The theory of the Four Empires as element opponent to Hellenism and Rome
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/1984-3356.2010v3n5p395Keywords:
Theory of the Four Empires, Daniel 2 and 7, Dead Sea Scrolls, Herodotus, Hesiod, Oracle HystaspesAbstract
This article analyzes the text of Daniel 2 and 7, and the Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q243-44 4Q245 Pseudo-Daniel; 4Q552 and 4Q553/4Q Four Kingdom) compared with the Greek theories of Hesiod and Herodotus. The theory on the succession of empires (Assyrian/Babylonian, Medes, Persians, Macedonians, Roma), one stronger than the other, is attested in Persian literature, the Greco-Roman, Hellenistic and Daniele Circles. Roman historians, who used Greek sources, added as a fifth to the Roman empire, the most strong and indestructible. In our research we located Persian and Greek influences attested in older substrate of Daniel, together with the prophetic traditions in the Old Testament and show that this theory was used differrently in Jewish apocalyptic circles Palestinians. The most notable difference between Greco-Roman sources and Daniel (AT or Qumran) is that he never added the fifth empire (Rome) and in Daniel 7, which explicitly emphasizes that after the defeat of the fourth empire (Seleucid-Hellenistic), by the kingdom of the saints of the Most High, would the “Kingdom of God”, timeless, whose king would be a “Son of Man”, the direct representative of the God of Israel.References
BIZZARRO, Laura F. El desarrollo de la idea mesiánica: en los textos de la cueva 4Q, la literatura apocalíptica y en los evangelios sinópticos. USAL. Journal Libre de Estudios Orientales, Transoxiana, 2007. Disponible en: http://www.transoxiana.org/12/bizzarro-mesianismo_qumran.php.
BIZZARRO, Laura F. Historia de la dominación romana en Palestina 63 a.C.- 70 d.C. Buenos Aires, 1989. Inedita
COLLINS, John J. A Pre-Christian “Son of God’ among the dead sea scrolls”. Biblical Review, v. 9, n. 3, Jun. 1993.
COLLINS, John J. The Apocalyptic Imagination: an Introduction to jewish apocalyptic literature. Chicago, Illinois: The Biblical Resource Series, 1997.
COTTER, Wendy. Greco-Roman apotheosis traditions and the resurrection appearances in Matthew. In: AUNE, David; THOMPSON, William G. S. J (ed.). The Gospel of Matthew in Current Study. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001. p. 127-153.
FLINT, Peter. Daniel Tradition at Qumran. In: CLASSEN, Carl Joachim; COLLINS, John Joseph; FLINT, Peter W.; VANEPPS, Cameron. The book of Daniel II: composition and reception. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
FLUSSER, David. The four empires in the fourth sibyl and in book of Daniel. Israel Oriental Studies, n. 2, p. 148-175, 1972.
GARCÍA MARTÍNEZ, Florentino. Textos de Qumran. Madrid: E. Trotta, 1992.
GARCÍA MARTÍNEZ, Florentino; WATSON, Wilfred. Dead sea scrolls: the Qumran text in english. Leiden, Brill 1994.
HUBEÑAK, Florencio. Historia política y profecía: Roma y los grandes imperios antiguos a la luz de las predicciones del Profeta Daniel. Hispania Sacra, v. 48, n. 97, p. 95-119, 1996.
HULL, Timothy; DONAHOE, Douglas J; BROSHI, Megan; y TOV, Emanuel. Radiocarbon dating of Scroll and linen fragments from the judean desert, Radiocarbon, v. 37, n. 1, p. 11–19, 1995.
LIBERAN, Mario. Más allá de la Biblia: historia antigua de Israel. Barcelona: Critica, 2005.
MAGEE, M. D. Menehem and the Son of God, 2008. Disponible en: http://www.askwhy.co.uk/christianity/0163Menehem.php.
MCGINN, Bernard de; COLLINS, John Joseph. The encyclopedia of apocalypticism. New York/London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000.
MOMIGLIANO, Arnaldo D.; BERTI, Silvia; MASELLA-GAYLEY, Maura. Essay on ancient and modern judaism. Chicago, Chicago University Press, 1994.
NISKANEN, Paul. The human and the divine in history: Herodotus and the book of Daniel. London/New York: T&T Clark, 2004. (JSOTSup. Series 396).
