,
The
assigned
but
of
the
case
each
the
Daniel
,,
434
1
29
as
563
as
That
and
we
The
years.
Ezra
between
interval
years,
130
to reconcile
unable
historians.
from secular
chair
much
as
is, that he was
explanation
prophecy
564
a.d.
in
as deduced
541
,,
is the double
striking thing in this Table
the difference not being
to each Passover,
most
small,
,,
,,
Passion,
date
on
...
to Daniel,
According
The
...
to Daniel,
According
Ezra's
Birth
784
with the
and
Christ,
interval
is given
from
know
another
source the process by which he got it. He added together

the lengths of the reigns of the Persian kings from Cyrus
to
and
Alexander,
80
olympiads,
ought
weeks
to
be
are
therefore
the
period
or 320
that, according
thought
434
only
the
245
and
Daniel's
upon
Messiah
the
thy
that
understand,
to
he
and
years;
to Christ
as
about
On the other hand, he

years.
to Daniel's
prophecy, the interval
years.
determined
commandment
unto
sum
the
made
from Alexander
the
counted
restore
Prince
words
are:
.
people.
from the
and
shall
to
be
'Seventy
.
going
build
seven
Know
forth of
Jerusalem
weeks,
and
most in
two weeks,' &c.
Accordingly,
as
weeks
the
counted
beginning
seventy
terpreters
from the time (still future when the prophecy was delivered)
of the issuing of the Persian king's edict for the restoration
three
score
and
have
counts from the time of the

of Jerusalem ; but Hippolytus
to have been received in
takes
This
he
itself.
prophecy
the
the 21 st year of the Captivity ;
7 weeks first mentioned
in the prophecy
he takes
to refer to the 49 years remaining
THE
172
to the end
Messiah
434
of the
he
on the
loss
which
to
both
on
the
62
had
or
weeks,
reckoned.
the
history
and
apparently,
calculates
he
choose,
be
confession
astonishing
to reconcile this with the interval
unable
secular
to
interpreters
makes
to the
thence
So
period
other
he
OF
captivity.
predicted
as
490,
from
over
the
chair
that he is quite
deduced
70 years'
counted
not
years,
But
COMMENTARY
the
a
of
supposition
and
563
at
being
of every
date
Pass
434
years'
interval.
of Daniel
prophecy
Ezra
tween
the
two
to
be
attention.
point demands
affects
the
interval
evidently only
But here a curious
(9).
and
and
Christ,
which
computations,
the
mounts
for
same
step
to
the
computing
the
that
case
difference
is
Passover.
to
131,10132,
130
years,
. But
133
years.
be
between
ought
it
actually
The
expla
who was but a poor arithmetician,
nation is that Hippolytus,

in
in
other
every
step
by
therefore
The
from
interval
Ezra
to
Hezekiah,
by
add
ing together the intervals from Ezra to Josiah, and from

counts twice over the year of Josiah
Josiah to Hezekiah,
to
common
year
wrong
more easily
sum
the
for
two
every
pardon
addition
in
of
and
intervals;
he
interval
numbers
expressed
Hippolytus
cally by means of an abacus.
the Chronicle of which I shall
this
in.
way
The
he
went
reader
a
will
if he tries himself to do a
the mistake
notation.
Greek
in
added
in
the
counted
Roman
or
mechani
probably
There is like inaccuracy
in
speak
presently.
the fact that Hippolytus
puts a double
date
(10). From
on his cycle, as an unexplained
we
can
mystery,
safely
conclude that at this time he was unacquainted
with the
solution of the difficulty given by Africanus, and which has
been
to
and
adopted
generally
count
build
the
70
weeks
Jerusalem,
by
succeeding
from
the
given
in
the
interpreters,
final
20th
command
year
namely,
to
restore
of Artaxerxes.
On the other hand, it is possible that Africanus may have

been acquainted
with the calculation
of Hippolytus.
He
ON
HIPPOLYTUS
that
says
Christ,
that
if we count
excess
still
is
from the first of Cyrus to
the years
the
exceed
they
the
weeks
70
than
more
by
if we
greater
173
DANIEL.
from
count
100
the
years;
that
time
the prophecy was given to Daniel, and greater again if we

The second
of the captivity.
count from the beginning
is that adopted
method of computation
by Hippolytus,
but
it
110
is,
preceding
doubt,
whom
computers
The
(11).
absolute
that
possible
results
the
us
enable
of the
correctness
to
refer
may
followed.
Hippolytus
obtained
just
confidence
Africanus
to
assert
received
with
opinion,
of the system
the authorship
which ascribes to Hippolytus
in the tract Liber Generationis,
of chronology
contained
which was included
by Du Cange among the illustrative
Chron
to his edition of the Paschal
documents
appended
icle, and which
the
on
essay
and
as
41,
are
41,
113,
agree,
except
unit.
This
two
cases,
Cyprianic
hi,
a very
864,
by
the
Thus
the
weighs
114,
826,
Syncellus,
108,
nothing
are
is
105,
by
the
the
agree
four
Hip
by
by Eusebius,
by
only
against
calculated
128,502;
given
intervals
completely
figures
Thus
563,
the
and
are
the
difference
103, 144, 465;

