BIBLE STUDY TEXTBOOK SERIES
DANIEL
by
Paul T. Butler
College Press, Joplin, Missouri
COPYRIGHT 1970
COLLEGE PRESS
DEDICATED TO
GALAND AND JYNNE KINNARD
father and mother of
GALE
my wife
and
sources of encouragement
help and wisdom
to
me
DANIEL
Daniel was a godly man
And thankful through his days.
He never failed to pray to God
And give Him all the praise.
His trials were so many,
And he was tempted sore.
But he was saved by righteousness,
And the godly cloak he wore.
Interpreting the royal dreams
Through wisdom from on high.
He ever gave the praise to God,
As his life did verify.
In the fiery furnace
And in the lions-' den.
The flames were stayed, the jaws were set
Before oppressing men.
But he emerged triumphant,
For God was ever near.
He guards His children from all harm
When danger does appear.
Through our temptations and our trials,
On life's tempestous ways.
I thank Thee, God, for Daniel,
And for his life of praise.
Upon my knees, I pray that God,
Will make me thankful too.
And worthy of His love and care.
I know He-'ll see me through!
Author Unknown
INTRODUCTION
Author: Daniel, a Hebrew statesman, His name in Hebrew, Daniyyel, means God is Judge or God is my Judge or judge who pronounces judgment in the name of God. We know very little of the person Daniel. He was probably of royal lineage (Daniel 1:3), He was taken to Babylonia as a young man (just how old he was when this happened we do not knowprobably 20 years of age or younger). He died probably soon after receiving and recording the closing series of his prophecies (chap. 10-12), which he himself places in the third year of the reign of Cyrus. But when, and under what circumstances, his death occurred is unknown. He apparently did not return to Palestine with his people but spent his last days in Babylon. If he was taken to Babylon in the third year of Jehoiakim (606 B.C.) and lived past the return of the Jews to Palestine (536 B.C.) it would mean he lived more than 70 years in Babylonia alone! Thus his death would come at the ripe old age of 80-90, depending upon his age when he was taken to Babylon.
Daniel was truly a man of God. He was a man of faith, courage and conviction. He was ready at all times to declare without fear or favor what he believed and to stand for his convictions regardless of the circumstances and consequences. There are marks of true nobility, gentleness, compassion and unreproachable integrity borne out in his dealings with his contemporaries. His personal integrity was so great that he could be heard and trusted even by those monarchs who did not believe in his God. As a consequence of his veracity and erudition, he was made ruler over the province of Babylon and chief of the governors over its wise men under two Babylonian emperors and under Darius the Mede he was one of the three presidents of the satraps.
Dean Farrar was impressed with the absence of Daniel's name from all ancient documents outside the Scriptures as a strong reason to question the actual, historic personage of Daniel. Robert Dick Wilson deals with this argument from silence in a very lucid way in his book Studies in The Book of Daniel, published by Putnam. Dr. Wilson points out that it is hardly fair, in the first place, to use silence to argue against Daniel's existence. Secondly, all the ancient Babylonian documents are silent about the numerous governors, judges, generals, priests, wise men, writers, sculptors, architects and all kinds of famous men who must have lived during that long period. But does the silence concerning such as these mean the emperor had not such judges, priests, etc.?
Edward J. Young in The Prophecy of Daniel, published by Eerdmans, gives five lines of evidence proving the Daniel of whom the book testifies is the author of the book:
1.
In the second half of the book Daniel names himself (speaking in first person) as the one receiving the revelations, and he is ordered to preserve the book in which these words are found (Daniel 12:4).
2.
It should be obvious to any honest reader that the book is the work of one person throughout. The first part prepares for the second; all sections are mutually related to one another; the historical narratives are interdependent; the character of Daniel is always the same.
3.
Jesus Christ validates its authorship by Daniel (Matthew 24:15). One should also compare Matthew 10:23; Matthew 16:27 ff; Matthew 19:28; Matthew 24:30; Matthew 25:31; Matthew 26:64.
4.
The Septuagint and the books of Maccabees show definite influence by the book of Daniel. Jewish tradition attributes its authorship to this Daniel.
5.
The book is saturated with historical nuances of Babylonian and Persian background. It had to be written by a person contemporary with the events.
Date: H. C. Leupold dates the writing of this book between 538-528 B.C. Merrill C. Tenney gives shortly after his last vision, in 536 B.C. as the date. Keil and Delitzsch say it was written during the exile by Daniel. Edward J. Young agrees with the above statements. Practically all conservative scholars date the book somewhere near 536 B.C. Porphyry, a neo-Platonic philosopher of the third century A.D. was probably the first significant unbelieving critic of the book of Daniel. He alleged it was written by someone who lived in Judea during the times of the Antiochus Epiphanes (175-163 B.C.). According to Porphyry predictive prophecy is impossible therefore the book could not have been written before the events so an imposter wrote the book and lied for the sake of reviving the hope of the Jews during the terrible times of Antiochus Epiphanes. The modern critical view, fathered by Leonhard Bertholdt (1806-08) is that the book was written by an unknown Jew in Palestine at the time of the Maccabees in the second century B.C. Our personal observation, after studying the arguments of the critics many years now, is that all those who insist the book was written after the events recorded therein, do so because of the same prejudgment and presupposition as Porphyrythat predictive prophecy is impossible.
