Question
Was Daniel a prophet?
Answer
Daniel is a borderline case. The Talmud in Megillah 15a says that he prophesied. In Sanhedrin 93b he is said to have been greater than the last prophets (Hagai, Zechariah, and Malachi) because he was able to see things that they could not see, but to have been less than them because they were prophets and he was not. Apparently, although he was granted visions even greater than those seen by some of the prophets, technically he was not considered to be a prophet, perhaps because he did not foretell near-future events. As a result his book is regarded as one of the Writings (Kesuvim) rather than as one of the prophets’ books.