Son of Man
Continuation of Chapter 2, titled 'Daniel 7', in Son of Man: The Interpretation and Influence of Daniel 7, by Maurice Casey:
From The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature (Eerdmans, 1984, 1998), by John J. Collins (page 106):
Continuation of Chapter 2, titled 'Daniel 7', in Son of Man: The Interpretation and Influence of Daniel 7, by Maurice Casey:
It would be useful to determine what kind of triumph the author had in mind. Did he expect the Jews to win a military victory? There is no mention of it in the interpretation of this chapter. The parallel 2.44 is not explicit. On the one hand God is very clearly the subject of the statement 'the God of heaven will raise up a kingdom which will last for ever'; on the other hand this need not preclude a military victory as the means by which he did so, and this might be suggested by 'it will shatter and destroy all those kingdoms', a statement of which this new kingdom appears to be the subject. 8.25 produces a purely supernatural intervention to bring about the end of Antiochus, an event which in this context clearly involves the deliverance of Israel. 12.1-3 similarly envisages the deliverance of Israel, and this deliverance certainly includes supernatural intervention, though the possibility of military action by earthly or heavenly hosts, or both, cannot be ruled out. In view of these factors, we may conclude that the author of Daniel 7 appears to have envisaged deliverance by supernatural means. It is to be noted, however, that the military view, which will therefore have to come into being after the Maccabean victory, does not directly contradict anything in Daniel 2 or 7, and the difficulties which it ran into at 12.1-3 are chiefly due to its assumption that this record of the Maccabean triumph only, rather that to any direct contradiction between these verses and the notion that a military victory was involved as well.
From The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature (Eerdmans, 1984, 1998), by John J. Collins (page 106):
The interpretation of the holy ones as angels fits naturally with the identification of the one like a son of man as Michael, leader of the heavenly host. The relation between this figure and the holy ones, then, is not identity, but representation. The three formulations of Daniel 7:14, 18, and 27, in which the one like a son of man, the holy ones of the Most High, and the people of the holy ones are said in turn to receive the kingdom, represent three levels of a multidimensional reality. A closely similar conception is found in the Qumran War Scroll, where God "will raise up the kingdom of Michael in the midst of the gods, and the realm of Israel in the midst of all flesh" (1QM 17:6-8).
Daniel 7 does not mention Michael by name, as it does not mention any proper names. The suppression of proper names lends an air of mystery to the whole vision. The specific identification of the one like a son of man is not of ultimate importance. What matters is that there is a heavenly saviour figure who represents the righteous community on a supernatural level. This figure is specified in various ways in different texts. Michael is named explicitly in Daniel 10―12 and 1QM. Melchizedek in 11QMelch, "that son of man" in the Similitudes of Enoch, the man from the sea in 4 Ezra 13, and the Son of Man in the New Testament all fill this function with varying nuances. Apocalyptic thought allows for considerable fluidity in it mythological conceptions. Although there is now general agreement that Son of Man was not a title in pre-Christian Judaism, the mysterious figure in Daniel represents a type that is widespread in apocalyptic literature.
Daniel 7 does not mention Michael by name, as it does not mention any proper names. The suppression of proper names lends an air of mystery to the whole vision. The specific identification of the one like a son of man is not of ultimate importance. What matters is that there is a heavenly saviour figure who represents the righteous community on a supernatural level. This figure is specified in various ways in different texts. Michael is named explicitly in Daniel 10―12 and 1QM. Melchizedek in 11QMelch, "that son of man" in the Similitudes of Enoch, the man from the sea in 4 Ezra 13, and the Son of Man in the New Testament all fill this function with varying nuances. Apocalyptic thought allows for considerable fluidity in it mythological conceptions. Although there is now general agreement that Son of Man was not a title in pre-Christian Judaism, the mysterious figure in Daniel represents a type that is widespread in apocalyptic literature.
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