Pseudo-Daniel, Dead Sea Scrolls Text (4Q243–245 = 4QpsDana—c). A nonbiblical, highly fragmentary Aramaic text found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (ca. 250 bc–ad 50) that narrates a vision of Daniel which seems to be about the history of Israel.

The text directly mentions Daniel and King Belshazzar of Babylon. Based upon J. T. Milik’s reconstruction (per Cook, “Vision of Daniel,” 267–68), the extant fragments directly mention what seems to be a sequence of events in the history of Israel:

• Events “after the flood,” and apparently Noah (Noah’s Flood)

• A city, a tower, and its height (the Tower of Babel)

• “All of them” coming out of “Egypt by the hand of” presumably Moses, the crossing of the Jordan, and an obscured reference to a “Jubilee” (the Exodus)

• The children of Israel (it seems) sacrificing their children to demons or idols (compare Psa 106:37), and God becoming angry with them and commanding that “they be given into the power” (compare Psa 106:40–41) (the sin and idolatry of Israel)

• The exiles being scattered, seventy years, and “his strong hand” that he (God) saves them with (the exile and God’s restoration of his people)

There is also a sequence about “kingdoms of the Gentiles” and what appears to be their kings (none of which are “recognizable as historical” according to Cook, “Vision of Daniel,” 268). In addition, there is a “gathering” of “Gentiles” and the mention of “servants to the day.”

Pseudo-Daniel also mentions Daniel in a second occurrence, this time in reference to “a writing that was given,” which based upon the extant fragment, seems to contain a list of priests and kings of Israel that includes: Kohath, Uzziah, Abiathar, possibly Zedekiah, Jehoniah, possibly John, Simon, David, Solomon, and Ahaziah. Cook notes “some of the names may refer to the Hasmoneans John and Simon” (Cook, “Vision of Daniel,” 268).

According to Milik’s reconstruction via Cook, the text as we know it ends with a note about some sort of evil coming to an end, blindness and error, something arising, and the holy ones returning, presumably to put an end to evil (of some sort), since evil is mentioned once more (Cook, “Vision of Daniel,” 268).

There are also additional small strings of words contained among the fragments ascribed to Pseudo-Daniel, but hypotheses surrounding their meaning are even more speculative than a typical reconstruction.