Last week I was reading some profiles on the prophet Daniel. My sources included the Douay Bible, Matthew Henry’s Commentary, & Reader’s Digest. I found some interesting tidbits of information.
The Hebrew Bible (Holy Scriptures of Judaism) is traditionally divided into three parts: the Torah, the Prophets, & the Writings. Interestingly enough, Daniel isn’t included among the Prophets but rather in the Writings.
Reader’s Digest points out three apparent discrepancies in the book of Daniel:
Reader’s Digest points out three apparent discrepancies in the book of Daniel:
1. Nabonidus was the last ruler of Babylon, not Belshazzar. This was dealt with in my article entitled THE CONQUEST OF BABYLON. I think scholars agree that King Nabonidus was more interested in the study of foreign religions and history than in government. Nabonidus took a ten year hiatus in Arabia and left his son Belshazzar at the helm as prince regent. Also interesting is that Daniel’s reward for interpreting the “writing on the wall” was not the number two position behind Belshazzar but rather the number three position behind Belshazzar #2 and Nabonidus #1.
2. Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon, not the unknown Darius the Mede. This was also dealt with in THE CONQUEST OF BABYLON. Scholars are well familiar with Gubara or Ugbara (Greek, Gobryas) who conquered Babylon on October 12, 539 BC. Many scholars, including William H. Shea, equate him with Darius the Mede.
3. In Daniel 1:1, the prophet calls Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon. That was 606 BC, the year of Daniel’s deportation. Scholars agree that Nebuchadnezzar did not become king until after his father’s death in 605 BC. Matthew Henry said Nebuchadnezzar reigned for some time in conjunction with his father (co-regency). It is also possible that he fulfilled the dual role of army general and prince regent if his father was absent or incapacitated. Of further note, by accession-year reckoning based on Judah's civil calendar, Jehoiakim's third regnal year was from October 1, 606 BC to September 30, 605 BC. In that sense, "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim" as recorded in Daniel 1:1 was both the year when Daniel was deported and the year when Nebuchadnezzar was king.
Those who claimed Belshazzar was fabricated by Daniel the Prophet were proven wrong with the discoveries of the Nabonidus Chronicle, Stela, & Cylinder in 1854.
ReplyDeleteThe reigns of kings were measured by regnal-year reckoning or factual-year reckoning. Factual-year reckoning: A king’s reign was reckoned from the day of his accession to the anniversary of his accession, exactly one year later, and then from anniversary day to anniversary day going forward. Some historians have determined that Jehoiakim's accession occurred in Oct/Nov 609 BC. If Daniel used factual-year reckoning, "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim" was Oct/Nov 607-Oct/Nov 606 BC. That leaves a ten month window in 606 BC, roughly Jan 1-Nov 1, for Daniel’s deportation.
ReplyDeleteLike Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 1:1, Belshazzar was called the king of Babylon in Daniel 7:1. However Belshazzar was prince regent, acting as king in the absence of his father, which was revealed in my article entitled The Conquest of Babylon.
ReplyDeleteBecause the prophet called Nebuchadnezzar king in Daniel 1:1, some historians believe that Daniel was deported in 605 BC:
ReplyDeleteJehoiakim's accession Oct/Nov 609 BC (Hebrew month: Heshvan)
accession year Nov 1, 609-Sep 30, 608 BC (civil) Nov 1, 609-Mar 31, 608 BC (sacred)
Nebuchadnezzar's Carchemish victory May/June 605 BC
Nabopolassar's death July/Aug 605 BC
Nebuchadnezzar's accession and Daniel's deportation Aug/Sep 605 BC
That timeline corresponds with Jehoiakim's third regnal year, Oct 1, 606-Sep 30, 605 BC, according to Daniel & Jehoiakim's fourth regnal year, April 1, 605-Mar 31, 604 BC, according to Jeremiah. Daniel relied on Judah's civil calendar & Jeremiah on Judah's sacred calendar. Daniel 1:1; Jeremiah 25:1; 46:2