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The first micro-paragraph implies several themes regarding the apocalyptic communication between the heavenly and earthly beings, the channel of the revelatory communication, the symbolic visionary mode of the revelatory communication, prophetic and judicial authority in its revelatory communication, and its content. Among these themes, the revelatory content implied in the expression a] dei/ gene,sqai evn ta,cei is the most prominent theme in light of the chiastic-concentric composition of the unit. To put it another way, this conceptual composition signals the revelatory content as the foreground-theme in the unit, while denoting others as background-themes in an embracing and clarifying manner. More significantly, the foreground-

2nd paragraph thesis thesis clarification legitimation 1st paragraph thesis purpose 1st micro-paragraph 2nd micro-paragraph 3rd micro-paragraph 4th micro-paragraph 5th micro-paragraph

thematic reference as a whole shows a clear passing-referential aspect to Dan 2:28-29 and 45 initially at the level of the surface structure (cf. 2 Bar 10:3).74 In particular, its allusive signifier is syntactically and semantically almost identical to the OT signifier in LXX Dan 2:28 (cf. Theo. Dan 2:28), as the following comparison clearly shows:75

Rev 1:1 Dan 2:28-29, 45 (LXX) Dan 2:28-29, 45

dei/xai toi/j… (28)evdh,lwse tw/|… …[d;ªAhw>(28)

a] dei/ gene,sqai evn ta,cei a] dei/ gene,sqai evpV evsca,twn tw/n h`merw/n aY"+m;Ay tyrIåx]a;B. awEßh/l, yDIî hm' ²

(29)o[sa dei/ gene,sqai evpV evsca,twn tw/n h`merw/n hn"+d> yreäx]a; awEßh/l, yDIî hm' (29)

(45)ta. evso,mena evpV evsca,twn tw/n h`merw/n yreäx]a; awEßh/l, yDIî hm'(45)

This passing-referential aspect of the foreground-thematic reference directs us to examine the way in which its original references are used in order to discover its meaning or significance. The clause in Dan 2:28 and its variant in Dan 2:29 which constitute a cohesively unified unit in

terms of their parallel composition.76 They functionally introduce the immediately following

vision proper (Dan 2:30-35) and preliminarily characterize its visionary content.77 In parallel,

74

A similar expression with reference to Daniel 2:28-29 is also found in 2 Bar 10:3b (“I shall show you…what will happen at the end of days.”). Unlike the Danielic reference, Baruch’s reference is not immediately followed by its visionary accounts – it is immediately followed by Baruch’s lamentation (2 Bar 10:4-12:4). Nevertheless, Baruch’s reference to the promise of an end-time vision shares the fundamentally same conceptual framework as the Danielic reference. The promise of an end-time vision is given to Baruch with the commandment to stay ‘in the desolation of Zion’ (2 Bar 10:3a). The connection between the promise and the specific situation implies that ‘what will happen at the end of days” may be related to the restoration of Zion (cf. 2 Bar 4:1-7). This is confirmed by the visionary accounts of the end-times in the rest of the book particularly in 2 Bar 26-32 that show

God-directed history moving forward to the establishment of New Jerusalem: Tribulation (26-28)protection of

God’s people in the tribulation (29:2)appearance of the Anointed One (29:3)judgment on all the nations (30:3-5)

and on all evil (32:6)His new creation, i.e., the restoration of Zion (32:2-4). This ongoing aspect of salvific history

is fundamentally the same thing that is found in Dan 2 and 7. In this sense, the reference to the promise of the end- time vision in 2 Bar 10:3b also connotes the salvific historical perspective, by referring to the visionary accounts in the rest of the book.

75 _{Strictly speaking, the verbs and adverbial phrases of Dan 2:28 and Rev 1:1 are somewhat different due to}

the allusive nature of the latter. The verbs of the old and new texts belong to the same semantic domain and both phrases are semantically related to the notion of the end-times, even though the latter phrases are different in significance. The significance of the change between the two passages will be discussed in due course.

76

Dan 2:28 and 2:29 are verbally and semantically in parallel. This means that both passages are a unit tied in a high degree of cohesion. The slot of Dan 2:28-29 functions as an introductory unit to the vision proper.

