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| − | The complete '''Book of Daniel''' [Hebrew: '''דניאל'''] of 14 chapters is found in the books of the [[Septuagint]], the Old Testament accepted as inspired and canonical by the [[Orthodox Church]] in the ''Greek Orthodox Bible'', and | + | The complete '''Book of Daniel''' [Hebrew: '''דניאל'''] of 14 chapters, translated from a Hebrew original which has been lost, is found in the books of the [[Septuagint]], the Old Testament of the apostles and the early Christian Church, accepted as inspired and canonical by the [[Orthodox Church]] in the ''Greek Orthodox Bible'', and in the books of the Old Testament of the ''[[Vulgate]]'' and included in the canon of inspired scripture by the [[Third Council of Carthage (397)]]. It is included in the canon of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox Bible]]. Since the [[Council of Trent]] it is [[Dogma|dogmatically]] accepted as inspired and canonical "with all its parts" by the [[Catholic Church]] in the ''Catholic Bible''—books of the Bible accepted as divinely inspired by the majority of Christian believers in the United States and throughout the world.<ref>The '''Catholic Church''' is the world's largest [[Christianity|Christian]] body comprised of several distinct [https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm "Rites"]. The [[Catholic Church|Catholic Church (Latin Rite)]] is the largest religious body in the United States, with over 60 million adherents (4 times as large as the second largest church, the Orthodox).<br/>[http://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/ “The Global Catholic Population,” © 2011, Pew Research Center.]<br/>[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html The Largest Catholic Communities]<br/> |
The '''Eastern Orthodox Church''', officially called the '''Orthodox Catholic Church''', and also referred to as the '''[[Orthodox Church]]''' and '''Orthodoxy''', is the second largest [[Christianity|Christian church]] in the world, with an estimated 225–300 million adherents, most of whom live in [[Eastern Europe]], the [[Middle East]], and [[Russia]].<br/>{{cite web |last1=Calivas |first1=Rev. Alciviadis C. |title=The Greek (Eastern) Orthodox Church |publisher=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Of America |year=1983 |url=http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7061 |accessdate=7 May 2014 |ref=none }}<br/>{{cite web |last1=Fairchild |first1=Mary |title=Christianity:Basics:Eastern Orthodox Church Denomination |publisher=about.com |url=http://christianity.about.com/od/easternorthodoxy/p/orthodoxprofile.htm |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}<br/>{{cite web |title=Christianity |work=Major Branches of Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents |publisher=adherents.com |url=http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Christianity |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}</ref><ref name=Prot>See [http://www.888c.com/worldChristianDenominations.htm Percentage of Christians in Protestant Denominations (29.5%)].</ref> | The '''Eastern Orthodox Church''', officially called the '''Orthodox Catholic Church''', and also referred to as the '''[[Orthodox Church]]''' and '''Orthodoxy''', is the second largest [[Christianity|Christian church]] in the world, with an estimated 225–300 million adherents, most of whom live in [[Eastern Europe]], the [[Middle East]], and [[Russia]].<br/>{{cite web |last1=Calivas |first1=Rev. Alciviadis C. |title=The Greek (Eastern) Orthodox Church |publisher=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Of America |year=1983 |url=http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7061 |accessdate=7 May 2014 |ref=none }}<br/>{{cite web |last1=Fairchild |first1=Mary |title=Christianity:Basics:Eastern Orthodox Church Denomination |publisher=about.com |url=http://christianity.about.com/od/easternorthodoxy/p/orthodoxprofile.htm |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}<br/>{{cite web |title=Christianity |work=Major Branches of Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents |publisher=adherents.com |url=http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Christianity |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}</ref><ref name=Prot>See [http://www.888c.com/worldChristianDenominations.htm Percentage of Christians in Protestant Denominations (29.5%)].</ref> | ||
| − | The shorter Hebrew book of '''Daniel''' of 12 chapters is ranked by the Jews in that division of | + | The shorter [[Masoretic Text|Masoretic]] Hebrew book of '''Daniel''' of 12 chapters is ranked by the Jews in that division of the '''[[Tanakh]]''' called the [[Ketuvim]], or Writings.<ref name="d"/> The Book of Daniel has never been ranked among the [[Nevi'im]], or Prophets, by the Jews. |
| − | The historical part of the book treats of the period of the Captivity, written around 530 B.C.<ref name="d"/> Daniel is "the historian of the Captivity, the writer who alone furnishes any series of events for that dark and dismal period during which the harp of Israel hung on the trees that grew by the Euphrates.<ref name="d"/> His narrative may be said in general to intervene between Kings and Chronicles on the one hand and Ezra on the other, or (more strictly) to fill out the sketch which the author of the Chronicles gives in a single verse in his last chapter: | + | A major portion of the 3rd chapter and the 13th and 14th chapters of Daniel were first removed from the Christian Old Testament and placed in the [[Apocrypha]] as separate books by Martin Luther in the 16th century. These separated texts are regarded as apocryphal by less than one-third of Christian believers, most of whom have never read them.<ref name=Prot/> |
| + | |||
