Its prophecies of worldruling empires are closely related to revelation. In the hebrew bible, it is found in the ketuvim, while in christian bibles. Whether daniel was still in public office, we do not know for sure, yet daniel 1. Chanukah, daniel 11 and the rabbis limited knowledge of. As isaac newton in his observations on the prophecies of daniel 1732 put it. Daniel, with an introduction to apocalyptic literture is volume xx of the forms of the old testament literature, a series that aims to present a formcritical analysis of every book and each unit in the hebrew bible. The next verse that discusses the timing of daniel 12 is verse 7 below, which indicates that the power of the holy people will be broken after 3. Dead sea scrolls this is the time of which it is written in the book of daniel, the prophet.
The king saw a gigantic statue made of four metals, from its gold head to its feet of mingled iron and clay. The book of daniel lesson 10 chap 10, 11, 12 by walter c. The word translated grecia in the book of daniel is the name yavan javan, the name of a son of joktan, and of the race ionians, i. The book of daniel is a collection of papers written at several times. What daniel tells us about jewish interpretation during the watershed. An interesting point regarding this prophecy is that it appears to have been delivered orally. Why didnt daniels famed prophecy prove that jesus was not the messiah. Daniels friends shadrach, meshach and abednego served as advisers to king nebuchadnezzar of babylon. In any case the linguistic diversity in parts of this book is no reason for assuming two sources for it, as meinhold does in his commentary p. Daniel boiled pitch, fat, and hair together and gave lumps of it to the dragon, which thereupon burst. The book of daniel is a 2ndcentury bc biblical apocalypse. The book of daniel begins with king nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of babylon, ransacking jerusalem.
Three of the best commentaries on the book of daniel. Summary of the book of daniel the story of the bible. The book of daniel, typological exegesis, jubilee, jewish interpretation, josephus, i enoch. Generally speaking i am a big fan of the series and i expect anyone involved in preaching, teaching, bible study or christian education will find many valuable pearls of practical wisdom in this book.
Daniel bridges the entire 70 years of the babylonian captivity from 605 to 536 b. All the evidence i have seen would suggest that it is a literary forgery written around the time of the maccabees, to give encouragement to the jewish rebels. This content was adapted from an earlier jews for jesus article. If daniel was right, then there are no other options for who the messiah is, but jesus of nazareth. I was recently reading a commentary on the book of daniel. When the book of daniel is examined for content and literary character, it falls naturally into two roughly equal parts which may be designated daniel a and daniel b. Interpretations of daniel have been foundational to both jewish and christian views of.
The stimulus for the worlds baffled response contained in this famed cluster of chapters at the end of the book of isaiah is the unexpected salvation of israel. Dear rabbi, i was reading the book of daniel, which is filled with extraordinary and apocalyptic visions. Daniels three friends daniels friends shadrach, meshach and abednego served as advisers to king nebuchadnezzar of babylon. But as you stated, i do not see why translation of parts of the book in hebrew is a. There are many possible reasons for this, but one of them is that the prophecy of daniel is not. It is generally accepted that the book of daniel originated as a collection of folktales among the jewish community in babylon and mesopotamia in the persian and early hellenistic periods 5th to 3rd centuries bce, expanded in the maccabean era mid2nd century by the visions in chapters 712. The hero of the book of daniel in the ketuvim section of the bible is one of the jews exiled in babylonia, a soothsayer at the babylonian court under nebuchadnezzar who died in 562 b. In the septuagint, the vulgate, and many other ancient and modern translations of the bible, it comprises both its proto and its deuterocanonical parts, both of which have an equal right to be considered as inspired, and to be included in a treatment of the book of daniel. The widely held view that the book of daniel is largely fictional rests mainly on the modern philosophical assumption that longrange predictive prophecy is impossible. The book of daniel is filled with messianic illusions and calculations that even left daniel pondering. Daniel 9 is one of the most difficult and controversial prophecies in the tenach.
