Theodicy In Daniel 8
directed at the abandonment of God, and it can only be stopped when the Jews recover their true faith in God. The final Jewish apocalypse author who attempts to create a theodicy for the Jewish people is the author of Daniel 8 and 9. In Daniel 8, Daniel has a vision of a battling goat and ram. The ram by the river represents the Persian Empire, while the goat in the west with one horn represents the Greek Empire. The two empires battle, and the goat becomes the victor. Then, from the single horn of the goat springs four, one of which is a little one who is extremely arrogant and cruel towards Jewish practices. The four horns represent Alexander’s successors with the arrogant one being Antiochus IV. Towards the end of the vision, the author
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hears a conversation between two holy ones that explain that the little horn’s cruelty will continue “for two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings” (Dan 8:13). Later, as Gabriel helps Daniel understand the vision, Gabriel says that Antiochus and his brutal acts against the Jew will only occur when “… the transgressions have reached their full measure” (Daniel 8:23). While Daniel 8’s apocalyptic vision of the goats and ram does not directly address the question of Jewish suffering, there is still a theodicy within the story.
It is most clearly seen in Daniel 8:23. Here, the author of Daniel explains to the Jews that Antiochus is only present because the wrongdoings have reached their peaks. It is not completely clear whom the author thinks these crimes belong to; it could be the Jews’ oppressors or the Jews themselves. However, it makes little sense to assume that Antiochus IV, an oppressor of Jews himself, would rise to power as a result of the heavy sin of other persecutors. Instead, the actions of the Jews should be considered. Many of the Jews, such as Jason, Menelaus, and their followers (2 Mac 4:7-5:10), were stealing from the temple, bribing their way to the high priesthood, and working directly with the Hellenistic leaders. When this historical background is taken into consideration, it becomes clear that the author of Daniel 8 is referencing the wickedness of the Jews as the cause of the torment brought on by Antiochus and his empire. Daniel 8 is unlike 2 Maccabees as it claims that the Jews can reach fullness of sin, and it is unlike 1 Enoch and 2 Maccabees in the fact that there is not mention of how/when the persecutors of the Jews will be punished (Daniel 8 simply says when the sanctuary will be restored in 8:13). Despite these differences, Daniel claims the reason for evil upon the Jews is their own sinful
transgressions. Further evidence for Jewish blame for suffering appears in Daniel 9, an apocalyptic style prayer where Daniel begs God for forgiveness for people of Israel. The author repeats lines similar to “we have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled, turning from your [God’s] commandments and ordinance” (Daniel 9:5). This repetition suggests that the author strongly believes the Jews have wronged God in some form or fashion. For this reason, Daniel states that everything God has done, all of the agony God has watched his people endure, is right (Daniel 9:13-14). In other words, the Jews deserved the fate they received; if they had not turned from God, God would not have allowed such things to happen. Daniel 9 confirms that the author of Daniel see Jews’ misdeeds as the primary reason for evil in their lives. The presence of evil and suffering within the world can create tremendous complications in religions that believe in an all-powerful and loving God. This is especially true for the Jews who believe themselves to be the chosen people of God. During times of great persecution, such as the rule of Antiochus IV, many authors of the Jewish apocalyptic genre attempted to explain how God could let his beloved people endure such hardships and torment. While both Daniel 8 and 9 and the Animal Apocalypse of 1 Enoch have variations in their theodicies, there is a constant underlying theme: Jewish sin and betrayal of God has lead to their punishment. Looking back at the covenant Abraham made with God, God only promised blessings upon the nation of Israel when they remained dutiful and loyal. The authors of Daniel and the Animal Apocalypse claim that the Jews have not kept up their end of the bargain; they have sinned against God by abandoning him, disobeying his covenantal laws, and, generally, committing deeds against him (1 En 89:51, Daniel 9:5, 7). Simply put, bad things happen to the Jews because the Jews have done bad things. We continue to see this sort of ideology today not only in religion, but also in the world as a whole. Social psychologists have dubbed it the “just world phenomenon”; in order to preserve our belief in a fair world, or in the Jews’ case a just God, humanity conveniences itself that “people get what they deserve.” The Jewish apocalyptic authors understand the need for a fair-minded God, so they constructed a theodicy based on the just world phenomenon and point to Jewish sin as the reason for Jewish suffering.
