ANN067

The explanation of Daniel’s 70 weeks

The article decodes Daniel’s 70 weeks, contrasting the theories of Anderson and Denney for dating the crucifixion of Jesus. Anderson proposes a chronology based on Nehemiah’s edict, predicting precise dates for this key event.

26 min Daniel prophecy 70 weeks 27 verses 9 books

Further information

Introduction

This study is one of the elements of our research devoted to establishing a chronology of the life of Jesus the Messiah on the basis of Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9.24-27). It should be understood in connection with the other studies in this series, each of which contributes complementary historical, calendrical and biblical data. Together, these works form a coherent analysis aimed at reconstructing, as precisely as possible, the sequence of events reported in the Gospels.

The prophecy of Daniel’s seventy weeks remains one of the most studied and most debated texts of prophetic biblical exegesis (Daniel 9.24-27). For several centuries, theologians, historians and specialists in biblical texts have tried to determine its exact meaning and its chronological implications for the coming of the Messiah.

One of the main issues of this prophecy lies in identifying the starting point of the seventy weeks. Depending on which decree is chosen for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the chronological conclusions differ considerably and lead to distinct systems of interpretation.

Two major approaches dominate the debates today. The first, widespread in evangelical circles, follows in the tradition of Sir Robert Anderson’s work. It favors the decree addressed to Nehemiah and relies on the use of prophetic years of 360 days. This interpretation has deeply marked modern exegesis and is still the position most frequently adopted in dispensationalist studies (Dispensationalist studies refers to a theological and exegetical approach that interprets biblical history as a succession of distinct periods called “dispensations”).

The second approach, far less known, is linked to the work of Edward Denney. It takes the decree granted to Ezra as the starting point of the seventy weeks and favors the use of ordinary solar years. Although this interpretation has remained marginal, several independent researchers have reached comparable conclusions, stressing the apparent simplicity and chronological coherence of this reading.

The aim of the present study is not to fuel a technical controversy reserved for specialists, but to compare these two major interpretations in order to evaluate their historical, mathematical and biblical foundations. The stakes go beyond a simple chronological question. If the prophet Daniel truly announced the coming and the death of the Messiah several centuries in advance with such precision, then the prophetic significance of this text becomes quite exceptional (Isaiah 46.9-10 ; John 13.19).

Originally titled "The Theories of Anderson and Denney" because of the predominance of the explanations it contains concerning the texts of Daniel, this appendix has been renamed "The Explanation of Daniel’s Weeks". This new title is considered more appropriate for readers less familiar with the subject.

I. A review of the facts

In his prophecy, Daniel announces a period of “seventy weeks” decreed for the people of Israel and for Jerusalem (Daniel 9.24). The vast majority of exegetes understand these weeks as weeks of years, that is, a total duration of 490 years.

The text establishes a direct link between a decree ordering the restoration of Jerusalem and the coming of the Messiah, who is to be “cut off” in order to accomplish atonement for sins (Daniel 9.26 ; Isaiah 53.5-6).

This prophecy is remarkable, because it seems to provide a chronological framework that makes it possible to locate precisely the central events of the Messiah’s mission. However, the difficulty lies in harmonizing Daniel’s chronological data with those of the Gospels and of Persian history.

It is in this context that the main interpretive theories developed, among which those of Sir Robert Anderson and Edward Denney occupy an essential place.

One remark deserves emphasis: many researchers have reached similar conclusions without necessarily relying directly on the work of these two authors.

II. The theory of Sir Robert Anderson

General overview

Sir Robert Anderson (1841-1918), author of the book The Coming Prince, published in 1894, remains one of the major figures of the dispensationalist interpretation of Daniel’s seventy weeks in the English-speaking evangelical world.

The fruit of several years of historical, chronological and biblical research, his work has deeply influenced modern prophetic exegesis. Anderson mainly seeks to demonstrate that the prophet Daniel precisely announced the public coming of the Messiah as well as the period of his rejection (Daniel 9.24-27).

To establish his calculation, he takes as the starting point the decree addressed to Nehemiah concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2.1-8). According to his interpretation, this decree was issued in 445 BC. This choice is the foundation of his entire chronological demonstration.

The chronological difficulties

If the 490 solar years are applied directly to the decree of 445 BC, the result leads approximately to the year AD 46, which remains incompatible with the Gospel indications concerning the crucifixion of the Messiah.

Now, according to the main astronomical and calendrical reconstructions, two dates are generally considered the most compatible with the biblical data concerning the Passover preceding the :

  • 7 April AD 30;
  • 1 April AD 33.

It is precisely this chronological difficulty that leads Anderson to develop a particular method of calculation intended to harmonize the data of Daniel with those of the Gospels.

The use of prophetic years of 360 days

The first characteristic of his approach is to use prophetic years of 360 days instead of ordinary solar years.

Anderson relies in particular on the account of the flood, in which five months correspond to one hundred and fifty days (Genesis 7.11 ; Genesis 8.3-4), which implies months of thirty days. This principle is also compared with the prophetic durations mentioned in Revelation, where forty-two months correspond to 1260 days (Revelation 11.2-3 ; Revelation 12.6).

From these observations, Anderson develops the concept of 360-day “prophetic years,” sometimes called “temple years.”

This method considerably reduces the chronological gap between the decree of Nehemiah and the period of the crucifixion.

The second essential element of Anderson’s theory is to separate the seventieth week from the first sixty-nine (Daniel 9.27).