909,
between
furnished
authorship
have
Passovers,
chair
chronology.
peculiar
computer
514;
of
identity
the
On
where
difference
intervals,
polyline
114,
563,
slight
for
in
ment
in
30.
107,
by
I refer to it
Passovers
successive
30.
563,
counted
also
the
108,
114,
864,
argument
is
between
864,
354.
year
well-known
When
of this work of Hippolytus

In this tract the interval
Passion
the
intervals
the
of the
chronographer
to speak
occasion
as his ' Chronicle.'
Exodus
in Mommsen's
discussed
was
the
730,
Arch
The Chronicle
gives
725, 102, 103, 529.
bishop Ussher,
us the details of the chronological
system, of which the
and the chief
are noted on the chair;
epochs
principal
counted
is
that
it
information
additional
Hippolytus
gives
our Lord
The
in the year of the world 5502.

silent about Daniel's
is completely
seventy
to have
Chronicle
appeared
174
THE
and
weeks,
confidence.
is later
assumes
the
This
with undoubting
563 interval
with the fact that the Chronicle
agrees
the cycle, and is certainly not the work on
mentioned
in which the cycle
by Eusebius,
than
the Passover
was
OF
COMMENTARY
embodied.6
From the combined
(12).
of
the
on
engraving
the
tion as to the chronological

can
to
enough
three
in a
say
the
events,
such
the
years
of
Abraham,
the
and
informa
that we
that
conjecture,
he
differs from that
system
of details.
of
calling
full
of Hippolytus
His
multitude
that
have
system
it from Africanus.'
of Africanus
we
Mommsen's
disprove
decisively
derived
of the Chronicle
testimony
stone
Here
world
it will
assigned
the
be
to
the
and
Exodus,
the
are, in the system of Hippolytus,

Captivity,
in that of Africanus,
3387> 3817, 4842;
3277.3705,
4750.
But the most decisive
evidence
is afforded by the proof
was ignorant of the reconcilia
just given that Hippolytus
Babylonish
tion
made
and
secular
(13).
ences
Africanus
by
I come
between
adopted
between
in
now to speak
the
the
commentary
Chronicle
and
6 In the list of the works of

Hippo
on the chair, as given
lytus engraved
Migne
by
authorities,
(Patrologie
we read
x.)
and
other
xp&vwv
TOV TC&GXa KaT ^v TV TtfoaKl. But I
some time ago a correction
published
furnished
me by Dr. Abbott, that the

true reading is, instead of Kara, al
rh.
7 Africanus has
lately been the sub
of a
ject
study
Julius
Africanus,
have never been
combination
little
rash.
the
of
prophecy
Daniel
history.
made
The
by
Gelzer,
Leipzig,
satisfied
Sextus
1880.
that
I
the
in the title is not a

only
authority
for
of the chronological
on
Daniel
Easter
and
but
cycle,
' Sextus'
differ
the
system
must
first
Sextus
is Suidas,
who speaks
Africanus as the author
secular
book
early
called
authorities
who
the
Cesti.
speak
of a
of a
All
of
the
Church writer call him Julius.

I my
self believe that the Church writer was
the author of the Cesti, but I am not
quite so sure that Suidas may not have
been mistaken as to the praenomen.
And when we proceed
to ' combine
our information,' we run the risk of
making the same mistake as if we were
to speak of Bishop
Samuel
Joseph
and of
Butler, the author of Hudibras
the Analogy.
HIPPOL
ON
YTUS
175
DANIEL.
speak of their point of agreement, namely,

tion of the date of our Lord's
crucifixion,
is
systems,
as
fixed
March
A.d.
25,
the determina
in both
which,
as
Now,
29.
to
the
day
of the month, it was inevitable that Hippolytus

should have
fixed it as he did, if he believed the year to be 29, for he was
an implicit believer in the principle that after 16 years, full
moons
return
on
was
must
have
have
no
evidence
various
that
March
March
as
25
of
full
in
names
who
from
the
by
been
the
the
16
date
years'
that
the
any
of
day
and got the idea
is later than Hippolytus,
of
the
have
assert
as
date
with
regard
with
25
no
adopted
to
ought
therefore
March
by
March
been
acquainted
confidently
may
is
this
29 the full moon

rules
connected
and
as
away
year
can
there
on
have
could
it
could
assigned
to the
week
that
for
fixed
had
accuracy
became
We
inseparably
Hippolytus,
Crucifixion
it
17.
April
writer
ancient
He
29.
the dates
there
moon
that
cycle
tradition,
minute
And
after
Easter
cycle,
on
cycle
18,
Church
years'
gives
at
his
him
before
full
Easter
A.D.
from
In fact, according
celebrated
the
in
day
25
aimed
14.8
as
trusted
of the kind, for in the year
on
Roman
19
221,
same
one
any
April
Hippolytus.
the
and
he
March
who
true tradition
really
day,
of Alexandria
20,
fell
the
date
persons
April
A.D.
on
the
got
same
in
25
Clement
day.
the
been
not
21,
to
March
the
from
him.
whether Hippo
(14). It is a more doubtful question,
for
fixing on the year
authority
lytus had any historical
Of
29.
been
course,
far from
the
exactly
ity clearly
Hippolytus
8 These
arrived
at
year,
we
know
the time,
I
do
not
roughly
but
know
could
that
we
have
that
not
this
any
of Hippolytus.
prior to or independent
of historical
had reasons,
independent
were, no doubt, also

backward
by astronomical
dates
this
that
for saying
have
was
author
And
testi
of the Passover
day, pro
bably by the help of the 19 years cycle.
calculation
176
THE
OF
COMMENTARY
for with him it

