DANIEL 9: DANIEL'S PRAYER AND THE VISION OF THE 70 WEEKS

 

This chapter tells us that this happens in the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede (see 5:30;9:1). By now Daniel is an old man. He was probably around 14 years old, when he was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar and sent to Babylon in 605 BC. Daniel had been 68 years in captivity, and by now he was an old man of roughly 82.  The Babylonian empire has fallen, just as he had prophesied by the inspiration that God had given him. Darius the Mede came to power in 537 B.C. when he had conquered Babylon. The head of gold (Nebuchanezzar)  is no more. The second  kingdom, the Medo- Persian kingdom,alternatively described as "chest and arms of silver” (2:32),  "the bear“ (7:5); the ram with two horns (8:3)  rules.

This chapter has three divisions:

1.      9:1 -2 What Daniel learned from studying the Scriptures

2.      9:3 – 19 How Daniel turns to God in Prayer as a result of his studies

3.      9:20 – 27 The Lord's response to Daniel : The revelation of the  70 weeks

 

               1.  9:1-2 WHAT DANIEL LEARNED FROM STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES

We find Daniel reading the Scriptures, the books - a collection of scrolls. He was reading the prophecies of Jeremiah. It is possible that Daniel in his youth might have met/heard Jeremiah, the weeping prophet pleading with the unrepentant nation of Judah to return to their God. As he read the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, he began to understand, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70   years.  The passage which he must have been reading would have referred  to Jeremiah 25:8 - 13 and 29:10 - 14.

Now, if 68 years had passed since the first Jews were taken into captivity, this would mean that only 2 years were left before Jerusalem was going to be rebuilt and re-inhabited again. Daniel’s heart must have jumped for joy. The only problem was that there was as yet no visible sign that this would be fulfilled. The new empire had not given any indication that they were going to release the Jews. We know that  this happened in the time of Nehemiah and Ezra.  Neither was there any sign of revival, a spiritual return to God.  The captive Jews were no more spiritually minded  than they were before.  So, what was Daniel to do?

        2.  9:3-19 DANIEL TURNS TO GOD IN PRAYER

Against such a background Daniel began to call on the Lord in prayer.  Stuart Olyott says[1], "Daniel could see no more than a few who were heartily seeking God, so he determined to do it himself. He behaved like a man with a cheque from heaven. The cheque promised return from exile, on condition of a   renewed seeking of the Lord. As far as Daniel could see, nobody else was interested in cashing it. He therefore decided to do it...".

He was standing on the promises of God, and in so doing he recognised the divine inspiration of the word of the prophet Jeremiah. He said, on the basis of this prophecy, “God has said that after 70 years we can go home. This is a divine promise.   Therefore I will ask Him concerning it." God is faithful to His word, and therefore a believer may legitimately claim what is promised to  them by God, but it remains a practise which is   understood and practised so little, because we do not know our Bibles,  and therefore we do not know how to claim the promises. [See for instance the promises given in the Lord’s prayer- Matthew 6:9-13]

Without giving detailed attention to every word or phrase in Daniel’s prayer let us consider the approach and content of this prayer. This will provide us   with a very practical working model and approach to biblical prayer. Our Lord Jesus, in Matthew 6, emphasised the importance of praying to our Father who is in heaven, with the explicit purpose of seeking Him and His will for the purpose of our comfort and for our good.  In this particular case what was needed for the good of Israel was true repentance.  With that in mind, consider Daniel.

 a.       His attitude in prayer before God:  There is nothing bombastic, arrogant, presumptuous or demanding in Daniel's approach to God. He is humble before God. He pleads, fasts, puts on sackcloth. He confesses and identifies with the sins of his nation (9:3, 4). He means business as He addresses the Sovereign Lord earnestly and with the view of obtaining an answer in prayer. Daniel knew that God was His Father in Heaven. He was used to keeping company with God. He had a holy familiarity with God. He knew the work of prayer and communion with God.    Remember that it was Daniel's habit to pray 3 times daily (6:10). He fully expected God to hear him. 

b.      His method of prayer before God :

(i)                 9:4 In worship -  the “I – Thou” relationship. Daniel knew who He was, he knew who God was: “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant…”

(ii)                9:5,6 In confession. In this confession he cannot separate himself from his people  Israel (see  the ‘we’ in 9: 5,6,8,9,10,11,14,15). In 9:11 - 14, Daniel  confesses  freely  that  the Babylonian exile  and  the suffering  of  Israel  is nothing less than what Moses had  promised would happen if the nation turned its back on God. The             present punishment is a fulfilment of a divine warning and promise in Deuteronomy 28 – Blessings for obedience ; curses for disobedience.

