The following is from a now-defunct web page by Keith Donovan (LDS).
Reflections on
Daniel Chapter 2
The Book of Daniel contains many complex visions of the future. Because
of their complexity and often vague symbolism, the various churches of the
world are unable to come to an agreement about their interpretations.
Even the simplest of the visions, recorded in Daniel Chapter 2, elicits scores
of interpretations from various sources. I believe that this particular
chapter is a key to the other chapters. It is simple yet it covers a
broad span of history, and is the basis upon which all the other visions in
Daniel are to be understood. This page is an effort to establish an
interpretation for this vision which is consistent with itself.
Many modern
critics explain Daniel's visions in terms of events occurring locally in
respect to both location and time to Daniel. They are forced to these
conclusions based on the assumption that prophets do not exist and that there
can be no prediction of future events beyond an obvious extrapolation from
current events. My assumptions are quite different. For many
reasons which are far beyond the scope of this essay, I assume that Daniel was
a prophet. Along with most Christian religionists of today, I assume that
Daniel actually saw the visions he claimed to see, that they came to him from
God, and that they are prophecies which cover vast periods of time. This
analysis takes for granted the standard Christian interpretations of the
chapter, up to the same point were most the commentaries seem to diverge.
Summary
of Daniel 2
I recommend you
start by reading Daniel
Chapter 2, it is short and self-contained. This chapter discusses a
dream that was originally given to the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel sees the dream because he took on the task of interpreting it for the
King. In this dream the King sees "a great image [who's] head
was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs
of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay".
Then "a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his
feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces". Then
"the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the
whole earth." Daniel then interprets the dream and tells
Nebuchadnezzar that each section of the image represents a succession of
kingdoms which "bear rule over all the earth". He specifically
tells us that the head is the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, but then another
kingdom will replace that one. He gives some characteristics of each kingdom
without specifically identifying them. Then he tells us the stone
is a kingdom set up by God which "shall not be left to other people, but
it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for
ever". Daniel also tells us that "the dream is certain, and the
interpretation thereof sure."
Interpretation
of Daniel 2
Despite the fact
that Daniel gives us an interpretation, we must interpret his interpretation so
we can see the point of it all. Actually, 90% of the chapter is
interpreted the same way by the vast majority of Christian religionists.
The few important arguments that exist are about the fifth part of the image
and the stone at the very end of the dream. I intend to show that the
beginning part of the dream establishes a pattern by which the end of the dream
must also be interpreted.
First notice that
Daniel says that each body section of the image represents a new kingdom, not
simply a new king Looking at world history and knowing the kingdoms of
the world, almost all commentators agree that the various parts of the dream
represent the following kingdoms.
|
Object |
Material
Type |
Kingdom |
|
Head |
Gold |
Babylon |
|
Breast and Arms |
Silver |
Media/Persia |
|
Belly and
Thighs |
Brass |
Greece |
|
Legs |
Iron |
Roman Empire |
|
Feet and Toes |
Iron / Clay |
????? |
|
Stone |
Stone |
Kingdom of God |
It is this fifth
material that causes all the contention and the various interpretations.
The kingdom that the fifth material represents can be determined by following
the pattern given in the first four. The first 4 kingdoms have these
characteristics:
1. Each new
body section / material is a New Kingdom
Each new kingdom is represented by a separately named body section and a new
material from which it is composed. Daniel tells us that the second
kingdom will be "inferior" to the first. This is represented by
the type of material that is used to represent the kingdom. Starting with
the most precious metal, the value of each successive material is inferior to
the previous one. The type of metal can also be used to describe the type
of the kingdom. For example, iron is a good description for the Roman Empire.
Daniel describes very well the nature of ancient Rome when he said
"the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in
pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it
break in pieces and bruise". Some commentaries have long discussions
about how each material or each body part represents the details of the various
kingdoms. I am not concerned with all the details now, just the grand
sweep of history.
2. Each New
Kingdom describes "The Dominant World Power" of its respective time
Each new kingdom is not some minor kingdom taken at random from among many
other kingdoms. Each kingdom was considered "the" most
powerful, most influential kingdom of its time. It describes the dominate
leadership and governmental forces of the world.
3. Each New
Kingdom is the direct successor to the previous kingdom
There are no gaps in time. The vision starts with Babylon which was "The
Dominant World Power". As Babylon declined in power Media/Persia became
"The Dominant World Power". As Media/Persia declined in power Greece
became "The Dominant World Power". As Greece declined in power Rome
became "The Dominant World Power".
4. Each
of these transitions in power were the result of military conflicts between the
two kingdoms
These transitions of power came as a result of being conquered by "The New
Dominate World Power (DWP). Babylon became The DWP in
approximately 614 BC and remained dominate for 75 years until Cyrus the
Persian captured the capital city of Babylon in 539 BC. Persia (which had
previously been joined with the Medians) therefore replaced Babylon as The
DWP. Persia held this status for 208 years until it was conquered by
Alexander the Great in 331 BC. This is when Persia ceased being The DWP
and Greece began its 185 year reign as The DWP. Meanwhile the Romans were
gaining more and more power and in the year 146 BC at the end of the 3rd Punic
War, the Roman Empire defeated the Greeks and became The DWP. In
all of these cases there were many reasons why one kingdom decreased in power
as another increased in power, but the vision does not go into these
details. There was often several years of fighting and give and
take of dominance between the two powers, but there was one final military
event that caused a transition in power to take place. The transfer of
world domination occurred as each successive kingdom defeated the old kingdom
in battle.
The Feet and
Toes of the Vision
In interpreting the rest of this vision we must maintain the pattern given, or
we must have a very good reason not to. Preferably there should be a
scriptural reason not to. And not some obscure scripture with some
tenuous tie to Daniel such as something out of the Book of Revelation, which
was written hundreds of years later. The dream was given as a whole to
Daniel, and needs to be interpreted as such. There must be some reason
within this vision to indicate that we should now ignore the established pattern
of events. Since there is no indication that there should be a break in
the pattern, then we need to follow the same pattern.
The feet and the
toes are a new kingdom. We know this for several reasons.
Firstly they are separately named body parts, made of a new material. Now
granted they are not made of a completely new material, since there is iron
mixed in with the clay. But any blacksmith in comparing iron with iron
mixed with "miry" clay (or elsewhere translated as
"ceramic", "common", or "brittle" clay) will tell
you that they are not the same material. This new kingdom may be slightly
different from the previous ones because it contains a mixture of the old
kingdom with the new. This only shows that instead of a clean break between
kingdoms of different traditions and locations, this last may be a change in
the kingdom, a mixture of a new material, which created a new thing.
Daniel nevertheless describes it as a separate body section which in every
other case in the vision meant a new kingdom. Secondly, our
knowledge of history tells us that the Roman Empire does not now exist.
Everyone as heard of "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"
The part of the image represented by the legs fell, as did all the previous
kingdoms. The part of the image represented by the feet and toes must
follow the established pattern and be The New DWP after Rome.
To contend that
the feet and toes are still part of the old Roman Empire, breaks the pattern
given that each new body section, made of a new material, represents a new
kingdom. To contend that the feet and toes are some kingdom that is to
come to pass in the future breaks the established pattern that each new kingdom
immediately follows the old kingdom, and is actually the cause of it's final
loss of dominion through military action. A 2000 year gap between
kingdoms is not in the given pattern – and there is no scriptural reason to
suggest there is a gap.
The feet and toes
must therefore be identified as The New DWP, sequentially after Rome.
They must also be identified as the kingdom which caused the fall of Rome
through military action. This is the only solution which follows the
pattern God gave in the vision. A brief inquiry into the history of
the Fall of the Roman Empire records a long process, but the final blow - the
event that caused the final demise of the Roman Empire as The DWP and it's
replacement by The New DWP, according to the manor of the vision's previous
transitions of power, occurred around 568 AD.
In 180 AD
Commodus became the new Emperor, but was very weak and marked the beginning of
the decline of the Roman Empire. In 330 AD Emperor Constintine
re-reorganizes the Empire and begins to rule from Constantinople, on the border
of Europe and Asia. In 378 AD The Visigoths (Germanic Tribes from
the north) defeated a Roman Army at the Battle of Adrianople. The Emperor
Theodosius makes peace but he is the last emperor to control a united
Roman empire. In 410 AD the Visigoths along with their allies of other
Germanic tribes sack the city of Rome, and then conquer Southern Gaul,
Spain, and the North of Africa, taking control of the
Mediterranean. In 476 AD , the leader of the united German tribes,
Odovacar, assumes the title of king of Rome. After this time there are no Roman
Emperors occupying the West. This is the date historians generally give
for the end of the Western Roman Empire. However this date does not fit
the pattern given in Daniel, and so is not the one God is concerned
about. The Eastern Roman Empire was still a major world power, and still
considered to be The DWP of the period. There had been no transition of
power yet, the Germanic leader Theodoric the Great assumes control over
Italy but tries to preserve the Roman civilization, culture, and system of
government. In the 500's Clovis, founder of the Frankish state, conquers
most of France and Belgium, thus taking control of the outlying areas of the
Roman Empire In 527 AD Justinian becomes the Roman Emperor in the East,
and the Eastern Roman Empire reasserts itself. In a series of wars which
lasted until his death in 565 AD, Justinian broke the Visigoth control of the
Western Empire and reestablished Roman control of all the Mediterranean by
retaking the 3 key areas of Italy, northwest Africa, and coastal Spain.
