Daniel 12:
4But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to
the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall
be increased. ...
8And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what
shall be the end of these things?
9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and
sealed till the time of the end.
Bel and the Dragon
The tale of Bel and the Dragon incorporated as chapter 14 of the extended Book of Daniel
was written in Aramaic around the late 2nd century BC and translated into Greek in the
Septuagint. This chapter, along with chapter 13, is referred to as deuterocanonical, in that
it is not universally accepted among Christians as belonging to the canonical works
accepted as the Bible. The text is viewed as apocryphal by Protestants and typically not
found in modern Protestant Bibles, though it was in the original [Tyndale and Geneva and
the] 1611 edition of the King James Version. It's listed in Article VI of the Thirty-Nine
Articles of the Church of England.
The chapter is formed of three independent narratives, which place Daniel at the court of
Cyrus, king of the Persians: "When King Astyages was laid to rest with his ancestors,
Cyrus the Persian succeeded to his kingdom." There Daniel "was a companion of the king,
and was the most honored of all his Friends" (14:1).
Three Narratives:
The Narrative of Bel:
The narrative of Bel (14:1-22) ridicules the worship of idols. In it, the king asks Daniel, "Do
you not think that Bel is a living god? Do you not see how much he eats and drinks every
day?" to which Daniel answers that the idol is made of clay covered bronze and thus,
cannot eat or drink. Enraged, the king then demands that the 70 priests of Bel show him
who consumes the offerings made to the idol. The priests then challenge the king to set
the offerings as usual (which were "twelve great measures of fine flour, and forty sheep,
and six vessels of wine") and then seal the entrance to the temple with his ring: if Bel
does not consume the offerings, the priests are to be sentenced to death; otherwise,
Daniel is to be killed.
Daniel then proves through a ruse (by scattering ashes on the whole perimeter on the
temple in the presence of the king after the priests have left) that the sacred meal of Bel
is actually consumed at night by the priests and their wives and children, who entered
through a secret door when the temple's doors were sealed.
The next morning, Daniel calls attention to the footprints on the temple's floor; the
priests of Bel were then arrested and, confessing their deed, showed the secret passage
that they used to sneak inside the temple. They, their wives and children are then put to
death, and Daniel is permitted to destroy the idol of Bel and the temple. This version has
been cited as an ancestor of the "locked room mystery".
The Narrative of The Dragon:
In the brief but autonomous companion narrative of the dragon (14:23-30), "there was a
great dragon, which the Babylonians revered." In this case the supposed god is no idol.
However, Daniel slays the dragon by raking pitch, fat, and hair (trichas) to make cakes
(mazas, barley-cakes, but translated "lumps") that cause the dragon to burst open upon
consumption. In other variants, other ingredients serve the purpose: in a form known to
the Midrash, straw was fed in which nails were hidden, or skins of camels were filled with
hot coals, or in the Alexander cycle of Romances it was Alexander the Great who
overcame the dragon by feeding poison and tar.
The parallel with the contest between Marduk and Tiamat, in which winds (sâru)
controlled by Marduk burst Tiamat open, has been noted by many informed readers;
barley-cake has been substituted for "wind".
As a result, the Babylonians are indignant. "The king has become a Jew; he has destroyed
Bel, and killed the dragon, and slaughtered the priests," they say, and demand that Daniel
be handed over to them.
The Narrative of Daniel in the Lion's Den:
The third narrative (14:31-42), Daniel in the Lions' Den, is apparently Daniel's first or
second trip. It has been made into a consequence of the preceding episode, but the
Septuagint precedes it with the notice, "From the prophecy of Habakkuk, son of Jesus, of
the tribe of Levi." Daniel remains unharmed in the den with seven lions, fed by the
miraculous transportation of the prophet Habakkuk. "On the seventh day the king came
to mourn for Daniel. When he came to the den he looked in, and there sat Daniel! The king
shouted with a loud voice, 'You are great, O Lord, the God of Daniel, and there is no other
besides you!' Then he pulled Daniel out, and threw into the den those who had attempted
his destruction, and they were instantly eaten before his eyes."
