ProlepsisOpen in the graph →

Prophecy

The mighty king, his kingdom broken toward the four winds, “not to his posterity” (Daniel 11:3-4)

Alexander dying in Babylon in 323 BC, surrounded by his generals who will divide the empire: artist’s impression by Karl von Piloty, around 1886.
Artist’s impression Alexander dying in Babylon in 323 BC, surrounded by his generals who will divide the empire: artist’s impression by Karl von Piloty, around 1886. — Karl von Piloty, Wikimedia Commons · Domaine public

○ Written after the events, according to historians; tradition dates it before

Written c. 536 BC according to tradition; c. 167–164 BC according to historians. Event: 323–301 BC.

See the full entry: sources, objections, answers

In short

The announcement. The book of Daniel, in a vision dated around 536 BC (around 167–164 BC according to scholars), announces a mighty king whose kingdom will be broken and divided “toward the four winds of the sky”, without going to his descendants.

What happened. Alexander the Great dies in 323 BC. His two sons are murdered on the orders of his former generals around 310–309 BC. After the battle of Ipsus, in 301 BC, his empire is divided among four generals.

What is still debated. no manuscript and no date accepted by historians places this text before 323 BC, so it may have been written after the events.

What would be striking if the text came first

The verse brings together three accurate and far from obvious details: a lightning rise to power, an immediate breakup, a line extinguished in favor of others. Everything depends on the date: tradition places the text around 536 BC, historians around 167–164, well after the events.

Main objection (in French for now)

Prophétie après coup : dans la datation critique, ces faits ont un siècle et demi et sont connus de tout lettré hellénistique.

The text (World English Bible)

A mighty king will stand up, who will rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. When he stands up, his kingdom will be broken and will be divided toward the four winds of the sky, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom will be plucked up, even for others besides these.

Dan 11:3-4

Sources