Notes on Daniel; the Greek Apocryphal Additions to Text

 

Notes on Daniel & the Apocrypha

 

Between 3:23 & 3:24, Romanist Translations insert Greek-language apocryphal portions known as “The Prayer of Azariah” and “The Song of the Three Holy Children,” which are found within the Greek LXX translation. Thus, in Romanist Versions (e.g., the Douay-Rheims) chapter three contains 97 verses.

 

With regard to substance, The Prayer of Azariah recalls the great confessional/ penitential prayers of Dan. 9, Ezra 9, and Neh. 9. The Song of the Three Holy Children is reminiscent of Psalm 136, employing the repetition of a key phrase (“praise Him and magnify Him forever”) for possible liturgical use as a responsive reading.  

 

Regardless of their poetic and literary merits, these portions are not found within the Hebrew/Aramaic manuscripts (e.g., the Masoretic Text), and thus were not recognized by either the Jews or by our Lord and His Apostles as canonical Scripture. For this reason, they are also not regarded as such by historic Protestant orthodoxy (although both the Lutheran & Anglican traditions have employed this material for liturgical usage). With regard to the Anglican position, Article VI of the 39 Articles of the Church of England states that such Apocryphal books may be read "for example of life and instruction of manners," but not for the formulation of Christian doctrine.

 

Roman Catholics, however, following the content of the Latin Vulgate, accept and receive these documents as inspired “deuterocanonical” texts (despite the reticence of the Vulgate translator Jerome, who markedly pointed out the distinction between these books and the Hebrew Canon). It is worth noting that the Church of Rome itself did not formally dogmatize this so-called “second canon” until so-decreed by the reactionary Council of Trent on April of 1546, desiring to shore-up various errors of Papal Doctrine (e.g., Purgatory & prayers for the dead) which are taught in some of the Apocrypha (i.e., 2 Macc.). Likewise, Eastern Orthodox and Coptic Churches have also embraced this uninspired material.

 

With regard to such confusion, in which the Roman Magisterium cheerfully and willingly ingests large swaths of uninspired, uninscripturated material without flinching, we can only observe that the Lord’s true sheep know His voice, and can differentiate it from that of a stranger (John 10:4-5, 27).

 

The Papists also receive several other apocryphal additions to Daniel, which include the story of Susanna and the Elders (ch. 13, concerning a falsely accused Jewish maiden delivered by the wisdom of Daniel), as well as the colorful and highly fanciful Jewish legends that make up the text of Bel and the Dragon (ch. 14).