The complation of Book of Danial11
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Some historians have argued that Nebuchadnezzar was
the last Babylonian king. However, archaeological discoveries show that Belchazzar
was king of Babylon at the night of it’s attack
by king Darius the Mede because his father was absent from the kingdom (Daniel
5: 30,31). Belchazzar was in fact the son of Nebuchadnezzar’s
daughter and according to the tradition of ancient Babylon, sonwone’s grandson was synonymous
to being their son. Therefore, Belchazzar was considered
king in his grandfather’s absence, for example, when the latter was at his
palace in Teniah (north of the Arabian Desert).
Moreover, Nebuchadnezzar was also called Nehunides
which meant ‘he who is first in the kingdom” because he was the actual king.
His son was called Belchazzar, meaning lie who is
second in the kingdom” because he represented the king.
This may explain why Belchazzar made a proclamation
concerning Daniel that he should be third in the kingdom to honor
him for reading and interpreting the inscriplion
that appeared opposite the lamp stand, on the plaster of the wall.
Archaeological findings in Babylon also affirm Nebuchadnezzar being called
the king of kings (Daniel 2: 27), They show that he built the great Babylon
for a royal dwelling (Daniel 4:30), the irrigation canals, the gardens of
Babylon, the two walls around Babylon, the temple of Ashtoreth the goddess,
other temples and the altar of Zygorath, which was
in the shape of a step pyramid.
In addition, recently discovered ancient Babylon Texts provc that Cyrus the king of Persia whose name is mentioned
in Daniel 10:1 and 6:38 was a true historical figure. lIe represented the king in Babylon.
He was Kambiez ‘s son and the grandson of another Cyrus. They and their grandparents
reigned in the eastern part of Erlam which lay south
of Degla, east of Babylon, west of the kingdom of
Persia and north of the Persian Gulf. This is where Shushan, the capital of the kingdom was situated in 550 B.C.
Cyrus established the Persian kingdom. He invaded the city of Babylon and
other kingdoms and held the power of the kingdoms of Persia and Median.
Daniel lived in the country of King Cyrus (Daniel 6:28) Cyrus died from a
war injury in 529 B.C. and his tomb is still present till day in the city
of Sargdee in Iran.
The Book of Daniel in the readings of our Orthodox Church:
1) The song of the three young men
The Song of the Three Young Men is a magnificent prayer which expresses in
a most beautiful way their confidence and trust in God. The church uses the
Song of the Three Young Men which is sung in the “Tasbeha”
(in the Ihird hoas) in
order to convey to its people the strength, confidence and
