Daniel 12:2 and the Threat of Shame

Abstract

Since at least the post-Nicene period, Dan 12:2 has been cited often as a foundational text for the eschatological conception of hell within the Christian Bible. However, when examined within its original sociological context, this passage can be more accurately understood as reflecting a specific threat of shame deeply embedded in the honour-based society of the ancient Mediterranean during the Second Temple Period. The linguistic connection of דראון (“contempt, abhorrence”) to Isaiah, particularly concerning the fear of non-burial and corpse exposure, reinforces this interpretation by emphasising the concept of shame tied to one’s manner of death (Isa 66:24). This study employs a sociological approach to explore the language of “shame and contempt” in Dan 12:2 within its Judaic cultural framework, focusing on burial practices and the associated threat of non-burial. It argues that the author intended to depict an extremely specific and detailed punishment of shame by corpse exposure as a punitive consequence rather than implying a prototype of eternal torment in a place called “hell.”

Keywords

• Hell
• Book of Daniel
• Honor and Shame
• Non-Burial
• Corpse Exposure
• Afterlife