Kritik kekuasaan dan harapan eskatologis dalam Daniel 7
Analisis semiotika sastra fantasi
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30995/kur.v12i1.1396Keywords:
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Daniel 7, eschatological hope, fantasy literature, semiotics, symbol, harapan eskatologis, sastra fantasi, semiotika, simbolAbstract
This article examines the meaning of animal symbols in Daniel 7 through a semiotic method in fantasy literature. This approach traces the relationship between the signifier and the signified within the text to reveal theological messages embedded in the depiction of fantastical beasts. The analysis yields three main findings. First, the four fantastical beasts represent successive ruling powers: Babylon, Persia, Macedonia, and the Hellenistic era. Second, the depiction of the fourth beast and its little horn specifically refers to the cruelty of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who oppressed and persecuted the Jewish community. Third, beyond its critique of tyrannical power, Daniel 7 expresses the Jewish people's eschatological hope for a just and dignified government. Daniel 7 is therefore not merely an apocalyptic text but a form of theological resistance that conveys sociopolitical criticism through a fantasy literary narrative.
Abstrak
Artikel ini mengkaji makna simbol-simbol binatang dalam Daniel 7 menggunakan metode semiotika sastra fantasi. Pendekatan ini menelusuri relasi penanda dan pertanda dalam teks untuk mengungkap pesan teologis yang tersembunyi di balik gambaran binatang fantasi. Hasil analisis menunjukkan tiga temuan utama. Pertama, keempat binatang fantasi merepresentasikan penguasa-penguasa yang silih berganti, yaitu Babel, Persia, Makedonia, dan kekuasaan pada masa Helenistik. Kedua, gambaran binatang keempat beserta tanduk kecilnya secara khusus merujuk pada kekejaman Antiokhus IV Epifanes yang menindas dan menganiaya masyarakat Yahudi. Ketiga, di balik kritik terhadap kekuasaan yang zalim, Daniel 7 menyuarakan harapan eskatologis umat Yahudi akan hadirnya pemerintahan yang adil dan bermartabat. Dengan demikian, Daniel 7 bukan sekadar teks apokaliptik, melainkan bentuk perlawanan teologis yang menyampaikan kritik sosial-politik melalui narasi sastra fantasi.
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