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All rights reserved. ‘This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road ‘Ann Arbor, MI 48103Copyright by Lewis 0. Anderson Jr., 1997 ALL Rights ReservedTHE MICHAEL FIGURE IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL A dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Theology by Lewis 0. Anderson, Jr. ira kK WIA Faculty Adviser: William H. Shea “Bfrector, Ph.D /#/h,D. Programs Associate Director, Biblical fandali W. ¥ Research Institute Ahuncte @. bag Kenneth A. Strand Professor of Church History, Werné Emeritus wel ee ——___ Terfy Mobn Assistant Professor of Church History olbgical seminary . Vyhmeister Willem A. VanGene¥en Professor of Old Semitic Languagesl Trinity Evangelical Divinity SchoolABSTRACT ‘THE MICHAEL FIGURE IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL by Lewis 0. Anderson, Jr. Adviser: William H. SheaABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: THE MICHAEL FIGURE IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL Name of researcher: Lewis 0. Anderson, Jr. Name and degree of faculty adviser: William H. Shea, M.D., Ph.D. Date completed: July 2, 1997 Problem In the book of Daniel, The Michael figure, although mentioned only three times, occupies a prominent position in history and at the eschaton as the heavenly guardian prince of Israel. The Michael Problem, although complex, may be understood as basically twofold: Who is Michael? What is Michael's function? In the first question, a basic issue is whether Michael is a Prominent angel, or a divine, messianic being. Another issue in this Same question is the extent to which Michael is to be identified with other OT beings, within or outside the book of Daniel, such as the Son of Man, Prince of the Host, and Angel of the Lord. In the second question, Michael's function in history in relation to the princes of Persia and Greece and his activity at theeschaton are considered. For example, is his function military, Judicial, or both? Method This was an exegetical study of the Michael passages in their historical setting with a comparison also of Michael with other OT figures. Conclusions ‘The conclusions reached are as follows: Michael is leader of the angelic hosts and of Israel, Daniel's people. He is Israel's patron, leader and guardian, in history and at the eschaton. Michael appears to be more than an angel. With his own distinct identity, occupying a position of focus and attention more chracteristic of the divine being and functioning as heavenly warrior who intervenes to save his people Israel, Michael is another depiction of God. Michael is identified with the Prince of the Host of Yahweh, a veiled depiction of God and the messianic, divine Son of Man. The Angel of the Lord is a precursor of Michael, functioning as God's visier and Israel’s guardian, as does Michael in Daniel. Michael is God in His role as divine warrior, acting in behalf of His people Israel in salvation and judgment. The heavenly being who appeared in the fiery furnace is likely the divine Angel of the Lord, and is therefore probably Michael, Israel's guardian. Michael struggles in history with the demonic prince of Persia to prevent him from influencing the Persian king(s) to stop favoring Israel.Michael's eschatological functions are both judicial and military as he destroys the anti-God persecuting pover, superintends the deliverance of Israel and the resurrection, and inaugurates the glorious new ageTo my wife Saba For her support and assistanceTABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ...... 2.0.4.4 INTRODUCTION. 2... ee ee ee eee Organization of the Dissertation . . Pea Limitations and Delimitations of the Study ||... Chapter I, HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION . . . pododucda0 Interpretations within Judaism : Interpretation in Apocalyptic Judaism . Qumran Interpretation Interpretation of Philo... 1.1... 0.~ Interpretation in Rabbinic Judaism. . 1... Christian Interpretation from the NT Era until the Protestant Reformation... .. . NT Interpretation . . . B6G0d9 Interpretation in the Ancient Church | | | Medieval Interpretation . . . Interpretation from the Reformation to the Close | of the Nineteenth Century .......... Messianic Interpretation... . 1... Angel {cjincerpretetionf tg) ee ‘Twentieth-century Interpretation Messianic Interpretation... . 2.2.5.0... Angelic Interpretation... . 2... 0.00. Summary of the Historical Survey 111) 11112! II. THE NAME AND PRINCIPAL DESIGNATION OF MICHAEL ‘The Name Michael in Hebrew . . . a6 Michael in Other Ancient Semitic Parallels | West Semitic Parallels. .......... Eblaite.... . . Booed ss U5 (epee ete ae ee a i Ugeritic 2. ee (Arama ee ee placer chm ee ee eee eee ee Palestinian. 22-2... Akkadian Parallels... 2.2... Le The Designation "Prince" ©... 2... Meaning of far... . B00gdaduGb05 far in the Book of Daniel | | a0 50 bon ‘ax as a Designation for Earthly Beings | iv 85 92 92 92 Loo 102 103 103 123 128 129 130 130far as a Designation of Heavenly Beings . S05 Related Uses of far inthe OT... 2... 