In 597/8 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, deported Judah’s king Jehoiakim as well as the prominent citizens of Judah (the best and the brightest) to Babylon, and stripped the Temple. Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon from 605-562 BCE. They are called the “10 lost tribes” they never came back to re-settle the land that they had lost.īy the 7th century, the Babylonians had conquered the Assyrians. Tragically, this process worked and the 10 northern tribes of Israel lost their identities. The goal was to have them absorbed into Assyrian society. The Assyrians imported people into various areas, with the aim of separating people from their culture of origin so that they would lose their identity as a people. In 722 BCE, the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, deporting its people to Assyria. Despite God’s warnings over many generations through the prophets, the people of Judah and Israel continued to worship other gods, commit violence, and treat their neighbors unjustly. While there were brief periods of faithfulness among the people and the kings of Judah and Israel, these centuries were predominantly a period of decline into various forms of idolatry and injustice. The people of God (Israelites) became a divided kingdom after the death of King Solomon in 931 BCE: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. The book of Daniel takes place during the Jewish Exile in Babylon in the 6th century, BCE. To back up a bit in history. Daniel is a great example of a believer who is navigating cross-cultural relationships, especially among powerful people.Īs grad students, you may discover that you have much in common with Daniel.ĭaniel is about living as the people of God in a foreign land-expectantly and faithfully-whether as people in Babylon or anywhere in “exile,” under a rule which is not the rule of God.Ĭontext/background information for the Book of Daniel: It’s the story of someone who is a minority-in faith and ethnicity and culture-in the midst of a dominant, oppressive culture. Introduction: Why study the book of Daniel?ĭaniel is a great example of integrity and witness among a culture that does not honor God.

These notes are designed to be “plug and play.” While we’ll make some further study suggestions for those with extra time, these notes are designed to provide the basis for leading a thoughtful discussion about how Daniel applies to graduate student or faculty life even if a group has little extra prep time. These notes were designed for leading an inductive bible study discussion, but can be adapted for various bible study contexts.ĮSN is glad to share material by experienced InterVarsity staffers for campus groups this year for more on what we’re sharing on the blog and why, see our fall blog lineup preview post. Iain Provan’s Regent College course on Daniel, and the insights gained through talks Carl Ellis gave at an InterVarsity conference, Kathy Cooper has compiled study notes for InterVarsity groups exploring Daniel. Drawing from her own study of Daniel, the knowledge gained while serving as a teaching assistant for Prof.

Free bible study on daniel