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Cincinnati Christian University

Cincinnati Bible Seminary

Course Plans for The Book of Daniel (BSOT 664)

Fall 2013

Jim Lloyd

(513) 244-8138;

Please note:

· These course plans can change at the professor’s discretion.

· All students are required to follow the school’s new attendance policy.

1. Overview of the Course: This is a verse-by-verse study of a book that contains crucial history of the period of Babylonian exile, prophecies of world history from the sixth century BC to the first century AD, and predictions of the Messiah and his Kingdom. This course is designed to help the student defend the book of Daniel from critical attack, understand the important history of the sixth century BC, interpret the visions of the book, understand the relation of Daniel to the New Testament, and express the material in a practical manner.

2. Grading Policy and Procedures:. Midterm exam 25%, final exam 25%, semester project 50%. The student is expected to be present and on time for every class. The teacher maintains the right to add to or subtract from the final grade by taking into account the student's classroom behavior, attendance, and participation.

3. Major Project: A 15-20-page academic or practical project. Three choices:

· Term paper. The student who chooses this option is required to present a research paper on a passage or theme from Daniel. The student may choose to research some prophecy, some theological theme, or some historical incident. The student may also opt to exegete a passage from the Book of Daniel. The paper must include (1) A scholarly presentation of the topic. (2) A bibliography of at least 15-20 sources including a mixture of books and journal articles. The student should interact with sources recommended by the professor of the course, but he or she may also select other resources. However, they must be academically appropriate to the assignment. The student is expected to interact with the majority of the sources listed in the bibliography and not simply include them in the list of sources. (3) Students are encouraged to use Chicago documentation, but if APA students are in the class, they may use APA documentation. Any variations from these instructions need to be approved by the professor before the project is started.

· Sermons. The student who chooses this option is required to submit sermons, which meet the following specifications. (1) Three full-length sermons of at least six pages each. (2) The full-length sermons are to be written out word-for-word in manuscript form, including introductions, propositions, major points, illustrations, and conclusions. (3) The sermons are to be newly written just for this class. No used sermons are allowed. I leave you to your honor on this. The sermons should reflect ideas you have picked up in class. (4) Each passage chosen may represent different aspects of the book. As an example, one might be on a miracle and the other might be on a prophecy. However, the student may want to have a theme or series title that ties them together. Please feel free to talk this over with your professor. (5) The student should follow the examples included in the course pack. (6) The student should provide a bibliography of sources used to compile this sermon notebook. The bibliography should include any commentaries, sermon books, illustration books, or other sources used by the student to do this project.

· Lesson plans. The student who chooses to do this project is to follow one of the lesson plan instructions provided upon request. The student who chooses this project must meet the following requirements. (1) Four full-length lessons of five (2) All teaching content is to be written out word-for-word. If you choose to write out your scripture text, it does not count for the number of pages. (3) The lessons are to be newly written just for this class. No used lessons are allowed. I leave you to your honor on this. The lessons should reflect ideas you have picked up in class. (4) Each passage chosen might represent different aspects of the book. As an example, one might be on a miracle and the other might be on a prophecy. However, you may also chose a theme or series title that ties them all together. (5) The student can follow the examples posted on Moodle. (6) The student should provide a bibliography of sources used to compile these lesson plans. The bibliography should include any commentaries, lesson books, illustration books, or other sources to which the student referred in producing the project.

4. Readings: Instead of a text for this class, there will be a series of readings. These readings can be read in the library where they are kept on reserve. Some of the journal readings are available on-line. The student is required to read 600 pages from the sources below. Everyone reads the required readings (about 300 pages), but students may select the other half of the readings from the optional list below. At the end of the course students must submit a report stating which of the readings were read and total the pages at the bottom. Credit will be given based on the amount of the assignments read. Those who fail to read all required assignments will have 5-10% deducted from the final grade. This means that even if a person gets a 95% average for the semester when the tests and projects are graded, the person’s grade for the semester will be 90% or less if the reading assignments are not completed. On the other hand, students may read more than the 600 pages and receive extra credit at the rate of 3 extra percentage points for every 100 pages.