The book of daniel was not written immediately after the exile. Daniel, book of, a book of the third division of the hebrew bible, the hagiographa, named for a man daniel whose fortunes and predictions are the subject of the book. Daniels success at court naturally excited the envy and ill will of the babylonians, who gathered in a mob and threatened the. The visions are graphic and often ominous, foretelling the future exiles and suffering that the jewish people will endure. The second main part of the book in the hebrew bible viixii is taken up with four visions which daniel describes in the first person. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. My question concerns daniels 70 weeks and especially the last week of future prophecy.
The book of daniel introduction to the book of daniel in the bible. There would be few modern biblical scholars, however, who would now seriously defend such an opinion. In the jewish tradition, the book of daniel is in the category known as writings and not in the section of prophets. Daniel was gods mouthpiece to the gentile and jewish world, declaring gods current and future plans. Daniel s success at court naturally excited the envy and ill will of the babylonians, who gathered in a mob and threatened the king and his house if he did not deliver daniel to them. When he wins as he does a whole lot, its a comefrombehind victory. As for daniel the sage, he interpreted a second dream of nebuchadnezzar, the one. Nine of the 12 chapters relate revelation through dreams and visions. Jan 24, 2019 why didnt daniels famed prophecy prove that jesus was not the messiah. The kingdom which is symbolized by the he goat viii.
Daniel and the origins of jewish biblical interpretation jstor. Additionally, a large proportion of the book is written in aramaic rather than the traditional hebrew adding to the complexity of these biblical texts. Prior to the publication of the palestinian talmud 400 ce and babylonian talmud 500 ce, daniel is called a prophet by these jewish sources. The prophet daniel is one of four major prophets in hebrew scripture, along with isaiah, jeremiah, and ezekiel. The jewish interpretation varies as does the christian. Its introduction contended that daniels apocalyptic messianic prophesies are all most. The book of daniel is undoubtedly one of the strangest books in the bible, its also one of the most problematic, probably even more so than the book of joshua. I was amazed to learn that it is not included in the section of the bible known as the prophets, and that the talmud does not even consider daniel to have been a prophet. At the same time, they are vague and obscure, allowing for various interpretations. The book of daniel is one of the most significant prophetic books in the bible. Quotation given in full when space permits corresponding quotations from daniel. Daniel interpretation is part of the interpretation commentary series, and i have now read more than a dozen selections in this volume. In more mundane language, it is an account of the activities and visions of daniel, a noble jew exiled at babylon, its message being that just as the god of israel saved daniel and his friends from their enemies, so he would save all of israel in their present oppression. The four visions that make up the final part of daniels book chapters 712 fall into chronological order, just as the narratives of.
The same prophet can at times experience different levels of prophecy, ruach hakodesh, or both. A lot of the details of interpretation havnet changed for me, but there have been some significant changes in my understanding of certain parts of the book of daniel that have brought me a clearer understanding of the whole book. The book of daniel is unsealing middle east and prophecy. The last six chapters contain prophecies written by daniel himself.
The second half of the book is made up of the prophetic visions that daniel received during this period. The first six chapters are a collection of historical papers written by. The book of daniel is filled with messianic illusions and calculations that even left daniel pondering their meanings. Daniel 2 the second chapter of the book of daniel tells how daniel interpreted a dream of nebuchadnezzar ii, king of babylon. Under this theory, the roman empire was to be the last world empire before jesus second coming, and all four were important to the author of daniel because they controlled judah and jerusalem. Jews for judaism daniel 9 a true biblical interpretation. Good explanation on the diverse literary tools used in writing the book. The writer is well versed in the book of daniel, i learn a few pointed issues, the writers view was on the jewish relationship and events relative to the prophecies of daniel, did not consider that there is other interpretation of the prophecies relative to the end of times period. Daniel is a legendary figure, probably chosen for the books hero because of his. There is a strong enmity between the greeks christian orthodox and the turks muslims that goes back to the conquest of constantinople istanbul and the rise of the ottoman empire. Unlike the preceding dreams and visions in the book of daniel, which contained images that needed to be interpreted, this vision simply gave daniel the words regarding what would happen to the jewish people from this time forward daniel 10. I was reading the book of daniel, which is filled with extraordinary and apocalyptic visions.
