Book of Daniel. An Intertextual Biblical Commentary

Description

The first commentary ever written of a First Testament document that points out the earlier intertexts if Prof. Buchanans thought-provoking exegesis of Daniel. Among the insights discovered is the realization that Daniel is not unified, but is a collection of individual dramas. Furthermore, Buchanan has demonstrated that Daniel was not initially a prophecy; it is not pacifistic; and probably should not be called apocalyptic. The dramas of Daniel are probably some of those that Judas had scholars collect in preparation for Hanukkah (2 Macc 2:13-14). The canonizers did not classify these documents with the prophets, probably because they were not considered prophecies. They are not tracts for hard times, but dramas that are success stories for celebration, In these the heroes prosper and the enemies are destroyed. The dramas of Daniel do not at all reflect a pessimistic people under persecution, biting their fingernails and hoping against all hope that they would some day be delivered. They dramatize, rather, a bitter struggle which was over, an end that had already taken place, and victory that was celebrated. In addition to the intertexts, Dr. Buchanan has made his case by recognizing the unity of Daniel 7, observing the two variant passages in Daniel 11, and relating the texts appropriately to the history of Hasmonean times.