Deliver of Daniel

The Book of Daniel , written in Hebrew, Greek Araméen and , is a book which one finds in the Hebraic Bible (Tanakh) among the Writings (Ketouvim), and in the Old Testament in the Christian Bible among the Prophètes. The book describes events occurring at the time of the captivity of the Juif people in Babylon under Nabuchodonosor II, the king of Babylon between -605 front JC and -562 front JC. This book is most recent of the Old Testament. The first six chapters tell the history of Daniel and are put in scene at the courses of Babylon and Persia. Chapters 7 to 12 present visions on the end of time. The chapters 13 and 14 were written in Greek and testify to a later drafting.

The book of Daniel is written in an apocalyptic style, a popular style at the time of the Macchabées, as the Livre of Enoch. The final composition of the book of Daniel dates from the time of the king Séleucide (Hellenic) Antiochos IV (- 175 to -163), a leader who sought with éradiquer the Judaism.

Flavius Joseph subjects the assumption that the Book was presented to Alexandre, which would make a writing after 330 of it before JC. However the current historians lean for a drafting between 167 and 164 before JC.

Composition

The book of Daniel has the effect of being written in step less than three different languages!

the book begins in Hebrew and this until chapter 2, verse 4.
It continues in Araméen until the end of the chapter 7
It returns to Hebrew until the chapter 12

Lastly, the Greek versions comprise in more three passages: the prayer of Azariah and the canticle of the three children (inserted in chapter 3 after the verse 23), the history of Suzanne (after chapter 12) and the history of Beautiful and the snake which finishes the book (in certain French-speaking Bibles, these two passages are respectively numbered like chapters 13 and 14). Even by not taking account of the Greek additions, it persists the problem of Hebrew bilingualism/araméen. The question is all the more complex as this linguistic division does not recover division set of themes of the book. Indeed, Daniel comprises two large rather distinct blocks:

On the one hand, the chapters 1-6 which tell with the third anybody various adventures arriving at Daniel. These accounts introduce Daniel as a scientist interprets dreams able to advise the Babylonian kings and exceeding in wisdom the magicians Chaldée NS.
In addition, the chapters 7-12 which are of very an other kind. They are written in autobiographical style starting from chapter 8. Daniel is not any more the interpreter of the visions of the others, but it is itself the recipient of visions which it does not succeed in interpreting without the assistance of an angel.

One thus notes immediately the problem arising from chapter 7. By its language used, it is attached to block 2-6 but its topic binds it to the block 8-12. Very many work tried to give an account of the linguistic division of Daniel. The assumption according to which the same author would have written in two different languages hardly any more has of partisans today. The actual position of the book of Daniel seems to result at the same time from a company of translation and a editorial history putting at contribution several authors. Thus, one can consider:

a drafting in araméen of chapters 1-6, compilation of stories sometimes not very related the ones to the others
Rédaction in araméen of the chapter 7 which prolongs gives the book in its source language but him a turning more definitely apocalyptic.
Addition in Hebrew of the chapters 8-12 which amplify chapter 7. At the time of this addition, the beginning of the book is partially translated into Hebrew (up to 2,4).

Context

After the deportation of its people in Babylonia, Daniel becomes an adviser of the king. Various facts and visions lead it to describe the succession of the world powers as from its time and until the " time of the fin" (Daniel 12:4).

Summary

Chapters 1 to 6 are accounts concerning Daniel and his three companions; chapters 7 to 12 are the prophetic visions of Daniel. The book teaches the importance to be faithful to God and watch which the Lord blesses the faithful ones. The principal contribution of the book is the interpretation of the dream of the king Nebucadnetsar. In this dream, one sees the kingdom of God in the last days represented like a detached stone of a mountain. The stone rolls until filling the whole ground (Da 2).

Prophecies

Prophecies of Daniel is chapter 7 in chapter 12. These prophecies are not without pointing out the Livre of Enoch writes before the book of Daniel. One will find in the book of the Apocalypse of the figures present in the book of Daniel.

These prophetic dreams gave place has multiple interpretations at the Esséniens and the Chrétiens.

The immense statue

The Prophétie is told in Daniel chapter 2 An immense statue is seen in dream by the king Nabuchodonosor II of Babylon. It with the head in Gold, the chest and arms in money, the belly and thighs in Copper, legs in Iron, and feet out of iron mingled with clay. Then: " You looked at, when a stone was detached without the help from any hand, struck the feet of iron and clay of the statue, and put them in pièces." The statue disappears then and the stone becomes a mountain. A beginning of explanation is given by Daniel: " You, O king, (...) it is you which are the head in or." (Daniel 2:38). It is thus the empire of Babylon which is the gold head. While following the evolution of the powers, it becomes easy to guess the significance of the other parts: empire of the Mède S and the Persian S for the chest and the arms silver, the Greece for the copper thighs, and Rome for the iron legs. There remains a part semi-iron semi-clay, with the ten fingers of the feet, which symbolize the division of the Roman empire to the ten cruel tribes of Europe. It thus seems that the stone which destroys the statue is one of the Messianic Prophétie announcing the arrival (the return) of the Christ who will destroy the building of the nations. It is the idol with feet of clay. Here the feet are the base of the statue whereas they arrive chronologically in the last. One can also note that the ten feet could correspond to the ten horns of the last animal.

The shot down tree

An immense tree is cut down and the stock blocked by " cuivre" and iron hoops; until " seven temps" run out. Daniel announces clearly: " The tree that you saw, who grow and became strong, (...) it is you, O king (Nébucadnetsar), because (...) your size grew and reached to the skies, and your domination until the end of the terre." Here, it is the pride of king de Babylone who is aimed, and whom God will châtira. That is all in all used to show the capacity of the Eternal to intervene in the event of abuse the capacity which He granted its subrogated (the powerful ones), and to point out to them the vulnerability of their human condition.

This shot down tree is a major symbol in the theology of the Témoins of Jéhovah which sees the means there there of knowing the moment of the return of Christ (in her invisible form Parousie) in 1914.

The writing on the wall

A writing appears on the wall when the sovereign Belshatsar (wire of Nabucadnetsar) uses the crowned containers of the Juif S in captivity for drinking with his gods. Daniel is called and sees the only able one to include/understand the direction of the writing: the fall of Babylon is announced (carried out, carried out, thekel, oupharsin: counted, counted; weighed and divided ) and even occurred the night. " See the writing on the mur" seem to be become an expression to mean a fear and an anguish without terminals.

Wild beasts

Four wild beasts of the same gauge that those identified in the Book of the Apocalypse assemble sea. One can read as a Daniel 7:3: " (...) because they are four, there are four kings who will rise (...) " . Thus dependant descriptions let think that it is indeed the succession of the world powers: empire of Babylon, empire of the Mède S and the Persian S, the Greece and the Roman Empire. The same ones as for the immense image previously described. Moreover the history continues while speaking about the ten horns of the last animal. The ten horns are surely a reference to the ten feet of the statue. Some see in these ten feet/horns the ten Germanic tribes namely: the Frank Alamans, , the Angles, the Burgondes, the Goths, the Suèves, the Lombards, the Hérules, the Vandals, the Alains. The three removed horns are then the goths, the vandals and the lombards which are three people unitarists by the horn which becomes large which is then included/understood like the Roman church trinitaire, seen by some Protestant as being the Babylon of the Apocalypse. However it seems that this Verset is ambiguous as for this approach:

Apocalypse 17:12: The ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who did not receive a kingdom yet, but which receives authority as kings during one hour with the animal.

For the Pilot of Jéhovah, the ten horns are ten kings who entrust their capacity to the Antichrist during times of the end. The animals are condemned to died following a solemn judgment.

Seventy weeks

According to Christian fundamentalist interpretation, the veracity of the book of Daniel is attested by the verses 9:24 and following " (...) seventy weeks were given in order to put a term at the trangression (...) and as from the moment when was given the order to rebuild Jerusalem to a prince oint seven weeks ago (...) and during sixty two Jerusalem weeks will again be rebuilt but in full distress of times (...) And after these sixty two weeks, a oint will be removed, without having legitimate successor, the city and the sanctuary will be ruined by the people of a sovereign to come; finally this one will violently be carried, but until the end the war and devastations will prevail. During one week, it will make prevail its alliance with a great number, and during one half-week, it will abolish sacrifices and oblations and on the side the furnace bridge of horrible abominations, until a stop of destruction falls down on the author of these horrors. During one week, it will make prevail its alliance with a great number, and during one half-week, it will abolish sacrifices et" . The account enables us to understand that this duration begins when Artaxerxès Ier let the Jews rebuild Jerusalem at the request of the prophet Néhémie. Indeed, Jesus Christ would have been baptized into 29 after JC. (this date is an assumption) While counting in week years , that is to say one week being worth seven years, the dates correspond. Jesus Christ appears at the beginning of the last week . An closer examination allows reforcer this explanation by the events produced in the latter week . It is here about a prophecy announcing the arrival of the Messiah. The prophet Jérémie (chapter 25 verse 11) also mentioned these weeks .

According to certain authors (William Miller), the seventy weeks are given starting from the prophetic large chain of the " two thousand three hundred evenings and matins" of Daniel 8:14 which leads according to the same base of calculation to the " purification of the sanctuaire" , i.e. with the judgment and the time of fine the precedents the second arrival of the Messiah.

But several schools of face to return the significance of the text. Andre Lacocque, professor in Theological Seminary of Chicago and director of Center for Jewish-Christian Studies developed a sight very other. With him of other commentators go in the same direction: Cornelis Vanderwaal, John E. Goldingay, and Ernest C. Lucas. According to them the 70 week old last of years of Daniel refers to the period which extends from 171 to 164 before our era, period concerning the events surrounding the murder of the large priest oint legitimates Onias III into 171 before our era, the profanation of the Temple by the Greek tyrant Antochius Epiphane into 167 before our era and finally the dedication of the Temple by Judas Macchabée into 164 before our era, event marked by the Jewish fète of Hanukkah. 7 times of the book of Daniel.

To also see:

The evidence in favor of the 20th year of Artaxerxès like starting point 70 weeks by Emmanuel Bertin.

An article against: The 20th year of Artaxerxès and 70 weeks of the book of Danielpar Carl Olof Jonnson

Two kings in conflict

The chapters ten to twelve detail engagements without thank you for supremacy between the king of North and the king of the South . These kings change identity with the wire of time. Just like the immense image and the rise of the wild beasts, the succession of kings is imbricated with the known powers. All starts with a strong king who sees his kingdom broken and divided into four (See Succession of Alexandre Large the for the four generals). Finally, the king of the South is opposed to the king Nord . With a " moment fixé" , the war bursts again but this time with the profanation of the sanctuary of God (Daniel 11:29 - 31). The king of North utters extraordinary things against Dieu ; the king of the South engages ndans the combat and delivers of Daniel conclut : " Against the Prince of the princes it will rise, but it is without hand that it will be broken. And it is true, the thing seen concerning the evening and the morning, which was known as. For you, hold secret the vision, because it is still for many jours." .

Adventures of Daniel

The burning furnace

Daniel and his companions refuse to take part in the worship of the giant image of Nabuchodonosor II; they firmly say to the king that they will not adore his gods; in answer, they were found in an overheated furnace. The valiant men having thrown them died by the fire of the furnace, but a Ange delivers Daniel and his companions (Daniel 3:1 - 30).

The lion's den

A plot of civils servant leads to the introduction of a prohibition to adore another person that the king. Although having included/understood the trap, Daniel continuous to request his Jéhovah God and do not seek to hide it; it is thrown in the pit with the Lion S. the account teaches us that the lions did not touch it, unlike the persons in charge of the plot who also finished in the pit (Daniel 6:1 - 28).

Historical facts

The Jewish historian Flavius Josèphe reports that the book of Daniel was shown with Alexandre Large the when it went with his army against Jerusalem. The reported history occurs towards 330 av. J. - C., more than 150 years before the period maccabéenne. " Him the book of Daniel was shown, where it was announced that a Greek would come to destroy the empire of Persians, and the king, thinking that itself by was indicated there, is delighted fort." (Flavius Josèphe - Antiquity judaïques - Book XI) Alexandre granted great favors to the Jews, and it is thought that it is because of what Daniel had said of him in prophecy.

However, it seems more credible to believe than Flavius Josèphe brings back a legend, because the country of Israel formed to him also part of the territory conquered by Alexandre, but it did not fight against the Jews to obtain it. At the time of Alexandre, the Jews had been already overcome by the Assyrians then by the Babylonians, then finally by Persians which, in their turn, were overcome by the Greeks of Alexandre. They could not thus face Alexandre, because their military forces had become non-existent following the various deportations. Moreover, according to the account, Alexandre Large the prostrate directly in front of the high priest bearing the name of God on his tiara, which is an image in complete contradiction with the historians who bring back a pagan war leader to us, violent and given.

If Flavius Josèphe speaks about certain crowned books of the Jews, it never approaches their dates of composition, nor the name of those which are present in Canon. (Canon of the Jewish bible fixed into 90 ap JC at Yabneh). Moreover, one notes in the writings of Flavius Josèphe that the long period which extends between Néhémie and the insurrection from the Macchabées, are treated in the most insufficient way. What was not besides the goal of the writings of Flavius Josèphe. It is not therefore advisable to see there a historical proof of the period of the drafting of the book of Daniel.

Daniel
Canon (Bible)
Old Testament
Alexandre Large the
Flavius Josèphe
Text crowned
Maharal of Prague
biblical Studies

External bonds

Study on the dating of the book of Daniel english
the book of Daniel by The Jewish Encyclopédia english
the book of Daniel by the Catholic review Spirit and Life
official Chronology of the drafting of the books of the Bible

References

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