THE BOLD, THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE BEASTS IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL
Abstract
Bodies abound in the book of Daniel. In the very first chapter bold captives refuse defilement of their bodies by foreign food and present “bodies of evidence” to support their case. In the next story history itself finds embodiment in a huge statue. In the two martyr stories (Dan 3 and 6) potentially destructive bodily punishment is envisaged. In Dan 4 the body of a king becomes the body of a beast and in Dan 5 a severed bodily part leads to a king losing control over his bodily functions. In the visionary part of the book (Dan 7-12) empires find embodiment in weird animals, and even the divine being is represented by a (human) body! The book reaches a climax in the last chapter by hinting at a bodily resurrection. This paper addresses the question of what these bodies are “saying” apart from the words uttered by the talking characters to which they “belong.” What are the cultural structures that are subverted or reinforced by means of the silently speaking bodies in the book of Daniel?Downloads
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