brokethechain...First of all, there isn't any part of ch. 9-12 that has reference to the later Roman Empire. The only reference to Romans is the mention of the ships of Kittim in 11:30, which refers to the efforts of Popilius Laenus and his fleet in blocking Antiochus Epiphanes' invasion of Egypt in 168 BC. It was a later secondary interpretation that postponed fulfillment of the desecration of the Temple to the first century AD; the original reference was to the desecration of 168 BC. Second, the Dead Sea Scrolls imo are too fragmentary to definitively say that ch. 9-12 (or portions thereof) were not part of the MSS. There is a fragment with just the prayer in ch. 9 which might support the idea that it had an independent origin (also indicated by the quality of the Hebrew). There is also a separate work very close in content and style as the latter portion of ch. 11 (referring to the events of 168 BC), which some scholars believe may either be a source or a parallel writing to ch. 11. Finally a portion of ch. 12 is quoted in another DSS as a passage from the prophet Daniel. But if you know of someone claiming that the DSS attest a version lacking ch. 9 and portions of 11-12 I would be interested in seeing the argumentation.
How credible is the dating of Daniel?
by itsibitsybrainbutbigenoughtosmellarat 52 Replies latest watchtower bible
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brokethechain
Leolaia - no, I probably don't have anything beyond what you just said. My superficial research only lead to my conclusion that the dead sea scrolls still don't prove any prophecy written before the fulfilment (something that as a JW I had taken for granted. I had believed that the dead sea scroll fragments dated pre-B.C.E. contained the messianic prophecy and the struggle between the king of the north/south.
I guess I should have read more on what has already been posted on the Daniel book. I'm new to this site.
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John Kesler
brokethechain, if you want an easy-to-read book about Daniel, I highly recommend Brodrick D. Shepherd's Beasts, Horns and the Antichrist: Daniel : A Blueprint of the Last Days. The title notwithstanding, the book does not interpret Daniel as a book about the "last days" of the 20th or 21st centuries. Rather, it draws on scholarly consensus about the book's dating and original intent. You can read it for free here.