hears a conversation between two holy ones that explain that the little horn’s cruelty will continue “for two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings” (Dan 8:13). Later, as Gabriel helps Daniel understand the vision, Gabriel says that Antiochus and his brutal acts against the Jew will only occur when “… the transgressions have reached their full measure” (Daniel 8:23). While Daniel 8’s apocalyptic vision of the goats and ram does not directly address the question of Jewish suffering, there is still a theodicy within the story.
It is most clearly seen in Daniel 8:23. Here, the author of Daniel explains to the Jews that Antiochus is only present because the wrongdoings have reached their peaks. It is not completely clear whom the author thinks these crimes belong to; it could be the Jews’ oppressors or the Jews themselves. However, it makes little sense to assume that Antiochus IV, an oppressor of Jews himself, would rise to power as a result of the heavy sin of other persecutors. Instead, the actions of the Jews should be considered. Many of the Jews, such as Jason, Menelaus, and their followers (2 Mac 4:7-5:10), were stealing from the temple, bribing their way to the high priesthood, and working directly with the Hellenistic leaders. When this historical background is taken into consideration, it becomes clear that the author of Daniel 8 is referencing the wickedness of the Jews as the cause of the torment brought on by Antiochus and his empire. Daniel 8 is unlike 2 Maccabees as it claims that the Jews can reach fullness of sin, and it is unlike 1 Enoch and 2 Maccabees in the fact that there is not mention of how/when the persecutors of the Jews will be punished (Daniel 8 simply says when the sanctuary will be restored in 8:13). Despite these differences, Daniel claims the reason for evil upon the Jews is their own sinful
transgressions. Further evidence for Jewish blame for suffering appears in Daniel 9, an apocalyptic style prayer where Daniel begs God for forgiveness for people of Israel. The author repeats lines similar to “we have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled, turning from your [God’s] commandments and ordinance” (Daniel 9:5). This repetition suggests that the author strongly believes the Jews have wronged God in some form or fashion. For this reason, Daniel states that everything God has done, all of the agony God has watched his people endure, is right (Daniel 9:13-14). In other words, the Jews deserved the fate they received; if they had not turned from God, God would not have allowed such things to happen. Daniel 9 confirms that the author of Daniel see Jews’ misdeeds as the primary reason for evil in their lives. The presence of evil and suffering within the world can create tremendous complications in religions that believe in an all-powerful and loving God. This is especially true for the Jews who believe themselves to be the chosen people of God. During times of great persecution, such as the rule of Antiochus IV, many authors of the Jewish apocalyptic genre attempted to explain how God could let his beloved people endure such hardships and torment. While both Daniel 8 and 9 and the Animal Apocalypse of 1 Enoch have variations in their theodicies, there is a constant underlying theme: Jewish sin and betrayal of God has lead to their punishment. Looking back at the covenant Abraham made with God, God only promised blessings upon the nation of Israel when they remained dutiful and loyal. The authors of Daniel and the Animal Apocalypse claim that the Jews have not kept up their end of the bargain; they have sinned against God by abandoning him, disobeying his covenantal laws, and, generally, committing deeds against him (1 En 89:51, Daniel 9:5, 7). Simply put, bad things happen to the Jews because the Jews have done bad things. We continue to see this sort of ideology today not only in religion, but also in the world as a whole. Social psychologists have dubbed it the “just world phenomenon”; in order to preserve our belief in a fair world, or in the Jews’ case a just God, humanity conveniences itself that “people get what they deserve.” The Jewish apocalyptic authors understand the need for a fair-minded God, so they constructed a theodicy based on the just world phenomenon and point to Jewish sin as the reason for Jewish suffering.