The Book of Daniel
Overview
Among the insights presented in this commentary is the realization that Daniel is not unified, but is a collection of individual dramas. Furthermore, George Wesley Buchanan aims to demonstrate that Daniel was not initially a prophecy; it is not pacifistic; and probably should not be called apocalyptic.
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Key Features
- Demonstrates that the book of Daniel was not initially a prophecy
- Explains that Daniel is a collection of individual dramas
- Examines whether the book of Daniel should be considered apocalyptic
Top Highlights
“How did it come about that the author of Dan 6 invented this character?” (Page 150)
“Shea thought he might have been the well-known Guburu” (Page 149)
“There is a break in the narrative between Dan 11:45 and Dan 12:1. Dan 12:1 is not continuous with Dan 11:40–45. The reason for that is that Dan 11:40–45 is a second version of Dan 11:14–19. It applies to Antiochus III, rather than Antiochus IV. Dan 12:1, however, continues from the conclusion of Antiochus IV Epiphanes at Dan 11:39.” (Pages 373–374)
“It was not a Mede, but the Persian, Darius Hystaspis (522–485 BIA), who first divided Persia into units (satrapies), and that was into 20 units rather than 120 (Herodotus 3.89–90).” (Page 152)
“The wicked ones were the Hellenizers. They were called the ‘powerful ones,’ the ‘wealthy ones,’ ‘contract breakers,’ and other disrespectful names. Among them was the one Habakkuk called ‘the arrogant one’ whose soul was not righteous (Hab 2:4). They had cooperated with the Seleucids during the Maccabean rebellion. They suffered a severe defeat with the decisive Battle of Beth-horon, but they did not vanish. Neither did the Seleucids. The Seleucids still collected taxes from Judah. For the next 20 years there were many political and military engagements between Judah and Syria. From the nationalistic point of view these were some of the ways in which the wicked ones acted wickedly.” (Page 391)
- Title: The Book of Daniel
- Author: George Wesley Buchanan
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2005
- Logos Release Date: 2016
- Pages: 511
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Bible. O.T. Daniel › Commentaries
- ISBNs: 1592440215, 9781592440214
- Resource ID: LLS:BKOFDANIEL
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-08-23T21:04:10Z
Sample Pages from the Print Edition
Reviews
1 rating
Ken McClurkin
6/4/2023
It seems his thesis of the fourth kingdom as Greece is a faulty allegory. His order is Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greece. A more realistic approach would be Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Although the fourth kingdom is not mentioned by name in Daniel it would infer to the territory in which the Messiah would come forth. Dan 5:28, 6:8, 12, and 15 combine the two kingdoms as one. Chapter 7 of Daniel enumerates judgment on the four beast kingdoms with the Son of man coming to the Ancient of Days. Clearly, the Son of man is Christ, born in the Roman Empire, not in Greece. In chapter 2 of Daniel, a stone is cut out of a mountain without hands breaking in pieces the previous four kingdoms. If Greece is the fourth kingdom there would be no place for Christ in the book of Daniel. Apparently, the commentary is based on Syriac, Ethiopian, and Arab traditions. Considered to be the oldest extant commentary on Daniel in its completed form written mostly in Greek by Hippolytus of Rome (170 – 235 AD) identifies the kingdoms as Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome.