Daniel

        Daniel was written about 165 B.C. by an unknown author. The book is usually described as an apocalypse (from the Greek apoka­lyptein, "uncover," "reveal"), a genre from times of tribulation with a symbolic interpretation that includes triumph and peace at the divine consummation of history. Although there are other apocalyp­tic passages in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), Daniel is the only full-fledged example of the genre in the Hebrew Scriptures; an example from the New Testament is Revelation. Daniel has two distinct parts: a collection of stories in chs. 1-6 and four visions received by Daniel in chs. 7-12. The stories are about a 6th Century B.C. Jew named Daniel and his companions, who are among the prisoners from Jerusalem taken into exile to Babylon. Daniel is written in two languages, Aramaic (2.4b-7.28) and the rest in Hebrew, suggesting more than one source drawn upon by the author.