The prophet Daniel had such a dream. It's recorded in the Book of Daniel, and it's a vision that’s puzzled and inspired readers for centuries.
"As I looked on," Daniel recounts, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat." (Daniel 7:9). Can you picture it? This isn't just any old chair. This is a throne, a symbol of ultimate authority. And who sits upon it? The Ancient of Days – a name, Atik Yomaya in Aramaic, that evokes immeasurable age and wisdom. Daniel continues, describing God's appearance: "His garment was like white snow, and the hair of His head was like lamb's wool." His throne, Daniel says, "was tongues of flame; its wheels were blazing fire. A river of fire streamed forth before Him." Thousands upon thousands served Him; myriads upon myriads attended Him. The court sat and the books were opened. (Daniel 7:9-10). It’s a scene of immense power and overwhelming grandeur.
But the vision doesn't end there.
Daniel then sees "one like a human being" coming with the clouds of heaven. This figure approaches the Ancient of Days and is presented before Him. And here's the really striking part: "Dominion, glory, and kingship were given to him; all peoples and nations of every language must serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship, one that shall not be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14).
So, what are we to make of this incredible vision? What does it all mean?
One fascinating way to interpret this dream, as explored in Tree of Souls, is that it depicts the enthronement of two divine figures. God is manifested in two forms: as the Ancient of Days, representing perhaps the older, more established aspect of the divine, and as this "human being," representing a younger, perhaps more accessible manifestation. This idea isn't entirely new. Some rabbinic texts, like the Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, discuss how God can appear in different forms – sometimes as an old man, sometimes as a young man (ba-Hodesh 5:20-30).
But there's another, even more radical, interpretation.
This "human being" isn’t just another aspect of God, but a second divine figure being enthroned alongside God. This reading, prevalent in some forms of Jewish Gnosticism, suggests a kind of divine partnership, a duality at the heart of the cosmos. The Ancient of Days – one of the names of God – is seated upon His throne, while this younger figure is given "everlasting dominion," which appears to be an enthronement. While the idea of a second divine figure might seem surprising, especially within the context of monotheism, it’s a pattern that recurs in later Jewish mystical literature.
Think about it. We find similar enthronement accounts for figures like Adam, Jacob, Moses, and David. Even Enoch, who, according to some traditions, is transformed into the angel Metatron, receives a similar divine investiture. These texts, as Tree of Souls points out, establish a pattern of Jewish Gnosticism in which a demiurgic figure is invested with divine powers. It’s a potent and complex idea.
So, what do you think? Is Daniel's vision a glimpse into the multifaceted nature of God, or does it point to something more radical: the existence of a second, co-ruling divine power? Perhaps the answer lies not in choosing one interpretation over the other, but in recognizing the profound mystery at the heart of it all. Maybe Daniel's night vision invites us to grapple with the very limits of our understanding of the divine.