Misreading Resurrection? | John Walton on Daniel 12's Strangest Verse

Daniel 12:1-3 is widely treated as the Bible's clearest Old Testament prophecy of bodily resurrection. Dr. John Walton says that reading might be exactly backwards. In this episode, Dr. Mark Chavalas sits down with Dr. John Walton — Old Testament & ANE Scholar — to walk through his and Dr. Aubrey Buster's reexamination of Daniel 12. Their argument: "the wise will warn like the stars" isn't about glowing bodies in heaven. It's about ancient constellations as personified figures whose stories were told and retold — and "eternal life" may mean living on in story rather than rising in a new body. Dr. John Walton: ⬩Old Testament Scholar ⬩PhD — Hebrew Union College ⬩Professor of Old Testament — Moody Bible Institute (~20 years) ⬩Professor Emeritus of Old Testament — Wheaton College ⬩Author of The Lost World series & many others ⬩Known for the framework: "The Bible is written for us, but not to us" In the episode: Why the standard translation "the wise will shine" should actually read "the wise will warn" How ancient constellations functioned as personified figures who warned or instructed through their stories Why nobody — Jewish or Christian — connected Daniel 12 to bodily resurrection until roughly 500 years after it was written How this fits into the larger argument of the book of Daniel about empires, the Kingdom of God, and the hope of the martyred 📚 Books by John Walton Mentioned: 👉 Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation 👉 The Lost World of the Torah (with J. Harvey Walton) 👉 John Walton & Aubrey Buster — Daniel commentary, Volume 1 (published) and Volume 2 (forthcoming) _______________________________ 👍 SUPPORT THE BURIED BIBLE:   / theburiedbiblepodcast   🔗 MORE LINKS:   / buriedbiblepodcast     / buriedbiblepodcast   📧 Email us any questions: [email protected] #BuriedBiblePodcast #JohnWalton #Daniel12 #OldTestament #BiblicalStudies #LostWorldOfTheTorah #BiblicalScholarship #AncientNearEast #Resurrection #biblehistory Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:57 Welcome & Introducing Dr. John Walton 6:51 John Walton's Background & Path Into Old Testament Studies 11:03 Why Daniel? The Eight-Year Commentary Project 13:00 Reading Daniel 12:1-3 — The Traditional Translation 19:50 The Critical Question — How Do Stars "Lead to Righteousness"? 25:31 Addressing the "This Sounds Pagan" Objection 30:03 How This Fits the Whole Book of Daniel — Empires & the Kingdom of God 33:03 Did Daniel Even Have a Concept of Resurrection? 36:21 Constellations vs. Angels — Why the Text Points to Constellations 38:50 Why Does Michael Stand Up in Daniel 12:1? 41:55 Situated Readings — Reading as a Christian vs. Reading as an Israelite 45:22 Daniel 12 Through the Lens of Revelation 20 50:07 Does Any of This Actually Matter? 53:10 "We All End Up as Stories" — Walton's Closing Reflection 58:21 Book Recommendations & Closing Thoughts