The destructive critics argue for a late date on the basis of three alleged evidences: historical, linguistic and theological. It is not the purpose of this commentary to offer a technical study of all the critical problems of the book of Daniel. However, we feel we must deal with these problems as concisely as possible because their resolution has direct bearing on true and honest exposition of the text.
1.
Historical: It is alleged that Daniel is of late date because it is placed in the Kethubhim, or Hagiographa (writings) instead of the Prophets. However, some of the other documents of the Hagiographa are of great antiquity (Psalms, Job, Proverbs). Position in the Hagiographa is no proof of a late date of composition. It is further alleged that there are historical inaccuracies which make it likely that the author lived at a late date. In Daniel 1:1 it is stated that Nebuchadnezzar invaded Palestine in the third year of Jehoiakim, whereas Jeremiah 46:2 says that the first year of Nebuchadnezzar was the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Recent investigations show that the Jews reckoned their regnal year from the first month preceding the year of accession thus 605 B.C. would have been the fourth year of Jehoiakim who came to the throne in 608. The Babylonians, however, reckoned the first regnal year from the next succeeding new year's day. Therefore, the year 605 would be only Jehoiakim's third year according to the Chaldean reckoning. Nebuchadnezzar's first regnal year began in April, 604, even though he had been crowned in September, 605. Daniel has written from the Chaldean viewpoint and Jeremiah from the Jewish. Both are correct, and the critics are wrong. Another historical discrepancy is alleged in that Daniel represents Belshazzar as the last king of Babylonia and as being slain when Babylon was taken by the Medes. Profane history seemed to indicate that Nabonidus was the last king of Babylon, and further that he was killed in the capture. Archaeologists have discovered clay tablets bearing inscriptions which prove that Belshazzar was Nabonidus-' son and co-ruler with him, and that he was active as the ruler during any absence of Nabonidus. Why would Belshazzar promise to the interpreter of the inscription on the wall (chap. 5) promotion to the status of third ruler in the kingdom? Why not promise him promotion to second ruler? Obviously because Belshazzar himself was only the second ruler, inasmuch as Nabodidus his father was still alive. (cf. Archaeology and Bible History, by Joseph P. Free)
2.
Linguistic: There are some Persian words in the text of the book. We admit that Daniel wrote the book (or at least a portion of the book) as late as the Persian dominion. He lived in it and it is not strange that some of the few political terms would be used. There are some Greek words (basically only three such words are used and they are of musical instruments) in the text. But Greek commercial and cultural activity and influence was already widespread before 600 B.C. As early as the reign of Sargon (722-705 B.C.) there were, according to the Assyrian records, Greek captives being sold into slavery from Cyprus, Ionia, Lydia and Cilicia. In the Neo-Babylonian ration tablets published by E. F. Weidner, Ionian carpenters and shipbuilders are mentioned among the recipients of rations from Nebuchadnezzar's commissaryalong with musicians from Ashkelon and elsewhere. Portions of Daniel written in Aramaic have several words spelled with a d which critics argued were spelled with a z in Daniel's time, the d being used much later. However, certain texts among the Ras Shamra (Ugaritic) Texts, which are dated as early as 1500-1400 B.C. prove that the words in Aramaic were spelled both ways even centuries before Daniel! As to the question of why half the book was written in Aramaic (first half) and half in Hebrew (last half), the reason for the choice is fairly obvious. Those portions of Daniel's prophecy which deal generally with Gentile affairs were put into a linguistic medium which all the public could appreciate whether Jew or Gentile. But those portions which were of particularly Jewish interest were put into Hebrew in order that they might be understood by the Jews alone.
3.
Theological: Basically, the theological arguments for a late date for Daniel revolve around the unbelieving critic's presuppositions against the supernatural in miracle and prophecy. The critics lay customary emphasis upon the supposed evolutionary development of the Jewish religion. They point to motifs and emphases in Daniel which they insist evolved only during the intertestamental period. These emphases include prominence of angels, the stress upon the last judgment, the resurrection from the dead, the Messianic kingdom. Any reader of the Old Testament may quickly verify the fact that many prophets, long before Daniel's time, spoke of angels, judgment, the Messianic kingdom, and a few concerning the resurrection. On the other hand, works which are admittedly of the second century B.C., such as I Maccabees and the Greek additions to Daniel, Baruch and Judith, show none of the four elements (angelology, resurrection, last judgment, Messiah!)
Purpose: Leupold writes: ... a book of comfort, designed for evil days as well as for good days. By the help of it Israel could discern that its oppressions were, indeed going to be heavy, but, on the other hand, that they were foreknown by God and were therefore not to be dreaded too much. For if an all-knowing God had seen what would transpire He must at the same time be an omnipotent God who would be able to deliver His own, as well as a faithful God would not suffer them to be tempted above what they were able.
Gleason Archer writes: ... the overruling sovereignty of the one true God, who condemns and destroys the rebellious world power and faithfully delivers His covenant people according to their steadfast faith in Him.
