Daniel 7. 13 in the Septuagint translation compared to the aramaic text and Theodotion’s version: textual and theological issues

The article is devoted to the analysis of textual discrepancies in Daniel 7:13 across various manuscript traditions of the Septuagint, the Aramaic version of the Masoretic Text, and the Greek translation of Theodotion. The key textual issue revolves around why the original Greek translation states that “one like a son of man” comes “as the Ancient of Days,” whereas the Masoretic Text and Theodotion’s translation indicate that “one like a son of man” was brought “to the Ancient of Days.” The article also examines other related textual variations in the three versions of Daniel 7:13. Drawing on contemporary biblical scholarship and classical methods of textual criticism, the article argues that the Septuagint’s translation cannot be explained as a scribal error but rather reflects an intentional theological alteration made by a Hellenized Jewish translator. The article further explores key theories explaining the theological motives that may have guided the translator of this Septuagint passage: the theory of a “monotheizing tendency,” according to which the translator merged the two heavenly figures into a single image to avoid potential binitarianism; the theory of messianic expectations, which posits that the translator sought to emphasize the divine status of the “Son of Man,” whom he viewed as the coming Messiah; and the theory that the figures of “one like a son of man” and the “Ancient of Days” were, for the translator, merely representations of different aspects of the transcendent God. The article argues that the hypothesis of messianic expectations provides the most coherent explanation for the textual changes in this passage and is further supported by external evidence. Additionally, the article examines the influence of the image of the Son of Man as the Ancient of Days on subsequent Jewish and Christian traditions.