Daniel 12

Daniel 12 (the twelfth chapter of the Book of Daniel) is the final part of the Daniel's final vision, chapters 10, 11 and 12 in the Book of Daniel, describing a series of conflicts between the unnamed King of the North and King of the South leading to the "time of the end," when Israel will be vindicated and the dead raised to shame or glory.

The book of Daniel was written in reaction to the persecution of the Jews by the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167-164 BCE.^[1] Its authors were the maskil, the "wise", of whom Daniel is one: "Those among the people who are wise shall make many understand ...",^[2] and its fundamental theme is God's control over history.^[3] The climax comes with the prophecy of the resurrection of the dead:^[4] chapter 7 spoke of the coming "kingdom of heaven", but Daniel 10-12 does not say that history will end with the coming of the Jewish kingdom; rather, the "wise" will be brought back to life to lead Israel in the new kingdom of God.^[4]

In contemporary Christian millennialism, Daniel 12 is interpreted as concerning the salvation of Israel (the modern State of Israel) and the coming kingdom of Christ.^[5]

Summary

Chapter 10–prologue: Daniel sees a vision of a man (but clearly a supernatural being) who tells him that he is currently engaged in a battle with the "prince of Persia," in which he is assisted by "Michael, your prince." He must soon return to the combat, but first he will tell Daniel what is written in the "book of truth."

Chapter 11-vision report: The angel continues: There will be four kings of Persia, and the last will make war on Greece. After him will come a great king, and that king's empire will be broken up. There will be wars and marriages between the kings of the South and the North (described in great detail), and the king of the North will desecrate the Temple and set up "the abomination that causes desolation." At the end-time there will be a war between the king of the South and the king of the North, and the king of the North will meet his end "between the sea and the Holy Mountain."

Chapter 12–epilogue: At that time (the end-time) "Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise." There will be great distress, but those Jews whose names are written will be saved, the dead will awaken to everlasting shame or life. Daniel asks how long it will be before these things are fulfilled and is told, “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days; blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days."

Text

• The original text is written in Hebrew.
• Some of the most ancient manuscripts containing this chapter are:
  • In Hebrew:
    • Masoretic Text
    • Dead Sea Scrolls: 4QFlorilegium (end of 2nd century BC)^[6]
  • In Greek:
    • Septuagint (3rd century BC)
    • Theodotion version (ca. AD 180)^[6]
• This chapter is divided into 13 verses.

Composition

Wojciech Stattler, "Machabeusze" ("The Maccabees"), 1844

It is generally accepted that the Daniel who appears as the hero of the book of Daniel never existed, but that the authors reveal their true identity at the end of Daniel 12: they are the maskil, the "wise", of whom Daniel is one: "Those among the people who are wise shall make many understand ..."^[7][2] The actual background to the book was the persecution of the Jews by the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167-164 BCE, and there is a broad consensus that the book was completed shortly after that crisis ended.^[1] The first six chapters are folktales dating from the late Persian/early Hellenistic period, while the visions of chapters 7-12 date from between 167-164.^[8] A probable outline of the composition is as follows:^[9]

• An original collection of folk-tales, currently chapters 1-6;
• Addition of chapter 7 and revision of the earlier chapters;
• Further revision and the addition of chapters 8-12.

Daniel is episodic rather than linear–it has no plot as such. It does, however, have a structure. Chapters 2-6 form a chiasm, a literary figure in which elements mirror each other: chapter 2 is the counterpart of chapter 7, chapter 3 of chapter 6, and chapter 4 of chapter 5, with the second member of each pair advancing the first in some way. Daniel 8 is then a new beginning, and the single vision contained in chapters 10-12 advances that argument further and gives it more precision.^[10]