G. Campbell Morgan writes: If I were to summarize the Book of Daniel I could do it in two sentences: first of all, the messages of Daniel, whether those delivered to pagan kings or those recorded that have been for the people of God, emphasize first the government of God over all kings and all nations; and secondly, they emphasize the fact of the continuity of that government until the consummation in which God's will shall be done, His throne recognized, and the victory be with Him. Dr. Morgan's paean of Daniel is well stated: I am so glad in these days that I have my Old Testament still, and I am watching the goodness of God in human history over all the machinations of men.
The great lessons of Daniel are the general principles of other Old Testament prophets particularized! (cf. our commentary on Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah and Jonah). God presides over the history of the world; the Gentile nations as well as the Jews have always been under His control; the succession of human empires is ordained by Him; He permits the pride and fury of oppressors for a time, but humbles them in the end, and saves His own; His kingdom will come in due time, and will endure forever; faithfulness and constancy to Him lead to a life beyond death, and to an eternal reward of glory.
Style: The revelations concerning the future given in Daniel are in the form of dreams and visions, highly symbolic and figurative. There is a reason for this. This book was written about and during a period of the deepest national misery of the people of God, In fact the period of the Indignation (Daniel 8:19) had begun. There were undoubtedly many questions in the hearts of the pious Jews of the captivity such as: What does the future hold in store for God's people? Will He leave us here, dispersed, or will He send His redeemer? If the latter, how is this to be accomplished, and, when? What can be done by anyone about these great, powerful, absolute pagan emperors?
In the style of prophecy they were accustomed to, the covenant people usually occupied the center of the stage. The world-powers by which they were harassed or threatened usually were noticed only incidentally and then as sympolical representatives of the spirit of world-power that opposes God. Daniel has a new point of reference! He is in the very center of that world-power which had overthrown and subjugated all the nations of the East, including the covenant people. From this frame of reference he predicts the rise of a succession of world-kingdoms, which shall destroy one another until an eternal kingdom of truth and righteousness shall be established on their ruins by the direct interference in history, at a particular point, by the God of heaven. In all of this Daniel relies almost exclusively upon symbolic, apocalyptic language. It is contrary to the nature and genius of prophecy, especially to prophecy of such a broad eschatological scope as this, to reveal the future in prosaic forms. In all prophecy there is an element of obscurity and God decreed it to be so for He said He would not speak to other prophets face to face as He had to Moses (Numbers 12:1-8), but to those following Moses He promised He would speak in dreams and visions. It is to be expected therefore that in revelations given in visions and dreams we would have a great deal of imagery and symbolism. When one considers the standpoint of Daniel such is to be expected. His circumstances were unique as were those of John, the author of the New Testament Apocalypse. Both were commissioned to relate unpalatable predictions of doom upon the pagan societies in which they lived. The style or form of Daniel is due to its subject matter. No other prophetical book of the Old Testament speaks of the heathen nations and their relation to the people of God with the same fullness and definiteness as does Daniel.
The word apocalyptic comes from the Greek word apokalypsis which means revelation or unveiling, and is applied to those writings which contain revelations of the secret purposes of God expressed by a high degree of symbolism. The development of world-power over a span of 600 years or more, the succession of judgments of God visited in history upon the enemies of God's people, closing with the establishment of God's kingdom on earth and the accomplishment of redemption through a Redeemer are the secrets of God Daniel is commissioned to unveil. If the book is to retain any semblance of mystery at all (which by the very nature of the mysterious would excite people to read and long for fulfillment), it must make use of imagery and symbolism. Within the Old Testament, this form of prophetical writing is approached by the closing Chapter s of Ezekiel (40-48) and is directly represented in the first half of Zechariah (Zechariah 1:8). In the New Testament symbolico-apocalyptic writing is found only in the Revelation of John which is a continuation and NT application of the prophetic principles of Daniel.
Background: One must go back to the time of Hezekiah to appreciate the background of Daniel's experiences in Babylon. Hezekiah's glorious reform (2 Chronicles 29-31) was short lived. Manasseh, Hezekiah's son, set up idolatrous images all over the land of Judah (even in the Temple) (2 Chronicles 33:7). He slew those few devout Jews who refused to follow his wicked example of idolatry. His apostasy was the main cause for captivity (cf. Jeremiah 15:4).
Manasseh eventually repented but his change of heart was too late to undo the evil which had become a way of life for the nation and to avert the judgment of God. Manasseh's son -Amon came to the throne but he was so wicked his servants assassinated him, and the people placed his God-fearing son, Josiah, on the throne (2 Chronicles 33:21-25). While workmen were restoring the Temple, the book of the law of Jehovah was found. Josiah attempted a reform but he met an untimely death in the battle of Megiddo (2 Chronicles 35:20-27). His son, Jehoahaz, the people's choice, was quickly removed by Pharaoh-Necho, and replaced by the deposed king's brother, Jehoiakim.
In the battle of Carchemish (605 B.C.) (cf. 2 Chronicles 35:20; Jeremiah 46:2) Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated Pharaoh-Necho, and the 70 years of Babylonian captivity began (Jeremiah 25:1-12; Daniel 9:1-2). It was at this time that Daniel and his friends were carried away to Babylon. Habakkuk prophesied during the reign of the wicked Jehoiakim as well as Jeremiah (ministry during 626-586 B.C.). Jeremiah predicted Babylonian domination of Judah as a judgment of God to which the people were to submit but Jehoiakim, sitting in his winter palace and listening to the reading of Jeremiah's prophecies, burned the scroll on which they were recorded. These prophecies were immediately re-written by Jeremiah with the addition of a terrible judgment of God upon Jehoiakim. His son, Jehoiachin, reigned only three months and was deported to Babylon with a number of other important people of Judah (including Ezekiel).
Zedekiah, a third son of Josiah, was Judah's last king. Zedekiah's tragic end is vividly described in 2 Kings 25:4-7. The people, except the poorest, were carried away to Babylon (2 Kings 25:11). The basic reason for the Babylonian captivity is given in 2 Chronicles 36:14 ff.
William Hendriksen characterizes the attitudes of the people in captivity very well. The first years were years of false hopefulness. The early exiles were confident that conditions would soon change and they would return to their land. Was not Jehovah's temple in Jerusalem still standing? Jeremiah writes and attempts to deter them from putting trust in their false prophets (Jeremiah 29; Ezekiel 17:11-24). Secondly, there were years of hopelessness. When the temple was destroyed in 586 B.C. it seemed to many as if Jehovah had completely forsaken His people. Despair entered the hearts of the people and is expressed in one of the Captivity Psalms (Psalms 137). Ezekiel is God's chosen vessel in Babylon to comfort the exiles. Thirdly, there came a season of revived hopefulness. For those who availed themselves of the opportunity to return to their country (and those who did so in spirit but because of position or age were not able to [e.g. Daniel]), hope stirred anew in their hearts that God was faithful and had yet greater things in store for His people. For others the time of indifference and assimilation set in. Babylonia to the south, Media and Mesopotamia to the north had become home to them. They intermarried with the people of the land and adopted their religion (Ezekiel 20:31-32 and cf. also Esther).
The Jews in Exile were permitted to form colonies in which their communal life could continue. For the most part they were permitted to gather in the homes of their elders and worship their God and read their holy scriptures. Life during the exile was highly diversified. Most Jews were probably agriculturists and earned their living by farming. Some ultimately entered business. Many became rich and influential. Other Jews became trusted men in government. An abundance of archaeological data now available describes in detail the types of houses, utensils, etc., used during the neo-Babylonian and Persian eras.
The captivity served a three-fold purpose. First it was God's method of punishment for their sins (2 Chronicles 36:15-17). Second, it was a means of purification and preparation of the remnant for God's Messianic purposes (Ezekiel 36:22-31). Third, God used it to bless the Gentile nations in preparing them to be called into the Messianic kingdom (cf. Micah 5:7).
Outline: Some divide the book into two general divisions: (1) Daniel revealing God's purposes for the Gentile nations; (2) Daniel revealing God's plans for the covenant people. Hendriksen divides the book (1) God's Sovereignty in History; (2) God's Sovereignty in Prophecy.
We choose to divide the book into three parts thusly:
I
Daniel's Faith (chap. 1)
Dedication
II
Daniel's Fortitude (chap. 2-6)
Determination
III
Daniel's Foreknowledge (chap. 7-12)
Divination
We shall elaborate upon the above outline with more detail as we proceed in exegesis through the book.
SPECIAL STUDY ONE
NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S BABYLON
excerpt from
EXILE AND RETURN
by Charles F. Pfeiffer
Published by Baker Book House
A clay tablet which dates back to Persian times contains a map of the world. Various towns are marked, along with the canals and waterways which made them possible. Around the whole span of the earth's surface is an ocean which has the appearance of a tire on a wheel. Beyond are yet other regions, indicated by triangles which touch the outer rim of the ocean. The geographical center of this universe, however, was the city of Babylon.
Babylon was an ancient city. We are told that Nimrod began his ancient empire there (Genesis 10:10). About 1830 B.C. a dynasty of kings from Babylon began to annex surrounding city-states and the First Dynasty of Babylon began is quest for power. The famed Hammurabi codified Babylonian law (ca. 1700 B.C.) and ruled all of southern Mesopotamia, extending his conquests as far as Mari on the middle Euphrates.
The glory of Babylon declined and southern Mesopotamia was ruled for centuries by governors appointed by the Assyrians who ruled from Asshur and Nineveh. When, under Nabopolassar, the Babylonians rebelled against Assyria and, in 612 B.C., helped destroy Nineveh, the center of empire, if not the center of the universe, could be identified with the ancient Babylon.
Our knowledge of ancient Babylon comes from a variety of sources. It is described in the Bible as the capital city of the nation which took Judah into captivity. Daniel and his companions were trained as courtiers in the schools of Babylon. The Greek historian Herodotus, who wrote a century and a half after Nebuchadnezzar, described the city as a vast square, 480 stades (55¼ miles) in circumference, surrounded by a huge moat of running water, beyond which were ramparts two hundred cubits high and fifty cubits broad! Herodotus tells us that the streets were arranged at right angles, a fact later verified by Koldewey, the excavator of Babylon. The Euphrates was walled on both sides as it made its course through the city, a series of gates providing the inhabitants of Babylon access to the river. Diodorus Siculus and other Greeks spoke in admiration of Babylon, unquestionably the largest and most magnificent city of the ancient world.
