Since 2001, Google has published the yearly Google Zeitgeist.

Based on a statistical analysis of

its search queries, the company provides several interactive graphs depicting what people have
been most interested in during the past year. In an explanatory note, the developers write how in
their view, the Zeitgeist - being "the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era"-
becomes visible "through the aggregation of millions of search queries that Google receives every
day.” the term zeitgeist has been employed in various spheres of study such as sociology,
philosophy and cultural studies to describe the prevailing cultural, intellectual and moral climate
of a particular era. Understanding the Zeitgeist of a certain period allows us to better comprehend
the actions, behaviors, and values stemming from that time. The investigation of zeitgeist is also a
crucial part of historical and cultural analysis.
The Book of Daniel offers a unique and immersive experience of apocalyptic literature in the
Hebrew Bible. Its journey begins with the Babylonian rule in the 6th century BCE and culminates
in the oppressive reign of the Seleucids in the 2nd century BCE. Throughout, the book masterfully
presents the all-encompassing power and authority of God, standing in stark contrast to the various
imperial rulers of the time. At the same time, it highlights the importance of human action in both
political and religious contexts, underscoring the necessity for genuine human involvement in
shaping the world according to God's will.
The book can be divided into two parts based on its genre and language. Chapters 1-6 are known
as the court narratives, which deal with the stories about Daniel and his friends in the royal court.
These stories exhibit considerable exposure to both Persian and Hellenistic influences. These
sections are assumed to have come down from the 3rd Century BCE or even earlier. Chapters 7-
12, on the other hand, are Daniel's visions narrated in first person that can be dated to the 2 nd
Century BCE, at the outset of the Maccabean revolt.
In the wider context, in Chapters 10-12, the revelatory message concerns present, past, and future,
illustrating how apocalypses have a much broader interest than the preoccupation with speculation
concerning the future that is often attributed to them. But the central part of the audition is a
regional prophecy outlining the rise, activities, achievements, and fall of a series of kings who are
unnamed but can be identified based on the events referred to. The visions presuppose a setting in
Jerusalem in the 160s BC where power lies in the hands of constitutionally hostile gentile
authorities and a compliant Jewish leadership that has cooperated with the subversion and
outlawing of the traditional Jewish faith.
John J Collins in his book Apocalyptic Imagination defines apocalypse as intended for a group in
crisis with the purpose of exhortation and consolation using divine authority. Here the "time of
trouble" hangs heavy in the air. It is in this crucible of despair the Book of Daniel emerges, not as
a meek surrender to the Zeitgeist of fear and subjugation, but as a blazing torch of defense, a
rallying cry for those who refuse to be defined by the imperial narrative.
Taking this in mind I will be reading the text from the perspective of Zeitgeist the social analysis
tool and I would like to title my sermon as

