V. Authenticity of “2300” of Daniel 8:14 Indisputably Established
In the nineteenth century considerable discussion took place among prophetic expositors over the proper rendering of the period of Daniel 8:14 appearing in Theodotion’s Greek version—whether it was rightly 2400 days, as printed in the then—current Septuagint editions, based on the Vatican manuscript, or whether it should read 2300, as it appeared in the Alexandrine Codex and other Greek manuscripts, in agreement with the Hebrew. During the Advent Awakening in Great Britain in the early decades of that century, James H. Frere (d. 1866) and Edward Irving (d. 1834) based their interpretation of this period on 2400 years, but William Cuninghame (d. 1849) and Joshua W. Brooks (d. 1882) contended that the 2400 of the printed edition was a typographical error, and not a rendering of the 2300 of the Vatican manuscript itself. This point is not merely a technical and trivial one; it touches vital aspects of our future study and warrants a succinct statement of the problem.PFF1 176.1
There are four primary printed editions of the Septuagint, all of them containing the Theodotion translation of Daniel. These are:PFF1 177.1
1. The Complutensian (1514-17), derived from several manuscripts.PFF1 177.2
2. The Aldine (1518/ 19), derived from several manuscripts.PFF1 177.3
3. The Sixtine, or Roman (1587), based chiefly on the Codex Vaticanus, but containing readings from other manuscripts as well.PFF1 177.4
4. The Oxford, or Grabian (1707-20), based principally on the Codex Alexandrinus, with variant readings from other sources distinguished from the text.PFF1 177.5
Only the Sixtine reads 2400 days; the others give 2300. But this printed edition has generally been followed in later editions which attempted to represent the Vatican text, even long after it was known that the Vatican manuscript itself read 2300.PFF1 177.6
These four primary editions of the Septuagint all contain the Theodotion version of Daniel, for the manuscripts upon which they are based—in fact, all the Greek manuscripts of Daniel except one—came from Bibles of the early church, which had adopted Theodotion’s version in place of the original. But in 1772 came the first printing of the Septuagint Daniel from tile Chigi manuscript. It was from this Chisian text of Daniel that Cuninghame in 1826 quoted a note remarking, on the erroneous 2400 in the printed “Vatican,” that is the Sixtine, edition, and stating that the Vatican manuscript reads 2300. PFF1 177.7
The eminent Greek scholar, Samuel P. Tregelles (d. 1875), made the specific declaration that in 1845 he personally had examined the ancient Vatican manuscript itself, and found that it reads 2300, not 2400. Here is Tregelles’ explicit attestation:PFF1 177.8
“Some writers on prophecy have, in their explanations or interpretations of this vision, adopted the reading ‘two thousand and four hundred days’, and in vindication of it, they have referred to the common printed copies of the LXX version In this book, however, the translation of Theodotion has been long substituted for the real LXX—and further, although ‘two thousand four hundred’ is found in the common printed Greek copies, that is merely an erratum made in printing the Vatican edition of 1586, which has been habitually perpetuated. I looked [in 1845] at the passage in the Vatican MS, which the Roman edition professedly followed, and it reads exactly the same as the Hebrew text, so also does the real LXX of Daniel (So too Cardinal Mai’s edition from the Vatican MS. which appeared in 1857.)” But the most common editions of the Septuagint have, until recently contained the number 2400 in Daniel 8:14, taken directly or indirectly from the Sixtine text. They frequently, but not always, carry the variant reading 2300 in the margin credited to the Codex Alexandrinus. Such popular editions as Bagster’s, taken from the Bagster Polyglot (issued in 1821, ‘26, ‘31, ‘51, ‘69, ‘78, and probably later in undated printings) carry 2400 in the text and 2300 in the margin. Even the Oxford editions (1848, ‘75) and Tischendorf’s (1850, ‘56, ‘60, ‘69, ‘75, ‘80, ‘87), giving both Theodotion and LXX versions of Daniel, have 2400 as the Theodotion rendering and 2300 as the Septuagint, as if the two numbers were due to the difference between the two ancient versions.PFF1 178.1
But since the actual Vatican manuscript has become more accessible, and published in dependable facsimile form, modern scholarly editions have entirely dropped the reading 2400. Of course, Septuagint Bibles based on the Codex Alexandrinus, such as the Grabian and certain Greek Orthodox editions, give 2300; but also modern editions based on the Codex Vaticanus are taken from the facsimile reproductions of the manuscript itself rather than the mixed text of the Sixtine edition. For example, those of Swete (Cambridge, 1887-94, latest edition 1925-30) and Rahlfs (Stuttgart, 1935) have 2300 in both Theodotion and LXX versions of Daniel, and do not even deign to mention the erroneous 2400 In a note.PFF1 178.2
Picture 1: TEXT OF VATICAN MANUSCRIPT OF Daniel 8:14 READS 2300
Photographic facsimile of opening verses of Daniel 1, of Vatican manuscript, “gr 1209 (codex b),” containing the later Theodotion version of Daniel supplanted the original Alexandrian version of LXX of Daniel (left column) text of Daniel 8:6-11 and 8:11-18, showing beyond doubt than in spite of the misprint, “2400”, in many printed copies, the original manuscript actually reads two thousand three hundred (Triakosiai, 300), as indicated by the arrow (center and right columns).
Page 179PFF1 179
However, because so many copies are still afloat bearing the old Sixtine error, 2400; and because these facts and conclusions might still be questioned by some who have not personally seen the visual evidence, a reproduction of the page from the treasured Vatican manuscript is here presented (see illustration on page 179), so that all who desire may see for themselves that the text of the Vatican manuscript definitely reads staxckt”t xai wtax6atat’ (dischiliai kai triakosiai, “two thousand and three hundred”). Hence the printed number two thousand and four hundred in the Sixtine edition, which is based thereon, is clearly a printer’s error, or typographical misprint.PFF1 179.1
So 2300 is indisputably the genuine number in the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. The integrity of this prophetic number 2300, in Daniel 8:14, will hereafter be regarded as established. This particular point has been discussed with some fullness here, as the 2300-day period will prove to be a progressively important factor in prophetic interpretation in Volumes II, III, and IV of this work.PFF1 180.1
In the centuries following the period of the Septuagint there were produced many Jewish writings of an apocalyptic nature, which involved interpretation of the Messianic prophecies and eschatology. The following chapter will discuss the earlier writings of this class, down to and including the first century of the Christian Era, and ending with Josephus’ interpretation of Daniel. This will round off the Jewish interpretation to about the time when the New Testament prophetic interpretation takes the field.PFF1 180.2