Within the three chapters of Daniel 10-12, Daniel 10 serves as prologue, chapter 11 as the report of the angelic vision, and chapter 12 as the epilogue.^[11] The unit begins with a third-person introduction (10:1), then switches to Daniel speaking in his own voice as one of the two primary characters, his angelic partner being the second–this is probably the angel Gabriel, although he is never identified).^[12] Then follows Daniel 11, the "Book of Truth": much of the history it recounts is accurate, down to the two successive Syrian invasions of Egypt in 170 and 168 BCE, but the final verses (verses 40-45) are not–there was no third war between Egypt and Syria, and Antiochus did not die in Palestine.^[13] The failure of prophecy helps pinpoint the date of composition: the author knows of the desecration of the Temple in December 167, but not of its re-dedication or of the death of Antiochus, both in late 164;^[13] Daniel 12:11-12's countdown of days remaining to the end-time differs from that in Daniel 8, and were most likely added after the original prediction failed to eventuate.^[14]

Genre and themes

The Archangel Michael weighing souls on Judgement Day. Hans Memling, 15th century.

The vision is an apocalypse in the form of an epiphany (appearance of a divine being) with an angelic discourse (revelation delivered by an angel). The discourse forms an ex eventu (after the event) prophecy, with close parallels with certain Babylonian works. The only true prophecy is the prediction of the death Antiochus, which is probably based on Ezekiel's prophecy of Gog and Magog. The heroes of Daniel 11-12, the "wise", are based on the "Suffering Servant" of Isaiah 53.^[15]

The fundamental theme of the book of Daniel is God's control over history.^[3] According to Deuteronomy 32:8-9 God assigned each nation its own divine patron; originally these were subordinate gods, but by the time Daniel came to be written they had been redefined as angels). In Daniel, Michael, the angel of Israel, is in battle with the "prince (i.e., angelic patron) of Persia", and this will be followed by further battle with the "prince of Greece"–the theological point being made is that the fate of nations is decided in heaven, not on earth. The same theme underlies the reference to the heavenly "Book of Truth" which is about to be revealed to Daniel, and which supposedly forms the content of chapter 11: both the past and the future are written already, and God is sovereign over all.^[16]

The constant preoccupation of the vision chapters is Antiochus' replacement of the "tamid", the twice-daily burnt offering to the God of Israel, by the "abomination of desolation".^{[Notes 1]} The predicted reversal of the blasphemy will usher in the end of history, the theme of the four earthly kingdoms first introduced in Daniel 2 and developed in Daniel 7 and 8; they will be replaced by the Kingdom of Heaven, a kingdom in which Israel will be given domination over the world.^[17]

The climax comes with the prophecy of the resurrection of the dead.^[4] Prior to the Babylonian exile, all the dead went to Sheol, irrespective of their good or bad deeds, but the idea that the righteous would be rewarded and the wicked punished began to appear in the 3rd century, and is clearly expressed in Daniel 12:2-3: "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake..." (although the "many" implies that not all will be resurrected).^{[18][Notes 2]} Chapter 7 spoke of the coming "kingdom of heaven", but Daniel 10-12 does not say that history will end with the coming of the Jewish kingdom.^[4]

Historical background

Coin of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The reverse shows Zeus(King of the Gods) enthroned carrying the Goddess Nike(Victory).

Daniel's final vision is set in "the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia": this marks 70 years since Daniel's own captivity began (606 BCE), and thus the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy that the exile would last 70 years.^[19]

Daniel and Christian millennialism

Christian millennialism is the belief in the resurrection of the martyrs and their thousand-year rule with Christ, followed by general resurrection, the last judgement, and the creation of a new heaven and new earth in which the faithful will be vindicated.^[20] Most 21st century Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants do not hold millennialist beliefs, but they remain strong among American evangelicals.^[21] A central role in the end-time drama is given to the figure of the Antichrist: opposed to God and his plan, he is either or both a military/political enemy and/or a deceiver who seeks to lead the faithful from Christ.^[22]

About a third of American evangelicals follow a form of millennialism known as Dispensationalism,.^[23] One important and representative dispensationalist work, Tim LaHaye and Ed Hinson's Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary, explains Daniel 12, which tells how Israel's suffering will lead to its salvation and the millennial kingdom of Christ.^[5]

Christian historicism treats Daniel 10-12 as part of the unfolding symbolic narrative of the Book of Daniel as a whole. The following table gives a more comprehensive overview of the place of these chapters in the prophetic plan as laid out in the book.