According to this interpretation, the first sixty-nine weeks — that is, 483 prophetic years — lead to the first coming of the Messiah. The last week, on the other hand, is postponed to the end times and belongs to the eschatological framework.

Anderson’s calculation therefore rests mainly on the 483 years preceding the interruption of the prophetic program concerning Israel.

This approach yields a date relatively close to the period of the crucifixion. Later, Harold Hoehner would refine this theory further by taking the year 444 BC instead of 445, in order to obtain a more precise match with the year AD 33.

Limits and discussions surrounding this theory

Despite the immense influence Sir Robert Anderson has had on modern prophetic exegesis, several difficulties remain debated among specialists.

This approach rests in particular on several chronological and calendrical presuppositions:

  • the use of prophetic years of 360 days;
  • the choice of the decree of Nehemiah as the starting point;
  • the separation of the seventieth week;
  • complex calculations that are sometimes difficult for the non-specialist reader to follow.

Some researchers consider that these successive adjustments weaken the apparent simplicity of the text of Daniel. Others, on the contrary, see in them a coherent attempt to harmonize the historical, prophetic and Gospel data.

Be that as it may, the influence of this theory remains considerable. Many evangelical authors have adopted all or part of Anderson’s conclusions, sometimes without re-examining all the historical and mathematical presuppositions on which his demonstration rests.

III. The theory of Sir Edward Denney

A largely forgotten approach

The work of Edward Denney (1831-1919) is today far less known than that of Sir Robert Anderson. Yet several researchers consider that his approach to Daniel’s seventy weeks displays great methodological simplicity and remarkable chronological coherence.

Unlike Anderson, Denney takes as the starting point the decree granted to Ezra under the reign of Artaxerxes in 458 BC (Ezra 7.11-26).

According to this approach, adding the 490 prophetic years — understood as ordinary solar years — leads naturally to the spring of AD 33, while taking into account the absence of a year zero in the passage between the dates before and after Jesus Christ.

A remarkable chronological correspondence

When the decree dated to the spring of 458 BC is taken as the reference and the 490 years announced by Daniel (Daniel 9.24-27) are added to it, the calculation arrives at the spring of AD 33, the period corresponding to the events of the passion and resurrection of the Messiah Jesus.

This approach presents several important advantages. It requires neither the use of prophetic years of 360 days nor any complex chronological correction intended to adjust the final result.

The system rests simply on the ordinary solar years used in the historical calendar, which gives it a certain clarity as well as an immediate mathematical coherence.

The main objections

Two major objections are generally raised against this interpretation.

The decree of Ezra

The first concerns the decree of Artaxerxes transmitted to Ezra. Unlike the text of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2.1-8), this decree does not explicitly mention the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.

However, several elements suggest that this authorization could have been implicit in the royal decisions granted to Ezra.

Ezra thanks God for having allowed the restoration of Jerusalem (Ezra 9.9). Other passages of the book of Ezra also show that the rebuilding of the city was a major political concern at that time (Ezra 4.12-16). Finally, the Persian authorities would later order the work to be stopped, proof that it had indeed been undertaken.

These elements lead some researchers to consider that the decree of Ezra had a broader scope than a simple religious reform.

The question of the seventieth week

The second difficulty concerns the interpretation of the last prophetic week mentioned by Daniel (Daniel 9.27).

In this interpretive perspective, the seventieth week finds a first historical fulfillment between the years AD 26 and 33 with the ministry of John the Baptist and then that of the Messiah Jesus (Luke 3.1-23).

The rejection of the Messiah is then interpreted as an interruption of the prophetic unfolding concerning Israel. The last week would then see a future eschatological fulfillment, marked by the appearance of a figure hostile to God, often identified with the (2 Thessalonians 2.3-4 ; Revelation 13.1-8).

This reading explains the particular structure of Daniel 9.27 without having to separate the last week entirely from the first sixty-nine.

General assessment

The approach attributed to Denney stands out mainly for its apparent simplicity and its direct use of ordinary solar years. It avoids several chronological adjustments required in Anderson’s system and offers a continuous reading of the 490 years announced by Daniel.

Although this theory remains a minority view in modern exegesis, it displays an internal coherence that explains the renewed interest some researchers show in it today.

Conclusion

For a long time, Anderson’s theory appeared to us as the most convincing explanation of Daniel’s seventy weeks. However, despite its impressive intellectual construction, it left us with an impression of artificiality because of the many adjustments needed to reach the desired result.

The in-depth study of Edward Denney’s proposals, together with a careful examination of the texts of Ezra, gradually led us to reassess this position.

The approach based on the decree of Ezra has several major advantages:

  • it uses ordinary solar years;
  • it keeps the full 490 years;
  • it avoids complex mathematical corrections;
  • it leads naturally to the year AD 33.

According to this interpretation, Daniel announced several centuries in advance, with remarkable precision, the period corresponding to the death and resurrection of the Messiah Jesus (Daniel 9.24-27).

Such prophetic precision inevitably raises a fundamental question: how could a man living in the 6th century BC have announced with such precision events fulfilled several centuries later, if this revelation did not come from God himself? (Isaiah 41.21-23 ; John 13.19).

This first study lays the chronological foundations indispensable for understanding the public life of the Messiah Jesus. However, several questions remain and call for a closer examination of the historical, calendrical and biblical data. The following studies will thus gradually complete this analysis by addressing the different stages of Jesus’ ministry, in order to propose a coherent and harmonized reconstruction of the events reported by the Gospels.

Next study ANN006 : The exact date of the decree.

Previous study CHA005 : The prophet Daniel.