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Stephan Kessler's *Daniel and King Cyrus in Bel's Temple*

The narrative of Bel and the Dragon is incorporated as chapter 14 of the extended Book of Daniel. The original Septuagint text in Greek survives in a single manuscript, Codex Chisianus, while the standard text is due to Theodotion, the 2nd-century AD revisor.

This chapter, along with chapter 13, is considered deuterocanonical: it was unknown to early Rabbinic Judaism, and while it is considered non-canonical by most Protestants, it is canonical to Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians, and is found in the Apocrypha section of some Protestant Bibles.^[1]

Summaries

Daniel, Bel and the Dragon (France, 15th century)

The chapter contains a single story which may previously have represented three separate narratives,^[2]^[3]^[4] 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."^[5]^[6] There Daniel "was a companion of the king, and was the most honored of all his Friends".^[7] However, while Theodotion's Greek apparently dates the story to the time of Astyages, the Old Greek versions of the story do not specify this.^[8] As such, the real identity of the king is up for debate. Some Bibles, such as the Douay-Rheims, use the more traditional identification of this king as being Evil-Merodach, or Amel-Marduk.^[9]^[10] This identification is supported by the Scriptural Research Institute in their book Septuagint: Daniel, where they cited similarities between Amel-Marduk's reign and the account, namely that Amel-Marduk was the only king of Babylon to have seen religious riots during his reign.^[11]

Bel

The narrative of Bel (Daniel 14:1–22) ridicules the worship of idols. The king asks Daniel, "You do not think Bel is a living god? Do you not see how much he eats and drinks every day?"^[12] to which Daniel answers that the idol is made of clay covered by bronze and thus cannot eat or drink. Enraged, the king then demands that the seventy 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 uncovers the ruse (by scattering ashes over the floor of the temple in the presence of the king after the priests have left) and shows that the "sacred" meal of Bel is actually consumed at night by the priests and their wives and children, who enter through a secret door when the temple's doors are sealed.

The next morning, the king comes to inspect the test by observing from above. He sees that the food has been consumed and points out that the wax seals he put on the temple doors are unbroken, and offers a hosanna to Bel. Daniel calls attention to the footprints on the temple floor; which the king then realizes by seeing footprints, along with more slender ones and smaller ones, shows that women and children also participated in the gluttony. The priests of Bel are then arrested and, confessing their deed, reveal the secret passage that they used to sneak inside the temple. They, their wives and children are 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".^[13]

The dragon

According to the brief companion narrative of the dragon (Daniel 14:23–30), "there was a great dragon which the Babylonians revered".^[14] Some time after the temple's condemnation the Babylonians worship the dragon. The king says that, unlike Bel, the dragon is a clear example of a live animal. Daniel promises to slay the dragon without the aid of a sword, and does so by baking pitch, fat, and hair (trichas) to make cakes (mazas, barley-cakes) 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,^[15] or skins of camels were filled with hot coals.^[16] A similar story occurs in the Persian poet Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, where Alexander the Great, or "Iskandar", kills a dragon by feeding it cow hides stuffed with poison and tar.^[17]^[18]

Earlier scholarship has suggested a parallel between this text and the contest between Marduk and Tiamat in Mesopotamian mythology, where the winds controlled by Marduk burst Tiamat open^[19] and barley-cake plays the same role as the wind.^[20] However, David DeSilva (2018) casts doubt on this reading.^[21]

