Chief Prefect of the the Wise Men

I’ve been trying to wrap my head around Daniel’s life for a few years now, and one of his job titles has me stumped.

Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon, and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel 2:48

That term “wise men” is a catch all for conjurers, sorcerers, astrologers, diviners, and magicians. The occult was a big deal in Babylon.  Temples dotted the landscape like Subway restaurants.

I can think of no one more opposed to the institution of Babylonian wise men than Daniel the prophet.  And yet, King Nebuchadnezzar saw fit to appoint him as chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

What?

That would be like appointing Russell Humphreys as Chair of the Physics Department at Arizona State University or appointing John Sanford as Chair of the Biology Department at the University of Minnesota. Can you imagine?

“Hey, Lawrence Krauss, Dr. Humphreys has some interesting ideas – can’t wait to see what you think of them!”

“So, PZ Myers, Dr. Sanford’s work on genetic entropy is fascinating, don’t you think?”

I really can’t wrap my brain around that.  By God’s grace, Daniel was not torn limb from limb, and his house was not turned into a rubbish heap.  In fact, somehow amidst all their astrology and magic he taught the wise men the signs to watch for when Jesus was born.

I’ve got a running list of questions when I get to heaven, and asking Daniel how that went down is up toward the top of my list.