The Two Eschatological Perspectives of the Book of Daniel

Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 91-111, 2016, DOI: 10.1080/09018328.2016.1122292

22 Pages Posted: 9 Nov 2014 Last revised: 3 May 2016

Date Written: April 27, 2016

Abstract

The revelatory traditions found in chs. 2,7-12 of the book of Daniel are exceptional in connecting the historical circumstances pertaining to the persecution under Antiochus IV Epiphanes with the eschatological hopes of the Hebrew Bible. We will argue that the nature of this connection is twofold. On the one hand, for the redactor who gave the book of Daniel its canonical form, the distress associated with Antiochus was the distress associated with the last days. On the other hand, for the original composers of the book of Daniel, the distress associated with Antiochus was only a precursor to the distress associated with the last days. Finally, we will apply the insights gained from making this argument to the question of the book of Daniel’s composition.

Keywords: Daniel, redaction criticism, composition, eschatology, seventy weeks

Suggested Citation

Waters, Benjamin, The Two Eschatological Perspectives of the Book of Daniel (April 27, 2016). Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 91-111, 2016, DOI: 10.1080/09018328.2016.1122292, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2520655 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2520655

Benjamin Waters (Contact Author)

Rice University ( email )

6100 South Main Street
Houston, TX 77005-1892
United States

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