year;
mony, for fixing on that particular
was an essential
matter, that the day which his cycle
exhibited as the Crucifixion day should be a Friday.
Now,
if
he
had
general
26,
29,
and
32;
chose
this
these,
chair
with
Xptarou,
of
the
event,
the
chronologically
most
that Hippolytus
possible
better
any
were
than
reason
simply
that
here
it after
repeated
now to the date of the birth of Christ.
second
the
is
29
to me quite
that other writers
I come
(15).
time
the
find fulfilling this condition
without
year
and
indicated,
him.
the
of
It seems
probable.
of
knowledge
the only years he would
of
year
date
the
the
cycle
2,
April
has
as
to
note
the
which
On
ytvtaig
have
no
that not the

that the received
is right;
opinion
of our Lord is intended.
birth, but the conception
Now,
as the cycle is only intended to give the dates of Easter
doubt
full
the
moons,
that
our
arises,
question
Lord's
took
conception
should
why
at
place
it be
such
imagined
time
No
of this presents itself in the remains of Hip

explanation
but in the Paschal
a work of
himself;
Chronicle,
polytus
the
seventh
earlier
inferred
months
we
writers,
from
erroneous
Baptist.
one,
Luke
the
separated
the
John
which
is
was
i.
conception
Now
36
that
of
the
which
of Hippolytus.
our
interval
Lord
in
many
It
of
from
no
though
by
on
calculation
an
the idea,
entertained
based
largely
have
gives us a clue to the method
probably
was
but
century,
of
labours
of
that
doubt
early
six
an
times,
that the appearance

of the angel Gabriel to Zacharias
took
as
he
was
on
the
of
Atone
place
ministering
great day
ment, which was held on the 10th day of the Jewish
seventh
month.
If Hippolytus
shared this opinion
he
might
days
have
allowed
of ministration
four
days
of Zacharias,
for
the
and
completion
for
his
return
of
the
to
his
of John the Baptist

house, and so brought the conception
to the 14th day of the seventh month, and consequently,
HIPPOLYTUS
DANIEL.
ON
177
But
to the 14th day of the first month.
or
in
which
he
calculated
whether this was the way
not,
reckoned
the cycle puts it beyond doubt, that Hippolytus
at the time of the
the conception
to have taken place
that of our Lord
full
Passover
We
posed
April
because
the
moon.
then a simple
Bratke,
by Professor
2 as the day of our
answer
have
the day
was
that
moon
full
Passover
as
why
Lord's
to the question
pro
fix on
did Hippolytus
conception ? It was
his cycle exhibited
on which
taken
having
in
place
the
year
to have occurred.
the conception
us
enables
Daniel
on
commentary
in which he believed
the
But
(16).
answer
another
questionHow
has
always
on
2, but
April
on
born
of the
25
now
in
April
the
the
and
his state
March
25.
' our
statement,
December
Wednesday,
in
25,
5500th
the
year
on
Because
reply,
into
the
not
corrected
his death,
contains
of Augustus,
reign
that,
conception,
can
We
date
Daniel
on
commentary
was
the
altered
and
ment,
March
himself, before
Hippolytus
the
celebrated
to
notwith
which
enjoyed
Hippolytus
authority
as a scientific
Church
chronologer,
the
standing
the Western
Church
it
was
The
Lord
42nd
year
Adam.
from
suffered in the 33rd year, on Friday, March 25, in the

of Rufus and Ru
18th year of Tiberius, and the consulship
He
The
bellio.'9
accordance
is in complete
that
as
to
date
the
with them, making

the
year
A.M.
as
statement
5500,
of His
the
to
conception
the day March

instead
of our
year
with cycle and
of 5502.
is
doubly
25, instead
Now,
Lord's
death
Chronicle
the
at
; but
variance
of April 2, and
commentary
Add
confirms the date 5500 by various mystical reasons.
and height of the ark of the
together the length, breadth,
and a-half, from which
cubits
five
and
covenant,
you get
9 The substantial
correctness
authority.
independent
VOL. VIII.
of this reading has been lately confirmed by an

N
178
THE
that of 5500 is mystically derived.

Again, St. John
14), 'It was the sixth hour'; but the day of the
number
says
(xix.
Lord
is
1000
taken
as
was
It
convinced
for
round
that
myself
that
the
connected
Passover
cycle
that
the
the
latter
of the
year
full
moon
March
A.M.
the
no
after
the
I had
been
being
separated
5532, which
Passion,
in
as
occurring
each
he
5500,
would
reason
why
years'
thought
been
on
one
change
due to the influence
to
two
the
viz.
day,
the year from

altered
March
25
the
if
but
down by Hippolytus,
wish
been
from
or
as
Passover
same
inevitably
should
had
cycle
the
the
altered
April
5502,
years,
counted
the
handed
any
32
reckoned
have
from
2 had
16
have
on
given
A.M.
year
by
then, if Hippolytus
Incarnation
mentioned
In fact, it is plain
Hippolytus
must
the day April

