“5. _The Commencement of the Seventy Weeks._—These were believed by Mr. Miller to be the weeks of years—four hundred and ninety years—and commenced with the decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus to restore and build Jerusalem, according to Ezra seventh, B. C. 457. This has also long been considered by commentators to be a settled point; and it probably would not have been disputed were it not for a desire to avoid the conclusion to which Mr. Miller came, on the supposition that it was the beginning of the 2300 days. On so settled a point as this it is only necessary to mention such names as Horne (see Int., vol. 1, p. 336, vol. 4, p. 191), Prideaux (see Connection, pp. 227-256), Clarke (see Notes on 9th of Daniel), Watson (Theol. Dic., p. 96), William Howel, LL. D. (Int. of Gen. His., vol. 1, p. 209), Scott, and Cunninghame. “This point was not much questioned by any. A Mr. Kindrick, in a ‘New Exposition of the Prophecies of Daniel,’ said: ‘They are seventy years only, and commenced with the birth of Christ and ended with the destruction of the Jewish nation.’—p. 4. Rev. Calvin Newton affirmed, in the _Christian Watchman_, that they were fulfilled in seventy literal weeks. And Prof. Stuart said: ‘It would require a volume of considerable magnitude even to give a history of the ever-varying and contradictory opinions of critics respecting this _locus vexatissimus_; and perhaps a still larger, to establish an exegesis which would stand. I am fully of opinion that no interpretation as yet published will stand the test of thorough grammatico-historical criticism.’—_Hints_, p. 104. “Mr. Shimeal, while he admitted that they are weeks of years, commenced them four years later than Mr. M. “Dr. Hamilton sustained Mr. Miller on this point. He said: ‘The interpretation which Mr. Miller gives of Daniel’s seventy weeks, commencing with the decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus, in the seventh year of his reign (B. C. 457), for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and terminating with the death of Christ, A. D. 33, is, in the main, correct, because here Mr. M. but gives a tolerably faithful report of the result of the labors of the learned Prideaux and others in this field of research.’—p. 18. This interpretation was not denied by Dr. Jarvis, Mr. Hinton, and Mr. Morris. And Dr. Dowling said: ‘Mr. Miller says the four hundred and ninety years begin B. C. 457, which is correct. He says they end A. D. 33, which is also correct.’—p. 49.