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200)

- Coming back to Daniel 2 thread 249 :

- Egypt was divided into two parts : The north was inherited by the Tanite 21st dynasty, the southern Nile River valley came under the control of the Theban priests !

- It has always been a tradition among priests to mix political power and religious power !

- We are told about kings David and Solomon !

- Philistia served as a buffer between Egypt and Israel !

- But after David’s death the next to the last king of the 21st dynasty, Siamon, invaded Philistia and captured Gezer. If Egypt had any intention of attacking Israel, Solomon’s power forestalled Siamon, who presented Gezer to Israel as a dowry in the diplomatic marriage of his daughter to Solomon. This is indicative of the reversal of Egypt’s status in foreign affairs since the time of Amenhotep III, who had written the Babylonian king, “From of old, a daughter of the king of Egypt has not been given to anyone.”

- The dynasty tried to cement relations with Thebes through political marriages with priestly families. King Sheshonk’s son Osorkon married Psusennes II’s daughter, and their son eventually became high priest at Karnak. By installing their sons as high priests and promoting such marriages, kings strove to overcome the administrative division of the country. But frequent conflicts arose over the direct appointment of the Theban high priest from among the sons of Libyan kings and over the inheritance of the post by men of mixed Theban and Libyan descent. This tension took place against a background of Theban resentment of the northern dynasty. During the reign of Takelot II, strife concerning the high priestship led to civil war at Thebes. The king’s son Osorkon was appointed high priest, and he achieved some semblance of order during his visits to Thebes, but he was driven from the post several times.

- Another example of religious leaders’ interests !

- After Solomon’s death (c. 936), Sheshonk I entered Palestine and plundered Jerusalem. Prestige from this exploit may have lasted through the reign of Osorkon II (ruled c. 929–c. 914 bce).
 
201)

- Coming back to Daniel 2 thread 248 :

- The Ramesside growth of priestly power was matched by increasingly overt religiosity.

- In its later periods, Egyptian society, the values of which had previously tended to be centralized, secular, and political, became more locally based and more thoroughly pervaded by religion, looking to the temple as the chief institution.

- While Ramses XI was still king, Herihor died and was succeeded as high priest by Piankh, a man of similar military background. A series of letters from Thebes tell of Piankh’s military venture in Nubia against the former viceroy of Cush while Egypt was on the verge of losing control of the south.
 
202)

- Coming back to Daniel 2 thread 247 :

- Ramses III was succeeded by his son Ramses IV (ruled 1156–50 bce). In an act of piety that also reinforced his legitimacy, Ramses IV saw to the compilation of a long papyrus in which the deceased Ramses III confirmed the temple holdings throughout Egypt; Ramses III had provided the largest benefactions to the Theban temples, in terms of donations of both land and personnel. Most of these probably endorsed earlier donations, to which each king added his own gifts. Of the annual income to temples, 86 percent of the silver and 62 percent of the grain was awarded to Amon. The document demonstrates the economic power of the Theban temples, for the tremendous landholdings of Amon’s estate throughout Egypt involved the labour of a considerable portion of the population; but the ratio of temple to state income is not known, and the two were not administratively separate. In addition, the temple of Amon, which figures prominently in the papyrus, included within its estates the king’s own mortuary temple, for Ramses III was himself deified as a form of Amon-Re, known as Imbued with Eternity.

- Religion was rich and powerful !

- Does it remind you something ?

- The Ramesside period saw a tendency toward the formation of high-priestly families, which kings sometimes tried to counter by appointing outside men to the high priesthood. One such family had developed at Thebes in the second half of the 19th dynasty, and Ramses IV tried to control it by installing Ramessesnakht, the son of a royal steward, as Theban high priest. Ramessesnakht participated in administrative as well as priestly affairs; he personally led an expedition to the Wadi Ḥammāmāt (present-day Wādī Rawḍ ʿĀʾid) quarries in the Eastern Desert, and at Thebes he supervised the distribution of rations to the workmen decorating the royal tomb. Under Ramses V (ruled 1150–45 bce), Ramessesnakht’s son not only served as steward of Amon but also held the post of administrator of royal lands and chief taxing master. Thus, this family acquired extensive authority over the wealth of Amon and over state finances, but to what extent this threatened royal authority is uncertain. Part of the problem in evaluating the evidence is that Ramesside history is viewed from a Theban bias, because Thebes is the major source of information. Evidence from Lower Egypt, where the king normally resided, is meagre because conditions there were unfavourable for preserving monuments or papyri.

