The Book of the Prophet Daniel

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

Though Daniel is usually called one of the Hebrew prophets, this book of the Old Testament really falls into several classifications and is not solely a prophetic book. It could be regarded as Wisdom Literature. It also tells part of the history of Israel. Unlike all of the other prophetic books, it is named for its "hero" rather than for its author. Daniel was a visionary not unlike Joseph in the Book of Genesis. However, perhaps the best classification for this type of literature is to call it "apocalyptic." In this respect it is not unlike the two books from which we have been reading over the past week, the story of the Maccabees.

Daniel and his three companions were four of the first Israelites to be led into captivity in Babylon. Apocalyptic literature always springs out of periods of oppression. While this type of literature seems to point to the future, it is really an account of the struggle between the oppressor and the oppressed. The Book of Revelation in the Christian Scriptures is very much like the Book of Daniel from the Hebrew Scriptures. The church uses both books to complete the cycle of readings at the end of the liturgical year, Revelation being used in even numbered years and Maccabees and Daniel being used in odd numbered years.

Apocalyptic literature focuses the attention of the reader on the plight of the oppressed with a view to asserting that the oppressor never wins. God will triumph in the end. This message echoes throughout the exilic prophets as well. What makes this book different from the other classical prophets is that Daniel gets the better of his oppressors by virtue of his resolve to remain faithful to the Sinai Covenant. Daniel's enemies are thwarted in their plans for his destruction. While the classical prophets point to a day when this will be true for all Israelites, the Book of Daniel details the stories of how faithful Israelites succeed now. In this respect, the Book of Daniel mirrors the New Testament in its assertion that the faithful Christian experiences the mystery of the resurrection now, but yet to come.

The stories we will hear this week are some of the most famous and most often told stories from Bible history: Daniel in the Lion's Den, Belshazzar's Feast, etc. CUSANS will be able to see in these stories their own situation. Like Daniel, we experience oppression through chronic illness and/or disability. However, we will triumph over these enemies. Indeed, we already have.