Chapter	Parallel sequence of prophetic elements as understood by Historicists[24][25]
	The Past				Present	The Future
Daniel 2	Head Gold (Babylon)	Chest & 2 arms Silver	Belly and thighs Bronze	2 Legs Iron	2 Feet with toes Clay & Iron	Rock God's unending kingdom left to no other people
Daniel 7	Winged Lion	Lopsided Bear	4 Headed/4 Winged Leopard	Iron toothed beast w/Little Horn	Judgment scene Beast slain	A son of man comes in clouds Given everlasting dominion He gives it to the saints.[26]
Daniel 8		2-horned Ram (Media-Persia)	Uni- / 4-horned Goat 4 Winds (Greece)	Little Horn A Master of Intrigue	Cleansing of Sanctuary Leads to:	(Kingdom of God)
Daniel 11-12		Kings (Persia)	North & South Kings 4 Winds (Greece)	North & South Kings A Contemptible Person of Intrigue Pagan Rome	North & South Kings End Times Global religio-political Government	Michael stands up Many dead awake To everlasting life

Notes

1. The tamid offering was a lamb accompanied by fine flour, oil and wine, burnt in the morning and the evening. See Lust, 2002, p.672. The exact nature of the "abomination" is somewhat mysterious, but it was clearly a blasphemous pagan disruption of the worship of the God of Israel, possibly involving the sacrifice of swine.
2. The valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37:1-14 does not refer to individual resurrection but to the restoration of the nation of Israel - see Towner, p.166.

See also

• Cyrus the Great
• Michael (archangel)
• Other related Bible parts: Daniel 9, Daniel 10, Daniel 11

References

Citations

1. Collins 2001, p. 2.
2. Davies 2006, p. 406.
3. Levine 2010, p. 1234.
4. Collins 1984, p. 103.
5. LaHaye & Hindson 2006, p. 259-263.
6. New Light on the Book of Daniel from the Dead Sea Scrolls - Gerhard Hasel PhD. Associates for Biblical Research - Jul 31, 2012
7. Collins 1999, p. 219.
8. Levine 2010, p. 1233.
9. Collins 2001, p. 29.
10. Goldingay 2002, p. 624.
11. Seow 2003, p. 153.
12. Hill 2008, p. 176.
13. Seow, p. 166.
14. Levine 2010, p. 1257 fn..
15. Collins 1984, p. 99-100.
16. Hammer 1976, p. 102-103.
17. Lust 2002, p. 671-684.
18. Cohen 2006, p. 86-87.
19. Hill 2008, p. 175.
20. Watson 2000, p. 900.
21. Weber 2007, p. 379-380.
22. Hill 2000, p. 66-67.
23. Weber 2007, p. 380.
24. Smith, U., 1944, Daniel and Revelation, Southern Publishing Association, Nashville, TN
25. Anderson, A., 1975, Pacific PRess Pub. Assoc., Unfolding Daniel's Prophecies, Mountain View, CA
26. Daniel 7:13-27 see verses 13, 14, 22, 27

