- The figure described in Daniel 7 as “one like a son of man” is a heavenly figure which in the interpretation of the vision in Dan 7 stands for the “Holy ones of the Most High” which, again, are heavenly, angelic figures and in 7:27 (“people of the Holy ones of the Most High“) might in some way represent the people of Israel. A potential identification of this figure with YHWH was proposed by Michael Segal. However, Prof. Kratz argues against this.
- It is known that 4Q246 shows a number of parallels to the book of Daniel, especially to Daniel 7.12 (See Årstein Justnes, “4QApocryphon of Daniel Ar (4Q246) and the Book of Daniel,” in The Seleucid and Hasmonean Periods and the Apocalyptic Worldview: The First Enoch Seminar Nangeroni Meeting, Villa Cagnola, Gazzada (June 25-28, 2012), ed. L. L. Grabbe (London: T&T Clark, 2016), 183-92). Significant are the root דוש in ii, 3, which recalls the fourth beast in Dan 7:23, and the doxologies in ii, 5 and 9, which quote Dan 3:33, 4:31, 7:14, and 7:27 עלם(. )שלטנה שלטן עלם ;מלכותה מלכות Also, the phrase “people of God” in ii, 1 recalls Dan 7:27, namely the “people of the holy ones of the Most High” to whom eternal rule is transferred. If we relate the attribute “to be great” )רב( in i, 7-as well as the “greatness” of the disaster in i, 4-5-to foreign rule, then we could take the description of the four animals in Dan 7:2-3 (“great animals” from the “great sea”) to be parallels. In particular, the fourth beast in Dan 7:7-8 and 7:11 (“great teeth,” “arrogant words”) and the little horn in 7:20, which is “greater” than the others )וחזוה רב מן־חברתה(, are to be taken into account here. The “greatness” in column i has its counterpart in the “great God” in ii, (see אלה רב in Dan 2:45. There are other points of terminological contact with Daniel 7: The root i, 8 denotes the “service” of the angels in Dan 7:10. The root קום in ii, 4 is used for the kingdom of God in Dan 2:44 and for the appearance of earthly kings in Dan 7:4 and 7:24. The act of “judgment” )דין( in ii, 5 is reserved for God in Dan 7:10 and 7:26 and is transferred to the “holy ones” in Dan 7:22. The “war” )רב(, which the “great God” wages against the peoples in ii, 8, is used in Dan 7:21 to describe the battle that the “little horn” (Antiochus IV) wages against the “holy ones.” The formula “give in the hand of someone” )נתן/יהב ביד( in ii, 8 is found also in Dan 7:25 (cf. 2:38).
Why Kratz disagrees with Segal:
