As we have seen in the primary and secondary sources that we have read thus far, most apocalyptic literature tends to be written under societal conditions in which a particular group of people are being oppressed or are living under the rule of a figure who imposes various hardships upon them. Apocalyptic literature is not only written in order to convey revelations that foretell of paramount future events—almost always religious in nature—but to warn others of the impending threat posed by political and militaristic leaders; this is precisely where ex eventu prophecy plays a prominent role.
Ex eventu is a term used most often in a historiographical framework, and refers to a prophecy written by an author that already has prior knowledge of the…show more content… and most likely by multiple pseudonymous authors, exemplifies the effectiveness of ex eventu prophecy. Antiochus Epiphanes IV—who is infamous for his tyrannical persecution of the Israelites—is at the epicenter of the writings in the Book of Daniel. The political and social milieu during the period in which Daniel was written was undoubtedly tumultuous for the Jewish populous; Epiphanes debased the Temple and proscribed all Jewish religious observances while attempting to forcefully impose Hellenic religious practice and philosophical thought. Though the authors of Daniel were claiming to be writing during the Babylonian exile in the sixth century B.C.E. they were actual writing much later (164 B.C.E.). Throughout history, literature has been a way to esoterically communicate with members of a community being persecuted under an oppressive ruler. In order to effectively communicate the prophesized downfall of Antiochus Epiphanes without raising the suspicions of the authorities—and facing the dire consequences of such an action—the authors of Daniel chose to use ex eventu prophecy as a means of successfully undermining the legitimacy of Epiphanes’s reign and usher in