Cincinnati Bible College & Seminary s1

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Cincinnati Christian University

Cincinnati Bible College

Course Plans for The Book of Daniel (BOT 364)

Fall 2011

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 Biblical backgrounds 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%, and a semester project 50%. The student is expected to be present and on time for every class. All readings are to be completed. If they are not completed, the professor will deduct at least 5% from the final grade, depending on how much of the assigned readings are not completed. That means that even if a student has a 95 at the end of the course, the student may end up with 90 or worse if the readings are not completed. The teacher maintains the right to add to or subtract from the final grade by taking into account classroom behavior, attendance, and participation. Students may read more than the required pages for extra credit (3 extra percentage points for every 100 pages).

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

·  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 fifteen 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 those sources 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 (footnotes), but if students wish to use MLA, they may do so. 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 about five to 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 and outlines 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 who will be glad to offer suggestion or listen to your ideas. (5) The student is to follow one of the examples that are posted on the Moodle site. (6) The student should provide a bibliography of sources used to compile this sermon notebook. The bibliography should include any commentaries, sermon books, illustration resources, or other things used by the student for 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) Three full-length lessons (2) The full-length lessons are to follow the lesson plan instructions, but any and all teaching content is to be written out word-for-word. (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 should follow the examples included in the course pack. (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: Students are required to read all of the material in the section below entitled “Required Readings.” In addition, the student is required to read 300 pages of choice from the “Other Readings” section below. These readings can be read in the library where they are kept on reserve. Some of the journal readings are available on-line. 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.

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

1.  The required text is Daniel: A Christian Interpretation by James E. Smith.

2.  Israel and the Nations: The History of Israel from the Exodus to the Fall of the Second Temple by F. F. Bruce, revised by David F. Payne, IVP, 1997. Read chapters 10-24 and chapter 28 only. This gives a nice summary of the historical background on the history that Daniel covers in both its historical and prophetic sections.

3.  All students are required to read the special study on Daniel written by your professor. This is posted on the course site. It is best to wait to read this while the course deals with chapter 9.

4.  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.

5.  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.

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

7.  150 pages of your choice from any of the following “Optional Readings”.

·  Optional Readings. All of the readings above are required. As stated above you are required to read 150 pages of your choice from the following list. If you are looking for extra credit, you may read over and above 150 pages for extra credit (3% for every 100 pages). I’ve provided materials across the spectrum of studies.

1.  Collins, John J. and Peter W. Flint. The Book of Daniel: composition and reception, vols. 1 And 2 Brill Academic, 2002. These two volumes show the cutting edge of Daniel studies in academic circles these days.

2.  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.

3.  Longman, Tremper, III Daniel: The NIV Application Commentary from Biblical Text to Contemporary Life. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999. This might be helpful as a source for those who opt to do the sermons or lessons.

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

5.  Archer, Gleason, Jr. "The Aramaic of the 'Genesis Apocryphon' 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 the existence of the Greek and Aramaic words found in Daniel. Yamauchi is a well-known Evangelical scholar who was head of the History Department at Miami University (though I think he is now retired or semi-retired). He uses the CCU library from time to time.)

6.  Payne, J. Barton. "Goal of Daniel's seventy weeks." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 21 (June 1978): 97115.

7.  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.

8.  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.

9.  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.

10.  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.

11.  Butler, Paul T. Daniel, 3rd ed. Joplin: College Press, 1982. Butler’s special studies are worth reading. You can also read any of his chapters to get additional help on understanding 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. This book and others in the Bible Textbook Series are free on the College Press webside at: http://www.collegepress.com/cp/pdf/19%20Daniel-Butler.pdf

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

13.  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.

14.  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.

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

16.  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.

17.  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.

18.  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.

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

20.  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.

21.  Raymond A. Waugh, Why All Church-Age Endtime Prophets are False: A Scriptural Thesis that Endures. Midland Texas: Raymond A. Waugh, 1994.

22.  Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness: Obsession of the Modern Church. Atlanta: American Vision, 1994. You have to be careful of DeMar’s Christian Reconstructionism, but he does have some interesting things to say.

23.  Roger Beckwith. “Early Traces of the Book of Daniel.” Tyndale Bulletin, 53:1, 75-82. Beckwith shows how three sources written prior to the Maccabean period were dependant on Daniel. If he is right, then the book of Daniel was written earlier than liberal scholars contend.

24.  Paul J. Tanner, “The Literary Structure of the Book of Daniel,” Bibliotheca Sacra July-September, 2003, 269-82. Full text available on ATLA and ATLAS Serials.

25.  Fernando, Ajith. Spiritual Living in a Secular World: Applying the Book of Daniel Today. London: Monarch Books, 2002.