PRINCE OF PERSIA IN DANIEL 10:13: ANALYSIS OF INTERPRETATION AND CONTEMPORARY SIGNIFICANCE
Abstract
In spite of the renewed interest in the study of apocalyptic prophecy in Daniel, one enigmatic question remains: Who is actually the prince of Persia? The identity of the prince of Persia in Dan 10:13 has generated diverse opinions among scholars. Whereas some claim that the prince of Persia should be interpreted literally as human such Cyrus, the king of Persia, others assert that he is Cambyses, the crown prince. Another school of thought posits an angelical interpretation such the guardian angel of Persia assigned to the sponsorship and control of the Persian realm that vehemently stands against the delivery of the divine answer to Daniel’s quest angel of Persia. Thus, the study is an attempt to evaluate the strength and weakness of the two opposing views in the identity of prince of Persia in the narrative of conflict in Dan 10:13-21 between שר “prince” of Persia and Michael, highlighting their contemporary implications in ongoing discourse. The possibility of each interpretative understanding has been detailed in this paper. The study however recognizes the use of metaphor in the apocalyptic prophecy writing of Daniel that a literal translation will be difficult to suggest vis a vis theological implication. This suggests that a translation of Daniel 10:13 metaphorically presents an understanding devoid of pretext and indicates Daniel’s intention to impress upon his hearers the significance of paying attention to apocalyptic characteristics of the book of Daniel.
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