Questions & Answers

Holy Book of Daniel

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Holy Scripture › Holy Book of Daniel

The question

I have a question in regards to the Book of Daniel, Chapter 10:20, when it says, "Then he said, ‘Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to the war against the ruler of the Persians, and I will go forth, and the ruler of the Greeks will come.’"

Who is the prince of the Greeks? I believe the prince of Persia is the evil one, but I do not know the prince of the Greeks. Also, is this Christ speaking to Daniel? I believe it is along with archangel Michael at the end of the chapter. I just want to make sure I understand the scripture.

The answer

The prince of Persia could be the evil one or one of his evil demons assigned to this territory. According to some Old Testament Scripture, some believe that God assigned different angels as guardians to different races (Deuteronomy 32:8). Archangel Michael (which means, 'Who is like God?') is believed to be the guardian angel of the Jews. Through divine intervention, Archangel Michael persuaded Cyrus to move towards the restoration of God's people. It is God who spoke to Daniel. The prince of the Greeks likely points to a prophetic statement regarding Alexander the Great, who was born 100 years after Xerxes, and would later defeat the Persian Empire (Daniel 11:2-3).

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