Daniel

by Choon-Leong Seow

Overview

The book of Daniel is concerned with religious persecution. Daniel's message in this apocalyptic text, however, assures that God will deliver those who trust God, refuse to worship other Gods, and keep Jewish tradition in the face of persecution. C. L. Seow examines this difficult and provocative book and explores its relevance to faith and the church today.

Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a guide to Christian faith and practice. Each volume explains the biblical book in its original historical context and explores its significance for faithful living today. These books are ideal for individual study and for Bible study classes and groups.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780664256753
Publisher:	Westminster John Knox Press
Publication date:	01/31/2003
Series:	Westminster Bible Companion
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.46(d)

About the Author

Choon-Leong Seow is Henry Snyder Gehman Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. An ordained Presbyterian elder, he specializes in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, the history of ancient Israelite religion, Northwest Semitic philology, and the history of biblical interpretation and reception. He has been on the editorial board of the Journal of Biblical Literature and Catholic Biblical Quarterly.

Table of Contents

	Series Foreword	xi
	Abbreviations	xiii
	Introduction	1
	The Book in the Canon	2
	The Legendary Daniel	3
	The Origin of the Book	4
	How the Final Form of the Book Came About	7
	Literary Genres	9
	The Occasion of the Book	12
	Theological Perspective	14
1.	Daniel and His Friends at the Babylonian Court Daniel 1:1-21	19
	Historical Setting and a Theological Problem (1:1-2)	21
	Opportunities and Temptations to Compromise (1:3-8)	23
	Daniel's Resistance and the Grace of God (1:9-17)	27
	Daniel's Final Examination and Its Results (1:18-21)	29
2.	Nebuchadnezzar's Dream Daniel 2:1-49	31
	The Crisis (2:1-12)	37
	Daniel Steps Forward (2:13-23)	39
	The Dream Described (2:24-35)	42
	The Dream Interpreted (2:36-45)	44
	The Immediate Impact of the Revelation (2:46-49)	48
3.	The Fiery Furnace Daniel 3:1-30	50
	Nebuchadnezzar's Setup (3:1-7)	52
	The Accusation (3:8-12)	54
	The Confrontation (3:13-18)	55
	The Consequence (3:19-23)	58
	In the Midst of the Fire (3:24-25)	58
	The Outcome (3:26-30)	59
4.	The Humbling of Nebuchadnezzar Daniel 4:1-37	61
	Introduction and Doxology (4:1-3)	64
	The Dream Recounted (4:4-18)	66
	The Dream Interpreted (4:19-27)	69
	The Dream Fulfilled (4:28-33)	71
	Conclusion and Doxology (4:34-37)	72
5.	Belshazzar and the Handwriting on the Wall Daniel 5:1-31	74
	Belshazzar's Sacrilege (5:1-4)	78
	Handwriting on the Wall (5:5-9)	78
	The Queen Mother's Recommendation (5:10-12)	80
	Daniel Reads and Interprets the Inscription (5:13-28)	81
	Conclusion (5:29-31)	83
6.	Daniel in the Lions' Pit Daniel 6:1-28	85
	Jealousy and Conspiracy (6:1-9)	88
	Daniel Is Caught Acting Normally (6:10-13)	90
	The King's Quandary (6:14-18)	91
	Deliverance (6:19-24)	93
	The King's Encyclical (6:25-28)	95
7.	Monsters, Divine Judgment, and the Coming of a Humanlike One Daniel 7:1-28	97
	Introduction (7:1)	100
	Four Beasts from the Great Sea (7:2-8)	101
	Divine Response (7:9-14)	106
	Interpretation (7:15-27)	109
	Conclusion (7:28)	113
8.	The Ram, the Goat, and the Interpretation of Gabriel Daniel 8:1-27	115
	Introduction (8:1-2)	118
	The Ram and the Goat (8:3-8)	120
	The Little Horn (8:9-12)	121
	An Angelic Conversation (8:13-14)	124
	The Interpretation (8:15-26)	126
	Conclusion (8:27)	132
9.	Daniel's Prayer and the Predicted End of Desolation Daniel 9:1-27	134
	Introduction (9:1-2)	138
	Daniel's Prayer (9:3-19)	140
	An Angelic Interpretation (9:20-27)	145
10.	The Final Revelation: Prologue Daniel 10:1-19	152
	Introduction (10:1)	153
	The Setting (10:2-4)	155
	An Epiphany (10:5-19)	156
11.	The Final Revelation: Back to the Future Daniel 10:20-12:4	163
	Introduction (10:20-11:1)	167
	The Persian Empire (11:2)	168
	Alexander's Empire (11:3-4)	170
	North versus South before Antiochus IV Epiphanes (11:5-20)	170
	Antiochus IV Epiphanes (11:21-39)	175
	An End of Antiochus (11:40-45)	184
	Resurrection of the Dead (12:1-4)	186
12.	The Final Revelation: Postscript Daniel 12:5-13	191
	Select Bibliography	197