Daniel — Chapter 9

Daniel studies the books and the seventy years of Jeremiah's captivity: Lapide uses this as a model of the scholarly-prophetic method — Daniel does not receive revelation passively but first deeply meditates on earlier Scripture. He applies this to the relationship between biblical scholarship and mystical insight.

Daniel's prayer of fasting, sackcloth, and ashes: Lapide treats this as the model penitential prayer, combining confession of sin, acknowledgment of God's justice, appeal to divine mercy, and intercession for the community. He structures his commentary as an extended commentary on the components of perfect penitential prayer.

Turn away your anger and your wrath from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain: the central petition of Daniel's prayer. Lapide reads 'your city, your holy mountain' as emphasizing that Jerusalem belongs to God, not to Israel — a reminder that divine election is God's initiative and serves God's purposes, not national pride. He applies this to the Church's self-understanding as belonging entirely to Christ.

We do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy: Lapide reads Daniel's prayer as the model of all Christian prayer — not based on merit (which is always insufficient) but on divine mercy (which is always superabundant). He cites this verse against Pelagian confidence in one's own spiritual achievement and in favor of constant recourse to grace.

While I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight: Lapide gives his most extended angelology of Gabriel, identifying him as the angel of the Annunciation (Lk. 1:26-27), who appears here as preparing the world for Christ's coming by revealing the Seventy Weeks, and at the Annunciation as executing the first step of their fulfillment.

'Septuaginta hebdomades abbreviatae sunt super populum tuum' — Seventy weeks are decreed for your people: Lapide presents his chronological table computing the seventy weeks (490 years) of Daniel as running from Artaxerxes's decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Neh. 2) to Christ's death, which brings in everlasting righteousness and seals vision and prophet. He follows Eusebius's Chronicon and Jerome's commentary as the definitive patristic chronology.

Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again: Lapide presents his detailed chronological table and defends the Artaxerxes decree (Neh. 2) as the starting point, placing the prophesied 'anointed one' precisely at the time of Christ's public ministry and baptism.

'Et post hebdomades sexaginta duas occidetur Christus: et non erit ejus populus qui eum negaturus est' — After 62 weeks an Anointed One shall be cut off and shall have nothing: Lapide reads 'occidetur Christus' as a direct prophecy of the Crucifixion — the word occidetur means 'will be killed.' He cites this as the most precise messianic prophecy in the Old Testament, fulfilling in the year of the Passion by all chronological reckonings.

The 'abomination of desolation' (abominatio desolationis) set up in the Temple: Lapide follows the double-fulfillment pattern: primarily Antiochus's idol (cf. 1 Mc. 1:54) and ultimately the Roman desolation of Jerusalem (70 AD), as interpreted by Christ Himself (Mt. 24:15). The 'midst of the week' when sacrifice ceases refers to Christ's death at the mid-point of the final seven-year period, which ended the efficacy of the Old Covenant sacrifices.