Daniel

By Mary Jane Chaignot

The book of Daniel is an enigma. It is written in both Hebrew and Aramaic, and has two major divisions. The first six chapters involve court stories, while chapters 7-12 describe visions. However, the language difference is sprinkled throughout and does not follow the division between stories and visions. Scholars have devised many theories but no definitive explanation for addressing the bilingual aspect of the book. Most accept the theory of multiple authors over the centuries.

The literary setting for the first half of the book is the time of the exile. Its narrator, Daniel, was likely among those captured and taken hostage by Nebuchadnezzar in 605-604 BCE. Daniel remained in the court until the first year of Cyrus, approximately 535BCE. Many believe these memoirs reflect a Persian influence and think he composed them after Persian had become the official language. That would have made Daniel close to ninety years old, assuming he was a young man when he was captured. This is all possible, if indeed, Daniel was an historic figure.

Many scholars question this and believe the book was composed during the second century towards the end of the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BCE). There are many and varied reasons for this argument, but the main points are that the vocabulary and style more closely resemble the usage of the second century than the sixth. The historical details are more accurate in describing second century events rather than the sixth. And there is no mention of this book prior to the second century.

Notwithstanding the discovery of new findings, these debates will continue. It is possible, however, that even if the book was composed in the second century, it still contains certain elements that come from a much earlier period. That would make final authorship difficult to determine, but many scholars look to the Hasideans, identified in I Maccabees 2:42 and 7:13-17. These hasidim were from the observant school and were proponents of traditional religion. Scholars believe that both the Qumran community on the Dead Sea and the biblical Pharisees evolved from this group. During the first and second centuries, they would have been in opposition to the Hellenizing priests in Jerusalem and are strong contenders for being the authors of this book.

If this theory is correct, it will be helpful to know some of the relevant historical data of the second century. After the Babylonians, of course, came the Persians. By 490 BCE, however, the Greeks began battling them. This culminated with the successes of Alexander the Great. Upon his death in 323 BCE, his half-brother became king (in name only) for seven years, while Alexander's four generals maintained military control. Ultimately, the generals divided up the empire among themselves. The one assigned to Egypt and Palestine was Ptolemy; Seleucus had Babylon and Phrygia. Around 198 BCE, the Seleucid ruler Antiochus III managed to wrest Judah away from Ptolemaic control. (Interestingly, that meant that Jews living both in Babylon and Palestine were under the same ruler.) Antiochus was succeeded by his son and then his grandson, Antiochus IV (175-63).

The stories swirling around about Antiochus IV are grim and probably accurate. He seems to have relished persecuting followers of Yahweh. Some of his more notable transgressions are: He replaced the high priest with someone of his own choosing. He established a gymnasium in Jerusalem wherein males participated in the nude, causing many young males to attempt to reverse their circumcision. He plundered the temple in Jerusalem. He ordered an attack on the Sabbath when many observant Jews refused to take up arms to defend themselves, resulting in a virtual slaughter. He stationed soldiers within the temple, thus transgressing its sanctity. He erected pagan altars and sacrificed unclean animals upon them and forbade certain Judaic practices. But the ultimate insult was when he set up an altar to Zeus in the temple and offered an unclean sacrifice upon it. Some Judeans tried to revolt, while others passively acquiesced.

If this book was written during this period, it would have been a "tract for the times," written for encouragement and comfort to Jews who were living in a rapidly changing world. The stories from the sixth century showed Jews achieving success within a new culture. They could be in service to a benign king while remaining faithful to God, and, indeed, commending their God to the pagans around them. But by the second century, the reigning king was anything but benign, leading to a series of apocalyptic visions. The worldview of the visions looks for an in-breaking of God in a new kingdom where the Jews would have a secure place. Such an act from heaven would transfer power from an evil ruler to the people of the holy ones on high. The visions, then, are not a rejection of their earlier history, but an extension of it; hence the two parts – stories and visions -- were placed side by side. These apocalyptic visions would have given them reason to stand firm in the midst of their alien culture, much like Daniel and his friends had done centuries earlier. The message would have included the hope that deliverance was at hand.

There are two main divisions: The Court Stories 1-6; Apocalyptic Visions 7-12.