(iii)             9:4,9,18 Recalling God’s attributes-  We see how confession is mingled with a recalling of God's attributes, and primarily His mercy. It was on that ground of God's revealed character that Daniel could ultimately approach the God who is merciful.

           c.        His arguments, pleadings and urgency in prayer:  This is particularly evident from 9:16 onwards: "let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem“; 9:17 "listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy…";   9:18: “Oh my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.”  9:19 “O Lord, hear, O Lord, forgive. O Lord pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

Consider then the boldness with which Daniel approaches His God. Consider His argumentation. He stubbornly rests upon God’s own Word and Promises which are rooted in the revealed character and will of God in the prophetic Scriptures. He repeats that which God has said, and two things stand out…

(i)                 He presumes upon God’s mercy to undeserving sinners.

(ii)               He reminds God that Jerusalem and His people are called by His Name. They are His responsibility. He cannot now deny them. Therefore He must hear, act, and  not delay! When last have you prayed like that? This is one of the secrets of prayer. We must prevail with God (see Luke 11:5-13 and 18:1-8). And we must prevail with God, not on the basis of our own wills, but on the basis of His will. Notice that Daniel's plea is not that God will act for the people’s sake. They do not deserve it. They are hardened rebels. But the fact still remains   that they are His people and they are named by God's name. And now they live in exile and abject misery - and all this reflects on God's great name. The   nations mock them and they mock their God. God must now act, for His own sake, for His own reputation, His own Name! That is the argument that Daniel uses!  When last have we prayed like that? Have we ever prayed like that? Can we learn something from this prayer, as we look at the state of the Christian church in Namibia today? "Oh God, for your great Name's sake, will you not revive Namibia again?" (Ps. 86:5)

  3.                  9:20 – 27 GOD’S  RESPONSE TO DANIEL – THE SEVENTY WEEKS

 a.      9:20-23.What happens as a result of this prayer? God gives an answer to Daniel!  Gabriel, the angel whom we have met already in 8:16 came to Daniel in response to this prayer (9:22).  Please note that Daniel already has a reputation in heaven … “You are greatly loved” (9:23). Here we have one of these very rare glimpses into what heaven thinks of some people. We have a glimpse into what happens when people earnestly pray.   This prayer of Daniel is answered positively… “I have now come to give you insight and understanding…(22) therefore consider the word and understand the vision.” (23)

b.      9:24  This prophecy of the seventy weeks (or seventy sevens)  is one of the  most difficult in the entire O.T. and there is, as one might expect, no shortage of  ink spilt  on this matter. I am not about to enter into a debate on those issues.  I want to avoid obscurities and focus on what is clear.  What is clear is that this comes as an answer in response to Daniel’s prayer. It comes as a word of hope and a word of perspective on the present situation. But, what Daniels hears here from Gabriel encompasses so much more than the present. This is one of these prophetic passages (like Isaiah 53- the suffering servant) that has a much bigger historical framework than what appears at face value.  

The immediate context is that of the Jews in Babylonian exile. In reading the prophecy of Jeremiah Daniel understands that the Babylonian exile will last for 70 years. It is time to go home very soon. But, what then?  

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city…”.  Gabriel is saying to Daniel- “you have been reading about the 70 years… you have been thinking about the future of your people and Jerusalem …well this is going to happen by  divine decree– see 9:24. The interpretive minefield here is the meaning of the 70  weeks / sevens – are these  7 literal weeks – 490 days  or are they  70x7 years – 490 years, or is this simply a symbolic period? I don’t know.  So let us focus on the clarity rather than the obscurity.  What must happen in those seventy weeks following the 70 year exile?  The Jewish people and Jerusalem must  finish the transgression, the end of sins, atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness,  to have all visions and prophecy sealed (i.e. completed) , and a most holy place anointed… all this must happen in this mysterious time frame.

