The Book of Daniel, the Four Kingdoms, and Imperial Eschatology, with Chris Bonura

Article excerpt

Scholar Christopher Bonura examines a centuries-old interpretive puzzle: which empire corresponds to the fourth kingdom in the Book of Daniel's apocalyptic vision? Medieval and early Christian thinkers debated whether Rome was the final kingdom destined to fall, or whether it survived as a successor state, a theological framework known as imperial eschatology. The conversation traces how figures like Eusebios of Caesarea and the reign of Byzantine emperor Herakleios reshaped Christian understanding of empire's prophetic timeline, revealing how biblical interpretation shaped medieval views of power and history.