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Additions to Daniel
Additions to Daniel
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The additions to Daniel are three chapters not found in the Hebrew/Aramaic text of Daniel. The text of these chapters is found in the Septuagint, the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Hebrew.

The three chapters are as follows.

  • The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children: Daniel 3:24–90 (in the Greek Translation) are removed from the Protestant canon after verse 23 (v. 24 becomes v. 91), within the Fiery Furnace episode. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into a furnace for declining to worship an idol, they are rescued by an angel and sing a song of worship.[1] In some Greek Bibles, the Prayer and the Song appear in an appendix to the book of Psalms.[2]
  • Susanna and the Elders: before Daniel 1:1, a prologue in early Greek manuscripts; chapter 13 in the Vulgate. This episode, along with Bel and the Dragon, is one of "the two earliest examples" of a detective story, according to Christopher Booker. In it, two corrupt judges attempt to coerce a young married woman into having adulterous sexual relations with them through blackmail, but are foiled under close questioning by Daniel.[3]
  • Bel and the Dragon: after Daniel 12:13 in Greek, an epilogue; chapter 14 in the Vulgate. Daniel's detective work reveals that a brass idol believed to miraculously consume sacrifices is in fact a front for a corrupt priesthood which is stealing the offerings.[3]

The Book of Daniel is preserved in the 12-chapter Masoretic Text and in two longer Greek versions: the original Septuagint version, c. 100 BCE, and the later Theodotion version from c. 2nd century CE. Both Greek texts contain the three additions to Daniel. The Masoretic text does not. In other respects Theodotion is much closer to the Masoretic Text, and became so popular that it replaced the original Septuagint version in all but two manuscripts of the Septuagint itself.[4][5][6] The Greek additions were apparently never part of the Hebrew text.[7] Several Old Greek texts of the Book of Daniel have been discovered, and the original form of the book is being reconstructed.[8]

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from Grokipedia
The Additions to Daniel are three ancient Jewish texts that expand the narrative of the : the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna, and . These additions, absent from the Hebrew-Aramaic , were incorporated into the Greek translation of the during the , likely around 100 BCE. They consist of inserted prayers and hymns within Daniel chapter 3, as well as two standalone stories positioned as chapters 13 and 14 in some versions, emphasizing themes of divine justice, faithfulness amid persecution, and the folly of . Composed in Greek or possibly translated from Semitic originals during the late Second Temple period, the additions reflect the cultural and religious challenges faced by Jews under foreign rule, particularly in Babylon and Persia. The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men depicts a penitential prayer by Azariah (also known as Abednego) and a hymn of praise sung by him and his companions—Hananiah (Shadrach) and Mishael (Meshach)—while enduring the fiery furnace ordeal in Daniel 3:23–24, underscoring communal confession and God's sovereignty. Susanna, a tale of a virtuous Jewish woman falsely accused of adultery and vindicated through Daniel's cross-examination of her accusers, highlights wisdom and legal acumen as instruments of divine protection. Bel and the Dragon presents two episodes where Daniel exposes the falsehood of Babylonian idols—a god named Bel and a dragon worshipped as divine—through clever tests and actions that affirm monotheism and lead to his miraculous deliverance from lions. In terms of canonical status, the additions are regarded as deuterocanonical—part of an extended canon—by Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, appearing in the and other early Christian translations. However, they are classified as apocryphal and excluded from the Protestant , following the Hebrew Bible's boundaries established in by the 2nd century CE. Scholarly analysis often views them as pious expansions rather than integral to the original Danielic composition (dated to the 2nd century BCE), serving didactic purposes in Hellenistic Jewish communities while influencing later Christian liturgy and art.

