Daniel
Title: Book of Daniel – personal dairy and
visions of a single prophet.
Date of
writing and narrative:
From 605 BC – first group of Judeans arrived to Babylon – to the third year of
Cyrus, king of Persia (10:1). 533 BC (TLBS has 536 BC as the final vision),
when the book was completed. Also, cp. Ch. 1:1, 21.
Structure:
A. Hebrew, ch.
1 – sons of the Kingdom
B. Aramaic, ch. 2-7
a.
Nebuchadnezzar dreams of 4 kingdoms, ch. 2
b. test of faith – deadly threat: three servants,
ch. 3
c. judgment and conversion of
Nebuchadnezzar, ch. 4
c’. judgement and conversion of Belshazzar,
ch. 5
b’. test of faith – deadly threat: Daniel, ch.
6
a’. Daniel’s vision of 4 kingdoms,
ch. 7
A’. Hebrew, ch. 8-12 – establishment of the kingdom
i.
vision of 3 kingdoms in animal form, ch. 8
ii. prophecy of judgment of “your city” (the
capital), ch. 9
i'. vision of 3 kingdoms in human
terms, ch. 10-12
Main
themes:
Faithfulness
and submission in the foreign land.
Kingdom
development.
Main
Characters:
Daniel – God has judged – renamed to Belteshazzar (cp.
to Belshazzar)
Hananiah – YHWH is gracious – Shadrach
Mishael – Who is what God is? – Meshach
Azariah –
YHWH has helped – Abednego
Nebuchadnezzar,
Belshazzar, Darius – Cyrus
Reflection
in other parts of the Bible:
Third day
(year, period etc.) idea is important to the Book (1:1; 8:1; 10:1). A
preliminary judgement and a course on the future restoration.
Daniel is a
faithful disciple of Jeremiah – he followed the LORD’S command through the teacher to settle in Babylon (29:4-7) and waited for
completion of 70 exile period (cp. Jer. 29:10 and Dan. 9:1-2).
The Book of
Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14, 20: 28:3)
Lutheran teaching:
Sermon of
Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar (4:24-27) is often used as an argument between the
theology of faith and the theology of works. “Faith is required… For Daniel did
not mean that the king should only give alms. He includes repentance… He
converts the king not only to give alms, but much more, to have faith.” [Ap. V
(III): 133/254;140/261].
The
discussion on theology of worship [Mass] is heavily based on a proper
understanding of Daniel ch. 8, 11, 12 – Ap. XXIV (XII):35-57.
Daniel 7:14
is one of the foundational passages for an understanding of the person of
Christ – FC, SD VIII:55.
Lutheran
hymnody:
931 – All
You Works of the Lord – Song of Three Young Men (deuterocanonical).
Relevancy
of the Book:
The Book of
Daniel is important on two levels: personal/devotional and historical. In the
book we can see a single person (or a very small group of people) who can
resist the outer pressure of godless powers and authorities. The book gives us
page after page examples of faithful ones who were ready to risk their lives
presenting the Gospel to the hostile society.
At the same
time, we see the global picture of development of God’s kingdom using the power
of human empires: Persia, Greece, Rome. And how they – empires – will be
replaced by true worshiping kingdom of God.
Memory
verses:
12:2-3 – Many
of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting
life, and some to shame and to everlasting contempt. And those who are wise
shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to
righteousness, like the stars forever.
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