Daniel Bible Study

Daniel Bible Study with Dr. Molly M. Zahn

Zoom | September 14 - November 2 | 7:30 pm Eastern

The Book of Daniel is a fascinating and complex text, preserving some of the most enduring of biblical images (the fiery furnace, the writing on the wall, the lion’s den). As one of the latest books of the Hebrew Bible, it provides a critical window into the Second Temple Jewish culture from which both Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism emerged. It also has distinctive features that raise all kinds of questions for interpretation: it is written in two languages (Hebrew and Aramaic); contains two very different literary genres (court tales and apocalyptic visions); and has been preserved in two substantively different forms, with the version preserved in Roman Catholic Bibles including several large sections that are absent from the version read in Jewish and Protestant contexts. This series will introduce Daniel with special attention to the historical and literary contexts in which it was composed and transmitted, and to its significance for understanding ancient Jewish thought on themes such as empire, the course of history, and God’s sovereignty and justice.

The 8 sessions will occur on September 14, 21, 28, October 5, 12, 19, 26, and November 2. After attending all eight sessions and completing a survey, participants will receive a Certificate of Participation.

You only need to register one time in order to attend all 8 sessions.

**Current students, staff, and faculty can register for free by emailing us.

Registration closes September 11, 2026.

Professor Zahn is a scholar of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Second Temple Judaism, and the Hebrew Bible. She joined YDS in 2022 after fourteen years in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas. Her research focuses on understanding how the scriptures of early Judaism, including but not limited to the texts that came to make up our Bibles, were composed and transmitted. This work contributes to new models of ancient Jewish textual culture, with attention to how texts were changed over time by successive groups of readers and how these different groups thought about divine revelation and textual authority. For more on Dr. Zahn go to yalebiblestudy.org/presenters/dr-molly-zahn.