TERMINAL SYNCHRONISM
OF DANIEL'S
TWO PRINCIP .A.L PERIODS: .
TWO THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED DAYS.
AND
A TIME, TIMES, AND THE DIVIDING OF TIME.
BY THE AUTHOR OF DANIEL'S GREAT PERIOD OF TWO THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED DAYS DISCOVERED.
WITH DISCUSSI ONS ON THE TWO DIFFERENT CO MMEN CEMENTS AS SIGNED BY DR. JQ:ITH AND REV. G. S. FABER TO THE PERIOD, A Time, Times, and Dividing of Time.
LONDON: THOMAS JEPPS, PATERNOSTER ROW.
ED�BURGH: OGLE & MURRAY, DUBLIN: W. CURRY & CO, 1858. THE PILLAR OF PHOCAS. S..P... 111.
AD VER TISEME NT .
IN the year 1854, when the discovery of Daniel's ' Great Period of 2300 years' was submitted to the public, the author had no expectation, that it would lead to the further discovery of the important Synchro nism communicated in the following pages. He had indeed long believed, that the Decree of the Emperor Phocas,addressed to Pope Boniface III. marked the commencement of Daniel's Great Normal Period, ' A Time and Times and Dividing of Time,' or the 1260 years of most Expositors. But he had incau
tiously adopted the popular notion, which assigns the Pontificate of Boniface III. and therefore the above Decree to A.D. 606. And this would give A.D. 1866, as the termination of the above 1260 years. When, therefore, his own investigations led to A.D. 1867, as the termination of ' Daniel's Great Period of 2300 years'; he was reluctantly compelled to conclude, that these
two important Periods did not admit of Synchronal terminations. But about two years afterwards, and while investi gating another Prophetical Era, he found, that some lV ADVERTISEMENT.
Chronologists placed the Pontificate of Boniface III. (al}d therefore the above Decree) in A.D. 607. And this date would make the above Periods terminate in the same year. Before, however, allowing himself to adopt this result, it was necessary to examine as accurately as possible which of the above dates was the correct one. After having satisfied himself on this· point, the author became sensible of the importance of refuting some other theories concerning the commencement of the 1260 years, which had obtained more or less repute. And thus he has been compelled to increase the bulk and delay the appearance of this essay beyond what he had at first anticipated.
The importance of the Synchronism now proposed, can scarcely be over-rated. The Student will perceive, that, if true, it would at once terminate some important controversies concerning the chronological relationship of Daniel's Periods, and probably contribute to settle others. And the. corrected understanding of that rela tionship would furnish a key to unlock many similar difficulties of the Apocalypse, and thus to harmonize the Chronology of the Old and New Testament pre dictions. CONTENTS.-- Page CHA.PT.Ell !.-Historical Commencement of the 1260 years, indicated by the Decree of Phocas, nominating Boniface ID. Universal Bishop. 1 Objections discussed. 7 Recapitulation. 22 APPENDIX-EcclesiasticalTestimonies, &c. 26 CHAP. 11.-Date of Phocas's Decree discussed. 32 SUPPLEMENT-How did the erroneous date of this Decree originate P 41
CHAP. III.-Synchronal Terminations of Daniel's Two Principal Periods. 45 How shall the Pope's pretended Spiritual Supremacy be overthrown P 48 CHAP. IV.-Dr. Keith's Theory as to the commencement of the 1260 years. Justinian's Letter to Pope John II. 59 CHAP. V.-Dr. Keith's Theory, &c. Justinian's Code and his Ninth Novella. 83 CHAP. VI.-Dr. Keith's Theory, &c. Justinian's Novella CXXXI. 89 CHAP. VII.-Dr. Keith's Theory refuted by the present position of the Papacy. . 109 CHAP. VIII.-Faber's Epoch for the commencement of the 1260 years considered. 123 Supplementary Note on the Pillar of Phocas. 131 ERRATA. Page 4, Text, line 11, for expounded, read expander!. " 8, Do. 21, for dignitary, read dignity. " 16, Do. 2, for Saccrdotum, read Sacer ETC. CHAPTER I. COMMENCEMENT OF THE PERIOD, ' A TIME, AND TIMES, AND THE DIVIDING OF TIME.' DAN. vii. 25.