- Religion and political power working together as usual !

- By the time of Ramses IX the Theban high priest had attained great local influence, though he was still outranked by the king. By Ramses XI’s 19th regnal year the new high priest of Amon, Herihor—who seems to have had a military background and also claimed the vizierate and the office of viceroy of Cush—controlled the Theban area. In reliefs at the temple of Khons at Karnak, Herihor was represented as high priest of Amon in scenes adjoining those of Ramses XI. This in itself was unusual, but subsequently he took an even bolder step in having himself depicted as king to the exclusion of the still-reigning Ramses XI. Herihor’s limited kingship was restricted only to Thebes, where those years were referred to as a “repeating of [royal] manifestations,” which lasted a decade.
 
203)

- Coming back to Daniel 2 thread 246 :


- Ramses II’s fourth surviving son, Khaemwese, was famous as high priest of Ptah at Memphis. He restored many monuments in the Memphite area, including pyramids and pyramid temples of the Old Kingdom, and had buildings constructed near the Sarapeum at Ṣaqqārah. He was celebrated into Roman times as a sage and magician and became the hero of a cycle of stories.


- political power and religion working together for power !
 
204)

- Coming back to Daniel 2 thread 245 :


- Just as Akhenaton had adapted and transformed the religious thinking that was current in his time, the reaction to the religion of Amarna was influenced by the rejected doctrine. In the new doctrine, all gods were in essence three: Amon, Re, and Ptah (to whom Seth was later added), and in some ultimate sense they too were one. The earliest evidence of this triad is on a trumpet of Tutankhamun and is related to the naming of the three chief army divisions after these gods; religious life and secular life were not separate. This concentration on a small number of essential deities may possibly be related to the piety of the succeeding Ramesside period, because both viewed the cosmos as being thoroughly permeated with the divine.


https://slife.org/the-trinity-in-world-religions/


- Within the Hindu religion there is Brahman. Brahman is considered to be the only One and True God, from which all other manifestations arise and are merely faces, much akin to the idea of emanationism. Brahman is One God in Three Persons. These are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Together, these make Creator, Sustainer, and Destroyer. Brahma is the aspect of God that continually creates the universe and all within it. Vishnu is the aspect of God that is incarnate upon earth many times in order to save the world and sustain it. Shiva is the Destroyer of the old that the new may arise. Once again, the Second Member of the Trinity is God made Man. It is also notable that Vishnu, under the incarnation of Krishna was brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh as gifts when He was born, also being crucified to a tree with arrows piercing His hands and feet. Many Hindus believe that Krishna, and Buddha were all incarnations of Vishnu. Vishnu is merely the name that Hindus give to the aspect of God that is born among men.


- Quite similar to the Creator-Sustainer-Destroyer ideology of Hinduism, the Neo-Pagan faith of Wicca also has a Triple Divinity. This is called the Maiden, Mother, and the Crone. Wiccans see the Divine as manifesting as Male and Female, id est a Goddess and God. To them, creation is the reflection of the Divine. All things within Nature. Thus, the passage of the seasons, the phases of the moon, even the path a salmon takes within a pool are all reflections into the mind of God. Within the universe is found divine Order and knowledge of Nature’s laws leads to divine contemplation and understanding. The Goddess, or Female Principle of God, is the Maiden, Mother, and the Crone. Being an older Pagan faith, this Goddess is worshipped under the symbol of the moon. As the moon grows, the Wiccae see the Maiden. This is the Aspect of Diety that is Creator, symbolized by the image of a young girl. this is new beginnings and innocence. The full moon reveals the Mother. She is Nurturer and Sustainer, caring for Her children. When the moon wanes and when it is dark reveals the Destroyer aspect of the Goddess. This is symbolized by an old woman, representing the forces of decay and death in the universe. The moon is revered as the symbol of the Goddess because the moon’s cycle is akin to the menstrual cycle within women, which encompasses the Female Principle of creation. Most Christian holidays were borrowed from Paganism, including Easter and Christmas.


- As one may clearly see, the concept of a Trinity is a commonality found within various world religions. The study of comparative religion reveals many things that show how Man has, throughout 2 million years of human history, reached out and conceptualized the Creator and Sustainer of our world. Man is, by His very nature, a spiritual creature. Since the dawning of His conscousness Man has always worshipped things as representative of the One Unknowable Thing, concerning which He can learn basically nothing, being beyond mortal comprehension.
 
205)

- Comingt back to Daniel 2 thread 242 :


- The campaigns of kings such as Thutmose III required a large military establishment, including a hierarchy of officers and an expensive chariotry. The king grew up with military companions whose close connection with him enabled them to participate increasingly in government. Military officers were appointed to high civil and religious positions, and by the Ramesside period the influence of such people had come to outweigh that of the traditional bureaucracy.


₋ So once again we see the mixing of politics and religion !
 
206)

Daniel 1

- We are told about Daniel when he is a young adult!

In Daniel 1:4, we are told about the young israelites who are sent to Babylon:

young men
יְלָדִ֣ים (yə·lā·ḏîm)hat
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3206: Something born, a lad, offspring

without
אֵֽין־ (’ên-)
Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

blemish,
מוּם֩ (mūm)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3971: To stain, a blemish

handsome,
וְטוֹבֵ֨י (wə·ṭō·w·ḇê)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine plural construct
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

gifted
וּמַשְׂכִּילִ֣ים (ū·maś·kî·lîm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7919: To be, circumspect, intelligent

in all
בְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

wisdom,
חָכְמָ֗ה (ḥāḵ·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2451: Wisdom

knowledgeable,
וְיֹ֤דְעֵי (wə·yō·ḏə·‘ê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3045: To know

quick
מַדָּ֔ע (mad·dā‘)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4093: Intelligence, consciousness

to understand,
וּמְבִינֵ֣י (ū·mə·ḇî·nê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 995: To separate mentally, understand

and qualified
כֹּ֣חַ (kō·aḥ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3581: A small reptile (of unknown species)

to serve
לַעֲמֹ֖ד (la·‘ă·mōḏ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5975: To stand, in various relations

in the king’s
הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

palace—
בְּהֵיכַ֣ל (bə·hê·ḵal)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1964: A large public building, palace, temple

and to teach them
וּֽלֲלַמְּדָ֥ם (ū·lă·lam·mə·ḏām)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3925: To exercise in, learn

the language
וּלְשׁ֥וֹן (ū·lə·šō·wn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 3956: The tongue

and literature
סֵ֖פֶר (sê·p̄er)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5612: A missive, document, writing, book

of the Chaldeans.
כַּשְׂדִּֽים׃ (kaś·dîm)
Noun - proper - masculine plural
Strong's 3778: Chaldeans -- a region of southern Babylon and its inhabitants

  • Young men!
  • Without blemish!
  • Handsome!
  • Gifted in all wisdom!
  • Knowledgeable!
  • Quick to understand!
  • Qualified to serve in the king’s palace!
  • And they were to be taught the language and literature of the chaldeans!
  • Thus they are special ones!
  • Not normal people!
  • They are the best ones!
  • The Chaldeans are not the leaders of the time for nothing!
 
207)

https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Daniel.html

We can read about the life of Daniel in his own writings in the book of Daniel and also in Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3. There are some striking similarities between the life of Daniel and that of Jacob’s son Joseph. Both of them prospered in foreign lands after interpreting dreams for their rulers, and both were elevated to high office as a result of their faithfulness to God.

After Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, besieged Jerusalem, he chose noble men from Israel’s royal household who were handsome and showed an aptitude for learning, to be trained in the ways of the Babylonians. After their three years’ training, they would be put into the king’s service (Daniel 1:1-6). Daniel, whose name means “God is my judge,” and his three countrymen from Judea were chosen and given new names. Daniel became “Belteshazzar,” while Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah became “Shadrach," "Meshach," and "Abednego.” The Babylonians most likely gave them new names that were completely disassociated with their Hebrew roots to hasten Daniel and his friends’ assimilation into the Babylonian culture.

