[75] Isaac Newton paid special attention to it, Francis Bacon borrowed a motto from it for his work Novum Organum, Baruch Spinoza drew on it, its apocalyptic second half attracted the attention of Carl Jung, and it inspired musicians from medieval liturgical drama to Darius Milhaud and artists including Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Eugène Delacroix. Daniel is summoned and interprets the dream. Origen received the story as part of the 'divine books' and censured 'wicked presbyters' who did not recognize its authenticity (Hom Lev 1.3. Daniel 5:3. Daniel 13:2. Finally, they confessed their true intentions and were delighted to find they shared the same desires. The second says they were under an evergreen oak tree (ὑπο πρίνον, hypo prinon), and Daniel says that an angel stands ready to saw (πρίσαι, prisai) him in two. The Career of the Antichrist (Daniel 11:40-45) Daniel prophesied the deliverance of God’s people in the end times. Theodotion is much closer to the Masoretic Text and became so popular that it replaced the original Septuagint version in all but two manuscripts of the Septuagint itself. Daniel 13:3. The first says they were under a mastic tree (ὑπο σχίνον, hypo schinon), and Daniel says that an angel stands ready to cut (σχίσει, schisei) him in two. [35][36] It is one of a large number of Jewish apocalypses, all of them pseudonymous. Day after day, they hid in the garden biding their time. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Some argue that the wicked judges are the adulterous prophets, Ahab and Zedekiah, named by Jeremiah in 29:21-23. Consequently, it fits better to interpret this “desire” as the Messiah, who would fall into the same category as “other gods.” This also correlates with Revelation 13:15, which pictures the Antichrist setting up an image of himself in the Temple in Jerusalem and demanding worship—a future “abomination of desolation” (Mt. [10] The following outline is provided by Collins in his commentary on Daniel:[11], There is a recognised chiasm (a concentric literary structure in which the main point of a passage is placed in the centre and framed by parallel elements on either side in "ABBA" fashion) in the chapter arrangement of the Aramaic section. [41], The prophecies of Daniel are accurate down to the career of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, king of Syria and oppressor of the Jews, but not in its prediction of his death: the author seems to know about Antiochus' two campaigns in Egypt (169 and 167 BCE), the desecration of the Temple (the "abomination of desolation"), and the fortification of the Akra (a fortress built inside Jerusalem), but he seems to know nothing about the reconstruction of the Temple or about the actual circumstances of Antiochus' death in late 164 BCE. Indeed, the fate of the elders in Susanna 61 exactly mirrors this fate, when we are told that. The story is also repeated in the One Thousand and One Nights under the name The Devout Woman and the Two Wicked Elders. [26] Jason, hearing a rumour that Antiochus was dead, attacked Menelaus to take back the High Priesthood. ), Daniel received another revelation concerning Israel in the “latter days” (10:14). He consciously included pubic hair, unlike the statue-like images of classical art. Another answer seems to derive from the treatment of the false witnesses. First year of Belshazzar: Probably 553 BCE, when Belshazzar was given royal power by his father. Upon hearing this discrepancy, the people knew their witness was untrue. It is listed in Article VI of the 39 Articles of the Church of England among the books which are read "for example of life and instruction of manners", but not for the formation of doctrine. [19], In the first year of Belshazzar Daniel has a dream of four monstrous beasts arising from the sea. Daniel 13:3. Daniel 13:14. Antichrist's 'desire of women' in Daniel 11:37 et al. Nonetheless, Susanna's prayer of lament, decision to remain chaste, and prayer for deliverance also speak to the hope and holiness of the Jewish people who embodied the wisdom tradition of Israel. Verse 40 places these events “at the time of the end.” This most easily describes the last half of the seven-year Tribulation period. [34], Daniel is a product of "Wisdom" circles, but the type of wisdom is mantic (the discovery of heavenly secrets from earthly signs) rather than the wisdom of learning—the main source of wisdom in Daniel is God's revelation. "Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night and behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea." Thus the character of the Antichrist can be summarized as one who will try to establish himself as God, seeking to rule the world strictly for his own glory and desire for power. Jerome (347–420), while translating the Vulgate, treated this section as a non-canonical fable. Help me reach the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. The Jews resisted this Hellenization, resulting in the Maccabean revolt that reclaimed the Temple three years later and produced the Feast of the Dedication, commonly known as Hanukkah. The great difference in size between a mastic and an oak makes the elders' lie plain to all the observers. [3] The book is filled with monsters, angels, and numerology, drawn from a wide range of sources, both biblical and non-biblical, that would have had meaning in the context of 2nd-century Jewish culture, and while Christian interpreters have always viewed these as predicting events in the New Testament—"the Son of God", "the Son of Man", Christ and the Antichrist—the book's intended audience is the Jews of the 2nd century BCE. But there is no need to fear. Meeks, Wayne, ed. The Harper Collins Study Bible. San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins Publishers. The Persian army which captured Babylon was under the command of a certain. Some treatments, especially in the Baroque period, emphasize the drama, others concentrate on the nude; a 19th-century version by Francesco Hayez (National Gallery, London) has no elders visible at all. [12] The following is taken from Paul Redditt's "Introduction to the Prophets":[13], In the third year of King Jehoiakim, God allows Jerusalem to fall into the power of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon. Some think such subtleties of law are too advanced for this folk tale, but it does highlight the perils of having two witnesses conspire to give false testimony and thereby force the courts to condemn innocent people. The Book of Daniel Introduction to the Book of Daniel in the Bible. By Daniel Bobinski Before you read this, I strongly recommend you read Part 1 first. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of God’s house which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, drank from them. "[68] Without this belief, Christianity, in which the resurrection of Jesus plays a central role, would have disappeared, like the movements following other charismatic Jewish figures of the 1st century. Dwight McKissic of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Texas suggested that the anti-Christ is himself gay, citing a verse from the book of Daniel saying the anti-Christ will have no desire for a woman. Her parents were also righteous, and taught their daughter according to the law of Moses. God inspired Daniel to get involved, and he suggested they interrogate the two judges separately. This was the standard thought until recently. But he will not restrict himself to only reviling the true God; he will exalt himself above all gods. It was easily the most popular of the prophetic books for the Anglo-Saxons, who nevertheless treated it not as prophecy but as a historical book, "a repository of dramatic stories about confrontations between God and a series of emperor-figures who represent the highest reach of man". The Antichrist will disregard the “gods of his fathers” (meaning traditional worship) and will initiate something previously unheard of. [69], Daniel was quoted and referenced by both Jews and Christians in the 1st century CE as predicting the imminent end-time. [30][31], It is generally accepted that Daniel originated as a collection of Aramaic court tales later expanded by the Hebrew revelations. She refuses to be blackmailed and is arrested and about to be put to death for adultery when the young Daniel interrupts the proceedings, shouting that the elders should be questioned to prevent the death of an innocent. [15], Daniel's companions Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar's golden statue and are thrown into a fiery furnace. The tree is Nebuchadnezzar himself, who for seven years will lose his mind and live like a wild beast. 13]), whom he will proclaim to reveal incarnately (as Antiochus did of Zeus). Yet they watched jealously from day to day to see her. When she makes her way back to her house, they accost her, threatening to claim that she was meeting a young man in the garden unless she agrees to have sex with them. 'Susanna' is the second additions to the book of Daniel. Cyrus: Persian conqueror of Babylon, 539 BCE. 11:1-2), and will try to exterminate the rest of the people of Israel. Even though the facts of the story are very plausible, few modern scholars think it is historical. At that point, they hatched a plan to seduce her. These Gentile nations were pictured as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, after which the Messiah would destroy these kingdoms and institute a righteous kingdom with Israel back in its place of blessing. 19:11-21). Indeed, two elders, who had been appointed as judges, used it as their courtroom. There the sixth bowl judgment will open the way for the kings of the east to move toward Israel. 1999. The queen spoke and said, “O king, live forever; don’t let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your face be changed. But from our vantage point in the year 2000, the prophecy of Daniel 11:1-35 is historical fact. Rather than the good protagonist defeating the evil antagonist, the author keeps Susanna vulnerable and helpless, and brings in a third entity who turns out the be the hero, or deus ex-machina: Daniel. While Antichrist will exalt himself above all gods, he will, nevertheless, worship a god—“the god of fortresses.” This may mean that as an arrogant dictator, he will trust only in military might. Take an in-depth look at the seventy weeks of Daniel and God’s six goals for the people of Israel. [25], Antiochus invaded Egypt twice, in 169 BCE with success, but on the second incursion, in late 168 BCE, he was forced to withdraw by the Romans. He Will Arrogantly Blaspheme (v. 36). Daniel 10: In the third year of Cyrus[Notes 5] Daniel sees in his vision an angel (called "a man", but clearly a supernatural being) who explains that he is in the midst of a war with the "prince of Persia", assisted only by Michael, "your prince." As Daniel wrote, he (Antichrist) “shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done” (11:36). From Daniel’s point in history in 536 B.C., the revelation of Daniel chapter 11 was totally prophetic. Susannah and the Elders by Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari (late Baroque). Susanna is the subject of paintings by many artists, including (but not limited to) Lorenzo Lotto (Susanna and the Elders, 1517), Guido Reni, Rubens, Van Dyck (Susanna and the Elders), Tintoretto, Rembrandt, Tiepolo, and Artemisia Gentileschi. [20], In the third year of Belshazzar Daniel has vision of a ram and goat. There are two main versions: one was written by Theodotion, a Hellenistic Jewish scholar who translated the Old Testament into Greek perhaps as late as 180-190CE; the other is the LXX. Although nations will resist him, demonic influences will gather these nations together in Israel to fight against the true God. It takes place in Babylon. and demanded that everyone worship the image.