Thursday, December 2, 2021

John H. Walton on Daniel 7 and the Grammatical Distinction between the "Ancient of Days" and the "Most High"

  

In Daniel 7, the Ancient of Days has always been an intriguing yet obscure figure, though there is little doubt that in Daniel he can represent none other than Yahweh. He is seated on the throne of dominion (v. 9), grants authority (vv. 13-14), and passes judgment (v. 22). The only mitigation of this identification is that there is grammatical cause to draw a distinction in v. 22 between the "Ancient of Days" and the "Most High" (an epithet generally used for Yahweh). Since the Most High, (עֶלְיוֹנִ֑ין) does not occur until after the introduction of the "Son of Man," it is alternatively possible that as a result of the Son of Man being granted authority (v. 14), he thereby qualifies for the epithet "Most High." This creates the expected correspondence between the kingdom being given to the son of man in v. 14 and to the Most High and his holy ones in v. 27.

 

Regardless of what name we attach to the Ancient of Days and of what connections can be drawn between the description of him and descriptions in other biblical or extra-biblical texts, what is important for our study is the role that he plays. The Ancient of Days is the one who is responsible for responding to the threat. He shows no anger, distress, turmoil or confusion, but convenes the assembly (of which he is the head) to address the problem. In this he is most comparable to Anshar in Ee and Anu in Anzu.

 

In Ee, the solution sequence is mediated first by Anshar, who fails to find a champion, and then by Ea, who selects Marduk to play the role of champion.

 

In Anzu, the solution sequence is mediated first by Anu, who fails to find a champion, but then accepts Ea' s offer to find one (I: 157-62). Ea selects Ninurta, but enlists Mami (Belet-ili) to persuade her son. Mami is not near as close a match for the "Ancient of Days" imagery as EI is in the Ugaritic material, though her status as the ancient creatrix puts her in a similar category.

 

In Daniel 7, the Ancient of Days rolls all of these into one as the head of the assembly and the one who both mediates the solution sequence and designates a champion. (John H. Walton, "The Anzu Myth As Relevant Background for Daniel 7?" in John J. Collins and Peter W. Flint, eds., The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception, 2 vols. [Supplements to Vetus Testamentum LXXXIII,I; Formation and Interpretation of Old Testament Literature II, 1; Leiden: Brill, 2001], 1:79-80, emphasis in bold added)

 

As an aside, Walton provides the following table (Ibid., 85) on Daniel 7 and ancient literature: