In an essay introducing the Book of the Prophet Daniel, the USCCB website offers us several interesting points about the Book of the Prophet Daniel that are helpful as we read these fascinating stories.
1. Though the title of the book introduces Daniel as a prophet and though he is numbered among the four major prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, strictly speaking the book does not belong to the prophetic writings. It is, rather, apocalyptic, a kind of literature that flourishes during times of persecution.
2. The Book of Daniel also borrows some of its characteristics from the Wisdom Literature. Indeed, Daniel is portrayed as a Wisdom figure akin to Solomon.
3. Composed during the Babylonian Captivity and during the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Book of Daniel was written to strengthen and console the Hebrew people during a particularly stressful time in their history.
Apocalyptic literature focuses our sight on “the Day of the Lord,” a day when God will return to rescue those who have remained faithful to the Law and the Prophets. Wisdom Literature points its readers in the direction of right relationship with God and with one’s neighbor. Daniel appears as a “corporate” figure who is able to understand dreams and visions and who brings the word of God to bear on the human experiences of persecution and stress that accompany the exile of the children of Israel.
Monday’s reading tells us how Daniel was able to work his way into the good graces of the king while adhering to the dietary laws of the Law. Tuesday’s reading displays Daniel’s talents at interpreting dreams and, in so doing, thwarting the efforts of the magicians, enchanters, and sorcerers who had been called upon by the king to interpreting his dream. Today, Daniel turns his skills to interpreting a vision that appeared during one of the king’s feasts. In each instance, Daniel’s message is the same: God’s Law and God’s Kingdom will prevail while human laws and human kingdoms will perish if they contradict God’s. While the subject matter might seem trivial (dietary laws, the misuse of sacred vessels, etc.), Daniel constantly points the king toward the fundamental issue of being in right relationship with God.
The stories of the Book of Daniel are enchanting tales. Who of us hasn’t wondered at the stories of Daniel in the lion’s den, the three young men in the fiery furnace, Susannah and the wicked judges, Belshazzar’s feast? These stories have been handed down through the ages and have been the inspiration for many an oratorio, morality play, poetry, etc. In each instance, these stories seek to remind us that people of faith can resist temptation and conquer adversity and that God does not abandon those who trust in him and will finally deliver them.
For Christians, these stories from the Hebrew Scriptures find their fulfillment in Jesus. His advent and his life, ministry, passion, death and resurrection fulfill the prophecies of the coming of the Son of Man and the Day of the Lord. Jesus came to proclaim the fact that the Kingdom of God (Heaven) was among us and to call us to repentance for our failure to live as citizens of that Kingdom.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator