Bible -- Antiquities; Bible. Old Testament -- Evidences, authority, etc.
Daniel is pictured in the Bible as having lived and written in the last
days of the Babylonian dynasties. He was carried away from his native
land as a lad when the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar was poured out on
Jerusalem in the days of Zedekiah. He lived throughout the reign of each
of the last Babylonian kings, and was alive when Cyrus signed the decree
that enabled the remnant to return to Jerusalem. No leader of Hebrew
life and thought lived in a more stirring span of history than did
Daniel.
The bright minds of the higher critics, which were never limited in
their flights of fancy by historical fact, concluded that the Greek
language could not have reached the courts of Babylon until after the
conquest of Alexander. In examining the Hebrew text of this book, the
self-styled scholars claimed to have found eleven Greek words in
Daniel’s manuscript. The occurrence of these words was sufficient
evidence that the Book of Daniel was not written in the days of the
Babylonian dynasty, but must have originated after the exile and in the
days of Alexander. This was the first great argument directed against
the credibility and authenticity of this prophecy.
The second alleged fallacy in the Book of Daniel is to be found in the
predication of the entire book. The sweep and movement of Daniel’s
account begins with the adventure of certain young lads of the royal
seed who were carried away as hostages to Babylon. Daniel’s own records
state that by orders of Nebuchadnezzar these young Hebrew boys were put
in the schools of learning where they might be instructed in the wisdom
of Babylon, and taught patriotism, and affection for the conquering
power of Chaldea. To this basis of the entire narrative criticism
objected vociferously and strenuously. The argument advanced by this now
discredited school was that the brutal conquerors of that day did not
treat their hostages with such kindness and courtesy, and so the entire
record was declared to be incompatible with the known facts of history.
The third and more serious objection of the critics was directed against
the appearance in Daniel’s manuscript of certain stories which were
alleged to consist of pure myths. Among these is the story of the three
Hebrew children in the fiery furnace. The demands of intelligence were
supposed to find this utterly unreasonable and the doubters declared
that such a miracle could not have occurred.
Another weakness in the structure of the narrative was presumed to be
found in the preservation of Daniel in the den of lions. In fact, this
whole record was relegated to the realm of improbability, as this method
of execution was never practiced by the Babylonians. These objections
constituted the case in the dogmatic assertions of the advocates of
higher criticism.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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