Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Shoshanna Walker <rosewalk AT concentric.net>]

Why don't we know if Sanhedrin existed in Daniel's day?

Daniel's approximate dates are  3340 - 3400

End of prophecy (with Malachi/Ezra) is 3448

Last Sanhedrin was in Tverya (Tiberius) til about 4125

Since every prophet had to be verified by the Sanhedrin, I would 
assume that Malachi, who was considered a prophet, had also to be 
verified by the Sanhedrin, so a Sanhedrin had then to exist in 
Malachi's time, and Malachi's dates are later than Daniel's.

I know that the Sanhedrin had certain authorities only when it met in 
the Temple Assembly Hall (Lishkat HaGazit)

Second Temple was destroyed in 3828 - this is a few hundred years 
later than Malachi.

(All dates are from the year of the Creation of the world, year 1)

The Sanhedrin was moved 10 times (from Lishkat HaGazit to somewhere 
else on Temple Mt, to somewhere else in Jerusalem, to Yavneh, to Usha 
- city in Galil, back to Yavneh, back to Usha, to Shefaram, to Beit 
Yearim, to Sepphoris, to Tiberius) - but I don't have the dates of 
the moves.

I didn't say any of Daniel's prophecies didn't come true, I am 
assuming there must have been a Sanhedrin at his time with the 
authority of verifying prophets, since Malachi came later, and I am 
asking only if he was verified by a Sanhedrin,  ie; if he passed 
their test.  Neither you nor I can assume that if he took and passed 
a test, then the events that he predicted at that test are recorded 
in the Book of Daniel, or that we would even know what those events 
were.  It could be recorded in the Talmud, but I already quoted 
where, in the Talmud, they say that he was NOT a prophet.

But Ibn Ezra lists him (Daniel Ish Chamudos) as one of the 48 male prophets.

Shoshanna



> Even if he only got his visions from angels and not from G-d directly?
>
> Also, no one answered my question - was he verified by the Sanhedrin?
>
> In order to be verified by the Sanhedrin, a self proclaimed prophet
> had to undergo a test, and if even just one of the things he
> prophecized didn't come to pass, then he failed.

HH:  We don't even know if there was a Sanhedrin in Daniel's day. And
what prophecy of Daniel's did not come true? The laws in Deuteronomy 18
concerned instances where one gave a false prophecy. I like Karl's idea,
which you may have mentioned earlier, that Daniel did not function as a
prophet.  There were schools for prophets, and people could be prophets
by profession. Amos says that he was not originally a prophet, but God
specially called him to function that way, affter which time we can say
he was a prophet. He spoke publicly to the people, and to the leaders,
giving God's words to teach, admonish, and warn them. Isaiah was a
prophet to the king. Jeremiah was almost killed because of his
prophesying. Ezekiel dramatized his messages for the people. But Daniel
never functioned as a prophet to his people the way Amos, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, and Ezekiel did.

So perhaps Daniel was a prophet in one sense but not in another.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard

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