“Daniel was written after Alexander was dead.”
Jesus spoke of the reliability of the Book of Daniel see Matthew 24:15
Jesus also spoke about the Flood and Jonah. If those had just been stories, I think that Jesus would have told the truth about them - and then expounded on “the deeper truths behind the made-up story”.
We had an associate pastor give a sermon like that years ago at an old church. He gave some mumbo-jumbo on how the “truth” behind the made-up story was more important than the story itself.
The sermon was about the Virgin Birth. Well, the lack thereof actually. Afterwards I asked him that if the Virgin Birth is impossible, I’m guessing you think the Resurrection is as well.
“Of course! People don’t just die and come back to life again!”
I questioned how he was even able to get his pastoral calling, and told him and the head pastor that we would never darken the church doors again.