know
of the
have
intended,
have
2 is the date
moon
he
to
5502
day
year,
Thus
25.
of
25 for that of the year 5500.
from a.m.
cycles,
: April
full
was
what
5500,
expected
St. John's
However,
is
exactly
to
have
quoting
hour.'
corrections
500years.
with the date
equivalent
in
exact
two
are inseparably
for
and
5500
the
means
we should
sixth
the
hour
reconcilable
number,
been
about
observe
and March
sixth
intended
to have
Hippolytus
'
the
these calculations
if that were
although
words,
therefore
years,
I had thought
5502,
OF
COMMENTARY
to
I
it,
change
exploded.
to
5502
5500
have
might
of Africanus, who counted 5500

birth.
There seems also to be a
as the year of our Lord's

trace of Africanus in the fact that the years of the Persian
kings, which in the Chronicle are counted as 245, are in the
counted
commentary
being
the
attested
as
Africanus
by St. Jerome.
he
commentary
230,
makes
does,
But
any
I cannot
attempt
to
this
see
get
reading
that in
over
the
difficulty the cycle shows him to have felt, of reconciling

the two periods of 434 years and 563, though if he had
known
the
would
have
work
of Africanus
suggested
on
the
70
itself to him,
weeks,
the
of making
solution
the two
US
HIPP0LY1
separated
an
by
the
lieved
in
one
20th
commentary
of
to
70
there
but
continuous,
manner
the
But
179
not
same
the
week
from the 62.

of the
DANIEL.
62 weeks,
interval,
remaining
by an interval
the
and
of 7 weeks
periods
ON
as
be
he
be
separated
is no mention
in
of Artaxerxes.
year
I think then that we need give no other explana

made this correction than that, by
tion why Hippolytus
his own study of the Gospel of St. John, he found out that
(17).
in assigning
too short a period to
our Lord's public ministry.
From that Gospel he would
find that, in addition to the Passover which he had himself
he had made
set
our
down
two
previous
first
public
we
see
Lord
Nativity
In
the
truth,
one
date
the
of
5502
only
to
is
wonder
attended
date
two
and
year's
of His
years.
a
three
of two years.
the
Passion
Thus
could
not
be
to push back the date of
and
5500,
had
the
back
pushed
find it necessary
from
that
is a difference
there
since
why,
be
counting
He
5532,
therefore
must
appearance
ministry
in
attending
and
between
altered, he would
the
as
Passovers,
Obviously,
years'
a mistake
not
that
further.
Hippolytus
did
not
that the Gospel of St. John implies a three

ministry, yet no one before him can be certainly
find out sooner

years'
named
as
counted
of the
having
one
year
was
Lord'
made
this discovery.
and
ministry,
regarded
the
by many
Africanus
'
as
acceptable
indicating
only
year
the
of Christ's
public teaching.
Hippolytus,
however,
of his own, which Africanus
was skilful
to avoid.10 For it will be observed that Hippolytus,
length
made a mistake
enough
10 Africanus
is
greatly
superior
to
and
Hippolytus in scientific knowledge
skill.
Hippolytus was content with an
Africanus
cycle;
years'
with the
quainted
which we still use.
that
in
lunations,
was
ac
19 years' cycle,
From knowing
19 years there were 235

he calculates that it gives for
the
the length of a lunation 29Jff days,

he correctly finds that the differ
and
ence
between
this and the popularly

length, 29J days, is -0S4-of a
This seems a very creditable
day.
arithmetical
performance,
considering
received
the great inconvenience of the notation

in which he had to work.
N2
180
THE
OF
COMMENTARY
of our Lord in the Easter of

putting down the conception
the 2nd year of his cycle, and His death in the Easter of
the 32nd, does not allow time even for a one year's ministry
after his attaining the age of 30.
Africanus, on the other
hand, placing the Nativity in the year A.M. 5500, does
earlier than 5531.
put the Passion
In the corrected
the Nativity
no
more
table
of Hippolytus,
which puts back
our Lord's whole life would be
to A.M. 5500,
than
32
years
and
ber 25 in that year would

some
surprise
state
our
that
Lord
former
the
died
that
which
Wednesday,
The
have
it states
moreover,
it is
to
noted
that
Decem
It is then with
on
commentary
in
Daniel
his
33rd year;
and,
of the Nativity
was a
the day
to a birth in the year
answers
statement
be
be a Thursday.
find
we
to
can
not
be
reconciled
with
the
5499.
of
system
who, counting our Lord to have been born in

Hippolytus,
the year 5500, and to have died in 5532, would probably
describe the death as having taken place in the 33 rd year ;
but
the
statement
implies a birth
with the system
our
supposed
have
been
led
that
He
was
born
on
Wednesday
in the year 5499, which is inconsistent

of Hippolytus,
who, moreover, if he had
Lord
by
to
his
have
been
to
cycle
born
in
believe
that
that
would
year,
the
Conception
took place April 5. I conclude, therefore, that this state

ment did not proceed from Hippolytus
himself, but was
introduced
a
later
editor
of
his
who did
by
commentary,
not
care
ations
about
make
the
16
years'
Some
cycle.
the possibility
of such
other
later
conceivable.
(18).
contains
The
the
Liberian
entry'
Eo
Catalogue
of the
tempore
Pontianus
consider
editing
Roman
very
bishops
episcopus
et
in
Yppolitus
presbyter exoles sunt deportati in Sardinia
insula nociva,
Severo
et Quintino
cons.'that
is to say,
A.D. 235. It is generally recognized,
that by the Yppolitus
here mentioned
we are to understand
our Hippolytus.
ON
IUPPOLYTUS
Alexander
died in the March
Severus
of 235.
His
Pagan
is not likely
Rome,
being
the author of the sentence
of
not
successor,
to have
181
DANIEL.
in
Maximin,
been
directly
exile, which was probably pronounced