Please note: Many of the smaller readings will be posted on the Moodle course site or available free on-line through the library’s collection of databases.

· Required Readings: All students must read all of the readings in the “required” list.

a. Hasel, Gerhard F. "New Light on the Book of Daniel from the Dead Sea Scrolls." Ministry (January 1992): 10-13. The manuscript evidence indicates Daniel was written in the sixth century B.C., not the second century. Posted on Moodle

b. Shea, William H. "Darius the Mede in His Persian-Babylonian Setting." Andrews University Seminary Studies 29 (Autumn 1991): 235-257. Shea explains why he believes Darius the Mede is another name for Cyrus the Persian. Posted on Moodle

c. All students are required to read the special study on Daniel written by your professor. The professor will make sure students receive copies of this reading.

d. Bruce, F.F. and David F. Payne. Israel and the Nations. Downer’s Grove, Ill.: Intervarsity Press, 1997. Read chapters 10-20 and chapter 28. This gives a nice summary of the historical background on the history that Daniel covers in both its historical and prophetic sections.

e. Josephus: The Essential Writings: A Condensation of Jewish Antiquities and The Jewish War Translated and Edited by Paul L. Maier, Kregel, 1988, 281-367. (If any of you have a copy of Whiston’s Josephus, you can read Wars of the Jews. Book 5, chapter 1 through book 6 chapter 7.) Josephus was an eyewitness to the Jewish-Roman wars of A.D. 66-74. He describes the destruction of Jerusalem as a judgment of God that was accompanied by supernatural signs and wonders. This serves as a background to Daniel 7-12. Several prophecies in Daniel speak of this event.

f. Sandy, D. Brent. "Did Daniel See Mussolini? The Limits of Reading Current Events into Biblical Prophecy." Christianity Today (February 8, 1993): 34-36. This reading points out the fact that scripture was not meant to be interpreted by reading in current events. On Moodle

g. La Rondelle, Hans K. "Christ or antichrist: The Mysterious Gap in Daniel 9." Ministry (May, 1982): 14-17. This reading shows that it is the Messiah who is the subject of Daniel 9, not some antichrist. On Moodle

h. Hasel, Gerhard F. The Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9:24-27. Washington D.C.: Biblical Research Institute, 1976. Hasel has written a little booklet that does a fine job explaining Daniel 9. He also summarizes other interpretations.

i. Smith, James E. Major Prophets. Joplin: College Press, 1992, pages 624-637. This is a brief summary interpretation of a key part of the last vision of Daniel. Smith's is the latest published attempt to take the Herod the Great view of Daniel 11:36-45.

j. Gleason Archer's introductory remarks on the Book of Daniel as found on pages 3-30 of Expositor's Bible Commentary, volume 7. Archer takes a different view of prophecy than what will be presented in class, so do not take what he says on pages 25, 26 as the final word on the matter. Everything else, though, is very good.

k. Goldingay, John E. Daniel in the Word Biblical Commentary. Read introductor and conclusion in his commentary, pages xxv-xl and 326-334. Goldingay represents evangelicals that are liberal in their understanding of scripture, one who embraces, multiple authorship and a late date for at least part of the book. You are asked to read this, not because your professor accepts this view, but so that you can see first-hand how the book of Daniel is often treated.

