Book of Daniel

The Book of Daniel is a 2nd-century BC apocalypse from Judea with a 6th century BC setting.[1] Ostensibly "an account of the activities and visions of Daniel, a noble Jew exiled at Babylon",[2] it combines a prophecy of history with an eschatology (a portrayal of end times) both cosmic in scope and political in focus,[1] and its message is that just as the God of Israel saves Daniel from his enemies, so he would save the Israelites in their present oppression.[3]

The Hebrew Bible includes Daniel as one of the Ketuvim, while Christian biblical canons group the work with the major prophets.[4] It divides into two parts: a set of six court tales in chapters 1–6, written mostly in Biblical Aramaic, and four apocalyptic visions in chapters 7–12, written mainly in Late Biblical Hebrew;[5] the deuterocanonical books contain three additional sections, the Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon.[6]

The book's themes have resonated throughout the ages, including with the community of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the authors of the canonical gospels and the Book of Revelation. From the 2nd century to the modern era, religious movements including the Reformation and later millennialist movements have been deeply influenced by it.[7]

Scroll of the book Daniel in Hebrew
  1. ^ a b Collins 1984, pp. 34–36.
  2. ^ Reid 2000, p. 315.
  3. ^ Brettler 2005, p. 218.
  4. ^ Bandstra 2008, p. 445.
  5. ^ Collins 2002, p. 2.
  6. ^ Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 452.
  7. ^ Towner 1984, p. 2-3.

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