Some have suggested that the Daniel in Bel and the Dragon is different from that of
Daniel 1-13
The Greek text of "Bel and the Dragon" exists in two versions. One, represented in a
minority of manuscripts, sometimes called the "Old Greek" version, seems to represent
the Septuagint translation, evidently so unsatisfactory that the early Church opted to
substitute Theodotion's version in its place, in the official copies of the LXX that have
survived.
The Preceding Article found on the Internet [with accompanying references] at:
Bel and the Dragon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
THE TEXT OF BEL AND THE DRAGON:
Apocrypha: Bel and the Dragon
The Narrative of Bel:
1 And king Astyages was gathered to his fathers, and Cyrus of Persia received his
kingdom.
2 And Daniel conversed with the king, and was honoured above all his friends.
3 Now the Babylons had an idol, called Bel, and there were spent upon him every day
twelve great measures of fine flour, and forty sheep, and six vessels of wine.
4 And the king worshipped it and went daily to adore it: but Daniel worshipped his own
God. And the king said unto him, Why dost not thou worship Bel?
5 Who answered and said, Because I may not worship idols made with hands, but the
living God, who hath created the heaven and the earth, and hath sovereignty over all
flesh.
6 Then said the king unto him, Thinkest thou not that Bel is a living God? seest thou not
how much he eateth and drinketh every day?
7 Then Daniel smiled, and said, O king, be not deceived: for this is but clay within, and
brass without, and did never eat or drink any thing.
8 So the king was wroth, and called for his priests, and said unto them, If ye tell me not
who this is that devoureth these expences, ye shall die.
9 But if ye can certify me that Bel devoureth them, then Daniel shall die: for he hath
spoken blasphemy against Bel. And Daniel said unto the king, Let it be according to thy
word.
10 Now the priests of Bel were threescore and ten, beside their wives and children. And
the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel.
11 So Bel's priests said, Lo, we go out: but thou, O king, set on the meat, and make ready
the wine, and shut the door fast and seal it with thine own signet;
12 And to morrow when thou comest in, if thou findest not that hath eaten up all, we will
suffer death, or else Daniel, that speaketh falsely against us.
13 And they little regarded it: for under the table they had made a privy entrance,
whereby they entered in continually, and consumed those things.
14 So when they were gone forth, the king set meats before Bel. Now Daniel had
commanded his servants to bring ashes, and those they strewed throughout all the
temple in the presence of the king alone: then went they out, and shut the door, and
sealed it with the king's signet, and so departed.
15 Now in the night came the priests with their wives and children, as they were wont to
do, and did eat and drinck up all.
16 In the morning betime the king arose, and Daniel with him.
17 And the king said, Daniel, are the seals whole? And he said, Yea, O king, they be whole.
18 And as soon as he had opened the dour, the king looked upon the table, and cried with
a loud voice, Great art thou, O Bel, and with thee is no deceit at all.
19 Then laughed Daniel, and held the king that he should not go in, and said, Behold now
the pavement, and mark well whose footsteps are these.
20 And the king said, I see the footsteps of men, women, and children. And then the king
was angry,
21 And took the priests with their wives and children, who shewed him the privy doors,
where they came in, and consumed such things as were upon the table.
22 Therefore the king slew them, and delivered Bel into Daniel's power, who destroyed
him and his temple.
The Narrative of the Dragon:
23 And in that same place there was a great dragon, which they of Babylon worshipped.
24 And the king said unto Daniel, Wilt thou also say that this is of brass? lo, he liveth, he
eateth and drinketh; thou canst not say that he is no living god: therefore worship him.
25 Then said Daniel unto the king, I will worship the Lord my God: for he is the living God.
26 But give me leave, O king, and I shall slay this dragon without sword or staff. The king
said, I give thee leave.
27 Then Daniel took pitch, and fat, and hair, and did seethe them together, and made
lumps thereof: this he put in the dragon's mouth, and so the dragon burst in sunder : and
Daniel said, Lo, these are the gods ye worship.