| + | In printed editions of the [[King James Bible]] in the 16th through early 20th centuries these separated texts of the Apocrypha are given the following titles:<ref>''A. D. 1611 King James Version and Revised Version of A. D. 1881 arranged in parallel columns'', O. A. Browning & Co., Toledo, Ohio, Potter, Chase & Co., Kansas City, MO, J. H. Buckmaster, Toledo, Ohio, 1881.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[[The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children|"'''The Song of the Three Holy Children'''. Which followeth in the third Chapter of Daniel after this place—''fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.'' That which followeth is not in the Hebrew, to wit, ''and they walked....'' unto these words, ''Then Nebuchadnezzar...'' verse 24."]] (62 verses) <ref name=notHebrew>"not in the Hebrew"<br/>—A major portion of the canonical Book of Daniel which is accepted as inspired and canonical in the Protestant Bible is also not in the [[Hebrew]], but in [[Aramaic]]: Daniel 2:4–7:28. <br/>—Major portions of the canonical Book of Ezra which are accepted as inspired and canonical in the Protestant Bible are also not in the Hebrew, but in Aramaic: Ezra 4:7–6:18; 7:12-26.<br/>—Other minor portions of the Old Testament which are accepted as inspired and canonical in the Protestant Bible were penned in Aramaic, not Hebrew: Jeremiah 10:11; and two words in Genesis 31:47.<br/>See the following: | ||
| + | *[http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/bible-faqs/in-what-language-was-the-bible-first-written/ Biblica: Transforming lives through God's Word. In what language was the Bible first written?] (biblica.com) | ||
| + | *[http://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/5217/why-is-daniel-chapter-24-728-written-in-aramaic Why is Daniel chapter 2:4—7:28 written in Aramaic?] (hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions) | ||
| + | *[https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/200-languages-of-the-bible Christian Courier : Languages of the Bible] (christiancourier.com) | ||
| + | *[http://www.bible.gen.nz/amos/language/languages.htm Languages of the Bible] (bible.gen.nz)</ref> | ||
| + | *[[Story of Susanna|"'''The History of Susanna'''. Set apart from the Beginning of ''Daniel'', because it is not in the Hebrew, as neither the Narration of ''Bel and the Dragon''"]] <ref name=notHebrew/> | ||
| + | *[[Bel and the Dragon|"'''The History of the Destruction of Bel and the Dragon''', cut off from the end of Daniel"]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Contents== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Masoretic Hebrew Book of Daniel consists of two distinct parts.<ref name="d"/> The first part, consisting of the first six chapters, is chiefly historical; and the second part, consisting of the remaining six chapters, is chiefly prophetical.<ref name="d"/> | ||
| + | |||
| + | The historical part of the book treats of the period of the Captivity, written around 530 B.C.<ref name="d"/> Daniel is <blockquote>"the historian of the Captivity, the writer who alone furnishes any series of events for that dark and dismal period during which the harp of Israel hung on the trees that grew by the Euphrates.<ref name="d"/> His narrative may be said in general to intervene between Kings and Chronicles on the one hand and Ezra on the other, or (more strictly) to fill out the sketch which the author of the Chronicles gives in a single verse in his last chapter: 'And them that had escaped from the sword carried he [i.e., Nebuchadnezzar] away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia'." (2 Chronicles 36:20).<ref name="d"/></blockquote> | ||
The prophetical part consists of three visions and one lengthened prophetical communication.<ref name="d">{{Easton|Daniel}}</ref> Some suggest that the second part was written hundreds of years later, perhaps based on an oral tradition, but it was nevertheless certainly written well before Christ. | The prophetical part consists of three visions and one lengthened prophetical communication.<ref name="d">{{Easton|Daniel}}</ref> Some suggest that the second part was written hundreds of years later, perhaps based on an oral tradition, but it was nevertheless certainly written well before Christ. | ||
| − | + | The Christian Old Testament Book of Daniel in both the Septuagint and the Vulgate consists of two distinct kinds of narrative, historical and prophetic, in three parts. In the Septuagint, the first part begins with the first chapter narrative of Daniel, a youth, saving Susanna from the death sentence of the two corrupt judges, with the first part of the book thus consisting of the first seven chapters, which are chiefly historical; the second part, consisting of six chapters, primarily relating visions sent to Daniel and interpreted by [[Gabriel (archangel)|Gabriel]], is chiefly prophetical; and the third part, consisting of one chapter, is chiefly historical. In the 5th century, the 1st chapter of Daniel in the Septuagint was moved by [[Jerome]] and placed in his Vulgate translation near the end of the book as the 13th chapter of Daniel, so that in the Vulgate the first part of Daniel consists of six chapters, the second part six chapters, and the third part two chapters. In accordance with the ancient traditional reading of the text of the Bible in the Christian Church, Jerome elected to leave in their traditional place in the text in the 3rd chapter of Daniel the 62 verses he did not find in any of the Hebrew manuscripts he had available to him; but he noted [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)|critically]] that they are "not in the Hebrew". | |
| + | |||
| + | ===Chapter summaries=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The following chapter summaries are from the Douay-Rheims Bible. | ||
| + | Part one, historical narratives: | ||
| + | :(1) Daniel and his companions are taken into the palace of the king of Babylon: they abstain from his meat and wine, and succeed better with pulse and water. Their excellence and wisdom. | ||
| + | :(2) Daniel, by divine revelation, declares the dream of Nabuchodonosor, and the interpretation of it. He is highly honoured by the king. | ||
| + | :(3) Nabuchodonosor sets up a golden statue; which he commands all to adore: the three children for refusing to do it are cast into the fiery furnace; but are not hurt by the flames. Their prayer and canticle of praise. (the chapter is 100 verses) | ||
