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What happens when respected judges lie, a king trusts an idol, and one sharp question can challenge them both?
Susanna, Bel and the Dragon brings together three short tales attached to Daniel in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. In Susanna, two respected elders threaten a devout wife with a false charge when she refuses them. Her life hangs on whose words the community believes. According to the tale, young Daniel steps forward to question what others accept.
Bel and the Dragon turn from a threatened woman to the objects of Babylon’s worship. King Cyrus believes Bel eats and drinks; Daniel wants that claim tested. A dragon revered as a living god brings another contest. These anonymous tales blend crime, cunning, comedy and prayer, placing a person of faith against powers that seem far stronger.
What you’ll discover
- A garden under threat Meet Susanna as a quiet place becomes the setting for a deadly accusation.
- Questions that test power Follow Daniel into a courtroom where respected voices must answer careful questions.
- An idol under scrutiny Enter the contest over Bel, where a king’s certainty meets Daniel’s searching doubt.
- A dragon in Babylon Discover a tale in which public worship places Daniel at odds with an angry crowd.
- Faith sharpened by wit Explore how these stories bring prayer and reasoning together in the face of deceit.
Is it for you?
This is for readers of the Bible who want to know what lies beyond the Hebrew text of Daniel, and for lovers of ancient detective tales and clever satire. If you want a long, slow, philosophical work, these brisk tales may feel slight.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A good wife and two wicked judges
- Alone in the garden, she must choose
- The trial, the prayer and a young voice
- Daniel laughs at the god Bel
- A dragon, a king and an angry crowd
- Wit, courtrooms and the shape of the tales
Who’s who
- SusannaA devout, beautiful wife of Joakim in Babylon, taught the law of Moses, who chooses to keep faith even when it puts her life at risk.
- JoakimSusanna's husband, a wealthy and respected Jew in exile, whose house in Babylon is where the community gathers and where cases are heard.
- The two eldersTwo respected judges of the Jewish community who desire Susanna and, when she refuses them, plan to ruin her with a false charge.
- DanielA young man guided by God, who questions witnesses, tests idols and refuses to worship anything but the living God.
- CyrusThe Persian king who honors Daniel but worships Bel and the dragon, and who is pushed between his friend and his people.
- The priests of BelSeventy priests who tend the idol and its daily offerings, and who are sure that the god will prove Daniel wrong.
- HabakkukA prophet in Judea who has an ordinary task in the fields, and whose part in Daniel's story begins with a simple meal.
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Susanna, Bel and the Dragon
by Attributed to the prophet Daniel
Daniel confronts false accusations, deceptive priests, and a worshipped dragon.
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“O everlasting God, that knowest the secrets, and knowest all things before they be”
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A good wife and two wicked judges
The first tale opens in Babylon, where many Jews live in exile. A rich and respected man named Joakim has a wife named Susanna. She is very beautiful, and the text stresses that she fears the Lord, because her parents were righteous and taught her the law of Moses. Joakim's house is a gathering place for the community, and people come there often.
Two elders of the people have been appointed as judges that year. They are older men, honored and trusted, and they come to Joakim's house each day to hear cases. Around midday, when the visitors have gone home, Susanna walks in her husband's garden. The two elders watch her day after day, and each begins to desire her.
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Questions about Susanna, Bel and the Dragon
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What is the story of Susanna and the Elders about?
It tells of a virtuous wife in Babylon who is falsely accused by two judges after she refuses them. The tale deals with false witness, abuse of power and the young Daniel's part in her defense.
Why are Susanna and Bel and the Dragon not in the Protestant Bible?
They are not found in the Hebrew and Aramaic text of Daniel, which Jewish tradition and most Protestants follow. They survive in Greek, so Protestants usually print them as Apocrypha, while Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include them.
When was Susanna, Bel and the Dragon written?
Scholars generally date the tales to about the second or first century BC. The author is unknown, and they survive in Greek, though some scholars think a Hebrew or Aramaic original may lie behind them.
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