THE NATURE OF PROPHECY. One’s overall
view of Scripture generally and prophecy in particular will dramatically affect
the decision concerning the date of the book. Porphyry denied predictive
prophecy, and so for him it was not possible for a Daniel of the sixth century
B.C. to have written of events four hundred years later in the Maccabean
period. Those concurring with Porphyry’s unsupernatural presuppositions will of
course accept the Maccabean thesis. Some scholars who support the late date
while not rejecting the possibility of miraculous prediction nevertheless argue
that “it is not the nature of biblical prophecy to give a literal account of
events before they take place.” (Goldingay, Daniel, 305) . . . Driver’s
charge that if Daniel was a sixth-century prophet, he showed “no interest in
the welfare, or prospects of his contemporaries” (Driver, Literature,
509) is not valid. Although the Book of Daniel does include prophecies that
concern future generations, Daniel’s messages were not without significance for
the Jews suffering the exile with him. The supernatural deliverance of Daniel
and his friends was a sign to the Jews of the diaspora that God was still
concerned about them. Yahweh’s demonstrations of his sovereignty over the kings
of Babylon and Persia also strengthened Jewish faith. Israel’s future
(addressed by Daniel a number of times throughout this prophecy) would have
been of the utmost interest to the downcast Jews of Daniel’s time. Daniel’s
messages assured the Hebrews that Israel would continue to exist and prosper.
Finally, the doctrine of the resurrection (12:2, 13) would have comforted the
aged prophet as well as other believers who faced death. All of these factors
rendered the Book of Daniel a most important message for sixth-century Jews.
Furthermore, other prophets concerned
primarily with their own generation also uttered prophecies about the future
that would encourage those believers in future generations (cf. Jeremiah’s
prophecy of seventy years in 25:11-12 that encouraged Daniel’s prayer in Dan
9:2-3). The Old Testament is full of exhortations to faithfulness motivated by
both past and future actions of God. (Stephen R. Miller, Daniel: An
Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture [The New American
Commentary 18; Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1994], 33, 34)