| + | :(4) Nabuchodonosor's dream, by which the judgments of God are denounced against him for his pride, is interpreted by Daniel, and verified by the event. | ||
| + | :(5) Baltasar's profane banquet: his sentence is denounced by a handwriting on the wall, which Daniel reads and interprets. | ||
| + | :(6) Daniel is promoted by Darius: his enemies procure a law forbidding prayer; for the transgression of this law Daniel is cast into the lions' den: but miraculously delivered. | ||
| + | Part two, prophesies: | ||
| + | :(7) Daniel's vision of the four beasts, signifying four kingdoms: of God sitting on his throne: and of the opposite kingdoms of Christ and Antichrist. | ||
| + | :(8) Daniel's vision of the ram and he goat interpreted by the angel Gabriel. | ||
| + | :(9) Daniel's confession and prayer: Gabriel informs him concerning the seventy weeks to the coming of Christ. | ||
| + | :(10) Daniel having humbled himself by fasting and penance seeth a vision, with which he is much terrified; but he is comforted by an angel. | ||
| + | :(11) The angel declares to Daniel many things to come, with regard to the Persian and Grecian kings: more especially with regard to Antiochus as a figure of Antichrist. | ||
| + | :(12) Michael shall stand up for the people of God: with other things relating to Antichrist, and the end of the world. | ||
| + | Part three, historical narratives: | ||
| + | :(13) The history of Susanna and the two elders. | ||
| + | :(14) The history of Bel, and of the great serpent worshipped by the Babylonians. | ||
==Prophecy== | ==Prophecy== | ||
| + | |||
'''Statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream''' | '''Statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream''' | ||
| − | The statue of this dream had a head of gold, body and arms of silver, thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. Daniel interpreted this to be kingdoms, with the head of gold being Neo-Babylon, and other kingdoms not as rich but stronger after. These kingdoms are often viewed as (starting with the arms of | + | |
| − | '''Four Beasts''' | + | The statue of this dream had a head of gold, body and arms of silver, thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. Daniel interpreted this to be kingdoms, with the head of gold being Neo-Babylon, and other kingdoms not as rich but stronger after. These subsequent kingdoms are often viewed as |
| − | Daniel saw 4 beasts. They were a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a beast. These prophecies are often viewed as the same as the vision of the statue, with the lion being Neo-Babylon, the bear being Medo-Persia, the leopard being Greece, and the Beast being Rome. | + | *(starting with the arms of silver) Medo-Persia (2 arms for 2 peoples but still connected by the upper body as 1 nation), |
| + | *Alexander the Great's Grecian empire (bronze, or ''steel'' <ref>Some modern commentators have substituted "steel" for bronze and iron. [https://books.google.com/books?id=20GsAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA99&lpg=PA99&dq=Daniel+2:32+steel&source=bl&ots=j5nsDgDc58&sig=2VGv6KNe_4aBXlmESBn3FE4dY_s&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vI--VJnnHMydNoiGgoAE&ved=0CEYQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=Daniel%202%3A32%20steel&f=false ''Daniel: A Christian Interpretation'', by James E. Smith, Ph.D. Lulu.com, 2008. 420 pages. 5: God of Revelation, page 99, footnote 117:] a citation of David Flusser, "The Four Empires in the Fourth Sybyl and in the Book of Daniel", ''IOS'', 2 (1972): 162–71 "gold, silver, steel, mixed iron".<br/>See [http://biblehub.com/multi/daniel/2-33.htm Daniel 2:33] ''multiple translations''.</ref>), | ||
| + | *pagan Rome (2 legs for 2 empires, western and eastern) | ||
| + | *and the feet being Europe after Rome. | ||
| + | This particular view seems to be based on an interpretation of "the prince of the covenant" ([http://biblehub.com/multi/daniel/11-22.htm Daniel 11:22]) as being ''only'' Jesus Christ and no other. | ||
| + | |||
| + | When "the prince of the covenant" (11:22) is interpreted as Onias III the anointed high priest, "''because of the piety of the high priest Onias and his hatred of wickedness''" (2 Maccabees 3:1), who was treacherously assassinated on the secret order of Menelaus by the assassin Andronicus under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, then the kingdoms foreseen by Daniel are viewed as | ||
| + | *Ancient Babylon, the head of gold, | ||
| + | *the Kingdom of the Medes (silver),<ref name=Medes>Kingdom of the Medes. See the following articles: | ||
| + | *[http://www.livius.org/mea-mem/media/media.html Media] (livius.org) | ||
| + | *[http://www.crystalinks.com/media.html Median Empire] (crystalinks.com) | ||
| + | *[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10117a.htm Media and Medes] (newadvent.org) | ||
| + | *[http://www.taroscopes.com/miscellanous-pages/medes.html History of the Medes (Magi and Enchanters of Old)] (taroscopes.com) | ||
| + | *[http://www.ancient.eu/media Ancient History Encyclopedia: Media: definition], by Jan van der Crabben, published on 28 April 2011 (ancient.eu) | ||
| + | *[http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Media TheFreeDictionary by Farlex: Media: definition] (thefreedictionary.com) <br/> The Median tribal warriors are mentioned for the first time in the Assyrian Annals as enemies of Šalmaneser III (858-824).</ref> | ||
| + | *the kingdom of the Persians and Medes (bronze), | ||
| + | *the kingdom of the Greeks, established by Alexander the Great, which was divided (iron, iron and clay, and clay), primarily into the two kingdoms of the Ptolemies in Egypt (in the south) and the Seleucids in Syria (in the north) which fought each other for control of Judea. | ||
| + | This particular view sees the two legs and feet of iron and clay as the mixed rule of the Ptolemies and Seleucids, and the toes of clay as the successors of Alexander's generals, whose [[Hellenism|Hellenistic]] suppression was finally removed from Judea in the time of Simon the high priest, son of Mattathias.<ref>See the following: | ||
