[104] Antiq. X. xi. 7. After having interpreted the little horn of Antiochus, he briefly [[595]]adds: In the very same manner Daniel also wrote concerning the government of the Romans, and that our country should be made desolate by them. He doubtless supposed that the fourth, iron monarchy, [Dan. ii. 40], represented the Romans, since, besides attributing it to a dominion over all the earth, he explains its destruction by the stone as something still future, Ant. X. x. 4: Daniel did also declare the meaning of the stone to the King; but I do not think proper to relate it, since I have only undertaken to describe things past or things present, but not things that are future. Now [Daniel ii. 44] interprets the stone to mean the heavenly kingdom, which would destroy the iron one, but would itself endure for ever,—a messianic particular, on which Josephus does not choose to dilate. But that, correctly interpreted, the iron legs of the image signify the Macedonian empire, and the feet of iron mixed with clay, the Syrian empire which sprang out of the Macedonian, see De Wette, Einleit. in das N. T., § 254. [↑]
[105] Vid. Joseph., Antiq. xii. v. [↑]
[106] Vid. Hase, L. J., § 130. [↑]
[107] The passages bearing on this subject are collected and explained in Schott, Commentarius, etc., p. 364 ff. Comp. Lücke, in loc. and Weizel, urchristl. Unsterblichkeitslehre, in the Theol. Studien, 1836, s. 626 ff. [↑]
[108] Vid. Tholuck, in loc. [↑]
[109] Comp. Tholuck, ut sup. [↑]
[110] Thus Lücke, and also Tholuck, in loc.; Schott, p. 409. [↑]
[111] Olshausen, 1, s. 870. [↑]