References

^ Apocrypha-KJV-Reader's. Hendrickson Publishers. 2009. ISBN 978-1-59856-464-8.
^ The Jerome Biblical Commentary, vol. 1, p. 460, says of the second episode, "Although once an independent story, in its present form it is edited to follow the preceding tale;"
^ Daniel J. Harrington writes of Daniel 14:23–42: "This addition is a combination of three episodes" (Harrington, Invitation to the Apocrypha, p. 118);
^ Robert Doran writes, "The links between all the episodes in both versions are so pervasive that the narrative must be seen to be a whole. Such stories, of course, could theoretically have existed independently, but there is no evidence that they did." (Harper's Bible Commentary, p. 868).
^ Daniel 14:1, but Daniel 13:66 in the Vulgate
^ In the Greek version that has survived, the verb form parelaben is a diagnostic Aramaism, reflecting Aramaic qabbel which here does not mean "receive" but "succeed to the Throne" (F. Zimmermann, "Bel and the Dragon", Vetus Testamentum 8.4 (October 1958), p 440.
^ Daniel 14:2, but Daniel 14:1 in the Vulgate
^ Pietersma, Albert; Wright, Benjamin G., eds. (2007). A New English Translation of the Septuagint (PDF). New York / Oxford: Oxford University Press. ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ "Philologic Results".
^ "Daniel 14 – Haydock Commentary Online".
^ Abal, Daniel ben; Jesus, Habakkuk ben (1901). Septuagint: Daniel (Chisianus Version). Scriptural Research Institute. ISBN 978-1-990289-24-8.
^ Daniel 14:6, New American Bible
^ Westlake, Donald E. (1998). "The Locked Room". Murderous Schemes: An Anthology of Classic Detective Stories. Oxford University Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-19-510487-5.
^ New American Bible, Daniel 14:23
^ Zimmermann 1958:438f, note 1 compares A. Neubauer, Book of Tobit (Oxford) 1878:43.
^ Zimmermann 1958:439, note 2 attests the Talmudic tractate Nedarim, ed. Krotoschin, (1866) 37d.
^ Zimmermann 1958:439, note 3 attests Spiegel, Iranische Altertümer II.293 and Theodor Nöldeke, Beiträge zur geschichte Alexanderromans (Vienna) 1890:22.
^ "Alexander the Great in Firdawsi's Book of Kings".
^ "Bel and the Dragon". Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. 1900s. pp. 650–1. Retrieved 6 August 2015.; Zimmermann 1958.
^ Zimmermann 1958:440.
^ DeSilva, David. Introducing the Apocrypha, 2nd Edition Message, Context, and Significance. Baker Academic, 2018, 250–263.

Sources

Levine, Amy-Jill 2010. "Commentary on 'Bel and the Dragon'" in Coogan, Michael D. The New Oxford Annotated Bible (fourth ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
F. Zimmermann, "Bel and the Dragon", Vetus Testamentum 8.4 (October 1958)

External links

Works related to Bible (King James)/Bel and the Dragon at Wikisource
Media related to History of Bel and the Dragon at Wikimedia Commons

[Hendrickson2009-1] Apocrypha-KJV-Reader's. Hendrickson Publishers. 2009. ISBN 978-1-59856-464-8.

[2] The Jerome Biblical Commentary, vol. 1, p. 460, says of the second episode, "Although once an independent story, in its present form it is edited to follow the preceding tale;"

[3] Daniel J. Harrington writes of Daniel 14:23–42: "This addition is a combination of three episodes" (Harrington, Invitation to the Apocrypha, p. 118);

[4] Robert Doran writes, "The links between all the episodes in both versions are so pervasive that the narrative must be seen to be a whole. Such stories, of course, could theoretically have existed independently, but there is no evidence that they did." (Harper's Bible Commentary, p. 868).

[5] Daniel 14:1, but Daniel 13:66 in the Vulgate

[6] In the Greek version that has survived, the verb form parelaben is a diagnostic Aramaism, reflecting Aramaic qabbel which here does not mean "receive" but "succeed to the Throne" (F. Zimmermann, "Bel and the Dragon", Vetus Testamentum 8.4 (October 1958), p 440.

[7] Daniel 14:2, but Daniel 14:1 in the Vulgate

[8] Pietersma, Albert; Wright, Benjamin G., eds. (2007). A New English Translation of the Septuagint (PDF). New York / Oxford: Oxford University Press. ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[9] "Philologic Results".

[10] "Daniel 14 – Haydock Commentary Online".

[11] Abal, Daniel ben; Jesus, Habakkuk ben (1901). Septuagint: Daniel (Chisianus Version). Scriptural Research Institute. ISBN 978-1-990289-24-8.

[12] Daniel 14:6, New American Bible

[13] Westlake, Donald E. (1998). "The Locked Room". Murderous Schemes: An Anthology of Classic Detective Stories. Oxford University Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-19-510487-5.

[14] New American Bible, Daniel 14:23

[15] Zimmermann 1958:438f, note 1 compares A. Neubauer, Book of Tobit (Oxford) 1878:43.

[16] Zimmermann 1958:439, note 2 attests the Talmudic tractate Nedarim, ed. Krotoschin, (1866) 37d.

