The Cultic Motif in Space and Time in the Book of Daniel
The purpose of this dissertation is to study spatio-temporal elements that contribute to a cultic motif in the book of Daniel and to ascertain the impact of that motif on the theology of the book. Chapter 1 investigates the following references and allusions to cult in the realm of space: mountain, sanctuary, temple, throne, and city. All of the texts where these references and allusions occur are examined by linguistic, literary, and contextual analyses, taking into account biblical and non-biblical traditions. Chapter 2 investigates the following references and allusions to cult in the realm of time: time of theevening offering, three times of prayer towards Jerusalem, three weeks of mourning, seventy years and seventy weeks, ten days of non-defilement. All of the texts where these references and allusions occur are examined by linguistic, literary, and contextual analyses, taking into account biblical and non-biblical traditions. The chapter also probes the following cultic and allegedly cultic terms and phrases that belong to therealm of time: mô'ed, 'iddan and ze man, 'ereb boqer . Chapter 3 outlines the contribution of the cultic motif to the theology of the book of Daniel and specifically relates cult to the themes of judgment, eschatology, kingdom, and worship. Finally, a summary and conclusions gather and present the various findings and insights gained from this research. Based on the evidence submitted in this dissertation it is concluded that the references and allusions to cult in space and time play a dominant role in the whole book of Daniel. They speak of the intention of the author to present the issue of the conflict between two cultic systems, the true and the false one, as one of the major concerns of the book. It is further shown that the cultic motif makes a prominent contribution to the main theological themes in Daniel and cannot be ignored by the careful exegete.
Biblical Studies, Religion, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations