These visions draw upon stories throughout the east, but are reworked in order to benefit a Jewish context. They reinforce the covenant of Jewish people with God even when the structure and themes are in direct reference to a previously established tradition. John Collins tells us …show more content…
The comparisons begin with the characterization of the gods and Daniel’s characterization of the “Ancient of Days” figure: El is a figure with a white beard and Baal is the “rider of the clouds,” both of which correspond to Daniel’s “Ancient of Days” figure that might be the God YHWH and a figure that flies into Daniel’s vision on a cloud (Collins 2014: 344). Thus, there is a comparison to make between Daniel’s visions and pre-established stories from the east (Collins 2014). Collins points out one significant element of Daniel’s visions: “The conflict is resolved by a divine judgement” (2014: 345). These visions are grounded in Jerusalem because, as