The Son of Man Comes as the Ancient of Days

In this post I will be quoting from the article by Benjamin E. Reynolds, The 'One Like a Son of Man' According to the Old Greek of Daniel 7, 13-14, pp. 2-9 and 12-13. The phrase “Old Greek” (OG) stands for the earliest surviving Greek translation of the Old Testament, which scholars often use as a synonym for the original form of the Septuagint (LXX). All emphasis will be mine.

What makes this version rather unique and interesting is that in Daniel 7:13-14, the one like the Son is Man is described as coming as/like the Ancient of Days, thereby associating him with the elderly enthroned figure that Daniel previously saw in vv. 9-10.

I. The Similarities between the “one like a son of man” and the Ancient of Days

Four similarities between the “one like a son of man” and the Ancient of Days can be noted in the OG. First, the son of man figure arrives like the Ancient of Days. Second, the “one like a son of man” appears on the clouds of heaven. Third, the Danielic son of man receives service that suggests cultic worship, and fourth, those standing before the Ancient of Days approach the “one like a son of man” and appear to stand before him.

1. The “one like a son of man’s” Arrival like the Ancient of Days

Papyrus 967 reads⁸:

Codex 88, supported by the Syro-Hexaplar, reads⁹:

The significance of v. 13c is that the “one like a son of man” did not come to the Ancient of Days (as in the MT עַד and Θ), but as or like the Ancient of Days. Scholars have debated how the OG translation came to read hos while the MT has andΘ has heos, and many suggestions have been made. Since we are focusing on the OG as a separate tradition and interpretation, we will not spend time in discussion of the reasons for the difference.¹⁰ Therefore, the question to be answered is: What does hos palaios hemeron mean in the OG of Daniel 7,13? 

Two possible meanings for hos in 7,13c were suggested by F.F. Bruce. The word hos can either have a temporal referent: “When the Ancient of Days came, then those standing there came to him,” or it means the same as the previous hos in 7,13b: “he came as the Ancient of Days.”¹¹ One of the major difficulties with the temporal meaning is that it would require a different meaning of hos in the previous line. While this is not impossible, the chiastic (P⁹⁶⁷) and the synonymous structure (Codex 88) of the two lines indicate that both uses of hos should be taken to mean “as” or “like.”¹²

P967 

Codex 88

With respect to OG Dan 7,13, this means that hos hyios anthropou and hos palaios hemeron are placed in synonymous parallelism. Both phrases are descriptions of the figure that Daniel sees in his vision of the night coming with the clouds of heaven. The figure who comes with the clouds like a son of man also arrives like the Ancient of Days.¹⁹

Thus, the OG witnesses refer to the “one like a son of man” as similar to the Ancient of Days, but this similarity does not mean that the “one like a son of man” is the same being as the Ancient of Days in 7,9-10.²⁰ But, as with the Aramaic text of Daniel, the OG also presents the “one like a son of man” and the Ancient of Days as two distinct figures. Evidence for this is seen in the giving of authority to the “one like a son of man”.²¹ Who else is capable of giving the son of man figure authority other than the Ancient of Days? Therefore, although the “one like a son of man” is a portrayed as distinct from the figure of the Ancient of Days in 7,9-10, the OG closely aligns the Ancient of Days and the “one like a son of man” by describing the “one like a son of man” as hos palaios hemeron in 7,13c…

3. The “one like a son of man” and Cultic Worship

The third similarity to be noted is the word used for service in the OG, which communicates that the service the “one like a son of man” receives is of the nature of cultic worship. After the “one like a son of man” is given authority, v. 14 says that the nations of the earth will serve him. What is significant about v. 14 for the OG translation is the use of the word latreuo. In the Greek OT, this word carries the connotation of service within the context of religious duties or cultic practice.²⁶ This can be seen especially in Exodus and Deuteronomy.²⁷ For example, in Exod 3,12, the sign given to Moses at the burning bush is that once the Lord has brought his people out of Egypt, they will worship (latreusete) him on that mountain. In Daniel, the word latreuo is connected with cultic worship and is used nine times.²⁸ The first three (3,12, 14, 18) refer to the worship of the statue Nebuchadnezzar set up. The next five refer to the worship of God by Daniel or his friends, and the final use is in reference to the “one like a son of man” in 7,14.²⁹ In the NT, service in worship is clearly the meaning of latreuo.³⁰

By using the word latreuo to refer to the service given to the “one like a son of man”, the OG may be indicating that the “one like a son of man” will receive worship that is similar to the cultic worship given to God elsewhere in Daniel. The implication of Dan 7,13-14 in the OG is that this figure that looks like a human is something more than human.

4. The “one like a son of man” and “the Standing Ones”

Fourth, those standing before the Ancient of Days in vv. 9-10 approach the “one like a son of man” and appear to stand before him creating a further similarity with the Ancient of Days. Papyrus 967 reads: kai oi parestekotes prosegagon auto, while Codex 88 has kai oi parestekotes paresan auto. The oi parestekotes (“the ones standing” or “the bystanders”) refer to the heavenly multitude of v. 10 that stands before the Ancient of Days. This is highlighted by the use of the verb³¹ paristemi in vv. 10 and 13.

III. Conclusion

Examining the portrait of the “one like a son of man” in the OG has indicated some unique characteristics of the son of man figure. This figure is more closely aligned with the Ancient of Days. He is described as having arrived like the Ancient of Days, appearing with the clouds, receiving service due a divine figure, and having those standing before the Ancient of Days approach him. While the “one like a son of man” is similar to the Ancient of Days, there is no indication of equivalency or identification. In fact the giving of authority to the “one like a son of man” implies that the son of man figure’s status is different from that of the Ancient of Days.

The OG portrait of the son of man figure also suggests that the “one like a son of man” has a messianic nature. This is most clearly seen in the kingly authority that the figure receives. Other indications include his kingdom that will not pass away and his distinction from the holy ones of the Most High.

It is possible, then, that the interpretation of the “one like a son of man” in the OG may have provided a basis for the more openly messianic and heavenly interpretations of this figure that are found in later Jewish apocalyptic literature such as the Similitudes of Enoch and 4 Ezra.

Further Reading

Jesus – The Faithful Witness in the Skies [Part 2]

Daniel’s Dyadic Monotheism

YHWH The Most Highs Revealed

The Son of Man Rides the Clouds Pt. 2b