The Book of Daniel as an Apocalyptic Literature: Features and Symbols

Subject Areas : Christianity

Fatemeh Maghsoudian ^{1 *} , Leila Hooshangi ² , Azadeh Rezaei ³

1 - PhD Candidate of Comparative Religion and Mysticism, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Associate Professor of Comparative Religion and Mysticism, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
3 - PhD in Comparative Religion and Mysticism, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2021-12-17 Accepted : 2021-12-17 Published : 2021-08-23

Keywords: the Bible, the Book of Daniel, apocalyptic literature, Symbol, apocalypse, wisdom,

Abstract :

The Bible, as a literary work, has a variety of literary genres that one of their most important genres is called “apocalyptic genre. The book of Daniel, writing at the end of second century BC, is known as one of the earliest Jewish apocalypses which like other apocalyptic writings has an unknown writer (Pseudonymity). One of the important feature of apocalyptic writing is symbolic expression which includes subjects such as the cosmogony, eschatology, prophesizing the world catastrophes, the resurrection, the final judgment of man and of the world. The present study is seeking to point to background of this research considering the importance of apocalyptic literature in Bible studies. Also this article seeks to point to introduce and express the characteristics of these genre and examine the common general forms and contents of the apocalypses. Moreover specially pay attention to the symbols of the Book of Daniel to the roots and uses in other Hebrew and non-Hebrew literature. This book is one of wisdom books which has been written for teaching wisdoms and moral values. Thus, such texts attract the readers to think more about symbolic concept of them.

References:

• ابراهیم، علیرضا، « فرجام‌شناسی کیهانی در مکاشفات یهودی دوره بین العهدین»، تهران، نیمسال نامه علمی-پژوهشی پژوهشنامه ی ادیان، سال دوم،شماره  چهارم.


• تفضلی، احمد، تاریخ ادبیات ایران پیش از اسلام، به کوشش ژاله آموزگار، تهران، سخن، چاپ سوم 1378.


• رضایی، آزاده، آخرالزمان مسیحی و اسلامی : بررسی کتاب مکاشفۀ یوحنّا و الغیبه نعمانی، رسالۀ دکتری، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد علوم و تحقیقات تهران، زمستان 1394.


• سیار، پیروز، کتاب‌هایی از عهد عتیق: کتاب‌های قانونی ثانی بر اساس کتاب مقدّس اورشلیم ، نشر نی، تهران، 1393.


• عدلی، محمدرضا، فرجام‌شناسی مسیحی با نگاهی به پیشینه فرجام‌شناسی در سنت‌های زردشتی و یهودی، قم، ادیان،1389.


• فرای، نورتراپ، رمز کل:کتاب مقدّس و ادبیات، ترجمه ی صالح حسینی، چاپ دوم ،تهران، انتشارات نیلوفر، چاپ گلشن،


• گروهی از نویسندگان، گونه شناسی اندیشه ی منجی موعود در ادیان، ،قم، ادیان و مذاهب، چاپ دوم، 1393، ص 185؛ آژیر، اسدالله، منجی باوری در کیش زردشتی و ادیان ابراهیمی، قم، انتشارات ادیان و مذاهب.


• معین،محمد، «دانیال»، فرهنگ فارسی، جلد دوم، تهران، انتشارات امیرکبیر، 1360 .


• هلی، هنری،راهنمای موضوعی کتاب مقدّس،باباخانیان،جسیکا، بدلیان، سابرینا، عیسی بیک،ادوارد، زیر نظر کشیش ساروخاچیک.


• Aune, David E. The Blackwell Companion to the New Testament, Wiley-Blackwell, Malaysia, 2010.


• Collins, John J., "From Prophecy to Apocalypticism: The Expectation of the End", in Continume Histiry of Apocalyoticism, Bernard J. Mcginm, John J. Collins, Stephen J., Stein, continume, New York, London, 2003.


• Collins, John J., Apocalypticism in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Routledge, Usa and Canada, 2002.


• Collins, John J., Daniel with an Introduction to Apocalyptic Literature, the Forms of the Old Testament Literature, William B. Eerdmans, United States of America, 1999, vol .20.


• Collins, John J., Seers, “Sibyls and Sages” in Hellenistic-Roman Judaism, Brill Academic, Boston · Leiden, 2001.


• Collins, John J., Semeia, 14 Apocalypse: The Morphology of a Genre, Society of Biblical Literature, United States of America, 1979.


• Collins, John J., The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature, William B. Eerdmans, Michigan, Second Edition, 1984, p. 85, p. 3


• Collins, John J.,"Apocalypse” in Encyclopedia of Religion, Macmilian. USA, 2005, vol. 1.


• Collins, John J. '' The Son of Man and the Saints of the Most High in the Book of Daniel'‘, Journal of Biblical Literature, Society of Biblical Literature, vol. 93, 1974.


• Crawford, H. Toy, The History of the Religion of Israel, Unitarian Sunday-School, Boston, Third Edition, 1884. "


• “Daniel, Book of”, in New Encyclopedia Britanica, Usa, 2002, vol. 13


• Ditommaso, Lorenzo, The Book of Daniel and the Apocryphal Daniel Literature, Brill Leiden, Boston, 2005.


• Aune, David E. the Blackwell Companion to the New Testament, Wiley-Blackwell, Malaysia, 2010.


• Fishbane, Michael, "Daniel", in Encyclopedia of Religion, Mircea eliade, Macmilian, Chief, 1987, vol. 4.


• Ginsberg, Harold Louis, “Daniel, Book of”, in Encyclopedia Judaica, Skolnik, Fred, Macmilan, USA 2007, vol. 5.


• Himmel Farb, Martha, The Apocalypse: A Brief History, Spi, Singapore, 2010.


• Hirschberg, Haim Z'ew, “Eschatology”, in Encyclopedia Judaica, Skolnik, Fred, Publishing House, USA, second edition, 2007, vol. 6.


• Koester, Helmut, Introduction to the New Testament: History, Culture, and Religion of the Hellenistic Age, Walter De Gruyter & Co., Berlin, Second Edition, 1995, vol .1.


• Ladd, G. E, "Apocalyptic Literature" in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Harvard- Severence, Second Edition, 1929, vol. 1.


• Netzer, Amnon, Denial-E Nabi, in Encyclopedia Iranica, Ehsan Yarshater (ed.), California, 1993, vol 6.


• Nickelsburg, George. E, Jewish Literature Between the Bible and the Mishnah: A Historical and Literary Introductions, Augsburg Fortress, U.S.A, Second Edition, 2005.


• Reynold, Bennie H., Between Symbolism and Realism: The Use of Symbolic and Non-Symbolic Language in Ancient Jewish Apocalypses333-63 Bce, Chapel Hill, United States, 2009.


• Sturk, T. Peter, "Symbol and Symbolism", in Encyclopedia of Religion, Thomson, Gale, U.S.A, second edition, 2005, vol. 13.