Il colosso dai piedi d’argilla. Osservazioni sulla periodizzazione della storia in Daniele 2

The contribution presents an analysis of chapter 2 of the biblical book of Daniel, a classic place, although certainly not the only one, of the periodization of history in the Hebrew Bible. In this enigmatic text, the protagonist of the book interprets a dream of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar as referring to a succession of kingdoms that will culminate in the establishment of a kingdom that "will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people". The possible non-Jewish antecedents of the text are presented and an historical contextualization is attempted. Some interpretations of the later Jewish tradition are also analyzed. These interpretations are closely linked to an apocalyptic (and messianic) context. As an appendix, a fragmentary text from Qumran (4Q553) is presented and analyzed, which could represent a direct antecedent of Daniel 2.