With the Clouds of Heaven: The Book of Daniel in Biblical Theology (New Studies in Biblical Theology, vol. 32 | NSBT)
Overview
“And behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom” (Daniel 7:13-14).
James Hamilton perceives a hole in evangelical biblical theology that should be filled with a robust treatment of the book of Daniel. He takes this chance to delve into the book’s rich contribution to the Bible’s unfolding redemptive-historical storyline.
By setting Daniel in the broader context of biblical theology, he helps move us toward a clearer understanding of how we should live today in response to its message. First, he shows how the book’s literary structure contributes to its meaning. He then addresses key questions and issues. He concludes by examining typological patterns. He argues that the four kingdoms prophesied by Daniel are both historical and symbolic—that the “one like a son of man” seen by Daniel is identified with and distinguished from the Ancient of Days in such a way that would be mysterious until Jesus came as both the Son of David and God incarnate. He elaborates that the interpretations of Daniel in early Jewish literature attest to strategies similar to those employed by New Testament authors. He shows those authors provide a Spirit-inspired interpretation of Daniel that was learned from Jesus. He highlights how the book of Revelation uses Daniel’s language, imitates his structure, points to the fulfillment of his prophecies, and clarifies the meaning of his “seventieth week.”
Key Features
- Delves into Daniel's rich contribution to the Bible’s unfolding redemptive-historical storyline
- Shows how the book’s literary structure contributes to its meaning
- Highlights how the book of Revelation uses Daniel’s language and imitates his structure
Contents
- From Eden to the End: Daniel in Old Testament Salvation History
- The Literary Structure of Daniel
- Four Kingdoms; Then Everlasting Dominion: The History of the Future
- Seventy Weeks and Seventy Weeks of Years: Daniel's Prayer and Gabriel's Revelation
- The One Like a Son of Man and Other Heavenly Beings in Daniel
- Interpretations of Daniel in Early Jewish Literature
- Interpretations of Daniel in the New Testament (except Revelation)
- Interpretations of Daniel in the Apocalypse
- Typological Patterns: Daniel in Biblical Theology
Top Highlights
“The fourth kingdom is not one kingdom in particular but the wicked world system that has united itself against God and his people.” (Page 132)
“Why is there such similarity between the little horn of the third kingdom and the little horn of the fourth? It would appear that a pattern is being repeated. In this pattern the kings of the earth exalt themselves against God and his people, persecuting the saints; then, through the defeat of the arch-enemy, God’s people are delivered. The repetition indicates that Daniel means to depict this ‘type’ of thing as happening through the course of history until the pattern culminates and is fulfilled in the final instance of the typological pattern.12 This way of looking at the matter matches both Paul’s description of the ‘lawless one’ in 2 Thessalonians 2:12 and John’s words about the antichrists and the Antichrist in 1 John 2:18.” (Pages 52–53)
“Both Leviticus 25 and 26 are vital for understanding the exile, the kingdom of God described in Daniel, and the revelation made in Daniel 9.” (Page 43)
“The book of Daniel inspires faithfulness to Yahweh because it teaches that God and his kingdom matter more than the preservation of one’s own life. Undergirding this is the fact that Yahweh can deliver people from death (Dan. 3, 6) and predict the future (Dan. 11), including the future resurrection and reward of the faithful (Dan. 12:2–3).” (Page 32)
“The recognition that chronology is not the book’s organizing principle invites us to consider what literary designs guided the arrangement of the book’s discrete units.” (Page 77)
Praise for the Print Edition
This is an important book and a welcome addition to an excellent series (NSBT), and I commend it for all biblical disciplines. I benefited from reading Hamilton’s book, and I am grateful for his commitment to doing robust theology and exegesis for the benefit of the church.
—Joshua M. Philpot, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
- Title: With the Clouds of Heaven: The Book of Daniel in Biblical Theology
- Author: James M. Hamilton Jr.
- Series: New Studies in Biblical Theology
- Volume: 32
- Publishers: Apollos, IVP
- Print Publication Date: 2014
- Logos Release Date: 2015
- Pages: 272
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible. O.T. Daniel › Commentaries; Bible. O.T. Daniel › Criticism, interpretation, etc
- ISBNs: 9780830826339, 9781783591374, 0830826335, 1783591374
- Resource ID: LLS:NSBT32
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T01:54:07Z
Sample Pages from the Print Edition
Reviews
4 ratings
Jürgen Wiedmann
3/20/2024
Randy
11/10/2021
As Paul told Timothy, the Scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. What I like about this Biblical theology of Daniel, is that it is Christ centered. This is especially evident in chapter 10, on typology. This work ultimately recognizes God's plan of salvation through Christ unfolding in the book of Daniel. You haven't correctly understood the Scriptures, until you've seen them pointing to salvation in Christ. This work is generally sound, and passes this fundamental test, by seeing and giving preeminence to Christ. Not everyone will agree on every point of this work. The author evidently holds to a post-tribulation rapture view. He thinks the woman in Revelation 12 is representative of Mary, the church, and "the people of God" in general. He does not seem to see much distinction between Israel and the church in Revelation. Rather than recognizing a gap between the 69th and 70th week (stated as "after the 69th week", but before the 70th week in Daniel 9), he views the 70th week as spanning all the time between Christ's two advents. He sees the first time, times, and half a time (3.5 years), as the time from Christ's arrival until the man of sin is revealed, and the second half as 3.5 literal years, which he attributes to those days being "shortened" for the elect's sake. Even though in Matthew 24, we see that a sheep/goat judgment will prohibit unbelievers from entering the kingdom, the author views the unregenerate nations as surviving the return of Christ, living through the entire 1,000 year reign of Christ, then being stirred up against Christ at the end of the thousand year reign, and ultimately destroyed. This is possibly his solution to the problem of populating the millennial kingdom, if all believers are raptured and receive a glorified body upon Christ's return after the Tribulation. This work also gave me a lot of fresh insights. The author strengthened my understanding of Daniel, by showing how Daniel interpreted other Scripture, and how other parts of the Bible interpret the book of Daniel. It shows the broad types and patterns that developed along the course of God's revelation, ultimately pointing to Christ. I recommend this book as a good read for anyone who wants to better understand the book of Daniel, and how it relates to the unfolding plan of salvation through Christ.
john kho
10/26/2017
David Delmotte
3/15/2017
I have been toting a library copy of the book around for the last 2 months and decided to by an e-version. I wish the Logos store was a bit more competitive. I just bought the Kindle version at over half the price of Logos version. Sure Logos has advantages, but it is not worth double the price of a e-book.
