Is It Really "Daniel" And The Lions' Den?
My case for a different protagonist, plus crying during a movie about a shell
Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:
The Exodus Tour Is Coming
We’re delighted to see so many of you grabbing your tickets to the Exodus tour next month. If you’re busy, tired, or a little burned out as you make your way through these last few days of winter, I’m telling you—this night will be a balm for your soul.
We’ll be in six cities across the the southern US. If you’re anywhere close (or even if you aren’t), you should join us for one of these shows.
Accompanying me will be Kendall Ramseur, whose epic work you heard in the musical score of the Exodus series during Season 4. My daughter will be offering her gifts as well—some of you were there for the Christmas show when her voice brought tears to our eyes.
There’s something magical that happens in these rooms, and I can’t wait to be in them with you.
Darius and the Lions’ Den
Two things right off the bat about the Holy Ghost Stories Season 5 finale:
Though it’s a classic story, we usually misidentify the protagonist.
I don’t know who King Darius was, but I do have an opinion.
On the protagonist issue, this is one of those Old Testament stories (much like the fiery furnace) where it seems we automatically assign the role of main character to whichever (male) Jew is involved in the story. With the fiery furnace, we make it the story of Shadrach-Meshach-and-Abednego, and the predominant themes we focus on are courage, faith, and civil disobedience—the things these three men exhibit in spades. We ask questions about how we might become like them and bravely follow God in the midst of cultural opposition.
Hear me: these are good conversations.
However, as is evident in my telling of the fiery furnace story, I’m very much of the mind that Shadrach and his friends are not the main characters of this story. Nebuchadnezzar is. (Okay—if you want to split hairs, Yahweh is; but in terms of a human protagonist, it’s the King of Babylon for sure.) Similarly, I believe Daniel is not the main character of the story we usually call “Daniel and the Lions’ Den.”
It’s Darius.
For one, he’s the dynamic character—the one in whom we witness the most change. Too, we don’t even get a ‘camera’ inside the lions’ den with Daniel. If this is a story about Daniel, his night in a pit with hungry lions is the unquestionable climax of the story. And yet where is the Bible’s description of that night? There is none. The text gives us no glimpse inside the lion’s den. Interestingly, we do get a pointed depiction of what happens that night—but where is the camera?
See for yourself:
Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.
Daniel 6:18
The narrator seems much more concerned with following the action in Darius’ chambers than with following the action in the lions’ den.
Why?
Because this story is about Yahweh working a miracle that gives birth to faith in the heart of a pagan king.
In the process, does Daniel show incredible devotion and bravery? Certainly. Does Yahweh protect Daniel in the face of danger? Unmistakably so. But the lions not eating Daniel is not the climax of this story. That happens in verses 26 and 27, when Darius issues a decree to the entirety of his vast, idolatrous kingdom:
I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
For he is the living God
and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end.
He rescues and he saves;
he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions.
This is wild. Akin to Constantine’s Edict of Milan—or better, the Edict of Thessalonica. The pagan ruler of the Medo-Persian empire pointing people to Yahweh—who would have thought? (Sure, he likely didn’t have monotheism in mind; but baby steps, right?)
Anyway, all of this to say: before we Rush To Sermonize And Apply™️ (I’m making that term a thing), perhaps we should sit inside the story a bit and pay better attention. When we do this, it seems clear that if we’re looking for a main character, Darius is our guy.
With that out of the way, here are a few more details and tidbits, including some thoughts on #2 above.
BITS AND BOBS
When did this happen? - Here’s some chronological context for you:
605 BC - Teenage Daniel taken to Babylon
604 BC - Nebuchadnezzar’s statue dream (Daniel 2)
603 BC - Fiery Furnace?
539/540 BC - Lions’ Den
This means, of course, that Daniel was around 80 years old (!) when he faced the lions. This is quite a bit different than the impression many of us are carrying around from our VBS days. Most of the children’s illustrations I found online depict Daniel as a 35-40 year old. (To be fair, Peter Paul Reubens painted him even younger.)
Who was Darius? - I’ll warn you, there’s an entire rabbit hole to explore here; so I’ll keep this section as brief as possible. In short, the identity of the ruler called “Darius the Mede” in Daniel is shrouded in mystery. There was a King Darius who ruled over the Persian empire, but not during the time of Daniel’s tenure in Babylon. So who’s this Darius?
