Unit 10
Apocalypticism and Heroism: Daniel and the Apocalyptic Visions of Early Judaism

Learning Objectives

After completing Unit 10 you should be able to

1. outline the plot of the book of Daniel.
2. define and discuss apocalypticism in the Hebrew Bible.
3. distinguish between literal and figurative interpretations of the apocalyptic literature.
4. identify possible interconnections between the apocalyptic literature and the other literature of the Hebrew Bible.
5. discuss whether apocalyptic texts relate to the time of composition or to the distant future.
6. discuss the relationship between the message of Daniel and the aspirations of the Jewish community during the Maccabean period.
7. compare apocalyptic texts of the Maccabean period.

Introduction

In this unit we conclude our exploration of the Hebrew Bible with an examination of the apocalyptic literature, that is, literature pertaining to revelation of the future, especially of the end of the world. We will focus on the book of Daniel, which was composed during the Maccabean period, when Jewish forces revolted against the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 160s BCE. The narrative time of the book of Daniel is the Babylonian Exile, that is, the sixth century bce, but it was probably the last book in the Hebrew Bible to be written. The book of Daniel explores the future of Judaism using the past trauma of the Babylonian Exile to demonstrate how Jewish spirituality and values can survive in times of trial. As with Unit 9, our work in this unit will involve independent reflection and analysis of texts. We will reflect on what the predictions in the book of Daniel might have meant to readers at the time it was written. Finally, we will compare the apocalyptic perspectives of the book of Daniel with other similar literature and discuss the origins and proliferation of stories about Daniel.

The book of Daniel contains both apocalyptic (largely in the second half of the book) and heroic narrative (largely in the first half of the book). Daniel, the prophetic visionary, is also a hero, a model of faithful Jewish practice for those living in the tumult of the Maccabean period. Our reading of other material related to the Daniel tradition will allow us to reflect further on the way that Judaism of the Maccabean period made use of heroic characters. More generally, we will explore the interpretation of apocalyptic literature as an imperative for its own time. Interconnections between the apocalyptic literature and other Hebrew Bible texts, particularly from the Nevi’im, will be discussed, along with the question of the origin of apocalyptic writing, both as a literary genre and as a way of thinking about the relationship between God and the world.