23. The Book of Daniel: Old Testament Hope, Humor, and Apocalypse

The Book of Daniel in the Old Testament: hope, humor & apocalypse with professor Dr. Michael Chan.

The Book of Daniel is one of the strangest, funniest, and most hope-filled books in the Old Testament, and in this episode, Dr. Michael Chan helps us see why. Joining hosts Katie Langston and Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker, Dr. Chan walks us through Daniel’s two distinct halves: court tales of Jewish exiles navigating life under foreign kings in Babylon, and apocalyptic visions that pull back the curtain on the cosmic forces shaping human history. Along the way, he unpacks surprising details about Daniel and his friends, including the very real possibility that they were eunuchs, the significance of Daniel’s Babylonian name Belteshazzar, and what it meant to live a dual identity under an empire that was not your own.

Dr. Chan also explores the Daniel Old Testament themes that make this book so theologically rich: the earliest clear expression of resurrection theology in scripture, the connection between Antiochus Epiphanes’ persecution and the Maccabean revolt, and why apocalyptic literature uses monsters and cosmic imagery to critique empire. Most of all, this conversation surfaces the two themes Dr. Chan sees at the heart of Daniel: hope and humor, traveling together as a kind of Trojan horse for people living under cruelty and disempowerment. If Daniel has always seemed like a Sunday school book to you, this episode will change your mind.

Bible Bingo

Eunuch
Apocalypse
Antiochus the Fourth (Epiphanes)
Resurrection
Belteshazzar

7-Word Summary

Daniel offers hope in a world of cruelty.

Scripture References

Daniel 2:20-23 (Daniel’s prayer of praise to Yahweh)
Daniel 1 (Daniel and friends brought to Babylon, renamed)
Daniel 2-3 (Court tales, Nebuchadnezzar)
Daniel 7-12 (Apocalyptic visions)
Daniel 11-12 (Resurrection theology)

Featuring

Michael Chan

Dr. Michael Chan serves as Vice President for Mission and Inclusion. He joined the Concordia College community in June 2022 as the executive director for faith and learning. Prior to that, he was Associate Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He taught at Luther Seminary following the completion of his Ph.D. at Emory University and a year of research and teaching at the University of Helsinki. He is a graduate of Luther Seminary (M.A. in biblical theology) and Pacific Lutheran University (B.A. in elementary education).

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Hosted By

Kathryn Schifferdecker

Kathryn M Schifferdecker is Professor and Elva B. Lovell Chair of Old Testament at Luther Seminary. Ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 2001, Schifferdecker was associate pastor for five years at Trinity Lutheran Church, Arkdale, Wisconsin, before coming to Luther in 2006. Schifferdecker is a frequent contributor to Working Preacher, Word & World, and the author of "Out of the Whirlwind: Creation Theology in the Book of Job" (Harvard University Press, 2008). She is currently writing a commentary on the book of Esther.

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Katie Langston

Katie Langston is a doubter by nature and a believer by grace. She grew up Mormon in a small Utah town and still isn't sure she fits in anywhere sophisticated enough to have a Target. She's the author of Sealed: An Unexpected Journey into the Heart of Grace, an acclaimed spiritual memoir about her conversion to orthodox Christianity. Katie is Pastor of Mission and Outreach at New Promise Lutheran Church in St. George, Utah. From 2020-2025, she was the director of digital strategy for Luther Seminary's innovation team, where she oversaw digital projects aimed at cultivating vibrant Christian spirituality in a post-modern, post-Christian cultural context.

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About The Bible in a Year Podcast

This podcast guides you on a journey through the books of the Bible, providing insights on how Scripture can shape your life today. Each episode focuses on one or two books of the Bible in fun, engaging, and authentic conversations between Luther Seminary faculty and guest Bible scholars who are experts on the book(s) in question. Join us as we make our way through the Bible in a year — new episodes drop every Wednesday in 2026!