The Book of Daniel records the boast of Nebuchadnezzar, Is not this great Babylon that I have built? (Daniel 4:30). The words are not without meaning. In addition to the walls which surrounded Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar was personally responsible for much that was within the city. He laid out and paved with bricks the great Procession Way which led to the temple of Marduk. The palace of his father Nabopolassar was completely rebuilt. Beams of cedar were imported from distant Lebanon for the project.
Nabopolassar had already begun the rebuilding of Babylon, but it was left to Nebuchadnezzar to pursue the work in earnest. Before the death of Nabopolassar about two-thirds of the work he had planned for the protection of Babylon had been completed. The inner wall of the city, known as Imgur-Bel, was finished. He also had built an outer wall, the Nimitti-Bel, and reconstructed the city gates with cedar wood covered with strips of bronze. Symbolic guardians of the city were the half-human, half-animal bronze colossi which stood at the threshold.
Nebuchadnezzar took up where his father left off. A third massive wall was built on the east side of the city at a distance of four thousand cubits from the outer wall. Before this was a moat, walled around with bricks. Similar defenses were built on the west, but they were not as strong because the desert formed a natural barrier.
To the north, the direction from which trouble might be expected, Nebuchadnezzar pursued a different plan. Between the two walls, and between the river and the Ishtar Gate he constructed an artificial platform of brick laid in bitumen. Upon this elevated platform he built a citadel which was connected with his royal palace. In this way he made the north wall so solid that it could be neither broken down nor breached. The citadel could be used as a watch-tower and, if need be, destructive missiles could be shot or thrown from it upon any enemy who might have reached the outside of the walls. Apart from the possibility of treachery within, Babylon appeared impregnable.
The Neo-Babylonian period is well documented, and Nebuchadnezzar has left us accounts of his building operation. In describing his work on the walls he declares:
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the restorer of Esaglia and Ezida, son of Nabopolassar am I. As a protection to Esagila, that no powerful enemy and destroyer might take Babylon, that the line of battle might not approach Imgur-Bel, the wall of Babylon, that which no former king had done, I did; at the enclosure of Babylon I made an enclosure of a strong wall on the east side, I dug a moat, I reached the level of the water. I then saw that the wall which my father had prepared was too small in its construction, I built with bitumen and brick a mighty wall which, like a mountain, could not be moved, and connected it with the wall of my father; I laid its foundations on the breast of the underworld; its top I raised up like a mountain. Along this wall to strengthen it I constructed a third, and as the base of a protecting wall I laid a foundation of bricks, and built it on the breast of the under-world, and laid its foundation. The fortifications of Esagila and Babylon I strengthened, and established the name of my reign forever.
Archaeology has provided us with the tools to evaluate the boasts of Nebuchadnezzar and the reports of Herodotus. In 1898 Robert Koldewey began the excavation of Babylon under the auspices of the Deutsche Orientgesellschaft. Work continued for more than eighteen years. Full reports of Koldewey's work appeared in his book, Das wieder erstehende Babylon, which contained photographs and plans of the city and its principal structures. The foreword to the first edition was dated, Babylon, May 16, 1912. A fourth edition appeared in 1925.
Koldewey came upon the walls of Babylon during the early days of his dig. It took considerable time to excavate them, but the results were indeed impressive. Around the ruins of the city was a brick wall 22⅓ feet thick. Outside this wall was a space 38⅓ feet wide, then another brick wall, 25 feet thick. If the outer wall were breached the invader would find himself trapped between two walls. Lining the inner side of the citadel moat was still another wall, 12 feet thick. In times of danger the moat could be flooded.
The walls were surmounted every 160 feet by watch-towers. Koldewey suggests that there were 360 such towers on. the inner wall (an estimate based upon the pattern of the ruins). Excavations indicate that the towers were 27 feet wide, and they probably were 90 feet high (much less than the 300 feet mentioned by Herodotus). Ancient historians tell us that two chariots could be driven abreast on the road which ran on top of the wall and completely surrounded the city. The walls were constantly patrolled by guards.
There were numerous gates in the walls, although Herodotus-' reference to one hundred gates must be dismissed as hyperbole. The most famous entrance into the city was the Ishtar gate which led from the north of the city into the Procession Way. The gate was fifteen feet wide and its vaulted passageway was thirty-five feet above the street level. The bricks were so molded that they form bas-relief figures of bulls and dragons. Their surfaces were overlaid with thickly colored enamels. Nebuchadnezzar used properly fired bricks, and they have remained through the ages. The sun dried bricks used by his predecessors have disintegrated long ago.
The Procession Way was primarily used for the great annual occasion when king and people went to the temple of Marduk at the New Year's Festival. During the forty-three years of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar continued to beautify the Procession Way. He wrote:
Aibur-shabu, the street of Babylon, I filled with a high fill for the procession of the great lord Marduk, and with Turminabanda stones and Shadu stones I make this Aibur-shabu fill for the procession of his godliness, and linked it with those parts which my father had built, and made the way a shining one.
