The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

XIII. Purves Anticipates 2300 Years Will End in 1766

JAMES PURVES (1734-1795), Scotch sectary, was born in Blackadder, Berwickshire. Selected by a “fellowship society” in Berwickshire for their pastor, he was sent to Glasgoiv college to study, mostly Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. In 1776 he moved to Edinburgh, taught school, and was elected pastor of the society there. He wrote a number of works. In his Observations (1777) Purves begins the 2300 days “with the Empire of the Medes and Persians. ⁹⁸ The “vision being said to be for many days” indicates the cleansing or “making just the sanctuary, was a very distant event; the season or time in which it was to be effected, being 2300 prophetic days [years] distant from the beginning of the Empire of the medes and persians. ⁹⁹ PFF2 694.9

Then Purves adds, “Having fixed the beginning of the 2300 days, the end of them is next to be enquired into. ¹⁰⁰ Beginning with 534 B.C., Purves ends the 2300 years in 1766, ¹⁰¹ when the justification would take place. Others, such as Imrie ¹⁰² and Taylor, ¹⁰³ had been making similar inquiry. PFF2 695.1