 As late as the 18th century no less a figure than Isaac Newton could still read Daniel as a coded prediction of the future, but already this approach was in decline.A few 17th century scholars had begun saying that Daniel referred only to Antiochus, and in the 19th century this and the 2nd century date of the book became the scholarly consensus.Nevertheless, the traditional "historicist" interpretation continues in popular culture, and conservative scholars continue in its defence.