God will deliver us from our adversary satan, the roaring lion 1 peter 1. The global message of daniel daniel in redemptive history. Cultic motifs and themes in the book of daniel adventist. Overview of the book of daniel third millennium ministries. It begins straightforwardly enough, with daniel and his companions facing pressure to assimilate to the pleasures and vices of the babylonian royal court. The book of daniel is apocalyptic in nature and belongs to the 6th century b. The book of daniel is the apocalyptic book of the hebrew bible. In the first six chapters of danielthe main story partevery chapter demonstrates someone doing something courageous. Daniel is an extremely relevant book for our modern times. The book implies that daniel was its author in several passages, such as 9. To assure the exiles and early returnees to the land that god was in control of history and that his prophet daniel spoke the truth about prolonged troubles before the final stage of gods kingdom. Book of daniel oxford research encyclopedia of religion.
Nine of the 12 chapters relate revelation through dreams and visions. We find in the life of daniel, and his friends, the definition of faith. Themes in the book of daniel include heroism, remaining true to god in the. Daniel is often seen as a book of mysterious prophesies. The prophecy directs attention to the kingdom of god, in the hands of his appointed king jesus christ and his associate holy ones, as the government that will.
The assyrian periodwill be briefly examinedin order toreveal babylons rise topower,for it was inthe p ower struggle betweenassyria andbabylon that judahandhence daniel became involved. Every king we encounterfrom nebuchadnezzar to antiochus iv epiphanes the little hornultimately is humbled in some way, whether by realizing god is above all or by being totally destroyed yep, those are the two alternatives pretty much. That framework is a nested parallelism structure in technical terms, a chiasm. Daniel who through the book received revelations from god. None of this threatened the jewish religion, and the reforms were widely welcomed, especially among the jerusalem aristocracy and the leading. Daniel was a jew who lived far from his homeland, about six hundred years before christ. And in fact the book of revelation is largely a christian interpretation of the.
The date of the book of daniel is one of the most hotly contested themes in ot scholarship. Doctorows 1971 novel the book of daniel is both a fictionalization of the then controversial execution of julius and ethel rosenberg as atom bomb spies for the soviet union in the cold war and anticommunist hysteria in the usa of the early 1950s and the mccarthy era, as well as an intriguing piece of fiction in its own right, a novel. To the glory of the true god daniel interpreted the dream and brought nebuchadnezzar to confess that daniels god is the true god 2. Feb 06, 2017 the book of daniel is mostly a prophetic book. According to the bible what is the theme of the book of daniel. The first half of the book chapters 16 contains stories in the third person about the experiences of daniel and his. To help the reader keep track of which theme is which, the writer highlights parallel elements in both parts of each theme. Daniel, the hero of the book, was an exile in babylon carried away in the first captivity in 605 b.
The book of daniel is a 2ndcentury bc biblical apocalypse combining a prophecy of history. Nov 01, 2017 daniel is often seen as a book of mysterious prophesies. Themes in the book of daniel include heroism, remaining true to god in the midst of an adverse and idolatrous culture, and gods protection of his faithful ones through his angels. The book of daniel records the actions, prophecies, and visions of the prophet daniel. Daniel 1 niv daniels training in babylon in the bible. Book in the bibles old testament and the jewish tanakh the book of daniel stands between the books of ezra and esther in the portion of the hebrew old testament known as the. Woven within the story of how these prophesies were revealed are the stories of men. Im pretty sure daniel polansky is the love child of j. Daniel gives details concerning the rise and fall of world powers from the time of ancient babylon right on down till the time when the kingdom of god crushes them out of existence forever. The book of ruth, in which a foreign woman enters the community of israel and becomes greatgrandmother to none other than king david, expresses a view of gentiles entirely opposed to that of ezra and nehemiah. The book of daniel is an apocalypse, a literary genre in which a heavenly reality is revealed to a human recipient. Key verses and themes in daniel bible commentary theology. It is a book for young christians living in a sophisticated world where god is not honored. The book of daniel complements the new testament book of revelation.
The book traces the course of gentile powers during the period in which israel was and is being disciplined by gentiles. This is not merely an instance of noncultic, private religious activity,38 or a. He must speak up to difficult bosses, make moral choices, and deal with competitive colleagues. For additional study, be sure to read the accompanying articles covering subjects and events found in the book of daniel. This structure consists of multiple themes, introduced in the order abc, then revisited in reverse order, forming a structure like this. Book of daniel overview insight for living ministries.
He was never one to act hastily, but he was patient and prayerful. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. The electrical metaphor is seen in descriptions of daniel s grandmothers hair. This summary of the book of daniel provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of daniel. So until his kingdom comes in all its fullness, we trust that he is in control that he could wipe the planet clean now if he so chose, but that in his wisdom he chooses not to. Conclusion as with all scripture, the book of daniel is profitable for our study 2ti 3. But the book of daniel reminds us that, in spite of appearances, the god of israel is the god of the nations.
Its message is usually not so fastit belongs to god. The book of daniel is a 2ndcentury bc biblical apocalypse combining a prophecy of history with an eschatology a portrayal of end times cosmic in scope and political in focus. I believe that all the important endtime prophecies in the book of daniel have their mate or similar verse in the book of revelation. Chapters 16 refer to the trials of daniel and his three young companions, hananiah, mishael, and azariah, during the time of the great kings of the east. What is the main theme in the book of daniel in the holy. The theme of the book of daniel, as demonstrated in the events of ancient babylon. The big picture of the book of daniel bible commentary theology. The book of which he is the hero divides into two parts, a set of tales in chapters 16 from no earlier than the hellenistic period 32330 bce, and the series of visions in chapters 712 from the maccabean era. Pentecost elaborates, daniel outlines the history of the times of the gentiles and describes past and future empires that occupy palestine and rule over israel until the messiah returns. Daniel also distinguished himself wherever he turned 6. Many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Daniel was written to encourage the exiled jews by revealing gods. The book of daniel is a composite text of dubious historicity from various genres, and daniel himself is a legendary figure.
Daniel is the old testament writer who provides the most extensive prophecy of worldruling empires that would exist on earth. As it happens, the book of daniel offers a readymade framework for unpacking its meaning in the workplace. The book of daniel is a composite text of dubious historicity from various genres. Daniel 1 the first chapter of the book of daniel tells how daniel and his three companions were among captives taken by nebuchadnezzar ii from jerusalem to babylon to be trained in babylonian wisdom. As with all of scripture, the book of daniel is profitable for our study 2 ti 3. In more mundane language, it is an account of the activities and visions of daniel, a noble jew exiled at babylon, its message being that just as the god of israel saved daniel and his friends from their enemies, so. The book of daniel recounts events of worldwide proportion in daniels own day that continue to have decisive significance for the global church today. From daniel and his friends, we will learn the power of faith and commitment. Daniel 1 tells how daniel and his three companions were among captives taken by.
Electricitys dual function as a benign and beneficial agent of light in darkness is contrasted with its ability to kill human beings, as it does with paul and rochelle isaacson. It is generally accepted that the book of daniel originated as a collection of folktales among the jewish community in babylon and mesopotamia in the persian and early hellenistic periods 5th to 3rd centuries bce, expanded in the maccabean era mid2nd century by the visions in chapters 712. Daniels prayer, and the vision of the seventy weeks 9. The book of daniel, though its likely derived from some oral traditions and legends that had been floating around for a long time, was put together in its final form sometime around 165 bce, when the israelites were squabbling with the evil antiochus iv epiphanes, a leftover greek general jockeying for influence in the postalexander the great era. Daniel s prayer, and the vision of the seventy weeks dan 9. Pdf the theology theme of the book of daniel researchgate. The book of daniel contains the only apocalypse in the hebrew bible. God is in control, no matter how things look, and his kingdom will one day fill the earth.
Wisdomdiscretion numerous examples can be seen throughout the book of daniel. The book of daniel stands as a unique mix in the old testament, for while it begins with history, it makes a strong transition at chapter 7, where it contains visions of future events significant to the jews. The first remarkable feature of the book of daniel is that this book is. May 02, 2020 daniel served in the royal court of nebuchadnezzar and several rulers who followed nebuchadnezzar.
These themes have influenced both jewish and christian views of eschatology. Daniel was brought into extraspecial favor when he interpreted the dream of the king, a dream of four kingdoms, which none of the kings wise men were able to interpret. Woven within the story of how these prophesies were revealed are the stories of men who trusted in god in difficult and dangerous times. The book of daniel offers compelling narratives, hopeful prophecy, and startling eschatology. The overall theme of daniel is gods sovereignty over history. These he carried off to the temple of his god in babylonia and put in the. Jesus is seen when daniels friends shadrack, meshack and abednigo were thrown into the fiery furnace for disobeying king nebuchadnezzar by not falling down and worshiping him. You can then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations, and deal with your servants according to what you observe. Jul 05, 2017 the content summary of the book of daniel pt 1 duration. Composition and structure daniel 4s place in the book of daniel. The book of daniel is often read for its contribution to our understanding of endtimes events, but sometimes christians have been so obsessed with this that we have missed its main message. There they refused to take food and wine from the king and were given knowledge and insight into dreams and visions by god, and at the end of their training they proved ten times better than all.
From daniel and his three friends, we will learn the power of faith and commitment b. Images, suggestions, allusions, and references to the power of electricity are scattered throughout the text. Sir isaac newton in his observations upon the prophecies of daniel and the apocalypse of st. Though their experiences we discover the encouraging message that god is involved in human history and in the lives of individuals. Daniel 1 new international version niv daniels training in babylon. A city dreaming is maybe the most original book ive read, and easily one of the most entertaining. The book of daniel interprets the book of revelation. Key verses and themes in daniel bible commentary theology of. Organizing the content around a few themes assists in reading all genres of the text with unity and harmony, appreciating the interwoven emphases found within this book. The big picture of the book of daniel bible commentary. The book of daniel, a book of the old testament found in the ketuvim writings, the third section of the jewish canon, but placed among the prophets in the christian canon. Strictly speaking, the book does not belong to the prophetic writings but rather to a distinctive type of literature known as apocalyptic, of which it is an early specimen. Feb 21, 2008 this book takes its name, not from the author, who is actually unknown, but from its hero, a young jew taken early to babylon, where he lived at least until 538 b. Key themes of daniel a vacation bible school curriculum by barry mcwilliams an ordained minister in the presbyterian church in america.