Daniel and his compatriots proved to be the wisest of all the trainees, and, at the end of their training, they entered the service of King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel’s first sign of faithfulness to God was when he and his three friends rejected the rich food and wine from the king’s table, because they deemed it a defilement, and became vegetarians. As their health improved, they were permitted to continue with their chosen diet. In their education, the four men from Judah became knowledgeable in all Babylonian matters, and Daniel was given by God the ability to understand dreams and visions of all kinds (Daniel 1:17).

In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar was troubled with a dream that he could not interpret. Beyond interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar commanded his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to also describe his dream. These men were willing to try to interpret the dream if Nebuchadnezzar first told them what it was, but they said that revealing the dream itself was an impossible task for humans. The king decreed that all the wise men, including Daniel and his companions, must be put to death. However, after Daniel sought God in prayer, the mystery of the king’s dream was revealed to Daniel, and he was taken to the king to interpret it. Daniel immediately attributed his ability to interpret dreams to the one true God (Daniel 2:28). The key feature of the dream was that one day there will be a kingdom set up by God that will last forever, and that God’s kingdom will destroy all previous, man-made kingdoms (Daniel 2:44-45). For his wisdom, Daniel was honored by King Nebuchadnezzar and placed in authority over all the wise men of Babylon. At Daniel’s request, his three countrymen were also placed in positions of authority as administrators of Babylon.

Later, King Nebuchadnezzar had another dream, and again Daniel was able to interpret it. The king acknowledged that Daniel had the spirit of his holy God within him (Daniel 4:9). Daniel’s interpretation of the dream was correct. After experiencing a period of insanity, Nebuchadnezzar was restored to health, and he praised and honored Daniel’s God as the Most High (Daniel 4:34-37).

Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar, became the new king, and during a banquet he ordered the gold and silver goblets that had been stolen from the holy temple in Jerusalem to be brought out for use. In response to the defilement of such holy items, Belshazzar sees a hand writing on the wall. His astrologers are unable to assist him in its translation, and so Daniel is called upon to interpret the writing (Daniel 5:13-16). As a reward for interpreting the writing, Daniel is promoted by King Belshazzar to the third highest position in the Babylonian kingdom (verse 29). That night, as Daniel had prophesied, the king was slain in battle, and his kingdom was taken over by the Persian Cyrus the Great, and Darius the Mede was made king.

Under the new ruler, Daniel excelled in his duties as one of the administrators to such a degree that King Darius was contemplating making him head over all the kingdom (Daniel 6:1-3). This infuriated the other administrators so much that they looked for a way to bring Daniel down. They could find no wrongdoing on Daniel’s part, so they focused on the matter of Daniel’s religion. Using flattery, the administrators coaxed Darius into issuing a decree forbidding prayers to any god other than the king for the next thirty days. The penalty for disobedience was to be thrown into a den of lions. Daniel disobeyed the edict, of course, and continued to pray openly to the true God. As Daniel made no attempt to hide his activity, he was seen praying and arrested. With much regret the king gave the order for Daniel to be thrown into the lions’ den, but not without a prayer that Daniel’s God would rescue him (Daniel 6:16). The next day, when Daniel was found alive and well, he told the king that God had sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths and so he had remained unharmed. This miracle resulted in King Darius sending out a decree that all his subjects were to worship the God of Daniel. Daniel continued to prosper throughout King Darius’ reign.

Daniel is also well known for the prophetic dreams and visions God gave him, recorded in the book of Daniel. Daniel’s prophecies cover a broad range of human history, as he predicted the rise and fall of the Greek and Roman Empires and the rise of a powerful king who “will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36). Daniel’s “seventy weeks” prophecy spoke of a Messiah who would be killed (Daniel 9:24–27). We saw this prophecy fulfilled with Jesus. The remainder of the prophecy—the seventieth week—will be fulfilled in the end times. Daniel had other apocalyptic visions as well, and understanding his prophecies is important to eschatology.

