Historical Background - Daniel, August 19

Historical
Background--Daniel
BACKGROUND
In 605 B.C., Prince Nebuchadnezzar led the
Babylonian army of his father Nabopolassar
against the allied forces of Assyria and Egypt. He
defeated them at Carchemish near the top of the
Fertile Crescent. This victory gave Babylon
supremacy in the ancient Near East.
With Babylon's victory, Egypt's vassals, including
Judah, passed under Babylonian control. Shortly
thereafter that same year Nabopolassar died, and
Nebuchadnezzar succeeded him as king.
Background:
Nebuchadnezzar then moved south and
invaded Judah, also in 605 B.C. He took
some royal and noble captives to Babylon
(Dan. 1:1-3), including Daniel, plus some
of the vessels from Solomon's temple (2
Chron. 36:7).
This was the first of Judah's three
deportations in which the Babylonians
took groups of Judahites to Babylon. The
king of Judah at that time was Jehoiakim (2
Kings 24:1-4 cf. Dan 1:1).
Background
Jehoiakim's son Jehoiachin (also known as
Jeconiah and Coniah) succeeded him in
598B.C. Jehoiachin reigned only three
months and 10 days (2 Chron. 36:9).
Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah again. At the
turn of the year, in 597 B.C., he took
Jehoiachin to Babylon, along with most of
Judah's remaining leaders, including young
Ezekiel, and the rest of the national treasures
(2 Kings 24:10-17; 2 Chron. 36:10).
Background:
A third and final deportation took place

approximately 11 years later, in 586 B.C.
Jehoiakim's younger brother Mattaniah, whose
name Nebuchadnezzar had changed to
Zedekiah, was then Judah's puppet king. He
rebelled against Babylon's sovereignty by
secretly making a treaty with Pharaoh Hophra
under pressure from Jewish nationalists
(Jer. 3738).
After an 18-month siege, Jerusalem fell.

Nebuchadnezzar returned to
Jerusalem, burned the temple, broke down
the city walls, and took all but the poorest
of the Jews captive to Babylon. He also
took Zedekiah prisoner to Babylon, after
he executed his sons, and put out the
king's eyes, at Riblah in Aram (modern
Syria; 2 Kings 24:1825:24).
SCOPE
Daniel, the main character from
whom this book gets its name, was
probably only a teenager when
he arrived in Babylon in 605 B.C.
The Hebrew words used to describe
him, the internal evidence of
chapter 1, and the length of his
ministry, seem to make this clear.
Scope:
He continued in office as a public
servant at least until 538 B.C.
(1:21), and as a prophet at least
until 536 B.C. (10:1). Thus the
record of his ministry spans 70
years, the entire duration of the
Babylonian Captivity. He probably
lived to be at least 85 years old and
perhaps older.
WRITER
There is little doubt among conservative scholars
that Daniel himself wrote this book under the Holy
Spirit's guidance. Probably he did so late in his life,
which could have been about 530 B.C. or a few
years later.
Several Persian-derived governmental terms
polishing after Persian had become the official
language of government. This would have been late
in Daniel's life. What makes Daniel's authorship
quite clear is both internal and external evidence.
nternally, the book claims in several places tha

aniel was its writer (8:1; 9:2, 20; 10:2).
eferences to Daniel in the third person do not

ndicate that someone else wrote about him,
ecause it was customary for ancient authors o
istorical memoirs to write about themselves
his way (cf. Exod. 20:2, 7).
dus 20:
2 I am the Lord your God who you out of the land of Egyp
t of the house of bondage.
7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in
in, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His
me in vain.
s in several other books of prophecy (e.g., Jeremiah and

osea), the author is also the chief actor in the events
corded."
CANONICITY
he Jews placed Daniel in the Writings section o

heir Bible. The first two divisions of the Hebrew
ible are the Law and the Prophets. The Writing
n Hebrew are called the Kethubim, and in Gree
he Hagiographa.
Canonicity:
ey did this because Daniel was not a prophet in the

se in which the other Hebrew prophets were. He
ctioned as a prophet and wrote inspired Scripture, bu
was a government official, an administrator in a Gent
d, rather than a preaching prophet (cf. Nehemiah).
. . though Christ spoke of Daniel's function as prophe

