Abstract

This article is part of a series of articles written on Bel and the dragon. This series of articles is an investigation into the Greek editor/author�s use of body, space, narrative and genre in creating a new reality regarding the Jewish deity. A spatial framework is used to specifically examine the third episode of Bel and the dragon, entitled Dining in the lions� den. It is suggested that the third episode of Bel and the dragon should be read in a reciprocal relationship with not only Bel and the dragon but also the larger book of Daniel. Firstly, such an analysis indicates that the smaller episode is part of a larger clash of deities. Secondly, it shows that the editor/ author utilises the episode to recreate a new cosmology. In this new cosmology, the God of Israel is an almighty deity whilst other deities are revealed as false and not real living gods. In his own way, the editor/author contributes to the way in which Jews regarded their God within the reality of the diaspora.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The aim with this article was to analyse Daniel 14 by means of new insights from developments in language studies. Until now, scholars tended to repeat each other in their analysis of Daniel 14. No attention was given to space, body or other aspects of new developments in the field of language. This article challenges the repetitive research previously done on Daniel 14.

Highlights

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  • It is suggested that the third episode of Bel and the dragon should be read in a reciprocal relationship with Bel and the dragon and the larger book of Daniel

  • Such an analysis indicates that the smaller episode is part of a larger clash of deities. It shows that the editor/ author utilises the episode to recreate a new cosmology

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Summary

Original Research

Dining in the lions’ den – Bel and the dragon, verses 28–42 (Old Greek/Theodotion). Affiliation: 1School for Ancient Languages and Text Study, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa. The Babylonians demanded the death of Daniel after he killed the priests of Bel and their holy dragon (δράκων) The king in this episode is incapable of taking a stand against the mob, and Daniel is thrown into a den (λάκκος) full of lions. It should have been easier to convince a Persian king that the Babylonian gods were not real gods, especially when one takes into consideration the cosmology of the time (cf below under the heading: Words, the building blocks of realities and genre; ibid.) Scholars such as Collins (1993:405–419) and Charles (2004:655) suggest that these two accounts of Daniel in the lions’ den did not originate from one single tradition, but that it developed as separate stories within different communities. The possibility of a Persian setting for Dining in the lions’ den and its connection with Daniel 6 will be taken into consideration

Past research and lacunae
Theory and method
Constructed realiƟes
The body as building block
Space as a building block
In relation to Bel and the dragon
Challenging the God of Israel
The prophet Habakkuk
In relationship with the book of Daniel
Earth below
Consequences for the reader
Conclusion
Full Text
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