Assouan, Egypt,
January 17, 1905.
Thus far I had written in 1902. Since then the public has shown that it can appreciate good work by the rapidity with which copy after copy of Mr. Auchincloss’ little book has been called for. It is now issued once more with additions and improvements, but otherwise in an unchanged form.
There is one paragraph in it to which the Assyriologist is now able to add a few words. Mr. Auchincloss draws attention to the sense of completeness and perfection which is associated in the Old Testament, not only with the number seven, but also with the number ten. It has long been known that the Babylonians possessed a week of seven days. But it is only recently that I have pointed out that they also possessed a week of five days. Besides the week of five days, however, there was a double week of ten days, the month consisting of thirty days and being divided into three equal parts.
PREFACE.
This study of the Book of Daniel is based on the conviction, that its word is in very deed the Word of God. In approaching the subject we have brought to the solution of its problems only such numerals as were known to the ancient Hebrews and to the writers of the New Testament. Numerals that were symbolized in their feasts and were current before times of rejoicing. But towering over all, we have brought God’s own standard of time, viz: the sidereal year, which the greatest of modern astronomers Laplace and Herschel tell us has not varied the 1/100 part of a second of time in the last 2000 years. We did so under the conviction that if the Book of Daniel was of human origin, a piece of historic fiction, it could not stand this severe test, yet if it was truly the Word of God it would be found resting on that bed rock, viz:—a year whose length was
365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes and 96/10 seconds