[17] Zimmermann 1958:439, note 3 attests Spiegel, Iranische Altertümer II.293 and Theodor Nöldeke, Beiträge zur geschichte Alexanderromans (Vienna) 1890:22.

[18] "Alexander the Great in Firdawsi's Book of Kings".

[19] "Bel and the Dragon". Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. 1900s. pp. 650–1. Retrieved 6 August 2015.; Zimmermann 1958.

[20] Zimmermann 1958:440.

[21] DeSilva, David. Introducing the Apocrypha, 2nd Edition Message, Context, and Significance. Baker Academic, 2018, 250–263.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Deuterocanonical text}}
-{{short description|Chapter 14 of the Book of Daniel in the Septuagint but not the Hebrew–Aramaic}}
-[[File:Kessler Daniel und König Cyrus im Tempel.jpg|thumb|240px|[[Stephan Kessler]]'s ''Daniel and King Cyrus in Bel's Temple'']]
+[[File:Kessler Daniel und König Cyrus im Tempel.jpg|thumb|240px|Stephan Kessler's ''Daniel and King Cyrus in Bel's Temple'']]
 {{Daniel chapters}}
 The narrative of '''Bel and the Dragon''' is incorporated as chapter 14 of the [[Additions to Daniel|extended Book of Daniel]]. The original [[Septuagint]] text in Greek survives in a single manuscript, [[Codex Chisianus]], while the standard text is due to [[Theodotion]], the 2nd-century AD revisor.
-This chapter, along with chapter 13, is considered [[Deuterocanonical books|deuterocanonical]]: it was unknown to early [[Rabbinic Judaism]], and while it is considered non-canonical by most [[Protestants]], it is canonical to both [[Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox]] Christians, and is found in the [[Biblical apocrypha|Apocrypha]] section of 80 Protestant Bibles.<ref name="Hendrickson2009">{{cite book |title=Apocrypha-KJV-Reader's |date=2009 |publisher=Hendrickson Publishers |isbn=978-1-59856-464-8 |language=English}}</ref>
+This chapter, along with chapter 13, is considered [[Deuterocanonical books|deuterocanonical]]: it was unknown to early [[Rabbinic Judaism]], and while it is considered non-canonical by most [[Protestants]], it is canonical to [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox]] Christians, and is found in the [[Biblical apocrypha|Apocrypha]] section of some Protestant Bibles.<ref name="Hendrickson2009">{{cite book |title=Apocrypha-KJV-Reader's |date=2009 |publisher=Hendrickson Publishers |isbn=978-1-59856-464-8 |language=English}}</ref>
-==Summaries==
+== Summaries ==
 [[File:Daniel Bel et le dragon.jpg|thumb|upright|Daniel, Bel and the Dragon (France, 15th century)]]
-The chapter contains a single story which may previously have represented three separate narratives,<ref>''The [[Jerome Biblical Commentary]]'', vol. 1, p. 460, says of the second episode, "Although once an independent story, in its present form it is edited to follow the preceding tale;"</ref><ref>Daniel J. Harrington writes of Daniel 14:23–42: "This addition is a combination of three episodes" (Harrington, ''Invitation to the Apocrypha'', p. 118);</ref><ref>Robert Doran writes, "The links between all the episodes in both versions are so pervasive that the narrative must be seen to be a whole. Such stories, of course, could theoretically have existed independently, but there is no evidence that they did." (''Harper's Bible Commentary'', p. 868).</ref> which place [[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]] at the court of [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus]], king of the Persians: "When King [[Astyages]] was laid to rest with his ancestors, Cyrus the Persian succeeded to his kingdom."<ref>{{bibleverse||Daniel|14:1|NRSVCE}}, but {{bibleverse||Daniel|13:66|VULGATE}} in the [[Vulgate]]</ref><ref>In the Greek version that has survived, the verb form ''parelaben'' is a diagnostic Aramaism, reflecting Aramaic ''qabbel'' which here does not mean "receive" but "succeed to the Throne" (F. Zimmermann, "Bel and the Dragon", ''[[Vetus Testamentum]]'' '''8'''.4 (October 1958), p 440.</ref> There Daniel "was a companion of the king, and was the most honored of all his Friends".<ref>{{bibleverse||Daniel|14:2|NRSVCE}}, but {{bibleverse||Daniel|14:1|VULGATE}} in the Vulgate</ref>
