Daniel

The Book of Daniel

 1-6 Court Tales about Daniel—Jews participate in Gentile world, which is dangerous but often has happy endings.

Ultimate success depends on fidelity to God and God’s laws

 7-12 Visions/Revelations to Daniel

 1:1-2:4a; chaps. 8-12 Hebrew

 2:4b-ch. 7 Aramaic

 Daniel in Writings, not in Prophets

 Story world = 6c.



What is apocalyptic literature?

 Angelic interpretation of a dream; numerous angels and demons

 Heightened eschatology—end of the world, last judgment, resurrection

 Pseudepigraphic (Daniel, Enoch, Baruch)

 Heavenly journeys

 Calculation of endtime—3.5 times; 1,290 days; 1,335 days

 Ex eventu prophecy—prophecy after the fact



What is apocalyptic as a worldview?

 Normally the prophets said they had heard the decisions of the divine

council and reported how these decisions would be implemented in real

history. Cf. Isaiah and Sennacherib or Second Isaiah and Cyrus

 In apocalyptic, these divine decisions cannot be achieved through any

historical means—God must act directly.

History of Israel

 586 BCE Jerusalem falls to the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar

(605-562)

 539 Last king of Babylon Nabonidus (556-539) loses to Cyrus the

Persian

 323 Alexander the Great dies

 323-ca 200 Palestine ruled by Ptolemies from Egypt

More History of Israel

 200 BCE-63 BCE Palestine ruled by Seleucids from Syria

 167 Antiochus IV Epiphanes ordered sacrifice to Zeus on altar in

Jerusalem; forbade observance of sabbath and circumcision

 Revolt against Antiochus led by the Maccabees (Judas, Jonathan,

Simon) with rededication of temple (Hannukah) in 164

Historical Problems in Daniel’s description of the 6c

 Daniel 4: Nebuchadnezzar transformed into a beast. No ancient record of this.

Nabonidus was universally disliked in antiquity—thought to be crazy

 Daniel 5: King Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar; Belshazzar never became king

and he was actually the son of Nabonidus

 Belshazzar succeeded by Darius the Mede; actually Nabonidus was succeeded by

Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel knows a lot about 3rd and 2nd centuries

 Alexander hardly on throne when kingdom divided (11:3-4)

 Ptolemies and Seleucids—Kings of South and Kings of North

 Anointed priest cut off = high priest Onias III in 171 BCE Dan 9:26; cf. 2 Macc

4:34

 Persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, including profanation of temple (11:31)

 But Daniel locates his (future) death in Palestine (11:40) rather than in Persia.



Daniel 1

 The Jews Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah

(Abednego) were taught literature and language of Babylon

 They refused royal food; ate only vegetables and water. They were

fatter and better.

 Ten times smarter than local bureaucrats

Daniel 2

 Nebuchadnezzar: Tell me the dream AND its interpretation

 Statue: gold, silver, bronze, iron mixed with clay = Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece (intermarriage)

 Statue destroyed by a stone not made by human hands that becomes a mountain = kingdom of God.

 Nebuchadnezzar makes Daniel the ruler of the province of Babylon.







Daniel 3

 All officials should worship a giant statue

 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse (no Daniel)

 Vulnerability of Jewish life in diaspora.

 Fiery furnace: fourth person in the furnace

 Men freed…unharmed

 King acclaims the god of 3 men in furnace; declares no one can utter blasphemy against him.

Song of the Three Children

 Bless the Lord—all you works of the Lord, sun and moon, stars of heaven, all rain

and dew, winter cold and summer heat, dews and falling snow, ice and cold, etc.

Daniel 4

 Daniel: king will be driven from human society and made to eat grass like an ox. Hair long as eagles’ feathers,

nails like bird’s claws

 Nebuchadnezzar or Nabonidus?—latter reviled by priests of Marduk; stayed away from Babylon for a long time in

the desert

 Prayer of Nabonidus from Qumran—stricken with an evil disease.

 King ultimately restored.



Daniel 5

 Belshazzar’s feast

 Sacrilegious, drunken use of temple vessels





MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN

 The handwriting on the wall. Daniel interprets

 God has numbered your days. Weighed and found wanting

 Kingdom given to Medes and Persians

 Belshazzar killed; Darius the Mede reigns



Daniel in Lion’s Den

 Darius passes law--of Medes and Persians that cannot be changed—that everyone must pray to the

king. Daniel refuses

 Daniel thrown into lions’ den

 King prays that Daniel’s God will save him. God sent an angel to shut lions’ mouths

 Daniel’s accusers thrown to lions—eaten before they hit the bottom

Daniel in Lions’ Den



Daniel 7—Historical Setting

 Persecution by Antiochus IV Epiphanes

 Setting up of pagan altar in Jerusalem temple = “abomination of desolation”

 Martyrdom for obeying law of Moses—circumcision.

 Those who broke the Law prospered; those who kept it risked their lives.

Daniel’s vision

 Four winds stir up great sea

 Four beasts from sea: lion (Babylon), bear (Medes), leopard (Persia), fourth, different, terrifying

beast, with ten horns (Alexander and successors), followed by a little horn with an arrogant mouth

(Antiochus IV)

 Ancient One—clothing white, hair like wool, throne fiery flames, attended by 100,000,000 angels

Daniel’s vision continued

 Beast put to death

 Rest of beasts lost dominion, but their lives were prolonged

 One like a human being (son of man) came riding the clouds of heaven

 Dominion, glory, and kingship given to him—all peoples, nations, and

languages should serve him

Vision Interpreted

 Four beasts = four kings or kingdoms

 The holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom

 Fourth beast—different, iron teeth, ten horns, other horn, three horns fell

out, little horn made war with holy ones, and was winning until Ancient

One came. Then judgment given for the holy ones of the Most High

More interpretation of 4th Beast

 “Different”--western

 Speaks words against Most High

 Wears out the “Holy Ones”

 Attempts to change sacred seasons and the Law

 His time = 3.5 times

Fate of 4th Beast

 Court sits and takes away his dominion

 Kingship and dominion given to people of the holy ones of the most

high

 Everlasting kingdom

 Daniel: my thoughts terrified me, but I kept the matter in my mind.

Who are these figures?

 Ancient One and Cloud Rider—in Canaanite world = El and Baal

 In Daniel: Ancient One = God

 Cloud Rider/Son of Humanity/Michael

 Holy Ones = angels

 People of Holy Ones = Jews

Daniel 12:1-3

 Michael will stand up

 Some will be raised to everlasting life; others to everlasting contempt

 The wise will be glorified and shine like the stars.

 V. 4 keep the words secret and the book sealed

Choices during Antiochan Persecution

 Go along with the winner—Dan 11:32 “those who violate the covenant”

 Join a guerrilla resistance group—Judah the Maccabee

 Quietly and faithfully wait for God or Michael to act—advice in book of

Daniel



Is Apocalyptic escapist or dangerous

literature? Apocalyptic and social action?

 Rejection of apocalyptic by rabbis—tended to lead to revolution

 Denial of earthly vocation; I’m but a stranger here; heaven is my home.

 Taxo in the Assumption of Moses—persecuted by Antiochus, spent last

moments in fasting and prayer, left God no choice—he had to defeat

Antiochus