First, it’s helpful to put the historical identity question aside for a moment and focus on the person we find depicted in the text. What’s he like?
For one, he’s a savvy ruler. Humble, too. Someone who appoints 120 satraps (governors) over various provinces of his kingdom—and who’s planning on putting Daniel over the whole kingdom—is demonstrating two things: 1) an awareness of the value of contextualized leadership, and 2) the willingness to share his own power for the good of the kingdom.
Too, the Darius we find in the text is a person of empathy. He grieves when he realizes the predicament in which his edict has placed Daniel—stays up all night worrying about this man whose counsel he so deeply values.
(Nebuchadnezzar’s behavior in chapter 3’s fiery furnace account is quite the foil to Darius. The two could not be more different.)
We’ll come back to all of this in a moment, but let’s switch now to the question of Darius’ historical identity.
One of the main problems is this: Cyrus the Great was the immediate successor to Belshazzar (and his father, Nabonidus) in Babylon. The writing-on-the-wall moment (Dan 5) immediately precedes the conquest of the city (and empire) by Cyrus. So who’s this “Darius” who’s ruling in chapter 6?
Scholars have offered a handful of proposals, including:
Darius was an unknown-to-extra-Biblical-history viceroy/governor appointed by Cyrus to rule Babylon (The Medo-Persian [or ‘Achaemenid’] empire under Cyrus was unbelievably vast—the largest empire the world’s ever seen, in fact. The acquisition of Babylon/Babylonia was only a piece of it)
Darius was another name for Ugbaru/Gubaru, the general who took Babylon for Cyrus. This proposal suggests that the general was made viceroy over the area after its conquest.
The writer of the Book of Daniel got it wrong and accidentally inserted a king in between Belshazzar and Cyrus.
“Darius” is simply another name attributed to Cyrus the Great and the two are in fact one and the same. Tremper Longman III, in his commentary on Daniel, cites eminent Assyriologist D.J. Wiseman as one who “argued that Darius the Mede is the Babylonian throne name of none other than Cyrus himself.”
Given that my task in Holy Ghost Stories is telling each story rather than preaching it or teaching it, I usually have to make a choice between options like the four above. In this episode, I’ve chosen #4.
I could, I’ll freely admit, be entirely wrong. But for me, that last option makes the most sense—especially when we consider the character of Cyrus the Great up against the “Darius” of Daniel 6. Cyrus was a famously beneficent, savvy ruler—and notably keen on the delegation of leadership.
So that’s my guess. When Daniel 6 closes with “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian,” maybe the narrator is referring to two people; or maybe, as Wiseman argued, the translation is better rendered “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius, that is, the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”
Well, looks like we clocked 570 words on that little tidbit. Brevity’s relative, right?
The Cyrus Cylinder - Thanks to an epic archaeological discovery made in 1879, we have some fascinating information about this moment in history. This is the Cyrus Cylinder:
The British Museum describes it as “a Babylonian account of the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus in 539 BC, of his restoration to various temples of statues removed by Nabonidus, the previous king of Babylon, and of his own work at Babylon. The cylindrical form is typical of royal inscriptions of the Late Babylonian period, and the text shows that the cylinder was written to be buried in the foundations of the city wall of Babylon. It was deposited there after the capture of the city by Cyrus in 539 BC, and presumably written on his orders.”
Among other things, the cylinder tells of the Babyonians’ displeasure with Nabonidus (and his son, Belshazzar) for the way they upset the worship of the Babylonian gods, including Marduk, the city-god of Babylon. According to this account, Marduk chose Cyrus as a champion to restore the old ways. You’ll hear me make reference to all of this in the beginning scenes of the episode.
Oh—and that stuff in the episode about Cyrus ensuring his soldiers didn’t perpetrate violence against the citizens of Babylon in the early days of the occupation (and about people journeying to pay him tribute)? That’s all from the cylinder as well.
Here’s an interesting video on this find from the British Museum:
Wise sayings - It seems Cyrus was something of a philosopher king. Thanks to the Cyrus Cylinder and other sources, we have several of his sayings preserved—including the words I quote in the second scene of this episode: “Whenever you can, act as a liberator. Freedom, dignity, wealth—these three together constitute the greatest happiness of humanity. If you bequeath all three to your people, their love for you will never die.” The many adages from Cyrus seem to attest to the presence of sage voices in his life. Perhaps some of the quotes attributed to Cyrus actually came from his wisest adviser, an old man named Daniel.