-'And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and 'shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times 'and laws : and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times 'and the dividing of time.' AGREEING with those eminent expositors of Prophecy who have adopted, and; as I think, sufficiently esta-. blished the year day system, I regard the above Pro phetic period as including 1260 natural or Solar years. I also agree with them, that the above words supply the datum for determining, so far at least as this Vi. sion of Daniel is concerned, the prophetical commence ment of this great period. For in the above predic tion this period is characterized as one, during which, the ' Saints of the Most High' and the Times and Laws were to be given into the hand of the Little Horn. To determine then the commencement of this period we must ascertain when this surrender of the Saints, Times, and Laws into the hand of the Little Horn took place : or, in other words, when that authority 2 COMMENCEMENT OF THE PERIOD. or power was conferred on the Little Horn, which enabled him thus to assume the right to change Times and Laws, and to wear out the Saints of the Most High. Further 1 agree with those of the above commenta tors, who consider, that the Little Horn symbolizes more especially the Spiritual domination of the Pope : and that his superadded temporal dominion (estab lished on the ruins of three out of the ten Gothic kingdoms) is only incidentally introduced into the Pre diction, in order to furnish an additional and most important test of his identity-a test at once Geo graphical, Historical, and Chronological-and which I shall have occasion to make use of hereafter. In support of the above position, viz; that the Little Horn symbolizes primarily and principally the Spiritual Domination of the Papacy, I shall here quote the words and arguments of the venerable Faber: 'Yet while I agree with them,' (Sir Isaac Newton, Mr. Mede, and Bishop Newton) 'in the general, that � a persecuting power, which is marked out chronologi , cally as springing up almost unperceived in the course · ' of the fifth and sixth centuries, and which is deter ' mined geographically as rising within the limits of 'the Western Roman Empire, can only be the Pa ' pacy: I am unable entirely to assent to their precise 'mode of exposition. They suppose, that the Little ·, Horn symbolizes the temporal kingdom of the Papacy: ' 1, on the contrary, believe it to represent exclusively 'the Spiritual Domination of the Roman See.' 'In the :figurative language of Scripture, the same ' hieroglyphic, as I have already shown very abun , dantly, represents both temporal and spiritual things ; ' provided only those things are mutually connected by ' A TIME, AND TIMES, AND THE DIVIDING OF TIME.' 3 ' a common leading idea. Thus a star typifies either a ' Prince or a Priest, the one being in the state what the ' other is in the Church: and thus, by a parity of rea. ' soning, the present symbol, a horn, may abstractedly ' signify either a temporal Kingdom, or an ecclesiastical 'kingdom. ' Of these two significations, Sir Isaac Newton and 'Mr. Mede and Bishop Newton adopt the former. 'Hence, as I have just stated, they suppose 'the Little ' Horn of the Roman Beast to mean the Temporal ' Kingdom of the Papacy, or that small Italian Prin ' cipality, which bears the general name of the Eccle ' siastical Estates, or St. Peter's Patrimony: a supposi ' tion, which of necessity leads them further to main ' tain, that the Papacy was not a horn until it acquired 'this principality, and that it became a horn by the ' subversion of the three horns, which were destined to 'fall before it. To such a scheme, there are, if I mis ' take not, insuperable objections. It will not accord ' with the prophecy itself: and therefore, as we might ' naturally expect, it will not accord with the events.' 'In the first place, certain definite actions are as ' cribed to the Little Horn. But these actions were ' performed by the Pope wholly as an Ecclesiastical 'Power claiming universal dominion over the Church, 'not as the Petty Sovereign of an Italian Principality 'possessing no weight in the general balance of Europe. ' Therefore the Little Horn, to which such actions are 'ascribed, cannot be the insignificant Temporal King ' dom of the Pope.' ' In the second place, the Little Horn is represented ' by the prophet, as being already in existence previous ' to the eradication · of the three horns. But the ' scheme at present under consideration supposes, that