by the authority of
the city rulers.
was
that Hippolytus
Dollinger's
theory
was the head of a body of Christians
who denied
the
of
authority
disputes
the
the
heads
banishing
and
Pontianus,
caused
heathen
that
the
turbulence
to
magistrates
of both
It
parties.
their
of
restore
quiet
to
seems
by
more
me
probable that it was rather the friendship than the enmity

of Hippolytus
into trouble.
which brought Pontianus
What
we
at
spoken
Easter,
and
235,
Alexander.
It
must have
been
on
commentary
mentions
before
that
commentary
the
Chronicle,
As
at
place
is
the
chrono
of
that
the
the
Emperor
'Chronicle'
where
for
been
011
treatise
the
written
not
long
?
seems
however,
March,
late
in
the
year,
Hippolytus
on
the
death
infer
have
to
of
commentary
suppose
seems
end
which
during
to
the
the
to
and
Daniel,
which
the
with
the very last work of Hippolytus

before
Where then are we to find room for the
Antichrist,
taken
concerned
natural
was
his banishment.
plete
first
' Chronicle'
of which we have
difficulty that the
so much winds up by giving the number of years
logical
to
are
note
the
there
may
Daniel.
of
and
the
to
remain
have
And
length
have
been
banishment
several
been
we
are
com
may
have
months
with
occupied
not
even
of Alexander's
bound
reign
to
our
belong to the Chronicle as first published.
Amongst
selves the author of a book prints in the first instance a
of copies, and makes no change in it
until these are disposed of, and he brings out a new edition.
considerable
number
But when books were copied by hand, the number of copies

issued in the first instance is likely to have been compara
tively
small,
new edition
and
the
author
may
be
said
every time that he ordered
to
have
made
a fresh copy of his
182
THE
OF
COMMENTARY
We cannot then safely conclude

manuscript to be made.
that the publication
of the Chronicle
was as late as the
in it, for it is
we now find mentioned
the
Chronicle
that,
might have
though
easy
been written in the middle of the reign of Alexander,
yet
death
to a chronicler
who
on that Emperor's
(which
last
event
which
to conceive
his years by Emperors'

reigns would be the be
the
author
of
a
new
era)
might have noted in
ginning
his manuscript
the number of years from Christ to the
counted
There is, therefore, no chronological

date.
diffi
in
the
of
the
treatise
on
composition
supposing
culty
and the commentary
on Daniel
to have occu
Antichrist
during the closing years of Alexander's
pied Hippolytus
present
followed.
reign and the time that immediately
and Lightfoot have
Overbeck, Bardenhewer,
these books
were
see
no
ever
free
that
proof
was
persecution
what
been
I do not suppose
secution.
tians
must have
from
when
either
Hippolytus
says
and local
of
persecution
these
books
or
formal.
If you
suffer
violent
is'
held that
written during a time of per

that in those days the Chris
some
On
so
written
the
much
how terrible
but
kind,
were
the
contrary,
now
from
will it be in the
partial
persecution,
And, as I have
days of Antichrist.'
already said, we may

be sure that the state of things was comparatively
peaceful
when a Christian interpreter of prophecy thought that the
of Antichrist
was not likely to come for a
appearance
of
couple
(19).
very
centuries.
The
much
two works, on Antichrist
over
will show how

least
jealous
the
same
much there
Roman
and
ground,
and
was
to excite
government.
Daniel's
on Daniel,
glance
at
the anger
vision
go
either
of the
is
ex
pounded : the iron feet of the image

represent the king
which is only to be succeeded
dom of the Romans,
by the
of Antichrist,
which again
will be
appearance
personal
who will
speedily followed by the coming of the Messiah,
HIP
establish
why
is
POLY
a kingdom
Antichrist
does
Roman
empire,
the
TVS
ON
of perpetual
not
once
at
which
183
DANIEL.
The
duration.
that
is
appear
must
be
first
reason
to
taken
Karl^ov
out
of the
He
of the
way.
quotes at full length all the prophecies
the
and
about
of
the
whore
Apocalypse
judgment
great
the destruction
of the mystic Babylon,
and makes it quite
that Rome
plain
to
preface
structed
to
was
his
he
No
wonder that, in the

he should have in
on
Antichrist,
to whom it was inscribed
the friend
whom
intended.
work
communicated
"
it.
St.
Paul
things
'
faith
(2 Thess. iii. 2), and great will
easily and without thought we commit
to
ror
had
instructed
'
'
(2 Tim. ii. 1, 2) to commit to faithful men the
which he had heard of him.
'All
men have not
Timothy
God
to be careful
and
profane
on
the
men."
unworthy
throne
if
who,
not
be
our
if
danger
the revelations
with
Still,
an
and
favoured
Christian,
of
empe
protected the Christians, it is likely that the secret was not

death Hippolytus
found
very rigidly kept. On Alexander's
that
the
perhaps
he
thought
not
writer,
to
that
be certain
will
after
other
his
hands,
the
From
bad
as
dealt
they
but
to
head
no
the
when
sense
which
acts
the
the
of the
author
community
who
to
tries
that they acted

of
point
book
as
put
with
the
view,
could
possibly
little
better, and they pro

in sentencing
the
leniently
penal
editing
it became
We
servitude.
on Daniel,
before its author's
and
of
one
their
a
the work
departure
first
banishment
consider
Antichrist
death,
published
actually
into
on
that
the
I think
harshness.
and
in
of
into
and
and
was
KaTt\ov
One
send
Antichrist,
Daniel
on
events,
to
belonged,
unreasonable
bably
to
imagined.
in their place
himself
work
been
was
on
book
which
be,
not
had
magistrates
city
of the
to
had
Emperor
he
cannot
though finished, was