Our focus must not be on a literal earthly time frame, but on a divine time table. Above all we must be focussed on the necessity of what must happen here. 

With that in mind, let me ask you:  Who alone can put an end to sin? Who can atone for iniquity? Who can bring in everlasting righteousness? Who seals all visions and prophecies? Who ultimately anoints  a most holy place (the temple of God)? To whom must the vision point? Who is God’s final prophet? It is Jesus alone! (Hebr. 1:1-3).  So, in effect, Gabriel said, “Daniel, you’ve been thinking about the seventy years of exile for God’s people. Well, that’s not the only seventy in God’s program for Jerusalem. In seventy periods of seven, Jerusalem will witness even greater things.” Jerusalem will be a witness to the coming of Jesus! That is the broad sweep of the future before Daniel. 

We pause to consider this: the future is in God’s hands. Gabriel says, “Daniel, what lies before you and your people is in the hands of a good  and merciful God.”

c.       In 9:25 - 27 we see how the seventy weeks are divided.  Three periods  make up 70 weeks.

(i)     9:25 seven weeks – a relatively  short time

(ii)   9:26 sixty two sevens – a relatively long time

(iii) 9:27  one week – an intense short time

 The Bible uses “seven” as a figure of perfection.  Daniel’s “seventy sevens” is a perfect and complete period of time. Just like  “forgiving seventy times seven”  is a figure for complete and perfect forgiveness, so Daniel’s “seventy sevens” is the decreed period in which the great work of God is brought to complete perfection.

 The period of the (a) seven weeks (9:25) coincides with the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The rebuilding of the city with squares and moat (streets with trenches) refers to the rebuilding of Jerusalem by men like Ezra and Nehemiah (460 to 410 BC) which began when king Artarxerxes gave the command to rebuild Jerusalem.

The period of the (b) 62 weeks (9:26)encompasses a much longer period of time (@ 410 BC to 30 AD) which began with Jerusalem rebuilt and restored (Note:  “it shall be built again… but in a troubled time”). This period finishes with Christ’s first coming and, more specifically, with the beginning of His public ministry. After the 62 weeks the Anointed One (Messiah) will be cut off (9:26)- a reference to the cross.

Thereafter  the  city and the sanctuary will be destroyed again, and we know, that  soon after Jesus' death,  almost  40 years later  in A.D. 70 Jerusalem and the temple were   destroyed under the Roman general Titus (… the prince who  is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary). Why did this happen? Once again, the Jews had rejected the gospel of God. The Lord Jesus made it clear, that His rejection by the Jews would mean the destruction of their city and their temple (see the Olivet discourse in Matthew 24).

The period of the (c) one week (9:27): This is a very difficult text. Who is it that makes the strong covenant with many? If we stick to the context then the prince who destroys Jerusalem and the temple is here in view. This is the week when darkness reigns. It seems as if this is the period of the Anti- Christ – the man of lawlessness which Paul has in mind in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. It seems to be that time before Christ’s return, when the anti-Christ imposes  his authority,  forbids true worship and promotes idolatrous worship. 

However that is not the end. Here is the end: “And on the  wing of abominations shall come the one who makes desolate, until the  decreed end  is poured out on the desolation.” D.R Davies says, “he finally runs into the meat grinder of God’s decree. Predetermined. On target. Certain”.[2] This is the conclusion of our chapter. This is what Daniel saw. This is what you must see. The final triumph belongs to God. Hallelujah!

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[1] Stuart Olyott:  Daniel  ( Welwyn Commentary), p. 119

[2] D.R. Davies BST series  (IVP) :Daniel, p.138

DANIEL 8 : THE VISION OF THE RAM, THE GOAT AND THE LITTLE HORN

 

Daniel’s vision depicts an extended time of history, filled with huge political turbulence. Illustratively, nearly 200 years of Medo- Persian history (The Ram) are summed up in 8:4[1] alone.  This vision was so exhausting and so big that it actually had physical effects upon Daniel. And he had no ability to understand what was happening (8:27). Here is my preacher’s dilemma. When a  man like  Daniel, a divinely gifted interpreter of dreams and visions  struggles to understand this vision, even being helped by  the angel  Gabriel explaining this prophecy to him,  of what help can I  be to you? 