| + | *[http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/2#34002033-1 Daniel 2:33ff: footnotes. NABRE]; | ||
| + | *[http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/9#34009024-1 Daniel 9:24ff: footnotes. NABRE]; | ||
| + | *[http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/11#34011002-1 Daniel 11: footnotes. NABRE]</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Four Beasts''' | ||
| + | |||
| + | Daniel saw 4 beasts. They were a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a different beast. These prophecies are often viewed as the same as the vision of the statue, with the lion being Neo-Babylon, the bear being Medo-Persia, the leopard being Greece, and the Beast being Rome; or the lion as the Ancient Kingdom of Babylon, the bear as the Kingdom of the Medes,<ref name=Medes/> the leopard as the Kingdom of Persia, and the Different Beast as the Kingdom of the Greeks, with Antiochus IV in particular as the little horn speaking great things who was suddenly broken after 2,300 evenings and mornings (8:9-14). | ||
| + | |||
| + | See [[Literalist Bible chronology]] | ||
| + | |||
'''Ram and He-Goat''' | '''Ram and He-Goat''' | ||
| − | These visions are of a Ram, a He-Goat, and a little horn. These are viewed often as Medo-Persia, Greece, and papal Rome. | + | |
| + | These visions are of a Ram, a He-Goat, and a little horn. These are viewed often as Medo-Persia, Greece, and papal Rome; or as Medo-Persia with two horns (both great, but one, Persia, greater than the subordinated other, Medea), which was conquered by the He-Goat Alexander (the ''notable'' or ''conspicuous'' single horn), with Antiochus IV Epiphanes as the little horn, broken "''without hand''" by no human hand. [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2maccabees%209:5&version=RSVCE 2 Maccabees 9:5] and [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2maccabees%209:28&version=RSVCE 9:28] | ||
== Greek and Persian words == | == Greek and Persian words == | ||
| − | The Book of Daniel contains words having either Greek or Persian origin. This has caused some continuing dispute among historians and theologians in explaining how such words, particularly the Greek ones, ended up in the predominantly Hebrew Book of Daniel. | + | The Book of Daniel contains words having either Greek or Persian origin. This has caused some continuing dispute among historians and theologians in explaining how such words, particularly the Greek ones, ended up in the predominantly Hebrew Book of Daniel. Some see this as evidence that the extant [[Masoretic Text|Masoretic Hebrew text]] of Daniel in the Palestinian canon of the Jews is an abbreviated version of the longer Hebrew original text (now lost) which underlies the rabbinical Greek translation of Daniel in the ''Septuagint'', which predates the time of Jesus. |
==Dispute on Authorship== | ==Dispute on Authorship== | ||
Due to the fact that the book contains prophecies that were fulfilled in the 4th century BC, many [[modernist]] scholars have asserted that this book was not written by Daniel the 6th century BC, but by a later person. However, both Scriptural and textual arguments support the traditional view.<ref name="d"/> | Due to the fact that the book contains prophecies that were fulfilled in the 4th century BC, many [[modernist]] scholars have asserted that this book was not written by Daniel the 6th century BC, but by a later person. However, both Scriptural and textual arguments support the traditional view.<ref name="d"/> | ||
| − | # Jesus (Matthew 24:15; 25:31; 26:64) and His apostles (1 Corinthians 6:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:3) testify that the book was written by "the prophet Daniel," and that it is authoritative.<ref name="d"/><p></p> | + | # Jesus (Matthew 24:15; 25:31; 26:64) and His apostles (1 Corinthians 6:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:3) testify that the book was written by "the prophet Daniel," and that it is authoritative.<ref>[http://www.scripturecatholic.com/septuagint.html Septuagint Quotes in the New Testament]</ref><ref name="d"/><p></p> |
# The prophet Ezekiel testifies that Daniel was known for his wisdom and righteousness (Ezekiel 14:14, 20; 28:3).<ref name="d"/><p></p> | # The prophet Ezekiel testifies that Daniel was known for his wisdom and righteousness (Ezekiel 14:14, 20; 28:3).<ref name="d"/><p></p> | ||
# The character and records of the book are also entirely in harmony with the times and circumstances in which the author lived.<ref name="d"/><p></p> | # The character and records of the book are also entirely in harmony with the times and circumstances in which the author lived.<ref name="d"/><p></p> | ||
# The linguistic character of the book is, moreover, just such as might be expected.<ref name="d"/> Certain portions (Dan. 2:4; 7) are written in the Chaldee ([[Aramaic]]) language, and the portions written in Hebrew are in a style and form having a close affinity with the later books of the Old Testament, especially with that of Ezra.<ref name="d"/> The writer is familiar both with the Hebrew and the Chaldee, passing from the one to the other just as his subject required.<ref name="d"/> This is in strict accordance with the position of the author and of the people for whom his book was written.<ref name="d"/> That Daniel is the writer of this book is also testified to in the book itself (7:1, 28; 8:2; 9:2; 10:1, 2; 12:4, 5).<ref name="d"/> | # The linguistic character of the book is, moreover, just such as might be expected.<ref name="d"/> Certain portions (Dan. 2:4; 7) are written in the Chaldee ([[Aramaic]]) language, and the portions written in Hebrew are in a style and form having a close affinity with the later books of the Old Testament, especially with that of Ezra.<ref name="d"/> The writer is familiar both with the Hebrew and the Chaldee, passing from the one to the other just as his subject required.<ref name="d"/> This is in strict accordance with the position of the author and of the people for whom his book was written.