SHURER, Emil. Historia del pueblo Judío en tiempos de Jesús. Madrid: Cristiandad, 1985. T. 1.
SWAIN, Joseph. The theory of the four monarchies opposition history under Roman Empire. Classical Philology, v. 35, n. 1, jan. 1940.
VERMES, Geza. The impact of the dead sea scrolls on jewish studies during the last twenty-five years. Journal of Jewish Studies, n. 26, 1975.
BIZZARRO, Laura F. Historia de la dominación romana en Palestina 63 a.C.- 70 d.C. Buenos Aires, 1989. Inedita
COLLINS, John J. A Pre-Christian “Son of God’ among the dead sea scrolls”. Biblical Review, v. 9, n. 3, Jun. 1993.
COLLINS, John J. The Apocalyptic Imagination: an Introduction to jewish apocalyptic literature. Chicago, Illinois: The Biblical Resource Series, 1997.
COTTER, Wendy. Greco-Roman apotheosis traditions and the resurrection appearances in Matthew. In: AUNE, David; THOMPSON, William G. S. J (ed.). The Gospel of Matthew in Current Study. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001. p. 127-153.
FLINT, Peter. Daniel Tradition at Qumran. In: CLASSEN, Carl Joachim; COLLINS, John Joseph; FLINT, Peter W.; VANEPPS, Cameron. The book of Daniel II: composition and reception. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
FLUSSER, David. The four empires in the fourth sibyl and in book of Daniel. Israel Oriental Studies, n. 2, p. 148-175, 1972.
GARCÍA MARTÍNEZ, Florentino. Textos de Qumran. Madrid: E. Trotta, 1992.
GARCÍA MARTÍNEZ, Florentino; WATSON, Wilfred. Dead sea scrolls: the Qumran text in english. Leiden, Brill 1994.
HUBEÑAK, Florencio. Historia política y profecía: Roma y los grandes imperios antiguos a la luz de las predicciones del Profeta Daniel. Hispania Sacra, v. 48, n. 97, p. 95-119, 1996.
HULL, Timothy; DONAHOE, Douglas J; BROSHI, Megan; y TOV, Emanuel. Radiocarbon dating of Scroll and linen fragments from the judean desert, Radiocarbon, v. 37, n. 1, p. 11–19, 1995.
LIBERAN, Mario. Más allá de la Biblia: historia antigua de Israel. Barcelona: Critica, 2005.
MAGEE, M. D. Menehem and the Son of God, 2008. Disponible en: http://www.askwhy.co.uk/christianity/0163Menehem.php.
MCGINN, Bernard de; COLLINS, John Joseph. The encyclopedia of apocalypticism. New York/London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000.
MOMIGLIANO, Arnaldo D.; BERTI, Silvia; MASELLA-GAYLEY, Maura. Essay on ancient and modern judaism. Chicago, Chicago University Press, 1994.
NISKANEN, Paul. The human and the divine in history: Herodotus and the book of Daniel. London/New York: T&T Clark, 2004. (JSOTSup. Series 396).
SHURER, Emil. Historia del pueblo Judío en tiempos de Jesús. Madrid: Cristiandad, 1985. T. 1.
SWAIN, Joseph. The theory of the four monarchies opposition history under Roman Empire. Classical Philology, v. 35, n. 1, jan. 1940.
VERMES, Geza. The impact of the dead sea scrolls on jewish studies during the last twenty-five years. Journal of Jewish Studies, n. 26, 1975.
Downloads
Published
2010-02-19
How to Cite
BIZZARRO, Laura. The theory of the Four Empires as element opponent to Hellenism and Rome. Antíteses, [S. l.], v. 3, n. 5, p. 395–418, 2010. DOI: 10.5433/1984-3356.2010v3n5p395. Disponível em: https://ojs.uel.br/revistas/uel/index.php/antiteses/article/view/3493. Acesso em: 5 jul. 2024.
Issue
Section
Articles
License
The journal reserves the copyright on the contributions published, without material compensation for the author, and may make them available online in Open Access mode, through its own system or other databases; you can also make normative, orthographic and grammatical changes in the originals, in order to maintain the cultured standard of the language, with the final consent of the authors. The opinions expressed by the authors are their sole responsibility.
