(γ) "And until the end shall be a war, a sentence of desolation" (Hitzig, etc.); or, as Ewald renders it, "Until the end of the war is the decision concerning the horrible thing." This alludes to the troubles of Jerusalem until the heaven-sent Nemesis fell on the profane enemy of the saints in the miserable death of Antiochus in Persia. (δ) But meanwhile he will have concluded a covenant with many for one week.[624] In any case, whatever be the exact reading or rendering, this seems to be an allusion to the fact that Antiochus was confirmed in his perversity and led on to extremes in the enforcement of his attempt to Hellenise the Jews and to abolish their national religion by the existence of a large party of flagrant apostates. These were headed by their godless and usurping high priests, Jason and Menelaus. All this is strongly emphasised in the narrative of the Book of Maccabees. This attempted apostasy lasted for one week--_i.e._, for seven years; the years intended being probably the first seven of the reign of Antiochus, from B.C. 175 to B.C. 168. During this period he was aided by wicked men, who said, "Let us go and make a covenant with the heathen round about us; for since we departed from them we have had much sorrow." Antiochus "gave them licence to do after the ordinances of the heathen," so that they built a gymnasium at Jerusalem, obliterated the marks of circumcision, and were joined to the heathen (1 Macc. i. 10-15). (ε) For the half of this week (_i.e._, for three and a half years) the king abolished the sacrifice and the oblation or meat offering.[625] This alludes to the suppression of the most distinctive ordinances of Jewish worship, and the general defilement of the Temple after the setting up of the heathen altar. The reckoning seems to be from the edict promulgated some months before December, 168, to December, 165, when Judas the Maccabee reconsecrated the Temple. (ζ) The sentence which follows is surrounded with every kind of uncertainty. The R.V. renders it, "And upon the wing [or, pinnacle] of abominations shall come [or, be] one that maketh desolate." The A.V. has, "And for the overspreading of abominations" (or _marg._, "with the abominable armies") "he shall make it desolate."[626] It is from the LXX. that we derive the famous expression, "abomination of desolation," referred to by St. Matthew (xxiv. 15: cf. Luke xxi. 20) in the last discourse of our Lord. Other translations are as follows:-- _Gesenius_: "Desolation comes upon the horrible wing of a rebel's host." _Ewald_: "And above will be the horrible wing of abominations." _Wieseler_: "And a desolation shall arise against the wing of abominations." _Von Lengerke, Hengstenberg, Pusey_: "And over the edge [or, pinnacle[627]] of abominations [cometh] the desolator";--which they understand to mean that Antiochus will rule over the Temple defiled by heathen rites.