Chapters 10, 11, and 12 in the Book of Daniel make up Daniel's final vision, describing a series of conflicts between the unnamed "King of the North" and "King of the South" leading to the "time of the end", when Israel will be vindicated and the dead raised, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Although set during the 6th century BC, the Book of Daniel was written in reaction to the persecution of the Jews by the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167–164 BC.[1] Its authors were the maskilim, the "wise", of whom Daniel is one: "Those among the people who are wise shall make many understand ...",[2] and its fundamental theme is God's control over history.[3] The climax comes with the prophecy of the resurrection of the dead.[4]Chapter 7 spoke of the kingdom of the saints or "holy ones" of the Most High",[5] but Daniel 10–12 does not say that history will end with the coming of the Jewish kingdom; rather, the "wise" will be brought back to life to lead Israel in the new kingdom of God.[4]
In contemporary Christian millennialism, Daniel 11:36–45 is interpreted as a prophecy of the career and destruction of the Antichrist, and Daniel 12 as concerning the salvation of Israel and the coming kingdom of Christ.[6]
Summary
Chapter 10, a prologue: In the third year of Cyrus (the Persian conqueror of Babylon), after fasting for three weeks, Daniel sees a vision of a man clothed in linen, clearly a supernatural being, who tells him that he is currently engaged in a battle with the "prince of Persia", in which he is assisted by "Michael, your prince". He must soon return to the combat, but first he will tell Daniel what is written in the "book of truth".
Chapter 11, the report of the vision: The angel continues: there will be four kings of Persia, and the last will make war on Greece. After him will come a great king, but that king's empire will be broken up. There will be wars and marriages between the kings of the South and the North (described in great detail), and the king of the North will desecrate the Temple and set up "the abomination that causes desolation". At the end-time there will be a war between the king of the South and the king of the North, and the king of the North will meet his end "between the sea and the Holy Mountain".
Chapter 12, the epilogue: At the end-time, "Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise."[7] There will be great distress, but those whose names are written will be saved, the dead will awaken to everlasting shame or life. Daniel asks how long it will be before these things are fulfilled and is told, "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days; blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days". At the end of the vision, Daniel is told "Go your way", and promised his inheritance at the end of days.
It is generally accepted by modern scholars that the Daniel who appears as the hero of the Book of Daniel never existed, but that the authors reveal their true identity at the end of Daniel 12: they are the maskil, the "wise", of whom Daniel is one: "Those among the people who are wise shall make many understand ...".[8][2] The actual background to the book was the persecution of the Jews by the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167–164 BC, and there is a broad consensus that the book was completed shortly after that crisis ended.[1]
The first six chapters are folktales dating from the late Persian/early Hellenistic period, while the visions of chapters 7–12 date from between 167 and 164.[9] A probable outline of the composition is as follows:[10]
An original collection of folktales, currently chapters 1–6;
Addition of chapter 7 and revision of the earlier chapters;
Further revision and the addition of chapters 8–12.
