The past three decades have yielded increasing evidence that the Book of Daniel is remarkably arranged according to literary structures found throughout the Old Testament. Far from being a product of haphazard socio-political forces, this book was intricately composed to make its message clear to the careful reader. We can…
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Unjamming The Genres: Part One
What if the Book of Daniel is not a product of sociopolitical movements but a divinely designed document? In other words, what if this book was carefully and significantly arranged to convey a clear, inspired message to its readers? The adoption of this perspective provides clear answers to Daniel’s structure…
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The Second Riddle: Some Assembly Required
Most scholars hold that this part of the book was heavily redacted—rewritten, repurposed, and connected to additional material (chapters 1, 7–12)—taking its final form for the sake of Jews living during or after the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes. But this theory cannot explain why Daniel came into its final form…
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The Second Riddle: More Troublesome Toys
Biblical scholars have contributed to our understanding of Daniel by helping us to understand the genres and literary structures that make up this book. Unfortunately, however, an unwillingness to acknowledge the book’s divine origin consigns them to forcing square pegs into round holes.
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The Second Riddle: Troublesome Toys
Liberal scholarship continues to grapple over fundamental questions surrounding the Book of Daniel. The trouble stems primarily from the nature of the book’s two halves: the stories of chapters 2–6 and the apocalyptic visions detailed in chapters 7–12. These two sections are remarkably different in format, style, and emphasis yet…
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The Second Riddle: Introduction
Do you remember the first time you read through the Book of Daniel? Quick show of hands—how many of you crashed when you got to chapter seven? I know I did! The first six chapters were straightforward stories of heroism and miracles, but then everything changed. Suddenly, Daniel was alone,…
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An Aramaic Enigma: Conclusion
Our study of Aramaic has wound through several centuries and various venues, from Bronze Age Syria and Iron Age Judah to our present-day academic institutions. But amid all of the details, one theme has been especially prominent—the exceptional nature of the Bible.
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Answering an Aramaic Enigma: Part Four
In my last post, I argued that Jeremiah’s Aramaic declaration is directly linked to the Aramaic section of Daniel. In fact, this verse and its corresponding chapters in Daniel are exactly what one would expect in light of Israel’s history with Aramaic as well as its role within the writings…
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Answering an Aramaic Enigma: Part Three
Daniel’s Aramaic chapters stand out as a distinct literary segment written in an “unauthorized” language. Why would the author of this book suddenly shift languages midsentence to compose only part of Daniel in a language that had never been used to compose Hebrew Scripture? To answer this question, we will…
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Answering an Aramaic Enigma: Part Two
Over the past three posts, we have sought out the reasons behind the Aramaic composition of Daniel 2–7. Our investigation has required us to set aside the assumption that the Bible is merely a collection of human writings. This step may feel backwards and ignorant—a return to pre-scientific ideas of…
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Answering an Aramaic Enigma: Part One
Men have argued that stripping Scripture of its inerrancy and historicity doesn’t affect its value as God’s inspired word. Nothing could be further from the truth; these are merely the words of men who would rejoice in the quiet of a graveyard. If we gag God in our hearts, how…
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The First Riddle: Part Two
We are on a quest to understand why nearly half of the Book of Daniel is written in Aramaic, a situation unparalleled in the rest of Scripture. Aramaic is the minor player of the three languages that compose the Bible, appearing infrequently and only in scattered segments (Ezra 4:11–16; 7:11–26),…
