Daniel 12:2 and the Threat of Shame
Since at least the post-Nicene period, Dan 12:2 has been cited often as a foundational text for the eschatological conception of hell within the Christian Bible. However, when examined within its original sociological context, this passage can be more accurately understood as reflecting a specific...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Afrikaans |
| Published: |
Old Testament Society of South Africa
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Old Testament Essays |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ote-journal.otwsa-otssa.org.za/index.php/journal/article/view/670 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Since at least the post-Nicene period, Dan 12:2 has been cited often as a foundational text for the eschatological conception of hell within the Christian Bible. However, when examined within its original sociological context, this passage can be more accurately understood as reflecting a specific threat of shame deeply embedded in the honour-based society of the ancient Mediterranean during the Second Temple Period. The linguistic connection of דראון (“contempt, abhorrence”) to Isaiah, particularly concerning the fear of non-burial and corpse exposure, reinforces this interpretation by emphasising the concept of shame tied to one’s manner of death (Isa 66:24). This study employs a sociological approach to explore the language of “shame and contempt” in Dan 12:2 within its Judaic cultural framework, focusing on burial practices and the associated threat of non-burial. It argues that the author intended to depict an extremely specific and detailed punishment of shame by corpse exposure as a punitive consequence rather than implying a prototype of eternal torment in a place called “hell.”
|
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1010-9919 2312-3621 |