<ref name="d"/> That Daniel is the writer of this book is also testified to in the book itself (7:1, 28; 8:2; 9:2; 10:1, 2; 12:4, 5).<ref name="d"/> | ||
| − | Additionally, findings in the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]] dating to the 2nd century BC referred to Daniel as a prophet, which supports the traditional view, as it is unlikely that Daniel would have been accepted as a prophet had the book been written several years previously rather than several centuries previously.<ref>http://www.harvardhouse.com/Daniel_date-written.htm</ref> | + | Additionally, findings in the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]] dating to the 2nd century BC referred to Daniel as a prophet, which supports the traditional view, as it is unlikely that Daniel would have been accepted as a prophet had the book been written several years previously rather than several centuries previously.<ref>[http://www.harvardhouse.com/Daniel_date-written.htm When was Daniel Written? Evidence Supporting 6th Century BCE Authorship Date After Removing Naturalist Bias]</ref> |
{{Old Testament Books}} | {{Old Testament Books}} | ||
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==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| − | + | [[Deuterocanonicals]] | |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | [[Biblical Canon]] | |
==References== | ==References== | ||
| + | |||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==External links== | ||
| + | |||
| + | [http://www.usccb.org/bible/scripture.cfm?bk=Daniel&ch= Introduction to the Book of Daniel] (usccb.org) | ||
| + | |||
| + | [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/4874-daniel-book-of Jewish Encyclopedia. Daniel, book of] | ||
| + | |||
| + | [http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/daniel.html Early Jewish Writings. Daniel] (earlyjewishwritings.com) | ||
| + | |||
| + | [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04620a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia. Daniel] (newadvent.org) | ||
| + | |||
| + | [http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/jerome_daniel_01_intro.htm Jerome's Commentary on Daniel] | ||
| + | |||
| + | [http://www.wmcarey.edu/browning/Classes/HOB/BibleD-OTText.pdf The Old Testament Text. (wmcarey.edu/browning/Classes)] | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[http://orthodoxwiki.org/Codex_Vaticanus Codex Vaticanus] (orthodoxwiki.org) | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[http://www.bl.uk/eblj/1977articles/pdf/article1.pdf THE CODEX SINAITICUS, T. S. PATTIE. 1977 pdf] (bl.uk/eblj) | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[http://www.bl.uk/eblj/1998articles/pdf/article12.pdf THE CODEX ALEXANDRINUS AND THE ALEXANDRIAN GREEK TYPES, J. H. BOWMAN. 1998 pdf] (bl.uk/eblj) | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[http://www.scripturecatholic.com/septuagint.html Septuagint Quotes in the New Testament] | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[http://ww.newadvent.org/cathen/03267a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Canon of the Old Testament] (discusses differences in the canon) | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01601a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Apocrypha] | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[http://www.bible-researcher.com/jerome.html Jerome on the Canon] translation of Jerome's ''Prologus Galeatus'' to 1 Kings (bible-researcher.com) | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[http://oxfordpatristics.blogspot.com/2011/06/edmon-gallagher-jeromes-prologus.html Edmon Gallagher on Jerome's ''Prologus'' and the Council of Hippo regarding the Canon] (oxfordpatristics.blogspot.com).<br/>See also [http://www.academia.edu/4307125/_Jeromes_Prologus_Galeatus_and_the_OT_Canon_of_North_Africa_Studia_Patristica_69_2013_ Jerome's Prologus Galeatus and the Old Testament Canon of North Africa, ''Studia Patristica'' 69: 2013] | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[http://www.fourthcentury.com/jerome-commentary-on-daniel/ Wisconsin Lutheran. Fourth Century Christianity. Jerome – Commentary on Daniel (fourthcentury.com)] ''This commentary was largely aimed at the criticisms of Porphyry, who took the Book of Daniel as relating to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes.'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | *[http://www.christiantruth.com/articles/Apocrypha3.html The Old Testament Canon and the Apocrypha. Part 3: From Jerome to the Reformation. William Webster] (christiantruth.com) | ||
| + | *[http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/tca_luther.aspx Luther Had His Chance] (orthodoxinfo.com) | ||
| + | *[http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/cloud.html Refuting an Attack on the Deuterocanonicals. A Response to 11 ‘reasons’ that the Deuterocanonicals Should be Thrown Out of the Bible, By Matt1618. Introduction] (matt1618.freeyellow.com) | ||
| + | *[http://www.bible.ca/catholic-apocrypha.htm Roman Catholic and Orthodox Faith Examined, and The Apocrypha: "Reasons why the Apocrypha does NOT belong in the Bible!"] (bible.ca) | ||
| + | *[http://carm.org/why-apocrypha-not-in-bible CARM Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry: Reasons why the Apocrypha does not belong in the Bible, by Ryan Turner] (carm.org) | ||
| + | *[http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/chapter2.html Reasoning From the Scriptures with Ron Rhodes Critique of Chapter 2, Does the Apocrypha Belong in the Bible?, by Matt1618] | ||
| + | *[http://archive.churchsociety.org/crossway/documents/Cway_102_ApocryphaBackground.pdf Background and History to the Apocrypha, By David Phillips] Article reprinted from Cross†Way Issue Autumn 2006 No. 102 (churchsociety.org) | ||
[[Category:Biblical Books| b7]] | [[Category:Biblical Books| b7]] | ||
[[Category:Old Testament Books| b7]] | [[Category:Old Testament Books| b7]] | ||
Revision as of 22:15, January 20, 2015
Note: this article is being expanded and improved for balance and accuracy. Please be patient.
