Daniel

Definition and Meaning

Daniel (the Book of Daniel) is a book of the Old Testament consisting of twelve chapters. Protestant Bibles classify it with Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel among the "Major Prophets," a term for the longer prophetic books. In the Hebrew Bible, however, it is placed not among the Prophets but among the Writings. The name Daniel is understood to mean "God is my judge" in Hebrew. Most of the text is written in Hebrew, while the section from the latter part of Daniel 2:4 through the end of chapter 7 is written in Aramaic.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Book of Daniel opens with King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieging Jerusalem during the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah and carrying young men away into captivity (Daniel 1:1). The book falls into two main parts.

• Chapters 1–6, narratives: These are stories of Daniel and his three friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (whose Babylonian names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), who remained faithful in a pagan royal court. Well-known episodes include the refusal of the king's food (chapter 1), the fiery furnace (chapter 3), the handwriting on the wall (chapter 5), and the lions' den (chapter 6).
• Chapters 7–12, visions: These visions of the four beasts, the seventy weeks, and the time of the end belong to "apocalyptic literature," which depicts the end of the world through symbols. Together with Revelation, they are central texts for the study of eschatology.

Views differ regarding the date of composition. The traditional view, held by most conservative evangelical scholars, is that Daniel himself wrote the book in the sixth century BC. Most critical scholars hold that the book reached its present form in the mid-second century BC, when the Seleucid king Antiochus IV was persecuting Judaism. Catholic Bibles and the Korean Common Translation also include sections found only in the Greek versions, such as the stories of Susanna and of Bel and the Dragon. Protestants do not include these sections in the canon.

Practice in the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Daniel is presented chiefly as a model of prayer and steadfast faith. Daniel 6:10, which records that he prayed three times a day toward Jerusalem, is frequently cited to encourage early morning prayer meetings and commitment prayer. Many churches hold 21-day special early morning prayer meetings based on Daniel 10:2–3, where Daniel mourned and abstained from choice food for "three full weeks" (21 days). The "Daniel Prayer Meeting," held annually by Oryun Church, is known as an event in which many churches participate together. The "Daniel fast" (a partial fast consisting mainly of vegetables), named after Daniel 1:12, where Daniel asked for only vegetables (KJV "pulse") and water, is also practiced. "Daniel purposed in his heart" (Daniel 1:8) is a favorite text for sermons to youth and young adults, and the story of the lions' den is a staple Bible story in Sunday school.

Interpretations of the end-time prophecies differ according to denomination and theological tradition. Churches that follow dispensationalism interpret the seventy weeks (chapter 9) literally and chronologically, regarding the final week as the future period of the Great Tribulation. In the Reformed tradition, including Presbyterian churches, many interpret this passage as fulfilled in Christ's first coming and His redemptive work. The Seventh-day Adventist Church connects the "two thousand and three hundred days" of Daniel 8:14 with the year 1844 and teaches that the judgment in the heavenly sanctuary began at that time. Most other Protestant denominations do not accept this interpretation.