Daniel

What makes Daniel special?

In the Hebrew Scriptures, Daniel is listed in the section called the Writings. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament made during the third and second centuries b.c. (called the Septuagint), it is listed among the prophetical books. Daniel has been described both as prophecy and as an apocalypse, a kind of literature that uses symbols, signs, and interpretations of the underlying meaning of events in current history in order to describe how God will triumph over his enemies and the enemies of God's people (see the mini-article called “Apocalyptic Writing,” DAN 2.1).

The first six chapters of Daniel are a collection of stories about Daniel and his friends, young Jewish men who were taken into exile in Babylon, where they became important government officials and where their faith in God was severely tested. The second half of the book, chapters 7–12, reports a number of visions that Daniel had. These visions show God's control of historical events and provide hope for those who remain faithful in times of persecution.

One other fact makes Daniel unique. Just over half the book (2.4—7.28) is written in Aramaic; the rest is in Hebrew. Why this is so is not clear, though it is a factor that has led some scholars to conclude that Daniel was written at a date much later than the time of the historic events described in Daniel 1–6. The traditional view, however, holds that the prophet Daniel received the visions described in this book and wrote them down during the time of the exile some time in the sixth century b.c. (see the mini-article called “Exile,” JER 52.1).

Why was Daniel written?

The book of Daniel was written to provide hope and encouragement to God's people. Daniel and his friends were heroes and role models for the Jewish people, because they were faithful to God while serving foreign kings who often persecuted them.

What's the story behind the scene?

At various times in their history, the Jewish people were tempted to turn away from God and abandon the religious practices that were based on the Law of Moses. This happened to some degree while they lived in their own land, but the pressure grew in the time of the exile in Babylon (from around 587 to 538 b.c.), when they were forced by the Babylonians to leave their home in Palestine and live in other parts of the Babylonian Kingdom. This meant they had to live among people who had different gods and observed different religious practices. (For more about this, see the article called “From Joshua to the Exile: The People of Israel in the Promised Land,” XXB 7.0.) Around 538 b.c. Cyrus II of Persia conquered the Babylonians and allowed its captive people return to their homelands. Many Jews began to return to Judah, the area around Jerusalem. Hundreds of years later, they suffered even more severe persecution under Antiochus IV Epiphanes (ruled 175-164 b.c.). Their sacred books were burned, worship at the temple in Jerusalem was forbidden, the people were forced to eat food that was considered ritually “unclean,” and many faithful Jews were put to death.

These horrible events are described in the books of1 and2 Maccabees, which are included in some editions of the Bible. (Roman Catholic editions of the Bible usually place these with other historical books, after Esther and before Job, and refer to them as deuterocanonical. Protestant editions of the Bible that include these books place them in a section called the Apocrypha, either at the end of the Bible or between the Old and New Testaments. For more about this, see the article called “What Books Belong in the Bible?” XXB 2.0.)

Even though scholars are divided as to when Daniel was most likely written, most agree that much of what is described in its visions applies to the cruel treatment of the Jewish people by Antiochus IV, who pressured the Jews living in Judea to abandon their faith in God. Scholars who believe Daniel was written during the exile (sixth century b.c.) understand the prophet's visions as predictions of events to come centuries later. Scholars who conclude that Daniel was written during the reign of Antiochus IV (middle of the second century b.c.), believe Daniel's visions were based on the author's experience of ongoing historical events. Either way, Daniel is a strong testimony to the strength God gives to people of faith during times of difficulty and persecution.

How is Daniel constructed?

Daniel can be divided into two main parts: chapters 1–6 include stories of Daniel and his friends set during the time of the Babylonian exile (606-538 b.c.). Chapters 7–12 describe a number of visions Daniel had and how these visions were explained to him by angels. The outline of Daniel below shows how these stories and visions are collected and arranged. Note that the final vision spans three chapters.