12 chapters · 104 video commentaries · covered in 17 courses
The Book of Daniel is a composite work, presenting narratives about Daniel and his companions in the Babylonian court, followed by a series of apocalyptic visions. It addresses the problem of suffering among God's people and anticipates divine intervention to establish an eternal kingdom.
AuthorThe book is pseudonymous; while claiming to be written by Daniel in the 6th century BCE, critical scholars widely agree it was written by an anonymous author in the 2nd century BCE.
WrittenMid-2nd century BCE, specifically around 170-150 BCE.
GenreApocalypse, court tale
AudienceIt was written to a Jewish community suffering severe persecution under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, offering hope and encouragement.
PurposeTo provide hope and assure the oppressed Jewish community that God would soon intervene to overcome evil and establish a righteous kingdom.
Covered inAncient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years · Banned Books: The Apocrypha Edition · Demons and Ghosts in the Bible · Holy Pain: Why Early Christians Embraced Suffering · Jesus and the Old Testament · Judaism Before Jesus +11
What our scholars get into
Our commentary on Daniel highlights its historical inaccuracies, such as Belshazzar's incorrect royal status and the absence of Darius the Mede (The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel). Bart Ehrman discusses how the book's detailed 'prophecies' up to Antiochus IV Epiphanes serve as a literary ploy to validate its later predictions. We explore Daniel's role in developing apocalyptic thought, introducing concepts like cosmic evil forces, individual bodily resurrection, and a dualistic worldview, which profoundly influenced later Jewish and Christian traditions. You'll also find discussions on how Daniel's 'Son of Man' figure was reinterpreted in 1 Enoch and the New Testament, and how its prophecies, like the 70 weeks, were recalculated over time (Judaism Before Jesus).
Introduction drafted from the lecture transcripts by AI, pending the team's edit.
The phenomenon of pseudepigrapha, or falsely attributed writings, is not exclusive to apocryphal texts but also appears within the canonical Bible. For instance, parts of the book of Daniel are believed to have been written later than the prophet Daniel's time, and several New Testament epistles, such as 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and 2 Peter, are widely considered by scholars to be written under the names of their purported authors rather than by them directly.
Summarized by AI · Banned Books: The Apocrypha Edition · Banned Books: The Apocrypha Edition · watch the clip
Apocryphal books in Septuagint
Books like Judith, Tobit, Wisdom of Solomon, Ben Sira, and 1 & 2 Maccabees are found in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, and are considered canonical by Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. Their inclusion in this ancient Jewish translation suggests they were deemed authoritative and deserving of translation by the Alexandrian Jewish community, even though they are not part of the traditional Hebrew Bible.
Summarized by AI · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel · Lecture 27: The Biblical Canon (There Was No Canon) · watch the clip
Revelation's Genre and Connection to Daniel and Ezekiel
The Book of Revelation belongs to the genre of 'apocalypse' or 'revelation,' which involves uncovering or revealing end-time events. This genre is also seen in Old Testament books like Ezekiel and Daniel, suggesting the author of Revelation had these texts in mind.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · What Is the Mark of the Beast? · watch the clip
Revelation's Interpretive Keys and Misinterpretations
Despite its highly symbolic language, the Book of Revelation, like Daniel, provides internal clues for its interpretation. However, many interpreters throughout history have overlooked these clues, instead projecting their own contemporary events onto the text to predict the end of the world. This has led to numerous failed predictions and misinterpretations of the author's original intent, which was primarily concerned with the Roman Empire and its emperor.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · The Coming Apocalypse! Jewish and Christian Views of the End of the World · watch the clip
Revelation's Dualistic Worldview and Imminence
The Book of Revelation shares core apocalyptic motifs with earlier texts like Daniel, including a dualistic worldview where forces of good and evil are in cosmic conflict. It also emphasizes a pessimistic view of the present, where evil seems to be winning, but ultimately God will triumph decisively. A key shared characteristic is the belief in imminence: these events are going to happen very soon, such as the destruction of the Roman Empire and the establishment of God's kingdom on Earth.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · The Coming Apocalypse! Jewish and Christian Views of the End of the World · watch the clip
Ecclesiastes and Daniel as Forgeries
The Old Testament contains books considered forgeries. Ecclesiastes claims to be by Solomon (900s BCE) but shows dependence on 4th-century BCE Epicurean philosophy. Daniel's first six chapters claim to be from the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE), but even ancient scholars recognized it was written in the 2nd century BCE.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Faking It: Is the Bible Full of Forgeries? · watch the clip
Daniel's Chronological Inaccuracies
The book of Daniel contains historical inaccuracies regarding the Babylonian period. For instance, Daniel 1:1 states that Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in the third year of King Jehoiakim, but historical and biblical accounts (like the Book of Kings) indicate this event occurred later, during the reign of Jehoiakim's son, Jehoiachin.
