Although the Biblical book of Daniel describes
the visions of a prophet who is presented as having lived in sixth-century Babylonia,
text is very young, as can be deduced from the fact
that in the Jewish Bible, it is not included among the prophets (nevi'im), but,
almost as an afterthought, to the last part of the writings (ketuvim),
together with other late texts (Ezra-Nehemiah
clue is language: it is written in Aramaic with Persian and Greeks loan
words, which again suggests that it was not written in the sixth
The most convincing argument for a young date, however,
is chapter eleven, in which Daniel has a vision of the Syrian Wars,
waged between the Ptolemaic
Empires, successors of the empire of Alexander
the Great. The prophecy is very accurate: all major conflicts
are mentioned, and the Sixth
Syrian War is even mentioned in great detail. However, after
the author of Daniel
has given his description of the desacration of the temple, the
persecution of the Jews, and the beginning of the Maccabaean revolt in
166 BCE, his prophecy goes astray: he predicts a new war between the
Ptolemies and Seleucids. This never took place; instead, the Seleucids
had to fight in the east. It proves that the text was finished after
Below, you can find the text of Daniel (New
International Version) and some comments that indicate what events are
Alexander, bust from
Now then, I tell you the truth: Three
kings will appear in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer
than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will
stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece
Then a mighty king will appear, who will
rule with great power and do as he pleases. After
he has appeared, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward
the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will
it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and
given to others.
king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will
become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great
The fourth king is Artaxerxes
III Ochus, who reconquered Egypt and was richer than
his predecessors. He indeed pursued an aggressive policy towards Greece.
The mighty king is Alexander
the Great, who was not succeeded by his descendants. His
empire was divided by his descendants.
"King of the South" is the name of
dynasty. In 316, Ptolemy
I Soter offered asylum to Seleucus
I Nicator, who later
accepted command of a small Ptolemaic army, launched the Babylonian
War, and created a kingdom in Iraq: the Seleucid
Empire, or -to use the phrase from Daniel- the "King of the
Bust of Ptolemy III Euergetes (Louvre, Paris)
After some years, they will become
daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to
make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his
power will not last. In those days she will be handed over, together
with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her.
from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the
forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight
against them and be victorious. He
will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable
articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years
he will leave the king of the North alone. Then
the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South
but will retreat to his own country.
From 260 to 253, the Ptolemaic and
Empires fought the Second
Syrian War. When peace was signed, the Seleucid king Antiochus
II Theos married to princess Berenice,
daughter of Ptolemy
II Philadelphus. When Ptolemy II died in 246, Antiochus
Berenice's brother Ptolemy
III Euergetes avenged his sister's honor in the Third
Syrian War (246-241). In the first year, he captured the
Seleucid capitals Seleucia,
and returned home.
In 242, the Seleucid king Seleucus
II Callinicus proceeded to the south, but he was repelled.
Peace was concluded in 241; the Seleucids accepted the loss of Seleucia.
Ptolemy IV Philopator
sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will
sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his
the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the
king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be
is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and
will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain
the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the
first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully
those times many will rise against the king of the South. The violent
men among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but
War was renewed by the son of
Seleucus II, Antiochus
III the Great: the Fourth
broke out in 219. The Seleucid army reconquered Seleucia, proceeded to
Tyre, and met the Ptolemaic army at Raphia in 217. The battle was won
by the Ptolemies, who had employed native troops, who now demanded
equal rights (the "fulfillment of the vision"). Ptolemy
IV Philopator found it hard to control the situation.
Antiochus III the Great (Louvre, Paris)
the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will
capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to
resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. The invader
will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against
him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the
power to destroy it. He
will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will
make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a
daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans
will not succeed or help him. Then he will
turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of
them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn
his insolence back upon him. After this,
he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will
stumble and fall, to be seen no more.
Syrian War broke out in 202. Antiochus III defeated the
armies of Ptolemy
V Epiphanes and occupied Judaea. When peace was signed in
195, the Ptolemaic king married to a Seleucid princess, Cleopatra
In 192, Antiochus turned his
attention to the far
where he hoped to improve his position in the Aegean Sea (Syrian War).
The Roman commanders Lucius and Publius Cornelius Scipio defeated the
Seleucid army decisively at Magnesia (190). After admitting defeat in
the Peace of Apamea (188), Antiochus III went to Babylon and Susa,
but was killed when he attacked the city.
successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal
splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in
anger or in battle.
succeeded his father, and sent Heliodorus to Jerusalem to collect
money, which was needed to pay the Romans. On his return. Heliodorus
killed the king.
Antiochus IV Ephiphanes
will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given
the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel
secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. Then an
overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince
of the covenant will be destroyed. After coming
to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few
people he will rise to power. When the
richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will
achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will
distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot
the overthrow of fortresses - but only for a time.
brother of Seleucus IV, ascended the Seleucid throne in 175, after
several intrigues, which included the assassination of Heliodorus and
an infant son of Seleucus. The prince of the covenant who is destroyed,
is probably Onias III, who was in 174 killed and succeeded by his
brother Jason. He was replaced as high priest in 171 by Menelaus, a
Bust of Ptolemy VI Philometor (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)
a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king
of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very
powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots
devised against him. Those
who eat from the king's provisions will try to destroy him; his army
will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. The
two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table
and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come
at the appointed time.
king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth,
but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take
action against it and then return to his own country.
the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the
outcome will be different from what it was before. Ships
western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart.
Almost immediately, the Sixth
Syrian War broke out (169): Antiochus IV Epiphanes invaded
Egypt, where Ptolemy
VI Philometor not only had to cope with the invader, but also
with advisers who wanted to give power to his sister-wife Cleopatra
II and his brother Ptolemy
Antiochus and Ptolemy VI concluded a treaty that allowed the
Egyptian king to fight against his relatives, but made him a vassal of
In the winter of 169/168, Antiochus
IV was in
In the meantime, the quarreling Ptolemies were reconciled, forcing
Antiochus to invade Egypt for a second time, in 168. He was about to
capture Alexandria, when the Romans intervened and forced him to give
up his conquests.
Then he will turn back and vent his fury against
holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the
armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will
abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that
causes desolation. With
flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the
people who know their God will firmly resist him.
who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by
the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. When they
fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere
will join them. Some
of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and
made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the
king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above
every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He
will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has
been determined must take place. He will show
no regard for the gods
of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any
god, but will exalt himself above them all. Instead of
them, he will
honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will honor
with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. He will
attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will
greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over
many people and will distribute the land at a price.
On his return to Asia, Antiochus
and showed his sympathy for the hellenizing policies of
Menelaus. According to 2 Maccabees 5,
Jason had briefly returned, and Antiochus intervened violently.
Not much later, the
temple cult was reformed and
dedicated to Zeus Olympius. Many Jews resisted these measures, and in
Maccabees decided to revolt; the author of Daniel is not
convinced of the sincerity of all adherents.
At more or less the same time, 167 BCE, Antiochus'
Eucratidas got himself into trouble in the east, where he had tried to
which had been seized by the Parni.
King Antiochus had to direct his attention elsewhere.
the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle,
and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and
cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and
sweep through them like a flood. He
will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but
Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. He will
extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. He
will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the
riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. But reports
from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a
great rage to destroy and annihilate many. He
will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy
mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
This is the moment where the
Ptolemaic king never came to Judaea, nor did Antiochus intervene and
fight against the Maccabees, or conquer Egypt, Libya, and Nubia.
Instead, Antiochus went to Armenia,