Bibliography

• Bandstra, Barry L. (2008). Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Wadsworth Publishing Company.
• Bergsma, John Sietze (2007). The Jubilee from Leviticus to Qumran. BRILL.
• Boyer, Paul S. (1992). When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-95129-8.
• Brettler, Mark Zvi (2005). How To Read the Bible. Jewish Publication Society.
• Carroll, John T. (2000). "Eschatology". In Freedman, David Noel; Myers, Allen C. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Eerdmans.
• Cohen, Shaye J.D. (2006). From the Maccabees to the Mishnah. Westminster John Knox Press.
• Collins, John J. (1984). Daniel: With an Introduction to Apocalyptic Literature. Eerdmans.
• Collins, John J. (1999). "Daniel". In Van Der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob; van der Horst, Pieter Willem. Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Eerdmans.
• Collins, John J. (1998). The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature. Eerdmans.
• Collins, John J. (2001). "Current Issues in the Study of Daniel". In Collins, John J.; Flint, Peter W.; VanEpps, Cameron. The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception I. BRILL.
• Collins, John J. (2003). "From Prophecy to Apocalypticism: The Expectation of the End". In McGinn, Bernard; Collins, John J.; Stein, Stephen J. The Continuum History of Apocalypticism. Continuum.
• Coogan, Michael (2009). A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 400.
• Crawford, Sidnie White (2000). "Apocalyptic". In Freedman, David Noel; Myers, Allen C. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Eerdmans.
• Davidson, Robert (1993). "Jeremiah, Book of". In Metzger, Bruce M.; Coogan, Michael D. The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford University Press.
• Davies, Philip (2006). "Apocalyptic". In Rogerson, J. W.; Lieu, Judith M. OUP Oxford. Oxford Handbooks Online.
• DeChant, Dell (2009). "Apocalyptic Communities". In Neusner, Jacob. World Religions in America: An Introduction. Westminster John Knox Press.
• Doukhan, Jacques (2000). Secrets of Daniel: wisdom and dreams of a Jewish prince in exile. Review and Herald Pub Assoc.
• Dunn, James D.G. (2002). "The Danilic Son of Man in the New Testament". In Collins, John J.; Flint, Peter W.; VanEpps, Cameron. The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception. BRILL.
• Froom, Le Roy Edwin (1950). Early Church Exposition, Subsequent Deflections, and Medieval Revival. The Prophetic Faith of our Fathers: The Historical Development of Prophetic Interpretation 1. The Review and Herald Publishing Association. p. 1006.
• Froom, Le Roy Edwin (1948). Pre-Reformation and Reformation Restoration, and Second Departure. The Prophetic Faith of our Fathers: The Historical Development of Prophetic Interpretation 2. The Review and Herald Publishing Association. p. 863.
• Froom, Le Roy Edwin (1946). PART I, Colonial and Early National American Exposition. PART II, Old World Nineteenth Century Advent Awakening. The Prophetic Faith of our Fathers: The Historical Development of Prophetic Interpretation 3. The Review and Herald Publishing Association. p. 802.
• Gallagher, Eugene V. (2011). "Millennialism, Scripture, and Tradition". In Wessinger, Catherine. The Oxford Handbook of Millennialism. Oxford University Press.
• Goldingay, John J. (2002). "Daniel in the Context of OT Theology". In Collins, John J.; Flint, Peter W.; VanEpps, Cameron. The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception II. BRILL.
• Grabbe, Lester L. (2010). An Introduction to Second Temple Judaism: History and Religion of the Jews in the Time of Nehemiah, the Maccabees, Hillel, and Jesus. Continuum.
• Grabbe, Lester L. (2002). Judaic Religion in the Second Temple Period: Belief and Practice from the Exile to Yavneh. Routledge.
• Grabbe, Lester L. (2002). "A Dan(iel) For All Seasons". In Collins, John J.; Flint, Peter W.; VanEpps, Cameron. The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception. BRILL.

• Hammer, Raymond (1976). The Book of Daniel. Cambridge University Press.
• Harrington, Daniel J. (1999). Invitation to the Apocrypha. Eerdmans.
• Hill, Andrew E. (2008). "Daniel-Malachi". In Longman, Tremper; Garland, David E. The Expositor's Bible Commentary 8. Zondervan.
• Hill, Charles E. (2000). "Antichrist". In Freedman, David Noel; Myers, Allen C. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Eerdmans.
• Holbrook, Frank B. (1986). The Seventy Weeks, Leviticus, and the Nature of Prophecy (Volume 3 of Daniel and Revelation Committee Series ed.). Biblical Research Institute, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. ISBN 0925675024.
• Horsley, Richard A. (2007). Scribes, Visionaries, and the Politics of Second Temple Judea. Presbyterian Publishing Corp.
• Knibb, Michael (2009). Essays on the Book of Enoch and Other Early Jewish Texts and Traditions. BRILL.
• Knibb, Michael (2006). The Septuagint and Messianism. Peeters Publishers.
• Knibb, Michael (2002). "The Book of Daniel in its Context". In Collins, John J.; Flint, Peter W.; VanEpps, Cameron. The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception. BRILL.
• Koch, Klaus (2002). "Stages in the Canonization of the Book of daniel". In Collins, John J.; Flint, Peter W.; VanEpps, Cameron. The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception. BRILL.

