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Qumran calender in Daniel?
This will be a piece for those who like to do some puzzling on a rainy day...
Recently I read an article (in Dutch, so I shall not bother you with the title), which stated - without
further reference or explanation - the following:
"Daniel 9-12.....de writer says he fasted from the friday before the start of the omer-count (calculated
according to the Zadokite calender) en he fasted untill and including Pentecost (15th day of 3th month.
Daniel 12:12)."
Now for starters, 'MY' book of Daniel doesn't state any such thing, in regards of Daniel's fasting dates,
let alone in 12:12, and thus I cannot boil any soup from the above. Can anybody? It's nonsens, right?
It is clear, I think, that the Qumran people borrowed their interests for calculations and fascination
for jubilees/sabbaticals from Daniel. But that doesn't mean they based their calender on that book as
well, I would say. Actually, I say 'borrowed' as I find it the most logical that these texts base themselves
on Daniel - that book thus being a 'forrunner' (option a). But i'm sure that the claim quoted above
would rather say 'shared' than 'borrowed', as it seems to suggest that the book Daniel should be
grouped among the 'Zadokite documents' (like f.e. the Book of Jubilees, and the DSSs) (option b).
If the Zadokite calender was found in Daniel, then option b would gain some credence; if not then
the Qumran calender is rather a 'late' innovation (more in line with option a). Now it is not my intend to
start a debate about options a or b in itself. I simply wanted to discuss the thesis of the quoted article
section: "The Zadokite calender is present in Daniel"
Does anybody have any opinions on this point?
I think the thesis is not valid. Perhaps someone feels like checking my logic:
1) Daniel fasted 'three full weeks' (Dan 10:2) and only after these 21 days of 'delay' (Dan 10:13)
he got his respons at the 24th day of 1th month (Dan 10:4-5).
Agreed?
2) The Hebrews didn't use the term 'week' for any number of 7 days, like we sometimes do.
But always in the sense of 'sabbath to sabbath', i.e. 1 *Week* = day1, day2,.., day7 or sabbath.
Correct? This will be the critical point - and the only debatable point, I suppose.
3) In the artificial Qumran calender 4Q394-398, year dates always fall on the same day of the week.
Correct? So 1 nisan always was a wednesday, 26 nisan (start omer count) always a sunday, etc. etc.
1+2 tell: Daniel started fasting on 3/1 and ended on 23/1, the following day getting the respons.
And 3/1 must be a sunday and 23/1 a sabbath - 'three *full* *Weeks*. So 24/1 was
a sunday.
3 tells: 24/1 is always a friday in this calender
Conclusion of 1 to 3: the Zadokite calender is NOT present in Daniel
Feel free to (dis)agree :).
regards,
Aayko Eyma