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Bible Dictionaries
Daniel The Book of
Smith's Bible Dictionary
or The Book of Dan'iel. The Greek translations of Daniel contain several pieces which are nThe Book of Daniel stands at the head of a series of writings in which the deepest thoughts of the Jewish people found expression, after their close of the prophetic era. Daniel is composed partly in the vernacular Aramaic (Chaldee) and partly in the sacred Hebrew.
The introduction, Daniel 1:1-2:4a, is written in Hebrew. On the occasion of the "Syriac" (that is, Aramaic) answer of the Chaldeans, the language changes to Aramaic, and this is retained till the close of the seventh chapter Daniel 2:4b-7, traces in minuter detail, the fortunes of the people of God, as typical of the fortunes of the Church in all ages.
In the first seven chapters, Daniel is spoken of historically; in the last five, he appears personally as the writer. The cause of the difference of person is commonly supposed to lie in the nature of the case. It is, however, more probable that the peculiarity arose from the manner in which the book assumed its final shape.
The book exercised a great influence upon the Christian Church. The New Testament incidentally acknowledges each of the characteristic elements of the book, its miracles, Hebrews 11:33-34
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Smith, William, Dr. Entry for 'Daniel The Book of'. Smith's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/sbd/d/daniel-the-book-of.html. 1901.