At all
banishment.
of it must
safe
to
have
passed
issue
it,
the
disciple who ultimately put the book into circulation, and

who had learned from his master to assign to our Lord a
184
THE
three
ministry,
years'
vious
that
inference,
f 33 years,
and
OF
COMMENTARY
our
not
life
Lord's
of 32, as
drawn
have
easily
might
must
have
had
Hippolytus
ob
the
been
one
hastily
reckoned.
Thus
the
the conclusion
on
commentary
of
to which I come is, that instead
Daniel
one
being
of the
earliest
works
of Hippolytus,
written about 203, it was his latest work,
not finished till a.d.
even published
235, and possibly
posthumously.
If I am
(20).
A.D.
224
our
Lord's
and
in thinking
right
that
235
Hippolytus
lasted
ministry
that
more
one
than
between
it was
to
came
that
perceive
the
year,
ques
tion may be asked, How came he to make this discovery ?

To this we can only give a conjectural
but my
answer;
is
conjecture
and
I will
that
it
was
Caius
from
he
whom
learned
it,
for thinking so.

We know
my reasons
from the inscription
on the statue that Hippolytus
wrote
in defence of the Gospel
and Apocalypse
of St. John, and
it had
been
been
the
polytus
certainty
Gwynn,
answered
tell
conjectured
by
of
assailant
contended.
the
several
This
conjecture
the
by
fragments
from which it appears
exactly
the book
had
It
chapter.
Caius deals.
some
of
his
that
has
Caius
whom
against
of Caius
been
given
predecessors
had
Hip
turned
recovered
that the criticisms
to the description
that
Alexandria,
scholars
Apocalypse
into
by Dr.
of Caius
of
by Dionysius
who
rejected
gone over the whole of it, criticizing every

is exactly
in this detailed
criticism
that
The wonderful signs which the Apocalypse
represents as destined to precede our Lord's second coming

are criticized
one by one, and said to be inconsistent
with the Gospel's
of the suddenness
and
representation
unexpectedness
of
the
Messiah's
is found
coming:
the
to be
ridiculous:
idea
of
the
trumpets
angels
blowing
of the four angels
in the river Euphrates
loosing
is, in
like manner, ridiculed.
Now, Dr. Gwynn's fragments also
IIIPPOL
YTU,S
ON
DANIEL.
185
turn into certainty Lipsius's

thai Epiphanius,
conjecture,
in his section on the Alogi11 (Haer. 51) has borrowed from
All that Epiphanius
of
Hippolytus.
says in explanation
the
of the
prophecy
almost
word
for
four
word
and
angels
the
same
the
as
is
river
is
Euphrates
found
in
the
quota
tion from Hippolytus

in Gwynn's fragments.
We cannot
doubt then that Caius assailed
and that
the Apocalypse,
replied to him.
Hippolytus
was a defence of the Gospel,
But
the work
of Hippolytus
as of the Apocalypse,
assailed
by Caius ? Dr.
as well
and we ask, Was the Gospel also

notes that, in defending
Gwynn
the Apocalypse,
Hip
the
as
if
this
were
common
quotes
polytus
Gospel,
ground
between him and his antagonist.
And in that part of
section on the Alogi which deals with the
Epiphanius's
Gospel of St. John it is plain, from internal evidence, that
the long discussion
which he gives is his own, and is not
taken from Hippolytus.
To the general
evidence
from
style
Lord's
and
he
the
answer
on
the
resurrection
from Hippolytus,
is his own.
them
Now,
Speculations
first,
about
must
we
whom
made
else.
to understand
aie
Caius,
the
Alogi
that Epipha
and
nobody
Alogi
It is true that Irenaeus mentions
opponents
of the Fourth
Gospel;
but
knew
that Epiphanius
he
and
that
these
about
people,
nothing
derived his information entirely from
it seems
to me
notice
Epiphanius
than
that
think
to
his way
there
no
is
had
confutes
any
of
trace
doc
of
in his catalogue
' those who
opposed
who,
included
heretics,
to
undertakes
though
Hippolytus,
Hippo
reason
here
Epiphanius
might be much abridged if critics could

nius's
find
we
our
of Hippolytus,
later
is
are derived
that the Alogi
be
who
for
assigns
are not those
examination,
which
he
days
Porphyry,
closer
objections
answering
(21).
that
mentions
Yet,
lytus.
11
added
birth and
that
that
be
may
of St. John.'
and Apocalypse
dislikes
who
having
anony
Epiphanius,
mous heretics on his list, nick-named
the Gospel
these
opponents
Hippolytus
find no
used
trace
Alogi;
the plural
that
he had
but
though
number,
anyone
in
view but Caius.
180
THE
COMMENTARY
trinal
reason
for rejecting
tions
which
he
OF
the Fourth
undertakes
to
The objec
Gospel.12
refute
do
relate
not
to
doctrine, but are all of the same style of detailed criticism

which we find in Caius's
to the Apocalypse
;13
objections
for though Caius is called a heretic by Barsalibi,
we might
more
describe
him as a rather rash Biblical
charitably
criticin short, a Baur who had the misfortune to live in a
His principal objection is that the account
wrong century.
by St. John
is inconsistent
with that given by the

St. John, he says, after the Pro
Synoptic
Evangelists.
' In the
was the Word . . . the Word was
logue,
beginning
given
made
flesh,
and
dwelt
us,'
amongst
goes
on
to
tell
of
the
borne
to Jesus by John the Baptist, and after

testimony
that the narrative is continuous.
The two disciples go with
Jesus to see where He dwelt; the next day He calls Philip;
three days after is the marriage in Cana of Galilee.
Ac
to
cording
Lord,
the
immediately
12 I was much
surprised
after His
to find Dr.
Sanday
saying (Expositor,
December,
1891, p. 406), 'It seems to me hard to
the plain statement
of Epi
escape
that the Theodotians
are a
phanius,
branch
(air6<riraana) of the Alogian

No one is better aware than
heresy.'
Dr. Sanday
usually shows himself to
be, that the credence to be attached to
the statements
of any writer depends

on whether he is habitually careful not
to make statements without good evi
dence
for
them.
The
character
of
is precisely the reverse.

Epiphanius
In this very section (51) there is a
'
score of ' plain statements
about the
of the Synoptic
composition
Gospels
to which
not
attach
I am sure Dr.
the
slightest
Sanday
value.
on
narrative,
Synoptic
does
But
baptism
the
other
our
hand,
by John, is driven
by
the particular statement with which we

are here concerned has the very mini
mum of apparent evidence.
It is the
habit
of Epiphanius
to introduce his
of each new heresy by as
between
it
serting some connexion
discussion
and those which have gone close before

it in his list; and in the majority of
cases there is not the slightest ground
for
begin
the
That
assertion.
an account
he
should
of the Theodotians
by saying
that they were a branch
the Alogi,
can be passed
of
over, as just
way.
Epiphanius's
13 There seems
good reason to think
that Caius ascribed the Apocalypse
to
but I find no sufficient
Cerinthus,
evidence that he ascribed the Gospel
to the same authorship
IIIPPOLTTUS
into the wilderness,
the Spirit
where
He
remains
until
after
His
forty
of
the
and
the principle
Gospel
does
call
disciples
borrowed
probably
of his
was
by the devil,
not
Epiphanius
narratives
187
to be tempted
days,
return.
from Hippolytus
DANIEL.
ON
reply, viz. that none

to
intended
be
in
complete
no Evangelist
is to be regarded
itself; that, consequently,
as bearing testimony against the things which he does not
relate;
it
that
nay,
purposely
told
ficiently
great
relate
believed
that
he
what
knew
He
by his predecessors.
a
make
to
length
be
may
not
does
of
harmony
an
Evangelist
had
been
then
the
suf
at
proceeds
life
early
of
our
the things told by diffe

Lord, chronologically
arranging
All this long section has every mark of
rent Evangelists.
own, and it is likely this was because
being Epiphanius'
as to
had dealt so briefly with the objection
Hippolytus
him
little
guidance.
give
is that with which we are
(22). But the next objection
of
mention
other
the
It
concerned.
most
that
expected
Gospel,
observed
that
one.
course
of
he
was
It
the
giving
whereas
Lord,
was
to
only
detailed
to
the
recognizing
the
of
the
Fourth
had
own
too,
observation,
not for rejecting

his
amending
truth
be
critical
this
find in it a reason,
for
makes
Gospel
our
point, even if no one

And it is quite intelligible
on
him.
it before
but
Gospel,
the
by
only
of
see
can
hit
should
Hippolytus,
should
in
Caius,
we
examination
attended
tell
Evangelists
Fourth
the
that
is,
Passovers
two
the Fourth
chronology.
had counted
already that Hippolytus
his 30 years to the end of our Lord's ministry, instead of to
I have
the
remarked
as
beginning,
has
and
so
31.
To
that
of the
made
make
an alteration
Hippolytus's
room
Passion
more
the
our
Lord's
for
two
already
life
earlier
taken
has
Africanus
accurate
one
of 30
in
Passovers,
account
of,
done,
instead
of
addition
to
years,
only
requires
of two years in the chronology, and thus brings

soon saw
figure to 32, which his successors
THE
188
to 33.
to be altered
ought
OF
COMMENTARY
is evidently without
Epiphanius
as to the answer to Caius's
ob
from Hippolytus
holds fast to the 33, in accordance
guidance
He
jection.
current
of
chronology
his
and
time,
remarks
heretics had gone wrong on this subject.