Daniel is episodic rather than linear: it has no plot as such. It does, however, have a structure. Chapters 2–7 form a chiasm, a literary figure in which elements mirror each other: chapter 2 is the counterpart of chapter 7, chapter 3 of chapter 6, and chapter 4 of chapter 5, with the second member of each pair advancing the first in some way. Daniel 8 is then a new beginning, and the single vision contained in chapters 10–12 advances that argument further and gives it more precision.[11]
Within the three chapters of Daniel 10–12, Daniel 10 serves as prologue, chapter 11 as the report of the angelic vision, and chapter 12 as the epilogue.[12]P. R. Davies suggests that the text is "poor Hebrew, and may represent a rather poor translation from an Aramaic original".[13] The unit begins with a third-person introduction (10:1), and then switches to Daniel speaking in his own voice as one of the two primary characters, his angelic partner being the second—this is probably the angel Gabriel, although he is never identified.[14] Then follows Daniel 11, the "Book of Truth": much of the history it recounts is accurate down to the two successive Syrian invasions of Egypt in 170 and 168 BC, but there was no third war between Egypt and Syria, and Antiochus did not die in Palestine.[15]
The failure of prophecy helps pinpoint the date of composition: the author knows of the desecration of the Temple in December 167, but not of its re-dedication or of the death of Antiochus, both in late 164[15] The countdown of days remaining to the end-time in Daniel 12:11–12 differs from that in Daniel 8: it was most likely added after the original prediction failed to come to pass,[16] although it could also be understood by the author's use of competing calendars.[17]
The vision is an apocalypse in the form of an epiphany (appearance of a divine being) with an angelic discourse (revelation delivered by an angel). The discourse forms an ex eventu (after the event) prophecy, with close parallels with certain Babylonian works. The only true prophecy is the prediction of the death of Antiochus, which is probably based on Ezekiel's prophecy of Gog and Magog. The heroes of Daniel 11–12, the "wise", are based on the "Suffering Servant" of Isaiah 53.[18] Thus, based on the scriptures, Daniel paints an imaginative scenario of the kind of issue that God will ensure will come from present events and not a literal account of events before they take place.[19]
The fundamental theme of the Book of Daniel is God's control over history.[3] According to Deuteronomy 32:8–9 God assigned each nation its own divine patron; originally these were subordinate gods, but by the time Daniel came to be written they had been redefined as angels. In Daniel, Michael, the angel of Israel, is in battle with the "prince (i.e., angelic patron) of Persia", and this will be followed by further battle with the "prince of Greece"; the theological point being made is that the fate of nations is decided in heaven, not on earth. The same theme underlies the reference to the heavenly "Book of Truth" which is about to be revealed to Daniel, and which supposedly forms the content of chapter 11: both the past and the future are written already, and God is sovereign over all.[20]
The constant preoccupation of the vision chapters is Antiochus's replacement of the "tamid", the twice-daily burnt offering to the God of Israel, by the "abomination of desolation".[Notes 1] The predicted reversal of the blasphemy will usher in the end of history, the theme of the four earthly kingdoms first introduced in Daniel 2 and developed in Daniel 7 and 8; they will be replaced by the Kingdom of Heaven, a kingdom in which Israel will be given domination over the world.[21]
The climax comes with the prophecy of the resurrection of the dead[4] and although Daniel exhibits a clear belief in resurrection, the context of chapter 12 is an imaginative portrayal of the movement "from dust to kingship" of the covenant people and need not be read as a literal prediction.[22] Prior to the Babylonian exile, all the dead went to Sheol, irrespective of their good or bad deeds, but the idea that the righteous would be rewarded and the wicked punished began to appear in the 3rd century, and is clearly expressed in Daniel 12:2–3: "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake..." (although the "many" implies that not all will be resurrected).[23][Notes 2] Chapter 7 spoke of the coming "kingdom of heaven", but Daniel 10–12 does not say that history will end with the coming of the Jewish kingdom.[4]
Historical background
Coin of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The reverse shows Zeus (King of the Gods) enthroned carrying the Goddess Nike(Victory).