att. 24:15), his position was that of governmental
fficial and inspired writer, rather than ministering
ophet (cf. Acts 2:29-30)."
n contrast to Ezekiel, his contemporary in Babylon,

aniel lived and worked among Gentiles primarily,
hereas Ezekiel live and ministered among the
raelites. Only Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi follow
aniel chronologically among the prophetic books of th
d Testament, but Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and
hronicles also do among the historical books.
he Greek and Latin translators of Daniel placed this

ook among the other Major Prophets in the Septuagin
nd Vulgate versions because of its prophetic content.
hat tradition influenced the scholars who produced ou
nglish versions.
DATE
The dating of this book is one of the most
controversial subjects in the field of Old
Testament Introduction. The controversy is
not due to the obscurity of evidence but to
the presuppositions of critics.
It is quite easy to determine when Daniel
lived and ministered because of the many
historical references in this book. His fellow
prophet Ezekiel also referred to him (cf.Ezek.
14:14, 20; 28:3).
Date
However, because the book contains prophecies that
Antiochus
Epiphanies fulfilled in the second century B.C., many

rationalistic critics who deny that the Bible contains
predictive prophecy have said that Daniel could not
have written it.
They contend that it must have been written after
Antiochus, namely, about 165 B.C. For a discussion of
the critical views of authorship, see Tremper Longman
III and Raymond B. Dillard, An Introduction to the Old
Testament, pp. 373-76.
DATE
Modern criticism follows Porphyry's view.
However, there are many evidences within
the book itself that point to its origin in the
sixth century B.C. "Human inventiveness in
things spiritual or unspiritual is very limited.
It would be difficult probably to invent a
new heresy. Objectors of old were as acute
or more acute than those now; so that the
ground was well-nigh exhausted."
DATE
No significant writer espoused a late date for the
book after Jerome refuted Porphyry until the
eighteenth century A.D. J. D. Michaelis revived
Porphyry's theory in 1771, and it took root in the
rationalistic intellectual soil of the Enlightenment.
Since then many scholars who disbelieve in
predictive prophecy have insisted that this book
must have been the product of the Maccabean
revolt (168-165 B.C.). Liberal critics still consider
the late dating of Daniel to be one of the most
assured results of modern scholarship.
DATE
Nevertheless there is ample evidence in the book
itself that Daniel wrote it and that it dates from the
sixth century B.C. "One who claims that the book of
Daniel is a product of the Maccabean purports to
be.
Furthermore, if the book of Daniel comes from the
age of the Maccabees, I do not see how it is possible
to escape the conclusion
that the book is also a forgery, for it claims to be a
revelation from God to the Daniel who lived in
Babylon during the exile."
LANGUAGES
Daniel is one of the few books in the
Old Testament that was originally
written in two different languages. One
was Aramaic (also known as Chaldee or
Syriac), the common language of the
ancient Near East, and the other was
Hebrew.
The other Aramaic passages are Ezra
4:86:18; 7:12-26; and Jeremiah 10:11.
LANGUAGES
The Aramaic portions in Daniel deal with
matters pertaining to all the citizens of the
Babylonian and Persian empires, whereas
the Hebrew sections describe
predominantly Jewish concerns and God's
plans for Israel. Probably Daniel wrote the
Aramaic sections for the benefit of his
Gentile neighbors, and he wrote the whole
book for the Jews who could read both
languages.

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What were the key events that led to Judah falling under Babylonian control?

What were the details of the three deportations of Judahites to Babylon?

Historical

A third and final deportation took place

After an 18-month siege, Jerusalem fell.

nternally, the book claims in several places tha

eferences to Daniel in the third person do not

s in several other books of prophecy (e.g., Jeremiah and

he Jews placed Daniel in the Writings section o

ey did this because Daniel was not a prophet in the

. . though Christ spoke of Daniel's function as prophe

n contrast to Ezekiel, his contemporary in Babylon,

he Greek and Latin translators of Daniel placed this

Epiphanies fulfilled in the second century B.C., many

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