| Antiochus IV in The Visions of Daniel
We have two views of Antiochus IV's rise to power in Daniel. In chapter seven Daniel tells us that a little horn surplanted three others: "to make room for it three of the earlier horns were plucked up by the roots" (v8), who seem to have been Seleucus IV, Heliodorus and the infant son of the dead king. He "shall put down three kings" (v24). Chapter eleven tells us that in Seleucus IV's place "shall arise a contemptible person on whom royal majesty had not been conferred; he shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom through intrigue" (v21). Antiochus IV became the Seleucid king in 175 BCE. In the same year Onias III, the anointed high priest of Jerusalem's temple, was removed from his charge, being replaced by his brother, Jason. Onias is the anointed one cut off in 9:26 and the prince of the covenant who was swept away in 11:22. As we look closer at the four visions in chapters 7, 8, 9 and 11, we find more evidence for an interlocked series of analyses of events leading up to Antiochus IV's pollution of the temple and its immediate wake. The table below shows the interlocking nature of the four visions.
There are vivid descriptions of the pollution of the temple to be found in 1 and 2 Maccabees which tell how Antiochus "arrogantly entered the temple" (1 Macc1:21), profaning the temple, polluting the sanctuary, then repressing the cultus by prohibiting sacrifices and offerings. The Astronomical Book of 1 Enoch suggests that the calendar used by the Jerusalem cultus was the solar calendar of 364 days, later defended at the end of the century by the pseudepigraphic book of Jubilees. During the represssion following the pollution of the temple the Greeks enforced the monthly celibration of the king's birthday -- obviously using the Syrian (and Greek) lunar calendar. Circumcision was forbidden along with the observance of the Sabbath. We can understand 7:25, "He shall speak words against the Most High, shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High, and shall attempt to change the sacred seasons and the law". The Jerusalem temple was dedicated as a temple to the Olympian Zeus, presumably with some form of representation of the god in the sanctuary, probably the abomination that makes desolate that was set up in the temple. To the Jewish perspective Antiochus was irresistible, unstoppable. In the outside world however the reality of his position was brought home with the interruption of his campaign in Egypt by the Roman envoy Poppilius Laenes who ordered Antiochus to cease his operations there immediately or face the consequences. Antiochus wisely withdrew. It was the chagrin of this experience followed by news of unrest in Jerusalem that spurred the release of hostility towards the Jews. However, suddenly, Antiochus died of an illness in a distant land. His end as recorded in Dan 11:40-45 must be considered true, though mistaken, prophecy. There is a unified voice from each of these visions that the time between the pollution and the end will be about three and a half years: the 1150 days of 8:14, which is a little less, gets updated to 1290 in 12:11 and again to 1335 in 12:12 -- but such differences seem only minor in scope, though the significance of the updates is interesting (and outside the scope of this brief analysis). It becomes clear then that each of the visions was written one not long after another more than three years after the pollution of the temple and before the news of the death of Antiochus IV reached Jerusalem. This signifies the year 165 BCE. (A closer analysis of Daniel chapter 11.) This page was created by Ian Hutchesson. Copyright 1999. To get in touch with me, click here |