+The chapter contains a single story which may previously have represented three separate narratives,<ref>''The [[Jerome Biblical Commentary]]'', vol. 1, p. 460, says of the second episode, "Although once an independent story, in its present form it is edited to follow the preceding tale;"</ref><ref>Daniel J. Harrington writes of Daniel 14:23–42: "This addition is a combination of three episodes" (Harrington, ''Invitation to the Apocrypha'', p. 118);</ref><ref>Robert Doran writes, "The links between all the episodes in both versions are so pervasive that the narrative must be seen to be a whole. Such stories, of course, could theoretically have existed independently, but there is no evidence that they did." (''Harper's Bible Commentary'', p. 868).</ref> which place [[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]] at the court of [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus]], king of the Persians: "When King [[Astyages]] was laid to rest with his ancestors, Cyrus the Persian succeeded to his kingdom."<ref>{{bibleverse||Daniel|14:1|NRSVCE}}, but {{bibleverse||Daniel|13:66|VULGATE}} in the [[Vulgate]]</ref><ref>In the Greek version that has survived, the verb form ''parelaben'' is a diagnostic Aramaism, reflecting Aramaic ''qabbel'' which here does not mean "receive" but "succeed to the Throne" (F. Zimmermann, "Bel and the Dragon", ''[[Vetus Testamentum]]'' '''8'''.4 (October 1958), p 440.</ref> There Daniel "was a companion of the king, and was the most honored of all his Friends".<ref>{{bibleverse||Daniel|14:2|NRSVCE}}, but {{bibleverse||Daniel|14:1|VULGATE}} in the Vulgate</ref> However, while [[Theodotion]]'s Greek apparently dates the story to the time of Astyages, the [[Old Greek]] versions of the story do not specify this.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first1=Albert |editor-last1=Pietersma |editor-link1=Albert Pietersma |editor-first2=Benjamin G. |editor-last2=Wright |year=2007 |title=A New English Translation of the Septuagint |location=New York / Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://ia801505.us.archive.org/10/items/a-new-english-translation-of-the-septuagint-2007-albert-pietersma-and-benjamin-g.-wright-jo-e-juizes/A%20New%20English%20Translation%20of%20the%20Septuagint%202007%20Albert%20Pietersma%20and%20Benjamin%20G.%20Wright%20%28J%C3%B3%20e%20Ju%C3%ADzes%29.pdf }} {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> As such, the real identity of the king is up for debate. Some Bibles, such as the [[Douay-Rheims]], use the more traditional identification of this king as being Evil-Merodach, or [[Amel-Marduk]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://philologic.northwestern.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.9:1:32:16.bie | title=Philologic Results }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://haydockcommentary.com/daniel-14 | title=Daniel 14 – Haydock Commentary Online }}</ref> This identification is supported by the Scriptural Research Institute in their book ''Septuagint: Daniel'', where they cited similarities between Amel-Marduk's reign and the account, namely that Amel-Marduk was the only king of Babylon to have seen religious riots during his reign.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=99VDEAAAQBAJ | title=Septuagint: Daniel (Chisianus Version) | isbn=978-1-990289-24-8 | last1=Abal | first1=Daniel ben | last2=Jesus | first2=Habakkuk ben | date=1901 | publisher=Scriptural Research Institute }}</ref>
-===Bel===
-The narrative of [[Bel (mythology)|Bel]] (Daniel 14:1–22) ridicules the [[Idolatry|worship of idols]]. The king asks Daniel, "You do not think Bel is a living god? Do you not see how much he eats and drinks every day?"<ref>[http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/14 Daniel 14:6, ''New American Bible'']</ref> to which Daniel answers that the idol is made of [[clay]] covered by [[bronze]] and thus cannot eat or drink. Enraged, the king then demands that the seventy 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.
+=== Bel ===
-Daniel then uncovers the ruse (by scattering ashes over the floor of the temple in the presence of the king after the priests have left) and shows that the "sacred" meal of Bel is actually consumed at night by the priests and their wives and children, who enter through a [[secret passage|secret door]] when the temple's doors are sealed.
+The narrative of [[Bel (mythology)|Bel]] (Daniel 14:1–22) ridicules the [[Idolatry|worship of idols]]. The king asks Daniel, "You do not think Bel is a living god? Do you not see how much he eats and drinks every day?"<ref>[http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/14 Daniel 14:6, ''New American Bible'']</ref> to which Daniel answers that the idol is made of [[clay]] covered by [[bronze]] and thus cannot eat or drink. Enraged, the king then demands that the seventy 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.
