Prophecy in the Book of Daniel
The following articles concerning the Christian Bible's book of Daniel is excerpt and summary, with permission, of "Daniel in the Debunker's Den" by Frank R. Zindler and posted in its entirety at: http://www.atheists.org/christianity/daniel.html
There is much to learn about biblical prophecy in general by examining carefully a specific example: the Book of Daniel. The prophet Daniel, purportedly writing around the year 530 BCE, is believed by many religious people to have predicted political events that lay some four centuries in their future. There is very solid evidence that the Book of Daniel was actually written much later than the Babylonian Captivity (597-538 BCE.), most probably in the Greek era, around 165 BCE. The real author of Daniel was not the prophet Daniel and was not writing predictive prophecy but history-and rather sloppy or reconstructionist history at that!
The primary evidence against composition immediately following or during the time of the Babylonian Captivity involves the many factual errors concerning that period. If the writer were composing the book of Daniel under the influence or inspiration of Jehovah, how could the known errors exist? These errors are in glaring contrast to the supposed accurate "prophecies" about the later Greek period (allegedly in the future, but actually the period in which the book was most likely written). A list of the major errors include:
Daniel claimed to be a member of the ruling class and to have lived in Judah and Babylon during this entire period; how could he not know these facts? The only reasonable conclusion is that most, if not all, of the Book of Daniel is a forgery, written by someone living centuries later.
The King of Judah
During the Fall of Jerusalem
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. The Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his power . . . and he carried them off to the land of Shinar . . .
(Dan. 1:1-2)
The writer of this passage obviously thinks that the king of Judah during this time was Jehoiakim. The third year of Jehoiakim's reign was 606-605 BCE and Nebuchadnezzar (606-561 BCE) was most likely not yet king of Babylon.
Secular history tells us that Jehoiakim was dead and his son Jehoiachin was on the throne when Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem in 597 (or 586, depending on your expert, but well after Jehoiakim's reign) BCE carrying off the royal court and leading citizens into exile.
Two other books of the Bible contradict Daniel and agree that Jehoiachin was king at this time (although they disagree as to his age): Jehoiachin was eight years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. (2 Chr. 36: 9) and Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months . . .(2 Ki 24:8). Imagine! Daniel, a loyal Jew noted for piety and wisdom - and of the ruling class to boot - unaware that Jehoiakim was dead and his son Jehoiachin was the new king!
If the real author of Daniel was writing four centuries later, it is understandable that the short three-month reign of Jehoiakim's son could have been forgotten or not known and, therefore was blended with the father's reign, especially with names as similar as Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin. But it is not credible that Daniel, the aristocrat, who supposedly (or anyone else who) lived through those three months would have forgotten who the king of Judah was at the time of Jerusalem's fall and destruction.
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