What is Bel and the Dragon?

Response

Bel and the Dragon is an additional text to the book of Daniel. The original book of Daniel concludes after chapter twelve. This extra content is present in translations like the Septuagint but not in the Masoretic Text. Bel and the Dragon is believed to be a later addition, likely originating from various legends and folk tales about Daniel. This non-canonical content consists of chapter 13, referred to as the “Song of the Three Children”; chapter 14, known as “Susanna”; and chapter 15, known as “Bel and the Dragon.” The fifteenth chapter comprises a single narrative divided into three parts.

As per the narrative of Bel and the Dragon, Daniel is highly esteemed by the new Persian king, Cyrus. The king questions Daniel about his refusal to worship the statue of Bel, which the people have been offering large amounts of food daily. Daniel explains that he worships only the living God and not false idols crafted by humans. Cyrus argues that Bel is alive, as the food offered to him vanishes every night—allegedly consumed by the idol. Daniel reiterates his belief in the superiority of his God over Bel.

Enraged, Cyrus sets the Persian priests against Daniel. They are to prove that Bel consumes the food, or they will face execution. Similarly, if Daniel fails to demonstrate that someone else is eating the food, he will be put to death. The priests request the king to place the food himself and seal the chamber with his own seal. Unbeknownst to the priests, Daniel scatters ashes in the idol’s chamber while the king observes. The idol and food are then sealed in the room overnight.

The following day, the king breaks the seal and finds the food gone. He begins to praise Bel until Daniel reveals the footprints in the ashes. The footprints lead to a hidden door in the wall, showing that the seventy priests and their families have been sneaking in each night to consume the offerings meant for the idol. Cyrus is infuriated.

King Cyrus becomes furious and orders the priests, their wives, and their children to be killed. He gives the idol of Bel to Daniel to be destroyed.

The second part of Bel and the Dragon involves an actual living dragon, which Cyrus again tells Daniel to worship. Since the dragon is flesh and blood, Cyrus claims it is superior to Bel and should be honored. Daniel insists on worshiping only God and claims he can kill the dragon without weapons. The king agrees to Daniel’s demonstration, and Daniel poisons the dragon with a mixture of tar, hair, and ashes. This causes the dragon to burst open, proving it to be an inferior creature and not a god to be worshiped.

The final part of Bel and the Dragon is a retelling of Daniel’s experience in the lions’ den. Angry that Daniel destroyed the idol Bel and the living dragon, the people of Persia demand that Daniel be handed over to them. King Cyrus, fearing a revolution, agrees. Daniel is thrown into a den with seven lions for six days. These lions were typically fed two human corpses and two sheep every day, but to make them more ferocious for Daniel, they are starved.

According to the story, God provides for Daniel through the prophet Habakkuk. God does this by sending an angel to carry Habakkuk from Judea by his hair and holding him over the den so he can drop food to Daniel. On the seventh day, Cyrus sees that Daniel is alive and well. He orders the ringleaders of the people thrown into the lions’ den instead, and they are immediately devoured.

The book of Daniel is inspired, but Bel and the Dragon, as an addition to the inspired text, is not considered part of the biblical canon. It is included in some apocryphal Bibles and in Catholic versions of the text.