28 When they of Babylon heard that, they took great indignation, and conspired against
the king, saying, The king is become a Jew, and he hath destroyed Bel, he hath slain the
dragon, and put the priests to death.
29 So they came to the king, and said, Deliver us Daniel, or else we will destroy thee and
thine house.
30 Now when the king saw that they pressed him sore, being constrained, he delivered
Daniel unto them:
The Narrative of Daniel in the Lion's Den:
31 Who cast him into the lions' den: where he was six days.
32 And in the den there were seven lions, and they had given them every day two
carcases, and two sheep: which then were not given to them, to the intent they might
devour Daniel.
33 Now there was in Jewry a prophet, called Habbacuc, who had made pottage, and had
broken bread in a bowl, and was going into the field, for to bring it to the reapers.
34 But the angel of the Lord said unto Habbacuc, Go, carry the dinner that thou hast into
Babylon unto Daniel, who is in the lions' den.
35 And Habbacuc said, Lord, I never saw Babylon; neither do I know where the den is.
36 Then the angel of the Lord took him by the crown, and bare him by the hair of his head,
and through the vehemency of his spirit set him in Babylon over the den.
37 And Habbacuc cried, saying, O Daniel, Daniel, take the dinner which God hath sent thee.
38 And Daniel said, Thou hast remembered me, O God: neither hast thou forsaken them
that seek thee and love thee.
39 So Daniel arose, and did eat: and the angel of the Lord set Habbacuc in his own place
again immediately.
40 Upon the seventh day the king went to bewail Daniel: and when he came to the den, he
looked in, and behold, Daniel was sitting.
41 Then cried the king with a loud voice, saying, Great art Lord God of Daniel, and there is
none other beside thee.
42 And he drew him out, and cast those that were the cause of his destruction into the
den: and they were devoured in a moment before his face.
The Preceding version of Bel and the Dragon found on the Internet at:
The Apocrypha: Bel and the Dragon: Bel and the Dragon index
Worthy Articles also may be found [all over the Internet] at:
1) Bel and the Dragon - New World Encyclopedia
2) Bel and the Dragon
4But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to
the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall
be increased. ...
8And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what
shall be the end of these things?
9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and
sealed till the time of the end.
Bel and the Dragon
The tale of Bel and the Dragon incorporated as chapter 14 of the extended Book of Daniel
was written in Aramaic around the late 2nd century BC and translated into Greek in the
Septuagint. This chapter, along with chapter 13, is referred to as deuterocanonical, in that
it is not universally accepted among Christians as belonging to the canonical works
accepted as the Bible. The text is viewed as apocryphal by Protestants and typically not
found in modern Protestant Bibles, though it was in the original [Tyndale and Geneva and
the] 1611 edition of the King James Version. It's listed in Article VI of the Thirty-Nine
Articles of the Church of England.
The chapter is formed of three independent narratives, which place Daniel at the court of
Cyrus, king of the Persians: "When King Astyages was laid to rest with his ancestors,
Cyrus the Persian succeeded to his kingdom." There Daniel "was a companion of the king,
and was the most honored of all his Friends" (14:1).
Three Narratives:
The Narrative of Bel:
The narrative of Bel (14:1-22) ridicules the worship of idols. In it, the king asks Daniel, "Do
you not think that Bel is a living god? Do you not see how much he eats and drinks every
day?" to which Daniel answers that the idol is made of clay covered bronze and thus,
cannot eat or drink. Enraged, the king then demands that the 70 priests of Bel show him
who consumes the offerings made to the idol. The priests then challenge the king to set
the offerings as usual (which were "twelve great measures of fine flour, and forty sheep,
and six vessels of wine") and then seal the entrance to the temple with his ring: if Bel
does not consume the offerings, the priests are to be sentenced to death; otherwise,
Daniel is to be killed.
Daniel then proves through a ruse (by scattering ashes on the whole perimeter on the
temple in the presence of the king after the priests have left) that the sacred meal of Bel
is actually consumed at night by the priests and their wives and children, who entered
through a secret door when the temple's doors were sealed.