Summarized by AI · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel · Lecture 26: Daniel | The Latest Text of the Hebrew Bible · watch the clip
Esther's Disregard for Historical Accuracy
The Book of Esther is not reliably accurate historically. For instance, it claims Ahasuerus ruled over 127 provinces, while historical accounts typically list 20 or 23 satrapies. This disregard for precise historical detail is characteristic of the court tale genre, where the narrative's dramatic effect takes precedence over factual accuracy.
Summarized by AI · Judaism Before Jesus · Lecture 4: Jews in Diaspora · watch the clip
Daniel's historical problems and purpose
The Book of Daniel presents historical inaccuracies, such as the incorrect date for Jerusalem's conquest and the mention of Darius the Mede, who is not known to history outside of Daniel. These inaccuracies suggest that the book's primary concern is not precise historical reporting. Instead, it aims to depict a lifestyle for pious Jews in the diaspora, demonstrating how they could succeed by adhering to their faith and religious practices without compromising.
Summarized by AI · Judaism Before Jesus · Lecture 8: The Visions of Daniel · watch the clip
Apocalyptic Judaism and the Problem of Evil
Apocalyptic Judaism, which emerged about 200 years before Jesus, offered a new perspective on suffering. Instead of viewing suffering solely as divine punishment, it attributed it to evil powers opposing God, such as the devil and demons. This worldview posited that these evil forces had a limited time before God would intervene, destroy them, and establish a glorious kingdom for his faithful people.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · How Did Prophets Predict the Future? Daniel Gives It Away. · watch the clip
Daniel as the First Apocalyptic Book
The book of Daniel is identified as the first book in the Bible to fully embrace the apocalyptic worldview. Unlike most of the Hebrew Bible, which typically attributes Israel's suffering to God's punishment for unfaithfulness, Daniel introduces the idea of evil forces causing suffering, leading to a progression of apocalyptic thought.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · How Did Prophets Predict the Future? Daniel Gives It Away. · watch the clip
Structure and Authorship of Daniel
The book of Daniel is divided into two main parts: the first six chapters contain short stories about Daniel during the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE), while the latter six chapters present Daniel's visions of future events. The author claims to be Daniel, living in the 6th century BCE, but critical scholars generally agree the book was actually written around the 160s BCE, during the Maccabean revolt.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · How Did Prophets Predict the Future? Daniel Gives It Away. · watch the clip
Daniel's Prophetic Accuracy and Historical Fulfillment
The author of Daniel, writing in the 2nd century BCE but claiming to live in the 6th century BCE, 'predicts' a sequence of kingdoms: Babylonians, Medes, Persians, and Greeks (specifically the Syrian Seleucid Empire, including Antiochus Epiphanes). The detailed prophecies in Daniel 10-12, particularly concerning the 'king of the north' and 'king of the south,' become increasingly precise as they approach the author's actual historical period, demonstrating knowledge of past events presented as future predictions.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · How Did Prophets Predict the Future? Daniel Gives It Away. · watch the clip
Background and context
The Apocalypse of Weeks and the End of the World
The Apocalypse of Weeks in 1 Enoch outlines history in ten 'weeks,' culminating in a 'great day of wrath' and an 'everlasting judgment.' This text presents one of the earliest clear instances in Jewish tradition of the expectation of the physical world as we know it coming to an end, followed by a new heaven and a new, transformed existence.
