The origin of the analogy is in
Daniel 2, verses 31–45, where the
prophet Daniel interprets the king's dream:
Historical context The Book of Daniel is generally agreed to be written around 165 BC during the reign of
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who reigned as King of the
Seleucid Empire from 175–164 BC. Under Antiochus IV, fierce persecution of
Judaism began in
Judea around 168 BCE. This persecution led both to passive resistance as well as eventually an armed military resistance movement, the
Maccabean Revolt. The author of the Book of Daniel wanted to reassure readers that the end of Antiochus IV's tyranny had been foreseen by the prophet Daniel 400 years ago. To that end, the book includes
vaticinia ex eventu, that is, "prophecies" of events that had already happened in the past for the author. The generally accepted interpretation of the statue dream is that it predicts the history of the Middle East up until the time of writing. The golden empire is the
Babylonians (as is clear from the setting of Daniel); the second empire of silver is the
Medes; the bronze empire is the
Persian Empire; and the fourth iron empire is the Macedonian empire of
Alexander the Great. The final empire of clay mixed with iron are the
diadochi successor states, such as the Seleucid Empire that then ruled Judea. These successor states had Greek military settlements with an imported Greek elite, but generally did not over mix with the locals, and were clearly not believed to be as strong as the Greek empire of Alexander's day, which was pure iron. The actual prediction being made, then, is the fate of the fifth empire of the Seleucids: that it will be smashed by a stone "not cut from human hands", that is, by the work of God. == Notable uses ==