77

Cf. Beale, 1998, 177. Strictly speaking, the boundary of the vision in Dan 2 is signaled by one of the typical

apocalyptic visionary markers, ‘you … were looking and behold’ –Wl’a)w: ‘t'y>w:’h) hzEÜx'…ÎT.n>a:åÐ;(MT Dan 2:31a);kai. su,…

e`w,rakaj kai. ivdou(LXX Dan 2:31a). This visionary marker is frequently found at the beginning of the visions in

another variant which is used at the end of the narrated vision (Dan 2:45b) functions to summarize not only the preceding narrated vision (Dan 2:36-45a), but also the whole visionary account (Dan 3:30-44) by the compactly summarized reference to the vision of the metallic statue (2:45a). This is confirmed by the immediately following expression: ‘the dream is certain, and its interpretation is trustworthy’ (HrE(v.Pi !m:ïyhem.W am'Þl.x, byCiîy:w>). It is in parallel with the previous references and clearly refers back to the previous vision proper as well as its narrated visionary unit (2:45c). In this way, the whole visionary account is bracketed by the Danielic expressions located at the beginning and end of the unit. This embracing composition implies that the signified concept of the Danielic references is linked closely with the conceptual framework of the central part – the former signifies the latter orvice versa.

Therefore, the signifier of the Danielic reference, which initially signifies the divinely decreed events in the latter days in its own expression, further signifies the main conceptual framework of the visionary account, in which the God-directed historical framework is depicted by the scheme of the four pagan kingdoms succeeded by His invincible kingdom. To put it another way, the inclusion of the Danielic references co-textually signifiesthe salvific historical framework that moves forward to the establishment of God’s kingdom through the destruction of illegitimate political power in world history. Thus, the Danielic references share the eschatological hopes of classical OT prophets. This hope is vividly universalized in Daniel 2 by its four-kingdom scheme. Furthermore, the eschatological hope presented in the practice of the

mantic wisdom in Daniel 278 not only enhances God’s sovereignty upon the world history (Dan

2:27-28; cf. Dan 2:21), but also assures its fulfillment (Dan 2:45). In brief, the concept of the latter-day history implied in the Danielic expressions is co-textually supplemented with the

78

Whatever the extent of the influence of the mantic wisdom in Daniel, it is clear that Daniel’s function is parallel with the Babylonian mantic wise men whose function is to show the secrets of the future by interpreting dreams, astronomical signs, and oracles (esp. Dan 2:12-13). For a discussion of mantic wisdom in relation to Daniel, see Müller, 1972, 268-293; Bauckham, 2000, 47-51.

‘ever-forward-moving’ historical framework in which the kingdom of God must be established as the decisive moment of all human history through the destruction of evil power in a deterministic way (cf. Dan 10:21a).

A more supplementary idea to the signified concept of the Danielic reference may be made in light of its broader co-text, since Daniel 2-7 clearly shows a high degree of thematic unity in

terms of a thematic chiastic structure.79 First of all, the visionary account in Daniel 7 is

thematically parallel with the visionary account of Daniel 2 in the sense that both fundamentally depict the establishment of the kingdom of God through the scheme of the destruction of the

four pagan kingdoms.80 However, there are some significant differences between them. First,

the four-kingdom-statue in Daniel 2 is recasted as the four-kingdom-beasts emerging from the sea in Daniel 7. Second, the role of ‘the stone cut out of the mountain without hands’ in Daniel 2 is reforged by the role of ‘one like a son of man’ in Daniel 7. Third, the destruction of the evil power (Dan 7:9-10) is described as a result of the judgment in the heavenly court (7:11-12), while Daniel 2 describes the former only. Fourth, the participation of God’s people in the eschatological conflict is overtly described in Daniel 7, while it is not found in Daniel 2. The first three points are not fundamental differences due to the following reasons: (1) the characters are recasted in basically the same framework of both chapters; (2) the destruction of the evil

power by the divine judgment in Daniel 7 is already hinted in Daniel 2,81 even though the

heavenly throne room is newly added as the source of the judgment (7:10). However, the fourth one is a new idea, which is significantly heightened by the angel’s interpretation (Dan 7:16-28). The theme of the conflict between the saints and the evil power is recapitulated throughout the unit in terms of the following dialectic pattern: ‘The four kingdoms arisen from the earth’ (17)

79 _{Cf. Lenglet, 1972, 169-90.}

80

The parallel between Dan 2 and Dan 7 is generally accepted by modern critics. von Rad, 1965, 304; Goldingay, 1989, 152; for an argument of ‘midrashic adaptation’, see Childs, 1979, 617; Collins, 1984, 79.