Jun 02, 2019 the book of daniel is undoubtedly one of the strangest books in the bible, its also one of the most problematic, probably even more so than the book of joshua. Answering jewish objections to the 70 seventy weeks of daniel. The book of daniel is a 2ndcentury bc biblical apocalypse combining a prophecy of history with an eschatology cosmic in scope and political in focus. The controversial book of ezekiel nearly didnt make it into the biblical canon, but it has had a lasting impact on both liturgical practice and mystical traditions. The postexilic prophets did not know it, for the four horns to which israels enemies are compared in zech. The book of daniel is an apocalypse, a literary genre in which a heavenly reality is revealed to a human recipient. Daniel 33043399 457362 bce was a celebrated jewish scholar and master interpreter of dreams who was exiled to babylon after the destruction of the holy. Much of this section chapters 26 is composed in aramaic. The book of daniel originated as a collection of folktales among the jewish community in babylon and mesopotamia in the persian and early hellenistic periods 5th to 3rd centuries bce, before being expanded in the maccabean era mid2nd century by the addition of the visions in chapters 712. The book of daniel the book of daniel is one of the most significant prophetic books in the bible. If daniel was right, this jesus is destined to return and to set up the messianic kingdom.
Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which i have seen, and the interpretation thereof. Apr 20, 2018 if daniel was right, then messiah came and died prior to the year 70 c. The book of daniel is followed by the prophet hosea, the first of the prophets in the book of the twelve. Their note also indicates they view the book of daniel as changed or edited by later writers, shortly after the final editing. Daniel 9 a true biblical interpretation jews for judaism. Daniel who through the book received revelations from god. Christians contend that it is a perfect calculation of the coming of jesus. In the septuagint, the vulgate, and many other ancient and modern translations of the bible, it comprises both its proto and its deuterocanonical parts, both of which have an equal right to be considered as inspired, and to be included in a treatment of the book. When the book of daniel is examined for content and literary character, it falls naturally into two roughly equal parts which may be designated daniel a. Daniel, book of, a book of the third division of the hebrew bible, the. He burned with eagerness to know what it meant, but reasoned that he could be sure that an interpretation was correct only if the interpreter was able to narrate the. And you, daniel, close up the words and seal, and the early commentators expounded on it, each one according to his view, and the ends have passed.
In the hebrew bible, and in most recent protestant versions, the book of daniel is limited to its protocanonical portions. What is the jewish interpretation of the 70 weeks, especially the last week, and how does it differ from the christian perspective. Oct 30, 2015 prior to the publication of the palestinian talmud 400 ce and babylonian talmud 500 ce, daniel is called a prophet by these jewish sources. The book of daniel was written during the persecutions of israel by the syrian king antiochus epiphanes. We can still interpret it as i saw written in the name of rav saadia gaon, that they are the. Actually, daniel would still be a false prophet even if the evangelical interpretation were correct. Fundamentally exegetical, the fotl volumes examine the structure, genre, setting, and intention of the biblical literature in question. It would be hard to find another prophecy where the christian and jewish interpretations let alone what scholars say about it are so incompatible.
In addition, the captivating prophecy, imagery, and symbolism make the book of daniel one of the most read of hebrew scripture, our old testament of the bible. In the second part, written in the first person, daniel, like biblical prophets, records signs seen by himself and he is unable to understand their meaning. Chapters 16 recount tales involving daniel and his jewish colleagues in the court of the chaldean monarchs during the babylonian captivity. The book of ezekiel has always been a problem book. The book of daniel contains the only apocalypse in the hebrew bible. He ends up taking back the cream of the crop, the most elite and noble israelites, to serve at his court in babylon. With an introduction to apocalyptic literature john. One jewish interpretation is the son of man is symbolic of the saints, just as the beasts are symbolic.
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