Interpreting the Ancient of Days (Text)

Journal of Early Christian Studies, 1999

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PHRONEMA, 2017

The divergence between the two textual variants of Dan 7:13 (" Old Greek " and " Theodotion ") and their distinct ways of understanding the relationship between Daniel's " Ancient of Days " and " Son of Man " is insufficiently studied by scholars of the Book of Daniel, and is neglected by translators of the LXX. This article offers a critical examination of the status quaestionis and a discussion of the exegetical, doctrinal, hymnographic, and iconographic productions illustrating the rich reception history of Daniel 7 in Late Antique and Medieval, especially Byzantine, Christianity. While one exegetical strand distinguishes between the Son of Man (identified as God the Son) and the Ancient of Days (identified as God the Father), an equally, if not more widespread and influential, interpretation views Jesus Christ as both " Son of Man " and " Ancient of Days. " The article argues against the thesis of a direct correlation between the two textual variants of Dan 7:13 and the two strands of its reception history.

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According to the near context of Daniel (chapters 2 & 7) and in the fuller context of the LXX (Esaias 27:1 & Wisdom of Salomon 14:11–14), the Ancient of Days/Most High God will in the last days destroy all idols and a dragon/serpent figure. In the second of the so-called “Additions” to Daniel, the captive Prophet is portrayed as signaling in “history” those eschatological events by discrediting the god Bel and demolishing his idol and also by destroying the fearsome dragon in the heart of the Babylonian Empire during Judah’s exile. In an Excursus, I tentatively suggest that in Susanna Daniel's role as judge also "signs" before the end that which the Ancient of Days will do in the future.

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Biblica, 2008

While studies of the Old Greek (OG) of Daniel 7,13-14 are not uncommon, they are often undertaken as part of a broader examination of the 'one like a son of man'. Rarely, if ever, do these studies focus on the description of this figure in the OG version and what readers of this version might have understood of this character. This study is an examination of the interpretation of OG Daniel 7,13-14, and the argument is made that the OG portrays the 'one like a son of man' as similar to the Ancient of Days and as a messianic figure.

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Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 1968

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Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures, volume I, ed. R. Bauckham, J. Davila, and A. Panayotov (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2013), 410-34., 2013

The Seventh Vision of Daniel (henceforth, 7Dan) is a lengthy vision composed in the late fifth century which predicts the destruction of the Roman Empire, the coming of the An-tichrist, and the end of the world. The work is preserved only in Armenian and is known from five manuscripts. Although the work was originally written in Greek, the title was attached to the text in its Armenian version. As the biblical book of Daniel frequently appears divided into six visions in Armenian Bibles, this extra-biblical vision was considered the seventh.1 The early date of the original composition of this text renders it important for our understanding of the development of the Daniel apocalyptica.2

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The earliest witnesses to Old Greek Dan 7 equate the Son of Man with God and represent a perspective of Dan 7 that likely existed in the first century a.d. This throne vision coheres with the Son of Man sayings in Matthew and indicates that the evangelist was familiar with a similar textual tradition. The evangelist has the Son of Man coming on (not with) the clouds, puts the angels in his charge, and places him on the glorious throne where he judges the nations. All of this coheres with Dan 7 as represented by the Old Greek.

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