Daniel uses six terms for these court advisers: wise men (חכמים), enchanters (אשפים), magicians (חרטמים), Chaldeans (כשדים), determiners (גזרין), and sorcerers (מכשפים). I am of the opinion of S.R. Driver, the great Oxford scholar of the last century, that these terms seem to be used “with some vagueness.”1 They call to mind the various vain techniques and hopeless strategies employed by pagan “wisemen” and “experts” aimed at gaining insight into the affairs of history beyond

(A bas-relief from Nineveh, depicting three Israelite musicians among the prisoners taken by Assyrian King Sennacherib into exile.) This might seem a small detail in the story of Daniel. It is when compared to his soaring visions of salvation history. But in my experience it is often overlooked and lessens our grasp of the spiritual pathos flowing through the book. Identity and backstory always deepen our ability to emphathize with a character. This questions arises from the

The very title of this blog might comes as a surprise to some. I myself was raised in a church tradition that honored Daniel as one of the great prophets. His personal conduct was exemplary, a perfect model for any younger soul, and the subsequent favor of God gave him clear and detailed prophetic insight. His dreams and visions formed the broad structure of our understanding of salvation history, proving the accuracy of Scripture and demonstrating among other things that Jes