Background and Overview

Historical and Literary Context

The Additions to Daniel emerged during the , likely composed in the late 2nd to early BCE (ca. 150–50 BCE), as extensions to the existing Hebrew-Aramaic of the , which itself dates to around 165 BCE. While the text was written amid severe Jewish persecution under the Seleucid ruler (r. 175–164 BCE), who imposed Hellenizing policies including the desecration of the Temple in 167 BCE, the additions reflect and expand on themes of faithfulness to God in the face of oppression, reinforcing the book's apocalyptic visions of divine vindication. These later expansions addressed ongoing cultural and religious challenges in the post-Maccabean era. Literarily, the additions function as pious legends and prayers that blend apocalyptic elements—such as visions of —with midrashic expansions on Daniel's stories, elaborating on events like the fiery furnace episode to highlight communal and redemption. Scholars identify their as edifying tales rooted in Jewish traditions, designed to exhort during Hellenistic cultural pressures, with compositions likely in Greek, though possibly drawing from earlier Semitic oral traditions. notes their integration into the version of Daniel, where they enhance the book's didactic and theological depth without altering its pseudepigraphic framework. The (167–160 BCE), sparked by Antiochus's altar to in the Temple and the abolition of the daily tamid offering, shaped the broader literary context of resistance to idolatry and tyranny, themes echoed in the additions' portrayals of miraculous deliverance to inspire hope among Jews. Carey A. Moore highlights how such historical turmoil prompted texts like these to portray God as actively overturning unjust rulers, aligning with the corpus's eschatological assurances.

Canonical Status Across Traditions

The Additions to Daniel, consisting of the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men, the Story of Susanna, and , were included in the , the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, with the translation of dated around 100 BCE. These texts expanded the narrative of the in the Greek tradition but were excluded from the Hebrew-Aramaic , which forms the basis of the Jewish canon finalized in rabbinic tradition by the 2nd century CE. In Jewish tradition, the Additions hold no canonical authority, as they are not part of the 24 books of the Tanakh derived from the . In Protestant traditions, the Additions are classified as apocryphal and excluded from the canon, a position solidified during the Reformation. Martin Luther, in his 1534 German Bible translation, placed these texts in a separate Apocrypha section, arguing for the primacy of the Hebrew canon over Greek additions and deeming them useful for reading but not inspired Scripture. This rejection aligned with the sola scriptura principle and the return to the Jewish canon as the standard for the Old Testament. Catholic tradition regards the Additions as deuterocanonical, meaning they are canonical but of secondary authority to the . St. Jerome included them in his late 4th-century translation, drawing from the , though he expressed reservations about their authenticity, noting their absence from the Hebrew text and describing them as later fabrications among the Hebrews. The in 1546 formally affirmed the entire canon, including Daniel with its additions, as sacred and canonical, countering Protestant exclusions. Eastern Orthodox Christianity fully accepts the Additions as canonical, integrating them seamlessly into the Book of Daniel as part of the Septuagint-based Old Testament used in liturgy and doctrine. This broader canon reflects the early Church's reliance on Greek versions predating the Masoretic standardization.

The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Young Men

Narrative Placement and Summary

The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men are deuterocanonical additions inserted into the specifically within the narrative of the fiery furnace ordeal in chapter 3. In the Greek , Theodotion's version, and the Latin , this expanded text appears between verses 3:23 and 3:24, immediately after the three young men—Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and (Abednego)—are cast into the blazing furnace for refusing to worship King Nebuchadnezzar's . The Prayer of , attributed solely to Azariah as he stands amid the flames, serves as a penitential confession on behalf of the Jewish people. It acknowledges Israel's collective sins, including and violation of the covenant, while affirming God's in allowing their suffering as punishment. Azariah then pleads for and , appealing to God's promises to the patriarchs Abraham, , and , and emphasizing the desecration of the Temple as a key grievance. This prayer underscores themes of and faithfulness during , heightening the tension of the furnace scene by voicing the youths' unwavering trust in God. Following the prayer, and still within the furnace, the Song of the Three Young Men emerges as a collective of sung by all three as intervenes with an angelic presence to protect them. The song is structured in two main parts: the first invokes the elements of creation—angels, heavens, waters, sun, , , rain, dew, winds, fire, cold, heat, seasons, earth, mountains, seas, rivers, springs, whales, birds, beasts, and humans—to bless and glorify the for His eternal power and glory. The second part shifts to the youths themselves blessing for delivering them from the king and His name forever. This transforms the moment of trial into one of triumphant , reinforcing the of their unharmed emergence from the flames.