Daniel's final vision is set in "the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia": this marks 70 years since Daniel's own captivity began (606 BC), and thus the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy that the exile would last 70 years.[24] Chapter 11, the centre-piece of the revelation, gives a broad sweep of history from the 6th century BC to the 2nd, but the coverage is uneven: two centuries of Persian history plus Alexander the Great's conquests and the breakup of his empire, over two and a half centuries of history, are covered in three verses (2–4), but the century and a half of wars between the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria receive 16 verses (5–20), and the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, which lasted less than ten years, gets 25 (21–45).[15]
Verses 20–39, the bulk of the historically accurate verses, deal with Antiochus, who reigned 175–164 BC. Verse 21 describes him as "the contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given", meaning that he came to the throne by questionable means. Verse 22 notes his removal of the High Priest Onias III, (Antiochus sold the priesthood twice over, first to a relative of Onias named Jason, and then to a rival of Jason's named Menelaus), and verses 23–24 apparently refer to his liberality in scattering the spoils among his supporters. Verses 25–28 describe his first war with Egypt, in 170 BC, in which he was largely but not entirely successful. In 169, on his way back to Syria, he stopped in Jerusalem to plunder the Temple (verse 28).[25]
In 168 Antiochus invaded Egypt again, but this time he was stopped by the Romans (the "ships of Kittim") and forced to retreat (verses 29–30).[Notes 3] Verses 30–31 describe the events that followed: passing once more through Jerusalem, Antiochus instituted a persecution of Jewish customs and religion, desecrated the Temple, and established a garrison there. Verses 32–39 describe the response of "the wise" (the group associated with the Book of Daniel) and "the many" (the population at large): the wise suffer and die so that the many will understand.[26][27] In time the faithful receive "a little help" (possibly, but not certainly, a reference to Judas Maccabeus, who led an armed revolt against the Greeks).[28] Verses 36–39 appear to carry Antiochus' history to the cosmic plane, detailing the blasphemy of the tyrant who considered himself a demi-god. He "spoke astonishing things against the God of gods" and gave "no heed to the god of his fathers".[29]
Verses 40–45 finish the chapter with the prophecy that the unnamed king would make war once again against many, and would die without support.[26] In Antiochus' case, there was no third war with Egypt and he died in Persia or in Babylon.[30]
↑ The tamid offering was a lamb accompanied by fine flour, oil and wine, burnt in the morning and the evening. See Lust, 2002, p.672. The exact nature of the "abomination" is somewhat mysterious, but it was clearly a blasphemous pagan disruption of the worship of the God of Israel, possibly involving the sacrifice of swine.
↑ The vision of the Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37:1–14 does not refer to individual resurrection but to the restoration of the nation of Israel – see Towner, p.166.
↑ Kittim: originally the town of Kition (now Larnaca) in Cyprus, but applied to the Greeks and Romans; the same verse mentions Ashur, meaning Syria, and Eber, meaning Palestine.
Related Research Articles
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Belshazzar's feast, or the story of the writing on the wall, chapter 5 in the Book of Daniel, tells how Belshazzar holds a great feast and drinks from the vessels that had been looted in the destruction of the First Temple. A hand appears and writes on the wall. The terrified Belshazzar calls for his wise men, but they are unable to read the writing. The queen advises him to send for Daniel, renowned for his wisdom. Daniel reminds Belshazzar that his father Nebuchadnezzar, when he became arrogant, was thrown down until he learned that God has sovereignty over the kingdom of men. Belshazzar had likewise blasphemed God, and so God sent this hand. Daniel then reads the message and interprets it: God has numbered Belshazzar's days, he has been weighed and found wanting, and his kingdom will be given to the Medes and the Persians.
That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean [Babylonian] king, was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom […]
The Prophecy of Seventy Weeks tells how Daniel prays to God to act on behalf of his people and city, and receives a detailed but cryptic prophecy of "seventy weeks" by the angel Gabriel. The prophecy has been the subject of "intense exegetical activity" since the Second Temple period. James Alan Montgomery referred to the history of this prophecy's interpretation as the "dismal swamp" of critical exegesis.
"Abomination of desolation" 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.
Darius the Mede is mentioned in the Book of Daniel as King of Babylon between Belshazzar and Cyrus the Great, but he is not known to secular history and there is no space in the historical timeline between those two verified rulers. Belshazzar, who is often mentioned as king in the book of Daniel, was in fact the crown-prince and governor while his father was in Arabia from ca. 553 to 543 BCE, but Nabonidus had returned to Babylon years before the fall of the Babylonian empire.
Daniel 2 tells how Daniel related and interpreted a dream of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon. In his night dream, the king saw a gigantic statue made of four metals, from its head of gold to its feet of mingled iron and clay; as he watched, a stone "not cut by human hands" destroyed the statue and became a mountain filling the whole world. Daniel explained to the king that the statue represented four successive kingdoms beginning with Babylon, while the stone and mountain signified a kingdom established by God which would never be destroyed nor given to another people. Nebuchadnezzar then acknowledges the supremacy of Daniel's God and raises him to high office in Babylon.