Cyropaedia - Over 100 years after the Achaemenid leader’s death, Greek historian Xenophon exalted Cyrus as a model king and wrote a biography of Cyrus called Cyropaedia—a resource that came into vogue during the Renaissance and also during the colonial days of America. Thomas Jefferson is said to have owned 2-3 copies and referred to them often.
“My shepherd” - Years after the lions’ den story takes place, Yahweh uses Cyrus the Great to return the Jews from exile and even to help fund the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. In Isaiah 44, He speaks of Cyrus like this: “He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, ‘Let it be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid.’” In Isaiah 45, Yahweh calls Cyrus “My anointed.” With this in mind, it’s interesting to look over Cyrus’ entire life and to watch for Yahweh’s hand as He leads this man into position over the course of decades. If there’s one thing the Old Testament makes clear about Yahweh, it’s that He’s very much at work outside the bounds of Israel.
Perhaps Darius’/Cyrus’ declaration of faith at the end of the lions’ den ordeal expressed what turned out to be a continuing allegiance to Yahweh. As I indicate in this episode, however, that seems unlikely. Alas.
Can’t get enough Cyrus the Great? - If you’re in the mood to learn a bit more about one of the most famous kings in human history, I can’t blame you. Resource-wise, you could always read Xenophon. Short of that, you could listen to Dan Carlin’s epic treatment of the Achaemenid empire on the Hardcore History podcast (Three 3-5 hour long episodes, starting with this one). Or if you’re pressed for time, here’s a decent-in-spite-of-its-appearance video on YouTube. Whatever your chosen pathway, it’s a great exercise to learn about Cyrus while looking for Yahweh’s hand in his life. (Especially that origin story—whoa.)
Were lions’ dens a thing? - This was a burning question as I began researching for this episode. Unfortunately, there’s not much extant information about lions being used as punitive measures at this time, outside of this mention in the Book of Daniel. Perhaps further digs will uncover something new. It does always crack me up when certain historians dismiss something like this because of a lack of further evidence outside of the Bible. Let’s not forget that the Bible contains some of the most well-attested historical documents in the world. Perhaps we should give it the weight it deserves as we seek to learn about the ancient near east. Okay, mini-rant over.
HAPPY LISTENING
Hope this one blesses you. If so, share it!
Season 5’s a Wrap
“The Beastmaster, the Counselor, and the Anointed One” marks the end of Season 5 of Holy Ghost Stories. Five seasons, can you believe it? 56 episodes, all made possible by those of you who’ve given generously over the course of the last three years.
Thank you.
May Yahweh give these stories wings, sending them far and wide, and drawing one person after another close to Him as they listen.
There’s some very exciting stuff ahead that I can’t wait to share with you. We’re just getting started.
Another Step
Had a great conversation the other day with Kyle Holton on the Another Step podcast. We talk about what I think the Old Testament is, about my morning routine with our kids, and he asks me the movie I think everyone should see.
Audio’s here, or you can watch on YouTube.
Carried to the Table
I was asked recently by Fellowship Fayetteville to tell the story of David’s kindness to Mephibosheth as a part of a Sunday series on the life of David. It was such a joy to work with other creatives in this body to showcase Yahweh’s covenant love by bringing people into an experience with this narrative.
I hope I get to do this until I die.
4 Cool Things
Living Lent - This short essay from Barbara Cawthorne Crafton is great.
“How did we come to know that we were dying a slow and unacknowledged death? And that the only way back to life was to set all our packages down and begin again, carrying with us only what we really needed?”
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On - Watched this movie with my teenage daughters the other day. How do I…… Let’s just say I did not expect to shed tears during a feature length film made from an old YouTube series about a sentient one-eyed, sneaker-wearing shell. You should totally watch this. It was just great.
Thunderstruck - A Finnish band covering AC/DC’s Thunderstruck with a banjo, an accordion, and spoons…and crushing it? Yes please.
“Perhaps The World Ends Here” - I adore this poem from Joy Harjo:
The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.
The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on.
We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.
It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.
At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.
Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table.
This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun.
Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.
We have given birth on this table, and have prepared our parents for burial here.
At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.
Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.
That’s the latest! I hope you’re blessed by “The Beastmaster, the Counselor, and the Anointed One” and don’t forget to grab your tickets to the Exodus Tour. We’ll see you out there!
Gratefully,
Justin
These emails go so hard! Thank you for telling us all the things.