Daniel
| Saint Daniel | |
|---|---|
 Daniel's Answer to the King by Briton Rivière | |
| Prophet | |
| Born | 7th Century B.C.E |
| Died | 6th Century B.C.E Babylon (?) |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Catholic Churches Eastern Orthodox Church Lutheranism Islam Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Major shrine | Tomb of Daniel, Susa, Iran |
| Feast | June 26 |
| Attributes | Often depicted in the den of the lions |
Daniel (Hebrew: דָּנִיֵּאל, Modern Tiberian , meaning "God is my Judge") is the protagonist in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew Bible. In the narrative, when Daniel was a young man, he was taken into Babylonian captivity where he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted to Neo-Babylonian ways. By Divine Wisdom from his God, YHVH, he interpreted dreams and visions of kings, thus becoming a prominent figure in the court of Babylon. Eventually, he had apocalyptic visions of his own that have been interpreted as the Four monarchies. Some of the most famous tales of Daniel are: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, The writing on the wall and Daniel in the lions' den.
Narrative of Daniel
Induction into Babylon
Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar
Daniel and Belshazzar
Daniel and Darius the Mede
Daniel's visions
Daniel's final days
The time and circumstances of Daniel's death have not been recorded. However, tradition maintains that Daniel was still alive in the third year of Cyrus according to the Tanakh (Daniel 10:1). He would have been almost 100 years old at that point, having been brought to Babylon when he was in his teens, more than 80 years previously. Many posit that he possibly died at Susa in Iran. Tradition holds that his tomb is located in Susa at a site known as Shush-e Daniyal. Other locations have been claimed as the site of his burial, including Daniel's Tomb in Kirkuk, Iraq, as well as Babylon, Egypt, Tarsus and, notably, Samarkand, which claims a tomb of Daniel (see "The Ruins of Afrasiab" in the Samarkand article), with some traditions suggesting that his remains were removed, perhaps by Tamerlane, from Susa to Samarkand (see, for instance, Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, section 153).
References to Daniel
Book of Ezekiel
The prophet Ezekiel, with whom Daniel was a contemporary, describes a Daniel as a "pattern of righteousness" in the Book of Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and "wisdom" (28:3). In the Book of Daniel, the name is spelled with a middle letter suggesting the i of that name — but this letter is not included in Ezekiel, suggesting that the reference there may be to another person, possibly the "Danel" ("Judgement of God") known from Caananite Ugaritic literature (such as the Epic of Aqhat and Anat), whose reputation for wisdom and righteousness had made him legendary. (Vowel-points were not added to the consonantal Hebrew text before well into the Common Era, and the scribes may then have slipped in a vowel-point for "i" as a middle syllable.)
Bel and the Dragon
In the Deuterocanonical portion of Daniel known as Bel and the Dragon, the prophet Habakkuk is miraculously transported by an angel to take a meal to Daniel while he is in the lions' den. In response, Daniel prays, "Thou hast remembered me, O God; neither hast thou forsaken them that seek Thee and love Thee".
Six tombs of Daniel
Religious perspectives
Rabbinic literature
Eastern Orthodox commemorations
On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, the feast days celebrating St. Daniel the Prophet together with the Three Young Men, falls on December 17 (during the Nativity Fast), on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (the Sunday which falls between 11 and 17 December), and on the Sunday before Nativity. Daniel's prophesy regarding the stone which smashed the idol (Daniel 2:34-35) is often used in Orthodox hymns as a metaphor for the Incarnation: the "stone cut out" being symbolic of the Logos (Christ), and the fact that it was cut "without hands" being symbolic of the virgin birth. Thus the hymns will refer to the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) as the "uncut mountain"
In the West, the Roman Catholic Church commemorates Daniel on July 21.
He is commemorated as a prophet in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod together with the Three Young Men (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), on December 17.
He is commemorated as a prophet in the Coptic Church on the 23rd day of the Coptic month of Baramhat.
Islamic views
Muslim literature
Muslim exegesis, including Tabari's History of the Prophets and Kings narrates that Daniel was carried off to Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar's attack on Jerusalem. It goes onto state that there he was thrown into the den of the lions, but was later rescued. In one such account, Daniel is aided by Jeremiah, who comes to Babylon to help Daniel in the lions den. In the apocryphal Bel and the Dragon, however, there is a very similar tale which states that the Hebrew prophet Habbakuk was miraculously transported to the den of the lions, to give a meal to Daniel.
All sources, classical and modern, describe Daniel as a saintly and spiritual man. Abdullah Yusuf Ali, in his Qur'anic commentary says:
| Chapters of the Book of Daniel |
|---|
 |
| 1: Induction into Babylon |
See also
References
- James B. Jordan (1995). "Daniel: Historical & Chronological Comments (II)" (– ). Biblical Chronology 7 (1). http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/ch/ch7_01.htm.
- Francis E. Gigot (1889). "Daniel". Catholic Encyclopedia on CD-ROM. New Advent. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04620a.htm.
- T. E. Gaston (2009). Historical Issues in the Book of Daniel. Taanathshiloh.
External links
- Book of Daniel (Biblical Passage)
- Daniel by Rob Bradshaw Detailed dictionary-style article.
- Daniel in the TaNaKh Detailed authorized Jewish translation of the original
- Who is Ezekiel's Daniel? : The Ugaritic Danel
- Daniel 11 in Context Overview of the allusions to the Syrian Wars in Daniel 11
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