Abomination of desolation

"Abomination of desolation"^[a] is a phrase from the Book of Daniel describing the pagan sacrifices with which the 2nd century BC Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes replaced the twice-daily offering in the Jewish temple, or alternatively the altar on which such offerings were made.^[1]

In the 1st century AD it was taken up by the authors of the gospels in the context of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in the year 70,^[2] with the Gospel of Mark placing the "abomination of desolation" into a speech by Jesus concerning the Second Coming.^[3] It is widely accepted that Mark was the source used by the authors of the Gospel of Matthew and of Luke for their parallel passages,^[4] with Matthew 24:15–16^[5] adding a reference to Daniel^[6] and Luke 21:20–21^[7] giving a description of the Roman armies ("But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies..."); in all three it is likely that the authors had in mind a future eschatological (i.e., end-time) event, and perhaps the activities of some antichrist.^[8]

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).