The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 184

port!"IL'l'l! what seems lik<'lv t.o hnve te,kc-n c1tme short it m1ty be tl11\t ho yielded to tho ple,ce_:__fin,t., n revolution during the king's political nccC'~sitics of his sitnntion-aa madness, nnd a count.er-revolution to restore Na1tman bowing in the tomple of Rimmon, him when his ree,son returned. If, however, Ercn an anlocrat like Nebucho.dncz:tar Nebuchn,lnezznr wns simply ronfinecl in e. would be conditioned by those who served portion of the prilnce, tl,en his nobles, on the him, and after his madness he would bo news of his restoration, might seek unto specially under the power of those officio.la him. None of tbe texts presents quit.a e. who he.d restored him to hie place. self-consistent representation. If we could perfectly unrnvel the c-onfueion of the texts Euuraus on Ncbuclladnezzar'a Madneu. which form our present Septuagint text, we should probably find one of them nearly The events of tho fourth chapter of Dnniel sc]f-(l(lnsistont. o.re full of elements that havo caused Yer. 37.-Now I Nebnchadnezze.r praise qnestion from the days of Porphyry down- e.nd extol e.nd honour the King of heaven, wards. Many of these have been disoussed e.11 whose works 11.re truth, and his ways as they occurred in the narrative, The jndgment: and those that walk in pride he question of the ma.dness of Nebuoho.dnezzar is able to abase. The Septuagint Veroion has several features whioh ea.nee it to be of has all the e.ppee,ranee of an original com- interest. Some of these have been po.saingly position by a scribe, not impossibly in imita- treated in reference to the pe.eeages in which tion of the Song of the Three Holy Childrnn, they are mentioned. But to e. thorough tab.ing as its theme the subject of the verse understanding of the matter it is well io before us, •· I confess and praise the Highest, collect these features together and diecnee who created the heaven and the earth and it as a whole. To do so effectively, we shall the sea.. He is God of gods, and Lord of have to consider (1) the no.tnre of the disease lords, and King of b.ings, bece.nee he doeth under which N ebuche.dnezzar suffered; signs e.nd wonders, e.nd changeth see.sons and (2) the length of time during which he times, taking away the kingdoms of kings we.a under it; (3) what evidence there is and ijetting up others instead of them. Now in the narrative, or on the monnments, of from this time I ehe.11 worship him, and political changes during the time he was from fear of him trembling bath taken hold incapacitated. of me, and e.ll the holy ones I praise, for the 1. The disease nnder which Nebuchad• gods of the nations have not power in them- nPzze.r BDffercd. Dr. Pusey says (p. 428); selves to tnrn e.we.y the kingdom of e. king " It is now conceded that the madness of to another king, and to kill and to make Nebuchadnezzar agrees with the description alive, and to do signs and marvels great and of a. rare sort of disease called lyce.nthropy, fearful ; and to change very great matters of which our earliest notice is e. Greek according ae the God of heaven did to me, medical writer of the fourth century after and cwrged to me great things. I will offer our Lord, in which the sufferer retains his sacrifices to the Highest every day of my conilCionsneee in other respects, but imagines reign for my life, for a savour of sweet smell himself to be changed into some animal, and before the Lord, e.nd whe.t is pleasing before acts up to a certain point in conformity with him I shall do, and the people and my tba.t perBDasion. Those who imagined them- nation o.nd the countries which are in my selves changed into wolves, howled like dominion. And as many e.e shall speak wolves, e.nd (there is reason to believe, against the God of heaven, and as many as falsely) accused themselves of bloodshed." shall be taken saying anything, these shall Archdeacon Rose, in the 'Speaker's Com• I condemn to death." Several of the phrases mente.ry,' ea.ye, "There is now no question in this short h'l'mn-for that it rather is that the disease under which Nebuchad- than a version of an Al'amaic original-are nezzar iB said to have suffered, is one of a derived from other portions of Rcripture; well-known class of diseases known by e.g. "for e. sa"our of e. sweet smell before such names a.a lycanthropy, kynanthropy, the Lord." There are traces also of the etc., according to the animal whose habits familiar phenomenon of" doublets." Theo- are simulated by the subject of this dis- dotion and the PesLitta agree with the Mas- eo.ee." There is no question that there was eoretic text. So far as the llfas,oretic text a disease that was so called; Dr. Pusey has represents the origir,al Daniel, there is no collected proof of that. It is to be noted evidence that Nebuchadnezzar had ceased that all the instances he quotes are from to be e. worshipper of Del-Mardnk and Nebo ancient writers. It occurred o.leo in Medimval and Kergril. Certainly he recognizes that times. The point that is not quite so J~LornL is to Le worshipped also. Further, certain is that N ebuchadnczza.r had this it is to l,e admitted that Nebuchadnezzar disease. earriGE hie adoration very near the point of In the first plo.ce, lyca11lhropy hns a dis- :.rue aud exclw;ive worship. In what he tinct and defimte meaning in mental pat ho- OB, IV, 1-37.] THE BOOK OF DANIEL. 147