The pavement of the Procession Way was built over a base of bricks covered with bitumen. It consisted of blocks of limestone with sides more than a yard wide, pointed with asphalt. Inscribed on the underside of each of the slabs were the words:
Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, son of Nabopolassar, King of Babylon, am I. Of the streets of Babylon for the procession of the great lord Marduk, with slabs of limestone, I built the causeway. Oh, Marduk my lord, grant eternal life.
Along the walls of the Procession Way was a series of 120 lions in enameled relief. They were spaced at 64 foot intervals and gave a sense of awe to the street. The lions had hides of white or yellow, with manes of yellow or red. They were posed against a background of light or dark blue, The Procession Way was 73½ feet wide.
At the annual New Year's Festival, statues of the principal deities were assembled from all the provinces of the kingdom and solemnly carried through the Ishtar Gate out to the northern outskirts of the city, There they were transferred to boats and taken to the Garden Temple up the river, This was followed by the consummation of the sacred marriage of the principal god and goddess, which was presumed to guarantee the fertility and prosperity of the whole land. On the eleventh day of the month Nisan the procession joyously returned through the Ishtar Gate from the north. Marduk led the procession in his chariot-boat. Behind the chief god of Babylon rode the king in his chariot. Behind the king were carriage-boats containing the images of the other gods worshiped in Babylon.
Along the Procession Way was the famous staged-tower or ziggurat of Babylon known as E-temen-ankiThe House of the Foundation of Heaven and Earthwhich rose 300 feet into the air and could be seen from a distance by travelers approaching the city. Fifty-eight million bricks are said to have been used in its construction. Like Babylon itself, the ziggurat goes back to remote antiquity. On its top was a Temple to Marduk, the god of Babylon. Enemies of the statesuch as Tukulti-Ninurta, Sargon, Sennacherib, and Ashurbanipaldevastated the city and destroyed the Marduk shrine. The tower was rebuilt by the Neo-Babylonian rulers Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar. In a sense it pictured both the glories of Marduk, and of Marduk's city, Babylon. Nabopolassar declared:
The lord Marduk commanded me concerning E-temen-anki, the staged tower of Babylon, which before my time had become dilapidated and ruinous, that I should make its foundations secure in the bosom of the nether world, and make its summit like the heavens.
The ziggurat consisted of seven terraces, on the top of which was a temple made of bricks enameled bright blue to represent the heavens. The temple was approached by a triple staircase, at the middle of which there was a place where the visitor might rest. Within the temple was a couch and a golden table. This was regarded as the abode of Marduk. No one except a priestess, who served as the consort of the god, was to enter this shrine. The prosperity of the land was thought to depend upon this sacred marriage ritual.
Across the street from the ziggurat was the temple area known as E-sag-ila (The house which lifts up the head). Herodotus visited the E-sag-ila and was much impressed by its golden figure of Zeus (Babylonian Bel-Marduk) seated in the shrine beside a golden table. According to the statistics which Herodotus gives (which may be exaggerated) the gold of these objects weighed about 890 talents, or 4800 pounds with a current value of $24,000,000. Zeus appeared as a half-animal, half-human creature. Outside the sanctuary were a number of other altars and statues including a standing figure of Marduk, twelve cubits (twenty feet) high, of solid gold. The complex of buildings occupied sixty, acres, bounded on the west by the Euphrates and on the east by the Procession Way. Towering 470 feet above the ground was the shrine known as the E-kur (Temple mountain) built on a terrace of asphalted bricks like the nearby ziggurat.
The total number of shrines in ancient Babylon, as recorded in contemporary inscriptions, appears incredible. We read that,
There are altogether in Babylon fifty-three temples of the great gods, fifty-five shrines dedicated to Marduk, three hundred shrines belonging to earth divinities, six hundred shrines for celesital divinities, one hundred and eighty altars to the goddess Ishtar, one hundred and eighty to the gods Nergal and Adad, and twelve other altars to various deities.
North of the ziggurat was a mound called Kasr on which Nebuchadnezzar built the most imposing of his palaces. The palace walls were of finely made yellow brick, and floors were of white and mottled sandstone. The palace was adorned with reliefs in blue glaze. Its gates were guarded by gigantic basalt lions.
Near the palace were the famed Hanging Gardens, considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Nebuchadnezzar built the gardens for his wife who missed the hills of her Median homeland. The gardens appear to have been terraced and set on a small hill beside the palace, flanked by the Procession Way and the Ishtar Gate.
Josephus quotes from Berossus, History of Chaldea, an account of the building of Nebuchadnezzar's palace and the hanging gardens,
In this palace he erected retaining walls of stone to which he gave an appearance very like that of mountains and, by planting on them trees of all kinds, he achieved this effect and built the so-called hanging garden because his wife, who had been brought up in the region of Media, had a desire for her native environment.
The gardens were irrigated by means of an endless chain of buckets which raised water to the highest point of the terrace. The gardens were impressive when viewed from a distance from the city. The visitor to Babylon could see the tops of the trees towering above the city walls.
Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon was an excellent example of early city planning. The city was divided into a number of rectangles by wide roads which were named after the gods of the Babylonian pantheon. On the left bank of the Euphrates we find the streets of Marduk and Zababa intersecting at right angles with the streets of Sin and Enlil. On the right bank we find an intersection of the streets of Adad and Shamash. Except for the famed Procession Way, Babylon's streets were not paved.
A bridge connecting the eastern or New City with the western city of Babylon had stone piers and a timber foot path which could be withdrawn in times of emergency. Permanent bridges were rare, in the ancient East, and the one across the Euphrates was a source of wonder to travelers.
The business life of the city centered in the wharves which flanked the Euphrates. Business offices were located along the river bank, The market sector of ancient Babylon has not been identified, but it was probably located in the Merkes quarter.
The houses of the city were frequently three or four stories high, being built according to a pattern which has been familiar in the East from ancient times to the present. Each home would be built around a central courtyard. There would be no windows facing the street, but all light would come through the courtyard. Access to the rooms of the second story was by a wooden balcony which extended around the entire inner courtyard. A narrow door in one of the first floor rooms opened into the street.
Ancient Babylon required a system of canals if the best use was to made of the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates. Hammurabi, the famed king of the Old Babylonian Empire had been a canal builder, and his successors needed to be careful to insure proper irrigation of the fields. When Nebuchadnezzar came to the throne of Babylon, its eastern canal had so deteriorated that there were places where its channel could not be traced. Nebuchadnezzar had it redug, and then walled up from the bottom. Because the canal passed through Babylon, it was necessary to build a bridge across it.
Although most of his energy was spent on Babylon itself, Nebuchadnezzar did not completely neglect the other cities of Mesopotamia. He rebuilt the walls of Borsippa and restored the temples of the city to a good state of repair.
Nebuchadnezzar was an able and an energetic sovereign, He was in all respects the most able as well as the most ambitious ruler of his day. In him the Neo-Babylonian Empire reached its zenith. Great as were his accomplishments both on the field of battle and in building the cities of his kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar left an empire that had no political stability. His own personality held it together, and when that was gone it was not long before his dynasty came to an end.
EXILIC TIMES
JUDAH
BABYLON
MEDIO-PERSIA
EGYPT
639
Josiah
626
Nabopolassar
609
Jehoahaz
Necho
Jehoiakim
Jeremiah
605
Nebuchadnezzar
697
Jehoiachin
Zedekiah
Psammetichus
Ezekiel
594
Daniel
588
Apries
586
Jerusalem
destroyed
568
Amasis
562
Awel-Marduk
(Evil-Merodach)
560
Neriglissar
(Nergal-sharezer)
559
Cyrus
556
Nabonidus and
Belshazzar
539
Edict
return of the Jews
Fall of Babylon
530
Cambyses
522
Zerubbabel
Haggai, Zechariah
Darius
515
Temple completed
485
Xerxes
479
(Esther)
464
Artaxerxes I
457
Ezra
444
Nehemiah
423
Darius II
404
Artaxerxes II
from The Old Testament Speaks
by Samuel J. Schultz,
pub. by Harper & Bros. Publishing Co.
CAMEO OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR NOW IN THE MUSEUM AT FLORENCE
SPECIAL STUDY SIX
OUTLINE OF Matthew 24:1-51
by Seth Wilson
I.
Matthew 24:1-3THE OCCASION AND THE QUESTIONS. (Mark 13:1-4; Luke 21:5-7).
1.
Observing the magnificent buildings of Jerusalem. Matthew 24:1.
2.
Jesus-' dire prediction: There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down Matthew 24:2.
3.
The disciples-' questions:
(1)
When shall these things be? (Destruction of Jerusalem).
(2)
What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? Matthew 24:3
II.
Matthew 24:4-31ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS.
1.
Answers to first question, concerning Jerusalem. (Matthew 24:4-28; Mark 13:5-23; Luke 21:8-24).
DON-'T EXPECT IT TOO EARLY!
a.
Warning of preliminary troublesthe beginning of travail. (Matthew 24:4-14; Matthew 24:5-13; Matthew 24:8-19)
(1)
False Christs, wars, rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes do not indicate the end: be not troubled.
(2)
Persecutions, apostasies, false prophets, shall afflict the church: take heed to yourselves, endure to the end; trust God for help; the gospel testimony shall go into all the world. (Matthew 24:9-14; Matthew 24:9-13; Matthew 24:12-19) cf. Colossians 1:6; Colossians 1:23; Romans 1:8; Romans 10:18; Romans 16:19.
WHEN YOU DO SEE THE SIGN, EXPECT IT IMMEDIATELY!
b.
The sign of Jerusalem's end, and how to escape the woes of that terrible time. (Matthew 24:15-28; Matthew 24:14-23; Matthew 24:20-24)
(1)
The abomination of desolation standing in a holy place is Jerusalem compassed with armies; then know that her desolation is at hand.
(2)
Let those in Judea flee to the mountains without delay. Pray that the hardships of flight may be lessened; but the unprecedented afflictions of the city must be escaped at all costs. Believe no false prophets, signs or promises; I have forewarned you; the Christ will not return at this time, or at any time without being seen from east to west.