Daniel exercised great integrity and, in doing so, received the respect and affection of the powerful rulers he served. However, his honesty and loyalty to his masters never led him to compromise his faith in the one true God. Rather than it being an obstacle to his success, Daniel’s continual devotion to God brought him the admiration of the unbelievers in his circle. When delivering his interpretations, he was quick to give God the credit for his ability to do so (Daniel 2:28).

Daniel’s integrity as a man of God gained him favor with the secular world, yet he refused to compromise his faith in God. Even under the intimidation of kings and rulers, Daniel remained steadfast in his commitment to God. Daniel also teaches us that, no matter whom we are dealing with, no matter what their status is, we are to treat them with compassion. See how concerned he was when delivering the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream (Daniel 4:19). As Christians, we are called to obey the rulers and authorities that God has put in place, treating them with respect and compassion; however, as we see from Daniel’s example, obeying God’s law must always take precedence over obeying men (Romans 13:1–7; Acts 5:29).

As a result of his devotion, Daniel found favor with man and with God (Daniel 9:20-23). Notice also in those verses what the angel Gabriel told Daniel about how swiftly the answer to his prayer was dispatched. This shows us how ready the Lord is to hear the prayers of His people. Daniel’s strength lay in his devotion to prayer and is a lesson for us all. It is not just in the bad times but on a daily basis that we must come to God in prayer.
 
208)

  • There are some striking similarities between the life of Daniel and that of Jacob’s son Joseph. Both of them prospered in foreign lands after interpreting dreams for their rulers, and both were elevated to high office as a result of their faithfulness to God.

  • Daniel and his compatriots proved to be the wisest of all the trainees, and, at the end of their training, they entered the service of King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel’s first sign of faithfulness to God was when he and his three friends rejected the rich food and wine from the king’s table, because they deemed it a defilement, and became vegetarians. As their health improved, they were permitted to continue with their chosen diet. In their education, the four men from Judah became knowledgeable in all Babylonian matters, and Daniel was given by God the ability to understand dreams and visions of all kinds (Daniel 1:17).

  • For his wisdom, Daniel was honored by King Nebuchadnezzar and placed in authority over all the wise men of Babylon. At Daniel’s request, his three countrymen were also placed in positions of authority as administrators of Babylon.

  • Under the new ruler, Daniel excelled in his duties as one of the administrators to such a degree that King Darius was contemplating making him head over all the kingdom (Daniel 6:1-3).

  • Daniel exercised great integrity and, in doing so, received the respect and affection of the powerful rulers he served. However, his honesty and loyalty to his masters never led him to compromise his faith in the one true God. Rather than it being an obstacle to his success, Daniel’s continual devotion to God brought him the admiration of the unbelievers in his circle. When delivering his interpretations, he was quick to give God the credit for his ability to do so (Daniel 2:28).

  • Daniel’s integrity as a man of God gained him favor with the secular world, yet he refused to compromise his faith in God. Even under the intimidation of kings and rulers, Daniel remained steadfast in his commitment to God.

  • As a result of his devotion, Daniel found favor with man and with God (Daniel 9:20-23).

  • At the difference of Samuel, so many questions stay unanswered because we don’t know anything about his childhood and youth before he goes to babylon!

  • However, it shows the importance of an education where Yah·weh is omnipresent!

  • An education which leads to an accurate knowledge of the Bible away from today’s corruption!

  • So different from today’s world!

  • But accurate knowledge doesn’t occur by chance!

  • It means hard work and regularity and being 100% active not passive!
 
209)
  • Remember:
  • Daniel is a great example of integrity!
  • His example shows the importance of an education where Yah·weh is omnipresent!
  • An education which leads to an accurate knowledge of the Bible away from today’s corruption!
  • So different from today’s world!
  • But accurate knowledge doesn’t occur by chance!
  • It means hard work and regularity and being 100% active not passive!
  • Yah.weh answered Daniel’s prayer by saying rebuilding followed by the destruction of Jerusalem!
 
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