The next morning, Daniel calls attention to the footprints on the temple's floor; the
priests of Bel were then arrested and, confessing their deed, showed the secret passage
that they used to sneak inside the temple. They, their wives and children are then put to
death, and Daniel is permitted to destroy the idol of Bel and the temple. This version has
been cited as an ancestor of the "locked room mystery".
The Narrative of The Dragon:
In the brief but autonomous companion narrative of the dragon (14:23-30), "there was a
great dragon, which the Babylonians revered." In this case the supposed god is no idol.
However, Daniel slays the dragon by raking pitch, fat, and hair (trichas) to make cakes
(mazas, barley-cakes, but translated "lumps") that cause the dragon to burst open upon
consumption. In other variants, other ingredients serve the purpose: in a form known to
the Midrash, straw was fed in which nails were hidden, or skins of camels were filled with
hot coals, or in the Alexander cycle of Romances it was Alexander the Great who
overcame the dragon by feeding poison and tar.
The parallel with the contest between Marduk and Tiamat, in which winds (sâru)
controlled by Marduk burst Tiamat open, has been noted by many informed readers;
barley-cake has been substituted for "wind".
As a result, the Babylonians are indignant. "The king has become a Jew; he has destroyed
Bel, and killed the dragon, and slaughtered the priests," they say, and demand that Daniel
be handed over to them.
The Narrative of Daniel in the Lion's Den:
The third narrative (14:31-42), Daniel in the Lions' Den, is apparently Daniel's first or
second trip. It has been made into a consequence of the preceding episode, but the
Septuagint precedes it with the notice, "From the prophecy of Habakkuk, son of Jesus, of
the tribe of Levi." Daniel remains unharmed in the den with seven lions, fed by the
miraculous transportation of the prophet Habakkuk. "On the seventh day the king came
to mourn for Daniel. When he came to the den he looked in, and there sat Daniel! The king
shouted with a loud voice, 'You are great, O Lord, the God of Daniel, and there is no other
besides you!' Then he pulled Daniel out, and threw into the den those who had attempted
his destruction, and they were instantly eaten before his eyes."
Some have suggested that the Daniel in Bel and the Dragon is different from that of
Daniel 1-13
The Greek text of "Bel and the Dragon" exists in two versions. One, represented in a
minority of manuscripts, sometimes called the "Old Greek" version, seems to represent
the Septuagint translation, evidently so unsatisfactory that the early Church opted to
substitute Theodotion's version in its place, in the official copies of the LXX that have
survived.
The Preceding Article found on the Internet [with accompanying references] at:
Bel and the Dragon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
THE TEXT OF BEL AND THE DRAGON:
Apocrypha: Bel and the Dragon
The Narrative of Bel:
1 And king Astyages was gathered to his fathers, and Cyrus of Persia received his
kingdom.
2 And Daniel conversed with the king, and was honoured above all his friends.
3 Now the Babylons had an idol, called Bel, and there were spent upon him every day
twelve great measures of fine flour, and forty sheep, and six vessels of wine.
4 And the king worshipped it and went daily to adore it: but Daniel worshipped his own
God. And the king said unto him, Why dost not thou worship Bel?
5 Who answered and said, Because I may not worship idols made with hands, but the
living God, who hath created the heaven and the earth, and hath sovereignty over all
flesh.
6 Then said the king unto him, Thinkest thou not that Bel is a living God? seest thou not
how much he eateth and drinketh every day?
7 Then Daniel smiled, and said, O king, be not deceived: for this is but clay within, and
brass without, and did never eat or drink any thing.
8 So the king was wroth, and called for his priests, and said unto them, If ye tell me not
who this is that devoureth these expences, ye shall die.
9 But if ye can certify me that Bel devoureth them, then Daniel shall die: for he hath
spoken blasphemy against Bel. And Daniel said unto the king, Let it be according to thy
word.
10 Now the priests of Bel were threescore and ten, beside their wives and children. And
the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel.
11 So Bel's priests said, Lo, we go out: but thou, O king, set on the meat, and make ready
the wine, and shut the door fast and seal it with thine own signet;
12 And to morrow when thou comest in, if thou findest not that hath eaten up all, we will
suffer death, or else Daniel, that speaketh falsely against us.
