The Book of Daniel analysis of the structure of the text that will show just how detailed a use it
makes of Near Eastern history from the sixth century up to the s..
As for the date and context of the canonical Daniel as we have it, no seri-
ous commentator would now question Porphyry’s demonstration that the
work belongs in the s under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and that up to and
including that point the prophecies in it are pseudo-prophecies, relating and
giving meaning to events which had already occurred. At the time when
the author was completing the work, the imposition of the ‘‘abomination of
desolation’’ in had occurred, and the restoration of the Temple cult in
had not.^17 The ‘‘reception’’ of Daniel is a topic which could take many
volumes and is integral to early Christianity, in particular to the notion of
Jesus as a ‘‘Son of Man’’ (see briefly text to n. below). But it may be noted
that stories which form part of ‘‘our’’ Daniel are alluded to in Maccabees,
which (as above) dates to the later second century.., or (less probably)
to the early first. In the ‘‘testament of Mattathias’’ in Macc. , recounting
historical examples of pious Jews, there appear (:) Ananias, Azarias, and
Misael saved from the furnace (cf. Daniel ); and (:) Daniel saved from
the lion (cf. Daniel ). Similar allusions appear in Maccabees (perhaps of
the first century..) and Maccabees (probably of the first century..).^18
Much more important still is the fact that actual fragments of the ca-
nonical Daniel (as well as other Daniel-like prophetic fragments) are known
from Qumran and would thus count among the textual attestations from
the ancient world which are closest in time to the original composition.^19
. For the essential treatments and bibliography, see R. H. Charles,A Critical and Exe-
getical Commentary on the Book of Daniel(); L. F. Hartman and A. A. De Lella,The Book
of Daniel, Anchor Bible (); Schürer, Vermes, and Millar,HistoryIII., –; and now
the massive commentary by J. J. Collins,Daniel: A Commentary on the Book of Daniel().
Note also E. Bickerman,Four Strange Books of the Bible: Jonah, Daniel, Koheleth, Esther(),
and A. S. van der Woude, ed.,The Book of Daniel in the Light of New Findings(). In this
latter collection, note esp. M. Delcor, ‘‘L’histoire selon le livre de Daniel, notamment au
chapitre ,’’ –, and C. C. Caragounis, ‘‘History and Supra-history: Daniel and the Four
Empires,’’ –.
. Macc. (the prayer of Eleazar): section (three companions in Babylonia saved
from furnace); and (Daniel saved from lion). See J. H. Charlesworth,The Old Testament
PseudepigraphaII (), . Cf. Macc. :; :; :; :. See E. Bickerman, ‘‘The
Date of Fourth Maccabees,’’ inStudies in Jewish and Christian HistoryI (), ff., and
Charlesworth,The Old Testament PseudepigraphaII, –.
. See E. Ulrich, ‘‘Daniel Manuscripts from Qumran I,’’BASOR (): –;
‘‘II,’’BASOR (): –. Final publication by the same author inQumran Cave XI,
DJD XVI (), Q–Q ( QDana–e); see alsoQumranCave, DJD I (), appen-