Overcoming the Zeitgeist of Oppression

first great apocalypse was born partly out of the past, and partly out of the situation of the hour. It
was not written to be a puzzle for the curious, but to be a living source of strength to men in a
situation on which we can look back with calm complacency, but which to them was the supreme
moment of destiny. The author was not concerned with the historical exactness of the traditions
with which he worked, for he was not a historian producing a work of scientific research. He was
concerned to play a part in the great events through which he was living and to mediate a divine
message to the tortured men around him.
The monstrous entities in the Book of Daniel represent the oppressive Hegemony and domination
not only serving as a testament to the horrors inflicted upon subjugated communities but also
providing a roadmap for resisting the imperial agenda of homogenization through the
unconventional bodies of these creatures. In essence, it captures the zeitgeist of a particular era,
reflecting the unique mindset, environment, and character that sets it apart from others. For Hegel
Zeitgeist means that one is aware of one’s time but reflects critically on it in order not to be
asphyxiated by the spirit of that particular time and historical period. In an almost classical form
of Hegelian dialectics, Hegel asks us to overcome something to which we are bound.
And For the people under imperial authorities who were bound to the narratives created by them,
resurrection is can be understand as overcoming the bondage of the self, that is resurrection of
their identities. Hence my first point is… Overcoming the Zeitgeist of Oppression Through
Resurrecting Identities
Through Resurrecting Identities
Chapter 12 begins with a proclamation of a "time of trouble," expressed through the Hebrew term
(et-tsarah), indicating a period of intense distress. This phrase encapsulates the societal upheavals
faced by communities, demanding social-cultural responses to navigate through tumultuous times.
The “time of trouble” is thus a presumptive summary reference to the troubles of 11:40–45,
suggesting that the seer is writing from the midst of terrible suffering. Chapter 11 has made clear
how the time of trouble is “such as has not occurred since they became a nation until that time,”
for Antiochus was seeking to terminate the worship of the true God and to annihilate his people.
The deaths of the martyrs raised serious questions concerning the sovereignty and justice of God.
The insistence, in every chapter from 7 through 11, on the certainty that the rule of the tyrant would
end soon was an answer to the question of sovereignty, but the question of justice still remained
when too many of the righteous died before the tyrant. At this point, Michael, the protector,
symbolizes divine intervention and introduces the concept of resurrection extending beyond
physical bodies to encompass the revival of societal identity within the diaspora.
The Hebrew root verb (maśkilîm) of the word wise used here, is the same used in 9:13 and 9:25,
which means “understand” and “attention to”. The understanding is God-given and intended to be
passed on to others to strengthen them during times of suffering. Here it doesn't say that only the
martyred maskilim will shine like stars, presumably, this is the destiny of all wise teachers. This
imaginative construction enables the persecuted to cope with the crisis of persecution by assuring
that the forces of evil will inevitably be overcome by the higher power.
Hence, when symbols such as enforceable name changes, hair or clothing changes, and body
markers, symbolize the death of one’s identity using a “rebirth” to a new identity given by the
dominant authorities, three young men in the fire, the lion's den, and the resurrection can be seen
as the reconstruction and resistance, a potential response to the threat of social death. Here
Resurrection was the new language of the resistance. As the zeitgeist of the period a message that
resonates across the centuries, speaking to every soul facing oppression in its own "time of
trouble." By explicitly promising deliverance for the righteous, “everyone who is found written in
the book.” It’s not according to the norms of the imperial authorities, this book appears to speak
of such a heavenly record to offer assurance that every righteous person is known to God and will
not be forgotten.
By Formulating Radical Hope
Daniel is still by the river Tigris, where we found him in chapter 10:4. Now he overhears a
conversation between two unnamed figures and eventually he joins in. This passage parallels
chapter 8:13-14 in several respects. Both are set beside a river and involve two anonymous figures
asking and answering the question “How long?” which receives a further answer giving temporal
precision to the more symbolic expression of verse 7, in terms of a number of days.
The answer given in chapter 8:13 — 2,300 evenings and mornings — does not reappear; instead,
three other answers are given. The first comes from the vision in chapter 7: “time, two times, and
half a time”. A specific beginning point is given in verse 11“from the time that the regular burnt
offering is taken away and the abomination that desolates is set up” but now a different time period
is indicated (1,290 days) and another is immediately added in verse 12 (1,335 days). There is no
correct explanation for the various numbers, they may be referring to the expected resurrection,
which had not yet occurred when the epilogue was written.
According to 1 Maccabees, anyone found adhering to Torah, for instance observing the Sabbath
or practicing circumcision, was put to death. They were compelled to build altars and shrines to
idols and to sacrifice pigs and other unclean animals. The temple itself was desecrated by a
"desolating abomination" built atop the altar of burnt offerings. The alternative account in 2
Maccabees adds to the list of outrages: the temple was renamed for Olympian Zeus, and they were
made to walk in a procession honoring the god Dionysus. Without apparent precedent, the king
decided to abolish an entire religion, suppressing its rites, flaunting its taboos, forcing the Jews to
follow "customs strange to the land”.
At this point those who are going through this pain, naturally ask the question, How long? Or how
can they say that God intervenes in history when they are still in the suffering point? How can they
believe the assured resurrection? The faithful here are further challenged to steadfastness. So, what
was the purpose of offering people all this quasi-and actual information about the future?
Information as such does do people some good. It helps them formulate a mind on the issues that
confront them, influences their behavior, and aims to encourage the discerning to be steadfast in
their faithfulness, and to encourage others to join them. This challenges not only the physical
means of oppression, but also the imperial authorities' claims about knowledge and the world.
Finally, Daniel is offered a blessing. "Rest," in this context probably means death. The book began
with wisdom stories, with young men chosen for the privilege because of their wisdom, and with
accounts of Daniel's successes because of this divine gift. Wisdom has come to mean something
more in the latter chapters. It may lead to suffering and death rather than prosperity. It is a gift that
those who possess it are to convey to "the many"; so, the wise have become servants with a mission
(11:33; 12:3). Rewards for the wise may come at great cost, but they are certain, for wisdom itself,
the strength to persevere. Again, the chapter in Daniel ends up with affirmation of God's rule and
sovereignty, and God's vindication of the poor and oppressed, hence the symbols and the visions
came as the zeitgeist of oppression which assured God's nearness and deliverance, which gave
them a world of possibilities. As Walter Brueggemann coins, Transformative solidarity is what is
assured here to all the vulnerable victims. Daniel does not encourage its audience to take up arms,
but neither does its final section envision any possibility of compromise. Unlike the court legends,
Daniel’s second half offers no heroes with happy endings; instead, it de-legitimates Seleucid
pretensions of authority by constructing an alternative symbolic world. One of the distinctive
features of these hopes is their sense of the radical wrongness of the present world and the
conviction that radical changes, to make things right, will indeed occur "in that day," that is, at a
time known only to God.
Dear Friends, the Goggle Zeitgeist published at the end of 2023 begins like this, “
This year we stopped asking why, Why is everything so expensive? Why is there inequality? Why
do we lose good people? Why can’t we live in peace? Why do I feel different?” As I said in the
beginning, every era has its spirit, climate, or nature that distinguishes it from others, and how do
we respond to the spirit of time? When power structures create their narratives and their zeitgeists,
as a church where is our stand? Are we the hegemonial authorities, or are we the liberators? The
Church in today's context, must become an interlocutor in society. The challenge is to be part of a
progressive society with initiatives such as subaltern identity politics - the movements of Dalits,
Adivasis, and women for justice and human rights. In other words, the task of the Church is not to
develop a Christian identity politics but to be part of the Politics of people on the periphery. It's a
call to be in service to the world, to be agents of transformation and justice, to ensure the fullness
of life, and to move towards the eschatological reality of getting rid of institutional structures
among local embodiments of the marginalized communities. A call to get immersed in people's
struggles for humanity and dignity. If this is the biblical mandate for Christianity, then, it is time
for us to do some introspection.
This mismatch between the rhetoric and the praxis of the Church is felt in almost all spheres. While
affirming solidarity with Dalits, most of the mainline churches still retain their 'upper caste'
hegemony. This is most obvious in the 'Syrian' churches in India. Churches continue to build
institutions that cater only to the needs of the rich and the elite and 'minority rights' are invoked
only when such aristocratic institutions are under some threat. Against this context, real
Christianity has to be sought among the masses who are struggling for their identity. Let's create
alternative images of the divine that stay closer to the Earth, let us be the alternative space in these
times.by resurrecting lost identity as messianic community, by formulating radical hope of God in
the History. Let the Zeitgeists awaken us for that. Let’s Pray……