DANIEL

1
DANIEL

• THE BOOK OF DANIEL COMBINES ELE-MENTS OF FOLKLORE
  (WISE COURTI-ERS, FOOLISH KINGS, ENDANGERED
  HEROES) W/ THE MYSTERY OF APOCA-LYPTIC LITERATURE
  TO CONVEY A MES-SAGE OF HOPE TO JEWS LIVING AS A
  MINORITY UNDER FOREIGN RULE.

2
DANIEL (cont.)

• THE STORY OF THE YOUTHFUL DANIEL HIS FRIENDS IN
  EXILE IN BABYLON (CHAPS. 1-6) REFLECTS A TIME
  WHEN JEWS LIVED MORE OR LESS PEACE-FULLY W/ THEIR
  NON-JEWISH NEIGH-BORS, SUGGESTING IT MAY HAVE
  BEEN WRITTEN IN THE PERSIAN (539-333 B.C.E.) OR
  HELLENISTIC (333-168) PERIODS.

3
DANIEL (cont.)

• IN THIS SECTION, DANIEL PROSPERS IN A FOREIGN
  LAND (LIKE JOSEPH IN EGYPT) B/C OF HIS ABILITY TO
  INTER-PRET DREAMS.

4
DANIEL (cont.)

• CHAPS. 7-12 CONTRAST SHARPLY, FOCUSING ON
  UNIVERSAL CONFLICT RATHER THAN PERSONAL DANGER
  EXHIBITING GREAT HOSTILITY TO-WARD FOREIGN
  GOVERNMENTS.

5
DANIEL (cont.)

• IN THIS SECTION, DANIEL HIMSELF IS THE VISIONARY
  IN NEED OF AN ANGEL- INTERPRETER. HIS DREAMS
  RECOUNT THE HISTORY OF THE NEAR EAST EGYPT, AND
  END W/ A VISION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GODS
  KINGDOM (WHEN THE WICKED ARE PUNISHED THE
  FAITHFUL REDEEMED).

6
DANIEL (cont.)

• UNLIKE OTHER PROPHETS, DANIEL DID NOT CALL FOR
  THE PEOPLES RE-PENTANCE, BUT SIMPLY INFORMED HIS
  AUDIENCE THAT WHAT HAD HAP-PENED WHAT WOULD
  HAPPEN HAD BEEN DETERMINED BY GOD.

7
DANIEL (cont.)

• IN ADDITION, THE SOLUTION TO THE WORLDS PROBLEMS
  WOULD COME BY GOD TERMINATING HU-MAN HISTORY.

8
DANIEL (cont.)

• DANIEL WAS WRITTEN PARTLY IN ARAMAIC PARTLY IN
  HEBREW. IN ADDITION, THE EARLY GREEK
  TRANS-LATIONS CONTAIN ADDITIONAL PASS-AGES THAT
  THE PROTESTANT CANON CONSIGNS TO THE APOCRYPHA.

9
JONAH

• UNLIKE OTHER PROPHETIC BOOKS IN THE BIBLE, JONAH
  CONTAINS NO VERSE ORACLES AGAINST ISRAEL OR ITS
  ENEMIES.

10
JONAH (cont.)

• INSTEAD, THE BOOK OF JONAH ADAPTS MATERIAL FROM
  FOLK-LORE LEGEND TO TELL A STORY ABOUT THE
  PROPHET HIMSELF.

11
JONAH (cont.)

• JONAH IS ALSO UNIQUE AMONG THE PROPHETIC BOOKS IN
  ITS USE OF COMIC SATIRICAL ELEMENTS.

12
JONAH (cont.)

• JONAH WAS AN OBSCURE PROPHET FROM GALILEE WHO
  COUNSELED KING JEROBOAM II (788-747 B.C.E.)
  DURING A TIME OF PROSPERITY EXPANSION FOR
  ISRAEL (SEE 2 KINGS 14.25).

13
JONAH (cont.)

• HOWEVER, THE PROSPERITY OF JEROBOAM IIS REIGN
  WAS THREAT-ENED BY ASSYRIAN EXPANSIONISM, AND IT
  IS AMONG THE ASSYRIANS THAT JONAH IS COMMANDED TO
  PROPHESY.

14
JONAH (cont.)

• PROBABLY WRITTEN DURING THE POST-EXILIC PERIOD
  AROUND THE 5TH OR 4TH CENTURY B.C.E.