Answer: We cast ourselves on the mercy of God, and with a knowledge of historical happenings, and in the fuller light of NT revelation  we make work of this.

OUTLINE

1.      8:1 – 14 : DANIEL'S VISION

1.1.            8:1-2  The Place of the Vision

1.2.            8:3-12  What Daniel saw

1.3.            8:13,14 What Daniel heard

2.      8:15 – 27 INTERPRETATION

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1.  8:1-14  DANIEL'S VISION

1.1.   8:1-2 The Place of the Vision.

This vision was given to Daniel in the third year of King Belshazzar (8:1) – in about 550 BC. This happened two years after he had received the vision which we had considered   in Daniel 7.  In Daniel 8 he had a vision in which he was transported to Susa, the city which after the collapse of Babylon, became the capital city of Persia. This is the city where Nehemiah and Esther will later be found. Susa, in the province of Elam  was approximately 350 kilometres   south east of Babylon  (in today’s SW Iran). In this vision  Daniel found himself  beside the Ulai canal / river,  in the vicinity of Susa. [2]  

 1.2.   8:3 – 12  What Daniel saw

8:3-4 He saw a ram with 2 high horns standing on the bank of the canal. One of the horns grew to be higher than the other (8:3).  This ram pushed in all directions. Nothing was able to stop it. Thankfully there is no guesswork needed as to its symbolism. We are told in 8:20 that this ram symbolizes Media and Persia. History tells us that the Medes, an ancient Iranian tribe under the leadership of Darius conquered Babylon, and then somehow  the  Persians (another  ancient Iranian tribe) under Cyrus the Persian (c. 600–530 BC)  became the stronger and dominant  power – the higher  horn. These then are the two horns – Media and Persia.  The Persians considered a ram with sharp, pointed horns to be their guardian spirit. The king bore the head of a ram instead of a crown when he led his armies into battle.[3] Rams are aggressive and they like to butt. That was the nature of the Medo-Persian empire. Especially under Cyrus it gained much territory. His empire at its height stretched from parts of the Balkans  - Eastern Bulgaria, Macedonia and Southeast Europe  in the west,  to the Indus Valley in the east. His reign lasted about thirty years.

8:5-8 Secondly, in his vision, Daniel saw a goat with a  conspicuous  horn between his eyes, coming from the West. This goat is identified as the king of Greece (8:21). This goat (Greece) absolutely destroys the ram (Persia) in 8:7. This goat is so swift - it doesn't even touch the ground (8:5). History tells us of a famous Greek general of this period. He is Alexander the Great (356 - 323 BC). He is this conspicuous horn. At the height of his power, his horn (following an early death) is broken off (8:8,22). His empire was now divided into four conspicuous horns (8: 8,22). Four strong men took his place. Again history tells us who they were.  They were  

(i)  Cassander, who ruled  Macedonia  

(ii)  Lysimachus,  who ruled  Thrace and Asia Minor  

(iii)  Seleuchus who ruled Syria  and 

(iv) Ptolemy who ruled Egypt.

Thirdly, In 8:9-14  Daniel  now notices how out of these four horns of Alexander’s  divided kingdom, there comes another  little horn.  We are told that this little horn “grew exceedingly  great  toward the south, toward the east and toward the glorious land” (i.e. Daniel’s land - 8:9).

This little horn becomes the focus of this chapter. We have already seen a little horn in 7:8ff. We have seen there that this little horn is much darker and greater and timeless than the first four beasts/ horns (Babylonia/ Medo-Persia /Greece/ Rome). In chapter 7 the  little horn grew out of the fourth  beast - the Roman empire. According  to  Daniel 7  the 4th empire,  the Roman empire has 3 periods : (i) the Roman  empire (ii)  the time of the ten horns (iii)  the time of the little horn  which  introduces  the "last days", because with it the great judgement of God against that little horn begins with it being destroyed  (7:11ff).  

