Texts in Conversation
Deuteronomy 32 follows ancient Near Eastern traditions where patron deities represent and protect their respective nations. Daniel reflects a distinct and later tradition in the Hebrew Bible where God is not Israel's patron, but the angel Michael is.
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Deuteronomy 32:9
Hebrew Bible
7 Remember the ancient days; bear in mind the years of past generations. Ask your father and he will inform you, your elders, and they will tell you. 8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided up humankind, he set the boundaries of the peoples, according to the number of the heavenly assembly. 9 For the Lord’s allotment is his people, Jacob is his special possession. 10 The Lord found him in a desolate land, in an empty wasteland where animals howl. He continually guarded him and taught him; he continually protected him like the pupil of his eye.
Daniel 12:1
Hebrew Bible
1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who watches over your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress unlike any other from the nation’s beginning up to that time. But at that time your own people, all those whose names are found written in the book, will escape. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dusty ground will awake—some to everlasting life, and others to shame and everlasting abhorrence. 3 But the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavenly expanse. And those bringing many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever.
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Notes and References
"... besides the implicit dualism, the evocation of ancient myths expresses a sense that human affairs are beyond human control. Daniel’s visions deal with political struggles of the Hellenistic age, especially the conflicts between Seleucids and Jews in the Maccabean period. But this is only surface appearance. The angel Gabriel explains to Daniel that the real conflict is between angelic “princes,” the “prince” or patron angel of Greece and the archangel Michael, “prince of Israel” (Daniel 10:13, 20). The conflict is resolved, not by the arms of the Maccabees but by Michael, who arises in victory in Daniel 12:1. Similarly the kings of the various kingdoms are beasts that rise from the sea, embodiments of primordial chaos. On the one hand, this suggests a sense of powerlessness: the course of events is beyond human control. On the other, it actually suggests a sense of security, since the victory is assured ..."
McAllister, Colin
The Cambridge Companion to Apocalyptic Literature
(p. 27) Cambridge University Press, 2020
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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