1. a0 Sax as a Designation for Earthly Beings |. | | | Sar as a Designation for Heavenly Beings |. Relationship to the Idea of "King"... . Relationship to the Idea of "Angel"... 1... far 25 4 Designation of Pagan Gods... 2. | Summary... pip ecu boas DESIGNATIONS AND FUNCTIONS OF MICHAEL IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL... . Soe The Context of the Michael Passages... .. 1... Designations of Michael... . oe The Designation "One of the Chief Princes” in Dan 10:13 7... eee ee The Numeral Jehid . . Bo0ebbac The Designation "Chief Princes"... |. | Excursus: Relative Dating of Daniel and. the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha . . . . The Resumption of the Designation "Chief Princes" The Designation of "Your Prince" in Dan 10:21 ‘The Designation of "Great Prince" in Dan 12:1 | "The Children of Thy People” ........ "Prince" as Michael's Title... 11... Michael as "the Great Prince”... 1. 1. The Functions of Michael in Dan 10 | . eae The Relationship between Michael and (he) Unnamed Figure(s) . . . : Bb ono ae The View That There Is One Unnamed Figure in Dan 10. . . Bee enea The View That There Are Two Unnamed Figures in Dan 10... . .: Michael and the "Man in Linen". . |. The Relationship of Michael to the Princes of Fersia and Greece. . . ec The Identity of the Princes of Persia and Greece | | Earthly Kings of the Nations .. 2... . Heavenly Beings . . 5 The Activity of Michael in Dan 10 22222221! The Functions of Michael in Dan 12... 2.2.1... Eschatological Setting... . 2... 111. Eschatological Activity ©... 2). ll "stand Up" st sstand for". Time of Trouble. Delive: Reward of the Wise . | | oe The Identity and Functions of Michael |... 1... Michael's Leading Role in the Eschaton.) 1... Michael, a Divine Being ©... 1 21. 130 131 131 132 133 136 135 139 142 142 146 144 145 149 156 167 168 im 171 17% 175 181 182 182 190 195 202 202 203 208 239 258 258 262 262 am. 273 278 279 284 286 286 288 294IV. MICHAEL AND OTHER OLD TESTAMENT FIGURES ....... . . 296 Michael and Other Danielic Figures . +--+. 296 Prince of the Host/Prince of Princes... |. | | | 29 Michael and the Son of Man... 2...) 317 Examination of Some Basic Issues... |) ) |) 321 The Son of Man Identified with Michael | | | | | 342 Michael and a Messianic Son of Man...) |) | 351 Michael and the One "Like a Son of the Gods". | | | 361 Michael and the Angel of the Lord . tee. 369 Passages Which Refer to the mallak yahveh | | | |) 369 Analysis of the malak yahweh Passages...) |. | 370 Jacob's Blessing . | : ee 72 The Angel of the Exodus |) 1) 1) l 39 The Visions of Zechariah - 2 1) 1) 1) ) 379 The Angelic Representative View. 21.) ) ) | 381 Prince of the Host as Angel of the Lord » || | | | 386 Parallels with the Michael Figure...) | | 389 Summary ee ll) 896 V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION. © 2... ee. 399 Summary of Chapter 2: The Name and Princtpal Designation of Michael... 2.2... . 399 The Name Michael»... ll G99 The Designation "Prince" . Fee tk 402 Sunmary of Chapter 3: Designations and Functions of Michael... ce 403 Designations of Michael in Dan 10 and 12... | |! 404 Excursus: Dating of Daniel and the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha . . . . Fees 405 The Function of Michael in Dan 10 and12.._ | | 407 The Function of Michael in Dan10..... |. 407 Michael and the Princes of Persia and Greece | | 410 ‘The Function of Michael in Dan 12... ..... 416 Identity and Function of Michael... . 419 Summary of Chapter 4: Michael and Other OT Figures: ++ 420 Michael and Other Danielic Figures... .... . 420 Prince of the Host/Prince of Princes | | | || | 420 Michael and the Son of Man. . ss 422 Michael and the One "Like a Son of the Gods" | | 427 Michael and the Angel of the Lord ....... | | 428 Conclusion... . . bdac fee 43 Michael's Identity and Function | | Fee. 431 Michael and Other Figures...) 1) 1) ) 436 Prince of the Host ©... 36 The Son of Man. . eee 37) One Like a Son of the Gods |.) +1) 1 ] ase Angel of the Lord. 2... ll) a3 APPENDIX. ee O60 BIBLIOGRAPHY... ee See 456 viAPN asv EREBPREEE PEREP ES LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ‘The Anchor Bible Archiv far Orientforschung Amexican Journal of Semitic Languages and Literature Ante-Nicene Fathers Amorite Personal Names in the Mari Texts ‘The Apocrypha and Pseudepigraphs of the OT, R. H. Charles, ed. ‘American Standard Version of the Bible anglican Theological Review andrews University Seminary Studies Biblical Archaeologist Biblical Archaeologist Review Bulletin of the american Schools of Oriental Research Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, Brown, Driver and Briggs, eds Biblia Hebraica (- BHK and BHS) Biblia Hebraica Kittel. Concordia Theological Monthly. ADictionary of the Bible, Wm. Smith, ed. viiJournal of Semitic Studies Journal of Theological Studies Jerusalem Bible Koehler and Baumgartner, Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros. King James Version Septuagint Monde Juif Patrologiiae Graeca, Migne, ed. viiiNASB NIv NENF RSV SBL Masoretic Text New American Standard Bible New International Version Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers ‘The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge New Testament Oriental Studies Old Testament ‘The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Charlesworth, ed. Oudtestamentische Studién Palestine Exporation Fund Palestine Exploration Quarterly Revue Biblique Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenvart Revised Standard Version Society of Biblical Literature Studia Biblica et Theologica Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary Scottish Journal of Theology ‘Tyndale Bulletin Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament Theologische Handworterbuch zum alten Testament, Jenni and Westermann, eds. Thesaurus Linguae Graecae Theological studies ‘Theologische Worterbuch zum alten TestamentINTRODUCTION This dissertation {s a report of an investigation of the Michael figure in the Bible book of Daniel. “Michael the Archangel" is a familiar image, not only to Bible scholars, but also to the average person with a Judeo-Christian background. ‘The Michael figure, though mentioned in Daniel in only three Passages, occupies in Daniel a very prominent position in the activ- ity of heavenly beings. Michael not only possesses pre-eminent _ authority to do battle with the powers arrayed against God’s people in Daniel‘s time (Dan 10:13, 21), but also figures prominently in the eschatological victory (Dan 12:1-3). Moreover, Michael is mentioned in the NT in roles reminiscent of those in Daniel. He is prominent in the angelology of apocalyptic and Rabbinic Judaism and in ancient and aedieval Jewish and Christian angelology. A clear understanding of the Michael figure in Daniel is essential for a clear view of the message of Daniel, and as a prerequisite for understanding later occurrences of Michael in Jewish and Christian literature. The Michael figure in Daniel has been somewhat neglected in modern scholarship. The focus of works devoted to Michael within the Past century has been primarily on developments and elaborations of Michael in extra-canonical, ancient Jewish writings and in ancient and medieval Christian literature. These studies have not ignored the Michael passages in Daniel, but have tended to neglect the close and2 extended scrutiny that they need to receive. Of course, commentaries on Daniel give attention to the Michael figure, and frequently do so with a certain amount of careful and important discussion, but the very nature of commentaries precludes the fuller treatment called for. Important works on angel- ology have also given Michael's place in Daniel some passing attention, at times fairly significant, but nevertheless lacking the exhaustive treatment which is beyond their scope. Journal articles dealing directly with Michael in Daniel are infrequent. More often such articles treat the Danielic Michael only secondarily, and they do so, basically, from but one approach. Various Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias of religion contain excellent articles on Michael, but they too suffer from a similar brevity in scope In this century no dissertation has been written on Michael. In fact, in the course of this research, no exegetical work dealing in depth with the Michael figure in Daniel has been discovered. Thus, the present dissertation contributes toward filling this lacuna in biblical study. Organization of the Dissertation To study adequately the figure of Michael in the book of Daniel, it was necessary to address three basic issues relating to him: (1) the designations of Michael (i.e., his name, "Michael," and his other principle designation, "prince"); (2) the function of Michael, involving an exegetical study of the passages in Daniel where he is mentioned; and (3) the relationship of Michael to certain other OT figures within and outside of the book of Daniel.3 Chapter 1 of the dissertation is a survey of the history of the interpretation of Michael. This is followed by three main chap- ters. Chapter 2 is devoted to the name Michael and the designation “prince” in the context of the OT and in other relevant literature and documents of the ancient Near East. Chapter 3 deals with the function of Michael, and is primarily an exegetical study of Michael's activity in context. Chapter 4 compares Michael with other figures in Daniel and elsewhere in the OT. Within Daniel, these figures are the Prince of the Host/Prince of princes (Dan 8:11, 25), one like a son of man (Dan 7:13-14), and one like a son of the gods (Dan 3:35). Outside of Daniel, Michael is compared with the “angel of the Lord". Chapter 5 presents a summary of ay findings and some conclusions that may be drawn, Limitations and Delimitations of the Study Since Michael is named only in Daniel in the Hebrew canon, this study focuses on the book of Daniel and Bible books known to have been written earlier. As Daniel shares many of the literary characteristics o€ Jewish apocryphal and pseudepigraphal writings, it is necessary to address the relationship between them and the book of Daniel, especialiy the question of relative dating. Michael in the NT, though touched upon in passing, was not included within the scope of this study.