the period to which the visions refer, and the audience of that period which they, and the book as a unit, address. The theological rather than historical value of the stories is emphasized, and the ‘predictions’ are regarded as written after the events which they describe. This view is by no means a modern one, but was argued by the philosopher Porphyry in the 3rd century AD (see below). Some support for this view is given by the place of Daniel in the Hebrew canon, where it is found not among the