Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a statue made of four metals in Daniel 2 was composed using Persian and Greek historiographic imagery. The crushing of the statue by a stone mountain alludes to the story of the golden calf, and is a message of hope to the Judeans that God will eventually crush their Greek oppressors.This is a good overview of the historical-thematic background of Nebuchadnezzar's vision in Daniel 2. The part about the stone and the golden calf is new. I am teaching undergraduate course on the Book of Daniel next semester. I will have to think more about this idea.
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