7' Daniel: Apocalyptic Faith

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7. Daniel Apocalyptic Faith

• BOT535 Postexilic History Literature

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Anomalies of the book of Daniel

• 1. First, Daniel was regarded as a prophet
  already in antiquity (Matt 24.15 Josephus, Ant.
  10.11.7.266) and is classified with the Major
  Prophets in the LXX. Yet in the Hebrew Bible it
  is found in the Writings, in the fourth place
  from the end (before Ezra, Nehemiah, and
  Chronicles). Collins, FOTL, 28
• 1.01 Matt 24.15 So when you see the desolating
  sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was
  spoken by the prophet Daniel....

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Anomalies of the book of Daniel

• 1.02 Antiquities of the Jews
• 1.02.01 X.10.4 ...let him be diligent in reading
  the book of Daniel, which he will find among the
  sacred writings.
• 1.02.02 X.11.7 All these things did this man
  leave in writing, as God had showed them to him,
  insomuch, that such as read his prophecies, and
  see how they have been fulfilled, thou wonder at
  the honor wherewith God honored Daniel and may
  thence discover how the Epicureans are in an
  error, who cast providence out of human life, and
  do not believe that God takes care of the

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Anomalies of the book of Daniel

• affairs of the world.... So that, by the
  forementioned predictions of Daniel,....
• 2. Second, the extent of the canonical text is a
  matter of dispute, since the Greek translations
  include four passages which are not found in the
  Hebrew the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the
  Three Young Men in chap. 3 and the stories of
  Susanna and of Bel and the Dragon. Collins,
  FOTL, 28
• 3. Third, even within the text of the Hebrew
  Bible, Daniel is anomalous by its bilingualism.
  Chapters 1.1-2.4a and 8-12 are in Hebrew, while
  chaps. 2.4b-7.28 are in Aramaic. Collins, FOTL,
  28

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Anomalies of the book of Daniel

• 4. Fourth, the problem of the two languages is
  compounded by the formal variety of the book.
  Chapters 1-6 are basically stories, which refer
  to Daniel in the third person. (Chapter 3 does
  not refer to him at all.) Chapters 7-12 are
  ostensibly revelations about the future,
  presented by Daniel in the first person. The
  division of the book at 7.1 is corroborated by
  the dating sequence of the chapters. Chapters 1-6
  are set in the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar (chaps.
  1-4), Belshazzar (chap. 5), and Darius the Mede
  (chap. 6). Chapters 7 and 8, however, revert to
  the reign of Belshazzar, followed in sequence by
  Darius (chap. 9) and Cyrus of

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Anomalies of the book of Daniel

• Persia (chap. 10). The most perplexing anomaly
  lies in the fact that the division on the basis
  of form and date does not coincide with the
  division on the basis of language. Collins,
  FOTL, 28

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The Identity of Daniel

• 1. Daniel is the name of a mythical personage
  mentioned along with Noah and Job in Ezek 14.14
  and 20. He is counted among the wisest men the
  world has known (Ezek 28.3). We know now, thanks
  to the Canaanite literature from Ugarit, that
  there existed a popular hero, King Dan(i)el. He
  reappears (with his name spelled without yod) in
  Enoch 6, 7, and 69.2. Lacocque, The Book of
  Daniel, 2-3

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The Identity of Daniel

• 2. Persons named Daniel (God has judged) are
  mentioned in Babylonian records and in the Bible
  elsewhere. For instance, a signer of Nehemiahs
  covenant in 444 BCE was a priest by the name of
  Daniel (Neh 10.6). A Jewish oracle-monger of the
  same name may or may not have lived in Babylon at
  the time of King Nebuchadnezzar. Yet it is
  probable that the name of the hero of the Book of
  Daniel was chosen to bring to mind the Daniel
  spoken of in the Book of Ezekiel. Bickerman,
  Four Strange Books of the Bible, 53

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The Identity of Daniel

• 3. In Jud. 420 Daniel is the uncle of Enoch.
  The fact that the name Daniel was widely
  associated with a legendary hero may raise some
  doubts about the historicity of the biblical
  figure. Collins, Book of Daniel, ABD, II, 30

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General Outline

• I. The Tales 1.1-6.29 (28)
• A. 1.1-21 Introductory narrative (Babylonian era,
  Hebrew)
• B. 2.1-49 The story of Nebuchadneszzars dream
  (Babylonian era, Aramaic)
• C. 3.1-30 The story of the fiery furnace
  (Babylonian era, Aramaic)
• D. 3.31-4.34(4.1-37) The story of
  Nebuchadnezzars madness (Babylonian era,
  Aramaic)
• E. 5.1-6.1(5.31) The story of Belshazzars feast
  (Babylonian era, Aramaic)
• F. 6.2-29(6.1-28) The story of the lions den
  (Median era, mention of Persian Aramaic)

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General Outline

• II. The Visions 7.1-12.13
• A. 7.1-28 The vision of the beasts from the sea
  and the Son of Man (Babylonian era, Aramaic)
• B. 8.1-27 The vision of the ram and the he-goat
  (Babylonian era, Hebrew)
• C. 9.1-27 The interpretation of Jeremiahs
  prophecy (Median era, Hebrew)
• D. 10.1-12.13 The angels revelation (Persian
  era, mention of Greek era Hebrew)

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Daniel 2

• 1. The tales in Daniel fall into two categories,
  to which we may refer as tales of contest and
  tales of conflict. In the tales of contest,
  Daniel 2, 4 and 5, the focus is on the wisdom of
  Daniel, and he is shown to be superior to the
  wise men of the kingdom. The tales of conflict,
  Daniel 3 and 6 are essentially dramas of danger
  and deliverance. Here the Jewish courtiers come
  into direct conflict with their pagan rivals.
  Collins, The Apocalyptic Vision of the Book of
  Daniel, 33

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Daniel 2

• 2. The three tales which we have classified as
  tales of contest share a common pattern which can
  be outlined as follows
• a. The king is confronted with dreams or signs
  which he cannot understand (Dan 2.1, 4.5, 5.57.
  Cf. Pharaohs dream in Gen 41.7-8).
• b. The Babylonian wise men fail to understand
  (Dan 2.10-11, 4.7-8, 5.8. Cf. Gen 41.8).
• c. Daniel succeeds where the Babylonian wise men
  failed (Dan 2.25-45, 4.19-27, 5.25-29. Cf. Gen
  41.25-36).

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Daniel 2

• d. Daniel is then exalted to high position (Dan
  2.46-49, 5.29. Cf. Gen 41.39-42). The exaltation
  is omitted in Daniel 4 since Daniel is already in
  a position of authority. Collins, The
  Apocalyptic Vision of the Book of Daniel, 34

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Daniel 3

• 1. The tales in Daniel 3 and 6 belong to the
  second category, the tales of conflict. They are
  less directly concerned with the wisdom of the
  heroes, but present a drama of danger followed by
  salvation. They follow a pattern found in the
  Joseph story, Esther and Ahikar. Collins, The
  Apocalyptic Vision of the Book of Daniel, 49-50
• a. The heroes are in a state of prosperity.
  (3.12)
• b. The heroes are endangered, usually because of
  a conspiracy. (3.8-18)
• c. The heroes are condemned to death or prison.
  (3.19-23)

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Daniel 3

• d. The heroes are released, for various reasons.
• e. Finally the wisdom/merit of the heroes is
  recognized and they are exalted to positions of
  honor.