Sárospataki Füzetek 20. (2016)

2016 / 2. szám - MISCELLANEOUS / SONSTIGES - Imre Tokics: Daniel's Worship int he City of Babylon

MISCELLANEOUS / SONSTIGES

Imre To ki cs

DANIEL'S WORSHIP IN THE CITY OF BABYLON*

* A lecture delivered at the World Jewish Adventist Congress on 14 July 2016 in Paris, France.

1 INTRODUCTION

Daniel was “one of the greatest of the prophets, insomuch, that while he was still alive he had the esteem and applause both of kings and multitude; and even now that he is dead, he retains a remembrance that will never fail, for the several books that he wrote and left behind him are still read by us till this time; and from them we believe that Daniel conversed with God.”1 Josephus Flavius was a Jewish historian, who lived in the first century A. D.

In the case of Daniel’s book its authorship is confirmed by a number of explicit statements found in the book itself. In Daniel’s book, a number of explicit statements found in the book confirm its authorship. Some commentaries on Daniel’s book begin with the basic assumption that Daniel is a non-his- torical personage; the prophet, himself, was modeled by later authors. Modern- critical scholars’ opinions suggests: Daniel and his friends were only just legendary characters, who most probably never existed.2

The Adventist traditional approach to the book of Daniel holds that a person named Daniel wrote the book, in the sixth century B. C.

The book of Daniel was downgraded because, as is mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud, a rabbinical curse was pronounced on those who used any book to calculate the time of the end.3

The book of Daniel has a strong influence on the New Testament. Daniel’s book was one

1 FLAVIUS, Josephus: The Antiquities of the Jews 10.11.7. and STEFANOVIC, Zdravko: Daniel wisdom to the Wise, Commentary on the Book of Daniel, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Nampa Idaho, 2007,14.

2 COLLINS, J. John, CROSS, Moore Frank, COLLINS, Adela Yarbo: Daniel, Commentary on the Book of Daniel, Hermeneia, Minneapolis, Fortress Press 1993.

3 The Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 97. b.

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