full
of
their
Passovers
two
that
there
the
Passion.'
that
our
30
in
were
fact
three
life
was
St.
by
when
then
Epiphanius
Lord's
had
we
33
Alogiwho
speak
overlooked
include
the
to
of
year
demonstrate
by
years
the
computed
John
undertakes
of
one
the
all
Valentinians,
only
These
mentioned
as
'The
^Eons,
life as one of 30 years.
our Lord's
of
about
dreams
with
how
the
naming
I fear the details of his calculation

of every year.
are open to serious criticism, but his result is that, starting,
as Hippolytus
does, with the birth of our Lord in the 42nd
consuls
of
year
the
(to which
32nd
and
year,
the
Hippolytus
so
of Rufus
consulship
fixes
and
the Passion)
assigned
himself
and
of Hippolytus,
he drew
which
makes
the
Passion
only
for
the
of Vinicius
and Longinus
year, the consulship
is evidently here working independ
Epiphanius
following
Cassius.
ently
he
Augustus,
Rubellio
his
we
infer
may
materials
was
that
much
the
work
more
from
full in its
to the Apocalypse
than to
objections
replies to Caius's
Yet
I
think he affords evidence
those against the Gospel.
to
enough
make
it
certain
that
Caius
ministry, as represented
into one year, as
compressed
Lord's
had
noted
by St. John, could

it might according
that
our
not be
to the
that the dura

version, and to make it probable
Synoptic
tion of that ministry, as corrected by Hippolytus,
was not
more
than
32
years.
as to
(23). And now it only remains to say something
the date of Hippolytus's
to
Caius.
It
is
not
incon
reply
venient for us that Epiphanius,
in dealing with the works
of
his
predecessors,
neglect
effacing
the
was
such
headlong
plunderer
taken
precaution
by cautious
the owner's marks on stolen goods.
as
to
of
thieves,
One of the
HIPPOLYTUS
189
DANIEL.
ON
to the Apocalypse
which he has to answer is
objections
a letter to
that, in that book, John is directed to address
the Church
but there is no Church of the
of Thyatira,
a statement,
The reply contains
at Thyatira.
Church at
the
after
Lord's
Ascension
our
93 years
to
as
disappear,
Thyatira was so overrun with Montanism
Christians
that
but
that
now,
God's
by
112
after
mercy,
it
years,
exists
can by no means
This passage
again, and is increasing.
and
of
with
the
time
be made to harmonize
Epiphanius,
that he has here repro
critics have generally recognized
the words of the authority he
duced, without alteration,
that is to say, no doubt, of Hippolytus.
copying,
exactly 93
Why he should date the triumph of Montanism
was
after
years
our
Lord's
has
one
no
Ascension
but
explained;14
altera
I do not find that anything is gained by conjectural
is
tion of the text, or that any satisfactory
explanation
to
us
who
asks
for example,
boldly
given by Hilgenfeld,
alter 93 into 73, or by Lipsius, who thinks that, instead of
of our Lord,
'the
Ascension'
tute
'His
birth.'
written,
substi
we may conjecturally
find
as
we
them,
figures
the
Taking
author wrote.
they seem to give plainly the date when the
the reply to
find
that
Adding
together 93 and 112, we
Caius
was
our
Lord's
dated
the
tation
had
A.D.
This
to
come
in accepting
14 I think we should
tween Caius
and Proclus.
accepted
made
in
the
be
by
as
since
a year
234,
year
years
after
Hippolytus
before
so well with the conclu

that
grounds,
I have
find then reason
no
Montanist
hesi
to think that
forcibly drawn
his attention
Both Caius
may have
boasts
We
it.
find the solution
recover
well-founded,
other
on
the dialogue
if we could
and Hippolytus
29,
205
believed,
is to say,
date agrees
had
in 234 Hippolytus
author
the
that
Ascension
his banishment.
sions
as
Ascension;
to the
speaker in that dialogue, of

of his sect, and its uni
the antiquity
versal
prevalence in Asia
in particular.
Minor,
and
in Thyatira
the
190
COMMENTARY
OF EIPPOLYTUS
fact that St. John had represented

more
that
under
had
Passovers
than
one,
and
so
ON
our Lord
are
not
as
surprised
DANIEL.
attending
to
find
show that he had found himself

235 he should
a necessity of altering his former chronology,
which
the
Saviour's
too
a
duration
to
short
assigned
in
ministry.
G.
SALMON.

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THE COMMENTARY OF HIPPOLYTUS ON DANIEL

This led Georgiades

not far from Constanti

our Lord is said to have

in the year of the

of this difficulty, for his speculations

so early a date I used (in Smith's Dictionary

history, and so (since he dated the firstcoming at A.M. 5500),

with the chronological

the view expressed

in which has been

of the fact that

in the thirtieth year of our

of fitting in the three

In reply to this 'perhaps,'

tells that our Lord

from his predeces-.

the former view

ask what possible

and therefore that His ministry must have lasted

years, and that afterwards, when it was pointed

is the only one of

them with a Table

they felt to be humiliating,

ordinary Greek calendar con

30 days each, we should begin the

the supposition that the true length of

we should have a calendar

short of the solar

days by 11J days.

years would begin on the same days of

the other six columns

that his Table

that is to say, he believed

to the belief of Hippolytus,

years, and Int. those

but each of the dates

way, that after

the third repetition

that the first year

on the face of it as to the time when it was composed ; but

hibit the full moons

that his cycle enabled

past or future, for he investigated

for the eight

the date of every

so that the cycle

now of the chronological

Savir/X Kal iv ipij/jM.

as the 32nd year of his cycle.

that in 216 the

gave the alternative March 22.

really occurred in the fore

Zeitschrift (1892, p. 271), which has

published his cycle, he had some doubt

arriving at results so strange, that I

suffered in the 30th year

is referred to the fourth.

year of the cycle, and nadog on the 32nd, Hippolytus,

the year were C. Fufius

years, we can conclude

is, that he was

source the process by which he got it. He added together