· Other Reading. All of the readings above are required, but they total only half of the required pages. So choose the rest of your reading from any of these materials. You can also read any of the following assignments for extra credit. I’ve tried to provide classic and contemporary materials and materials across the spectrum of Studies.

a. Daniel: A Christian Interpretation by James E. Smith.

b. Smith, James E. What the Bible Says about the Promised Messiah, 378-396 contains some studies on prophecies in Daniel. Pages 468-501 are specials studies on: Jewish Messianic Expectation in the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, Messianic Pretenders, Summary of Personal Messianic Prophecy, Old Testament Names, Titles and Epithets for the Messiah, The Basis of Messianic Interpretation, and Messianic Prophecy cited in the New Testament.

c. Payne, J. Barton. "Goal of Daniel's seventy weeks." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 21 (June 1978): 97‑115. This classic article helps the reader to better understand how the goal of the passage is Christ and the Cross.

d. Kimball, William R. What the Bible says about the Great Tribulation Joplin: College Press, 1983. The first 170 pages talks about how the prophecy of the Great Tribulation was fulfilled in A.D. 70, not something that looks to our future.

e. "Daniel and the Animal Apocalypse" in Apocalypstism in the Bible and Its World: A Comprehensive Introduction by Frederick J. Murphy. Baker Academic, 2012. Your professor doesn't agree with all of his conclusions, but the chapter will help come to a better understanding of apocalyptic language.

f. Wallace, Ronald S. The Lord is King: The Message of Daniel. Downers Grove: IVP, 1979. This may be useful for practical information and easy reading on Daniel.

g. Butler, Paul T. Daniel, 3rd ed. Joplin: College Press, 1982. Butler has some special studies worth reading. You can also read any of his chapters to get additional help on understanding the Book of Daniel. In spite of its age, Butler’s commentary still holds up pretty well and is the only one that I can recommend to the average person in the pew.

h. Archer, Gleason, Jr. "The Aramaic of the 'Genesis Apocraphon' Compared with the Aramaic of Daniel." and Yamauchi, Edwin M. "The Greek Words in Daniel in the Light of Greek Influence in the Near East." Both are chapters in the book New Perspectives on the Old Testament. Waco: Word, 1970. Although an older work, both chapters are readable and explain solution to the Greek and Aramaic words found in Daniel.

i. Zdravko, Stefanovic. "Daniel: A Book of Significant Reversals" Andrews University Seminary Studies 30 (Summer 1992): 139-150.

j. Shea, William H. "Daniel and His Friends in Babylon." Archaeology and Biblical Research 4 (Spring 1991): 57-64. Shea believes he has found Daniel and two of his friends listed in Babylonian documents.

k. Cox, William E. "Israel and the Church" in Biblical Studies in Final Things. Eugene, Ore.: Wipf and Stock, 46-94. These readings demonstrate that land promises as well as other promises made to Israel were conditional. God ended his dealings with physical Israel as a separate people after A.D. 70.

l. Wilson, R. Dick. Studies in the Book of Daniel. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979, pages 283-295. This is a reading on Nebuchadnezzar's madness.

m. Lloyd, James H. The Day the Stars Fell: Fulfilled Prophecy in the Book of Revelation. This reading is designed to show that some of the prophecies of the New Testament that are often associated with the Second Coming of Christ were actually fulfilled in Christ's coming in judgment upon the Jewish nation in A.D. 70. This is a work in progress, a rough draft of a book your professor is writing.

n. James D. Bales New Testament Interpretations of Old Testament Prophecies of the Kingdom. Searcy, Arkansas: Harding University, 1950. Bales was a scholar among the acapella churches of Christ. This classic work shows how the OT kingdom of God prophecies were fulfilled in the church.

o. John C. Whitcomb, Darius the Mede: An Historical Chronology of Daniel Phillipsburg, N. J.: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1959. This takes the Gubaru theory of Darius the Mede.

p. R. C. Sproul, The Last Days According to Jesus. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998. This takes a partial-preterist view like your teacher does. Although I disagree on some points, Sproul does an excellent job with this important topic.

q. Robert G. Clouse, Robert N. Hosack, and Richard V. Pierard. The New Millennium Manual: A Once and Future Guide. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999.

r. C. Marvin Pate and Calvin B. Haines, Jr. Doomsday Delusions: What’s Wrong with Predictions about the End of the World. Downers Grove, IVP, 1995.