The Book of Daniel and Apocalyptic Literature Essay

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Book of Daniel presents a clear tension between the more pragmatic books of the historical Old Testament and the visionary, apocalyptic books of scripture to come. Daniel has been called "the most peculiar and most difficult books in the Old Testament," precisely because the narrative is apocalyptic in nature and tone (Brueggeman, 2003, p. 351). Moreover, there is a historical dimension to the text as Daniel maintains his "distinctive Jewish identity in the presence of indifferent or hostile imperial power," (Brueggeman, 2003, p. 351). The book of Daniel contains within it elements of apocalyptic visionary experience that set the stage for Christianity without diverging from Jewish culture or context. Thus situated in history, Daniel inspires both fear and hope.



The central and titular figure of the book, Daniel can interpret dreams, conveys visions of the future, and therefore has supernatural powers that inspire Jewish people and connect Daniel to God. As Boadt (1984) puts it, the "clear purpose of these visions is to predict in a veiled fashion the end of the kingdom of Antiochus Epiphanes and his persecution," (p. 509). The author(s) of Daniel wrote in a climate of political and social turmoil, during a "terrible time," in which Daniel's visions would "give strength to Jews suffering for their faith," (Boadt, 1984, p. 509). Daniel is presented as a "boy-hero" whose life story is one of persecution, prediction, and eventual triumph (Boadt, 1984, p.

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509). While not entirely divergent from the Jewish scripture of previous texts in the chronological canon of the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Daniel nevertheless presages the social zeitgeist that would welcome the coming of the Christ.



As an apocalyptic text and perhaps the first of such in several apocalyptic writings to come, the Book of Daniel shows how Christianity emerged from its Jewish roots. It is impossible to imagine the welcoming of Jesus without understanding the role that Daniel first played. Brueggeman (2003) also adds that the Book of Daniel is the first notable instance in which Jewish identity becomes self-conscious, an "imagination of faith" that confers an authority that is fundamentally different (p. 353). Of course, the Old Testament offers many prophetic visions and apocalyptic writings and experiences that lay the groundwork for Christianity, but Daniel incorporates politics and religion in ways that create a "completely different genre" of scripture, according to Brueggeman (2003, p. 353). With….....

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References

Boadt, L. (1984). Reading the Old Testament. Princeton University Press.

Brueggeman, W. (2003). An Introduction to the Old Testament. Lousiville: Westminster John Knox Press.

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