Liturgical and Thematic Elements

The Prayer of Azariah follows the structure of a penitential common in Jewish literature, beginning with hymnic praise of God's eternal sovereignty and justice, transitioning to a collective of Israel's sins and covenant violations, and culminating in petitions for and deliverance. This form, divided into distinct strophes of bi- and tricola, includes acknowledgment of communal guilt (Dan 3:29–32), appeals to ancestral promises (Dan 3:33–36), and a plea for the acceptance of righteous suffering as in lieu of temple sacrifices (Dan 3:39–40). Such elements reflect broader patterns in penitential prayers like those in 9 and Daniel 9, emphasizing repentance amid and . In contrast, the Song of the Three Young Men adopts the form of a creation psalm, systematically invoking all orders of creation—heavens, angels, waters, weather phenomena, earth, animals, and humanity—to praise God, much like Psalm 148 but expanded into an extensive catalog spanning over 60 verses with recurring refrains such as "Bless the Lord" and "Praise him." This litany underscores motifs of universal worship, transforming the fiery furnace into a sacred space of divine encounter and praise. Thematically, both the prayer and song highlight God's mercy enduring despite covenant breaches, portraying divine faithfulness as a counter to human infidelity and affirming sovereignty over the cosmos as the basis for hope. The unharmed emergence of the youths from the furnace further evokes themes of resurrection, symbolizing God's power to preserve life through apparent death and foreshadowing eschatological deliverance. Liturgically, the Song—rendered in Latin as Benedicite, omnia opera Domini—entered early Christian worship as an alternative canticle to the Te Deum in vespers and matins, and it retains prominence in Eastern Orthodox services, such as the reading on Holy Saturday with its praise refrain. Its psalmic structure and creation motifs also resonate in Jewish synagogue liturgy through echoes in Psalm 148-based prayers, influencing communal calls to praise in daily and festival worship.

The Story of Susanna

Plot and Characters

The Story of Susanna is set in during the Jewish , where a wealthy Jew named resides with his wife Susanna, the daughter of the pious , in a house equipped with a lush garden. Susanna is depicted as a beautiful and God-fearing woman who adheres strictly to the Jewish law, while hosts gatherings of fellow exiles and judges. Two elders, appointed as judges over the people due to their age and perceived wisdom, frequently visit 's home and become consumed with lust for Susanna after observing her daily walks in the garden. One afternoon, Susanna decides to bathe privately in the garden, dismissing her servants and unaware that the elders are hiding and watching her. The elders emerge, confess their desire, and demand she submit to them sexually, threatening to falsely accuse her of with a young man if she refuses. Susanna, horrified, rejects their advances and cries out for help, prompting the elders to shout that she has been caught with a lover. They fabricate a story of witnessing her in the act with an unidentified youth who fled, leading to her and a public before the assembled . Despite Susanna's desperate for divine justice, the elders' respected status sways the crowd, and she is sentenced to death under Mosaic law for . At this moment, a young man named Daniel, inspired by the , intervenes and demands that the elders be cross-examined separately to verify their testimony. He questions the first elder about the under which the supposed occurred, receiving the answer "under a mastic "; the second elder claims it was "under an evergreen oak." These inconsistencies expose the elders' , vindicating Susanna and resulting in the elders' execution in accordance with the against false witnesses. In this , the two elders serve as corrupt and lecherous antagonists whose abuse of judicial power drives the conflict, contrasting sharply with Susanna's portrayal as a virtuous heroine whose innocence is upheld through faith and Daniel's divinely guided wisdom. Daniel emerges as a youthful arbiter, employing clever riddles to dismantle the lies and affirm . The Story of Susanna underscores moral themes centered on and , portraying Susanna's refusal to succumb to the elders' advances as a model of unwavering , where she prefers over sinning against . This narrative highlights divine protection for the innocent, as God intervenes by inspiring a young Daniel to defend her, affirming that righteousness receives heavenly safeguarding. Furthermore, it illustrates the severe consequences of lustful among leaders, with the elders' downfall serving as retribution for their perversion of , echoing biblical principles of reciprocal justice. Legally, the tale introduces innovative judicial practices through Daniel's , where he separates the accusers and probes inconsistencies in their accounts, establishing a proto-rabbinic method of inquiry that emphasizes over unchecked . This approach critiques the vulnerabilities of oral in ancient , particularly the reliance on multiple witnesses without verification, which could enable false accusations and undermine . Such elements influenced later Jewish legal traditions, promoting rigorous scrutiny of witnesses to ensure fairness, as seen in interpretations linking Daniel's tactics to Torah-based procedures for handling disputes. Interpretations of Susanna extend to its role as an early precursor to , with Daniel's investigative techniques—uncovering deception through logical deduction—foreshadowing modern mystery narratives. Allegorically, early Christian readings often depict the elders as embodiments of sins tempting the soul, while Susanna represents the virtuous individual resisting moral corruption, reinforcing themes of ascetic and spiritual triumph.

