Chapter IV Cyclical Character of the Mundane Times
1. The Revolutions of the Heavenly bodies appointed for Cycles—Origin of the cycles of the year and the month—The subject of Enoch’s prophecy—Mr. Cuninghame’s discovery of the cycle from the Creation to the Era of Redemption—Scriptural Cycles of frequent occurrence—The numbers of Jubilee and of Pentecost—of Pilgrimage and Persecution—of Omnipotence, glory, and wisdom; and of mystery, vengeance, and forgiveness—The prophetic numbers of Daniel—Discovery of their connection with the Higher Cycles of Astronomy, by M. de Chesaux and Mr. Cuninghame
The true system of chronology receives its grandest confirmation from the cyclical character of the times appointed by (ὁ πατηρ τῶν ἀιῶνων) the Father of the ages. In Genesis i. 14, the word of God created two luminaries in the firmament of Heaven, for giving light upon the earth, and for separating day and night; and, for signs, and times, and days and years! Thus early were the phenomena of the sun and moon appointed to indicate the arrangements of Divine providence, as well as to regulate the ordinary periods of time. Before man, however, could understand the nature of these periods as they were gradually unfolded by the revolutions of the heavenly bodies, or by the still higher cycles of prophecy which were afterwards revealed to God’s chosen people, the natural division of the day, and the sacred division of the week were appointed for his observance. The origin of the year is considered by the learned as involved in obscurity; but we think there is a striking indication of its length in the life of Enoch. This favoured Patriarch lived a year of years on earth, that is, a year of 365 prophetic days; and he himself was a prophet, who, by the Spirit of God, was enabled to see far into the womb of futurity. It is also very remarkable that, according to Mr. Cuninghame’s singular discoveries, the birth of Him, who was the great subject of Enoch’s prophecy, took place at a period of fifteen years of years, or fifteen years of prophetic days from the creation! The origin of the month is referable to the same age; for we recognize the month of thirty days in the account of the year of the Deluge; and, a period of four prophetic months, or 120 prophetic days, is visible in the 120 years of grace before that awful catastrophe. The sacred period of seven days also assumed a prophetic character. In Pharaoh’s dream, the seven years of plenty, and the seven years of famine, were vividly depicted. After seven days previous warning, the Diluvian rain descended in torrents for forty days. After Jericho was encompassed seven days, the last day seven times, by seven priests with seven trumpets, the walls were levelled with the ground. The number forty is prophetic; the Israelites wandered forty prophetic days, that is, forty years, in the wilderness; Moses was in the mount forty days; and, Christ was tempted forty days. In forty days, Nineveh was to be destroyed; Christ was seen of his disciples forty days after his resurrection; and, in forty years, after his baptism, was Jerusalem destroyed. The number of seven days and seven years, with their multiples and higher powers, perpetually recur in the Mosaic institutes; and the period of seven times seven, or forty-nine days and forty-nine years, is particularly signalized in the feasts of the Jews. Balaam, who knew the sacredness of the number seven, in the divine institutions, at three different times and places, built seven altars, and slew seven oxen and seven rams, in order to propitiate the favour of God. In the land of Canaan, seven nations were destroyed in seven years. Solomon’s temple was seven years in building, and in 430 years after the celebration of the first passover within its walls, it was destroyed. The latter number, as we have seen, is highly prophetic, corresponding to the 430 prophetic days of Ezekiel, and having a mysterious reference to the 430 years of promise to Abraham, the 430 years of Gentile persecution, and the three times 430 days, or 1,290 years of Daniel. But time would fail us to speak of the seven spirits of God, the seven eyes, the seven lamps, the seven stars, the seven golden lamp-stands, the seven churches, the seven angels, the seven seals, the seven vials, the seven plagues, the seven heads, the seven crowns, the seven mountains, and the seven kings; the seven times, yea and the seventy times seven—the perfect numbers of omnipotence, glory and wisdom; and, of mystery, vengeance and forgiveness!
We have already seen the prophetic nature of Daniel’s seventy weeks, and it now only remains to notice his other prophetic periods. In Dan. xii. 14, mention is made of “a time, times and half a time,” which should be accomplished, before the wonders he had seen should come to an end. This period is clearly shown by writers on the prophecies, to signify three and a-half prophetic years, forty-two prophetic months, or 1260 prophetic days; and this view is confirmed by the mention of 1290 and 1335 prophetic days, in the context. Again, in Dan. viii. 14, we read of 2300 prophetic days, after the lapse of which, “the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” That these periods are all connected with each other, and that they each signify so many years, has been long known and generally admitted; but, that they are connected with the revolutions of the heavenly bodies, appears to be but a very recent discovery! Mr. Birks, of Trinity College, Cambridge, in his “Elements of Prophecy,” just published, has very properly remarked, in p. 368, that, “It seems to have been first unfolded by M. de Chesaux, a French writer, purely as a curiosity of science; but it is Mr. Cuninghame who has revived attention to this interesting topic.” The fact is, that the original work of M. de Chesaux might have lain for ever on the shelves of the library of the University of Lausanne, had not Mr. Cuninghame searched it out with his wonted industry, and republished the author’s discovery anew in his work on the “Jubilean Chronology.” We shall endeavour to give our readers some idea of this curious discovery.
2. Lengths of the tropical year and the synodical period of the moon, according to Sir John Herschel—Application of the method of continued fractions to the determination of their approximating ratios—Various lunisolar cycles—The Octaëteris of the Greeks—The cycle of nineteen discovered by Meton, but probably known to the Hebrews—The period of Calippus—Proof that the numbers of Daniel are lunisolar cycles—Remarks of Mr. Birks in his “Elements of Prophecy”—Observations of Mr. Cuninghame in his “Scientific Chronology”—Proof that the prophetic month and the jubilean period are lunisolar cycles.
The latest determinations of the lengths of the tropical year, and the lunar month, or synodical period of the moon, are, according to Sir John Herschel, 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 49·7 seconds; and 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, 2·87 seconds. “Astronomy,” pp. 205, 224. By the method of Continued Fractions,34 we find that the continually approximating ratios of these periods are represented by the following series of fractions:
| Numbers, | (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | (7) | (8) | (9) | |
| Ratios, | ¹⁄₁₂, | ²⁄₂₅, | ³⁄₃₇, | ⁸⁄₉₉, | ¹¹⁄₁₃₆, | ¹⁹⁄₂₃₅, | ³³⁴⁄₄₁₃₁, | ³⁵³⁄₄₃₃₆, | ⁶⁸⁷⁄₈₄₉₇, | &c. |
where the numerators represent the numbers of years, and the denominators the numbers of lunations, necessary to bring the sun and moon again into the same relative position, very nearly at the same point of time in the tropical year. Of these ratios, some have been long known; the fourth is the Greek cycle called Octaëteris, discovered B.C. 600, and is a very rude approximation: the sixth is the famous cycle re-discovered by Meton B.C. 432, but probably known to the Hebrews from the earliest ages, as the lives of Seth, Methuselah and Noah are exact multiples of this cycle, as well as the Antediluvian age itself, and is a remarkably near approximation to the truth; four times this ratio gives the period of Calippus, which was rectified by the omission of one day in seventy-six years. These approximations, however, are much inferior in accuracy to the higher terms of the series; from which, in fact, any number of approximate ratios may be deduced by the following principle:—If a series of fractions be all equal to each other, the sum or difference of the numerators and denominators of any pair will constitute a new fraction equal to each; and the same is true of fractions whose numerators and denominators are equi-multiples of those of any of the given or derived fractions. Hence, from the terms of the preceding series, we derive the following additional ratios, whose degree of approximation, of course, depends on that of the fractions of which they are composed. From the eighth and ninth ratios, by addition, we obtain the ratio ¹⁰⁴⁰⁄₁₂₈₆₃, which is so remarkably correct, that the approximation is within about three-quarters of an hour of the truth. From the sixth and seventh ratios, by subtraction, we obtain, the ratio ³¹⁵⁄₃₈₉₆ = ¹²⁶⁰⁄₁₅₅₈₄, which shows that the prophetic period of 1260 years is a scientific lunisolar cycle. From the two new ratios thus obtained, by addition, we have a third new ratio ²³⁰⁰⁄₂₈₄₄₇, which proves that the prophetic period of 2300 years is another scientific cycle, in which the approximation is nearly twelve hours.
Mr. Birks, in his “Elements of Prophecy,” pp. 368–372, distinctly acknowledges the “Cyclical character of the Prophetic Times,” and gives the numerators of the above series of ratios. He adds a very ingenious explanation of these cycles, and remarks that, “the highest prophetic period, 2300 years, is perhaps the only secular cycle, composed of centuries, known to exist!” The secular cycle of 5200, though not, as far as we are aware, a prophetic period, is “composed of centuries;” and being five times the cycle of 1040 years, is so close an approximation to the truth, that it is within about 3¾ hours, and is therefore considerably more accurate than the cycle of 2300 years! What then does Mr. Birks mean in this passage? Perhaps the following sentence from Mr. Cuninghame’s “Scientific Chronology of the year 1839,” will supply the answer: “Moreover, 2300 years is the only centurial number, which is an original cycle in astronomy; for though we have a cycle of 5200 years, it is only as the multiple of the perfect one of 1040 by 5.” From the fifth and sixth ratios in the series, we obtain those of ³⁰⁄₃₇₁ and ⁴⁹⁄₆₀₆, which shows that thirty years, the prophetic month, and forty-nine years, the jubilean period, are also scientific cycles, but not possessing such close approximation to the truth as the larger cycles. In the same way, it may be easily proved, that the periods of 1290 years and 1078 years are scientific cycles; the former being three times the prophetic period of pilgrimage and trial, namely 430 years, which is also a cycle of an inferior degree of approximation; and the latter being exactly twenty-two jubilees.35