The Most High God vs. Nabû: A God of Letters, Wisdom, and Fate Who Can(not) Read, Understand, or Foretell
A natural reading of Daniel 5 clearly depicts the Jewish deity as humbling an arrogant pagan king, Belshazzar, through the Judahite sage, Daniel. This article suggests that a second but not mutually exclusive interpretation is possible in light of the story’s Mesopotamian background. According to th...
| Autor principal: | |
|---|---|
| Tipo de documento: | Recurso Electrónico Artigo |
| Idioma: | Inglês |
| Verificar disponibilidade: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Carregar...
|
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Publicado em: |
2023
|
| Em: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Ano: 2023, Volume: 48, Número: 1, Páginas: 18-35 |
| (Cadeias de) Palavra- chave padrão: | B
Nabu
/ Bibel. Daniel 5
/ Panteão
/ Qualidades de Deus
/ Babilônia
|
| Classificações IxTheo: | BC Antigo Oriente ; Religião HB Antigo Testamento |
| Outras palavras-chave: | B
Nabû
B the Most High God B Babylonian Pantheon B Daniel 5 |
| Acesso em linha: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Resumo: | A natural reading of Daniel 5 clearly depicts the Jewish deity as humbling an arrogant pagan king, Belshazzar, through the Judahite sage, Daniel. This article suggests that a second but not mutually exclusive interpretation is possible in light of the story’s Mesopotamian background. According to this reading, the author of Daniel 5 used the traits of Nabû to subvert the well-known Babylonian belief that Nabû was the tutelary deity for the Babylonian kings. By rendering Nabû completely powerless before the Jewish deity, the author exalts the Jewish deity as the Most High God (עליא אלהא) who effectively displaces Nabû. It is in this capacity that the Most High God weighs the arrogant pagan king’s deeds and then determines the length of his life. Such a theological message would serve to comfort the intended audience of the pericope, the Jewish diaspora community under pagan rule, and encourage them to faithfully obey their God. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1476-6728 |
| Obras secundárias: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/03090892231168660 |
