← Research & Evidence
Contested claim
When was the Book of Daniel written?
DisputedDo not present as archaeologically settled either way. Manuscripts narrow the window; the composition debate remains.
Daniel 11
The claim
The Book of Daniel was composed in the sixth century BCE (the setting it describes).
Evidence presented
Persian loanwords, accurate Neo-Babylonian background (Belshazzar), and Qumran copies authoritative by ~125 BCE are cited for an early date. [conservative scholarship]
Alternative explanation
The mainstream-critical majority dates the final form to c. 165 BCE: Daniel 11 is detailed and accurate down to Antiochus IV, then its predictions diverge at his death; Greek loanwords; apocalyptic genre; placement in the Writings, not the Prophets. Older court-tale material (ch. 1–6) may be earlier.
Peer-review status
Disputed — majority: 2nd-c. final form; conservative: 6th c.
Archaeological status
Manuscripts confirm the book existed and was authoritative by ~125 BCE, which narrows but does not settle composition.
What would establish the claim
- A datable manuscript or external reference decisively before the 2nd c.
- Consensus on the loanword and genre evidence
Sources & further reading
- 4Q Daniel (4Q112) — the Qumran manuscript itself, Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library manuscript (primary evidence)
- E. Ulrich et al., Discoveries in the Judaean Desert XVI: Qumran Cave 4.XI (Oxford: Clarendon, 2000) — the critical edition of the Daniel scrolls scholarly critical edition (print; not linked)
- Book of Daniel — background on the date-of-composition debate tertiary reference
This verdict is about the specific historical or scientific claim — not a judgment about faith or the meaning of the text.
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