13 And they little regarded it: for under the table they had made a privy entrance,
whereby they entered in continually, and consumed those things.
14 So when they were gone forth, the king set meats before Bel. Now Daniel had
commanded his servants to bring ashes, and those they strewed throughout all the
temple in the presence of the king alone: then went they out, and shut the door, and
sealed it with the king's signet, and so departed.
15 Now in the night came the priests with their wives and children, as they were wont to
do, and did eat and drinck up all.
16 In the morning betime the king arose, and Daniel with him.
17 And the king said, Daniel, are the seals whole? And he said, Yea, O king, they be whole.
18 And as soon as he had opened the dour, the king looked upon the table, and cried with
a loud voice, Great art thou, O Bel, and with thee is no deceit at all.
19 Then laughed Daniel, and held the king that he should not go in, and said, Behold now
the pavement, and mark well whose footsteps are these.
20 And the king said, I see the footsteps of men, women, and children. And then the king
was angry,
21 And took the priests with their wives and children, who shewed him the privy doors,
where they came in, and consumed such things as were upon the table.
22 Therefore the king slew them, and delivered Bel into Daniel's power, who destroyed
him and his temple.
The Narrative of the Dragon:
23 And in that same place there was a great dragon, which they of Babylon worshipped.
24 And the king said unto Daniel, Wilt thou also say that this is of brass? lo, he liveth, he
eateth and drinketh; thou canst not say that he is no living god: therefore worship him.
25 Then said Daniel unto the king, I will worship the Lord my God: for he is the living God.
26 But give me leave, O king, and I shall slay this dragon without sword or staff. The king
said, I give thee leave.
27 Then Daniel took pitch, and fat, and hair, and did seethe them together, and made
lumps thereof: this he put in the dragon's mouth, and so the dragon burst in sunder : and
Daniel said, Lo, these are the gods ye worship.
28 When they of Babylon heard that, they took great indignation, and conspired against
the king, saying, The king is become a Jew, and he hath destroyed Bel, he hath slain the
dragon, and put the priests to death.
29 So they came to the king, and said, Deliver us Daniel, or else we will destroy thee and
thine house.
30 Now when the king saw that they pressed him sore, being constrained, he delivered
Daniel unto them:
The Narrative of Daniel in the Lion's Den:
31 Who cast him into the lions' den: where he was six days.
32 And in the den there were seven lions, and they had given them every day two
carcases, and two sheep: which then were not given to them, to the intent they might
devour Daniel.
33 Now there was in Jewry a prophet, called Habbacuc, who had made pottage, and had
broken bread in a bowl, and was going into the field, for to bring it to the reapers.
34 But the angel of the Lord said unto Habbacuc, Go, carry the dinner that thou hast into
Babylon unto Daniel, who is in the lions' den.
35 And Habbacuc said, Lord, I never saw Babylon; neither do I know where the den is.
36 Then the angel of the Lord took him by the crown, and bare him by the hair of his head,
and through the vehemency of his spirit set him in Babylon over the den.
37 And Habbacuc cried, saying, O Daniel, Daniel, take the dinner which God hath sent thee.
38 And Daniel said, Thou hast remembered me, O God: neither hast thou forsaken them
that seek thee and love thee.
39 So Daniel arose, and did eat: and the angel of the Lord set Habbacuc in his own place
again immediately.
40 Upon the seventh day the king went to bewail Daniel: and when he came to the den, he
looked in, and behold, Daniel was sitting.
41 Then cried the king with a loud voice, saying, Great art Lord God of Daniel, and there is
none other beside thee.
42 And he drew him out, and cast those that were the cause of his destruction into the
den: and they were devoured in a moment before his face.
The Preceding version of Bel and the Dragon found on the Internet at:
The Apocrypha: Bel and the Dragon: Bel and the Dragon index
Worthy Articles also may be found [all over the Internet] at:
1) Bel and the Dragon - New World Encyclopedia
2) Bel and the Dragon