The Enigma and Authorship of the Book of Daniel
The question surrounding the authorship of the book of Daniel has puzzled scholars for centuries. This text, which traditionally claims to have been written by Daniel himself during the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century BCE, has been extensively scrutinized and largely debunked. This article will delve into the reasons behind the belief that Daniel did not write the book as attributed to him.
Biblical and Historical Context
The book of Daniel, like the book of Job, is considered a novel that contains a biblical apocalypse set in the 6th century BCE but written around the 2nd century BCE. Originally, the book of Daniel was a collection of Aramaic court tales that were later expanded by Hebrew revelations. The court tales were possibly independent, but the author compiled them into a single text in the 3rd or early 2nd century BCE.
The Author and His Background
The author of the book of Daniel was likely a Jewish author or editor who had a good education and considerable knowledge in Greek learning. He also had high standing in his own community. The author may have chosen the name Daniel for the hero of the book because Daniel was renowned as a wise seer in Hebrew tradition. This is seen from the references in the book of Ezekiel (14:14, 14:20, 28:3) which mention Daniel.
Historical and Linguistic Evidence
The language of the book—part of which is in Aramaic (2:4–7:28)—indicates a composition date that is later than the Babylonian Exile, around the 6th century BCE. Numerous inaccuracies related to the exilic period, such as the non-deportation of Jews in 605 BCE, Darius succeeding Cyrus rather than preceding him, and other historical inconsistencies, further support this hypothesis. The religious ideas in the book do not belong to the 6th century BCE, leading to a consensus among scholars that Daniel was likely written in the 1st half of the 2nd century BCE.
Cultural and Political Factors
Another significant factor in the authorship debate is the mention of Darius the Mede in the book of Daniel. This figure is not mentioned in any historical records, and placing an additional king between Belshazzar and Cyrus is impossible. Thus, scholars do not regard the book of Daniel as a reliable historical guide, and there is a broad consensus that Daniel never existed as a historical figure.
The Nature of Apocalyptic Literature
The book of Daniel includes prophecies, but the author did not write it as a prophecy book. Instead, it is an apocalypse, which cryptically alludes to the persecution of the Jews by the Greek Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who ruled from 175 to 164 BCE. Scholars broadly agree that the stories in the first six chapters and the visions in the last six chapters were added at different times. The legends that make up the first six chapters were written, and the visions were added during the persecution of Antiochus, with the book being completed shortly after 164 BCE.
Language and Historical Accuracy
The language of the book as seen in Daniel 5, where Daniel uses Aramaic, is indicative of a later composition date. In this chapter, Daniel translates a writing seen by Belshazzar, which is narrated in Aramaic (most of it). Another interesting piece of evidence is Daniel 9, where Daniel is told by the angel Gabriel that the 70 years of Jeremiah's prophecy should be interpreted as 70 weeks, a literal timeframe. This symbolic interpretation aligns with the author's intention to provide a historical narrative with a symbolic future outlook.
In conclusion, the enigma of the authorship of the book of Daniel has been widely studied and largely resolved. Scholars now agree that the book, while containing prophetic elements, was composed long after the events it describes and is not a reliable historical record of the life of Daniel.
Keywords: Authorship of Daniel, Biblical Apocalyptic Literature, Historical Reliability