our way the years are
_Jewish Luni-solar years_, [11] as they ought to be; and the _seventy weeks
of years_ are _Jewish weeks_ ending with _sabbatical years_, which is very
remarkable. For they end either with the year of the birth of _Christ_, two
years before the vulgar account, or with the year of his death, or with the
seventh year after it: all which are _sabbatical years_. Others either
count by Lunar years, or by weeks not _Judaic_: and, which is worst, they
ground their interpretations on erroneous Chronology, excepting the opinion
of _Funccius_ about the _seventy weeks_, which is the same with ours. For
they place _Ezra_ and _Nehemiah_ in the reign of _Artaxerxes Mnemon_, and
the building of the Temple in the reign of _Darius Nothus_, and date the
weeks of _Daniel_ from those two reigns.

The grounds of the Chronology here followed, I will now set down as briefly
as I can.

The _Peloponnesian_ war began in spring _An._ 1 _Olymp._ 87, as _Diodorus_,
_Eusebius_, and all other authors agree. It began two months before
_Pythodorus_ ceased to be _Archon_, _Thucyd._ l. 2. that is, in _April_,
two months before the end of the _Olympic_ year. Now the years of this war
are most certainly determined by the 50 years distance of its first year
from the transit of _Xerxes_ inclusively, _Thucyd._ l. 2. or 48 years
exclusively, _Eratosth. apud Clem. Alex._ by the 69 years distance of its
end, or 27th year, from the beginning of _Alexander_'s reign in _Greece_;
by the acting of the _Olympic_ games in its 4th and 12th years, _Thucyd._
l. 5; and by three eclipses of the sun, and one of the moon, mentioned by
_Thucydides_ and _Xenophon_. Now _Thucydides_, an unquestionable witness,
tells us, that the news of the death of _Artaxerxes Longimanus_ was brought
to _Ephesus_, and from thence by some _Athenians_ to _Athens_, in the 7th
year of this _Peloponnesian_ war, when the winter half year was running;
and therefore he died _An._ 4 _Olymp._ 88, in the end of _An. J.P._ 4289,
suppose a month or two before midwinter; for so long the news would be in
coming. Now _Artaxerxes Longimanus_ reigned 40 years, by the consent of
_Diodorus_, _Eusebius_, _Jerome_, _Sulpitius_; or 41, according to _Ptol.
in can. Clem. Alexand._ l. 1. _Strom. Chron. Alexandr_. _Abulpharagius_,
_Nicephorus_, including therein the reign of his successors _Xerxes_ and
_Sogdian_, as _Abulpharagius_ informs us. After _Artaxerxes_ reigned his
son _Xerxes_ two months, a