Three years later however in 568 AD, another Germanic Tribe called the Lombards
invade the Western Empire. In the following years, they broke the
strength of the Eastern Empire and retook much of Italy. This war
is the final series of attacks which finally breaks the dominion of Rome.
Although, much of the coast remained under Byzantine rule, Northern and Central
Italy was controlled by the Lomabards, and the city of Rome was kept by the
papacy. This is the time when the status of being The DWP changes from
being the Roman Empire to being the European Barbarian tribes and the Western
Catholic Church. These battles are the cause of the rise of
Medieval Europe as The Dominate World Power.
One interesting
way in which the history validates the vision is the mixture of iron and clay
in the feet. The New DWP was not a single country or power but was a mix
of the power of the European kings and the power of the Church. From this
point in history they dominated the world scene together for over 1000
years. They also divided into many kingdoms, as the toes divide off from
the foot, and many commentators list just what they think these 10 European
nations are.
So we see that
the pattern that God gave us to interpret the vision can be maintained by a
simple application of the major events of world history.
The stone cut
out of the mountain
That is the end
of the image. There are no more sections of the image to dissect and
figure out. As Daniel begins to tell us about the stone he has progressed
the history of the world into the rise of Medieval Europe. This gives us
a minimum starting date for the formation of the stone of around 568
AD. But that does not mean that it was formed at this time.
Since the vision gives us a sequential history of the Kingdoms of the world,
the image also gives us an upper limit in time. Daniel only says that in
"the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom". Since there are no more parts of the statue
discussed by Daniel, we must conclude that this Kingdom of God must be set up
before the European kings cease being The DWP, otherwise the image would have
to show The Next Sequential DWP. The stone is set up between the
time that the the European kings become The DWP and the time they ceased being
The DWP. So when are the days of these kings?
There are still
kings of Europe today in several of the countries so the vision could mean
anytime over the last 1434 years. Now the truth is that although these
kings still exist, all of them have effectively lost governmental power.
The kings of Europe lost the status of being The DWP in the late 18th and early
19th centuries. So it could be argued that this is an upper limit for the
stone to have been created.
However it is not
a very good argument, for several reasons. The pattern of being
supplanted by a new Dominate World Power through invasion and warfare does not
fit for most cases. Often the kings lost power to their own people through
democratic reforms, and the kingdom itself still retains its original power,
and is still considered the same nation, and Europe remained The
DWP. Since Daniel figuratively referred to a "king" as
representing a kingdom, whether or not the leader is actually a king or not,
the loss of the European Royalty's power can not seen as an upper limit.
Europe held its
dominate position for a very long time, but today Europe is not The DWP.
When did Europe loose its status as The DWP? As in all historical events,
it was of course progressive, but most historians agree that at the close of World
War II, the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic
emerged as The DWP's, Super-Powers in fact. They achieved this through a
dominance in warfare and an invasion of The Old DWP, just like all the other
New DWP's did. There is a minor difference in the fact that some of the
European nations were with the Allies, and some were against them, but this
also fulfills the nature of the feet and toes which Daniel described saying
"the kingdom shall be divided" and "they shall not cleave one to
another". Another interesting thought presents itself however, Rome
lost its DWP status to the Germanic tribes when they invaded and took over
Italy. It was the invasion of The DWP countries of Italy and
Germany by the US and USSR (and allies) that brought about their loss of The
DWP status.
It could be
argued that Russia is part of Europe and the US was an offshoot of Europe so
they were actually still part of the European Kingdoms. But, the USSR had
completely separated itself from the rest of the European countries and set
itself up a completely separate kingdom in all ways but actual location.
The roots of the US were from England, Spain, and to a smaller degree France,
however they had developed over the previous century into their own nation and
kingdom. Likewise it can be said that the Etruscans were
descendants of the Babylonians and Greeks. Rome was certainly heavily
influenced by Greek Culture, but it was still a separate kingdom and grew on
it's own to challenge the supremacy of Greece, just as the US challenged
European supremacy.
The point of this
being that the US and USSR are not represented in the image. This means that
the stone had to be set up, at the very latest, before 1945. Otherwise the
vision is incomplete, inaccurate, and again breaks the pattern God gave.
Also since the vision clearly shows that the stone was set up after the fall of
Rome and the emergence of the European nations and before the rise of the US
and USSR, anyone who insists that the toes are some later event or some future
kingdom (such as the EEC or some power to come from it) must have some
very strong scriptural reasons why the clear pattern shown in the first 4
kingdoms breaks down completely just when it's convenient for their particular
interpretation.
In summary the
stone must start between the years 568 and 1945 AD.
My ancient
history source is from the web site Exploring
Ancient World Cultures at "http://eawc.evansville.edu/eawcindex.htm".
Also some info from infoplease.com
"http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/"
under the topics Roman Empire, Lombards, Byzantine Empire, etc..