The complete Book of Daniel [Hebrew: דניאל] of 14 chapters, translated from a Hebrew original which has been lost, is found in the books of the Septuagint, the Old Testament of the apostles and the early Christian Church, accepted as inspired and canonical by the Orthodox Church in the Greek Orthodox Bible, and in the books of the Old Testament of the Vulgate and included in the canon of inspired scripture by the Third Council of Carthage (397). It is included in the canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible. Since the Council of Trent it is dogmatically accepted as inspired and canonical "with all its parts" by the Catholic Church in the Catholic Bible—books of the Bible accepted as divinely inspired by the majority of Christian believers in the United States and throughout the world.[1][2]
The shorter Masoretic Hebrew book of Daniel of 12 chapters is ranked by the Jews in that division of the Tanakh called the Ketuvim, or Writings.[3] The Book of Daniel has never been ranked among the Nevi'im, or Prophets, by the Jews.
A major portion of the 3rd chapter and the 13th and 14th chapters of Daniel were first removed from the Christian Old Testament and placed in the Apocrypha as separate books by Martin Luther in the 16th century. These separated texts are regarded as apocryphal by less than one-third of Christian believers, most of whom have never read them.[2]
In printed editions of the King James Bible in the 16th through early 20th centuries these separated texts of the Apocrypha are given the following titles:[4]
- "The Song of the Three Holy Children. Which followeth in the third Chapter of Daniel after this place—fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. That which followeth is not in the Hebrew, to wit, and they walked.... unto these words, Then Nebuchadnezzar... verse 24." (62 verses) [5]
- "The History of Susanna. Set apart from the Beginning of Daniel, because it is not in the Hebrew, as neither the Narration of Bel and the Dragon" [5]
- "The History of the Destruction of Bel and the Dragon, cut off from the end of Daniel"
Contents
The Masoretic Hebrew Book of Daniel consists of two distinct parts.[3] The first part, consisting of the first six chapters, is chiefly historical; and the second part, consisting of the remaining six chapters, is chiefly prophetical.[3]
The historical part of the book treats of the period of the Captivity, written around 530 B.C.[3] Daniel is
"the historian of the Captivity, the writer who alone furnishes any series of events for that dark and dismal period during which the harp of Israel hung on the trees that grew by the Euphrates.[3] His narrative may be said in general to intervene between Kings and Chronicles on the one hand and Ezra on the other, or (more strictly) to fill out the sketch which the author of the Chronicles gives in a single verse in his last chapter: 'And them that had escaped from the sword carried he [i.e., Nebuchadnezzar] away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia'." (2 Chronicles 36:20).[3]
The prophetical part consists of three visions and one lengthened prophetical communication.[3] Some suggest that the second part was written hundreds of years later, perhaps based on an oral tradition, but it was nevertheless certainly written well before Christ.
The Christian Old Testament Book of Daniel in both the Septuagint and the Vulgate consists of two distinct kinds of narrative, historical and prophetic, in three parts. In the Septuagint, the first part begins with the first chapter narrative of Daniel, a youth, saving Susanna from the death sentence of the two corrupt judges, with the first part of the book thus consisting of the first seven chapters, which are chiefly historical; the second part, consisting of six chapters, primarily relating visions sent to Daniel and interpreted by Gabriel, is chiefly prophetical; and the third part, consisting of one chapter, is chiefly historical. In the 5th century, the 1st chapter of Daniel in the Septuagint was moved by Jerome and placed in his Vulgate translation near the end of the book as the 13th chapter of Daniel, so that in the Vulgate the first part of Daniel consists of six chapters, the second part six chapters, and the third part two chapters. In accordance with the ancient traditional reading of the text of the Bible in the Christian Church, Jerome elected to leave in their traditional place in the text in the 3rd chapter of Daniel the 62 verses he did not find in any of the Hebrew manuscripts he had available to him; but he noted critically that they are "not in the Hebrew".
Chapter summaries
The following chapter summaries are from the Douay-Rheims Bible. Part one, historical narratives:
- (1) Daniel and his companions are taken into the palace of the king of Babylon: they abstain from his meat and wine, and succeed better with pulse and water. Their excellence and wisdom.
- (2) Daniel, by divine revelation, declares the dream of Nabuchodonosor, and the interpretation of it. He is highly honoured by the king.
- (3) Nabuchodonosor sets up a golden statue; which he commands all to adore: the three children for refusing to do it are cast into the fiery furnace; but are not hurt by the flames. Their prayer and canticle of praise. (the chapter is 100 verses)
- (4) Nabuchodonosor's dream, by which the judgments of God are denounced against him for his pride, is interpreted by Daniel, and verified by the event.
- (5) Baltasar's profane banquet: his sentence is denounced by a handwriting on the wall, which Daniel reads and interprets.
- (6) Daniel is promoted by Darius: his enemies procure a law forbidding prayer; for the transgression of this law Daniel is cast into the lions' den: but miraculously delivered.
Part two, prophesies:
- (7) Daniel's vision of the four beasts, signifying four kingdoms: of God sitting on his throne: and of the opposite kingdoms of Christ and Antichrist.
