Daniel: A Theological Exposition of Sacred Scripture (Concordia Commentary | CC)

by Andrew E. Steinmann

Publisher:

Concordia Publishing House

, 2008

Overview

The Gospel of the kingdom of God finds its most consistent Old Testament treatment in Daniel. This biblical book is much more than a combination of miraculous stories and fantastic visions; it presents the Gospel of the promised Messiah and his eternal kingdom. However, interpreting Daniel is no easy task. While the narratives about Daniel and his fellow Judeans appear simple (belying a rich theological complexity), the visions at the end of the book seem extraordinarily complicated. Thus, the challenge for any commentator is to understand the book as a whole and to explain its rich and variegated view of the Gospel and the Savior.

Since at least the first century before Christ, Daniel has been the subject of intense scrutiny by religious zealots seeking to view it as an eschatological roadmap for determining all sorts of harmful theologies of triumphalism. In our day this is often manifested in millennial speculation. This commentary shows that Daniel is not an adjunct to such theories, an oracle to be bent in service to eschatological speculation about an earthly messianic kingdom. Instead, it is a book about Christ, the salvation he accomplished by his cross, and the eternal glory he promises his redeemed people. Christ preserved his people throughout the Babylonian captivity and pointed them forward to the coming of his kingdom at his first advent, and the consummation at his second advent. Through his book Christ preserves us in faith until he returns in glory to bring us into the fullness of eternal life.

In the Logos edition of the Daniel, you get easy access to Scripture texts and to a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Hovering over Scripture references links you instantly to the verse you’re looking for, and with Passage Guides, Word Studies, and a wealth of other tools from Logos, you can delve into God’s Word like never before!

Key Features

• Includes bibliographical references and index
• Preface by the author
• A theological exposition of sacred Scripture

Contents

Top Highlights

“The traditional Christian interpretation of 9:24–27 is that the Messiah in 9:25–26 is Jesus Christ and that the seventy weeks culminate in the first advent of Christ.” (Page 453)

“Since the sea in Dan 7:2 is churned up by the four winds, which encompass the entire earth, the sea most likely represents all the peoples of the earth.” (Page 342)

“In summary, the depiction of the Messiah in Daniel is that of a King who is both divine and human and who brings his people into the kingdom of God. His death and atonement are described in Daniel 9 as the basis of the new ‘covenant’ (9:27) that God will make with his people. Thus Jesus is the focus of Daniel. He is both King and suffering Savior, and his work is for the benefit of God’s people, ‘to bring everlasting righteousness’ for them (9:25) so that they may be raised ‘to everlasting life’ (12:2).” (Page 27)

“This is a reference to God granting greater dominion to the Persians in the empire consisting of both the Medes and the Persians—the Medo-Persian Empire created by Cyrus.²² The raised side is a strong indication that this beast represents Media-Persia, and not simply Media, as critical scholars claim.” (Page 344)

“First, God governs all world history for the sake of his kingdom of grace, consisting of his redeemed people.” (Page 328)

Product Details

• Title: Concordia Commentary: Daniel
• Author: Andrew E. Steinmann
• Publisher: Concordia
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 628

About Andrew E. Steinmann

Andrew E. Steinmann holds a BS from the University of Cincinnati, an MDiv from Concordia Theological Seminary (Ft. Wayne) and a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan. He has served as pastor of St. John Lutheran Church, Fraser, Michigan (1981–86); taught at Concordia College, Ann Arbor (1986–91); served as editor at God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society (1991–94); served as staff pastor at Lutheran Home, Westlake, Ohio (1995–2000); and taught at Ashland University and Seminary (1996–2000). He is currently Professor of Theology and Hebrew at Concordia University Chicago, where he has served since 2000.