Daniel: A Survey of Patristic Exegesis (c. 100–451)

R. J. Endresz
MA Candidate, Macquarie University

Abstract: The paper surveys the patristic interpretation of the Book of Daniel and the development of eschatological thought from the closing of the New Testament writings (c. 100) to the Council of Chalcedon (451). The research, which draws on both primary and secondary sources, reveals a general consensus among the Church Fathers that Daniel is a prophetic work of messianic and eschatological significance. Disagreement over the eschatological details, however, led to three distinct interpretive traditions that will be explored below.