-The next morning, the king comes to inspect the test by observing from above. He sees that the food has been consumed and points out that the wax seals he put on the temple doors are unbroken, and offers a hosanna to Bel. Daniel calls attention to the footprints on the temple floor; which the king then realizes by seeing footprints, along with more slender ones and smaller ones, shows that women and children also participated in the gluttony. The priests of Bel are then arrested and, confessing their deed, reveal the secret passage that they used to sneak inside the temple. They, their wives and children are 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]]".<ref>{{cite book | title = Murderous Schemes: An Anthology of Classic Detective Stories | first = Donald E. | last = Westlake | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1998 | chapter = The Locked Room | page = 7 | isbn = 978-0-19-510487-5 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=h7OsO8GyjaAC&pg=PA7 }}</ref>
+Daniel then uncovers the ruse (by scattering ashes over the floor of the temple in the presence of the king after the priests have left) and shows that the "sacred" meal of Bel is actually consumed at night by the priests and their wives and children, who enter through a secret door when the temple's doors are sealed.
-===The dragon===
-In the brief but autonomous companion narrative of the [[dragon]] (Daniel 14:23–30).... , "There was a great dragon which the Babylonians revered."<ref>[http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/14 ''New American Bible'', verse 23]</ref> Some time after the temple's condemnation the Babylonians worship the dragon (presumably a snake or lizard). The king says that unlike Bel, the dragon is a clear example of a live animal. Daniel promises to slay the dragon without the aid of a sword, and does so by baking pitch, fat, and hair (''trichas'') to make cakes (''mazas'', [[Ancient Greek cuisine#Barley|barley-cakes]]) 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,<ref>Zimmermann 1958:438f, note 1 compares A. Neubauer, ''Book of Tobit'' (Oxford) 1878:43.</ref> or skins of camels were filled with hot coals.<ref>Zimmermann 1958:439, note 2 attests the Talmudic tractate ''[[Nedarim (tractate)|Nedarim]]'', ed. Krotoschin, (1866) 37d.</ref> A similar story occurs in the Persian poet [[Ferdowsi]]'s [[Shahnameh]], where [[Alexander the Great]], or "Iskandar", kills a dragon by feeding it cow hides stuffed with poison and tar.<ref>Zimmermann 1958:439, note 3 attests Spiegel, ''Iranische Altertümer'' II.293 and [[Theodor Nöldeke]], ''Beiträge zur geschichte Alexanderromans'' (Vienna) 1890:22.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2022/10/alexander-the-great-in-firdawsis-book-of-kings.html | title=Alexander the Great in Firdawsi's Book of Kings }}</ref>
+The next morning, the king comes to inspect the test by observing from above. He sees that the food has been consumed and points out that the [[wax seals]] he put on the temple doors are unbroken, and offers a [[hosanna]] to Bel. Daniel calls attention to the footprints on the temple floor; which the king then realizes by seeing footprints, along with more slender ones and smaller ones, shows that women and children also participated in the gluttony. The priests of Bel are then arrested and, confessing their deed, reveal the secret passage that they used to sneak inside the temple. They, their wives and children are 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]]".<ref>{{cite book | title = Murderous Schemes: An Anthology of Classic Detective Stories | first = Donald E. | last = Westlake | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1998 | chapter = The Locked Room | page = 7 | isbn = 978-0-19-510487-5 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=h7OsO8GyjaAC&pg=PA7 }}</ref>
-Earlier scholarship has suggested a parallel between this text and the contest between [[Marduk]] and [[Tiamat]] in Mesopotamian mythology, where the winds controlled by Marduk burst Tiamat open<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Bel and the Dragon |encyclopedia=[[Jewish Encyclopedia]] |url=https://archive.org/stream/jewishencycloped02sing#page/650/mode/2up |access-date=6 August 2015 |date=1900s |volume=2 |pages=650–1}}; Zimmermann 1958.</ref> and barley-cake plays the same role as the wind.<ref>Zimmermann 1958:440.</ref> However, David DeSilva (2018) casts doubt on this reading.<ref>DeSilva, David. ''Introducing the Apocrypha, 2nd Edition Message, Context, and Significance''. Baker Academic, 2018, 250–263.</ref>
