Apocalyptic thought and imagination in the Book of Daniel

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. 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 visions and a sense of persecution, as well as the romanticizing of martyrdom, Daniel shows exactly how and why Christianity came to be. Daniel's visions "gather together historical memories and present awareness into a massive act of theological imagination whereby present time, present circumstance, and present generation are identified as a break point in human history," (Brueggeman, 2003, p. 353). Ultimately, the authors of Daniel offer far more hope than fear, even if fear motivates the reader to embrace God and His messiah.

Daniel presents a clear choice to the reader, between faith in the unseen and the inevitability of the mundane course of historical events presided over by persons in positions of political power. The message that Jesus would eventually deliver coincides with Daniel's rebelliousness as well as Daniel's ascription to God's wisdom and grace. By the time the book of Daniel is penned, crises of faith are no stranger to the Jewish people, who have gone through tumultuous times before. While there is nothing necessarily new presented in the text, Daniel does show that the historical and political circumstances are indeed changing and that the Jewish people are being called upon to make one of the most important choices they can make. The book of Daniel inspires hope because it shows that the visionary experience of the few can guide the many through terrible and tumultuous political times. In many ways, the Book of Daniel serves as a bridge between Judaism and Christianity because of its apocalyptic nature.

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.