Summarized by AI · Judaism Before Jesus · Lecture 10: Apocalypticism as a Worldview · watch the clip
Association with angels in the present
Some passages in the Thanksgiving hymns suggest that the Qumran community believed they were already experiencing a form of 'realized eschatology' or 'angelology.' They claimed to be mingling with angels and joining the 'sons of heaven' in their assembly, implying that their community on Earth was a present manifestation of heavenly communion.
Summarized by AI · Judaism Before Jesus · Lecture 15: Apocalypticism in the Scrolls · watch the clip
Dating Texts by Historical References
To date an anonymous ancient text, scholars look for mentions of historically datable events. For instance, a text referencing the 9/11 attacks must have been written after 2001. Similarly, if an ancient text mentions the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, it must have been composed after 70 CE.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Why Should We Think Mark Was the First Gospel? · watch the clip
Apocalypticism's Origin in Jewish Suffering
Apocalypticism emerged from a long-standing theological problem in ancient Judaism: why God's chosen people suffered continuously. The traditional prophetic explanation, found throughout the Hebrew Bible, was that Israel's suffering was divine punishment for their sins, requiring repentance. However, this explanation became untenable during the persecution under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, when Jews were being punished for *obeying* God's laws, leading to the development of apocalyptic thought.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · The Coming Apocalypse! Jewish and Christian Views of the End of the World · watch the clip
Canaanite imagery in Daniel's visions
The imagery in Daniel 7, particularly the Ancient of Days and the one like a son of man riding on clouds, is problematic in a Jewish context where Yahweh is the sole cloud-rider. However, this imagery is very familiar in Canaanite myths, where the supreme deity El is often depicted as white-headed, and Baal, the god who brings rain, is the rider of the clouds. The author of Daniel may be alluding to or even spoofing this Canaanite imagery, especially given that Antiochus Epiphanes introduced the cult of Baal Shamen in Jerusalem.
Summarized by AI · Judaism Before Jesus · Lecture 8: The Visions of Daniel · watch the clip
Two Worlds and Limited Salvation
The angel explains that the Most High created not one world, but two: this world for the sake of many, and the world to come for the sake of only a few. This principle of apocalyptic literature emphasizes that salvation is rare and not easily attained, a message that is hard but consistent with the idea of a limited number being saved from the Book of Daniel onward.
Summarized by AI · Judaism Before Jesus · Lecture 20: After the Fall · watch the clip
Historical Context of Daniel's Writing
The book of Daniel was written during a period of intense Jewish suffering under Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 160s BCE, during the Maccabean revolt. Antiochus made it illegal for Jews to follow the Torah, leading to persecution and torture. This historical context prompted Jewish thinkers to seek explanations for their suffering beyond divine punishment, leading to the apocalyptic themes in Daniel.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · How Did Prophets Predict the Future? Daniel Gives It Away. · watch the clip
Courses that cover Daniel
Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years
Banned Books: The Apocrypha Edition
Demons and Ghosts in the Bible
Holy Pain: Why Early Christians Embraced Suffering
Jesus and the Old Testament
Judaism Before Jesus
Luke's Maverick Gospel
Paul and Jesus: The Great Divide
The Genius of Mark: Jesus the Secret Messiah
The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel
The History of Biblical Interpretation
The Mysteries of the Synoptic Gospels: Discovering Matthew, Mark, and Luke
The New Testament: Exploring the Christian Bible
The Parables of Jesus: Jewish Insights into Gospel Ethics, Humor, and Provocation
