Deeper Reflection
In Daniel 11, fifteen verses (vv.5-20) cover “the reigns of seven Seleucid kings [the kings of the North] over a period of around 150 years”⁵⁵ , after which the next fifteen verses (vv.21-35) focus on the reign of a single Seleucid king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes – “the climax of the story”⁵⁶ in Daniel 11.Having seized the throne “by intrigue”, Antiochus “started with limited support but gradually grew in power, making strategic alliances”57 through “deception” (vv.21, 23). He kept those who were loyal to him, but swept away whoever tried to resist him, including “a prince of the covenant” (v.22) – a Jewish high priest who “vainly attempted to resist the growing pressure from the Seleucid authorities towards the Hellenisation of their empire, which involved the adoption of Greek customs and practices that were antithetical to God’s laws”⁵⁸ . Historically, this “prince of the covenant” was Onias III, who was “deposed in 175 BC and assassinated as a result of intrigues [cf. v.21] against him in 171 B⁵⁹ and “replaced by a more compliant high priest”⁶⁰ . This event “marks the interference of the secular state in things spiritual. A precedent had been set which Roman emperors would not be slow to follow and which has become a commonplace in twentieth century politics”⁶¹ . But Christians tend to naively presume that if the head of state is a Christian, it will be good for both nation and church. Just look at recent times, how a nation was unprecedentedly divided by a “supposedly” Christian head of state who was strongly supported by Christians, including renowned and powerful Christian leaders.

---

⁵⁵Iain M. Duguid, 201 ⁵⁶ Iain M. Duguid, 200 ⁵⁷ Iain M. Duguid, 200 ⁵⁸ Iain M. Duguid, 200 ⁵⁹ Iain M. Duguid, 200 ⁶⁰ Iain M. Duguid, 200 ⁶¹ Iain M. Duguid, 200