Daniel 7 tells of Daniel's vision of four world-kingdoms replaced by the kingdom of the saints or "holy ones" of the Most High, which will endure for ever. Four beasts come out of the sea, the Ancient of Days sits in judgment over them, and "one like a son of man" is given eternal kingship. An angelic guide interprets the beasts as kingdoms and kings, the last of whom will make war on the "holy ones" of God, but they will be destroyed and the "holy ones" will be given eternal dominion and power.
Daniel 8 is the eighth chapter of the Book of Daniel. It tells of Daniel's vision of a two-horned ram destroyed by a one-horned goat, followed by the history of the "little horn", which is Daniel's code-word for the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are figures from chapter 3 of the biblical Book of Daniel. In the narrative, the three Jewish men are thrown into a fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon for refusing to bow to the king's image. The three are preserved from harm and the king sees four men walking in the flames, "the fourth ... like a son of God". They are first mentioned in Daniel 1, where alongside Daniel they are brought to Babylon to study Chaldean language and literature with a view to serving at the King's court, and their Hebrew names are replaced with Chaldean or Babylonian names.
Daniel is the main character of the Book of Daniel. According to the Hebrew Bible, Daniel was a noble Jewish youth of Jerusalem taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, serving the king and his successors with loyalty and ability until the time of the Persian conqueror Cyrus, all the while remaining true to the God of Israel. While some conservative scholars hold that Daniel existed and his book was written in the 6th century BCE, most scholars agree that Daniel is not a historical figure and that much of the book is a cryptic allusion to the reign of the 2nd century BCE Hellenistic king Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
Daniel in the lions' den tells of how the biblical Daniel is saved from lions by the God of Israel "because I was found blameless before him". It parallels and complements chapter 3, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: each begins with the jealousy of non-Jews towards successful Jews and an imperial edict requiring them to compromise their religion, and concludes with divine deliverance and a king who confesses the greatness of the God of the Jews and issues an edict of royal protection. The tales making up chapters 1–6 of Daniel date no earlier than the Hellenistic period and were probably originally independent, but were collected in the mid-2nd century BC and expanded shortly afterwards with the visions of the later chapters to produce the modern book.
Daniel 1 tells how Daniel and his three companions were among captives taken by Nebuchadnezzar II from Jerusalem to Babylon to be trained in Babylonian wisdom. There they refused to take food and wine from the king and were given knowledge and insight into dreams and visions by God, and at the end of their training they proved ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in the kingdom.
Daniel 4, the fourth chapter of the Bible's Book of Daniel, is presented in the form of a letter from king Nebuchadnezzar II in which he learns a lesson of God's sovereignty, "who is able to bring low those who walk in pride". Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a great tree that shelters the whole world, but an angelic "watcher" appears and decrees that the tree must be cut down and that for seven years, he will have his human mind taken away and will eat grass like an ox. This comes to pass, and at the end of his punishment, Nebuchadnezzar praises God. Daniel's role is to interpret the dream for the king.
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Levine, Amy-Jill (2010). "Daniel". In Coogan, Michael D.; Brettler, Marc Z.; Newsom, Carol A. (eds.). The new Oxford annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books: New Revised Standard Version. Oxford University Press. ISBN9780199370504.
Lust, Johan (2002). "Cult and Sacrifice in Daniel". In Collins, John J.; Flint, Peter W.; VanEpps, Cameron (eds.). The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception. Vol.II. BRILL. ISBN0391041282.
Rowland, Christopher (2007). "Apocalyptic Literature". In Hass, Andrew; Jasper, David; Jay, Elisabeth (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of English Literature and Theology. Oxford University Press. ISBN9780199271979.
Spencer, Richard A. (2002). "Additions to Daniel". In Mills, Watson E.; Wilson, Richard F. (eds.). The Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Mercer University Press. ISBN9780865545106.
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