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 ‘the eternal kingdom of the saints’ (18);82 ‘the conquest of the fourth kingdom over the

saints’ (19-21)83  ‘the saints’ possession of the kingdom through the judgment of the

messianic figure’ (22); ‘temporal persecution of the fourth blasphemous kingdom upon the saints’ (24-25)84 ‘the saints’ eternal victory through the final judgment of the heavenly court’ (26-27). Furthermore, the concept of the ultimate victory of God’s people through the threat also is found in the parallels of the central part: Daniel 3 and 6 show significantly not only martyrdom of God’s people as a result of faithfulness in the threat of the evil power, but also their deliverance; Daniel 4 and 5 imply significantly God’s sovereignty over the kings in terms of humiliation of their pride. Considering that the God-directed historical framework implied in Daniel 2 and 7 syntagmatically embraces the themes of the central part, a theological proposition may be made in the following paraenetic sense: Although God’s people are threatened by the evil power, even to death, their deliverance is secured ultimately by Him who supremely directs and intervenes in the world history. In this sense, the God-directed historical framework is used ultimately for the purpose of paraenetic warning and comfort to His people who are in pagan empires, emphasizing the transfer of sovereignty over all nations from the evil power to ‘the one like a son of man’ and his people in its deterministic framework. Hence, the signified concept of the Danielic reference in Dan 2:28-29 and 45 becomes supplemented or explained in greater detail in the rest of the chiastic discourse. In a syntagmatic reading of Daniel as a whole,85 therefore, it may be said that the Danielic reference co-textually signifies

82

The four kingdoms arisen from the earth are juxtaposed with the kingdom of the saints ‘for all ages to come’. This juxtaposition implies not only the entirety of God-directed history, but also the transfer of sovereignty from this age to the age to come.

83

To be precise, the defeat of the saints is done by ‘the horn with eyes and a mouth’ that comes from the fourth kingdom and represents the final adversary of God.

84

In detail, the last horn is the same one that has eyes and a mouth persecutes the saints and makes blasphemies against the Most High during the final period implied in the expression, “a time, times, and half a time” (cf. Dan 12:7).

85

Whether or not Dan 7-12 is added later as avaticinium ex eventuin a midrashic form, the above argument is

still valid. Two reasons can be made with regard to this. First, Dan 2-6 which is allegedly known as “the oldest traditional material” in the book already indicates paraenetic use of God-directed history, as noted above. Cf. von Rad, 1965, 309-10. As many have noticed, the contents of Dan 2 are extended in greater detail in Dan 7-12. Second, the

or encapsulates the ongoing salvific historical framework that is designed to warn and to comfort those who are in a threatening world.

We are now in position to examine whether John’s Danielic allusion signifies the concept of its original text. John’s use of the Danielic allusions is very much similar to the usage of its original text, considering their sytagmatic functions in the visionary compositions. The Danielic allusion in Rev 1:1 is parallel with exactly the same expression in Rev 22:6. This parallel indicates that almost the entire vision of the book is introduced and epitomized by the Danielic allusion, just as does its original text.86 Its variants which function as co-textual focuses (Rev 1:19 and 4:1) also characterize preliminarily the contents of their visionary units, referring back to their previous visionary units. The allusion in Rev 1:19 directs its previous vision (Rev 1:9ff) to the seven messages (even to the rest of the book), characterizing both of them.87 In a similar way, the allusion in Rev 4:1, which refers back to the previous vision(s), also characterizes the

following whole visions.88 Thus, at significant junctures the Danielic allusions are used for

characterizing preliminarily the contents of the visionary accounts. This functional

correspondence between the old and new texts, along with a high degree of similarity between their surface structures, indicates that the Danielic allusion in Rev 1:1 may signify the conceptual framework implied in its original text. This is confirmed by the conceptual framework in the second paragraph, of which the slot functions as a reason paragraph to the

intertextual reading through the lens of the model audience requires us to read Dan 2-7 as a whole unit since John employs several motifs from Dan 2 and 7 in relation to God-directed history – ‘one like a son of man’, the sea-beast, the defeats of the saints, and ‘a time, times, and half a time’. For a discussion of a syntagmatic dynamic beween Dan 1-6 and 7-12 in terms of “chain-link interlock” structure, see Longenecker, 2005, 74-79.

86

Cf. Beale, 1999, 160.

87

For a discussion of Rev 1:19 as a co-textual focus, see section ‘3.2. Identification of the Opening Unit Boundary” in this thesis; cf. Beale, 1999, 160. For discussion of various interpretive views regarding the phrase in Rev 1:19, see Beale, 1998, 165-192.