I -- The Court Stories 1-6

1:1-21
- Four wise youths in the court of Nebuchadnezzar
  - 1:1-2
    - The people of God in a foreign land
    - Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem; people were taken into exile
  - 1:3-5
    - King looked for recruits among people of Israel
    - Offer included king's diet, finest education
  - 1:6-7
    - New names for Daniel and three friends
  - 1:8-16
    - Daniel resolved not to defile himself with king's food
    - Given 10-day trial to prove themselves
    - Passed easily; dietary habits were vindicated
  - 1:17-21
    - They found favour with God
    - Daniel given ability to understand visions and dreams
2:1-13
- Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dreams
- Wise men could not interpret dreams
- King ordered them all to be killed
2:14-23
- Daniel to the rescue
- Upon hearing about decree, Daniel begged the king for more time
- Daniel and his friends prayed for divine compassion in revealing dream
- Mystery was revealed to Daniel in vision during the night
  - 2:20-23
    - Daniel sings hymn of praise
2:24-35
- Daniel interprets dream Daniel gives God the glory
  - 2:31-35
    - Description of the dream Colossal image that was reduced to powder by huge stone
2:36-45
- Interpretation of the dream
- Four different metals represented four kingdoms
- Generally thought to be Babylonians, Medes, Persians, Greeks (Selucids and Ptolemies)
- These kingdoms will not endure; God's kingdom will be without end
2:46-49
- King paid honour to Daniel
- Acknowledged God is worthy of praise above all others
- Promoted him and his friends
3:1-30
- Golden image and fiery furnace
  - 3:1-7
    - Construction and dedication of the image
    - At the sound of music, all were to worship the image
    - Failure to do so would result in death
  - 3:8-18
    - Chaldeans accused the Jews
    - King reacted with fury, demanded the three Jews be brought in
    - King gave them every opportunity to worship image
    - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused
    - God is able to save; but if He doesn't, they would still not worship
  - 3:19-30
    - Nebuchadnezzar heated up the furnace
    - Three young men walked around in furnace unharmed "four men loose…the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods"
    - King called the men to come forth – "no smell of fire had come upon them"
    - King acknowledged God, decreed no one could speak against Him
    - Hebrews were promoted again
4:1-18
- Letter from the king acknowledged the greatness of God
- King dreamed of a great tree; then tree was cut down with a stump remaining
- Knew Daniel could interpret it because "the spirit of the holy gods is in you"
4:19-27
- Daniel (named Belteshazzar) interpreted the dream
- Tree represented the king
- King will be forced out, reduced to eating grass until he acknowledges the Most High – seven years' time
- Stump indicates kingdom will be waiting for him, a sign of hope
- Appeals to the king to turn from his sins, shorten the time
4:28-37
- Fulfillment of the dream
- Within a year, king was reduced to madness
- Had been congratulating himself on successes
  - 4:34-37
    - King lifted his eyes to heaven, was restored
5:1-31
- Belshazzar's feast (identified as Nebuchadnezzar's son)
  - 5:1-4
    - Description of the feast
  - 5:5-9
    - Ghostly hand writes on the wall
    - Belshazzar will promote and handsomely pay anyone who interprets it
    - None of the wise men can do so
  - 5:10-23
    - Daniel was brought before the king
    - Queen recommended Daniel to interpret writing on wall
    - Daniel was brought in; king offered him a great reward
    - Daniel refused reward, lectured king on his deficiencies
    - Reminded the king of Nebuchadnezzar's fate when he exalted himself
  - 5:24-28
    - MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN
    - MENE – Days are numbered
    - TEKEL – Weighed by God and found to be wanting
    - PARSIN –Kingdom will be divided
  - 5:29-31
    - Belshazzar rewarded Daniel
    - Died that night; kingdom was given to Darius the Mede
6:1-28
- Daniel and the lions' den
  - 6:1-9
    - Daniel's promotion made him head over all nobles and satraps
    - Nobles and satraps were jealous of Daniel, but could find no fault in him
    - Plotted against Daniel
    - Urged the king to issue edict prohibiting worship of any god for 30 days
    - People would honor Darius
    - King signed document
  - 6:10-17
    - Daniel knew about document; still prayed openly three times a day
    - Satraps immediately notified king
    - King was distressed, set his mind to deliver Daniel
    - King could not change the law
    - Had to command Daniel to be cast into den of lions
    - Prayed that Daniel's God would deliver him
  - 6:18-24
    - Daniel in the lions' den
    - King fasted all night
    - Hurried to lions' den the next morning, cried out to Daniel
    - Daniel responded that God had "sent an angel to close the lions' mouths"
    - King restored Daniel and "no kind of hurt was found upon him"
    - King punished men who had accused Daniel
  - 6:25-28
    - King decreed sovereignty of Yahweh (Daniel's God) Daniel prospered