In Chapter 8 however, this little horn does not arise out of the Roman empire. It arises from a part of the divided Greek empire following Alexander’s death, BEFORE the Romans were to come on the scene. This little horn is however very similar in its destructive power. It is very much a type of the great anti- Christ who expands his rule in the world in a growing fashion. The conflict between the “little horn” and God at this point becomes almost bigger than life. The little horn not only destroys nations, but it is at war with the host of heaven – with God! It achieves things which are more than human. It causes some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the ground and trampled on them” (8:10). It became great…as the prince of the host… the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of the sanctuary was overthrown…(8:11). “It will throw truth to the ground….” (8:12). This little horn thinks himself equal with God, going as far as directly opposing God. It seems as if this little horn changes from a man to an incarnation of Satan himself. The focus shifts from the Israel and the temple, to the host of heaven and the stars of heaven. This type of language is found in the book of Revelation (e.g. Rev.12:4)? Much more exists here than meets the eye.

Who is this little horn in the context of the divided Greek empire?

This little horn is probably Antiochus Epiphanes IV. He ruled in Syria in the dynasty of the former Greek  Seleucid  empire in about 175 B.C. He has sometimes been called the anti -Christ of the Old Testament period. In the time between the return of Jewish exiles from Babylon and the rise of the Roman emperors, the land of Judea was caught between two ruling powers: the Seleucid Kingdom of Syria in the north and Ptolemaic Egypt in the south. These kingdoms, both successors of Alexander the Great’s empire, fought with each other with the Jewish nation in between them.

Antiochus Epiphanes IV initially  sought to win the favour of the Jews with flattery (11:21,32,)  but when that failed, he became a bitter persecutor of the Jews. He is the one that   desecrated the temple in Jerusalem, by defiling Israel’s temple ( 8:11; 11:31). He is said to have sacrificed pigs in the altar.  He also conducted  a genocide of the  Jewish people.  In this time "truth was thrown to the ground" (8:12), and therefore  this period  became  a time of apocalyptic suffering for the people of God. We shall read more of him in Daniel 11:21 – 35 where he is there called a 'contemptible person'.

 1.3.       8:13,14      What Daniel heard

But how long was this persecution, this nightmare to last? This question was asked by one angel to another in 8:13. The answer is given in 8:14.   For 2300 days!  If a year has 365 days then this comes to 6 years and three months. This ties well up with history, because  we know that Antiochus Epiphanes  persecuted the Jews violently from 171 until 165 B.C.  

At this time a resistance movement arose among the Jews. We find this history in the apocryphal books of the Macabees. Judas Maccabeus was a Jewish priest who led the revolt against the Seleucid Empire (167–160 BCE).  The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ("Dedication") – at our time of Christmas commemorates the restoration of Jewish worship at the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BC, after Judas  Maccabee removed all of the idolatrous  statues and purified it. He restored the sanctuary to its rightful state (8:14)

2. 8:15 – 27 INTERPRETATION

We have covered the ground already to a large extent. A few further comments will suffice:

In 8:15,16: Daniel was trying to understand the vision, and here we find a  man's voice on the banks of the Ulai canal/ river  (8:16)  commanding the angel Gabriel to explain the vision.  You will remember that this Gabriel is the one who also appeared to Mary in Lk.1:26ff. Angels appear very rarely, even in biblical history.  But they do appear at crucial crossroads in human history. The voice speaking to Gabriel is probably  the voice of the pre-incarnate Son of  man – the Lord Jesus:  Who  else can command the angels?

8:17-18 Note the  common effect when the unholy (sinful) meets the holy. Daniel is afraid, and becomes unconscious. No –one can  stand in the presence of the holy  God.

8:19-22 we have sufficiently dealt with.

8:23-25  again deals with  the anti - Christ of the OT - Antiochus Epiphanes IV. We have already noted that he is the master of intrigue, and a blasphemer without equal. In 8:25 it is then said that  "he will be broken - but  by  no human hand."

