In our last post we mentioned the idea that the Kingdom of Heaven is clearly viewed as a replacement for worldly kingdoms, and that the citation of Daniel 3:6 sneakily reinforces that idea.  Let’s start by looking at the relevant passage in Daniel. The context for this passage is that Nebuchadnezzar, the Emperor of Babylon, had built a golden idol and assembled all of the officials of his empire.  Verses 4-6  then read:

Daniel 3:4-6

NRSV:

[4] the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, [5] that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. [6] Whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.”

LXX (Old Greek)

[4] and the herald heralded to the crowds, to you it is commanded, nations and lands, peoples and tongues [5] when you hear the sound of the trumpet, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, a symphony and every kind of musical instrument, falling you should make obeisance to the golden idol, which was established by Nebuchadnezzar the King. [6] And everyone who would not fall and make obeisance, they shall cast this one into the furnace of burning fire.

LXX (Theodosian)

[4] And the herald cried in strength, to you it is said, peoples, tribes, tongues: [5] in the hour when you would hear the sound of a trumpet and pipe and lyre, a trigon and harp and a symphony also of every kind of musical instrument, having fallen you shall make obeisance to the golden idol, which was established by Nebuchadnezzar the King. [6] And everyone who would not fall and make obeisance, in this hour he shall be cast into the furnace of burning fire. 

As a fun surprise when I started translated the Greek text, there are apparently two surviving text forms, an Old Greek form and a later Theodosian manuscript, which was apparently translated into Greek around 150 CE and for the Book of Daniel in particular, was apparently quite popular among early Christians, at least according to Wikipedia.

This citation is particularly interesting because it occurs within a story that takes up the whole third chapter in Daniel.  Basically Nebuchadnezzar issues this decree, and the Babylonians snitch that Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego do not actually make obeisance to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol.  The men are confronted and say that they have no excuse, but will have to rely on their God to defend them, and are subsequently thrown into the furnace.  There they survive, and are accompanied by a fourth person, who the NRSV describes as someone who “has the appearance of a god.” They are let out of the furnace, and Nebuchadnezzar makes it illegal to blaspheme against God.  

The contrast between this situation, where a worldly emperor attempts to burn the righteous and fails, and the citation in Matthew, where God’s angels will throw workers of lawlessness into the fire, is a lovely piece of poetry.  

We also see some additional echoes from Daniel in Matthew 13:43, which reads “Then the righteous shall shine as the sun in the Kingdom of their father.”  This seems to allude to Daniel 12:1-3, which reads:

Daniel 12:1-3

NRSV

[1] At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came to existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. [2] Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. [3] Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the star forever and ever. 

LXX (Old Greek)

[1] And in this hour shall shall pass by Michael, the great angel, who stands over the sons of your people. This shall be a day of tribulation, which has not become from the day which they were begat until this day. And in this day all the people shall be lifted up, who are discovered having been written in the book. [2] And many of the ones sleeping in the plain of the earth shall be resurrected, some into life aeonian, others into reproach, others into diaspora and shame aeonian. [3] And those who understand shall appear as luminaries of heaven and the ones who are strong in my words shall be as the stars unto an aeon of aeons.

LXX (Theodosian)

[1] And in this season shall rise up Michael, the great ruler who stands over the sons of your people. And it shall be a season of tribulation, oppression which has not happened from the beginning of the nations of the earth until this season. And in this season you people shall be saved, everyone discovered having been written in the book. [2] And many of the one sleeping in the dust of the earth shall rise up, these ones unto life aeonian and these one into reproach and shame aeonian. [3] And the ones who understand shall shine forth as the brightness of the firmament, and from the many righteous as the stars unto an aeon and yet still. 

This passage should be helpful in furthering our understanding of the passage in Matthew which alludes to it.  One thing that is interesting is the description of Michael.  Hart at various times in his translation of the New Testament notes that there was a common belief among Biblical authors that beneath God, there were subordinate celestial rulers (if you are imagining this as an emperor with subordinate governors, you are on the right track). Here, Michael appears to be one of those subordinate celestial rulers and is described as such.  It seems possible that it is Michael rather than God himself that is doing the judgment in this scenario in Daniel.  

Here too, we see the idea of a discrete judgment day (which involves the resurrection of the dead). The results of this judgment are an interesting example of the variable usage of the word αἰών aiōn, which we discussed in the last post.  If you will recall, Matthew uses this word in the phrase “culmination of the age,” which is an example of its sense as literally an aeon, age, or long time.  Judgment day, for Matthew, completes one age and (presumably) ushers in another, different age.  Here in Daniel we see the results of that judgment day described as “aeonian” which is to say eternal or everlasting (using another possible sense of the word αἰών aiōn).  

Another thing that is quite interesting is the contrast between Matthew and Daniel’s treatment of the people who end up on the wrong side of judgment day.  For Matthew, these people are cast into a furnace of fire, but there is no mention of the duration of the punishment. For Daniel, the punishment is eternal, but is the much milder punishments of shame, reproach, contempt, and diaspora. The idea of hell as a place of eternal punishment joins Daniel’s concept of eternal punishment to Matthew’s concept of punishment by fire, when in fact the actual texts themselves disagree with each other about what punishment on the day of judgment will look like. This disagreement exists even though Matthew clearly is aware of the text of Daniel and influenced by it enough to both directly quote from it and borrow its imagery