Bel and the Dragon

Narrative Structure

The Additions to Daniel known as appear as chapter 14 in the version of the , positioned immediately after chapter 12 of the canonical text. This placement integrates the material as a concluding appendix in Greek manuscripts, extending the narrative of Daniel's wisdom and faithfulness in a foreign court. The narrative unfolds as a unified addition comprising three interconnected episodes, often grouped into two primary tales that satirize pagan practices through episodic confrontations. The first episode (verses 1–22) centers on the idol Bel, a Babylonian deity fed daily offerings of flour, wine, and sheep, which the priests claim it consumes miraculously at night. Daniel, portrayed as a wise companion to King Cyrus (or Astyages in some versions), challenges this by scattering ashes on the temple floor, revealing the priests' secret entry and consumption of the food; the exposed fraud leads to the priests' execution and Daniel's destruction of the idol. This segment highlights Daniel's cleverness in debunking superstition through empirical means. The second tale encompasses the remaining episodes (verses 23–42), beginning with a living revered as a god, which Daniel slays by feeding it balls of pitch, fat, and hair that cause it to burst. Enraged Babylonians then throw Daniel into a for seven days, but an angel transports the prophet with food to sustain him, enabling his miraculous survival and the subsequent punishment of his accusers by the lions. Throughout, Daniel serves as the central exposer of , blending intellectual strategy with divine intervention to affirm monotheistic truth. This episodic format—each segment building on the prior exposure of false divinity—creates a satirical progression, from inanimate idol to animated creature to mortal peril, unified by Daniel's role as God's instrument against deception. Key events, such as the temple's by hidden priests and Daniel's exile-fed survival, underscore the narrative's emphasis on providence amid apparent vulnerability.

Critique of Idolatry

The narrative in Bel and the Dragon employs sharp satire to expose the fraudulence of idol worship, portraying the Babylonian god Bel as a mechanical construct manipulated by priests who secretly consume the lavish offerings presented to it. Daniel's clever use of ash to reveal the priests' footprints demonstrates that Bel possesses no divine agency, reducing the revered deity to a hollow idol dependent on human deceit for its supposed vitality. Similarly, the dragon, venerated as a living god, is debunked through Daniel's pitch mixture, which causes it to burst, illustrating its vulnerability as a mere natural creature susceptible to human ingenuity rather than supernatural power. This satirical approach underscores the absurdity of pagan rituals, aligning with broader Second Temple Jewish polemics that mock idols as powerless artifacts. Theologically, the text asserts the superiority of , who requires no sustenance or physical representation, in stark contrast to the Babylonian deities that demand food and embody material forms. Through Daniel's miracles—such as the lions' refusal to harm him—the story affirms Yahweh's , positioning the Jewish as the only true divine force capable of intervening in history without reliance on intermediaries or images. This monotheistic emphasis serves to validate Jewish amid foreign domination, portraying pagan gods as illusions that crumble under scrutiny. In the Hellenistic context, reinforces Jewish resistance to by equating idol worship with support for tyrannical foreign rule, encouraging fidelity to as a form of cultural defiance. The narrative's invective against idols parallels the critiques in Wisdom of Solomon 13–15, where futile idol-making is lambasted as intellectual folly, further highlighting shared themes of divine and creator supremacy over created objects.

Textual Transmission and Scholarship

Manuscripts and Early Versions

The Additions to Daniel, comprising the Prayer of and the Song of the Three Young Men, the Story of Susanna, and , are preserved primarily in Greek manuscripts and early translations, as they are absent from the Hebrew-Aramaic tradition. The key Greek witnesses include the Codex Chisianus ( 88), an 11th-century codex that contains the complete Old Greek (OG) version of Daniel with the additions integrated into the narrative. This , also known as the Chigi Manuscript, serves as the primary source for the OG translation, which dates to the 2nd century BCE and differs from the later Theodotionic revision in wording and occasional expansions within the additions. Another early Greek fragment is Papyrus 967, a 2nd-3rd century CE that preserves portions of Theodotion's version, including parts of the additions, and reflects the version that largely supplanted the OG in most traditions by the 4th century CE. Theodotion's Greek version, produced around 150 CE, aligns more closely with the Hebrew text but incorporates the additions from the , becoming the dominant form in Christian manuscripts. In contrast, the Syriac Peshitta, translated in the 2nd-5th centuries CE, includes partial versions of the additions—such as the Prayer of Azariah, Susanna, and —integrated into the , though with some textual variations and omissions compared to the Greek. The Latin , completed by in the late 4th century CE, translates the additions from the Greek but places Susanna and at the end of Daniel, with noting their apocryphal status and lack of Hebrew originals in his prologue. Early versions in other languages also attest to the additions, albeit fragmentarily. The Armenian translation, dating from the 5th century CE, includes Susanna and as part of Daniel, reflecting Theodotionic influences and preserving them in the broader canon of the Armenian Church. Similarly, Coptic versions from the 3rd-5th centuries CE, primarily in Sahidic and Bohairic dialects, incorporate the additions, with treated as canonical chapters 13 and 14 in Coptic Orthodox traditions, based on Greek prototypes. Transmission of the additions has involved notable variations, particularly in their placement within Daniel. For instance, Susanna appears before Daniel chapter 1 in some Greek and Syriac manuscripts, while in others it follows chapter 12; the and are consistently inserted after Daniel 3:23, but varies between the end of chapter 12 and a separate appendix. These discrepancies arose during the shift from the Old Greek to Theodotionic dominance and in non-Hebrew traditions, where the additions were retained despite their exclusion from Jewish Hebrew canons by the 1st century CE.

Modern Critical Analysis

Modern scholarship on the Additions to Daniel has refined their dating through linguistic analysis, , and contextual historical evidence, placing them within the . The and the Song of the Three Young Men are generally dated to the mid-2nd century BCE, reflecting themes of and faithfulness amid the , as evidenced by their poetic style and allusions to contemporary Jewish . Scholars propose that the story of Susanna may originate earlier, possibly in the BCE, based on its narrative structure and potential precursors, suggesting an independent tale integrated into the Daniel corpus during the translation. In contrast, is viewed as a later compilation of elements, likely from the late 2nd or BCE, drawing on popular anti-idolatry motifs and legendary expansions rather than original composition. Authorship of the Additions is attributed to anonymous Jewish writers, most probably in , , where the Greek was produced, as indicated by their Hellenistic Greek idiom and cultural adaptations. The texts exhibit a composite nature, with Greek-original elements overlaid on possible Hebrew or Aramaic traditions, particularly in Susanna and the /, while shows signs of folkloric accretion from multiple sources. This anonymity aligns with broader Jewish literary practices, where pseudepigraphy and expansion served didactic purposes without claiming personal attribution. Critical approaches since the have employed to identify the Additions as haggadic expansions—narrative elaborations rooted in rabbinic-style that embellish biblical motifs for moral instruction. Feminist readings of Susanna highlight its portrayal of gendered power dynamics, interpreting the protagonist's trial as a critique of patriarchal judicial abuse and a model of female agency in resisting assault. Intertextual analysis further links Susanna to novels, such as Chariton's Chaereas and Callirhoe, noting parallels in themes of , under threat, and legal intrigue, suggesting cross-cultural influences in Hellenistic . These methods underscore the Additions' literary value as bridges between Jewish tradition and Greco-Roman .

References

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