A Critical Analysis of Selected Issues in the Book of Daniel: Implications for Contemporary Christianity

Abstract

The book of Daniel is one of the frequently-quoted books when it comes to issues regarding resilience in one’s faith. The setting of the book and the events surrounding Daniel’s life in Babylon have many lessons for contemporary Christians. The purpose of this article was to bring out certain features and issues in the book of Daniel to present to readers relevant aspects of the context within which the book was written and to consequently equip them to successfully interpret and apply the message of Prophet Daniel. The paper is a literature-based research that gathered data from books and commentaries on Daniel and analyzed them critically to make meaning of the biblical book. One of the key findings was that God sovereignly guards his people and makes them have victory over evil. This study aimed at arousing interest in biblical scholarship on prophetic literature, especially the Book of Daniel. The paper encouraged contemporary believers to be resilient in their faith as they live in a world full of evil deeds. In times of difficult circumstances, Daniel persisted in not hesitating or giving up his faith to follow the patterns of the evil world; rather, he placed God above all things, and succeeded in his endeavours. Keywords: Daniel, God, Christianity, Old Testament