Editing Book of Daniel (section)

=== Meaning, symbolism, and chronology ===
The message of the Book of Daniel is that, just as the God of Israel saved Daniel and his friends from their enemies, he would save all of Israel from their present oppression.{{sfn|Brettler|2005|p=218}} The book is filled with monsters, angels, and numerology, drawn from a wide range of sources, both biblical and non-biblical, that would have had meaning in the context of 2nd-century Jewish culture and while Christian interpreters have always viewed these as predicting events in the New Testament—"the Son of God", "the Son of Man", Christ and the Antichrist—the book's intended audience is the Jews of the 2nd century BC.{{sfn|Seow|2003|pp=1–2}} The following explains a few of these predictions as modern biblical scholars understand them.

* The ''four kingdoms'' and the ''little horn'' (Daniel 2 and 7): The concept of four successive world empires stems from Greek theories of mythological history.{{sfn|Niskanen|2004|pp=27, 31}} Most modern interpreters agree that the four represent [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Babylon]], the [[Medes]], [[Achaemenid Empire|Persia]] and the [[Macedonian Empire|Greeks]], ending with Hellenistic [[Seleucid Syria]] and with Hellenistic [[Ptolemaic Egypt]].{{sfn|Towner|1984|pp=34–36}} The traditional interpretation of the dream identifies the four empires as the Babylonian (the head), Medo-Persian (arms and shoulders), Greek (thighs and legs), and Roman (the feet) empires.{{sfn|Miller|1994|p=96}} The symbolism of four metals in the statue in chapter 2 comes from Persian writings,{{sfn|Niskanen|2004|pp=27, 31}} while the four "beasts from the sea" in chapter 7 reflect Hosea 13:7–8, in which God threatens that he will be to Israel like a lion, a leopard, a bear or a wild beast.{{sfn|Collins|1984|p=80}} The consensus among scholars is that the four beasts of chapter 7 symbolise the same four world empires.{{sfn|Matthews|Moyer|2012|pp=260, 269}} The modern interpretation views [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes|Antiochus IV]] (reigned 175–164 BC) as the "small horn" that uproots three others (Antiochus usurped the rights of several other claimants to become king of the Seleucid Empire).{{sfn|Matthews|Moyer|2012|pp=260, 269}}
* The ''Ancient of Days'' and the ''one like a son of man'' (Daniel 7): The portrayal of God in Daniel [http://biblehub.com/text/daniel/7-13.htm 7:13] resembles the portrayal of the [[Canaan]]ite god [[El (deity)|El]] as an ancient divine king presiding over the divine court.{{sfn|Seow|2003|pp=3–4}} The "Ancient of Days" gives dominion over the earth to "one like a [[son of man]]", and then in [http://biblehub.com/daniel/7-27.htm Daniel 7:27] to "the people of the holy ones of the Most High", whom scholars consider the son of man to represent. These people can be understood as the ''maskilim'' (sages), or as the Jewish people broadly.{{sfn|Grabbe|2002|pp=60–61, 282}}<ref group="Notes" name="Son of Man">"Son of man" (''bar 'enaš'' in Aramaic) simply means "a human being", but in the context of Daniel 7 it may be a heavenly figure, possibly the archangel Michael functioning as a representative of the Jewish people (Collins 1977:144–46; opposed by Davies 1985:105–106). Scholars almost universally agree that this human figure represents "the people of the holy ones of the Most High" of Daniel 7:27, originally the ''maskilim'' community or group responsible for the composition of Daniel, but in later interpretation, it is taken to mean the Jewish people as a whole. See Grabbe 2002.</ref>
*''The ram and he-goat'' (Daniel 8) as conventional astrological symbols represent Persia and Syria, as the text explains. The "mighty horn" stands for [[Alexander the Great]]  (reigned 336–323 BC), and the "four lesser horns" represent the four principal generals ([[Diadochi]]) who fought over the Greek empire following Alexander's death. The "little horn" again represents Antiochus IV. The key to the symbols lies in the description of the little horn's actions: he ends the continual burnt offering and overthrows the Sanctuary, a clear reference to Antiochus' desecration of the Temple.{{sfn|Collins|1984|p=87}}
* The ''anointed ones'' and the ''seventy years'' (Chapter 9): Daniel reinterprets [[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]]'s "seventy years" prophecy regarding the period Israel would spend in bondage to Babylon. From the point of view of the Maccabean era, Jeremiah's promise was obviously not true—the Gentiles still oppressed the Jews, and the "desolation of Jerusalem" had not ended. Daniel, therefore, reinterprets the seventy years as seventy "weeks" of years, making up 490 years. The 70 weeks/490 years are subdivided, with seven "weeks" from the "going forth of the word to rebuild and restore Jerusalem" to the coming of an "anointed one", while the final "week" is marked by the violent death of another "anointed one", probably the High Priest [[Onias III]] (ousted to make way for [[Jason (high priest)|Jason]] and murdered in 171 BC), and the profanation of the Temple. The point of this for Daniel is that the period of Gentile power is predetermined and is coming to an end.{{sfn|Collins|1998|pp=108–109}}{{sfn|Matthews|Moyer|2012|p=260}}
* ''Kings of north and south'': Chapters 10 to 12 concern the war between these kings, the events leading up to it, and its heavenly meaning. In chapter 10, the angel (Gabriel?) explains that there is currently a war in heaven between Michael, the angelic protector of Israel, and the "princes" (angels) of Persia and Greece; then, in chapter 11, he outlines the human wars which accompany this—the mythological concept sees standing behind every nation a god/angel who does battle on behalf of his people so that earthly events reflect what happens in heaven. The wars of the [[Ptolemies]] ("kings of the south") against the Seleucids ("kings of the north") are reviewed down to the career of [[Antiochus III the Great|Antiochus the Great]] (Antiochus III (reigned 222–187 BC), father of Antiochus IV), but the main focus is Antiochus IV, to whom more than half the chapter is devoted. The accuracy of these predictions lends credibility to the real prophecy with which the passage ends, the death of Antiochus—which, in the event, was not accurate.{{sfn|Collins|1998|pp=110–111}}
* ''Predicting the end-time'' (Daniel 8:14 and 12:7–12): Biblical eschatology does not generally give precise information as to when the end will come,{{sfn|Carroll|2000|p=420}} and Daniel's attempts to specify the number of days remaining is a rare exception.{{sfn|Collins|1998|p=114}} Daniel asks the angel how long the "little horn" will be triumphant, and the angel replies that the Temple will be reconsecrated after 2,300 "evenings and mornings" have passed (Daniel 8:14). The angel is counting the two daily sacrifices, so the period is 1,150 days from the desecration in December 167. In chapter 12, the angel gives three more dates: the desolation will last "for a time, times and half a time", or a year, two years, and a half a year (Daniel 12:8); then that the "desolation" will last for 1,290 days (12:11); and finally, 1,335 days (12:12). Verse 12:11 was presumably added after the lapse of the 1,150 days of chapter 8, and 12:12 after the lapse of the number in 12:11.{{sfn|Collins|1998|p=99}}