For my book analysis project I chose The Book of Daniel by Louis F. Hartman and Alexander Di Lella. I chose this book because the book of Daniel fascinates me. I enjoy the stories of the book of Daniel and I thought it would be great to read about other people's point of views to discuss and analyze what they write about. This book has many different topics that will be discussed. There are also many topics in which the authors and I disagree.
             To give you a briefing of the book of Daniel from the Tanakh in case you are unfamiliar with it, the book of Daniel in its protocanonical form appearing in the Masoretic text exists in two languages: Aramaic (2:4b-7: 28) and Hebrew (1:1-2:4a and 8-12). The book also contained in its pre-Christian Greek forms other materials ( the prayers in Greek 3:24-90, and the narratives of Susanna, Bel, and the Dragon) which are considered apocryphal by the Jews and Protestants, but deuterocanonical by Roman Catholics.
             In terms of the content the book is divided in roughly two equal parts: chapters 1-6 which are six midrashic or edifying stories, narrated in the third person and chapters 7-12 which contain, in the first person form, four apocalypses or visions. Chapter 1 is set in the third year of Jehoiakim of Judah, 606B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon takes the people of Judah into exile. Chapter 2 tells of an unpleasant apocalyptic dream Nebuchadnezzar had during the second year of his reign, 603B.C. None of Chaldean dream experts could interpret the king's dreams, but Daniel after a prayer to God is given the wisdom to do so. Chapter 3 describes the gigantic golden idol which Nebuchadnezzar set up decreed to be worshiped by all on pain of being summarily cast into a white-hot furnace. Chapter 4 contains Nebuchadnezzar's autobiographical epistle to all the peoples of the world. In it he recounts his frightening dream about a huge tree that was cut down to t...