The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2
V. “Golden Age” of Interpretation Opens With Saadia
1. ELIEZER-MESSIANIC KINGDOM FOLLOWS FOURTH EMPIRE
[5] The Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer (The Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer), an eight—or ninth—century Midrash (exposition—written after the rise of Mohammedanism, but incorporating much old material), 57 refers to “the four kingdoms, their dominion and their downfall. 58 The second power was declared to be Medo-Persia, signified by the ram of Daniel 8, the third being Greece, symbolized by the he-goat, and the fourth beast (Daniel 7:19) Edom 59—which name is used for Rome, as the translator’s footnote indicates: “‘Edom’ is the usual term for the Roman Empire. MS.[Moses] Gasteri adds: ‘This is the fourth Kingdom.’ 60 PFF2 199.2
Previously, the four kingdoms had been sketchily set forth from Daniel 2—with the monarchs Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, and Alexander named. The stone kingdom is declared to be that of “King Messiah, who, in the future, will rule from one end of the world to the other”—citing Daniel 2:35, concerning the stone, which became a great mountain and “filled the whole earth.” 61 PFF2 199.3
2. SAADIA INTERPRETS BOTH SYMBOLS AND TIME PROPHECIES
[6] SAADIA BEN JOSEPH [al-Fayyumi] (882-942), Gaon of Sura, famous academy of Babylonia, is called the pioneer of “scientific Jewish exegesis.” Opening the “Golden Age” of prophetic interpretation, he built primarily on the literal sense, and rejected the naturalistic explanation of miracles. 62 He was a bitter opponent of the Karaites, especially of Solomon ben Jeroham. He believed in the authority and integrity of the Scriptures, but defended rabbinical Judaism, contending that there are two other sources beside the Scriptures—“understanding and tradition.” He relied on Scripture, however, in order to fight Karaism with its own weapons. 63 He translated the Old Testament into Arabic. PFF2 200.1
Saadia was perhaps the first among the Gaonim to formulate a comprehensive view upon the Messianic predictions, presented in his commentary on the book of Daniel, the Sefer Hagalui 64 and the eighth chapter of his Kitab al-Amanat kal-Ftikadat. He contends that both the 1290 days of Daniel 12 and the 1335 days -beginning forty-five days earlier—are to be reckoned as years, 65 but he did not fix a beginning for the periods. Similarly with the 2300—only these he divided by two, obtaining 1150. In the field of prophetic exegesis, Saadia says that the stone of Daniel 2 is the Messianic power. He writes thus of the kingdoms symbolized in Daniel 2: PFF2 200.2
“And after thee [Babylon] shall arise another kingdom lower than thee, just as silver is inferior to gold, and this is the kingdom of Media. Lower means weaker.... Another, a third kingdom. Like brass. This is the kingdom of Greece, whose hardness is like brass and whose rulership is over the whole land of Israel. And the fourth kingdom, strong like iron. This is Gog.” 66 PFF2 200.3
The first three beasts of Daniel 7 are denominated by Saadia as Babylonia, Persia, and Greece. 67 The fourth beast he inter preted as “Gog and Magog,” which will crush the land of Israel. And among the ten horns, or kings, arises a cruel king who will destroy the Temple, enticing to harlotry in the holy of holies for three and a half “times,” which time, he declares, no one understands except God. It is for Israel to wait and hope for God’s mercy on His people and city. 68 The ram and the he-goat are Medo-Persia and Greece, and the four horns Alexander’s generals. 69 As to the seventy weeks of years, Saadia is explicit: PFF2 200.4
“Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people. We shall count and know how many years they are. Ten times seven, amounting to seventy; behold, these seventy weeks are 490 years. Subtract from them the seventy years of the Babylonian exile, from the time when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple until the second year of Darius, and there remain 420 years, which is the length of time that the second Temple existed, as if to say: Seventy weeks he decreed upon thy people and upon thy city Jerusalem thy holy city, which is going to be rebuilt. Behold thou hast learned: Including the Babylonian exile and including the existence of the second Temple, is a period of seventy weeks, which mean 490 years, seventy for the destruction and 420 for the building, ... in order to rebuild Jerusalem, hitherto there are seven weeks; seven weeks are forty-nine years since God announced to them the tidings to rebuild Jerusalem.” 70 PFF2 201.1
3. YEROHAM CALCULATES MESSIANIC YEAR WITH YEAR-DAYS.
[7] SOLOMON BEN JEROHAM (Yeroham) (10th century), Karaite contemporary and opponent of Saadia, in his explanation of Daniel, arrived at the date of 968 C.E. He based the 70 weeks on the third year of Cyrus as the starting point, and reckoned the duration of the second temple as sixty-two and a half year-weeks, with the destruction by the Romans in the midst of the last week. 71 Study and discussion of the prophecies appear about equally divided among the opposing Karaites and Rabbinitesas to calculation. PFF2 201.2
4. HAKOHEN HOLDS 2300 AND 1290 AS YEAR-DAYS
[8]SAHL BEN MAZLIAH HAKOHEN (10th century) of Jerusalem, like-wise a Karaite, and one of Saadia’s bitterest opponents, held views similar to those of Jephet Ibn Ali Halevi relative to the time periods of the 2300 and 1290 year-days, and wrote a commentary on Daniel. He reproved the Rabbinites and believed that the rejection of rabbinism would hasten the Messiah’s coming. 72 He was also deeply interested in the calendrical issue. 73 PFF2 201.3