- (8) Daniel's vision of the ram and he goat interpreted by the angel Gabriel.
- (9) Daniel's confession and prayer: Gabriel informs him concerning the seventy weeks to the coming of Christ.
- (10) Daniel having humbled himself by fasting and penance seeth a vision, with which he is much terrified; but he is comforted by an angel.
- (11) The angel declares to Daniel many things to come, with regard to the Persian and Grecian kings: more especially with regard to Antiochus as a figure of Antichrist.
- (12) Michael shall stand up for the people of God: with other things relating to Antichrist, and the end of the world.
Part three, historical narratives:
- (13) The history of Susanna and the two elders.
- (14) The history of Bel, and of the great serpent worshipped by the Babylonians.
Prophecy
Statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream
The statue of this dream had a head of gold, body and arms of silver, thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. Daniel interpreted this to be kingdoms, with the head of gold being Neo-Babylon, and other kingdoms not as rich but stronger after. These subsequent kingdoms are often viewed as
- (starting with the arms of silver) Medo-Persia (2 arms for 2 peoples but still connected by the upper body as 1 nation),
- Alexander the Great's Grecian empire (bronze, or steel [6]),
- pagan Rome (2 legs for 2 empires, western and eastern)
- and the feet being Europe after Rome.
This particular view seems to be based on an interpretation of "the prince of the covenant" (Daniel 11:22) as being only Jesus Christ and no other.
When "the prince of the covenant" (11:22) is interpreted as Onias III the anointed high priest, "because of the piety of the high priest Onias and his hatred of wickedness" (2 Maccabees 3:1), who was treacherously assassinated on the secret order of Menelaus by the assassin Andronicus under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, then the kingdoms foreseen by Daniel are viewed as
- Ancient Babylon, the head of gold,
- the Kingdom of the Medes (silver),[7]
- the kingdom of the Persians and Medes (bronze),
- the kingdom of the Greeks, established by Alexander the Great, which was divided (iron, iron and clay, and clay), primarily into the two kingdoms of the Ptolemies in Egypt (in the south) and the Seleucids in Syria (in the north) which fought each other for control of Judea.
This particular view sees the two legs and feet of iron and clay as the mixed rule of the Ptolemies and Seleucids, and the toes of clay as the successors of Alexander's generals, whose Hellenistic suppression was finally removed from Judea in the time of Simon the high priest, son of Mattathias.[8]
Four Beasts
Daniel saw 4 beasts. They were a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a different beast. These prophecies are often viewed as the same as the vision of the statue, with the lion being Neo-Babylon, the bear being Medo-Persia, the leopard being Greece, and the Beast being Rome; or the lion as the Ancient Kingdom of Babylon, the bear as the Kingdom of the Medes,[7] the leopard as the Kingdom of Persia, and the Different Beast as the Kingdom of the Greeks, with Antiochus IV in particular as the little horn speaking great things who was suddenly broken after 2,300 evenings and mornings (8:9-14).
See Literalist Bible chronology
Ram and He-Goat
These visions are of a Ram, a He-Goat, and a little horn. These are viewed often as Medo-Persia, Greece, and papal Rome; or as Medo-Persia with two horns (both great, but one, Persia, greater than the subordinated other, Medea), which was conquered by the He-Goat Alexander (the notable or conspicuous single horn), with Antiochus IV Epiphanes as the little horn, broken "without hand" by no human hand. 2 Maccabees 9:5 and 9:28
Greek and Persian words
The Book of Daniel contains words having either Greek or Persian origin. This has caused some continuing dispute among historians and theologians in explaining how such words, particularly the Greek ones, ended up in the predominantly Hebrew Book of Daniel. Some see this as evidence that the extant Masoretic Hebrew text of Daniel in the Palestinian canon of the Jews is an abbreviated version of the longer Hebrew original text (now lost) which underlies the rabbinical Greek translation of Daniel in the Septuagint, which predates the time of Jesus.
Dispute on Authorship
Due to the fact that the book contains prophecies that were fulfilled in the 4th century BC, many modernist scholars have asserted that this book was not written by Daniel the 6th century BC, but by a later person. However, both Scriptural and textual arguments support the traditional view.[3]
- Jesus (Matthew 24:15; 25:31; 26:64) and His apostles (1 Corinthians 6:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:3) testify that the book was written by "the prophet Daniel," and that it is authoritative.[9][3]
- The prophet Ezekiel testifies that Daniel was known for his wisdom and righteousness (Ezekiel 14:14, 20; 28:3).[3]
- The character and records of the book are also entirely in harmony with the times and circumstances in which the author lived.[3]
- The linguistic character of the book is, moreover, just such as might be expected.[3] Certain portions (Dan. 2:4; 7) are written in the Chaldee (Aramaic) language, and the portions written in Hebrew are in a style and form having a close affinity with the later books of the Old Testament, especially with that of Ezra.[3] The writer is familiar both with the Hebrew and the Chaldee, passing from the one to the other just as his subject required.[3] This is in strict accordance with the position of the author and of the people for whom his book was written.[3] That Daniel is the writer of this book is also testified to in the book itself (7:1, 28; 8:2; 9:2; 10:1, 2; 12:4, 5).[3]
Additionally, findings in the Dead Sea Scrolls dating to the 2nd century BC referred to Daniel as a prophet, which supports the traditional view, as it is unlikely that Daniel would have been accepted as a prophet had the book been written several years previously rather than several centuries previously.[10]
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See also
References
- ↑ The Catholic Church is the world's largest Christian body comprised of several distinct "Rites". The Catholic Church (Latin Rite) is the largest religious body in the United States, with over 60 million adherents (4 times as large as the second largest church, the Orthodox).