+=== The dragon ===
-As a result, the Babylonians are indignant, and threaten the king if he does not give them Daniel. Daniel is handed over, and thrown into a lions' den. The prophet [[Habakkuk]] is miraculously recruited and brought to share a meal with Daniel in the den. When Daniel is found alive in the den seven days later, the king throws his persecutors to the lions.
+According to the brief companion narrative of the [[dragon]] (Daniel 14:23–30), "there was a great dragon which the Babylonians revered".<ref>[http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/14 ''New American Bible'', Daniel 14:23]</ref> Some time after the temple's condemnation the Babylonians worship the dragon. The king says that, unlike Bel, the dragon is a clear example of a live animal. Daniel promises to slay the dragon without the aid of a sword, and does so by baking pitch, fat, and hair (''trichas'') to make cakes (''mazas'', [[Ancient Greek cuisine#Barley|barley-cakes]]) 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,<ref>Zimmermann 1958:438f, note 1 compares A. Neubauer, ''Book of Tobit'' (Oxford) 1878:43.</ref> or skins of camels were filled with hot coals.<ref>Zimmermann 1958:439, note 2 attests the Talmudic tractate ''[[Nedarim (tractate)|Nedarim]]'', ed. Krotoschin, (1866) 37d.</ref> A similar story occurs in the Persian poet [[Ferdowsi]]'s [[Shahnameh]], where [[Alexander the Great]], or "Iskandar", kills a dragon by feeding it cow hides stuffed with poison and tar.<ref>Zimmermann 1958:439, note 3 attests Spiegel, ''Iranische Altertümer'' II.293 and [[Theodor Nöldeke]], ''Beiträge zur geschichte Alexanderromans'' (Vienna) 1890:22.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2022/10/alexander-the-great-in-firdawsis-book-of-kings.html | title=Alexander the Great in Firdawsi's Book of Kings }}</ref>
+Earlier scholarship has suggested a parallel between this text and the contest between [[Marduk]] and [[Tiamat]] in Mesopotamian mythology, where the winds controlled by Marduk burst Tiamat open<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Bel and the Dragon |encyclopedia=[[Jewish Encyclopedia]] |url=https://archive.org/stream/jewishencycloped02sing#page/650/mode/2up |access-date=6 August 2015 |date=1900s |volume=2 |pages=650–1}}; Zimmermann 1958.</ref> and barley-cake plays the same role as the wind.<ref>Zimmermann 1958:440.</ref> However, David DeSilva (2018) casts doubt on this reading.<ref>DeSilva, David. ''Introducing the Apocrypha, 2nd Edition Message, Context, and Significance''. Baker Academic, 2018, 250–263.</ref>
-===The lions' den===
-{{anchor|Lions}}<!-- [[Daniel in the Lions' Den]] links here-->
-{{see also|Daniel in the lions' den}}
-The third narrative (14:31–42), Daniel in the Lions' Den, may be a retelling of the incident in Daniel 6:1–28, or may describe a separate incident. 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 Joshua, of the tribe of Levi". Daniel remains unharmed in the den with seven lions, fed by the prophet Habakkuk, who was taken to the lion's den by an angel. The story continues:
-{{blockquote|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. Then cried the king with a loud voice, saying, Great art thou, O Lord God of Daniel, and there is none other besides thee. 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.}}
 == See also ==

v t e Book of Daniel
Bible chapters	Daniel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Additions	Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children Susanna and the Elders Bel and the Dragon
Places	Babylon Susa
People	Belshazzar Cyrus the Great Daniel Darius the Mede Jehoiakim Nebuchadnezzar II Palmoni Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Angels	Gabriel Michael
Terms	Abomination of desolation Ancient of Days Belshazzar's feast Four kingdoms Lion's den Prophecy of Seventy Weeks Son of man Territorial spirit Watcher (angel)
Christian interpretations	Futurism Historicism Historicist interpretations Idealism Preterism
Manuscripts	Papyrus 967 Papyrus 62 Codex Chisianus 45
Sources	Hebrew Bible Septuagint Latin Vulgate Wycliffe Version King James Version American Standard Version World English Version

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	Germany United States Argentina Israel