• Kratz, Reinhard (2002). "The Visions of Daniel". In Collins, John J.; Flint, Peter W.; VanEpps, Cameron. The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception. BRILL.
• LaHaye, Tim Ed Hindson; Hindson, Ed (2006). The popular Bible prophecy commentary. Harvest House Publishers.
• Levine, Amy-Jill (2010). "Daniel". In Coogan, Michael D.; Brettler, Marc Z.; Newsom, Carol A. The new Oxford annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books : New Revised Standard Version. Oxford University Press.
• Lucas, Ernest C. (2005). "Daniel, Book of". In Vanhoozer, Kevin J.; Bartholomew, Craig G.; Treier, Daniel J. Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible. Baker Academic.
• Lust, Johan (2002). "Cult and Sacrifice in Daniel". In Collins, John J.; Flint, Peter W.; VanEpps, Cameron. The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception II. BRILL.
• Mangano, Mark (2001). Esther & Daniel. College Press.
• Marshall, Taylor (2012). The Eternal City: Rome and the Origins of Catholic Christianity. Saint John Press.
• Matthews, Victor H.; Moyer, James C. (2012). The Old Testament: Text and Context. Baker Books.
• Menn, Jonathan (2013). Biblical Eschatology. Wipf and Stock Publishers.
• Nelson, William (2013). Daniel. Baker Books.
• Newsom, Carol A.; Breed, Brennan W. (2014). Daniel: A Commentary. Presbyterian Publishing Corp.
• Nichol, F., ed. (1954). "chronology chart". SDA Bible Commentary. pp. 326–327.
• Niskanen, Paul (2004). The Human and the Divine in History: Herodotus and the Book of Daniel. Continuum.
• Pasachoff, Naomi E.; Littman, Robert J. (2005). A Concise History of the Jewish People. Rowman & Littlefield.
• Portier-Young, Anathea E. (2013). Apocalypse Against Empire: Theologies of Resistance in Early Judaism. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802837110.
• Provan, Iain (2003). "Daniel". In Dunn, James D. G.; Rogerson, John William. Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802837110.
• Redditt, Paul L. (2009). Introduction to the Prophets. Eerdmans.
• Reid, Stephen Breck (2000). "Daniel, Book of". In Freedman, David Noel; Myers, Allen C. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Eerdmans.
• Rowland, Christopher (2007). "Apocalyptic Literature". In Hass, Andrew; Jasper, David; Jay, Elisabeth. The Oxford Handbook of English Literature and Theology. Oxford University Press.
• Ryken,, Leland; Wilhoit, Jim; Longman, Tremper (1998). Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. InterVarsity Press.
• Sacchi, Paolo (2004). The History of the Second Temple Period. Continuum.
• Schwartz, Daniel R. (1992). Studies in the Jewish Background of Christianity. Mohr Siebeck.
• Seow, C.L. (2003). Daniel. Westminster John Knox Press.
• Schiffman, Lawrence H. (1991). From Text to Tradition: A History of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism. KTAV Publishing House.
• Spencer, Richard A. (2002). "Additions to Daniel". In Mills, Watson E.; Wilson, Richard F. The Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Mercer University Press.

• Towner, W. Sibley (1993). "Daniel". In Coogan, Michael D.; Metzger, Bruce M. The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford University Press.
• Towner, W. Sibley (1984). Daniel. Westminster John Knox Press.
• VanderKam, James C. (2010). The Dead Sea Scrolls Today. Eerdmans.
• VanderKam, James C.; Flint, Peter (2013). The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls: their significance for understanding the Bible, Judaism, Jesus, and Christianity. HarperCollins.
• Watson, Duane F. (2000). "Millennium". In Freedman, David Noel; Myers, Allen C. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Eerdmans.
• Weber, Timothy P. (2007). "Millennialism". In Walls, Jerry L. The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology. Oxford University Press.
• Wesselius, Jan-Wim (2002). "The Writing of Daniel". In Collins, John J.; Flint, Peter W.; VanEpps, Cameron. The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception. BRILL.
• Walvoord, John F. (2010). Major Bible Prophecies: 37 Crucial Prophecies That Affect You Today. Moody Press.