88

The phrasemeta. tau/ta is used primarily as a deictic reference, rather than a substitute for the Danielic

phrase (evpV evsca,twn tw/n h`merw/n) as its synonymous phrase. John consistently uses the phrase in relation to the

previous visions (Rev 4:1; 7:1, 9; 9:12; 15:5; 18:1; 19:1; 20:3). However, considering that Danielic latter-day history has already been inaugurated in John’s time, the deictic reference may also be understood in the eschatological sense,

since the previous visions are already in the latter days. If this is in John’s mind, the phrasemeta. tau/tamay imply

previous paragraph. The second paragraph implies God-directed history that moves toward the establishment of His kingdom, noted earlier. Interestingly, Christ’s future coming which is described as the decisive moment of the historical framework is coloured by the allusive reference to ‘one like a son of man’ in Dan 7:13 (Rev 1:7a, i.e., colon 9). This is fundamentally the same historical framework that Daniel 2-7 denotes. This framework is connected semantically to the first paragraph as its reason. Therefore, it may be said that the Danielic allusion in Rev 1:1 is used intentionally for signifying God’s salvific plan that is particularly implied in Daniel 2-7.

On the other hand, a new significance in John’s use of the Danielic allusion is found. He changes89 the typical expression of the ‘latter days’ –evpV evsca,twn tw/n h`merw/n (aY"+m;Ay tyrIåx)a;B.)90 – with the imminent temporal expressionevn ta,cei.91 This temporal change significantly implies that the latter-day historical framework is no longer about the distant future, but about what is

imminently forthcoming.92 This notion, however, should not be confined to the near futuristic

sense only. Rather, itmustinclude the notion of present time as well, since the latter-day history prophesied in Daniel 2 already has been partially fulfilled in the author’s era. This new significance is confirmed by the Christ-centred time framework of the second micro-paragraph, in which the present identity of the seven churches is described as the ‘kingdom’ of [to] God (evpoi,hsen h`ma/j basilei,an … tw/| qew/|), and this kingdom finally will be established by Jesus

89

If we compare the Danielic allusion in Rev 1:1 with LXX Dan 2:28, another verbal change fromdhlo,wto

dei,knumiis found (cf. Theo. Dan 2:28,gnwri,zw). The LXX Daniel uses the verbdhlo,wfifteen times as a rendering of

hw"x;or[d;y>(Dan 2:5, 6, 9a, 9b, 11, 16, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 47; 7:16; cf. Dan 10:1), while Revelation exclusively

uses the verbdei,knumi(Rev 1:1; 4:1; 17:1; 21:9, 10; 22:1, 6, 8). The verb used in relation to Nebuchadnezzar’s

visionary account seems to emphasize its informative nuance regarding the ‘mysteries’; on the other hand, the change

fromdhlo,wtodei,knumi in Rev 1:1 seems to stress the visionary nuance of the revelation, although the two verbs are

in the same semantic domain of ‘clearly shown’ or ‘revealed’. See Louw and Nida, 1989, 340.

90

Cf. Hos 3:5; Mic 4:1; Jer 30:24 (37:24); Ezek 38:16.

91

There are several views of the interpretation of the phrase evn ta,cei: (1) the phrase is used in the sense of

the rapid fulfillment of the Daniel prophecy (e.g., Walvoord, 1966, 35); (2) the phrase denotes the mere certainty of fulfillment of the prophecy anytime (Johnson, 1981, 416-17; Mounce, 1998, 41); (3) the imminent time in Dan 2 has already begun (Sweet, 1979, 58; Beale, 1999, 181-82). See also Mounce, 1998, 41; Beale, 1998, 167.

92

Christ’s future coming, an allusion in reference to ‘one like a son of man’ in Daniel 7:13-14. Therefore, the Danielic allusion in the first micro-paragraph, slightly modifying the signifier of its original text, produces a new significance that the latter-day history has already inaugurated and is near its ultimate fulfillment. If this is the idea in John’s mind as the content of the book, the inaugurated latter-day history may be of significance to understanding the whole visionary account. This theme is utilized rhetorically in the second micro-paragraph.

As co-textual analysis has shown, the imminent temporal phrase evn ta,ceiis recaptured by

the temporal clause o` ga.r kairo.j evggu,j that follows in the second micro-paragraph. This

connection can be substantiated further by the intertextual relationship between Rev 1:3 and Dan 7:22. John’s temporal clauseo` ga.r kairo.j evggu,j seems to allude to the temporal reference

hj'm. an"åm.zIw> (the ‘time arrived’) in Dan 7:22 (cf. o` kairo.j evdo,qh in the LXX, o` kairo.j e;fqasenin

Theodotion).93 The Danielic temporal expression refers co-textually to the penultimate time of

latter-day history in which ‘the Ancient One’ comes for judgment and the saints take possession

of the kingdom. John’s temporal clause signifies the same concept. The phrase o` … kairo.j

connotes the futuristic decisive moment that is divinely decreed94 since its temporal qualifier

evggu,j is used frequently for denoting the nearness of the penultimate goal in the NT.95 This is