The Prophet Daniel
Artist: Michelangelo- Sistine Chapel
1508-1512
Daniel’s story is set among Jewish exiles serving foreign kings. Its accounts of faithfulness under pressure and visions of kingdoms passing away made Daniel an important figure in Christian reflections on history and divine rule.
Daniel 7:13–14 describes one like a son of man receiving an everlasting dominion. Jesus uses the title Son of Man and alludes to this vision (Mark 14:61–62). Daniel also emphasizes that earthly empires are temporary while God’s kingdom endures (Daniel 2:44).
Daniel bends over a large book while an attendant helps support it. The busy arrangement of arms, pages, and turning bodies makes study appear active and demanding. His pose gives physical form to the labor of understanding a vision.