EVEN THEN DON-'T EXPECT THE PERSONAL COMING OF THE LORD!
(3)
The tribulation shall be excessive, shall threaten extinction of the Jewish people, shall take them captive to other nations, shall leave Jerusalem to the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
2.
Answer to the second question, concerning Christ's coming. (Matthew 24:29-31; Matthew 24:24-27; Matthew 24:25-28)
a.
The time is purposely indefinite; but the event is to be watched for at all times (immediatelyMatthew 24:29), after a terrible and extended (see Luke 21:24) tribulation.
b.
The event itself shall be unmistakable; accompanied by tremendous sights and sounds in all earth and heaven, the Lord Himself shall be seen by everyone, coming in the clouds with power and great glory.
c.
The angels shall gather the elect from everywhere: look up, your redemption draws near. (Matthew 24:31; Matthew 24:27; Matthew 24:28)
III.
Matthew 24:32-36THE ANSWERS REVIEWED IN CONTRASTING SUMMARY.
1.
Parable of the fig tree: signs are easily recognized. Watch for ALL THESE THINGSwars, persecutions, false Messiahs, the desolation of Jerusalem, and great tribulation, to come to pass in this generation. (Matthew 24:32-34; Matthew 24:28-30; Matthew 24:29-32).
2.
Solemn affirmation of unfailing certainty of His words. (Matthew 24:35; Matthew 24:31; Matthew 24:33).
3.
But of THAT DAY, Jesus-' coming, no one knows. The time cannot be told, even by the Son of God. (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32).
IV.
Matthew 24:37-51PARABLES AND EXHORTATIONS TO BE READY AT ALL TIMES.
1.
As in the days of Noah the flood came suddenly upon those who had been warned but believed not, so shall the coming of the Son of man be without any immediate forewarning signs. (Matthew 24:37-39)
2.
In the midst of daily work, suddenly one shall be taken and another left; WATCH for you know not the day. (Matthew 24:40-42; cf. Matthew 24:31; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:52.)
3.
Parable of a householder unprepared for a thief who came when he was not expected. Be ready, for when you think not, the Son of man comes. (Matthew 24:43-44)
4.
The servants of the absent Lord have each one his own work (Mark 13:34) to be faithful until He comes. He may not come as soon as they imagine; but if they think that He tarries and they can take advantage of His delay to indulge in sin, He will come when they least expect it and will punish them. (Matthew 24:45-51; Matthew 24:33-37; Matthew 24:34-36). WATCH AT EVERY SEASONLuke 21:36.
(Christ continued the same lessons in the 25th Chapter 1. in the parable of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom, 2. in the parable of the talents committed to servants until the Lord's return, and 3. in the scene of judgment that shall take place when the Son of man shall come in His glory.)
(In these additional prophetic pictures, He emphasizes that the servants must be prepared to wait patiently and to serve faithfully even though the Master may not come for a long time [see Matthew 25:19]; also that His coming will bring strict judgment and swift vengeance upon all who have not used the intervening time in His service.)
IN CONCLUSION
For this prophecy and similar ones were not written that we might (beforehand exactly) know history and the troubles of the future, so as to feed our curiosity as with an item of news; but that the pious might comfort themselves and rejoice over them, and that they should strengthen their faith and hope in patience, as those that see and hear that their wretchedness shall have an end, and that they, delivered from sin, death, the devil, and every evil, shall come to Christ in heaven, in his blessed eternal kingdom.
Martin Luther
He said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority, But you. shall be my witness in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.
Jesus Christ (Acts 1:7-8)
The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation; they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things which have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.
Lange, Ezekiel & Daniel, commentary, Zondervan
2.
Ed. J. Young, The Prophecy of Daniel, Eerdmans
3.
Albert Barnes, Daniel, Vol. I & II, Baker
4.
Leupold, Exposition of Daniel, Baker
5.
Pfeiffer, Between The Testaments, Baker
6.
Boutflower, In And Around the Book of Daniel, Zondervan
7.
John C. Whitcomb, Darius The Mede, Eerdmans
8.
Robert Dick Wilson, Studies In The Book of Daniel, Putnam
9.
J. S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, Daniel, Revell
10.
Orr, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Eerdmans
11.
Ed. J. Young, An Introduction To The Old Testament, Eerdmans
12.
Butler, Minor Prophets, College Press
13.
Hastings, Dictionary of The Bible, Scribners
14.
Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors, Baker
15.
Summers, Worthy Is The Lamb, Broadman
16.
Halley, Pocket Bible Handbook, Zondervan
17.
Keil and Delitzsch, Daniel, Eerdmans
18.
Allis, Prophecy and The Church, Presbyterian & Reformed
19.
Josephus, Antiquities and Wars of the Jews, Kregel
20.
Tenny, Pictorial Bible Dictionary, Zondervan
21.
Everyday Life in Bible Times, National Geographic Society
22.
Greece and Rome, National Geographic Society
23.
The American Standard Version of the Bible
24.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible
25.
Living Prophecies, The Minor Prophets Paraphrased with Daniel and Revelation, by Kenneth N. Taylor
26.
The Berkeley Version of the Bible
27.
The Douay Version of the Bible, I and II Maccabees