Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Shoshanna Walker <rosewalk AT concentric.net>]

Why can't Rashi be right?   What are the flaws in his account?



Liz and all,

We are forgetting the fact that 7 is a typological "magic number" in the
Tanakh and in later Judaism, and likewise its multiples. Assuming that the
various sets of sevens refer to real dates is expecting too much of the
text. Also, assuming that Daniel was "really" written after the events that
he "prophecises", that is, after the fall of both Babylon and Persia, any
attempt to "break his code" is only guesswork, since we do not have a full
account of the events of the 4-2 centuries, and we certainly don't know what
events would have seemed very important to whatever group the author of
Daniel belonged to.