AnagignoskomenaHistory

Bel and the Dragon

1Chapters

42Verses

0Notes

0Reflections

Book Introduction

Bel and the Dragon closes the Greek Daniel with two witty exposés and a rescue. Daniel proves that the idol Bel never eats its lavish offerings—ashes on the temple floor betray the priests' footprints—then destroys a living serpent worshiped as a god, feeding it cakes of pitch, fat, and hair. Thrown to the lions by an angry populace, Daniel is sustained when the prophet Habakkuk is carried to the den, and the king ends by confessing the God of Daniel. Catholics and Orthodox receive it within canonical Daniel; Protestants class it with the Apocrypha. It is early detective fiction with a confession at its heart.

Author

Unknown; a Greek addition to Daniel by an anonymous Jewish author

Date

2nd–1st century BC

Audience

Jews surrounded by pagan cults and pressured to honor idols

Purpose

To ridicule idolatry with narrative wit and confess that only the living God, who made heaven and earth, can save.

Key Themes

The living God versus idolsFraud of idol cults exposedCourage before kingsDeliverance from the lions

Book Outline

1–22Bel exposed: ashes reveal the priests' footprints

23–27Daniel destroys the dragon without sword or club

28–32The enraged people force Daniel into the lions' den

33–39Habakkuk carried by the angel to feed Daniel

40–42Daniel delivered; the king confesses the God of Daniel

Key Verses

Bel 1:5I worship the living God who created heaven and earth and rules all flesh.Bel 1:19–20The footprints in the ashes expose the priests of Bel.Bel 1:38You have remembered me, O God, and have not forsaken those who love you.Bel 1:41The king cries out: You are great, O Lord, the God of Daniel.

ALL CHAPTERS1 chapters