“The Global Catholic Population,” © 2011, Pew Research Center.
The Largest Catholic Communities
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also referred to as the Orthodox Church and Orthodoxy, is the second largest Christian church in the world, with an estimated 225–300 million adherents, most of whom live in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Russia.
The Greek (Eastern) Orthodox Church. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Of America (1983). Retrieved on 7 May 2014.
Christianity:Basics:Eastern Orthodox Church Denomination. about.com. Retrieved on 22 May 2014.
Christianity. Major Branches of Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents. adherents.com. Retrieved on 22 May 2014. - ↑ 2.0 2.1 See Percentage of Christians in Protestant Denominations (29.5%).
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 Easton's Bible Dictionary, article on Daniel originally published in 1897.
- ↑ A. D. 1611 King James Version and Revised Version of A. D. 1881 arranged in parallel columns, O. A. Browning & Co., Toledo, Ohio, Potter, Chase & Co., Kansas City, MO, J. H. Buckmaster, Toledo, Ohio, 1881.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "not in the Hebrew"
—A major portion of the canonical Book of Daniel which is accepted as inspired and canonical in the Protestant Bible is also not in the Hebrew, but in Aramaic: Daniel 2:4–7:28.
—Major portions of the canonical Book of Ezra which are accepted as inspired and canonical in the Protestant Bible are also not in the Hebrew, but in Aramaic: Ezra 4:7–6:18; 7:12-26.
—Other minor portions of the Old Testament which are accepted as inspired and canonical in the Protestant Bible were penned in Aramaic, not Hebrew: Jeremiah 10:11; and two words in Genesis 31:47.
See the following:- Biblica: Transforming lives through God's Word. In what language was the Bible first written? (biblica.com)
- Why is Daniel chapter 2:4—7:28 written in Aramaic? (hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions)
- Christian Courier : Languages of the Bible (christiancourier.com)
- Languages of the Bible (bible.gen.nz)
- ↑ Some modern commentators have substituted "steel" for bronze and iron. Daniel: A Christian Interpretation, by James E. Smith, Ph.D. Lulu.com, 2008. 420 pages. 5: God of Revelation, page 99, footnote 117: a citation of David Flusser, "The Four Empires in the Fourth Sybyl and in the Book of Daniel", IOS, 2 (1972): 162–71 "gold, silver, steel, mixed iron".
See Daniel 2:33 multiple translations. - ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kingdom of the Medes. See the following articles:
- Media (livius.org)
- Median Empire (crystalinks.com)
- Media and Medes (newadvent.org)
- History of the Medes (Magi and Enchanters of Old) (taroscopes.com)
- Ancient History Encyclopedia: Media: definition, by Jan van der Crabben, published on 28 April 2011 (ancient.eu)
- TheFreeDictionary by Farlex: Media: definition (thefreedictionary.com)
The Median tribal warriors are mentioned for the first time in the Assyrian Annals as enemies of Šalmaneser III (858-824).
- ↑ See the following:
- ↑ Septuagint Quotes in the New Testament
- ↑ When was Daniel Written? Evidence Supporting 6th Century BCE Authorship Date After Removing Naturalist Bias
External links
Introduction to the Book of Daniel (usccb.org)
Jewish Encyclopedia. Daniel, book of
Early Jewish Writings. Daniel (earlyjewishwritings.com)
Catholic Encyclopedia. Daniel (newadvent.org)
The Old Testament Text. (wmcarey.edu/browning/Classes)
- Codex Vaticanus (orthodoxwiki.org)
- THE CODEX SINAITICUS, T. S. PATTIE. 1977 pdf (bl.uk/eblj)
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Canon of the Old Testament (discusses differences in the canon)
- Jerome on the Canon translation of Jerome's Prologus Galeatus to 1 Kings (bible-researcher.com)
- Edmon Gallagher on Jerome's Prologus and the Council of Hippo regarding the Canon (oxfordpatristics.blogspot.com).
See also Jerome's Prologus Galeatus and the Old Testament Canon of North Africa, Studia Patristica 69: 2013
- Wisconsin Lutheran. Fourth Century Christianity. Jerome – Commentary on Daniel (fourthcentury.com) This commentary was largely aimed at the criticisms of Porphyry, who took the Book of Daniel as relating to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes.
- The Old Testament Canon and the Apocrypha. Part 3: From Jerome to the Reformation. William Webster (christiantruth.com)
- Luther Had His Chance (orthodoxinfo.com)
- Refuting an Attack on the Deuterocanonicals. A Response to 11 ‘reasons’ that the Deuterocanonicals Should be Thrown Out of the Bible, By Matt1618. Introduction (matt1618.freeyellow.com)
- Roman Catholic and Orthodox Faith Examined, and The Apocrypha: "Reasons why the Apocrypha does NOT belong in the Bible!" (bible.ca)
- CARM Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry: Reasons why the Apocrypha does not belong in the Bible, by Ryan Turner (carm.org)
- Reasoning From the Scriptures with Ron Rhodes Critique of Chapter 2, Does the Apocrypha Belong in the Bible?, by Matt1618
- Background and History to the Apocrypha, By David Phillips Article reprinted from Cross†Way Issue Autumn 2006 No. 102 (churchsociety.org)