II -- Apocalyptic Visions 7-12

7:1-28
- The four beasts and the succession of kingdoms
  - 7:1-8
    - Daniel's first vision of the four beasts
    - Represented four kingdoms
    - Lion with eagles' wings – represented Babylon
    - Bear – possibly Media
    - Leopard with four wings and four heads – quickness of Persian conquest
    - Beast which defies description – probably Greeks
  - 7:9-12
    - Vision of God on throne, preparing to judge the nations of the earth
    - First beast is slain; others are spared for a time but will suffer same fate
  - 7:13-14
    - Son of Man and the coming kingdom
    - His dominion will be an everlasting dominion
    - (Probably not meant as a messianic reference here; but after Jesus came, people saw in this a foreshadowing of the Messiah)
  - 7:15-18
    - Though anxious and fearful, Daniel was reassured by angels
  - 7:19-28
    - The fourth beast – How the mighty will fall!
    - Represents Greeks; little "horn" thought to be a reference to Antiochus IV
    - Will prosper for a time, but his dominion will be taken away
    - The kingdom will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High
    - Regardless of worldly happenings, hand of God is sure
    - Ultimately, His purpose will prevail
8:1-27
- Vision of Ram and he-goat
  - 8:1-8
    - Ram = Persia;
    - He-goat = Greeks He-goat overtakes ram and destroys it
    - But great horn (Alexander) of he-goat breaks off (Alexander dies)
  - 8:9-12
    - Out of one came a little horn (Antiochus)
    - Little horn grew great
  - 8:13-14
    - A cry for liberation from oppressors
    - How long "the transgression that makes desolate"
    - An assertion of hope
  - 8:15-19
    - Appearance by angel Gabriel
    - Daniel frightened and began deep sleep
    - Vision concerns "the time of the end"
    - Antiochus will flourish, but there will come an end
  - 8:20-25
    - Gabriel's interpretation of the vision
    - Description of Antiochus
  - 8:26-27
    - Told to seal up the vision
9:1-19
- A prayer for the nation
  - 9:1-2
    - Desolation of Jerusalem will last 70 years
  - 9:3-19
    - Passionate prayer on behalf of God's people Confession of sins; Plea for mercy
9:20-23
- Answer to prayer is another vision
9:24
- Seventy weeks of years (490 years) must pass before blessings
- Beginning of the end
9:25-27
- Countdown to the end
10:1-9
- Prologue for final vision
- Received an angel vision, fell to the ground in deep trance
10:10-11:1
- Description of vision of the latter days
- Complains he has no strength left
- Angel "touched" Daniel three times to renew his strength
11:2-20
- Historical information from Cyrus to Antiochus
- Lessons from history affirm without doubt God's overarching control of events
- Rise and fall of kings and nations
11:21-35
- The final demise of Antiochus He will flourish, but only for a time
11:26-39
- The arrogance of Antiochus He shall magnify himself above all
11:40-45
- Prediction of his end
- He will prevail over Egypt, but in the end "he shall come to his end…
- With none to help him"
- (No historical corroboration of these predictions)
12:1-4
- Time of trouble must run its course
- Death of Antiochus will not = new kingdom
- Hints of resurrection of those who sleep
- At that time the people will be delivered
- Daniel was to shut up the words and seal the book, until the end
12:5-13
- Epilogue -- How long shall it be?
- "For a time, two times, and half a time"
- Assurance to be patient until God's purpose has been unfolded
- "But go your way till the end; and you shall rest, and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days."

The book ends on a high note with a word of assurance, based not on political facts, but upon the faith that God remains in control. Those who believe this will participate fully in the kingdom to come. Daniel is told to "rest," as if to say the battle has already been won. His work is finished; it is up to God to set things right. The book has endured throughout time, not because of attempts to decode the visions, but because of the message to remain steadfast in times of trouble, trusting in God's ability to deliver. Its main appeal is not to be delivered from death through some miraculous means, but to have the courage to be delivered through death to eternal life with God.

Bibliography

Goldingay, John. "Daniel." Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1989.

Lucas, Ernest. "Daniel." Apollos Old Testament Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002.

Redditt, Paul. "Daniel." The New Century Bible Commentary. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999.

Towner, W. Sibley. "Daniel." Interpretation. Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1984.

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