Now we need to make the connection with our earlier observations in Daniel 2. There we find the stone cut out by no human hand (2:34), which ultimately destroys the statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream (2:34).These are the fingers without a hand that   announce Belshazzar's downfall and death (5:5).  It is that very same hand that will be responsible   for Antiochus' downfall.

Well, how did this play out in history? According to 2 Maccabees 9:5-9, we read concerning the fate  of  Antiochus Epiphanes  IV:

"But the all-seeing Lord, the God of Israel, struck him with an incurable and invisible blow. As soon as he stopped speaking he was seized with a pain in his bowels, for which there was no relief, and with sharp internal tortures— and that very justly, for he had tortured the bowels of others with many and strange inflictions. Yet he did not in any way stop his insolence, but was even more filled with arrogance, breathing fire in his rage against the Jews, and giving orders to drive even faster. And so it came about that he fell out of his chariot as it was rushing along, and the fall was so hard as to torture every limb of his body. Thus he who only a little while before had thought in his superhuman arrogance that he could command the waves of the sea, and had imagined that he could weigh the high mountains in a balance, was brought down to earth and carried in a litter, making the power of God manifest to all. And so the ungodly man's body swarmed with worms, and while he was still living in anguish and pain, his flesh rotted away, and because of the stench the whole army felt revulsion at his decay." [4]

LESSONS

1.God is always  in control of history.  Stuart Olyott says, "To him the great Medo-Persian empire is nothing but a lop-sided ram.  The might of Greece is a woolly sheep, and Alexander the Great is a  brittle horn that can be snapped off with the fingers."[5]

Once again, we affirm the sovereign hand of God in all the affairs of men in all of history. Evil kingdoms (there have been so many) shall be destroyed - not by human hands, but by the sovereign hand of God. Our great comfort is this. It does not matter how great our enemies are. It does not matter who the tyrant is, and in which epoch of history he lives. The  hand of God  shall judge him. 

Martin Luther is correct when he wrote in his famous hymn, “A mighty fortress is our God “

"And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to  undo us,

We will not fear, for God has willed His Truth to triumph  through us:

The prince of darkness grim - we tremble not for him; his  rage we can endure,

For lo, his doom is sure, one little word shall fell him."

"One little word shall fell him". There have been many people in history  who have shaken their fists in the face of God, only to come to a terrible end:  Antiochus Epiphanes, the Roman emperor Nero and many other cruel Roman emperors  that persecuted the early Christian church. Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Mao Tse Tung, all are   little horns, that have come and gone. We must remember, that to God these are all little horns. To us their power is impressive and even overwhelming at times. They seem invincible but God laughs at puny  human power (Psalm 2). So too, we know, that the spirit  of the anti- Christ in its various manifestations  and the ultimate  anti- Christ  will be  defeated by Christ at His return (2 Thess. 2:8)

2. God does not tolerate that human dictators should abuse His people. God cares forHis own. His wrath on those who persecute His people is terrible! What folly to fight against such a God. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31)

3. God's own Horn will do it! The angel Gabriel does not appear here for the last time. He came to announce the birth of John the Baptist (Lk. 1:19) and of Jesus (1:26,27). Hear the song of   Zechariah in Lk. 1:67 - 69: "He has raised up a horn of  salvation for us!" This is the horn of God Almighty. This is the Lord Jesus Christ: not a ram  or a goat, but the Lamb of God, who takes away not only our  sin-  that  terrible  bondage which will, if unatoned, keep us out of heaven and  find us  in eternal hell. He is also the One that will final conquer and kill our greatest enemy- Satan!  Hallelujah - what a victory! Take heart people of God. Stay close to Jesus in these   days.

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[1] D.R. Davis: The Message of Daniel , IVP, p. 106

[2] E.J. Young: Commentary on Daniel ( Banner of Truth) : The canal  was  900 feet in breadth and it     connected  2 other rivers the Choapses and Coprates, and passed by   Susa on the North East

[3] https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/13845/Ram-as-Symbol.htm

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_IV_Epiphanes

[5] Stuart Olyott : Dare to stand alone ( Commentary on Daniel ) Welwyn series , p. 112