If the form of Dan 7:13 known to the author of
Revelation is ως παλαιος ημερων, how did he understand this phrase in context
and in relation to Christ? It is likely that the author of Revelation
interpreted both the ancient of days and the one like a son of man as
hypostatic manifestations of God. In other words, the ancient of days it not
actually God, but a distinguishable manifestation of God as a high angel. The
ancient of days and the one like a son of man from this point of view are
angelic beings, and thus creatures, but creatures of a special kind. (Adela
Yarbro Collins, "The 'Son of Man' Tradition and the Book of
Revelation," in James E. Charlesworth, ed., The Messiah: Developments in
Earliest Judaism and Christianity [Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress Press, 1992],
536-568, here, pp. 557-58)
